DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto.
CONTENT ADVISORY: Contains 'bad words' and descriptions depicting and/or advocating suicide, violence, sadomasochism, sexual activity in a violent context, murder, morbid violence, use of alcohol, homosexuality, more violence, voyeurism, revenge, maiming, gouging, skewering, the undermining of authority figures, lawlessness and human rights violations and/or atrocities…
EXPOSURE WARNING: Exposure to content for extended periods of time and/or during formative years in children (i.e. individuals under the age of 18) may cause delusions, hallucinations, decreases in cognitive and objective reasoning, and—in extreme cases—pathological disorders, hatred, violence, bigotry and (surprise, surprise) more violence again.
You have been warned!
Enjoy.
PART I
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
With Flying Colours
'…I am so damn proud.'
At this utterance, Naruto let himself smile even in the physical world. Of course, he was only half paying attention to the bijuu's almost tearful ramblings because-
'…nd she picked up the Fuinjutsu so fast, you'd think she was an Uzumaki!'
-by this point, Naruto was also roughly eighty-two percent sure Kurama thought he couldn't hear its gushing commentary over his students' performances so far. The old fox had even gotten a bit teary-eyed towards the end of Emi's patented options eight, seventeen and twenty-six! So considering how uncharacteristically emotional the bijuu was acting, Naruto felt no shame in making cursory notes of only the excruciatingly embarrassing details for future blackmail usage and otherwise spent the rest of his energy on trying to ignore his resident semi-friendly tenant for the time being.
Unfortunately, disregarding this particular one-sided conversation was easier said than done.
'…en the little Girly had to go and get creative after she found that stupid list Naruto made when the idiot host couldn't sleep again.' Kurama spluttered on happily, 'I didn't realise she memorised it all though!'
And speaking of memorising unfortunate things: hadn't that been an 'interesting' day for everyone involved?
Mind you, Naruto hadn't actually meant to make such a comprehensive list of morbid half-formed ideas and ramblings anymore than he'd meant to just leave it lying about for just anyone (like Emi) to find but… Well, sleep deprivation had influenced Naruto into some pretty questionable situations in the last few months and neither that particular list nor the results of it were the worst. Hell! The events of the night before were only a pale example of Naruto's propensity to not think his actions through when in that disturbed post-memory-dream place—though a part of Naruto still had to wonder if anyone would notice his little self-prescribed medicinal 'prank' anytime soon.
On an entirely unrelated note, those Hokage guys really needed to work on their security…
"Is that another explosive tag?!"
The sudden exclamation effectively brought Naruto back to the present, an action the silver-haired jonin found himself vaguely grateful for. Last night's 'dream' and the implications that followed were still far too fresh in his mind. Until he had a better understanding of the memories and… Her… or at least a better grip on his emotions, Naruto needed to keep himself distracted lest he sink back into that bad head space. He really didn't need Kurama bitching at him again…
So Naruto forcibly stopped thinking about the night before (about the pranks and the memories and Her) and even turned his attention away from Kurama's semi-amusing inner monologue to instead focus on the pair of Leaf chunin standing in front of him. Both young men were of course far too busy peering through the one-way window before them to pay Naruto any attention… especially seeing that neither chunin had yet seen fit to change their position since the last time Naruto had bothered to acknowledge their existences, both of them still stupidly standing there with their backs oh so foolishly facing him.
Naruto cracked another half-smile from under his stupid hat—this expression far more devious than the last. He of course made no move to act on any of the less-than-acceptable ideas currently forming; he was still too comfortable lounging in the nearby seating area where he'd been, in no uncertain terms, ordered to sit silently unless spoken to and wait. Sure, it had already been almost an hour since then now but Naruto wasn't about to complain (for once). Between listening to Kurama natter on, watching his genin fuck over the disguised examiners and fantasising about the numerous ways he himself could mess with the hired help, Naruto was more than entertained (and better yet, distracted) just waiting here for the exam to end.
"What the heck is wrong with these kids?!" The first chunin grumbled and not for the first time either, his grey eyes never once leaving the scene playing out before him.
Naruto only just barely managed to stifle a laugh at the question—and just how many times was this snotty little bastard going to ask that same question anyway? Because wanting to know what specifically went wrong with his kids was both understandable and decidedly not the question that needed asking. No, Naruto knew all to well it was rather the who in that equation that these chunin and the rest of the world needed to worry about…
"Don't know…" The second chunin blurted in reply to his partner's earlier interjection, still looking lost and repeating himself just the same as he had every other time he'd been asked that very same query.
