An Overheard Conversation
Chapter 9
-Hinata-
Dropping her pencil with a groan, Hinata flexed her hands as the completed test was taken up by Iruka-Sensei. Around her, she could see others either wrapping up their own tests or frantically trying to write everything down before time was up. They'd done their kunai and shuriken accuracy test first thing when they'd arrived at the academy earlier in the morning followed by the Taijutsu sparring exam before the written test was handed out. After this they'd break for lunch before going to the final portion, the jutsu exam.
Subtly glancing around, she noted Mizuki was staring intently at Naruto, Kimmimaro, and Yakumo, the disgust in his expression making it clear he was hoping to find some reason to throw them out. He'd kept his mouth shut since that first day Kimmimaro and Yakumo joined their class and he ANBU reprimanded the Chuunin, but it was clear his disdain had only been growing since then. Honestly, the only one in the room who seemed oblivious of the animosity was Lucas who didn't seem to have an angry or mean 'bone' in his little spider body.
She continued to keep an eye on the man, worried he might decide to throw caution to the wind with this being the last day they'd be at the academy. In the end though, he kept his mouth shut and didn't move from his spot as Iruka-Sensei finished collecting the tests and sent everyone outside to eat lunch, the papers being collected by an Anbu agent who took them off to be graded by an outside source.
"Alright everyone, head outside to have your lunch. You have one hour until we begin the jutsu testing portion." Iruka declared as Hinata eagerly moved to join her friends, the group of four heading out to enjoy their lunches as she did her best to make the three have something for lunch besides ramen.
"So, are you ready for the Jutsu portion?" Hinata asked her friends, still wishing she was allowed to have some variety for her graduation jutsu. Her clan bylaws were strict about Jutsu use, the Hyuuga clan priding themselves on their Taijutsu and forbade everything beside that to 'further prove their superiority'. The only exception the clan made was the 'academy three' of the Henge, the basic bunshin, and the substitution, allowing their study in use but only to the point of being able to graduate from the academy. Although ever since Lee was allowed to graduate last year without the ability to do any Jutsu the clan elders had apparently been petitioning the Hokage nonstop to change the graduation rules so that Hyuuga didn't have to take the Jutsu test, to no avail so far.
"Yes, we've each prepared our Jutsu." Yakumo smiled with a nod, "I'm glad the Hokage changed the graduation requirements." Naruto grumbled at that as Hinata grimaced.
Kisame and Itachi had apparently gone to the Hokage to push for more reform at the academy and one such change that had been made was 'widening the net' with the Jutsu test. Before the students were required to do the specific academy three. It didn't matter if you could do a dozen other Jutsu, if you couldn't do those three that the academy considered the basics then they wouldn't let you graduation no matter what…unless you were Lee and a Jonin requested you. Now to graduate you just had to show proficient skill with any three jutsu.
"So, I finally get to see what you three have been working on?" Hinata was eager, the three having been preparing the start of their own signature techniques to surprise her and their mentors during the exams.
"Yep." Naruto grinned at her, "Any idea who your Jonin sensei is going to be?"
"No." Hinata grimaced as she remembered her old tutor, and the fallout that had happened when she confronted Kurenai about Yakumo. The 'Genjutsu Mistress' of Konoha still insisted she'd been in the right in her decision of locking Yakumo away for no fault of her own. Hopefully the Hokage wouldn't place her on Kurenai's team.
"Well, even if your sensei sucks you can still come train with us." Yakumo shrugged, "There aren't any rules about who you can or can't train with on your own time."
"Indeed. It is why I still regularly spar with Rock Lee." Kimmimaro nodded, "He is an excellent sparring partner, far more so than your cousin is Hinata." Judging by the small smirk she saw for a split second on the bone pulse user's face she was sure he'd regularly made that comment when Neji could hear him.
They continued to chat as they ate their lunches, Iruka sensei soon calling in everyone to begin the jutsu portion of the exam.
Hinata was one of the first ones called up, passing her three basic Jutsu with ease as her headband was handed over to her, indicating she had passed, her friends all giving her excited grins as she took her seat.
More and more, others were called up, performing the jutsus in front of the class to both prevent any claims of sabotage from any teachers who had grievance with a student and to see if they could still perform with the 'peer pressure' of an audience.
"Kimmimaro Kaguya." Itachi called up the first of the pre-assigned team as Hinata sat up, watching her friend eagerly as he quickly went through a henge and a substitution before moving to his third jutsu, one he'd been assigned to work on by Itachi and Kisame.
