Last Time:
"Had I known that he would take to the Curse Mark so quickly, I would've kept him on-site," Orochimaru huffed as he made his way to his primary station. "He took to it even faster than Sasuke-kun did."
"This was the latest strain you created, yes?" Kabuto asked.
"It was just a variant on the Cursed Mark of Heaven," Orochimaru answered. "However, it seems Menma's genetic code altered my Curse Mark even further into something I don't recognize. It's quite the phenomenon.
"For now, though," Orochimaru took a seat, "we'll just need to keep Menma alive long enough for the Curse Mark to form fully."
Synchronicity: Chapter 32 – The Bell Test (Part 1 of 4)
It was just before dawn when Kushina glanced down at her Aide. It was a little after six, and she watched as the rest of the Alpha Class students gathered and stood in front of their instructors. She couldn't help but smile as she felt their eagerness and anticipation radiating off of them.
Behind her stood all of Alpha Class's instructors. Though it didn't show on their faces like it did their students, they were just as eager to participate in today's Bell Test. Though their excitement was infectious, Kushina felt an overwhelming sense of calm fall over her. If anything, she was relieved that both the students and teachers were excited about today's exam.
"Good morning, everyone," Kushina addressed the entirety of Alpha Class with a booming voice, "I hope you're all well-rested and ready to give today's test your all."
"Yes, ma'am!" Alpha Class exclaimed.
Kushina chuckled, "Good. Now then, before we begin, allow me to refresh your memories on the rules and regulations for today's test. The purpose of today's test –."
She stopped. Both the instructors and students exchanged looks at Kushina's sudden silence. Amongst the students, Naruto tried to read the expression on his mother's face, but then he didn't need to. He suddenly felt overwhelmed by an emotion that wasn't his own, and his stomach churned violently. He clasped his hand over his mouth and suddenly swayed.
Sasuke caught Naruto before he fell over and kept his standing upright, "What's wrong with you?"
"It's Menma," Shion gasped.
"Menma?" Sakura looked at Shion, and then she saw all of Alpha Class seemed to be looking off to the side. She looked with the rest of them, and there he was.
"Pardon the instruction, Headmistress Uzumaki," Kabuto apologized. "Lord Orochimaru informed me that Alpha Class had an exam they'd be participating in today and that I should escort Menma here right away."
"Ah." Kushina couldn't say much else. It'd been almost a month since she'd seen Menma, so she wanted to feel relieved to see him, but she didn't feel any positive emotion. If anything, there was something that weighed down on Kushina as she looked at him.
Everything about Menma was different. His hair was an abysmal black that fell just at the top of his shoulders, and his eyes were a dark crimson. The whisker markings on his cheeks were thick and dark, and he stood with the usual confidence before he lost Kurama.
He wore a new set of equipment, with the most noticeable change being the black sleeves beneath red straps wrapped around his arms and legs up to his elbows and knees. Hanging off his waist was a traditional kitsune mask with a pair of sword hilts wrapped in red bandages.
But the most shocking change was his presence. Or rather, his lack of one.
"I didn't even sense him," Kakashi murmured.
"None of us did," Obito breathed.
"Have fun," Kabuto cooed as he patted Menma's shoulder. "Don't forget to contact me once the exam has concluded."
"Yeah." Menma joined the rest of his classmates.
"Menma," Shion whispered as she stood beside him. "You're okay?"
"I'm okay," Menma assured her. Then he looked over his shoulder at Naruto, and the sparkle in his eyes unsettled him, "Missed me?"
"Not really," Naruto joked.
Menma smirked, "Cheeky."
"Headmistress," Rin whispered.
"Huh? Ah yes, my apologies," Kushina addressed the students once more. "As I was saying, the purpose of this exam is to determine the rank each of you will be awarded. Because of our partnership with several Hunters Guilds and Organization, you, as Alpha Class members, have been allowed to participate in official assignments. The rank you're awarded at the end of your exam will determine what official duties you're able to partake in. Of course, your rank will directly reflect the awards at the end.
"Now, for the rules and regulations of the Bell Test. Your instructors have a set of bells on their belts that each of you will have a chance to obtain. As students, you'll be able to get bells from your instructors or other students; however, instructors are not allowed to get bells from students. However, instructors are permitted to distribute their bells amongst themselves. When an instructor is out of bells, they will no longer be allowed to participate in the exam until they've received a bell from a comrade.
