Hi! Sorry for the two day wait, I was really busy and had trouble with time. Anyways, guess what! I saw Pirates of the Caribbean yesterday! -whoot- It was pretty good, but more of a filler between the first movie and the second movie. Oh well, Johnny Depp is hot!

Many thanks to Silver-Serval and NoCareChakara for reviewing! It means a lot to me…

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but I own le plot and some characters. Some names come from Girl Got Game and Fruits Basket. I'm getting really tired of writing that over and over again…

Chapter 7: The secrets of the shinobi

Setting: Forest of Death!

Time: Couple of minutes after last chappie!

Kabuto trailed after the Chuunin, who led the group of 42 genin to the Forest. He reviewed everything that would occur during the second exam and sighed. He knew he was prepared, but wasn't sure about Imai and Uotani. He didn't know what missions they'd been on, or exactly how good they were at survival skills. He hoped for the best.

Kabuto glanced at Team Koenma, all of whom seemed very calm for a group that didn't know what was coming next. Kira caught his glanced and smiled at him. At least, that's what he thought because she still hadn't removed her veil. It reminded him of Yoroi and Misumi from his previous team. Only hers was blue, not black. Kabuto wondered what was underneath the veil that she wanted to hide so badly.

Then, the Chuunin stopped and turned around to face the genin. "Meet the proctor of the second exam, Kurenai. She will explain the second exam." (A/N I didn't want Anko to be the proctor this time. I picked Kurenai simply because she seems to hide her emotions well enough. And I think she's a little weird, so she's qualified to take Anko's place…)

Kurenai stepped forward. As she explained the test, Kabuto watched the reactions of the other genin. Once again, he noticed that Team Koenma didn't seem anxious at all; quite the contrary, when they heard what the exam was, they all grinned and high-fived. Obviously, Kabuto thought, they felt qualified enough to pass this test. At that he honed in on the end of Kurenai's speech; it was different from every other proctors. "And remember, what is easy and what is right are two different things. To be Chuunin, you must not take the easy route, you must take the right one for your team."

Kabuto reflected on this statement, and felt himself lean to the easy side. If it completes the mission, isn't that what is best for the team? And then he remembered what the Chuunin had said when they passed. "You guys understood, fundamentally, that no one should throw away their friends. As Team 10 said, 'Comrades over future.' That is one of the main things a Chuunin must know. Never betray your comrades, and always believe in them!"

Finally, Kabuto's team was called in to pick up their scroll. Imai held out his hand, and the scroll was placed writing-up; it was a heaven scroll. Uotani, Imai, and Kabuto looked at one another, and Imai said cheerfully, "We can do this! We've got luck on our side!" and waltzed out of the tent. Uotani shook his head, and followed. Kabuto was about to trail after them when Kurenai grabbed his arm. "Kabuto. Remember what I said. Going into the forest may change your reasoning. But remember: You're different from two years ago. Don't follow the same path."

Kabuto stared, and pulled his arm away. Before he left, he nodded at Kurenai, accepting her comment. And then, Team 10 vanished into the forest.

(A/N I really want to end it here, to leave SUCH a good cliffhanger, but I want to make up for my laziness. I'll grant you guys an extra long chapter! At least longer than my usual…)

The forest was sunny, with green plants littering the floors, and strong, large trees that looked like they were hoisting the heavens above them, with their long, spiraling branches that reached for the sky. Uotani was in front, watching for signs of other teams. Kabuto was in the middle, passing information up to Uotani and relaying instructions back to Imai, who was watching for attackers from behind. It was almost twenty minutes into the second exam. Kabuto told Imai and Uotani almost everything he could remember from the past exams, for instance, the importance of traps, heading for the tower and making ambushes for the last resort, the teams that would collect as many scrolls as possible and exchange them for their freedom, etc. Imai would ask questions, Uotani just listened and added what he knew of the other teams.

Suddenly, Uotani threw out his arms, effectively stopping Kabuto and Imai. "What is it?" Imai whispered. Uotani just grunted and replied, "I thought I heard someone scream. I think we should check it out."

Kabuto and Imai agreed, and Team 10 made their way to a clearing. As they dropped from the trees, Uotani pointed to a oddly shaped pile in the shade. Imai yelped and said, "It's people! They're knocked out!"

