I had to use the manga a little here to make sure I got the rules right. We are surprisingly canon still XD

Thank you for the new reviews and follows, I read them all even if I don't always respond.

"You absolute moron, Naruto!" Shikamaru growled, hand clenching into a fist. Sakura grabbed Naruto, half throttling him in the process.

"He-he's a massive idiot, just ignore him everyone," she said meekly, though it seemed to have no effect on the crowd. A crowd that was becoming distinctly restless.

"Quieten down you worthless bastards!" roared a deep voice, a cloud of smoke appearing at the front of the room. "And please, Sound Ninja-san, put your kunai away." The smoke gave way to a group of adult ninja all dressed in the same style of clothes, pants and a long shirt with large breast pockets, though while most wore it in grey, three donned a navy version and the man who had spoken accompanied the look with a black trench coat.

"They're Intelligence Division," Ino informed softly, her eyes wide. "And the ones in the darker uniforms are higher ups like my dad."

Shikamaru looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "Do you know who they are?"

Ino barely shook her head. "Nu-uh."

"Thanks for waiting, I'm Morino Ibiki, the examiner for the Chuunin selection exam's first test," the one in the trench coat introduced. Upon closer inspection, Shikamaru could see Ibiki had two long scars across his face and another running down the length of it worryingly close to his left eye.

Ibiki jabbed a finger to a crowded part of the room, "I'm not going to ask again, Sound Ninja. You with the bandages, lower your sleeve and the other. Kunai. Away."

Eyes turned to look but Shikamaru couldn't pick out the guys he was talking to. How the hell was Ibiki able to see what was going on with so many people in the room?

"Sorry, we've been waiting a while and are just very eager to get going," a voice came through the crowd.

"Hey, I told you to be here for four. Not my fault if you're early," Ibiki said dismissively. "Still, this is as good a time as any to explain," he added his tone hardening, "There will be no fighting without permission of the examiners. Even if we do grant permission, killing your opponent is explicitly forbidden. The vermin that disobey will be failed immediately, do I make myself clear?"

The look in his eyes was accompanied by a burst of killing intent meant to cow the weaker willed among them and warn the stronger not to cross the examiners. Considering the worried faces around the room, Shikamaru figured it worked rather well.

Ibiki raised his voice, even though the room was silent. "We will now start the Chunnin Exams. Everyone get up, we have an arranged seating plan to split up your teams. Once you're all sat in your proper places we'll hand out the exam paper."

People moved to obey, rising out of their chairs. Over the sounds of chair legs, Naruto's voice rang out again. "W-what?! A written test?!"

"You need a brain to be Chuunin, Dobe," Sasuke scolded.

Beside Ino, Sakura sighed. "Oh we're so screwed. Naruto's terrible at written tests…"

A few minutes later everyone finally had a chair and an exam paper. Shikamaru had to turn to see Ino, but Choji was only a few rows in front.

"Do not turn over your tests," Ibiki said picking up a piece of chalk. "Listen closely, there are many rules to this test. I'll write on the board while I explain, so don't bother me with questions. Ninja do not question the orders of their superiors."

"The first rule. Everyone starts with ten points. The test contains ten questions worth one point each, however, we'll be subtracting from your score for every wrong answer. Let's say you get seven correct and three wrong, you lose three points and will score seven."

Shikamaru groaned inwardly. If this test got too complicated before they even started, people like Naruto and Choji might overload.

"The second rule," Ibiki continued, "Is that this is a team test, meaning your scores are linked. That puts the actual total number of points up to thirty."

"What? The points make no sense, and why is this a team test?" barked Sakura, raising her hand. Not that Ibiki even turned to look at her. Probably worried Naruto might cause her and Sasuke to fail, Shikamaru noted.

"Silence, I didn't give you permission to question," growled Ibiki. "You cannot enter the exam without a team, therefore your scores are team scores. Now, on to the most important rule. The third rule is that anyone caught cheating will have two points subtracted for every offence. Anyone who loses all their points will be asked to leave."

"We'll be watching you," said one of the invigilators, leering at a particularly frazzled bunch of ninja near him. Looking over, Shikamaru was surprised to note it was Kotetsu from the village gate. Izumo sat on the other side of the room a row behind Shikamaru, the change in outfit probably being what caused Shikamaru not to recognise them immediately.

