Edited 14/08/2015

Ashley's POV

'There's something weird about those eyes of his....' I think suspiciously, a tiny frown settling onto my face as Gaara turns back to face Kankuro. 'There's nothing behind them. Nothing at all.'

"Did you forget the reason why we're here Kankuro?" the red head drawls suddenly, causing the taller Sand Ninja to give a start, his eyes widening a little.

"Uh, um, of c-course not Gaara!" Kankuro stutters, clearly nervous. "It's just that, well......They challenged us first!"

'He's so afraid of this guy' I muse internally, crossing my arms. 'Why does this Gaara affect him so much?.....'

"See, uh here's what went dow-"

"Just shut up" Gaara orders lowly, cutting Kankuro off and narrowing his eyes dangerously at the black clad male, "Or I'll kill you."

"Uhh.....Right...." Kankuro eventually replies, his shoulders drooping a little. The tiny shiver that runs up his spine doesn't escape my eye either. For such a cocky guy, Kankuro sure gives in to Gaara quickly. Though I can't really say I overly blame him.

While Gaara doesn't scare me exactly, he still gives off one hell of a creepy vibe. Judging by the wide eyed looks on everyone's faces and the way their hearts are beating so fast, they're all feeling somewhat intimidated right now.

"I'm s-sorry Gaara" Kankuro apologises, stuttering as he glances back at the blonde girl with four ponytails in her hair. "I was totally out of line..."

The girl holds up her hands and shakes her head, as if to let Gaara know that she hadn't taken any part in this. Though she's better at hiding it, this girl must be afraid of Gaara as well.....What exactly has he done to make them so frightened of him? Could it be something to do with the Tailed Beast that Hakuba said is residing inside of him?

Gaara ignores his fellow Sand Ninja and turns his head to face us. Ace, sensing that Kankuro is no longer a threat, bares his teeth at Gaara with a snarl. He doesn't like the way Gaara holds my gaze for so long. To a Wolf, that means you're challenging him and Ace won't stand for someone disrespecting or challenging me.

"I'm sorry for any trouble he's caused you" Gaara tells us smoothly, totally ignoring my Wolf as his pale eyes drift between all of us.

In a gust of sand, the red haired male disappears, materialising in front of his team.

"Let's go, we didn't come here to play games" Gaara says, his back to us. Ace doesn't seem to like that either.

"Do not turn your back on Milady" he orders, causing Gaara to turn around, Kankuro and the blonde girl both shivering slightly, "Or I will make you regret disrespecting her...."

I step forwards, gently placing a hand on Ace's shoulder to calm him down. The Wolf immediately ceases growling, sitting back on his haunches and watching the Sand Ninja intently.

"It's okay Ace, they're not the enemy" I assure him, pausing momentarily. "At the moment anyway."

I raise an eyebrow as the three Sand Ninja turn away to leave, when Sakura decides that it's been awhile since she did something stupid and bounds forwards.

"Hold on a sec!" the girl commands, jabbing one hand at the Sand Shinobi's backs and making them pause.

"Ugh...." the blonde haired girl sighs, turning to look back over her shoulder and cast Sakura an annoyed look. "What?"

"Judging from your headbands, you're all from the Hidden Sand Village" Sakura calls out, causing me to inwardly deadpan. I'm sure they're well aware of what Village they're from.......

"Now, I know that the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind are allies" Sakura continues, taking a step forwards, "But no Ninja can enter the Village of another without permission! So state your reason for being here, and it better be good!"

"What?" the blonde girl asks, sounding both incredulous and irritated as she whirls around to face us. "Have you all been living under a rock or something? Do you even have any idea what's going on in your own Village?"

I see the tough look on Sakura's face falter a little and small question marks floating about Naruto's head. I'm not surprised that he's got no clue, because he never seems to know about anything. Granted I have no idea what this Sand Ninja is going on about either, but at least I have an excuse for not knowing. I haven't been in this Village for very long.

"You're right about us being from the Hidden Sand Village" the blonde girl continues, pulling out a passport and holding it out for us to see, an arrogant look on her face, "And we're here for the Chunin Exams. The Leaf Village is hosting the tournament this time."

"......What're Chunin Exams?" Naruto questions dumbly, tilting his head to the side. I keep an even expression on my face, not wanting to let on that I also have no idea what these Exam things are.

"Ha!" the blonde girl laughs rudely, shaking her head and crossing her arms. "You're totally clueless aren't you?"

"You have no idea....." I can't help sighing, ignoring Naruto when he sends me a wounded look, probably wishing I would stand up for him in front of the other Ninja. He clearly hasn't worked out my personality yet if he's hoping for back up from me.

"Uhhh Boss?" Konohamoru addresses Naruto, catching the blue eyed male's attention. "The Chunin Exams are tests that every Genin has to pass if they wanna be promoted to a Chunin."

I turn my head a little and glance down at the young brunette that had just spoken, my interest piqued somewhat.

'We have to pass a test to become a higher rank?' I think, eyes narrowing a little. 'This could be interesting...'

While I've never been given an official Rank before, I suppose I was automatically classified as a Genin when I became a member of this Village. I don't necessarily want to hang around with Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke, but I also don't want to be stuck with the title of Genin forever. I want to have the best title!

"Ohhh!" Naruto cries, finally understanding. He grins and throws a fist in the air. "I am so there!"

