Naruto: The Uchiha Chronicles Re-Version:
Arc VI: Chunin Exams:
Chapter 35: The First Exam
-x-x-x-x-x-x- NTUC -x-x-x-x-x-x-
The first floor was deserted as Team 7 stepped through the threshold of the Academy. Their footsteps bounced off the greenish-beige walls. Overhead the square florescent lights gave off a faint buzz that filled the silence. This time of day the students had no doubt been sent home. Naruto led the way through the empty halls and around the corner, to a set of worn stairs leading to the upper floors. As they rounded the banister and took the second flight up to the second floor, the sounds of a commotion echoed from above.
Team 7 came out onto the second floor and were greeted by an odd sight. Several teams of genin were bunched around a sliding door with '301' marked above it. Two genin stood blocking the way. They were an oddly plain pair, wearing forgettable grey and black cloths with baggy high-collars on their shirts. The only thing of note were the bandanna-style headband the one on the left wore with over his shaggy mousy brown hair and what appeared to be two gigantic kunai handles poking up from his partners back. Every time one of the contestants tried to get past the older boys would knock them back. The group of genin jostled around in impatient agitation.
Naruto rose an eyebrow. They'd only walked up one floor. This was the second floor and not the third where their exam was taking place. So why was everyone standing around, he wondered. Clearly it was some sort of trick, but why hadn't most noticed it? Narrowing his eyes, Naruto focused his sensing skills and immediately realized the game. An illusion, most likely with a component to confuse the mind into thinking they'd walked up two floors. Judging by the chakra around the two 'genin', they weren't what they appeared either. Their reserves were a bit too large, and he could feel the malleable sensation of a Transformation Jutsu about them. Sasuki's eyes locked on the sign as well. Sakura wasn't far behind in noticing the deceit. "A genjutsu? What's up with this?" She asked quietly.
"Probably some sort of pre-test. If someone can't overcome a simple perception shift with a confusion component, they aren't ready for the test. Let's just go around." Naruto replied with a shrug.
His teammates nodded, and they surreptitiously turned the corner to a different hall. As they left, Naruto kept an eye on the supposed genin. A peculiar boy in a green jumpsuit was trying to get in. The boy looked like a goofball, with a bad bowl cut and garish orange leg warmers. He was stubborn and kept trying to get past the fake genin. Oddly enough, Naruto didn't think the punches were doing much damage to the boy. He'd wince like they hurt and seemingly got tossed around, but every single time the boy managed to land so the impact was negligible.
Just as they rounded the corner, the boy's teammate, a girl with chocolate brown hair tied into buns and a pink qipao top, tried to get through only to be knocked back. "Please let us through, we have to get to the exam." She implored.
A moment later they turned the corner and the scene of the commotion disappeared. Whatever reply she got was lost to distance as they continued on their way. The only other path to the third floor required them to go through an old training hall that was split between the first and second stories on the opposite side of the building. It was a massive room, with large pillars flanking an exit on one side and an observation walkway on the other.
They'd just reached the thick pillars flanking the open exit to the outdoors, when an energetic male voice called down to them from the observation area. "You there, the blond and the girl in the blue shirt!"
Naruto and Sasuki stilled. Slowly, they turned to see who was calling them. It was the green wearing genin from before. His bruises had seemingly disappeared. He looked down on them with a confident expression. Taking a bounding leap, he landed in the middle of the floor with unusual grace. Standing up, the boy advanced with a determined look on his face.
"You are Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuki Uchiha, the best rookies from this year's class, are you not?" The boy asked. He spoke stiffly, like some sort of dojo master you'd see in the movies.
"Yeah, we were the top of the class. What of it?" Naruto asked.
"My name is Rock Lee, and I am the strongest genin in the Hidden Leaf Village. I think you will be a good test for my skills before the exam. I would like to challenge one of you to a fight!" Lee declared.
That was a bold statement, especially since Naruto could tell that something was … off, about Rock Lee's chakra network. Almost like it was undeveloped. Surprisingly Lee turned away from Naruto before he could even think of a way to respond, and instead looked at Sakura. Lee's cheeks flushed pink, and he offered her a slight bow. "First, I noticed you earlier, and I think you are beautiful, would you please be my girlfriend? I will protect you with my life."
Sakura looked at the boy, nonplussed. She rose an eyebrow and gave him a skeptical look. "No way." She said bluntly. Heedless to the way Lee deflated, Sakura pushed on in a way that would make Sasuki proud. "First of all, I've got no idea who you are. This isn't the time for that kind of thing. And frankly, you're not my type." With every single reason, Rock Lee got more and more discouraged. The final one was the last straw. The boy straightened and looked at Sakura intensely. His eyes darted between her and Naruto.
"Not your type? I see!" Lee's eyes blazed with determination when he looked at Naruto. "I must fight you then! That is how I will prove myself!"
"You've got the wrong idea there pal." Naruto waved his hands defensively, an embarrassed flush creeping up his neck. "Normally I'd be up for a spar, but now's not the time. We have a test."
Lee frowned at the quick refusal. "Then how about you. Would you care to test your skills against me? The power of the Uchiha Clan should be a worthy test."
"Like he said, beat it, we've got a test." Sasuki scoffed.
They turned and were about to leave, but Lee halted them in their tracks. "I see, then does that mean both the top genin this year are cowards? How disappointing!"
Naruto felt Sasuki tense beside him. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Fully aware of the reaction Sasuki was going to have, he glanced at the clock on the upper level. They had forty minutes until the test. With Sakura looking slightly confused, he spoke to Sasuki. "You've got five minutes tops. If it's not over, I'll drag you out." He told her.
"Got it!" Sasuki said. She turned to her opponent and gave him a savage grin. "Alright Lee, I'll fight you. Don't complain when you lose."
