~Scroll 3~
"Thanks for your latest report, Kakashi-san." Umino Iruka thanked as he accepted the Jounin's report with a small smile, which Kakashi returned with a hidden one.
"How's Naruto?" Iruka suddenly blurted as he saw the older shinobi was about to leave. No doubt heading toward the upper levels as the brunette would be doing once he received all of the day's mission reports.
Kakashi froze once he heard the Chuunin's question and felt his heart race as his mind wondered if the scarred-face brunette knew… knew about the Jounin's affection for the blonde. Kakashi really prayed that the brunette Chuunin did not know or else the silver-haired Jounin would never be able to see his beautiful bundle of sunshine again.
"Uhm…" Kakashi stuttered nervously which went unnoticed by Iruka, who was distracted by another Jounin submitting their mission report.
"Thank you." Iruka politely thanked then turned to Kakashi as he cleared his station, "Your team's seen a lot of action lately. Naruto has been coming home always exhausted but happy. I can't help worrying about him"
Instantly Kakashi relaxed once he heard the brunette express his concerns about his son, and knew that he was safe from a father's protective wrath… at least for now.
"You know how it is, Iruka-san." Kakashi assured the young father then subtly praised the brunette, "He's developing fast. He's always hoping to catch up to his hero… You."
Iruka blinked as he looked at the silver-haired shinobi curiously.
"Really?" Iruka asked.
It was not that he doubted that his son viewed him as a 'hero', but he questioned the Jounin's motives in expressing such praise. It was as if the Jounin was trying to get in Iruka's good graces. Oh sure, they had that misunderstanding a while back about the silver-haired Nin's taste in literature, but either than that, the two shinobi were quite amicable toward one another. Kakashi even let it known that he knew of Iruka and Naruto's relationship and was very supportive of it. The brunette gave the Jounin a suspicious look while said Jounin just grinned.
"Shall we?" Kakashi asked before Iruka had a chance to question the ex-ANBU's motives, which Kakashi knew that the Chuunin would do.
Iruka just nodded as he picked up a book from underneath the table.
JINGLE. JINGLE.
Kakashi looked sharply at the book in the brunette's hand and noticed a little silver bell attached to a red cord and bookmark. The bell looked suspiciously like one of his bells. The same bells he had used to test his team…
"Iruka-san?" Kakashi called as he clearly remembered discovering one of his bells missing the day after he tested his team.
"Yes."
"Where did you get that?" Kakashi pointed to the silver bell.
"Oh this?" Iruka asked as he fingered his place in his book and pulled out the simple wooden bookmark with the bell attachment.
Kakashi gently accepted the bookmark and instantly felt a sliver of residue of Naruto's chakra. The bookmark was made from a thin piece of wood with a simple ink painting of bamboo reeds on one side while on the other written in Naruto's handwriting was:
To The World's Bestest Dad!
Kakashi gave a light chuckle at the blonde's proclamation of having the best father, but it was the bell that caught his attention.
"Naruto made it for me when he came back from the Land of Waves." Iruka explained. "Though, I'm not sure where he got the bell. He said something about a scarecrow, but I don't remember."
Iruka confessed with a shrug.
Kakashi stilled as Iruka retrieved his bookmark from the silver-haired Nin. Then Iruka disappeared as soon as he saw some familiar faces, leaving Kakashi stunned at another revelation about his beautiful blonde.
His sneaky little fox had actually successfully captured a bell but said nothing because he knew that it was not the actual goal of the Jounin's test. His devious little bundle of sunshine even kept the bell as a silent memento for himself of his accomplishments. His beautiful Naruto wanted praise from those who knew him, such as his father and Kakashi. Naruto did not want nor need empty praises from anyone. He only accepted real and honest praise.
Suddenly Kakashi's shoulder shook with laughter as he marveled at his precious gem.
"Oi, Kakashi?" Grunted a breaded Jounin as he stood beside the laughing Kakashi, "You okay?"
