5 months. Not even half a year, but that was all the time she had to prepare for the Chunin Exams. She wasn't too concerned about passing or not to be honest. The main reason she wanted the quick promotion was already nulled. However she still needed to make a good impression, no, she needed to be absolutely unforgettable. Ironic considering she was a ninja and all, especially since doing so would only paint a large target on her back. Who knows where Obito would be hiding, and for all, she knew the fourth Mizukage was already his pawn.

But she had no choice, she needed Konoha to acknowledge her strength. Something completely undeniable, she must become a vital asset. Only then can she sway the villagers and the members of the Uchiha clan. Only then could she help rid their stigma and help Anko. And only then could she become Anbu.

The Special Ops of the shinobi villages, ones who carried out deeds directly under the order of the Hokage for the safety of the village. The true darkness within the elemental countries.

But she didn't plan to stop there, no she needed to plunge into the abyss. Root. The age-old adage still rang true after all, "Keep your friends close, but your enemies even closer", she'll clip the wings off that old Warhawk right by his side. She already had some plans and countermeasures in mind.

Of course, that was something for the future. She wasn't Itachi or Kakashi, she had no doubt she'd drown if she tried swimming in the dark as she was now. All she could do was sharpen her fangs and prepare for the day when the newest Green Beast of Konoha gets to hunt.

"Welcome to the Iron Fang, how may I be of assistance?"

"Good morning, Hagane-san. I'm here to pick up my order."

"Ah, well if it isn't little Julia-chan. Give me just one moment and I'll fetch it for ya lickety-split."

The shop keeper was polishing a short sword lacking anything of note, not even a handguard. Rather than making it shine, the blade seemed to grow dull, almost as if it were made of cheap plastic rather than cold steel. He carefully lifted it up into the air, moving it around to make sure he didn't miss a single spot. Even when he pointed the edge directly at the sun and tried to angle it, not a single gleam of light reflected off the grey surface. The man had a satisfied look on his face as he placed the now perfected sword back onto the countertop.

A perfectly nondescript sword for a nameless assassin.

The balding older man looked as if a gust of wind could knock him, he must've been pushing 60 or 70. He turned around and went to retrieve something from the back of the store. She could faintly hear some boxes being moved and a quiet curse before the man let out an exclamation. He soon came back out holding onto a wooden box.

"Sorry about that lassie, my mind's not what it used to be and I had forgotten where I placed it!" He gave out a loud laugh before handing it over to her. She opened it to find a pair of metal nunchaku. She lifted them up and actually had let out a small grunt at the surprising amount of effort it took. A closer look at the now-empty box revealed deep grooves indented within the thick wood from the sheer weight of the weapon.

The old man was stronger than she thought.

"-enough?"

"Huh?"

She was so taken by her new toy that she didn't catch what he just said.

"I asked if that was enough weight? I know you specifically requested I use the heaviest thing I got to make them, but those around 300 pounds, girlie, and I mean per segment."

1200 lb. That was half the weight of her car back on Earth, far more than enough to crush a person, especially considering how it was condensed into such a small amount of volume. Still, with each link of the nunchaku being a foot long this more than made up for that fact that she was so young and her limbs lacked the reach necessary to make full use of her strength. Julia had also requested a certain function. With a brief burst of Chakra, the links locked up together to form a staff. She could now use it as a pair of short quarterstaffs or a single longer Bo staff.

"It's perfect, thank you very much Hagane-san! I'll catch ya later!"

"Sure thing kiddo, have fun with those and try not to break anything!"

If it was anyone else he would've been worried about them being broken for using such an absurd tool, not even Gai's were that ridiculous! He should know considering he was the one who crafted his Soshuga, The Twin Fangs. Of course, the man probably didn't need the added weight anyways, each of his blows held the weight of a mountain behind them. Hagane was willing to bet his damn shop that the crazy man could punch a Biju into submission!

The Green Beast of Konoha was powerful indeed even if most tended to overlook the worth of Taijutsu. He was probably one of the best masters of the art in the elemental countries, just shy of one man!

"It's a beautiful day for a run isn't it, my dear apprentice?"

"Hai, Gai-sensei!"

