36 Chapter 30: The First Test

First off, let me apologize for the long wait. I tried to write my Beast Wars chapter, but that one is proving difficult to write. Mostly motivation problems. Finally got it done, though.

Secondly, I've got a new challenge request for you aspiring Naruto fanfic authors out there. Ruler of the elements has a Naruto fanfic challenge on their profile page, so if you are interested in taking it up, please go read up on it and contact them about writing it.

Thirdly, looks like I did it again. Thank you again, anonymous guest, for padding my review counts. Your frustrated efforts to justify being an asshole continue to swell my heart.

That's right folks, they struck again. Admittedly, they raised a good point; Sakura did actually help Naruto out by giving him CPR during the war against Akatsuki/Madara/Zetsu army. So she's got…1 point in her favor. But then again…did Sakura protect Naruto from a giant bee summons? Or from a shinobi capable of utilizing magnetic based jutsu? Or from Pein, probably one of the most OP'd and Haxed villains in the series?

So, before you go saying Hinata was never there for Naruto, check the manga and anime. Yes I know filler episodes aren't considered 'canon', but they are there, they exist, and even if you don't count the filler episodes of the anime, there are at least THREE instances that ARE CANON where Hinata did more for Naruto in ten minutes then Sakura did for Naruto IN MONTHS of being his teammate. Hinata restoring Naruto's courage to face off against Neji, Hinata saving his life by throwing herself against Pein to protect Naruto even though she knew she couldn't beat him, and Hinata snapping Naruto out of his funk when Neji died. I don't recall Sakura EVER giving Naruto words of encouragement when he needed them most (in fact didn't she lie directly to his face in order to assuage her own guilty feelings due to Sai's statements?), and she's only saved his life ONCE despite being his teammate for months/years. Hinata's given him encouragement at least twice in canon, saved his life at least three times in the filler episodes and once in canon, and they're on separate teams. Not to mention that Sakura saving Naruto's life once still doesn't negate months of verbal and physical abuse, as well as her basically stomping Naruto's heart into the ground by begging him to retrieve Sasuke, and basically guilt tripping him to do so, and then later on lying to his face about her feelings for him, not because she actually likes him, but because she's feeling guilty over what Sai has said.

So, guest, continue your trollish attempts to enrage me and justify your need for attention. I'll be happy to accept the reviews and expose you to everyone else in the process. Maybe then you'll realize that the attention you're getting isn't the type you want.

So, with that out of the way, time to move on to the chapter. Sorry about the long wait on this one folks. My Maelstrom Siblings chapter was a doozy to write, and A Simple Mission was taking forever.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Assassin's Creed. They are the properties of Masashi Kishimoto and Ubisoft respectively. Please support the official releases.

Chapter 30

The First Test

Naruto blinked as he looked at the piece of paper Anko had handed to him, and was in the process of handing to Ino and Hinata. "So you recommended us for the Chuunin exams?" He asked, eyes widening a bit as he looked up at her. "Already?"

"Yep! What do you all think?" Anko asked with a grin, looking at her three charges. They all looked at each other, then down at the papers in their hands.

Hinata finally spoke up. "Anko-sensei, do you think we're ready for this? I mean, we haven't been genin for that long," she said.

Naruto chuckled softly. "Guess we're just that awesome, right Ino?" He asked her with a grin.

Anko chuckled at that. "Don't get too big of a head, Naruto. These exams will be tough. But I'm confident you all can handle them. However, this is your choice. You guys can choose to take the exams or not. I just recommended you to the Hokage, and he accepted my recommendation."

The trio looked at the papers again as she spoke. "The exams are in a week, so you'll have till then to decide. In the meantime, our team has been put on light duty until then, and we'll be doing light training until you all decide, so as to make sure you're not injured beforehand. Any questions?"

Hinata slowly raised her hand. "Who else is in the exam?" She asked.

"I can't give you the exact details, due to a mixture of not giving you all an unfair advantage, and me not knowing. What I can tell you is that we've got several teams from various villages. Including two from Kumo. Hinata, you'll want to watch out for them. You too Ino," she told them, as both of them flinched slightly, due to Kumo's notorious, though 'unproven' reputation for kidnapping those who had bloodlines or unique abilities. Especially females.

"Something else as well," Anko said, looking serious. "You'll be facing off against Konoha teams. While the majority of them will probably stick to only incapacitations during any combat related tests, some of them could go overboard, and will fight, quite possibly, to the death. If that's the case, remember to fight back to defend yourself."

Ino winced slightly at that. "Would that really happen?" She asked.

Anko shook her head. "It's a possibility Ino. During the Chuunin Exams, your life will be on the line. So please, be careful, alright? I don't want to bury any of my students."

As they all nodded, she continued. "That being said, your greatest threat will likely be the shinobi from the other villages. While those we're allied with might show you leniency and just fight till you or they surrender, the shinobi from Iwa and Kumo aren't likely to be as merciful. So be careful, okay?"

Ino let out a nervous chuckle. "Not so sure about this now," she said, only to find Anko looking directly at her.

"You need to be sure Ino. That's what I want all of you think about this next week, okay? Ask yourselves if you're absolutely sure you want to do this, that you're ready for it. Because if you show any hesitancy or lack of faith, you should forget about taking the exam," she said in a serious voice, before grinning. "But hey, remember that I have faith in you, alright?"

When they all slowly nodded, she grinned. "Well if that's all, then you're dismissed for the day. Do some solo training, but rest up and think about whether you want to enter the exams or not," she said, before giving them a lazy salute. "Later."

As she disappeared in a shunshin, Hinata glanced at her two teammates. "What do you all think?" She asked.

Naruto let out a shrug. "I think we can handle it. Probably. At the very least, it'd be a learning experience."

Ino glanced down at the paper. "And if we managed to succeed, to be promoted, imagine what people would think about that," she said with a slight grin. 'Rookie genin becoming chuunin on their first exam?"

