"Yo."- speech
"Yo"- thoughts
"Yo"- Biju/summons
Yo - Jutsu
Chapter 10: Exams
"Naruto! Did you forget to turn off the oven again?!"
Naruto sighed as he continued to put on his sandals and head out of the door. For the past two months he had been staying at Anko's apartment because, for lack of better words, they had grown used to each other. After a rather interesting run in with his landlord after his return from his vacation, Naruto learned that his apartment complex was actually being sold to a local company specializing in making drapes. Even he couldn't find a way to brighten that situation up.
"I'm heading out Anko, and I'm pretty sure that was you this time!" He yelled before closing the door and making his way over to the stairs. Asuma had called for a rather abrupt team meeting out of nowhere, which is where he was currently making his way towards. It was pretty strange, seeing as they had just returned from a mission prior. Walking down the street, he spotted Ino yawning in front of him and walked faster to catch up to her.
"Goodmorning Ino-chan!" He yelled slapping her on the back. He instantly regretted that choice when she began to cough uncontrollably, glaring up at him when she finally regained her composure.
"What the hell's your problem whiskers!" She yelled as she straightened herself out. Naruto laughed sheepishly as the two continued their way over to the training ground.
"Sorry, I forget my own strength sometimes." He apologized half assedly getting the finger in response. "So what do you think Asuma-sensei wants?"
"Whatever it is, I hope he doesn't expect me to do it this weekend. I'm planning to use this time to cleanse my body and soul, restoring the pureness that makes me who I am." Ino said smiling gracefully. Naruto blinked in her direction before squinting his eyes and turning forward.
"You're pretty weird, you know that?" He said Ino snorting to retort.
"This coming from the boy who sleeps in panda pajamas and prays to a ramen god at night." She said rolling her eyes.
"Hey! Only one of those is correct!"
"Is that so?"
"You bet your ass it is, I sleep in just my underwear now!"
Ino face faulted into the ground while Naruto continued on, face held up in pride that he had won that little game of wits. Pulling herself together again for the second time today, Ino held her head in her hands as she shook her head at her teammate.
"Honestly, I don't even know where to begin with you…" she mumbled as they made their way into the training grounds. Shikamaru and Asuma were already there, talking about something related to shogi before the two came walking up towards.
"Good, you're all here, guess we can get this over with." He said turning to face his other two students. Ino huffed as she threw her arms over her chest, looking up at her sensei with a bored expression.
"What is it Asuma-sensei, we just got off of a mission so I hope you don't expect me to be taking on another one." She said frowning.
"Nope, nothing of the short my dear. In fact, depending on how things go here you guys won't be taking on an official mission for quite awhile." He said smiling while reaching into his vest. He pulled out three slips of papers, handing them to each of his students as they gazed down at them curiously. Naruto was the first to look back up, squinting his eyes at his sensei.
"So are you gonna' explain what this is or am I just going to sit here feeling stupid?"
"You're always feeling stupid."
"That hurts Ino-chan…"
"Ahem." Asuma grunted getting the two's attention again. "Before you two breakout into one of your famed theatrics, perhaps I can explain what you're holding in your hands first."
He was about to continue when he saw Shikamaru holding the form back out towards him. Asuma scratched his head in confusing before pointing down at him.
"Um, what are you doing kid?" He asked as Shikamaru looked away.
"I don't know what this is about, but the fact that I have to sign a form shows me that it's something to troublesome to be bothered with, so I'll pass." He said still holding the slip of paper out to his sensei. Asuma and Ino stared at him blankly while Naruto continued to stare down at the paper confusedly.
"Who the hell makes a form for you to sign up with without putting what it's about on it?" He asked getting Ino to nod her head in agreement.
"I agree, it's completely unethical. Who does something like this?" She said as the two broke into a discussion about how the tactfulness of the world was dropping drastically. Asuma looked over to see that Shikamaru had decided to lie down in the grass and take a nap, using the form as a headrest along with his hands. His eye twitched uncontrollably as his patience began to reach it's boiling point.
"You know what, forget that I even called you guys out here! Just give me the damn slips of papers back and go home!" He yelled shocking the group as they stared up at him in shock. Silence fell over the area as no one could find the words to say, until Naruto broke the ice.
"Geez Asuma-sensei, no need for you to blow a gasket. We were just waiting for you to explain what was going on." He said, Ino once again nodding in agreement.
"Don't tell us you called us out here just to waste our time. That's so inconsiderate sensei, really." She said shaking her head in disappointment.
"Troublesome…" Shikamaru mumbled as he sat up from his laying position. Asuma stared at the group ludicrously as they had somehow managed to turn what was happening against him.
"Wha- I don't even- you were jus-" he stumbled before stopping to take a deep breath. Pulling himself together, he pulled out a cigarette to calm himself before continuing.
"Yeah, so those are the forms for the upcoming Chunin exams. Fill em' out if you feel like you're up to the challenge." He said flippantly leaning up against a tree in exhaustion.
"Woah, these are for the chunin exams? You mean we can really compete if we want to, even though we're rookie genin?" Naruto asked in excitement as he began to search around his person for a writing utensil. Asuma tossed him a pen, which he fumbled to catch as the older man went on to answer his question.
"Whether you're a rookie genin or not has nothing to do with if you're capable of being a chunin. If you meet the criteria, you meet the criteria, experience be damned." Asuma said as Naruto hurriedly scribbled his name on the piece of paper, handing it up to Ino when he was done. She looked at it tentatively before taking it from him and looking back over at Asuma.
