A/N: It's been awhile since the last update, for which I apologize. It will probably take awhile before I get to the next one, as well, because I have two other stories that I'm working on, Rise of the Uchiha and The Professor's Journey. Of course, my inspiration tends to lean toward whichever story gets reviewed, so if you like where this one is going let me know, and the next chapter just might get written sooner!
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters in this story.
The Exams Begin
Choji woke up to the smell of all of his favorite foods wafting up the stairs and into his room. He inhaled through his nose, savoring the aroma of roasting meat. What was the occasion? Oh, right. Today was the first day of the Chunin Exams.
He sat up in bed, food momentarily forgotten. Months of preparation and training, and it all led up to the next few weeks. No one will get hurt this time around, Choji promised. I'll make sure of it.
A few minutes later he was dressed and ready, his soldier pills safely stored in his vest pockets, and his ninja tools stowed away securely. He went downstairs to find the table already set, and his parents seated, smiling at him fiercely.
"Morning Mom, Dad. You didn't have to do this!"
Choza laughed, causing the glasses and chopsticks on the table to shake as if caught in a miniature earthquake. "Of course we did, Choji! You think we'd let our son start the Chunin Exams without proper fuel?"
Chouko Akimichi smacked her husband in the back of the head. "Quiet, you! Let the boy eat. Hurry. Choji, you should meet up with your team soon."
"Right! No time to waste!" Choji was in his seat in the blink of an eye, inhaling his food at a breakneck pace. He was like a green whirlwind; nothing edible within his reach was safe.
His parents watched him fondly, almost too emotional to finish the food on their own plates. Almost.
Choza pointed at Choji, his finger resembling a large sausage. "Remember, son, we're proud of you even if you don't make chunin. Just do your best, that's all that counts."
Choji paused long enough to nod seriously. "Thanks, but I'm not worried about that. I'm treating the Exams like a mission. The only objective I care about is getting my teammates through this safely."
Choza and Chouko exchanged startled looks. When had their son become so wise, so serious? It must have been due to his brush with death during his first C-rank mission.
When no food was left on the table, Choji wiped his mouth with a napkin and slung his pack over his shoulders. "Thanks guys, I've got to run! I'll see you tonight, if the Exams aren't still going!"
His mom gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, and his dad nearly crushed the life out of him with a signature Akimichi bear hug. "We'll be cheering for you. Show them the strength of the Akimichi clan!"
When he was gone Choza started bringing dishes over to the sink. He paused beside the window, watching Choji dash down the street at full speed.
"He's grown so much," he commented, sensing his wife approaching behind him.
Chouko chuckled. "To tell the truth, I don't think we have any idea of how much he's grown. But we'll find out very soon."
oOoOo
Ino ate her cereal quietly. She knew she should have something more substantial, but the butterflies in her stomach wouldn't let her get away with anything heavier. She gulped down some orange juice and took a few deep breaths, trying to calm her nerves.
"Are you all right, Ino?" Inoichi looked across the table at his daughter, his eyes twinkling. Ino forced herself to give him back her best confident smirk.
"Of course, dad. The other genin won't know what hit them."
Inoichi chewed quietly. His daughter's nervousness did not escape his notice, but neither did her determination not to let it show. "I'm sure they won't. You and your team are well prepared."
Ino finished the last few bits of cereal in her bowl, then drained the milk in one gulp. She gave a long sigh, and pushed the bowl away. "Where's mom? Does she even care that this is the most important day of my life?"
Her father shrugged. "You know your mother, Ino. She heard 'Exams' and figured you had everything under control. After all, you were second only to the Uchiha prodigy during your Academy days." Inoichi gave Ino a sheepish smile. "I could have explained things to her, but I didn't want her to worry. You know what she thinks about our way of life."
"Maybe she shouldn't have married a shinobi, then," Ino muttered. "She's probably in the greenhouse already. I swear, sometimes I think mom doesn't actually exist. She's just a figment of our imaginations."
