Chapter 10: The Chunin Exams
Summary: Team 7 signs up for their next test.
Academy, the Next Day
The genin of Team 7 were making their way to the shinobi academy, following the paper's instructions to sign up for the chunin exams.
They entered the large brutalist building and promptly made their way to the office allotted for applications to the chunin exams.
They encountered a long line, and walked to the back.
The whole time, Sakura was going crazy.
I could get killed in this exam! I can't measure up to Naruto and Sasuke, how can I possibly become a chunin? Or even help them become chunin? It might be better if I don't even sign up, but how can I avoid that? They'll be disappointed no matter what I do...
While standing in line, and moving forward, Team 7 were confronted by an older team of genin - - Team 9.
The bushy-browed one dressed in green approached Sakura.
He swooned, "Miss, you are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen; take I, Rock Lee's hand in marriage, so we can make the village proud!".
Sakura shuffled her feet to hide behind Naruto.
Sasuke complained, "Dude, just leave us alone. We don't have time for your nonsense.".
Rock Lee began to retort, "How dare you call th--"
Sasuke took a swing at the boy, who easily blocked his fist with his palm.
Rock Lee's eyes narrowed, as if to challenge Sasuke.
Sasuke went for a high kick, but Lee blocked that with his own leg, as well.
Lee taunted, "I was not speaking to you, Sasuke Uchiha. But if you're so desperate for a fight...".
Lee leapt back and finished, "Come at me!".
Sasuke activated his premature sharingan and smirked.
He ran towards Lee, who quickly kicked him up into the air and followed suit.
Lee spun in the air, forcing Sasuke's back to him by hitting him with his forearm.
After that, Lee clutched onto the free-falling Sasuke, and began to corkscrew.
This'll teach you to be so rude, Uchiha!
However, before anyone could finish another breath, Sasuke had inexplicably disappeared.
It was after the fact that Lee began to process this, as the bewildered boy flipped and landed in a roll on the ground.
He stood up and asked, "What just happened?".
His teammate, Neji Hyuuga, dryly answered, "You've just been spared from an ass-whooping from our Sensei, that's what.".
Lee blushed.
"As long as you don't tell him... Which you won't, right? He doesn't need to know that I was about to use the lotus corkscrew!".
Just then, a muffled loud voice echoed, "YOU WERE ABOUT TO WHAT?!".
A giant turtle began to make its way towards the genin.
It moved inch by inch, shuffling ever closer to Rock Lee with every little push.
It had taken so long, in fact, that most of the genin waiting in line had turned away from it to face the office again.
Rock Lee, however, remained frozen. Terror had captured his heart, and he didn't dare move.
When the turtle was finally just a few feet away from Lee, a puff of smoke appeared, and Lee hadn't even seen the punch he was delivered.
As Lee held his bleeding nose, a man who looked like him - - too much like him - - stood on top of the turtle.
He shouted, "I warned you once that you are never to use that technique unless it's for those who you hold dear!~ Lee, why must you betray me so?!".
Lee whimpered, "N-n-nooo... I'm so sorry, Guy-sensei!".
Both men began to openly weep.
Guy responded, tears still spilling, "I forgive you my disciple, I only hope you can forgive yourself!"
Lee cried, "I'll repent, I swear! I'll do whatever I must!".
Guy, still crying, told him, "Five thousand handstand pushups while traversing the rooftops, pronto!".
Lee obeyed, "Yes, Sensei!", and ran off to complete his task.
Neji was followed by the third genin of Team 9 -- Tenten Higurashi -- as they both yelled, "COME BACK, LEE, WE NEED YOU TO SIGN THE APPLICATION!".
Sakura watched on in astonishment.
What an odd bunch...
Guy turned to Team Steven's genin and greeted, "You three -- Kakashi's disciples, am I right?".
A dizzy Sasuke, exhausted Naruto, and wary Sakura replied, "Yes, sir.".
Guy stated, "Good, good. I just need you three to tell my rival that I've got his number -- I'm kicking his butt next time!".
Sakura asked, "Your rival? Kakashi-sensei?".
Guy answered, "That's right, we've had one hundred and one battles thus far, and the record's 51-50 -- in my favor.".
He promptly jumped out the window, chasing down his genin.
Sakura turned towards Naruto and cooed, "Naruto, are you alright? You're sweating...".
Naruto exhaled deeply and whispered, "It was that technique I used... I didn't wanna have a fit in public... Took everythin' I had to keep it in...".
Sakura pouted.
Even Naruto's stronger than I am... Can I really measure up to chunin standards? Am I just going to be holding Naruto and Sasuke back?...
She whispered back, "I didn't think you'd care about that kind of thing...".
