Author's Note: The number of reviews of the last couple chapters increased a lot. Guess that for some reason, my Land of the Rice Fields arc wasn't as popular as I expected. Anyway, it's about time to start one of the most popular arcs of the manga, not without reason! Enjoy!
Chapter 21:
The Chunin Exams Begin!
or
Are we really excited to do an exam!?
It was just two days before the beginning of the Chunin Exams, and most of the Konoha Genin that wanted to participate had increased their training regime during these past two weeks in order to be in top form for the exams. While far from the norm, people sometimes died in these kind of exams.
None of the Genin who participated took missions anymore so they could spend their time preparing the exams. And given that what most Genin teams did were D-Rank missions, it was something pretty much everybody, included their Jonin-sensei, were grateful for getting rid of (at least temporarily).
After an intense training session that morning, Team Kurenai was at Icharaku's, having lunch. And after lunch, they'll go back to training once again. While they waited for their orders, Naruto spoke up.
"So, Kurenai-sensei, be honest.. do you think we're ready for the exam?" the blond Jinchuriki asked.
"Like I said before, if I didn't think you are, I wouldn't have recommended you for the exams. You three seem to progress at a very good pace. What's with the sudden self-doubt, Naruto? Are you having second thoughts?" Kurenai teased, knowing full well the answer.
Naruto took immediate offense. "Of course not! It's that, well, I'm a bit nervous. Mom and Dad explained the exams to me and it's kind of a big deal."
"Speaking of which, how was your Chunin Exams in your day, Kurenai-sensei?" Haku asked. "Did you pass on your first try?"
"Second," Kurenai answered. "And I don't mean to sound defeatist or anything, but don't be disheartened if you don't become Chunin the first time you take the exams. Very few people do."
"How old were you?" Hinata asked.
"When I participated the first time, or when I got promoted?" Kurenai asked back, before deciding to answer those two questions at once. "Twelve and thirteen, respectively."
"So, our age more or less" Naruto said, a bit more encouraged now. "And what about Jonin? Is there a Jonin Exam?"
"You're going too fast, aren't you, Naruto?" Kurenai asked. "First get promoted to Chunin, and then we'll talk about becoming a Jonin."
"Aw, come on, why don't you tell us?"
After pondering it for a few seconds, Kurenai decided that there was no harm in letting them know.
"Usually, Jonin are required to master at least two kind of elemental ninjutsu, have above average taijutsu, and some skill in genjutsu. But like I told you, there are exceptions to that," Kurenai explained.
Hinata knew that most Hyuga Jonin fell under those exceptions, since she never saw her mother nor her late father using elemental ninjutsu. But then again, their taijutsu and overall power was simply spectacular.
"That seems like a lot of things" Hinata observed.
"Well of course. It's not a matter of just being strong. Jonin are the best a village can offer, so the standards are pretty high," Kurenai said. "There's also the Special Jonin rank, which is given to Chunin who excel at one or two fields, but they haven't mastered enough skills to be considered a full Jonin. More than likely, you will have to go through that rank before becoming a Jonin, just like I had to."
"And your specialty was genjutsu, am I right?" Haku ventured to guess.
Kurenai smiled at him. "It wasn't very hard to guess, right?"
"Your orders are ready!" Ayame, Teuchi's daughter announced, as she placed all the bowls in front of her customers, much to the delight of a certain blond.
After eating, and having some more small talk, Kurenai decided that it was about time to continue training. She was planning to give them the next day off so they could relax and rest, so they had to make the best of the hours of light left. However, when Naruto exited Icharaku, he accidentally bumped into somebody.
"Oops, sorry!" the blond said.
"Watch were you're going you moron...hey, wait a minute… Naruto?" the person Naruto bumped into asked.
Naruto eyed the stranger: a boy maybe a year or two older than him, wearing a black, baggy, full body suit with a red and yellow circle on the front. He also wore a black hood which covered his head completely, and had cat-like ears and his Suna forehead protector on his forehead. He was also wearing purple face paint.
"Excuse me?" Naruto asked, as he scratched the back of his head. "Have we met before?"
"Oh come on! I know that it has been a few years, but I didn't expect you to forget about me so soon!" the stranger insisted.
"Of course he doesn't remember you with the sinister hood and all that make-up," a female voice said behind him, a voice that Naruto vaguely recognized.
A girl appeared behind the cloaked boy. Said girl was tall, with spiky blond hair styled in four pigtails. She was wearing a single light purple-coloured, off-the-shoulders garment that extended to halfway down her thighs, with a scarlet sash tied around her waist. In addition to incorporating fishnet worn over her shoulders and legs, specifically on her right calf and her left thigh, she also wore her black Suna forehead protector around her neck.
"Temari?" Naruto asked.
"Right on the spot," the Suna kunoichi replied with a tender smile.
"Whoa! Look at you! You're so tall!" Naruto said in amazement.
Temari just shrugged. "Eh, I just eat my greens."
"Wait a minute, if you're here..." Naruto then turned towards the hooded stranger. "And you definitely are not Gaara...then you're.. Kankuro?"
Kankuro groaned and rolled his eyes. "I can't believe that you only recognized me by process of elimination."
"What did you expect with all that make-up?"
The puppeteer looked even more annoyed. "This isn't make-up, it's war paint! Make-up is what girls use to look prettier, war paint is used by men to strike fear in the heart of their enemies!"
"Well, you don't look that fearsome to me," an unimpressed Naruto replied.
"Because you know that what it is needed to make your enemies afraid of you is not face paint, but strength and skill," a third, monotonous voice said, as a redheaded kid with blue eyes appeared in Naruto's field vision.
