"Ok, class! Today we will be taking the Genin Exams. When I call your name, you will come to the next room and perform the jutsu that we have assigned for today. Ok, let's begin with…" the teacher said. Deidara sat in his seat, his stomach churning. He had been an academy student for only nine months, and already he was taking the genin exams. True, most of the students here weren't old enough to actually be genin, but they gave the exams nonetheless. Deidara himself was only nine years old. But, he had trained, and studied, and tried so hard to do his best at class. He would show everyone here that he had what it took to be a genin! A great ninja! His art would see him through!

"Well, guys. Today is it! Knowing most of the others will fail doesn't really help me, does it, un?" He glanced at his hands, watching as they panted at him.

"Don't worry, Deidara-kun! You'll do fine! Besides, you're the smartest one here. You're bound to pass!" A girl, blonde with blue eyes, sat next to him, staring admiringly at him. He smiled back at her.

"Thanks Yanoi…that means a lot, un!" He looked back at his hands, the tongue's lolling out as they smiled at him.

"Yanoi Mazumichi, please come next door," said the teacher. Yanoi got up from her seat, turning and winking at Deidara.

"Wish me luck, Deidara-kun," she said. He smiled at her.

"Good luck, Yanoi!" He waved at her as she left. He put his head on his arms, allowing himself to rest for a few minutes.

"Hey, you guys! I heard that the technique they're asking for is the rock clone jutsu!" said a boy on Deidara's right. Deidara turned his head, staring at the four or so boys standing there. He was puzzled.

"Really? Damn, I hate that one! I can't even start that jutsu yet!" Said another, kicking the ground in agitation. The teacher came in, calling another student. The boy who had first mentioned it walked down the aisle and out the door.

"The rock clone jutsu, eh? Damn it all!" The boy who had last spoken walked to the window, staring out into the street.

"Deidara, how about you? You know that jutsu?" One of the other boys walked up to him, and he stared.

"Not really that well, un. I've tried it before, but it never really works for me," he said. The other boys nodded. If Deidara couldn't do it, they had no chance at it. He smiled.

"But hey, come on! I know that it can't be as hard as we are making it out to be, right, un?" They all smiled back at him.

"Come on, Deidara, you know you're the best in class. You have the highest grades…and you've only been here nine months!" Said a boy to his left, who was busy drawing something on paper. He glanced over at him.

"But I've been studying hard. I only got, like, two hours of sleep last night," he said. The others stared, only now seeing the small bags that were under Deidara's eyes. True, they had been studying, but not as religiously as the yellow-haired boy.

"Deidara, please come up! It's your turn!" The teacher was standing at the doorway, calling for him. Deidara took a breath, getting up and walking down the stairs to the door.

"You can do it, Deidara-kun!" The girls in the class were going nuts for him, and he blushed. This was the hardest thing he had yet to do.

Once in the other room, he looked at his three examiners. One was the Tsuchikage, the others were the teacher and some other shinobi, who was in front of a group of headbands. He smiled. He wanted one of those headbands.

"Ok, Deidara. You're task…to pass this exam," said the teacher, going down the list. He smiled, and looked up at the boy. "You're task is to create a stone clone, please," he said, politely. Deidara sighed. He hadn't been lying when he said that he couldn't do it. He had practiced it, but nothing had ever happened in his room. He had tried again and again, but still nothing had happened.

"Sensai, I've never been able to make this work, un," Deidara said. The teacher nodded, going down the list.

"I'm sorry, Deidara, but to pass this exam, you have to create a stone clone. Please, at least try," he said. Deidara nodded, watching the Tsuchikage. The old man, white hair flowing from beneath his hat, smiled at him, and he smiled back. He took a large breath, glancing around. He needed to figure out how to make this work…right now!

Suddenly, he realized something about the room. The other rooms had stone floors; not only stone floors, but about a foot of stone going up the walls. He had noticed it in all the rooms because his old school building had been made entirely of wood. He had asked about it before to. He recalled the incident. It had been him and the teacher, walking around the school.

"Sensai, why do the floors of this place have so much stone in them, un?" He looked up, the teacher smiling down on him.

"Because, Deidara. This place is used to train academy students at being Hidden Stone shinobi. Stone is crucial in most jutsus that we are capable of using, like the stone clone jutsu. Even that jutsu requires a minute amount of stone to work. Without it, the jutsu would fail, because it would have nothing to use as a base," he said. Deidara nodded his understanding. It made sense. An earth jutsu would need some sort of earth to work. Even water jutsus, though performed seemingly without water, required there to be water under the surface of the dirt to work. It did make sense.

