23. Exam Training Complete

Twenty-two days since the preliminary exam. One week until the third exam.

Naruto created a shadow clone to work with Kurenai on his training. Ibiki had requested to spend the day working with the original Naruto. The blonde waited impatiently for the scarred tokubetsu jōnin to begin their training.

"It's getting close to time. There's only one more week left until the exam." Ibiki stated to the boy. "We don't have much time, so we have to make every second count."

"I understand." Naruto nodded in response. The blonde gulped a little at the thought of the exam. He wasn't scared, but it was exciting to know that the exam was coming up so soon.

"Again, I don't want to waste any time. We talked about this before and I made a promise to you, but I want to know: do you really wish to learn the shunshin now?" Ibiki asked.

Naruto's eyes widened at hearing that the elusive 'Shunshin no Jutsu' that he had wanted to learn was being offered to him again. A grin appeared on his face.

"Of course!" Naruto said excitably.

"Why?" The first exam proctor questioned as he stared at Naruto intently.

Naruto's eyes lit up as he started to discuss to the jutsu. "It helps improve the user's speed and their evasion. With the shunshin, I would be able to use it to avoid attacks that I normally couldn't and to help with my positioning in a fight."

"So you actually have a plan on how to use this jutsu? You don't wish to learn it simply because Anko uses this jutsu a lot?" Ibiki further questioned, his stare turning into a slight glare.

The Uzumaki's excitement faded slightly and he sighed. "Well, I am going to admit, that's what started my interest in the jutsu. It was just plain annoying watch her use it over and over again!" Naruto's excitement then returned to his eyes. "But then I actually studied the jutsu on my own one time and learned what it was really used for and I knew I needed to learn it. I know it'll make me stronger and improve some of the skills I am kinda lacking in."

Ibiki closed his eyes in thought. Naruto stared at the tokubetsu jōnin nervously, waiting to hear what the man was going to say. A few seconds passed before Ibiki opened his eyes and pulled out a scroll in his pocket.

"If you actually have a plan on how to properly use this jutsu in a fight, then I will teach it to you. It's always good to have a jutsu like this in your arsenal." Ibiki noted as he tossed the scroll to Naruto.

The blonde caught the scroll in his right hand. A large grin crossed his face as he opened it and started to study the jutsu more.

"You seem to know about the fundamentals and some of the general uses of the jutsu. So let's not waste time Naruto. Look for any new information you need in the scroll, then we'll start working on it. Since we are going to practice this, I want you to be ready to use this jutsu in the third exam." Ibiki ordered.

"Gotcha!" The blonde replied.

Naruto continued to study the jutsu, looking for any new information that would be able to help him in understanding and mastering the jutsu as quickly as possible.

At the far edge of Konoha in a training ground littered with rocks, Uchiha Sasuke was panting heavily. The boy's body was covered in bruises and cuts. Sasuke also had weights on his legs. These weights made it difficult for him to get off the ground. He, therefore, had to pull himself off the ground slowly and with a lot of effort. After finally getting off the ground, he faced the source of his injuries: Kakashi.

"Your speed is improving, but until you're able to dodge all of my attacks, you aren't fast enough." Kakashi told him in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.

"I know." Sasuke grunted in response, still breathing heavily.

Kakashi had been training Sasuke during the month extensively on his speed. The 'Copy Ninja' was trying to find ways to push Sasuke past his limits in order to prepare him for the exam.

"I'm just getting the point across again. I'm attacking you at what I can assume will be Lee's speed by the time of the third exam. You need to be able to match it if you want to stand a chance against him." The jōnin explained.

"I understand that." Sasuke sighed, thinking back to earlier in the month.

Lee had sparred with the Uchiha prior to entering the chūnin exams and he had defeated Sasuke easily. Sasuke's issue, as Kakashi had explained, was that his body wasn't able to match Lee's quick movements and attacks. His Sharingan eyes were fast enough to keep up with Lee's movement, but the Uchiha himself was not able to do that. Sasuke knew about the need to get faster and agreed with most of Kakashi's general plans for the training. However, he did have a question about Kakashi's methods in his teaching.

"I'm still confused on how the weights are helping me train." The Uchiha commented. "They're just restricting my movement."

"And that's the point. If you can match Lee's speed with your movement even with your weights on, then just imagine what will happen when you take your weights off." Kakashi answered with a shrug. "Besides, Lee is training with weights. I'd assume you would want to train just as hard as your competition."

Sasuke scoffed in annoyance at that, but said nothing. The boy stopped his panting and seemed to have a look of determination in his eyes.

