The original Naruto concept is owned by Masashi Kishimoto. This specific story concept, and all original characters contained within, are my own property.
Previously on Last Step: After completing what Kutsu calls their first "real mission", Team 4 is back in Konoha, just in time for a very special event: The Jounin exams.
***
Last Step 6: It's like the Superbowl!
***
At the surface, Konoha looked just like it always did. Ninja were constantly leaving or arriving, going on missions or returning home. People were wandering the streets, doing errands or meeting with friends. Just like everybody always did.
As soon as you took a closer look, though, you saw something different. The entire village was buzzing with excitement. The feeling had been building for months now, and was reaching a frenzied head of gossip and chatter.
"It's coming", one person would whisper.
"This should be one of the best yet!" another would say.
As the date of the anticipated event drew closer, something strange happened. Slowly, everybody grew quieter and quieter. Their anticipation had gone beyond the point where it could be expressed with words; it was simply felt.
The Jounin Exams will soon begin.
***
Intellectually, he knew he should stop. He /knew/ it. Just look at his hand. It was all torn up, the knuckles covered in blood.
And yet…Uchiha Hana knew that he wouldn't be able to cease training for several hours still. There was something running through his veins, energy he just had to burn off.
Another punch thudded soundly into the padded pole, and Hana winced. There was no sense in handicapping himself before the exam, he decided. He'd win no matter what, but he didn't want to just win. He wanted to /dominate/. He wanted to prove, utterly and completely, that he, among all the chuunin of all the villages, deserved the most to be promoted to jounin.
Wrapping a bandage around his hand, Hana flexed his fingers. Snapping his hands into different seals, he began practicing jutsus.
The Jounin Exams would start in a little under a week. For three days before the tests, Hana would rest. Until, there was no excuse for not training.
***
Sweat dripped off her nose, splashing lightly on the ground. She flinched at the slight sound, but refused to let it break her concentration. Moving her arm, she carefully watched her target.
The arm moved with hers. The synchronization was perfect.
Shouting in exultation, Inoka released the jutsu and threw up her arms in exultation. She would have shouted something, but she didn't quite have enough air. She'd been holding her new jutsu for around three minutes, a new personal best. It was tiring, but worth it.
Inoka made a note to show off her new technique at the Jounin Exams, and began trudging back home. After a hard day's training, she knew that there was nothing better than a hot meal cooked by her mother.
Taking a deep breath, Inoka began to run. After all, she wanted to excel in the Jounin Exams. If she wanted to do that, she'd have to push herself and make new limits, right?
***
Shikashi looked down at the river. There was something he was supposed to remember, he knew it. He just didn't know what. He hated it when that happened. Flipping a pebble into the water, he marveled at how the flow instantly adjusted itself to suit the new addition, not pausing to complain about the intrusion.
"Sh-Shikashi-kun?"
Oh yeah. Training was canceled until the end of the Jounin exams. They could train on their own, Naruto had said, but he would be busy until the end of the testing.
"What are you doing here?"
Shikashi turned, and blinked. He hadn't even heard Kimiko speaking to him. Oops. "Sorry" he muttered. "I forgot we didn't have training today, so I've been waiting at this bridge since I got up." He smiled slightly, although he wasn't sure if it was at himself or at the girl in front of him. Regardless, she blushed.
"Well" she started, "Um..I was going to go train today, even without Naruto-sensei to help me. If you wanted to, you could come and train with me…" she trailed off, unsure if she was doing the right thing.
"I might as well." Shikashi said, looking back at the river. "I promised my mom I'd train today, and she'll be on my case all week if I don't. And it's no fun training alone, right?"
Shikashi wondered if that was the only reason he agreed to train with Kimiko. He had a sneaking suspicion that he'd do it even if he hadn't made any promises. Just seeing Kimiko's face light up when he assented seemed like a good enough reward, Shikashi reasoned.
"Okay, then!" the girl bubbled excitedly. As Kimiko dragged Shikashi by the arm to the training location, he reflected that this was the most emotional he'd ever seen her get. In the back of his mind, he wondered why. Then he stopped, afraid he might know the answer.
Rather than thinking, he just let himself be pulled along by the exuberant, normally quiet, girl. He reveled in her company, and went with the flow. Just like the river he had been watching.
