Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto nor any of the characters, beside the main OC. All credit for creating this amazing series goes to Mr. Kishimoto
EDITED: 26th January 2013
Author's note: Thanks to everyone for reading! Now, to answer your reviews:
Naginator: thank you. About the Uzumaki legacy, well, Akimi doesn't fully trust the Sandaime right now and doesn't want to ask him, because she doesn't think he would answer. Naruto follows her lead, but the issue will be discussed in later chapters.
forbiddenfruitunloved: thank you, and you made a very good point. Akimi is very protective of Naruto, but she also has a very strong sense of right and duty – as it happened with Gatō, when she lightly killed him because of his deeds. Moreover, you must consider that she really respects the Yondaime because of his sealing prowess (although she doesn't know the merit for them mostly stand with Kushina) and also knows that Naruto still thinks of him as an hero (despite the Kyūbi thing). Secondly, she is an expert Fūinjutsu user and consider sealing an art, or better yet the Art, so what really pisses her is the behaviour of the villages and especially shinobi who can't see the cliché difference between the scroll and kunai sealed inside. This said, she won't jump from joy when she learns that the Yondaime is Naruto's father but she will soon get over it (like Naruto did in canon...)
As for the Hawk thing, I'm so sorry to say that I have a soft spot for Toads. I think they are really cool (in the Naruto verse, I don't particularly care for real ones) and they have so much potential for Jiraiya-Naruto bonding. I do like falcons very much though, so I'll try to implement them in the story, but not as Sasuke's second summons. Sorry if this disappoints you.
Neo Amon: thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed last chapter. We are really on the same wavelength because it always pissed me that nobody really spoke to Naruto about the fox, if you don't count Mizuki spilling the beans at him. The only one to remotely do so is Jiraiya but even then he only refers to "special red chakra", now really it makes me wonder if canon Naruto is so clueless because others made him so. Well, that's what fanfics are for.
shadowmarialove: thank you, I'm glad you like the story. I've always thought that too many OCs make any stories too heavy to read, so besides a couple of minor OC villains now and there (for missions or something) there only will be another major secondary character OC, which anyway implied by Akimi's story anyway...
Starting from tomorrow I will not have access to a stable internet connection because I'm leaving for my university's town, as I have a couple of exams in the next few two weeks. So I can't guarantee stable updates, but I'll try my best. If not, I'll be back around mid September.
Also I meant to ask you guys, does it bother you that I use the Japanese names for techniques, weapons etc? Should I put the translation in brackets each time or are the notes at the end of the chapters enough?
This said, enjoy the chapter! =)
THE CHŪNIN EXAMS BEGIN
April, 7th 214
Akimi, Naruto and Shino were walking along the street from their training grounds towards the main town.
"Boys," Akimi said, "I need to drop by to the library. They should have gotten a book I ordered."
"We'll see you at Ichiraku, then." Naruto replied.
"Yeah, whatever. I'll find you." and she disappeared with a Hi Sunshin [Fire Sunshin].
Naruto keep going on, until he felt he was being followed. He turned. "Oh, boy."
"Naruto, who are they?" asked Shino.
"Someone who should know that rocks aren't square!" 'Damn, 'mi-chan, you knew they were coming, did you not? That's why you went away.'
"Ah, I knew I should have expected this from the man I chose as my rival!" a voice exclaimed, before the rock disappeared with a cloud of purple, blue and yellow smoke. A lot of smoke.
When it was cleared, three children were revealed. The one in the middle, who had a long blue scarf around his neck, coughed. "You used too much gun powder!" he exclaimed, before something even creepier took place.
"The one who possesses the sex appeal of an adult, the sexiest kunoichi from senior group – Moegi!" the girl with orange hairs said, attempting a sort of cool move.
"The one who loves to divide numbers – Udon!" the boy with huge glasses.
"And the village's number one genius – Konohamaru!"
"And together we are the Konohamaru corps." they shouted together.
"Naruto, I repeat, who are they?" Shino asked, a little freaked out.
"Some friends of mine. I help them with their training from time to time. What is it, Konohamaru?"
The three children used the puppy eyes no jutsu on him. "You promised to play ninja with us today, Naruto-nii." Konohamaru said.
"What sort of ninja plays ninja?" a high pitching voice asked. "What's the point of it?"
Clad in her usual brilliant red dress, with her long pink hair, Haruno Sakura just got out from a nearby shop.
"Actually, it's a great experience for all of us." Naruto said. "It helps my leadership qualities and their skills. Win-win."
Sakura looked at him with a strange expression. 'I heard he has greatly improved... has he really?'
"Ohi, who is the girl?" Konohamaru asked. "Oh, is she your..."
"N-No!" Naruto exclaimed, with a stutter. "No."
"Damn right, Akimi-neechan is much better." Konohamaru said, nodding wisely. "This one is ugly! And she has a very big forehead."
Naruto's eyes widened. 'Oh, damn!'
"What did you say? Shannaro!"
"Run!" Naruto yelled. "Consider this part of your training."
He and the three kids bolted as if their lives depended on it (and it did, in fact). Konohamaru quickly went ahead of them, increasing his speed. He was running so fast that he closed his eyes and as a result he violently collided with something. Or better yet, with someone.
"That hurt!" a rather tall boy said. He wore a black suit, with a hood that had cat-like ears. Two purple lines were on his face. A little behind him, a tall blond kunoichi was standing.
Naruto, Moegi and Udon stopped in their tracks, as well as Sakura and a silent Shino who followed them (it was a rather entertaining show, after all.)
"I... I am s-s-sorry." Konohamaru stuttered.
"Are you now? I think you should learn not to piss those superior to you." the weird looking boy said, grabbing his scarf and raising him from the ground.
Now, Naruto was a very happy go lucky kid. Unless someone threatened his friends. That made him angry. "Because picking on kids half your size makes you so cool!" he growled. "Must be to compensate for your cat's ears and that makeup."
"It's not make-up! It's war paint."
"Whatever makes you feel better."
"Kankurō, stop messing around, if we are late he will get angry again!" the kunoichi said.
"Just give me a second, Temari. I need to teach these kids some respect."
"Listen now, fucker." Naruto hissed, drawing a kunai. "Put down my friend, or I will cut off your freaking hand!"
"Really, weakling?" Kankurō chuckled. "I would like to see you try."
"He won't need to." The black clad genin felt a sharp point at his neck. "Suna nin-san"
The other girl's eye bugged out, because she hadn't even felt the new girl arrive. She was very petite, but that did not make her less dangerous to a trained eye.
