(Special thanks to Cherry for helping me figure out the glitches! And for reading so much! You ROCK, Cherry, I seriously appreciate it!

Also, two characters will be appearing in this chapter that are NOT mine. Kaori belongs to KionaKina and Tsuki belongs to Moon_Princess. Neither of you are in any way required to read this story, although if you do and have issue with the way your character is portrayed, please let me know and I will try to fix it. =3 Without further ado: THE CHUNNIN EXAMS!

By the way, if you have an OC you want in this, ask me! Chances are I’ll put it in at no cost!)
The slow days of Konoha were vastly more enjoyable then the hellish mission. Keiko spent a few days in the hospital getting her shoulder fixed, but was released within a few days when the hospital staff grew tired of her whining. She promised to avoid Tai-Jutsu for awhile and then she and Balki went on her way.
Although she enjoyed the rest at first, Keiko quickly tired of practicing her nin-jutsu. Deprived of working on her physical abilities and not possessing any special eyes that would make gen-jutsu a viable attack route (Ohhh! SAT VOCABULARLY! You’ll thank me later- trust me…Or not.), she took to walking around town and doing mission after pointless mission.
It was right after one of these missions (one where she had been forced to bathe several cats, made no easier by the fact that Balki hated cats and had to keep scaring them), that Naruto found her. “Hey! Keiko!” she looked up. Naruto was waving like a maniac from across the street. “Come here!”
As she got closer, she saw that he was surrounded by three children, “What do you need?” Keiko asked, folding her arms over her chest and trying her best to be scary so he would just leave her alone.
“We’re going to play ninja. Want to join?”
“A ninja playing ninja. Pathetic.” Sakura was watching the little gathering. Keiko decided instantly to ignore her petty comments, but Naruto decided to go talk to her about.
“Your wolf is very pretty.” Keiko looked down, slightly taken aback. A girl with two huge brown pigtails and twin patches of rogue on her cheek smiled up at her.
“Um…thank you….?”
“My name is Moegi. This is Konohamaru and that’s Udon.” She said, pointing to a brown haired boy with a cape and a chipped tooth in his wide smile and another boy with glasses who looked in dire need of a Kleenex in turn.
“Hey boss. Is that your girlfriend?” Konohamaru asked, pointing across the way at Sakura. Keiko winced. She’d been around Sakura at least long enough to know that that was one big way of getting your lights punched out. Sakura’s head turned slowly on the spot.
“Yeah, well, it’s supposed to be a secret.” Naruto said, laughing and rubbing the back of his blond head.
“Oh no, you don’t!” Sakura screeched, suddenly moving forward like a freight train towards the two boys. They both looked around quickly and then screamed:
“RUN!” The three kids, plus Naruto took off, closely followed by Sakura who was holding her hands in tight fists, ready to do damage. Keiko and Balki looked at each other, shrugged, and ran off after them.
The pair quickly caught up, Balki first, and then Keiko a few minutes later, breathing heavily. Konohamaru by this time was laughing like crazy, having annoyed Sakura into chasing them around again. But he wasn’t watching where he was going.
“Look out!” Balki and Keiko called, but it was too late. The young boy had run face first into a menacing, black clad figure.
“Hey. Kid. Watch where you’re going.” The man said, picking up Konohamaru by the scruff of his cape. He was wearing a helmet with cat ears and decorative purple face paint. There was a girl accompanying him, slightly older with blond, butterfly shaped pig tails. She was wearing a cut, lilac kimono and fishnets, carrying a huge black case on her back.
“Kankuro. Put him down. You know what Gaara will do if he finds out.” She cautioned, looking slightly worried.
“I don’t see him around, Temari. Besides, what’s roughing up one kid going to do?” He replied, shaking the whimpering child around.
“Let him go!” Naruto said, taking a step forward. The young man wiggled his fingers a bit and Naruto instantly crashed to the ground.
“What-?!”
“Okay. You kids are really getting annoying. I don’t think I have much of a choice…” Kankuro whipped a large bandaged object off his back, paper flying everywhere.
“No, Kankuro!” Temari said, desperately trying to salvage the situation.
“Got any last words, boy?” Kankuro leered at Konohamaru, who had tears forming in his eyes. And then a pebble whistled through the air, smacking the sand-ninja’s hand. Everyone looked up.
“Sasuke!” Sakura cried. Sasuke ignored her.
“Let the kid go.” A new voice enter the scene, this one quiet and eerie. A red haired boy with black paint around his eyes materialized upside down in Sasuke’s tree. Even Sasuke gave a small start. Kankuro grimaced and threw the boy to the ground.
“G-Gaara.” Temari said, smiling slightly worriedly. Keiko was slightly surprised. She would have guessed the girl had much more attitude.
“Let’s go.” Gaara jumped from the tree and landed on the ground, back facing his two squad makes. The trio started to leave when Sakura interrupted.
“Excuse me, but foreign ninjas are required to have ID and permission when in another village.” The blonde turned around with a smirk on her face. She held her ID in her hand.
“Good thing we’ve got one.”
“How did you get that?”
“Man, you leaf-ninjas are behind. The Chunnin Exams.” She turned around and kept walking. Sasuke jumped out of the tree:
“Wait. You. What’s your name?”
“Me?” Temari asked, turning around again.
“No, the boy at the front.” He turned around, spinning slowly.
“Gaara of the Sand. I’m curious to learn your name as well.”
“Sasuke. Sasuke Uchiha.”
“And you. Wolf Girl. What is your name?” Keiko blinked, not expecting any attention.
“Um. Keiko.”
