The sound of splashing filled the background, a few giggles echoing from the waterfall. I turned my head over to see what all the commotion was. 
"Oh! Stop it!" A girl squealed out, moving her hand over, water splashed above her. She laughed as she ran away from her friend, bending down as she cupped a handful of water. "Okay! See how you like it!" She said with a giggle, splashing her friend back.
Jiraiya rustled in the bushes, "Ooo, nice." He chuckled, scribbling something down on a piece of paper. "Hey, y sage? Hello?" Naruto called out, his hands on his hips as he faced the river. "Are you going to watch me try this jutsu again or not?" Naruto asked with a growl, a large frown stretching across his face.
"Can't you see I'm busy with my research? Do it yourself!" Jiraiya shouted back, Naruto gave an irritated growl. 
"Okay, I will! And this time I'm gonna summon a frog the size of a house!" Naruto bit into his thumb, pounding his scraped up hand into the ground.
I sat on the ground, my arms crossed as I watched him. Habu was circled around me, his head in my lap as he lounged, a few other snakes had come by, draped over my shoulders as they laid in the summer heat. I was motionless, watching Naruto with a blank expression. 
Naruto grinned as a large puff of smoke erupted around his feet, Jiraiya turned his head around. "So, how did it go? Did you get a frog to appear?" He asked, the smoke lifted, I gave a small laugh.
Naruto waved his hands defensively, a tadpole flopping around by his feet. "W-Wait! Give it a moment! I think it's still growing!" Naruto shouted, looking back from the tadpole than up to Jiraiya. 
Jiraiya spun around, his hands on his thighs. "Listen! If you're not going to take this seriously, then I'm through with you! Do you understand me?!" Jiraiya shouted back at Naruto, Naruto raised a fist.
"I am serious! You're the one who's staring at the girls, you old goat!" Naruto shout back, I watched them shout back and forth. Slowly moving my head to the next person speaking, and then back and forth. 
"Stop fooling around and focus on your chakra's as if your life depended on it!"
"What'd ya think I'm doing?!"
I looked back up into the sky, another snake slithering into the pile on my lap.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sakura hugged her legs close to her chest, she sat alone in her bedroom. Sakura's hands shook slightly, her head down as she thought back to the forest. Her chin rested on her knees as she hugged them closer. As she reached up, she ran her fingers through her hair, the tips glazed past the skin of her neck. She shivered as she thought back on Orochimaru.
"Hey! Come on Sakura!" Mebuki called out from the bottom floor, Sakura moved her head up slightly. 
"Are you still asleep? When are you going to come down here and help me?!" She called back, Sakura frowned as she listened to her mother shout. Sakura stretch her arms out to the side of the bed, leaning her head back on the wall as she kicked her legs out.
"I wasn't sleeping! I'm busy!" Sakura shouted back, "I see! Well, when won't you be busy?" Mebuki asked from the kitchen, her arms crossed as she anxiously tapped her foot against the ground. Sakura scooted to the edge of her bed, her legs dangling off the side. "Later!" Sakura shouted down, hitting her feet against the wooden door.
Sakura looked down at the ground. "I can't believe it........" Sakura whispered down to herself, "I can't."
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"Some of you may not yet of heard the news," Sarutobi began, his cap was down on the desk.
"The body of Hayate Gekko was found near Kikyo Castle." Lord Hokage gave a small sigh, his head was down.
"What? Hayate?" Asuma's eyes widened, his fists clenched. "H-He's dead.......?" Kurenai mumbled out in shock, "Unbelievable." Ibiki's mouth opened slightly, Anko furrowed her brow. "This has to be Orochimaru's doing," Anko growled, looking down at her lap. Kakashi turned his head over to her, "As likely as that may seem, let's not jump to conclusions just yet." Kakashi said, shaking his head. "We think Hayate was on the trail of a sound village spy named Kabuto. No doubt Orochimaru is up to something, but we don't know for sure if---"
"Well, I say, cancel the chunin exams and go after Orochimaru," Raido called out, cutting Kakashi off.

