Chapter 11: The Chuunin Selection Exam Begins

Finally, I've made it to the Chuunin Selection Exam. This makes me so happy. It feels like after all this time I'm getting to hit some substance. Up to this point everything has been setting up the OCs for this event and for the other parts of this project. Thanks to everyone who has continued to read this fanfiction. You're all great. :) I apologize for any typos in this or if I worded anything strangely. I've been doing a lot of writing lately and I'm afraid I might get sloppy at times.

Song: Radiohead - Creep (specifically a cover by a guy named Shay)

Chapter Summary: Arashi's team takes on the written portion of the Chuunin Selection Exam. Arashi meets a Stone ninja named Satoshi

Chapter 11

The Written Exam

Ibiki's words rang in Arashi's ears.

"Genin are the grunts of the ninja world. They lack the skill and experience to be trusted leading a squad on a mission. They take orders and nothing else."

She tied her hitai-ate around her forehead and double checked to make sure all of her supplies were fully stocked.

"But as they gain experience and follow the example set by their Sensei, they begin to change."

Her eyes caught a reflection in the mirror she kept in the corner of her room. If her mother had been around to see her, she was sure the woman would have referred to her as a little thinner in the face and lankier than she had been before. For a second, she did not recognize herself.

"Being a Chuunin is not about the sheer power a shinobi possesses, but the mindset he or she develops. As a Chuunin your leadership skills and how well your squad complies to your orders are your greatest weapons."

She picked the kunoichi music box up and stared at it, thoughtfully. It was a silly memento, but it reminded her of the first kind act her teammates performed for her and it all stemmed from their first C ranked mission. Even if she would rather kick herself than admit it, it made her think almost fondly of the two boys. She tucked it away into her pack, hoping it would be a good luck charm of sorts.

"You have to be ready to take the lives of your squad and the honor of this country on your own two shoulders. You have to be prepared to make hard decisions."

She tied her medical pouch around her waist and tucked several more scrolls away. She had to be ready for whatever was going to be thrown at them.

"A Genin - a grunt - isn't cut out for it."

She took a deep breath to refocus her thoughts.

"But I am not the Sensei of a team of grunts."

Arashi walked out of her bedroom.

"Come back to me as Chuunin."

It was almost time.

When Ibiki said that the next three months of training would be intense, he meant it. He hardly gave his squad a chance to catch their breath and everything they did together had a lesson behind it. While other squads grew to know their Sensei's soft spots, all her team learned was the depth of Ibiki's stern and serious nature. Nothing that they did together was lighthearted.

Not that they had not caught him shooting a proud glance in their direction when they did something right, or given them an occasional extra day off if they had the nerve to ask him. He was a difficult person to read, but that was exactly what he wanted. He was their Sensei and they were his subordinates. They were not friends.

I wonder if anything would be different between me and Ibiki Sensei if I became a Chuunin? Would he still treat me like a student or more like an equal?

She stepped into the kitchen where her father was finishing breakfast. Naomi and Kazika were visiting another country - a matter of business for the woman. She was getting new products and supplies and trying new things for her salon. Because Ookami stayed so busy with his work, she chose to take the young boy with her. They left with a hired group of shinobi to escort them with a group of merchants on their way to the Mist.

Arashi would be lying if she said she was not jealous she could not travel to different places before she was a Genin. Being a member of the military tended to complicate traveling to the other Lands, even if it was just paranoia that something would happen. Her father was not the most thrilled when Naomi announced her plans, but after coming to an agreement over the escort he was satisfied.

She cleared her throat, "Dad?"

"Hmm?" he placed a plate of food on the table near her.

She absentmindedly noted that she felt Itachi's signature nearby, but pushed that thought away, "Do you have any advice?"

He thought for a moment and sighed.

"I'd rather you never grow up, to be honest, but because I can't stop you from doing so, I guess the best piece of advice I can give you is to be very careful. It's your team against every other team there. Read between the lines and be sure that you take care of yourself. You're a medical ninja and that," his expression was sad, "That makes this ordeal even more dangerous for you. Do you understand?"

Her throat tightened, "I do."

"Well," he looked away, "I'm sure Morino-san has done an excellent job preparing you."

There was a knock at the door. Her father nudged the plate of food toward her and went to see who was visiting them so early in the morning. She already knew who it was, so she practically inhaled her food - she did not want to be late. She placed her plate next to the sink and left the kitchen.

Itachi stood by the door, speaking with Ookami. She shot him a curious look.

