Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Naruto.

Chapter Ten- The Chunin Exams Begin: Akira's Resolve

A single month felt like an eternity. All of the hours they spend training were finally going to pay off. In less than twelve hours, Squad twelve was to be thrown into a competition that they simply were not ready for. The Chunin exams were wrought with danger and death; many Genin didn't make it out alive. The children didn't know that of course. That isn't to say they were confident, no, quite the contrary. They were frightened and rather nervous, not of death, however. They were worried they wouldn't do Konoha justice.

They were on a mission. Along with Squad Fourteen and a few other teams from Konoha, the Genin were under strict command to win the Chunin Exam Tournament. Losing would make the Leaf Village look weak, something Konoha could not afford. With the Rock Village trying to out muscle Sunagakure, Kakashi could not let Konoha be there next target.

"Tomorrow…." Kiyoshi said to himself, taking a deep breath to steady his breathing.

The Hokage's Monument was a sight to behold and the signature symbol of the Hidden Leaf Village. From almost anywhere within the walls of Konoha, anyone could see the six faces that were etched on the mountainside.

Hashirama Senju, the first of the Hokage, had been known as the man with no equal. It is told that the master of the Wood Style Jutsu had managed to create Konoha and the forests surrounding it with his masterful techniques. The story is told that Hashirama was also seen as the only rival to Madara Uchiha, an misguided and dangerous ninja from the Hidden Leaf Village's Uchiha Clan. Their rivalry culminated in a clash between the two at the Valley of the End. The story's outcome is often shifted and skewed, but it is widely believed Hashirama came out as the victor.

The Second Hokage was the brother of the first. Tobirama Senju's past is much more shrouded in mystery. He created the Impure World Resurrection Technique as well as the first Space-Time Jutsu and established various organizations within the Leaf, including the Ninja Academy, ANBU, and Konoha's Military Police Force. He is often forgiven for creating such a heinous technique for one simple fact- he trained the third Hokage.

The third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi was appointed Hokage when his superior, Tobirama, met an untimely death protecting his subordinates. If Hashirama was known as the man with no equal, Hashirama was the God among men. He was everything the people wished for in a leader. He was kind of heart and even calmer of mind. Even in his old age, Hiruzen had managed to take on, and defeat reincarnated versions of the first two Hokage and the Snake Sannin, Orochimaru. He was a great shinobi and an even greater man.

Next came the most famous of the Hokage, Minato Namikaze. The Fourth Fire Shadow could not measure up to the Third's sheer strength and power. What he lacked in ferocity, the honorable Yodaime Hokage had made up for in speed and agility. Minato had spent most of his life studying the Second Hokage's Time-Space Jutsu. With a simple thrown kunai, Minato could travel great distances in the blink of an eye. Coupled with the Rasengan, an S-ranked technique powerful enough to defeat most shinobi with a single blow, it's no wonder enemy shinboi shinobi during the Third Shinobi War had been given a "flee on sight" command whenever the Fourth stepped onto the battle field. If that wasn't enough, he happened to be the father of Naruto Uzumaki and the grandfather of Akira.

The Fifth Hokage was the woman of many names: Konoha's Slug Princess, the Slug Sannin, the First Female Kage, and The Legendary Sucker. Tsunade was one of the students of the Third Hokage, and the Granddaughter of the first. Known for her adamantine strength and medical prowess, Tsunade was Hokage during the Fourth Shinobi War during what is now regarded as the "Tobi Incident." Fittingly, Tsunade is still alive, spending most of her time gambling away her fortune.

Finally, the current Hokage is the Copy Ninja, Kakashi Hatake. As the student of the Fourth, Kakashi had grown to be a powerful Shinobi during his day. While never regarded as a "God," Kakashi proved his true might during the Fourth Shinobi War when he and his eternal rival, Might Guy, took down Obito Uchiha, a man hell bent on the destruction of the natural world. Since then, Kakashi has even further honed his skill, and it is often teased that Kakashi, coupled with his lifelong teammate, is now more powerful than any other Kage in existence. That is just speculation of course. No one can know for sure.

Kiyoshi sat atop of Tsunade's memorial stone. She was his favorite Hokage as the Kunoichi was the mentor and spiritual predecessor to his mother, Sakura Haruno. Of course he thought the others were amazing, he idolized Hiruzen more than any other. Kiyoshi just felt that Tsunade was more relatable. He had met her a few times before during visits with his mother and she seemed liked a very kind-hearted yet firm individual. Whenever Kiyoshi needed time to think, he would perch himself high on the stone statue of the Fifth Hokage to rest and clear his mind.

He closed his eyes once more, and breathed deeply.

