Chapter 49: The Chunnin Exams

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

"Hmm…."- Bijuu

Chapter 49:

The Chunnin Exams

Kushina looked up at one of the grandest sight she had ever come across. Of course, that wasn't totally a compliment, especially considering just how painful it looked for the other being. But what sight was she talking about? The answer was easy. The young redhead was currently inside her mind, staring up at the sealed bijuu that now resided within her. To be more specific, the grand Kyuubi. It had already been weeks since the sealing, but this was the first time that Kushina had ever wondered into here. It was also the first time that she was laying her eyes on the bijuu.

The Kurama of the current time period looked down, feeling the presence of the girl whom he had been trying to summon for a while now. Despite the spikes that were currently impaling him to the giant floating boulder, he was still able to pick up Kushina's form at the bottom. If barely.

"About time you showed up, brat. I've been waiting!"

Kushina jumped up, startled that the bijuu had started to speak with her. But the words soon registered in her mind, making her pause. "Umm what?"

Kurama growled. "Don't tell me I'm stuck with a stupid little girl now. That would only make this more painful."

Kushina narrowed her eyes at hearing that, her temper flaring. She didn't care if the bijuu was powerful or whatever. Nobody insulted her like that, dammit!

"Hey! Let's get one thing straight here, you oversized furball!" Kushina exclaimed as she pointed up at Kurama. Said bijuu merely raised an eyebrow as the redhead continued. "You're stuck in my mind. That means I'm the boss of you, got it!?"

Kurama didn't say anything for a few seconds, simply staring at the girl. Kushina's hair was also flaring up a little at this point. The silence didn't last long, however, as Kurama broke down in laughter.

"Hahaha! Oh by the gods, you two really are related!"

That only caused Kushina to become confused again, her temper receding. "What are you talking about now?"

Kurama shook his head. "Don't worry about it. For now, there are some things that we need to discuss, brat."

Kushina raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

Kurama grunted. "For starters, why don't you start by getting me out of this thing. I may be immortal, but this still hurts a lot."

Kushina looked uneasy at the prospect. "How would I even do that? And better yet, why would I even do that? You're not someone I trust."

Kurama sighed in irritation. "It's times like this that my reputation really does bite me in the ass….."

Kushina looked up at him with another raised eyebrow to which Kurama shook his head. "Nevermind about that. But you're right. You can't exactly trust me like that. But do know that I have no intentions of ripping you limb from limb. That's all in the past now. I've turned into a new and improved fox!…sort of."

The Uzumaki girl sweatdropped. "Are you the same Kyuubi that Mito-sama warned me about?"

Kurama chuckled. "Yes. Well, sort of. The being your relative came to know was a bitter fool who couldn't let the past go. But things have changed, brat. To a degree I never would have thought possible, but they've changed. One of which is my choice to cooperate with you."

"What are you saying?"

If he could, Kurama would have shrugged. "I mean that I'm willing to help you from here on out. I'm going to be your partner, in a sense. I'll even train you how to learn to control my power. Of course, it won't be easy. And you're still not ready yet. But in time….."

Kushina couldn't believe her ears. She must be dreaming or something. "You can't be serious…..why are you offering me this!?"

"I already told you. Things have changed. There are a lot of things going on around you that you are not aware of. But you can trust me."

Kushina looked down at her feet. "Does it have something to do with Naruto?"

Kurama had a surprise look on his face, not that anyone could blame him. He had no idea why the girl would deduce that any of this had something to do with the other brat.

"And what makes you think that he's involved in this?"

Kushina shrugged as she looked back up at the bijuu, a small grin appearing on her face. "Oh, I don't know. But the fact that you seem to know of him makes me think that I'm on the mark."

"For the love of-"

Kurama grumbled to himself, not exactly pleased that a thirteen year old girl had outsmarted him. He only hoped that it never got out. Or else, his reputation would go down in flames.

"I'm not answering that!"

Kushina rolled her eyes, becoming more and more comfortable with the nine tailed bijuu. If anything, the bijuu's personality reminded her a lot of a certain blond's.

"Well, I can see that you're probably being sincere," the girl admitted as she rubbed the back of her head. "But I really have no idea how to get you out those chains."

Kurama didn't respond, eyeing the girl. He could tell that she was being truthful. As far as he knew, this seal was completely different from the one his future self was in. It wasn't meant to connect his powers with Kushina's. If anything, it separated them a lot more. No doubt that Mito hadn't wanted him trying to corrupt the girl. But things were different now. He would have to get in contact with Naruto and his future self so that they could talk to the clan head. No doubt he had the key to the seal. It only irked the bijuu a bit that it had completely passed over his head to tell Naruto to take care of that before the blond had left. His current position wasn't that fun, after all.