Kakashi often compared Sasuke to Lee and his other competition. The 'Copy Ninja' knew that the boy was very competitive and did not like to feel inferior in any way. In some ways, his over-competitiveness was a weakness that held him back. In terms of simply training, however, Kakashi was able to use this competitive drive of Sasuke to push the Uchiha's training further.

"Are you ready to continue form where we were?" The masked jōnin questioned.

"…yeah." The Uchiha nodded in agreement. A smirk appeared on the Uchiha's face. "Let's get back to work."

"Good." Kakashi smiled behind his mask. "Remember to keep your Sharingan active again. Your eyes will follow my movements so you can fully see my speed. You'll need to then try and push your body to move at the same speed.

"Yeah, yeah. I understand Kakashi." Sasuke replied as he activated his Sharingan. He then got into a stance.

"Good. Then let's begin again." His sensei said, getting into a stance of his own.

Twenty-three days since the preliminary exam. Six days until the third exam.

Shikamaru and Shikaku were both sitting quietly at a shogi table. The two of them had been playing the same game for around two and a half hours now. Yoshino was observing the game impatiently, but she herself was also interested. She had found the game surprisingly intense.

The Nara heir moved his bishop on the board. His father, seeing a space on the board open up to him now that the bishop was gone, moved one of his gold generals to the newly accessible space. Shikamaru proceeded to study the board intently, just like he did every time his father made a move. A full minute passed before Shikamaru brought his palm to his forehead.

"You just realized what you did there, didn't you?" Shikaku asked teasingly.

"Yup. Shit, that's game." Shikamaru cursed as he shook his head.

"Hmm? He hasn't even put you in check yet." Yoshino commented as she stared at the shogi board in confusion.

"Just give it a sec Mom." Shikamaru sighed in response as he made his move.

The game lasted for five more turns. It finally ended when Shikaku, using his gold general, managed to place Shikamaru into checkmate. The younger Nara sighed in frustration.

"I fucked that up. I should've been seen that move of yours." He mumbled to himself.

"Things like that happen from time to time." Shikaku noted with a smirk. "Still, you were playing good up to that point. Almost had me a few times. Good game Shikamaru!"

Shikaku held out his hand. Shikamaru shook his hand. Despite the loss, the Nara heir did have a good, fun game.

"It's always good to see you playing better games than your previous ones. It does show me that your strategic mind is developing." The Jōnin commander of Konoha told his son.

"I'm trying to keep it as sharp as I can." Shikamaru replied, a slight smirk on his face. "So I am getting better then?"

His father nodded in response. "Definitely."

"Good." Shikamaru replied. "I'm gonna need to have a good strategic mind for the exam, especially considering who my first opponent is."

Shikaku nodded in agreement. "Yeah, your first opponent is Shibi's son. If the kid is anything like his old man, it means that he probably inherited a lot of Shibi's characteristics. And although it probably makes the kid hell to talk to, it also makes him a dangerous enemy."

"I figured. Shino's a logical kind of guy who thinks steps ahead of his opponents." Shikamaru noted, thinking back to what he knows of Shino's fighting style. He knew he was going to have to always be on the lookout for the Aburame's kikaichū insects and their positioning. He also going to have to pay attention to the amount of chakra he had at any given moment and make sure Shino's bugs weren't draining him. "It's not going to be a very flashy battle. It's going to be a more mental fight."

"We don't have too many days to work with Shikamaru." Yoshino said, speaking up. "We've all been doing well so far this month and you haven't been complaining about training that much, something I've been very proud of you for. We're just going to need to pick it up these last few days. Shikaku will keep working on improving your strategies and I'll do my part to make sure your body and your chakra pool are in tip-top shape!" The Nara mother then faced her with a son with a determined smile. "You ready for it?"

Shikamaru resisted the urge to groan at the idea of more work. Instead, a similar smile developed on his face. "Alright, alright. Let's do this!"

"Lava Style: Scorching Rocks Jutsu!"

In a training ground near the hot springs of Konoha, Kurotsuchi released giant balls of lava from her mouth. The lava balls solidified into molten rock before hitting nearby trees. Most of the trees hit were knocked over immediately with the lava continuing to burn them. A few of the trees, however, melted upon impact with the molten rocks.

Rōshi observed Kurotsuchi's jutsu with a proud smile on his face.

"Hell yeah! That's how ya do it kiddo!" He exclaimed happily as he looked at his student. "Good job Kurotsuchi…Kurotsuchi?" He then gave her a strange look.

"MY MOUTH IS BURNING!" Kurotsuchi screamed.

The Iwa kunoichi sprinted towards a water canteen and startled to drink it rapidly. Rōshi watched his student's actions with a mixture of a sigh and a laugh.

"Well, that happens sometimes with that jutsu. You need to get used to the burning sensation. Or make sure you don't apply too much heat on the jutsu until you release the lava from your mouth." Rōshi commented in a sage-like manner.

