Hello team!

Unseen to all, Naruko slowly stalked her team as they went about their day. 'Mhm... I'll need to adjust their training schedule. They slacked a little with Kakashi watching over them.' Thinking about Kakashi her eyes narrowed. 'I don't quite understand how he did it - I recognize that purple lightning, it's what he had in 'Boruto' but how did he have enough Chakra to have a Shadow Clone watch over my team and go on missions with them? I can sense his Chakra Reserves aren't that deep, even if it has sharpened and grown considerably compared to when I first met him.' 

Shaking away the thoughts Naruko frowned. 'Sasuke needs to work on his meditations and calming practices more. Especially if Orochimaru does somehow manage to get the Curse Mark on him. Sakura is doing well, but it will still be a number of months until she's where she could really be. As for Sai...' Staring at him as he moved through the training ground she sighed. 'The difference in talent is obvious. Sai is talented, monstrously so compared to the ordinary Shinobi. But compared to Sakura and Sasuke... the gap is obvious. With my training and help, he should be able to barely reach Kage level in a few years, but any more than that? It would take decades. Unless...' 

Looking down at her hands, she clenched them tightly. 'Do you think it could work Kurama?' There was a few moments of silence before, 'Maybe. Your other plan has a higher chance of success, however.' Naruko nodded at that comment before letting out an inaudible sigh. 'Perhaps, but to do that I'd have to fight Nagato. It's going to take me too long to be able to do what I want with that plan without his ah - "assistance".'

Rolling her shoulders she stood upright. 'Alright, enough of the sleuthing around. Time to make my entran- actually... Y'know it's been a while since I took a break. Why not just leave them with Kakashi for another day?' 

With seemingly no movement, Naruko simply disappeared from the tree.

-Kakashi-

Rubbing the back of his head, Kakashi let out a sigh. 'Oye, oye. What's up with that? I take over for your brats for so long and you don't even want them back...' Looking down to his book he let out a giggle. 'Oh well. If I'm watching the brats the Hokage can't assign me anything, and so I get to read! Ooh my Sana-chan! What are you doing?!?' 

-Naruko-

'Ramen ramen, ramen! Ramen ramen, ramen! Dodoo doo ta! Ramen ramen, ramen!' With a massive grin on her face, Naruko walked through the curtains of the stand and hopped onto a stool. "Teuchi-Oji, I want five bowls of...."

-The next day-

"Sensei! You're back!" At the excited shout of Sakura, Naruko grinned and nodded her head.

"Of course! Back safe and sound." Looking at her team, a small little smile formed on her lips. "Now how was Kakashi?"

At that, there was silence, Sasuke looking away, Sai deadpan, and Sakura shuffling her feet. "That bad? Well, I couldn't expect much more, y'know! So, as a celebration for me being back..." Reaching into her pocket, she'd pull out 2 slips of paper.

"Ta-da!" There was silence for a moment before,

"Ano... Sensei what is that?" 

The smile on her face only got larger at Sakura's question. "Why these? These are slips to the Chunin Exams - where you and Sasuke should you accept will be competing to see if you're ready to be promoted."

Sasuke's eyes instantly snapped to the slips of papers, even as Sakura shuffled again. "Do you... do you think we're ready Sensei?"

Seeing the hesitation in both her eyes and words, Naruko would hold back a sigh before nodding. "I do! Sakura, coming out of the Academy you were rough, out of shape, and well, weak." Sakura wilted, but Naruko continued on, "But now? You're becoming strong - you're growing into who you'll be. I see a day, and soon - where you won't just be a Chunin, but a proud Jonin of Konohagakure. Yes, I think you and Sasuke are both more than ready, especially when you still have a week of training until the Chunin Exams begin, and often the Chunin Exams will give you time to train as well."

From behind Sakura, Sasuke looked at his teammate silently, and Naruko barely managed to hold back her smile. 'Heh. Am I good, or am I good?' After a moment determination spread across Sakura's face. "Alright, Sensei! Let's do i-" She paused. "Sasuke-kun, you want to do the Chunin Exams, right?"

In response, Sasuke smirked before stepping forward and taking one of the forms out of Naruko's hands. "Of course."

"Then let's do it!" Sakura stepped forward and took her own form.

Looking at them both Naruko would smile, before looking towards Sai who was silently watching in the background. "You didn't think I'd leave you out as well, did you Sai?"

"Sensei?" There was confusion in his usually blank eyes, and at that, Naruko chuckled, before pulling out a third paper.

"Signed it myself - recommendation for Special Jonin. Your exam will begin during the Chunin Exams. So in one way or another - you'll all be competing in your exams, and will be able to support each other."

As Sakura leaped forward to congratulate Sai, Naruko stepped to the side placing a hand on Sasuke's shoulder, and spoke in a lower volume and tone. "Before the exam, I'll be stepping up Sakura's training a little bit, but for you - you need to double up on your meditations. Outside of that, I'm proud of you Sasuke. Just a year before you wouldn't have waited for Sakura to decide if she was ready to join. You're truly proving that you're ready to be a Chunin." 

Sasuke was frozen for a moment before he slowly nodded. 'Heh! Look at that little blush. The little edgelord is shocked at affirmative praise!' 

Waiting a few minutes for her team to calm down - whether they were showing how excited they were or not, Naruko eventually clapped her hands. "Alright, alright! You still have time before your exams - so you know what that means... More training! Sasuke we'll be working on a little bit of lightning manipulation, Sai - you need more work with your Tanto, and Sakura - congratulations you get to experience glorious speed training." A horrifying grin spread across her face, "Don't worry - we'll be using training methods I've come up with myself, I'm sure you'll love it!"

They did not love it, not at all. By the end of the day Sasuke was covered in burns, Sai had dozens upon dozens of knicks all across his body, and Sakura was laid flat on the ground unable to move as her legs spasmed. Standing above them all in the training grounds with a wide smile on her face Naruko peered down at the three of them. "Well, team! I think that's it for today, meet back here early tomorrow for another day of training!"

GROAN!

"Aah, the sounds of a good training session. Have fun getting back home team!" With that, she disappeared from the training ground in a blur of yellow.

"Sometimes... I really hate.... Sensei." At those words from Sakura, there was silence for a moment before Sasuke spoke up.

"No, no you don't." 

A smile broke out on Sakura's face. "Yeah, you're right..."