But he would just have to a bit more patient.

"Fine, I got it. But we have to take care of it as soon as possible. This position isn't exactly comfortable."

Kushina had the decency to flinch at that. But it wasn't the girl's fault. She hadn't designed her seal. Mito had. And if she had known that the Kyuubi was this great to be around, then Kushina would had tried to convince Mito to make the seal less painful for the bijuu.

There was one great plus to all of this, though. Besides the Kyuubi's welcoming personality, Kushina had learned that Naruto was indeed mixed up in some bizarre things. She just needed to find out what. But it didn't look like the bijuu was going to tell her anything. A bummer. But that only made her more determined.

"Thanks, Kyuubi. I promise I will talk to my dad about it."

Kurama closed his eyes as Kushina's form began to disappear.

"Call me Kurama."

Sarutobi looked at the papers spread out on the table in front of him. They were filled with a great surprise that he had not been expecting. But he wasn't alone. Both Koharu and Homura were sitting on the other side, looking at other copies of the exact same documents that he was. They were all in the Hokage building inside the room that they usually gathered in for such meetings.

"This is indeed a surprise," Homura said with a small hum as he leaned back in his seat. "With what happened three weeks ago, I was under the impression that Suna would have other things to handle."

"We have to be wary of their motives, though," Koharu added with a shake of her head. "While it's a surprise, we also have to understand that they're probably doing this because of our treaty with them. They're trying to preserve it so that we will have to jump in to their rescue if they need our help with their battles against Iwa."

Sarutobi looked at his once female teammate. "A likely scenario. But the Kazekage already knows of my stance in joining another war. The last one was devastating enough."

"It doesn't change the fact that they're doing this to persevere their relations with us," Koharu said in return. "One that I believe we never should have made."

"You can't possibly believe that," Sarutobi said with a raised eyebrow. "If we hadn't, the war would have continued for much longer."

"Perhaps," she admitted. "Or perhaps not. There may be also other reasons for sending a team. Either way, we will need to keep an eye on them."

"I agree," Homura added.

Sarutobi sighed. "Putting that aside, this will be the first Chunnin exam since the start of the Second Shinobi War. We will need to keep security on top form at all times."

Homura and Koharu glanced at one another.

"About that," began Homura, "are you sure this is even a good idea to begin with? We ourselves may not be at war at the moment. But like you said, we can't put it past any of the other nations to try something. It's too risky."

Sarutobi inhaled from his pipe as he looked at his two advisers. "That may be true, but we can't live in fear ourselves. We have to show the other nations that we are recovering and have no fear from them."

Homura smirked ever so slightly. "I see. I'm guessing that showing off our future shinobi has nothing to do with this either….."

Koharu sighed when she saw a matching a smirk on the Sandaime's face. But glancing down at the list of genin that had been chosen to partake in the exam, Koharu admitted that there was much potential. In a way, it would be showing the other nations that they were still as powerful as ever. Not to mention that it would also reassure their daimyo of Konoha's might.

It was a win-win for them. If everything went smoothly that was.

"It's settled then," Sarutobi said as he stood up from his seat. "The exam will commence in three days."

Kushina was humming a tune to herself as she headed towards her meeting location with the rest of her team. She had gotten used to this routine so far. What she still wasn't fond of were the many D-rank missions that they had to complete. It was just like her days in Uzu.

'You're lucky you don't have to put up with that anymore, Naruto,' she thought to herself. Although she had no idea where her favorite blond was right now. "A training trip" was as vague as it could get.

But Iwa and Suna were at each other's throats again, something that Kushina could not understand. After what she had witnessed in the destruction of her home village, the young Uzumaki couldn't wrap her head around the need for war. It was pointless. All it brought was pain and death. She also couldn't understand what sort of leader would willingly send off their own men to die for such pointless actions.

'I guess there's no use for me to think about things like that,' Kushina told herself. 'I could never begin to understand the minds of the Kage out there…..'

At the very least, her talk with Kurama last night had been a pleasant one. She was also surprised that the bijuu actually had a name. The redhead could only wonder if he had given it to himself or if someone had named him. It was an interesting question, but the bijuu didn't exactly seem the type to share deep things about himself. It was sort of cute really. To Kushina at least. Earlier this morning she had also found out that she could talk to the bijuu whenever she wanted. According to Kurama, now that she was completely aware of his existence, he could communicate with her. It had been weird at first, having a voice in her head and all that. But she was getting used to it.