"I wanted to see you before the Exams," the boy explained, "We will probably be too busy to see each other for a while, so I thought I would walk with you this morning."

"Oh, okay." She hugged her father, "I love you, Dad."

"You'll do wonderfully," he assured her. "Just be safe."

They walked in silence through the village. Her home was located on the outskirts, so it was a relatively lengthy walk to the Academy where the first part of the Exam was being held. She enjoyed his companionable silence. The air had a chill to it, but not enough to make her uncomfortable. If anything, she felt thrilled and refreshed that morning.

Once they were close to the Academy, she saw that Akio and Daisuke were already there. They leaned against the side of the building. She stopped grabbed Itachi's sleeve.

"Good luck, Arashi-chan," he told her, quietly, "Watch your back and don't trust anyone."

"I'll be careful."

His eyebrows knit together and softened his countenance.

"What? Don't you believe in me?"

A second of discomfort flashed across his face before it was replaced once again with his resting passive expression.

"I have confidence in your abilities. Of course."

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and gave him a hug. She never quite grew out of the phase of hugging everyone from when she was a child.

"Don't worry too much," she whispered into his ear. "They're waiting for me, so I should go."

He watched her join her team and then left to start his own day.

"Geez, the two of you still hang off of each other like you did when you were little kids," Daisuke mumbled.

Akio snorted, but chose to not comment.

"He's my friend," she shrugged. "Anyway, we have other things to worry about."

They fell back into their normal formation with Arashi in the middle and one of the boys at each of her sides. She was still not entirely sure what to expect, but the unknown possibilities of the experience excited her. They hit the stairs and made their way up to the third floor where they would have to register one last time before the Exam officially began.

"I wonder how many other people will be here," Daisuke whispered.

Arashi could feel a mass of signatures nearby, "A lot."

"That's vague." Daisuke sniffed. "Can't you give me an estimation?"

She ignored him.

"We'll see, soon." Akio shrugged.

"Ibiki Sensei's around," she commented. "Maybe he's here to give us a final bit of advice."

"He might be around to see how we do, too." Daisuke added.

She shrugged.

When they opened the door to the room they were instructed to go to, they were greeted by the unwelcome stares of all of their competition. Daisuke sucked in a sharp breath.

The vague statement from the kunoichi had been an accurate description.

Now that she was in the room with them, she was almost overwhelmed by the sheer number of signatures from different lands. There must have been close to two hundred people in the room. She was sure there was no more space for even just a single squad. Not only did she pick up on the differences in their nationalities, but they all had their own affinities - not to mention the variations in chakra quantity between everyone. All at once her senses tried to pick up on each signature and then make sense of all the information there.

She took a steadying breath.

I'm just nervous and trying to analyze these people too fast. I didn't think there would be so many people taking the Exam. This is the largest room in the Academy and it's completely full.

There was a deeper meaning to the Exam than just the potential to be promoted from a Genin to a Chuunin. Performing well could shape the rest of a shinobi's career, as well as garner attention from the lords. If a country's Genin did well and showed off the Land's military prowess then the feudal lords would be more inclined to remember it. It even affected the economy.

Around the room she could see chuunin proctor positioned to monitor everyone there - like sentinels. She recognized most of the faces. As a group, the three made their way over to the sentinel at the front of the room and completed their registration. He handed each of them a separate number and motioned for them to step out of the way if anyone else needed to get to him.

Arashi was thankful for the presence of her teammates as they slid into the mass of people there.

After a while, the sentinel at the front of the room stood up and announced, "We will begin, shortly when the main proctor arrives. In each seat you will find a number. You have all been seated based on your entrance. Find yours."

The room was a hurricane of movement and chaos as everyone searched for their places. Several sentinels made their way through the room to ensure everyone was in the right place. It was a quick process and when everyone settled, Arashi's ears rang from the hushed silence that filled the room.

Like the calm before a storm.

She peered around to locate her teammates. Akio was somewhere behind her. Daisuke was near the front of the room and to her right. She was near the middle of the sea of Genin.

"Oh, they separated everyone. No safety nets here," a boy whispered by her side.

She looked over at who spoke and raised an eyebrow at him.

"This your first time?"

She started to reply, but stopped. Instead, she look down at her lap.

"Heh! You must be shy. It'll be alright. I'll keep an eye on you since your friends can't."

"Thanks, but it's not necessary."

Something about him was wrong.

He seemed innocent enough in appearance. His hair was a light brown and his eyes were gray like the sky on a rainy day. From what she could tell he was just a little taller than her and perhaps a year or two older. His clothes were simple so that he could move around without them getting in the way. He had a Stone hitai-ate tied around his forehead. There was nothing about his appearance that would have made her feel uncomfortable or intimidated by him.

