-1Asuma could remember a happy time before meetings.
Kurenai ended that.
He sat there, twiddling a cigarette he wasn't allowed to smoke while his father droned on and on about missions, reports, and all the things Asuma really didn't care for. It had been rather nice when his team's mission had come up and the other jounin's had all looked to him. His students were already renowned as prodigies, which reflected well upon him considering he had been training them for only three months, and half of that had been missions. Their last mission had taken a week for everyone to heal up from. The other genin were, from what Guy, Kakashi, and Kurenai had told him, quite jealous. Asuma also suspected they were as well.
" Finally, we come to the Chunnin exam, which begins in one week." said the Hokage, wrapping his droning up. " Jounin's that believe their teams are prepared should step forwards."
" My team is ready for the exam!" said Guy, stepping forward and giving his thumbs up pose. The glint off his teeth blinded everyone for a moment.
" I think mine is too." said Kakashi, standing up as well. " At the worst it will give them a idea what to expect."
" My genin need a kick in the ass to motivate them." said Kurenai, standing up. It was rare to hear her swear, so everyone was quite convinced her students were lazy. " This might do it."
" Eh, screw it." Asuma said, lighting his cigarette and sitting back. He took a deep drag and relaxed. Everyone in the room stared at him. " What? I needed a smoke!" he said defensively.
" Asuma, we were discussing entering the genin teams into the chunnin exam." said the Third in a disapproving tone. " Do you wish to enter yours?"
" Hell no." replied Asuma. There was a muted murmur throughout the room.
" Really? They've done quite well lately." said the Third, looking at Asuma curiously.
" Well, yeah, but come on. You'd have to be a reckless idiot with no clue what your doing or care for the brats safety to enter them after three months." Asuma said boldly. There was a muted hush as Kakashi and Kurenai stewed in the unintended insult.
" Well, I'm sure your students won't mind being the only of your…group not joining in." said the Third, motioning to the other three jounin. Asuma blinked.
" Dammit, now I have to." said Asuma, annoyed. " If Naruto and Kiba didn't get to compete they whine forever. Sign the brats up." he said, sitting back.
" Yes!" shouted Naruto, breaking a ceiling tile and falling into the room. He picked himself up off the floor nervously. " Heh. I'll…go now." he said, walking towards the door. Asuma sighed.
" Hinata, Kiba, Akamaru, out." he stated aloud. The others all timidly dropped from the ceiling and followed Naruto. " I need a smoke break." said Asuma, walking after his students, puffing on the cigarette.
The silence after he closed the door was ever so awkward.
---
The next day at practice, everyone was excited.
" So sensei, what kind of test is the exam?" Hinata asked eagerly.
" Well, it varies. I can't really tell you either. I'm not allowed to." said Asuma, looking annoyed at the restriction. " I can tell you we need to focus your skills and get ready. Naruto, I want you to learn another type of jutsu, I want Kiba to have a useful summon, and, um…Hinata…to…" Asuma said, fumbling.
" I have a technique to work on." Hinata said, drawing out a scroll. " The Heavenly Spin."
" Woah, there. There's no way you'll learn that in a week, Hinata." said Asuma. " That has a reputation as a incredibly difficult technique."
" Still, I'd like to begin, and even if it doesn't work completely, it will be useful." Hinata reasoned. Asuma looked at the girl for a moment, then shrugged.
" All right, I need some money, sensei." Kiba said. " The old lady at the scroll shop's taken all mine. I even sold back the scroll creation manual for more stuff."
" Fine Here." Asuma said, opening his wallet and handing Kiba a handful of money. Kiba waved and ran off, Akamaru following behind.
" So, what kind of clone am I going to learn?" asked Naruto.
" Naruto, don't learn a new clone. The only choice left is water clones, which aren't useful for you, and rock clones, which no one in the village knows how to make. I want you to learn some new technique." Asuma said, feeling a Naruto Headache coming on.
" Oh." Naruto said, eyes downcast. " Hey! I'll ask Iruka-sensei!" Naruto perked up instantly and raced off towards the academy.
