See chapter 1 for disclaimers.
CH. 25 Chunin Exam: Meetings
The week Naruto spent training with his adoptive family was one of the best he'd had in a while. When he wasn't improving his skills with Hiro or Keiji, he was helping the twins with theirs. The two were above mid-range in their academy class, but not at the top. Gen was proving very good with weapons. Her accuracy with shuriken was near the top of the class, but her ninjutsu was shoddy. She couldn't hold the leaf exercise for more than a few minutes at a time. Concentration wasn't the issue. Her chakra levels were unusually low, but Naruto assured her that that would change over time. And even if she never did become a powerhouse in that way, she could still be an amazing ninja. He told her about Rock Lee, a genin he had heard of that couldn't use chakra at all, and about his teammate Tenten who relied almost exclusively on weapons.
"So even if I don't get big chakra reserves like you, I can still be strong?"
"Absolutely," Naruto enthused. "I've seen the way you train. You push yourself hard, and you don't give in. Follow that path, and you'll be great."
Matsu was another matter. He had demonstrated a talent for genjutsu, something that was rather rare for a male of his age. As yet, his control was somewhat shoddy, but his reserves were a good size. Control really wasn't Naruto's strong point, but he had learned several useful techniques for improving control, and he drilled Matsu in these. He hadn't mastered them all himself, by any means, but he discovered that helping Matsu helped him.
His chakra control improved, as did his Taijutsu with a little help. The new form Keiji and Hiro taught him improved his balance and power. When he felt more in control of his body, he discovered that his chakra was easier to manipulate. His control was still far from perfect, but it was definitely getting better.
When the week was done, he went to the training ground where his team always met. Keiko was already there, but there was no sign of Sasuke and Kakashi. Admittedly, the last was no real surprise.
"How was your week off?" Naruto asked, plopping down on the grass next to his teammate. She was relaxing in the shade of a tree and didn't seem in a hurry to get up. She cast him a glance and smiled.
"Not bad, but I'm glad to be back to work. My parents were driving me up the wall. They were never really happy about my decision to be a konoichi, and now they worry all the time. Somehow, they heard about Zabuza and spent the whole week fussing over me. The highlight was that uncle Yoshi was visiting. He told me about missing-nin he ran into with some amazing techniques. I'm not looking to change specialties, but I'm hoping Kakashi can teach me the jutsu that Yoshi says is the basis of all the guy's techniques. Uncle Yoshi didn't know it himself, but it sounds really useful." She took a breath, a little embarrassed by her excited gushing. "How was your week?"
"Great. Hiro had a few days off and I trained with him and Keiji. I also helped the twins with their training." Naruto thought a moment. "I never thought helping them with their skills would improve mine."
Keiko nodded, understanding Keiji's reasoning. "My dad gave Haruko the job of training Akio for just that reason. Haruko had learned everything dad had to teach him, but he needed to teach it himself to become a master smith."
"Guess that makes sense." Naruto looked around as he picked up a familiar chakra signature approaching them. "Hey Sasuke. How was your week?"
"Busy," their dark-haired teammate answered as he joined them under the tree. "All of the kids were down with some stomach bug and Yasuo has been out of town on business."
"So it was just you and Matsu?" Keiko asked sympathetically. She knew from what Sasuke had mentioned in the past that Fugaku and Amaya would have been little to no help in such a situation. Sasuke nodded. "Hope they're feeling better."
"They all got over it. It was probably something one of them picked up at the academy." He shrugged. "Don't know about you two, but I'm ready to get back to work."
Naruto nodded in agreement. "And in a couple of hours, when Kakashi-sensei finally gets here, we can."
Keiko snorted at Naruto's comment, but Sasuke didn't bother. Their sensei's tendency to be late for everything had never been a source of amusement as far as he was concerned. "No sense waiting for him. Let's train till he shows up." The others agreed, and they set to work practicing.
When Kakashi arrived, only an hour late, he found Naruto walking around the clearing on his hands, and briefly wondered when the boy had met Maito Gai. Keiko was running through a kata while doing a chakra control exercise, and Sasuke was throwing shuriken and kunai in combination at a target post.
They broke off what they were doing and gave him their attention, even though Naruto kept walking on his hands. "Hello, my students. I have good news for you."
"Tora was eaten by a wolf?" Naruto asked hopefully, causing Keiko to snicker.
"Er, no."
"A fox?" Sasuke asked.