Kabuto stepped over the first person. He was the mist genin that had exclaimed that they had given up and were coming back in six months. His eyes were wide open. Kabuto leaned over and checked for a pulse. He sighed, relieved when he felt a strong thumping against his fingers. After checking the other two for pulses, he informed Uotani and Imai that they were alive, just knocked out and probably in shock. Imai searched their clothes, and whispered in awe, "Their scroll is gone. Someone already has the two scrolls they need."

Uotani sat back on his haunches and said, "Now that team just has to get out of here alive."

Kabuto gulped. "I think we should get out of here. Their attackers might still be around, and I have absolutely no idea how they knocked out the mist genin. There's not a single mark on them. No bruising, no cuts. Nothing."

Imai and Uotani nodded, and Team 10 leapt back into the trees with chakra-enhanced jumps. They quickly left behind the clearing. What worried Kabuto the most was that, not only were there no markings, but there was a small circle drawn around the bodies with chakra. He'd noticed it when he'd knelt next to the first body. The chakra wasn't there to hurt. It was there to ward off any potential killers. Kabuto was worried because in the seconds that they'd heard the screams, the attackers had not only been able to find the scroll in the clothes, they'd been able to put up a protection line, which used a lot of chakra. It should have taken at least ten minutes. Kabuto shuddered at the thought of the power the shinobi who'd made the protection must have; it reminded him of Orochimaru's power.

Uotani stopped again. He seemed very puzzled and turned to the group. "I hear…laughter? As if someone is having the time of their life…"

Imai shook his head and concentrated his chakra to his ears to listen for the laughter. "I hear it too. I think…it's two boys and a girl. They're in a water source. I hear splashes. Hm…"

Kabuto shrugged and said, "Maybe we should check it out. Maybe they left their scroll out. Just be careful, it could be a trap."

Team 10 travelled towards the laughter. Landing in some bushes near the edge of the water, they peered out to see what was going on.

(A/N Another really good cliffhanger spot! But, I'll control my urge to leave it and continue on with le chapter!)

Kabuto, Imai, and Uotani stared in shock as they watched Jin, Kira, and Toboe splashing through the water as if they were on vacation at the beach, not taking a test that could affect their future. Toboe was dunking Kira, who was struggling not to go under and laughing at her failure. Jin was swinging from a vine, and falling into the water. Imai whispered, "What the…hell is going on?" Uotani and Kabuto shrugged. Suddenly, all three jumped in shock as Team Koenma disappeared into thin air. It had been an illusion. Kabuto, Imai, and Uotani screamed as three objects simultaneously slammed into their backs and sent them tumbling into the water.

Kabuto struggled to sit upright, as did Uotani and Imai. When their heads were finally above the water, they all heard raucous laughter. Kabuto stared at Kira, who was struggling to breath through her laughter and the sopping wet veil that was plastered against her face. Uotani nearly exploded when he realized that Jin had gotten him from behind. Imai was first speechless, but then joined in Toboe's laughter when Toboe slipped on a rock as he crawled out of the pool, sliding back into the water headfirst. Jin shouted, "You guys fell for it!" And collapsed backwards because he was laughing so hard. Kira was doubled over because the veil was so heavy on her face. When Toboe and Kabuto noticed, they both started laughing harder at her dilemma.

Team Koenma continued laughing as they stood and began running towards the forest on the opposite side of the lake. (A/N Silver-Serval, your lake trip put this idea in my head …) Kira and Toboe cart wheeled out of the water as Jin soared above them, the three still laughing as they faded back into the forest.

Kabuto, Uotani, and Imai stopped laughing and just stared at on another. Uotani sighed and said blandly, "Now I know why Koenma-san laughed when I said that his team didn't seem to put any effort into anything. When I asked why he laughed, he said that his team goes nuts when they're on missions. They love being in dangerous situations…they are so weird."

Imai began to stand, but suddenly he slipped, landing on his back. "Ouch!"

Kabuto asked, "Are you okay?"

Imai patted his back quietly, and then untucked the back of his shirt. A scroll fell out into his hand. Imai glanced at the marking on the scroll, and started to laugh. He turned it to his teammates. On the scroll, the word "earth" was inscribed. "I guess they had a present for us…"

As Uotani splashed to the shore, he said, "Uh…Kabuto, is that allowed?"

Kabuto shrugged. "I don't think it ever occurred to any of the proctors that a team would get another scroll for another team." He paused. Then he said, "You guys…this means that Team Koenma already has their scroll. I suppose they picked up another scroll for us. That means they either took on two teams in twenty minutes, or fought a team that already had their scrolls." Team 10 began to walk back into the forest after squeezing the water out of their clothes.