Both young men had clipboards clutched uselessly in their hands, supposedly to make notes or something Naruto guessed, but neither had written much of anything down after they'd had Bandana Boy dragged away into yet another room what felt like ages ago now. Having quickly realised he wouldn't be witnessing that part of the exam, Naruto was of course eventually assured that no permanent harm would come to Yukio...
Naruto hadn't been worried. He still wasn't.
After being informed of what was actually involved earlier that morning after having been tracked down by some such or other T&I type shinobi, Naruto had been rather quick to realise that this particular exam tested information gathering and fortitude just as his own had in the original timeline…
Konohagakure was just going about it in a different way this time.
Instead of gathering up a bunch of kids and putting them through an impossibly hard written test only to reverse-psychology them into cheating or whatever, Konoha had in this early period decided to put all the genin teams on the spot with an elaborate ruse and demand information from the traumatised kiddies. Of course, there wouldn't be any actual 'overt' torture (beyond a few subtle genjutsu and a glancing blow to the head or two) or so Naruto had been told. The entire thing was focused more on the psychological than physical aspects of a mission—as seen when they separated Yukio from his teammates and threatened his safety to get some seemingly desired, though innocuous, information out of Emi and/or Nanashi. Depending on how long they held out and how well they handled themselves in their given situations, each genin team would be awarded points that could lead to an advantage in the next exam. Having too few or no points would lead to disqualification.
What none of the proctors or organisers seemed to have taken into account though was the distinct possibility that a team might somehow escape their confinement and act according to the situation they believed to be very very real.
'-e Redhead is really coming along with his Lightning manipulation, even if Naruto can't use that particular element for shit. We'll need to find some real jutsu for little Red soon… Ooh! And what about the part when that one meat-bag lost teeth and then-and then the look on that other one's face when Girly bitch-slapped him?! By the Sage; that was Priceless!' Kurama continued to prattle on near-mindlessly with another roaring laugh.
"…do you think Sakazuki's even alive in there?" The first chunin asked after a few more minutes of staring almost dumbly at the scene playing out before them.
"Don't know…" The second repeated. Again.
Still smiling a little bit too widely from behind the pair, Naruto momentarily considered catching their attention so as to suggest an end to the test before 'Sakazuki' and anyone else still stuck in that room took anymore unnecessary damage. A part of him wanted to say that he did this out of concern for the well-being of everyone in that room but if there's one thing that hadn't changed about Naruto since his arrival in this era, it was his tendency towards brutal honesty—and he sure as hell wasn't about to start lying to himself now! The only legitimate reason he could think of for trying to end this little test here and now was the often fickle morals of Konoha's shinobi: he didn't want his team penalised for overreacting.
Kurama would never shut-up if he allowed such a travesty to occur.
Opening his mouth to begin acting on his decision, Naruto was soundly interrupted by the soft click of the adjacent door before it swung open with a resounding BANG. The man set to enter the room was tall with icy blue eyes and very blond hair pull up high into a ponytail. Naruto's immediate reaction to the new arrival was to shout 'Ino's dad?! What the fuck?!' though he thankfully just barely managed to suppress this impulse before he could make too much of an ass out of himself.
The sight of the man's green vest with its corresponding ornamental buttons on the shoulders only reinforced how very important Naruto's last minute save was. The additional decoration on the flak jacket wasn't as prominent in the future but Naruto still vaguely remembered one of Iruka-sensei's few marginally less-boring lectures mentioning that such additions were indicative of a jonin rank before a mass uniform upgrade following the Second Shinobi War. Which meant that this man was a jonin; a much rarer rank amongst shinobi these days, as Naruto had also come to learn from his time amongst Yugakure's ranks after his own promotion. This however also meant that the new arrival was more than likely the head proctor of the exam—or in other words, it was definitely a good thing Naruto had refrained from screaming the first thing that came to mind upon seeing the man. Because if this guy was running this particular exam, it also stood to reason he was affiliated with whatever intelligence department Konohagakure had managed to establish since its founding over a decade and a half ago, just like Ibiki and Anko had been during Naruto's first exam. The last thing he wanted or needed right now was to be on this guy's radar over suspicious reactions to his presence…
"Ya-Yamanaka-san!" The second chunin suddenly exclaimed, further confirming Naruto's suspicions.