Naruto's beamed upon seeing his fellow Jinchuriki. "Gaara!" Naruto pulled the redhead into a bone-crushing bear hug. "Of course, if your siblings are here, you would be here too. By the way-"
Naruto was interrupted by somebody clearing her throat behind him. He turned around to see Hinata, Haku and Kurenai, awkwardly standing behind him.
"Naruto, aren't you going to introduce us to your friends?" Kurenai asked as polite as possible. She had guessed that those Suna kids were old acquaintances of Naruto and decided to give him some time to talk, but now it appeared as if Naruto forgot about his team.
"Oh, right! Sorry, my bad" the blond sheepishly said. "These are my teammates Haku and Hinata, and Kurenai-sensei, our instructor. Guys, these are Gaara, Kankuro and Temari. I befriended them on a trip to Suna with my dad a few years ago."
They all exchanged greetings.
"So let me guess, you three are here for the Chunin Exams, right?" Kurenai asked.
"That's correct, miss," Temari replied.
"So that means that we may fight each other..." Naruto said in realization.
"They won't be the only ones. Remember that all our former classmates participate in the exams as well," Haku reminded the blond.
"Yes, the world of the ninja is cruel and full of lies and deception. Sometimes, you might end up fighting somebody you considered a friend because he or she is at the wrong side of a conflict," Kurenai added. "But then again, there are lots of Genin from many villages participating. The odds of fighting somebody you know are pretty low."
"While I bear no ill towards any of you, I actually seek to fight you in the exams," Gaara spoke up. "Thanks to your father, I learned to control my powers better, and I became much stronger as a result. I'm sure that you got stronger too, Naruto. And I want to measure which one of us is the strongest."
Naruto merely smiled. "Sure. Though if we don't end up fighting in the exams, we can always spar before you leave."
"Either case, I'll be looking forward it."
"It was nice to meet you again, Naruto, as well as your teammates and sensei, but we need to go to the hotel and unpack our stuff," Temari mentioned.
"Alright, we have to go back to our training too. I hope you like Konoha!" Naruto said as he waved the Sand Siblings goodbye.
Once they were out of sight, Kurenai walked towards Naruto and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Naruto, do you have any idea who those kids are?"
Naruto looked at her and smiled. "Yeah, the Kazekage's kids!"
"I never met them, but I knew who they were by their names. To think that you were talking to them like they were old friends..." but then again, Kurenai guessed that Naruto did befriend them to some degree. "Not every Genin has such friends in high places, Naruto."
"Now it goes both ways, since my dad is the Hokage" the blond pointed out.
"True."
…
Konoha's North Gate
Four ninja wearing Kumo forehead protectors approached the entrance to the village. The group was composed by an adult man with dark skin and blond hair, who wore shades and a white scarf. He was leading three children, two girls and a boy, none of them older than thirteen. One of the girls had dark skin, red hair and golden eyes, while the other had light skin and long, blond hair, styled in two long braids. The male kid also had dark skin, blond hair, and dark eyes, and he was chewing on a lollipop.
The white female glanced at her redheaded teammate. "Karui? You look a bit tense. Anything wrong?"
"What's not wrong would be a better question, T," the redhead, Karui, answered. "We're Kumo ninja going to Konoha. I'm sure that you remember what happened between our villages nine years ago."
"Yeah, what if we're apprehended and sent to jail when we set foot there, and we need to dig a tunnel to escape, but since we don't have any tools we need to use our hands, but our hands fall off due to how much-"
"Can it, Omoi!" T harshly cut him. "None of that is going to happen. Raikage-sama already sent a message in advance, and we got permission to enter Konoha."
"Still, I can't believe that Raikage-sama allowed you to come here with no other company than three Genin sensei," Karui said to the only adult in the group. She wasn't the only one who wondered what kind of witchcraft her sensei used on the Raikage to allow such a thing.
"Killer B was in need of relaxation, that's why he asked his bro for a vacation! And I thought it would be a good experience for you to fight in these exams and meet somebody new, oh yeah!" Killer B replied while waving his hands rhythmically. Other people would have been deeply perplexed by Killer B's antics, but his students were all used to him and his quirks.
Turns out, it was Killer B's idea to take his team to the exams. At first, the Raikage forbade it, since Kumo and Konoha weren't allied villages, but the three Genin guessed that Killer B bothered his brother so much until he finally relented. Some of the Raikage's councilors supported B's idea, since it would be a good way to mend their strained relationship with Konoha.
"Look, we're almost there," Omoi pointed to the gates of Konoha, already in sight.
When they were about to enter, they were stopped by two Chunin at the entrance.
"Halt!" one of the Chunin, who was wearing a bandage over his nose, shouted. "Who are you and what business do you have in Konoha?"
Killer B took a step forward. "My name is Killer B, I'm from Kumo as you can see! To the Chunin Exams we came, to show off and gain some fame! Everybody else may as well scram, since my Genin are gonna rock the exams!"
Both Chunin sweat dropped as they glanced at each other awkwardly.
"What our sensei is trying to say is that we came here to participate in the Chunin Exams. I'm sure you were notified that we were coming." Karui interceded before things got even weirder.
"Yeah, sure, let me check it," the other Chunin replied, who was wearing a bandanna and had an eye covered by long bangs. After looking through a list, he saw that they were, indeed, expecting a team from Kumo to arrive. He wondered if the Hokage made the right call by allowing them to participate. "Okay, it seems that you were saying the truth. All what we need is your passports to verify that you're who you say you are."
The three Genin immediately pulled out their passports and handed them to the guards, who quickly verified them. However, when it came to Killer B, they found there was a problem.
"Uh, sir...this isn't a passport. It's just a picture of you," the Konoha Chunin said, while looking at the picture, which was Killer B doing some rapper pose.
"It's a SIGNED picture, fool ya fool! My fans would kill to have something so cool!" Killer B protested. His three Genin sweat dropped.
