Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor the characters that are in the stories I write of them. I do now make any monetary gain from any of this story.
A/N: Here's the next little bit so I hope you enjoy. Thanks to:
Dark Blue Princess: You know what I realized in the past few weeks since I wrote the last chapter? That the ones who like my stories are the only ones who actually want me to continue it. Owell, just to piss off everyone in the real world I'm going to keep on writing and hey, if my stories get noticed then maybe I can shove it in their faces and say, "Wow, you guys are idiots, you actually think I would stay around you when you kept on back talking my stories? Yeah, don't think so. My grandmother and cousin were the ones who motivated me to write so they can kiss ass."
Ankwaht: Don't lose patience too quick. You will find those who have more patience succeed more in life.
YukinaUzuha: Reviews like yours always make me smile. I do not believe there will be a limit to people's questions. Just ask away, especially if I have left you confused about parts of the story. You are right though, there will be time skips and already have been some as well. I will be going through the important parts such as what happens to both of them and the fight between each other. I hope you guys noticed the fact that Sakura will make it seem like she isn't interested in Sasuke anymore but also she has taken up the road to protect Naruto a little bit. The problem I'm foreseeing is the time after Sasuke left will be majorly changed than what is in the manga. Sorry if you guys were hoping that it would stay like that though.
Silvermane1: I would so love to see that but wait till my insane mind pulls something. I sometimes don't have control over what it comes up with considering I'm a crazy woman.
Angelaneahwalker: Yeah, we really have to pity her. Though she will still seem to be around the same smarts as the manga but only because she has to train more than the others. She will show a lot of strength later on.
AiMila: Yeah, I have been remembering all of it and my little impish self keeps on showing through when I change something in the storyline. I think it controls me!
Kissrose36: Here's the next chapter~
Inuyashas Bloody Moon: Well, here's the next update. I'm glad you really liked this story; I'll try to keep it interesting for you. Just to let you know that I'm a crazy and evil woman so I might make you and everyone else either upset at some point or cry. Boy, that does sound like I'm a mean bitch, sorry.
Chapter Ten
"The exam will last one hour. Okay…Begin!" As Ibiki says this the whole classroom is filled with pencil sounds from them writing on their papers.
"This could be very very very bad…Naruto…" She looks at the back of the blond pigtailed head. "Just please don't get zero points."
"Heh…" Naruto giggles. "Hehehe…This is nothing. I've survived through dangerous situations numerous times…I can't fail here." She thinks as she grips a hold of her aching head. "In times like this you just have to calm down…Relax…" She begins humming a tune as she remembers all of the Genjutsu training from the Hokage since that is the reason she couldn't study much for her school work. "Calmly look over each question, find one you can answer and focus your mind on it." As she looks the paper over Sasuke looks at her worriedly.
"Damn…This is bad…Looks like Naruto's already freaking out!" He bites onto his thumb as he wiggles the pencil in his hand.
"First question is a cryptogram. Ok, let's do it!" She widens her eyes as she remembers what Sarutobi told her in her many questions to him. Then she looks down at the paper with a huge smirk on her face and starts writing. "Next!"
"Is Naruto going to be alright? I have to worry about myself…I need to get us points here…" Sakura thinks as she picks her paper up to look at it closely. "Hmm…No.2 "Line B, seen in the picture, is the greatest possible distance a Shinobi…Can throw his Shuriken from a tree of 7 meters. For enemies who appear within the circumference of the Shuriken's range, explain the attack options using this distance. Show your work." This is a complicated question that requires a high amount of both book smarts and experience…There's no way Naruto can answer this…Actually…Almost everybody here won't be able to…Though I can…" Naruto's face morphed from the smirk to an almost tearful gaze. Sasuke smirks at her.
"Hehe…I see…I can't…Answer a single one of these…" Sasuke starts sweating when he feels Naruto's terrified emotions fill him. "Why is she terrified? Anyway, what's with question 10…?" He wonders as he looks at the question. 'Question 10: This question will be revealed 45 minutes after the test begins. Listen to the examiner closely before answering.' Naruto starts panicking and tears fill her eyes as a voice start talking back to her in her head.
