"Cousin!" I exclaimed with a smile as I opened the door wide, Sasuke rolling his eyes while Kakashi snickered as Karin simply gave me a deadpan stare from where she was sitting in the hospital bed.
"You are one irritating bastard. Also, why are you here?"
"He wanted to come see you before we had to go to the Hokage's Office for an important meeting." Sasuke said before before I could speak, making me grumble before I smirked as I saw the blush on her face.
"R-Right. Thank you for visiting."
"Oh, so when Sasuke comes to talk, it's okay, huh? I see how it is. Your boyfriend gets privilege over your own cousin." I said with a huff while ducking the swing form Sasuke with a smirk as he glared at me.
"Would you not do that, you idiot?"
"Why not? I'm bored and I wanna see her and Sakura fighting over who gets to be your wife."
"Or we could have a love story unfold as Sasuke Uchiha chooses both of the ladies and they-!'
"Nope, no time for your smut, sensei." I quickly stopped Kakashi before he could finish narrating his story, to which he rolled his eyes.
However, the damage was done and we both shared a teasing look as Sasuke glared at the two of us while both Karin was a bright red.
'Hey, he's the one that said he wanted to restore his clan and last I checked, he can't do that with just one lady.'
"We're going to go wait outside before he start trying to kill our blond goofball."
"Sure thing, you silver-haired bastard." I greeted with a smile and Kakashi rolled his eyes as he led the glaring Uchiha out of the room, closing the door behind them as I hummed and sat down besides a glaring Karin.
"What are you upset about? I just got you an in with the dude you have a crush on."
"By making me seem desperate? I want him to come with me, not make it seem as if I want to go to him."
"Well, my mistake then." I apologized with a shrug and she just groaned as she palmed her face before staring at me with a frown.
"Why did you even want to come here? Was it just to embarrass me first thing in the morning?"
"Yes, but also because I came to give you these." I said as I held out a pair of keys towards her, to which she was confused as she took them while looking at me.
"Those are the keys to your new apartment next to mine." I said and laughed at her gobsmacked look as her gaze shifted between the keys and my smile back and forth while tears welled at the corners of her eyes.
"You…you didn't have to."
"Eh, I wanted to. Besides, I got it for free and no rent for the next six months as thanks from the landlady for protecting the complex so it didn't cost me anything."
"And there goes all of my gratitude." Karin muttered with a deadpan stare, but I rolled my eyes as I saw the smile on her face as she held the keys with both hands.
"Has…has there been word from my village yet?" She asked and my smile dimmed slightly as I heard the hesitance in her voice.
"There has, but the old man asked me to ask you if you wanted to go back." I spoke and she looked up in surprise at my words.
"I-I can stay?"
"Considering I just gave you a free apartment, that should answer your question. If you still want to go back to the Hidden Grass, we'll let you back, but if you don't, the old man will deal with them."
"T-Then…I want to stay." She said and I smiled as I stood up before patting her shoulder with a nod.
"Then, you just make sure to rest. I'll take care of the rest." I said as I made a hand sign and a large puff of smoke appeared in the room before it faded away to reveal more clones at the corners of the room.
"These guys will stay with you in case the guys from the Grass try anything. If they pop, I'll be back here before you know it."
"Thank you." She muttered and I nodded as I opened the door and walked out to see Kakashi and Sasuke waiting for me.
"That was quick."
"Like I said, I just wanted to say hello. That and I wanted to see if I couldn't get her to give Sasuke a chance."
"I will kill you."
"Now, now, little Sasuke. You can't go around killing everyone that irks you slightly." I said with a smirk before quickly ducking behind Kakashi as my teammate tried to stab me with a kunai.
"Sasuke, no killing teammates. Naruto, stop aggravating Sasuke so early in the morning."
"Fine~!"
"Wait until past noon and then you can aggravate him as much as you want." He added with a smirk and this time, Sasuke aimed his glare at him while I snickered as I nodded.
'In the meantime, wonder if Hina would be up for a quick spar until the afternoon?'
As us three guys of Team 7 continued on our path towards the Hokage's Office, I was surprised to see Hinata, Shikamaru, Shino and Neji as well as their respective sensei waiting for us.
"Hey, Hina. Hey, stick-in-the-mud!" I greeted Hinata and Neji respectively, the girl giggling while I smirked as Neji simply let out a soft sigh.
"Good morning, Naruto. I suppose you are feeling bored now, yes?"
"No, Kakashi-sensei told me that I can't bother Sasuke and you're the first one I noticed so you get to have my undivided attention…after her of course." I said while gesturing towards Hinata, who nodded before I looked at Kurenai as she spoke up.
"Hello, Naruto. Might I ask what your plans are for today?"
"Hang out with Hinata, annoy Sasuke and see if I can't get the old man to make ramen the national dish of the Leaf. In other words, the usual." I said with a smirk and she smirked before looking at Kakashi who shrugged.
"It's either that or he sneaks into the ANBU headquarters and sees if he can't prank them again."