"So is that it? Isn't there something else you should be telling us, some information we need to know?" She asked feeling that Asuma's explanation was rather bare.
"Well, the exam will be hosting shinobi from all the elemental villages, not just Konoha, so you can expect there to be a lot of people. Dangerous people as well, so you'd better keep your guard up. You'll be partaking in a series of test meant to test your skills as a shinobi and ultimately decide whether or not you'll be appointed chunin. Oh, and it's not taking place here in the village, but outside. Kumogakure if I remember correctly." He said as Ino finished signing the paper. She handed the pen over to Shikamaru, who took it and stared at it in thought before looking back up at his sensei.
"Do we have to?" He asked getting a head shake from his instructor.
"Nope, you don't have to, though if one of you ops not to do it then the whole team can't because you need a full squad to compete." Asuma replied smugly, watching as Shikamaru's eyes went wide slightly at that bit of information.
He could feel another pair glaring into the back of his skull, and though he wasn't entirely sure, he was pretty sure they belonged to a certain male blond teammate of his. Sighing, he signed his name on his form as well before handing it back up towards his sensei, who collected them all and nodded his head in approval.
"Good, I'll take these over to the Hokage and that'll be that. You guys have two weeks to prepare for it, so I'd advise that you make the most of it." He said walking out of the training ground. Ino and Shikamaru watched him leave until the sound of fidgeting next to them caught their attention. They both turned to see Naruto shaking in place, fist closed tightly at his side.
"Can you believe it guys, we might actually be able to become Chunins! We haven't even been Genin for a year yet!" He yelled, the wide smile on his face growing even wider. Shikamaru sighed before standing up and stretching, looking back over at Naruto passively.
"You make it sound like this is going to be a walk in the park. Do you have any idea how dangerous these tournaments can get?" He said, narrowing his eyes a little. "Not to mention we have you, Mr. "I attract trouble everywhere I go" coming along. With your luck we might run into a unstoppable psychopathic killer or two."
(Meanwhile in Sunagakure)
"Gaara? You're not catching a cold are you?"
(Back in Konoha)
"Aw shucks Shikamaru, what are the chances of that happening? I'll tell you, absolutely zero. You've gotta' learn how to loosen up man, we'll be fine!" Naruto said patting his shoulder.
"Still, two weeks isn't exactly a lot of time to prepare. This whole thing was kind of just dumped on us, maybe we should've took a little time to decide." Ino said hold her chin in thought. Naruto rolled his eyes before grabbing her arm and pulling her up to her feet as well. He pulled the two into a head locking hug and grinned as he led them into the village.
"You guys are worrying way to much. Come on, let's go grab some breakfast! How about ichira-"
"No!" Shikamaru and Ino yelled in unison, getting a sigh out of the blond.
"Worth a shot…"
After parting ways with his teammates, Naruto found himself aimlessly wandering around the village, searching for something to keep him occupied. He sighed as he turned a corner, preparing to head back to the apartment and get some sleep seeing as it was still rather early in the day. He stopped however when heard someone calling out to him, turning around and squinting his eyes down the street.
"Is that...Kiba?" He said squinting harder is the figure came closer into view. He straightened up when he saw that it was his old friend, running up towards him with Akamaru sitting on top of his head.
"Hey man, how's it hanging?" The boy said running up to Naruto, feral grin present on his face. Naruto returned it as the two fist bumped, Kiba following after Naruto as the two began to walk down the street.
"Nothing much, just left a meeting with Asuma-sensei that didn't last as long as I expected so now I'm pretty much assed out." Naruto said getting a chuckle from Kiba.
"Let me guess, you guys are participating in the Chunin exams as well?" He asked getting Naruto to look up at him in shock.
"Wow, you guys are going to? Man, this is going to be awesome!" Naruto yelled throwing his hands behind his head. Kiba nodded in agreement with Akamai barking for added effort.
"Yup, looks like all of our graduating class is going to be competing. They're calling us the 'Rookie Nine'." Kiba said adding in quotation marks for sarcasm.
"Well looks like it's just another chance for me to prove how much better I am than you group of slackers." Naruto said challenging, getting Kiba to laugh out loud at the statement.
"Oh please, this coming from the guy with the biggest slacker in the history of the world on his team. There's no way his habits haven't rubbed off on you at least a little." Kiba said. Naruto was about to retort until he realized that Shikamaru's ways had rubbed on him a little, so instead he settled for silence as Kiba laughed even harder.
"Besides that," Kiba started, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Seeing as you have nothing else to do, how about we go do a little...exploring."
"Exploring? What are you five?" Naruto said getting Kiba's eye to twitch irritably.
"Not that kind of exploring you idiot! I'm talking about a different kind…" he said grinning down the street. "Come on, I'll show ya!"
With that, Kiba took off running down the street. Naruto watched him for a moment before shrugging and following after him, catching up a moment later. The two eventually ran over to the outer areas of the village, around the hot springs.
"What are we doing out here Kiba?" Naruto asked looking around. He had unzipped his jacket, the heat in the area getting to him slightly. Kiba simply smiled as he lead Naruto around towards the back of the springs, making sure to move quietly .
