Beta'd: 7/30/13
Word Count: 5,310 words
Hey there! Sorry about not updating last Sunday, but I do have a life outside of fan-fiction like the rest of you; and there were somethings that acquired my attention and body. I won't go into detail other than stating that I'm trying to make my early registrations for some of my chosen colleges.
Yes, I'm a senior - not a senior citizen...
Okay, whatever; anyway thanks you guys for pointing out the good and bad parts of my story so far. If anything I might go looking for beta reader later, but for now this is enough of just me.
Enjoy you guys!
Examination
With the three Genin candidates running throughout the village, Eri formed her left hand into the tiger seal for power. The jutsu that Eri was about to use acted like a bat's sonar; she would let out a tremor of chakra that would vibrate throughout her surroundings. It would notify her of every living thing based on the returning shockwaves. The ebony haired woman would then classify and judge which resounding shockwave was her pursued target, or in this case "targets". Knowing that she would be able to locate Naruto and Sasuke from the few times they'd already interacted, no matter how small and minute the interactions had been, the only problem Eri would have with this technique was finding Sakura.
The pinkette's chakra capacity was, honestly, barely above civilian level. Knowing that she might have a more trying attempt at finding the fan-girl, Eri depended on her sight and smell. Smell because the girl was wearing perfume and strong smelling shampoo; and sight because, despite the almost obscuring dark aviators, Eri had excellent sight. It did earn her a nickname after all.
'忍アート：チャクラパルス。'
(Shinobi art: Chakra Pulse.)
Activating the jutsu, Eri located the three with ease, even if it was hard to pinpoint Sakura a bit.
It seemed that Sasuke and Sakura were already traveling fast towards their assigned destinations. Naruto seemed to have stopped on the roof of Ichiraku's ramen stand…typical. She guessed that the cryptic clues slowed down the sunshiny blond. Checking on the other two with another Chakra Pulse, Eri noticed Sakura's slowed progress in advancing towards her assigned box.
Eri mused within her mind, 'Well, the girl barely trained her body. I guess it's only natural for her to find this difficult.'
Checking the timer, she noticed that it had been seven minutes since the test began. Nodding to herself, she decided that seven minutes was plenty of time to give the three shinobi hopefuls a head start. The katon jutsu was just some initiative action to get the three going. Eri grinned inwardly. She was going to have fun messing with these three.
Activating a shunshin, the woman disappeared from sight while unknown to her, the great almighty Hokage found his answer to a few questions. He shook his head in exasperation while slightly smiling wryly a second later. It had been yesterday after reporting back from the team meeting, that his trusted mediator asked for clearance to hold her test within the village outside of the training grounds.
Of course, it was a lot to ask for; holding a Genin test near the civilian population was unheard of. But using her diplomatic skill, Eri quickly listed the reasons as to why she wanted it outside of the training grounds.
"I find that it'll prove more difficult for the Genin hopefuls to fight me off while searching for their targeted item. It will teach and test them on how to properly decode, track, and escape when being pursued within a domesticated area. It will also teach them to gauge their own power, limiting their abilities so that no innocents are caught in the cross fire during a combat situation. Also, when dealing with a non-forested area, the three candidates will be forced to think; coming up with unique and unorthodox ways that are outside of their usual thought process. This counts even more since they can neither enter buildings nor travel by ground."
Eri kept listing reason after reason as the Hokage listened in.
She added on a few safety measures and consequences before Sarutobi could even reach them.
"To prevent any actual danger from befalling innocents, I would be willing and happy to personally pay a few shinobi to keep a watchful eye over the test. I'll make sure they won't interfere with the test and that they won't cause harm to Naruto due to his circumstances. I will also have my messenger owl alert every shinobi headquarters of said test with a patent of your approval so that no one interferes."
The aged ninja thought long for a few seconds before asking, "And what if an innocent is in fact injured during the test or if there is damaged property?"
Without missing a heartbeat, Eri answered.
"Then I will immediately heal the recipient of said wound and accept all charges without argument. If property is damaged then I will pay all expenses while working on the property myself out of volunteer community service as punishment. I cannot ask this without accepting the consequences."
Kneeling, Eri humbly asked:
"Please Hokage-sama, if these students will be thrust upon me, then I wish to at least test them in my own way. Let me deem them as acceptable hopefuls of inheriting the mantel of becoming the next generation of protectors of Konoha."
