14. The Chuunin Exams
"Wake up!"
I groaned as something came in contact with my head. Not opening my eyes, I swatted at the air. I was expecting something else to hit me, but when nothing did, I felt sleep tug at me once more and I snuggled into my pillow. I let out a contented sigh. Ah my bed, so soft and warm-
My mattress yanked upwards, causing me to tumble out of my blankets and onto the floor. I was awake now. I rubbed at my tailbone, which had hit the ground hard. I glared at my older brother as he replaced my mattress.
"What is your problem?" I grumbled, rubbing at my tired eyes.
"I said wake up," Keitaro said simply. He walked over to the window, pulling open the brown, satin curtains. Light rushed in, bathing the room in sunlight. I hissed, throwing an arm in front of my eyes for protection.
"For god's sake, Nakao. You're going to be late," Keitaro frowned over at me, hands sternly placed on his hips.
"And so will Kakashi-sensei," I muttered irritably, glancing to the clock on my nightstand, reading the red numbers. I growled, in a foul mood, glaring at my brother. "He said meet up at eight! You woke me up two hours early!"
"It's seven-thirty…"
"FINE. An hour and a half early," I let out an aggravated sigh, finally getting to my feet. I yawned lazily, rubbing at my sleepy eyes.
Keitaro said nothing but rolled his eyes before leaving the room. As he closed the door behind him, I spit my tongue out at the closed door. Pouting, I slouched over to my wardrobe, grabbing out my clothes and headed into the bathroom.
-Twenty Minutes Later-
"It's about time," Keitaro lectured as I wandered down the stairs that connected to the dining room. He was sitting at the table, paper laid out in front of him.
I glared before pointing a finger at him accusingly. "Whatever. Don't you have somewhere to be?"
"Yes," Keitaro said, getting to his feet. "I have to meet with the Hokage."
"For what?" I asked curiously, watching as he made his way to the front door, slipping on his black ninja sandals.
He glanced up, one hand on the doorknob and winked at me. "It's a secret."
I rolled my eyes. "Fine, keep your secrets."
Keitaro flashed me a devious smile before slipping out the door. Another eye roll.
—
Kakashi-sensei had assigned squad seven to meet at a bridge near the edge of town. It wasn't very far from my house luckily enough and I arrived "thirty minutes later". My team, a bunch of suckers, were already there waiting. I could see them before they noticed me.
Sasuke stood furthest from me, leaning up against the red railing of the bridge, elbows propped atop the wood. He was staring off into the distance, a blank look on his face. Sakura was to his left, closer to me. She sat, her back leaning against the railing. Her arms were crossed atop her knees, fingers drumming against her arms in obvious irritation. Naruto sat to her left, ear to shoulder, mouth open as he snoozed.
My stomach flipped uneasily as I drew nearer and nearer. I had still needed time to recuperate once we returned home and I'd been put on leave for a week to ensure I was completely safe to return to training. When I did come back, I found that things were not the same as they'd been before departing to the Land of Waves. Awkwardness hung around us like a heavy fog. There was very little arguing with one another, and there was no talking.
Sasuke and Naruto were most affected. What had happened in the dome felt…intimate. When you're facing certain death, everything becomes more real; especially feelings. And the kinship you gain with those you survived with…well, Naruto and Sasuke weren't ready to stop hating each other I guess. They were clearly both trying to forget what had transpired between them.
As for Sasuke and myself? Well…pretty awkward. We'd managed just fine on our trip home, but when I returned from leave, things had changed. Perhaps it was the tension between the boys that made what had transpired between us more privy. And there wasn't the same obvious attempts to ignore each other that the boys displayed. But it was there. Oh it was definitely there.
Since we'd returned, Sasuke and I were as in-tune with each other as ever. We would make the same conclusions at the same time. We could train and battle and execute techniques without even speaking. And we kept…oh boy it does sound crazy…but we seemed to be catching each other's eyes. Since we'd been put on the same team, there were times that our eyes would lock and I would remember memories. And sometimes, I'd wonder if Sasuke remembered too. But it seemed to be happening more and more.
And so: the awkwardness. We'd shared our souls in that dome. I'd inadvertently revealed that beneath everything…I still mourned for the little boy I spent my childhood with. Thanks to Naruto's big mouth, Sasuke knew that my last request was to be placed beside him. How mortifying! I still don't even understand that one.
But at least I was armed with the knowledge that Sasuke remembered. He remembered those years we'd spent together and the lives we shared. He had sacrificed his life for me despite acting like I'd never meant anything to him the last three years.
But the result? Pure awkwardness. If I even noticed I was by myself with him for longer than a minute, I'd find something to do with myself. And despite the fact that Sasuke and I seemed to share one mind, over all, the team was a mess. Oh you should see Sakura. We finally agree on something. This situation is unbelievably hopeless.
