When they enter the Academy, it was only too easy to get to the correct room. Kyo scoffed at the group of applicants surrounding the door, demanding to be let in and continued up the stairs. Seka and Hikari looked at each other and shrugged, following their red-haired teammate.

He didn't give them time to gather their confidence, opening the door and stepping in like he belonged there, ignoring the energy directed at him. To be fair, their miniscule killing intent held nothing to those he had faced when he was free, not even considering the feeling of his own chakra. If he wanted to, this entire room would be unconscious if he released his chakra. Instead, he gave those staring a bored look and crossed his arms, daring one of them to do something.

Kyo felt Hikari and Seka walk up to take their place on either side of him, both observing their competition. He felt pride at their fearless gaze, these little genin were nothing compared to the shinobi they had already dealt with.

Seka heard a familiar voice, Hikari's head shifting at the same time.

Team 9 had just entered the classroom and Ino had descended upon Sasuke with Sakura coming to his 'defense'.

Hikari rolled her eyes at the commotion, taking note of the bruise on Sasuke's face. It looked fresh…had he gotten into a fight before? If that was true, it was out of character. Sasuke didn't get into random fights. She nudged Kyo, pointing to the bruise and he let a smirk take over his face, letting out a breathy chuckle which the other girls caught and interpreted as insulting their love.

"You have something you want to say, shrimp!?" The shout was unexpected and pulled the room's attention to them once again.

Seeing the unexpected attention on her, Hikari relaxed, shrugging her shoulders in a careless way, "Not particularly. I was just surprised seeing you up here and not downstairs still."

Seka let out a relieved sigh, he was half expecting Hikari to provoke them more. His hope shattered at the words that came out next.

"And I want to congratulate who ever gave the bastard that nice shiner."

He dropped his head in his hand, shaking it in exasperation as Sai and Chōji had to hold their teammates back from attacking Hikari.

Hikari saw Shikamaru observing her and gave him a blinding smile.

"How troublesome."

Surprisingly, Sasuke had yet to say anything to her, merely trying to bore a hole through her head with how intense his glare was.

Strange, he usually rises to the bait.

"Hey hey, try to keep it down. It's tense enough without a couple of rookies making a ruckus."

A fellow Konoha shinobi, wearing glasses, approached them. Seka didn't recognize him and by the looks of it, no one else in the group did either.

"Usuratonkachi," Hikari paused at the old nickname, finally returning his glare, "I will crush you, in front of everyone, so try not to fail before that happens."

Moving before Seka could stop her, ignoring the hand of the Konoha shinobi reaching out to stop her, she grabbed a handful of Sasuke's shirt, annoyance rising at the arrogant smirk he gave her in return.

It was a comical sight to those unaware of Hikari's true strength. Being a few centimeters shorter than Sasuke, she didn't put off a threatening image as she had to look up at her rival. Sasuke, in turn, looked unfazed by her rough handling.

Seka looked to Kyo for help but found none. His teammate was busy in a staring match of his own. Following his gaze, Seka saw the Suna kid from before.

They were going to die, was all Seka could think with his head turning from each of his teammates. Between the two of them, they'd probably offended half the room by now, painting targets on their backs.

Kyo studied Gaara, a name he heard whispered by the red-head's teammates. The strongest chakra in the room belonged to him, he was the biggest threat at the moment. He could feel his brother's chakra slipping through the cracks as sand moved across the floor. He wasn't sure if he was going to try anything but he could see how the commotion behind him was riling him up. Shukaku hadn't sensed him yet, he was pretty sure, otherwise they'd be dealing with his insane sibling. But he had been known to surprise people before so he wouldn't take that chance, he'd keep a close eye on the container.

"I'll beat the shit out of you!"

Sasuke's hand clutched her wrist holding his shirt, "I'd like to see you –."

They were blown apart as a punch took both of them to the ground.

"I will not tolerate any fighting in MY exam! Understood!?"

Hikari groaned as she tried to orientate herself. She had not been expecting an attack and damn, did it hurt! By sound alone, she could tell Sasuke wasn't doing that much better.

Squinting an eye open, she was able to make out the outline of her attacker: tall, intimidating, and heavily scarred.

