Chapter 6 : Exam.
Upon returning to Konoha, Team Seven was almost immediately greeted with the news of the annual Chuunin exam, which was to take place the following weekend. After explaining the general rules, benefits and dangers of the Chuunin exam, Kakashi managed to find his own method in encouraging his team in taking the exam.
"When I was your age," he mused aloud, tapping a gloved finger against his chin thoughtfully. "I was already an ANBU member... I became--"
"--a Chuunin at six, a Jounin at ten, and an ANBU member at thirteen," interrupted Naruto, scowling in impatience as he scratched his head. "We know! And all of us already agreed to take the exam, so chill, sensei!"
Miyako and Sakura grinned. The two kunoichi had always relied on Naruto and his never-fading energy to voice their thoughts.
Kakashi chuckled lightly, lifting his forehead protector slightly and rubbing the long scar against his closed left eye.
"Good, because I already nominated you four. You'll be up against several tough opponents, mind you... but I believe I've taught you all well, and that each of you have the potential to become a Chuunin."
The silver-haired Jounin stood up and stretched his limbs lazily. "Head to the Academy on tomorrow morning. You'll receive instructions there... well, no need for me to continue lagging behind with you four on a Friday afternoon... I still have Icha-Icha to read..."
Naruto sighed exasperatedly as Kakashi vanished from view with a casual wave. The team murmured goodbyes to each other, and without another word, departed on separate paths.
***
Miyako cocked her head to one side, her brown eyes widening with interest as she attempted to recognize the group of people standing in the middle of the road.
She would've been able to recognize the flaming orange jumpsuit and blonde hair anywhere on the streets. Sakura stood next to him, along with a handful of kids whose heights that barely reached Naruto's waist. Standing in front of them were two shinobi, all of whom Miyako did not recognize, especially not at such a distance.
Voices increased in volume, and she sped up her pace as she felt the immediate tension. Sakura turned the instant she heard Miyako approach the group.
"Miyako-chan!" she exclaimed, her eyebrows scrunched together in anxiety. "You have to help!"
"What is it?"
She didn't need Sakura's answer. One glance at the situation, and she immediately noticed the symbol of the Hidden Sand Village engraved in the forehead protectors of the strangers. A young kunoichi, roughly her own age, stood to the side of the road, her arms crossed. She was quite attractive, her blonde hair tied back and pink lips tilted in indifference. The other shinobi, a male, was dressed from head to toe in black robes. His eyes were painted with streaks of maroon paint, creating an unusual appearance at first sight. A young boy, who Miyako recognized as Konohamaru, the Third's grandson, was held tightly in the unfamiliar stranger's grip.
"These are Konoha shinobi?" he asked mockingly, causing Konohamaru to flinch in terror. "And none of them can rescue a brat? Pathetic."
He heard a clink of metal, and his black eyes darted towards the kunoichi who had recently arrived. Her hazel eyes were narrow with dislike, and her gloved hand was already at her waist, fingering the hilt of her sword.
"Let him go," she said coolly. "None of us want any trouble."
Before the Sand shinobi could answer, something whizzed towards him so quickly and collided with his hand so forcefully that he dropped Konohamaru, who ran towards Naruto. Several pairs of eyes shot upwards--Sasuke was sitting lazily along a tree branch, twirling a small stone between his fingers.
"What are you bastards doing here?" he asked, raising an eyebrow as he tossed the stone aside, charcoal eyes transfixed on the Sand shinobi.
The Sand ninja lips parted into a furious snarl. "Tch, I hate cocky people like you the most--"
"Kankurou, stop."
The low voice caused the shinobi, both Konoha and Sand, to freeze. Sasuke's eyes flashed with surprise as he noticed a third shinobi, who was hanging upside down from a nearby branch, his arms crossed against his chest. He had short, red hair, along with dark, narrow eyes, and a large gourd of some sort was slung across his back. His strangest attribute, aside from the dark rings that surrounded his eyes, was that character for "love" was tattooed, seemingly, against the side of his forehead. Not a single one of them had sensed his presence.
"You're a disgrace to our village," the red-haired ninja said coldly, glaring menacingly towards his teammate.
"B-but," the ninja called Kankurou stammered nervously, "they started it--"
"Shut up."
Kankurou flinched and ceased speaking immediately. Sasuke raised an eyebrow as the third shinobi vanished from his original position and reappeared on the ground beside his teammates.
"Hey," Sasuke called, disappearing and reappearing beside Miyako's side, his hands tucked lazily into his pockets. "What's your name?"
The blonde kunoichi flushed a light shade of pink, and her eyes sparkled with interest. "Me?"
