Feb 22, 7 AK
Our first Chunin exam finally comes. Kakashi is not pressuring us to advance for we have no direct competition and nothing to prove to the other villages. He has waited a full year to even bring the matter to our attention, and even then we decide to wait for the one after next to give us more time to prepare. This is doubly good because it means the exam is in Suna, our one real ally amongst the Hidden Villages, for as much as that is worth.
Kakashi is careful with us, his first team. He asks us what we think we need to achieve in order to be qualified for Chunin, and pushes us till we meet those goals. The pressure is more than welcome for the growth it brings.
It is not the end all and be all for me to pass, but I am looking forward to it with a sort of coiled anticipation in my gut as it would push me one step closer to Itachi's record. In the back of my mind is the half formed expectation that we will succeed on our first try, for my team is quite strong and we have all made significant strides. It might even be the new trend, my pessimism ensuring success, somehow. Facing challenges, difficult, seemingly insurmountable, and then victory snatched from the jaws of defeat. Fitting, though the thought is quickly crushed as a traitorous seed of weakness. Even if it was true I wouldn't dare to think it lest my confidence prove its undoing.
However the promotion would serve a very important purpose for with a rank of Chunin I will gain access to higher rank jutsu. I still need to grow, still need time to master what I have already, for I am not a prodigy like Itachi, but I may not have that time and it may be that having even a single high rank technique partially mastered may be the difference between life and death.
I will not die. I must be strong.
. . .
The first test was too easy. The answers were hidden in the etchings along the ceiling, with a few decoy test takers in the audience to cheat off of. Child's play for an Uchiha. Though maybe I'm biased. It's making me twitchy.
I scrutinize the competition from my position partially shielded by my teammates. Nikkei and Wasabi have both started into their growth spurts and now rather tower over me, giving my comparatively tiny body plenty of room to hide and quietly observe the new testing area from within the tepid comfort of their shade.
Hot, hot, hot, how I hate the heat, and the dull dusty brown expanse of the desert. The wind kicked up a few times on the way here, howling across the expanse of sand and rubbing exposed skin raw with airborne grit. The test area has a few rocky outcroppings visible in the distance, precious shelter from the heat and the wind. My gaze flits over the other competitors, cataloguing the various idiosyncrasies visible in the spectrum of primarily brown and white and tan clad Genin.
The exams in Suna are less well attended than in other countries; they might not be known for being hostile to foreigners in the same way Kiri, Kumo, and Iwa are, but simply getting to the Hidden Village is a three day hike across open desert.
The other teams are a pretty even mix of kids in their midteens. I am the youngest person here by a wide margin, though there are a few teams of Genin from Suna that look barely out of the academy. A few singletons too, which was a surprise, though one I should have expected. Konoha is big on teamwork, and other nations acknowledge its use too, but not to nearly the same extent. The biggest advantage of the Leaf has always been its larger population, meaning we generally field fewer active units but can complete missions faster and with a higher success rate than a village like Sand.
"Each unit will be given a token!"
My eyes snap to the proctor and flicker on for a moment to catalogue his appearance and mannerisms.
"Your unit will need three tokens to pass on to the next round! This is the survival portion kiddies; you're going to be out in the desert, and if you screw up, there's a good chance you'll die. If you do decide to forfeit-"
His sharp eyes seem to focus on the younger participants preferentially and I return his gaze with an impassive smile-
"Set off one of these flares! We'll come get you. Lethal force is permitted, but not encouraged."
Hmm. Sensible. So far as I know there isn't much riding on this exam. Suna wants to make a good showing in the finals of course, to attract more business since there has already been whispers that their Daimyo is becoming less generous, but I don't recognize any important figures in the current pool of competitors. No known clan heirs or last wielders of legendary bloodlines. It's actually possible that our team is the most important one here, simply by virtue of having an Uchiha and being students of Hatake Kakashi. What an odd thought.
I accept the small wooden disc from the proctor with a silent nod of thanks before slinging my pack over my shoulder. A loose clasp rattles slightly before I hook it shut again, a little sleight of hand hopefully fooling anyone watching into thinking I put the token inside when I actually store it in the seal tag stuck to my chest. It is a double bluff, an attempt to look clumsy at something easy so they'll not only look in the wrong place, but underestimate our skills. Or at least my skills.
No, don't think that way.
I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. The Sharingan is not an instant win. The Sharingan is not an instant win. Lots of things can get past it, like puppets, of which I can see at least a few.
Don't get cocky. Don't get overconfident. Be prepared. Be calm. Be observant.
Our starting point is a fair distance away from the other competitors, but not so far that we wouldn't be able to find the other teams in the expansive training environment. The rocks will likely be points of fierce, but brief, combat.
"Anyone nearby?"
