Chapter 12: The Next Step

Nothing but D-rank and carefully verified C-rank missions for an entire two months turned out to be disappointing after experiencing something much more difficult. If the squad wasn't painting a fence or collecting trash from a river, they captured bandits, hunted troublesome animals, and tracked down thieves not too far from the village gates. They were never gone for longer than a day, camping with the sturdy walls of Konoha still in their sights. Nothing anywhere near the intensity of that first real assignment. It should have been comforting knowing they weren't about to court death at any moment, but now everything else felt so much less urgent. Hinata struggled to focus on their tasks outside of training, but this was what Genin were meant to do. Low risk, safe activities.

Kakashi's elemental nature lessons created a welcome break from the monotony, something to really put her heart into and make progress with. It kept Sasuke from sulking and Naruto from losing his sanity during missions as a nice bonus too. Out of the new techniques he introduced them to, Hinata had gotten adept at the Lightning Ball Jutsu, maximizing how long her electric projectiles lasted before they fizzled out. Now she tried to create and direct more than one ball at a time, something that would help with keeping opponents a certain distance away.

Sasuke put more of his time into the Spider Web Jutsu. The "net" of lightning chakra spread across the ground where your palms made contact, shocking and trapping anything in its radius. The shock wasn't too powerful, but it stunned opponents long enough for a follow up attack. It paired well with his fire and knife throwing techniques.

Naruto moved on from shredding leaves to coating blades with wind chakra. While he couldn't maintain the cutting effect for longer than a few seconds at a time, he built up enough skill to use the Vacuum Sword Jutsu. With a swing of his infused kunai, he could send out an arcing shockwave of wind. While technically an offensive move, the Vacuum Sword also managed to obstruct incoming attacks.

Lightning and Fire chakra tended to clash explosively and cancel each other out, but Wind chakra created more interesting effects. Naruto's technique against her own Lightning Ball attacks caused them to lose their charge by disrupting the air, but when he happened to use it against Sasuke's Fireball, the flames took the shape of the shockwave. They nearly burned a chunk of the forest in the process, but the resulting wave of flames across the training field impressed them all. Kakashi, in a rare show of concern, told them that they were only to experiment with combined elements while he was around to watch.

While Hinata could have asked for something to try with her Fire nature, she decided to focus on Lightning for now. Taking up too many new skills at once might adversely affect her clan duties, and she spent a few hours each day on the Palm Rotation as it was. She just didn't have enough room in her schedule at the moment.

Summer brought a humid sort of heat to the Land of Fire, and even if they weren't at the season's peak yet, Team Kakashi felt burned out after another stretch of menial tasks. Today's mission consisted of transporting wood from a lumberyard over to the Nara Clan fields to repair some sheds, which took the better part of the day. Hinata didn't realize how much property they owned until then, but it turned out that they used a lot of said space for raising deer. At least their clients were kind enough to supply food and drinks until they finished the job.

"I never wanna look at another deer again," Naruto panted. He'd used so much chakra keeping the herd away from the construction site that he had trouble walking, but Hinata estimated that he'd be fine soon enough. Maybe in half an hour. Sasuke reluctantly grabbed him by the arm to keep him upright as they walked into the village's commercial district.

"Stop complaining, all you did was bother some animals," Sasuke said.

"And all you and Hinata did was drag logs around!" Their arguments sounded like white noise to her now. As much as they claimed to annoy each other, they still had amazing synergy during training exercises and fights. They only seemed to go after each other because Sasuke was blunt with his words and Naruto refused to take an insult sitting down.

"Kakashi-sensei, are we doing anything else today?" Hinata asked. Their teacher stopped in the middle of the road, looking up at the sky. All she could see was a brown and white hawk, but there wasn't even a message tied to it.

"Huh? Oh, actually…" Kakashi relaxed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I have to turn some mission reports in, they're a little behind this week. You guys are dismissed for today. Try not to get into too much trouble, alright?" He gave them a wave and disappeared, leaving nothing but stray leaves and smoke behind. Sasuke and Naruto stopped arguing, more out of confusion than boredom with their favorite activity.

"Kinda weird that he just remembered he had something to do." Naruto frowned. "Is he ditching us?"

"Who knows what he's up to? If we're done, then I'm going home." Sasuke broke off from them in the direction of the residential areas. "See you tomorrow."

"Aw c'mon, Sasuke!" Naruto called after him.

"He's just annoyed that we can't do anything dangerous now that Sensei left," Hinata said.

