(I had a lovely viewer point out that I haven't done very good with the timeline or with ages of the canon characters. To be honest, it's not easy to try and time things perfectly unless you have a definitive timeline, and I have yet to find one. And I can't really fix it now that I'm seven chapters in, without rewriting and editing a lot- and I lost my desire to do so much editing when I had to edit my entire book before publishing it. Sooo… AML is going to be a bit different from Canon for the timeline. Everyone might be a bit older in the long run. So it'll have to do? It is fanfiction, after all. Besides- the older the violin, the sweeter the music. And if you know that quote, you are an awesome person.
Also I am super, super sorry for the wait on this. I got lost on the road of life- and had to stop to help some nice ladies plant their garden. You know how it works.)
Three days came sooner than Tokiko would have liked. When the third morning dawned- after two hectic days of planning, plotting, some practice executing said plots, and keeping Kakashi happy and well taken care of- Toki found herself woken rudely by a grumpy toddler sitting on her chest. His hair was straight up like it normally was, still just as messy and untamable no matter how she combed it, but his eyes weren't dewy with sleep. Kakashi had been awake for a while. He had his thumb in his mouth, and only popped it out long enough to give her a firm glare, and a demand for food.
So the third morning, the morning of the exams, Toki had found herself running uncharacteristically late. She'd had to feed Kakashi, deal with a minor fit he threw over having to eat carrots again with breakfast, and then get an unhappy toddler strapped to a disabled ninja's front.
Despite having damn near helped raise her, Dai was surprisingly no help when it came to wrapping up Kakashi and securing him. Thus, she ran late, and had to leave before Dai got ready to go out the door.
She only just remembered to grab her ticket on the way out.
The mad dash through the village took shorter time than normal, thanks to the speed training that Hige ritualistically put them on for any mission that required moving more than just down one street. She arrived in time for the mob of genin outside to start moving in, and was awarded with two relieved looks.
"Thank the gods you're here," Ahi gave her a thankful grin. "We thought you chickened out."
"If I chickened out," Toki wheezed, "both you two and Hige Sensei would have put the beat down on me."
"That's very true." The redhead looped arms with the younger girl, tugging her into the mob as Ahi guided them through. "You'd definitely be regretting it greatly. If we had to travel to a different nation next time just because you were a chicken, none of us would have been very happy. At least here, we're all on our own turf, y'know? There's no pressure to annihilate each other."
Which was also true. Toki had seen the inter-village exams in the shows. It had really turned into a battle of elimination- and it wasn't something Toki really wanted to do. In those, there was a real chance that her team and her could be killed- At least in this one, most of the teams would have the decency not to murder you.
The only thing they'd need to make sure of, was that Kushina didn't lose it with her nine tails chakra. Ahi didn't have the sharingan. It wasn't something that they could handle yet- and getting the hell out of the way would be their only option. But she had good control- all she needed was to keep grounded. She was far too easy to rile.
The mob of genin were guided through a bunch of halls, and up some stairs. Toki caught flashes of familiar faces- ones she hadn't seen much of since their time in school- and familiar hair styles. Minato was really the one she could remember the name of- but no one seemed vested in talking to her, so remembering names wasn't a necessity.
From the stairs, Toki spotted their room. They had to give their tickets to a Jōnin, and given a numbered piece of paper in return, before they were allowed in. The room itself was large- with many rows of seating that were rapidly being filled as genin found their matching numbers. Toki grimaced. She spotted her seat- she'd been given number three hundred and ninety four. The numbers were obviously randomized- there weren't even that many seats. But she could see another kid with a number in the eight hundreds, so it was probably just to mess with them.
Tokiko quietly found her seat on the left side of the room, four rows up and right next to the window- Ahi was number eighty four, and up in the first row, Kushina just two rows behind him at number one hundred and ten- and settled down to get her bearings. From what she understood from the original anime, the goal was to cheat.
Toki disliked cheating, unless it was in combat. Sometimes cheating was the only way to get what you wanted. A swift kick in the balls was often a good way to bring down Ahi when he was kicking their asses with Taijutsu, after all.
"Ah, hi Tokiko." A bashful voice drew her gaze, and she was momentarily blinded by highlighter yellow hair.
"Hi, Minato." She offers him a wry smile. "Please tell me you're not number sixty nine. That's a horrible, horrible number." And not a reference she hoped he understood.
From his grimace, she could tell that he did understand her reference. "Aha, yes. I am fortunate to be your neighbor for this test- but not quite so fortunate with the number. Jiraiya Sensei will never let me live this down."
"Neither will Kushina or myself." She flashes him a sharp grin.