"No, I think not." Sarutobi called out, "He revealed himself to Anko and sent a warning not to cancel the exams. You see, these exams have brought together ninja from every allied nation." 
"What do you think it means?" Homura asked, Sarutobi looked over at him. "There are two things we know about him," Lord Hokage began, "That he bears and abiding grudge against our village, and that his power is great. Perhaps great enough to crush a village on his own." Sarutobi explained, looking down at his lap. 
"Certainly great enough that any village would prefer to have him on their side, rather than against them."
"Impossible." Raido shook his head, "No village in the alliance would betray another and join forces with that fiend!" 
Sarutobi's glance hardened, Anko kept her head down, her fists clenched. 
"Well," Kakashi leaned his arm on his knee, "The alliance treaty is only as binding as any verbal agreement." Kakashi closed his eye, Raido looked back at him, a bead of sweat running down the side of his face.
"As we found out during the last great war."
"In any case," Sarutobi called back, Raido's glance moved back up to him. "Until we're able to find out more, this is all just idle speculation," Sarutobi explained with a nod. Koharu cleared , "We've dispatched Anbu black ops to every village to collect information. We would be fools to act too hastily." Koharu said with a small nod, "That might be just what our enemy is aiming for."
"And besides," Sarutobi began with a small smile, he paused, looking down at every one.
"I have complete trust in every one of you." All eyes were on him, "So when the time comes......" Sarutobi paused,
"We will gather the strength of the Hidden Leaf Village and fight if we must."
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Sakura's fingers glided across the edges of the frame, she looked down at the five of us all smiling up. She held the picture in her hands.
Sakura and (Y/N) standing side by side in the middle, slightly crouched down. Naruto shot Sasuke an aggravated glance from behind Sakura, Sasuke was staring down at (Y/N). Kakashi stood behind us all with a smile, one hand on Naruto's head, the other on Sasuke, as if he was trying to keep them from pouncing on each other. 
Sakura couldn't take her eyes off of Sasuke, a frown hung on her face.
"Was......" She whispered down at the photo, "Was I wrong?"
"Don't you even think about telling them about this mark." Sasuke's tone was harsh as he stared down at Sakura, tears welled up in her eyes.
Should......should I have stopped him by force if I had to......?
"What? No visitors?" Sakura asked, her head tilted. "I'm afraid not." The receptionist shook her head, a small frown on her face. "I'm sorry." She said with a sigh. "But why? He's not in critical condition or something is he? Why can't he have any visitors?" Sakura asked, worry etched onto her features. "I'm sorry. I'm afraid I really don't have any more information." The receptionist explained, shaking her head.

"Well, standing here worrying isn't going to do any good," Sakura said with a sigh, putting the picture back up on the shelf. She walked away. 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The village was lively that time of day, people shifting around, window shopping as they passed by shops. Sakura was mixed in with the crowd, her head down as she continued to walk. 
"Hm?" Sakura looked up, a large pink sign catching her eye. 
Yamanaka Flowers
Read above her, Sakura stopped as she looked up at it. "That's right. I should bring flowers." Sakura thought out loud, walking into the store. 