As Naruto begins laughing to himself, excited about the prospect of gaining a higher title, the female Sand Ninja rolls her eyes and turns away to leave again. I almost let out a sigh as Sasuke leaps down to the ground, wishing my stupid teammates would just let them leave. Maybe I should have just let Kankuro and that blonde girl beat my teammates up before.

"Hey you!" the ravenette calls, raising his hand to point at the retreating Shinobi. "What's your name?"

"You mean me?" the blonde girl turns back around and asks, looking flattered. This time I really do sigh, just as Sakura's face takes on an annoyed expression. She wisely remains silent for once though, choosing to cross her arms and tap her foot on the ground impatiently instead.

While I get that most girls seem to find Sasuke attractive, I don't understand why his appearance makes them act so weird. Why do people act strangely in front of the ones they find attractive? Emotions and feelings like this are lost on me, and I'm not exactly sad about that either. I can safely say that I'll never be like any of these girls....

"No" Sasuke states flatly, a crestfallen look overtaking the blonde girl's face. "I meant the guy beside you. The one with the gourd on his back."

"If you had've been paying attention instead of trying to act cool" I speak up smartly, flicking Sasuke a flat look, "You would've heard that his name is Gaara."

I absently stroke the soft fur around Ace's neck as Sasuke shoots me a sharp glare, with said Sand Ninja slowly turning around to face us.

".....She's right" the pale boy states softly, sparing me a quick look that almost sends a shiver up my spine. Again those eyes. He looks like he wishes he could kill us all right now. What a creepy guy...

"My name is Gaara of the Desert" the male continues in his quiet, raspy voice. "I'm curious about you also. Your name?"

"I'm Sasuke Uchiha" said ravenette replies proudly, a smug grin on his face.

"And you, with the Wolf?" Gaara inquires, nodding his head towards me, dead looking eyes fixed on my face. I blink in surprise, not having expected him to speak to me, as Ace begins growling lowly again. He clearly doesn't like the look of this Gaara guy either.

"None of your business" I state pointedly, the corner of my mouth pulling up into an arrogant smirk. "That's classified information that even the Hokage doesn't know."

I feel Ace nudge me at this, but I ignore him and turn my head as Naruto bounds forwards, pointing to his chest with his thumb.

"I bet you're just dying to know my name as well!" the annoying blonde chirps loudly, a broad, closed eye grin plastered on his face.

".....I couldn't care less who you are" Gaara replies icily, before all the Sand Ninja turn away once again. Hopefully no one else interrupts them this time. They're as annoying as my teammates...

"Hey Konohamoru......" a depressed Naruto asks the young brunette, dark clouds floating over his hunched figure, "Do I seem uncool to you or something?"

"Well.......Compared to Sasuke and that girl with the purple eyes" Konohamoru replies, scratching the back of his head, "Yeah Boss. You're pretty lame."

"They're fuchsia" I am quick to snap at the brown haired kid, my brows furrowing as I scowl at him. He flinches backwards and half hides behind Naruto, who is still too busy being depressed to notice.

"Milady....." Ace addresses me quietly, catching my attention. "We are being watched...."

"Hm?" I reply, subtly glancing up into a nearby tree as Ace tilts his head towards it. ".....So we are........I can only assume they're also contestants in these Exams."

"Perhaps they are curious about the competition" Ace responds in his monotone voice, a flat look on his face. "Though I do not think these new teammates of yours can be considered as such......"

"Hey Ashley!" Naruto suddenly shouts out, making me look up. Ace lays his ears back and glares at the blonde with irritation. Clearly he's not a big fan.

"What?" I drawl boredly, hoping whatever it is he has to say isn't going to give me a headache.

"What did you mean when you said that the Hokage doesn't know your real name?" Naruto inquires eagerly, his eyes large. I notice Sakura and Sasuke also look over at me, curiosity evident in their faces.

"Uhhhh......I don't know" I admit awkwardly, rubbing the back of my head and looking away from my team. "......My name is Ashley Minami, I was just being difficult I guess."

I lean my elbow on my knee and rest my chin in my palm, fingers lightly tapping my cheek. Sasuke waits patiently off to my left, his arms crossed and his eyes closed. Naruto paces back and forth in front of us, muttering under his breath, with Sakura sitting on the other side of me.

Kakashi had asked us to meet him here for training and I'd actually managed to get here on time today......Though I've been regretting it for the last hour. I've been entertaining myself by imagining all of the ways I could make Kakashi pay for making me sit here with the other three.

Sakura lets out a heavy sigh full of irritation, as Ace's eyes drift over to her. Sitting on the wooden boards below the railing that Sakura and I are perched on, Ace has been quietly observing my teammates closely. I think he's trying to figure out if they can be trusted or not. Who knows what he thinks about them......

Breaking the silence, Sakura lets out a shout of frustration and slides down from the bridge railing, an anime vein pulsing on the side of her head.

"Why, why why?!" the pinkette screeches angrily, angrily punching at the air. "It's always the same with Kakashi Sensei! He gives us a time and place to meet him, and then we end up waiting around for him forever!"

"It's not fair!" Naruto agrees, also throwing a fist skyward. Sasuke opens his eyes and glances over at the angry pair, one eyebrow raised.