Sarutobi smiled in reaction while inwardly musing, 'Willing to sacrifice herself before even accepting the team. She must really believe in them to push their abilities to the limit.'
The "God of Shinobi" just watched on through his crystal glass globe. He smiled while watching the images play though as Eri sped through the village, vaulting over advertisement boards and jumping onto rooftops.
Naruto was currently cursing and mumbling to himself as he read the clue over and over.
"Where faces of old watch over the future; atop the marble packed sand lies an answer more valuable than gold."
Frustrated beyond belief, Naruto ruffled his already messy blonde hair while growling in anger.
"GRR! How the hell am I supposed to even know what this means! I have no time for this mumbo jumbo stuff! My shinobi life depends on this and I can't even make a single sense of what this crap means!"
"Perhaps you should ask Sasuke or Sakura to help you out. Eh, Naruto-chi?"
A voice lightly mused near Naruto's ear causing him to jump out of his seat.
Standing shocked and fully awake, Naruto hid his clue behind him while pointing at the once non-existent kuniochi.
"Aaagh! Eri-neechan! W-When did you get here?!"
Nonchalantly using her pinkie to pick her ear clean, she flatly stated, "Actually, I've been standing here for a few minutes. I take it that you're not a sensor type, are you?"
Cursing inwardly while slumping in embarrassment, Naruto quickly shook off his depressed state. Steeling himself for a battle against the seasoned Jounin, he quickly formed a hand sign before Eri immediately felt a tremor of large chakra being pushed and pulled. Behind her obscuring aviators, brown eyes widened in surprise.
Slightly astonished, she thought, 'So much chakra! I knew it was unnatural to have this much, but I can't see an end here! Wait a minute, he's about to use his signature jutsu…maybe I could play with him a bit before sending him off.'
Lowering into a stance, Eri smirked as Naruto shouted, "影分身の術!"
(Shadow clone jutsu!)
A cloud of white smoke blurred Eri's sight. But channeling a small amount of chakra to her eyes' rods and cones, she improved her eye sight ten fold; allowing the woman to see straight through the still lingering smoke.
Mentally activating her technique, '忍アート：フクロウ光景'
(Shinobi art: Owl Sight)
Eri's "Owl Sight" improved her vision, allowing her to see more clearly; however, it wasn't for copying techniques and physical movements. Her jutsu allowed no physical or mental imprint at all. It just improved her vision and sight. Like the technique stated, Eri could see like an owl when said technique is activated.
She could see in the dark much better than any normal human or shinobi, and her sight within the dark allowed it appear like day. Obito had even admitted that the Sharingan didn't allow better physical sight. But, that was where the advantages stopped. The jutsu required the user's higher concentration and control while also mental coolness and calm. To thread her chakra strings into almost invisible wires was even hard for the average medic-nin. It was only Eri's high chakra control that allowed her such a jutsu.
Another fault with the jutsu was that it left the user hypersensitive to light causing the user to avert from light. The more the justu was used, the more hypersensitive they would become. This would explain why the Yoshida was always seen wearing her aviators, since they were specially made to block out roughly seventy to eighty percent of the light filtered through the lenses.
Before the lingering smoke cleared completely, Eri made a shadow clone before hopping off the roof to check on her next victim…I mean Genin candidate. Naruto, on the other hand, was totally oblivious to the switch as this happened in a matter of seconds. Thinking that the leftover clone was Yoshida Eri, Naruto appeared with three other copies.
Wearing a feral grin, a Naruto shouted, "Get ready Eri-neechan, cause you're about to receive payback for this morning!"
The clone just mused in reaction with a lifted brow, "You mean for catching you off guard and scaring you like a little girl?"
Hearing the retort each and every Uzumaki scowled with bearing fangs. Not taking Eri's statement well, they growled as one proclaimed, "HELL NO!"
The group attacked in blinding anger while Eri heard the stereo of four orange blobs,
"I'm going to make you take that back and pass me by the time I'm done with you!"
Shooting from a standstill, the group of sun bleached blonds attempted to take the Eri clone down. The first one that was within range threw a left hook which Eri dodged by bending back a few centimeters. The second and third Narutos' tried catching her off balance by throwing a punch at the same time. The woman received no damage as she caught each of their wrists. Stunning the group of Uzumakis, the woman clasped onto the clones throwing them up into the air before throwing them down on the remaining two.