Kurotsuchi gave him a nod, showing that she heard and understood his advice. She continued to drink from her canteen until the burning-sensation ended. She probably fell to her knees and sighed in relief.

"Oh geez…I haven't had my mouth burn that badly since I tried Han-sensei's 'extra hot' tea." Kurotsuchi mumbled to herself.

Rōshi laughed loudly at that. "Han enjoys the hot teas and other foods. Like me! There's a reason we are called 'The Fiery Demon Brothers', ya know?"

"I thought it had to do with both of you being jinchūriki and because you both used heat-related jutsus." Kurotsuchi noted.

"…I'm sure people were also aware of our refined taste in food and beverage when they came up with our nickname." The older man stated sharply.

"Suuure." Kurotsuchi mumbled, a playful smirk on her face.

"In all seriousness, though, you've improved. Not only with this jutsu, but in your lava style overall. I'm impressed Kurotsuchi." Rōshi told her with a smile on his face. "I have a feeling you'll make your gramps proud come exam time. And at the very least, you'll make chūnin easily!"

"That's what I'm going for!" She exclaimed, jumping up-and-down slightly.

"Hopefully you'll end up fighting Risho, by the way. Just between you and me, I know that our lava jutsus actually heat up the Kurogane's iron armor and, if strong enough, can actually melt through it. If you fight him, you'll be able to pierce that annoying defense of his pretty easily."

"Heh, I know about that! I'm not too worried about Risho." Kurotsuchi answered with a shrug. "Although, I'm not counting out Naruto yet. I think there's a decent chance he could be the one I fight instead."

"That's the Kyūbi jinchūriki, right?" Rōshi questioned. Kurotsuchi nodded, which caused the red-haired man to grin. "Heh, I've heard a lot about him from Han. Lots of good things."

"Most definitely! He's actually a really funny guy and the two of us actually share a lot of the same ideals." The kunoichi noted thoughtfully. "I actually hope he achieves his goal and becomes Hokage. That would benefit the whole shinobi world in my mind."

"Really? You think that much of him?" The Yonbi jinchūriki asked. Seeing his student nod, he developed a smirk on his face and let out a loud laugh. "Ha, Han actually said something similar. Damn, I really need to meet the kid sometime soon then!"

"You'll meet him soon at the exam. Believe me, it's hard not to notice him when he's in the same room with you." Kurotsuchi noted with a giggle.

"Heh, we'll see." Rōshi stated before shaking his head. "Anyway, we got off topic. We should probably get back to work. Your mouth isn't still burning, is it? Because we're probably going back to work with the jutsu."

Kurotsuchi gulped slightly, but she shook her head in response. "I'm good. Ready again?"

"Always!" Rōshi laughed as he and Kurotsuchi went back to practice.

Twenty-four days since the preliminary exam. Five days until the third exam.

"…we did it." Hiashi commented in amazement as he stared at his daughter.

Hinata was lying on the floor of the training ground, breathing heavily. Many different kunai and shuriken were scattered on the floor around her, but she herself had no injuries from the weapons. There were also a couple of Hyūga shinobi in the room that had been pushed back towards the walls of the room. They all got up feeling a heavy amount of pain both in their back and their stomach.

"That…was good…" One of the Hyūga shinobi commented as he excused himself to go see one of the medics in the compound.

The other Hyūga shinobi excused themselves as well, leaving Hinata and Hiashi alone. The Hyūga clan head went over and started to pick up the scattered weapons on the ground. At this point, Hinata got up and started to help her father pick up the weapons.

"Father…the jutsu worked." Hinata stated happily. She was still tired, preventing her from being too excited.

"I noticed. It did." Hiashi gave his daughter a proud smile. "Your notes were very accurate and sound. We were able to create your jutsu, which is both the perfect offensive and defensive jutsu for someone with your fighting style."

Hiashi and Hinata had picked up all the weapons and put them away.

"One day, Hinata, your jutsu will be taught to other Hyūga clan shinobi and will be used to help save their lives. Your name will be going on the jutsu as the creator." Hiashi told her with a smile. "You've done an amazing job. I am so proud of you, and I know your mother would be too."

Hinata's eyes widened in surprise at her father's compliments. In seconds, they filled up with tears as she rushed over to her father and pulled him into a hug.

"F-Father…thank you…" Hinata mumbled, her head buried in his chest.

"…" Hiashi returned his daughter's hug. "You have nothing to thank me for Hinata. You've done a good job."

The father and daughter stayed quiet for a few seconds. The silence was interrupted though as they heard a noise from the ceiling. The two pulled away from the hug and looked upward in confusion.

