Chapter 12: Genin Exam Part 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any other references in this fanfic.

A/N: I'll answer of few of your questions before I begin.

First of all I'd like to clarify that Kaguya didn't make Kenji her son, if that was what you were thinking. His change in appearance and increase in chakra has to do with Kaguya wanting a powerful and beautiful servant to represent her.

Second he will eventually create mundane artifacts for regular civilians when he opens his shop so the fishing thing could definitely happen. Good job deadkid23.

coldblue2015: You ask some really good questions. Unfortunately I can't give them a definite answer right now since it would spoil what I had planned, but I will say this one thing. Kaguya would be inclined to give him more blessings, if Kenji presented her with better offerings like say the Hero's Water or a Stone of Gelel. She might also give him certain mission or task for him to complete.

Finally, Naruto and Kaguya will unfortunately never meet until the end of the war. (Oh yeah, that's still going to happen obviously.) Plus I'm kinda trying to push Kaguya away from her motherly role and more into that of a deity.

Important: So in this chapter you will finally see one of Kenji's main weapons. He will use it for a majority of the story. It is something he made form the Koi metal.

Now then, on to the chapter.

Chapter 12

(Monitor Room)

In a circular room found underneath the Hokage Tower dozens of camera monitors covered the walls. Groups of people, that ranged from civilian and shinobi, were franticly scribbling down notes and watching the TV screens.

Each screen showed a different angle of the classrooms in the academy.

It was their job to track everything, from the smallest sneeze to the loudest yawn in order to make sure that no one was cheating in the exam.

In the center of the chamber was a large circular table surrounded by several chairs. In front of these chairs was a small monitor built into the table.

The Hokage had already taken his place at the head of the table. He puffed his pipe as he watched the exam taking place.

It was the obligation of the Hokage and the Clan Heads to observe the genin exams. Seeing as these genin-hopefuls would make the bulk of their army if they were to ever go to war again, it was their responsibility to make sure that they were as strong as possible.

While elites like Minato and the Sannin tended to gain the most recognition, they were the exception not the standard. The reserves were in fact what truly mattered in a war. Sure, elite shinobi could fight like 100 men, but that did not mean that they were 100 men. Eventually they would grow tired, especially in a drawn-out war. No matter how exceptional elites were, they couldn't replace the work of 100 men.

The better quality of their reserves, the stronger their army was, simple as that. It was this reason that cheating was not allowed. Not only would it hurt the shinobi in question, but it would also hurt the village if they were given a mission that was above their abilities.

The Clan Head also used this chance to look at promising clansmen and petition for their promotion should they not pass one of the tests.

Every branch of the village's military from the Research and Development Team to the Torture and Interrogation Force were trying to scout promising talents suited to their department. As such, the competition was fierce, battle auras clashing with each other every so often.

The only ones at the table so far, were the Hokage, and the leaders of the Akimichi Clan, the Nara Clan, and the Yamanaka Clan. The rest had opted to either be proctors or pose as students to have a closer look. Shikaku sat next to Chozu, while Inoichi sat opposite them.

It was then that the entrance to the room was opened and an unlikely person walked in, followed by a large dog.

Shikaku, who was busy trying to take a nap, opened one of his eyes when they sensed the person. He gave her a small smirk, "Ho, this is a surprise. What is the village's infamous Hurricane Wolf doing in the observation room? Don't you usually choose to pose as a student to test the recruits yourself?"

Tsume gave a wolfish smile of her own, as she sat in her seat next to Inoichi and kicked her feet on the table. She had just recently been labeled an A-class threat in the bingo book on account of the new destructive combination techniques that she was able to pull off thanks to Kuromaru. Her nickname Hurricane Wolf was due to the metal jaws that her partner had. "Ha! Not this time. I don't think I could hold back this time. Plus, I'm interested in something else this time."

Choza who was eating a rich ball quirked up an eyebrow at her response. "You've taken an interest in someone? One of your clansmen?"

She tilted her chair backwards as she closed her eyes, "Mah, who knows?" Her grin only got bigger.

"So troublesome," the Nara Head muttered as he closed his eyes, even if his curiosity was peaked slightly.

Before more could be said, the entrance doors opened again.

Two women dressed in light green flowing robes stepped inside, holding the door open as the Daimyo walked inside. At his side was a young slender beauty dressed in clothes similar to the attendants, only it was longer as the tail of her dress lightly trailed on the floor. The color was also a crimson shade with different pieces of silver jewelry hanging of it. Her hair was done in an elaborate hairstyle with a gold hairpin holding it all together. She had a light shade of makeup on her face that emphasized her delicate features.