While whatever-his-first-name-was Yamanaka closed the door behind him, Naruto noted that both of the chunin had spun around to face their obvious superior at some point or another. What caught Naruto's attention however was how calm the first chunin appeared next to his overly paranoid partner. Did that first guy know something the rest of them didn't or…?
"How's this lot doing then?" Yamanaka demanded of his subordinates, seemingly intent to ignore Naruto's presence in the room. And while a part of Naruto was content with the proctor's decision, another part (a voice that sounded suspiciously like Captain Yamato now that he thought about it) criticised the Yamanaka's cavalier dismissal of a possible threat—and Naruto could pose a very serious threat when he wanted to, regardless of his ability to summon Kurama or some of Mount Myōboku's giant toad warriors to help cause widespread havoc and mayhem if he so wished. (Not that he'd actually put any—or at least all that much—thought into such a scenario. Promise!)
"Er, well, they were acting according to predictions based on earlier surveillances," The second chunin began his report, "However, that was only until, er… until the-"
"-until they subdued Sakazuki and his team about thirty minutes ago." Chunin One cut in, "The seals Mito-sama offered us seem to have held the transformations beyond the user's consciousness. We are as a result not yet sure if any of our agents is able enough to move… or if Chunin Fukao and Inuzuka's partner are still alive at all by this point. The statuses of both Chunin Inuzuka himself and Chunin Fujimoto are unknown. The genin reunited some ten to twelve minutes ago with the girl employing some form of psychological torment on Sakazuki since previously overcoming our squad." He finally finished with a flourish, the hand not occupied with the chunin's near blank clipboard gesturing quite animatedly towards the one-way window situated nearby.
"…What?!" Yamanaka hissed after a long moment trying to analyse what he'd been told. Once the information had obviously sunken in however, it wasn't a moment longer before the jonin was ruthlessly rushing towards the window, shoving Chunins One and Two aside as he went.
"-nd if you decrease the chakra fluctuations with an extra brush stroke here, you can minimise the blast radius!" Emi was saying, still in position atop the torso of the man Naruto assumed to be 'Sakazuki'. Nanashi was leaning against the far wall, his emerald eyes staring blankly at the adjacent door while Yukio lay sprawled on a cleaner patch of floor with one arm pillowing his head, his free hand frivolously tossing a kunai up and down, up and down…
Both boys looked to be very bored, Naruto thought.
"Now," Emi continued all too cheerily, seemingly content to ignore the disinterest of her teammates in favour of tormenting her visibly terrified captive, "that fits in with unconventional option number seventy-six which involves plucking your enemies left eye from its socket, preferably with a kunai, and inserting the rolled up explosive tag. If you've calibrated it right, which I'm sure we have right here, the blast won't even kill your victim right away! Isn't that just great?!"
"…argh…!" 'Sakazuki' grunted helplessly in protest.
"You know I think it's pretty spectacular Emi." Yukio spoke up without ever pausing or looking up from his lackadaisical knife play.
"…can we try it?" Nanashi asked curiously from his corner, his tone still impressively impassive while his emerald gaze remained firmly locked on the door to guard against the appearance of further enemies.
To this, Emi only looked over her shoulder to smile playfully at both of her disinterested teammates and utter a playful "…Well~…"
It was enough for Yamanaka at least.
"What the hell have you been teaching these kids?!" The jonin immediately rounded back on Naruto with a growl of displeasure, his cheeks flushing with disgust and anger as he spoke.
Naruto quite simply just couldn't resist.
Leisurely, he assumed a distinctly thoughtful pose from his indolent seated position; one hand rested idly under his chin while the beginnings of a slow smile twitched at the very edges of his lips.
"You know, I'm not entirely sure," He told the disgruntled man, his tone of voice alight with faux confusion while a benign smile began to peek out from underneath his thrice-be-damned fucking straw hat as he spoke. "Option seventy-six originally involved three more explosive tags, a silver soup spoon and a potato. By this point I have no idea where she got the altered seal matrix from, though her suggestion should have similar results as far as I can tell." Naruto finished with a shrug, not even bothering to hide the impressed lilt interwoven with his words—though he did manage to stifle the cackle of laughter that threatened to escape at Yamanaka's dumbfounded expression. The blank stares he received from both Chunins One and Two alike were almost as good…
"…what?"