"Does he even care about my feelings?!" Sakura demands to know. "I ran here so fast, I didn't even have time to dry my hair this morning!"

I can't help blanching at this, almost falling right off the bridge railing. Oh no, the world is now going to end because poor, little Sakura didn't get to do her hair. The priorities of these Leaf Ninja intrigue me sometimes....

"Yeah!" Naruto cries, actually sounding sort of cheerful. "I didn't get to brush my teeth or change my underwear!"

"....Really Naruto?" Sakura asks after a short pause, her nose wrinkling. "That's so gross."

Now feeling irritated and somewhat ill, I glance over at Sasuke, only to see that his face is holding the same annoyed expression as mine. He looks up at me and we stare at each other for a few moments, before he both hang our heads and sigh heavily.

"Hey guys" a voice suddenly greets, causing all of us to look up. Kakashi, having appeared on top of the sign over the bridge, sends us a wave. "Sorry about being late again. I'm afraid I got lost on the path of life..."

"Again?!" Naruto and Sakura shout accusingly. "Yeah right!"

Clearly not at all disturbed by their annoyance, Kakashi merely shrugs and jumps down to the ground, only to come face to face with Ace. The navy coloured Wolf narrows his visible eye and steps in front of me protectively, a faint growl rumbling in his throat.

"Uhhhh....." Kakashi trails off, sweat dropping and taking a few steps back. "Does anyone want to tell me why there's a huge Wolf glaring at me like it wants to tear me to pieces?"

I place my hand on top of Ace's head as the others look to me, silencing the Wolf immediately.

"This is Ace, one of my Summoning Wolves" I explain dully, leaning down and roughing up the fur on Ace's head as I look at him. "Ace, this is Kakashi. He's been appointed as my teacher I guess, so you can step down. He's no threat to me."

"Very well then" Ace replies gruffly, aqua eye flicking up to Kakashi's face. "Greetings."

"Hey" the silver haired Jonin greets casually, brushing Ace off and shoving his hands in his pockets. "So anyway guys, I know this is a little early, but I gathered you here to let you know that I've recommended all of you for the upcoming Chunin Exams."

Reaching into one of the pockets of his green flack jacket, Kakashi produces four sheets of paper and holds them out towards us.

"Here are the application forms" the Jonin adds as we each collect our sheets from him. "I can see the look of concern on your face Sakura, but don't worry so much. It's totally up to you whether you participate in the Exams or not."

"Alriiiiiight!" Naruto cheers, launching himself at Kakashi and draping himself around the man's neck in a grateful hug.

"Hey!" Kakashi barks, struggling to get Naruto away from him. "Don't drool on my vest!"

"You're the best Kakashi Sensei!" Naruto cries, ignoring the silver haired Jonin's demand. After a few more moments of struggling, Kakashi manages to remove his orange scarf and dumps Naruto on the ground.

"For those of you who want to participate" the man explains, regaining his composure quickly, "Take your signed form to Room 301 at the Academy. The Exam is five days from now, at three o'clock."

"Heheh, Chunin Exams, Chunin Exams" Naruto chants excitedly, clutching his form tightly, "Chunin Exams, Chunin Exams!"

"Chunin Exams, Chunin Exams!" Naruto continues chanting, causing my anime vein to grow even bigger. "Chunin Exams, Chunin Exams!"

"Will you shut up?!" I suddenly explode, whirling around to glare at Naruto. He's been singing the same thing over and over for the last twenty minutes, and I just can't take it anymore!

"Would you like me to take care of the boy Milady?" Ace offers, no doubt sick of Naruto as well. "I will silence him once and for all."

"As tempting as that offer is" I reply flatly, still glaring at the now whimpering Naruto, "Not at the moment.......I'll keep it in mind though."

"Hmmmm......." the blonde male suddenly mumbles, looking back down at the paper in his hands. "I'll be up against some really strong Ninja at the exams......"

Here Naruto flicks his bright blue eyes up to me for a moment, before he glares at the back of Sasuke's head and begins chuckling to himself gleefully. Who knows what that boy is thinking right now?......

Just ahead of me, I see Sakura stop walking, an anxious expression on her face.

"What's up with you?" I ask carefully, attempting to sound at least sort of nice. I might as well try it out and see where it gets me.

'You'll regret being kind to them' Hakuba is swift to warn, causing me to roll my eyes.

"I don't need your advice' I retort, throwing up a wall of chakra to block him out of my head. I know he'll be mad that I did it, but sometimes I just like to not have him harping on in the back of my mind. It takes a lot of chakra to block Hakuba out, so I can't keep it up for very long, but it's a relief nonetheless.

"Huh?" Sakura asks, turning to me and blinking in surprise. "Oh! Uhh, it's nothing Ashley. Really.......But thanks anyway!"

I watch as Sakura sends me a closed eye smile and continues walking ahead of me, my mouth settling down into a slight frown. I know she's lying to me. There's definitely something on her mind. Oh well. To be honest, I don't really care after all.

I leap down from my roof and land on one knee, having decided to get in some training. We have a free day today and I'm bored. I was bored all night too, seeing as I don't sleep. Training will give my mind and body something to do. Plus, I haven't really had a training session since I arrived in this Village.

Spotting Keiji still snoozing on some flowers beside my house, I make sure to tiptoe quietly past him, before picking up the pace a little and jogging towards the forest training grounds I'd found yesterday.

