Chapter 14: Chunin Exams- Stage 1
If anyone told her a week ago that a single-sided sheet of paper could effectively break a lecture hall of ninja, Hinata wouldn't believe them. She knew better now. As the analog clock ticked away their hour of time, Ibiki Morino's hidden challenge revealed itself: Nothing about this exam stage could be taken at face value. Every part of his test seeded doubt in the applicants' minds.
It began with a set of strict, particular rules painstakingly written out in chalk. He shuffled team members around to sabotage communication, but stressed that a group passed or failed based on their collective scores. He strongly advised against cheating in any manner, yet each infraction one of his "sentinel" proctors caught removed only 2 points from their total of 10. A member losing all 10 points also caused immediate failure regardless of exam answers.
The test itself consisted of problems that challenged even the sharpest students. Real world projectile physics calculations, multilayered code deciphering, charting enemy movement predictions on topographical maps, completing a half-written sealing array… Hinata jumped to the ninth question out of curiosity, and her remaining hope sank.
They expected exam takers to find the objective chakra amount needed to travel a certain distance with the Teleportation Jutsu? She understood the scenarios, but… nothing this advanced existed in their Academy lessons. These required formulas and theory knowledge that specialists picked up, not something an average Chunin used. And the final question would not be given out until near the test's end. Hinata placed her sheet down and went over her options. There must be more to this.
Nearly every rule introduced had specific loopholes. Exploits that made no sense to leave in, unless… She reached for her pants pocket, careful not to make noise, and pulled out a simple blue and white eraser. Hinata set it down next to her paper. Following his exact words, their proctor never banned cheating, did he? The sentinels punished teams with point deductions, not instant failures.
So as long as completing the test was still in the realm of possible…the solutions were somewhere close by. The real test became about finding them. Instead of relief, that only gave her a new worry. Naruto couldn't do it by himself, not without taking a much higher risk.
Their premade plan better work as intended, or their luck ran out here. Naruto should focus on avoiding point losses until she and Sasuke passed him correct answers, but they couldn't openly tell him that. He might not realize the true objective yet either. He wasn't in immediate danger if he didn't try anything unexpected, but how long would that last? She glanced back at the clock. They needed nine questions completed in about 45 minutes, at this rate.
Hinata rested her head on the desk, face hidden behind folded arms. The Byakugan could watch the entire room freely if she didn't look up and expose it. Her presence fading into the background only helped, despite always seeing the habit as something that needed correction. She just needed to not draw a proctor's attention right now. Most of the room appeared busy when she inspected the other test takers, only pausing when a watcher's clipboard squeaked as they wrote something down.
Another "cheater" marked.
She located Sasuke a few rows above her own seat. He wasn't moving at first, but then his chakra flared as he used the Sharingan. With its copying ability, he mimicked another test taker's frantic writing. He must've found the perfect first target since he continued the technique for a long while. The chakra infused eraser at his side showed he wouldn't forget to pass his answers along either. Naruto was…
Her vision settled on his hunched over form at the classroom's front. He looked shaken even from this awkward angle, but he kept his eyes down and that's all they needed from him. Just stay strong for a few more minutes.
Sakura had the seat beside him, and the difference in their confidence levels kept Hinata from moving on just yet. She filled out the test at a steady rate, only pausing a few moments to read something over, yet nothing about her body language projected nervousness. She concentrated on nothing but the exam paper. Hinata couldn't figure out how Sakura's cheating method functioned, because the Byakugan detected nothing at all. No chakra techniques, no hidden notes, no tools sticking out from her jacket or belt compartments, and not a single strange hand or eye movement. Where did those answers come from? Hinata read Sakura's sheet with a more careful eye, and the truth dawned on her.
She wasn't plugging in responses stolen from another person, she figured the answers out on her own. Hinata's initial shock turned into genuine interest, and she watched Sakura work through the next math problem, the ticking clock's pressure forgotten.