"Hey," he heard Akira's voice creep into his head. "It's tomorrow isn't it?"

"Yeah…" Kiyoshi responded, opening his eyes so that he could see his teammate standing over the face of his grandfather, the Fourth Hokage.

There was something on Kiyoshi's mind. The last time the two shinobi had spoken, things had ended rather poorly. How could the team survive the following day if there was unrest among the ranks? He had to make sure everything was okay? Just as he was about to though…

"Are we cool?" Akira asked, looking away from Kiyoshi.

"Listen," Kiyoshi said, rubbing the back of his neck. "You're my teammate and you're also kind of my friend. Demon or not, we're comrades of the Hidden Leaf and I've got your back. I didn't mean what I said."

It was true. Kiyoshi wasn't in the right mindset when he had argued with Akira that night a month before. Katsu had been through hell just moments before and Kiyoshi had been worrying for her safety. After mulling it over for the subsequent weeks, Kiyoshi realized he had reacted terribly.

"Well thanks," the boy nodded back. "For treating me like a human, not just some vessel for the Nine-Tailed Fox Spirit. And he's not really much of a Demon. He's kind of a softy to be honest. He just sort of gives me advice from time to time."

"Of course Akira," Kiyoshi smiled, giving the Uzumaki a "thumbs up." "You're a human being, what else would I treat you like?"

Akira took a deep breath and grabbed the bottom of his shirt, pulling it up so that Kiyoshi could get a good look at the boy's stomach. A two-layered seal spiraled around the child's belly button. The first, the Eight-Trigrams Seal, consisted of a spiral mark and eight lines stemming from a circle around the inner spiral. The second layer consisted of five strange symbols that appeared similar to small flames that appeared at various intervals around the outer circle. This was the Five Pronged Seal.

"Like a vessel," Akira replied solemnly. "To some people in the village, this is all I am. I'm just a 'weapon' or a carrier of a demon like my dad. To the people of the Leaf… this is all I am."

"And to the people of the Leaf, I'm merely the daughter of a rogue. I'm a probable disaster waiting to happen," said a voice to Kiyoshi's left. Katsu had been standing atop Kakashi's face. He wondered how long she had been standing there, how much she had heard, but he realized it didn't matter. It was nice that they were all together for once.

Kiyoshi wanted to say something comforting, but in no way could he relate to their pain. He had a mother and father, both of whom were respected members of Konoha's elite shinobi force. His mother was the head of the medical division in the Leaf Village, working around the clock to ensure the safety of shinobi and civilians alike. His father was now known as an ambassador of peace around the shinobi world. What he couldn't fix with his iron fists, Lee would correct with his soft words of encouragement and youth. He didn't know what it was liked to be looked at as "less than human."

But he could relate in another way.

"Then let's prove everyone wrong!" Kiyoshi said, tightening his fists and thrusting his arm in the air. "I'm tired of being a failure! And I'm tired of being afraid! Guy- sensei, Neji-sensei, and Kakashi- sama, they all believe in us."

"What about me?" another voice came through the darkness.

Kiyoshi began to wonder just how many people had been listening to their conversation. Was every shinobi in the Leaf Village hiding in the darkness, spying on the three children? He had just wanted to be alone, but now he was glad that he wasn't.

There was a swirling of wind and leaves, the signature succession of events that indicated Shikamaru was to appear. Sure enough, the sensei materialized, appearing just behind Kiyoshi so that he too was standing between Akira and Katsu. He had a look of concern painted across his face, but who could argue with him? His team was young, inexperienced, and the trio rarely got along… he was worried about them.

"Of course you believe in us Shikamaru-sensei," Kiyoshi smiled, giving Shikamaru another "thumbs up."

Shikamaru didn't say anything at first. He was silent and couldn't look his subordinates in the eyes. He knew a leader was supposed to say something at times like this. He was expected to rally his men to victory so that the mission was a success. However, he found himself thinking less and less about the mission and more and more about something else…

"Be safe," Shikamaru said, giving the children a small smile. "I know you have a mission to complete and all, but I'd rather just have the three of you come back safely. I know we haven't been a team for very long… and we've only been on four missions together, but I believe in you. All three of you will accomplish great things, but you can't do anything if you're dead."

Morbid but true words echoed in the back of Kiyoshi's mind. He hadn't thought about actually dying. In fact, he hadn't thought of the possibility of death since his first encounter with Hinoto. He had so many goals, so many things he wanted to accomplish. He wouldn't allow himself to fail in the Chunin Exams. He was going to win the whole tournament without a scratch.