As with every day, no one bothered to greet me as I arrived. No one even looked at me. I just stood opposite my team and climbed up on the railing to sit. And we sat in complete silence, not daring to look at each other.
Kakashi's arrival an hour later was welcomed by everyone. He appeared atop the arch that was the entryway to the bridge, looking down at us.
"Good morning, everyone."
We watched as he hopped down, standing in front of us. A wrinkle appeared in his mask. "Sorry I'm late. Today, I got lost on the road of life."
Naruto and Sakura were on their feet in an instant, pointing accusingly at our sensei. At least some things never change. "Liar!"
"Kakashi-sensei! What kind of missions are we going on today!? I need a really big one! One that shows my way of the ninja!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly.
I glanced at him dubiously, arms folded across my chest. "Uh…Naruto? Remember last time we did that?"
But Naruto wasn't listening. Instead, he peered over his shoulder, glaring at Sasuke. I raised an eyebrow before Sasuke noticed he was being watched. He glared at Naruto.
"I wanna say something like that!" Naruto suddenly cried out of nowhere, punching an arm into the air and almost causing me to fall off the railing in surprise.
We were back to the same tedious and ridiculous D-ranked missions. At first, I hadn't minded, as I was out of practice due to my recovery. But now that my training was back up to par, I was itching for the next big adventure.
The morning found us sweating in the backyard of someone's home. It was owned by a middle-aged woman, so cranky and peevish that I could only assume she lived here alone with an abnormal amount of cats. She was obviously too lazy to take care of her own garden, but not lazy enough that she couldn't let us work in peace and watched us carefully from a chair in the shade.
I sat on the ground, faced with the chore of weeding a patch of tomatoes. Pull, deposit in basket, repeat. I did this, stuck in my thoughts, until Sakura's voice jarred me from them.
"Naruto, what are you doing?"
Plucking a rather large weed out of the ground and placing it in the wicker basket, I glanced over my shoulder. Naruto was working on a patch close to mine. He'd been staring at the weeds he was supposed to be picking pensively before he shot a glare over at Sasuke, who was trying to pick weeds while maintaining his dignity.
Naruto scowled before ripping up every plant before him in a frenzy. Every plant, weed or not, was subject to his onslaught. I threw my hands over my face protectively as dirt and grass and debris were flung in my direction.
"Naruto! Knock it off!" I hollered, trying to glare at him through the haze of dirt.
"Hey you!"
Naruto stopped as the rather large woman got up from her seat, stomping over. Her face was pinched in anger as she stood before the blonde, hands on her hips. Naruto was oblivious to her rage. "I got all the weeds picked for you, ma'am!"
The lady's face was red, her body almost trembling from the anger. She clearly looked like she wanted to yell, but she seemed to have lost her words.
Naruto seemed to finally sense her distress. "What's wrong?"
"You picked all the weeds…along with the herbs I was growing!" the woman finally shouted.
Naruto cried out in surprise as the woman aimed several punches at him. I sighed, turning back to my own section and plucking another weed. Naruto's cries of pain rang out across the yard as I wondered if we'd get to stop for lunch.
—
Our next mission was as boring as the rest as we stood in a flowing river, pants rolled up past our knees, poking at trash and placing it in baskets strapped to our backs. Kakashi-sensei sat in a tree, reading from a mature book as we worked on silently, the sound of the nearby waterfall replacing our lack of talking. That was, until Naruto's shout grabbed our attention.
"Ahhh! Help me!"
I whirled around, abandoning the can that floated past me. Naruto had fallen somehow and was being swept downstream...straight towards the waterfall.
"Naruto!" I called out to him, eyes wide with worry.
I tossed the poker away from me, sprinting as best I could through the current. He flailed out his hand as I neared. I grabbed hold of a large, slippery rock, trying to catch his hand without being swept away myself. Our fingers grazed momentarily but our skin was wet and Naruto failed to catch hold.
"Nakao!" Naruto cried in fear and I screamed his name as he fell from the cliff.
His scream stopped abruptly and I noticed that Sasuke had tied a line to a nearby tree and had caught Naruto just as he'd fallen. I sighed in relief.
—
The later afternoon saw our last mission; and it was by far, the best. We'd been assigned to walk dogs. Sasuke was walking a little wiener dog while Sakura walked a type of poodle mix. I was handling a small Pomeranian by the names of S'mores. She was hyperactive, constantly trying to run way ahead, but she only succeeded in choking herself as I held the leash tightly.
"Hey! No! Don't go that way!"