Hinata nodded quietly, but she looked thoughtful. "Still…I think we should consider this carefully. Maybe we should also keep our eyes open the next few days, to scope out any competition," she said. 'Especially if a certain team is entering into the exams,' she thought, her eyes narrowing slightly.

Naruto and Ino both nodded in understanding at that, before Naruto spoke up. "Alright then. So we'll all head home, think about, and talk some more about it tomorrow?"

"Sounds good," Hinata said.

"Yeah. I need to go help my mom out anyways. And if Sakura's team was nominated, she might want to talk to me about this. Or I should talk to her about it," Ino said.

Naruto just nodded with a grin. "Alright then. Till tomorrow guys," he said, as he turned to head off, his two teammates doing the same.

As Naruto started to head back to his apartment, he quietly began to think about what he'd do with his spare time, since they were going to be undergoing light training until they made their decision. He figured that the lighter training sessions might give him more time to work on something he had started looking into: seals. His mother and father had left him notes and scrolls on fuinjutsu, but he had not had time to truly look into the subject, having been more focused on his shinobi and Assassin training during his years in the Academy and the past several months. However, shortly after Tomo had left, he had found himself starting to read the scrolls left behind by his parents, to gain an understanding of this shinobi skill that so few had mastered or were capable of mastering. He knew both of his parents were highly skilled at seals, due in large part to his mother being from a clan that specialized in seals to an almost unheard of level. And his father was highly skilled in them too, though in his notes he admitted that his skill largely came from a mixture of his sensei and Kushina training him.

Naruto had decided that studying fuinjutsu would be a useful addition to his arsenal of skills, as both a shinobi and an Assassin. Not to mention that it was a way to help him feel closer to his parents. But also…he wanted to learn how to break the seal that was on Hinata's forehead, and at the very least, replace it with a discreetly hidden seal that would not be a beacon to everyone around her, but would still protect her bloodline.

Nodding to himself, he decided that when he wasn't thinking on the upcoming Chuunin Exams, he'd focus on studying his parents' scrolls. He already had some understanding of the basics, though he had yet to attempt to make even the simplest of seals. But soon, he'd be on his way to becoming a skilled fuinjutsu user.

Meanwhile, Hitomi Hyuuga quietly sat in the garden on the Hyuuga Estate, staring into the small, peaceful pond. To anyone watching her, they'd think she was simply enjoying the serenity and calmness of the garden. But that was due to the years of enforced etiquette lessons drilled into her. In truth, Hitomi was emotionally distraught, struggling not to burst out into tears at her situation.

It had been five years since her eldest daughter had been banished from the clan. Five years as she had sat there, unable to do anything but weakly protest the punishment bestowed upon Hinata, unable to offer anything except the scant, secret aid she had given her child. To her, it had felt like she had done nothing. That she had failed her daughter in every way possible. And that guilt continued to eat at her.

She had tried to move on, to focus instead on helping her only remaining child, Hanabi. Her youngest daughter had been devastated that her nee-chan was gone, and that she couldn't spend time with her anymore. Hitomi had done what she could to cheer her up, and for a time, it had been working.

But then Hiashi, intent on not allowing his remaining child and heir to follow the path of 'weakness' that Hinata had followed, took over almost every moment of Hanabi's life. He began to train her, pushing her hard, pushing her to meet his expectations. He continually enforced his ideals, his will on Hanabi, who at her young, impressionable age, began to succumb to her father's actions, starting to become harder, colder.

Hitomi couldn't help but feel the guilt she had double. She had failed Hinata, and now, she was failing Hanabi. What little time she spent with her child showed her that the young, happy, sweet girl Hanabi had been was being replaced by 'the ideal Hyuuga Heiress'. And she couldn't think of any way to stop it. Not without standing up to Hiashi, to defy him.

Hitomi couldn't help but feel like a coward. She was a mother, who should be fighting for and defending her children, protecting them from abusive environments, and helping them to grow into strong, happy children. And instead, she simply cowered and hid from her husband, following his and the clan's rules.

For one brief moment, she lowered her head, and let her emotional control slip, as a few tears fell from her eyes, and into the pond itself. She let out no sound, as she would not disgrace herself more than she already had, as she quietly wept for the loss of both her daughters.

Konoha Alleys, two days later

Konohamaru grinned as he ran through wood lined alleys of Konoha, playing with his two friends Udon and Moegi. He had met them in the Academy, and the trio had quickly become friends, each with a dream of being a great shinobi. And so they had formed their own pseudo shinobi team, 'training' together after class.

Currently, the trio was on their way to the Hokage tower, where they would meet Ebisu, who Konohamaru had 'persuaded' to train his friends as well. Konohamaru grinned as he looked over his shoulder. "C'mon you guys! This way!" He yelled, rounding a corner while not watching where he was going. As such, he didn't see the person he ran into, causing him to yell as he fell on his butt.

Udon and Moegi stopped right behind where he sat, rubbing his cheek, as the person he ran into grunted. "Watch it you little brat," a masculine voice said, as the now identified man reached down, grabbing Konohamaru by the scarf he wore and yanking him up into the air.

The grandson of the Sandaime found himself looking at a teenage boy wearing a black one piece outfit that had long sleeves and legs, as well as a hood that featured two cat ear like protrusions on top. His face was decorated with purple lines and markings, while the hourglass emblem of Sunagakure no Sato (Hidden Sand Village) decorated the metal plate of his forehead protector. He also seemed to be carrying a large wrapped bundle on his back.

Konohamaru struggled in the boy's grip, as an annoyed female voice spoke. "Kankuro, what are you doing?" Asked a teenage girl who joined the black clothed Suna shinobi. She was clothed in a short skirted cream colored dress made of a thick material, that bared her shoulders, with the hem of the skirt slanting from her mid upper left thigh down to knee her right knee, and sleeves that stopped mid forearm. A red sash was tied around her waist, with mesh under armor covering her shoulders and chest, as well as her left thigh and right calf. She also had a Suna protector around her neck, with her sandy blonde hair pulled into four spiky ponytails. Oddly enough, she seemed to have a large iron bar stuck into the back of her sash.