"Hai." Kakashi replied with unbridled mirth.
After several minutes of mingling among colleagues, the gathered senior-ranking shinobi began to quiet down when they saw their leader, Sandiame Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen, take his seat in an overly plush throne. Sarutobi waited another few minutes for his shinobi to gather closer before beginning this meeting. The old shinobi smiled brightly and kindly at his warrior-citizens. He had watched many of them grow into fine ninja, and he could honestly say that he was proud of his people and their accomplishments. He knew that whatever the outcome of this meeting was to be, it would be for the good of their village.
"Seeing whom I invited here, you may be able to guess," Sarutobi's ancient voice called the meeting to order, "what we are here to discuss."
"Is it time already?" Kakashi asked in surprise.
"Have you informed the Lords of the other lands yet?" Asked the twig-chewing Jounin, Hayate, "Because I believe I have already seen some of them in our village. When is it to be?"
Sarutobi removed his pipe.
"One week from today."
"Isn't this rather sudden?" Asked another Jounin from the crowd.
"To make it completely official, I hereby announce," Sarutobi continued with a ghost of a smile, "Seven days from now, on July 1st, we shall begin conducting examinations for journeymen ninja- the Chuunin."
Immediately the gathered crowd began murmuring among themselves while Iruka began assaulting his lower lip in worry. He looked at the three Jounin in front of him. He knew that they would be asked first if they felt that their teams of Genin were ready to take the Chuunin Exams. In Iruka's opinion, the Sandiame should not be asking this of them yet. It's too soon for any of them. Iruka thought but listened nonetheless as his Hokage began speaking again.
"Now then," Sarutobi's voice silenced the murmuring crowd, "we'd like to hear first from those who have overseen the training of our newest junior ninja."
Immediately three Jounin stepped forward.
"Masters Kakashi, Kurenai and Asuma." Sarutobi introduced.
Kakashi stood off to the left of his two colleagues while Yuhi Kurenai stood in the middle of the trio of Jounin. Kurenai-sensei was a beautiful woman with lightly tanned complexion and with long, wavy black hair. Her crimson-brown orbs held a hard edge of a warrior, who had seen too much. Kurenai-sensei wore a simple layered yakuta, which also revealed her long and shapely legs; however, no male shinobi dared look or make a comment for fear of angering the deadly genjutsu specialist. Standing off to the right was Sarutobi Asuma, the Hokage's own son.
Asuma-sensei stood nonchalant with his colleagues and looked rather bored with all the formality of the meeting. Asuma-sensei was a tall man, taller than Kakashi, and thicker built. He wore the same Jounin uniform as Kakashi, save that the Sarutobi Black Sheep added an apron style sash around his waist as a personal touch. With a customary cigarette dangling from his lips, the bearded, dark-haired Jounin waited for the Sandiame to continue.
"Tell us," Sarutobi continued, "do any of you have, among your charges, any Genin you'd recommend for this year's journeymen exams?
"… That before we can even consider them, they must have completed a minimum of eight missions. Beyond that, employ your own judgment as to whether they are ready to aspire to the next level.
"To be truly competitive, candidates should probably have completed at least double the recommended number of missions… you may begin, Kakashi."
Kakashi lowered his eyes as a sign of respect for his leader. He was truly surprised that the Chuunin Exams had come so early this year. Traditionally the Chuunin Exams were held in August along side the summer festival. He was slightly curious as to why Sandiame Hokage would push up the exam date but then again the silver-haired Nin suspected politics were involved. The ex-ANBU was a man of action and not politics.
Kakashi brought his right hand before him and took a deep breath. Even though he was surprised that the exams had come early, the silver-haired Jounin did not doubt that his team was ready. Especially his little blonde fox.
"Cell Number 7," Kakashi proudly stated, "Led by Kakashi, consists of Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura. I vow upon the honor of my clan, the Hatake - that all three of them are ready for the Chuunin Selection Exam."