" Well, I guess I'll help you this week, Hinata." Asuma said.
" Thank you, sensei." said Hinata, unrolling the scroll and explaining what she needed to do.
---
" Holy…." was all Kiba could manage. He'd bought the large scroll that was necessary for a proper summon, finally having something to fit into the large scroll holder in his pack. He's gone home and unrolled it on the dining hall table, nearly covering the table that could seat to entire clan. The new summon manual and his supplies sit nearby, ready for him.
He was just staggered by the size of the scroll.
" Okay…" he said to himself, unrolling the instruction scroll. " Woah…this has a lot more seals…." he mumbled, looking it over. He had to cover almost every square inch of the scroll with seals, and he had to choose the animal that best fit him.
" How the hell can I know that?" Kiba said, sitting back angrily. Akamaru jumped into a chair and barked, insulted. " Oh. Yeah." he said, rubbing the back of his head. " I guess I'll get started on the outer charka paths."
---
" Who can tell me the names of the five great countries?" Iruka asked the class. The fidigity students looked at him blankly before Hanabi put her hand in the air.
" Leaf, Wind, Grass, Stone, and Water." she said, sounding bored.
" Good!" Iruka said, smiling. At least someone would answer. Konohamaru mumbled something, making his friends laugh. Hanabi glared towards the troublesome boy. They had taken a dislike to each other instantly. " Now, who can tell me which of them is the most powerful?"
" Who cares, Iruka-sensei?" Naruto said as he threw the door open. Konohamaru perked up in his seat for the first time.
" Naruto, what are you doing here?" asked Iruka irately." I'm teaching class."
" I know, but I need you to show me one of those trap techniques you told me about. Asuma-sensei is training us for the Chunnin exam and I need to learn a new jutsu." Naruto replied impatiently.
" Naruto, I can't just leave the class. We were at the end of the history lesson and about to start the combat drills." Iruka said with a sigh.
" That works!" Naruto said, forming the shadow clone technique. The hall behind him was suddenly filled with clones. " Sparing partners for everyone!"
" All right!" said Konohamaru, leaping from his desk and running towards the training field. Before Iruka could protest the others followed his lead.
" Woah, he really is like me." Naruto said, blinking.
" He still doesn't compete with the original." Iruka said, eye twitching. He sat down in his chair defeated. " So, trap techniques. What did you want to learn?"
" Um…" Naruto said. It was obvious he didn't have a specific one in mind.
" Well, you have four choices. Theres the Four Seal Cage, the Illusion Cage, and the Explosive Seal." Iruka said, knowing which one Naruto would take.
" The explosive one." Naruto said without hesitation.
" Fine. The explosive seal is like the one on explosive tags, though less permanent. You form the jutsu and press your hand to a surface, transferring the jutsu. You can trigger it with your chakra at any time." explained Iruka.
" Cool." Naruto said, mind whirring with possibilities.
---
" Kiba, it's been five days!" screeched Tsume. The boy had commandeered the clans biggest table for the creation of some scroll he had been working on night and day. He had only left the room for brief breaks to eat and go to the bathroom.
" I'm almost done!" Kiba yelled. His mother was pacing around the table. " I have to draw like two more symbols, make the contract, and I'm finished."
" You have that right." his mother hissed though her teeth. Kiba finished covering the last blank spot and sat back, exhausted. He then bit his finger and pressed it to the seal, finishing the scroll. His mother began to roll it up immediately.
" Hey! Come on, I need to check everything!' Whined Kiba as his mother handed him the scroll.
" No, you don't. Go take a shower and get out of the house." she ordered. Kiba left the room, fitting the scroll in his backpack and muttering under his breath.
After he had cleaned himself up and changed into new clothes, he left the house and headed towards the training field where his team was. On the way he passed the ramen stand and found Naruto.
" Hey Naruto! I finished the scroll!" cheered Kiba. Naruto slurped the last bite of ramen up.
" Cool. I have a new trick for my clones I think sensei will like." Naruto said competitively. He handed his bowl back and paid for his meal. " Lets go see how Hinata-chan is doing."
