Author's Note: I can't wait to get through this Chunin Exam Arc. That is all.

Citations: Completely Original.

Chapter's Song: "The Permanent Rain" by The Dangerous Summer

Chapter 23
Dilemma

Akina woke up, she slept on the floor of Shisui's room, Benjiro not far still sleeping from her, and Shisui was already awake as his bed was empty.

She got up, going down the hall and left into the kitchen. Shisui making eggs with his mother, Yuasa. "Morning, dearie."

"Good morning," Akina smiled. "I'm going to head to my house and get some more knives."

"Sure, no breakfast?"

"I'll be right back." Akina dismissed, heading out the door.

Mochizuki Manor

Akina hopped to the roof of her home, sliding her window open, and stepping in. She grabbed some knives from her desk's drawer, but then noticed her trunk in her closet was open, she walked over to it and then to Akanah's bed that was already made. Akina jotted down the stairs, seeing Iva adjusting Akanah's obi. "Oh! Good morning, Akina!" Her Aunt mewed in her fake way.

Akanah uncertainly looked over her shoulder at Akina, her eyes filled with apology, but she furrowed her brows. "I need a kimono for the Chunin Exams… These are too big for you so Mom said I could wear it."

"Those are my Mother's kimonos." Akina held her tears back with her anger.

"Akina you have slacked off on your chores." Iva scolded. "I get a call from Uchiha Yuasa that you and Benjiro are sleeping over there. I've forbidden it."

"I've been training…" Akina pleaded. "Shisui is Benjiro's comrade."

"Akanah trains and keeps up her chores…" Iva got sterner. "Now get going."

"That kimono is not meant for the Forrest of Death, it will get ruined!"

"It's too big for you." Iva bugged her eyes out.

"No, it's not!" Akina argued. "Akanah Onee-san, take it off, please."

Akanah stepped straight on with Akina, hips swaying snottily to protest. "It's not like it's doing any use up in the trunk… There's plenty for the both of us. You won't wear it and neither will your mother because she's dead."

Akina's right hand curled tightly, Akanah's teammates coming into the kitchen from the dining room entrance at this point, Kamizuki Izumo and Hagane Kotetsu. Izumo protested, "You're going a little too far, Akanah-chan."

"Whose side are you on?" Akanah argued. "I want to look nice for the ex—"

BAM! Akanah fell back over her own feet, Akina holding her fist, Iva shocked, Akanah scrambled to her knees as she cupped her bleeding nose, looking to Akina. "This is your last warning. Take. My. Mother's. Kimono. Off."

Akina, a very calm and un-wavered person, was wavered. Akanah then stood, once again as she dared to hiss again. "Make me…"

Akina slipped bo-shurican into her hand, but— Kotetsu jumped in front of Akanah, Izumo facing Akina being back-to-back with Kotetsu. "Stop, Akanah-chan."

"We need to get going." Izumo added.

Akanah took the obi off to let the kimono fall, she glared past Kotetsu to Akina's glaring green eyes that softened to have appreciation fill her eyes.

"Let the best kunoichi win." Akanah said, and then left the kitchen to go upstairs

"You brat!" Iva growled, and Izumo remained in a protective stance of Akina, who grabbed the kimono and obi to then dash out the back door. Izumo and Kotetsu saddened by it.

The Academy

Akina ran to see Yugao waiting outside The Academy, her arms crossed. "You barely made it."

"I won't let you down this time around." Akina promised

Yugao's expression softened. "We've got this in the bag."

RUMBLLL-GRRR! Went the sound of a thunderclap, Akina and Yugao looking up.

"You know I got this friend up in the atmosphere… Another reason not to fear the sky." Akina mentioned to Yugao starring up at the gray clouds.

"Hisoka is cheering us on." Yugao smiled. "Let's go in."

Yugao and Akina walked side-by-side through The Academy halls. "Sensei told it's Room 201." Yugao looked at the numbers above each store, but she stopped to see what they came upon— A group of kids.

They surrounded some boy, who was bullying two girls. Akina and Yugao shoved the crowd away to come to the front. Watching the girl's, slightly scared by the boy that had a devilish aura to him. "Hey, guys, look at this, a couple of schoolgirls… Maybe we should escort them home so they don't get hurt."

