how was sakura able to re-take the chuunin exams?

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naruto and sasuke are the only ones in the rookie nine and neji's team who are still genins. but that's just a technicality. they're both stronger than average jounins. anyway, with the exception of neji who is now a jounin, everyone else has become a chuunin already. but i have no idea how sakura was able to enter the exams when both of her team mates are virtually non-existent. sasuke has defected to orochimaru's camp and naruto was away from konoha to receive training from jiraiya. wasn't it a requirement to be in a three-man team to enter the exams? my friend and i have this theory that since sakura is tsunade's apprentice, she was given a special permission to enter the exams on her own. or maybe she was allowed to tag-along some other team or maybe there was a team that needed a third member. anyway, the manga wasn't clear on that i was wondering if there were other theories.