Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me.

Key: "Normal person speaking."

Normal person thinking.

'Naruto talking to Kyuubi.'

"Kyuubi talking to Naruto."


Chuunin Selection Exams: The Beginning

It was a typical Konohagakure morning: sunny, with just a hint of cool breeze ruffling the trees' leaves, with the peaceful sounds of birds calling to each other. Then an alarm clock in the Namikaze house rang, followed nanoseconds later by other alarms in separate houses where each of the Konoha 12 resided. It was time; today was the beginning of the fateful Chuunin Selection Exams. Namikaze Naruto rolled over in his uber-comfortable bed and groggily silenced his clock's clamor with a sleep-heavy hand. His mind, not yet completely awake and functioning, struggled to place the time, day, and occasion. Then his eyes widened as it hit him. The Chuunin exams! Instantly awake, Naruto hastily got out of bed to commence his morning ablutions. He had an hour and a half to bathe, dress, eat breakfast and re-check his necessary items, just in case.

About 20 minutes later, Naruto stood in his bedroom, wondering what to wear. His attire for today was quite important for two reasons: he was being given a chance to move further up in the ranks of the shinobi world, hence increasing his chances of becoming Hokage, and his true heritage would be revealed. Therefore, he needed to look the part. He wasn't vain, but looking like a scruffy civilian at the Chuunin exams would definitely jeopardize his chances at becoming a Chuunin. Also, a Namikaze couldn't afford to look wimpy; it would disgrace the clan, and his dad and the Yondaime's memory. And of course, make him look like nothing more than a braggart – all talk and no action. So….he had to wear something impressive. Naruto scanned the closet again, and finally chose an outfit.

A few minutes later, he was fully dressed. The blonde grunted in approval as he surveyed his reflection in the bedroom mirror. He was wearing standard black pants, his regular boots, a mesh shirt, a long-sleeved black jacket similar to that of the ANBU, with some black bandages around his waist, and black fingerless gloves that had a metal strip on the tops and metal knuckles. He was also wearing the black collar Iruka had given him for his birthday, and two new, small silver hoops in his right ear. His hitai-ate was in its customary place on his forehead. He looked quite impressive. Naruto checked the time. He had 45 minutes left to get his stuff and get to the exam center. The Namikaze blonde dashed to the spacious dojo and quickly, but systematically checked his ninja pouch to make sure nothing was missing. When he had satisfied himself as to the state of his supplies, he walked out the house, locking the door behind him. 35 minutes left.

Naruto strolled through the town, making his way steadily towards the building where the first phase of the Chuunin Selection Exams would be held. On his way, he passed a few kunoichi from Kumogakure, who gaped and giggled at him, light blushes on their faces. Naruto groaned mentally at the thought of fangirls, but smirked as he realized most of them were Sasuke's anyway. Naruto's eyes homed in on a large, multi-storied building near the end of the street he was currently on, and he grinned in anticipation. Chuunin exams, make way for Namikaze Naruto! he thought triumphantly. Kyuubi sighed in slight exasperation and amusement.

"Yade, yade, just get there already, brat."

Shut up, shot back Naruto, his footsteps growing quicker with excitement.

As he drew close to the building, he saw both Sasuke and Sakura standing at the door, waiting for him. That was a smart decision; it would be no hassle once they got inside if they were already together. Naruto was about to ignore Sakura, when he remembered the rule he had set himself on his return. 'Once on a mission, put all differences aside, no matter how hard it is to do so.' And this could be considered a mission. So he swallowed his pride and a whole lot of bile, and calmly greeted his teammates.

"Ohayou gozaimasu, Sasuke, Sakura." The Namikaze had a pleasant surprise when both Sasuke and Sakura civilly replied to his greeting. Hmmm. It seemed that Sasuke had listened to when he had said about changing Sakura's attitude, if only for the exams, and maybe decided to not be such a teme himself. Oh, well. It was better than nothing. Sasuke's voice broke into his musings, and he realized that he had just been standing still, staring off into space.

"Shall we get going, then?" the Uchiha asked.

"Aa." replied Naruto, falling into step beside his comrades. The trio walked through the door and into a high-ceilinged area, where a youthful Chuunin awaited them, his features made memorable by a white bandage spanning his cheekbones and bridging his nose.

"Ohayou gozaimasu," he said, smiling pleasantly. Team Kakashi, or most of Team Kakashi, returned the smile and courteous greeting, and handed in their forms.

"Ah, you are Team Kakashi," commented the unknown Chuunin. His eyes lingered on each member of the team, one eyebrow rising quizzically as he perused Naruto. Said Genin wondered what was crossing the older male's mind. A few seconds passed, and then the older shinobi suddenly moved aside, and gestured to the red door behind him.

"There you go, do your best!" he said encouragingly. "Make Konohagakure proud!" The Genin smiled and walked past the Chuunin to enter the door, their hearts pounding in nervous anticipation. What would happen next?


"Ohayou!" greeted Kakashi, as he appeared suddenly in the Jounin room, which was already ¾ filled with the elite ninja. "Mou, I hope I'm not too late!" Kurenai grimaced, her left eye twitching. That Kakashi….he knew he was about an hour late! Grrrr….

