Ch. 12: The Exams Begin!
"What! NOOOO!"
It was here. The bane of my existence. The thorn that had been in my side for 11 whole years. My brother. I woke up in the morning and was about to go out to get breakfast when there was a knocking at the door. I went to get it, and there IT, I mean HE was. He was just standing there, but my whole world came crashing down with the next few sentences he spoke.
"Mom made me come with her." Mom's here too? "And she heard Miki was in town." Oh no, she's going to get revenge for me! "And she brought a bag of stuff you forgot and other stuff you need." Groan… embarrassment is in my near future…
"Hey, Minoru," I gritted out as calmly as possible, "can you run out and buy five oranges, six apples and three bananas?" I slipped a handful of cash into his hand.
"Yeah, sure. Do I get paid?"
"You can have the change. But MAKE SURE THEY ARE GOOD. Or else I'll force you to eat every last bit and then make you go out and get more with your OWN money."
"Got it."
As soon as he disappeared around the corner, I dashed across the hallway, barging into the guy's room, not worrying about knocking first or accidentally entering on an awkward scene. Deki would be nowhere to be seen, anyway, and Kazu would already be changed. Washi would still be sleeping, and I knew for a fact that he slept with clothes on. Don't ask. Please don't. But anyway, as the door slammed against the wall after I threw it open, I found I was right. I started bellowing.
"ALERT! ALERT! MY MOTHER IS IN THE VICINITY! No one, and I mean NO ONE, talks about the her(1) we met yesterday, or I will painfully stab you nearly to death with a DULL pencil, heal you a little, stab you half to death, heal you, stab you half to death again, over and over, until you DIE IN AGONY FROM BLOOD LOSS. GOT IT?"
"Umm… yeah… sure…" Washi mumbled, obviously lost.
I collapsed onto an armchair in their room, groaning. "Why did it have to be today? Ugh… SHIZ!" MY eyes popped open as soon as I remembered. "THE EXAMS!"
"SHIT!" Washi shouted.
"DAMN!" Kazu yelled.
"FUCK!" Deki swore.
"ASS! What did I miss?" Kaida interrupted.
"Tomoko's mom is here." Washi informed her and Yumi, who had just joined us.
"Oh, shit… no one talk about Miki," Yumi said, not noticing when I winced. "Oh, and avoid her tattling bro."
"What time do the Exams start?" Kazu asked.
"10:00." My brother entered the room with his arms full of ripe fruits. "And I'm making sure mom and I leave as soon as I get back. The people in this village are weird," he said, making a face.
"Thanks, Noru. Thank you SO much. Here's an extra coin or two." I dropped a few pieces of change into his hand in exchange for the armload of fruits. "Well, dig in everybody! It's 8:30, we have an hour to eat and get ready, then we're leaving! Don't want to get lost!" I grabbed an apple. Deki picked up a banana, and Washi greedily hoarded a banana, two apples, and an orange. Kaida snagged an orange, and Yumi snatched a shiny apple. I put away the last three oranges for later after Kazu took out some crackers he had gotten the day before, and Kaida picked up an apple. Washi reached for another banana, but Deki interrupted him.
"Hey, Warami, don't get fat on us!"
We laughed, but on a more serious note, I added, "You mean on Yumi and Kaida. Starting at 10:00 this morning, we split up into our actual teams. But I have only one request. Washi, don't come near me. It looks really bad if you're short and you get injured, even accidentally, by someone even shorter than you."
We all laughed, even Washi, then we all separated to prepare our things for the Exams.
As soon I as I was in my room, I strapped the rest of my ninja gear on. My purple shirt, a v-neck, sleeveless on the right side and a long sleeve on the left with red stitching as a decoration, went over a ninja mail half-sleeved top and black, knee-length shorts, also with the red stitching. I secured my sash around my waist, then adjusted it, a seemingly delicate, but very sturdy gauzy material of the same color as my shirt. It was decorated with beads along the bottom weighing it down; the weighted beads could double as a chain. They were quite lethal, in fact. I tightened the strap of the shuriken and kunai pouch that was around my upper right thigh.
