Chapter 5-Happy Chunin Exams

Time began to pass pretty quickly after the land of waves and suddenly it was my 16th birthday and I was left with the realization that I had been in this world for almost a year.

It hadn't really bothered me at the time, the fact that I had just taken to this life didn't seem too odd but I soon recognized that I was hiding my feelings from even myself and eventually that would cause problems; but that's a story for a later time.

Shortly after my lackluster birthday, team Kakashi was told we could participate in the chunin exams. Alone. Apparently it didn't matter if we competed as a team, or so Kakashi had told us.

Naruto had been pretty damn exited after hearing that ready to throw this fact into the red head we had run into just one day before.

Naruto and I had run into a boy terrorizing Old Man Sarutobi's grandson Konohamaru. The cute and slightly bratty child was being held up by a boy with a hood shaped into kitten ears who was threatening him with some colorful words. But he hardly looked threatening to me with that makeup and hood but I imagined Konohamaru was pretty terrified.

Naruto had immediately yelled to the boy "Stop" that did absolutely nothing but make the kitten boy look irate. Before I could have a hand in trying to stop the boy a girl about my age stepped up and stopped kitten boy, if only temporarily, who I learned was called Kankuro.

Awkwardly standing there listening to them fight was not the ideal situation but it was quickly changed when a rock smacked Kankuro in the face and Sasuke dropped down from the tree right in front of us. "Holy shit" I had thought because I could not for the life of me understand how he had been so silent to get in that tree and come out at the exact right moment. But my confusion was quickly thrown away when a small red headed boy that gave off an unappealing and frightening feeling dropped down from another tree close by.

The boy had been adorable yet terrifying. I remember feeling apprehensive when he started talking with a voice too deep and rough for a 13 year old. I mean really Naruto and Sasuke still sounded like pipsqueaks compared to this red head.

I had zoned out for a while thinking about everything unsettling about red head until I heard Sakura, "where the hell had she come from" I had thought, ask the girl whose name turned out to be Temari about something called the chunin exams. Which turned out to be the reason why they were all here. That was the moment we found out what the chunin exams were and that they would take place right there in Konoha.

That was the whole reason Naruto was jumping off the walls in excitement. I mean sure I was pretty excited but come on I was also scared out of my mind.

Kakashi had left after giving us the forms and the team dispersed leaving me to wander the village before realizing that I should probably get food. I had just been payed after all, from all those tiny missions we had been doing since the land of waves.

I had bought everything I needed to make dinner and set off for my apartment. But I didn't exactly make it to my home with my food. You see I was suddenly attacked by a random ninja who was trying to kill me. Now let me tell you that I had no clue this was Iruka trying to make sure I was ready for the exams so I did not go easy on him and frankly he didn't go easy on me. I never realized how badass of a ninja Iruka was until he kicked my ass.

I had been backhanded into a tree and I had been so mad suddenly that I felt the strength the try and use the wood jutsu. Yea it didn't work out all that well because when I had tried to inconspicuously take the tree I had smashed into, and move it to my advantage I immediately had lost my chakra and I fell to the ground feeling extremely pathetic. I had soon realized that moving something made out of wood was much harder than just creating my own out of earth and water.

As my chakra reserves slowly filled up I knew I had to make a move. The ninja was getting closer to where I had fallen and if I didn't do something quick my thoughts drifted to death. I had been such so afraid I built up earth and went with my gut feeling on what to say. "Rock pellet Jutsu" I had said quickly a clearly hoping to whatever god that it worked. It did just not exactly the way I hoped.

The earth I had built up was quickly formed into small circular pellets that were shot at the ninja. Now let me remind you I didn't know it was Iruka and I was in pain and scared, and those pellets hit his body so quick they went right through where they hit.

I had unintentionally created my own form of bullets and when Iruka lost his cover and his face was his again I felt the blood drain out of my face and my heart sank and I passed out thinking I had murdered the nice sensei from the academy.

