Hey, everyone.
I'm getting a tooth pulled tomorrow. Ugh. Well, there are a lot of people out there with a lot more to complain about. Hope you guys are having a good time.
Guest: The silence was me being burned out, then me being too busy, then me having other things eating up all my free time. I basically spent the last year and a half addicted to Final Fantasy 14.
JintoLin: Seriously? I mean, in my first attempt at a Naruto fic, Hinata was kind of aggressive after finding out Naruto had returned from his training trip with a girlfriend, but that was more jealousy because being with Naruto seems to be her only dream. She'd have gotten over it. If Karin can get over Sasuke, Hinata should be able to get over Naruto. No reason to just kill her off. I mean, it's not like she's even competition early on if that's the problem. She's so damn shy Naruto barely knew she existed before her match with Neji, and even then he didn't know her that well until the post-Sasuke Retrieval filler arcs. Plus, I think it's interesting to have her think about what she wants out of life if she loses her chance with Naruto.
FlyingRaijin: Yeah, tried to tweak things to make what I meant more clear in that department.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
As had become routine for Team Seven Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura were waiting for their sensei, this time on a bridge. Naruto and Sakura quietly read books while Naruto wrote on a scroll lying on the ground.
Or at least he tried to. Today was the day. The Chunin Exams were tomorrow. Kakashi had made his decision; they just had to wait for him to show up.
The blond had been on pins and needles since he'd woken up, and even as he tried to draw another seal as practice, he couldn't help but look up for any sign that their sensei had arrived.
Half an hour later saw Naruto bouncing on his feet as his head turned from side to side. "Damn it, you'd think he'd at least show up on time on a day like this!"
"Did you forget who you're talking about?" Sakura asked as she leaned back against the railing. "Just be patient; he'll get here when he gets here. Like always..." She grumbled the last words with resignation.
It was another full hour before Kakashi finally decided to show himself.
"Hey, guys." Kakashi greeted his team with a casual wave as he suddenly appeared, crouching on nearby Torii gate. "Sorry I'm late, afraid I got lost on the road of life." He said with a straight face as if that was in any way a valid excuse.
"That's your worst one yet, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto grumbled as he crossed his arms.
"That right there. That's why no one ever believes you." Sakura said, jabbing her finger at the man with a glare.
"Well, never mind that," Kakashi said as he reappeared in front of them.
Naruto immediately ran up to the silver-haired jonin, going from annoyed to excited in the blink of an eye. "So what did you decide? Are we in!?"
"Well..." Kakashi began, cupping his chin and trailing off... before he quickly reached into his pouch and pulled out three slips of paper, giving them one of his eye smiles. "Yes."
Naruto immediately let out a cheer and pumped his fist in the air as Sasuke and Sakura joined him. Their sensei looked over them as he handed out the forms. "The three of you have come a long way. It hasn't exactly been easy, and I wish it hadn't taken what it did to put us on the right track, but I think you're ready. That said; it's up to you whether or not you actually sign the application and go through with it."
"Oh, come on. You think we'd back down now after all the work we put in?" Naruto asked with a smirk. Sasuke gave a grunt of agreement beside him while Sakura just stared down at the form with a frown on her face.
"No, knowing you three, I don't expect you would," Kakashi replied. "But, I felt it needed to be said. Anyway, given that the exams begin tomorrow, that'll be all for today. Take the rest of the day off, relax, do what you need to get ready. Bring those forms to room 301 at 4pm. Now, dismissed."
And with that, he vanished, leaving the trio alone.
"Well, I guess we're done here. Real nice of Kakashi-sensei to keep us waiting just for a five-minute meeting..." Naruto said as he looked at his teammates.
"Shouldn't have expected anything less at this point," Sasuke said with a shrug. He then turned to Sakura. "It's pretty clear where we stand, but what about you? Think you're up for this?"
Sakura seemed uncertain for a moment, staring down at the paper in her hands before she looked up and nodded with a determined expression.
Sasuke smirked. "Good. For the record, I think so too."
The pink-haired girl beamed at those words from her crush. More and more, Naruto had found himself wondering if he even had a chance with her. She seemed to only have eyes for Sasuke.
Well, at least he could say they were friends. That was a step up from before, and he liked the way things were between them now.
"Alright, tomorrow we're going to kick ass and take names!" Naruto said, pumping his fist. "Let's celebrate! Who's up for Ichiraku's?! My treat!"
"Ramen, again?" Sakura asked with a sigh before she smiled. "Eh, I guess they are the best at what they do in the village."
"Try the whole continent!"
Sakura chuckled at his never-ending praise for his favorite ramen shop. "Well, I'm not saying no to free food."
Sasuke shrugged. "Might as well." A far cry from a few months ago, when he probably would have just scoffed and walked away. He'd have been lucky to get a 'no thanks' before he took off.
Naruto grinned brightly and couldn't help but think of the first day they'd become a team. How Sasuke would ignore them if he could, and how he would usually put him down. How Sakura would yell at him for any little thing or if he mouthed off at Sasuke. Yes, things had changed a lot between them since then.
And he wouldn't have it any other way.
Naruto grinned as he ran down the familiar path to the academy. The blond could barely contain his excitement. Ahead lied the best genin Konoha and the other villages had to offer. That meant the chance to meet some incredible people and fight lots of powerful opponents. Challenges that would push his team to their limits, where they could show the result of all the hard work they'd put in. And at the end of it all, his team would take the next step on their path as ninja. He was sure of it.
Arriving at the academy, he found Sasuke already standing at the entrance. As he neared the building, he saw Sakura coming up from another direction. Looks like she was right on time, but then she'd been the one to suggest they get here with half an hour to spare.
He slowed down to give Sakura a chance to catch up. "Hey guys," He greeted loud enough that both could hear him.
"Good afternoon Naruto. Sasuke." Sakura said as she neared. Sasuke acknowledged both with a grunt as they joined him.
Together they entered the building and walked up the stairs. But as they reached the second floor, Naruto noticed something strange.
