Kakashi's POV

"Alright, listen up!" the Third Hokage orders, gaining the attention of myself and the numerous Shinobi around me. We all stop talking amongst ourselves and look up, as the Hokage clears his throat.

"It is now time to nominate candidates for the upcoming Chuunin Exams" Lord Third explains. "To begin with, those who are in charge of the rookie Genin, please step forwards.

Shoving one hand in my pants pocket, I take one step towards the Hokage, along with two of my fellow Jonin. Kurenai Yuhi, an attractive woman with dark hair and scarlet eyes also moves forwards, along with Asuma Sarutobi, a tall, tan skinned man with a goatee.

"Kakashi, Kurenai and Asuma"the Hokage addresses each of us, "Are there any Genin from your squads that you would like to recommend for the Exams? As you are well aware, any Genin that has completed at least eight mission is eligible to compete, however, most of them require far more experience before they are ready........Ultimately the decision is up to you. Kakashi, let's begin with you."

"I am the leader of Team Seven" I say with a slight nod of my head. "My Genin are Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno and Ashley Minami. I, Kakashi Hatake, wholeheartedly recommend all four Genin to take part in the Chuunin Exams."

Having expected a surprised reaction to my unusual decision, I ignore the faint gasps around me and glance down at Kurenai as she takes another step forwards.

"My team us number Eight" the fair skinned woman states. "It's members are Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame. I, Kurenai Yuhi, recommend all three Genin as well."

"And I'm in charge of Team number Ten" Asuma follows up immediately, not allowing anyone to butt in. "Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara and Choji Akimichi. Now I, Asuma Sarutobi, also recommend all three of my Genin for the Chuunin Exams."

Shocked voices begin whispering around us, people cleared unsure about our unlikely decision to put all ten rookies through the Chuunin Exams so early. I don't really understand why they're all so surprised though.

Surely they can trust Kurenai, Asuma and I to correctly judge our Genin's abilities? If I didn't think my rag tag team was ready for this challenge, there's no way I'd recommend them.

"Hold on a second!" a voice cries out, almost making me sigh as Iruka pushes through the small crowd and makes his way over to the Hokage.

"Yes Iruka?" the Hokage asks wearily, eyeing the worried looking brunette. "Do you have a concern?"

"With all due respect Lord Hokage" the Chuunin begins, stopping beside me, "Nine of the ten names that were just given were students of mine back at the Academy. Now, I realize that they have all made progress, but I know all of their skills and abilities, and they're just not ready! They will all need far more experience, or they're sure to fail the Exams...

"I became a Chuunin when I was six years younger than Naruto and the others" I inform Iruka, turning to face the man as he frowns a little.

"Naruto is nothing like you Kakashi!" Iruka retorts, sounding worried. "Are you trying to get him killed?!"

"Well" I begin thoughtfully, shrugging a shoulder, "My team is always complaining about their missions being too easy, so maybe wiping out during the Exams will teach them a lesson or two. Pain is good for them."

"Wha.....What did you just say?!" Iruka questions, aghast and irritated with my answer.

"Oh don't worry" I assure the Chuunin, "I don't mean anything fatal......But seriously Iruka, you need to relax. I understand that you take this all quite personally, seeing as nearly all of the Genin were your students for quite some time, but you don't nee-"

"I think you've said quite enough Kakashi" Kurenai interrupts firmly, crossing her arms. "You're stressing Iruka out unnecessarily."

"On the contrary Kurenai" I reply coolly, "Iruka needs to hear this. He needs to realize that they are no longer his students. They're mine."

I see Iruka bristle with anger at my words, as Asuma lets out an impatient grunt and Kurenai sighs, her shoulders drooping a little.

"These Exams could destroy them!" Iruka shouts, glaring at me. "You know that! They could die if they're not up to the challenge."

"Iruka" Lord Third speaks up, causing everyone to look up at him. "You have made your point, and I understand. Accordingly, I have decided that the best thing to do is see if these ten Genin are ready to take the Exams is to have a preliminary test."

"Preliminary?" Iruka repeats, sounding as confused and curious as I feel. I tilt my head a little, wondering what exactly the Hokage has planned for our teams.

While I am a little worried about my four students, seeing as they don't get along very well a lot of the time, I also have confidence that they'll be able to bring their individual skills together to come out of the Exams triumphant.........No doubt they'll be injured and annoyed with each other, but triumphant all the same.

"Kakashi" the Hokage addresses, breaking me out of my thoughts and making me look up, "I need to speak with you when this meeting is over. And you too Iruka."

"Uhhh.......Yes Lord Hokage" a confused Iruka agrees, as I merely nod my head.

"Now we will move on to the rest of the Genin" the Hokage continues the meeting, his gaze lifting from Iruka and I. "Could all of the Shinobi commanding teams of Genin please step forward and state your nominations."

