Hatake Kakashi slouched farther in his seat when he saw two pairs of his team. Asuma turned to look at him, but he pretended not to see, focusing on the trio moving towards the genjutsu. It was a simple one, meant to take out those who had no business going into the exams.
Gai's team was already there, making a show of weakness. Kakashi cringed. Setting out to look weak was as bad as setting out to look strong. It made them a target. He turned up the dial for the volume when the mini-copy of Gai stopped a fight in the crowd. The kid was fast.
"What happened to the plan, Lee?" The Hyuga questioned, arms crossed and mouth tightened in annoyance. "It was your idea to not let anyone know of our abilities."
"I know, but..." Lee eyed Kakashi's team.
The silver-haired jonin realized what was going on. Gai's favorite student wanted to prove himself in front, and most probably against, Sasuke. He wouldn't be the only one.
Naruto/Sasuke didn't notice.
The Hyuga ignored his teammate in favor of giving a solemn nod to Naruto/Hikari. "Good afternoon, Sakasu-hime."
The trio of clones snickered.
White eyes narrowed, and a leg shot out towards Naruto/Hikari. The clone dispelled, and the Hyuga dispatched the other two.
Kakashi sighed. It had been a good idea, but Naruto was awful at acting as anyone but himself. He turned down the volume and focused on his real students. Kurenai and Asuma's teams had gone to the third floor without bothering to check out the genjutsu. Seeing them wait was boring, so they focused on his team, too.
Naruto's face scrunched up as he was hit with his clones' memories. Sasuke and Hikari were next to him, waiting.
"Hey, Hikari! A guy called you hime. I think he's got a crush on you," Naruto snickered.
"Oh? Can you describe him?"
"Yeah! White eyes, like Hinata's, and brown hair."
"Did he have his right arm and leg covered in bandages?" Hikari asked.
Had Hikari met the Hyuga genius?
"How did you know?" Naruto asked, confusion taking over mirth.
"His name is Hyuga Neji. You are right, he's Hinata-san's family, although I don't think they get along."
Kurenai muttered. "Understatement, kid."
Kakashi ignored her.
"You've met him," Sasuke stated.
"Once, yes. He holds some... interesting... truths."
"What?" Sasuke prompted.
"That everything is ruled by destiny, no one can escape their predestined fate, and everyone should resign themselves to it."
Sasuke scoffed and asked Naruto, "Who are his teammates?"
"A really weird guy in green spandex and a girl with two buns," he put his fists on each side of his head, making his point on the hairstyle. "They were trying to get everyone to see them being beat up, dattebayo!"
"Nothing else, Naruto-kun?"
The blond shook his head. The three of them stood up and entered the Academy. Kakashi shifted cameras.
"Hey, you! Hold on!" A figure clad in green entered the video camera. Lee. He must have immediately left to track down his team.
"What do you want?" Sasuke asked, annoyed.
"I want to fight you!"
Asuma made a moue of distaste. No one watching would like a Konoha genin attacking another Konoha genin for an ego boost. Genins weren't only being tested by the three tasks. Their behavior and how they accomplished the tasks were also important.
"You want to fight me... here and now?"
"Yes. My name is Rock Lee. Everyone talks about the your clan's greatness, Uchiha Sasuke. I want proof."
Hikari's face was impassive as she took Naruto's sleeve and tugged him towards the side, in the middle of both opponents.
They both charged. Kakashi, Asuma, Inoichi, and Kurenai leaned closer. Lee's speed was remarkable. He also had the advantage of knowing who he was going up against. Sasuke didn't know Lee's style, but he was doing well, managing to duck and evade his blows although his own didn't land either.
"They're both fast," Asuma remarked as neither managed to hit the other.
Kakashi nodded. Sasuke wasn't only fast because of his Sharingan. Before activating it, he had had to get faster to avoid being kicked by Hikari.
Lee was getting more frustrated, increasing his speed. Sasuke activated his Sharingan mid-dodge. He grabbed Lee's wrist and heaved. Lee somersaulted away and faced his opponent from a distance.
"That won't help you. I'm not using any jutsu, Uchiha Sasuke. Even if you can anticipate my moves, you can't stop them. Your eyes may be quick, but your body is too slow. There's two types of ninja: those born with talent, like you, and those who have to work for it, like me."