"Besides, I don't think threatening the Hokage's grandson will improve our villages relationship. Put him down." Akimi intimated, increasing the pressure of her Fūma shuriken on his neck. "Slowly."
Kankurō obligated and Konohamaru ran to hide behind Naruto's legs. Akimi reappeared beside the blonde as well, with a small Hi Sunshin.
Kankuro was fuming. Those weak looking midgets from Konoha had made look him ridiculous. He hated to use Karasu so soon but... "You damn brats." he hissed.
"Kankurō, don't...!" Temari said.
Kankurō put his hand on his shoulder to access the weird looking bandaged bundle he carried. As he was about to drive it, though, he was stopped by a rock. "What...?"
"Ah, nice to join us, Uchiha-san." Akimi said, without moving her eyes from the Sand duo.
"Sasuke-kun!" exclaimed Sakura, dreamily.
The black haired boy jumped down from a nearby three, his hands in his pockets and his face scowling. It was his "tormented hero" or "cool" pose. Or so some thought.
"This place is becoming so crowned." Akimi observed. "Maybe you would like to come out as well, shinobi-san?"
Kankurō froze. "No..." he was trembling.
"Kankurō..." a new voice drawled. It was cold and terrifying. Team 7 tensed. "... you are a disgrace to our village."
"I'm sorry, Gaara, please... forgive me." he stuttered.
They all saw a red haired boy on the tree besides the one Sasuke jumped from. He had a malicious look, very pronounced eye bags and a gourd on his shoulder. He disappeared from his position in a cloud of sand, to reappear between the Konoha group and the two other Sand Shinobi.
"Please forgive my brother's rudeness, mina-san." he said, coldly.
"No harm done." Naruto replied, with easiness, studying him with caution. 'Wonder why he wears the kanji of love on his forehead.'
"Wait a second," Sakura intervened, "I know that Hi no Kuni and Kaze no Kuni have an alliance but it also states that no ninja can cross each other's land. Why are you here?"
"Are you that clueless?" Akimi asked. "It's time for the Chūnin Selection Exam. It's Konoha's turn to host them."
"Looks like at least one of you isn't totally oblivious." Temari spat. "We are indeed Genin from Suna no Sato, here to take the exams and..."
"Enough. Let's go." the red haired boy said, turning on his heels. The other two followed him.
"Wait a second." Sasuke said. "What's your name?"
"You mean me?" the kunoichi asked somehow hopefully.
"No, the one next to you, with the gourd."
The red eyed boy turned again, slowly. He glared ahead. "My name is Sabaku no Gaara. I'm also interested in you..."
"I'm Uchiha Sasuke."
"... I meant the girl." Gaara said.
"Katora Akimi." was the nonchalant reply.
"I'm looking forward to meeting you in the Chūnin Exams. And killing you. You and your blonde friend." and he turned again.
Naruto made a step forward, outraged, but Akimi stopped him by taking his hand. "Let them go."
Sasuke glared at the two genins, who really couldn't care less about him.
"Shino, Konohamaru, Moegi, Udon." Akimi smiled. "What about we all go to my house for lunch? Then we can have a little spar."
The children jumped excitingly, while Shino merely nodded.
"Uchiha-san, Haruno-san, until next time." She grabbed Moegi and disappeared with a fire Sunshin. Naruto did so with Konohamaru and Udon, vanishing with a small blow of wind. Shino was gone as well, this time with the standard leaves, leaving Sakura and Sasuke a little speechless.
On another group of trees, three genins watched the events unfold. Their headband had a musical note on them.
"What do you think?" one asked.
The one in the middle, whose face was partly covered by bandages, smirked. "They do not look like much." he said, without noticing the bug flying around him. "But we need to keep an eye on the black haired ones from Konoha and the one with gourd from Suna..."
The Hokage sat on a blue padded armchair, in front of him a table with his crystal ball. On the wall at his shoulder was hung a banner with the symbol of Konoha. In front of him, a small contingent of jōnins and chūnins was assembled.
"Now that we are about to start the Chūnin Selection Exam, those of you who are in charge of new genins step forward." Sarutobi said, emitting a puff of smoke from his pipe. Three particular jōnins did so, finishing directly in front of the Sandaime's desk. "Kakashi, Kurenai, Asuma. Are there any genins you wish to nominate among those you teach? As you know, any genin who has completed at least twenty missions is eligible to take them through your recommendation."
Kakashi was the first to speak, moving his right hand to form the half ram seal. "From the 7th Graduated Squad I lead... Aburame Shino, Uzumaki Naruto and Katora Akimi. Under my name of Hatake Kakashi, I nominated them for the Chūnin Selection Exam."
Iruka gaped softly from his place. 'What?'
"From the 8th Graduated Squad I lead... Uchiha Sasuke, Inuzuka Kiba and Haruno Sakura. Under my name of Yūhi Kurenai, I nominated them for the Chūnin Selection Exam."
"From the 10th Graduated Squad I lead... Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Chōji. Under my name of Sarutobi Asuma I nominated them for the Chūnin Selection Exam."
The three statements roused a lot of whispers from the presents.
"All of them...?"
"It has been years since rookies have taken part of the exam!"
Hiruzen let out another puff of smoke, pensively. "Mmm..."
"Please wait a second!" Iruka stepped forward.
"What is it, Iruka?"
"Please let me speak, Hokage-sama. I taught all nine of them at the Academy and while each one of them is very talented... it's too early! They need more experience."
Kakashi half-glared at him. "I was half of Naruto's age when I became a chūnin."
Iruka started walking towards him. "Naruto is different from you! Are you trying to ruin him?"
"Yes." Kakashi deadpanned. "He is always up to a new challenge so I thought put him in a dangerous situation and possibly ruining him could be fun."
"What did you...?"
"That was a joke." Kakashi said. "Iruka-sensei, I value your opinion, and know that you must be upset, but..."
"Kakashi, stop." warned Kurenai.
"... don't interfere! They aren't your students anymore. They are my soldiers now."
"But—"
"Iruka." the Hokage quietly interrupted the argument before escalated. "I understand your argument: so we will put the rookies through a preliminary exam. You can test them to see if they are experienced enough."
"What?" Iruka asked.
Kakashi smirked. "I advise you to save my kids for last – or you won't be able to test the others."
Katora Residence – 5.00 PM
Akimi had taken care of the Konohamaru corps, showing them a small Katon trick before sending them off to practice. She explained to them that, as true ninja (albeit only genins) they were busy, so they shouldn't be offended if they couldn't spend time with them. To calm them down, she had Naruto send one of his clones with them.
