Author's Note: Before you all start yelling at me about taking so long to update, please hear me out! This entire summer so far I have been up at my Aunt and Uncle's house, house and animal sitting for them while they are out on a cross country trip (lucky…). Believe it or not, internet is hard to come by up here in the mountains and sadly, my Aunt and Uncle see no point in going through the trouble of getting it. The only reason that I can actually post this chapter is because I've run out of food (been expecting it, having been up here for six weeks so far) and until one of my neighbors gets the chance to take me to the nearest store (a forty minute drive give or take a few minutes) I'm 'camping out' at the next door neighbors house in order to eat. Why they just can't take me to get food now, I don't know, but I'm not complaining. They, for some strange but glories reason, have internet, even if it is really slow dial-up. Their eight-year old daughter, bless her adorable little heart, has agreed in letting me take over her computer to type this up for you all. So everyone say 'Thank You Nikkole!'
Important: I went back and re-wrote part of chapter three to make more sense and be more believable.
Warning: Has not been looked over by my Beta yet; I really wanted to get this out so when I get back home I'll have her look it over. Also, sorry if it seems rushed, it kind of was. No matter how kind Nikkole is on letting me use her computer, she is still an eight-year old and wants to play every game known to man with me. Finally, the computer and I got into a fight; Microsoft Word decided to add in random page breaks and won't let me take them out no matter what I try, so sorry about those. ~Grumbles~
Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Naruto. Though I do own this plot line and my few OC's.
Naruto was really beginning to think that the Goddess known as Fate was getting a kick out of messing with his life. Not only was their second Chunin Exam instructor a purple haired psycho who seemed to enjoy throwing around kunai a little bit too much to be healthy, but from the sounds of things so far the second exam itself could easily be considered as yet another game. He knew that it was extremely bad luck to curse a God or Goddess, but that didn't stop him from sparing a look at the ceiling and up towards the heavens, insults flying through his mind towards the Goddess of Fate.
"Let's follow the leader, Fox!" Akimi whispered from his left, covering up her laughter all the while at seeing how Naruto was currently gripping the sides of his chair tight enough for the wood to creek, threatening to crack under the mounting pressure. At her comment, Naruto couldn't stop the slight twitch that appeared on the side of his upper lip, making him want to snarl at the teenage girl. Thankfully, he was able to stop himself before doing just that.
Akimi knew that Naruto hated playing the games that Ryuu loved and insisted were training, going so far as disappearing for a few hours to avoid having to participate in them. So the fact that the first two parts of the Chunin Exams could easily be classified as games of sorts really amused her to no end. Beside Akimi, Akimitsu gave a lazy smile, eyeing his two teammate; Naruto in particular. He was finding the situation just as amusing as his sister.
As soon as the three had walked into the new classroom and found seats in the back of said room, a woman had appeared with a large puff of smoke. Unlike their previous instructor Ibiki, she had no scars that could be seen, and with her choice of clothing there was little left to one's imagination. Her crazed grin and deadly looking eyes were more than enough to set all of the genin on edge though. One of the first things that the children hoping to become shinobi learned in most of the different academy was the major risks involved in becoming shinobi; risks that involved worst things then dying.
One such risk including loss of one's sanity. It was bound to happen to almost everyone at some point, they were told, whether it be because of seeing one too many loved one die or having done one mission to many. The lucky few that were fortunate enough to keep hold of their sanity either retired before it could happen or were killed themselves. It was clear to Naruto and everyone else in the room he imagined, that this woman was close to cracking if she hadn't already, and if she had, Kami help them all.
Anko, the name she had given them, had started things off with a rant about how Ibiki mush be growing soft since there were so many teams left. That only lasted for a few minutes, no one daring enough to interrupt her for fear got getting a kunai to the face much like one of the Konoha genin had, before she grinned that crazed grin of hers that spoke of her bloodlust and proceeded to explain the second exam.