"You know you're late, you say that every time!" she said, smiling dangerously. Kakashi's 'eye-smile' faltered, and his stance became wary. He had been on the receiving end of Yuuhi Kurenai's wrath one time too many. The moral of the lesson was: kunoichi are scary when they get angry. Suddenly, Kakashi noticed a presence behind him. It seemed Kurenai noticed as well, because she relaxed, and a small, soft smile made its way to her beautiful face.

"Ohayou, Asuma-san," she greeted the shinobi. Kakashi and Genma smirked. It was well-known gossip among the Jounin that Yuuhi Kurenai and Sarutobi Asuma had 'the hots' for each other. However, they denied it, of course.

"Ohayou, Kurenai-san," replied Asuma, smiling pleasantly. Then the bearded Jounin turned to a still-smirking Kakashi, giving him the evil eye before continuing.

"Kakashi, did you know that Naruto is a genius, that he plays Shougi, and that he is better than Shikamaru at Shougi and beat said Nara on his first game?" Kakashi's visible eye widened in utter shock. He had suspected that Naruto was both stronger and smarter than he let on, but as the blonde refused to train or even interact with the other members of Team Kakashi, he had not had the chance to gather more information to corroborate his suspicions.

"I had had my suspicions about Naruto being smarter than he let on, but a genius and begin smarter than Shikamaru? And playing Shougi" Of course, he is Minato-sensei's son, thought Kakashi ruefully. He would be a genius; Minato-sensei was one himself. Asuma shook his head.

"Yeah… I couldn't quite believe it myself, but the evidence was right in front of me." Reading Kakashi's quizzical look, he continued.

"He beat me, Kakashi. He beat me at Shougi in 15 minutes. The fastest Shikamaru has ever beat me, in years of practice, is 20 minutes. I wonder what he'll do these Chuunin exams…" The Jounin trailed off, shaking his head in amazement.

At this point, Gai, who had been standing a few feet off to the side of the three-part conversation, interrupted.

"YOSH! NARUTO-KUN'S FLAMES OF YOUTHFULNESS BURN BRIGHTLY! BUT MY YOUTHFUL TEAM'S FLAMES OF YOUTHFULNESS HAVE BEEN BURNING ESPECIALLY BRIGHTLY THESE PAST FEW MONTHS! MY YOUTHFUL TEAM WILL NOT BE CONSUMED BY NARUTO-KUN'S YOUTHFUL FLAMES!" At the end of this litany, the odd green-clad shinobi stuck a 'good guy' pose, complete with a grin, his immaculately white teeth shining enough to 'PING!' and blind the Jounin in the room. Kakashi and Asuma simply looked at each other, puzzled as always by their eccentric comrade, and decided not to say anything. Kurenai helpfully changed the subject.

"Um…does anyone know what's going to happen in this place?" Recovering, Asuma and Kakashi turned to her, their faces blank.

"Nope, don't know." replied Asuma for them both.

"Ibiki." came a voice near to the duo. They turned to see Kotetsu, a Chuunin, coming in from the main room where all the Genin entered.

"What about Ibiki?" asked Kurenai. Kotetsu grinned.

"Ibiki's their examiner." The three Jounin senseis groaned. Ibiki Morino was the head of the Interrogation and Torture department, and his name was feared throughout Konoha and quite a few of the other major villages. Ibiki could make an SS-classed criminal spill things he didn't know he knew within an hour, if he really tried, and he was interrogating Genin? Only one thought ran through the senseis' heads:

"My poor students!" Kotetsu chuckled at their expressions.

"Yeah. Anyhow, snap out of it, if you want to watch the feedback: we've got the video camera in the examination room. Surveillance purposes, you know." As they crossed the room, Kotetsu turned Kakashi, a puzzled look on his bandaged face.

"Kakashi," he began. "Are you sure that your blonde student is a Genin? He seems familiar, somehow..." The Chuunin trailed off uncertainly. "I mean, there was just something about him that reminds me of someone." Kakashi nodded in understanding. He had had that feeling, before he knew Naruto was a Namikaze. Heck, he still had it sometimes.

"Don't worry," he assured the Chuunin. "You're not the only one. It'll be explained soon enough." Kotetsu nodded and traipsed behind the Jounin senseis as they drew nearer to the camera, slight nervousness running through them. Their students were growing up.

Asuma turned to Kakashi. They had time to talk, as the feed from the camera showed a still-empty classroom.

"Kakashi, how d'you think your team's gonna do?" he asked quietly. Kakashi thought briefly, evaluating each of his students.

"I'm not worried about Naruto. Somehow I sense that he is probably high Chuunin, or maybe even mid-Jounin in strength, so he'll ace this exam. Sakura, she'll probably have trouble somewhere in the exam, as she only just began life as a serious kunoichi a few months ago. Sasuke, he won't find the exam as easy as Naruto, but if he drops his superiority complex, he'll also find it a lot easier. Together, as a team, they should do well. Apart, Sakura will be in trouble." Asuma sighed.

