Tests and Decisions

The Raikage gestured and a guard brought in three scrolls with a symbol that was familiar to Naruto.

"That's the same symbol on my jacket! The one that the Old Man gave me to wear on my sleeve when I was a kid!" he said to Tsunade.

"Uzumaki Naruto, I will give these scrolls to you under two conditions. The first condition, of course, you must be able to open them. The second condition is that you allow us to copy any jutsu written upon them."

Tsunade bristled at the Raikage's suggestion. "Clan scrolls are considered sacrosanct. Using them as a bargaining chip like this is inexcusable. If they do belong to an Uzumaki clan, then they are his property by right."

The Raikage just looked levelly at Tsunade. "They are also property of my village by conquest. That too is a recognized right. As he said before, he was not born when they came into our possession. It was within our right then and now to destroy them. We kept them safe for a quarter century. That entitles us to some kind of fee for allowing him to have them."

Naruto sat silently as thoughts raged in his head. He had a family with a past. Living as an orphan for so long he never thought about it much beyond wishing for parents or maybe a sibling. Now he was being told that he was a descendant of something larger than that. The scrolls could be powerful jutsu, family techniques like the Nara or Akimichi had. The other side also applied. They could simply be a list of ancestors, nothing of value to anyone not an Uzumaki. One last option remained. They could possibly not even be related to him.

In spite of what he wanted, he knew the right answer here. He recalled the last thing he had asked Jiraiya before leaving Konoha. Naruto wanted to have a place to call his own, that perhaps he could have a family one day. Now, he was faced with having one that was lost to him before he was even conceived given back to him. But the price involved was very high; give up the secrets that his possible ancestors had gathered. He took a deep breath and looked up as Tsunade and the Raikage debated.

"Destroy them then," he said in a soft voice.

Both Tsunade and the Raikage went silent in shock after he spoke.

"Please, just destroy them," Naruto said in a stronger voice. "I am no better or worse off than I was when I walked into the room except for maybe a few doubts. The same for you Raikage-sama. All you are out is 3 scrolls that you cannot use that were gathering dust in your archives. Something like that is not even worth keeping."

The Raikage smiled and rubbed his chin, "Then destroy them if you can. I will allow it." The Raikage pointed at the scrolls. "Do you wish to test the blood seals first?"

Naruto shook his head no. "I just need a place I can destroy them at. The wood floor here would be ruined if I did it here."

The Raikage gestured to a servant who carried the scrolls to the courtyard and set them on the flagstones. Naruto stood over them looking down. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before raising his palm. Chakra formed and began swirling. The low hum growing as it formed a ball within his grasp. He recalled Jiraiya's lessons on blood seals. Destroy the seal and the chakra in it destroys the writing on the scroll.

He opened his eyes and focused on the scrolls lined up at his feet, the symbol on them identical to the one on his sleeve. How many generations of Uzumaki had put their work into the scrolls there? He would never know. He stepped and dropped to one knee as he brought the Rasengan down on the seals. They withstood the swirling chakra for a precious few seconds before shattering one by one. The scrolls burst into flames as he lifted his hand and let the chakra in the Rasengan fade. A single tear slid down his face into the flames. He turned and simply walked away.

Tsunade glared at the Raikage, "Why did you do that to him? If you knew his past, why do something like that?"

The Raikage replied evenly, "Because I needed to know what a future leader of the Leaf Village is made off. Old Hiruzen was right. That boy is something special. Now I know and I pray I did not make an enemy this day. I will have someone show the two of you back to your hotel. There is already something waiting at the desk for when you arrive."

Tsunade walked next to Naruto the entire way back to the hotel. He never spoke or looked around.

"Naruto, why did you destroy the scrolls?" Tsunade asked once they were almost at the hotel.

Naruto stopped and looked down, "It was one of those no win situations that you, Jiraiya-sensei and Anko-sensei kept us learning about. No matter what choice I made I would lose. If I took his deal, I would be betraying every ancestor who put their secrets into those scrolls. It would also give the Cloud something they could later use on people I care for and I would know it was my fault. This way they don't know and I have not betrayed anyone. If I tried to negotiate, he could end up getting more for it than they were worth if they contained nothing. The only winning move was not to play his game. It was the best option I had."

