I'm back! After three whole months, I finally found the time and motivation to continue this. I know I said something about rewriting the story, but I changed my mind. We'll be entering the trio's Chunin Exams now.

Betaed by Danga.

Chapter 16

In the aftermath of the Third Shinobi World War, all five of the Great Shinobi Nations had an upsurge in banditry. The villages needing to recover from wartime casualties and several smaller villages being wiped off the map had made it a ripe environment for the desperate and the depraved to go about raiding merchant caravans and villages that were too small to afford to field permanent guards.

It didn't last. Keeping the roads safe for trade was but one of the many constant sources of income for the shinobi villages, town officials and the Daimyo himself constantly commissioning shinobi missions to eradicate these bandits. These bandits were more often than not, led by former samurai who were dishonourably discharged from their lord's service or those who had failed to make it as genin in their respective shinobi academies.

Against town guards and normal civilians, they were a menace and constant threat. Against a genin team? Well, there was a reason bandit clearing was more often than not a C-rank mission and used by jounin senseis as a means to introduce their students to the bloodier side of their chosen profession.

"And that's the last of them," Shirou said as he released an arrow. One of the bandits of this particular camp had tried to run. He didn't get very far before Shirou put an arrow through his back.

This particular band of bandits had been terrorizing the villages in the Land of Fire's northern provinces for the past three months. They got away with it for so long by virtue of being led by a former genin of Takigakure who knew how to avoid detection and moving about after every attack. Team Seven had been given the mission to track and eliminate them just three days ago.

It took them a day's travel at a shinobi's pace to reach the village where they were last seen attacking. It took another day before they tracked them to their camp a few miles away from the village, the bandits had made camp in a small cave. This particular camp wasn't overly large. Around two dozen or so civilians led by two genin dropouts and a genin nuke-nin.

The one that had tried to run before being dropped by Shirou had been the bandit leader and the former genin. He wasn't particularly special, probably in the lower percentile as far as genin were concerned. Didn't surprise him. The skilled nuke-nin offered their services as mercenaries for hire, taking missions that the hidden villages wouldn't take often for extortionist prices. The weak ones became bandits and marauders.

"This was boring," Rin sighed. This wasn't even a challenge despite the numbers against them. Hell, Kakashi-sensei had just sat this out, content to read his smut while his students did all the work. Though he phrased it as letting them gain experience in search and destroy missions, all three of them knew he was just being lazy.

"Let's report back to the village head," Sakura said as she leafed through several things she found in the head bandit's camp. Aside from supplies and other assorted goods the bandits had taken from caravans and villages alike, there was a large amount of money there too, probably several hundred thousand ryo. "What are we supposed to do with the money?"

"Ah, we're taking that with us," Kakashi said. "The village usually handles it along with the Daimyo's finance minister. Pretty standard stuff. Anything interesting in the camp, Sakura?"

"No," Sakura answered. "Just a few maps of the area and some stolen merchandise. I think I found some drugs too, but aside from that nothing that stands out."

Kakashi shrugged. "Well, it's a nice, normal bandit hunting mission. Can't expect to suddenly find plans to abduct a princess or a noble's daughter. Maybe a plot to overthrow the Daimyo. Who knows?"

"Our luck isn't that bad," Shirou deadpanned. Sure, their first C-rank turned into something unexpectedly complex, but no reason to believe any mission they take would turn out similarly. Besides, this was only their eighth C-rank and third one outside the immediate vicinity of Konoha.

XXXXX

Hiruzen visibly showed his relief as Team Seven gave a verbal report of their mission. No hidden plots, no appearance of dangerous nuke nins, no stumbling across secret bases. Just a normal, boring C-rank bandit hunting mission report.

"We're not that unlucky," Shirou mumbled, seeing the relief evident in the Hokage's eyes.

"We kind of are," Rin pointed out. "I mean, we've accomplished several crazy feats before we even became genin. What are the odds of discovering a secret base while clearing out the wildlife in a forest?"

"Higher than I'd like where you three are concerned," Hiruzen said. "Well, it would seem everything is in order. Thank you, Team Seven, for your mission report. Your pay will be deposited in your accounts soon and your written report is expected within the week. You're on a mandatory one-week break from missions until further notice."

"Yes, Hokage-sama," they said before leaving.

Once they left, Hiruzen looked up at the hidden compartment in the ceiling. "Ha! A normal, boring C-rank! Pay up!"

There was some grumbling as several paper notes suddenly appeared in Hiruzen's open hand. The hidden ANBU guard team of the week had a bet going with the Hokage on whether or not Team Seven's mission would go sideways. So far, that had only happened three times, including the spectacular first one.

No one was certain how a simple mission to eliminate some pests destroying the crops of a farm a few miles away from the village ended up turning into saving a village from a flash flood by diverting the river, but it happened.

Now he just had to get ready for all the current jounin senseis to arrive before they decided which teams would be sent to Kumo.

*Line Break*

"Well, we have the rest of the day off," Sakura said. "Anything you guys want to do?"

"Training?" Shirou suggested. "I heard that the next Chunin Exams are in two months. Maybe Kakashi-sensei will nominate us."