Uotani imitated Kabuto's answer and shrugged. "I guess they felt that they had time to spare to come and find us. You think they set up that illusion just hoping we would come so they could ambush us?"

Imai thought for a moment and replied, "Well, that does seem like something they would do. When we were kids, Jin and Toboe enjoyed doing stupid pranks so they could give someone something. If it was your birthday, they'd set up a scavenger hunt specifically so the birthday kid could find their presents. I suppose Kira picked it up after eight years of working together. I know that for her eleventh birthday, Jin and Toboe couldn't find her. When they got to her apartment, they found a note. It had a clue leading them to the next clue, which led them to the next, and the next. By the end of the day, Toboe and Jin were frustrated and made me help them find her. The last clue brought them to her favorite restaurant, where Koenma was waiting with Kira. When they gave her the notes for her scavenger hunt to find her present, she laughed. It took her the entire next day to find it. I suppose they kept up the practice while they were away for the last two years."

Kabuto shook his head. He thought it was nice to get them the scroll, but, as he thought to himself, Team Koenma had to look out for themselves, not Team 10.

3 hours later…

Kabuto, Imai, and Uotani continued fighting the second team of mist genin. They just wouldn't let up! Even after Uotani had lied and said that they didn't have any scrolls. Finally, after getting more and more frustrated by the minute, Kabuto used Shosen Jutsu (Mystical Palm Technique) and created chakra scalpels. He then cut the legs muscles of all three genin, ensuring that they wouldn't bother anyone for the rest of the exam. Once they fell, Imai, Uotani, and Kabuto fled, continuing towards their goal: The Tower. (A/N I can't find what the building is called…)

With the Chuunin and Kurenai two hours before… "Kurenai! I must tell you something! It's urgent!" A Chuunin came dashing into the room that Kurenai was waiting in with two ANBU officers. She'd been having a lovely discussion, too. "What is it? What's wrong, Kyo-san?"

(A/N I had no idea what the name should be…)

Kurenai stood from her seat. The Chuunin panted, his hands on his knees as he caught his breath. "Observe!" The Chuunin plugged in the television and shoved a videotape into the VCR.

One ANBU turned and said, "Oooooh…video surveillance. Bad boy, Kyo-san, you weren't supposed to remove the tape until after the exam is done."

"Shut up! I put another one in, hime." The Chuunin pressed play. There was a resounding gasp as the video showed a scene that no one thought possible. There were three genin standing in the atrium of the Tower. One boy, a redhead, sat against the wall and seemed to be playing cards with himself while the other boy, a brunette, paced around the room, sometimes cart wheeling along the long space. The black-haired girl stood in the center, and suddenly she looked up at the camera. She stuck out her hand and made a thumbs-up sign and then waved. Kurenai, the ANBU, and the Chuunin stared.

The Chuunin pointed to the corner of the screen. "Look at what time it is, Kurenai-sama." Kurenai gasped as the Chuunin continued. "It took them one hour to get through. Team Koenma has already finished the exam."

Kurenai shook her head. "It's not possible! Can't have happened. They beat the Sand ninja from two years ago by 37 minutes. And they're smiling and relaxed!"

An ANBU stepped forward. "It's not only that, Kurenai-sama."

The Chuunin and Kurenai turned to stare. "What else could it be?"

The other ANBU chuckled and said, "It's roughly 10 km from the gates where the genin began this exam to this tower. The path is filled with hazardous terrain, poisonous insects, and savage beasts. This team strolled through like it was a day at the beach."

The Chuunin glanced back at the ANBU. "What do you mean? Aside from the fact that they made it in an hour…"

The ANBU whispered reverently, "Not a single mark on the entire team…that's difficult for any Journeyman level ninja. Maybe even impossible."

The Chuunin looked closer at the screen, as if to find a mark that showed that this team wasn't that good. He pointed out, "They look kind of wet. Like they went swimming or something."

Kurenai began to laugh. "So they really did act like it was a day at the beach."

(A/N this scene is based off of a similar scene in volume 7 of the manga…it seemed appropriate to use it here. Now, what IS so amazing about Team Koenma?)