Naruto replied, "I don't. It's just, I know you'd mind, and I wouldn't want you to feel embarrassed or anythin' because of me.".
Sakura smiled.
"That's really considerate of you.".
The blonde shuffled his feet and whispered again.
"So, Sakura, how ya feelin' about the chunin exams? I know we haven't even signed up yet, but still...".
Sakura admitted, "I'm nervous; I might not even sign up, to be honest.".
"I'd be kinda sad if me and Sasuke became chunin without ya, but I wouldn't want ya to do somethin' whose benefits you're not sure of...".
Sakura blushed.
Since when is he so wise? Relatively-speaking.
She reasoned, "Well, even if I fail, I'm sure there'll still be a benefit. And with you two by my side, I'm sure I'll have a better chance at passing.".
Just then, Team Seven were finally able to walk into the office and fill the application.
The office was small, and crowded with papers. At the desk sat a tanned man wearing a bandana over his scalp, and a dark trench coat - - Morino Ibiki.
Ibiki asked the coming genin, "So, who am I looking at here?".
Sasuke answered, "Team Seven - - Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, Naruto Uzumaki.".
Ibiki responded, "Alright, just fill out this form.".
He handed a single piece of paper to Sasuke -- designed for a unit of three.
Sasuke asked, "Wait, our whole team gets just one form?".
Ibiki told him, "Of course. You can only take the chunin exams with the rest of your genin team.".
Sakura's eyes went wide.
So if I decided to not show up...
She and Naruto side-eyed each other, and shared a similar thought.
Thank God the whole team's here!
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Middle of Village
As the genin walked along a path, they heard whining from around the corner.
"Hey, hey, let me down! I didn't do nothin', G! Let go of me!".
Naruto stopped in his tracks.
That girly screeching, and that thuggish cadence... Could it really be that idiot?...
Sakura and Sasuke also stopped, with the latter turning around to ask, "Naruto, why are you stopping?", as the former added, "Did you forget something?".
Naruto answered, "No, I just... I heard a familiar voice.".
He jogged past his teammates and around the corner, confirming his suspicion.
It is! You moron!
A blonde girl, a boy donning a black costume with a sheathed puppet, and a red-haired boy with a tattoo on his forehead stood in the middle of the street.
The boy in the black costume was holding up a younger boy by his leg, shaking him up and down and scolding him with the blonde girl, as the younger boy's friends watched without hope of helping.
Naruto ran up to the scene shouting, "Hey, what's goin' on here?!".
Upon closer inspection Naruto noticed that the three older children were genin from the Hidden Sand Village, judging by their forehead protectors.
When the Sand genin noticed Naruto, they ceased activity.
The black-suited boy dropped his victim, and the Sand genin smiled, greeting Naruto.
They simultaneously spoke, "Hi, Naruto!", albeit in their own varying tones.
Naruto, however, questioned, "How do Sand genin know me? And why were you messing with Konohamaru?".
Wait, if I used to travel with Jiraiya, then--
The oldest boy spoke, "C'mon, Naruto, it's us, you dubbed us the 'Stupid Sand Siblings'! Kankuro, Temari, you should at least remember Gaara!".
The siblings spread apart in order to give Naruto a better look at them individually.
Kankuro, Temari, and Gaara, huh? Doesn't ring a bell, but for them to remember me after a few years...
Naruto quickly lied, "Oh, yeah, I remember now! I hung out with you guys when uh, me and Jiraiya passed by the Sand Village!".
Temari responded, "That's an understatement if I've ever heard one -- it's good to see ya, Kid. Been eating?".
Gaara plainly interjected, "Your friend Konohamaru is a pervert, Naruto.".
The younger blonde crossed his arms and turned to Konohamaru, asking, "Alright, what'd you do this time?".
The squirrely boy answered, "Yo, I di'n't do nothin', man, I swear, man!".
Naruto ordered, "Tell me the truth, man! And quit talkin' like that...".
Konohamaru groaned, "Alright, alright... I may or may not have, like, engaged myself in... an intricate form of physical contact with a fine specimen...".
Naruto looked back at Temari, confused.
She translated, "First of all, he used 'intricate' wrong. Secondly, he squeezed my breast!".
Konohamaru shouted, "Hey, you make it sound dirty! Besides, that's no reason to shake me around, I'm the hokage's grandson!".
Kankuro raised an eyebrow and asked, "Is this kid for real, Naruto?".
Naruto sighed.
He told the siblings, "Do whatever you want with him. Just don't kill him, and the old man'll understand.".
Sakura approached from the side and warned, "I don't think that's a good idea; a kid as young as him can only be so perverted because of his parental figures. Shake them up instead.".