The signs all said this was the third floor. The room numbers all said the same. 'What the hell?'
It was then that he noticed a commotion at the end of the hall. A large group of kids around his own age gathered around a door blocked by two other genin. He heard the sound of a blow and someone crashing to the ground as they got near.
When he looked at the room numbers, he saw why; they were standing in front of Room 301... or so it would seem.
"Seriously? Did all these guys fall for that?" Naruto asked in slight disbelief as he looked around at all the kids making fools of themselves.
Sasuke scoffed. "Looks like someone decided to weed out the scrubs. If they can't see through something like this, then they've got no business being here."
"Yeah, let's just get around them with Body Flicker," Naruto replied. He then noticed Sakura was staring into the crowd. "Something wrong?"
"Oh no, nothing's wrong," Sakura replied with a shake of her head. "You guys go on ahead. I'll catch up." And with that, she walked off towards the ongoing commotion. Naruto raised a brow before shrugging. He and Sasuke then both made the tiger seal and vanished in a burst of speed, traversing the familiar halls in the blink of an eye, unnoticed by the would-be exam takers. They reappeared further in the building, out of sight of the other genin. Both looked back for a moment, wondering about their teammate before continuing on their way.
The pink-haired girl rejoined them a few moments later. "So what was that all about?"
"I noticed Tenten in the crowd," Sakura answered. "I knew she had to have seen through that lame trick, so I wanted to ask what she was up to. Apparently, her team didn't want to draw attention to themselves. They figured if they played along, everyone would underestimate them."
"Smart," Sasuke acknowledged. "But a waste of time if you ask me. I doubt most people who saw through that stunt would pay enough attention to the crowd to recognize them."
"Meh, you never know, they could get lucky," Naruto said as he put his hands behind his head. "Sakura picked Tenten out of the mob after all. Nothing to lose trying, right?"
"I guess you have a point," Sasuke conceded.
As they entered the large, open room that led to the next flight of stairs, a voice called out to them from above.
"Hang on!" At that, the genin stopped and looked above. Standing on the next floor was a boy who looked to be about their age.
He had shiny black hair styled into a bowl cut and the largest pair of eyebrows Naruto had ever seen. He wore a green jumpsuit with bandages tied around his hands and forearms, orange leg warmers, and a red forehead protector tied around his waist like a belt.
The boy leaped down, landing in a crouch before standing upright and walking over to them and looking to Sakura.
"Hi there."
Sakura raised a brow, looking a bit uncomfortable. "Um... hi?"
"My name is Rock Lee. Can I ask for yours?" The older boy asked... and was he blushing?
"Lee? Oh, you're one of Tenten's teammates!" Sakura realized with a smile. "She's told me a bit about you guys. I'm Sakura Haruno."
"So Tenten did mention me! It's nice to meet you!" And then he gave her a thumbs up and gave her a confident grin. His teeth seemed to sparkle, like a nice guy from a cartoon. "Let's go out sometime! I'll protect you with my life!"
That caught Sakura completely flatfooted. She just gaped at him for a moment. Naruto couldn't help but snicker at the look on her face while Sasuke just raised a brow.
"Sorry, no."
Rock Lee seemed to deflate at the rejection. He slumped forward, his arms hanging limply in front of him with a devastated expression on his face. "... Why not?"
"Look Lee; I'm flattered and all..." Sakura said, rubbing the back of her head and looking away. "But, I mean, I'm interested in someone else. And besides, I just met you."
Lee seemed to sulk for a second. Having been rejected by Sakura before himself, Naruto stepped forward and gave the green-clad boy a pat on the shoulder. He couldn't help but think the bushy-browed boy was lucky; a few months ago and she probably would have insulted him.
That answer caused the boy to rebound, however. And he brought a fist to his chest as his eyes burned with determination. "Of course! You have no reason to believe me right now! Just watch, I will not stop until I prove myself worthy of your affections!"
Sakura took a step back. "Uh... ok?"
He then turned to Naruto for a brief moment to nod and say, "Thank you." Then his attention shifted to Sasuke. "But that's not the only reason I came here." He stated as he moved to stand across from the Uchiha. "You must have heard my name just now. What is yours?"
"Sasuke Uchiha."
Rock Lee nodded. "So it is as I thought; you are the progeny of the famous Uchiha clan. And that would make you this year's number one rookie." His feet shifted, one foot before the other as he put one arm behind his back and raised the other, held flat in front of him. "Will you fight me, here and now? It would be an honor to test my strength against someone of your renown."
"You want to fight me because of my family name?" Sasuke asked, frowning. "Fine. I'll show you what the Uchiha are capable of."
Naruto placed his hands behind his head as he looked at his teammate, his eyes squinted near shut. "You sure about this, Sasuke?"
Sasuke nodded as he fell into his own fighting stance. "Yeah. I'm not one to back down from a challenge."
The blond shrugged. Naruto couldn't exactly blame the Uchiha; they were alike in that way. He stepped back and out of the way along with Sakura.
For a moment, the two boys stared each other down before Sasuke made the first move, charging forward. As the Uchiha heir neared, the green-clad boy vanished in a burst of speed, reappearing in the air above and launching a sweeping kick aimed at his opponent's face.
Sasuke ducked down to dodge, but the moment Lee landed, he continued the motion. Sasuke fell to the side and put his palm on the ground, letting the attack pass over him before he launched himself back, and landing in a crouch before making a tiger seal.
Mirroring Lee, he vanished in a flurry of motion, reappearing above Lee and bringing his leg down in an ax kick. The boy blocked with his arm, but Sasuke twisted his body into a sweeping kick of his own, forcing the older genin back as he placed his palm on the floor and flipped backward onto his feet.
He immediately launched himself at the green-clad genin, throwing a punch aimed at his face. Lee brushed the attack aside and raised his leg to counter-attack, but Sasuke jumped over the kick, flipping in the air and landing facing toward his foe.
