As I regularly keep up with the manga series, my thoughts will always be geared towards whatever happens in the manga, and there is a slight possibility that this fanfic may or may not contain spoilers from the original manga, so do read at your own risk. Don't blame me if I spoil the story before hand. You have been warned...XD. Spoilers will start anytime from after THIS sentence.
Also, I obviously don't own Naruto. If I did, I'd be making a lot of money, I'd stop studying right now, this fanfic would not even exist, I'd give Asuma's team some screen time, I'd give Gai's team more screen time, I'd give Team eight even more screen time, I'd give Kiba the most screen time next to Naruto, I'd give Tenten and Shino decent screen time (they are the only shinobi from Naruto's group who don't seem to have taken part in much action and also the only ones among them who hasn't got a flashback about themselves...as of yet), Sasuke will be less emo (although I must admit he is much less emo and likable now) and Hinata will end up with Naruto sometime between now and the end of the storyline. (you can basically guess which characters I like or dislike, roughly by now.).
Note: I may rate this fanfic as T, but do know that there will be some violence, swearing, and some sexual references. Thanks.
Enjoy! My, have I been talking too much...
Prologue: The Genin Test
Hiroshi sat around the classroom, looking very glum. The rest of the students of his year were hanging about, some of them chatting amicably with their friends, while others stayed by themselves, trying to revise their skills. There was some palpable tension in the air, and Hiroshi didn't like it. One might ask why was there this tension present. The answer was simple: they were now currently taking their exam to pass as a genin.
This was a big step for Hiroshi. This was his great chance to advance himself in the shinobi ranks of the village. He was as eager as the kid next to him to be able to receive his forehead protector, which would show that he was no longer a student in the ninja academy, but a full fledged shinobi, albeit the lowest ranking shinobi of his village, but a shinobi nonetheless.
The problem was Hiroshi was never good in his studies, and his skills in the arts of shinobi were of no good. As expected, he was the lowest ranking shinobi in his year. He couldn't throw any projectiles properly, his skills at ninjutsu suck, and any decent taijutsu user would trash him easily with his below par melee fighting skills. With his level of intellect and patience, there is no need to say he had no idea how to even perform genjutsu.
The exam was making him nervous. He couldn't imagine all the things they could even try to test on him, and fail badly. He sighed loudly, possibly thinking he would fail. The rest of the people around him were mostly chatting happily, confident in themselves that they could pass the test easily. Perhaps he should just try again next year, but then again, there was no point in not trying.
Hiroshi wondered what was he vaguely good at. The only possible thing he was good at was probably inventions, creating weird equipments with whatever that was at his disposal. He might be slightly skilled in setting up traps to a certain degree, but Hiroshi felt that he wouldn't be setting up a trap in the middle of the classroom. He somehow wished Iruka would consider his ability in creating equipments for shinobis. He could remember his first attempt in impressing Iruka-sensei with his works.
" What's that?" Iruka asked, seeing Hiroshi showing him a new equipment.
" Well look, behold my new innovative invention. The hybrid of a kunai and a shuriken. It mixes both the properties of a kunai and a shuriken," Hiroshi exclaimed, holding up his little piece of weapon.
" Um, Hiroshi, you just melded a shuriken in place of the kunai's blade. How is that going to help? In fact, I think it makes it more cumbersome than before," Iruka said, scratching his head.
" Well…never thought of that…anyway, I lost my workbook. Will this make up for it?" Hiroshi asked sheepishly.
" Suzuki Hiroshi, it's your turn," Iruka's voice called out from the examination room. Hiroshi sighed, praying that it was something easy. He got off his chair and slowly walked towards the examination room, hoping that this might be one of the few last times he would have to stay in the academy classroom.
He looked inside the examination room. There were two examiners inside, Iruka being one of them, seated on the left of the table, a sheet in his hand. The other examiner was a young lady named Ino, who owns a flower shop somewhere in the city, which Hiroshi frequents to get flowers for his mother. Right on the table lay what Hiroshi, along with all the academy students wished to get: the Konoha forehead protector.