It didn't take long for her to reach the small bridge that she and her team always met up by.

Speaking of her team, Kushina couldn't help the teasing grin that came to her face. And the reason being simple: she had the grumpy Fugaku as one of her teammates. She didn't particularly understand why she had ended up with Fugaku. By chance? Luck? Either way, it was fun to mess with the Uchiha. Albeit, he could get a bit irritating sometimes with the way that he talked and saw things. But Kushina had come to get used to it. Especially since she got along pretty well with her other teammate.

Her eyes lit up when she spotted said two genin.

Standing by one of the rails, Fugaku glanced at her before closing his eyes again. He was dressed in the particular style that was adored by the Uchiha clan: a dark long sleeve shirt with the collar raised up and the Uchiha crest in the back, white shorts, and black shinobi sandals with white bandages wrapped tightly around his ankles.

Her second teammate was none other than Hizashi. But again, Kushina did get along pretty well with him. Unlike his twin brother, he wasn't a stuck up asshole. He was calm and collected, something that made him seem boring to her. But she just knew that that was the way he was. He was wearing a plain white battle kimono with a mesh shirt underneath and blue shinobi sandals. Unlike Fugaku, he greeted Kushina with a small wave, one that the redhead happily returned.

"Is Sakumo-sensei not here yet?"

Hizashi shook his head. "No. He's actually last for once."

Kushina blushed slightly in embarrassment, recalling how it was usually her who was always last to their meetings.

Fugaku didn't comment. Not that Kushina actually expected him to. Besides, there was no indication that anything was going to change today. If they didn't have a set of missions to complete, then they would probably just take a day for training. Personally, Kushina preferred the latter. The redhead also knew that both her teammates felt the same way. After all, their sensei was strong and had already taught them a great many things during their time under him. One thing that Kushina was proud to admit was that her taijutsu had improved a lot. Other than genjutsu, that had been her major weak point. But Kushina wasn't one to care about genjutsu either way. Her clan wasn't one for the art. And her chakra reserves were too large for the delicacy that genjutsu required. Besides, they had Fugaku with them. He possessed the sharingan. At least, Kushina thought he did. She had never actually seen him use it before. But she was usually optimistic anyway. She had also been training under her parents, studying more about fuinjutsu as well as the unique power she apparently had. And that power were her chains. Kushina had always known that she had them. She had accidentally used them when she had been around five years old. But she had never actually bothered to train with them until now.

So overall, Kushina was confident that she had grown much more powerful this past month. It was another reason why she wanted a real mission. So that she could test herself against a real opponent.

It was another thought that both Hizashi and Fugaku shared with her.

So, in silence, the three genin waited for their sensei.

They didn't have to wait long for Sakumo. The man was a mere ten minutes late from their scheduled time. He also had the decency to look embarrassed as he scratched the back of his head.

"I'm sorry I'm late. I got caught in a meeting this morning."

Hizashi looked curious. "A meeting? What about, sensei?"

Sakumo looked at his team, still feeling a bit weird that he actually had one. But unlike how he had first thought, they had turned out to be a better working team than what was on paper. Sure, they had their quirks. But they also came together to work as a team when it was necessary. He had also seen them all grow stronger in the time that they had been together. That being said, he wasn't entirely on board with the Sandaime's decision to include them in the upcoming Chunnin exams, though. He still felt it was a bit early. But the Sandaime had assured him that it was necessary. Sakumo had an idea about why that was, but that was beside the point. He had finally agreed, realizing that babying them wouldn't let them grow even further. If anything, the Chunnin exams would be a perfect first trial for them. He was certain that they would all get something out of it. Those were his hopes anyway.

"It was about an special event coming up in several days," Sakumo answered as he held up three registration forms. "It's for the upcoming Chunnin exams."

Kushina looked confused while Hizashi's eyes widened in realization. Fugaku opened his eyes, now actually paying attention to the conversation.

"I can see that two of you have heard of it before," Sakumo said with an amused smile. Both Hizashi and Fugaku nodded while Kushina frowned.

"What are the Chunnin exams?" she finally asked.

"It's not a surprise that you don't know of it, Kushina," Sakumo began to answer. "Uzu doesn't follow the concept. And while there hasn't been a single one for a long time now due to the past war, it seems that you two have at least read or been told about it."

