Of Ten Questions, Sudden Appearances, and Awkward Moments
-Of Ten Questions, Sudden Appearances, and Awkward Moments-
"Toshiaki-senpai! Stop running!"
The white-haired male only let out a obnoxious laugh as he jumped from rooftop to rooftop. "No can do Touji! I'm going to the academy to cheer on my sweet, precious Imouto!" He called out determinedly, dodging quickly to the left as two more Chunin appeared, attempting to subdue him.
"I'm sorry, Senpai. But we were given orders directly from Hokage-sama." The younger male, Touji Nishimura, replied sternly, a fearsome glint appearing in his gold colored irises.
By this point, the four had reached one of the many training grounds. With the three Chunin attempting to corner the childish male.
Toshiaki stares at his kohai's for a moment before letting out a dramatic sigh, relaxing his posture. The sudden movement prompts the three to drop into their own fighting stances warily, ready to make a move at the first sign of trouble. "I suppose I would be a distraction..." He mused aloud, looking up at the sky as he folded his hands behind his head. However, unbeknownst to the three, he was preforming an all too familiar hand sign.
"Y-yes, Minamoto-senpai!"
"You'll be able to see your sister once the testing is over! Just give it an hour or so!"
Touji narrowed his eyes in distrust as Toshiaki looked at them all with a wide smile. "Oh well... That'll be just fine. I mean, when am I not a distraction?" Toshiaki asked, sending the three a smolder as a sudden wind blew, lifting a few of his white strands dramatically.
"Wha--"
Suddenly, before they knew it, a sharp burst of wind sent them flying back. Each one landing onto the ground harshly as they heard Toshiaki let out victorious laugh. Looking up at the male, they were greeted with a playful salute before he turned tail and ran in the opposite direction.
The three quickly righted themselves, and the chase began once more. However, Toshiaki didn't get far as a loud explosion happened, forcing dust to fill the air. The three shared a look and picked up their pace, only to deadpan at the sight before them.
"Perfect timing, as always, Moriko-senpai." Touji praised as he saw the male being crushed under a shoe.
The female didn't reply, instead she stared blankly down at Toshiaki as she pressed her foot harder into his back. "I'm gone for one mission, and when I come back, I hear you're causing Hokage-sama problems."
"Ah... Mori-chan~... Always a pleasure." Toshiaki grunted out, attempting to send the girl a charming smile, though failing miserably.
Moriko sighed and turned to the others as she allowed the male to sit up. "Tch... I'll take it from here." She said, grabbing Toshiaki roughly by the ear before dragging him along.
The three watched dully as Toshiaki stumbled along behind the shorter female. "Ah, Mori-chan!~ I didn't know you felt this way! Ne, ne, what's my punishment? ~" They heard him ask flirtatiously, wincing immensely as a loud smack resonated throughout the area.
"Alright! Listen up, here's the tenth and final question." Ibiki said, earning wary looks from many of the examinees. "But before I give you the question... There are some rules that you need to be aware of." He added but before he could continue, the door opened, and everyone turned back to see Kankuro and the sentinel entering the room. "Ah... Made it just in time. I hope you found your trip to the bathroom enlightening... Well, take your seat."
Kankuro looked panicked for a moment before calming down enough to walk to his seat. And Ibiki only continued to speak until he was seated. "These rules are unique to question ten. Listen carefully and try no that let them frighten you."
-Meanwhile-
"It's quiet without the rookies around... Hmph, I almost miss 'em." Kakashi said, relaxing farther into the couch. Across from him, sat Kurenai and Asuma.
"Don't worry, chances are they'll be back again sooner than you think." Asuma murmured as he lit a cigarette.
"Why's that?" Kakashi asked, raising a brow in curiosity.
Asuma sighs lightly and flicks his ashes into a nearby ashtray. "I heard that their first examiner this year is Ibiki."
"Hm?" Kakashi hummed before his face went lax at the information. 'So, already their chances at passing look iffy.' He thought tiredly, glancing up at the two Jounin across from him. "Great. Sticking them with that sadist right off the bat."
"Huh? What sadist?" Kurenai asked, looking between the two males in confusion.
Asuma lets out a chuckle. "I forgot that you're a new Jounin, Kurenai, otherwise you wouldn't have to ask that."
"So I'm ignorant. Who is he?"
"He's what you might call.. a specialist." Kakashi cut in cryptically.
It was now Kurenai's turn to raise a brow. "Oh yeah? In what?" She asked, glancing at Asuma for answers.
