Reaching
By LilacLilyFlower
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Unfortunately.
-O-O-O-O-
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Chapter 19
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"Let's get breakfast."
Takahiro sat up from the bed, having said this. "The first exam is at twelve in the afternoon. We need to be in optimal condition."
"Mental condition too, sir," Hikari reminded, sitting against the bed. "Besides, we have rations. It is not necessary to go to the canteen."
"There are going to be more examinees than usual there," Eisuke mused, voice muffled. He was face down on another bed, and hadn't moved for half an hour. "It would be a hassle."
"Even better," Takahiro said. "They can all get another good look at us."
Eisuke sighed. It was not the usual, exasperated sigh that his persona gave. It was a tired, weary sigh. It was Eisuke's sigh, not the General's.
Hikari looked at him sharply, but he didn't react, remaining face down. After a moment, he spoke. "Let's go then." They took some time to collect whatever they could possibly need for the exam—essentially, everything that they had arrived with, sealed in scrolls that were stored in their holsters or pouches or other seals on their bodies—and secured the room. Then, Team One left.
They walked to the canteen, Takahiro behind Eisuke's right shoulder and Hikari behind his left. There were less stares, but the tension in the room was palpable. Everyone was wary, especially since no one knew what the first task was. Conversations were kept to low murmurs, and teams from the same village banded tightly together. Hikari spotted their Mist allies sitting with the rest of their village, and she nodded to Ayame, who gave her a small smile in return.
When they approached the food, Hikari raised a brow. The first day, they hadn't blinked at the buffet-style spread. But today, it was different. Any of the numerous teams before could have done anything to the food.
But they had a solution.
Hikari smiled internally as she felt Inoichi's chakra flicker in apparent annoyance from a table to their right. "Sensei wants us, sir," she told Eisuke. He diverted their path and they joined Inoichi, who had four plates full of food in front of himself.
"I thought I told you three to meet me here ten minutes ago," Inoichi rebuked. He pushed a plate towards each of them, and Hikari knew that this food, at the very least, was safe.
"Sorry," Takahiro shrugged, digging in. "General couldn't get up," he adds, following Inoichi's fib easily.
Eisuke also shrugged at Inoichi's frown. Inoichi turned his glare onto Hikari, and she considered for a moment. And shrugged.
Inoichi rolled his eyes, starting in on his own plate. Hikari followed, eating only what she knew wouldn't upset her stomach.
"I want to talk about strategy one more time," Inoichi said. They all exchanged looks, because this was another performance. Everything was a performance. "You all know your strengths. Play to them." They nodded. It was a given, why wouldn't they play to their strengths? "Because of this, you two," he said, indicating towards Takahiro and Eisuke, "need to protect our dear Private, here. Her strength is a weakness, after all."
Oh, she was so getting him back somehow when they got back to Konoha.
"Ah, yes," Takahiro nodded. "Her temper, you mean."
"Exactly." Inoichi steepled his fingers. "After one of her outbursts, she'll be too tired, so that's when you'll have to step in." Hikari nearly rolled her eyes. It was so obvious, what Inoichi was doing.
At least, to others.
Hikari knew what her team was doing. They had, after all, discussed this before starting out towards Kirigakure. It was in the obvious that the true intention was hidden. Inoichi was setting her up to become a target, almost insultingly simply. How stupid did he think the others were? In the others' eyes, this was how things seemed. Giving an excuse to why Eisuke and Takahiro had to protect her—clearly, she was actually weak and in actual need of protection, and Inoichi was just mentioning her temper to cover this fact.
But this was where the underneath of the underneath emerged. The other teams saw her as the weak link, whether they believed Inoichi's excuse or thought they knew his reason for the excuse. But he was also inviting them to attack her.
Which would be a very big mistake.
It was a given that everyone was prepared, but Team One was prepared. Hikari's ribbon seal had been applied to every scrap of clothing they wore. True, it would only stop most standard thrown weapons, but it was better than nothing. Their blind spot—covered by her chakra chains. Together, they were strong.
And if they got separated? Even better. They could go all out with no fear of hurting each other.
Hikari wasn't stupid. She knew that they weren't infallible. There were bound to be others in this exam who noticed their actual weaknesses, were stronger, were better. But the Hokage had, with all of the information that Konoha was privy to, decided to send just Team One. That meant he was confident that they would come out on top. And that was more reassuring than anything else.
Thus, the invitation to attack. Sure, an immediate attack meant that the other teams would be fresh, but so would Team One.
