Chapter Ten: The Chunin Exams

"Good call on using your Sharingan," Yuri sighed as the two adults looked inside the room, where a medic-nin was doing the final check up on a dazed Rei. Kakashi stared expressionlessly and then looked away. "The fact that I needed that much chakra to knock her out worries me." She was just a twelve year old girl after all – he usually only used the powers of his Sharingan on strong, jonin-level opponents or stubborn clients. Eventually, the girl got out from her bed and greeted the two older one quietly.

"How are you feeling?" Kakashi asked as the nurse handed him a clipboard with all the sign-out papers once they were down the halls. It seemed like Kakashi was playing father and he sighed. It wasn't uncommon for Kakashi to go nights without sleeping yet he exhausted himself this time, watching over Rei. After she told him she was giving up on her life, he felt…disturbed. So he stayed there with her, even when she was in a chakra induced slumber and the pain she felt was treated. He wasn't going to let her out if his sight for a while.

What surprised Kakashi was that his other brooding student hadn't decided to check up on Rei. He figured that since seeing the two always arrive with each other, Sasuke would be with her during mornings as well...especially mornings that begin in the hospital.

"I'm still strong," she finally answered.

"There's something I want to talk to you about, Rei," Kakashi said as he signed his name under guardianship of her release papers. She looked up at him curiously but he didn't answer until they leave the building. "Your family…is not really of the Yukimora clan, are they? That surname was derived of the Yuki clan." She frowned and he immediately knew he was right. "So the incident at the Bridge…was that when you realized the truth or have you always known?"

"No," she said truthfully, "I had no idea." Kakashi looked at her thoughtfully, and scanned the area. There was no one around them to overhear the conversation.

"I think you should keep this between us, and the Hokage, Rei."

She looked sharply at Kakashi, stopping. "And why's that?"

There was no other way to say it. "A lot of trouble will find you if it's known that there's a Yuki girl in Konoha." Seeing the fear in the child's eye, he smiled at her kindly. "So let's just work on your water jutsus and chakra control, alright?" But she wouldn't let it go.

"My father died when I was young," she told him, her voice shaking. She hated talking about her family because it was nothing but tragic, but she was older now and she should face the truth. "Is that the reason why? Is that the 'trouble' – I get killed?"

"Your father was probably killed by a hunter-nin," Kakashi corrected, his voice mutual as he continued walking and she caught up with him. "If he came to Konoha during the war, the Land of Water would have probably tracked him down and –"

"Please," Rei said and turned, "stop. I…I don't want to hear anymore." Her fingers dug into her nails. My father was killed, and I never even knew him well…he brought us here for a better life, only for mother to…No. She didn't want to think about that either. Her head was still hurting enough from yesterday's agonizing headache and she felt lifeless. She wanted nothing more than a simply, normal day and participating in the tests should bringing regularity back to her life.

"Good luck, Rei," Kakashi called out once they stood in front of the doors. She nodded, her previous mood gone and she looked only happy again. She shoved everything she had just learned to the back of her mind, forcing herself to not allow any of it to ruin the moment at hand. Something between the teacher and student changed – their connection stronger and easier…even though hours ago, Rei had begged him to kill her. "Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura should come soon."

"Thank you, Kakashi-sensei." She smiled up at him and walked in…only to be greeted by a bunch of scary looking, huge shinobi. They glared down at her, scrutinized her – but this was Rei so although she walked in, understandably overwhelmed, her face soon lit up with a huge smile. Still, because she was alone, she had no idea where to go – until her eyes zoned in on an instantly familiar outfit.

"You're from Amegakure, right?" she asked, rubbing her temple. There was a hint of a weak but gnawing pain starting already. She walked towards the young man and although he looked intimidating – brown spiky hair and two scars running down the side of his face and a partially stitched up mouth, - he wasn't grimacing at the younger girl.

"Yeah, what about it?"

"I was attacked by a ninja from Amegakure last night," she said and then thought about the pain – she shoved that memory back and smiled to override the feeling, "that's all." He was thrown off by her bluntness as well as the charisma that came natural to the young kunoichi. He relaxed a bit around Rei, as most did, and he shrugged.

"Wasn't me," he claimed. He turned around to his other teammates – much less intimidating and smaller ninjas but still sported the oxygen tank and striped suits as the taller did. "Did you guys attack her?" They all shook their head. The fact that he seemed comfortable enough to involve his other teammates in the conversation gave her a confidence booth.

