hello. do you know what really sucks? the freaking annoying inconsistencies in the characters ages and places in the story. ugh. okay. basically, researching the chunin exams again i discovered that although Anko & Hayate are about 3 years younger than the main trio, they also participated in the exams. BUT that would make them 8. but they were 10 when they graduated. so apparently, who the flip knows how this is possible! *internal screaming.* so please forgive me for having some characters with chameleon ages and birthdays, because apparently, who gives a crap in this universe? haha. jeez.
basically, this is what I'VE DECIDED IS HAPPENING, through my own research and because i've needed to fix things up so they make SOME kind of sense is this: some people are graduating at a different age, others are born earlier or later. soooo. it's an AU with time-travel soooo. yep. that's my logic. pfff.
In their teams:
TEAM MINATO: Obito (12) Kakashi & Rin: (11)
TEAM OROCHIMARU: Anko (10), ? Hyuga (12), Other No Name Person (12)
TEAM CHOZA: Genma (13), Ebisu (14), Guy, (11)
TEAM UNKNOWN SENSEI 1: Ibiki (12), Tokara (13), Hayate Gekko (10)
TEAM UNKNOWN SENSEI 2: Raido (13) Asuma & Kurenai (11)
other characters at this point:
Minato & Kushina: 22 (and married! yaaayyy!)
Ayame: 53
Ryuu: …. 53?
Tsunade/Jiraiya/Orochimaru: 40
Nawaki: 35
Hiruzen Sarutobi: 66
Danzo: 69
Ino-Shika-Cho: 25ish
Shisui: 7
Itachi: 2
Sakiko Uchiha: 59
hope this helps set where everything is at a little bit.
this is the beginning of the second part of the story.
enjoy!
PART TWO: THE CHUNIN EXAMS
Chapter 8
PART TWO: THE CHUNIN EXAMS
Chapter 8
Rin was always the first to arrive whenever the team was called together for a meeting; it was a change from the life before she died when Kakashi was such a stickler for the rules, including punctuality. She straightened her pale purple, shuriken patterned short dress, straightened her belt, retied the tie at the front of the dress, tugged down her mesh shorts underneath, and sighed impatiently.
At least the weather was nice, she mused. Minato-sensei had called for their team to meet at a bridge by the edge of the village, the place they had been meeting for the last year and a few months when they were getting ready for missions. Rin looked up to the sky. The last few months had been incredibly busy. Their team was not only being assigned missions of increasing difficulty, but they were also being requested for important guard missions for resupplying the shinobi in conflict and medical units. They were barely in the village for more than two weeks at a time. It was a change from the way things had been before.
She heard footsteps on the bridge and looked over to see Kakashi arriving, head stuck in another book.
"Yo," he greeted her without looking away from the page.
"Hey Kakashi, what are you reading?" Rin asked.
He hummed.
"Jiraiya-sensei's new book," he replied. "'Tales of an Utterly Gutsy Shinobi.'"
Rin furrowed her brow.
"That's a mouthful," she said.
He hummed again, and Rin pursed her lips in annoyance. He wasn't in the mood to talk.
"Where's Minato-sensei?" Kakashi asked after a few minutes of comfortable silence.
He leaned back on the railing of the bridge and Rin shrugged.
"I'm not sure." She glanced at her watch. "He's late," she frowned.
Kakashi hummed again, but this time it sounded concerned. Minato-sensei was rarely late.
When Obito arrived before Minato-sensei, she and Kakashi glanced at each other with matching frowns.
"Where's Minato-sensei?" Obito asked, wiping the sweat from his brow.
It was a small action, just raising his arm, but Rin couldn't help but notice how much Obito had grown in the last two years. Kakashi had grown as well, but Obito's growth was more noticeable, mostly because out of the three of them, he'd changed the most from their past lives. He didn't wear the blue jacket and pants he'd worn before, his goggles had been discarded almost immediately upon their arrival to their new life. He dressed more similarly to the majority of his clan these days. His t-shirt was black and high-necked with his clan symbol on the back, with black plants, and wrappings around ankles.
Kakashi was dressed almost the same as he used to be, with a navy t-shirt that had stripes down the sleeves, forearm guards, and his brown belt crossed over his chest and father's chakra saber at him back. Sometimes the ways he embraced their childhood again confused Rin, but then again, he'd always been enigmatic.
"Late," Kakashi answered Obito. "Obviously."
"Huh." Obito scratched the back of his head. "Weird."
"Should we look for him?" Rin asked.
"Nah," Obito replied. "Minato-sensei is too awesome to die in the village…" he trailed off after realising what he said.
Kakashi smacked him on the back, hard enough that Obito stumbled forwards a step.
"Nice, Obito."
Obito shook his head.
"You know what I mean," he murmured.
Rin gave him a smile.
"Well, I guess you're right. He's probably been detained by the Hokage or something important."
"I can always count on you to understand me."
Obito gave her a grateful and relieved look. Rin giggled and Kakashi rolled his eyes. He closed his book and put it in the pouch at his thigh.
"You're such a suck-up," Kakashi droned.
"Shut up, Bakashi," Obito replied.
