Author's Notes:-
Thanks for the reviews everyone! (Tamashi Aisuto: Thank you for your reviews. It cheered me up a lot!) This is the part when the first test begins. I hope that you will bear with me awhile because I have to explain the situation so that readers would not get confused. Any reviews are acceptable. Just tell me what you think about it ok? (I noticed many people don't really like reading this chapter, so I put my ideas in bold. You can get rough idea by reading that but...reading the whole thing is better.)
ACT 3 : The First Test Begins!!!
Yuichi glanced at the map that he held in his hand and ran his fingers through his golden, brown hair that was being blown by the wind. "Konoha Academy, I guess we arrived," he confirmed.
"Finally, I'm getting pumped up!" Masaki smiled and clenched his fists with excitement. "The exam's starting soon. I wonder how is it like."
Tsuruko was silent. Neither showing any anxiousness or excitement. He just quietly walked ahead of them towards the front door of the academy, ignoring their little conversation.
~oO0Oo~
The team calmly made their way to the examination hall. When they arrived, they were surprised to see so many candidates.
"It seems that we were the last Suna genins to arrive," Yuichi noticed. There were already nine Suna teams there, including the well known Sand Trio.
"We were not that late anyway. It hasn't even started." Masaki had always been a happy-go-lucky person. He wouldn't mind even if he was a little late.
Tsuruko, on the other hand, do not seem surprised at all. He just walked towards the crowd to look for a seat. As there were not any more chairs left unoccupied, they stood and waited at one end of the hall.
Time passed by and they heard more candidates entering the hall. Not long after that, they heard someone shouting.
"I'M UZUMAKI NARUTO AND I'M NOT GOING TO LOSE TO ANY OF YOU!!! YOU GOT THAT?!!!"
The noisy room suddenly turned silent. Everyone has turned their heads to look at the little guy who seemed happy to have said it out loud.
"Who is that blockhead, shouting something like that?!" Masaki said feeling annoyed.
"They made it here."
Masaki and Yuichi were surprised to hear Tsuruko saying something for the first time of the day. They thought he was nervous. Come to think of it, probably not...
"Masaki-san, Yuichi-san, I think we should move a little further inside," the brown haired boy said. "Someone's up to something."
The team moved on a little further in and continued their wait. As Tsuruko had expected, a fight broke out between the Otonins and Kabuto. Unexpectedly, Kabuto was injured by Dosu, one of the Otonins, even after dodging his attack. Before the fight could continue any further, a cloud of smoke appeared in front of the hall and someone said out loud, "THAT'S ENOUGH YOU WORTHLESS PIECES OF TRASH!!!"
A group of high ranked shinobis were revealed as the smoke cleared. Everyone quieted down upon their arrival. Then a man who had scars all over his face, voiced out.
"Thanks for waiting. I'm Morino Ibiki, the examiner for the Chuunin exams first test." He pointed a finger towards the Otonins. "Stop doing as you please. Do you want to fail before the exam even started?" he warned them.
"My apologies. It's our first time…So we got a bit carried away," Dosu replied, sarcastically.
"Hmphh …I'll take this opportunity to say this. No fighting is permitted without the permission of the examiner. Even if permission is granted, killing your opponent will not be tolerated." Ibiki added. "Those that disobey me will be failed immediately. Do I make myself clear?"
The look in his eyes had proven that he was serious and somehow dangerous. No one dared to talk back at him.
"We will start the first test now. Instead of your current seating arrangements, you will pick one of these tabs and sit in the seat assigned to you," he explained, holding out a tab as an example.
Everyone started feeling excited when it was announced that the Chuunin exams were beginning. Wondering what the test actually was, the next statement that the examiner said gave a little surprise to everyone.
"We will then hand out the test papers."
But the most surprised one was obviously Naruto.
"WHAT???!!! THERE'S A WRITING TEST???!!!" Naruto didn't believe what he had heard. He was bad…VERY bad at writing tests.
But the fact is still a fact. It was a writing test. Everyone picked a tab and was separated from their team-mates. After everyone was seated, the examiner walked towards a blackboard and explained the rules about the exam.
