Path of the Shinobi
Author's Note: Well, I managed to squeeze one last chapter before school started.
Disclaimer: blah, blah, blah…no!
Chapter 10: The Exams Begin
The day began like any other. Naruto and Hinata both met at the Training Grounds, and Sakura followed Sasuke around to piss him off.
But before any of them could begin their normal routines, they were quickly interrupted by messenger birds.
One bird landed next to Naruto and began to shake its leg at him, clearing saying to take the piece off paper strapped to it. He walked over to the bird and pulled off the paper. He read it quickly and Hinata saw a look of amusement cross his face.
"What is it Naruto-kun?"
"Apparently, Kakashi wants us to participate in this year's Chunin exams. All nine of us will be in the exams along with a class from last year. There will also be many shinobi from other villages as well."
"Perfect!" Hinata said enthusiastically. "I can test my new technique against other people."
"Great, I still haven't figured out my technique yet," Naruto sighed under his breath. "Sorry about today's session Hinata. I guess we'll have to continue some other time."
"I'm sure you'll get it sometime. Come on, we have to go." Hinata deactivated her Byakugan as both of them dashed off.
At the same time, Sasuke and Sakura received the same notice.
"The Chunin Exams?" Sasuke said incredulously.
"Now you can prove to us whether you're really as good as everyone says you are," Sakura teased.
"Shut up!"
"Does that mean you've been bluffing this whole time?" she asked.
"Can't you just leave me alone for one day! You follow me around even more than my fan girls!" he shouted angrily.
"That's because I got rid of them for you, remember?" she said with a giggle. She was referring to the incident that happened a few nights ago.
Sasuke coughed as he remembered what Sakura had done. "Forget it. The note says that all twelve of this year's Genin must report to the rooftop of the academy. Let's go!" He left before Sakura could slip in a remark.
When all four of them arrived at the rooftop, they noticed that they were the last ones to arrive. They also noticed that Kakashi was late again.
"I don't believe this! He calls us here and he's still late!" Naruto fumed.
"Why? Does he do this often?" Sakura wondered.
"All the time."
Naruto knew everyone in the Rookie Nine, but there were three ninja he wasn't familiar with. "Hey Hinata, that guys eyes look a lot like yours," Naruto said pointing to someone.
"That's my cousin Neji. Although he is in the branch house, my father and Hyuuga council treats him with much respect. He is considered to have inherited the strongest bloodline in centuries," Hinata explained. "However, he has a hatred for the main house due to the main house's actions in the past."
Before Naruto could ask what happened, Sarutobi arrived and the Jonin shushed them.
"Welcome, all of you," Sarutobi said in a booming voice. You're teachers have chosen you to participate in this year's Chunin exams. The exams will be dangerous and a test of your ninja abilities. If anyone wishes to leave, now would be the time to speak."
There was complete silence as no one spoke. "Great! The first exam will take place tomorrow morning at 10 A.M. in classroom A-3. Anyone who is late will be locked out. You are dismissed."
Sarutobi and all the Jonin disappeared in a flash. However, right after they vanished, Kakashi came in a poof of smoke. "Am I late?"
"No, really?" Sakura said sarcastically. "All the Jonin just left. You really have punctuation issues."
"Well, it looks like there's nothing left more me to do. I'll be going now." He pulled out a book, Icha Icha Paradise, and disappeared.
"Now what?" Sasuke said dully as some of the other Genin began to leave.
"I guess we can go back to training then," Naruto said happily but his happiness quickly diminished as he saw Neji shoot a look at him.
"Sorry Naruto-kun, my father asked me for something," Hinata sighed. "We'll have to start again after the exams."
"I guess you can't disobey your father," he thought sadly.
"Yay!" Sakura yelled joyfully. "I can go back to annoying Sasuke!"
Sasuke let out a groan of dread. "Naruto, please help me and get Sakura away from me," he whispered. "She's driving me insane!"
"Nah, I don't want to disrupt the bonding between you two," he grinned.