Rin snorted. "We're overqualified, and that's not a boast. It's just that the location is cause for concern."

"It's in Kumo this time, right?" Sakura said. They grimaced. Relations after the attempted kidnapping a few years ago weren't bad, but they weren't exactly great either. Would Kumo be able to resist trying a second time, this time Konoha practically gift wrapping a Hyuuga for them if they let Team Seven participate in this exam?

"I'm sure the Hokage and sensei have a plan," Rin said.

"Yeah, in fact, I bet they're talking about it right now," Shirou said.

XXXXX

"Absolutely not!" Hiashi glared at the two men in front of him. It mattered not that one was the Hokage and the other his daughter's teacher. He would not let them nominate his daughter's team for the Chunin Exams when it was being held in Kumo!

Hiruzen was unfazed by the uncharacteristic outburst of emotion from the Hyuga clan head. It hardly surprised him that the man was protective of his daughters, especially after the kidnapping attempt. It mattered not that his eldest was a prodigy with memories and abilities from a past life, Rin was his daughter and heir, he would not willingly risk her against Kumo.

"Hiashi-sama, Rin is quite frankly, overqualified as a genin and is easily jounin level in most fields," Kakashi said. "There is very little I need to teach her that she can't learn herself. Her teammates too. My teaching career so far has consisted of advising her on some ninjutsu theory and sparing with her teammates. They've got teamwork down, joint training with Team Gai has shown that they can work with others, they know all the basic codes we use and could beat any jounin led chunin teams of the same size with moderate difficulty. It wouldn't surprise me if they make jounin a year after they get their vests, and that's mostly because of new requirements for a year as a chunin before being further promoted."

Hiashi took a sip of his tea. Excellent as always. His household's servants knew how he liked it. He needed it to recollect his thoughts. He knew he was being irrational with his earlier outburst. His daughter fought a jounin one on one and won when she was six. Granted, the Kumo Head Ninja was in the middle of the scale where jounin level shinobi were concerned, but he still earned his jounin rank and survived the last war. The fact that Rin made short work of him just showed how skilled she was. The combination of the clan's bloodline and her incredible knowledge, both in the shinobi arts and her magecraft made her capable of taking on a multitude of shinobi and winning.

Her teammates were no slouches either. Having fought them when he decided to join in on one of their training sessions in the past. Toko Shirou was a prodigy when it came to weapons, with the ability to create any weapon and wield them all with the proficiency comparable to someone who has wielded them for years. With his skill in melee combat and the bow, he could outfight anyone in close combat and assassinate threats from a distance that was measured in kilometres. And that was before you considered his more exotic weaponry.

Nara Sakura was as brilliant as her uncle when it came to her mind. Granted, she often deferred to his daughter, but her input was always invaluable. Her skill in her clan's techniques, not to mention her more exotic variation of it, made fighting her in mid-range suicide for most shinobi. And if she chose to unleash her other self... Hiashi suppressed a shiver. He hadn't thought he would ever feel as much fear as he did when the Nine-Tails attacked, but that came close.

Hiashi sighed. "It's not like you require my permission anyway. She is a genin now, an adult in the eyes of the village and the clan."

Hiruzen smiled. "Yes, but as head of the Hyuga clan, you could cause me and the village a significant amount of trouble with your influence if you desired to. So, here we are."

Hiashi suppressed a desire to snort. Yes, influence that could only be used once. The founding clans all had a significant amount of pull in the village, with their wealth and ownership of various businesses. The Akimichi clan owned most of the farms that supplied the village with food after all. They could literally starve the village into submission until they got their way. The problem was that it would only work once before the village found a way around it.

The Hyuga owned multiple profitable businesses and had a large amount of pull in the Daimyo's court. Their economic influence was almost as high as the Uchiha's in the village and higher outside of it. But that influence could only go so far. In the end, the village was a military dictatorship with the Hokage as their supreme leader, nothing would change that.

"I suppose I will have something else to boast about in the next clan council meeting in a few months," Hiashi mused as he finished his tea.

"They might not even make it to the third stage," Kakashi pointed out.

The three men thought about it, then dismissed it as highly unlikely. While it was hardly unusual for the genin participating in these exams to be much more skilled and powerful compared to their peers, the three reincarnates were on par with most jounin in combat ability. This would be a curb stomp unseen since Itachi's exam.

XXXXX

"Hyah!!!" Lee's right leg kicked up; his form perfected from performing the same kick hundreds of times for many months.

Neji ducked under it and proceeded to advance on his teammate with his Gentle Fist, Byakugan inactive. This was just a spar, after all, no need to seal Lee's chakra coils.

Tenten watched as the two male members of her team sparred. It still amazed her how fast they were moving. She was no slouch herself, but she knew that she was merely good in taijutsu compared to the two, who were incredible at it. One because of his clan's bloodline limit and taijutsu style, while the other due to their sensei's tutelage and his own work ethic. She could hold her own, but that was not where she excelled.

She carefully polished the sword in her lap. Despite the many months of use, its blade was still as sharp as when it was first forged, just like the smith who forged it said it would be. She maintained it all the same. Her mother said it was a good habit to get into, unbreakable blade or not.