"I'm having the same problem. Only a few months ago, Shikamaru was one o the laziest persons I've ever met. But Naruto changed that: having someone beat him at Shougi opened his eyes, and he began to work harder. But, because of this, he has not much stamina, and I'm afraid he won't last the exam. Chouji, now, is stronger, but too concerned with his stomach. Only Ino should find it remotely easy." Sarutobi Hiruzen's grandson turned to Kurenai. "What about you, Kurenai-san?" The kunoichi's cheeks became dusted with a hint of red, and Kakashi sniggered. Shooting the perverted Jounin a reproving glare, she answered Asuma.

"Well, the one I'm worried about the most, like Kakashi, is my kunoichi. For a Hyuuga, Hinata has next to no skills. Yes, she has gained confidence and courage recently, approximately a year and a half after Naruto left, but to truly be ready for anything the Chuunin exams could give her, she needed to have had that mindset from the start, in addition to support from Hiashi. Shino, is the brains and stealth of the group; I'm not worried about him. Have you ever seen a weak Aburame? Kiba, as well, is quite strong, but needs some of Shino's more observant, less rash qualities. There are many times that Kiba's rashness almost cost him something important. I'm just hoping that these exams will open their eyes."

"Me too," chorused Kakashi and Asuma. Sharing a look, the trio smiled, and turned back to the camera. Talking about something always helped to alleviate nervousness or anxiety.


The morning sun shone down on an Oto Jounin as he strode purposefully through Konoha, nodding politely to various persons. The man's features were nondescript, yet held an elusive trace of cruelty, a hint of maliciousness underneath the surface of that courteous, unassuming exterior. The Oto shinobi made his way to the edge of the town, eyes fixed on a park not far from his present position. His steps quickened subconsciously and he soon found himself in the park, standing in front of a stone monument. The stone monument, the glorified piece of rock that had the names of Konoha's honored dead carved into it.

"Kukukuku…. Sarutobi-sensei, your name'll soon be here…" the Jounin mused. A purely diabolical smirk adorned his pale lips, and for a moment, his eyes shone a snake-like yellow. The Sannin in disguise ran his forefinger over the countless names engraved into the revered memorial stone, cackling quietly.

"Kukuku…These Chuunin exams will be like never before. Truly a sight to behold. Sasuke-kun will be mine, and Konoha will be crushed after I possess his body and eyes. Itachi-kun will regret not surrendering to me when he had the chance. I would've given him a few years to live and improved his skills…..kukuku…" Suddenly, his thin, pale lips parted, and an abnormally long, lithe tongue shot out, waving around in the air a few inches from his nose in an eerily reptilian motion.

"I can taste you in the air, Kabuto-kun," the disguised Orochimaru hissed. "Come out, wherever you are…"

A few leaves rustled, and then all was silent. Not even the birds chirped. Orochimaru frowned. If Kabuto thought that he was showing his master something by not appearing when he called… His internal monologue was broken by a voice.

"Hmm… Orochimaru-sama, here I am…" Orochimaru did not turn. Instead, his tongue slithered out of his mouth again, testing the air to see if it was really Yakushi Kabuto, his bespectacled assistant. When he was satisfied, he turned and leered at Kabuto.

"Ssss…. Kabuto-kun, what have I told you about calling me by my name whilst I am in disguise? But let us not dwell on that…. Have you found them?" The silver-haired Oto ninja nodded.

"Hai. The Grass team is suitable. However, I have found nothing else. You already know the Uchiha's location. I have to return to the exams, I left a clone. I will need to return before its chakra runs out, or it gets into a skirmish. By your leave, O-?" he cut himself off abruptly, realizing he had been about to utter the most hated and feared name in Konohagakure after the Kyuubi no Kitsune. The tongue shot out again, and Kabuto fought back a shudder.

"Yess… Kabuto-kun, make sure to drop out in the second phase, I will need you by then, to prepare for Sasuke-kun. You may go." The medic ninja bowed and Shunshined away, presumably replacing himself with the clone he had planted in the examination room. A sadistic smile crept onto Orochimaru's face.

"Kukuku….Sasuke-kun, you will be mine."


"Ne Sasuke-kun, what are we going to do now?" asked Haruno Sakura. Naruto's left eye twitched. Sakura had been acting especially sycophantic since they encountered the first Genin group on their way to the examination room.

After going through the red door, Team Kakashi had found themselves in a large, high-ceilinged room, which was empty save for themselves. Naruto had suggested that they use the room as a respite before the exams; they could check their kunai pouches and scrolls and backpacks to see if everything was there and functioning, just in case. Sasuke agreed, and they spent 5 minutes there. Then they exited the room, and climbed long flights of stairs. During their ascent, Naruto had suddenly begun to feel disorientated, as if his sense of direction had been shifted somehow. Realizing it was a Genjutsu, he informed his teammates, and they neutralized it. It had been smooth sailing from then on, and now they had arrived in a hallway, on the second floor. But something had happened. Various groups of Genin were milling about aimlessly, looking worried. Apparently, there was something hindering their progress.

Naruto looked at Sasuke, and together they began to push through the crowd of Genin. The obviously strong teammates drew wary glances and stares, and Sasuke basked in the attention. Naruto simply rolled his eyes, ignoring Sakura's squeals of 'Sasuke-kun' and moved a few feet away in order to see what was happening. But what he saw was not what he was expecting.