I then wrapped bandages around my right forearm, from just below my elbow to halfway up each finger. I tucked in a freshly sharpened stock of shuriken and kunai into the easily accessible outer pocket of the pouch around my thigh, then slipped in my medicinal plant notebook into the smaller main pocket. After a second thought, I left behind my songbook. I put the indigo silk headband into my hair, then tucked the stem of the crimson flower into the waistband of my shorts.
As the finishing touch to my weapon supply, I shoved in a pouch of rose seeds. I threaded my headband through the straps of my hip pouch, which was currently filled with scrolls, then I tied the headband around my waist, over the sash, securing the deep red blossom.
Pulling on my sandals, I strode out the door, meeting up promptly with Deki and Kazu. "Let's go." We walked downstairs, politely thanking our hostess, in case we failed to return, before continuing into the street. We easily located the building of the first trials, as all the genin we could see were headed in that direction. Upon arrival, we signed in and were waved on to a large room where seemingly all of the genin were gathered before the big event. Looking around anxiously, I relaxed when I spotted Yumi, Kaida and Washi. I scanned the room again, then smiled slightly when I saw Asa, Reiko, and Natsumi waving.
I jumped when Deki tapped on my shoulder. I spun around to look at him questioningly.
"What do you think about that character over there?" he asked. I looked in the direction he indicated and spotted a bulky guy, our age, seeming to be slightly taller than Kazu.
"He has the build of an earth-jutsu user," I commented.
"No, not him, that guy! With the black hair!" I looked again and froze. It couldn't be… he looked like the guy from the dream! Sure, he had hair that was stick-straight and black, not wavy and blonde, and he had cold, calculating, black eyes instead of striking, warm, blue eyes, but his face was the same. Except on this guy, the features looked cold, and… evil. On the boy from the dream, it looked caring, yet strong. On the boy I was looking at, the facial characters looked malevolent, and, just, Evil. I brought myself out of my thoughts and turned to Deki, knowing I didn't need to say anything.
"I'd describe him the same way," Deki said.
Suddenly, a man stood at the front of the room, and with some volume-amplifying chakra use, he projected his voice throughout the room. "Come through this door for the first part of the Exams!" he bellowed. I nodded sharply at Deki and Kazu, making sure we stayed together.
The first section of the Exams was a written test. After listening to some guy I couldn't see (courtesy of the tall guy in front of me), I started once he said go. There were some mathematical word problems, and other such things of the sort. The three of us in our team were geniuses in more than one way; we excelled not only in skill, but also in smarts and intelligence. I whizzed through the test, only having to hesitate on some of the most difficult problems. I finished and looked up to find Deki sitting there looking bored, and Kazu chewing on his pen. I smirked as I watched the grown man in front of me struggle through an easier problem, while I leaned back and relaxed. Bored, I closed my eyes for a few minutes. When I opened them, the man who I couldn't see was talking. As the disembodied voice floated throughout the room, I heard a few words here and there, not really paying attention. Something about leaving, your team, chances, failing, and no chance.
I stopped listening and instead looked at Deki for the slightest sign of a response. Logic was his forte. He looked up and caught my attention, then made the smallest nod. I nodded back as I stood up. "We will be taking our leave." As we walked down to the door, I heard Yumi also getting up, presumably because of Deki and his logic. I heard many other chairs scraping against the floor as their occupants also stood up to exit. Leaning against the wall in the hallway, I noted with satisfaction that all of my new friends had followed, but I also found with annoyance that some of my new enemies had made their way out as well.
I looked up in surprise when the classroom door opened and one of the jounin from the room stepped out. He drew a deep breath, then said two words that changed our lives.
"You pass."
We all stood in silence, digesting the information.
