Naruto woke up to his mother yelling downstairs. This was the last thing he needed as it was finally the day for the chunin exams, but he rushed downstairs to find his father taking cover behind a chair that did little to protect him.
"Who's coming?!" She yelled.
Minato nervously chuckled. "I told you, honey. I just got word from Jiraiya-sensei that he'll be stopping in the village for just a bit." Judging by the look in her eyes, this was no longer Kushina.
"He better not teach Naruto a single inappropriate thing or I'll kick your ass, you know!"
Minato gulped and nodded vigorously. "He promised to be on his best behavior. Besides, it's time for Naruto to meet my teacher," Minato reasoned. At this, Kushina calmed herself with a sigh.
"Yeah, you're right. So long as he doesn't do anything wrong, then it's okay for them to meet." It wasn't that she disliked her husband's teacher as he had always treated them right, it was just the fact that he would often get kicked out for peeking at women in the hot springs because he was doing "research" for his smutty books. She didn't want Naruto to pick up anything from that behavior.
Naruto came into sight with a yawn. "Is Jiraiya that white-haired dude in those photos?" he asked sleepily. He hardly paid attention to those photos but made a note to look at them more closely later on sometime soon. Taking in his state, Kushina smiled apologetically for waking him up too early on such an important day; the sun wasn't even up yet.
"Yes, that's him," Minato answered.
"I'm sorry for waking you up, sweetie. Go get some more sleep and I'll wake you up a little later," Kushina said.
Naruto nodded, yawning again. "Okay. Can't wait to meet him," he mumbled as he went back up to his room. He crawled back into bed and curled up before quickly falling back asleep.
Sasuke was awake early to get a headstart on the housework he didn't have time to do yesterday after a long day of training into the night. His father began working with him a little more than usual after getting word that he was nominated for the chunin exam. He taught Sasuke more about how to deal with his anger than actual jutsu but he appreciated it nonetheless, especially since Kakashi had called him out on not being as level-headed as he appeared. Fugaku had shown him another fireball technique that he had practiced day and night to accomplish which had left his mouth suffering the same burns they did previously.
Sasuke did laundry first, never once speaking a word as he worked. Next, he cleaned up the kitchen, silent as ever. Finally, he swept and mopped the floors. Housework, he discovered not long after taking up the work, was its own exercise. He often found himself sweating and aching after doing what he needed to. This gave him a new sense of appreciation for his mother, though he often silently begged someone would just help him.
Today, however, he welcomed the work as it kept his mind distracted from the fact that the chunin exam began later today. He was confident in himself and in his team, but he was nervous about what the exam entailed.
When his mother woke up, he sat at the table and watched as she made a small breakfast. She was nervous for Sasuke, probably more than him, but was taking it all in stride. She had gone through the exams herself and knew more about what they were going to be doing but she didn't give any specifics. Sasuke felt he was more thankful for this than frustrated. He didn't want to freak out about something that might not even be the same as when his mother took them.
Mikoto made a stilted conversation with him throughout breakfast and he just felt happy she was trying when it was clearly a bad day for her.
Hinata had been working in her greenhouse since she woke up mid-morning. Recently, she'd gotten a letter from Haku that came with herbs he had found that he thought she would have an interest in utilizing. All morning, she had been working to put them in a proper place where they would grow healthily while learning more about their properties. Another thing she hadn't told her team was that Haku had taught her how to use them to protect herself and her team by using certain mixtures of herbs as poison or to induce hallucinations.
She was aware that some plant mixtures could be dangerous, but it had never crossed her mind to purposefully use them to cause harm to enemies. She supposed being a medic-nin was something that could be used offensively rather than defensively, and once she had gotten over her initial hesitation, she had developed certain combinations to add to her arsenal, something she was eager to show her teammates should it ever come up.
She looked up at the sky and decided to take a break by doing some taijutsu practice. They all agreed to meet in the center of the village on the way to the academy so they could show up together, as a show of their strong bond to other teams. Sasuke thought it was important to stress how well they worked together early on, even before the exam began though Hinata said that this was something other teams could use against them. She grinned when Sasuke said that he was hoping for that as they could prove that they functioned just well on their own as well.
After some light taijutsu practice, she decided to take a shower and get ready for the exam. Rather than wearing the clip Sasuke had given her in her hair, he clipped it next to Shisui's on her jacket out of fear of it getting lost. After her shower, she packed her gear with anything she could possibly need before saying goodbye to her father and Hanabi and heading out.
Her heart was pounding but she found that it was more out of excitement than nervous. Though Itachi's warning still rang loud in her head, she wasn't going to let it render her useless. Shinobi live dangerous lives, those with doujutsu more so, and she was told this her whole life. She wasn't a weak little child anymore, and this was another chance to prove it. To prove that she was worth her forehead protector.
"Hey," Sasuke greeted when she walked out of the Hyuuga Compound. She smiled at him gently. "Are you ready to do this?" She noticed the burns around his mouth and silently took care of them. When she was done, she stepped back and nodded.
"Yes. And you?" Sasuke nodded and that was all there was until they met up with Naruto.
"I'm so psyched, you know! Are y'all ready?" He exclaimed, a large smile on his face that his teammates couldn't help but respond to with their own smiles.
"Yes, loser. We're more than ready," answered Sasuke, the smile turning into a smirk when Naruto huffed at his nickname.