"I've decided that you're ready to participate in the Chunin exam." Kakashi decided to get the news out before they could get any further off topic. "Within just a few days, genin teams from nearly a dozen villages will be arriving in Konoha, with their jonin-sensei. If you feel you're ready, I'll enter your names."
"Absolutely!" Naruto got his feet on the ground so he could properly jump up and down with excitement. Again Keiko snickered.
Sasuke nodded. "I, too, wish to become a chunin."
"Guess I'll make it unanimous." Keiko placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Save that energy for the exam. I think you'll need it."
"He will." Kakashi confirmed. "These exams are a serious business, not to be entered lightly. People can and do die during them."
"How's that different than any mission above D-rank?" Naruto asked.
"The exams are considered a C-rank mission, actually," Kakashi said, ignoring Naruto's question but acknowledging the point. "You'll find this a bit more challenging than the last two C-ranks you had. I can't tell you much about them since the format changes each time, but you'll have the chance to get promoted. Being a chunin comes with certain privileges and a lot of responsibilities."
"So what can you tell us about the exams?" Sasuke spoke up, realizing that becoming a chunin would be the first step to gaining the power he needed to protect what was left of his clan, and perhaps gain revenge on Itachi.
"They're different every year," Kakashi answered. "'Specially prepared so that no one can give their competing genin an advantage. After all, giving you any kind of advantage would compromise the tests. Making it too easy would lead to the promotion of those that aren't actually ready to be chunin." Kakashi watched his students digest that. They weren't happy, but they did see the logic in it. If any village or jonin-sensei cheated, they would only be cheating themselves and their genin.
"I get it." Naruto nodded, looking more serious than any of them were used to seeing him.
"You'll be given the same information at each stage of the exam as every other competing team," Kakashi explained. "Just do your best and you'll be fine. I know you can do it." His students straightened, looking proud. "I can't tell you much, but I can tell you that the genin teams from the other villages will be arriving soon; teams from Sand, Stone, Water, Grass, and several others. There are tensions between some of these villages, but there is a truce in place for the purposes of the exam. We'll be treating them like honored guests unless they deliberately start trouble."
"When do the exams start?" Keiko asked for her teammates.
"In one week. You've said you want to compete, but I want you to think seriously about it over the next few days. If you feel you aren't ready, there's no shame in saying so and waiting till the next one."
Sasuke snorted derisively. "We're ready. No one's backing out." The other two nodded.
"Okay then." He handed each student a form. "Fill these out and have them ready to hand in when you report to the academy at 8:00 AM one week from today. In the meantime, we have a mission today."
Fortunately, the mission did not involve chasing a demonic feline. Instead, they spent their day clearing a farmer's field of stones. It looked like someone had gone a little crazy with an earth jutsu. They were tired and sore by the end of the day, but it was still preferable to chasing Tora.
They returned home with their forms and read them over. It was all fairly simple and straightforward. None of them had any difficulty getting parental consent, even though it technically wasn't required.
Just as Kakashi had told them, foreign teams started arriving three days before the exam started. Naruto met one of them around mid-morning as he was running an errand for Keiji. The sound of angry voices drew his attention to a cross street he was passing, and he went to investigate. A group of familiar academy students was shouting at a teenager in a black cat suit with a Suna headband. Naruto blinked and looked again. Yep. Cat suit. With makeup. Then he realized that one of the students was dangling from the cat-suited teenager's outstretched hand.
"You need to watch where you're going you stupid brat." He gave the boy, who Naruto recognized as Konohamaru, the Hokage's grandson, a shake.
"It was an accident!" Moegi, an orange-haired girl and one of Konohamaru's friends yelled at him. "Put him down!"
"You heard her." Naruto called, approaching. His first impulse was to give the boy the fight he seemed to want, but Keiji had worked hard on teaching him to think first. Starting a fight with a team from Suna wouldn't serve anyone's interests. He tried reason instead. "You're guests in this village. Attacking the Hokage's grandson is not a good way to make a first impression."
The young man from Suna stopped and glanced at Naruto. "Grandson?" The blonde girl standing with him, watching the entire affair with disinterest also looked at him, frowning slightly. Naruto noted a Suna headband on her as well, worn around her neck.
"Yes." Naruto confirmed. "He's the Hokage's grandson. You really should put him down."
"Let him go, Kankuro." All three of them turned at the monotone voice to see a redheaded boy about Naruto's age, watching them. Naruto blinked in surprise. He knew he wasn't the most observant person, but he was certain that the boy hadn't been there a second ago, and he hadn't noticed the boy's chakra either. "You're embarrassing us. Stop it or I'll kill you."