Aside from her mother, she didn't have many sparring partners available, and her mother was often busy helping her father with the shop. And when she could make time to teach her, she was hampered by her wartime injuries. Not enough to keep her from handling her ass on a platter, but enough that Tenten could see the pain in her eyes that she tried to conceal.

Gai-sensei helped, he was surprisingly well-versed in several weapons, but he wasn't specialized in them and it showed. He could handle them competently, but not with the skill of a master. Didn't matter much though with how much faster and stronger he was.

What she needed was someone who could challenge her skill-wise. Of her age, only Shirou could do so. Sakura's aunt and her boyfriend were the other kenjutsu specialists in the village, but she didn't know them all that well. Kakashi-sensei was another well-known kenjutsu user, but he was Team Seven's sensei and she didn't wish to impose.

Tenten sighed. She wished Shirou was here to spar with her. And it wasn't even because of her crush on him. She had gotten over it after her team's first few C-ranks and saw how childish it was after getting over her first kill. That, and getting him away from Rin and Sakura was probably nigh impossible.

"Hey!"

Speaking of the devil, Tenten looked up to see Team Seven approaching their training ground. Lee and Neji stopped sparring, turning towards them.

"Ah, my friends!" Lee shouted. "You have returned from your mission!"

"Hello, Lee, Neji, Tenten," Sakura greeted. "Yes. Everything went well, surprisingly."

"Rin-sama," Neji greeted.

"I'm never getting you to stop that, am I?" Rin sighed.

"It is merely proper," Neji answered.

"Shirou!" Tenten greeted cheerfully. "Fight me!"

Shirou raised a red eyebrow. "That was direct."

"I haven't had a decent spar in a week!" Tenten complained. "You're the only one our age other than me who uses swords."

Shirou sighed. "Well, alright." He unsheathed the ninjato on his back. "Neji, mind proctoring this spar?"

Neji nodded and looked at the new weapon. "What happened to your twin blades?"

"Trying something new," Shirou answered.

"Go Tenten!" Lee cheered. "Show him who the greatest swordswoman in the village is!"

"I'm pretty sure that's my aunt," Sakura said wirily.

The two kenjutsu users ignored the commentary as they evaluated each other. Shirou was interested in how much Tenten had grown as a swordswoman while Tenten wanted to see how much farther she had to go.

"Ready?" Neji asked. "Begin!"

Steel clashed against steel as sparks flew. Tenten was surprised that she seemed to be getting the upper hand but reasoned that Shirou was still getting used to using one sword instead of two. The two sparred in a deadly dance of steel. The fact that they were using live steel without fear of injury was a testament to their skill(or insanity).

Shirou was impressed with how well Tenten was doing. Evidently, she had not been slacking off in the time since their last spar. But she wasn't that good yet.

Before Tenten knew what was happening, she was disarmed and had a sword pointed at her neck.

"Winner, Toko Shirou," Neji announced.

"No fair!" Tenten complained. "You were holding back!"

"Needed to get a feel of the new sword," Shirou said as he sheathed his sword. "Not bad. Still prefer my twin falchion blades, but this isn't a bad emergency weapon."

"Me next!" Lee yelled. "Come, my rival. Let us showcase our Youth for all to see!"

The others sweatdropped at Lee's... eccentrics. He really was becoming the second coming of Gai.

"Well, I suppose we can make it a team thing," Shirou said. "Say, where is Gai-sensei?"

"He said he had a meeting with the Hokage along with all the other jounin senseis," Neji said.

"Hmm, probably about the Chunin Exams," Rin said.

"Chunin Exams?" Tenten asked.

"They're tests that genin take to be promoted to chunin," Sakura explained. "They're taking place in Kumo this time around. The meeting is probably about which teams will be nominated."

Lee's eyes shone. "We must train for it immediately! If Gai-sensei does not nominate us, I shall run a hundred laps around the village!"

"That's not how it works," Shirou said, not that it mattered as Lee dragged his teammates off to train.

"Gah! Lee, let go of me!" Neji yelled.

"Wait, Lee!" Tenten wailed. "We just had a training session this morning!"

"There goes some brave shinobi," Sakura said solemnly.

"He's a nice guy, but I am glad he's not our teammate," Rin said.

"So, I heard from Anko there's a new dango shop in the village," Shirou said.

"So long as they have red bean soup," Rin said as the three went off for sweets, ignoring the tortured cries of Team Nine.

XXXXX

Hiruzen looked at the assembled jounin in his office. Currently, there were around twenty genin teams under jounin senseis. There were far more without them, the ones who failed the test to make the jounin track but were willing to stay on under the Genin Corps program. It took them longer, but they still had the chance to be promoted and participate in Chunin Exams. It was that or earn a field commission, and without a war going on, that was unlikely.

Itachi observed the various jounin in the office. He was the same rank as them yet the youngest among the assembled senseis was at least five years older than his seventeen years. Kami willing, he would be their leader when his twentieth birthday came along, or the Hokage met an untimely death. He hoped for the former, as he knew he would need his decades of experience advising him when the time came for him to wear the hat.

