Chapter 10: Chuunin Exam Gambit
"Name and designation?"
"Genji, ANBU Team Alpha and Special Representative from the Office of the Hokage." The guard gave Naruto a very skeptical look. Without his imposing ANBU regalia, Genji looked very much like a normal kid. His crown of well-groomed black hair and sharp eyes gave him away as someone of intelligence and maturity, but the genial smile he wore set him miles apart from people like the Uchiha and the Hyuuga clansmen. Naruto calmly handed the guard the appropriate identification documents.
"Your papers check out. What can I do for you, sir?" The guard looked distinctly uncomfortable, and for good reason, too. Poor man must have trouble reconciling the lionized image of Genji from stories with the picture of youthful banality before him.
"Morino Ibiki, Chief of ANBU Interrogation and Torture Division. I need to see him immediately."
"The chief is currently in the middle of a session with a subject. He can contact you later after—"
"Actually, I'd like to see him right now, if possible." A moment of silence passed before the guard nodded hesitantly in agreement. It was not often that someone asked to see Ibiki while he was working.
"Very well, sir." The ANBU called up one of his subordinates to escort Naruto. "Ibiki-san is in Interrogation Chamber 66."
As the two figures disappeared down the darkened hallways, the head guard on duty could only shake his head in amazement. 'Those guys are never going to believe me when I tell them what Genji actually looks like.'
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The bloodied and battered man groaned piteously as he struggled futilely against his chains. On the far side, Morino Ibiki, a tall man with a deeply scarred face, frowned. The recent prisoner was proving to be a tough nut to crack. If only he were allowed to utilize the more questionable interrogation procedures. Alas, his solemn pledge of fealty to the Hokage and all of his laws and commands, even those he opposed, prevented him from doing so.
"Can I help you, mister…"
"Genji, I represent the Hokage's office."
"Yes, of course. What can I do for you?" A slight twist of his head was the only indication Ibiki gave of the fact that he recognized the youngster's name. Naruto schooled up his resolve to perform his best stick-in-the-mud ANBU tough guy routine.
"Maybe there's something I can do for you," the disguised Kyuubi container answered, nodding towards the downed man, his face an emotionless mask. "It looks like you're having some problems. Is this the Rain assassin who attacked the Hokage's grandson?"
Ibiki nodded. With but a moment of hesitation, Naruto reached into his cloak to retrieve a scroll and tossed it over. The action elicited the ANBU interrogator's curiosity as well as suspicion.
"Authorization paper?" Ibiki asked. Naruto nodded and motioned him to finish reading the document. The scarred man did so and raised his eyebrow only slightly to indicate his surprise.
"A blank cheque? Under whose authority am I being granted such discretion?"
"Captain Tenzou's and mine. The document is perfectly legitimate, as are the signatures." It had actually taken Naruto some work to win the good captain's support, mainly as both knew this was not the sort of executive prerogative the Hokage would have approved, not explicitly at least. But the blond, who still held himself partly responsible, felt it was the necessary thing to do.
"And what would the Hokage think?"
"He doesn't need to know, does he?" Naruto looked away. "The Hokage has done much through the years. And we do need all the information we can get, through whatever means necessary." Ibiki looked intently at his guest, as if sizing him up.
"Very well," the resident master of human psychology acquiesced. The quick turnabout caught Naruto off guard. For just a moment, he failed to contain his surprise, which elicited a wisp of a smile from Ibiki.
'Of course, I should've known,' Naruto thought. Ibiki must have only been acting reluctant in order to assess his reaction. After all, the man had no reason to turn down an opportunity to make his job easier provided everything was aboveboard.
"In that case, this really shouldn't take more than a few hours. If you would wait—"
"I was hoping to stay, with your permission, of course, Ibiki-san." This time it was Ibiki's turn to be surprised. The scarred man assessed the youngster with a piercing look for a good minute before acquiescing. Naruto could not be sure, but he thought his stature might have risen somewhat in the older man's eyes.
Three hours later, as Naruto watched Ibiki's assistants drag away the utterly broken prisoner, he was decidedly less sure of his courageous offer to volunteer. It was not because he was disturbed by the master torturer's casual brutality. On the contrary, it was precisely the opposite. He failed to feel any sympathy for the bastard who almost took the life of the Hokage's precious grandson. It was the apathy that frightened the prodigal ANBU. For all the looks, snares, and jeers he received, Naruto always remained supremely confident of who he was. True, he was the jailor of the Kyuubi, but he was also human, wasn't he? Or had the blasted fox somehow gotten to him?
"I apologize for not being able to provide the Hokage's Office with any information regarding the recent fire at the old arena." Ibiki's statement pulled Naruto from his thoughts.
However tragic the incident with Konohamaru and his friends was, the assassination produced one positive outcome. It gave Naruto and Tenzou the opportunity to sabotage the old combat arena in the center of Konoha with minimum hassle. The key task now was to channel the rumors that were spreading across Konoha like wildfire. It was one thing for the rank and file to be on the alert, but quite another for anarchy to reign. That thought brought Naruto to the next item on the agenda.
