Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Imaginary Numbers
Otherwise known as the squared root of negative numbers, imaginary numbers do not have a definite value. Therefore, they must be multiplied by an imaginary unit. As a rule, Imaginary numbers run perpendicular to real numbers.
"Rion!" Kiba called; sounding a bit lackluster as he and his team stepped through a pair of double doors. My eyes flickered away from the staircase to watch their approach. "Are we the first ones here?" He asked as they came to a stop in front of the table I had set up. A log sheet sat in front of me. Next to it was a stack of instant ramen that would've made Naruto jealous. Team Eight looked okay. Their clothes were stained and dirt littered their faces. But they were unharmed. Which was more than the other teams would be able to say when they got here.
"No", I answered; turning back to frown at the staircase. "One team beat you". Anko had gone up those stairs; an Anbu Black Op on either side of her as she climbed hunched over and clutching at the nape of her neck. Ibiki was already up there, waiting for her in the surveillance office with other ninjas; the ones already stationed here and the ones sent to deal with the problem.
"Who?" Kiba demanded to know as he cuddled Akamaru close to his person. He was audibly whimpering as his little puppy body shook.
I had to remind myself to look at them. "One of the teams from sand", I replied; noting when all of them winced at the answer. As if they already knew exactly what team I was referring to. "Got here under two hours". I hadn't checked them in. Seeing as they beat Ibiki and me to the tower. In fact, they finished the second exam before Ibiki and I even entered the forest. The honor of greeting them fell to the chunin I relieved. And he couldn't stop mentioning them as he ran after Ibiki to give his report.
Shino's hands were deep in his pockets. A few of his beetles buzzed around his head. Only an Aburame and those close to the clan would know it, but a lapse in control like that meant Shino was stressed. "So", I said as I dragged out the vowel sound; picking up a pencil in the process. "Team Eight is the second to arrive with four days to spare. Whomever your scrolls summoned told you what the second exam was about", I scribbled this down on the log sheet. "All of you are accounted for so you can progress to the next part. You are not allowed to leave the tower while the second exam is still going on". I pointed to my right; opposite direction of the stairs. "Bathrooms are over there. Keep going and you'll find the stairs to some dorms. Nothing is being assigned. So, help yourselves" Which was also ninja speak for 'be on your guard'. It may not be allowed for candidates to attack each other when not in the middle of an exam, but the real threats would be able to get away with it without being caught. "Since you can't leave the tower, food will be provided". Finishing the whole spiel, I put the pencil down and pushed three servings of instant ramen in their direction.
Bowing a little, Hinata stepped forward to accept them. "T-thank you", she stuttered.
My eyes briefly flashed over to the staircase on my right. How long were Ibiki and Anko going to take? "Hey", I turned back to my brother and his team. "Can Akamaru eat this stuff?" I gestured to the instant ramen. "I can sneak you a fourth serving".
Kiba tried to smile, but his heart wasn't in it. "Don't worry about it", he said; his hands cupping Akamaru's trembling form from under his jacket. "I got food for him".
Team Eight lingered in front of my table longer than they needed to. "How long are you working?" Shino asked. Despite his nerves, he spoke in his normal flat voice.
Shrugging, I tried not to glance at the staircase again. "Until someone comes to take over". Originally, I was supposed to be done for the night fifteen minutes ago. But that was before Orochimaru and the Anbu Black Ops. Now, everyone Jounin or ranked higher were scrambling to find a solution to this looming threat. The chunin assigned to this exam were told to either guard the gates to the forest or act as messengers. And I got stuck running check-in so the exams could continue in the guise that nothing was wrong. Honestly, there was a good chance I'd be spending the next four days manning this table.
Shino adjusted his glasses. For once he wasn't looking at me as he did so. Placing his gaze on his teammates instead. In response, Kiba snorted and hugged Akamaru a little tighter. "Guess we're hanging out here, then", he said.
Hinata nodded in acceptance. "I'll go find water", she said; shifting the cup of instant noodles in her hands as an indicator.