"I just wish …" He stopped there and lapsed into silence once more.

"You just wish you could have checked first to see if they truly were your relatives' scrolls," Tsunade finished for him. Naruto just nodded.

"It was the right thing to do and the best option I had, I just wish it wasn't so damned hard," he whispered.

"Naruto that is the kind of decision a Hokage needs to make. I know that's still your goal one day even if you aren't shouting it to the heavens anymore," Tsunade said quietly.

Naruto chuckled lightly, "You heard about that huh?"

"People talk. They all wonder what kind of spell Hinata put on you to get you to stop yelling out like that after you met her."

"No spell, she just became my friend and I realized I didn't need to shout it out anymore. She believed in me."

Tsunade just smiled and fingered her necklace. 'One day soon, perhaps you might find a new owner.'

At the hotel, Tsunade checked at the desk. The clerk brought up a large package that was labeled 'Uzumaki Naruto'. Tsunade was puzzled but took it with her back to Naruto. The note on the package was simple.

'To Uzumaki Naruto. This ledger was taken after the battle with you relatives. It was unsealed and the original that was retrieved.'

Naruto opened the package to find a large, leather bound text. Carefully opening the cover he found the words 'Uzumaki Clan Register and Genealogy'. His fingers traced over the words as if they would vanish under his touch.

Tsunade gasped softly and turned back to the clerk, "When was this dropped off?"

"It was left here by the escort that came for you earlier, ma'am"

"It was here even before the Raikage made you the offer with the scrolls, Naruto. He was testing you with those. No matter what else, more than any jutsu or a bloodline, this is the most important piece of a clan's history."

Naruto was not paying her much attention as he was flipping pages. Names, dates, and accomplishments of people who lived and died long before him were all listed. He turned to the last few written pages. His search finally came to a simple listing.

"Uzumaki Kushina, born July 10" he said slowly as tears fell down his whiskered cheeks. "My Mom. I had a family."

Tsunade smiled and put her arm over Naruto's shoulder. "No matter what you decided before, it was worth getting this." Then she steered the boy toward his room as he just looked at the book.

Naruto got ready for bed once Tsunade had left him alone. He was exhausted after all the events of the past week but he found he couldn't sleep. Finally, he took the book and looked at how the entries were formatted. Carefully he picked up a brush and ink and wrote next to his mother's name 'Died October 10' along with the year.

Then he turned to a blank page, paused then skipped to the following one and wrote in his best writing, 'Uzumaki Naruto. Born October 10, to Uzumaki Kushina and'. There he left a space in case he learned his father's name one day. Smiling slightly, he yawned and placed the book on the desk next to him. Then he lay down and fell asleep.

Early the next morning, the genin teams were led into a large hall in the Cloud Academy and told to sit wherever they liked. Each person had been given a list containing attributes of nameless genin. Each list had skill levels, jutsu and any potential bloodlines.

When the time for the start of the test arrived, the outer doors were closed and a jonin walked in.

"No one else will be admitted into this exam. If anyone was not here, they already failed. If anyone is missing a team member, speak up now and head for the exit."

Two Mist ninja stood and walked toward the door grumbling at their teammate who had gone to the restroom.

"Each of you was given a list of possible subordinates on a hypothetical mission you are assigned as a chunin. You will be individually taken into another room and asked who you would choose from people on the list to have on your team when given the mission. You will defend your answer and be graded on your responses. If a member of a team fails, your entire team fails. People who pass will be returned to the auditorium."

The assembled genin all began talking to their teammates. Naruto smiled at Hinata and Sakura because they had done this sort of thing many times. The trio immediately looked over the list much more closely and began discussing the good and bad about each potential candidate for a team. The first three on the list were each a strong type, one in taijutsu, one in ninjutsu, one in genjutsu. However each of the three was very weak in the other two areas. The second three potentials listed had well balanced personal skills but each excelled in two primary areas.

Hinata looked at the list, "So I think the best bet on who to pick depends on the type of mission needs doing."

Sakura nodded, "So if there is a clearly defined type of mission, the best choices would be one strong with a pair of the second trio balancing off the team.