Smoke flew into the air as the clones dispersed out of existence; however, seeing through the smoke, Eri saw neither a nose nor hair of the little hyperactive Genin candidate.
Already calculating her next move, Eri wondered aloud:
"Hmm, I wonder where the last one is located?"
The last and real Naruto was grappling himself from the side of the building. He smiled with naughty glee as he could almost taste victory. Jumping out from the side of the ramen stand, Naruto shouted after loudly proclaiming, "I'M RIGHT HERE!"
Throwing Eri a right hook, Eri front flipped while throwing a sealed letter towards Naruto. Unable to stop the momentum Naruto panicked as his fist connected with the sealed letter.
Frantically Naruto thought, 'Oh no! That's Eri-neechan's contact letter bomb! I-I can't stop!'
Upon connection the sealed letter exploded, but not in the way Naruto expected. Eri smirked in satisfaction as the boy came to a crashing halt with eyes shocked wide open. Taking a few seconds to gather his thoughts, Naruto was stammered out of breath as he inspected his entire body, making sure he was still alive. There wasn't much of a difference from before the letter activated, but now Naruto's entire front was covered with splotches of green, brown, and black paint.
The only things that were recognizable were the Uzumaki's cerulean blue eyes. Officially recovered from the initial shock, the once fully orange clad blonde looked at the smirking ebony haired woman.
His temper rose as he yelled with rage, "WHAT THE HELL ERI-NEECHAN! I COULD'VE DIED! YOU ALMOST KILLED ME!"
Eri's clone dropped the smirk. Returning the exchange with her usual calm tone, she said:
"Valid point; however, I didn't kill you. That was a paint letter bomb that I made with some Fuuinjutsu. But, if that was an actual fight, you would've died. Naruto, this is why I'm testing you, Sakura, and Sasuke."
Quelling his fury, Naruto dampened in slight understanding. He knew that if this was a real fight with an enemy-nin, he could've died. But that was what being a ninja was: to always live on the edge, and the blond was okay with this. As long as people knew and cared about his actions, Naruto was satisfied. At least he was still recognized; however, the Uzumaki wanted more. The boy wanted to be greatly known, just like the fourth Hokage. It was one of the main reasons on why he became a ninja in the first place.
Recapturing Naruto's attention, Eri continued, "You should analyze your opponent and create a more complex strategy rather than heading first into a fight. If you always react to the opponent, you may walk into a trap and get yourself killed. Or worse…"
Naruto caught on to the dark tone that the woman voiced as she dropped the end of her sentence.
He asked cautiously, "W-What could be worse than dying?"
Eri looked out into the distance, past the building, past the people; with no direction in particular she stated an answer that sent shivers down the boy's spine.
"You could cause the death of your own teammate."
The words hit him hard and true, like an arrow to the heart. With Naruto staring into space as the world opened even further, Eri felt a few stabs of guilt at watching the usually happy-go-lucky blonde filled with dread and loss. Thinking inwardly, Eri bereted herself for accepting the job; if this was how she was going to react to a solemn lost face like the one before her, then how would she even deal with their first kills?
She sighed.
Walking towards the still zoned out candidate, the woman crouched at eye level. Deactivating her Owl Sight, Eri took off her shades.
Firmly she called out, "Naruto."
Facing towards the voice his eyes widened in surprise. He's never seen the woman without her sunglasses on, and now for the first time he seemed at loss for words as his mouth hung slightly ajar.
Disregarding the stare, she continued while staring straight into the eyes of the Kyuubi's container:
"You're not alone, Naruto."
Shocked to even hear this, all he could muster to say was, "W-What?"
Repeating firmly, Eri placed a hand on his shoulder giving him a physical signal that she was there with him:
"I said, you're not alone, Naruto. Everyone is afraid of doing something wrong, no matter if it causes misfortune to themselves or others. Everyone is afraid of failure."
Finally able to gather his thoughts, Naruto's attention drew towards the stressed word of "everyone".
Bravely, yet cautiously, he asked, "E-Even…even the Hokage?"
Slowly smiling, Eri nodded firmly.
"Especially the Hokage. It's precisely because they're Hokage that they fear failure just as much or even more so than we do, Naruto."