Again, both boys nodded. They both came from powerful and prestigious clans. They were pretty much forced to know all of this stuff.

"It's basically a series of examinations to determine potential candidates worthy to rise to the rank of chunnin," Sakumo explained, albeit the simplified version.

Kushina's eyes lit up at the prospect, putting the rest of the pieces together. "So that means we're taking the exam….?"

Sakumo chuckled as he nodded. "That's right. These are the registration forms. But be warned: you three have to enter as a team. Otherwise, none of you can take it."

But Sakumo already knew that all three were interested. He was proven true as the three genin all snatched a registration from him at lightning speed.

"Who else is going to take it?" Kushina asked, wondering if any of her friends had also been signed up.

Sakumo chuckled again. "Apparently all the others that were in your class are also going to be asked. It only means that your competition is going to be that tough. So be prepared for that."

Both Kushina and Hizashi nodded while Fugaku stared at the registration form in his hands.

"Well, that's all that I have for you today," Sakumo added. "The exam is going to be in three days. Think it over. And if you decide to attend, meet up at the location printed on the forms."

Kushina turned her attention to the form in her hand, starting to tremble in excitement. Her main rival was obviously Mikoto. She didn't know why, but there was something about the girl that rubbed her the wrong way. But Kushina knew that that was simple bias on her part. Mikoto merely reminded her a lot of Aika, so that sense of rivalry came back to her full force.

Tsume disliked the Uchiha for other reasons completely. But that was another topic altogether.

"Alright, you're dismissed!"

Karura looked at the massive gates before her. This was the first time in her life that she would be setting foot inside the famous village of Konoha. But why was she here? The reason for that was simple: she and the rest of her team had been chosen to represent Suna in the upcoming Chunnin exam hosted by Konoha herself. It was the first one in a long time. And she felt honored that she was chosen for such a mission.

Karura had shoulder length, sandy brown hair and bright indigo colored eyes. Her outfit consisted of an brown and buttoned up flak jacket, similar to the one in the official Suna shinobi uniform, with a plain orange t-shirt underneath, a matching set of tight brown shorts, and black shinobi sandals. Her Suna shinobi headband was placed proudly around her forehead. She also had a small gourd strapped behind her.

Her two teammates were standing next to her: Rasa on her left and Itsuki on her right.

Rasa was the same age as her as well as a bit taller. He had auburn hair with dark eyes. He was wearing a simple black jacket with matching black pants, mesh armor underneath, and black shinobi sandals. His Suna shinobi headband hung lazily around his neck. He had a small canister strapped to his side.

Itsuki was a year younger than them. He had messy blond-ish orange-ish hair with pointy teeth to match. He had bright brown eyes with two purple marks running down both of his cheeks, similar to the marks present on members of the Inuzuka clan. He wore a sleeveless and unbuttoned tan shirt with a mesh shirt armor underneath, pure black gloves, and navy blue pants with simple black shinobi sandals. His Suna headband was wrapped tightly around his right arm. The most striking thing about him was the large two swords strapped to his back. Their handles were small, with the blade elongated more normal than usual.

Itsuki was the exact opposite of Rasa in terms of personality as well. While Rasa was cool and collected, Itsuki was jumpy and bubbly. Of course, that was only when he wasn't fighting. To Karura, it was almost like there were two different Itsuki's. It was a bit odd to her, but she never questioned it.

Their jonin sensei stood in front of them. He wore the standard Suna uniform. He also had plain features: brown hair with dull brown eyes.

"You three remember why we are here, correct?"

Karura and her teammates nodded. They couldn't forget. They wouldn't forget.

"Good. Then let us begin."

The Suna team walked through the gates and to the village beyond.

"Kushina seemed excited this morning."

Arashi chuckled as he sipped on his tea. He was sitting next to his lovely wife outside on the porch facing their backyard of their new compound. Unlike before, Arashi had more free time in his hands. It was why he now had the leisure to spend the afternoons with Kazumi while enjoying some of her delicious homemade tea.

"Yes. I'm sure she knows about the Chunnin exams by now."

Kazumi looked a bit worried. "Are you sure she's ready for that?"

"I know she is," Arashi stated in a firm tone. "She's our daughter, after all."

Kazumi laughed softly. "Yes, that is true."

"This will also allow me to loosen the seal some," Arashi added. "Naruto left it up to me to decide."

