Chapter 24

One second later.

"Uh, guys..." Sakura muttered in shock.

Veiled by the looming silhouette of foreign shinobi, over 150 Genin were gathered into a small room. Despite their low rank, many of these Genin were grown adults, easily in their early 20s.

Lavished with various headbands, shinobi from Ame, Suna, Taki, Kusa and Oto were assembled in Konoha. Sending their very best as representatives, these ninja were determined to win.

The center of attention, Team 7 earned heated glares from several shinobi, annoyed by Sakura's voice. However, this annoyance soon shifted to interest, focused on Naruto's strange whiskers.

"Sasuke!" Ino shrieked, running out from the crowd.

Tackling her favorite boy to the ground, Ino nuzzled her naked face against Sasuke's bare cheek. Growling in response, Sakura's face turned blood red, preparing to lash out and strike.

"Where have you be-...?!" Pulled from Sasuke's lap, Ino was gripped by her childhood rival.

"Ms. Forehead, they let you in?!" Mocking Sakura, these kunoichi pressed their sneering noses against each other.

"Yo, Naruto." Shikamaru interrupted this hostile display, muffled by Choji's loud eating.

"Shikamaru! Choji!" Naruto exclaimed, greeting his friends with a smile.

"I knew this would be a drag." Shikamaru held the back of his skull with both hands.

As this conversation progressed, Choji ate mouthful after mouthful of potato chips. Spewing loose crumbs across the stone tiled floor, this Akimichi clan member was groaning with delight.

"Does he ever stop eating?" Sakura asked, answered by a disapproving nod from Ino.

"Looks like the gang is back together." Kiba asserted, walking up beside Shino and Hinata.

"Hey guys, how are you?" Naruto's voice was filled with joy.

Anxiously twirling her fingers in reply, Hinata gazed at Naruto's feet with trembling eyes. Concealing the blush across her pale face, Hinata's heart was pounding inside her chest.

"We've trained like crazy since last time! You won't show us up now!" Kiba scoffed with Akamaru sleeping on his head.

"Only cause Kurenai-sensei was really upset with our performance..." Shino admitted.

Enthralled by this realization, Kiba turned around before sliding both sandals against the stone floor. Pointing at his shrouded teammate with an accusatory glare, Akamaru yawned before waking up.

"Have you heard of being a wingman?! Can you back me up at least once!" Kiba complained.

"Right, I apologize." Shino bowed his head with an emotionless apology.

"Hey, guys." A 19 year old Kabuto entered the fray.

Dressed in a short-sleeved purple shirt with white under garments, Kabuto's neck was obscured by his raised collar. Matching this fabric, Kabuto also wore purple pants with a pair of black shinobi shoes.

Exposing the fingerless purple gloves he wore, the back of Kabuto's hands were covered with armor. Drawing attention to his fair skin and shoulder-length grey hair, these strands were tied into a ponytail in the back.

"You might wanna keeping it down." Pushing his circular-rimmed glasses against his nose, Kabuto revealed his onyx eyes.

"I can tell you're all rookies, and you shouldn't make a spectacle of yourselves." Pointing as his Konoha headband, Kabuto was acting like a close friend.

"And who asked you?!" Sakura and Ino screamed in unison.

"Kabuto Yakushi… But really, look around." Kabuto notioned over his shoulder.

Highlighting hundreds of heated glares, these foreign shinobi all glared at the group of cheering rookiees. Filling Sakura and Ino with panic, these ninja both leapt behind Sasuke, hiding from sight.

"Tch." Sasuke snorted with boredom.

I wonder where Lee is? Naruto pondering.

I hope this isn't part of the exam... I don't like crowds. Sakura panicked.

Despite her harsh training with Haku, Sakura's mentality was still as childish and immature as ever. Because, instead of focusing on herself, Sakura was constantly enamored by Sasuke.

"What a drag." Shikamaru sighed aloud.

"See those guys standing together? They're from the Rain village, very touchy, they all are." Kabuto explained.