Unable to comprehend, Naruto found this concept of fear within the Hokage to be strange and alien. To hear the fact that the Hokage could be fearful of something sounded even more unnatural then Naruto could ever admit.
"But…why would the Hokage be afraid of something? I mean, the Hokage is supposed to be super powerful right? How could the Hokage be afraid of failure?"
Amused with the blonde's response, Eri wryly grinned at him before answering while placing her aviators back on. Pulling herself up from her crouched position, she said lightly:
"Well, the Hokage has a village to take care of. Imagine: all of those people with lives and families, depending on you and trusting you to keep them safe. It's a lot of pressure for one person to handle."
As Eri looked out towards the village, Naruto copied. Watching the skilled Jounin, he saw a smile appear on the woman's face.
"But, despite all the pressure, all the danger, and all the self sacrifice that comes with being the Hokage; it's a worthwhile job in the end."
Naruto watched the people as they go about their daily lives. He saw children running through the streets, he saw women gossiping among themselves in the market, he saw men talking at an open bar as well as ninja patrolling the streets. Slowly, but surely, Naruto made the connection.
He thought, 'The Hokage isn't only a great ninja, but he's the leader of our village. People…depend…on …him.'
Eri's voice broke through his pondering and shocked him out of his inward musing. Still sitting on the rooftop with a paint splattered front, Naruto faced forward to see her looking down at him.
Still smiling she said:
"However, one man can't do it alone. Naruto, the reason why the Hokage is so great is that he's willing to let people help him."
Confused again, Naruto asked, "Huh? Why would the Hokage need help? He's a super great ninja and stuff."
Eri's smile wiped away as she nodded.
"Yes, the Hokage is powerful; however, he can't do the job alone. The Hokage is only one person watching over thousands and thousands of people Naruto. The Hokage can't be in multiple places at once. If they tried, they would ultimately fail; just like how you might fail this test, Naruto."
Shocked he exclaimed, "WHAT!? FAIL!?"
She nodded as the smirk appeared once again.
"Yup. Naruto, I'd suggest you take my advice, okay? Good luck, you only have about thirty-three minutes left before the hour is up. See ya."
"HUH?! WAIT – !"
Naruto tried halting her as he shot up from the ground with right arm extended.
The academy graduate was too late; the clone dispelled herself, puffing out of existence as all that was left was a cloud of white smoke. Once again, he blinked out of his dumb stupor. Slowly lowering a raised right arm, Naruto furrowed his brows with a slight scowl plastered on his mouth.
Running his hands through his yellow straw colored hair, the boy grumbled in frustration,
"Grr…now what?! Thirty-three minutes left?! There's now way I can possibly pass now! Crap, I'm gonna fail while Sakura-chan and that teme – !…Wait a minute…"
Mind racing and brain juices flowing, Naruto replayed what Eri said before leaving.
"Naruto, I'd suggest you take my advice, okay?"
Mumbling incoherently to himself, the blond thought, 'Advice? Eri-nee gave me advice? Since when? I guess she must've mentioned it before…but, what did she say?'
"Above the ceilings, above the heads; announcements daily done, it's a scream of proclamations atop a building of daily new scripts."
With one glance of the clue, Sakura analyzed the alleged text. It stated that announcements are made daily by the item while the first line noted its high placement. Quickly, she came to the conclusion that she was looking for an advertisement board. Those were the only things that stood on top of buildings and that were changed daily.
However, there was a problem. Which advertisement board was the girl looking for? Grimacing at the fact, she looked to the piece of paper once again.
Thinking aloud, she murmured: "Huh, it says, 'atop a building of daily new scripts'. New scripts…the library?"
Inwardly she thought: 'Even if it's not on top of the building, there's an ad board near it. No, that can't be it. It says DAILY NEW scripts, so even if it's new to a person who's learning, it's not new to the actual building. The hospital and the Hokage tower are out since there's not even a board near either one. '
Pocketing the clue within her back pouch, she looked out towards the village. Smiling to herself, she fisted her hands.
"Then that leaves only one place left; the bookstore," she proudly stated.
Running off southeast towards the market place, Sakura knew this was the only place that fit the clue. Even if the board wasn't on top of the store, it was at least right across the street. Now all Sakura had to do was reach the building or ad board. Desperate for air, it took the academy graduate almost fifteen minutes. Unable to walk the grounds of Konoha, Haruno Sakura had difficulty in vaulting over rooftops and climbing up walls.
