Vanex: Hello all! Okay, some of you have concerns about the OC that Kushina will be paired with. I'd like to take a moment to address those concerns.
This OC is NOT a self-insertion of myself. In fact, most of my OC's are nothing like me. The only one you can even claim is like me is the second incarnation of the Maelstrom, right down to the dress sense. Yes, I have that gray sweater-jacket, though I'm obviously not wearing it. It's too warm for that.
He's not going to be some random weirdo. Give me some credit, people. If I'm going to pair Kushina with an OC, I'm going to make the OC be awesome.
Okay then, let's get to the chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto franchise or Guilty Crown, nor do I make any profit on this whatsoever.
"Normal Talking"
"Normal Thinking/Dreams/Flashbacks"
"Tailed Beast Talking"
"Tailed Beast Thinking"
*Scene Change*
Chapter 2
In the hotel room the Uzushio team is staying at, Kushina is pacing back and forth. Mito and the others watch her. "Mom, what are we going to do?"
"I'm thinking about that. Our best bet to getting Naruto will be just after the second exam is finished, unless they have to have a preliminary round for the third exam. In that case it will be after the prelims that we can get Naruto. But there's something that troubles me."
"What is it?" asks Arashi.
"It's the fact that he hasn't awakened his hidden power. That should have triggered when he was five. Hiruzen did something to him, but I just don't know what. Until I figure that out, it could be dangerous to take Naruto from here."
Mito sighs. "It's amazing to imagine that I've been having nightmares about my brother this whole time."
Kushina nods, remembering Mito telling her about her nightmares, but then she remembers something. "Wait a minute. Mito, didn't you tell me that you had dreams of two people?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Tell me about the second person. It's important."
Mito ponders. "Well, the second person kind of frightened me. He looked like Naruto, except his eyes were different. They were black and red. He was also wearing a black version of Naruto's jumpsuit. But what frightened me the most was this aura he seemed to give off. It was one of bitterness and hatred. Hatred towards Konoha. Every dream I had involving him included being beaten by people in ANBU uniforms, but the masks were weird. They pushed him through rigorous training, abusing him in whatever way they could."
Everyone is silent, looking at Mito in a sort of frightened awe. Kushina recovers and nods. "I think I now know what happened. But to be sure, I need Karin to answer me one question. I know you took a look at Naruto's chakra when you met him. What did you see?"
Karin nods. "It was bright. Brighter than any chakra I had seen before. It felt so warn and pure."
Kushina nods. "I thought so. The reason Naruto didn't activate the Power of Kings is because he's half a person."
The others stare at her in confusion. "What do you mean?" asks Arashi.
"I mean that somehow Naruto was split into two people. The Naruto we encountered earlier was only the good within Naruto. The innocence, the purity. The second Naruto that Mito is dreaming of is the evil of Naruto. The bitterness, the hatred. Another reason I believe this is from when we met the good Naruto. You see, as a former Jinchuriki, I know how painful the life that comes with that is. The good Naruto was too happy. Of course, he could be faking his joy, but there was no trace of sadness or anger in his eyes. It's because he can't feel those emotions. They're in his other half.
I think this was done to ensure that Naruto couldn't access the Power of Kings before he was completely under Hiruzen's thumb. From the description of the ANBU Mito gave me, I think the darker Naruto is being held within the Root facility. However, I don't know where the entrance is. While you three are at the exams tomorrow, I will be searching for the Root facility. You three must keep the good Naruto safe. Once I locate and recover the evil Naruto, we'll work on a way to fuse them back into one. Understood?"
The three nod.
"Good. In the meantime, I'm going to send a messenger bird to Shu, updating him about everything that's been happening."
Vanex: Quick note: This Shu is the OC mentioned in the summary. He is NOT Shu Ouma. Back to the story.
*Scene Change*
Hiruzen looks up when he hears a knock at his door. "Come in."
The door opens and Danzo walks in. "You summoned me, Hiruzen?"