Minato snorts, and settles down. He brought with him a pencil- and an extra, which he passed to her. "You know, it hasn't been that long since we've been out of school. What was the first rule of classroom work?"
"Bring paper and something to write with." Toki rolled her eyes and snatched the pencil he handed over. Really, it wasn't high on her priority to keep writing materials with her. What was she going to do with a notepad? Give them a paper cut? Not likely. At least a pencil was useful- and briefly she was appalled to realize that she really had become accustomed to fighting and violence in this world- because a pencil could be used as a throwing weapon, or to stab someone in an emergency. "Pardon me for forgetting. I've been very busy with actual training and missions."
"Sensei keeps me busy too, but I do most of my team's paperwork after missions and training. Outside of Sensei, I'm the only one who can put together a legible report. Toka and Noboni have horrible handwriting." He settles, turning so his back was towards her- it was an odd move, because it implied he trusted her to watch his back- and settled to watch the rest of the genin settle around them.
Perhaps Minato was a bit too trusting for his own good. Toki should probably correct his error- but there was really no need. They were of the same village- she'd have watched anyone's back, truly.
Next to Minato was an empty seat, and then Shikaku on the end. Inoichi was in the front, with Chouza somewhere near Kushina. The jolly teen was offering a snack of some kind to the redhead- much to her distaste. With a brief glance to the label, Toki figured out why. Gravy and chocolate flavored chips did not sound appetizing at all. The proctors had really done a good job of splitting up the teams and making it damn near impossible to cheat.
"Something the rest of your team needs to work on then. At any rate- it's not fair to you that you're stuck as the official paperwork ninja."
"Paperwork ninja?" He inquires lightly.
"Yes. Perhaps that will be your moniker. Minato- Most reliable paperwork ninja."
"More like fastest of the generation," Shikaku snorted from the end of the table, his voice quiet enough to keep his words between the three of them. "There have been murmurs that you're cooking something up that's very impressive."
"It's not finished yet." Minato gave a sheepish grin. "But I hope to make travel easier with it. It's not supposed to be common knowledge though."
"It's not." the other Nara watched them intently. "I've heard some things while in the hospital. It's nothing overly big."
Translation: Shikaku had been listening in where he shouldn't be. Sometimes the boy's intelligence unnerved Toki. He might have been some hugely distant relative- even more so by the fact she was a bastard and not born of Nara with Nara relations- but it didn't mean she got to know him. She'd not got to spend time with other Nara children on account of her status. She might have been mildly jealous- mostly because she'd been ostracized, and none of the other children there had really reached out to their distant cousin. She'd caused more problems for her father than she'd solved when it came to the clan.
She wasn't overly fond of the clan heads- and she was shamed to say it bled over into their children. She didn't even know Shikaku, really.
"Ha, yeah." Minato looked vaguely nervous at the gaze, and leaned back towards her slightly as if he'd be saved by her.
Toki leaned around and gave the next Clan head the stink eye. She crossed her arms, and the flat stare she gave him would have had Kakashi looking abashed. She knew it too- she'd used it on him when he was doing something he shouldn't be doing. "Leave him alone, Shikaku. He's of no interest to you- stick with your laziness."
"Ah yes." His gaze shifted to her, and Toki felt a tremble of wariness go down her spine. She'd need to be careful- If anyone were to think her odd or not like someone her age should be, it would be Shikaku. "The Nara with drive. Tokiko, right? It's good to see another of Nara blood here."
"Half." Toki clicked tartly. "Surprised to see you though. Thought it would be too much work for someone like you."
His eyes gleamed. "You seem to know a lot about me when I know very little about you."
Another flat stare met his gaze. "You're the next clan head. I'm a bastard child. I'm one of the hushed secrets the clan likes to keep out of sight. Of course you're not going to get to know me. I know a lot, because like you," she tapped her ear smugly, "I listen and I see. While the rest of us genin are slaving away, you like to sneak off and slack off laying on rooftops. What do you even do up there anyways, besides getting the world's worst sunburn?"
He groaned and turned away. His head dropped onto the desk with a muffled thump. "You sound like my mother. Nag, nag, nag. Ugh. For your information, I meditate and cloud watch."
Toki said no more to egg him on- the Shikaku she'd known in the show would have already had her secrets or would have talked her out of them. It was really difficult to sit here and realize that this boy wasn't even a fraction of his potential yet. Or at least, had yet to show it. And really, Toki mused, he didn't deserve her ire. It wasn't his fault he was born to the clan head- or hers for being born as an illegitimate child.
She sighed. "It sounds nice. Hige's a slave driver, and if you slack off, you go to the hospital." If you didn't jump into work after the first shot of the Kunai, that was.