"You might want to get them out soon," Naruto continued carelessly with a nod towards the window, pointedly ignoring Yamanaka's befuddled query as he did so. "Mr Sakazuki in there probably won't stay conscious much longer. After that they'll move onto one of the others… provided my genin manage to wake them back up."
"I-"
TAP-TAP-TAP!
And never again would Naruto mock Bandana Boy's sense of timing or humour. This was comic gold!
"Hey, anyone in there? Hello~!" The genin boy called out, waving at the window-mirror with a too familiar pout etched upon his rounded youthful face, "Have we passed yet?"
At this, Naruto couldn't resist the sudden urge to let his smile widen again—all sharp angles and teeth this time. So they'd figured it all out, huh? Probably not Yukio of course; the boy was far too much like Naruto had been at that age, all flashy jutsu and action before the concept of subtlety even entered the equation. No, it was more likely Nanashi or Emi (or both) to catch on, though Naruto found himself curious as to how they'd managed to communicate that fact to one another in addition to the every oblivious Yukio too. He and the chunin duo had been watching the whole time… had Naruto missed something here?
"Yukio! Don't do that!" Emi suddenly exclaimed, even standing up from her perch over her victim to do so. "It's rude to rush them. You might offend the examiners!" She exclaimed, her words causing a spasm in Yamanaka's left eye and some incoherent spluttering from Chunin Number Two. Naruto could only continue to smile, though more approachably on the outside, and suppress the urge to laugh aloud again as he did so.
Kurama didn't have that same restraint, snickering near-hysterically from within as the situation continued to unfold.
"We've been in here for ages though!" Yukio whined at the girl, Nanashi uttering a quiet "Hn" in (what Naruto assumed to be) agreement before Emi gave in with a huff.
"Argh! Fine." She growled before storming across the room to stand directly in front of the mirror-window beside Yukio, who'd actually taken a hasty step back at her approach. "Hello! Examiner people? Could you possibly give us an indication as to whether you want us to continue or not? I'm afraid we can't think of anything else to do in here that might fall under possible exam conditions beyond leaving or further information gathering."
"…tor… ture…" Came a rasping groan from behind the seemingly sweet little girl, "She… m-m-m… means… tor… ture…" The battered and immobilised form of Sakazuki managed to hiss.
Naruto didn't even pause. He'd seen enough and he was sure the 'examiner people' had too.
"Soooo~"
"Get them all out of there!" Yamanaka demanded, not even bothering to watch Chunins One and Two scramble from the room to adhere to the order; dropping their near-blank clipboards uselessly to the floor as they did so. "And find Inuzuka and Fujimoto while you're at it!" He bellowed after the chunin duo, breathing heavily as he turned to follow them out.
The blond man's whole frame was tense with some unnamed emotion and for a moment Naruto pondered whether pushing the proctor any further was a good idea. Dismissing the concern just as fast as it had appeared, Naruto made sure to catch Yamanaka's attention with that same gentle smile—all but guaranteed to annoy the living shit out of the other man—plastered to the visible half of his face.
"And..." He 'innocently' prompted the other jonin before the blond could leave again.
"They… they pass." Yamanaka spat before storming out of the room almost as fast as his subordinates had, the door closing behind him with yet another echoing SLAM.
…
"-on't think they can hear us." The sound of Emi's voice was quick to bring Naruto's attention back to the scene still playing out on the other side of the one-way window-mirror.
"Well maybe the Bastard was wrong and this isn't a part of the exam." Yukio suggested blithely and that was one question answered at least: Emi's worried glance at the glaring redhead only confirmed that it'd been Nanashi to first grasp what was really going on here. Now all Naruto had to do was figure out how he'd told the others about those initial suspicions…
"What if we've been wasting our precious time fucking around with your idiot friend there and missing our first chunin exam when we could have left agesago already?!" Yukio exclaimed and it was actually a legitimate concern Naruto conceded.
If this hadn't been an exam conducted in a 'safe environment' by 'qualified professionals' (as he'd also been assured was the case), his team would've been stupid to hang around in the middle of enemy territory for so long without fleeing to regroup in the case of enemy reinforcements, etc. Luckily for his wayward students however, this little setup was a test so therefore there wasn't actually any real danger… for the genin that is. His team had proven in stark detail that the case was not the same for the multitudes of local chunin who'd been recruited to help out with this mind game of a test.
"Yukio, calm down!"