"Yes. Kushina has returned. She knows Naruto is alive, but not that he was split in two people. Have your Root make sure that Kushina never finds out about the other Naruto. Ensure that he stays locked up."
Danzo nods.
*Scene Change*
Tomorrow comes. Team 7 arrives at the door to the room for the first exam. Kakashi is waiting there for them. "So, Sakura came too. Now we can properly take the exam."
Sakura is confused. "What do you mean?"
"The truth is that this test can only be taken by teams of three."
"Huh? But you said that this test was an individual choice. You lied to us?"
"If I told the truth, Naruto or Sasuke would have pressured you to take the exam. Even if you didn't want to, if Sasuke asked you, you would, even though it wasn't in your heart. For the sake of Sasuke, and Naruto too."
"So, if only Sasuke-kun, and Naruto had shown up?"
"The exam would have ended here. They would not get to go any further. But you came of your own will, I'm proud of you three. Now go!"
The three smile and walk inside the exam room, only for the smiles to drop from their faces at seeing the large number of participants in the room, all of them glaring at Team 7.
Suddenly, Sasuke is grabbed from behind. "Sasuke-kun! You're late!" Sasuke groans inwardly, recognizing Ino's voice. "I haven't seen you for a while, so I've been waiting in excitement."
Sakura growls at Ino. "Get away from Sasuke-kun, Ino pig!"
"Why, if it isn't Sakura. Big, ugly forehead as always."
"What did you say?"
Shikamaru walks up with Choji. "You guys are taking this stupid test too?"
Naruto grins at them. "Oh, it's the Idiot Trio!"
"Don't call us that. Man, this sucks."
"Yahoo! Found you! Well, well, everyone is assembled."
Teams 7 and 10 turn to see Team 8 walk up to them. Shikamaru sighs. "Geez, you guys too?"
Kiba grins. "I see all of this year's rookie genin are taking the exam. I wonder how far we'll get, eh Sasuke?"
Sasuke smirks. "You seem confident, Kiba."
"We did a lot of training. We won't lose to you."
"Hello again, Naruto."
The teams turn to see the Uzushio team walk up to them. Naruto grins. "Hello again!"
Sakura looks at Naruto. "You know them?"
"Yeah, I kind of bumped into them after the team meeting. Literally."
Mito smiles. "It's okay, Naruto. I'm glad I bumped into you."
Naruto is confused. "You are?"
Mito nods, tears starting to form in her eyes. "Yeah. You see, after you left, we learned something very important. Your last name is Uzumaki."
Naruto nods, still confused. "Yeah. What's that got to do with anything?"
"We never told you our last name. Naruto, our last name is Uzumaki."
Naruto's eyes widen, along with everyone else's.
"I am Mito Uzumaki, your twin sister." She jumps at Naruto, wrapping her arms around him, the tears finally falling from her eyes. "It's wonderful to see you, brother!"
Everyone is shocked at what they are seeing, Naruto even more so as he looks at his long-lost, twin sister's hair. "I have a sister?"
Arashi nods. "And a half-brother."
Karin smiles. "And a cousin."
Mito looks into Naruto's eyes. "And a mother. She recognized you immediately, and then went to confront the Hokage about you. We all believed you were dead for the last twelve years." The look on Mito's face turns serious. "The Hokage was the one who told her you were dead."
Naruto can't believe what he is hearing. "The Old Man? There's no way he would do that! He's been nothing but kind to me! He wouldn't keep me from my own family!"
Mito says nothing. All she does is hold up the tape recorder. "Then listen to this, and tell me I'm wrong."
Before Naruto can do so, someone else speaks up. "Hey you guys, you should be more quiet." They turn to see someone with silver hair and glasses walk up. He's wearing a Konoha headband. "You guys are rookies just out of the Academy, right? This isn't a picnic."
Sasuke glares at him. "Who do you think you are?"
"I'm Kabuto, and you might want to look behind you."
They all look behind them to see one of the teams glaring at them.