Kankuro grinned back at her sister. "Getting an apology out of this brat for bumping into me, Temari. Isn't that right brat?" He asked, turning his attention back to Konohamaru, who kept struggling.

"Yeah right! Like I'd ever apologize to some crazy cat man wearing his mom's makeup!" Konohamaru shouted, as Kankuro narrowed his eyes.

"It's war paint you little brat. And I guess I need to show you to respect your elders!" he said, raising his other fist to smash into Konohamaru's face, only to let out a high pitched yell of pain as Konohamaru's foot connected with his crotch. He let go of Konohamaru as he dropped to his knees, clutching his family jewels, while Konohamaru scampered back with Udon and Moegi.

Temari just let out a sigh, face palming at the sight. "Damnit Kankuro, why do you have to be so annoying?" She muttered, as Kankuro struggled to his feet, glaring at the trio of little kids.

"Oohh, that's it you little punk!" Kankuro shouted, still hunched over slightly, while reaching for the bundle on his back. "I'm going to show you what happens when-!"

"Is there a problem here?" Spoke a calm, collected female voice, causing everyone to look behind the two Suna shinobi. Standing there was Yugito Nii, along with Naruto. The pair of them had been on their way to the Assassin's headquarters to hear a report sent in from Raphael when they heard the yelling and shouting. Now they eyed the two Suna shinobi and trio of Academy students.

Kankuro sneered slightly, as he finally stood up straight, while Temari answer. "No problem here. We were just leaving, weren't we Kankuro?" She asked, glaring at Kankuro.

"…yeah. We just were," Kankuro said.

"That's good," Yugito said, watching them. "I'd hate to think you were about to assault the grandson of the Sandaime Hokage. It would mean I'd have to take you to jail, and that could cause all kinds of political problems between Konoha and Suna," she added, as this made Kankuro tense, while Temari just groaned. Her dumbass brother had to not only be an asshole, but be an asshole towards the grandson of Konoha's leader.

Before Temari or Kankuro could speak, a monotone voice spoke up instead. "Kankuro, you're a disgrace," said a figure hanging from a nearby tree.

Naruto glanced over, blinking as he took in the pale skinned boy hanging from the tree by his feet. He was clad in short sleeved black one piece outfit with the sleeves of a slightly longer sleeved mesh undershirt visible extending from the sleeves of his outfit. Over this he was wearing a white sash tied around his waist, with a leather belt running from his left shoulder to his right hip, and a white sash running from opposite shoulder to hip. His Suna forehead protector was tied around the leather belt at his right hip, while a massive gourd hung on his back. His most distinguishing features though was the red short hair on his head, and the black, raccoon like markings surrounding his light blue eyes, with the kanji for 'love' tattooed above his left eye in what looked like blood red ink.

The boy disappeared in a sand shunshin, reappearing between Yugito and Naruto, and his two fellow Suna shinobi, who both now seemed incredibly tense and fearful. "We're not here to mess around, are we Kankuro?" The boy asked in that same tone.

Kankuro just whimpered, as Temari began to speak. "N-Now Gaara, w-we were just-."

"Shut up Temari, or I'll kill you," he said, before turning to look at Naruto and Yugito.

Inside Yugito, Matatabi's eyes narrowed as she sensed the aura around Gaara. "Kitten…he's like you," she said. "He holds the Ichibi. I can sense it."

Yugito blinked as she spoke mentally to her biju. 'You're certain?' She asked her.

"I'm definitely sure. I can sense his chakra. Not to mention the bloodlust."

Naruto was also receiving similar information from Kyuubi. "Hmph, that crazy rodent always did tend to drive his hosts mad," Kyuubi muttered.

'So he's a jinchuuriki like me? And considering his age, that probably means he'll be in the Chuunin exams. Just great, a freaking jinchuuriki for competition,' Naruto muttered mentally.

"Quit complaining, ape," Kyuubi snapped. "Besides, you'll always be able to simply take my power to beat him," he said, though his voice sounded slightly bitter.

Naruto blinked at that, shaking his head slightly.

The boy however just stared at him. "…you're both like me, aren't you? Mother is screaming in my head that you are like me," he said, a slight manic look appearing in his eyes. "I am Gaara of Suna. And I shall enjoy meeting the two of you again…on the battlefield," he said.

Before Naruto or Yugito could reply, Gaara whirled. "We're leaving," he told his two siblings, who quickly followed him as he moved past the stunned Academy students.

Yugito watched the retreating boy, shivering slightly at the pure bloodlust she had felt in the boy's aura and voice. "Naruto," she began.

"I know. He's like us. Only…worse," Naruto said quietly, as Konohamaru and his friends came over.

"Thank you," Konohamaru said, smiling at Yugito. "You saved me there. And boss, it's great to see you!" He said, only to yelp as Naruto flicked him in the forehead.

"Konohamaru, what did you do to piss that guy off?" Naruto asked, as Moegi spoke up.

"Nothing! Boss just accidentally bumped into him, and he acted like a total jerk!" She said, as Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Boss huh? Already on your way to being Hokage, Konohamaru?" Naruto asked with a grin, as the young boy nodded, rubbing his forehead.

"Yeah! These are my friends and teammates! Udon and Moegi!" He said happily.

Naruto glanced at the pair of kids with Konohamaru. Udon had short light brown hair, and wore a pair of glasses, along with a long sleeved blue shirt and khaki shorts. And he seemed to have a constant snot problem, judging by the bubble constantly forming outside one of his nostrils. Moegi however had vivid orange hair done up in two horn like ponytails, and seemed to also have a permanent blush. She had on a pinkish-white shirt with a red vest and cape over it, as well as tan shorts.

Naruto smiled and nodded to them. "Nice to meet you both. I'm Naruto Uzumaki," he said. "And this is Yugito Nii."

The Nibi jinchuuriki smiled and waved to them, as Moegi grinned, smiling up at her. "Wow! You were really awesome! And you're so pretty! Can you teach me to be an awesome kunoichi like you?!" She asked excitedly.