"Hmm?" Hinata wiped the tears out of her eyes as she tried to find the source of the noise.

Hiashi had an idea at the noise. He picked up a kunai and tossed it at a seemingly-random ceiling tile. Almost immediately, a little girl fell from the ceiling.

"AH!" She screamed.

"H-Hanabi?" Hinata gasped.

The Hyūga clan head managed to catch the little girl, Hanabi, before she hit the ground. He placed her down on the ground gently before giving her a stern look.

"Hanabi, we've discuss this before. Your sister doesn't spy on your training sessions, so I don't appreciate you trying to spy on yours." He said sternly.

"…Hanabi? You were spying on me?" Hinata asked in surprise.

"I-I just wanted to see the new jutsu you were working on!" Hanabi spoke up quickly in her defense.

Hiashi opened his mouth to continue to scold his youngest daughter, but Hinata started to speak before him.

"Really? Did you see it?" She questioned out of curiosity.

Hanabi nodded in affirmation. A smile appeared on her face. "I did! It was so cool! You were all like 'WHOOSH!'" The little girl proceeded to spin in-place as she made hand gestures around her body. "And then things shot of your hands and all the weapons that were going to hit you went flying away, and then the guys that attacked you were sent flying backwards like 'WHOA!'" The little girl then walked backwards, trying to mimic the manner in which the other Hyūga shinobi were knocked backwards. "It was so cool!"

Hinata and Hiashi both stared at the little girl in surprise. Hanabi, despite her age, was a girl who acted very seriously and without emotion. She, in general, had a personality more suited to being the head of the Hyūga clan. However, they both occasionally forgot that she was still a child, and like most children, she became excitable upon seeing something they found 'cool'.

"Hehehe." Hinata giggled aloud. "I can teach it to you sometime maybe!"

"Yes please!" Hanabi requested politely, her smile still on her face.

Hiashi watched his two daughters talk about the new jutsu Hinata created and couldn't help but smile. For the first time since his wife's death, he got to be a part of interaction with his family that made him feel like they were a family. It was a feeling that he had missed greatly the past six years and he was glad to have it back.

"THAT'S IT LEE! SHOW ME HOW MUCH STRONGER YOU HAVE BECOME OVER THIS PAST MONTH!"

"OF COURSE! BE READY GAI-SENSEI!"

Rock Lee and Maito Guy were sparring in a training ground near the Konoha Ninja Academy. A pair of leg weights were in the ground in the center of mini craters. The two spandex-wearing shinobi were currently fighting around these craters in a taijutsu battle.

Lee dodged a punch from Gai and tried to retaliate with one of his own. The jōnin managed to avoid the attack and tried to deliver a kick against Lee, but the genin was able to back away just in time.

"You're getting better at evading my attacks!" Gai noted as he tried to attack Lee again.

"All of our training has been helping! I've never been stronger!" Lee shouted as he tried to land a punch at Gai.

Gai retaliated by avoiding the fist and delivering a punch of his. His connected, knocking Lee backwards.

"YOU FOOL!"

Lee was sent flying backwards into a training post. The boy had the air knocked out of him before falling to the ground. Almost immediately, he pulled himself up. He then looked at his sensei in surprise.

"Wh-What do you mean Gai-sensei? Did I say something wrong?" Lee asked in sadness, trying to figure out why he was just called a fool.

"You can never boast about your strength in that fashion. I've made that point clear before I hope. But also you should know to never say things like that because you subconsciously become satisfied with that. You can never say that you have never been stronger, because if you talk like that, you are accepting the strength you have at that very moment. You can never accept it! You have to know that you need to be training! You must know that tomorrow, you will be stronger! And the next day, you will never be stronger! But if you talk about how strong you now, you will become satisfied with what you have and will never grow stronger in the future. " Gai said dramatically.

To anyone else, Gai would seem like a strange man trying to sound smart and philosophical. To Lee, however, he came across exactly as what Gai was trying to be: a wise man with sage-like advice. The young genin started to openly weep at Gai's words.

"FORGIVE ME GAI-SENSEI! I DID NOT MEAN TO ACT IN SUCH AN ARROGANT AND UNYOUTHFUL FASHION!" He cried loudly, tears rolling down his eyes like waterfalls. "YOU TEACH ME SO MUCH! I WILL REMEMBER THIS FROM NOW AND WILL TAKE THIS AS MY PHILOSOPHY FROM TRAINING! FROM NOW ON, I WILL NEVER BE CONTENT WITH MY CURRENT STRENGTH! I WILL ALWAYS GROW STRONGER!"

"Precisely!" Gai shouted happily as he rushed over to his student and pulled him into a hug. "YOU REALLY DO UNDERSTAND! I AM SO PROUD OF YOU LEE!"

