"A duel, right now?" Naruto asked incredulously, eyeing everyone staring at him.
"Of course!" Lee stated. "I've fought Sasuke-san already, and that day I did not really want to fight you as well since he needed some medical attention."
Naruto tried to think through the situation clearly. He could rightfully just reject Lee's offer and prevent a plentitude of problems from arising. However, he did also want to see how much he had improved since Wave as well. His fight with Zenki was not a standard battle for sure, and his use of Shadow Zabuza was concerning as well.
He needed to see how much he could do without his special abilities, which he couldn't use in publicly in the Chuunin Exams for sure. An ability that could quite literally raise the dead, and be used to his will certainly would not go well with the rest of the world. If people killed and stole children for a Byakugan, what would they do for his ability, which they would assume was a special Kekkai Genkai.
But something else made him want to take the challenge even more.
[Ding!]
[New Quest: "Rock, Paper, Lee" Created]
[Quest Details: Accept Lee's challenge and spar.
Quest Rewards: Exp. 1000, increase Taijutsu level by 2, Lee's respect]
Failure: Lose all hopes of becoming a Taijutsu Master.]
[Does Player Accept The Quest?]
[Yes/No]
And so, Naruto accepted.
Sakura rolled her eyes. That's the old Naruto I know.
"Well, we can't fight here, can we? Let's go to one of the open corridors–there's a lot of space available," Naruto said, gesturing for them to move.
Lee waved to his teammates, Neji and Tenten. The former simply scoffed, while the latter waved back.
Well, he hasn't changed a bit. Naruto thought amusedly.
"Sasuke, Sakura! I'll be back in a few minutes," Naruto told his teammates.
Soon enough, they were in the open with no spectators.
"You can use any jutsu of your wish, Naruto-san. Whoever is knocked unconscious or admits defeat is the loser. Are you ready?" Lee asked, already in his iconic pose.
Any jutsu? I really don't want to make this place a mess. Let's see…Lee is a taijutsu expert, meaning I have to beat him with other methods. Using Sasuke's taijutsu would be practically wishing for death, seeing how Sasuke fared last time with his fight against Lee. I need to outsmart him somehow.
Naruto jumped a few steps backward. With a nod, he beckoned for the fight to start.
Lee was fast.
Seeing it with his eyes and actually experiencing it were two different things. Naruto ducked as a flying kick went to his head, before blocking a straight punch to the chest with his arms crossed together. The impact forced the blond backward, who grunted slightly at the force.
Naruto launched forwards, looking to start an offense of his own. But it was certainly hard, considering just how agile his opponent was. The Jinchuuriki tried to land a blow to Lee's gut, who merely sidestepped with his hands behind his back and then attempted a wild uppercut to the jaw.
Lee lunged forward, weaving past the uppercut and landing a sound haymaker on Naruto's stomach.
"Ugh!" Naruto recoiled in pain but didn't let himself lose focus.
A few seconds later, he was kicked back several meters, coughing slightly as he felt a bruise forming near his chest. That's gonna heal, I shouldn't worry about it.
He didn't really like that the Kyuubi was inside of him, but if it came with such advantages as regeneration, it didn't really matter in the end. Naruto could not count on one hand how many times he had won a fight or even survived because of the Nine-Tail's healing capabilities.
Right now, he had no way of beating Lee if he continued how he was. The boy was too fast and too strong to be caught by a Genin with a year less of experience. But Naruto had to try. His pride demanded such.
He closed his eyes and began to truly concentrate.
Lee trudged forward, uncaring of what Naruto did.
Bright blue eyes snapped open.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto called out, his voice echoing slightly in the corridor.
Lee had the decency to look surprised as copies of Naruto appeared throughout the area before his expression hardened once again. "Simple clones will not work to help you, Naruto-san."
It wasn't very surprising that Lee did not know what shadow clones were, seeing how it was Forbidden Jutsu in Konoha. Other than Kakashi, Naruto didn't know who else could create shadow clones. And that improved their effectiveness even more. The element of surprise was a technique that Kakashi had drilled into the team, stating that even the weakest of ninjas could defeat a Jonin if the situation was in their favor.
Activate Uchiha Taijutsu!
[Activating…]
[Skill: Uchiha Clan Taijutsu- Lvl 3 Activated!]
[Usage drains 15 MP Points each minute. User can use this skill for 1 minute without draining MP.]
The clones engaged their enemy.
Naruto could feel Lee's surprise as they began to physically attack him. He probably expected the clones to disappear after the lightest of touches, but was confused after he found that it was not the case. But that did not really matter. Even though they could do real damage, they were not as durable as the real Naruto. The difference was evident to the seasoned Genin.