I quickly decide that I don't feel like training alone however, and come to a stop to perform a set of hand signs, before bending down and pressing my palm against the ground.

"Summoning Jutsu" I say boredly, as I am enveloped in a cloud of white smoke. Who says you have to yell for a Jutsu to work? I really only tend to yell Jutsu when I'm in a fight because of the adrenaline rush........And it's fun to yell.

"Good morning Milady" a gravelly voice greets, as Ace steps out of the smoke and sits in front of me.

"Morning Ace" I reply, throwing one hand on my hip. "Train with me, I'm bored."

"As you wish Milady" my Wolf complies, rising to his feet and following close behind when I break into a sprint.

As we race down the practically empty street, a familiar voice stops me in my tracks, Ace coming to a halt beside me. I peer up at the house before me suspiciously, when a small puppy comes skittering around the corner.

"Arf!"the tiny creature barks, before suddenly noticing me ahead of him. His tail immediately begins to wag with excitement as he bounds over to Ace and I. "Arf arf!"

I heave a heavy sigh and raise both of my arms up as Akamaru leaps towards me, apparently wanting me to catch him. Normally I'm not a big fan of Ninken, or any Dogs in general, but Akamaru is pretty cute.....As difficult as that is for me to admit.

"Hey Akamaru!" the voice I'd heard before calls out, just as Kiba comes skidding around the corner of the house as well. He grins when he spies Akamaru jumping for me, though that cheeky look is quick to fall as Ace lets out a snarl and throws himself at the young Ninken.

Akamaru lets out a pained yelp as Ace lashes out with one of his large paws, knocking the puppy back down to the ground. He slides across the dirt on his back, only for Ace to loom over him, one paw on either side of Akamaru's head. The Wolf bares his teeth viciously, eye narrowed, as Akamaru trembles beneath him.

"Akamaru!" Kiba cries, rushing towards his grief stricken puppy. Furrowing my brows, I leap over and land in front of the brunette, stopping him from getting any closer. Placing one hand on Kiba's chest, I roughly push him backwards and focus a large amount of chakra into my arms.

"Ace!" I snap, causing the large Wolf to look up. He blinks when he sees me standing right in front of him, seemingly confused by my anger, before I place one hand against each of the Wolf's shoulders and forcibly shove him backwards. As Ace lands on the ground, I grab him by the scruff of the neck, jabbing a hand back towards Akamaru.

"What are you doing?!" I ask irately, while Kiba scoops up the quivering Akamaru into his arms, trying to calm him down. "I never told you to attack! You could've seriously hurt Akamaru just then Ace!"

"My sincerest apologies Milady" Ace replies in his emotionless voice, grunting at the strong grip of my hands. "I was unaware that you and the Ninken were acquainted. I was merely trying to protect you, as is my duty."

"And you think that a tiny puppy like that is going to be a threat?" I question dryly, ignoring Kiba when he mutters indignantly under his breath.

"I suppose not Milady" Ace sighs, momentarily closing his eye. "My instinct to protect you is very strong however. I leapt without thinking."

"Well, you need to think" I tell the large Wolf, releasing him and heaving a sigh, before nodding my head towards Kiba. "Now apologise to Akamaru."

Giving me a strained look, too proud to want to apologise, Ace rises to his feet and shakes the dust from his dark fur, before sighing again and slowly walking towards Kiba, who looks a little wary.

"My apologies" the Wolf mumbles begrudgingly, bowing his head. "Please forgive me for harming your tiny partner...."

Staring silently at Ace for a few moments, Kiba then turns to me with a questioning look, as if unsure about what to do or say.

"Ughh...." I sigh heavily, briefly bringing a hand to my forehead. "Just forgive him so we can leave already."

"Yeah fine" Kiba replies, looking back to Ace with a faint scowl. "Just don't do anything like that to Akamaru again, or I'll make you regret it."

Ace's visible eye flicks up to Kiba's face at this, growling lowly as his lips pull back to reveal his sharp fangs. The brunette sweat drops at this and takes a step back, seeming to understand that he'd better not push Ace's buttons.

"Let's keep going Ace" I order, tilting my head to the side, "We've got training to do."

"Kyllä minun nainen" Ace replies, turning away from Kiba as the male sends me a confused expression. (Yes Milady)

"Uhhh, what did he just say?" Kiba inquires, raising an eyebrow. "Was that some sort of weird new language or something?"

"It's not some weird new language" I am quick to correct, glaring over my shoulder at Kiba. "It's the ancient language that my Clan used to communicate with each other and their Wolves."

"Hey!" Kiba calls, not caring about my answer when he realises that Ace and I are leaving. "You only just got here Angel. What's the rush?"

Holding in another sigh and struggling to keep my temper, I turn my head away from Kiba and continue walking forwards.

"I want to get away from you" I inform Kiba rudely, to which his shoulders droop a little at my words.

"Awww...." the brunette complains, running a hand through his messy hair, "But that's no fun!"

"Neither is talking to you" I point out, rolling my eyes. "C'mon Ace, let's get the hell out of here...."

"Yes Milady" the navy coloured Wolf replies obediently, following after me, only for Kiba to run after us. He jogs ahead and turns around, folding his hands behind his head.

