An Extra Edge

Welcome back to An Extra Edge. The Chunin Exams are approaching, and Naruto has the attention of a mysterious Mist ninja. What kind of person is Ling? That's for me to know and you not to know. More fun for me.

Legal Stuff: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters. Just my fic and ocs.

Naruto was covered in sweat as he finished another practice session with the Kubikiri Hocho.

"Naruto! Take a break and have some lunch!" Sakura said.

"Sure thing, Sakura-chan!" Naruto said, unscrewing the sword's hilt and putting the compacted blade on his back and the hilt in his pocket before sitting next to Sakura, who handed him a bento box. He had noticed that ever since they had returned from the Land of Waves, she was being a lot nicer to him. "Thanks, Sakura-chan," he said as he opened the box and started eating.

Sakura took a bite of her own food as she watched him eat, smiling. 'He's actually kinda cute,' she thought.

'Cha! We should get a date with him!' Inner Sakura yelled, making Sakura blush.

Naruto looked at Sakura. "Hey, Sakura-chan, your face is red. You have a fever?" he asked, concerned.

Sakura blushed even deeper and looked away from him. "I'm fine. It's nothing, really!"

"Okay," Naruto said, giving her his trademark grin.

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Ling looked around as he and his teammates entered the village. "So, this is the Village Hidden in the Leaves."

"Nice place," Fu said, looking around. "Wonder who those faces on the mountain belong to."

"Idiot! Those are obviously the past and present Hokage," Lan Fan snapped as Ling looked at the mountain.

"Yes, they are," Ling said. "Hashirama Senju: the First Hokage, Tobirama Senju: the Second Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi: the Third Hokage, and Minato Namikaze: the Fourth Hokage," he said, turning to his teammates. "I'm going into the village to look around. You two are left to your own devices until I return. But do try to stay out of trouble." With that, he headed into the village, quickly disappearing from sight.

"Alright, let's look around, see the sights," Fu said, wandering off, followed by Lan Fan.

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Naruto and Sakura were walking together when Naruto noticed something behind them. "Hey Sakura-chan, you seeing what I'm seeing?" he asked, looking at the rock.

"Yeah, a really bad Disguise Jutsu," Sakura said, kicking the rock off the person using it.

"Hey! Why'd you have to do that?" Konahamaru asked, very indignant.

"A square rock with eye holes is pretty obvious, Konahamaru," Sakura said.

"Yeah, you really need to work on that," Naruto said.

"Well, I should head home," Sakura said. "See you later, Naruto," she said, walking away from the boys.

"Hey boss, how can you stand her?" Konahamaru asked Naruto. "Did you see how big her forehead is?" he asked a little too loudly.

"What did you say?" Sakura asked, slowly turning to look at him, before running at him, letting murderous intent off in waves.

"I'd run if I were you," Naruto said to Konahamaru, who started running away from the homicidal girl, and ran into another girl and fell down.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" Lan Fan snapped, picking Konahamaru up by his shirt.

"Put me down! Put me down!" Konahamaru begged.

"Leave him alone!" Sakura yelled.

"Lan Fan, you really think that's a good idea?" Fu asked.

"Fu, we've got time before he gets back. Let's mess with this punk," Lan Fan said, wearing a sadistic smile as she reared her fist back, only for a rock to hit her hand, making it release Konahamaru. "What the hell?" she asked, shaking her hand a bit.

"You're a long way from home, and way out of your league," Sasuke said from a tree nearby, tossing another rock up and down in his hand.

'Local hottie,' Lan Fan thought as Sasuke crushed the rock into dust. "I think I'll have more fun with you," she said, reaching for the shuriken on her back.

"Lan Fan, I believe I told you and Fu to stay out of trouble," Ling said, making her stop dead in her tracks. "I apologize for my teammate's behavior," he said, looking at Naruto and Sakura before turning away from them. "Fu, Lan Fan, let's go."

Sasuke jumped down from the tree as they started walking away. 'I didn't even notice him until he spoke. Who is this guy?' he thought. "You. Identify yourself," he said, making Ling and his teammates stop and look at him.

"Who? Me?" Lan Fan asked, blushing lightly.

"Not you," Sasuke said. "The hunchback."

Ling looked at him. "My name is Ling Osoreida. And I'm curious about you as well."

"I'm Sasuke Uchiha," Sasuke said.

"Ah. An Uchiha," Ling said. "I thought your clan was extinct."

"Not quite, but you seem to be well informed," Sasuke said.