"But Emi-!" Yukio began to protest and it appeared to be the end of little Emi's patience too.
"Fine! We'll wake that one up and ask him." Emi conceded with a careless gesture towards the poor bastard she'd had plastered to the far wall for over half an hour now—Naruto had to wonder if that one was the transformed Inuzuka dog or whether it was the unconscious figure tied up in the far corner who bore that honour.
"If his story correlates with whatever we can get out of our other friend over here, then we can agree that this scenario is just a part of the exam. If not… Well, we'll just have to make up for lost time." The young girl concluded with a shrug of her slight shoulders, completely ignoring Sakazuki's flinch at the ominous ending to her statement.
"And hope to god Hidan-Sensei doesn't kill us for missing the exam, you mean." Yukio added with a roll of his dark eyes and Naruto felt a breathy chuckle burst through his otherwise ironclad control. Surely they weren't honestly that petrified of him… right?
"Hn."
"That too." Yukio nodded in turn and Naruto was suddenly very sure his student had somehow understood whatever the hell it was Nanashi had just communicated.
Which made sense.
Was that how they'd done it; how they'd managed to secretly liaise right under everyone's noses like that? Naruto was already aware of Nanashi's proficiency with the language but Yukio, possibly Emi too—had they somehow cultivated a mutual understanding of Emo at some point in the last few months? Because it they had, it was… actually very clever of them.
'…I am so damn proud.' The enthusiastic bijuu repeated from within and Naruto could feel himself softening at the thought, laughing quietly as he watched the odd scene continue to play out before him.
They may not have been a carbon copy of his old Team 7 nearly as much as he'd thought they were in the beginning but… but these brats were his team, his kids, now. As annoying and painful as they could be, Naruto could see what Kamizuki meant about his relationships; or rather, his previous lack of them. Hidan was just fine to be alone in his insanity but Naruto apparently needed someone in his life—he still needed his precious people to function and do what he did best. It was a relief to realise and reassure himself that he was indeed still in some ways very much the same Naruto who lived to protect and never gave up on his promises, no matter how much he'd changed otherwise in recent years…
"You and me both, Kurama." Naruto finally murmured in agreement after a few moments of idle thought, his smile almost wistful now as he watched his students bicker amongst themselves with their only conscious captive still cowering in his seal-trap on the floor behind them as they did so. "You and me both…"
LINEBREAK
Tobirama Senju watched on through the thin one-way screen as his students were reunited with one another and sedately led out of the 'examination room'.
As expected, each of his pupils had performed admirably despite their young age—even when captured and confronted with hostile 'enemies' from 'Sunagakure' who had at their disposal not only superior experience and numbers, but also a more advantageous position. He could also understand Akino Yamanaka's decision to separate Homura as the hostage in the hopes of rattling the other two. While Hiruzen was stubborn and Koharu a little… headstrong, Homura was vastly intelligent and Tobirama didn't doubt for an instant that the boy was capable of tearing this particular exam apart if given half the chance and a big enough boost to his otherwise shaky confidence.
That didn't mean Tobirama approved of the kinds of genjutsu he understood were used on the boy during his isolation.
Thankfully, young Homura had held out against any possible mental torment perpetrated during the test; as had Hiruzen and Koharu in their own way. Tobirama was especially impressed with their refusal to concede almost any information about him to the disguised chunin questioning them and pleased to see that what little they did give up was either innocuous enough to be harmless in the long run or outright false information. That was why Akino ordered his subordinates to question every team on knowledge regarding their sensei and insisted every sensei be present but uninvolved in the exam—it was to cross reference any information they did receive and better gage how well every team performed on a more even playing field.
"Tobirama-sensei!"
Pulled from his thoughts by Hiruzen's unusually exuberant shout, Tobirama was greeted by the sight of his students filing into the little observation room through the open doorway. Noting how the still shaky Homura immediately walked to the one-way-window to peer curiously into the contents revealed within while Koharu stared mutinously at the ground, Tobirama felt a small smile twitch at his lips.
"We passed! We passed!" Hiruzen continued to shout in his enthusiasm, a rare sight considering the boy's propensity to try and hide his emotions in the hopes of seeming more 'grown up' to his older peers and superiors.
"Yes, that I can see." Tobirama chuckled lightly at the sight, the sound effectively gaining the attention of all three of his pupils before he continued, "Well done. All of you. You did very well from what I witnessed today."