They were to follow around one of Konoha's shinobi, ranks ranging from chunin to special jounin. As Akimi had so tauntingly put it, it was basically 'Follow the Leader'. Only catch being that if they were found out by the one they were following, said team would automatically fail the test and in turn fail the exam. What's more, every team had to give a detailed report on what their target had done that day. To make sure that they had simply not 'bullshit their report' in the words of their new instructor, every shinobi that was to be followed was to turn in a just as detailed report on their day. The two reports were then going to be compared to see if they matched up. The chunin hopefuls would only be allowed one mistake, meaning that if they did not have something that the other report had then they would not be disqualified and fail the Second Exam, even if the item missing was not important. On the plus side, the teams were allowed to add those little extra details that their follow-e might have left out, wither it be from embarrassment or simply forgetfulness.
"The more detailed the better!" Anko had snapped suddenly at them during her explanation. "I want to know everything that your 'target' does, wither it be dancing around their homes naked or spending an hour in the bathroom!"
The twins both shuddered, praying that neither of those be the case for them.
The only other thing going for the chunin hopefuls was that this part of the exam had been kept under wraps; the only ones knowing about the exam being Anko, some selected few of the ANBU, and the Hokage himself.
"Now," Anko spoke, ready to move on to the actual exam, "much like the last exam, one person from each team will come down here to the front and receive a packet at random which has the name of your target as well as a picture. You have half an hour to locate your target and begin your report. You all are to return to this classroom by eight this evening. Your results will be delivered to your jounin instructors by this time tomorrow telling you wither you lot will be allowed to move onto the Third Exam or not." She waited a moment for what she said to sink in. During the pause she moved behind the teacher's desk. Pulling out a key from her trench coat pocket, she unlocked one of the desk's draws'. Reaching in, she pulled out a thick stack of sealed packets. Dropping them on top of the desk, not caring that they spread out, Anko smirked.
"Well? Come get 'em! As soon as you get one head on out and begin!" She yelled out, hands on her hips, that crazed smirk never leaving her face.
Naruto was the one to stand this time, silently telling Akimi and Akimitsu that he would go and get the packet this time around. Being in the back of the classroom, he took his time reaching the front allowing those ahead of him to go first. Even then he was not last like he would have thought, getting there ahead of four others. Anko handed him a packet with narrowed eyes, smirk dropping for a second before coming back full blast, eyes promising death if not careful. Naruto took the packet with a blank face, sparing a moment to lightly bow his head before turning on his heels and heading back to his teammates. He ignored the curious looks and not so secretive glances, focusing on the back wall. He filed away the woman's reaction to him in the back of him mind to go over at a later time, along with the incident the day before with the teenage boy from Suna.
Reaching the twins, he handed the packet to Akimi as she was the closest to him. She wasted no time in opening it, pulling out two sheets of paper. Looking over both with quick eyes, she handed one of the papers to Naruto while she and her brother looked over the other more closely.
Looking down at the paper, Naruto was met with kind brown eyes and an easy-going smile. He was looking at the picture of their 'target', as their second instructor so kindly put it. Naruto eyes the picture, committing the face to his memory. He took in the scar that ran across the man's nose, reaching from the middle of one cheek to the middle of the other; the brown hair pulled back, much like the Nara boy's hair. See how it was only a head shot of the man, there was not much else to take in and as such swapped papers with Akimi and Akimitsu.
Besides stating the target's name, Iruka Umino, there was little to none information wise; the paragraph under the man's name simple repeating what Anko had told them all. The only other useful information that could be gathered was the fact that Umino was a current chunin and worked as a teacher for the shinobi academy.
Looking up from the paper he faced the twins, head lightly tilted to the side in a questioning manor.
"Well, let's get this over with." Akimi declared softly. Not waiting for a response, she maneuvered around Naruto and past the few other teams that decided to stay behind like them to look inside their given packet. Naruto's shoulder lifted in a barely recognizable shrug as he followed after the only female in their group, Akimitsu walking right behind him.