Now, Team 7 had just finished sparring.
"You are getting better at dodging, Shino." Naruto said. "Akimi didn't even scratch you... we can start with jutsu next."
"I want to be even more proficient before. I don't want to hurt my Kikaichū."
"Makes sense." Naruto said. "Have you figured out yet how to make that shield we spoke of?"
"Tou-san says I need to reinforce my Kikaichū with chakra so they can sustain more damage. I still have a long way to go... but I should be able to do a rudimentary one if I need to."
"If you want we can test it with low ranked techniques, as soon as you are ready." Akimi said, lying on the ground. "What do you think about what happened before, with those foreign ninja?"
"They were really weird." Naruto said. "The only one remotely normal was the Suna kunoichi."
Shino shrugged. "Do you think sensei is going to enter us in the Exam?"
"It's very likely." Akimi said. "We did well in those C-rank missions and he always trains us so hard. Why else would he? He is very laidback."
"Then we must avoid those three." Shino seriously said. "My Kikaichū were as unsettled as when we met Zabuza around the red haired one."
Akimi nodded. "Yes, I noticed him as well. I mean, he told us he was going to kill us just like he was talking about the weather."
"His eyes." Naruto murmured. "They frightened me."
His friends looked at him like had grown a second head. Naruto, afraid?
"'to-kun..."
"Sorry, don't mind me." Naruto smiled cheerfully. "I'm not even sure why that one had such an effect on me."
Akimi was about to speak, but her eyes suddenly went wide.
"What's wrong, 'mi-chan?"
"Sorry, sorry. I got a little feedback." she said, while signaling: "Someone broke into the perimeter seal."
"Really, what about?" Naruto curiously asked.
Shino immediately sent his bugs out. He only needed few seconds to scout such a small area... "On the trees. Chūnin level signature." he immediately signaled.
Akimi laughed. "Kaera just got herself in a little trouble. Nothing much." she explained, stirring. As she did so, she felt the attack coming. It was going towards Naruto. She immediately formed hand seals, holding the tiger seal for last. "Katon: Kemorekagure no Jutsu!"
As the smoke formed around them and all the grounds, the three genins used it to scatter and regroup behind the waterfall, where Akimi had created a small alcove she used for meditation. Yeah, Doton was really useful.
The Hidden in Smoke technique was the Katon version of Kirikagure, developed by Akimi herself after Nami. It was basically like a big smoke bomb, but it lasted longer. It had also the advantage of making whoever was caught in it cough uncomfortably, giving an offensive edge to the technique.
"What do you think?" Naruto asked.
"It looked like an Ame shinobi." Shino said. "I glimpsed his Hitai-ate."
"It doesn't make sense." Akimi observed. "He could be here for the Exams, but why would he attack us? And here, moreover! Besides, he went for Naruto."
"Yeah, someone who has never met us would think you are the weak link, since you are a kunoichi. Not that I agree with this vision, 'mi-chan, but lots of male ninja underestimate women."
"I know." Akimi said, bitterly. "So he is from Konoha."
"Likely." Shino nodded. "Then he is here to test us. What do we do?"
"Give him hell." Naruto replied.
"I concur." Akimi smirked.
"Metaphorically speaking of course. If he is a comrade, we can't permanently hurt him." Shino logically said. "Keep B-rank jutsu out of this."
"Fair enough."
Iruka coughed again, incapable of seeing and even properly breathe in the thick cloud of smoke. 'I never heard of such a jutsu... damn' After a few minutes, though, the bloody smoke cleared. 'Of course, Akimi doesn't have a lot of stamina. She probably used this as a way to cover their tracks.'
In fact, there was no sign of the genins around.
Iruka closed his eyes, being a good sensor, and tried to locate them. He had no time to do so.
"Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu!" Akimi's hands appeared from the ground behind him, grabbing his ankles.
Iruka tried to yank her off, opposing to the technique, but in the end he had to use Kawarimi. 'Two different nature types? Damn, she is good.'
"What do you want, Ame-nin?" asked Naruto, appearing behind him and launching a punch at him. Iruka easily saw the movement, dodging it, only to be cut nevertheless. 'What? How?'
"Fūton: Kaze no Ame!" shouted Naruto, jumping back.
'Elemental manipulation?' Iruka wondered, amazed. He used Kawarimi again, having already seen more than enough but... 'Kikaichū!' he realized, seeing a black cloud surround him from all sides but one.
Shino had been hidden, waiting for the right moment to act. Of course, the fact that Akimi had placed a female bug on the Ame nin when she had grabbed him from underground only made things easier. Onto the next part of the plan...
Iruka could only use Kawarimi again. However, he had not prepared many logs around.
As he landed in the middle of the small grove, he took a deep breath. 'I can leave. They are ready, yes.' So he leaped towards the nearby perimeter wall. However, just as he made to jump on the other side, he felt a jolt through his body, paralyzing him. 'A seal?'
"Are you going to leave us so soon?" Naruto mocked, holding a kunai and nearing him. He placed the kunai to his neck. "The fun just started."
"Trespassing is a serious crime in Konoha, especially since you are probably here for the Chūnin Exams." Akimi said. "You should have behaved."
"I think you should talk now. Why did you attack us?" Naruto asked, menacingly.
"Calm down." the Ame nin said, a little worried. "I really mean no harm."
Akimi raised an eyebrow. "Do you, now?"
"I can explain."
"So, who are you really?" Shino asked instead. "And do we pass?"
"What? How do you know?"
"It's logical." Shino said. "Why do you ask? We have no reason to have an Ame nin after us. We have never been even remotely near to Ame, in fact. And you attacked Naruto first."
Iruka cursed. 'Of course. Had I really not known anything about them, I would have targeted Akimi'
"You pass." he said.
"Aren't you going to show yourself?" Akimi said. "Kai!" she touched him, dispelling the Henge.
"Iruka-sensei?" Naruto asked, immediately withdrawing his kunai.
"You have been holding back on me." Iruka said. "The dead last thing was all an act?"
"Mmm... sort of. Deception is a shinobi greatest weapon, after all. It's one of the Golden Rules."
"Golden Rules?" Iruka asked, frowning.
"That's a long story, sensei." Naruto said. "You know what, since you attacked us and we defeated you, you owe us. What about Ichiraku, dattebayo?"
Iruka shivered. 'And there goes my last pay check.' "I suppose it's fair. Good job, kids."
April, 8th 214
"Yo!" Kakashi saluted, appearing with a puff of smoke.
