It was a busy morning on the last day of the Second Exams. The Genin who managed to get all the scrolls were rushed in and out by the medics, some examined on the spot to save time. The scrolls were opened, Iruka appeared and did his little talk.
On one occasion, two teams had entered together and activated the scrolls at the same time, trying to best each other. The result was a large cloud and Iruka nearly torn in half. Afterwards there was a guard in front of the entrance to ensure that only one team was inside. If two teams arrived at the same time, they would have to battle it out with an intense game of 'Rock-Paper-Scissors'.
When the large bell rang, the race was over. The teachers, anxiously waiting behind the large doors, were allowed to enter the tower's main space. Some cheered upon seeing their brats, some cried (Gai) or did not find their team at all. Those teachers mostly groaned, some cried (fear or disappointment, it was hard to tell) but they all excused themselves reasonably politely to go and find their idiots. A discreet gesture by the Hokage send a team of medics after those teachers.
Kakashi in particular was happy to see his team. In his own way, that is. He grabbed the trio by their necks without so much as a greeting and launched them on one of the empty balconies. There he ignored all their questions, exclamations and words in general. He stared them deep in their eyes until even Sasuke looked uncomfortable. He poked their arms, legs and stomachs. Finally he checked their necks. When he was satisfied he stood straight and smiled.
"Good job."
The trio gaped at him. At last Naruto (of course) burst.
"Sensei, what's with the inspection?! We just passed the exams and fought a super bad snake guy! Believe it!" Much to his credit, Naruto did keep his voice below his usual range.
Kakashi sighed and scratched his head. "So I've heard. You three should be glad you survived. Do you even know who that was?"
They stared at the ground. Sakura rubbed her fingers. "Yes, we do." She said quietly.
She was pale, he noticed. The veins in her arms were swollen and a large bruise had formed on her forearm and wrist. If this is how she looks after medical care, I don't want to know how she looked before. He squinted at her and noticed the small trembles that ran through her hands, her inability to keep them still. He saw the short nails, raw skin on her palms and how she carefully avoided looking at them directly. His stomach clenched.
"It was Orochimaru." Sasuke's voice was so quiet, that even Kakashi had to pay attention to hear it.
"Yes. It was him." And I will kill him for this.
Sasuke looked much better than Sakura, but then again he had not swallowed two soldier pills. There was a faint yellow bruise on his neck where Kakashi suspected the Curse Mark had been. He was subdued but that was to be expected. I guess we'll see when the psych evaluation comes, though I doubt it would be any better than his previous one.
His eye wandered to Naruto, who was now leaning over the balustrade and shouting profanity at Kiba. He leaned forward just too much and nearly fell down after trying to adjust his feet. Kakashi's hand shot out and pulled him down by his shirt.
"Huh? Oh thanks, Kakashi sensei." Naruto smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.
He noticed it too. Kakashi could clearly sense the whirlpool that was Naruto's chakra. The boy's chakra at best was a wild ocean. Now it was forced into a river, clashing and foaming. There was no way to tame it and thus Naruto was completely incapable of controlling it.
This team is going to kill me. Kakashi really wanted to go to the bar.
Ibiki would have agreed. From the moment he spotted his team, he had suffered a headache. Ryuya and Chi were fine, they said some words and proved that they were alright and then remained quiet. Ryuya was too weak to continue the fight, despite her bones being healed again. That was alright, she assured him and the two girls were all nods and agreements. Shinji however...
Ibiki knew it was going to be bad when she started by taking a deep breath. The rant that followed, took many minutes of non-stop speed talking and even made two nearby teams fall silent. She complained about everything from the weather to their near death experience and to meeting Team 7. As time passed, her cheeks flushed red and she grew even more agitated, causing her colorful vocabulary to rear its head. Ibiki swore that at least two teachers gasped for air and one even covered the ears of his students.
He suppressed the urge to cover his face (he was a torture specialist, damn it!) and instead firmly pushed his hands in his pockets and willed the foul mouthed girl to be quiet. Of course, she did not listen. She continued for another eight minutes before Chi hit the back of her head.
"If the forest didn't kill us, your talking will!"
Ibiki could kiss her but he didn't want to risk his limbs. "Right, thank you Chi."
Shinji took another indignant breath but Ryuya poked her side, causing her to double over and exhale. He patted her head. "Thank you too, shorty."
He looked at his trio (privately christened as: Migraine, Nausea and Aspirin) and felt pride rise in his chest. "You've done a good job. Even if you're injured and even if the weather made your hair fizzy, you did great."
