Chapter Thirty-Six:

Yuki and Ryo walked out of the hospital, out into the cold, sunny afternoon. They walked in silence down the streets, occasionally passing people on the less frequently used roads. Ryo glanced at his colleague without moving his head.

"I've been wondering, but could it possibly be that you purposefully took that blow to the shoulder from Hatake?" he asked.

Yuki met his eyes, and blinked once, then grinned sheepishly. "No, I would have dodged it completely if I could. But I had been underestimating him yet again. It was my flaw for going that fast. I had no way of manoeuvring quickly. To be honest, I didn't even predict that attack coming. Being even an ANBU, it's embarrassing."

Ryo sighed. "You haven't changed at all over the years, Yuki-san."

He grinned. "Neither have you." He reached over with his right hand and ruffled Ryo's hair, much to his distress. He quickly pulled away with a frown.

"Yuki-san!"

Yuki laughed. "How was it, by the way? Your first Jounin examiner job?"

"Well, I mostly followed the protocol I was given," he replied, then shrugged. "I guess it was okay."

"Good. It looks like you gave little Obito a nice challenge. Just out of curiosity, how did it go with the Sharingan?"

"I did exactly what you told me to, although I still say it's a dangerous way to try and force the third pupil to appear."

"It is, to the majority of average shinobi. But there are a handful of them that are capable of going through the risk and taking the short cut. Obito is one of them. Besides, the Sharingan usually appears when the user feels a rush of extreme emotions. Fear of dying can well be one of those emotions."

"I don't think he was afraid," Ryo replied thoughtfully. "It felt something more like a devotion to live."

"Devotion to live?" Yuki repeated quietly. "Come to think of it, that's exactly the same as when I placed Hatake into the illusion with his dead team mate."

"Even though they're so young, they're strong," Ryo said.

"If they grow up in these times, exposed to all the horrors the Countries are seeing, I suppose it's only natural. Strength is the only thing that will keep them upright. It's unnatural and sad to see."

Ryo simply nodded. They walked around a corner and came out into the more busy streets. Yuki looked up from the ground, and his usual grin returned to his face.

"Dango(1)," he said, nodding in the direction of the small shop. "Let's stop by."

"You know I don't take a particular liking to such sweet things," Ryo replied with a half suppressed sigh. Yuki raised a brow, and Ryo gave in. "I'll have some tea then."

They entered the shop and sat down at an empty table. The chef was busy with something behind the counter, with his head ducked from sight, but he welcomed them nonetheless. After a moment, he straightened to see who it exactly was. He was a slightly aged man, a retired ninja after his bad accident decades ago, which had rendered him useless as a fighter.

"Hi there Ryo, and Yuki – what did you get involved in this time!" he asked, his tone changing abruptly in the middle of the sentence. Yuki grinned and stuck his tongue out in a childish way.

"I was in charge of a Jounin Exam, that's all," he explained.

"Were you playing around again?" he asked with half lidded eyes of exasperation while he brought them two steaming clay mugs of green tea.

"No! I was being serious this time!" Yuki protested with a frown and an exaggerated pout.

"Oh really?" the man muttered, though his voice still remained dubious. Yuki glared. He laughed and went back to the counter. "The usual, is it?" he asked. Yuki nodded. The man turned to Ryo. "And you don't like sweet things." He went to work.

"I don't always take things playfully, Gaba Oji-san," Yuki grumbled.

"I know," Gaba said, bringing over a plate with dango. Once he set it down, his face turned into curiosity. "But it must have been quite some Chuunins to hurt you two."

"I'm sure you've heard of them," Yuki said between mouthfuls. "Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Obito."

Gaba's eyes widened. "Those youngsters. They already took the Jounin Exam?"

"Yep."

"And? Did they pass?"

Yuki swallowed and turned to the man, a lopsided grin spreading across his face.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The door to the hospital room closed after Yuki and Ryo, and silence fell. Obito sighed and fell back into the pillows, his eyes closed. Kazuma remained standing where he was, and Kakashi didn't move either. After almost a quarter of a minute ticked by, Obito snapped his eyes open and bolted upright.

"Yesss!" he screamed, his voice ringing around the room. Kakashi shot him a sidelong glare at his head gave a painful twinge at the loud shout. Kazuma smiled at them.