"WHAT?" Iruka gasped in horror.
"Cell Number 8," Kurenai nonchalantly began, "led by Kurenai, consists of Hyuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba and Aburame Shino. I vow upon my own clan, the Yuhi, that I am as certain as is my esteemed colleague - that all three are ready for the Chuunin Selection Exam."
"Cell Number 10," Asuma answered, "led by Asuma, consists of Yamamaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Choji. I vow upon my clan, the Sarutobi, that I am equally as certain - that all three of them are ready for the Chuunin Selection Exam."
"How unusual for all three of you to have unhesitatingly assented -"
"J-just a moment!" Iruka interrupted his Hokage as he stepped forward, ignoring his fellow shinobi's murmurs of surprise by his action.
Kakashi mentally winced, forgetting that as a father, Iruka would object to his son participating in the exams.
"Yes, Iruka?" Sarutobi acknowledged.
"Lord Hokage," Iruka pleaded, "Please allow me to speak!"
Sarutobi nodded, knowing that the young brunette was concerned about the safety of a certain Genin they both love. The aged shinobi knew very well that the handsome Chuunin saw their favorite blonde as his son, and the Chuunin Exams have been known to cause a fatality or two. Naturally, Sarutobi did not want to think of any of his children dying because of these exams, and he had not really expected all three of his Jounin to submit their students. Unfortunately since all nine rookies were formally nominated, the Hokage had no way to deny the nominations without causing the three clans, including his own, to lose face. His only hope was for some sort of miracle.
"Forgive me if I overstep." Iruka apologized but continued, not just for his son's sake but for all of his former students, "but most of the nine students just named were my students while they were at the academy.
"Certainly, they are all gifted and show both commitment and talent… but it's too soon for kids that young to be stepping up to the journeyman level. Only with time will they have the kind of experience and maturity those exams require. I don't understand why their supervisors can't see that."
"I was six years younger than Naruto when I attained the rank of Chuunin, Iruka-san." Kakashi offered, hoping that would ease the overly-worried brunette but immediately realized that was the wrong thing to say as the lithe Chuunin rounded on him with chocolate brown orbs ablaze.
"Naruto's not like you!" Iruka growled.
Kakashi knew that those around them believed the Chuunin was belittling the blonde imp, but Kakashi knew better. Naruto was not like him, who submerged himself into his ninjutsu to hide from his pain and shame, while Naruto embraced his own pain and grew stronger from it. It was that fact that Kakashi knew in his heart that his little blonde would greatly benefit from these exams.
"Do you want to destroy those children?" Iruka demanded as he continued to glare at the silver-haired Nin, "You all know what they call the Chuunin Selection Exam, don't you?"
Kakashi quietly growled at the brunette. Yes, he could understand the Chuunin's concern for the students' safety, but what really made him see red was the fact that the brunette was insinuating that he did not care about what would happen to his three students or any of the other students. Oh sure, he may not show it overtly, but he did care about his students… even the Uchiha brat, he cared about the brooder too.
"They gripe about every detail of every mission." Kakashi snapped, "Just for once, I think it would do them good to find out what real pain is… let's admit it. Breaking them would be fun."
"Are you out of your mind?" Iruka growled viciously.
Instantly Kakashi realized that he had proverbially inserted foot into mouth.
"… it was a joke, Iruka-san." A bad one. "I understand you… and I'm sorry if my recommendation upsets you. But I stand by it."
Iruka clenched his jaw tight because yes, he could hear the silver-haired Jounin's conviction in his words. It did not mean that he had to like it or approve it.
"Kakashi…" Kurenai drawled out in a bored tone, "Can we finish with this?"
Kakashi sighed.
"It's none of you business, anyway… they're not your students anymore. They are soldiers under my command."
Iruka remained silent at the reminder that he no longer had any say in his son's life. However, his eyes spoke volumes. Kakashi knew that if Naruto was harmed any way because of his recommendation then the brunette was going to come for his head.