His future appointment as the Fifth Hokage was already confirmed. They had visited the Daimyo earlier in the year and received his seal of approval, as well as the agreement of the majority of the village's jounin, clan heads and department heads. The announcement would happen on his eighteenth birthday, announcing it before the whole village.

Kakashi-senpai was the last to enter the room, his carefully practised lazy posture for all to see. Some of the less observant jounin fell for it too, only the more experienced one seeing it for what it was. No jounin was ever unalert for the possibility of attack and danger. You didn't make it to your second decade as a shinobi if you weren't.

"Kakashi! My Rival!" Gai loudly said. "It is unyouthful to keep everyone waiting!"

Kakashi looked up from the book he had read so many times that he could quote it by page. "Maa, did you say something, Gai?"

Gai recoiled as if he was struck. "Curse your hip and cool attitude!" All part of the act, as far as Itachi knew. Why Gai played along with it he wasn't really sure, but who knew what went on in the minds of those two elite jounin.

Hiruzen cleared his throat. "Right, now that you two have got that out of your system, shall we begin?"

The gathered jounin made noises of agreement as Itachi stepped forward. If he was going to be doing this in a few years, might as well get some practice in.

"As you all know, the Chunin Exams are being held in Kumogakure in two months," Itachi began. "As we will need to send over the papers for who will be going a month before that, we are here to decide which teams will be going. Various teams from the Genin Corps have already submitted their applications. Who here wishes to nominate their team?"

Various jounin gave their nomination or didn't, giving reasons such as needing more experience, training, etc. One, however, caught the eye of everyone in the room when he stepped forward.

"I, Hatake Kakashi, nominate Team Seven for the Chunin Exams," Kakashi said.

The assembled jounin couldn't keep quiet in the face of that.

"What!? They're a rookie team and haven't even been genin for six months!"

"Are you trying to set them up to fail?"

"You're insane!"

"No! You are not sending Rin-sama to Kumo. That's practically gift wrapping the Byakugan for them!"

Itachi looked at who that last one came from. A Hyuga from the Main Family. Not many of them took on genin teams. Something about it being beneath them. Not even the Uchiha were that arrogant. If you were a jounin with a few years under your belt, you were encouraged to mentor a team. There was prestige in training the next generation after all.

"Hyuga Goman," Kakashi said calmly, snapping his book shut to look him in the eye. "If I didn't think she and her team were ready, do you think I would have nominated them? Besides, that is not for you to decide, nor is it for the other jounin in this office."

The now named Hyuga glared back. He turned towards the Hokage, who had until now remained silent. "Hokage-sama, surely Hiashi-sama will not allow this."

"I had an interesting conversation with the man just yesterday," Hiruzen said, puffing on his pipe. "He has already given us his consent. And Kakashi is right, you do not have the right to meddle in the affairs of other jounin's genin teams unless it is blatantly clear that he is not treating them well. Kakashi has been an excellent sensei so far, with no complaints lodged against him."

"Besides, she's already beaten every member of your clan below jounin rank with contemptuous ease," Kakashi reminded him. "Or did you forget the incident from when your elder tried to intimidate her?"

Goman paled. "That was supposed to be kept quiet."

Kakashi deadpanned at him. "I'm her sensei. I was read in on it, just like the other things she was involved in that I am not at liberty to elaborate on without the Hokage's or Hiashi's approval."

"I heard about some of that from Neji," Gai mentioned. "He didn't know why, only that it happened and that several members of his clan were sent to the hospital afterwards."

"See?" Kakashi said. "She can take care of herself. You just focus on getting your team ready for the future exams, since you're not nominating yours. Maybe they'll be ready in a year when we're hosting them."

"If you are all done posturing?" Hiruzen asked, getting the room to cease talking. "Good. All in all, we have ten teams from the jounin track and fifteen more from the Genin Corps. All together we will be sending seventy-five genin and ten jounin senseis. A briefing will be held before your departure to Kumo, which will be a week before the Exams begin. You are all dismissed."

The jounin vacated the office, Gai deciding to leave with his rival.

"Kakashi," Gai said, leaving out his usual boisterousness. "Are you certain Team Seven is ready? I did not nominate Team Nine because I believe they can still use some experience before attempting the exams. I know they are strong, but are they truly ready?"

Kakashi looked at his long-time rival and, he'll admit it in the privacy of his mind, best friend. "They're strong, Gai. Stronger than we were at their age, not to mention wiser. I was a cocky piece of shit back then, only Minato-sensei shielding me with his reputation kept me from some of the worst my attitude would have brought upon me. They're wasted as genin anyway."

"If you are certain," Gai said, trusting his judgement. Besides, he had seen for himself how strong they were, Team Nine and Team Seven regularly holding joint training sessions. If any team in the village could make Chunin on their first try, it was Team Seven.

XXXXX

"Hello, my cute little students," Kakashi cheerfully greeted Team Seven the next morning. He had purposely scheduled for them to meet this early, just so he could get some training in with them, which usually amounted to them trying and failing to beat him up, either individually or as a team effort.

"It's too early for mind games," Rin groaned. Even in another life, she was not a morning person. "Why don't you just hand over the forms and we can get this over with."