"Calm down, kit. You will be fine with me at least being able to talk to you now." Being very innocent she didn't realize that it was the Kyuubi talking to her. She thought it was her conscience. "This is bad! Seriously…! Seriously! Seriously! I'm starting to have conversations with myself! What should I do…" She starts chanting to herself. Kyuubi shakes her head inside her chamber and sent out waves of calming Chakra to engulf her leaving a red outline to her skin. "Just…Calm down…" She tells herself. While she is steadily panicking Sasuke is taking a look around the room noticing all of the Chunins that lined the walls who are steadily staring at the examinees.
"…What's with this…? It's like they assume we'll cheat…What bastards…" He shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair showing his frustration.
"The second rule…If they add up all the team members scores, that means we will be ranked…How many teams will be allowed to pass through…It's not like knowing…Will make any difference…" Sakura thought while she continues to plow through the test without any problems. A teen boy from the sand village stood up next to her.
"Umm...I'd just like to know one thing…How many teams will pass this test?" He asks Ibiki who is steadily walking through the room and Sakura looks at him irked. She looks at the examiner with shock when he starts laughing loudly.
"It's not like knowing will help you…Or do you want to be disqualified?" He asks with a sinister look on his face.
"Sorry..." The teen says as he sits back down quickly.
"I thought so…If only 10 of the 51 teams will pass…Then you have to score a lot of points…" Sakura thinks as she twirls some of her hair around her fingers. "This is a system that encourages cheating…Hopefully Naruto or Sasuke-kun won't be foolish and try to cheat…" She looks up at Naruto. "Don't worry Naruto isn't that stupid. I know that." She smiles.
"Relax…I just have to calmly…calmly…Figure out why the hell I'm talking to myself without looking like I'm going insane!" Naruto thinks while banging on her head and Kyuubi snickers at the girl. "I can't cross that dangerous bridge."
"But all those guys watching us…They are probably making checks on those sheets." Sasuke thought as he looked at the Chunins. One of them starts writing something down. "Someone just got caught." He thought about what Ibiki said then realized that there was some hidden meaning in it. "Wait a second! Damn it. This isn't a test to just measure our intelligence. I see, so that's it! Hurry up and notice Naruto." He says as he watched his girlfriend continue her internal meltdown. "It could cost you everything…Because this is…also a test to see how well…We can gather information with our skills." He continued to go over all of what Ibiki said to them and rubbed his head. "So basically what is being tested is…Our ability to gather information without being caught by the testing officers and the person whose test we are cheating off. Notice this Naruto…The smart guys will begin moving soon." He thinks as he watches the now still form of his girlfriend. Gaara's eyes furrowed when he noticed Naruto no longer is fighting herself then shoots a dark glare at Kankuro.
"Don't look at me like that…I know…" Kankuro thinks as Gaara arches his hand as sand starts swirling around his hand. "So Gaara's also started…I'm counting on you Karasu…" He looks at the Chunin's along the walls through his eyelashes. Akamaru is looking around the room at everyone.
"Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof!" He quietly barks at Kiba.
"Yahoo! Good boy, Akamaru! Now for No. 4…" As he says this a bug is flying around everyone and then lands on Shino's finger.
"Good! Tell me." When he says this the bug flies in a pattern. "Answer is 8, ok." Some strings were attached to a mirror that is stuck into the roof adjusting them. Tenten looks towards her team mate.
"Lee, if you see it touch your head protector." As she thought this the boy tightens his head protector. One of the men from the sound village closes his eyes and listens to the sound of the pencil strikes on someone's paper.
"From this word's Rhythm, stroke order, amount of strokes…Ah, I see…" He writes down the answer and Neji is looking around the room then closes his eyes.
"Byakugan!" He says while activating his Keikei Genkai. This in turn makes him able to see through a Genin so that he could see the answers on their test.
"Ok, that guy, look at his movements and…copy them! Sharingan!" Sasuke activates his eyes and starts copying every move the Genin made.
"Ah damn it! My only chance is to just listen to this voice!" She panics and grabs handfuls of her hair. "Kit, you are running out of time!" As Kyuubi says this a Kunai flies past Naruto's head making her eyes go wide. It strikes the test paper of the Genin behind the blond.
"Whoa!" The Genin cries out.
"What was that…? I was about to look over…" Naruto gulps.
"What was that for?!" The Genin cries out at the Chunin who threw it.