As usual, the three genins were training. Naruto was sparring with Shino, using their weapon of choice: tantō and staff. Akimi was meditating near the memorial stone, her body covered by a faint red aura. She was basically channeling Katon chakra all around.
"Sensei!" greeted Naruto, going for a frontal slash at Shino, who easily parried it.
"Right, stop a sec and come here." Kakashi said. "I've got something for ya."
"When do the exams start?" Akimi asked, stirring.
"..." Kakashi was surprised only for a second. "Ah, you found out what Iruka-sensei was up to, then?" he said, eye smiling. "In five days time, be at the Academy, room 302, ten in the morning."
"Mmm. Academy?" she said. "That's kind of rules out a direct battle test."
"Logical." Shino said. "Probably will be something to test our supplementary abilities."
Kakashi smirked. "Yeah, yeah. So this is the plan. We'll train very hard for the next two days, and then you take it easy."
"I think we should prepare as if they were a long term mission. Food, extra weapon and such..." Akimi, ever the paranoid, said. "A survival test of sorts is very likely."
"Good." Kakashi said. "That brings us to the first part of this intense session. You have until sunset to draw blood. Your opponent will be me."
"Let the battle royal commence!" Naruto bellowed. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
As Naruto created a handful of clones, the other two (and probably the real blonde as well) used the cover of the smoke the technique created to hide. Kakashi nodded approvingly.
"No time to read my book this time."
"Did you hear? They say there are going to be rookies in the exam for the first time in five years." a young boy clad in a green suit, with the Konoha Hitai-ate as a belt and bandaged arms, said. He had a bowl-like black hair and two enormous eyebrows.
"Really?" a girl dressed in Chinese style replied, flipping a kunai in her hand with high speed and skill. "No way... it's probably the jōnins trying to look good."
"I heard Kakashi's squad is one of them. They are rumored to have already been out of the village on C-ranks. Uchiha Sasuke will be there as well." the other boy replied.
The girl snorted, launching a kunai. "But in the end..."
She hit a bull eyes above the head of her last teammate, who had long brown hair and was dressed in a beige uniform. His Hitai-ate covered his forehead. He didn't even blink when he felt the air hissing because of the tossed weapon.
"It's pitiful for them..." he said. "To compete so far out of their league."
Team Seven was exhausted, but they managed to draw blood... with Naruto's Orioke no Jutsu. A little unorthodox, but effective. Only it was the first time Akimi saw the technique, and she had been a little annoyed by it. Naruto begged a lot, managing to calm her down after she gave him only one punch. Sure thing, it was engulfed in Katon Chakra, but he survived.
Akimi entered Tetshu's weapons with Naruto in tow.
"Akimi, Naruto, what brings you here?" the owner asked from behind the casher. "Don't tell me you broke your weapons already!"
"No, but I finished designing a seal that helps with chakra flow. Thing is, it works best if we help with the weapon creation."
"So the weapon would recognize your chakra better... how do you plan to do that?" the blacksmith nodded. He enjoyed working with the two kids – and their teammate too – they always had great ideas.
Akimi had first met him when she asked help with her Katon manipulation by assisting him at the forge with a clone. Since she did it for free, it was a win-win situation for Higarashi, who in turn was willing to help them with their weapon's stocks.
"Well, in my case is obvious. I will simply use my Katon chakra to forge the weapon, with your help, Tetshu-sensei." Akimi considered the man a master blacksmith and she respected him a lot. "Furthermore, I'll have a clone engrave and maintain the seal. I'll need three Fūma Shurikens done. We are going to enter the Chūnin Exams."
The man whistled. "Impressive. What about you, Naruto?"
"I'm not as good as Akimi with fire, but I can start a small one and augment its intensity with Fūton. I'll also have a clone maintaining the seal."
"Right then. I suppose you will want a chakra conducting metal. And maybe you should also put some protective seals? To reinforce the blade itself."
Akimi nodded. "Yes and a blood seal as well – for summoning... I'll work out the details. We were wondering if we can do it the day after tomorrow? Tomorrow we have some major training planned."
"No problem, kids. Now go, I have to close up. And good luck!"
April, 13th 214
"Good old Academy." Akimi said. "Mah, it seems like ages ago we were coming here every day."
Naruto nodded. "Very nostalgic."
"Shall we go?" Shino asked. "Is it clear how we are going to play this?"
"Sure, dattebayo. Keep in the shadows and ears opened."
They entered and started heading towards the third floor. Of course, they were a little surprised to find a room with the "302" sign only after two staircase. Akimi raised a hand to stop them, curious as what was going on.
A crowd of genin was being pushed around by two glaring ninjas on the door.
A girl was begging them. "Please, just let us through." she had brown hair, kept in two buns.
'She is strong. Her muscles are very developed. She is acting, obviously. She is too... whiny.' Akimi noted.
"You are pathetic!" one of the bullies in front of the door said. "The Chūnin exams are though. I should know, since I failed them myself. Do yourself a favor and go home."
'Stupid. It makes sense of warning fellow Konoha's nin, but here they are making a scene for everyone to see. Unless...'
"Drop this farce." an arrogant voice said.
"Oh, here comes the great Uchiha-sama." Naruto derisively murmured. "Will he save the day?"
"What farce?" asked the other genin who was blocking the way.
"Come on. I realized it almost immediately. Sakura, you probably got it first? Our sensei is Konoha's genjutsu mistress, so just drop it, really."
"I don't know what you are talking about!" one of the bullies said. "But I'm sure a weakling like you should get lost. This is no place for you."
"How dare you!" Sasuke leaped forward, at a very impressive speed. The other genin looked ready to meet his charge, but both were stopped by a green clad boy.
Akimi almost didn't see him coming. 'A taijutsu specialist.' she concluded.
She shrugged. "I'm bored now. Let us go to the true third floor."
Naruto and Shino nodded. "A ninja should not show off." the Aburame said, before all three of them used Sunshin to leave.
Room 302 was a large classroom with probably 200 hundreds seats. It was full of genins, some of them very seasoned and menacingly looking.
Akimi wanted to pass unnoticed, even though she was maybe a little too wishful, given that Naruto was her teammate. They met Shikamaru, Chōji and Ino after a while.
"So you are too in this troublesome exam?"
"Yes, we also saw Team 8 before. They should be here soon." Naruto said, not realizing his mistake.
Ino jumped around, in excitement. "Sasuke-kun? Where is he? I haven't seen him since graduation..."