Naturally, it would be quite the disaster if the torching of the Grand Fire Arena was found to be an inside job conducted under orders from the Hokage himself. Towards that end, the young prodigy was here to have the investigation quietly buried. Morino Ibiki, aside from being the recognized and feared Chief of the ANBU Torture and Interrogation Division, was also simultaneously the head of Konoha's internal security and counterintelligence apparatus. A special outfit created by the scarred ANBU's predecessor, it had been charged with finding the culprit of the arena fire.
"The Hokage wishes to have the investigation terminated, for security reasons." That was an oxymoron if there ever was one. Obviously, neither Naruto nor Tenzou expected Ibiki to bite so easily. The youngster proffered a thick dossier of notes. With a hint of suspicion, but also of curiosity, Ibiki accepted the papers. As the ANBU officer meticulously poured over the notes, Naruto was impressed to note that Ibiki's calm and collected demeanor was disrupted only once.
'Probably when he got to the part about the ambush setup,' the disguised blond thought. The plan was bold to the point of being reckless. One mistake, one misstep, could very well invite an even quicker demise for Konoha. But then again, he, who dares, wins.
At long last, Ibiki set down the papers and turned to his guest.
"What does the Hokage require of me?" The question drew a broad smile from Naruto. With the preliminary conditions cleared, the young ninja and the senior ANBU set about ironing out the details.
"My associates and I will handle the first part of the exam. It shouldn't be too difficult to acquire the intelligence you seek. I assume the Hokage will have his own people in place for the second part?"
"Yes." Naruto did not elaborate further and Ibiki did not pursue the issue. If the veteran ANBU interrogator suspected anything, he said nothing. Such was the mark of a professional. Plus, it was only prudent to compartmentalize information to minimize the effects of possible leaks.
"To be entirely frank, if it's a human psychology expert you want, my teacher would be a much better choice," Ibiki admitted at the end.
"I was told that you're Konoha ANBU's very best."
"Technically, I am. My predecessor and my better resigned from active service some years ago." Ibiki gave a tight but nonetheless appreciative smile. "Extraordinary intelligence gathering techniques were his specialty, and his family bloodline was particularly suited for these sorts of operations." When Ibiki mentioned the part about bloodline, one family name in particular popped up in Naruto's mind.
"Yamanaka? Yamanaka Inoichi was your sensei?" Ibiki's nod piqued the youngster's curiosity. To someone with the level of access that Naruto had, there were very few blacked out items. Yamanaka Inoichi happened to be a virtual black hole as far as information went. "I would approach him if I only knew how. There's practically nothing on him."
"I'm not surprised. Inoichi-sama was at the center of at least half a dozen covert projects, many of which are still considered S-rank village secrets. I'm surprised that he wasn't recalled to take part in this operation."
"The Hokage must have had his reasons." Naruto was curious now and resolved to explore the matter in the future if possible. "Back to the exam itself, when can you provide a list of the associates you'll be using? Captain Tenzou and I would like to have them checked out before the exam."
The meeting dragged on into the wee hours of the night as the two shinobi worked diligently through detail after detail.
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"Flowers? For me?" Yuugao gushed with delight as she accepted the colorful bouquet Naruto presented her. The bedridden ANBU had not had many visitors, what with the upcoming Chuunin Exam and everything, so her student's unexpected appearance was a most welcoming distraction. "Thank you, Genji-kun. They're lovely!"
Naruto offered only a noncommittal answer. The young man was clearly distracted.
"What's with the long face?"
"Nothing. It's just some weird work stuff." Yuugao arched an eyebrow.
"I thought you were on break?"
"I am. I just need to take care of a small project for the old man." Of course, most people would probably not use the word "small" to describe the task of devising and implementing a comprehensive defense plan against a multi-pronged invasion by multiple belligerent entities. "Daunting" and "harrowing" would probably have been more appropriate for the situation.
Yuugao blinked at the response.
"You just don't get a break, do you?" The kunoichi's response elicited a nervous chuckle from Naruto.
'No, no I don't.' But then again, it was not as if he was expecting the job of being Konoha's silent protector to be easy. It was not the workload that got to him so much as the solitude. Yes, there were three of them at the center of the defense planning, but really, the whole idea was Naruto's brainchild. Since the meeting with Ibiki, pieces had begun to rapidly fall into place. The young prodigy found himself particularly gifted at using his newfound authority to suit his needs. Sometimes he used it as a scalpel to chip away the reluctance of junior bureaucrats, while other times, he used it as a hammer to crush through the intransigence of ignorant buffoons. The overall result was that Naruto rarely needed to seek help from either Tenzou or the Hokage. That was a good thing, right?
"It's not that. It's how the old man has basically closed himself to everyone, including me." Since that hospital encounter where Naruto learned the fate of Konohamaru's friend, his meetings with the Hokage became increasingly brisk and to the point.