"Wait, you know how to sneak into the ANBU HQ?" Shikamaru asked with a raised eyebrow and I snorted as I crossed my arms with a smirk.
"Used to. The damn bastards moved their HQ and they don't leave the documents of where it is on the old man's desk like usual so I'm bored now."
"And that spells danger for most of us, doesn't it?" Asuma asked with a smirk before letting out a chuckle as all I did was give him a sly grin.
"It potentially could be, but I've decided to take it tame for a while."
"Ah, then we can rest easy for the next few nights. Also, I have to say I like the usage of Wind Style Jutsu you used in the exams."
"Indeed! Watching your battles were most entertaining, Naruto!" I blinked at Guy-sensei's loud shout as well as the thumbs-up before everyone groaned as I grinned and gave one back.
"I thank you for the praise, sensei! I can only hope that I may exhibit the level of strength that you yourself possess!"
"Hahahaha~! I shall look forward to that day!"
"Dear gods, there's two of them." I snickered at Kakashi's groan as I stopped acting, looking at Hina only to smile amusedly at her confused look.
"You're no longer blushing." I said with a smirk before chuckling as she playfully swatted my shoulder with a light blush, the two of us walking towards the building with the others following after us.
"Don't talk about it or I might start doing it again."
"Eh, you look cute either way." I said before snickering as she huffed and looked away despite the redness of her face.
"You…you…" She wanted to say something, but couldn't find the words and I chuckled as I decided to take the shortcut by leaping right up onto the rooftop.
"Hey, old ma-!" I froze as I climbed through the window, staring at the amused yet exasperated look on the old man's face who sighed as he glanced at me before turning back to his desk.
"You may come back later, Danzo, and we'll finish discussing this matter." The old man said and the Danzo Shimura frowned as he looked at me before nodding as he walked out.
"…Who's the grumpy guy?" I asked after having snapped out of the shock that I just met the embodiment of the darkness in all shinobi and Old Man Hiruzen rolled his eyes as he gestured for me to come in.
"A former teammate of mine. What have I told you about coming through the window?"
"Not to. Sorry about not listening this time." I apologized as I dropped in and sat down in one of the chairs besides his desk, to which he simply nodded with a smile while turning back to his paperwork.
"No need to apologize. Just be careful next time."
"I will. So…"
"I'm not telling why I've called you all here."
"I can guess that it's most likely to say who has become a Chunin."
"And why do you say that?" He asked before chuckling as I gave him a deadpan stare.
"Considering that you only called to your office those of us that took part in the tournament of the Chunin Exams along with our senseis, it leads me to believe that it has something to do with whether or not we get promoted or not."
"I see all that time you spent training with your clones and using their memory transferral abilities was quite rewarding." My eyes snapped to him as he finished speaking and a chuckle escaped his lips as the shock was visible on my face.
"You think that someone known by the epithet of 'The Professor' would not have analysed and figured out all the mechanics and aspects of all the jutsu in the Leaf?"
"…You got me there. Wait, how have you been keeping track of what I'm doing?"
"Altering a few of the ANBU's patrol paths can lead to quite the coincidences." He said with a cryptic smirk, to which I gave him a narrowed stare.
However, I didn't get a chance to ask anymore questions as the door opened, Sasuke being the first to enter with a raised eyebrow along with the others as I lounged back in my seat.
"Hey, everybody~! How was the trip up?"
"Now, now, Naruto. No need to tease your teammates. Now, please stand next to them and let us finish off this meeting so you all can go back to more important things."
"Eh, sure." I shrugged as I stood up and walked over to the others, standing in between Sasuke and Shino as the old man cleared his throat.
"Firstly, let me congratulate you all for the exemplary skill you all showed in the tournament of the Chunin Exams. Truly, it is wondrous to have six of our genin qualify in the tournament let alone have the last four spots be filled by only our genin. I am especially impressed by a certain blond I know that I thought would be knocked out by the first round."
"I swear, no one has faith in the blonde menace." I grumbled with my arms crossed, ignoring everyone's amused looks while swatting Kakashi's hand away as he patted my head.
"Of course we don't. However, after the end of the invasion, I have talked with not only the various lords and judges but also all the Jounin and thus, we have decided to grant the following with the rank of Chunin." That made me straighten up as I focused my attention on the old man, the others doing the exact same as he smirked and took out a scroll.
"Firstly, Shino Aburame. While your ability to control your beetles showed off your tactical capabilities as well as your plan to subdue a foe that would take you out in close range, you didn't get much chances to show off what you are truly capable of and therefore, you were not selected."
"I understand." Shino spoke and I smiled as I patted his back while giving him a thumbs-up, to which I finally caught the slightest hints of his cheeks lifting for a subtle smirk before he went back to his stoic face.
"Secondly, Neji Hyuga. In your case, you were faced off against your worst enemy as Shino was a long-range fighter to your close-range, but you still persevered and managed to not only take him out. However, as you did not keep track of your chakra reserves during your battle, something which could prove detrimental to every shinobi in battle, you were unfortunately not selected."