Yugito gave a sheepish grin. "Maybe later. Me and Naruto have some important business we have to get to," she said.

"Okay! We got to get to our training anyways. It was great seeing you again boss!" Konohamaru shouted, rushing off with his friends.

Naruto waved at them as they left, chuckling softly. That chuckle died though as he looked at Yugito. "That Gaara guy…how messed up do you think he is?" He asked quietly.

Yugito gave a soft shudder. "Considering how much bloodlust he was giving off? Let me give you a piece of advice Naruto. If you can…don't fight him. Because he'll kill you…and he'll enjoy every second of it."

Naruto nodded, gulping slightly. "Joy," he murmured, as he followed her down the alleyway.

Neither of them noticed however the figures watching them from a nearby rooftop. Four figures, each bearing the emblem of Kumo on their forehead protectors.

Karui's eyes narrowed as she took in the female blonde walking away. "So that's her, huh? That's Yugito Nii."

Kirabi nodded, arms crossed. "Yep that's her indeed. My fellow jinchuuriki," he said.

Samui however was studying the boy moving with Yugito, taking in his outfit, as well as Yugito's. "…those two are connected," she stated calmly. "They are both wearing outfits with similarities. As well as both having similar bracers on their left arms."

"You think she's maybe his jounin sensei?" Omoi asked, for once not going into an overly paranoid rant.

"Possibly. Still, this could be a connection we could exploit, if we go after her. Target him to get to her. Or target him for information on her," Samui stated coldly.

Karui grinned, cracking her knuckles. "I think we can do that, during the exams," she said, only for Kirabi to place a hand on her shoulder, becoming serious.

"That's not our mission. Not yet anyways. Remember, we're focusing on getting to the finals, nothing else. Once we do that, then we'll see with Raikage-sama has to say. Understood?" He asked.

As the trio of genin nodded, he grinned. "Now let's go see what there is to munch. Kirabi's got a craving for some lunch," he said, slipping back into his rhymes, as Omoi and Karui both groaned out, following him. Samui quietly did the same, after casting one last lingering look at the retreating figures.

Eastern Hi no Kuni

Raphael frowned quietly as he hid in the tops of a tree, watching the camp ahead of him. He had been on his way to Konoha from the port where Mukei had dropped him off, when he had encountered a group of shinobi. He wouldn't have bothered tailing them, if it weren't for the fact that they weren't Konoha shinobi. Instead, he had found what seemed to be two different groups of shinobi, traveling together.

It was a small group, perhaps no more than ten shinobi altogether. Six of them were wearing the gray and khaki colors of Suna shinobi, with Suna emblems on their forehead protectors. The remaining four however were wearing a different uniform, consisting of a black body suit with a balaclava over their heads. Over this suit they wore a tunic that was a grayish purple, with a darker gray sash around their waist, and black straps running over their shoulders and under their armpits. High collars with a gray and black camo pattern and a musical note emblem on the metal plates sewn onto the foreheads of their balaclavas completed their outfits.

Raphael had actually stumbled across them by accident, having been 'relieving' himself along the road when he had seen a couple of them pass by. Curious, he had followed, and found their compatriots, all camped out.

This had set off the alarm bells in Raphael's mind. He knew that Chuunin Exams were taking place in Konoha, and seen a few of them when it had been Konoha's turn to host them in the past, and knew foreign shinobi would be entering Hi no Kuni and Konoha itself to participate. But none of these shinobi were genin, and thus the fact that they were in Hi no Kuni was suspicious, even though the majority of them were from a village allied with Konoha.

So Raphael had decided to track them, to find out what they were up to. If it was nothing, no harm done. But if they were up to something, then he would need to let Sarutobi know about it.

Currently, the majority of them were breaking camp, as the two that had been on sentry duty kept watch. Raphael though was amused to find that even in a world filled with shinobi, who were taught how to be stealthy, none of them thought to look up apparently as he hadn't been seen by any of them. As they finished packing their things and started to move out, he waited quietly for a few minutes, until he was sure they didn't have anyone doubling back or checking for a tail. Then he slowly got up, and began to move after them, hoping he would find out soon what it was they were up to.

Konoha Academy, day of the Chuunin Exam

Naruto glanced up at the Academy, feeling nervous as he did so, even if he looked calm on the outside. It was the end of the week, and the start of the Chuunin Exams. During the week, Team Eight had continued their training, though it was lighter than normal, and had discussed, together, their thoughts on the Chuunin Exams, and participating in it. In the end, the trio had decided that if Anko had faith in them, then they would go for it.

Now though, as Naruto waited for his teammates, he couldn't help but still feel nervous about this decision. It was a big step, and they would be going into this without their sensei. Throughout all the training, both as an assassin and as a shinobi, Naruto had always known that one of his sensei or mentors was there, to have his back. The only time he didn't have help was going into the execution in Nami, and then, he knew too many innocent lives were riding on him for him to be truly nervous.

But here, now? There was nothing riding on this except the chance of becoming a chuunin. And so the nerves made their presence known with a vengeance.

He started a bit when he felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned, finding Ino and Hinata there, with the latter being the one who touched his shoulder. Hinata tilted her head slightly. "You okay Naruto-kun?" She asked.

"Yeah…yeah I'm good," he said with a grin. "You two ready?"

Ino nodded, as she checked her equipment over. She had replaced her long-sleeved top and the mesh body suit with a sleeveless top and sleeveless mesh body suit, and added a pair of flared sleeve gloves that reached from below her shoulders to her hands. Underneath both her sleeves, she carried senbon launchers strapped to her arms, with belts of reserve senbon on her arms, as well as in her supply pouch. Her kusarigama was strapped to her right side, where she could easily grab it, the chain and ball looped around several time. She also had a hood attached to her top, jokingly claiming that it was 'fashionable' that the entire team having some matching aspect of their outfits.

