.
.
She's gone for two nights and three days proctoring the chuunin exams; when she finally comes back, she doesn't greet him: instead she pushes past him, dropping her duffel bag on the ground and flopping onto the nearest couch.
"I'm so tired," Anko says. "A bunch of twelve year-olds got themselves stuck in the middle of a ravine. Kotetsu said he'd handle it, but because he sucks, nothing got done."
"That sounds difficult," Kimimaro says. He sits beside her, saying nothing as she her kicks off her boots and props her feet on his lap. "And how did you go about rescuing them?"
"Them? They're goddamn genin. I let them figure it out."
Kimimaro says nothing. Wordlessly he begins rubbing the sole of Anko's left foot, before moving to massage the arch of her foot with his thumbs.
"So when are you going to take it?" Anko says.
"Take what?" Kimimaro says. He's concentrating on the knot in the middle of her sole.
"The chuunin exams. You're still unranked."
"There is no point to that," Kimimaro says. "We both know I should rank as jounin."
"Yeah, in taijutsu, maybe. But we both know you're pretty useless with anything else."
Kimimaro frowns. "Just because the rest of your skillset is underdeveloped does not mean it is the same for me," Kimimaro says. Anko grins.
"I could put you on a team with a couple twelve year-olds. How does that sound?"
Kimimaro frowns.
"I'm just kidding," Anko says. But really she is not.
xXx
.
"Where are you taking me?" Kimimaro says. He follows Anko down the hallway, frowning.
"You'll see," Anko says. She pushes open the examining room doors and motions for Kimimaro to step inside.
"It's a test," Anko says. She waves the packet of papers in front of him. "Just to see how you do. By the way, the examiner has the answer sheet, so if they catch you cheating, consider yourself a fucking genin the rest of your life."
Kimimaro cocks his head. Anko waves.
"Good luck," Anko says, and she shuts the door.
Later, she sits outside the testing room with Iruka, watching Kimimaro through the one-way mirror.
"So the whole point of this test is to see if he cheats?" Iruka says.
"No, stupid, it's to see how well he gathers intelligence. Jesus, has it been that long since you've taken the exam?" Anko says.
"I just passed on my own merit," Iruka says. They watch behind the one-way mirror as Kimimaro gamely writes in the test booklet.
The clock buzzes, and the examiner takes the test packet away from him. Kimimaro stands, nonplussed.
"Well?" Anko says. Kimimaro shakes his head.
"It was fine," Kimimaro says. "Though I do not see how knowing applied physics has anything to do with being a shinobi."
"So you think you did bad, huh?" Anko says. For some reason she just wants to wipe that superior-ass look from his face, but Kimimaro gives her an elegant little shrug.
"Taichou." Someone knocks on the door. "Mitarashi Taichou. Can I see you a minute?"
"I'll be back," Anko says. Kimimaro just looks bored.
xXx
.
"The hell did you learn how to do math like that?"
Anko sits on the bed as Kimimaro washes his face, staring at him. Kimimaro sets down the towel and smiles.
"I did not," Kimimaro says. "I estimated."
"What?"
"They were projectile-based problems," Kimimaro says, and he cracks his wrist, a small shard of bone popping up with a sickening slurp. "Surely you know I have enough combat experience to adequately guess." And he tosses the bone fragment toward her.
"Gross," Anko says. Kimimaro rolls his eyes.