"I overheard Sakura talking about how her and some of the others were going to meet up at the hotsprings for a little relaxing." He said turning around with a nosebleed and pair of binoculars in his hands. "I thought we could take a little looky look, you in?"
Now Naruto was a man of strict morals who would never cross the boundaries of what he deemed as being indecent. However, at the same time he was a 13 year old boy who lived in the house with a beautiful woman who liked to sleep in nothing but oversized t shirts, spurring on his imagination plenty of times at night.
In other words, his hormones were up and running.
"You bet your mother's ass I'm in." Naruto said seriously, following after Kiba as they continued to walk around the perimeter. Eventually they came upon what Kiba must have set up earlier, a little breach in the wall that allowed the two a clear look into the hot springs. Kiba kneeled down next to it, placing the binoculars against the opening and looking inside.
"Now let's see if they've made it in yet…" Kiba mumbled looking around. He fell silent for a while, Naruto growing impatient behind him as he slapped him on the shoulder.
"Hey, what the hell's happening?" He asked irritably as Kiba swatted him away.
"I'm not seeing anyone yet! They must not be here ye-hellooooooo!" Kiba said stopping mid sentence as something caught his attention. He fell silent again, though this time Naruto could tell it was for other reasonings as he started to pant slightly.
"Man, this great, I don't even know who this girl with the buns is but man, I like." Kiba said as Naruto grew more irritated. "I mean it's- good lord is that really Ino?"
"Alright, my turn dog brains!" Naruto yelled pushing him over. Ignoring his whispers of disagreement, Naruto grabbed the binoculars and put them up against the hole, focusing them to peer inside.
'Alright, let's see here…' he thought as he was currently looking at a pair of twin hair buns wrapped up slightly. He pulled back slightly, figuring he was to zoomed in, when he caught full sight of the person he was watching. He had to hold himself back from yelling out seeing it was Tenten, blushing profusely even though the steam was blocking her essentials. Naruto could still make out the form and sizes though, which is why he was blushing heavily.
'How is she even hiding those things…' he thought to himself before turning his focus to someone else. There was a blond girl in there with her back towards him, most of her body submerged in the water so he couldn't see anything. She was talking to someone, Naruto looking up to see it was Sakura, still wrapped in her towel. After what seemed like coaxing from the other girl, Sakura dropped the towel and began to come into the stream, Naruto's nose bleed now in full affect.
'What she lacks in the chest department she certainly makes up for in-oh my god!' He yelled in his mind as the blonde turned around. It was Ino, Naruto not being able to tell since he'd never saw her with her hair down. He couldn't see anything special because, much like Tenten, nature was blocking his view, this time in the form of water. Still, he could make out forms, and he must say that he was very impressed.
'This isn't good, this is wrong, these are my friends! I need to pull back now before-' "ARE THOSE FUCKING D-CUPS!" He yelled out loud as Hinata came from inside of the bath house. She was trying to cover them up, but the others were coaxing her to come inside, besides Sakura who was seemingly touching her own chest in disappointment. That was before the outburst however, as now all of the girls were looking up curiously at the noise.
"God damn it Naruto!" Kiba half yelled-half whispered as he smacked the boy on his head. "Now we've gotta' bail, let's go!"
Naruto could only numbly follow after Kiba as the two made a hastily escape from the area. Soon they were back on the street, Kiba panting heavily while Naruto was still in a state of shock, looking ahead blankly.
"Damn it, because of you I didn't even get to see anything!" Kiba yelled shaking his fist at Naruto. The blonde didn't even reply, simply passing the binoculars back over to Kiba silently. He stood there for a moment before turning to his friend and placing his hand on his shoulder.
"Kiba."
"Yeah, what?"
"You're a good friend."
"Uhhhh…" Kiba said not exactly knowing how to reply to that. "Thanks?"
"No problem. Now if you'll excuse, I'm going to pray that Anko isn't home right now so that I can have some alone time, I'll see you later my friend." Naruto said almost in a trance as he walked off towards his apartment. Kiba stared after him for awhile before looking back down at his binoculars.
"Screw this, I'm going back in…" He said noting the state Naruto was in. No way was he going to be left out on the action, consequences be damned!
Naruto was aroused from his slumber by a knocking at the door. Grumbling, he slid off of his bed and made his way through the apartment, yawning as he came up to the door. Opening it, he saw Ino standing there in a black dress, looking at him irritably.
"Took you long enough idiot, let me in." She said shoving her way passed him. Naruto started to shout in protest but it was to late as she was already inside of the apartment.
"Sure Ino-chan, come right in, I don't mind…" he mumbled closing the door and turning around to face her. It was then he remembered his earlier adventures at the hotsprings, specifically memories of her, and his face turned bright red.
"S-so what can I do for you Ino-chan?" He said moving into his room to throw on some pants, becoming painfully aware that he had answered the door in underwear. Luckily enough Ino hadn't noticed, or that could've gotten really awkward.
"We were all going out to eat since we haven't meet up in awhile, I came to grab you." She said flippantly while dropping onto the couch. "So hurry up and get dressed will ya', I don't wanna be late."
"Where's Shikamaru?" Naruto asked from inside of the bathroom. Ino yelled back that they were going to get him after, seeing as he wasn't aware of the plans as well and had to get ready. Naruto nodded and proceeded to continue with cleaning himself up. After changing into a pair of black sweatpants and a black muscle shirt, he came out back out into the living room.
