Of Challenges, Ten Rookies, and Tests pt.2
-Of Challenges, Ten Rookies, and Tests pt.2-
Eventually the quartet met up with Kakashi, who at the moment, was standing in front of the classroom door, blocking them from entering. Kakashi stared at the four for a moment before sighing. "I'm glad you came, Sakura. For your sake and the others." He said finally, earning confused looks and sounds from the group. "Now, you can formally register for the Chunin Exam."
"Why? What do you mean?" Sakura asked, looking from Kakashi to her teammates out of the corner of her eye, and back again.
"You see, only groups of three are allowed to apply for and take the exam. That's the way it's always been." Kakashi answered simply.
"But, Sensei... You said the decision to take the exam was up to the individual." Sakura pointed out, confused.
"That's right, I did."
Sakura's eyebrows furrowed as she asked, "Was that a lie?"
Kakashi looked off to the side, glancing out the window as he spoke. "Sort of. It is an individual decision, but it affects all of you. I didn't tell you before because I didn't want the other guys pressuring you. At the same time, I didn't want you feeling obliged to participate because of any feelings you might have towards Sasuke or Naruto and Amaya. I wanted you to come to a decision of your own free will." He informed, looking back at the children with narrowed eyes.
"Wait a minute... Do you mean that if the others had shown up, but I decided not to come with them--" Sakura began to say but was cut off by Kakashi.
"It would've been the end of the line if you hadn't come along. I couldn't have let the others in. Now, something probably could've been done about it as they were still a group of three without you, but that's highly unlikely as the whole team has to participate if able. But it's a moot point. You're all here and for the right reasons. Sakura, Naruto, Amaya and Sasuke." He said before giving the four a closed eyed smile. "I'm proud of you. I couldn't have asked for a better team."
"Saa~... That's great and all, but what now? In case you haven't noticed, Sensei, we're one person over the limit." Amaya asked, earning a nod from Kakashi.
"I knew you'd ask, but don't worry about it. If this were any other time, more than likely you would've been placed on a temporary team. But luckily enough, you guys won't be the only team with four members." Kakashi answered, surprising the four slightly. "Lord Third had rules and safeguards put in place for this situation. And the other participating villages saw no issue in the matter, as not everyone will make the cut. However, this will make you guys a bigger target during the exams."
"I see..." Amaya's voice trailed off as Naruto threw an arm around her shoulders.
"They can try all they want, we'll send 'em home with their tail between their legs! We won't let you down, Sensei, believe it!" The blond reassured confidently.
Kakashi, still smiling, steps away from the door and to the side. "Good luck." He murmurs as they pass him and step through the door.
***
"W-what is this?" Naruto stammers, eyeing all of the patrons in the classroom. Amaya looked around blankly while Sasuke narrowed his eyes.
"Gee, I guess we're not alone." Sakura mumbled nervously, only loud enough for the other three to hear her. "Oh man... I had no idea there'd be so much competition." She added before silently adding to herself with a gulp, 'If being scary is one of the tests, they've got me beat.'
"Saa~... Don't show 'em you're intimidated. That's what they want and look for." Amaya advised, patting the pinkette on the shoulder lightly, flinching in surprise when Ino suddenly appeared and latched herself onto Sasuke.
"Sasuke, where've you been?!" The blond asked as she hugged the obviously displeased Uchiha from behind.
"Wha--?" Naruto voiced, taking a step back when the girl giggled.
"Boy, you have no idea how much I as hoping you'd show up here! I've missed those brooding good looks of yours!" Ino flirts with a giggle.
"Hey, you porker! Back off, he's mine!" Sakura yelled, pointing at the blonde angrily.
"Miss Forehead! They let you in? Still got those frown lines on your billboard brow, I see." Ino shot back smugly, proud of her comeback.
"Leave my forehead out of it!" Sakura snapped. In response, the Yamanaka pulled down her lower eyelid and stuck out her tongue, causing Sakura to growl lowly.
Amaya groaned and leaned against Naruto. "I thought we finally got away from this?" She murmured as Naruto sighed. The brunette however, perked up when she heard Shikamaru's familiar voice and the sound of a chip bag being opened.
"Oh, its you guys. I knew this was gonna be a drag, but I didn't know it was gonna be this lame." Shikamaru said as he walked over, Chōji following along quietly, well as quietly as he could, considering the bag of chips he was currently eating.
Amaya let out a light laugh and trotted over to the boy's side. "Everything's a drag to you though, Shika-kun!" She said as she slung an arm around his neck, earning a light "Tch." in response.