"Hey!" he barks, really beginning to try my patience with his persistence. "If you guys are gonna be training, do you mind if me and Akamaru come too?"

Initially wanting to shout hell no right in Kiba's face, I pause in my walking, earning a somewhat quizzical look from Ace. Though I'm sure he's wondering why I'm even considering humouring the irritating brunette, seeing as he's such a pain, Ace doesn't realise that this is a good chance for me to beat the guy up. It'll serve him right for being so annoying! It could be fun too....

"Fine" I eventually decide, casting Kiba a warning look. "If you can keep up, you can both come with us."

"Sweet!" Kiba grins, bending down to scoop Akamaru into his arms and allowing the puppy to perch on top of his head, tail wagging happily.....Which is admittedly pretty adorable. Not that I'm going to tell Kiba that though!

"Soooo....." Kiba speaks up after a few minutes of silent walking, "Where are we heading?"

"Somewhere quiet" I reply flatly, not even bothering to hide my meaning.

"Ahh........So Angel" the brunette continues with a slight smirk, his stupid nickname for me making me bristle, "What kinda training are you gonna be doing? Coz I'm awesome at Taijutsu, so I can help you with any physical training you might need."

Kiba winks at me as I turn my head and send him an ice cold glare, only for Ace to bare his teeth and growl threateningly at the still grinning boy.

"Hey, I meant fighting man!" Kiba laughs, putting his hands up in defence. "Get your mind out of the gutter!"

Unable to stop myself from smirking in slight amusement at this, I come to a stop as we reach the training grounds, surrounded by trees, kunai targets and slightly damaged wooden dummies.

"Hey, my team and I train here all the time!" Kiba informs me brightly, before immediately dropping down onto a boulder leaning back on his elbows, eyes flicking between Ace and I expectantly.

"What are you doing?" I ask Kiba with a sigh, to which he grins yet again, his sharp teeth showing.

"I'm gonna see what you guys are capable of first" the Inuzuka replies, shrugging a shoulder. "I've got no clue how strong you really are, but I do know that you've got a good arm at least."

I smirk to myself at this, knowing that Kiba is probably referring to the time I threw him into a tree. I'm looking forward to doing that again today. Or worse.

"Alright Ace" I begin, bending my knees as I turn towards my Wolf, "Are you ready?"

"Always Milady" Ace replies, reacting quickly as I suddenly throw a handful of kunai towards him. Crouching down and focusing chakra into his legs, Ace leaps up into a high backflip and lands on a tree branch. Running towards him, I slap my hands together and perform a hand sign.

"Fang Over Fang!" I shout, noticing Kiba's eyes widening in surprise. I'm not sure why though....

Swiftly releasing my pent up chakra in one powerful burst, I jump up and begin spinning violently through the air, a cloak of chakra surrounding my body. Following my straight trajectory, I aim right for Ace, who is once again quick to leap out of the way, just as I drill through the branch he'd been standing on. Splinters flick through the air in all directions, raining down on the grass as I land on a low hanging branch in a crouched position. The branch I'd just broken falls to the ground, a slight indent in the actual tree trunk.

"You are getting faster with that Jutsu Milady" Ace informs me in his monotone voice. "However, I do believe it dulls your senses."

"Huh?" I ask, narrowing my eyes a little.

"You did not sense anything behind you" Ace explains, tilting his head up pointedly, causing me to turn around. My eyes widen a little at the numerous shards of pointed rock floating before me, when they suddenly shoot forwards and pierce through my stomach.

Before any words of protest can escape the mouth of a worried looking Kiba, I suddenly disappear in a puff of smoke, nothing more than a small log left in my place.

"Ah, the Substitution Jutsu" Ace muses, dropping down to the ground and looking around for me. "Well played Milady."

Peeking out from my hiding place up in a tree, I place my hands together and perform the hand signs of my favorite Jutsu.

"Earth Style: Stone Column Spear!" I shout, just as large spikes of earth and rock begin tearing out of the dirt and jabbing up into the air. Sensing the movements through the ground, Ace is able to avoid all of the vicious looking spears, darting between them and bounding off from the sides.

Soon spotting me up in the trees, Ace leaps up and begins jumping through the branches towards me. Narrowing my eyes, I perform another set of hand signs.

"Wind Style" I cry, "Great Breakthrough!"

Releasing my chakra out into the air, I am able to create a powerful, stinging gust of wind that billows ferociously through the trees. Leaves, small rocks and pieces of debris fly through the air, with Ace being blown back down towards the ground.

He manages to land on his feet, though he has to focus chakra into his paws to keep from sliding backwards along the ground.

"Arf!" Akamaru barks urgently as the wind picks him up off of the ground, easily able to carry his small frame.

"Stay down boy!" Kiba calls over the wind, reaching out and catching his Ninken by the front paws, before pulling the puppy back against his chest and hugging him tightly.

After a few more seconds, the powerful wind dies down, my hair falling back down behind me. I glare down at Ace, who is lazily glancing around as debris rains down around him. My eyes flick over to Kiba however, as he sits up, blinking in surprise. He marvels at the mess around him, before grinning to himself, apparently impressed with the display.

"Whoa!" I suddenly cry, as something wraps around my ankle and pulls my feet out from underneath me. "Hey, no fair Ace. I wasn't ready!"