Kazumi looked thoughtful at that. Never would she have expected her future grandson to be the first human in existence to fully master the Kyuubi's power. Or rather, Kurama's power. Naruto had told them to take it slow, though. While the Kurama of this time might be on their side, his power wasn't something that could be controlled so easily. It could overcome Kushina easily at this stage of her life. But Kazumi could also notice that perhaps her husband was being too careful with the situation.

"You should hurry. I'm sure Kurama-kun would want some more freedom."

Arashi nodded, mentally laughing at how Kazumi addressed the powerful bijuu. But after Naruto had shed light of his close relationship with the nine tailed bijuu and everything the fox had done for their grandson so far, Kazumi had found a place in her heart for the bijuu. It was a bit amusing really. But it also reminded Arashi of the big heart his wife had. And one of the reasons why he had fallen for her.

"I know. I will do it before the exam starts."

The two settled for a comfortable silence, enjoying each other's presence.

"So we're all in the exam then!"

Hikari giggled at Kushina's excitement. "You seem very enthusiastic about this, Kushina."

Currently, the redhead and her group of friends were enjoying an afternoon meal in one of the more famous dango shops present in the village per said redhead's request. Kushina had wanted to know if her friends were going to be in the exam or not so bad that she had asked to meet them all here.

"But of course!" Kushina exclaimed, her eyes sparkling. "I'll finally have the chance to prove myself!"

Tsume smirked. "I can agree with you on that one. I'll finally have my chance to beat Mikoto once and for all."

Yoshino sighed. "You're still hung up on that?"

Tsume growled. "What do you think? I have to prove myself to that bitch."

"Language, Tsume-chan," Emi said with a sigh. "How can you expect to find a boy to like you if you're so crude?"

Tsume rolled her eyes. "A guy like that wouldn't be worth my time, trust me."

Emi waved her hand in dismissal. "Hai, hai. But honestly, this exam does sound high level. And we can even be promoted to chunnin!"

Yoshino frowned. "Don't get ahead of yourself, Emi. The exam isn't going to be so straightforward. I'm sure there are going to be many things that we're going to be judged on."

The Yamanaka girl pouted. "Don't make it sound so dreadful."

"But Yoshino has a point," Hikari said, adding her two cents. "I'm sure that we're going to be judged on more than just our physical prowess."

Kushina raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Being a chunnin means a lot more responsibility," Yoshino answered, beginning her explanation. "You're even allowed to lead teams of your own. But that also means that you have the lives of others in your hands. It isn't something to be taken lightly. Faced with such new responsibilities, our superiors are going to have to see if we have the right mindset for the job, not just the skills. So it's an exam for multiple variables."

Emi sighed. "And we're right at dreadful."

Tsume shrugged. "It is what it is."

Kushina looked down at her hands. She had never thought about it that way. She had only been focused on showing others how strong she had gotten that she had failed to take notice of the whole point of the exam. She wasn't off to a good start, that was for sure.

"But at least we'll be together," Hikari offered with a small smile.

"Yeah, as enemies," Tsume said with a small challenging smirk as she looked at Kushina. "I wouldn't mind seeing what you can do either, Kushina."

Kushina looked back at her Inuzuka friend with a similar smirk. "I can say the same to you."

The other three looked at one another with amused glances. They should have expected this development, really. Kushina and Tsume had similar personalities that it wasn't even funny. Just cute.

"Well, I didn't think I would meet you here, my precious Kushina."

Kushina's mood instantly went down as a boy their age, a fellow genin, stopped beside their table.

The boy had perfectly combed black hair with matching dark eyes. He wore a buttoned up black bomber jacket a black shirt to match underneath, black cargo pants, and a black shinobi sandals. His Konoha headband was also tied around his neck. It gave the boy a dark look to him, which was perfectly fine with him.

His name was Takao. He was born to a prestigious merchant family in the village. Unlike his father, however, Takao aspired to also be a shinobi. A powerful one at that. Although his ranking in the academy indicated that his strength was in the middle of the overall graduating class, he had done that on purpose. He hadn't wanted to reveal all his tricks until after the academy was over with. He was also in the same team as both Hikari and Emi.

For the past month since their placements in their respective teams, Takao had presented himself to Kushina. And it had not gone well.

Kushina felt a shiver down her spine when she felt Takao's gaze on her. "What exactly are you doing here?"

The boy shrugged. "My teammates are here. Although now that I know you're here too, I can't say I'm not even more glad that I came."

Tsume sighed as she stood up. "Look, boy, I don't exactly know what your deal is, but Kushina has already made it perfectly clear that she's not interested in you."