"No," Sasuke answered, causing her eager smile to fall off her face. "You. With the gourd."
The young shinobi, who couldn't have been older than sixteen, glanced at Sasuke, his eyes flashing dangerously.
"... Gaara. And you?"
Sasuke smirked. "Uchiha Sasuke."
Naruto's lips curled into a frown. "Oi! What about me, eh?!"
Gaara shook his head impatiently and scoffed. "Not interested. Let's go."
And without another word, the three Sand shinobi leaped into the air, heading towards the Academy, and were soon gone from view. Sakura frowned, her olive eyes shimmering with frustration.
"What are they here for?" she asked, her tone laced with dislike.
"Probably the Chuunin exam," answered Miyako smoothly, sheathing her weapon, clearly disappointed at the fact that Sasuke had interrupted an encounter she ought to have cleared up. "We should hurry as well."
Naruto grinned as he was reminded of the upcoming Chuunin exam and punched the air in excitement, causing Miyako and Sakura to chuckle and Sasuke to roll his eyes. Each teammate had their minds so fixed on the exam that none of them, not even Sasuke, were aware of the three hidden shadows lurking behind the tall tree behind them.
***
Having arrived at the Academy, Team Kakashi was informed to head upwards to the third floor in order to continue registration for the first round. Sasuke, possessing the Sharingan, recognized and dispatched the genjutsu surrounding the second floor in an instant, which left Miyako feeling even more useless than during their encounter with the Sand shinobi. Her mood seemed to worsen each and every time another Genin was interested in Sasuke's abilities.
A long dark-haired Genin with white eyes, whom Miyako and everyone else in the hallway recognized as Hyuuga Neji, a ridiculously advanced Genin, approached Sasuke, and soon after, another unfamiliar shinobi even chased Team Kakashi down just to speak with Sasuke.
The Genin was dressed in a solid, green jumpsuit, and he had a bowl-cut hairstyle, along with extremely thick, black eyebrows. Sasuke raised an eyebrow, which was quite thin compared to his opponent's, as the Genin leaped from the stairwell above and landed in front of the group.
"I am Rock Lee," he said clearly, his black eyes narrowed in determination.
"Uchiha Sasuke. What do you want?"
"... A match. I want to test my techniques against an Uchiha. Would you like to fight me right here and right now?"
Miyako and Naruto scowled. Both of them had the same thoughts--it was always, always Sasuke that everyone was interested in.
"And at the same time..."
Rock Lee paused, and his eyes wandered over to Sakura, whose jade eyes blinked blankly. He winked at her, grinning eagerly, causing her jaw to drop in disgust.
"Challenging me despite the fact that you were already familiar with the Uchiha name... I'll teach you what the name means, then," Sasuke answered, his jet-black eyes narrowing.
Miyako's frown deepened underneath her mask, and her eyes flashed with jealousy and disdain.
"We only have half an hour before the meeting begins, Sasuke," she said bitterly, scowling as she said his first name.
Rock Lee turned towards her, his thick eyebrow raised with interest. "Oh? This little lady's worried about you, Uchiha... she even said your first name. Maybe if you took off that mask, you'd be as pretty as Sakura-chan... actually, Sakura-chan is probably prettier."
He blew another kiss at Sakura, who gagged. Sasuke smirked.
"I'll be done in five."
Miyako rolled her eyes, her scowl deepening so much that it shone even through her eyes, and propped herself against the wall. Perhaps watching the match would lighten up her mood...
Sasuke lunged at his opponent so quickly that he was already in front of Rock Lee by the time Miyako blinked. Just as he threw a punch towards him, Lee vanished from view, causing Sasuke's eyes to flash in disbelief. Miyako's eyes widened as she noticed the thick-browed Genin reappear above Sasuke. As impossible as it seemed, Lee's speed was on a higher level than Sasuke's.
Lee thrust a rapid kick at Sasuke's face, catching him off guard and knocking him backwards. Sasuke stood up straightaway, wiping the blood from his chin. He shook his head, and the flashing black orbs were replaced by a pair of crimson Sharingan.
"Sharingan," said Lee, nodding, clearly impressed. "Let's see how those fare against my next move."
"Sasuke-kun's definitely going to win," Sakura said, her jade eyes wide with excitement. "The Sharingan will reveal whatever trick Lee-san used to hit Sasuke-kun earlier."
True as the statement was, Miyako cocked her head to one side in curiosity. Something didn't fit.
Her prediction was clarified when Lee managed to evade a second attack, following with a swift kick to Sasuke's chin, knocking him into the wall with so much force that for a split second, the room shook. And then it clicked.