Rin listened to her teammates bickering with faint amusement. Some things never changed, and it was oddly comforting. Rin glanced up at the sky again, and for the first time noticed the figure of their sensei on top of the wooden structure that stood over the bridge. She smiled at him, her teammates still unaware he had arrived, and he smiled back before giving a shake of his head at the pair of idiots Rin was teamed with. Rin grinned as Minato shocked the two of them by appearing with his hands on their shoulders and pulling them apart. Obito let out a high-pitched yelp, and Kakashi wordlessly looked shocked with his usually apathetic eyes widening comically.
"Stop doing that, Minato-sensei!" Obito whined.
Minato smiled.
"Sorry for being late, the meeting ran longer then I thought it would," he apologised.
"So?" Rin questioned. "What's the mission?"
Minato reached into his back pocket and presented them with three white slips of paper. Rin's eyes widened with recognition.
"The chunin exams!" She breathed.
"So it's time, huh?"
Kakashi's bored tone was in stark contrast to the tense set of his shoulders.
"Ugh, stop worrying so much, Bakashi. If we're going to get anything done, we've gotta become at least chunin first."
"Does this mean you'll adjust our charka restraints?" Kakashi asked Minato-sensei eagerly.
He nodded.
"Of course."
"So how many days until the exam?" Rin asked.
"Four," Minato replied. "So how about we do a little test?"
Obito groaned.
"You're not going make us do the bell test again, are you?"
Minato grinned.
"Why not?"
"Fully powered?" Obito asked hopefully.
"Definitely not," Minato replied immediately. He glanced at them all. "Then…" Minato gave them a sly smile. "Catch me if you can."
He disappeared and Kakashi heaved a sigh. Rin smiled broadly and gripped both of their hands, dragging them along behind her.
"Come on!" She called out enthusiastically.
She looked back and saw Kakashi and Obito exchange a grin. Obito's hand tightened on hers.
"Let's do this!"
Ayame felt the hard stares of the Senju siblings even more than she saw them. Those two had a way of doing that, the thirteen and eighteen year age gaps between them didn't matter a jot. Ayame always managed to feel like they were older than she was in some way, such was the power of the Senju. Or maybe it was just the insane power of Tsuna and the effect of disappointing Nawaki that did that.
Ayame took a deep breath. She was aware of the consequences of her actions, but there was a reason she had kept the reappearance of her brother a secret, and that Fugaku had agreed to her - rather violent - demand. Or threat, depending on whose side you looked at it from.
"This shouldn't have been kept from the Hokage," Nawaki said, shaking his head. "This is a matter of security for the village."
"The Hokage is at war," Ayame replied. "He can't fight a battle on two fronts and I have full reign in this mission."
"His instruction was to keep him informed!" Nawaki responded passionately. "Aya, if he knew the truth, he wouldn't have allowed this at all."
"And that's the point, isn't it?" Tsunade scoffed. "You don't want interference for your little revenge fantasies."
Ayame narrowed her eyes as Tsunade poured herself two cups of sake.
"Here." Tsunade offered her one. "You're gonna need it."
Ayame took it and threw the drink back.
"It's not a revenge fantasy," she muttered.
"Then what is it?" Nawaki asked.
Ayame shook her head. She wanted to tell them, she wanted to tell them both everything. But Sakura had died before telling Tsunade anything, and so the Senju siblings were in the dark about the truth about her mother, Tsunade's connection to her, and especially about why Ryuu defected. No one knew the truth about his twisted mind, and Ayame was beginning to think she didn't either.
"I didn't come to you to discuss my motivations," Ayame said, avoiding the question. "I came to you because I've been looking for him and I couldn't find him, but - I found this." She pulled a scroll out of her bag and handed it to Tsunade. "I know it has something to do with Ryuu, his symbol is on it."
"It's a bit pretentious, isn't it, calling himself a 'Dragon,'" Tsunade murmured.
"Yeah, well, father wanted a strong name." Ayame shrugged.
"And he gave you a flower-based name?" Tsunade asked with a raised eyebrow.
Ayame rolled her eyes.
"Sakura is a flower-based name as well, and my mother was the strongest shinobi in the world."
Nawaki gave her a tight smile.
"You've definitely lived up to the reputation of flowery names," he said.
Ayame shrugged. She didn't care about her name.
"Anyway. I can't decipher it and I think you'll be able too."
"What makes you say that?" Nawaki asked, taking the scroll from his sister.
Ayame cleared her throat.
"Because I found it in a hidden laboratory," she said, looking at Tsunade. "It was written by Orochimaru."
Tsunade stilled, and Nawaki glanced at his sister.
"Hidden laboratory?" Tsunade asked after a moment. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised. He's always been secretive."
She looked away and her hand tightened around the sake bottle. Ayame clenched her jaw nervously, wondering what Tsunade would say to what Ayame had to tell her next.
"We've been suspicious of him for a long time," Ayame said quietly. "The night Ryuu appeared in the village, Orochimaru was gone: no mission, no signing out, nothing. No one knows where he was that night. He disappeared and then just reappeared the next day."
"So you think Orochimaru is working with Ryuu?" Nawaki asked.
Ayame nodded.
"My brother is brilliant and twisted, and so is Orochimaru. It's a perfect match."
She felt sick, thinking about the possibilities of what a partnership between the snake and the dragon could bring about.
"By 'we,' you mean you and Jiraiya?" Tsunade asked, looking at her sharply.