I remember waking to my apartment with a sticky not next to my face. If I remember correctly it said " I hope you're feeling okay chunin exams start Thursday at 8 am, you have become a fine Kunoichi Fei I wish you luck -Iruka" I had felt happy that Iruka was okay but that thought flew away in a hurry as I saw the time, 7:50 am. I had dashed out of my apartment in my shorts pulling a shirt over my head running to the academy for the exam. I had run straight into the rest of team Kakashi who had sullen looks when they saw me and the immediately brightened up, well except for Naruto who blew up with "WHY ARE YOU SO LATE FEI THE EXAM STARTS IN 5 MINUTES KAKASHI SENSEI WOULDN'T LET US IN BECAUSE WE HAVE TO BE A FULL TEAM" I had leapt back away from Naruto afraid he would pummel me into the ground a bit confused as to why we had to go in as a team when Kakashi stated "Well now that your all here why don't you head in. But Fei could you hold on a second I need to speak with you."

I had a feeling that I knew what it was about as I felt the curious stares of the rest of my team as the trailed inside. Kakashi had stated "Fei I know your smart enough not to use your wood style, it's very dangerous as we don't know why you have the ability and you seem to become fatigued when you use it. By the way Iruka told me you created something out of earth he has very heard of before. But let's discuss that later, good luck Fei" I had nodded and with that he pushed me through the door where people were settling into their seats ready for the exam to start.

I had been pretty shocked to hear it was written but I sat down next to the creepy red head who I still did not know the name of and listened to the proctor named Ibiki who was pretty terrifying. Ibiki stated that the exams would be ten questions the final being asked later when everyone was finished with the first nine, that anyone caught cheating three times would be disqualified as a team and would not become a chunin anytime soon.

He also said that our whole team had to pass and with that he told us all to start and I began looking at the questions being asked. "Fuck" I had thought I only know half of these at the most, poor Naruto he must be freaking out inside. I knew Sasuke and Sakura at least had the majority in the bag but damn Naruto never did well in the math and strategy classes. I knew in that moment I would have to do something or risk our team having to wait until next year to even be considered for the exams. I had finished the questions I understood and formed a plan in my mind the jutsu that I could use was earth based so why not write the answers down and put it into a small earth ball and roll it to Naruto allowing it to open up with the answers inside.

I followed my plan to a T but Naruto oh Naruto that boy was such a goof back then he looked at me and the answers and shoved them away mouthing he would figure them out himself. I had stared in horror with Sasuke and Sakura thinking that we were doomed.

So when the final question came up I was ready to throw in the towel when Ibiki stated that if we didn't all pass if there was in inkling of a thought that we would not pass that we would be dropped from being ninja as a whole.

I apparently had the same thought as Sakura and we both began to raise our arms to quit but then Naruto surprised everyone jumping up and slamming his hands to the desk yelling at Ibiki that there was no way that he would quit. I think everyone was in a state of shock when Ibiki stated that we would all be moving onto the next stage of the exams.

That shock was only increased when a purple haired Kunoichi crashed through the window yelling in excitement that she was the next proctor and the Ibiki had gone soft letting all us Genin through. Anko, the proctor then immediately led us to the gates of a huge forest, nicknamed the forest of death after all the people that end up dying in the vast shrubbery.

If I was scared before, I don't remember because when I heard we would be staying in this forest on some freaky hide and seek/ catch the flag game I almost passed out again. Damn I weak and cowardly back in the day.

So after hearing that and the tongue incident with the woman who looked far too old to be just a genin we gathered out scrolls and set off into the darkness the halo of trees offered.

Now let me tell you I was out pretty soon after entering the forest as I had been knocked over the head when the rest of my team had been facing away. I do not remember much except waking with an extremely painful headache next to Sasuke and Naruto who also seemed to be passed out.

I had noticed Sakura fighting a few ninja and raised to me feet to help her out. I had yelled a quick "Earth wall jutsu" not bothering to whisper as a wall rose between Sakura and the ninja and the ninja rammed straight into the wall not having enough time to stop. Now that was damn right comical if I do say so myself but I guess Sakura didn't think the same when I burst out into laughter trying to fight away the horrible feeling I had in my stomach that something bad had happened while I was out and she glared at me stating that it was not the time to be laughing.

With two out of three ninja incapacitated Sasuke woke up and attacked the last one all the while having bizarre black marks making their way down his arms and across his face. He almost killed the ninja and Sakura and I knew that my gut feeling was right.