Said redhead nodded her head in agreement.

"That's right!" Emi exclaimed. "Kushina already likes someone else!"

Kushina nodded her head again until she realized what her friend had just said out loud.

"Emi!"

Emi had a sheepish look on her face. "What? You do! And don't try to deny it!"

Kushina really wanted to strangle the blonde right about now.

As for Takao, he continued to stare at Kushina, taking the new information in. "Is that so? And who might he be?"

"None of your business!" Emi answered before Kushina could while she stuck her tongue out. "Now, beat it. We're trying to have a good time here." Even though they were on the same team, she couldn't stand the guy. He was too arrogant for her tastes. Not even Hikari was too fond of him. And that was saying something.

But Takao didn't listen to her. He tried to lock gazes with Kushina, but she refused to look at him. Realizing that it was going to get him nowhere, the boy decided to take his leave.

"Well, either way, I'll be seeing you at the Chunnin exams. Until then."

Kushina sighed to herself in irritation as Takao left the small restaurant.

"He does seem to be persistent," Yoshino commented.

"Why is he even so interested in you anyway?" Tsume asked as she sat back down.

"It's a long story….."

Hikari shot her friend a worried look while Emi rubbed her forehead.

"And you're going to have to deal with him in a couple of days too," the Yamanaka said, to which Kushina merely nodded.

She didn't like it, but one annoying guy wasn't going to stop her from advancing. That would only make her weak.

"If I can, I will kick his ass," Emi said with a dark grin.

Tsume chuckled. "Now who's being crude?"

The blonde girl merely shrugged while Hikari and Yoshino smiled.

Kushina laughed, glad to have her friends around.

Mikoto looked at the registration form in her hands. She was currently inside her new apartment, lying on her bed while raising the form over her head.

The past month had been hectic for her. Her father hadn't taken her leave from the Uchiha compound so well. He had even threatened to disown her, something that carried no weight for her. If she could, she would return all the genes she had received from him with a huge smile. At the very least her mother had supported her decision. The best part was that she even visited a couple times a week.

Her gaze shifted over to the small living room area where Obito was sprawled about, snoring as he continued to enjoy his nap. The boy really was a little animal. He had spent another fun day with that Rin girl apparently. It was the happiest that she had ever seen the boy. It was cute really. To think the small brat was already having his first crush. It only reminded Mikoto that she had no one like that. As odd of a dream as it may seem for her, Mikoto had always dreamt of marrying the boy of her dreams. It had all been a simple fantasy until Sasuke had arrived, making her realize that marrying Fugaku would only be a mistake for her.

She now had the freedom to choose.

But she couldn't worry about that right now. For the moment, her attention was focused on becoming as strong as possible.

She frowned slightly when a whiskered blond came to her mind.

'Uzumaki Naruto…..'

He really was an anomaly for her. He was strong, stronger than anyone she had seen before. Except maybe for Sasuke. But she had never witnessed either one go all out before. It was an interesting thought really. Naruto versus Sasuke. Who would win?

'But neither one is here,' she thought to herself. 'They're out there, getting even more stronger.'

She had heard of their training trip. It had been a bit surprising. Those two were really close, even going as far as renting an apartment for themselves. Of course, she had ended up moving in instead. But that was beside the point.

'I'll just have to beat them both.'

But for the moment, she would have to pass the Chunnin exams. And she would win, no matter who stood in her way.

The next three days went by quickly. Those taking the exam made sure to get as much rest as possible while getting some light practice in as well. But for Kushina, the days hadn't gone fast enough.

The Uzumaki girl trembled in excitement as she looked at the building in front of her. It was the one written in her registration form. Walking in through the front door, she was surprised to see the rest of her team already there, waiting for her. And that included Sakumo.

"The last one as always," Sakumo said with a small smile.

Kushina smiled in return, walking up to stand in between Hizashi and Fugaku.

Nodding in satisfaction, Sakumo said, "It seems that you're all here of your own accord. Perfect. This exam requires that at the very least."

"But what are you doing here, sensei?" Hizashi asked.

"To see you three off and wish you the best of luck," Sakumo answered as he stepped to the side. "Now, go. Take the first steps down your first obstacle."

Kushina shared a look with both Hizashi and Fugaku. Determined, the three walked through the second set of doors and to their first exam.

'No matter what, I'll take the number one spot,' Kushina vowed as she and her team walked through the doors, closing them behind them.

On the other side, Sakumo smiled.

'Now, let's see how well they do.'

It was the start of their new adventure.