"I like to keep track of current events," Ling said, turning to leave. "Fu, Lan Fan, come."

"Wait!" Naruto yelled, getting Ling's attention.

"What?" Ling asked, beginning to lose his patience.

"I bet you're dieing to know my name, right?" Naruto asked.

"I don't care who you are," Ling said, making Naruto go into anime depression.

"It's always about Sasuke," Naruto muttered.

"Come on, Naruto, don't feel bad. You'll show him not to underestimate you," Sakura said, trying to cheer him up.

"Although," Ling said, getting Naruto's attention. "Has anyone ever told you that you bear a striking resemblance to Minato Namikaze?"

Naruto looked at him confused. "Who's Minato Namikaze?"

"You idiot! That's the name of the Fourth Hokage," Sakura said before looking at Ling and his teammates. "I can tell from your headbands, that you're from the Village Hidden in the Mist. The Leaf and Mist Villages may be allies, but ninja are forbidden to enter a hidden village other than their own without permission."

"We have permission," Fu said. "We're here for the Chunin Exams."

"The Chunin Exams?" Naruto asked.

"Yes. They are being held in the Leaf Village this year," Ling said, turning to leave again. "Let's go, Fu, Lan Fan. We've wasted enough time," he said before they left.

"Hey guys," Kakashi said from behind them.

"Kakashi Sensei," Naruto said. "What do you want?"

"To tell you three that I recommended you for the Chunin Exams," Kakashi said, handing them the registration forms.

"Alright!" Naruto exclaimed. "I get to show up that Ling guy!"

"Ling?" Kakashi asked.

"This hunchback from the Mist Village. I'll show him not to underestimate me!" Naruto vowed.

"If you're talking about Ling Osoreida, then be careful," Kakashi said.

"You know about him?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah. He's developed quite a reputation as a prodigy," Kakashi said.

"Should be interesting then," Sasuke said.

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Before long, the day of the exams arrived.

"Alright, we need to head up to room 301," Sasuke said as they entered the academy.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked, seeing a commotion outside the exam room.

"Please move out of our way," a boy in a green jumpsuit said, trying to go past a couple of boys blocking the door, only to be knocked down.

"Lee!" a girl in a pink shirt with buns in her hair yelped, knelling beside him to see if he was okay. "Please, let us through," she said, trying to go past them, getting knocked down as well.

"Nice try," the guy who knocked her down said before a huge stinger type tail wrapped around his wrist. "What the?"

Everyone looked where the tail came from, finding Ling to be its source.

"Really now. Haven't you any manners?" Lan Fan asked. "A man should be attentive when a lady speaks to him."

"Let's go, you two," Ling said to his teammates as he released the other genin's arm and drew the stinger tail back beneath his cloak as he passed the room entirely.

"Hey, where are you going?" a random genin asked.

"To the exam room," Fu said.

"This is the exam room," the genin said.

"If you can't see through such a pathetic genjutsu, then you don't belong here," Lan Fan said.

"Genjutsu?" the genin asked, confused with the others.

"Room 301 is on the third floor," Ling said. "This is the second floor," he said, dispelling the genjutsu, revealing the room to be 201.

"Those three are pretty sharp," one of the two genin said as the others left.

"Got that right," the other said as they undid their transformations, revealing themselves to be jonin.

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Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura entered the exam room, finding a large group of genin from other villages, along with plenty of Leaf genin.

"So, you're taking part in the exams," Fu said from nearby.

"Yup!" Naruto said. "I'm gonna beat everyone here!"

"That's rather arrogant," Lan Fan said.

"Why don't we show that Ling guy who's in charge here?" Dosu asked his teammates, Zaku and Kin.

"You take care of it," Zaku said.

"Fine," Dosu said.

Ling looked at Fu.

"What? Something on your mind, Ling?" Fu asked.

"I'll take the Uchiha," Ling said, making Fu grin.

"You probably don't want to hear this, but I'll take the Uchiha," Fu said.

"What did you say?" Ling asked, turning to face Fu.

"I'd like to test my abilities against the Uchiha," Fu said. "Rumor has it that he's pretty powerful."

"You won't get anywhere with those pyrotechnics of yours," Ling said.

"Don't get me wrong, your little marionettes are pretty strong, but they don't compare to my jutsu," Fu said as Dosu rushed at Ling, who swatted him away with his tail without looking.

"Are you trying to make me angry?" Ling asked, pointing his tail at Fu.

"He knocked that guy away without even looking!" Sakura said, amazed.

"Hey Easy! I said you wouldn't want to hear it, didn't I?" Fu asked.