"While I appreciate the intention, I'm afraid that if you don't have a passport you won't be allowed to enter."
Killer B grumbled something inaudible as he started to fish through his pockets until he finally found his passport. The picture on the passport was the same as the one he handed to the guard. Still, it was valid.
"Everything is in order. You can go into the village. But your permission to stay lasts as long as the Exams themselves. Once they're over, you'll have to leave," the Chunin of the bandaged nose informed them. "If you want to prolong your stay, you should talk with the Hokage."
After thanking the guards, Team Killer B entered Konoha. Naturally, a bunch of ninja with Kumo forehead protectors wasn't something people of Konoha, both ninja and civilians, saw every day, and thus they soon found themselves as the center of quite a lot of curious looks, and more than one hateful glare from ninja old enough to remember the previous wars.
"Boy, I'm feeling uncomfortable," T whined as she got closer to Karui.
"Come on, we can't let these people intimidate us!" Karui protested.
"It's not as easy. Remember that we're pretty much in enemy territory, all alone," Omoi observed.
Killer B realized that he needed to do something about that. "You guys are ninja, for Kami's sake! You can't let a few stares to make you shake! If that's what takes for you to bail, then you'll look like somebody weak and frail!"
Omoi and T lowered their heads in shame. Killer B was right. Not only were they ninja, they pretty much represented their village to the rest of the world right now. They couldn't leave Kumogakure in a bad place.
"Besides, we aren't the only foreigners here. I've seen a couple teams with Amegakure forehead protectors," Karui observed. "And I'm sure that we'll see even more people from outside Konoha."
Between that and their sensei's reprimand, Omoi and T regained some composure. Karui hoped that they wouldn't break down again, or else they wouldn't make it far into the exams, which would mean being the target of the Raikage's wrath.
…
Downtown Konoha, inside a Café
"Look at him, how dare he show his face and that emblem in public like that..."
"I can't believe the Hokage goes so far to protect them..."
"I wouldn't be surprised if they backstabbed him..."
"Aren't those girls worried for their lives?"
"Hell, their sensei is dating one of them! Can you believe that?"
"Sasuke" Shizune's voice snapped the Uchiha from his trance. "Don't let them get to you. Ignore them."
"I know, sensei, but...it's not that easy," the only boy of her squad replied.
"I know what you are talking about" Shizune continued. "I'm dating Shisui, you know. Whenever we go, we always have to deal with people glaring at us, treating us poorly and murmuring things behind our backs when they think we can't hear them."
"Yeah. You also have me to support you, Sasuke-kun," Sakura interceded, as she not-so-subtly grabbed Sasuke's hand.
"And me too!" Karin quickly added, while shooting a murderous glare at Sakura and grabbing Sasuke's other hand.
The Uchiha boy merely sighed.
"Well, girls and boy, the Chunin Exams will be in less than two days, how do you feel?" Shizune asked.
"Ready to kick ass, Shizune-sensei! We'll show everybody the might of the Medical Squad!" Sakura cheerfully replied.
"By the way, given that Shisui will be one of the proctors, can you tell us what are we going to face, Shizune-sensei?" Karin asked.
"Sorry, Karin, but as you can imagine, Shisui isn't allowed to talk with anyone about the details of the exam, and much less me, given that you're going to take part on it," Shizune replied with an apologetic smile.
"So he's your boyfriend but you can't get anything out of him. Lame." Karin said as she crossed her arms.
Shizune sighed. "Well, if this exam is going to be like previous editions, I can tell you that it will consist on three parts: the first one will be a test to your overall capabilities, the second part will be a survival exercise, and the last one will be a one on one fighting tournament. But then again, this exam could be different to the previous ones."
"Still, that'll be better than anything," Sakura said.
"I did try to ask my brother about his exam, but he told me that I needed to take it completely blind, just like he did," Sasuke mentioned, crossing his arms as well.
"Hey, this is like real life itself. As ninja, sometimes you will find yourselves amidst situations that you know nothing about. This exam will test your resourcefulness, among other things," Shizune explained.
"At the very least, we know that the other teams won't have any advantage over us," Karin reasoned.
"Actually, that's only true for teams who will take the exam for the first time," Sakura interceded. "Other teams had taken the exam multiple times already, which means that not only do they have an edge over us, but they're older, and thus they have more experience than us."
"I don't think so. If they need so many tries to become Chunin, then they can't be that strong," Sasuke retorted.
Shizune frowned at Sasuke's overconfident attitude. "Sasuke, underestimating your enemies is not something wise to do. Approach every fight as if you were going to face the strongest enemy possible. Otherwise, something far worse than merely failing awaits you."
"We'll see about that."
…
Outside the Hokage Tower, First Day of the Chunin Exams
All the Genin teams that took part in the Exams were told to wait outside the Hokage Tower at ten in the morning sharp. Those who were already there noticed that there was a large podium in front of the tower.
Many teams decided to be there at least half an hour in advance, just to be safe. Team Kurenai thought that they would be among the first teams to arrive, but they found out that another team had beat them to it.
"Hey, Shikamaru, Choji, Ino!" Naruto shouted as he waved at them.
"Oh, hey, what's up guys?" Shikamaru asked.
"Nice to see you guys" Choji greeted as he ate from his ever-present bag of chips.
"Why did you say my name last!?" Ino angrily asked.
Ignoring Ino's outburst, Naruto asked: "So, you ready for the exams?"
Shikamaru just shrugged. "No. But these two can't take the exam on their own, so I guess I'll have to pull my part."
"You better! There's no way we can do worse than forehead girl's team!" Ino stated.
"With how much Asuma-sensei worked us out, I'm sure we will," Choji commented.
"Ha! Keep dreaming, Ino!" a new female voice said.
