Disclaimer: It is obvious that I don't own Naruto so don't sue me.
Playing the Role of the Byakugan Princess
Chunin Exam Arc: Part Two
Chapter twenty-one
I knew something major like this was going to happen since Sasuke didn't receive his Cursed Mark. Something was going to happen that didn't happen in the anime/manga and that so happens to be Yoroi and Misumi. The two people that I barely even remember and what skills they possess have to be our opponents right now. Misumi has to have other techniques besides being able to stretch out his limbs and I think Yoroi can absorb a person's chakra or make them tired or something. All I know is that Kabuto being missing could be seen as a good thing if it isn't for the fact that he is probably conspiring with Orochimaru somewhere right now. Or, he is actually nearby and has found out a way to avoid my Byakugan. Which, I wouldn't put that against him since he is a very intelligent guy. Another thing I do know for sure is that Yoroi and Misumi are probably stronger than the average Genin since they seen much, much older than us and they are working undercover for Orochimaru. Hopefully, Shikamaru's plan against them will work.
"Watch out for his hands!" I warn the others about Yoroi as he charges after us.
We all split up with the partners that Shikamaru had assigned us to go along with his plan: Sasuke and Ino jumping in the front, Naruto and I stationing ourselves in the middle, Shikamaru and Sakura hiding out in the back. Naruto and I stand in a defensive stance while we wait until it is our turn to do our part as Ino and Sasuke take on Misumi and Yoroi. As Misumi arms go to wrap themselves around Sasuke, probably so he can pull himself forward and contort his body around Sasuke to constrict him, Sasuke activates his Sharingan and quickly weaves some handsigns and grabs both of Misumi's arms. He twists them together and lowers his face so his mouth is leveled with the arms. As Sasuke is about to perform his jutsu, Ino sidesteps a swipe from Yoroi and rapidly lifts up a finger.
"Fire Style: Dragon Fire Jutsu!" Sasuke shouts.
"Water Style: Gunshot!" Ino shouts.
He breathes out a large burst of fire and the flames catch onto to Misumi's arms and begin to travel at a fast pace towards his body as multiple thick water balls spurt out of Ino's mouth, hitting Yoroi and knocking him to the ground from the close range. Not wasting a moment, Ino makes her clan handsign for her favorite jutsu, focuses on Yoroi, and she instantly drops to the ground. Nothing happens for a few seconds.
As these seconds tick on by, Misumi widen his eyes at the incoming fire and releases extra energy to break hold of Sasuke's death grip to retract his burning arms. As he does so, he makes a couple of handsigns of his own and a spurt of water shoots out of his mouth and onto his arms to wash the fire away. The flames easily fizzle out, leaving behind third degree burns and a pissed off Misumi.
The man begins to charge after Sasuke and hurls a handful of shuriken towards the boy. Sasuke leaps into the air to avoid the attack, but Misumi extends his legs out to meet him and attempts to land a punch. Sasuke performs a mid-air backflip to evade the punch and goes to attack with a kick. Misumi stretches out an arm to grab Sasuke and begins to spin him around like a lasso. Misumi hurls him towards Naruto and I, but Sasuke is able to stop himself from crashing into us and lands gracefully on his feet. As he is landing, I see glimpses of wire hidden between Sasuke's fingers and they seem to be attached to something in Sasuke's pocket.
As Sasuke prepares for his next move, Yoroi suddenly stands up and brushes himself off. He wiggles his fingers and toes around and then glances at Sasuke and the rest of us.
"I got a hold of his body!" Yoroi says, well I guess Ino now since it seems like she successfully completed her jutsu. "However, I am low on chakra so I won't be able to maintain it for long so hurry up!"
Sasuke barely nods and weaves handsigns once more as Misumi briefly looks at his possessed partner and starts to do the same.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" Sasuke hollars.
"Water Style: Wild Water Wave!" Misumi hollars.
A long gush of water pours out of Misumi's mouth as multiple small fireballs shoot out of Sasuke's mouth. As the fireballs begin to come out, Sasuke quickly flings out the shurikens attached to his wire out of his pocket and tosses them into each fireball. The two attacks collide and a small explosion occurs. However, the shurikens that are revealed now soar through the smoke and I hear a small shout of pain and surprise. Smirking, Sasuke pulls back the shurikens with his wire and then manipulates the wire to wrap around Misumi.
This is where Naruto and I come in as backup. As the wires wrap around Misumi, Naruto and I cross our fingers together, causing me to wince in pain for having to use my injured wrist once again, and two Shadow Clones appear beside of us. We all rush into the dissipating smoke and surround Misumi just as he abruptly breakers free from Sasuke's wires, just as Shikamaru expected.
The point of having Ino take over Yoroi's body and for Sasuke to tie up Misumi is to get them in one spot so they couldn't move. Shikamaru predicted that Misumi would be able to break free of the wire, so Naruto and I were to surround him to prevent him from leaving his spot. Binding Misumi momentarily was just to stop him from moving.
As also expected, Misumi tries to escape. However, Shikamaru was not expecting the guy to be able to do freaky stuff with his limbs. Neither was I since I kind of forgot he was able to. But, luckily, we are able to stop him as we all jump into the air as he extends his arms out to grab a branch right above us. Improvising, my clones and I disable one arm while Naruto bites the other arm like a damn dog while his clones latch themselves onto to it to become heavyweight. Weird strategy, but if it works it works. Misumi roars in a sudden fit of rage and tries to shake Naruto off, but fails.
Naruto has some really strong… um teeth?
Misumi whirls his good arm around to smack Naruto and his clones into me and my clones. As my clones and I prepare to leap out of the way, Misumi randomly stops moving halfway into his attack as two hands suddenly pop out from the ground beneath him and begin to drag him down under. As Shikamaru pulls Misumi's feet down, Naruto and his clones fall off of Misumi's arms to avoid going under with him. The only thing that is showing now is Misumi's head. Naruto giggles mischievously and swiftly kicks the guy in the back of the head and then jumps backwards for his safety.
"Urk! B-Bastard!" Misumi yells.