"You dobe! I'm going to mur-," but he was cut off by Sakura.
"He's right Sasuke-kun. We were just getting to know each other," she said in a fan girlish voice as she grabbed his arm.
As Sasuke shook her off as Naruto got an evil thought. "AHA! Hinata and I just knew you two were getting it on. So how far have you gotten?"
"NO! I-It's not like that!" Sasuke said quickly.
"Sure…" Naruto had an undeniably smug expression.
"Why don't you tell us about you and Hinata?" Sakura said trying to change the subject.
"We're just friends. And don't try to change the subject!"
"Not until we get some answers," Sakura demanded.
"It doesn't matter. Her father would probably murder both of us if I tried anything," Naruto said casually glancing at Neji. "I always have this feeling that we're being watched when Hinata and I train. I suspect Hiashi's sent someone to tail us."
"Wow, forbidden love. That's so romantic," Sakura said dreamily.
"Hn. Women. Always with the dreams of romance," said Sasuke dismissively.
Sakura smacked him across the head. "You are probably the most insensitive jerk I've ever known! And that includes everyone I've forgotten too!" she shouted.
"Does it matter? I don't need love."
"I thought you wanted to restore your clan. If you don't…ummmm…get it on with someone, then where's your clan going to come from?" Naruto told him.
"Maybe they'll be drawn to me like Ino."
"You're going to marry a fan girl like Ino?" Sakura said in disgust.
"Well, at least she'll be better than you," he said with a smirk.
"I can't believe you would compare me with that obsessive freak! You make me sick Sasuke Uchiha!" With that, she stormed off in rage.
"Wow, I've never seen her so ticked off," Naruto whistled. "She is furious. You better go comfort her or something."
"Why? She's being a total idiot!" Sasuke shot back.
"Because tomorrow's the Chunin exams, and we aren't acting like a team, we're going to fail!" Naruto argued. "I'm not failing because of your love life issues!"
"I DO NOT HAVE LOVE LIFE ISSUES!!!" Sasuke screamed so loudly that the remaining Genin on the roof looked at him. "If it makes you shut up, then I'll go…comfort her," he added with strain.
Sasuke left and Naruto was left alone on the roof before dashing off himself.
"Sasuke is such arrogant bastard! Saying that he'll go off and have kids with a fan girl just to restore his clan!" she fumed. "I can't believe that I actually used to have feelings for that moron!"
"Sakura!" She heard Sasuke's voice and walked even faster. The voice grew even closer as she ran. Sprinting, she jumped into the cover of the crowds as she saw Sasuke draw closer. She ran through markets, restaurants, and ceramic stores to lose him, but Sasuke was unrelenting.
"She's already seen me. I've got to catch up to her," thought Sasuke.
"Crap, he won't leave me alone," Sakura thought desperately. "I got it!"
Sasuke put on a burst of speed and pounced onto Sakura. He pinned her to the ground. "Look I just want to-." But she burst into smoke.
"Substitution!" He activated his Sharingan and looked around. "She has to be somewhere around here," he thought. Instantly, he recognized her chakra signature and saw her five rooftops away.
He jumped onto the roof and moved as quickly and silently as he could. By the time Sakura heard him, he was already two feet behind her. Grabbing her shoulders, he spun Sakura around and was about to say something, when he saw the tears.
"S-Sakura?" Sasuke stuttered.
"Go away!" she said pushing him away, but he walked closer.
"I don't want to talk to you!"
"Look, I didn't mean it when I said Ino would make a better wife."
"Then why did you say it? How could you compare me to her? All she does is obsess over you all the time."
"It's just that, you're really annoying and you tick me off!"
"If you hate me so much, then why do you care?! Why are you here?"
"Because Naruto wanted us to be a team and we would have a better chance of passing the exams if we acted like one," Sasuke said desperately trying to stop her crying.
Unfortunately, it just made Sakura's expression sadder. "You only came here for Naruto! You don't care at all about how I feel! You hate my guts don't you?"