"W-w-witnessed?" Homura stuttered, eyes widening from behind his spectacles. "So you were in h-here the wh-hole time? Watching?"
"Of course." Tobirama nodded, finally starting towards the doorway as he did so—though not before glancing behind him to make sure his team was following him. Sure enough, they were. "Every sensei got to witness their team's stunning or otherwise performance and confirm or deny any information gathered as required."
"I see." Koharu finally murmured, still trailing along dutifully behind him. Tobirama felt a slight frown twist at his lips. They'd passed after all, despite expectations from the higher echelons of Konoha's ever-growing shinobi factions that mostly stated rather emphatically otherwise. It was something to be proud of, not morose and disappointed about.
"What appears to be the matter, Koharu?" Tobirama asked of the girl, curious about her dull mood which was in such a contrast to Hiruzen's enthusiasm (the boy was still skipping down the hallway just a little ahead of them for goodness' sake) and Homura's quiet contemplative looks (no different to the usual for that child though).
"I gave in! When they started beating on Sarutobi and threatening Mitokado, I told them about you Sensei and I-"
"You did well Koharu," Tobirama gently interrupted the girl, pausing in his trek to look her dead in the eye as he spoke. "What little you did give away was inconsequential information but enough to stop your assailants for a while; long enough to theoretically escape or await backup even. That's what matters here Koharu. You helped your teammates survive a trying event and protected any deeper secrets, personal or otherwise, as required by the mission."
"But Tobirama-Sens-"
"You passed, didn't you?" He asked of the girl, watching her carefully consider his words.
"…Yes." Koharu eventually conceded after a long moment of stubborn silence.
"So what are you so worried about?" Tobirama smiled at her, noting the slight sag in her previously tense shoulders before Koharu finally returned his attempt at a comforting expression with a warm grin of her own. Good.
Turning away from the more confident Koharu now that she'd been reassured that she hadn't made a mistake, Tobirama briefly inspected Homura's response—only to note the boy appeared more thoughtful than anything. He'd likely taken on board the message Tobirama had been trying to communicate to Koharu and twisted it seven or eight different ways by now, forever looking for an alternative motive or meaning. Sometimes Tobirama really had to wonder at that boy and how such a smart young man had such issues recognising his own genius enough to use it without his usual compunctions.
…Maybe Tobirama could start working on Homura's sense of self-assurance after the exams were over? It was food for thought…
Student two out of three checked on and as ready for the next stage as he would be, Tobirama turned his attention forwards to find his third and final student standing further ahead, stock still by the mouth of the hallway. Hiruzen appeared to be staring out into what appeared to be the main gathering area for the other teams and their sensei alike, never once moving a muscle. This Tobirama found almost as odd to see as the boy's previous enthusiasm. What could possibly be on his mind?
Wandering up behind the Sarutobi heir with Homura and Koharu still following after him, Tobirama rested a gentle hand on Hiruzen's slight shoulder.
"…Hiruzen? What are you doing?"
There was no response however.
"Hiruzen? Hiruzen! Are you even paying attention?" The white-haired man tried again to seemingly no avail.
Seeing that Hiruzen apparently wasn't liable to show any outward sign of hearing him anytime soon, Tobirama instead turned his attention towards the milling crowds in an attempt to pinpoint whatever it was that had stolen his student's attention so completely. Scanning the various faces, some familiar while many were not, Tobirama wouldn't say he saw anything overly suspicious… at least, not until-
"Huh?" Hiruzen grunted, startling as if only having just noticed his own team's presence again. Tobirama could feel the boy physically jump via the loose grip he still had on Hiruzen's shoulder, his attention firmly stolen from one foreign team in particular to focus firmly on his third and final student instead.
"What's wrong?" Tobirama asked bluntly of the boy.
"What? It's nothing!" Hiruzen protested, very clearly bothered by something anyway. "I was just checking out the competition. Sorry sensei." He added in a more contrite tone—and it was this reasoning Tobirama was much more willing to believe, even if he still felt like the Sarutobi heir was holding something back.
'Maybe…'
"…I see." Tobirama murmured, watching keenly as the tension slid off of Hiruzen's shoulders like water.
Because he really didn't see. Or at least, Tobirama couldn't see it (whatever it was) yet. First the incident with Homura this morning and now this? It appeared his young genin team was trying to hide something from him… but what?