***
Naruto cracked his knuckles. The Jounin exam started today, and Naruto had been tapped as a proctor for various portions. This wasn't the first time he had done this; Tsunade-baachan had assigned him proctor for the exam before last, as well. Naruto remembered it being lots of fun, especially the end. He was looking forward to the end this time, it promised to be quite exciting.
He raked his gaze over the Chuunin gathered in front of him, and cleared his throat. The noise was slight, but it managed to attract the attention of the test takers. Instantly, the miscellaneous chatter stopped, and Naruto felt hundreds of eyes inspecting him. He cleared his throat again; public speaking wasn't exactly his forte.
"We all know why you're here, so there's no sense mincing words. You're going to take the Jounin Exams.
Now, how many of you can perform Kuchiyose no Jutsu?"
As Naruto expected, no hands went up. The Kuchiyose no Jutsu was a fairly high level one, and each ninja had to find their own animal to sign a contract with. Because of the high level of individualism, the summoning jutsu wasn't often one that parents passed down to their children.
"Alright. That's what I expected."
He faltered slightly, and Hinata stepped up to take his place.
"The first portion of the Jounin Exams will be this. Your Kage leaders have sent animal specimens from their country to the village of Konoha, and the animals have been released into the Forest of Death. Your portion of the exam is to go out, find an animal of your choice, sign a contract with it, and come back to demonstrate your mastery of the jutsu."
Now Lee stepped up to complete the instructions. "There are a lot of you, and only a limited number can advance. Therefore, the first 30 chuunin to come back and demonstrate their mastery will advance. The rest are knocked out of the exam."
So far, the room had been quiet. That last note got some people murmuring, however. The limitation wasn't anything they hadn't expected, but the number seemed a little low. Still, they reasoned, this was the Jounin Exams. The tests which classified you as the most advanced ninja around, short of being Hokage. It wasn't a title given to just everybody, right?
A lone hand floated above the rest. It belonged to a Stone ninja, whose face was covered in scars. "Does the strength of the animal matter?"
Naruto fielded that question pretty easily. "You'll want to find an animal you can work well with. The better your relationship with the animal, the more it will help you in a fight."
There were no further questions, and so the group of Chuunin headed off towards the Forest of Death, led by the Jounin proctors.
"Alright," Naruto called out before he opened the gates. "The first 30 to come back with a signed contract make it to the next round. Everybody else is left behind. Oh, and one more thing." Naruto's face turned somber. "This exam is dangerous. In all three phases, your life is in danger. Nobody's going to be watching over your shoulder, pulling your ass out of the frying pan. If you get in trouble in this forest, you get yourself out of it. Or you end up dead."
With that final word of warning, Naruto and Lee pulled open the entrance, and the testers streamed inside the forest.
As the last of the chuunins entered, Naruto looked at his fellow proctors. "How many do you think will get promoted?" He asked. Hinata looked through the gate at the backs of the chuunin.
"It's too early to say right now," Hinata ventured cautiously. Lee appeared behind her, holding his chin in thought.
"I would disagree," Lee stated confidently. "The Uchiha child, and the Nara child, they will both pass. It's impossible to believe that they won't. I've heard good things about Sarutobi-kun [1], as well. That makes three, probably."
Neji, who was leaning up against a tree, chose that moment to speak his piece. "Rumors have been flying around about some strong Stone genin, as well. I doubt any of the other villages will make nearly as strong a showing."
With that comment echoing in their minds, the group of Jounin proctors lapsed into silence, the only noise in the area being the singing of birds and the shuffling of cards.
***
Inoka glanced from side to side quietly. She didn't see anything, but if her parents had taught her anything, they'd made her learn that seeing nothing meant exactly that. Nothing.
She'd gotten away from the group as soon as she could. She knew that the Forest of Death was a dangerous place, but common sense told her she had to be alone. She knew exactly what sort of animal she was looking for, and it wasn't the sort of creature which would appear for a large group.
Come to that, it wouldn't really appear for a single person, not unless it wanted to. But it would show itself for her, she knew it.
She jumped to the ground and began examining the area, looking for somewhere to start. Something caught her eye, and she began to smile. There was only one animal that could make tracks like that. That hoof pattern, with that depth and weight? It had to be what she was looking for.
Her eyes fixed on the ground, she began following the tracks slowely. The hoofprints had to lead somewhere, and she'd bet anything it was the animal she wanted for her Kuchiyose no Jutsu.