"As shinobi trying to prove your worth and reach the next level, I hope you all act with pride," Ibiki finished, smiling as he turned to the room of Genin. "And finally, the last rule. Anyone that loses all of their initial points, that is, anyone who scores a zero, either by cheating penalties or incorrect answers will be failed along with their two teammates."

Shikamaru frowned and cast Naruto a sympathetic look. Sasuke and Sakura were probably going insane in their seats. In front of him, Choji shifted awkwardly, but Shikamaru was confident the guy would get at least one right.

"You have one hour. Begin!"

There was a loud rustle as everyone turned their paper over.

The first question was a cryptogram. Shikamaru hummed curiously, not having known what to expect. Shifting his pencil over the characters in the coded message as he worked out a pattern within it, he got the answer easily enough. Looking at the next one, a rather annoying maths question that doubled as a tactical analysis, Shikamaru sighed. Forget Choji, even Ino was going to struggle with these. And the final question wasn't even a question.

Question 10: This question will be revealed 45 minutes after the test has begun. Listen closely to the examiner before answering.

Kay… Guess that one was out. Which meant Shikamaru had forty-five minutes to finish his test and figure out how to get both his teammates at least one right answer.

Ignoring the scratches of pencils and the idiot on the other side of the room talking and nearly being disqualified, Shikamaru turned his attention to the next question, writing his answer after a moment. These questions were impossible for most people surely? It couldn't just be that as rookies they weren't experienced enough. No way the entire room knew the answers.

He gave an inconspicuous look to the ninja next to him, who was sweating and still stuck on the first question. If the general intelligence of the room was too low to answer these questions, and the invigilators were watching like hawks for cheaters, very few people would go on to pass. But not every ninja was book smart, so there had to be a way, he thought, eyes drifting back to the rules written on the board.

Shikamaru startled, staring at the wording of rule three, Itachi-sensei's words ringing in his ears. "You can skip training so long as you don't get caught doing it." The test didn't disallow cheating, just getting caught cheating. The slight but notable change in the wording gave the rule new meaning, especially in the context of such a hard test. Cheat. We'll be watching, so don't get caught.

Gathering and passing on information was usually Ino's forte, so provided she worked out the hiccup in the rule too, Shikamaru didn't have to worry about her. Choji though… nothing in his jutsu repertoire was built for subtle intel gathering. Luckily he was in front of Shikamaru, not behind, or helping him would get complicated.

The air was filled with the gentle thrum of chakra from numerous people acting and trying not to get caught. Joining in, aware the Chuunin couldn't possibly tell who was doing jutsu and who wasn't without catching the hand signs, Shikamaru activated his Shadow Possession, slowly working his shadow down to Choji. They only needed one right answer so once Choji was caught, Shikamaru quickly filled in question one and wrote in box two: Don't worry about the rest, #1 is right, S.

Releasing the justu, Shikamaru watched with a smile as Choji sagged in relief, then had the smarts to rub out Shikamaru's message in case any invigilators saw.

Risking a glance at Ino in an elaborate stretch, Shikamaru was glad to see her writing. Good, they were all safe-

A kunai thudded into the desk of a ninja not far from Shikamaru. Instantly the kid was on his feet. "What the hell?"

Kotesu, the thrower of the kunai rose too. "I caught you five times, you fail."

"N-no way…"

"The two on his team get out of here as well," Kotetsu ordered harshly. "Right now, get up!"

As they were escorted out, Shikamaru noticed a blonde not far away pulling his hair in desperation. Even without the orange jumpsuit, Shikamaru recognised it as Naruto. He frowned and went back to his test, filling in another two answers while he debated with himself.

Could Sasuke or Sakura get an answer to him? Could Naruto get one himself? Probably not seeing how lost he looked. Should Shikamaru help him? If he did, then he'd be helping out the competition. But… Naruto was his friend. And having at least one question right would probably make Naruto look good to his teammates.

He was talking himself into it, hands slipping into the signs once more. Even if he got caught, he had cheating points left and a paper of correct answers, fuck the moderators.

