In Naruto?! - 13: Arrival At Konohagakure!

| [(*)] | Naruto OST Album 2 // Song - Afternoon of Konoha | Effects: No Current Effects |

"Onee-cha'! Yokot'a! I thought you 'ere dead!"

You sweatdropped as you felt your younger brother's arms slither around your waist in an iron-grip, pushing his head into your stomach.

You could say that... you thought with a mumble while you softly patted his head.

"Eh? You have a brother, [Name]-kun? [1]"

You blinked, turning your head to Sakura.

"Yeah, of course she does! Didn't you know-ttebayo?" Naruto answered for you, making Sakura glower at him dangerously.

Your sweatdrop grew bigger, and you could just read what she was thinking.

Why does Naruto know about [Name]-kun's brother and I don't?!, or something along the lines of that.

You closed your eyes into a crooked smile and nervously chuckled as you watched Sakura hit the poor blond repeatedly - and you could only wonder how he didn't already get a concussion.

"Hn."

You rolled your eyes at Sasuke's response, turning around to give him a deadpanned look.

"Alright, enough. We need to report the mission to Hokage-sama, remember?" your sensei ordered, standing in the background.

As if you all just remembered that you were in the Hokage's Office - which probably was the case - you and your team immediately straightened up (of course, you had trouble doing that, since your brother was still attached to your stomach).

"So, Team Seven...how was the mission?"

| [(*)] | Opening Theme: Sun x You by Lead | Arrival At Konohagakure ; 木ノの到着 | Music: Naruto OST Album 2 // Song - Afternoon of Konoha | Effects: No Current Effects |

"ONEE-CHA' WHAT?!"

You sighed, preparing yourself for the 'lecture' your brother was going to give you. Your expectations weren't disappointed as you heard fast footsteps pounding against the wooden floorboards, and you placed the currently-being-read-scroll down, sighing again as your eyes went half-mooned. Your brother just had to ask Naruto about what happened on the mission, didn't he?

"ONEE-CHA'! IS IT TRUE YOU N'ARLY DIED?!" Rui exclaimed, all the while slamming the bedroom door open.

He had immediately crawled up the bed (without your help, which was quite amazing for him) and placed himself on your outstretched legs, his legs on either side of your legs and his hands were pushing against your shoulders.

"Rui, it's 'nearly' and where did you hear that from?" you attempted to change the subject.

But, he was your (lawful) brother. He could detect any techniques as easily as you could use them.

"Is it true?!" he repeated, watery eyes staring into your [e/c] orbs.

You immediately panicked (on the inside - of course, you would never admit that) at the sight of his tears.

"Y-yes, but hey, I'm here now, rig--"

"It's true?! But- but- but, nee-cha'! How c'w'ould you!" his eyes widened at the fact that you nearly died, and his lower lip trembled.

You were starting to feel really guilty.

"A-ah, onee-chan's sorry! Just d-don't cry, R-Rui!" you exclaimed nervously, hands waving in front of your face as you tried to calm his tears.

Too late.

He was already wailing, and you sweatdropped as Naruto rushed in, slamming the door open (again); toothbrush in mouth.

"What happened?!"

You facepalmed.

| [(*)] | Music: Naruto OST Album 1 // Song - Naruto's Daily Life | Effects: No Current Effects |

You sighed as you walked alongside Naruto, who seemed exuberant for some reason. You intertwined your fingers behind your head as you walked, looking at the shops, houses and restaurants that you passed.

It had taken you an hour this morning just convincing Rui that you wouldn't die on the streets - i.e. (and you quote) getting bitten by a dog and bleeding to death (unquote).

A minuscule smile made its way onto your mouth as you reached the bridge where your team usually met, the smile disappearing once you saw that Kakashi was not there. You scowled, groaning mentally. This was a sign that he was going to be late - extremely late. You sighed as you and Naruto arrived at the bridge, greeting the ravenette and pinkette with a simple "yo, Sakura. Chibi" ("Stop calling me that.").

"Good morning, Sakura-chan~" Naruto greeted, closed-eye smile on his face.