Rule #1
Candidates start off with 10 points. The test consists of 10 questions each carrying a point. One point is subtracted from your total for each question answered incorrectly.
Rule #2
The test is a team event. This means the passing is determined by combining each team's total score.
Rule #3
Those caught cheating will lose 2 points for each offence.
Rule #4
Those that lose all their points in the exam through cheating or failing in answering any questions correctly will be failed along with their team-mates.
The rules really caused a lot of pressure on the candidates. Some were afraid that they will be dragged down by their team-mates. And some were afraid to drag down their team-mates. Besides, there were so many other shinobis who were in charge to keep an eye on the students; just incase they cheated or even tried cheating.
"Realize that the pathetic ones caught cheating will be destroying themselves. As shinobis who wants to achieve the level of a Chuunin, be proud ninjas," the examiner added. "The exams will last one hour. Begin!!!"
~oO0Oo~
The questions were tough. Almost everyone was not able to answer the questions. Naruto started freaking out by the thought of cheating in the exam. Although Sakura was able to answer the questions, Sasuke had no clue on how to do it either. Thinking back about what the Ibiki had said, a thought struck his head and he finally came to a conclusion.
"I see, so that's it. This is not a test to measure our intelligence. Hurry up and realize it Naruto! It could cost you everything," Sasuke thought, hoping that Naruto realized something. "Because this is also…a test to see how well we are in gathering information. Notice this Naruto! The smart guys must be moving by now."
Indeed, what Sasuke said was true. Most of the genins had already started gathering answers.
Yuichi, Masaki and Tsuruko noticed this as well. Yuichi made his move and looked around to search for a target. Then he saw a guy rubbing his eyes not very far away. "Chance!" At that opportunity, he changed the shape of his metal bracelet. It was a special ability that runs in his family, shaping metals. Half of the metal was silently and swiftly tossed towards the direction of his target. It wrapped around the guy's pencil and camouflaged itself while the other half enveloped his own pencil. Yuichi did a handseal, "Mimicry Mirage Jutsu." The guy stopped rubbing his eyes and continued his test. Every time his pencil moves, Yuichi's pencil moves in the same motion as well. "Hmpph...Success!" Yuichi smiled.
Tsuruko peeped through the white cloth that covered his eyes. A paper test? It was a tough time just for him to look at the questions. After all, he was blindfolded and was determined not to remove it. Well, it did not completely cover his eyes anyway. Thank God for that! When Tsuruko finally read the paper with much difficulty, he murmured in disappointment, "I…don't think I'll need to gather any answers…I can do this…" So, he just answered the questions slowly and steadily. Then a thought struck his head. "Masaki-san, I don't think he knows how to gather information at all. I wonder if he'll be alright…"
Actually, Masaki IS facing a problem. He had no idea on how to gather any information at all! "This is bad!!! I'm toast!!!" he thought. "If I fail them, Yuichi is going to kill me and who knows what Tsuruko will do!!! Arghhh!!!" He rubbed his head hard as though he was trying to squeeze something out of it. "I shouldn't have rejected Yuichi's help just now…" Masaki regretted. Yuichi's metal bracelet tapped him on the wrist, asking if he needed any help just a moment ago. Being so proud of himself, he simply rejected it. And now, he recalled that he do not really know how to gather information at all! "WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?!!!" Suddenly, Masaki caught a glimpse of the mirrors hanging at the ceiling. He could see another candidate's answers clearly. Then, he realized it was Ten Ten trying to help Lee out with the test. Lee was sitting just right beside him too! "Well, taking advantage of the enemy's carelessness is the way of a shinobi too…I guess…" Even if it was a pathetic way to cheat, Masaki copied the answers anyway. He didn't have much of a choice.
~oO0Oo~
"Okay! And now we will begin the tenth question!!!" Ibiki said, as soon as Masaki finished writing.
"I'm glad I made it in time…" Masaki sighed in relief.
