When I woke up the next morning, I was extremely sluggish. I didn't want to get out of bed—like, at all. I just wanted to stay here, where it's nice and comfy and safe—but I can...because today, the first part of the Chuunin exams was going to begin at 4 PM and, unless we wanted to get disqualified, Team Kakashi needed to get their asses to Room 301.
Sigh…
I grabbed my glasses off the counter and rolled out of bed…quite literally, actually. To the point I landed onto the floor quite noisily.
Thud!
"Ugh…" Okay, now I'm awake. I wonder if anyone else heard me fall—
Knock! Knock!
"You okay in there, Chōko?" Ah, it seems Kakashi heard me.
"I'm fine…just fell off the bed." I yawned as I put my glasses on. "I'll be out in a bit to wake the others up, if they haven't already."
"I was about to wake them up, but I guess I'll let you do that." Good ol' Kakashi…
Welp, time to change into Nohara Rin's clothes again. Team Blast From The Past is definitely staying for the first part of the Chuunin exams. And while Team Kitsuchi from Iwagakure seems to be indifferent to Naruto, despite Karui having pointed out the similarities between Naruto and Namikaze Minato (thank you Tree of Harmony statue), there is still the fact that there are Iwagakure Chuunin in this village and a couple of Jounin. It'd be a cold day in hell before the other villages would just walk into Konoha with only their jinchuuriki, three Genin, and a Jounin—because that is just seriously asking for others to take advantage of the situation. So the Kage had also brought in some of their Chuunin and Jounin for the occasion…for safety reasons.
Once again, it feels as though Orochimaru is screwed, but at the same time, I'm concerned about how the Chuunin and Jounin that the Kage had brought with them feel about the Chuunin exams and being in Konohagakure with the other hidden villages. While the Kage, their Genin teams, and jinchuuriki have been getting along with the rest of us, there's not much to say about the other shinobi they have brought with them. At least—that's what our friends from Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Kirigakure had told us.
Internal conflict is so troublesome…
It is still a concern, but not too much…I hope. Okay, might as well stop thinking about things and get dressed! It's going to be a long day today…
…
…
About less than fifteen minutes later, I walked out of my room, wearing Rin's clothes and currently tying my green ribbon into my hair. I kept the same style Haku had tied my ribbon on the day we had exchanged ribbons, though I do like to switch up the side on which I tied the ribbon. Today, I was feeling like keeping the tie to the right side of my head.
My hitai-ate was on my forehead for once…well, it's been like that every time I wore Rin's clothes. I thought it would only be fitting if I wore my hitai-ate the same way she had worn hers… It took a while to get used to, what with my glasses, but I still do prefer wearing my hitai-ate around my neck. It's just…I really hate having my neck exposed.
I stretched my arms out afterwards before making my way over to Naruto and Sasuke's rooms…but not before stumbling over a lone sandal—is that Naruto's?! Oh my god, he's going to get it!
I picked up the sandal off the floor and walked all the way to Naruto's door, with the intent on opening his door and throwing the sandal right at his head… I'm not a morning person. Nope—I am most definitely not.
So I opened Naruto's door, as quietly as possible, sandal held up high in the air, ready to be thrown with my right hand…then I saw the blond-haired knucklehead snuggling up with his nine fox kits in his bed. It was such a cute scene…I immediately discarded any thoughts of throwing the sandal at Naruto. I mean, even if I still did wanted to go through with it, I'd rather not let the kits get involved.
There goes that amusing rude awakening…
Oh god dammit, Zabuza's rubbing off on me. "Ugh…"
"Are you gonna throw that sandal or not?" Speak of the devil!
"Aah!" I shrieked and turned around, sandal gripped tightly in my right hand as I tried to use it to hit Zabuza in the chest, only for the former Kiri-nin to grab my hand before the sandal made any contact with his body. God damn, his reflexes!
"Need to be a little faster than that." Zabuza chuckled as he took the sandal from my hand.
"Don't fucking sneak up on me!" Oh my god, my heart!
"What's going on-ttebayo?" Looks like Naruto woke up to the sweet sounds of my screams…honestly, I'm surprised he woke up as calmly as he did, because my shrieks are anything but pleasant.
Considering how Sasuke opened the door to his room in order to peer out and see what was happening on the second floor with a look of irritation on his face…he definitely didn't appreciate waking up to the sound of Zabuza scaring the crap out of me. Since Haku, Sai, and Yamato hadn't come out of their rooms, I could only assume that they were already awake and downstairs.
"The hell, man…?" Sasuke rubbed at his eye, yawning afterwards.
"Blame this asshole right here!" I jabbed my elbow into Zabuza's side, which didn't really hurt him, though it did amuse him.
"I just wanted to see the looks of anxiety on the rookies' faces." Zabuza chuckled. "You three are oddly calm for a bunch of rookie Genin taking the Chuunin exams."
"Sai and Haku are also rookies—why aren't you bothering them?" Sasuke was quick to point out.
"May I remind you that Sai still has issues with his emotions and how much more tense it had been for Haku, prior to our meeting in Wave?" Zabuza also had a good point…
And considering that Sai was part of ROOT…anxiety is the last emotion Danzo would want any of his operatives feeling.
How much longer do we have to put up with this bastard's presence in Konoha?
I really wish I was at least informed about the bastard's death, so I could have a timeline of sorts when it involved the future… Is it even healthy to wish someone dead? Well, there was Gatou, but meh…best not think about it.
"So Team Blast From The Past?" Sasuke questioned, as he looked me over.
"Yup." That's all I had to say.
Sasuke nodded his head and went back into his room, closing the door as he did. I turned my attention back on Naruto, who was half-asleep, with Kurama tugging at one of his blond spikes.
"Five more minutes, dattebayo…" Naruto yawned, before his eyes snapped open wide when Jotaro suddenly pounced on his stomach. "Ack!"
"Get dressed, knucklehead," I told Naruto before closing his door. I turned around, not too surprised to see Zabuza was gone. The bastard liked to fuck with people's heads, and come and go whenever he pleased.
Growl.
My left eye twitched slightly. I should probably go eat breakfast…stupid stomach.
…
I made omurice for breakfast, because it was the quickest thing to make with the ingredients that we had. We seriously need to stock up on food again…
"Don't look at me," Zabuza said as he ate his food. "I ain't getting shit."
As much as I want to call Zabuza out for not doing his share of grocery shopping, I think it's for the best he doesn't go. Most of the civilians of Konoha were still getting used to his presence and because gossip spread like wildfire, just about everyone is aware of Zabuza's former affiliation with Kirigakure and his former status as a missing-nin. If there was one thing Manabe Masamune was absolutely right about, it's how people will question your loyalty.
And just like Masamune, Zabuza may have to prove his loyalty eventually. Until then, Zabuza gave no fucks about the treatment he received. People were soon learning that it was a bad idea to piss off a former Kiri-nin, anyways. While Zabuza couldn't physically do anything—verbally was a completely different story and by god, Zabuza could mess with people just using words.
"I ain't a sadist for nothing," Zabuza remarked.
"Right you are, Zabuza-sama." Haku, please don't smile at something like that—it's creepy.
"Are you a sadist too, Yuki-onna?" Sai asked Haku.
Haku blinked and smiled. "Heehee…"
"Nah, he's too kind to be a sadist," Zabuza replied. "However, he does have a lot of potential…"
Did anyone else feel that sudden chill going down their spine? No? I guess it's just me…
"Can we please refrain from speaking about sadism at the table?" Yamato laughed nervously as a small bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face.
"Maa, Yamato has a point." I still cannot get over how Kakashi could eat his food without any of us seeing his face. He was already done with his breakfast.
And yet, there was Sasuke, with his mask pulled down because he had not yet mastered the way of Hatake Kakashi. It was cute how much he tried, but failed.
Meanwhile with Naruto, he was busy feeding his kits. By now, they had been completely weaned and were on a somewhat carnivorous diet, with a side dish of fruits. There will come a time that the kits will have to learn how to hunt on their own. When exactly that would be, I honestly don't know, but I think Naruto is having too much fun spoiling his kits. He at least got the dang kits toilet trained (or rather, litter box trained), that's for sure…
"So what time are we leaving?" I asked before shoving a spoonful of omurice into my mouth.