"From what I heard, his grandson did almost die, Genji. Even the Hokage occasionally needs some alone time," Yuugao chastised lightly. The disguised blond slumped. Ok, so that did not come out well and it did make him sound just a tad selfish. Well, maybe he was. Naruto was not the possessive type, but his unique and intimate relationship with old man Sarutobi constituted one of the bedrocks of his existence. The physical and emotional distance that all of a sudden seemed to have developed between protégé and master did not settle well in the youngster's mind.
Like most things in life, there were varied and complex reasons for this change. For the most part, Naruto recognized that no sinister forces were involved. Sarutobi truly was a busy man and his council was sought by people with far greater prestige, influence and public importance than him. But then again, days had passed and the Hokage's precious grandson had yet to awaken from his coma. Not for the first time, Naruto's mind returned to that fateful hospital encounter.
'Old man did say it wasn't entirely my fault.' But did the Hokage truly believe that? For once, he could provide no impartial answer.
"Genji, the Hokage strikes me as someone who doesn't like to micromanage. If he assigned you a task and hadn't commented much, then that's a good thing. It means that he trusts you. I don't know about you," Yuugao stated, leaning forward so that her face was only inches away from Naruto's, "but I think it's pretty amazing for the Sandaime to have so much faith in a twelve-year-old."
'You know what? She's right.' After a bit of prodding from his colleague, the young ANBU began to see his role in the big picture and quickly felt a lot better about his position.
"Sounds like someone's jealous." Naruto grinned from underneath his disguise. Yuugao returned the smile with good cheer.
"Maybe, but I think it's more a matter of feeling disappointed with myself. When I was your age, I was afraid to walk in the shadows of the Hokage. Of course, the Yondaime was Hokage at the time." The young kunoichi's face suddenly took on a wistful expression. Her brilliant eyes seemed to glaze over as she recalled fond memories. Naruto would later swear – though never in Yuugao's presence – that his teacher blushed like a schoolgirl. It was amusing and unnerving at the same time. The young shinobi had read all about the Fourth's dashing good looks and the legions of fawning kunoichi he supposedly possessed. He just never expected to see it firsthand.
"Maa, is there something you wish to say, Yuugao-san?" Reminded of their close proximity to one another, the two ANBU agents sprung apart. The purple-haired female glared at her former superior, who lazily looked back at her with an insufferable smirk.
"I'm shocked. What would Hayate think?" While Kakashi clearly meant it in jest, Yuugao did have the decency to blush. To the outside observer, she and Naruto did look awfully cozy. But true to her fighting spirit, Yuugao bounced right back.
"For one thing, I would certainly hope that my grown, adult, and mature boyfriend would be levelheaded enough not to be jealous of a colleague a decade his junior." It was only at this point that Kakashi took a good look at his former subordinate's companion.
"Genji?" An owlish expression of befuddlement descended on the one-eyed ninja's face. The man turned to Yuugao and said, "I didn't figure him to be quite so young."
"Kakashi-san. How do you do?" Naruto answered with near regal formality. Yuugao silently laughed at how easily her student changed personas at the drop of a hat. One moment he was sulking like a petulant child, while the next, he was carrying himself with all the grace and air of a clan heir.
"Pretty good, Genji," Kakashi answered casually.
"Ah, sensei?" A girl with a crown of pink hair peaked from around the white separator that divided the large hospital room in two. She blushed when she found herself the focus of all three jounin.
"Yo, Sakura, Ino." The pink-haired girl pulled the separator away to reveal a blonde girl sitting on a bed. "Meet Yuugao. She used to work with me in ANBU."
"Nice to meet you," the girls greeted politely. Yuugao cast a questioning look at her former captain.
"Yeah, they're my students. Genji's met them already," Kakashi answered, making sure to keep his voice low enough so that he was not overheard by his students. Alas, he needn't have bothered, given the loud and fierce argument the two kunoichi were having. Suddenly, the loud impact of a hand on cheek smack jolted the jounin from their conversation.
"What's going on?" Kakashi asked.
Curious, Naruto followed several steps behind the jounin of Team 7.
"Sorry, sensei. It was just a little disagreement. Forehead's being stubborn again." The bedridden blonde tossed her teammate an annoyed glare. Sakura, sporting a livid shiner on her left cheek, was no less angry. After all, she was being a good friend, visiting her teammate – and not chasing Sasuke-kun – and Ino went psycho on her over one little detail about a mission.
"I was NOT. Ino's just being a mean, spiteful, little piggy again. She's just angry that she was useless during the mission and Sasuke-kun had to save us again." As Kakashi smacked his face in exasperation, Naruto chose to intercede in the hope of arresting an impending brawl.
"Based on Kakashi-san's after action report, I thought you ladies would be pleased with your performance. Genin fresh from the academy usually don't take down A-ranked missing nin on their first outside assignments." Naruto allowed a small smile to show.
As he had suspected, the reality of Team 7's mission to the Land of Waves – based on Kakashi's official report – was quite different from the popular image the people had about what happened. While the report made clear that Sasuke had been responsible for delivering the killing blow against the fearsome missing nin, it made equally clear that he had received assistance.
"See, I told you!" Ino angrily shouted.
"It was nothing. We only managed to perform a bit of genjutsu. Sasuke-kun did most of the fighting," Sakura corrected with a blush, surprised by the unexpected praise and reluctant to take credit for her work. Kakashi bowed his head ever so slightly.