"Such a tragedy." Akimi said, turning a page from the book she was reading. (She had to kill time somehow while waiting, no?)
Ino glared at her. "What did you say?"
Akimi raised her eyes, looking at the blonde girl. She smiled sweetly. "Sorry, I was thinking aloud. Don't let me bother you, Yamanaka-san."
Ino wanted to reply, but she saw Sasuke arrive and was distracted. Of course, it also meant she started screaming louder. "Sasuke-kun! Did you miss me?" and she jumped over to him.
The last Uchiha looked annoyed and a little freaked out. Naruto smirked.
"I haven't seen you in such a long time!"
"Ino-pig, hands off!"
"Oh shut up, your forehead is as ugly and wide as usual. Why would Sasuke-kun bother with you?"
"We are teammates!"
"Hn. You are both annoying."
"Oh, thank the Kami." Kiba approached them. "I was going crazy with those two."
"Maybe you should ask Ino to switch teams." Naruto observed.
Kiba watched the two girls have a cat fight about their Sasuke-kun. "As appealing as it sounds, even I don't hate Sasuke that much."
Akimi giggled. "He looks bruised. Did something fun happened after you left the false door 302?"
Kiba wasn't surprised they had been there. Akamaru smelled them. He eyed with wariness the small silver tiger that purred between the girl's feet.
"The crazy green clad genin, Rock Lee, challenged Sasuke to a fight. He was winning big time even though the teme used his Sharingan, when his sensei stopped them. It's creepy because they are basically the same... dressed the same way too."
"Interesting." Akimi said. "And Sasuke awoke his kekkai genkai? Didn't know that..."
"Yeah, we were attacked by a big group of bandits on our last C-rank mission." Kiba said, proudly. "Are you impressed? We were on a C-rank! I've greatly improved, so be ready to get your ass kicked by me!"
"You should quiet down." a gentle voice said. "Besides, gathering in big groups make you look weak... and may also irritate someone. Ame ninja, for example, are known for their short tempers."
"And you are?" enquired Naruto, with a bored voice.
"Yakushi Kabuto" the other genin said. He wore a Konoha Hitai-ate and had two round glasses on. "And you are the rookie nine, are you not? The ones who graduated only few months ago?"
"That's right!" Kiba exclaimed. "First rookies nominated in years."
"While this is impressive, you should calm down, this isn't a field trip." Kabuto said, darkly. "Many of the genins here are from foreign villages we are barely friendly with. They won't hesitate to kill you."
"You don't say." Akimi boringly commented, turning a page on her book. "We are ninja, Yakushi-san. We are not that oblivious."
Kabuto almost lost his composure at this, but managed to keep his reassuring smile on.
"You look very knowledgeable on this exam, Kabuto-san." Sakura intervened. "Is this your second time?"
"No." Kabuto smiled. "This is my seventh."
"Seventh?" Sasuke snorted. "You can't possibly be that weak."
"Not so much weak as more "facing impossible odds." he crouched on the ground, producing a deck of cards. He claimed they were his ninja info cards. "Here..." he showed them a diagram map of the countries, with the numbers of genins each one sent to the exam. Konoha had the most, 87, while Oto the least, 3. The total was 153.
Akimi frowned at this. 'That is an impressively complicated seal. It responds to his chakra, masking the info to anyone else. I could break it down, probably, but... failed 7th times, huh? The two things collide, unless someone else drew the seal for him.'
"You see we have fifty one teams in total, this year, it's actually a rather small exam. Usually more than half are cut off before the second exam. Two thirds are eliminated before the final stage... and if you arrive there, is not automatic you get promoted."
"It's sounds difficult." Sasuke conceded.
"Yeah. I actually made it through the first two exams several times, but the second ones hit me so hard I can't go on."
"Ouch." most of the rookies said.
"Troublesome."
Sasuke crossed his arms. "Kabuto, do you have information on single ninja as well?"
"Is there someone you would like to know more about?"
"Yes. Rock Lee. Sabaku no Gaara and... Katora Akimi."
"Why, you can just ask, you know." Akimi replied. "But I'm flattered, really."
Naruto chuckled.
Kabuto simply smiled. "Oh, you know their names... too easy." he pulled out a card. "Let's start with Rock Lee. Mmm... he graduated last year. Mission experience is 59 D-ranks, 13 C-ranks... not bad. Teammates are Hyūga Neji and Tenten. Jōnin sensei is Maito Gay. He has a high level of taijutsu and he has improved greatly in the last year, but he is almost subpar in the other fields. He stood out as a very talented genin last year but did not take the exam, so it's his first time as well."
Sasuke nodded. "A taijutsu specialist..."
"Next one is Sabaku no Gaara. I don't know why he has that title, but it stuck. His mission experience is 9 C-ranks and 2 B-ranks! Wow, that is impressive as a genin... Teammates are Temari and Kankurō, his siblings. They are actually the children of the Kazekage. I don't know who his jōnin sensei is. His abilities are unknown, sorry but he is from Suna, you know... oh, this is interesting, though: he apparently has come back from all his missions without a scratch."
That got Akimi attention. 'I've a very bad feeling about him. I mean, this means he has some kind of very good defense. And his own siblings are scared out of their mind of him...' she was pulled back from her musings by Kabuto's voice.
"... Katora Akimi. She is the first kunoichi to have received the title of "rookie of the year", being in par with Uchiha Sasuke in terms of grades, but having beaten him more times in taijutsu sparring. Her mission experience is 37 D-ranks, 2 C-ranks and 1 A-rank missions... an A rank mission?" He looked curiously at her. "As a genin?"
"Long story." Akimi replied. "Go ahead. I'm dying to know what else you have about me." 'It was classified! How did he know?' she looked at Naruto. "Get me that card when he finishes."
The blonde smirked.
"Right. Teammates are Uzumaki Naruto and Aburame Shino. Jōnin sensei is Kakashi Hatake. Abilities: she's got high levels in all the three fields. She has greatly improved since graduation, especially in ninjutsu. She has a great analytic ability and high intelligence, and is talented in Fūinjutsu as well. She also has a familiar, a small cat, abilities unknown. Apparently, her own jōnin sensei is wary of her and Naruto's teamwork, which is classified as borderline ANBU level." he sounded impressed. "And her team holds the record of having caught the cat Tora in the least time – 5 minutes and 59 seconds. How did you...?"
Akimi was flabbergasted the Hokage actually did put that in their record. And even more than the so called genin had the information. "Now, that's a secret. You already know enough about me, don't you think?"