"I don't hate you. It's just that…" he trailed off.
"What? It's just that you hate me?"
"No! I just don't not like you ok?"
"What?" she said thoroughly confused.
"I…I…It's just…" Sasuke tried desperately to convey his thoughts as Sakura stopped crying and started to watch him curiously.
Sasuke stammered through dozens of incomplete thoughts. "Sakura, I-I'm-, well, I…I just…I'm…that-," he continued until Sakura finally cut him off with a fan girlish reaction.
"Oh Sasuke-kun, I didn't know you cared for me so much," she said while wrapping her arms around him.
"What is wrong with you?" Sasuke said in shock as a blush appeared on his face. "Get off!"
"But Sasuke, I never want to let go of you ever again," she said laughing.
As Sasuke tried to pull her off him, they both slipped on a roof tile and fell on each other. "Would grabbing onto me and acting like a fan girl count as accepting my apology?" Sasuke said as she opened her eyes.
She smiled smugly. "If apologizing to me can make the great Sasuke Uchiha stutter like an idiot, then I guess it must be sincere."
"That's great to know," said Sasuke sarcastically. "Now can you get off of me?!"
Sakura noticed that she was on top of him with her arms still wrapped around him. "Sorry."
"How about we forget that this ever happened and go get some ramen?" Sasuke suggested.
"Sure, but you're paying," said Sakura with a smile.
"Hn, I expected as much."
Meanwhile, Hinata was heading back to the Hyuuga Compound at the request of her father. She walked into courtyard and saw her father already waiting for her. "Hinata, there is a matter that I must speak to you about."
"Yes father," she said trembling.
"I've noticed that you've become much stronger. No doubt due to all the training that you've done during the past few weeks," Hiashi said with a raised eyebrow.
"Father I can explain-."
"Yes, explain to me why every morning you're out with that demon brat! Although I am glad that you are living up to the Hyuuga name, I cannot allow you to fraternize with that monster. What would the Elder Council think if they saw you, the heiress to the Hyuuga clan, with him, the Kyuubi container? Do you understand?"
"Yes father," Hinata agreed with a sigh. "It won't happen again."
She slowly walked to her room and sadly wondered how she would tell Naruto.
There was massive excitement the next day as Genin from various village came to Konoha. Shinobi from the Rain, Grass, Mist, Sand, Cloud, Waterfall, and even a new village, the Sound, all came to participate in the exams.
Team 7 arrived at the academy by nine o' clock, noticing all the ninja from different villages. As they walked towards the classroom, they heard many of them whisper.
"Is that him, the Kyuubi container?"
"Look, Sasuke Uchiha, the survivor of the massacre."
"It's the demon!"
"I heard that his brother killed the entire clan."
"Both of them are supposed to by prodigies or something."
"Avoid him during the exams, he might kill us."
But one faint voice caught them. "He's the target."
"Target?" all three of them thought in alarm. They looked around for the source of the voice, but the person had already disappeared.
"Keep on your guard," Naruto warned Sasuke and Sakura. "Someone's after one of us." Both of them nodded as they headed for classroom A-3. However, they were immediately met by a very strange looking person. The stranger was wearing green spandex and appeared to have several bandages on his arms. A bowl cut crowned his head. Naruto noticed the boy's heavily dense eyebrows.
"Sasuke Uchiha, I, Rock Lee, challenge you to a fight," the figure in green spandex pointed.
"Oh, Rock Lee. You're one of Neji's teammates. Hinata told me all about you, but she didn't mention your…ummm…hair dome," Naruto said reluctantly, pointing at Lee's hair.
"It is the way Guy-sensei has his hair, and he is the greatest shinobi in Konoha beside the Hokage," said Lee proudly.
"Green spandex?" Sakura asked in disbelief.
"Guy-sensei's secret to developing Taijutsu. Now Sasuke, I want to fight, right now."
"I don't have time to fight people like you," said Sasuke smugly. "We have to get to the exams." They turned towards the door, but it was instantly blocked by Lee.