"Whatever, 'ya jerk," he muttered, but the playfulness was still there.
"Let's get going. There's only about an hour until it starts," Hinata reminded them and they were off, Naruto going on and on about how great they were going to be. Outside of the academy, there were some participants lingering outside of the building. They all saw anxiety, fear, smugness, and everything in between.
As they stood before the door, they glanced at one another, and with a single nod, they walked in and up the first flight of stairs to the second floor. There, they were all made aware of a commotion in the hallway. They were going to move past when Hinata saw that Neji's teammates were being beaten by two boys blocking the entrance to room 301, and she disconnected from their group.
"Hinata?" Naruto questioned. Her teammates followed her curiously. All three saw that the sign above the door read 301 but knew they had only gone up one flight of stairs. They easily concluded it was a genjutsu.
"Tenten-san, right?" Hinata said, holding her hand out to help the older girl who wore navy blue pants and a pink, sleeveless qipao-style shirt and wore her hair in two buns neatly atop her head to her feet. "Are you okay?" She smiled down at another boy she knew to be Rock Lee just by the description Neji had given her—a bowl cut and thick eyebrows if his green jumpsuit wasn't standing out enough. "You must be Rock Lee-san." After helping them both up, they thanked her earnestly. Hinata grinned at how different they were compared to her cousin.
"If this is all you guys got, then you're not ready for the chunin exam," one of the guys guarding the door taunted.
Ignoring them, Hinata continued. "Neji has told me a lot about you. I'm Hinata Hyuuga," she said, introducing herself with a small bow. She looked around the crowd. "Where is Neji?"
"Oh, you're Hinata! Neji talks about you all the time. He adores you," she gushed. Hinata blushed. "You're so cute!"
Hinata giggled. "Thank you. You are as well. Come on, let's head to room 301," she said, gesturing to the next flight of stairs.
Behind her, the second boy snorted. "Are you stupid? This is room 301," he said.
Stepping up, Sasuke glared at the culprit. "Watch your mouth."
Hinata caught his eyes and shook her head. "It's okay, Sasuke," she assured him. She turned to face them. "Have a good day," she said with a polite smile. She ushered Rock Lee and Tenten along with her teammates down the hall.
"Don't just walk away from us!" They heard from behind. Hinata turned, her eyes narrowing as she saw a leg coming toward her face. She thrust her palm out but was surprised when Rock Lee was suddenly between them, catching her palm and the boy's leg in a tight grip. Sasuke and Naruto were instantly at her side.
"We're barely on the second floor, asshat," Naruto snapped. "That means that isn't room 301." He explained it as he would a toddler, which only angered the boys.
"That is enough," Rock Lee said. "Any fighting will be done during the exams. This is not the time." He let go of Hinata's hand and the boy's leg. He shook out the hand that had caught Hinata's and gave her a brief curious look.
All of a sudden, Neji was coming up. "Hinata-sama? I wasn't aware you had arrived already," he said, taking the spot next to her. "We should have come together."
Hinata smiled. "I heard your team still had to do early morning training, so I didn't want to bother you," she explained.
He shook his head. "You could never bother me," he said sincerely. Neji was always a constant at her side when he had time which wasn't too often since he made genin and even less once she had made genin.
After returning from The Land of Waves, other than her father, she confided in him of her near death. He hugged her tight and she didn't realize how much she had needed that until she buried her face in his shoulder and clung to him just as tight. Neji seemed to always know just what she needed and she thanked whoever was looking out for her that they were brought together all those years ago.
From her other side, Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Subtle as ever, huh, Neji?" He scoffed. Neji leaned forward to see Sasuke.
"Uchiha," he greeted snidely.
Hinata sighed. "None of that," she scolded them, a small frown on her face. They mumbled apologies but said nothing more.
"We're still here!" One of the boys called out.
"Look, we all know that's genjutsu, okay? We're leaving," Sasuke stated flatly. He nodded to his teammates. "I guess they let anyone be chunin these days if that's the best you got." With that, he turned around and his teammates and everyone followed.
"Sasuke, you shouldn't be so rude," Hinata said, but she didn't really sound too apologetic. Sasuke shrugged but said nothing more.
"Hinata-sama, we will be going this way," Neji announced, coming to a stop with his team.
She smiled in response, bowing her head. "Good luck, brother," she said sincerely.
Neji's face went bright and he quirked his lips just a bit, his cheeks red. "Yes. Good luck." Neji turned and walked away with Tenten but Rock Lee stayed rooted to the spot, causing Team 7 to look at him curiously.
Rock Lee stepped forward, in front of her and held his hand out. With some confusion, she took his hand and was thoroughly surprised when he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it. Her face went red at the gesture and she froze at such a bold act.
"Neji had mentioned how cute you were, but I just thought it was his own bias until I set my eyes on you myself," he said. "Hinata Hyuuga, I vow to win your heart!"
Hinata didn't know what to say and could only stand there, unmoving. Sasuke, however, was pulling her hand from his grip almost immediately and putting himself between the two. Naruto stood beside him with his arms crossed and a frown on his face.
"Keep your lips to yourself," Sasuke warned. "She is to marry me." Rock Lee never took his bright eyes away from Hinata's red face. Behind the older boy, Neji stood there with his own arms crossed and a look of murder in his eyes.
