Chapter 4 – The Beginning (Part 2)

So were I left it off last time team 8 was going into the exam centre to start the Chuunin Exams

My story beings again;

No One's POV

As we walked up the stairs to the second floor we saw a whole bunch of other teams sitting around waiting for the doors to the exam hall to be opened, with two proctors guarding the door way before the exam is supposed to begin.

As they looked around for a place to sit, Shino said "this is the second floor."

Both Hinata and Kiba looked at him confusion before they both started in shock, and looked at each other in horror, both of them thinking the same thing

How could I be so stupid, Kurenhai sensei even told us that the test starts at the top floor, this must all be a genjutsu

Hinata's POV

I quietly activated my Byakugan and looked around, only to find that exactly what I expected, everything was a genjutsu, from the doors to the exam hall, the students waiting for the exam to begin and the entire second floor.

I look at Kiba and Shino and nod signalling that they were right, this is only an illusion and as one we screamed "Kai!" and dispelled the illusion.

The exam proctors walked up to us with smiles on their faces, and one of them explained to us "You've passed the test designed for the Rookie 9, some of the higher up's in the village didn't think that you should be allowed to compete, so Hokage-sama had us create this test for you, if you'll continue up the stairs at the end of the corridor and you'll come to the start of the Chuunin Exams, hurry up now you wouldn't want to be late and have to forfeit would you."

Then they shunshined away in a swirl of leaves, I looked over at the others to gage their opinions of what just happened, Kiba looked furious, Akamaru was growling as viciously as a puppy could and Shino had a stoic unemotional façade as usual, and I was annoyed although I would never show it to anybody else, that isn't the Hyuga way, we are to remain unemotional and always be graceful especially in the view of people not of the Hyuga clan.

Flashback – Hiashi Hyuga teaching Hinata Hyuga the basics of being a shinobi, the attitude not the jutsu

"Hinata, you must never show emotions in public, you are a shinobi and for a shinobi emotion is a weakness, you must overcome your emotions, never show them to anyone never let anybody know what you feel about anything, this is a crucial matter it can be the difference between life and death on a mission, for example when you Uncle took my place do you think that I didn't feel anything, if you did you are more of a pathetic failure than I originally thought of course I felt something but I as the leader of the Hyuga clan and a Jonin of Konohakure no Sato I cannot allow my emotions to lead -the decisions that I make. Do you understand Hinata?"

As I sat there looking up at father, learning from his words (as I did every day until I was eight years old),as always I was terrified in his presence and I could never really understand the points that he was trying to get across when I was scared.

"Ye-Ye—Yes fat—fa—fa-father i-i-i-I under-under-understand." I replied stuttering heavily in my fear, because I truly didn't understand, and I hoped that father would just continue on with the lesson.

Father was looking at me in pity and disgust, I could see it in his eyes, and it seemed to resonate from every pore on his body. I could tell that he was disappointed with me because of my stutter but it seemed the longer that I spent under father's tutelage the worse my stuttering became, if I was left to study under my tutors then I was generally fine, but I couldn't learn all the things that i needed to know about running a clan from my tutors, my father had to teach me the finer and subtle things about running a clan that can only be passed from the head of the clan to their heir.

"So Hinata, what is the point that I am trying to get across? Here I'll give you some help, what is the first rule of the shinobi Hinata?" my father seemed to ask after what seemed to be a lifetime of awkward silence.

I could only sit there shaking because I couldn't answer his question, my tongue seemed to be weighed down and I couldn't move it, I just couldn't open my mouth to answer. I knew the answer, it was on the tip of my tongue but I couldn't get my tongue to move and I couldn't remember with my father watching me. I just sat there in silence as my father glowered on at me.

"The first rule of the shinobi is that a shinobi must hide their emotions so that my enemy does not know their weaknesses so their weaknesses cannot be used against them in battle. Hinata this is one of the first things that you learn, you learn this in your first week as an academy student if you don't know at least this how are you even going to become a genin let alone the next leader of the Hyuga clan. Leave me alone I am to disappointed in you to continue your lessons today go to your room and read 'The Shinobi Code' and do not come before me until you can recite it word for word.

"Ha-ha-hai fa—father." I walked as gracefully as I could from the room as my father turned around and faced the wall at the opposite side of the room, making his attitude towards me obvious to anyone who bothers to look for longer than a second.

It would take me two months before I could recite the eight hundred page book that is the guide of the shinobi of by heart, but I never forgot it again, but that never helped me, for whenever my father asked me to answer a question that 'The Shinobi Code' could answer I would freeze up and never answer any of his questions.

Four months after I memorised 'The Shinobi Code', on my eighth birthday, my father unofficially disowned me and started to have these lessons with my younger sister Hanabi Hyuga.

Hinata's POV

We were waiting in the real exam hall on the third floor, talking about out strategies for possible combat situations using the Konoha sign language system when team 10 walked in.

Ino rushed over to Hinata squealing "Oh my kami, it's been like forever since I've seen you, how are you guy's doing? How long did it take you guys to get through the genjutsu? Shikamaru just looked around and said "where are the stairs to the third level" and they were like, you've passed a test or something like that."

As Ino finally stopped talking to take a breath I finally got a chance to answer her "We've been do-ing pretty well, we've been on a couple of C rank mi—ssi-ons and a lot of D rank missions but nobo-dy got hurt, so we were pr-etty lucky and Shino no-ticed that we were only on the second level so we dispel-lled the ge-nju-tsu and the pro-ctors came up and told us the same as you guys."

As I finished my somewhat stuttered speech Shikamaru came up with Choji muttering something that sounded like "women are so damn troublesome."

Ino turned around and punched him in the shoulder screaming "what have I told you about saying women are troublesome, kami damn it Shikamaru." As she continued to furiously attack his shoulder with punch after punch.

"I'm sorry Ino, I'm sorry, just please stop punching me, che so damn troublesome." Shikamaru replied exasperated.

Ino stopped punching him before saying "Fine but only because you need to be in one piece for the Chuunin Exams, but I won't forget this and I'm going to punish you for this afterwards."

With that team 10 went on their own merry little way to another corner and left us to hear Shikamaru and Ino muttering insults and the tell-tale sign of Choji, the crunching of potato chips.

Not long afterwards team 7 came through the waiting halls doors with Naruto at the lead followed by a slightly beat-up Sasuke and Sakura who was fawning over him. As soon as Naruto walked in the room I started blushing heavily and I moved my hands so that I was pressing my forefingers together, I have found that this is the easiest way to get Naruto out of my mind as it helps me concentrate on something other than him and it also helps me concentrate my mind on the more important things in my life, like the Chuunin Exams, although this method doesn't always work as sometimes, Naruto can be pretty loud, like right now he's screaming out that the other ninja teams should watch out for us because we better than them, Naruto is pretty funny sometimes right.

Then a Konoha ninja came up to us, and told us that we should be quiet as we didn't want everybody's attention on us, especially before the Chuunin Exams have even started. He told us that his name was Kabuto and he gave us some information, he also said that this was his seventh try at the Chuunin Exams; I'm beginning to wonder if I can pass at all.

Kabuto is attacked by some sound ninja after he calls their village small and insignificant and before they can do any series damage, the exam proctors from before following a tall bald man came into view and told us that the exams were about to start and to follow them into the room they came out of.

As we all followed along we came into a room filled with examination desks and actual paper exams, I didn't know what to expect but this definitely wasn't it. After we were all seated the bald man walked to the front of the room and told us;

"Welcome to the Chuunin Exams."