"I suggest you go early—you never know what could happen." It was almost as though Kakashi was trying to give us a hint, which was most likely the case.
"Yeah, Bushy Brows could challenge Sasuke-ttebayo." Wow, Naruto, way to be accurate—wait, would Lee actually challenge Sasuke? Would he really, after all this time we spent together during the past week?
…
I don't flipping know. "So who's gonna stay home to watch the kits?"
"Already got Iruka on it," Kakashi said as he stood up to take his empty plate to the sink. God, he is good at not showing his face! "Keep trying, Sasuke—you'll eventually get the hang of it."
"Hn…" Sasuke ignored Kakashi.
It's so weird how…normal this type of scene is. It's not bad—it's just a little mindboggling.
"Oi, Sai…" Kakashi suddenly called to Sai, who was almost done with his meal. "You mind doing me a little favor?"
"Now what would that be, Kakashi-sensei?" There's that fake smile again…Sai still needs more work, but he is getting better.
Anyways, around two in the afternoon, we later found out what favor it was that Kakashi had asked of Sai. He had asked the boy to take a group picture of Team Kakashi. Considering how many times Naruto, Sasuke, and I have worn these outfits, I was wondering when exactly Kakashi wanted to take a picture with us in this getup. I guess today was a good day as any…
"Get closer, Chōko, Naruto!" Kakashi chuckled as he placed his right hand on my right shoulder and his left hand on Naruto's left shoulder. The two of us were standing right in front of Kakashi, with Sasuke standing front of all of us, somewhere in the middle of Naruto and me.
I was usually the one standing in the middle, but not this time. It was a little off-putting, until I noticed the alignment on Sasuke and Kakashi. Depending on how Sai took the picture, there was a good chance that it could come out symmetrically balanced—at least, in regards to Sasuke and Kakashi.
I'm not too sure, though, since I'm not that great with shots, in terms of photography. I only have minor experience and what minor experience I had was during the remaining months of my past life, during the autumn quarter of my sophomore college year. I wonder how popular photography is in this world…
"Three, two, one…smile!" It was kinda funny hearing Sai tell us to smile, when he couldn't really smile.
It was ironic enough to make me smile, though I had to keep myself from laughing when I noticed that Naruto had been holding up a V-sign just behind Sasuke's head, making the Uchiha appear as if he had bunny ears. It was a good thing I didn't notice that until after Sai had taken the picture, because I blinked.
"Pfft…heehee…" This is going to be a hilarious photo once it comes out!
"What the—Naruto, you idiot!" Oh, looks like Sasuke noticed.
"Ahahaha, took you long enough, dattebayo!" Naruto laughed.
And there goes Sasuke and Naruto getting into their usual scuffles. It was never anything too serious, but Kakashi liked to treat it as such whenever he broke the two up—for comedic measure. The two were really like brothers…
"Now, now—we should get going." Kakashi smiled as he carried both Naruto and Sasuke, the two in one arm each, at his sides. They were separated enough, but the distance wasn't too great—it was just the way they were being restrained that kept them from touching each other.
"We'll watch over the kits while you're gone," Yamato was quick to say as he pulled Kurama off his pant leg. "We are waiting for Sakura, anyways."
"Don't be late!" I told Yamato, Haku, and Sai before follow Kakashi out the door as he carried Naruto and Sasuke under his arms.
This was seriously going to be a long day…
…
God dang, that's a lot of Genin walking into the Academy, was my first thought to seeing the Academy the way it was when Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke, and I finally reached our destination point. What I find amusing about this was that Kakashi kept carrying Naruto and Sasuke all the way to the Academy until now, where he was just finally letting them go. Naruto and Sasuke adjusted their clothes before glaring at Kakashi, who just ruffled their hair. It was shortly right after that that Kakashi did the same with me.
"Try not to expose too much of your skills—there are probably a lot of shinobi scouting out the place for competition," Kakashi told us, glancing aside to look at a lone Genin who wasn't doing too good of a job of being subtle when it came to reconnaissance. "So Chōko…keep your glasses on, Sasuke, don't expose your heritage, and Naruto—try to keep quiet."
"Right, Sensei!" Of course, even though Kakashi told us not to, I doubt Naruto would be able to stay quiet. It just wasn't in his nature.
And knowing my luck, I doubt I'll even be able to keep my glasses on—seriously, I need to do something about that soon before it almost gets me killed.
I've gotten this far, but only because I'm lucky!
As for Sasuke, considering what the first part of the Chuunin exams held…yeah. We are totally not great at listening to Sensei. I think he knew that as well, but he was just giving us a heads up.
"The second we enter through those doors, we will be watched by many shinobi…" Kakashi told us as he placed his hand on the door. "I'm only escorting you guys to a certain point. Once you reach that point, it's all up to you three to reach Room 301. Do try to stay on task."
Having said that, Kakashi opened the door and we entered the Academy. There was a multitude of confused foreign shinobi bustling around the first floor. I wouldn't blame them, as the Academy was a huge building. The way it was designed, one could easily get lost if they didn't know their way around.
The hallways were constructed so that there were many unnecessary turns, with loops that could make a person walk around in circles without realizing it. The stairs were located in different places, so as to throw off anyone who managed to make it to the next floor. Some doors have also been constructed to be decoys. You really had to be careful…
I might have gotten lost a few times during my initial days as an Academy student…but that's not the point. One aspect of the Chuunin exams is that it would really benefit anyone to take the time to actually interact with the shinobi of the village that the exam is taking place at. Otherwise, good luck gathering crucial information elsewhere—I'm sure that will go well.
I'm not too sure how it went with Team Kitsuchi and Team Darui, but Team Ao had asked us about the location of the room inside the Academy building before turning in their applications. There are subtle markers inside the Academy hallways that could very well lead you to the location you wish to go to—you just had to look for it. Once you knew where to look, getting lost was a thing of the past…
Yeah, if you couldn't tell, my shitty vision was the reason I got my ass lost in the Academy hallways. Then I got my glasses and it was as if my world had been expanded!
Though really, traversing through the Academy took some skill if you weren't someone with information about the building. Though, considering how Team Darui and Team Kitsuchi, like Team Ao, had come into Konohagakure with their Kage, it would make sense as to how they would have information regarding this specific building. It was almost as if the Hokage had been pulling some strings to ensure that our visitors would make it to the first part of the exams. It doesn't sound fair, but what are you going to do?
"Well, if it isn't my eternal rival, Kakashi!" And it seems as though Kakashi's greatest nightmare has come true, with Gai waiting for him right at the Academy building entrance.
Kakashi seemed rather strained—almost as though he didn't want us to leave him, but kept his emotions from affecting his words. "Go on ahead—good luck."
And that was Team Blast From The Past's cue to get going.
…
Making it to the second floor was easy enough—I doubt any of us would forget our way around the Academy, considering how many times we have been through this building for D-rank missions (I shuddered at the memory)… We might have had a couple of Amegakure and Kusagakure teams following after us as we navigated our way through the first floor. It was a smart move, actually. I could only assume that Karin had used her abilities to lead her team to the third floor.
Anyways, much like the first floor, the second floor was just as crowded with baffled shinobi—just more so than the first floor. It was really crowded—to the point of immense discomfort. I don't do so well against crowds, and considering how many foreign shinobi had their eyes on us, Konoha-nin…it was unnerving.
"Hah! You plan on taking the Chuunin exams with that!" Oh, I believe a certain Chuunin duo is trying to throw off potential candidates for the Chuunin exams.
Again, it might not seem fair, but it was actually part of the Chuunin exams for applicants to be weeded out, much like how the first year of the Academy was spent weeding out students. Considering the stakes of the Chuunin exams, no one would want to have any applicants that couldn't get past a simple genjutsu as this one…
Though, to be fair, if I hadn't already known about what went on right now in these halls and the fact that we just went through one flight of stairs, I wouldn't have known that this place was under a genjutsu. I don't do so well against genjutsu—especially if I'm caught up in the moment. But what I am good at is seeing through transformations—especially if they're on people I've known over the years.