The cat-suit wearing genin, Kankuro apparently, dropped Konohamaru at once. "S-sorry, Gaara. I-"
"Shut up." The redhead lost interest in the matter and turned away, heading down the street toward the section of town where most of the hotels were located. Naruto frowned after him but didn't comment. He wasn't sure what to make of the boy. The two Suna genin fell in behind the redhead without a word, apparently leery of drawing his attention.
Huh. Weird bunch. He considered following them, but decided that would just cause more trouble. It wasn't like they were intruders in the village. He made sure that Konohamaru and his friends were okay and then went on his way. He'd seen the boy before, in his grandfather's office, but he didn't know him very well, and he didn't know the others at all.
"Yeah, we're fine." Konohamaru huffed. "You didn't have to interfere. I coulda taken him."
"Yeah, right." He hadn't meant to sound derisive, but the boy glared at him. "He's a genin and twice your size," Naruto told him, figuring the kid needed a dose of reality before he got himself hurt. "No matter how good you are at what the academy taught you, it's no substitute for experience."
Konohamaru didn't look convinced, but a dark-haired boy with glasses, Udon if Naruto recalled, was nodding. "We've got a long way to go, Konohamaru," the boy sniffed, "before we can handle even a genin."
"I'm sure you'll get there if you work hard," Naruto said. "Keep training hard every day and you'll be great."
"I wouldn't have expected to hear common sense from you of all people." The condescending tone made Naruto bristle, even as he turned to find a skinny man in a jonin's vest watching them.
"Who are you?" Naruto asked, irritated by the man's tone and the way he was looking down his nose at him. This was obviously one of those people who judged him without knowing him. The man might even be one of those that believed that Naruto was the Fox crammed into a human skin. He knew of a few villagers that thought that.
"I am Ebisu. Special Jonin and tutor to the honorable grandson of the Third Hokage." The self-importance in the man's voice rubbed Naruto the wrong way, lowering his already low opinion of the special jonin even further.
Naruto smirked. "So you're 'special' huh? I can tell."
The three children snickered, and Ebisu scowled at the village prankster. "Perhaps the honorable grandson is not the only one in need of a lesson."
"True." Naruto agreed. "But I've got things to do. No time to teach you not to be so stuck up. I think that'll take a while."
"You miserable brat!" Ebisu seethed as the honorable grandson and his friends laughed. "Very well. You shall receive a lesson in manners. Please stand back, children." Konohamaru and his friends backed up. "You believe that you have something to teach me? Even after you were taken in by the Denkouyama clan you remained an incorrigible prankster, and your grades at the academy improved only marginally. Your behavior improved not at all. If you think you have something to teach me; then show me."
Naruto considered a moment, and then grinned widely and used a jutsu he hadn't in a while, adding a twist to it. The kids stared wide-eyed and Ebisu blanched and tried to look away from the barely clad and very well endowed young women that suddenly surrounded him.
"Ooh! Ebisu-sensei. You're so strong and smart," they cooed at him pressing in close. The special jonin wasn't sure what to do with his hands or eyes as he found himself hemmed in on all sides by forbidden fruit. He never saw the blow that put his lights out.
Naruto ended the jutsu and stood over the unconscious jonin for a moment with a smirk. He turned to find Konohamaru and his friends staring at him with something akin to hero-worship.
"Can you teach us that?" Konohamaru asked.
Naruto hesitated. It would be nice to pass on the jutsu and give the perverts of the village a hard time, and it would really annoy their stuck-up teacher. "Well, the shadow clone jutsu takes a lot more chakra than any of you have. The sexy jutsu, though. That I could teach you."
The three cheered.
OOOOOOOOOO
Sasuke gathered his purchases and placed them on the storage scroll he'd laid out on the counter. Three sacks of rice, a gallon of milk, two loaves of bread, and some dried beef. He channelled chakra into the scroll and the items vanished in a puff of smoke.
"That really never gets old." The grocer smiled. "Everything comes out fresh?"
"Depends on how long it's in there. Time doesn't stop with a seal like this. The food is just protected from most accidents and is easier to carry."
"Still a very useful technique."
"Definitely." Sasuke agreed as he rolled up the scroll and tucked it into his pack. He needed to get home and pull some vegetables from the garden if they were to have dinner ready. The clan's finances were solid. They were still quite wealthy and could afford better, but Yasuo counselled thrift in order to maintain that wealth as there wasn't nearly as much coming in to the clan coffers as their used to be. It also served to teach the children the value of money and of living within one's means.