The Uchiha heir closed his eyes and smirked confidently. When he opened them, his eyes had both been dyed crimson, with two tomoe marks in each eye. 'So, he decided to pull out the Sharingan...'
Naruto wasn't sure of his opinion on that. He sure as hell wasn't going to show off his chains unless he knew he'd been backed into a corner. Playing your best cards too early is what got Kakashi-sensei in trouble with Zabuza.
Well, Sasuke probably knew what he was doing.
Sasuke once more charged at Lee and threw a flurry of blows at the older genin, only for him to block or weave around them. The exchange ended in a jab from Sasuke. The attack was swept aside by Lee, but Sasuke used the momentum to spin into a kick...
... Only for Lee to blur into motion, ducking under the blow and kicking Sasuke square in the jaw, sending him flying into the air.
Naruto took a step forward while he heard Sakura gasp beside him.
"So this is the famous Sharingan, the eye said to be able to pierce any genjutsu and reveal the secrets of all ninjutsu. However..." Lee crouched down before vanishing in a blur once more, reappearing behind Sasuke. "It's not as effective against taijutsu."
"This is... Dancing Leaf Shadow." Sasuke identified the technique.
"Good eye." Lee complimented. "I came here to prove that hard work can match raw talent, even that of the famous Uchiha clan." He said as the bandages around his arm began to unravel. "Now, this is the end."
... Only for them to be pinned to the wall by... a pinwheel? What?
As Lee was snagged, the Uchiha heir began to fall to the ground. Naruto and Sakura ran towards him, Sakura diving to break his fall, ducking down to her knees as she caught him.
"Lee, what were you thinking!?" They turned to see Lee kneeling on the floor while being berated by... a turtle?
This just got weirder and weirder.
Naruto raised a brow, not sure what to think about what he was witnessing. "Hey... is that turtle a summon?"
"... I... guess?" Sakura replied with uncertainty as Sasuke got back on his feet. She followed a moment later.
"That technique is forbidden!" The turtle declared sternly, causing Lee to cower.
"B- But I wasn't going to use the other one!" Lee weakly defended himself.
"You fool! You think you can get away with an excuse like that!?" The turtle yelled, causing the green-clad genin to cringe. He stood upright and hung his head down, giving up all attempts to defend himself. "You already know a shinobi should never reveal their secret techniques unless it's necessary!"
"I know..."
"Are you prepared to pay the price?"
"Yes, sit."
"Then come on out, Gai-sensei!" The turtle beckoned, and then a burst of smoke erupted from his back. It cleared to reveal a well-built man. He was clad in the same green bodysuit as Lee. In fact, the boy seemed to almost be a clone of him.
Right down to the eyebrows!
He stood on the turtle's shell flamboyantly, hip cocked, one arm in the air, one hand circled around his eye. "Hey, everybody! Life treating you good?"
Naruto's jaw dropped as he and Sasuke stared utterly perplexed at the man's appearance. 'This is Kakashi-sensei's rival!?'
Sakura's reaction was different, however. She brought her hand to her forehead in chagrin as the man mirrored Lee's earlier 'nice guy' stance.
Complete with sparkling teeth.
"Oh boy..." The pink-haired girl groaned.
"Lee." The man said, turning from them to his own student. "Are you prepared?"
"I am." The boy said, squaring his shoulders and bracing himself.
"You..." Gai pulled back his fist and closed the distance between himself and his student in the blink of an eye. "IDIOT!"
His fist slammed into his student's face with such force that the teen was sent flying halfway across the room, blood flying from his nose. He tumbled across the floor and came to a stop in a heap on the ground.
Once more, Naruto and Sasuke could only gape, while Sakura just stared dully at the proceedings.
Gai walked over to his student as he slowly picked himself off the ground. He kneeled down just a foot away from his student. "Lee... you... you..."
"Gai-sensei..." Lee said as he looked up at his teacher.
"It's ok, Lee. You don't have to say anymore." For a moment, they both stared, tears streaming from their eyes. Then, against all odds, things got even weirder.
Lee threw himself at his sensei. The two embraced, sobbing as they held each other. And to add to the sheer bizarreness of it all, the image of a fading sunset over the ocean appeared behind them, waves crashing upon the craggy shores.
Sasuke's disbelief had turned into pure annoyance. Naruto couldn't pull his eyes away, no matter how much he wanted to. It was like watching an unfolding disaster that left you rooted to the spot, desperate to run, look away or do something while your body refused to move.
Sakura just sighed, shaking her head and shrugging as if to say 'what can you do?' "Yep. That's Gai, all right..." Oh, right. She was friends with another one of his students. She'd probably heard stories...
Finally, they broke their embrace and stood. Gai put his hand on his student's shoulder. "It's alright, Lee. It's normal to make mistakes when you're young."
"You're too kind, Gai-sensei," Lee said gratefully.
"However, you started a fight and nearly broke one of the rules I set. For that, you'll need a more substantial punishment." He then raised his fist into the air. "500 laps around the training ground after the exams!"
"Yes, Gai-sensei!"
Naruto's heart went out to Tenten, as well as whoever their other teammate was if this is what they had to deal with every day.
It was then that the older of the green-clad duo turned to one massively browed eye on them. "Hey, kids. How's Kakashi-sensei doing? Still treating you right?"
"Yeah, he's good," Naruto replied, and then what Gai said nudged something in his mind. He remembered how Kakashi was worried Tenten would tell Gai. The blond snickered. "Gave him a talking to, huh?"
Gai bowed his head, bringing a trembling fist to his chest. "I was so disappointed what I heard from Tenten how little he taught you. I was afraid that he had passed into the twilight of his youth too soon." He looked up and gave them a thumbs-up as he smiled, revealing sparkling teeth. "But all it took were my words and your determination to re-ignite his flames of youth! I'm glad to see he hasn't faltered since."
Suddenly, an image came to Naruto's mind. He pictured the embrace between teacher and student from moments earlier except in place of Lee, it was Kakashi, trying desperately to talk Gai out of it. He was ignored. The man grabbed him and pulled him into a hug as the sunset illusion shined. Kakashi groaned in dismay, a mortified expression visible on what little of his face you could see.