"You should quit now." Hagane Kotetsu should really find a better way to separate his young, Genin form from his usual older self. It would really help in throwing off the people who knew him. "You're just a little kid."
Lee certainly looked annoyed as he allowed himself to get kicked around by Kotetsu. It was probably Team Gai's tactic to keep their skills to themselves until the time came. A smart move…I wonder how long Lee will be able to keep it up, though.
"Yeah, yeah…" As always, Kamizuki Izumo was always by Kotetsu's side. If it wasn't for the fact that these two dorks were good friends and old teammates of Iruka, I doubt I would have remembered them the way I do now.
"Please let us through," Tenten practically pleaded as she walked up to Izumo and Kotetsu, the two currently blocking off entrance to the supposed Room "301". She got knocked back rather roughly and landed right next to Lee. Neji didn't hesitate to go to his teammates' side, as the three of them continued to put up a front that would make others underestimate them.
"Horrible," a Genin in the room remarked, whether it was to continue the current façade of weakness or someone who genuinely believed the scenario before them—I don't know.
There was a lot of mindfuckery when it came to the Chuunin exams, so one had to be really careful. For a Yamanaka, like Ino, this was child's play. I wonder if she and the others are already in Room 301…
"What did you say?" Kotetsu narrowed his eyes as he looked around the room for the person who made the comment. "Listen. This is our kindness."
"The Chuunin exams isn't easy…" Izumo picked off where Kotetsu began. "Even we have failed it three times straight. Those that take this exam and end up resigning from their shinobi career. Those that die during the exam—we've seen it all."
"And Chuunin often become captains of military teams," Kotetsu added. "The failure of a mission. The death of a comrade… That is all the captain's responsibility. Yet, kids like you think you can pass?"
I really gotta give Kotetsu and Izumo props for being able to pull off such strong psychological game. Too bad that Team Blast From The Past had seen through it all.
"We are just thinning out those that will fail anyway," Kotetsu continued. "What's wrong with that?"
"Nothing really," Sasuke remarked with a smirk that was mostly hidden behind the mask he wore. "Though, can you move aside? You're in our way."
"You know, you two ought to use better transformations, Kotetsu, Izumo…" I had not meant to reveal the two's identities and it only took me a second to realize what I have done, which really made my face turn red when the two Chuunin in disguise stared at me.
"H-How did you know our names?!" Izumo tried to play it off ignorant—trying to appear more surprised than annoyed.
"Aren't you that couple that used to be Iruka-sensei's teammates-ttebayo?" Naruto could really be dense and in case anyone was wondering, Izumo and Kotetsu were in fact a couple. I know, surprising—not really, these two were so inseparable that it's actually a fucking wonder that they haven't gotten married yet. "You two come to Kakashi-sensei's game nights."
By the way, did you know that Kakashi held games of the somewhat gambling kind at Casa de Uzumaki? Well, now you know and this is honestly how we've gotten to known Kotetsu and Izumo…apart from Iruka and Kakashi, who liked to bring up things that Team Ibiki wanted to keep dead. And just to clear things up, Morino Ibiki had been the Jounin-sensei to Umino Iruka, Hagane Kotetsu, and Kamizuki Izumo—the very same team that had failed the first ever D-rank mission in the history of Konoha, with a Jounin-sensei that got banned from ever taking on a Genin team…ever.
The more you know—it's hilarious knowledge to have!
"Grr…" Oh, and it seems that Naruto pissed off Kotetsu, who was silently fuming at the blond-haired knucklehead.
"I think we should go before Kotetsu murders us!" I quickly grabbed onto Naruto and Sasuke's arms, and started running as fast as my legs could take me, while dragging my teammates along.
This action might have thrown off a lot of Genin who had been watching all of us…except for Team Gai, who had caught on to what was going on. Really, it pays to be observant and analytical.
…
It didn't take us too long to reach the stairs leading to the third floor. My heart was racing, my adrenaline pumping—I honestly should have shut Naruto up then, because Kotetsu's Killing Intent was intense. I feel bad for the Genin sensitive to Killing Intent who had to experience that, because Naruto couldn't keep his mouth shut.
"It kept those people from following us-ttebayo." Naruto did make a point…
"Though you could have done it without pissing off Kotetsu!" I snapped at Naruto. "Let's just hope Izumo can keep him calm."
I am not looking forward to Kakashi's next game night…
"What the hell was that about?" Oh, hey, Tenten. Looks like Team Gai managed to get by without ever having to reveal any of their skills. Nice.
"How's it going playing the weak and gullible Genin?" Sasuke asked.
Neji scowled. "Not pleasant."
"Sasuke-kun!" Lee suddenly exclaimed. "Fight me here!"
"Lee!" Tenten frowned. "Not now…"
"But…I have been waiting for this day." Oh, did Lee actually put aside every little chance to challenge Sasuke just so he could wait until this very day to do so? That's just sad—though I do give props for Lee's self-control. He had more than I originally presumed…
"You could get me after we make it to Room 301," Sasuke said. "I'd rather not be late."
Lee thought about it for a moment and nodded his head. "Punctuality should be of our concern for such an occasion—thank you for reminding me of that."
Sometimes, it just took a small wake-up call in order to snap Lee out of it.
…
There was really something about entering Room 301 when it was actually full of people. Like, holy crap—that's a lot Genin! This room could hold up a large of people at a time—it reminded me a lot of certain rooms at the university I attended in my past life. I believe this is where shinobi go to continue learning the rather difficult shinobi language that was English, if they wish to become Chuunin instructors or are in the midst of becoming Jounin. There were also other classes that were held here, for graduates, but I'd rather not get into them.
"Sasuke-kun, you're late!" And there goes Ino, forgetting that Sasuke did not liked to be touched.
Sasuke had an annoyed expression on his face after Ino jumped onto his back, her arms wrapped around his neck. The mask really hid most of his expressions, though I could tell he was somewhat embarrassed with the way Ino was clinging onto him. The way he looked at me afterwards, with eyes that practically pleaded, "Help!" made me walk over to Ino and tell her to give Sasuke some space.
"Sorry!" Ino laughed as she rubbed the back of her head. "I was almost worried you three weren't going to show up…where are Sakura and the others?"
"They should be arriving soon…" Team Yamato was probably navigating through the hell that was these crowded hallways right now. "Sasuke, are you fine?"
"S-Soft…" was all Sasuke could say before he turned away.
"Soft…?" I arched my brow before suddenly exclaiming as Chōji wrapped his arms around me in an embrace.
"Why didn't you come home last night?" Chōji seemed sad.
"I…I don't know…" I felt bad, because I made him go home alone. "I didn't mean for this—sorry..."
"Just know that Kaa-chan and Tou-chan told me to tell you good luck." Chōji grinned at me as he released me.
I smiled. "Thanks…"
"Again with that getup?" Shikamaru asked us as he looked over Sasuke, Naruto, and I.
"It's her idea, in case any of you are wondering." Sasuke did not hesitate to throw me under a bus, as usual.
"It's nice to see that all nine of our class's rookies are taking these exams." And there was Kiba, with Shino and Hinata, making their way through the sea of Genin in this room.
I questioned Kiba's wording until I recalled that there were a lot more rookies from Konohagakure than one would think come this Chuunin exams. In order to specify, Kiba had mentioned the class we had all attended, which had been taught under Iruka. Sakura had been part of an entirely different class, with Sai being a rather mysterious Genin with not much of a past, and Haku being a Genin of an entirely complicated situation.
"I wonder how far we'll get…" Kiba grinned as Akamaru, who continued to keep his usual position on his partner's head, barked.
"I h-hope we can get through this, together…" Hinata stuttered a bit, most likely nervous from the high tension in this room.
It didn't help that our familiarity with each other was attracting attention. It was just so weird, how dynamics can really change a setting. Still it was unnerving with how many people were looking at us, that I was about ready to go back to the door and see if Team Yamato had arrived yet…only to bump into the chest of someone who had gotten right behind me.
THUD!
"Agh…" I landed flat on my ass, glasses having fallen off my face because of the rough impact I had. I freaking hate this situation…and the amount of people in this classroom made me feel uncomfortable. I was worried if someone would break my glasses, so I immediately started looking.