"Jeez Naruto, were going out to dinner not a training ground." Ino said looking him over. She had to admit, she was right about black looking good on him.
"Sorry, these are really the only type of clothes I have." He replied rubbing the back of his head. Ino sighed before standing up from the couch, walking over to the front door with Naruto following after her.
"Looks like me and Sakura will have to take you out shopping again. Oh well, let's go grab Shikamaru meet up with the others."
"Aye sir!"
"Don't do that."
"Right, sorry…"
Ino rolled her eyes as the two walked down the stairs of the complex. They turned the corner and were about to continue to the Nara's compound when Ino bumped into exactly the person they were looking for. Naruto caught her before she could fall, Shikamaru rubbing his head and grumbling at the slight pain he was feeling.
"Watch where you're going would you, that forehead of yours almost killed me." Shikamaru said looking down at her boredly. Ino bristled under the comments and was about to retort when Naruto put his hand over her mouth.
"Well no need to argue now is there, come on guys let's go meet up with our good ole pals from the academy!" He said laughing. He pulled the still fidgeting Ino along and the trio continued to the usual barbecue place. Walking inside, Naruto looked around for signs of anyone else before spotting Sakura waving them over.
"Hey guys, we're over here this time!"
"You know, we really should find a new place to meet up at for these events. I volunteer Ichiraku's ram-"
"Shut up Naruto." Ino said bluntly walking over the others. Naruto visibly deflated, Shikamaru patting his back in support.
"Don't worry bud, there's someone out there who loves ramen as much as you do." He said, getting Naruto to look up at him hopefully.
"Really Shikamaru?"
"Nah, probably not."
With that the two walked over to the others as well, taking a seat on the edge of the long table. Sakura took notice of the tears streaming down Naruto's face animatedly, looking over at him in concern.
"What's the matter Naruto?" She asked worriedly as the boy looked down into his lap.
"Nothing Sakura-chan, nothing at all…" He said quietly, not convincing the girl of his words at all. Sniffling to himself, he looked up at everyone before double taking when he got a look at Kiba. "What the hell happened to you man?"
"We caught dog breath over here lurking around the hot springs earlier trying to catch a peek, little pervert." Ino said folding her arms over her chest. Naruto paled slightly at those words and glanced over at Kiba worriedly. A small head shake from the boy informed Naruto of all he needed to know and he released a breath he didn't know he was holding.
'You really are a true friend Kiba…' Naruto thought to himself, looking at the bandage covered boy with a sense of admiration. The others obviously didn't feel the same however, getting looks of disgust from Ino and Sakura.
"Well you gotta' learn to let things go, amirite? So Sasuke, you boned any of those fangirls yet?" Kiba asked hurriedly trying to get the attention off of him. It worked, as Sasuke began to choke on the drink he was previously enjoying while Ino and Sakura turned towards him angrily.
"You did what?! How could you Sasuke-kun?!" Ino yelled as the boy looked up at her in shock.
"I didn't do anything! Wait, why am I explaining myself to you?" Sasuke said before taking notice of the tears in Sakura. "And why are you crying?!"
"Because Sasuke-kun," Sakura said sniffling to herself. "I was saving my first time for you, and I was hoping you would do the same…"
"I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!"
"LIE AGAIN DUCKHEAD!"
"Ino-buta! Don't talk about Sasuke-kun like that!"
The two broke into an argument with each other from across the table. Naruto watched on in a mixture of amusement and confusement, sipping absentmindedly on his drink through his straw.
"You know, today's been pretty damn weird all things considered." He said looking over at Shikamaru. The pineapple haired boy simply sighed and threw his hand up in the air to signal the waitress they were ready to order.
"After being around you for so long, I don't even know what's considered weird anymore." Shikamaru replied before looking over towards the front of the restaurant. "Hey look, Shino, Hinata and Choji finally arrived."
"Hello everyone, how are-oh my! N-Naruto-Kun, your nose is b-bleeding!"
(2 weeks later)
After the two weeks had passed, it was finally time for all the aspiring Chunin to head out for Kumogakure. Naruto was currently making his way towards the gates, yawning heartily as he rubbed some crust out of his eyes.
"Who's bright idea was it for us to leave at five in the morning…" he murmured to no one in particular, making his way through the other Konoha teams present. He spared Team 8 and their, smoking hot he might add, sensei Kurenai a wave as he passed them before finally meeting up with his team.
"Morning guys." He mumbled walking up towards them. Shikamaru grunted in acknowledgment, while Ino spared him a small smile and wave.
"Morning Whiskers, seen Asuma-sensei around?" She asked looking around. Naruto nodded his head negative as he sat down on the bench next to them.
"I hope he didn't oversleep, bastard sure knows he good for doing that…" Naruto said remembering all the times they had to personally wake their sensei up with a home visit. Ino propped her head up with her hands, sighing as she looked out over the crowds.
"Sure is a lot of people here, I didn't even know Konoha had so many Genin. Some of these guys look like they're in their late twenties for crying out loud!" She said taking note of the rather adult like figures scattered throughout the crowd.
"Genin is actually the most populated ninja rank throughout the elemental nations. Many people end up staying that rank their whole careers." Shikamaru clarified, Naruto shuddering at the thought of being stuck as a Genin forever.
"That would suck, I couldn't imagine doing D-ranks for the rest of my life." Naruto replied. Shikamaru stretched slightly before leaning backwards on the bench to look up at the sky.