This time, it was Sasuke who charged. But Lee was ready, sliding down and flinging his leg up in a kick. Sasuke flew up. Lee joined him in the air, sliding beneath him. Kakashi's jaw tightened. Gai's student shouldn't be doing that technique in a spar like this. Sasuke wasn't even using fire.
"Dancing Leaf Shadow," Sasuke muttered Lee's move.
"Good eye. Now I will prove that the Youth of Hard Work beats natural genius." Lee's bandages started to unravel.
At the same time, Naruto launched Hikari straight into the fight. Hikari's hand closed around Lee's ankle, bringing him down with her and using her own body's momentum to launch him away from her. She retreated to stand next to her teammates.
"It is impolite not to introduce yourself to the whole group you interrupt, Rock-san," Hikari remarked mildly.
Asuma snorted.
"Yeah, weirdo! You didn't ask our names. I'm Uzumaki Naruto, dattebayo!" Came Naruto's contribution.
"Sasuke-kun may be courteous enough to indulge you," she continued, and Kakashi's lips quirked up behind his mask. Trust Hikari to let Sasuke save face and interrupt a losing fight by remarking on someone's manners. "However -"
She was interrupted by a cloud of smoke. Gai had arrived.
"That guy's eyebrows are even bigger," Naruto blurted out. "He must be Bushy Brow's inspiration!"
Lee exploded, defending his sensei. Gai stopped him and harshly reprimanded him. When he was done, they both burst out crying. It took a while for them to recover.
"Tell me," Gai addressed his students. "How is Kakashi-sensei?"
"You know him?" Sasuke asked dubiously.
"Do I know him? Yosh! We are Eternal Rivals." Naruto made disbelieving noises but Hikari elbowed him, and he didn't open his mouth. "I have fifty Youthful victories and forty-nine defeats."
Asuma grinned. "You're losing, Kakashi? What will your students say?"
Kakashi waved his hand at the jonin, keeping his eye on the screen. Gai had moved to stand behind his genin. His students were tenser than before, trying to keep both Gai and Lee in sight.
"Excuse me, shinobi-san, we have been delayed enough and would like to take our leave," Hikari stated when the pause stretched on.
"Oh! I'm Maito Gai, Konoha's Sublime Green Beast of Prey!" Gai made his 'nice guy pose', complete with a wink, thumbs up, and blinding smile.
"We are Team 7, Maito-sensei." She didn't add anything else and didn't relax her stance. Gai's smile dimmed a milli fraction.
"I'm sorry for the trouble Lee caused you, please accept my Most Youthful Apologies."
"We accept your apology on his behalf."
Gai gave Lee some parting words and was gone in a puff of smoke.
"It seems like the Uchiha clan isn't as great as everyone thinks," Naruto gibed once the three of them were alone again.
"Shut -"
"No," Hikari interrupted Sasuke, facing Naruto. "You may not wound your teammates with lies."
Naruto made to speak up.
"No," she repeated, voice firm and quiet and utterly unyielding.
She regarded Sasuke's clenched fists and gritted teeth before reciting.
"A handle
On the moon
And what a splendid fan."
Hikari let the poem hang in the air.
"I did not know any of your family, Sasuke-kun. But, if they were like you, it would have been my honor." Her sincerity could be heard even through the device.
Sasuke's fists unclenched and he shoved them in his pockets before tipping his head minutely to Hikari. She took it as her cue to continue.
"Rock-san doesn't know you, us, or how hard we've worked. He tipped his hand, but we haven't. If we can't beat him one-on-one at taijutsu, then that's fine. Do you two remember what Kakashi-sensei last told us?"
"Kakashi said 'Work together, work smart'."
It was good to have proof that his genin did in fact listen to him.
"Bushy Brow's hands were all ripped up," Naruto added, a bit timid. "He must be training on taijutsu endlessly. If we use something else..."
Hikari nodded.
"Is Eternal Rivalry a shinobi custom? Is Eternal Rival a title?" she asked Sasuke.
Asuma laughed and Inoichi smiled while Kakashi despaired. Of course Hikari would hear the upper cases. On screen, Sasuke looked at her oddly.
"Hn. No."