Sakura and Naruto retreated into the shadows of the pillars to allow the two fighters more room. She sighed. "I should have seen this coming."
Naruto shrugged. "What can you do. It won't take long either way. When I said I'd drag her away I meant it."
As Sasuki faced Lee she emitted a familiar pulse of chakra sharp, precise, twitchy chakra from her eyes. Coal black eyes bled red, and twin tomoe marks began to spin around her pupil. Long hours spent dodging blunted kunai and shuriken had already honed her skill with the dojutsu. Her body and eyes were now attuned to the predictive ability of the Sharingan compared to her physical skills. She hadn't quite managed to get to the third level, but it was only a matter of time. Only someone with his level of insane speed could overwhelm her reaction time.
Sasuki made the first move. She dashed at Lee, taking a probing swing for his head. Then Lee became a blur of motion. He moved with uncanny swiftness and ducked under Sasuki's blow, launching a kick for her head. The air whistled from the velocity of the strike. Sasuki dodged it easily enough. Undeterred, Lee spun on one hand and with the other made a hand seal, as if to use a jutsu. Instead, he swung a second kick directly for her face. With the aid of her eyes, Sasuki dodged out of the way.
With the first exchange, Naruto's assurance in Sasuki's victory was shaken. Lee was fast. Not from some juts, he hadn't felt much more than your regular chakra enhancement from Lee. No this was all purely physical. Lee retook his starting pose, extending an arm forward and motioning for Sasuki to come at him.
After taking a moment to assess her opponent, Sasuki moved in again. In another display of insane speed, Lee appeared within her guard and tried to launch a vertical kick straight under Sasuki's chin. She just barely moved her head back. This time Lee pressed the attack, swinging kick after kick into Sasuki's guard. Ducking under her guard Lee slammed an elbow into Sasuki's stomach. She gasped, the breath was driven from her lungs as she stumbled backwards.
"Do you get it yet? There is no special tricks here. I use taijutsu, straight martial arts." Lee told her.
"Yeah, I kind of figured that out." Sasuki said with a mutter. Her teeth were grit against the pain of Lee's strike.
Though she appeared calm as a gentle pond on the surface, Naruto knew this fight must be driving Sasuki crazy. Beneath the façade must be a storm of annoyance and frustration. It probably gauled her more than anything to face someone their age that so outclassed her in taijutsu. She and Naruto had always been the best in their class in that regard, not even Kiba could touch them.
To be fair, were this a real fight there were plenty of ways around Lee's advantage using weapons and ninjutsu. As it stood, that would be far to reckless.
Naruto himself was stunned by Lee's skills. He'd never expected to find another person his own age that rivaled him in speed. Haku was an anomaly, or so he'd thought. 'And physically, Lee is probably faster than me. I'd need massive chakra enhancement to keep up.'
After another fierce exchange of kicks and punches, Lee danced back again and retook his pose. "I admit, you are far better at keeping up with my movements than expected. Though I knew the Sharingan let you predict and copy your opponent's moves, I fully expected my speed to be too much for your body to match." He said.
"So you know what the Sharingan can do?" Sasuki regarded Lee with a far more interested intent. Lee had a far more advanced knowledge of the Uchiha bloodline than most. Naruto couldn't help but wonder where he'd learned it. "So far you've been pretty fast, but you've got nothing on Naruto. You'll have to do better to surprise me." Sasuki replied with a challenging smirk.
Naruto gave Lee a cheeky wave when the boy glanced his way. "I see. It figures you would be someone like you." Lee Said.
"Someone like me?" A dangerous edge worked its way into Sasuki's voice. Her muscles clenched like tightened coils. She was seconds away from acting.
Lee nodded. His words rang through the training hall with passion. "Indeed, you see, I believe there are two kinds of people in the world. Those like yourself, born with talent. Ones who do not have to work at it. And those like myself who train every day of our lives!"
His stomach clenched. Naruto knew what was coming. The wound coils exploded. Sasuki charged Lee with a renewed ferocity. Saying such a thing, in such an assured way, Lee had certainly pressed the right buttons. She might have had talent, but Sasuki worked for her skills too. Striking with agility and speed, Sasuki tried to batter Lee's guard. Surprisingly, despite her upping the intensity, Lee showed another level as well. He started to weave in and out of Sasuki's strikes like a stalk of grass swaying in the breeze.
With every missed blow, Sasuki seemed to get more frustrated. She overextended on a punch and Lee struck like lightning. He launched another vertical kick at Sasuki's chin. This one didn't miss. With a sickening crack of flesh on bone, Sasuki flew into the air. Lee's form flickered like a heat mirage. Suddenly he was behind Sasuki as she flew through the air parallel to the wooden floor.
"The Dancing Leaf Shadow …" Naruto muttered. It was one of the signature techniques of their village. The idea was to float around your opponent like a leaf in the wind. His heart stilled in fright when he saw Lee's arm bandages unraveling.. "No way, he can't possibly mean to do that!" He exclaimed.
A memory from long ago stirred in his mind. Flashes of the secret training ground before the sky was painted. His grandfather showing him the diagram of one of their villages forbidden moves. A picture of a mans head being driven into the ground like a human spike. Primary Lotus, a surprisingly gentle name for such a brutal technique. He couldn't allow it.
Naruto gripped braced himself, less than a millisecond from launching to intercept them. Then Sasuki's figure flickered like a dying flame. With a seal less teleportation sh flickered out of existence and reappeared on the ground. Lee was left to flounder. He managed to regain his bearing and flip his body to make a rough landing on a single knee.
Sasuki, tensed, likely about to launch herself back into the fight. Naruto had seen enough, though. Not only had the five minutes almost expired, but this was getting out of hand. He marched forward and seized Sasuki by the back of the collar. Her sandals squeaked along the hardwood floor as he drug her back towards Sakura..
She squawked indignantly, flailing to get free. "Hey, what's the big idea!"
