Chapter 18: Chūnin Exams, it's okay to cheat!

Ino sat straight. Legs crossed, but fingers clutching the life out of the exam paper. The ticking of the clock faded out of her awareness along the occasional rustling sound of the sheets of papers which the proctors held in theirs hands. The sun light entered through the window, bathing half the classroom from the east. Thoughts of expectations and disappointments buzzed inside Ino's mind. Advancing in rank no longer seem likely. She was going to fail.

Ino placed the sheet back on the table, and twisted her upper body side to side as if trying to crack her back. Once those bone cracking sounds were made, Ino picked up the sheet again to give it another try. Still, when the answer didn't come to her, Ino loosened the tie holding her hair, thinking that would ease her headache. But it didn't.

Shikamaru was slouched behind the desk watching Ino's stress unfold. He rolled his eyes and decided to give her five minutes before she reaches out to him. He rested his head on the table, and closed his eyes while revising what he knew about her abilities.

She had yet to advance her abilities to the level of her father which includes sensing feelings and memories while inside a target's body. In other words, Ino wasn't a mind reader. During the mind-transfer-technique, Ino pushes a person's consciousness aside, and takes control over. So at the time, she could only project herself into the body of another so that she may control said body.

And for now, Shikamaru was glad for this because he wouldn't want his overflowing thoughts of Hinata to surface with no warning while Ino poked around inside his mind.

Few minutes went by, and just like Shikamaru predicted, Ino used her mind-transfer-technique to project her soul into his body with the purpose of speaking to him about the exam. He had already deciphered Ibiki's words-similar to how Hinata had-and worked out what was meant to be done. Ino took on the role to relay the message to Chouji. And her contribution made Chouji realize just how nice it was to have her on the team. She had the most important task. Her task was to collect the answers and relay it to them.

Having been used to always hold a bag of chips, Chouji fidgeted impatiently with the pencil. He tapped the pencil repeatedly against his desk, earning a glare from several other genins; for getting the proctors' attention to their location. And having the proctors' attention on them made it hard for others to cheat. Shikamaru saw this, and wondered if Chouji did that knowingly. If he did, then Shikamaru applauded his friend.

And just like that, forty minutes melted away like candle wax. Team 8 and team 10 were done with the ten questions. Twenty minutes remained, and Ino become bored. In order to keep herself entertained during the amount of time that was left, Ino use the mind-transfer-technique to hang out inside Hinata's body.

'W-What is this? Why can't I move? Have I been paralyzed by the fear of failing?' Hinata asked herself. But she heard a voice inside her head.

'Knock, knock. Ino's here." The voice said.

'D-Did something happened? Do you need help with the exam?' Hinata asked. It was such a foreign feeling to have zero control over her body, and watch her hands move as though it was on auto pilot.

'No, things are good. I did steal some answers from Sakura. Now I'm just killing time.' Ino said.

Shikamaru could tell from afar that Ino was inside Hinata's body, from the way she sat. Hinata had suddenly straighten her back, and crossed her leg while leaning her elbow on the desk. But what had actually given it away was the way Hinata started playing with her own hair. It was definitely Ino.

Ino lifted Hinata's exam with one hand and smiled.

'Your handwriting has always been so cute.' Ino said as she looked over the responses on the exam sheet. 'Our answers match word by word. But I still get this feeling that you're anxious about something. I'm not a mind reader so, mind explaining?' Ino asked.

'You will understand if you look to your right.' Hinata replied.

Ino saw that to Hinata's right was Naruto, biting his nails nervously while shaking his legs under the desk.

'I see Naruto. So what?' Ino asked.

'Naruto's confidence is gone. I think he might fail at this point. W-Would you mind helping him out a little?' Hinata said.

'Hinata, I don't mind you being kind and considerate. But I hate it when you drag me into your ship. I rather sink and drown before I help him.' Ino replied. Helping someone she doesn't like, without a motive, just wasn't her style. What could she possible get out of this?