He had only two stops left to make before he headed for home. He needed to pick up some medicine for his father and some panels for a door that had been damaged in an accident early in the week.
He was rather distracted planning the rest of the day, but he was not oblivious. The person following him was subtle, and most civilians wouldn't have had a clue, but he spotted them quickly.
Entering a randomly chosen store, he got out of line of site and put on a henge and created a basic clone before immediately walking out and doubling back the way he'd come to catch a glimpse of those following him. He knew they were ninja, but that didn't exactly narrow the range of possibilities. The basic clone he had created made itself visible in the door before turning back inside and vanishing.
Two figures evidencing chakra signatures approached and Sasuke took in their appearance. They were dressed in fairly ordinary civilian clothes but their movements alone, the way they carried themselves, outed them as ninja.
The dark-haired girl met his eyes and grinned. "Nice trick. Might have worked on some."
"It got us face to face," Sasuke pointed out, dismissing the henge. "Who are you and what do you want?"
"Just sizing up the competition," the teenage boy with her answered with a smirk. "After all, we'll be seeing and probably fighting each other in the Chunin exams."
"Where are you from?" The two weren't wearing headbands, which was a violation of the terms under which visiting teams entered the village.
"Why don't we save that as a surprise?"
"Like most ninja, I don't like surprises unless I'm the one providing them. Why don't you tell me who you are and maybe I won't report to ANBU that foreign ninja are walking around the village in disguise?"
The boy laughed. "I like him," he said to his companion. "This is going to be fun." He turned back to Sasuke and tugged at the collar of his shirt, revealing a headband around his neck. It had a musical note on the plate. "You'll have to figure the rest out for yourself."
OOOOOOOOOO
Kankuro walked into the shop with list in hand. Everything I need should be here, he thought, looking around the small smith's shop. There was a girl of about 12 behind the counter. She smiled brightly at him.
"Welcome to the Kimura Smithy. How can I help you?"
"I need some supplies and a couple of precision tools." He rattled off what he needed, quietly cursing the display of Gaara's temper that had damaged one of his puppets. He needed metal components and certain hard wood pieces that he would still have to modify to suit his needs.
"We have those," the girl said after a moment. The shop kept the woods he was asking for on hand for making handles and braces. "Odd mix. What are you making?"
"That's not your concern."
"I only hope to make the work easier on you. If you're getting these tools, you'll also need a small rasp. Some different grades of sandpaper might be in order as well. I find the hard woods you're getting can be hard to apply a finish to with too coarse a paper. Genjutsu is fine for making wood look like skin, but the more realistic the appearance, the less effort you have to put into it."
"I appreciate the thought, but I have what I need." He stopped. "What? Why would I want to make wood look like skin?" How had she known about that?
"You're from Suna, aren't you?" The girl practically gushed. "Suna is famous for its puppet masters. I'd love a chance to examine one someday. A puppet that is," she added hastily.
"Can't help you there," Kankuro said, slightly amused by her enthusiasm and slightly disturbed by her perceptiveness.
"I understand. Can't go showing off your weapons."
"Um...yeah. Could I just get the stuff I need?"
"Sure." She took the list and vanished into the back to collect the items."
"Sorry about that," a teenage boy a year or so older than Kankuro said, approaching. "Keiko doesn't show much interest in the smith's art for the most part, but puppets fascinate her for some reason."
"I like her enthusiasm, but she's off-base."
"If you say so." The boy shrugged, not really caring. "She'll have your materials in a couple minutes."
Kankuro nodded. "Thanks."
The girl came back a moment later with an armload of supplies. "Here you go." She put the items on the counter and started to tally the total. "Sure you don't want the sandpaper?"
"I have what I need. Thanks anyway." He handed over the money for his purchases, picked them up and started to turn toward the door.
"See you at the exam."
Kankuro stopped. "What?"
"The Chunin exam," she clarified, cheerfully. "Konoha Ninja Academy in three days. Doors open at 8:00. Don't be late. I'm looking forward to seeing your puppets in action."
"See you then," Kankuro nodded, deciding that that solved at least one mystery. The girl must be a Konoha genin set to take part in the exams. She must have learned about puppetry from her sensei at some point. He hoped she didn't spoil the surprise for whoever he wound up fighting. That was half the fun. He didn't bother asking that of her, though. She'd at the very least tell her teammates. Perhaps eliminating them during the survival test would be prudent.
