Chapter 25 Part 1
"Whoa, there's so many people here!!" Naruko exclaimed in astonishment. Everywhere you looked, shinobi. They were all different ages, wore different clothing, and bore different symbols on their protectors. They sat scattered chaotically throughout the room, yet even within this chaos a certain system was visible: the shinobi clustered in small groups, preferring to stay close to their own teams and fellow villagers. The moment the Konoha genin entered the room, the overwhelming majority of shinobi turned toward them, drilling the newcomers with hostile stares.
"Creepy. So many of them... and they're all taking the exam." Sakurai gave a small shudder. All those stares made his skin crawl.
"Lots of strong ones here!" Sasuko smirked faintly. Her eyes swept keenly across those present, instantly catching the notable black mane of Rock Lee. "And she's here. Naturally."
"Oh, you're here!" exclaimed a vaguely familiar voice very close by. Looking toward the sound, the genin saw a tall blond young man with an unusual fringe. "Hey, Sasuko-chan!"
"What d'you mean, 'hey'?! What the hell are you doing here, Piggy?!" Sakurai scowled, instantly finding in this world something familiar and so wonderfully dear. After all, what could be dearer than an eternal friend-rival you could squabble with to your heart's content?!
"Eh, you're here too, numbskull?" Ino put on a surprised face. "And here I thought they didn't let weaklings in?!"
"Who're you calling a weakling, pale swine?!" Haruno bristled.
"Take the bananas out of your ears, big-foreheaded goblin!" Yamanaka bared his teeth.
They loomed over each other, practically butting foreheads, measuring each other with furious glares.
"A-ah, how noisy..." A girl of medium height with a "pineapple" hairstyle winced. Nara Shikumo. She possessed an analytical mind, but along with it, a cantankerous disposition. "Boys and their stupid games... Ah, you lot dragged yourselves here too..."
"Yo... hey," a plump girl crunched her chips, bearing curious spirals on her cheeks. Akimichi Cho. Like all Akimichi, she was rather heavyset, something she secretly had a complex about, and because of it, ate even more.
"Oh, how'd you guys end up here?" Naruko wondered, genuinely. So genuinely that Shikumo nearly choked on her next sigh.
"Hey, you..." She frowned, indignant.
"Ha!!! And here I'm thinking, where's all this noise coming from! It's you idiots!!"
"Yap!"
Three more Leaf genin approached the general group.
Inuzuka Kiba, of the Inuzuka clan. And her partner, Akatsuki. Kiba was slightly above average height. Her body was trained and sturdy... only her chest wasn't as big as she'd have liked. The girl's face was adorned with painted "fangs." Throughout her entire figure, there was something beastly, a natural wildness, that instantly set her apart from the crowd. As for her character, she could be called a brash tomboy with leadership aspirations. Among all those present, she was one of the few Naruko knew more or less well: their personalities were very similar, and they were both very stubborn, which is why they often fought. Over time, they'd become good pals, though that didn't stop them at all from starting little spats over random nonsense with enviable regularity.
"Hey, Naruko! Didn't think I'd ever see you again!" Inuzuka exclaimed loudly. "A weakling like you should've croaked somewhere under a bush by now! Right, Akatsuki?"
"Wwwoof!" The puppy on the girl's shoulder barked in agreement. Akatsuki wasn't too big yet, but in a few years promised to grow into a very large and dangerous beast, a loyal friend and protector.
"Ha, dream on, fleabag!" Naruko shot back.
"I'm not a fleabag!" The girl instantly flared up.
"Say that after you scrub your stinky little coat!" Naruko stuck her tongue out at Kiba.
"You bitch..." Kiba growled, getting worked up.
"Umm... N-Naruko-chan, K-Kiba-chan, please don't fight!" a beautiful voice timidly cut into the budding squabble.
"Hanni-chan!" Naruko exclaimed with bright friendliness, finding yet another good acquaintance with her eyes. "You're here!"
"H-hello," Hanni Hyuga greeted, faltering. Hanni wasn't distinguished by remarkable physique, rather the opposite: this particular representative of the Hyuga clan was short and looked almost fragile. Thin arms with elegant wrists, a light skin tone, a delicate face with fine features. Hanni Hyuga was an effeminate boy. On top of that, he had a calm, non-confrontational nature. Hanni was always polite and shy with people, and his pearl-colored eyes looked at the world innocently and trustingly.
Kiba growled with displeasure but yielded. Though her displeasure was caused not by the interruption of the brewing fight, but by the shinobi surrounding them. Or, more precisely, by the attention directed at the short Hyuga.
"Heh-heh-heh! Well, let's do our best, right?!" Naruko smiled widely at the boy.
"Mm. Uh-huh..." Smiling timidly, the silver-eyed boy averted his gaze, blushing a little.
Kiba growled even more displeased.