"GAI-SENSEI!"

"LEE!"

"GAI-SENSEI!"

"LEE!"

A little girl walked out of the Konoha Ninja Academy due to a need to leave class early. As she left the building, she saw two spandex-wearing guys hugging each other shouting the other guy's names. She also felt as if she saw a sunset despite it being the early afternoon. She also saw a cliff and waves.

"…" The girl started to run away from the sight, heading to her home as fast as she could. "I'm hallucinating…I have to be!"

Gai and Lee continued to have their…moment, completely oblivious of the little girl that just ran away and any trauma she may have experienced.

Twenty-five days since the preliminary exam. Four days until the third exam.

"Ah!" Risho cursed in pain as he fell back against a tree.

The Kurogane was practicing with his older cousin in a forest-like training ground at the outskirts of Konoha as far away from the civilian population as they could get. Risho was leaning against the tree he hit, breathing hard and sweating. The boy was covered in bruises and cuts all over his body. Many of his cuts were still bleeding profusely. Nevertheless, the boy got up from the tree and gripped two swords tightly: one in each hand.

Kusari took a look at his cousin and how tired he looked and just sighed.

"I was hoping that your time in a genin team would have helped improve your strength, but I guess not. You're as weak as always Risho." The older Kurogane rolled his eyes.

"I'm stronger! I am!" Risho declared loudly.

Kusari shook his head. He then charged his younger cousin. Risho had no time to react and was pinned against the tree. The boy coughed up blood in response.

"No, you really are not." He said sharply with cold eyes. "You're still the same, bratty kid you've always been running around the clan compound trying to get attention. That was maybe acceptable when you were three or four. But you are now a genin representing the Kurogane clan!"

The older Kurogane grabbed Risho by the neck and brought him close to his face.

"I personally hate this damn village, but I do recognize that this is the first time Iwa's been to one of Konoha's chūnin exams in years. This is, therefore, the first time the people of Konoha have had the chance to witness our clan's strength." Kusari explained sharply. His grip on Risho's neck intensified. "You're pathetic, but surely you are better than some no-name Konoha brats. When it's time for the exam, you better not embarrass our clan Risho. Believe me, our clan has no place for failures. I know the clan head won't have any…so prove to me you're not a failure."

Kusari let go of his cousin's neck, dropping him to the ground. Risho struggled to breathe for a few seconds before he pulled himself up. The Iwa genin then gripped his swords tightly before looking at Kusari in anger and hate: two emotions the older Kurogane had spent years cultivating in the boy.

"Believe me, I will prove to you and everyone here how strong a Kurogane can be." Risho hissed as he brought his two swords together. "I will show you all!"

"…then prove it." Kusari ordered as he removed one of his swords from his scabbard.

Risho spat on the ground before turning back to his cousin with the same angry look on his face. "I will!"

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

"Water Style: Water Wall Jutsu!"

Sarutobi Asuma released a giant fireball from his mouth towards Shino and his kikaichū insects. Shino retaliated by creating a giant wall of water to block the incoming fireball. The fireball collided with the wall of water before it disappeared, having been blocked. Shino released his jutsu. He and his kikaichū were not hit at all by the flames.

"Heh, looks like your water ninjutsu has improved. Good thing!" Asuma said with a chuckle.

Shino gave no response except a nod in agreement. Practicing and learning water style ninjutsu was an idea Asuma had and his father had encouraged after they both discovered that he had a natural affinity towards the element. His kikaichū insects were rather vulnerable to fire and fire style ninjutsu. When fighting against opponents who use this style of ninjutsu, Shino would be at a major disadvantage. Therefore, learning water style ninjutsu gave him a method to protect his kikaichū insects from the flames in addition to giving him jutsus that would help him have an edge against the fire style users. The decision to learn water style ninjutsu was a logical one and he agreed with the reasoning behind the choice.

"Again, I don't really know about Shikamaru, but we both know for a fact that Sasuke knows some fire ninjutsu. And if you fight him in the second round, then you got a leg up on him. You're good enough at the jutsus that you'll render all of his fire jutsus worthless." Asuma declared.

"That would be ideal." Shino, again, nodded in agreement.

"You stand a great chance against Nara Shikamaru, and you have different strategies that counter both Uchiha Sasuke and Rock Lee, depending on who you fight." Aburame Shibi noted quietly.

Considering that Shino was the only student in Team Ten to make the chūnin exams, Asuma decided he wanted to be directly involved in his training. Therefore, he and Shibi both worked on training Shino: physically and strategically. A month of training with his sensei and his father had prepared Shino for many of the hypothetical scenarios that could result during the matches in the third exam.