The girl slightly behind the other, with a soft demeanor then would raise her meek voice. "We don't want any trouble. We're just here to take the exams."

"Are you calling me trouble? If you want to pass, pay up!" The boy ordered.

The other girl now spoke, her demeanor being the opposite of her friends. "MAYBE SHE IS! AND WE AIN'T PAYING NOTHIN JERK!"

The young man became steaming red, clenching his fist, making knuckles blister white. "Why you little. Just trying to save you from getting hurt, but I'll think I'll do it myself!" SMACK! "What the?" The boy breathed as his fist went into— Akina's palm.

Akina held his fist in hers, green eyes that sent a warning to him, making the young man gulp, his throat coming dry.

"You know what… I forgot it's not polite to hit a lady."

Akina took her other hand, straightening it as stiff as possible to whack across the boy, sending him flying away into the wall.

The green-eyed girl straightened her stance, to the beaten boy looking back to her as he sat slumped on the ground. To when she decided to reply, sending that unidentified stare to him. "I'm not a lady… I'm a kunoichi."

The boy wiped his mouth, standing and taking a few paces advancing. "So who am I suppose to play with while we're waiting for the main event?" He'd slip a kunai in his hand, when— Yugao grabbed the hilt of her katana on her back.

Whispers began to erupt. "That's the girl who has been selected to proceed straight to Anbu." Another voice. "She's amazing, and so is Mochizuki Akina, did you hear about last year's exams?" Another voice, "They're Squad One."

Akina attention disregarded the whispers, bringing her soft emeralds to the room number sign that read 201. "Yugao."

Yugao looked up to notice the sign, as well. She put her index and middle finger together to focus. "Release!" Yugao released the genjutsu, as the sign had a blur come over it, now reading 101.

The meek girl would gaze from Yugao to the sign. "It's not even the right room…"

"That room down there is room 102. So that means this is room 101." Akina pointed, and then kept walking with Yugao. They needed to head upstairs.

The crowd's eyes sent daggers to the boy, him chuckling sheepishly, Izumo and Kotetsu cracked their knuckles, but then— POOF!

"He was a proctor…" Izumo guessed, and then watched as Akanah followed Akina and Yugao.

They came to room 201, they all began entering the classroom, entering the first stage of the chunin exams.

"No one's here… When does the test start?" Kotetsu asked behind Akina.

POOF-BANG! "I hope you are ready. Because the gates of hell have sealed you in!" Morino Ibiki stated when he appeared at the front of the class, with his special Jonin.

Kotetsu's mouthed slightly dropped as the loud entrance startled him. He was brought back to reality, hearing Akina's voice. Seriously joking to get a rise out of Kotesu. "I'm guessing now…"

"Now's not the time for your sense of humor." Yugao scolded Akina.

Izumo secretly chuckling to his friends face, Kotetsu now sending him a glare, making Izumo instantly stop laughing. Akina then turned her attention away from the others as she looked back to Ibiki.

"I'm Morino Ibiki, and I will be your proctor for the first stage of the exam. Now if you think you're ready… Turn in your applications and pick a seating assignment card, and take that chosen seat. When you're all seated the written test will begin."

Akina did as Ibiki-sensei ordered, taking her card that read 5-3. She sat down in the middle bench in the farthest right seat. She was separated from her Yugao, who was way in front. Izumo sat behind her in the farthest back seat, him also being separated from Kotetsu and Akanah.

"Now there are some rules to this test that you need to be aware of… And I won't repeat myself, so listen up. If you are caught cheating you will be eliminated at the end of the test. There are Ten Questions to this test; I will ask the last Tenth Question once you complete answering the Nine Questions. You have one hour. BEGIN!"

Akanah was the first one to have her mind scatter, whirling almost, looking at her test. "These questions make no sense… And this guy is scary…"

Yugao chewed down on the tip of her eraser. "These are integrated problems based on prediction… They're a little tough, but Akina's got this."

Akina watched Yugao way in front of her to the left, she was writing fast. "She's whipping trough these… They're pretty easy." Akina watched to the side of the room as she seen a sentinel that marked someone down on his clipboard. "Huh, someone just got nailed. They'll have to be stealthier than that."