"Please, take a seat Kakashi" the Hokage offers, gesturing to the seat in front of his desk, before glancing back up at the door. "Iruka, I'll speak with you as soon as I'm done with Kakashi.......So if you don't mind?...."

Sighing as Lord Hokage waves his hand towards the door pointedly, Iruka nods his head and exits the room, closing the door behind him with a soft click.

"What is it that you wanted to see me for my Lord?" I question as the Hokage lowers himself into his seat, hands folding in front of his face.

"........You have that girl on you squad don't you?" the man asks lowly. "Ashley Minami?"

"Yes sir" I reply slowly, wondering where the Hokage is going with this. What interest did he have in Ashley? "Why is that?"

"When she was first brought into my office, I had planned to have her interrogated" the Hokage admits, looking faintly amused by the idea of having to interrogate a twelve year old. "More as a precaution than anything else. However there were two things that made me change my mind and allow her to stay here instead."

"And what were your reasons?" I question, still completely unsure as to where this conversation is heading. "It's highly irregular for you to allow a foreign Ninja to live in the Village without so much as a questioning, even if she is just a child. I was curious about that....."

"My first reason for allowing her to stay here was her eyes" the Hokage explains, chuckling at the bewildered expression that crosses my face. "Stay with me Kakashi, I'll explain everything in a moment. The second reason I allowed her to stay was because of her name. The name Minami was very familiar to me for some reason, so I began doing some research on why it would seem familiar."

"Research sir?" I repeat, making the older man lean back in his chair.

"Kotetsu!" he calls, to which a spiky haired Chuunin immediately appears in the doorway, glancing from the Hokage to me curiously.

"Yes my Lord?" he inquires, sounding as lazy as usual.

"Please bring me the file I was looking at earlier" the Hokage requests, leaning back in his chair as Kotetsu raises an eyebrow.

"The old one that we found in the store room?" Kotetsu inquires, to which the Hokage nods. "Uhh.......It's still right there on your desk sir......"

The Hokage sits up at this and stares down at his desk, eyes skimming over the hundreds of pieces of paper scattered across its surface.

".....Where exactly on my desk?"

Sweat dropping, Kotetsu strides into the room and leans over the Hokage's desk. In a matter of seconds, he locates the thin folder and picks it up, offering it to the Hokage with a faint smirk of amusement on his face.

"Ahhh, thank you Kotetsu" Lord Third smiles appreciatively. "You're dismissed."

"Hai" the spiky haired Chuunin replies, giving me a quick nod of acknowledgment as he strides back over to the door. I tap two fingers to my forehead and lazily salute the guy, just as the door closes behind him with a soft click.

"As I was saying Kakashi" the Hokage carries on from our earlier discussion, "I did some research to try and find out why the name Minami seemed so familiar......And I came across an interesting file.....I'd forgotten we even had this file anymore......"

Taking a puff from the thin pipe in his mouth, the Hokage leans back in his seat, eyes down on the papers in the dusty file.

"What did you discover?" I ask quietly, really beginning to feel curious now. If the Hokage can shed some light on Ashley's past, maybe it will help me understand her better. And figure out why she seems so familiar.

"Well, we didn't find out anything about Ashley in particular" the Hokage admits, placing the file down on his desk with a slap, "However, we did come across some information on the Minami Clan....."

"Clan?" I repeat, eyes widening a little. "She's never mentioned a Clan to any of us before.....Please forgive my ignorance Lord Hokage, but I don't think I've heard of the Minami Clan before."

"Don't worry Kakashi" the older man reassures me, breathing out a faint puff of smoke, "Not many of the younger generation would know about the Minami Clan. They preferred to keep to themselves and didn't have much to do with the other nations. They used to reside on a large island known as the Land of Ambience."

"......I don't think I've heard of it before either" I murmur, brows furrowed as I try to remember if I know the place. "Where is the Land of Ambience?"

"Ahh right" the Hokage chuckles, nodding slowly. "As I said, it is a large island, far out from the coast of the Land of Lightning. Most of its shores are actually sheer cliffs, so that has made the Land of Ambience almost impervious to attack for many years.....I've been told it's a beautiful place Kakashi. Snow covered in the Winter and swathed in colour during the Spring."

"You've never been there sir?" I question, to which the Hokage shakes his head and takes another puff of his pipe.

"No" he replies, "However I have had numerous Leaf Ninja recount their visits there to me. We had actually been allies with the Land of Ambience for many years, and our Ninja were frequent visitors."

Something suddenly clicks in my mind, and I send the Hokage a puzzled look.....Though he probably can't tell, considering half of my face is covered...

"My Lord" I begin, crossing my arms, "You keep speaking in past tense when you speak about the Minami Clan. Why is that?"

Suddenly the Third's cheerful face drops, his eyes turning serious.