"Lastly, if you fail to obtain a bell within the next twenty-four hours, then you'll be granted an F-Rank," Kushina explained. "Please be mindful of the fact that your passing of this exam doesn't reflect on whether or not you get to remain in Alpha Class. Each of you will be in Alpha Class after this test is over."
"Yes, ma'am!" Alpha Class resounded.
"Perfect." Kushina clapped her hands together and checked her Aide once more, "We're seven minutes away from dawn. Once the sun breaches the horizon, you may enter the training grounds. In the meantime, your instructors and I will be headed in and dispersing. I wish you all the best of luck."
With that, Kushina and the Alpha Class instructors headed into the training grounds. When they reached the edge of the woods, Kushina snapped her fingers and the instructors dispersed, but an entirely new group of certified Hunters and Huntresses appear in front of her.
"Great, you're here," Kushina exclaimed. "I'll be counting on all of you to assess my students properly."
"You can count of us, Headmistress Uzumaki," Itachi spoke to the outsourced participants.
"Remember, they're still students, so don't overdo it," Minato called as he landed on the ground beside Kushina.
Kushina shot her husband a sideways glance, and he put his hands up in defense. He apologized before planting a sweet kiss on her cheek and joining the other outsourced participants.
"Now then," Kushina placed a hand on her hip, "they'll be entering the training grounds in about five minutes."
"Yes, ma'am!" the outsourced participants exclaimed before dispersing into the training grounds.
"Think they're prepared to handle us?" Minato chuckled as he strolled alongside Kushina.
"They're supposed to expect the unexpected, but I doubt they expected this," Kushina admitted. "Ah, but we have a problem."
"Oh?"
"Menma's back."
"Ah, that? I sensed him a little while ago," Minato assured her. "He's different."
Back where the students were waiting, they took the few minutes they had to stretch and space out. They divided into their teams and reviewed strategies, checked their weapons, and checked their provisions and supplies.
Menma had gone ahead but walked at a slow enough pace so that he wouldn't enter the training grounds before it was time. Naruto had hesitated to join him so that he could speak to him properly.
Stay away from Menma. Kurama's warning only confirmed everything Naruto had felt.
He's my brother. Naruto argued. He jogged away from his team and caught up with Menma, "Menma."
"Hm." Menma continued to walk.
"How are you feeling?"
"I couldn't be better."
"Is that so?"
"Yup."
They walked alongside one another in silence until they stopped just a few yards away from the edge of the training grounds.
"Was there something you wanted to discuss?" Menma asked.
Naruto hesitated to answer. He knew it wasn't the time to get into discussing the pit in his stomach, but he settled on what was in front of them, "Shikamaru made units that he thought would work well against the instructors. You're in a unit with Sasuke, Sakura, Shion, Sai, and myself."
"No, thanks," Menma declined.
"Huh?" Naruto arched an eyebrow, "You're planning on going through this exam alone?"
Menma nodded, "I do. They're grading us based on individual performance anyway, so I don't see the point in working together."
"Menma."
"Good luck."
Menma glanced down at his Aide, then headed the rest of the way towards the training grounds. As Naruto stood there in silence, Alpha Class came running by as they headed into the training grounds to begin their exam.
"Naruto?" Sasuke stood beside his teammate. "What is it?"
Naruto couldn't put what bothered him into words. For the last seventeen years, Menma and Naruto always exchanged the same phrase being going off into a fight: "I got your back if you got mine." Menma didn't say it, and Naruto couldn't.
Stay away from Menma, Kit. I mean it. Kurama issued his warning one more time.
"Let's go." Naruto sighed.
Sakura and Sasuke exchanged a look. Sakura marched over to the now sulking Naruto and punched his shoulder. He let out a groan of pain as he gripped his shoulder before whirling around to glare at Sakura.
"You can't attack me until I have a bell!" Naruto whined.
"I know you're worried about Menma, but we need you to focus," Sakura shouted.
Naruto pursed his lips together, then looked at the four of them.
"I'm fine either way," Sai announced.
"You're not helping," Sasuke grumbled.
Naruto rubbed his shoulder, "Sorry."
"Better?" Sakura asked. "If you're not, I can punch you again."
"I'm fine," Naruto assured her.
"Let's go, then," Shion called. "We don't want to get left behind, and every minute counts."
To Be Continued…