Everybody turned around to see Sakura, Karin and Sasuke walking towards them.
"Sakura" Ino mentioned with false joy. "I'm glad that you decided not to run away. I want to beat you with my skills myself."
"Like I just said, Ino, you'd wish I quit. Not when I have Sasuke-kun at my side!" Sakura proudly declared. Upon noticing Karin's murderous glare, she added. "Oh yeah, and Karin too."
"Oh, of course, with that murd-" Ino interrupted herself when she noticed the pleading look Hinata was shooting at her. For some reason, she just couldn't continue with whatever hurtful comment she was going to say about the Uchiha. She simply cleared her throat, and much to everybody's surprise, she said: "Yes, Sasuke looks strong, as so do you and Karin. I will be looking forward to fighting you in the exams."
Sakura, and to a lesser extent, Karin, were taken aback by Ino's sudden bout of politeness. Sasuke was a bit surprised too, though he was better at hiding his reaction than his female teammates. The more observant people there like Shikamaru and Haku noticed the way Hinata was looking at Ino, and deduced that the Hyuga heiress had something to do with it.
"I do look forward fighting you too, Sasuke!" Naruto proudly declared. "I hope that you have been training hard, otherwise my victory over you wouldn't be as meaningful!"
"We fought plenty of times back in the Academy, and you were never close to defeating me," Sasuke cockily replied, then he smirked at him. "But then again, you were the only one back then who could be considered a challenge, so I will look forward to fighting you as well."
"And I will look forward to fighting and beating you both!" a new voice said.
Naruto and Sasuke turned to the voice's direction and saw a boy with black hair styled in a bowl haircut, with very thick eyebrows, who was wearing a green jumpsuit, and orange leg warmers.
"Uh...who are you?" Naruto asked to this would-be rival.
"YOSH! My name is Rock Lee! While I can't use ninjutsu nor genjutsu, I will prove the world that I can be a powerful ninja using nothing but taijutsu! And what better way to achieve my goal than by beating Naruto, the son of the Sannin, and Sasuke, the Uchiha genius! So, who wants to go first?" Rock Lee enthusiastically slipped into a fighting stance.
Before any fight could happen, somebody smacked Lee in the back of his head.
"Lee! Do you want to get us disqualified before even starting the exam? We can't fight right now!" a girl with brown hair styled in two buns said in a chastising tone.
"Sorry, Tenten! But seeing these two ninja, considered the strongest of our generation, makes my blood boil with excitement! My youth can't be contained!"
Everybody sweat dropped at the overly theatrical display of the green clad Genin.
"Is he always like that?" Shikamaru asked.
"Actually, today he seems unusually relaxed," the girl, Tenten, replied with an apologetic smile.
"Tsk. Troublesome. As if we didn't have enough with one hyperactive nutcase," Shikamaru deadpanned. Then he looked at Naruto. "No offense."
"Huh? No offense for what?" Naruto dumbly asked.
"Anyway, is a pleasure to meet all of you!" Lee continued. "As long as our third teammate arrives, the Youth Squad will be complete!"
Tenten frowned. "Lee, regardless of what you and Gai-sensei insist, that's not the name of our team."
"Come on Tenten, I'm sure you'll admit that Youth Squad is a much better name and defines our team better than the official 'Close Combat Squad'. Besides, that name leaves you out!" Lee countered.
"Excuse me," Hinata asked both Lee and Tenten. "Is your third teammate by chance Neji Hyuga?"
"Yes!" Tenten replied. "How do you know?"
"I'm Neji-niisan's cousin. He sometimes talks about you two. By the way, my name is Hinata Hyuga, pleased to meet you," Hinata greeted, while bowing slightly.
"Likewise. And no need to be so formal, Hinata," Tenten chuckled.
"Hinata-sama can't help being formal. It's part of her nature," a voice that both girls instantly recognized said.
"Neji!" Tenten said to her last teammate.
"Sorry for staying behind. I didn't want to be part of Lee's antics. Though then again, it was inevitable for him to explode when he saw Naruto and Sasuke," Neji replied.
"Well, at least Lee is no longer challenging Naruto-kun and Sasuke-san," Hinata saw that Naruto and Sasuke were discussing something between themselves.
"Nope, but he found somebody else to 'challenge'!" Tenten chuckled and pointed at Lee, who was in front of Sakura.
"My name is Rock Lee! Please go out on a date with me, oh beautiful Sakura! I will protect you with my life!" the green clad ninja loudly declared.
Sakura's brain was still trying to process the situation going on, while Karin was laughing so hard she could barely breathe.
"Er...sorry, Lee, but I don't know you that much to go on a date with you..." the pinkette awkwardly replied.
"It doesn't matter! I will keep working hard until I'm worthy of your affections, Sakura-san!"
"Come on Sakura, say yes. This guy is an amazing catch!" Karin placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder, still laughing.
"You only say that so can have Sasuke-kun for yourself. Forget about it!" Sakura retorted.
"Well, Sasuke-kun is clearly out of your league, so why don't give this nice boy a chance?"
"Why don't YOU give him a chance if he's such a catch!?"
"Because it's you whom he has a crush on! And I'd hate to get in the way of true love!" Karin mocked.
While Sakura and Karin continued arguing, the last of the teams formed by Naruto's former classmates joined the group.
"Oh geez, we're the last ones to arrive," Kiba mentioned a bit dejected, looking at the group.
"Yup, it seems that Kakashi-sensei's habits are starting to rub off on us" Tamaki agreed. She then noticed Sasuke and smiled. "Oh, hey, Sasuke-kun! Ready to rock the exams?"
"Hn," was the Uchiha's response.
"Keep your attitude as long as you can, Uchiha, nothing will save you from a well-deserved ass kicking when our paths cross!" Kiba declared, with Akamaru happily barking in agreement.