"I heard that!" Ino looked up in surprise, to see her mom, Miho, approaching from the door to the greenhouse. "I'm hurt. Just because I don't go around throwing kunai at bad guys like you two, doesn't mean I can't appreciate what you're about to go through. Here. This is for you."
Ino's mom held out a beautiful, pale, yellow rose. Ino took it gently, avoiding the wicked-looking thorns.
"I've been growing these specially to match the color of your hair," her mom said. "See those thorns? The flower is beautiful, but dangerous. Just like you. Do your best, honey. We're pulling for you."
Ino hugged her mom gingerly, aware that using too much of her strength wasn't a good idea. To Ino's surprise, there were a few tears in her eyes threatening to fall. She hadn't wanted to admit it, but having her mom's support meant a lot.
"Thank you so much!"
She put the flower in a glass with some water, and said her goodbyes. Ino didn't even notice that the butterflies in her stomach were gone, so focused was she on the task ahead.
This time I won't be the weak link. I swear it.
oOoOo
Shikamaru rested his chin on one hand, staring at the board intently. His breakfast was pushed to the side, untouched.
If he advances there, I can cut off his knight. Then I'll start my own attack. But what if he plays defensively? I'll have to be prepared for that too…
"-maru!" His father's voice interrupted his thoughts.
"What?"
Shikaku didn't laugh, but his mouth quirked upward a bit. "You didn't even hear what I said, did you?"
Try as he might, Shikamaru couldn't keep the scowl off his face. "I was concentrating!"
"Concentrate and eat at the same time. I suggested we play Shogi to calm your nerves, but it won't matter how calm and focused you are if you're too weak to fight. Eat a little, your mom made this specially for you."
"That's what I'm afraid of."
"Watch it, punk!" Yoshino came out into the dining room, holding a carving knife like a kunai. "You'll eat what I cook and you'll like it!"
Shikamaru replied absently, still focused on the game. "Of course, mom."
Shikaku waved a hand in front of Shikamaru's face, breaking him out of his trance. "Unfortunately, we're not going to be able to play out the rest of this game. You should leave soon, and first you're going to eat what's on your plate."
"Dad, I'm not five!"
Still, Shikamaru swept up the Shogi pieces and put them away. He started in on his breakfast, noting that for once his mom hadn't burned the food. That was a first for Nara Yoshino. Every second she spent in the kitchen was a second wasted, in her book. Shikamaru was touched.
"Listen up, brat," his mother said, glaring at him. "You'd better not mess these exams up!"
Shikamaru got up from the table, walked over to his mom, and gave her a hug. "Don't worry, mom. I'll do my best."
He left to get his gear, leaving Yoshino standing dumbstruck in the doorway. She looked at Shikaku, her face the picture of shock.
"Wh-what the hell was that? No heavy sigh? No 'troublesome woman'? What happened to our son?"
Shikaku laughed quietly. "I think our Shika has finally figured out why he's fighting, or more specifically, what he's fighting to protect. I look forward to these exams with great anticipation."
oOoOo
The first rays of light shone through the open window, illuminating the bed and the two figures in it. Asuma groaned, raising one hand to shade his eyes. From under the covers came a sleepy sound of protest.
"Time to get up, Kurenai."
The kunoichi reluctantly uncovered her face, her black hair a mess and her red eyes glaring blood murder. "Did you deliberately not close the curtain last night? Asshole."
Asuma raised his hands apologetically. "Today's an important day, and I know you'd sleep all day if I didn't make sure we got up at a reasonable hour."
Kurenai patted her hair into a semblance of order, and grinned evilly. "That's right, today's the first day of the Chunin Exams. Then I won't kill you for waking me up this early. I'll get all the satisfaction I need from watching my genin wipe the floor with yours."
"Is that so? Sounds like a challenge to me. Care to make a wager?"