Minato piped up curiously. "Why don't you just hide from him if you want a break?"
Toki gave him an incredulous look. "Have you ever tried to hide from an Inuzuka? Maybe when I'm a Jōnin or higher, I might be able to. But now? No chance in hell. He'd track me down and beat me like a rug for shirking my duties."
Minato snorted a soft laugh. He went to speak, but was interrupted as the door of the room slammed open in it's track.
A pale blond man came into the room, icy blue eyes roving over them stiffly. He wore a trench coat and the typical ninja shoes in a dark blue. Toki couldn't see anything under the closed front of the coat, and didn't have a chance to observe him more before he was briskly walking up the rows.
A specific number of sheets was set at each row of desks, before he moved onto the next ones.
"I am Inojiin Yamanaka. Today, I will be your instructor for the test. Pass those papers to your fellow shinobi in your row. If you are short paper, let me know." As it happened, no one was short a paper. He looked smug, as he reached the front of the room and took a seat on the desk in front. "You will have one hour to complete the test- Anyone who fails to finish the test will not be continuing with the second part of the exams. Now. There are some rules you need to know about. One- no sharing answers, as if that wasn't obvious. You've been placed away from the team for a specific reason. Two- If you're caught cheating up to seven times, you will be expelled from the remainder of the exam. Three- If you need to use the restroom, raise your hand and you will be quietly dismissed. For those of you Inuzuka with young ninken- one window will be left open for them to go do their business without you needing to leave every few minutes. Four- if one of your team fails or gets caught, you might as well quit too. Only a full team can pass this test. Any partials will have to retake the test next time."
He shifted in his seat, checking a watch he had hidden on his wrist. "There are nine questions on the test. They are not easy- make no mistake. Once you've finished them, turn your paper over and wait until either everyone is done, or the time is up. For those few of you I see who didn't bring pencils- grab your Kunai. You will need to find another source of ink to write with. I'm sure you already know what I am hinting at."
Five genin groaned to themselves and took out their own knives.
Three other's raised their hands, but only one of them spoke. "Ah, Inojiin Sensei, we don't have Kunai on hand."
"Test hasn't even started yet and you three are already disqualified." Three sharp gasps made their way through frustrated mouths at his announcement. Inojiin tosses them each a Kunai anyways. "Get out. Maybe you didn't have weapons prior to this- in which such case I will be having words with your Sensei about proper genin conduct. At any rate, you have a weapon now. What self respecting shinobi doesn't carry a weapon on them at all times? I suggest you learn to live with kunai, or your weapon of choice. Learn it, love it, sleep with it if you absolutely must. If you three return next time and pull the same fucking stunt again, you'll be ousted to Genin Corps."
As it would be, the three of them that stood were on the same team. They skulked out of the room without another word.
Toki shivered. Writing in blood was gross, and she's glad she brought her usual gear with her even if this was just a test. She shifted her foot out to bump Minato's leg, and gave him a faint smile of thanks. Inojiin was, as far as Toki could guess, probably from the Torture and Investigation division. It made sense that he wasn't… child friendly.
"You may begin."
Most began to write- the sounds of pencils setting onto paper was unanimous.
For those who had failed, there was a series of grunts, before the soft 'skree skree' of Kunai on paper sounded.
Toki risked a glance up from her own work.
Blood made a surprisingly good ink on a bladed weapon.
(1234567890123456789012345678901234567890)
The test concluded easily enough- two other teams had been eliminated for cheating.
Toki had solved most of the questions easily enough- the one she got stuck on, she might have cheated off of Minato to answer. The blond was sure a trooper- he didn't even fuss as she latched onto his shadow and copied what he had written. He simply gave her a wry smile, and flipped his paper over once he was done.
It was a long twenty minutes that she had to wait though. Sitting in a desk and doing nothing was beyond boring.
Once the timer on Inojiin's watch went off, all the papers were handed up, and Toki returned Minato's pencil with a thankful smile. Those not smart enough to have brought pencils were bandaging their hands.
"Now you can choose. Do you choose to answer the tenth question? Or do you wait and try again next year? If you're not sure, you'd better wait. If you answer it wrong, your career as a ninja will be over. You'll have your genin status removed, and become nothing more than a slightly powered civilian."
For some children with clans, it didn't really matter- their skills would be put to use within the clan, either cooking, managing stores or farms, or cataloging libraries. But for many, like Toki, the question was a serious one.
She shared a glance with Ahi and Kushina, and nodded. They would answer the question.
No one left- and when Inojiin was sure no one was going to leave, he leaned back in his seat and laughed heartily. "Good job. You all have passed the test."