Hinata meanwhile was outfitted with her bow, naginata, and hidden blade braces, as well as her standard shinobi supply pouch. She also had a pouch of medical equipment, having studied some medical techniques and texts written by the famed Tsunade Senju, and thus was the team's medic.

Naruto was also ready to go, with his ninjato, crossbow, dual hidden blades, as well as his supply pouch of shinobi weapons and tools. Adjusting his gloves, he took a breath, before leading them into the Academy.

According to the admission papers, which they were to turn in when they reached their destination, they were supposed to meet at room 302 for the first part of the Chuunin Exams. Team Eight proceeded upwards to the second floor, where they found themselves running into an obstacle.

Ahead of them, there was a large group of genin crowded around a room, above which hung a sign that read 302. At the door were two other genin, who was blocking their entrance. Naruto frowned as they drew nearer. "This some type of test?" He whispered to Hinata and Ino. The rooms were numbered with the first number being what floor they were on, and they were only on the second floor.

Hinata discreetly activated her Byakugan, taking a look at the sign. "There's a genjutsu on it," she said quietly, so as not to let anyone else know. "And the two genin have chakra surrounding them. It's a henge."

"Well, let's proceed on by then," Ino said. If this was a test to weed out those who couldn't figure out they were in the wrong place, even by just looking at the other signs on nearby classrooms, then they really didn't deserve to be in the Exams here.

As they moved by though, Hinata stiffened as she caught sight of the team closest to the genin, her eyes narrowing as they locked on the former of Neji Hyuuga, her ex-cousin. Naruto felt her stiffen next to him, and gently placed a hand on her back. "Just keep moving," he said quietly.

Ino however frowned as she saw Tenten pleading with the genin to let them by. "Wait…that's the team that has that guy your friend Yakumo is training with, right? The ones who graduated last year? What are they doing here?" She asked, as they left the crowd behind.

"Selling the deception. They want to get rid of some of the competition," Naruto said with a grin. "Smart move."

The trio continued onwards, moving through a training hall, and reaching the staircase to the third level. When they reached the room, Anko was there, waiting and grinning. "So you guys decided to go for it," she said with a smile.

"Yep. We gotta show why Team Eight is the best in Konoha," Naruto said with a grin, as Anko just smirked.

"Alright. Just don't get cocky guys. There's more than enough competition in there, and they won't play nice. And good luck. Especially you imouto," she said to Hinata.

The trio nodded, as a chuunin appeared next to Anko. They turned in their papers to him, before entering the room.

Immediately, all the genin present turned their attention towards them, which the trio ignored and moved over to a relatively clear portion of the room. Most of the other genin looked away, but a few continued to watch them, recognizing that despite their youth, these three might be a challenge or a threat, given how they carried themselves differently, as well as the visible tools. All of them head their hoods down at the moment, knowing that in an environment like this, it would simply draw more attention to them.

They were surprised though when they found themselves meeting Team Ten. "Guess you guys beat us here," Hinata said.

"It was troublesome, but Shino threatened to ruin my cloud watching if we didn't make sure to arrive on time," Shikamaru said, while Shino barely turned his head.

"You are incorrect, Shikamaru-san. I merely stated that I asked Asuma-sensei to increase our training so that we would ensure we were ready the next time the Exams came around," he stated in his monotone voice, while Shikamaru shrugged.

"Same difference," he stated, making Team Eight and Chouji chuckle.

"Well, I'm glad to see you guys here," Ino said, giving them a smile, including a slightly bigger one to Chouji. "It'll be nice to have some…relatively friendly faces around during the Exams."

"Any idea if Team Seven is entering?" Chouji asked them, while munching on a bag of potato chips.

Naruto shook his head. "No sign of them yet, but we did see Team Nine in the hallway outside the fake room. That's the team that has Neji Hyuuga on it."

As if by magic, the doors opened, admitting Team Nine. The trio of genin entered, briefly looking around. Neji's eyes seemed to zero in on Hinata, and they narrowed, a dangerous look in them as he focused on her. Hinata however merely stared back, matching his gaze and not flinching, until finally Tenten pulled Neji away. Lee however smiled and gave Naruto and Hinata a thumb up and a smile.

Not that long afterwards, Team Seven did show up, both Kiba and Sasuke nursing some bruises. Kiba looked rather angry, while Sasuke looked annoyed. Sakura also looked a bit sad, moving slightly behind both her teammates, her head down slightly. Ino frowned, as she quickly went over and gently grabbed Sakura's hand. "Hey, what's going on?" she asked her, leading her back over to the others.

"Oh well…ummm, that boy over there, Lee?" Sakura said, pointing to Lee. "He ummm…well we ran into that genjutsu test, and Kiba couldn't help but call them out on it, like he was trying to impress everyone. And then Sasuke and one of the chuunin tricking everyone were about to get into a fight, but Lee stopped them. And afterwards, he challenged Sasuke to a fight, and Kiba tried to attack him and was sent flying. And then he fought Sasuke, who was also defeated, before Lee's sensei arrived, and reprimanded him. But both Sasuke and Kiba were rather annoyed, and they didn't let me help them out," she said quietly.

"That was pretty dumb of them," Naruto said quietly. "Lee might have been the dead last of his year group, but there is perhaps no genin more proficient in taijutsu in all of Konoha. He's been training hard to be able to defeat enemies with ninjutsu and genjutsu, when all he can use his taijutsu. From what I've heard, he probably can outclass quite a few chuunin in taijutsu as well."

Sakura shrugged a bit, only to blink as Kiba and Sasuke joined. "Well, well, the gang's all here," Kiba said, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Naruto. "Hope you all are ready to get your butts kicked by Team Seven," Kiba boasted.

"Only if you manage to survive spandex boy over there," Ino quipped, making Kiba growl angrily.