"Yes," Ayame nodded. "I'm sorry, Tsuna," she added quietly.
Tsunade poured herself another drink.
"Don't be," she said harshly. "If you're right, I'll kill him myself."
Nawaki gave Tsunade a troubled look.
"Keep the scroll safe and secret," Ayame warned them.
Tsunade waved her away.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm not an idiot, Ayame."
Ayame glanced at Nawaki, who nodded at her, but whose eyes informed her that they'd be speaking again about this soon.
Ayame left Tsunade's office feeling weighed down. She wandered the halls of the hospital and stopped in the lobby, in front of the picture of her mother. She studied the face, the smile. She looked happy in the picture. Ayame tried to see herself there somewhere, but wasn't sure she could. Where her Sakura was spring; bright and cheerful, Ayame was winter; darker, colder.
The only thing Ayame could see was the same was the seal on her forehead, and still, Ayame didn't use it in the way Sakura envisioned her daughter too. Tsunade was the one who used it to heal. Ayame wasn't a healer. Sure, she had the skill, she could do it if she wanted to, but that was the difference between Ayame and Sakura. Sakura put others before herself, she knew the value of her own skills and abilities and used them in a way that contributed to the whole, she believed in others. Ayame simply didn't have the same generous heart.
A familiar figure reflected in the glass of the photograph behind Ayame and Ayame smiled.
"You force me to take on another student when I've sworn off teaching, and then you don't even have the decency to visit me or invite me over."
"And how is Rin doing?" Ayame asked, turning around.
"Oh fine, just like you said. She's a determined little thing," Sakiko replied.
Ayame moved forward and embraced her in a tight hug. Sakiko was surprised, but she hugged her back. Ayame scrunched her eyes closed for a moment before she stepped back from the woman who was as close to her as a sister.
"What's wrong?" Sakiko asked her with a frown.
Ayame shook her head and tried to smile.
"Nothing. I'm fine," she replied.
Sakiko rolled her eyes.
"Of course you are. Hugs are completely normal from you."
Ayame only smiled and walked out of the hospital, waving back at Sakiko with a grin when the woman called out again about coming to visit.
Due to the war, the chunin exams would be taken by only Konoha genin. It meant that the participating field was shallow, but there were no other options. Konoha would not open its gates for any of the nations they were at war with, it was too big a security risk. Still, the exams were not to be taken lightly and the genin of Konoha were competitive.
Kakashi, Obito, and Rin were more than ready for them. They had an unfair advantage over their classmates and fellow shinobi, but none of them felt too bad about it. It was just the way life was now. Rin and Kakashi fetched Obito from his house on the day of the exam, making certain that none of them would be late.
Amazingly, Team Minato wasn't late, which shocked both their fellow genin and the jonin leaders in the village alike. They were greeted with youthful enthusiasm from Guy. Obito and Kakashi joined the boys; Genma, Asuma, Hayate, Ebisu, Guy, Raido, Tokara, Ibiki, and Anko's teammates, while Rin joined Kurenai and Anko. They all talked and caught up until a jonin, a Yamanaka by the look of him, gathered them at the entrance. The mood became tense and serious. The Yamanaka told them they had to go to the examination hall, and take their seats as far from their teammates as possible. The proctor would explain the rules when they arrived.
With nerves taking over, there was little discussion between them all now. They murmured good luck to each other and took their seats. Team Minato all looked and grinned at each other when they sat in basically the same places as they had last time. Everything seemed to be going as they remembered until something odd happened, something that definitely hadn't happened last time.
The chunin and jonin who would be watching them take the exam came in through the doors at the back of the room and took their places along the wall. As they were setting themselves up, the doors at the front end of the room were suddenly swung open.
Obito fell out of his seat, Kakashi choked on his own spit and Rin stared in disbelief when they saw who entered the room. To everyone else, it was a little girl. Dark hair, a purple kimono, very pretty and cute, smiling like the most innocent person ever.
"Hi!" Even her voice was adorable. "Is this the chunin exams?"
"Ooh, what a cute little girl," Kurenai cooed.
It was Ayame Uchiha.
Kakashi had no idea that she could use the same age-regression jutsu that Tsunade could.
"Are you lost, little girl?" Hayate asked.
She shook her head.
"No, I'm not lost. I'm here for the exams. Is this where I sit?"
She pointed at one of the empty seats in the front row and started walking towards it. The chunin in the room all looked at each other with confusion. Obito got up and sat back on his chair, ignoring the strange looks Asuma was shooting him. When the little girl stopped and turned around, there was a peal of nervous laughter in the room.
"Or, is this where I go?"
Kid-Ayame climbed onto the table at the front of the room, in the most adorable way, jumping and groaning cutely. The genin looked to the jonin, who showed no emotion at all.
"What the hell is she doing?" Obito hissed to Kakashi.
Kakashi just opened his eyes wide and shook his head. He had a bad feeling about this.
"Um, girly, I think you're in the - "
"Oh, shut up already."
Hayate blinked in surprise at her tone. Kid-Ayame rolled her eyes and stood on the front desk looking out over the genin.
"What a sorry bunch of genin brats you all are," she scoffed.
In a puff of smoke, she was her regular size again, shocking the room.
"Listen up brats! I'm the Proctor for this years chunin exams, Ayame Uchiha." She grinned.