Five days later, nearing the end of the exam…

Kabuto panted as he continued his trek with Imai and Uotani to the Tower. They had gotten held up four more times after the mist genin attack. After getting lost and indulging in a well-earned rest, they had almost made it to the Tower. Uotani seemed almost stoic, he wasn't reacting to anything, just focusing on reaching the Tower and watching out for his team. Kabuto was concentrating on not healing the cut on his arm immediately; he didn't want Imai or Uotani to think he was weird for healing so quickly. Though, he reflected, Sakura and Sasuke didn't seem to notice when Naruto healed almost instantaneously from his wounds. Maybe it was because Sasuke was self-centered and Sakura was focused solely on Sasuke. (A/N I'm a Sasuke-hater, so sue me if you don't agree. Actually, please don't, I have no money…)

Uotani called out. "Watch it guys, we're almost there."

Kabuto warned him, "Don't let down your guard until we open that door and are inside that chamber."

Uotani looked over his shoulder and grinned. "Don't worry, I think I can handle that. Besides, I've got you to watch my back."

Kabuto nodded, and thought, 'Once again, I get so much trust here. I guess I should thank Tsunade-sama for it.' Kabuto glanced up at the sky. He realized that that night would be a full moon. He figured, with the sky so clear, it would be a beautiful sight to see. He made a mental note to invite Imai, Uotani, and Team Koenma to his apartment for a celebratory dinner, as well as a walk through the night. It would be bright out.

Soon, Team 10 reached a door that still had a seal on it. The seal said open, so that's exactly what they did. Once they got inside and had shut the door, Imai looked up at the wall and read off what it said. Kabuto took out the scrolls, and handed them to Imai and Uotani. They looked at one another, counted to three (A/N or san, which ever you'd like) and opened the scrolls. Just as Kabuto had expected, the scrolls had "person" or "humanity" written in it. The scrolls stretched and sizzled, summoning up a Jonin to tell them what the third exam would entail. Out of the summon smoke walked Koenma. Imai and Uotani screeched "Nani!" while Kabuto stared at the Jonin, waiting for him to explain what would occur.

Koenma grinned at the three. "Well, it's certainly nice to see you three! Right on time, too. Let's see, I suppose I need to explain some of the stuff. First of all, congratulations! You've passed the second exam."

Kabuto and Imai grinned up at the Jonin as they sat on the floor to rest. Uotani joined them, grunting at the Jonin. Koenma quickly explained what the scroll and the wall meant, along with instructions of where to go to meet up with the rest of the genin and the Hokage. Kabuto sighed and stood to stretch before turning to the other two. Uotani stood as well, preparing himself to go to the room. Imai looked up at the other two, sighed deeply, and whined, "Do I have to get up? I don't wanna…"

Uotani glanced down at the pitiful genin. "Get up. Or I'll carry you the entire way."

Imai glanced up again, elation blooming on his face. "Are you serious?"

Uotani glared and growled, "No."

Imai sighed again. "Alright…I'm coming. But you better pay me for it."

Uotani responded with an 'in your dreams' as he led the way to the atrium in which he, Kabuto, Imai, and the remaining genin would confront their future.

(A/N Once again, I want to end it…but once again, I won't. I still feel guilty for not updating sooner.)

In the atrium…(Do you know that that's Latin? Wow!)

There were 7 teams left over. That meant that there were 21 genin still participating in the exam. Kurenai sighed. She knew that this meant that there would be preliminaries, and she hated that. She didn't feel it was fair to make them go through such a thing right after they had succeeded with the second exam. But, the rules were set, and that's what would happen.

Shiranui Genma, the third exam proctor, stepped forward to begin the explanation for the third exam. He explained that there were too many applicants, so preliminaries must occur. Some protests could be heard, but their neighbors quickly silenced them. When Genma announced that the rest of the test was individual, and teams were no longer needed so people could quit now, three people quit, each from different teams. When a teammate asked one why he was quitting, the genin said happily, "This was a far as I wanted to go. I only applied so that our teamwork could continue until you guys reached the finals. I already know that I don't have the talent to become Chuunin, nor do I want to. I'm perfectly happy to follow orders." At that, two more applicants dropped out, each announcing that they were happy with how far they had gotten. In all, five had dropped, which meant that 16 applicants were left. Still, the prelims would occur.

Kabuto glanced around at the remaining genin. He saw that all the applicants left were from Konoha. He also realized that every one of them, aside from his team and Team Koenma, had been there before with him. He already knew their techniques and how to beat them. He smiled to himself, and thought, "As long as I'm not paired with anybody from my team or Team Koenma, I'm all good. No bad blood will surface."