My clones and I have to look away in order to prevent ourselves from laughing in this situation because that was funny. Naruto spontaneously kicking the shit out of Misumi like a damn football? Priceless. He just made the rest of this hellish week for me.
Suddenly, Ino grabs Yoroi's head. "Hurry, Shikamaru! He's trying to take control! I can't hold on for much longer!"
"I'm on it!" I hear Shikamaru mumble from underground.
He burrows underground towards Yoroi's body. He stops right in front of the body and creates a hole to crawl out of. He carefully picks up Ino's body and hurries over back to Sakura, who is taking guard of Kin still. Just as Shikamaru sets Ino's body down beside of Kin, Yoroi's body starts to tremble and then the body slumps to the ground. Half a second later, Ino opens her eyes in her own body and blinks.
Before Yoroi can come to his senses to stand up, Shikamaru creates the Rat handsign and two shadows divert from underneath him. He manipulates them to go into the hole he created earlier in front of him. Without using my Byakugan, I already know that one shadow is going to Misumi, in order to prevent him from somehow breaking free from his hole, while the other shadow heads towards Yoroi. The shadow after Yoroi slithers out of the hole Shikamaru just created in front of him and connects itself to the man.
Shikamaru smirks. "Shadow Possession Jutsu, complete… Wait. Forgot one thing." Exerting out extra chakra, he splits a small part of the shadow holding Yoroi off and allows the shadow to slide into Yoroi's pocket to wrap itself around their Heaven Scroll and brings it back to it's master. "Now, it is complete."
Even though we really don't need one, taking a scroll from them increases the chances of them not fighting us in the preliminary rounds. While Sasuke and Kankuro, I think that's who fights them, wins against Yoroi and Misumi in the anime/manga, they did not cross paths with any of the Rookie 9 during their time in the Forest of Death. Since we have came in contact with him when we are not suppose to things may change for the worse if they stay in the competition. So, taking their scroll could be a good thing for us.
"You damn brat!" Yoroi growls as he struggles to move.
We all ignore him and turn to Shikamaru. "What now?" Sasuke asks.
Shikamaru shrugs, causing Yoroi and Misumi to do the same. "I was thinking about having Hinata disable their chakra pathways while allowing Naruto to knock them out for good measure. Then, letting you tie them up with your wire and we head to the Tower. We will long be at the Tower, if nothing else gets in our way, by the time they wake up."
"What about their third member?" Sakura asks from behind with caution. "I find it weird that he isn't with them."
She flickers her eyes over to me and I activated my Byakugan. Once again, no Kabuto within my vision. "I looked earlier and I am checking again, but I do not see no signs of Kabuto," I tell her.
"Well, then, let me at them!" Naruto practically cheers as he and his Shadow Clones wind their fists up. "I'm dying to finish this Exam and eat a good hot meal and sleep in a comfortable bed so go ahead and do your thing, Hinata-chan!"
My body suddenly aches in agreement with him, but I roll my eyes. "Don't rush me, mister."
I stroll over to Yoroi first, raise my good palm, and quickly strike their major chakra points. Shikamaru's shadow is the only thing holding Yoroi up right now or he would be laying on the ground. I make my way over to Misumi to pull him and block his chakra pathways. As I gently grab his head to start pulling, a quick flicker suddenly distracts me out of the corner of my eye. I stop what I am doing and expand my vision outward just in time to see Kabuto making his way towards us with great speeds.
Shit! Shit! Shit! What the hell?! How did he just pop out of nowhere? He wasn't in my vision less than a minute ago and is already almost here?! Kabuto is just about as fast as Lee! Isn't he afraid his true nature is going to be revealed from moving so fast? He proved to everybody before the written exam when he was attacked by the Oto Shinobi that he was quick on his feet, but not this quick.
I pull my kunai and order my clones to finish the job for me as I regroup with my friends.
"What's wrong?" Sasuke asks as he sees the frantic look on my face and takes a step towards me.
"Kabuto will be here in about twenty seconds," I warn him.
Sakura and Ino gasp in shock as Shikamaru and Sasuke tense up and Naruto gives me a puzzled look. "But, how is that possible?" he questions. "You just checked with your Byakugan and said he wasn't nearby."
"Sounds like somebody is hiding his skills," Shikamaru says with narrowed eyes.
Naruto widen his eyes. "What? No way! Why would he do that? That doesn't make any sense!"
I look over at my clones to see they have finished disabling Misumi for me and I lift up a finger to get rid of them. As I did so, I see with my Byakugan as Kabuto is about to break through the trees to greet us.
"Maybe he will be able to answer your question," I tell Naruto. "Because he's here."
As I speak those last three words, Kabuto crashes through the trees and lands in between his teammates and the six of us, well eight if you count Naruto's Shadow Clones. Kabuto takes in the situation, sighs, and adjusts his glasses. All eight of us watch his every move as he goes to check on Yoroi and Misumi, who Shikamaru still has his shadows on. He seems to mumble something in both of their ears before dropping his head and then turning to face us. We all glare at him and tense up once more as he scratches the back of his head and holds up his hands.
"I turn my back on my teammates for a few moments and they sneak off to attack you guys!" Kabuto says to us in a tone that contained a mixture of embarrassment and amusement.
Sasuke, however, doesn't seem to find any of this amusing. "What do you mean turn your back on them?"
"We were taking a rest and I volunteered to go out and find some food," Kabuto explains in his same tone of voice. Hmm, he's good. That's a believable lie. "I didn't realize those two had sensed you guys and went after you all."
"Why would they leave you behind?" Shikamaru questions. "If they sensed all of us and wanted to strike, they would have had a better chance with bringing you along since the numbers are clearly not on their side."
Kabuto nods in agreement. "One might think that, yes, but-"
"But, he would have just gotten in our ways," Yoroi croaks from behind Kabuto.
Kabuto coughs in mild annoyance. "Well, you didn't have to put it like that," he mumbles. He looks back at us and gives us a crooked smile. "You see, I'm not the strongest person on this team. What I lack in power and technique I make up for in my speed and intelligence."
