Shisui blinked rapidly, unable to believe what he was seeing.
Itachi's little brother stood there, his aura radiating killing intent. Shisui felt that it did not suit the young boy's appearance. However, Sasuke was glowering at Danzō, his stance reminiscent of a tense soldier. Danzō, on the other hand, frowned, annoyed that he was showed up by a mere brat.
About eight ANBU consequently appeared by his sides, flanking him and looking prepared for battle.
Shisui acted fast. Using his trademark Body Flicker technique along with his natural agility, he ran away with Sasuke, rushing through the woods.
"Oi, let me go," Sasuke protested. "That man—"
"That man is far too dangerous for you to tackle, Sasuke," Shisui told him as he fled, his grip on the younger boy not slacking in the slightest.
Shisui bit his lip, conflicted. Danzō may not have taken his eyes, but since they were being pursued, it went without saying that he was going after him until he got what he wanted.
'All right. I've made up my mind,' Shisui thought to himself. 'I'll have to thwart Danzō-sama's plans somehow. I'll need to entrust my eyes to Itachi, and die before Danzō-sama can get to us.'
'However…' Shisui glanced at Sasuke, who was still struggling in his tight grip. 'Danzō-sama won't let Sasuke go after witnessing that situation.'
'Itachi… what is the best that I can do…?'
Shisui became muddled in his thoughts, unaware that Sasuke became silent.
"…Why didn't you kill him?"
Shisui sent him a startled glance. "There is no need to kill him," he said evenly.
"He won't stop until he has your eyes," Sasuke told him flatly, his gaze calm yet having an underlying intensity.
Shisui managed a small smile. "Yeah, I know."
Sasuke frowned. "What are you going to do now?"
"I'll leave you with Itachi for a while. Then—"
"No." Sasuke had had enough. When they reached an isolated clearing in an unknown forest, he pulled himself out of Shisui's grip with an almost effortless force, stunning the older man.
"Sasuke, don't do anything rash," Shisui said, trying to persuade him.
"I know everything," Sasuke said heatedly. "If he manages to get your eyes, he will kill you. And then he will find a way to vindicate the Uchiha Clan, isolate them and watch over them. Then, in order to suppress the possibility of a rebellion, he will order Itachi, who is a member of the ANBU Black Ops, to massacre the whole clan for the sake of village."
Shisui's eyes widened. "What — How—"
"I overheard him and his plans before he went to the forest after you," Sasuke lied.
Shisui frowned deeply, looking like he was torn between shock, disbelief, and indecision.
"I will not let my brother get hurt anymore," Sasuke snarled, his initial calm countenance dissipating. "I will kill Danzō by my own hands!"
"You are no match for him!" Shisui protested, gripping him by the arm. "I won't let you participate in a battle which you cannot win!"
"Then…" Sasuke's blood-red eyes turned to him, his Sharingan activated once more. "…will you do it for me? For the clan?"
Shisui was taken aback. This was a serious matter. He did not want to kill anyone. Perhaps if he managed to corner Danzō somehow and use Kotoamatsukami on him instead…
"All right," Shisui relented, his voice firm. "All right. I will do something about Danzō. The ANBU—"
"Leave them to me." The tomoes in Sasuke's Sharingan spun, amassing power and chakra.
Sasuke didn't like killing, to be honest. However, for Danzō, he could make an exception. As for the ANBU, though…
There was movement in the trees. Sasuke immediately threw a kunai, having pinpointing the direction. Consequently, all eight ANBU revealed themselves and went at him.
"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!"
The great fireball only managed to barely singe one person, but his offense provided him an opportunity to redirect it around him, successfully hitting those who jumped and attempted to surround him.
Shisui, on the other hand, prepared himself for Danzō. However, the older man seemed to have other plans.
'That nuisance of a kid…' Danzō thought to himself, gritting his teeth. 'I'll take care of him first before taking Uchiha Shisui's eyes.'
In lightning-quick speed, Danzō rushed at Sasuke, brandishing a kunai in his hand. Shisui's eyes narrowed.
'Not if I can help it…!'
Shisui, a proficient user of the Body Flicker Technique, moved so fast that multiple copies of his body fended off the ANBU while himself and a few impeded Danzo's movement just before he could strike Sasuke.
Sasuke's eyes widened as the ANBU were taken care of and knocked unconscious in mere seconds. 'So this is Shunshin no Shisui…'
But then he remembered something important.
