III: Culling Festival

Naruto already knew what his decision would be. He'd make Chuunin on his first try, no question. No doubt Sasuke's goal was the same. He was by no means a Genin-level ninja; no, he was a Genin in title only. Even Sakura was among the strongest of his graduating class. Naruto knew that even with his Rinnegan, Sasuke was a difficult opponent. It was like there was some sort of outside force constantly keeping the two at a similar state of power. Anytime Naruto contemplated that, Kurama would let out a loud scoff but refused to elaborate other than a single sentence: "Everything happens in twos". That was fine. He'd survived this long without listening to the cryptic fox.

As Naruto contemplated his team's effectiveness, he bumped into someone with an 'Oof!' Before he could stand again and apologize, a rough hand grabbed his collar and yanked him off the ground. "O-oi!" Naruto shouted in surprise, not expecting something so aggressive. He looked at the people in front of him. There was a short kid wearing a gourd sporting red hair, looking as if he'd never slept a wink in his life. Then there was the cute blonde girl, taller than the three around her, sporting a war fan on her back. Finally was the one manhandling him; he had a bundle on his back, a black hooded one-piece, and unnecessary war paint. "Let me go, now," Naruto commanded icily. This was eerily similar to how he'd been treated by his peers growing up— tossed around for no reason other than because it was possible.

"And you say you're different from the others before you, Naruto? You're just the same, forgetting what you spit once your mouth becomes dry."

The other kid scowled. "No friggin' way! How do you just bump into someone and expect to get away with it? I guess it's up to me to teach the younger generation some manners."

"C'mon, Kankuro," the girl sighed. "You're gonna get us in trouble. We don't have time for this!"

Kankuro shook his head. "I don't think so, Temari. This brat needs to respect his elders."

Temari scowled. "You're probably the same damn age!"

Naruto had heard enough. He kneed the taller boy in the face and kicked off of his chest, sending Kankuro to the dirt while landing on his feet. Then he slipped into a loose Strong Fist stance. "Are you two going to start anything?"

Temari quickly shook her head. The red-haired kid grinned slightly. "What is your name?"

Naruto cocked an eyebrow and released his stance. "Uzumaki Naruto. And you?"

"Sabaku no Gaara. Mother will enjoy me spilling your blood. I hope you are in the exams, Uzumaki." Gaara turned to Kankuro. "Stand up, you fool, before I bury you in a desert Hell." His two teammates stiffened and fell in line. As the group walked away, Naruto kept on his path.

"Your first real test is upon you, Naruto. Make a difference here, and I will acknowledge your conviction. But it is only your intent that I will believe in. Your ability, your resources, your methods… they will all be judged at a later date. Complete this objective, and I will share with you another secret."

If you would actually tell me what the objective is…

"This is a judge of character. You'll need to do it without my interference."

Naruto sighed and kept moving.


Naruto was on his way to the Academy grounds for the Exams. He had everything he could possibly need; kunai, shuriken, explosive tags, ration bars, the works. He had it all in a pack over his shoulders, as well as his Executioner's Blade, which was now incredibly easy to handle, sealed into his right palm. As he continued, he felt a tap on his shoulder.

He turned to see a group of Cloud Genin. There were two with dark skin and one nearer to his complexion. The darker ones were equipped with swords. "Umm, can I help you?" Naruto asked. The blonde, whom Naruto took as the leader, answered.

"Yes, if you're willing. My name is Samui, and these two are Karui and Omoi. Could you please point us towards the Ninja Academy? We're here for the Chuunin Examinations. It'd be really cool of you."

Naruto grinned. "Oh, I'm headed there myself. Come on; I'll show you the way." He noticed the skeptical look Karui gave him, but Omoi was just downright weird with what he said.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to follow him, Samui? He might lead us to an ambush set by Konoha ninja and hold us ransom as revenge for the death of the Hyuuga Clan member years ago."

Naruto cocked an eyebrow. "What?" he asked, drawing a blank. Kakashi had noted that there was bad blood between Konoha and Kumo, but his lectures were more focused on tactical advantages in general against the other villages more than personal vendettas. Of course, the grudge that Iwa had on the Yondaime Hokage was something that had to be noted.

Karui growled and smack Omoi over the back of his head. "Quiet, you moron! You can't just go off saying anything you like!" Omoi rubbed his head, muttering apologies.

Samui sighed. "So uncool, Omoi. Ready when you are, Konoha-san."