He immediately burst out laughing.
"Hey! Are you laughing at Gai-sensei!?" Lee yelled, furious at any perceived slight against his beloved teacher.
"N- no. He just reminded me of something, is all." Naruto managed to get out amid peals of laughter.
Gai seemed to ignore his mirth. "Anyway, you guys and Lee should head to the classroom." He then threw a kunai at the pinwheel, freeing Lee's bandages. "Good luck, Lee. Later!" And with that, he vanished. There was no blur of motion. He was there one moment and gone the next.
"Thank you, Gai-sensei," Lee said, reapplying his bandages. "Sasuke, I'll tell you one more thing. While I challenged you to test my abilities, there's someone else I want to fight. My teammate, Neji. He is probably the most powerful genin in Konoha." He smiled confidently. "I entered these exams to defeat him, but I intend to prove myself against you as well. Be prepared!" He then leaped up to the floor above and left.
Sasuke scoffed. "He won this round, but neither of us showed our best stuff. Next time... huh?" He turned to Naruto, who had outright collapsed in laughter now.
"Alright, what's so funny?" Sakura asked with a frown, putting her hands on her hips.
"R-remember how they hugged just now?"
"Ugh, don't remind me."
"Remember what Kakashi-sensei said? About Gai finding out how he taught us?"
His teammates looked at each other for a moment. Sakura soon joined him in laughter, while Sasuke chuckled with a small grin.
Once they calmed themselves down, the trio made their way up the stair and towards classroom 301; to the next step on their journey as shinobi. As they reached the room, they found Kakashi standing in front of the door.
The silver-haired jonin had his hands in his pockets as he greeted them. "Hey, guys. Glad you all made it."
"Kakashi-sensei? What are you doing here? Came to wish us luck?" Naruto asked.
"More or less." The copy ninja replied with a nod. "Truthfully, you can only take this exam as a team of three, but I would have been surprised if any of you had backed down." He then looked over his students. "I just came to say one last time... I'm proud of you all. And I have faith that you'll go far here." Naruto and Sakura smiled, while Sasuke smirked at the vote of confidence. "Now, go!"
The three walked past their sensei and opened the door to the designated room. The moment the threshold creaked open, every eye in the room turned to them. The three genins of Team Seven found themselves the subject of glares from a room full of dozens of other hopefuls from numerous villages, some around their age, some older and even nearing adulthood. A wave of killing intent washed over them, thrown out by some of the more aggressive genin.
The three barely had time to process this before Sasuke was suddenly pounced on from behind.
"Sasuke, you're here!" Cried a familiar voice. Hanging on the back of Sasuke, much to the Uchiha heir's annoyance, was a girl with blue eyes and long, platinum blond hair tied in a ponytail with a bang framing the right side of her face. She wore a purple blouse and a matching apron skirt with her forehead protector tied around her waist like a belt, bandages covering her thighs and midriff.
Ino Yamanaka. Sakura's former friend and rival in love. The pink-haired girl had mentioned that she'd tried to smooth things over with the blonde.
Apparently, it hadn't gone well.
"You have no idea how much I was hoping you'd be here." The blonde asked as she hung off Sasuke's neck, oblivious to the irritated look he was giving her. "I've missed those brooding good looks. Have you missed me too?"
Sakura's eye twitched. "Get off of him, Ino!"
"Oh, Sakura. They let you and that billboard-sized brow of yours in here too?" Ino asked, pulling down her eyelid and sticking her tongue out at her.
"So you're here too, huh? How troublesome." Another blast from the past drew Naruto's attention. He turned to see Ino's teammates: a boy with short black hair tied in a spiky ponytail. He wore a short-sleeved gray jacket over a mesh-armored t-shirt and brown pants. He looked like he was in a perpetual state of boredom. This was Shikamaru Nara, easily the laziest person Naruto had ever met. "I knew this would be a pain, but I didn't know it'd be this bad."
Naruto put his hands behind his head and grinned. "Let me guess; you're only here because Ino dragged you in, am I right?"
"No prizes for that one," Shikamaru answered, completely unashamed. Naruto just chuckled. Shikamaru hadn't changed at all.
And neither had the other boy at his side, he saw. Choji Akimichi was a rather... well, he'd put it chubby, kid. He had spiky brown hair that stood up straight, divided into two parts by his unique forehead protector. He wore a short-sleeved, green haori with a long white scarf over a white shirt with the kanji for food, together with black shorts and bandages over his legs and forearms. He said nothing, just munched contentedly on his bag of potato chips.
"Yahoo, we found you guys!" The Konoha genin all turned to see another familiar face. "Looks like the gang's all here."
Kiba Inuzuka was a wild-looking boy. He had black eyes with vertical slit pupils and sharp canine teeth and wore dark greyish pants and a grey coat lined with black fur with its hood up. On his head sat a small white dog that went with him wherever he went.
"Oh. Hi Naruto." Beside him, his teammate Hinata Hyuga greeted him. Hinata was a pale, slender girl with the featureless white eyes that all of her clan had. She had dark blue hair styled in a hime cut and wore a cream-colored hoodie with flame symbols on the upper sleeves and white fur around the cuffs and hem. with dark navy blue pants. When Naruto looked at her, she blushed and looked away.
Completing the trio was Shino Aburame. He had bushy brown hair and wore round sunglasses at all times. Naruto didn't think anyone back in his class had even seen his eyes before. He wore a sea-green jacket with an upturned collar and brown pants.
"Looks like all the rookies are taking the exam this year. I wonder how far we'll get. Huh, Sasuke?" Kiba said with a confident smirk as he looked to the former head of their class. "We've been training like crazy. We're going all the way to the top."
"Meh, keep thinking that. You'll be bragging right up until we send you to the vet." Naruto shot back.
"What was that!?"