Tsume leaned toward Inocihi and whispered to him, "Pss, looks like the Daimyo finally got himself a concubine. Didn't think Madam Shijimi would allow that?"

Inoichi gave her a hidden smile and responded, "Maybe now, we can finally stop chasing after her blasted cat?"

Behind them were the two elders, both carrying baffled expressions.

"Check the expression on those old fossils."

The Daimyo smiled at the assembled group.

All the ninja's stood up and gave their respects to him.

"I thank you once again Lord Hokage, for listening to our selfish request," the man said as he looked at Hiruzen.

"It was a simple matter Daimyo-sama. Should Madam Shijimi desire anything else, she need only ask," the aged ninja said as he put away his pipe for the time being.

The ruler of the nation rubbed his thumb over the mystery woman's slender hand in an affection manner. "I'll be sure to do that, isn't that right dear," he said as he gazed lovingly at his wife.

All those in the room froze into statues, metaphoric cracks appeared on them at the startling revelation. Some were able to control their reaction better than others.

Tsume had choked on her own spit as she toppled over her seat and onto the floor.

Hiruzen was glad that he had the foresight to stop smoking the second they walked in, otherwise he was sure that he would be choking on his pipe too. The only ones not affected were Homura and Koharu as they had found out just minutes ago.

Hiruzen sent them a quick message with his eyes, asking if it was true.

Koharu gave him a discreet message using her hand, [It's true.]

"My Lady, I must say, you look rather-"

"Stunning, slender, beautiful. No need to beat around the bush Hokage-sama. I am well aware of my past, let's say, less than charming appearance. I'm not one to let such things hold be back," Madam Shijimi said with a smile grazing her red painted lips.

She looked like a female character straight out of a in wuxia novel. That however was no accident as she had carefully modeled her appearance to one of the characters from Kenji's books.

During her ride to the capitol, she was able to finish the novel, and she had fallen in love with everything in it. The culture that the book had depicted had struck a cord in her. A world where nobles like herself would be able to cultivate themselves in power. A world of immortal beings whose goal was to reach for the heavens. That world had a sense of honor that was so very rare in this one.

The plot of that particular book had followed the adventures of Madam Jade, a young woman that had been born into a declining noble house. Throughout the book, she would be met with various challenges which she was able to overcome with a combination of both power and cunning. Madam Jade was the type of woman that she had always dreamed of being. The romance and political undertone was only icing on the cake in her opinion.

Kenji had been careful in his description of the world, at least enough for Madam Shijimi to get the royal tailors to make some of the clothing from the book.

As the Daimyo's wife she was always the head of any fashion trend. Other noble ladies had always taken to copying her style as a result. Boutiques had started to design and sell these clothing as a result. Soon it was to the degree where if you wanted to be up to fashion, something important to nobles, then you needed to be wearing wuxia style clothing. The entire capital had been turned on its head on just her whims.

It wasn't just noblewomen however.

Palace guards had their old armor replaced, and even the Twelve Fire Guardians were fitted with custom armor to better fit into the trend. Slowly, wuxia culture was bleeding into the Land of Fire.

Even the Daimyo had not been spared from his wife's fickle nature as his entire wardrobe had been replaced and was even ordered to grow a beard of all things. Of course, he was rewarded accordingly for his noble sacrifice. Most days he looked like he had his soul sucked out of him.

Despite this, he was happier than ever, his wife was once again beautiful, and things were back to the way they were before her miscarriage all of those years ago. It was a shame that they couldn't have any children.

Kenji had managed to add some character drawings in the book, which Shijimi had used in combination with the diet pills to slowly shape her bodies features, just like how a mason would shape a lump of marble into a beautiful statue. Her appearance now resembled something similar to Madam Jade. She was of course excited to see Kenji reaction to her transformation. Surely, he would be shocked.

Of course, there were many questions about her miracle transformation from the other ladies in the capital, but Madam Shijimi would just give them a mysterious smile and refuse to answer. As a result, many had followed her to the Leaf Village in order to find out her secret and use it for themselves. Even the simplest of things could turn into a powerplay in the Capital after all.

Taking their respective seats, the Daimyo and his wife turned on their monitor.

Madam Shijimi searched the classroom for her target, "Has the exam started already?"

"Yes, but it's only been a couple minutes. The channel you are searching for is 17 I think," the Hokage said as he switched the channel to his own screen. The other clan heads did the same, curious to what they were talking about.