"Don't worry, Neji. There is always next time." Gai-sensei spoke with a smile as he patted Neji's shoulder, the Hyuga prodigy simply nodding as he stood with his usual stoic expression.
"Shikamaru Nara. As your first foe surrendered, most did not have high hopes for you. You proved them wrong with your ability to trap Naruto with your Shadow Possession Jutsu in the heat of battle as well as your…adequate taijutsu skills to hold off and take out a dozen of Naruto's clones. Unfortunately, it was not enough and you…were not selected for promotion."
'…Holy shit, that's a shift and a half.' I thought with a surprised look as I looked at Shikamaru only to remember who the guy was as he smirked and nodded.
"Hah, Shikamaru, don't look so pleased."
"I don't want that power yet. Let me be my lazy self." He grumbled and I snickered as the others rolled their eyes.
"Hahaha~! Of course. Now, Hinata Hyuga." The moment the old man said her name, I saw her straighten up and both Kurenai and Shino were focused as he spoke.
"The capability you showed to shift around the Gentle Fist taijutsu style to suit your flexibility as well as your near-perfect chakra control you displayed to knock out your opponent was spectacular. That along with your tactical ability you showed to fend off Naruto's clones and surrender when you knew you would lose showed that you…are ready for promotion. Congratulations, Hinata Hyuga, on your promotion to Chunin."
"Yes!" I was the first to shout out my excitement as Hinata was still frozen in shock, the girl only moving forward after an ecstatic Kurenai pushed her towards the desk where she took the flak jacket from the old man.
"T-T-Thank you, sir."
"No need to thank me, child. This is simply a reward for the hard work you put in." He said and she gave a blushing smile as she nodded and moved back, giggling as my double thumbs-up before I shifted back into a serious look in the blink of an eye as the old man turned to me.
"Naruto Uzumaki, your display of not one but two different Chakra Natures astounded the judges as not many genin are capable of doing so. Then, there was your ability to think ahead and create a sealing tag to cut off Gaara's chakra and knock him out as well as your impressive capabilities to take on the other three finalists and win. Lastly, not a single one of us would be able to do what you did during the invasion as you helped the other shinobi of our village force the combat to the outskirts of the village to where we suffered minimal damage. Did you expecting anything else other than a promotion?"
"You are a very finicky old man. I don't know what to expect." I answered with a smirk and he snorted as he took out a flak jacket along with…a scroll?
"This is a gift that I was supposed to give to you on the day that you achieved the rank of Special Jonin or higher so here you are."
"…Say what?" I wanted to make sure I heard that right as I walked right up to besides his seat and leaned in, to which the old man snorted as he handed both items over to me while ruffling my hair.
"As I have said, you are, from this day on, at the rank of Special Jounin as while your chakra capacity and ninjutsu skills are on the rank of a Jounin, everything else is not quite there yet. Therefore, if you train and hone yourself further, that second promotion may not be too far away."
"…Hell to the fucking yes!" I whispered with an excited grin as I took the jacket and the scroll and walked over to my team, Kakashi looking both shocked, pleased and a bit disappointed all in one while Sasuke was frozen in shock along with everyone else.
"Close your mouth, Sasuke. A fly might go down your throat." I said with a teasing and smug smirk, to which the Uchiha snapped out of his shock and grumbled as he crossed his arms with a scoff.
"You got lucky."
"Right~ The guy who kicked your ass got lucky. Denial is only the first of the five stages."
"Go jump off of a cliff."
"Nah, I think I'll just watch the sky." I answered and he rolled his eyes before we looked up as the old man cleared his throat.
"Lastly but not least, Sasuke Uchiha. Firstly, like with Naruto, your ability to use two chakra natures is quite the feat amongst genin your age and not something that many can do. Secondly, your taijutsu, ninjutsu and genjutsu skills were ruled to be very impressive by the judges as you managed to go toe to toe with Naruto in the first two while also catching him with an illusion through a thick fog of mist. Therefore, you would have been eligible for a promotion to Special Jonin if not for two things."
'Oof~ Here it comes.' I thought with a subtle wince as I glanced at Sasuke, ready for the explosion to happen.
"Firstly, there was the fact that you continued the battle against Naruto even though you knew that you were outclassed by him in terms of chakra capacity and stamina. However, it was the second that affected your last score the most and that is the fact that you were late. Despite the fact that it was a few nobles that tried to push back your round to give you more time, it also aggravated most of the others as a shinobi being late during an escort or protection mission is the factor between life and death. Therefore, you…"
A/N: …Cliffhanger~! Will he get the Chunin Promotion or will he be rejected? We'll have to find out next time.
Also, each explanation for the promotion or rejection was given in the story and if you disagree with some, let me know.
Like always, you can go to my Pat-reon-.-com-/-KingCrimsonNova to read ahead on this as well as many other stories & even some that haven't been released out to this site yet. If you want to, you are free to, but if you don't want, all's good as I will still be uploading here. This is just me trying to get some extra cash.
As always, read, enjoy, review and until next week...
Ba-Bye~!