Chapter 4: Risk and Reward
After the successful team dinner at Sasuke's home, Team Seven began to spend more time together. It started with more unofficial team training sessions, then sharing meals, and occasionally fun outings like going to the movies.
Today, the group was at Sasuke's house training. Even though the Hokage was pleased with Team Seven's performance on their C-rank mission, he didn't have any C-rank missions to give them at the moment. Thus, they were back to where they were before the Land of Waves missions: mundane D-rank missions. The last month was full of them.
Panting from exhaustion, the three genin lay on the ground after a particularly gruelling session. They had spent three hours flowing through as many shuriken exercises possible. First, they completed a standard exercise where they tried to hit targets with their shuriken. Next, they use chakra in conjunction with their throws in order to quickly throw multiple weapons to hit different targets in one shot. That's when it became more difficult. Then, they were challenged to complete taijutsu moves, specifically high jumps and flips, and hit multiple targets. Finally, the hardest and most gruesome exercise was to use taijutsu and chakra enhanced throws. There were several moving parts to keep track of like how high one jumped and chakra control along with aim and precision.
"When you said Itachi was going to help us train, I didn't think he'd try to kill us!" Naruto remarked. The older Uchiha had graciously offered to help the team refine their shuriken jutsu. Of course, all members readily accepted his help. He had been home more the past few weeks, so he wanted to spend extra time with Sasuke.
"Naruto! You should be grateful!" Sakura slapped his arm for emphasis.
"Dobe, I told you he's the best in the clan. Are you really surprised?" While Itachi was kind hearted and gentle, he wasn't a pushover when it came to training. People who were that skilled didn't get to the top without hard work. Sasuke had learned that early on in life when he began his journey as a shinobi.
Itachi leisurely strolled over to the genin. "Growth doesn't come without challenge or discomfort." He gave the group a once over and smiled. Naruto and Sakura didn't have a natural aptitude for shuriken jutsu like Sasuke, but they had progressed significantly in the time he had supervised them.
"Regardless, you all did well. After lunch, we could work on genjutsu if you'd like." With resounding agreement, the team decided to go inside and eat the bento boxes that Mikoto had so kindly prepared for each of them.
When they started eating, there was a knock at the door. Mikoto rushed to greet their visitor. Moments later, she appeared with their sensei.
"Kakashi-san, would you like to join us for lunch? There's plenty of food to go around."
He shook his head. "Thank you for the offer Uchiha-sama, but I have to get back to Hokage Tower for a meeting right after this." He approached the table and saw his three cute little students munching on rice balls. Mikoto went to the kitchen to give the team some privacy.
"Consider this your nomination for the chunin exams. You have until the end of the week to accept and fill out the paperwork." The grey-haired nin dropped three packets on the table.
"Huh? What's the chunin exams?" the blond questioned as he pilfered through the packets. Sakura, Sasuke, and Kakashi mentally face-palmed themselves.
"Honestly Naruto, did you pay attention at all during academy classes?" Sakura huffed and shook her head and proceeded to inform him on the purpose of the exams. "The chunin exams are a series of tests held twice a year in order to determine if genin get promoted to chunin. Different villages host the exams, but they're open to any nominated genin in the participating villages. The types of evaluations change every exam, so it can be unpredictable."
"Right on the money as usual Sakura," Kakashi praised.
"So we have to pass the exams to become chunin?"
"Yes, dobe," Sasuke said as he pinched his nose in annoyance.
"Take your time to think it over. The exams can be dangerous, so don't participate if you don't feel ready." Kakashi didn't want to pressure his students into taking the exam, but he thought it would be good for them from a challenge perspective. It may also keep them from complaining about their lack of exciting missions.
"Have your answer and paperwork ready for me, if you accept the nomination, by next practice." The copy nin disappeared in a cloud of smoke leaving Team Seven to decide if they would compete in the exams.