'I'm not helping N-Naruto because I'm being kind or considerate…You're already aware of Naruto's dream. And if Naruto fails this exam, Sasuke will also fail.' Hinata said. 'I thought you wouldn't be okay with that-with Sasuke failing.'

'Is it wrong of me to wish for my Sasuke to fail? If he does, he will have to listen to everything I say when I become a team captain and asks that he gets assigned under my command. Hah!' Ino replied.

'Um...I don't know if it works like that. Even if you get promoted, Sasuke will still be part of team Kakashi. S-So Ino…could you please just think it over?' Hinata pleaded.

'Ugh, fine. You owe me big time for this!' Ino said before transferring her mind to occupy Sasuke's body.

While controlling Sasuke's body, she moved his hands to run his fingers through his strands. She then place Sasuke's hand on his leg and sensually moved it up his thigh.

'What the-' Sasuke wasn't allowed to finish his thought as he heard a familiar voice speaking inside his head.

'Hi Sasuke, it's me, your lovely Ino. Listen, I got a proposition for you. I'll help your stupid teammate Naruto if you promise to go on a date with me after this is over.' Ino said.

Sasuke's index finger was pressed against his thigh while moving it in a circular motion.

'Okay enough! I'll go on a date with you if you help Naruto. Just get the fuck out of my body you pervert!' Sasuke yelled inside his head.

Before leaving Sasuke's body-perhaps out of spite-Ino drew a heart and wrote her name inside the heart, on the bottom right corner of Sasuke's exam.

Something peculiar happened while inside Naruto's mind. She could sense that his mind was heavy disturbed by some unknown entity. But the timer for her mind-transfer-technique was almost up. So she didn't dwell on the odd feeling at the time.

'Don't fight me off. It's me, Ino. Hinata asked me to help you.' Ino explained since it was possible for her to be kicked off if the person's will was strong enough to fight her out.

'But what if we get caught by the proctors?!' Naruto said, nervously.

'If you took the time to look around, you would've seen the whole point of this exam was to basically cheat.' Ino said. 'Ugh, why does Hinata even bother with you? You're beyond help!'

'Hey! I'll have you know Hinata's my friend. And she knows about my dream of Hokage, believe it!'

'What I believe is that Kiba has a better chance than you at being Hokage. He figured out what he had to do, unlike you!' Ino replied.

Just as she was done finishing up the last answer, the timer for her mind-transfer-technique was over and she was forced outside his body.

The rookie nine had an unbelievable amount of luck; they passed the psychological exam which was disguised as a written exam. But twenty-six team still remained. And part two, of the Chūnin exam, was the beginning of the real physical fight.

The location of the next exam was to take place inside the Forest Of Death, also known as the 44th training ground. In the center of the forest stood a tall tower. And the goal was to make it to said tower within five days, while in the possession of both the Heaven and Earth scroll. Only 13 teams will receive the heaven scroll while the other 13 receives the earth scroll. They had to fight each other for the missing scroll, and that meant only 13 out of 26 teams would make it to the next round. It was hinted that killing and injuring other teams was allowed. To make it worst, each of them were given a consent form in the event that if they die, no one is to be held accountable for their deaths.

There was a wooden hut set up with a red curtain. The point of the red curtain was so that other teams don't peek to check which team received which scroll. Teams were to turn in their agreement sheets and receive a scroll in said location.

Scowling at the consent form brought such feeling of dread that Shikamaru hadn't known before. He stood around his teammates in silence, before complaining of how much of a pain in the ass this was, but it had to be done. Regardless of Shikamaru's words, team 10 drifted away from each other to have a moment to themselves to think about their decision.

Hinata's team went through something similar. When she took her consent form in hand, she started pacing about, until she was at a distance from her team. Her feet then guided her towards a deserted area; away from people. There was something calming about standing under a random tree to lean against it. Yet still, she sighed to herself.

Death. She could die. Signing the consent form felt like she was signing away her life. Hinata looked towards the sky, feeling a resolve she always felt when thinking about her sister, Hanabi, and the future of her clan.

