Disclaimer: Masashi owns Naruto, I don't.
CHAPTER 7
Autumn had Konoha firmly in its grip. The usual scorching summer heat had cooled into a windy chill that promised a snowy winter, and the vibrant green of the leaves had changed with the turning of the seasons, falling from their branches in a rain of reds, yellows, and browns.
She lay the bouquet of chrysanthemums against the smooth white stone. Gently brushing off a few dead leaves that littered the small pedestal the headstone stood on, she crouched on her haunches and let out a soft sigh as the cool winds whipped around her.
"Hey, Mom." Naruko said quietly, but with a smile. "We just got back yesterday. The mission went fine for the most part, but…ugh!" she covered her eyes with her hand and shook her head with an embarrassed laugh. "Oh, it was horrifying! That guy the client warned us about must have hired civvy freelancers to steal the package from us en route. They were good too; waited for us in the border town a day before we made the drop off and somehow figured out I was the one holding it. We decided to treat ourselves and take a trip to the hot springs. It was a slow night so there was no one else around. It was nice. At least up until the moment I went to change back into my clothes and found the three freelancers going through my stuff looking for the package. Didn't find it though since I had it beside me while I was in the bath. It kicked off the second they saw me."
She laughed again let her head tilt back. "Oh, you should have seen me. Standing there; package in one hand and holding my towel closed with the other, fighting these three guys! I managed to put them down quick enough, but the real challenge was getting dressed before my squad arrived. I barely had my shirt on before Gai kicked the door in. I'm telling you if he saw me I'd never live down the shame."
Reaching down she picked up a wayward twig from the ground and began fiddling with it. "I haven't really had time to stop and fill you in on what's been going on these last few weeks have I? Sorry about that, things have been busy. Let's see, what else has been going on? Oh, I'm finally getting a hang of the tree walking exercise. I still can't stand still but I can run up it for as long as I want. Heh, only took me six months to get this far. PT (Physical Training) has improved as well. I still can't take Lee or Neji in a fight but I can take a beating and stay standing until Gai calls the spar."
She twirled the twig between her fingers before snapping it. The sound of the dry wood breaking echoed across the eerily silent cemetery. Flicking the broken bits away she dusted off her hands. "You know, I can't believe how things have changed since the Hokage made me the offer to become a kunoichi. Quiet little me becoming a hard as nails ninja? I almost laughed him right out of the Shack. But now…I don't know. When I think about what else I'd rather be doing I can't really come up with anything. Six months as a ninja already and I still get excited when we go out on a mission or sensei teaches us something new. Kinda makes me think of what things might have been like if I enlisted in the academy with the rest of the kids. Ugh, seven years stuck in the same class as Neji!" she made a face and chuckled. "Still, I can't help but think that this is what I'm supposed to be doing. It's certainly a long way from stacking boxes and running errands that's for sure."
She checked her trusty battered watch and sighed. "Sorry, Mom, but I have to go. Sensei said we need to meet up early tomorrow. Something about an important announcement. I'll see you if not before my next mission then at the beginning of next month."
She laid a loving hand on the top of the stone before turning and heading for the gate of the cemetery, the autumn leaved dancing in the wind in her wake.
"Chuunin Selection Exam?" Naruko sat up from her reclining posture on the bench. "What's that?"
"Exactly what it sounds like." Gai said as he leaned against the support beam. The squad was gathered in the terrace that served as their usual meeting place, which had at some point come to be known as the Roost. The three Genin of Squad 9 sat before their sensei, one confused and the other two with noticeable airs of excitement (Or in Neji's case barely repressed satisfaction).
"Yosh!" Lee hollered, punching the air with his fist.
"About time." Neji agreed, leaning back with a happy quirk tugging at his lips.
Gai chuckled at their eagerness. He remembered his own reaction way back when. "The exam, Naruko, is a bi-yearly tournament held every six months where ninja from many villages come to display their skills and work for a chance to earn their promotion. There are many ways to be promoted of course, but the exam provides the opportunity to show the world the calibre of our up and coming shinobi. It's a PR stunt at its very basic."
"What, so every six months we just open up the gates to any ninja who wants to try for promotion?" she asked a little incredulously. It sounded like an awfully big risk just to advertise their services.
"Well there are restrictions that limit the number of foreign ninja who can attend, and how many from each village, but we're not the only village who holds the tournaments. There's an international group called the Chuunin Examination Committee (CEC) set up to ensure that all the rules are properly followed. Only a select number of foreign ninja are allowed to attend and spaces are always highly sought after, most of which go to the host village. This time around that village is us."
"But the academy graduated seven months ago so how come the exams are only happening now?"
"The exam and Konoha's academy year don't run on the same timetable for many reasons, most of which involve the academy timetables of the other four major Hidden Villages. The last exams were held in Kumogakure a month after this years academy group graduated."
"Oh." Naruko said. That made sense.
"When do the exams start, Gai-sensei?" Lee leaned forward eagerly.
"Three weeks from now."
Neji frowned. "That's a little short notice, don't you think?"
Gai nodded. "It is, but there are reasons for it."
"What kind of reasons?"
"Nothing you should concern yourself with right now." he waved away their concerns. "Right now the thing you should be concerning yourself with is the decision of whether or not you want to sign up for the exam."
"Why wouldn't we?" Lee asked, completely baffled as to why any self-respecting ninja would turn down such a chance.
"Because this exam is not like those you took in the academy." the no-nonsense expression on the Jounin's face tempered any excitement they may have been feeling. Gai's dark eyes dragged over each of them. "I won't beat around the bush here. These exams have a very high casualty rate. There has never been an exam where at least one squad has not been killed. These tests are designed to replicate conditions in real-world missions which means there will be very real dangers."
He reached up and pulled down the neck of his jumpsuit to expose an old ragged scar at the junction where his shoulder joined his neck. "I got this half way through my first exam. My squad was ambushed when two foreign squads decided to work together to take us out. I was clipped by a fuuma shuriken, just barely missing my carotid artery. My team-mates managed to drag me to safety and were forced to forfeit to get me medical attention. If it hadn't been for them I'd be dead." he covered the old wound back up. "That's just a small example of the dangers you'll face if you decide to take part in the exams. I'm not trying to scare you; I'm just trying to make you understand that these tests are not for the faint of heart. If you decide to take part you must do so with utmost commitment and dedication."
The Genin glanced at each other. Even Neji was looking slightly pale. As far as they were concerned Gai was the strongest ninja in the village bar the Hokage himself, and that even as a child he must have been better than his peers despite his claims at being the dead-last of his year group. It was childishly naïve, but they still held onto the belief. The sight of the near fatal wound, however, had rattled that belief.
Gai crouched so that he was eye-level with his students. "I don't want your answer now. Take the rest of the day to think about and we'll meet back here tomorrow. Just remember; there's no shame in waiting until you are sure you're ready. Do you understand?"
He waited until he got a nod from each of them before dismissing them. He put a foot on the railing and was about to leap off when Lee stopped him.
"Wait! What if two of us want to take part but one of us does not? Will we still be able to take part in the exam?"
Gai looked back at them. "Yes. This is something you must decide for yourself. Don't let anyone else pressure you into it. There will be no room for doubt in these tests."
With that he leapt off the terrace and vanished. Squad 9 stayed for a few more minutes before dispersing back towards their homes. They had a lot to think about.
Sleep eluded Naruko that night. She lay on top of the covers of her bed, dressed in baggy sweats and a large academy t-shirt. Moonlight streamed in through the cracked window illuminating everything in shades of grey. Her hands were threaded behind her head and she stared at up at the ceiling, turning over Gai's offer in her head.
Chuunin. Chuunin Uzumaki Naruko. She had to admit it sounded good.
But even so the doubts wouldn't leave her alone. She tended to over think things, she knew, but this was a major decision. Gai's story had really unnerved her. She knew the man wasn't invincible, but he was strong, and if he could be almost killed in the exams then what hope did she have? In six months she had yet to even come close to winning a spar against Lee or Neji, despite Gai's claims that she was getting there. Civilian professionals she could handle no problem. But shinobi? That wasn't just a whole other ballpark; it was a different bloody sport!
As soon as they'd been dismissed she had come straight home and proceeded to stress. Every possible disaster scenario conceivable ran through her mind. She'd tried to imagine what would happen if she were ambushed by enemy ninja, or if she was badly wounded with no one around to help, or if she was confronted by some huge carnivorous animal, or a million and one other things.
She may be a worrier, but in the shinobi world the lines between the possible and the impossible can get very blurred.
She was reminded of that day when Sarutobi Hiruzen himself showed up on her doorstep offering her the opportunity to be trained by one of the village's elite. She stressed about that for over two weeks before a trip to her mother's final resting place had convinced her to go for it. Somehow she didn't think that would cut it this time though.
Making up her mind she pushed herself off her bed and grabbed a pair of leather sandals from under her bed. While she would never wear them on a mission or even for PT she had to admit they were comfortable enough to wear around the village on her days off. The cold night air didn't bother her so she went without a jacket.
She realised she wouldn't be able to make this decision on her own. She needed an objective outlook. She needed another perspective.
Damn it, she needed help. And she knew just where to get it.
Lee's apartment complex wasn't really that far from the Shack. While it wasn't in the slums it was still in one of the poorer parts of town. Since rooftop travel was restricted to the patrols at night she was forced to walk through the streets. Since it was both late and a weeknight there was no one else out except for the shinobi who drew the nightshift. Her impeccable hearing caught the baby soft sound of the patrols' footsteps on the shingles of the roofs as they passed over her head.
She stood in the alley behind the complex, hands on her waist as she stared up at the numerous dark windows. Dozens of washing lines extended between the buildings heavy with freshly washed clothes hung out to dry. She had only ever been here once before, and for the life of her she couldn't remember which apartment belonged to her team-mate.
She frowned. She didn't want to go knocking at the door and risk waking up Lee's mother. The woman worked long hours and Naruko didn't want to disturb her. She examined the washing lines and grinned indulgently as she saw a particular gaudy green jumpsuit hanging on one of the lines six stories up. From there it was easy to pick out Lee's window.