"Those guys behind you are from Amegakure. They have short tempers. Everyone is nervous about the exam. Quiet down before you cause a scene." The teams don't say anything. "Well, I can't blame you. You're clueless rookies. You remind me of how I used to be."
"Kabuto-san, right?" asks Sakura. "So, is this your second time?"
"Nope. My seventh time. This exam is held twice a year, so this is my fourth year."
"Wow. So you know a lot about these exams."
"That's right. Here, I'll share some info with you cute rookies with these nin-info cards."
"Nin-info cards?"
"They are basically cards which have info burned onto them with chakra. I have over four years worth of info here. Over 200 cards." He flips on over. "They look blank. To open the info on these cards..." He trails off as he starts channeling chakra.
"What are you doing?"
"You can't view them unless I use my chakra."
Something appears on the card. Sakura is amazed. "Wow, a really easy graph to read. What kind of info is this?"
"This is the number of those taking the exam and the breakdown of what country they are from."
Sasuke is curious. "Do you have cards with info on individuals?"
"There are some guys that you are worried about? Of course. The info on all of this exam's participants isn't perfect, but I do have it. I even have info on you guys. Say something about these guys and I'll take a look."
"Gaara of Suna, Rock Lee of Konoha, the entire Uzushio team, and Naruto Uzumaki of Konoha."
This surprises everyone. Why would Sasuke want to know about his own teammate?
Kabuto nods. "You know their names. This should be easy." He draws seven cards. "That's weird. This card stuck to this one. Well, we'll look at it last."
Sasuke nods. "Show me."
Kabuto reveals the first card. "Okay, first is Rock Lee. He's a year older than you guys. Mission History: D Rank – 20 completed. C Rank – 12 completed. His sensei is Maito Gai. His taijutsu has improved greatly this year, but the rest is nothing impressive. Last year, he gained attention as a talented new genin, but he did not participate in the exam. Like you guys, this is his first time. His teammates are Neji Hyuga and Tenten."
He then reveals the second card. "Next is Gaara. Mission History: C Rank – 8. B Rank – 1. Wow, a B Rank as a genin. Since he's a newcomer from a foreign country, I don't have much info, but it seems he returns from all of his missions without a scratch."
This frightens everyone a bit. Kabuto reveals the third card. "Next is Mito Uzumaki. Mission History: D Rank – 25. C Rank – 15. B Rank – 1. Another genin with a B Rank. We certainly have an impressive bunch this year. Again, I don't have much info, as she's a newcomer from a new country. Her teammates are Karin Uzumaki and Arashi Uzumaki. Her sensei is..." He trails off. "Impressive. Her sensei is the Red-Hot Habanero, Kushina Uzumaki, who also happens to be her mother."
All of the Konoha ninja freeze. They had heard of the Red-Hot Habanero in school and of how they should never piss her off.
Kabuto looks at the next two cards. "There's nothing on the cards for Karin and Arashi that I haven't already told you, so we can skip them. That leaves Naruto Uzumaki." He reveals the card. "Mission History: D Rank – 15. A Rank – 1. An A Rank? This has to be faulty."
Naruto shakes his head. "Nope. My team and I really did an A Rank mission. It's a long story."
Kabuto stares at him for a few moments, before looking back at the card. "His sensei is Kakashi Hatake. Well, that explains how you guys could have survived an A Rank mission. There is nothing impressive about any of his skills, which makes me wonder why you're even in these exams. His teammates are Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha."
Kabuto claps his hands. "Now then, let's look at this mystery card." He takes a look and his eyes widen. "What the? There must be something wrong with my deck."
"What's wrong?" asks Sakura.
Kabuto reveals the card. "It's another card for Naruto Uzumaki, but this one is completely different. Even the picture of Naruto looks different. Look at his eyes."
Everyone looks. The Naruto in the picture's eyes look downright evil. Mito immediately recognizes him as the second Naruto from her dreams. Kabuto clears his throat. "Mission History: D Rank – 15. A Rank – 1. His sensei is Kakashi Hatake. His teammates are Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha. Look at his skills! They're much higher than the ones on the previous card! There's more! He is listed as the son of Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage! He has a twin sister, one Mito Uzumaki."