She didn't go alone. Heading in the direction of the bathrooms, Kiba followed a half-step behind. I waited until they were further than a few feet before redirecting to Shino. "Are you that worried about the team from sand?"
If he said yes, I'd be glad to hear it. There still was no reason for me to know about a future invasion. Therefore, any warning I could give wouldn't make sense. Except Shino didn't answer. Instead, he moved behind the table; choosing to lean against the wall behind me. Like some sort of silent sentinel.
Leaning back in my chair, I gave in and stole another look at the stairs. "You should rest", I told my brother. Getting to the tower early was an advantage. They now had time to recover while the late-comers would not. "There's still the third exam, remember?"
Shino took his time before replying. He waited long enough that I nearly stopped expecting one. "We will rest here as it is safer to do so in the presence of a trusted comrade".
I squashed down a surge of guilt before it could make me do something stupid. It wasn't a bad idea, what Shino said. As a somewhat sort of exam official, hopefully no one was dumb enough to attack another team in front of me. All I had to do was flare my chakra and someone would come running. It's what Ibiki told me to do if the grass team or Kabuto showed up.
Shino and I existed in silence. He waited for Hinata and Kiba to return. I waited to see if any more teams would make it before daybreak. Though as time passed, my mind recalled something that had me questioning Shino's intentions. Twisting in my chair, I gripped the top of the backrest with both my hands. "Are you really resting here to be safe? Or is this so you can watch me?"
Tucking his chin deeper into his shirt collar, Shino adjusted his glasses. "Both", came his one-word reply. I scowled at my brother; using my expression to demand an explanation. Shino sighed. "We were concerned".
"About?" I prompted; assuming the 'we' in his sentence referred to Shikamaru and Chouji.
"That you would anger the wrong person", Shino elaborated after carefully choosing his words. "Why? Because you're prone to insulting others when you are scared".
"I'm not scared", I argued; diligently not looking at the staircase.
Shino refused to argue with me. Though a glint in the lenses of his sunglasses made me suspect that he wholeheartedly disagreed with me.
When the Hokage arrived, I was finally called up those stairs. There was nothing special about the room. A sofa on one side and a few security monitors on the other. Chunin stood stationed in front of each monitor; watching both the outside and the inside of the tower. "The team from Kusa, or rather those disguised as them, never made it to the tower", a member of the Anbu reported as I let myself into the room.
Its occupants remained silent to allow Lord Hokage time to think as Ibiki waved me over. I felt out of place crossing paths with the notorious Anbu Black Ops. This would be my first time dealing with them and their mouthless masks. It took effort to not hurry passed them to reach Ibiki's side sooner.
The Hokage sat in the middle of the sofa; his hat shading his face. Anko and Ibiki were on their feet, standing directly across from them. "Again", he ordered. "What did Orochimaru say when you confronted him?"
When Anko replied, her voice came out raspy. As if she hadn't had anything to drink in a while. "He wants Sasuke Uchiha. And he's using the chunin exams as a way to get close to the kid". Anko growled; eyes fierce. "Orochimaru said if we stopped the exams, he'd destroy Konoha".
How though? I wanted to blurt out. How would Orochimaru destroy the village? That question was more important than Orochimaru's threat. Because if they could answer that… Well, some things might become clearer.
"Is Sasuke here?" Lord Hokage asked; his eyebrows slanted inward.
"Yes, Lord Hokage", a chunin answered as he gestured to the monitor that was displaying the camera feed from the main hall. "He arrived late with his team. But they passed the second exam". Did he have the curse mark, though? If he didn't, it was just the invasion we needed to contend with.
"But why Uchiha?" A different ninja wondered aloud. "What would Orochimaru want with a genin?"
The Sharingan was the obvious answer. Lord Hokage's carefully constructed expression told me as much. But Sasuke hasn't unlocked it yet. And the Sharingan was only part of Orochimaru's interest. If I remembered correctly, Orochimaru wanted Sasuke for his potential. Though without the Sharingan, was Sasuke still enticing enough?