"I said five minutes, or I'd drag you away. It's been five minutes." He answered. Ignoring Sasuki's protest, Naruto looked at Sakura who had a bemused expression, used to their antics by now. "Come on, let's get Ms. Moody here to the test before we're late."
Sakura followed along as they walked towards the open air. Just on the edge of the hall where a pool of warm sunlight invaded the cool air of the building, Naruto stopped. He let go of Sasuki's collar. She straightened her shirt with an annoyed huff. Turning, regarded Lee with a serious look. The boy stared back, nonplussed. He looked an odd sight, with his length of bandages tangled around his feet. Naruto noted the rough callousing and scarring on the boy's fingers. He must've worked for thousands of hours perfecting his taijutsu.
"Before I forget, you shouldn't get so carried away in spars. I know what that move was, and it's not for spars. If Sasuki hadn't escaped I was gonna intervene, and you'd be in a world of pain." Naruto said.
Lee had the good grace to look bashful. With his bandages still trailing on the ground, the boy bowed low to them. "Understood, you have my apologies. As you said, I got carried away. It will not happen again." Standing straight, Lee gave Naruto an intrigued look. "Naruto, I believe you to be strong, perhaps stronger than I. However, I lied earlier. I am in fact not the strongest Genin in the Leaf, that title belongs to my teammate, Neji Hyuuga. He is the one I strive to surpass. You are a steppingstone to prepare for that."
"Oh? I guess we'll see about that. Bye for now, Lee." Naruto said with a raised an eyebrow. He gave Lee one last wave before turning and walking out with his teammates.
They walked along the outer edge of the academy in the shadow of the building. A warm summer sun beat down on the clay field used for physical training. Naruto led them to a set of iron and concrete exterior stairs that would let them get to the second floor and come out near the stairs to the third floor. The air was still and peaceful. Sasuki glanced at him with a look of annoyance.
"You know, I had it handled." She told him.
"Perhaps, but you were getting a bit too serious." He said. "Besides … that kid isn't any normal genin. That move he was about to use is a forbidden taijutsu technique of our village. It'd take most people several years to master, and that kid's done it in one. He's not someone to take lightly."
Instead of seeming deterred, Sasuki's eyes gleamed in excitement. "In that case, I'm even more excited to fight him again. This exam should test my skills, and I want to face strong opponents."
"Come on, let's get going." Naruto said, shaking his head with a fond smile. It was just like her to be excited at the prospect of strong opponents.
Not that he was much better. Gaara, Lee, this Neji Hyuuga. The thought of opponents that could possibly challenge him sent an electric thrill of exhilaration through him. Though some small part of him, that bit that contained his pride, thought the likelihood any of them could challenge him at his peak was slim to non-existant.
-x-x-x-x-x-x- NTUC -x-x-x-x-x-x-
The third floor was as deserted as the first when they stepped off the stairs. Clearly most of the teams had already been by. There was only fifteen minutes until the exam. Following the numbers above the doors, they finally made it to Room 301. Waiting there for them, arms crossed nonchalantly, was Kakashi. He pushed off the wall as they approached.
"It's good to see you're all here. Had one of you decided not to take part, I couldn't admit you for the test. Luckily, that's not the case." He said.
Naruto smirked. "Oh? Didn't feel like giving us a heads up so we could find a replacement if one of us didn't want to compete?"
"This is the sort of thing you should do together." Kakashi said with a shrug. "Now go in and do Team 7 proud."
Discarding thoughts of Kakashi's odd choice, they stepped forwards past their sensei. He gripped one of the handles for the double doors and pulled it open, holding the door so Sakura and Sasuki could step through first. He followed behind them, leaving the door to ease shut with a heavy click.
They stepped into a large classroom. Natural light poured in through a set of windows along the left-hand wall that went from back to front. Small florescent lights dotted a suspended tile ceiling, and row upon row of long tables with benches were filled to the brim with other teams. Some sat tensely, others lounged arrogantly across the desks, and still others leaned against the wall surveying the competition. Seemingly all of them had turned to regard the latest arrivals. There were a lot of rough looking individuals in the crowd, older genin with scars, some wearing rebreathers as part of their uniforms, and others wearing odd cloaks that concealed their forms. It felt like they were new inmates in a prison, being sized up to determine their threat level.
Naruto began to consider the competition as well, but he was interrupted by a delighted squeal as Ino draped herself over Sakura with a hug.
"It's good to see you Sakura!" She said, letting her friend go with a beaming smile.
"Hey Ino, it's been a while." Sakura said with a soft smile of her own.
Shikamaru and Choji approached at a more sedate pace than Ino, the latter snacking on a bag of chips. With his hands in his pockets, his shoulders slouched, Shikamaru looked incredibly bored and annoyed.
"Jeez, it figures you'd be here. As if these stupid exams weren't hard enough. What a drag." Shikamaru complained.
"Speak for yourself. I certainly don't mind having Sakura and Sasuki here. It's also nice to have a bit of eye candy." Ino replied, giving Naruto a flirtatious wink. He tried not to blush. Now wasn't the time for anything like that. Besides, Ino was rather well known for being a bit of a flirt. It didn't mean much.
"Looks like everyone's here." Naruto resisted rolling his eyes at the sound of a familiar and cocky voice. Team 8 was walking towards them, Kiba strutting at the front with Shino trailing behind silently. Hinata huddled behind her teammates like a shy rabbit. She blushed when Naruto looked at her.
Despite his annoyance with the boy, Naruto did note that Kiba seemed less rude. When he looked at Naruto there was none of the usual disrespect. "Kiba." He said, acknowledging the boy.
Kiba's cheer dimmed a bit at being addressed. He gave Naruto a stiff nod. "I was hoping to see ya' here. Our spar left a bad taste in my mouth. I hope you're ready for a rematch, cause' it won't be the same as last time."