'Damn…!' He immediately conjured the strongest Chidori he could manage in his current state. He then formed the technique into that reminiscent of the shape of his old weapon Kusanagi.
Danzō, on the other hand, frowned at the obviously A-Rank technique being used by a young boy. However, he pushed that matter to the side for the moment, concentrating on his battle plan. 'Using up another eye would lessen my supply, but then again—'
Suddenly, he cried out in pain.
Shisui gasped. "Sasuke!"
Sasuke, his face covered with specks of blood, had cleanly cut through Danzō's arm, his Chidori still blazing with raging electricity.
'Now you won't be able to use Izanagi anymore…!' Sasuke thought to himself in satisfaction. He had used Shunshin the fastest he could just to catch the man off-guard while he was busy with Shisui.
"You… damn brat…!" Danzō choked out, seething with anger. "Attacking a Council member is treason!"
"What…?" Shisui breathed out, the tattered remains of the clothing covering Danzō's amputated arm revealing the column of familiar blood-red eyes. "Sharingan…!?"
Shisui stared at Sasuke, who was glaring at Danzō defiantly.
"You won't be a Council member anymore after this, anyway," Sasuke responded, a malicious gleam in his eye.
Shisui's gaze rested on Danzō's face. "Danzō-sama… you…"
"What on earth…?!"
Danzō, Shisui, and Sasuke whirled around towards the new voice.
Itachi stood there not too far away from them, his eyes wide and filled with disbelief.
A familiar tuft of blond hair peeked out from behind Itachi's form.
"Naruto?!" Sasuke exclaimed in shock.
"Sasuke," Naruto spoke up, "I couldn't find you anywhere, so I asked Itachi-nii-chan — whoa! Why's his arm on the ground?! Are those eyes?!"
• • •
A loud sound came from the Hokage's table as Minato slammed his palms on it in both anger and shock. "Shisui, Itachi, are you certain...?!"
"The arm is with the medical team right now," Itachi managed to say in the calmest tone he could muster. "They will provide you the verification you need."
Minato's jaw clenched. "Danzō... where is he?"
"He is in custody of the ANBU Itachi summoned," Shisui explained. "However, Yondaime-sama... about Danzō-sama's Root organization..."
"I'll take care of it," Minato said sternly. "And what of Naruto and Sasuke? Are they all right?"
Itachi gave a curt nod. "They are both waiting outside the door."
"Itachi," Shisui said. "You don't need to question Sasuke. I already know enough of what had actually happened."
"I am aware," Itachi said. There was an underlying iciness to his tone. "I have my own questions for Sasuke."
Minato nursed his incoming headache. "All right, I need to go to Danzō immediately. Shisui, please come with me. Itachi..." He sent the young prodigy a small, almost reassuring smile. "...you are dismissed for the day. I will call for you when I have further questions. Both of you make sure that not a word of this gets out to the village. Understood?"
"Yes, sir!"
• • •
"You're in deep trouble now," Naruto hissed. "How are you gonna explain this to Itachi?!"
"I already know what to say," Sasuke said monotonously, though he wouldn't admit that he was nervous, too. He had acted a bit recklessly and regretted it. He should've controlled his emotions better.
However, seeing Danzō again and actually witnessing him about to do a despicable act, Sasuke couldn't just stay still and let him.
Naruto slumped in his seat, looking suddenly weary. "Using the chidori was a risky plan, you know!"
Sasuke sighed. "I know that."
"Let's just wish they don't mention you using that jutsu to Dad... Hell, Kakashi-sensei doesn't even know that you can use it!"
Sasuke opened his mouth to say something when a figure suddenly approached them. Naruto immediately kept his mouth closed, yet his stance was a bit guarded. Sasuke, on the other hand, merely stared at his older brother.
"Nii-san."
"Sasuke." Itachi's tone was unreadable. "...I believe... you have something you need to explain to me."
• • •
Minato sat in his Hokage seat, paperwork neatly folded and categorized on his desk. Due to extreme stress, he had spent sleepless nights working on everything that needed his attention. He had visited the interrogation center where Danzō was being held, came to the autopsy room where the arm with columns of unmistakable Sharingan eyes, held meetings with the Council, and helped with the preparations for the upcoming Chūnin exams.
He could not remember going home for a week already.
'Kushina must be worried sick,' Minato thought to himself as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. 'As for Naruto… he's probably training hard for the exams.'