What Lee had mastered was not ninjutsu or genjutsu, but taijutsu, solid combat skills, itself. Although the Sharingan could read his movements, they were incapable of coercing Sasuke's body to evade such breathtaking speed. Ironically enough, Miyako thought bitterly as a wave of nostalgia washed over her, the match that had occurred a little more than a week ago between her and Sasuke had featured the same scenario. Though, of course, he had managed to read her speed and its movements in the end.
Amber eyes narrowed attentively. Lee's speed was simply incredible, and even his footwork was impeccable. All in all, regarding swiftness alone, he was on a completely different level than Sasuke, as well as herself.
Furious with the fact that he hadn't been able to land a single blow on his opponent, Sasuke lunged towards Lee a third time, his lips curling into a snarl. Sakura let out a small gasp of terror, while Miyako blinked nonchalantly, as Sasuke was thrown backwards once more. Miyako let out an exasperated sigh and shook her head slightly, deciding that it would be more efficient to arrive at the meeting early than watch the same movements repeatedly. The fight was over, and the winner was evident. She had only taken a few steps towards the exit door before hearing Sakura cry out in panic.
While Sasuke was still in mid-air, Lee had miraculously reappeared behind the Uchiha. What technique Lee was about to use, she did not know. All she understood was that inflicting further harm was absurd, and that thought alone was enough to make her legs move as quickly as they did.
Lee had been so transfixed on defeating Sasuke that landing a rapid kick at the side of his face had almost been effortless. There was a sound of two bodies falling against the wooden floor, several grunts of pain, followed by a clink of metal scraping against wood.
The room was completely silent except for the sound of Sasuke's heavy breathing. Lee blinked blankly, staring cluelessly at the tip of a sleek kodachi, which was pointed inches away from his throat.
His ebony eyes widened in disbelief, and he looked up at the kunoichi standing before him. Being able to strike him, even though he was slightly distracted, was nothing short of spectacular. Her sword arm remained perfectly still as she stared down at the Konoha shinobi sitting before her, auburn eyes narrowing coldly.
"The victor was obvious quite some time before," she said icily. "There is no reason for you to continue injuring him."
Lee paused for several seconds, continuing to stare at Miyako incredulously, glancing from her hardened eyes to the menacing tip of her sword.
"May I ask for your name?" he inquired politely. There wasn't a single drop of sweat on him, let alone a wound.
Miyako sheathed her sword. "Tsubaki Miyako."
Lee stood up and brushed the dirt and miniscule debris from his knees. He bowed respectfully, his thick eyebrows furrowing together so determinedly that it looked like one, long unibrow.
"My name is Rock Lee. It is a pleasure to meet you, Miyako-chan... and I apologize for my behavior earlier. I understand your point."
Miyako nodded curtly in acknowledgement, and turned towards Sasuke just as a thunderous voice boomed in the room.
"Lee!"
All five of the Genin in the room jumped. For a split second, it looked as if Lee had suddenly grown in height, and at the same time, grown out his eyebrows. It took Team Kakashi several seconds to register that the tall man, who just so happened to look and dress exactly like Lee, was a separate person.
"What have I said about that technique?!" he yelled, pointing a finger at Lee, who flinched. "It's strictly forbidden!"
Lee cringed as his superior's voice increased dramatically in volume. "B-but... I wasn't planning on using that one..."
"It doesn't matter! Are you ready for your punishment?!"
"What the hell is going on?!" Naruto demanded. "What's up with that... that weird outfit and those super gay-looking eyebrows--"
Lee swung around and raised a fist angrily. "Stop insulting Gai-sensei!"
"LEE!"
Both Lee and Naruto shut up instantly. The older version of Lee approached him quickly, and before any of them could blink, collided his fist against Lee's cheek, sending him flying several feet backwards and leaving dumbfounded expressions on the faces of four Genin.
Gai walked towards Lee once more, but the frown that had been pasted on his face fell. Instead, tears flowed rapidly down his cheeks.
"S-sensei--" stuttered Lee as tears ran down his bruised face as well.
"It's all right, Lee," Gai replied emotionally, patting him on the shoulder. "You don't have to say anything."
"Gai-sensei!"
Lee flung himself into his teacher's arms, practically bawling now, and Gai returned the favor with a bear-crushing hug.
"What... the fuck," Sasuke said slowly, staring in disbelief at the two green jumpsuits as they continued embracing each other.
"You four must be Kakashi's team," Gai said, his voice suddenly coming from behind, causing all four Genin to swing around instantly.
Just as Lee was undoubtedly faster than Sasuke, Gai was clearly quicker than Kakashi, as unbelievable as it seemed.
"You guys should get going," he said, grinning and flashing two rows of blinding white teeth. "Lee, come!"