Then she frowned again. While her chakra control had improved it was still quite bad by most standards. If she tried to simply walk up the wall her chakra signature would have every patrol in the village bearing down on her in a second and she really didn't think 'I want to talk to my team-mate,' would serve as a good excuse for disturbing the peace.
"Guess I'll have to do this the old fashioned way." she muttered to herself. She was suddenly glad she decided to wear sandals tonight. It would make this a whole lot easier.
It was practically a law that every building constructed in a Hidden Village had wide windows and some form of balcony for shinobi access. Even in a predominantly civilian district that same rule applied as each apartment had good sized windows and those tiny balconies that were barely more than a door and a railing, and the flourishing window boxes that hung from them proved that the people living here were Konoha born and raised.
Mentally working out her route she took several steps back. Making sure she remembered exactly which window was Lee's she crouched slightly, drew in a long breath, then ran full out at the wall.
Even in the cramped confines of the alley she managed to run several meters up the wall, reaching the second floor windows, before gravity started to assert itself. Flexing like a coiled spring she pushed off of the wall, landed on the wall of the other building, and launched herself even higher. Wall jumping between the two buildings chakra-free, she actually managed to reach the sixth floor before she lost most of her momentum. She latched onto the rusting drainpipe that run up the side of Lee's building and let out a muffled curse as her foot slipped. A drizzle of rain earlier that day had covered most of Konoha in a slippery sheet, and she heard the rotting pipe let out a tortured metal groan as her fingers reflexively tightened around it.
Glancing to her right she saw that only one window separated her from Lee's bedroom. Shimmying down the pipe a little so that she was level with the window ledge she reached out with one hand and grabbed a hold of it. Like the pipe it was wet from the earlier drizzle, and the moss growing on it didn't help matters. She only prayed the apartment's occupant didn't wake up and look outside to see her dangling from their window.
'If a Jounin lives here and he catches me I'm screwed.' she thought, glancing apprehensively at the dark window. Making sure her grip on the ledge was ironclad she let go of the pipe, her hand shooting to join her other on the ledge. The feel of her fingers digging into wet moss was unpleasant, but she's suffered far worse before.
Sudden movement caught her ear and she froze, her body instinctively tensing and attempting to get as flat against the wall as possible. Peeking up, her breath turned to ice in her lungs as she saw a patrol fly overhead, dark blurs against the inky black sky. They didn't pause as they continued on with their patrol.
For several long seconds Naruko stayed there, dead still and clutching onto the side of the building like some badly designed gargoyle. When she was sure that the patrol was gone and that she wouldn't be caught she let out a long shuddering breath.
It suddenly occurred how stupid she must look; scaling a building in the middle of the night in her jammies like a common burglar just to ask her team-mate for some advice.
'Classy, Uzumaki, very classy.' she snarked to herself.
Deciding to get this over and done with she shimmied to the edge of the ledge and reached out towards the one outside Lee's bedroom window. With a small grunt she shifted her weight and hauled herself over. With a sigh of relief she hefted herself up and peered through the glass and into her team-mate's bedroom.
It was definitely Lee's room alright, exactly as it had been the last time she was here. Various exercise equipment scattered on the ground. The first ever jumpsuit Gai had given Lee framed and hanging on the wall, bearing the Jounin's own autograph. Dozens upon dozens of dog-eared books on training and breaking the human body tumbling from rickety shelves on the wall, surrounded by various pictures of the boy himself either with his mother or Gai. She and Neji were in one or two as well. Yes, it was definitely Lee's room alright. There was just one problem.
The Youthful little bugger in question was not in his bed.
"Where the hell is he?" Naruko hissed aloud, glancing around the room. The covers of his bed were tossed aside so she knew he had been sleeping here at some point tonight, but the bedroom door was closed so it was unlikely that he had just gone to the bathroom.
Naruko was silently fuming. All that hassle and the boy didn't even have the common decency to be in his bed so she could wake him up. Her entire body seeming to sag, she let her head fall back as she stared up at the heavens, defeated. Why couldn't anything in her life be simple?
'He couldn't have gone far. He's not exactly a night owl, and he always makes sure he's fully rested for PT with Gai. If I were Lee where would I…bingo!'
New energy filled her. It only took minor effort on her part to scramble back to the pipe. Hand over hand she hauled herself up the pipe, scaling the remaining four floors, heading for the roof.
"Naruko?" Lee asked bemusedly as he watched the sole female element of Squad 9 hauled herself into the roof. "Why are you climbing the side of my building?"
"Long story." she dodged the question as she wiped her wet hands off on her sweats and took a look around. Someone had converted the roof into a small semi-private garden; a common fixture in Konoha. There were a few long flowerbeds overflowing with greenery and a small greenhouse nestled beside the stairwell that led to the roof.
Lee was leaning against one of the flowerbeds with his arms crossed, still dressed in his pyjamas, and sitting on the ledge nearby was Neji, still dressed from earlier that day.
"I guess I'm not the only one who hasn't made up my mind." she observed as she perched herself on the ledge she just climbed over, across the roof from Neji, and with Lee almost exactly halfway between them.
"Yeah, we were just talking about it." Lee said. He stared hard down at the bare concrete of the roof. "The chance to become a Chuunin. It's a great honour; one Neji and I have been waiting a year for already. We we're disappointed when sensei wouldn't allow us to try the last two times the exams took place, but after hearing what happened to him…it seems a lot more real now, you know?"
"Yeah, that scar kind of sticks with you, doesn't it?"
Both boys made sounds of agreement.
They lapsed into a long silence after that, the only sounds on the rooftop being the gentle sounds of the plants swaying in the breeze and the soft squeaking of a mouse somewhere in the shadows.
Lee let out a breath and glanced between them. "What are your thoughts on this?" he left the question out there for both of them.
"I want to try." Neji said without hesitation. "The chance for promotion is not something you should pass up if you can help it, but there's this little voice in the back of my mind that keeps asking me if I really think I'm ready for the exams. Before I would have said absolutely, but now I can't help but wonder if I can be better prepared."
"I almost expected you to say something along the lines of 'It doesn't matter how hard you train; Fate will decide whether or not you will become a Chuunin!'." Lee teased.
Neji shot him a small glare. "Fate will decide whether I become a Chuunin or not. But that doesn't mean I can't do anything to improve my chances."
Lee nodded. That made sense. He glanced at the redhead staring thoughtfully between her dangling feet. "Naruko?"
"I dunno." she blew out a breath, rubbing the back of her neck with her hand. "I'm not sure how I feel about it. I wasn't exactly in it for the career when I joined the ranks, and in a lot of ways I wouldn't mind staying a Genin, but some weird part of me wants to jump at the chance."
Unseen by Naruko, a quick look was shared between the two boys. They had secretly wondered why Naruko, a civilian orphan girl, would so suddenly be thrust into the shinobi program and placed under the direct tutelage of the village's premier Jounin, and by the Hokage himself no less. It was an intriguing mystery, but both knew that even if they asked they would get no answers anyway. Gai had already shot them down numerous times before finally forbidding them from asking again.
"That would be inadvisable."
Naruko stared at Neji with honest surprise. That almost sounded like advice.
He continued on, "You're barely a step above a civilian. Like sensei said these exams are designed to separate the wheat from the chaff. I, and possibly Lee, have a decent chance at not only surviving these tests but gaining our promotions. I doubt you'd make it through the first test."
Naruko's look of surprise melted into one of disgruntled exasperation. She should have known. What's more as much as she hated to admit it, and as much as she wanted to punt Neji off the roof at this point, the infuriating boy was infuriatingly right. Civvies she could handle no bother, but besides the occasional spar with the two of them (Which she always lost) she had never fought another ninja before. If her current track record was anything to go by she would not fair well in such a fight.
"Neji…" Lee admonished tiredly, but Naruko still caught the small tinge of worry in his voice. He too thought she'd be horribly out of her depth if she decided to take part in the Chuunin Selection Exam. That made all three of them.
Didn't mean she didn't want to try though.
Neji snorted. "Oh please, you were thinking the same thing; you're just too nice to say it."
Lee glared, but said nothing.
The Hyuuga shook his head, his long dark hair swaying with the motion, and hopped off the ledge, dusting off his backside as he did so. "Look, the bottom line is that we want to take the exam, but we're worried about whether or not we're ready. The only question is do we take them this time around or not?" He stared directly at Lee as he spoke, but his voice made it clear that he didn't care either way if Naruko signed up or not.
Lee dragged a hand through his inky black hair, sighing heavily. Indecision was written into every line of his face.
"Why don't we just flip for it?"
The two males looked at her like she was crazy. She merely shrugged. "What? There are dozens of different arguments why we should or shouldn't take the exam, and if we try to think through them all we'll be on this roof all night.
"You want to flip a coin?" Neji repeated slowly, as if she had just uttered the most mind-numbingly idiotic thing anyone had ever said. "Do you even have a coin?"
She shrugged again. "You're the only one of us who's properly dressed, I assumed you would."
He blinked, but reached into his pocked anyway. His team-mates huddled around him as he held out his hand, the silver coin lying in the middle of his palm. The three Genin stared down at it.
"Sooo…how do you want to do this?" Lee asked slowly. He couldn't believe they were about to gamble their careers, and quite possibly their lives, on a coin toss.
Naruko scratched her cheek. Even she was surprised they were actually going ahead with this. "Heads we go for it, tails we don't?" she offered.
Lee took a steadying breath and nodded. "Okay!"
Neji shook his head. "I can't believe we're doing this."
"Yeah well, Who Dares, Wins. Right?"
The Genin of Squad 9 looked at each other, as if hoping one of them would come to their senses and talk them out of what they were about to do. They shouldn't be doing this, it was stupid. It wasn't just stupid; it was idiotic, irresponsible, reckless, and downright dangerous…
But then again what else could you expect from the students of Maito Gai?