She wasn't quite sure if doing laps around Konoha village on their hands counted as "running" but she wasn't willing to question the man. Besides, she needed to save her breath to finish the 300 laps the man insisted on doing at the crack of dawn. At first, she had felt pity for the future that awaited Lee when he grew up, but now she felt a self admittedly sick sense of anticipation and joy at the thought.

Yes, you'll suffer as I had. No, wait, I'll get even better at healing. I'll make sure to heal you every time your body breaks down too, my dear little Kouhai to be. Naruto too if I can help it. I'll make a Solider pill 3, no 5, no 100 times more effective too. A month-long nonstop training marathon, muahahaha!

Her body kept moving and ducking through the crowd on autopilot and muscle memory even as her mind was occupied with fantasies of child abuse. Because the hypothetical training she was imagining had long ago stopped toeing the line anymore but had all but swan dived right pass it.

The more powerful your healing, the higher your stamina, the greater your determination, the more you'll suffer. She knew it first hand all too well because even as she planned unjustified sadistic vengeance for her self imposed misery, she made sure to keep a leaf stuck on her forehead and balance the two teacups on the sole of her feet. Not even when she occasionally swiveled out of the way of civilians or running children did a drop spill out.

Their lap ended at the top of the Hokage monument, which involved hiking up a steep and rocky path through a forest because of course nothing could even be easy. At least she didn't have to fight off an angry bear this time.

"Yosh! Nothing better than a good run to get your blood flowing in the morning, am I right Julie?"

"Hm," At least the tea served more than an annoyance for her since she got to enjoy some refreshing jasmine right after the workout. She wordlessly handed the other cup to her sensei.

"Ah, yes, thank you. Let us take a quick breather before we continue, the scenery up here has always been one of my favorite."

The Genin fully agreed with that sentiment. Without all the pollution of the city like back home, the air was always fresh and carried a hint of flowers. It was the beginning of spring and the land of fire was filled with forests and plant life. She could see the rising sun turning the sky a burnished orange. It was breathtaking seeing the cold gain a golden sheen. She sent a bit of Chakra to enhance her already superhuman eyesight to take it all in. Even the sight of civilization in the form of Konoha didn't diminish from the sight of natural beauty, in fact, it strangely meshed well together, like perfect harmony between man and nature. She could see kids waking up to go to school, people getting ready for their day, and smell the scent of herbs and spices as the market place came alive.

This. This was her home now, this was what she was working so hard to protect. It was humbling to see it all, to know she was now part of something bigger than herself.

"It's beautiful."

"Isn't it? I want you to take it all in Julie, I want you to remember this scene, this moment. This is what we're all fighting to protect," His thumb flicked his forehead protect on the village's symbol. "Not just the people you know, not just your neighbors, your friends or even your family. We protect everyone because here, in Konohagakure, everyone is family. I want you to remember these words, they are what our village was founded upon. The ideals of the previous generation spanning from the time of the Shodai, Hashirama Senju-sama. It's our will to carry on in the face of any hardship or adversity. Shinobi are those who endure and it's that will to protect that makes us strong, and today I want to pass the torch to you."

"...The Will of Fire," The words came out in a whisper of quiet awe but the impact of them was earth-shaking. Those cliche and childish words, the trope that is always made fun of "The Power of Friendship!", those words suddenly didn't seem so light-hearted and childish now. Because she understood now. The amount of strength of will and character, to be willing to suffer endless hardships, to even willing die with no hesitation or regrets for something.

Suddenly all her past complaints rang hollow in her ears, like the tantrum of the child she now was.

"Yes, my dear. The strength one can find when they are fighting for something important to them, that is something special, and no amount of powerful foes or power Jutsu will ever be able to match up. I've watched you grow, struggling and crawling, carving your own path in this world of ours and I couldn't be prouder of you."

The tears of joy trailing down his face were like a sucker punch to her gut. It didn't appear over exaggerate or silly, the burning sincerity within his clear eyes was obvious, and she felt her own eyes mist up. It was indescribable, to have someone so happy for you that they'd cry, to see how deeply they care for you.