***
Hana wasn't having the same sort of luck that Inoka enjoyed, although he wasn't aware of her good fortune. A Kuchiyose no Jutsu? Pathetic. He didn't need one of those fancy summoning jutsu in order to fight. He did his own work, thank you very much.
Besides that, he couldn't find a single animal worth summoning for the life of him. All he'd seen so far was weak things like bugs.
He stomped angrily on a stump which impeded his progress through the forest. The stump exploded into a cloud of dust and soot.
Wait…Soot? That shouldn't be there. Hana's brain started whirring, trying to understand this new information. Soot only appeared where something had been burned. Things only burned when there was fire.
There was an animal that lit things on fire? That could be useful. Hana followed the path, tracking the charred plants. Now that he knew what to look for, he had no trouble seeing the signs of passing.
***
Kando crouched, sliding his Grass village forehead protector back up on his forehead. Here was an animal, and it had to be strong. It was huge! He scuttled forward a couple feet, and then stood up.
"Hey, you!" He shouted brashly. The rhino took one last bite of grass and turned.
"Yes?" the beast asked. Kando glared at it.
"I need you to sign a summoning contract with me."
The rhino mulled that over, chewing on the grass still. He took care to take just long enough to irritate Kando, but not long enough to make it look like he was stalling. "What do I get if I sign this contract with you?" He asked, swallowing. After his question, he took another bite of grass.
Kando glared at him. "I won't tie you down and leave you for some predator, how about that?" He answered. "Just get the damn contract and sign it."
The rhino walked from one patch of grass to another. "Nope." He replied.
Kando was shocked. "What?" he demanded. He wasn't aware the stupid animals had a choice.
"I refuse to sign a contract with somebody like you. Go away, you're interrupting my meal."
The Grass ninja began shaking with anger. What right did this stupid beast have to deny him? He began snapping his hands into seals, channeling his rage into Chakra. "Mokudon: Jyukai Koudan!"
Small trees began winding out of the ground, wrapping themselves around the rhino's legs and torso. Shifting from side to side, the rhino tore himself free, but the trees kept on growing. Growling, the rhino charged at the ninja, in an effort to stop the jutsu. He gored Kando on his giant horn, shaking him from side to side before flinging the dying ninja over his back. Turning around, the rhino trampled over the Grass-nin, just to make sure he was dead.
Abruptly, the echoing screams were cut short.
***
She couldn't allow herself to get distracted by the obvious deaths of other ninjas. Inoka had been tracking the animal for several minutes now, and she sensed she was getting close. Quietly, she climbed up into a tree to scout the area. Sucking in her breath, she saw it.
The largest deer she had ever seen, the horns were huge and fully racked. She could tell that they were sharp and strong, as well. The deer pawed the ground softly as she climbed down and approached him.
He looked at her with one eye, and she knew he was measuring her. She'd been around deer all her life [2], but never one quiet this big or powerful. She took some bread from her pack; she had brought it for food if she needed it, but this was more important. Holding the food in an open hand, she offered it to the deer.
The regal beast approached her slowly and ate the bread from her hands. She smiled. Deer were nervous creatures; this one wouldn't have eaten from her unless it trusted her. The deer backed off a step and looked at her again.
"You are part of the Jounin exams, are you not?"
Inoka was surprised, but did her best not to show it. She'd heard that the animals which you summoned through Kuchiyose no Jutsu would speak, but she'd never imagined it actually happening. Still, she was good at going with the flow of events.
"I am."
The deer nodded. "Then you expect me to sign a Kuchiyose no Jutsu contract with you, and pledge my life to your cause in return for the bread you offered".
Inoka looked down. She had to be very careful, here. "I will only make you sign a contract with me if you desire it. I am part of the Nara clan, and we raise deer as a favor to the deer and to the village. I would never make you do something you do not wish to do."
The deer looked at her calmly. "You are part of the Nara clan?" He questioned. Inoka nodded, not daring to speak and mess things up. "Then I will sign your contract and pledge my life," the deer continued. The animal walked over to a large tree, and began digging among the roots. After a moment, he used his horns to pull out a giant scroll. Pushing it towards Inoka, it unrolled and opened. The first blank space lay right at her feet. Examining the names before her, she saw some she recognized. Her father, for one. Shikato, her grandfather was another. There was one, however, she couldn't read. Directly after her father's name and fingerprints, there was a name which had been scratched out, holes poked in the prints, making them no longer complete. The deer noticed her interest, and indicated the last name on the list.