"Now…Before we get to it, I would like to explain a few more rules before giving you the question. These are the rules of desperation that I will now explain."
"What!? More rules?!" Yuichi thought. "The tenth question doesn't sound like it has the same objective as the others. What is he expecting now?"
"Doesn't matter if I could answer it or not. I should have enough points to pass already," Masaki said to himself.
"This might be a hard one…" Tsuruko figured.
"First, you have to choose whether you want to answer the tenth question or not."
Temari thought that it was a ridiculous thing to ask and she lost her temper. "Choose?! What happens if we choose not to?!" she shouted.
Ibiki closed his eyes; he did not seem shocked to hear a candidate raising her voice to the examiner. His eyes then turned into a cold and cruel stare. "If you choose not to, then your current points will be reduced to zero. So, you'll fail along with your two team-mates."
Everyone became angry to hear that and started to shout out in disagreement. However, the examiner was not shaken at all and continued explaining the rules. "The next rule is…if you choose to take it and answered it incorrectly, you will lose the rights to ever take the Chuunin exams again."
That rule just crossed the boundary and Kiba shouted, "WHAT KIND OF STUPID RULE IS THAT?! THERE ARE GUYS HERE WHO HAS TAKEN THE EXAM BEFORE!"
Ibiki broke out into a laugh as if what Kiba said was a joke. "You guys are unlucky…This year, it's my rules…" he said coldly. "But I'm giving you a way out. Those who aren't confident can choose not to take it and try again next year!" he mocked. "Now…let's begin the tenth question…"
The hall was silent and everyone was under pressure. Afraid to fail their team-mates and afraid to be forever a genin. Then Ibiki's voice broke the silence. "Those that choose not to take it, raise your hand. Once your number is confirmed, leave."
After another moment of silence, someone raised his hand. After he and his team left the hall, more people raised their hands and quit. Soon, the hall was filled with echoes of people swearing, cursing and apologizing. Naruto was still pondering. Sakura looked at him from afar and thought about the times when Naruto was happy to be a ninja. With a weak smile on her face, she said silently, "You're always acting like a fool who only knows one thing Naruto…Hokage…Hokage…I'm sorry Naruto…" Sakura was about to take the initiative to quit. "That impossible dream of yours…I don't want to see it crushed."
Before she even raised her hand, she was shocked to see Naruto already raising his.
"Naruto?!" Sakura thought.
"Naruto-san? This can't be the stubborn guy I saw the other day…" Tsuruko sighed.
Everyone thought that he was going to quit but instead, Naruto slammed his hand on the table with full force and shouted out loud in anger, "DON'T UNDERESTIMATE ME!!! I WILL NOT RUN!!! I'LL TAKE IT!!!" Everyone was surprised to hear his bold reply and turned their attention to what he has to say. "I'M NOT AFRAID!!! EVEN IF I WILL BE A GENIN FOR LIFE, I'LL STILL WORK HARD TO BE THE HOKAGE ANYWAY!!! SO I DON'T CARE!!!" After his little speech, Naruto sat on his chair and huffed.
Even Ibiki was surprised this time. "I'll ask you again. Your life is riding on this decision. This is your last chance to quit," he said, trying to shake their confidence once more.
"I follow my words. That is my Nindo."
Everyone became more confident after hearing Naruto's reply. Their worries were washed away. Each and every one of them was determined to answer the tenth question. That was how a shinobi should be, believing in themselves.
The examiner was quiet for awhile. Suddenly, he smiled. "Good decisions. Now…to everyone still remaining…" Everyone prepared themselves for the last question and some of them held their breath. "I congratulate you on passing the first test!!!"
All the candidates were surprised to hear that sudden announcement and were confused.
"Wait…What do you mean? We already passed? What about the tenth question?" Sakura asked.
"There never was such a thing. Maybe you could say that those two choices were the tenth question."
"Huh?"
"Hey! Then what were the first nine questions for?!" Temari said feeling annoyed. "They were pointless then!!!"
"They were not pointless…They have already served their intended purpose…To test your individual gathering information ability!"