"Of course," Kurenai scoffed. "What are the stakes?"
Asuma turned so he was lying on one side, looking into Kurenai's eyes. As always they mesmerized him, pulling him deeper until they were all he could see. He grinned at her lecherously. "Oh, I'm sure we can think of something."
Kurenai smacked him so hard he saw stars. "Sarutobi Asuma, get your mind out of the gutter! If I win, we're going to tell the other jonin we're dating."
Asuma gasped. "You're joking." She just shook her head firmly.
"Fine. So you're gonna play hardball? I can play hardball. If I win, you have to accept Jiraiya's offer to make you the model for the cover of his next book."
Kurenai's eyes widened in horror. "That's over the line!"
Asuma just shook his head. "You want to subject me to Gai's congratulations, and my father's not-so-subtle questions about when he can expect a new addition to the Sarutobi clan. Then the lectures from Shikaku on making sure my love life doesn't affect my work… oh no, I don't think your forfeit is any worse than mine."
"Fine," Kurenai spat, "but you'd best be warned. If your kids win this wager, I may never speak to you again. I may never speak to anyone again, so traumatic an experience it would be."
"Oh, you know you've always longed to be the face of Icha Icha—" Asuma had to leap out of bed to avoid the slashing kunai.
"Hey," he shouted. "Did you keep that under your pillow?"
"We're shinobi, remember? You shouldn't be surprised." Kurenai paused, running her eyes up and down appreciatively. "Nice view."
That was when Asuma realized he wasn't wearing anything. He blushed and turned away, looking for his pants. "Closet pervert," he muttered. "She's worse than Ebisu."
As he pulled his pants on, he prayed fervently that his kids wouldn't let him down. There was too much riding on this bet for his comfort.
oOoOo
The members of Team 10 arrived at Training Ground 5, two hours before the start of the Exams. They met in the middle of the field, each thinking about what that day might have in store. Shikamaru broke the silence.
"These Exams are what we've been waiting for. They're our chance to prove to the village, to prove to ourselves, that we're not kids any more."
Choji fingered the small ruby set in the silver earring hanging from his left ear. Shikamaru and Ino had the exact same earrings, which Asuma had given to Team 10 after setting them with Toshiyo's rubies. "I won't ever fail the people relying on me again. That goes for the two of you before anyone."
Ino put a hand on Choji's shoulder. "Toshiyo would be proud of you." Then she clapped her hands, the sharp noise breaking echoing eerily in the morning silence. "Right, that's enough of the emotional crap! Let's go show everybody why they shouldn't mess with Team 10!"
Shikamaru nodded, and the three teammates began walking in the direction of the Exam building.
"Just remember," Shikamaru warned, "to be on your guard. Every genin from another village is a potential enemy. We're entering an arena where the stakes are life and death. And just as important, remember we're Konoha shinobi before everything else; don't let any rivalries make you forget who your friends are."
Ino didn't respond, but Shikamaru's advice resonated with her. She had done a lot of thinking recently, about her friends… and her former friends. And she was going to take the first opportunity that presented itself, in order to do something she should have done long ago. Ino and Sakura had unfinished business.
The building where the Chunin Exams were taking place was located in a very remote area of the village. In fact, Ino thought she remembered hearing her father mention something about the building being built specially for the Exams. It was gigantic, fully seven stories high.
Shikamaru led the way, and Team 10 joined the steady stream of genin squads entering the building. There was no need to figure out which way to go—once inside, they could just follow the crowd. And it led them to some kind of commotion outside of the exam room, which halted forward momentum as teams pressed forward to try and figure out what was going on.
Ino and Choji looked to Shikamaru for direction. During their training Ino had gotten over her aversion to Shikamaru leading—resenting him for his intellect just seemed too childish now, and it helped that he took his responsibilities seriously.