"They were slaughtered Kakashi" the older man tells me, a grave expression on his face. "Massacred. Every last one of them......Well, so I thought until Ashley turned up here. I'm still curious as to how the girl has ended up all the way over here in the Land of Fire....."

My eyes widen at the Hokage's words. The Minami Clan had been massacred? Just like the Uchiha Clan?........Ashley must have lost her family in that massacre. Is that why she acts so cold and distant? What must she have experienced when it happened?.....

"Why were they murdered?" I ask, suddenly wanting to know all about the Minami Clan.

"I have no idea Kakashi" the Hokage sighs, breathing out some more smoke and pushing his dusty file across the desk towards me. "We have no way of knowing, because there were no survivors. The incident took place about six years ago now, but I doubt Ashley will want to speak about it."

"She doesn't really trust any of us yet" I sigh, looking down at the closed file, "So I don't think she'd really want to share such sensitive information with any of us yet."

"She'll come around eventually" the Hokage smiles faintly. "Just be kind to her heart Kakashi. The ice will melt eventually.......I'm sure Naruto will get to her sooner or later anyway. He has a certain.....way with people."

"He certainly does....." I murmur, nodding slowly. "By the way my Lord, you said that you had two reasons for letting Ashley remain here as a Leaf Village Ninja. I understand you recognizing her name, but what is it about her eyes that made you let her stay?"

"Open the file Kakashi" Lord Third chuckles, "And have a look at some of the pictures inside. Some of our Shinobi took photos when they went over to the Land of Ambience, having heard from others how beautiful it was. There are some pictures with the locals in there......You may recognize one or two people."

Feeling extremely curious, I carefully flip open the file, numerous photos sliding out from between the pages and almost spilling across the desk. Spreading them across the desk, my eyes flick between the faded images, one feature standing out to me above all others.

"They all have the same coloured eyes" I eventually state, as the Hokage nods. "They've all got those bright purple eyes....."

"An uncommon eye colour indeed" Lord Third agrees. "Do you see anyone you recognize amongst those pictures?"

Raising an eyebrow, I stare at the pictures in front of me, seeing many smiling, though unfamiliar faces looking back. A lot of the pictures have Wolves of all shapes, colours and sizes in them, leading me to believe that Ashley's large, navy Wolf mustn't have been so unusual in her homeland.

Suddenly, a familiar face catches my attention, as I point to the image and look up at the Hokage.

"This man, standing beside the blonde woman" I begin, feeling a little surprised, "I haven't seen his face for a long time, but he's....."

"I see that you remember him" the Hokage sighs lightly. "A fine Ninja he was........."

"Definitely......." I reply quietly, feeling a little sad at the familiar man. He stands tall, practically towering over the beautiful blonde woman, his dark eyes glittering with happiness. It would seem that this picture had been taken at an unexpected moment, if the annoyed, blushing face of the blonde woman is anything to go by.

"If I recall correctly....." the Hokage speaks up again, "Your Sensei took that picture."

"Sensei went there as well?" I question, my head snapping up. ".....I never knew......."

I feel the Hokage watching me as I continue staring at the photos before me, spotting one or two people wearing Leaf headbands amongst them.

"I can only think of one reason why the Minami Clan would be massacred" Lord Third says thoughtfully, his brow creasing in thought. "I have no idea if I'm correct or not, but its a theory at least....."

".......What do you think it could be my Lord?" I inquire, carefully reclosing the Minami Clan file and glancing up.

"The Minami Clan possessed a rather......" the older man pauses for a moment, apparently unsure of what word to use, ".....Peculiar Kekkei Genkai."

"A Kekkei Genkai?" I repeat, eyes widening. Could Ashley possess such an ability?

"Yes" Lord Third confirms with a nod. "I don't know much about it, but I will tell you what I do know......Anything further will have to be explained by Ashley herself I'm afraid.......

I stare up at the brightly glowing moon, thinking back on my talk with the Hokage as I wait for Iruka to return.

It would seem that there was more to my mysterious, cold hearted student than I'd first thought. I'm still not sure why she seems familiar to me, and I'm pretty interested to know how she ended up at the Leaf Village in the first place. I mean, the Hokage said that this incident happened about six years ago, meaning Ashley would have been no more than six years old at the time. How did she manage to travel from an island like the Land of Ambience by herself? And how had she managed to survive when the rest of her Clan had been destroyed? Someone must have helped her get away.......

"So" I speak up, feeling someone appear behind me, "How did it go?"

"They all passed their preliminary tests" Iruka responds, sounding satisfied. "All ten Genin have proven themselves ready for the Chuunin Exams."

I glance back over my shoulder as the Rain Ninja behind me disappears in a puff of smoke, leaving a sheepish looking in his place.