'Hm…'
"Alright!" Akino Yamanaka's familiar voice suddenly rose up over the previous din of chatter. "All teams who passed—and you know who you are—follow me to the location of your second exam! The rest of you; better luck next time! Now get out!"
And so without further ado, Tobirama gave Hiruzen's shoulder a final squeeze. A nod to Homura and a smile for Koharu and his team was off again for the next exam—this one would unfortunately be a far greater hazard to their health than the first however. Surely they'd all be fine though, no matter what it was that was bothering the kids so much today? Tobirama had trained them all to the best of his and their abilities after all, to the point that they'd been hailed as little prodigies. See? There was nothing to worry about…
"…have to wonder at Akino's mood though. He wasn't so short when I last talked to him." Tobirama overheard a Leaf jonin tell his chunin companion as they passed, both of them heading towards the exit after apparently having seen their team or teams off already.
"Yeah," The unnamed chunin agreed with a nod of his head, "I heard some foreign team went completely off the rails or something. They had to take Fujimoto-san and that Kuro Inuzuka guy straight to ICU, or so Ren told me."
"Wow. Who'd have thought it? Did the team get disqualified or what?" The jonin asked in reply, obviously intrigued by this newest piece of gossip…
Not that Tobirama could say much of anything about such behaviours considering he himself was right now following the pair out of the examination building for the express purpose of hearing more; he was all but immersed in that single piece of gossip. Because really? The near entirety of Tobirama's genin started going on the fritz the first day of the chunin exams (and it was beyond simple nervousness, of this he was now sure) and then suddenly another team managed to injure their supervising examiners to the point of intensive care during what was commonly considered the safest of the exams? Because coincidences like that didn't really exist and Tobirama didn't like the conclusions he was drawing right now.
"Nah." Was the chunin's denial which brought Tobirama out of his musings and back to the present situation, "They completed exam requirements and didn't actually outright kill any of the examiners so the higher ups were forced to let them through or something. It's all legal bullshit probably."
"Do you know which team it was? Were they from Mist, do you know?" Tobirama finally interjected, startling the pair with his sudden interruption.
The reaction was immediate. Both the chunin and jonin just about jumped out of their skins, both of them spinning around at top speed to face Tobirama with shock slackened expressions.
"Sir?"
"The genin team. Were they from the Hidden Mist?" Tobirama repeated.
"I, er… I don't really know… Senju-sama." Was the jonin's hesitant reply.
"But you know the extent to which they foiled the exam?" Tobirama enquired of them both with an eyebrow raised in question, his expression no doubt effectively communicating his scepticism.
"Ren, um… he was one of their observers," The chunin cut in, "He told me that the genin all escaped and went ape shit on Sakazuki's team. Er, um… the, ah… that is to say, one of them used Fuinjutsu and I think there was something about the one they separated being immune to genjutsu… or-or something. I don't know much else about it… sir."
"I see. And this has ruffled Akino's feathers no doubt." It wasn't a question but a statement instead.
"Definitely."
"Very well. I'll leave you to it then." Tobirama nodded sagely at the pair, already stepping around the jonin to continue on his path towards the main exit. "Just try not to gossip so loudly when there are still so many foreigners around to hear you. We wouldn't want anything important to… slip now would we?" The white-haired Senju called over his shoulder.
"Certainly not, Senju-sama!" and "No sir!" were the convoluted replies he received. He didn't turn around or otherwise acknowledge these assurances. Those men were ninja after all…
—they'd be tittering to each other like gossipy old ladies again in no time, despite the warning.
Instead, Tobirama turned his full attention to the information he had just learnt; to the suspicions he'd already drawn from previous observations and that niggling feeling in his gut that kept telling him that something wasn't right here…
Chapter Teaser
Stage Two: Don't Do Anything Hidan Wouldn't Do
"He's looking at us again..."
"Who?"
"The one with the white hair."
"Who's he standing next to?"
"Don't know..."
"Do you think he knows something?"
"Unlikely."
"If you're sure..."
"What about you? Did you check the plan over again with sensei?"
"I'm almost positive we've got the right ones this time. They fit the description almost perfectly."
"As far as we know, you mean."
"It isn't much detail to go on..."
"-Shh! It's starting."
"Hey kids! Welcome to the second part of the fifth annual chunin exams! I know it's a little unconventional but your original supervisor had a bit of an... accident last night. Instead I'll be your proctor. Isn't that exciting?!"