Team Koenma, he noted, seemed to have increased their fidgeting level since the second exam. Toboe kept glancing at his watch, and then at Kira, as though he was judging how much longer she could last. Jin also was glancing over Toboe's shoulder, and they were whispering about something. Kira was standing still, aside from her hand, which was shaking slightly. She shook her head and frowned, then balled her hand into a fist. She glanced up at Tsunade, who caught her eye and nodded. Kira sighed, and shook her hands out, as if she was trying to rid herself of tension. Kabuto noted this, and filed it away with the other information he had stockpiled about Team Koenma and its unusual occupants.

Genma looked over the crowd and announced, "We will now pick the first bout. This scoreboard will pick the opponents. Are you ready?" He waited for the first two names to appear. When they did, Kabuto relaxed. It was no one he knew personally.

"These applicants please step forward. The rest, please make your way to the upper gallery."

The first two fights went well, and then it was Kira's turn. Team Koenma seemed relieved that she was going, and she jumped over the railing to meet her opponent on the floor below. Kabuto leaned over the railing to observe the first real fight he'd seen Kira in.

Kira's opponent, a macho, nasty-looking male, stuck his hand to shake her hand in greeting. Well, after he spat on it to "clean" it. Kira's eyes closed a bit in disgust and she shook the genin's hand. After, she backed away a bit to distance herself from the hygiene-lacking male. Genma began the match, and the male, Hiroyuki, began his psychological assault on Kira. He insulted her again and again, calling her a freak. Kira showed no emotion; actually she wasn't moving at all. She had closed her eyes, and seemed to be meditating. When Hiroyuki got tired of throwing insults, he attempted to catch her off guard by throwing shuriken quickly. Kabuto gasped when Kira's hands shot out to catch all the shuriken and spin them back at her opponent. With her eyes shut. He glanced over at the rest of her team; Jin had his head on the railing, silently watching the fight while Toboe leaned back against the wall, seemingly bored with the fight already. Kabuto turned back to watch the bout.

The throwing continued; each time, Hiroyuki would throw his shuriken or kunai and Kira would block them, or catch them and throw them back. Hiroyuki, frustrated with his lack of success, fell back on his insulting. Kira twitched slightly when he said even her parents wouldn't like such a freak, and suddenly, she disappeared. Kabuto realized that she was using Shunshin no Jutsu, or Body Flicker Technique. His thoughts were interrupted when Kira appeared behind Hiroyuki. She said, "You lose" and slammed her hand against the back of his neck. In doing so, she knocked him out cold because of the pressure point she hit. (A/N There really is a way to knock someone out by hitting the back of their neck. I've seen it done (accidentally) at the karate camp I used to go to. The man was out cold for about an hour. And that was when the person didn't mean to do it. DON'T DO THIS AT HOME! It's very dangerous! Don't try it on your little brother or sister if they're bothering you. You could kill them. So please, don't do it.) Genma checked the man, and announced, "Tabanachi Kira is the winner."

Kira walked up the stairs to the gallery and met up with her team. Kabuto heard her say quietly, "If you guys don't win, and I find out about it, I'll curse you both forever. I know you can win." At that, Koenma took her by the arm, and led her towards the hospital wing. Once she was gone, Kabuto scooted down the gallery to Toboe. He asked, "What's wrong with Kira? I didn't see her get hurt…"

Toboe turned to Kabuto, looked him over with a grave face, and then his face broke into a grin. With false cheer, he responded, "She's okay! She just got a minor injury to her leg from the second exam. Uh…s-she's going to get it checked up. Um…Koenma said she'll be resting for the night. T-the exam really wore her out." Toboe scratched his head as he tried to look as though he wasn't lying, which Kabuto knew that his was.

Kabuto smiled back at Toboe. "I hope she'll be okay! Uh…I'm gonna go back to my team, okay?" Kabuto turned and strolled back to Imai and Uotani. Kabuto thought, 'If they don't want to tell me what's wrong, I shouldn't pry. But this secret might just be the answer to everything. I have to know!"

Kabuto watched the bouts occur, but his mind was with the girl in the hospital, the one with long black hair, steel blue eyes, and a veil that hid everything from the casual observer.

