Hello all, and welcome to the second chapter of Born with Cerulean Eyes! I know some of you might have been disappointed with the events covered last chapter, so I will try my best to make it up to you with this one, which covers the genin exams. Although just as a general guideline this won't be a heavily action-oriented fanfic, which is why it is listed as romance first and adventure second. However, while that may be the case there will still be tension between the different characters, starting after this chappy, though how exactly that tension will be expressed you will have to keep reading to find out.

Before we begin, I'd just like to make it clear that I don't own Naruto, and most likely never will. Anyways, here's the key to get you all started.

Key:

"This be talking."

'This be thinking'

"Bijuu/Higher Being speech"

'Bijuu/Higher Being thought'

Jutsus will be Italicized and Underlined

Flashbacks are in Italics only

**This chapter is currently Un-Beta'd**

Story Start:

Monday 07:00, Konohagakure no Sato; Hyuuga Clan Compound, Naru's Bedroom

It was to the sounds of birds chirping that Naru awoke, the giddiness from the night before making sure that she got up bright and early. Blinking back the haze of sleep, she let out a tired yawn, reaching her arms above her head in a nice morning stretch. Once satisfied that she wasn't going to immediately fall back asleep, she pulled back the covers, grabbing a few sets of clothes before trudging off towards the bathroom to take a shower.

After freshening up and drying herself off, she pulled on a clean pair of panties, then replaced the bindings around her chest. Pondering for a moment whether to go with a matching color outfit or one with complementary tones, Naru eventually decided on the latter, sliding her way into a white short-sleeved shirt and a pair of light grey shorts soon afterwards. Giving her hair a once-over with a comb, she pulled the golden strands into a loose ponytail at the nape of her neck. While she probably could have let her hair hang loose for the written portion of the genin exams today, Naru had little doubt that keeping it that way would hinder her in the taijutsu portion of the exams, hence the ponytail. Anyways, to complete her outfit she wrapped her ankles in what remained of the current roll of medical tape. While the Gentle Fist style was comprised mostly of hand strikes, it didn't hurt to be prepared in case she needed to pull off a few kicks, as evidenced by her spar with Neji the day before.

Pulling on her favorite pair of slippers, she sauntered downstairs, making a beeline for the kitchen when her stomach rumbled. Nodding absentmindedly at her adoptive father—Hiashi was already seated at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee—she had a quick debate with herself over what she wanted for breakfast, eventually deciding on having a little bit of everything. Grabbing some of the leftover sliced fruit from yesterday's gathering to munch on, she proceeded to set up a pan on the stove in order to fry herself up an omelet. While she waited for the stove-top to heat up, Naru also poured herself a small bowl of cereal and a glass of orange juice, making sure she got at least one serving of the required grains to keep herself healthy.

It was at this point that Hinata and Hanabi came trudging down the stairs, both still dressed in their night clothes. Rolling her eyes and grumbling about how her sisters loved their sleep, Naru turned back to the stove, checking to see if the pan she'd set out was hot enough to start frying her eggs.

"Morning Hinata, Hanabi." she said, smiling slightly at their rather garbled replies. While slightly bothersome, it always amused her how unintelligent her sisters could sound before they woke up in the mornings. Sure, they might be perfect angels during the greater portion of the day, but as for the time period before breakfast they might as well have been perfect sloths as far as she was concerned.

Clicking her tongue in satisfaction when she saw that her eggs were pleasantly sizzling, Naru took a sip of her orange juice, taking the time to mull over what she wanted to do after the genin exams.

'Most likely I'll be celebrating with friends and family, provided I pass.' She thought wryly. It was no secret that the Academy curriculum had been getting a little slack during peacetime, so she wasn't really worried about her chances of failing. 'Besides, even if I don't exactly ace the written portion I still have the taijutsu part and the academy three, both of which are relatively easy.'