"Congratulations for passing the Jounin Exam, Obito, Kakashi," he said.

Obito hardly took any notice, shoving the covers off and jumping off the bed, only to give a pained "Ow!" when his weight came down on his injured legs. Kakashi rolled his eyes, as Kazuma quickly came over.

"You're such an idiot," Kakashi muttered, loud enough for Obito to hear.

"I am not!" he growled back, using both their beds to heave himself upright. "Ow that hurts!" he hissed, plopping onto his bed with Kazuma's help. He rubbed his right thigh and leg calf, both of which were bandaged. He grumbled about Ryo being a merciless devil.

"In any case, you'll be having a small break now," Kazuma said. "Relax and take it easy for the next two weeks or so. Only after that, will we continue the training and missions." He paused a second before adding in a slightly quieter voice, "Or I think that nurse will be out to get my head." He smiled, his eyes curving up.

"So that means you'll still be working with us as a teacher?" Obito asked.

"Yes. That was Hokage-sama's one condition," he replied. Obito grinned. Kakashi also smiled slightly under the mask. "But now, you need the rest. You are to stay here another night before you can go home."

With that said, he paused a moment, then left the room. Obito got back under the covers, but with nothing to say, they both remained silent. All of a sudden, Kakashi fell into a coughing fit, and he winced against the jolts of pain he received.

"You okay?" Obito asked. Kakashi took a breath to steady himself and nodded.

"I'm going back to sleep," he said, lying back down. A headache was becoming a constant pain in his head and he was starting to feel dizzy again. He assumed it was his body's reaction after many hours of deprived sleep and constant action. He closed his eyes and almost instantly fell asleep.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

After talking to the nurses briefly, Kazuma left the hospital and walked silently down the streets. He was glad that the two had passed the exam, but there was a fraction in his heart that was worried. Worried for their safety and the burdens they would no doubt have to cope with. One couldn't deny the fact that they had only lived for eleven years. He sighed and allowed his feet to carry him to wherever they decided to take him. He had no further plans or appointments for the rest of the afternoon in any case.

A group of children, no older than five, ran past, shouting and waving plastic kunai in the air. Behind them came one other, chasing them. Suddenly, a small boy stumbled and fell, splashing onto the wet ground. The chaser ran by, tagging the fallen boy with a triumphant cry and followed the others, who took no notice.

"That's not fair!" the boy cried, tears already welling up in his eyes. Kazuma squatted beside him, helping him to his feet.

"Are you all right?" he asked, brushing off the mud from his clothes. The boy glanced at him, his shoulders shaking as he began to cry. Kazuma wiped his thumb across the small cheeks, taking away the dirt that clung to his skin. "You don't have to cry," he soothed. "What's your name?"

"To…Tokiya," he replied through hiccups.

"Why are you crying, Tokiya?"

"Be…Because they're unfair! You can't get tagged just because you fell down!"

"Are your parents ninjas?" Kazuma asked. Tokiya nodded. "Do you also want to become a ninja?" Again, a nod. "Then," he said, placing his hand on the boy's damp hair, his eyes solemn, "you have to learn that there is nothing 'fair' in the world of the shinobi. Everything is allowed, even tagging someone because he fell down. It's probably because you fell down, that he tagged you. So to prevent that, all you need to do, is run without falling."

"Run without falling?" Tokiya repeated, his tears coming to a stop as his interest grew.

Kazuma nodded. "Can you do that, Tokiya?"

The boy stared at him for a moment longer with wide, innocent eyes before he wiped his tears with his knuckles. A bright smile took over and he gave a big nod. "Yeah! I won't fall anymore! Thank you!" He turned and ran after the others.

Kazuma straightened and watched the small figure disappear around the corner with a gentle smile. By the time he grows up, let's hope that the war has finally ended. He continued walking, and after a while found himself in the middle of the training grounds, in front of the memorial stone. The snow was still thick in the open, but trodden by teams and the Academy students. He reached out to the names carved in them, and he crouched before the stone. His hand slid down the list of names, pausing briefly on a few. The wind blew his blond hair across his saddened eyes as he stared at the dark stone. So many. So many names of heroes who died for the village. He dropped his hand and closed his eyes. But each of them had families, friends, lovers, siblings. People they loved. If it is at all possible, I want to save everyone of Konoha Gakure, because I love them all.

