Chapter 16
They had to hand in their applications for the Chuunin exam, and Ayumi was happy as a bird. Hara was sleeping peacefully in her arms as they went in. "We're supposed to go to the third floor." Ayumi said, remembering Kakashi's instructions. They saw a couple shinobi keeping Genin from entering a room, and Ayumi asked, "What's going on here?" "They're not letting us in." Tenten said, angry. "Little girls don't belong in the Chuunin exams." One of the shinobi taunted. Hara woke up, snarling, as Ayumi said darkly, "I'll show YOU who belongs in these exams once I kick your ass!" "What makes you think you can?" He retorted. Ayumi put Hara down, and said, "Don't make me reveal your little secret, too."
"What secret?" He asked, but she could here the worry in his voice. "Don't be more stupid than you are. You used a Genjutsu to make us think we were on the third floor. We're only on the second." With that, she released the Genjutsu, and the shinobi didn't seem happy about it. "Why you little-" He tried to punch her, but she caught his fist, twisting it, and said, calmly, "Don't underestimate me." She noticed stares, and released the shinobi. She was about to turn around and walk away when someone said, "Hey, you." She looked up to see Neji and Lee, and asked, "What?" "What's your name?" Neji questioned. "Ayumi." She said it in a tone saying she wasn't going to say anymore than that, and he didn't question her further.
She smiled, saying, "Well…it was nice meeting you. See you during the exams." She then turned around to notice Naruto bummed out and Lee suddenly asking Sakura to be his girlfriend. Her eye twitched as she said, "Thank GOD he didn't ask me!" "Actually…" "OH GOD!!!" She jumped when she noticed Lee was in front of her, and prayed to the lord that Lee wasn't going to say what she thought he was going to say. "Would you be my girlfriend? I'll protect you with my life!" Her eye twitched, and both Naruto and Sasuke looked like they wanted to pummel him. "Sorry, Lee…but no." Lee seemed downhearted as he asked, "But…why?"
"I like…someone else. I'm sorry." Lee was downhearted, and Naruto sighed with relief. "Wait…you like someone?" Naruto perked when Sasuke asked this question, and Ayumi blushed lightly, saying, "…Maybe…" "Who?" "I'm not going to tell you. You'll just have to be a good ninja and find out on your own." With that, she picked up Hara and dragged Naruto behind her as she headed to hand in the applications. Sasuke and Sakura followed her, and they were soon in a large room, with only half an hour left to hand in the applications. "Great! We'd better hurry, 'cause I'm not waiting until next year!" She was about to go to the door across the room when Lee appeared on the balcony.
"Oh God, what now?" She questioned, exasperated. "I've come to challenge Sasuke Uchiha to a battle." Ayumi looked at Sasuke, saying, "PLEASE make this quick! I want to actually BE in the exams this year!" Naruto, mad, ran at Lee, who easily twirled him into a wall. Ayumi smacked her forehead, saying, "Why do you have to be like this, Naruto-kun?" Before going to help him up as Sasuke began to fight. She sat Naruto up, a bit worried, when the Ayaka Sharingan flashed, and she turned to the fight to see Lee about to use a forbidden jutsu. Her eyes widened as she ran in, grabbing the bandages, and pulled him down to earth.
Lee smashed into the floor as Sakura caught Sasuke. "Don't EVER do that to my nii-san again!" Ayumi said menacingly, releasing the bandages. At that moment, a large turtle appeared, and started scolding Lee. Ayumi got an anime sweat drop before helping Naruto up. The next moment, Gai appeared on the turtle, and Ayumi's eye twitched. "Who ARE these guys?" Gai appeared behind them, saying, "So this is Kakashi's squad, eh?" Ayumi held his gaze, nodding. "You must be Ayumi. I heard Kakashi was watching you, but I never got to meet you." "Okay…" "So…has Kakashi said anything about me?" Gai questioned, sounding proud.
"Actually…no." "What?!" "Sorry, but he's never mentioned you before…" Gai seemed downhearted, and Ayumi said, hurriedly, "We need to hand in our applications, so we need to go. Right guys?" Before anyone could say anything, Ayumi grabbed Naruto and Sasuke and started dragging them towards the exit, with Sakura following hurriedly behind. Once they handed in the applications, they headed to the exam room. Kakashi was waiting outside, and Ayumi smiled, saying, "Hey, Kakashi! Came to wish us good luck?" He nodded, saying, "Yep. I thought you'd need it." After a moment of silence, he said, "Remember, don't rely just on your strength. Use your heads during these exams."
Ayumi nodded, smiling. "I know." They went inside, and saw the room was full of Genin who'd been training for a year or more. "Looks like we've got plenty of competition." Ayumi said, smiling. The other rookie's came forward, and Ayumi said, "Hey, guys! Long time no see!" Hara barked happily, and Akamaru looked at her strangely for a moment before barking happily.