He saw Naruto stiffen as their shadows connected and try to shift. Stop, Idiot, I'm helping! He wrote, not caring where Naruto's hand was. Put your hand at the start of answer box one.

Giving Naruto control back while their shadows were connected was a strain on his chakra and more complicated than just trying to force his own will, but he could do it. Just not for long. It felt like an eon before Naruto finally moved and Shikamaru wondered if the idiot really was brain-dead or something before taking control and answering the question. He then moved on to answer the next four questions for Naruto to cover the idiot in case he'd been caught looking around during the last half hour. Not that the dumbass seemed any calmer once Shikamaru was done. Weirdo.

Relaxing the jutsu, Shikamaru slumped in his seat a little and tried to catch his breath surreptitiously. Around him, the actions of other ninja caught up to them.

"Hundred and two, fail."

"Number twenty-three. Fail."

"Forty-three, twenty-seven, you're out."

"I didn't cheat! You got proof?!" As the hall thinned it was getting easier to spot the cheating even from his seat, Shikamaru thought as he saw a boy get up and begin to argue with the invigilator.

Quick as a flash the two went from standing on one side of the room to the invigilator holding the examinee up against the wall on the other side. "Listen, punk. We are elite Chuunin hand-picked to watch over this exam. We haven't missed anything you've done. Proof enough? Now get out."

Three more Genin left the room before Ibiki brought attention back to the front. Finally, forty-five minutes of the exam had passed.

"We will now begin the tenth question!"

Examinees raised their heads, many having a small look around and seeing just how many ninja had been asked to leave. Before the hall had been packed, now, you could see each remaining participant easily. Shikamaru caught the sure gaze of Ino and in front of him, Choji looked relaxed. Someone who didn't though, was Naruto. He was trembling in his chair, looking directly at Ibiki. Maybe he needs the bathroom? Shikamaru thought, But then, that Kankuro guy went a little while ago… though he isn't back yet.

Hopefully the idiot was just struggling with being silent for a whole hour and wasn't about to have a horrendous, embarrassing bowl movement in front a good eighty or so ninja.

"Before we get to the question, however, I'm adding one final rule."

Shikamaru startled. He couldn't be serious? More weird ass rules? What else could Ibiki restrict?

At the back of the room the door opened. "Ah, looks like you're just in time," Ibiki greeted Kankuro. "Any later and you'd have been disqualified and all that playing with dolls would have been a waste."

Playing with dolls? What did that mean? Shikamaru looked over at Kankuro as he walked past. The other boy seemed to have understood and looked perturbed by the information. He also might have passed something to Temari, but it was hard to tell.

"Now," Ibiki said once Kankuro was seated once more. "Let me be clear. This rule is absolute."

Earlier

After greeting their teams, Jonin were asked to meet in the Staff tower, a circular building on three levels, one of which was a rooftop observation area. The lower area had tables and a small kitchenette where the Sensei would make themselves drinks or lunch and the middle floor was more of a relaxation area with a large selection of plants in the centre and two rings of benches, one surrounding the plants in a small circle facing outward and the other spanning the circumference of the room with three small grated stands for smokers spread around and a flat shelf above the bench that worked as both shelving for a few potted plants and window seats for any ninja who didn't fancy the benches.

When he reached the tower, Itachi found that the Jonin that were already there were grouping themselves by village, Rain ninja talking exclusively to Rain ninja, Grass talking with Grass, a creepily pale Sound ninja on his lonesome looking out at the academy grounds.

While there were other Leaf ninja, Itachi ignored them and found a quiet part of the centre floor, taking a seat on the window ledge. He was the only one up there for some time before the sound of feet tapping on the stairs reached Itachi's ears. Expecting it to be someone planning on going to the roof, Itachi didn't turn his head from the window to observe them.

"It's getting quite crowded down there," the newcomer said, walking towards Itachi. Inwardly groaning, Itachi wondered if he could just ignore the other ninja. No luck as the man now stood beside Itachi and from his vantage point, Itachi could see they were from Oto. The lone Sound Sensei from the village tied to Orochimaru.

"I suppose it would be, the exam starts in an hour," Itachi relented, looking back out the window.

"I'm Yashagorou, the Sensei from Sound," the man introduced, offering a hand.

