In A Time Where Kunoichi Didn't Exist

The Chuunin exams soon approached, and the two teams were fully prepared to take on any obstacles the Chuunin exams could throw at them. Even Hinata was confident, and she was constantly encouraging the others that they would win, despite the fact that everyone else was just as hyped up for the big event.

The forms were filled out, they were used to using their codenames, and they felt like they were fully prepared for whatever the Chuunin exams could throw at them. They assembled and slipped out of the mansion by night, so that no shinobi would happen to recognize them coming out of the Buds mansion. They went to a hotel, which Tsunade had given them money for, and were going to stay there the duration of the time they'd be 'in town' for the Chuunin exams. Tenten, Hinata and Shizune all shared rooms, while Kurenai, Ino and Sakura shared the other room. There were two beds in each room, along with a large dresser (which contained six drawers), and everyone used two drawers for all of their things. They stayed at the same hotel that Gaara, Temari and Kankuro were at, and actually were only a few rooms away from them. All of the younger girls were secretly hoping that they'd be able to become friends with Temari, Gaara and Kankuro, since they were always helping them out.

"So, what are we going to do until tomorrow?" Tenten asked, flopping on the bed beside Hinata.

"Dunno. Maybe we could…" Hinata began to suggest, but Shizune automatically threw her suggestion out of the window.

"No partying. We have a rough day ahead of us tomorrow," Shizune told them sternly.

"What are Tsunade and Kurenai-sensei doing?" Hinata asked in a bored tone from her and Tenten's bed as she clipped parts of her nail.

"Tsunade shall be continuing her shift at the hospital. She couldn't get me a vacation, so she's covering my shifts. Kurenai is going to continue working on getting honorary members. We need quite a few more of them," Shizune explained.

Honorary members were male shinobi from the village who were affiliated with the Buds. Picking them was hard to do—it was sometimes hard to determine who was loyal to Konoha, and who was loyal to Konoha but opposed their anti-kunoichi laws. Doing so involved very careful studying, and sometimes carefully planned tests. It was a dangerous mission, because failure could be fatal to the entire group, and if they were caught before they could be fully evaluated, they would more than likely be sent to prison or be executed.

A few of the women who had gone out to find honorary members sometimes never came back—they would just disappear without a trace. These were the cases Hinata found the scariest, for no matter how much investigating was done, they could never find bodies or any other signs of them. This meant that they were more than likely caught by rogue ninja, ones who so opposed women being kunoichi that they would actually kill them illegally and dispose of their bodies. They were obviously at least Jonin or ANBU, for they were always disposed of carefully.

Hinata cringed at the thought of them. She crawled under the covers in a feeble attempt to stop the shivers running up and down her back, but to no avail. The ones that were caught and imprisoned she felt sympathy for. The ones who were caught and executed she felt extremely sorry for. But… the ones who never came up… they were most likely tortured or raped. This meant that some shinobi was using them as a personal play thing, and was… Hinata didn't like to think about it.

She and Tenten fell into fitful, yet excited sleep.

----

The forms had been filled out, and they were making their way to room 301. They walked through the hallways, glaring at anyone who gave stared, or even glanced at them. Some of them had the gall to whisper as they passed, instead of at least waiting until they were gone. They climbed two flights of stairs, and paused as they heard a fight going on.

"You plan to take the Chuunin exam with that?" they heard a cruel voice yell, laughing sarcastically at whoever they were fighting. They rounded the corner to see a boy in a green jumpsuit, wiping the side of his mouth, two dark-haired, overly bandaged boys standing above him.

Hinata nearly gasped out as she saw her cousin, Neji, standing to one side of the jump-suited boy. Tenten noticed this and looked up, automatically picking out which one was Hinata's cousin—not that it was hard, for she went by the eyes.

"Hey, assholes, you have no right to not let us pass!" another boy yelled. He had orange hair and light green eyes, and was obviously very temperamental. He stomped his right foot, not unlike a female, and crossed his arms.

"Satoshi… You're acting like a girl again. Even else will target us because we have a effeminate guy on our team," Neji growled.

"Stop acting like you're the king of the world, Neji!" Satoshi threw back, adding wild hand motions.

Neji sighed grumpily, wanting terribly to slap his own teammate.

Then, as if Neji's wish had come true, one of the boys, in a flurry of motion, smacked Satoshi across the face, sending him flying towards the ground.