"A wolf?" Kiba questioned. Ayumi smiled, saying, "She's a good friend of mine now." Ino wrapped her arms around Sasuke's neck, and a vein pulsed in Ayumi's head as she said, "This isn't the time!!" "Who are you?" Ino questioned, and the vein changed to an anime sweat drop as Ayumi said, "You're pathetic…" Another Genin with silver hair and glasses came forward, saying, "You must be the rookie's." Ayumi felt a chill race down her spine, and she didn't trust him. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Kabuto. And you are…" He looked at Ayumi expectantly, and she said, "I don't feel like telling you."
Before he could question her further, Hara growled, bristling, and Naruto called, "Come over here, Ayumi-chan! Ino and Sakura are gonna fight!" Ayumi sighed, when Kabuto said, "Ayumi…I would've found out anyway." "That's all of the information you're getting." She said, her eyes steely as she separated Sakura and Ino. That's when she turned around to find him talking to the other rookie's. He asked, "Do any of you know more about Ayumi?" Sasuke obviously wasn't going to say anything, and Naruto said, "All you need to know is that she's strong!" Ayumi walked up, saying, "It's not nice to talk about people behind their backs."
She looked at Naruto, saying, "The exams are going to start soon. You ready?" "I was born ready!" She smiled, saying, "That's good to know." Sasuke said, "Look for Gaara of the Desert and Neji Hyuuga." Kabuto took out a deck of cards, and Ayumi eyed him untrustingly as he showed them the information. Naruto almost seemed…unsure…and Ayumi was about to beat some sense into him when he turned to the rest of the group in the room, yelling, "My name's Naruto Uzumaki, and I'm gonna beat every one of you!" Her eye twitched as she said, "If we die because of this, the next eternity won't be very pleasant, Naruto-kun."
Sakura started choking him, trying to apologize to the other Genin, and Ayumi smacked her forehead, muttering, "Was he dropped on his head as a baby?" But, inside, she was smiling at his childishness. It felt good to know that SOMEONE believed they could pass. She walked over to Sakura, putting a calming hand on her shoulder, and said, "Calm down. This exam will be easy. Don't worry." Sakura seemed to calm down…when the exam proctor came in with a group of Jounin, saying, "Find a seat away from your teammates for the first phase of the exams!" Ayumi smiled encouragingly at her friends before sitting down in the back, and noticed Kabuto sit a couple seats to her right.
She glared at him before turning her attention to the proctor. "My name is Ibiki, and I'll be giving the first test. You have a test before you with nine questions. You have an hour to do the test. But you can't get caught cheating, or you'll lose two points out of a total of ten for the test. If you get caught five times, you and your team fail. The test is graded by the total of points for the whole squad, so if one person fails, you all fail." Ayumi saw Sasuke and Sakura glare at a terrified Naruto. "I will give the tenth question when there are fifteen minutes left. Begin!" Ayumi sighed, and started reading through all of the questions.
Her eyes widened as she thought, 'I don't know a single answer…wait…' she looked at Ibiki, remembering his exact words. 'He said you can't get CAUGHT cheating, but that's the only way to pass…or get any answers…so…this is to check how good we are at gathering information without being detected.' She smirked. 'Good thing the Ayaka Sharingan also has the same abilities as the original Sharingan.' She activated it, not noticing that Kabuto was studying her eyes, and she looked around for someone who knew the answers. She quickly copied down the answers for all of them, and, smiling, deactivated the Ayaka Sharingan and put her pencil down.
She saw Naruto panicking, and that most of the teams were gone. She looked at Sasuke and Sakura to see they had already caught on, and there was only twenty minutes left of the test. 'Five more minutes before this ends…' she thought as she looked at all of the Jounin. 'But those Jounin aren't as 'eagle eyed' as Ibiki lets on.' Five minutes later, Ibiki said, "It's time for the tenth question!" Ayumi's attention snapped to him in a moment, and she listened to him intently. "If you choose to answer this question and get it wrong…" Ayumi felt nervous as he paused. "…You can never become Chuunin." Ayumi's eyes widened as she said, "BUT THAT'S NOT FAIR!!"
He ignored her outburst, saying, "But you can choose to leave with your squad and take the exams next year. If you want to leave, raise your hand now." Many teams left, and Ayumi saw Naruto raise his hand, standing. "Naruto-kun…" He slammed his hand on the table, saying, "You can't scare me away! I'm going to become Hokage no matter what!" Ayumi smiled, saying, "Only a coward would leave now." "And why's that?" Ibiki questioned her. "If your not willing to fight for others, what kind of shinobi are you? You shouldn't let your fears hold you back, or you'll end up letting more lives be lost than there should have been."