Although, the moment he saw Sasuke, his eyes went thin, annoyed glare set into place. You turned your head to Sasuke, who seemed to be having the same facial expression. You groaned mentally, facepalming.

Why are they always like this now? It's so annoying - it brings up so much tension.

You deadpanned when they turned their heads away with a 'hmph!', obviously displeased with the other's presence.

"...why can't we just be a normal team?" you mumbled softly, making sure nobody could hear you.

| [(*)] | Music: No Current Music For This Scene | Effects: No Current Effects |

It was after two hours, did Kakashi-'sensei' decide to arrive.

"Yosh, everyone. Ohayō," he called out as he appeared.

You sighed.

"Your timing is impeccable," you called out dully, your tone thick with sarcasm.

"Well [Name], I got lost today, so..."

"YOU'RE LATE!" Sakura and Naruto called out angrily, making you and Sasuke sigh and roll your eyes.

"Lost, my ass," you mumbled, pushing yourself off the railing of the bridge.

You walked towards your team as Kakashi jumped down from his high seating, landing in front of Naruto - who seemed once again, exuberant.

"Hey, hey, Kaka-sensei! We, Team Seven, have only been doing easy missions now, right?" he excitedly asked, shoving his face in front of Kakashi, who seemed to back away from the hyperactive blond, "Isn't there a mission where I can play an active role? Or something more...exciting-ttebayo?! Something that makes my 'way of the ninja'," you sweatdropped as flames appeared in his eyes, "you know, and my heart, you know, like this?!" he questioned, obviously referring to the fire behind him (where did that come from) and the fire in his eyes when he said 'like this'.

You sweatdropped from the background, feeling quite sorry for the silverette.

"Oh, hai, hai, hai, hai. I see what you're trying to get at," Kakashi sweatdropped.

You blinked when Naruto's excited demeanour was suddenly gone as he glared at Sasuke, deadpanning as he turned around - probably thinking about some fantasy about his or something.

You suspicions were confirmed when you heard him yell out, "I want to say something like that, dattebayo!"

You facepalmed.

How did I get tangled in this dysfunctional team?

| [(*)] | Music: Naruto OST Album 2 // Song - Afternoon of Konoha | Effects: Birds Chirping |

You sighed as you continued to tug out the weeds, finding this 'mission' not very...mission...y.

How is pulling out weeds a mission? your right eye twitched.

You sighed again, before you turned to see how the others were doing. Sakura seemed to be fine - her pile of weeds was moderate. The same with Sasuke, he seemed to be able to tell the difference between the weeds and your client's plants, an amazing feat for a male. You then turned to Naruto, eyes widening and a sweatdrop working its way down the back of your head as you watched him pull out, literally, everything green. You stopped in your work to stare at him, sweatdrop growing as he continued to roughly pull the plants out, not caring where they went as they were scattered about the field.

...should I tell him, or not?

You contemplated on that decision for a while, before deciding that you would tell him. Although, it was too late by then. The second you turned your head back towards him, your eyes widened considerably - the sweatdrop growing twice as large, and your mouth fell open.

Oh, shit.

He was currently 'ehehehe'ing to himself, a large pile of 'weeds' - really, they were the important herbs that the woman told you to not touch under any circumstances - behind him. Your mouth was then snapped closed, and your eyes went into a pitying state as your client stepped out of her house in shock as she eyed Naruto's pile.

Oh, Naru-fish...

"Oi. Hey."

You sighed when he finally noticed her, and he turned to her with a smile.

"Oh, obaa-chan. I'm done pulling out all the weeds."

You quickly turned your head away when you saw her shake, eyes closed and tick mark in place.

"Eh? What's wrong?" Naruto asked, oblivious to the anger that was practically rolling off her in waves.

"Those aren't weeds..." she growled, making Naruto's eyes widen as an 'eh?' came out of his mouth, "those are the herbs that I have been cultivating!"

You resisted the urge to watch the scene as you heard a pain-filled shriek leave Naruto's mouth.

| [(*)] | Music: No Current Music For This Scene | Effects: No Current Effects |

Your left eye twitched as you picked up another can, before flicking it into the basket currently attached to your back. You glared at Kakashi from your spot in the water, flicking yet another piece of litter into the basket. How was picking up rubbish from the river a mission?