Kabuto nodded, a little smirk on his lips. "Fair enough." he put the card back in the deck, on the top. "Would you like to know something el..."
Then it happened. A sudden blow of wind scattered Kabuto's card around.
"Let me help you, dattebayo!" Naruto exclaimed. Nobody noticed that he hid a card in his sleeves. He always knew it: had the shinobi thing failed he could have become a very skilled thief. Or an actor. Whatever.
"Thanks, Naruto-kun." Kabuto said, putting his cards away. "I wonder from where that wind came from... it's strange. Anyway—"
A bang interrupted him. At the front of the room a cloud of smoke had appeared. When it cleared, a group of people were revealed. An imposing man wearing a black trench coat and a bandana was in the front, surrounded by a group of chūnins in grey uniform. "SILENCE, PUNKS!" he bellowed, unleashing KI on them. "Sorry I'm late."
'Impressive. It's almost as high as Zabuza's' Akimi noticed the scar on the man's face. 'He is a tough one.'
"My name is Morino Ibiki." he announced. "I am proctor for the first test of this exam. We already wasted enough time as it is, so... Let the Chūnin Selection Exam start!"
He was so very tired.
The last couple of years had been bad. Very bad. He wasn't even sure how he had survived... survived. Yes, that's was the right word. He couldn't really consider it like proper living.
It had been mostly dark. Or extremely bright, he wasn't sure. But the end result had been the same: he couldn't see. Not only, but each single breath, each single movement of even a finger had been pure torture. He couldn't stand it anymore.
"Damn old man..." he croaked, with a hoarse, raspy voice. He had probably dared too much, because he broke into a mad coughing fit.
"Master!" an alarmed voice exclaimed, as a door opened. "Master, are you all right?"
He tilted his head, amazed. He could clearly make out a man's outline on the door's threshold. That was good. "No." he hissed. "I am not, but soon I will."
"Master?"
"I'm finally starting to recover." he announced, with a small smirk. "Have you found her?"
"No, but we are getting closer, master." the voice replied. "She has been good at covering her tracks."
"No matter, it will be a while before I can effectively face her." he felt like laughing, but didn't particularly want to cause another coughing fit to happen. They burned his very lungs. Damn old man.
"All this chatting has made me weak." he said. "Today I will need two."
"Hai, master." the voice answered. "But it also means we'll need to hunt soon. These are the last ones."
"Whatever. Just be careful not to be discovered. Now hurry, I'm hungry."
"All right, midgets. Turn in your application forms, you will be been given a number at the entrance. Find the chair with yours and sit down!" Ibiki bellowed, entering the nearby class rooms, where several long tables had been set up. "You will receive your test paper soon."
Naruto mentally cursed. 'Written test, damn it.'
"We have our seal." she signaled.
The blonde sighed in relief. Of course. He should have thought of that. He smirked: things were going well. They had basically passed already: there was no way in hell the girl could fail at a written test! She practically lived with a book on hand when she wasn't training, sleeping or... well, spending quality time with him.
Once everyone was seated, the tall man moved at the center of the room and started to explain the rules. "Listen carefully, because I will not accept any questions. This written exam is based on 10 problems, each one worth a point." he snarled. "Each person starts off with ten points, which makes thirty points per team. You will be deducted one point for each unanswered question or uncorrected answer. If you are caught cheating, two points will be subtracted. If you are caught more than three times, your squad gets disqualified and your paper will not be graded. You want to become Chūnin, then you must act like first rate shinobi."
The examiners, who were sitting in single chairs at the sides of the room, smirked at the genins.
"We'll be watching." one warned, sardonically. "At any time."
Ibiki gave a wicked smile, before continuing. "The squads with more points will pass into next session, but theoretically you could have only one point and still allow your team to pass. So what matter is your team's total score. If one of you gets zero, their entire team will be disqualified."
Some of the examinees started to protest at the rules, but Ibiki would not have it. "QUIET!" he roared. "Or I will send you and your team home! There is a reason for this."
An eerie silence followed the threat. 'He is someone anyone wouldn't want to cross.' Akimi thought.
"You have one hour. You will now receive a paper with 9 questions. The last one will be given to you ten minutes before the end of the exam. So those of you who will finish early will have to wait." none of the genins dared, or cared to, utter a comment. "Very well: chūnins, hand out the papers."
Akimi eyed the first question and frowned. 'The hell? This is well above chūnin level... Mmm.' She mentally shrugged. There was no way the examiner could catch her and Naruto communicating. Not even Kakashi and Shino knew the details of the Loyalty Seal they had made to each other two weeks prior. She smiled thinking about it.
Flashback no Jutsu.
"Are you sure you want to do this? I'm not even sure it's going to work." Akimi said. "It's only a first draft."
"I trust in you and your abilities." Naruto replied. "Besides, I would say it's only a framework, because it can be improved so much and it looks fine to me. Are you sure there is room for modify it?"
"Quite sure."
They were in the vault, where Akimi had built a small sealing chamber, delimiting it with high shelves. On the ground there was a complete array of seals, the very unrefined outline of the Loyalty/Telepathy seal they wanted to create eventually. Naruto was sat in the middle of the array, his legs crossed.
"Where do we do this?"
"Left shoulder. More or less where we have our clan insignia."
Akimi nodded. "Right, you know how this will go. We made an ink with only our blood and infused it with chakra. You have to constantly send chakra on the spot I'll draw on. I'll make a seal on the spot you indicated to compress and contain the seal on the ground in a small place. Do you remember the hand seals to activate it?"
"I think so." Naruto took off his muscle shirt. "I only hope not to screw up."
"I'll have a Kage Bunshin observe and guide you. Don't worry." Akimi smiled warmly at him, before throwing the ink of blood on the ground over the engraved seal. "I'll use the Shikoku Fūinto engrave the seal, then I'll set the blood on it to make a tattoo. This way, our blood and our chakra will be merged. It may be slightly uncomfortable."
"Don't worry."
"Now... start sending chakra to this point." she touched the place where the neck met the shoulder. "Shikoku Fūin!" she exclaimed, starting to draw a line.
Flashback no Jutsu: Kai
The Loyalty Seal she had modified for her and Naruto allowed them to send pulses of chakra to each other, so they could communicate through Morse code. It had greatly improved their teamwork, much to Kakashi dismay. Of course, it was only a rudimentary version, and Akimi was working hard to improve it. There was not any time to lose, though. Akimi took a calming breath and started to work on her problems.