She smiled. "And to face your fears makes you stronger, which is what I strive for." "Why do you want to be stronger?" "…Because someone did something…so that I could be…and I'm not about to let their efforts be in vain." When no one else raised their hands, Ibiki said, "You pass!" Ayumi's eyes widened as she said, "Really?" he nodded, and she said, "Oh…I get it now! To be able to risk your life, no matter what, is what you were trying to teach us." He nodded, saying, "You're pretty smart." "And strong." Suddenly, a huge black tarp flew in through the window, and the second exam proctor came in. Ayumi's eye twitched as she thought, 'I feel like she's crazy…'
Hara didn't seem to mind the woman, so Ayumi didn't say anything aloud. They were soon lead outside, and she showed them a huge, fenced in forest. "This is where the second exam will take place: the Forest of Death!" Ayumi looked worriedly at her teammates, but they didn't seem worried. "You'll get one of two scrolls: A Heaven scroll and an Earth scroll. You'll go out into the forest for three days and obtain the other scroll before going to the finish point in the center of the forest, which is a large tower." Ayumi looked around at the crowd of Genin as Anko kept talking, but her attention snapped to Naruto when Hara barked warningly.
She saw a kunai cut Naruto's cheek, and Anko appeared behind him. Hara bristled, growling, but Ayumi held her tight. She saw a Genin with a tongue like a snake return Anko's kunai, but Ayumi felt a shiver of fear rush down her spine when they looked at her. She shied her eyes away quickly as Hara's growl shot up to a warning snarl. The Genin brushed past her, and she felt cold rush through her blood from where the contact was made. Naruto came up, asking, "You okay?" She smiled weakly, saying, "I'll be fine." The forms were handed out, and Ayumi finished it so they could get their scroll. When they got the scroll, they decided Sakura could keep the Earth scroll, and they were lead to their gate.
Hara wanted to go in, and Ayumi smiled. Soon, the gate opened, and they ran in. Hara was ahead of the others, scenting out the other teams, and, after a while, they heard a bloodcurdling scream. Ayumi froze, and Hara whimpered, lowering her ears slightly. Naruto went into the bushes to do some…'business', and Ayumi waited impatiently for him. He came back, but her eyes narrowed untrustingly as Hara snarled. She took out a kunai, throwing it at him. He dodged, and Sakura asked, "What are you doing?! I thought you guys were friends!" "I'm friends with the REAL Naruto." Sakura looked at her questioningly before looking at the Naruto double.
Ayumi pulled the kunai back with her ninja wire, and said, "You can stop the act. Take off the jutsu." He did, and she smirked, saying, "Looks like you'll be the first person to lose to us." She grabbed her blades, running at him. Their weapons locked, and she did a sweeping kick. He fell, and she kicked him into the air. He flew up pretty far, and she jumped up after him, slashing at him with her blades before kicking him back to earth. He retreated, and they soon found Naruto. Sasuke thought it would be best if they had a password, and said a long, LONG phrase. "I got it…I think…" Ayumi said, holding Hara close.
Naruto had already forgotten the whole thing, and Ayumi sighed. Suddenly, a strange whirlwind struck, sending her flying away. She hit a tree, and slid down to the ground. She was still holding Hara, and had shielded her from the brunt of the attack. "Ow…my head…" She stood up, but held her head while holding Hara with the other arm. She put the wolf cub down, saying, "Sniff the others out." Hara seemed to nod, and sniffed the air. Her ears perked, and she started following the scents.
Ayumi followed close behind, and saw a huge snake try to bite Sasuke and Sakura. Her eyes widened when she saw the Genin from before, and she was almost frozen with fear when she remembered her own words…'To face your fears makes you stronger, and that's what I strive for…' Strength flowed through her limbs again, and she grabbed her blades as Hara hid in the shadows. She jumped up, slashing at the Genin so they jumped back. She landed in front of Sasuke and Sakura, asking, "What are you doing here?" "I just came to see Sasuke…" Ayumi's eyes turned steely as she asked, "Are you guys alright?"
Sakura nodded, saying, "We are now…" Ayumi breathed out a sigh of relief as she positioned her blades across her chest. "Who are you?" The Genin smiled, not answering her question, and her temper flared slightly. She did some hand signs, saying, "Wind Release: Wind Blade jutsu!" She ran at the Genin, slashing her blades in front of their chest and stomach. They flew back, and stood again, smirking. "That was harsh, Ayumi." She froze, asking, "How'd you know my name?" "I just need to look at your eyes to know." Ayumi's eyes widened, and he savored it a moment before saying, "Ayumi Uchiha…the only Uchiha in a hundred years with the Ayaka Sharingan."