Damn litterers...

You blinked as you heard a yelp, quickly swivelling your head to the right as you watched Naruto get carried away by the river's strong currents.

"Somebody help!" he yelled as he struggled against said currents, making you sigh as you threw your tongs onto the riverbank, quickly taking off your bag and placing it on the bank (you were the one closest to said riverbank).

You made a short dive into the water, quickly swimming after the blond. You groaned as you spotted a waterfall at the end of the river, eyes widening as you watched Naruto fall over the waterfall.

"Free fall!" he exclaimed, making you 'tch'.

You reached into your weapon pouch (quite hard in water), grabbing a wired-kunai and throwing it onto the branch right above the edge of the waterfall, smiling when it looped itself around the branch. You grabbed the ends of the wire string, falling over the waterfall just as Naruto did - for one exception, you weren't falling to your death. You grabbed his ankle as you swung across from the waterfall.

Correction: You expected to grab his ankle.

Your eyes widened when you spotted Sasuke, who had already grabbed Naruto's ankle, in your way.

"CHIBI! WATCH OUT!"

The ravenette turned his head towards you, his facial expression disinterested at first, before his eyes widened at your incoming form.

Crash!

"Itie!"

"Oof!"

You clicked your tongue against the roof your mouth as Sasuke reluctantly let go of his wire string as you crashed into him and Naruto, letting him and Naruto fall to their deaths.

...or what they thought were their deaths.

You had grabbed the chibi's wrist before they could fall - your wire string supporting you.

"Oi. Aho-chibi," you deadpanned, right eye twitching.

| [(*)] | Music: No Current Music For This Scene | Effects: No Current Effects |

"Hey! Don't go that way, dattebayo!"

You sighed from the sidelines as you watched Naruto struggle against pulling his chosen dog from walking into a trapped area.

Oh Kami, dog-walking. And as always, Naruto just has to choose the biggest dog just to prove that he's better than Sasuke...

"Hey, come on!"

You facepalmed.

"That baka," Sasuke commented from your right, earning a punch from you.

Sakura sighed, "That's what happens when you choose the biggest dog..."

"Hold it...wait...dattebayo...!"

You groaned as you glanced at Kakashi, who was seated high up on a tree branch, reading his perverted book.

Great...

"Ku...kuah...! T-that's the trap field, dattebayo...!" Naruto exclaimed, continuing to pull his dog back from the dangerous area.

You sighed as you watched explosions go off inside the field, left eye twitching at Naruto's screams of pain. You facepalmed when you discovered his injured form, whereas the dog wasn't even scratched at.

The one who set off the traps were probably Naru-fish...

| [(*)] | Music: No Current Music For This Scene | Effects: No Current Effects |

"Mattaku...that's what you get for being reckless!"

You sighed as you watched your team-mates support Naruto as they walked, Naruto's arms hung over their necks.

Sasuke scoffed, and you sent him a warning glare (which he ignored), "You're a guy who needs help all the time."

Your glare intensified as Naruto angrily released his arms from Sasuke, reaching his hands out to said ravenette.

"SASUKE!"

You growled as Sakura shot out a hand before Naruto could even touch her lover.

"If you're going to go wild anymore, I'm going to finish you off!"

You angrily stalked after Sasuke with red, pointed eyes, but the ravenette had already started to walk away.

"Don't worry, Naru-fish - I'll go wild for you," you growled, making Naruto and Sakura 'eh?!'.

Although, before you could even hurt the chibi, a hand shot out to grab your forearm, and when you turned, your glare intensified (again) when you found out it was Kakashi.

"Kakashi-sensei, I'd rather you let go of me before I bite your fingers off--"

"The teamwork is out of order lately," your sensei sighed, letting go of your arm.

You scoffed, closing your eyes and crossing your arms over your chest, "No shit."

"Yeah! And you're the one who disrupts our teamwork, Sasuke-ttebayo!" Naruto claimed, shaking a fist at the ravenette's retreating back, "you always stick your nose in everything!"