Naruto was bored. He was not bothered by the cold stares of the examiners, or by the hard scowl on Ibiki's face. He knew Akimi would soon give him the answers. But what was he going to do for a bloody hour? He debated starting to drawing casually on the table, but eventually settled for reading the test. Maybe he could get some of the answer on his own.
'First question: a cipher. Looks difficult. Second question... the parabola, B, represent a shuriken's maximum throwing distance of the enemy ninja, A, from the height of seven meters. Figure out the trait of the enemy ninja that can be visible by the ellipse of the shuriken and figure out the maximum throwing distance on flat ground. Explain your reasoning.' Naruto read.
Or maybe not.
'What the hell? To answer this one needs to figure out data from indefinite facts. Thanks the Kami, 'mi-chan loves to analyze and is a shuriken obsessed lover... wait a second! Only very few genins could answer this. In Konoha, probably only Akimi-chan, Shika and Sakura... This is an intel gathering test, of course.' Naruto looked around, seeing some genin writing rapidly on their papers. 'So we are seated in benches with 10 seats each. Sixteen benches. That makes 160, but only 153 candidates are in the exam. Kabuto's info are revealing themselves as useful. So the intruders are probably chūnin with the right answer.'
"I've got the first one down." Akimi sent him. Naruto watched the clock. Five minutes. The girl was good. "Here it goes. To be a ninja means..."
"Number 9 fails. Numbers 83 and 149 fail with him."
Akimi had finished tipping Naruto the ninth answer with ten minutes to spare and spent her time chatting with him. She had figured out the true purpose of the test was intel gathering as well, so she and Naruto observed the other genins to pass time.
Naruto had noticed Tenten, the bun-haired girl, doing a very complex trick with mirrors. 'I think she used strings to manipulate them. She looks very handy with them.' Sasuke used his Sharingan to copy the movements of one of the Chūnins, Kiba had Akamaru bark the answer to him.
He then observed the Suna Siblings, seeing Gaara using a strange eye made of sand and then spelled the answer to Temari, always with sand. Kankurō had asked to go in the bathroom and had since then disappeared. Unless he had some serious problem, he was evidently cheating somehow.
"So he is a sand user. Probably a kekkai genkai." Akimi noted. "He gives me the creeps."
"Yeah. I don't like the look in his eyes. Ehi, do you reckon Shino is fine?"
"Sure thing. His Kikaichū were flying around me before."
"Smart guy."
"Number 71 fails. Number 121 and 17 fail with her." one of the Chūnin examiners said.
Akimi had also supposed the test was all based on mental stress. Everyone was not only responsible for themselves, but for their teammates as well. Either because they were afraid of their reaction if they failed them, or genuinely cared for them, it created a lot of pressure. A pressure that got bigger at every tick of the clock.
"Right, put your pens up, maggots!" Ibiki barked, as the clock hit 10.45. "The incompetent ones had already left us, so now we can proceed with the last question."
Temari sweated in her seat. 'Damn, Kankurō, come back!'
"But, there is something I have to say first: there will be some special rules for this question."
He was interrupted by an awkward looking Kankurō, who came back that very moment.
"You are lucky. Your little puppet show will not go to waste. Sit down now, punk!" Ibiki thundered.
'Puppet show? Mmm... so he is a long ranged fighter. I wonder how he would like our Toukai Combination Jutsu. [Destruction Combination Jutsu]' Akimi smirked. 'Thank you, Morino-san, for this head up.'
Ibiki walked and faced the window. "First, you get to choose whether to take this question or not... and second, if you refuse, your score will automatically go to zero, failing you and your teammates – independently from your performance on the other problems."
"Then of course we are going to take it! What kind of stupid question is this?" a genin asked.
Ibiki ignored him and put his hands in his pockets. "If you chose to take the question and fail it, you will..." he paused, smirking evilly, "lose the privilege to take the Chūnin Exam ever again."
Gasps filled the room, many examinees started to tremble, while other protested in rage.
"That's bull!" Kiba shouted. "There are other genin here who have done this exam before!"
Ibiki chuckled, amused. "You are unlucky, brat! Those presiding the exams change every year... and this year went to me! I, and I alone, make the rules: if you fail, you'll never get the chance to become Chūnin again! There is nothing you can do about it." Ibiki looked them over, smiling with false gentleness. He looked like a predator ready to leap. "That is why you have the chance of quitting. If you aren't confident, you can try again next year... or the year after even. So, if you want to leave, raise your hand." and he laughed again.
Many genins began to sweat. Akimi sighed and lowered her head on the table. 'I wonder how many are going to crack.' she smiled remembering Kakashi's words on the way to Nami. 'Abandon your duty is not courageous...'
Suddenly, the kid on Naruto's left raised his hand. "I... I quit. I won't take it" he stuttered.
"Number 50 fails." said one of the chūnin examiners. "Numbers 112 and 24 fail with him."
"I'm sorry Genai... Idaho. Damn it!" the genin who just gave up exclaimed as his teammates rose.
"Me too!" another one cried out. Several hands shot upwards after that.
As the teams cleared off, Naruto looked around, trying to glimpse others who may quit. 'Sakura is trembling. Even though she is probably as intelligent as Akimi, she lacks her confidence... what to do? If she fails, the teme goes with her, but Kiba is a friend.' His eyes then fell on Chōji, who also looked uncertain. He probably was afraid to take the question and fail, dooming his teammates with him, without caring at all about the possibility of never become a chūnin again. Good old Chōji. His choice made, Naruto leaped on his feet, his fists clenched. He was trembling.
"Mmm?" Ibiki looked at him with mild interest. "Something wrong, brat?"
Naruto gritted his teeth. "I only had something to say."
Akimi rose from her semi slumber. 'Oh, this is going to be entertaining.'
Ibiki raised an eyebrow. "Then, by all means... go ahead."
"Screw you!" Naruto shouted.
"Excuse me?" Ibiki asked, scowling. "Would you care to repeat that?"
"Screw you and your stupid rule!" Naruto yelled, waving his fist around. Ibiki was slightly surprised. "I'm no coward, you don't scare me! So I don't care about your threats or whatever... just give me that damn question! I'm ready for it..."
Ibiki walked towards him. "This choice is important. It may impact on your whole life. Think carefully."
"That's bullshit!" Naruto shouted back. "If I can't even face a stupid question in a stupid exam how am I supposed to become Hokage? I don't give I shit about this, I don't run away... and this is why I will still become Hokage, even if I stay a genin my whole life before that!"
Ibiki concealed a satisfied smirk. 'This one has guts. I like him.' "I will ask one more time... Are you sure? You still have a chance of quit now."