Shikamaru tapped one finger on his thigh, which was the signal for Ino to use her clan technique and communicate with them mind to mind. It was a low-powered version of the Yamanaka mind-reading, requiring much less power since it was only used to relay surface thoughts, and since her targets weren't trying to resist her mental probes. Shikamaru and Choji would concentrate on the thoughts they wanted Ino to pick up on, and she could respond without any chance of an enemy overhearing. Ino knew it would come in handy, but she'd never imagined they'd be able to use her mind-to-mind communication before the Exams had even started.
What's going on?
Shikamaru shook his head, his frustration evident. I can't see through this crowd. Tell Choji to make us a path, but keep us to the side a little. I want to see what's happening without being too conspicuous.
Ino nodded shortly. Right.
She relayed Shikamaru's directions to Choji, who began to shoulder through the crowd. He muttered apologies, but drew many annoyed looks before they reached the cause of the disturbance. A very strange sight met Ino's eyes.
Sasuke and another genin appeared to have been fighting. But in between them, effortlessly holding their legs motionless, was a genin clad all in green spandex, with the bushiest eyebrows and ugliest bowl cut Ino had ever seen. As strange as this was, Ino quickly moved on when her senses alerted her to the low-powered genjutsu affecting the area.
She quickly made her report to Shikamaru.
There's a genjutsu disguising the door, and both of the genin blocking the door are under an illusion.
He nodded, comprehension dawning on his face. The Exams must have already started. They're proctors, and they're trying to keep us from the next stage. I thought something was strange, we're only on the second floor. Let's just watch, for now. I don't think that green genin needs any help.
The scene continued, oblivious to the mental conversation playing in the background.
The spandex-clad genin let both of the boys go. "There is no need to start fighting before the Exams even begin."
Sasuke grunted, staring balefully at the two genin who were blocking his path. "I don't care about fighting you. Just step aside, and undo this illusion you've created."
The disguised genin laughed. "So you've figured it out, huh? Well, don't say we didn't warn you. If you turn back now, you'll be doing yourselves a favor."
Both genin walked away, and the sign above the door reverted to its original state. Sasuke and his team walked through first. Ino followed, having seen Sakura.
I'll join up with you in a minute, Shikamaru. There's something I have to do first.
Of course. We'll wait for you. Shikamaru had seen the way Ino looked at Sakura, and had doubtless figured out why Ino was leaving.
By the time Ino caught up with Team 7, they'd already managed to get into more trouble. Sasuke was staring down the same bowl-cut genin from before, his casual slouch contrasting with the furious sparks shooting from his eyes.
Ino had to admit, even though her adoration was a thing of the past… the boy looked good.
The boy with the eyebrows (Ino realized she was cycling between his three most hideous aspects as his signifier) was busy trying to blow kisses at Sakura, who was acrobatically dodging. Ino used the distraction to make it all the way to Sakura's side before anyone noticed her.
"I-Ino pig!" Sakura yelled, and lost her balance at the exact wrong moment, sending her right into the path of one of Lee's blown kisses. Ino could have sworn she heard a wet, smacking sound, followed by Sakura shivering all over in horror.
"Ino pig! Damn it, look what you did!"
Ino covered her hand with her mouth. "I'm sorry, Sakura. Can I talk to you?"
Lee began to talk over Ino at Sasuke. "I challenge you to youthful combat!"
"I accept." Sasuke stepped forward, distracting Sakura from her once-best-friend.
"Kick his ass, Sasuke!"
Ino put her hand of Sakura's shoulder, trying to keep her flighty friend on track.
"Sakura, I have something I really need to say before the Exams start."
With a supreme effort, Sakura tore her eyes away from the battle beginning between Lee and her teammate.
"What is it? Make it fast, Ino pig. I don't want to miss Sasuke cleaning the floor with this jerk."
Ino sighed, resolving to approach this directly. "I want to be your friend again."
Sakura stared at her, completely lost for words. Ino forged ahead, hoping she would be able to make an impression.