It was his chakra and the aura he exuded that was repugnant to her.

"Is it because your boyfriend will get jealous?"

She stiffened and peered at him from the corner of her eye, "Boyfriend?"

"Yeah, I saw you hugging that guy before you walked in," he pointed to a window, "I was looking out at the village and saw you down there."

Why was he watching me? Her skin crawled, "He's just a friend. I can take care of myself."

"Heh, I see. My name's Satoshi. What's yours?"

Ugh, I don't want to be rude. He's probably just being overly friendly. Uh, She blurted out the first thing that came to mind, "If I give you my name, it'll take away any mystery between us."

A predatory glint came into his eyes before he shut them and grinned at her.

The hell was that?

No one had ever looked at her that way before.

"You know, you're kinda cute. I bet your mom's a civilian."

She shifted, uncomfortably, "Why would you say something like that?"

"Your hair is really pretty and long," he stated matter-of-factly. "You actually take care of it. Like a civilian that cares about stuff like that."

Her lips thinned into a line, "It's not really your business."

"And your skin," he ignored her, "it looks like porcelain. You're just a little doll!"

Her stomach turned.

Arashi had never experienced a boy flirting with her before, but she was certain what he was doing was inappropriate. Flirting was not meant to make the other person sick. She did not feel flattered. She felt violated.

Satoshi wrapped a lock of her hair around his finger and rubbed the strands with his thumb, "Soft, too."

Ew.

She leaned her head away from him and tugged her hair out of his grasp.

A door opened and closed as Morino Ibiki entered the room and took his place in front of everyone. His presence made the atmosphere thick with tension. Trying to ignore him would have been like trying to ignore a rabid bear in the room.

"My name is Morino Ibiki and the head proctor over this exam. There will be no fights unless otherwise authorized by a proctor. Any act that could lead to the death of one of the applicants is prohibited in this step of the selection."

That cheeky jerk! He knew he'd be testing us the whole time.

"Since time is precious, I will get straight to the point. Right now, one of each of your squads is going to be disqualified. Then out of the two left per team, only the one that scored the highest can continue to the next exam."

What?!

The room filled with murmurs.

"A Chuunin must be ready to make hard decisions."

People began to stand and move to the front where a sentinel guided them into another room. A hand settled on her shoulder. It was Akio. She looked up at him, confused.

"I'll disqualify myself so you and Daisuke can have a chance."

"Wait! You can't be serious-"

"Think of it as a thank you for saving my life before."

He leaned forward so that she could see his eyes over his sunglasses and he shot a warning glance toward Satoshi.

So, he noticed the creep, too?

Before she could say anything else, he released her and walked to the front to be escorted to the other room.

Satoshi nudged her side, "That was sweet of him!"

Out of their squad, Akio was the most well rounded member. If one person had a chance going solo, it was him. Arashi knew that. She and Daisuke depended on having a group to work with, but he could be effective on his own. He was better at combat, he was more intimidating than them, and he could track with his insects if he had to.

"Wait!" She jumped to her feet.

People stared at her like she was crazy as she ran after the Aburame. She shot past the sentinel who marked her name off his list and grabbed Akio's coat sleeve when she caught up to him. He stared at her, incredulously.

"You were the best choice to stay!" She hissed. "There's no way I can face every challenge alone."

Akio's shoulders sagged, "And you think Daisuke can?"

"Oh."

"What were you guys saying about me?" Daisuke sniffed behind them.

They stared at him.

"What? If you guys think I'm capable of soloing this whole Exam by myself, you're both crazy."

I bet Ibiki Sensei's ashamed right now.

Before long, the room was almost full. Arashi was surprised to see that her team was not the only full group that disqualified themselves. Satoshi's team had done the same thing. Another sentinel separated the partial squads from the full groups as they came in.

Ibiki smirked at the scant amount of people left in the room with him.

"Alright, all of you and your squads are disqualified! Leave and start on your journey back to your homes!"

They stared at him in shock.

"Step to it! I don't have all day."

Arashi, Akio, and Daisuke gaped as they were ushered back into the main room and back to their seats. She shot a glance over at Ibiki to see him standing at the front of the room with a smug look on his face.

I was certain we failed.

Ibiki looked down at a clipboard and snorted to himself. Out of fifty two squads, fifteen were left. Once everyone was seated he placed it on his desk and regarded the Genin.

