Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
Chapter Thirteen
They had been coming in left and right. Karibi had been sure to get a glimpse of all the genin that had traveled to attend the chunin exams. The huge crowd didn't appear until closer to the end of the week, and even after that, teams continued their way in until it was late.
Karibi had been spending all of her time with the Hokage. She had been running around and coordinating with Anko, who was the least concerned and least organized proctors of the exam. Although she hadn't known Anko well before this entire planning process, she had come to find that the woman was rather easy to get along with in some aspects; she just wished that the woman was more motivated to actually get work done for the exams. Still, the proctor's easy-going attitude and sass was refreshing for Karibi.
Then there was Hayate, who was calmer than Anko and far more organized and meticulous than the woman. He was kind enough, although his attitude came off a bit cold—unintentionally. Karibi had noticed his sickly state, but she mentioned nothing of it, merely doing her work and chatting with him. She had known him since her years in the Anbu, his significant other—Yugao, spoke of him every once in awhile during the small amounts of time they worked together; all-in-all, the 23-year-old seemed nice enough.
The last proctor Karibi had met with was Ibiki; she had gotten along with him the best. The man was reasonable and the man was also efficient. He knew how to get work done and get it done well. And although the 22-year-old had come to find that he had a bit of a sadistic side to his soul, she couldn't judge him; she had been similar to him during her years as an assassin. His sense of humor was rather dry, and he came off as cold and calculated, but that was the kind of man that Karibi could see herself having a drink with and having a good discussion with. And so, she found herself feeling relieved to get the opportunity to work with someone like him.
But even working with three great shinobi—Karibi found herself dragging through the day.
It was a few hours after midnight when the redheaded jonin found herself leaving the Hokage residence. A yawn emitted from her lips, the sound ringing through the silence as Karibi lazily strolled down the street. She tried not to worry too much over Naruto. She had told the young boy that she was assisting the Hokage with planning the exam after he had returned home with the great news that Kakashi had given his team applications for the tests. He knew that she was going to have early mornings and late nights, but she made sure to leave food for him and to leave reminders for feeding Kushito; hopefully, he wouldn't forget about their cat.
"You do realize this isn't your room, right?" Karibi blinked as she found herself sitting on a soft bed that was not her own. She rubbed her eyes several times, looking up to see the open window in which she must have came in from. A gentle breeze blew through, the fresh air mixing with the familiar scent of mint and musk of the man gazing at Karibi.
"...I honestly don't remember the last five minutes." The redhead's brows furrowed as she squeezed her eyes shut, rubbing her cheeks with the palm of her hands. A soft chuckle caught her attention, light footsteps conjuring slight creaks from the floor.
"I see Sandaime is being relentless."
"Did you expect otherwise?" Karibi sighed as she tossed her files on to the desk to her left, letting the papers sprawl everywhere. She began to tug her shoes off as her gracious host watched from the doorway before he rolled his eye, walking over to his dresser and pulling out a shirt for her. He tossed it to his friend, and with ease, the kunoichi caught it. She stood up and walked out of the bedroom, making her way to the bathroom and shutting the door.
"Once these chunin exams are over, I plan on taking a long vacation."
"I suppose I don't have to tell you that you're being a bit over dramatic, right?"
"Can't you just let me have this moment, Kakashi?" Karibi reappeared in the man's room, dropping her clothes on to the floor and making her way straight to the bed. She immediately fell and let out a content breath, the silver-haired jonin chuckling before he sat beside his friend and opened his book.
"I miss going on missions. I don't know how ninja in the clerical department do it."
"Well, it's definitely safer work," the 26-year-old pointed out as Karibi looked up from her pillow. She stared up quietly at the man, and although he could feel her eyes burning through the side of his head, he merely ignored it and continued on to the next page.
"...Is there a reason you wear your mask even when you're alone?" Kakashi paused. He repeated the question in his head before he looked down to Karibi, who gazed up at him with a quirked up brow.
"...Is there a reason you want to know?"
Karibi shrugged. "I was just curious."
