Chapter Note: Oh, if it isn't the consequences of their actions.
...
Getting fucked out of her senses for several rounds the night before something as taxing and important as the Chunin Exams wasn't a great idea. Avurin wouldn't be so undignified as to limp through the streets of the village but the ache was there. She had also noticed that Kakashi had bitten her harder than she'd initially thought. There were very evident bite marks down the length of her neck and she could even make out where his canines had drawn blood in a few spots. He'd left early in the morning with a kiss and told her he'd see her after the first round of the exams so she had a feeling he hadn't even seen what he'd done.
She'd had to find a high-collared sleeveless workout shirt to wear under her Chunin jacket after seeing the mess Kakashi had left on her neck. She was technically out of uniform for this part of the exams since the other 'sentinels' were dressed in weird khaki suits but no one was going to say anything to her. They never provided her with the uniform and it was too late to change now.
"Alright, all of you are going to be assisting me in proctoring the first portion of the exam. This is going to be staged as a written test for the Genin. However, the questions on the test are all advanced Chunin-level questions. We don't expect them to pass the test itself. The goal of this test is to see who can get away with cheating without getting caught. That's where you come in. If you catch any of the Genin cheating with a blatantly obvious method and they reach five times that they've been caught as a team, you are to call them out and they will immediately be disqualified. You can disregard the examinees that have more advanced tactics if you happen to notice them. We have planted a few answer sheets with disguised Chunin pretending to be taking the same test throughout the room. I will give you the positions of these Chunin so that you can focus on them and see who is getting answers from them. The forms on the clipboards that have been provided include the numbers of the examinees in the same columns as their teammates for better record-keeping. Any questions?"
Ibiki Moreno was an intimidating figure but Avurin wasn't too impressed with his explanation. This was being handled pretty loosely for an exam that held so much weight for the Genin.
"What about anyone that has any personal relation to the Genin? We can't have any favoritism." Kotetsu chimed in. Avurin turned to glance at him only to find his gaze already locked on her with a shit-eating grin on his face. She rolled her eyes.
"That is why we have so many of you. If any of you attempt to not report anything obvious that you see, another proctor can just as easily call out the Genin that cheated. However, I would highly recommend just doing your job so that won't be an issue." Ibiki countered. Avurin crossed her arms. She wasn't going to take it easy on the pups. Kakashi wouldn't appreciate it and, frankly, if they were stupid enough to get caught doing something stupid, they deserved to stay Genin for another year. "Any other questions?" No one else chimed in.
"Alright, let's get in there and get this started." Ibiki started leading them down the hall. The Chunin who had passed the preliminary test would already be gathered in Room 301 for the test. Avurin was irritated she had even gotten roped into this. She did not appreciate babysitting the Genin during their test but it was a given that since she wasn't on a mission and was a Chunin, she was expected to help with the exams.
"So, you and Kakashi, eh?" Kotetsu teased as he threw an arm over her shoulders. She had to reign herself in from snarling at him.
"What about it?" she asked through gritted teeth. She was usually really friendly with Kotetsu when she saw him at the gates but he was thoroughly grating on her nerves just from touching her and jumping straight into a sensitive topic.
"Just curious. Never thought the guy would actually settle down and find someone. And you forgot to cover up this one." He prodded at a spot just under her ear and she swore under her breath, brushing him off of her.
"It's none of your business, Kotetsu. Get a few drinks in me with the usual group and then maybe I'll talk. Right now, I don't appreciate the prying and I get the feeling he wouldn't either." Avurin snapped. She was blushing by this point, bringing a hand to cover the spot on her neck she could have sworn she'd smeared some concealer on that morning. She didn't wear makeup but she'd kept some around for disguises in her travels to chase Zabuza. She had thought it had been a lifesaver that morning. Apparently, it didn't hold up.
"Sounds good. We'll get the group together after the exams, go get some drinks, then you two are spilling the beans." Kotetsu left her alone to walk with Izumo as they approached the classroom. Avurin was too tired to care about the mark if everyone had already seen it. She just hoped the kids didn't see it. That would put a quick end to her and Kakashi's little game of gaslighting them for the foreseeable future.