"I have no idea what will happen in the exam, as I do now know how the other genin are training. However, I do feel comfortable in myself so far. Why, you may ask? I've received training this past month from you two that will certainly help me not only in the exam matches but also in my career in future missions. You have my thanks, Asuma-sensei, father." Shino said as he bowed to his two trainers.

Shibi returned Shino's bow. Asuma just chuckled in response.

"Don't stress out about Shino. I'm your sensei. It's my job to help you out and give you training that you need." He told his student.

"That is correct, but my gratitude is still there." Shino responded with a shrug. "However, there is still time before the exam. If I may, I'd like to practice more. Both my water techniques as well the strategies I've developed with my kikaichū."

Shibi nodded as walked forward to assist with the training. Asuma, again, simply chuckled in response.

'I'm never gonna get used to the way you talk Shino. Ah, whatever. You're an interesting kid.' Asuma told himself as he faced his student. "Alright then, let's get back to work."

Shino nodded in agreement once again.

Twenty-six days since the preliminary exam. Three days until the third exam.

'HOLY SHIT!' Tenten nearly shouted aloud.

The kunoichi had attempted to hit Neji with a barrage of weapons from her summoning scrolls. She watched as every single one of the weapons were knocked away from Neji as the boy continued to rotate in a circular direction.

The spinning continued for a few more seconds until all of Tenten's weapons were lying on the ground. Neji ended his jutsu and finally looked at the result of his jutsu.

"It worked…" The Hyūga noted as he looked at every inch of his body. Not a single injury was taken.

"I can't believe it…you blocked everything." Tenten commented in a trance-like fashion.

For the first time in years, Neji let a small, sincere smile grace his lips. He had managed to learn the Eight Trigrams Palm Rotation, a jutsu reserved solely for the Main House of the Hyūga clan, through his own intuition and practice.

"Tenten, you've helped me accomplish something great." Neji spoke up as the smile started to fade into his trademark smirk. "I thank you for your assistance with my training."

Tenten shook her heading, dropping out of her trance. Due to it, though, she failed to see Neji's sincere smile. Nevertheless, she was glad she was able to help it.

"No problem Neji. What are teammates for? Glad I was able to help you out." She said happily.

Neji nodded as he looked upward to the sky.

'I'll be fighting Hinata…all of the Hyūga clan will be there. I will defeat her easily, and I will do so with the main house techniques. I will show them the full extent of my training.' The Hyūga prodigy told himself as he clenched his fist.

The day of the exam was going to be a big day for him. It was a day he was now looking forward to more than he was previously.

'Father…wherever you are…I hope you'll be watching me and my fight.' Neji prayed as an almost-malicious grin developed on his face. 'I will show everyone the full power of the branch family!'

Unlike the other participants in the chūnin exams, Kankurō of the Sunagakure team was sitting in his room instead of training. He had a wrench in his hand and was making arrangements and adjustments on his puppet, Karasu.

Temari was in the room and observed her brother work on the puppet.

"What are you even adding to it? It seems like you just add the same things over and over again." Temari questioned him as he watched him do his work.

"Just a couple of little stuff. I'm adding more poison smoke balls and kunai and I'm replacing the poison in Karasu with a stronger poison. This one is definitely going to be lethal." Kankurō answered excitedly. His tone of voice made it clear how much he loved working on his puppets and how interested he was in them.

"It's a shame you're making all of these adjustments and you aren't even going to fight in the third exam." Temari grumbled in annoyance, bitter about not being able to participate.

In response to her comments, Kankurō rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sorry, but I don't have a death wish. Maybe I'd fight if I was against anyone else, but I'm not going to even try and take on Gaara."

The Suna kunoichi nodded in understanding, but she was still bitter. She sighed.

"…where is Gaara anyway?" She asked.

The puppeteer pointed to his left. Gaara was sitting on the balcony of their hotel room quietly.

"He's getting impatient. I'm sure he's looking forward to the exam just for all the fighting and death." Kankurō noted with a shiver.

An awkward silence passed between the two Suna shinobi. It was interrupted a minute later by Temari.

"Are you ready for it?" She asked him.

Kankurō sighed in response. "Honestly…no. I know we gotta act in our village's best interest, but I'm not looking forward to this."

"…agreed." Temari sighed as well. "…although I don't see how this is in Suna's best interest."

"Well, it's what Dad is ordering. And he's the Kazekage, so who are we to judge I guess?" Kankurō replied sadly. "…we just have to get through that day and hopefully not kill too many people. Hopefully it'll end quickly for everyone."

The two genin knew that Kankurō's hope was idealistic and was not going to happen. They were both concerned for the third exam, but for completely different reasons than the other shinobi participating.

Twenty-seven days since the preliminary exam. Two days until the third exam.

"Wind Style: Wind Release Stream!"