They arrived at the training field and found an exhausted Hinata, a battered Asuma, and dozens of shallow dimples in the ground.
" Hey!" called Kiba as they walked up. Hinata and Asuma looked up at them weakly.
" Hello Naruto-kun!" Hinata said as Naruto walked up. He smiled to her. " How was the training?"
" Pretty cool. I got Iruka-sensei to show me a technique he liked. How's the spin thingy?" Naruto asked.
" It is incomplete, but I belive it will still be useful." replied Hinata.
" Let's show each other our new techniques real quick before heading out for a dinner." Asuma said, sitting down on a bench. " Kiba, let's see you go first."
" All right!" Kiba bit his thumb, pressed it to the ground, and forced all the chakra he could out. There was a blast of smoke and next to Akamaru appeared three large, vicious looking dogs. The nearest one growled at Naruto, making him back up. " Ninja dogs!" said Kiba triumphantly. " They're like the one's my mom uses. Me and Akamaru can use our techniques with them or they can just fight for us."
" How good are they?" asked Naruto nervously.
" Like bigger, meaner Akamaru's." Kiba said before leaning down to his dog. " For the moment." he said, petting the dog. " Akamaru also has these really loud bark that can disorient people."
" Good. How much chakra does that take you to summon them?" asked Asuma.
" A lot. Those three took half my chakra. I want to keep the rest for the Beast Clone and Piercing Fang." Kiba said, dismissing the summons.
" That's pretty good. Hinata, your turn." Asuma said, turning to the girl who had finished resting. She walked several paces away and suddenly spun on one foot. Dozens of streams of chakra shot from her body, whiling around her at a high speed. She slowed and regained her balance.
" The Heavenly Spin technique forms a shield of chakra around me and deflects everything. I have not perfected it, so the shield does not completely form, but it will still knock nearby things back." Hinata said, eyes downcast. " I am sorry I did not complete my training."
" Hinata, that's still really cool!" Naruto said, trying to cheer her up.
" Yeah, Hinata, don't underestimate yourself. Hitting that barrier is like taking a punch from a Akimachi." Asuma said, indicating his many bruises. " Well Naruto, what do you have."
" This!" Naruto formed several hand seals, which resembled the shadow clone but with a change. A clone appeared besides him.
" That's the shadow clone." Kiba said, face blank.
" Not really. Jump in the lake." Naruto ordered the clone, who leapt into the water with a splash. It swum out a short distance. Naruto formed another hand seal. Hinata gasped in horror as the clone exploded in a fiery blast, sending a shockwave though the water.
" It's the Explosive Seal technique. I got it to work after a day, so I figured out how to combine it with my shadow clones. It's like having a limitless supply of explosive tags." Naruto said, grinning ear to ear. " We'll just call them explosive clones."
" Good. Now, for barbeque!" Asuma said cheerfully, leaping to his feet.
---
" Now, a few things you need to know about the exam." said Asuma when they had finished the meal. " First, the examiners can throw you out at any time for any reason."
" What?" said an astounded Naruto. " That's not fair!"
" That's the point. This is the hardest test you have ever taken. I'd like to tell you what to expect, but that's a no-no." Asuma said, sounding very unhappy with the restriction. " Now, second, you need to be in the exam room with this form by nine tomorrow. You can choose to take the exam or not. It doesn't effect anyone but you." Asuma said, handing them each a form. " Think about if your really sure you want to do this tonight and be at the academy by eight tomorrow. Kiba, head out extra early."
They all left the restaurant, Asuma saying goodbye. The three genin and the dog walked down the street together, talking.
" Well, I defiantly think I'm ready. I think you have to know a couple jutsu or something. That's why Asuma had us practice new techniques." Naruto said confidently.
" I just hope it's not a written test. I spent the entire week writing." Kiba complained, holding up his aching hand. They turned a corner and ran into two oddly dressed people. One was a boy several yeas older than them wearing a black bodysuit and a strange wrapped up thing on his back. He had a hat that made him look rather like a cat. The other was a girl with a giant fan on her back and large, poofy blonde hair. They had forehead protectors from the Sand village.