Neji flicked the coin into the air with a sharp ping! Time seemed to slow as they watched in arc high in the night air, spinning slowly end over end as it reached its zenith before falling back towards them. Neji caught it deftly and immediate slapped it to the back of his hand, keeping his other one tightly pressed over it. He, Lee, and Naruko looked at each other, nodded, then looked down as he removed his hand.
Their eyes widened…
The very air around Konoha seemed to become charged with excitement and anticipation as the countdown to the Chuunin Selection Exam grew shorter. For a military exercise with a worryingly high mortality rate the exams brought an almost festive feel to the village. Banners fluttered from lampposts and colourful bunting dangled between the buildings, peddlers hawked off t-shirt and souvenirs mostly to the large influx of tourists pouring in from all over, and the bookie business was booming as bets and wagers came pouring in. The foreign ninja who arrived to take part were treated by the local populace with varying degrees of awe, fear, and suspicion. The Leaf shinobi on the other hand treated them all with a professional cool detachment, even their distant allies from Suna. Grudges lived long and died hard in the ninja world after all.
This year's exam was doubly interesting for Konoha considering the unique batch of examinees taking part. Not only was this years entire graduating class taking part, the first time rookies had been allowed entry in several years, but many of those Genin were heirs of the village's elite shinobi clans. The amount of foot traffic in the bookies shot up because of that alone.
"This is gonna be SWEET!" Kiba whooped as he practically bounced alongside his team-mates. Akamaru, who had taken up his favourite spot in the boy's messy hair, yipped his agreement.
"Calm down, you idiot." Sasuke berated him even as the smirk on his face threatened to break out into a full blown grin.
"I will not 'cause soon I'll be a Chuunin and you will have to answer to me!" Kiba boasted dramatically, cackling like a cheesy cartoon villain for good measure. "It'll be great! You'll bring me my meals, wash my clothes, and I'll even make you give Akamaru his baths. Daily."
"What am I, your wife?" Sasuke asked incredulously.
"Nah, I'm way outta your league."
"Oh, shut up the pair of you." Tenten snickered at their antics, though she couldn't deny their excitement was infectious. Even she felt lighter than usual. The three of them were on their way to the administration office where they would hand in their application forms and from there they would be told where to go. On each of their backs was their packs just like their sensei instructed. For the last three weeks since Kakashi's announcement he had drilled them into the ground to get them ready for the tests they would soon face. The pace and been gruelling and torturous, but Tenten could honestly say that she had never felt stronger, and it was that confidence that would carry her through these exams and hopefully into a Chuunin vest.
They passed between a series of thick columns before entering into the building's large empty lobby. Moving up the stairs and further into the building it wasn't hard to find the office they were looking for. There were a few other squads hanging around but none they knew. They hung around until they were called to hand in their forms. Once that was done they were told the first exam would be taking place in one of the academy buildings. Thanking the ninja clerk, they headed back the way they came. They had reached the lobby and where just about to exit the building when they were stopped by a voice.
"You there, with the blue shirt and cockatoo hair. Please wait."
The Genin of Squad 7 stopped, surprised, before turning. Their eyes immediately zeroed in on the origin of the voice that had stopped them. A boy, around their age, standing on the floor above them.
Despite her confusion Tenten surprised a giggle as she saw Sasuke reach up for his hair a little self-consciously.
Sasuke frowned, knowing he was the one the guy had called out to. "What do you want?" he demanded, annoyance tingeing his voice.
The boy's reply was not what they were expecting.
"Will you fight me right here, right now?"
The three of them blinked and looked at each other, quite taken aback. Who in their right mind just called out to perfect strangers and asked them for a fight?
"Fight you right here, right now?" Sasuke repeated slowly for clarity. Who the hell was this guy?
Almost as if hearing his silent query the boy hopped over the balustrade and down onto the main floor of the lobby. Now that they could see him properly their confusion only increased at the stranger's peculiar sense of fashion…or lack thereof. If the garish one piece jumpsuit and bowl cut didn't single the boy out in a crowd then his unusually bushy eyebrows would.
They honestly didn't know if they were dealing with a fellow ninja or an escaped mental patient.
The boy jabbed a thumb at himself. "My name is Rock Lee of Genin Squad 9. I saw the symbol on the back of your shirt as you left the office. You're Uchiha Sasuke, aren't you?"
The young clan heir's face became a blank mask. "I am. What of it?"
"As I said I would like to fight you. I want to see how my skills fair against a descendant of a genius shinobi clan."
Sasuke cocked an eyebrow at the strange kid. "So you're challenging me even though you know I'm an Uchiha? Sorry to tell you this, but you're pretty ignorant. You really sure you want to see what an Uchiha is capable of?"
Rock Lee actually smiled with anticipation and moved into a stance; ramrod straight with one hand behind his back and the other held out before him invitingly. "Please."
Sasuke blinked once then snorted. He took a step forward. "Well if that's what you–"
"Oi!"
All eyes turned to Kiba who was giving Lee a challenging glare. "I'll fight him."
Tenten shot him a look. "Kiba, don't get involved–"
The Inuzuka grinned but didn't take his eyes off his opponent. He set Akamaru down with firm instructions to stay put. "Don't you worry about lil' ol' me, Tenten. This'll be over in five minutes tops."
Lee frowned. "I don't want to fight you. I want to fight an Uchiha."
Kiba scowled. The bastard hadn't even looked away from Sasuke the entire time. "Well tough shite, 'cause I want to fight you!"
He was off like a shot, tearing across the hall with impressive speed and keeping low to the ground. He grinned as his nails lengthened into claws and he lurched forward, ready to tear the boy's face off and win the match in one easy motion.
It didn't connect.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Lee moved like water. Almost serenely, the boy took a small step forward before his hand shot out and pushed Kiba's clawed fist down, knocking him off balance.
With a muffled curse Kiba switched tactics, slapping a hand to the ground and using it as leverage to sweep his leg up towards Lee's face.
Again he failed. Lee bent, coiled and moved like liquid. Ducking under Kiba's foot he spun, his leg snapping out to knock the dog-user's hand out from under him. Kiba's momentum from his charge carried him forward into a half-backflip where he landed painfully on his back a few feet behind Lee. The boy in question smoothly rose to his feet and resumed his earlier stance, his eyes never leaving Sasuke the entire time.
The whole exchange took all of two and a half seconds.
Tenten and Sasuke blinked, slightly in awe of the teen's movements. His every motion had been quick, precise, and perfect. They looked at each other. Kiba was no pushover, they knew this, but he'd just been so completely outclassed and even he couldn't dispute it.
This Lee character may look strange, but it was obvious he was no two-bit ninja.
"I will declare this here and now." Lee stated, his voice seeming to echo in the empty lobby. "You cannot defeat me. Because as it stands I am the strongest of Konoha's Genin right now."
Sasuke stared at him for several long seconds. Then a smirk of intrigue made its way onto his lips. "Okay then. Maybe you are worth my time after all."
"Sasuke…" Tenten warned.
He shot her a look brimming with confidence. "Don't worry. This'll be over in five minutes."
She huffed and threw up her hands.
And then he moved. Sasuke was just as fast as Kiba on any given day, and with the chakra he sent coursing through his muscles he was even faster. He was on his opponent almost immediately with a lightning quick jab inches from the boy's face.
Later Sasuke would swear on the spirits of his ancestors that Lee became a blur. One second he was there, the next he was gone, and Sasuke was franticly turning, barely managing to duck beneath a roundhouse that came so close he felt it rustle his hair.
There! Lee suddenly appeared low on the ground in front of him, spinning like a top and sending a foot directly at his face. Adrenaline slowed time allowing Sasuke to experience every terrifying second in great detail. He felt as if he were fighting underwater with his every movement painfully inhibited. As he flung up his arms to block the kick the only thought that registered in his mind was; 'I can't dodge!'
Wham! The punishing force of the kick was like a sledgehammer to the face, and Sasuke found himself tumbling ungracefully through the air. The brutal sound of his body hitting the unforgiving ground sounded unnaturally loud though how he could hear anything with his ears ringing so dreadfully he'd never know.
Tenten was for once speechless. She had just witnessed her team-mate, this year's Rookie of the Year and a prodigy in the shinobi arts, get booted through the air like an unwanted cat. Everything she knew about the ways of the world was telling her that was impossible even as she witnessed it with her own eyes. She looked down at the unflattering heap of bruised ass that was the last scion of the noble Uchiha house.
"Five minutes, huh?" she parroted dryly.
"Shut up!" Sasuke growled as he pushed himself to his feet, rubbing his bruised cheek. He was surprised his jaw was still intact after a hit like that. 'He got through my guard! But how? Was that some kind of ninjutsu? Or genjutsu?'
Lee smiled to himself as he watched his opponent rise from the ground. 'You can still stand up. Just as I thought.'
"That was impressive, I'll give you that," Sasuke admitted as he gathered himself. "You're good. Maybe I'll even let you see something really special. I've been waiting for a chance to try these out."
If Tenten was surprised before then there were no words for the shock she felt when Sasuke brushed his inky black hair out of his face. His eyes, usually a shade of grey almost as dark as his hair, had changed. They were now two pools of menacing crimson, and orbiting the pupil like moons around a planet were strange black tomoe-shaped flecks; one in one eye, two in the other.
The fabled Uchiha birthright. The Sharingan.
"When the hell did you get those?" Tenten demanded. She had no idea he was even close to inheriting those eyes.
The thrill of the fight was practically radiating from Sasuke. Through his family's eyes he could see more than he ever could before. Colours seemed brighter and more vibrant. The pattern of how the material of Lee's jumpsuit had been woven was now rendered in perfect detail. The way his muscles moved and rippled with every twitch was laid bare to him. He could even – through the two tomoe in his left eye – see the faintest, almost non-existent glimmer in the boy's abdomen, the heart of the chakra system. The ability would be perfected when he inherited the second tomoe in his right eye, allowing him to see his opponent's chakra system in its full exquisite detail, but even as young as his Sharingan was it was still a sight to see.