From the ground, Satoshi growled and stood up, glaring at the boy. "This is our kindness. The Chuunin exam isn't easy… even we have failed it three consecutive times. Those that take this exam and end up quitting as shinobi, those that die during the exam… We have seen it all. And Chuunins often become captains of military teams. The failure of a mission, the death of a comrade… That is the responsibility of a Chuunin. Yet… kids like you, think you can pass?"

"We are just thinning out those that will fail anyways. What's wrong with that?" the other boy added in.

Out of nowhere, a dark haired boy—one that both Sakura and Ino gasped at upon his entrance—said, "I agree, but… You will let me pass through, and remove this surrounding created by genjutsu. I'm going to the 3rd floor."

Murmurings came from throughout the crowd, and Hinata leaned to Ino. "Did… you realize that this was a genjutsu?"

"Yeah… We've only climbed two flights of stairs, really. They've honestly just changed the sign. It's nothing big, just a simple genjutsu," Ino analyzed.

"So, you've noticed…Hmm, not to bad, but all you've done is see through it," the bandaged boy yelled as he went to kick the dark-haired boy. The dark-haired boy moved to kick him as well, but the boy in the jump suit stopped them both. He caught their kicks, as if they were nothing to him. Hinata desperately wanted to activate the Byakugan to see how his chakra was running through his body, just to know what sort of chakra he was using. That could not possibly be normal chakra.

"Hey, let's go," Uzuki urged them.

"Why? It's just getting interesting!" Sakura protested.

"Shinobu, it is a rule that we must stay out of such things. Besides, our teams really must separate…" Shizune said, supporting Uzuki.

"Fine," Sakura pouted. Hinata looked back at the boys to see what was going on, and it was then that she saw him—Naruto. He was standing behind the dark haired boy, next to a boy with a dog on his head, glaring at the boy with dark hair.

"Naruto…?" she whispered aloud.

"Naru?" Tenten asked, worried.

"Nothing…" Hinata replied, shaking her head. "Come on, let's go," she suggested.

----

They climbed another flight of stairs and went into their room, room 301. They stared, hiding any shock or fear in their eyes, at the large group of people. There were seemingly endless amounts of people all around the room, each of them looking like they were from a gang. The two teams separated, and Hinata sighed. She'd have to rely on her own courage, not Tenten's, to get through the Chuunin exams. It was about the first time that she would have to, because it seemed that Tenten was always there to comfort and support her. And now, she, unlike the others, knew two of the many that were taking the exam. Naruto and Neji… to avoid or to slyly talk to?

She followed Uzuki and Sakura to a different side of the room, where they met up with Temari, Gaara, and Kankuro. It was their first time seeing Temari's brothers, and it unnerved Hinata. The older one couldn't be much worse than a playground bully, but the other… He had a cold look to his eyes, as if he had been born jaded.

"Gaara, Kankuro," Temari introduced, pointing to her brothers. "This is Naru, Shinobu, and Mitsune," Temari said, pointing to Hinata, Sakura, and Uzuki's forms.

"Hn," Kankuro answered, obviously uninterested. Gaara did not even bother replying.

"Do you know anything about any of the people here?" Uzuki asked lowly, glancing around the room as she did so.

"Yeah. We got some profiles of Konoha people. Anyone you interested in?" Temari asked with a smirk.

"Yeah… He's got dark hair, dark eyes… From the sign on his back, he's a Uchiha," Uzuki explained.

"Uchiha Sasuke. We know of him already. He lost his parents in some sort of clan thing years back… His brother, apparently, killed his entire clan but him. His teammates are Kiba Inuzuka and Naruto Uzumaki, both of whom are of no consequence. Their sensei is Kakashi, the copy-nin." Temari explained.

"Ano… Can I please get information on Uzumaki?" Hinata asked shyly, pressing her forefingers together.

"Yeah, but only if you stop acting like a damn kindergartner. You're representing Sand now, kid, and we can't have you running around like some lost baby. You need to look strong," Temari hissed.

Hinata straightened up and put her hands at her sides, glaring lightly at Temari, even if it was only a façade. "Understood," she replied, keeping her strong look. She really did need the information, after all.

Temari sighed. "He barely passed the Genin exams, is an idiot, and wants to be Hokage. Just another wannabe shinobi with an impossible dream. Why?" Temari asked.

"He reminds me of someone I know. How about Hyuuga Neji?" Hinata asked coolly.

Temari smirked. "I don't think you want that information."

"Why?"

"Because, half his record is episodes. He's become… violent and cold. He doesn't care anymore. Not since…. Well, you know," Temari explained, not wanting to give off too much.