I would question the fact why he is admitting his strengths and weaknesses to us if he hadn't already proved it to us in someway. He showed us his speed when the Oto Shinobi attacked him, he showed us his intelligence in gathering information when he showed us his cards, and Yoroi just implied that he is weak and usually gets in their way. All of this would have made perfect sense to me if I didn't know the true Kabuto. If I didn't, I would have just thought Kabuto as a friendly, nerdy guy who doesn't have much luck when it comes to the Chunin Exams.
However, the pace he was going on his way here is abnormal compared to the above average speed that he has been showing to play his part as a Genin. The question is should I or should I not call him at on it. If I call him out on it, he might just get ticked off and reveal his true powers and kill us all in a blink of an eyes. He is capable. If I don't question him, I might lose the chance of creating doubt in my friend's mind about Kabuto. I could also lose the chance of revealing his true self and motives to a higher up and be able to stop him sooner.
As I ponder about these things, Naruto answers my internal conflicting question for me. "But, how did you get here so fast?"
Kabuto arches an eyebrow. "I'm afraid I don't know what you mean by that. I just told you I'm a pretty fast individual."
I sigh. Might as well elaborate for Naruto. All cards on the table.
"With my Byakugan, one moment you were not in my vision and then less than a minute later you were," I explain to him. "At the speed you showed us before the written exam, it would've been impossible for you to suddenly appear in my vision like that and get here so fast. And, my vision can expand pretty far."
Kabuto just stares at me for a second and then gives us another crooked smile. "Well, a true Shinobi isn't suppose to reveal everything about themselves to others. This is the Chunin Exams after all. I might've been targeted if my opponents knew how quick I could really be. I would've probably been targeted and chased just to see if someone could catch me. Now, why would I want such a thing to happen to me and my teammates?"
I curl in my lips, frustrated. He always had a damn answer for everything! And, they are all believable and good answers!
Shikamaru takes a step forward and all eyes are on him. "Well, as you can see, your teammates failed to steal a scroll from us. No offense, but you will not be able to take us on if you are planning to do so."
I know Shikamaru is just trying to diffuse the situation so we can hurry to the Tower, but yes he can! Shut up!
Kabuto shakes his head. "Oh, no. I wasn't planning that at all. I was just merely searching for my teammates. I would be stupid to try to take a scroll from you guys." He eyes the Heaven Scroll that Shikamaru is holding in his hand. "Though, it looks like you guys managed to take our scroll." He glances back at his Yoroi and Misumi. "And, here I thought I would be the one to screw up and cause us to lose our scroll."
"Shut it," Yoroi growls as Misumi scowls.
Naruto leans into my ear. "Can we not just give Kabuto his scroll back? I know those guys attack us, but he's a nice guy. He's helped us out by giving us pointers when he didn't have to and showed us information about the other competitors. Why don't we return the favor and help him out?"
Poor, Naruto. Always trying to be the good guy in any situation he is in. Too bad that isn't going to convince me, and hopefully anybody else, to change my mind.
"I understand where you are coming from," I whisper back. "However, if we give the scroll back to him what if he becomes that obstacle that prevents you from becoming a Chunin? You heard what he said: a Shinobi never reveals their secrets. He was already hiding how fast he is. I bet he is hiding other aspects of him as well and I really don't want to find out what they are."
Naruto opens his mouth to protest back, but I pull a Hiashi and hold up my hand to silence him. His face drops in defeat, but he respects my non verbal command.
Suddenly, Kabuto shifts his attention over towards Kin and he raises his eyebrows."Now, she looks familiar. Is she one of those Shinobi from Otogakure that attacked me? Are you guys carrying her around as a trophy for defeating her and her teammates? Maybe as bait?"
Sasuke glowers at Kabuto and the four-eyes takes a step back. "That is none of your business."
Kabuto holds his hands up once more. "You are right. I apologize! It isn't none of my business. I just found it strange that you guys have her in your company." None of says anything in response, even Naruto.
Sorry, Kabuto. You are not prying anything out of us, though it sucks we ran into you and now you will tell Orochimaru what you saw.
Kabuto awkwardly coughs and adjusts his glasses. "Well, since you guys have our scroll, I'm going to just gather up my teammates and try to heal them to the best of my ability," Kabuto warns us so we don't suddenly spring on him if he goes for his teammates.
Shikamaru nods and releases his jutsu from Yoroi and Misumi. "That's your best choice right now."
Kabuto walks over to retrieve his teammates, slinging both of them over his shoulders like a couple of rag dolls. Before he takes off, he gives us one last passing glance. "Even though you guys have our scroll, I hope to be seeing you guys in the next round. It is only the second day so don't count us out just yet!" He gives us a kind smile.
Naruto grins back and sticks out his thumb. "Best of luck to ya, Kabuto!"
Kabuto gives Naruto a quick wave, seeing he is the only one who has given him any warm interaction, and hops off. As soon as Kabuto is out of my vision, I deactivate my Byakugan and huff a sign of relief.
"He's gone," I inform everybody.
"For now," Sasuke says. "We aren't that far away from the Tower. We need to go before anybody else gets in our way."
"Yeah," Ino agrees. "I'm low on chakra so I don't think I can handle another fight. Plus, Hinata and Shikamaru are still injured and we are all hungry and exhausted."
"I hope I get to wash my hair," Sakura says as she runs her hands through it. "It's so dirty and tangly."
"Well, let's stop talking about all the things we want to do and let's get to the Tower so we can actually do those things!" Naruto tells them matter of factly.
Sakura just rolls her eyes as Ino's eyebrow twitches. I bet if she had more energy that she would have yelled at Naruto or bonked him on the head with her fist.
Sasuke decides it is his turn to carry Kin so he throws the girl over his shoulder as Shikamaru hides the Heaven Scroll in his backpack and we head off to the Tower. As before when we were traveling, I keep my Byakugan active to watch out for any danger and we walk in our line that Shikamaru assembled. After about twenty minutes of walking, the Tower finally comes into view. Before taking a step further, I scope out the area and find that the coast is clear. Sakura and Ino squeal with joy at the sight of the Tower as Naruto cheers and me, Sasuke, and Shikamaru smile in relief. Kin just lays there, silently.