I glanced over. Naruto, of course, insisted on walking the largest dog; a large bull dog. Our team halted and watched as the dog, bigger than Naruto, was dragging Naruto with little effort towards a fenced off field. A quick glance at the sign with bold, red letters reading WARNING, told me it was a mine field.
"He just had to get the big dog," Sakura sighed.
"Bakka," Sasuke agreed.
"Do you think maybe we should have stopped him from taking a dog bigger than him?" I asked, eyebrows furrowed. But none of us moved.
Neither Sakura nor Sasuke said anything as the dog neared closer and closer to the chain-linked fence. He was headed straight for a hole in the fence.
"Stop! We're not supposed to go in there!" Naruto yelled, desperately digging his heels into the ground in attempts to stop the dog, but failing miserably.
I winced as Naruto and the dog disappeared behind the fence and explosion after explosion began to light up. Red flames and dark gray smoke began to fill the area, blocking out my view. The team waited several minutes for the smoke to dissipate.
When it did, I saw that quite a few trees had been blown apart. Fortunately, Naruto was alive. He sat on the ground, seemingly knocked into shock. He was covered completely in soot and he appeared to be breathing out smoke. The dog licked at his face.
"What an idiot."
—
I was more than happy when our crappy missions were done for the day. I could only handle so much of squad seven per day and I'd long past reached my quota. I just wanted to go home, maybe practice some weapon combat, eat, bathe and fall asleep. Was that so much to ask for?
We were returning from the last mission, walking horizontally on a back road. Sasuke and I had to support Naruto between us, as he was still out of commission after the mine field. Sakura was on Sasuke's side, hands on her hips, glaring over at Naruto. Kakashi-sensei was wandering a slight ways behind the group, his book still open in front of his face.
"This wouldn't have happened if you weren't so reckless, Naruto," Sakura scolded.
"You just need help all the time," Sasuke smirked, mockingly.
Naruto reacted before I could. He pushed forwards, away from Sasuke and me with such velocity that I stumbled backwards. I managed to stay upright, but I still glanced up to Naruto, glaring. He had spun around to face Sasuke, shaking a fist angrily at him.
"Uuugh Sasuke!"
Naruto made to lunge at Sasuke, but Sakura suddenly cut in front. "If you don't knock it off, I'll finish you off."
"You guys, knock it off!" I snapped angrily, walking several steps to stand right next to my team members. "I'm so sick of this!"
"I agree. What happened to teamwork?" Kakashi-sensei asked, sounding more like a rhetorical question as he stood a slight distance away, glancing up from his book.
"Yeah, yeah! And it's always you messing up the teamwork, Sasuke! You always stick your nose into everything!" Naruto yelled.
"That's you, idiot," Sasuke glared.
"Alright, the both of you, stop it now," I demanded, stepping between Sasuke and Naruto. Sakura was still there too, but she wasn't very threatening.
"Nakao, how come you always take his side!?" Naruto complained, looking legitimately hurt.
"I'm not taking anybody's side!" I exasperated, throwing my arms into the air. "But I'm sick of having a headache every day when I get home! It's bad enough I have to deal with Sakura's face every day."
"What!?" Sakura rounded on me, fuming. Her face was actually flushed with heat. "Nakao, you're such a bitch!"
"Me! What about you!?"
Kakashi-sensei sighed as he watched his team argue and bicker. Sasuke with Naruto and myself with Sakura. Just as fists were about to fly, Sasuke suddenly separated from the group.
"I'm sick of this. I'm going home," Sasuke announced, turning his back on the team.
Sakura and I immediately stopped arguing. I glanced over to Sasuke. Kakashi-sensei took this moment to interject. "I think we should call it quits for today. I have to turn in these reports."
The words had barely left our sensei's mouth when Naruto began yelling. "See, Sasuke! You're ruining the missions and this team!"
Sasuke stopped and turned around, watching Naruto coolly. "You do that on your own. If you want to actually be useful, then become stronger than me."
Naruto's mouth opened slightly, as though he was dumbstruck. Sakura, too, was completely silent and I watched her shake gently. Was she really that afraid of these two?
"You two are giving me an aneurysm. I'm leaving," I finally announced.
I'd had enough of this squad. I was sick of always having to listen to Sasuke and Naruto fight. I was sick of Naruto being so hot-headed and sick of Sasuke baiting him. I was sick of Kakashi-sensei never intervening and always sitting around reading his stupid orange book. And I was sick of Sakura because she was Sakura.
A poof from behind me told me that Kakashi-sensei had left. Sasuke glanced at me momentarily, then turned his back on all of us, leaving. I delayed for a second, contemplating my options. The way Sasuke was walking was the quickest route I could take home, since I lived on the outskirts of the village. Taking another route, it would take at least twenty minutes longer to get home.