OOOOOOOOOOO
Naruto arrived at the Academy at 7:30. There was already a crowd there. A quick survey of the group of Konoha and foreign genin located Keiko, but Sasuke was running late.
"Have you seen Sasuke?" She asked as he approached.
"No. I just got here. The kids have the day off the Academy today. He's probably just getting them organized."
"Probably. I know he won't miss this." Keiko scanned the crowd again.
"He'll be here," Naruto said confidently. Getting stronger was one of Sasuke's obsessions, right below taking care of what was left of his clan. No way would he miss the Chunin exam. Sure enough, about 10 minutes before the doors opened, Sasuke joined them.
"Ready to be chunin?" Keiko asked as he approached.
Several of the people around them laughed. Keiko glanced at them. "We'll see whose laughing after the exam is over."
"Yeah." Naruto glared at the laughing members of the crowd. "Don't underestimate us."
"Ignore them," Sasuke advised. "They don't matter." He turned to the doors. "Almost time to go in." They waited quietly until, a few minutes later, the doors opened. They filed in with the rest of the hopefuls, each team keeping a careful eye on those around them, clearly not trusting anyone outside their own team. It made for an awkward progression through the building, and it was one of the reasons no one saw the first barrier to their progress. Two chunin stood outside the door to room 315.
"You punks think you're ready to be chunin? What a joke." The one on the right shoved back a Taki genin who attempted to bull his way through. "Weak brats. No way you're ready to be chunin."
Keiko quietly urged her teammates around the group and on toward the stairs to the third floor. She knew a genjutsu when she saw one, but she saw no point in sharing that insight with the other teams. Once they were on the stairs, out of earshot of the others, she told the boys.
"Huh." Naruto blinked. "I was wondering why 315 was on the second floor." Sasuke didn't comment, but they all pressed on quietly. Up the stairs and down the hall, the building was fairly simple in its layout. A couple of genin stood by the door, waiting in the hall outside the door. Naruto recognized Sakura and Ami from his academy class.
"Sakura! How've you been?" Naruto grinned, remembering his crush fondly. That grin faded when she scowled at him. Some things, it seemed, didn't change.
"I thought team four didn't pass the genin test," Sasuke commented, looking at the pair.
"We passed," Sakura said proudly. "I've gotten a lot stronger since the academy, Sasuke." She smiled shyly at her crush. Sasuke didn't respond, not wanting to encourage her or create conflict, given that Ami was alternating between glaring at her and smiling at him.
"Where's Jiro?" Keiko asked, deciding to change the subject.
"He was held up downstairs," Ami answered. "Some kid with a bowl cut challenged him to a fight. Don't know why."
"Not like being rookie of the year means anything outside the academy," Sakura agreed. It was about this time that Rock Lee came into view. With them were the students who had been stalled at the genjutsu in the hall below. Keiko repressed a sigh, wondering who had spilled the beans.
"Hey Lee," Naruto called. He had met the boy a few times on the training field.
"Naruto, hello." Lee greeted him politely. "I am pleased to see your sensei entered you as well."
"Should be fun." Naruto grinned. "Sakura tells me you picked a fight with Jiro. How'd that go?"
"I was hoping for better," the taijutsu specialist admitted. "He is strong, but I would have beaten him, had our contest not been interrupted."
"Dream on," a gruff voice spoke from behind Lee. A stocky boy with close-cropped black hair approached. His dark grey shirt and pants with black leg wrappings had replaced the casual civilian clothes he'd favoured as an academy student. The loose sleeves of the long-sleeved shirt he wore shifted enough to reveal forearm guards that were bristling with throwing weapons.
Naruto nodded casually to him. "Hey, Jiro. Glad you made it."
"Naruto." The boy nodded; his manner cordial if not overly warm. The two didn't know each other well, but the Sasaki family and the Denkouyama were allies, both having come from other countries only a generation before. They hadn't been made to feel terribly welcome at first by the well-established clans in the village, and leaned on each other to an extent, early on. The two boys were nodding acquaintances, having shared a few meals at gatherings of the two clans. "I knew you'd be here. We've heard a few wild stories about your team."
"Should we be preening or issuing blanket denials?" Keiko asked. The question earned some chuckles.
You don't have time for either," a familiar voice said from near the door. They turned to find Kakashi watching them. "I'm pleased you all made it. Now the hard part begins. Good luck." He vanished in a puff of smoke just before the door opened, admitting the group to the room where a number of candidates were already waiting.