"Let's see......" Sakura mumbled, looking around. "Hm?" Sakura's eyes widened as she turned her head, Ino was leaning on a table, a grin on her face.
"Oh, Sakura, you poor thing. It's sad when a girl has to buy flowers for herself." Ino scoffed, putting her hands on her hips. "I'm not! I'm......" Sakura turned her head away from Ino, "Not like it's any of your business. I didn't expect to find you minding the shop." Sakura answered back, scanning through the different kinds of flowers. She bent down, sifting through them. I'll make this quick, Sakura thought, putting a piece of her hair behind her ear. Ino stood behind her, peering over her shoulder.
"Taking a planter to the hospital is like saying you expect the person to be there forever," Ino said, crossing her arms, Sakura hung her head down. "Some cut flowers may be a better idea."
"Mmm....." Sakura flushed embarrassed, "H-Hospital? What do you mean?" Sakura gave Ino a small shrug, Ino shot up. "Don't play dumb with me. You're going there to visit Sasuke, aren't you?" Ino raised her brow, "Uh....." Sakura gulped, Ino turned her head to the back of the store.
"Hey, mom! I'm going out for a while!" Ino shouted back, an inaudible mumble came from the back of the store. "Wait!" Sakura gasped, shaking her head. "What are you doing?" Sakura asked, "Get real. If you think I'm going to let you be the first one to get in to see Sasuke, you. are. so. wrong." Ino put it simply, a smug grin on her face. Sakura furrowed her brows, her fists tightly clenched. Ms. Ino pig, always butting in. Sakura thought, gritting her teeth.
Sakura turned away from Ino. Ino plucked a flower, "I think I'll bring him one red rose." Ino said with a smile, "It's the flower of love." She gave a small sigh.
"Ha. How lame can you get? Me, I'm going to bring him a single daffodil." Sakura said, looking down at the delicate white flower with a smile, "A noble flower that bravely endures the long months of winter then blossoms forth as a sign of spring." Sakura's cheeks turned pink as she held the flower close, just like you will soon blossom again, Sasuke. 
"What are you a botanist all of a sudden?" Ino gave her a low growl, Sakura snapped her head back at Ino. "I warned you! I will not lose out to you!" Sakura seethed, "Whatever." Ino rolled her eyes, "So, are you going to pay for that daffodil?" Ino asked, her hands on her hips.
Sakura's eyes widened as she turned back to the flowers, "I should get two." Sakura thought with a nod, "Two? What, are you trying to impress him?" Ino scoffed, 
"One for him, and another for Lee. I owe him something, don't I?" Sakura said with a small smile, Ino tensed.

The two of them walked out of the shop, shoulder to shoulder. Sakura's head was down as she stared at the flowers, Ino kept her head up, a small frown on her face as they continued to walk.
"Waiter! More!" A shout from a nearby restaurant caught their attention, Ino walked up to the window, Sakura close behind.
"Ten orders of short ribs!" Choji shouted with a grin, quickly picking things off of the grill, he stuffed them into his mouth. Shikamaru crossed his arms, a disgusted look on his face. "Man, you could put me off of food for good." Shikamaru frowned, "Just watching you makes me sick." Shikamaru said with a small shiver.
The waiter came back over to the booth, holding a plate stacked high with raw meats. "So, did you order the short ribs?" He asked, walking over to them. Choji gasped, "Ah finally!"
The waiter put the plate down on the table, Choji lined it up on the grill with a grin, he pointed his chopsticks at Shikamaru. "This is all mine Shikamaru!" Choji shouted out with a chuckle, "Don't try stealing any! Ha!" 
"Don't worry. I wasn't planning on it." Shikamaru shuddered. Asuma gulped as he opened his wallet back up, leaning again the wall with a sigh.
"Mmm! Ah! So good!" Choji mumbled through bites, "What the heck are you guys doing?!"

"Huh?" Shikamaru and Asuma looked over at the window. "Shikamaru, shouldn't you be training for the final exam instead of sitting around pigging out?" Ino asked, her hands on her hips as she glared at them through the window.
"I have been training. Every day all day." Shikamaru let out a long sigh, "Asuma's a goddamn slave driver."
Asuma let out a loud laugh next to him, "Ha! And it's not only Shikamaru, Choji's joined us for training as well." Asuma nodded with a grin.
"What!" Ino said shocked, turning her head over to Ino. "So, you're going for it after all, huh," Ino said, crossing her arms. Choji nodded, "Mm-hmm, yeah!" Choji grinned, stuffing another bite into his mouth. "And in return, I get all the barbecue I can eat!"
"Well, that would explain it. Heh." Ino gave a small smile, Shikamaru put his hands behind his head. "Oh man, I wish I'd never signed up for this stupid final exam." Shikamaru groaned, leaning back. "I don't want to hear it." Asuma called back, his arms crossed. "There are plenty of people who would give their right arm to be a part of it." Asuma said, leaning on the table. "Yeah, your sensei's right." Sakura agreed with a nod.
"Anyway, from what I've heard, Guy and Kurenai's team's are training their butts off." Asuma said, "Yeah? Well, what about it?" Shikamaru asked, his brow raised. "After coming this far," Asuma paused with a grin, "You don't want them making you look bad, do you?"
"Ugh. What a drag." 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tenten was panting heavily, her shoulders drooped down. Weapons and shuriken of all shapes and sizes riddled the area around her, Neji stood in front, his head down. A sharp shadow crossed his face. Scratches and bruises lined up around him, a large frown on his face.
"I....I can't keep this up." Tenten said between gasps, "No human being could." She gulped, sweat running down her forehead. 