Yet looking back at the form in her hands felt like she was standing inside a tunnel, close to the light that leads to the other side. It was a scary thought, because the light that leads outside usually signified the departure from this world.

'I mustn't die!' Hinata thought to herself. She was very much lost in thought, that she didn't notice Naruto standing close to her.

"Hey Hinata, you still thinking about it?" She jerked out of her thoughts upon hearing Naruto.

"Ah! N-Naruto you surprised me. And yes…I still am." Hinata said.

"It's just a dumb paper. We already know what could happen to us in there even without this." Naruto said as he waved the paper in his hand which he had already signed.

"You mean you already signed the agreement?" Hinata asked, surprised at his willingness to sign his life away just to achieve a new rank.

"Of course! I'm not gonna let anything stand in the way of me getting closer to becoming Hokage!" Naruto said as he laughed.

"Yeah, it would seem silly to let something like this discourage you…" Hinata said, but she was actually projecting those words to herself.

"By the way, thanks for sending Ino to help me, even though I would've still pass without filling up a single answer. Guess is the thought that counts." Naruto said.

"Y-You're welcome. But Naruto, if you become Hokage, I will probably have a big favor to ask of you-something that only a Hokage will be able to do." Hinata replied.

"You've always been kind to me, so whatever favor you ask, I'll do it for sure. It's a promise, believe it!" Since Naruto had nothing left to say, he decided to head back to the wooden hut with the intention of turning in the agreement. "See ya Hinata!" Naruto said before he left.

Hinata stayed inside herself for a few seconds, before making a movement to leave. She pushed herself off the tree and upon turning around the tree, she nearly collided with Shikamaru whom was coming from behind the same tree.

His consent form flew out of his hand, as he moved innocently to catch her so that she doesn't fall. Her hands ended up pressed against his chest. The edge of her consent form was wrinkling inside her fist. Both their heads turned towards the sky, as their eyes followed his consent sheet which was dancing away as it was being carried by the wind. It was never Shikamaru's intention to try to conceal his feelings, which is why his hands innocently lingered longer than necessary.

It was at that moment when it finally transpired.

"Troublesome, you need to be more alert. If other enemies witnessed you like this, you'll give off the wrong impression and they'll mark your team for easy elimination." Shikamaru said, his tone of voice showed how displeased he felt.

But the sound of his disappointment didn't stop Hinata from assessing the situation. His words had become unimportant as she averted her eyes ever so slowly and looked down at the placement of his hands; which were still on her waist. Her defense mechanism couldn't do anything to shield her from the embarrassment she felt over suddenly being held like this.

Shikamaru's heart had been pounding after he had finally witnessed the reaction he had wanted to see from her for so long. Her cheeks had turned red like ripped strawberries.

"P-Please take this!" Hinata said. Her hands shoved him away while leaving her consent sheet in his hands.

His heart froze over rejection, as this had been the first time Hinata had pushed him away. It didn't physically hurt, but it might as well have.

"Hinata-" He was about to apologize but got cut off in a hurry.

"I'll go get a new one!" Hinata said, while gesturing with her hands that it was okay for him to keep her battered-looking paper.

What he didn't know was that her own thoughts made her feel too shy to face him. Hinata felt bad for betraying their friendship by having certain kinds of thoughts. Maybe it had been nothing but implanted suggestions made by her broken heart that begged her to move on from Asuma. Did that mean that she was vulnerable right now? That only added more guilt to her conscious.

Her expression which showed embarrassment, while endearing, didn't satisfy him anymore. Hinata looked like she had every intention of running away from him. He had his own reason for finding her since he happened to see the direction of which she went. So he wasn't going to let her run away even though his mind said that he should leave her alone.

Shikamaru caught her elbow gently before it became one of those moments where a young maiden ran away from a prince right before the clock struck midnight.

"Gather your team and meet me back here." Shikamaru spoke, his voice was deep and commanding. She glanced back at him and then quickly looked away. A temperature of numbing heat emerged on his skin as he realized what her change in behavior could mean. By then, he had already let go of her elbow. "I'm holding a meeting for which I'll explain later." He said, this time he purposely switched his tone so that it sounded indifferent.