Mito nods. "Yes. I can confirm that the Fourth Hokage is our father."
This gets the attention of everyone in the room. The Konoha ninja can now see the similarities between the Uzumaki twins and the Fourth Hokage. Suddenly, there is a puff of smoke. "Quiet down, you worthless bastards!" The smoke clears to reveal a group of chunin, being led by someone wearing a black coat. "Thanks for waiting. I am Ibiki Morino, the examiner for the Chunin Exam's first test. Okay, first things first, there will be no fighting without the permission of the examiner. Even if permission is granted, killing your opponent will not be tolerated. Those pigs that disobey me will be failed immediately. Do I make myself clear?"
Everyone nods.
"Good. We will now start with the first test in the Chunin Exam. You will not keep your current seating arrangements. You will pick on of these tabs and sit in the seat assigned to you. We will then hand out the exams."
Naruto is pissed. "What? A paper test?"
A short time later, everyone is in their seats and has a paper in front of them.
Ibiki nods. "Okay, do not turn your tests over. Listen closely to what I'm about to say." He walks over to board and picks up a piece of chalk. "There are many important rules to this first test. I'll write them on the board while I explain, but questions will not be allowed, so listen carefully. The first rule. You guys will all start off with 10 points. The test is made up of 10 questions and each one is worth a point. However, this test uses a subtraction system. Basically, if you answer all 10 questions correctly, you keep your 10 points. But, say, if you miss three questions, you lose three points and will have 7."
He writes more. "The second rule. This is a team test. Whether you pass or not will be determined by the combined score of your teammates. So, each team will compete to see how many points they can hold on to from the initial team total of 30."
Sakura stand up. "Wait a second! I don't understand this initial points system either, but why is it a team test?"
"Shut up. You don't have the right to question me. There is a reason for this. Be quiet and listen."
Sakura quietly sits back down.
"Okay, and now for the most important rule. The third rule is that during the exam, anyone caught by the testing officers doing sneaky activities, namely cheating, will have 2 points subtracted for every offense. So, there will be some who will lose all of their points during the exam and will be asked to leave."
The testing officers all sit down in different areas of the room. "We'll have our eyes on you guys."
"Realize that the pathetic ones that get caught cheating will be destroying themselves. As shinobi trying to achieve the level of chunin, be proud ninja. And now for the final rule. Those that lose all their initial points during the test and those that don't answer any questions correctly will be failed along with their two teammates."
This shocks everyone.
"The exam will last one hour. Okay, begin!"
Everyone flips over their papers and starts the test. Naruto immediately starts panicking. 'I can't fail here! I've survived through dangerous situations numerous times!'
Sasuke notices Naruto from his seat. 'Damn, this is bad. Looks like Naruto is already freaking out.'
Sakura also notices Naruto. 'Is Naruto going to be alright? I have to worry about myself. I need to get us points here.' She reads the question. 'This is a very complicated question that requires a high amount of both book smarts and experience. There's no way Naruto can answer this. Actually, almost everybody here won't be able to, though I can.'
Sasuke finishes reading all the questions. 'Heh. I see. I can't answer a single one of these. Plus, what's with Question 10?'
Naruto has also finished reading the questions. 'This is bad! Seriously bad! What should I do? What should I do?'
Mito notices Naruto. 'Oh no! The stress is getting to him!'
Sasuke glances at the testing officers. 'What's with them? It's like they assume that we will cheat. Those bastards.'
Arashi has finished reading the questions and notices something odd. 'I know the answers to these questions! But how? I know I didn't study any of this before!'
Sakura is thinking over the rules. 'The second rule. If they add up all the team member's scores, that means we will be ranked. How many teams will be allowed to pass through? It doesn't matter. It's not like knowing will make any difference.'