He licked his lips with his long tongue. "I wonder what your blood tastes like…" She was frozen with fear, feeling scared, and took a step back. That's when Naruto appeared, and started fighting the enemy. "Naruto-kun…" Ayumi felt the strength die away as courage flowed through her veins. She gripped the handles of her blades tighter before running at the Genin. She did some hand signs, saying, "Twin Technique: Wolf Fang jutsu!" She kicked him in the side while Hara's tail smacked into the side of his head. He flew into another branch, and Ayumi said, "Naruto-kun, be careful!" That's when she saw a huge snake try to eat Sasuke, but she didn't have the chance to move before the Genin put a kunai to her throat.
"I wouldn't move if I was you…" His tongue lightly touched the base of her neck and her shoulder, and she flinched away from the contact. Naruto's eyes turned red as he glared at the Genin, but Ayumi said, "I'll be fine! Help Sasuke!" Naruto understood, and saved Sasuke before the snake could open its mouth. The Genin behind her poofed, and she saw the real one hit Naruto in the stomach, his fingers glowing with chakra. "NARUTO-KUN!!" Anger, rage, flowed through her body like poison as he dropped an unconscious Naruto on the ground. She did some hand signs, saying, "Twin Technique: Wolf Fang Tornado jutsu!"
She held her blades out at arms length, and started spinning, making a tornado. Hara's tail glowed before she started running in a circle, creating a tornado as well. The tornados hit him, cutting him deeply, before he flew away. He hit a tree, and stood up, his face cut, but revealed another face underneath it. She stopped spinning, and fear raced down her spine when she noticed his face. Hara whimpered, tail tucked in-between her legs and ears flat against her head. He smirked, saying, "It seems you're powerful without your eyes. And since you're a challenge, I should introduce myself. My name is Orochimaru."
Ayumi's eyes widened as she said, "Orochimaru…one of the Legendary Sannin…what do you want here?" "I originally came to get Sasuke, but I wouldn't mind getting the Ayaka Sharingan instead…" He licked his lips, and she let her rage fill her blood as she activated the Ayaka Sharingan. "You're NEVER getting the Ayaka Sharingan!" She ran at him, slashing at him with her blades, but he dodged, stabbing her in the heart. She smirked before poofing, and he calmly looked around. Sakura was with Naruto, and her eyes followed the fight with frightened eyes. A volley of kunai flew at him, but he knocked them off course with a single kunai.
Ayumi jumped down, finishing a sequence of hand signs before saying, "Fire Release: Phoenix Tornado jutsu!" She started spinning, and the fire surrounded her like a tornado. She struck him hard, and he flew back into the tree as the fire disintegrated and she stopped spinning. She looked at the body, and saw he had disappeared. She looked around, and felt a presence behind her. She twirled around, almost slashing him in half with her blades, but he grabbed her wrists, throwing her against the trunk. She lay there a moment, feeling too weak to move, and she opened her eyes. Sasuke was fighting him, and he wasn't doing too badly.
The Ayaka Sharingan deactivated, and she sat up as Hara came over. Hara licked her face, worried, but Ayumi smiled weakly, saying, "I'm fine…" She saw Orochimaru's neck grow long like a snakes and bite Sasuke's neck. "NII-SAN!!!" She stood, and he directed his attention to her. She reached for her blades, but she was knocked back against the trunk when he bit her neck. The force was so great that a crater was made into the trunk, and his neck grew shorter. She put a hand to her shoulder, feeling the blood flowing back into the wound…until a searing pain erupted in her shoulder. She cried out in pain, holding her shoulder tight, and Sakura had Sasuke and Naruto in her arms.
"Ayumi…" Sakura could almost feel the girl's pain. Ayumi felt like she had been shot in the shoulder, only worse. Ayumi glared at Orochimaru, the pain being almost too much, and he said, "It seems I'll have the Ayaka Sharingan after all, Ayumi. And you tried so hard to keep it a secret…" He smirked evilly. "But you should know that everyone knows who you are. And soon…" He licked his lips. "Your body will be mine and I'll be almost unstoppable." "Teme!" Ayumi spat, still holding her shoulder so tight it almost broke the skin. "My, my…where do you learn those words?" "None of your business!" His smirk grew as he said, "You've got spunk. I've always liked that in a shinobi."
With that, he disappeared, and his voice echoed through the trees, saying, "I'll be back for you later, little Uchiha." She felt her head swim, and her vision began to darken. 'I'm sorry, Itachi…I haven't gotten any stronger…' the last thing she heard was Sakura calling her name before her mind darkened, dragging her into unconsciousness.