"You never gave in, you never gave up, and even though every day you were going through hell you didn't hesitate to ask for more. Always seeking the next challenging and a new mountain to conquer. You've become a fine Shinobi, and I believe its time I gave you another tool to help you succeed."

Suddenly Gai wiped his eyes with the back of his hands before looking deeply into her eyes.

"I'm going to show you the secret of the Goken. It is an incredibly powerful move, but it is as dangerous as the strength it grants. A double-edged sword that could even cause your death. I want you to promise me that you'll use it only as a last resort, to protect something that is precious to you, something that you would be willing to give your life for."

Her reply was obvious, and so her training hell was ramped up all the way from a nice and steady 57 to an 89. Of course, that was out of a 10 scale. One does not surpass the body's limits via the Eight Gates by being lazy after all.

"Did you just get mauled by another bear? You look like shit."

A flipped middle finger was all Bao got in reply, although she knew he didn't actually know what it meant. To him, it was just another one of the thousands of hand signs shinobi used. She'd love to see how he'd look after spending the last few hours sparing with Gai and fighting in The Forest of Death.

"Oh, haha, bite me, dickhead."

"Ya know, us Akimichi may have large appetites and are always up for trying strange or exotic food, but even we have standards. I wouldn't put something dirty in my mouth. Besides, I don't like other's leftovers and it seems that bear did a pretty good job going at it."

"Alright tough guy, what do you say we have a nice friendly spar?"

Her grin was anything but nice, however, Bao's pride couldn't stand him refusing and backing down from a fight, especially against a little girl. They both knew it was an obvious trap that he was going to willingly step in anyways.

"Bring it on, I guess I'll be finishing what the bear started on after all."

"Heh, becare of biting off more than you can chew dumbass, you wouldn't want to choke."

"... Must you two always fight whenever Aizawa-sensei is absent?"

"Oh shit!"

"What the flipping fuck?! When did you get here Muta?"

"..."

Their now mildly depressed teammate merely pointed to a spot on their right. They both turned their heads and gave a sheepish laugh at seeing all the jars and bags laying around and the clearly flattened patch of grass.

Seriously, what the fuck? I've been honing my senses like crazy and I can recognize this guy's Chakra after all this time we've spent together, how does he keep popping out of nowhere?!

"Sorry," for once they pair were in sync as this wasn't a first-time occurrence and honestly they did feel bad about not noticing him.

"It is alright, I do not mind. Rather I should "get over it already" as others would say. It should be an expected outcome by this point and I should stop hoping for different. One can not become disappointed if they lack expectations or hope after all."

After another series of apologies and all but prostrating for forgiveness, the third member of Team 5 volunteered to referee the upcoming match. They went to training ground 18 this time, a small grassy plain with a small forest enclosing it. The only notable feature was a small brook that passed through the middle. The two fighters stood on opposite sides of the stream 60 feet apart and slowly stretched their arms while waiting for the starting signal.

"Ready...? Good. 3. 2. 1. Commence the battle!"

"Multi-Size Jutsu: Human Bullet Tank!"

The Akimichi suddenly grew more than 4 fold, his clothes somehow growing with him. Most of the growth was centered around his torso causing him to appear as if a large ball, or a blue boulder when taking his shirt into account. Head and limbs disappeared within the mass, and he began to rapidly spin, gaining speed as he went charging towards her.

It would've been a lot funnier if the experience Chunin wasn't living up to the Jutsu's name.

The damn thing really was like a destructive tank, mowing down any tree that was unfortunate enough to be unable to get out of the way. Ergo, fucking all of them. She had tried to use the tree as cover and to hopes to slow down the mad bull, but it was in vain. Still, it gave her a lot more room to maneuver compared to the open field.

Today she had decided to train without using Taijutsu or Ninjutsu. It was a way to help her temper her skills and make use of her other abilities, but she was currently cursing at how limited she was. It was a good wake up call, it wouldn't do to find herself without a method to fight when she couldn't punch something, like a Jinchuriki.

She had cast a simple Genjutsu in order to make the boy chase an illusion of her, but that would only serve to stall for time. Julia regretted not learning more offensive based Iryojutsu. Spewing out a poison mist having paralyzing touch would be really useful right about now!

What was she going to do?