Infinite Time
Chapter Two: Stealth
By Ame Rokugatsu
Disclaimer: I don't own it! Why can't you people understand that! Sobs Leave me alone! Runs away
Hyo looked at their list. "Alright," he began. "The first item we need to get is a ceramic bowl. Any ideas how to get one?"
"Restaurant?" Kaida suggested.
"That's a good idea," he agreed. "But I don't think they're going to make the test that easy. The idea is to cut down the numbers in the first two tests before battling it out in the third."
Kotori blinked up at them. "This test shouldn't be too hard, pretty easy actually."
"So says the ex thief," Hyo smirked.
Kotori stuck her tongue out at him. "Anyways I know how to get the first one. Nee-san, go into a restaurant, preferably one that's not too crowded, and distract the owner. I'll sneak in the back and snag the bowl, and pass it off to Hyo if need be." She blinked as another thought came to her. "Um, nee-san? You do have that powder don't you?"
Kaida made a face but nodded. Hyo growled and muttered something that could have been interpreted as rude under his breath.
"Alright let's find a restaurant."
After fifteen minutes of seemingly aimless wandering they found their target, Ichiraku Ramen. Best of all it was empty. With a nod to each other they split to do their parts. Kaida walked inside, stopped, and blinked. Instead of the usual owner there was a Chuunin behind the counter.
The Chunnin smirked at her. "What? You thought we would make this easy?"
Kaida slapped a hand over her mouth in dismay. She blushed slightly in confusion. She blinked once and got over it. She straightened her posture and walked towards the Chuunin. She smiled brightly at him, and then attempted to punch him out.
It didn't work. The Chuunin caught her fist. She tried to hit him with the other fist. That didn't work either. He smirked at her.
He laughed. "Silly little girl. You should just give up already. You'll never make it through the Chuunin Exams!"
Kaida smirked at him; he had fallen for her trap. "That's what you think." Abruptly she leaned forward and kissed him. The Chunnin's eyes widened in surprise then fell shut. His grip on her loosened. Kaida stepped back. The Chuunin hit the counter face first out cold.
Kaida shook her head, grabbed a napkin, and walked out to meet her teammates. Hyo stared at her as she furiously scrubbed at her mouth. Kotori tossed the bowl from hand to hand. "You kissed him," he finally said.
Kaida looked disgusted. "I didn't want to, but like I told you, that powder only works administered from mouth to mouth. No expects you to kiss a total stranger and he would have attacked me if I tried to blow it in his face." She shuddered. "Ugh, he wasn't even that cute."
Hyo growled and started to fiddle with a kunai, shooting glances at the Ichiraku Ramen. Kotori decided that she'd better do something before Hyo did something stupid, like shaving off the Chuunin's eyebrows if he didn't outright kill him.
"Ne, Hyo-nii? What else do we need to get?"
Hyo sighed in disappointment. Revenge would have to wait until later. He motioned to a roof top and jumped on to it. A quick bounce and Kaida and Kotori were up there with him. They sat down to talk so people on the street couldn't see them and would be less suspicious. He opened the scroll as his teammates gathered around.
Even Kotori with all her experiences with stealing looked surprised at the next item on the list. "They want us to get a carton of eggs with out breaking any!"
They were now on their fifteenth item; they had decided to leave the cow for last. Which was probably a good idea seeing as cows were slow, loud, stupid, and hard to hide.
Hyo spoke up. "Okay what's our plan for this one?" He wasn't stupid and perfectly capable of coming up with a plan of his own. However he knew that team work was a good thing and they might have better ideas. Besides if they could all agree with a plan it was by far more likely to succeed.
As of yet Kotori had the best ideas for this test which was perfectly understandable. For all that she was the youngest; she had been raised as a thief by her mother who was also a thief. And so far it had been working in their favor.
Kaida blinked and smiled slowly. "I have a plan. Our next item is the limited edition purple monkey plushie right? This one is probably to see what we'll do facing a shortage, be it stealing from someone who bought one, stealing from the store, or just plain giving up."
"Good point," Hyo agreed. "But that still doesn't tell us what your plan is. Most of, if not all, of the plushies are probably gone by now."
Kaida giggled mischievously. "Kotori is a very cute little girl."
Hyo blinked, his eyes widened as he caught the idea, he smirked. Kotori bounced on her toes giggling evilly.
Kotori wandered into the store wide eyed and shy like. She had styled her hair into pigtails so she looked about nine, to complete the look she had left her hitae-ate with Hyo and Kaida.