"I'm definitely participating! Believe it! I can't become Hokage without becoming a chunin first." Naruto grinned at his decision and went to ask Mikoto for a writing utensil to fill out his paperwork.
Not to be bested by the number one knucklehead, Sasuke said, "I'll be participating of course. It'll be a good challenge since all we've gotten is D-ranks lately." She didn't expect anything less from him. He was the number one rookie and second in line to the Uchiha clan. He couldn't afford not to participate, but she didn't know if she could afford to participate. Sasuke was obviously a top notch genin, and even Naruto had some talent. What he lacked in skills, he made up for in guts. Without confidence and much skill, she didn't stand a chance in these exams.
After several moments of silence, the Uchiha gave Sakura a questioning glance. He had expected her to say she was doing the exam as well, but she was being awfully quiet. Like Naruto, she was not talkative when she was upset or bothered by something. Both were open books and terrible about hiding their emotions.
With his curiosity piqued, he finally asked, "What about you?
"Oh! Um, I don't know. I can't decide if I'm good enough to take it." Obviously flustered from the question, she blushed and buried her head in the registration documents trying to ignore Sasuke's piercing eyes.
"If dobe is good enough to take it, so are you." Sasuke rose from his seat and left Sakura to mull over her decision. If Sasuke thought she was good enough to take it, maybe she should.
X
"Great job Sakura. That wasn't an easy genjutsu to dismantle. In fact, I think you're a natural genjutsu type." The older Uchiha was impressed with the young girl's insight and observational skills, especially without a doujutsu. The genjutsu was particularly complex with several layers of illusions, but Sakura had figured it out. Even a chunin would have had difficultly time releasing it.
"Thank you Itachi-san." She blushed at his compliment and beamed at him. Rarely did Kakashi or her teammates praise her, and never before had someone of Itachi's caliber complimented her skills as a shinobi. It was an honor.
"Yeah! That was awesome Sakura-chan!" Naruto cheered. Their other teammate stayed silent and crossed his arms. Sakura noticed and instantly deflated. She thought that Sasuke would have been impressed, but he was mad at her now.
The raven-haired genin felt a burning sensation in his stomach. It was like the feeling he had when Sakura met Itachi, but he still couldn't identify it. All he knew is that he didn't like the feeling. It was Sakura's fault. She turned pink and timid whenever Itachi gave her complimentd which annoyed him. There was a big age gap now, but when Sakura became of age it wouldn't be an issue. He was aware of that because his parents were about five years apart as well.
It bothered him for the rest of practice: Sakura and Itachi. His brother and pink haired teammate were like mismatched puzzle pieces. They didn't seem right together. In his bout of jealousy, he had ignored Sakura until their training session with Kakashi at the end of the week, where she proudly turned in her chunin exam application.
After practice, it was just the two of them walking home since Kakashi disappeared and Naruto went to Ichiraku, on the other side of town, for dinner with Iruka-sensei.
"I'm actually pretty excited for the chunin exams," Sakura commented. She had noticed Sasuke's quiet demeanor, but she didn't let it bother her. She was too excited. After a run in with a strange nin yesterday, when she dispelled their genjutsu, she had full confidence in her abilities to take the exam. The worst that could happen is that she failed, which wasn't so bad.
They continued walking in silence. Nervous that he hadn't responded to her, she tried to get him to talk again.
"How do you feel about the exam, Sasuke-kun?" Suddenly he stopped walking.
"Is something wrong?" she asked, puzzled by his action and lack of response. She stopped and looked at Sasuke. His obsidian eyes bore into hers, and she felt a chill run down her spine.
"If you're taking these exams to impress Itachi, don't. He's Anbu and heir to the Uchiha. He's not going to bother with a weak kunoichi from a civilian family." As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted it once he saw the hurt flask in her eyes. Sakura gasped, and her eyes began to water. Her hands clenched into balls of fury.