"Gathering information?"
"First, as the rules explained…Success on this test is based on the whole team doing well. This puts pressure on each member to not mess things up for their team-mates. But the questions in the tests were not the types that a mere Genin could answer," the examiner explained, in a friendlier way this time. "Because of that, I'm sure most of you came to the same conclusion that to score points…'I'll have to cheat'. So basically, the premise of this test is to cheat."
"EH???!!! I had no idea!!!" Naruto thought and then laughed. "Hahaha!!! I saw right through that! You'll have to be an idiot to not notice that!" he added, trying to hide his shame. Though it was quite obvious…
"Those who cheat poorly fail of course…" Ibiki continued as he removed his head wrap. "Because…in times, information is more important than life. On missions and the battlefield, people risk their lives to get their hands on it…"
Once his head wrap was removed, the sight of his bald head startled everyone. There were scars, drill holes and burn marks all over his head. Not to mention the cuts on his face. Those were signs of torture.
After all the explaining, Temari was still clueless the about the purpose of the last question. The examiner just explained a little bit more and gave an example about a Chuunin with only two choices; to take or not to take a dangerous mission.
"Can the Chuunin avoid the dangerous mission? ...NO!!!" he said. "No matter what the danger, there are missions you can't avoid. The ability to be courageous and survive any hardship…This is the ability needed to become a Chuunin captain!!!"
The room was silent and they began to understand the true meaning of this test and…what qualities a Chuunin should have.
"Those who can't put their destinies on the line…who clings to the uncertain future of 'There's always next year' and walk away from their chance…Those pieces of trash who makes such cowardly choices don't have the right to become a Chuunin!!! That's how I feel….But to those that answered correctly…" Ibiki said looking at Naruto. "You will be able to survive any troubles you face in the future. You have made it through the first test of the Chuunin exams. I wish you guys good luck."
Naruto jumped up from his seat and said happily, "YEAH!!! WISH US LUCK!!!"
As soon as he said that, the windows crashed. Someone wrapped in a black cloth had jumped through it. The hall became noisy with people crying out in surprise and pieces of glass shattering on the floor. When the cloth was spread out, a woman jumped out with much enthusiasm and shouted, "YOU GUYS! THERE IS NO TIME TO BE CELEBRATING! I AM MITARASHI ANKO. YOUR PROCTOR FOR THE SECOND TEST! NOW, COME FOLLOW ME!!!"
Everyone was too surprised to speak and the second examiner was a little embarrassed as she did not get the reaction she had wanted. When she estimated the total amount of candidates who passed the first test, she became furious. There were more candidates than she had expected.
"Ibiki! You left twenty-nine teams?!!!" she said. "Bah! That's fine…I'll at least cut half of them in the second exam."
"Cut us at least in half!?" Sakura was scared at the sound of that. It must be a really though one. The bloodthirsty look on Anko's face was more than enough to intimidate her.
"Ahhh…I'm getting excited. I'll explain everything once we've changed locations…Follow me."
Everyone did as they were told. They were brought to a place where there was a thick, dark forest which was fenced in a huge circle.
"I guess this would be a survival test," Masaki said, pushing back a few strands of hair that was stuck to his forehead. "This could be fun."
"This is not the ordinary survival games you play in Sunagakure, Masaki-kun. Don't forget that this is an exam," Yuichi said, teasing his friend.
"I knew that!!!"
"The atmosphere is different behind the fence than what you see out here," Tsuruko told them. "The smell of danger is in the air…We have to be careful in the second test guys."
After their short conversation, Anko turned to look at the teams. "Welcome to the fourth stage for the second test," she said with a smile. "Practice arena 44. Also known as…'The Forest of Death…'"
Now, that's the end of Act 3! I'm very sorry that the story is a little dull here but I can PROMISE that the story gets better. Be patient ok?
I was thinking maybe I should skip the part where Orochimaru (in disguise) and Anko had their little conversation to the part where the rules were explained. Suggestions accepted. What do you think about this story at this point? Please review! (Cheer me up a little more...)