"So, all three stooges are here." Naruto muses, walking closer to the two.
"Hey, ya know what pipsqueak?" Shikamaru asked followed by a small pause. "Ah, forget it, you're a waste of time."
"Well, well, what do ya know? It looks like the whole gang is back together again." A voice chimed in, making the seven turn to find Kiba and his dog Akamaru, followed by Shino and Hinata.
"Oh, hi Naruto!" Hinata greeted quietly, making the blond look at her curiously.
"Hm?" Naruto hummed, slightly squinting at the Hyuuga. His stare making the girl look away with flushed cheeks.
"You guys too, huh? Man, everyone's here for this stupid thing." Shikamaru grumbled with a scowl.
"Yep, here we all are. The ten rookies." Kiba said with a laugh. "This is gonna be fun...! At least, for those of us good enough to make the cut? Right Sasuke, Amaya?" He asked, sending the two a cocky look.
This alone made Amaya scoff, catching everyone's attention. "Well then, I guess that means you're out of the running, eh?" She asked cheekily, earning a few chuckles and smirks as Kiba glared.
"Kiba, careful you don't get overconfident." Sasuke added with a smirk, reverting everyone's attention again.
"Just wait! We're gonna blow you guys away. We've been training like crazy!" Kiba shot back.
"What do you think we've been doing? Sittin' around, picking daisies?" Naruto voices, pointing at Kiba. "You don't know what training means!"
"Ah, don't mind Kiba. I'm sure he didn't really mean anything by it." Hinata spoke up again, just as quiet as before, earning another confused stare from Naruto.
"Hah?" Naruto asked, making the girl all the more flustered as she played with her fingers nervously while looking away. Her actions also made Kiba stare at her in confusion.
'Akamaru's looking plumper... juicier...' Chōji thought to himself as he began stepping towards the boy and his dog. The small white pup letting out a small growl in warning. Chōji however, payed no mind and continued to make his way closer, but is stopped by Shino, who steps slightly in the way. "What do you want? What's wrong?" Chōji asked, looking down in the direction Shino was focused on.
Amaya deadpanned as she and the others also looked down at the floor to see a beetle crawl between the two boys' feet. "I thought you hadn't seen it." Shino replied simply, in a somewhat quiet voice.
"Huh?"
"Didn't want you stepping on it." Shino said again.
'Ah, that's right. The Aburame clan are huge bug fanatics...' Amaya thought to herself, watching the bug crawl by her own shoe, before sweatdropping as she heard Chōji ask the boy if he was saving it for lunch.
Before things could get any rowdier, a boy with grayish colored hair pulled into a low ponytail and round glasses stepped towards them. "Hey, you guys. You might wanna try keeping it down a little. I mean, no offense but you're the ten rookies, right? Fresh out of the academy?" He asked before continuing. "I wouldn't go making a spectacle of yourselves. Just cool it. This isn't a class field trip."
"Well, who asked you?! Who are you?!" Ino asked, scowling at the older male.
"I'm Kabuto Yakushi. But really, look around you. You've made quite an impression." The boy, now known as Kabuto, said prompting the ten to look around and see most of the other Genin were glaring at their group. "See those guys?" Kabuto asked, nodding to a group not far from where they were standing. "They're from the Rain Village, very touchy. They all are. This exam makes everyone tense, and you don't want to rub them the wrong way right now. You can't help it, I mean how could you know how things work? You're just rookies. You remind me of myself a while back." He informed, before shooting them a smile.
"Kabuto, is that your name?" Sakura asked with furrowed brows.
"Yeah."
"This isn't the first time you've taken the exam?" She asks again.
"No, it's my seventh." Kabuto replied, a slight embarrassed look on his face.
Shikamaru stared at the elder boy in surprise, voicing everyone's thoughts with a simple, "Huh?"
"Well, they're held twice a year. So, this will be my fourth year." Kabuki explained with a small smile.
"Wow, a veteran! You must really be an expert by now!" Sakura said in awe.
"Yeah, sort of..."
"Cool! You can give us all the inside tips." Naruto replies cheerfully, earning a light scoff from Shikamaru.
"Yeah, some expert. He's never passed." Shikamaru muttered clearly unimpressed, earning a nod of agreement from Amaya.
"If you know so much, why not use what you've learned to pass? Seems kinda pointless to me if all you're doing is continuing the cycle." Amaya asked, staring intensely at the gray-haired male, who in return scratched the back of his head nervously.