Much to his surprise, Chi had to muffle her laughter with her hand. Shinji openly gawked at her, never having seen Chi laugh properly. Ryuya, the only discreet one, smiled at her teacher. Ibiki took a second to relish in the youthful expression on Chi's face before he continued.
"You guys came a long way and I'm sure that whatever happens, you will only grow even more. I am proud to be your sensei."
The look on their faces was worth the cheesiness of his words. Ibiki smiled and turned, waving them along. They walked over to the center where other teams had started to gather. The tension left his shoulders when he made eye contact with the other Konoha Genin teams. At least they had made it. His eyes wandered over Team 7 and as they neared, he couldn't help himself from inspecting them.
They looked fine. But Ibiki had seen plenty of victims, from all sorts of torture, and he saw the signs. It was in the glassy sheen over Sakura's eyes, the way she kept her hands close to her body. Hands that were scrubbed until they were tender. It was in the way Naruto took his steps, careful and unsure, as if he was walking on ice. He noticed how Sasuke tensed when seeing Chi and how he kept adjusting his collar to hide the bruise.
In his own team, he noticed the weariness that would later sink into their bones. All around him, he could see Genin with soft lines around their eyes, lines that would become hard and pronounced. He noticed the low shoulders, the drag of their feet and how they looked at each other. Many of them had just killed for the first time. The scent of antiseptic hung in the air. Ibiki let his team pass him and greet their classmates. The teachers automatically gathered but none said a word.
The Hokage strode to the mic positioned in the hand of Hayate. His face was relaxed but the lines around his eyes were tight. He took a breath as the chatter died down.
"Good-"
The mic jerked away as Hayate coughed and wheezed. He straightened after a minute and held the microphone up. The Third kept his expression straight and started over.
"Good afternoon to all Genin teams who have made it through our Forest of Death."
The few teams who had not caught up on that name yet, squirmed and one individual let out a very high squeak. The Hokage let the teams stew for a bit and glanced at Hayate.
"Normally we would-"
Hayate neatly stopped himself from sneezing.
"now give you all a month to prepare for the last round of this Exams, but-"
Hayate cleared his throat and looked away. The Third squinted and carefully continued
"since you all have done much better than we had calculated, we are now having an extra round!"
The Hokage finished just in time for Hayate to start coughing his lungs out. The whole audience winced (aside from probably Gaara but no one dared to look at him to check) as the human microphone stand doubled over and nearly fell off the stage. Some of the foreign Jonin teachers send worried looks to their Konoha colleagues, only to find them inspecting the ceiling or conversing casually with each other.
"Another round?!" Sakura looked at her teammates in despair. "I can't go for another round!"
"Well I can!" Naruto exclaimed, his attempt at cheering her failing miserably when he jumped too high and fell down on his butt.
Sasuke sighed and rolled his eyes. "It'll be fine. Stop worrying."
Kakashi raised an eyebrow at him but remained quiet. Team 11 next to him was freaking out. Shinji had launched into another tirade while Ryuya stared at her leg, looking downright pitiful. Kakashi was pretty sure that Chi was mumbling some ancient curses and took a small step to the side.
On the stage, Hayate was still coughing but the Hokage was not done with his speech yet. So he snatched the microphone with his sleeve-covered hand, and send the proctor to the side.
"Can I have your attention for another few minutes?" He waited for the noise to quiet down. "We are aware that not all of you are in the right state to continue this Exam, so we will give you all now a chance to give up. This is a choice for each individual, as we will no longer look at team as a whole. So, whoever wants to retreat, lift your hand and we will escort you out of here to fill out the right forms and then you are free to return and watch.
Ibiki stole a glance at Ryuya and smiled relieved when she lifted her hand. Shinji grabbed her free hand and squeezed it. Chi only looked on, a pang of sadness hidden in the rusty color of her eyes. Besides them, Sakura clenched her teeth but did not raise her hand. Kakashi felt oddly conflicted.
None of the other Konoha Genin gave up, but plenty of the more battered Genin from other villages decided to throw the towel in the ring. One in particular caught the attention of the Konoha Genin. Silver haired, and silver tongued, Kabuto raised his hand, much to the astonishment of Naruto.
"Oi Kabuto, don't you want to pass this thing once?!" He yelled, embarrassingly loud. This time however, Kakashi could appreciate his knuckle-headed student. As it was, Chi had not given a very accurate description of Kabuto. Her precise words were: 'looks old, glasses, weird pale hair and has cards.'