"That's you, baka," Sasuke retorted, only angering Naruto even further, "If you don't want to owe me anything," he stopped walking, turning his head around to say this sentence, "become stronger than me!"

You 'tch'ed as the tension in the air dramatically rose. You stared at the two boys from the sidelines with a deadpan, unlike Sakura who was next to you, who looked frightened as shit.

Tch...stupid damn chibi...idiotic Naruto...why does this always have to happen nowadays? you mentally complained.

You blinked as you spotted a hawk soaring overhead, its call not seeming to faze any of your team-mates, or catch their attention for that matter.

"Hm...shall we call it quits for today? I have to submit the mission report now," Kakashi casually stated, as if a fight wasn't about to break out behind him.

"Then, I'm going home," Sasuke said, closing his eyes and turning on his heel, walking away.

"Ah! Matte, Sasuke-kun!"

You sighed as you watched Naruto reach his hand out dejectedly towards the retreating back of Sakura.

You crossed your arms over your chest again as you watched Sasuke's and Sakura's conversation from a distance, snorting when Sasuke walked away, leaving Sakura seeming depressed for some reason.

"Sakura-chan! Forget about Sasuke, and let's go train together!" Naruto called out, waving his hand at her back.

You could just feel the anger waves rolling off her. Apparently, your sensei could too, since he had poofed away - probably to keep his lazy ass safe from a woman's wrath. You immediately kept your defences up for Naruto's and your sake, just in case Sakura lashed out on him. You blinked when you suddenly felt three chakra presences behind you, turning your head to investigate. You sweatdropped as you looked at the 'rock'.

...rocks...aren't supposed to be square...

You could tell Naruto had noticed as well - he had turned his head around with you, eyeing the square 'rock' with a twitching eyebrow. You watched as Naruto started to walk, turning your head as he did so. You stayed in your place, raising an eyebrow as you watched the 'rock' moving behind him. He stopped for a moment, before he broke into a run, making your sweatdrop larger.

You know, you could always just kick the damn thing away, Naru-fish.

You closed your eyes as he ran even faster, the box still following after him. You facepalmed mentally. You sighed as he finally stopped, opening your eyes. You watched as he pointed dramatically at the square.

"A square rock with two holes like that does not exist!" he stated.

No, really? you raised an eyebrow.

"It's so obvious-ttebayo!"

Why didn't you do this earlier?

"I should have expected that from the man I have high hopes for, and is also my rival, kore!"

You blinked at the voice that came out of the box. You immediately went into defensive mode when the box started glowing, appearing behind Naruto and tugging him away before three small explosions occurred. You raised an eyebrow as you heard coughing.

"Kora, you used too much gunpowder, kore," you heard a voice say in between coughs.

You sweatdropped when you spotted three kids.

Oh hey, isn't that Konohamaru?

Your sweatdrop grew twice in size when they finally noticed you and Naruto staring at them weirdly, and you nearly facepalmed when they started introducing themselves.

"The one who possesses the sex appeal of an adult, and the female ninja of the senior group, Moegi!" the orange-haired female kid introduced herself, getting into a...pose.

Your left eye started to twitch.

"The one who loves dividing numbers, Udon," the second brunette glasses-wearing boy introduced, getting into...another...pose.

"This village's number one genius ninja, Konohamaru, kore!"

You don't need to introduce yourself, Konohamaru.

"The three of us make the Konohamaru Corps!"

You facepalmed as they each got into a pose again, their...goggles (?!) glistening in the sunlight. Naruto deadpanned.

"Just as I thought, it was the three of you. Why do you three have the goggles on?" he asked boredly, disinterested in the group.

You watched on with crossed-arms as Konohamaru 'ehehe'd, "We copied the old you, kore."

"Oh?" Naruto answered boredly.

You raised an eyebrow as Konohamaru scowled.

"'Oh?' You've been treating us so cold lately, kore."

"...ne? What do you want?" Naruto asked, completely ignoring Konohamaru.

You sighed as you watched Konohamaru whispered to 'Udon', "See? He's so cold now."