Konohamaru immediately clasped his hands and kneeled begging, "No, wait, don't tell my parents! They'll murder my ass, and then they'll dance on my grave and use my ashes to make tea!".
Gaara commanded, "Then apologize.".
Konohamaru spun to face Temari directly and pleaded, "I'm sorry I copped a feel, ma'am, please forgive me!".
The girl scoffed and responded, "Whatever. Just don't do it again, got it?".
Konohamaru desperately nodded in affirmation.
Kankuro suggested, "Hey, Naruto, since we've all signed up for our exams, why don't we all walk somewhere together? You can introduce us to your team.".
Sasuke stepped forward and spoke, "Sorry, no can do. We need to report to our Sensei.".
Though it was a wholly inoffensive thing to say, the Sand Siblings couldn't help but feel slighted by Sasuke's tone.
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Naruto's Apartment
The search for Kakashi led the genin to Naruto's apartment - - the man was an occasional visitor.
They split up, assigning themselves each to a single room, or two.
Naruto, having finished his search of his own room, continued to Anko's room, hovering over the doorknob.
I know you said you'd kill me if I came in here without permission, but what you don't know won't hurt you...
He put his hand on the knob and twisted, opening the door as he prayed that he'd be wrong.
Unfortunately, he was, in fact, not wrong at all.
Steam poured out of the room into Naruto's face.
As it cleared, he was able to make out the silhouette of Kakashi exiting the bathroom.
Is he... Wearing Anko's robe?!
Kakashi noted, "Oh, Naruto, you're here.".
Naruto demanded to know, "What are you doing here, in my apartment, in Anko's room, naked, alone?!".
Kakashi replied, "Well, I've been here for the past three days - - you really should have noticed before now. Are you feeling okay?".
Naruto shuddered and growled.
Just like Jiraiya, this creep just keeps lording over me!
He shouted, "No, I'm not feeling okay! My entire life is being domineered by snarky perverts who shouldn't be allowed within 500 feet of a child!".
Kakashi joked, "Hey, I've got an exception...".
The blonde turned red with rage as his teammates arrived.
Sasuke pushed Naruto to the side and sped towards Kakashi, showing him the chunin exams application.
He commanded, "Sensei, sign your name on the dotted line!".
Kakashi shrugged and asked, "Why should I? Are you three really so eager to get away from me?".
Sakura squeaked, "We're just ready for the exam! It's nothing personal!".
Kakashi requested, "Prove it.".
The genin froze.
Prove it? How?
Naruto argued, "Well, the best way to prove that we're ready for the exam is to take it! If we're not ready, we'll fail, and if we are ready, we'll pass!".
The man relented, "Alright, I'm convinced. Give me a pen and I'll sign.".
Naruto, taken aback, questioned, "Really? That's it? You're convinced, just like that?".
Kakashi responded, "To be honest, I was convinced beforehand. I just wanted to know if you were convinced.".
Naruto crossed his arms and frowned.
Again with the mind games!
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Hokage's Office
Hiruzen sat at his table, mindlessly stamping papers from one pile and flipping them onto another pile.
After a few minutes of this, he accidentally dropped one of the papers.
He bent down to grab it, and when he picked it up, he noticed something odd.
I've stamped both sides?
He checked the pile he'd been building, and flipped through every single paper.
All of them, stamped on both sides. Every single one!
He put his head in his hands and groaned.
Jiraiya walked into the office.
He asked, "This a bad time?".
Hiruzen told him, "No, Jiraiya. I'm just having one of those moments again.".
Jiraiya sighed.
"I understand...".
"...".
Jiraiya suggested, "It might be time to hang up the gown, Sensei.".
Hiruzen admitted, "It has been for a while now. But as much as I've intended to pass this hat off to a successor, I can't help but hesitate, for fear of choosing the wrong one.".
"There's no one suitable, Sensei?".
"There is -- but she's not in the village. Hasn't been for a long time, now.".
"She? Are we thinking about the same hottie?".
"Yes, Jiraiya, we are.".
"Tch, not sure she'd wanna come back, though...".
"Well, Jiraiya, I might as well give you a mission while you're here; find her. Bring her back to the village, for her sensei's sake.".
Jiraiya winced.
"I'll see what I can do, Sensei.".
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The Next Morning
A lanky, pale man sporting a bandana and sunglasses walked into Hiruzen's office.
He stated, "Here to pick up Master Konohamaru, Sir.".
Hiruzen replied, "What? He said you'd start the day early -- he should be with you, Ebisu!".
Ebisu's expression turned to that of confusion.
He said, "He told me we'd start late today. He should be with you.".
"He must be fooling around again... Please, find him quickly and bring him here.".
Ebisu accepted, "Yes, sir.", and walked out of the office.
Hiruzen rubbed his eyes.