"Lee!" He said. "Hinata-sama isn't someone you can just come onto like that! And even if she was, you'd have to get through me first."
Rock Lee sighed and turned away. "I will not apologize for that; however, I am sorry for startling you, Hyuuga-sama."
From behind Sasuke, Hinata came out of her stupor and nodded. "It—It was…a pleasure meeting you, Lee-san. Thank you for your kind words," she said politely, ducking her head. She gripped the hand that he had kissed in her other and stared at it in wonder. Sasuke turned to her and turned her around before guiding her in the other direction.
"We're leaving. Let's go, Naruto," Sasuke said, voice clipped and curt. Naruto followed and they walked down into an open hall to get some air after the ordeal. "I can't believe that bastard," he huffed when they were all finally alone.
Hinata smiled sheepishly. "It's—It's really all right, Sasuke. There was no harm done," she said, trying to calm him down.
He looked at her with hard eyes. "What? No harm done? He just made some vow to steal you away," he snapped.
Naruto took this opportunity to chime in. "You're literally bound by a contract, you know. Some dude in a lame, green jumpsuit who looks like he does isn't gonna suddenly break it," he said, looking at Sasuke unimpressed by his behavior. "I didn't know you were so sensitive."
"Shut up," Sasuke hissed. He thought Naruto, of all people, should understand why he's so insecure about their marriage but he was showing that he couldn't be further from the truth. "You just…don't get it." Hinata put her hand on Sasuke's arm and squeezed, hoping that could do what her words had failed to. The tension seemed to leave him easier after that and she nearly sighed a breath of relief.
"Hey, you!" From the stairs above the open hall, Rock Lee stood there, staring down at them. "With the attitude," he clarified.
Sasuke stepped forward, shielding Hinata from sight. "What do you want now?" He asked. Jumping down to their level, Rock Lee regarded the Uchiha for a long moment.
"I want to fight you. I've heard a lot about the talented Uchiha Clan, but I want to test it for myself," Lee said seriously. "Fight me here and now!"
"You still want to fight despite hearing about my clan? You must have some sort of death wish."
Rock Lee glanced at Hinata and winked. "I will win this fight for you, my dove," he declared. Hinata blushed at the pet name. No one had ever been so bold with her and she wasn't sure how to react.
Sasuke growled, instantly in his fighting position with Lee's declaration having set him off. "Looks like I'll have to teach you about my clan the hard way." Rock Lee stood with his palm out in front of him seriously, ready to fight.
Sasuke made the first move, running toward his opponent. Lee dropped down and threw a kick at his side, but Sasuke flipped over him to bring his heel down. Lee moved so fast that Sasuke could barely keep up with him. He was blocking a few hits, but getting hit by more. No, he couldn't keep up with him, and he paid for his lack of speed with a punch to the face so hard that it threw him back. Despite having his guard up, he was hit so brutally and it left Sasuke wondering just what this boy was.
Sasuke got to his feet, the mark Lee left on his face smarting and causing him to wince just a bit. The chakra in his opponent's arm impressed him. Not letting a fluke get to him, Sasuke activated his doujutsu.
No matter what he's using…genjutsu or ninjutsu, I'll see right through it now!
He ran for Lee again, confident in his abilities only to be tossed back with a rough kick to the face.
"Wh—what?!" He choked out.
Lee centered himself again, having barely moved a single step, and hardened his gaze. "Your doujutsu—the sharingan…I've heard a lot about it, but it will not work on me. See, I am only using straight taijutsu, only martial arts. No tricks," he explained. "Sure, you will be able to read my attacks but you're too slow to counter them, so there's no point."
Hinata and Naruto stood off to the side with eyes wide in shock at the reveal. They never would've guessed that there was a genin so skilled in taijutsu that he didn't need to use ninjutsu or genjutsu.
"That's…insane," Naruto whispered in awe. Hinata nodded in agreement.
"There are two kinds of ninja," Lee stated. "Those like you who are talented and barely have to try, and those like me who have to train every single day without fail to prove themselves."
Hearing this, Sasuke got to his feet and wiped his face. "You're wrong about me," he seethed. "I work and work and work until I get it down flawlessly! That kind of logic is worthless against me!" Rushing for Rock Lee again, he saw him drop down and barely had enough time to guard himself from the kick coming his way. In the end, he was sent flying up and Lee appeared behind him.
Narrowing his eyes at him, he spoke, "Leaf Shadow Dance…"
"You know this move? Then you know what will happen," Lee said, voice low and almost menacing. "No matter how hard you try, your natural talent can never match my hard work. It's over, Sasuke Uchiha!" The wrappings around his fists began unraveling.
"Sasuke!" Naruto called out as he ran for him. Hinata grabbed a senbon and threw it toward Lee's wrappings but a different object beat her to it. Pinning Lee's bindings to the wall was a pinwheel.
"Damn it," Lee cursed.
"That's enough, Lee!" A voice suddenly boomed. Lee was back on the floor and kneeling in front of the person who spoke, who turned out to be a red turtle that had a forehead protector tied around its neck. Sasuke flipped himself around and landed on his feet just as Naruto and Hinata got to his side.
"Are you okay, Sasuke?" Hinata asked.