"That was a mistake," he rumbled. "I pledged myself when I shouldn't have, and my comrades died as a result. I voided his contract, and have nothing more to do with him. Now sign."
Inoka bit her thumb, wincing at the sudden pain. As the blood welled up, she quickly wrote her name in her normal flowing script. Rubbing blood on her fingertips, she planted her hand beneath her name, feeling warmth running from the scroll into her arm. It rolled up on its own, and she handed it back to the deer. Quickly, he explained the technique, its uses and limitations.
"Now, go." He told her. "You should hurry back, should you not?" She nodded, and began to back away. The deer stopped her before she departed. "I will call someone. They will bring you back."
He made a bleating noise, and waited. After a moment, bushes rattled and a smaller deer appeared. The two animals conversed in a series of grunts and bellows. The larger deer's grunt was pitched very low, lower than any Inoka had heard before. He must be very old, she thought. Finally, the smaller deer walked over to Inoka and knelt. She took the hint and climbed on his back. When he was sure the rider was secure, the deer padded away, gathering speed as he ran. Eventually, he was leaping through the woods, somehow dodging the trees. Squinting against the wind, Inoka saw the chainlink fence and tried to indicate the destination to her steed.
She didn't need to. With a leap, the deer cleared the fence and landed, lightly, in the middle of the Jounin's poker game. While Lee frantically insisted that he had too been sitting on three twigs and five leaves, despite Neji's assurances that it had been two twigs and one leave, Naruto and Hinata verified that Inoka could perform the Kuchiyose no Jutsu. She only managed to summon a small fawn, but only Naruto had done better during his exam, and he'd had significant amounts of practice.
After dismissing the fawn, Inoka sat down and began playing hearts with the rest of the jounins.
***
Maki jumped on the back of the tiger, trying to roll it into a tree. The tiger snarled, digging his claws into the ground to remain stable. "I refuse to sign a contract with you!" the giant cat growled. Rolling over now, the cat rolled on top of the Mist-nin.
Maki pulled a kunai out of his pocket and stabbed the tiger, just as the tiger swiped across the ninja's jacket with a giant paw. The claws went through the flack vest like a knife through butter. The knife wasn't hot, nor was the butter warm. But the damage was done.
At this point, Maki didn't care about passing the Jounin exam. He just wanted to get out of the forest alive. Feebly moving his hands, he tried to summon a water clone to distract the tiger.
"If you think I'm letting you get out of here alive, you're more wrong than you've ever been in your life." The tiger, with the kunai still in his shoulder, pounced faster than Maki thought was possible for an animal that big.
The tiger felt no need to make sure Maki died quickly. So he didn't.
***
There it was…The animal Hana had been following for the past quarter of an hour. He stared at it longingly…Think of how much power the lizard had to contain. It was huge.
Standing up from his crouched position, Hana approached the giant salamander. Circling around to the lizard's side, Hana waved a hand to attract its attention.
"Hey, lizard!" He shouted. The salamander shifted to look at the impudent teenager.
"Whaddaya want, kid?" The lizard asked crossly. "I'm busy here".
Hana wondered what a giant talking lizard could be busy doing, but he refused to look like he wasn't in control of the situation.
"You work with fire. I want you to sign a Kuchiyose no Jutsu contract with me. I'm of the Uchiha clan, we excel in Katon jutsus. You would work well with me, so we should form a partnership."
The lizard stared at Hana. "Screw you," he replied. "I'm not going to sign a contract with any punk who comes charging up to me. You've got to prove that I won't be doing all the work, first."
Hana quickly reviewed what he knew about salamanders and other lizards. Couldn't they regenerate parts of their body? He was pretty sure they could. And if they couldn't, would he really want to partner with an animal so weak?
"Alright," he said boldly. "I'll prove myself to you by cutting off your tail. How does that sound?"
The lizard stared at him, then began laughing. "Hah! Cut off my tail? A little squirt like you? I'll tell you what, kid. If you can even touch my tail without getting burned to a crisp, I'll sign your stupid contract. How does that sound?"
Hana sneered briefly. "It sounds like I'll be getting a contract in just a minute" he scoffed.
He reached around and grabbed the four pieces of his Fuuma shuriken. His eyes opened wider, and he spun the pieces around, feeling the familiar jolt of each blade locking into place.