"It's just, a lot has happened to me lately. I almost died, my whole team almost died, and it made me realize how there's nothing more important than friends. I would never forgive myself if I let our friendship die forever just because of a stupid boy. I don't even like Sasuke anymore, so there's no reason to—"
Sakura, who had been following Ino's words with ever-widening eyes, fixed on her last sentence, suspicion kindling in her gaze.
"So that's it! I see your game, Ino-pig. You're jealous of all the time I spend with Sasuke, so you're trying to rekindle our friendship to get to him! Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer, is it? Well I'm not going to fall for that one!"
Ino met Sakura's suspicious gaze directly, willing her sincerity to shine through clearly.
"Sakura, I really and truly don't have feelings for Sasuke anymore. And if you can't believe that, please believe that our friendship means more to me than any boy ever could. You don't have to say anything now, but think about it. I want us to be friends again, no matter how long it takes."
Ino walked away without a backward glance, passing by Naruto who was just picking himself up after being humiliated by Lee.
Sakura made as if to go after Ino, but stopped when Sasuke started his fight with Lee. Every now and again she sent a quick glance at Ino's retreating back, and her face contained traces of hope and wonder.
Ino joined up with Shikamaru and Choji, who were waiting outside of the Exam room.
"How did it go?" Shikamaru asked.
Ino shrugged. "As well as can be expected. Should we go in?"
"Might as well," Choji said. "We're only going to get more nervous the longer we wait."
"Ha!" Ino scoffed. "Nervous isn't in my vocabulary. Let's go!"
oOoOo
Team 10 walked through the door, immediately drawing the suspicious eyes of every genin already in the room. The killing intent hit them in a wave; even though there were only genin assembled, so many hostile looks added up, making the team feel as though they had just entered a battlefield.
Ino turned towards Shikamaru and Choji, feeling vulnerable and exposed. She projected her thoughts into both of their minds. Wow. I knew this was going to be intense, but I wasn't expecting anything like this.
Just don't act self-conscious, and don't do anything to draw any attention to ourselves. Shikamaru motioned slightly to one side of the room, where, to Ino's considerable relief, were some familiar (and more importantly friendly) faces.
"Hi guys!" Kiba's voice was much quieter than Shikamaru was used to. Obviously even the brash Inuzuka had been affected by the atmosphere in the room. Team 8 advanced slowly to meet up with the members of Team 10. Shikamaru felt more secure with Hinata, Kiba, and Shino there. There was safety in numbers.
"H-hello," Hinata murmured, looking even more cowed than usual. Shino only nodded his head, his glasses hiding whatever expression might have been in his eyes, but Shikamaru thought seeing them had lessened some of the tension in the bug-user's shoulders.
Before the two teams had had a chance to catch up the door swung open with a crash. Along with everyone else in the room, Shikamaru swung his head to see who had made the noise. To his utter and complete lack of surprise, it was the blond bumpkin, the walking kunai target, Uzumaki Naruto.
Sakura and Sasuke came in behind their teammate, wincing at the entrance he'd managed to make. Shikamaru motioned his team forward subtly. They were all rookies, after all, all on the same side, and he would do the best he could to make sure Naruto wasn't killed by a horde of pissed-off foreign genin.
"Hey, loudmouth," he hissed quietly. "Try not to get yourself killed before the Exams even start, ok?"
Naruto looked excited to see the other rookies. "Hey, Shikamaru! So you got here before us, huh? I would have thought you'd still be asleep!"
Well. So much for trying to help him.
Kiba pushed forward to the head of the group. "Keep it down, moron. Can't you see everybody else in this room? Things are tense already, being loud will only make things worse."
"N-Naruto-kun. Hello…" Hinata pressed her forefingers together and blushed furiously. Choji tossed Naruto a bag of chips by way of greeting, which made Shikamaru wince. The crinkling of the paper as Naruto opened the bag only drew more stares.