" Hey, watch it!" said the black clothed boy, shoving past Hinata. " I hate kids." he mumbled to himself.
" Hey!" Naruto said irately. " Watch were your going you jerk!" The boy turned and faced Naruto.
" You're a brave little kid, aren't you?" he said, walking to Naruto. He was a lot taller and larger. " I should kill you now."
" If you want a fight, you'll have to fight all of us." Kiba said, bearing his fangs. Akamaru growled and Hinata activated her Byakugan. The older genin looked at them then laughed. The boy began to take the bandaged thing off his back when the girl stopped him.
" Not now, Kankuro." she said, looking at the genin. " I don't think we want to kill three of the village's brat's before the test." Kankuro looked annoyed but shouldered the bandaged object. Behind them, appearing in a swirl of dust, stood a boy about their age with red hair and dark eyes.
" We should leave." said the boy. The others turned and followed him.
" Hey! Who are you guys?" Naruto shouted before they got to far.
" I'm Temari." said the girl, looking back. " These are my brothers Kankuro and Gaara. You should avoid us if you want to live." They departed after that.
" Man, what's with them?" asked Kiba.
" I believe they are here for the exam as well." said Hinata, deactivating her eyes. " Under the bandages Kankuro had some sort of puppet, and the gourd on Gaara's back contained sand."
" Huh." said Naruto.
" I think this may be more that a simple test." Hinata said, thinking deeply. " I believe we may have to fight someone as well."
" Well, I hope I get that Kankuro bastard then." said Naruto, cracking his knuckles.
---
The next day, all three genin met outside the academy.
" Kiba, why'd you bring all your stuff?" asked Naruto. Kiba had his scroll pack, which was stuffed full. " I don't think we'll need all that."
" Well, if we do, I've got everything. I got my best summon scrolls, weapon scrolls, supply scrolls, and food scrolls." said Kiba, looking over the rolled papers.
" What all do you have?" asked Naruto curiously.
" I got like a hundred shuriken, thirty kunai, some swords, a spear or two, and a dozen explosive tags." said Kiba, pointing to the scrolls in turn. " I have bandages, medicine, a tent, a fishing net, food for three weeks, summon scrolls for birds, squirrels, moths, and ninja dogs, two pre-lit fires, a map of the country, a compass, and spare clothes."
" Woah." said Hinata, Akamaru, and Naruto in unison.
" I have…three kunai…twelve shuriken…and…my clothes." Naruto said, checking his pack.
" I have two kunai, my medical pack, and two explosive tags. I also have one day's emergency rations." said Hinata checking her supplies.
" Well, good thing I'm here then!" said Kiba, beaming. " Let's head in." The genin entered the building and headed for the classroom.
They encountered a large group standing outside's of a door. There were two older looking genin blocking the door.
" You should all head home." said one. " This test is way to hard for you."
" Yeah. We're doing you a favor and saving you from embarrassment." said the other. Hinata focused. Something looked wrong about the hallway. She activated her Byakugan and saw the organized chakra forming the illusion.
" We're under a genjutsu." she said aloud. The genin all startled. In unison they calmed and broke the genjutsu, causing the two older genin to revert to adults and the hall to change, revealing they were at the wrong room.
" Good job, miss." said one of the two adults, writing something on a clipboard. " That's worth some extra credit down the line." The two men then vanished in a puff of smoke.
" I think the test already started." said Shikamaru. " How troublesome."
" But we aren't even in the classroom yet!" said an astounded Naruto. " That's not fair!"
" Yes, but Guy-sensei told us they would not be." said Lee, walking up. Naruto immediately tensed. " Naruto, I would like to apologise for how I treated you." said Lee.
" Okay!" Naruto said, accepting instantly and smiling.
" I would also like to say you are one of the people I wish to face in the exam." Lee said, getting his crazy glint back into his strange eyes. " My rival Neji, you, and your friend Sasuke are my targets."