"Do I need to remind you what happens when I get angry, Fu?" Ling asked before noticing Naruto's back. "Never mind. Take the Uchiha. I have more important fish to skewer." As he said that, a large puff of smoke appeared at the other side of the room.

"Alright, knock it off! Do you want me to fail you before the exams even begin?" a man with two scars on his face asked.

"Apologies," Ling said. "First time taking the exams. I'm a little edgy," he said as his tail disappeared beneath his cloak again.

"Alright, listen up! I'm the proctor of the written portion of the exams, Ibiki Morino. My word is law here. If any of you think you don't have what it takes to become chunin, then you may leave now." When no one left, he continued. "Alright, you'll each be given a number. Once you have your number, sit in the corresponding seat."

Naruto was not happy to end up away from Sasuke and Sakura, while Ling, Lan Fan, and Fu were completely separated from each other, but weren't worried.

"Alright, now I'll explain the rules of the written test," Ibiki said. "This test is different from others in that you start with a perfect score of ten. For every incorrect answer, one point will be deducted. Also, the proctors around the room will be keeping a close watch for cheating. You will lose two points for each instance of cheating caught. If you get caught five times, then you fail immediately."

'There is something very wrong with that statement,' Ling thought. 'The rules for cheating are too lenient. In any other instance, being caught cheating once would be grounds for dismissal right there. I need more information.'

"Also, if any member of a team gets a score of zero, then the entire team fails. In addition, the tenth question will not be given until the final 15 minutes of the test. You may now begin."

Ling looked over the questions, getting even more suspicious. 'Leniency in regards to cheating, and there is no way in Hell that a genin lacking a superior intellect like mine could possibly answer these questions correctly. It's like they're forcing us to cheat to pass. I see. They're testing our ability to gather information without getting caught at it.' he thought, smirking. 'Luckily, I have the superior intellect needed to answer these correctly, and Fu and Lan Fan can gain the info through their eye cameras without being caught.' With that, Ling picked up his pencil and set about answering the questions, getting them to Fu and Lan Fan easily.

Others had figured it out as well. Neji and Hinata used their Byakugan eyes to see through people to get answers. Sasuke used his Sharingan to copy the movements of another guy's pencil. Lee and Tenten used mirrors. Sakura, like Ling, used her brain. Ino used her Mind Transfer Jutsu to possess Sakura and get her answers before passing them to Choji and Shikamaru. Kiba used Akamaru. And Shino used his bugs.

By the time the final 15 minute arrived, over half the teams had been eliminated; some going less quietly than others.

"Alright, pencils down!" Ibiki said. "It's time to give the final question. But before that, there is a condition attached to this question. You can choose not to answer it. But if you do, you and your team will automatically fail. However, if you choose to answer the question, and answer incorrectly, you not only fail, but you will be barred from taking the Chunin Exams ever again, and be a genin for the rest of your life," he said, pausing to let it sink in. "So, what will it be? Will any of you quit now and be able to try again next time, or will you take the chance and risk being stuck a genin?"

After a moment, a couple of teams were eliminated. Then Naruto raised his hand, only to slam it down on the desk in front of him. "You're not gonna scare me away! I don't care if I end up being a genin forever! I'll still become Hokage! I'm not gonna run away! And I'm not going back on my word! That's my nindo, my ninja way!" he loudly proclaimed.

Ibiki looked at him, then the rest of the candidates. 'His outburst gave the others some backbone. That kid is an interesting one,' he thought. "Alright then... you all pass. Congratulations."

"What do you mean we pass?" Sakura asked. "What about the tenth question?"

"There is no tenth question, you fool," Ling said. "The tenth question was a ploy to test our conviction. While the other nine questions were a test of our ability to gather information."

"You're right on the money, kid," Ibiki said. "You all get to move on to the next exam." As he said that, a large black object flew through the window and unfurled, revealing a woman and sign that was secured to the ceiling by kunai.

"All right, listen up, you maggots!" the woman snapped. "I'm the proctor of the second exam, Anko Mitarashi! You're in my hands now!" she said as a young girl with black hair dressed in a black kimono and a Mist headband, armed with a katana and tanto, appeared on her shoulder.

"Hi, Ling Ling!" the girl exclaimed.

"Stick to someone else, you little parasite!" Anko snapped at the girl as the child jumped across desks and onto Ling's shoulder.

"What are you doing here, Rin?" Ling asked. "I told you to stay with Lady Mizukage."