"You messed up 5 times. You fail." The Chunin says with a small smile on his face.
"No…No way…!" He stammers out.
"The two on his team, get out of here. Right now." He says while standing there waiting to escort them out of the room.
"Damn it." He mutters as he gets up and his team mates follow behind him.
"Hurry up and leave." The Chunin says following them out the door.
"That was close…I guess I really do have to listen to this voice so I don't get caught cheating." She thinks as she watches the whole scene with a big frown on her whiskered face.
"Naruto-chan…You can look at my test." She says as she blushes.
"Huh?" Naruto wonders while looking at the girl besides her.
"You can look at my answers Naruto-chan…" She says blushing because she isn't used to talking to the girl.
"What is she saying? Why?" Naruto wonders as she looks at her with shock on her face. "Let her know that you don't need the answers since you are basically a library." Kyuubi says while wondering what the girls angle is. "Could it be…Some kind of trap?" Naruto wonders as she looks at the girl that she knew she couldn't trust. "Probably, kit. Who knows who you can trust anyways? I know you can trust Sasuke but this small shrimpy girl probably knows how to trick people." Naruto looks at her with her eyes analyzing every movement. "Nah…Hinata wouldn't do that…But if Kiba told her to do it…" You could tell by her facial expression that she doesn't trust the girl. "Hey, Hinata, why are you willing to do that?"
"Because…I…" She gulps and plays with her fingers then looks at her. "…Don't want you to disappear here." She says looking at her with pink cheeks. "See…The 9 of us are the only rookies…We need to work together…" She panics when she thought Naruto wouldn't buy her story.
"Hehe…Oh, I see…I was kind of confused…" Naruto says while laughing quietly. "Anyway…How lucky I am. Good thing I'm next to Hinata." She thought while watching the girl scoot her test towards her so she could see the answers. "Before you think of doing something stupid might I remind you that you don't need to cheat? You know every single answer on that test. Look around you. Pay attention to the fact that you have at least one of the Chunin's looking at you at all times." Kyuubi says as she brought that factor to the girl's attention. Naruto looks around in shock and noticed one of them writing down on a clip board then look straight up to see that she was looking at him and he smiles. "Hinata…You don't understand."
"Huh?" She looks at her with those violet eyes that would bring any man to their knees when she is a full blown adult.
"An incredible Kunoichi like me doesn't need to cheat." She grins at her.
"Naruto-chan…But…" She stutters out.
"Plus, because you helped me cheat…You could get in trouble too." Naruto says trying to reason with her. "I've got an internal library anyways so these questions are child's play for me." Naruto then starts to write furiously in the answer boxes making Hinata's eyes widen when she notices that every answer was written down with precise strokes and in more detail than most would even be able to put down besides the Chunin's and Jounin's that are in the room now.
"Naruto-chan…But…" She wonders how the girl knows all of this without even trying to cheat.
"And besides if I get caught it will cause problems…For Sakura-chan and Sasuke…I can't blow it here…" She puts her pencil down since she finished the last question.
"I'm sorry…You're right…" She smiles at her.
"No problem." She then looks down and realized that she did what she didn't want to do. "Damn…Now what am I going to do? I didn't want anyone to know that I am smart!" She looks up at the clock since now she is bored. "30 minutes have passed…Only 30 minutes. Then…I'll have to risk it on this." She narrows her eyes as she boosted her Chakra a little taking tendrils of it to weave into her team mates system to unknowingly control their bodies to finish the test with no problems.
"Ok…Now I just have to wait for the 10th question." Sakura says as she smiles down at the completed text not realizing that not only was it finished and in two different writing but it was also corrected.
"This is working well…I was going to copy a few more people but…" Sasuke smirks widely when he stops writing and his eyes widen when his hand continues to move and finish up the rest of the test. He turned his Sharingan filled eyes to look at the crowed and noticed that it was Naruto doing this. "Wait, how did she…?"
"Looks like Sakura's hand has stopped. It's finally time to do it. Sakura…I will acknowledge the size of…Your forehead and your intelligence, so be thankful…3 That you will be the target of this Jutsu…3 Here I go.3" Ino says as she switches her soul to Sakura's body.
"Ino's fallen asleep. She must have begun that Jutsu." Shikamaru says while looking over at his team member.