The salamander narrowed his eyes. "I've seen that before, you brat. If you think I'm going to let you get close to me with that thing, you've got another think coming." The tail of the lizard ignited with a large pop. Moving with speed Hana had never imagined the lizard could possess, the salamander swung the tip of the flaming tail at Hana and his Fuuma shuriken.
Hana jumped away, but not quite fast enough to avoid the blast of withering heat. More than ever, he wanted that lizard to sign the contract. That fire was hotter than anything Hana had ever produced. It was hotter than anything Chichi [3] had ever produced, come to that.
Spinning the giant shuriken around, Hana heard the hissing of the blades slicing through the air. If he made one mistake right now, he'd lose his arm. With one last revolution, he hurled the shuriken in a parabola, watching it arc towards the base of the lizard's tail. It appeared that it would hit its target, but at the last second, the salamander jerked the tail away.
The Fuuma shuriken thunked into the ground, almost half buried with the force of the throw. Hana cursed. He didn't have anything else big enough to cut that tail with, not counting his dad's Chidori technique. And Chichi hadn't seen fit to teach Hana that technique, not yet.
The chuunin jumped to the ground, attempting to retrieve his only chance at getting a contract. After tugging the weapon from the ditch it created, he ran and promptly tripped over what felt like a small, fleshy log. Cursing and looking at his feet, Hana saw the object of his destruction: the tip of the salamander's tail.
"It appears you've succeeded", the salamander muttered. "You got the tip of my tail."
Hana gaped. He had succeeded? He could have sworn that the shuriken had missed completely.
"That's better than your father did, I'll have you know. He only managed to get half of what's lying there, now." While he was speaking, the lizard trundled over to a hollow log and withdrew a giant scroll. Tossing it at Hana, the lizard continued his speech.
"Your father was a good ninja, though. Knew when to summon me, and when to fight on his own. It's good to know that his son wasn't spoiled to death by that pink haired girl he married."
Hana unrolled the scroll, reviewing the names. Uchiha Sasuke was one. There were no others that he recognized. Biting his thumb, he quickly wrote his name and signed the prints. After the momentary warmth, the scroll rolled back up again and the lizard returned it to its place in the log. The lizard quickly explained how to perform the jutsu, and continued with his speech.
"Sasuke's brother, though…I'm glad I didn't sign with him. He was a bad apple, all the way. I could sense it right from the beginning. Come on, kid. I'll take you back to where you need to be."
Still trying to understand everything that was going on, Hana climbed on the back of the lizard and rode him all the way to the fence. Without breaking step, the lizard melted a hole through the fence and walked right through the game of Hearts the jounin had been playing. While Lee frantically tried to insist that he had shot the moon and Neji calmly stated that Lee had only gotten the Queen of Spades and four hearts, Naruto and Hinata verified that Hana could perform the Kuchiyose no Jutsu, summoning a salamander about the size of a badger.
After that, he sat down and wordlessly began playing blackjack with Inoka while they waited for more chuunin to complete the test.
***
Asudai Sarutobi jumped from branch to branch, thinking about what animal he should sign a contract with. He knew that there were boatloads of animals in the forest, but he didn't really know what he would work well with. He was, however, glad he was staying in the trees. Three ninja had already died, if you counted their screams. Asudai guessed that the ninja just didn't understand that animals could be dangerous. Finally, he decided that he would just try to sign a contract with whatever he came across first.
Right after he came to that conclusion, he slipped on a mossy branch and almost fell to the ground. He managed to hook one arm around a lower branch, thus saving himself from a long fall. It didn't, however, prevent bellowing laughter from echoing in the flora around him
"Hah! Did you see that? That was the worst performance of tree jumping I've ever seen!"
Asudai climbed up onto the branch, scowling. "I was thinking about something else, bozo!" He shouted crossly. "And I'd like to see you do better with a branch that mossy."
The branches shifted, and the voice changed position. "I don't need to prove myself to you, rookie. I know I'm good at jumping around in trees. And if you want to sign a contract with me, you'll have to prove that you're worth it."
Asudai glared at the branches around him, trying vainly to see the source of his ridicule. "Who says I want to sign a summoning contract with whatever you are? I can sign a contract with any animal I want. I don't need you." With that, Asudai turned to leave, but the voice stopped him.
"Everything about you says that you want to sign a contract with me. You're a Sarutobi."
Asudai turned, his interest peaked. "What makes you say that I'm a Sarutobi?"