"Geez, you guys need to calm down," A new voice cut in. As one, the nine rookies turned to see an older boy coming their way. The newcomer looked like he was at the tail end of his teen years. He had onyx eyes and ash gray hair tied in a ponytail and sported a pair of black-rimmed, circular glasses. He wore a purple, high collard sleeveless shirt with matching pants, a white undershirt, and a white cloth waistband. "You guys are rookies fresh out of the academy, right? It's pretty obvious; you're acting a bunch of like schoolgirls. This isn't a picnic, you know?"
"And just who are you?" Ino asked, clearly annoyed at the older genin for interrupting their back and forth.
"My name's Kabuto. But instead of focusing on me, you should look behind you." The genin did so and saw a group of genin with the symbol for Amegakure on their forehead protectors glaring at them. Suddenly, they became aware of a small amount of killing intent aimed their way. It was barely noticeable, but now that they were focused on the source, they could all feel it. "Those guys are from Ame. I hear they have short tempers. Everyone here's on pins and needles, so you should pipe down before you cause a scene."
Some of the other genin seemed a bit unnerved; Kiba lost his confident stance. Ino shivered. Hinata took a step back. But after facing the likes of Zabuza, Team Seven was unaffected for the most part.
"I can't say I blame you for being clueless." Kabuto continued with a shrug. "You're just a bunch of cute rookies, after all. You remind me of how I used to be."
"So, this isn't your first time, then?" Sakura asked.
"No. In fact, this is my seventh time taking these exams." Kabuto replied as he reached back into his pouch.
Yikes. Well, given that Naruto had failed the genin exam, even if only due to chakra control issues, he had no room to talk. "So, I guess that means you know a lot about what's going on here?" Naruto guessed, putting his hands behind his head. "Are these exams always about the same? How do they shake things up?"
"Good question," Kabuto commented as he pulled out a deck of cards. "Well, it'd be no fun to spoil the surprise for the newbies, but suffice to say the latter stages of the exam are always the same, but they're testing your combat skill, among other things. The first test is the one that's always something different, though they tend to run in a similar vein."
He held up the cards, spreading them out to display them to the younger genin. "These are my ninja info cards. They've got all the information I've amassed from my years taking these exams."
"Ninja info cards?" Ino asked.
Kabuto placed one card on the ground and put his index finger on it. "They look blank, but once I've channeled some chakra into it..." Wind raged around the card for a brief moment before suddenly, a map of the Elemental Nations became visible. It was arranged in a bar graph indicating the number of participants sent by their hidden village. "And they reveal their secrets. Look here, Konoha has the most teams, no surprise given it's our home turf. Followed by Sunagakure, Ame, Kusa, Taki, and ah, Oto sent one team."
"Do you have cards on individual ninja?" Sasuke asked.
"Oh, curious about someone?" Kabuto questioned.
"Rock Lee of Konoha. And Gaara of Suna."
"Ah, you already know their names? That's no fun." Kabuto said as he drew two cards from the deck. He placed one on the ground and revealed it to the group. It had a picture of the genin, a graph of their statistics, and even their mission history. "Rock Lee. He's a year older than you guys. He's done 20 D-ranks and 11 C-rank missions. His sensei is Gai, and his teammates are Neji Hyuuga and Tenten. He was the dead last in the academy, but since he's made great strides with his taijutsu since he graduated, but his other skills are questionable at best." He then unveiled his second card. "Gaara of the Desert. He's from another village, so I don't have much information on his abilities, but he's done 8 C-rank missions and, woah, a B-rank as a genin. It's also rumored he's never even been scratched before."
The genin silently took in his information.
"As you can see, all the villages have sent the best they could muster to try to improve their standing or make a name for themselves. Well, I can't say much about Oto since they're a small village that was just started up, but the other villages are filled with talented kids like Gaara and Lee."
"T- that's a bit discouraging," Hinata spoke timidly.
"It's to be expected. Only the best of the best are nominated for the exams." Kabuto replied. "This is no cakewalk."
Hinata wasn't the only one of the rookies feeling intimidated, but Naruto just grinned, excitement brimming in his blue eyes. When Sakura noticed, she just shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. "Here we go..." The pink-haired girl said, drawing Ino's attention.
Naruto turned back to the crowd of assembled genin and pointed, calling them all out. "Alright, listen up! I'm Naruto Uzumaki, and if anyone wants a piece of me, I'll gladly introduce your face to the floor!"
"What the hell is he thinking!?" Ino yelled as she turned to her former friend.
"Meh, that's Naruto for you," Sakura replied before smiling and turning to Sasuke. "Besides, while I can't say I'm that sure of myself, I'm sure Sasuke feels the same way." The Uchiha's smirk was all the answer they needed.
Grinning, the blond turned back to his teammates and put his hands on the back of his head. Not at all caring that he'd probably just made himself a target. It was just fine with him; with all the work they'd done, Naruto was sure they could take whatever came their way.
Then, in an instant, he was alert. As were Sasuke and Sakura, he saw. Trained instinct alerting them to an impending attack. Looking out the corner of his eye, he saw three blurs moving almost unnoticed through the crowd of genin. And they were converging on Kabuto.
He wasn't about to let someone attack a fellow Konoha shinobi.
A moment later, a boy with black, spiky hair, the symbol of Oto on his forehead protector, jumped into the air and threw two kunai at Kabuto, who leaped back to dodge. In an instant, another Oto genin appeared in front of Kabuto, fist cocked back to attack.
He never had the chance. In an instant, Sasuke appeared in the air beside him in a burst of speed. The Oto genin had no time to react before the Uchiha delivered a sweeping kick to his chest, sending him flying back into the wall.
His spiky-haired teammate grits his teeth as he landed, immediately moving to charge forward with his air raised to attack. Too bad, now it was Naruto's turn. He blurred into motion, reappearing in a crouch before the Oto genin and within his guard. He had just enough time to look shocked before Naruto delivered an uppercut to his chin before spinning into a kick that slammed right into his solar plexus. The boy went flying into the air and towards the crowd, which parted. He flipped back and landed on his feet, wiping a trickle of blood from his mouth on his sleeve as he grits his teeth at the blond, who scowled back.