"It seems you were right Kakashi" the Chuunin admits, rubbing the back of his neck, "They're all very good for beginners. They've developed some impressive skills."

"Yeah...." I agree, suddenly feeling a little doubtful. "But the Chuunin Exams can break anyone. We'll soon see if they're all able to tough it out I guess."

"You're right about that" Iruka agrees with a faint laugh, before suddenly pausing. "Oh yeah, before I forget......Keep an eye on that blonde girl on your team Kakashi."

"Huh?" I ask, turning around and looking up at Iruka, one eyebrow raised. "Ashley?"

"Yes" the Chuunin replies, looking very serious. "She seems to be quite skilled for someone of her age but......Something about her concerns me a little. I find it a little hard to believe even though I saw it with my own eyes but she.......She used a Wood Style Jutsu on me."

"What?" I ask incredulously, my eyes widening. "How could that even be possible? Everyone knows that that's the signature style of the First Hokage. Are you sure it was definitely a Wood Style Jutsu Iruka?"

"She said so herself Kakashi" Iruka sighs, hands on his hips. "And those hand signs were pretty complicated too........Along with Sasuke and Naruto, it seems like you've got yourself an interesting bunch huh?"

"No kidding......." I mutter, shaking my head, still in disbelief. How could someone like Ashley possibly know any Wood Style Jutsu? It just.......Doesn't make any sense....

Placing a sympathetic hand on my shoulder, Iruka soon disappears in a puff of smoke, leaving me alone on the roof top once again, a cool breeze tousling my hair.

"Kakashi!" an annoyed voice suddenly shouts, breaking the silence and making me jump. Glancing over the edge of the building, I can't help sweat dropping, seeing an angry Ashley standing below. Oh and joy, that Wolf with the eye patch is beside her as well.

"Yes Ashley?" I ask calmly, causing the blonde to grow an anime vein.

"Why the hell did you get some guy to attack me in the forest?!" Ashley thunders, jumping up onto the wall of the building and racing towards me with ease. "I was in the middle of training!"

Quickly jumping to my feet, I bound across the roof top, leaping over the large gap between this building and the next.

"It was the Hokage's idea!" I assure my irate student, ducking under a spray of shuriken. "He wanted to test all of the rookie Genin and make sure they were ready for the Exams!"

"You can't run forever!" is all Ashley shouts in reply, causing me to sweat drop.

Why me?...

Ashley's POV

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto suddenly calls out, causing me to glance down and look at him from the fence I'm perched on. "Hey, you're kinda late. Even Ashley was on time today."

The blonde male peers up at me cheekily, though I can see the hesitation in his blue eyes. Heh, he probably thinks I'm going to chew him out or something.

"Ha ha" I reply dryly, smirking wolfishly, "Aren't we funny this morning?"

Naruto blinks in surprise at this responds, as do Sakura and Sasuke. I roll my eyes at the three of them, feeling a little exasperated.

"Hell, I'm not going to attack you every time you speak to me" I inform the three of them flatly, hooding my eyes. "You're not worth the energy."

"Uhhh......okay...." Naruto replies unsurely, still staring with large eyes. Honestly, if he keeps looking at me like that, I will attack him....

"Anyway" Sakura sighs, "Sorry for being late you guys."

I raise an eyebrow at Sakura's apparent lack of energy, as the weary looking pinkette peeks over at Sasuke. She seems sort of off today, though I'm not complaining. I think she'll be a bit less annoying if she's quiet.......I wonder if her gloomy mood has anything to do with the test we were all put through last night?...

"Good morning Sasuke" Sakura greets, to which the raven haired male grunts a reluctant response, not bothering to spare her a glance. Charming.

"Ummm, hey Ashley?" Sakura asks after a brief pause, looking up at me uncertainly. "Where's your Butterfly today?"

"Oh, Keiji?" I reply, tilting my head to the side. "I left him at home. He doesn't need to hang around for this."

Heaving a sigh, I drop down from the fence and place my hands on my hips, turning to look at the large building behind me.

"C'mon" I encourage in a flat tone, "Let's get this over with.........But someone else needs to lead, because I've never been here before."

"Follow me!" Naruto chirps, bounding past me and waving for everyone to hurry along. I cross my arms as the other two nod, all four of us heading through the open doors of the Academy.

Not having to walk for too long, we find ourselves standing behind quite a large crowd of people, all gathered around a doorway that is blocked by two smug looking teenagers. A boy in a green jumpsuit tries to get past the teens, before he is roughly shoves backwards, the push causing him to fall to the floor.

"Ha!" the brown haired guy in the door way scoffs. "You're taking the Chuunin Exams and you can't even get past us?"

"Why don't you just give up now?" the second guy, his hair black and spiky, sneers. "You know, before you get hurt!"