This is a sign—I really should invest in eyewear like Chōjūrō's after this...
Fortunately, my hands came across the familiar feel of my glasses and I placed them on…only to quickly discover that these were not my glasses. The feel of the circular lenses might have been familiar, but the way it felt on my face was not. There also came to be the fact that these lenses were not made for someone with hyperopia—oh no.
"I believe those are my glasses…" Someone—male, based on their voice—said as fingertips lightly brushed against the skin of my face to remove the glasses I was wearing. A second later, another pair of glasses was placed on my face and once my vision had cleared, I found myself face to face with a young man with ash-gray hair and onyx black eyes that were not unlike Sasuke's eyes, framed behind black-rimmed circular glasses.
I should have immediately recognized whom I was staring at…I should have. And yet, it took me nearly a minute of staring into those black eyes to realize that this was Yakushi Kabuto. My heart immediately started racing, and I could feel my face beginning to heat up from embarrassment. It did not help that Kabuto had smiled at me and, had I not known who this guy was, I might have actually considered this person to be a nice guy…
But that was not the case and holy shit, am I afraid of this guy! Manipulative with abilities that are far beyond what he says they really are—this guy was dangerous. Not even all the comedic skits and jokes I have seen and heard from Lee's spin-off and the abridged series could take away the seriousness that is Kabuto's character.
I have heard a lot about his character—what he has done in Shippuden, but I never got a chance to see for myself or rather, clarify what he has done. And the only reason I feel so uneasy around him is because of his connection to Orochimaru. Sometimes, I wish my memory wasn't so hazy and limited, but that's what happens when you have so many gaps in your knowledge when it relates to this world.
"What's going on here?" That familiar voice made me look away from Kabuto and I felt elated to see that distinct shade of pink hair and huge forehead that belonged to Sakura.
"S-Sakura!" I didn't hesitated to get off the floor after seeing that Team Yamato had made it to Room 301 on time. I ran over to Sakura and wrapped my arms around the medic-nin, trying my best to calm my pounding heart as I did.
"Are you okay?" Sakura would know something was up, just by listening to and feeling my heartbeat as I embraced her.
"J-Just nervous…" A big understatement, but considering the current tension in this room, it was good enough to not warrant any more questions from Sakura.
At that moment, our friends from Kirigakure, Kumogakure, and Iwagakure decided to join up with us, Karin noticeably absent—most likely her trying to stay close to her teammates. She was the only one out of her team to have interacted with us and I think she wanted to keep her affiliation with us a secret, considering the attention we were all receiving.
Curiosity drew my attention back on Kabuto, who seemed honestly intrigued with the amount of people that were with us. He stood up, having no other reason to stay kneeling on the floor, now that I was off the floor.
"You guys should be quieter, especially with how large your numbers are." Kabuto crossed his arms as he looked at us. "You all are friends, correct?"
"Yeah, what's it to ya-ttebayo…?" Naruto took the bait Kabuto had placed to gain more information—a confirmation, if you will.
Kabuto placed his hand on his hip. "If I'm also correct, quite a number of you are rookies, right? If so, just look at you—screaming like school girls…Geez."
He was mocking us, that motherfucker.
"This isn't a picnic." And I believe this is the start of round two to the mind games.
"Just who do you think you are?" Ino did not like it when people tried messing with any of her friends' heads—especially when it was right in front of her face.
"Yakushi Kabuto," Kabuto said. "And you might want to be careful about causing a scene. Everyone here is nervous about the exam."
"No shit," Suigetsu spat.
Kabuto barely managed to suppress an annoyed expression when he looked at Suigetsu. Chōjūrō was quick apologize for his teammate.
"S-Sorry, we're from Kirigakure—the pressure to become a Chuunin is quite high for us." Chōjūrō frowned.
"Especially for us older shinobi…" Kiri added.
"So I've heard…" Kabuto responded. "Though, I can tell you foreign shinobi are anything but rookies."
Kurotsuchi grinned. "You've got us there."
"Though we're not rookies, for a number of us, this is our first time taking the exam…" Karui commented.
"For me, this is my fourth time!" Atsui seemed so damn proud of that.
Omoi wasn't looking too good, and seemed about ready to speak his usual spiel about his concerns, but Karui stopped him.
"Ittan and I have taken it at least five times." Akatsuchi didn't seem too bothered about his constant failures.
"It's all about learning from your mistakes…" Ittan remarked. "So how about you…how many times have you taken it—Kabuto, was it?"
"Well, this would be my seventh time," Kabuto replied. "This exam is held twice a year, so this is my fourth year."
"Not a lucky number," I found myself saying without actually thinking.
This brought Kabuto's attention back on me, much to my dislike, as he smiled and said, "You're quite right…but that won't stop me from trying."
"So how old are you?" Shikamaru asked Kabuto, curiosity mostly piqued from the fact that we had quite a number of shinobi of varying ages around us.
Kabuto adjusted his glasses. "I turned nineteen earlier this year."
"Huh, you're younger than Ittan and I by a year." Kiri nodded his head.
"You really know a lot about the Chuunin exams, though…" Naruto couldn't help but point out.
This seemed to be the opening Kabuto was looking for in order to bring his cards out—those very same cards that held a lot of information on them. "Maybe I'll share some information with you cute rookies."
I felt a shiver run down my spine then. This earned me a reassuring pat from Sakura, who I was still clinging onto for comfort. Sakura was such a sweetheart sometimes…
"Four years' worth of information lies on these nin-info cards," Kabuto explained as he took out a stack of cards. "Over two-hundred cards, and if I recall correctly…you must be Akimichi Chōko."
I froze when I saw Kabuto hold out a card with my information on it. Oh shit, he knows too much…
"Huh, you certainly look different from the picture I have on this card…no matter," Kabuto remarked as he showed us the card that had a picture of me, back when I still had my long hair—holy shit, that felt like a long time ago, when really, it's been almost three months. "From what I've gathered, you're quite the celebrity in Konohagakure for punching the Sannin, Orochimaru, in the—"
"Th-That's enough!" I was quick to cut Kabuto off, shortly after I had distance myself from Sakura. "Please…I've heard enough already—I was eight…"
Stupid potato girl status…
"You're also a D-rank in the Bingo Books—you're quite the kunoichi for a rookie Genin." I really don't appreciate this attention I'm getting from Kabuto…also, I'm amazed he managed to drop the honorifics when it came to saying Orochimaru's name. Wow—he's good at keeping fronts when he wants to.
"Since when were you in the Bingo Books?!" Dammit, Kiba, can you be any louder?! I don't think anyone in this entire room has heard you just now!
Fuck my life.
Kabuto continued talking about the information he has gathered. He had managed to bring up the participating hidden villages for the Chuunin exams. Hoshigakure had been a hidden village that was supposed to participate, but the recent death of their Hoshikage had pulled them away from it. Takigakure was also supposed to have participated, but one could assume that the visitors from Kumo, Iwa, Kiri, and Suna drew them away. The Chuunin exams were rather unique, come this time. Otogakure was mentioned as a recently formed hidden village, of which Kabuto didn't have much information on. Getsugakure was also mentioned, though briefly, but that was it.
And just when Naruto seemed to be so nervous, as one would immediately assume from his trembling body, he suddenly blurted out, "My name is Uzumaki Naruto! I won't lose to you bastards, dattebayo!"
Now everyone was looking at us…fan-fucking-tastic—this was going to be a fun exam.
"We'll see about that!" And here comes Temari, with her siblings. I was wondering what was taking Team Baki…I'm guessing they got stuck within the crowd of Genin, all around us.
"I'm looking forward to facing all of you." Kankurō grinned.
"Good luck," Gaara told us.
I felt calm after hearing Gaara tell us that…then a certain Oto-nin decided to jump in, and attack Kabuto. While Kabuto was able to dodge, considering what I knew about Otogakure and the way sound works in general…he might have dodged the physical aspect of Kinuta Dosu's attack, but the sound waves were still there.
By god, I cannot escape physics in any shape or form, in this world. Physics! Stop making my head think!
Smash!
The glass lenses from Kabuto's glasses shattered, which confused quite a number of us, who had noticed Kabuto dodging.