The room was quiet and confused, staring at her in bewilderment.
"You don't know me well, but guess what, you're lucky to have me here, deciding if you're good enough to become chunin."
"Why?" Asuma asked, the first f the group to snap back to reality. "Who are you?"
"Weren't you listening, kid? What's your name?"
"Asuma."
Ayame's eyes lit up.
"Oh… Asuma Sarutobi. So you're the Hokage's kid. Ha, you're cuter than your old man, that's for sure."
She winked at Asuma, who flushed red. Kakashi rolled his eyes.
"Well, before those loser Sannin were his students, I was his student. His first student, and look how well I turned out."
Obito scoffed at that.
"Loser…Sannin?" Anko choked.
"Your youthful spirit has lasted through the ages!" Guy declared.
Ayame burst out laughing.
"Something like that."
"But you're… you can't have been his student before the Sannin. You're young," Asuma commented with a frown, clearly confused.
Ayame sighed.
"None of you are paying attention, are you?" She pointed at Kakashi. "Hey, kid genius over here, explain who I am to the class."
Everyone's attention turned to Kakashi, who heaved a large sigh at the irritating nickname she used to describe him. He saw Yamanaka jonin sigh and shake his head.
"This is Ayame Uchiha," Kakashi explained in a bored tone. "Daughter of Madara Uchiha and Sakura Uchiha."
There was a collective gasp, and Ayame pointed her thumb at her seal.
"You all need to work on your observation skills, idiots," she scolded them. "My parents were founders of this village, so you better believe I'm going to judge you all very harshly."
Her eyes glittered with excitement at the prospect of failing them.
"How y-youthful," Guy stammered.
"Terrifying, more like," Genma murmured.
Ayame seemed amused by their reactions to her.
"Right, on to the written exam. I'm only going to say this once, so listen closely. The rules are: no cheating, no talking, and you have until the clock strikes 12 to finish the questions. If you're caught breaking any of the rules, the jonin lining these walls will throw you out and you'll be a genin for the rest of your lives."
She grinned, and although Kakashi knew she was lying, he still felt unsettled by the threat. Everyone, with the exception of his teammates, glanced around nervously.
"Leave the room when you're done, quietly. Results will be posted on the board outside this afternoon. Good luck."
She gave them a cheerful wave and then disappeared in a puff of smoke. The same Yamanaka from before came to the front of the room. He looked as exasperated as Obito felt by Ayame. He announced for them to begin the exam.
"You left so early, I thought you'd given up," Hayate commented to Obito.
After all the examinees had finished, the genin gathered in the yard outside the Academy to eat and discuss the exams.
"Hey, I'm smarter than I look, you know!" Obito defended himself.
"I'd hope so, you don't look like much," Anko teased him.
Obito scowled and Rin laughed.
"Shut up, Anko," Obito snapped.
Anko poked her tongue out at him and grinned. Kakashi eyed the girl carefully. She'd been with Orochimaru for close to a year now, and he knew they needed to stop him before he put the curse mark on her again. It frustrated him to no end that they couldn't just kill Orochimaru now and be done with it. Who knew what he was already doing behind the scenes. Anko noticed his look and threw an arm around his shoulders, dragging him down a little since she was shorter than him.
"Never expected any less from you, Kakashi," she said. "Finishing that test in ten minutes, ah, I'm envious."
The group began chattering away again, and Kakashi looked down at Anko, who had removed her arm from him. He felt a strange urge to tease her since she had been one of the people in his life before who had treated him the same as always. He'd always thought Anko was admirable, to pick herself up and press forwards after Orochimaru. She was strong. She sensed him looking at her, and knowing that no one else was paying attention, he winked at her, which surprised her and amused him.
"If you ever manage to surpass me, Anko, I'll buy you all the dango in the world," he teased.
Anko, who was slightly flabbergasted by the wink still, flush red.
"I'll hold you to that," she said, accepting the challenge. "I love dango."
"I know," Kakashi replied. He took a sneaky glance at her stomach. "I can tell."
Predictably, she exploded, shocking the rest of the group.
"I AM NOT FAT!"
"I never said you were," Kakashi said, unconcerned with her outburst.
"Um, what happened?" Asuma asked, glancing at Kurenai, who shrugged.
"Kakashi, it's rude to tease like that," Rin sighed.
"You just indirectly implied it!"
Anko hit him on the shoulder, rather hard.
"I just said I could tell you like dango," Kakashi replied lazily, rubbing the place she hit him.
Anko's eyes narrowed and Rin and Kuranei exchanged a glance before they grabbed her by the arms and dragged her away before she could strangle Kakashi. Kakashi watched them go with a little smile on his face.
"What was that?" Asuma asked him, eyebrow raised.
Kakashi shrugged.
"My rival has opened his heart to the most wonderful springtime of youth!" Guy said, clapping him on the shoulder.
"Oh. Wait. No, Guy - you've got the wrong - "
But Kakashi realised his mistake too late, and Obito did nothing to help. He only grinned evilly.
"Ohhhh... I see how it is," Hayate smirked.
"Bakashi… I had no idea."
Obito played the innocent and Kakashi wanted to kill him.
"We shall help you on your endeavours to win back the heart of - "
"NO!" Kakashi slapped a hand over Guy's mouth. "I don't want or need help. I was just teasing her. I don't have feelings for her beyond friendship."