Naruto struggled not to show his surprise at the almost respectful way Kiba spoke to him. It was a pleasant change of pace. Usually, the Inuzuka would do his best to get under Naruto's skin. Like an insistent fly constantly buzzing around. If all it took was a humbling defeat, he should have wrecked Kiba in a spar years ago.
"U-um, hi everyone." Hinata greeted them meekly.
The group mingled, chatting back and forth about what they'd been up to since graduation. Their re-union of the rookies hadn't gone unnoticed by the rest of the participants. One of them, a fairs-skinned young man with medium-length silver hair and a pair of round-rimmed spectacles, approached them after a few minutes.
"Hey you guys, you might want to try and keep it down a little." They all turned to the man, looking at him skeptically. He wasn't that impressive, wearing an unassuming high-collared shirt and his hair bound in a low ponytail. Combined with the glasses he looked a bit like a librarian. Though Naruto found himself intrigued. He hadn't sensed the man approaching. His chakra control had to be excellent. Noting their skepticism, the man sighed. "No offense, but you're the nine rookies, right? Fresh out of the Academy. I wouldn't go making a spectacle of yourself. This isn't some field trip."
"Oh yeah, well who asked you? Who are you anyway?" Ino asked rudely.
"I'm Kabuto Yakushi. But really, look around. You've made quite an impression." Kabuto replied. He gestured at the other contestants to make his point.
Everyone else looked around and noticed what Naruto had already realized. There were a lot of shady looking genin, young men and women eyeing them up like easy targets. Some even tried to intimidate them with subtle applications of killing intent. Had he not been experienced in real battle and a sensor; Naruto might have been intimidated. It certainly unnerved some of his fellow rookies. Ino shivered, not looking as bold. Kabuto pointed to a team with four vertical lines engraved on their headbands. They were one of the roughest looking, with straw hats shadowing their faces and black rain cloaks covering their forms. The leader had one eye closed, a jagged scar indicating he'd lost it.
"See those guys? They're from the Hidden Rain, very touchy. All the contestants are. This exam makes you tense, and you don't want to rub them the wrong way right now. I suppose you can't be blamed, you're just rookies. You don't know how things work around here. You remind me of myself a while back." Kabuto explained indulgently.
"Yeah, I noticed everyone's intimidation routine. Not that impressed honestly." Naruto replied. Kabuto raised an eyebrow.
"Kabuto, right? You sound like this isn't the first time you've taken the exam. Is that the case?" Sakura asked.
Kabuto shook his head and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "No actually, it's my seventh." He said. "They're held twice a year, so this is my fourth year competing."
"Whoa, so that makes you a veteran." Said Sakura.
"Yeah, I guess so. You could call me something of an expert." Kabuto answered.
Shikamaru sighed in annoyance. "Some expert, failing six times in a row." He commented.
Naruto wasn't quite sure he agreed with that. Something was … off with Kabuto. When he focused, Naruto could tell Kabuto had fairly large reserves of chakra, easily jonin level. That meant to escape Naruto's senses he had to have beyond amazing control. Kabuto had to be fairly strong. Could the exams really be that difficult?
Kabuto let out an embarrassed chuckle. "Well, seventh times the charm, that's what they say." He said with a grin.
Shikamaru sighed and sloughed his shoulders. "I guess that means what I heard was true. These exams are really hard. Ah man, I knew this was gonna be a drag."
"Hey now, don't give out hope yet. Maybe I can give you a little, with my, ninja info cards." Said the older man. He reached into his equipment pouch and withdrew a thick stack of cards that were orange on the back with green outlines. "It's a bit complicated, but these have been chakra encoded with everything I've learned over the past four years." Kabuto explained as he set the cards face up, kneeling down next to them. The top card was a blank white rectangle, not a hint of information in sight.
"Watch what happens when I use my chakra." Kabuto said as they gathered around.
His finger lit up as a visible aura of chakra gathered at the tip. When Kabuto placed it against the card the surface shifted, a map of the continent, with bars emerging from the various countries.
Naruto was fascinated by the cards. That was a useful creation. A way to disguise information like it wasn't there would be great for espionage. You could get information in and out without being suspected. Even with his sensing he couldn't feel anything off with the cards. With the air of a street performer that had drawn an audience, Kabuto began to explain his card.
"This one is a layout of the geographical distribution of the entrants. What villages they come from and how many from each village. Stuff like that's important. Why do you think we hold the exams with other villages?" They looked at him with blank expressions. "It's to foster friendship among the village. Well, that, and to carefully dole out the military might of each village, to maintain the balance of power."
"Yeah yeah, balance of power, still a drag." Shikamaru said under his breath.
Kabuto shrugged. "Well think about it, if one village has too many ninja, they might be tempted to attack their neighbors. It's as good a method of dissuading war as any I suppose."
As Kabuto applied another dose of chakra to make the card blank again, Sasuki stepped forward. There was an interested gleam in her eyes. "Hey, do you have information on individuals?"
"Sure, you got anybody in mind?" Kabuto asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, Rock Lee, and Gaara of the Hidden Sand." Sasuki said quickly. Taking a moment, she had a considering look on her face, and added, " On second thought, I'd also like information on the Hidden Cloud Team."
Unnoticed by most of their group, Hinata flinched at the mention of the Cloud. 'Odd. I wonder what that could be about.' He thought.
Kabuto smirked at Sasuki's request. "Ah, you know two of their names, and only one team from the Hidden Cloud came this year. That's no fun." With a theatrical swipe, he drew three cards from the deck and lay them on the ground. With a quick application of chakra, Lee's image appeared on the first card with various numbers and statistics. There was even an ability graph like you'd see in a table top role-playing game.
