Chapter 29: Chunin Exams (1): Participating Teams.
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto. Naruto is the work of Masashi Kishimoto.
End Banner has something to say: Naruto's disguise reaches an end... in this arc, that is, not in this chapter. Read as Naruto muster up the courage to face the world! (Writing this without giving out too many spoilers is tricky, LOL.)
ALSO: Thank you to my patrons! Shout out to Michel, Andrew, Crow, and Matthew! I'll probably stop giving shoutouts after the patron number reaches a certain point, but for now, I'll keep doing shoutouts.
"Team seven, how's the mission?"
"Lord Hokage."
Inside the hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his desk with his hands leisurely resting on his lap, a tobacco pipe dangling in his mouth and smoke rising from the chamber. On the right side of the office, another small table and chair were set up, dedicated to the only ROOT division's commander.
"Jonin leader, Kakashi Hatake, reporting for team seven," Kakashi bowed, covertly glancing at Danzo's figure before standing up straight, "The mission of escorting Yukito Fujisaki-dono is successful."
Kakashi narrated the entire mission report before handing a scroll to both Hiruzen and Danzo.
Earlier this morning, Kakashi and Yukito arrived at the village and as he hoped, team seven and Habaki had already returned to the village, two days earlier than them. When he heard that team seven and Habaki's team were attacked by Zabuza, his heart nearly dropped to the ground as he rushed to the hospital.
After making sure that his team was safe, Kakashi made them recount everything that happened and went to the hokage tower to report a mission well-done. He went straight to Memorial Stone afterward.
'Thankfully, they were lucky enough to survive. Obito, Rin, Minato-sensei, father, thank you for guiding my team to survive.'
An hour later, Kakashi left the Memorial Stone after giving a quick prayer.
One week later…
When Kakashi met up with his team a week later, Sakura suddenly dropped a bombshell.
"Say that again?"
"Sensei, I want to become a medical-nin."
"Are you sure? Do you know what it means to become a medical-nin, instead of a genjutsu expert?"
When Kakashi first met team seven, Sakura's dream was as simple as marrying the last Uchiha. However, Kakashi forced her to set another goal for herself under the threat of kicking her out of the team. She relented, saying that she would strive to become a genjutsu expert.
'For her to change her mind like this… did she receive too much shock?'
"Kakashi-sensei, please don't underestimate me. I am the smartest person out of team seven, I naturally know what I'm talking about."
"Okay… then, tell me, what are the clauses of the medical-nin?"
There were a total of four clauses that a medical-nin must abide by, but most books only teach about the first three.
This was because the fourth clause was redundant, and the only medical-nin which it matters to was Tsunade Senju, the one who created them.
"That's simple," Sakura grinned.
"First Clause: 'No medic ninja shall ever stop medical treatment until the lives of their party members have come to an end.'
Second Clause: 'No medic ninja shall ever stand on the front lines.'
Third Clause: 'No medic ninja shall ever die until they are the last of their platoon.'
Fourth Clause: 'Only those medic ninja who has mastered the Strength of a Hundred Technique of the ninja art Creation Rebirth are permitted to discard the above-mentioned laws.'"
"How was it, sensei?"
Sakura's grin got wider after finishing her monologue, her chin pointed at the sky.
"Impressive, you memorized them word for word. But, do you really understand what they mean?"
Kakashi narrowed his eyes, making Sakura gulp.
"Kakashi sensei, although I'm not a medic ninja yet, I know the responsibilities of one, and I know that they are heavy to carry."
"Yet you still want to become a medic-nin?"
"Yes, Kakashi-sensei!"
Kakashi went silent, tilting his head downward.
'Rin, she reminds me of you. Back in the day, Minato-sensei also tried to persuade you to become a genjutsu expert instead, but you remained stubborn…'
Becoming a medic ninja wasn't as easy as it seems. The lives of your companions are in your hands, giving no small amount of pressure. Aside from that, medic ninjas are the primary targets of enemy forces. After all, who wouldn't want to cripple their enemy before the fight starts?
When Kakashi looked back at Sakura, the figure of Rin suddenly appeared behind Sakura, smiling at him as she held Obito's hand in the afterlife.