"Kiba. Just like in the Academy, you're all bark and no bite. But if only for the chance to shut your annoying mouth already, I'll be more than happy to oblige."
The third member of the Animal Squad decided to intervene. "Thinking on what could be is pointless. We're better off if we focus on the matter at hand. I know that we won't be fighting each other on this portion of the exam. Save your energy for when we are required to fight."
"Hmpf," Kiba grunted, clearly in disagreement.
"He's right, you know," Tamaki said.
"Of course you'd side with him, if that would mean siding against me" Kiba scoffed.
Tamaki frowned at the Inuzuka. "Listen here you mutt, my life doesn't revolve around you. I take most of my decisions without having you in my mind."
"That's a very poor attitude when working as a team" Kiba fired back.
"That's why I said 'most', not 'all'." Tamaki clarified.
"SHINO!" a chirpy but very loud female voice shouted from above.
Suddenly, a green and white blur fell from the sky like a meteor, landing in the middle of the Animal Squad. Everybody realized that said object wasn't a meteor, but a girl. A Takigakure kunoichi that the Animal Squad, and especially Shino, knew all too well.
"Hey you guys! I'm so glad I found you! Now we can talk a bit before the exams begin!" the girl excitedly said.
"Hello to you as well, Fu," Shino replied, unaffected by the girl's landing.
"So these are all your friends? I didn't know that you had so many, Shino! By the way, aren't you going to introduce me?" the girl said as she wrapped an arm around Shino's neck, making the usually stoic Aburame blush a little.
"Yes, Shino, we're all dying to know who is this girl that's so interested in you!" Ino interjected, her gossip senses going into overdrive.
"My name is Fu! I'm from Takigakure, and I'm here to become a better kunoichi and make lots of friends, not in that order necessarily!" Fu then smirked, and got uncomfortably close to Shino. "By the way, my offer of letting you touch them still stands."
"Ohhhhhhh, Shino, you devil! Who would have thought that behind that quiet façade, there was such a charmer! " Ino chimed in.
"It's...it's not what you are thinking," Shino stuttered.
"In case you're wondering, we met Fu on a mission to Takigakure a week ago," Tamaki explained, also hoping to deflect the focus from poor Shino. "By the way, Fu, you need a team of three people to participate. Where are your teammates?"
"Eh, I'm sure they're close," Fu replied, not worrying much about her missing teammates. "Anyway, I see that you guys have lots of friends. Why don't you introduce-"
Fu became silent the moment her eyes landed on Naruto. There was something about him that made him...special. It was almost like seeing a long lost family member.
"You," she stated, her voice devoid of all her previous cheerfulness.
"Me?" Naruto dumbly replied.
"You...there's...something about you that..." Fu slowly said as she walked towards the blond.
"Fu!"
The mint haired girl was snapped from her trance, and turned around to see two men with Takigakure forehead protectors running at them.
"There you are!" one of the Takigakure ninja shouted. He was a man with short, brown curly hair, who wore a violet jacket, with the inside being green, black top, with his midriff being exposed, and dark pants.
"What the hell are you thinking, going on your own in a foreign village?" the other one added. He was a slightly taller man with short, spiky hair who wore a dark violet vest, with two scrolls attached to it, a light violet turtleneck, and dark green-colored pants.
"Oh come on guys, I only wanted to see Shino and his friends again!" Fu pouted.
"Fu, you promised Shibuki-sama that you'd be cautious! He'd be really worried if something happened to you!" the man with the curly brown hair chastised.
"I know...sorry..." Fu lowered her head. She then turned her head at the Konoha Genin. "I better get going. It was nice to meet you guys. Hopefully we can see each other again later."
"We'd like that as well" Tamaki replied as she saw Fu leaving with her team.
Everybody noticed something about Fu's teammates. The first thing was that the one with the curly brown hair really liked to show off his abs. The second, and only a bit less obvious, was that they were about twice as old as Fu.
Akamaru whined something to Kiba.
"Guys, Akamaru told me that those guys' chakra levels are way above the average for Genin. We should be careful around them," Kiba warned. Those who heard him nodded.
"Attention everybody! The First Exam is about to begin!" somebody shouted.
All the Genin present turned their sights to the podium, where a black haired ninja with one eye appeared out of nowhere.
"Hello everybody and welcome to the Chunin Exams! My name is Shisui Uchiha, and I will be the proctor of the first exam!"
Ino rolled her eyes. "An Uchiha. Just my luck."
"First of all, if there's a team inscribed but is not present here, said team is automatically disqualified. With that out of the way, I'll start explaining the rules."
Shisui snapped his fingers, and many ninja who were previously on the roof of the Hokage Tower jumped down and landed between the group of Genin and the podium. They were wearing the standard Konoha ninja uniform, except the flak jacket was bright yellow instead of grass green.
"These ninjas have a scroll hidden within their person. Your task will be capture at least one of them and retrieve the scroll. The scroll bearers won't fight you, they will only run away from you and hide.
"Now that you know your objective, some additional rules: if you cause collateral damage while chasing the scroll bearers, you fail. If you endanger civilians, you fail. If you use excessive force, or even kill the scroll bearers, not only will you fail, but you will be arrested for murder. You have three hours to get a scroll, meaning that any team at one in the afternoon sharp short a scroll will be eliminated. You will be handed a wireless radio so that you can keep in contact with your teammates. You will have to turn those radios back once the exam is over. If you break it or lose it, you will have to pay for a new one. And lastly, once the exam ends, all teams who passed should come back here with their respective scrolls.
"That would be all. Do you guys have any questions?" Nearly everybody raised their hands. Shisui groaned, and pinched the bridge of his nose. "No, the scroll bearers won't hide their scroll inside their rectums," nearly all hands went down, and only a few remained. Shisui nodded to a random Konoha ninja.