"I think....." Neji began, "I think I've used too much......of my chakra....." Neji mumbled, falling down to the ground. "Neji!" Tenten shouted, "Are you alright?" Tenten ran to him, falling down on her knees. "I.......I......" Neji's voice was faint, 
"(Y/N)....."
Tenten's eyes widened, her expression changing as she heard the name. Her hands shook slightly, "What......what about....." Tenten gritted her teeth, shaking her head. 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Summoning jutsu!" Naruto shouted, he had been going at it all day. Smoke erupted around him, Naruto coughed as he took a step back. 
"AH! Again with the tadpole's?!" Jiraiya shouted, "This is ridiculous! We're not getting anywhere!"
"Look!" Naruto shouted, pointing down at the little thing. "Can't you see? This one's bigger than the last one!"
"Who cares?! It's still a tadpole!"
"Hey....uh....guys!" I gulped, sitting as still as I could, my entire body was covered in snakes. "A little help?" I called out, my eyes wide open. "Ha!" Naruto laughed as he pointed at me, Jiraiya face-palmed. 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"So, you're here to see Sasuke Uchiha." The nurse said with a nod, walking down the hall, a clipboard close to her chest. "Please keep in mind that he is still very weak." She said with a small frown, Ino and Sakura followed close behind. "He needs his rest."
She looked back at them, "You'll have to keep your visit short. Five minutes, that's all I can give you." The nurse explained, holding a few keys, the clicked together as she walked. "All right." Sakura said, giving a small sigh.

The nurse knocked on the door, "Sasuke? May I come in?" She asked, sliding the door open, she stepped into the room. "You have a couple of pretty visitors here-----!"
The nurse gasped, dropping her clipboard on the ground. Sasuke was nowhere to be seen. "Sasuke!?" She gasped, running over to his wardrobe, she pulled it open. Her eyes widened. "All of his clothes are gone!"
"Huh?" Ino and Sakura looked over at her, "This is terrible! He's in no condition to be walking around on his own!" The nurse turned, "Doctor! Doctor!" She shouted, running out of the room, she left Ino and Sakura behind.