Despite being short of breath, the pinkette reached her destination. Now that she was on the roof of said bookstore, she saw no signs or traces of what she was looking for. Wondering if she had chosen the wrong location, Sakura thought back to her sensei and how she and her love interest were tricked during their introductory meeting.
Unaware of the fact that she was now thinking aloud, she muttered again:
"At our first meeting, sensei tricked me and Sasuke-kun because we were over thinking things. But this morning, since we mindlessly listened to Eri-sensei we were all sabotaged when it came to being prepared for our Genin test. Well, she obviously wants us to think for ourselves."
Crossing her arms, deep in thought with closed eyes.
'Individual thoughts…Naruto didn't fall for sensei's trick question because he didn't exactly follow the rules. He thought for himself, and as stupid as he is; sensei seems to focus on individual thinking and open options.'
Despite being stumped, Sakura's focused attentiveness opened her senses. Hardwiring to the earth's beat, she noticed an inconsistency with the chakra that covered the bookstore's roof. She'd read enough books to recall that nature could produce natural chakra like humans, but was this jumbled, knotted feeling the texture of the earth's chakra?
Quickly, she dismissed the thought. Opening her eyes, she felt determined to cancel out and dispel the surrounding area.
She knew now what to do.
'Genjutsu…the box must be hidden. I've got to dispel it.'
Hands together, she yelled a soft "Kai!" before the world wisped and morphed into its original platform. The only altered change that Sakura noticed was a box placed before her. Crouching down, she tried to unlock it. However, to no avail as she didn't have the key. Disgruntled by the failed attempt, she was hit with another revelation. Walking towards the edge she looked across the street.
She guessed aloud to no one in particular, "Well, that explains why an advertisement board is mentioned in the clue."
Running across the rooftops once again, Sakura had difficulty crossing the street. Jumping from light post to telephone pole, she held on for dear life with all the strength she could muster. However, lacking the inner strength and breakfast needed; the girl almost fell from a sloppy misstep as she went from telephone pole to building ledge.
Dangling by an arm, Sakura looked down. With the height of the building, she could catch herself; but never enough to prevent her from getting a fractured leg or twisted arm. She thanked the gods for her lucky catch before hauling herself up. Catching her breath, the girl felt drained. She cursed herself for dieting last night while also cursing her sensei for suggesting that they skip breakfast.
If she knew that her sensei was going to make her run on a wild goose chase across the village rooftops, then Sakura would've accepted in breaking her diet. So long as she passed Eri-sensei's test to remain with Sasuke, the girl would've done anything. However, it was too late now as the Haruno found herself sweating on the floor. Feeling slightly better, she stood before walking up to the backside of the advertisement board. Eyeing the large sign carefully, Sakura spotted a key shaped notch with said key embedded into the wood.
It was too high for her to reach. She thought about knocking out the metallic object with a kunai or shuriken that was tied to some wire to act like a fishing hook. Later thinking decided against it, since the imprint closely gripped the sides of the key. There was little space to insert and latch out the key. Climbing it would also prove to be a failure since the item was located within the center of the board, making it as far away from the ground as it was at the top.
Pondering her options, Sakura quickly calculated.
'I can't do this alone. If there were more people then I'd be able to reach it.'
Suddenly cheerful, the girl exclaimed with joy, "I can ask Sasuke-kun! He can definitely help me! But wait…"
With shoulders slumped, she remembered a crucial fact about her situation.
"Even with Sasuke-kun, both of us combined aren't tall enough to reach the key."
Sighing at her own 'poor' predicament, the young pinkette somberly thought, 'What do I do? At this rate I won't pass the test, and that means being separated from Sasuke-kun! I'm going to fail…'
"A Genin team isn't made of just two people, Sakura. You're forgetting something crucial."
The silence and Sakura's depressed mood were broken by scolding in a loud, clear cut tone.
Shocked and surprised, Sakura quickly turned to see her dreaded sensei standing before her in the flesh. Backing away from the black ebony haired woman, Sakura slightly lowered her arm to be within reach for her kunai and shuriken. Shaking with fear, the girl gritted her teeth in remembrance; unable to forget the speed and power of a perfectly executed fire jutsu that was launched at the three from the moment the test began.