Genma and Hayate exchanged knowing looks. Kakashi, sensing the need to somehow switch the attention, glanced at the other two he knew actually had feelings.
"Why don't you help fan the flames of youth for Asuma? Or Obito?" He said desperately.
Said boys opened their eyes wide in shock. Asuma went bright red.
"But that wouldn't be as fun," Ibiki said quietly. "It's no secret they both have feelings for Kuranei and Rin. It's certainly more amusing to tease you."
Asuma and Obito both spluttered and Kakashi glared at Ibiki. Hayate laughed, patting his teammate on the shoulder.
"Can always count on you to go straight for the throat, Ibiki," he grinned at Kakashi.
Kakashi, knowing he was never going to dig himself out of this one, sighed in defeat, and Obito slung his arms around his shoulder.
"Cheer up, Bakashi," he grinned cheerfully.
"I'm going to kill you," Kakashi muttered.
"She's a little young for you, isn't she?" Obito laughed quietly.
Kakashi elbowed him in the ribs and stalked off, embarrassed and annoyed. He heard the guys laughing as he went. He really put his foot into this time.
The second exam was held the next day in the Forest of Death. Kakashi and Rin collected Obito in the morning again so he wouldn't be late. The second stage of the chunin exams was a team exam where their teamwork would be assessed. It had everyone except Team Minato a little nervous until Ayame showed up again.
"Welcome to Training Grounds 44, where it's highly likely you'll die during this exam."
She beamed a cheerful smile at them all.
Kakashi saw Hayate shiver and felt the same way. Not about the exam, about the fact that Ayame was seriously unnerving when she wanted to be.
"This place is also known as the Forest of Death. Some of you might know, this forest was created by the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju. You may not know that it was actually the Second, Tobirama, and my father Madara who came up with the idea for it: a forest filled with poisonous plants and monsters. You won't only be fighting each other in there, you'll be surviving everything else."
"Fighting each other?" Tokara questioned.
"That's right. The first four teams who make it to the tower will go through to the next round of the exams."
The participants murmured between themselves and glanced at each other.
"However." Ayame gave them all a stern look. "This is not a race. There is only one simple rule to this exam: you cannot enter within two kilometers of the tower until noon on the third day. If you do, you and your team will be forfeited."
"So we have to be in the forest for three days?" Kurenai asked eyeing the forest with some trepidation.
"Can we get some supplies?"
Ayame burst out laughing at the question, but it wasn't mirthful, it was cold and cruel, and it made the genin flinch.
"Supplies? Just for asking that question I should send you back to the academy. Listen up, idiots: you survive or you die. If you can't do that, you should pull out of the exam right now because you are unfit to be a shinobi. This isn't a competition between classmates, this is a battle for survival. If you want to win, you have to fight and claw your way to victory. Do whatever it takes. The people beside you aren't your allies anymore, they aren't your classmates. They are your enemy. Remember that."
She glared at them all. Her tone was harsh, but it got the point across.
"See you in three days time. Don't disappoint me."
Again, Ayame disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving them a little less bewildered than last time and with more of a point to prove. Obito flexed his fingers and looked at Rin and Kakashi with a determined grin.
The Yamanaka jonin took front and center again.
"To begin the exam, one of your team please pull out a number from this box." Another shinobi, a chunin, stepped forward holding a box. "The number you draw will determine which order the teams will enter the Forest. Each team will enter in two-minute intervals."
Rin drew Team Minato's number. 4. The middle team, different from the last time when they entered just on time because Obito was late.
"The exam will be monitored. If you have to withdraw because of injury, death or because you can't handle it, open the scroll - " scrolls were handed out to each team " - to summon someone to escort you out. Do you understand?"
Everyone nodded.
"Right. Then good luck. The first team, enter."
Asuma's team stepped forwards, and the second exam began.
Inside the tower at the center of the Forest of Death, the Hokage and Minato Namikaze watched the monitors as Kakashi, Rin and Obito ran in to start the exam.
"I'm quite surprised to see your team is on time," Hiruzen said with a small smile. "I have heard some interesting rumours."
Minato managed to look slightly shamed and shook his head.
"I swear they do it on purpose," he murmured, embarrassed. "Even Kushina's threats haven't worked on them."
"It is interesting that Kakashi is as bad an offender as Obito. It seems... out of character."
The comment was innocuous enough, but Minato knew the Hokage well and understood he was probing for information. Ayame had told Minato that the Hokage had been informed to keep a distance from his team, to not give any special treatment to them or look too closely. Of course, the fact that Minato's team had also become widely known as the best new genin team in the village meant that the Hokage had to keep an eye on them.
"He's been like that since I met him," Minato replied evasively.
"Indeed. Either way, I'm quite looking forward to seeing how this plays out."
They both turned to the right, eyes on an empty space a moment before Ayame appeared there.
"You've put on quite the performance, Aya," the Hokage said to her.
Ayame shrugged and took her place beside Minato.
"I try," she said. She glanced up at Minato. "Are you staying here for the whole three days?"
"I'll be back on the third at the latest," Minato replied.
He glanced at his watch, and then longingly at the screens. He wanted to stay and watched the exam, but he needed to go and meet his unit for the mission. Ayame elbowed him, surprising him slightly. He looked at her questioningly.