"Oh, Sasuke......" Ino looked away, "D-Did he......?" Sakura's grip tightened around the flowers. 
At some point, they will come to me, in search of power.
"Oh, Sasuke, where have you gone?" Sakura whispered, looking down at the ground. "Huh?" Ino gasped out, walking towards Sasuke's nightstand. A few flower petals were left behind, the white ring of a small vase stood in the middle of it. Ino's eyes widened, "Who?!" Ino gritted her teeth, Sakura looked over at her, "Someone was here before me!" She shouted, shocked, "But who could-----" Sakura paused, Ino and Sakura shared an irritated glance,
"(Y/N)!"
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Kakashi gritted his teeth, he was hanging off of the face of a cliff, more than halfway to the top. One of his arms was tied tightly behind his back, he grunted as he continued to pull himself up the side of it. Kakashi put a foot down on the side, moving up, he grabbed onto the next ledge.
"Why is this so much harder than it used to be?" Kakashi wondered with a sigh, pulling his chest up, "I must be getting out of shape......" Kakashi put his chin on the rock, "Time's almost up....." He reminded himself, putting his foot down on another ledge. A large crack sounded beneath him, Kakashi's eyes widened.
The rock crumbled from beneath his foot, falling down, it bounced off the side of the cliff. Kakashi fell slightly, only holding on with one hand, he dangled off the edge. He grunted as he looked up at his hand, it started to cramp. He could only hold on with two fingers, his arm tensed. 
Kakashi closed his eye, furrowing his brow, he focused his chakra. The gate of opening.......Kakashi gave a small sigh, "Open." He mumbled, opening his eye back up. He strengthened his grip on the rock, throwing himself upwards, he caught onto a high ledge. Kakashi let out a small sigh.
A shadow loomed over Kakashi's head, "Hm?" Kakashi wondered as he looked up, Sasuke stood on the edge of the cliff, a bundle of wildflowers in his right hand, his left in his pocket. "What's up?" Sasuke asked with a small grin, feeling the cool flowers stems in his hand. 
"Heh. So you finally showed up." Kakashi pulled himself up, looking down at the flowers. "Where did you get those?" He asked as he sat down on the edge of the cliff, wiping the sweat off of his forehead. Sasuke looked out at the canyon,
"A..." Sasuke paused, "A good friend."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------"Oh man....." Ino sighed, Sakura hung her head down. They sat inside the waiting room worried, the nurse from before walked over to them with a sympathetic smile.
"Well, we'll keep on searching for him here in the hospital, but in the meantime, if you see him, please contact us immediately. Will you?" She asked, "Yes, of course." Sakura answered back with a nod, Ino did the same. 
"Now, you wanted to see Rock Lee as well, right?" She looked down at Sakura, "Yes." Sakura answered back, holding onto the two flowers tightly. The nurse looked down at her clipboard, 
"He's in no better condition than Sasuke, so don't expect to have a very long visit."

The nurse knocked on the door with a small smile, "Lee?" She called out, sliding the door to the side. "You have a couple of pretty visitors here." She said, walking through the door, she gasped out. Her clipboard fell to the floor, Sakura rushed into the room. "Oh no! Not Lee too!" The nurse cried, shaking her head. 
"Lee! Lee!" The nurse called out, moving towards the open window. Sakura and Ino looked around the room, "Weird." Ino sounded out, crossing her arms. "Huh?" Sakura's eyes widened, "Look." She called out, pointing to the window. The nurse leaned out from it.
Lee was in the courtyard, struggling as he pushed up with one hand. "Lee!" The nurse shrieked, turning from the window, she ran towards the front door. Ino her heel to follow, "Come on Sakura!" Ino said in a rush, "Right!" Sakura followed. The three of them ran into the courtyard.

Lee was out of breath, sweat dripped down his forehead and onto the ground in front of him. "T-Two hundred push-ups.....that was the deal," Lee told himself, his arm shaking as he balanced on it. "If you can not finish them, it is one hundred leg squats........so come on!" Lee cheered himself on, continuing the push-ups. 
A small bouquet of mixed blue, yellow, and white wildflowers was laid down on the ground in front of him. He stared at the flowers as he continued to count, "H-Here we go....." He let out a small sigh, "One hundred and ninety----gnnn!" Lee gritted his teeth, a low growl rumbled in his chest as he pushed himself up once again.
"Lee! You shouldn't be out of bed!" The nurse shouted as she ran over to him, her eyes wide as she watched him. "Lee! Stop it! What do you think you're doing?!" The nurse cried out, shaking her head. 
"One hundred and ninety one......" Lee continued to push, his body shaking. "Lee," The nurse began, putting her arm on his shoulder. "Keep away from me!" He shouted up at her, the nurse jumped back. Sakura and Ino came running out of the building, standing behind the nurse.
"Please! I've......got.....to finish.....my training!" Lee called answered back through quickly painted gasps, Sakura closed her eyes.
"I should get two." Sakura thought with a nod, "Two? What, are you trying to impress him?" Ino scoffed, 
"One for him, and another for Lee. I owe him something, don't I?" Sakura said with a small smile, Ino tensed as she closed her eyes. Ino gave Sakura a small sigh, "Sakura, speaking of Lee, you heard the news about him, didn't you?" Ino asked, Sakura looked up at her. "Huh? What news is that? Is he getting better already?" Sakura asked with a smile, Ino shook her head. "No.....his injuries were bad. Really bad." Ino let out a small sigh, "It means that he'll never.......well.......his days as a ninja are over."