Akira and Katsu jumped to Tsunade's statue so that the entire team could be close to one another. Kiyoshi extended his hand and looked to his teammates. Katsu put her hand down on top of Kiyoshi's and Akira reluctantly followed suit. Kiyoshi looked at Shikamaru, coaxing him to do the same and their sensei eventually placed his hand on top to finish the pile.

"Squad Twelve on three," Kiyoshi smiled, looking at his companions.

"One!" Katsu said excitedly, practically jumping in the air.

"Two!" Akira agreed, giving a sly smirk to show his approval.

"Three!" Shikamaru nodded, proud of the team he had been given. It had only been a few weeks since Squad Twelve had come together as a team. They were inexperienced, quarreled amongst one another, and were relatively unfit and unprepared to take on the challenges laid out for them. However, they had a strong sense of friendship and understanding. Shikamaru new at that moment, as long as they stayed together, everything would be fine.

"Squad Twelve!" the four shouted in unison throwing their arms upwards into the sky.

"Ready?" Katsu asked, turning to her two teammates. She placed her right hand firmly on the door in front of her, hesitating to turn the nob.

They had heard from Shikamaru that the first round of the Chunin Exams took place within the classrooms of the Ninja Academy. Kiyoshi felt it rather odd to walk the halls of the academy once again, but he had slightly gotten used to it within the past few weeks. Of course, he had been there quite frequently, as the room on the topmost floor was where the Hokage would assign missions to various teams.

"I'm so not ready," Kiyoshi frowned, hanging his head in defeat.

Akira placed his hand over Katsu's and the two Genin took a deep breath. Once they opened the door, they couldn't go back. They were going to have to succeed, become Chunin, and reestablish the Leaf's position as the strongest of the Great Shinobi Villages. They had to win. Akira turned his hand, turning Katsu's hand and the doorknob in the process. Kiyoshi panicked, taking a step back and tripping over himself, bashing the back of his head on the floor.

The loud crash came at the worse possible time. Just as the door opened, the sudden bang caught the attention of every Genin in the room. Each eye was intensely focused on their direction. All at once, Akira felt "red flags" appear in his mind. Each shinobi was sizing up the trio, slowly judging them. Looking back at Kiyoshi and noticing his own trembling hand, Akira noted that they probably didn't look "Chunin Material." It was at that moment he realized that he and his team were at the top of everyone's lists. They were deemed… easy targets.

Most of the ninja had been fellow shinobi from the Leaf, but hadn't graduated from the Academy the same year as Squad Twelve. These Leaf Genin were older, much more experienced. Kiyoshi couldn't make out any Iwagakure ninja, but he could see a few Mist, Cloud, and Sand Village ninja spread about. Kiyoshi had expected to see a few Grass or Rain ninja, but he had forgotten that those regions were now part of the much larger Land of Sound. Though, even then, he could only make out a few Otogakure shinobi.

"I didn't know you three would be here," Shikawa's voice broke through the awkward silence. If nothing else, it diffused the intense situation, causing most of the Genin to go back to their own conversations and forget about the embarrassing situation that occurred just moments before. "I knew this was going to be lame, but I didn't expect anything like this."

"Hey Kiyoshi! Katsu!" Choya smiled rather cheerfully. He hurriedly rushed to his friend's sides and gave them each a "high five." At one time they had been such good friends, it was nice for the trio to talk and catch up. Things had been moving so fast they hadn't had time to grab some Ichiraku.

Besides, it gave Akira and Shikawa a chance to talk.

"Shikawa," Akira said, allowing the words to linger. "All joking aside, I'm rather glad to see you here. I thought we'd be the only Genin here from our year." Like Kiyoshi and Katsu, Akira didn't particularly like Shikawa. However, the two had a type of silent respect for one another that allowed them to cooperate. Back at the academy, they had been rivals in intellect, similarly to how Inoki and Katsu had been.

"Good to see you too," Shikawa shook his head, looking over to the crowded room of shinobi just behind him. "Word of advice though; there are ninja here that far outclass our own skill and strength. I'm not sure if you can see it with your byakugan, but Inoki can sense that their chakra levels are off the charts in comparison to our own."

Akira had noticed of course. The byakugan allowed Akira the ability to sense and assess an individual's chakra level. From there it was easy to assess and separate strong ninja's from weak. This wasn't a foolproof ability however, as some rather powerful shinobi in history possessed rather low levels of chakra. Almost everyone here though, possessed a level of chakra control that the Rookie Six from Konoha could not hope to compete with.

"Yeah," Akira frowned, glancing around at a few of the ninja in the classroom with the highest chakra control. "I'm hoping Katsu doesn't notice and tell Kiyo. He get's frightened easily. Anyone in particular we should be worried about?"