As I milled over my decision, Sakura ran past me, after Sasuke. "Nyeh Sasuke, how about we train together?"
Sasuke stopped, not even bothering to glance back at the girl. "Honestly, your abilities are worse than Naruto's. If you spent your time training instead of bothering me, you could actually learn a jutsu or two."
I let out a low whistle. Well damn, Sasuke.
Sasuke was beginning to walk again, but being a smart-ass, I couldn't let that go. I just had to say something. Maybe it was the weeks of pent up frustration. "What about me? Don't you have something to say to me?"
Sasuke stopped and looked over his shoulder, glaring at me. I watched him expectantly, interested to hear my critique. Instead, he only glared a second longer, then turned his back on us again, walking away. I blinked as my mouth dropped open in shock.
Sakura turned around, glaring daggers at me. I only noticed after an extended moment, then glared back at her. "What?"
"I'm on to you, Nakao," Sakura walked over to me, poking a finger into my chest.
I hissed and stepped back. Glaring, I held up one finger. "Rule number one: never, ever, ever touch me."
"God you're so annoying!"
"And you're pink!"
"You're such a child!"
"You're the one poking me in the chest, you pedophile!"
Sakura suddenly lunged at me, hand pulled back. My instincts set off. I dodged the hand aimed at my face and rammed a knee into her shin. She cried out and fell towards the ground, where I quickly grabbed her arms, pinning them behind her back. I sat atop the girl, holding her wrists together with one hand and pushing her face into the dirt with the other.
"You idiot," I glared down at her. All humor had left me. Now I was just furious with her nerve. "Did you honestly think you could lay a hand on me?"
Sakura did not reply but struggled beneath me. I let her do so for a minute before pushing off of her. She got to her knees as I turned my back on her and Naruto. Naruto had been watching the whole ordeal with his mouth hung open, eyes wide.
"See you tomorrow, Naruto," I said simply before taking my leave, ignoring the glare burning into my back.
I took the way Sasuke had taken, figuring I wouldn't be running into him now. My mind was a whirl of thought, my body still tense from the ordeal. Beneath my anger, I felt the pull of fatigue. My team literally exhausted me. Why were they always so childish, so immature, so selfish? Honestly; how hard was it to get through a few lousy missions?
And it wasn't just Sasuke and Naruto. Sakura was also on my shit list. My resentment for her seemed to grow stronger every day, whether I consciously noticed or not. She was just…useless. Where had she been while myself and the boys battled for our lives in that freaking ice dome? Where was she as we sweated and panted, trying to extend our training to the last waning hours of the sun? Where was she when any of us were in danger?
I sighed, rubbing at my tired eyes. I wondered at my luck, or lack there of. I bet Kiba didn't have this hard of a time with his team.
Kiba…
I hadn't seen Kiba in what felt like a very long time. It was a very long time, I noticed with a start. The last time I'd seen him was when he visited me at home before I left for the Land of Waves. He'd been out on a mission at the time, Keitaro informed me. He was just in the nearby village, helping out with some minor construction, but he was gone the entire week. And we'd simply been so busy the last few weeks.
If we'd been training during the day, I often went home and fell right to sleep. If we'd been on a mission I'd return home and train out back in the yard. Then I'd go inside and go to sleep. If I'd trained hard before, I trained even harder now. The impression Zabuza and Haku left on me were still fresh in my mind and I couldn't find time to waste.
But now, with my thoughts on Kiba, I felt wistfully sad. I really did miss him; especially since my only human contact these days was with a bunch of idiots. I glanced up at the sun and wondered if Kiba would still be training now. I could drop by his house and see if he was home.
I glanced about myself to see where I was. I'd been so immersed in my thoughts I hadn't really been paying attention to my surroundings. I was in the main market sector. I was deciding which path to take when something suddenly grabbed me around the waist. I gave a short, surprised screech, flailing and attempting to kick my attacker in any spot I could reach. I felt my heel make contact with a shin.
"Ow!"
I stopped struggling and blinked. That voice…
"Kiba!" I squealed happily as I whirled around, for he had let go of me once he'd been kicked.
He was pouting, rubbing at his shin. "What the hell, Nakao?"
I scratched my cheek sheepishly. "Sorry. I thought I was being attacked."
"Well I'm glad to see you won't be kidnapped by anybody," Kiba mumbled.
I grinned and slung an arm around my friend's neck, pulling him against my side. "Oh quit being such a baby. You're fine."
"So where the heck have you been?" Kiba asked, slithering an arm around my waist to give me a quick hug.