Naruto scoffed. "I'm sure the only thing hurting right now is his ego. I doubt your medical ninjutsu can heal that," he chuckled.
Sasuke glared at him. "Shut it, loser."
"Not the loser this time, jerk."
Hinata stood between them so Sasuke couldn't see Naruto anymore. "It's okay. We know there are powerful people here, and Neji's team held off on the chunin exams for a year in order to get this strong," she said. "They have experience on us. We just have to work twice as hard."
"That doesn't make it better," he barked.
"They have time that we didn't, Sasuke. Of course, that helps. We've been genin for three months," she countered.
Sighing, Naruto spoke up. "She's right, Sasuke. We had great teachers, but nothing beats experience and they've had a year to build that up, you know." Sasuke stayed quiet, begrudgingly accepting it without a word.
On the other side of the room, "You know better, Lee, than to use a forbidden technique," the turtle scolded.
Naruto turned to his teammates. "Are we gonna address the talking turtle? Like, is it his sensei?"
Hinata giggled, shaking her head. "It's like Kakashi-sensei's dogs. It's a summon," she explained.
"I'm—I'm very sorry, I was just…" Lee stuttered. At a single look given by the turtle, Lee stood at attention, clearly terrified. "I—I, of course, wasn't planning on using it! I swear!"
"Enough excuses! You know better. You've been a shinobi for a year now, act like it."
Lee lowered his head. "Yes, sir."
"Time to accept your punishment. Guy, come on out!" The turtle yelled. On top of his shell, a man in a jumpsuit exactly like Lee's suddenly appears and greets everyone in a way that has Team 7 questioning everything.
"They…They look exactly alike!" Naruto exclaimed. "Same look and everything. You think they're father and son?"
Sasuke shrugged. "Who cares?" He sighed.
"For using a forbidden technique," then Guy suddenly punched him hard in the face, causing him to fly across the room before helping him up. "I'm sorry, Lee. You're growing up, and I know you want to prove yourself but rules are in place for a reason and you must respect that."
Tearing up, Lee looked up at him, cheek swollen. "I'm…so sorry, sensei!" He cried.
Guy, eyes watering as well, shook his head. "You don't have to say anything more," he sniffled. "It's over now." Then Lee ran into Guy's arms and they were embracing. Naruto tried not to laugh at the fact that Sasuke lost to someone who was codependent with their sensei, but the embarrassed look on his teammate's face caused him to break.
"Oh, just shut up, Naruto!" Sasuke huffed.
Hinata giggled. "I think it's sweet, too," she said. "Having a bond like that with a parental figure." Naruto agreed as he loved hanging off his parents.
"Yeah, it is pretty nice," Naruto grinned.
"Okay, Lee! Time to give me a hundred laps around the training field," Guy declared.
"Right!" Lee replied.
"Oh, excuse me!" Hinata called out, bowing her head politely when Guy and Lee looked at her. "It's almost time for registration." She pointed at the clock and saw they only had fifteen minutes until three.
"You're Kakashi's team, right? How's he been?" The man asked.
"You know him?" Sasuke asked. "I guess it is a small village for shinobi."
"Not only do I know him, but I'd say we're more eternal rivals." Guy looked so genuine and happy at this fact that they couldn't help but believe him. All of a sudden, Hinata spun around on guard causing her teammates to do the same and Guy was suddenly right there. "I'm at forty wins and thirty-nine losses, which is one more better than his."
"You're…stronger than Kakashi-sensei?!" Naruto exclaimed.
Guy chuckled smugly. "Honestly, I'm stronger and faster than Kakashi," he said proudly with a wink.
"You're faster than him, no doubt," Sasuke admitted. "I can't speak for strength, but I know something he's better at."
"And what's that?" The man inquired.
Sasuke nodded to Hinata. "She sensed you coming, but she cannot sense Kakashi. He's more advanced in stealth." Despite his shock at someone being more skilled than Kakashi in any way, he was still going to defend his sensei where he could.
Leaning down enough to look Hinata in the eye. "You can sense me, young lady?" Hinata nodded. "I see. That's most impressive! I expect nothing less from Kakashi's students! Anyway, I apologize for any trouble my student caused. Good luck on the exams, everyone!" And then he disappeared as fast as he came.
"I can't believe there's someone better than Kakashi," Naruto said. "I can't wait to mention it to him!"
"You shouldn't antagonize the person responsible for our training," Hinata warned gently.
Letting his shoulders slump. "Aw, man. You're right," he mumbled.
"Hey, Sasuke," Lee said, grabbing their attention. "I'm sorry to say, but I truthfully just wanted to test myself in preparation for a fight against someone I know to be the strongest genin to come out of Konoha in a long time."
"What are you on about?" Sasuke asked.
"Neji," Lee replied. "He's probably the strongest genin in the village. You were supposed to be nothing but practice, but now…you are one of my targets. I will defeat you." Sasuke glared.
"Well, it's funny you say that because Hinata is on par with him," he said, pointing to her. "And all three of us are pretty much on equal grounds as well."
Naruto snorted. "So why'd you lose then?" Sasuke didn't dignify that with an answer and kept his eyes on Rock Lee, who had expressed shock at hearing of their strength. The only thing Neji had on them was experience.
"I was reckless while fighting you," Sasuke said. "But I will not be next time. Whenever you're up for a rematch, I'll be here."