Minato's thoughts wandered towards Sasuke. The elders had demanded punishment for the young boy for recklessly hurting a member of the Council, but Minato managed to limit it to house arrest only. Basically, Sasuke could only stay at his home and train at his backyard. He could not access the Training Grounds even when escorted by Itachi or even Fugaku himself. Minato didn't even want to punish him. Sasuke was a shinobi through and through. From what he had gathered from Shisui, Danzō was the one who initiated the attack, and Sasuke had only protected him. Minato figured that Sasuke had seen the eyes and opted to slice off Danzō's arms himself in retribution for his clan.
'What a headache…' Minato sighed, rubbing his temples. 'Now I know why there were mysterious disappearances of Uchiha shinobi a few years back.'
When Ibiki had informed him of a dangerous group lurking out there in the shadows, Minato was on high alert. Ibiki told him after gathering more information that the group called themselves the Akatsuki and that the abduction was very possibly connected to them.
However, now he knew. And it was Ibiki's last words that resounded in his mind.
----------------------------------
"Also, I have reason to believe… that Orochimaru may be a part of this organization as well."
----------------------------------
Orochimaru. One of the Legendary Sannin who had defected from the village a few years ago. His experiments had been discovered by the Sandaime and he escaped Konoha unscathed.
If Danzō had been meeting with Orochimaru…
Minato released a heavy sigh.
At that moment, the doors opened, revealing Kushina in her casual clothing as she ran over to him in haste.
"Minato! You look terrible!" she exclaimed, cradling her husband's face with her hands as she began her examination. "You have such prominent dark circles under your eyes now… When was the last time you ate?"
Minato blinked. "In… the morning?"
Kushina frowned, letting go of his face. "It's nearing midnight now, Minato."
Minato chuckled nervously. "Sorry… I was very busy."
Kushina heaved a sigh. "I'm sorry I couldn't visit you for a while," she apologized. "I was busy, too. I had to train Naruto in the areas he was weak at and also how to control the Kyūbi."
"How is he with that?"
Kushina smiled faintly. "I'm actually impressed with his abilities. Also, it seems that he and the Kyūbi are on amicable terms with each other. He has improved so much in the little time he's given." Kushina turned to Minato, her eyes displaying hesitance. "Minato… do you think he's ready to be a chūnin?"
Minato folded his arms across his chest as his expression turned thoughtful. "I'd say he is on terms of being battle-ready, but that depends on his performance on the exams. To be a chūnin means taking on a great responsibility. He has to have the leadership skills and tactical prowess in order to be promoted. Given his young age at the moment, the possibility seems bleak, but if Kakashi deems his team to be ready for the exams, then that's his call of judgment as a mentor of his team."
Kushina looked conflicted. "It's not only Kakashi, you know." She stared straight into his eyes. "Asuma, Kurenai, and Gai also deemed their genin teams to be ready for the exams."
"Kakashi and Gai also became chūnin at a young age," Minato reminded her.
"I know." Kushina chuckled lightly. "I'm just being too protective of my son, as usual."
Minato stood up from him seat and approached her. "I don't blame you," he said, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. His warm smile calmed Kushina as it always did. "He's my son too, you know."
...
..
.
[Two weeks later]
It finally came. Early Monday morning, with the sun beginning to rise from the east. The aurora had always been an invigorating sight for Sakura, so she made it a point to get up early today so she could watch it. It made her feel as if it was a good luck charm that would bestow fortune upon her up until the end of the day.
After taking a shower and brushing her teeth, she came to a stop in front of the mirror. There was just something uninspiring about her plain outfit that made her want to change her look.
Sakura frowned and searched her closet. Not something too ordinary, nor something too striking…
There. She took out pieces of clothing and dressed, letting her hair as loose as it should be. She stood in front of the mirror, assessing her appearance.
Her reflection showed an eight-year-old girl with long, very light strawberry hair along with bangs that cover the entirety of her forehead as well as her eyebrows. She wore a long-sleeved red turtleneck with white trimmings as well as a lone white circle at the back, a dark-red short skirt, and slim black leggings. She also donned sandals which give her about 0.5 cm height boost as well as a standard ninja pouch serving as a makeshift belt around her waist. She didn't have any weapons on her, but she prepared some homemade soldier pills, some kunai, and sealing and explosive tags. She took her forehead protector from the table of her dresser and tied it around her hair, making it seem like a headband.
"All right." She took a deep breath, instilling confidence inside her. "I can do this. Shannaro!"