"Oh." The look in Naruto's eyes turned conspiratorial for a moment. "But we still have all afternoon! If Sasuke's gone, let's go practice without him"- a strange shuffling caught their attention, and behind Naruto lurked a terribly camouflaged cardboard box. It looked like someone drew a series of rough lines on it with a marker in a crude attempt to make it seem "natural". It went still when it realized it'd been caught. Hinata blinked, not sure how to respond to this extremely poor stalking attempt.

"Is that meant to be a rock?"

"Y'know, shrimp like you piss me off…"

"Let him go!"

Hinata didn't understand how they ended up this far in over their heads. She and Naruto went from indulging some Academy kids in a game of "Ninja" to a tense standoff in the middle of a public walkway. Maybe this was a sign that she should've gone home too.

A shinobi from the Sand Village held the Hokage's grandson by the scarf while his two terrified classmates watched, and Naruto wanted to charge in and save him. She didn't object to that, but they knew nothing about this stranger's capabilities. They had no plan to rescue Konohamaru without risking his life. The foreign kunoichi beside him looked almost as uncomfortable with the impending diplomatic incident as Hinata felt, but she protested the fight in a half-hearted manner that barely helped. Salvaging this would clearly be up to her and Naruto.

"You've had your fun, Kankuro. We don't have time for this," the blonde teenage girl said.

"Aw, but we're just waiting around for the brat to show up." Kankuro pulled Konohamaru up a little higher, his hand tightening around the boy's shirt collar. The child whined and kicked to no avail. "Let's play with these guys a little bit, Temari. I wanna see what they're made of!" So there was a third ninja in their group somewhere. Hinata took a step in front of Udon and Moegi. The ninja in the black hood sneered, his purple facial paint shifting. "See? That one wants a piece of us." His eyes met her own for a moment, and she did her best to not look away. Backing down was out of the question.

Naruto broke his composure first, running straight at the Sand ninja with a fist cocked back.

"I said...let go of him!" he yelled. Her Byakugan came into focus as soon as he moved, and that's how she noticed a thin blue line attached to her teammate's pants. Kankuro's finger twitched.

"Naruto, stop!" She moved to grab him when the chakra line yanked his leg out of place. She'd never seen a technique like chakra strings outside of a book before. Hinata supported him as he fell backwards, and the string severed itself.

"Boss!"

"You okay?" The two students trailed after Hinata.

"Ha! I thought you'd be a little stronger than that. Guess Leaf Genin really are nothing compared to the Sand Village." Kankuro shook his head. "Useless. I'll clean you up after I finish this twerp I caught-" He raised his fist, and Konohamaru's eyes squeezed shut. "Ugh!" He suddenly dropped Konohamaru in favor of grabbing his bruised hand. A pebble clattered to the ground, and Sasuke stood on the branch of a tree overlooking the sideroad.

"What kind of shinobi picks a fight with school kids?" He asked, tossing another rock up and down. He caught it and crushed it to dust, letting the sediment fall out of his hand. His eyes flashed red. "Get out of my village." Konohamaru hurried back to his friends while he had the chance. Hinata felt a little better about their odds now that Sasuke reset the fight. She could go on the offensive if they needed to.

"Hey, what's with you jumping in after I fall on my butt?" Naruto yelled. "Trying to make me look bad? I thought you went home!" For once, Sasuke didn't answer him. Too busy keeping an eye on the Sand Ninja.

"Another Leaf punk," Kankuro growled. He took the strange bandaged package off his back. Temari looked surprised.

"Are you kidding? You can't use Crow here!" she hissed at him. "This is too far."

"Only for a minute, I wanna wipe that stupid look off this hotshot's face," he said. He tugged at a loose thread. Hinata glared at the object, spotting some sort of wooden contraption sealed within. That had to be a weapon. She readied herself for whatever it could do.

"Boss, do something…" Konohamaru tugged on Naruto's pants. Naruto fumbled to make a hand seal, preparing to jump in. Sasuke drew a knife. Hinata spotted a flicker of movement in the corner of her vision.

"Behind us!" He froze on the spot, sensing the same presence.

"Stop it, Kankuro." A red headed boy stood upside down on a higher branch, watching them all. He'd somehow taken that position before anyone else noticed. The missing teammate, Hinata thought. She observed him without turning her head, taking in his appearance and body language. "You're a disgrace to the Hidden Sand Village."