"It's peculiar, right? Rivalry implies factions, sometimes enemies. I thought I was wrong because Maito-sensei had a Leaf hitaiate, but Rock-san picked a fight and didn't insist on the Seal of Reconciliation."
"She's reaching," Kurenai pointed out. "Did you teach paranoia to your genin, Kakashi?"
"She's not, Kurenai," Inoichi replied before Kakashi. "The Academy emphasized the importance of the Seal as a symbol. She doesn't understand why a comrade wouldn't offer it."
"Lee's pride was leading his. It was obvious," Kurenai continued.
But Kakashi was siding with Inoichi's explanation. To them, it was a misstep and not an attempt to truly hurt. Hikari likely hadn't anticipated anyone from the Leaf seeking them out for conflict outside of the tasks. That, and Gai saying he was better than him put Hikari on the defensive.
His three genin were exchanging loaded glances.
"Are you saying we shouldn't trust anyone?" Naruto asked Hikari, blue eyes wide.
She hesitated. "Perhaps we shouldn't rely on anyone who hasn't earned our trust."
Sasuke and Naruto nodded.
"Let's go, then. We have twenty minutes left," Sasuke jerked his head to the hallway, and the three made their way to the door.
Kakashi turned down the volume. None of the jonins commented on his team's cracks, just like no one would mention that Gai had had to intervene.
They all faced the cameras when he switched to Room 301. The nine genins had decided there was safety in numbers and were standing together near the door. Asuma fiddled with the volume, but the room was so full they could only hear noise. A genin with grey hair and glasses approached their teams.
"Is he one of ours?" Asuma asked.
"Yes. I can see his headband," Kurenai replied, peering closer.
Kakashi thought the genin looked far older than his students. The unfamiliar figure was showing the rookies something, but they had arranged themselves on a half-circle. Everyone leaned back, uninterested when they couldn't see anything, until their attention was called back.
"My name is Uzumaki Naruto, and I'm going to beat you all!"
Kakashi sighed. If the other teams hadn't taken notice of Team 7 because of Sasuke, Naruto had managed to snag everyone's attention. Any old genin could take offence to a rookie's bragging. Especially those of minor villages, who tended to foster dislike for the Five Nations. Now they only had to out Hikari as Fire's hime and anyone with a grudge would gun for them. What a mess.
Before he could ruminate further, he saw Hikari and Sasuke snag one of Naruto's arms each and leap back. Team 10 followed them, not taking the time to look around for the threat.
A Sound genin jumped over the crowd and threw a couple of kunai. Instead of landing where Naruto had just been standing, he had targeted Glasses, who skidded back to evade. The whole room went silent. Another Sound nin took the opening created to corner him and throw a punch. Glasses leaned back, and the Sound nin didn't follow up. A warning? No. The lenses broke, and the grey-haired genin went to his knees to retch.
"You're not as good as I thought, for a veteran who took the exams four years running," Hunched-Back pointed out. Four years? That would make this the seventh or eighth time he took the exam. That was odd.
"Put this in your little cards... The three genin from the Hidden Village of Sound will become chunin," the one who threw the kunai said at Hunched Back's right. His left is occupied by a kunoichi with nearly floor-length hair.
Ibiki took it as his cue to enter with the blast of a smoke-bomb and explain the first task. Kakashi found Naruto on the screen, but to his surprise, he wasn't having a meltdown. In fact, he handed Hikari and Sasuke something. After taking their numbers, Hikari leaned forward to whisper something to Ino. Kakashi wondered if she was asking her friend to enter Naruto's mind and make sure he didn't fail. It wouldn't work unless the Yamanaka figured out the point of the exam quickly.
None of the nine questions were designed with genin in mind: cryptography, physics and geometry for shuriken-jutsu, geography of the five main countries, tactics involving high statistics, philosophy of the Land of Iron's samurai, civilian history of Lightning, chemistry applied to poisons, Earth's current politics with its neighboring countries, and one that was nonsense. The ninth's purpose was to signal the geniuses who managed to pass without cheating and those who cheated and were able to filter information.