"So why did his glasses…?" Sasuke was caught up on it.
"Sound…" was all I can really say. "Fitting, for someone coming from a place called Otogakure."
Dosu seemed amused with my response. "You're smarter than you appear…so you're definitely not just all brawn and no brain."
Son of a bitch—I don't think I have ever been so pissed off about a comment like that aimed at me. Resist…urge to use Killing Intent!
"You really shouldn't piss off our resident door-breaker," Shikamaru remarked.
"Shikamaru, shut up!" Stop bringing up the past that might have returned that one time—but it was only one time and you were not there to see it!
"B-BLEH!" Oh, and looks like Kabuto had just thrown up…
Stupid sound attacks…and gross!
"Heh…" Dosu's teammate, Abumi Zaku, seemed to find the entire scene hilarious.
I was expecting to see a similar expression on Tsuchi Kin, but it was anything but when I looked at her. She had a blank expression on her face as she observed us—almost as though she had been thinking about something. Then again—I didn't know much about these characters, save for their names. Along with that, I have a faint idea of what they have done, with Kin being the cause for Sakura's short hair in canon, though not in this reality since Sakura's hair has been short for quite a long time, now.
Huh, I wonder how that scene is going to play out—assuming it will happen, that is.
"I was expecting more from a four-year-veteran…" Dosu sounded rather arrogant as he talked down to Kabuto, who was currently being attended to by Sakura and Naruto. "And yet, to see a rookie Genin do much more than you…how pathetic."
Oi, I don't like being used as a sort of standard for someone else.
"Write this down on your cards." Zaku smirked. "The Oto-nin—definite future Chuunin."
"Not with that attitude, you won't…" Hmph…wait, did I say that out loud—shit! "Aaah!"
"You're next, bitch." Zaku scowled, only to get held back by Kin.
"Don't start…" Kin was definitely less overconfident here, unlike in canon.
Wasn't she mouthing off as much as Zaku? I don't fucking remember...
Before Zaku could even say anything, a huge explosion of smoke suddenly appeared at the front of the chalkboard in the room. A loud voice followed after, yelling, "Quiet down, you worthless bastards!"
This caught everyone's attention and caused everything to suddenly go quiet as the smoke began to clear. It was the exam officials, quite a number of them—all Chuunin, with the exception of Morino Ibiki, the man who stood in front of them all. It was strange, knowing the chaotic team he once led back when Iruka, Kotetsu, and Izumo were Genin…and yet, he was still such an intimidating guy and just so happened to be the head of the Torture and Interrogation Force in Konoha.
I could see Ino already beginning to put her guard up as Ibiki stared down at everyone with his pitch-black eyes. His stare, paired up with his large, imposing figure, was enough to cause everyone to audibly gulp as he introduced himself as the examiner for the first test.
"Otogakure, stop doing as you please before the exam," Ibiki admonished the Oto-nin. "Do you want to fail already?"
"I apologize…" Dosu was quick to say. "This is our first time…We got a bit carried away…"
"Bah…" Ibiki definitely found Dosu's response amusing, being the sadist who he was. "Here's a good opportunity to say this… There will be no fighting without the permission of the examiner. Even if permission is granted, killing your opponent will not be tolerated. Those pigs that disobey me will be failed immediately. Do I make myself clear?"
…
"This exam is sounding easy." Oh, you are so going to regret saying that, Zaku.
"We will start the first stage of the Chuunin exams." Ibiki looked all over the room, a grin crossing his face as he said, "Instead of your current seating assignments…you will pick one of these tabs in the seat assigned to you. We will then hand out the exams—make sure to state your name as you receive your exam."
Probably to take attendance and cross off those who didn't make to the room in time…
"Once everyone has been seated, we shall begin the written exam." Ibiki seemed to be enjoying the shocked reactions from many Genin who were surprised to hear there was a written exam.
Naruto happened to be one of those surprised Genin. "D-Did he say…written exam?"
"Just try to stay calm, okay?" I tried to be reassuring, but my body started to tremble. Past memories of college exams popped up in mind, and knowing that we were going to be separated from each other did not help.
"O-Okay…" Naruto exhaled shakily.
…
…
It took nearly half an hour for everyone to get seated and given their exams. I was not doing well, being seated around a group of shinobi who were complete strangers… That was until I felt a reassuring squeeze on my shoulder from Kurotsuchi, who sat to my right.
"Just stay calm, yeah?" Kurotsuchi grinned.
"You better get past this first exam…" And it seems Suigetsu was seated right behind me. Lovely… "Hey, stop moping around—it's unlike you."
Wow, nice to see how concerned you are about me…that's a first. "I'll try…"
"You better…" Suigetsu furrowed his brow, one of his sharp tooth protruding the way it did whenever he closed his mouth.
Cute.
If Suigetsu wasn't the little shit he was, I wouldn't feel so conflicted about finding him adorable…not that I'll ever admit that to everyone, because I ain't taking any chances of him finding out. My gaze shifted over to Ibiki as he explained the rules of the first part of the Chuunin exams. This was going to be a pain in the ass, so I had to at least pretend that I'm following the rules…
Once the rules were said and done, with subtle hints to what this test was truly about (cheating without getting caught—testing our information-gathering skills), the exam began. I flipped my paper over, my eyes quickly focusing in on the problems. I held the pencil up, ready to answer the first question that caught my attention.
I could already feel the apathy beginning to build up inside my body as I looked at the set of questions on my paper. Only ten "simple" questions, nine of which were on this paper—I totally do not like the look of that cryptogram. Fuck, man—this was going to take a while.
I skipped over question one, deciding to save that for later. The second question seemed simple enough…well, it was at first, until I noticed it was one of those stupid word-based math questions, with a side order of logic. Fuck this shit.
At least the history questions look simple—thank you Itachi, for your lovely annotated history books!
…
I miss that lovable Uchiha…well, let's see what the damage is with the rest of these questions—YOU!
I felt my grip on the pencil tightened as I came across a physics based question. Physics…why must you continue to taunt me?! I could already feel the frustration building up inside me as I read the question. The reason I get so annoyed with questions like these is that, being who I was—a person focusing on shurikenjutsu—physics was the very thing I had to take into account whenever I threw a shuriken or a kunai. Velocity and all that crap—it's become almost automatic…
If there is a slight difference in the air resistance whenever I threw a projectile, I also had to take that into consideration, as well as trajectory (or whatever the appropriate term is—I'm not a physics expert). Like—I can do it on my own, since it comes so naturally to me at this point, but having to actually write it down on paper is just—uurgh! This is seriously going to be a pain in the ass!
Why can't I be like Sasuke and just copy like a good Uchiha? It's not that I'm saying I can't answer these questions, it's more that I am fucking lazy. I like taking shortcuts sometimes to avoid doing a lot of work, and it's the reason why I hate mathematics so much. Ironically, I did much better in chemistry, despite it feeling like a second math class to me…
Speaking of math, look at this economics based math—oh man, at least I know I'll do better. I think the reason I did better in chemistry, is because of a substance being used in problems, such as stoichiometry. By that extension, with money being used in part of the problem, I will pay more attention to the question. Funny, it always has to do with a certain substance, like elements, compounds, or money. I'm weird that way—it has its uses, but for the most part, it can be quite tedious…
Maybe I should have gone into chemistry instead…
Well, too late for that, since I kinda died in my past life and now have to deal with this shit. The Chuunin exams would be like an extreme version of college to shinobi… It certainly feels that way and dammit—why can't I cheat right?!
The one time you can cheat and you don't know how!
Uuugh, I blame college and their academic honesty policies…the fear of expulsion was enough to keep that fear of failure rooted deeply within my subconscious and knowing that if we get caught cheating a number of times…yeah.
Okay, might as well start with physics…Distance is…how much? Okay, got that down…like let's go for speed—not the drug.
…
God, the pressure is starting to get to me. And it's so freaking quiet—ugh, man, this silence is going to get to me if I don't stay calm. I might have to take a bathroom break to scream…
Of course, I shouldn't be complaining about I feel. Poor Naruto, over there, must be freaking out really badly because he's never been one for academics. He did decently, but the amount of knowledge needed for this exam…he needs help.