"He should be scared," Shikawa said honestly. He didn't like to admit his own faults, but, after what he had learned, even Shikawa was slightly shaken up. "The Rock Village only sent one team this year, comprised of Genin that were handpicked by the Tsuchikage. Apparently two of the Iwagakure ninja possess some sort of Kekkei Tota."

A Kekkei Genkai is an advanced form of nature chakra that literally translates into "Bloodline Limit." Apparently, each shinobi is born with an affinity to a single nature of chakra, either fire, lightning, water, earth, or wind. This allows a ninja to learn specific jutsu easily at a younger age because of their natural affinities. Ergo, a ninja born with an affinity for fire has an easier time learning the Fireball Jutsu over the Earth Dome jutsu. Overtime these affinities can be stepped over and one can master multiple elements despite their affinity.

That isn't the case with someone who happens to inherit a bloodline limit from their parents. These people are born with an affinity to two elemental chakras, allowing the individual to mix the two types of chakra. The only kekkei genkai Akira had ever seen was Yamato's Wood Release, which happened to be a combination of the Water and Earth elemental chakras. These ninja are often powerful, as they possess the advantage of surprise. Kekkei Genkai users are so few that opponents rarely know how to combat their strange techniques.

A Kekkei Tota, translating into "Bloodline Selection," was even more dangerous, combining three natures to create a single element. As far as Akira could recall there was only one known Kekkei Tota in existence, the Dust Release- often seen as the signature chakra nature of the Second and Third Tsuchikage. However, the technique was thought to be lost after Onoki's children showed no immediate signs of possessing the Dust Release Kekkei Tota. If what Shikawa said was true, these two Genin could have some sort of advanced chakra natures that no one had ever seen before.

"And," Shikawa continued. "There's the top Mist Village Team. Among them is Isao, an aspiring Swordsman of the Mist. Then we have my cousin's team comprised Sonzai and her crew…"

"A… Swordsman of the Mist?" Kiyoshi's voice rang through Akira's ears. It was clear that he and Katsu had been intently listening to Akira and Shikawa speak. Katsu could see her teammate tremble. His right arm was shaking uncontrollably and it wasn't long before his left followed suit. There was so much competition, so many other Genin with strength that far outclassed his own. How could he ever hope to win?

"Hey," Katsu frowned, placing an arm on her teammate's shoulder. "Kiyo don't get so down-"

Kiyoshi was tired of being afraid. He had been saying it over and over in his head; now was his time to shine. The Hokage was counting on them, with a real mission this time. He couldn't go into the exams afraid for his life. He had to be confident, like Guy would be. He had to be strong.

He wasn't going to back down!

"Listen up!" Kiyoshi frowned, drawing the attention of every ninja in the room. "My name is Kiyoshi Lee and I'm not going to lose to any of you!"

Kiyoshi extended his right arm in fist to show his resolve. Even with the glares staring back at him, for the first time perhaps in his entire life, Kiyoshi felt confident, almost like he was invincible. Maybe it was all the training with Guy, but Kiyoshi felt like there was no chance he was going to lose.

"Alright pay attention," a voice came from behind Kiyoshi. There was a puff of smoke by the door to the room, clouding the Rookie Six's vision. When the smoke had finally cleared, ten or so ninja appeared, all Chunin ranked or higher. Among them stood a Special Jonin with a large dog beside him.

Kiba Inuzuka was about as tall as Rock Lee, but was slightly stockier with larger arms. He had short, spiky black hair that was held up by the headband around his head. Like all Leaf Ninja, Kiba's headband possessed the iconic Leaf Village insignia. His outfit was rather plain, only wearing black, slick pants and a black, sleek jacket over a gray undershirt. His most defining characteristic was the distinct red fang marks that all the Inuzuka wore.

The room was set up very much like a typical lecture hall; stairs descended in rows from the back of the room to the front with long tables in front of them. The set up allowed for students in the back of the room to easily be able to see the proctor in the front of the room. For the proctor, there was a large, wooden podium with the kanji for shinobi etched into the front.

"I am Kiba Inuzuka, proctor of the first test for the Chunin Exams. Sorry for making you wait," Kiba nodded, holding up a small piece of paper with a red letter one printed on the side. Kiba explained the parameters of the first test. Rather than a test of skills and strength, the first exam was meant to assess a Genin's ingenuity and intelligence in the form of a written exam. After each student picked a number and was randomly assigned a seat, the test would be passed out. "Before I hand out the tests, there are a few rules we have to discuss…"

'Rules?' Katsu pondered, rolling the pencil she had been given around in her hands. 'How complicated can this test be?'