"This isn't the first time you've taken the exam?" Sakura cut in, wrinkling her nose.

"No, it's my seventh." Kabuto chuckled in embarrassment.

"They're held twice a year, so this will be my 4th year." Scratching the back of his head, Kabuto resembled an innocent child.

"Can you give some inside tips!" Sakura and Ino plead.

"So I guess those rumors about the exam being super tough are true." Shikamaru exclaimed with a deadpan look on his face as he raised it from his hand.

"Maybe I could help you kids out... With my info cards." Crouching to the floor, Kabuto pulled a stack of cards from his pocket.

"I encoded these cards with chakra, storying everything I've learned in the past four years." Pushing his glasses up, Kabuto smiled.

A deck with over 200 unique and specific cards, Kabuto amassed a vast collection of knowledge. Drawing a blank card, Kabuto quickly infused it with chakra, revealing the hidden information.

Suddenly, the card was transformed into a vivid depiction of the shinobi world, outlined on a map. Detailing the five great shinobi nations, the other minor nations could also be seen.

"Awesome a map... Of what?" Ino pondered.

"It shows the geographical distribution of all the candidates, like what village they come from and how many." Kabuto explained.

"That's why these exams are held together, to encourage international trade, and the balance of military power." Muffled by Choji's eating, Kabuto sighed.

"We already know that... They use these exams to regulate the number of graduating shinobi." Sasuke scoffed.

"That's right... If the balance of power isn't maintained, one nation could end up with more shinobi than its neighbor." Kabuto proclaimed.

"Well... That and the Jinchūriki, hah." Giggling like a child, Kabuto briefly glanced at Naruto.

"What is a Jin-chu-ri-ki?" Ino hummed, pressing her face forward.

Staring at the ground with downcast and concealed eyes, this violet gaze burrowed into Naruto's feet. Hearing the same word that he constantly heard, Naruto's plight went unnoticed by his classmats.

"Do you have information about the other candidates?" Sasuke question, earning a mischievous glare.

"They might... If you have someone special in mind." Kabuto teased, flicking his deck.

"Neji Hyuga, of the Leaf." Sasuke spat out.

"Could I see one about Gaara? He's from Suna." Naruto mumbled.

"Show me, show me! And this loser right here." Wrapping one arm around Naruto, Kiba pulled him close.

Laughing with a fair smile, Kabuto's eyes were hidden by glimmering light from his glasses. Shuffling the deck he possessed, Kabuto drew a new card, pouring chakra into it.

"Neji Hyuga… He's 13 years old, and he's completed 11 C-rank mission plus 20 D-rank missions." Studying a list of scribbles, Kabuto continued to smile.

"His squad leader is Guy and his teammates are Tenten and Rock Lee... Taijutsu is his strongest skill, except for the Byakugan." Shrugging his shoulders, peering foreigners gazed at these shinobi.

Placing this ornate card on the ground, Kabuto shuffled his deck before drawing another one. Infused with an aura of violet chakra, Gaara's face slowly bloomed across this fresh card.

"Gaara, I don't have last name... But he's completed 8 C-rank missions, and, 1 B-rank, as a Genin." Impressed, Kabuto stroked his own chin.

"But, I barely have any info on this guy, I don't know his teammates or his teacher, he's a mystery." Earning a snort of intrigue, Sasuke swelled with interest.

"He preformed a B-rank mission?! As a Genin?!" Shikamaru stuttered, torn from his usual boredom.

I felt it... Something else... Concluding his train of thought, Naruto held his aching stomach.

Moving on to the next card, Kiba's face, stats and mission logs were put on full display. Describing every extent of team 10, Kabuto research was horrifyingly accurate, down to each detail.

"That's... Creepy... How did you know we did 11 D-rank missions?" Questioning his sense of hearing, Kiba couldn't believe his ears.

"Naruto Uzumaki." Gagging on these words like a flirtatious schoolgirl, Kabuto licked his lips.

