Sup guys. Been ages I know. Had another severe bout of writers block mixed with stress. Not much else to say really. Here it is.
Chapter 12: The written exam
Naruto sits back, hands in his pockets as a silence of anticipation fills the room. The proctor, in what seems to be enjoyment to the blonde, stands in a torturous silence, soaking every ounce of attention from the cadet ninja, seated in their allocated seats in the room. The genin's eyes stay on the exam proctor, paying no mind to the girl next to him who keeps turning her head to lay her eyes on him.
Yayoi looks to her left for the umpteenth time to glance at her brother, the blonde boy staring ahead, having not spared her so much as a single glance since he first sat down next to her. She sighs. He had always been distant and silent. Just not the same way. Before, there had been a gentleness to his reserved nature that had always intrigued her. She can still remember vividly when that changed. The first time she'd seen the black garments and iron-clad thousand yard gaze that had come to epitomise him...
Flashback.
Yayoi jumps in a bit of a fright as the flash of lightning that illuminates the dark hallway that leads to her room, is accompanied by a crack of thunder. The bright light and loud sound not only shakes off her drowsiness but brings into view the figure walking down the hallway towards her.
A sigh of relief ecapes her as she realises the figure to be her eldest sibling, in the flesh for the first time in days. Quite miraculously he'd been to the academy the very first day after waking up from his coma. Since then he's not been seen by anyone for four days. She watches as he walks towards her, a shaft of light from the window on the right of the corridor, shining down on to his drenched figure. She gasps as she notices the amount of weight he's lost, looking more frail than she's ever seen him. His usual orange and blue gear are nowhere to been seen, a black long sleeved shirt and pants in place of them.
She inwardly panics slightly as she mulls over her words to him for a moment. She won't be rude to him this time. Or belittle him in an effort to get his attention or elicit a reaction from him. She just wants to hear his voice and know he's okay.
"There you are!" she says as they come within steps of each other.
"Where the heck have you been Naruto? Mom and Dad have been worried sick! You just got out of the hospital-" she spews, stopping while the thin blonde boy, eyes shadowed by his wet locks, continues to walk forward, as though her words have not registering. He walks past her as though she isn't even there. Yayoi, beginning to feel frustrated, grabs the boy from behind by his collar.
"I'm not just gonna let you walk off and ignore me like you always do!" she says firmly "Where do you get off completely disregarding how we feel about you? Are we ever gonna matter to you again?" she pleads, her eyes watering while still gripping his collar. His head turns slowly to meet her desperate gaze. The girls grip slowly releases as she is met with the blondes own gaze. Ice cold and chilling. Robbing her of the will to even move. She then notices the lone tear drop trailing down his right cheek.
'H-his eyes. Their...different. Naruto...What's happened to you?' the blonde girl inwardly questions. A flash of lightning bathes the corridor once again and as it does, she swears for a fraction of a second that the cerulean blue and whites of his eyes, turn to a bright glowing white, reminiscent in colour, of the lightning flashing in the night sky outside. Just as quickly his eyes are back to that deep cold gaze again, Yayoi frozen by it. He turns his head again and continues to walk down the corridor, not uttering a single word...
Flashback end.
Yayoi's mouth opens but no words leave it, the object of her attention still focusing his own elsewhere.
"The first round of these exams will be a written exam consisting of ten questions" Ibiki speaks as the Chunnin lined up on either side of the room proceed to hand out papers to the genin.
The rules of this exam are as follows; Rule 1: There are ten questions with each question worth a point. Every question answered incorrectly is a point lost. Rule 2: Every cheating offense will result in a two points deduction. Once the maximum of ten points has been expended, disqualification is the result. And Rule 3: Any partcipant found to have scored 0 points, by way of disqualification or otherwise, will fail along with their teammates." Ibiki says, an uproar being the result.
"Silence!" he orders, to which the genin comply. "You will have one hour to complete the exam. The tenth question will be given verbally 45 minutes into the exam. Your time starts...now!"
With Naruto.