. '
"Let's see, Rock Lee, a year older. Mission experience, eleven C-ranks, and twenty D-ranks. He's had a radical improvement in taijutsu since graduating, but his other skills are shaky. For some reason he didn't compete in the exam last year despite getting a lot of attention. This'll be his first time like you. Teammates, Tenten and Neji Hyuuga, squad Leader Might Guy." Kabuto said, With Lee out of the way, he brought Gaara's card forward and applied his chakra. "Now, for Gaara. eight C-ranks … and one B-rank! Not much other information here, though one odd thing is he's apparently never gotten even a scratch on a mission."
Stunned silence met Kabuto's words for a moment. Naruto's eyebrows raised. A b-rank as a genin was rare, especially for someone their age. That was impressive enough. But to never get a scratch on such a mission? It was extremely odd for a jinchuriki. They tended to be powerhouses that could bulldoze through obstacles. Even Naruto himself wasn't an exception, though he preferred to use strategy.
"Not even a scratch on a b-rank? What the heck is with this guy." Kiba muttered, echoing everyone's disbelief.
'I bet that boy's got Shukaku's defensive capabilities. He can manipulate sand just like the Third Kazekage wielded Iron Sand.' Nine-Tails commented.
Naruto filed that away for later. It was useful information and gave him some idea of what to expect from his fellow jinchuriki. Though it did make him curious about what information Kabuto may have on him. He decided to ask.
"What do you have on me? My name is Naruto. No need to read it out, I just want to see it. Call it curiosity." He said. Kabuto rose an eyebrow.
"Huh, let's see." Kabuto retrieved another card and pulsed his chakra to make Naruto's image appear before handing it over. Naruto perused the information.
'He's got my name and registration number, my mission experience, even the upgrade for the Wave mission. Notes on my graduating position and my Magnet Style. This guy must spend a lot of time combing the public archives.' He thought. While surprising it wasn't impossible to find out about his Magnet Style, it was on his official registration. All you had to do was go through the basic archives of the village.
"Thanks," he said, handing the card back to Kabuto. It was quickly stored away. With the requests done, Kabuto brought back out the map of the continent.
"Now, I believe you wanted to know about the Cloud team?" Kabuto asked Sasuki. She nodded. With another pulse of chakra, the last of the three cards he'd first pulled out was revealed. It showed miniature pictures of the three, along with some of their stats. "The Cloud team is known as Team Samui. Two of the members, Karui and Omoi, were on their own team under the same sensei, but their third teammate died on a mission. Samui was placed on the team as squad leader around six months ago so they could compete in the exams. From what I can tell, all three are highly skilled in Kenjutsu. Apparently Samui is considered a prodigy, though there's not much information on her specific skills. In their time as a team they've completed three c-rank missions and two b-ranks. I'm afraid that's all I have."
Sasuki waived off his concern. "That's fine, I was just curious."
"Getting back to the information I have on villages, Leaf, Sand, Rain, Grass, Waterfall, Sound, and even Cloud. It looks like they've all sent some very impressive Genin this year. Of course, the Sound is rather small. It sprang up recently, so there's not much anyone knows. They're a mystery." Kabuto explained. He began to put his cards away while continuing to speak. "I think you get the point, the competition this time will be very intense."
"You really think it'll be that much harder?" Sakura asked curiously.
Kabuto nodded resolutely. "Oh yeah, this crop of candidates has the most potential I've seen in my four years attending the exam."
"It's almost enough to make you lose hope." Hinata said softly.
Ino was swift to rebuke her for the defeatist words, but it was easy to tell she didn't quite feel confident herself.
Naruto had a much different reaction. He felt his stomach swoop with excitement. The blood in his veins sang from the prospect of a good fight. This was a feeling he hadn't had in quite a while. The desire, no, the need to test himself against someone strong. It was what had made his training with Sasuki so entertaining. He looked around at the individuals he knew to be strong. Gaara, Lee, Neji Hyuuga. Even Samui of the Cloud. Naruto wanted to test himself against all of them.
He was so busy looking at his competitors, Naruto let his senses slip. While everyone was distracted, someone had decided to make a move. It was only the subtle application of chakra that clued him in. Naruto's eyes widened and he looked up just in time to see a boy with spiky black hair leap into the air. In the blink of an eye, he threw two kunai at Kabuto. They dug into the concrete floor. Kabuto threw himself backwards, just barely dodging the blades.
As Kabuto stopped, another shinobi appeared in a flash of speed. He looked like some kind of hunched monster, with an odd fur poncho on his back and his entire head save his left eye wrapped in bandages. On the man's right arm was an odd gauntlet riddled with holes that let off a faint whistle. He took a swipe at Kabuto with chakra pouring from the gauntlet. It gave off an odd feeling, dizzying and distorted as if he was intoxicated. The only thing Naruto could tell was it wasn't an illusion.
Kabuto was just able to dodge the blow. Or at least, it looked like he did. Seconds later Kabuto's glasses cracked. Tiny pieces of clear lens tinkled to the ground. "Huh, I get it, so it was that kind of attack." Kabuto said curiously.
"Tch, look at him acting tough." Shikamaru scoffed.
It was well hidden, but Kabuto seemed uneasy. Seconds later Kabuto's eyes widened. Inexplicably, he collapsed to his hands and knees and began to throw up violently. Naruto's stomach squirmed at the smell of the sick and Kabuto's disturbing heaves. As he knelt on the ground, the bandaged shinobi stood over Kabuto along with the spiky-haired one. A girl with long, luscious black hair joined them. The trio were dressed in drab clothes with grey camouflage scarves. Most notable were the music notes on their headbands. 'The Hidden Sound.'
"Hmm, looks like he wasn't so tough. Maybe that's why he's on his seventh try. You should watch how you speak about our village." The bandaged one said. His voice was a low growl, methodical and precise. He tilted his head like some odd bird of prey, looking at Kabuto as if he was a juicy vermin he was considering eating. Naruto was reminded of watching owls hunt at night.