Snapping back to the present, Deidara realized he was keeping three shinobi waiting. The teacher was tapping his foot up and down, waiting for him.

"Deidara, if you can't do it, please tell us. Then we can bring someone else in," he said. Deidara bowed.

"Excuse me, sensai. But if we went to another room, I may perhaps do it, un!" He waited for a reply.

"Deidara, what do you mean? This is the exam room," said the teacher. The Tsuchikage still had his smile on his face.

"I mean that the floor and walls of this room are made of wood. There is no stone here to do this technique. Therefore, I can't do it, no matter how hard I try, un," he said. He thought that this had been an oversight on their parts, and though he wasn't trying to correct them, he was trying to get a chance to perform the jutsu. He now understood why he couldn't do it back at his place. He had no stone there, either. He waited for them to say it was fine, that they would go to another room…until the Tsuchikage began to laugh.

"Well well well, very well done, Deidara. You know, you are the first to actually point out that flaw," he said. Deidara, stunned, looked up at the Tsuchikage as he convulsed in mirth. The teacher and the other examiner were smiling as well.

"I don't understand, Tsuchikage-sama," Deidara said. The Tsuchikage got up, walking over to him.

"Most students as young as you don't, Deidara. Let me explain. To be a ninja, you must know how to perform jutsus, this is true. However, you must also know when to perform them. If you were trying to perform a wood clone jutsu, you would need some sort of wood around. A water clone jutsu is a little easier, when you have water underneath you. However, a shinobi who is on rock can't just pull water from the rock, and a shinobi standing on water can't make rock appear from that, can he?" He knelt down, that same, comforting smile on his lips. Deidara was still confused.

"Well, if you brought me in here to create a stone clone, then wouldn't you want the floor to be stone, un?" He asked, with as much sense as he could put into his words. The teacher walked up to him next.

"Deidara, this task was not to see if you could perform the jutsu…it was to see if you were competent enough to know if you could perform the jutsu. You have already found that in this room, performing that particular technique would be impossible. Therefore, you solved the puzzle…and passed the test." The teacher looked at him as realization dawned in his eyes.

"You mean…just knowing if I could or couldn't do it was enough, un?" He still couldn't believe it. The Tsuchikage smiled, going to the table.

"Deidara, close your eyes for a second," he said. Deidara did as he was told, closing his eyes tightly. He felt something press onto his forehead, and he opened them quickly, staring into the Tsuchikage's face.

"Congratulations, Deidara…you are now a Hidden Stone Village shinobi. Wear that with pride!" The Tsuchikage got up, smiling down at the yellow haired boy as Deidara grabbed the headband and yanked it off, staring at it. It was his! His very own Hidden Stone headband! He had done it, and he couldn't believe it.

"Tsuchikage-sama…I…you…I…" he stuttered, a tear coming to his eye. Suddenly, he jumped, hugging the old man. "Thank you, Tsuchikage-sama! Thank you!" He couldn't speak after, he was to engulfed in his emotions. The Tsuchikage smiled at him, holding him tightly so as not to drop him. The teacher and other examiner smiled on, until they told Deidara that another student was supposed to be in the room. Deidara got down, staring at the three men. Then, he saluted smartly, bowing to them. He walked from the room, still grasping his headband in one hand.

"I did it! Mother…I did it! I'm a shinobi now! Just you wait! I'm going to be the best damn ninja in this whole village!" He still couldn't believe it. He raced down the hall, busting the doors open and creating a loud noise that attracted the attentions of the other students in the yard. They looked up at the boy on the stairs. He held his headband up for them to see, and the sun reflected brightly off of the polished metal.

"I did it!" He yelled out, so that everyone could hear. Then, it was mass chaos as all the students rushed him, jabbering excitedly all around. He was busy trying to answer questions, but he couldn't answer fast enough. But, all good shinobi should learn that anything is possible. That was how he felt that day, standing above those who had denied him his happiness for so long. He was now…the top dog of the pound!

Dang! This was a long one. Sorry about that! Anyways, this chapter is, again, for everyone who commented earlier. I love yall so much. Don't forget that tomorrow is hug a weasel day. Make some weasel happy by giving it a hug! K, see you later!