" Eh heh heh." Naruto said, sweating nervously. He remembered how hard Lee kicked.
" I'd like to fight you too, Naruto." said Sasuke, walking past with his team. " It's always nice to have a easy fight."
Kiba and Hinata had to restrain Naruto.
Minutes later they arrived at the real classroom, where a number of jounin's were waiting. Asuma waved them over.
" Hey. Good to see you all showed up." said Asuma, smiling proudly. " Because I lied."
" Huh?" asked Akamaru.
" If you all don't show up, your team can't take the test. But if you aren't confident enough to show up, you have no business being a chunnin." Asuma said with a chuckle. " Well, get in. Things get a lot tougher from here on. Good luck." Asuma said, opening the door.
They walked into a large classroom full of genin in a large variety of clothing styles. Hinata could see they were from almost every country.
" Hey! Over here!" said Sakura, waving. The other three genin groups were standing by her. They walked over and joined them.
" I didn't know so many people would be here." said Naruto, looking around.
" Well, genin from all the countries come to participate, Naruto." said Sakura.
" Hey, does anyone have any chips?" asked Choji, shaking a empty bag. " I finished mine but I'm still pretty hungry."
" Aww, the baby's hungry?" said some genin in a Stone village headband. He noticed Naruto and narrowed his eyes for a moment.
" Baby?" said Choji, confused.
" Their refering to us as the Rookie 12. It's rare to get in the exam as early as we have. Most of them trained for years before their teachers would allow them to enter." said Neji in a brooding voice. " I understand we are rather unpopular with many of them because of this."
" Indeed." said a genin, walking up behind them. He wore a regular uniform and glasses, and had strange grey hair. " Your lack of experience could be a disadvantage. I'm Kabuto." said the ninja, introducing himself.
" Hi." said Naruto, waving.
" It might be a good idea for you to get a idea on who your up against." said Kabuto, taking out a pack of cards.
" Why are you helping us?" asked Sasuke suspiciously.
" You are from the Leaf." said Kabuto, explaining his actions. " I'd rather you were forewarned of your opponents so you have a better chance of succeeding. The more ninja from Kohona that pass and the less from other countries that pass, the stronger the village will be."
" Have you taken the exam before?" asked Ino.
" Yes." said Kabuto, grinning embarrassedly. " Six times. Something keeps going wrong. Last time didn't even get past the first test because I forgot to have my supplies with me."
Naruto began to sweat heavily.
" There are ninja from almost every country here." said Kabuto, setting a card down. There was a small flash and it revealed a map, showing the numbers of the ninja attending. " The Leaf has the most, with the Stone country and Sound country coming in second and third."
" Sound country?" asked Sakura.
" They are a new country. I don't think they will be much of a threat. The techniques used by the weaker countries are inferior to ours." Kabuto said, looking though his cards.
" Really?" said a ninja with the sound insignia on his head. He turned and walked over. His face was partially covered in bandages and he was heavily clothed. His arms hung strangely. " It's a rather stupid mistake to assume that we're weak." He swung his fist at Kabuto, who dodged. A moment later Kabuto collapsed to the ground and began to vomit. The Sound ninja prepared to attack again, but Sasuke grabbed his arm as a four clones flanked the ninja.
" Here." said Hinata, leaning over and sitting Kabuto back. She activated a medical jutsu which would calm is body, but Kabuto still looked highly disoriented.
" You are the last Uchiha." said the Sound ninja, struggling with Sasuke's hold on him. " You'll be a interesting opponent." Sasuke let go of him, and he stalked over to his allies.
The genin became aware that every Grass and Stone ninja was watching Naruto intently.
" What's going on?" Naruto asked as the clones vanished. A group of Stone ninja with umbrellas on their back and three Grass ninja with black suits like the ninja they had fought on the last mission were conversing and glancing towards Naruto.
" I'll check it out." said Ino. She held her hands together, then slumped over. A ninja by the two teams startled. She leaned in, listening for a minute, before shaking her head and recovering.
" Wow." said Ino, blinking. " Naruto, they're planning to take you down."