However, his heart dropped suddenly when he saw a target board in front of him.
" Right, for the final practical exam, we are doing a shuriken and kunai throwing practice. We give you three shurikens and kunais each, and you will have to throw them to the board. You do not have throw all of them on the board, but you will have to throw them impressively, that's all," Ino replied, smiling gently at him, tossing Hiroshi a weapon pack.
There was a moment of silence between themselves.
" Um, you can start anytime now," Ino prompted.
" Would you be giving up?" Iruka asked.
" Iruka-sensei, he hasn't even started yet," Ino objected.
" I'm sorry, Hiroshi. The final exam just had to be a throwing practice," Iruka apologized.
" There is nothing to it!" Hiroshi exclaimed loudly, tying the weapon pack to his right leg. Flipping out each weapon one-by-one, he threw them at the target board. He was done in 6 seconds.
" I see what you mean," Ino replied.
None of the weapons even came close to hitting the target board. The furthest weapon even flew in Iruka's direction, and he had to catch it to avoid it from hitting his face. Hiroshi sighed. It looked like he had no talent in throwing his basic weapons.
" I'm sorry, Hiroshi, it looks like you failed," Iruka replied, ticking the sheet. The first, in fact…
" Iruka-sensei, can you make an exception?!" Hiroshi suddenly exclaimed.
Ino and Iruka raised their eyebrows, wondering what he wanted. " What do you mean make an exception? I can't consider your score in your academy subjects, since they were the lowest anyway…" Iruka said.
" No, Iruka, but I have something I'm working on. What would you say if you give me until midnight? I'm now perfecting a technique in my throwing techniques," Hiroshi replied.
" If you can throw it now, what difference does 2 hours make?" Iruka questioned.
" All I ask is to re-sit this exam in midnight. Please, I promise that I will hit the board by then, and I swear you won't be disappointed," Hiroshi replied. He wondered why was he asking this kind of request. Perhaps he just felt desperate, and he wanted so badly to get the Konoha headband. He couldn't be the few idiots who can't get the forehead protector. He decided to risk a chance. He already failed the test, there was no harm in trying a risk.
Iruka looked a Hiroshi curiously, raising his eyebrows. " Alright, I'll make an exception for you, since you seem pretty determined. I'll be here at 12 midnight. Go now and prepared what you need. Don't disappoint me alright," Iruka said, sighing.
Hiroshi's eyes light up instantly. " Iruka-sensei, thank you! I won't disappoint, I guarantee it!" Hiroshi exclaimed, tearing out of the room. The rest of his classmates looked around in surprise, seeing Hiroshi tearing out of the room in an instant.
---
The next day
Sora looked around the classroom. The students were there as usual, except now the only difference was that all of the wore the Konoha forehead protectors, the symbol of a leaf carved upon the metal plate of their headband. The other difference was that there was a number of students missing, due to the fact that they failed to pass the exam to qualify them as genin.
" Well, if it isn't the violent Sora. I'm surprised you made it. Was it due to the fact that you threatened to beat up Iruka-sensei that he gave in and handed you a forehead protector?" one of the male student jeered.
" Perhaps, but do know that he is not here at the moment," Sora snarled, crackling her knuckles. The male shinobi backed down, not wanting to fight with the class 'taijutsu' expert.
The door to the class suddenly opened, but however, instead of Iruka, it was another student of their class standing by the entrance. Everybody looked at him in awe, not believing their eyes. Sora leaped off her desk and landed right in front of the door of the class.
" It can't be possible. How could you possibly pass?! You can't even throw a shuriken properly to save your life! There was no way in hell you could have passed the final test last night! I figured you were a goner already!" Sora exclaimed to the newcomer. " Punch me, I have to be dreaming."
" Heh, what do you know, I have a lot of talent," Hiroshi chuckled, adjusting his forehead protector on his head.