We walked aimlessly. About the same height, I could still keep my arm comfortably slung around his shoulders. My unoccupied shoulder shrugged. "Around. I've been busy; but I was just about to see if you were home. You read minds or something?"
"I wish. I was just going home actually and happened to spot you. Are you missing me already?" He playfully elbowed me in the ribs.
I rolled my eyes, detaching myself. "It's been over a month."
"So is that a yes?"
Another eye roll. "Oh yes, I simply die without your constant presence."
We shared a laugh, leaving me momentarily distracted. In just that second, I rammed into something. I stumbled backward, glancing up to see that I had run into someone's back. Said person turned around to face me.
The subject in question was a male, maybe a year or two older than me. He was dressed completely in black, including a black hood that covered his head. Purple paint decorated his face in lines. On his back was, what appeared to be, some kind of mummified pot. What was odder, however, was the headband wrapped around the boy's forehead. He was from the Village Hidden in the Sand…where my clan originated from. The boy glared down at me.
"Sorry," I apologized.
"You ran into me," the boy stated.
I shifted my feet, confused. "Yeah…sorry…"
Suddenly, the boy's arm lashed out at me and a gloved hand grabbed me by the collar of my shirt. Kiba cried out in protest as the boy lifted me up by my shirt effortlessly. I swung my legs at him in an attempt to land a kick, but the boy was taller than me and my feet couldn't quite reach him.
"Stop it, unless you want to get in trouble again," a girl on the boy's left muttered, glancing around herself nervously.
I hadn't noticed her before. She appeared to be about the same age as the boy. She had blonde hair pulled into four ponytails, two on the top of her hair and two by the base of her neck. She was wearing a pink, what appeared to be a, dress that started at her shoulders and ended mid-thigh. A red sash was tied around her waist. On her back was a long object that was nearly her height. It was thin and at a glance, I couldn't decipher what it was. She wore the same headband around her neck.
"Let her go," Kiba demanded, sounding incredibly angry. I didn't often hear that tone in Kiba's voice; not even during the worst fights between him and his older sister.
"Nakao!" I heard Naruto's voice call my name
There was the sound of running footsteps from behind me, though I wasn't in a position to turn around and look. Obviously, Naruto was there, and I felt Sakura's presence too. Then there were…one…two…three others. Their chakras weren't familiar and very faint.
From my left, I sensed movement; Kiba was going to strike. Just as he was about to do so, however, an object came sailing towards me from the right. It was so quick it was barely a blur and almost quicker than I could calculate, the object whizzed into the boy's hand. He cried out in surprise as blood squirted from his hand, and I fell to the ground on my backside. I winced, rubbing at my flank while everyone looked to their right to see where the object had come from.
It was Sasuke. He was sitting up in a tree, staring down at the two newcomers. He was tossing something up and down in his right hand…pebbles. He had tossed a pebble at the boy's hand.
"What are you doing in another village?" Sasuke glared, crushing the pebbles in his hand. He opened the hand, letting the pebble dust blow into the wind. "Get lost."
While everyone was concerned with Sasuke and Sakura was swooning at him, Kiba paid no mind and ran over to me. He quickly grabbed me by the hand and pulled me to my feet.
"Are you okay?" he asked, his eyes critically scanning me for wounds.
"I'm fine," I assured, rubbing at my tailbone for a second before glancing up at Sasuke.
Kiba looked sourly up at Sasuke. "What a show off."
I glanced back to Kiba at the odd influx of bitterness in his voice, but agreed with a mumble. "You have no idea."
What was Sasuke doing here anyway? I thought he was going home.
"Get down here you little punk so I can rip you to threads!" the boy yelled up at Sasuke angrily.
I watched, very alert, as the boy reached for the object on his back. He brought it in front of him, setting it on the ground. It rose to just above his waist. The bandages covering it began to unravel.
"Kankuro, no! Don't use that here," the blonde girl hissed.
"Kankuro. Stop."
I glanced back up to Sasuke with a start. His head was turned, surprise written on his face. Hanging upside down on the branch above Sasuke's, was another boy. His spiky hair was a deep crimson color. He too, was wearing a large object on his back. It appeared to be a gourd, held in place by a sash that ran diagonally across his chest. That was where I spotted the Sand headband.
At the sight of the boy, the girl with Kankuro began to fidget uneasily. The boy in black nearly began to shake in…fear? "G-Gaara…?"
I looked back to the boy named Gaara. Two things interested me about him. Number one was his eyes. They were a very interesting sea foam green color. Very beautiful. But his eyes were outlined, thickly, with black. It looked almost as if he had taken a whole thing of eyeliner and smudged it around his eyes. Was it face paint, or was it his skin? Secondly, Gaara appeared to be my age; younger than the other two ninja; who I guessed were his teammates. So why was he the one in charge?