The dark-haired male took a long drag from his cigarette, exhaling a cloud of smoke as he spoke. "Interrogation... Torture." He responded, and at the horrified look on her face, he lets out a hearty laugh. "Oh, of course, he won't be using physical torture during the test. He won't need to. That's not really his thing, anyway. He works on people's minds, not their bodies. He famous for it... Everyone knows about the head of the ANBU Torture and Interrogation Core for the Hidden Leaf Village, Ibiki Moreno."
Kurenai motions for him to continue, waiting patiently as he takes another drag. Letting another chuckle slip out, he continues. "You see... This guy, he's a master of interrogation because he understands how the human mind works. He knows just where to probe to cover your weaknesses. The thing is, he's so good at his job, he doesn't use physical torture. He doesn't need too. He just messes up your head so bad, you torture yourself."
"Oi, Asuma, Kakashi, stop being so dramatic." A voiced drawled out, earning the trio's attention.
Ah, Shiori! Hello!" Kurenai responded instantly, sending the other woman a smile.
"Yo!" The blonde replied, plopping down next to Kakashi, who she then addressed. "Oi, Kakashi! I'm here to make a declaration of war!"
The silver haired Jounin only raised a brow with a small hum, irking her slightly. "My team is participating in the exams this year! We're gonna blow yours out of the water!" She said, letting out an obnoxious laugh that sounded like "hohohoho".
"So, you're one of the teams with four members... Well I'd hate to break it to you, but your guys don't stand a chance." Kakashi replied dully, causing the blonde to gain a tick mark as he continued. "Besides, your sister is on your team, right?"
"Yeah, what of it?" She replied with narrowed eyes as he stood up to leave.
"Oh, nothing major... It's just that, aren't Minamoto's a bad match up for Takahashi's in battle?" He replies cockily, sending a little wave over his shoulder, smirking behind his mask as he hears the shorter female yell as she struggles against Asuma.
"Very well then. Rule number one: each of you is free to choose not to be given the final question, it's your decision." Ibiki informed, earning surprised looks from around the room.
"Woah, so what's the catch? Let's say we decide that we don't wanna do it. What happens then?" Temari asked, a scowl settling onto her face as she stared at him.
"If you choose not to take the tenth question, regardless of your answers to the other nine, you'll get a zero. And that means of course, both of your teammates fail as well." He replied, the answer alone causing murmurs to break out. Ibiki then let out a sigh. "Not so fast. You didn't let me finish. If you do accept the question and answer it incorrectly, you will not only fail... YOU WILL BE BARRED FROM TAKING THE CHUNIN EXAM EVER AGAIN!"
"What?!" Amaya asked in disbelief, shortly followed by Kiba as he stood up from his seat.
"Hey that's bull, man! That's ridiculous! What kind of bogus rule is that? There's lots of people who've taken the test before!" He yells as Akamaru barks in agreement from his place on the boy's head.
Ibiki starts to chuckle which soon turns into full blown laughter. "I guess you're just... unlucky. I wasn't making the rules before, but I am now. Of course, if you don't wanna take it, you don't have to. If you're not feeling confident, then by all means, skip it. You can come back and try again next year." He replies, letting out another laugh before continuing. "Now then, if you're ready. The tenth and final question. Those who don't want to take it, raise your hand. Your number will be recorded and then you're free to go."
Suddenly, the boy sitting next to Naruto stands and raises his hand. "I'm out. That's it, I'm out. I just can't do it! I'm sorry!" He states, clenching his eyes shut as his head hangs low.
"Number fifty, fail! Number one-hundred-and-thirty, number one-hundred-and-ten, that means you're out, too."
"Genai, Inaho... I'm sorry, guys. I'm sorry." The boy repeats as his teammate stand silently.
Not long after that, voices began to sound around the room as people raise their hands. 'Saa~ What a bummer...' Amaya thought to herself, watching groups leave the room one by one. She then takes a glance at Naruto who's staring at his desk intently, only to let out a light gasp as he raises his hand into the air.
The room is silent as they all wait for the blond to speak up. Amaya looks towards Sasuke and Sakura and notes they're just as surprised at the boy's actions. 'At least there's next year...' She thinks, only to jump when Naruto slams his hand onto the table as he stands, sending Ibiki a determined look.
"DON'T UNDERESTIMATE ME! I don't quit, and I don't run! You can act tough all you want, you guys aren't gonna scare me off! No way! I don't care if I do get stuck as a Genin for the rest of my life! I'll still be Hokage someday!" He yells, sending Ibiki another glare before sitting down, crossing his arms over his chest.
"This decision is one that could change your life. If for any reason you'd rather quit, now is your last chance." Ibiki replied, as if trying to persuade the boy otherwise.