Naruto nodded as well, "If the mission is more uncertain then go for the more all around team of the last three."

The team waited and listened to the discussions around them as the time passed. Teams were being called in but few were returning. The level of tension slowly rose. Naruto was beginning to feel it as well until Hinata poked him. "Silly, the man said people would be returned to the auditorium. The sign on the door here said 'Lecture Hall'. It's a mind game. I figure the first few teams were set ups to increase the tension."

Naruto calmed down slightly after that. Finally, they noticed one of the Konoha teams was called in. Minutes later it was their turn. The walked through the door and each of them was taken to a different table.

Hinata sat gracefully as bowed to the jonin there. He just nodded his head and spoke in clipped tones, "You are being sent on a search and destroy mission. You are to cause as much havoc as possible to your enemy's rear areas. Which three team members would you bring?"

Hinata looked at the list the instructor handed her. It had the same people on it but in a different order. She saw it was a way to catch someone who had just memorized patterns from the original list. She pointed at the list, "I would bring ninja A, D, and F; the ninjutsu specialist, the taijutsu / ninjutsu combination and the genjutsu / medical support."

"Why those three?"

"The primary ninjutsu ninja was listed as having mainly earth and water jutsu in her arsenal. These could be used to create the required disturbances. The combination taijutsu / ninjutsu ninja would be for team defense and support if enemies cannot be avoided. The genjutsu / medic for breaking contact with the enemy and medical issues in the event it is needed since they are behind enemy lines."

The jonin nodded. "A good choice. You pass. You may leave."

Hinata bowed then asked, "Which way is the auditorium?"

The jonin smirked then pointed the opposite way from where she had come.

Sakura bowed to the jonin before her and sat at the seat he pointed to.

"You are being sent on a mission to gather information on enemy positions. You are required to bring the information back at all costs. Which ninja from this list would you bring?" The jonin handed Sakura a list from earlier with the ninja in a different order.

Sakura looked over the new list and replied, I would bring B, D, and F; the genjutsu specialist, the taijutsu / ninjutsu combination and the genjutsu / medic."

"Why choose those three ninja?"

"Since stealth is the key, the genjutsu abilities would be most useful in avoiding enemy contact. If contact cannot be avoided, the taijutsu / ninjutsu ninja could act in a defensive manner until the combined work of the pair of genjutsu ninja could allow them to escape contact."

The jonin nodded, "Good, you pass."

Sakura stood just as Hinata passed by so she followed her teammate after Hinata pointed in the direction opposite of where they had come from.

Naruto bowed and sat down.

The jonin nodded before speaking. "You are being sent on a mission to raid a settlement in a foreign country. You cannot have it traced back to your village. Which ninja from this list would you bring?"

Naruto looked at the list and thought for almost a minute. "Is it likely there will be enemy ninja in this village?"

The jonin chuckled. "Stalling I see. No, there will be no enemy ninja in this village."

Naruto nodded and replied, "I would assign ninja C, the taijutsu specialist, ninja D, the taijutsu / ninjutsu combination and ninja B, the genjutsu specialist."

The jonin frowned, "Interesting choices, I am about to fail you on this question unless you explain to me your reasoning."

Naruto smiled, "My reasoning is simple. The taijutsu specialist and the combination ninja would both physically assault the town in question while the genjutsu specialist makes it appear like a bandit raid is occurring. The lack of ninjutsu in the raid would not give investigators a lead back to the village while leading them assume it was truly a bandit raid. A few burned homes and battered civilians from blunt weaponry would be convincing evidence that it was not ninja who did this."

The jonin thought about it for about 30 seconds before nodding. "Unorthodox but then you Leaf ninja tend to think outside the norm. Your reasoning supports your choices. You pass."

"Thank you," Naruto said. "Would you be so kind as to direct me to the auditorium?"

The jonin laughed and pointed.

Naruto caught up to Sakura and Hinata where they waited just inside the auditorium. Hinata hugged Naruto lightly for passing and the trio sat to wait. After a time, teams stopped entering and a jonin entered and walked to the front. "Congratulation to the 15 teams here, all of you here have passed the first exam. All of you are to be at the village's western gate at sunset for the second exam. It will take place outside of the village. Dismissed."