"Well, seventh times a charm. That's what they say, eh?" Kabuto replied, earning a deadpanned expression from the Minamoto.
"Actually no. It's not." Amaya answered blankly, earning an elbow to the side -curtesy of Sakura.
Shikamaru groaned. "So, I guess all of those rumors about the exams being tough are true. Oh man, I knew that this was gonna be a drag."
"Hang on, don't give up hope yet. Maybe I can help you kids out a little." Kabuto offers before pulling out a deck of cards from his pocket. "With my 'Ninja Info Cards'."
"What the heck are those?" Sakura asked.
"It's hard to explain. But these cards have been chakra encoded with everything I've learned over the last four years." Kabuto replies, crouching to the floor. "I've got more than two-hundred of them. So you see, I haven't been completely wasting my time. They may not look like much to the naked eye, in fact, they appear blank." He adds, flipping over the first card of the deck to reveal a solid white side as he places his pointer finger in the center. "Don't want just anyone seeing this stuff." He then begins to spin the card around.
"What are you doing?" Sakura asked again, and Amaya had to bite her lip to keep herself from saying anything sarcastic.
"You see, I'm using my chakra to reveal their secrets. Like this for example." Kabuto answers followed by a small popping sound as the card reveals a map.
"Awesome, a map...! Of what?" Sakura said as they all moved closer to get a better look.
"It shows the geographical distribution of all the candidates who have come to take the exam. What villages they come from and how many from each village." Kabuto informs before asking, "Why do you guys think they all come here to take the exam together at the same time?" The group stay silent, prompting him to continue. "It's to foster friendship between nations of course. International brotherhood, and all that. And it's true enough, as far as it goes."
"But there's another reason." Sasuke states, staring at the megane intensely.
"Yeah. You see, the important thing is that this way they can carefully regulate the total number of Shinobi that end up in each village. Thereby maintaining the balance of power."
Amaya looked over at Naruto who was nodding along while making small hums of "understanding". "Oh yeah. Balance of power." The blond parroted.
The brunette snickers. 'He has no idea.'
"Balance of power, big deal. It's all a drag." Shikamaru groaned.
Kabuto makes sure the card is once again blank before placing it back in the deck. "If the balance of power isn't maintained, one nation can wind up with many more Shinobi than its neighbors. And it might be tempted to attack them. So, they try to maintain the status quo. Makes sense I suppose."
"Do those cards of yours have any info on the other candidates? Individually?" Sasuke asked, earning an amused look from Kabuto.
"They might. You have someone special in mind?" Kabuto asked smugly.
"I might."
"Well I can't promise that my information is complete or perfect, but I've got something on just about anyone. Including you guys, of course. So, which one is it? Tell me anything you know about them. A description, where they're from, whatever. Anything at all." Kabuto says as he raised the cards up.
"He's Gaara of the Desert. And there's Rock Lee of the Leaf Village, while you're at it." Sasuke answers with a smirk.
"Man, that's no fun. You even know their names, that makes it easy." Kabuto comments before swiping his hand over the deck. "Here they are." He informs as he holds two cards up.
"Show them to me." Sasuke orders.
'I haven't a clue what's going on here. But I'll act like I do.' Naruto thought to himself, watching as Kabuto placed one of the cards on the floor before spinning it around.
"Okay, first up is Rock Lee." The megane states as the information shows up on the card, showing the boys picture, stats, number of missions and teammates. "Looks like he's about a year older than you guys. Mission experience of 11 C-ranks and 20 D-ranks. His squad leader is Gai and in the past 12 months, his Taijutsu has radically improved. But his other skills are pretty shaky. Last year, he got a lot of attention as a Genin but for some reason, he chose not to participate in the Chunin Exam. This will be his first time as a candidate, same as you guys. His teammates are Tenten and Neji Hyuuga."
"Huh? Hyuuga?" Naruto murmurs as an image of the long-haired boy from earlier flashed through his mind.
Kabuto lays the second card on top of the other and begins to spin it. "Okay, now for Garra of the Desert. Mission experience: 8 C-ranks and, get this, 1 B-rank as a Genin! There's not a lot more information on this guy. But there is this... He survived every mission without getting a scratch on him."
At this the groups eyes widen in surprise. "The dudes done a B-rank as a Genin?! And has never been injured?!" Shikamaru asked in surprise.
"We got roped into that A-ranked mission and got out by the skin of our teeth. But to not have a scratch? What is he?" Amaya murmurs as Naruto scowled.