The hidden camera in the room had a direct view of Kenji.

"Why does he have a beard and a rabbit on his head," Shijimi asked confused, raising one of her expertly trimmed eyebrows.

Tsume gave an unladylike snort at the get up. Hana had told him about the little brat's idea.

Coughing into his fist Hiruzen tried to gain her attention, "I believe he is trying to remain in disguise so as to throw off the competitors."

(Classroom)

The test was moderately difficult, in Kenji's humble opinion with many of the questions pertaining to war.

They ranged from questions asking what plants were native to what county, to writing down the antidotes for some of the more common poisons. Useful information really, with many of the answers being things that weren't taught in the academy. What made it worse was that there was not a single multiple-choice question.

They were also given a 50-page booklet and told to memorize it to the best of their ability, then they were given random phrases from the book and told to write down the page number, the paragraph, and the line it was on. This was to test their information retention skill, since during missions they would need to memorize entire pages of sensitive information in only a couple seconds.

Math, history, and politics were a breeze for Kenji on account of his extra studying.

The only part that he really struggled with was the morality portion of the test. He wasn't sure if he should put down the question that sounded the most right or if he should but down the one that got the best results. He knew that the Leaf Village boasted teamwork and whatnot but what about during war. Wasn't Sakamoto, the White Fang, disgraced because he chose to save his comrades instead of completing the mission.

Either way he was sure that he had managed to pass the test.

They were given a one-hour break with the only rule being that they couldn't leave the room. The proctors would grade the tests in this time and return to announce who would pass on to the next stage.

The people in the class had already split into groups, most already knowing each other from previous times taking the exam so they just took this time to catch up. They told jokes, complained about the test, anything really to alleviate the pressure they were all feeling.

Kenji was no different as he was petting Akame.

"So Tsubaki, is this your second time taking the test?" Kenji asked.

The blonde's mind seemed to be elsewhere as she looked at him with a dazed look, then realized she had just been asked a question. "Ah, Yes! This is actually my fourth time so…" she trailed off at the end.

Kenji got the meaning immediately. This would be her last chance to pass or else be kick out of the program. He didn't know how things worked in a clan, but he was guessing there was a certain pressure placed on children to become shinobi.

Taking a moment to analyze the girl in front of him, he was able to see a few things that stood out to him.

"Congratulations," Kenji said as he turned back to Akame who was laying upside down on his desk playing dead.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Tsubaki asked confused.

The plump child stroked his fake beard in thought, "Your engagement of course. Congratulations."

She was shocked at how he had found out. Her boyfriend had only proposed last night, she hadn't even told her parents yet. "H-How did you know?"

Looking at her with his fox eyes, Kenji began to point at various places on her body, "Your wearing a high collar shirt despite it being so hot outside, most likely to hide the hickies on your neck-"

One of her hands immediately went to her neck, confirming Kenji's theory.

"Your left hand's ring finger has a slight indentation of a ring, but it looks fairly new. Mostly likely he proposed yesterday, and you slept with it on, and only took it off this morning so it wouldn't get damaged during the exam," he explained. Seeing as she didn't deny his claims he went on, "There's traces of blood under your finger nails, and I've noticed you squirming in your seat since the test began, meaning that yesterday was either your first time or that the celebration was extra … rough."

Now Tsubaki was blushing as red as a tomato as he once again guessed right. "Y-you were able to come to that conclusion from just that much?"

"Hmm. Well that and the fact if you had taken the time to notice, you're clearly wearing a guy's shirt under your overalls. Plus, Akame here can smell the scent of someone else all over you," he finished as Akame turned to face the girl and gave her a sly wink. 'Cheeky bunny.'

This was a skill that he had been able to develop from his time using ninshu on people. It was much easier to sell them something if he knew their circumstances after all.

Plus, it wasn't that weird for people to get engaged at such an early age, especially those who came from ninja clans, since death on the job was a very likely possibility.

Thud.

Tsubaki slammed her head on the table, unable to believe it. She was unable to meet his gaze.

"…Thanks."

Kenji continued to have a carefree expression. "You're welcome. I wish you much luck. Have you picked a date yet?" he decided to engage in some small talk now that the ice had been broken with all the grace of a figure-skating hippo.

In no time Kenji and Tsubaki were talking more openly with each other. She would talk about her boyfriend and their dream of becoming shinobi together. Kenji confessed that he was planning to build a shop to sell his wears. Soon the conversation lead into what kind of wedding she wanted to have in a few years.