Otherwise known as th-" Stuttering midsentence, Kabuto froze after drawing Naruto's card.

"Known as the Hero of the Waves, he's completed 6 D-rank missions, and 1 A-rank missions." Garnishing everyone's attention, these former classmates glared at Naruto.

"And during that mission, he single handedly defeated Zabuza Momochi, the demon of the Mist." Reverbing off distant worlds, the entire room feel silent.

Meanwhile.

"That's the kid from earlier..." Kankuro slurred.

Standing between Temari and Gaara, these Suna shinobi all stood together, in a isolated corner. Leering through gaps in the crowd, these ninja were all focused on Naruto, and his shrouded eyes.

"Blood, mother says I need his blood." Groaning aloud, Gaara could barely contain his bloodlust.

I knew this was a bad idea, bringing him here. Temari panicked.

That blond brat, he's really getting to Gaara. Kankuro swallowed a wad of sit.

Meanwhile.

"He is truly worthy of being my rival." Lee spoke with sparkling eyes.

Met by a condescending snort from Neji, this Hyuga clan member was leaning against the wall. Accompanied by his teammate and girlfriend, Tenten rested her chin on Neji's shoulder.

"That kid is hiding something." Scowling, Neji squinted both eyes.

"Back then, in the hallway..." Slurring, Neji was taken back several minutes.

"Sasuke and I wee inches away from each other... Back then." Pulling on her boyfriend, Tenten was bored.

"And he broke my rotation... He broke it, like it was nothing." Grinding his teeth, Neji studied team 7 from a distance.

Meanwhile.

"He took out Zabuza?! By himself?" Zaku whispered into Dosu's ear.

Crowded together, Kin, Zaku and Dosu were the sole delegation from Oto, the new Land of Sound. Standing with a hunched back, Dosu's figure was obscured by the needle-point mane he wore.

"I heard." Dosu spoke with a slow and calculating tone.

"I say, we test his power against Oto." Kin chuckled with a wicked grin.

Meanwhile.

"His grades at the academy were terrible, the worst in a decade." Kabuto read Naruto's info aloud.

"That's not the point! When did you do an A-rank mission?!' Kiba screeched.

"It's the mission I told you about, that's why we were gone for so long." Sakura sighed.

Sinking to the floor, Kiba hung his head in defeat, consoled by the sniffing nose of Akamaru. veiled by the shadowy silhouette of Shino, this quiet shinobi loomed behind his teammate.

"Looks like you're the weak one here, Kiba." Trying to comfort his friend, Shino failed miserably.

The Rinnegan...just like... Catching a glimpse under Naruto's bangs, Kabuto's mind was polluted by red clouds.

Interrupting this conversation, Zaku hovered below the ceiling, shocking team 8 and team 10. At the same time, a barrage of kunai protruded from the foreign crowd, hurled forward.

Throwing Kabuto to the side, Naruto evaded these sharpened blades with ease. Gripping Zaku's ankle in midair, this attacking Genin was tossed into his attacking teammate.

Overwhelming her petite figure, Kin was knocked to the ground, crushed by Zaku. Creeping through the background, Dosu yanked on the extended fabric of his sleeve, exposing a metal gauntlet.

Flicking this silver plating, a piercing soundwave ripple out, halted by a force of gravity. Throwing this bandaged shinobi through the air, Dosu collided against his collapsed teammates.

"Quiet down!" Ibiki Morino screamed like a rabid dog, kicking a pair of doors open.

Dressed in an ankle-length trench coat with matching gloves, pants and shoes, all of this was solid black. Draped by various scars and cuts across his tan face, these wounds were partially hidden by his bandana.

Accompanied by 13 other shinobi, in various size and height, these ninja were a mix of Chunin and Jonin. Each adorned in a grey Intelligence Division outfit, this attire was littered with pouches and satchels.

"I'm your teacher for this exam, and from this moment on - your worst enemy." Snarling, Ibiki bared his teeth.

"The Chunin exams begin now!" Booming across the crowded room, the test had finally begun.