Kakashi said nothing at first as he mulled over the idea of telling Karibi. He slowly shut his book before he set it up on the window sill just behind him. His one eye flickered to the woman lying beside him, the other shut as it usually was; his forehead protector sat underneath the pile of papers Karibi had strewn about on his desk.
"...There were a lot of things I disliked about my father." Karibi's eyes widened slightly as Kakashi stared ahead, avoiding her stare. "I always blamed him for not being able to keep my mother from dying. And being as young and as stubborn as I was, there was no talking me out of it," he explained quietly as the 22-year-old rested her head on his pillow and listened silently.
"Growing up, I was always aware of just how much I looked like my father...the White Fang." Kakashi's stare softened as he remembered his father's face well. "I hated it. I hated the fact that I looked like him. And I hated the fact that my fate was to always be compared to the man who couldn't save my mother. And so, I put the mask on. I put it on so people would know I was not him—I was not my father." Karibi tried not to frown at the story before the jonin continued.
"After he committed suicide, a seed of disdain and disappointment planted inside of me. That was the moment I vowed to keep my mask...I guess, in a way, I was ashamed of my own face." The jonin chuckled at that; how thick-headed he had been when he was younger. "Nowadays, I just wear it out of habit...or maybe not. It's hard for me to say."
Karibi stared at the man's profile before she slowly sat up. Catching Kakashi's attention, Karibi smiled slightly as she reached out and slipped her fingers beneath his mask. The older jonin stiffened but forced himself to remain calm as he felt the soft fabric slide down his face, everything now exposed once more; she had been the only other living person to see his face twice.
"If you were your father, your name would be Sakumo Hatake. Not Kakashi." Karibi chuckled as she gave her friend a soft tap on his bare cheek. "You should be proud of this face. It's the face of one of Konoha's finest." Kakashi tried not to stare as Karibi gave him a lingering smile before she began to lay back down. He watched as she rolled on to her side, turning her back to him. And as she tried to get comfortable, the young man beside her continued to gaze down at her; a tiny smile spread across his pale lips.
Shutting her eyes, Karibi prepared to slip into sleep, but they snapped open when she felt an arm slip underneath her neck while another arm rested around her waist. She blinked before realizing that it was merely Kakashi behind her, his arms pulling her slightly closer and pressing her back against his chest. A smile began to form on the redhead's lips before she turned her head slightly to get a better look at the man behind her.
"For what it's worth, I happen to like the mask."
"Oh?"
"If you didn't wear the mask, I'd have to share you with others, and unfortunately, I'm just not nice enough to do that." The woman smirked at that before Kakashi blinked. He unconsciously squeezed his partner closer before he instinctively leaned forward. Almost caught off guard, Karibi's eyes widened before they quickly fluttered shut, the silver haired man's lips pressed against hers.
Turning her head a bit more, Karibi let out a low hum, Kakashi propped up on an arm and his lips moving slowly and sweetly against the redhead's lips. They remained stuck together and locked in the gentle and warm kiss for a few minutes before the older one of the two laggardly began to pull away. His lips hovered over the young woman's as she remained where she was, still lost in the heat of the moment. Kakashi tried not to smirk as he felt Karibi quiver against him, and as he leaned forward to press his lips firmly against hers one last time, he felt her reach and rest a hand over his.
"Goodnight, Karibi," Kakashi whispered before said woman smiled at him. She turned back around and shut her eyes, reliving that last few minutes in her mind. The man behind her laid his head down on a pillow before he relaxed, both eyes now closed; he didn't bother turning the lights off.
With Karibi fast asleep in his arms, Kakashi fell into a deep slumber, forgetting to pull his mask back up.
§
She had slept longer that night than she had in days. The sun was already high up in the sky by the time Karibi's amethyst eyes flickered open. Thankfully, she didn't have much planned for the day other than to meet the Hokage that evening for last-minute planning.
Letting her tired eyes adjust to the light, the jonin yawned, pausing when she realized there were arms wrapped around her. Raising a brow, Karibi carefully rolled over, eyes widening when she found Kakashi still sleeping beside her. She glanced down to his arms, her precise movements keeping the man from awakening. A smile began to etch itself on to her lips before she pulled the blanket up and over her shoulders.