"How dare you! That's not what this is about. Did it occur to you that I have dreams of my own? That I don't just do things for guys to like me? I can't believe you. Shannaro, you're a jerk." As soon as she finished yelling at Sasuke, she turned and dashed to her home as fast as she could.
Sniffling and whimpering with tear glazed eyes, she struggled to ignore his harsh words. He had never insulted her family or background before. It was the worst insult anyone had used against her. She didn't choose her family, and even if she could, she would still choose hers. There was nothing wrong with having a civilian family.
Still, her heart felt shattered from the cruel and unkind words. The pain in her chest was suffocating. She felt betrayed. Only days ago, Sasuke had told her to take the exam based on her own merit. Now, he was angry with her decision and had called her weak. Just as she felt Sasuke opening up to her, he closed himself off again. He was unpredictable. One moment he was using his words to encourage her, and the next he weaponized his words against her.
In preparation for the exams, Team Seven trained every day the week leading up to the exam. It was apparent from the beginning of the week that something had gone wrong between Sasuke and Sakura. Kakashi and Itachi had noticed instantly and sought one another's counsel. The chunin exams required three man squads, so Team Seven needed to be on their best game. Holding grudges and being uncommunicative could cost them the exam or even their lives. Thus, Itachi would talk to Sasuke, and Kakashi would talk with Sakura. Hopefully, they could come to some type of understanding, at least for the sake of exams.
One evening, two days before the exam, Itachi invited Sasuke to join him on the porch for some tea and conversation.
"Otouto, I've been meaning to talk to you about something," Itachi spoke. He took a sip of his green tea.
"Something happened between you and Sakura-chan." He stated it as a fact, not a question. Sasuke turned to his brother and arched his brow. He didn't think they had been that obvious.
"I'm not trying to pry, but if you don't do something you'll fail the exams. It's obvious that your teamwork has been off this past week." The youngest Uchiha signed and groaned in frustration.
"I know, but I…" he trailed off. He was ashamed to admit his wrongdoing to his brother.
"What happened?" Itachi pressed with an imploring gaze. Sasuke's eyes darted to the ground, obviously embarrassed.
"I told her not to take the exams if she was doing it to impress you." Itachi wasn't surprised at the admission since Sasuke had exhibited signs of jealousy in the past. He waited for his brother to continue because he felt there was more to the story.
"Since I was annoyed with her, I told her that you wouldn't be interested in someone weak and from a civilian family. After that, she yelled at me and ran away. She said I was a jerk, and she's right." His head hung low, and he waited for Itachi to scold him.
To Itachi, it seemed like a classic case of Sasuke mishandling his emotions and lashing out. It had happened a few times, but this time seemed to have dire consequences. From what he could gather, Sakura was a sensitive girl, and she clearly valued Sasuke's opinions. The insults, coming from him, had wounded her deeply.
"Otouto, you need to say sorry. She's a kind girl, so she'll forgive you once you apologize. Please, don't insult her background or anyone else's. I know there are some of our relatives who will say otherwise, but it isn't right. The Uchiha understand what it's like to have our name and heritage held against us, so we should be especially careful not to do the same to others."
"I know, and I won't ever do it again, not that I have before. I don't know why I said it."
Itachi huffed in amusement. "Why would it bother you if she was taking exams to get my attention?" Sasuke crossed his arms and glared at his brother.
"She can't like you. It's weird!" His poor brother. It was apparent that Sakura merely admired him and had feelings for Sasuke, not the other way around. However, Sasuke was too blinded by his quick assumptions and reactive feelings to see it.
"I'm not the one she likes, foolish otouto." Itachi poked Sasuke's forehead.
"Regardless, I am seeing someone." Sasuke's eyes widened, and he struggled to keep his mouth from gaping. He had never suspected that his brother was concerned with women, much less had time for them.
"Who is she? Who knows about it? How long?"
Unfazed by his brother's string of questions, Itachi merely chuckled. "Her name is Izumi, and you met her a while ago. Currently, Shisui and now you know, but I'm going to tell our parents in a couple of minutes. Lastly, we've been seeing each other for five months." Itachi left his flabbergasted brother and went to reveal the news to his parents.