Idly noting that her eggs had become nicely browned while she was lost in thought, Naru turned off the stove, scooping her omelet out of the frying pan and onto the plate she'd gotten out. After situating herself at the kitchen table and saying the usual 'itadakimasu', she picked up her fork and knife and daintily dug into the food she'd assembled for herself.

While not the most pleasant of times, mostly due to her sisters being ungrateful sleepyheads in the morning, breakfast was by far Naru's favorite meal. After all, what better way to start your day than to spend time eating and conversing with your family? Sure, there was conversations to be had during lunch and dinner time, but breakfast held a special place in her heart. Speaking of conversations, though, Hiashi chose this moment to speak up.

"Hinata, Hanabi, while I won't complain about your state of dress, just remember that you only have an hour until the Academy starts, so use that time wisely. As for you, Naru, since you're already dressed and ready would you be able to come with me to my office? I've got something I need to discuss with you in private."

"Hai Tou-san, let me just change out of my slippers and into my sandals and I'll meet you there."

Monday 07:45, Konohagakure no Sato; Hyuuga Clan Compound, Clan Head's Office

Naru stood, hands clasped behind her back, in the center of Hiashi's small office. Said clan head sat directly opposite her behind his desk, his fingers laced together in a contemplative pose. Deciding that there was no time like the present to get things done, he asked the question that had been bugging him for several days.

"What are your thoughts on arranged marriages, Naru? I don't want the answer you've been taught, I want your personal answer specifically."

Said girl took her time in thinking over her response, knowing full well that her answer could potentially determine part or all of her future.

"...I guess I find them...acceptable, for lack of a better term. I mean, I don't particularly like the idea of marrying without love between the two spouses, as that can lead to a lot of headaches in one way or another, but I can see why such things would be necessary in a political sense. Why do you ask, if I may inquire?"

Hiashi sighed, closing his eyes to mask his frustration. It took a few minutes, but once he was sufficiently calm he opened them again, resting his gaze on the girl he'd come to love like a daughter, even if she wasn't his daughter by blood.

"I ask because you are the child of two of Konoha's most important clans; the Namikaze and the Hyuuga. As such you are basically royalty, if one were to think of such things in the literal sense. This, of course, makes you a very powerful bargaining chip when it comes to the subject of alliances, even if it is only between clans in this very village. While I as a father am quite revolted that one of my baby girls could be used in such a way, I as a clan head know that such things can sometimes be necessary to preserve the peace."

"I...see."

"But I digress; such a bargain has not been made, and will not be made if I have anything to say about it. I only wish for the best for you; however, I felt it necessary to bring this matter to your attention, so you can have time to mull it over and make your peace with it."

"Thank you, Tou-san. I...I can't say I'm happy that such a possibility exists for me, as I've always dreamed of marrying for nothing less than love, but I will do my best regardless of whether such a matter comes to pass or not."

"I wouldn't dream of asking for anything more from you. Anyways, that's all I needed to talk to you about, so why don't you go grab your sisters and head off to the Academy? I'll be there later for the graduation ceremony; just be sure to do your best in the exams today."

"Hai Tou-san, I will make you proud."

With that parting remark Naru bowed, excusing herself from Hiashi's office soon after. The Hyuuga clan head watched her leave, his heart heavy with regret. He could only hope that Naru would take this matter in stride, like she had with everything else in her life...

Monday 08:30, Konohagakure no Sato; Ninja Academy, Outside the Academy

Half an hour after Naru's meeting with Hiashi, we find the three Hyuuga girls waiting on the outskirts of the Academy grounds for said building to open for the day. Normally classes would start at eight-thirty sharp, but, seeing as the final year teachers had a lot to set up on this particular day, Naru, Hinata and Hanabi weren't worried when eight-thirty came and went. Instead they merely chatted with their classmates as they arrived, taking the time to enjoy such a luxury while it lasted. When the Academy did open, however, it was with some trepidation that the final year students trooped towards their classroom, where the written portion of the exam would take place.