Directly ahead of him, almost at the end of the hallway, was the door to the examination room. The numbers '305' were printed clearly above the double doors. Yet, the Genin could not enter. There were two Genin standing close to each other, by either door, preventing them from entering. In front of the Genin stood a brown-haired girl who seemed somewhat familiar. Her hair was done up in two buns….Tenten! Naruto frowned. What was Tenten doing? She was smarter than that… He decided to listen in.

"Just let us in, please," she was saying. "We just want to take the exams. Besides, it's not like you can stay there forever. The exam proctors will remove you soon." The Genin only sneered at her. Naruto's brow cleared as he spotted Lee standing behind her, looking ready to attack. Tenten was safe. But what about Neji? The Namikaze looked around, and smirked as he saw Neji, Byakugan activated, staring intently at the Genin. Obviously, something was wrong with the door, and the Genin. Neji was probably attempting to find another way to room 305 without attracting the attention of the Genin or the other Genin.

Naruto stared at the door himself. Something was wrong with the door… Suddenly, he frowned. Weren't they on the second floor? Then, the number on the door, shouldn't be 305, it should be 205. And, those Genin were a bit too strong to be regular Genin…Actually, they felt more like Chuunin. Gotcha! thought the blonde in triumph, smirking. He made to turn around, with the intention of informing his team, but he was too late. As he spun, Sasuke abruptly brushed past him, an arrogant look on his face.

"Get out of the way!" screeched Sakura, trailing along behind the stuck-up Uchiha. The groups of Genin parted reluctantly, and Naruto simply watched as his two teammates walked up to the door, where Tenten, Lee and Neji stood. Naruto stared, confused. What was Sasuke doing? It was when the Uchiha turned to look at Naruto smugly, Sharingans blazing, that he realized. Sasuke was going to confront the Genin about the Genjutsu on the door! Naruto began to dart forward, but again, he was too late. Sasuke had already begun.

"Che….Just drop the Genjutsu already." he said loudly and arrogantly. "You're not fooling us." Naruto facepalmed. Sasuke's arrogance had just cost Team Kakashi quite a large chance of actually breezing through the exams. Naruto had had enough. Pushing through the crowd, he began to make his way to Sasuke. Just as he reached, the Uchiha opened his mouth again, but Naruto beat him to it.

"Uchiha." he said, stonily, quietly. "Shut up. You've done enough damage already. Don't you know what that Genjutsu was for?" Naruto gestured towards the now-exposed door 205, his voice growing in volume and intensity. "Baka. That Genjutsu would've weeded out all the weaker teams who couldn't detect it, and we stronger teams would've had a better chance at getting through the exams! Plus, those are no Genin…" A murmur ran through the crowd of observing Genin, and the pseudo-Genin guarding the door looked impressed. Then Sasuke turned away with a huff.

"Tch, dobe. You think you know everything. Move." he said to Tenten, pushing her aside. Tenten and Neji's eyes filled with anger, but it was Lee who attacked.

"YOSH! MY RIVAL IS NOT DISPLAYING YOUTHFULNESS! FOR THAT I CHALLENGE HIM!"

The spandex-wearing shinobi fell into a Taijutsu stance and flew at Sasuke, leg outstretched for a bone-shattering kick. Sasuke didn't even see it coming, busy glaring at Naruto for spoiling his show of power. Therefore, he was shocked speechless when Naruto suddenly shifted into a Taijutsu stance, blocking Lee's kick with some difficulty.

"Calm down, Lee," Naruto admonished, releasing just a bit of killer intent. Lee immediately backed down, and the blonde turned away from Team Gai to his own team. They hadn't recovered yet. Sasuke's scowl was still in place, albeit a bit dazed, and Sakura's jaw was completely unhinged. Sighing, Naruto turned towards the disguised door, only to find that the Genjutsu had now been lifted and that the Chuunin guarding the double doors had disappeared.

"Che…" he muttered. "Let's go." Still in shock, Sasuke and Sakura silently followed Naruto out of the corridor and through a staircase that would take them to room 305.

The Genin team travelled through the building in silence; Sasuke was sulking, Sakura was staring at her beloved 'Sasuke-kun,' and Naruto was trying to figure out the first test, simultaneously berating himself for showing that he could beat a Taijutsu user as strong as Lee to every team present. Oh well, at least they didn't know his true potential.

"Hn. Nearly there," said Sasuke curtly, drawing Naruto's attention to an open door at the end of the corridor they were presently in. Their Jounin-sensei was waiting for them beside the door. Kakashi eye-smiled at them as they drew closer.

"Very good…all of you are here. Are you ready for the first exam?" Team Kakashi immediately grinned, even Sasuke – even though his was more of a smirk.

"Hai." replied Naruto quietly. Inside his head, Kyuubi snickered.

"Of course we're ready, we're Akuma Hiai!" Naruto rolled his eyes mentally at the boasting fox demon.