The Oto team's final member: a kunoichi with long black hair, appeared on their flank. Her hands crossed over her chest, senbon held between her fingers. Now it was Sakura's time to shine. The pink-haired kunoichi appeared in the air above the other genin, who immediately threw her senbon in an attempt to turn Sakura into a pincushion.
She was disappointed when they sailed right through her. She'd been fooled by a simple clone jutsu. And the distraction was all the time Sakura needed to appear in front of her. A throat punch had her grasping at her neck, leaving her open to a jab to the stomach. Sakura spun and slammed her foot into the genin's face, sending her reeling.
"Trying to attack a ninja of Konoha here, before these exams even start? You three must be dumber than you look!" Naruto growled.
"I'm gonna make you regret that, punk." The spiky-haired boy snarled.
"Just try it, and I'll send you back to Oto on a stretcher!"
"Quiet down, you worthless bastards!" A rough voice called out. At that instant, a massive cloud of smoke erupted at the front of the room. When it cleared, several adult shinobi were standing behind a man who was clearly their leader. He was a tall, imposing man with two long scars on his face: one that trailed from below his right eye down the side and the other from beside his left eye down through his lip. He wore a bandana-style forehead protector and a black trench coat over a dark-colored Konoha intelligence division uniform. "Thanks for waiting. I'm Ibiki Morino, the proctor for the first stage of the exam."
The intimidating figure had quite a few of the genin in the mass of hopefuls cowed. The man then pointed at rookies and those around them. "There will be more fighting while I'm here, got it? Unless you want to be disqualified before we even get started!"
"Hey, don't look at us. These three were the ones who wanted to start something." Naruto said with a shrug.
"I don't care who started it; I'm ending it."
"Apologies. We got carried away." The bandaged Oto genin said.
Ibiki just scoffed. "Let me say this now. There's to be no fighting without express permission from an examiner, and even then killing will not be tolerated. Do I make myself clear?" No one questioned him. "Good. We will now start the first stage of the Chunin Exams. Instead of your current seating arrangements, you'll draw tabs and sit in the seat you're assigned. We will then hand out the exams."
One of the proctors held up a stack of papers.
Naruto's eye twitched. "A paper test? Are you kidding me?"
Naruto sighed, chin resting on his hand as he waited on the proctors to just get on with it.
When he had imagined what kind of challenges these exams held, a paper test had decidedly not been among them. What was even the point? What could a written test prove about your ability to be a chunin?
This was going to be troublesome, as Shikamaru would say, wasn't it?
"Naruto..." A quiet voice beside him said. He looked to see Hinata sitting beside him. Huh, he hadn't even noticed her. "... Let's do our best." She said with an encouraging smile and a light blush.
Naruto smiled and nodded, and her blush deepened. Odd.
"Don't turn your tests over yet. Listen to what I have to say." Ibiki ordered before tapping a stick of chalk on the blackboard behind him. "I'll now explain the rules of the test. I'll write them on the chalkboard as I go on, but questions will not be answered, so listen closely. I'm only going to say this once. The first rule: you all start with ten points and the same number of questions. It works on a subtraction system, so you lose one point for each wrong answer. The second rule is that this is a team test: whether you pass or fail will be determined by your team's combined score. The third rule is that anyone caught cheating will have two points deducted for every offense. Lose all your points, you're out. And so is your team."
"We've got our eyes on you on you." One of the chunin said, reclining in his chair with a smirk, freaking out some of the genin.
"Anyone fool enough to be caught cheating doesn't deserve to be here," Ibiki smirked. "If you want to be considered shinobi, then prove your worth. As for the final rule, should you lose all your points for any reason, your teammates will be disqualified along with you." He took a moment to bask as that sank in. "Now... begin!"
Naruto grit his teeth and turned over his test, grabbing his pencil and ready to show that all that studying Kakashi had made him do wasn't for nothing.
Then he looked at the test.
Skipping over the first question... then the second... then the third, he came to a realization: he couldn't answer a single one.
He went back to the first question. Practically burned a hole in the paper as he tried to work it out. Tapped his pencil on the table as a cold sweat began to break out on his forehead.
How could it possibly be this hard!?
He went over the questions, again and again, hoping something would click. It never did. And he could hear more and more pencils meeting paper as the minutes ticked by.
How could he still do this bad after all the time he spent catching up!?
'Ok, calm down. Like Kakashi-sensei said: getting frustrated won't help anything.' He took a calming breath and looked back at the test again. Still, he failed to figure out even a single question.
Hang on. There was no way the test could be this hard. It was in a whole different league than the tests at the academy. Sure, this was the next step up, but still. And it's not like their jonin-sensei kept up their schooling. Sure, Kakashi had him catching up on what he missed, not that he didn't plan to stop there, but that was a special case. Things he needed to know. Not complex mathematics and trajectories and-
Oh. Oh, that's how it was. Naruto had been right; stuff like this had nothing to do with being a chunin. They weren't supposed to prove what they knew; they were supposed to cheat and not get caught!
... That was a problem, though. He had some ways of getting information, but none of them would work with all the proctors watching him.
Well, fortunately, a test like this took your team's information-sharing abilities to task too.
He put his pencil to his chin as he thought. Not on the test, mind you. Kakashi had told them all something during their training: if you find a weakness in yourself, do your best to cover it. He was thinking of how he could avoid being caught in a situation like this again.
It was then that what he was waiting for happened. He felt a genjutsu fall over him but didn't fight it. Words appeared in front of him, suspended in mid-air.
'Thank you, Sakura. You're a lifesaver.' Naruto thought.
It was one of the ideas they had hit upon during one of their brainstorming sessions about sharing information: a genjutsu made for communication. They'd needed a lot of help from Kakashi, and it wasn't something he could use since genjutsu was his worst subject, but they'd pulled it off. They'd been hoping for more, but this worked for now.