Naruto released a controlled stream of wind from his mouth. The wind hit the ground and caused dust to fly upward and cover him. When the dust cleared, Naruto was nowhere in sight. Kurenai looked around for the boy until she felt a hand underneath her grab her leg.

The hand attempted to drag her into the ground, but Kurenai simply resisted it. The hand disappeared back into the ground before Naruto pulled himself out of the ground.

"Nice try, but no." Kurenai said with a smile.

"I was hoping to get the jump on you." Naruto admitted with a laugh.

"A try is a try." The jōnin shrugged. "Still, it was all very good Naruto. You were able to create the jutsu perfectly now and you've been able to master all the different ways it provides utility for you. You even just used it in conjunction with your Headhunter Jutsu to hide yourself. That was very well done!"

"Well done indeed."

Naruto and Kurenai turned around and saw Ibiki and Naruto's clone approaching the two of them. The Uzumaki looked over at the two and smirked.

"So, what did I learn today?" Naruto asked the clone.

"You'll find out in a second or so!" The clone replied before disappearing in a poof of smoke.

Naruto obtained memories involving more practice with the shunshin, being able to actually use the jutsu, and having another strategy talk with Ibiki. The blonde nodded, accepting these memories. He was grinning at the realization that he could perform the shunshin now as well.

"Naruto, you've been doing great with the two of us. I can tell you've grown a lot since when we started." Kurenai told the boy.

"You needed to grow up." Ibiki commented.

"Ibiki, be nice." Kurenai said to her fellow exam proctor.

The T&I head rolled his eyes before continuing. "You've improved a lot, though. Your strategic mind has developed to an impressive level for a genin. In addition, you now have a couple of jutsu that can help you with strategies and help you fight more strategically. You got the strength and now you got the mind and some utility in your arsenal. I have a feeling you'll not only get promoted in the exams, but I also feel as if you are going to go far in your career as a shinobi. Maybe all the way to Hokage even." Ibiki then let a smile grace his lips, a rare sight. "You've done good Naruto."

The Uzumaki couldn't help it: he jumped his two trainers and hugged them tightly. His eyes were wet with tears threatening to fall down, but he had a large smile on his face.

"You guys helped me out so much this past month. I really don't think I could've gotten as far without you both. Thank you Kurenai-sensei and Ibiki-sensei for all the help you two have given me!" He told them sincerely.

"We're glad to have helped." Kurenai replied back, returning his hug.

"…" Ibiki did not return the hug. He was a man who did not really enjoy physical contact in the nature of 'hugs'. However, he did pat the blonde on the bag and his smile did not fade. "Get promoted kid. That's all we ask."

That was a request Naruto intended on keeping!

Four weeks since the preliminary exam. One day until the third exam!

At around seven in the evening, Naruto, Hinata, and Shikamaru arrived at Dangoya, the restaurant that they had met Anko and had their meeting after graduating the academy. Their jōnin sensei had asked them to arrive there for a dinner the day before the exam.

They had only been there for about five minutes before their sensei had arrived. She was dragging a massive bag in her left hand was holding a bottle of sake in the right hand.

"Hey guys!" Anko shouted at them .

"…you're drinking?" Shikamaru raised his eyebrow at her.

"It's just one drink to wet my appetite." His sensei responded with a roll of her eyes. "You don't think this is enough to get me drunk, right? Please, it would take at least another three or four more!"

"…whatever." Shikamaru sighed. "Good to see you too Anko-sensei."

"What's with the bag sensei?" Naruto asked, gesturing to it.

"Eh, we'll talk about that later. For now, let's eat and shit!" The tokubetsu jōnin stated merrily.

The three genin just shrugged and decided to just do what their sensei suggested. The four of them got a table and started to eat. They all chatted and caught up. Anko let them know about her month and she asked some general questions about their training. It was an enjoyable night for Naruto, Hinata, and Shikamaru and was a great way to end the month of hard, intense training.

After the meal was finished and paid for, Anko gestured back to her bag. Her three genin stared at it intently.

"Alright, I said we'd talk about this later, and well, later is now." Anko said as she pulled the bag to her lap. "Well basically, you guys are the only genin team I've ever had and, honestly, I was kinda nervous to take up a team. The Hokage kinda forced me into the 'sensei' role and I really didn't know what I was doing. But you know what, I had a blast and I got to meet the three of you. And honestly, you guys are some of the strongest and nicest kids I think I've ever met. And I normally hate the little shits your age, so that means something!"

The three genin laughed in response to their sensei's words.

"Anyway, since tomorrow's the third exam and I feel confident in saying that you all could get promoted, I wanted to get you all something. A little something to remember me and the team by." She said as she started to dig into her bag. "It'll also make you guys look a lot more stylish for tomorrow!"