Hinata fought back tears, and looked ahead at Temari with a blank stare. "I see…" she muttered.

"Maybe you shouldn't have asked," Sakura told her quietly.

"No, I needed to know," Hinata explained. "Thank you, Temari-san, for the information and everything else," Hinata half-muttered, before walking off to the side. Kankuro and Temari exchanged a look, one Gaara would not have understood, for he did not read well into feelings, other than his own.

'Neji, what happened to you?' Hinata thought, just as the last few Genin filed into the room.

Suddenly, a loud cry erupted from across the room. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto! I won't lose to you bastards!"

Hinata held back a giggle at his antics, though everyone around the room was now glaring at him—or, in the case of the other Konoha nin, yelling at him to shut the hell up.

"The Sand also has no room for schoolgirl crushes," Gaara said to Hinata coldly.

Hinata was almost ready to throw thousands of questions at him, for instance, did he know what happened years ago? Did he know something she didn't? Why was he such an asshole?

They heard an entrance, and a cloud of smoke came in the front of the room. Standing inside the cloud of smoke were tons of people wearing Chuunin vests, and also a large man with scars covering his face. He had a large trench coat on, and underneath his headband was a bandana covering the top of his head.

"Thanks for waiting. I am Morino Ibiki, the examiner for the Chuunin selection exam's first test," he said lowly, but somehow loudly enough for everyone to hear him clearly. "Hidden Sound nin, stop doing as you please before the exam," he said, addressing a team from the Hidden Sound. Apparently, they had attacked after Naruto's outburst, but the others had been too distracted to notice.

"I apologize… This is our first time… We got a bit carried away…" a strange boy wearing a Sound hitai-ate said.

"Bah… Here's a good opportunity to say this. There will be no fighting without the permission of the examiner. Even with permission, killing your opponent will not be tolerated. Those pigs that disobey me will fail immediately. Do I make myself clear?" he asked, addressing everyone in the room. There were no 'Yes sir's or even nods, just staring, light glares, and intense glares at him.

Ibiki instructed them to all take a tab, and they were all split up across the room. Hinata was shocked to find that she was seated to the left of Naruto. She looked at her teammates, but accidentally caught gazes with Temari. Temari gave her a look that plainly said not to look at, talk to, or even acknowledge Naruto, even though Naruto was now depressed that it was a written exam.

Ibiki listed off the rules, and allowed them to look at their tests. Hinata was analyzing the questions, doing her best to answer them.

'I don't know any of this! Do Genin really learn all of this at the Academy?! They can't possibly know this… Wait. That's it! We're… we're not meant to know any of this! We're meant to… cheat? Is that right? Well, I suppose it makes sense—after all, we're ninja. We should be able to cheat without getting caught. That explains why we don't fail if we get caught…' Hinata thought to herself. 'I wonder if any of the others know…?"

Hinata groaned and put her head down on the table. 'I don't know any other ocular jutsu, so… I'll have to use my Byakugan," she told herself with a sigh. She muttered, "Byakugan," lightly against the table, muffling her jutsu even more than it normally would have been.

She looked around the room, searching for anyone who had the answers. She saw someone writing down all the answers quickly, and upon further inspection, she realized that they all sounded right. She quickly copied the answers and turned her Byakugan off, hoping no one would notice.

No one seemed to notice, and none of the Chuunin examiners made a mark on their paper right after she did. She glanced back to Tenten, who was using a strange setup of reflecting hitai-ates and shiny weapons to find her answers. Sakura was marking the answers all on her own, which made sense, because she was smart. She held back a laugh when she saw Ino taking over Sakura's body to take her answers, which was funny considering they were from the same village.

Hinata looked back down at Naruto, whose paper was blank. They didn't have long before the final question. "Hey… I don't know how to go about doing favors for strangers… But I think I'll help you," she whispered to Naruto, already feeling the glare Temari was sending her way in the back of her head.

"Really? You… you don't even know me!" he whispered back, shocked.

"Well… you remind me of someone I know. Just do it," she muttered, moving over her paper to where he could copy it. "We have very little time left. Copy it," she commanded.

"Why do you want to help me?" he whispered again, sensing a trap.

"I… swear it's not a trap… You just remind me of someone that really helped me. I never got to thank him. So… so I guess… it'd feel like I was thanking him by doing this…" she explained.

He leaned over, as if to cheat. However, he stopped halfway there. "You… you don't understand," he said.

"What?" she whispered, extremely shocked.

"An incredible ninja like me doesn't need to cheat," he explained.