"That's where you're wrong, Sakura. The outcome of that battle was most likely determined before your teammate launched his attack. I don't care if Sasuke was the rookie of the year or even a better Sharingan wielder than the prodigal Uchiha Itachi, but there was no way your teammate could have handled someone like Zabuza on his own. Something gave him the edge in that matchup." Naruto stopped just short of directly praising the two kunoichi for their role in defeating Momochi Zabuza.
"According to your sensei, you two successfully erected a modified, dual-focused, multi-layered genjutsu on an A-ranked shinobi. That is certainly not nothing." To most ninja, it would not have been earth-shattering either, but it was something noteworthy in Naruto's professional opinion. Teaching academy students the theoretical basis of folded or multi-layered genjutsu had been one of his key recommendations. Young as he was, Naruto had been quick to realize the synergetic potential of overlapping illusions to confuse and disorient opponents. In a series of theoretical exercises, he had predicted that the effects of such multi-fold illusion complexes to be at least two to three times greater than the sum of the effects of the genjutsu parts. This meant that one or more weak ninja – weak as defined in the conventional sense – with an understanding of genjutsu synergies would be capable of overcoming much more formidable foes. Team 7's performance made a very convincing case in favor of this theory. To Naruto, the tactical implications were enormous, even if no one else realized it yet, and could very well revolutionize combat doctrines across the elemental nations.
"You should listen to Genji here. He is a genjutsu expert, the best according to some." Kakashi's statement drew an appraising look from Naruto. The Sharingan nin gave him a cheeky smile to show that the young prodigy was not the only one doing background research on other people. The girls, however, gazed with open wonder.
"Thank you, Genji-san," Sakura stated with a heavy blush. The pink-haired girl had no idea that someone so young could be a member of ANBU. Ino clearly had the same thought, but was less restrained about holding her silence.
"What! Wait! You are Genji? How old are you? How did you get into ANBU?" the incapacitated kunoichi blurted out. The blonde's father had been a member of the special shinobi force for many years before he left its ranks, so she knew all too well how difficult it must be to be accepted into the unit.
"Maa, that's a very personal question, Ino," Kakashi noted cheerfully.
"Yeah, are you looking for a date, piggy?" Sakura added with a sly smirk. "Since you know you can't get Sasuke-kun."
Having seen the argument coming from a mile away, Naruto tuned out the two girls and turned to the other jounin.
"Kakashi-san, if I may make a recommendation. Why not enlist Kurenai-san's assistance for the girls? You may have the Sharingan and know over a thousand techniques, but you aren't much of an illusionist. She, on the other hand, could help them grow by leaps and bounds. In return, you could offer to teach her students some of your ninjutsu."
"That's a very good idea," Kakashi admitted as he rubbed his chin. "Makes me wonder why I didn't think of it before."
'Maybe because you're one of the laziest sons of bitches I've ever seen?' Happily, Naruto took the intelligent step and kept the thought to himself.
"Girls, as soon as Ino is released from the hospital, we'll make a trip to see Yuuhi Kurenai," Kakashi declared.
For once, the girls became excited at the thought of getting further training. Their teacher suspected it had something to do with being motivated to do so.
The one-eyed ninja cast his fellow jounin a curious look. "There isn't much time left. The Chuunin Exam is just around the corner. Yo, Genji, you got anymore of those wonderful tips for my students?"
Naruto considered the question seriously for a minute. "Don't get in fights over your head and don't be afraid to seek aid from your fellow Konoha peers."
"But aren't we supposed to be competing against the other teams?" Sakura asked in confusion. The very simple and reasonable question elicited a strong reaction from the ANBU.
"You haven't talked about the exam's history or the politics involved, have you, Kakashi-san?" Naruto made every effort to sound nonchalant, which would have worked on most people, but just not someone of Kakashi's caliber.
"Ahm, no. I didn't feel the need. Why? Is it important?" The ANBU's sudden concern perked Kakashi's interest. Was there something to this exam that others don't know about?
'Yes,' Naruto suppressed the urge to shout. It would appear that holes remained in his planning. He had taken for granted that the shinobi of Konoha would naturally feel a sense of camaraderie and a desire to mutually protect each other from foreign enemies.
'Team 7 is going to be the weak link,' Naruto realized. Since their joint operation, Teams 8 and 10 had grown close enough that the young planner was fairly sure he could convince his teammates and Kurenai's team to work together during the exam. It might be possible to bring Team 7 into the fold, given the family friendships between Ino, Shikamaru and Chouji, but that would depend largely on how accommodating or intransigent Sasuke ended up being.
"In the interest of fairness, the Hokage does not encourage nor condone collusion…"
"But?" Kakashi ventured.
"But genin candidates, especially less experienced ones, have died in previous exams. And conflicts and wars are almost never fair in any case. If it's a choice between survival and upholding some artificial construct, I'd hope that all Konoha ninja are intelligent enough to make the right choice." It was not the best speech Naruto ever made, but it was done on the fly and should suffice. While the girls remained confused, Kakashi nodded thoughtfully, indicating that he had read between the lines and understood what was left unspoken. Due to factors that could not be elaborated upon, Team 7 was, in essence, being encouraged to collude whenever possible.