Hinata blinked, tilting her head in confusion as Kisame withdrew two stakes of bone, stabbing them into a pair of training dummies, referencing that students were allowed to prep for jutsu if they wished to demonstrate one that would be used later on in a combination or fight, shutting up Mizuki before the biased teacher could protest.
"Lightning Release, surge!" Kimmimaro thrust out his hand, the lightning chakra shooting forward but curved to hit the barbed bone stakes impaled in the dummies.
"You altered your bone constructs to make them draw in Lightning Jutsu, like a lightning rod." Itachi at least looked suitably impressed as he passed over a Shinobi Headband to Kimmimaro "Congratulations, you've passed."
"Yakumo Kurama." Mizuki scowled, not giving Kimmimaro any chance to appreciate the moment of success or even thank Iruka. Judging by Naruto's expression the prank that would be delivered unto Mizuki might 'set the bar' going forward.
Yakumo quickly performed a henge and a basic clone before her hands flew through hand seals "Water release, hidden mist of illusion." The water gourd on Yakumo's hip suddenly let out a thick mist that filled the room to the point Hinata couldn't even see the people sitting next to her.
She could see shapes moving in the fog though. Towering, slithering, shapes that shouldn't have fit in the room. Flashes, almost like lightning, illuminated the fog from within like it was a storm cloud, letting her see even more detail of the monstrous silhouette before Yakumo ended the jutsu, the mist dissipating.
"What in the world?" Itachi looked flabbergasted at what Yakumo had done.
"It is my own variation of the hidden mist Jutsu." Yakumo stated proudly, "I used the mist itself as a medium for my Kekai Genkai Genjutsu."
"Then I'm proud to say that you've passed as well." Iruka smiled as he handed Yakumo a headband as well, Hinata finally taking a moment to glance at the table of headbands and noting that there weren't any left on the table, even though Naruto still hadn't taken his test left.
"Naruto, you're up now." Iruka's voice snapped Hinata from her own racing thoughts as Naruto walked down, clearly noticing the lack of headband and while confused he didn't seem concerned, yet. Naruto flew through his henge and substitution before smirking and just standing there. The seconds ticked by as more and more people got confused, but Mizuki was the first one to snap.
"Stop wasting everyone's time already you brat!" Mizuki yelled at Naruto who didn't so much as flinch.
"I already am. Not my fault you're not smart enough to notice it." Naruto sent a jab at Mizuku, Hinata getting a hunch as she activated her Byakugan. Her soft gasp was drowned out by Mizuki's snarl as he stomped over toward Naruto before freezing, caught in the blond's jutsu.
Filling the room like a spider's web she could see Naruto's chakra chains, as fine and unnoticeable as chakra strings. They were clearly more than just physical objects though as she saw Mizuki be stuck, unable to get off the chains he'd touched.
"I suppose I should make it easier for everyone to see. Hinata, you might want to turn off your Dojutsu." Naruto glanced at her as Hinata hastily turned off her enhanced sight. Once the veins by her eyes went down, Naruto focused as the chains began to glow, becoming visible to everyone in the room, "I've trained my chains to be much better for stealth. On top of that, I mixed it with the tree walking exercise so now I'm keeping Mizuku stuck to the ones he's touched until I either run out of chakra, can't keep up with the changes, or I let him go." Naruto sounded exceptionally smug about his creation, "Using these in the forests around Konoha makes for a really good chakra control exercise." And there's the fact that she could think of several ways he could use these chains offensively as well, if they worked the way she thought they did at any rate.
"Naruto, you pass." Iruka grinned as Naruto let out a cheer, the chains dissipating as Mizuku dropped to the ground, his struggles no longer having anything to fight against. As Iruka spoke, he reached into his desk and pulled out a wooden box, "The Hokage said he felt you might pass this year and wanted you to have these. He said they were your parent's." Hinata's eyes widened as Naruto reached out to open the box with trembling fingers. The two headbands inside were clearly old and worn, but Naruto put them on proudly. One bore the standard symbol of the leaf, while the other had a swirl symbol she'd seen on most of the jackets of the higher ranked ninjas.
"Alright everyone, you've all passed!" Iruka clapped his hands, drawing all eyes towards him "Come back in a week for team assignments…except for team Kisame Itachi I suppose. I must say, I'm proud of each and every one of you. May the will of fire never stop burning in your hearts!"
The second they were dismissed, Hinata was throwing herself into a group hug with her friends.