"What a pest." Asuma grumbled but instantly quieted when he saw Kakashi glower at him.
All the while, Sarutobi just watched and silently prayed that no harm fell on any of his children.
/
The next morning, Team 7 found themselves waiting at Torii Bridge for their sensei after each received a brief message to be there. The message told them to be at the bridge at seven in the morning, and yet here it was close to nine, and no sensei in sight.
"Sheesh…" Sakura sighed after she finished a fifteen minute tirade on unprofessional behavior and irresponsibility to one's own team.
Sasuke just growled at the kunoichi's dramatic rant but mostly ignored her and the uncharacteristically quiet blonde, who was perched on the bridge's railing and watched the fast-moving river current.
"Hey…" Sakura called as she noticed her otouto's troubled expression.
"Hm? Sorry, you said something, 'neechan?" Naruto blinked when he felt Sakura's gentle touch.
"You've been awfully quiet… and not the good type of quiet." Sakura began then looked with unabashed concern, "Is everything okay?"
Sasuke watched his two teammates from the corner of his eye. He too noticed the unnatural quiet presence that seemed to have surrounded the petite blonde.
Naruto then smiled brightly at his littermate's concern, which effectively relaxed his teammates' tense frames.
"It's nothing…" Naruto tried to assure the pinkette, who frowned at the blonde's poor attempt at lying.
"Yeah right…" Sakura crossed her arms and glared sternly at the petite teen, "So… are you going to tell me what's bugging you or am I going to have to use It?"
Sasuke stood straight as he heard the pinkette threaten his blonde. He was curious as to what 'it' was, and why would Naruto childish giggle at the threat.
"Well…" Naruto stared once he calmed down from his giggle fit. "Last night, there was a meeting of the Chuunin and Jounin with 'ji-chan, and … well, I don't know… I've never seen 'tousan so angry before, except the time when Mizuki hit me."
"Mizuki?" Sasuke growled as he listened to his blonde.
"Touji Mizuki?" Called a familiar voice high up on one of the Torii. The harsh tone in the familiar voice startled Sakura and Sasuke as they looked up and glared at their extremely tardy sensei. While Naruto looked at his silver-haired sensei, who was demanding for an answer with his visible eye.
"Hai…" Naruto sighed, knowing that the older Nin would not let them start whatever mission they were assigned until he got what he wanted. "Mizuki and 'tousan were dating a long time ago, and when Mizuki hit me, 'tousan dumped him… after breaking his nose and hand."
Even though Naruto mumbled the last few words, Kakashi heard him clearly and absently thanked his stars that they were before the Hokage when he made his recommendation lest Iruka really made good on his threat.
"Anou…" Naruto cantered his head to the side, "Why are you late?"
Again… Hung in the air between the two, which caused Kakashi to grin and scratched the back of his head.
Even though he wanted to know more about Mizuki harming the petite blonde, the silver-haired Jounin had other pressing matter to address, such as…
"This may surprise you," Kakashi sheepishly grinned, "but I've recommended all three of you for the Chuunin Selection Exam."
"Huh?" Sakura gasped in surprise while Naruto and Sasuke shared similar expressions of doubt and confusion.
Sasuke then crossed his arms across his chest while his confusion melted away to annoyance. He did not find the Jounin's poor attempt at humor very funny. It was literally unheard of for a Jounin instructor to submit their Genin students for the Chuunin Exams unless they had a minimum of one year of experience.
"Heh. Heh," Sakura laughed nervously, "Good one, Kakashi-sensei. You almost had us."
Naruto narrowed his eyes. He heard the truth in his sensei's voice, and he remembered a bit of his 'tousan's rant of mutilating a 'stupid, arrogant scarecrow'.
"So," Naruto calmly stated as he too crossed his arms across his chest, "that's why 'tousan was on a murderous rant last night."
"Uhm…" Kakashi floundered at being caught.