"Just call me Naruto, Samui-chan," Naruto said with a grin. He then hopped onto a nearby rooftop and began to run, followed by Team Samui.

Samui kept pace with Naruto while her teammates hung back a few steps. "You seem like you could handle yourself in a fight. How long have you been a Genin?" she asked.

Naruto smirked. "Three months and I'm already ready for a promotion. Impressive, huh?"

Samui looked surprised. "I've been a Genin for about a 1 ½ years. You must be powerful to be taking the exams at such an age."

Naruto's smirk never left his face; if anything it got wider. "At least someone acknowledges my expertise. I am the future Hokage."

"I'd pay to see that."

"Aww, you don't believe I could do it? You wound me, Samui-chan."

"We'll see what you're made of in the exams, Naruto-san."

Karui was behind them, scowling slightly. She turned and whispered to Omoi, "Can you believe that she's actually conversing with a Konoha ninja? It's disgraceful."

Omoi shivered, eyes wide. "What if she becomes romantically attached to him and defects to Konoha? That could cause the Fourth Shinobi World War, and that could cause the collapse of Rai no Kuni! It might be the end of the shinobi system!"

Karui rolled her eyes. "Obviously, that won't happen. But even so… a Kumo kunoichi and a Konoha shinobi getting along? That doesn't even feel right aesthetically…"

Maybe you're just jealous of the male attention that Samui is getting?" Omoi suggested. Karui rounded on him with a savage glint in her eyes.

"Are you implying that I'm unattractive?" she asked. Omoi looked away.

"Not at all, Karui. You must've misheard me." Karui huffed and turned around.

"Good." Pretty soon they were at the Academy gates, where Sakura and Sasuke stood. Sakura's eyes widened.

"Naruto, why are you with Kumo ninja?"

Naruto puffed out his chest. "I was just being my usual, gentlemanly self, and escorting them here as a favor." Sakura rolled her eyes.

Sasuke began walking inside. "It doesn't matter; let's go." Sakura quickly followed, waving Naruto along. Naruto turned back to the Cloud ninja.

"Well, I guess when we meet again, we'll be opponents," Naruto noted.

Samui hummed. "It seems that way. Thank you for leading us here, Naruto-san." She then elbowed her teammates, who mumbled their thanks as well. Naruto waved them off.

"It's no problem. See you on the proving grounds, then." Naruto faded away.

"Oh? He wasn't kidding about his abilities; I never even noticed him create and substitute with a clone," Samui pointed out. "That's rather cool."

"Are you interested in him?" Omoi asked.

Samui looked at her teammates. "Let's watch out for that team. Someone like him, as well as the Uchiha… that's a problem. That problem is uncool."

They walked into the building.


Team Seven walked through the halls of the academy. "Kakashi said that the exams take place on the third floor, so that's where we're headed," Sasuke commanded. Naruto made a sour face. "...What the Hell's the matter with you, Naruto?"

"Who made you the leader, asshole?" Naruto challenged. Sasuke looked at him drily.

"Do you want to be the leader, then?"

Naruto smiled stupidly. "Nope! I just wanted to question you!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I didn't think so. Now follow me." They climbed up to the next floor and went in front of a room that everyone seemed to crowd around. Two older Genin were blocking the way inside. A bowl-haired Genin in a green spandex suit yelled, "Please let us through!"

He was shoved back by one the Genin. "No way! You're not ready for this kind of test. Just come back next year!"

Sakura whispered to her teammates, "Genjutsu. We're still on the second floor." Sasuke and Naruto switched on their doujutsu.

"Huh. Great work, Sakura. Let's keep going." Sasuke turned towards the next flight of stairs.

"Hold up!" a voice called out to the trio. It was the bowl-haired boy.

"What do you want?" Sasuke asked impatiently. The boy was immediately in front of them, displaying shocking speed. He was so fast that Naruto reacted on instinct.

"Almighty Push!" The boy flew into a nearby wall. Sakura bonked Naruto on the head.

"You idiot; you could've hurt him! And he's a Konoha ninja!"

Naruto immediately deactivated his eyes and started walking. "We didn't see anything, okay?" Sakura sweatdropped and followed, as did Sasuke.

Outside of the real classroom, Kakashi appeared in a puff of smoke. "Well, it's a good idea you all decided to come. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been able to participate."