Merely standing before the girl, it was very clear to see her fear and nervous jitters. Slightly sweat-dropping within herself, Eri narrowed her eyes.
The experienced Jounin thought critically, 'Sakura obviously has a quick mind, but that's it. She needs to train more. That clumsy take off with the pole could've put her out of commission for about three weeks. It also took her almost ten minutes to get here, and she was fairly within proximity of this place.'
Continuing this trail of thought, she also noted that the pinkette's point of direction was clear and obvious. If Eri tried moving, she knew that Sakura would try and reach for a kunai in a frontal assault to stave off her sensei. The girl's fear was already quite obvious, and a simple genjutsu would prove effective since Sakura was clearly intimidated by the seasoned shinobi. Her lack of strength, speed, reflexes, and massive amounts of fear were multiple ways of failing this little girl; but Eri knew she would be throwing away a diamond in the rough.
Sighing inwardly, Eri longingly wished that the Hokage assigned another to be team seven's Jounin leader – thinking exasperatedly, 'Why do these little twelve-year olds have such massive baggage with them? It had to be this series where everyone's childhood was, in someway, horrible and scarring. Well, that explains why my childhood had such a rocky takeoff…'
Stepping forward, Sakura quickly lodged out a sharpened kunai – throwing it while anticipating an incoming jutsu. If her sensei could pop a C-rank jutsu in a snap, then Sakura immediately knew that she didn't stand a chance. The best thing for her was to run, even though that meant leaving the treasure behind.
As the Jounin caught the kunai like it was nothing – really, it was pretty slow in her sight – Sakura saw the chance to run.
Cutting the girl off as she tried to flank left off the rooftop, Eri was immediately there, standing in the Genin's way. Gritting her teeth, Sakura quickly back stepped before heading in the opposite direction. Again, she was faced with the sight of her potential sensei. Seeing the annoyed expression on the girl's face, Eri smirked. Predicting that the pinkette would try an escape off the roof, Sakura was trapped between three ebony haired women.
Offhandedly, they all smirked while the one in front of her mused nonchalantly, "Not so fast there, Sakura. I'm not done with you yet."
Annoyed by her own incompetence and frustrated with her failed attempts, Sakura balled her fists as her emerald orbs narrowed in discouragement. Wondering what the green Genin would do, Eri guessed two probable situations that the girl would result in. Quickly, a result became apparent. The Jounin watched carefully as the girl before her slumped in trounced spirit. Collapsing in on herself, Sakura felt herself sink in endless panic and overpowering failure.
Her thoughts echoed endlessly with, 'I – I can't escape her. She's too strong. There's no way I can possibly pass Eri-sensei's exam. The only thing I'm good for is a brain with a large forehead. I'll be separated from Sasuke-kun. That idiot Naruto even has a better chance at passing than I do. I…I'm a failure. I'll be sent back to the academy.'
Tearing up at her own thoughts, Sakura continued to mentally berate herself as Eri mentally sighed while shaking her head in anxious worry. Ever since being handed team seven, Eri wondered just how low Sakura's self-esteem was. Seeing the girl's limits for herself, the young woman realized that Haruno Sakura was, in a way, a shell of Eri's younger, former self. Not in this life, but in her first life. Realizing that now, the Jounin felt the last remains of idiotic hope and doubt disappear when it came to thinking this job would be easy.
Narrowing her eyes behind those black metallic aviators, Eri mentally cursed at whatever supernatural source that forced her here in the beginning, as well as the "the great Hokage" for assigning her to this team.
She thought blandly, '...STUPID BAGGAGE...'
Chapter 3 End
Okay, that's it for Chapter 3. I'm sorry, but with the way I write things, I had to split the Genin test into two parts. I also know this took me a while to write, so I thank you for your patience with me. If there's anything that may seem awkward, please notify me. I'm trying to type this at the library and at home when my parents let me. I wanted to post this on Sunday, but since you guys have been waiting I felt guilty.
So here ya go! Next chapter will be the second part of team 7's Genin exam, and the chapter after that will be an intermission into Eri's childhood. Ever since I've backtracked Eri's life, I've been excited to write about the Yoshida family and the Gaiden group.
Well, till the next chapter! Leave a review and see ya! ^_^