"Actually doesn't sound all that bad to me. It's the simple things in life that bring the most joy you know." He said closing his eyes. Naruto stared at him with squinted eyes before brushing his comments off and turning to face forward. It was then that he caught sight of Sasuke, standing in front of them and seemingly looking around for something.
"Oi, Sasuke! Over here!" He yelled getting the boy's attention. Sasuke turned in their direction curiously, face dropping when he saw that it was Naruto.
"Oh, it's you. What do you want now?" He said continuing to look around. Naruto walked up towards him, flashing a grin as he threw his arms behind his head.
"Jeez, that sticks even up your ass this early in the morning huh? By the way, why the hell are you wondering around the place looking like a creep?" Naruto asked, Sasuke's eye twitching as he tried his hardest to ignore the blondes teasing.
"I'm looking for Kakashi-sensei. I'll be damned if I miss out on my chance to become a Chunin because of his abysmal time management." Sasuke said looking around with renewed vigor. Naruto cocked his head to the side in a curious matter before stretching upwards.
"Kakashi-sensei? Isn't he over by the memorial stone?" Naruto said getting a quizzical look from Sasuke in return.
"The memorial stone? Why would he be over there?" Sasuke asked, Naruto shrugging in response.
"I don't know why he's over there, but I do know that he is over there, so why don't you head on over." Naruto said turning to go back to his team. Sasuke watched after him for a moment before turning to head back to his team as well in order to check out if Kakashi was really there.
'How would Naruto know where Kakashi-sensei is at without any prior knowledge? Is he just messing with me?' Sasuke thought to himself. He didn't put it past the blonde, I mean he was notorious for being an avid prankster. Still, if there was a chance Kakashi was over there, he was taking it.
Naruto meanwhile had made his way back over to his teammates and sat back down besides them, glaring curiously over at a bored Ino.
"Any particular reason you didn't fawn over the Uchiha there?" He asked after noticing her lack of response to seeing her crush.
"Eh, still mad at him." She replied nonchalantly, getting a sweat drop to form on Naruto's head.
'I still don't understand a thing about girls…' He thought to himself before breaking out into another yawn. He was about to close his eyes when something was thrown on top of his face. He flailed about, clawing at whatever it was obscuring his vision before pulling it off and seeing that it was a white, cape like jacket. Looking up, he saw Asuma-sensei smiling down at him with two more held in his arm.
"Morning brats." He said handing the other two out to Shikamaru and Ino. "Ready to head out?"
"If I said no could we go back home and get some more sleep?" Shikamaru said looking up from the bench. Asuma gave him hearty laugh, patting the boy on the head as he looked on in irritation.
"I swear kid, you're a riot. Come on, looks like it's time to start moving out." Asuma said as he led his team to the gates. True to his word, teams were starting to file out of the village and onto the road. Team 10 were some of the front runners, along with Team 7 and Team 8. It was at this point that Naruto realized just how young they were compared to the rest of the shinobi who were coming along with them.
Asuma had slipped off over to Team 8 to conversate with Kurenai, the two of them slowly falling behind the rest. Naruto and the other rookies had bunched together, feeling a bit more comfortable moving as a large unit than in separate factions. The first two hours passed rather uneventfully, with most of the conversations being about what they expected when they arrived in Kumo and the Chunin exams. At some point, Naruto fell back from the others to walk besides Kakashi, who had somehow became the group's involuntary chaperone.
"So Kakashi-sensei, you've participated in the Chunin exams before, any tips on what I should be on the lookout for?" Naruto asked looking up at the man. Kakashi looked away from his book at the boy for a moment before closing it all together and stuffing his hands into his pocket.
"Well, when I took the Chunin exams the shinobi world as a whole was in an entirely different state. It was much easier to be promoted on skill or strength alone because there was a demand for strong ninja to be out in the battlefields." Kakashi started holding Naruto's full attention. "Over the recent years though, the criteria that they're looking for has almost completely changed."
"How so?" Naruto said throwing his arms behind his head in trademark fashion. Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck in thought, closing his one exposed eye in thought before answering the boy.
"Well, today there's a much larger focus on a team's dynamic and leadership. If an entire team performs well and proves they are able to work in a unit successfully, then that can boost the chances for a promotion for each member." He said, giving Naruto his trademark eye smile. "Most importantly, judges will be on the lookout for those who possess strong leadership qualities. This doesn't necessarily mean being the strongest in the group, but being able to bring the best out of your teammates as well as successful initiating plans."
"Hmm," Naruto murmured mulling over Kakashi's words. After a while, he gave the silver haired man a smile, looking forward as the two continue down the road. "I think I get what you're saying, thanks Kakashi-sensei! Hey, you're not as bad at this sensei thing as Kiba made you out to be."
Kakashi watched as Naruto walked forward again to meet back up with the rest of the rookies. Pulling back out his book, he flipped back to the page that he left off on and continued, humming slightly to himself.
'He's definitely his mother's child, but I can see a lot of you in there as well sensei.' Kakashi thought to himself before once again being consumed by his famed book.
Eventually, after a day of non stop walking and traveling, the large group of shinobi managed to almost reach the border of the Land of Fire. The instructors decided that now would be a good time to settle down and rest, and that the rest of the journey would be continued tomorrow. After setting up camp, Naruto snuck off to a more reclusive area to star watch, along with Shikamaru, Kiba, Choji, Sasuke, and Shino. They chattered mindlessly about whatever topic caught their interest, simply enjoying each other's company for the most part.