Naruto scowled. "Why the Hell didn't you tell us that before?" Kakashi gave Sasuke a knowing smile.

"I didn't want peer pressure to make a decision for you. Anyway, after you go through that door, it's all you three. I can't help you. You'll have to rely on a three-man cell. But if it's you three, who took down Zabuza and Haku, I think you'll be fine. Ja ne~!" He left the same way he arrived.

Team Seven entered the classroom, immediately being bombarded by different kis. The only one who even gave a slight sweat was Sakura. Sasuke simply scoffed, while Naruto glared right back, his piercing ringed eyes making even the toughest Genin falter.

"Sasuke-kun, you made it!" Yamanaka Ino shouted, clinging to his back. Sasuke gained a tic mark on his head.

"Get off me."

Sakura scowled as well. "Release him, you pig!" she wailed. They then slipped into the trope of their petty arguing.

"I'm thinking about a restraining order," Sasuke said honestly. Naruto deadpanned.

"What would that solve? You know it won't stop them." Sasuke blew air, knowing it was true.

"Hey, it looks like we're all here!" Inuzuka Kiba yelled rather loudly, as Team Eight walked up to join the others. Shikamaru rubbed his head with a groan.

"Aww, man; you guys are here, too? Troublesome…" Choji kept munching on his chips without a care.

Shino greeted his fellow rookies. "It's nice to see you guys again."

"Same here, Shino!" Naruto said with a grin. "And Kiba— you look stronger. Not enough to pose a challenge, but as more of a warm-up," Naruto said with faux arrogance.

Kiba met the smirk with his own. "Watch your mouth dead-last. You've never beaten me in a fight, and you never will."

Hinata approached Naruto then and said," A-ano… Hello, Naruto-kun…"

"Huh? Oh, hey Hinata! It's good to see that you're here. I bet you've done some super-cool missions and defeated all types of bad guys, huh?" Naruto said. Hinata blushed with a smile.

"R-right…" she said.

Before anyone could speak again, a new voice piped up: "Keep it down!"

The rookies turned to see a grey-haired, bespectacled young man. "You're the rookies, right? I'm Kabuto. You're not making a very good impression." It was true; looking around, the group could see that the other villages and teams were glaring at them in loathing, and it wasn't hard to figure out why. "Let me give you a heads up: these exams are the opposite of a joke or game. I've taken them four years straight and still haven't passed."

Naruto grinned cockily. "That says more about you than the exams. No self-respecting ninja would fail a test with the same basic principles so many times in a row without the blame coming back on them instead of the difficulty of the test. Unlike me; I'm gonna pass on my first try!"

The guy smiled. "You won't say that once the real tests begin. Anyway, since you're new here, allow me to offer a show of good faith. I've gathered data on every contestant here, different amounts on different participants. Anyone you want to scope out?"

Naruto turned serious. Gaara… there's something off about him. "Sabaku no Gaara and Kumo no Samui." The other rookies were surprised to see Naruto actually gathering information. Kabuto looked at the cards.

"Hmm… you know their names; that makes it simple. Sabaku no Gaara: completed thirty-seven C-Ranks and… two A-Ranks? Above all that, he's never even been scratched on a mission." Kabuto let that sink in. Many Genin were regretting their choice of exams to participate in.

"Man, that guy sounds troublesome. And you've met him, Naruto?" Shikamaru said. Naruto scoffed.

"I can take him."

"Next up: Kumo no Samui. She seems to favor kenjutsu and raiton ninjutsu. She's completed twenty-two C-Ranks and seven B-Ranks. Rookie of the Year in her graduating class," Kabuto said.

"You know, if you wanted information on me, you should've just asked, Naruto-san," came a female voice. Everyone turned to see the Kumo Genin from earlier.

"Oh, hey, Samui-chan! You know how it is… just scoping out the competition, is all…" Naruto said. Samui rolled her eyes.

"That's cool, but don't think that that's all it takes to defeat me. I am from the Cloud." Naruto nodded and turned back to Kabuto.

"Any parting words of loser wisdom?"

"Well, that's pretty much all the heavy hitters you may encounter. Iwa obviously isn't here; Ame may be a threat; but I wouldn't worry about Oto. They're greener than the Hidden Grass." Just as he said that, an Oto Genin that looked much like a mummy appeared in front of Kabuto. Before anything could happen, Naruto and Sasuke were in front of him, kunai poised at his throat and heart.