It was just a matter of being careful now.
"If you want, sirs," Hikari said, "I could show you just how devastating this temper could be."
Eisuke groaned. "Kami help us all, it's already showing," he complained.
Inoichi snorted. "You have about two and a half hours left. Good luck, don't die. I'll be leaving you now." He stood up and walked over to a group of jounin from Iwagakure and Kirigakure, and plopped down amongst them.
"You know, Sensei is kind of terrifying, now that I think about it," Takahiro began conversationally. "He's the old Head of T&I, he's the Clan Head of the Yamanaka Clan, and he's really, really good at making friends despite inter-village tensions."
"I think he seduces them," Eisuke deadpanned, causing Takahiro to enter a coughing fit. "Oh, not in that way, idiot," Eisuke grumbled. "I meant with information and personality. He's good at politics, isn't he?"
"Sensei is Sensei," Hikari said. There was no need to say anything else. Yamanaka Inoichi was an unstoppable force.
"Let's go back to the room," Eisuke suggested—ordered—standing up. They did, and as soon as the door shut behind them, the three of them sat down on a bed. "Ok, let's review," Eisuke said.
"The general rules of this exam state that teams may be any size," Takahiro mused. "Good for strength. Bad if everyone in a team is required to pass."
"Killing is not necessarily forbidden, and not necessarily allowed. This rule varies depending on the exam," Hikari added. "But it would be in our best interest to merely decapacitate, due to village tensions."
"And anything seen as outside intervention by anyone who is not a proctor or examinee will be treated as such," Eisuke said.
"The first exam is always something related to information," Hikari stated.
"The second is survival of some kind," Eisuke continued.
"And the third is a tournament," Takahiro finished. "The question is what kind of twist there will be for all three."
"And how long we'll get between each exam," Eisuke added.
They were quiet, formulating their own ideas. "I believe, sirs," Hikari said slowly, "the first exam will be either a retrieval mission or an interrogation of some kind."
Eisuke quirked a brow. "Explain."
"If this were Konoha," she began, "maybe it would be a written test. But this is Kirigakure. The Bloody Mist. Things are bound to be more…ruthless, for shock factor."
"Luckily, we're ruthless too," Takahiro quipped. "It might be a carrier mission, also."
"If it is interrogation and one of us has to be taken to be interrogated, you'll have to go," Eisuke said, frowning. "If it's a prisoner swap with another team, I'll have to stay to heal them from whatever damage we do, and the Private could be hurt in ways that we can't."
Hikari bit her tongue. She wasn't happy about this. No one was. But it was true, there were ways to hurt her simply because she had a uterus. Ways that were more invasive and damaging.
"I know," Takahiro replied, grim. "I'll reverse-interrogate them during it. If the exam is even interrogation."
"There are other options that an interrogation exam may use," Hikari butt in. "For instance, each team member may be subject to interrogation or be given a proctor to interrogate. But this is less likely, since it would use more manpower from Kiri. It is much more efficient for teams to torture each other."
"Right. If it's a carrier mission, Colonel, you carry the package. If it's retrieval, we have our strategy," Eisuke decided, nodding to himself. "Let's rest up now. I'm going to take a nap." He slumped and rolled over, planting his face in a pillow.
Hikari eventually migrated to her own bed, checking inventory. After she was satisfied that everything was where it was supposed to be, she began a stretching routine, warming up for whatever the exam would be.
When there was half an hour left, Eisuke woke up. When there were twenty minutes left, they began to secure the room.
And when there were ten minutes left, they headed out.
-O-O-O-O-
"Hello."
On a raised platform, a beautiful woman spoke. Her auburn hair seemed to cling to the curvature of her body, and her lips were painted cherry red. "I am Terumi Mei, your Head Proctor for the exams."
She looked over the crowd of genin, smiling as they quieted down. When she made eye contact with Hikari, Hikari shivered. And blushed.
Takahiro elbowed her. "What the heck, Private?" he whispered.
"She is a powerful kunoichi," Hikari murmured back, slightly disappointed as Mei's eyes moved on. "I believe I have found my role model, sir."
Mei spoke again. "The first exam," she said, "will be interrogation."
Hikari allowed herself a smug congratulation.
"The exam is as follows: each team will send forth one member to exchange with another team. This member will be given a piece of information that the other team must extract from them in any way they wish. Genitalia is off limits, and no deaths," Mei explained, her ever-present smile stretching across her lips. "The opposing teams will be placed in rooms adjacent to one another, and the information of both teams, combined, pertains to the location of the next exam. You have twelve hours to complete this exam and arrive at the next location. You have five minutes to decide, now, of your plan of action."