Sakura appeared halfway done in about twenty minutes. She somehow knew enough about every topic this exam covered to complete it "properly", all without a guide. Could a Genin teach themselves that much information in only six months? No, Sakura must've studied these things beforehand if she acted so comfortable now. Hinata believed cheating was the only way of passing, but now… Maybe she underestimated the people who graduated with her. She knew that Sakura never struggled on book assignments, but this felt like more than just an above average student's work. Why hadn't anyone else noticed before their class graduated? She recalled Sakura's change in demeanor earlier. Did she lack the right motivation to show off until now? Nothing stifled potential and improvement more than losing your will. Hinata pushed against the same issue for years.
Sakura continued filling out her answer boxes with cramped, neat handwriting, the kind that Hinata wished her notes looked like so everything took up less space. She never imagined herself finding Sakura this relatable, but today was a strange day. What else did she miss-
"Number 79!" Hinata jerked her head up with a near silent gasp, eyes reverting to normal. Most of the class jumped too, though they all kept their mouths shut. One of the Chunin pointed at a boy seated in a middle row. He sneered at his chosen target. "That's five times. You're out." The applicant went pale, then resigned himself to his fate. He looked crestfallen as he stood up. "Take your team members too. 56 and 41." They left through the back doors in silence. No one dared laugh at the three failed Genin, not when it could've easily been someone else getting kicked out. Hinata laid her head back down and used her Byakugan once more, avoiding Sakura this time. She couldn't lose her focus now.
While Hinata searched for another person with the correct answers (cheating off someone trying that hard made her guilty), more teams trickled out the exam hall. They left three by three as she worked. Some accepted it in shameful silence, others apologized to their teammates, and a few even protested their failure. The proctors sounded like they enjoyed the process, calling the Genin out for their poor espionage attempts and physically intimidating those who argued back. As distracting as they were, Hinata tuned them out until she finished the ninth question.
She dropped the pencil with a low sigh, then picked up her smuggled eraser. Hinata held it a few inches above her test sheet for about a minute before moving it out of view again. Her heart raced at the thought of everything that might go wrong. For Naruto's sake, the plan couldn't fail.
She squeezed the eraser hard, shoving chakra through her palm like a spike. It burst into a tiny cloud of smoke and left nothing behind. She observed Naruto as his fidgeting went still. Did it work? She felt lighter as he suddenly began writing. As soon as he stopped scribbling whatever he remembered, Hinata heard another small, yet distinct pop from behind. Naruto picked up the pencil and wrote something down again. Sakura looked up from proofreading her own sheet out of possible curiosity, but didn't interrupt him either. The last thing he needed was time to forget the answers.
She checked the wall clock. Less than ten minutes left until the hour ended. Five until Morino revealed the final question.
"Section One of the Chunin Selection Exams is almost over," he announced to the hall when the time was right. "Get ready for the final question." The head proctor waited as one of the Sand ninja, the teenager with the facepaint and strange package, returned from his restroom trip. "Before I give it out, I have a couple more rules to add. They're simple, but extremely important..." He grinned at them. By now, none of them took his smile as a good sign. "You may choose whether to accept Question 10 or not, but rejecting it will cause your entire team's failure. Your current point score becomes irrelevant." That set off a wave of mumbled complaints.
"What? That's complete nonsense! Then why would anyone refuse to take it?" The blonde Sand kunoichi spoke up the loudest.
"That brings me to my last rule. If you accept this question and answer wrong, I will ban you from ever promoting to Chunin rank." His words hit them like a bucket of ice water, and reactions ranged from fear to outrage. He was allowed to do that? Would he really keep them as Genin forever if they failed a single question? "You don't like my way of doing things? Then leave and hope you don't have me as proctor next year," he fired back. "Anyone wanna quit while they're ahead?"
Hinata couldn't read his face well enough to determine a lie from the truth, and he sounded exactly the same as he had the entire test period. Failure wasn't an option this early into the competition, but his punishment was just as devastating. Which choice made the most sense? Risking everything to advance, or safely trying again later? But what would Naruto and Sasuke prioritize?