Her blue eyes flickered from side to side as she nervously nibbled on her lip. A store employee wandered over and crouched down so he could talk to her eye to eye. A flicker of movement to the left reviled one of the Chuunin's observing this test.
"Hi sweetie," the employee said to her. "Is there something you need help with?" He couldn't help but think 'What a sweet little thing. I hope she has someone to watch out for her or she'll be eaten alive. Heh, she'll probably grow to be a real heartbreaker one day.'
Kotori looked up at him shyly from under her lashes. She bit her lip and then in a very soft voice asked, "Do you have any purple monkey plushies?"
Immeditely the employee's, Suzaku, mood soured. Not only were the monkey plushies rare and in high demand from customers, but they were being stolen left and right today. "Why," he asked bluntly.
Kotori's eyes started to water and her lower lip trembled. Suzaku winced, maybe he was a little too rough with her. After all she was just a little kid, and a very sweet and shy one from what he had observed.
Her voice wavered as she spoke quietly, "It's my birthday, and mommy gave me some money," a sniff, eyes tearing up, ready to spill over. "She's very busy so she told me to get myself," a soft little hiccupping sob, "a present." Kotori started to back away from Suzaku crying like a scared little girl. She let her knees quiver and then dropped to the floor in wracking, plaintive sobs drawing attention from the other customers.
Suzaku looked harried as he tried to calm her down. The mutterings of the annoyed and swiftly turning angry (with him) customers were making him nervous. "H-hey! Sorry sweetie, I'm just having a bad day. Please don't cry. I think we have one more monkey plushie in the back, let me go check okay?"
Much to his relief the little girl stopped crying; she was still hiccupping, but no longer crying, the customers were also backing away. She looked up at him from under shy lashes, nervous that he might be mean again, or lying to her. Suzaku smiled reassuringly. "I'll be right back."
'Well, so far everything's going to plan. The sweet little girl act gets them every time.' Kotori thought with a mental smirk, waiting for the gullible employee to return. The little girl act was one of her personal favorites. It got her free food and toys when she had lived on the streets pick pocketing. Now that she was living Jinko-sensei-nii she used it to get free ice cream.
'Ah! There he is!'
Suzaku smiled and handed her the plushie. Kotori rewarded him with a shy, soft smile, eyes lighting up. "Thank you," she said sweetly looking all in all absolutely charming. She reached for her money pouch.
"Keep your money," Suzaku smiled at her thinking 'How adorable.' "It's my birthday present to you."
Kotori smiled brightly at him. "Thanks!" She giggled sweetly and skipped out the door to find her teammates.
Suzaku smiled, glad he had made such a sweet little thing's day. Now that she had gotten the very last one he didn't have to worry about them getting stolen. It was too bad he didn't make a profit on it, but hey, at least the other customers wouldn't beat him with heavy, blunt, objects.
The Chuunin, who had observed the interaction, stared out the door Kotori had gone through in awe. 'Damn she's good.'
Kotori smiled up at her teammates and held up a hand in victory, the monkey plushie in it.
Kaida looked at it. "That thing's hideous. No wonder they're limited edition. No one sane would buy one!"
Kotori smiled innocently. "Collectors?" She suggested.
"They don't count as sane."
Hyo smiled in bemusement. "Didn't Tsunade-sama have one on her desk?"
The next item, the twenty-fifth, was a black mirror.
"Well, that shouldn't be too hard to get," Kotori said optimistically.
"It's harder than you think," Kaida replied dryly.
"What so hard about that," Hyo asked. "Just find a hand mirror with a black handle, problem solved."
Kaida snickered in a way that practically screamed 'I know something you don't, but I'm not sharing so there!'
"Isn't it," he asked.
Kaida started laughing.
Hyo and Kotori looked at each other in confusion. Well, Kaida was known to not be exactly sane. But still…
Kaida snickered. "Don't worry about it. We already have one." She chuckled heartlessly. "I can't wait to see what the other teams will bring. So skip that, what's the next item?"
They had gotten all but two items on their list, they had fifteen minutes to get from down town to the Hokage monument before time was up and they were disqualified for not being there. Between the three of them they managed to make a pretty kick-ass (and realistic) illusion as they carried all of their items to the Hokage mountain, cow included. It wasn't as if they could walk around in plain sight with all of their stolen goods. If they weren't careful, they'd be as inconspicuous as an elephant trying to sneak through a minefield. The punishment for thieves who were caught wasn't pretty.