Team One did nothing. They'd anticipated and come up with a plan this morning, even though one of their worries (genitalia) had been addressed. But around the three-minute mark, their Mist allies came up to them.
"It's unlikely that we'll get each other," Ayame said. "But if we do, shall we just tell each other the information?"
Takahiro shrugged. "Yeah, why not. Who are you guys sending?"
"Kaito. What about you guys?"
"The Colonel," Hikari replied, softly. "He is the best suited for it."
Yuno smiled grimly. "Good luck."
Eisuke nodded. "You too. See you in the second exam."
Mei cleared her throat on the platform, commanding instant silence. "Five minutes is up. Selected members, please come forward for your clues."
Takahiro clapped both Hikari and Eisuke on their backs and sauntered up. He was led to a booth, and after a minute he came back.
"Don't tell us, sir," Hikari said immediately. "To prevent reverse-interrogation. And this way, all of us make it to the second exam."
"Right," he nodded. "Well, they said I have to go with them now to be restrained in a room, so see you soon I guess."
He left, and eventually, Mei spoke again. "Remaining members, please come forward for your room assignments. You may not begin the exam until you receive a knock on your room door by the proctor standing outside. When you believe you are done, knock back in the pattern that the proctor initially knocked in, and you will be allowed to leave."
Which meant that Takahiro would also be able to meet up with them, as long as he knocked in the same pattern.
Eisuke and Hikari stepped into the booth. The proctor didn't look up from his papers. "Team?" he asked.
"Konoha, Team One," Eisuke gruffed.
"Room Three, down the hall," the proctor said, pointing with his pen towards a line of doors down a street of the village.
They went, stopping as the proctor in charge of their room stepped in front of their door. "Konoha, Team One," Eisuke said again, and the proctor nodded and let them into the room.
Inside, the room was bare, except for a single chair, in which a genin was bound and blindfolded. The genin had turned towards the door when it opened, and was now stiffly silent, hoping for some clue that would give them away.
His hitai-ate had rocks. Iwagakure.
Hikari and Eisuke waited, making no sound.
The proctor knocked.
Instantly, Hikari sprung towards the genin. She knocked the chair backwards, so that he was flat on his back, and used her seal brush to lock him to the ground. Restraint seals. Chakra suppressant seals. And for later, a sense-blocking seal. And then he was restrained, spread eagle.
Eisuke crouched by the Iwa genin, Hikari moving to stand behind his shoulder. They met eyes, nodding, and Eisuke sliced the blindfold off.
"Hello," he said.
The Iwa genin's eyes went straight to their hitai-ates. Then, he attempted to spit in their faces, but Hikari had been wary of poison, so she slammed a cloth mask over the lower half of his face.
"You won't just tell us the information, will you?" Eisuke sighed. The genin didn't say anything and only glared. "Right, I thought so." He jerked his head towards the genin. "Private, go wild."
Hikari stepped closer and leaned over the Iwa genin as Eisuke retreated to a wall, sitting against it and closing his eyes. She ran the information that Team One had been given through her mind, and her memory landed on the profile of the genin before her. "Dairo Masuke," she said.
Masuke's eyes widened. "Leaf scum," he scoffed, trying to pierce them with his eyes. "Nothing you do will make me tell you the info."
She snapped his little toe.
"Each time you deny us the information, I will work my way up," she said over his small groan, tugging on his fourth toe to emphasize her point. "Appendage by appendage. Limb by limb. And eventually, I will reach your eyes."
"You can try," Masuke hissed.
Hikari gazed at him. "Okay." She snapped his fourth toe. "Tell us."
"No."
The third toe.
"Tell us."
"No."
The second toe.
"Tell us."
"No."
The big toe.
She stared as he winced, silent, but pale and sweating. "You are probably in a lot of pain," she mused, flicking his broken toe and hearing his sharp inhale. "Chakra dulls some pain and reinforces body structures. Your bones snap too easily. I may accidentally slip and break them in a way that prevents total healing." Hikari smiled blandly. "Of course, you could circumvent this by telling us."
"In your dreams, bitch. I'm only getting started."
She continued to smile. "Yes," she said. She grabbed hold of the small toe on his other foot. "You are."
And it continued. On the patella, he whimpered. On the femur, he finally screamed.
Eisuke stood. "Private, switch off."