They were just finishing discussing what types of flowers would look good, when the proctor walked in and began to call out the names of those who passed in alphabetical order.

"-Yamamoto Kenji, and finally Yamanaka Tsubaki. That is all. Those who's names I've called meet outside."

Both Kenji and Tsubaki gave a sigh of relief before smiling at each other.

"Looks like we passed," he said.

The next test consisted of an obstacle race, followed by a shuriken throwing competition, and finished off with the academy jutsu.

'Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!' Kenji mentally cried as he rolled out of the way just as three kunai hit where he had previously been.

He dived into the pit of murky water, a barbed wire net just hanging over the water's surface. He made it to the other side and took a deep breath but even that was cut short as shuriken began to bombard him again.

Climbing to his feet he sprinted to the next obstacle, a vertical wall 25 feet high. They had been forbidden from using chakra, so tree walking was impossible.

He could have jumped it easily even without chakra, but he didn't want to be accused of cheating, so he needed to figure out a new way.

He turned toward the direction of the kunai throwing shinobi.

He didn't have to wait long as three new knives were sent his way, intent on impaling him. He grabbed them out of the air easily and sent two toward the wall with enough force to embed them all the way to the handle.

Using them as footholds he was able to make it half way there. He still had the other one, so he stabbed it into the wall and used it to climb the rest of the way.

Once he reached the top, he jumped down the other side. This was the final stretch. A 100-meter dash to the end goal with 10 shinobi throwing kunai at him from every direction.

Gulping he crouched down low to the ground and pushed off with enough strength to crack the ground under him.

He tried to stick as close the ground as possible, avoiding the land mines hidden under it, as well as trying his best to ignore the sound of explosions behind him.

Kenji was able to dodge most of the projectiles, but those he couldn't he would deflect using the shuriken that he would pluck out of the air.

He crossed the finish line and collapsed on the ground. Doing it without chakra was pure torture. There were more than 30 obstacles in total and each one had been deadly in their own way.

"Yamamoto Kenji. …Pass." That was all that the proctor said before he walked away.

Using a bit of chakra control, he was able to extract the water from his clothes and beard into a ball, dumping to the side. Akame and Lin-Lin had been given a pass since they were considered assessories.

A couple more minutes passed before he was finally able to see Tsubaki cross the finish line. She looked more battered than him. Her clothes were cut up from stray kunai, and the ends of her hair had been singed from an explosive tag.

"Yamanaka Tsubaki. …Pass."

She fell to her knees exhausted.

Kenji got up and handed her a small hand towel from his space ring. "Here."

"Thanks," she said gratefully as she took the towel.

"Just the kunai test and the academy jutsu and we're done."

Wiping her glasses clean, she looked up at Kenji, "Yeah, but the next test is harder than the others. That is usually the part where I fail."

"I'm sure you'll do fine."

(Monitor Room)

"He's holding back."

"What do you mean Shikaku?" Choza asked him.

The lazy Nara yawned as he rewound the video to a particular part of Kenji's obstacle race. "Right, there. It was obvious that he was preparing to make that jump, but he hesitated at the last minute. Instead he chose the more common method of using the kunai."

"So?"

"Ah forget about it, it is too troublesome," the black-haired man gave up as he laid his head on the table for a nap.

Tsume and Madam Shijimi were also looking closely at the video.

Opening one eye, Shikaku gave the monitor on last look before muttering under his breath, "Not likes it's going to matter. The final test isn't something you can pass by hiding after all."

(Training ground)

Nervously Kenji stood among those that had managed to pass the second stage. There were close to 500 people still left.

A shinobi wearing a jonin jacket walked in front of them and began to explain the next test, "Alright, we will now begin the final test. We will now separate you into 20 groups. Squad A …"

As people were being divided, both Kenji and Tsubaki were lucky enough to end up in the same group. Squad D had a total of 20 people including them. The number of people in a group varied, with some just having as little as 10 people, while others had up to 35.

The jonin in charge brought up a table with some equipment that Kenji hadn't seen before. He took out a forehead protector that looked to be made out of hardened clay instead of the usual metal ones. "The next test will be a mock-war. All of you will either be part of the green team or the red team. You will all be given one of these protectors. Inside is a transmitter connected directly to the Hokage Tower. Breaking the protector will send a wireless signal indicating your removal from the final test. Once you are out, you must immediately leave the battleground, no exceptions."

Next he took out a small octagonal clay disk that had the word 'Captain' written on it.