Inoichi switched the cameras into the classroom and turned the volume up as Ibiki explained the points system. His genin were arranged in a triangle. Naruto was at the front, with Hikari at his left and back and Sasuke further down from the other two and to Naruto's right. To Kakashi's surprise, when they started to read the questions, Naruto was the least worried. Hikari reached for her pencil first. She started with geography. Had her parents taken her with them on tour? The question required either extensive memorizing or having been there.
"Is your genin actually answering them?" Kurenai asked, red eyes wide and not focusing on her team, confident in their abilities.
"Just some," Kakashi replied with levity. And indeed, Hikari got stuck in the middle of the cryptography question.
"If you give them enough time, she and Ino could crack that code." Inochi pointed out with a small smile.
"Is she a genius, Kakashi?"
"No, but she's very smart." It was not the typical shinobi smart, where geniuses tended to be very specialized. Hikari's knowledge was miscellaneous and interdisciplinary.
"She's from the kyokuba-dan, Kurenai," Asuma pointed out. Team 10 was already halfway done, with Ino having passed the answers to Chouji. "Look at the questions she's answered: history, politics, geography, philosophy. Kunoichi also get a unit on advanced cryptography. She hasn't touched anything else."
Indeed, Hikari seemed to realize there was nothing left to do with the code but trial-and-error and stopped. Kakashi's eye narrowed when he realized she wasn't going to try to cheat. She must have understood the trick. So, why stop at four? Even if Sasuke had the nine correct, they wouldn't pass with thirteen. And Naruto hadn't written down anything beside his name.
Sasuke, too, put down his pencil. He'd copied in small bursts and using his hair and the people next to him to remain unseen. The proctors hadn't managed to tag him for using his Sharingan. He removed something from his kunai holder and put his elbows on the table, resting his chin on top of his hands. As Kakashi watched, he murmured quietly for a while before tightening his grip. A small smoke burst out of his fist. In front on him and on the other side of the room, Naruto reached for his pencil and started writing.
That was their plan, then. Hikari was betting on Sasuke copying and passing Naruto the answers without losing any points. She, herself, just had to get one answer correct. Currently, they had twenty-two points. More than enough to pass. He guessed Hikari had answered more than one in case Naruto had forgotten something. The corners of Kakashi's lips quirked up. Putting Naruto to scout with his clones had made him able to retain information long enough to pass it on if he was motivated enough. Hikari's caution had proved unnecessary.
Now that his team was done, and with plenty of time to spare, Kakashi amused himself by scanning the room for the most outrageous cheating. He thought Ino's dropping body and Akamaru's barks were unsubtle. Was that an eye on the palm of one the Kazekage's children? Gai's kunoichi had set up a series of mirrors in the ceiling and was controlling them with ninja strings to get the answers to Lee. Kakashi wanted to snort when the mirrors focused on Hikari's exam.
Hikari noticed the glare, side-eyed who was holding them, and signed. Naruto has the answers. You'll owe my team a favor. Gai's kunoichi wavered, but Kakashi thought it was smart. Team 7 could handle losing two more points. Gai's team risked getting more points deducted by shifting the mirrors to a target who'd make a fuss. Finally, the mirror twinkled in agreement before shifting targets. When the glare diminished and to Kakashi's surprise, Hikari picked up her pencil again. She started filling out the borders of the pages. Was she trying to crack the code?
"Asuma, zoom into Hikari-chan's exam," Inoichi ordered, eyes sharp.
Asuma did, but it didn't help. The camera managed to capture what part of the paper was being filled out but not the actual writing. And Hikari's own body was blocking part of their view of her test.
"To Ino's, please."
To everyone's surprise, the blonde girl was filling out the back of the paper.
"What are they doing?" Asuma asked.
"I don't know, but I want both of their exams here," Inoichi replied.
The rest of fifty-five bbminutes passed in silence. Ibiki called their attention back and asked if any wanted to leave before the tenth question was revealed.
For the first time, Naruto looked worried as the genin next to him raised his hand and exited the room. He did a near full twist in his seat, looking towards Hikari. She arched her eyebrow at him and pointedly relaxed her body, stretching her legs in front of her and crossing them at the ankles. Reassured, Naruto faced the front again.
Genin continued to file out, unable to withstand the pressure. Finally, Ibiki congratulated the twenty-two teams that remained and explained the real exam. Naruto burst out in nervous laughter, putting his arms behind his head.