"I see. Good luck, then, Naruto-kun," she said, his name rolling off her tongue easily.

"Thanks. Wait! I never told you my name!" he half exclaimed, surprised.

"Your paper," she lied quickly, looking away from him to keep from losing points for cheating.

"Oh," he answered back dumbly.

More and more people were being called to leave for failing by cheating, and many just up and gave up. It was shocking to hear how quickly most were being kicked out.

Kankuro raised his hand and asked to go to the bathroom, and a Chuunin cuffed his hands and led him there.

A few minutes later, the time for the tenth question came. Ibiki stood up and announced, "We will now release the tenth question. Now, before we get to it… I'd like to go over the added rules for this question," he began.

Kankuro chose that time to reenter the room, and Ibiki addressed him. "Was your doll playing beneficial?" he asked coldly.

'Doll? Is… is a puppet user?' Hinata asked herself.

Kankuro glared at him and passed by Temari on the way to his seat, passing her the answers as well.

Ibiki began to talk again, and he said, "I'll now explain… These are the rules of desperation. First, for this question, you must decide whether or not you'll take it."

"Choose? What happens if we choose not to?" Temari demanded from the back.

"If you choose not to, your points will be reduced to 0, and you'll fail, along with your teammates!" A few outbursts erupted, and Ibiki continued. "And now… the other rule. If you choose to take it, and answer incorrectly, that person will lose the right to take the Chuunin selection exam again."

"What kind of stupid rule is that? There are people in here who have taken the exam before!" the other member of Naruto's team, Kiba, yelled.

"Heh, you guys were unlucky. This year it's my rules. But I am giving you a way out," he explained.

Many 'What's and 'Huh's came, and he elaborated. "Those that aren't confident can choose not to take it… And try again next year. Now, let's begin the tenth question," he instructed. "Those who do not wish to take it… raise your hand. Once your number is confirmed, leave."

Many people raised their hands, and apologized to their teammates as they all left the room. Hinata was beginning to freak out, saw Naruto freak out, and then freaked out even more. She was shaking, and was ready to raise her hand. She knew Uzuki neither Shizune would raise their hands, for they knew it was not their decision to fail for the others.

Hinata bit her bottom lip to keep her head clear and free of any fear of not being able to take the selection exam. She took a deep breath and glanced over to her left, where Naruto's shaky hand was beginning to rise into the air.

"Naruto…" she whispered lightly, too silent to be heard.

He slammed his hand onto the table, and yelled, "Don't underestimate me! I will not run!" His voice intensified, and he continued yelling. "I'll take it! Even if I'm a Genin forever! I'll will myself to become Hokage, anyway, so I don't care! I am not afraid!"

As if his words were meant to dispel her fears, Hinata stopped shaking.

"Idiot… Now there will be more contestants…" she heard Uzuki mutter from a few seats above her.

Ibiki was wearing a look of determination, but even Hinata could see through that façade. He knew that no one would want to quit after that statement, and he was only giving him that look to hopefully squeeze a team or two out of the competition.

"I'll ask you again. Your life is riding on this decision, and this is your last chance to quit," he state calmly. Hinata applauded him for his amazing skills at hiding any sign of uncertainty or the like.

"I'll follow my unbending words… That's my nindo," Naruto replied, just as calmly and coolly, but with a smirk instead of a frown.

"Good decisions. Now, to everyone still remaining. I congratulate you on passing the first test!"

A/N: I decided to end it on Ibiki's congratulation instead of Anko's entrance, but the next chapter will be the first half—or maybe third, depending on how I make it—of the second part of the Chuunin exams, and then of course the selection thingy… To all of those that have read this in the manga and seen it in the anime (cough, me), this part will seem a bit… overdone. However, after this part, it'll be a little more… original. Sorry that it's pretty much redoing the manga. :P The next chapter will be more interesting, I promise! )

Reviews are always appreciated, and thanks to all my reviewers! I should be getting internet really soon (yes, I know I've said this like, a thousand times, but… well, my dad keeps changing when we'll get internet), and I'll be updating my stories more (since I won't be updating all three of my current stories at once, I'll be doing them one-by-one as I finish them, plus I'll probably be writing more one-shots (I may even do a two-shot or two).

Oh, and another note to my reviewers—sorry I haven't been replying. I don't get much Internet time, and when I do, I don't usually feel like replying (… sorry if that sounds insensitive), nor do I really feel like replying to e-mails. I usually get on for things like school, I'll upload chapters (or whatever) and hop off.

But that's changing. I have internet now! )