'They don't know that, Kyuubi.'answered Naruto, exasperated. The blonde Genin nodded at Kakashi as he passed, his heart thumping in anticipation. 'Be quiet now, Kyuubi, I need to be alert.' The Kitsune snorted, but fell silent, and Naruto sighed in relief, abruptly tensing as he entered the room. There was so much killing intent… Annoyed, Naruto released some of his own K.I, which he had perfected as Akuma Hiai, and the room, full of quietly conversing, tenser ninja, instantaneously grew deathly still and turned to look at Team Kakashi. Naruto met their gazes calmly, and even the more hostile Genin looked away. Smirking, the Namikaze looked around the room for the other Konoha Genin. He soon spotted them, and quickly made his way through the crowd, his teammates trailing behind.

Kiba stared as he came up to the group. He wasn't the only one staring, either. Even Shino and Shikamaru looked shocked. They had never seen Naruto dressed like that. He looked….he looked….strong. The Genin group suppressed a chorus shudder, and managed to greet their comrade. Ino's cheeks were highly dusted with pink. Naruto-kun was soo handsome….and modestly strong, not like Sasuke, who was barely stronger than the rest of the Genin and acted as if he was on par with the Hokage.

"Konnichiwa, Naruto-kun," she said cheerfully, smiling at the handsome blonde. Naruto grinned back

"Konnichiwa, Ino-chan. Ready to kick some Genin ass?" The Yamanaka female smirked.

"Yeah. I-" But what she was going to say never came out, because they were interrupted by the arrival of a silver-haired Genin.

Naruto's danger senses immediately perked up, and he narrowed his feline eyes at the unknown male. There was something definitely untrustworthy about this Genin.

"You know, you rookies shouldn't draw so much attention to yourselves," he commented slyly. "You're agitating quite a lot of teams." Naruto cut his eyes to the side, noting that the other Genin was correct. Or, mostly correct. The Iwa nin were staring aggressively at the Konoha group, their eyes trained on him. Obviously, they had realized his heritage. They saw him looking, and sneered. Smirking in reply, Naruto shifted his stance, increasing his 'fear factor.' The art of body language was a subtle one, and it had taken Naruto all his years away from Konoha to realize it. His tactic worked; every eye immediately left him, even the most aggressive ones, and Naruto turned back to the strange Genin.

"Who are you?" he queried, suspicious. He noticed the hitai-ate, and frowned. Oto nin did not converse with Konoha nin unless there was an ulterior motive.

"My name is Yakushi Kabuto," he said, drawing out some cards. "I just thought I would come and warn you not to act like rookies, and irritate the Iwa. I'm a veteran here, you know." Kiba sneered.

"Veteran? Is this your second time?" Kabuto smiled mysteriously.

"Iie. This is my seventh time." Kiba recoiled in horror.

"Man, you must suck!" Kabuto shrugged nonchalantly, and Naruto and Shikamaru narrowed their eyes at each other. There was a story there.

"Maybe I do," replied Kabuto. "But there is an upside, I've collected information on almost everyone in the room. Would you like to know about anyone?" Shooting a look at Naruto, Shikamaru began to step forward, but Sasuke beat him to it.

"Uzumaki Naruto." he stated.

The entire group looked at him in surprise. Sasuke was the last person the others would've thought to ask, since he was on Naruto's team, and therefore should know his teammate's strength. Naruto scowled, and brushed his hair out of his face. His earring glinted on his ear, and the Konoha Genin froze. Naruto had an earring?

"Naruto, where did you get that?" asked Kiba, in an awed tone. Naruto stared at him, uncomprehending.

"What?" he asked. Kiba sweatdropped.

"The earring!" he exclaimed. Naruto grinned devilishly.

"Oh, that?" he asked, fingering the small silver hoops in his ear. "I've had these for about 2 years now; you just didn't notice." He gestured to Kabuto, one eyebrow raised. "Don't you want to hear about me?" Shikamaru smirked.

"We do. So do they," he commented, gesturing to the rest of the room. The Namikaze smirked.

"Go on, Kabuto," he said, knowing that the Oto shinobi wouldn't have too much on him. The Oto Genin drew out a card, and his brows rose high in surprise.

"This is the first time…" he muttered. But, seeing Kiba's impatience, he began to read.

"Uzumaki Naruto, member of Team Kakashi. Has been away for about 3 years. There is nothing else."

"Nothing else?" queried Kiba, in disbelief.

"Nothing else." repeated Kabuto. The room grew still, and if a pin had dropped, it would've had the aural equivalent of a bomb. Every decent ninja present knew that the most dangerous shinobi were the unknown ones, and Naruto was immediately high up on the danger list of every ninja in the room.

The Namikaze narrowed his eyes at Kabuto. This Oto ninja was getting more and more shady.

"Kabuto, show us some information on Yakushi Kabuto," he asked in a deceptively civil voice. The silver-haired Genin tensed noticeably, and his eyes darted from side to side behind the circular frames of his glasses. Shikamaru caught on to Naruto's intentions, and spoke up.

"Come on, Kabuto. You said any ninja in the room." The Oto Genin was trapped. Shooting a quick, furtive glance to his left, Kabuto began to say something, but almost simultaneously, a door at the opposite end of the room was flung open, and a heavily scarred, scowling Jounin appeared. Otherwise than an excess amount of scar tissue, there was nothing highly unusual about the imposing figure, but something about him made every ninja in the room stand straight and pay rapt attention to his every nuance.