X
Sasuke's immediate family was delighted that Itachi and Izumi were a couple. Mikoto was ecstatic and gushed over how cute and well matched the pair was. She insisted that Izumi join them for dinner sometime soon, so they could get to know her better. Fugaku gave his eldest a strong pat on the back and said good job. For a time, he worried that Itachi seemed to have no interest in women which was obviously concerning since he was the clan heir. He needed to marry and bear children in order to take the mantle and continue the line.
Meanwhile, Sasuke was still in a state of shock. He didn't know what to think. If his brother was happy with Izumi, that's what mattered. However, he needed to make sure that this girl was up to snuff for his brother. If she was just another annoying woman trying to get in with the head family, she had another thing coming. He could barely recall meeting Izumi, and all he remembered is that she was half Uchiha and lived on the outskirts of the compound. He wondered how she caught his brother's attention and kept it. There had to be something special about her if Itachi had been seeing her for five months. Truth be told, he was impressed that they had kept it under wraps for so long, but he remembered that this was his brother. If he didn't want people to know something, they wouldn't.
As for his promise to apologize to Sakura, he hadn't done it yet. Time was running out since the first part of the exam was tomorrow morning. He meant to do so earlier, but he was ashamed of his actions and worried that Sakura would not listen or speak with him. The morning and afternoon had passed quickly, and it was evening. He needed to talk to her; it was the absolute last chance he had before the exam.
He excused himself after dinner and went to Sakura's house. He knocked on the small red door, and a middle aged woman with auburn hair and jade eyes answered the door. This must be Sakura's mother.
"You must be Sasuke. I'll go get Sakura. You two can sit on the porch." She smiled nervously, but she seemed happy that he had come by.
"Thank you, and here." Sasuke handed her a basket of homemade dango. Mrs. Haruno's face lit up with excitement, and she accepted the gift with thanks. Moments later, she appeared with a weary looking Sakura. She was in civilian clothes, a simple white tank top and beige shorts. It was strange for Sasuke to see her in her regular clothing, but he didn't dislike it.
Her mother left them on the porch, and they sat in silence for a few minutes. One dreading to speak, and the latter too hurt to speak.
Sasuke turned to look at his female teammate. Her arms were wrapped around her stomach in a defensive position with her legs tucked under her body. Long pink tresses covered her ivory form like a silk curtain. The moonlight illuminated her jade eyes, revealing her unspoken sadness. He decided that she made a pretty but forlorn image.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said those things to you, and none of it was true." Sakura inhaled sharply and returned his gaze. Her eyes narrowed, thinking that his words were a joke.
"I didn't mean it, Sakura. I was upset, and I took it out on you. Please forgive me." His eyes were pleading, desperate for her to say something. She was floored that her prideful teammate had apologized to her.
"Thank you, Sasuke-kun." She unraveled her arms and leaned back against them for support. "I don't understand why you were upset since you told me that I should take the chunin exams. Did I do something wrong?" She was satisfied with his apology, but she wanted to make sure that there weren't any additional misunderstandings.
"No, you didn't."
"Then, what upset you?" she asked. When her sensei approached her yesterday to discuss the recent tension between her and Sasuke, he told her that it was likely that Sasuke was jealous. Being the clan heir and even more prodigious than him, Itachi got lots of attention, but not from Naruto or Sakura. Kakashi vaguely explained it had something to do with a brotherly rival hood and assured her that she hadn't done anything wrong. The kunoichi felt better after the discussion, but her curiosity felt unsated.
"I, um, got upset because it's weird and kind of gross that you like my brother." He felt awkward saying it outloud and even more so when Sakura giggled. Why was she laughing?
"Don't get me wrong, your brother is cool and really cute-" Sasuke frowned, "but not my type. I just think he's nice and a good teacher. That's all."
