I do not own Naruto, etc -only Hazuki

On the first day of July, we made our way to the Academy and headed to the third floor. According to the rumours, we had three teams of rookies fresh out of the Academy –ninja who had only graduated a year ago –entering the Chunin exams.

We entered a large room that was packed with exam participants. I couldn't believe how many were here as my eyes swept over the familiar and not-familiar faces. The vast majority of entrants seemed to come from the Hidden Leaf, with ninja from the Hidden Grass, Mist, Waterfall and Sand villages. I picked up a strange scent that was familiar –so Gaara and his teammates were already here. There was also one team wearing a headband with a musical note symbol on their foreheads –it was the only one that I couldn't identify.

"Wow –looks like we've got a lot of competition," Kai commented as we moved to stand next to the windows on one side of the room. We watched as the doors opened again and Neji's team walked in with Rock Lee and Tenten. Yeah, there was definitely some stiff competition –and I really wanted to fight Neji.

The doors opened a few more times –and then all three teams of rookies were standing around at the front of the room and making quite a spectacle of themselves. I ran my eyes over the familiar faces –Shikamaru, Choji, Ino –who had latched onto Sasuke the moment the doors had closed behind him –Sakura, Naruto, Hinata –who was looking nervously at Naruto –Kiba who had Akamaru on top of his head, and the mysterious Shino.

They were warned about making a spectacle of themselves by an older boy wearing glasses called Kabuto Yakushi, before being provided data on Rock Lee and Gaara –my ears pricked up at that information. Apparently, he had done six C-Rank missions and even a B-Rank mission as a Genin, walking away from it without a scratch. He must have some special ability, then. There wasn't much more data on him, not even stats. Still, I learnt something important about him –he was used to fighting ninja with ten times our experience and skill levels.

I had figured that there was going to be an outburst from Naruto at some point –and I was proven right when he shouted at the whole room that he was going to beat us all.

"What an idiot," Kai commented. I concealed my grin behind my hand.

Kabuto then commented on the genin that I hadn't been able to recognise –apparently they were Hidden Sound ninja, from a new village that had recently emerged. The Sound genin seemed to take offense at that, attacking him. One of them swung at him, but Kabuto managed to dodge him. Or at least, he seemed to –then he doubled over and coughed up blood.

"What the hell was that?" Kai commented.

"That's no ordinary taijutsu –there's some kind of trick to it," I responded. I hadn't been using my Sharingan –I was trying to preserve my chakra and keep it as a final surprise for the exams. But even without it, I was able to tell that there was more going on than just a simple swing. Those Sound ninja –they sure had an unusual talent. They were a group to be careful of.

Anything that might have happened after that was curtailed by the arrival of the exam proctors at the front of the room. He ordered the Sound ninja to knock it off or face expulsion from the exam. "I am Ibiki Morino, your proctor. Now listen up –there will be no combat between participants without the express permission of your proctors, and even then the use of fatal force is expressly forbidden! Now, make your way to the front of the room. You will each pick a number and proceed to the corresponding seat once you have handed in your paperwork. The written part of this exam will begin as soon as you're all seated.

"Not a written test! No way!" Naruto made another scene –I wouldn't expect anything else from him. Written exams were definitely not his forte. I wasn't sure what his forte was, he had failed the clone jutsu exam when I had graduated. This exam would show whether he had improved or not.

We were finally all seated –I was sitting in the back row. I could see both Kai and Osamu in the rows in front of me.

"Now before we begin, there are some rules that you need to be aware of! And you'd better pay attention the first time around!" Ibiki barked from the front of the room, tapping on the blackboard. "Rule number one: contrary to what some of you may be used to, you all begin with a perfect score of ten points. One point will be deducted for every answer you get wrong –so if you miss three, your final score will be seven!"

Well, so far that made sense, although it was far from usual.

"Rule number two: teams will pass or fail based on the total scores of all three members.

"Rule number three: no cheating is allowed! The Chunin you see positioned around the room are there to watch you carefully for any signs of cheating. And for each incident they spot, they will subtract two points from the culprit's score. If they catch you five times, you'll be dismissed before the tests are even scored! Anyone fool enough to caught cheating by the sentinels doesn't deserve to be here. If you want to be considered shinobi, show us what exceptional shinobi you can be."

Geez, they were making a heck of a fuss about cheating. And I had the sense that was a hidden meaning somewhere.

"Rule number four: if any candidate should get a zero and fail the test –then the entire team fails!"

What?

"The final question will be given out fifteen minutes before the end of the written test. You'll have one hour total." The clock clicked onto the hour. "Begin!"

Looking over the questions, I noticed that they were a set of problems that centred on probability, each one harder than the one before. These questions... they weren't Genin-level. I had to be one of the few in the room that even had a chance of understanding it.

Oh no... Kai wouldn't have a chance to even understanding these.

But there was something else bothering me even more than the complexity of the questions. They were making more of a fuss about cheating than about the written exam itself. Normally, cheating was grounds for expulsion right on the spot... but here, only two points were deducted off for every incident. With so many sentinels watching our every move, it would be nearly impossible to get away with cheating.