Too bad I can't do anything about it…all I can really do is help myself. That…just sounds so selfish and yet, as I said before, there isn't anything I can do about it. It makes me feel horrible…frustrated, even.
"Ah…" I frowned when I saw Naruto clutching his head, seconds away from a panic attack. The poor kid never did so well whenever he was put against a situation he couldn't solve—not with so many restrictions forced onto himself.
Luckily, Hinata had been sitting down right next to him and managed to calm him down… I wonder if Naruto is seriously going to take up Hinata's offer to cheat. Knowing Naruto, he'll still pass because he doesn't want to risk getting Hinata in trouble. This time, I don't think he'll have any regrets, though…
Haa…man, I'm seriously getting distracted, even though I should be paying attention to my own paper. Fucking ADHD, really screwing me up when I least need it to…this is why I needed help in college…
"Tch…" I clicked my tongue and started writing down a bunch of crap on the desk. Not like it'll matter if anyone sees, considering how much of a clusterfuck of work I'm going to be putting on this, with little to no context.
Let's get started, shall we?
Time passed—I might have blanked out completely for a short amount of time. Though, for some reason, I noticed how complete my work had been. It took me a couple of seconds to realize that someone had been helping me…and that's when I noticed some writing on my paper, reading:
"Thought you might need a little help…"
—Ino
Ino, you beautiful woman, you—I love that girl so much… I almost felt like crying and I kinda did, though, I mostly stayed quiet, acting as though the exam had finally gotten to me. I wiped away my tears using the back of my sleeve, looking up to check on Naruto, who seemed calmer than usual. I arched my brow at this, before feeling a familiar feel that still creeped me out to this day.
If I hadn't already recognized it, I would have screamed…instead, I allowed the sensation to control me as it made me write a small message on my paper.
"It was troublesome enough watching you worry over Naruto instead of worrying about yourself, Leader."
That was definitely Shikamaru using his Kagemane. To see that our own friends were actually helping us, if we needed help…that was touching. I hope they don't get into any trouble, since this was a team effort. Though, considering how there was never anything in the rules against helping others cheat… It was mostly about getting caught, and I doubt those two had run out of chances, unlike the many people who were leaving every few minutes or so.
I'll be laughing if they make a new rule because of us…
I felt less tense, now, but still frustrated—though, mostly at myself. It was stupid, because I was frustrated at how useless I could be, in regards to helping my own teammates. I wasn't like Shikamaru, with his Kagemane, or Ino, with her Shintenshin. I also wasn't like Tenten, who was capable of using chakra strings to adjust the flaps on the lights to make a reflective surface.
I was just Akimichi Chōko…and I felt so stupid for feeling this way. Ugh, what the hell, man?! You're better than this, Chōko! You're not like this…
I'm not like this…
Leave it to an exam, such as this, to make me feel so…useless. Haa, it isn't the first time I have felt this way, taking an exam. It always is such a frightening experience, not knowing the content for an exam that is definitely most important. And yet, there's this exam…is it normal to feel this way?
"Just calm down, and take a nap…" Kurotsuchi suddenly whispered to me. "You look tense."
"Hn…" And it seems I am picking up Sasuke's habits…lovely.
"Aha…just close your eyes, rest your head…and relax." Kurotsuchi smiled at me.
I stared at her for a moment, my eyes quickly focusing on the many Chuunin watching over us momentarily. I could see one of them just watching, waiting to see what will come from my discussion with Kurotsuchi. Since all the questions have been answered on my paper, I guess I should try and take a nap…there was a good twenty minutes left and I had nothing much to do…
I turned my paper over, but not before erasing the messages on them—don't want anyone seeing what went on here. Afterwards, I sighed and rested my head on the desk. I might as well listen to Kurotsuchi—she probably has more experience or knows enough people who took the test enough times, like her teammates.
You know, as much flak many of the older Genin get from their villages, they probably have the most experience to use in the Chuunin exams. For them, it is much easier to get past the very first parts of the exams. It was most likely the later parts that were giving them issues…
Yawning, I closed my eyes and tried to sleep.
…
I woke up to Kurotsuchi shaking my shoulder and Ibiki's loud voice.
"We will now start the tenth question," Ibiki stated. "Now, before we get to it… I'd like to go over the added rules for this question."
Here comes the mindfuckery!
At that moment, Kankurō entered the room with a Chuunin escorting him inside. However, Ibiki smirked and saw through the puppet Kankurō had used to disguise itself as a Chuunin. It must have been intimidating to hear Ibiki talking to you specifically, like it happened with Kankurō.
Ibiki just told Kankurō to sit down and it was right after he had, that Ibiki continued. "First, for this tenth question…you must decide whether you will take it or not."
Temari didn't seem to be doing so well against Ibiki's mind games, according to her reaction. "Choose?! What happens if we choose not to?!"
Ibiki kept a straight face as he explained. Choosing to not take it reduced a person's points to zero, which meant that everyone on that team would fail. This definitely pushed a good amount of Genin to exclaim that they'll take it…
And with that, Ibiki brought up the next rule. "If you choose to take it and answer incorrectly…that person will lose the right to ever take the Chuunin exams again."
The tension was high, as were the stakes—or so one would assume, because Ibiki had managed to successfully mess with everyone's heads.
"What kind of stupid rule is that?!" Kiba shouted, with Akamaru barking in agreement. "There are guys here who have taken the exam before!"
Kabuto would be a good example Kiba would use.
Ibiki chuckled darkly, like the sadist he was. "You guys were unlucky. This year, it's my rules."
Of course, one could also assume was that this was how Eternal Genin came to be. I found myself looking around for Ino, in order to see her reaction. She seemed mostly unfazed—looking rather bored, instead. The Yamanaka clan was in better tune with their minds. It was almost a clan trait…
It probably is a clan trait.
"But I am giving you a way out." There's the bait that Ibiki was laying out. "Those that aren't confident can choose not to take it…and try again next year."
Silence…
It was overpoweringly silent, the tension so thick that you could cut it with a knife. Ibiki was good at what he did—I almost felt convinced, even though I knew what was going on. It was only appropriate for Morino Ibiki to have such an effect on people.
"Now let's begin…the tenth question," Ibiki began. "Those that do not wish to take it, raise your hand. Once your number is confirmed, leave."
All it really takes is one person…and once that first person declared that they were out, their teammates leaving out the door, it set off a domino effect. Teams were bailing from left to right. Eventually, teams stopped leaving, leaving us with a smaller number of Genin than before. It was so damn scary at how Ibiki was capable of implanting such a level of uncertainty in people's minds…
"Don't underestimate me, dattebayo!" Naruto suddenly blurted out.
I was not one bit surprised to hear Naruto's outburst. The stress might have gotten to him, but it was at least comforting to hear that he hadn't given up.
"I will not run!" Naruto shouted. "I'll take it! Even if I'm a Genin forever…! I'll will myself to become Hokage anyway, so I don't care!"
Of course, with what Kakashi told us that Hokage have to be Jounin…that might serve to be a problem for Naruto. But Naruto will always find a way—that's what makes him so special.
"I am not afraid, dattebayo!" Naruto panted heavily after he had finished shouting.
Ibiki kept his ground, his expression unchanged. "I'll ask you again. Your life is riding on this decision. This is your last chance to quit."
And this is the last bait that Ibiki will put out.
Naruto just smiled, his eyes looking at Ibiki's head on, without once flinching. "I follow my unbending words…that's my ninja way."
And just like that, any doubt the Genin in this room had, disappeared. It was honestly amazing how influential Naruto could be, without even meaning to be. It was nice to see that all of our friends had never once faltered to Ibiki's words. Suigetsu looked about ready to cry, though, and considering his reaction to being teased about the pressure being on to participate in the Chuunin exams—the poor guy probably has a lot of issues regarding that.
"Good decisions," Ibiki remarked as he looked over the room at the remaining Genin. "Now to everyone still remaining…I congratulate you on passing the first test!"
Made it!