"Itachi," he replied, eyeing the hand warily. "How are you liking Konoha?" he asked instead.

The ninja dropped its hand. "It seems quite modern. Oto doesn't have many buildings and our paths are natural forest floor, though we do have houses and buildings built into the trees."

"Some of our older buildings are built into the mountain," Itachi disclosed. They were generally disused or emergency safe houses and not entirely hidden to outsiders.

"Oh? Like that big area with the faces?"

"Not that I'm aware of," Itachi lied, "But there are some paths integrated to allow civilians to get up to the top of the stone faces. They're of our past and current Hokage."

"Ah. But the older gentleman who greeted us introduced himself as the Third Hokage. And there are four heads on the mountain."

"The Fourth Hokage died young, luckily his predecessor did not, so the Third Hokage retook his position."

"Aren't you worried about such an old man leading your village?" Yashagorou pressed, cocking his head to one side, his dark ponytail falling over his shoulder.

"Not at all. The elders are wise."

Maybe the other ninja caught a hollow note in Itachi's voice, because he soon smiled. "I find them quite conceited myself."

Itachi quirked an eyebrow, turning his head to look at the Sound ninja, "Is the leader of Sound young then?"

"I'm not sure, their appearance changes a lot, so no-one's really sure."

"But you trust them?"

"Mhmm," Yashagorou hummed raising his hands in a shrug, "They've made good decisions and created a nation able to thrive enough to be recognised on a stage like this. I'd call that trustworthy, wouldn't you?"

"I suppose."

Yashagorou frowned, "You don't sound convinced, Itachi-sensei."

"Ah, sorry, Yashogorou-Sensei, I'm just projecting," Itachi covered with a smile.

"Oh?"

"My team are rookies, and I was thinking about what you said. They'd made good decisions and hope to be recognised as Chuunin level ninja, but I find myself worrying about their abilities."

Yashagorou blinked, his yellow, almost snake like eyes sharp. "Ah, so it's your team you don't trust? Are you new to being a Sensei as well?" he guessed, "Maybe the combined freshness made you all eager to prove yourselves – they ninja ready for the next phase and you a competent Sensei who can teach and lead?"

"Something like that. Mostly I'd forgotten there was a written test and one of my team is more of a practical soul," Itachi said, forcing a light chuckle. "He has good reasoning, but still, I worry."

Yashagorou smiled. "Well if not, there's always trying again in six months." Silence hung for a moment before the man spoke again. "How come you ignored the other Leaf ninja and came up here alone?"

"Oh, I was waiting for my comrades," Itachi lied, feeling a familiar chakra heading up the stairs. He would have preferred to wait on his own and ignore the other Jonin, but he would take Leaf prying over a foreign ninja. Pointing to get Yashagorou to switch his attention to the staircase, Itachi's other hand formed the ANBU signs for 'approach' and prayed Kakashi would take pity on him as he and Kurenai came onto the middle level, the former holding a steaming cup of coffee.

"Ah, Itachi-sensei, there you are," Kakashi greeted. "We looked for you downstairs."

"Too crowded, I thought our meeting might be a little more private up here," he responded. "Yashagorou-sensei, please, excuse us."

Blessedly, the man took the hint. "Ah, yes, of course. I'll take my leave then. Goodbye, Itachi-sensei, Leaf-sensei," he added to Kurenai and Kakashi, bowing to them all before heading down to the kitchen area.

"Not like you to initiate conversation with us," Kakashi noted, a teasing edge to his tone once Yashagorou's footsteps could no longer be heard.

"He was prying about Konoha's leadership. Even I can only create so many segues," Itachi explained as Kurenai settled on the bench below Itachi and Kakashi sat opposite her, putting his drink on the seat beside him.

"Lucky we came along then," Kurenai said. "Did you get any information on Oto?"

"If we believe Yashagorou, the leader changes their form regularly," Itachi said, "He claims to have not met the person."

"So we don't even know the gender?"

Kakashi groaned, "Well that's completely useless then."

"I don't see why you're complaining, we can't go on solo missions during the exams," Itachi challenged. "The most we can do is train when our teams pass their tests. Otherwise we have to gather with the other Sensei like this."

"Oh we'll probably be busy again before long," Kakashi reasoned.