Ibiki's words floated back to me. Anyone fool enough to caught cheating by the sentinels doesn't deserve to be here. If you want to be considered shinobi, show us what exceptional shinobi you can be.

That was it! This wasn't about our knowledge –it was about our ability to strategically gather intelligence! They were daring us to try and cheat and get away with it.

Kai, you can work this out! Osamu was the only one of us who didn't have espionage skills –he needed a hand. And Kai's Hiden Dragon Water Mirror jutsu was the best bet for it to go undetected.

I put pen to paper, working through the questions. Occasionally, I glanced up at the room as a whole, double-checking the progress of my teammates. It looked as though quite a few had figured out what the exam was really about by now. And I was relieved to see that Kai had not only found someone who was writing the answers down but had also rigged the Dragon Water Mirror jutsu to reflect the answers to Osamu.

Ten minutes into the exam, a Hidden Leaf genin had a kunai thrown at his paper, piercing it. He and his teammates were the first to be dismissed.

"Number fifty-six, failed!" shouted one of the Chunin.

"Number one hundred and number nine, failed!"

"Number twenty-six, failed!"

"Numbers thirty-five and sixty-eight, failed!"

"Number forty-four, failed!"

"Number twelve and three –failed!"

This went on for about forty minutes, until about thirty-five teams of ninja were left. Then Ibiki called out for our attention five minutes later.

"Alright, listen up! Here's the tenth and final question!" I lowered my pencil as I turned to the front. This was the final hurdle!

"But, before I give you this question, there are some new rules that you need to be aware of." He was briefly interrupted by the reappearance of one of the Sand ninja who had disappeared to the toilet earlier in the exam –the same one who had tried to pick a fight with me. Once Kankuro was seated, he continued. "These rules are unique to question ten. So listen carefully and try not to let them frighten you."

If the rules were scary, who knows what the question was going to be like? I took a deep breath, fighting to prevent my nervously-shaking hand.

"Rule number one: each of you is free to choose not to be given the final question. It's your choice."

What? We could choose to skip the final question? That sounded a little too easy. And apparently I wasn't the only one who thought it was a little too good to be true.

"So what's the catch?" Temari called out, obviously thinking the same thing I was. "Let's say we decide not to take it –what happens then?"

"If you choose not to take the tenth question, regardless of your answers to the other nine –you'll get a zero. That means you fail –and both your teammates fail as well."

Why would anyone choose to fail? That didn't sound like a very sensible option. Apparently several others thought so as well and voiced that opinion.

"You didn't let me finish," Ibiki commented. "If you do accept the question but answer it incorrectly... you will not only fail –you will be barred from taking the Chunin exam ever again!"

That was some choice: fail with both teammates but still be able to take the exam, or take a gamble with the worst-case scenario of never being able to move up to the next rank!

Several hands went into the air as people caved. The teams were excused, any of those who put their hands up apologizing to their teammates. I could see that Kai and Osamu were wavering. Who knows what the question was? Even I might not be able to answer it correctly.

Then someone's hand rose into the air –someone who I had thought didn't know when to call something quits. It was Naruto.

Then he slammed his hand into the desk. "Don't underestimate me! I don't quit and I don't run! You can act tough all you want –you guys aren't going to scare me off! No way! I don't care if I get stuck as a Genin for the rest of my life –I'm still going to be Hokage some day!"

He sat down –and I could feel my own confidence stirring. He had always talked big and tough –but now, I felt as though I had gotten some of his spirit. He had some serious guts.

"This decision is one that could affect the rest of your life," Ibiki commented. "If for any reason you would rather quit, now's your last chance."

"No way –I never go back on my word. That's the way of the ninja!" Naruto responded. I couldn't but smile –he had inspired me to overcome my doubts.

"Well, I admire your determination if nothing else," Ibiki commented after nodding to the Chunin around the walls. "For those of you remaining, there's only one thing left to do, and that's for me to tell you –that you've all passed the first exam!"

A stunned silence fell over the room. My pencil dropped from my hand at that bombshell. The noise echoes around the room in the moment of silence as all of us processed that.

"What a moment! What just happened? Where's the tenth question?" Sakura asked.

"There never was one –not a written one at least," Ibiki responded, actually smiling broadly. "Actually, your decision to stay was the answer to the tenth question."

"Wait a second –so the other nine questions that you gave us were just a waste of time –is that what you are saying?" Temari called out.

"No, not at all. The first nine questions had an important overriding purpose," Ibiki responded. "They were to test your abilities to surreptitiously gather strategic intelligence under the most adverse circumstances."

"Oh, well that clears up everything," Temari commented, a sarcastic tone in her voice.

"Let me explain," Ibiki began, addressing the whole room. "My objective was to test you not only as individuals but as a team, and how well you function as a part of that team. That's why the test was marked on a team basis, so that you knew that everything you did –or failed to do –would directly affect your team-mates. I wanted to see how you'd handle the pressure."