…
Avurin lied. She was so happy to be there to watch every one of the Genin in the classroom go through all stages of grief at the same time once they got a look at the test. This was a special kind of torture that only the head of T&I could come up with. Ibiki was a genius. All of the conditions and rules at the beginning of the test had put so much pressure on the Genin that they were all having a crisis. Naruto was making the most hilarious faces while Sakura actually had a chance to work out some of the questions. Sasuke was a stone wall which could have meant that he either knew something or didn't.
She had even caught two Genin attempting to cheat already! The system for writing down the names and keeping count until five incidents was really just a guess system but it just made the situation all the more frustrating for the Genin! They were just sorting out the ones that were absolutely terrible enough to get caught multiple times.
'Holy shit, is Naruto fucking crying?' Avurin thought as she watched the Genin literally vibrate in his chair. Sakura and Sasuke seemed to have calmed down and picked up what was being put down by Ibiki's hints at the beginning of the exam. Naruto, however, was a little too dumb to realize what was happening. She shrugged and wrote down the name of one of the Land of Earth Genin. They had really tried to slip a piece of paper three chairs over and didn't think they would get caught.
There were some great methods being used to cheat on the test that she could see. She assumed that those methods, such as the Aburame's bugs, were the type of cheating they were willfully ignoring. There were others that were using hand signs that occasionally got caught if they were too obvious and some were using well-placed mirrors. That one was frankly a little too obvious but none of the other sentinels had called it out. It was pretty smart.
Teams started getting violently called out for their fifth offenses, yelling and screaming that they were innocent and getting dragged out while their teammates glared at them for getting them caught. It was quite the show and Avurin was enjoying the turmoil.
When the time came for her to call out a team for their fifth offense, she was happy to do it. The looks of shock on Kakashi's pups' faces were so worth it. She had been seated towards the back so it wasn't likely they had noticed her up until that point. Judging by the horrified looks on Sasuke and Sakura's faces, they knew she wouldn't take it easy on them if they got caught.
The special question at the end of the test was something that even had Avurin questioning Ibiki. He technically couldn't prevent the Genin from taking the exam in the future… could he? He was genuinely sadistic if this was all an act. Answer the question and get it wrong, the Genin would fail and wouldn't be able to come back to take the test ever again. Back out of the question and they'd get to try again next year. Her own Chunin Exams were taxing when it came to the Torture and Interrogation part but they were at war at the time. This wasn't preparation for war, this was just a game. Right?
She almost felt bad for Kakashi's Genin. From where she was stationed, she could see that Naruto hadn't answered a single question on his test. They would have to make a choice to stick it out or back out and try again another day. Ah, that was it, wasn't it? Ibiki was testing their resilience for future missions. She didn't quite agree with this lesson but she wasn't in a position to oppose him. Either take a mission without knowing the true consequences of it, possibly with the result of dying or ending their career, with no option for failure. That, or they could back out right in the middle of it to fight another day but take the shame of walking out.
To her horror, several teams walked out before the final question. Those teams did not include Team 7. She grit her teeth. There was a fine line between taking a mission and seeing it through until the end, but there were also several factors to bring into this. If all three kids went into the question and failed, all three would be prevented from testing again in the future and that was a harsh consequence for them to consider, fake or not. If even just one of them retreated for the sake of preserving the team, there shouldn't be shame in that decision. That thought process was exactly what killed The White Fang. For now, this simple test could be written off as testing their determination to complete a mission without running off like a coward, but in the future this could lead to more deaths. Tactical retreats were something she would have to tell Kakashi to explain to his team at some point in the future.
Then Naruto had to go and put his foot down, telling Ibiki to his face that he wouldn't back down. Avurin had to cover up a snort behind a cough. Of course, he would pass this test through pure guts alone. After a few silent moments, Ibiki looked around the room, making eye contact with several of the sentinels before his gaze landed on her. She gave a short nod. They'd filtered through a good portion of the examinees and Naruto wasn't backing down.