"That's one Jutsu you can't resist…" Choji thinks as he just sits there.
"Hehehe sorry…Sakura…I'm going to enter your spirit for a little while…3 I have to memorize these quickly, 2-3 minutes is this Jutsu's limit.3" Ino says while controlling Sakura's body to pick up her test. "I have to enter Shikamaru and Choji and copy these answers for them too.3" Her eyes widen when she notices that there is two types of hand writing. "What the…? She doesn't write this neat…"
"No. 102, stand up. You fail." A Chunin says from the sides.
"No…Damn it!" The Genin says while shakily placing his hand on his face.
"Number 23, you fail." They say as they jerk the Genin out of the room by the front of his shirt.
"No!" He screams.
"43 and 27. You fail." Says another Chunin.
"That's 13 teams that have failed…" Kabuto says as he looks around the classroom. A Genin from the Sand Village slams his hand down on the desk while glaring at them.
"Do you have to prove that I cheated 5 times?!" He shouts at the Chunin. Are you guys watching all…" He stops shouting when the Chunin disappears from his spot. The Chunin then slams the Genin into the wall with a loud slam. "Ugh! Gu…" He wheezes out from the impact with the wall.
"Listen, among Chunin's we are the elite that were assembled to watch over this exam. We haven't missed anything you've done." He smirks up at the sweating and wincing Genin. "You could say that this strength is our proof." Around the room you could see nothing but shocked faces and some of the Genins were gulping in fear. Ibiki's attention went straight to Gaara who is sitting so still and has his hand in a Chakra concentrated form. "Hmm…What's that kid up to?" He wonders as he keeps staring at him. "Completely calm during all of this…" He watches Gaara bring his right hand up to close his left eye while his left hand has his fingers curled a little like he is holding a baseball. "Very impressive…" Sand started forming around the teen's hand, creating an eyeball that looks up at Gaara.
"The third eye…Is opened!" He clenched his fist making the sand scatter. It floated throughout the whole room until it swarmed invisibly around a smiling Genin who ends up getting some in his eyes.
"Ugh, dust in my eye. Damn it…" He whines and starts rubbing his eyes. The eye reforms again above the boys test paper. Gaara saw all of his answers and started writing them down while a Chunin notices the boy still rubbing his eyes. "Oww…!"
"Excuse me." Kankuro raises his hand and stands up.
"What is it?" One of the Chunin's asks.
"Bathroom…" The Chunin comes up to him and puts cuffs on him with a rope tied to them.
"We have to follow you to the bathroom." He explains to the teen.
"I see…" Kankuro says as Gaara watches him leave the room. "Those testing officers aren't very impressive…" He says as he stands at a urinal to use the bathroom. "They didn't even notice that there was an extra one…Don't you think? Karasu…Ahh…So, start telling me from question 1…Hehe…" He starts shaking from laughter. "Hehehe, we've gotten rid of the trash. Now let's get to the main…It's about that time…"
"Ok, we will now start the 10th question." Ibiki says while staring the Genin down.
"Here it comes!" Naruto thinks while she nervously gulps. "Hopefully this one will be like the others." Naruto thinks while gulping.
"Pft…About time…" Sasuke glares at Ibiki.
"This is the final mountain." Sakura smiles cockily.
"Hurry up and return Kankuro…You are supposed to pass the answers to me before the 10th question." Temari glares towards the door that he went out of.
"Now…Before we get to it…I'd like to go over the added rules for this question." Every Genin's eyes widen when he says this. Kankuro finally enters the room with Karasu still playing as one of the Chunin's. "Heh…Nice timing…" Ibiki says to him and he holds a confused expression on his designed face. "Was your doll playing beneficial?"
"He…Saw through Karasu…?" Kankuro was surprised at how insightful this man was.
"Just sit down." Kankuro walks towards his seat, but passed a tiny folded piece of paper to Temari on his way. "I'll now explain…These are…The rules of desperation…"
"Rules of desperation?" Naruto gulps as she looks at the man.
"First, for this 10th question…You must decide whether you will take it or not." He says as he paces in front of the classroom.
"Choose whether to take it?" Sasuke wonders to himself.
"Choose?! What happens if we choose not to?!" Temari shouts out at the man.
"If you choose not to, your points will be reduced to zero…You fail! Along with your two teammates." He answers her.