"No! I will not leave until I get a fight."
"If you want a fight so bad, why not me bushy-brows," Naruto challenged.
"Awww, but I wanted to see Sasuke-kun get his butt handed to him," Sakura pleaded.
"Shut it Sakura!"
"Ahhh, Sakura. Such a beautiful name for a blossoming flower like you," Lee said as he put on his "nice guy" pose. "Please accept this as a token of my love," blowing her a kiss.
Sakura retreated a few steps, completely creeped out. "Sasuke, just fight him so we can leave. He's scaring me."
"Alright then. Let's just get this over with." Without even activating his Sharingan, Sasuke rushed Lee.
Lee dodged a kick, another kick, landed on his hands, spun, and kicked Sasuke in the stomach. Sasuke flew into the air and breezed through a few seals. "Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu (Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu)!"
With all his effort, Lee tried to avoid the blast, but the fireball caught him of the leg. "He's just as strong as I expected. Time to use that technique. With blinding speed, vanished, reappeared under Sasuke, and kicked him into the air before either of them could blink.
In the air, Lee appeared of nowhere again and wrapped his arm bandages around Sasuke's waist. Before anything could happen, there was a giant poof of smoke that blew Lee and Sasuke apart.
"LEE! I've told you never to use that technique! How could you?" Another man spoke, but he was clouded by the smoke.
"I'm so sorry Guy-sensei! I'll never do it again!" Lee sobbed as he dashed over to hug the smoky figure.
The haze cleared and Team 7 was shocked at what they saw. This "Guy-sensei" was also wearing a green spandex suit. He had a bowl cut, and his eyebrows were even thicker than Lee's.
"Lee as punishment, I want you go run five hundred laps with me on the track!"
"Yes Guy-sensei!" Lee agreed and they both sped off.
As soon as all three of them recovered from the shock, Sasuke picked himself up. "He was so fast!" he realized.
"It looks like to would've kicked your ass if his sensei didn't jump in at the last second," Sakura pointed out, grinning.
"Be quiet Sakura!" Sasuke roared.
"You two are meant for each other," Naruto teased.
Sasuke glared at him and started to walk away. "Come on, we're running out of time. Let's get to the classroom."
Once he was out of earshot, Naruto murmured to Sakura, "Hey, what's exactly between you two?"
"Nothing!" said Sakura rapidly.
"I'm not buying that. I want the truth, not the junk that I'm getting from Ino. According to her, you and Sasuke supposedly had a make-out session a few days ago and then you invited him back to house to spend the night."
Sakura blushed, which alarmed Naruto. "So it's true!? Holy crap, wait till Hinata hears about this!"
"NO! Naruto that's not true. Besides, Sasuke's too insensitive to even care. He couldn't even finish an apology for me," she remembered with chuckle. "We better get going, or Sasuke will come back and start yelling at us again."
Both of them ran off and met Sasuke at the classroom. All three of them walked in and found dozens of ninja already in the room. Members from all the villages were already there.
Naruto saw a team from Kumogakure that looked particularly strange. Their leader was boy with a hidden weapon strapped on his back. He couldn't tell what it was due to the numerous wrappings. The other boy had a maniacal expression and he kept licking his lips as eyes darted throughout the crowd. Then there was a girl. She was relatively short for her age and she just seemed to stare off into space. Even though she didn't look like much of a threat, but something about her was…off.
A team from the Sand particularly interested Sasuke. A boy with Kabuki face paint stood the tallest. He had a large object strapped to his back. Their team also included a blonde girl with a giant fan fastened to her back. The smallest member of their team was a red headed boy carrying a gourd. He shot a look at Sasuke, and could tell from the cold hatred in his eyes, that he lived through murder.
Sakura herself saw three members from the Rain. Two of them carried no weapons whatsoever, not even a kunai pouch. Coincidentally, they were also twins. The third person; however, emanated a strange aura.
The entire room seemed to be silent as killing intent was hatred mixed. However, a scream soon split the monotone.