A collective noise of befuddlement left the general gist of most of the genin in the room.
"There is no tenth question- Just an attempt at weeding out anyone else who is too cowardly to deserve the rank of Chunin. Now anyways- don't relax. You've passed this one- but your next test is with Orochimaru."
Looking just as creepy as Toki remembered, although a fair bit younger, the snake sanin appeared in the doorway and gave them all a terse look. "Yes, follow me. Your next test will be in Training Grounds Forty Four. We leave immediately." He gave them no actual chance to disagree, before turning and heading back out the door. "Those not prepared at all times to be a ninja will have a harder time in the forest of Forty Four."
Toki stood, making her way to Ahi and Kushina. Minato was at her heels, worry gracing his face. The two teams fell into step, grouping together into a small bundle of six as they made their way after the fast striding Orochimaru. "Do you all have ample supplies?" He whispered.
"We didn't bring food rations," Kushina sighed, "But we're decent hunters. I'm sure we'll find a bunny or something to eat, or Toki can snag us some fish with her dragon."
"We'll manage." The Uchiha of the group gave Minato a slight smile, an inkling of knowing dancing behind his obsidian eyes. "What about your team?"
"We're pretty well prepared." He nods. "I've got plenty of food rations for my group. If you want… We could give you some?"
Before Kushina could snap something not so kind to the blond man- as she was wont to do when she assumed anyone thought that she wasn't competent enough to take care of herself- Toki shook her head and gave him a dry smile. "Thanks, but no thanks. We might be a bit spoiled, but we're used to eating the ration bars that my Dad and I make. We'll make due with some rabbit or fish."
Minato didn't look happy with that, but he nodded none the less.
The chatter fell off as Orochimaru urged them into a fast sprint. It didn't take long for them to reach the training grounds at the speeds that the Sanin forced them to. Before long, the forest of death loomed ahead. It was bright outside, not even noon yet, but the trees were so thickly grown, the tops so tightly woven, that it seemed almost dusky inside. No life form was visible near the massive chain fence that surrounded it, broken only by the massive gates that allowed entrance, but the distant sounds of animals fighting drifted out now and again.
Ahi shivered. "I don't like the looks of this place."
"As you shouldn't." Orochimaru replied, turning to face the large army of teens and children. He crossed his arms, motioning with an angular chin towards the shack next to one of the gates. "Over there is where you will be picking up your tickets and the number of the gate that you will be entering from. No- there is no gate that is closer than the other. The tower is at the center of six miles of terrain. Six miles might not seem a lot to think of, but trussssst me, you'll be wishing it was shorter. Now, your ticket is the key to getting into the tower at the center of this forest. Once there, you will be able to activate the seal on your ticket, and it will bring you back here. The trick is, you need three tickets to leave. One for every team member. You will only be given two tickets, and if they are destroyed or taken from you, then you're out of luck.
"You will be given one week to get to the center of the forest with your ticket. If the time comes to pass, and you have not succeeded, or if all of the tickets have been used or destroyed before the time is up, then you will be retrieved, alive or not. Any who die will have their bodies presented to their family, as per the norm. If anyone on your team is incapacitated or killed, your team will be disqualified, and you will have to try again."
It fell silent as he stopped speaking. He seemed to be observing all of them, assessing their possible worth and growth. The look that came after seemed to be unimpressed.
"You may begin. One at a time, teams may go collect their tickets."
Since Toki's team was closest to the booth, they went first, stepping into the hut as one. Minato's team settled just outside, waiting for their turn.
"Team eight, reporting in." Toki announced, watching the proctors lightly.
"Welcome. Here's your gate- you'll be heading out of gate one." A slip of paper was handed over, before the man behind the desk leaned down to pick up two small scrolls. "These are your two tickets. You've got a couple minutes to figure out who will carry them."
Toki took everything at hand, and looked to her team with a questioning glance.
"You take them, Toki." Ahi nodded. "Kushina and I will keep you guarded, right?"
Kushina gave a wicked grin, pounding her fist into her palm eagerly. "Anyone dumb enough to try and take the tickets from you will have to deal with me, y'know!"
Toki simply grinned. Her team was great like that. "Thanks, guys." The tickets were tucked into her pouch- which was directly guarded by the lovely tattoo on her backside. After checking to make sure there was no telltale bulges in her pouches that would give her away, Toki linked arms with the duo, and trudged out of the hut. Minato's team slipped past her, and she gave them a vague smile, her attention on her team. "Lets go get into position. We have to track down one more team and steal their ticket."
"Who should we go for?"
"Whoever crosses our path, I suppose."