The feeling of waking up in someone's arms was foreign to Karibi. It was warm, and it was comforting, but it was also suffocating and terrifying. Never had she slept so close to anyone before, but she supposed that if she were to sleep like this—be close to another person, it would be Kakashi. There was no one she trusted more than Kakashi, and there was no one that she wanted to be close to like this other than him. And then she began to wonder, what would it be like to wake up with him every day? What would it be like to be able to call him hers? Those were the kind of thoughts that scared her the most. Because it was the people she loved most that were stolen from her. It was the people she held dear to her heart that were ripped too early from the world. And she couldn't lose him. She couldn't live a moment of her life without Kakashi in it; it was hard giving something good up after having its wonder for so long.
"Think quieter." Karibi stiffened as she looked up, Kakashi's eyes still shut.
"Good morning to you, too," the woman stated before she began to sit up, glancing at the clock. Just as Kakashi had said, it was early, but it was much later than the mornings she had grown accustomed to.
"Shouldn't you be getting ready to meet the genin?"
"You forget. Today is the day before the chunin exams." Karibi's eyes widened as reality set in. "Iruka-sensei will be dealing with the genin."
"I almost forgot."
"Relax. You don't have plans for the day, so lay back down," Kakashi said, eyes still closed. Karibi eyed the man suspiciously before she did as told.
"You seem rather calm for someone who has genin being tested for the chunin exam in the next few hours."
"I'm confident that Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura will meet Iruka's expectations," the jonin teacher stated evenly. "I have faith in them." Karibi smiled; it was nice to hear something like that coming from him.
"...I suppose a few more hours wouldn't hurt." Kakashi chuckled at that as he fell in and out of slumber. Karibi remained laying in his direction, gazing softly up at his face. She smiled up at his exposed features before she leaned her head forward and rested her forehead against his shoulder.
"...If I could stay right here for the rest of my days, I probably would," she admitted softly before Kakashi finally opened his onyx eye. He stared at the wall silently before he pulled Karibi's closer, reveling in her warmth.
"It may not be the rest of your days, but at least there's today."
§
After two more hours of sleep, the pair had finally peeled themselves out of the bed and readied for the day. Karibi pulled back on her clothes, Kakashi throwing on his normal attire, as well. He pulled his mask up and wrapped his hitai-ate securely around his forehead before he drew the left side down and covered his scarred eye. He glanced behind himself as Karibi watched him fondly from the bed.
"It's been awhile since we've had a free day together, you know?" Kakashi thought before he nodded his head.
"Yeah. I guess so."
With a bright smile, Karibi stood to her feet before she began to walk out the door. "Buy me rice balls." With a defeated sigh, Kakashi followed after the woman.
"Is 'please' no longer in your vocabulary?"
§
"I haven't seen the village this busy in years." Karibi glanced from shop to shop, seeing all the different genin and new faces around. She nibbled on her rice ball as Kakashi glanced over his shoulder before nodding his head.
"Always an interesting turn out," he stated as the woman across from him nodded.
"...I wonder how Naruto's doing," Karibi muttered as she frowned; she hadn't seen him since the day before.
"I'm sure Iruka is with him," the 26-year-old said as Karibi nodded.
"He'll be ok," the redhead muttered to herself as she ate the last of her food. "I'm sure he'll be ok."
"...Are you starting to doubt his abilities?"
"No. Can't I just be concerned?" The kunoichi shrugged as she watched Kakashi turn and gaze out at the street.
"I'm sure he'll be alright. Naruto may be slow, but he's strong," the silver haired man stated. "And he's really grown. We should put a little more faith in him." Karibi smiled before she chuckled.
"Such an optimist these days, aren't you?" The man smiled under his mask.
"I guess that's true."
§
"Ribi-chan!" Said woman stopped in her tracks as she looked over her shoulder and smirked, a patch of blond hair catching her attention.