We all sprint towards the Tower and stop in front of it once we reach it. There seems to be multiple doors in front of us and each door has a seal on it. Above each door is a piece of paper with several teams listed on each on. I guess so we can enter the Tower in an organized matter if more than one team come at once. Our team has to go through the third door while Team Seven has to go through the first one.
"Well, I guess we have to go through our designated doors," I say to everybody.
"I hope there is some ramen waiting for me on the other side," Naruto says as he licks his lips and rubs his hands together.
"Somehow, I doubt that," Sasuke mumbles.
"Maybe they have some in a kitchen or something inside," I tell Naruto. "I mean, they should have some kind of food. We can't just starve for the next three days."
"We have our rations you told us to pack," Shikamaru reminds.
I shift my eyes over to my teammate. "I know that. But, I think we deserve higher quality food after what we been through."
Shikamaru shrugs. "I was just letting you know that there is no way for us to starve."
I ignore my troublesome pineapple head and turn back to Team Seven. "We can meet up with you guys later if you can handle spending three more days with us. I don't want to be around any strangers."
"Yeah, there are some freaks here," Naruto comments.
"Eh, I don't know if I want to put up with Billboard Brow any longer," Ino teases.
Flames spark in Sakura's eyes and she points at me. "Put up with me?! Don't forget that I saved your butt, Ino-pig!"
On second thought, maybe it isn't a good idea for us to spend anymore time together.
"What do we about the girl?" Shikamaru asks, breaking up the potential argument. We all look over Kin as she is still draped over Sasuke's shoulder.
I tap my chin. Good question. I kind of expected for an Anbu or someone to randomly appear once we had reached the Tower and take Kin from us. By now, they have to know that those three Oto Shinobi were apart of Orochimaru's plans. I highly doubt we have been going through this Exam without being watched by cameras or some Anbu, especially since we got attacked by Orochimaru.
"I'll take her," a low voice says behind me, causing all of us to jump.
Team Ten whirls around on the offensive and we instantly drop our guards as we see an Anbu wearing a hawk's mask staring back at us. Damn, these Anbu are so damn sneaky! Giving me a damn heart attack. I didn't sense him behind me! That's scary!
"Do you need any of us to come with you?" Sasuke asks before handing over Kin.
The Anbu shakes his head. I am assuming it is a male since the person spoke in a low voice, but I cannot really say for sure. "You will be summoned if any questions need to be clarified."
So, either we have been watched or they want to get information out of the girl first and then report what we have to say after this Exam is over with. It isn't like they cancel the Exam or drag us out in the middle of it for questioning. I mean, I guess you can if you are the Hokage. But, he's not going to do that.
Sasuke nods. "Understood," he tells the Anbu and he hands over Kin to the hawkman. The Anbu carefully places the girl over his shoulder, lifts his finger up, and disappears without a poof of smoke.
Skilled.
After a couple of seconds of silence, I decide to break it. "Well, that answers your question Shikamaru."
Shikamaru sighs. "No kidding. That guy came out of nowhere. I wish he came sooner though so we didn't have to travel with her."
Both Sakura and Ino twitched their eyebrows. "Why are you complaining for?! You didn't even have to carry her!"
Shikamaru holds his hands up in surrender as I clasp my hands together. "Maybe we should just go through our doors before some heads get ripped off."
Everybody is actually eager to take my advice so we all wave to one another and walk up to our designated door. The three of us look at each other for a second and then I pull open the doors, causing the seal to break. We walk into an open room with nothing in it but a large scroll, with words written on it, resting on the wall ahead of us.
"Well, what now?" I wonder out loud. I kind of forgot what we are supposed to do now that we have entered the Tower. Do we open our scrolls now or wait for someone to come greet us?
"Hey, what does this say?" Sakura asks, referring to the large scroll. We all look up at it as she begins to read the words on it. "If you do not possess Heaven, gain knowledge and be prepared. If you do not possess Earth, run through the fields and seek strength. If you open both Heaven and Earth Scrolls, dangerous paths turn into safe paths. This is the secret something. It shall lead you on your way. Hmm, it looks like there is a part missing. You two see that blank spot?"
Shikamaru and I nod. So, we do have to open our scrolls!
"I think the writing is referring to our Heaven and Earth Scroll," I tell him. "We probably have to open them."
"Yeah, maybe the missing part is hidden in the scrolls," Shikamaru adds on. "Maybe we have to write down the missing part to complete the Exam."
I shake my head. "I don't think we have to do that. I think we have to just open them. Unlike our team, not everybody has writing utensils on them. Unless they expected us to fill in the blank with our blood or something."
Shikamaru rolls his eyes. "The sarcastic comment wasn't needed."
I point at myself and wink. "Sorry, it comes with the package."
"Then, can I please send you back?"
I stick my tongue out at him and then look over at Sakura. "Let's open the scrolls together."
I hand her the Heaven Scroll while I keep the Earth Scroll. I hear Sakura gulp as we slowly start to peel back the scrolls while Shikamaru leans his head in to watch. I don't blame Sakura for being so nervous; Anko was very serious about us not opening the scrolls. We quickly open the scrolls all the way. The scrolls unroll revealing some words and some kind of seal with the word "Person" labeled on top of the seal.
Sakura cocks her head to the side with a puzzled look on her face. "Person?" she repeats. Suddenly, smoke begins to rise out of the scrolls and Sakura and I gasp in surprise. "W-what's going on?"
I widen my eyes. "It is a summoning inscription. Sakura! We need to throw the scrolls away from us!"
She nods and we both through our scrolls away from us and they roll onto the ground. We all take a couple of steps back as the scrolls overlap one another and more smoke pour out of the scrolls until a dark figure unexpectedly pops out of the scroll. I arch my eyebrow as I realize who it was, even though I forgot his name I remember his face. What is he doing here?
"What?" Shikamaru says as we stare at the guy in front of us.
"Heh, it seems like I won the bet after all," the guy chuckles as he shoves his hands into his pocket. "Though, it looks like you three have been to hell and back."
Technically, I have done that before if you count genjutsu.