"Gaara…" For the first time, Kankuro sounded intimidated. Afraid, even. "It was a joke, I was just messing around to kill time"-

"Shut it." Gaara's eyes narrowed. "Or I'll kill you."

"Whatever you say…" Kankuro mumbled. He hurried to re-secure the device on his back. The way Gaara spoke was so...devoid of emotion that his threat held a disturbing amount of weight. Everything about the boy with the "love" tattoo and his giant gourd felt off.

"I'm sorry about them." Gaara said to Sasuke, but he still sounded exactly the same as he did five seconds ago. Not comforting in the slightest. Sasuke took his time holstering his knife and answered him with a short nod. Gaara disappeared and landed between the other two Sand ninja. How fast could a Genin be?

"We arrived early, but we're not here to play around. Let's go…" Having reined in his teammates, he began to lead them away.

"Why are you here, then?" Hinata asked, her Byakugan receding. The foreign ninja froze, and Gaara turned back. It took all she had to keep looking at his face. Sasuke jumped down from his perch to join them. "What business do you have in Konoha?" she continued.

"What kind of question is that? Did they not tell you that the Chunin Selection Exams start soon?" Temari asked. She pulled out a stamped ID card. The Leaf symbol stood out in red ink. "We're here to participate on behalf of Suna, but I suppose you're not being considered, then..." Hinata glanced back at Naruto and Sasuke, both of them unhappy with that comment. Was Kakashi-sensei not even going to give them a chance?

"...You. What are your names?" Gaara asked.

"Sasuke Uchiha." He stood up a bit taller, sticking his hands in his pockets.

"Hinata Hyuga," she answered, after a short pause. She didn't like the atmosphere around them, whether these three were here legally or not.

"Hey, what about my name! Don't you wanna know?" Naruto asked.

"Not interested." Gaara walked off. Temari and Kankuro weren't far behind. Naruto was stunned, and then seemed to lose all confidence.

"I'm not that weak, am I?" he asked. Konohamaru nodded.

"You looked kinda bad, Boss."

"There's finally something interesting around here," Sasuke didn't make any effort to hide his anticipation. "It's about time." He had a point, they were both looking for a chance to prove themselves again. But something about this just made her uneasy. Maybe the other ninja would at least keep to themselves until the exams began. She put the Chunin Exams out of her mind for the moment.

"You three need to be more careful around the village," Hinata said to the Academy students. She knew they were just playing, but security didn't seem as tight as it usually was. They could've been seriously harmed. And the idea of something happening to Hanabi if she wandered around unsupervised put Hinata even more on edge. Hinata tried to soften her tone. She wasn't angry with them, since there was no way they would've known about this. "Try to stay near an adult when you're away from your houses, understand?" Moegi and Udon gave their apologies, while Konohamaru at least looked guilty.

"I guess…" he mumbled.

"Uh, yeah! Next time you might not have us to chase 'em off!" Naruto joined her.

"You mean me, right?" Sasuke said, leaning against the tree trunk. "You made a nice distraction though."

"I'm gonna make you eat those words once I get signed up for that Chunin Test thing!"

"So uh…" Konohamaru looked between her and Naruto as he berated Sasuke. "Are you and Boss, like…" he grinned and held his pinky up. She knew she shouldn't take an 8 year old's observations seriously, but it made her pause anyway. Did he seriously think that any girl Naruto spoke to was interested in that way? She never felt sure about anything related to the topic of dating. And wouldn't that destroy their team cohesion? It just didn't make sense.

"I advise that you go home, Konohamaru," she said, giving him the same look Hanabi received when she refused a chore. He paled.

"O-okay, leaving now!"

Kakashi actually did have to hand off some paperwork that day. Not at this exact hour, but he might as well get it done while he attended this sudden meeting. The administrative section of the Academy spread across the entire building, mostly for security reasons. Missions were assigned on the first floor, larger testing and meeting rooms were located closer to the roof, and random storage rooms and lounges crept in between. The mission archives room was a smaller one, packed with scrolls on various shelves. A single light fixture hung over a makeshift seating area and table that took up the middle, where a few shinobi talked and presumably finished up their work summaries. And in the back, a pair of Chunin accepted and organized incoming documents at a long desk near some windows.

"Thanks for getting these in on time," Iruka said brightly. He must've been on rotation this week. Every Chunin that wasn't on the "active" list for a mission spent some time helping with admin work. Some were full time secretaries for the Hokage, others like Iruka handled things such as school curriculum and guarding checkpoints around the village.