"Short-stuff, where are you coming from?"
"You won't believe what just happened!" Naruto skidded to a stop with Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon following just behind him.
"Karibi-chan!" the three other kids called out as the jonin chuckled to them.
"I hope you four have been staying out of trouble."
"That's the thing, Ribi-chan!" The blond began to ramble. He began to quickly retell his story of the ninja who had kidnapped Moegi, and although Karibi wasn't surprised, she merely feigned it. She listened carefully as Naruto explained what had happened, Konohamaru jumping in with a comment here and there. And when it had all be said, Karibi couldn't stop herself from smiling widely, which only confused Naruto.
"What are you so happy about?"
"Nothing. Just a great story," the redhead lied. "You did good, short-stuff," she stated as she ruffled his hair with pride gleaming in her amethyst eyes.
"Aren't you going to tell the old man?" Konohamaru asked as the woman blinked. "He tried to steal the Scroll of Seals!"
"Oh, right! Yes, well, I'll let him know immediately," Karibi said as she stood up from her seat at Ichiraku; she had been somehow conned into buying them all food. "But I'm sure after Naruto's good work he won't be after that scroll again," she stated reassuringly as the blond grinned and nodded.
"You got that right!" The 22-year-old's smile softened before she began to head out.
"...I'm proud of you, short-stuff." Naruto blinked as he met Karibi's genuine expression. His breath hitched, a strange sensation boiling up inside of him; the feeling of being accepted and appreciated was still such a foreign things for the jinchuriki.
Naruto smiled back to her before nodding his head. "Thanks, Ribi-chan! You'll be even more proud once I pass the chunin exams!" The boy's guardian smirked widely and nodded her head.
"I bet I will be."
*One Day Later*
"So this is the turn out for this year's chunin exams." Karibi stood beside the Third Hokage quietly as he gazed into his crystal orb. They watched as the genin piled into the examination room, Karibi's eyes lingering on Naruto as he stood beside his teammates. A nostalgic feeling wafted over the young woman as she smiled, recalling the days of Team 2 and the chunin exam she had endured with Hana and Hayase.
How times had changed.
"Once the first exam is completed, I want you to meet with Ibiki and Anko. Review the results and I want a summary of how many genin from what villages have gone on to the second exam."
"Hai, Hokage-sama." Karibi watched quietly as the nine rookies gathered together. She smiled at that as she nodded; they weren't all friends, but they were allies, and that was what mattered.
Raising a brow, the redhead noticed as a young man approached the nine rookies, his gray hair and glasses and leaf forehead protector ringing bells in her memory. "Kabuto Yakushi." He had been a peculiar one, from what Karibi remembered.
"Feel free to check on the genin personally whenever you'd like." Karibi blinked as the Hokage's voice caught her attention. She looked down at the man in his seat as he smiled up at her. "You are welcome to join Ibiki and Anko as well, since you are assisting with the exam." The 22-year-old smiled as she nodded her head with appreciation in her eyes; the Hokage truly was a good man.
"Thank you, sir."
"Of course, dear." Hiruzen watched as Karibi disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
§
They had been making a ruckus, that had been for sure. And of course, Naruto had been the center around the chaos. The attention had been drawn to all nine of the Leaf rookies, everyone staring hard at them after the blond had made his little speech. All the genin had their eyes on Naruto and his friends, and although he seemed rather confident in himself, they were all ready to take him down a peg or two; he was like a yappy, little, dog.
Three genin from Otogakure had been the first to react to the Leaf genin. They had been irked by the boy and the group's confidence. And as the cluster of Leaf ninja lost themselves in arguing with each other—which was actually more of Sakura berating Naruto for his foolishness—they never took notice to the three Sound genin weaving their way, unnoticed through the crowd. The presumable leader of the three leapt out and jumped towards the young man on the outside of the circle, catching his attention.
The light gleamed off of Kabuto's glasses as he glanced over his shoulder. His eyes widened as he heard the whizzing noise of kunai flying through the air. Thankful for his quick reflexes, the gray haired boy jumped out of the way, the others startled by the kunai embedding themselves into the floor.