"All right, you little punks, let's get seated!" he barked roughly. Immediately, the Genin in the room milled around, finding their allotted seat with the aid of a few Chuunin acting as examiners. It didn't take long for them all to be seated, despite the sheer volume of Genin, and the Jounin stalked to the front of the room.

"My name is Morino Ibiki, and I am your chief examiner. In front each of you, there is a paper, with 9 questions. The entire test consists of 10 questions. You will be given the 10th question last. Answer these 9 questions. The test is a team event, that is, passing is determined by each team's score. Those caught cheating will lose 2 points for each offense from your default starter sum of 10 points. As for question 10, it will be given 45 minutes after the test begins."

A few Genin murmured at the almost unfair odds and Ibiki's sharp eyes snapped in the direction of the mumbled complaints.

"Is there a problem?" he queried belligerently. The grumbles immediately ceased, and a vague negative sound was produced. Ibiki smiled unpleasantly, and returned his attention to the entire room.

"As you can see, it will be very hard to cheat," he began, gesturing at either side of the room at the 20 or so Chuunin seated at strategic points around the students. "These Chuunin will be observing you all, and will know if you have cheated. Now, begin!"

There was an immediate rustling of paper as the Genin collectively turned over the few sheets of paper on the desk in front of them.


Hinata stared unblinkingly at the back of Uzumaki Naruto's golden-haired head. She knew that her unusual white-pupiled eyes, coupled with her intense perusal, probably made her look creepy and weird, but she didn't care. Why was she staring at him anyway? She didn't even like him anymore; not that what she had been feeling was any more than a warped form of admiration and strong friendship. At first, she had been heartbroken when she realized that her 'feelings' for him were unreturned, and had harbored slight resentment against Ino – for she had observed the blonde male enough to realize his romantic feelings towards the Yamanaka, no matter how subtle they were. Then, on the day he left, she had followed Ino after she defended Naruto against Sakura, her childhood friend, and witness her tears. It was then that she realized the strength of Ino's love for Naruto. She had still thought that she loved Naruto, but had resolved to withdraw her affection in order to let true love run its course. And then, as the months passed and Ino's hurting heart only fueled her determination to get stronger and bring Naruto back or make Konoha a better place so he would return, she realized. She realized that she did not feel those powerful feelings toward the Uzumaki blonde. In fact, her feelings dwindled, and she found herself thinking less and less about Naruto, and more about Kiba, who was only too happy to pay attention to her. Hinata smiled to herself. In fact, if she wasn't mistaken, she was beginning to feel for Kiba what Ino unmistakably felt for Naruto. Scratch that. She did feel the same way for Kiba that Ino felt for Naruto. It was a certainty. Only Kiba knew the girl behind the shy, unassuming exterior; the girl who had practiced until her hands bled, the girl who secretly studied all the Hyuuga traditions so that she could be a good leader, the girl that had vowed to make the elders rethink their misuse of the caged seal; the girl that loved Inuzuka Kiba. Hinata's white, pupil-less eyes drifted from her blank paper over to the row across from hers, and landed on Kiba, who was already watching her. The Genin grinned cheerfully at her, his elongated canines prominent. Hinata smiled back, and then she abruptly returned to the present. This was not the time to reminiscence and daydream. She already knew that she had to cheat without getting caught… But how? The examiners would see the telltale veins that stood out on her face if she turned on her Byakugan. Then an idea struck. The Byakugan had almost 360˚ vision, so, no matter where her had was, she would be able to see in almost any direction. The Hyuuga buried her head in her arms, and silently activated her Byakugan, something she had also practiced relentlessly. Everything suddenly came into greater focus. All solids became transparent, and people and colors were replaced by chakra pathways, tenketsus, and hues of grey. Hinata looked around the room, until she found a disguised Chuunin. Smirking into her hands, she began copying down her answers. She wasn't worried about Kiba and Shino; they would get through fine. But, as the other Genin were not on her team, she had no idea of their skills apart from a mere estimation based on practices together. Do your best, everyone, she thought silently, fervently.


Ino's body jerked slightly as she re-occupied it, drawing a strange look from her seat companion. Ignoring him, the Yamanaka kunoichi began to hastily write down the answers she had gained from a Chuunin examiner's mind before she forgot. Before long, she had managed to scribble down every answer to the 9 questions printed on the paper, and now had nothing to do, except maybe look around and try to gather information on the other Genin. Her blue eyes scanned the room, stopping briefly on Shikamaru, who was using his Kagemane jutsu to make some of the more 'troublesome' Genin look as if they were cheating blatantly and get sent out, disqualified. Smirking, the kunoichi continued her perusal of the room's occupants. Ino's eyes rested briefly on the other Konoha Genin that she could see from her seat, noting that they seemed to be okay. She could see Shino, Hinata, Sasuke, Sakura, and Shikamaru. There didn't seem to be anyone else that she could see…. Then she spotted a familiar head of blonde spiky hair, and a blush immediately made its way to her cheeks. Naruto-kun! Ino was so glad he had returned. Maybe, just maybe, this time around, she would finally show him how she felt. Actually, she would. She had no excuse this time.