"What bet?" Sakura asks. "What's going on? Who are you and why are you here?"
The guy sighs in mock disappointment. "I'm offended that you don't recognize this face. You guys just saw it a couple of days ago."
"Well, you were under disguise back then the first time we meet you and the second time we were too engrossed in our exam to remember all the proctors in the room," I politely reminded the guy.
The guy looks taken back for a second before smirking. "It seems you have good eyes and memory, kid."
I shrug. "Well, I do possess the Byakugan."
The guy bursts out laughing and I don't understand what is funny. "Man, Asuma was right about this team. You guys are interesting I must say!"
Shikamaru raises an eyebrow. "You know Asuma?"
The guy crosses his arm. "Sure do. We are good buddies. I work with him on missions from time to time." Sakura opens her mouth to say something, but the guy cuts her off. "Don't worry. I didn't forget your questions. My name is Hagane Kotetsu and I am here because us Chunins are to welcome the examinees at the end of the Second Exam."
Kotetsu! That's his name! He's the only guy I know that wears a large ass strip of bandage on his nose. Seriously, doesn't that thing make it harder for him to breathe? It is so thick!
"I was given Team Ten so I can give you guys a special message," he continues and then itches his nose with a finger. "Actually, I chose you guys since you three are Asuma's students. I was curious and wanted to see the baby Genin."
Baby Genin? Haven't heard that one before.
"What message?" Sakura questions.
Kotetsu grins at us. "First off, I want to say congratulations for passing the Second Exam!"
I feel my own grin spread across my face with joy. I already knew that we had passed the moment we reached the Tower, but hearing him say that just set it in stone for me. I pump my right fist into the air. "Woohoo! We passed!" I cheer. Suddenly, pain shoots through my hand and I realize I am moving my injured wrist around. I wince in pain as I hold on to it and gently bring it down.
Kotetsu chuckles once more. "Heh, it looks like you have hurt yourself. Don't overdo it." As I feel my face grow slightly red in embarrassment, Kotetsu picks up one of the scrolls underneath him and lifts it up. "The point of this exam was to test how well you can follow orders and complete a mission all the way through. Sometimes, as Chunin, you will be sent off on missions where you will have to deliver some top secret information sealed up in a scroll like this. At times, you might wonder what it is inside of the scroll but you have to complete your mission and not open it for any reason. By not opening these scrolls, you guys have proven that you have what it takes to take on such missions."
Well, we really didn't have time to sit around and wonder what is hidden inside of these scrolls. But, I would never risk a mission, life, or my Shinobi career just to open a scroll.
"What would have happened if we had open the scrolls?" Shikamaru asks, now wondering himself.
Kotetsu punches the air. "Simple. I knock you guys out and you would've failed the Exam for breaking the rules."
Sakura scrunches up her face. "Knock us out? Brutal."
Kotetsu shrugs. "Well, they shouldn't be opened in the first place. Urges may happen, but that doesn't mean you should act upon them."
I point at the large scroll behind him. "Is whatever written in the scrolls the missing piece to that blank over there?"
Kotetsu looks over to see what I am talking about and nods. "I was getting around to that. What is written on that wall is the principle Hokage-sama wrote that you three should keep in mind as a Chunin. Since it seems like you guys have already read it, you have probably figured out that Heaven refers to the mind of a person while the Earth means the body. If one does not have a strong mind, go out and gain knowledge and be prepared. Study, meditate, go out on a variety of mission to gain various experiences. If one does not have a strong body, run through the the fields and seek strength. Train yourself everyday, push yourself to new limits, never give up. If you have both a strong mind and a strong body, Heaven and Earth, any dangerous missions will become safe. You will be a well-rounded and ready Shinobi.
"As for the empty blank, it symbolizes Chunin. That is what that word, Person, means in your scroll. It goes there. This Exam is also meant to test your basic abilities as a Chunin, which was why you were not allowed to have your Jounin leaders around. Chunin is a commander-class. They have the duty to lead others in a team. Sometimes it is two people. Sometimes it can be ten. Either way, you have to be ready for anything that comes at you since your comrades will be looking to you for commands. Following the Chunin principle will help you guide your teams to success. If you have the balance of Heaven and Earth on your side, you will almost never fail. Always remember this."
A realization hits me. Has Asuma been training us this whole time to balance our Heaven and Earth? I remember him mentioning to Kakashi a few days back that he doesn't only train us to fight with our fists. We are trained and encouraged to use our minds as well. At the same time, we are also given equal time to train our bodies. In our training sessions, one part is never more important than the other. It is always equal. Ordering us to come up with formations and teaching us to think on our feet helps our Heaven while improving on our weaknesses and overdoing ourselves in teaching training sessions helps our Earth. It isn't just some random training he decides to give us for the day. He has been helping us prepare to become Chunin since the first day we met him. No, it is more than that. He has been helping us to become the best Shinobi he knows we can be.
I don't care what anybody says or what kind of reputation Kakashi has or how strong Guy is. Asuma is the best out of all of them and I am thankful to have him as my sensei.
We all nod in understanding and Kotetsu clears his throat. "Well, that is all I am suppose to tell you guys. Until the Exam is completely over on the fifth day, you guys will be hanging around the Tower. There is plenty of food to eat and beds to sleep in. Once again, congratulations on passing the Second Exam and good luck in the Third one!"
"Wait!" Shikamaru calls out. He pulls out the scroll we took from Kabuto's team. "We took an extra scroll from a team that we do not need. What do we do with it?"
Kotetsu shrugs. "Throw it on the ground? I don't know. I don't need it. Impressive that you went above and beyond and grabbed another scroll."
Shikamaru does as Kotetsu suggests and tosses it on the ground. Kotetsu is about to poof away again.
"Wait!" Sakura hollars before Kotetsu can poof away. "You forgot to answer one of my questions."
Kotetsu raises an eyebrow. "Oh, yeah. What would that be?"
"What bet did you win?"
Kotetsu laughs. "Oh, that question? I didn't win anything major. I just made a bet with my pal, Izumo, and Asuma how many days it will take before you guys complete the exam. Asuma said one day, I said two, and Izumo said four. I would say that at least your sensei has a lot of faith in you guys. Too bad you didn't come a day earlier or he wouldn't have lost some money just now."
