The Calm before the storm

Soon…

It was evening.

RIINNGGGG!!!!!

The Academy bell rang.

Konohamaru sprang up from his seat and ran towards the door.

"Konohamaru!"

"Where are you going?" Udon and Moegi asked.

"Somewhere important" Konohamaru waved his hands as he ran out of the class.

Udon and Moegi stared at the open door with their mouths open.

"That's unusual!"

"Konohamaru never keeps secrets from us…" Udon said.

"He is hiding something!" Moegi determined.

"Huh?"

"How can you tell?" Udon asked.

"Intuition," Moegi said, following which she ran towards the door.

"Wait for Me!" Udon shouted as he ran after Moegi.

…..

"What is he doing over there?" Udon asked.

"No idea!" Moegi and Udon hid behind a bush few meters away while staring at Konohamaru who was on top of the compound wall of the Hyūga clan training ground.

Time passed by as the trio kept waiting.

"It's been an hour!" Udon complained.

"Just be patient okay!" Moegi tried to calm Udon down.

*sound of footsteps*

("She is here!") Konohamaru saw Hanabi walking towards her usual training spot, followed by her caretaker.

("He's here again!") Hanabi stared at the place Konohamaru was standing at, which was hidden by the leaves of a tree located next to the compound wall.

"Natsu-san, I would like to be alone for my training," Hanabi said.

"Understood!" Hanabi's caretaker nodded and left the training field.

…..

After she left…

"I know you are hiding there!" Hanabi spoke towards the direction where Konohamaru was hiding…

"How did you find out, eh?" Konohamaru asked.

"It's an ability that belongs to my family."

"I am able to see anything around me without the need to turn as long as it is within fifty meters of range," Hanabi explained.

(Whoosh!)

"As expected of the Byakugan!" Konohamaru landed on the grass next to Hanabi.

Suddenly, Konohamaru felt a sweat down his spine.

"What happened?"

"Are you not going to ask me to fight you?" Hanabi asked.

"No…" Konohamaru spoke out slowly.

"It's just that…"

"I…Realized…that…you..never used your Byakugan," Konohamaru said.

"Hmph!"

"I don't need to use it on a brat like you!" Hanabi declared.

"There you go again."

"Are you old enough to call me a brat?" Konohamaru asked.

"Y-You!" Hanabi was close to losing her mind, after all, it was not polite or somewhat taboo for a man to ask a woman's age.

"So, you are not going to use your Byakugan?" Konohamaru asked.

"Like I told you before."

"No!"

"I will not use it against you," Hanabi said.

"It won't be fair for you to be my girlfriend if I defeat you without you using your Byakugan," Konohamaru said.

"Hmph!"

"The day you force me to use my Byakugan."

"Consider it your win!" Hanabi declared.

….

"GIRLFRIEND?" Moegi stood up from the bush.

"Shhh!!!" Udon pulled her down.

"Why are you stopping me?" Moegi asked.

"Konohamaru said it is important for him!" Udon persuaded Moegi.

"Hmph!" Moegi turned back to face the direction where Konohamaru and Hanabi were talking.

….

"My win?"

"That means you will be my girlfriend?" Konohamaru asked.

"Y-You!!"

"FINE"

"I'll be your girlfriend!"

"Are you happy?" Hanabi asked.

"DEAL!" Konohamaru gave a thumbs up.

"I'll challenge you once again then!" Konohamaru raised his fists.

"Very well" Hanabi also raised her palms against Konohamaru.

….

Soon, the spar was over with Konohamaru ending up with bruises in a few places…

"You are far from beating me!" Hanabi said.

"Oh yeah?"

"I'll come here every single day until I defeat you!" Konohamaru declared.

"Every day?"

"I haven't got time to be playing with brats like you!" Hanabi said.

"We'll see that!" Konohamaru argued as he walked away…

"WAIT!" Hanabi stopped Konohamaru.

"What is it?" Konohamaru asked.

"You can't come tomorrow," Hanabi said.

"Why not?" Konohamaru asked.

"I am going to watch the Chuunin Exam Battle along with my Dad," Hanabi said.

"Chuunin Exam Battle?"

"Why bother?" Konohamaru asked.

"Why bother?"

"What do you mean?" Hanabi asked.

"Don't you know the boss is going to be the winner!" Konohamaru said.

"The boss?"

"You mean Naruto?" Hanabi asked.

"Mm!" Konohamaru nodded.

"Don't assume he will win, after all; there is a cousin brother of mine who will be participating in tomorrow's battle!"