Naruto copied the answers and smiled. But that turned into a frown when he got to the end. The tenth question was blank. It just said it would be revealed after the 45-minute mark.
Well, whatever. Nothing to do now but wait.
It wasn't too long after that that the test saw its first dismissal. They were just the first. Time passed, a few more teams got the as before finally, Ibiki called out: "All right, listen up! It's time to unveil the tenth and final question! But before that, there are some additional rules to go over."
It was at that moment that that face paint-wearing guy, Kankuro walked back into the room. "Ah, aren't you lucky? You came back just in time. I hope you found your trip to the bathroom enlightening."
... Considering how much weight he put on that last word, Kankuro probably just got busted for something. Either way, he went back to his seat.
"These two rules only apply to the tenth question. Listen carefully, and try not to let them frighten you." Ibiki began. "First of all, it is up to you if you want to take the tenth question."
"Woah, wait a second. 'It's up to us'? What kind of rule is that?" Temari asked. "What happens if we don't take it?"
"If you choose not to take the tenth question, then you will instantly lose all your points. In other words: you and your team will automatically fail."
"What the hell is that!?" One of the genin called out.
"Then, of course, we'll take it!" Another said.
"And as for the other rule..." The scarred man paused to let the tension build for a moment, then delivered the blow. "If you choose to take this question and answer incorrectly, you will be banned from the Chunin Exams! You'll remain genin for the rest of your lives!"
"That's bull, man!" Kiba exploded. "That's ridiculous! There're plenty of people who've taken these exams before!"
Ibiki chuckled before answering. "You guys crapped out. I'm in charge of this year. My exam, my rules." There was a cruel grin on his face as he watched the genin squirm. "But I'm not completely without mercy. I gave you a way out. If you don't think you'll get it right, there's the door."
He paused to let that sink in. "Now, let's begin. Those who don't want to take the risk; raise your hand. Once your number is called, you and your team are out."
A few moments of silence passed as the genin fought with themselves. Were they brave enough to take the risk? Did they leave and drag their team down with them?
And Naruto was no exception. If he took this test and failed, his dream would be over. A genin making Hokage? Yeah, and next, the Sage of the Six Paths would show up and solve world hunger. But if he quit now, Sasuke and Sakura would be out too. Naruto knew that whatever this question was, Sakura could answer it, 100%. At the very least, he'd be robbing her of the chance to make chunin this year.
Eventually, the first hand was raised. Then another. And then another.
Naruto felt the anxiety gnawing away at him as he thought of his future and those of his teammates.
At last, he came to a decision. He took a breath, raised his hand...
... And slammed it on the desk, blowing away all his fears.
"Like hell, I'll back out!" The blond declared. "I've never let anything stand between me and my dreams, and I'm not starting now! So what if I'm stuck as a genin forever?! I'll still find a way to become Hokage! You don't scare me!"
"..." Ibiki stared at him, unmoved by his words. "This is your last chance. Keep in mind your life is riding on this decision. Back out, or risk everything."
"I never go back on my word. That's my ninja way!" Naruto replied.
The scarred proctor closed his eyes then looked around the room, taking in the now confident faces of the remaining genin. Then he smirked. "Very well... To everyone still remaining..." Once more, he let the tension build. And then, "Congratulations on passing the first test!"
For a moment, all the genin just gaped at the man, stunned by those words. Finally, Sakura broke the silence. "Wait, what do you mean? What about the tenth question?"
Ibiki smiled widely. In contrast to the menacing expressions he'd made before, this one was friendly. "There isn't one. Or more accurately, the tenth question was simply the choice to take it, or not."
"If that's true, then what was the point of the first nine questions!?" Temari called out, furious that all of that work and anxiety had been for nothing.
"The point of the first nine questions was to test your information gathering ability," Ibiki answered. "First, as I explained at the beginning, whether you pass or failed depended on your whole team doing well. That would put pressure on each member to not screw things up for everyone. But the questions were not ones most, if any, genin could hope to answer. Basically, you were supposed to cheat without getting caught. For that purpose, we had a few chunin hidden among you. And anyone caught blatantly cheating was failed."
And with that, the scarred man unwrapped his bandana and unveiled what was beneath for all to see. And quite a few of the genin, Naruto included, went pale or recoiled at the sight.
Ibiki's head was a mess of scars, burn marks, and screw holes along with many other wounds.
"Because there are times when information is more important than the life of any one shinobi. And on missions and battlefields, people risk their lives to get their hands on it. If the enemy notices you, there's no guarantee that the information will be accurate. This is what could happen should you chance upon misinformation. Thus, the first test was to weed out any genin who couldn't gather intelligence effectively."
"But wait, what about the tenth question?" Temari asked, sounding confused. Naruto didn't blame her. He got the point of the first nine questions, but why throw all that out the window with the last one?
Ibiki shrugged and closed his eyes. "The tenth question was the true purpose of the test. A simple leap of faith. Take it, or don't." He then looked over all the genin. "It's a hard choice: risk your career, or drag your teammates down with you. Let's say you do become chunin. You're given a dangerous mission. Say, steal a secret document, with everything about the enemy and their preparations unknown. Can you turn this mission down because you're afraid for your lives or those of your comrades? No!"
And many of the genin, Naruto included, smiled as they understood the point of the final question.
"No matter how dangerous the mission, you don't have the option to back out. The courage to face the unknown and overcome any hardship are necessary traits for a shinobi. Those who can't put their fates on the line, who would take the coward's way out. They're unworthy of being called ninja, let alone chunin!" He then smiled. "All of you have passed my test. The first stage of the Chunin Exams is now over. I wish you good luck."