"I know! I just wanted to come see you!" Rin said cheerfully, ignoring the stares of the other candidates.

"You're early, Anko, again," Ibiki said, coming from behind the sign.

"Are you getting soft, Ibiki?" Anko asked. "This is more than you usually give me."

"Maybe this batch is more talented," Ibiki said.

"Well when I'm done with them, that number will be cut in half," Anko said, making most of the candidates gulp in fear.

"I can already tell that you're an absolute sadist," Ling said.

"Maybe I am," Anko said with a grin. "Alright, maggots! Follow me!"

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"Ooh! Big trees!" Rin said loudly, looking at the forest behind a perimeter fence.

"What is this place?" Fu asked.

"The 44th training ground," Anko said, looking at the genin. "Otherwise known as the Forest of Death," she said with a dark smile. "Alright, your objective is to reach the tower in the middle of the forest within five days with one each of these scrolls," she said, holding up two different scrolls. "The brown scroll is an Earth Scroll. The white one is a Heaven Scroll. Each team will enter the forest with one, and you'll have to take the other scroll from another team; by any means necessary. Which includes killing, so you'll each need to sign one of these release forms." As she said this, she held out a stack of forms. "Sign these and exchange them for a scroll over there," she said, indicating a table behind a curtain.

Ling took a form and quickly signed it, as Fu and Lan Fan did for their forms. After getting their scroll and storing it away, he looked at Rin, who was still on his shoulder.

"What is it, Ling Ling?" Rin asked.

"Rin, stay with the proctor while I'm in the forest," Ling said. "Do not stray far from her."

"Okay, Ling Ling!" Rin said, hopping off his shoulder and running over to Anko.

"What do you want?" Anko asked, eying the smiling child.

"Ling Ling told me to stay with you while he's in the woods!" Rin said, hopping onto Anko's shoulder.

"Great, I have to babysit for the next five days," Anko groaned as Rin looked around.

"You know, the proctor doesn't look so scary with a little girl hanging off her shoulder," Naruto said, making Sakura laugh.

"You're right, she doesn't look so scary," Sakura said before Anko threw a kunai at Naruto, cutting his cheek. "Naruto!" she yelped as Anko appeared behind Naruto, taking hold of his chin.

"You know, hotshots like you have had their blood spilled all over this forest," Anko said in a slight purr before licking away the blood from Naruto's cut; which made him and Sakura shudder in fright and disgust.

"What's wrong, Whiskers?" Rin asked. "You scared?"

Naruto looked at Rin. "What did you call me?"

"Whiskers!" Rin said happily. "That's your new nickname!"

"I don't think he likes that nickname," Sakura said as Naruto was clearly trying not to hurt Rin.

"Why wouldn't he like it, Forehead?" Rin asked, making Sakura want to kill her as well.

At that moment, Anko readied another kunai as a grass genin came up behind her, clutching a kunai in her tongue, which was extending far further than a tongue should.

"I was just returning your kunai," the grass genin said.

"Thank you, grass ninja," Anko said, taking her knife back as the grass ninja retreated.

"Snake Tongue is weird, huh Shirtless?" Rin asked of Anko.

"Shut up, kid," Anko groaned.

Soon enough, all the teams had their scrolls and were each at a gate.

"One last piece of advice," Anko said. "Try not to get killed! The second test begins now!"

With that, the gates were opened and the teams entered the Forest of Death.

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"Ling, slow down! We just started!" Lan Fan said as she, Fu, and Ling jumped through the trees.

"I'd like to find the other teams before they find us," Ling said. "I prefer to ambush, rather than be ambushed."

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"Let's get to it!" Naruto said as he, Sakura, and Sasuke headed into the forest.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It wasn't long before screams could be heard coming from the forest, making Anko laugh. "Looks like we've got the first fatalities."

"You really like hearing people scream, huh Shirtless?" Rin asked.

"Got that right, kid," Anko said. "Your buddy Ling might be one of 'em," she said, trying to scare Rin.

"No way!" Rin said. "Ling Ling is the best! He won't die," she said before her stomach growled. "I'm hungry," she said with a giggle.

"So am I," Anko said. "Let's grab some dumplings and red bean soup." With that, Anko walked off, Rin still hanging from her shoulder.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The grass ninja who had returned Anko's kunai silently stalked Naruto's team, running through some hand signs. "Wind Style: Slicing Whirlwind," she said, sending a powerful gust of wind at them.

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Cliffhanger, aren't I the worst? Hope you like Rin. Anyway, until next time, I bid you all a most respectful farewell.