"Put this on your little cards. The genin of the Hidden Sound will be chunin by the end of this exam, guaranteed." The spiky-haired one said cockily.
The Leaf genin tensed. They were ready for a full-blown confrontation to begin. The attack had caused the entire room to come to a still. Naruto placed his hand on Senbonzakura. His chest felt tight as he waited for the Sound team to make a move. In his periphery, he saw Kiba lower his body as if to prepare to use his families taijutsu. The entire time, Naruto's mind was awhirl trying to decipher what exactly the bandaged one had done. What had caused Kabuto to collapse, and how could it be dealt with? He had to decide quickly.
A tense silence hung like a noose as they waited for someone to make a move. In the end it wasn't of the genin that broke it. A plume of smoke erupted in a dense white cloud at the front of the room. From amidst the cloud, an authoritative voice barked out.
"Alright you baby-faced degenerates, listen up!" Amidst the dying haze was an intimidating man in a black trench coat, his face heavily scarred and rigid, as though roughly chiseled from stone. His head covered with a bandana. He was flanked by a dozen other shinobi, all dressed in grey uniforms that looked like something a prison guard would wear. They formed a wall at the front of the class.
The scarred man surveyed the genin with dismissive gaze. "I'm Ibiki Morino, the proctor for this exam, and from this moment, your worst enemy." He said with deadly seriousness. Ibiki pointed straight at the Sound genin with a scowl. "First, you candidates from the Hidden Sound, knock it off! Who told you that you could fight, do you wanna wash out before we even begin?"
"Sorry, it's our first time. Guess we're a little bit jumpy, sir." The bandaged ninja replied with barely disguised sarcasm.
Ibiki smirked in amusement and chuckled. Then he straightened his face and spoke to the gathered genin. "I'll only say this once, so listen up. There will be no attacking each other, no combat without the permission of the proctors, and even then, the use of fatal force is strictly forbidden. Anyone that even thinks of messing around will be disqualified immediately, got it?"
"No fatal force? That's no fun." The spiky-haired sound genin jeered. Unlike his teammate, he didn't even feign respect for Ibiki. His comment got a few chuckles from the chunin. The same kind you'd give a puppy barking at a larger dog. Ibiki remained stone faced.
"Now, if you're ready, we'll get on to the first stage of the exam. Hand in your paperwork and in return you'll receive a number to determine where you'll be seated. Once you're all seated, we'll begin the written exam." Ibiki ordered.
'A written exam? Weird. I'd thought it would be a bit more involved than that.' Naruto thought, though he followed the instructions all the same.
There was a lot of noise from scraping of benches and shuffling of feet as the candidates made their way to the front of the room. They'd hand in their exam application sheets and receive a number tile from one of the chunin proctors. It took a while for Naruto and his teammates to reach the front, having been at the back. Finally, he handed his application off to a surly woman who silently handed him back a little square of paper with '53' written on it.
"Arrange yourselves from highest to lowest, left to right starting at the front and working your way back." One of the assistants called out.
Naruto eventually found himself sat in the middle of the room, with Hinata sitting next to him and another Leaf genin he didn't know on the opposite side. Clearly, they wanted to split up teams. Sakura had ended up several rows back and to the left, while Sasuki was sat a couple rows in front of him and too the right.
Once everyone had been seated, the assistants sat down in chairs lining the sides of the room. They had clipboards in hand and watched the contestants like hawks.
"Eye's front everyone, there are a few rules you should be aware of, and I'm not going to answer any questions, so you'd better pay attention." Said Ibiki. He took a piece of chalk and began to write on the blackboard, much to Naruto's chagrin. The harsh grating of chalk on the blackboard made his skin crawl.
"Rule number one, the exam will be conducted on a point reduction system. Contrary to what you might be used to, you'll begin the exam with a perfect score of ten. One point is deducted for every answer you get wrong." Ibiki explained, placing a hand on his hip as he finished writing. "Rule number two, you'll all be scored as a team. The combined scores of all members will be added up to determine your results."
The second rule drew exclamations of surprise. Most notably an angry "What the hell?" from Karui.
The protests were quickly smothered by Ibiki. "Shut up, I have my reasons." He said, glaring at those who'd dared to speak up. "Rule number three, the sentinels I've placed around the room are there to carefully watch you for any signs of cheating. For every incident you'll be deducted two points. Get caught five times, and you'll be removed before we even conclude the exam. Anyone fool enough to get caught cheating doesn't deserve to be here. If you want to be considered Chunin, then show us what fine shinobi you can be."
Naruto's head swam as he considered the rules. Only two points deducted for cheating. How odd. Far from warning against cheating, Ibiki almost seemed to be egging them on. Unfortunately, he had to pay attention to the rest of the rules, so there wasn't any time to ponder the odd choice.
"Now there's one final rule, if any member of a team scores zero, all three members will fail." Ibiki said with a sadistic grin. That rule was like a bombshell dropping. You could feel the room collectively tense as people thought about costing their entire team the exams. Likely it was the intended result. "The final question won't be given until the last ten minutes of the exam. Begin!"
Ibiki's call to start was perfectly timed. It occurred just as the second hand struck three-thirty on the clock at the front of the room. The rustle of papers took over in the wake of the instructions. As soon as the order was given, Naruto flipped over his test sheet and began to scan the questions. 'Number one, decipher the code.' He blinked in shock, looking at the cipher. A complex square of seemingly random letters and numbers. It was complex, too complex. The amount of frequency analysis required alone was mind boggling. Sure, he probably could have solved it eventually, but it was obvious that it would take him hours, if not days. Though surprised, he just moved on to the next question, only to discover it was even harder, requiring complicated calculations to determine the trajectory of a shuriken and its furthest range. 'What in the world …'
A bit incredulous, Naruto continued to look over the problems, tuning out the furious scratching of pencils as he sought to find a question he could answer. His eyebrows continued to raise as he read the questions. Each was more difficult than the last. They were the kind of problems that required advanced knowledge in science and mathematics, something no regular shinobi should know. He'd be shocked if anyone save maybe Sakura and Shikamaru could even begin answering them.