"And under whose authority are you making that statement?" Kakashi asked.
"The Hokage's." Naruto quickly showed the other man his special documentation, complete with the Sandaime's seal. While the display provided sufficient proof of authenticity, it left lingering questions in Kakashi's mind about the exam. Previously confident of his team's chances, the master of a thousand techniques was now less comfortable with the idea of his team walking into the exam blind. Suddenly, the occasional bursts of tensions between the two kunoichi and the Uchiha prodigy seemed a far greater liability than usual. Yet, Kakashi knew that there was little he could have done. Several influential Uchiha clan members had all but demanded that Sasuke be allowed to show his, and indeed, the clan's mettle at the upcoming exam.
"Sakura, let's go so Ino can rest in peace."
"Where are we going, sensei?"
"The Uchiha compound. There are some things I need to teach you and Sasuke before the exam." The highly excitable pink-haired kunoichi squealed as she hopped away. Ino glared heatedly at the retreating back of her friend-rival.
"See you around, Yuugao. I'll try to get Hayate to visit more often. Don't worry, Ino. You'll meet your precious Sasuke soon enough." Kakashi's lighthearted teasing only served to switch the target of the Yamanaka girl's evil glare-of-doom onto himself. Deciding that he had been sufficiently amused, Naruto also chose to make his exit.
"I wish you a speedy recovery, Yuugao. Same to you, Ino-san. And best of luck on the Chuunin Exam." Waving her colleague off, the ANBU female was amused to note the patch of red spreading across the other girl's face. The blonde blushed a deeper shade on noticing the older kunoichi's attention.
"Those are very lovely flowers," Ino commented in a bid to draw attention away from her. Alas, it worked pretty well.
"They are, aren't they?" Yuugao clocked her arm backwards and tossed several flowers over. The flowers landed right on Ino's belly.
"They smell even better! Wow, I don't think my parents' flower shop even have these strains for sale. Where did your boyfriend get them?" In Ino's mind, someone who had access to and provided flowers this lovely must have been the other girl's special someone. Yuugao, however, found the idea hilarious and chuckled loudly.
"No offense to my boyfriend, whom I love, but Hayate couldn't tell the difference between weeds and roses. No, these were from Genji, and I believe he grew them himself."
"No way! It must have taken seasons of breeding and crossbreeding to produce strains this pure!" Ino exclaimed.
"Genji has always been special like that," Yuugao added wisely. But in all honesty, the ANBU vice captain only had a vague idea about just how special her young student really was.
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Two figures waited in the dark. One was pacing agitatedly back and forth.
"Are you sure he's coming?" the more nervous figure asked.
"Don't worry. He'll be here on time." The second figure was far calmer. "Relax, Genji. You've become very tense lately."
"I know you've been through these doomsday scenarios before, but this is my first time. So excuse me for being edgy," Naruto answered testily. "Besides, the fate of Konoha is basically riding on my plan."
The young blond's official superior smiled. Better than any other human, Tenzou knew just what made Naruto tick. Therefore, it was not surprising for the ANBU captain to guess the source of his subordinate's anxiety and the best way to alleviate said anxiety.
"I have every confidence your plan will succeed. The same goes for the Hokage." Naruto could not tell whether Tenzou was being entirely truthful or not. In retrospect, he probably would not have cared.
He did cease his pacing, though.
"Captain Tenzou, codename Yamato, of Konoha ANBU. To what do I owe the honor of this meeting?"
"Hiashi-sama, I'm pleased that you managed to make it here on such short notice. Before we begin, did you take the appropriate precautions?"
The regal figure of Hyuuga Hiashi nodded. "As far as everyone is concerned, I am currently attending a meeting of the clan heads, convened by the Hokage, to discuss our deteriorating diplomatic positions with certain western countries. Only my twin brother, who is holding my seat at that meeting, knows where I am."
"Good." Tenzou nodded in approval. "Please allow me to introduce a very capable colleague of mine. This is Genji of Konoha ANBU. He is currently doing some sensitive work as the Special Representative of the Hokage. I'll now turn this meeting over to him."
Taking his cue, Genji stepped forward.
"I'll be frank and to the point, Hiashi-sama. Konoha needs your help."
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'The Chuunin Exam. It's finally here.' Everyone had done the best they could to prepare. Now, it was up to Naruto to make sure that all the pieces came together properly.
"What do you guys think?" Chouji asked in between mouthfuls of potato chips. His eyes darted from one group of genin contestants to another.
"There're a lot of people taking the exam this year. It's going to be very troublesome." The Akimichi boy rolled his eyes at his friend's unsurprising answer.
"What about you, Naruto?" His thoughts on other things, the blond managed only a vague grunt.
"Yeah, troublesome."
"Geez, you're turning into a carbon copy of Shika."
"You say that as if it was a bad thing," Naruto answered with a smirk. The Nara boy beside him gave an exasperated sigh.