"I noticed that there are not enough scroll bearers for all of us," the Konoha ninja pointed out.
"Correct. The number of scroll bearers is exactly half the number of teams, meaning that only the better half of the present teams will advance to the next phase. At best" Shisui replied. He then nodded to a Suna ninja, who happened to be Kankuro.
"Can we steal a scroll from another team?" the puppeteer asked.
"No. Not only fighting against other teams is forbidden, but the moment a team retrieves a scroll, said team will automatically pass. And don't think you guys can fool me, I have eyes everywhere!"
"Yeah, except in the right side of your face!" a random Konoha ninja said, making other Genin to laugh at his joke.
Shisui made a hand seal, and he body flickered in front of the Genin, startling him. "What is your name, kid?"
"M-Maseo..." the kid, Maseo, babbled.
"Team Maseo, failed," Shisui announced with a sly grin as he body-flickered back to the podium, and saw Maseo's two teammates shooting murderous glares at him. "If you want to make things easier for your rivals and alleviate some competition like Maseo just did, do not hesitate to insult, annoy, or irritate the proctor, namely me. Anymore questions?" Nobody raised their hand. "If that's the case, then good luck to everybody, and let us begin!"
Shisui made a hand motion, and all the scroll bearers scattered in every direction. After a couple seconds of fumbling, the Genin teams immediately went to chase them. Lastly, Shisui made a hand seal, and created four Shadow Clones.
"Alright, let's get the party started" Shisui and his clones Body Flickered in a different direction each.
…
Asuma's Tactical Squad had already locked onto a scroll bearer, and where currently chasing him. Ino suddenly perked up.
"My gossip senses are tingling like crazy! Another boy we know developed a crush on a girl he just met!" Ino squealed.
"You and your troublesome gossiping. Shouldn't you focus on the matter at hand?" Shikamaru asked, a bit annoyed. "Besides, that person is obviously Rock Lee. He was all over Sakura."
"Not Rock Lee, somebody else besides him!"
Meanwhile, Kurenai's Assault Squad was also chasing a scroll bearer that Hinata had located with her Byakugan. Haku then spoke up.
"Um, guys, what do you think of that girl, Tenten?"
Naruto just shrugged. "I don't know. She seems nice."
Hinata nodded in agreement. "I couldn't talk to her much, but she made a good impression. Why do you ask, Haku-kun?"
"Uh...nothing in particular" the Ice Ninja replied while averting his gaze.
…
All Genin teams started their hunt for the scrolls. Many of them thought that the challenge was an easy one, even if only half the teams would pass. Still, soon they found that trying to hold themselves from causing collateral damage was way harder than they initially expected.
A random Konoha Genin tossed several shuriken at a scroll bearer, who managed to dodge them while he fled. The shuriken would have shattered a window display if it wasn't for an ANBU suddenly appearing seemingly out of nowhere and deflecting the steel stars. Shisui (or one of his clones) Body Flickered into the scene a second later.
"You caused collateral damage! Team Tadaki of Konoha, failed!"
Shisui wasn't lying when he said he had eyes everywhere. There were multiple ninja –many of them Hyuga– hidden, who would watch the Chunin hopefuls, intervene before they could cause some collateral damage or engaged in blatant rule-breaking, and lastly would warn Shisui via radio if a team was to be failed or passed.
And thus, many teams started to drop from the competition as they unwittingly broke the rules Shisui had established earlier.
"You put civilians in danger! Team Ozeki from Suna, failed!"
"You used excessive force against a scroll bearer! Team Kuro from Konoha, failed!"
"You caused collateral damage! Team Kaede from Ame, failed!"
"You engaged in combat with another team! Team Hiroshi from Konoha, failed!"
And as so many teams failed during the first hour of the exam, the remaining teams found it much easier chasing and capturing their targets.
Jumping from roof to roof, Kankuro was chasing one of the scroll bearers. Little did he know that the puppeteer's sister was on her way to cut the chase. She suddenly appeared besides him, war fan already unfolded.
"Sickle Weasel Jutsu!"
Temari swung her fan, casting a powerful gust of wind that tossed the scroll bearer into the air. But before the yellow-clad ninja could fall, sand wrapped around his body, encasing him in a cocoon with only the head exposed. The sand also grabbed the scroll from its hiding place, and pulled it outside the sand cocoon, where Gaara grabbed it.
Shisui appeared besides Gaara. "Team Baki from Suna, passed!" and disappeared just as quick.
…
Kiba was rushing on all fours, with Akamaru running besides him, both of them chasing another scroll bearer through a street, doing their best to avoid the walking civilians. Tamaki jumped in front of him, cutting his escape, and forcing him to turn back at Kiba. The Inuzuka grabbed a kunai and tossed it at the scroll bearer, who easily caught it mid air before resuming his escape. However, the kunai then burst into dozens of beetles, who spread all over his body.
"AHHHHH! What the hell is this? Get those bugs from me!" the scroll bearer yelled as he tried to get rid of the bugs.
Shino suddenly appeared behind him. "I can tell my kikai beetles to leave you alone, in exchange for the scroll."
"Okay, okay, here you go!" the scroll bearer pulled the scroll from a hidden pocket inside his flak jacket and tossed it at Shino, who immediately commanded the beetles to stop attacking the man.
Shisui appeared besides them. "Kakashi's Animal Squad, passed!"
Kiba and Tamaki high fived each other, while Shino allowed himself to smile.
…
Sasuke was also chasing another scroll bearer while jumping across multiple roofs. When they reached a certain zone, Sasuke tapped his radio.
"Karin, the target will pass you in a few seconds, get ready!" the Uchiha warned.
"Yeah, I'm sensing him right now, don't worry, Sasuke-kun," the redhead replied.