"I'm just saying, the Fourth Hokage was pretty damn strong man. I mean, he damn near defeated an entire village by himself!" Naruto exclaimed throwing his hands up from his resting position. Sasuke nodded in agreement from his spot next to the blonde, adding a 'hn' for extra effort.
"Still though, you honestly think he could beat the Third Hokage in battle? That's blasphemous if you ask me, I mean he's literally known as the God of shinobi." Kiba said shaking his head. "He's gotta be pushing, what, a hundred years of age right now? And he's still out there holding us down, that means something man."
"Dude, the Fourth could literally teleport himself all around the battlefield. Teleport! Teleportation! How do you even fight that?" Naruto replied looking over at the boy. Kiba scrunched his face up in thought for a moment, before slowly shaking his head up and down.
"Actually, you might have a point there man, I'll give you this one." He said getting a grin from Naruto. "The First Hokage is still stronger than the Second though."
"And you're still batshit crazy." Naruto said getting a laugh from the rest of the group. Shikamaru stretched his entire body before reaching into Choji's bag of chips, munching on a few as Choji began to speak.
"So do you guys think the genin from other villages are going to be a problem?" He said eating a few of the chips himself. "I'm worried we might run into something really crazy out there."
"What do you mean by that?" Naruto asked sitting up a little. Choji shrugged as he pulled out another bag of chips, grabbing a few before responding.
"Well, who knows what goes on in other villages. What if their rookies go through some crazy rigorous training that made them super strong or something." He said before turning his attention to the snacks in his hand. Naruto squinted at him in confusion before Shikamaru stepped in to help clarify.
"You know, kind of like how Asuma-sensei said that in order for Zabuza to graduate his genin class in kirigakure, he had to kill his other classmates." Shikamaru said, getting the rest of the group to look up at him in shock, minus Naruto.
"Oh yeah, I guess there is a possibility we could run into someone like that." Naruto said grabbing his chin in thought. Kiba was still looking up at Shikamaru in shock of what he had said previously.
"What the hell kind of shit were you guys dealing with on that mission? Killing your entire class just to graduate, who the hell did he team up with afterwards if everyone was dead?" Kiba asked, getting a shrug from the pineapple haired boy in return.
"All I know is, I'm rather glad I was born into Konoha. Seems like the less troublesome of all the villages if you ask me." Shikamaru said leaning back. His mind did linger on Choji's words a little longer though, as he himself thought over what exactly they could be walking into. Sighing, he stood up from his laying position and slowly made his way back over to the camp.
"Well I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to try to get as much rest as possible before this whole thing kicks off. Who knows if we'll be able to sleep easily when all this gets up running." Shikamaru said disappearing into the tree line. The rest of the boys watched after him blankly, Naruto being the first to speak up.
"You guys tired?"
"Is a dog in heat tired?"
"...Staying up it is then!"
"Come on guys, it's not much farther! Keep up!"
"Coming Asuma-sensei!" Ino yelled back, turning back towards Naruto. "Come on whiskers, the others are waiting for us!"
"I don't think I can make it, we've been going non-stop the entire day! I'm sooooo tired…" he drawled pulling himself up off of his knees, with Ino's help. She let out a rather loud sigh as the two shuffled along down the road, grunting as Naruto wrapped his arm around her shoulder to use her as support.
"Well nobody told you morons to stay up the entire night and goof off knowing that we had to leave early in the morning, now did they?" She said huffing in frustration. Naruto decided not to reply, feeling that he wasn't going to win this particular argument. Luckily he wasn't the only in this predicament, as both Choji, Kiba and surprisingly enough Sasuke stayed out in the clearing for the entire night. Kiba was faring the same as him pretty much, while Choji was simply sleepwalking with Sakura guiding him. Sasuke was mostly his usual self, if only slightly more grumpy than usual.
"How much further until we reach this damn village?" Naruto asked as the two came up next to Shikamaru. He slid off of Ino's shoulder and began to walk on his own as Shikamaru shrugged at his question. "After two days of non stop travel we've got to at least be close."
"We should arrive there by nightfall, barring anything unexpected happening." Asuma said falling back to walk alongside his group. "With that in mind, I've got a few things I want to go over with you guys about."
"Is it about the chunin exams?" Ino asked looking up curiously. Asuma shook his head to show she was wrong, holding his neck to the side to relieve some tension in it.
"No, well not directly at least." He said looking down at his team. "What I'm here to talk about is a little thing called diplomacy."
"What, you don't think we know how to act when outside of the village?" Ino asked defensively glaring up at her sensei. Asuma didn't verbally respond, only pointing over at Naruto who was trying to discreetly remove a wedgie he had acquired at some point. Ino's face fell at the sight as she turned to face forward and let Asuma continue.
"As I was saying, while you guys do have experience of leaving outside of the village, you haven't exactly ever left from an area that wasn't under Konoha's influence. You're going into another village, and while I'm not saying things are going to be hostile, they are going to be different, which means you need to be careful in what you do." He said getting a nod from his three students. Shikamaru was the next to speak up.
"So, what do we need to keep Naruto from doing?"
"Hey!"