Lee saluted his sensei immediately. "Hai, Gai-sensei!" He turned to Sasuke. "Sasuke-kun, I entered this exam in order to test my abilities... and I have to say that the strongest Leaf Genin is not me... as a matter of fact, he's my teammate, Hyuuga Neji. Please be prepared during the Chuunin exam!"
And without another glance behind him, Lee leaped up the staircase and disappeared around a corner.
"Wow," Naruto said briskly, scratching his head lazily. "You sure got your ass kicked."
"Shut up," snarled Sasuke.
"Didn't you see his hand?" asked Sakura anxiously. "All those cuts and bruises... he must've trained so hard everyday."
"More than you, at least," added Miyako coolly, raising a wary eyebrow at Sasuke before turning to address her other two teammates. "Naruto-kun, Sakura-chan--go on ahead. I'll treat his wounds."
Naruto grinned at the prospect of being alone with Sakura and the two soon left, leaving the room extremely quiet. Miyako heaved another sigh as she turned to face Sasuke once more, and her gloved hand tilted his chin upwards as she inspected his wound up-close.
"Tch," he scoffed as he brushed her hand away. "I'm fine."
"Don't be rash," she snapped, her angry tone surprising him. Miyako reached into the pouch that hung at her waist and pulled out a tiny tube of ointment and a small, cotton pad. "It's frustrating enough seeing everyone so eager to fight you and only you. Don't make it even worse by showing off."
Amazingly, Sasuke said nothing and turned his face obediently as she cleaned the wound and dabbed the ointment gently against his chin.
"That should do it," she said coolly, returning the ointment to its original pouch. "Let's go, or we'll be late."
"... Thanks."
"Mm?" inquired Miyako, lifting her large, brown orbs towards his face. "Sorry, I didn't quite catch that."
"I said thanks," he mumbled, his coal-black eyes firmly avoiding hers.
"For what, my tirade?"
"No," he fumed, clearly frustrated as he struggled to find the right words. "For... stopping him."
"... Oh. You're welcome, I suppose."
An extremely awkward silence followed, which was only broken when Sasuke mumbled something that sounded vaguely like "let's go." The two Genin exited the room, speeding up their pace as they noticed the time, once again completely unaware of three soundless figures that had arrived in the room moments before.
***
The first round of the Chuunin exam, to Naruto's greatest dismay, was a written exam. Even worse, their instructor was Ibiki Morino, who just so happened to be one of Konoha's interrogators and torturers. By yet another miracle, team seven just so managed to evade Ibiki's intimidating, psychological techniques and, along with seventy-four other Genin, passed the first round.
Due to the overly intimidating environment of the first round as well as the myriad of hazards and risks that were to be present in the second round, the Hokage dismissed the group of Genin who had passed with his congratulations and a few further instructions to the Jounin leaders, who then passed on the information to the students.
"It's mandatory?!"
"Yup," Kakashi said, ruffling his hair lazily. "It's Tanabata, after all... Hokage-sama wants you all to enjoy the festival, the food, the games... whatever it is that you teenagers do these days, at least..."
Naruto's mood suddenly changed, and his azure eyes sparkled excitedly. "Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan! Will you go with me to Tanabata?!"
Miyako caught a glimpse of Sakura glancing longingly at Sasuke before the pink-haired kunoichi agreed to Naruto's eager request with a small smile.
"Only if you pay for everything, Naruto-kun."
Kakashi chuckled, and with curt wave of his hand, walked away from his students, his hands tucked neatly into his pockets. Naruto let out a shout of glee, punching the air energetically, and Sakura's smile widened slightly as she turned towards Miyako.
"Well, since it's mandatory, why don't we get ready at my place?" she offered. "I've got an extra kimono at hand."
"Sure," answered Miyako lightly.
"Do you--" began Sakura. She stopped, and then cleared her throat. "Do you need to clarify anything with... Sasuke-kun?"
"I'm leaving my mask off, whether he likes it or not. Unless, of course, he wants me to wear a kimono that matches it," she added with a roll of her eyes, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"My place then, Miyako-chan?"
"Mm."
The late summer sun was still lingering in the bottom corner of the deep, turquoise sky, and the first stars were beginning to appear. Miyako yawned and ran a hand through her thin, black hair sleepily as she walked beside Sakura along the rows and rows of booths that were being set up for the evening festivities, feeling that the annual evening of the seventh required much more effort than it was worth.
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author's note:
ok, another somewhat uninteresting chapter... sooo sorry! :/
tanabata's obviously going to be something that wasn't in the original story line, so i'm hoping it'll turn out as a much better chapter. :D please, please continue to r&r! xoxo.