"Test taker's start with a perfect score of ten points," Kiba shrugged, moving over to the chalkboard in the front of the room. His ninken, Akamaru, grabbed a piece of chalk in his mouth, handing it over to his master when Kiba asked for it. The shinobi then continued to write the rules on the board. "The test is made up of ten questions and one point is subtracted for each incorrect answer. If you get a perfect score, you get to keep your ten points. Anyone caught cheating will lose two points. We'll have our eyes on each of you, so it won't be easy. Realize if you're caught cheating, your on the fast track out of here. So, be smart and don't get caught."

"This is a team score?" Akira said to himself, frowning and shaking his head. He knew that he and Katsu were smart enough to pass any exam. However, Kiyoshi was a completely different story. He was the brawn… well sort of, of the team. They would just have to do well enough to make up for Kiyoshi's blunders. That meant they had to each get a perfect score.

"However, if someone fails to answer any questions and scores a zero on the exam… they will fail along with their two teammates. Understood?" Kiba smiled, waving his finger. "You have one hour."

Kiyoshi wasn't sure as both Katsu and Akira sat behind him, but he could feel their angry stares glaring in his direction. He slammed his face on the table, assured that he was going to be his team's downfall. He had to at least get one point. Katsu and Akira would do just fine, but he had to score at least one point!

Akira flipped over his test, glancing through the questions presented to him. The first question was a complex cryptogram. It didn't make much sense at first, but, after a few seconds of gazing, Akira was able to accurately decipher the key. It was rather intense for a Genin-ranked question, requiring one to have studied the old ways the Hidden Leaf Village used to decode documents. Each letter was given a predetermined number, but these numbers followed no set code. For instance, the letter "A" was given the number 124 while "B" was graced with "732." For years rivaling nations tried to uncover the Leaf's strategy of deciphering sensitive document when, in actuality, the cryptogram wasn't really a puzzle at all. It was actually straight memorization. One had to know the numbers beforehand.

'That means…' Akira shook his head. 'This question is completely unfair to anyone who isn't a Leaf Village native.'

It was true. Someone would've had to extensively study Leaf Military History to know anything about this decryption method. How was someone like Sonzai, a native of the Hidden Sand Village, supposed to answer this question?

'Unless they cheated…' he thought again glancing around the room. For a mere second, he started to panic. Kiyoshi had to get at least one question right on this test. If they wanted any hope of passing, he would have to pass his teammate one correct answer. He had hoped, at least, Katsu was doing just fine. He figured she was pretty smart. 'Just don't cheat Kiyo. I'll find a way to pass you an answer, just you wait.'

Katsu looked at the first question. Unlike Akira, she had no idea that the cryptogram was unsolvable without prior knowledge. She just stared blankly at the puzzle, frivolously trying to find some sort of pattern that she could follow. It was hopeless. She moved onto question two. Then, after a moment of thought, to question three and then four and then…

She realized she couldn't answer a single question on the test.

And that was most likely a problem. Katsu was smart. Maybe not as bright as Akira, but Katsu was regarded as rather intelligent. If she couldn't answer any questions on the test that made it rather likely that most others wouldn't either. This was truly a test to weed out the weak. She had to think of something.

'Wait…' she smiled with glee. 'Sharingan!'

She remembered her special gift just in time. Akira sat a few rows in front of her and she was able to accurately mimic his arm movements so that she could copy his answers without being noticed. It might've been cheating, but Katsu was starting to think that was the purpose of the test. She needed to gather information like a "proud ninja." She couldn't get caught.

'The answer to number two is eight,' Shikawa thought in his head. It was a complicated mathematics problem, but not one that Shikawa noted was particularly difficult. He was sure Akira and Inoki had already managed to answer the question correctly, it had just been the matter of passing the answer off to Choya. 'I'm starting to really appreciate the psychic link. Eh, Choya?'

'Right,' Choya nodded in compliance, never taking his eyes of the paper. 'How do you think the others are doing?'

'…not well,' Shikawa frowned, shaking his head. He realized that Choya couldn't see him from where he was sitting and he ceased his movement. He couldn't afford to draw attention to himself, but he realized none of the Chunin watching could know about the squad's ability to share their thoughts. It was as if they all shared one brain and he now understood why his father cherished Mika's abilities. It made reconnaissance and stealth so much easier. Choya would've never passed without it.

Shikawa glanced over to Kiyoshi, making sure it was obvious to all the Chunin watching that he was merely looking around and "not cheating." He could see the boy panicking out of frustration.