"You seemed ready Milady" the Wolf responds, sounding a little too smart for my liking. I scowl and cross my arms over my chest, dangling upside down from the long tendril of earth that is holding me up by the leg.

"I believe you were merely distracted for a moment?" Ace suggests, tilting his head towards Kiba and making my frown deepen. "Perhaps it would be wise to train with another partner?"

"I don't want to train with him" I reply stubbornly, feeling my face beginning to go red due to all of the blood rushing to my head.

"How is he doing that?" Kiba asks, running towards us, with Akamaru in tow. He studies Ace in wonder, switching his incredulous gaze to the earth my Wolf is controlling. "Can he use Jutsu or something?"

"Is it any business of yours boy?" Ace growls, the rocky tendril finally releasing my ankle. I manage to flip around before hitting the earth, quickly rising to my feet and dusting myself off.

"Oh and hey!" Kiba barks, making me wince a little at his closeness. "How did you know an Inuzuka Clan Jutsu?!"

"Excuse me?" I ask, genuinely confused by his question.

"That Fang Over Fang technique that you used is a Jutsu that was created by my Clan" Kiba explains, giving me a suspicious once over with his eyes. "How could you know it?"

"An Inuzuka clan Jutsu?" I repeat, eyes narrowing. "I didn't know it was a special Clan Jutsu.....My Master at the time taught it to me a long time ago."

"Yeah well, it's not like you used it right anyway" Kiba teases, the mischievous glint in his eyes making me frown. "It wasn't very strong."

"I just left a dent in a tree" I inform the Inuzuka wryly, gesturing to it. "I suppose you think you can do better?"

"Sure can Angel!" Kiba laughs, unashamed by his own boasting. "You're supposed to use it as a combo. First you use the Man Beast Clone technique to turn your partner into a clone of yourself, and then you both use the Fang Over Fang. It's supposed to be used by two people. You know, Fang Over Fang? You drill around each other, but you move as a unit. It's an awesome Jutsu! Does tons of damage, especially if you use the All Fours Jutsu to power it up!"

"I literally have no idea what you just said" I state stubbornly, "And besides, it works the way I do it too!"

"Hardly" Kiba scoffs good naturedly. While his arrogance is actually pissing me off a little right now, I am admittedly intrigued by his explanation. I never knew the Fang Over Fang was a Clan Jutsu, and I don't think I've even heard of the other two he mentioned.

I wonder why Orochimaru taught me the Fang Over Fang incorrectly? He's supposed to be an expert on all things related to Jutsu, but perhaps he just wasn't aware of the specific battle strategy required to perfect it?

"I can always teach you how to do it properly if you like" Kiba offers, sliding an arm across my shoulders and causing an anime vein to appear on the side of my head.

This guy has no shame....

Just as the Inuzuka opens his mouth to speak yet again, I reach up and grab him by the wrist, abruptly flinging him over my shoulder. He tumbles through the air for a few seconds, before crashing directly into a tree, face first.

"He is just fortunate that you got to him before I did....." Ace murmurs, nose wrinkled with distaste as he sits back on his haunches. "I was about to snap his little arm like a twig."

"Arf arf!"Akamaru barks indignantly, bounding over to Kiba as he slides to the ground. The Inuzuka shakes his head vigorously, to rid himself of his dizziness, before whirling around to face me, a questioning look on his face.

"What the hell was that for?!" Kiba demands to know, actually sounding a little annoyed.

"You said that you wanted to help me practise my Taijutsu" I reply slyly, hands on my hips, "So here's your chance."

As seems to be the norm for this guy, Kiba breaks out into a lopsided grin, sharp teeth visible. He holds out his arms, as if waiting for a hug or something.

"Well, come at me Angel" the brunette taunts.

".....Just remember that you asked for it" I advise, before darting straight towards him. He initially seems surprised by my speed, but manages to throw up an arm to block my swift punch. Dropping to the ground, I throw out my leg and spin around, wanting to trip the Inuzuka up. Kiba easily jumps over my leg however and places a hand on my shoulder, flipping right over the top of me.

As he lands, I whirl around and grab him by the arm. Focusing chakra into my own arm, I hoist Kiba back over my head and slam him down onto the ground on his back. He exhales sharply at the impact and blinks a few times, before doing a back hand spring out of the way, just as my knee crashes into the dirt right where his head had been.

"You're serious aren'tcha?" Kiba asks, brushing his messy hair from his eyes.

I stare at the boy for a moment, rising to my feet and frowning, shaking my head.

"I'm always serious in combat" I inform Kiba darkly, launching another punch for his face. The brunette manages to duck out of the way and grabs onto my wrist, before I swing my other fist forwards, nailing him hard in the stomach.

The Inuzuka grunts in pain and flies backwards, accidentally releasing me in the process. He skids across the ground on his back, sending up a small cloud of dust.

"C'mon you're making this too easy!" I mock, smirking to myself. "I'm not even trying here."

Mouth turned down a little, Kiba sits up and calls Akamaru over to him, with the puppy quite happy to oblige his master.

"I guess I'll just have to show you how to actually use an Inuzuka Clan Jutsu...." Kiba informs me, sounding more serious now. "Ninja Art of Beast Mimicry: All Fours Jutsu!"