"Actually, there is someone you want to avoid," Naruto said, looking to the others. "You see that team over there? The one from Suna?" He asked, nodding over to where he could see the red head Gaara. "The one with the giant gourd on his back is extremely bad news. I had a run in with him a few days ago. The guy was reeking of bloodlust, and he even threatened to kill his own teammates…and they treated his threat very seriously. So I'd stay well clear of him if you can," Naruto said, giving them as much of a warning as he could. He couldn't come out and say Gaara was a jinchuuriki, because that would mean having to reveal his own knowledge of jinchuuriki and biju, and why he knew such stuff.

Kiba just scoffed, passing off Naruto's warning as cowardice, but everyone else glanced over at Gaara now, worried about him.

It was at that moment that another genin came over. He was dressed in a sleeveless purple outfit, with a gray shirt underneath, as well as a Konoha headband holding back his grayish-white hair, fingerless gloves on his hands, and glasses. He gave them all a disarming grin as he approached them. "Hello. You're all the rookies, right?" He asked them.

"Yeah? What's it to you?" Kiba asked, as the older teen kept smiling.

"You might want to keep it down. There's a lot of shinobi here on hair triggers with regards to the temper. My name's Kabuto Yakushi, a veteran of the Exams," Kabuto said.

"Really? You've taken them before?" Sakura asked curiously.

Kabuto gained a sheepish grin, rubbing the back of his head. "Sadly, yes. This is my seventh attempt," he said, making Kiba bark out in laughter.

"You must really suck!" Kiba said, only to get elbowed by Ino to make him shut up, since his loud shout drew everyone's attention.

"Or maybe the Exams are harder than we thought," Shino said quietly, making Shikamaru utter 'troublesome' under his breath.

"They are pretty tough, but I've learned a lot of things," Kabuto said, pulling out a deck of cards. "These are my info cards, on which I've recorded all kinds of data. I can share information with you, if you like?" He offered.

"Do you have any info on that boy, Rock Lee?" Sasuke asked, wanting to know more about the one who had defeated him so handily in taijutsu.

"You know his name? Too easy," Kabuto said, shuffling through his cards, all of which were blank on one side. Drawing one though, he channeled his chakra into it, revealing an image of Rock Lee as well as other information. "Rock Lee, genin student of Maito Gai, his teammates are Neji Hyuuga, the previous Rookie of the Year and prodigy of the Hyuuga Clan, and Tenten. He was the dead last of his year group, and has an extremely high taijutsu rating, but non-existent ninjutsu and genjutsu. He's accomplished twenty two D-ranked missions and ten C-ranked missions."

"What about him? Gaara from Suna," Ino asked, remembering Naruto's warning and deciding to get them some info.

"Let's see here," Kabuto said, pulling out another card. "Sabaku no Gaara, genin student of Baki, his teammates are Temari and Kankuro, his older brother and sister. He and his team have completed…whoa. No D-ranks, but seven C-ranks and a B-rank. What's more…he's never been touched, at all, by his enemies. Not a single injury," he said.

This made everyone blink and stare, while Naruto nodded quietly. Considering Gaara was a jinchuuriki, that wasn't entirely surprising. Though he had to admit he was still surprised Gaara hadn't sustained any injuries at all.

"How do you have all this information?" Sakura asked inquisitively, as Kabuto chuckled.

"Well I'm pretty good at finding out things others don't expect me to. But something easy to find out is how many teams are here, and from what villages," he said, showing them a new card which had the villages who had teams in the Exams, and how many. "It's surprising to see teams from Kumo, since they haven't sent any in the past several exams in Konoha. But there's also a brand new village premiering in this exam: Otogakure no Sato. Since they're a new village, they probably won't have much of a showing," he said.

Unfortunately, it seemed Kabuto's comment wasn't much appreciated by said genin, who were nearby. Naruto noticed the movement out of the corner of his eye. Turning, he saw a trio of figures rushing in, with the glint of metal streaking through the air at Kabuto. Kabuto ducked down, dodging a spread of senbon needles. One of the figures, with spiky black hair, swung a fist at him, making him dodge back. The last figure, which appeared to be a short bulky figure, appeared as he swung at him with a metal covered arm.

Kabuto smirked as he leaned back, only for his glasses to shatter and for him to drop onto his hands and knees, nearly puking. Naruto and Hinata narrowed their eyes, wondering how that happened, until they heard Akamaru whimpering in Kiba's jacket. Looking over, they could see him covering his ears with his paws, while Kiba also looked uncomfortable.

'A sound jutsu?' They both thought, looking towards the bulky figure, now seeing it was a man covered in bandages over his entire head and face except for his left eye and ear. He was wearing a grayish shirt with very long sleeves, along with gray and brown camo pattern pants, a large furry cape over his back, and a purple colored headband with a musical note emblem on its metal plate. His right arm was covered in a metal bracer dotted with holes.

They could now also see his teammates clearly as well. The spiky haired boy was wearing similar pants, but also had a short sleeved yellow tunic with red markings on it, with a black long sleeved undershirt, and a headband with face guards attached to it, bearing the same musical note headband. The last figure, a kunoichi, was wearing similar pants, with a green armored vest, a scarf with a similar pattern to her pants, black armbands over her forearms, and had very long black hair reaching almost to her feet. She also had a similar emblem on her forehead protector.

The bandaged figure stared down at Kabuto. "Don't forget this, scum. Otogakure no Sato will be the victors this Chuunin exams," he said with a sneer.

At that moment, there was an explosion at the front, and a line of figures appeared, with a tall imposing figure in the center. "Enough of that! Anymore fighting, and I'll personally kick your ass out of my village," said the imposing figure, dressed in a gray uniform top and pants, with a black trench coat, and a bandana style forehead protector covering the top of his head. His face was scarred quite a bit as well, adding to his intimidating stature and the look in his eyes.

The bandaged Oto shinobi pulled back, concealing his bracer in his sleeve. "Sorry. Just rather excited," he said with a hidden smirk.

The figure just glared at them, before speaking. "I am Ibiki Morino, the Proctor of the first part of the Chuunin Exams. Welcome to my hell," he said. "You will all come up here and take a number from one of my assistants, at which point you'll find your seat. Now move!"