• • •
After saying goodbye to their parents and hearing them saying good luck, Sasuke and Itachi went on their way to the destination of the Chūnin Exams.
Itachi was wearing the standard ANBU garb, intending on sending his little brother off before reporting to the Hokage at the Tower. Sasuke, on the other hand, had put on a simple high-collar black shirt with the Uchiha crest at the back and white shorts. His arms, however, were covered with bandages, a testament to his harsh training, and around his ankles were white leg warmers, used to conceal the heavy weights strapped there. By his waist were his ninja pouch and a brand-new sword, neatly sheathed in its scabbard.
Itachi had bought him the sword after discovering Sasuke's potential for kenjutsu. However, even though Sasuke was proficient at wielding it in his timeline, it was a bit difficult to adjust his future fighting skills into his small body. It would take time to get used to, but he was confident that he'd pull it off in the end.
Now was his chance to make his family proud, and he wasn't going to let go of this opportunity.
"Everything all right, Sasuke?" Itachi asked conversationally.
"Yeah," Sasuke answered simply.
Before Itachi could make more small talk with his brother whom he wouldn't be able to see for a while, a blur of orange rushed past them, the impact blowing strands of their hair backwards.
"Naruto?" Sasuke inquired in surprise.
True to his guess, it was Naruto. The latter, after hearing the sound of his name, stopped in his tracks and turned around. When he saw that it was Sasuke, his eyes widened for a moment before he grinned, waving at him.
"Yo, Sasuke!"
Naruto was wearing a lined orange jacket that was only halfway zipped, revealing a black shirt within. His pants were orange, but with black trimmings at the sides. What was surprising was that a silver staff was attached at his back, and Sasuke could even spot two scrolls peeking out from his back as well, seemingly placed below the staff.
"Hey, hey!" Sasuke realized that Naruto's expression was now that of pure panic. "Sorry! I overslept! I forgot that we're late! C'mon, Sasuke, if we hurry, we can still make it—!"
"...What are you talking about?" Sasuke voiced out, puzzled. "We're thirty minutes early."
Naruto backtracked. "Wh—What? B—But... my alarm clock said that I was already ten minutes late..."
----------------------------------
Meanwhile, at the Namikaze household...
----------------------------------
Kushina cheerfully set Naruto's clock back to the correct time, humming to herself what a fine job she had done to get her always-oversleeping son to go to his important exams early for once in his life.
Minato, who had already donned his Hokage robes and was on the verge of transporting to the Tower, was passing by when he heard Kushina's happy humming inside Naruto's room.
Minato sweatdropped, already used to the antics of his wife and son and wouldn't be surprised if they had been doing something crazy.
"...You tricked Naruto into going early today, didn't you?" he guessed accurately.
Kushina turned around, a beaming smile on her face. "Yes! And it worked perfectly, I must say, dattebane~!"
Kushina slipped out of her son's room, still humming to herself. Minato sighed, albeit in amusement.
'Those two don't even surprise me anymore...'
----------------------------------
"WHAAAT?! Then... Then... my alarm clock was broken?" Naruto wailed, looking exaggeratedly sad. "I had wondered why I still felt so sleepy... like it wasn't my time to wake up..."
Sasuke merely listened to his friend's mutterings (did he just hear Naruto mumble something about crazy, scary mothers?) before he got fed up and tapped Naruto rather forcefully on the temple. "Hey, idiot, get serious or we'll really be late."
Sasuke was already walking away before Naruto could get his revenge for almost stumbling to the ground.
• • •
They arrived at the designated place with twenty minutes to spare. Though the main reason why they had to take a full ten minutes just walking towards the building was due to the fact that Naruto had attempted to pounce on Sasuke, but the latter accidentally hit him too hard, causing the blond-haired boy to shriek as he fell to the ground face-first. Thus it spurned an argument between the two while Itachi watched, eyes blinking and expression carefully neutral but in truth, he had absolutely no idea what to do.
"See you, Sasuke." Itachi waved at his little brother, who gave a small, grateful smile in response. "You can do it. I believe in you."
"Bye, Itachi-nii-chan!" Naruto waved as well.
"Naruto! Sasuke-kun!" Sakura's voice sounded from behind, and the two boys swivelled around to see their female teammate coming to a stop before them.
"The line's not very long yet," she informed them. "Let's go join the queue."
"Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed in relief.
"Sakura," Sasuke greeted with a nod.
Sakura smiled at her teammates. "I could never just let you two have all the fun, after all," she told them teasingly.