"Yeah, I figured it was something like that. That's why I kept my cool," Naruto commented. I shook my head –I had seen him having a nervous breakdown.

"The first nine questions on the test were difficult –in fact, as you may have realised, too difficult for any Genin to be expected to solve. I imagine that most of you quickly came to that realisation –that you'd have to cheat to have any hope of passing. In fact, the test was designed to encourage cheating –it almost demanded it. Of course, it would have done you little good unless you had someone to cheat from. So I disguised two Chunin who already knew the answers and had them sit in with you."

The Chunin indicated their positions in the room.

"Oh, come on –I wasn't fooled for a second!" Naruto bragged. "You'd have to be a complete dufos not to see it!"

In other words, he had been completely clueless the whole exam.

"Those who were caught at it failed. Better not to cheat than to cheat clumsily," Ibiki said, reaching up to untie his headband. He removed it to reveal his cranium –it was covered in burns and puncture marks, deep scars. I couldn't even imagine what he must have endured. "Information –it can be your most reliable tool in battle. How well you gather it can determine whether a mission's a failure or success. There'll be times that you have to risk your life to get it.

"Of course, you must also consider the source of your information," Ibiki commented, re-securing his bandana. "Intelligence gathered from an enemy is not necessarily accurate. Always bear this in mind: disinformation can be worse than no information at all. It can lead to the death of comrades or the loss of a village. That's why I put you in the position where you had to gather accurate intelligence –cheat in order to survive. And that's why those who weren't good enough at it were weeded out, leaving the rest of you."

"OK –but I'm still not getting what the whole tenth-question-thing was all about," Temari spoke up.

"You're not? The tenth question was the whole point of the whole exam. Surely you see that?"

"Sure, but explain it anyway," Sakura spoke up.

"As I said, the goal was to test you not only as individuals but as part of a team. The final question gave you two choices, both difficult. You could choose to play it safe and skip the final question, although it meant that both your teammates failed as well. Or you could try to answer it, knowing that if you got it wrong, you would lose your chance of ever becoming Chunin. It was a no-win situation, but just the sort that Chunin have to face every single day.

"Let me give you a hypothetical mission: to steal a secret document from an enemy stronghold. You have no idea how many ninja the enemy has, or how heavily armed they are. Furthermore, you have reason to suspect that the enemy is expecting you, that you might very well be walking blindly into a trap. Do you have the option of taking a pass on this insane mission, of saying my comrades and I would rather live to fight another day? Can you choose to avoid danger?

"The answer is no. There will many missions that will seem almost suicidal when you think about it. But you do not think about it –you think only of the goal, and achieving it through courage and discipline. These are the qualities required of a Chunin squad leader.

"Those who chose the safer of two paths –those whose determination falters in the face of adversity –those who would put their comrades lives in jeopardy by worrying about their own –those who would save their own necks at the price of sacred honour will never be able to call themselves Chunin –at least as long as I'm here.

"As for the rest of you, you have successfully answered the ten questions that I put to you. You have earned the right to continue on to the next step. You have passed through the first gate. I declare this part of the Chunin selection exam completed. There's nothing left but to wish you all good luck."

Suddenly the window was shattered and a banner was pinned up in front of Ibiki. The banner read '2nd Exam Proctor: Anko Mitarashi!' A woman was standing in front of it. She had light brown pupil-less eyes, black hair that had a violet tint to it and styled into a short and spiky fanned ponytail. She was wearing a tan overcoat over a fitted mesh body suit that stretched from her neck to her thighs. She was wearing a dark orange mini-skirt, a standard forehead protector around her forehead, a pendant that looked like a snake fang dangling around her neck on a thick cord. She was wearing shin guards as well.

"Heads up, boys and girls –this is no time to be celebrating!" the woman loudly pronounced. "I'll be your next proctor: Anko Mitarashi! Ready for the second test? Then let's go –follow me!"

Again, stunned silence reigned in the wake of the unexpected arrival. Then Ibiki peeked out from behind the banner.

"You're early –again," he commented.

"How many are there?" Anko asked, looking over the room. "Ibiki –you let all these guys pass? Your test was too easy –you must be getting soft."

"Or it could be a stronger crop of candidates this year," Ibiki commented.

"They don't look like much," Anko responded. "Trust me –by the time I'm done with them, more than half of them will be eliminated."

More than half? There were seventy-eight of us left from this first phrase –did that mean that there were going to be less than thirty-nine by the time this second phrase was over with? That was a pretty high reduction in numbers. I was getting nervous just thinking about what the next test was going to be.

"Alright –you maggots have had it easy so far, but things are going to change starting first thing in the morning!" Anko told us. "I'll let your squad leaders know where you lot are to meet. Dismissed."

"Alright! One exam down and two to go!" Kai cheered as we left the Academy behind.

"It's way too early to celebrate," Osamu reasoned. But he was smiling –he was relieved as Kai and I were. "I get the feeling that the next exam is going to be about ten times harder than it was today."