Chapter 4
She made her way over to where her team and classmates were. They were all huddled around a silver haired male with glasses. He also wore a high collar, which in Naruto’s book meant he was either a jerk or a douche. Maybe both. The only people who weren’t either of those things and wore high collars were Itachi and Shisui.
She took a discreet sniff and noted he smelt an awful lot of snake, causing her to shiver in horror. The only other person who smelt like that was Anko Mitarashi who scared the crap out of Naruto. She was a lot more… wild than the queen of pranksters, yet that made her a good person to talk to every once in a while.
“Yo! Did you guys start the reunion party without me?” she asked as she jumped onto Kiba’s back, a large grin on her face matching the one Kiba gave her.
“It’s not much of a party without our queen prankster, now is it Naru?” he raised a hand to ruffle her hair, something he had taken to doing for years, but since he had been doing it for so long she simply cuffed him around the neck and ruffled his hair instead, causing his to yelp and Akamaru to bark.
“Kabuto over here offered to show us some of his ninfo cards.” Explained Hinata as she looked Naruto up and down. Which caused her to hide behind Sasuke. She liked Hinata like a friend but really, really didn’t like how those pupil-less eyes took in her form whenever they met. Naruto was by no means a homophobe like some people in the village, yet she didn’t like to entertain the idea of being with any of her friends.
The silver haired guy, Kabuto, kneeled onto the ground and took out a deck of cards. Naruto got a bad feeling from him and her bad feelings usually ended in a high note.
Sasuke went forward with a pierced gaze, “Gaara of the sand, and Rock Lee of Konoha.”
“Oh you already know names. That makes it too easy.” He placed a hand over the deck and swiped across them a moment later, taking two random cards with him.
He left a dramatic pause, causing Kurama to roll his eyes. He seems to be a drama queen to an extent.
“Here they are.” He held the two cards in front of his face.
“Please show me.” Naruto blanched. Sasuke said please.
“First is Rock Lee. He’s one year older than you guys. His mission experience, 20 D ranks and 11 C ranks. His squad leader is Gai… In just this one year his taijutsu has drastically improved but… his other skills have not improved at all. Last year, he’d attracted attention as Genin rookie with his ability, but didn’t participate in the chunin exam. This is his first time taking the exam, same as you guys. Tenten and Neji Hyuuga are his team mates.”
Naruto’s head turned to look at Hinata confused as she looked sad, “Hey Hinata? Isn’t Neji your cousin? He was rookie of the year last year right?”
She received a curt nod from the bluenette. “Next is Gaara no Subaku. His mission experience, 8 C ranks and 1 B rank. As a genin! Sadly since he is a genin from a foreign nation I have no further information of him.”
Foolish ningen. My vessel has completed an S rank before she had been made a genin! Then she completed an A rank mission as well.
Yes, yes Kurama we get it. This isn’t a competition of who has done the best missions. More so a test of what we have learned during out genin time.
Yet I doubt Shukaku’s jinchuriki was given those high level missions by accident like yours had been. Despite being the jinchuriki to the almighty kyuubi no kitsune the old fool still gives you reasonable missions. The kazekage has no such problem though it would seem.
Naruto had been too busy paying attention to Kurama she hadn’t seen the attack that reached Kabuto. It seemed the guy with a musical note on his headband had made a noise through his arm and broke his glasses. Something only she and perhaps Kiba and Shino would have noticed, with their sensitive hearing, although Shino’s was mostly via his bugs.
Kabuto then fell to the floor, and Sakura being the kindred spirit she was, sometimes, went to help him up with the help of Hinata. Yet Naruto’s focus was solely on the music guys.
Sound ninja silly ningen. They are from the hidden sound village. (otogakure).
Jinchuriki not ningen. She retorted by instinct.
Before she could think anything further a loud sound resonated across the room as well as a large smoke screen as a loud yet very familiar voice yelled, “Silence! Degenerates!” his voice echoed across the room as all eyes went onto the smoke that was slowly receding. And once it did, she could see the faces of Ibiki and several other chunin, including the gate guards, “Sorry to keep you waiting… I am Ibiki Morino, proctor for the first test of the chunin exam.” He pointed to the heavily bandaged slouched male that had help attack Kabuto, “You from the Hidden sound village! No doing as you please before the exam!”