"Um, I'd just like to know one thing." Sakura is startled and turns to see that the genin sitting next to her has stood up. "How many teams will pass this test?"
Ibiki smirks. "It's not like knowing will help you, or do you want to be disqualified?"
The genin quickly sits down. "Sorry."
Sakura nods, having listened to that. 'I thought so. If, say, only 10 of the 51 teams are allowed to pass, then you have to score a lot of points. This is a system that encourages cheating. Hopefully, Naruto and Sasuke-kun won't be foolish to try and cheat.' She looks at Naruto and shakes her head. 'Don't worry, Naruto isn't that stupid. I know that.'
Sasuke is still watching the testing officers. 'All of those guys that are watching us are probably making checks on those sheets every time they catch someone cheating.' He then thinks back to what Ibiki said, and his eyes widen. 'Wait a second! I see, so that's it! Damn it, this isn't a test to just measure our intelligence. Hurry up and notice, Naruto. It could cost you everything, because this is also a test to see how well we can gather information with our skills. A shinobi must read underneath the underneath.
So, what the examiner meant was if you are going to cheat, don't do it pathetically. Do it like a proud ninja, and don't get caught. If you look at it that way,the subtraction system and the fact they let you get caught four times before failing all makes sense. So, basically, what is being tested is our ability to gather information without being caught by the testing officers and the person whose test we are cheating off. Notice this, Naruto! The smart guys will begin moving soon!'
Over with Gaara, he glares at Kankuro, who gives a small nod. With Kiba, Akamaru is barking out the answers and Kiba, being the only one who can understand him, writes down the answers. Shino uses his bugs to get the answers. Tenten uses a mirror that she has attached to the ceiling, so that Lee can get the answers. Dosu of the Oto team uses sounds to get the answers. Neji uses his Byakugan. Sasuke uses his Sharingan. Karin is clever, like Sakura, and is able to write down the answers without cheating. This leaves Naruto and Mito, neither knowing the answers, and neither knowing how to cheat without getting caught. Unlike Naruto, Mito is being calm, trying to think of a way to get the answers.
*Scene Change*
In his cell, Dark Naruto sits in a meditative position.
"What are you doing?"
'I'm going to try to use the link to help Mito and the other me. I can see the test questions through them and I know the answers. There's no way they're going to succeed without my help.'
*Scene Change*
Naruto is still panicking, when a kunai passes right by him and stabs itself into the desk behind him, right through the test paper of another Konoha genin. The genin looks at the testing officer who threw the kunai. "What was that for?"
"You messed up five times. You fail."
"No! No way!"
"The two on his team, get out of here. Right now."
The Konoha team leaves the room.
Naruto calms himself down. 'That was close. Okay, I've decided that I'm not going to cheat.'
"Naruto-kun." Naruto looks next to him to see Hinata looking at him. "You can look at my test."
"Huh?"
"You can look at my answers, Naruto-kun."
"Why are you willing to do that?"
She presses her fingers together and blushes. "Because I don't want you to fall here." She quickly covers up her feelings. "See, the nine of us are the only rookies. We need to work together."
"Oh, I see. I was kind of confused." 'I'm lucky I'm next to Hinata.' He's about to start copying Hinata's paper, when he notices one of the testing officers out of the corner of his eye. 'Hinata, you don't understand.'
Hinata notices that Naruto isn't copying her answers. "What's wrong?"
He grins. "An incredible ninja like me doesn't need to cheat."
She looks at him in surprise. "Naruto-kun."
"If you help me cheat, you could get in trouble too." 'And if I get caught, it will cause problems for Sakura-chan and Sasuke. I can't blow it here!'
Hinata nods. "I'm sorry. You're right."
"No problem." 'I'm an idiot! Now what am I going to do?' He looks at the clock. '30 minutes have passed. Only 30 minutes left.'
Mito also notices the clock. 'Damn it! I don't have a way to cheat! What am I going to do?'
'Geez, you two are so helpless.'
Both Naruto and Mito perk up at the voice. 'What the? Who said that?'