Wasabi glances at Nikkei for confirmation and she and Kenji sniff the air diligently before she is forced to shrug in disgruntled uncertainty.
"I don't smell anything close by, I don't think. There's… something. Oil, like on those puppets. But it isn't fresh, and I can't tell what direction."
The other boy on the team frowns gently, chewing his lower lip in a small show of nerves.
"One of us needs to work on sensing after this. Your nose is great Nikkei, but it isn't infallible."
"I'll make a note of it. We can talk to Kakashi-sensei after we're through here. We can't fix it now."
Wasabi grunts in acknowledgement of my interjection as we begin to move across the dunes towards the nearest outcropping of stone, maybe a dozen kilometers away.
"Yeah. Well. Keep an eye on your canteens, but don't skimp too much. Better to run out than dehydrate with water still to hand."
I blink as he gives me a raised eyebrow and smile faintly before nodding in acceptance of his concern.
A little chakra helps the sand stick together beneath our feet and leaves less in the way of tracks, but it is still a hot and tiring slog across the sunny wastes to get to our target. The Sharingan is relatively energy efficient for the Uchiha, but my reserves are still small so it only turns on for a brief survey as we crest the top of every other dune. A sensible precaution, as I kill no less than three scorpions and a snake with senbon on the short journey.
"Are those safe to eat? I don't wanna get poisoned."
I flip the snake over to examine its markings as Kenji sniffs at the bugs.
"Should be. Better than your cooking at any rate."
I give my grumbling kunoichi teammate a little smirk before bringing my attention back to the issue at hand, smile fading.
"I'm not sure about the scorpions. Snake will be fine though. Wasabi?"
A searing hot kunai cleans and cooks the meat simultaneously without the need of a campfire. It is only enough to stretch our rations though, and I pass around a few cereal bars pulled from my pack as we spend a moment regaining our strength in the shade; Nikkei breaks off a chunk and shares it with her partner alongside some careful sips from her canteen. The dessert is punishing, and I can already feel the beginnings of a sunburn on the exposed skin of my cheeks despite the judicious use of sunscreen.
The desert shimmers in the heat, waves of distortion from the rising hot air as the sun creeps lower towards the horizon. I stand to suggest we start moving only to stumble suddenly, my muscles tingling and trembling.
The transition to panic mode is immediate, but the rush of energy has me tripping over myself and falling to my knees, a burning sensation building in my gut. I can dimly hear the sound of my teammates retching and the noise sets me off in turn, my eyes searing in the flood of frantic energy. Poison, where, how, stupid, not like this, I will survive-
There. The cereal bars. With my eyes on I can see the little puncture marks on the packaging. Stupid, why didn't I check?
"Well, that was a lot easier than I expected. Guess even Uchiha need experience."
I push myself to my hands and knees for a moment before slumping back down as a lone figure pushes its way out from under the sand nearby. This isn't right, this isn't how it's supposed to be, how it's supposed to end, I can't die here, I can't die from this, from carelessness-
The Suna Kunoichi smirked under her veil and a scorpion puppet the size of a dog scuttles over to begin poking through our packs as Kenji snarls and tries to guard his mistress.
"Hmm. Hide it somewhere else? Tell you what, tell me where and I'll give you the antidote."
My face tightens into a fierce scowl before the sound of my teammates writhing in pain reaches me. I glance over at them as another spike of pain shoots from my stomach. I didn't ingest as much, I might be safe, I might be less safe because of my body weight, it's just astupid test-
"Here."
Trembling fingers slide under my shirt to access the storage tag. The disc tumbles from my shaking hand to roll across the closely packed sand under the rock before it is snatched up by the scorpion puppet. The enemy ninja smirks again and flicks a small vial towards us, but her puppet turns towards me and clacks its claws menacingly.
"Now, what about those fancy eyes of yours?"
How dare she, you can't have them, they are mine, I bled for them, no one can take them from me-
My mouth spreads in a tooth baring sneer as I pull up my shirt enough to show off an explosive tag, eliciting a snort of amusement from the Kunoichi.
"Aww, I was just messing with you! Here, I'll even call the proctors to come pick you up. No hard feelings, right? Ally?"
The glaring red light of the flare and the crimson smoke plume it sends up are barely noticed as I crawl towards my teammates, mind slipping in and out of focus as I give each of us only a few drops. After the 'joke' about stealing my eyes I cannot discard the possibility that this is another trap. Light footsteps on the sand catch my attention and my head swings round to see if a new threat has appeared.
The Sand-nin proctor raised a scornful eyebrow at our dishevelment before sneering ever so slightly.
"Squad 19 of Konoha, disqualified."
. . .
I do not take failure well.
. . .
A/N: Small breaks from angst... ish? This story isn't terribly long you'll see, so even with a heavy tone it should not quite cross into unbearability.