"What does that mean?!" A Genin with glasses on shouts at him.
"Then of course we will decide to take the question!" Another Genin shouts as she glares at the man.
"And now…The other rule." He says quietly.
"More? Give it a break already!" Sakura says as she is startled at the rules so far.
"If you choose to take it and answer incorrectly…That person will lose the right to take the Chunin selection exam again." Naruto's jaw drops as she stares with wide eyes at the man.
"What kind of stupid rule is that?! There are guys here who have taken the exam before!" Kiba shouts while pointing at the man, the pup yapping the entire time on his head. The man starts laughing a sinister laugh and everyone looks at him as if he lost his mind.
"You guys were unlucky. This year it's my rules. But I am giving you a way out." He says while the Genins look at him confused. "Those that aren't confident can chose not to take it…And try again next year."
"So basically if one of the 3 chooses not to take it, everyone fails." Sakura looks down with furrowed brows while biting on her lip. "And if you decide to take it…And get it wrong you will be a Genin forever…Both options are bad! What a decision!" Naruto glares up at the man with clenched jaws and starts shaking with anger. Hinata looks at her.
"Now let's begin…The 10th question. Those that do not wish to take it, raise your hand, once your number is confirmed, leave." There was a buzz going around the room as everyone contemplated what they should do.
"What kind of question is it going to be?! Damn it! If I get it wrong I'll be an eternal Genin…No way! But if I choose to avoid it…Sasuke and Sakura-chan will fail too. I don't want that either!" Naruto glares up at the front of the room as she twirls some of her hair around a finger.
"I won't raise my hand. I have confidence that I can answer it. Even if Naruto causes us to fail…It's not like I got the question wrong, so I can try next time. But…But Naruto, you're different…You should forget about us and think about the next chance." Sakura thinks as she stares at the petite blonds back. The first hand is raised.
"I…Won't take it!" A Genin gets up and walks out.
"I'm sorry Gennai, Inoho…" The Genin sitting besides Naruto stood up while shaking.
"No. 50, fail! 130, 111, also fail!" As the Chunin says this the ones who are on his team stood up.
"Damn it!" The Genin says while bowing his head in shame. From that time on there were hands getting raised left and right. Naruto starts shaking even more.
"Naruto…Why aren't you raising your hand?" Sakura wonders while she looks at the girls trembling form. "She…Always acting like a fool who only knows one thing…Hokage, Hokage…I'm sorry Naruto…That impossible dream of yours…" She smiles at her teammate. "I don't want to see it crushed!" She starts to raise her hand but pauses in surprise. "Huh?" She saw Naruto with her arm raised over her head still steadily shaking like a leaf. "Na…Naruto…!" Sakura's expression shows disbelief so much that she didn't look the same. Sasuke couldn't believe his girlfriend raised her arm and Hinata wondered what she was doing. Naruto shakily held her arm up then slammed it down on the table in front of her.
"Don't underestimate me! I will not run!" Everyone around her looked at her in either shock or wonder. "I'll take it! Even if I'm a Genin forever…! I'll will myself to becoming Hokage anyway, so I don't care! I am not afraid!" She huffs out.
"She wasn't thinking about us at all…What guts…" Sasuke closed his eyes with a smirk on his lips.
"Yeah…You're that kind of idiot…" Sakura thinks while smiling at her.
"I'll ask you again. Your life is riding on this decision. This is your last chance to quit." Ibiki says while looking directly at the tiny girl.
"I follow my unbending words…That's my Ninja way…" Naruto says smiling while she challenges him. All the other Genins look at her with admiration.
"Interesting kid, she blasted away everyone's worries. 78 left…More than I expected…Stretching this any longer won't make any difference." He looked over at the Chunin's who smile at him and nod their heads. "Good decision. Now to everyone still remaining…" He pauses and looks at the still nervous Genin. "I congratulate you on passing the first test!" He shouts at them with a smile on his face.
"Ha?" Naruto is confused as she looks at the scarred face.
"To the 78 who remain…Congratulations on passing the first test!" He grins as he watches everyone's shocked expressions. Naruto's face turns shocked as her fox chuckles and her Chakra disappears.
"Wait…What do you mean? We already pass? What about the 10th question?" Sakura asks with a perplexed look on her face.