His opponent's face was completely serious, but there was a momentary quirk of a very bushy brow. "The Sharingan. The legendary Copy Wheel Eye itself. I'm honoured."
"So you should be." Sasuke grinned. "But this fight is over now. No one can stand before the might of these eyes."
Lee's own dark orbs glimmered with mischief. "Is that so? Well then, this should be interesting."
Sasuke's mind was racing. 'This aught to work. Even if I can't see his chakra system I should still be able to get an idea of where he'll move if I can see the chakra moving through his limbs. There's no way such speed is natural.'
Sasuke would win this. He knew it. He could feel it in his blood, the same blood that gifted him with such powerful eyes. Like a spring he coiled, his gaze focused on his target unmindful of anything other than himself and the person he was about to annihilate. The coil flexed then sprung. He moved, his sandals barely touching the floorboards as he flew across the ground. His eyes never wavered from Lee's face. Those red orbs, the last and greatest gift from his beloved clan, showed him every detail of the boy's features; every hair, every twitch, every imperfection…
They also showed him the way his lips, seemingly ever so slowly, pulled back into a triumphant grin before the bastard blurred.
The second kick to his jaw almost took his head clean off. A weightlessness came over him and Sasuke found himself arcing back through the air. His eyes were fluttering. The hit had almost knocked him delirious. 'How? The chakra…there was no…I should have seen…'
The hairs on the back of Sasuke's neck rose as a soft voice whispered in his ear.
"I win!"
Tenten's hands flew to her mouth the second Lee's kick had connected. She watched in horror as her team-mate's limp body flew through the air, only to gasp out loud as the strange Genin appeared beneath him, the wraps binding his arms having come undone and trailing behind him. She saw he was setting up for one deciding technique and she feared her friend may not survive it. "SASUKE!"
Suddenly Lee jerked awkwardly in the air and came crashing down on the hardwood floor of the lobby. Tenten lunged forward and caught Sasuke before he could do any more damage to himself. She looked up to see what had happened. It wasn't that hard to figure out; a kunai had pinned one of the teen's trailing wraps to the wall bringing Lee to a jarring halt before he could complete his manoeuvre.
Kiba got to his feet, looking as bewildered as she felt. "What in the hell just happened?"
"Lee!" a new voice barked.
Lee blinked and looked up at the two figures making their way down the stairs towards them. "Oh, it's you two."
"Yes. It's us." Neji's terse tone caused him to flinch. "What were you doing?"
Lee got to his feet. Tenten saw a faint blush dusting his cheeks. "I uh…"
"We've been looking for you for the last five minutes." Neji cut him off, his pearly-eyed glare cutting through the Beautiful Green Beast. "And I suppose those two bruised unfortunates behind you are the reason you snuck off? Please don't tell me you challenged them both to a fight right before the exam."
"I didn't! Well, not exactly. You see I only wanted to fight one of them, but then the other one wanted to fight me and if I wanted to fight the one I originally wanted to fight then–"
"Lee." the red headed girl cut him off sternly. Tenten suddenly had the oddest sense of recognition. When did she know this girl from? While Tenten racked her brains the kunoichi continued to admonish her team-mate. "Do you remember when we decided not to get into any unnecessary fights?"
Lee hung his head. "Yes."
"Do you also remember when we decided not to draw attention to ourselves? And that we shouldn't go showing off our skills until we need them?"
His head hung even lower. "Yes…"
"What do you think sensei's going to say about this? Especially when he hears that you tried to use that technique right before the exam."
Lee paled greatly. "Oh no…"
"'OH NO' IS RIGHT!" Everyone jumped as a mighty boomf! shook the lobby, white smoke obscuring their vision. It slowly cleared to reveal powerfully built man towering over Squad 9, his arms folded across his broad chest.
His unique appearance did nothing to take away from the terrifying expression on his face.
Round black eyes widened. "Gai-sensei!"
"LEE!" the Jounin's thunderous voice shook the room. "You have broken your promise to me! You swore you would not let your Youthful eagerness overrule your commonsense during these tests! What's more you tried to use that technique! Are you ready to face the consequences?"
Lee gulped loudly, but then sighed in resignation, his shoulders drooping. "Yes, sir…"
Tenten watched as the Jounin's fist shook then clenched into a meaty fist.
"Lee…YOU IDIOT!"
Squad 7's collective jaws fell as the Jounin caught the small boy with a perfect, brutal haymaker to the jaw. The force of it took Lee off his feet, and when he got back up there was blood pouring down his face from the new split in his lip. He hung his head as his sensei lectured him on the importance of well restrained Youthful energy, and the proper times to let it become unrestrained.
Neji and Naruko winced in sympathy for him. They had both been on the receiving end of Gai's 'Youthful Enforcer' once before (Ironically for arguing with each other) and they would testify that the punishment left a lasting impression. In more ways than one.
Shaking her head Naruko moved over to the younger Genin. "You guys okay?"
Tenten blinked and looked at the girl. "Uh, yeah."
Naruko apprised the bruises blooming on the pale boy's face. Her team-mate had got him good. "Sorry about Lee, he can get…competitive."
"Yes, we noticed." Sasuke grumbled, rubbing his abused jaw and checking to make sure he still had all his teeth.
"Hey," Kiba suddenly inquired, "do I know you from somewhere?"
"That's what I was thinking!" Tenten exclaimed.
Naruko blinked then shrugged. "If you do then I can't remember it."
"Oh." 'Must have been someone else.'
There came two emotional shouts and Tenten looked over at the others to see the Jounin had finished berating his student and the two were now clutching at each other, bawling their eyes out.
A gentle hand touched her shoulder, snapping her out of the stupor she hadn't even realised she had fallen into and she saw the older girl shaking her head. "Don't look directly at it."
The Jounin – Gai Squad 7 had surmised his name was based on Lee's wailing – finally dried his tears and after patting his pupil on the head made his way over to them. "Hello there! May I hazard a guess that you are Kakashi's little students?"
Kiba looked up in surprise. "You know Kakashi-sensei? Er, sir?" he added hastily. No matter how odd your first meeting is you always showed a senior officer the respect he was due.
"It's a bit more than that I imagine. In fact most people call us…Eternal Rivals!"
"Eternal…wha?"
"Anyway, I feel I must apologise for my Lee. He's a fine ninja, but more often than not his eagerness to prove himself can lead him awry. Be sure that he didn't mean to cause you or your team-mate any real harm. Are you okay, young Sasuke?"
"I'm fine." the last Uchiha said, pushing himself to his feet. "It didn't hurt that much."
Gai chuckled knowingly. "No, I suppose it never does, does it?"
"How'd you know his name?" Kiba wondered.
"I pride myself on knowing everything there is to know about my Eternal Rival, including the names of his students. I also know that your name is Kiba, and I guess that would make you Tenten."
The girl blushed slightly at the acknowledgment. "Yes, sir."
Gai checked the clock hanging on the wall and tisked. "I wish we could continue this, but if you tarry any longer you'll miss the first test of the exam. You three should run on ahead, I wish to speak with my students first. And good luck! I hope to see many fine new Chuunin this year!"
Squad 7 hefted their packs and gave the Jounin a quick salute before heading off towards the academy. Gai watched them go before turning back to his own Genin. Neji was holding Lee's pack while the boy retied his wraps.
"So what are you doing here, sensei?" Naruko asked.
"I came to make sure my students handed in their applications on time. It would be a shame if those three weeks of training went to waste because you slept-in. But the other reason was that I wanted to talk to you before you before you joined the other Genin."
"What's wrong, Gai-sensei?" Lee inquired.
Gai sighed heavily and knelt, motioning for them to crowd around him. The muscles of his face were tense and his eyes were troubled. "I didn't want to say anything beforehand because I didn't want to worry you unnecessarily."
"What's going on?"
"There was a reason the announcement about the Chuunin Exam was delayed this year. I wanted you to devote your focus to your training instead of anything else, but there's no reason to keep you in the dark anymore. A month ago when the Hokage left for his meeting with the CEC to make a final decision on the numbers of foreign ninja who would taking part he received a very unpleasant surprise."
"What kind of surprise?" Naruko kept her voice as low as Gai's.
"A new Hidden Village asking to take part in this year's exam."
"A new village?" Neji hissed, his eyes wide. His team-mates bore much the same look.
Gai nodded grimly. "They call themselves the Village Hidden in the Sound. They're based out of the Rice Country yet despite Rice's Daimyo recognising them as the country's official Hidden Village we have never heard mention of them until their envoy went before the CEC."
Lee looked even paler than he had when Gai arrived. "How is that possible? Surely we would have heard something?"
"I asked the same questions. Up until a month ago we had never heard of any shinobi presence in the Rice Country. The fact that a significant military power managed to flourish in a country that borders our own without us even knowing about it was enough to give the boys over in Intel the fright of their lives. They're quite rattled over the whole thing."
"So they should be!" Neji growled quietly, but with vehemence. "It's those idiots' job to know about this stuff! Remember we were supposed to take that C-rank in Rice two months ago but couldn't because the client's funds didn't clear? What if we had? We could have been walking right into enemy territory and we wouldn't have even known it!"
"I know that, Neji." Gai raised a hand to calm the irate boy. By the dark looks on their faces the other two shared Neji's feelings. "But when I say that we didn't know I mean that no one knew. The Hokage even sent letters to the Kazekage and a few of the other ninja villages we have friendly relations with and none of them had any idea that this Otogakure even existed up until a month ago. Intel has devoted much of its manpower to finding out as much about Oto as possible. As it stands all missions coming out of or going into Rice have been put on hold until we know more. The order has also went out to stay clear of the country, and we've secretly been sending troops up north towards the border to make sure they don't try anything."