Naruto only noticed two other Leaf teams. He frowned at the number of Cloud teams but remembered that it was the same way in Konoha. The host village has an unlimited number of entries. They knew the local terrain so foreign ninja would be at a disadvantage.

The clouds were closer to the village as evening drew near. It would be wet and cold during the night. Team Apprentice decided to forget any kind of subtlety and show up in full combat gear a half hour before sunset. The change in the trio was noticeable even to the other Leaf teams. Naruto just let his smile fall away from his face and he looked completely different. Hinata just seemed to exude confidence as she took all of her hard won lessons under Anko and just plain seemed dangerous. A few passersby noticed her eyes and shuddered that if this was a TINY Hyuuga, what would a full sized one be like? Sakura had added a long sleeved shirt under her dress. The reversed side of her dress with the maroon instead of white highlights would appear black in a short time. She added full length weatherproof tights instead of her normal bike shorts for warmth. The only skin anyone could see on Team Apprentice was their faces and fingertips. Each member checked over the gear of the others as the sun dipped under the horizon.

"All right. Time for the Second test. This is timed multipart test. It will take place within the large valley to our immediate west. Each team will be given a map with 4 checkpoints on it. You must get the code from three of the checkpoints to unlock the case at the fourth. Once you have the contents of your specific case, one that matches the number on your map, you will then bring it back here unopened. When the sun touches this marker," the jonin pointed at a symbol of the Cloud village, "at any checkpoint that checkpoint is closed. You will not be allowed to deface or destroy any of the posts that contain the passwords or you will be disqualified. If you complete the first stage you will be able to go to the second stage immediately no matter when you arrive back here. The second stage will only be revealed to those who finish the first."

The teams were each handed a map and when the jonin dropped his hand, nearly all the teams leapt off into the deepening darkness. Sakura had taken hold of Naruto and Hinata before they could do the same.

"What is wrong, Sakura?" Naruto asked.

"Nothing, before we go rushing off, we should look at the map and take advantage of the height we have now to get an idea of the land we need to be crossing. It is a new moon this week so we will not have much if any moonlight to help us. None of us are used to this terrain and it will only get worse as it gets darker. Something about this doesn't feel right."

Hinata noticed the jonin proctor watching them with interest but the man said nothing. "I think there is enough light for me to see the checkpoints from here if I can find a place to view from, but only for a few more minutes."

Naruto was looking at the map. "Look at how one checkpoint is much further out and way up on the western side of the valley. Once the sun comes up; that one will be hit by sunlight first. It's another trick. If we stumble around in the dark going after the first three checkpoints, we will miss getting to the last one if we are late. Hinata, can you see the one across the valley from here right now?"

Hinata activated her bloodline and looked at where the map indicated. She did have a line of sight so she focused tightly and could make out part of what she needed. "It appears to be a post with some writing on it but I cannot read it because of the shadows it is in. On the three nearer checkpoints I can see two of them but the third does not seem to be where the map indicates."

Sakura smiled, "Good enough. We head for that far one first. Since the rest are down deep in the valley and on the eastern side, the morning sunlight will not be hitting them until it is already well after dawn."

"We travel at full speed until we cannot see, then move at the best pace after that," Naruto suggested. "Hinata will be able to see slightly better than us and my night vision is better than most but even I need some light to see by. We get to that far checkpoint while it is still dark and we should be at an advantage."

The trio then ran off down the slope.

The jonin watching smiled slowly, 'They were the only team to take the time to evaluate the information before leaving. It should be interesting to see if they finish this test.'

The testing area was a miles wide U shaped valley next to the village. The village sat on the edge of the eastern side. The ground was covered in grass and heather with small copses of trees and a large number of rocky outcrops scattered along the sides. A large stream ran down the middle. The team had barely a half hour of travel before it became too dark to see. The night air had cooled and a fog filled the valley floor as well.

They managed to get to the floor of the valley and about halfway to the furthest checkpoint when even Hinata could not see ahead of them. They got closer together even with the risk of attack and continued by crawling to feel their way. They could hear some of the other teams occasionally but they managed to keep silent. After an hour of crawling along, they knew they were going uphill once more.