Sakura, Shikamaru, and I sweatdrop. Of course Asuma made a bet on us. I bet all the Jounin did. However, now that I think about it, I wonder how we would've actually done if our team had now joined up with Team Seven. I am pretty confident to say that we would've made it to the Tower on the first day. We were extra prepared and we have our ambushing and planning skills and my Byakugan to back us up. This Exam was practically made for Team Ten.
"Hmm, you guys don't seem as amused about this as I am," Kotetsu mumbles once he notices the expressions resting on our faces. He shrugs. "Oh, well. See you guys later."
"Wait!" I shout.
"What?" Kotetsu asks, exasperated.
I shrug. "I forgot."
Kotetsu rolls his eyes and finally poofs away.
"Well, now I feel bad for making Asuma lose some money," Shikamaru says awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck.
Sakura huffs. "He shouldn't have gambled on a bet in the first place. It's his fault!"
Shikamaru shrugs. "Troublesome. I still feel bad. But, anyways, what do you guys want to do now since we are stuck here for the next three days."
As soon as he says that all of our stomachs rumble in hunger and I laugh. "How about we grab a bite to eat?" I suggest. "We haven't not eaten since yesterday morning."
"Shouldn't you go get your wrist treated instead?" Sakura asks.
I wave my good hand. "Food is more important."
Shikamaru gives me a look of concern. "We don't mind going with you and waiting if you are worried about holding us up from eating."
"Really. I'm fine!" I tell them. "Going another half hour isn't going to kill me. Plus, you are injured as well, Shikamaru. Don't be just focusing on me. Now, come on, let's go find some food!"
Activating my Byakugan, I turn to my left and head towards a staircase that leads up to a balcony. Shikamaru and Sakura follow me as we climb the stairs and make our way across the balcony. On the other side of the room is door and I open it once I get to it and we all walk into a hallway, Shikamaru closing the door behind us. The hallway is pretty narrow with only five doors in a row across from us, two doors on our side of the hallway, and then two other doors at the ends of the hall. The five doors across from us lead into some strangely empty rooms while the two doors at the ends of the hallway lead to another staircase. We take the door to our left since it is the closest and walk up it, leading us into another hallway and onto the third floor. The hallways is an exact replicate as the one on the second floor, but three of the doors lead to a medium sized room with bunkbeds in it, one door leads to a bathroom, and one door leads to a kitchen. At the ends of the hallway, the door on our left appears to be locked but leads to another staircase while the door to our right leads to an outside balcony for fresh air. I guess this is where we are living the next few days.
As I inspect the bedrooms, I see that each room is pretty much bare except for the ten bunkbeds that occupy it and the one small dark dresser sitting in the corner. The room closest to the door leading to the outside balcony appears to be already claimed by Gaara, the bedroom beside of that by Temari and Kankuro, and the bedroom beside of that by Kiba's team.
Heh, is Temari and Kankuro that afraid of Gaara to not sleep in the same room as him. Well, at this stage in his life, he is a blood thirsty killing machine so I can't blame them. On the other hand, I am a little annoyed that Kiba, of all people, made it here before we did. Heck, they probably arrive yesterday since they are a tracking team.
Why is Choji on Team Eight again?
I look over at Shikamaru and Sakura. "Okay, we can either bunk with a team from Suna or bunk with Kiba's team and encourage Team Seven to come with us."
Sakura scrunches up her nose. "That's our choices? Damn. I wanted our own rooms."
"Well, the news only gets worse from here," I tell her. "The bathroom has no hygiene products or towels in it whatsoever and the kitchen is full of rations and bland foods and snacks like nuts, fruit, and stuff to makes small sandwich. Plus, the bathroom only has two stalls in it and one shower."
Sakura slumps her shoulders. "Are you serious?! I was so looking forward to a hot shower."
"I mean, you could still shower," I tell her. "Just only with water and you would have to air dry or still a sheet from an unoccupied bed."
She hangs her head. "This sucks."
Shikamaru rolls his eyes. "It could be worse. At least we are safe and indoors now."
Sakura raises her head. "I guess you're right."
"Wow! This place is a dump!" I hear Ino exclaim to my right. We all turn in the direction of her shrill and see Team Seven walking towards us.
Sakura grins, wanting to be the one to break the bad news to Ino. "Actually…" She begins to repeat everything I just told her to Ino, Sasuke, and Naruto.
"What?!" Naruto and Ino shouts as she places her hands to her hair while Naruto rubs his stomach.
"I really wanted some ramen," Naruto whines.
"I really wanted to wash my hair!" Ino complains.
"I really want you guys to shut up," Sasuke says and I crack a smirk. He's really getting annoyed with their constant complaining. "Naruto, suck it up and go eat a sandwich. It will fill you up. Ino, rinse the dirt out with water. It is better than nothing."
Naruto gives Sasuke an irritated look while Ino pouts. "Geez, teme. Chill," Naruto mumbles.
All of a sudden, a door opens up beside of us and Kiba pokes his head out."Actually, I agree with Sasuke. Shut up. Some of us are trying to get some rest."
"In the middle of the day?" I question.
Kiba huffs. "Like there is anything else to do around here. We've been here since last night and I'm already bored! They don't allow us to do anything or leave and go anywhere! I can't even explore the damn Tower with Akamaru! It sucks!"
"The food is pretty decent though," Choji pipes up from behind Kiba.
At the sound of Choji's voice, Shikamaru pushes past Kiba and walks over to his childhood friend. "Hey, buddy. Long time no see…"
As they catch up, Kiba gives us an annoyed look. "Now, we have to share a room with all you guys. There goes our peace and quiet."
Ino places her hands on her hips. "Kiba, a room will never be peaceful and quiet while you are in it!"
"Yeah!" Naruto says, tag teaming with Ino. "So, you really can't be calling us out!"
Kiba narrows his eyes. "I didn't specifically call you guys out you, idiot! If you want me to, I will!"