"There never was such a thing. Or you could say that those two choices were the 10th question." Ibiki says with a huge grin on his face. Sakura's eyebrows furrow even further.
"Hey! Then what were the first nine questions for?! They were pointless then!" Temari shouts out looking royally pissed.
"They were not pointless…They had already served their intended purpose." He explains. She looks at him like he lost his marbles. "To test your individual information gathering ability…That purpose."
"He's suddenly changed personalities…" Temari thinks as her jaw drops a little. "Information gathering…?"
"First, as the rules explained…Success on this test is based on the whole team doing well. This put pressure on each member not to…Mess things up for their teammates." He explains further.
"I see…I see…" Naruto nods as she thought it was a valuable reason. "I had a feeling this test was like that."
"Liar!" Sakura thought as she glares at the girl who is still nodding. Hinata starts giggling at her.
"But the questions on this test were not the types a mere Genin could answer. Because of that…I'm sure most of the people came to the same conclusion…That to score points…I'll have to cheat. Basically…The premise of this test is to cheat." Sasuke laughed at this. "As cheating targets, we had two or so Chunin's who knew all the answers mixed into the crowd, to help you guys out." Naruto's eyes flew wide and she panicked.
"I had no idea!" She doesn't enjoy people knowing that she feels like an information bank.
"Man…It sure was tough finding that guy." One guy says behind Naruto.
"Yeah, I know." Another replies.
"Hahahaha! I saw right through that! You'd have to be a moron to not notice that! Right Hinata!?" Naruto asked the shy girl sitting next to her.
"Yeah…" She says quietly.
"She hadn't noticed it herself either…" He thought shaking his head at his girlfriend.
"But those that cheat poorly…Fail, of course." Ibiki says while untying his Hitae ite. He removed the cloth and showed his scarred scalp that looked even worse than the crisscrossed scars that covered part of his face. "Because…At times, information is more important than life…And on missions and the battlefield, people risk their lives to get their hands on it."
"Horrible burns, screw holes, scars…The after effects of torture…" Sasuke thinks as he tries to be emotionless to hide his shock. Naruto and Hinata shiver in revulsion.
"Hehe…It must be worse under those gloves…Of course, I wouldn't make the mistake of becoming a prisoner…" One of the team members from the sound village thinks and Gaara looks at the man not even showing anything.
"If the enemy or 3rd party notices you…There is no guarantee the info will be accurate…" Ibiki says while tying the Hitae ite back onto his head. "I want you to remember this. Important information in your hands…Can be a powerful weapon for your comrades and for the village. So we had you gather information through cheating. This clearly separated those that did not have the right abilities."
"But…I don't understand the final question." Temari explains with confusion covering her face and Ibiki grins at the girl.
"But…Question 10…Is the true purpose of this test." He explains to them and Naruto's face shows confusion as well.
"What do you mean?" Sakura asks.
"Let me explain…The 10th question…The "take it " or "Not take it" decision…Obviously these were painful choices. Those who choose the latter fail along with their teammates. Those who choose to take it…Could lose the chance to take the test again…A true leap of faith." Ino tries to think hard about this while listening to him. "About these two choices…Say you guys become Chunin's. Your mission is to steal a secret document. The amount of Ninjas, etc. Is unknown to you. And of course there could be traps set all around you. Now do you accept, or not accept? Because you don't want to die…Because you don't want your comrades hurt…Can you avoid this dangerous mission?" Naruto frowns at this. "The answer is no! No matter what the danger…There are missions you can't avoid. The ability to be courageous…And survive any hardship…This is the ability needed to become a Chunin Captain. Those who can't put their destinies on the line…Who cling to the uncertain future of "There's always next year"…And then walk away from their chance…Those pieces of trash who can only make such cowardly choices…Don't have the right to become Chunin…That's how I feel!" As he talks he looks directly at Naruto who smiles brightly at the man making him smile as well. "Those who choose to take it…Answered the tough 10th question correctly. You will be able to survive any troubles you face in the future. You made it through the entrance. The first test of the Chunin selection exam is now finished. I wish you guys luck."
"Hell yeah! Wish us luck!" Naruto shouts at the top of her lungs while Ibiki laughs.