The gap separating the next building was much wider, but the scroll bearer knew he could jump that distance. What didn't expect was that, when he was in mid air, several chains coming from below wrapped themselves around his legs and pulled him down.
The scroll bearer thought he was going to painfully slam against the ground. But that would have Karin and her team eliminated for using excessive force, so instead the yellow-wearing ninja was caught by Sakura's chakra enhanced arms before he could touch the ground. Karin wasted no time and placed a kunai on the ninja's neck.
"The scroll. Now."
The scroll bearer sighed, and handed the scroll to the redhead before the pinkette dropped him on the ground. Sasuke immediately joined them, and upon seeing him, Karin raised the scroll at him like it was a trophy. Shisui Uchiha appeared before them.
"Shizune's Medical Squad, passed!" the one-eyed Uchiha announced before disappearing again.
"Yay! We passed!" Sakura pumped her fist into the air.
"Good job you two" Sasuke said, making both girls blush and avert their gaze.
…
Another scroll bearer was running away from two Taki ninja while running through a tree-dense area. He thought he had lost them when he suddenly found himself high into the air, a pair of feminine but very strong arms grabbing him by his armpits.
"What the hell!?" the scroll bearer yelled.
"Hey, what's up? Enjoying the view? I certainly am," Fu casually mentioned. "Though I can tell that you aren't enjoying the flight, so let's do this: you'll give me the scroll, and I place you on the ground, okay?"
Since the scroll bearer wasn't allowed to fight back, he sighed and handed Fu the scroll. However, the Jinchuriki didn't realize that she had dropped the former scroll bearer in order to grab the scroll.
"Oops!" she yelped before quickly flying down in order to catch the man before he crashed against the ground. She managed to grab him by his ankles when his face was one meter from the ground.
Shisui appeared before her. "Team Fu from Taki, passed!"
"Yes!" Fu pumped both fists in the air...and accidentally dropped the scroll bearer, who fell face-first into the ground. "Oops...sorry!"
…
There was something Shisui purposefully left out of the explanation: the scroll bearers that lost their scrolls to the Genin teams wouldn't leave. They would stick around, making many teams futilely chase and capture them, only to realize that they didn't have a scroll anymore.
Fortunately for Gai's Close Combat Squad (sorry, Lee), they had a Byakugan user among them who could identify which one of the scroll bearers still had a scroll within them. Rock Lee was now chasing one of them.
"Tenten, I'm getting close to your position!" Lee warned through the radio.
"Roger that," Tenten replied. As soon as she saw the scroll bearer followed by her green-clad teammate, she knew it was time to act. "Unsealing Art: Improvised Spear prison!"
Tenten leaped above the scroll bearer, unfolded a scroll, which immediately rained many spears above the unsuspecting target, which stabbed into the ground around him. He was about to mock Tenten for missing, but he soon realized that the spears around him formed a tight cage, and was unable to move.
"Alright, the scroll," Tenten extended a hand.
"I don't have a scroll anymore! A team from Ame took it from me!" the scroll bearer said.
"He's lying," Neji landed near them, his Byakugan activated. "The scroll is in a hidden pouch in his left trouser leg."
Following Neji's instructions, Tenten retrieved the scroll, and showed it to her teammates. Shisui appeared besides them.
"Gai's Close Combat Squad, passed!" the one-eyed Uchiha announced, much to the Genin's joy.
"Come on, let's see how many more people has passed," Tenten suggested as she and her teammates left the area.
"Hey, don't leave me here!" the scroll bearer protested.
…
Jumping from one roof to another, an army of Narutos were chasing a scroll bearer that Hinata assured he still had a scroll within his body. While Naruto could try to capture him himself, he was actually leading the unsuspecting yellow-clad ninja to a trap. Hinata was following Naruto's progress with her Byakugan.
"Huku-kun, Naruto-kun and the scroll bearer are heading towards your position. Is the trap ready?" Hinata asked through her radio.
"I see them. And to answer your question, yes. The target will fall in my trap in three, two, one..."
The moment the scroll bearer jumped into another roof, he immediately slipped and fell on his butt.
"Ice...?" the scroll bearer asked, confused.
Haku made several hand seals. "Ice Release: Ice Prison Jutsu!"
The scroll bearer's hands and feet were encased in blocks of ice, immobilizing and pinning him to the ground. Haku searched the man, and found the scroll where Hinata had said it would be, in a hidden pocked inside the flak jacket.
Shisui appeared before Haku. "Kurenai's Assault Team, pass-WHOA!" the one eyed ninja slipped on the ice and fell on his butt.
"Uh...sorry. Does that mean we still pass?" Haku meekly asked.
…
As teams started to either fail or pass, the scroll bearers, both who still had their scroll and those who hadn't, found that there were much less teams going after them. Many of them relaxed and fell prey to ambushes set by the remaining teams.
"Shadow Imitation Jutsu!"
Upon locating a scroll bearer, Shikamaru used his family's signature jutsu in order to trap him. The scroll bearer immediately ran away. He was hoping to leave the shadow behind, but Shikamaru was able to find more shadowed spots in order to prolong his jutsu.
The scroll bearer ran into Ino and Choji, the latter who had enlarged his arms, and raised them in order to slam him. But when he was about to jump back, he found himself unable to do so.
"Shadow Imitiation Jutsu, success," the scroll bearer heard Shikamaru announced.
"What? How did you catch me without me noticing?" the scroll bearer asked.
"Take a look at my shadow" Choji mentioned.
The scroll bearer realized that Choji's enlarged arms were projecting a huge shadow, which the Nara used to his advantage.
"Now Ino, if you're so kindly..."
Ino nodded, and placed her hand on the scroll bearer's head. After probing his mind, she found the scroll in a hidden pocket in the back of his flak jacket. Shisui appeared from thin air.