'Obito, Rin… sigh, it's lonely without you and Minato-sensei.'
"All right. Since you want to become a medic-nin, I won't stop you," hearing Kakashi's words, Sakura cheered silently, her smile as bright as the sun above.
"But."
Instantly, Sakura's smile turned into a flat line, her expression becoming serious as Kakashi's tone turned grave. Even Sasuke and Benjiro, who were quietly listening behind her, stood up straight like iron spears.
"You must promise me that you will train hard, harder than anyone else. And you must work toward reaching the fourth rule of lady Tsunade. Understood?"
"Yes, sensei!"
Sakura smiled and looked at Benjiro and Sasuke.
'Finally, I can start chasing after you two. In the future, perhaps we can walk side by side like the legendary sanins.'
"Now, Sasuke, Benjiro, come here. You two, Sakura, where are you going? Come back here."
Seeing Kakashi's smiling face and the faint mischievousness in his voice, Sakura tried to sneak away but found that her skills were inadequate.
"Because your injuries are all healed… We will perform another D-rank…"
"NO!"
Facing his three students' aggrieved faces, Kakashi let out a chuckle.
"You sure you don't want to do this D-rank mission?"
"Kakashi-sensei, I think my injuries are starting to act up," Benjiro said, his face painted with a painful expression.
"Kakashi-sensei, my mother—err… I'll accompany Benjiro to the hospital," Sasuke followed, biting his tongue at the last moment and changing his words.
"Kakashi-sensei, I forgot my things back at home…"
Sakura chirped.
Hearing his student's terrible excuses, Kakashi said, his tone flatter than a tape, "If you finish this D-rank mission, I'll recommend you to the chunin exams."
"Ah~ my bones have never been stronger!"
". . ."
"Never mind, I just found my things. They were in my pockets the whole time! Who could've known…?"
The D-rank mission was extremely simple. Take out the trash. After completing the mission, Kakashi registered team seven for the chunin exams and one month later, the day of the chunin exams arrived.
"Hello, my name is Hiroko Uchiyama. Nice to meet you, konoha genin!"
In front of team seven, a genin approached them.
"Hello, my name is Benjiro Suzuki, are you participating in the exams too?"
Benjiro observed the boy in front of him. Hiroko had long, silky brown hair that was tied behind his back, brown, coffee-colored glossy eyes, and a porcelain complexion with smooth, glass skin. When Benjiro first saw Hiroko, he thought he was a she.
He realized the truth when he saw Hiroko's team, which consisted of another boy and a girl.
"Yes, I came from the land of hot water. You know, our village is very pretty... the hot springs… there's a lot of…"
"Hiroko, you're disturbing them."
Seeing Hiroko blabber on and on, one of his teammates came and tapped him on the shoulder.
"No, no, Hiroko-san wasn't disturbing us at all. So, you guys came from the land of hot water? Are you the only team that came from there?"
Benjiro asked, his voice soft and approachable. Behind him, Sasuke began staring a hole through his back, but Benjiro's skin was thick enough to block it. Sakura glanced at Hiroko and his team for a moment before looking away.
There was still some time before the exams begin, and she didn't care about Benjiro making friends as he likes.
"Ah, that's correct. The only reason we went to take the exams in the first place is because of Hiroko. By the way, my name is Ken, and this is Akemi, the kunoichi of our team. You already know Hiroko."
'Hiroko, Ken, and Akemi… what are they, applying to become a supermodel or something?'
All of their names meant something along the lines of "beautiful" and "handsome."
Out of the three, Hiroko's looks were the most fragile, soft, and warm. Ken, who had slick, short black hair and dark brown pupils, as well as a strong jawline and nose, radiated a reliable man's aura. Akemi was tall, taller than Hiroko, and only a little shorter than Ken. She had silky black hair tied into a bun, her eyes looked fierce, and her pupil had a hazel color. Her lips were plump, and looked like a soft pillow, while her nose was straight like Ken's, but a little smaller.
'Dang, I'm envious of the males in the land of hot waters if all the girls are like Hiroko and Akemi… ah, Hiroko's a boy.'