"Each squad will have one captain. They will be given a disk to indicate their stature, they are to keep it on them at all time. Breaking the disk will fail them automatically and the group will be disbanded. The left-over soldiers will then have a choice to either give up or head to another Captain. Only once all captains from one side have been taken out, will the war end. A red or green fire work will be launched into the sky when a captain has been defeated."

The jonin looked at all off them to make sure that they all understood the rules.

"The Captain's have all been chosen randomly. Now Squad A, walk to the table and get your assigned headbands."

Soon it was Kenji's turn to take a forehead protector from the pile.

The ninja at the table gave him a weird look but still wrote down his name. "Yamamoto Kenji, Your ID during the exam will be 322."

Kenji stroked his fake beard and nodded sagely, "Very well."

He replaced the pink bandana that he had gotten from Kaguya and put the green forehead protector on. Seeing as the pink bandana was supposed to be indestructible Kenji wrapped it around his neck to protect himself.

Clay Forehead Protector

Quality: Ordinary

Defense: 120

Chakra Points Needed to Upgrade: 24

Kenji has to hold back a smile as he walked way from the table. They never said anything about modifying the forehead protectors to increase your chances of winning. He walked back to his group and began to upgrade the forehead protector.

Upgrade Successful

Upgrade Successful

Upgrade Successful

Upgrade Successful

Upgrade Successful

Upgrade Successful

'Yes!

Clay Forehead Protector +6

Quality: Ordinary

Defense: 120

+ 180

Chakra Points Needed to Upgrade: 58

'There. Its not that much but I don't want to risk upgrading it anymore, plus they might get suspicious if it were to withstand an explosive tag unharmed.'

When they were all finished, they began to call out the captains. He like the vast majority of those gathered crossed their fingers and prayed that they weren't picked, since not only would everyone be gunning for you, but you also had to manage everyone in the group.

It would seem that Lady Luck had decided to favor him today as he wasn't picked as the Captain.

Unfortunately, Tsubaki looked like she had just been bitch slapped by her.

She took the captain's badge with trembling fingers, and Kenji could feel her mood worsen. He also began to feel worried. She had told him that her weakness had been tactical warfare and planning, meaning she was the worst person to be the Captain.

"-You are to go home and pack for a two-day trip. Meet at the village at 2 o'clock. Dismissed!"

Everyone scattered. Some excited, others nervous. The smart ones would go home and pack for a week-long trip since despite what the jonin had said, it was unlikely that the test would finish in just two days.

"Are you okay?" Kenji asked as he looked up at the blonde girl.

"…Yeah. It's just that this was unexpected," she said in a sad tone.

"Well, don't worry about it too much. I'll help you. Were teammates now after all," Kenji offered honestly.

"…I better go and pack."

As she left, Kenji sensed turmoil from her. Frankly he would to if this had been his last shot to be a shinobi and he was given the worst job suited for him.

Seeing as he already had everything he would need in his spatial ring, he decided to go eat something. Akame was back on his head, with Lin-Lin trailing behind him, curiously smelling everything in sight.

(Monitor Room)

The only person still at the table was the Third Hokage as the Clan Heads and the Daimyo's group had each left for lunch.

Leaning back on his chair Hiruzen took a long drag from his pipe and closed his eyes in bliss, 'Finally so peace and quiet.'

Slam!

"Oy, old man. You never told me I had to pose as an academy student," a black-haired youth shouted as he stormed into the room and glared at the Hokage.

'Well that didn't last long.' "It's good to see you again Jiraiya. Have a seat," the old shinobi offered.

The black-haired boy was shrouded in a white plum of smoke and his appearance changed to that of the famed Toad Sannin. Despite the displeased look on his face, Jiraiya still took the offered seat. "So why am I impersonating some brat. I thought you called me to the village for something important!"

"Well if you had just come to me when you arrived in the village, then I could have explained all of this then," the Hokage countered as he took out a file from a sealing tattoo on his wrist. He placed the file in front of the whitehaired man and decided to get back to smoking.

Cautiously Jiraiya began to read through the file, his face growing more and more incredulous with every page.

"What the fuck has been going on in this village. You're telling me that we lost the Forest of Death to mutated animals and that the one responsible is still out there walking around free because he has the backing of the Daimyo!" Jiraiya shouted and slammed his hand on the table.

"Well there is more to the story but yes. That is exactly what has been going on. Although Training Ground 44 has quieted down the last couple of days for whatever reason," Hiruzen finished as he took out another file and handed it to his student. This file contained all of the research done on the artifacts and the chakra beasts.

Once again, he was treated to a moment of rare silence, which he enjoyed to the best of his abilities.