"Well, Leader, do you have time right now?" Moegi stepped up.

"No," Naruto answered, pausing for three seconds, "I'm going to train!" he exclaimed, pointing to himself.

You sweatdropped from the background.

Yeah, right.

"Eh?! You said that you would play ninja with us, kore!" Konohamaru protested.

You snorted, quickly covering your mouth when Naruto turned to glare at you. Your shoulders shook with contained laughter.

A ninja, playing 'ninja'? (snorts)

Naruto laughed nervously, scratching his head, "Really?"

"What's the point in ninja playing ninja?" Sakura asked, finally walking up to you (while in depression).

You blinked as Sakura glowered at him unexpectedly, your crossed-arms getting ready to catch any punches she might throw at him.

"N-nani?" Naruto asked, upon noticing her staring (glowering).

You glanced at Naruto from the corner of your eyes as he laughed, a blush on his face.

"Nii-chan, who is this big girl?"

Konohamaru asked, and you averted your gaze from Sakura to the black-haired kid.

I feel so left out in this conversation...

You raised an eyebrow when he let out an 'oh!', a light-bulb blinking above his head. You watched as his facial expression became smug, and he reached up to pat Naruto on the back.

"Nii-chan, you're better than I thought."

"Huh?" You and Naruto blinked.

"She's nii-chan's..." you watched as he raised his pinky, "right, kore?"

Sakura's glare intensified, while Naruto laughed, blush still on his face.

"Aha! Mou, you kids are pretty sharp."

"No!" Sakura yelled, glare in place and fist extended. Your eyes automatically glinted as you shot out a palm, catching her fast punch.

Your bangs were covering your eyes as her arm shook against your palm. Naruto and the kids seemed to be shaking - Naruto for having a close call, and the kids...why were they staring at you with wide eyes?

You lifted your head, lips set into a crooked smile and eye twitching.

"Ne, ne, Sakura. Kakashi-sensei did say that our teamwork was getting out of order lately, right?" you emphasized the last word, face darkening as you did so.

Naruto and the others had immediately taken a step back from you, while Sakura...didn't seem to get the idea.

You deadpanned when she immediately removed her fist, now fangirling on the spot.

"Kyaa! [Name]-kun touched my hand!" she squealed, walking away with a blush. You crossed your arms again with a scoff, mumbling something along the lines of 'I'm a girl, baka'.

Apparently, your mumble wasn't loud enough - because by then, the children had looked at you curiously. You glanced down at them.

"What," it wasn't even a question - a statement you managed to growl out.

"...transvestite?"

Your eyes were immediately set into a glare, your mouth opening to say something, only to be cut off.

"[Name]-chan's not a transvestite, she's a girl, dattebayo!" Naruto had immediately went to your defenses.

Maybe a little too fast.

Konohamaru's shocked expression had become smug again, "Nii-chan, so this is your girlfriend, huh, kore? Well, she does look prettier than that ugly-wide-forehead girl."

You blinked when Sakura stopped in her tracks, slowly turning her head to reveal a demonic glare that everyone in your little group could see. You sweatdropped as they ran away from the psychotic-looking pinkette who had started running towards them. Your eyes widened slightly when you felt two new chakra presences, walking towards your group. You turned your head as Sakura ran by you, eyes still wide.

Crap! Watch ou--

It was too late, Konohamaru had ran into one of the people, and your eyes only widened further when you noticed they were actually-

Ninja from Sunagakure...! That means...ah, shit - the chūnin exams are coming up!

You walked up to your group as Konohamaru fell down, grunting before blinking up at the ninja.

"Oi. That hurt," the one wearing black stated, and you immediately knew who this was.

That's...I think it was...Kankuro...but! That isn't the big case, what matters is that...Gaara...

You were quickly cut out of your thoughts when you heard Naruto call out, "Konohamaru!"

Your eyes went back to the scene, narrowing when you saw Kankuro (was that his name? You watched this episode, but your memory was a bit fuzzy) lift the young boy into the air by his scarf, sneering while he was at it.

"That hurt, brat."