My thoughts came to a standstill when I found myself under the Hokage's stare. "Rion Aburame", he said in a clear and calm fashion; controlling the whole attention of the room. "I'm told you also have suspicions about one of the candidates".
I glanced up at Ibiki. There were Anbu Black Ops in the room. Was I really allowed to talk? With his arms folded across his chest, Ibiki gave one deep nod. So, I found myself making eye contact with the Hokage and trying to find my tongue. It shouldn't be this hard. I'd yelled at the old man before. Hell, I've cursed in front of him. Tried to lie my way out of missions he wanted me to take. But something about this felt different. I was no longer an academy student having a tantrum in his office. Nor was I trying to skirt around an assignment. I was one of his shinobi reporting directly to her leader. "Kabuto Yakushi. Before the first exam, he showed us these cards…" I reiterated everything I shared with Ibiki and Anko. The Hokage listened, his personal guards stationed behind him. He didn't move. He barely blinked. "Kabuto and his team checked in around the same time Team Seven arrived. They're in the hall with the others". I finished.
Ibiki stepped up to fill in what I couldn't. "As instructed, Rion alerted us the moment she saw Kabuto in the tower. Since then, an Anbu agent has been watching him specifically".
"And?" Lord Hokage prompted.
"Not much", Ibiki answered. "The kid's a little smug for a genin who just barely made it to the tower in time".
"What else do we know about this genin?" was the next question.
"I have his information here", Anko said; flipping through papers on a clipboard. "There's nothing remarkable about him". And gee, didn't that sound familiar? Didn't stand out while enrolled in the academy and he had to take the graduation exam three times before becoming a genin. Since then, Kabuto's completed two C-ranks and fourteen D-ranks. This is his seventh time taking the chunin examinations. But before going to the academy, he was… the kid brought back and adopted by one of our doctors from a battle behind enemy lines".
A pique of interest gleamed in the Hokage's eyes. That little fact by itself was enough to warrant an investigation. Adoptions weren't unheard of in Konoha. They were actually pretty common. Especially for orphaned boys. The village's main employer was war and war's biggest product was orphans. And civilian parents who lost their sons to the service of the village were more likely to adopt so there would be someone to care for them in their old age. But they always came from inside the village. Having an outsider learning and training alongside us was just too risky. Very few exceptions were made.
I didn't realize I was holding my breath until the Hokage began to speak. "You have my permission to bring Kabuto Yakushi in for questioning". A long exhale escaped through my mouth. Okay, that… that was a step in the right direction. "As soon as he separates from his team, Anbu will detain him. As for the chunin exams, they will continue as planned".
"Lord Hokage!" Anko took a step forward, almost sounding angered. "We can't. Not with-"
"From your report", The Hokage interrupted her. Though Ibiki placing a steadying hand on her shoulder was also needed for Anko to be able to silence herself. "Orochimaru claimed he would destroy our village if the chunin exams were interrupted. We are not prepared to deal with an attack from a sannin and what else he may have planned". Anko's nostrils flared. "With eighteen candidates remaining, a preliminary round is required. After that, there will be a one-month break for the candidates to rest and train. We will utilize that time to learn and prepare for what Orochimaru has planned".
Anko didn't like it. Her discontent was easy to read as she forced herself to snarl at her feet. And the Hokage knew that. He eyed her from under the rim of his hat; a certain softness in his eyes that lasted only until he blinked. "Ibiki, once Kabuto Yakushi is in custody, I want a report regarding his interrogation as soon as possible".
Ibiki removed his hand from Anko's shoulder and held himself as tall and stiff as one of the Hokage's Anbu. "Yes, Lord Hokage", was his response.
"Until otherwise stated", The Hokage continued. "Everything discussed here is classified. Only I will decide who needs to know". While directed at everyone, I couldn't help but feel this last order was stated more for my benefit than the others. The Hokage cleared his throat before standing with an ease that evaded most men his age. "Now, we've kept the candidates and their teachers waiting long enough. It's time to start the preliminaries".