The Yamanaka stared at the blonde head, noting the glint of the small silver hoops she knew were on his right ear. The earrings were a nice touch… Heat rose to her cheeks again, and she had to fight to suppress the silly grin that threatened to adorn her face. She opted instead to wonder where Naruto had been for the past 3 years. It was a mystery. No one had heard or seen either head or hair of the Uzumaki blonde, and then suddenly, he pops up in disguise as a Kusa Chuunin in Konohagakure itself. Would we have known he was there if Neji had not had the Byakugan and was curious? she wondered. Would Naruto-kun have revealed himself? Her fellow Genin had gotten stronger in his 3 years of absence, but, even without showing his strength, Ino could tell that Naruto-kun was still far stronger than them all. He would have no problems with the Chuunin exams – that is, if he avoided that red-headed Suna ninja. She had been on the verge of asking Kabuto about him, but Sasuke – he was so arrogant – had beaten her to it. Speaking of Sasuke, Tenten had managed to tell her about the scene in corridor 205. Sasuke should really think through his shows of 'power' and concentrate on actually doing something powerful. As for Sakura – Ino felt a brief moment of sadness for the loss of her childhood friend – she needed to stop thinking about Sasuke only and realize that kunoichi had better things to do. You will not last long as a kunoichi like that, Sakura, she thought morosely, gazing at the pink-haired kunoichi. No one can.


Naruto smirked triumphantly to himself. He had just managed to perform an extremely stealthy Kawarimi on the paper of the Chuunin examiner in disguise next to him, henging his own blank paper to look like the Chuunin's. The examiner should be ashamed of himself... Naruto's thoughts trailed off as he scanned the room, trying to get a glimpse of his fellow Genin. He could see Shikamaru, using his Kagemane to get some poor Genin in trouble – a piece of evidence of the mischievous nature that had surfaced from being around Naruto- Shino, communicating sneakily with one of his bugs, and Akamaru, somehow managing to sneak around unseen by the examiners giving answers to Kiba via quiet growls and yips, barely discernible to even Naruto's Kyuubi-enhanced hearing. Sasuke's Sharingan tomoe were spinning dizzyingly as he focused on a Chuunin's paper, and Sakura was staring at Sasuke. Wait. Naruto looked at the kunoichi in blatant disgust. Sakura had no self-worth, no pride in accomplishment. This was the Chuunin Selection Examinations, their chance to move up in the shinobi ranks and gain strength and recognition, and she was basically throwing it away to stare at Sasuke? The Namikaze blonde shook his head, and settled down in his seat for a rejuvenating nap. Kami knew he would need it.

He descended to the welcoming arms of sleep, one ear 'cocked' like a fox for any threatening changes in his surroundings. But, as his eyelids closed, and blackness overtook his vision, the Namikaze suddenly found himself in his mindscape, standing directly in front of the cage that housed the Kyuubi no Kitsune. 'What is it, Kyuubi?' asked Naruto, slightly irritated. Couldn't he just sleep like a normal person? Kyuubi's nine crimson tails swished restlessly for a moment before the fox began.

"Don't worry, I will soon let you go back to sleep. But I just wanted to warn you of two things: one, Yakushi Kabuto. He is up to something; in addition, he reeks of snakes. Foxes and snakes have never coexisted peacefully, and to a fox, the odor of snakes is both repulsive and an omen of an unfavourable future. Also, anyone with spy skills is to be feared on your side or not. Two: the Ichibi container; that Suna boy. Kit, even though Ichibi was only a one-tailed bijuu back in the times when we were all free, we feared him, for his was power-hungry, and longed for domination of the bijuu world. I do not think he has abandoned these aspirations, based on the malevolent youkai that the Suna Jinchuuriki emits." Kyuubi shook his monstrous head in disbelief and wry humor. "I never would've thought I would actually be aiding a human… We bijuu do not interfere with circumstances outside the boundaries of our world…but here, we have no choice, the boundaries have already crossed and merged until they are non-existent." Naruto nodded slowly.

'You are right, Kyuubi, especially about Yakushi Kabuto. Generally, because of the identity of their leader, Otogakure's shinobi forces are not on friendly terms with the shinobi of Konohagakure. So when Kabuto approached our group, my danger senses went on high alert. I-' But as to what Naruto was about to say, Kyuubi would have to wait, because he had been woken up.

Outside his mindscape, Naruto's closed eyelids snapped open abruptly, and he raised his right hand quickly to intercept a flying kunai aimed straight at his forehead. There was a collective gasp, and, without shifting his eyes from the desk where they had focused, Naruto spun the weapon in his hand and launched it back in the direction from which it had come, raising his head to follow its trajectory out of curiosity. Its thrower was Ibiki Morino, head examiner of the first test. The Jounin had barely escaped the kunai, and was now eyeing Naruto in a calculating, slightly amused manner. The Namikaze blonde met the Interrogation specialist's eyes easily, and the males had a silent battle before Ibiki, deciding to get on with the examination, looked away, grudgingly conceding defeat, and continued his speech.