"What's the deal with this guy?" The blond asked as Kabuto pulled out another card, revealing the map once more.
"Leaf, Sand, Rain, Grass, Waterfall, Sound. From the looks of it, they've all sent exceptionally skilled candidates to the exam this time around. Of course, the Hidden Sound Village is small. It sprang up recently, nobody knows anything about it. These guys are a mystery." Kabuto informed, picking the cards up before sticking them back in his pocket. "Well, you get the point. The competition is going to be intense this year."
"So it would seem. It's almost enough to make you lose your confidence." Hinata said, earning her a look from Ino.
"It's a fine time to start talking like that!" The blonde snapped, placing her hands on her hips as the quieter girl flinched at the volume.
"Do you really think it's going to be tougher this time?" Sakura asked, looking at Kabuto with wide green eyes.
"Oh yeah. In the four years that I've been coming, I've never seen a crop of candidates with as much potential as this bunch." Kabuto replies, and Amaya has to send Naruto a worried look as he lets out a growl. "Yep. We've got our work cut out for us." Kabuto adds, looking up at the ceiling slightly.
***
-Meanwhile-
Kakashi remained standing in the corridor outside the classroom. Staring at the doors the four went through, he could help but think back to what happened during the meeting.
-Flashback-
Iruka glared at him angrily. "I can't go along with this! They may be under your care now, Kakashi, but I know these kids! They were my students, I trained them! I don't know what you're trying to prove--"
"Ya know, he might be right, Kakashi. You're putting a lot of pressure on them. Why so impatient? I held my team back for a year, so that they could hone their skills and mature. Let them enjoy their youth a little longer." Gai interrupted, cutting Iruka off as he stepped forward.
Before he knew it, he was laughing. "Your concern is touching. You sure it's not just because you know your guys don't stand a chance against mine?" He asked cockily, earning a growl from Gai in response.
"Alright, alright, that's enough. The matter of the rookie's participation is closed. Now, as for the other Genin... I'm ready to consider your recommendations." Lord Third cut in once again, stopping the argument from going any further.
"I know what I'm doing. You'll see." He sternly reassured, sending a look to both Gai and Iruka.
-Flashback End-
"I wish I was as sure as I sounded." Kakashi murmured to himself, a small nervous feeling beginning to form in his stomach. "I wonder how they're doing? Even the cockiest of them must be scared." He said again, staring at the wooden doors intently.
***
"H-hey, Naruto..." Amaya mumbled, placing a hand on the shaking blond's shoulder.
'Okay. So, we're just rookies and most of these guys are older and more experienced than we are. No big deal... It's okay to be a little scared. I can handle it! But it'd be a whole lot easier if I didn't have to watch Naruto fall apart right in front of me. I mean, nothing gets to him... Poor guy. Maybe I can try to cheer him up!' Sakura thought to herself, staring at the blonds back. "Hey, don't worry, Naruto! We'll be fine!" She says aloud before gasping at the sight of the boys clenched fists.
Both Amaya and Sakura jumped a little when the blond suddenly spun around with a determined cry as he pointed at the other Genin in the room. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki! And I'm gonna beat everyone of ya! Believe it!" He yelled confidently, making Amaya sweatdrop as the others, besides Sasuke and Kabuto, stare between the blond and the other Genin nervously.
"Saa~... Well, if we weren't a bigger target before, then we definitely are now." Amaya deadpanned as she caught one of the older Genin's glare.
***
-Meanwhile-
Kakashi let out a chuckle as he stared at the door in bemusement as Naruto's muffled shout was heard.
***
"Hey! What's that idiot trying to do, get us killed?" Ino yelled at Sakura before glaring at the back of the blond's head.
'I should've known... He's not smart enough to be scared.' The pinkette thought to herself, feeling stupid for trying to consult the boy in the first place.
"Tell your boyfriend to keep that big fat trap shut!" Ino yelled again, pointedly looking in Sakura's direction.
"Whose boyfriend?!" Sakura yelled, her forehead coming into contact with Ino's as the two glared at each other.
"Oh, I forgot! You can't get one!" Ino shot back viciously.
"What'd you say?!"
"Yeah I feel a lot better now!" Naruto sighed happily, oblivious to the situation at hand, making Sasuke and Kabuto smirk as Amaya facepalmed.
The other Genin's glares become more prominent, prompting Kiba to speak up. "Ah, can you say that again a little louder? Didn't quite catch it." He asked sarcastically as he cupped a hand around his ear.