"Good job, everyone. A shinobi has to be able to see through deceptions." He explained. "The success of the mission is of utmost importance. Above even your own life or the lives of your friends, but you are here to become Chuuin, not Jounin. You need a team to lead - you are not prepared for the life of an elite! Therefore, how can any of you hope to finish your mission if you throw away your squad before it even begins?"

I guess that makes sense. Why would you need three people in order to enter if you were going to go on alone after that, anyway?

"Many of you are still here because you were cowards who stumbled across the correct answer without realizing it. You are the sheep," he scanned each face there, "Then, there are some of you who realized the answer and acted accordingly. You are the wolves."

Ouch. I wonder if he realizes that his own squad accidentally passed that part?

"First off, before we begin this, I have a set of rules." He picked up some chalk and tapped the board several times, "Listen well because I won't be taking any questions! First rule: with this test you start off with zero points. Your test has ten questions. Your goal is to get as many points as you can by answering the questions. Second rule: pass or failure will be determined by the total points of your squad."

Sentinels went around and placed the test in front of everyone. Arashi scanned over the first page of questions and frowned.

These questions are no joke. I think I can answer most of them, though.

"And finally, the most important rule. If any of the sentinels catch you in the act of cheating or even suspect you are cheating, then points will be deducted from your overall score. Once you have been caught cheating five times you will automatically fail the test and so will your squad. If you intend to amount to anything, you must behave as exemplary shinobi."

Fair enough.

"If you fail to answer any of the questions, you will automatically fail and so will your squad. You have one hour. Forty five minutes into the exam you will be given the final question. Begin!"

Arashi picked up a pencil and began working her way through the questions. They were difficult and not what she would have expected for either a Genin or a Chuunin. From the corner of her eyes she noticed people getting edgy. No one was going to do well with this test.

Daisuke should be fine. He'll cheat his way through like he did in the Academy and the sentinels won't even realize it. Akio, on the other hand, might have some more difficulty.

She finished answering a question and rubbed her temples.

They'll give partial credit on these, right?

She looked at the other page of questions. She started to chew on her lips.

I'm freakin screwed.

She felt something tugging at her hair. She crinkled her nose and looked over at Satoshi. He had a fistful of her hair and he was smelling it.

Ew! Ew! Ew! Ew!

Arashi was mortified.

Ibiki dropped a clipboard on the floor, "Hands to yourself, degenerate!"

Satoshi let go of her hair with a grin and went back to writing.

What the hell?! She took a deep breath. Thank you, Ibiki Sensei.

The Stone Genin by her side made her tense. It was hard enough for her to answer the questions without the feeling that he was going to grab her hair or try to touch her leg under the table. She glanced at the clock and clicked her tongue in annoyance. She did not have time to fret over anything except for the questions on the paper in front of her.

These questions are terrible, but I think I'm okay. At this rate I should pass it. Hopefully.

Her eyes settled on the last four questions. The main last question was blank and had instructions to wait until the last fifteen minutes of the exam to receive the question from Ibiki. The three before it were what made her pause.

Each question was about advanced genjutsu.

Well, even if I don't get these, I should be fine...

She squinted at the paper.

Wait, is that fine print under the questions?

The three about genjutsu were weighted differently than the rest of the exam. If she missed them, then she would be losing a higher amount of points than any of the other questions.

I'm going to fail.

A bead of sweat ran down her face.

Ibiki, you sadistic bastard. These were meant for me.

She locked eyes with her Sensei and the corner of his mouth rose into a crooked grin.

You've got to be kidding me!

She swallowed over the lump in her throat and went back to review the other questions. She had answered them to the best of her abilities. She could not see anywhere that she could squeeze even one more point out of anything.

She took her glasses off and laid them on the table to massage her temples better. A partial headache was threatening to become a full blown migraine. She went to put them back on and found that they were no longer there. She glanced over to find Satoshi wearing them.

"What are you doing?" She hissed and snatched them away.

"Aw, now I don't look bookish anymore."

She wiped them clean and returned them to her face.

I'm going to scream if he keeps provoking me.

She tried to discretely scan the room. She did not have much time left to complete the test and she had no clue how she was going to answer the last three questions. Everyone seemed to be struggling with the test. In fact, from what she could tell only a couple people in the room seemed to be confidently working their way through.

Her eyes narrowed.

I recognize their signatures. They're so not Genin. Out of everyone here, they're too comfortable with themselves. Everyone else is freaking out a little.