"Interesting girl…" He thought then movement at the window brought his attention towards it. A shadowed form bursts through the glass window of the classroom and surprised all of the Genin's with its spinning and flipping. It threw two Kunai's with a black banner attached to it. The Kunai stuck into the ceiling.
"What's this?!" Naruto shouts out with comically wide eyes. Sakura looks at the form that is still sliding on the floor trying to stop.
"Geez…Not this one…" Ibiki says with irritation.
"You guys! This is no time to be celebrating!" A Kunoichi Jounin says as she stands up. "I am the examiner for the second test! Mitarashi Anko! Now let's go! Follow me!" All of the examinees are looking at her like they were the audience of a freak show.
"Bad timing." Ibiki says to her and her cheeks turn bright red.
"This examiner…Is Naruto-ish…" Sakura says as she gives the woman a glare. Anko is looking around the room counting the students.
"78…!? Ibiki! You left 26 teams?! The test was too easy this time!" She yells at him.
"This time…There are a lot of outstanding ones." He says while smiling.
"Bah, that's fine…I'll at least cut them in half in the second test." Anko says cockily.
"Cut us!? At least in half?" Sakura starts panicking.
"Ahhh…I'm getting excited…I'll explain everything once we're changed places, follow me." Everyone follows her and Ibiki goes around picking up the test papers. One test caught his eyes.
"There's someone who got through here with a completely book score perfect test…Uzumaki Naruto…A very interesting girl…"
1010TEN1010
The whole group stopped right in front of a chain link fenced in area that had ancient looking trees. Naruto looks up at the intimidating forest and felt the calming aura from the beasts.
"Welcome to the stage for the second test, practice area 44. Also known as…"The forest of death"!" She watches as a small pigtailed blond looked up at the forest undaunted by the vast and dangerous look of it. She smiles when she remembers how she was the one who always chose to watch after the girl, even before she knew she was one.
"This is creepy…" Sakura says as she stands between Naruto and Sasuke while they waited for everything to start.
"Bah. You'll soon find out…Why it's called the "Forest of Death"." Anko says while looking evilly at the Genin crowd. This irked Naruto who is used to the Kunoichi being this vague.
""You'll soon find out…" "Why it's called the Forest of Death". You think that scares me?! That's nothing! I'm not afraid!" She glares at the woman while pointing her finger at her.
"Yeah…You're still spirited…" She smirks at the girl and whips out a Kunai. She throws it in a random direction to distract the girl. It ended up cutting a strand of hair on a Genin's head and she disappears to reappear right behind Naruto. "Kids like you are quickly killed…Hehehe…" Naruto knew she would get cut again by the crazy Kunoichi and the blood trailing down her cheek was proof. "Spraying that red blood I love…" She says as she licks some of the blood up before she heard a movement behind her. She whips out another Kunai and was about to throw it at the intruding Genin when they ended up handing her the one she threw before with their tongue.
"Here's…You're Kunai…" Anko blocked the tongue from touching her with the Kunai she brought out.
"Why thank you." She says and licks her lips with a blood covered tongue. Naruto is looking at her with red eyes even though no one notices. "But you know…Don't sneak up behind me…Unless you want to die." She says as she spins both Kunai in her hands.
"No…I just get excited when I see red blood…Plus you cut my precious hair, I couldn't help it…" The serpent-like Genin says while they brought their long tongue back into their mouth.
"Naruto…" Hinata looks at the girl with worry filled eyes.
"What's with this examiner…This is bad…And this one too…" She says as she looks from Anko to the mysterious Genin.
"Sorry about that." Anko says to him.
"Why is that guy's tongue so long?" Naruto wonders as she sticks her tongue out.
"Looks like we have a lot of blood thirsty ones in this test. Hehehe this should be fun." She says with a smirk on her lips.
"You're the most blood thirsty…" When Naruto says this Anko turns and quickly rubs her hand on her head, ruffling the blond hair.
"Now before we start the second test…There's something I have to pass out." She takes out a stack of papers and shows them all. They look at her with confusion filled eyes. "You must sign these agreement forms."
"What?" Naruto squeaks out at the woman she's known for years.