Everyone watched as Kabuto's eyes dilated. He tensed but acted quickly, pulling his head back just far enough to avoid the fist that was aimed at his face. He noticed the insignia on the attacker's hitai-ate and smirked; they were from the Sound.
Although he had come out unscathed, the glass from his spectacles shattered, falling to the floor. The onlookers of the scene remained silent, waiting as everything played out before them. They had seen that the Leaf genin had obviously avoided the attack, and yet his glasses had still been damaged. And then, even more baffling, the young man was on his knees, vomit exuding from his mouth.
"K—Kabuto!" Naruto and Sakura rushed up to their newest ally's side as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He relaxed as the two helped him sit up, the three of them looking up at the Sound genin hovering in front of them.
"Not so tough now, are—" Everyone tensed when a puff of smoke filled the air between the Leaf and the Sound candidates. Naruto and Sakura blinked, caught off guard by the abrupt interruption, but they had all been even more shocked when a redheaded woman in a white shirt and black shorts stood with her hand gripped tightly around the arm of the genin who had attempted to punch Kabuto.
"What the hell is going on here?" Her voice was cold, and it was hard. Her grip on Dosu's metal-encased arm was tight, and her purple-tinted eyes—they were dark and icy.
Naruto blinked as he exchanged glances with both Sakura and Sasuke, the pair of them wearing the same, put-off look as the blond; what the hell was Karibi doing there?
"...Dosu Kinuta, is that right?" The genin stared unsteadily at the woman holding his arm as he remained calm. He stared into her menacing gaze and tried not to shiver as he glanced to her hand that was squeezing slightly around his amplifier.
"...Yes, that's right."
"Dosu, please answer this question for me." The taller woman leaned closer to him as she narrowed her eyes. "Has the exam started yet?" The question was simple, but Dosu couldn't seem to find the right words to say. And from the displeased expression on the woman's face, she was growing impatient with his silence.
"I asked you a question. Has. The exam. Started yet?" The Sound genin shook his head before his eyes widened, the woman's hand suddenly holding his arm tighter, causing the tips of her fingers to slightly dent the metal.
"Then what the hell do you think you're doing?!" she yelled viciously as she looked back to Kabuto, Naruto and Sakura. Her gaze lingered on them before she looked out to the crowd of genin watching her intently.
"My name is Karibi Uzumaki," she began. "I'm here today because from here on out, I'm assisting your proctors with the exams. I'm here to make sure that no one steps out of line," she stated evenly, her strong grip still on Dosu's arm.
"Let me make myself very clear on this." She glared sharply at the genin in her grasp before she looked back to the others standing around the now chilled room. "If I see, hear, even smell the slightest hint of foul play, whoever is responsible will be personally escorted out of the village by me and will be automatically disqualified from this year's exam." The jonin watched carefully as applicants began to murmur to each other, some staring at her with fear while others stared with disdain.
"There will be no second chances here. This isn't a game." She leaned in close to Dosu, who stared at her with his one, visible eye. "Because in reality, a ninja doesn't get a second chance. And as ninja, true ninja, we do not partake in foul play," she snapped as Dosu's jaw clenched.
"...Do I make myself clear?!" the woman shouted as she finally shoved Dosu back, the genin stumbling and standing beside his teammates. He glared back at Karibi as she narrowed her eyes, looking from Dosu and then to Kabuto.
"Now get up. You all look pathetic."
She was sure that her message had gotten across to everyone. By the looks on their faces, Karibi was sure that people would do their best not to make any more mistakes and break any more rules; that had been what she and Ibiki had discussed days earlier.
Turning, Karibi began to walk away and headed to the front of the examination room. Her eyes flickered to the Leaf genin before she gave them a subtle wink, though her expression remained cold and empty. The rookie genin relaxed at that before watching the redhead head down the parted crowd that had moved for her.