"Then why do you blush when he compliments you?" he asked accusatory. Sakura gave him a disbelieving look.
"It's not everyday that an Anbu and one of the strongest nin complements my genjutsu and intellect, much less anyone else."
"Oh. That makes sense." At this moment, Sasuke felt relieved. He was sure that she had a crush on Itachi, only to be told otherwise. It made sense that Itachi's comments flustered Sakura given her situation. First, her civilian family knew little of the shinobi way, so they wouldn't know what to compliment, much less understand. Second, he now remembered that Sakura also became flustered when Kakashi praised her, which was rare. Lastly, it was easy to forget how most others saw Itachi. Sure, he was cool and insanely talented, but he wasn't intimidated by him.
"If I did have a crush on your brother, why would it bother you?" She was still curious because a small part of her hoped that he would be jealous. It would mean that the idea of her with someone else elicited a negative reaction. If so, it meant that Sasuke had to like her on some level.
"Other than it would be illegal, he's taken." Her jaw dropped. The nin world of Konoha was pretty tight, and she would have definitely heard if Itachi Uchiha, number one heart throb in the village, had a girlfriend.
"Since when?" she implored.
"Apparently five months ago, but I found out yesterday," he supplied.
"Wow. Good for him." An impish grin appeared on her delicate visage. "So I guess you weren't upset because you were jealous?"
In typical Sasuke fashion, he snorted and gave her an incredulous look. "Of course not. Good night Sakura. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Good night Sasuke-kun." She waved and went back inside to face the inevitable barrage of questions her parents would have. Her mother knew of her feelings for Sasuke, and her father would be wary of a boy calling on her. At least, she and Sasuke had patched things up before the exam.
Her mind was still reeling from his apology, but it was a welcome surprise. It showed her that he did care for her.
X
All of Team Seven was starting to get an idea of how difficult and competitive the evaluation process would be. Just registering had been a headache. Luckily, Sakura quickly dispelled the genjutsu on the second floor, so they could find the check-in desk. However, they encountered an unfamiliar genin squad with a brown haired girl, a Hyuga, and a green spandex wearing guy. The odd fellow, Lee, had seemed completely inept upon first look, but he was able to stop Sasuke's fight with another candidate swiftly. Much to Sakura's annoyance, Lee asked her to be his girlfriend, but she shot him down. Later, he challenged Sasuke to a spar and won all the while blowing kisses at Sakura. Then, they met his instructor Gai, who claimed to be Kakashi's rival. However, the group had a hard time believing it since he looked just as weird as his student. They had the same awkwardly fitting green spandex suit, bowl cut, and black bushy eyebrows.
After Naruto had a small outburst in the holding room, he successfully gained the attention of all of the other candidates. Thankfully, it was shortly thereafter that a proctor came and informed the candidates to move to their assigned room to take the first part of the exam. Sakura felt like she could barely breathe in the jam packed room, and she had the misfortune of running into her rival Ino. The blond nin immediately threw herself at Sasuke once they were reunited. It irked Sakura to no end.
Team Seven had been assigned to the classroom across the hall. They entered the room to find each desk with a pencil and paper. It looked like the first part of the exam would be a classic written test. Sakura was relieved, but Naruto was horrified. He loathed tests, especially written ones. He tried to calm himself because he only needed to pass. It couldn't be that hard.
The proctor for the written exam appeared once everyone was sitting in their assigned seats. He was a tall and stocky man with scars and cuts all across his face, which spoke of his gruemose career as a shinobi.
"My name is Ibiki Morino, and I will be administering your test." His deep booming voice commanded the room's attention. He went on to explain the exam and how the sections were scored. Other chunin were seated in the room to record if someone cheated which would result in a five point deduction. If someone was caught cheating six times or if a team member couldn't answer at least one question correctly, their whole team would be disqualified. The test was nine questions, and they had an hour to complete it.