"Well then, you've all passed the first exam." Avurin let a small smile slip. The pups had gotten through the first part of a long and tedious process. There weren't any guarantees for the next two sections but at least they had gotten through this part. Admittedly, this was more psychological than the other portions would be, but she was proud nonetheless. While Ibiki was taking the time to explain the lesson to the kids, she couldn't help but wonder where Kakashi was. He was probably sitting somewhere wondering if the kids had actually managed to pass. She still wasn't sure why she was asked to be a sentinel for this portion of the test since she was the only odd one out, but she had a feeling it was either at the Hokage's request or Kakashi's.
A figure burst through the window and Avurin was immediately on guard, watching as a cape billowed out and revealed a slightly familiar face. She had only seen this woman in passing, usually sitting at the bar while Avurin was drinking with Asuma, Gai, and Kurenai. She was obnoxious. She introduced herself to the remaining candidates as Anko Mitarashi and Avurin sighed. She'd heard horror stories about Anko. Crashing through the window was probably the least this psychopath would do to make an impression.
Avurin leaned back in her chair and stared at the ceiling as Anko and Ibiki bickered, something about her being early and Ibiki passing too many candidates. Avurin just wanted to get out of this stuffy classroom. At the final dismissal from Anko, she scrambled out of her chair and bolted out of the door, hearing the squawking of Kakashi's team as they realized she was taking off.
She had finally managed to reach the window at the end of the hallway and had it halfway open when their footsteps caught up to her.
"Avurin! Kakashi-sensei didn't tell us you'd be helping with the Chunin Exams!"
"Why haven't you come to see us since you got back to the village?"
"Can we go get ramen together? Let's go get Kakashi-sensei!"
Avurin turned to glare at the pups. Sasuke was staying out of the way with his hands in his pockets, obviously trying not to be part of the chaos that was drawing the attention of the other examinees that were leaving the exam room. Meanwhile, Naruto looked like he was about two seconds from grabbing her to keep her from jumping out of the window and Sakura just looked dejected at having not heard from Avurin in a while.
"You three need to focus on the exams and not worry about seeing me! I've been busy!" she snapped, pulling the window all the way open. Naruto wrapped his arms around her torso and dug his heels into the floor.
"We are focused on the exams! We don't have to do the next part until tomorrow! Pleeeaasssseeee! Let's go get ramen!" Naruto wailed. Avurin wanted to slap him.
"Ah, Avie. They seem to miss you." A familiar drawl came from the window she had been pulled from. Turning her head, sure enough, there was Kakashi, perched on the window sill.
"'Kashi! Get your brat off of me!" Avurin tried to pry Naruto off of her but, if anything, his grip on her tightened. Kakashi's muffled chuckle had her flushing in embarrassment. They were making a scene. "Fine! Let's go get ramen! Let go of me!" Naruto finally let go of her, doing a small victory dance. Kakashi pulled himself into the hallway, standing next to her with his hands in his pockets.
"Ramen does sound pretty good right now. How was the test?" Kakashi asked, starting to lead them through the hallway to get to the stairs. Of course, Naruto started ranting about how easy it was and how he was going to be Hokage in no time, leading to Sakura smacking him on the side of the head and telling him he was an idiot.
"Naruto, I know for a fact you didn't answer a single question on that test. You got lucky. The next two tests won't have any trick 'final questions' you can just bulldoze your way through with pure stubbornness." Avurin scolded. He screeched about her calling him out just as Ibiki walked out of the exam room that they were passing. Naruto hid behind Kakashi as quickly as possible as Ibiki approached the group, coming to a stop in front of Avurin.
"Avurin Okita, correct?" he asked. She nodded. He gestured for her to follow him back to the exam room. "We need to talk. Alone. I have a proposal for you." She swallowed around the dryness of her tongue and made to follow him when Kakashi's hand grabbed her shoulder in a firm grip.
"What's this about, Ibiki?" he asked, his tone low and cold. Ibiki looked over his shoulder, focusing on the hand Kakashi had put on her shoulder.
"I think you know what this is about. The Okitas have had a special privilege in T&I historically and I would like to make the same offer to our resident Okita." At least he was careful with his words around the kids. However, the message was clear for Avurin. Dread settled low in her stomach.
"She's not interested." Kakashi was answering for her now? She shrugged off his hand.
"I'll talk with him. Go get ramen with the kids. I'll catch up to you." Kakashi gave her a disapproving and worried stare. She simply met his stare with the same stubborn look that usually had him giving into her every whim.