You held back the growl that threatened to leak out of your throat as you heard Konohamaru grunt in pain.

"Stop it, Kankuro," the blond female next to him said, "we're going to get scolded later."

Your fingers twitched as Sakura hurriedly apologised, "Gomenesai! I was just joking around, so..."

"Oi, kora! Let go of that kid, dattebayo!" Naruto angrily shouted, to which you nearly slapped a hand over his mouth at.

Your playful demeanour was dropped as you heard Kankuro scoff.

"But I want to play around before some noisy people come," Kankuro protested casually, smirking.

"Let go!" Konohamaru whined, and kicked at the black-clad ninja's chest.

"You're very energetic, kid," he commented, pulling on Konohamaru's scarf even more.

You readied yourself to run, but someone seemed to beat you to it (what was up with people doing that to you, nowadays?).

"Why you...!" Naruto yelled, breaking into a run for Kankuro.

Your eyes widened as you watched Kankuro's fingers twitch, before Naruto fell to the ground, looking as if something had been pulled out from beneath him. Your eyes stayed wide as you eyed Kankuro's fingers.

...what the hell was that...? I only remember his name, so...

"Hm. Konoha's genins are weak," Kankuro blandly commented, making you scowl.

"And what are Sunagakure's ninja doing in Konoha?" you managed to ground out, eyes darkening slightly as Kankuro's black eyes landed on you.

He scoffed, "I hate brats like you. Weak, persistent kids. You piss me off. It makes me want to break you."

Your scowl deepened whereas Naruto and Sakura's eyes widened, and the two kids behind you had started crying.

The blond female beside Kankuro sighed, "Fine. I'm not responsible for anything you do, though."

"Well why don't you put the kid down, if you hate us so much," you retorted to his previous statement.

"Nah. I'm going to teach this one a lesson."

You immediately released your arms from their crossed-arms-pose, appearing before the Sunagakure ninja in a second. You gave him a good uppercut to the jaw, catching him by surprise. The blond beside him gasped as he dropped Konohamaru down, stunned. As said kid scurried back to your group, he turned his head towards you, glare set on his face.

"You're going to regret that, girl," he growled, raising his arms while you quickly got into a defensive stance.

All of a sudden, something shot out of nowhere and hit his hand with great force, and you raised an eyebrow when he winced bringing his injured hand down to his chest, cradling it with his other hand, blood streaming out of his injured hand. You raised both eyebrows when the thing fell to the ground, revealing that it was a rock that had hit him. Everyone had turned their heads to the direction of where the rock came from. You scoffed and rolled your eyes as you spotted Sasuke sitting in a tree, tossing a rock in his hand.

"What do you think you guys're doing, causing trouble in another's village?" he asked casually, still throwing the damn rock in his hand.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura squealed, hearts over her eyes while you crossed your arms again.

"My hero," you sarcastically mumbled, a mildly-amused smirk on your face.

"Another kid that pisses me off," you heard Kankuro sneer.

You rolled your eyes when Sasuke caught the rock in his hand, crushing it into dust, all the while saying, "Get lost."

You winced at the loud volumes of Sakura and Konohamaru's friends squealing over the freakin' chibi. You scoffed.

"Oi! Come down here, kid. I hate kids like you, who think they're so clever," Kankuro snarled and grabbed a loose bandage that was holding whatever that thing tied to his back was.

You raised an eyebrow when the blond next to him immediately went back into 'scold-Kankuro' mode.

"Oi! You're going to use Karasu for this?!" the blond female exclaimed, making your eyes narrow.

...Karasu? As in...crow?

"Kankuro...stop."

Your eyes widened at the new voice, and you looked up to see the red-haired sand shinobi you would kindly know as Gaara, hanging upside down from a tree branch opposite of where Sasuke was sitting. Your eyes immediately went back to their original size.

...Gaara...

"You're a disgrace to our village."

And your heart skipped a beat upon being able to stare openly at his real, not animated, blood-red hair and sea-foam green eyes.

Wow...he looks so much better in real life.

Truth be told, Gaara was one of your favourite characters in the anime, and you proclaimed that one of the advantages of being in this world was seeing your favourite characters not animated, but in actual real life.