Kakashi theatrically deflated. "Mou... so mean."

"Now, Rin," Sakura admonished. "Why don't we hear what sensei has to say first?"

Shirou shrugged. "It's not like we don't know he's here to talk to us about the upcoming Chunin Exams."

Rin glared at them, annoyed. "Unlike you two, I have to deal with clansmen who think that they're a big deal and thus, deserve to have their voices heard about anything concerning me."

"Hyuga Gomen?" Kakashi guessed.

Rin nodded. "The bastard had the gall to suggest marrying me off to some cousin in the clan was preferable to letting me go to Kumo for the exams. Father was rather unamused with his attitude."

They winced. Drawing Hyuga Hiashi's ire was not easy, the man was quite calm and rational. But when you did, may the gods have mercy on you for he shall not.

"Well, at least he won't be accompanying us," Kakashi said. "He didn't nominate his team."

"My uncle just had a long chat with me," Sakura said. "Told me about the risks, benefits, what to expect and all that. Had Shikamaru sit in and listen too."

"He spoiled the exams for you?" Kakashi asked.

"No, he didn't tell me how they were organized," Sakura shook her head. "Just what the examiners look for in promoting chunins."

"Well, it's not like the genin's respective Kages won't promote the ones that they personally believe are ready by themselves even if they aren't promoted in the exam," Kakashi said. "Happened before."

"Anko didn't say anything, but then I guess she thinks I'll be fine," Shirou said.

Kakashi handed them the forms. "Well, fill these in by the end of the week and hand them over to the Hokage's office. We're doing these early since the exams are being held in another village and we need time to register you all with Kumo. Now, what say we get some training in? Same rules as always. The boundaries are the training ground. Anything is fair game. All three of you against me. You'll be infiltrators who have successfully escaped with valuable intelligence. I'll be the enemy tracking force hunting you down."

The three of them accepted the forms and kept them in their pouches. As soon as they were done, they were gone.

"I didn't even say start yet," Kakashi sighed. Not that he disapproved. It wouldn't be the first time he attacked first without warning. The enemy wouldn't give any warning after all. Time to hunt them down again. Hmm, it's been a while since he brought out the pack.

Biting down on his thumb, Kakashi made a few hand seals and slammed his right palm onto the ground. Out of a cloud of smoke, several dogs of different breeds and sizes appeared.

"Yo, boss," the smallest, a pug named Pakkun with a bandana with Konoha's forehead protector on greeted. He sniffed the air. "Hunting the brats again?"

Kakashi nodded. "You know it. Let's get to work. If you all find them within fifteen minutes, I'll prepare a steak as a reward."

The dogs vanished, eager to track down his wayward students. Steak was always such a good motivator when it came to them. He almost pitied his students. Almost. This was most certainly not revenge for succeeding in soaking him and his precious Icha Icha last time. No, not at all. He wasn't that petty after all.

XXXXX

"Is this confirmed?" A asked Mabui. The Raikage had been working tirelessly for the past few weeks to ensure the Chunin Exams would run smoothly. Even now, a month before the exams, there was still plenty of work to be done.

Inns had to prepare for a large influx of foreign customers, restaurants buying additional ingredients, security personnel stationed in places where sensitive information was stored in case one of the foreign shinobi came here to spy, etc. There was no end to the work when a village hosted the Chunin Exams.

And now, he had the registration forms for one of the participating villages. Konoha was sending seventy-five genin with ten jounin as escort. That wasn't what alarmed him. Iwa was sending over a hundred and Kumo would have around the same number participating. No, it was the genin being sent that surprised him.

"Hyuga Rin, the heiress of the Hyuga clan is participating," Mabui confirmed. "And a notable name among the visiting Konoha jounin is Hatake Kakashi, the Second White Fang and Copy Ninja."

A tapped his pen on the table. "Hmm, this is quite the show of trust, especially after what happened a few years ago." That had caused the village's reputation to take a hit. No matter what anyone thought, sending diplomats as kidnappers just wasn't done. It made others think any agreement with Kumo were just words on paper, and that they couldn't trust them with any agreement or alliance.

A had strived to show the world that Kumo was a village whose word could be trusted. No one was stupid enough to think that more wasn't happening in the shadows, they were shinobi after all, not samurai. Kumo was in his opinion the strongest village in the world right now, but even the strongest could fall if they had no allies.

"Make sure the usual idiots are watched closely," A instructed. "Some of them might be tempted with a pair of unsealed Byakugans so close. Make it abundantly clear that we do not approve of any misconduct and it'll be on their heads if they so much as try anything."

"Yes, Raikage-sama," Mabui bowed before leaving. A gathered his thoughts. A lot of what happened that night still didn't make sense, probably done on purpose by Konoha's Intelligence Division. With the Yamanaka at the helm, they had some of the best intelligence officers in the world, and they knew it too. Recently, there had been a resurgence in their counter-intelligence. He suspected that the village's spies in Konoha, what few there were, had already been subverted or were being purposely fed false information.

