The next day, the Konoha Thirteen were told to meet their jonin at the Hyuga Compound, and all of them were there just as the sun crested the Hokage Monument, their stances ready for anything. Their jonin were ready for their young pupils this time, and had been waiting for them at the meeting place since well before sunrise. Thus as the Hyuga branch family members awoke, they all got to witness the sight of the gathering in their halls, and most quickly made themselves busy elsewhere, to give the group time to themselves.
"I'm sure you're all wondering why we called you here today," said Iruka as he sat before the children, with the other jonin, as well as Hizashi and Hiashi Hyuga, behind him.
"You want us to fight in a tournament style match up to see which one of us is the best?" offered Kiba, a rather feral looking grin on his face as he said it, before any of the adults could respond, he got a whack across the back of his head from Sakura, causing him to whine a bit as he rubbed the sore spot.
"Idiot, what would that prove?" she told him. Iruka found it difficult to hide a smile at his young wards and their eccentricities.
"It wouldn't prove anything, Ms. Haruno, but I must say, Mr. Inuzuka isn't far from the mark," admitted Might Guy, and that got Kiba to stop rubbing his head, and instead turn to face the pink hair girl, while sticking out his tongue and making a face at her.
"So, do you actually want us to fight, Father?" asked Hinata, and her father shook his head, before motioning so everyone was looking at Iruka again.
"Not right now, no. There will be fighting however, as the chuunin exams are to be held soon, and your names have been entered into the registers for them," explained the man, and this caused Naruto to hop up with a shout of yatta, while Shikamaru buried his face in his hands, a muffled troublesome heard from him, and Kiba and Akamaru let out duel howls. The others had far subtler reactions, though everyone did show some surprise at least. It was Shino, however, who rose to his feet, a hand raised to bring silence, which fell over the group much more quickly than one might have expected of ones their age.
"It is uncommon for genin of our experience and age to participate in these exams. Given the data, I surmise that allowances are being made to us due to our recent successes in our missions?" this was asked as a question, though it was obvious he was just trying to confirm it.
"In part, yes, that is true. Your missions, no matter what you might have heard, were of ranks far above C, and as only one C-Ranked mission is required for a team to apply for the exam, we felt the skills you demonstrated made you more than qualified. There is, however, more to our decision than that," as he spoke, Iruka made a few handsigns, and then pressed his hand into the floor. A small hiss, a pop, and a hidden floor panel slid away, allowing Iruka to reach inside and pull out a small crate, inside of which were several file folders.
"I doubt I must tell any of you this, but your skills are quite exceptional. In the Academy, everyone here demonstrated abilities that one would not expect to see before their first mission, and since you left, this group has done things that have defied what would be considered normal for genin. The eldest completed more C-Ranked missions in a year than any other team on active duty, while the youngest completed more D-Ranked missions in a week than most teams do in a year, and after those feats, you went on to complete missions that should have required teams of jonin, if not half of Konoha's ANBU," he said, opening the folders and tossing particular sheets onto the floor in front of them. The genin took only a few glances to see they were stat pages, written up about themselves, and every stat was noted as being at or near jonin level.
"Normally, as your teachers, we would never inform you of this, it is best to keep your heads small, considering your age, but we feel we must impress upon you how far you are already along. This has two reasons. The first is that we feel you might not realize just how impressive your recent showings were, and we want to tell you how proud we are of you. The second is that we want you to know that if you fail to make chuunin, we'll know it was because you weren't trying your hardest, and that can have grave consequences for those that embarrass Konoha through laziness," said Asuma, and almost every eye went to Shikamaru, who looked rather blase about the attention.
"Yeah, yeah, lazy bum," he said, and Asuma just shook his head in despair at the boy's attitude.
"But I thought the last part of the exam was a tournament? Doesn't that mean only the winner can advance?" asked Rock Lee, as he looked down at his sheet. His had the only red marks on it, zeroes in the fields that required molding chakra. His taijutsu scores, in contrast were higher than any three of the others combined.
"The tournament is important, yes, but it is not winning a battle that is important. The exam will test everything about you. Your knowledge of ninja tactics, your understanding of how to command a unit, and yes, your combat abilities. These things together will determine who advances and who does not. The winner of the tournament could fail, while one whom they defeat is given the vest, or everyone who gets to the tournament may be granted promotion. It depends on the judges, and your own showing," explained Kurenai, and everyone seemed to go numb for a moment after hearing her.
"How long do we have to prepare?" asked Neji.
"There are three weeks remaining until the tournament begins. In that time, we ask that you gather here, in the Hyuga Compound, as you did in your school days. We, along with a few interested parties, will be providing your with additional training as a unit, as well as individual lessons where we deem them most needed," explained the kunoichi jonin. This caused the genin to fall silent again as they considered this, and more importantly how hard they would need to prepare for this test of their skills.