His stomach felt queasy as he watched Hinata wander away without saying a word to him.

Shikamaru stared at his hands, which now held a wrinkly paper. He palmed his forehead with his free hand, out of frustration over his idiocy. He might've come off as too aggressive and that wasn't too much of a good thing.

Suddenly on that day, a white bold horizontal line appeared in front of him which divided him from her. On the other side of the line stood Hinata along with her boundaries; which he probably crossed a bit by holding her without thinking that it would bother her. Thus, he vowed to be more mindful of how he touches her. The last thing he wanted was to make her hate him while accusing him of being a pervert.

"Troublesome." He mumbled towards the atmosphere before strolling away to fetch his team.

Five minutes later, Kiba was sitting on a tree branch, with Akamaru poking his head from inside his coat. Shino was leaning against the same tree Kiba was sitting on. Chouji was sitting on the grass, under the tree branch Kiba was sitting upon. Hinata was standing close to Chouji, with Ino by her side. And Ino was leaning her head on Hinata's shoulder.

And before them stood Shikamaru. They all looked expectantly at him.

"Before we start, you're probably wondering why I didn't invite Team seven." Shikamaru opened with this statement.

"Not really. Some of us aren't really close to them." Kiba answered truthfully. This earned him a glare from Ino, who was normally friendly towards him. Kiba rolled his eyes when he thought about how things just never change when it concerns Sasuke.

"Team seven aren't much of a team player from what I've heard from Sakura. It would've been such a pain to get Sasuke to go along with our plan." Shikamaru explained.

"That's because Sasuke doesn't need our help, he's a genius. So watch what you say Shika before you get me angry." Ino said menacingly as she glared at him.

'What a pain, she always gives me that look when I say something negative about Sasuke.' Shikamaru thought to himself before faking regret.

"Right, sorry Ino. I should've factored that." His fake apology was so that he could keep the assembly flowing. "This meeting is for one reason only, our strategic survival. We want to make sure that our mentors aren't left with regrets over their decisions of allowing us to partake in this troublesome exam." Shikamaru allowed enough time for his words to sink in.

"Kiba, who's the leader on your team?" Shikamaru asked. But his eyes shifted to Shino as if expecting Shino to be the leader.

"I am." Kiba said, as he sprang from the tree branch he was sitting on and landed next to Shikamaru. "So what's up?"

"Team Dosu passed the exam, which is troublesome. I believe that we should avoid them at all cause. Dosu is able to cause internal damage at close range, without even touching the opponent. I'm thinking it got something to do with the arm he hides. Whatever he has causes sounds and vibration harmful to those who hears it. Kiba, that means you'll be the most vulnerable one due to your genetics." Shikamaru explained.

"Then we'll just use ear plugs." Kiba said as he took out his bag and distributed extra pairs of ear plugs around.

"Huh? Why do you even have ear plugs? That's so not ninja-like." Ino said. She accepted the item regardless of her curiosity.

"Some of the bombs other ninjas use emits annoying frequencies. The average person doesn't hear this, but since my hearing is really good, I sometimes need to use ear plugs so that I don't lose focus." Kiba said.

Chouji stayed silent, while eating chips. But he remained very observant throughout the whole time. He noticed Shikamaru went out of his way to avoid looking his way, which he found weird. But then he remembered that Hinata was standing next to him, so maybe the one Shikamaru was avoiding was Hinata?

Shino lifted his hand as though this meeting was taking place inside a classroom. Shikamaru nodded to Shino.

"The Forest Of Death has 44 different entrances so it's goes without saying that we will start in front of different gates." Shino said. "So there's a chance we may not bump into one another. So we'll try to meet you at the tower."

Shikamaru nodded.

"We'll set up traps around tower and ambush everyone there." Kiba said, hoping to show off his awesome leadership tactics. His evil laughter eventually subsided.