My eyes widen a little as I feel a sudden surge in Kiba's chakra, his eyes taking on a more feral look and his nails extending into claws. As the Inuzuka grins at me, I can see that his bared teeth have also elongated and grown sharper.

As Kiba rises to his feet and leans forwards, hands pressed together in a sign, Akamaru leaps up onto the male's back, tail wagging with excitement.

"Man Beast Clone!" the brunette calls out, causing Akamaru to vanish in a cloud of smoke. As the smoke clears however, I can see that the Ninken has been replaced by a perfect replica of Kiba.

Without so much as a warning, the two Kiba leap towards me, moving at a much faster pace than before. One of them slides in front of me and slashes at my legs with his sharp claws, making me jump up into the air. As I do so, the other Kiba suddenly appears behind me, aiming a punch for my back.

Spinning around in mid air, I am able to catch the Inuzuka's fist and hurl him down into the Kiba on the ground. They collide with a heavy thud, as I manage to land on a branch on all fours.

"That first Jutsu he used must be a stat boosting one...." I muse, eyes briefly flicking down to Ace, who is watching the fight patiently. "I definitely want to learn that Jutsu...."

"Fang Over Fang!" I hear Kiba shout, bringing my attention back down to him. I watch as he and Akamaru spin up through the air towards me at a terrific speed, leaping out of the way just as they crash through the tree, easily ripping it to shreds.

The blast of their attack hits me in the back, sending me falling to the ground. I tumble along the grass for a few seconds, before managing to stop myself and pull out a handful of shuriken. I pause however, my eyes widening when I see the shredded trees in the wake of Kiba and Akamaru's attack, the damage far greater than when I had performed the Fang Over Fang.

"H-He was right" I mutter, brows furrowing as I fling my shuriken at Kiba and his clone, who are still spinning furiously. "This is way better than when I did it......"

My hands ball into fists as the shuriken ricochet right off of Kiba and Akamaru, with the two soon coming to a stop a top different branches. One Kiba smirks triumphantly at me, while the other growls. No doubt the smirking one is the real Kiba, but it's hard to tell. That's a really good clone Jutsu.....

"Judging by the look on your face Angel" Kiba calls down to me, winking cheekily, "You're pretty impressed. Not a bad combo huh?"

"I'm not really one for handing out compliments" I retort, though even I can't help smirking. "But I've gotta say, I wouldn't mind learning that combo myself."

"Call me Kiba Sensei and I'll teach it to you" the bratty Inuzuka tells me, to which my face falls into a deadpan expression. Is he for real? There's no way in hell I'd ever call him that!

Suddenly, the presence of another person in the area catches my attention, causing me to straighten up and look away from my two foes. Not recognising the presence at all, I remain silent and hold up one hand for Kiba and Akamaru to stop for a moment.

"Yeah, like I'm gonna fall for that!" Kiba scoffs, throwing himself from the branch he's on and diving towards me. As he tackles me down from the tree I'm in, the Kiba clone drops to the ground and disappears with a faint poof sound, leaving Akamaru in it's place.

"....Arf?" Akamaru questions, tilting his head and glancing up at Ace, who sighs and nods his head.

"Yes small one" he replies wearily, watching as Kiba and I topple heavily to the ground, "She did mean stop...."

I stare up at Kiba for a few moments as I try to get my breathe back, before the victorious smirk on his face causes me to growl. That idiot! Didn't he realise that I'd just asked him to stop for a moment?!

"You're just upset because I- oof!"

".....Not so smug now, are you dumb ass?" I ask smartly, having flipped us around. "I told you to shut up and stop."

I peer down at Kiba, sitting on his stomach with my legs on either side of him. I cross my arms over my chest, unable to stop myself from smirking as he heaves a sigh of defeat and closes his eyes.

"I thought you were trying to trick me" Kiba admits, his eyes popping open as I lean forwards. "What're you....."

I feel Kiba's heart rate increase slightly as I lean down and narrow my eyes at him, my hair falling over my shoulder and pooling on the ground beside his head. I place two fingers on his lips and then look back over my shoulder subtly.

"We're being watched......" I whisper, flicking my eyes back down to Kiba's face, which is only a few centimetres away from my own, and seeing that it has turned a slight shade of red.

Hmph. Maybe I hurt him too much or something. Wimp.

I suddenly spring up and pull out a kunai, the movement surprising Kiba. Not a second later, another kunai hits mine, deflecting away from it with a metallic clink sound.

"Well well" a taunting voice drawls, causing Kiba to sit bolt right up and glance around, "Wasn't that a cute little display? I'm so sorry to interrupt you both, but I'm afraid I'm here to kill you Ashley."

"What?!" Kiba exclaims angrily, quickly jumping to his feet, hands balled into tight fists. "Who the hell do you think you are?!"

I merely tilt my head as the intruder steps out from the trees ahead of us, feeling both curious and confused, as Akamaru and Ace beginning to growl at the man.

"Stay out of this boy" the intruder warns, the foreign symbol on his headband signalling that he's not from around here. "I'm not interested in you."

"Why does a random Rain Ninja want to kill me?" I question, to which the intruder pauses for a moment.

"Uhhhh........I just-"

"Hey....." Kiba interrupts, brows furrowing a little as he sniffs the air. "This guy's scent seems kind of familiar....."

"His scent?" I question, raising an eyebrow, as Kiba just nods, still staring at the Rain Ninja before us.