Ten o'clock on the dot, reads the clock mounted on the wall at the front of the class. Naruto grabs the piece of paper in front of him and turns it over. His eyes scan over it for a few moments. After reading it for a second time he sits forward, resting his chin upon interlocked hands, his eyes closed. This is not Genin level theory. In fact, most Chunnin level ninja would struggle with some of these questions."
'A maximum of five point deductions for cheating offences instead of immediate disqualification. And theory practically impossible for genin level ninja to understand' Naruto analyses. His eyelids rise, his eyes darting around the room and up at the ceiling.
'Intelligence gathering huh? Alright then.'
With Ino.
Ino smirks to herself, inwardly squeeling as she memorises the last bit of billboard brow's work. Of course forehead, having the big brain she does, had made relatively short work of the exam paper. And taking control of her body had proven no trouble at all. She smirks slyly to herself again. Sensei only banned her from using it in real combat situations, afterall, so this was perfectly fine.
'Come on guys. We've got this' she inwardly assures, confident her teammates are by now going about getting the answers.
With Satsuki.
'You always did spend so much time trying to master your theory.' Satsuki says inwardly, her Sharingan eyes firmly on an exam participant a few rows ahead of her.
'Maybe that's why you were never able to beat me' she muses.
'...No...that's not it. In any case you've turned out to be useful, Mito'. she says to herself as her Sharingan effortlessly copies the pen strokes of the red head meters away from her, filling her exam paper with answers.
With Naruto.
"Team 43 : Fail!" yet another Chunnin proctors voice calls out.
"Team 37, failed!" another calls out.
Naruto sits still as a projectile darts past him and embeds itself into the desk behind him. He turns his head to see a distraught looking leaf genin, looking down at the kunai jutting through his paper and desk.
"Team 21, fail!".
The blonde turns his head back to the front, cracking his knuckles and patiently awaiting.
Ibiki watches on, eyes narrowing in thought, as he notes the blondes nonchalant reaction, not stiffening or flinching one bit during the display.
'That kunai could have killed him and yet...' he says to himself as he looks at the genin, looking calm and collected, having directed his attention back to his test.
With Naruto's shadow clone
'Here' he says to himself as he senses the chakra signature he's looking for right below him. He reaches in the darkness for his weapons pouch, producing a kunai.
He infuses some wind style chakra, running it along the blades length and stabbing it into the bottom section of the vent, cutting a small circle. He infuses chakra into the finger of his other hand, placing it on the piece of surface he's cutting. The blonde pulls his finger away, the circle sticking to it, placing it aside. He reaches into his pouch again, this time pulling out a circular piece of glass, framed by its own circular piece of black steel. He brings up it to his eye, levelling it with the whole, looking down into the exam venue, past a head of red hair tied into a ponytail, to see an exam paper with almost all of its questions answered. He gets to work memorising it.
With Naruto
A wave of memories hits him and as it does he picks his pen up, filling in all the answers he hasn't managed to give.
With Menma.
Menma taps his pencil a few times, the sound echoing throughout the silent room, no one paying it any mind. Two minutes pass before he hears the responding set of taps come from his sister rows down. He smirks to himself as he writes the remaining answers down. With Mito on their team and their level of communication, there's no way they could ever fail this exam. He just hopes Yayoi can keep her head in the game; that being put next to 'him' doesn't distract her.
Meanwhile with Neji
Neji's eyes sweep across the room, Byakugan active and searching for answers. The Hyuuga genin stops in his proverbial tracks, gasping in awe at what has caught his attention. In the sea of Chakra networks of all the exam participants, Neji lays his eyes on one in particular. Unlike all the other individuals in the room, whose Chakra shines a blue hue as it flows through their bodies, a snow white colour radiates throughout this individuals Chakra network.
The shock causes Neji to release his grip on his pencil for a moment, earning a raised eyebrow from the genin seated next to him, as he gazes at the blonde boy in black once again. He flares his Chakra, attempting to release any genjutsu. None seems to have been cast.
'W-What...Just what kind of Chakra is that?' the Hyuuga questions inwardly.
'Just...what is he exactly?'.