"People know that Hyūga clan is the strongest clan of Hidden Leaf Village!" Hanabi declared.

"Hmph!"

"If you have seen my boss, you will understand!"

"No one can beat the boss; he defeated my sensei and even my grandfather once!" Konohamaru spoke proudly.

"Yeah right!"

"It must have been a surprise attack or something like that!"

"There's no way in hell, that he can defeat them in a real battle!" Hanabi argued.

"You'll see it tomorrow!"

"The BOSS is UNBEATABLE!"

"I'll come to battle against you on the day after the Chuunin Exam!" Konohamaru said as he walked away from the training grounds.

"We'll See!" Hanabi declared.

———————————

"Udon, Moegi!" Konohamaru stared at the two who were standing in front of him.

"Who is that girl?" Udon asked; meanwhile Moegi glared at Konohamaru.

"Oh!"

"Her?"

"She is…."

"She is a friend!" Konohamaru scratched his head.

"Don't you mean GIRLFRIEND?" Moegi stomped towards Konohamaru.

"M-Moegi!" Konohamaru scratched his head.

"Hmph!" Moegi turned around and walked away.

"Moegi!" Udon and Konohamaru chased after her…

———————————

The next day early morning…

In a restaurant, two figures sat on opposite sides of the table, with only one of them eating…

"Are you done yet?" Sasuke asked.

"Nah!"

"This ramen is good!" Naruto slurped from his bowl.

"Who the heck eats Ramen in the morning?" Sasuke asked.

"Here!" Naruto pointed to himself while having his mouth full with the ramen.

Naruto gulped the soup from the bowl.

"I can have Ramen for Breakfast, lunch, and dinner!" Naruto declared.

"Hmph!"

"Finish it fast, Loser!"

…..

"Thanks!"

"Come revisit us!"

*Door slides shut!*

"Let's go!" Naruto said.

"Mm!" Sasuke nodded.

(Whoosh!)

The duo traveled at a fast pace once again towards their intended location…

——————————

Hidden Leaf Inn…

"Today we execute the plan!" Baki announced while looking towards the trio in front of him.

"Gaara!"

"I hope you are ready!" Baki looked towards Gaara.

("Gaara…") Kankuro stared at Gaara.

"I will not destroy the village!" Gaara declared with a firm voice.

"WHAT?" Temari and Baki stared at Gaara.

"Oy!"

"Kankuro!"

"Do you have any idea what he is talking about?" Baki asked upon noticing Kankuro's less shocked expression…

"This…" Kankuro was helpless.

"Gaara!"

"This is not the time to joke!"

"The entire village is counting on you!" Temari begged.

"Gaara!" Baki put his hands over Gaara's shoulders…

"Be serious!"

"We have come to destroy this village!"

"There is no Chuunin exams."

"The results don't matter!"

"All that is to be done is to destroy this village!" Baki said.

"Hmph!" Gaara walked towards the door.

"Are you going to help us?" Baki asked.

"…" Gaara was silent.

He opened the door and left the room leaving Temari, Kankuro, and Baki alone.

"Why does he have to do this now?"

"Orochimaru-sama and the others are counting on him!" Baki complained.

Temari looked towards Kankuro.

"Do you know anything about this?"

——————————

SARUTOBI RESIDENCE…

*Door slides open*

Konohamaru walks out of his bedroom.

"Grandpa?"

"You are early to work today?" Konohamaru asked upon seeing Hiruzen wear his ninja armor, followed by his Hokage outfit…

"Ah!"

"Konohamaru!"

"Today is the Chuunin Exam!"

"Lots of people are coming to visit our village from different nations!"

"I have to finish my work fast, so I can sit down in the stadium along with them to watch the matches." Hiruzen ruffled Konohamaru's bed hair.

"Okay!" Konohamaru nodded.

*Door slides close*

Hiruzen runs out of the house towards the Hokage Office.

("Konohamaru...")

("Grandpa is not sure if he can come back alive today...")

….

*Stamp!*

"All done!" Hiruzen sighed upon seeing the number of stacked papers next to his desk.

"Tenzō!" Hiruzen called out.

"Yes!" An ANBU white Ops agent landed on the floor.

"It's 6:45 am."

"I want you to assemble everyone on the rooftop in the next fifteen minutes!" Hiruzen ordered.

"Yes!" The agent vanished…

("Orochimaru!")

("Will you take the bait and come here to kill me?") Hiruzen thought as he stared in the direction towards the Chuunin Exam Stadium…