"Huh? Why's that?"

"From what I heard on my way here, the first examiner is Morino Ibiki."

"Urgh," Itachi groaned. "Why'd it have to be him?" Now he was even more concerned about his team.

Kurenai frowned. "What's wrong with Ibiki?"

"Ah, of course, you probably haven't come across him, Kurenai," Kakashi said. "He's a sadist, and a pro at his job."

"What's his job?"

"Torture and Interrogation," Itachi answered.

"Huh?" Kurenai balked, "Why pick him to lead the exam?"

"Probably because intelligence gathering is a hugely important skill for ninja," Itachi guessed. "Or else maybe it's because he'd be the best candidate to test our teams' mental fortitude?"

"Whatever the reason," Kakashi cut in, "all we can do is put our faith in our students."

Silence fell on the three for a moment broken by Kakashi as he reached for his coffee. "So, have you started that book I gave you, Itachi-Sensei? The exam's an hour long, plenty of time to get started."

Itachi felt a vein in his temple throb. "If you'd so kindly remove your mask, Kakashi-sensei," he said through gritted teeth, "I'll gladly shove that waste of paper and ink down your throat over the course of the next hour instead."

Kakashi didn't look the least bit phased. "Maa, Itachi-Sensei, that isn't very kind. And after all the effort I went through to find my spare copy."

Kurenai gave Itachi a look out of the corner of her eye and shifted away from him slightly. Itachi was just glad she didn't ask which book he'd been loaned.

Back in the exam hall, the remaining Genin waited for Ibiki to explain his new rule.

"First though you must choose whether or not to accept the exam's tenth question."

A murmur of confusion followed that statement.

"Huh? Choose? What happens if we refuse the question?" demanded Temari, sparking a few other participants to shout out as well.

"If you choose to reject the question, you'll lose all your points immediately and fail the exam. Both of your teammates will also fail as a result."

"What?" Ino gawked, "Then why would anyone refuse?"

"Because of the final rule," Ibiki answered calmly. Shikamaru groaned, so the choosing to accept the question wasn't the new rule? "If you answer the tenth question incorrectly, you'll be barred from ever taking the Chuunin exam again in any nation."

"What? You've gotta be bluffing!" Kiba challenged, "There are people who've taken this exam multiple times before! We know there are." Indeed, Kabuto had been placed on the row behind Kiba. However, Kiba's point only made Ibiki chuckle, which was an awful, dark sound that sent a chill down Shikamaru's spine.

"Just your rotten luck. I didn't set the exams in previous years. But I am this time and my word is final. If I say you're unfit to ever be a Chuunin, then that's exactly the status you'll have." The look in his eyes was one of absolute seriousness, and Shikamaru found himself believing Ibiki had the authority to do just that.

"I've been up front about the consequences. Fail now and try again later, or proceed and risk permanent damnation. The choice is yours. Anyone who doubts their ability would be smart to bow out here," he added, his eyes flashing in a manner that said he enjoyed watching them squirm. "Come back next year and reapply. Maybe I won't be the proctor."

So, if one of them got cold feet and dropped out, all of them would. Shikamaru frowned. If the question was like the others, statistically, out of the three of them, Shikamaru was the only one who might be able to answer correctly, but even then, it was also possible that because he helped Naruto earlier, that Shikamaru was out of chances to cheat the answer to Choji. And he would definitely get caught giving the answer to Ino. If she couldn't get the correct answer off of anyone else, she'd be banned from ever becoming Chuunin. Even if Shikamaru didn't really care either way about rank, he knew Ino did, and Choji wanted to take the exams to make his dad proud. Being permanently Genin would be a complete embarrassment to their families.

"Are you ready?" Ibiki asked, "Then let's begin. Those who wish to resign from the exams at this point should raise their hands. Once their number has been confirmed, they and their teammates should leave the room."

Shikamaru could feel a knot in his stomach tighten as Ibiki revelled in their obvious discomfort. Letting them think this over was a false kindness. The longer they stewed on their decision, the more doubt would creep in, and the more likely a greater number of people would chose to quit. It didn't matter if Shikamaru knew that was probably Ibiki's game, because either way, the only people losing here were the Genin hopefuls taking the exam. Ibiki won if they quit now, if they answered the question wrong and even if they got it right, because Ibiki obviously got his kicks out of the self-created torment each ninja was feeling from his words.

