"Man, I really wish I had my CD player on me…." Aki was resting her cheek on her fist, sighing as she watched with a Kakashi-ish look on her face as Dosu attacked Kabuto and watched him keel over from the Sound attack.
She heaved another sign as she bobbed her head to songs that she remembered, such as Daft Punk's remix of "Aerodynamic" or the untitled album song she had crossed over called only "Johnai".
…………
Ibiki totally ignored Aki as the door swung open and hit her in the face.
"What's going on here?!"
(Not much, Crater Head!) Aki squeezed herself out of the small opening, and joined up with Team 7.
As Ibiki was blah- blah- blahing away on the importance of the test and how he and some others were to monitor them, when Aki looked over her shoulder and her heart froze.
Kabuto was grinning, but not in the determined sense. It was the dark kind of grin.
…………
Aki sat down in spot 7.
(Alotta 7's, huh?) She looked around as the variety of genin came in.
Aki sat daydreamish as Ibiki tried to influence his mental torture on the testers, but Aki just yawned, and imagined a scene she was going to write in her pad when she got it back from Drill Head.
"You may begin now."
Aki tore the tape from her test, and opened it up to see kanjis exploding in her face. The air of tension was starting to ebb at her confidence, but she kept calm, took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
(This scene…this was when…) Aki suddenly grinned with her eyes closed, and secretly performed a hand jutsu.
(Heh…I don't know how long it will take everyone else to catch on…)
(Scan no Jutsu.)
They were only five minutes into the test.
…………
Naruto bit down on his eraser furiously as he contemplated the possibilities. How could he get these answers?! The only way he could get them was to cheat, but that was against rules, and he'd get caught and banished from taking the Exam ever again. No, he was going to have to calm down, and think this one out.
Sasuke, Gaara and Neji were already ahead of the game, using various techniques to get their answers. Sasuke was using his Sharingan while Neji used the Byakugan. Gaara stuck with his Sand Third Eye technique, sneaking answers from the sheet. Aki was already leaning back in her chair, dropping her pencil on top of her almost finished test. She knew what question ten was, so she had no worries as to give up. Naruto would banish the fear from the room with his ninja saying, and Ibiki would bow his head saying they all passed, and show his heads in explanation. Aki would have to get ready for that.
All did happen within the next twenty minutes, and Aki bowed her head as though to sneeze as Ibiki pulled off his headband to reveal corkscrew wounds and burned flesh when he was questioned in his "outdoor" years. When Anko swung into the room, Aki sighed and bit her fingernail in boredom as Anko made her flashy entrance. Ibiki noticed this while Anko was talking, and when the Genin were dismissed, Ibiki went outside to speak with Kakashi.
…………
He stared at his hand, the leather bound book sitting innocently in his palm. His mind was racing with thoughts that rushed in quickly and zoomed into conclusions. His Anbu quick- thinking had started up, and he needed to sort this out manually.
So, she was telling the truth? Or was she just playing with his mind again? No, why would she carry it around? Did she know he was to read it? Well, she was a soothsayer in this world, but…no, she couldn't have known…She could have saved herself in many situations back at Nami no Kuni, so, she couldn't predict her own future?
Maybe.
His thoughts were scattered as Ibiki came out from the testing room.
"I take it it's over?"
"Yes, you're team passed with flying colors. Especially Naruto."
"Well, can't blame him, I suppose." Kakashi scratched the back of his head.
"Though, I must speak to you." Ibiki's voice went cold…serious…something Kakashi didn't like.
"W- what?"
"It's to do with your new pupil, Berokunta." Kakashi went blue in the face in apprehensive fear; another good reason he wore the mask.
"I watched her take the exam, and, she wasn't caught at all, but she was utterly laid back and relaxed, as though she knew what was to happen. She wasn't the least bit shocked, surprised or scared when Anko made her appearance, and stared at her as though she knew her quite well."
"R- really?" Kakashi couldn't fool Ibiki.
"Kakashi, you must tell me who she is."
"She was an orphan." Lie #1.
"She had lived in Konoha for sixteen years." Lie #2.
"Kakashi, please." Being head of interrogation and torture, Ibiki had his way to get to the truth, "We are friends. We don't hide from each other." Ibiki placed a hand on Kakashi's shoulder.
Kakashi glanced down at the leather book in his hand and took a deep breath.
"Well…"
…………
"Finally! What took you so long?!" Aki slung her backpack over her shoulder as they waited to enter "The Forest of Death".
When Anko had said that, Aki couldn't help but whisper in a mockingly dubious tone "Forest of Death. Ooooo, sthcary!"
Aki was looking around aimlessly when she caught it, and she was paralyzed with fear.
Now she remembered who that Grass Genin over there was. His thin, lifeless eyes turned, and Aki was deadlocked in a stare with none other than Orochimaru in disguise. Her heart literally stopped as every drop of sanity and reasoning was swept away in his serpentine eyes. This was a crucial decision; should she reveal who's behind the mask of flesh or bail out?! She could feel his black chakra seethe towards her like a python ready to strike. Should she fluke an accident and pull at the skin mask to reveal the villain?
Time and reality swung back into balance as Anko gave the teams their orders, and next thing they knew, Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke were given a Heaven Scroll and their goal was to get the Earth scroll from passerbys a.k.a. other Genin. They strolled over to their chosen gate, and waited for Anko's signal to enter.
"Uhhh, anyone know where Aki is?"
WHOOSH!!
GO!
Team 7 leapt into the boundaries of the forest as Aki flew over them, the wind streaming her many-braided hair.
"At this rate, I'll make it there in an hour! Course, I'll have to wait FIVE fricken' days from the rest to catch up!" Aki looked down into the cascade of green.