"I'm Rei," she introduced.

"Shigure." And like that, Rei made herself an acquaintance. Kakashi looked in through the window and spotted the tiny girl talking excitedly to the ninja that was seven years older than her. Only Rei, Kakashi shook his head, but he was smiling. "Is this your first year?" Rei asked the Amegakure shinobi.

"My second, I first entered a year ago…and well..." He stopped there, conclusion obviously drawn. She frowned.

"How old are you?"

"Nineteen," he answered, and his eyes narrowed warily. "What are you, fourteen?"

She gave him an amused smile but before she could answer him, the sound of a loud bunch walking through the door caught their attention. She frowned immediately when she saw a blonde haired girl jump around Sasuke. He gave Ino an annoyed expression and shook her off – and looked straight at Rei. His eyes widened a bit, seeing his Rei – his, teammate, he meant – sitting alongside a huge ninja who was scowling towards the younger group. "Annoying rookies," Shigure commented, spite in his voice.

Rei sighed. "I know, I can be quite annoying sometimes as well."

He narrowed his eyes. "You're a rookie?" Since when the hell did rookies have the nerve to approach strangers without that pack they tended to travel with?

Then a loud shout cut through the room. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki, and I am going beat every one of you – believe it!"

Rei slapped her face in shame and horror while Shigure cut her a look. "I want to kill your teammate."

"Sometimes, I do too."

0-0

When the first part of the exam began, Ibiki, the proctor, explained the rules of the written test. But as soon as Rei read the first lines – something about the trajectory of a shuriken thrown by a ninja in a – nope, she gave up. Rei was too exhausted from the night before to even finish reading the question. She took a deep breath, and although she heard the rules Ibiki set clearly –

Her mind started moving. Why would anyone emphasis so much on the punishment of cheating unless it was expected? And he kept saying if they were caught treating. So what if they werent? And even if her theory was wrong about the underlying reasoning of the test, it didn't matter. Quick as always, Rei formed an idea. If she could use an ice-release to mirror the answers…yes, that should work. She looked around the class quickly and saw only one student writing away. Calculating angles, she focused on transforming her chakra, using the wind to drop the temperature in the air of that corner and water to dense and solidify it. It took her a moment, but a thin, opaque and shiny sheet of ice appeared.

Reflective sheet of ice.

She began scribbling away.

She was done the moment the person she copied was done, and the ice vanished immediately. Dropping her pencil, she laid her head on the table and her arms lazily. She took a quick nap, and when she woke up again, her eyes looked over at Sasuke, his Sharingan activated. She couldn't help but smile. When Sasuke caught her eye, however, he averted his look. Her smile dropped and she felt a nervousness from the pit of her stomach. What's with him? She was too tired to figure out and exhaustion won over curiosity, and she was asleep again. Eventually, her eyes flicked open and she immediately knew that she missed some sort of inspiration and meaningful speech.

Then something went flying through the window and flag spread across the wall, blocking Ibiki and a familiar, purple-haired kunoichi jumped in.

"Heads up, boys and girls! This is not time to be celebrating. I'll be your next proctor – Anko Mitarashi. Ready for the second test? Good, then let's go! Follow me!"

Rei grinned at the screaming, over-excited yet intimidating kunoichi. She sat up straighter in anticipation and Anko immediately recognized the brunette. "Huh? You're in this too, Rei? But you're a rookie!" Anko and Rei had known each other for quite a while because of their prolonged stay at the Dango shop. The jonin looked around, disappointedly. "How many are there? Ibiki, you let all these guys pass?" Obviously displeased, she complained. "Your test was too easy, you must be getting soft."

"Or it could be a stronger crop of candidates this year," Ibiki countered, looking smug.

"Hm, they sure don't look it." The purple haired kunoichi smirked. "Trust me, before I'm done with them, more than half of them would be eliminated." Never in a thousand years would Rei even think she would be one of them but everything changed the instant Rei walked out of the class and collapsed.

Won't you ever get better, Rei? *sigh*

So no, Kakashi does not kill her - I was surprised when I got those reviews, actually! And to my lovely reader who's curious about Rei's diseased...it's completely made up, although the symptoms are similar to cancer but she doesn't have that! Haha, well anyways - back to the story line :)