"Very well! Then, I cannot wait to fight all of you!" And then they watched as Lee jumped back to the top of the stairs and disappeared down the hall.
"That was…an experience," Naruto noted. "Did you guys happen to see his hands?"
Hinata nodded. "They were…completely scarred. He must put himself through much pain during his training," she said. "I should give him some ointment the next time we see him."
At this, Sasuke's glare turned to her. "So, what, you just give your ointment out to everyone you come across?" He asked, voice curt taking his teammates aback.
"Don't talk to her like that just because you're butthurt you got whooped by that weirdo," Naruto defended, stepping forward and ready to fight their teammate.
Hinata put her hand on Naruto's arm. "It's okay, Naruto." Then she turned to Sasuke and smiled warmly. "I won't give him any if it makes you uncomfortable. I'm sorry, Sasuke."
Sasuke looked away, his anger dying at the sight of her gentle smile. "You don't need to apologize. I'm not going to get angry just because you're kind, do what you'd like. I won't be upset," he assured her. "Let's get going."
When they arrived at room 301, Kakashi was waiting for them by the door with a smile only visible by the squint in his uncovered eye.
"I'm happy to see you three. You cut it all pretty close, though," he said.
"We got a bit held up, but it's not very important," Sasuke said.
Naruto laughed. "Yeah, not to you maybe." Kakashi raised a brow at that, but none of them elaborated so he left it.
"Well, anyway, you're all here and ready to compete as a team. Naruto, Sasuke, Hinata," he said, a smile in his voice, "I'm proud of you guys. I couldn't have asked for a better team." He stepped aside and nodded to the door. "Good luck, you three."
"Thank you very much, sensei," Hinata said. "Just watch us."
"Yeah! We're gonna blow you away," Naruto added. Sasuke smirked and then they were all walking through the door. Just before it closed behind them, Naruto turned around and caught Kakashi's eye. "Oh, and Guy said hi, Mr. Forty Losses!" He managed to see the look of shock on his sensei's face before the doors closed.
"I thought you weren't going to mention anything," Sasuke said. Naruto shrugged and they looked around the room that was practically filled to the brim of genin from all over the map. To Team 7, it seemed as though they had all taken classes on how to be intimidating but none of them seemed particularly worried. They'd faced Zabuza and a kid who could do one-handed signs, these genin were no sweat. Even if they had experience, judging by how old they looked.
Sasuke was instantly crowded by Sakura and Ino and left looking extremely uncomfortable. Hinata and Naruto were greeted by the other genin to come out of the academy this year, their friends.
"Hey, Naruto, Hinata, we haven't seen you guys in a while," Kiba said. "I heard about the sick A-Rank you guys got."
Naruto grinned, though it wasn't as wide as it should've been after the image of a bleeding Hinata popped into his head. "It was no big deal!" He said.
Kiba rolled his eyes. "You guys are good, but not that good yet. Right, Shino?" He asked the bug-user who had been exchanging pleasantries with Hinata.
"They are all quite strong and they survived. I'd say that speaks for itself," Shino replied. Hinata, standing in front of him, was watching in awe as a small bug ran across her hand.
"These are your new friends, then?" She asked. "They're very lovely."
Shino nodded. "They're a new breed, very strong, and will come in handy for the exam."
"That's great, Shino-kun. I'm happy to see you here." She turned her head to check on Sasuke and managed to make eye contact with him, his eyes screamed for help. "Excuse me, I have to go grab Sasuke." She went over and said hello to the two girls who were fighting over him.
"Oh, hey, Hinata-chan," Ino said, smiling at her. "Don't mind us. Just talking with Sasuke-kun for a little bit."
"You're hanging off my arm," he pointed out.
"Exactly! Don't touch him so casually," Sakura said, though she also had her arm around his.
Sasuke inhaled quietly, shaking his head just a tiny bit before slipping out of their grips. "It seems Hinata needs me for something. I'll see you two later," he said. They huffed but let him go and began bickering with one another about who ruined the moment with him.
"They're trying to not be so…informal around you, but it'll take some time," she explained, voice apologetic. She didn't exactly mind that they had touched him so easily or seemed to mind that she was there, but she knew how much Sasuke disliked it and she felt the need to apologize.
"It's just disrespectful to you. I thought they weren't so bad after they stood up for you, but I'm beginning to think otherwise," he stated.
"No, they're not like that. They're my friends," she replied confidently. "They're just working through their own feelings and I'm not going to criticize how they do that."
Sasuke shook his head, though he had a smile on his face. "You're too nice."
"Hinata."
Hinata looked up to see Shikamaru smiling at her and she felt the urge to run up to him and hug him tightly, but held back as she knew it would upset Sasuke.
"Shikamaru," she said happily, smiling warmly at him. Her eyes moved down to his right arm and they softened when she saw her gift still displayed there. It delighted her to see him enjoying something she had put a lot of work and heart into.
"It's been a while," he said, stepping a little closer. He nodded to Sasuke. "Hey." Sasuke nodded back and that was all their exchange consisted of. Hinata didn't understand their friendship, but she figured they must be close enough to not have to exchange words.
"It has. You've been well?"
He nodded. "Yep, just training and racking up D-Ranks. Ino's driving me insane, though," he sighed, looking over her shoulder to the blonde before moving his eyes back to her. "I heard about the A-Rank."