Kaida and Kotori had worried about not having the last two items until Hyo told them that it was a mind game. As long as they had twenty-five items they would pass the test. The idea was to cut down the number of Gennins who would pass. So that meant the test givers would try to get them to quit. A ninja had to be strong in mind as well as body.
Kaida and Hyo looked on curiously as Kotori performed a set of hand seals they had never seen as she walked around their items stopping only once to touch both Hyo and Kaida. The other teams were approaching the monument. Her hand seals looked nothing like an attack so hopefully she wasn't planning on sending the other teams sky high with a large explosion. As amusing as it would be, they would be disqualified for attacking other teams during this test.
The other teams, that hadn't quit or gotten caught, reached the top and not a moment to soon. With a large sparkly puff of smoke Suoh returned. He flashed them a bright happy smile. "Congratulations, those who made it back-"(1)
A team showed up out of nowhere just at that very moment.
Suoh looked at the panting team. "You're late. You fail. Go home."
The team whined about it but Suoh remained firm. "You had exactly five hours and you're a minute and thirty seconds over that time. You failed."
Turning back to the other teams he continued. "Now that you're here we," he gestured to the Chuunin's who had observed the test, "will take you one group at a time to see if you passed this test. As of yet there are nine teams and there may be less once we're done."
Suoh and each of the three Chuunin's grabbed a group and walked a ways a way to go over their items. This way the nosy Gennin's wouldn't be able to over hear certain things that would be surprises for the test. The waiting teams mingled with the others from their home villages. This meant Hyo, Kaida, Kotori, and the team from sand did not move an inch, with the exception of a team from Mist.
The team from Mist had scurried away and were talking urgently amongst themselves. It was rather suspicious as they were talking in low, urgent whispers, shooting glances over their shoulders at the other teams.
The remaining teams looked at the other team from Mist for an explanation. The female of the team, Meiri, sighed. "Don't ask. Just don't."
Her teammate Ryuchi nodded in agreement. "Those three have always been a little odd. Unfortunately, as the Chuunin Exam drew closer, they've just gotten weirder. There is no logical explanation."
The last member of the team, Sachi, looked at his fellow gennin of the Mist. "I can't help but wonder what Senchi, Kuro, and Kairi are plotting though."
Hyo blinked, sighed, and shrugged it off. It wasn't any of his business. He leaned back against one of the more comfy items and closed his eyes. This could take awhile, so he was going to take a nap.
Apparently Kaida and Kotori also thought this was a good idea. Kaida stretched and curled up against Hyo. She had tucked herself slightly under his arm so she was pressed up against his side, her head pillowed between his neck and shoulder.
Kotori decided to sprawl out on the grass but used one of Hyo's out stretched legs as a pillow. Yes, it was a perfectly good time for a nap.
The team from mist who had separated themselves were worried. They had barely cleared the approval to even come to the Chuunin Exam. They had almost past this test, but not quite. They too, like Hyo, had figured out that they needed twenty-five of the thirty items to pass the test. Unfortunately, they only had twenty-four. They needed one more to pass. So they plotted.
Why not steal something from one of the other teams? They would pass and so would the other teams, just not with full marks.
They looked around. The other teams were now minding their own business and no longer paying attention to them. Ah! The perfect target! A team of sleeping Gennins!
They crept closer. They would take the carton of eggs. No one would be none the wiser until they had to go off with Suoh or one of the Chunnins.
They crept closer. They looked around quickly. Suoh and the Chuunins looked like they would be done soon. Time to move. As quick as lightning they darted forward to take the eggs.
A loud scream caught everyone's attention. Hyo and Kaida jerked awake and looked over their shoulders. Suoh and the Chuunin's came running, the teams they had finished with not far behind. Kotori opened an eye sleepily and smirked. Yup, she hadn't lost her touch. She rolled onto her side and hugged Hyo's leg to her. Now, to finish that lovely nap.
The team from Mist were in pain. They grabbed the carton of eggs only to be electrocuted by quite a few volts of electricity and hit repeatedly by mini fireballs that came out of no where. Letting go of the carton they fell back on the grass, twitching, singed, and burned.
Hyo and Kaida looked at each other and shrugged. They chalked it up to one more of Kotori's odd, but obscured quirks. Ah, yes. Life in the streets does things to you even if they can't be seen.
The other teams stared in shock. The Chuunins looked wary. Suoh, frighteningly, looked amused. He edged towards the Gennins from Time. He slowly stretched an arm towards their items. He pulled it back as the items crackled with little sparks of lightning and flickered with little flames in warning.