The examinees' room was arranged like they had come to expect during test-taking periods; cardboard barriers had been erected around each desk, blocking the students' view of each others' test papers. Said papers were lying face down, with the words 'do not turn over until instructed to do so' written in large, friendly bold red letters on the side facing upwards. After seating themselves around the room according to no specific pattern, the class full of clan heirs waited with bated breaths for their teachers to walk through the doorway.

Fifteen minutes later they were given the go-ahead by Mizuki, who notified them that Iruka was still helping clear off the field behind the Academy for the taijutsu portion of their exam. And so, gently flipping over their tests the class started scribbling down answers to the test questions.

While some of the questions actually made Naru have to think, the majority were history-based, and hence relatively easy to answer. It was pathetic, really, how far the academy curriculum had fallen during this time of tranquility; from her time spent talking to Itachi on the previous afternoon she'd learned that the written portion of the exam used to be nonexistent, and was only recently added so civilian students would have a better chance of passing the final exam. Still, she wasn't about to complain, as free points were free points. She did remember to double-check her answers, though, just in case she missed something on the first pass through.

After a full hour had gone by, Iruka, who had come into the room partway through the test, called for everyone who had not yet finished to put their pencils down. While the students' main instructor went about collecting the test papers, Mizuki had everyone follow him outside. Once all of the examinees had trickled out of the Academy and into the fenced-off area behind said building, the assistant instructor began explaining the rules behind the second portion of the genin exams.

"This part of your exam, as you may have already guessed, is on Taijutsu. There are two sub-parts to this portion; taijutsu spars and kunai/shuriken throwing. For the former, your objective is to land four hits upon either me or Iruka, whichever one of us you may face, within a five minute time limit. Each hit is worth fifty points, so you can still get partial credit should you be unable to get all four of the necessary blows on one of your instructors. The only other additional stipulation is if you are forced out of the fighting ring..." here he waved a hand at the circle painted on the ground, which was approximately five meters in diameter, "...you will be disqualified, and fail this portion of the exam. While technically there are no rules in the world of ninja about fighting within a specific area, Iruka and I are here to test your Taijutsu, not how good you are at hit and run tactics. As for the throwing tests, those should be obvious. Are there any questions?"

When the only response he received was crickets chirping, Mizuki sweatdropped, but nodded in acceptance nonetheless.

"Alright, feel free to take a seat and chat amongst yourselves while we wait for Iruka; we can't hold the matches without a referee, so you'll have to wait a bit."

Having said his part, Mizuki leaned against the wall of the Academy, trying and failing to tune out the chatter that suddenly erupted between his students. Luckily for him, though, Iruka only took another three or so minutes to arrive, having handed off the written portion of the exam to one of the other available teachers for grading purposes.

"Alright, settle down!" the scarred Chunin called out, using his Ookii Atama no Jutsu (Big Head Justu) to yell at the students when his first few attempts failed.

"Now that I have your attention," he drawled, "we can begin the taijutsu part of your exam. We'll do the spars first, in alphabetical order, with Mizuki and I switching off every three or so students. Afterwards we can work on getting your kunai and shuriken throwing tests complete. So, with that being said, will Aburame Shino please step into the ring?"

As the stoic bug user moved into position, Naru closed her eyes, leaning back into the tree she was resting against. While she could watch how the various matches turned out, she felt that calming herself via meditation was a better idea. After all, it wouldn't do to get a case of jittery nerves before she even stepped into the ring.

When her name was called a while later Naru stood up, rolling her shoulders as she walked so as to work out the kinks in her muscles. Once inside the ring she bounced a few times on the balls of her feet, before shifting into her own personalized Jyuuken stance.

