GAH! First Exam! I hate Exams!
TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK!
The clock and pencils were driving Hotaru crazy. She looked down at her test and sighed softly to herself. Papa said that I'd have no problem with this and yet I can't get passed all of these questions. Huh? That pencil… Hotaru's eyes darted to the shinobi 3 rows ahead of her and diagonal to her left. She could see his back perfectly but she was hearing his pencil strokes. He's not nervous. No…he's a plant. So, he knows the answers and since if I follow how his chakra and his soft pencil strokes are moving, then I can't possibly be caught cheating and I won't get points deducted.
Ibiki's eyes fell on the Sound Village girl looking at the back of the genin in the second row. Her purple eyes were figuring something out but what that something was unclear. All he knew was that she had figured something out.
There were only supposed to be 3 Sound genin but she's one of the late Sound entries. From what her file said was that she didn't scare easy and that she was one smart kunoichi. Ibiki thought as he watched her to start writing on her test. In fact, I believe she figured out what this test truly means. She's like that Uchiha boy one row over. They're going to be the genin to watch. Sasuke glanced back, glanced at Hotaru. She looked up and they locked eyes. Ibiki mentally smirked when Hotaru gave Sasuke a small smile and Sasuke turned back to his paper blushing. It would be interesting to see how these to work around each other in the rest of the exam. Especially should they come into combat against each other. But the girl seems to have a heart condition of some kind according to her file. I bet that's why her teacher said to keep a close eye on her.
0-0-0-0
Hotaru couldn't believe it. The rules to the 10th question were completely ridiculous. Her temper got the better of her and she stood, getting the proctor's attention.
"Which one of the Sanin died and left you in charge?!" Hotaru snapped, taking the Proctor and the rest of the room by surprise. Her teammates looked at her like something bad was coming. "There's no way the 3rd Hokage-Sarutobi the Professor-would have the top interrogator as his 1st Proctor if the 10th question was any harder than the other 9! I don't care if you are the psychological torture genius! I'm not stupid and I won't let you into my head! All we have to do is prove that we have more guts than you and we pass! The other 9 questions don't matter! Whether we did the other 9 or not, the 10th will let us pass!"
"Hotaru, calm down!" Shuhei warned her from his seat.
"Remember your condition, Hotaru!" Fuu hissed.
"I'm fine! I'm not as weak as everyone says!" Hotaru snapped at them. "I'm a Sound Kunoichi! Only Kin and I were strong enough to come to the Chunin exams! So I don't wa-"
Her hand flew to her mouth and she collapsed into her seat coughing harshly. The Invigilators and the proctor looked at her worriedly. Her two teammates and the other 3 Sound genin rose from their seats.
"I'll take her to her father. Soichi-sensei won't be pleased but it can't be helped." Dosu said with a heavy sigh. I'm going to need more bandages if she keeps being reckless like this. The more she pushes her body, the more we get punished. The 2nd half of the exam, I'm going to end this little bitch's life for once and for all.
"I'll take her. I know the way to the hospital and I can get her the specialist she needs." Sasuke spoke up as he going to Hotaru's seat. Hotaru looked up at him with one eye when he stopped next to her. He turned his back to her. "Get on my back. I'll be able to move faster and freer this way."
Hotaru weakly got on his back and Sasuke braced her by putting his arms beneath her. "Hang on tight. I can move pretty fast given the right motivation."
She weakly gripped his shoulders and Sasuke ran out of the room, pushing chakra into his feet to move faster. He wasn't going to have her die on his back. Hotaru coughed again, blood staining his shirt. Sasuke moved even faster, trying to keep an eye on his passenger as well.
If I let her die, then the Leaf Village will be blamed and her death could start a war. I can't let that happen. Sasuke thought, his jaw clenching as he flooded more chakra to his feet and legs.
When he reached the hospital, the staff were extremely alarmed. "She needs a doctor! A breathing specialist! Hurry up! We just came from the exams! She's gonna die if you keep standing there-dammit!"
"O-of course! Get the x-ray room ready!" A nurse nodded nervously. Two orderlies ran to Sasuke and Hotaru with a gurney and took the girl gingerly from his back. They laid her down on the gurney then raced off down the hall. Sasuke could feel the blood on his shirt gradually grow colder. He prayed that it wasn't a bad omen.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Soichi rubbed his daughter's back as he carried her home late that night. She was asleep, her head on his shoulder, and at least she was breathing a bit easier now. These exams were stressing her heart. Soichi knew he was a fool to let the Otokage talk him into allowing Hotaru take the exams. It didn't matter whether or not she became a chunin at the end of this but what did matter was her life. These damned tests were going to kill her at this rate.
Now, Soichi wasn't a fool. To go against the Otokage was to go up against Death itself and although he loved his daughter enough to die for her, Soichi loved her enough to know that staying alive served her better. At least she was going to have his students to watch over her in the 2nd half of the Chunin Exams.
"How is our little flower doing?" The voice of the Otokage made Soichi look up at a tree he was passing. How the Otokage's sudden appearances were getting annoying.
"She's under too much stress. She let her temper get the better of her." Soichi kissed his daughter's cheek. "This attack was too close. If it weren't for that Uchiha boy, I would've lost her. This is getting her in too deep. I have to request that you let her and her teammates pull out."
"I'm afraid I can't do that." The Otokage responded. "But I can do one thing for her. By the way, have you noticed Dosu's growing hostility towards little Hotaru?"
Soichi nodded. "Unfortunately. I know Kin and Zaku will protect her but Dosu…I'm afraid that Dosu will try to kill her just to keep from getting anymore punishments for pushing her to the verge of death." He stroked Hotaru's hair. "It's like you said, she's more important to the Village than the Village. I would gladly start a war if it meant I could kill anyone who would do her harm."
"And that's why I gave you Zaku, Dosu and Kin. Your fierce devotion to your daughter makes you the only jounin strong enough to fight his way out of hell if it meant that you could see her smile for just one moment." The Otokage had a point. Soichi would do anything without limit to make sure his child was safe and happy. Needless to say, it meant a lot of sleepless nights working for the Otokage. "Give her this when she wakes up." Soichi caught the small medicine pouch. "The medicine will help her body heal and her chakra recover. Make sure she takes it when she wakes and before the 2nd part of the Exam. One dose will do nothing. She must have two before she completes the 2nd phase. 2 pills equal one dose."
"I understand, Lord Otokage." Soichi tucked the pouch into his pocket and continued on his path home. It was beginning to bother Soichi about the resources and time the leader of his Village was spending on Hotaru. He was grateful but it struck him as unusual. Why would the Otokage be so invested in the development of one kunoichi when the whole Sound Village needed his attention?
It was obvious that the Otokage had plans for Hotaru but what were they? Were they going to get her killed? Were they going to cost her everything? Why did it have to be his daughter that had to be the center of the Otokage's attention? Something just didn't feel right…
I do believe he's starting to put two and two together.
Konohamaru: Doesn't 2 plus 2 equal 4? How hard is that?
(Hits Konohamaru on the top of his head w/ her fist, temple throbbing) It's a figure of speech and who the hell said you could come into my commentary?!