"All right! Let's do this, Team 7!" Naruto cheered, taking Sakura's hand in his.
Sakura's smile grew wider, feeling the tension inside her ease a little bit. She was still nervous of her upcoming performance, but if she had her team with her, she'd be fine. Glancing at Sasuke, she hesitated only for a moment before gently slipping her arm around his.
Sasuke said nothing, his expression unchanging. However, he didn't brush her off, either.
The three of them went inside and spotted the queue, quickly lining up before any team beat them to it. Naruto was first, so when the time came that he approached the desk, he gave his signed form to the jōnins sitting by the desk.
"Namikaze Naruto," a jōnin with dark hair and equally-dark eyes, possibly an Uchiha, read off of the paper. "Please hold out your hand."
Naruto did as he was told, and the Uchiha jōnin promptly gave him a small scroll.
"Open that once you get inside the exam room," he instructed. "If you open it outside the doors, we will know and you will immediately be disqualified. Understood?"
Naruto nodded.
"All right. Next."
Sakura and Sasuke got their own scrolls as well, and went to join Naruto.
"What do you think is inside them?" Sakura asked, curiously peering at her scroll.
"We'll know once we go inside," said Sasuke.
"Then what're we waitin' for?" Naruto said excitedly. "Let's go!"
"Naruto," a familiar voice mused. "Enthusiastic as always."
Naruto's eyes widened. "Kakashi-sensei!" he exclaimed.
"Yo," Kakashi greeted, his right hand raised in salutation while his left hand held his usual Icha Icha Paradise book.
"Why are you here?" asked Sasuke.
Kakashi slipped his book inside his pouch. "Well, I'm here to wish you three good luck," he said genuinely, looking at the faces of his students. "And I don't fail to see what training before the exams did to you. Naruto," he said, causing said boy to stare at him curiously. "Impressive staff."
Naruto beamed. "Thanks! Dad told me to practice with it for a while, not regarding it as my main weapon but as training for becoming ambidextrous. Dad's ambidextrous himself, so he doesn't have any problems with balance!"
"I see. Good choice." Kakashi nodded. "Sensei has always been a great teacher. Sasuke," he said, "I see you're interested in kenjutsu. It will work well with your fire and lightning element affinity."
"Yeah." Sasuke fingered the scabbard lightly. "My brother trained me with it. I am improving each day."
Kakashi nodded again, seemingly pleased at the development of his students. Then he turned to Sakura, who fidgeted.
"And it's only Sakura who doesn't have a new weapon," he remarks, though not unkindly. "Although I suspect that you might have tricks up your sleeve. I presume you've already started on what we talked about?"
Sakura's face visibly brightened. "Yes! I—I mean… I'm not good at it yet, but I'm starting to learn a lot, thanks to you, Kakashi-sensei!"
Kakashi chuckled briefly before ruffling her hair affectionately. "Good girl. Keep up the good work."
Sasuke and Naruto exchanged confused glances, unsure of the somewhat inscrutable conversation, but shrugged it off dismissively.
After Kakashi left, footsteps were coming towards them leisurely. Aburame Shino, clothed in a high-collar dark coat with a hood, effectively obscuring most of his face along with the help of his sunglasses, was walking their way, his hands inside his pockets.
"I see you've entered the exams as well, Naruto," he addressed the Hokage's son casually.
Naruto blinked in surprise. "Oh, hey! Shino! Where're your other teammates?"
"Why?" a rough, taunting, casual voice sounded from behind him. "Looking forward to see me, Naruto?"
"Ugh, shove away, Kiba," Naruto grumbled. "Like anyone would want to see your sorry face."
Kiba bristled. "What was that?!"
"You wanna go?!"
"All right! You asked for it!"
"U—Um!" a voice squeaked out not too far away from them. Kiba and Naruto turned around to see Hyūga Hinata, her eyes wide in fear and her hands clasped together in anxiety. "N—Naruto-kun… Kiba-kun didn't mean it…! P—Please don't fight…"
"Eh?!" Kiba exclaimed. "It wasn't my fault, Hinata! This dolt started it by taunting me first!"
Naruto looked at her and remembered.
----------------------------------
"Did you… really think that?" he said quietly, his head hung low.
"Huh?"
"…" Naruto swallowed slightly. "I may appear strong to you, but… That's because I act all tough because I'm so frustrated from always failing…"
"That's not true…" Hinata interjected softly. "Even when you always fail…" She smiled at him gently. "In my eyes… you're a proud failure!"