Now, it was a little known fact, but the Gentle Fist style was originally designed for Hyuuga clan members with an earth affinity. Unfortunately for her, she had inherited her blood father's high wind affinity, which basically meant she had to modify the Jyuuken style of taijutsu from the ground up. Despite her initial apprehension over having to create her own style of taijutsu, she had eventually embraced the idea, taking the preexisting katas and reshaping them to better fit her affinity. Luckily for her, Hiashi and the clan elders had given her their blessings when she asked for access to the clan archives, knowing full well that if she had any children they could wind up with the same problem she was having. The end result of her research and work? A faster, more fluid and extremely offensive set of katas that combined the closing of Tenketsu with the cutting and drilling capabilities of wind chakra. But while the style itself was complete, Naru had nowhere near mastered it, as she hadn't quite reached the necessary level of speed to make all of the attacks effective. Still, she was confident that what she'd learned so far would be enough to ace the first half of taijutsu exam.

After a belated cry of 'Hajime!' from Iruka, the young Hyuuga dashed towards Mizuki, intent on getting the four required hits as fast as possible. Sidestepping a straight right Mizuki sent her way, Naru manage to land a light hit on his outstretched forearm, closing one of the assistant instructor's tenketsu in the process. However, she was forced to put some distance between herself and her opponent as he followed up his missed strike with a jumping snap-kick. Idly noting that said kick would have knocked her out of the ring and then some, she decided to return the favor, slipping into a different stance—one that Hinata recognized, as evidenced by her gasp from the sidelines.

"...You're within my field of divination. Jūkenpō: Hakke Sanjūni Shō (Gentle Fist Arts: Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms)!" Naru called out, her cerulean Byakugan blazing. Dashing forward once more, she began her attack.

"Two Palms!" Two jabs to the forearms, closing the chakra points necessary to effectively using handseals.

"Four Palms!" Two more strikes, faster than the previous two, this time to the upper arms to restrict movement.

"Eight Palms!" Hands moving even faster, she struck Mizuki's torso in four separate locations.

"Sixteen Palms!" Eight more tenketsu jabs, four more to her instructor's torso and four to the legs.

"Thirty-two Palms!" Moving at the highest speeds yet, her hands and arms were mere blurs to the watching students as she completed the final sixteen stabs in her assault. Panting slightly from moving her arms at such high speeds, she dropped to a knee as Mizuki flew backwards a short ways, landing with a groan on his backside.

Truth to be told, she could have taken her attack a step further with an extra thirty-two palms, but, seeing as what she'd done was already going overboard when it came to the number of hits landed on Mizuki, Naru decided against it.

'Besides,' she reasoned with herself, 'A ninja's best weapon in deception. If no one knows I can do the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, then I have an ace in the hole for when I get into a tight spot. Still, I'd best work on my speed so as to reduce the strain the technique places on my body...'

It was at this moment that Iruka managed to break out of his stupor from seeing an academy student take out his fellow instructor with such ease. Granted, they were restricting themselves to the academy style of taijutsu, but still...

"Uh...seeing as Mizuki is currently incapacitated, we'll be taking a short break between now and the next match. Naru, Hinata, if you two would be so kind as to try to figure out how to reopen Mizuki's closed tenketsu, we'll be able to continue that much faster."

Naru blinked owlishly for a moment, before huddling together with Hinata to discuss how they would go about doing said task. Since Jyuuken was basically completely oriented towards closing the tenketsu in order to incapacitate the opponent, they hadn't really thought much about doing the opposite of what it was designed to do. Eventually, though, the two girls decided on trying to open Mizuki's tenketsu with a pointed stab of chakra; normally Jyuuken used a blunted burst of said energy to close the points, so, in theory, poking the closed off pathways with a tiny spear of chakra could reopen them.

However, both Hyuuga girls—along with everyone else—were surprised when their theory actually worked, although it was a rather painful process for Mizuki, as each opening of the tenketsu was like removing a dam from a river all in one go. Still, said instructor was thankful to be able to move again, even if he was a little sore, so the class got back to testing in short order.