"Asuma's Tactical Squad, passed!" he announced before disappearing again.
The three members of said squad loudly cheered –even Shikamaru– while jumping and pumping their fists in joy.
…
The first part of the exams came to an end a whole hour before the time limit, when the last team who hadn't claimed a scroll was eliminated due to breaking one of the rules and using too much force when dealing with a scroll bearer. Now, all the passed teams were once again in front of the podium, with Shisui on it.
Shisui was pleased with his work. Of all the fifty two teams that were initially competing, only twenty two managed to pass the first phase. Less than a half. Ten teams from Konoha, four Teams from Suna, two teams from Taki, two teams from Kusa, three teams Ame, and a single team from Kumo.
"Congratulations to all of you who passed the first part of the exam" Shisui said, and the Genin congratulated each other. "Nowadays, a lot of people think that being a ninja is just a matter of raw power. While power is important, controlling said power is just as important. Sometimes, you will need to capture a ninja who has valuable intel without harming them. Sometimes, a battle will break within the walls of your village, so you will need to fight without endangering civilians or causing damage to the village. People who always fight without restrain, without caring about causing collateral damage or without keeping in mind the mission don't deserve to be Chunin!
"But you demonstrated that you can think outside the box, that you can solve a problem without relying on raw power or brute force. Now, you'll go into the next phase of the exam, when your abilities will be tested further. And without further ado, meet the proctor of the second phase of the exam," and with that, Shisui, using his signature ability, disappeared from there.
A few seconds passed, and the Genin started to murmur, wondering who this proctor was or where he or she was. The answer came in the form of a giant sword falling from above against the podium, splintering it instantly, while the sword stabbed itself into the ground. The Genin felt a wave of killing intent, and suddenly, a tall, broad man with spiky black hair was standing on one foot on the sword's hilt. A man Haku knew too well.
"Hello, brats. My name is Zabuza Momochi, and I'm the proctor of the second phase of the exam," the former Kiri ninja introduced himself. Many Genin couldn't help but cower in fear before the imposing man before them. "Those who think that you are already Chunin because you passed this part of the test will have another thing coming, because my test will push you to your very limits, and will weed the weak from the strong. Take this day to rest, because you will need all the rest you can.
"Meet me tomorrow at Training Ground Thirty Nine. Make sure you bring supplies for at least a week, as well as the scroll you obtained on this test. It's about time you learn the reality of the ninja world. That's all."
…
Senju Residence, Nighttime
The entire Senju-Uzumaki family was having a special dinner together to celebrate that both Naruto and Shizune's teams had successfully passed the first round of the exam. It might not seem like much, but given that more than half the teams competing were sent home, it was a big deal. Still, both Naruto and Shizune knew that the worst was yet to come.
"So is Naruto-niisan a Chunin now?" Kaida asked.
"Nope. He only passed the first phase of the exam. He still has more things to do," Hagane replied.
"Still, he's on the way. These exams separate the great from the mediocre. And it's good to see that Naruto leans to the former," Tsunade commented.
"By the way, Naruto," Jiaraiya interceded, "Besides yours and Shizune's team, did any of your other former classmates pass?"
Naruto nodded affirmatively. "All of them, actually."
"HA!" Jiraiya clapped his hands. "I knew it! Thanks to my educational reform, the new generation of Genin will grow up to become the strongest ninja Konoha ever produced! That's how great and awesome of a Hokage I am!"
Jiraiya high fived Naruto, while Tsunade and Shizune both rolled their eyes.
"By the way, how did you let that Kiri guy be an exam proctor?" Naruto asked, still a bit terrified of Zabuza. Haku had told both him and Hinata about the former Seven Ninja Swordsman, but the man was way more impressive in person.
"Let's say that he had some interesting ideas for the exams. You see, the exams in Kiri are way more brutal, and I think we could borrow something from that."
"Jiraiya!" Tsunade shouted. "I hope you're not planning to turn our village into another Blood Mist!"
"No, of course not!" the white haired Sannin raised his hands in defense. "I just want to prepare the kids for the real world, that's it. Besides, since our Genin are way stronger, by increasing the exam's difficulty, we make sure it's them instead of foreign Genin who advance into the final phase of the exam."
"By the way, Naruto," Shizune interjected. "What do you think about the exam so far? Was it easy, difficult...?"
"It wasn't as bad as I thought. But veterans said that the first part is usually the easiest, and I'm not getting very good vibes for whatever that Zabuza guy has in store for us..." Naruto shivered a bit.
"Come on kid, after what all the things you told me you faced in the Land of the Rice Fields, I don't think Genin from other villages will be much of a challenge in comparison," Tsunade said while lightly punching Naruto in the shoulder.
"Yeah, guess that you're right" Naruto conceded.
"That's the spirit!"
"Besides, not every kid has the luck being trained by a ninja as awesome as me!" Jiraiya proudly stated. Tsunade cleared her throat in a rather not subtle way. "Oh yes, and your mom too..."
"The thing is, we're sure that you'll make us proud, Naruto" Tsunade added.
…
Author's Note: So, what do you think about my version of the Chunin Exams? I already told you that it was going to be different from canon. Well, the first two parts, the finals will be more or less the same (same as in being one on one fights, the fight themselves are going to be very different as well).
You have no idea how hard it was to do the meeting of all the Konoha teams just before the exam began. I lost count on how many times I had to rewrite that scene. Juggling that many characters at once was insane! Hopefully I won't have to do a scene with that many people again.
Anyway, the Exams has just begun, and now the Genin will have to face whatever Zabuza has planned for them. While it won't be in the Forest of Death, the challenge won't be any smaller. Until the next chapter comes, don't forget to leave a review! Reviews make me really, really, really happy!