"Please! You couldn't trick me! You need to be really blind to not have seen through the ruse, right, Hinata?"
Kakashi sweat dropped. Naruto hadn't understood the point of the exam. The only reason he'd cheated was because he'd gone into the exam planning to cheat. He had most likely thought nothing of Sasuke passing him the answers. He'd turned to Hikari because she hadn't yet used the Shadow Clone. He had been checking if she was confident she could answer and pass it to him. Ibiki's mind games hadn't worked on Naruto... because he hadn't caught on to them.
Anko shattered the window as she entered the room and announced herself as the proctor for the next exam.
She let them converge back into team before announcing next task's location. Anko let the foreboding name scare the genin more than Ibiki's scarred flesh had managed. Then, she flashed a map and started explaining.
Kakashi tuned her out, already knowing how it would go. Each team would sign a consent form, be given either an Earth or Sky parchment, and go to a separate Academy room. There, they'd wait until a chunin lead them to an entry. Twenty-two doors would open at the same time, and the second task would start. The teams would have to fight to arrive at the tower in the space of five days with a complete set of parchments and the three members of the team.
Meanwhile, Ibiki assembled the exams and joined the lounge. Inoichi waved him over.
"Yamanaka Ino and Sakasu Hikari's exams, please."
Ibiki handed them over. "Why? Your daughter did well, but it's not a surprise with her jutsu. And I was already planning on flagging the other girl's exam. Kakashi, your kunoichi answered four correct, if a bit unusually."
"I'll read them later," Kakashi promised.
"Because they left a message," Inoichi answered, taking Ino's paper first. Asuma moved to his side, gazing at his student's exam. Kakashi took Hikari's, trying to make sense of the writing in the borders. "Kunoichi have to make up a code as one of their final projects in the Academy. This is Ino's."
"Do you know Hikari's, too?" Kakashi asked. He could crack a genin's code, but it'd take time.
"Even Hikari-chan doesn't know her code until she's writing it," Inoichi scoffed.
"Excuse me?"
"Her code shifts. You know how some codes require you to have a phrase to solve them?" Kakashi nodded and Inoichi continued. "Hikari-chan's phrase changes. She usually sets it to a poem. You have to figure out which one. It's more difficult than you think because she uses kyokuba-dan ones. Some aren't even published."
Kakashi rubbed his temple. He didn't have time to go to a bookstore and buy poetry books that may or may not contain the answer. But Hikari must have known that. He scanned the page more carefully. There. The exam had printed a picture of a mountain in the geography question. In its center, she'd added in tiny kanji "message" and an arrow to the writings in the border. Subtle. They would have missed it if they hadn't been looking for it. Yamanaka meant "middle of the mountain". He glanced at Ino's paper. Similar patterns.
"Do they know the other's code? Maybe Hikari used Ino's."
"Oh, yes. That'd make sense. Ino is telling me of the grey-haired genin who approached them. Yakushi Kabuto. She says he has some type of cards that, when infused with his chakra, show the genin's stats. She thought he was a chunin, planted there, but Hikari-chan thought even a chunin wouldn't have intel on both Konoha's and Sand's shinobi. Yakushi Kabuto has both Gaara's and Rock Lee's mission count, by rank. She included some of what she remembered."
Ibiki, Kakashi, and Asuma stiffened. No genin had access to their village's records. Much less another's. Kakashi was glad he'd made them mark down Waves to a B-rank. He was also glad he'd been too lazy to update their files since they'd graduated.
"According to Ino, he didn't seem scared after the Sound nin hurt him, just annoyed. She finishes by telling me he only took an interest in them only after Team 7 came in."
Kakashi handed Hikari's exam over.
"Hikari-chan's message is shorter. His name, cards, and a couple of things he told them. He had the categories of data on the genin by geographical location. He also didn't need a name to find a card. He claimed a general description of the shinobi or name of their village was enough. Hikari-chan says Kabuto knew Gaara of the Sand had done a B rank and returned without a scratch."
Information he couldn't get just from a glance at Sand's records of missions. This was more than troubling.
"I'll go report this to Hokage-sama and pull Kabuto's file," Inoichi finished. "After that, you can request Hikari-chan's exam back, but the Sandaime will want to see the messages first-hand."