Akina finished answering each question, and once done, she slid her paper to the left just a little to rest her elbow on the desk, her cheek resting in her palm. She then thought back to Ibiki's words, "Anyone who gets caught doesn't deserve to be here."

She closed her green eyes as they were shifting around. "They want us to cheat. That's why these questions are so hard, they're temping us to cheat, but not get caught. It's a test for us to report back information…"

Akina glanced back to Izumo, who felt her eyes on him and could easily see her test paper; he then copied Akina's answers. He bowed his head to her as he did so, Akina looking away lazily to not be caught.

"Akanah won't make it when it comes to written tests, I pity Izumo and Kotetsu… And she did take my Mom's kimono off." Akina looked over Akanah's outfit with a smile. When Akina noticed Izumo was done writing, Akina slit her thumb on a knife in her holster stealthily, Ibara being summoned at Izumo's feet.

Izumo was freaked out, but he held his composure, giving a copied note to Ibara to swallow and disappear into the ground. Coming up at Akanah's feet, she held her squeal! "Flytrap?! But how?!" She fearfully glanced to Akina who gave an earnest nod, Akanah relaxed, taking the note from Ibara, and writing down Akina's answers on her test paper.

"Now Kotetsu… Should I give Yugao my answers, too? I'm not really worried about her, she finished pretty quickly." Akina questioned herself, but looked at the clock.

"Times up! Pens down! Ibiki-sensei ordered. "Now for the Tenth Question. This time you are not only competing against all the other Genin, but against the rest of your squad."

Everyone whispered and murmured. Akina swallowing her frustration.

"That's right." Ibiki-sensei smirked. "You're competing against your own squad mates. Whoever scores the lowest in your squad will fail. And the one who fails can never again take the Chunin Exams." Ibiki explained with eyes shut. "He or she remains a Genin for life." He opened his dagger eyes.

"No way!"

"You're bluffing…"

"That goes against every principal of The Hidden Leaf!"

"In here, I am the rules." Ibiki hissed. "End of discussion. If anyone wants to withdraw now's the time. If you choose to withdraw, you can try again later, right? Of course if one quits, then all three squad members will be disqualified. However, you'll all still be eligible to take the test again in six months time." He informed, turning to his side. "So then, what'll it be?"

"Everyone else has a one in three chance of being thrown out for good… I have a one in two odds, but I know I'm book smart, and Yugao knows it, too…" Akina's eyes shifted down to Yugao. "It means one of us is stuck being a Genin for life…"

People all around Akina got up and left, many remained. Akanah got up and walked out, surprising Akina. "She knows I didn't get my answers to Kotetsu in time…" Green eyes shifted as Izumo got up behind her, and Kotetsu, as well.

"Your comrade's future versus your own…" Ibiki-sensei reminded.

Akina's eyes shot narrow at Ibiki. "As ninja, we are to see the hidden meaning within the hidden meaning…" She thought.

"…A very tough decision to have to make." He insisted.

"No… It's not…" Akina stood up, and walked out. Yugao shocked. "Even you are not above the rules, Ibiki-sensei."

"Hmph…" He smiled.

"Does anyone else want to leave?"

Yugao shot up and went after Akina. "What are you doing? You have to become a Chunin so just stay! Anbu will probably still take me regardless if you scored higher!"

"Listen," Akina pointed back to the classroom.

"Does anyone else wish to leave?" Ibiki waited as everyone clung to their seat. "No? All right then." He said in a low growl, and then a smile pulled up the corners of his lips, his eyes closed. "To you who've chosen to remain, I have one thing to say… You all have failed!"

"What?" Shock and outrage came over all the students, murmuring to one another.

"Failed?"

"What do you mean?"

"You deceived us…"

"A classic double bluff…" Yugao realized, Akina nodded.

"You're failing us for being confident enough in ourselves?!"

"Arrogant, cocky, reckless! Not confident! So cocky that you'd sacrifice the future of your own squad." None of you deserve to become a Chunin." Ibiki turned away to come towards the hall. "You're dismissed."

Akina and Yugao stood before Ibiki, the others who had left before them already half way down the hall. "Hold on, everyone. You all advance to the next phase."

