Chūnin Exams Begin
Team 7 arrived at the academy, unaware the Kumo team was following them. On the second floor, they spotted a green-clad ninja being harassed by what looked like upper-class students.
"C'mon, let me pass—I need to take the exam!"
"Pfft, go home, kid. Thank us later. And you, newbies!" the pair sneered.
"Go back to mama before the big guys make you cry," they laughed.
"Back off. You're fooling no one—this is a genjutsu at the door. Let us pass." Sasuke spoke with chilling condescension.
"Oh my kami, he's so stupid..." Naruko thought from the stairs. "Uchiha's arrogant or stupid—choose!"
As they prepared to ascend, the bullied ninja stopped them. "You're Haruno Sakura, right? I'm the green beast of Konoha—Rock Lee. Will you go out with me? I'll protect you with my life."
Sakura froze, gesturing a panicked refusal.
"Move along, creep."
"And you're Sasuke Uchiha? I challenge you to youthful combat—you're Konoha's prodigy!" Lee challenged.
"Sasuke, we don't have time," Akamaru barked.
"Silence, mutt! I'll end this quickly!" Sasuke snarled, stepping in.
Lee dropped back, blocked Sasuke's blow, and spun him down with a powerful kick.
"You cannot match my Sharingan!" Sasuke boasted—but Lee was relentless.
"Konoha Whirlwind!" Lee roared, tossing Sasuke across the hallway—until shuriken clattered at his feet.
"That's enough! We're here to take the exam. Fight later!" barked Kiba. Sasuke glared at both boys.
"Inuzuka-san… thank you. I challenged Sasuke—but it wasn't to show off. I want to surpass Neji Hyūga, Konoha's strongest genin," Lee explained, stepping aside.
Team 7 reached the third floor and reunited with Teams 8 and 10.
"Hi, guys—looks like all the rookies are here!" Kiba greeted.
"You're trouble, Inuzuka-san," Shikamaru rolled his eyes.
"Sasuke-kun! I knew you'd come!" Ino said clinging to his back.
"Back off, Ino-pig!"
"Only in your dreams, forehead!" Ino retorted—and they resumed their verbal sparring.
No one noticed the Kumo nin until Akamaru barked, leaping into Haku's waiting arms.
"Good to see you, little one," Haku smiled, petting the dog.
"Yo, guys—let me introduce us!" Naruko grinned, hands casually behind her head.
"We are N, Haku, and H from Kumogakure. We teamed with Kiba's crew on our first high-rank mission. It's a pleasure to meet you, Konoha shinobi," Hinata added with a polite bow.
As they introduced themselves, Kabuto appeared—offering tips to avoid drawing attention and intel about other teams.
"So, give me the stats: Lee of Konoha, Gaara of Suna, and N of Kumo," Sasuke demanded.
"Lee's from the previous gen—taijutsu specialist; teammates Tenten and Neji; they've done many D and C-rank missions," Kabuto replied, flipping a card.
"Gaara, his team under Baki: zero D ranks, several Cs, and two B ranks. Gaara's never been hurt."
"And me?" Naruko interrupted with a cheeky grin.
"N Uzumaki—claimed to be an Uzumaki, but her origin's unknown. No known mission history. You're part of the Kumo elite genin, with teammates H and Haku, sensei Killer Bee. That's it."
"Ouch, that stings," Hinata muttered.
"If you know so little, I'll have to tell A‑sama—not good."
Naruko cocked a brow and winked at Sasuke:"If you want to know more about me, you just have to ask… (chuckles) and bring the lube." Kiba doubled over with laughter, clutching Akamaru. Sasuke turned beet-red.
Sakura and Ino glared, while most rookies looked puzzled and embarrassed.
Kabuto politely cleared the air.
"Sound Village's new ninja—they're still unknown. Treat them seriously."
The Sound ninja bristled. Dosu punched Kabuto to the floor. Naruko, Kiba, and Akamaru groaned, hands over their ears.
Suddenly, a scarred man burst in. "Listen up, maggots! Sit your asses down—now! No whining. I'm Ibiki Morino. You'll take a written exam—five cheats and you're out, along with your whole team. Got it?"
The Konoha jōnin gathered outside:
"Think your team can handle it?" Asuma asked.
"Yeah," Kurenai replied. "Shino's smart, Sai's awkward, but capable, and Ren… does well in subtlety. I'm proud of them."
"Ren's the civilian-born kunoichi, right?" Kakashi inquired. "They say she's talented… why hide her?"
"She fears outshining her friends. An Aburame and a former Danzo protege balance her."
Bee joined with a grin: "Hey, I've got six kids under me—maybe I can advise too."
"This is Killer Bee from Kumo. We did a mission together and he's here as an envoy. His brother A‑sama wants better relations." added Kakashi.
"That's generous," Asuma noted.
"Naruko's a born leader. Ibiki won't know what hit him," Bee laughed.