"Ah. I get it now. You've had time to think this through huh? So you want me to keep an eye on the kid and see if your theory is correct?" Jiraiya concluded.

The Hokage nodded but then took out a kunai and placed it on the table, "I'd also like it if you could scan this using sage mode."

Taking the kunai by the handle Jiraiya gave it a skeptical look, "So this one of those so-called artifacts huh? I'll summon Fukasaku to test it and see what comes up."

"I'm counting on you."

(Forest)

Kenji and the rest of Squad D trekked through the forested mountain side. They hopped from tree to tree without making a sound. He had taken point at the front of the group seeing as Akame's sensory ability would allow them to spot any enemy shinobi near them.

The white rabbit sat comfortably on his head, her long ears constantly rotating like antennas. Lin-Lin, the useless mutt needed to be placed in his Kimono robe since she couldn't tree walk yet or move silently on the ground.

Akame suddenly sensed something and sent a mental image toward her partner.

Raising a hand Kenji stopped suddenly, and those behind him followed suit.

"What? Is it an enemy?" Tsubaki asked worriedly.

Kenji unhooked the ivory short bow from his back without saying a word.

Bow of Artemis +14

Quality: High-Human

Attack: 700

+1200

+Gains additional benefits dependent on the chakra element added to it.

10+: Can infuse arrows with an element.

12+: 5% chance to ignore all defenses.

14+: Can create arrows out of chakra.

Chakra Points Needed to Upgrade: 950

Then he took out two ordinary iron arrows from his quiver and placed them on the bow.

Arrow

Quality: Normal

Attack: 30

Chakra Points Needed to Upgrade: 10

He pulled the string to half its maximum tension, his arms straining slightly as the bow refused to bend. The strength needed for even that much was beyond what a normal human could produce.

The small boy took in a breath and aimed into the forest before releasing his breath and the arrows in one smooth motion.

The arrows blurred out of existence to those that were watching, but they were still able to hear them as they pierced through dozens of trees.

Kenji nodded in satisfaction, then he turned to his Captain that sported a stunned expression, "Looks like we just caught us some dinner. You should probably get someone to collect the bodies Captain. I also spotted some mushrooms and wild vegetables near us, should I go collect them?"

Tsubaki snapped out of her shock and did just that, sending the physically strongest looking member to go investigate in the direction of the arrows while others began to forage for edible plants.

It only took a moment, but the person was able to carry back the corpses of two medium sized boars. They were sealed into a storage scroll for the time being.

"That was a nice shot. Got them straight through the brain," the black-haired boy said to Kenji, as he handed the scroll to Tsubaki.

"Thanks …"

"Yuuto," the spikey haired 17-year-old introduced himself.

"Right, I'm Kenji Yamamoto," the small boy introduced himself then he turned to Tsubaki, "Now that we've had a few seconds to rest, we should hurry to the camping ground as soon as possible. I'll pick up the pace if it's alright with you Captain."

"Go ahead Kenji, we'll keep up."

Kenji nodded as he began to sprint across the tree tops.

They finally reached their assigned home base after two hours of non-stop running. Those that were less physically fit collapsed as soon as they got there, as only a few were able to keep pace with the chubby 10-year-old.

Their base was a cave hidden on the side of a mountain with a cliff in front of the entrance.

The cave itself was an adequate size, having a high ceiling and plenty of inside space to allow the 20 of them to rest comfortably.

They set up torches along the walls of the circular room and began to set up their tents, one for every two people, in a u formation facing the entrance of the cave.

Kenji did his part too as he wove some hand seals and the middle of the stone floor sunk to form a fire pit.

Everyone was doing their own thing. Those that were finished setting up their tents were resting their feet or taking a quick nap until dinner.

The final test of the exam would official start at 8 am the next day. Squads were forbidden from attack each other until then, so this would be their final night of peaceful rest until it was over.

Kenji looked at Tsubaki. She had been carrying a melancholy expression ever since she came back from their break. He wanted to ask her what was wrong but felt that that would be overstepping his bounds. It was her business after all and the way she decided to handle it was up to her.

Slapping himself, Kenji focused on the task at hand. As the assigned second in command it was his job to fill in for the Captain when she was unable to.

At the moment Akame was resting on Lin-Lin's back, playfully swatting at the other's head while the small Pekingese had to take it or else be forced into the ground by the sealing necklace. He started a fire using some firewood that they had collected on the way there. He might as well take cooking duty since no one else was volunteering, plus this way he could get some useful guinea pigs to test out his cooking. If it was as good as he thought it was, then he would need to expand his shop and open a food court as well.