He thought about the Konoha jounin that was coming. Hatake Kakashi, the White Fang's brat. The kid had grown from the last time he saw him in the war when he was still Minato's student. Made quite the name for himself too with his father's re-forged blade. He dared say that he was a match for Kumo's best when it came to kenjutsu. Kenjutsu was an art that Kumo was known for only behind Kiri, so that was quite the achievement.

A groaned. That meant he would have a Sharingan and a pair of Byakugan in the village soon. He really needed to keep an eye on the idiots who he just knew would try something if he allowed them to. Who needed bloodline limits anyway? Shinobi like him, Minato and Konoha's Sandaime were monsters on the battlefield, all with just their ingenuity and strength gained from years of training.

Konoha seemed to churn out monsters like that every generation. He still remembered watching Uchiha Itachi's Chunin Exam. He made short work of every genin put against him, even one from Suna he knew just from looking at him was a plant sent by Suna to make themselves look better in front of all the VIPs attending.

"No, Konoha is not a village who I want as my enemy," A mused. As if winning all three of the past wars wasn't proof enough. Some among his council thought that with the Yondaime Hokage's death, Konoha would be in decline. If anything, it was in resurgence and getting stronger every year. He still thought that Kumo could win in a straight fight, but shinobi didn't fight fair and he knew that it wouldn't be a straight fight.

Besides, even with two fully trained Jinchuriki compared to their one unknown one, he still didn't favour his odds with a seal master like Jiraiya on their side. The man might even steal the Tailed Beasts for Konoha, which were the ones who gifted them to the other villages in the first place.

A sighed. Damn it, he needed to hit something now with all the negative thoughts going through his mind. Maybe his brother would do something stupid and give him a reason soon enough. Hmm... maybe he could have him design the first stage of the exams, just to see what he came up with. Just because his students were participating didn't mean he couldn't design the test after all, just that he wasn't allowed to proctor it.

XXXXX

"So this is the Land of Lightning," Sakura idly commented as they crossed the border. In the months between signing the papers and now, Team Seven had done a C-rank caravan guarding mission. The rest of the time was spent training like the next war was starting up. Safe to say, they've never felt more ready.

The seventy-five genin and accompanying jounin had travelled for less than a week before there reached the outpost overlooking the border. Without being slowed down by civilians or supplies, shinobi could cross vast distances in a remarkably short amount of time.

The Land of Lightning was located on a peninsula north-east of the Land of Fire, its central regions covered in vast mountain ranges, where thunderstorms were common, from which their name was derived from. Its terrain which made it a nightmare for any invading army also hampered them from attacking as well.

In the late afternoon sun, it was quite the sight. Word was that it was breath-taking during the hours of dusk and dawn.

"It's been a while," Kakashi commented. "So many memories of people trying to kill me and fellow Konoha nin. Good times. Ah, our escort is here."

A team of Kumogakure shinobi dropped down in front of them. The one that the Konoha jounin were most wary of was Darui of the Black Lightning.

"My, what an honour," Kakashi said. "To be greeted at the border by the Raikage's right-hand man himself."

Darui snorted. "Hatake Kakashi, didn't think you'd be one for teaching brats." Around him, the three accompanying Kumo chunin sized up the Konoha shinobi. This was all mostly for show anyway. No way could a jounin and three chunin face off against ten hostile jounin and expect to win, even with someone like Darui with them, especially if one of their opponents was Hatake Kakashi.

Kakashi waved that off. "They grew on me, like limpets. Maybe you'll have some midgets of your own to look after in the future."

The genin stayed quiet. They had been instructed to let the jounin do all the talking. The jounin had unanimously appointed Kakashi as the spokesperson. He was the most high-ranking jounin there after all, and the most well-known.

Darui noted the three genin glaring at Kakashi in annoyance. Ah, those must be his students. A Hyuga, a Nara going by the clan emblem on her clothes and a civilian born. Interesting team. He'd have to watch them. Any team being taught by the Copy Nin was bound to be worth keeping an eye on.

"Seventy-five genin and ten jounin," Darui counted. "That's all of you, right?"

Kakashi nodded.

"Well, follow me," Darui said. "I'll guide you towards the village. Don't try to divert from the path. It would be quite dull if we had to stop to find you."

The Kumo nin led their Konoha counterparts through a mountain path. Within an hour travelling at a shinobi's pace, they reached the gates of Kumogakure.

"Whoa, the place is literally built into the mountain," one genin said.

"Nice right?" one of the Kumo chunin said. "Unlike your boring village in the middle of a forest."

"Cut the chatter," Darui said. "First, we need to get you all registered at the registration building. Exams begin in two days; you'll have plenty of time to explore and admire the place."

"You heard him," Kakashi said. "I believe we've been booked to stay in the Sleepy Cloud Inn."

"You are," Darui nodded. "A few training grounds have been booked for your use should members of your village make it past the second stage. Certain areas are restricted, but otherwise, you're free to explore the village, try out restaurants, enjoy the view, tourist stuff basically. For those of you participating in the exams, you are to report to our Academy. Someone will direct you to the room where the first stage will be taking place."

"Thank you," Kakashi said as he turned to face his contingent. "Right, let's get ourselves registered and we can put our stuff in the inn our hosts have so graciously prepared for us."