Naruto had never seen Karibi like that before, and he had thought he had seen it all. But the Karibi he had just witnessed—she was heartless, and she was merciless. She was unkind to the human eye, and she seemed cold and relentless. There was an edge in her voice that nearly made the blond quiver, but the moment she had walked past him, he knew she was still the same Ribi-chan he had grown close with. It just seemed that there was more to her than he thought there originally had been.
And that was a bit unnerving.
As the 22-year-old approached the front, another cloud of smoke filled the room. Everyone blinked, still recovering from the events that had just unfolded, and as they stared up at the dissipating smog, they found a man standing before them.
"Alright, you baby-faced degenerates. Pipe down!" Karibi smirked as she placed her hands on her hips, Ibiki—as well as a number of chunin—standing before her. "It's time to start the first part of the exam." The interrogator looked over at Karibi and then to the slightly shaken looks on the genins' faces before he smirked more; she must have done quite the number on them.
"I am Ibiki Morino. Your worst enemy."
Ah! The beginning of the exam has finally come! I'm honestly shocked that this story has gone as far as it has, but I have it all planned out in my head, and I just can't wait to get it all typed out. Being able to share this story with you guys has been such a pleasure thus far, and I can only hope that you all feel the same way as I do!
Yes, from here on out, things will definitely become more intense and serious. With Orochimaru's appearance approaching and the rest of the plot coming, it'll be interesting to see just how Karibi does or doesn't change and how exactly things play out! Won't say much else about what's in store for the future, but it'll be really entertaining to see :D New relationships are going to be built with Karibi, and old ones are going to progress—it's going to be great LOL. I tried to put a bit of fluff into this chapter and future chapters just because it may be a bit harder to add in once the ball gets rolling.
Also! There is an excerpt in this chapter where Kakashi is talking about why he wears his mask. This is in NO WAY the real reason why he does! It was not ever mentioned nor was it ever confirmed by anyone, it was just a little thought I came up with and decided to throw in! So please just take that with a grain of salt :)
Thank you to everyone who's be reading! I'm glad that you have stuck around this long for this story! I've been working hard continuously with each chapter and will continue to do so, so I hope my efforts show! Thanks again for all the support!
Reviews:
WindyCitySlayer1: I am very glad to hear that you enjoyed the last chapter! I was also digging the way you harnessed your inner Yoda in that comment you sent in LOL Continue, I shall! XD Thank you so much for your review and I hope you will continue to read and will continue to enjoy this story!
bored411: I was very excited to finally get to this point in "Naruto" for this story! Like I've said before, the chunin exams were such a big part of the series, so being able to write Karibi into it is just awesome :D And I hope you think so too! I figured that if anyone was going to notice the shift in Karibi and Kakashi it would be a couple like Asuma and Kurenai. It just made sense seeing as they sort of have a similar dynamic in their relationship as Kakashi and Karibi! Thank you for reading so far, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
lizy2000: Yes! We're finally here! I agree with your wishes. I hate Orochimaru so much LOL He's just terrible! Thank you for reading! I hope you like this chapter and will continue to read! Thank you, again!
LilyVampire: I think it's only natural that things will definitely not be exactly the same with Karibi's presence. At the same time, I don't want to make too many forced changes just because that wouldn't do the series or this story much justice—and it wouldn't do Karibi's character justice either! I'm also as excited as you to see just how Kakashi and Karibi develop together XD It's going to be so fun to write! I don't want to say much about Sasuke, but I will say that they will have more encounters with each other! I think by now you know I'm not for spoiling things ;D Thank you for reading! I appreciate you taking the time out of your day to do so! I hope you enjoy this chapter! :)
ajwehri: I'm so glad that you think that! I was inspired to do that just because of the fact she had sort of did something similar with the Anbu, and I figured that it would be interesting and something that the Hokage might consider! And you're definitely right, with characters like Gaara and Naruto participating in the exam, it is a smart idea to have someone like Karibi monitoring the exams! I wouldn't call her an expert like Kushina, but she's definitely more experienced in fuinjutsu, and I think she probably trained hard in it after Kushina's passing :( Thank you so much for reading and for reviewing! I hope that you will continue to read and that you will continue to enjoy this story! Thank you!