'I did.' An image of someone with red eyes flashes in their minds. 'You know who I am, Mito.'
Mito nods, recognizing who it is. 'Why?'
'Because it's in my interest for you two to succeed. I can't have you failing here. Lucky for the both of you, I have the answers to the questions. The bonus of this is that there's no way the testing officers can know you two are cheating, unless they are mind readers.'
Naruto nods. 'I don't know who you are, but if Mito trusts you, than I will as well.'
'You also know who I am, Naruto. Kabuto told you about me. We'll be meeting soon.'
Naruto scratches his head, confused at that, but shrugs and listens to the voice as he gives the answers. Over with Sakura, she has finished writing down the answers. So has Sasuke. Ino, who has been watching Sakura, notices that she has finished and uses her technique to jump into Sakura's body. Ino quickly gets to work memorizing the answers, so that she can copy them down and then take over both Shikamaru and Choji, so that they will pass as well.
As time goes on, 12 more teams fail. One of the genin who was caught stands up in anger. "Do you have proof that I cheated five times? Are you guys watching all-"
Before he can finish, he is slammed against the wall by one of the officers. "Listen, among chunin, we are the elite that were assembled to watch over this exam. We haven't missed anything you've done. You could say that this strength is our proof."
Back up front, Ibiki notices Gaara. 'What is that kid up to? Completely calm during all of this. Very impressive.'
What Gaara is actually doing is using the Third Eye to copy off another person's test. At this moment, Kankuro raises his hand and stands up. "Excuse me."
One of the officers looks at him. "What is it?"
"I need to use the bathroom."
The officer, annoyed, puts a pair of handcuffs on Kankuro. "I have to follow you to the bathroom."
"I see." At the bathroom, Kankuro smirks. 'Those testing officers aren't very impressive. They didn't even notice that there was an extra one. Don't you think, Karasu?' Back in the testing room, Kankuro's puppet, disguised as a testing officer, looks up. Kankuro grins from the bathroom. 'So, start telling me the answers from question 1.'
Back in the testing room, Ibiki looks at the clock. 'It's about that time. We've gotten rid of the trash. Let's get to the main event.' He stands up."Okay, we will now start with the 10th question."
Everyone looks at him, waiting. Temari looks nervous. 'Hurry up and return, Kankuro. You are supposed to pass the answers to me before the 10th question.'
"Now, before we get to the question, I'd like to go over the added rules for this question." Everyone looks at him in shock. It's at this time that Kankuro returns. Ibiki notices him. "Nice timing."
The officer who went to the bathroom with Kankuro removes the handcuffs. "Was your doll playing beneficial?"
Kankuro is shocked. 'He saw through Karasu!'
"Go sit down."
Kankuro heads back to his seat, walking past Temari and secretly passing something to her. Ibiki watches Kankuro sit down and then clears his throat. "I'll now explain. These are the rules of desperation."
*Scene Change*
Kakashi sighs. "It sure is boring without my team."
Asuma looks at him. "Don't worry, you'll be busy again soon."
"Why is that?"
"I heard that the examiner for the first test is Ibiki Morino."
Kakashi looks at Asuma in disbelief, before sighing. "Not that sadist."
Kurenai looks at the two. "Sadist?"
Asuma nods. "Kurenai, you're a new jonin, so you probably don't know."
"Who is he?"
"A pro."
"A pro? Of what?"
Asuma lights a cigarette and takes a puff of it. "Torture and interrogation."
"Huh?"
"He's part of the Konoha Assassination Squad. He's the torture and interrogation captain. Well, there may not be physical torture while taking a test, but they must be experiencing mental suffering brought on by his interrogation skills."
*Scene Change*
"First, for the 10th question, you must decide whether you will take it or not."
Temari glares at Ibiki. "Choose? What happens if we choose not to?"
"If you choose not to, your points will be reduced to zero. You fail, along with your two teammates."
A few of the genin start shouting out. "What does that mean?"