The clones disappeared one by one, but at that point, Naruto was finished with his next set of seals.
Substitution.
He swapped with one of his clones.
Naruto completely tanked the swat to his right shoulder as Lee's eyes widened in surprise. With a loud roar, he rushed at Lee with murderous intent.
A satisfying smack was heard as Naruto managed to finally hit a solid, clean strike on the green-clad boy.
Naruto huffed smugly. Yes!
But the fight was not over. And according to Lee, it hadn't even begun.
Lee charged once again, but this time, he was even faster.
Naruto gasped as he felt a river of pain flood him. Lee had kicked him right on the chin, sending him high into the air.
How is that even possible?!
"Front Lotus!"
Naruto attempted to land accordingly back down but found that he couldn't even move while airborne due to Lee clamping down on his arms and legs. When had he come behind him? Bandages started to creep around his body, trapping his body entirely while in the air.
Summon Shadow Zabu—
Naruto stopped his summoning prematurely. He couldn't just reveal an ability right now, just before the Chuunin Exams.
He looked at his upcoming demise and winced.
This was going to hurt.
"That's enough, Lee!"
Bandages loosened immediately, freeing Naruto's legs to move. With his frantically moving legs, he managed to quickly gain his position in the air and land on both his legs. He had thankfully avoided a massive injury. What was Lee thinking? Of course, Naruto would probably heal back, but Lee didn't really know that, did he?
That voice was awfully similar, though.
Naruto moved his gaze until he found the source of the voice that had inadvertently saved him. And they found…a giant turtle? Or was it a tortoise? He had never been able to tell the difference.
Lee kneeled in front of the turtle as if it was some kind of deity, his face apologetic and full of worry. "I'm sorry! Please, I only wanted to test my capabilities—"
The turtle scowled, the expression looking comical on the reptile's face. "That move is forbidden for a reason, Lee. I am gravely disappointed by your lack of thinking ahead. A fight isn't just about brawns, unfortunately, or your sensei would've been the strongest in our village long ago. For your lack of obedience, a fit punishment will be assigned."
Naruto just looked at the conversation blankly. This had to be a joke.
"I promise, I'll face the consequences without hesitation," Lee swore solemnly, putting a fist to his heart.
The turtle nodded. "Alright then. I believe your sensei wants to talk with you."
Smoke spun on the turtle's large shell, as a large man appeared on top. With his distinctly green suit, bushy eyebrows, and exuberant pose, it was obvious who it was. Lee's sensei, Gai.
"Gai sensei!" Lee shouted.
Lee rushed to his mentor, who stood still and waited—
Blood splattered from the boy's mouth as Gai punched him straight in the face, knocking him back for all it was worth. Naruto stood, shocked at the sudden turn of events.
"Lee, I'm very disappointed in you. If I didn't come any sooner…" Gai shook his head. "Well, let's not talk about that. I'll make this quick since both of you need to leave soon. The first examination will be starting. Once the exam is done, I'll make you run around Konoha a hundred laps!"
Lee grinned widely, putting a thumbs up. "Sure, Gai sensei!"
The two hugged each other for eternity, or that was what Naruto assumed happened. He had left the moment Gai had mentioned the Chuunin Exams. How did I manage to get so distracted? Naruto thought bemusedly. Hopefully, I didn't miss anything, if I did…I don't even want to imagine Sasuke's or Sakura's reaction.
"Naruto-san, please wait a second!" Lee shouted from behind him.
Naruto waited for the boy to catch up. "What is it? The exam is going to start soon."
"Don't worry, Gai sensei told me there is still some time left. We have six to ten minutes before it starts, actually. I wanted to speak to you about something."
Naruto was confused. What's there to speak about? He nodded for Lee to continue.
"During the fight, as I used the Front Lotus, I noticed something strange. I'm sure it was the case, however, as I'm pretty good at inferring things. You seemed to be holding something back for whatever reason, Naruto-san," Lee said quietly, walking beside the blond.
The blond was slightly impressed. Was it the brief moment of hesitation that set him off? Either way, it didn't matter. Naruto had nothing to say back because what Lee said was true.
Lee rightfully took his lack of response as confirmation. "So I was right. I won't judge you for holding back against me, since I've done the same thing. But I urge you to not try to do this during the exams! Especially against me of all people. Holding back against an equally strong opponent is considered an insult for me and many others—that's all I wanted to say. Thank you for accepting my spar."