Apparently though, none of the others had the same thoughts as you as their eyes widened dramatically.

"G-Gaara," Kankuro stuttered, confident demeanour slowly crawling away.

"Why do you think we came all the way here to Konoha?" he coldly asked, eyes wandering between Sasuke and your group as he did so.

"L-listen, Gaara, these guys started it."

...childish, much?

"Shut up."

Kankuro's mouth immediately snapped shut, and you suppressed a shudder as Gaara's cold stare landed on you. You stared back with the same, indifferent face. He then averted his gaze back to Kankuro.

His gaze is really...wow...

"I'll kill you."

You watched as Kankuro gulped, bringing his hands up to his chest.

"I-I was at fault. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry."

You continued to watch (I have been typing that word so many times now) as Gaara then turned his head towards the direction of your group.

"Excuse them, you guys," he apologised, disappearing from the tree and reappearing on the ground with a swish of sand, "let's go. We didn't come here to fool around."

"I know," Kankuro replied, turning around to walk away - as did the blond female.

But before they could walk five steps away from you, your pinkette team-mate stopped them, demanding to know the reason they were in Konoha, and that they needed permission to be here. The blond girl turned around and produced a 'traffic' pass to be in the village, and explained that they were here for the Chūnin Exams. You bit your lower lip in anticipation.

"What're the Chūnin Exams, dattebayo?" Naruto asked dumbly, and you sweatdropped.

"You're really clueless," the female blond responded blandly, crossing her arms over his chest.

"You take the Chūnin Exams to attempt to get promoted from genin to chūnin," you explained to your 'really clueless' team-mate.

"Really? Then I should take it, too-ttebayo!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly.

You blinked when Sasuke jumped down from the tree, just as the trio started to walk away again.

"Oi. You there," he called out pointing, "who're you?"

The girl in the group stopped and turned around with a light blush on her face. You rolled your eyes.

Not another freakin' fangirl!

"M-me?" she stuttered, and you raised an eyebrow at her.

"No. The one next to you, with the gourd," Sasuke replied.

You smirked at the still-unnamed girl as she frowned. Gaara turned to face your group again. The chibi must've been going deaf if he didn't hear Kankuro say his name earlier.

"Sabaku no Gaara," Gaara replied. "I am also interested in you. What's your name?"

"Uchiha Sasuke," the chibi replied with a smirk. You blinked as Gaara nodded, then turned to look at you.

"And you," the redhead said, asking for your name as well. You blushed lightly, oblivious to Sasuke's raised eyebrow.

"[Last Name] [Name]," you replied confidently, hoping your indifferent face would make up for the blush.

None of the people around you seemed to realise that you had suddenly changed your last name.

There was a pause for a moment as a breeze brushed past you.

"Hey, hey, what about me?" Naruto beamed at the ninja.

"I'm not interested," Gaara replied, blinking. Then he turned, and his team-mates and him left the scene.

"Why'd he only want to know you and [Name]-chan's names?!" Naruto complained loudly to Sasuke.

"Maybe because we're actually competent ninja," Sasuke replied bluntly, and began to walk away.

You scoffed and rolled your eyes as Sakura smiled and followed after him, while you stayed back to tend to Naruto's sulking.

| [(*)] | Ending Theme: Hurricane by Lead | Arrival At Konohagakure ; 木ノの到着 ; End | Music: Naruto OST Album 2 // Song - Confrontment |

"Ah! The chūnin Exams are coming up! This also means that the second Arc is coming to an end, and the third arc is coming next chapter!"

"I'll get to the point. I recommended all of you guys in the Chūnin Exams."

You raise an eyebrow at the application, "But sensei, aren't only teams of three allowed to participate in the Chūnin Exams?"

"You aren't supposed to know that!" he whined, and you smirked, amused at his reaction.

"There's a problem here, as you can see...anyway, next time you'll meet us, it'll be in |14 | You Can't Be Serious |!"

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[1] = As you can see, it is implied here that Sakura does not know your brother. Neither does Sasuke.