It was an age-old problem: if, among the boys, Uchiha Sasuko was the most desired girl, then on the opposite side, that person was none other than Hyuga Hanni. Beautiful, refined, with elegant features and a fragile build, with his pleasant, gentle nature, he was the center of highly unhealthy attention among girls. By his mere appearance, he awakened a sisterly or maternal instinct in the surrounding females, as well as an almost irresistible urge to shelter, protect... and also to hug and squeeze. Somehow, entirely on its own, within the female community, Hanni had come to be associated with a bunny. A little, fluffy white bunny, with sensitive ears and innocent eyes. Due to his nature, the boy by his very essence disliked conflict, and so could offer no resistance to the powerful onslaught of girls thirsting for his cuteness. Continuing the analogy: if Hanni was a bunny, then the girls surrounding him, from his age and older, were a pack of gray wolves, prowling around, impatiently drooling and thirsting to "eat" him.
It was entirely possible that the sole reason Hanni Hyuga still hadn't been snatched up (or even raped) by some spirited lass was currently standing beside him, quietly grumbling under her breath. For if Hanni was a bunny, and the other girls were wolves, then Kiba Inuzuka was a guard-shepherd, ready to sink her teeth into the throat of any beast that dared get too close. It was precisely thanks to Kiba that other girls preferred to admire Hanni from a safe distance, giving him breathing room.
Kiba herself, meanwhile, always got irritated and lectured Hanni when he started acting too uncertain, shyly mumbling and being indecisive. She was rough with her words, having personally taken the boy under her wing, making him behave more confidently, trying with all her might to "fix" him and "make a man out of him." Naturally, there was a reason for this. Trivial, really:
Kiba was in love with Hanni.
And that was precisely why any other girl spotted near the Hyuga provoked an irritated beastly growl from Kiba.
"Damned little sluts," the young Inuzuka fumed, making the other girls nervously edge backward and keep their distance with her fierce stare alone. Hanni already belonged to her, he just didn't know it yet. She had decided it herself! And she was ready to beat any rival bloody who dared try to snare her boy!!
The problem was that Hanni himself clearly harbored some kind of feelings for Uzumaki Naruko. Kiba could see it, she could feel it in her gut! She didn't know what story had passed between the two of them, but the mere fact of Uzumaki's existence irritated her. Because around her, that milksop became an even bigger milksop! Only one thing calmed her: Naruko herself was a complete idiot who utterly failed to notice the Hyuga's behavior, considering it merely "strange." This small fact fully reconciled Kiba with reality, and even made her friendly relations with the blonde possible. After all, she was one of the very few who never even thought of encroaching on her milksop!
"..." At the same time, no one noticed yet another girl standing behind Hanni and Kiba. Aburame Shiho was tall and wore clothing that concealed her as much as possible from prying eyes. She hid her face behind a high collar, covered her head with a hood, and concealed her eyes behind dark glasses. She didn't talk much, preferring to observe from the sidelines. Naruko barely knew her and, as if by the way, tried to keep her distance from the tall girl, finding her very creepy.
"Hey, girlfriends, reunion with friends is all well and good, but maybe tone down the volume?" someone coolly rebuked the genin.
"And who're you?!" Naruko and Kiba snapped in chorus. The unknown person's tone carried far too much condescension and patronizing disdain not to significantly rile the girls up.
The "unknown" turned out to be a young woman about five years older than the genin, distinguished from the general crowd only by her wide glasses and silvery hair. Her figure, like her face hidden behind the glasses, somehow blurred and seemed almost average. Unremarkable clothing, standard equipment, a Leaf protector on her head. The girl seemed utterly uninteresting, one among many, many others.
"My name's Kabuki. And you lot, I see you've only just come to us from the Academy." Kabuki snorted, adjusting her lens-flashing glasses with an irritated gesture. "But this isn't some innocent little picnic. And you're far from alone here. Look, look around and admire the view."
Exchanging puzzled glances, the genin followed Kabuki's advice and immediately experienced wild discomfort: they were the center of everyone's attention. Shinobi from various villages were glancing sidelong and outright staring at them, their faces full of irritation and even malice.
"Wh-what the hell do they want?!" Kiba demanded, displeased and a little agitated.
"There are a lot of strong shinobi gathered here, you know. Chunin Exams aren't such a frequent event, and the best make it here. But even so, not all of them will get the coveted title. The folks here are all on edge. One spark is enough... and there'll be bodies."
It sounded so ominous that many of the Academy graduates could barely swallow the lump rising in their throats. The hostility and tension hanging in the air weighed down on the genin.
"Just as I thought: plenty of strong opponents here!" Unlike the others, Sasuko felt a competitive excitement rising in her chest alongside the anxiety. And then it seemed to her that she'd noticed something. "HM?!"
"Well, since you're rookies, your mistakes are perfectly understandable. I was the same myself once." Kabuki continued, spreading her hands carelessly. "I've been trying to pass for several times already, but no luck yet. Honestly, this is my seventh try."
"Whoaaa... you're a real loser!" Naruko breathed out in surprise.
"Naruko!!!" Sakurai exclaimed, furious, fighting the urge to smack the clueless girl upside the head.
"Heh! This exam's just really tough!" The woman laughed, showing no negative reaction to the blonde's words. "But, participating time after time, I've managed to accumulate a whole mountain of varied information on participants from different Villages. See?"