Before another word was spoken, a puff of smoke entered the class at the front desk. "Put the weapons down, brats! No one kills anyone unless I say so!" Naruto and Sasuke reluctantly obeyed. The Sound nin gulped and moved back to his team. "Okay, you miserable excuses for soldiers— it's time for the first test. My name is Morino Ibiki, proctor of the first exam. Come here, single file, and grab your quizlets, pencils, and seat issues."

Naruto groaned. "Not a written test, damn it…" Sakura and Sasuke glared at him.

"If you fail, you'll regret it…" Sakura growled at him. Naruto gave her a nod and did as instructed. He ended up next to Hinata, whom he gave a smile.

"Rule time, peons! Every Chuunin-candidate starts out with ten points. Every incorrect answer leads to minus one point. Every instance of cheating will count as a deduction by two. Cheating will not be tolerated and and a failure of one participant means the entire squad loses as well. You'll have forty minutes to get through the first nine questions on the paper— I'll give the tenth orally. Questions, no? Begin!"

Naruto looked at his paper. Impossible. I don't care if someone were to call me stupid. This isn't meant to be passed by a shinobi. As if any ninja calculated exact geometry when attempting to knock enemy projectiles out of the air… That shit was all instinct.

Naruto activated his Rinnegan and looked at Sasuke, who was scribbling down answers left and right, Sharingan active. Sakura was doing the same thing as if she just knew the answers. Naruto looked at Hinata, who had her Byakugan active and as writing down answers while still looking at her paper. That's an interesting doujutsu…

"It's the only one that didn't come from the Old Man. It came from his brother." Kurama said listlessly. "I suppose you need some sort of assistance with this, Naruto?"

Naruto nearly snorted, but instead made the noise mentally. I don't need you solving all my problems for me. I'll take care of it myself. Naruto went over his options. There was Hinata right next to him, but that was far too obvious. He needed to cheat from far away, and given his arsenal, that would be difficult. ...Wait. I have five chances. Naruto focused his Rinnegan on Hinata's page and inhaled all of the information on it right as he noted a Chuunin marking him down. He then quickly wrote it all down onto his paper and deactivated his eyes.

"Times up! Now, for a bit of added flair, there's a special condition for the last question. You choose if you want to take it… but if you choose not to, you and your team automatically fail." Ibiki spoke menacingly.

"Then of course we'll take it!" one Genin spoke. Ibiki smirked.

"That's fine. But if you fail the question, then you'll be perpetually a low-ranked ninja. Always stagnant, never advancing. It's up to you to take that risk."

"You can't do that! What right do you have?!" Another Genin yelled, starting a ruckus among the others.

"QUIET!" Ibiki yelled. "Your villages all knew about this condition and signed on it, so if you want to complain, yell at your Kage! Anymore unruly behavior is grounds for automatic disqualification as well as the penalty enforced for missing the question!"

That silenced the room. "Choose now if you want to take the question; I don't have all day."

One by one, teams began to expire. "I'm sorry, but I can't risk it. There's too much on the line here!"

"This is crazy! We aren't ready for this kind of ultimatum! I'm out!"

"Reiji, you shithead! It wasn't your call to make!"

"I'm bowing out, Karasuji!"

Naruto stood up among the chaos. "Is this what the other nations are full of? Cowards!?" He shouted. "A man who stands by protocol and order is a coward! A man who pushes past norms in a quest to better himself knows what being a shinobi is all about! And you can't call yourself a shinobi if you pull out just because something is scary! If you even thought about pulling out, then you're lucky you've survived this far at all!" He sat down in a huff, and the other teams all hardened their resolves.

No one else dropped out.

Ibiki smirked at Naruto. "To those of you who stayed… you pass."

Naruto blinked. "Eh?"

Ibiki then went on to explain. "As I'm certain you know if you're still here, the goal of the questions was to test your information gathering abilities. The last question was to test your resolve… and I see that Uzumaki Naruto has that in spades. Just as he said, if you don't accept a mission because it's too dangerous… you aren't loyal to your village and shouldn't claim to be. The life of a ninja is perilous and not a game. You will die in service, at most about fifteen years from now, but more like much sooner. The day that comes to pass is when you see if it was all worth it."

A banner slammed through the window, opening itself to read 'The Sexy and Single Mitarashi Anko, Proctor of the Second Exam'. Above it stood a woman dressed rather loosely. Naruto could tell that things would get weird from then on.