"Let the game begin." Akimi whispered under her breath only loud enough for Naruto, Akimitsu, and Anko to hear. Akimitsu responded with a dry, sarcastic laugh, his previous amusement surrounding the situation gone and replaced with his more serious nature that seemed to only come out when a mission was concerned.
Once outside the building, Naruto took the lead and brought them away from the public's eye and to a more desolated area. Checking the surroundings for any possible followers, no matter how unlikely it would be it was still a possibility. Naruto nodded to himself in satisfaction. The three teenagers didn't exchange words; none were needed between them at the moment.
Grabbing a kunai from the top touch on his leg, Naruto nicked his finger hard enough to draw blood, surpassing the wince that wanted to come out. He would never get use to that. Wasting no time, knowing that if he wasted too much time the small cut would heal before he wanted it to, he leaned down and wiped the small amount of blood on his kunai on the grass and replaced it back into his pouch. With that done, he preformed quick hand seals. Placing his bleeding hand on the ground, he silently thought about who he wanted. A small cloud of smoke appeared only for an equally small falcon to shoot upwards from the cloud; its wings flapping to an unheard beat. Looking over its surrounds once with its sharp eyes, the unlikely predator flew over to Naruto and landed on his outstretched arm.
"Long time no see, boss." Its voice was that of a males, his golden eyes looking over Akimi first them Akimitsu before returning to Naruto. The falcon itself was no longer the eleven inches from head to tail, wingspan a mere twenty-three inches. His back was red while his wings themselves were pure black, a single black strip running along his head. His stomach was rather pale compared to the rest of his body. All in all, it looked like any other falcon that could be found within the Fire Country.
"Shinobu." Naruto bowed his head respectively while keeping eye contact with the falcon.
The newly proclaimed Shinobu bobbed his head in its own version of a bow. Falcons always have been proud creatures that only gave its respect if it received respect. "Who or what am I looking for this time?" Shinobu asked, not wasting any time with pointless pleasantries.
Naruto spared an imploring look to Akimi who was still in possession of the packet that held the head shot and data of their target. Akimi handed over the picture without a word, her eyes remaining on the falcon, a curious look in them.
Taking the offered picture, Naruto brought his arm that was holding the falcon on away from his slowly, to not disrupt the bird, and held up the picture for Shinobu to see properly. "His name is Iruka Umino. He is a chunin that we need found within the next twenty minutes." As Naruto spoke, Shinobu was leaning forward and studying the picture just as intently as Naruto had done when they had first received it. When Naruto felt the falcon lean back into an upright position, he lowered the picture to meet the gaze of the proud falcon, waiting for the hunter to speak. He was not disappointed.
"Consider it done." And with that, Shinobu spread his wings and took to the skies. The three teenagers watched him go, following with their eyes until he was out of sight. Naruto held no doubt that his summons would be back well within the set time limit. After all, Shinobu had never failed him before, and was unlikely to start doing so now.
Akimitsu was the first one to break the silence.
"So, now what?" He asked no one in particular.
"Now? Now we wait for Shinobu to return. We go from there." Naruto answered as he handed back the picture of their target to Akimi who slipped it back into the original packet and seal it into an empty scroll, slipping said scroll into one of her pockets without a word.
They had been watching their target for a little more than thirteen and a half hours now, having started at six. Akimi and Akimitsu were ready to drop from exhaustion, Akimi more so than her brother. Naruto, use to staying up for days on end at times, gave his temporary teammates concerned glances.
Thankfully, they only had another half hour to go until they were finished with this part of the exam.
Earlier on, while they had been waiting for Shinobu to get back, the three had taken to going over their roles in the part of the exam. Akimitsu had been given the task of writing down the report as they watched, his handwriting not only being the neatest among the three, but the fastest writer among them as well. Naruto couldn't hold back the comment about 'so much for girls always having the better handwriting' when Akimi had declined writing on the excuse that no one but her and her family could even hope to read her handwriting. Not that the blond was any better; unless it involved writing out seals, Naruto's handwriting was so unreadable to anyone else besides himself that Ryuu offend refereed to it as 'handwriting so bad it would be an insult to even call it chicken scratch'.