Something was incredibly wrong and I was such a loser unable to help in anyway as my chakra reserves may have been growing at the time I still lost most of it trying to simple jutsu's. I had watched in horror as Sasuke became a different person and then stopped all together collapsing saying he was sorry to Sakura.

In that moment there were people that I hadn't noticed until then, Shikamaru Nara and his team and a long haired boy and his team were not far away from the scene and I was so scared I had thought maybe they were going to attack us so I grabbed the unconscious Naruto and walked away stating that Sakura and Sasuke should follow along. I wanted to get as far away as I could.

They had somehow achieved in gathering both the earth and heaven scroll and we could now leave. We had reached the building shortly after night fall after Naruto had finally woken up from his pain induced sleep. I had learned on the way to the tower that they had been attacked by who they had thought had been me but was actually an impostor named Orochimaru a snake like man who had slammed Naruto into a tree and bitten Sasuke creating some sort of seal in his neck. I shivered being pretty thankful I had missed the fight thinking I probably would have been killed.

Upon reaching the tower Naruto unrolled the scrolls while the rest of us shouted "NO" but it had turned out to be the right thing to do as Iruka ah Iruka, I felt so guilty when I saw him with the bandages still on his arms from my earth pellets jutsu. I had ran up to him giving him a huge hug saying I was glad he was alright and saying a quick thank you before standing next to my team as Iruka explained the saying on the wall an oath that all chunin should follow.

We had been allowed out the forest and found that we had been the last of the teams to arrive, yea pretty pathetic. But we also learned that there would be a preliminary challenge as there were still too many genin participating.

The preliminary would work to weed out the weak and those who passed would go on to the real final in a months' time.

Seeing as there was an odd amount of genin someone was going to have to participate in two fights. Yea that lucky fight that determined who would participate twice was my fight. Whoever won fought again at a later time. I somehow ended up going first against this creepy girl from the sound village. I never learned her name but she was scary.

Tall, not as tall as my 5'8 height but she also had muscle, something I lacked as I hadn't been a ninja for all that long. I had walked timidly down to the center of the arena as everyone else migrated to the top of the stairs to watch my fight. This was the moment things changed. I felt a sense of foreboding when the girl moved her arms and suddenly a screech only I seemed to be able to hear filled the arena and I was left in a fetal position on the ground screaming in pain as my ears leaked blood from my broken eardrums.

That bitch had broken my eardrums but I guess that really worked for my advantage. I couldn't hear much of the high pitched noise anymore the blood and ringing drowned out any sound I heard before, I had used that to my advantage as she walked over to me, I knew she was going to kick me and check if I was down for the count. But as she walked towards me I hid my hands and did the signs for my wood pellet jutsu.

I don't know how I managed to choose a place for them to form but they formed behind her and suddenly sped off... right towards her heart and within seconds she was dead and I had won the match.

But it didn't feel like wining, I hadn't meant to kill her I really hadn't, just incapacitate her and win the match. But there I was standing, no kneeling over her body frozen in shock as the medical ninja came to grab her body. I was escorted by an arm I recognized as Kakashi's and I was left to stand next to my team who stared in shock at what I had done. But Naruto broke the spell by yelling "YOU WON FEI IM SO PROUD OF YOU" that definitely lifted my spirits but I looked around, I was the first person to kill someone at this year's exams I was a killer.

"I was a killer" that thought kept coming back even after Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto finished their fights. Even when I learned the cute long haired boys name from the forest, Neji Hyuuga. It continued when he tried to kill his cousin. Even when I met his teammates Tenten and bowl head Lee. It continued when I met Guy, Kakashi's rival from childhood and an older copy of Lee.

That continued until it was my turn again. Before I walked off they gave me shouts of encouragement as Sasuke had returned with Kakashi after his little trip to the hospital, Kakashi pulled me aside and said "Fei its okay-" but before he could continue I threw myself into his arms hugging him with all my might before I let go and ran back down to fight.

This wasn't like my first fight I knew I wasn't going to win. I was going against the red headed boy I learned was Gaara. The one who had just most likely ruined bowl head boy Lee's chance at ever being a shinobi again. I was scared and my teammates were scared for me.

They had witnessed the devastation caused by Gaara. I was scared and the boy's blood-lust could tell. I couldn't even scream before his sand hit me and I was thrown into the wall.