The genin in the room all quickly started streaming forward to the line of chuunin assistants on either side of Ibiki, each of whom were dressed in the same uniform as him. They quickly took their numbers, and dispersed to find their seats, finding themselves spread out so none of them were near their teammates. As the last one sat down, the chuunin began passing out pieces of paper, each face down.

"The first portion of the Chuunin Exams is a written Exam. When I say go, you'll have forty-five minutes to answer the nine questions on the paper in front of you. After forty-five minutes are up, I will present you with a tenth, final question. Here are the rules for this test. You start off with a full ten points already. Every wrong answer will deduct one point. Every time you're caught cheating, you lose two points. If you lose all ten points, either via wrong answers or cheating, you will be disqualified. And if you're disqualified, so is your team. There is no bargaining, no pleading, and no arguing this. If you need to use the restroom, you will be accompanied by one of my assistants to ensure you're not cheating. Are there any questions?" He asked, with his tone and glare indicating they better not ask any questions.

When no one spoke, he simply smirked. "Your time starts now!"

Almost as one, everyone turned their papers over, and began reading the questions. And almost instantly, it became apparent to them that something was up.

Naruto could only stare at the question before him. 'This question…it's beyond the knowledge of most genin. Hell, I think chuunin might have a hard time with this one,' he thought, as he began reading the other questions. They were all the same, being incredibly hard.

Other genin around the room were coming to the conclusion as well. These were incredibly hard questions, ones that almost all of them wouldn't be able to answer. This made the majority of them start to sweat from sudden fear and nerves.

Hinata was busy thinking on this, before she blinked. 'Wait…these questions are beyond most of our abilities to answer. So how do they expect us to answer them? And what's with those rules? If we're caught cheating, we should immediately be disqualified, shouldn't we? So why do we only lose some points? If we can't answer the questions, we have to cheat in order to answer them. And if we only lose a couple points each time we're caught cheating…then…what if we're supposed to cheat? Is that the point of this test? Are they…they're testing our information gathering,' she thought, mentally nodding in understanding.

Very discreetly, she activated her Byakugan, allowing her to see through people, and to their papers. Finding someone who was already answering the questions, she began to copy their answers, while doing her best to keep her bulging eye veins hidden.

Others were starting to come to that conclusion as well. For some, it was simple enough to start utilizing their skills to start to cheat. Tenten had somehow managed to rig a mirror system on the roof that she manipulated with very thin threads, so that she could not only see other people's answers, but so Lee could as well, while Neji used his own Byakugan.

Ino meanwhile used her family's jutsu, as Shikamaru simply answered the questions and used his Kagemane no Jutsu (Shadow Possession Jutsu) to manipulate Chouji into writing the answers.

Sasuke decided to unveil a secret he had been holding onto since Nami. During the fighting there, he had unlocked his Sharingan, something that only his teammates, sensei, and clan knew. He was holding onto it as a trump card, even though he had been excited to get them. Now, he used them to copy another genin's writing movements.

Gaara meanwhile quietly closed one eye, as sand particles began to get into a nearby genin's eyes. When he tried to clear his eyes, an eyeball appeared hovering over his test, as Gaara began to write down on his own test.

Naruto however found himself with a problem after coming to the same conclusion. He had no means of gathering information. At least none that weren't noticeable. He couldn't summon one of his foxes. So how was he to get the answers?

He glanced around discreetly, before thinking over what he had on him. And then he blinked. He could do that. He had a mental smirk as he slowly and discreetly reached into his supply pouch, and palmed a few items.

Ibiki was watching everybody, and then he suddenly flicked out a kunai, which slammed into the test paper of a genin, who shot back with a yell. He smirked, pointing to him. "Number Thirty Two, you're disqualified! Get out of here, and same with your team," he said.

The genin slowly got up, trembling form the kunai that had almost hit him, while two others slowly got up. And yet as they did, suddenly multiple explosions went off throughout the room. Smoke quickly filled it, causing people to yell and shoot up, others preparing for an attack, as the room was filled with smoke.

The chuunin and Ibiki quickly activated a few jutsu to clear the room of smoke. Once it was clear, Ibiki glared around the room. "…whoever did that…know that if I find out who you are, I will ensure that you wish you had been caught cheating," he stated, eyes roving over the genin to see who looked suspicious.

Everyone stared back with fear, nervousness, or confusion on their faces, so eventually, he scowled and moved on. Everyone went back to work, as Naruto looked down at his paper, grinning to himself as he began writing down the answers he had been able to rapidly find off another person's paper during his little smoke bomb escapade there.

In a nearby lounge reserved normally for the chuunin instructors of the Academy, the Konoha jounin were lounging about as they waited for the first test to end. Anko was munching on some dango as she looked over to Asuma. "So I heard that Ibiki was proctoring the first exam," she said, biting into another of the dumplings.

Asuma just nodded quietly, smoking a cigarette. "Yeah. If I had known that ahead of time, I might have warned my students. That guy will really fuck with their heads."

Gai, who was nearby stretching and jogging in place, just smiled at them. "Have more faith in your students, my youthful companions! I'm sure their flames of youth will see them through and on to the next exam!"

"They'll need more than 'youth' to get by him," Kakashi said, reading his book. "But I'm sure at least some of them are going to make it through."

Anko just shot him a bit of a glare, flicking an empty skewer at him, which he deftly dodged. "Thanks for confidence boost," she muttered, sitting back and looking out the window towards the room where the students were taking their test. "You know…I'm betting if it weren't for Raphael, I'd have been part of Ibiki's Torture and Interrogation Unit," she said in a quiet voice. "Wonder how different things would be if that were the case?"

Kakashi's eyes narrowed slightly. He knew how different things would be. He would have the team he wanted, rather than Anko usurping what should have been his. Still, if things all went according to plan, he'd get what he'd want in the end of the Exams.

By the time the forty-five minutes were up, the number of genin who had been eliminated was a full seven teams, a total of twenty one genin. The rest all sat there nervously, watching as Ibiki stood before them.