"Yeah, I think I hear your mommy calling you!" the brunette laughs obnoxiously, causing me to narrow my eyes. While I may be considering arrogant myself, I can't stand other people who are arrogant. Call it hypocritical, I don't care. I just don't like it.

A girl with brown hair pulled into two buns steps forwards, clad in a pink Chinese style shirt.

"Please" she begs, her large brown eyes wavering, "You have to let us through!"

Rolling his eyes, the teenager with black hair lashes out and shoves the girl backwards, knocking her to the floor as well.

"Whoa, that's pretty harsh....." I hear someone mutter, as the girl sits up and rubs her back.

"Harsh?" the brunette repeats with a wry laugh. "You think that was harsh? We're being nice here! The Exams are gonna make this, look like a picnic!"

"Some of you losers won't even survive the Chuunin Exams" the black haired teen snorts in amusement, rolling his eyes. "Some of you are gonna be wounded so badly, they'll affect you forever. For a Chuunin, it's always a life and death situation!"

I cross my arms over my chest and tilt my head at this, eyes narrowing slightly.

Surely these exams weren't going to be that bad. Villages wouldn't willingly put their Genin in such harsh circumstances just to go up a rank would they?

Not that I'm worried of course. I'll be fine. I'm more surprised if anything....

"This ain't a joke" the black haired guy continues, acting superior to us all. "Chuunin are qualified to lead missions and the lives of your teammates are in your hands, so you'd better be tough enough to handle the pressure!"

Here the brunette glances around the hall, sneering at all of the girls, myself included.

"Delicate little girls don't belong here!" he laughs mockingly, causing me to growl under my breath. "While we thin out the rest of the herd, go home and play with your dolls!"

"Who are you calling a little girl?" I snap, shoving through the crowd of people and marching right up to the smirking brunette. As Sakura gasps and Naruto's eyes widen, I reach up and grab onto the arrogant teen's shirt, roughly pulling him down to my height.

"I'll snap your neck like a twig...." I seethe, my sharp teeth gritted together, as the brown haired guy's eyes sparkle in amusement. "Now get out of my way!"

Hands in his pockets, Sasuke casually strolls up behind me, nodding his head towards the sign on the doorway above us all.

"And reverse the Genjutsu while you're at it" the ravenette orders, "We can see right through it. That sign says we're on the third floor, but we're only on the second one right now."

I pause for a moment and blink, looking up just as the sign changes into the correct one, allowing everyone to see that we are indeed only on the second floor. I'd never admit it out loud, but I didn't notice the Genjutsu......Genjutsu isn't really my strongest point...

"So you noticed the Genjutsu then huh?" the black haired guy asks, raising an eyebrow at Sasuke and I.

"Well duh" I reply flatly, releasing the other Chuunin and crossing my arms. "It's totally obvious."

"Yeah" Naruto and Sakura agree, with the pinkette smirking smartly, as if she'd known the whole time. I bet the two of them had no clue until Sasuke pointed it out either....

"Well aren't you guys smart?" the spiky haired teenager taunts. "So you noticed a lame illusion, so what? Let's see if you can handle this!"

Suddenly darting forwards, the smirking Chuunin swings his leg out in a vicious kick towards Sasuke. The Uchiha is quick to react however, his face dropping into a scowl as he moves to counter with a kick of his own.

Before either of the males can land a hit on each other, the boy in the green jumpsuit suddenly appears between them, having moved a lot faster than I thought he'd be capable of.

Holding out his arms, the boy doesn't even flinch as two legs crack against his outstretched palms, having stopped both kicks with his bare hands.

'This guy seems to have good control of his chakra.....' I muse internally, a faint spark of intrigue in my eyes. 'To be able to block those kicks so easily, and with his bare hands......Not bad for a Genin.......Maybe this will be interesting after all.'

As the Chuunin who'd swung a kick at Sasuke flips back over to his friend, the girl in the pink shirt and a guy with long, brown hair and pale eyes walk over, looking unimpressed.

"Hey!" the light eyed guy addresses harshly, glaring at the boy in green. "What happened to the plan? You were the one who said to keep a low profile!"

"I know..." Jumpsuit Boy mutters, glancing over at me, "But I was inspired by the competition."

"Well, the jig's up now....." the brown eyed girl sighs, her shoulders drooping a little, just as a bright smile lights up her apparent teammate's face. I narrow my eyes as the green clad boy strides over to me, pumping his arms happily as he walks.

"My name is Rock Lee" the boy introduces, causing me to raise an eyebrow.

"Congratulations" I reply dryly, to which Rock Lee's smile falters for a second, before he suddenly winks and extends a hand down towards me, giving me a thumbs up.

"You are filled with the vigorous energy of youth!" the tall male exclaims excitedly, stars twinkling around his grinning face. "Please be my girlfriend, and I will protect you with my life!"

Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke gawk in disbelief as my face ever so slowly drops into a deadpan expression, my eyebrow twitching. Is this guy serious? He doesn't even know my name....

"No" I say flatly, to which the guy's shoulders slump comically and his smile drops, a cold wind blowing between us.

"But why?" Rock Lee inquires, eyes sparkling.

"Because you're a weirdo and I don't like you" I inform the taller male honestly, not caring as he hangs his head in defeat.

"Hey you!" I hear the guy with long hair call to Sasuke, making me turn around. "What's your name?"

Naruto's eyes burn with an angry fire at this, the blonde no doubt angry that once again, nobody gives a damn what his name is.

"......It's common courtesy to give your own name before asking some else for theirs" Sasuke replies smartly.

"You're a rookie right?" the pale eyed boy demands to know, his tone harsh. "How old are you?"

"I'm not obligated to answer that" Sasuke retorts, causing me to smirk at the scowl now settling onto the other boy's face. Sasuke could be such a smart ass sometimes....

"C'mon you guys" Sakura sighs, obviously tired of standing around. "Let's get a move on!"

"Alright, don't pull me Sakura" Sasuke sighs, trying to tug his arm out of the girl's tight grip.

Glancing back at the others, I heave a sigh and follow after my team. Though not entirely convinced about competing in this weird Chuunin Exam thing, I'm definitely beginning to think that it could be an interesting time...

As we silently walk down another hallway and enter into a large, practically empty room, a voice suddenly catches our attentions.

"Hey you!" the voice addresses loudly. "You, with the bad attitude!"

"Me?" I ask, pointing to myself as we all turn around, only to spot Rock Lee behind us, hands on his hips.

"No, not you my love" he replies seriously, causing Naruto, Sakura and myself to anime fall. Does he have no dignity?! If he says something like that one more time, I'm going to break his legs!

"I want to fight you" Rock Lee continues, jabbing a hand towards Sasuke, who merely raises an eyebrow. "Right here and now!"

Remaining silent, Sasuke takes up a fighting stance, his dark eyes locked on Rock Lee. It seems the Uchiha can't turn down a chance to show off....I don't know why he's bothering with this weird guy, but whatever. At least we'll get to see what type of fighter Rock Lee is.

"Great" I sigh, "What a lame fight this is gonna be...."

"You'll do great Sasuke!" Sakura coos, just as the ravenette shoots me an annoyed glare. "You always do!"

"Aarghhhhh!" Naruto suddenly screeches as I prod him in the ribs, his reaction actually making me jump. "I'm sorry Ashley, I didn't mean it! Honest!"

I blink a few times as Naruto stares at me through wide eyes, a look of fright and uncertainty on his face. Geez, you'd think I'd just threatened to kill him or something...

"I have no idea what you're blubbering about" I say after a long pause, "But I was just going to say that we're in the way and we need to move."

"Oh" Naruto replies, mouth pulling up into a sheepish grin. "I thought you were gonna hurt me or something!"

".....I'm about to....." I mutter, an anime vein appearing on my forehead.

"Well, well" Kakashi greets us as we approach the Exam room, surprising me by actually being on time for once, "I'm glad to see that you showed up Sakura. For you sake, and the sake of the others."

"Huh?" Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke all ask in unison, as I try to hide the wicked smirk trying to force its way onto my face. Kakashi's hand is resting on his stomach. Interesting....

"Now you can all formally register for the Chuunin Exams" Kakashi informs us cheerfully. "To keep a long story short, you need your whole team to be able to compete. If one person decided not to enter, then none of you could have entered-"

"Are you feeling sick or something Sensei?" Naruto interrupts, earning a strange look from Kakashi.

"No, I feel fine" the silver haired man replies cautiously, unsure we're the conversation is headed. "Why's that?"

"Well, you keep putting your hand on your stomach" the blonde Genin replies, lips pursed as he shrugs his shoulders. "I just thought you must have felt sick or something."

Here, Kakashi throws me a not so subtle dirty look, to which question marks appear over my teammate's heads. I bare my teeth in a wolfish grin at Kakashi, causing him to shake his head.

"No I just.....Ran into something last night" is all the Jonin says, referring to the roof tile I'd thrown at him after I'd found him sitting on top of the building. That's what he gets for letting the Hokage mess with me.

"Anyway" Kakashi continues, quick to drop the subject, "Good luck to all four of you in there. Try not to annoy too many people."

"We won't let you down Sensei!" Naruto promises eagerly as we push open the large doors to the exam room. "Believe it!"

"That last thing was directed at you Naruto" Sakura hisses behind her hand, before the girl suddenly pauses, realizing just how many people are in the room with us. "Gee, I....I guess we're not alone..."

I narrow my eyes at the huge crowd of people, some of them glaring back at us or muttering things under their breaths. A few of the other competitors coolly ignore us, content to remain silent and mysterious for the time being. Not that that's a bad thing I suppose. It's a good idea to keep your abilities hidden so that you can surprised the enemy when the time is right.