There's not much to say about what happened afterwards, as these were events of the mostly canon kind. The explanation regarding the purpose of the first part of the exam, the scoring criteria and whatnot, and the reasons why people were failed during the exam (for cheating badly)…eventually, we caught a glimpse at how important information could be, through Ibiki's torture scars. It frightens me how that could be any of us, in Ibiki's place. One would have to have a really high tolerance for pain…and to be honest, since we started training, that tolerance has a tendency to develop.
You have chakra to thank for that—which is why it's such a bad idea to be low on reserves when you're in such a pinch. It makes you so much more vulnerable…so very vulnerable. And yet, there are still moments where even one little hit can still spark pain, as small as it was. The human body in this world is strange, especially if the body belongs to a shinobi.
At that moment, a certain dango-loving kunoichi made her appearance. I was almost happy to see her again as, after all, it's been nearly three years since any of us had last seen her, Mitarashi Anko.
"You guys, this is no time to be celebrating!" Loud as ever, Anko was—she was almost like Naruto. "I am the examiner for the second test. Meet me tomorrow at Training Ground 44! You have until eleven in the morning, otherwise you'll be left behind, got it?!"
Silence…
"You have bad timing…" Ibiki remarked, much to Anko's embarrassment.
Anko tried to brush it off by turning her attention to the remaining amount of Genin in the room. She smiled quite briefly—for what, I don't know—before commenting on the remaining amount of Genin. "Ninety?! You left thirty teams!"
Wasn't the original number seventy-eight, with twenty-six teams…?
…
Oh crap, looks like this is where the deviation occurs yet again. This is seriously going to be one hell of a Chuunin exam.
"This time, there are sure a lot of outstanding ones," Ibiki remarked.
Anko didn't seem too impressed. "Bah, it's fine—I'll at least cut them in half in the second test. Everyone—you are now dismissed…so leave!"
With the first part of the exams out of the way, everyone was eager to leave the once tension-filled room. I was quick to join up with Naruto and Sasuke, bringing the two of them close together into a group hug because of how stressful the exam had been. Our group hug brought in the rest of our friends, who were still coming down from the fright that Ibiki had given them. Ino was literally the only one not affected…right after Sai.
As we all joined up, ready to do whatever it was that we were able to do, now that we were free, I look over my shoulder, my eyes widening slightly when I saw Anko being surrounded by a trio of girls.
There was a girl with really curly hair that was tied up in a manner that reminded me of a poodle in such a cute way. There was another girl with purple hair cut so distinctly. And one more girl with spiky hair, much taller than the others and silent, using the signs she made with her hands to speak.
It took me until we had left the Academy building to realize who those three were…it was Kasumi, Fuki, and Ami. And the reason why Anko had been absent during those years was because Mitarashi Anko had become their Jounin-sensei. Yet another deviation had occurred…and this was where these three had ended up.
Funny, this never happened in canon…
And I don't mind this change one bit…
…
…
"So what do you think we should do, now that we made it past the first part?" I found myself asking my teammates, shortly after everyone had gone their separate ways. With what we had to do tomorrow, everyone wanted to make sure they were ready for anything.
"Hey, you know how we have to go to Training Ground 44 tomorrow?" Naruto brought up. "It's also Tanabata-ttebayo…"
It took me a bit to catch on. "Right—it's Kiba's birthday!
"Kinda sucks that it happens to be on the second part of the exam, doesn't it?" Sasuke remarked. "So how about we do something to celebrate? Both for passing the first part of the exam and to celebrate a birthday Kiba will be having to spend taking an exam?"
"Huh…where do you suppose we should have this party?" I'm liking the idea, but I would like some more information on what we should do.
"Heh, guess who got Sai to steal the keys?" Sasuke asked as he held up a couple of keys.
"You didn't…" Those…couldn't be those keys, would it?
Sasuke threw up the keys and caught them in his hand. "The keys to the Uchiha compound…yeah, that's what they are."
"Kakashi-sensei is going to get mad at you, dattebayo!" Despite what he said, Naruto was awestruck.
"So how about we go all out?" Sasuke suggested. "I mean—we went through a lot today."
No kidding… "Alright, so what do you suggest for food? Oh—and is this a surprise party of sorts for Kiba?"
"If we want the surprise to get through, then yeah…" Sasuke nodded his head. "Though I think we should get to packing our stuff for tomorrow before we do anything…and maybe change out of these clothes so that nothing bad happens to them."
Kakashi is so damn protective of these clothes…
"That sounds like a plan!" I felt myself grinning. "Heehee, I'm liking this idea!"
"I'll make the invitations-ttebayo!" Naruto was quick to say.
And that was that. If it wasn't for the fact that, over the years before graduation, Kakashi hadn't made us get over our trauma of what had happened at the Uchiha compound on the day of the massacre, I doubt any of us would feel comfortable about having a party there. Hound might have helped us a bit on the day we got Shisui's ashes, but it was Kakashi who helped us through the rest of it.
…
…
I don't remember much when I woke up the next morning. All I could really tell was that I was currently clinging onto the firmest pillow ever and I was comfortable…somewhat. There was something clinging onto my waist, but I didn't want to open my eyes to see what it was. I just kept my eyes closed and buried my face into firm pillow in my embrace.
Then an extremely loud voice assaulted my years with the wrath of a thousand moons. "What is going on here, my youthful Genin?!"
My eyes snapped opened wide then and everything suddenly came in like a wrecking ball (to be making such references, I must be really out of it). My head was killing me, and the light—it was so bright. And it stayed that way until my eyes grew accustomed to the lighting's brightness.
Soon after, I noticed my glasses weren't on my face and just as I was about to look for them, someone placed them right on my face. Slowly, I blinked.
"Bluh…" Everything came in, one thing at a time, until I found myself staring into a pair of dazed-looking white eyes.
White, huh…where have I seen that—oh shit.
"Y-You're on me, Chōko-san…" Neji's face has never been redder.
That woke me up immediately as I shrieked loudly—an action that I quickly regretted as my head throbbed painfully. I could feel whatever was clinging onto my waist tighten, as well as a voice that sounded a lot like Lee's muttering something…
Wait…
I swallowed hard and looked down, barely managing to stifle a scream when I saw that Lee was clinging onto my waist—still somehow asleep. Maito Gai was staring at the three of us, with a baffled look on his face as he tried to make sense of the situation.
I was still trying to make sense of this situation—are we sleeping in the same bed?
"I think you should leave…" Neji looked pained as he said that.
I did not hesitate to do as Neji had suggested, so I stumbled out of the bed and just got the fuck out of dodge.
…
I was a sight for sore eyes by the time I reached Casa de Uzumaki. Kakashi was sitting at the sofa, reading Icha Icha Paradise, as usual, but with a rather amused expression on his face.
"So how was your morning?" Kakashi knew what I didn't…that was bad.
"My head is pounding, all I can really remember is waking up in bed with Lee and Neji…" Oh god, the context needed for that situation—I need to find a better way to word that. "Where's Naruto?"
"Under the kitchen table, snuggling up with the kits," Kakashi replied. "He's the only one who made it home, after we crashed that party."
"Uuuurgh…" Oh, looks like Naruto is up.
"What time is it?" Please don't tell me we're late…
"You got at least three hours to reach Training Ground 44," Kakashi said as he turned the page to his book. "I suggest you look for Sasuke, since none of us could really find him and again, Naruto was the only one who made it home."
"All I remember is jumping out a window, looking at a wall, thinking, 'I don't think I'm sober enough to make this jump'…" Naruto said sluggishly as he walked out of the kitchen. "And then I woke up here-ttebayo."
Sober…oh, right! That party—yeah, everything got hella crazy once we got into the booze, ahahahaha… As we are Genin, that makes us legally adults and as adults, we could drink…we just never had any reasons, and the reason things escalated when they did was because we got into the moment.
There are still gaps in my memory, but at least now I know why everything is so damn confusing… Augh, my head…what the hell did I drink?
How much did I drink?!
"So yeah, about Sasuke?" Kakashi brought up again.
"Oh crap!" Naruto and I both exclaimed.
We both ran upstairs to go grab our sealing scrolls, which contained our backpacks that had everything we might need for the second part of the Chuunin exams. I went overboard with the excessive weaponry again, but screw it—I am not taking chances and right now, I really need a pair of sunglasses, because this light just hurts.