The blonds next response only made Amaya smile widely. "No way. I never go back on my word. That's the way of the ninja."
Ibiki stares at the blond for a moment before raking his eyes over the remaining test takers. He then allows them to rest on the Chunin, who each give him small nods. Looking back at the Genin, he began to speak once more. "Well then. I admire your determination, if nothing else. For those of you remaining, there's only one thing left for you to do... And that's for me to tell you... That you all have passed the first exam!"
"Wha-- hold on! What just happened? What do you mean we passed! Where's the tenth question?!" Sakura asked, staring along with the others in shock.
"Saa~... All of these reveals and twists are giving me a headache..." Amaya grumbled, massaging her temples, scowling.
Ibiki laughs. "There never was one! Not a written one at least! Actually, your decision to stay was the answer to the tenth question." He replied, an uncharacteristically wide smile forming on his face.
"Wait a second! So the other nine questions you gave us, were just a waste of time?! Is that what you're saying?" Temari asked angrily.
"No, no! Not at all! Quite the opposite! Those nine questions had an important overriding purpose. To test your ability to surreptitiously gather strategic intelligence under the most adverse circumstances." Ibiki replied, still smiling.
"Obviously..." Amaya murmured, sending a dull look to Gaara, who stared back blankly making her sweatdrop.
"Oh, well, that clears up everything." Temari replied, a look of understanding washing over her face.
"Let me explain. You see, my objective was to test you not only as individuals, but as a team and how well you function as a part of that team. That's why the test was scored on a team basis. So you'd know that everything you did or failed to do, would directly affect your teammates. I wanted to see how you'd handle the pressure." Ibiki informed, earning a nod from Naruto.
"Yeah, I figured it was something like that. That's why I kept my cool." Naruto said in agreement, the tips of his ears growing red as he heard Amaya's snickers in the background.
Ibiki ignored the blond and continued to explain. "The first nine questions on the test were difficult. In fact, as you may have realized, too difficult for any Genin to be expected to solve. I imagine that most of you came to that conclusion. That you'd have to cheat if you had any chances at passing. The fact is, that the test was encourage cheating. It almost demanded it. Of course, it would've done you little good unless you had someone to cheat from. So, I disguised two Chunin who already knew the answers, and had them sit in with you." As he spoke, one of the apparent Chunin looked around and gave a small wave for emphasis.
Naruto lets out a laugh, earning strange looks form others nearby. "Oh, c'mon! I wasn't fooled for a second! You had to be a complete doofus to not see it. Isn't that right, Hinata?" He asked, making the shy Hyuuga blush.
'He was totally panicked!' Amaya thought to herself, snickering behind her hand.
"Those who were caught at it, failed. Better not to cheat, then to cheat clumsily." Ibiki stated, reaching up to untie his headband, revealing his badly scarred scalp. "Information. It can be the most valuable weapon in battle. How well you gather intelligence can determine whether a mission is a failure or a success. There'll be times where you have to risk your life to get it."
Amaya let out a low whistle at the sight. 'Damn...'
"Man, what a mess. Scars and puncture wounds, burn marks... What he must've endured..." Sasuke murmured from his seat, trailing off, effectively putting images in everyone's head of what possibly happened.
Ibiki retied his headband and looked at them all seriously. "Of course, you must always consider the source of your information. Intelligence gathered from an enemy is not always necessarily accurate. Always keep this in mind: disinformation can be worse than no information at all. It can lead to the death of comrades, or the loss of a village. That's why I put you in the position where you have to gather accurate intelligence. Cheat in order to survive. And that's why those who weren't good enough at it were weeded out, leaving the rest of you."
"Okaaay... But I'm still not getting what the tenth question thing is all about." Temari voiced, earning a raised brow from Ibiki.
'Saa~... Missions can be a matter life or death... You don't just get to choose to back out if it turns scary.' Amaya thought, leaning forward to rest her chin on her palm.
"You're not? The tenth question was the main point of the whole exam. Surely you see that." Ibiki said.
"Sure, but explain it anyway." Sakura said, earning a nod of agreement from Naruto.