With Naruto
Naruto sits with chin rested upon interlocked hands. The blonde can feel a few pairs of eyes on him now, though not entirely sure where each pair is located in the room. His own display earlier on in that skirmish between Sound and Leaf must have attracted some attention, contrary to the boys own liking. He would have much preferred being a complete mystery at this stage in the exams. It was far more advantageous. But as soon as he'd realised Ino was in possible danger, there'd been no time to think. His body had reacted on it's own in an effort to protect the girl...Why?
'Why?' his own voice echoes the question in his head. Why had he reacted that way? It would have been much more like him to sit back and entertain himself with watching the two groups fight while collecting intel. That's probably what he was going to do anyway after making sure Ino was safe.
He attempts to let his mind drift from the question but it gives him no reprieve. The idea of not being fully aware or understanding of his own actions leaves a bad taste in the blondes mouth. He frowns to himself at the notion and silently shakes his head, this time attempting more forcefully to rid himself of the thought. Ino is a teammate. Her presence is vital to the Team's progression through the exams, thus protecting her was absolutely necessary. If anything had happened to her it would have been detrimental to the Team's hopes of success in the exams.
In the heat of the moment of that skirmish, his logic had seemed like instinct. But that's all it was; logic...Yes, that was why he had reacted so suddenly to protect her...
With Ibiki.
"Alright, the time has come for the tenth question to be given" Ibiki announces, the exam participants looking in almost palpable anticipation, the Jonin smirking at this.
"But first, you will each be given the opportunity to decide whether or not you wish to answer this question." he continues, earning a number of raised eyebrows and confused expressions in reaction.
"Please note two rules in relation to this question; first: participants who choose not to attempt the tenth question will automatically forfeit all points and be disqualified along with their teammates and secondly; those who answer the tenth question incorrectly will also automatically forfeit all points and as well as failing the exam, will be barred from ever competing in the Chunin exams again" Ibiki announces. Confusion morphs into a mixture of disbelief, shock and outrage. Shouts and protests fill the venue, a number of participants rising from their seats.
With Naruto.
He stays seated as the room fills with outbursts and protests, sitting back and waiting for the noise to die down so he can take the tenth question.
Quitting when failure isn't certain is foolish to him in any circumstance. In any event, the blonde doesn't for a split second, believe the procters announcement.
"Silence! I'll fail anyone who refuses to co-operate immediately" Ibiki warns sternly, the protesting genin begrudgingly silencing themselves and taking their seats.
"Those who do not wish to take the tenth question, raise your hands!". Silence fills the venue for a few moments. Murmurs are audible as some genin slowly raise their hands and more as the minutes pass. Chunnin exam proctors approach the genin, requesting their team numbers and calling out to the teammates of those who forfeit to leave the venue with their squadmates. Many wipe tears from their eyes while others curse one another, looking on the verge of exchanging fists as they leave the room. Naruto watches on nonchalantly, arms crossed. He doesn't expect either of his team mates to quit but can't be certain they'll all find the answer either. He turns his head and an eyebrow rises as he sees the hand of the girl next to him rise.
With Ino
'Damnit' the Yamanaka curses to herself. She glances down to see her own hands shaking and looks around to see other genin leaving the room. She watches on as hands rise, hearts break and friendships end. She swallows the lump in her throat and closes her eyes, almost pleading to whatever supernatural force she can.
With Satsuki
Satsuki leans forward, gazing intensly at the exam procter, jaw clenched in anticipation. Her eyes dart occasionally at those that stand up and leave.
With Yayoi
Yayoi's hand shakily rises, all participants remaining in the room seated, turning their heads and some gasping, recognising the 'hero kunoichi'. Suddenly her hand balls into a fist and swings down, impacting with her desk as she stands up.
"You'll have to try harder than to get me to quit" Yayoi shouts, her voice filling the silent room and earning the attention of all in it. "I don't care what you threaten me with. It doesn't mean anything because I'll never quit!" she yells.
"Bring on your question already!" she yells, her hair swaying from her head in nine tendril-like bunches.
Ibiki's eyebrows rise in surprise for a moment at the outburst before a small smile, accompanied by a chuckle, graces his lips.
'Seems the apple doesn't fall far from the tree at all' he muses.
Naruto glances around the room to see expressions of concern and fear shift with hope anew. He looks back up at the blonde girl, scoffing to himself. Does she insist on galvanizing the competition?