"Th-That's impossible!" the intruder stutters, a sweat drop appearing on the side of his head. "I've never met you before. Never met either of you in fact!"

"Then why do you want to kill me?" I question, feeling suspicious. It didn't make sense that some random Ninja from the Hidden Rain had managed to sneak his way into the Leaf Village just to find me.

".....Look" the man sighs, his shoulders drooping a little, "I just do, okay? They were my orders and I didn't question them."

"Okay" I reply with a nod, giving the man a fair warning. "But I'd advise you not to attack me, if you value your life."

"No!" the Rain Ninja cries, pulling out a kunai knife. "I am going to kill you!"

"Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you" I sigh, glancing back at Kiba as the Ninja throws his kunai at me. "You guys heard it, I warned him right?"

"Ashley, the kunai!" Kiba shouts worriedly, jabbing his hand towards the incoming projectile. "Look out!

"Huh?" I ask, easily catching the knife in my hand and spinning it around. "Oh, you mean this kunai? Yeah, it's not a problem."

Kiba gapes at me as I turn back to the Rain Ninja, shrugging and whipping the knife back in his direction. I don't really think it's impressive that I was able to catch the kunai. I've seen plenty of people pull it off before, though I'll admit to some nasty injuries in the past when I'd attempted it before...

As the Rain Ninja leaps up into the air, I swiftly loom in front of him, chakra enhanced fist at the ready. Not giving him a chance to react, I slam my fist into the man's face, sending him rocketing back down towards the ground at speed.

He hits the earth with a loud thud, with me landing lightly on a branch, bending my knees to ease the impact. I raise my hands to do some hand signs, before pausing and frowning down at them for a few moments.

'Just do it' I urge myself. 'It'll be quicker this way, and besides, it's been a long time since you used it. Maybe you'll change your mind and come to like it?.......'

Feeling a little apprehensive, I begin performing a set of complicated hand signs, focusing large amounts of chakra into both of my palms and taking a deep breath.

"Wood Style" I shout, "Tree Bind Eternal Burial!"

Pressing my palms down on the branch I'm crouching on, my chakra flows through it and down into the ground, causing thick branches to rip through the ground. They writhe up into the air like wooden snakes, weaving themselves tightly around each other and completely entangling the shocked Rain Ninja.

He visibly winces as the branches squeeze his body tightly, a small trickle of blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.

"H-How can you.....possibly know W-Wood Style J-Jutsu?....." the man wheezes painfully. "O-Only the First.....First H-Hokage knew that......"

"........It's not a nice story" I reply mysteriously, rising to my feet as the tree branches pull the Rain Ninja deeper into their mass and completely crush him, blood squirting out between small gaps in the trees.

Shaking a little, I stare down at my open palms, brows furrowed deeply. I open and close my hands a few times, a strange feeling causing my skin to crawl.

"It's not natural....." I mutter disdainfully, placing my hands over my eyes and running them down my face. "I'm never doing that again.....Thanks for nothing you old bastard...."

"Whoa!" Kiba cries excitedly, his eyes wide. "That was awesome!"

"......That is Milady for you" Ace states, though he looks a little concerned. Maybe he can see the look on my face. He knows how I feel about this...

"I wouldn't celebrate just yet" the Rain Ninja suggests smugly, appearing on a high branch off to my right.

Allowing my shoulders to slump, I release a low sigh and send the Rain Ninja a wry look.

"Can't you just stay dead?" I complain. "Now I have to kill you again....."

"Heheheh....." the weird Ninja chuckles, retreating into the forest and disappearing from view. "You're definitely ready for the Chunin Exams...."

"Huh?" I ask, suddenly feeling bewildered. "The Chunin Exams?......What is he-"

"Ya know what?" Kiba asks rhetorically, interrupting me and tapping his chin. "That guy kinda smelled like Iruka Sensei, this guy that used to teach us back in our Academy days. He was a pretty good Ninja, and we still get to see him kinda often coz he's friends with all of our Sensei's, but man could he be a bossy pain in the ass sometimes....."

My face slowly begins to darken as realisation starts to dawn on me. Was this a test for the upcoming Chunin Exams? Were all of the other Genin going to have to deal with this as well, or was I the only one?

"Kakashi......" I growl lowly, an anime vein appearing on my forehead as I drop down to the ground and signal for Ace to follow me.

I am going to kick that Jonin's ass for this!

"Anyway, you were pretty awesome back there Angel!" Kiba laughs, irritating me with that stupid nickname again. Doesn't he realise that I'm hardly an Angel? "Hey! Where are you going?! We still have to finish our fight!"

"I think I've already embarrassed you enough for one day" I call over my shoulder, shrugging it uncaringly. "And besides, there's a certain Jonin whose ass I have to go and kick!"

Yep. Wood Style. I know.

Let me tell you a quick tale. Once upon a time, in 2011, I wrote a fanfic. At this point in time, I did not know that only the First Hokage had Wood Style, I just thought it was cool. So Ashley got the power.

Skip ahead to future me, I face palm at this Wood Style. However, it is so interwoven into the storyline, I cannot change it now. You'll understand if you read this story and the sequel.

So let's all understand that I acknowledge what I did, I regret it, I am rewriting this fanfic to the best of my ability and let's all get over it together.

Yay for togetherness.