Kiyoshi wasn't like Akira or Shikawa. He wasn't blessed with a high IQ and he had poor problem solving skills. Nor did he really have any jutsu or skills to help him out in this situation like Katsu's Sharingan. Even Choya was able to pass and receive information telepathically from his teammates thanks to Mika's jutsu. Kiyoshi was on his own, left to his own wit to pass the test. Though it was pretty clear to everyone watching him, that his wit was failing him.

'I gotta get just one right!' Kiyoshi screamed in his head. 'JUST ONE!'

Kiyoshi put his pencil to the paper and gazed at question number ten. It was a math problem of some sort. He had never seen most of the symbols placed within nor did he even have any idea how to begin solving in.

He took a deep breath. He was going to have to cheat, but he wasn't quite sure how. He didn't possess the Byakugan or the Sharingan, nor did he have any reconnaissance-based techniques. Kiyoshi closed his eyes and leaned over slightly, but not enough to make it too noticeable. He was so close to cheating, so close to opening his eyes and glancing at his neighbor's paper. A kunai flew passed Kiyoshi's vision. He only saw one, but in truth, nine total kunai were thrown all at once, landing in front of nine different children, one of which was only a few seats away from the Leaf Genin.

"Numbers 3, 14, 29, 33, 55, 84 97, 103, 109…disqualified," one of the chunin said calmly, never rising from his seat. It was astonishing how nine people, in one fell swoop had been caught cheating enough times to warrant an ejection from the first test of the chunin exams.

In the midst of the confusion that ensued, no one noticed Shikawa's shadow. While the student's complained about how they were unjustly accused of cheating, the shadow navigated the maze of chairs before it stopped and connected to Kiyoshi's very own shadow. The child's hand moved on his own. He didn't know the answer to question two, but something willed him to place his hand on the paper and write down the single number eight on the blank space labeled "answer."

He had one answer. One answer was all he needed.

"Oy, Shikamaru!" a voice called from afar.

Shikamaru looked over to, seeing Choji just in the distance. The burly man no longer wore the garb of his youth. His clothes were now much more similar to that of Neji, wearing a red cloak over a long white kimono. His hair too was rather different, shorter than it once had been and was tied in a loose ponytail. It was certainly a look befitting of such an esteemed individual.

Shikamaru had never returned home after parting ways with his team earlier that morning. He had been far too worried, frightened for both his subordinates and his son. He just didn't think that they were ready for the dangers that would face them, specifically the treacherous creatures that lie in wait in the Forest of Death. For just a fleeting moment, Shikamaru hoped that his squad would actually fail the first test so that they could spend another year in preparation. He knew with just one more year of training, they would pull through.

"Hey, Choji!" Shikamaru said, forcing a laugh. He motioned for his comrade to move closer so that the two could talk. He was happy, almost overjoyed to see his friend after so long. Choji had spent weeks in the Sand, acting as an advocate for peace with the current Suna-Iwa conflict. When Shikamaru had traveled there weeks before, scheduling issues made it impossible for the sensei to see his old companion. It was nice to see him again, but Shikamaru wished it was under different circumstances. "You're back for the judging I guess?"

With the Chunin Exam finals taking place just a few weeks from then, ninja and spectators from all over would be converging on the walls of the Hidden Leaf to watch the spectacle that would be taking place. High-ranking officials like Choji would be required to judge the tournament, taking part in the final decision as to who would become Chunin.

Shikamaru had decided to sit near the lakeside of the Third Training Ground. It was comforting; the light breeze and the rushing water allowed for the Jonin to clear his mind in an otherwise troublesome time. He picked up a rock just as Choji took a seat beside him and tossed it out over the water. Like almost every other stone he had thrown, this particular rock sank directly to the bottom of the lake, never skipping once. Shikamaru had never been particularly good at this game, never managing to skip the stone more than a few times. Ironically, Choji could skip a stone clear to the other side.

"Yeah," he replied with a genuine smile. "Kakashi-sama called me back not too long ago. Are you alright?"

"Just worried about our kids…" he said honestly. "I'm sure they'll be fine, but…man what a drag."

Choji picked up the two smoothest stones he could fine, handing one to Shikamaru and keeping the other for himself. After a quick count of three, the duo both ejected their rocks over the water's surface. As could be expected, Shikamaru's stone took one hop before plummeting downward, while Choji's almost reached the riverbank on the opposite side.

"Just relax Shikamaru," Choji smiled, making a wrist-flicking motion. "It's all in the wrist."

"Did you just tell me to relax?" Shikamaru frowned, shaking his head. Shikamaru was always relaxing; it was his fatal flaw. Less so as he aged, but when he was younger, Shikamaru couldn't be bothered to even turn on a light switch. He was known as the genius with cloud envy. "I'm always relaxed."