A few silent moments pass once again before the Jonin speaks.
"Very well then" Ibiki speaks "...You all pass" he utters, to the silent shock of the genin.
"We...pass?" Yayoi repeats in confusion "but our exams haven't even been marked"
"The written exams are a decoy" Ibiki responds, "The first round of the exams was presented as a written exam but rather than testing knowledge, this was a test of two skills you will require in abundance as ninja. The first; your intelligence gathering skills. The first nine questions were based on ninja theory beyond the level of even Chunin for the purpose of forcing each of you to use your skills to gather information, all the while maintaining stealth, as you will have to on active duty. Those who were caught cheating for the maximum number of permitted offences, proved they're not capable of achieving this to the level required to be a Chunin." Ibiki explains.
"And the second; your resilience. This was tested by the tenth question. As shinobi you will encounter situations in which the circumstances are unfavorably weighed against you. To remain resilient in those situations, never compromising one's comrades, while giving all for the mission, is a quality essential to being a Chunin. Those who forfeited proved they don't possess said quality." he finishes glancing at Yayoi who slowly begins to smile, finally coming to believe the scarred Jonin.
"That's it then. You're all to wait here until the Proctor for the sec-" Ibiki isn't allowed to finish as the room erupts into raucous celebration as many genin joyfully cheer their advancement into the next round of the exams.
The first exam wasn't half bad, the blonde boy muses to himself. He is hoping for some combat in the next one though. He rolls his shoulders in anticipation.
Yayoi turns her head to see Mito and Menma making their way towards her. The three gather, embracing one another and laughing. Yayoi turns her head to see him still seated not sparing them a glance and the smile leaves her face for a moment. It had been her desperation to make him acknowledge her and see her strength, that had fuelled her to stand up. A small smile forms on her face again as she gazes at him a bit longer before turning her head back to Mito and Menma. Like she said, she won't give up. Not until she's someone even he has to be proud of.
Ibiki stands at the front of the raucous room, a deadpan expression on his face. All the fear he had inspired a few moments ago is suddenly gone. And worse, there are still 84 participants in the exam. Is he losing his touch?...
He glances among the joyous genin and sees three of the Fourths children, embracing one another. He sees the blonde one among the three and smirks. If there is a reason for the high number of participants who passed, it's probably her. He sees her turn her head to lay her eyes on something for a few moments, while embracing her siblings. Ibiki follows her line of sight to once again see the blonde boy in black, the Fourths first born, sitting not too far away, arms crossed, sporting an expressionless look and paying his siblings as much attention as a stranger would. The scarred Jonin raises an eyebrow and frowns in thought as he notes, once again, the blondes cold, deep gaze.
His train of thought grinds to a halt as the sound of the window shattering silences the celebratory noise, whilst smoke fills the front of the class.
"Now's no time to celebrate brats" a voice calls out from behind the curtain of smoke, which then lifts to reveal a young woman of slender frame with light brown eyes and violet hair tied in a spiky ponytail. She wears a fitted mesh body suit from neck to thigh and a dark orange miniskirt beneath a tan overcoat. A banner tied to two kunai flutters behind her, reading 'The sexy and single Anko Mitarashi!'
"You've still got me to worry about. I'm Anko Mitarashi, Proctor for the second round of the Chunin exams" she introduces herself.
Naruto watches the newcomers entrance, listens to her introduction, reads the banner behind her and sighs to himself. Another clown; great.
She glances around the room before turning her head to Ibiki, who looks back at her, deadpan expression still in place, unimpressed by her grand entrance.
"Why are there so many? How many brats did you pass?" she asks her colleague, eyebrow raised.
"Eighty-four" he responds simply, the purple-haired ninja, placing her hand to her chest in a gesture of mock shock.
"Eighty-four?! Oh my. You alright there old timer? Need a seat? Maybe some water" she teases, the Jonin gazing back at her with an unimpressed frown.
"Don't worry. I'll remind you how it's done. At best, there'll only be twenty of these brats left when I'm through with them" Anko smiles deviously, turning to the genin, some of whom stiffen in fear at her words.