Naruto took his turn as the lead person, he took a risk. He pulled out a single red glowstick and cracked it. With the fog it was not a major risk but even so, he put it into the sleeve of his shirt. The dim red light spilled out of his sleeve to the ground giving both Hinata and himself enough light to allow them to rise up from a crawl to a crouch. They moved more quickly after that as they made the climb up the western slope of the valley. They passed above the fog layer and were surprised at how bright the starlight seemed to be after being in the near absolute darkness for hours. They quickly oriented themselves with their map and headed for the checkpoint.

Hinata activated her bloodline when they got near the checkpoint and she found no one within her range of vision. The checkpoint was indeed a post with some writing on it. Sakura wrote the needed code word and the trio turned to head back down the slope. A few rocks being knocked loose further down warned them of another team heading up the hill. There was no need for combat in this part of the test but none of them would be taken by surprise. They angled away from the team coming uphill.

Hinata spotted a second team resting just above the fog layer as they approached it. Deciding to remain as stealthy as possible, Team Apprentice moved across the face of the slope just below the fog layer toward where another checkpoint lay. They climbed up into the clear every hour of so to make sure they were on the right trail. They stopped to rest on the slope a couple of hours before dawn close to the second checkpoint.

Naruto spent his time looking at the map with his hidden glowstick. It was a simply topographical map with the elevations the only real details. He was puzzled by the checkpoint that Hinata couldn't see. He pondered the map as he noticed one group of lines very close together downhill from the 'missing' checkpoint. 'From what Hinata showed me a couple of years back; that means a very steep area, maybe a small cliff.'

He carefully slid closer to the girls and showed it to them. Hinata looked at what he pointed out and smiled. At least Naruto had been paying attention to her teaching even then. "Hinata, how can something be there but not be there at the same time on a map?"

The heiress thought and muttered, "Well the map is from above so the checkpoint is under that spot. Under. Wait, Naruto. Maybe it IS at that spot just not where we can see it. Maybe it's underground. From above something underground would be at the same spot on a map as the things over it!" She pointed at the spot that indicated a cliff, "There might be a cave there going back into the hillside. That would explain why we couldn't see the checkpoint. Plus the fog would cover up the sight of one and confuse people. Likely that would be the best place to put the scrolls we need to retrieve as well. What I had seen at sunset looked like posts as well."

Sakura grinned. She had a plan to limit the competition.

The morning crept closer as the team began to move again. Sakura had them head for the small cliff to check it out and see if it truly was a cave. The fog slowed their progress but as the first hint of light touched the eastern horizon, they found what they were seeking. It was indeed a cave going back into the slope in the direction of the checkpoint. Sakura grinned again in an almost evil fashion as she concentrated. Naruto was stunned as the cave opening first disappeared behind a wall of solid rock. Then to make it more difficult to see, Sakura added the image of a rockfall in front of that.

"That should slow anyone else down," Sakura said with a smile. The prankster in Naruto admired the deviousness of his teammate. The trio then headed out for the other two checkpoints to get the needed codes.

As the light increased, their range of vision extended. In under a half hour they were able to reach the seconds part of the password. The eastern sky was well lit by now with the first rays of dawn not far behind. They sped up to make sure they could get the final part of their password.

The top of the far western point of the valley was touched by sunlight as they got to the last portion of the password. The team wrote it down and headed back towards the cave. They could see several groups on the slope above the last checkpoint as they ran along the bottom of the valley toward the still hidden cave. The fog hid the genjutsu well. They were hidden from the view of those groups by the small cliff and the team simply walked through Sakura's genjutsu into the cave. Naruto pulled out a yellow glowstick as the team moved back into the cave. They hurried along the tunnel and in an opening found a number of sealed boxes. They found the one that corresponded to their map and opened it. Sakura took the scroll and the team headed out of the cave. They needed to get back up the mountain.

Once outside, the team found several groups looking along the base of the cliff. They were all startled as Team Apprentice just walked out of an apparently solid wall and sprinted off. Shouts of "Kai" sounded as the teams dispelled Sakura's genjutsu. Naruto did see a few teams on the western slope but the checkpoint up there was already bathed in sunlight.