With the aid of Naruto's inside voice, they now could pinpoint the boy down to the frozen kid with the (indeed) weird hair and glasses. Kabuto had a faint blush on his cheeks and his ears were red. He collected himself after realizing that everyone was staring at him.
"Well, my team is mostly incapacitated and I am actually a medical ninja so it's for the best if I quit now." He explained quickly.
Naruto squinted at him and for a moment Kakashi prayed that his two brain cells had fallen out of orbit , but then Naruto shrugged and said. "It's your funeral, man. Believe it."
Kakashi could kiss the boy.
"Is there anyone else?" The Hokage asked, interrupting the staring contest and wanting to lock the Kabuto kid up as soon as possible.
When no one reacted, he snapped his fingers and ANBU disguised as Chuunin shot down. One by one, the Genin who gave up were led through a back door. A lady materialized next to Ryuya and nodded at Ibiki. Ryuya left quickly and without a word. Her team watched her go with mixed feelings.
A blond guy, as big as a bear with the purple eyes of a cat, landed next to Kabuto and smiled friendly. The boy nodded and followed the guy to the back door. Ibiki's eyebrows reached his missing hairline.
"They are putting him on the kid?" He whispered to Kakashi, a grin threatening to escape.
Kakashi chuckled lightly and shook his head. Asuma- who had made his way to the duo- bit down hard on his cigarette to stop laughing.
"Man, that boy is toast." He murmured, maneuvering his Genin behind Team 7. His team looked exhausted and grumpy but that was nothing new. Choji had gotten his hands on a family package of beef jerky and was munching away. Shikamaru and Ino each held two strips in their hands but looked too tired to chew.
"Will you guys stop being so obvious?" Kurenai startled them all when she materialized next to poor Choji who choked on his snack. Her team was better rested but their clothes were absolutely filthy. No amount of scrubbing and water had gotten rid of the thick layer of mud, grass stains and blood off. Ino wanted to hide.
As the four argued amongst each other, the Hokage looked at them from the stage, willing them to break up already and stop being so damned ob(l)vious. When it didn't seem likely for the trained Jonin to be aware of their position, he coughed into the microphone.
"Right, so now that everyone has decided, Hay- I will explain the rules of this extra round." The Third glanced at the proctor who managed a weak salute. His shinobi were close to useless at times.
"This extra round will consist of one-on-one battles. The battle ends when one of the two becomes incapable of fighting. This will be determined by our medical team and the proctor and the decision is final. The duos will be randomly generated by the computer and the names will appear on the screen." He gestured at a large flat screen that hung rather bluntly between two ancient giant statues.
"If everyone could please clear this area and move to the upper balconies, we can begin immediately."
Underneath the Forest of Death, same time~
Kabuto was in trouble. He had been in trouble before, but this was serious trouble. He knew it from the moment he was led through a claustrophobic tunnel through a back exit and he failed to sense any of the other Genin. A little experimentation with his sensory field told him that there were some very strong chakras waiting for him at the end of the tunnel. Those levels did not belong to any Genin, unless Naruto and Chi had quit the exams as well. Kabuto didn't think that would be likely.
The man behind him (he had no imaginations that the man wasn't ANBU) was silent, like a ghost. His frame filled the whole tunnel like a wall closing in on Kabuto from behind. He gulped and sped up. If he had know what was going to happen at the end of the tunnel, he would have slowed down.
At the tower~
Shikamaru's win was way too easy, they all agreed to that.
Asuma was just glad that the other sensei wasn't holding him responsible. Shikamaru scratched his head and plopped down on the bench, having the audacity to yawn. The unconscious girl was checked by a scrawny medic and then allowed to sleep it off on the bench with her team. Asuma glanced at her and bit his lip. Kurenai elbowed him.
"Don't look so smug, she is just a kid."
"So is Shika!" He winked, barely containing the laughter in his voice.
Kurenai was unimpressed and turned away to tend to Hinata, who had once again fainted. Kakashi had to give it to team 8, they were doing remarkably well in their situation. Akamaru's fur was matted with dirt when they came to the tower, but after some high pressure rinsing, the pup was snow white once again. Kakashi thought of his dog summons and shook his head. They would tear me apart if I got them that dirty...
He scratched his hand and peeked at the corner beneath the large statues. There was a pricking sensation against his skin. A feeling he had felt before. He focused on the exam.