Shikamaru didn't make a comment on how that's exactly what every other team was probably thinking. His thoughts, however, were revised on what he knew about Kiba. Kiba wasn't as dumb as he let on from the academy days.

"Don't take this suggestion the wrong way since you're their leader." Shikamaru said to Kiba. "If your team happens to bump into an enemy don't be too quick to rush into battle. Set up all the traps that are necessary, and loot the enemy's scroll and weapons as quickly as possible."

"I know, I know. That's basic stuff. We'll also take watch rotations during the night. And strike other teams at night if necessary." Kiba said, as he showed off his knowledge from what he learned at the academy; he believed Shikamaru was allegedly sleeping during said lecture.

"So we're helping each other out." Ino said. She sounded like she was bored with the meeting. "This all sounds fine and dandy, but tell me this-what happens if both our teams are out of time and the only way to win is to get the scroll from one another?" Ino asked, after lifting her head from Hinata's shoulder.

"Then we fight for the scroll…" Hinata said as she gave her attention to Ino. Everyone seemed astonished to hear her say something like that. Her friends were seemingly unaware that she had a very big goal. And climbing up ranks would help her credibility as a ninja in order to help her along. "W-What?" She asked her audience. Kiba was the first one to snap out of it, and as he grinned.

"Yep-What Hinata said." Kiba added.

"I hope it doesn't come to that because Team Asuma will win for sure!" Ino said enthusiastically, earning a scoff from Kiba.

"As if." Kiba said, while rolling his eyes.

"I feel much easier about signing the agreement now." Chouji said with a smile.

"Even without teaming up, we're all very capable. Let's not ever doubt that." Shino said to Chouji.

"Oi, everyone, let's go turn in our forms." Kiba said to the group before he started marching back to the wooden hut where they would receive their scroll.

Shikamaru kept his eyes fixed on something else as Hinata walked past him while her strands seemingly flowed behind her. Why was he guarding himself all of a sudden? He sighed.

"Hey," Shikamaru said to Shino as everyone seem to be already at a distance. "Do you remember one of Ibiki's twisted lesson about cheating?"

The Aburame nodded slowly after deciphering Shikamaru's meaning:

'It's okay to cheat.'

"I'll send out a few of my chakra-draining-insects so that the other teams' chakra gets depleted little by little." Shino replied.

"Put a tracking bug-if you have any of those-on team Kakashi because you may want to avoid them. I know that guy-Sasuke-won't care that we were classmates. And he probably won't blink twice before willingly challenging us for our scrolls." Shikamaru said.

"Aa." Shino replied as they both marched to join the rest of their teams.

So far, the exam had been nothing but a pain. After this is over, Shikamaru hoped to sleep for twelve hours, and watch the clouds for four hours, so he could feel fully recharged. That is if any of them survives.

Harrison's Wool: Dear readers, I landed an interview. And if I get hired, I can't promise weekly updates. Mainly because the editing part soaks a lot of time. However, thank you for sticking with the story. I'm a novice which is why I recently googled tips on how to write a romantic story so hopefully my story will get better later on.

To Sumo is: Thank you for the genuine comments, and thanks for sticking with my story.

To anon: When you said "I like the pairing but i found the characters a bit ooc, especially shika." I was nodding all the way. If Shika was in character, I feel like there would be no story. The way his character tackles situation wouldn't allow for a romantic progression at the age of twelve. Few ShikaxHina writers are able to do it somehow. I'll strive to get better. You've inspired me to write future scenes where his laziness will shine through during his relaxing time.

To Mafelone: Thanks, your comment made me remember that some of my reader's native language might not be English. I will try to keep the story easy to read.

To Julia: I don't mind the complains. It wasn't said in a mean way. I'm glad you took the time to leave your opinion, I hope you stay with me as a reader.

To Guest: Since I finally googled some tips on how to write a romantic story, Hinata will find out about Shika's feelings one way or another. I'm not going to drag it out any further.

To Guest: You're welcome, I've been updating because I got free time!