I sigh loudly. At this rate, Gaara is going to come out of his room and kill us all from all the racket these three are causing. "While I would typically enjoy watching Konoha's three biggest loudmouths argue, this is not the right time or place to be doing so. There are other people besides us on this hall so we need to just settle ourselves into a room and play nice." Before anybody can argue with me because of my insult, if you can call the truth an insult, I grab Naruto's arm and gently yank him towards me. "You're coming with me."
"What? Why?" Naruto questions.
I ignore him and Kiba's, Ino's, and Sakura's stares as I drag him down the hallway and into the small kitchen. I close the door behind me and release his arm. "You really can't be getting into any arguments with anybody while we are here," I warn him. "The other Shinobi might get annoyed and pick a fight with us. Do you want that happening?"
Even though I am pretty sure the Sand Siblings cannot do squat shit to us since the Second Exam is over for all of us at the moment, I am just trying to stay on the safe side.
Naruto frowns. "It isn't like I started the argument. Kiba did."
"Well, you and Ino were being pretty loud before he opened the door to join in," I admit. "But, I'm not blaming you or anybody! I'm just forewarning you and just suggesting you keep you use your inside voice until the Exam is over. We are all exhausted and grouchy right now from being tired and hungry so I understand you and Ino complaining. Unlike Sasuke-kun, it didn't bother me."
Naruto gives me a sheepish smile and rubs the back of his neck. "I guess you are right, Hinata-chan. I do get a little grouchy when I haven't ate." He rubs his hands together and walks over to an apple lying in a bowl with other fruit and took a bite out of it. He makes a strange face as he chews and swallows it. "Mmm. So appetizing."
I smack my forehead. "Here. I have a surprise for ya."
Naruto looks at me curiously as I pull out a storage scroll from my backpack and undid it contains. I pull out a ramen cup, sealed the scroll back up, and tossed it in my backpack. I hand him the ramen cup and Naruto's face instantly brightens up. "You brought this for me?! Thank you so much!"
Awh. He's so cute when he's giddy like this.
I give him a kind smile. "You are welcome. I figured if you complained enough that I would get annoyed and was going to throw this at you to keep you quiet and happy. You know, just find some water, have Sasuke-kun heat it up for you with a minor fire jutsu, and voila! Instant ramen!"
Naruto nods his head rapidly. "You are always thinking ahead and have the best ideas!"
"I know!" I tell him. "Thanks!"
Naruto pulls out a small pot from a drawer, fills it up with water, and begins to boil it over a stove. "No, I really mean it!" he continues as he splits his attention between me and the water. "I was a little hesitant when you first introduced the idea of having your team and my team working together in the forest. But, all six of us ended up getting a scroll and making it to the Tower! I mean, who's to say either team would've made it without the help from the other team?"
I give him a fake pouty look. "I can't believe you didn't have any faith in it. Sasuke was the only one on your side who did."
Naruto widens his eyes and begins to mildly panic as he waves his hands. "What? No, no, no! Don't take it like that! I didn't mean it like that!"
I jab my elbow playfully into his ribs. "I'm just messing around with you. Thank you for telling me that. I was worried about my plan the whole time, especially since so many things went wrong. I thought long and hard about what would be the best plan for the Rookie Nine to get through the Second Exam. Even though it might've increases our odds of survival during our fights if Kiba's team had stuck around, I still think we executed my plan fairly well."
"I just like how you care so much about other people and are willing to put their needs before yours," Naruto admits. "Especially during the Chunin Exams. A lot of people would not have wanted to help their friends out." He lowers his eyes. "That's why I was a little shocked to hear that Ino reacted pretty badly to you… um… actions during your fight with the Oto Shinobi."
Oh, yeah. I almost forgot about that. I really need to talk to her about that. She made it seem like for a split second that I was a monster who protecting myself and my friends.
Instead of badmouthing her, I just give her the benefit of the doubt. "Ino is still a rookie, as we all are. Most Genin fresh out of the Academy are not expected to enter in the Chunin Exams or kill other Shinobi. A typical Genin would be training or going on a D-ranked mission right now. Our squad leaders just decided we were skilled enough to take these Exams, but, personally, I believe most of us are far from ready. Including me. We don't' have the experience yet to become Chunin. Skills? Maybe. Experience? No. I don't know about Kiba's team, but you and I have only been on a mission that leads us outside of the village once. Yes, it got bumped up from a C-rank to an A-rank mission. But, that doesn't qualify us to become Chunin. So, I don't blame Ino for reacting the way she did to my actions. She isn't ready for that yet, even though we have been taught our whole lives that we may have to kill someday. Heck, I wouldn't even be upset if you thought the same way that Ino does."
However, just because I say that doesn't mean I'm not going to defend myself.
"But, it isn't like I killed the guy for the fun of it. I didn't get any thrill out of slitting his neck. I was just protecting me and my friends. He was going to hurt me, kill me, and then get to Sasuke to capture him. I was not going to allow that. I tried to think of other ways to stop him, but that unfortunately ended up being the solution. Is killing going to be my way to end every fight? No. It was just necessary in that battle."
I take a deep breathe.
"Sorry for rambling on like this. I just needed to get this off of my chest when you mentioned Ino. I was planning on talking to her later about it. I don't want her to think that I am a bad person when I am on. Just because we might not care for each other, and she can get on my last nerve at times, doesn't mean I dislike her. I still care about what she thinks of me and she is my comrade."
Naruto remains silent for a moment as he takes in what I just said to him. As he does so, he turns off the stove since the water is boiling now and pours the water into the ramen cup. Now, it is time for the sixty seconds of waiting before the water cools down.
"Don't apologize," he says to me as he stares at his ramen cup. Is he counting down in his mind and talking at the same time? Multitasker. "I understand what you're saying, I think. I don't think you are a bad person at all. Ino doesn't either."
I raise my eyebrows at this information. "How do you know that?"
"After our talk with Iruka-sensei about the meaning behind the Second Exam, Sasuke had a quick talk with Ino about you," Naruto explains. He claps his hands together. "Sixty seconds is up! Time to eat!"
I widen my eyes. No, he didn't. "Are you serious?!"