The next duo was chosen. Naruto vs Kiba. The battle was hard, especially for the spectators. Sakura tapped him on his hands. Kakashi tore his eye away from the battlefield.
"Sensei, you're bending the bar." She said in a low voice, wincing when Naruto endured another beating from the dog/human duo.
"Ah." He pried his fingers away with much effort. Indeed, the bar now sported the shape of his hands. "Thank you, Sakura." He hoped that his smile didn't look as pained as he felt.
Naruto meanwhile got up again and roared. Kakashi half expected- never hoped- the Nine Tailed Fox to jump out and finish the battle here and now, but instead the orange ninja created over a hundred clones and charged. Kakashi eyed the other contestants, who were now giving the boy the Evil and Shocked eye. Maybe not the smartest move.
The battle lasted quite a while. Kiba was getting tired while Naruto wasn't even concerned. Chakra flew all around the tower, making the Hyuuga's wince. Even Sasuke seemed to be more invested than he would ever admit. The boy was standing on the lower bars of the railing and leaned forward. His Sharingan, with permission, was out and spinning wildly. They were up so high, the others would never see it anyway.
The battle eventually came to a pretty lame conclusion. To make a long story short: Naruto farted. Kakashi didn't know what else he had expected.
The names on the board started to change again. The two boys were brought up to their teams, Asuma handed some money to Kurenai and a grinning Genma, and both kids were received with cheers. All the Konoha Rookies were just happy one of the two had made it. Kakashi just wondered what the one exception was thinking. His eye met Ibiki's and together they looked at the brown haired girl, who was staring hard at the board.
Chi thought that she masked it pretty well. No one had given her a second glance, except for Ino but that was only for a second. Chi was sure that her muscles would tear if she tensed them any more. The scents in the room spun around her but they weren't enough to overpower his smell. Her skin crawled and she refused to look in that one corner where the shadow was just a touch darker.
Can't they open a window or something?
The minutes passed and Chi was making dents in the iron bar. Her braces groaned under the pressure of her chakra.
"Chi."
Her sensei's voice startled her out of her thoughts. The metal twisted between her fingers and the stone floor beneath her feet cracked.
Ibiki rose his hands, Kakashi behind him. "It's just us."
"Sensei..." Chi breathed and let the bar go. The leftover fell down.
"What's wrong?" Ibiki came next to her. Kakashi stood on her other side, effectively shielding her from the dark corner. Chi looked at him and then down again.
"Just nervous."
"Sure?" Ibiki exchanged a look with his colleague.
"Yeah." Chi clenched her jaw.
A cheer went up in the crowd.
"Chi!" Shinji ran to her friend. "Chi, you're up!"
The board displayed "Ketsueki Chi VS Nara Temari." Ibiki felt his stomach clench. Shinji gave her friend an anxious look.
"Chi! That's the chick from-"
"I know." Chi cut her off.
"Don't forget, try to-"
"Yeah, got it."
She nodded at the trio around her and turned. Temari was already on the first floor. Sensing Chi's eyes on her, she looked up and grinned. Chi narrowed her eyes. Ibiki noted with a start that they were getting very red.
"Chi? Are you hungry?" He quietly asked.
Chi's response send shivers down his spine no matter how much he claimed to have seen worse. Her upper lip curled and she licked her canines. "Oh, very much."
She leaned forward and let herself fall down through the gap, landing with the grace of a cat. Her haori hung from one shoulder and she shrugged it back on, tightening it with her belt. Hayate stood in the midst of them, looking rather apathetic in a situation that would have send plenty of shinobi in high alert. Wind started to pick up in the arena, despite not having any openings.
Hinata squirmed and covered her eyes. Kurenai send a worried glance at Ibiki, who could only incline his head. He had no idea what happened in the forest with the two but he was about to find out. He kicked Shinji's ankle gently.
"What happened in the forest?" He whispered in the deadly silence.
Shinji started but kept her voice down "We met them. Chi fought all three of them while I got Ryuya away."
"So she knows how Chi fights?" Ibiki felt dread settle in his stomach like a boulder.
Shinji faced him, her eyes were wide and unsure. "I don't know. I don't know how Chi fights for real."
Damn, she's right. No one has seen her fight seriously. And now she's hungry too. Ibiki's headache returned in all it's glory. Ryuya's warm hand slipped into his and he forced himself to calm down as she leaned into him. Together with all the Jonin of Konoha, Ibiki mentally crossed his fingers as the battle began.