Arashi noticed several people using different techniques to cheat off the two she noted. Some of Akio's bugs were even scouting it out for answers. She chewed on her lips and looked at her test again. She needed a correct answer for those questions. It was not optional if she was going to pass this part of the exam.

If I fail and I drag the rest of my team down with me, I will go home and kill myself. Daisuke and Akio will never let me live it down. Ever.

She tried to not throw a panicked look toward Ibiki.

And I don't even want to think about what Sensei would do to me.

She took another steadying breath.

Those guys were planted in the room. Cheating isn't an instant disqualification. Ibiki is crazy about gathering information to use. This is a test to see how well we can obtain information.

Her head started to ache.

I know who was planted. I'm able to track people for miles just from their chakra signature. I can heal life threatening injuries. I can smuggle tons of things with me via fuinjutsu... but I have no way to get the information from the guy I'm supposed to get it from and he's just five feet away from me.

She wanted to cry.

I've never had to cheat like this. I'm the joke of the team.

She hid her face in her hands and gradually the panic turned to acceptance. Serenely, she took her pencil and began to write under the three genjutsu questions. She tuned out the sound of the clock ticking as she threw all of her concentration into it.

Ibiki checked the time and announced, "It's now time for the last question."

Arashi tightened her grip on her pencil.

"But, before that," he started a slow walk through the room, "There are two more rules attached to it and a personal warning. You must choose whether or not to answer it. If you choose not to, then your whole squad will fail. If you choose to answer the question and then fail, you can never take this exam again."

Everyone went still.

"If you manage to answer the last question correctly, you will move on to the next exam, but," his hands rose and he slid his bandana hitai-ate from his head to reveal all of the scars and damage, "Then you will be a herd of sheep being hunted by the wolves that have slipped in. How many of you will be torn apart?"

He completed his round through the room and stopped at the front of the class. Disfiguring scars had a tendency to rattle nerves.

"The choice is yours. You can drop out and take the exam next time it comes up or the time after that," he returned his hitai-ate to his head, "Or you can fail or be torn to pieces."

Arashi looked down at her exam and frowned, Daisuke will do fine. Akio's bugs were around the right person to cheat off. If we're graded together, then what I was able to answer should be enough for us to pass.

"Those of you who will not be answering the final question, raise your hand."

Arashi watched as hands went up and three more squads left the room.

"This is your last chance!" Ibiki warned them.

Arashi leaned back in her chair, If many more people leave then there won't be enough to do much of anything with.

No one else budged.

"Very well, the rest of you pass!"

Once the Genin were moved out of the room, Ibiki walked around and collected three tests in particular. If he chose to be honest, then he would admit openly that he expected his team to fail with the first batch of people he disqualified. He expected their pride to get in the way.

He picked up Daisuke's test and his eyebrows shot up. Every question was correct. His eyes narrowed. There was no way that Daisuke knew every answer that well and he had not seen the boy cheat even once.

Genjutsu.

Once he released it, he saw that the sheet of paper was covered in doodles and nothing else.

With a snort of amusement he looked at Akio's. The Aburame had done excellently acquiring the information that he needed from the chuunin that Ibiki placed in the room. It was as he expected.

Lastly, he went to Arashi's test.

She answered most of the questions very well, despite being unable to adequately cheat like most of the other applicants. When his eyes found the last three questions, he paused.

In bold, large letters was written over and over again: THIS IS TARGETED AND SPECIFIC DISCRIMINATION.

It had been.

His laughter echoed off the walls.

So, next is the Forest of Death?

Arashi stood with her teammates and stared at the dense forest in front of them. They were the only Leaf squad to made it through to this round. Other than Arashi's team there was one Lighting squad, two Sand squads, two Grass squads, three Waterfall squads, one Rain squad, one Mist squad, and Satoshi's Stone squad.

Twelve teams in total.

In Arashi's hand, she held a Heaven Scroll.

"Daisuke? Akio?" she whispered.

They turned their attention to her.

"I have an idea."

That's it for chapter 11. It has taken me a while to get here, but it makes me happy to be putting her through something that will affect her future. Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and I hope you enjoyed it. If you have any opinions, criticisms, suggestions, or anything like that then please feel free to share it in a review.

I'm not entirely sure when the next update will be, but I'll try to have it out relatively soon. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are ridiculously busy for me so I don't get to write much on those days.

DarkNexus4050: I'm glad you liked the ending of the last chapter. :) I personally can't wait for Arashi to grown up, but I decided to do it this way, so it'll take some time.

True Guardian Angel: haha here's another update. Tell me what you think of it. :)