Suoh chuckled. "Alright, you three next."
Kaida stood and stretched. Hyo tried to get up but Kotori wouldn't move. "Hey, brat! Up!" Kotori whined and clung to his leg.
"Comfy!"
Hyo glared at the blonde. Then he smirked as he got an idea. He poked Kotori in the side. She whined but didn't move. He poked her again. She twitched. And again. She batted his hand away. And a again. She got up and glared at him. "Meanie."
They gathered their things and they followed Suoh to the spot he had been at with the previous team. They sat down to go through the items. The team of crispy Mist Gennins shuffled past them, following the Chunnin that would score them.
As soon as the teams had enough distance between them to not be over heard Suoh turned to them. "A warding?" He asked interested. "I haven't seen one of those for a while and certainly not one like that."
Kaida and Hyo shrugged. They didn't have a clue.
Suoh's eyes widened in surprise. He looked at Kotori in shock. The youngest of the team did that? But as the youngest, logically, she would have the least amount of Chakra and Chakra control. That ward was almost Junnin leavel!
Kotori gave him a smile. "I don't like people taking what's mine." She did a series of quick hand signals and tapped Suoh's hand. "There, now you can touch it."
"Where did you learn that?" He asked as he sorted through their stuff marking things down on a scroll.
"My mum."(2)
Suoh looked at her but got no further information, though her teammates eyes widened in enlightenment. They nodded as though it made sense. Then they turned their attention back to the list and their items.
Suoh had to shrug it off as one more of those things he would see, but might never learn the true importance of. "So the black mirror?" He questioned.
Kaida reached into a pocket and pulled out a mirror. It fit easily in the palm of her hand in a dark, round, wooden frame. The mirror itself wasn't made of glass, but rather obsidian. Hyo and Kotori looked at her in confusion. She had told them that she had it covered but is this what she and the list meant?
Suoh smiled brightly. "So far I believe you're the only team who got that one! Very good! Oh! And you brought in a full grown, still breathing cow! Extra points!" He practically glowed and sparkled as he said that in an almost sing song voice.
The Time Gennins barely repressed a shudder. Suoh was scary!
They got through the rest of their list and items, and despite being sort two they still passed. The team from Mist, the ones who tried to steal from them, didn't pass. They didn't pass not because they tried to steal from one of the other teams, but because they were short one too many items. If they had successfully stolen the eggs from the Time team, they would have passed. That or if they had stolen from one of the other teams. If it wasn't for Kotori and her possessive nature they might have succeeded.
As it turned out all but the team from Mist had passed. Suoh smiled brightly at them. "Okay! Good job everyone! You have the rest of today and tomorrow before the next test! I suggest you use it wisely. You meet back here day after tomorrow for the next test! Good luck everyone!" With a bright, sparkly poof of smoke, Suoh disappeared.
(1) Yes, sparkly. My main character for Suoh was inspired by Keiichi from X/1999. So think uber happy, perky, bright, and sparkly. That would be Keiichi. Suoh is Keiichi with a sadistic streak. …What a frightening thought.
(2) If you steal something from someone, wouldn't you be embarrassed if someone else managed to take it from you? Besides thieves tend to be rather the possessive. They worked hard to get what ever it was and they aren't about to let it go. Now because it's in the Naruto world I think a thief would learn enough Chakra control to safe guard their belongings from other thieves!
Okay I was asked for some clarification on the teams so here it is, hopefully easy enough to understand. M is for male and F is for Female. Theunderline is for the teams that did not make it through.
TEAMS- 12
Leaf- 5
Rain- 3
Mist- 2
Sand- 1
Time- 1
LEAF
1) Yuzu(F), Mizu(M), Shogu(M)
2) Ranga(F), Yohi(M), Asahi(M)
3) Ito(F), Shinku(M), Gincho(F)
4) Hotaru(F), Haruka(M), Michiru(F)
5) Mushu(M), Nikko(M), Aki(M)
RAIN
1) Mana(F), Shorei(M), Kanan(M)
2) Kei(M), Ashura(M), Pikara(F)
3) Yoh(M), Hao(M), Manta(M)
MIST
1) Ryuchi(M), Meiri(F), Sachi(M)
2) Senchi(M), Kuro(M), Kairi(F)
SAND
1) Isumi(M), Setsuna(F), Michiko(F)
TIME
1) Hyo(M), Kaida(F), Kotori(F)
22 Males and 14 Females, 36 people all together