" Huh?" asked a confused Naruto.
" The Stone ninja were sent here to look for you, and the Grass ninja called you the 'Clone Ninja'." Ino said, standing up. " Apparently your famous."
" Really?" said Naruto, excited.
" Not a good type of famous, Naruto." said Shino in his deep voice. " It appears in addition to the Stone village's dislike of you, you can now count the Grass as your enemy."
" Heh. Like they have a chance against the future Hokage." Naruto said with a smirk.
" Find the seat with your name and sit down!" boomed a man they knew to be Ibiki, who entered dramatically. He was followed by a large number of examiners. Everyone raced to their seats, arriving quickly. Kiba was near the back, Hinata was on the left side, and to Naruto's misfortune, his was seated in the center of the front row. A paper and pencil was passed to everyone.
" The first part of the exam is a written test." said Ibiki. " It will test your knowledge and skills. You start with ten points. If you are caught cheating, you will lose two points. Each question you answer incorrectly will penalize you a point. If you drop below zero, your team will be removed. In one hour the last question will be provided. Begin!"
There was a rustle of papers as the genin all began.
Figures. thought Kiba as he looked over the first question. It looked impossible. You'd need to be as smart as Sakura to answer it. He looked though the rest. They all looked just as difficult.
" Hey, Akamaru. Check someone for answers." he whispered to the dog, who was reclining on his head. The dog nodded and began looking around.
They want us to cheat. thought Hinata, looking around. Usually if you were caught cheating you would fail. The amount of examiners watching them confirmed that. It was test of their information gathering skills.
The silence was broken when Naruto's intestines gurgled loudly.
" Oh…" he moaned, doubling over. Everyone near him leaned away. " Uh, can I go to the bathroom?" he asked.
" Yes, but a examiner will need to go with you." Ibiki said, nodding to one. Naruto jumped up and ran from the room, the examiner following behind.
---
" Finally." said Naruto as the diarrhea stopped. The hour for the test was almost up. " Sorry." he said apologetically to the disgusted looking examiner as he left the stall. The man lead him back to the room.
" Time is up!" shouted Ibiki as Naruto was led though the doors. He returned to his seat, panicking. He hadn't filled out any of the questions!
" Now, for the final question. However, I should warn you. If you get this one wrong, you fail. Get it right, however, and you pass." said Ibiki, picking up a piece of paper.
" Then what was the point of the test?" complained Temari.
" To weed out the people who weren't read for this question." said Ibiki. Hinata looked around. Almost half of the genin had been removed. " There is another catch to his question, however. If you get it wrong, you have to stay a genin forever."
" That's crap! What gives you the right to do that?" shouted Kiba. " There's people here who have taken the test before!"
" Yes, but I wasn't the examiner then." said Ibiki with a cruel smile. " However, if you leave now, you don't have to worry about the question. It might be a good idea. It'd be better to retake the exam then it would be to stay a genin forever, right?"
Everyone quailed under the thought. Several teams got up and left. Hinata felt very nervous. She didn't want to quit now, but if she got the question wrong and it was her fault Naruto could not become a chunnin, she could never forgive herself. She felt her hand begin to rise.
" That's pretty stupid." said Naruto. " I mean, there's genin from other countries here too. Are you going to force them to stay genin forever? You bluffing!" Naruto said as he sat back, putting his feet on the desk. There was a murmur though he room.
" I hate to say it, but Naruto's right." called Sakura. " I don't think he can really do that."
Ibiki laughed.
" Well, damn." he said. " I didn't expect this many of you to stay. You all pass!'
The genin all look dumbstruck.
" There is no tenth question. You just need to be willing risk taking it." Ibiki said, smiling viciously. " Now, the next…"
Before he could finish two kunai attached to a curtain flew though the window and a strangely dressed woman landed.
" I'm Anko, the examiner for the second part of this exam, the Forest of Death!" she proclaimed, taking a pose. " Follow me to the next exam!"
Eagerly leaving Ibiki and the classroom behind, the genin followed her out of the building.