"It goes without saying, you can prepare on your own, if you feel it would be best, but here, we will offer you every resource at our disposal," said Hiashi, and that seemed to tear it. The children rose, and then, as one, bowed to their elders.
"Thank you, for agreeing to teach us," they said in unison, and then assumed ready stances. Within a minute, the training began.
OoOoO
Three weeks went by in a flash, as the genin trained constantly. As always, Naruto's seemingly bottomless well of chakra allowed his fellows and himself the ability to keep going, even after their teachers bowed out for a rest. Of course, with several teachers, all of whom seemed eager to test the kids, they never wanted for direction to their lessons. From Might Guy, who brought weights and had them strap them to their bodies, to Kakashi who blindfolded them, before hurling blunted kunai at them, to Hizashi who ran them through mental exercises and reading lessons, every teacher had a different method, and a different goal in mind.
They attacked each test like starving lions attacking a zebra, tearing through them at breakneck speed. By the end of the training, when they gave up the extra weights and gear, not one student hadn't at least doubled their physical strength, and in Naruto's case, he quintupled it, asking for more weights later. Better, speed and reaction time had risen at a similar rate, as Kurenai led them through exercises where they let their chakra react for them, moving faster than their brains could process.
Outside, the genin and visitors from foreign lands arrived, but the Konoha genin had no time to talk to them, with many a student being escorted home by their teacher or one of the Hyuga, because they were so drained by training. Not that their actions went unnoticed by the villagers all of whom were already cheering for the young people, with some going so far as to offer them free gifts in what few hours they had to spare, while always shouting encouragements towards the youths. Not one of those mentioned that they now had money riding on the children's performances in the coming exam.
Still, it was soon the morning of the Exam, and the kids all smiled at each other, all as prepared as they thought they could be, mentally, physically, and even spiritually in a case or two as they stopped at shrines to pray on their way to the building where the first part of the Exams would be held. There, they passed by a few waiting groups of people, some foreigners who were giving last minute instructions to their students, as well as the townsfolk who offered their wishes for luck to the youths, who thanked them as they entered the building, with the doors slamming shut behind them.
Walking inward, they found the hall to the third floor was crowded with people of all ages, their only joining feature being that every one of them wore a hitai of one of the villages. At first, the Thirteen wondered what was going on, but it soon became obvious as they grew closer, and the shouts of some of the genin grew clear. Apparently someone on the floor above was preventing people from entering the hall where the first part of the exam was to be held, and so far no one had been able to get past them.
"Hinata?" asked Shino, and the girl used her eyes to see everyone around them, hoping to offer an alternate route to their destination, but then sighing as her eyes saw something else entirely.
"Naruto, would you please let loose a chakra pulse, enough to cover the building?" she asked, and without asking way, the blonde boy did it, trying to be as gentle as he could, but still getting a glass like wave of the stuff to wash over the entire block. This had multiple results on the ninja outside who had been trying to blend into the crowd suddenly being revealed, but the largest result was that the genjutsu on the stairs scattered like dust in the winds, revealing that they were still on the ground floor, not the second, and that the two who had been blocking the way already wore chunin vests.
"Wha?" said one of them his eyes glazing over as the wave of chakra passed him by, ripping away his illusion, and stunning him for a moment. His partner, who's genjutsu had been far less intense, as he stayed the same size and only hid his vest, looked around, trying to spy who had done that. In the crowd, two of the 'genin' were also exposed, their faces going dark as they looked around. Of course, thanks to the crowd, no one noticed the thirteen as they filtered through the crowd, everyone finally going into one of the side rooms, where the crowd broke into smaller groups.
"So, tests within tests," said Neji as he took a seat on the ground, leaning his back against a wall. Everyone else got comfortable as well, nodding at the assessment.
"They are trying to see if we're worthy of being promoted. Chuunin tend to only take C-Ranked and above missions, and considering our recent experience, we know those can be dangerous," added Sakura, to a round of very sullen faces. Most of them had honestly expected this to be easy. They'd spent a month in intense training, going over everything they could, but if more of the tests were like this, well, it wouldn't be as easy as they expected.
Looking around, they were the youngest in the test by far. The closest in age to them were a few other Konoha genin they didn't recognize, being at least eight years older. None of the others looked younger than that. At least, until Naruto pointed, spotting some people their own age standing in one corner. All thirteen looked towards them, and then quickly looked away as the genin, Suna by their hitai, stared at them. That wasn't what made them look away, however. It was the eyes of the red headed boy, eyes that spoke only of death and pain.
So they sat there, waiting for the proctor to call them, and began discussing specifics of what they expected. The chuunin exams were different every year, according to Kakashi. Some years they just did big brawls and saw who was standing afterwards. Other years, they were races around the village the exam was held in. Still, each village did determine the tests, and Konoha was their home. They figured, from looking over past exams, they would be tested in mind, endurance, and then battle. That meant this building was likely to be a written test of some sort.