"…In this world, there are kids younger than you, but stronger than me."
"You're an embarrassment to our village," Gaara said to the boy named Kankuro. "What do you think we came to the Leaf Village to do?"
"L-Listen…Gaara…" Kankuro stuttered. "Th-these guys-"
"Shut up. I'll kill you," Gaara's voice never changed as he kept his unwavering gaze on Kankuro.
Kankuro and his female companion seemed to visibly shake in fear. The blood in my veins chilled. This kid wasn't kidding around. This was insane. Who the hell were these guys and what were they doing in my village?
"G-Got it! My-my mistake!" Kankuro's voice seemed to plead. "S-Sorry. So sorry."
"Apologize to them," Gaara demanded.
Kankuro slowly turned his head to face me and Kiba. Fear was written all over his face. His mouth opened, but no words came out. Kiba stepped in front of me, holding his right arm out as if to keep me behind him. Which was strange. Not to mention completely unnecessary. "Forget it."
A noise brought my attention back towards Sasuke. I watched in surprise as, what appeared to be, sand, began to flow around Gaara, swirling around him much like my wind would if it was activated. The sand made a sort of hissing sound as it did so. A moment later, he was gone. Right in front of me, beside the other two Sand ninja, the sand reappeared, revealing Gaara.
"Let's go; we didn't come here to play around," Gaara addressed Kankuro and the kunoichi. They made to turn their backs on us, when Kiba stopped them.
"Wait."
I glanced over to him, tugging on his sleeve. I hissed in his ear. "What do you think you're doing?"
Kiba paid me no mind, making me huff in frustration. I subconsciously noted Sasuke drop down beside me.
"You're from the Sand Country. What are you doing here?" Kiba demanded, revealing nothing but confidence.
"Talk about living under a rock," the girl smirked, pivoting to face our group once more.
"Don't you guys know anything?" Kankuro sounded smug.
"Here's my passport," the girl retrieved a small, pocket-book looking object and flipped it open. Indeed, her picture was on the passport and skimming through it quickly, I discovered that her name was Temari. She continued. "You are right; we're from the Sand Country. But since you don't know, we're here to take the Chuunin Exams."
Chuunin Exams!? My mouth dropped slightly. Konoha was hosting the Chuunin Exams? Why the hell hadn't I been told!? Something in my mind clicked and I remembered my exchange with Keitaro this morning. So that was his big secret.
"Chuunin Exams? What's that?" Naruto asked clueless from somewhere behind me.
"You mean you really don't know?" Temari smirked, amused.
I felt a flash of embarrassment. Leave it to Naruto to make us look like a bunch of idiots. How would he ever become Hokage if he had no idea what the hell he was talking about half of the time?
"Uh boss…if you take the Chuunin Exams, you can go from genin to chuunin."
I glanced over my shoulder for the first time. Behind me stood, of course, Naruto and Sakura. The other three presences were Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon. They were three, small academy students who worshiped Naruto (for whatever reason). They often tried to get him to play 'ninja' with them. How a ninja plays ninja still remains a mystery. It was Konohamaru who had spoken; he was the Hokage's grandson.
"Really!? I should take that too!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly.
I sighed, feeling a headache coming on. The three Sand ninja began to walk away again, before Sasuke stepped in front of me. He called out to one of the ninja. "Hey you, what's your name?"
Temari turned around, blushing. "You mean me?"
"No, the kid with the gourd," Sasuke pointed. I looked to him, confused. We'd already figured out the boy's name was Gaara. Wasn't he even paying attention?
The 'kid with the gourd' turned back around. "Gaara of the desert. I am quite interested to know your name as well."
"Uchiha Sasuke," my teammate responded, smugly.
I rolled my eyes before I was suddenly barreled into. I stumbled to the side, knocking into Kiba, who caught me in surprise. Naruto had dashed in front of me, grinning and sticking a thumb into his chest. "Hey hey, I bet you're dying to know my name."
"I couldn't care less," Gaara responded before turning his back on us once more, and taking his leave.
It was quiet for a minute as everyone watched the Sand ninja disappear into a throng of people. Naruto was watching the ground in disappointment. Sasuke turned to look at me.
"You're just as bad as Naruto, needing help all the time," he said.
I scowled. "What!? Why are you starting shit with me?"
"Because you just wasted my time having to save you," Sasuke responded, hands in the pockets of his shorts.
I could feel heat flush into my face as the frustration from earlier, dimmed by Kiba's appearance, flared back to life. I could feel the curse words bottling up on my tongue. But to my surprise, and before I could unleash said words, Kiba stepped up beside me.
"Why are you such a jackass all the time?" he glared at Sasuke, wrapping one hand gently around my upper arm.