“I sense a certain spirit in you, Keiko.” He laughed. It sent chills up her spine. Not a good thing. And with that the Sand-Ninjas left.
******
The Chunnin exams. Keiko knew about them, of course, but not really what happened. It was a big event in the village, and she’d gone and watched several finals in her life time. She got excited just thinking about taking part. But, as Balki reminded her time and time again for several days after she had learned about them, she had barely been a Genin for long and it was highly unlikely she would be asked to compete.
So she had taken to sitting on her porch in the evenings. When she had signed up to become a shinobi, she had never thought it would be so boring at times. She closed her eyes for a minute. And then she felt a blade on her neck.
“You should be more careful, leaf-konouchi.” Her eyes flew open. Balki was tied sitting several feet away, lying on his side. She looked up. A tall man wearing a straw hat and a cover over his face was on top of her.
“Um…Iruka-sensei? Am I supposed to be able to tell you’re in disguise or would you like me to play along?”
“What? I’m not Iruka!” The man said, but he took a step back.
“Right. Okay, then. Well, have a nice night.” She went back in her house.
******
“Keiko. Kakashi-sensei told me to give you this.” Naruto had found her again. Keiko wasn’t sure if she liked Naruto or if she was just getting used to be found by him. She swallowed her ramen and took the small info-card:
“What is it?”
“The Chunnin Exams! You, I, Sakura, and Sasuke are going to take place in it.” Keiko and Balki blinked.
“No. Way.”
“Yes, way! Make sure you’re there a week from now at noon! I’ve got to go train!” And with that, typical of his hyper-activity, Naruto flew off.
******
For the first time in as long as she could remember, Keiko was nervous. She clutched her card as if it were going to disappear at any minute. Balki wasn’t much help; he was once again napping her backpack. She opened the door of the building slowly and was suddenly overcome by the amount of people and noise that greeted her.
“Come on! Let us in!”
“Yeah, we’re going to be late!”
“What right do you have to stall us?” Keiko pushed threw the crowd, not looking anyone in the eye as several of them fell silent as she walked by.
“Hey girl, why don’t you go back home and play with your dolls?” Two boys were blocking the entrance to the examination room. One had just thrown a girl with panda-ear hair and pink kimono shirt on the ground. Bruises bloomed on her skin.
“Ten-Ten!” A boy with black, bowl cut hair and a skin-tight green jumpsuit raced to her side. He had his fair share of bruises as well.
“Hey, why are you all bothering here?” Keiko turned around to a familiar voice. Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto had made it. Naruto waved at her and Sasuke nodded in her general direction.
“What are you talking about? We have to get in there?”
“Yeah, right. I’m sure you saw straight through that gen-jutsu, right, Sakura?”
“Of-Of course!” People were staring now.
“Tch. Beginner’s luck, rookie.” The boys said, as the sign above the door changed to a different number.
“Right.” Sasuke said as the crowd dispersed. “Let’s get going.”
“Wait.” The boy with weird eyebrows said, “You’re Sakura Haruno.”
“Yes.” Sakura said, pale-green eyes going straight to his eyebrows.
“I’m Rock Lee. Would you like to be my girlfriend? I pledge right here to love you and always protect you!” Lee gave a thumbs up and wink, his white teeth winking.
“…No. Definitely…No.” Lee looked slightly put out as Naruto’s team walked away. Keiko looked at Lee and his team for a moment longer and then found her way to examination room.
“Well, well, well. If it isn’t little Wolf-Girl” Keiko sighed. She didn’t care how many people thought her clan and his were mildly connected. Kiba seriously annoyed her. A boy laughed as she walked into the room, his wild, red painted face looking even crazier in the grey, fur-lined hoodie he was wearing. Keiko rolled her eyes. She really wasn’t in the mood to deal with everyone else she had graduated with, so instead of settling down, she wandered off and sat down.
“Hey, I thought we weren’t allowed in without our team.” A girl with White, silver-tinted hair and blue eyes looked inquiringly at her.
“Um…”Keiko said, not sure whether this girl had heard about her or not.
“The name is Tsuki. Kagayaki Tsuki.” Tsuki was wearing a blue tank top that cut off to show her midriff and tight shorts that practically went to her knees. She had a ribbon tied around her waist and matching gloves that went to her elbows. And at her chest gleamed a golden moon pendant.
“Um, well, Tsuki. I don’t have a team.” Keiko said, turning bright red.
“Wow. That’s so cool. Sometimes I wish I didn’t have a team.” Tsuki grinned. “What did you say your name was?”
“Keiko Ookami.” Keiko said, feeling odd at having a complete stranger have a conversation with her. “I’d introduce you to Balki, but he’s asleep. Balki is my wolf.” She added, at Tsuki’s confused expression.
“Maybe some other time.”
“Hey, Tsuki. Who are you talking to?” Another girl walked up. She had green eyes and honey colored hair with blonde streaks that was up in a messy bun. She was wearing a long, black kimono similar to Sakura’s and a red shirt underneath it. She had red gloves and looked pretty confident in herself.
“Oh, this is Keiko. Keiko, this is my teammate, Kaori.” Tsuki gestured at the girl, “I guess our other team-mate is wandering around.” (Meaning, I still need to ask Jackie if I can use her character in this) “Nice to meet you.” Kaori said, “This your first time at the Chunnin Exams?”
“Yeah.” Keiko said, feeling shy again.
“Our’s too.” Tsuki said, “I’m so nervous.”
“Me, too.” Keiko admitted. And then there was a blast from the opposite side of the room. The three girl’s looked around.
“All right, Maggots! My name is Ibiki and from here on out, I’m your worst enemy! Get ready for your written examination!” And with that, the Chunnin Exams had begun!