They took an hour to get back to the village gate. The jonin proctor was waiting. Hinata handed over the map and Sakura handed over the scroll. The jonin checked the scroll to insure it was unopened then matched the numbers and nodded. He opened the scroll and passed it back to the team. "Follow the instructions on the scroll," was all he said to them.

The scroll directed them to reach a temple on a mountain 30 miles distant by noon. The team was tired from being up for nearly a full day at this point with only short cat naps. But, they headed out without complaint. They noticed at least a half dozen teams heading up with scrolls as they were heading back down.

Their months of physical training under Anko worked well in their favor, even with the altitude they were at. They were able to reach the temple with several hours to spare with only minor stops for necessities. By noon, only 3 other teams had arrived. All were Cloud teams.

One of the boys on a Cloud team was angry, "That was a sneaky trick with that genjutsu, Leaf. You'll pay for that." Several others were also looking threatening when the proctor arrived and spoke.

"Stand down. There is no fighting unless I allow it. The Leaf team did not break any rules. Hiding the cave entrance was not breaking the rules. They did nothing to the posts or to another team's scroll. In fact, I know several teams from Cloud have used that very trick in the past. Just because you are not expecting trouble doesn't mean you shouldn't be prepared for it. The test is to see if you are able to perform as chunin not spoiled genin."

The twelve people here will all move on to the finals in three weeks time. Since we do not get as many daimyos visiting, we do not take as long between the early tests and Finals. We will draw lots in the morning before the finals begin. You will not know who you are facing until then. Leaf team, you are welcome to stay in one of the embassies or to leave and return. Your jonin teacher will let you know. Let's get out of here and get back to the village before sunset."

The teams left the temple and encountered several other teams still trying to get to the temple including a Leaf and a Sand team who were having trouble with the thin air. Team Apprentice grouped together with the other Leaf team and helped along the ones who were having trouble. The Sand team thanked them but did not accept the aid.

Shortly before sunset, the team arrived back at the Cloud village to see the smiling face of Tsunade.

Next Chapter: Assault of the Killer Bee

End Notes:
I was trying to portray an alpine setting for Cloud more than one that is constantly under storms. The glimpses of Lightning Country are of a mountainous region. I went with that it having some larger glacial valleys. The Narutopedia wikia was helpful there. The skill set I was going for in my exam there was to see things that are less than obvious but can be seen if they pay attention.

My first exam had multiple chances for them to fail. First by not having a good answer for the question, second by not realizing that they were not in the room they would need to end up in afterwards. The second test was not combat related so much as it required the team to perform a mission with not all the information given up front. They needed to analyze the information they did have and make the proper decisions to succeed. The Konoha second exam is more about combat and survival and does not always mean the best teams get through; some get through on luck more than skill. My Cloud test means they not only have to make the right choices, they also need to have the ability to finish the mission within a certain timeframe and then make the escape.

Review Notes:
 My situation with the scrolls generated a lot of heat, as intended. Few mentioned my resolution as one thing that could be done with the scrolls. I don't even know what was in those jutsu scrolls and I wrote the stinking story. The Raikage is not just a leader. He recognizes future leaders as well and sees that in Naruto. He wanted to get his own measure of the boy in a setting he controlled.

For emauser. My choice of tonfa was more for having a weapon that was not used often in stories but could be useful for the characters. In canon as well as my story, both Naruto and Hinata are SHORT at age 12, almost 13. He is only 4'9 at this point in canon, Hinata is 4'10 and Sakura is 4'11. My Naruto has actually done slightly better and is 4'11 at this time with Hinata and Sakura still at their canon height. Tonfa will give them some additional reach in their taijutsu attacks that they are lacking against adult opponents without the need for killing everyone like blades would do. As far as his ability to change people, I have intentionally subdued that. I felt that his canon influence was greatly overstated. He does change people but not as fast. The team is more or less equal at this point because the teaching they got was intended to be as broad as possible. Make them competent in a wide array of skills and that will allow them to build up to a greater level of specialized ability later on. The whole tonfa training also served as a good teambuilding exercise.

I tend to have something bad and something good happen to Naruto. For every loss, there is a gain. For every good thing, there is a bad. It all balances out but it is how Naruto handles it all that makes him special and come out ahead in the end.