Grumbling, she made her way to her assigned seat and grabbed a pencil, ignoring everyone around her as she started the exam. She wrote what she could answer, enough to hopefully pass, before she started on her other project, scribbling furiously, drawing concerned looks from those seated next to her.

…

Unfazed by Ibiki's speech, Kyo figured out the true meaning of the exam fairly easily and worked on sabotaging other teams. The first to go was a group from Ame, the next was from Kumo. He remembered the incident from a few years ago and wondered why the Raikage would send a team to Konoha. He thought it better to get them out of the village as soon as possible before they could try anything.

His next target was Sasuke. This was a more personal target than the last two. He didn't like being around Uchiha, especially the last Uchiha, even more so since Kakashi told them he had awakened his Sharingan. Unfortunately, he was more skilled than Kyo originally thought and was able to thwart every attempt. Kyo was about to pull out the big guns when Ibiki called time.

Tsking, he took a moment to glance around the room: a fair amount of teams had been disqualified but all four rookie teams were still present.

"This is your last chance to withdraw. This isn't some game for little kids." Everyone saw who the comment was directed to; the youngest in the room, Hikari. "This is the real world and if you don't want to risk your teammate's future, I would think carefully about your final decision."

Gritting her teeth, Hikari swore under her breath. She knew who that comment was directed towards; why did everyone underestimate her because she was young? Itachi was seven when he graduated and no one ever doubted his ability! Glaring at the scarred bastard, Hikari slammed her hand down, drawing the room full of eyes.

"Listen up you scarred face bastard! I may be young but I knew exactly what I was signing up for. I don't run away from a challenge and I don't go back on my word. I will be a chūnin by the end of these exams and I'd like to see you stop me!"

Silence echoed all around. The genin stared in shock at the foul-mouthed kid who dared talk back to the jōnin, even the chūnin proctors were left speechless. Did she not know who he was? Surely Kakashi had mentioned him!?

Ibiki returned the glare with amusement dancing in his eyes. Yes, she was a sure fire-cracker, just like her mother. Her words resonated throughout the classroom though, instilling confidence in those who had been wavering.

"Is that your final answer, Uzumaki?" Getting nothing but a glare, Ibiki continued, "Then…congratulations, you all pass the first exam!"

Uproars immediately ensued. Complaints about what the point of the test was and what was the final question.

Those who knew Hikari had to suppress a chuckle at the look on the girl's face. It wasn't often that someone got one over her.

"As a chūnin, you will be tasked with making difficult decisions that involve your squadron. You must be confident in your decision and have trust in one another. This separates chūnin from genin. If you are not willing to bet everything, you don't deserve to be here." At this point, Ibiki removed his bandana to show his scarred head. "Sacrifice comes in many forms –."

Before he could finish his speech, the sudden shattering of glass brought everyone's attention to the window.

···

After Anko left with kids, Ibiki walked around the room, picking up the exam papers. He had to chuckle when he saw whose paper he was picking up. It seemed that Uzumaki was just full of surprises. Lifting it up, Ibiki reacted too slowly to the explosion that followed. Chūnin quickly flooded the room and stopped dead when they saw their commander.

Ibiki had been blown back into the next row and was now decorated in pink and aqua dye. The victim was just as stunned, not having seen any hint of a booby trap. Pulling himself from the ruined desks, Ibiki examined the perpetrator's test, trying to find how she could've pulled this off. After a more intimate examination, Ibiki found the source of the explosion. She had placed what he assumed was a containment seal with a small explosion seal under her paper that would be set off once the paper was removed. It was impressive as no one had noticed her create it.

He was looking forward to watching her development that was for sure.

The proctors looked on in slight fear as their commander dissolved into laughter, someone fearing for the young genin's life as he folded up their exam, leaving the mix of aqua and pink splatter across his face.

It was a testament of her skill and he would give her this victory.

···

"Alright, you maggots! Listen up if you don't want to be disqualified!" Hikari looked at the lady with a bit of fear. She was unfamiliar with who she was, which was quite a development seeing as Kakashi knew a majority of the shinobi population who she knew, in turn, by association. This lady was a sadist, she could tell by the look in her eyes.