Yugao's eyes widened, looking at Akina. "You knew?"

Akina let out a breath of relief. "Well, not for certain…"

"Still, you weren't willing to sacrifice your comrade…"

"No, of course not. That'd be a dishonor." Akina closed her eyes.

"Akina…" Yugao breathed.

Ibiki by passed the girls. "Everyone who has passed… Follow me!"

Akanah hugged Akina quickly! "Yay!"

Akina sighed at her peppiness, but was glad that there was no animosity between them as cousins.

Forrest of Death (Forty-Fourth Training Ground)

Yugao and Akina approached the fence, Ibiki-sensei turning to face the small group that followed him.

Yugao stopped, Akina looking at her. "I've got a bad feeling about this…"

The Mochizuki suddenly became more solemn than usual, ready to tease Yugao. "Why's that? Is it the barbed fence, the creepy forest or our proctor?"

Yugao glared annoyed, Akina remaining straight-faced.

"Welcome kiddies, to the Forty-Fourth Training Ground or also know as the Forest of Death, to what I prefer to call it." Ibiki informed.

Akina closed her eyes with a smirk gracing her face, her shadowed lips. "Forest of the death… Well, I think that one takes the cake, huh Yugao?"

Yugao pouted, "Knock it off."

Akina then looked back to Ibiki. "I need you all to fill out these waivers before you enter."

Akanah was the one who questioned this, her affluent personality showing through. "Why do we have to fill out waivers?"

"Just in case anything happens." Ibiki smirked.

"What could happen?" Another girl from the Hidden Rain disputed, stepping beside her friend.

Ibiki would chortle under his breath, trying to hide his gleefulness. "You could lose your life… In this survival exercise."

"Uh-uh, no way. I'm going to have my mother's lawyer look at this before anything." Akanah's comrades rolled their eyes, mumbling to each other behind her back.

"There's only one way to become a Chunin… And that's to get through this forest to be eligible to continue on to the Final Exam."

Akina passed Akanah and her guy teammates, taking an application, and looking over to Akanah. "Let the best Kunoichi win."

Akanah smiled to he words being thrown at her. It was a challenge.

Once everyone had their forms and moments passed to fill them out. Ibiki would raise his voice, commanding every ones attention. "Okay people… Hand in your forms."

All the Genin did as he said and when the last Genin would hand in his form, it'd be time for the rules. "Now each team will be set at a gate. You will enter with a scroll… Each team will either have a Heaven or an Earth scroll. Your ejective is to find the opposite of your own scroll, and report to the center of the training ground by tomorrow morning… Got it?"

Squad One was placed at their gate. Yugao glanced to Akina. "You ready?"

Akina nodded.

They took off into the forest; they got a considerable distance for Yugao to look back, "Did you get it?"

"Yeah," Akina nodded. Ibara had grew under the table where scrolls were piled, Ibara swallowing a Heaven scroll.

"Where's your flytrap?"

"We were placed on the opposite side from where we started… We now have to get to the middle, Ibara is waiting underground there."

"So we just have to guard our Earth scroll." Yugao acknowledged.

Silence. That was obvious.

"This place is really creepy." Akanah stated as she kept her hands together, close to her chest and knees buckling.

"Come on… We've seen worst than this place." Izumo reassured.

"I don't know… I'm with Akanah on this one." Kotetsu agreed.

"Why do you say that?" Izumo asked as he turned to Kotetsu on the branch that they stood high in an old oak tree. "Look at this poor squad."

Akanah and Izumo stepped over to Kotetsu, to see and hear, "AHHhhh!" Bloody screams came from a squad below. "GET OFF OF ME!"

"Those poor people… We've got to help them." Akanah advised.

Kotetsu shook his head, raising his arm in front of Akanah, ceasing her to go any further. "I don't think we can… It's too late. Those leeches detect blood temperature. They needed to learn to do their research before they stepped into our land."

Akanah shivered, watching blood and life being sucked away from the Cloud Ninja. "It's okay, Akanah. We might have not been able to help them…" Izumo hopped down to the dead bodies, pulling out a scroll from one of the man's pouch. "But they can defiantly help us." Izumo turned back with a smile to his comrades following, having Akanah clap and hug her Kotetsu tight.