"Eh, I had to be here anyway," Kakashi said while Iruka stamped and tucked away the reports.

"Ah that's right, we do have something to discuss with Lord Hokage…" Iruka stood up from his seat and scratched his scar. "Su, uh...how's Naruto doing? Getting along with the team?" Kakashi paused.

"He picks fights a lot, but they motivate each other to make good progress." He found himself smiling under his mask. "They'll be stronger than you, soon."

"That's great to hear!" Kakashi let Iruka ramble fondly about his former students as they took a set of stairs down to the basement floor. Here, the stone walls and floor were reinforced to dampen sound and interfere with chakra based intel techniques. It had a cave-like quality, with only a few candles to illuminate the assembly room. The Hokage sat at a desk on a raised floor section, while a collection of Jonin and Chunin waited in front of him. Kakashi knew most of the Jonin by name, having worked alongside them in the past on various missions.

Asuma Sarutobi, the once rebellious son of their current leader and skilled Wind Style specialist, combining ninjutsu with close combat weaponry. He was quite a bit more laid back nowadays, a cigarette always hanging out of his mouth.

Might Guy, a self made taijutsu master (and Kakashi's supposed "rival") was here too. He took on a Genin team about a year ago and often went on long speeches about the virtues of teaching the next generation during their friendly competitions.

And then there was Kurenai Yuuhi, a prodigy kunoichi that currently possessed the deepest genjutsu knowledge among the general ninja forces. Even most of the late Uchiha Clan members struggled to outplay her in the field of illusions. She'd just been promoted to Jonin about half a year prior, which didn't surprise him since they severely needed more experts in that particular field. The higher ups hoped she would mentor a student with the right aptitude and pass on her skills.

"I believe that's everyone, Sir." An Anbu member stepped out of the shadows, and Kakashi locked eyes with Rabbit for a brief moment. She gave him a barely perceptible nod. A younger comrade from his time among their ranks.

"Good. I'll keep things brief for today." Lord Sarutobi laced his fingers together at the desk. "We've been occupied with re-securing our borders recently after the chaos in the Land of Waves, but we must not show weakness in the face of our foreign allies just because our shinobi are spread thinner than normal," he began. "It's imperative that we maintain our promises, and since we decided last year that it was the Leaf's turn to host, I've assembled you in preparation for the Chunin Selection Exams."

"We already have friends from outside the Land of Fire checking into the village," Genma Shiranui drawled. The Special Jonin chewed on a senbon needle. "So when's it starting?"

"One week from now." That set off some concerns throughout the group.

"Isn't that really soon?"

"Do we have the housing set up already?"

"This really can't be delayed, huh?"

"I am aware of how sudden this is, but I assure you that things are well under control," Sarutobi said, silencing the room. "Proctors will be selected from among the Chunin and Special Jonin for each exam section. The 44th training area and our stadium are being reassessed and prepared for use by the applicants. Security protocol will be updated multiple times as the stages progress. But first…" He took a drag of his pipe. "I want to hear from the leaders of our newer Genin graduates." Ah, he was looking for recommendations. "Kakashi, Kurenai, Asuma. Would you like to suggest any of your students for the Exams?"

All of their squads had the prerequisite number of missions under their belts to qualify, but that didn't mean they were ready. That was left to their Jonin to authorize. While a handful of months ago, Kakashi would've kept his mouth shut and let the Hokage move onto someone else, that mission gone wrong gave him a sense of their real potential. It'd be a shame to let them deteriorate for another half a year.

"Sure," he said, drawing the attention of multiple people. He made a sign of respect with his hand. "I, Kakashi Hatake of Team 7, nominate Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, and Hinata Hyuga to take the Chunin Selection Exams." He heard Iruka's shocked exclamation, but didn't look in his direction.

"...Kurenai Yuuhi of Team 8 nominates Sakura Haruno, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame as well." Kakashi turned slightly to his left to study her determined expression. Huh, she must have some confidence in her group. Asuma bit back a grin.

"Asuma Sarutobi of Team 10 nominates Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, and Choji Akimichi to take the Chunin Selection Exams," he rasped. The Hokage nodded to affirm it.

"Lord Hokage, I must say something!" Iruka said. He was still reeling from hearing all nine rookies in a row, Kakashi guessed.

"Yes…?"

"Those are all students I taught last semester! They're very skilled, yes, but don't you think the Chunin Exams are too much? That's too much pressure for Genin fresh out of school!" Well this was interesting.