She nudged Kyo as they moved to hear what the jōnin had to say. He spared her a glance before his eyes filtered across their competition.

'Do you know her?' she signed, not wanting others to eavesdrop.

He nods his head and then shakes it, indicating they would talk about it later.

Seka watched the exchange, narrowing his eyes at the instructor as she held up two different scrolls. So that was the objective of this task, nothing their team couldn't handle. He was the first of the three to move to the distribution booth. This would give Kyo and Hikari time to talk while also giving him the opportunity to observe the other teams.

He jolted forward at a sudden impact to his shoulder, a force pushing past him, "Move it, cripple." He fell to a knee, catching himself before he could fall completely, clenching his fists as age-old anger rose inside him. It was quickly put out when a hand was thrust in front of his face.

Following the appendage to the face of its owner, Seka let a smile take over. It was Shikamaru.

"Tsh. What a drag." The younger boy turned his head away at Seka's thankful look, grasping the other's hand and hauling him to his feet, "This whole exam is troublesome."

Seka took a moment to sign, the other responding similarly as their hands moved rapidly through motions an outsider would have trouble following.

Shikamaru's face took on an expression of disgruntlement, furrowing his brows before giving up to a satisfied Seka, "Fine, but keep that teammate of yours away. She's more trouble than she's worth."

And wasn't that the truth. But there was something about Hikari that pulled people in, gave them strength. He was still trying to figure it out himself but he knew he would fight anyone, so long as she was by his side. This thought rolled in his mind until he reached his designated gate, his teammates standing patiently waiting for him. He was thankful that they had put away their disagreements for the time being. Hikari, he had learned, could hold a grudge like none other but she was smart enough to realize they needed to work as a functioning team to pass this exam and become chūnin, something she would never risk over her current feelings for her teammate.

"You took your sweet time," Kyo grumbled as he pushed off the fence, Hikari jumping to her feet from her seated position.

"Don't be so mean, I didn't see you volunteer to get the scroll and instructions!" she shot back.

…so maybe there was still some tension. This was going to be an enjoyable trip through the forest, he could already tell.

He moved them into a closed unit before anything could go further, pulling out the scroll. It was a Heaven Scroll.

Now they just needed a plan to get an Earth Scroll.

…

Anko's voice sounded through the speakers above their gate, counting down:

5…4…3…2…1…

They shared a look before the signal blared and the gates opened. Hikari was through them, sprinting off into the distance before the gate even had a chance to fully open.

"Damn it, Hikari!"

The two took off after her, Kyo cursing as they lost sight of her brilliant hair.

Hikari took a quick glance over her shoulders, grumbling loudly about her teammates.

"Bastard thinks he can give me orders like he's the team leader or something! I'll show him when I'm the one that comes back with an Earth Scroll!" Flipping into a clearing, she cursed with a hand going discreetly to her leg holster, "Shove it up his ass, that's what I'll do when I see him next."

"Little girls shouldn't use such crude language," a voice sounded to the left of her. "Too bad your teammate was probably right, and now look where you're at: alone and outnumbered."

She smirked inwardly. If she had a coin for every time someone underestimated her, she could buy the Hokage Monument by now.

Turning her head but keeping her body facing the same direction, she observed her opponents. Ame from the looks of it.

They stepped closer to her, confident, too confident. "Now why don't you tell us where the rest of your team went and we won't kill you."

Hikari let out a scoff, her first real response to the other team. She fingered a kunai in her holster, studying where each genin was and if it would be faster with a kunai or her fists. "I'll give you one chance: give me the scroll and you can leave."

It was their turn to scoff, the leader stepping forward, "You gave a moving speech earlier but words mean nothing when you can't back them up!" His hands flipped through seals, preparing a jutsu that was no doubt water based.

Not letting him finish, she precisely threw the kunai she had been fingering, distracting them briefly but giving her enough time to put her plan into action.

The kunai missed the leader's head by a centimeter, digging into the tree behind them. Turning forward, three pairs of eyes widened as the opponent was gone.