They followed their guides, eager to rest after being on the road for so long.

XXXXX

"Ahh!" Rin jumped onto a bed in the room they were staying in. The rooms were divided based on teams, each three-man team getting one while the jounin slept separately. "Oh kami, this bed is comfortable. I wonder if the hot springs are open? I've heard good things about soaking in high altitudes."

Shirou looked at Rin while he was sorting out his luggage, which wasn't much. A few changes of clothes and mission supplies. "Any idea what the first stage will be like?"

Sakura walked back in after inspecting the bathroom. "Well, all Chunin Exams follow the same basic format, information, survival and combat. The first stage is some kind of intelligence mission, the second is survival in a hostile environment with something to retrieve or protect while the third is an exhibition match. We're kind of expected to cheat without being caught in the first stage."

"If we even have to," Rin said as she turned to face them. "You think they'll sabotage us? It would be embarrassing if foreign teams did better than local ones after all."

Shirou snorted. "Almost guaranteed. Also, the room's been bugged."

Rin casually took out a kunai and threw it into the eavesdropping seal hidden in the cupboard of the room. "Problem solved." She wasn't even upset by it. It was expected after all for Kumo to bug the hell out of the room the foreign nin were staying in for their time here. Anko said it was just common sense.

"You forgot the listening device they put in the ceiling light," Sakura said as she used a shadow tendril to grab it. She crushed it beneath her fingers. "So, anyone interested in what passes for tourist attractions around here?"

"We've been told that we're basically on our own until the exams start," Shirou said. "And not to get in trouble in enemy territory."

"They didn't word it like that," Rin said. "I think Kakashi-sensei said something among the lines of 'not starting a diplomatic incident,' whatever he meant by that."

"Want to ask the receptionist for good restaurants nearby?" Shirou asked. "It's almost dinner time."

Rin jumped up. "Well, what are we waiting for? Hmm, I wonder what the cuisine is like up here?"

XXXXX

Within a dark room within the building that housed Kumogakure's Intelligence Division, several intelligence nin sat on chairs staring at monitors and seals. With the Chunin Exams being held in the village, their working hours just increased, fortunately with overtime pay as well.

"Sir, we've just lost the signal from Seal #41," a Kumo intelligence shinobi reported.

"Who was staying in that room?" the Kumo nin in charge of them all asked.

"Team Seven from Konoha, sir," another nin reported. "Members are Toko Shirou, Nara Sakura and Hyuga Rin."

"Konoha's Jounin Commander's niece and the heiress of the Hyuga clan," the nin in charge mused. "Well, that doesn't surprise me. Did they get all of the listening devices there too?"

"Yes sir," the man's subordinate reported. "We're basically blind and deaf in that room now. Some of the other rooms are also going offline."

"Well, they wouldn't be chunin candidates if they couldn't spot a few listening devices," the nin in charge said. "No major loss there. We still have ANBU physically watching the inns after all. No one goes anyway in this village without us at least having an idea of their location."

"So, any of you heard about the second stage?" one of the nin in the room asked. "I heard Raikage-sama had his brother design it."

"So long as it isn't a repeat of the April 9th incident," their superior said as they all shivered. What happened that day had all information suppressed and the Raikage made it into law that any mention of it was treason of the highest level. It was also the day the Raikage achieved a new record in the distance he punched his brother out of the mountain range.

The nin manning the radio looked at their commander. "Sir, Konoha's Team Seven are heading for the Inari District."

"Probably going out for dinner," the commander said. "Nothing suspicious there. Keep up the good work, men. The next shift is coming in half an hour, then we can get dinner too."

XXXXX

Rin, Sakura and Shirou walked down the busy evening streets of Kumo, ignoring the glances sent their way. Foreign visitors attracted attention whether they liked it or not. Having just finished dinner at a nice restaurant that wasn't overpriced, they decided to spend the night roaming the village's nightlife.

"The Tororo Gohan we had was pretty good," Shirou said. "I'll have to ask for the recipe later."

"A bit hard to get the ingredients in Konoha," Sakura commented. "The yam used only grows in the Land of Lightning after all."

"We're rich," Rin said. "We can afford to buy pricy ingredients."

"Not with how much you spend to buy jewels," Shirou mumbled. He saw the balance sheet. She was spending almost more than they made with book sales and mission income. Materials for magecraft and experimentation didn't come cheap after all. He just knew that the moment they made chunin, she would be urging them to take more high-ranking mission to earn more money.

They stopped in front of a weapon's store. Curious about Kumo's weapons, Shirou opened the door and walked in, his teammates following him. Inside, racks displayed the weapons they held, swords of all makes and types as well as more common shinobi weapons like kusarigama and sais.

Shirou picked up a sword and examined it using Structural Analysis. "Carbon content is on the low side. Too much force and it'll snap."

"I see you have an eye for swords," the shopkeeper said. He didn't mind that foreign nin were browsing his store. Business was business after all. "This one was forged over a year ago by one of the village's blacksmiths."

"I don't need a sword," Shirou said, gesturing to the ninjato on his back. "I already have one. Just wanted to take a look at the quality of Kumo's swords before I experience it first-hand."