Forming a hand seal, Aki closed her eyes.
"Scan no Jutsu!" The darkness in her eyes exploded into a carbon copy of the forest, rushing through the trees for groups of chakra.
"AHA! Target number 1!" Aki opened her eyes, and quietly made her descent back to the ground.
…………
"So, what's the plan, Kiba?" The dog boy looked over his shoulder at the bug Genin, Shino.
Akamaru barked, and Kiba turned to face his dog.
"What is it?"
Akamaru whimpered slightly.
"K- Kiba…" Hinata was suddenly uncomfortable.
"What is it?" He stood up and faced the white- eyed Hyuuga girl.
"What's Akamaru s- saying?"
Akamaru hid his tail between his legs, and crawled behind Kiba.
"He says someone powerful is drawing near." The three of them took their stances in defense.
Shino heard a sudden rustle in the bushes nearby, and snapped his head in the direction of the sound. Akamaru whimpered as Kiba, Hinata and Shino slowly approached the restless bush. It stopped suddenly, and a squirrel crawled out.
"Baka Akamaru! You got us worked up for nothing!"
Something roared, and leapt out from the bushes, black stripes against a blue tiger body. It flew over their heads and skidded a 180° to face them, snarling as its fur stood on end.
"AH!" Hinata ducked as Kiba struck out.
The tiger creature snapped his snarling jaws at Kiba with a squall, and sent shivers down his back. A zinging sound was heard, and Kiba came in contact with a human bashing ball. He was thrown back as a saw blade shot out, and wrapped itself around a tree limb, and pulled the person into the cover of the leaves.
"KIBA!" Shino and Hinata followed after his dust trail.
He was dazed, his imprint in a huge tree. The other two came by to check on him when they heard a sneering giggle, something Naruto would make.
"Neener neener neener!" Up in the tree's lowest boughs squatted Aki.
She was giggling mischievously, unable to control it. Shino glared behind his black spectacles while Hinata looked shocked.
"Looking for this?" She wagged an Earth Scroll in her hand.
"What the-?!"
"H- how did she-?!"
"Heh. Sticky Fingers no Jutsu! Comes in handy." She cleared her throat as she tossed aside one small braid.
"Well, have fun trying to get Kiba up! I doubt it will be easy…" She grinned and leapt off into the understory of the forest.
"Huh?" Hinata scratched her navy blue hair, "What does s- she mean by that?"
"Dammit! I can't get Kiba up. And our scroll's been taken!" Shino swore to himself as he tried with all his might to lift up the dead weight Kiba.
Neither of them knew that a Stone Tag had been plastered to Kiba's backside when Aki had swung into him. And the only way to remove the effect was to remove the tag.
…………
Aki landed on the ground floor, and stared at the green scroll in her hands. It was lucky that she knew what was inside, or else her curiosity would have knocked her out for the remaining five days of the second part of the exam, and would have flunked. She flipped the scroll into the air, and slid it into her backpack. Well, their 1st objective was complete: Get the opposite scroll to yours. Now it was: Get to huge, inconspicuous tower in the center of the forest.
She chuckled to herself, pleased at her entrance and began to walk in the direction of the tower when a tall figure landed in front of her, black hair sweeping behind his head. Aki's laughter was cut off, for she knew who was hiding under the hat.
"So, you know who I am, don't you….." The thin face grinned.
Aki could feel her legs being nailed to the ground as the figure approached her. She couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't think. Fear had grasped her consciousness as the Grass genin was millimeters away from her. He slid a paper thin hand down the side of her face, and she could feel the death-like cold against her living cheek. The genin grinned, and a set of viper fangs grew from in between his unusually white teeth.
Aki couldn't move in time.
…………
"Okay, Tenten, Lee." They both looked up at Neji.
"We'll split up for an hour to collect water and provisions, and meet back here. No excuses." Tenten and Lee nodded, and went in their own directions.
Neji was just about to leave when he sensed it. His Byakugan never left anything to chance. He scowled into the forest, and saw the most peculiar thing through his white eyes. He saw a set of chakras, one black as night while the other was a mesh of colors. The black chakra started for the rainbow chakra's neck, and Neji saw, with utmost disgust and horror, black chakra being inserted into the rainbow's stream. He hesitated to move; this person wasn't any of his business, but with a sickening pit in his stomach, he knew that something was wrong.
…………
Aki was on the ground, panting and trying to hold herself up. The Grass genin above grinned as his fangs retracted.
"Now you see…" He held out his hand, "Join me."
Aki looked at his hand, and in a furious swipe, she had bitten down on his finger. He screamed in pain, and smartly slapped her in the face. Aki flew back onto the grass, trying to get air. The genin glared, and Aki cried out in pain.
"You should be feeling it by now…." He grinned.
(The Curse Seal's in effect.) He laughed to himself.
"What seal?" Aki rose up from the ground, grinning.
"What the-?!" Aki pulled back her vest collar.
Sure enough, all he had bitten through was cloth and headband, but no flesh.
"But you were-?!"
"Acting?" Aki smirked.
She crouched down on the grass like a tiger, and using the tweaked version of Henge no Jutsu, she roared at him, her face changing into draconic only for a moment. A blue streak shot out from the bushes, and tackled down the genin, tearing open one eye. He knocked the creature back, and glared at Aki, who gasped in horror.
Some of the flesh had been torn away, and a bright yellow serpentine eye gleamed.
"Don't think you'll get away with this!" The genin leapt into the trees, "We'll se each other again!"
"Very soon..." He whispered to himself.
Aki suddenly fell to the ground, and hurled up her stomach in relived fear.