"You moron. Are you trying to get everybody in the place to hate our guts or what?" Shikamaru asked with a scowl.
"Saa~... They would've hated us anyway, Shika-kun. Naruto's just gettin' the jump on 'em. Besides, aren't you guys overreacting a little?" Amaya asked, earning exasperated looks from the group.
"I don't think you're taking it seriously enough." Sakura murmured, making the brunette laugh lightly in response.
Naruto laughed as he crossed his arms behind his head. However, it wasn't long before his relaxed stance became a panicked one as Sakura pounced on him, pulling him into a headlock. "Naruto, you jackass! Why'd you have to go and say something like that for?! You obnoxious little--!" Sakura's little rant was cut off as she noticed the heavy stares from the other teams. "Oh, hi everyone! Don't mind him, sometimes he says these spazzy things! He doesn't really mean them to come out! He's got a condition, ya know? Kind of a psychological thing. He really should be on medication." She stammered nervously, making Amaya sweatdrop. "Now see what you've done, Naruto?! You've hurt everybody's feelings! They think you don't respect them! Now that isn't true, is it, Naruto?"
Amaya deadpanned as she raised a hand. "Ah... I don't think that's how they really feel, Sakura." She cut in, before her eyes darted towards the Sound ninja moving quickly through the crowd.
Sakura, however, ignored the brunette and continued to chew the boy out. "Would you just for once in your life, think about what you're doing?! Think about the rest of us!"
Naruto scowled and looked off to the side, crossing his arms over his chest. "Fine."
Soon enough, everyone's attention was captured by Kabuto jumping back a few steps as a Sound nin threw two kunai, which embedded into the floor. 'They're from the Village Hidden in the Sound!' The megane thought to himself, sliding back before another member from the team attempts a punch. Kabuto leaned back quickly, dodging the attack with a smug smirk on his face.
'Man, he's fast!' Sasuke thought to himself, slightly impressed.
'He's almost as quick as me.' Kabuto thought to himself, his smirk growing wider as he hummed to himself in amusement. Suddenly his glasses crack, prompting him to take them off. "Oh, I get it. So it was that kind of attack."
"Hang on, I saw it all. He dodged the attack; how did that happen?!" Sasuke asked, staring from Kabuto to the Sound nin whose face was almost completely obscured by bandages.
"It must've come closer than it looked. Tch. Look at him acting like it was nothing! Real tough guy." Shikamaru stated, stepping up next to the Uchiha.
They all watched surprised as Kabuto's eyes widen suddenly before he fell to his knees vomiting. "What?! Did he just..." Naruto's voice trailed off, Kabuto's retching filling in the silence making Amaya scrunch up her nose with a flinch.
"Kabuto what's wrong?! What is it?!" Sakura asked worriedly, bringing a fist up to her chest.
"Heh." The Sound nin laughed, making eye contact with Amaya as he backed off.
Naruto and Sakura rushed over to the boy's side. "Hey, Kabuto!" Naruto called, helping the boy sit up straighter.
"Are you okay?" Sakura asked again, kneeling beside him.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Kabuto replied weakly.
"Are you sure?"
"You sure don't look it." Amaya mused, only to shrug as Sakura sent her a look.
"Not such a tough guy after all, I guess. Maybe that's why he's on his seventh try." Shikamaru muttered, earning a nudge to the ribs by Amaya.
"Put this in your little card, punk. The ones from the Sound Village will be Chunin when this is over. Guaranteed." The Sound ninja that threw the kunai spat, staring cockily down at Kabuto.
'What an ass...' Amaya thought to herself with narrowed eyes. 'Well at least they're not afraid to try something, unlike a certain someone.' She added, sweeping her gaze over the crowd of Genin until she spotted Kankuro. The boy locked eyes with her and scowled, making her smirk with a raised brow, inevitably angering him even more.
'I don't get it. He saw through their attack in time to evade it. What made him fall apart?' Sasuke thought to himself as he stared at the opposing group with narrowed eyes.
Suddenly, a loud bang resonates throughout the classroom followed by a large cloud of smoke. "Alright you baby-faced degenerates! Pipe it down and listen up!" A deep voice called out from the smoke. Once it cleared, they saw a man in dark clothing with a stern disposition. His headband was worn like a bandanna and he had two deep scars running down his face. "It's time to begin. I'm Ibiki Moreno, a proctor. And from this moment, your worst enemy." He said, making the many Chunin behind him smirk.