Kakashi nodded in thanks before turning his eye to the cameras. Inoichi could handle debriefing and finding out everything on Kabuto, his teammates, and sensei. Kakashi had to keep his eye on his students, especially if this Kabuto had an interest in them, for as long as he could. The cameras on the Forest of Death wouldn't be a great source of information. Already, some had scratches of had been destroyed by wildlife. He fiddled with the mechanisms until he could see and hear the room they were in. His genin had drawn out a map of the Forest of Death, tagging the water sources and outer doors. It looked like Sasuke had put the Sharingan to use again. Good.
"- surrounded by enemies for five days. We'll need to remain alert all of the time." Sasuke was saying.
"The wildlife is a danger, too, especially if we're weakened or tired," Hikari added. "Most teams will do the exact same thing: head for water. We need to be prepared for that."
"Some will stumble about blindly, trying to find the water. We need to make sure we don't. Others will go directly for other teams," Sasuke picked up the train of thought.
"They told us it was ten kilometers to the tower" Hikari continued, drawing a radius in the drawing. "That means the edges is about what... sixty-three kilometers long? And how many doors, again?"
"Forty-four," Sasuke answered. "If they put a team in the next one, we have about seven hundred meters of wall between us. There are twenty-two teams. If they put empty doors between each team, we'll have a kilometer and a half on either side. Less because we'd move in a straight line and not along the edges. As everyone moves in, we'll get closer even if they don't head towards us."
Kakashi's eyebrow went up. They were being smart and working together. He was so proud.
"So, clones?" Naruto asked.
"Hn. Yes. We need to find out where we are first. Some doors are near water, others aren't."
"I don't think we should head straight to the tower," Hikari stated, surprising her teammates.
"Why? We can do this, dattebayo!"
But Sasuke was considering Hikari's statement closer. "You think it'll be the combat zone. That the tower can turn into an ambush."
Hikari nodded. "It can turn into a blood-bath if they don't separate the teams that make it there. They set it as a goal, and most will see it as a safe zone. But they never guaranteed we were done when we got there. We fight better in open spaces, so we should touch the tower with little time left."
The chunin arrived, gesturing for them to wrap it up and follow her.
"Who is carrying the scroll?" Hikari asked.
They all stared at the scroll in front of them. Naruto and Sasuke exchanged measuring glances, gazes narrowed.
"Hikari," Sasuke settled. "She's fast and the ribbon is defensive." He held it out to her. "You can get away and guard the scroll if you need to. And no one will expect it."
Because everyone knew of the Uchiha and Naruto had made himself known, while Hikari had refused to give her name out.
Naruto made a face but said nothing as Hikari put the scroll in her jacket's inner pocket.
Kakashi changed cameras to their door and waited impatiently.
"We have an advantage in this task. We've trained to fight together against a group," Hikari said as soon as they got there. "We can get more than the one needed to complete the set."
"What for? We only need two!"
"To disqualify other teams, dobe. Have you forgotten the last task is individual matches?" The chunin startled but dismissed them. Genin weren't supposed to know what the third task was, but it was the same one every year and public. It was not unusual for genin to figure it out.
Hiakari hesitated. "The scrolls can be even more valuable than that. As we get near the time limit, they'll become priceless. Whatever we need, we can trade for by passing one over. And if teams hit us one after the other, we can give one up and conserve our strength."
"We can beat anyone. We shouldn't hand one over to avoid a fight!"
"Hikari is not saying we should run away screaming, dobe. It's a fail-safe," Sasuke interrupted.
"Fine, teme. Fine, I agree. More scrolls mean more fights, dattebayo! But we're not giving the ones we get easily!"
Kakashi fought the urge to laugh. Team 7 had just become a team of collectors. Collectors were either the lowest of the low or the saviors of the village's teams, depending on who you asked. All because Hikari thought it was practical to have spare scrolls, and she wanted favors to call on.
The chunin, too, looked amused as she started fiddling with the lock. It was time. He glanced over. Asuma and Kurenai were moving their screens one next to the other. He did the same. Team 8 and Team 10 would most likely be more peaceful to watch. More eyes on his team meant they'd miss less things if something happened. And, if his genin stuck to the outer rings, Kakashi could keep an eye on them for a couple of days.