"Sasuke-kun! I didn't know you were already here!" Ino yelled as she glomped onto him.
"Get off me Ino!" but Sasuke knew it was pointless.
"Hey Naruto, I haven't seen you in a while." Naruto turned to see it was Kiba along with Hinata and Shino. Shino gave him a nod of acknowledgement and walked away.
"Hey Hinata! So what did your father want to talk to you about?" Naruto asked her. Her silence and sad face told him it wasn't any good news. Eager to change the subject, he pointed. "Look, there's Chouji and Shikamaru!"
Chouji as usual was munching on a bag of chips. Shikamaru looked bored. "I didn't even want to come to this test, but Asuma made us. How troublesome," he sighed.
"That's your answer to everything," Naruto laughed. Then Neji's team walked in. Besides him and Lee, there was girl dressed in a pink Chinese vest. The three of them took their seats and Neji shot Naruto another look, which he returned.
Just then, "Jeez, what's wrong with you rookies? Jumping and screaming like a bunch of schoolgirls…" a tall boy with glasses muttered.
"And who the hell are you?" Sakura asked indignantly.
"Yakushi Kabuto. I'm an exam veteran. You guys better shut it before those guys from the Hidden Mist get ticked off." But from the look of it, half the room was glaring at the nine Rookies.
"Since you guys all seem like idiots, I'll help some of you out." Kabuto pulled out a stack of white cards. "These are my ninja-info cards. I have information on almost every single participant in this exam."
"What do you know about that red headed boy with the gourd?" Sasuke asked him.
Kabuto seemingly pulled out a card at random and gathered chakra in his fingers. With poof, letters and symbols appeared.
"Sabaku no Gaara; teammates are Temari and Kankuro. An unknown amount of D-rank missions, twelve C-rank, and one B-rank. He came back from all of them without a single scratch."
Shikamaru was impressed and Sasuke was shocked.
"How about Rock Lee?" Sakura said hastily.
"What, want information about your new boyfriend?" Ino wondered suspiciously but Sakura ignored her.
Kabuto pulled out another card. "Rock Lee; teammates are Tenten and Hyuuga Neji. Completed thirty-two D-rank missions, and five C-rank. His Ninjutsu and Genjutsu are zero, but his Taijutsu is almost off the charts."
"Do you know anything about that girl?" Naruto pointed to the girl from Kumogakure.
"Are you cheating on Hinata?" Ino said hastily. Hinata blushed, Naruto answered first. "Goddamn Ino, stop with the gossip!"
Taking out a third card, Kabuto read, "Yugito; teammates are Kaji and Kensuke. No D-rank missions, fifteen C-rank, seven B-rank, and one A-rank. Not much is known about her, but is supposedly incredibly strong."
"The Mist, Grass, Rain, Cloud, Waterfall, and Sand. All of them powerful villages that have come to compete in this year's Chunin Exams. The only exception would be the newly formed Hidden Sound Village. I doubt they even have enough shinobi to be considered a village."
At that moment, the three members of the sound quickly attacked Kabuto. One of them, who was dressed like a mummy, almost struck Kabuto in the stomach. Barely avoiding the attack, Kabuto suddenly doubled over in pain and fell on his knees, coughing blood.
Sasuke had seen the whole thing through his Sharingan. "The Sound will be tricky," he thought.
The doors of the waiting room abruptly slammed open. "Alright you worthless maggots! I am Morino Ibiki and I will be your first examiner!"
Noticing Kabuto on the ground, he exploded in rage. "Damn it, what happened to him?"
The mummy raised his hand. "Sorry Ibiki-san. I won't do it again."
With a look of contempt, he dismissed it with a wave. "Just make sure it doesn't happen again! Now follow me!"
I hope you liked it! I have a twist coming later if you haven't already seen it! Please Read and Review!
P.S. I want you guys to vote whether Sasuke stays in Konoha or goes over to Orochimaru's side. The poll will end on September 16. Please vote; otherwise, I won't be able to continue the story.