'If these questions are so difficult, there has to be something missing.' Naruto thought. He found himself drawn back to the rules about cheating. The ones that almost dared them to try. Inspiration struck him like a lightning bolt. 'Of course! They don't expect us to know the information, just to obtain it. This is like a test on our spying skills.'
Naruto glanced at a few of the ones that were already writing down answers halfway down the sheet. There was no plausible way for them to be going that fast unless they had the answers already. Most likely plants to cheat off. 'Well, if they want me to cheat, it'd be rude not to oblige.' He smirked and began to plot.
The best bet was to use some of his tried-and-true techniques, ones that you'd have to be a sensor to notice. Shadow Clone was an obvious choice, but he'd have to pair it with a transformation and prevent any technique smoke to avoid detection. After that it would be easy to have his clone use the Sharingan and copy the answers from a plant. Placing his hands under the desk, Naruto surreptitiously began making seals for one of the few genjutsu he knew. It wouldn't fool anyone for long, but it would be just the break he needed
'Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings!' Naruto's chakra pulsed through the room, creating an illusion of everything in the room being normal. Spreading the effect would make it more obvious, but it would also make it harder to locate who was using the illusion.
With his illusion in place, Naruto created a clone silently. It appeared as a common house fly, which took off buzzing through the room to find someone to copy. Just as the fly left, he felt his illusion torn to shreds. Luckily, there was no indication the sentinels were on to him. Now he had to wait.
To pass the time, he decided to figure out what methods other contestants were using. It might be useful for later on. Spreading his senses out first, he sensed for any chakra use. There were a few techniques being used. Sasuki seemed to have the same idea has he, he could feel the Sharingan being used. There was a pulsing, push and pull type of feeling coming from Gaara, one he recognized as Magnet Style. Yet more chakra was thinly connecting Kankuro to one of the proctors, no doubt one of his puppets. He watched in bemusement when the boy asked to be excused to the bathroom. His puppet, disguised as a blank-faced man that was the definition of average, cuffed Kankuro's hands and led him out of the room with a length of rope tied to the cuffs.
It wasn't just jutsu being used. Glancing around, Naruto saw some unique applications, such as Tenten using mirrors to spy the answers and share them with her teammates.
After fifteen minutes he finally got what he'd been waiting for. The memories of the clone flashed across his mind. Flying, dodging a swat. A rush of words and numbers from all the questions. It took him several seconds to organize the jumble of information.
With confident strokes, his pencil flew across the page. His heart hammered in his chest. Could he really get it done this easily?
In only a few minutes all the questions were answered, save for the final one. He set down his pencil with a sigh and slumped back in his seat. The test was done, and he hadn't been caught.
"I-is everything okay?" Hinata whispered, her eyes filled with concern. Naruto gave her a reassuring smile.
"Yeah, I'm done, feel free to copy the answers if ya need to." He replied.
Hinata's eyes widened. She glanced around subtly to make sure the proctors wouldn't catch her, occasionally glancing back at Naruto's test. Biting her lip in worry, she seemed to contemplate it for a moment. Finally, she began to copy his answers, making sure to be subtle with it.
Around that time the real fun began. Naruto tilted his head to the side as a kunai went whizzing by and pinned a test sheet to the desk behind him. The participant, a sand genin, shook in fear.
"Wh-what was that for?" The genin asked.
The sentinel, one of the two that had been disguised as a genin, leered at him. "That's five strikes, you're out. Take your teammates and leave."
That was a signal for the floodgates to open. All the genin who'd been cheating poorly began to get their last strikes and get thrown out. Left and right numbers were called. It must have been very distracting for anyone that was trying to complete the test. A few tried to fight the sentinels, but that ended poorly. They were summarily restrained and tossed out of the room on their asses.
Fairly quickly the room started to thin out. With each person caught three would leave. The minutes ticked by and those who'd successfully gotten the answers put down their pencils. By the time the clock struck four fifteen, when the final question was due, they all sat silently, waiting for Ibiki to finally speak.
"Alright, you're all clearly ready, so here it comes, the final question." Ibiki paused dramatically. "Before I begin, there's a few more rules you should know." His speech was interrupted by the door opening, and Kankuro coming back in with his fake sentinel The proctor smirked at the face paint wearing boy. "Ah good, I hope your time playing with dolls was … enlightening. Luckily, you're just in time for the final question."
Naruto stifled a chuckle at the fear in Kankuro's eyes. He knew he'd been caught red-handed, though luckily it was only one strike. As Kankuro passed his sisters position he subtly dropped a tiny roll of paper on her desk. 'Huh, clever.'
"Well? Take your seat." Once Kankuro retook his seat, Ibiki began to speak again. "These rules are unique, listen carefully, and try not to let them frighten you." Ibiki glanced over his shoulder menacingly as he began to write on the board. "Each of you can choose not to be given this final question. It's your decision."
"A choice? What happens if we reject it?" Temari asked. Ibiki shrugged.
"If you should choose not to take the tenth question, regardless of your score on the others, you'll get a zero. In other words, you fail, and that means both your teammates fail as well." He said simply. This led to several outbursts.
"What, then of course we'll take it dumbass!" Karui shouted
"Yeah, who would even think of declining?" yelled another participant.
Ibiki scowled. "… Not so fast, you didn't let me finish. If you choose to get the question but get the answer wrong, you'll not only fail, but be barred from taking the chunin exam ever again!"