"Kazuma-san." He slowly opened his eyes and straightened, but didn't turn around to face the Jounin. "Hokage-sama wishes you to come to the Mission Office for a sudden A rank mission."

Kazuma turned around and nodded. "Thank you for informing me," he said, and disappeared when a gust of wind blew past.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Kakashi woke up to another coughing fit and he opened his eyes. He felt a cool hand against his forehead and looked up to see the nurse. He attempted to sit up, but she pushed him right back, the frown deepening.

"Stay put," she ordered. "You have a high fever." She withdrew her hand and bustled out of the room. He blinked, noticing it was light outside. He turned to see Obito still asleep. Despite the order, he sat up, placing a hand over his eye and forehead. It was then that he noticed a presence in the room, and looked at the opposite wall at a certain location.

"You're sharp, Hatake," Yuki said, lowering the camouflage sheet.

"I thought I already finished the exam," Kakashi responded.

Yuki shrugged with his free shoulder. "Doesn't hurt to come and visit you, does it?"

"Then what's with the hiding?"

"That nurse that just left," he hissed. "She wants me dead. And if there's one thing I've learned in life, it's never to anger women."

"Oh," Kakashi muttered. "And? What do you want with me?"

"What? Do I really have to have a reason to just visit?" Yuki asked with a look of hurt.

Kakashi rolled his eyes. "Spit it out, Yuki-san."

"You need to learn to respect your elders." At Kakashi's glare, he sighed in defeat and walked over to the side of the bed. "I just wanted to talk."

"About?"

"Your father, Hatake Sakumo-san."

Kakashi immediately stiffened at the mention of his late father. His eyes clouded and Yuki was quick to notice the difference. He shrugged and took a step back to lean against the window.

"Well, I guess now isn't the time, is it?" he mumbled, closing his eyes in resignation. "I'll come back another time." He pushed away and started to walk around the beds towards the door.

"Wait," Kakashi said. Yuki stopped and looked at him without turning his head. "There's something I want to know."

"Shoot. I'll answer if I can."

"You said you weren't a dropout of the Uchiha clan. But Obito said that you only recently got in after several negotiations. Is the ANBU level so high?"

Yuki thought about this for a moment before replying. "No," he said. "I don't mean to brag, but I could be considered quite above average amongst the ANBU. The only reason I didn't join at a much younger age is because I didn't want to. After what they did to Sakumo-san, I was determined not to join. The negotiations were done to try and persuade me to join, not the other way round like everyone has been told to believe. Does that satisfy as your answer?"

Kakashi nodded once, silently brooding over what he had said. Suddenly Yuki tensed and he screwed up his face, biting his lip. Kakashi frowned. The ANBU took a few quick paces back, until he was against the window again.

"I need to go," he said quickly. "Good luck, Hatake." With that, he spun around, pulled the window open and leapt out. Just when the tips of his hair disappeared, the door to the room slid open and the nurse came back in.

"Hatake!" she immediately screeched striding across the room and slamming shut the window. She then turned on her heels and bore down onto Kakashi. "I told you to stay put! Why on earth would the window be open, may I ask!"

"You have a really loud voice, ma'am," Obito grumbled, sitting up and yawning. He turned to the nurse while rubbing his eyes. "We felt a little too warm and stuffy in here."

The nurse huffed and pursed her lips, then walked over to Kakashi. She placed her hand against his forehead again and paused.

"38.3 degrees," she mumbled, handing him a small bottle of medicine. "It should calm that fever down in several hours. Although I recommend you stay another night, if you take the medicine for the next few days and keep resting, I can let you out in the afternoon."

"I'll take the second choice," Kakashi replied.

She rolled her eyes and muttered something about boys.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Later on that day, as the sun was dipping into the west, Kakashi and Obito stood before Midori's grave where freshly lit incense was burning.

"We passed the Jounin Exam, Midori," Obito said. "If you had taken it, I'm sure you would have failed."

"Obito," Kakashi said.

He chuckled. "I'm just kidding, relax, Kakashi. I'm sure you would have passed as well, Midori."

They stood silently before the gravestone as the sun began to fade. They remained there until the last rays disappeared and the lights came on in the houses. They walked down the road leading to the village, both being content with the silence and lost in their thoughts. Only their soft footfalls, almost in unison were heard stepping lightly over patches of snow.