"It is time for the tenth question. But before I give it to you, I'm going to explain the final rules for this question. You can choose to take the final question. But if you choose not to take it, then you and your team are automatically disqualified from the Chuunin Exams."

There were shouts of anger at that, as one genin stood up. "Well of course we're going to take it! Why wouldn't we?!" He demanded.

Ibiki gave him an evil smirk. "Because if you take the question and you get it wrong…I will make sure you remain a genin for the rest of your life," he said. "You will be barred from ever taking another Chuunin exam or being promoted by other means," he said.

This caused everyone to go silent, so much that even a pin drop would have sounded like an avalanche. Ibiki continued to smirk. "That is why you've got five minutes to decide if you want to take the final question. Disqualify you and your team, or risk any chance of you becoming a chuunin. Now decide," he said.

The genin all looked at each other fearfully, their minds racing. Could this man be serious? Could he really do that?

And then the first genin raised his hand. "I-I'm sorry, but I can't do it! I can't do it," he said, trembling in fear.

One of the chuunin marked down his number, telling him and his teammates to leave. As they did so, other genin soon followed, unable to handle the stress.

Naruto however was leaning back, thinking quietly. He had initially been afraid, but then his rational mind, sharpened from training with Raphael and Anko, began to work.

He quickly came to the realization that Ibiki had to be bluffing. There was no way that the villages that were hostile towards Konoha, like Kumo or Iwa, would allow a Konoha jounin to hold them to such promises. It would be unthinkable to give foreign shinobi such control over their military forces. Meaning then that Ibiki's threat was a bluff at best. And now that he realized it, he felt a small flare of anger that he had been momentarily fooled and afraid of said bluff. But then why would he make such a claim? What was the point of this test?

The decision before each genin was a choice between sacrificing the team's chances for your own future, or possibly sacrifice your future for the team. Could it be that was the true test? A test of whether or not you were willing to sacrifice your future for the team? Naruto couldn't be certain, as it did seem this man was someone who preferred psychological games. Still, he couldn't help but feel that was the likely course here.

Looking over to where Hinata sat, several seats over and slightly behind, he saw her look at him. He gave her a confident grin and a nod, the latter of which she returned. Turning to look back at Ino, he did the same thing.

As the time wound down, and more genin left, Ibiki looked over them all. "Well? Anyone else want to leave?" He asked.

Naruto just grinned, deciding to end the charade. "Oh get on with it already," he said, leaning back nonchalantly in his chair.

Ibiki turned to him, eyes narrowing. "You so certain you want to do this? Your career is on the line, brat," he said.

Naruto just grinned, crossing his feet on the desk, hands behind his head. "Even if I believed your bluff, which I don't, by the way, there's no way I'd hold back my teammates for my own sake. We support each other, through thick and thin. I've got faith in them, and they've got faith in me. So bring it on," he said.

The other genin could only stare at this bold brat who had spoken up, and many of them felt their wavering resolve stiffen. They now turned back to Ibiki, still nervous, but with more confident looks on their faces.

Ibiki looked them all over, annoyed but also impressed. "Well fine then. All of you who stayed to take the tenth question? You've passed," he said.

"WHAT?!" Temari of the Suna team yelled. "What do you mean? What about the tenth question?"

"That was the tenth question," Ibiki said. "The nine questions you answered were a test of how effective you were at gathering information without being detected or captured. The tenth question, however, was a test of your willingness to sacrifice yourselves for the sake of your teammates. Those who are unwilling to risk their lives for the sake of the mission, or their squads safety, have no business being shinobi. This is a very dangerous profession you're all in," he said, removing the bandana to reveal that the top of his head was covered in scars and burns, with no hair growing at all. "If you aren't willing to take risks, you're in the wrong line of work."

The genin could only stare, horrified, as he put his bandana back on. 'Still, you all proved you're courageous enough to risk your own future's for your teammates, and so, I congratulate you on passing the first exam," he said.

As the genin began to grin, and cheer, Naruto just smirked, giving his teammates a thumb up.

At that moment, the door to the classroom opened, revealing a female ANBU in full uniform with long purple hair and a cat themed mask. Looking at the genin present, she turned to Ibiki. "These are all the ones who passed?"

As Ibiki nodded, the woman turned to them. "I will be your proctor for the next exam, which will begin tomorrow at ten in the morning. You'll report to the outskirts of training ground forty four at half pass nine for further instructions. Those who are late will be disqualified. That is all."

With that she disappeared in a shunshin, and Ibiki turned to the genin. "Dismissed," he said.

As the genin began to file out, Naruto stood up, only to blink as Ibiki appeared in front of him, glaring down at him. "You certainly know how to ruin a mood, don't you?" He asked.

Naruto just grinned at him. "Well, it could have been worse. I could have ruined the mood right after you tried to intimidate us," he said.

Ibiki kept looking at him, before tilting his head slightly in respect. "You have big balls kid. Be careful you don't let that dumb courage get you killed. Now get out of here."

Naruto grinned as he headed off, joining his teammates, while Ibiki sighed. He reached down to grab the boy's paper, only to blink as he read it.

The boy had answered all the questions, but then added an extra note at the bottom, which read: "Hope you enjoyed my little smoke bomb display". The message was followed by an image of a grinning chibi Naruto face, sticking his tongue out at the reader.

Ibiki just stared at it, before chuckling quietly. "Damn reckless gaki. I think I might like him," he muttered.

Well, I finished the chapter, and I'm quite happy I was able to get it done without taking a month to write it.

Again, I apologize for the long wait though. My Beast Wars chapter was a pain to write out. Hopefully you all won't have to wait too long for the next chapter.

Thanks go out again to my beta's Kyuubi123 and Bill Alain for their awesome work, critiques, and support of my fanfic(s). Thank you again guys for all you do.

And if you decide to review me again, 'Guest', I welcome your anonymous reviews that will pad my review count, and give me a chance to verbally spar with you once more.

Till next chapter!