Sasuke glares right back at the other Genin, challenging them with his dark eyes, while Naruto merely glances around in awe of the number of people.

"Man, I had no idea there'd be so much competition......" Sakura admits nervously, fiddling with the ends of her hair. "I guess everyone wants to become a Chuunin..."

"Sasuke-kun!" an obnoxious voice suddenly squeals, causing Sasuke to deadpan and Sakura to grow an anime vein. Curious to see who could cause such a reaction, I look over just in time to see a girl with platinum blonde hair, pulled up into a high ponytail, launch at Sasuke and drape herself around his neck.

"You have no idea how much I was hoping to see you here" the girl coos flirtatiously, her teal eyes sparkling. "I've missed those rugged good looks of yours!"

My eyes widen at that and I almost choke on the air itself. Rugged good looks? Who was this girl kidding? Sasuke is about as rugged as a pig's ass, and as for good looks.......Well, it's like I said. A pig's ass.

"Ino, you porker!" Sakura screeches, viciously stabbing her hand through the air to point at the blonde girl. "Get off of Sasuke! He's mine!"

"They let the Forehead in here?" Ino asks, feigning surprise as she releases Sasuke and throws her hands on her hips. ".....Still got those big, ugly frown lines from your Billboard Brow I see."

"Leave my forehead alone!" Sakura shouts angrily, hands balling into fists. I take a few steps back from the two girls, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire.

Though I find Sakura annoying, at least she's not a bitch like this Ino girl. I can already say that I don't like her. At all.

"You guys are here too huh?" a low voice drawls, making us all turn around. "What a pain......"

Approaching us from behind, I see a tall, fat guy who is quickly eating his way through a bag of chips, crumbs stuck to his shirt. Beside him, with his hands shoved into the pockets of his pants, I see a boy with charcoal coloured hair and small, brown eyes. After staring at him for a few moments, I'm beginning to think he resembles the older guy that helped drag me into the Hokage's office awhile back.....They share the same hairstyle consisting of a high, spiky ponytail, and even the attitude seems similar....

"I knew that these Exams were gonna be a drag" the boy sighs, shaking his head, "But I didn't think they were gonna be this lame...."

"Why'd you bother coming then?" I ask rudely, catching the ponytail guy's attention. He stares at me for a moment, probably wondering who the hell I am.

"I have nothing better to do" he admits, shrugging a shoulder. "And you are?"

"Wondering why you're asking for my name, when you haven't even given me yours" I reply smartly, rolling my eyes when Naruto starts chuckling to himself.

"........Shikamaru Nara" the boy replies monotonously, raising an inquiring eyebrow.

"Ashley Minami" I reply obligingly, bowing my head in mock respect, to which a faint look of amusement flickers through Shikamaru's eyes.

"So all three Stooges are here I see" Naruto jeers, stepping up beside me and throwing his hands on his hips.

"Hey!" Shikamaru responds irritably. "You know what you little.....Ugh, I can't be bothered.......Hi Naruto....."

"Shikamaru's the laziest guy you'll ever meet" Naruto whispers loudly as said male turns away, with the blonde leaning far too close for comfort. "And he complains all the time too. The fat guy next to him is Choji Akimichi, but don't ever actually call him fat. He goes nuts!........But he'd probably eat his own head if it wasn't attached to his neck...."

"Charming" I reply sarcastically, before nodding my head over at the blonde girl arguing with Sakura. "And who's that bimbo over there?"

"I'm Ino Yamanaka!" the girl is quick to respond, marching over to me and glaring icily. "And I'm no bimbo either! You're just jealous coz Sasuke loves me and not you!"

I stare at Ino evenly for a few moments, the bitch smirking smugly, as if she'd just beaten me at something. Pshh, as if.

"This loudmouthed bitch knows that it's more likely that Sasuke would go for Naruto than her, right?" I question loudly, causing Ino to gasp angrily, as Shikamaru and Choji both begin laughing. Naruto and Sasuke blush with embarrassment, with the two of them and Sakura glaring daggers at me. Ino glares at me, either mad about the names I'd called her of the fact that I said her beloved Sasuke would sooner go for Naruto. Or maybe both.

"Hey, hey!" a familiar voice suddenly laughs, making everyone look up or turn around. "Looks like the whole Academy gang is back together again!"

I can't help letting out a sigh at the sight of Kiba striding towards us, Akamaru on his head and two teammates following behind him. Hopefully he's going to keep his dirty mitts to himself, or I'm gonna have to throw him at something again.

His animal like eyes landing on me, Kiba's cocky grin widens and he tilts his head to the side, sending me a wink.

"Plus one very welcome extra" the Inuzuka adds, to which I blanch.