"Then of course we will decide to take the question!"
Ibiki just continues talking. "And now the other rule. If you choose to take it and answer incorrectly, that person will lose the right to ever take the Chunin Exams again."
Kiba snarls. "What kind of stupid rule is that? There are guys here who have taken the exam before!"
Ibiki smirks. "You guys were unlucky. This year, it's my rules. But I am giving you a way out. Those that aren't confident can choose not to take it and try again next year."
Sakura is shocked. 'So, basically, if one of the three chooses not to take it, everyone fails. But if you decide to take it and get it wrong, you'll be a genin forever! Both options are bad! What a decision!'
"Now, let's begin the 10th question. Those that do not wish to take it, raise your hand. Once your number is confirmed, leave."
Naruto is thinking to himself. 'What kind of question is it going to be? If I get it wrong, I'll be an eternal genin! But if I choose to avoid it, Sasuke and Sakura-chan will fail too! I don't want that either!'
Sakura nods. 'I won't raise my hand. I have confidence that I can answer it. Even if Naruto causes us to fail, it's not like I got the question wrong, so I can try again next time.' She looks at Naruto. 'But Naruto, you're different. You should forget about us and think about the next chance.'
A hand goes up, but it's not Naruto. It's the Konoha genin sitting to his left. "I won't take it! I'm sorry, Gennai, Inoho."
"Number 50, you fail! Numbers 130 and 111 also fail!"
The two mentioned genin stand up, while the genin who had quit slumps on his desk. "Damn it!"
It's at this point that other genin start quitting. Teams are failing left and right. Sakura is looking at Naruto in shock. 'Naruto, why aren't you raising your hand?' She thinks back over the time she's spent with Naruto during team meeting and missions. 'Always acting like a fool who only knows one thing. Hokage... Hokage. I'm sorry, Naruto. That impossible dream of yours, I don't want to see it crushed!' She starts to raise her hand, but seems something that shocks her.
*Scene Change*
Asuma chuckles. "Ibiki knows the human mind completely. That's what makes him scary. By attacking their mind, he can gain control over their spirit. The person's weaknesses all float to the surface. You can't escape his interrogation."
*Scene Change*
Naruto has risen his hand. All of the other rookies, plus the Uzushio team stare at him in shock.
*Scene Change*
"I have faith in them."
The three turn to look at the Uzushio jonin, who they all immediately recognize as Kushina. Asuma takes another puff of his cigarette. "You have faith?"
Kushina nods. "Yes. I have faith in my team, and in Naruto."
Kurenai and Asuma are confused as to why Kushina has faith in Naruto, but Kakashi knows. "The faith of a mother in her children. They must be lucky to have someone believe in them as much as you do."
Kurenai and Asuma are shocked at hearing Naruto is Kushina's son. Kushina nods. "Yes. I know they will be fine, because I am their mother and I believe in them."
*Scene Change*
Naruto slams his hand down on the table. "Don't underestimate me! I will not run! I'll take it! Even if I'm a genin forever, I will reach my goal of Hokage anyway, so I don't care. I'm not afraid!"
The others smile at him. Ibiki just stares at Naruto. "I'll ask you again. Your life is riding on this decision. This is your last chance to quit."
"I follow my unbending words. That's my ninja way."
Ibiki looks around the room again, noticing the change on their faces. 'Interesting kid. He blasted away everyone's worries. 78 left, more than I expected.' He looks at the other chunin. 'Stretching this any longer won't make any difference.' He looks back at the genin. "Good decision. Now, to everyone still remaining, I congratulate you on passing the first test!"
Everyone is silent. Finally, Sakura says something. "Wait, what do you mean? We already pass? What about the 10th question?"
Ibiki grins. "There never was such a thing, or you could say that those two choices were the 10th question."
Temari is pissed. "Then what were the first nine questions for? They were pointless then!"
"They were not pointless. They had already served their intended purpose. To test your individual information gathering ability, that was their purpose."
"Information gathering?"