"Go," she said.
He frowned at her.
"I've got them."
She gave him a determined and knowing look. Minato still couldn't help but feel nervous for his team in general, even though he knew they'd be fine. He nodded.
"Then I leave them in your care. I will return as soon as I can."
Ayame rolled her eyes.
"Jeez. You're like a mother hen. When you and Kushina get busy it's gonna be really funny watching you try not to freak out over your kid."
Minato felt his cheeks heat slightly, and the Hokage chuckled.
"Good luck on your mission," he said.
Minato nodded, gave one last look to check on his team, and disappeared.
"He really is like a mother hen," Ayame commented with some fondness when Minato was gone.
She liked that about him. From the moment she met Minato she understood he was protective. It was a good quality and she had gradually learned that his protectiveness extended not only over his wife, his team and comrades but over the entire village and nation. His reputation proceeded him, Konoha's Yellow Flash, the future Fourth Hokage. She saw it, what her mother had told her about him. She could see why he'd become the Hokage. And it would happen. Ayame was going to make certain of it. There was no one else better suited to the position, in her very educated opinion.
There were times that Ayame looked at Minato with a pang of sorrow. In him, she saw the embodiment of everything Ryuu had once wanted to be. It made her worried; if Ryuu recognised that those qualities in Minato, it wasn't just Itachi, Kakashi, Rin and Obito that Ayame was going to need to protect.
"The same might be said about you," Hiruzen said, breaking her out of her spiraling thoughts.
Ayame looked at him in shock.
"Excuse me?"
Ayame had been accused of many things in her life: cold-hearted, ruthless, demon, genius, insufferable know-it-all, princess…but she had never had anyone accuse of being 'motherly.'
The Hokage looked amused by her reaction.
"Perhaps not in the traditional sense," he amended. "But when you care for someone, you can't hide it. You tease and poke at them, but you would fall on a sword without a moment's hesitation to protect them. I am glad Minato has someone like you looking out for him, and for his team."
There was a moments silence while Ayame tried to find something to reply to him. She opened her mouth and closed it again, her brows furrowed. The Hokage chuckled.
"Do not let it worry you, Aya. I won't tell anyone your secret."
"Ugh. Just leave me alone," she mumbled.
She turned her attention to the monitors. The teams were mostly meeting with each other and discussing what they'd need to do. All except Team Minato, who were still moving deeper into the forest.
"Please keep me informed with a report at the end of today and tomorrow," the Hokage told her.
"You got it," Ayame replied.
He departed, leaving her alone in the room and she took a seat and made herself comfortable. She was very interested to see how many teams would try and take down Team Minato, the favourites for promotion, before the end of tomorrow.
Kakashi was intimately familiar with the Forest of Death. Really, he was beginning to think it too was unfair for the other teams that they were participating in the exams. He lead Obito and Rin into a deep and dark part of the Forest, where he knew they would be able to hide and find food and shelter. Rin was not pleased with the plan.
"I am not sleeping in a giant snake pit," she hissed to Kakashi.
"Then keep watch," Kakashi shrugged. "I'm not interested in fighting the other teams. It's not like we have to anyway."
"They'll try and target us," Obito said.
"I know.. but a snake pit?" Rin cringed.
"At the very worst, Anko might find us, and they don't pass the exams this time around anyway," Kakashi said. "If you want to spend the next forty-eight hours fighting and running, be my guest."
"You don't have to be so snappy, Kakashi," Rin replied. "I get it."
"I'll go lay false trails," Obito said.
Kakashi nodded.
"So will we."
"Meet you there when you're done," Obito said.
He disappeared and Kakashi and Rin took to the trees.
"Do you think hiding for two days is going to help us get promoted?" Rin asked him after they'd laid the first trail.
Kakashi spared her a glance.
"Yes."
When she looked at him wanting a further explanation, he sighed.
"It's not about hiding. It's how we hide, the strategy we employ. Our only objective is to get to the tower first. Engaging in combat is a consequence not an imperative."
Rin sighed.
"I just don't like snakes."
Kakashi chuckled.
"Come on, let's finish this up and get some rest."
Three hours later, Obito had put a giant snake under a genjutsu and it had become their unwitting guard. They settled into the snake pit comfortably. They had laid traps and trails all over the forest. Their location wasn't going to be easy to pin down and they had an easy supply of food and water.
"And now we wait," Rin sighed.
"And now we wait."
Ayame was dying of boredom.
Team Minato was the biggest disappointment in the world. The brats had practically become invisible to the rest of the teams because of their superior knowledge base. Their trails were impeccable. Their traps were incredibly misleading. There was only an hour until the deadline, and they had yet to leave their precious snake pit, whilst the other teams were busy trying to kill each other to secure their places.
Minato suddenly appeared in the room behind her and Ayame turned around to him accusingly.
"I bet this is your influence."
She pointed her finger at him, and Minato stared at her, bemused.
"What are you talking about?"
"Those precious kids of yours." She shook her head.
"What have they done?" Minato asked, moving to the monitors in concern.
"Nothing!" Ayame cried out in despair. "That's the point!"
Minato turned to her in confusion.
"What are you talking about?" He repeated.