The voice laughed, and shuffled through the leaves again. "For starters, there's that knuckle knife you've got hanging from your vest. Your father, Asuma, favored that particular weapon, did he not?"
Asudai knew it was true. He'd learned the technique of using Chakra to make the blade sharp from his father; it was one of his favorite tricks.
The voice came closer, resolving into a vaguely humanoid shape. Asudai squinted, attempting to glean more details from the shadows. It looked like a giant man, but the proportions were all wrong. The arms were too long, the head was too big, the chest was too large. Was that a giant ape he was looking at?
"And in all the Jounin exams I've been a part of, I've only seen one clan take to the trees to get through the Forest of Death."
The shape came even closer, turning into a giant monkey. Asudai drew in a breath silently. This would be Enma, then. King of the monkeys.
"So then, what do I have to do in order to get you to sign a contract with me?" Asudai questioned. Enma laughed.
"Not much," he responded. "It's such a small thing. I propose a race between the two of us. From this branch here" Enma jumped onto Asudai's branch; it creaked dangerously under the combined weight. "To that big tree over there." He pointed to a large tree, about three hundred meters off.
Asudai nodded. "First one to get there wins?" He asked. The monkey nodded, readying himself for the race.
"Ready….steady…GO!" Asudai shouted. The Monkey jumped off, the branch cracking from the force. Asudai didn't care, he was already on his target.
"Get off of my back, you flea!" Enma shouted angrily. Asudai grinned.
"I thought you said whoever got there first won!" He responded. Enma snorted.
"Fine, then. But don't expect me to let you stay there." Enma resumed jumping from branch to branch, although he came much closer to branches than Asudai felt comfortable with. Enma did his best to knock the parasite off of his back, and Asudai responded by shifting position on Enma's back to avoid the branches.
After several seconds, Enma hurled himself towards the finish line, twisting so that the monkey would touch the branch before the man.
Asudai quickly climbed over Enma's shoulder and channeled his chakra to his feet. Using that extra energy, Asudai leapt from Enma's shoulder and snagged a branch on the tree directly before Enma slammed his huge bulk into the trunk.
The force from the blow made Asudai lose his tenuous grip on the branch, and he fell. Scanning the area for another branch he could grab onto, he was interrupted by a giant hand which snagged the collar of his vest.
"You won, boy." Enma grinned. "It wouldn't do for my partner to kill himself in a fall right before he signed the contract, would it?"
After setting Asudai back on a branch, Enma reached into a knothole and withdrew a giant scroll. Opening it to the first open space, Asudai bit his thumb and signed his name and fingerprints in blood. Warmth entered his arm, the scroll rolled up, and Enma stashed it back in the tree.
"Come on, boy. Let's get you back to the Jounin in style, huh?"
Swinging Asudai onto the familiar position on Enma's back, Enma began swinging through the trees at speeds faster than Asudai had thought possible. Enma threw himself off of one last branch, clearing the fence and landing right in the middle of the Jounin game of blackjack.
While Lee frantically tried to insist that he'd had an ace and a king and Neji informed him that he'd actually had a ten and an eight, Asudai demonstrated knowledge of the Kuchiyose no Jutsu, calling a small chimpanzee to his cause.
After that, he settled down with the other two chuunin to complete the first test, and waited for the rest to arrive.
***
Naruto examined the motley crew before him. The thirty Chuunin had arrived, and the first test was now over. Summons had gone from deer to monkeys to lizards to a platypus. One person had even signed a contract with a beetle. Checking for faces, Naruto saw the three leaf nin who had entered, Nara, Uchiha, and Sarutobi. He also recognized the stone ninja Neji had mentioned. There were no others that Naruto knew off the top of his head.
Clearing his throat, he got the attention of the test takers.
"Hey! So now you guys all have a Kuchiyose no Jutsu contract signed with an animal. Don't be afraid to use it if you have to; the animal knew what they were doing when you signed the contract. Anyway, we've got the thirty chuunin who advance, so let's get this show on the road."
Neji stepped up and took over. "For your next test, we've divided you into ten teams of three. I'll read your names off now."
Asudai was in a team with a Sand nin and a Mist nin. Inoka and Hana were together with the scarred Stone nin.
"Now. In one week, your team will be assigned an A-rank mission. One of the Jounin proctors will accompany you on this mission. He will be watching you, although he will not interfere in the mission. The proctor will be watching for certain traits and skills. If you demonstrate these traits and skills, you'll move on. If you don't, then you're out."