Naruto wasn't sure why, but he started to feel guilty all the same.
Lee headed off first, saying goodbye, leaving Naruto his own thoughts. The blond could only sigh. There's really no way to show my necromancy, is there?
But if he had to fight Lee, Naruto promised himself that he would try his damn hardest even without his shadows for help.
He made his way back to the room, to the rest of the teams gathered. The villages seemed to have naturally separated themselves, each of them in their own corner of the room. Naruto made his way to the 'Konoha section', eager to meet all of his friends from the Academy.
Inside the Konoha section, all of the ninja teams were separated by year groups from the Academy.
"Yo!" Naruto greeted.
There was Shikamaru and the rest of his team, Kiba and the rest of his, and Naruto's own.
"Oh, Naruto is here! You look a bit different!" Kiba announced, looking at him up and down.
Naruto looked at himself doubtfully. Did he really? Maybe he grew an inch or less.
"Just kidding. Haha…you should've seen your face," the Inuzuka said, laughing uncontrollably.
Naruto felt his eye twitch. "Well, you don't seem to have changed much either—still as stubborn as ever, huh?"
Kiba froze, before nodding smugly. "That's right."
Shikamaru hit him lightly on the neck. "It wasn't a compliment, idiot. Hey, Naruto."
"Shikamaru, I'm surprised to see you here, to be honest. I thought you wouldn't have wanted to compete in the Chuunin Exams," Naruto mentioned, looking at the spiky-haired Genin curiously.
"Eh…you'd be right, actually," Shikamaru admitted, scratching his head. "But I don't think Ino or Choji would have let me live if I didn't come."
"You bet!" Ino shouted from a different conversation with Sasuke and Sakura. Naruto almost felt bad for the Uchiha. Almost.
He looked at the rest of the teams. "Yo, Hinata and Shino."
Naruto was tempted to use observe on all of the ninjas, but he had already done that a month prior. Hinata had improved at drastic bounds but still wasn't at the footsteps of the heights he was currently at. Shino was at a similar rate of improvement but was probably stronger than Hinata if she did not use her Byakugan. Or, that was what he assumed from their individual stats. Shino's bugs weren't a well-known secret within Konoha, and his last name would probably be recognized by some older ninjas from other villages. They all knew how deadly his bugs could be.
Hinata stuttered, as usual, red creeping up to her cheeks. "H-hi, Naruto-kun!"
"It's nice seeing you again, Naruto-san," Shino said, his voice wasn't very quiet but it still sounded like a whisper for some reason.
The rest of the conversation went on similarly, with everyone running some sort of small talk here or there.
"Nine rookies straight from the Academy, it's certainly a rare sight."
Naruto's ears perked at the new voice.
The tall boy looked unusual, to say the least. Longer, silver hair was tied up in a ponytail, and circular glasses surrounding his eyes, he looked like the typical smart student back at the Academy. He was from Konoha, at least.
He continued with his haughty voice. "If I'm being honest, you guys seem kind of naive. You really shouldn't be taking these exams so lightly."
"And who are you?" Ino asked, annoyed.
"Kabuto. Trust me on this one, don't underestimate everyone around you. It's my seventh time taking the exam, and I still haven't become a Chuunin. Here, take a look at these ninja info cards."
Naruto eyed the pieces of paper Kabuto brought out of his pocket. They were bright orange and had some kind of kanji inscribed onto them.
"These cards hold a plentitude of information about a whole lotta things. The number of participants, strengths, and weaknesses of some of the contestants, and other stuff…"
Naruto just eyed the person in front of him warily. To have so much information…he wasn't just a regular shinobi, was he? Being a seventh-timer for the Chuunin Exams didn't seem to deter his other talents. But it appeared it be incredibly useful, and he wasn't going to waste the opportunity to gauge his opponents' abilities. The main goal for all of this was to become a Chuunin at the end of the exams, after all.
The spectacled Genin was practically begging for them to ask him about someone or something. Maybe to build some trust? Naruto stopped himself. He had begun being too paranoid these days.
Naruto stepped forward. "Can you tell me about Gaara? He's a Genin from Suna."
Kabuto smirked before shuffling through his cards wildly.
He finally plucked one out, before he began to read out the details one by one. "Gaara, huh? Well, he's quite the capable one, isn't he? Eight C-ranked missions, and one B-ranked mission even before the entrance one. Not bad for a Genin. There's not much information on his strengths, unfortunately. As for his feats…he has returned from all of his missions without a single scratch."
Naruto listened intently. He had learned nothing from that, other than the fact the boy was even more of a monster than he expected him to be.