Gai sighed heavily and rested his hands on the shoulders of Lee and Neji who were on either side of him. He looked at all three of his students in turn. "Look, the point is I came here to warn you about the more immediate threat; the Oto Genin. Despite this being their first ever Chuunin Exam they've only sent one Genin squad to represent themselves and that has the Hokage and the rest of us worried. Watch out for most of the Genin you meet in this exam, but especially keep a close watch on those Oto shinobi. Don't go near them, don't talk to them, don't let yourself be alone with them, but most importantly do not turn your backs on them! Do you understand what I'm saying?"
The three of them nodded. Keeping the Genin of Oto at a safe distance had just moved to the top of their list of priorities.
"Good. Hopefully this will all be over soon. Who knows, maybe we'll find firm friends in the shinobi of Otogakure, but this is the real world and it doesn't always work that way so we have to play it safe for the time being."
Gai looked up at the clock again and saw that the start of the first stage began soon. He stood, dusting off his knees. "I've kept you long enough. Look after each other, remember what I taught you, and follow your instincts and you'll do fine. You can tell me all about how you made the exam proctors look like fools after you pass. NOW GO AND SHOW KONOHA AND THE WORLD HOW BRIGHTLY THE GENIN OF SQUAD 9 SHINE!"
Grinning, the three of them snapped off a quick salute before tearing out of the building and towards the academy. Gai leaned against one of the pillars watching them go, two blurs of green and one of white. His gaze turned north. Off on the horizon, where the Lands of Fire and Rice met, a dark storm cloud was rolling across the sky. His eyes narrowed at the grim prospect.
Those Oto ninja had better have nothing less than the purest intentions in this exam. Because if anything happened to his beloved children then there would be no force on this earth that would stop him from burning the Land of Rice to the ground.
The building was one of the older ones out on the academy grounds. So old that neither Lee nor Neji could ever remember stepping foot inside it during their time here. Despite that the place seemed to be in good shape and still had many more years of service left in it.
A sign outside directed all Chuunin hopefuls to the second floor for the first test. There was an almost eerie stillness about the place, and there wasn't another soul in sight. The squad made for the stairwell.
Almost as soon as they reached their desired floor Naruko stopped dead in her tracks.
"What is it?" Neji asked, annoyed with the hold up.
"This is the second floor, right?"
"Yes. Why?"
"Because the sign on the wall says that this is the third floor."
It did as well. That was definitely strange. The signs in the stairwell had clearly stated that this was the second floor.
"Weird." Lee muttered.
"So the sign is wrong. Big deal," Neji dismissed the error and started moving again.
Apparently the sign was wrong and this was the correct floor because they soon spotted two Chuunin, Intel boys judging by the grey uniforms, flanking a simple wooden door. Neji handed over their passes and after a few second to verify them the guards waved them through. The door swung open, admitting them into a rundown classroom. It wasn't much; just a few broken tables and chairs stacked up against the wall, and a blackboard on the far wall bearing a couple of old mathematical equations that no one had cleaned off the last time this room had been used.
Upon entering the first thing to hit them was the sheer hostile tension in the air.
The feeling was so jarring that they stopped barely through the door. The room was filled with Genin, and despite the large number of bodies the air retained an uncomfortable chill. The only sound to be heard was the extremely low hum that only a shinobi's whispers could produce and that only a shinobi could hear. Almost every Genin in the room was engaged in a sort of free-for-all staring contest, trying to intimidate the opposition while at the same time appraising them for any useful insights into what they would be up against.
More than a few unfriendly eyes turned upon their entrance. Squad 9 kept their composure easily, and made their way over to an empty corner of the room.
"A lot of competition." Lee muttered low enough for only the two of them to hear. "There must be what–fifty squads here? At least?"
Neji glanced around. "We have to be careful. If we keep a low profile then if it ever comes down to facing off against these people they'll be more hesitant about approaching us."
"Most of these ninja are from Konoha though." Naruko pointed out. "You really think they'll try to kill us just for a promotion?"
"No, but I think they would beat us half to death for one if they thought they could get away with it." He noticed a Takigakure kunoichi staring at them from across the room. He levelled her with a severe glare, causing the older girl to grin, wink at him, then turn back to her squad. Neji looked at Lee. "You think you can rein in your incessant need to challenge every second person you see to a fight, at least until this exam is over?"
The young man grimaced slightly and rubbed his cheek where a large fist-shaped bruise was forming. "Don't worry; I'll be good."
Naruko dropped her pack in the corner where the two walls met before plonking down next to it. Laying back she used it as a cushion and she wriggled for a second to two to get comfy. "Better take a seat. No knowing how long it'll be until the proctors get here."
Following her advice the two sat down, Neji with his back against the wall and his eyes closed, deep in meditation, and Lee who had simply sprawled out on the floor, his pack under his head, staring up at the ceiling.
The only thing left to do at this point was to watch and wait.
"Stupid clerk. He should've given us better directions! There's more than one old building on the academy grounds, how're we supposed to know which one it was?"
"We're here now so just forget it, Kiba." Tenten sighed as they finally stepped into the classroom. She couldn't believe she had almost missed the exam just because they didn't know which building it was being held it! She only hoped nobody found out about it or any shot she had at a promotion would be out the window.
"Sasuke, my dear! I was wondering when you'd get here! I knew that if anyone in our class would jump at the chance of promotion it would be you!"
Tenten turned to see her team-mate being assaulted by an overly-enthusiastic blonde. Okay, maybe assaulted was too harsh a word…or maybe not judging by the look on the boy in question's face. The girl had latched herself onto Sasuke's back and hung from him like a monkey.
"Get off him, Ino." another voice said tersely. Sakura and the rest of Squad 8 approached them while Shikamaru and Chouji watched their team-mate go gaga over her crush with looks of disgust clear on their faces.
"Yes, get off me, Ino." Sasuke ground out through gritted teeth, and with a rough shrug dislodged his persistent admirer.
"Ah, Sasuke! No need to get so rough, I was just happy to see you is all," she batted her eyelashes at him.
"Well I'm not happy to see you."
"Oh, you don't mean that."
Tenten and the others just shook their heads at the all too familiar scene. Ino had been one of the many girls with a crush on 'the last Uchiha' all through the academy, and it seems that her coming of age had done little to assuage that infatuation. Sakura too harboured strong feelings for him, but thankfully she was less open about it than her former best friend. It was something that irked Tenten to no end. The two had been almost inseparable when they were little, but had decided to break off a strong friendship just so they could 'properly compete' for Sasuke's affections. She still held out hope that they would sort things out though, if only to stop the constant arguments about who Sasuke liked the most.
Shikamaru gave a grumbling sigh and rubbed his face tiredly. "Tch, so troublesome." he muttered his favourite phrase.
"So you guys got in too, huh?" Kiba stuffed his hands in his pockets.
"Yeah. It's a bloody bother though. Wish I could just be at home in my bed."
"Why didn't you just opt out then?"
"And explain to my mother why I'm not trying as hard as I can to go as far as I can as fast as I can? Hell no, anything's worth avoiding that."
"You think you're ready?" Sasuke asked after finally getting away from Ino and Sakura. He never talked to people outside his squad much but Shikamaru and Shino were the two people he worked with best in the academy. They were focused on getting the job done and little else. He'd actually been disappointed when they were assigned to different squads.
Shikamaru shrugged. "As much as we can be I guess."
"Yeah, well we all know I'm gonna pass with flying colours." Kiba sighed as if under a great burden and buffed his nails against his jacket. "It's so hard being so great all the time."
"Great?" his female team-mate snorted. "Who was the one who fell trying to climb onto the academy roof and landed on one of Akamaru's messes?"
Ino laughed heartily. "Oh yeah, I remember that! You fell off the drainpipe and right on top of lil' 'maru's doodoo. I remember Iruka-sensei wouldn't let you go home to change and made you stand at the back of the class taking notes. You can still smell the stench on a hot day!"
Chouji snickered into his bag of potato chips. "I remember his mom making him come to class the rest of the week with his clothes wrapped in saran wrap so he wouldn't get them dirty again."
The group howled with laughter at the memory. Even Sasuke and Shino chuckled quietly at the Inuzuka's expense. As they laughed they failed to notice the dark looks being sent their way by the rest of the Chuunin hopefuls in the derelict classroom.
Kiba's face was burning. "Shut up, you assholes!" That week had been the most humiliating week of his entire life. That one little slip up had turned him from the badass clan ninja to the joke of the academy. Even the little first year kids in the beginners classes openly laughed at him! Worse still was that his little tumble had branded him eternally with his most hated nickname, a name that his mother and sister still used to this day for the express purpose of pissing him off: Humpty Dumpty.
With extra emphasis on the 'Dump' part.
The laughter suddenly cut off when another voice interposed itself into their conversation.
"You little kids want to quiet down. You'll only end up making yourselves targets with that 'best friends forever' attitude of yours."
Laughter stopping abruptly Ino turned to face the Genin that had spoken to them. Placing a hand on her hip she cocked her head to the side. "And who might you be?" she asked challengingly.
The boy was several years older than the oldest of them, maybe in his late teens or very early twenties. He had a boyishly handsome face, but there was an arrogance about him that was offsetting. His shaggy silver hair had been pulled into a messy ponytail and intelligent dark eyes glinted from behind a pair of round glasses. Two boys – team-mates most likely – stood either side of him, leaning against the wall.
The silver-haired youth pushed away from the wall and approached them, his hands resting comfortably and non-threateningly in his pockets. "Take a look around you. These people are some of the most hard bitten Genin in the world, all of them older than you and all of them far more experienced than you. The Chuunin Selection Exam is serious business. You waltzing in here with those little baby faces just proves you're out of your depth here."
The Genin did take a look around and saw what he meant. Almost every other examinee was staring at them, some with contempt, some with disgust, and there were those who's gaze was downright predatory. The kind you'd expect to see on a lion who had spotted its next meal.
"Okay…maybe you have a point." Kiba muttered uncomfortably, turning away from the majority of the room, the other's following his lead (Although Sasuke, Shino, and surprisingly Chouji returned those baleful stares with ones of their own.).
"So you're the rookies from the academy, eh? Must be what – five or six years since they've let rookies into the exam before they've even gotten a year of field time under their belts." the stranger looked at them appraisingly. "But where are my manners? Genin Yakushi Kabuto."