Exam Room
The different ninja were trying to get the answers by any means possible. Only those with truly gifted minds like Sakura or Shikamaru were able to figure them out on their own.
Hinata was using her Byakugan, while Haku had created a small ice mirror on the ceiling to copy answers. The Suna team used their special abilities, and the Sound team communicated in Morse code. Meanwhile, team after team was being escorted out after getting caught cheating.
"Well, it's obvious we have to cheat. These questions are waaay too advanced."
"So, what are you going to do, Naruko? Want me to pass you Hinata's answers?"
"Nah, I've got a better idea!" Naruko shouted mentally, her most mischievous grin spreading across her face. Jejejeje, you make me proud, my clever little vixen!
Naruko made a clone, stood up grinning, walked over to one of the disguised Chūnin, and, while saying "Thank you for helping," took his answer sheet. She then returned to her seat, dispelled the clone in her chair, and resumed her exam as if nothing had happened.
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" bellowed Ibiki. Hinata and Haku, used to their teammate's antics, snickered softly.
"Relax, Scarface-san, I'm just doing my exam. I mean, I'm good at infiltration, but info-gathering from inside? Pffft, no way. So I stood up, made a clone, grabbed someone's exam, and sat down again. You've caught me four times already, and the rule says five strikes, right? So I'm still in."
Every Chūnin in the room paled.
"Well, we've got some cocky but clever ones this year," Ibiki growled, clearly furious someone had found a loophole in his system. "From now on, if anyone repeats that stunt, they're out—no exceptions."
Forty minutes later, Ibiki called for the final question. Those who failed it would never be allowed to take the Chūnin Exams again, regardless of their previous answers. This single question would determine everything.
"What now, Kumo blondie-chan?" Ibiki sneered. "You can't just brute-force your way through this one."
"No need to, Scarface-san. I've got other ways to get the answer, even if I don't know it myself. Besides, even if you deny me this promotion, there are other paths. I could get a field promotion—or heck, maybe I'll be the first genin Raikage! Wajajajajaja!" Naruko laughed, completely unfazed.
"Damn her! She completely ruined my exam!" Ibiki muttered. Then he raised his voice. "Well? Anyone sane enough to quit now? Or are you all just a bunch of moronic knuckleheads?"
No one moved.
"Good. Then let me tell you something… you all pass. Congratulations."
"WHAT?!" many of the genin shouted in unison.
"You'll be asked to take risks in your missions as Chūnin and beyond. I needed to see if you were ready for that."
Ibiki pulled off his bandana, revealing a head full of scars.
"Sometimes, you'll have to sacrifice your own well-being for the mission. You better be ready to—"
A loud crash interrupted Ibiki's speech. A dark, wrapped bundle burst through the window and rolled into the room. It unfurled into a banner, and a woman in a tan trench coat stood in the center.
The banner read:
"Anko Mitarashi – Sexy Single Proctor of the Second Exam!"
The woman spun around dramatically, revealing she wore only a fishnet ninja mesh top, an orange skirt, and ANBU-style armored sandals. Her wild purple hair framed a wicked grin.
"All right, soft-heads! I'm your proctor for the second exam. Be ready to suffer! Jajajajaja—wait… where's Ibiki?"
"You're early again, Anko," Ibiki grumbled, clearly annoyed.
"Oh man, you let all these maggots pass? At this rate, I'll become the most feared interrogator in the department instead of you, boss!" Anko laughed as she counted the genin.
"This year's batch has real talent. Don't underestimate them," Ibiki warned.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. After I'm done with them, more than half'll be out. Okay, you lot of wannabe ninjas! Be at Training Ground 44 in one hour or you're out of the exam! Now get out of my sight! Except little Renny—she has some donations to make, jejeje!"
As the teams left, Ren and the rest of Team 8 approached the proctors. Team B from Kumo was also nearby.
"Renny-chan, give me some of your blood, pleeeeeease!" Anko begged, unleashing her most devastating Puppy-Eyes no Jutsu.
"A-Anko-san, I-I can't do that. There are people watching and I need to be at your exam..."
"Oh, you're no fun at all." Anko pouted, then turned to the Kumo team. "What do you girls want?"
The Kumo girls snickered.
"Yo, Scarface! We've got some pretty juicy intel for ya! Since we're gonna be allies and all…" Naruko said, while Anko rolled on the floor laughing like a lunatic.
"She calls you Scarface, bwajajajajaja! Oh man, I hope we end up allies—I soooo wanna hang out with you girls."
"Anko, behave," Ibiki muttered. "Now, what's this information?"
"There's a supposed genin in the exams we think is a spy," Hinata explained. "His name is Kabuto, from Konoha. But he knows things no genin should know. Not even your best spies."
"I'll look into it. Thanks for the tip," Ibiki said with a nod.
"Well then, Team 8 and Team Kumo girls—let's go!" Anko called.
"Anko-san… Haku-san is a boy," Hinata added delicately.
Anko made a face like she had just bitten into a lemon.