Particularly intense were the looks given Naruto by three Suna genin, a blonde girl, a boy with purple make-up and a black body suit, and a redhead with a huge gourd on his back. Shikamaru paid attention to the reunion happening between the rookies with half an eye, but kept the majority of his attention focused on the three from Suna. The self-assured way they stood, and the menacing focus of the redhead on Naruto, just captured Shikamaru's attention. This would be a team to watch.
Shikamaru was pulled away from his covert observations by a silver-haired genin approaching the rookies alone. He gave this boy his full attention, because it was extremely weird that a genin would approach potential rivals without his team behind him. Very odd. What was this guy up to?
The genin raised a hand, drawing the attention of the rest of the nine rookies. His spectacles flashed with reflected light, hiding his eyes momentarily. "Do you realize the attention you're attracting? Rookies should keep to the background, and avoid notice."
Shikamaru couldn't argue with the sentiment, but he found himself wondering why exactly another genin would knowingly subject himself to the scrutiny from the contestants just to give the rookies advice.
"Yeah?" Kiba snarled belligerently. "And who are you?"
The genin pushed his glasses up a little higher, and smiled secretively. "I'm Kabuto. You could say I know my way around these Exams."
"H-have you taken them before?" Hinata stammered.
Kabuto gave an embarrassed cough. "Seven times, actually. But I've gathered information on all the villages attending, and as many of the teams entering as are known. The info's all contained in these cards, which are specially tuned to my chakra."
Shikamaru was becoming more and more suspicious. Such meticulous information gathering didn't fit the profile of a seven-time failure. And why would he share that information with the rookies, marking himself out to all of the other genin and potentially giving his rivals an edge? He obviously wanted them to think he just felt bad for them, but Shikamaru couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to this spectacled Good Samaritan than met the eye.
Shikamaru realized he'd lost track of the conversation, and re-entered just as Kabuto was winding down with a description of the Hidden Villages. "…and the smallest of the villages is Otogakure. They only recently came to prominence, and have the fewest shinobi entered in these Exams. Most likely they are using the visibility of the Exams to help get more work from the daimyos of the Elemental Nations."
Sasuke broke in when Kabuto looked to have finished his lecture. "Do you have information about individual contestants as well?"
"Of course."
"I'd like to look at Gaara and Rock Lee."
Kabuto took two cards out of the deck and laid them on the floor, revealing the hidden information with a quick pass of his hand. Sasuke bent over the cards, his brow furrowing with concentration.
"Sabaku Gaara," he muttered. "One B-rank mission completed. Never been injured on a mission… how is that possible?"
The rookies were exclaiming over the frightening prowess of the redheaded Suna shinobi when the Sound genin made their move. Before Shikamaru had a chance to notice more than three dark blurs, a squad of Oto shinobi had passed the rookies and were advancing on Kabuto.
Shikamaru tried to move, but he had no hope of reaching Kabuto in time to help. The lead genin had already led with a right hook, his arm weighted by a strange, metal device with grooves and holes. There was a slight whistling sound as his arm traveled through the air.
Kabuto managed to jump back at the last minute to avoid the attack, and for a second Shikamaru thought everything was fine. The rookies were already surrounding the three Oto genin, and surely they wouldn't keep fighting when they were outnumbered.
Then Kabuto's glasses cracked, and he let out a cry of pain. A second later his knees buckled, and he sank to the floor. Then he threw up, drawing cries of distress from most of the rookie nine.
"That will teach you to disrespect Otogakure," the lead Oto-nin said. His entire face was covered in bandages and he walked hunched over, wearing a cape made of some kind of spiky fur. "We may be a small village, but we're no pushovers. If you disrespect us we'll kill you."
Shikamaru was staring directly at Kabuto, but in his mind's eye the silver-haired genin puking his guts out merged with an image of Choji lying crumpled on the ground, ribs broken and wounds streaming blood. Then he saw Ino, unconscious at the base of a tree, with a dagger descending towards her unresisting form. Then Shikamaru realized it didn't matter why Kabuto had approached them with his information cards. He was a shinobi of Konoha, and he had just been attacked.