"One....ninety.....five....." Lee continued on, his entire body shaking. "One......ninety.....six....." Lee continued on, staring at the flowers, "One.....ninety......seven." The petals shifted in the wind, "One......ninety......eight....." A small blue ribbon held the stems together, "Do.....do not count me out......I am not through.......yet....." Lee groaned, continuing to push on his arm. 
You're right, all the effort is pointless if you don't believe in yourself.
"One hundred......ninety.......nine........" Lee could feel his elbow start to pop, "No.....just one more.....one more!" He called out through heavy gasps, his arm shaking violently. "Just one more-----!"
His arm gave out, he hit the ground. A cloud of dirt rose around him as he landed. "Lee! Oh no!" The nurse gasped, bending to he knees, she flipped Lee over on his back. Lee's eyes drooped down, "F-Flowers......" Lee whispered, the nurse's eyes wided, she reached over to the small bundle, lying them on Lee's chest. Lee's eyes closed, as he passed out. 
The nurse rose to her feet, she looked back at Ino and Sakura. "I'll get some orderlies out here with a stretcher," She said, rushing off back to the hospital, "Keep an eye on him!"

Sakura and Ino walked over to him, Sakura fell to her knees as she looked down at him. She closed her eyes. "Why.....why Ino?" Sakura asked in a whisper, "Huh?" Ino looked over at her, "What is it that makes boys like that? They're always pushing things too far......" Sakura hung her head down, Ino turned her head away.
"Why ask me? I'm not a boy." Ino crossed her arms, "Right. Sorry."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Aw......what a bore." Jiraiya let out a long sigh. The sky was already turning orange, the sun was setting. I leaned against a tree, trying my best to keep snakes from reappearing. Habu had already gone back to where he came from, the snake's started to come less and less.
"It's obvious our friends in the swimsuits won't be coming back, so how about we call it a day guys?" Jiraiya said with a frown, his arms crossed. "B-But you're supposed to be training me!" Naruto shouted back, shaking his head, "Come on, please! One more time, okay?" Naruto whined, Jiraiya walked over to him.
"I'm tired and I'm hungry. That's enough, we've been out here all day." Jiraiya let out a long sigh, Naruto clenched his fists. "But you haven't done anything!"
"You little squirt! You should be thankful I'm even hanging out with you!" Jiraiya shouted down at him, I walked over to them with my arms crossed. "Yikes. This old coot's touchy." I grinned, walking over to them. Jiraiya shot me an irritated glance, his arms crossed as he looked down at me, I laughed.
Naruto waved his hands, 
"Okay! Wait! I know what you need!" Naruto called back, "Hm?" Jiraiya looked over at him, Naruto clasped his hands together. "y jutsu!" Naruto shouted out, he erupted in a puff of smoke.
"HA!" Jiraiya gasped out, Naruto sigh. Snapping his fingers, Naruto turned back to normal. "Wait, that's it? That wasn't so long. And what about the other one?" Jiraiya asked in a sad mumble,
"Hey! I've already got that jutsu down, okay? It's the summoning jutsu I want to work on!" Naruto shouted, his fist raised. Jiraiya sighed, "Okay, okay, okay. Go ahead. Give it another shot." Jiraiya said, kneeling down. I took a step back, standing beside Jiraiya. 
"Right! Here we go!" Naruto shouted excitedly, bitting into his thumb, he punched his hand down on the ground.
"Victory!" Naruto shouted as a puff of smoke came up around him.
"Hopeless! Why do I even waste my time with you?!" Jiraiya cried out, 
"What? Are you blind?" Naruto shouted back, pointing down at the tadpole. "Huh?" Jiraiya looked back down at it. This time the tadpole had legs.
"You see? This one's got legs!" Naruto said with a grin, "Great!" Jiraiya said sarcastically, "Now just give it two arms and a brain and maybe I can train it!"
"Why do you have to be so negative? You gotta admit, at least I'm making progress!"
Jiraiya let out a loud sigh.
 

To be continued........................