"I don't back away from my word. That is my nindo."
The proctor spotted the look of admiration and awe that many genins were giving the blonde and noticed the knowing smirk on the girl he knew was his teammate. He mentally sighed. There was no more use in keeping the farce up. The blonde had given confidence to every remaining genin in the room. 'Seventy eight. That's more than I expected.' Finally, he looked over to the other chūnin examiners, who all nodded at him, a slight smile on their lips.
"Impressive determination, brat." Ibiki said. "Then... for this first exam, everyone who is here..." the man allowed himself to smirk as he had wanted to for the last few minutes. "... passes!"
It took everything he had not to laugh at the look of shock he received, especially the flabbergasted one on Naruto's face. His smirking teammate simply chuckled softly.
"What? Wait a minute!" Sakura asked, confused. "What about the tenth question?"
Ibiki did give a sincere laugh at this, incapable to hold it in anymore. "There was no such thing, but you can call the two choices I gave you the tenth question: do you stay and take a chance, or walk away and hope for a better time?"
"Then why did you ask the first nine questions?" Temari protested. "It was pointless!"
"It was not. They served their purpose." Ibiki crossed his arms. "This was a test to gauge your information gathering skills. The questions couldn't be answered by an ordinary genin. You had to cheat, hence why if you were caught once you didn't fail but simply lost points. Of course, if your cheating was really too obvious or you screwed up too many times, you would have been failed anyway. Why?"
He took off his bandana, revealing that his skull was full of scars, holes and burnt marks.
Many genin gaped. "Torture..." was the whisper among them.
'Damn, that must have hurt like hell.' Akimi thought, feeling a surge of respect for the man.
"This is only an example of how far an enemy will go to get information. Intel has a great value in missions and battlefields." Ibiki seriously lectured. "And sometimes lives are lost to protect and find it. The info you gather or not could make the difference between the death and life of a comrade... for this reason you must be certain it is not false or tampered with. That's why there were chūnin disguised as genin among you, to see if you could choose the right people to cheat from. And the test was team based, so those of you who don't have strong reconnaissance skill could still pass with support of their teammates, testing your ability to communicate information as well. Plus, it put pressure on, because you were afraid of being a nuisance for your teammates."
"And the tenth question?" asked Temari. "I still don't get that."
"It was the main point of this test. The question placed you in front of a very painful choice. Let me explain with an example." Ibiki said. "Let's assume you have been given the mission to steal some important information from an enemy fortress. The numbers of enemies, their abilities and weapons are unknown. There may be traps... your life and that of your teammates could be easily be in danger. Do you take the mission or not?"
Silence.
"You do. To become a chūnin, a squad commander, you must show you have the guts to risk everything and the ability to face unknown dangerous mission, all the way caring about your comrade's wellbeing, even if it costs you." Ibiki solemnly said. "Those of you who don't have the determination or courage to bet everything, because there may be another future chance, have no right to become chūnin. That's what I believe. But you are here, so you have proved you are worthy. Congratulations." he smiled, sincerely. "I wish you luck for the rest of the exams."
"They'll need it!" A round shape came hurling from the window, shattering it. It was revealed to be a person, wrapped in a banner, when they launched two kunai attached to the fabric at the ceiling, the banner rolled down, hiding a sighing Ibiki from sight, it read: "The second proctor, Mitarashi Anko, is here!"
"There is no time to be happy!" a chirpy voice exclaimed. "I am the second examiner, the sexy Mitarashi Anko. Let's go to the second exam! Follow me!" and she threw her punch in the air."
Nobody moved and many looked at her like she was crazy. 'Now, she reminds me of Naruto-kun a little.' Akimi thought, appraising the strange choice of outfit of the woman: a grey fishnet shirt, a mini shirt and a long beige trench coat. 'I wonder if out there exists a powerful ninja who is normal. Probably not.'
"Damn, Anko." Ibiki got out from behind the banner. "I was giving a speech! You ruined the atmosphere."
The woman blushed slightly, before looking around. "Seventy-eight?" she asked, her embarrassment disappearing. "Ibiki, you let twenty-six teams pass? You are getting soft!"
"There are some excellent candidates this year."
"Oh, well." she said, shrugging. "I'm going to make more than half of them fail in the next exam."
That provoked some nervous looks and whispers from the examinees.
"Ah, good." she nodded in approval, grinning madly. "I can smell your fear... I'm getting exited. I'll explain the second exam to all of you once we arrive at the new testing grounds. So, everyone: follow me!"
JUTSU NOTES
Katon: Kemorekagure no Jutsu: [Hidden in Smoke Technique] C/B rank, supplementary/offensive, short to mid range. The techniques works like a big smoke bomb, but can be held longer and also used to partly suffocate opponents. It is the counterpart of Kirikagure (Hidden in the Mist)
Shikoku Fūin: [Finger Carving Seal]: C rank, supplementary. The user sends chakra to one finger using it to burn letters or seals on a surface. It requires good chakra control, but knowledge of Katon manipulation makes it easier to perform. If used on leaving flesh, it will scar, creating a permanent mark.
Loyalty Seal: a very complex seal, connected to twin seal, that basically creates a constant link between two people. For this to occur, the users need to share chakra and blood while creating the seal. With a couple of additional seal, it is very easy to allow communication between the two seals, by sending controlled bursts of chakra through them, resulting in a Morse like communication.
CHAPTER'S NOTES
About Kabuto: so, I am not sure about it, but suddenly a complete stranger arrives and starts to give you advice out of the "goodness" of his heart. He also happens to have cards with detailed information of your peers. With mission records. Not that is not suspicious at all.
Haven't the rookies ever been told not to accept sweeties from strangers?
I found it a little ridiculous in the show, so I changed it. That and we know Akimi is kind of paranoid. Oh, and there is the Wave mission classified thing that got him away. Poor Kabuto.
About this, do you want me to get rid of him or to make him survive to be a major villain tomorrow? Either way, I have things more or less sorted. (even though in the second case he will not become a crazy summoner of dead people. Or if he does, there will be a minimum. He can't just go and revive any single shinobi who died. It gets old)
About the exam: I made it like the show, if you bar the break between the first and second exam (I think Anko told them to get to the Forest of Death the next day, not immediately), but I think it's more realistic this way. The poor genin are thrown into a survival training without having time to prepare... that's more challenging.
Besides, from the latest chapter of the manga, I think Exam are always the same, at least in Konoha (without really spoilering, you could see the second exam in the tower of the forest of death in flashback)
That's all. Thank you for reading!