Chapter 2: A Quite Night

Eventually all the other Genin made it to the building as Kurenai's team introduced us to the other kids from their graduation class. Immediately Naruto reminded me of Reno seeing them instantly click with one another much to Hayner's annoyance. After our introductions, we were all put into a classroom seated around random other Genin seeing I was beside Shikamaru and some Cloud villager.

We were given the task of answering questions within a given time limit, but cheating wasn't aloud making me raise my eyebrow curiously. Once we were given the go, I turned the paper overlooking over the questions scrunching my nose, these were difficult.

After looking at the questions for a few minutes I heard tapping to my left knowing it was Hayner talking to me with Morse code. The only reason we knew that was because Ren-sensei made us pick one way to communicate without speaking and Hayner refused to whistle like a bird. He was saying that we needed to cheat without getting caught as I smirked twirling my pencil in my hand.

I listened as people began writing while the cloud ninja beside me smirked writing down the answers making me smirk poking the sharp end of the pencil into my finger. I watched my blood run down towards his pencil seeing he clearly wasn't noticing it.

I began masking his movements getting all the answers before my blood retracted back towards me putting my finger in my mouth to stop the bleeding. I started tapping in Morse code the answers hearing Reno and Hayner say back a thank you.

Once there was 10 minutes left Ibiki began telling us that the final answer would make or break us, either we answered it, or left but if we got it wrong, we could never try out to be a Chunin again. I saw a few people get up not wanting to never get the chance to be a Chunin, but I was confident in our team.

"I'm not afraid of this, even if I have to be a Genin for the rest of my life I'll still be Hokage!" I heard the Naruto boy yell followed by Reno pumping his fist in the air saying, "Bring it on!"

I smiled rolling my eyes as Ibiki announced we all passed the first part of the Chunin exams much to our excitement. He began talking about the importance of the tests when Anko came crashing through the window holding up a sign. She whispered to Ibiki for a moment before putting her hand on her hip smirking menacingly at all of us.

"Alright maggots, I'm Anko and I'll be your proctor for the second phase of the Chunin exams so follow me!" she said enthusiastically as we all got up and began making our way outside.

We listened to her explain the rules about getting to the tower with both the scrolls looking into the forest calmly. Everyone was given some down time to collect themselves and the scrolls as we all made our way to an entrance putting the scroll in my pack.

"What's the plan?" I asked while Hayner shrugged replying, "I'd say we get close to the tower before we start worrying about getting another scroll that way we aren't ambushed at the entrance. Reno can set traps up around the vicinity and wait for people to fall for them."

"Sounds like a plan." Reno said saluting him as the countdown began causing us all to get ready to move.

Once given the go we all quickly moved as Hayner led the way with Reno and I on either side of him keeping an eye out for any oncoming Genin. Hayner was exceptional when it came to seeing trouble ahead, his parents instilled hunting tactics on him since he was small. After a few hours we made it close enough to the tower for Hayner to stop, Reno wasted no time making traps around the area.

While Reno wasn't the best with common sense in fights, he knew how to make excellent traps for animals and humans alike. I watched quietly knowing that I would be the next person they relied on for the fighting. I twirled my kunai looking up seeing the sun would be starting to set soon as Reno gave me a thumb up signaling he finished.

I did some hand signs putting a decoy shadow clone slightly in the open going to hide a few yards away from Hayner and Reno. It didn't take long for someone to fall for the bait seeing the Cloud shinobi that was sitting beside me in the classroom.

"Hey that's the girl who was sitting next to me in the exam, she should be an easy target." He said pointing to his team making them shrug saying, "I don't see her teammates anywhere easy picking."

They began approaching me but right before an attack could hit me my clone turned around deflecting the oncoming attack with my kunai. She shuffled around deflecting a second hit and started attacking them until one elbowed her in the back causing her to fall.

"Give it up little girl you're alone and clearly outnumbered." One said making her laugh replying, "What makes you think I'm alone?"

Suddenly Hayner and Reno jumped down joining the fray as they all took down two of the other shinobi watching one trigger a trap as a large log came swinging making me duck. I watched it hit two of the Genin knocking them unconscious making me smirk, this was going to be cake. My eyes scanned to the last one seeing he got the upper hand on my clone during the scuffle grabbing her from behind tightly.

"Alright give us the scroll and I won't hurt your precious teammate." He said pointing it to her neck as I stepped out of the shadows behind him holding my kunai to his throat saying, "How about you hand us the scroll and I won't hurt you?"

I saw his shoulders tense realizing he was holding a shadow clone dropping his kunai pointing to his teammate. Reno rummaged through his pack holding up the scroll as I nodded using my fist to knock out the guy pushing him to the ground.

"Was it the one we needed?" Hayner asked as I reached in my pack holding out the scroll we had saying, "Appears so, that was lucky."

"To the tower!" Reno said enthusiastically making Hayner hit him in the head saying, "Idiot it would be foolish to travel at night, we will build a camp on the other side of the tower and go first thing in the morning."

Reno and I both nodded following his lead finding a good spot letting Reno booby trap it as I sat against a tree. We took shifts keeping watching but didn't run into much trouble beside the wildlife coming to life more once the sun set. I sighed thinking about what could be next in the exams taking my long gloves off looking over the multiple scars on my skin. Unfortunately, it was the price of using my blood in battle and I hated that they never went away, it was a constant reminder of what I could do and where I came from.

Most of my clan bore their scars like trophies showing off all the fights they were in and defeated their opponents. I thought they were ugly and ashamed of them, I never went to hot springs or let anyone see them besides during fights when sparring with Hayner or Reno. Now sometime soon everyone else would probably see them and that worried me, maybe I could get through this without having to use my blood though I seriously doubted that.

I slipped my gloves back on, I needed to face my fears and not let my clan define who I was and where I'd go in life. My dream was to one day be a teacher and train others to follow their own dreams and path no matter the obstacle in the way. This makes me wonder, why it is always so hard to follow my own advice.

"Hey Yuna, your shift is over." I heard a sleepy Reno say rubbing his eyes making me smile standing from my look out post, "Nothing to report just some wildlife moving around."

"Cool, night Yuna." He said sitting in my spot while I curled up near Hayner replying, "Night Reno."

I'll probably be posting at least one chapter a week if not more so next one will be out in a few days.