"Hold it, friend." Guy appeared next to Iruka and set his hand on the younger man's shoulder. "I get where you're coming from. I held back my own Genin for an entire year before even considering nominating them for the Chunin Exams."

"Yes, exactly!" Iruka said.

"But my fellow teachers have faith in their students must be considered! Surely they would understand the true strength of these so-called rookies!"

"Besides, they're not yours anymore." Kakashi spoke up to defend himself. It was best Iruka got this sorted out now, in times of peace. "They're our soldiers. To grow stronger, they have to feel real pressure. I won't be coddling any member of my team." He stared at Iruka. "If this test crushes them, then so be it. That's the only way to truly improve."

"Kakashi, don't…" Kurenai said. Asuma sighed. Iruka looked uncharacteristically angry, but he held his tongue. He knew better than to argue against the truth.

"I love that fiery passion, Kakashi!" Guy said. "Lord Hokage, may I join in on this?"

"I'll allow it." Sarutobi looked more amused than grim now.

"Excellent!" He gave a thumbs up. "I, Might Guy, nominate Neji Hyuga, Tenten, and Rock Lee! We'll soon see which of our students are filled with the brightest youthful spirits!"

The next day, Hinata met up with Naruto and Sasuke at their usual gathering spot. It happened to be one of the many red bridges around the village spanning the river that cut through it. Yesterday's run-in with Gaara and his teammates still hung over their heads, making them too quiet. They all agreed to ask Kakashi about promotions, but was that the sort of threat they'd be facing from outside the village?

Hinata wanted to push herself further as a ninja, but was she capable of handling the things that waited just beyond the village gates? Kenzou felt so terrifying not long ago, but she began to realize just how little she knew of the world. They barely even grasped the depths of their own teacher, let alone the kinds of people they'd have to face in the future. The kind of ninja her father crossed during the last war. She wanted more confidence in her abilities, but she just...couldn't find it. Naruto somehow pushed his way past that fear of not being good enough, all for the sake of proving his worth at any cost. He couldn't afford to fail, so he didn't. Even Sasuke would take any risk necessary to improve. Their goals drove them beyond their doubts. Why did she struggle to do the same? What made her hesitate to fight harder?

"What's up?" Kakashi landed on top of the nearby wooden archway, balancing precariously on a thin beam.

"How're you late all the time?" Naruto yelled, pointing at him. Kakashi scratched the back of his head and held a hand up.

"Hey, I have my reasons...like getting these for you." He jumped down and presented a stack of paperwork. "I took the liberty of signing you up for the Chunin Exams. Thought you'd all be interested."

"Hmph, so you did know about them…" Sasuke said, taking a form. Naruto snatched his next with a huge grin, all his outrage forgotten.

"Yes, I knew you'd get us in there! You're the best!" While Kakashi peeled himself away from Naruto's death grip of a hug, Hinata took the last form and looked it over. Just a simple sheet asking for personal information along with a surprising amount of fine print. As she skimmed it, she realized it was a waiver in case of severe injury. Or worse. Well that didn't help her nerves.

"As I was saying…" Kakashi said, straightening out his uniform. "You're all free to join as long as you bring those papers to the Academy on the first of July. Room 301. I gave you a few days to think it over. It's a big decision, after all…" He stuck his hands in his pants pockets. "And most Genin don't bother attempting the Chunin Exams until they've built up at least a year of field experience. Anyone from outside the Leaf is probably the best of their rank their village has to show off. Your competition's stiff." Did he really have to make it sound even worse?

"You're talking to the future Hokage here!" Naruto said. "Nothing's gonna keep me from winning this whole thing!"

"I'll take down whoever gets in my path, no matter where they're from." Sasuke folded up his sheet, a different sort of fire in his eyes. Just like when he first mentioned getting revenge on a certain person. "These so-called competitors? They're nothing but stepping stones."

"...Understood, Kakashi-sensei." Hinata's grip on the paper tightened

The choice was in their hands. But did she have any other choice but to try? If she planned to live up to her clan's expectations and Father's belief in her, then Hinata had to take this opportunity. A leader must control their emotional flaws. Anger, pain, worries and personal desires. If your mind grew clouded with these distractions, then how could your eyes have clarity? This philosophy guided the Hyuga Clan for many years. She would not fail them now.

AN: The next arc has officially started, it took way too long getting here! Please feel free to leave reviews, I try my best to answer as long as you're logged in.