"Hmm, so many of the youth here today," said a voice, and everyone turned suddenly to see a young man none of them recognized. Like the rest, he appeared to be at least twenty, unlike most, his hair was his most striking feature, resembling as it did Heero's, though with a slightly lighter shade, ash rather than silver. He walked over to them, and squatted down just outside their circle, two who were obviously his own team standing behind him.
"Are you here to participate in the exam? At such a young age, that is impressive," he said this was a genuine note of amazement in his voice.
"Our sensei believe we have earned the right to compete and see if we are ready for promotion," answered Ino, and the young man smiled warmly at them.
"Impressive indeed. Still, this is obviously your first time taking the exam. Would you like some advice from someone who has taken it seven times before?" he asked. His team behind him seemed annoyed with how chipper he was, but the Thirteen nodded, making room for him in their circle. It was nice to get at least some friendliness from the room, which seemed so hostile most of the time. Not that they didn't understand, the exam was a competition as much as a test, and only the best would earn the right to wear the vest.
"So, what do you think of the test so far? I bet you're grateful to whoever dispelled that genjutsu downstairs, right?" asked the ash haired boy, and Naruto grinned at him.
"Yeah, you should be grateful to me, shouldn't you?" he said, and the young man stared at him. That pulse was a common enough skill, if not a useful battle tactic, that he knew what sort of chakra drain it put on the body. To hear that this blonde haired boy was the one to do it...then he started. He'd been just looking at the young people, wondering who they were, as rumors had been floating around about a group of youth who were exceptional in every way, but looking at them now, he counted exactly thirteen in their group, and remembered another rumor about thirteen shinobi in Konoha.
"Most impressive, for one of your age. Might I get the name of the one to whom I should be grateful?" asked the ash haired boy, and the blonde seemed about to answer him, when a dark haired boy stood up, and pointed at the young man.
"Why don't you offer us yours first?" he asked, flashing his eyes, and the ash haired boy again got a shock, as he say red in those eyes, Sharingan. Immature, undeveloped, but still, the signature eyes of the Uchiha.
"Hmm, how rude of me, Sasuke. My name is Kabuto," he offered. No one seemed shocked that he knew who Sasuke was, mostly because everyone knew the Uchiha clan heir in Konoha. The introductions then went around the circle, before finally Kabuto gestured behind him and gave the names of his teammates, Yoroi and Misumi. He then did something odd, pulling out a deck of cards.
"Yes, I will have to add you to my data. Of course, that will only be useful if you and I have to retake the exams, and I'm sure you feel that is an insult," he said with a sarcastic smirk. Kiba, however, leapt to his feet, and pounded his chest.
"Damn straight it's an insult. We're gonna be chuunin at the end of this," he told him, and Naruto nodded his agreement.
"Believe it," he added, and Kabuto just smiled at them, a warmth in his eyes that made them all at least feel friendly to him.
"Well then, how's about I share some data on your opponents? Make your jobs just a little easier. This is my seventh exam, and I've been gathering all kinds of information about everyone who competes," he told them, pulling out one of the cards, and then spinning it on the floor in front of him.
"Seven times? You failed this thing for seven years?" asked Naruto, seemingly only just now realizing how tough the exam itself would be.
"Oh no, I've only been allowed to participate the last four years. After all, the exam is held three times a year, and I skipped some of them I didn't feel ready for," he answered, and that seemed to bring the whole mood crashing down. Shino, however, looked around the room, remembering his offer, and pointed to a team in the corner.
"You offered information, do you have any on those Suna-Nin? They seem young for participation in the exams," he asked, and Kabuto smiled.
"Oh, and what would you know about being too young to participate?" he responded, while suddenly pulling a card off the top of his deck. He then placed it on the floor in front of him, spinning it beneath his finger as he'd been doing with another one, but this time his finger tip glowed with chakra, which then released into the card, causing it to flip over as he pulled away, showing a picture of the three genin, a Suna jonin, and several statistics.
"I don't have much. They're newcomers to the exams after all, but what I do know is they're good. That red headed one especially. He's Gaara of the Desert, and he's got a reputation as a tough, brutal opponent. No idea how many D-Ranks he's done, Suna doesn't like to release that information, but I do know he's done at least eight C-Ranked missions, and even a B. The most unusual thing though, is that he's never been injured on a mission as far as I know, not even a scratch," that declaration got everyone's attention. Not one of them had truly escaped unscathed from their recent missions. Sure, nothing critical, but still, to never take a scratch, that meant Gaara was something else. Shino seemed about to ask another question, when a nearby door opened, the creaking sound it made somehow silencing all talk in the room.
"The exam is beginning now. Follow me to your first test," said an old man, a Konoha-Nin by his hitai, but not one most recognized. Most did not included some of the Thirteen, however.
"That's Ibiki, he's part of the Interrogation Squad," offered Shino, saying it loudly enough that Kabuto would hear, possibly as a favor to the young man for his information from before. Still, the ash haired man nodded in thanks, as everyone soon followed the scar faced man out of the room, towards their future.