Benjiro glanced at Hiroko for a moment before averting his eyes back on Akemi.
'No, don't look at Hiroko. You'll be enchanted! Bewitched!'
In Benjiro's words, Hiroko's face was like a sweet, addicting poison. Even if you knew it was poison, as long as you get a taste of it, you'd want to drink it until you drop dead.
"Benjiro-san, this is…?"
Seeing Ken point at Sasuke and Sakura, Benjiro was about to introduce them when he was outdone by the latter.
"My name is Sakura, this is Sasuke. Nice to meet you, Ken-san."
"Nice to meet you too, Sakura-san."
After the curt introduction, Benjiro looked at Sakura with his brows raised. When he saw Sakura trying her best to not look at Ken and Hiroko, he realized that a storm… no, a calamity was brewing inside her head.
He could almost see the nukes being launched inside her head.
"Yo!, Benji, team seven is participating in the chunin exams? Damn, team ten and our team is also participating, the rookie nine is here!"
Bark!
From a distance, a boy with shaggy, black hair grinned, and the white puppy on his head barked in delight.
"Kiba-kun, will you please lower your voice?"
"A-ah, sorry, Hinata…chan…"
When a soft, but clear voice echoed from behind the black-haired boy, team seven and the land of hot water's team turned to look at the owner of the voice.
When she stepped out from behind the black-haired boy, she bowed slightly to the two teams and muttered a curt apology.
The girl had a creamy-white complexion, her face was clean and sharp, void of any baby fat, and she had a pair of pale, lavender eyes. Her hair was dark blue and tied into a ponytail, reaching the back of her waist, swaying left and right as she walked closer to team seven.
She was wearing dark blue long sleeves and pants that made her long legs and arms stand out, and her forehead protector hand loosely on her neck. Because of her tall structure and her choice of clothing, she stood out amongst the other genins who were wearing a variety of outfits.
She was like a veteran military soldier inside a room full of students, and even though most of the men in the room sent burning gazes at her, she didn't spare them a glance.
"Hello! My name is Hiroko, you are?"
Before she could greet team seven, she was stopped by a boy that looked as pretty as her, but unlike her, he had a playful temperament. For a moment, she was stunned and forgot to reply, but her senses came back when she realized that the room had oddly turned silent.
"My name is Hyuuga Hinata. Pleased to meet you, Hiroko-san."
"Nice to meet you too, Hinata-san. Say, you look so pretty, I thought you came from the land of hot waters when I saw you! Hey, Akemi-chan, you agree, right?"
Hiroko turned to look at Akemi, who replied back with a grin.
"Hello, Hinata-san, sorry about Hiroko-kun's rudeness, but he's right, you know? You're so pretty, I almost fell in love at first sight!"
Hearing that, Ken facepalmed himself.
"Idiots… Sorry about them, Hinata-san. My name is Ken, and this is my teammates Hiroko and Akemi. They're both idiots… mn, they're both outgoing and so I hope you can understand."
Seeing the bright, innocent aura of Hiroko and Akemi, Hinata couldn't disagree with Ken. They were indeed outgoing individuals, the type who talked before thinking.
"Don't worry, Ken-san. I understand." Kiba is the same way. Hinata said but she kept the last part to herself.
After greeting team seven, Hinata went toward a corner of the room and waited for the proctor to arrive. She closed her eyes and leaned to the wall when she felt a gaze land on her.
When she looked back, she saw Hiroko smiling at her as he made his over.
"Hinata-san, can you tell me your secrets? How can you be so manly, yet feminine at the same time?"
Hiroko asked, his smile nearly splitting his face.
'Is he trying to hit on me? Too bad, my heart's already taken, pretty boy. Although his aura feels a little familiar…'
"Sorry, Hiroko-san. It's a girl's secret."
"Aw! Well, that's too bad," Hiroko pouted and looked toward Hinata's side. Hinata did the same and saw her last teammate.
"Umm, hello?"
"Hello."
"What's your name…?"
"Shino."
"Oh…"
Meanwhile, Shino was scratching his head inwardly.
'And here I thought everyone forgot about me…'
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