Ibiki sighed but relented. "As I said before, the goal was to test you not only as individuals but as part of a squad. The final question gave you two choices. Both difficult. You could play it safe and skip the question, though it meant that both you and your teammates would be failed. Or, you could try and answer it, and if you got it wrong, you would lose your chance of ever being Chunin. It was a no-win situation. But just the sort Chunin have to face almost every day... For example, let me give you a hypothetical mission: To steal a document from an enemy's stronghold. You have no idea how many ninja the enemy has, or how heavily armed they are. Furthermore, you have reason to believe that the enemy suspects you. You might be very well walking blindly into a trap. Now, do you have the option of taking a pass on the mission? Of saying my comrades and I would rather live to fight another day? Can you choose to avoid danger? No. There will be many missions that seem almost suicidal, if you think about it. But you do not think about it. You think only of the goal. Achieving it through courage and discipline. These are the qualities required of a Chunin squad leader. Those who choose the safer of two paths, those who determination falters in the face of adversity. Those who would put their comrade's life in jeopardy by worrying about their own. Those who would save their own necks at the prove of sacred honor. Will never be able to call themselves Chunin. At least as long as I'm here... As for the rest of you... You have successfully answered the ten questions I put to you. You have earned the right to continue on to the next step... You have passed through the first gate. I nearby declare this part of the Chunin Selection Exam completed. There's nothing left, but to wish you all good luck."
Naruto jumped up from his seat, fist pumping the air. "ALRIGHT, WE DID IT! THAT'S ONE DOWN!"
Ibiki smirks before it suddenly drops as his head snaps over to look out one of the many windows in the classroom. Everyone then jumps as the glass is shattered as two kunai embed into the ceiling, holding up a banner as it unravels, revealing a woman wearing quite revealing clothing.
"Is this part of the test?" Naruto asks weakly, as everyone watches on warily.
"Heads up boys and girls! This is no time to be celebrating! I'll be your next proctor! Anko Mitarashi!" She announces before asking lowly, "Are you ready for the second test?"
Amaya deadpanned as no one made a move or spoke. Watching blankly as the newly dubbed Anko fist pumped the air. "Good! Then let's go, follow me!"
Ibiki then shuffled out from behind the banner, half of his face visible. "You're early. Again." He informs dryly, making Amaya snicker as Anko's face flushed a bright scarlet.
The female proctor quickly composed herself as she looked over the remaining examinees. "How many are there? Ibiki... You let all these guys pass? Your test was too easy! You must be getting soft."
"Or it could be, that we have a strong crop of candidates this year." He replied, not at all phased by her questioning.
Anko smirked intimidatingly. "Hmm... They sure don't look it. Trust me, before I'm done with them, more than half will be eliminated."
"Huh? More than half? Really?" Sakura asked, staring at the woman with worry.
"Heh, this is gonna be fun... Alright, you maggots have had it easy so far, but things are gonna be different starting first thing in the morning. I'll let your squad leaders know where you're to meet me. Dismissed. ~" She said, ending the statement in a singsong voice.
***
-Later-
Ibiki sighs as he weaves through the rows of desks, gathering test papers as he did so. He did, however, stop once he reached the seat belonging to a certain blond knucklehead. "Hm?" He hums as he picked up the sheet, only to laugh at the sight. "I just passed a candidate who didn't answer a single question. Naruto Uzumaki... Heh, he's a funny one alright."
Suddenly, another window is shattered as a certain white-haired male flies in, rolling across the floor. And Ibiki could only stare blankly as the culprit shot up, looking around frantically, only to meet an empty room and Ibiki's eyes.
"Testing is.. over..?" Toshiaki stammered, earning a nod from the older male. At the response, he fell to his knees dramatically. "I wasted my time getting away from Moriko!" He cried despairingly, deflating to the ground in a heap.
"Oi." Ibiki called, earning a flinch in return. "If you leave now, you might be able to catch your siblings. They said something about dango--" He began, trailing off as Toshiaki jumped up and leaped out of the previously broken window.
"IMOUTO! I'M COMING!" Toshiaki yelled, also declaring how he would "save her from those shady twins".
And just like that, Ibiki was left alone, watching blankly from the broken window as the man-child ran off.
"How did he become apart of ANBU again?"
-THE NEXT DAY-
"Woah, nice place, what is it?" Naruto asked weakly, staring along with the others at a tall, imposing gated area locked up tightly with multiple locks. Or more specifically, the bright, eye catching warning signs stuck all over the fence.
"A peaceful place, where nothing ever goes wrong." Amaya replied sarcastically, squinting up at the big ass trees behind the fence.
"This is the location for the second phase of the exam. It's the 44th Battle Training Zone. But we all call it 'The Forest of Death'." Anko informed, staring back at them with a smirk, ignoring the duo's commentary.
"'Forest of... Death'?" Naruto parroted with a small gulp.
"Sounds comforting... Extremely inviting, if I do say so myself." Amaya murmurs with a nod as Anko's smirk grew wider.