"First, as the rules explained, success on the test is based on the whole team doing well. This puts pressure on each member not to mess things up for their teammates. But the questions on this test were not the types that a mere genin could answer. Because of that, I'm sure most of the people came to the same conclusion, that to score points I'll have to cheat. Basically, the premise of this test is to cheat. As cheating targets, we had two or so chunin who knew all the answers mixed into the crowd." The two chunin stand up. "But those that chose poorly, fail of course."
Ibiki reaches up and removes his headband and bandana, revealing the numerous scars on his head. "Because, in times, information is more important than life, and on missions and the battlefield, people risk their lives to get their hands on it." Ibiki ties the headband and bandana back on. "If the enemy or 3rd party notices you, there is no guarantee the info will be accurate. I want you to remember this. Important information in your hands can be a powerful weapon for your comrades and for your village. So, we had you gather information through cheating. This clearly separates those that did not have the right abilities from those who did."
Temari huffs. "But I don't understand the final question."
Ibiki smiles again. "But Question 10 is the true purpose of this test."
Sakura is confused. "What do you mean?"
"Let me explain. The 10th question, the 'take it' or 'not take it' decision. Obviously, those were painful choices. Those who choose the latter, fail along with their teammates. Those who choose to take it, could lose the chance to ever take the test again. A true leap of faith.
Here, let me give you two more. Say, you guys become chunin. Your mission is to steal a secret document. The amount of ninja, their abilities, etc. is unknown to you. And of course, there could be traps set all around you. Now, do you accept, or not accept? Because you don't want to die, because you don't want your comrades hurt, can you avoid the dangerous mission? The answer is no! 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 chunin captain.
Those that can't put their destinies on the line, who cling to the uncertain future of 'there's always next year', and then walk away from that chance, those pieces of trash who can only make such cowardly choices, don't have the right to become chunin! That's how I feel! Those who choose to take it answered the 10th question correctly. You will be able to survive any troubles you face in the future. You have made it through the entrance. The first test of the Chunin Exam is now finished. I wish you guys luck."
Everyone smiles, now having a new respect for Ibiki. Naruto starts cheering over getting past the first exam. However, at that moment, something comes crashing through the window and unfolds right in front of Ibiki. Ibiki sighs. "Not this one."
The object fully unfolds to reveal that it's a banner, with a woman standing in front of it. The woman looks at the genin. "You guys, this is no time to be celebrating! I am the examiner for the second test, Anko Mitarashi! Now, let's go! Follow me!"
Everyone just stares at her. Ibiki slips out from behind the banner. "Bad timing."
Everyone sweatdrops, including Anko. Sakura is annoyed. 'This examiner is Naruto-ish.'
Anko counts the number of people left. "78? Ibiki, you left 26 teams? This test was too easy this time!"
Ibiki smirks. "This time, there a lot of outstanding ones."
"Bah, that's fine. I'll at least cut them in half in the second test."
Sakura is scared. "At least in half? Cut us?"
"Ah, I'm getting excited. I'll explain everything once we've changed places. Follow me."
After the genin follow Anko out of the room, Ibiki goes around to collect the papers, and stops at Naruto's, curious to see how well he did. "Heh, he got them all right. Impressive. I wonder how he cheated?"
*Scene Change*
The real Kushina is walking through the streets of Konoha (the one with the other jonin is a shadow clone), searching for the entrance to the Root Facility. 'I'm coming, Naruto. Wait for me.'
*Scene Change*
Inside the facility, Dark Naruto smirks. 'She's coming.'
*Scene Change*
Anko leads the genin to a fenced off forest. The fence has signs on it, warning people to stay away. Everyone gulps at the forest. Anko smirks. "Welcome to the stage for the second test, Training Ground 44, also known as 'The Forest of Death'!"
Vanex: This is the longest chapter I've ever written. But that's because I went the extra mile here, so I could get the details and the dialogue of the first exam right. Covering the second exam will probably be almost as long, possibly longer. We'll see when I type it. See you all next time!