A few bouts later, after Toboe and Jin have won…

Imai looked up to the board in apprehension. It was his turn to fight. Kabuto patted him on the shoulder, and Uotani pressed his lucky kunai into Imai's hand. Both Kabuto and Uotani knew that Imai, of all ninja things, hated doing one-on-one fighting. He was better at the long distance, surprise attacks that ended relatively fast. However, it was not to be. Imai was fighting against a female who seemed to like close combat. Kabuto had picked up on that during the second exam when Team 10 had passed her team while they were fighting. Kabuto had paused to observe the fighting techniques of the teams. This did not bode well for Imai.

Imai tried his hardest, but because of her superior fighting skills, he lost. Kabuto and Uotani jumped down after the fight had ended, comforting Imai as they waited for a stretcher to carry Imai to the hospital wing. Imai joked, "Hey, I'll be spending the night it absolute comfort, while you bozos get to stay in your cold beds at home. I got room service!"

Uotani replied, "I think I'll forfeit. No matter how good a leader I am, personally I would much rather sleep. It's easier."

Imai looked startled. He turned to look at Kabuto, grimacing at the pang of pain that spiraled up his side. "What about you, Mr. Medic? Going to quit as well?"

Kabuto smiled feebly and shook his head. "I want to become Chuunin. It means a lot to me to do that. I promised myself I would."

Imai grinned and said, "I'll be cheering you from the sidelines. And maybe Uotani-san too!"

Kabuto smirked as Imai was lifted and carried away. Uotani informed Genma that he was forfeiting the match and Uotani left to visit with Imai after offering his good luck to Kabuto.

Then it was Kabuto's turn. He was facing a contender who had seen him before at the exams, and hadn't gotten past the second exam before. The male smirked; Kabuto realized that he knew Kabuto had never gotten past it either. That he always quit before the third exam. Genma interrupted their thoughts by announcing that the match had begun.

The male smiled at Kabuto and began his attack. Kabuto blocked everything easily; after all, we all know that Kabuto is Jonin level, right? Kabuto used his chakra scalpels again and cut his opponents leg and arm muscles. After Genma checked the man, Kabuto was declared the winner.

Soon, the prelims were over. Eight applicants were left, including Toboe, Jin, Kira and Kabuto. The other four were unknown to Kabuto; he'd only seen them once or twice during the other exams he'd taken. He realized that, during the third exam that was one month away, he'd have to fight his friends. And he knew nothing about their techniques…

The numbers were picked and it turned out like this: Kabuto would go against number two, Kira against number four. In the other bracket was Toboe against number six and Jin against number eight. The winner of Kabuto's fight would go against the winner of Kira's fight. The winner of Toboe's fight would go against the winner of Jin's fight. Those winners would go against one another. Kabuto gulped; one way or another, he'd be going against Team Koenma.

Genma informed the genin that they had one month to train and prepare themselves for the fight. Until then, they were dismissed and could return to their homes. Kabuto walked to Imai's room. On the way, he watched Toboe and Jin enter the hospital wing, but walk away from the door towards a restricted section. When the Chuunin saw them arrive, he slid open the door, allowed Jin and Toboe to enter, and then closed it behind them. Kabuto searched for a sign, but there was none. He sighed to himself, "I guess we won't be having a celebratory dinner and a walk in the moonlight. Darn…"

Muhahaha! I believe that is long enough. It's also a somewhat good cliffhanger. I still like the other ones… Anyways, I hope this is enough payback for not updating quickly!

I tried to insert some humor because, as Uotani says, Team Koenma goes crazy during missions. They enjoy danger… Also, I felt that the past few chapters hadn't included enough humor. I felt bad…I also tried to add in at least a little indecision on Kabuto's side. Fighting your past decisions can be hard.

If anyone wonders why I had Uotani quit, it was because I felt that he would not do too well in the third exam. Also, he felt the need to watch over his best buddy Imai. Uotani, I tried to show, has a habit of giving up if he doesn't feel motivated enough. I also couldn't think of how to write the fight to be convincing. I only really wrote about Kira's because I had a dream about it and it also has some clues. (gasp, I can't believe I let that slip!) I didn't want anyone to complain about Kabuto's inaccurate fight, so I didn't write one. This was another hard chapter to write… I just want to be two chapters from now!

Big question of the day! Should I skip to the third exam, or should I include the training of Kabuto, Kira, Jin, and Toboe? I have some comments that need to be said to Kabuto that will help him grow, but I suppose I could fit them in somewhere in the exam. Puh-lease review and help me in my dilemma!

Many thanks to TamX2 for allowing me to wake her up at 12 at night to beta for me! You're the best!

MWAHs to y'all!