"Right, the venue for your next exam is Training Ground 44, located nearby, straight in that direction." she says, pointing in the direction of her 'entrance'.
" We're to rendezvous there in 5. Be prompt or you will be failed" she declares, before turning to Ibiki, smiling cheekily and disappearing in a burst of smoke. Ibiki shakes his head and leaves, saying no more.
Naruto stands as the room begins to empty turning to see Satsuki approach him, Ino not far behind. They begin to make their way toward the exit as Ino joins them.
"So how'd you do it?" Satsuki asks him, the blonde raising an eyebrow at the vague question.
"Do what?" he responds.
"Your shadow clone. How'd you manage to relay the information it got from Mito's paper?" she elaborates, Naruto's eyebrows rising slightly in realisation. A glimmer of a smirk appears on the boys face for a second as he recalls Satsuki activating her Sharingan earlier during the skirmish with those Sound ninja. She must have been aware of the clone from back then.
"We're through, you guys!" Ino exclaims, putting an arm around both as they continue to walk.
Satsuki smiles in acknowledgement at the Yamanaka before looking back at her male teammate, awaiting an answer.
"Convenient that you mention it actually. It'll come in handy if the next exam is anything like what I'm expecting" he says, the two kunoichi listening intently.
Elsewhere in the village.
"That's pretty much it really. The bits worth going into detail about anyway" Kakashi says laying his chopsticks to the side, a half empty plate before him. Fugaku holds his own in hand, busy with his own meal.
"I do confess a bit of concern. Sasuke's desperation to awaken his own Sharingan may lead him to act rashly." Kakashi continues.
Fugaku dangles a bit of fish between chopsticks, holding it before his mouth, speaking before swallowing it.
"Don't worry about Sasuke. He knows who he has to answer to if he does anything stupid" Fugaku assures, Kakashi chuckling a bit in response. The two sit in silence for a few moments, Kakashi ruminating for a while before deciding he's unable to help himself.
"So tell me sensei, what do you make of Naruto?" Kakashi asks, Fugaku looking up from his plate at the masked ninja, chewing his food slower, a thoughtful expression on his face. The Uchiha picks another mouthful of food off his plate, speaking before placing it in his mouth.
"Well, between you and me" he says before chewing, swallowing and looking up at the masked ninja "Of all the Shinobi I've ever layed eyes on, fought with and against...he has the most latent potential I've ever seen" he says plainly, Kakashi gasping and dropping the chopsticks he's just picked up. The masked ninja gazes at the Uchiha who continues eating, eyes wide. He waits for a moment for his mentor to say he's joking and then remembers that the man in front of him, unlike his other teacher, doesn't have a taste for humour.
"A- are you sure about what you've just said sensei?" Kakashi utters, his tone shifting into a more serious one.
"You'll see it for yourself" the Uchiha clan head says simply, divulging no more, well aware the younger Jonin is fishing. What exactly Naruto did to earn Kakashi's attention is what he'd like to know.
Training ground 44
"I see" Satsuki says, as the members of Team 12 stand together, all the Genin who passed the first exam, present in their numbers.
"Sharing of memories and sensations" she speaks lowly "Is that the secret? Is that how you're so strong?" Sastuki questions the blonde with a hint of realisation to her voice, Ino leaning in to hear his answer as well. Naruto's face remains blank, betraying nothing.
"No" he responds " The shadow clone jutsu's an extremely valuable asset. But it's strictly for combat situations or potential combat situations. Abusing it would be counterintuitive." he says simply. Satsuki eyes him up for a moment, catching no sign that he might be lying. That's the troublesome part about his often expressionless demeanor, though she has gotten better at reading him, it is still difficult.
"It's a forbidden jutsu and for a reason" Naruto continues, knowing well what's going through his teammates mind. With those eyes of hers, she probably already knows how to perform it and potentially some of his other techniques. That's the downside of teaming up with Sharingan wielders.
"The amount of Chakra it requires is considerable. Even for Jonin level ninja. It can't be used by just any shinobi, especially not casually. There are countless cases of shinobi dying of chakra exhaustion due to using it" he says, his teammates gasping in shock.