…Risking everything, of course. They'd be offended if she thought that either of them would take the easy way out of any situation. And ignoring her recent doubts, she felt the exact same way. Running from her problems never helped before, so no matter how afraid she might be on the inside, she couldn't back out. Hard work brought her to this point and she would not waste her efforts.
Hinata touched the metal section of her headband, feeling the indents that made up the lead symbol. No obstacle would stop her from proving her worth as Clan Leader. Certainly not a single man.
"I can't believe the Exam Proctor let us pass after you called him bluff." Sasuke shook his head, but couldn't hide his pride well enough to shame Naruto. "You're the luckiest idiot around."
"Yeah, well…everything I said was true. I wasn't scared of him! A real ninja's gotta have guts! That's what that Ibiki guy told us anyway, right?" Naruto laughed as their team left the Academy behind for the day. All of his earlier anxiety appeared forgotten. "That first test was easy, I bet we're gonna kill the second part too!"
"That's…not exactly what he said," Hinata told him. "But you reached the same idea in the end. A Chunin should have the confidence to lead their squad on any mission." She couldn't be very hard on him after making it through that mental gauntlet in one piece. He deserved to celebrate.
Their next proctor had introduced herself as Anko Mitarashi, another Special Jonin. And she showed a lot of… enthusiasm. Hinata couldn't tell if the older kunoichi planned on breaking that Academy window on purpose, but her casual vandalism and giant cloth banner left a powerful impression. The written portion was apparently intended to remove more applicants, though Naruto's stunt at the very end weakened its effect. Anko sounded excited at the prospect of cutting even more of them out, however. She claimed that she'd eliminate at least half of the Genin by the end of Section 2. Her excitement gained a morbid edge after she passed along a message for the applicants to meet her at Training Ground #44 the very next morning. Older Leaf ninja had an unfortunate nickname for that area, if the whispers she heard weren't exaggerated.
Anko wouldn't say anything more about her plans beyond needing basic survival gear, which left them with vague expectations. How long would it take? What sort of challenge did Anko design to make the teams compete?
"What survival exercise can they run inside the village?" Sasuke sounded like he'd caught Naruto's overconfidence. "It shouldn't be that extreme if they aren't sending us farther off."
"You could be right..." Maybe Anko's secrecy was a bluff as well, an attempt at scaring them away like Morino's original plan. The Chunin Exams already demonstrated how far they'd go to make something seem worse with Genjutsu and planted competitors, so why not fake rumors on top of that? "But we should still prepare, just in case." She'd rather have supplies and not need them than the opposite situation, and she hadn't forgotten that Neji's team also passed. She would be naïve to let her guard down this early. Naruto didn't have the same concerns.
"I still think you're worrying about nothing," he said. "That proctor lady's just nuts. She's not getting me with the same trick twice!" She wanted them to be right, even if she couldn't believe it yet.
"Welcome to the Forest of Death," Anko greeted all the Genin the next morning. Hinata couldn't stop staring at their surroundings. Sasuke was definitely wrong about the village being safer by default. Nothing here looked safe.
Anko stood before miles of chained and padlocked metal gates surrounding the off-limits woods. All the worn down caution signs posted around the area seemed like too much effort for an elaborate joke. The trees contained within the fence line were massive, their roots and canopies tangling together to obscure everything that lurked within. The Land of Fire was famed for its widespread forests, but none of them naturally grew to this size. Something about this training ground felt unsettling.
About 50 teams waited for Anko's instructions, all geared up for a longer test phase this time. None of them had a change of heart since yesterday, including the other two rookie groups. A small comfort in the face of their next task. Fake or real danger, they were in this together. Unless the former classmates turned on each other too.
AN: Felt right to post a new chapter for Hinata's birthday, even if it's shorter than I wanted. Keeping most of the Forest of Death in a new chapter felt like a better idea anyway. A lot more activity happens in Stage 2, which I'd rather concentrate on writing all at once so it connects better.