"Kabuto." Sakura repeated slowly. "So is this your first time taking the exam?"
Kabuto looked a little embarrassed and scratched the back of his head. "Actually…this would be my seventh go."
"Seventh?" Kiba blurted incredulously. 'This guy must suck!'
Kabuto shrugged. "What can I say? It's hard."
"So you must know a lot about the exam then?"
"I guess you could say that." Kabuto glanced around then leaned closer. "But if you promise to keep it a secret I may just decide to help out my cute underclassmen."
"Don't call use cute." Kiba grumbled.
Kabuto merely chuckled. "Do we have a deal?"
The group looked at one another then back at him and nodded.
From his pocket Yakushi produced a thick deck of cards. They were larger than your average playing cards, more along the lines of what you'd expect a mystic to use for her tarot readings. He idly began shuffling them as he spoke. "Over the years I've been gathering whatever information I can glean during the Chuunin Exams. In that time I've collected quite a little archive of knowledge on my fellow examinees and their villages. A few of the ninja you see here today are frequent flyers like me, but there are a few new faces that I recognise from my time in other exams in other villages. If you want I can give you a little insight on what you'll be facing."
Most of the group looked quite indecisive. They wanted to win their promotions as much as the next person, but Kabuto's offer seemed a little underhanded. If they were promoted they wanted it to be with a clear conscience and with pride in their achievement. Though on the other hand their sensei were constantly telling them that in the ninja world there were few rules. Would they be proud of their students for using gaining a strong advantage or would they be disappointed in them for not relying on their own skills?
Finally on of the group stepped forward.
"You really have information on Genin taking the exam for the first time?" Sasuke asked.
Kabuto smirked as he continued to shuffle the deck. "If they're interesting enough, yes. Have anyone in mind?"
"Rock Lee from Konoha…and a guy named Gaara from Suna."
"It's no fun if you already know their names." Kabuto knelt and placed the deck face down on the ground as the younger Genin gathered round to watch.
"So how do these things work?" Ino wondered.
"The information is burned into these cards using a special ink that reacts only to my chakra. If I take a card like so, place it on the ground face up and push my chakra into it then – voila! See? The information appears to be used at my pleasure. Now let's see who we've got here."
He held up the card so that the rest of them could see. Revolving in the profile box, a feat only possible through chakra manipulated data, was the image of a young boy with red hair. "Ah, looks like we got the more interesting one first. Subaku no Gaara, age thirteen, third born child of the Yondaime Kazekage. Don't really know much about him other than the fact that he's supposed to be very strong and…wow. I'd forgotten about that."
"Forgotten about what?" Sasuke demanded impatiently.
"Apparently he was sent on a solo B-rank mission and returned successful. Without so much as a scratch on him."
"What? That's impossible!" Sakura denied adamantly. There was no possible way a simple Genin could achieve such a success. She was starting to wonder if Kabuto only extended his offer to give them bogus information.
The young man shrugged. "It doesn't matter if you believe me or not, that's for you to decide. I'm just repeating what I heard from a Chuunin in Suna."
"What about Rock Lee?" Sasuke got them back on track.
"Okay, wait a sec – ah, here we go! Rock Lee, age thirteen, and was apparently the dead last of his academy class. Assigned to Squad 9 under–"
A hand reached past Kabuto and snatched the card right out of his hand. Yakushi snapped round to see the boy who's information he'd been dishing out. Lee was reading the card, his frown growing deeper the further down his eyes read until his features were twisted in a suspicious sneer. His round eyes narrowed into slits as he turned them on the card's maker. "Where did you get this information?" he demanded hotly.
Holding his hands up Kabuto rose to his feet. He stood a head or two taller than Lee but the smaller boy still looked more than ready to attack him. "I just keep my eyes and ears open. You'd be surprised how much information you can gain just by sitting in a café listening to the world around you."
Ino moved over to Tenten. "Hey," the blonde whispered to her, "you know who they are?"
The brunette nodded. "They're Squad 9. The one with the card is Rock Lee. He and Sasuke fought before the exam."
"He fought Sasuke? Why?"
Tenten glanced at her from out of the side of her eye and noticed that many in the other squads were listening in too. "He just wanted to see how strong he was."
Naruko stepped forward and took the card from Lee who was still glaring at the unrepentant Kabuto. Looking at it she could see why he was so mad. The card contained information on nearly every aspect of Lee's record, from his academy scores, to a breakdown of his missions, and even a rough graph of skill set. How the hell had a Genin gotten so much detailed information on another Genin?
While these thoughts were running through her mind Kabuto tried to explain himself to an irate Lee. "Look we're ninja. We take any advantage we have to survive. I won't apologise for that, but what I will do is make you the same offer I made these guys. There are fifty-two squads here, surely there's someone you've got your eye on. Just ask and I'll give you the rundown on any Genin here."
Lee opened his mouth to retort, but Naruko cut him off. "Deal."
The bespectacled youth smiled. "Great! Anyone in particular who's card you'd like to see?"
Lee was glaring at her, but she ignored him. She wanted to find out a few things and if this guy was so eager to help then why not let him? "I want to see my card, his card," she tilted her head towards Neji, "and your card."
"My card? Whatever for?"
"You seem to have information on all of us. It doesn't seem fair for you to know so much when all we know is your name."
Kabuto was frowning. The girl had him in a bind and they both knew it. If he refused then it could turn the rest of the Genin against him and that wouldn't be pretty. Then again what did he have to lose? It wasn't like he kept anything incriminating on his own card. "Fine." he said, producing the cards. Let her have her fun. It wouldn't matter in the end.
She took them, handing Neji his. Electric blue eyes scanned the lines of information and before long she bore an expression akin to Lee's. This stranger had far too much private knowledge about her, that was for certain. He knew she had never attended the academy and had been fast tracked onto a team (Although not why thankfully), he knew how many missions she'd gone on, as well as a comprehensive rundown of her abilities. She was about to say something when her eyes fell upon the last sentence and the blood drained from her face.
Has undergone severe anatomical augmentation. Bone structure density and muscle fibre tissue far above that of a regular human leading to a vast increase in physical capabilities. Metamorphosis ongoing. Cause unknown but strongly suspect the involvement of demonic energies present since birth.
There was a pounding of blood in her ears. Her heart was thumping wildly against her ribcage, and she'd broken into a cold sweat. Her wide blue eyes snapped up, and she saw Kabuto watching her reaction closely. A few of the younger Genin had noticed her reaction too, but thankfully not Neji or Lee as they were both busy glaring at Kabuto.
What the hell had this fool been thinking keeping classified information like that on his person? He was probably old enough to remember the details of the Kyuubi's attack all those years ago so she wasn't surprised that he knew, but the idiot had been flashing those cards to God knows who. If he showed this to someone who didn't know of her secret then that wasn't just a regular old fuck up; it was treason! And how had he known of her 'augmentations' as he put it?
There was something very wrong going on here, and she sure as hell didn't like it.
With great force of effort she schooled her features and turned to Kabuto's own card. 'He's been through the exam quite a few times over the years yet he's never made it to the final test either because he quit or was disqualified. Neither of his squad mates have either, though his first sensei was KIA two years ago. Seems his only real skills lie in his medical jutsu. And his ability to know things he shouldn't.'
"We good?" Kabuto asked eventually.
"We're good." she said, handing him back his card. "Ah-ah," she held her own out of his reach, "we're keeping these. Don't want you giving away out secrets to just anyone. You understand, right?"
Kabuto frowned, but there wasn't much he could do. "Fine." he said reluctantly.
With that Squad 9 moved back into their corner, talking quietly among themselves and shooting him suspicious/angry glances, hiding their cards away from prying eyes.
Kabuto sighed and gathered up his cards. "I think we should probably wrap this up. It seems our little discussion is attracting too much attention. Good luck with the exam, kids, you'll need it."
"Well that was interesting." Tenten muttered as they watched him rejoin his squad.
"I'll say. That Lee kid looked ready to belt him." Kiba agreed, reaching down to scratch Akamaru behind the ear. All the tension in the air was making him agitated.
Ino snorted very unladylike. "No kidding. Even I was…Sakura?" she suddenly broke off. The pinkette was staring after Squad 9, his lips slightly apart and a furrow between her eyebrows. She moved over to her, touching her shoulder. "What's wrong?"
"That girl." Sakura muttered. "I know her."
"Huh?" Ino's face twisted. "Where could you know her from?"
"You don't remember? It was ages ago–"
"Which is probably why I don't remember." the Yamanaka muttered sarcastically.
Sakura glared at her. "It was the D-rank at that fishmongers a few months back just after we graduated."
Ino snapped her fingers. "Oh yeah! Now I remember; the one where the crate almost fell on you."
"Yes, that one. And do you remember what saved me?"
"Of course I do, it was–" she stopped, her eyes wide. "Noooo…"
"What?" Kiba asked.
"Yes." Sakura nodded.
"'Yes' what?" Kiba asked again, more impatiently this time.
Everything finally clicked into place. "She was the girl who caught the crate!" Tenten exclaimed.
"Exactly. But…that doesn't make any sense." Sakura bit her lip.
"Why?" a confused Shikamaru asked, his interest piqued.
"Because the girl who saved Sakura wasn't a Genin." Ino explained. "I don't even think she was a kunoichi."
"She wasn't back then." Sasuke admitted, his arms folded.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Tenten was the one to explain. "The day after that we got a mission from the Hokage himself. He wanted us to find her so that he could talk to her in person. But…this doesn't make any sense!" she said, frustrated. "Kakashi-sensei said that she was homeless and had been off the grid for years. She wasn't a ninja and had never been in the academy so how could she be here?"
Before anyone could answer there was the telltale sound of a Shunshin and chakra smoke obscured the front of the classroom. All conversation hushed immediately as a loud, harsh voice boomed.
"All right, shut up and sit down, you little shites! The first test of the Chuunin Selection Exam begins now!"