Sasuke glared at the boy. Anger was beginning to take place of his features. "This doesn't concern you."
"It's a wonder you haven't committed genocide," Kiba muttered in my ear. "Come on, let's go, Nakao."
Kiba turned away from Sasuke and my other teammates, dragging me with him. I glanced over my shoulder momentarily just in time to see Sasuke glare holes into Kiba's back.
—
I yawned widely, arms stretched high above my head. It was far too early to be up; especially after last night. Kiba had stayed the night by my place; which resulted in very little sleep. There was so much to talk about after all. Relaying our mission to the Land of Waves took well over an hour, even with certain details omitted. We had both sleepily forced ourselves out of our childishly built blanket fort this morning to meet with our respective teams.
I dragged myself to the dreaded bridge a little "late". I'd left at the same time as Kiba, as to not look bad, but took a nice stroll the long route. When I finally arrived, my teammates were already there. Those saps always came right on time. As I arrived, it seemed Sakura had already begun her complaining for the day.
"Ugh, why is Kakashi-sensei always late!?" she cried out as I walked onto the bridge, my footsteps echoing against the wood. "What about the feelings of a young maiden who woke up late and didn't have time to finish blow drying her hair?"
"Oh god, not that!" I cried, mocking despair, throwing an arm across my forehead theatrically as I passed the kunoichi.
Sakura turned a glare on me as I leaned up against the railing a foot away from Sasuke. "Just because you don't take care-"
"Woah, woah, woah, let me stop you there, Pinkie," I held up a hand. "My hair is already better than yours. End of argument. I win."
Sakura's hair crackled in anger, opening her mouth to respond before Naruto interjected."Hey, hey! I overslept and didn't have time to wash my face or brush my teeth or change my underwear!"
Sakura looked over her shoulder at the boy and I peered past her to him with a raised eyebrow. "Naruto that's…nasty…"
A popping noise grabbed our attention. The four of glanced over to find Kakashi-sensei had arrived. He waved. "Good morning, everyone. Today, I had to help a little old lady across the street and-"
"Liar!" Naruto and Sakura yelled.
Kakashi-sensei quickly moved on. "Yeah, well, anyway…I know this is sudden, but I've nominated you four to enter the Chuunin Exams."
"You did?" I found myself asking in surprise.
Kakashi-sensei reached into his back pouch, pulling out four pieces of paper. "Here are your applications."
"Chuunin Exams…" Sakura said wearily as she took her application.
"This is only a nomination. You don't have to take the exam if you do not wish to," Kakashi-sensei assured, handing me my application last.
Just as I grabbed the paper, Naruto latched himself onto Kakashi-sensei. "Oh thank you, Sensei!"
"Get off!" Kakashi-sensei began to pry Naruto off.
"Chuunin Exams! Chuunin Exams!" Naruto chanted excitedly after Kakashi-sensei had managed to remove him.
"Those who wish to take the exams should sign this form and bring it to room 301 of the academy building in three days," Kakashi-sensei instructed.
I glanced down to the piece of paper in my hand.
CHUUNIN EXAMS APPLICATION
Makase Nakao
The above person, under the name of Hatake Kakashi, had been nominated to take the Chuunin Exams.
Jounin Hatake Kakashi
Below the text was a line for me to sign and date. I was so distracted by this that I hardly noticed when Kakashi-sensei disappeared in a cloud of smoke. I was so engrossed in the application and what is stood for that I didn't realized I'd been moving with my team, walking side by side.
"Chuunin Exams, huh?" Naruto looked to his application with admiration.
His voice brought me out of my deep thoughts and caused me to glance past Sasuke and Sakura to him. I glanced back to the paper again, thinking aloud. "There are going to be a bunch of tough opponents there. This won't be easy…"
—
"I don't know about this, Nakao," Keitaro said uneasily, his eyes scanning my application form for the tenth time.
I rolled my eyes, sitting across from him at the table, crossing my arms and resting them on the table top. "Come on, Keitaro. I can't stay a genin forever. You took the exam, remember?"
"Clearly," he said flatly. "That's why I'm worried."
"Ye have little faith," I muttered, reaching across the table to slide my application back over to me. My eyes skimmed the text again before I picked up the pen next to me and scribbled my signature on the bottom of the paper. Keitaro watched on wearily.
"Just be careful," Keitaro resigned. "And Sasuke will be with you, right?"
My head snapped up. "What does that have to do with anything?"
Keitaro looked at me pointedly. "He's a strong kid. And he'll protect you."
My eyes sparked angrily. "And I'm not?"
"I'm not saying that," Keitaro held up his hands in defense. "I just need the peace of mind that there's someone reliable there to watch your back."