The stone ninja raised his hand. "What are these skills we're supposed to demonstrate?" He asked curiously.
Neji smiled coldly at him. "If we told you that, then it wouldn't be a test, now, would it?"
***
Next time on Last Step: Inoka and Hana must work together with the mysterious Stone nine, while Asudai has to get along with both Sand and Mist. While their proctors are completely unhelpful, these two teams need to complete an A rank mission, while at the same time trying to demonstrate what they haven't been told. In this case, what you don't know, can hurt you.
***
Author's note: EDIT: Oops. Sorry, guys. I was in so much of a rush to get this chapter out, I failed to do some basic things. Like editing, for example. So here's a chapter that NOT a piece of crap. How's is it? I caught a couple minor errors that I made, and added in an extra page and a half of two people dying. Just wanted to make sure you guys understood that this test was dangerous. I got some complaints about making it too easy. Sorry!
[1]: Asuma, the jounin leader of the ShikaInoChou team, has the surname of Sarutobi. It's unknown right now if he and Hokage the Third are related.
[2] The Nara clan has a field of deer which they raise, near Konoha. Shika, if you didn't know, means Deer. For more info on the Nara field of deer, I'd recommend you go and read "Fields", by Gemin16. It's a good story, with touches of ShikaIno. Go and read it, if that's a pairing you like.
[3] Chichi is a familiar form of the word Father, in Japanese. If it's somebody else's father, you call them Otou-san. If it's your father, you can call them Tou-san, or Chichi. Hana calls his father Chichi, and his mother Haha. You already know who they are.
Whoops. That took a while. Sorry, guys. Lots of stuff happened. See, first, it was Easter. And it was my birthday, as well. On April eleventh, Easter Sunday, I turned sixteen. Yeah. It was pretty cool. Then, on the next day, it was my dad's birthday.
And all last week, I had to do this thing for school, which, I swear to god, required me to play a crapload of video games. I'm dead serious. It's this thing my school does, called Project Week. I signed up for the Education in the Video Game Industry one, so we went to Nintendo, went to Microsoft, toured Bungie, and of course, played lots and lots of video games. It was fun, but very time consuming.
So. The first part of the Jounin Exam is finished. I did my best to give each animal their own personality; The deer speaks very different from the salamander, who speaks differently from Enma. I'll give names to the deer and the salamander eventually. It didn't come up in this chapter, and I didn't have enough time to try and figure out what they should be called; I thought it was more important to get the chapter out. I'll spend some time browsing the net, and I'll see if I can come up with some names.
And there's a new Chuunin that I introduced, as well. Sarutobi Asudai was something of an afterthought. Lee mentioned him in the beginning of the chapter, so when I was wrapping up Hana's contract, I decided that I should try to make this chapter a little bit longer. It is, by the way. This is 12 pages of story, instead of the normal 10. According to the word count, that gives you guys an extra thousand words or something. Think of that as my apology for getting this chapter out so late.
There are also a couple people I should thank for helping me. Lackey H helped me with the Jounin Exam stuff, and Gemin16 cheered me up when I was down with girl troubles and other stuff. That Ducky Cup song works wonders.
Also: People have been telling me that the URL that I posted doesn't work. Rather than trying to figure out what's wrong, just do this: Do a web search for Rokudaime. You're looking for Rokudaime: A Naruto shrine. The picture is on that site, under the "Walls" section.
One last note: a couple people have been asking me questions like, "Where is this story going?" and "What happened to Kutsu's mom?" Doubtless, people will ask me questions like, "Who did the elk sign a contract with?"
Alright. Where is the story going? I've only got a vague idea. Probably what I'll do is set up an entire alternate universe with this story. I'll go a certain distance with this story, then I'll finish it. After that, I'll start a new one, a couple years ahead. That way, I don't have just one story with a billion chapters in it. It'll be like Apple-Chan and her "Promises" thing.
Questions about the story, feel free to ask. Just be aware that I probably won't answer. Lots of these little things I'm mentioning, I'm planning to write a chapter about later. If I answer them, it would ruin the chapter, and that'd be no fun. So I keep my secrets.
Alright, that's it. I'm going into my spring break now, so I don't know how fast I'll get the next one out. I'll try to do it faster, but I'm afraid to make a promise I might break. Sorry!