He would use his own ingredients for this and leave the freshly killed boars for tomorrow, when food would become scarce. In no time, he began to set up his cooking station, around the open firepit.

A giant pot was filled with fresh water and left to simmer. He then began to prepare the meat in his inventory and the wild vegetables with masterful precision. His knife and hand were a blur as he sliced the meat into thin slices. After he cut the vegetables he placed them in the water to cook and mixing in some different spices to give it flavor.

He was making a hotpot since he didn't feel like wasting too much of his own supplies.

The cave was soon filled with the fragrant aroma of the food, causing those still awake to gather around the campfire in anticipation. Logs had been brought in as makeshift benches and placed around the open fire.

The sun had already set by the time the food was done, not that Kenji had noticed as he was too busy cooking. His beard was starting to itch too.

He took out four smaller pots from his supplies and created a smaller fire pit for each one. Using a bit of chakra control, he transferred all of the soup and vegetables into these pots.

Those that had been asleep had been woken up by their growling stomachs.

Groups of five gathered around these pots waiting patiently as Kenji began to distribute the meat.

As soon as the first of the meat was dunked into the broth, the aroma exploded outward, captivating everyone in the cave. Well everyone except Kenji and Akame as they ate like this everyday after he got the fermentation pot.

Tasting a bit of the soup Kenji nodded to himself, "Tastes pretty good. I'll add it to my recipe book. Wants some meat Akame?"

The small bunny nodded as she opened her mouth cutely. Kenji used his chopsticks to get a piece of meat still dripping with soup and fed it to her. Akame gave him a happy expression as her cotton tail wagged from side to side.

'Good. More.'

Kenji rolled his eyes and looked at all of those gathered in the cave. Everyone was having fun, despite the seriousness of the test. 'So, this is what it feels like to have comrades huh? It's not… bad I suppose.'

"Ah, hot! Hot! Hot!" Yuuto that was sitting to the right of him yelped in pain as he burned his tongue on a piping hot piece of beef, but the stubborn boy still refused to spit it out. Kenji's lips turned upward as everyone else laughed at the black-haired 17-year-old.

Tsubaki who was sitting to his left had also burned the tip of her tongue after getting impatient and drinking the still boiling soup.

Kenji felt a nudge on his leg and looked down to see Lin-Lin looking at him with puppy dog eyes.

She had already tried it with everyone in the group, but they were too enamored with the meat to give any away, no matter how cute she was being. With no other choice, she threw away her pride and went to the very boy who had tricked her into becoming his pet.

He thought of just ignoring her, but then she began to make pitiful noises. Tsubaki looked like she wanted to do something but when Lin-Lin looked her way, the Captain pretended to be looking up at the stalactites in the ceiling.

She did the same with Yuuto, but the brawny youth didn't have the curtesy to turn away as he began to scarf down his own food, all while looking her straight in the eyes.

With no other choice, Kenji fed her and Akame from his own plate, and just ate the vegetables. He still hadn't forgiven the Pekingese for injuring Akame or biting off his finger, reattaching it had been a bitch, but it would do him no good to starve her either.

"Oh, that's right. Captain, I got this book for you," Kenji said to Tsubaki as he handed her a book.

'How to Command Respect: 101 Skills every leader should know'

The blond girl didn't know what to say when she saw the book, "Umm."

"I read it during the break, it should help you if you get nervous," the small boy said.

"…Okay, thanks. I'll be sure to read it."

The eccentric boy stroked his beard in thought, "It said that before every battle it is the Captain's job to raise moral among the troops."

Tsubaki adjusted her square frame glasses and looked nervously, "I-I'm not sure how to do that."

"Not to worry, I know just the thing with your permission," Kenji said as he took out a bottle of Lion's Breath Sake.

"Umm. I not sure."

"Trust me."

"Okay, then," Tsubaki smiled gratefully as he stood up.

"Oi!" Kenji shouted into the cave, getting everyone's attention. "Good, I have everyone's attention. The Captain has allowed for a little pre-battle celebration, so I have a game for everyone!"

Everyone looked at the sake bottle in his hands and immediately got excited. Cheers broke out, as many thanked Tsubaki.

Walking out of he the circle of logs and near the entrance of the cave. Kenji performed an earth jutsu and circular stage, 15ft in diameter, shot up from the ground. The stage was two feet above the ground level.

Kenji hoped onto the stage easily enough.

