Surely that light-haired Kumogakure Ninja lady is somewhere nearby. The first two wouldn't rush into a fight without her (unless she's as useless as Sakura always is).

Twice during this chapter Kishimoto mentions the upcoming elections in Konoha. I had no idea Konoha was a republic. Since Danzo is a man notorious for shady deeds (shady even by ninja standards), I'll assume that he has some trick up his sleeve for election day. Hanging chad no jutsu!

Thanks for the welcome Abdula. If you remember me, you may remember that I'm nearly always wrong when I make predictions.
"I'm certain Sasuke will be a chuunin at the end of these exams."
"Chouji is dead for sure"
"Lee is just now going in for treatment. He can't recover in time to fight Kimimaro."
"I bet Naruto will be the one to kill Itachi. That'll piss Sasuke off"
"No, I doubt there will be a time jump."
I can't think of a single prediction I ever got right.