He tuned the others out as Sasuke began asking about Lee. The Chuunin Exams were going to be even tougher than he thought they would. If they were any more monsters like Lee and Gaara, this would not end up well in the slightest. And that was without counting Neji.
"Shut your worthless mouths up, all of you!"
Naruto flinched a bit at the loud noise and explosion of smoke.
The smoke settled out, revealing an entire gang of shinobi for everyone to see.
"The name is Morino Ibiki, the examiner for the initial test."
Morino Ibiki was a tall man, who expressed an aura of confidence and intimidation. His face was scarred gruesomely, and the dark trench coat that he wore didn't do much to change his impression.
"Everyone please submit your applications and sit down at the seat number mentioned."
Naruto slowly did so, making sure to eye everyone he saw. He tried not to look too long at Kurotsuchi, who was the only foreign Genin that he actually recognized. He wondered what exactly they were going to do for the first test. Looking at the tables and the classroom, it was almost like they were going to write a test of sorts…
Naruto froze.
No, they won't make us write a test, right? Naruto thought, chuckling nervously.
He had invested a lot of points into intelligence, but that didn't make him learn new information at all; it had only changed his way of thinking a bit and improved his level of understanding.
Naruto looked at the students beside him: Hinata and some random Genin from Otogakure. If it was a test, why make them sit so close to each other?
Ibiki explained the rules of the exam even further, talking about the point reductions and furthermore the team reductions made if someone happened to cheat or attempt to do so. The Chuunins surrounding them were there just to monitor each student, and to call them out if they were cheating. And then the final point. If anyone was to lose ten points, the entire team would be disqualified.
Naruto laughed hysterically in his head. Of course! Of course, we will all be disqualified!
He could tell Sakura and Sasuke were thinking similar thoughts if the stunned looks on their faces were any indication.
He continued to brood as the papers were passed out. They had an hour to solve only ten questions, which wasn't a good sign at all. Every student knows that it's the tests with fewer questions to be more worried about, as they had the most effect on your grades overall.
Naruto went through the questions one by one. Maybe at least one of them would be easy, right?
Question One: Assume a kunai was thrown at an enemy shinobi perched on a tree at a distance of twenty meters away. The angle between the kunai with respect to the ground was twenty degrees. If the shinobi has the standard speed of a Chuunin, at what angle and velocity should a second kunai be thrown to hit the enemy? You may assume some circumstances for yourself as long as they are realistic.
Naruto felt his eyes bulging out of their sockets.
What kind of question even was that? Was that even possible to solve? What even was the use of being able to solve such a problem on the battlefield? Could someone casually calculate it all in the blink of an eye in the middle of a fight? Shaking his head, Naruto went to the next questions.
They were all the same.
He tried not to bang his head on the table in frustration.
No, no…I have to think through this. These are questions I don't think even Sakura could solve confidently. If she can't, then most of the people in the room can't either. Naruto's eyes widened in realization. Why does cheating only cost two marks? Shouldn't it result in disqualification? And why are the seats so close together? It's almost like they made it easier to cheat…wait. They want us to cheat without being caught. The ability to do things secretly is a staple of all shinobi!
But then came the next problem.
Sasuke had the Sharingan, both Hinata and Neji had their Byakugan, and the others had special abilities of their own. He did not have any special abilities that could help him cheat without having one of the proctors realize it immediately.
As he thought about that, Genin teams were being eliminated one by one.
Hinata seemed to understand his predicament.
Looking ahead, she slightly tipped her paper so that it was visible for Naruto to see some of the answers. Apparently, Hinata was smarter than she let on as she already had four or five of the questions filled out.
The temptation was there, and it was begging him to look. An invisible force was pulling his head towards the paper even as he tried to look away.
"Naruto-kun, copy these answers," Hinata whispered as softly as possible, which wasn't very different from her regular voice. Okay, maybe it was, but to the blond, it felt like such.
With the number of people leaving already, there's no point in attempting the risk. I wouldn't be surprised if Hinata and I have already lost some points by now. No, I need to refuse. I have to wait for the last question!
He shook his head slightly, before looking back at the paper. She must have gotten the message by the way she shuffled her paper back to a normal position.
Forty minutes passed, each second a tantalizing wait for the final question.
"The tenth question will now be announced."
The final rule for the tenth question was even more horrifying to hear. Naruto sweated as he felt the pressure build. Should he accept or reject the question now? Considering he did not write a single answer, it was only expected for him to leave.
That left only one, crazy option.