"!" Naruto stared at her, both surprised and puzzled.
"When I look at you, I get an intense feeling in my heart…" she continued on, fidgeting shyly. "Because you're not perfect… Because you fail… You have the strength to get back up… Because I believe that's what true strength is… I—I think you are an incredibly strong person, Naruto-kun…"
"…" Naruto's lips slowly curved into a happy grin. "Thanks, Hinata," he said. "Earlier, I was feeling uncharacteristically depressed, but now I feel great!" He then added, "You know, about you, I…"
Hinata blinked. "Huh?"
"…thought you were… a plain-looking, dark weirdo…"
"…" Hinata's shoulders slumped in disappointment.
"But… a person like you… I really like!"
•••
"I wont let you lay another finger on Naruto!" Hinata said in determination.
"What're you doing here!?" Naruto exclaimed. "Get out of here! You're no match—"
"I know…"
"!?"
"But you… you showed me the right way… I was always chasing you… wanting to overtake you… I just wanted to walk with you… I wanted to be with you…
"You changed me! Your smile saved me! So I'm not afraid to die protecting you!" Her back was in front of him, her hand poised into the gesture of her clan's trademark jutsu. "Because… I love you."
•••
Her hand, warm against his cold, clammy cheek, brought him back to reality. Her eyes, suddenly full of determination and faith, bore into him. His eyes were wide as he looked at her face, the dried tears and the weary but firm expression evident on her features.
"Always going ahead and not going back on one's words. That's my ninja way, too."
•••
"Thank you, Hinata.
"It's thanks to you who stayed at my side."
----------------------------------
Hyūga Hinata.
There was something about her resolve in him that caused him to look at her a little differently. They had never been very close friends. She hadn't kept him company when he was lonely, she hadn't offered any comforting or friendly words when he felt like he was going to explode from loneliness, and she hadn't understood him like Sasuke did.
He had always thought, in the past, that she was just one of those people who either ignored and hated him or were simply indifferent to him. She may be kind, but she was never there for him, to be blunt.
(Rather, he couldn't remember a time when she approached him before he had bonds of his own.)
But when she confessed to him… When she brought him out of his angst-filled mind during the war…
When she displayed that undoubtedly firm determination back in the Chūnin Exams… When she gave him medicine… When she cheered him up… When she spoke of her faith in him…
When she protected him… When she saved him…
When he made that blood promise to her towards Neji...
It made him think twice about what kind of person she really was… and who she was in his life. A stranger? An acquaintance? A friend? A classmate?
"You don't have to apologize for him, Hinata," Naruto said, looking at Kiba almost mockingly. "He always needs somebody to cover for him. Hah!"
A friend… A true friend, he decided, and there was no other doubt in his mind. At this point, he realized that it didn't even need to be thought upon. It was just obvious common sense.
He respected her and admired her, too, in his own way. Just as she had unwavering faith in him, he also knew that she was one of those people who were always by his side.
Naruto tried to ignore the slightly rapid beating of his heart as he suddenly remembered her brave confession to him during Pain's invasion on the village.
At that moment, Kiba let out an angry growl. "Why you—!"
Naruto gladly indulged him, and as the two of them duked it out on the floor, Sakura inched away from them, embarrassed at their actions, inadvertently becoming closer to Sasuke in proximity.
Someone pounced on Sasuke, steering him away from her.
"Hi, Sasuke-kun!" Ino said, beaming as she placed her hands behind her back in an attempt to look conservative. "How nice to see you here!"
Sakura glared, all signs of meekness on her visage completely disappearing. "Stop flirting with him, Ino-pig!"
"Oh?" Ino said slyly. "And what's it to you, Sakura? Jealous? I am only talking to him civilly."
Sakura almost let out an indignant growl. Ino was wearing a dark-purple halter and a skirt of the same colour, coupled with white pants, an off-shoulder, long-sleeved white top behind the halter, and black sandals. Her hair, which had grown a bit longer than before and was now reaching slightly down her shoulder, was tied at the ends and came to rest on her collarbone.
"My, my, Sakura," Ino remarked. "Your clothes have become a bit more feminine, haven't they?"
Sakura pounced on the unexpected opening. "You're just jealous because I have a better fashion sense than you," she said smugly.
Ino grew irritated, taking the bait. "Excuse me? You're the one who dressed in boyish clothes ever since you were three!"
"I did not!"
"Did too!"