"There will be deaths in this one…And if I don't have you sign these…It will all be my responsibility, hehe." She says with a wide smile at them. Naruto looks up at her with angry eyes as she rubs her cut cheek. "I'm going to explain the second test, and then you can sign it afterwards. And then each team will check in at that booth behind me." She directs their attention to the three Shinobi's sitting at a long booth that had a roof over it and a curtain tied to one of the support beams. "Ok! I will now explain the second test. Simply put…" She pauses as she hands Naruto the first sheet. "…You will attempt the ultimate survival…" Naruto hands the stack of papers to the next person after she took a sheet.
"Survival…Man…This test sucks…" Shikamaru thinks as he passes the papers down.
"First I'll explain the area in which it will take place. Around Practice Arena No. 44…Are 44 locked gates. Forest, river, and a tower in the center. From the gates to the tower is about 10km. During the survival in here, you will be asked to complete a certain task. Using your many weapons and Jutsu, you will compete in a…No rules…Scroll battle." She holds the scrolls up dramatically.
"Scroll?" A Genin asks.
"Yes…" She holds the scrolls out so they could read the writing on it. "You will fight over these two scrolls the "Heaven" and "Earth". There are 78 people here…Meaning 26 teams…Half, 13 will get the "Heaven" scroll. And the other 13 teams…Will each get the "Earth" scroll. To pass this test…Your team must make it to the tower…With both scrolls."
"So, 13 teams will lose their scrolls…Half the teams will definitely fail…" Sakura says out loud.
"But there's a time limit. This second test will last 120 hours. Exactly five days." Anko explains.
"Five days?!" Ino bursts out.
"What about dinner?!" Choji follows always thinking about his stomach.
"You're on your own. The forest is full of food. Just watch out for man-eating beasts, poisonous insects, and poisonous plants…And 13 teams passing is not likely. As the days go on, the distance to the goal will become farther. And the time to rest will become shorter. And the area is crawling with enemies. You won't get much sleep so not only will some fail by losing the scroll…But some will die from the harshness of the course. Now I'll talk about what will disqualify you. First, those that don't make it to the tower, with both scrolls, within the time limit." She said holding up one finger. "Second, those who lose a teammate or those who have a teammate killed." She holds up a second finger. "As a rule…There is no quitting in the middle, you will be in the forest for five days. And one more rule…You must not look inside the scroll until you make it to the tower."
"What happens if you do?" Naruto wonders.
"That will be a surprise for anyone who does. 3 A Chunin will be asked to handle classified information. This is to test your trustworthiness. That is it for the explanations. Exchange the 3 forms for your scroll. Then choose a gate to get ready for the start. A final word of advice…Don't die…" She looks at everyone that she is familiar with until she lands on the smiling Naruto. She nudges her gently towards her teammates and ruffles her hair again.
"It's about time to exchange for the scrolls." A Shinobi says while pulling the curtain closed so no one could see who has what.
"How do you know her, Naruto?" Sakura asked the blond whose eyebrow rose as Sasuke grabs a hold of the waist band on her skirt.
"Anko is well known with both of us because she has been protecting Naruto for years from those that could hurt her. Which in turn both of us came across her, Naruto more than I." Sasuke says while Naruto reads over the paper.
"There's a clause to this test you two. If we can get the scrolls then we succeed, but only IF we make it to the tower." Naruto quickly but neatly signs her name on the paper with her blood. While she does Sasuke notices Gaara's team walking in to get their scroll.
"I see…So you can't tell which team gets which scroll, or who on the team is carrying the scroll. It's as Ibiki said…In this test we will risk our lives fighting for information. Everyone is an enemy. Everyone here is determined." Sasuke writes his name on the paper with his blood. "There will be killing."
"Hehe…The meaning of signing that form…Looks like they understand." Anko thinks as she watches team 7 sign the consent forms.
Gate 12: Naruto team
"Ok! I won't lose! I'll kick anyone's ass that gets near me!" Naruto thinks as she flips off the gate and Sakura glares at her while Sasuke is just wondering if she lost her marbles. Naruto hands their papers to the man and is given the "Heaven" scroll.
"Everyone, follow an instructor and go to your gates! We will start in 30 minutes!" They followed the guy and he unlocks the padlock to open the gate. Anko looks closely at her watch ticking the time down and it hits the mark. "The second test of the Chunin exam…Now begins!"
"Ok! Let's go!" Naruto shouts and her team smirks while they run off.
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