"Drop dead" I reply flatly, turning my head away and ignoring Kiba as he chuckles in amusement. I don't know why he thinks that's funny. I really meant it.

"Arf!" Akamaru greets me cutely, to which I peek back over and send him a short wave.

"H....Hi N-Naruto" Hinata stutters nervously, unable to meet the blonde's eyes as he turns around.

"Oh, hey Hinata" Naruto replies offhandedly, clearly not too fussed by the shy girl's presence.

"Kiba, Hinata, Shino" Shikamaru greets the three newcomers blandly. "Man, everyone is here for this dumb thing....."

"Yeah, but it just got a whole lot better!" Kiba exclaims, moving closer to me and causing me to growl warningly.

"If you value your life" I advise, my nose wrinkling a little as I bare my teeth, "I'd advise you to stay away from me."

"You should know that I like it when you get feisty" Kiba informs me, poking out his tongue teasingly.

"Well, my fist is about to get feisty with your face" I reply darkly, cracking my knuckles.

"Excellent!" the brunette cheers, causing Sakura and Naruto to anime fall to the ground, as I just sigh wearily. Even threats and violence doesn't work with him....

"Anway" Kiba continues, glancing around at the others, his brows furrowing as his mouth pulls up into a confident smirk, "With all of us competing, these Exams are gonna be fun!.....Well, for those of us strong enough to make the cut anyway. Right Sasuke?"

"Heh, you'd better not get over confident there Kiba" the Uchiha replies, a cocky smirk also plastered on his face as he and Kiba stare at each other challengingly.

"Just you wait!" Kiba boast, waving an arm towards his team. "We're gonna blow you guys outta the water! We've been training like crazy."

"And just what do you think we've been doing?" Naruto barks back, not liking Kiba's seemingly unending confidence. "Sitting around picking daisies?! You don't even know what real training is Kiba!"

"U-Um......I'm sure K-Kiba didn't mean a-anything by that N-Naruto" Hinata speaks up softly, wanting to keep the peace. The blonde turns towards her, a dumb look on his tan face.

"Huh?" he asks loudly, causing Hinata to blush and look down at her feet. Here Kiba gives Hinata a knowing look, seemingly struggling to keep from saying something to her.

Spotting Choji staring hungrily at Akamaru from the corner of his eye, Kiba looks up and frowns, glaring as the Akimichi takes a step towards him.

As he goes to move forwards however, the boy that had been standing beside Hinata moves in front of Choji. His dark sunglasses glint in the light from the ceiling, hands shoved into the pockets of his large jacket.

"What do you want Aburame?" Choji asks tauntingly, to which Shino looks down at the floor. "....What's wrong?"

I glance down at the floor as well as Choji, spotting a tiny beetle scuttling across the floor and disappearing into Shino's shoe. Gross.

"I thought that perhaps you hadn't seen it" Shino mutters lowly. "I didn't want you stepping on it..."

I raise one eyebrow at this, as Choji just shakes his head, giving Shino a strange look.

"What, are you savin it for lunch?" the Akimichi asks, though I'm unsure if he's joking or not.

"Hey you guys!" a cheerful voice suddenly calls, its eerie familiarity sending a shiver up my spine. "You should probably keep it down a bit...."

My heart rate suddenly picks up, beating so hard that I can hear it pounding in my ears. I begin breathing quickly, almost feeling like I'm going to hyperventilate. Placing one hand over my mouth and tilting my head down towards the floor to hide my panic from the others, I glance down at my arm, only to see that my skin has broken out into goosebumps. How embarrassing, to lose my cool in only a matter of seconds, and all because of his voice!......

"Are you okay Ashley?" Naruto whispers, suddenly by my side again. "Do you feel sick or something?"

Shaking my head and slowly opening my eyes, I continue to stare at the floor, not wanting to meet anyone's eyes for fear of giving my emotions away.

".......I'm fine" I reply after a few moments, lifting my head and allowing my face to relax into a blank, stony expression.

"No offense" the voice continues, making me exhale a low breath and slowly turn around, "But you guys are all the rookies right? You probably shouldn't go making spectacles of yourselves like this. Cool it a little, because this isn't a field trip."

"Yeah well who asked you?" Ino responds angrily, turning around with a frown. "Who are you anyway?"

"My name is........" here the man trails off, his eyes widening behind the frameless glasses sitting on his nose. I stare right back at the man, instantly recognizing his medium length silver hair, pulled back into a low ponytail.

I keep my expression as emotionless as possible as the man continues to stare in disbelief, hoping that he can't see the faint trembling of my legs.

"My name is...... Kabuto Yakushi" the young man eventually responds, the charming grin on his face shooting icy needles into my spine and causing me to shiver again. For Kabuto to be here, it could only mean one thing.......

He must be here somewhere as well...