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
"…Troublesome," Nara Shikamaru's voice floated a little in the air, unheard except by Sasuke. The latter watched as the former stared almost tiredly at his female teammate.
Shikamaru, on the other hand, had not changed his clothing style when he was twelve. He had on a simple light-grey shirt, dark-brown pants, and a grey vest with dark-green trimmings. There was a well-concealed dagger tied to the end of his shirt, camouflaging with the colour.
Shikamaru's eyes found his, and Sasuke noticed that it went narrowed. The genius strategist of Konoha had never really liked him in this timeline, ignoring him as much as possible. Sasuke suspected that it was because he didn't get why his teammate was so fixated on him and didn't want to cause any trouble by even attempting to speak with him.
But apparently, Shikamaru had a surprise prepared for him, because he greeted him.
"Hey, Sasuke," he acknowledged flatly.
Sasuke nodded politely in response. "Shikamaru."
Chōji took that moment to come by Shikamaru's side, busily eating a bag of potato chips. He didn't change much, either. He wore a green vest, a beige t-shirt, and grey pants. Chōji and Shikamaru, best friends as they were, had always been simple with their tastes in fashion.
"Ino and Sakura are at it again, huh?" Chōji remarked conversationally.
Shikamaru sighed. "Yeah."
"How youthful! A friendly fight between classmates!" Rock Lee's voice swooped in, tone excited and energized. "Let me take this opportunity to join in!"
Just when Lee joined the fray between Naruto and Kiba, Tenten and Neji came too late, the former panting and the latter glaring at his teammate.
"Lee," Neji gritted out, "this is not the time to be fighting when in one moment now we could be called inside the room!"
"Forget it, Neji," Tenten gasped. "Once those three are brawling, there's no stopping them."
Hyūga Neji, who once died while protecting Hinata and Naruto, was still relatively the same, with his beige jacket and dark pants. Tenten, on the other hand, variated slightly, wearing a beige Chinese-style top and white pants, coupled with four scrolls attached to her back as well as a thick spear.
The chaos started when a random genin rushed past Sakura, accidentally pushing her to Naruto, Lee, and Kiba's brawl. Sakura tried to gain back balance by instinctively grabbing Ino's blouse, but all it did was make the two of them join the fight. Meanwhile, Ino tried to do the same as Sakura did by grabbing Shikamaru, but the latter was dragged in as well.
Chōji, his eyes wide, tried to grab Shikamaru, but he got into the fray, too. Tenten, whom Chōji knocked into on the way, also got involved. Neji instinctively took hold of her wrist, but one accidental poke in the eye courtesy of Naruto's finger was more than enough reason for him to take revenge. Hinata, who gasped in shock when her cousin's eye turned red, tried to help him, but her arm got accidentally grabbed by Lee, who thought she was Kiba.
Sasuke watched all of this unfold with wide, wide eyes, suddenly unsure of what to do.
"Oi!" a familiar voice cut in, snapping Sasuke out of his trance. "Those Konoha ninjas are a little too excited for this, eh, Sasuke?"
Sasuke turned around. "…Kankuro?"
Kankuro grinned almost maniacally. "Let us handle this."
"Us…?" Sasuke saw Gaara and Temari take a step forward. Gaara had his eyes closed, while Temari was excitedly cracking her knuckles.
"I… will grab Naruto away," Gaara said slowly.
Kankuro went to work, immediately jumping into the fight.
"Whoa, Gaara!?" Naruto exclaimed in pleasant shock, in the process of kicking Lee in the shin. "When did you become a genin?!"
Gaara managed to smile while effortlessly sweeping Shino off his feet quite literally with his sand. "My father convinced the Council to let me graduate very early."
"Wow! Hey, how come you never told me?" Naruto's eyes almost bulged out of their sockets. "It's only been three months! Is that even possible?!"
"I wanted to surprise you," Gaara responded lightly. "My father oversaw my progress and was immensely satisfied. He then decided that I be home-schooled with literal studies but be graduated from the Academy very early so that I could only focus on honing my sand's control."
'Ah… so it's because Suna values its jinchūriki…' Naruto thought to himself as he absently stomped on Kiba's foot, causing the latter to yelp in pain.
The doors to the exam room opened, revealing a familiar figure with two scars on the right side of his face. He had dark hair tied up into a spiky ponytail, dark eyes, a goatee, and a stern yet at the same time a comically confused expression on his face, the two contrasting countenances somehow managing to blend in together.