"Catch, Chōko-chan!" Naruto was quick to say as he threw a pair of black sunglasses at me. He was wearing a pair of his own, that were orange in color with black lenses.
I quickly placed on the sunglasses, not really caring that I had to replace my glasses with them. I'd rather have shitty vision than deal with my current light-sensitive eyes.
"Okay, where to?" I was quick to ask.
"Aaaahhhh…" Naruto stammered. "Everywhere?!"
"Konoha is a huge place!" Depending on the location of a place in this village, it could take a day or two to get there—it was that big.
"Search everywhere near the Uchiha compound, then-ttebayo!" Naruto suggested.
"Oh god—we are so screwed!" I tugged on my hair.
In hindsight, at least last night could be considered a great send off for anyone who dies in the Forest of Death…hungover me is a very morbid person, I am discovering.
"You should have seen Sai," Yamato said as he walked past Naruto and me. "He was an emotional mess when I dragged him back here."
Oh, really—not the point!
"I have no memory of this…" was all Sai said as he walked out of his room, staggering somewhat as he held a hand to his head.
"That's a load of bull and you know it." Yamato could be so blunt…
Morbid thoughts aside, at least Kiba had a great birthday party that we could possible laugh at for years to come, once our memory comes back of the event…hopefully soon, because we really need to find Sasuke.
"Sasuke!" I yelled as I ran down the stairs, with Naruto following after me.
God, this sounds like every Naruto episode ever whenever Naruto and Sasuke are being rivals…
…
We spend a majority of the three hours we had, looking everywhere for Sasuke. We even checked the Uchiha compound five times—it was a mess inside. Like, holy crap—what happened last night?!
As we were slowly running out of time, until we had practically minutes, we were freaking out, in the middle of this mess, inside the Uchiha compound. We were just at a loss—we just couldn't find Sasuke…
And just as we were coming to terms that we would have to wait for the next Chuunin exams, this beautiful bastard decides to show up out of nowhere.
He was rubbing his eyes and asking, "Can anyone tell me why I woke up on the roof?"
Of all the places we looked over…as much as I wanted to complain—as much as we wanted to complain, Naruto and I were just so relieved to find Sasuke, that we just dragged his ass all the way to Training Ground 44…with only two minutes to spare.
I'm honestly amazed that we were able to even find this place, considering how hungover we were and how unfamiliar we were with this location. Though, it's best not to look a gift horse in the mouth, and since we made it on time…whew!
"So…where did you wake up?" Ino asked me as soon as she came up to us, her eyes currently hidden behind the dark lenses of the sunglasses she wore.
A lot of Genin were wearing sunglasses…and by a lot, I mean all.
"I'd rather not talk about it…" I still remembered what happened this morning, and I'd rather push that out of my memory… "What the hell happened last night?"
"The party of the century!" Anko had practically appeared out of nowhere to me. She had been standing behind me when she said that. She took huge amusement in my startled shrieks that made a majority of the Genin all around clutch their heads in pain. "Ahh, there's nothing like hearing the screams of Genin so early in the morning…"
"Sadist…" I spat as I clutched my head.
"No shit!" Anko grinned widely before turning her attention to Genin that had gathered at Training Ground 44. "Welcome to Training Ground 44! Also known as the Forest of Death—a place that definitely lives up to its name!"
"If you're trying to scare us, that won't work on me, dattebayo!" And there goes Naruto, biting off more than he could chew.
I wasn't that surprised to see Anko throw a kunai at Naruto, so that it barely grazed his cheek. I might have gagged when I saw Anko lick at the blood running from the small gash on Naruto's right cheek. The poor boy was paralyzed with fear, thanks to Anko's actions.
"Kids like you are killed quickly, hehehehe…" Anko laughed. "Spraying that red blood I love…"
Anko sure loved to mess with people as much as Ibiki… Though, even when she was being a sadist, she still kept her guard up enough to hold up another kunai to a Kusa-nin who had snuck up behind her, holding the kunai she had thrown previously to her, using their obscenely long tongue.
"Here's your kunai," the Kusa-nin said.
Anko just licked her lips and said, "Why thank you."
I felt sick, just looking at that Kusa-nin…I know who that was—fucking Orochimaru, back again to try and screw things up! My head was hurting too badly for me to even want to take the time to comprehend crap like this…augh…
What a great way to start the second part of the Chuunin exams. Hungover, with a huge headache and light sensitive eyes—yeah, we are definitely going to make it through a couple of days in a forest named the Forest of Death.
Training Ground 44, two fours, double the death…I hate the number four…
…
…
…
A/N 3-24-18 Just here to tell you of the irony that IS ME TAKING UP CHEMISTRY AS MY SECOND MAJOR! Yeah, that happened, so lmao...
Before I even begin, I would like to bring up that babavang of deviantart did a thing and just—Team Blast From The Past has been done! The link to it is on my profile—check it out, for it is extremely awesome! ^^
The photograph scene was meant to commemorate the fanart babavang made, in case anyone is wondering. Along with that, I have put up some rinmaru avatars of Chōko, in case anyone wishes to see them!
Anyways, holy shit, look at how fast I got this chapter up—and it's so long, at that, too! So yeah, look at all this crap that had happened. And why yes, Chōko did in fact wake up in bed with two guys, oh my!
But to clarify, all that happened was that they slept in the same bed…just sleeping, nothing else. Still doesn't make it any less awkward—especially when you have Gai as your wake-up call. What a great way to start off the Forest of Death, with a good number of Genin hungover from last night's party.
Seriously, that party, right there—it's been planned out since Christmas, so all I can say is that, about damn time! Man, does it feel good to get to a certain point! An honorable mention goes to ChibiFoxAI, who has helped with the conception of the party.
So yeah, I've gotten complaints in the earlier chapters about a certain trio of characters who weren't important to the plot being focused on, and I'm here to say that over thirty chapters or so later…you're wrong! Ami, Fuki, and Kasumi, Anko's Genin, are very much going to be part of this story from here on out. So do take the time to familiarize yourself with them, for they are minor characters in canon with a different role, here in this fic. For one thing, Anko is their Jounin-sensei—that alone says a lot. And remember, they graduated three years earlier than everyone else did—not too young, but enough to put them at an advantage against the rookies.
Oh, and don't mind me, pairing up Kotetsu and Izumo—if I had to pick a non-canon couple that would most likely work, so far, it would be them. They're definitely a thing in this fic, so I hope this doesn't bother anyone and remember—I'm quite open-minded about things.
That aside, as you can see, Chōko and exams do not mix. Like, at all. Though, I doubt anyone would be happy to take an exam—fuck exams, they make you suffer… And if any of you guys have complaints about Chōko feeling the way she did during an exam, she doesn't like feeling helpless—as though she can't do anything. It's who she is.
Also, confession time—up until I started this fic, I had a basic grasp of what Yakushi Kabuto has done. However, it is only until after I had started this fic that I had look into what I have heard and realized how much of a bastard he truly is, so do keep that in mind whenever you see Chōko being wary of Kabuto for reasons that do not include those. She is as wary of him as she is Orochimaru, so that's your basic idea to how Chōko is when it comes to Kabuto.
One part of the Chuunin exams to go, another part to go—by the by, except a POV chapter come the next chapter. Just prepare yourselves, everyone, because this one is going to be a special one, regarding someone whose POV has yet to be seen.
Shout out goes to KeiGinya for being reviewer #640 and TheSecretNames for being reviewer #650. An honorable mention goes to Vampirelover12100 and FredFredNineNine, for enjoying the existence of the Tree of Harmony the way they have (thank you so much for your kind words!), KelseyCake (cute name) for suggesting a Harvest Moon game that I shall try to obtain, because god dang, I wanna play it. An honorable mention also goes to PolkaPox for demanding the blood of Danzō, KingHoborg for calling me senpai, and GlaresThatKill (nice name). Thank you guys so much for taking the time to review—I truly appreciate it! ^^
So that's it for now, so I hope you enjoyed this chapter, because I sure did and holy crap, it's like almost 8 AM, I have not slept at all, and just—enjoy this chapter, dang it!
Until next time, everyone! KD out! XD