Just as everyone started celebrating, Ibiki's expression dropped as his gaze turned to the window. A moment later, it shattered. Chunin jumped while nearby genin shielded their faces as a black ball flew into the room and unfurled, sticking to the floor and ceiling with kunai. Emerging from the ball was a slender woman with violet hair styled in a fanned out ponytail and light brown, pupiless eyes. She was pretty young, looking to be in her mid-twenties. She wore a mesh bodysuit that covered her from neck to thigh, a tan overcoat, a dark orange mini-skirt, a dark blue belt, and pale grey shin guards. She wore a standard Konoha forehead protector as it was intended.
The cloth was revealed to be a banner that read: 'The sexy and single proctor of the second exam, Anko Mitarashi!'
"Alright, you brats! This is no time to celebrate!" The woman who could only be Anko shouted to the test-takers, waving her arm with her dramatic flair. "I'm Anko Mitarashi, the proctor for the second stage of the chunin exams! Now let's go! Follow me!" She pumped her fist in the air.
She was met with silence.
A few seconds later, Ibiki peeked out from behind the banner and gave her an annoyed look. "Bad timing, Anko. You're early. Again." He said, causing the woman to blush in embarrassment.
Naruto chuckled. That seemed like something he'd do.
After regaining her composure, Anko looked out over the crowd and did some mental math. "66!?" She turned to Ibiki with a scowl. "What the hell, Ibiki!? You let 22 teams pass!? Are you going soft or something?"
"There's a lot of outstanding genins this year, that's all," Ibiki replied with a smirk.
"Well, that's fine, I guess. My test will cut that number in half, at least." Anko then smiled, and while Ibiki's grins had been cruel, her's was plain sadistic. "Follow me. I'll explain once we get there."
The genin had been led to a massive, gated-off forest. The trees were the largest many of the hopefuls had ever seen. Naruto saw tiny sections of root systems that were bigger than he was. Despite how spaced out the trees were, it was still so dense that they couldn't see that far in. The whole place radiated a sense of ominousness that had some genin intimidated; Naruto could hear them muttering.
"Welcome to the 44th training ground, my own little home away from home," Anko said, genuine cheer in her voice as she looked over her shoulder into the dense woods. "But I doubt you brats will think of it as fondly as I do. Pretty soon, you'll all find out how this place got its nickname: 'The Forest of Death.'"
Naruto couldn't lie; the forest looked creepy. But, after what they went through on the Wave mission, he found he wasn't really intimidated. What was the worst that was in there, giant beasts? "Heh, 'forest of death', huh? Doesn't look so scary to me." He said, placing his hands behind his head and closing his eyes.
"Ooh, a brave one, huh?" Anko replied with a cheerful smile. In the next instant, she drew a kunai and threw it straight at the blond.
Naruto didn't have his guard up. He hadn't had a reason to have his guard up, so he was unprepared for an attack. The blond had just enough time to shift to the side, but the weapon still grazed his cheek.
"And good reflexes. Not good enough though," Anko said as she reappeared behind him, leaning down until her head was beside his shoulder. She then licked the blood from his wound. "Kids like you tend to be the first ones to die here. Spilling that pretty red blood everywhere."
Suddenly, she pulled out another kunai and pointed it behind her as a woman appeared behind her. It was another genin, one from Kusa.
She was tall, with long, straight black hair that trailed all the way down her back. She wore plain grey garbs with a black polo and pants underneath, a thick purple rope belt tied in a large knot behind her back.
And hanging from her mouth was a ridiculously long tongue that she was currently using to hold up Anko's thrown kunai like a third arm. "Your kunai." She offered.
"Why, thank you." The purple-haired woman replied. "But just some friendly advice: don't sneak up behind me unless you want to die."
"I'm sorry. I get excited at the sight of blood too. Plus, you cut my lovely hair, and I just couldn't help myself." She replied as she turned and walked back to her teammates.
'What the hell is up with her?' Naruto couldn't help but wonder.
"Alright, now before we get started, I'm going to need you all to sign some papers," Anko said as she walked back to her place at the head of the group.
Naruto wasn't the only one looking at the forms curiously, but whatever questions they had were answered by her next words. "They're all waivers, so I'm not liable if you die!"
Ah.
"Now, to explain the second test. You can turn in your waivers at that booth behind me afterward. This one's a survival test. This training ground has 44 locked gates, a river, and a tower at the center. You'll be using everything at your disposal to compete in a no-holds-barred scroll battle." She explained, holding up two scrolls, one white and marked with the kanji for 'heaven' and one black and marked with the kanji for 'earth.' "You'll be fighting over these scrolls of Heaven and Earth. Half of you will get one, and the rest the other. So there'll be eleven of each. To pass this test, a team had to make it to the tower with both scrolls. But there's a time limit. You only have 120 hours: five days; to do this."
"Five days!?" Naruto heard Ino shout. Based on what he knew of her, she probably didn't want to spend more than ten minutes in a place like this.
"What about dinner?!" No surprise that food was the first thought on Choji's mind.
"You'll have to fend for yourselves. Just watch out for the man-eating beasts, giant insects, poisonous plants, and so on." Anko replied nonchalantly.
Naruto could hear Choji whimpering from where he was. Poor guy... but hadn't they had survival training before? They were eventually going to have to rough it at some point in their careers, after all.
"It's not likely all 11 potential teams will pass. As the days go on, it'll be harder and harder to find a scroll, there'll be less and less time to take a breather, and the whole area is crawling with enemies. You won't have much time to rest. Make no mistake, some of you will die in this forest."
She let that sink in for a moment before continuing. "Any teams that don't make it to the tower within the time limit fail. You'll also be disqualified if you lose a teammate. And there's no quitting in the middle; step through the gate, you'll be in there for the full five days. And one more rule: don't look inside the scrolls until you make it to the tower. Chunin will be asked to handle top-secret information from time to time. Consider it a test of your trustworthiness."
She took a breath. "One last piece of advice: Don't die."
All the teams split up, signed their waivers, and got their scrolls. Naruto and his team waited at one of the gates when finally, they heard Anko call out. "The second test of the Chunin exams; starts now!"
The gate before them opened. Naruto turned to his teammates. "Let's go!" And they ran inside.
Hope you liked it and please review.