He took the lead in missions, which might mean Ino and Choji were expecting Shikamaru to take the lead here too. But then if he risked it and they got the answer wrong, he damned them to a life where they would be unable to ever be ninja of high and respectful rank. They were the only children of their parents, who were the Heads of Clan. If the heirs couldn't become high ranking ninja, it would apply strain to their standings in the Clan and possibly lead to in-fighting, which could affect the entire village. On the other side, if he chose for them and they failed now, it could cause the team to fall apart. If Ino and Choji couldn't trust him, Itachi-sensei wouldn't let them out of the village on missions, and they'd be stuck doing D-Ranks forever.

It was an impossible choice for Shikamaru, and he hoped Ino and Choji could see that.

The silence drew on for seconds that felt like hours as everyone had similar thoughts to Shikamaru. Finally, someone cracked.

"I-I'm rejecting the question!" an older Leaf ninja said, raising his hand and standing.

Without missing a beat, the invigilator beside that row called out, "Number fifty, fail. Number one hundred and thirty, one hundred and eleven, you also fail."

The two named stood up as well without comment while the first ninja cried, "I'm sorry guys!"

That seemed to open the floodgates as hands flew up around the room. "I quit! Me too! I resign as well!" Numbers were called out as teams failed, but Ino and Choji didn't raise their hands. They hadn't failed yet, and Shikamaru was torn.

He believed in his teammates, he really did, but the safe answer was to quit and go again next time when Ibiki wasn't dangling their future in front of them. This kind of decision was one they hadn't prepared for and without the ability to confer the decision was one of the utmost trust. Which meant it was completely sensible to raise his hand and stop this madness.

That's what Shikamaru kept telling himself when his breath came in short and shaky as he started to raise his hand, only to pause as someone he never expected shoved his hand in the air, his whole body trembling.

"Naruto?" Shikamaru muttered, staring and wondering if the idiot was finally going to ask to go to the bathroom.

"I… Don't you dare underestimate me!" the blonde roared. "I don't quit and I won't run from a hard decision! I accept your question!"

Was he… risking his dream of being Hokage, just so Sasuke and Sakura could become Chuunin?

"I'm not afraid of you!" Naruto continued, "Even if I end up being a Genin for the rest of my life, I'll definitely become Hokage. There's nothing in the selection process that says I have to be a certain rank beforehand!"

Shikamaru was actually surprised Naruto knew anything about the selection process, but then, there was every chance Naruto had been hoping to bypass the rank system entirely and go from Academy Student to Hokage.

"Crazy dumbass," Shikamaru said to himself, starting to raise his hand once more.

"I'll accept too!"

Shikamaru had never whipped his head around so fast in his life. He stared at Ino, eyes wide as saucers. She stood, one hand on the desk the other in the air, confident smile so forced Shikamaru wouldn't be surprised if her jaw locked. She turned her head to him and inclined it the barest amount. Her decision was made.

No… no Ino. What if you fail?

Shikamaru felt tears prick at the corner of his eyes as a chair scraped from one the rows in front. He didn't even have to look to know it was Choji's.

"Count me in too. No way Naruto's passing and I'm not."

"Are you all sure? This will be the last time I ask," Ibiki said, his tone filled with danger. "And what about you, eighty-three, I've seen your hand dally in the air twice."

Shikamaru swallowed around a lump in his throat. He turned back towards Ibiki, catching the haunted gaze of Naruto. The kid looked outright dangerous in this moment, like a coiled spring ready to demolish the room if it turned out he'd picked wrong. A pencil clattered to the floor, drawing Shikamaru's eyes to Choji, who smiled in the calm manner he always did.

"I…" Shikamaru blinked furiously as tears blurred his vision. He knew he should drop, that would be sensible, but Choji and Ino wanted to go on. He couldn't tear that away from them, even if things turned out terrible. "I… I'll do it," he cried.

"Are you sure? You don't look it," Ibiki pressed.

Shikamaru swallowed and wiped his eyes on his arm. "Yes," he said, determination finally creeping into his voice. "Give me the question!"