Then he took out a large red sake dish and dropped a 100 Ryo bill inside it. He then addressed the group that were staring at him. "Let's play a little game of wrestling. Rules are simple: no chakra, winner is decided if the opponent gives up or is knocked out of the stage, and you have to pay 100 Ryo to compete. The winner gets this bottle of sake and all of the money in the dish."

They cheered in approval. Alcohol and money, who wouldn't. Everyone wanted to play, and Akame was tasked with collected the winnings, a total of 2,000 Ryo. (200 Dollars.)

It would be a tournament to make it fair.

Kenji was the first to fight. His opponent was surprisingly Yuuto.

As they stared at one other, it looked like David facing Goliath all over again. Kenji was 4' 6'' and Yutto was 6' 2''

Yuuto gave Kenji a smug look, "No hard feelings right."

"Don't worry, I'll try to hold back," Kenji countered in an equally arrogant tone, as he got into a fighting stance that looked close to that of the Hyuga.

"3. 2. 1. Start!" Tsubaki, who was acting as the judge shouted for the match to begin.

(Monitor Room)

The Third Hokage smacked his forehead, unable to believe what his student was doing.

(Cave)

"Ah! AH! I GIVE! I said I give up already! Get off!" Yuuto shouted laying face down on floor of the ring, using his left hand to slap the ground repeatedly. Kenji was standing on his back, one foot pressed on the back of his neck while his other arm was being twisted painfully behind him.

"Winner: Kenji!" Tsubaki announced, causing everyone to break into cheers.

Kenji got off the bigger boy.

"Ouch, that's some strength you got their squirt," Yuuto complimented the smaller boy as he massaged his shoulder.

"It's all in the training."

The tournament continued and as expected of any contest with prize money, Kenji emerged victoriously. He used his smaller size and superhuman strength to weave from everyone's reach or throw them out of the ring. Most couldn't believe it at first, that a 10-year-old that hadn't even broken through the 5 ft mark was able to throw them around like nothing.

That was the reason why he chose wrestling however. His base strength was enough to lift 3-ton boulders over his head after all, so picking up a regular sized person was no trouble. He even equipped a ring that enhanced his strength just to be sure.

"Here you go," Tsubaki said, as she presented him with the money and the sake bottle. She sported a small bruise on her arm. She had thought he would go easy on her just cause she was the Captain but Kenji showed no mercy when it came to money, so she had been kicked off the stage like the rest.

"Oh ho, this is a pleasant surprise! Thanks everyone! I just want to say, I couldn't have done it without you! Thank you for sucking so much, mwahahaha!" the disguised boy mocked them mercilessly, getting curses in return.

He wasn't a total dick however, as he still shared the sake with them. He still needed test monkeys after all. Everyone got one cup.

They all sat around the campfire in peaceful silence as Kenji stood up to make a toast. He stroked his beard in smooth motions as he held up his own sake cup, the others doing the same. "I hope you are all feeling full, I know my wallet is!" he shouted, getting everyone to laugh. "Tomorrow the test will official begin. A lot of things can happen between then and the end of the test, so there is no use worrying about that for now. Instead take comfort in the fact that right now, you are surrounded by allies that will support you. Look around you, these men and women will be in charge of watching your back tomorrow and you their's." Kenji could see comradeship in the eyes of everyone present as they looked around the room. "Teamwork is the most important thing, is what I'm trying to say. The will of fire burns brightly in all of us, and with it there is nothing that we can't accomplish. So rest up! Tomorrow we have a day of winning! Cheers!"

"CHEERS!"

They all drank their sake in one move.

Kenji did the same, and despite choking a little in the beginning he managed to swallow it all. Immediately he could feel the beneficial properties of the sake hit him as it began to be absorbed into his stomach. He felt as a portion of the energy contained in the drink began to seep into his chakra coils. All of the minor bruises he got from the tournament were healed at a rapid pace. Whatever leftover energy that hadn't been used up began to rise up his throat again until-

Buuurp!

A small blue flame escaped his mouth at that moment.

All around him, he could see others had blue flames escape through their mouth or their nostrils if the former was closed. He was the only one that had burped though.

"I can definitely feel the Will of Fire now. Hahahaha!" someone said causing everyone else to laugh too.

Even Kenji giggled at the ridiculous of it all. "At least I know why it's called Lion's Breath now."

A/N: Well I hope you liked it. I can't write much of an authors note since I've recently caught a nasty cold.

Anyways, hope you liked the bow and stuff.

Next chapter will have a bit more action.

Bye. Until next time.