Hinata's smile dimmed just a fraction but it was enough for Shikamaru to see. "Yes, it was difficult but our training paid off in the end."
Her lazy friend nodded. "How about I stop by the Hyuuga Compound sometime and you can tell me all about it?" He suggested. He wasn't the type to press her for answers, but Hinata felt comfortable with telling him everything he could ever be curious about. Shikamaru was a trusted friend and she cherished their relationship, just as she was sure he did as well.
Her face lit up and she nodded. "I'd love that! I can show you my greenhouse, too." Shikamaru chuckled, her excitement so childlike that he couldn't help but be influenced.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed a bit, but he said nothing. He knew how important the other boy was to her and he didn't want to be someone who forbade her from having male friends. He didn't want to isolate her from the very friends he had introduced her to in the first place. Shikamaru, he knew, held something deeper for his fiancée, but he also knew that the Nara wasn't going to do anything about it now that she was spoken for. He was part of a clan, and he knew how formalities worked. He didn't have to worry.
"Yeah, that sounds good," Shikamaru replied. Choji then walked up and they made light conversation until she turned and went back to speaking with Sakura and Ino about what they expected from the exam.
From behind her, a voice called out. "You guys are making an awful lot of noise." She froze and did her best to steel her expression before she turned to the person. It was another genin who wore a purple and white outfit and his gray hair was tied back into a low ponytail. The boy pushed his round glasses up his nose and smiled politely.
Hinata, shaken from having not sensed a simple genin, took a moment to gather herself. Her teammates noticed her behavior and stood on each side of her casually. They didn't ask questions, not yet but soon…when they were more alone.
"You guys are the rookies, right?" The guy said. "I'm Kabuto Yakushi, and I just wanted to let you three know that you're better off not agitating anyone in this room." He nodded to the crowd. "Everyone's tense and seeing bright-eyed and bushy-tailed rookies chattering about like it's no big deal must be getting on someone's nerves. Though, you all kinda remind me of myself a while back."
"Is this not your first time taking the exams?" Sakura asked.
Smiling sheepishly, Kabuto shook his head. "Actually, it's my, um, seventh."
Sakura lights up. "Wow, you must really know a lot, then! Maybe you can give us some tips," she suggested.
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "He's never passed an exam, is what he's saying," he explained.
Kabuto shrugged. "You got me, but I do have some knowledge that I can share with my cute juniors," he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a deck of orange and white cards that had the kanji for 'shinobi' on the back. "These are my special ninja info cards." When he flipped them around, they were completely blank.
"So what are they?" Shikamaru asked.
Kabuto kneeled down and set one down. "So, to the naked eye, there's nothing. But if you apply just the right amount of chakra, you'll have info on someone specific in mind. Well, only I can since these belong to me." He took a name from Sasuke, Gaara of the Sand, and pulled up what little information there was on him. Then he asked for Rock Lee. Afterward, he showed them a key that held the number of genin from each village that came to take the chunin exam.
Sunagakure—30
Amegakure—21
Kusagakure—15
Takigakure—12
Konohagakure—72
Otogakure—3
"Only three ninja from Otogakure?" Naruto asked, raising a brow.
Kabuto nodded. "Not much is really known about them. They're a small village and only really established themselves recently. Either way, there seems to be a lot of strong people here," he explained. "Everyone here is itching to advance ranks and prove themselves."
Team 7 shared a look, a bit more nervous than they had been but still quite confident. The other rookies seemed shaken and they noted they had to be strong for them. The genin from the other villages had to know that Konoha was powerful as well.
Suddenly, Hinata turned her direction to the crowd, feeling something approaching. Multiple somethings. Sasuke had sensed it as well, and Naruto followed his teammates' leads and waited patiently for their next moves.
The three Oto ninja moved to attack Kabuto. The one who looked to be the leader, with wrappings covering his entire head but one single eye, moved forward and pulled back his long sleeves to reveal some kind of device on his arm. He took a swing at Kabuto who was fast enough to completely dodge the hit. Hinata flinched just a bit and rubbed at her ear just before realizing the kind of attack it was. Kabuto's glasses shattered, shocking the rookies.
"Let's go," Sasuke said. In a split second, they were all by Kabuto's side with a flicker. Kabuto, who had seemed alright just a moment ago, dropped to his knees and vomited as he clutched his head.
"No way, I saw him dodge that," Shikamaru said disbelievingly. Hinata dropped to his side and Sasuke and Naruto stood in front of them, shielding them from any danger as Hinata's palm glowed.
"Your eardrum seems to be injured just a bit, causing your equilibrium to falter enough to affect you," she explained. She used some of her chakra to ease the dizziness and nausea and pulled her hand back with a smile when she was done.
"Th—thank you," Kabuto said, wincing out a smile. "You're a talented medic nin." She rubbed his back in comfort and accepted the compliment as it was no time to argue.
"Put these on your cards," the taller Oto boy said from behind the hunched-over main one, "us Oto nin? Guaranteed chunin by the end of this little exam." Kabuto looked up, between Sasuke and Naruto and glared at the Oto ninja.
The attacker sounded smug as he spoke, "Someone on his seventh try like you has no place acting so tough."