Naruto raised his hand. "Uhh…before you say the final question. I need to go the restroom, please."
He could feel the judging stares of all the Genin on his back. Kankuro had done the same thing several minutes before.
"Proctor, take this boy to the restrooms," Ibiki said disdainfully.
Naruto was placed in cuffs and dragged along with ropes. The cuffs were probably in place to prevent him from doing any jutsus, which was an appropriate enough handicap. The blond made his way into the restroom and to one of the stalls.
They were not very well maintained nor clean, but it would do for now. He didn't come there for such a purpose, after all.
"Make it quick, brat! You've wasted enough as it is!" The proctor barked from the corner of the restroom.
He was attempting a wild risk, but it was certainly better than the expulsion of him and both his teammates. And for it to work, he would have to be willing to do something dirty. Naruto took a deep breath. Observe.
[Observing…]
[Observation successful!]
Name: Yuta Hanami
Title: "The Textbook Genius"
Occupation: Chuunin of Konoha
Level: LV13
HP: 100/100
MP: 100/100
Chakra: 125/125
STR: 7
VIT: 6
DEX: 8
INT: 10
WIS: 5
LUK: 5
The Chuunin that brought him out was…incredibly weak. Naruto was surprised at just how weak Yuta was. It brought up the question of what the Chuuunin Exams exactly tested if someone of a mere level thirteen was able to become Chuunin. Naruto knew he was not that high-leveled either, but his level was completely skewed by the number of abilities the system had given him was not taken into consideration. His real level would be at the very least five or four higher.
The Genin was also very lucky for Yuta to be considered "The Textbook Genius".
He zipped up his pants.
The cuffs would prevent jutsus, all right.
But Naruto's abilities never needed his hands, did they?
Summon Shadow Zabuza!
Shadows arose from behind the Chuunin, who stood motionless as the atrocity behind him continued to grow. Wispy darkness materialized into human form, and the dark form of Kubikiribōchō made its place on the proctor's neck.
Yuta froze as he felt the familiar feeling of steel pressed against his neck.
Naruto glared at the Chuunin menacingly as Yuta dropped the leash to the cuffs in shock.
"W-what are–"
"Shout, move, or try anything and I'll kill you right here and now," Naruto interrupted coldly.
"You can't! You and your team will be disqualified!" Yuta whispered in fright.
Naruto chuckled slowly. It was an incredibly odd sound to hear from the small boy, which made it all the more terrifying. That was the effect he was going for, after all.
Naruto took a step closer to the sweating man. "The deal is simple: tell me all the answers to the exam, or else you die."
"Y-you won't hurt m-me!"
"Do you not know who I am?" Naruto asked, grinning evilly. "I'm the container of the Kyuubi. Even now, it's begging me to kill you, tear you apart, and feed on your flesh. Should I answer it, Yuta Hanami?"
Yuta gasped at the mention of his name. "P-please, I can't willingly let you cheat! They'll kick me out—"
"How is this willingly? I'm forcing you to tell me, Yuta-san, it's practically cheating just like the others. This jutsu of mine, it's not an illusion—it's a curse. Mention that I cheated during the test, and that sword will come down. I don't care whether I do it in the middle of the classroom, and neither does the Nine-tails. Now, will you reveal the answers or not?"
Naruto focused all of his intent on Yuta, willing him to answer.
[Ding!]
[New Skill Achieved: Bloodlust - Lvl 1]
Yuta nodded hesitatingly.
Naruo smirked. "That wasn't so hard, was it? Now, the second question was especially hard…"
[-]
"All have you passed the exam!"
Naruto tried not to yell in frustration as the real intent behind the mission was revealed by Ibiki. According to the rules, he didn't even have to write anything and he still would have passed.
Regardless, he had passed the test.
Naruto walked out of the classroom, sending a thumbs-up to Yuta, who refused to acknowledge his existence. Well, I couldn't really expect anything else. Whew, acting like a psychopathic murderer really takes a toll on me.
The first exam was over.
And he had passed with flying colors, and threats.
Ibiki began another long speech to inspire the students, but was interrupted as a ball of purple flew through the glass window and into the class. Fragments of glass erupted onto the floor before the purple figure slowly unveiled…herself?
"I'm Anko Mitarashi! The chief exam officer for the second examination of the Chuunin Exams!"
This is going to be annoying.
[Ding!]
[Skill Tree has been unlocked.]
Naruto looked at the floating screen next to him.
Skill tree? What the hell is this?
[Choose between the two skills shown:
[Enhanced Eyesight Lvl 1]
[Iron Skin Lvl 1]