Small Changes

New Challenges

"Chuunin exams?" Naruto looked down at the consent form in his hands, his eyebrow quirked up high as his gaze flickered between it and his sensei.

"That's right, it's bothersome, but if you agree I can sign you up for the upcoming Chuunin exams." Naruto just continued to look incredulous, a sentiment mirrored by his teammates.

"What gives? I thought you said that we were bound to get a field promotion to Chuunin soon anyway?" Ensui just shrugged lazily, already looking like he just wanted to leave and laze under the clouds.

"Hokage-sama believed it would be a good idea to enter you three anyway. The Chuunin exams are supposed to show the power behind a certain village. What better way to express that than having our youngest and most accomplished Genin participate? More so if you win." Shisui just snorted as he put the form in his pocket.

"You mean when we win." Itachi smirked at that; Shisui had every reason to be cocky. Three years into their Genin careers and the team had already completed more B-ranked missions than many Chuunin. Ensui just sighed, already starting to walk away from the group towards the Nara clan compound.

"In any case, if you want to enter, just sign the consent forms and be at the academy at ten tomorrow." With that the lazy Jounin walked off, leaving the three Genin alone to ponder his offer.

"So what do you guys think?" It was Naruto who asked. In the last two years he had grown considerably, now standing a respectable four foot ten inches for a nine-year old. His long, spiky red hair hung around his head in what most described as a 'mop', covering his eyes to a degree due to his forehead protector being around his bicep. He continued to wear his father's old tracksuit jacket only now he kept it open revealing the fishnet shirt underneath. He also wore baggy black pants tucked into his dark boot-like sandals.

He wasn't the only one to have grown. Itachi now stood level with him, unlike Shisui who was just slightly shorter. He now let his long dark hair cinch into a small pony tail with two straight bangs framing each side of his face. A high-collared black shirt of the Uchiha clutched his narrow frame, grey three-quarter length pants and black sandals completing the attire. Nowadays, it was a rare-sight to see the stoic Uchiha without his Sharingan activated, having garnered the ability to keep it visible all day. He had also taken to keeping a tanto slung over his shoulder, managing to cast an intimidating sight for one so young.

Shisui was probably the one who had changed the least. While he too kept his Sharingan activated most of the time, he lacked the serious edge to his features that Itachi managed, face smooth where Itachi bore slight wrinkles. He wore a high-collared light grey vest open at the front to reveal his dark grey shirt and tan belt. Below that, he wore standard navy Shinobi pants tied around his shins with tape and dark grey standard sandals. However, beneath his unassuming appearance he was an opponent to be reckoned with, sometimes surprising his teammates with his ingenuity to win a fight.

Basic analysis of the their team's composition would reveal that Naruto was the speedy powerhouse of the group, Itachi the calculating tactician and swift support while Shisui was the wildcard, rapidly adapting and redefining his role. It was true the aspiring Uchiha had dabbled in nearly every area of Ninja studies and found something he liked from each. His Taijutsu was something even Naruto found hard to counter and his Genjutsu, while not the match of Itachi, still gave him an edge in a fight and his Ninjutsu were always so unpredictable it was like trying to fight multiple opponents.

"I think we're going to kick some Genin ass." Both of Shisui's teammates smirked at that before each disappeared to go home. Shisui vanished in a flicker of motion, Itachi dissolved into crows and Naruto just disappeared.

Anko was out training. At least, if sparring with Orochimaru could count as training. It involved her pulling out every trick in her arsenal just to not get thrown around the training ground; more a game of survival than true practice. Currently, both of them had snakes protruding out of their sleeves, the scaly creatures fighting for dominance, a fight Orochimaru was winning. Suddenly, Anko was caught unawares as Orochimaru's tongue suddenly shot out of his mouth, wrapping around her neck in one motion and throwing her harshly across the field. She landed ready to keep fighting but her sensei just chuckled.