"Yes!" I shouted, punching my fist into the air. I jumped between Kazu and Deki before putting my hands on their shoulders, jumping up and down, using them as supports. I yelled, "We passed! Be happy about it!" The last remark was pointed towards Deki who was still standing with an indifferent expression.
Kazu was starting to get excited and danced around before shouting, "YEAH!"
"Don't get so worked up," the jounin said. "You still have two trials to go. You aren't chuunin just yet."
We all inwardly groaned, then listened as the jounin continued. "The next part of the Exams will take place at the forest of Death. Be there by nine. Or else. Oh, and I suggest you clear out now before the sobbing, destructively angry, or plain old annoyed teams get here after being told that they failed." The jounin counted off the different states of emotion on his fingers. "See ya!" and he disappeared with the 'poof' associated with transportation jutsus.
We stood silently again as his word sunk in. When I heard two voices, which I identified as Kohaku and Kagami's whining even though they did pass, I turned and walked down the hallway with the intent to leave. I sensed Deki and Kazu following closely behind, but there was and unknown presence somewhere in front of me. I turned a corner, but bumped into him. The unknown who looked like the boy from the dream's evil twin. He did look evil.
"Hey," he said coldly, "watch it."
"I apologize," I said timidly. "I wasn't watching where I was going."
"Obviously," he replied with a look of disdain.
"Well, my name is Tomoko. Riku Tomoko."
"Akuma. Nekowa Akuma," he replied.
At that moment, I saw Kazu motion wildly from the end of the hallway for me to meet them immediately. "Umm, sorry again, Nekowa-san." I ran to the end of the hallway and sharply turned the corner, then saw Sasuke-brat's-older-brother. After running into him, that is. Literally.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down! Are you alright?" he asked concernedly and with a touch of amusement.
"Yeah…" I replied, rubbing my forehead. "I have got to stop running into you!"
He simply chuckled. "Well, your friends are in that room over there, Room 62. I'd hurry if I were you."
"Thank you!" I said quickly, inclining my head slightly before taking off again. Right when I spotted the sign saying 'Room 62,' I ran towards the door it distinguished, just as Kazu stepped out, and—you guessed it—we collided. We both ended up on the floor, where Kazu was rubbing his head, and I was rubbing my forehead. Again.
"Oww… remind me to NEVER do that again…" Kazu snickered before yanking me up and pulling me into the room.
"So you finally made it," I heard Deki say. I turned around to see him slouched in a chair at a desk.
"Sorry. I got sidetracked." I grinned sheepishly.
"So I've seen."
"By the way, doesn't Akuma mean demon?" Deki shrugged. "I'll ask Yumi."
"Anyway, we should plan for tomorrow for the Forest of Death. Tomoko should have the supply list, I have the strategies needed depending on our purpose and terrain, and Kazu—you're in charge of gathering up bedding, tents, and that kind of stuff."
"Let me guess. I'm carrying the heavy stuff," I pouted disappointedly.
"Well, Kazu needs a light load in order to do taijutsu, you're stronger than me, and your techniques require the least amount of movement. Plus, you've got the best chakra control so you can conserve more energy than Kazu and I can," Deki answered with irrefutable logic.
"Fine." Deki and I gave each other and Kazu the lists.
"So, what are we doing for the rest of the day?" Kazu asked. "I'm going out to explore!"
"Shogi match with Shikamaru," Deki answered shortly.
"With that little kid?"
He shrugged. "He's considered a genius. I want to test that statement."
"Well, I'm going to walk near the Forest of Death, nice name by the way, and I'll gather information about the area while I'm at it."
"Alright. Back to the inn by—?"
"Nine o'clock at the latest," I filled in for Deki.
"Got it. Bye!" Kazu jumped out the window and perched on the outside sill. "Come on!" Deki landed lightly on the ground three stories down.
"See ya!" I swung out the window onto the roof, then turned and ran swiftly in the direction of the large, ancient trees surrounding Konoha.
(1) Miki, if you didn't know.