At first it seemed like none of them would move. Temari was still smiling at Chi, her giant fan planted next to her on the ground. Chi's face had gone completely devoid of emotion, but her eyes were like rubies. Eventually, she lowered herself in a crouch with her arms stretched in front of her and tilted her head. Wind picked up from around her.
"How's the leg?" Chi asked.
Temari's smile tightened. "Perfect."
Chi licked her lips "For now."
The fan was up and moving before anyone could react. A blast of air shot to Chi and left a sizable cut in the wall behind her. Chi herself was in the air and landed just a few meters near Temari, who immediately lashed out with a roundhouse kick. Chi dodged it but didn't attack. The two were silent again.
Up in the audience, Naruto clutched his stomach. Kakashi's inner alarms started to wail. Chi's breathing grew heavier and she leaned forward. A thin crack ran from underneath her feet to the stage. Temari frowned.
"What's wrong, can't handle the pressure?"
Chi gritted her teeth and stood straight, though with much effort. Her eyes flashed and Temari jolted, feeling her leg cramp.
"What's wrong? Can't handle it?" Chi forced out.
Temari could feel her veins expand as the blood gathered there. She opened her fan again and send another whirlwind at her foe. Chi let go of her focus and shot up against the wall. Temari wanted to shake her leg to get some feeling back, but instead caught the eye of Gaara. The redhead was looking right through her and their plan shot through her head again.
Cursing she turned to Chi, who was now much closer and coming at her with a right hook. She blocked it with her fan, before throwing it aside. The two engaged in quick hand to hand combat until Temari swiped Chi's legs from underneath her. Chi hit the ground and Temari immediately jumped on top of her. She pulled out a kunai and lifted it. Chi grinned, which was a horrifying sight to see with her red eyes and sharp teeth.
Ibiki wondered how much gore was allowed during a Chuunin exam. Temari brought her weapon down and slit Chi's throat. Ibiki counted to three. Temari jumped away with a cry. Her left knee gave as she landed. She looked down and found a deep cut in her thigh. Chi crawled up with the same grin on her face, though her face was now two shades paler. A small version of her special hollowed kunai was in her hand.
Ibiki remembered that kunai, how could he forget. Chi's clan used it to take blood from their opponents. It was virtually painless but only if the other was distracted properly. Ibiki figured that attempting to murder the opponent was enough of a distraction. Chi made good use of that.
Various Genin and Jonin let their disbelief and disgust be heard. Chi's neck was clearly separated from the front, exposing muscles and even cartilage. The skin curled like burned paper and turned black as they watched. A few drops of blood made it down but she swiped them of with her fingers. She straightened and Ibiki wished that she wouldn't tilt her head back like that because everyone could now see her neck's anatomy. Not even in black.. She lowered her chin again and brought the kunai up.
"To our battle. To our villages. To victory." She rasped.
Temari looked like she'd rather face her brother and spared a helpless glance at the tight-lipped Hokage. Chi tipped the kunai and even the toughest of Jonin had to turn away. The muscles moved as she swallowed the blood. The whole display lasted about three seconds before she lowered the kunai and tossed it aside. She wiped her lips and licked her fingers. You could've heard a pin drop in the tower.
"What- Y-you-" Temari stammered and clutched her fan.
"What?" Chi drawled. "I was hungry."
She took a step forward and made a sign. A dozen copies appeared all around Temari. The latter took them out with with a wave of her fan. Chi summoned a shuriken and made a cut on her hand. Dark blood pooled in her palm.
"What the hell are you?!" Temari leaned forward, every muscle tense and ready to attack.
Chi tilted her head and the yellow eyes were all Temari saw before Chi was onto her. Her leg seemed bolted to the floor, her veins burning. Fear crept all over her skin. Fear like she had never sensed before. The sweet metallic scent of blood filled her nose and laid upon her tongue. Unwillingly, Temari dropped her fan from her stiff fingers. Chi was now a few centimeters away from her. She grinned.
"I am the monster in your mind."
Chakra flared all around her, cold and sweet with a rotten aftertaste. Like a rotting body, her mind supplied. Bile rose in her throat. Strong hands grabbed Temari from behind and held her down. Chi formed a few signs and pressed her bloody palm against her forehead. Icy fire spread across Temari's body and the world turned black. Only Chi's voice, raspy and low, echoed in the silence.
"Ketsueki Yamanaka style: Mind Prison Jutsu."
Two enormous yellow orbs opened in front of her, with a little black pinprick in each. Temari only heard her own voice, echoing from all directions as she screamed.