"You see them." She pointed at the screen they were being displayed on. "They've been there, in that spot, for the last two days. They set up the whole exam so they didn't have to fight anyone and go anywhere, they're just waiting for the deadline."
"That's…quite good, isn't it?" Minato questioned. "Their strategy is within the boundaries of the rules."
"But it's boring!" Ayame sighed dramatically.
Minato sighed.
"I was hoping to see them beat someone up at least," she complained.
"Well." Minato peered at the screen. "It seems like they're going to ride a genjutsu-controlled giant snake to the tower."
Ayame glanced over in interest.
"Orochimaru will be so jealous," she snorted.
"Will I?"
Ayame stilled. She hadn't sensed the snake approaching. She turned and stared blankly at him.
"Nice to see you again, Princess Ayame," he greeted her smoothly.
"Oh. You're here," she replied.
Orochimaru chuckled.
"I never tire of your blatant hostility." He turned his attention to Minato. "Namikaze, nice to see you. I hear you're sensei of the team of the generation."
"And you, Lord Orochimaru," Minato replied pleasantly. "We'll see how they turn out. They've got a long way to go."
"No need to be modest. Hatake is a genius after his father, it's well-known. What is surprising though is that the young Uchiha seems to be just as skilled. I had been under the impression he was somewhat of a… straggler."
"Apparently you don't know everything, Orochimaru. What an inconvenience for you," Ayame drawled.
She glanced at Minato, who was looking back at the screen, seeming a little uncomfortable at their exchange.
"Ah, it seems my team won't be passing to the next rounds," Orochimaru said, with a little annoyance in his voice.
Minato nodded in agreement.
"That's unfortunate. I've heard good things about Anko."
"She is quite talented," Orochimaru said. "Excuse me. I'll be heading down to collect my incapacitated genin with the medics."
Ayame watched him go with narrowed eyes, and Minato watched her.
"I hadn't realised your dislike of him was known," Minato said quietly.
Ayame turned back to the screens. Kakashi, Obito, and Rin were standing atop the head of the snake, making good time towards them.
"Are the other jonin leaders here?" She asked him.
"Yes," he answered.
"And the Hokage?"
"Not yet."
Ayame let out a breath. She turned to Minato, thinking about what Hiruzen had said to her a few days earlier. There was a lot she wanted to say to him, that she didn't know how to say. She gave him a tight smile.
"Thanks. You can go now."
He looked like he wanted to argue, but then he decided against it and left the room quietly, giving her one last look. Alone again, Ayame tapped her fingers on her thigh and clenched her jaw. Orochimaru had left a bad taste in her mouth, she wished Tsunade and Nawaki would hurry and decipher the damn scroll.
The snake ride to the tower was exhilarating after two days of dead boring nothingness.
Obito wondered if perhaps they'd set their trails and traps too well. Would genin be able to do what they did? It was hard to judge those kinds of things anymore. Either way, their strategy had worked flawlessly. None of the other teams came close to where they were hidden away. He couldn't help but laugh and wave as they sped passed the other teams, who were fighting each other to make it to the tower first.
"Snakes aren't so bad now, are they?" He grinned to Rin.
Rin shook her head and gave a wry smile.
"I guess not."
"We're almost at the tower," Kakashi said.
Five minutes later, they were met with the shocked faces of the jonin leaders for the other teams, an amused and exasperated Minato-sensei, and a frighteningly livid Ayame.
The snake lowered its head, and the three genin jumped off. Obito turned, and unseen by the other jonin, quickly activated his Sharingan to add a final command in the genjutsu. The snake turned and headed back the way it came. The genjutsu would wear off in an hour or so. He deactivated his Sharingan and turned back to his team.
"Was that awesome or what?" He grinned at Minato.
"It was something," Minato replied.
"You three, in the tower now."
Ayame folded her arms over her chest and glared at them.
"Did we do something wrong?" Rin whispered to Minato.
He shook his head.
"No," he sighed. "But you'd better follow her."
With trepidation, they handed over their scroll to the Yamanaka, and then followed Ayame into the tower, with Minato close behind. An elderly medic came over.
"No need, Sakiko. These brats don't need attention."
Rin bowed her head.
"Sakiko-sensei."
Sakiko raised an eyebrow.
"What did they do?" She asked Ayame.
"Nothing," Ayame replied with a derisive snort. "Orochimaru will be returning with his team and your assistants soon. They'll need you. You should prepare the medical bay."
Sakiko nodded.
"As you command, Princess."
Ayame turned to them.
"I have half a mind to fail you three," she said.
They cried out in outrage until Ayame held up a hand to silence them.
"I can't, however," she said through gritted teeth. "If you three don't give me more entertainment in the next round, I'll kick all of your asses back to your own time."
With that, she walked back out. Team Minato all stared at each other in confusion.
"So… she's mad because we didn't fight?" Obito asked, dumbfounded.
Minato gave a tired nod.
"Yeah. When I got here she was so bored she was about to go find you and throw you at another team."
Rin started to giggle behind her hand, and soon, Obito joined her. Kakashi and Minato both smiled. It was kind of funny.
"Congratulations, by the way," Minato said. "You'll be moving on to the next round, and Ayame isn't the only one expecting a good show."
"No pressure, sensei," Kakashi drawled.
Minato ruffled his hair.