"The reason I'm able to use it more liberally is because my chakra reserves are... slightly abnormal" he says, his two teammates sweat dropping at his attempt to be discreet.
'Slightly abnormal'? Seriously?' Satsuki muses, an eyebrow twitching.
'Slightly abnormal', Isn't that an understatement? Gosh, does he always have to try to be so mysterious?' Ino inwardly responds, mirroring Satsuki with her own eyebrow twitch.
With Anko
"Excuse me Miss Proctor, I think you misplaced this" a voice says in Anko's ear. It sends shivers down her spine somehow. She curses at herself for nearly gasping. She turns her head away from the brat in front of her to be met with the sight of an abnormally long tongue wrapped around a kunai. The tongue belongs to another genin, it would appear. Anko curses once more. How the fuck did a genin manage to sneak up on her?
"Thanks" she says, a smile in place while taking back the kunai. "Don't ever sneak up on me again. I won't be so kind next time" she utters in a sickly sweet tone that doesn't seem to intimidate the genin at all, who simply smiles back an eery smile of her own and walks away. Anko turns back to the loudmouth brat to see him standing there, glancing at the departing Grass ninja, along with his teammates.
"Now where was I?" she says, rearning his attention, causing him to step back.
"Quit it lady. Focus on your job and start the exam already" Menma huffs, crossing his arms.
Anko glances up at the sky to view the position of the sun, noting the brat has a point. As much as she'd love to teach him some manners ,it's time to get started.
"I'll see you later brat. You're dreaming if you think I'm finished with you" she warns, pointing the kunai at him. The boy responds by sticking out his tongue, Anko frowning before disappearing in a burst of smoke.
"What a crazy chick. Am I right guys?" Menma says while shaking his head. He turns to be met with a pair of fists impacting with his skull.
"First you try to start a fight with all the other genin! Now you're trying to start a fight with the Proctor?! What's next?! Quit being a clown!" Mito reprimands, while Menma nurses the two sizeable bumps left by his sisters on his head, a deadpan expression etched across his face. Of all the people to be put on a three man squad with.
With Team 11
Hisateru can barely keep the smirk of his face as the sight of the famed Forest of Death stands before him.
'This is gonna be good' he says innwardly, practically giddy with excitement.
"Looks like the next exam is gonna be combat-based" Sasuke says, the two boys glancing at each other, Hisateru smirking while Sasuke's face remains in its usual blank expression though with an excited glint to his eyes.
'Well as long as they're not fighting each other' Kaori says to herself. The two are bickering a lot less even if they do still at times butt heads. She admires how despite this, they can be formidable when tagging together.
"Be sure to keep an eye out for those Sound ninja from earlier" Sasuke warns, glancing at both his teammates, each nodding in response.
With Team Guy.
"I'm absolutely certain of what my Byakugan showed me" Neji assures, arms crossed, gazing at the ground in deep thought.
"Most youthful. I simply have to face him now!" Lee exclaims, balling a fist, a smile of childish excitement lighting up his face.
"No way Lee! Are you crazy?! Did you see how fast he moved, back before the first exam?" Tenten reprimands, turning her head to spot the blonde rookie in question, in the crowd, conversating with his teammates.
"Even if you can match or even best his speed, we have no idea what else he's capable of! " the kunoichi warns in a harsh whisper.
"Yes, we do not. But a good way of finding out is to fight him. Th-" Lee counters only to be interrupted.
"No!" Neji says firmly, lifting his head to lock eyes with his male teammate. "We'll try to find out more about him later if we can, but for now, we're to avoid him and his team at all costs. The Uchiha and her kekkei genkai are one thing, but he" Neji continues, turning his head to look from afar, into those cold, deep, cerulean eyes "could be one of the most dangerous people here."
With Anko
Anko emits a shrill whistle that captures the collective attention of all Genin gathered before the training ground. It echoes throughout the forest behind the fence, sending birds flying.
"Right, welcome, all of you, to the venue for the second round of the Chunin exams; Training Ground 44 also known as the Forest of Death!"
Chapter end
That's all folks. The famed second exam arrives. Safe to say we're getting into 'the good bits' now. Review, review and review as much as possible. Have a great day/night! Take care!