"Lazy and dumb. Here I thought you couldn't regress any further."
"Kiba, you dogbreath, I see you finally made it past the guards," Naruto cheerfully answered back. Kiba growled slightly as the blond's teammates chuckled.
"How the hell did you know that Room 301 was a fake?" the dog boy demanded. The Inuzuka ninja felt like kicking himself for falling for the mirage of the examination room.
"Ask Shika. He figured out it was a fake and had us go around. Don't tell me that you actually tried to force your way through before figuring that out. And they say I don't think before I act," Naruto stated. Despite the teasing tone, he made sure that there was no malice in his voice. Kiba growled and stumped around petulantly for a bit before answering.
"No, we didn't have to. Sasuke decided to reveal the whole gig to everyone," the dog boy pointed at the members of Team 7 standing on the other side of the room.
"So troublesome," Shikamaru noted with a frown. Naruto was tempted to agree. It was not a smart move on Sasuke's part, letting so many potential foreign candidates and adversaries stroll right into the exam. Dealing with the Uchiha firecracker was going to be a fulltime job.
"Hello, Naruto." Taken by surprise, Naruto spun around to see the Hyuuga heiress greet him in a very formal fashion. The corner of his eyes caught the hint of a smirk beneath Chouji's potato chips stuffed mouth.
"Hinata-chan. You recovered! It's good to see you here," the blond instinctively returned the greeting with an open and friendly smile.
"Thank you for the flowers, Naruto-kun." Hinata sported a small, but distinct blush that was plainly visible to the other genin of Teams 8 and 10.
"Sure thing! Glad you liked them."
The blond genin responsible for said blush bit his lip. Naruto had been aware of the girl's crush on him for some time, but had yet to make up his mind on it. Hinata was certainly a nice girl and a fair kunoichi at that, especially when compared to her peers. Under other circumstances, the youngster would probably have been exuberant to spend time with a girl like that. While he would never admit it in so many words, the Kyuubi's container envied the attention and acclaim Sasuke commanded simply by virtue of who he was. Naruto could not even begin to count the number of nights he slept in the cold with no one but the damn fox for company. More significantly, the blond had acquired an impassioned disdain for Itachi's younger brother, not for who he was or what he possessed, but rather for his actions. For whatever reason, the Uchiha genius appeared masochistically eager to throw away all the affection, admiration and adoration that his clan and village bestowed upon him. Naruto, at his lowest, would have maimed and killed to have even a fraction of such attention. Hinata's crush, to an extent, represented a piece of all that which had been previously denied to Naruto.
'Argh, I can't believe I'm thinking about him again. I'm pathetic!' Naruto mentally gave himself a hard kick in the pants. If Sasuke wanted to screw himself over, that was fine by him. He had bigger worries. The blond cast the shy Hyuuga girl a glance sideways.
'Maybe if things were more normal,' Naruto thought. Alas, these were not normal circumstances and neither was he. The aspiring Hokage had no delusions about the conflicts and trials that lay before him. Heiress to the powerful Hyuuga clan she may be, but given her shy personality and weak force of will, Hinata was, to be completely frank, a walking political liability.
'Or maybe not.' On second glance, Naruto and Hinata were very different people. And contrary to popular belief, opposites did not attract; they conflicted. Naruto failed to see how he could have any kind of a future with the kunoichi of Team 8.
"Shino, how are your bugs?" Naruto greeted as he drew the other genin into the conversation. Aside from breaking the pseudo-awkward moment between Hinata and him, it also caused the two teams to mix together, effectively deterring several would be aggressors, who just moments ago had been eyeing the rookie Konoha genin like meat.
There was safety in numbers, after all. It was one thing to take on three wet behind the ears genin; it was quite another to take on six young ninja who looked to be good friends of each other.
"Hey, look!" Kiba called out, pointing in Team 7's direction. An older silver-haired man was talking with Team 7 when he suddenly fell forward. Three other people, two boys and a girl, suddenly appeared. Even from a distance, Naruto caught sight of the musical note carved into their forehead protectors.
'That doesn't look good.'
"Sakura-chan's in trouble. C'mon!" Naruto quickly dragged Shikamaru over before the Nara boy could even say "troublesome." The rest of the gang followed closely behind.
"Sakura-chan, are you alright?"
"Naruto, what the hell?" the pink-haired kunoichi growled in annoyance as the excitable blond fussed over her. "Oh, never mind me. Help Kabuto-san."
"Is there a problem?" Shikamaru asked lazily, but with a hint of seriousness. The team from Hidden Sound growled when they found themselves surrounded on three sides by Konoha ninja.
"Cowards," one of the males spat. In response, Ino made the ever mature gesture of pulling her right eyelid down while sticking her tongue out.
"Do it again and I'll be happy to cut it off for you," the female promised, her gaze glinting killing intent.
"You wish, bitch."
"We'll see, you trashy little Konoha whore." Before a real catfight could break out, a booming voice echoed through the room.
