An Unexpected Friend (Book 1 of the Unexpected Series)

Ch. 20 - The One Training Chapter Before the Finals (Chunin Exams Intermission)

"I promise I will be back in time to watch your match, Koko," Kakashi promised as he gave her a quick hug.

"Yeah, whatever." Kokoro grumbled. She turned her back to him and grabbed Naruto by the arm. She pulled him away from Kakashi and Ebisu, and said, "We'll show you. We don't need you." Shepulled Naruto until they were a few meters outside of the hospital. She let Naruto go and huffed in her spot.

"Kakashi-sensei is just too stupid to realize what great ninja we're gonna be," Naruto said easily. Kokoro sighed and turned towards Naruto. She gave him a small smile and pulled him into a hug.

"Good luck training, Naruto," she whispered in his ear. "Get stronger and show everyone what you're capable of."

"Thanks, Koko," he said as he pulled back. He rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment and smiled widely. "I won't go easy on you in the tournament so make sure you get strong enough to beat me."

She snorted and pulled his headband down his face so it covered his eyes. She rolled her eyes and said, "I can already beat you, baka." Naruto lifted his hitai ate and looked sheepishly at her. "Anyway," she started, "I gotta go."

"Where ya going? I thought Haku was on a mission," he said confusedly.

"He is," she confirmed. "There's someone else I want to help me."

She walked off just as Ebisu approached Naruto and scolded him. She chuckled at the banter they exchanged and silently wished the jounin luck with dealing with the knucklehead. Kokoro sifted through the village looking for a certain green spandex-wearing man. She wasn't sure if he'd agree to help her, especially since he had his own genin to look after, but it was worth a shot. There were certain aspects of her skills she wanted to improve. Her speed and strength definitely needed improvement, her genjutsu recognition and usage was terrible and needed a lot of work, and she needed to add more ninjutsu to her arsenal. She was disheartened to find that she needed so much work done, but she was adamant on improving. An image of Lee laying on the ground with broken bones and the smirk Sasuke had given her right before his fight hardened her resolve.

Her plan was to build up her strength and stamina by asking Gai for tips and advice and increase her ninjutsu arsenal by training with Haku. She should have known she'd find him in the training grounds with Neji and Tenten. She approached the trio and stiffened when Neji turned his pale eyes on her. He looked at her suspiciously and regarded her with caution.

"What are you doing here? Are you spying on me for your incompetent teammate?" he asked.

"No. I came to ask for help from Gai," she answered truthfully. Gai regarded her carefully before he nodded his head.

"Ask and you shall receive!" he said cheerfully. "What can I help you with?"

"I need to improve my speed and strength. The boy I have to go up against is quite quick and strong."

"Enkai Kuragari of Kiri, right?" Tenten asked. "The way he defeated Choji was brutal."

"Exactly," Kokoro said. "I know you have to train Neji, and I don't want to take away from that. I just want a few tips to increase my speed and strength."

"You already know my methods, Kokoro," Gai said. "You didn't want to train then. What makes this time any different?"

"I need to get stronger," she answered. "I saw the way Lee was defeated by Gaara and I don't want anything like that to happen again. I know I'll never become a great kunoichi like Tsunade if I continue to slack off. I'm serious this time, Gai, so please give me another chance."

"You're on a first name basis with the Suna genin," Neji observed.

"That doesn't matter," Kokoro said quickly. "Not anymore, at least."