What an unusual boy... He has everything the world could offer, and still he acts out like this!
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Naruto's Apartment
Naruto opened the door to Anko's bedroom, scanning it from the doorway.
Good... No Kakashi-sensei in here.
He turned around and immediately bumped into something, and fell down.
Naruto shook his head and looked up. As his vision cleared, he realized that he had bumped into none other than Jiraiya.
The boy cried, "You creep! How'd you get in here?!".
Jiraiya laughed.
"I used my special key!", he stated, tapping his leg.
Naruto looked to the side at the door, and saw that it had been completely detached from the doorway.
This asshole!
He looked back at Jiraiya, frowning.
"You're payin' for that, Pervy Sage.".
"Whatever, a broken door is hardly the pertinent matter here.".
The blonde rose to his feet, asking, "What is the 'pertinent matter'?".
"You remember Old Lady Tsunade?".
Naruto lied, "Yeah, vaguely...".
Jiraiya offered, "I've been tasked with finding her and bringing her back; I want you to come with me. Reunite the old gang!".
Naruto awkwardly chuckled and replied, "I dunno... I have chunin exams comin' up and that's pretty much all I wanna do right now...".
Jiraiya rolled his eyes.
"Chunin exams, huh? Well, I can wait; not like we need her right here and now, anyways.".
Naruto suggested, "How about some pointers? Sensei's useless...".
I'm not really fond of this guy, but if he can help me...
Jiraiya chortled and answered, "I don't think so, Naruto. Not now, at least.".
The boy grumbled.
Never mind, he's useless, too.
Jiraiya walked out of the apartment, whistling a song he had composed for himself.
All the while, Naruto watched on, dejected.
What's wrong with these people?...
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Exam Day
Packs of genin entered the Leaf Shinobi Academy for their exam.
As they crowded the exam room, waiting for the proctor to arrive, some teams took their seats, while others stayed standing.
An awkward air enveloped the room, as the genin in the room, many from foreign villages, were all surrounded by people they hadn't ever known.
Team 7 was approached by a young man with silver hair. His glasses seemed to shroud his eyes with light, as he showed a smug expression.
He spoke directly to Sasuke.
"Sasuke Uchiha... I'm Kabuto Yakushi. Pleasure to make your acquaintance.".
Sasuke sighed.
"Is that supposed to mean something to me?".
Kabuto revealed a plastic card.
"According to my custom-made shinobi card, you've got quite the profile for a rookie of just a few months. Regal status aside, completion of an A-rank mission? Sure, your sensei probably did most of the work, but I don't see Pinky or Blondie making it out alive without a guy like you pulling their weight... ".
Naruto scoffed.
'Sasuke, Sasuke Sasuke'!
He interjected, "Hey, that was a team effort! T-E-A-M, Team! We did that mission together, make no mistake about it!".
Kabuto's eyes sparked.
"And just who are you?...".
Naruto shouted, "I'm Naruto Uzumaki and I'm gonna beat everyone here!".
Sakura winced.
So much for not embarrassing us...
The entire room had gone silent, and looked at Naruto with immense scorn.
The boy doubled down, "Any of you got a problem with that? I'll kick your asses upside down and sideways!".
The Leaf's genin cringed.
He's got a knack for making enemies!
A young man, about Kabuto's age, approached.
He was covered in bandages, except for his left eye, and was sporting a Sound Village forehead protector.
He muttered, "You...".
Naruto taunted, "Yeah, what about me? You wanna fight?!".
The Sound genin pushed him aside and dismissed, "Not you, him. The Uchiha...".
Naruto attempted to grasp the boy, but his arm was suddenly grabbed and pulled down by Sakura, who warned, "Quit it, Naruto, you're only going to cause us trouble...".
Naruto blushed and frowned, thoroughly ashamed.
Why's she gotta scold me like that? I'm not a little kid!
He silently agreed, adducting his arm and sighing.
Sasuke groaned, "Oh great, another creep. Who are you supposed to be?".
The bandaged boy answered, "Dosu Kinuta...". He gestured towards a boy with spiky black hair and a girl, adding, "My teammates are Zaku Abumi and Kin Tsuchi.".
Kin mocked, "Looks like he's got bad luck with teammates; Pinky's no different than any other stupid, vain girl, and--"
Before she could finish, Naruto had run up to her and kicked her in the shin.
Kin jumped up and down, holding on to her leg.
"Damn, damn, damn, why?!", she cried.
Zaku grabbed Naruto's collar, but before he could do anything, the door to the room opened.
Ibiki walked in and announced, "Take your seats, everyone. The chunin exams are going to begin soon.".
Short chapter, I know :P
BTW, the song Jiraiya whistles is his theme from the original anime ;)
Please review!