"No…no you're not," Choji frowned, shaking his head. "You can pretend to be this laid back guy, but I've known you for almost thirty years Shikamaru. Guys like you and Kakashi, you're always stressed and on your toes. Even if you look like you're relaxed, you're always looking out for someone else. When we were younger you never stopped looking out for me or Ino. And now, you're doing the same thing for your team. Just because your body is relaxed, doesn't mean your brain isn't going a million miles a minute. I bet Shikawa is the same way."

"Maybe that's why our son's never became friends…" Shikamaru frowned, unsure of the source of his sadness. Shikawa and Choya had never really gotten along. That isn't to say that the two were enemies of any kind. Unlike Kiyoshi or Katsu, Choya was rather indifferent to the Nara and the two were civil with one another. If Shikawa had been a little friendlier, perhaps the two could've been great friends. However, in the child's current state, he made it difficult to make friends. He possessed his father's incredibly high IQ, while adopting his mother's stone cold personality. Those two traits were the perfect recipe for a rather introverted individual. Unlike his father who needed to find some form of motivation, Shikawa needed to relax and be a child.

"I'm sure Choya can crack that boy's shell," Choji smiled, skipping another stone. Shikamaru went to do the same, but instead chose to drop his rock back into the riverbank.

"He's just like his father and mother, he's nothing but fun." Shikamaru covered his mouth when he realized he brought up Choya's mother. Shizuka had fallen ill a few months back and had spent her time since then in the Leaf Village Hospital. Sakura had given her the best treatment possible, but no one seemed to be able to find the source of her illness, and, thus, they lacked the ability to effectively treat it. They didn't know how much time she had left. "Is she-"

"She's doing better," he responded, looking away from his comrade. "The pain has stopped, but Sakura hasn't been able to deduce much else. Besides that, her condition is pretty much the same… Listen, Shikawa is your son. I knew, as long as we were with you, we were safe. And I'm willing to bet Shikawa will be the same way. As long as he's around, everyone will be fine. Trust your son and trust your team."

Choji didn't want to talk anymore. He didn't want to leave his friend, but even the slightest mention of Shizuka mentally drained the man. He loved her far too much, and every day that went by decreased his wife's chances for survival. He wanted to go check on her again to see if her condition had changed in the last few hours. He knew he was going to make this trip to the hospital many more times throughout the coming weeks.

"Time," Kiba smiled. He motioned for the Chunin in the room to collect the test before continuing to speak.

Apparently, perfect scores of 30 would allow teams to automatically pass and be shuffled onward to the next round. As there was approximately room for 90 Genin in the second round, spaces would be awarded to the remaining teams, based on the remaining high scores. Squad twelve was just going to have to hope that a score of 21 was high enough to pass them onto the next round.

One-by-one the tests were examined for correct answers. It was an agonizing process for those worried about their scores. For Squad Fourteen who knew they were going on to the next round with a perfect score of 30, the time spent waiting was a minor annoyance. For Squad Twelve… it was an eternity.

"Shikawa Nara, Inoki Yamanaka, Choya Akimichi- you're free to go," Kiba smiled, giving the trio a thumbs up. "Report to the Forty-Forth Training Ground."

They weren't the only teams to go. Twenty-three other teams departed with perfect scores of thirty, only leaving enough room for six more teams to pass onto the next round. Kiyoshi couldn't help but be hopeful, but Akira was pretty sure that their score of 21 wasn't high enough. Before, he had activated his Byakugan to scan other's test scores. Most everyone had managed to answer at lest seven or eight questions, and even some tens. It was unlikely to think they had scored high enough as there were still a surprisingly amount of Genin in the room.

"Good luck," Shikawa whispered to Akira as he stood and exited the room. Akira responded with a smile, but it was clear to the Nara that he was worried.

"Two spaces left," Kiba smiled, rubbing his hands together. Akamaru lay down by his side, panting from the intense heat of the room. It was kept purposely above average temperature to keep the student's uncomfortable over the course of the Exam. Kiba was supposed to lower the temperature, but he had forgotten. He liked the heat. "Okay, now there's a catch, basically a penalty for not scoring a perfect 30."

"A catch?" one of the Cloud Genin up front asked, raising his hand to show his confusion.

"Yeah see, only two of you per team will move onto the next round. Whoever scored the lowest will be disqualified as his two teammates continue the exams on their own," Kiba shrugged, pausing to see the reaction of their students.

"WHAT?!" Katsu yelled, rising from her seat, looking over to Kiyoshi. She didn't want to leave him behind. The three were a team and it was unfair that he couldn't compete in the next round.