"Shut your mouths and settle down or I'll shut them for you! That means you brats back there as well!" Both groups backed away. Deciding that their opponents were not worth the effort, the Sound trio blew some harmless hot air before walking off.
"My name is Morino Ibiki and I'm the chief proctor of the first portion of the Chuunin Exam. Due to the size of this year's candidate pool, we'll be dividing you into groups. Listen well as we break you up, because we will not be repeating our words." The tall imposing man with a scarred face passed his gaze over the crowd, looking for signs of malice and discontent, of which there were many.
"Kabuto-san, are you alright?" Sakura asked politely. The older ninja smiled.
"I'm fine, but we better move along. I've heard of this man Ibiki and I don't think we should get on his bad side." The genin of Teams 8 and 10 watched with curiosity as the other ninja picked up a deck of strange blank cards on the ground and walked away.
"Who was that? What village was he from?" Kiba asked, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. Kurenai sensei had apparently warned her team to be careful of would be spies and saboteurs at the exam.
"Kabuto is a Konoha ninja. He took the exam seven times before, so he was sharing some information with us," Ino answered.
"Ha-ha, seven times? What a dumbass!" Kiba crowed, which earned him a hard smack from each of the ladies of Team 7. The Inuzuka boy cursed as he backed off, much to the amusement of his teammates and friends.
"Ok, I'm sorry, you crazy girl. So what did he say?"
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'The guy could have revealed all that information at a less open place. Almost, but not quite ANBU material,' Naruto assessed as he thought about what Team 7 had said regarding the older Konoha genin. Then, there was the fact that he had failed the exam seven consecutive times. While the blond was by no means part of the bureaucratic setup, he was pretty sure that previous Chuunin Exams could not have been that difficult.
'Still, he had some interesting information. Three siblings from Suna, huh? At least the others will know to be careful about that group.' Of course, Naruto did not need to be warned about the Suna trio. Few things had surprised him as much as seeing the offspring of the reigning Kazekage stroll into Konoha like they owned the place. Either the leadership of Suna was being incredibly stupid or unfathomably bold. Either way, the architect of Konoha's defenses was not going to take any chances. Tenzou and Ibiki were informed immediately and the two veteran ANBU chiefs quickly prioritized what resources they could spare on the trio. If it were not for the delicate timetables and the high requirements for secrecy, Naruto would have advocated for outright preemptive assassination.
Premeditated political and strategic assassination. It was a dirty business, to be sure, but the young prodigy had ample time to digest the idea. Naruto was under no delusion about what would be soon required of him. The entire first part of the exam was a probing exercise to flush out potential enemies. Once Ibiki finished analyzing the results, he would draw up a list of targets. This information would then be passed onwards to someone who would, well, take care of the targets.
'And that someone is me,' Naruto thought. From an operational point of view, the idea made perfect sense. Being an examinee himself, the Konoha prodigy would make the perfect assassin, able to operate with maximum flexibility through the course of the exam. The problem was convincing his fellow co-planners to give such a vital role to the human container of the Kyuubi. Naruto doubted that Ibiki or Hiashi, unflappable as they were, would have gone along with the idea without asking some very serious questions, questions which he had no interest in answering just yet.
Per his usual ingenuity, Naruto found a way to sidestep the problem. Instead of giving Ibiki the identity of the person who was to receive the ANBU interrogator's information beforehand, the blond concocted the idea of using coded signals during the exam itself to facilitate contact and the exchange of information between the mystery intermediary and Ibiki's people. The excuse he gave, which he thought was pretty damn good, was that maintaining the strictest level of secrecy would better safeguard the details of the operation. In essence, Naruto was banking on the assumption that by the time people in the know realized that Uzumaki Naruto was involved, bigger events would have already made headlines.
So, while the genin around him scribbled furiously, Naruto purposefully ignored all nine exam questions in favor of doodling on the paper. Then, he waited while watching with some amusement as Ibiki enthusiastically failed the occasional genin who didn't quite measure up.
"Alright, listen up. As you noticed, the nine questions before you tested your abilities at gathering information without being detected. Simply put, stealth is a ninja's most essential skill. If you can't do your job undetected, then you might as well not even try. Luckily all of you seemed to possess that very minimal skill." The scarred man was quick to stamp down on any premature celebration. "But before I pass you along, you'll need to answer the tenth question and answer it correctly… or else."
"Or else what?" a particularly bold (or stupid depending on your point of view) genin asked.
"Or else you'll never make it past genin rank. Fail this last question and I'll have you and your teammates barred from taking all future Chuunin Exams." The announcement was, predictably, met with a hail of protests.
"You can't do that!" one person whined.
"You don't have the authority!" another crowed.
"I might not by myself, but your village leaders do. Let's just say I made my case before them and they recognized how disappointing the results of the past couple of exams had been. That's how it is. Like the responsibilities chuunin are expected to shoulder while leading missions, you must balance the benefits and risks of continuing forward. If you walk out of this room right now, you can take the exam next year with a different proctor and hope for the best. If you stay in your seat, then you better answer the last question correctly." Ibiki gave a creepy sadistic grin as he surveyed the room.