Before anyone could retort, an authoritative voice spoke loudly. "All right, that's enough!" A tall man wearing a black coat and a black head covering appeared at the front of the room, glaring harshly at the back, where the scuffle had occurred. Behind him, a group of similarly dressed ninja stood at attention. "It's time for the exam to begin. I'm Ibiki Morino, your proctor for the first phase." On the man's face were two long scars, one running from his right cheek to his ear and the other from his chin and up the left side of his face, disappearing into his head covering.
"You Oto nin in the back, cause more trouble and you'll be disqualified. I don't want to hear any excuses, just lock it up," Ibiki warned. He turned to everyone else. "It's time to hand in your applications after which you will receive a number card. This determines where you'll be sitting for the written portion of the exam."
At this Sasuke, looked to his blonde teammates and gave him what could be considered a pitying look. Naruto was smart in his own regards but he had never tested well in the academy. Nevertheless, he had faith that Naruto would somehow prevail.
Once they had gotten their numbers, Team 7 had been situated almost in a triangle formation. Hinata was in the front, two seats forward and one seat left from Sasuke. Naruto was one table over and one seat up from Sasuke's left.
"Now that everyone's settled. I'll explain the rules to you. I'm not going to repeat myself, so listen closely." Everyone silently waited for him to begin. "For this exam, you start out with ten points, one for each question on the test. For each answer you get incorrect, that's minus one point. Next, teams will be graded together and their points will be added up at the end. Finally, these sentinels stationed around the room are there to watch over you closely, for any signs of cheating. For that, two points will be deducted. Meaning, if you are caught five times, you and your team will be dismissed."
Naruto and Sasuke shared a look at this information before looking back up to their proctor.
"You will have an hour to complete the test. Fifteen minutes before the end, the final question will be given," Ibiki explained. "Show us how exceptional of a shinobi you can be." With a final look, the clock struck 3:30. "Begin!"
Everyone's heads went down and pencils went up. Hinata took a deep breath and began the worksheet without looking at any other questions. Sasuke skimmed over the test, noticing that each question was more difficult than the last. His eyes went to Naruto who was nibbling on his lip as he looked at the questions himself. The Uchiha picked up his pencil and hoped to the Gods that Naruto could get past the third question.
Thirty minutes into the test, just about every shinobi in the room had figured out that you would need to cheat in order to pass. Teams had been eliminated left and right due to one of their own being caught five times. Hinata was working on the ninth question and focusing on nothing but her paper, her eyes never once leaving her test. Sasuke, unable to get past the sixth question, used his sharingan to copy the pencil movements of the person sitting in front of him—Due to Hinata's long hair covering her hand, he wasn't able to get answers from her. Naruto, having been stuck on the fourth question and having figured out the objective was to gather intelligence, had no way of knowing how to go about getting the answers he needed.
Naruto felt stupid for getting only three answers done—answers he wasn't even that confident about. When he looked up toward Hinata, he saw her diligently working, only stopping for brief moments he assumed were to read the next questions. She had always been very smart and once she had gained more confidence, she stopped second-guessing herself and scored even higher marks in the academy. Moving his eyes to Sasuke, he knew he had it in the bag, especially when he began using his sharingan. He silently begged to suddenly develop a doujutsu to help him with the rest of his test.
When it came time for the final question, Ibiki called for their attention. "Before I give you the last question, I have to explain another set of rules that only applies to this question. One, you can choose whether or not to answer this question, it's completely up to the individual; however, should you choose not to, you will fail and so will your teammates. Two, should you choose to answer and get it wrong, not only is that an automatic failure but you will be banned from taking the chunin exam ever again and stuck as a genin for the rest of your life!"
At this, the remaining testers voiced their displeasure with only a handful either not showing a reaction or remaining quiet despite the rule. It was apparent that this portion of the test was meant to make you doubt yourself and possibly even your own teammates. It was more like a psychological play and those who couldn't hack it were sure to break soon.
"So, if there are any who wish to not answer this question, raise your hand. We'll record your number down and then you and your teammates can leave," he explained. After a brief moment, hands began going up. Left and right, shinobi were getting to their feet and apologizing to their teammates. In groups of three, the crowd began dwindling. In the end, only sixty-three shinobi remained, just a bit more than he expected.
"Looks like that's everyone," Ibiki said as he nodded to the shinobi stationed around the room. "Now, the rest of you here remaining and choosing to answer the question, there's only one thing to say… You've all passed the first part of the chunin exam!"
The genin looked on in shock, some yelling out questions and others openly celebrating.
"Wait a minute, are you telling me there's no tenth question?!" Sakura exclaimed.
"Choosing whether to go or stay was the tenth question. Your decision to stay was the answer," the proctor replied, seemingly delighted with himself for the cleverness of the exam.
From the back, Temari spoke. "Are you saying the other nine questions meant nothing?!"
Ibiki chuckled. "Not at all. The point of the other questions was to see how well you gathered intelligence, though that wouldn't have done you any good unless there was someone there with all the answers. So I sent in a couple of chunin who already knew it and had them sit in. The point of the entire test was to see how well you did under pressure, to see how you functioned not only as a team but by yourself."
Reaching up, Ibiki removed his head covering, causing the genin to shift uncomfortably at the sight of all the scars, puncture wounds, and burn marks littering the man's head.