"Fine. We'll see you at Ichiraku's. Don't take too long, okay?" Kakashi gave in. The kids seemed to know that there was something going on but, thankfully, they didn't say anything. Avurin nodded and started following Ibiki back into the exam room. He closed the door behind her and she took a seat at one of the desks near the door, turning the chair to face him.
"He's right. I'm not interested if this is exactly what I'm expecting. My kekkei genkai isn't an interrogation tool," she stated calmly, crossing one leg over the other. Ibiki sighed and took a seat at the desk across the walkway in the middle of the room, keeping the distance between them.
"I understand. However, from what I've also heard, you need to train that kekkei genkai of yours. What I'm offering is simple question-and-answer interrogations that would take five to ten minutes out of your day every couple of days. We have some stubborn prisoners that haven't responded to anything else and I would be a fool not to at least ask the remaining Okita if they would be willing to help. We pay well, the prisoners would be cleaned up prior to you being there, and we could even gag them until you're ready to make them spill. I'm willing to make any accommodations you need just to get the answers these people are holding. It could save lives." Well, if he put it like that…
"I can't guarantee it will work every time. I would ask how you know that I've been training with it, but as the head of ANBU T&I, I shouldn't be surprised. My main concern is that if there are any weaknesses in my kekkei genkai that are revealed in these interrogations, all loose ends would have to be snipped. The prisoner, anyone in the room, etcetera. Ideally, I would want to be alone in the room with them so no one else can be compelled to obey the commands I speak. If someone has to observe, it would have to be you alone. Would you be willing to make those kinds of accommodations, Ibiki? That's a pretty big security risk." Avurin pressed, leaning against the desk next to her. Ibiki nodded and she was actually surprised. That was a lot of concession, especially with how tight she expected security around these matters to be.
"I would make it all happen. We can lose a prisoner or two that are already at the end of their rope. The only ones you would be seeing would be the ones that would be facing death anyway for refusing to comply. You're, quite literally, the last resort. You make the rules on this. I will observe and keep my ears covered for it but, other than that, I'm giving you the freedom to choose how you want to do this. I imagine that there are a few unique methods for training that you will need to utilize and I'm willing to allow it as long as we get the answers we need." Avurin blinked, running a hand through her bangs. She knew the interrogation rooms weren't pretty, so really, this was a matter of if she was willing to scar herself for life in order to follow the training manuals for her kekkei genkai. She knew she wouldn't use any of the techniques in those manuals against Kakashi, it didn't matter how willing he was.
Standing, she held the hand sign for her kekkei genkai, knowing her eyes were changing color in front of Ibiki.
"Answer this for me, Ibiki. Are you aware that there are several entities in the village that I don't want to know the extent of my kekkei genkai? How will you hide this information for me?" It was a risk, but it would prove her point. She was serious about this and this moment would leave a lasting impression on the man in front of her. She watched as his eyes glazed over.
"I am aware. It is a clan secret and the Hokage himself has passed down orders not to pursue any information about you aside from a routine guard. I will hide your involvement by omitting your name from the documents regarding the information acquired from the prisoners and control the influx of information acquired so no one is suspicious of our sudden success." Ibiki's voice was flat and Avurin felt the odd crawling sensation on the back of her neck that usually came from putting a person under her jutsu. It was just creepy. She hated it. Releasing the jutsu, she took a deep breath and smiled, going for a chilling and cocksure smile.
"Thank you. Let me know when you have someone ready for me." With that, she left Ibiki to regain his bearings as she left the room. The chakra drain on such simple questions was substantial, but not enough to make her genuinely exhausted. If anything, she was actually more hungry for ramen than she had been.
She took to the rooftops as soon as she was outside, wanting to avoid any other confrontations as she made her way to Ichiraku's. It wasn't a long trip and, as soon as the smell of ramen hit her like a train, she was crashing into the stand to sit next to Kakashi. The kids still had menus in front of them so she wasn't running too far behind. Peeking over his shoulder, she quickly decided on her usual, the Tonkatsu ramen with extra seasoned eggs and butter, as Kakashi gave her a pointed side-eyed look. She just smiled, hoping to reassure him. She was fine.
At least, she wanted to think so.