I was still glaring. "I can't believe you're doubting my abilities right now."
"Everyone has their limitations, Nakao," Keitaro responded.
I huffed. "What an amazing pep talk. 'Don't shoot for the stars, they're too high for you'!"
"Nakao-" Keitaro was looking irritated.
I got my feet, grabbing my paper angrily. "Enough, Keitaro. I hear you loud and clear."
Keitaro looked like he wanted to say something but I stomped out of the room.
—
The smoke was everywhere. It clouded my vision, making me momentarily blind. Breathing was becoming difficult. Each inhalation brought smoke into my lungs and the coughing became constant as I could no longer take in a fresh breath of air. My throat was burning, my head felt dizzy.
"Nakao!"
A sense of relief rushed over me. "Keitaro!"
The shout brought another episode of coughing. All around me was black with shimmers of fiery red, but I could hear pounding footsteps. I tried to feel around me, but I was literally grasping at smoke. Something smashed into the door behind me, sending splinters spraying in all direction. I turned and was finally able to visualize a dark figure rush into the room.
"K-Keitaro!" I coughed.
From somewhere to my right, a window shattered inward with a bang!. I screamed in response. A strong pair of arms grabbed hold one me.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
With a start, I shot up in bed, my dream -my memory- still causing my heart to race. I glanced around, letting my eyes adjust to the darkness in the room.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The sound was coming from the window. It was partly covered with curtains, dimming the glow of the full moon. Rubbing at my left eye, I kept the other trained on the window.
What the hell?
Pulling back my blanket, I slid out of bed, placing bare feet on the cool floor. I wandered over to the window.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
I drew back the curtains, expecting to find a bird. Maybe even Kiba; but it was Uchiha Sasuke who stood on my roof, hands on the window sill. I stiffened, all sleepiness forgotten. Self-consciously, hands flew to my hair, running fingers swiftly through the tangle.
I unlocked the window, sliding the pane open. A breeze rushed through, passing over my bare arms and legs, as my body was only covered by short shorts and a tank top. I shivered in response, hands going to my arms in an attempt to rub some warmth into the skin.
"Sasuke, what are you doing here?" I whispered, glancing over my shoulder nervously at the door to my room. If Keitaro caught him here, I'd be down a teammate. "What's wrong? What happened? Who died?"
He didn't respond at first. A smirk slid onto his face. I watched him confused with furrowed brows. Maybe I was still dreaming? Because this was bizarre.
"Come out here," Sasuke nodded his head, indicating the roof.
"Uuuhh…why?"
Sasuke rolled his eyes, stepping away from the window. I stood, confused, for another minute before sighing and slowly clambering out of the window and onto the roof. The shingles were rough against my skin and the wind blew my hair around my shoulders. I shook it out of the way.
"Sasuke, what the hell are you doing? Did you have a stroke?"
Sasuke was watching me. Finally, he looked away and to the edge of the roof, where he moved, peering down over the side cautiously. My bewilderment grew. Tentatively, I wandered to the edge of the roof, stopping next to Sasuke. But when I glanced down, I saw nothing.
"Sasuke, what the-" I started without looking up, but Sasuke interrupted.
"You're an idiot. A trusting idiot."
"What-" I glanced up just in time to see Sasuke reach an arm out and shove me.
I let out a gasp, the wind catching in my throat. I felt my body fall forward but I quickly twisted it, grabbing onto the gutter of my house. I quickly pulled myself back onto the roof, setting a glare on Sasuke who was watching me smugly.
"Have you lost your mind!?"
But I narrowed my eyes at the boy. Something definitely didn't seem right here. I forced the adrenaline down, calming my ragged breaths. I concentrated on the figure before me and, slowly, the vision began to change. Like an oil painting in water, the image before me began to drip away, leaving in in its place a rather square-shaped man, covered so thickly in clothing it was impossible to discern any detail.
"Who the hell are you?" I demanded, wishing I had my weapons on me. "What did you do to Sasuke?"
The imposter dropped his genjutsu, as I'd seen through it. "Very clever; you saw through the genjutsu."
"You're a poor actor. Sasuke's an asshole but he wouldn't knock me off of a roof. Now where's the real Sasuke," I demanded.
"Unharmed, for now," the imposter assured. "But the Chuunin Exams will not be so easy."
"Get the hell off my roof," I glared. "I don't know who you are, but if I see you at the exams, you better run because I will kick your ass."
The imposter chuckled deeply before he simply vanished into thin air. My eyes narrowed and I glanced about myself in case I was subject to an attack. But only the wind greeted me.
Author's Note: Bonus points to anyone who recognized the quote: "Fine, keep your secrets."