While she waited for the rest of the class to finish up their spars with the instructors, Naru thought over what she'd just learned to do. Seeing as the forceful opening of tenketsu was a rather painful experience—if Mizuki's cries of anguish were anything to go by—perhaps there was some merit to incorporating said technique into her personal brand of Jyuuken. Considering that the Gentle Fist style of Eight Trigrams could go all the way up to one-hundred-twenty-eight palms, theoretically one could close sixty-four of the opponent's tenketsu and then reopen them in short order. If such a thing was actually possible, then it would most likely result in untold amounts of pain, potentially even causing the brain to shut down temporarily. And the thought of layering wind chakra over that only served to fill her with glee. Of course, considering she couldn't do the Eight Trigrams One-Hundred-Twenty-Eight Palms the normal way with her current level of ability, she'd have to work her way up the ladder until she could. Though it was certainly feasible to try incorporating at least the opening of tenketsu in the the Thirty-Two Palms version...

Realizing with a start that the rest of the class had finished their Taijutsu spars and were now at the throwing range, Naru got to her feet and stretched, slowing making the journey towards the opposite end of the field.

When she joined the crowd of students milling around behind the throwing area Choji was just finishing up his last shuriken throw, meaning there were only two civilian students plus Hinata before it was her turn. Naru watched the two civilian students (Sakura and another who shall remain unnamed) with mostly apathy as they did their attempts, though she perked up slightly when Hinata stepped up to the plate. Scoring eight out of ten for kunai and ten out of ten for shuriken, her sister walked off with a grin on her face and deservedly so; Hinata had just shattered Sakura's record by a mile and a half. Resolving herself to try to at least match Hinata's eighteen out of twenty, Naru took a deep breath, letting her weapons fly moments after.

If anything, the smile Naru wore as she skipped back inside was even larger than the one Hinata had—scoring ten out of ten for both kunai and shuriken, she'd matched the record set by Uchiha Itachi when he'd taken his genin exam. (A/N: If you think that a perfect twenty is unrealistic, remember that these are stationary targets, not moving ones. If that doesn't help much, just imagine that the humanoid targets were close enough where such a thing would be feasible.) She knew she shouldn't let such a success go to her head, as she wasn't quite at Itachi's level, but damn did that feel good to see all those projectiles find their mark.

By this point she was rather eager to get the final part of her exam over with, so she headed into the room where she would be tested on the three academy jutsu. Iruka was waiting for her with a smile on his face.

"Here's your written test back; you got a 48 out of 50." He said, handing her the test she'd taken earlier.

"Okay then, for the final part of your genin exam you need to make three Bunshins using Bunshin no Jutsu, and perform both the Henge and Kawarimi within two seconds. If you manage to do that, you'll have passed your entire genin exam with flying colors."

Quickly making the three required Bunshins, the young Hyuuga-Namikaze henged her clones into random female villagers before repeating the process on herself, turning into Kakashi, complete with Icha Icha Paradise in hand. She'd seen the silver-haired man at the local bookstore buying said smut novels on one of the many trips she'd taken to the market with Hitomi. Of course, then she let out a perverse giggle (though the actual pages of the book in her hand were comprised of the test paper she'd been handed earlier) and was promptly 'beaten' by the 'angry females', only to Kawarimi with a nearby chair before fake belly laughing and then changing back into her normal self.

Iruka merely watched this scene play out before him, a large sweatdrop forming on his forehead as she went from belly laughing as Kakashi to a completely blank expression on her normal visage, all in less than a second. Shaking his head at her rather creative use of emotions and the academy three, he handed Naru her headband, congratulating her on becoming a genin of the leaf.

Wheeeeee, almost exactly a day later and I have a new chapter out. Life is good! Do be sure to leave a review please, as those serve as my main form of motivation to continue writing. As a side note, I finally enabled anonymous reviews, so you don't even have to log in to leave a comment! Anyways, remember the three R's of FanFiction (Read/Rave/Review) and you'll be golden in my eyes.

I already have part of the next chapter for this story written, but the next story to be updated on my list should be Requiem of the Fallen. After that, I'll probably head back to this ficlet, as I'm just bursting with ideas for it.

Here's to roasting the plot bunnies,

-ZGS