Commanding officer of the Torture & Interrogation Squad, Jounin Morino Ibiki slowly paced before his seated audience, his heavy greatcoat flowing behind him like a dark cape. His size and sheer presence demanded everyone's attention, but few dared meet his malicious gaze head on. He smirked. On most people the expression may have been reassuring, but it only served to twist his already deformed features into an even more terrifying visage. He stopped in front of one Genin and watched as the girl tried her best to put as much distance between them as possible without actually moving. His smirk grew. He loved exam day.
"I am the proctor of the first test; Morino Ibiki. You will refer to me only as 'sir' if I even allow you to speak at all. You are here because your superiors seem to think that you may be worth something to your villages, though looking at you know I have to question their judgement. Luckily for you it doesn't matter what I think. My job today is to test you, to see if you have the mettle needed to become Chuunin, or if you are destined to die the lonely, pathetic life of a Genin. For any of you Konoha ninja who think that just because this exam is being held in your home town you've got it easy then I've got news for you. I don't give a shite what symbol you wear on your foreheads, here you are all equally worthless. I will give you one warning, and only one warning. If you disobey me in any way, if you so much as look at me in a manner I don't like, then I will bust your arses so fast it'll make your grandkids dizzy."
He stopped before a different Genin. The rather skinny boy bore a ragged scar curving under one eye and he wore no noticeable symbol of allegiance. "You!" Ibiki barked, causing the kid to jump. "You actually think you have the stones required to become a Chuunin?"
The boy tried and failed to look tough in front of the monster of a man. "Yes."
"Yes what, you skinny little turd?" Ibiki's voice snapped like a whip.
"Yes, sir!"
"Well I have news for you; only real men become Chuunin. Are you a real man, Genin?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Bullshite! I bet if I stuck my hand down your knickers I wouldn't find any hair, just traces of your old man's lipstick!"
The Jounin's head snapped round when he heard a snicker further up the line. He stormed along the length of the room, his large sandals thumping heavily on the ground, and stopped before a Konoha kunoichi. She wore her forehead protector around her thigh and her burnt orange hair fell to her hips. She stopped snickering the second she saw the thunderous look on his face.
"And just what the fuck are you laughing at, Ginger?"
"Nothing, sir!" the terrified girl stammered.
"It seemed as though you were laughing at me. Were you laughing at me, Fire Crotch?"
"No, sir!"
"You make one more sound without my express permission and I'll slap you so hard your freckles will hit the tarmac, do you understand me?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Good!"
Ibiki paced before the large group of examinees, his hands clasped behind his back. His hateful dark eyes roamed over them, burning into them with their intensity. "I'll say this again for the hard of hearing. In these tests your proctor holds more power over you than your own Kage. If you fuck up we will fuck you up and send you home. You will not fight each other without our permission, you will not kill each other without our permission, but we are fair so you may kill yourself without our permission as long as you don't break either of those first two rules, and if you do then we will drag your arse back to life and show you the proper way to die. Follow me!"
Ibiki spun on his heel and stormed towards the door, the Genin hurriedly grabbing their packs and struggling to catch up. He led them through the corridors of the abandoned building, down a flight of stairs, and though more corridors before they finally arrived at a pair of heavy, rusting steel doors. Taking an old brass key from his pocket the Jounin twisted, hearing a loud click. He threw open the doors and ordered them inside.
They trooped into a long chamber with a high ceiling made entirely of dull grey concrete. Along the length of the wall either side of them, spaced at regular intervals, were tall windows, barred on the outside. Directly across from them were a row of thirty steel doors, and above them was a walkway that led to another thirty. The air was cold and still, and the place had the uncomfortable feel of a prison.
They quickly fell into line as Ibiki stood before them. His entourage of moderators flanking him he addressed them all. "Behind me is your first test. A Chuunin's primary role is to work as part of a team to complete an objective, and when necessary to lead a squad to success. To do this you must have a sharp and open mind. You must be able to analyse any situation in at a moment's notice and immediately determined what threat, advantages, and potential problems you may encounter."
He held up an object in his hand. It looked like a normal padlock, except that the main body of it was cylindrical and instead of a dial or keyhole it had a number lock and a button on the side. It was quite formidable looking, and one could tell that it would be almost impossible to break.
"This is a standard issue military grade padlock with a revolving four-digit number lock. It's been put under every stress test there is and it's made of a special alloy that makes it harder than a rhino on Viagra. There are sixty doors behind me, more than enough for the fifty-five squads here. Through each of these doors is a room. Inside you will find another door with this lock preventing you from opening it. You will be locked inside for one hour. Your objective is to work out the combination. If you possess the skills we look for in a Chuunin then you will already know that combination. There are only two rules. Rule number one is that you may not damage the lock, the door, or the room itself. Any damage caused will result in immediate disqualification. Rule number two is that you may only input a combination three times. Three unsuccessful attempts will cause the lock to jam and you to be disqualified. Each squad to a door."
There was a small commotion as they did as ordered, and after a few moments of moving around each squad had their own door.
"Remember; a Chuunin must be a master analyst. If you are destined to become a Chuunin then you will already know the combination to those locks. If not then you have no business being here. You have one hour starting as soon as those doors lock behind you. We'll be waiting for the successful few on the other side. You may begin…now!"
With a tortured chorus of metal squeals sixty heavy rusting doors were pulled open and the Genin filed in, and as soon as the last of them crossed the threshold the doors slammed shut with a resounding bang, the internal locks sliding into place and locking them inside for one full hour.
The bang of the door slamming shut behind them was painfully loud in the confined space and it caused the members of Squad 9 to wince. The 'room' they had stepped into was little more than a cell, no more than three meters by three, and lit by a single bulb set behind a grill in the ceiling. A clock on the wall counted down the minutes they had left, and directly across from them was their test; a door identical to the one they had just entered through save for the solid lock keeping it sealed.
"So," Naruko said as she moved forward, bending over to examine the lock. "either of you know how we're going to solve this thing?"
Neji brought up a hand to stroke his chin as he circled around the side of her for a better look. His Byakugan was already active, staring hard at the lock. "It's as strong as Morino said it was. It can't be picked or broken, at least not by us. And the rules prevent us from breaking down the door or bursting through the wall, so the only route left to us is working out the combination."
"Aright!" Lee smashed his fist into his palm determinedly. "We know it is a lock with a number combination so we need to focus solely on numbers. The proctor implied that this task would focus on how well we notice things. So that would mean…"
"There are clues." Neji finished, nodding along thoughtfully. "So what could we have missed? They have to be either in or around this building. Lee, did you see anything that jumped out at you on the way in? Something that could be a clue?"
Lee thought about it, but shook his head. "No. There were a few signs on the notice board outside, but they were really old and I could hardly even read them. I don't think they were clues."
"Damn." Neji cursed quietly then lapsed into deep thought. The silence stretched on for a good twenty minutes of their precious time as each of them dug through their memories trying to remember anything that could possibly have been a clue. "Oh, come on!" Neji growled suddenly in agitation as he paced. "There's something we're not remembering! A number, we're looking for a special number! We have to have seen it! I must have been hidden, or disguised, or misplaced like–"
Naruko's eyes shot up and she snapped her fingers in realization. "Floor signs! The floor sign we saw earlier! It wasn't a mistake; it was a clue! It has to be!"
The boys looked at each other. Lee nodded excitedly. "That must be it! The first digit is three!"
Naruko dug out a notepad from the deep pockets of her fatigue trousers. Flipping it open she scratched down the first number of the combination. "Okay, what next?"
None of them knew what next. They wracked their brains trying to remember something that stood out as a clue. It shouldn't have been this hard. The building was pretty bare with only the most minor of decoration or furnishings. They rattled off every single number they could remember seeing from the floor numbers to the room numbers but none of them stood out. The numbers they were looking for had to have a certain uniqueness to them, something that wouldn't stand out at first glance but would catch your attention if you looked close enough. All the while the clock ticked away the time they had left, and the more time that passed the more hopeless their situation seemed.
Lee looked up wearily from where he sat huddled against the wall. Neji was right across from him, couched on his haunches, his head bowed, and covering his face with his hands as if to block out any outside stimuli that could distract him. Naruko was sat against the door they were trying so desperately to get through, her knees drawn up to her chest. One of them was bouncing rapidly and her eyes were closed as she pressed the heel of her palm to her temple in concentration.
Lee bit his lip. "What…" he spoke for the first time in many minutes. "What if it's not just a number that was written down? Maybe it was something someone said or something?"
His team-mates stared at him with faces so devoid of expression that it caused him to shift and look away uncomfortably. They then looked at each other and groaned, their heads falling back against the walls. Could nothing ever be simple?
Naruko pressed her hands together. "Fine, let's look at it that way. I don't think it would have been anything the clerks at the administration office said because there was just too much said and that wouldn't be fair. The guards outside the classroom only asked us for out passes so I think that rules them out. That only leaves Ibiki."
Lee snorted. "It shouldn't be that hard to remember a clue in his speech; it was quite memorable."
"Okay." Neji pushed himself to his feet and began to pace again. According to the clock they had less that thirty minutes left or they'd fail. "What did he say? He got our attention and announced the beginning of the exam. He introduced himself, threatened us to obey the rules, and basically told us we were a waste of humanity. He belittled those two Genin then brought us to the chamber we were just in."
"Then he showed us the padlock." Naruko also began to pace. She shook her head. "No, he described the role of a Chuunin, giving us a hint on how to pass the test, then showed us the padlock! He told us how it worked. He said there were sixty doors!" Then her face fell. "No, that wouldn't be a clue; there were sixty doors. I counted them."
Lee's head snapped up. "Kabuto!"
Naruko's face twisted. Was now really the time to bring up that greasy weirdo? "What about him?"
"He mentioned squads! When he made us his offer he mentioned how many squads there are! 'Fifty-two squads here' he said! They're the next two numbers!"
They both stared at him for a few seconds. Then Neji shook his head. "Yakushi Kabuto is a Genin. There's no way he'd be in on it."