"Just don't do anything that a person without common sense would do." Asuma said cutting off the blonde. "Stick together and if you ever run into any trouble, try to wait for me or another superior to handle it, got it?"
He received another round of nods from his students to confirm they were clear on his words. Sighing, he reached into his vest to grab a cigarette when he felt a chill run down his spine, almost as if someone was staring at him. Grumbling, he took his hand out of his vest and continued walking forward, getting an odd look from Naruto who watched the entire spectacle.
"The hells up with Asuma-sensei?" He asked cocking his head to the side slightly. Ino let out a giggle as she looked back at a certain red eyed sensei, who was looking at Asuma with a pleased look.
"I think I know what it is. I didn't know Asuma-sensei had it in him." Ino said giggling even more. Naruto squinted his eyes at the girl before turning towards Shikamaru, who noticed him staring at him and turned to face forward with his eyes closed.
"Just leave it Naruto, whatever it is has Ino excited which means it probably something troublesome." He said, Naruto silently agreeing as the group continued on walking. Eventually daylight turned into night, and Naruto was just about to give up hope of ever reaching the village when Asuma finally said they were getting close.
"Who's bright idea was it to build a village up inside of the mountains? I mean really, that's just lacking tact." Naruto grumbled as he continued his uphill walking. Asuma chuckled at his students disgruntled nature as they finally came upon the village's gates. Kakashi walked forward and spoke in a hushed voices with guards at the gate before waiving everyone over when they were finished.
"Alright guys, our hotel has already been setup so how about we head on over and get some rest?" Asuma said turning around to face his students.
"I'm all for getting some rest, but now that we're here, I'm really craving something to eat." Naruto said holding his growling stomach sheepishly.
"Well, we can get something delivered in the hotel. Come on, I want to get settled in as soon as possible." Asuma said leading his group inside of the village. Naruto took in his surroundings as they crossed the gate, noting how different Kumo was from Konoha. The streets were bustling with people, though Naruto figured a lot of that traffic was here for the chunin exams. All in all, it didn't seem much different from konoha, besides the lack of greenery and more gray feeling atmosphere.
The hotel they were staying at was pretty large and had easily been the nicest place Naruto had ever stayed in. He didn't hide it either, looking around at luxurious decorations with his mouth wide open and stars in his eyes, much to the amusement and embarrassment of his fellow companions. Asuma was staying on the floor above them along with the rest of the sensei's in this hotel, so he gave Ino keycard to their room and bid them a farewell.
"Remember, no funny business alright?" He said giving them one last stern look. Naruto waved him off as he walked into their hotel room.
"Relax Asuma-sensei, we aren't going to do anything, right guys?" He said turning to Shikamaru and Ino.
"I think he's less worried about us doing anything and more so about our regular troublemaker stirring something up." Ino said smiling as Naruto's face fell. Asuma chuckled at the sight and turned to head off to his own hotel room as the group closed the door to theirs.
"Wow, this place is huge!" Ino said looking around the hotel room. Shikamaru went over towards the couch and sat down, turning on the tv to test out the cable channels they had. Naruto meanwhile was in similar state to Ino, looking out from the balcony on too the streets.
"It's almost like a festival is going on out there." He said looking at all the booths and people wandering around the streets. "How about we go out to eat guys, get a look at the town?"
"Didn't Asuma-sensei tell us to stay inside of the hotel to avoid getting into any trouble?" Shikamaru said from the couch. In reality he wasn't really concerned with what their sensei had told them, rather he didn't want to get back on his feet after just getting off of them.
"Aw come on Shikamaru, I want to see what the villages like too." Ino said hugging him from behind. "Besides, Asuma-sensei also said that we should stay together, so if me and a Naruto go then you're forced to come along."
Shikamaru groaned as he stood up from the couch and followed the two over towards the door. They made their way out of the hotel and onto the main street, where they followed the crowd into the bustling city. They eventually settle on eating at a sushi shop that Ino pointed out was rather famous in the area for being good. After that, they simply wanders around the village, taking in the sights and game booths that littered the streets.
"It really is almost like a festival out here." Naruto said chewing on a stick of grilled octopus. Ino nodded in agreement as they were making their way back towards the hotel.
"I didn't even realize it was this late, it's almost 1 a.m." She said looking at a clock inside of a stall. Naruto was about to reply when his shoulder bumped into someone else's rather hard, sending both parties towards the ground.
"Ouch." Naruto said pulling himself up off the ground. The other person brought himself back up to his feet as well, and was now glaring over at the blonde.
"What the hell is your problem brat, you blind or something?" He said as Naruto glared back over at him.
"I could say the same to you, did you get some of that make up in your eyes while applying it this morning?" Naruto retorted, getting the boy to stumble over his words as he stared back ludicrously. The sound of slight giggling caught Naruto's attention, and that's when he noticed the teen was accompanied by another girl.
"He's got you there Kankuro, you did get a little in your eye this morning." She said as Kankuro turned towards her shaking his fist.
"Damn it Temari, he didn't need to know that!" He yelled causing the girl to laugh even harder. Grumbling, Kankuro turned back towards Naruto, taking note of the headband hanging around his neck. "Wait a minute, are you guys here for the chunin exams too?"
"Wait, you're participating?" Naruto asked looking at him curiously. "Where are you guys from."
"Check the headband kid, we're from Sunagakure." Temari replied flicking hers. Naruto stared at her for a few seconds, getting her to blush slightly as she took notice of his looks. "W-what is it?"