"D—Dad…?!" Shikamaru exclaimed, still rubbing the sore spot on his head courtesy of Ino.
Shikaku looked across the room, seeing the highly-regarded talented rookie generation looking all beat-up in their own ways, except for the prodigious second son of the head of the Uchiha clan. The infamous Sand Siblings were there as well, and they were unscathed, too.
However, Shikaku tried to ignore the fact that Kankuro was stopped in the middle of pinching Kiba's ear, Temari seemed to be attempting to open her giant fan, and Gaara was covered with sand. And it was not only him. The floor, and the rookies, as well.
"Well… this is certainly an interesting batch," Shikaku commented nonchalantly, noticing that the genin of the other villages were glaring venomously at the childish actions of the famous Konoha 12. "We will now proceed with the first test. Everyone, follow me into the room and then proceed with opening your scrolls only when I say so. Is that clear?"
There was a chorus of quiet agreement as well as a variety of curt nods. Shikaku, satisfied, went into the room first, followed by all the genin.
Once the doors were closed and he gave the go signal, everyone opened their scrolls.
"Number three," Naruto read off the single kanji, slightly confused.
"One-hundred one," Sakura read, her thoughts swirling in clarity. "Are these possibly… seat numbers?"
"Fifty-two," Sasuke said, meeting the gazes of his teammates. "Looks like we're distanced from each other."
"Okay," Shikaku's voice announced as he gestured at the seating arrangement of the room. "As you can see here, there are exactly 153 seats since there are a total of fifty-one teams participating in the Exam. Sit down according to the seat numbers on your scroll, and we will begin the test shortly."
When all of them did as he told them, Naruto found himself sitting next to Kiba. He groaned, burying his face in his hands. Sasuke, on the other hand, was distanced from everyone, except maybe for Shino, who was sitting about two rows away from him. Sakura was only two seats away from Hinata.
The papers were already on the desks, planted face-down so they wouldn't see its contents.
"All right. Welcome to the first test of the Chūnin Exams, which is as you can see, a literary one," Shikaku announced with underlying boredom in his tone. "Now flip the papers."
Naruto turned over his test, then gawked at the questions.
'This… This is…' He gulped heavily. '…overkill!'
The test paper's length was 8.5" x 14", and the font size was small yet it was apparently readable. There were five questions all in all, crammed into the single page except for a small, boxed space at the bottom about two inches long and three inches wide. The five questions weren't even the basic ones which they were taught back in the Academy. It consisted of complex solvings and in-depth analyses which made Naruto's head spin wildly.
This was impossible! Omit the fact that he never really paid much attention in class; he was absolutely certain that these questions weren't even the type given to genin! Not to mention that the proctor was Shikamaru's dad himself! Nara Shikaku was a genius, and he had years more experience than Shikamaru. These questions were exactly the type asked of geniuses like him, and not the average ninja!
What was this? Was this the same as Morino Ibiki's test? Did he have to lighten everyone's spirits up again?
Naruto swallowed the heavy feeling in his gut and glanced up at Shikaku, who was oblivious to the looks of utter disbelief implanted on almost every genin in the room.
"As you can see, there's an answer box at the bottom," Shikaku said. "Place your answers there and nowhere else."
That statement brought out loud outbursts.
Kiba stood up. "Shikaku-san!" he exclaimed. "With all due respect, a—all the answers can't fit inside this box! How can we—?"
"Then find a way," Shikaku said flatly. "Your answers should only be placed inside that box. It is adequate enough. If it doesn't fit, then try your best to cram them all inside. You are ninjas; you should be able to look underneath the underneath."
'Underneath the underneath…' Naruto's eyes widened in recognition. 'Hey… that's Kakashi-sensei's line!'
'Where's Shikamaru's dad going with this?'
"You all have pencils in hand," Shikaku continued on. "You can erase your answers if they can't fit so you can find another way to fit them inside. If you're planning to cheat, it's useless, because there are more than four different sets of papers. The Exam will end in exactly two hours." He glanced at the ticking clock on the wall, which showed that it was nine-fifteen. "At eleven-fifteen, I will collect all papers and determine who passes. If one member of the team fails, then everyone in that team fails as well. These are all the rules. Now, start!"
Everyone instantly buried themselves into their respective test papers.
Everyone… except one.
Naruto felt like digging up a hole and hiding in there forever.
'Nooooooo! Help me, Sasuke! Sakura-chaaaan!'
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tbc