Lee deflated, completely crushed. "Oh…"
Naruko groaned and fell back against the locked door. She slid down it and proceeded to bang her head against the steel. The steady thump thump thump filled the tiny room. There was also another sound right by her ear. The sound of something tapping against the door. Her head ceased it's banging and rolled in the direction of the noise. Her eyes fell on that damnable lock. Suddenly something clicked in her brain. Quickly, she twisted and began to examine the lock closely.
"Lee's right." she said lowly but with excitement. "Squads! That's the clue!"
Neji groaned with exasperated annoyance. "Kabuto is a Genin! He would not be in on it!"
"What he said wasn't the clue, but it was a clue to find the clue!"
Now both boys were confused and it showed.
"I wouldn't have noticed it if Kabuto hadn't said it. He said there were fifty-two squads here. He's a Genin like us and he wouldn't lie about something so mundane. But Ibiki would!"
"What are you talking about!" Neji near roared.
"When he showed us that padlock he told us how many door there were! He said there were sixty! More than enough for the fifty-five squads here! The next two digits are fifty-five!"
Neji blinked in realisation. "Of course. I tried to do a headcount in the classroom, but I only managed a rough one. Someone like Ibiki would expect a Chuunin to be able to notice how many people are taking the exam and be able to spot the hint hidden in his little speech! Of course!" He felt like slapping himself for not seeing it sooner.
Naruko pulled out the notepad and hastily began to jot down the numbers. They had three fourths of the combination now. They had twenty minutes to find the last piece of the puzzle. Things were starting to look up.
As she pulled the pencil away from the paper she stopped suddenly. She frowned in confusion, staring at the notepad. Something about what she had just said was playing in her mind, like a noise in the dark. It was there, you just couldn't see it nor did you know were it was. 'Ibiki. Something about Ibiki in that classroom…and numbers. Ibiki, classroom, and numbers. Ibiki, classroom, and numbers. Ibiki, classroom, and…'
"Damn!" she cursed herself. "How did I not see it!"
"Naruko?" Lee asked.
"In the classroom on the blackboard! There were numbers! A few equations written down! I only remembered them because I was looking at them while Ibiki was giving his speech!"
"Argh!" Neji growled. "Damn it! Can either of you remember what they were?"
Naruko shoved herself to her feet. "No! Neji–Byakugan!"
But he was already moving. In two long strides he was pressed up to the wall, the veins around his eyes bulging. He squinted and pressed himself as flush to the wall as possible. "They're at the very edge of my vision, but I can see them."
"Ten minutes, guys." Lee reminded them worriedly, checking the clock.
Neji was peering hard at the far away equations as Naruko prepared to write them down. "Okay, the first one is: three divided by four to the power of–"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Naruko cut him off. "'To the power of'? How the hell do you write that?"
"I thought you knew math?" he snarled at her.
"I'm a self-taught street urchin, not a bloody mathematician!"
"Gimme that!" he roughly snatched the notepad and pencil from her and began jotting down the equations. Such was his haste that his usually impeccable penmanship was reduced to a barely legible squiggle.
He muttered to himself as he solved the equations. Naruko and Lee could only stand by helplessly and let him work. Naruko herself admitted she would be of no help, and Lee, while far from stupid, was still a few levels below the Hyuuga genius' impressive intellect.
Fortunately it didn't take him long. "Right. Out of the seven equations there are only four one-letter answers. We've got three chances to input the right combination into the lock before it jams and we fail, so we've got a good chance of passing."
"Give me the code." Naruko said as she kneeled before the padlock. She glanced at the clock. They had five minutes left.
Neji took a deep breath and gave himself a little shake. "Let's hope this works." he muttered. "Okay, first try the combination: 3-5-5-4."
Naruko twisted the revolving dials. "Three…five…five…four. Done."
"Now press the button, if we're right it should open."
She placed her thumb on the button. Glancing up she saw her squad-mates crowding her, hanging over her shoulders. The tension in the room was suffocating.
She rolled her neck and returned her gaze to the lock. They had four combinations and three chances to get them right. Trying to mentally channel every ounce of luck she possessed, she clenched her eyes shut and braced herself. Her fingers tightened harshly around the lock. Her thumb jammed down on the button.
CLICK!
They nearly leapt out of their skin and the startlingly loud noise. Naruko yanked desperately on the lock.
It wouldn't budge.
"Shite!" she cursed, slamming her fist into the door.
Neji's brow furrowed. "Damn. We still have two more go's. Try the next one: 3-5-5-5."
He glanced at the clock. Three minutes.
"Three…five…five…five. This better work." She rested her forehead on the doorframe, directly beside the lock and shut her eyes again. 'Please, please, please work!'
She pressed the button.
CLICK!
This time it was Lee who roared in outrage and kicked the door with enough force to bruise his foot.
Naruko let go of the lock and dragged her hands through her hair. Her whole body was shaking and she had broken out into a clammy sweat. Her nerves were shot to hell and it didn't look like either of the other two were fairing any better. She rested her hands on the lock again and had to resist the urge to try and rip it off. "Next."
Neji also ran his hand through his hair, barely restraining himself from tearing it out. "3-5-5-1."
Inputting the numbers this time with a little more difficult with her trembling hands. If this wasn't the correct combination then they will have failed not only the exam, but their sensei, and themselves as well. She wasn't religious, but at that moment she was praying to anything that would listen.
Her thumb hovered over the button. Air was rushing in an out of her lung at an ever increasing pace. Her lips rested against her hands clasped around the lock. She was muttering to herself. "Work…work…work…this has to be it…"
Her thumb rested on the button. Slowly, she began to increase the pressure on it in the tiniest increments possible. She could feel the sweat from her thumb on it, causing it to slide a little. The button began to depress–
"WAIT!"
Naruko let out a scream and started so bad the top of her head nearly hit Neji's jaw. Panting, she glared up at him, pissed as hell. "What is your major malfunction, numb-nuts!"
Surprisingly Neji too was panting and looking quite pale. "I don't think that's the combination." he admitted.
Her eyes were wide and wild. "What?" she seethed, teeth bared. "We have–" she checked the clock and felt the bottom of her stomach drop. "one minute left and you choose now to be difficult?"
"I'm not being difficult, I'm trying to make the difficult thing simple! I don't think any of these answers are part of the combination!" he shouted.
"Then what!" she shouted right back.
"I don't think the answers to the equations are part of the combination; I think the number of equations are! There were seven equations on that blackboard; I think seven is the final digit in the combination!"
"What?"
"No time to argue, just do it!" Lee urged quickly. They had thirty seconds.
Growling, Naruko did so. The shaking in her hands had increased, causing the lock to rattle. Her sweaty hands were slipping on the dial as she tried to turn it.
"Hurry." Neji pressed quietly, his eyes darting between the lock and the clock.
"Three…five…five…seven! Got it!" She wiped her hands on her trousers and grabbed the lock. Her thumb landed on the button and began to press–
"WAIT!"
"FOR FUCK'S SAKE!" Naruko bellowed. She rounded on Lee. "WHAT? WHAT IS IT?"
The poor boy was almost tripping over himself trying to explain. "I think the numbers are in the wrong order! Think about it; we saw the floor sign first, the equations second, then Ibiki mentioned the number of squads! That would make it 3-7-5-5 not 3-5-5-7! The combination is 3-7-5-5!" he rushed out in one fast breath.
They had ten seconds.
Neji looked at Naruko. "It makes sense."
Nine.
"ARGH!" She hastily began to redo the numbers.
Eight.
Damn, the shaking was worse than ever.
Seven.
"Quickly!" Lee groaned weakly into her ear, practically hugging her back.
Six.
She input the first number. Her fingers were slipping on their own sweat.
Five.
She input the second.
Four.
"Hurry!" Neji's voice rose in panic.
Three.
Her sweaty bandana had slipped down, partially obscuring her vision. She had no time to adjust it.
Two.
"Fuuuuck!" The third number was in.
One.
There! The last number!
Zero.
Her thumb slammed down on the button.
CLICK!
A/N: Jeez, my own heart is racing! I need to calm down. Breathe…breathe…
I know! I know! I'm late! I'm so so so sorry about that! I would give you my long winded explanation but I'm sure none of you really care about that. You want your story and that's why my A/N is down here at the bottom. The only thing I will say is that this chapter was a Queen-Mother Bitch to write. I went through twelve - that's right - TWELVE different drafts of this chapter before I found one I like and I'm not over sure I completely like the end product, but it's been too long and I wanted it out of the way.
A few answers to things people have been asking me.
First off the Big Question - No, I am not dead and neither is this story.
Secondly, people have been asking about Naruko's strength during the fight in the last chapter. You're right, she didn't use her full strength. The reason she held back a lot is because she knows she's a strong girl, stronger than most people, and finding out just how strong she is plus training to increase that strength made her wary of using it on another person. She knows how dangerous she could be, but she didn't want to kill any of the Hatchet Boyz so she held back, only briefly showing her full strength when she punched Kenta across the room.
Someone asked if Naruko would regenerate from Daiki's stab. Naruko only regenerates when she's actively using chakra. Since she has her chakra suppressed at all times unless she's using it (Since that would draw way too much attention) she was left to heal naturally. She has never used the self-healing before.
Tenten. These first few chapters were to establish the basis for Team Gai. The next few chapters, likely the next one in fact, will bring her in and establish her as one of the main characters in the story.
A lot of people have shown an interest of how military-focused my Narukoverse is. This is only the tip of the iceberg because in a couple of chapters you'll see my attempt on structuring Konohagakure like you would see in a real-world military. I've put a lot of time and effort into it and I'm really excited to see how people will react.
Lastly I want to thank you all for the MONUMENTAL feedback you've all been giving me and the patience you've shown. It really lets a writer know that their effort it worth something. So thank you all and please keep reading. I hope such a wait will never happen again.
Remember to review and tell me your thoughts (But not the dirty ones *glares sternly*).
May the fan-fiction be with you!