"As I was saying, this 10th question will determine if you pass or fail. If you take it and get it wrong, then you will be disqualified and marked as ineligible for any future Chuunin exams. If you take it and get it correct, you pass. And if you choose not to take it at all, you will be disqualified, but retain the chance to re-take the exam whenever it occurs again." The torture specialist fought back a smug, predatory smirk as he noted the tense atmosphere of the room. Ahh…Genin. They were so gullible. He had already managed to restore their fear… Already many were exiting the room, retreating to lick their wounds and take stock for another round much later on.

Naruto glanced around at the students in the room, brilliant cerulean eyes taking in every nuance, every nervous shift of the Genin's bodies. There were varying degrees of reactions to Ibiki's ultimatum. Most were obviously cowed and thoroughly intimidated; yet with a sense of injustice, and some others looked completely defeated; they had given up entirely. Naruto sighed. Giving up meant that those Genin lacked a certain amount of backbone needed to truly thrive in the world of shinobi and kunoichi. Then there were the Genin who stood out: Nara Shikamaru, who looked unfazed, even managing to look as if he were in a light daze, or meditative state; Gaara, who looked as mentally unstable and completely unfazed by anyone or anything as the first time Naruto had encountered him; and Yakushi Kabuto, whose circular glasses were glinting rather ominously as his head swiveled almost mechanically from side to side, observing the Genin and most probably collecting vital spy information. Frowning, Naruto suddenly had an idea, and he picked up the paper on his desk, scribbling something in the completed test paper in front of him. He wasn't supposed to touch the paper but this was different. He wrote, Yakushi Kabuto is not what he appears to be. Smirking, the Namikaze heir laid down the pen and returned his attention to the room at large. It was already half empty, and the Genin that remained were either completely decided or communicating fiercely by eye-language with their teammates on a final decision. Naruto sighed, and lounged back in his seat, preparing to wait. He didn't have to wait much longer. About 5 minutes later, Ibiki declared the time to be up, and that they passed. The room was quiet, the air literally tinged with shock and confusion. Then pandemonium broke loose. Every Genin began to speak, firing questions at each other. How did they pass? Was this method of testing them legal? How? Was the threat about being ineligible for future Chuunin Selection Examinations valid? It went on for about a minute and a half, and when it showed no signs of abating, Ibiki decided he had endured enough.

"QUIET!" he bellowed, and every Genin fell silent in either fear or shock. Smirking, Ibiki continued.

"The final decision, to take or not to take the 10th question, was the 10th question. In other words, you were being tested to see if you were capable of taking a potentially detrimental chance to 'complete a mission.' There will be times in the future when you might be forced to abandon a comrade in the grasp of the enemy to save the mission and your other comrades, and you have proven yourselves worthy today." Ibiki raised his hand, and abruptly took off his hitai-ate bandana, revealing a scalp and forehead littered with horrible, puckered scars. Smiling grimly at the horrified Genin, he began again.

"As ninja, we face daily terrors of torture, murder and assassination," he murmured, not needing to bark loudly, given the silence in the room. "Sometimes, as a team member, you will need to undergo torture, accomplish the impossible. That is the life of a ninja." The heavily scarred Jounin opened his lips to continue, putting back on his hitai-ate, when the glass of the window to his left suddenly shattered, and in the blink of an eye, a huge black banner had stretched the width of the room, obscuring Ibiki from view. In front of it stood a scantily dressed kunoichi, her legs splayed in a highly dominant stance and arms akimbo. Mitarashi Anko.

"Woman, you're early!" growled Ibiki's voice irritably from behind the black barrier. "And you stupid banner's blocking me!" The mesh-clad female ignored his complaints, substituting some of her own. Scanning the room, she said aggressively,

"78? Ibiki you left 26 teams in! That's too much!" The Jounin sniffed in disdain. "Well, I'll cut them by half, at least." The Genin in the room gazed at the woman in horror, and Naruto fought the urge to facepalm. Mitarashi Anko was one strange, strange female. The Namikaze could hear the appreciative titters of the male Genin whose terror had been overpowered by her scanty outfit and other rude Chuunin examiners in the room, and he smirked, recalling his own reaction when he had first met her as Akuma Hiai. Why wouldn't she wear more clothing? It was bound to be somewhat distracting if he ever had to seriously fight her, and not simply overpower her like he did before. Suddenly Kyuubi butted in.

"She looks fine the way she is." Naruto mentally facepalmed.

'You would say that, you perverted kitsune.' The demon fox simply chuckled.

"She's speaking," he told his host. Naruto quickly tuned back into the world around him.

"-explain everything once we change places; now just follow me- that is, if you can."

The kunoichi leaped back through the window, and unfreezing quickly, every Genin in the room followed suit, trying to keep her in sight whilst simultaneously attempting to join up with their teammates. They had a Chuunin exam to complete.


That's Chapter 11 for ya! Enjoy!

Kyuubi's perverted lol!

szayelchick

ps: Crazy Train is just the awesomest song ever! And here's a shout-out for my faithful reviewers: THANKS SOOO MUCH FOR YOUR DEDICATION! I LOVE YOU ALL!