"Yay! Now let's get out of this place."

RUMBLLL-GRRR! It began to downpour. "Great…" Yugao groaned.

"Just a little rain." Akina said as she landed on a branch next to Yugao. Akina then was hit by a piece of ice. "It's hail…"

"Watch out!" Yugao grabbed her hilt, blocking three kunai.

Just as she blocked the kunai, someone transported behind Yugao— WHAP! Akina knocking him away with a roundhouse kick to his forearms that blocked her kick. "I've got your back. They're rain shinobi."

Yugao and Akina hopped down to the ground, it was two against three. "We're used to fighting in the rain… It's permanent rain from where we're from. Just hand over your scroll—" A larger flytrap then swallowed the boy that spoke.

"Two against two now." Akina smirked.

"Chotan!" The other Rain Shinobi shouted concerned.

"I'd be keeping your eyes over here, baby boy." Akina breathed with her smooth voice flowing calm like a wave.

"Her eyes might not be a dojutsu, but they're just as frightening." The boy thought this, clutching his kunai a little tighter, having Akina notice. Wondering why he hadn't got the nerve to attack. She'd have to push him to attack, taunting her enemy. "You need to be sent back a rank, not going for a higher one. What, forgot how to attack with a kunai?"

"I'll show you an attack!" The man shouted across the forest, charging at Akina, underestimating who he was dealing with— Passing right through the girl like she was a hologram. His eyes turned in fear— He'd appear on Akina's backside as she weaved another hand sign, remaining with her back turned to him. "Rose Style: Petal Paper Bomb!" BOOM! Akina's body blew up.

Knocking the enemy away in the wave of heat from the blast. Yugao teleporting to a tree branch, to get out of the way, watching the boy pass out as he went unconscious when he hit the granite cliff side.

A scroll rolled out of his pouch, having it unsnap when he hit. Akina reformed in her petals, piece-by-piece, until she was fully restored in her body's form. She looked at the man she had knocked out, approaching cautiously. She'd crouch down, right next to the beaten and burned boy's body.

Akina closed her emerald eyes, as she'd hold out her hand in a single hand sign of focusing her chakra. "You'll have to forgive me… Just business."

Akina turned to glance back at the Rain Kunoichi, and her flytrap being cut by a katana coming from inside its mouth. "Yugao, get him!"

"On it!" Yugao said, charging for the flytrap as he emerged, katana against katana as he blocked, stepping out of the flytrap.

Akina charged for the Rain girl that did a series of hand signs. "Water Style: Hailstorm!"

A hailstone hit Akina's shoulder for her to wince, her shoulder bleeding. "Rose Style: Green!" A green shield then appeared above Akina's head, her going to hit the Rain girl, her dodging, and then, a vine grabbing the Rain girl's ankle, Akina hitting a chakra point in the girl's right and left arm quickly.

"Ah!" She tried to break free, to then have Akina back up, the girl being hit by her own hail. "Ow! Ow! Release!" Her hail didn't stop. "Release!"

"I blocked your chakra points… You can't release your own jutsu."

She was pelted with hail. Akina then did a series of hand signs for the girl to be saved by being swallowed up by a flytrap.

Akina stood under her shield as hail hit it, looking over her bleeding shoulder to Yugao. "Dance of the Crescent Moon!" Yugao took Chotan out. "Akina, you okay?!"

"Yeah." Akina lied, as she healed her bleeding shoulder.

Yugao approached. "So Hamaki-sensei made you learn Medical-Ninjutsu after all."

"He was crushed when you said it was a waste of time."

"It isn't for people like us with real skill."

"Yeah," Akina nodded. "It's still useful though."

"I guess," Yugao shrugged, looking at the flytrap. "You're just too nice."

"Whatever," Akina dismissed, taking her hand away from the bleeding gash that was now healed. The hail stopped. "She must have ran out of chakra."

"Doesn't those flytraps use up your chakra?" Yugao asked, walking away.

The flytrap spat out the girl who had passed out, the flytrap disappearing into the ground. "They do, but they're useful, no?"

"Hmph. You have lots of chakra." Yugao smiled. "Well, we're doing good. The sun hasn't even set."

"I say we head for the tower before it does." Akina smirked.