'Holy crap, he's good!' Half in awe and half in excitement, Naruto barely managed to contain his mirth. Ibiki, the sneaky bastard, had refused to share the complete details of his devious little test and now he knew why. When the ANBU chief had claimed that he would separate the foreign conspirators from the non-conspirators and the mentally ready Konoha genin from those who were not quite so ready, all without setting off any alarm bells, Naruto had thought he was crazy. Knowing what he knew, the blond could only admit that Ibiki was a certifiable genius. And that was quite a compliment since it took one to know one.
'He's very good.' As with most good ideas, the plan's greatest asset was its simplicity. Ibiki quite brilliantly sought to induce all the genin into revealing their subconscious disposition towards Konoha. For instance, the foreign conspirators would automatically know that the proctor's threat was a complete and utter farce since their leaders were attempting an invasion. In contrast, those not part of the plot would treat the proctor's threats more seriously. Meanwhile on Konoha's side, most if not all genin should be aware of Morino Ibiki's reputation and would make the appropriate choice based on their own capabilities. While Naruto had no guarantee that those who remained would be able to handle the subsequent trials, this was better than nothing. At the very least, Ibiki warned the Konoha genin about what was to come.
"Anyone else? This is your last chance," Ibiki declared menacingly. One last squeamish genin rose up and ran out the door, to the disgust of his teammates.
"Good then," the head proctor motioned for the doors to be closed. "The rest of you passed part one of the Chuunin Exam. Congratulations."
Naruto smiled as the other genin burst into varying degrees of celebration, dismay and confusion.
"Wait! What? What about the tenth question? You mean to tell us that it was a fake?" Ibiki leveled a stony gaze at the questioner.
"If you can't figure that out yourself, I'm not going to tell you. Now, please wait here for the head proctor of the second portion—"
"Hyaa!" The relative calm of the examination room was broken by the sound of broken windows and a sharp battle cry.
"Anko. Should I even bother to reprimand you?" Ibiki smirked. The kunoichi in question smirked back first at the ANBU and then at the genin candidates.
"My name's Mitarashi Anko and I'm the proctor of the second portion of the Chuunin Exam." The genin watched in bedazzlement as the salacious female clad in fishnet stockings winked at them before turning to her fellow proctor.
"Ibiki, why the hell did you leave behind so many brats? Oh, it doesn't matter. I'll have that number cut in half." Once again, the strange and freaky lady turned her attention to the genin. "Alright, enough chitchat. Everyone is to follow my associates to the next examination area. I need to talk to the big boy – alone," Anko stated with a saucy grin.
Naruto had to use a cough to cover his laughter. When he had talked about coded signals with Ibiki, blatant over the top sexual come-ons were not what he had in mind. But he had to admit it worked pretty well. Based on the scattered mutterings of his fellow examinees, Naruto was fairly certain no one suspected anything.
'Figures that Orochimaru's former star pupil is competent,' Naruto thought. Perhaps he should have taken the time to do some background research on the kunoichi. As he left the Konoha proctors behind, his mind and focus quickly zeroed in on the task at hand.
'To do what must be done. For Udon. For Konohamaru. For the Hokage.' As far as Naruto was concerned, just about every remaining non-Konoha genin was now a viable target and the area of the second portion of the exam, the Forest of Death, was now a free-fire zone.
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"Ok, Ibiki, give. Who's the brat I'm supposed to smooch? I find it hard to believe that any one of them could be it." The ANBU interrogator gave a slightly amused grin.
"Give me a minute to find out. Genji never told me the name of the contact." Ibiki began rapidly flipping through the exams.
"Paranoid little bugger, isn't he?" Anko laughed. "Just my kind of man."
Ibiki simply shook his head, not bothering to remind his associate that Genji was probably a decade younger than her at the very least.
"I found it." The man pulled out the exam with the correct pictograph, but his eyes stalled at the top of the page.
"Well, who is it? What's the matter?" Anko was now curious as very few things surprised Ibiki.
"It's a rookie."
"You're kidding. Who?" Anko might act like a brainless, wanton slut wannabe, but she was definitely perceptive enough to figure out what this whole affair was most likely about. As one of the top covert assassins of Konoha, the setup was simply too familiar.
"Uzumaki Naruto."
"Naruto? You mean, the Naruto? The one kid who couldn't shut up about ramen even if his life depended on it?"
When Ibiki nodded, Anko did something that probably would have scared the bejesus out of any normal person. The special jounin laughed, loudly and fiercely.
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AN: In light of certain reviews and comments, I decided to elaborate on Team 7's mission to Wave in which Sasuke presumably killed Momochi Zabuza. While I was personally neutral about it, I realized that some people probably were not. I hope that my handling of it helped alleviate some concerns.
Aside from the usual foreshadowing, one thing extra to note was probably the mention of Ino's dad. Yes, I have plans for him and they will probably involve Ino at some point. Ino and Ino-Naruto fans shouldn't be too happy, but I will admit that she'll most likely get some spotlight at some point. I don't think this will be a problem since most people seem to have a neutral or positive view of her.
Happy New Years, dear readers! As always, please be sure to review. Thanks.