"Oh! Sensei, guess what, apparently Kakashi looooveees - "
Minato never did find out what Kakashi apparently loved, because before Obito could finish his sentence, Kakashi had kicked him into the wall.
The third exam was a month away, to give the other teams time to recover from the injuries and chakra depletion they sustained during the second stage. Team Minato would be joined by Team Choza, the Asuma and Kurenai's team, and Hayate's. Team Orochimaru had failed the exam, along with the other two teams.
There was a lot of discussion around Team Minato's performance in the exams. People were split between whether or not it was a cowardly act to hide, or whether or not it was a good strategy. They didn't pay much attention to the gossip, but it was irritating to them that people thought them cowardly. Kakashi quickly put an end to the rumours of them being cowards when he was confronted by an irritating jonin and quickly incapacitated him. Any genin who could face down and then take out a jonin with such ease couldn't have been a coward, and so the whispers died down.
During that month, Team Minato was sent on a C-rank escort mission that quickly escalated into a B-rank when they were ambushed by a squad of Mist-nin. Minato had been scouting ahead when the attack happened and came back only when he sensed the rise in his student's chakra. He returned to see they had defeated six of the eight Mist-nin who had ambushed them. The surviving two Mist-nin fled when they saw him approach.
When they finished their mission and reported back to the Hokage, the question was raised whether or not the three of them needed to participate in the exams at all and instead be given a field promotion. Minato argued against this and responded that the exams were only a few days away, so what was the harm in having them take them. The Hokage agreed, stating it was a good opportunity to see the others in the exams and how they were progressing in comparison.
Whilst Team Minato continued on their everyday lives of training and missions and waiting for the exams, Ayame waited with impatience for Tsunade and Nawaki to complete the task she'd given them. They were close, Nawaki informed her three days before the third stage of the exams were due to take place. On the morning on the third exam, she woke with a craving for senbon. She strolled through the streets of the Uchiha District towards the shop, ordered her food and collected it with an eager smile. She decided to eat by the small park and was surprised to see Mikoto there.
They greeted each other with friendly smiles, and Mikoto told her that she was there with Itachi. Ayame looked over to where the two-year-old he was playing with another boy who seemed to be about eight. She didn't take much notice of the young boy at first, instead, she stayed chatting with Mikoto about the exams and Obito. But when she looked back, she saw the boy had turned around and was staring at her. Ayame she dropped her food.
"That…that's impossible," she breathed, eyes wide.
"Ayame? What happened?" Mikoto asked, alarmed.
Ayame stood, and took half a step forward. The boy stood and took half a step forward, copying her actions with a coy smile.
"It can't be…"
"Ayame, what is it?" Mikoto demanded.
"That - that's…"
Ayame shook her head and closed her eyes. A genjutsu, it had to be a genjutsu. She made the sign of release, but nothing happened.
"Kai. Kai. Kai."
Ayame stared in disbelief and denial as the boy openly smirked at her.
"Who is that, Ayame?" Mikoto's voice wavered. "Come here, Itachi."
Itachi looked between the boy and his mother. The boy gave him a nod, and Itachi then walked over to his mother. Ayame continued to stare, unmoving, shocked to her core at what she saw. It couldn't be real.
"Who was that boy, Ita?" Mikoto asked.
Itachi's voice was light and childlike, but his words were clear.
"Ryuu."
Mikoto froze and Ayame flinched. Ayame knew that face, she knew that boy, it couldn't have been anyone else. But it wasn't… it wasn't possible.
"Mikoto, take him to T&I," Ayame said quietly. "Make sure there's nothing abnormal in his head."
Mikoto gave a slow nod and picked up Itachi, who held out his hand. He was holding a paper.
"What's this, Ita?" Mikoto asked.
"Fo' Aya," Itachi said.
"Open it," Ayame ordered Mikoto.
She kept her eyes on the child, on the boy who looked so much like her brother. Mikoto read it out in a shaking voice.
"'One will war end and another will begin. The impurities of time will be removed and the slate wiped clean. I will forward to your feeble attempts to stop me, dear sister.'"
Ayame ran at the child, who watched her with interest. She wrapped her hand around his neck and he smiled.
"Good-bye, Aya."
Ayame widened her eyes and released him, but her reaction was too slow. The lightning clone shocked her as it dispersed, and she fell to her knees, convulsing until she forced the chakra out of her body. She fell back on her knees and screamed out in anger and frustration and pain.
"Ayame." Mikoto stood behind her. "You have to tell the Hokage."
Ayame took a deep breath in and then out and then she started to laugh.
"Tell them what, exactly?" She asked Mikoto. "That my twin brother suddenly became a child, sent a lightning clone and threatened war?"
"Exactly that!" Mikoto cried out. "Why do you insist on trying to do this alone? This doesn't just affect you. This is the honour of our clan, the safety of our village. Everything your parents built is at risk because you won't accept help!"
Ayame stood and looked up at the sky.
"It's the chunin exams today," she said with a sad smile. "I was really hoping it would be a nice day."
She turned to look at Itachi.
"I'm sorry your son is involved in this," she said quietly.
"Ayame, please, please tell the Hokage," Mikoto pleaded.
"There's one thing I need to confirm first, and then I will," Ayame said to her. She gave Mikoto a tight smile. "I'll tell him everything."