The smart thing to do would have been to watch and wait. That had been their plan, and it was the smartest option for three raw genin in unfamiliar territory. But at that moment, Shikamaru realized he simply couldn't carry out what logic said was the smart course. His comrade had just been attacked, and Shikamaru would never let that happen if he could prevent it.
He surreptitiously signed Ino and Choji, who tensed and waited for his directions. Ino, I'm going to do something I probably shouldn't. Make sure Kabuto is ok while everyone is distracted. Choji, watch my back. Things might get a little hairy after this.
Neither of his teammates even blinked. We're with you.Ino's voice in his mind steadied Shikamaru, reassuring him that his team would back him up no matter what.
"Shadow Possession jutsu." All three of the Oto shinobi turned their heads instantly, even though Shikamaru had just whispered the words while activating his technique. They still couldn't move quickly enough to evade his shadow, and all three froze, rooted to the spot. The hundreds of genin already watching the spectacle became just as still, every nerve straining in order to be ready if the fight escalated.
Shikamaru took a step forward, and was mirrored by his victims. He could see they all kept a kunai holster on their right leg, which was a common place to keep a weapon. As a matter of course, Shikamaru only kept his kunai in unconventional locations. It made what he was about to do much easier.
He reached down to his own right leg, pulling an imaginary kunai out of a non-existent holster. The helpless Oto genin watched, horrified, as their hands took out kunai.
"You made a mistake," Shikamaru announced loudly, knowing that every eye in the room was now fixed on him. "You thought because we are all looking out for ourselves, you could attack this genin without anyone standing up to you. But you were wrong. Kabuto is a shinobi of Konohagakure. Even though we are not on the same team, he is my comrade. When the Exams start we may fight each other to advance, but that doesn't change the fact that anyone looking to hurt him, or any of my friends, will have to deal with me."
Shikamaru raised his arm, and hundreds of eyes followed the path of three kunai that drew closer and closer to three vulnerable throats. Shikamaru cast his eyes out over the crowd.
"That goes for all of you. If you target a shinobi of this village, be prepared to pay the ultimate price. In Konoha, even the shadows can kill."
The blades went closer to their targets, inexorably drawing nearer to flesh. Right before the three kunai would have drawn blood, multiple puffs of smoke in the front of the room drew everyone's attention. A scarred jonin and many intimidating chunin proctors had materialized, and began moving to ring the assembled genin.
"Enough of this nonsense," the jonin yelled in a voice that would have carried across any battlefield. "You'll have your chance to kill each other in the Exams. I'm Morino Ibiki, your proctor for the first Exam. Everyone take a seat, and we'll begin."
Shikamaru broke the jutsu, watching in quiet satisfaction as the Oto genin rubbed their throats gingerly. He smiled inwardly, remembering the lesson his father had taught him all those months ago. It was nice to be on the other end of the kunai, this time.
He turned to his team, who were perhaps the only two in the room not looking at him. Choji was still tense, making sure no one was thinking about striking back. Ino was watching Kabuto trying to get to his feet, and her face held the strangest expression.
Every other member of the Rookie Nine was staring at Shikamaru as if he'd grown an extra head. Then Shikamaru felt the wide array of looks, both fearful and intrigued, coming from the rest of the genin. More frightening than all the rest was the intense gaze of Sabaku Gaara, which felt Shikamaru felt as though it were a drill boring a hole between his shoulder blades.
Shikamaru sighed. So much for not doing anything to attract attention.
A/N: I missed writing this story. I'm so glad I finally finished this chapter! I'd love input: were the sappy parts too sappy, and did I get the family and friends interacting right? And most of all, did I adequately convey to all of you my idea of how bad-ass Team 10 really is?