"You're pretty cute you know that?" He said bluntly, getting Temari's blush to deepen. Ino and Kankuro both fell over while Shikamaru grabbed the bridge of his nose and took in a deep breath.
"U-um, thanks?" She replied looking away and grabbing at a strand of her hair. Naruto smiled at her and put his hands behind his head, seemingly oblivious to the situation he had created.
"No need to thank me, I'm only telling the truth." He said with a shrug, Temari looking back up at the boy in surprise. Kankuro had managed to recover himself and was now looking at Naruto with something similar to astonishment in his eyes.
"This kid might be the smoothest person I've ever met in my life, he even got Temari to blush." He mumbled to himself as he watched his sister stumble over a reply. Shikamaru watched the scene with disinterest, until he noticed Ino balling her fist up at her sides and glaring at Naruto slightly.
'Troublesome…' he thought to himself as he let out another sigh. Before things could continue however, another person had walked up to the group, standing walking out from behind Temari and turning to stare at Naruto.
"G-Gaara! Where did you come from?" Temari said jumping back slightly as the boy continued to stare at Naruto. Naruto matched it with one of his own, the two silently looking at each other for what seemed like ages to everyone else. Eventually, Gaara's eyes turned towards Temari and Kankuro, both of which stiffened a little at his stare.
"Temari, Kankuro, we're leaving." He said walking off from the group. He passed Naruto and the others as he continued to go down the street, stopping a few steps away before turning back towards the blonde boy. "What is your name?"
"Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto replied seriously, getting Ino and Shikamaru to look at him curiously as his tone had changed drastically from what it was before. Gaara showed no indication that he had heard him, only turning around and continuing to walk down the street, Temari and Kankuro following after sparring team 10 a worried glance. Naruto watched them leave, eyes focused only on Gaara's retreating form until they were out of sight. He turned back towards Ino and Shikamaru, grin present on his face as he addressed them.
"Well, let's head back to the hotel room yeah?"
He said turning to lead the way down the street. Ino blinked at the seemingly 180 in terms of attitude, and ran to catch up to the boy who continued walking forward with a blissful smile on his face.
"So Naruto, what exactly was that? It looked like you and that Gaara kid were about to fight right in the middle of the street for a moment. Do you know him or something?" Ino asked, Naruto humming in reply.
"Nah, never seen the guy a day in my life. And for that little stare down, well, I'm never one to back down from a challenge." Naruto said as if the answer was obvious. Ino frowned at his response and was about to push further when the boy let out a loud yawn and covered his mouth. "Man, I am beat. I can't wait to get in the hotel room and get some rest."
"Amen to that." Shikamaru said walking with his hands in his pockets. If he had any curiosities about what just took place in that street, he certainly wasn't showing it as far as Ino was concerned. Frowning further, she decided to keep her mouth shut and followed the boy back to the hotel silently.
They went straight up into their hotel room and changed into their night wear, preparing to settle down for the night and get ready for what came tomorrow. They were met with their second dilemma of the night after discovering that they only had two beds to use. It was solved rather quickly however as Naruto volunteered to sleep on the couch, stating that he liked to watch tv before he fell asleep anyways. With that settled, everyone went to drift off to sleep, preparing themselves for the start of the chunin exams the next day.
Ino however awoken a few hours into her slumber, needing to use the bathroom. Opening the door to her room, she walked out into the living room area where Naruto was sleeping to head to rest room. She stopped however when she heard shuffling coming from the couch.
"No…"
Stopping in her tracks, she squinted her eyes as she thought she had heard Naruto's voice in the darkness. She was about to continue walking when once again a voice pierced through the dark room.
"No…"
Stopping again, Ino turned back towards the couch where Naruto was sleeping. She walked over towards him slowly, the moonlight flowing through the window being her only source of light. Walking closer, she could that he was shifting about rather wildly, as if he was having a nightmare. She could see his face scrunched up as if he was in pain, and reached out to touch when he smacked her hand away.
"No!"
He was now thrashing about radically, throwing a his limbs about as if he was fighting against something. Ino was startled at first, before reaching down to try and calm the boy down.
"Naruto! Naruto relax, it's me, Ino!" She said trying to grab his arms. He fought against her though, constantly yelling out no as he fought her off of him. Eventually she managed to wrap him in a hug to try and stop him from moving, which worked as he slowly began to calm down. Resting his head against her chest, he had stopped all movement and it was then that she noticed that he had been crying.
"I'm sorry...I'm sorry…" he mumbled into her chest, clearly still asleep. Ino had no idea what to do, sitting quietly on the couch and rubbing his head as he continued to mumble those words. Eventually he stopped taking all together, and Ino managed to slide from underneath him and rest him back on the couch. She stared down at his sleeping form, a frown still etched on his face from whatever caused his nights frights. A single tear rolled out from the corner of his eye, Ino watching as it rolled down over his whiskers.
"Naruto…" she whispered to herself, staring at him a little longer before retreating back to her own room, leaving the door cracked so she could listen out for her blonde teammate. Whatever it was that was bothering him, she hoped it would leave him alone for the rest of the night.
This was a pretty fun chapter to write, since it's kind of a bridge between two storylines and I could have a little fun with this one. I guess you could say this is like a filler episode with some key story introductions for next arc. Anyways, hope you enjoyed it and drop a review! I need them reviews damn it!