"See, the thing is: I always back up my words." She appeared behind them, a different kunai in hand, held threateningly to the shortest's neck. "Now, you're probably expecting me to say something along the lines of, 'Hand over your scroll or I'll slice his neck' but that would imply that you still had your scroll." A brilliant, white smile broke out across her face at the panicked look that crossed the two now in front of her. It grew even larger when she saw who she had assumed to be the leader, look to his only other teammate, who frantically shoved his hand in his back pouch.

Their looks of panic grew into confusion when he pulled out the very Earth Scroll Team 7 needed.

"Well, would you look at that," her voice taking on one of false disbelief, "I guess I was lying. But since you've shown it to me, I may as well take it off your hands now."

Hikari took note of the time that had elapsed since she had first thrown her kunai. It had only been 10 seconds, meaning she only had a few more to finish up and get away from the area.

"You've all been so helpful but it's time for me to go." With a final toothy grin, she dispelled herself, revealing that she had been a clone all along, while at the same time, the real Hikari stole the scroll from the shocked genin's hand, making off into the forest with a final countdown.

3…2…1…

A violent explosion erupted in the clearing, preventing any chance the Ame team had of following her. She hadn't put enough explosives to kill, they would just be unconscious for a few hours.

It didn't take long for her to regroup with Seka and Kyo.

"I'm assuming the explosion was yours." It wasn't even a question. No one else in their right mind would set off an explosion that loud and give away their position. "I thought the purpose was to be discreet? Now there'll be half a dozen teams looking to investigate."

She shrugged, throwing Seka the Earth Scroll. "It was over there and we're over here. We're far enough away that we can bypass those teams and this clears a path for us to the tower. Besides, I was having too much fun." She looked to Seka, "Yes, they did underestimate me. They followed my clone into the clearing and missed my explosive tags littering the area. I transformed myself into a kunai and threw myself at the fuse when the time was right. They never even suspected so I was able to grab their scroll while they could only look on in confusion."

Kyo scoffed, "You took too much time playing around with them. You could've easily taken them out the moment they revealed themselves to you."

Seka stepped in before it could devolve into an argument. He saw both sides but at the moment, all that matters was that they had both scrolls. Now they needed to make their way to the center of this forest without losing either one of them.

While they had been waiting for Hikari to return, he felt ahead for other enemies in case her opponents had another Heaven Scroll. While he had felt two other teams, he had also felt the wildlife that lived in this area and it was definitely not normal. The creepy crawlies that lived here were nothing to joke about and could easily kill them if they weren't careful.

…

They were an hour or so into their trek to the tower and they hadn't run into any of the native wildlife or other teams. The wildlife was a given with Kyo's chakra, and Seka would stop every ten minutes to extend a new perimeter with his sensing ability. They'd been able to avoid three teams because of him. And while this was ideal, it left Hikari restless. She had too much pent up energy and it was showing.

The forest around them, aptly named the Forest of Death, lived up to its name. It was ominous, the wildlife able to kill you in a heartbeat, it was dark and random screams could be heard echoing from the ground to the treetops. It would unnerve ordinary teams but Team 7 was far from ordinary. Hikari needed stimulus and the lack of a decent fight was making her agitated.

"We should find Sasuke's group, see if they can put up a good fight! I'll finally be able to kick the bastard's ass!"

"While I'd normally be all for putting the Uchiha in his place, we have a mission. We need to get to the tower to see what our next task is."

Seka agreed with his teammate. They couldn't waste valuable time and risk losing their scrolls just so Hikari could sate a childhood grudge.

Kyo was worried though, something he didn't show to the team. He had felt his brother's presence earlier. It was only for the briefest of moments, but he had felt the blood lust. He would rather have Hikari somewhere not out in the open when it was only him to protect her. Don't get him wrong, he could take his brother but he couldn't fight him and defend the children at the same time. Though he loathed to admit it, he had come rely on Kakashi and Jiraiya. He trusted them beyond a doubt to keep her safe which in turn, kept him safe. It was a large degree of trust he was sure they didn't realize they had.

"How are we supposed to prove our strength if we don't fight!?"

'More than strength is required for promotion.'

Kyo stopped them, turning to Hikari to make his threat all the more real, "So help me, I will tie you up if I have to!"

Hikari got the point and pouted the rest of the way to the tower.

They made it as the last rays of sunshine lowered behind the treetops.

Jiraiya popped out of the scrolls.