"What's that?" The genin wondered as Kabuki, with a magician's flourish, produced a deck of blank cards from somewhere.
"Khe... Well, since it's your first time here, I'll share my wisdom with you. We're compatriots, after all!" The woman proclaimed, pompous, pulling one card from the deck. "Look: they seem blank, right? But that's not so. These cards are full of information I've gathered over the last four years. It's recorded with my chakra, so only I have access to it..."
While Kabuki entertained the impressed Academy graduates, Sasuko was occupied with something else, listening to the "eternal examinee" with half an ear.
"Red..." The girl murmured quietly, her gaze locked onto the owner of a notable head of hair. The moment she'd spotted her, the irritating monk's voice resounded in Sasuko's head as if he were right there: "Beware of red." A short girl with a clay gourd nearly as tall as she was, wearing on her forearm a protector bearing Suna's symbol. She was so fragile and sickly pale that she seemed incapable of posing a danger even to a fly. But, as if sensing Sasuko's stare, the redhead sharply turned her head in her direction. An attentive black-eyed gaze met the indifferent coldness of turquoise. For a fleeting instant, Sasuko felt as though she'd been torn apart alive: that was the sensation. Her combat instincts screamed alarm, warning of a threat.
"She's... dangerous!" The Uchiha thought, feeling a chill run down her spine. Such an empty, heartless gaze... "Damn useless monk! If you know something, you should've said it, not thrown up smoke!!!"
Meanwhile, the "red" girl stopped boring into Sasuko with her stare, as if losing interest in her.
"Hey, you." The Uchiha cut off Kabuki, who was shuffling her cards. "If you're so well-informed, you've got info on individual shinobi too, right?"
"Mmm... Naturally. I even have a bit on all of you." Kabuki snorted with pride, once again simply ignoring the rudeness. "Usually, info like this costs money... Though, take advantage while I'm feeling generous. Who interests you?"
"Rock Lee, Konoha. And that girl with the gourd from Suna." Sasuko indicated the latter with a dismissive tilt of her head.
"Ah-haaa... Well, if you know the name, then it's simple. But that one... hm?.." The girl pondered. "Ah! I think I know her!"
With a flourish of her hands, Kabuki extracted two cards with an invisible gesture and manifested their contents with a pulse of chakra.
Sasuko greedily drank in the revealed image with her eyes. Rock, as it turned out, was catastrophically weak in everything except taijutsu. But the Uchiha wasn't fooled now: in a physical clash, that bushy-browed girl possessed overwhelming superiority in speed and strength. Which the diagram confirmed, showing a simply insane skew toward tai. And yes, that insane little runt really was Bushy-Brows' teacher. It seemed insane, but that was the fact.
The "red" one, meanwhile, was named Sabaku Gaara. Kabuki's card had almost no information on her. But the fact that "Gourd" had managed to complete several B-rank missions, rumor said without a single scratch, was cause for wariness.
"Beware of red, huh?" Sasuko repeated to herself once more. Fine. She would keep her eyes on that girl.
"Ahah! Awesome!!" To the genin's great bewilderment, Naruko burst out laughing. "What're you all moping for? We just gotta kick all their butts!!!"
"This idiot..." Sakurai felt so ashamed he wanted to bang his head against the wall.
"Pff..." Sasuko snorted, amused. "You're so stupid nothing fazes you..."
"Yeah, I'm.... HEY!!! Who're you calling stupid, Stupid Hedgehog!!!"
"Heeehhh... What amusing little kids," Kabuki laughed inwardly, maintaining her expression. "Almost feel a little sorry for the poor things..."
"Alright, SHUT UP!!!" A commanding roar nearly deafened everyone in the room. The area before the lectern filled with smoke, within which the outlines of a dozen people took shape. At the front stood a tall woman with scars on a hard face. Anyone with even basic information easily recognized Morino Ikki, Konoha's chief bogeyman, an interrogator notoriously infamous for her "thoroughness" in her work. This woman deservedly held her fearsome reputation, never missing an opportunity to reaffirm and enhance it at every convenient juncture. "Good day, candidates. If anyone doesn't yet know, I am Morino Ikki. And I will be your examiner for the first stage."
"..." It was an astonishing phenomenon. Without even trying to look threatening, this woman, by her very presence, made many of those present nervously swallow the anxious lump in their throats. Even those who'd never heard of Morino Ikki felt the powerful pressure emanating from this frightening woman.
"I'll say this only once. Fighting and killing are forbidden! Anyone who breaks the rules can consider themselves failed! The first stage of the exam begins now. And if you want to bail, now's the time! No? Very well. I officially declare the beginning of the First Stage of the Chunin Exam!!! Each of you will now submit your application forms, in exchange receive a number, and be seated according to the assignment. Then you will be given sheets and informed of the rules for this stage."
"Wait, this is!!..." Sakurai blinked in surprise.
"This sounds like..." Sasuko looked at the examiners suspiciously.
"A WRITTEN TEST?!" Unable to contain herself, Naruko cried out.
"Shut up back there!!!" Morino barked back. "First, by number!"
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