"Will you shut up!" Kiba yelled, showing his sharp canine teeth. Akamaru jumped to his feet and began to growth, slowly stalking forward towards Katsu. Kiba put his hand on the ninken's backside, and the dog's angry demeanor quickly receded. "I'm tired of you brats interrupting me. That third teammate, the one who doesn't move onto the next round, yeah see… he is barred from ever taking the Chunin Exams again. He'll be stuck as a Genin. However, all three of you could always pull out and try again in six months if you want."

This time Kiyoshi jumped to his feet to yell out in protest, but he caught himself, pulling back at just the last moment. He thought that was unfair and completely unreasonable. He didn't want to be stuck as a Genin, but he didn't want to fail the mission, or, more importantly, retard Katsu or Akira from achieving a higher rank. It was an almost impossible choice.

"We'll do it!" said the female Cloud Genin from before. She stood to her feet as her teammates did the same. The one who had scored the lowest protested vigorously, claiming that his comrade's actions were completely unfair; he felt they should wait another six months to try again. He didn't want to be a Genin for the remainder of his days. One-by-one Genin sold out their teammates, and Kiba informed them all to wait outside for further instructions.

Kiba asked one final time if there was anyone else who would be willing to discard a teammate and move onto the next round. There was only one spot left and it would go to the first buyer, no questions asked. There was a moment of awkward silence as Kiyoshi and others in his situation hoped that their teammates wouldn't rise and sell them out. Akira stood, raising his hand. For a fleeting moment, Kiyoshi and Katsu panicked. That was when Akira slammed his fist down on the table, commanding the attention of every Genin and Chunin in the room. He wanted them to look into his eyes and see the stern expression on his face.

"My name is Akira Uzumaki," he said, pointing to himself with his right thumb. "And I will never sell out my friends! Shinobi who abandon their comrades are trash and all of those teams that 'passed' onto the next round by abandoning a teammate should be stripped of their status as Genin because they are TRASH!"

"Enough!" Kiba yelled, throwing out his arms. "Enough of your outbursts and enough of your disrespect. Is there anyone that shares this troublemaker's ideals? Speak up now so I can flunk you too!"

A single shinobi just to the right of Akira stood up and placed a hand on the boys shoulder. He was just a few years older, possessing short, brown hair that wrapped around the sides of his face. His outfit was rather simple, wearing only a plain, low-cut white t-shirt and long black pants. On his back there was a large scroll, similar to the size and weight of the Scroll of Seals. His headband possessed the Rain Village insignia.

"I'm in agreement," the boy nodded, tightening his grip on Akira's shoulder. "If this is how the Leaf Village treats their comrades then I want no part in this."

"That's what you think?!" Kiba yelled again, taking a step forward. "If you think that people who abandon their comrades are nothing more than trash then… you pass."

Omake Number 3

Kiyoshi: So what just happened?

Katsu: We moved onto the next round. Duh.

Kiyoshi: But…how? I mean… we only scored a 21.

Akira: I don't know, maybe they'll explain everything in the next chapter. The narrator is pretty good at explaining things

Kiyoshi: …okay. Kinda confused, but I guess that works.

Akira: So, anyway, topic of the day is Kiba Inuzuka, a Jonin from the Hidden Leaf Village.

Kiyoshi: He doesn't look so tough.

Katsu: Oh, but he is. Kiba is second in command of the Leaf Villages fabled Inuzuka Clan, behind only his mother, Tsume Inuzuka. They exclusively use ninken and techniques that revolve around their dangerous pets. Kiba's ninken is named Akamaru, and the dog is the most loyal companion Kiba could ask for. They were brought together at birth, and raised to be best friends.

Kiyoshi: If you ask me, that's kind of…

Katsu: Sad?

Kiyoshi: I was going to say creepy, but sad works too.

Katsu: It appears that way, but Kiba and Akamaru's senses and thoughts are so intertwined, the two can preform complex strategies and jutsus without ever speaking a word to one another. The duo is not to be treated lightly.

Akira: Exactly, alongside Shikamaru, and Neji, and Rock Lee- Kiba is one of the strongest ninja the Leaf Village has to offer. I'm hoping he'll help me teach the puppies how to speak or maybe even use ninjutsu!

Kiyoshi: Well he and his dog kinda smell.

Kiba: Kind of…smell?

Katsu: Ack! Kiba-sensei? How do people keep getting into the studio? Security!

Kiba: I'll show you who smells; right Akamaru? Try this!

Akira: Oh no! Get back!

Kiba: Wolf Fang Over Fang!