Hikari stepped back, watching as Eisuke approached Masuke and began healing him. "Ha," Masuke grit out. "Are you playing the nice one?"
"The Private is the nice one," Eisuke replied. "Healing is a tricky business. Small bones are the trickiest, in terms of the skeleton. Ligaments, tendons, joints—even harder. And nerves and chakra pathways are the worst." He looked up from where he was healing the tibia. "It would be extremely easy to heal them incorrectly. Not enough to cause your Tsuchikage to dismiss you from duty, but enough to give you a disadvantage in flexibility and mobility, which may, one day, lead to your death."
He shifted the patella into place, and Hikari heard it click and grate. "Oops," Eisuke intoned dispassionately. "You might not be able to bend this knee." He pat the femur, not bothering to heal it. "Proceed to stage two, Private." He retreated back to his spot by the wall.
Hikari activated the sensory deprivation seal, taking away Masuke's sense of touch. Confusion dawned in his eyes. "You will not feel the pain anymore. But," she said, "you will not know what we do to you."
She revealed the kunai in her hand to him. "I will cut your hand off. Tell us."
For the first time, he showed panic. "No! You can't do that!" Masuke strained against the seals to no avail. He tried to lift his head, but she had been careful to extend the retraint seals to his neck.
"I can, actually." Hikari took a second to catch her breath—she was slipping into character too much, too easily—and raised the kunai. "No genitalia or death. They said nothing about maiming."
She brought the kunai down.
Hikari did not cut his hand off. Instead, Eisuke cast a genjutsu, simulating the sound and smell of flesh and bone separating. "Tell us," she said, brusquely this time. "My patience is running thin, you are bleeding out, and if you do not tell us I will skip right to gouging your eye out."
"Entrance seven!" Masuke screamed, tears finally streaming down his face. "Our clue is entrance seven!"
Eisuke stood up again. "Great. We'll cross-reference with our teammate to see if you're telling the truth. If you're lying we'll continue the torture." He sauntered over to the door and knocked in the pattern that the proctor had, leaving Hikari to heave Masuke over her shoulder.
The door opened to the proctor. "Forty minutes," he said. "Pretty fast, but not the fastest ever. Your teammate is waiting in the hall."
They exited to see Takahiro lounging against the wall outside, with two Iwa genin bound at his feet with seals slapped on. "Yo," Takahiro said nonchalantly. Hikari raked her eyes over him. He looked weary, but unharmed.
"Colonel. Report," Eisuke ordered.
"I got out of my restraints, they hit me with a genjutsu, I shook it off and managed to restrain them, and interrogated the clue out of them. Entrance four, they said."
"Interesting." Eisuke turned to look at the genin on the ground. "Masuke said entrance seven. We'll see who's lying and decide what to do to you, since we'll be taking you with us."
"Why? We'll technically pass with you," one of the ones on the ground asked, hatred in his voice.
"Well, we can just injure you and not heal you, which would leave you for dead in the next exam," Takahiro said, shrugging. He signed to Hikari and Eisuke, clue north swamp.
So, the location was somewhere around the North Swamp.
They set off, each holding an Iwa genin. The North Swamp was fairly easy to find, since it spanned the northern border of Kirigakure. They arrived, setting down their prisoners.
"Oho," Takahiro deadpanned. "We have our answer."
In front of them, entrances littered the border, with chunin proctors standing in front of each one.
The entrances were numbered with only odd numbers.
"Right," Eisuke muttered. He brought his hand down on Masuke's patella, swiftly rebreaking it, and righted it, hand glowing a light green. He healed the other remaining injuries, chakra flickering out as he finished.
Hikari cancelled the seals on him. Then, she turned to his teammates.
"Break their legs. Cleanly," Takahiro said. She stomped on their legs, briskly turning away and ignoring their howls of pain. There was no need to appear merciful, because there were no sponsors or audience. Thus, there was no need to keep up Konoha's reputation as the nice village.
"Konoha, Team One," Eisuke told the proctor at the seventh entrance. She nodded.
"You pass. Please wait here until the exam is over."
Eisuke, Takahiro, and Hikari exchanged looks.
They had about eleven hours to wait.
-O-O-O-O-
A/N: I'm back! And soon!
This is great, I actually updated relatively quickly. It's a shorter chapter than usual this time, but it seemed like a natural place to cut the story off here.
So the Chunin Exams have started! Exciting, right? I have some ideas of how the second exam will turn out for our little team. Also, I watch Game of Thrones. These two statements aren't related in any way. At all. I swear.
(Mwahaha.)
See you next time!