Naruto stops slurping his noodles. "Yeah, I'm serious. I counted to sixty and-"
"I'm not talking about that Naruto."
"Oh!" Naruto says as he swallows. "Yeah! Sasuke really did talk to Ino. Though, I don't know what he said. He kinda pulled her side and he didn't look angry or anything, but he didn't look happy. But, Sasuke's always been weird about you."
My heart skips a beat, and no not in a romantic way. More like I'm surprised kind of way.
"What do you mean by that?"
Naruto shrugs. "You've seen how he acts at times when he is around you. He gets very protective of you when people don't treat you right. You see how he handled Shino the other day."
My curiosity fades away. Well, shit. I already knew he was protective over me. I don't know why, but I knew he was. I was really looking forward to hearing some juicy gossip about Sasuke's internal thoughts since that land is a mystery.
"Well, I just hope Ino is not angry at me now that Sasuke talked to her about whatever," I tell him. "I don't want her to think he fights my battles for me or that I wanted him to talk to her."
"I don't think Ino does. She didn't look upset or angry as Sasuke spoke to her, though I don't think she could ever get mad at him. She just looked a little shocked. That's all."
Probably because she was getting confronted by Sasuke about me.
"Hmmm, you're very observant today, Naruto-kun," I tease.
Naruto doesn't take notice. "Hmm, if you say so. I was just bored so I decided to watch them. I tried to squint my eyes and read their lips, but that didn't work."
I giggle. "Okay, well thanks for telling me this. I'm going to go talk to Ino really quick and nip this whole thing in the butt."
Naruto arches an eyebrow. "You really should eat first."
I grab a nutrition bar from my backpack and quickly devour it. "I will eat a real meal later. I promise!" I quickly walk out of the room when Naruto has his mouth full so he cannot protect me from leaving.
I shut the door behind me and walk past the bathroom door just as it opens and out step Sasuke. Great. Not the person I really want to talk to right now. I'm a little annoyed that he spoke to Ino behind my back about me without my permission. Not like I would've said yes anyways.
I try to walk around him to get to our bedroom, but he gently grabs my arm to stop me. "Wait."
I turn around. "Is something wrong?"
"I heard you and Naruto talking," Sasuke admits.
Wow, are the walls that thin?
"O-oh," I say stupidly, not expecting him to say that.
"Can we talk outside on the balcony?" Sasuke asks. "I would like to speak about this somewhere more private."
I arch an eyebrow. "Speak about what?"
Sasuke doesn't says anything and pulls my arm and leads me outside. "You know how the dobe makes a bigger thing out of something than it really is. Me talking to Ino wasn't anything extreme."
"If it was about me, I don't really appreciate having you talk about me to Ino about something I should be talking to her about," I calmly tell him. I don't get irritated with Sasuke much, rarely ever, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to speak my mind and let him know when I am unhappy with him about something.
Sasuke drops my arm and stares out into the breathtaking view of the Forest of Death. The forest actually looks nice whenever you aren't fending for your life in it. "I just didn't like the way she acted. Sakura hardly reacted at all."
"Well, you have to think that one person is my teammate while the other is not," I explain to him. "One knows me better than the other so of course Sakura isn't going to react because she already knows my reasonings for my actions. Plus, if you heard my talk with Naruto, Ino is just a rookie who doesn't have a whole lot of experience."
Sasuke sighs. "I came to that conclusion halfway through my talk with her. That is why I made it brief and dropped the subject. I just wanted to get across her mind that you intentions were to save us and had to think quick on your feet. He was going to die anyways, so why not make it a quick and painless death for him? It makes sense."
Actually, I mainly killed him in fear of him spewing the information out that I had just told him to my friends But, I like your reasoning better, Sasuke.
"You shouldn't have talked to her though," I say to him. "I was planning on doing so. It just wouldn't make sense for me to do so while we were traveling to the Tower."
Sasuke finally looks at me in the eyes. "I know that. I just didn't want her thinking you were somebody that you are not."
I wonder what kind of person Sasuke thinks I am?
I give him a kind smile. "Well, I know you was just looking out for me so thank you for that. Is she mad at me at all? Just kind of want to know before I talk to her."
Sasuke shakes his head. "No. She was just mainly confuse as to why I was bringing up the topic to her and then she didn't speak much after that. Though, she appeared to be deep in thought."
I nod. "Good. At least she isn't mad at me. I just don't want her to think you are fighting my battles for me or something."
Sasuke gives me a strange look. "Do you think I was fighting your battles for you?"
"No, I said Ino. Not me." Why is he acting like that all of a sudden? Mood swing, much?
Sasuke's body tenses up for a moment before spinning around and walking off, heading back inside. I just stare at his back in utter disbelief until he closes the door behind him.
What the hell was that? Why is he so pissy all of a sudden? Did I say something wrong? I don't think I did. I recall talking about Ino, not me. So, why did spin things around to make it about me? He better not be mad that I'm annoyed that he spoke to Ino. And, I'm not even pissed about it or anything! Just annoyed.
I run a hand through my hair. Ughhhh, I think I'm just going to hide in the kitchen for the next three days.
I head inside to talk to Ino.
Author's Note: See! I promise I would be updating faster than usual and here I am, less than a week later! Sorry that I kind of ended it like this, but I thought this was a good stopping point since I am going to be updating a lot during my Winter Break. I was going to make this chapter longer and start the first match of the preliminary rounds, but I decided to break it up. But, I PROMISE that the next chapter will have the first two matches. Sasuke just decided he wanted to play drama queen so OC Hinata needs a break between chapters to rest and compose herself before dealing with Ino since she can be overbearing at times. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I aim to post my next one in just a few short days!
Side note: If you are interested in the new Naruto generation, there is this awesome fanfic called The New Dawn by Code Musica. It is about Boruto (Bolt) becoming a rogue Shinobi after his father humiliates him during the Chunin Exams when he was caught cheating. I think it is one of the best fanfics I have read so check it out!
Extra side note: The Boruto anime has been announced to air in April of 2017! Who is just as excited as I am about that? I hope they don't rehash the movie like Dragon Ball Super did.