"That's insane!" Kiba protested, shooting to his feet, and slamming his palms into the table. "There are people in here who've taken the exam multiple times, what you're saying makes no sense." He said, jabbing a finger in Kabuto's direction.
"Hehehe …" Ibiki chuckled darkly, leering at them sinisterly. "I guess you're just … unlucky. I wasn't making the rules then, I am now. Of course, you're free to not take it. By all means if you aren't feeling confident then skip it. You can bow out and reapply next year. Speak up now if you want to quit."
Shocked silence filled the void. For several heartbeats nobody spoke. Naruto felt slightly numb at first. He wasn't quite sure what to make of the challenge Ibiki was giving them. On the one hand, it seemed Ibiki was serious. But on the other he found it hard to believe other villages would be okay with their shinobi being permanently barred from the exam. 'That makes no sense. This is another layered test.' He concluded. Yes, so far Ibiki had shown a penchant for messing with their heads to get them to perform a test completely different from the obvious one. It was right in line with his methods to have this choice be one. 'A test of courage maybe, to see if we have the guts to accept.'
Naruto was resolved to take the question either way. He wasn't about to throw away his chance to be a chunin.
While it was easy enough for him to decide to stay, the same couldn't be said for others. The genin to his left raised a shaky hand. Sweat dripped down his brow.
"I, I give up, I'm done. Genna, Inaho, forgive me!" He said.
Immediately, one of the proctors marked down his number. "Number fifty, fail. Numbers one-thirty and one-eleven, you fail too!" The man's teammates shook their heads in disappointment and disgust but got up all the same. The goateed genin stood up with his shoulder slumped and joined his teammates in leaving. He could be heard apologizing to them as they left. Many more contestants raised their hands, calling out their surrender. The already thin ranks became even thinner.
Naruto sat with his arms crossed, looking around to see when people would finally stop quitting. Some seemed resolved to continue like him. Others looked shaky but resolved. He was glad to see neither Sasuki nor Sakura seemed even tempted to quit. Feeling Hinata trembling next to him, Naruto glanced at her. Her hand was shaking, like she wanted to raise it.
He probably should have just let her. If it were anyone he didn't know, he would have. But the memory of her breakthrough in their joint training session swam to the front of his mind. She'd worked hard to be more confident in herself. If she quit here, it would shatter that. His stomach clenched unpleasantly at the thought. Could he really just let that happen?
He reached over and grabbed Hinata's hand just as it looked like she'd raise it. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she gaped at him. With a subtle shake of his head, Naruto took his hand away and raised it high, drawing a shocked gasp from his teammates. Turning to stare at Ibiki, Naruto swept his arm down and slammed his palm into his desk.
"Hey scar face! Let's get this over with. We're wasting time here. I'm not gonna let some question beat me. Nobody can ever say I was scared of a test, so get on with it. Give us your stupid question already. If I fail, so what! I'll just get so strong they'll have to promote me, and nothing is gonna stop me from being Hokage! He shouted.
His outburst had the desired effect. Hinata's resolve returned. Her eyes shone with determination and steel. Around the room, the rest of the examinees were the same. Those who minutes before were wavering now stood firm. Ibiki rose an eyebrow, looking over them carefully.
"This decision is one that could impact the rest of your life. If for any reason you'd rather quit, now's your last chance." He said.
"Tch, like I said, I don't back down, or go back on what I say. Give me the damn question already." Naruto said with a scowl.
Ibiki surveyed the room with his eagle eyes. When nobody budged, he sighed. "Well then, if nothing else I admire your determination. If that's your decision then there's only one thing left to do … and that's to tell you that you've all passed the first exam!"
-x-x-x-x-x-x- NTUC -x-x-x-x-x-x-
And so concludes the mid-month chapter! Team 7 have passed the first exam (big shock) and are on to the second stage. Obviously, this is basically the same as cannon with some slight twists. I thought it was a good chance to sort of see the contrast in cannon Naruto versus this Naruto, and for him to slowly start loosening the reigns on using his Sharingan. Maybe in the future depending on how many non-crossover stories I do; I'll do original tests for the exams. Coming off my original arc which had ... a somewhat mixed reception, I felt better sticking closer to cannon.
Now, I'd like to address something I've seen in some guest reviews. I've seen various comments about the story being "cringey", and to be honest I'm not insulted by them. Rather, as I've always said, I'm open to criticism. The problem is the people commenting this have to this point mostly been using guest reviews and don't give many details about what exactly is cringey. So while I'm open to looking at the story and evaluating that, it's kind of hard without clear examples. For instance, the nickname for Kurama was mentioned and yeah, it's cringey, so I've gone back and edited chapters to change that and will be doing that soon. So for anyone making reviews, please take note of this; if you think there is something cringey, or some other thing, please either use actual details and examples or a real account so I can message you and actually get information on what I might need to consider working on.
One example of this is the use of the Shadow Clone Jutsu brought up that I've talked with people on and has me re-evaluating the use. While I sort of disagree with that because part of the lore on Shadow Clones has been retconned by Boruto to make them harder to create (in turn being necessary because of the memory retcon), I've actually begun to consider that and it's probably a trope I'll consider limiting or not using in stories going forwards.
Anyways, I want to shoutout my patrons. Thank you for supporting my work and helping me to try and build this. If you're interested in early access to chapters and other benefits, chek out my Pa treon. You can find it by using the copiable link in my bio on AO3 or by typing in the Pa treon web domain and adding /rinnetaicho. Chapter 38 just went out on there.
⸻ Patron Shoutout Wall ⸻
Odin Darkfeather, Chillz90, Kit Arashi, CrusaderMoya, MK3Kratos, MASTERCHEIF1229, SvWJan, Cody Lyle, Cory Toler, Carbonkenny, Tyler J Renshaw, Aneeq Moodaley, Edward Fisher, Kyle Alexandr.
Til next time,
RinneTaicho, Signing Off!