Each question was progressively harder and more complex than the last. However, Sakura was not deterred. She excelled at theory, so she would do well. Sasuke was smart, so he would be fine. On the other hand, Naruto would not be okay. If Sakura was extremely challenged by the test, Naruto likely couldn't even understand the questions. It was up to Sakura to carry the team. She'd have to push her thoughts about Naruto aside and focus.
Scanning the test, the Uchiha smirked trying to keep up his facade. He couldn't seem to understand a single question, but that might not be an issue. Thinking back to the proctor's words, he found it odd that if caught cheating one wasn't immediately disqualified. It was almost as if they were supposed to cheat. That's it! He subtly activated his doujutsu and picked out someone who was filling out the test. Sakura would suffice since her answers were probably correct and in his line of vision. It wouldn't be worth copying wrong answers. His eyes copied her pen's movements, and his pen mimicced them and filled up his paper.
Half way into the exam, the knucklehead hadn't answered a single question. He was practically sweating bullets. Just as he mustered up the courage to peak at a nearby nin's paper, a group was disqualified. If he was caught, Sasuke and Sakura would kill him, but they would also kill him if he didn't get a single question correct, causing the team to automatically fail. What was he going to do?
"Naruto-kun," a soft voice whispered. The jinchuriki slightly turned his head to see Hinata Hyuga. The violet haired girl was the shiest most timid person he knew. She seemed nice, but definitely weird.
"Huh?" She looked down at her paper.
"You c-can look at m-my answers." It was a tempting offer, but it was wrong. Naruto would rather fail by his own merit than pass without it. There was no cheating his way to Hokage.
"Thanks, but I don't need it. I got it! Believe it." The blank paper in front of him said otherwise, but she respected his honest principals. Smiling, the girl nodded and turned back to her test.
"We have reached the forty five minute mark, so it is time for the tenth question. Pay attention." All pencils stopped moving and all eyes were on the proctor waiting for his instructions.
"You can all choose whether or not to try and solve the tenth question. However, if you choose not to answer, the entire team will fail. If you choose to answer the question but get it wrong, you will be barred from taking the chunin Exams forever." The gravity of his words stilled the candidates.
With the possibility of losing any chance of becoming a chunin, several teams left and forfeit the exam.
Without any answers to the first nine questions, Naruto surprised that the odds of him knowing the answer to the tenth were slim. He had two options. If he tried to answer the question, there was a chance to move on to the next section of the exam, but he and the rest of his teammates wouldn't be able to become chunin if they answered wrong. He could give up and take the exam another time, but his teammates would also be disqualified. Both scenarios seemed awfully unfair. He wavered, but there was no reward without risk.
Sakura kept her eyes trained on Naruto, and he looked caught in some type of inner conflict. Noticing his blank paper, she could see why. Naruto was bold and courageous; he would beat himself up if he had to quit. Taking it upon herself to forfeit and take the blame, she slowly raised her hand until Naruto stood up. She lowered her hand back to the desk.
With his fist proudly raised, he declared, "I'm not scared of your question. I'll become Hokage no matter what!" This outburst calms the remaining teams, and any candidate left chose to stay for the remaining question. Sakura and Sasuke, while a little perturbed by Naruto's loud proclamation, were glad that he was sticking it out. No one could accuse the blond of not being determined or gutsy.
"Since no else seems to be leaving, I'll tell you the last question. You all pass. Congratulations!" Seeing bulging eyes and puzzling looks from the candidates, he explained that the first nine questions were to test their information gathering skills, whereas the tenth question was to test their determination.
"The first phase is complete. Now-"
There was a sudden crash, and a strange woman came through the window. She walked up to the front of the class and introduced herself.
"Sorry I'm early," she apologized to Ibiki. He merely sighed and shook his head.
"Listen up maggots!" The black haired women walked around the aisles and scanned the room. "I'm Anko Mitirashi, and I'm your proctor for the next phase of the exam. It will be a survival test, in the Forest of Death."
Sakura gulped. The Forest of Death did not sound friendly.