"Ha! You bet your ass that you don't want to experience it first-hand!" someone yelled.

Team Seven turned towards the source of the voice, finding a team of Kumogakure shinobi entering the store as well. One was a red-haired girl about their age, another a white-haired boy with a lollipop in his mouth and the last was a blond-haired boy with fair skin, unlike the other two who had the dark skin characteristic of the inhabitants of the Land of Lightning.

"Oh?" Rin said challengingly towards the redhead who had yelled earlier. "And what makes you think Shirou-kun won't be able to beat you easily in kenjutsu?"

The blond laughed. "Everyone knows Kumo nin are some of the best in the world when it comes to kenjutsu."

"I believe introductions are in order," Sakura said. "I'm Sakura, the Hyuga is Rin and that's Shirou."

"Karui," the redhead said.

"Atsui," the blond said.

"Omoi," the white-haired boy said. He was promptly smacked by his redheaded teammate. "Hey! What was that for?"

"Idiot," Karui said. "I can already hear your over-imaginative mind worrying about us meeting some Konoha nin before the exams. Relax will you? They won't be starting any trouble so close to the exams." She looked at them. "You won't, right?"

"No worries there," Rin said, reassuring them.

"See?" Karui said. "You can worry when the exams start."

"I guess you're right," Omoi said. He looked at Shirou's ninjato. "You any good with that?"

"I'd like to think I am," Shirou said. He trained his ass off with it for the last few months. He could confidently say he was proficient in its handling as he was with any other weapon. Of course, if that failed, he could always Trace Kanshou and Bakuya.

"So, be seeing you in two days I suppose?" Atsui said.

"Yeah, we probably will," Sakura said. "You're surprisingly civil with us. Thought you'd be more hostile, what with us being Konoha nin and you three being Kumo nin."

"It helps that we didn't lose anyone close to us in the last war," Atsui admitted. "Some of our friends weren't so lucky. My sister might be a bit cold with you at first though if you meet her. She lost her teammates against your village in a fight."

"Understandable," Shirou said. "Well, I'd wish you luck in the exams, but we're shinobi. We make our own luck."

Atsui laughed. "I can agree with that. And I won't wish you all the best either, since we're both going to end up facing one another for sure later."

The Kumo team left the store.

"So, they're one of the teams who we'll be facing later," Rin said. "We can take them."

"I wouldn't be so sure," the shopkeeper said. "That team is being trained by the Honourable Killer B himself. And the blond one's sister is a highly skilled jounin."

"Should you be offering us this information?" Shirou asked.

The man shrugged. "It's hardly a secret. Besides, it won't surprise me if B-sama came down and screamed it for the whole village to hear himself."

"Killer B," Sakura mused. "The Eight Tail's Jinchuriki. Well, they were interesting, if nothing else."

XXXXX

"Should we have been so open with them?" Karui asked her team leader. Atsui was a few years older than them and was placed on the team to fill in the third slot. Omoi and Karui had been apprenticed to Killer B since they graduated and Atsui had been trained by his sister.

"It's fine," Atsui said. "Besides, we're supposed to foster international cooperation with the other villages and all that tripe. No harm in being friendly. When we meet in the exams on the other hand, no mercy."

"Oh man," Omoi said, his mind going into override. "That was the Hyuga Heiress and the Nara clan head's niece! What if we screw up and accidentally killed them? Konoha will declare war! We'll be sent to the frontlines! We'll..."

Karui smacked him again. "Shut up! We won't kill her by accident. They're sure to be strong and smart, they'll probably breeze through the first two stages. And no one has died in the third stage before in the exam's entire history, well, when they're not held in Kiri at least. Stop overthinking this!"

Omoi rubbed his head and unwrapped another lollipop. Maybe his teammate was right. He was overthinking this. It was just the Chunin Exams after all, they'd be representing the village. If they made it to the third stage, they'd be showing off against their Raikage, other Kages, nobles, VIPs...

"And he's gone again," Atsui sighed. "At least he's calm in an actual fight. We really need to break him of his problem."

"You don't say?" Karui said. She stole a lollipop from Omoi's pouch. If he was going to be such a worrywart, might as well do so before the exams start.

XXXXX

Two days later, Team Seven stood in front of Kumo's Shinobi Academy building. It was located on a separate mountain away from the civilian residences. Unlike Konoha, the Raikage's office wasn't part of it.

"This is it," Rin said. She was as ready as she could be, dozens of jewels filled with either chakra or mana that were prepared months in advance in either pockets sewn into her clothes or her shinobi pouch. "Our first steps towards becoming chunin."

"No pressure," Shirou said. His ninjato had been cleaned and polished, his other supplies in several storage scrolls. He wondered if he'd be able to meet any skilled kenjutsu users later.

"Shall we?" Sakura asked, gesturing towards the open gate. She was as anxious as they were to get started. She hoped that her family would come to watch if she made it to the third stage. Her uncle probably couldn't. Someone had to run the village when the Hokage came himself.

They stepped through the gates. The first stage of the Chunin Exams was about to begin.

I haven't started writing about the exams yet. I welcome any ideas about what to do for the first two stages.