Anko pulled out three different outfits, one for each of her students. Each of them included chainmail to wear underneath and also had holders for weapons, but they were all stylized to suit the individual genin. Naruto, Hinata, and Shikamaru stared at them in awe.

Naruto's outfit was a jacket similar to the one he wore. It was predominately black with a navy blue stripe that ran down the sleeves. On the back was the Uzumaki swirl in navy blue and the kanji for three was written on the jacket underneath it. The jacket was also accompanied with black pants with a similar blue stripe running down both legs of the pants.

Hinata's outfit also included a jacket. It was a white jacket with sleeves that was colored lavender at the shoulders. On the back of the jacket was also the kanji for three. The jacket lacked a zipper and was open. Underneath it was a black t-shirt. The outfit also came with purple shorts that would cover up to Hinata's knees. The purple was slightly dark in shade and matched the lavender color on her jacket.

Shikamaru's outfit included a grey long-sleeve shirt. The shirt had a white cloud pattern on the sleeves and the back. The clouds on the back of the shirt surrounded the kanji for three. The outfit also had a pair of new black pants.

"Yeah, I know you don't have to wear them if you don't want. But hey, I thought that you might look cool in them and look stylish. Just show off who you are how you guys were part of the most badass team Konoha has ever had!" Anko explained. She was rubbing the back of her head sheepishly in a similar fashion to Naruto when he was embarrassed.

"Are you kidding? I'm going to wear this almost every day! I love it!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Not even gonna lie, the clothes do look good." Shikamaru admitted.

"They look really comfy too! Thank you so much!" Hinata said happily.

The three genin rushed over to their sensei and pulled her into a group hug. Anko yelped in surprise at first, before she shrugged and accepted the hug.

She would have never believed anyone who told her that she would one day have her own genin team. Nevertheless, here she was with her own team…and it was a team she was proud to claim as her own.

"Kick ass tomorrow guys and best of luck. I know you'll all make great chūnin." She said, tightening the hug.

"Tomorrow's the day of the exam Sarutobi-sensei." Jiraiya said to the Hokage.

Hiruzen nodded. "Indeed. It is also the day of the invasion."

Jiraiya and Hiruzen had discussed a plan of action, which was to appear as if they were still in the blind. They will let the exams continue as they had originally been planned.

Dosu had managed to tell them about when the invasion would occur. Orochimaru needed the invasion to start during one of Sabaku no Gaara's fights. He preferred for it to occur during a fight with Uchiha Sasuke, as he wanted to see any improvements to Sasuke's strength. Knowing when the invasion would occur, the two men had planned accordingly.

The first precaution they made was to now allow civilians to enter the exam arena. They wanted to ensure that all the people in the area would be able to take care of themselves. They had also alerted the daimyos and the other wealthy lords that were attending the exam. They would still remain watching, as Orochimaru would suspect something if they were not there, but they were also had extra security and defenses prepared in case if something came up.

They also notified the Anbu. The operatives would remain in disguise as random people watching the exams. They would come out of hiding to fight off the invaders. Other Anbu were also already deployed in key areas, such as the Konoha Ninja Academy, the Konoha Hospital, the areas of the village with a heavy population density, and the gates to Konoha to be prepared for any invaders that would be coming.

Dosu had informed them that he knew Orochimaru would try and get the Hokage alone at some point so he could try and kill him. Therefore, Jiraiya would remain hidden by the Hokage's side to make sure that Orochimaru's attempt would not work. He would have to fight both the Hokage and his fellow Sannin.

"Did you late Ōnoki know about the invasion sensei?" Jiraiya asked.

Hiruzen shook his head. "I want to believe that this alliance with Iwa could happen, but I also know Ōnoki was accompanied by other Iwa jōnin, many of whom hate Konoha. If we let him know about this, then he would probably discuss this with those jōnin. They would then have time to convince him to not aid us or, even worse, fight against us. I believe Ōnoki, in the moment, would choose to aid us and, in the moment, his shinobi would have to side with us as they can't simply ignore their Tsuchikage's orders."

The Toad Sannin nodded in understanding.

The two men stood at the balcony in the Hokage's office. They looked out towards the exam arena for the third exam.

"Funny, today's been very peaceful. It's weird, thinking that we know we're going to be attacked tomorrow." Jiraiya commented.

"It is weird. But in a weird way, I'm looking forward to it." Hiruzen admitted. "We know about it and I feel our precautions will keep our village and the people safe. So we can just focus on our goal: killing Orochimaru. It's about time we take him down, wouldn't you agree?"

Jiraiya nodded in agreement. "It really is."

Tomorrow was going to be a busy day for everyone involved…