"Sometimes, information can act as the most important weapon in your arsenal. Sometimes it can be the turning point of a battle, in your favor or against it. There will be times you will need to risk your life in order to gather it," he explained. "Yes, information—correct information—is extremely valuable. Keep this in mind: disinformation can be worse than no information at all. Such information could cost you your own life or the lives of your teammates, and even possibly the foundation of your entire village.
By choosing to stay, you answered correctly because once you are given a mission, you do not have the luxury of playing it safe and living to fight another day. You must complete the mission, even if it seems like there's no way out, almost suicidal actually because you live to serve your village. You live to do right by your village, and you remaining genin have understood this. As such, I hereby announce that the first phase of the chunin exam is now complete! Congratulations, you have all made it to the next phase!"
There was only a brief moment of celebration before something came crashing through the window. Within a few seconds, a woman wearing a long beige coat and had her violet hair tied up stood in front of the classroom with a cloth banner welcoming them to the second stage of the exam.
"My name's Anko Mitarashi and I'll be your proctor for the next phase of the exam!" She stated. "Who's ready? Awesome, now follow me!" On receiving nothing but silence, she looked about the room filled with blank looks and raised brows with red cheeks due to embarrassment. "Too scared, then?"
From behind the banner, Ibiki peeked from the side and sighed. "You're early…again."
"Ah," she chuckled sheepishly before growing serious again. "You must be getting soft, letting all these teams pass, Ibiki."
"It seems they're a good bunch this year," he replied.
She scoffed before turning to the genin with a hard look. "No matter. More than half will be eliminated by the end."
The silence turned tense and everyone looked at one another with apprehension. More than half of sixty-three was quite a bit, causing all of them to wonder what was in store for the next phase.
Anko tittered, a smirk on her face. "I can't wait to get started. You've all had it easy up until now but that's gonna change first thing in the morning! I'll inform your sensei about where you're to meet and at what time. You're dismissed!"
Team 7 decided to take a walk around the village after exiting the building to unwind. They didn't speak for a few moments and eventually ended up at the training grounds before turning to one another. Naruto and Hinata began laughing as the tension left their shoulders and even Sasuke chuckled.
"Holy crap," Naruto laughed, holding his sides. "That was so stressful!"
"It was!" Hinata giggled, holding her hair back as the wind blew stronger. "I'm just happy I didn't have to use my byakugan."
Naruto paused. "Wait, you didn't have to cheat? Like, at all?" He asked.
She shook her head. "No, I was able to answer all of them on my own. I'm confident in all but possible the ninth question," she admitted.
"I knew you were really smart, but I didn't think you'd breeze through that like it was nothing! What about you, Sasuke?"
He gave a single-shoulder shrug. "I got a few questions in before using my sharingan," he revealed. "Those questions were tougher than I thought. Though, after realizing the object was to gather information, I feel better about it." He turned to Hinata. "I'm impressed though."
She ducked her head. "I feel as if I failed though. By not gathering information."
Naruto slung his arm around her shoulders. "Nah, you were just smarter than that proctor thought a genin could be. That's not your fault. Besides, the people who had the answers were all behind you so there wasn't anyone for you to cheat off of," he assured her, forgetting that her doujutsu allowed her to see even behind her.
"Naruto's right. You did good. We all passed anyway," Sasuke agreed. "I'm sure we'll get word to our houses from Kakashi on the time and location of the next exam. Let's head home and prepare ourselves for the next phase."
"We're gonna dominate this exam," Naruto declared.
"Right!" Hinata said. Then her eyes lit up as she remembered something. "Wait. Before we leave, I need to tell you guys something." Her teammates faced her and nodded seriously when they saw the look in her eyes.
"What is it?" Sasuke asked.
"It's about Kabuto-san." At this, they both remembered how she reacted when he approached. "I didn't hear him at all. It was almost like…Kakashi-sensei had come up to us."
Naruto hummed. "Maybe you were just distracted," he suggested.
She shook her head. "Distracted or not, focused or not, I always hear the person unless they're Anbu level or higher," she explained. Her times without eyesight had made her hearing how it was presently and she wasn't one to go against her instincts.
"Either way, he's on his seventh try," Sasuke added. "I doubt he's someone to worry about. Other than the information he's gathered—even on us—he's not someone we should be concerned about."
"But Ibiki-sensei just explained to us how important information can be. I'm not saying he's an enemy," she clarified, "I just think we shouldn't let our guard down too much. These exams are dangerous and we can't afford to be careless."
They agreed with her easily.
"You're right," Naruto said. "We'll keep an eye out if he pops up again. I don't think he's too bad, but I guess you never know in these exams."
Sasuke hummed. "Right. Let's go get going now."
Although still a bit apprehensive, Hinata nodded and followed her teammates off the training grounds. Tomorrow was another important day and she couldn't afford to be distracted, but she also couldn't afford to be too tense. Meditation was going to be a huge part of her night.
Sorry for posting so late! I didn't even realize what day it was, haha. I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter. Next week will be the first part of the Forest of Death, so I hope someone's looking forward to that 3 Still on the last chapter of the konoha crush arc but I'll get past it soon. The story is nearly at 300k words in total and I'm so proud of it. So much work has gone into it, and I'm just real glad that y'all are here for the ride.
-hina
NEXT UPDATE: 11/04/23