Two shinobi who now took a step deeper into the world of the ninja, destined to keep treading that path, following it to whatever end it may bring.

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Sorry it took a little while to get this up. I (painfully) devoted my entire last weekend to studying for a driving licence (the little scooter thing), and then I was working my behind off trying to finish an English project that I had left until the last moment. (sigh) But now I have a little more time, at least enough to fit in at least ten to fifteen minutes of writing everyday. Yay! Anyways…
Sorry, forgot the:
Translations:
(1) dango: hmm...how should I explain this...They're like snacks, soft, chewy, round balls of...what...something sweet. Yeah, kind of confusing. If you're looking for a visual look it up in google images. I just checked and they have the correct things. Just type in 'dango'. Sorry for the bad translations...
oji-san: a word that you add on the end of names for middle aged men. Something like -san, -kun, -chan and so on.

Leilani: Hehe. No, the teacher didn't fail me, but my Health project is yet to come… . But the English teacher liked it. I had originally written it for English class and she gave me and A. In any case, thanks again for reviewing as always! Hope you enjoyed this last chapter too!
HanaTenshiHimeko: lol. Sorry for that and the wait! Hope you enjoyed and thank you for reviewing!
Chaotic Demon: I couldn't get myself to fail one and pass the other. (grin) Thanks for the review!
Nezuko: I actually really enjoy reviews. It gives me feedback, compliments and makes me think about other ideas that I can explore. For example, after reading your review, it caused me to write about Yuki and Ryo talking a little about the exams. I also tried to follow Kazuma a little, but I'm a little afraid to do that. I feel that he is such a deep, complex character and it makes me hesitate about writing his thoughts and feelings too much. Kind of weird…But no, there's no tension between Yuki and Ryo. They're childhood friends. And yes, thanks for the explosive thoughts. It makes perfect sense. Anyways, thanks for the review!
Patty: Thanks for dropping a review! I'm glad you're still reading and enjoying it. Yes, I'll be sure to add more on the techniques that came up. Hope you liked this chapter too!
Wyldcat: Hm, hm, cliffies! Ah, I hate them too when I'm a reader. It drives me insane. Hehe. Sharingan…That'll all come soon. We're getting ever closer! Thanks for the review!
Katzuki: Um…Was Obito's test generally easier than Kakashi's…? I would say no, they were about the same difficulty. Yeah, I was thinking about giants ducks, and it might appear later on, perhaps even in the sequel if not in "Nakama". Anyways, thanks for reviewing!
Alana: heh, yeah, I updated a little quicker last time. Pent up ideas I guess. I'm glad you liked them, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well. Kind of rounding off the whole Jounin Exam arc. Thanks for always reviewing!
NefariousPhoenix: wait no! Don't cry! Lol. I don't use toooo many cliff hangers…Thank you for the review though, before you went off and cried…(big, round, wet, puppy eyes). Uh Itachi's sharingan. To be frank, I have no idea…Sorry…
Delano: Thankies! Well, when you get a little more descriptive in battle, then there's a tad bit more blood in it…For example, a little excerpt: "Rio stood with his sword pierced through one of the man's heart. The other was on his knees, but soon dropped to the ground, his blood starting to pool from his open wound through his throat. Rio pulled his blade out and stepped aside to let the other man fall with a gurgled groan. …. She managed half a scream when she saw Lin, but the sound was stifled when Lin ran her short blade across the woman's neck, cutting her main arteries that pumped the blood to her head. Her wide, fearful eyes grew distant as the life drained from her body, and she crumbled on the ground, her blood spilling onto the cement. Lin stared down the shock stricken face; the open eyes staring blankly back up at her." And yes, I do know that Kakashi seems a little too good, but I can't help it…It's difficult to write about…
the essence of popsicles: hehe. Thanks for your compliments! I'm so glad everyone seems to get along with my fighting scenes. Lol. Yuki's fanclub! I agree, he is cool. The secret behind the earring…is just that he had two of them, one green and one red. It was to test Kakashi's observation skills. Anyways, thanks a bunch for dropping a review and I hope you continue reading on, as I will be writing about my version of how Kakashi receives the sharingan. Sometime in the near future… (I love your name btw)

Thanks everyone!

Fanyar-