She decided to tune the rest out as images suddenly flooded her mind, causing her to hold her head.
A forest. A large snake. A tower. Blood. Yellow silted eyes. Sasuke covered in black seals. Sakura being held by her hair…
She held back a gasp, barely. It was the first time she had received so many images at once. She usually only got perhaps three yet this time it had been 7. Something dangerous was going to happen.
She doubted it was a mere coincidence that she would receive so many future images the same time she felt a lump of dread settle in her stomach. There was also worry coating her heart yet forced all her feelings down. She was a genin and shouldn’t allow this sort of thing to get to her. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t act accordingly.
She looked up only when she felt herself being tugged, by Sakura and Sasuke. Both of them giving her annoyed glances yet chose not to say anything. They were unaware of her powers, yet knew she had bad headaches for short periods of time.
She nodded to the two of them and they made their way into the hall of the first round, being seated by numbers. She just so happened to be placed next to Hinata… lovely.
She listened to Ibiki play with their minds- she meant tell them the rules. She found it very odd that only two points would be deducted if you were caught cheating but brushed that to the side. She wouldn’t cheat.
When she turned her test paper around, she was shell shocked and did little to hide it. The questions were far too hard for the average genin to answer. Out of everyone here, she could guarantee that a maximum of ten people could answer them. Shikamaru the lazy teme would get it if he bothered. She herself believed she would only be able to get at least 7 of them correct… she believed Sakura and Hinata would be able to get some as well… but this was really ridiculous.
She answered what she could and then said, Kurama. You’re an old and powerful entity who was held captive in two wives of kage… do you know the answer to the rest of these by any chance?
He quirked a hidden brow, Well… since you put it so nicely…
Wait. You’re not going to argue with me on this one?
I do believe having me sealed inside you should come with some benefits outside of our agreements… that and this exam is based solely on one’s cheating abilities.
Wait, it is?
You didn’t notice? Everyone, including Shukaku’s jinchuriki are cheating…
She quickly wrote down the answers to the rest of the questions as Kurama had dictated and turned it around as she looked around the room to see how people were cheating.
They were trying, but merely not being discreet enough. Ino had used her mind transfer jutsu, if the limp look she was supporting was an indicator. Sasuke and Neji were using their doujutsu kekkei-genkai but so had Hinata. Lee seemed to be using mirrors with TenTen and Gaara was using a sand eye. Kiba was using Akamaru and Shino his bugs. Temari seemed intelligent enough to not require cheating, or at least she was smart enough to not get caught. Konkuro however seemed to be using a puppet… it was astounding that no one had been disqualified, especially since hardly anyone in her year was being discreet.
Just as she thought that a kunai flew by her and embedded itself into the desk behind her, the person was subsequently told to leave the room with his team as well. Apparently some people who cheated were just that obvious about it. At least the rookies were being creative about it.
Near the end of the test Konkuro asked to leave for the toilet and she noticed he was taking his puppet with him. Nothing suspicious about that what so ever.
She looked around and saw quite a few people had answered most if not all the questions and towards the last few minutes Ibiki started to speak, it was then that Konkuro chose to appear. (A/N the rest is canon. I’ve not changed it, minus Naruto giving the inspirational speech, there is none of that here.)
Very few teams had managed to pass the first exam and as she was about to release a sigh of relief the window was broken open and a large banner opened across the room being held by kunai embedded into the ceiling. Anko Mitarashi landed straight in front of the banner through the window.
Naruto could practically hear Ibiko’s groans of annoyance despite him not verbally doing so.
Anko’s outward sadistic behaviour hadn’t changed at all since she had last seen the woman, and neither had her outfit.
She informed them, in a rather crude manner that they were to go and meet them in a location where their jonin sensei would inform them of. Knowing Anko as well as she did, Naruto was willing to bet her apartment and all the research inside it that they were going to the forest of death. It would explain why she thought over half would fail. No doubt there would be a lot of death in the forest named after it.