Naruto couldn't help but grumpily agree.
Akimi had taken up the job of using her skills in genjutsu to help them blend in better and make subtle changes in their appearances when needed. Naruto had never been as thankful for her skills in genjutsu as he had been at the time. Without the skill, he had no doubt in his mind that their job would have been a lot more difficult than it had been so far. While Naruto could pull off a basic genjutsu when needed, that was about all he could do in the subject; the basic.
Naruto had been given the job of 'look out', or in other words keeping track of their target, wither it be with Shinobu's help or on his own with the occasional help from Akimitsu. He also helped Akimi in keeping the brown haired chunin from taking notice of them, or anyone else noticing them for that matter in his own way and have his summons Shinobu help Akimitsu when needed, Shinobu taking up the job of 'data gathering' when they couldn't follow without fear of being noticed even with Akimi and her genjutsu. Shinobu would always report back whatever he saw or heard when they were able to regroup without it being obvious.
They spent the next and final half hour not only following around their target to get in the last few details, but also counting down the remaining minutes.
When the half hour was up and it was declared five minutes to eight o'clock by the clock hanging on the wall in the current Dango shop they were in, watching over their target as he ate dinner, Akimitsu and Akimi shared a grin while giving each other a high five, shoulders sagging in relief. Naruto on the other hand calmly stood up, placed some money on the table to cover their food, and headed towards the door, the twins following after, Akimitsu putting away their report that at the moment appeared to be a book thanks to Akimi.
Arriving back at the academy a few minutes later, one minute before it was eight, the three slipped back into the classroom that was acting as their 'headquarters' for this part of the exam.
Luckily, they were not the last ones there, though they weren't the first either. None the less, they walked to the back of the room and sat down in the last row. Despite being exhausted, the twins managed to sit up straight and appear alert, which were more then what some of the other Chunin-hopefuls were able to manage. After they sat, one other team entered; Naruto mentally sighed when he noticed that it was the Uchiha followed by his two teammates, both of which were female. And here he was hoping that he wouldn't have to deal with the 'famous' bloodline user. It was bad enough that the Hyuuga made it. The only silver lining that he could find was that it seemed that both of the girls on the Uchiha's team were more concerned with the Uchiha himself than anything else, even going so far as fighting on another on who gets to sit beside him while they waited.
Despite his earlier thoughts on the matter, Naruto said a silent 'Thank you' to the Goddess known as Fate for at least not letting his teammates act like those two girls.
As soon as the clock in the room stuck eight, their exam instruction entered, slamming the door shut behind her. As she looked over the room, her crazed grin appeared once more. Apparently she liked what she saw; just what that was, Naruto could only guess.
When the purple haired woman's eyes landed on the still fighting girls on the Uchiha's team, however, they narrowed, her crazed grin turning into a dangerous looking sneer; not that the two noticed. Naruto and the rest of the teens in the room watched in a mixture of fascination and unease as their exam instructor pulled out two Kunai's from her coat pocket, on in each hand. At a particularly high shrike of outrage from the pink haired one, Naruto briefly wonder if that being her natural hair color, Anko sent to two Kunai's flying.
Both Kunai's hit the back wall, imbedding themselves in by a few inches, but not before grazing each of the girl's cheeks hard enough to draw blood.
They shut up after that quickly after that.
The next ten minutes was spent with Anko collecting their reports in between rants about how far downhill the Chunin exams have come, the prices on Dango's now-a-days and how she had better things to do than baby-sit a bunch of sniveling children. No one dared to comment, instead sitting and listening, nodding at certain parts when it seemed that she was addressing them as a whole.
All in all, Naruto, Akimi, Akimitsu, and everyone else was thankful when she dismissed them with a reminder that they would be getting their results back the next day via their Jounin instructor.
Naruto silently hoped that he would never have to come across her again during the rest of their stay.