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Chapter 3

Am I really ready for this?Those two definitely are...but I can't keep up with them! Sakura thought to herself after her sensei's abrupt departure. With her depressed thoughts spiraling downwards, the pink haired kunoichi began to doubt herself even more. I... I... don't want to take this Chuunin Exam. Completely ignoring her surroundings, she stumbled into an oddly dressed kunoichi wearing a hitai-ate with a musical note on it, sending both girls down to the sidewalk.

"Gomen... I wasn't watching where Iwas going," Sakura apologized, hoisting herself off the girl and offering her ahand up. The foreign kunoichi brushed off the hand as she stood, leveling afrosty glare at the smaller girl.

"Geez, you'd think a little girl like you would be more careful," the kunoichi began. "Spacing out like that back in Sound could get you killed... or worse..."

Sakura paled at the implied threat, her hand automatically seeking a kunai. Watching the trembling form of the kunoichi across from her try to assume a defensive stance sent the Sound ninja into gales of laughter. Sakura's shaky grip on her kunai tightened as she hesitantly asked, "Who are you and what do you want with me?"

"Nobody really, I'm just here to pass on a message" The Sound kunoichi responded. The ninja smirked evilly, "Say your goodbyes to Uchiha Sasuke; he will not survive this exam."

Staring at the other girl in surprise, Sakura unconsciously tightened her grip as her body slowed its trembling. "You won't touch Sasuke-kun," she spat, a bit of her usual personality coming back to her. "I won't let you!"

"Oho so you can bark," taunted the Sound nin. "But can you bite?"

As the foreigner finished speaking, she flicked her wrist, sending a pair of senbon needles towards Sakura. Dodging the needles, she charged at the Sound genin, stabbing her kunai through the girl's cheek. Sakura's eyes widened as the kunai went through the girl's head with no resistance. Bunshin! Turning swiftly, Sakura raised her kunai into a defensive position, waiting for the girl to reveal herself. Distantly registering the jingling of a bell, Sakura looked around wildly, expecting an attack at any moment.

Even so, the dozen copies of her opponent that emerged from the shadows surprised her. This is bad; I don't have any way to check for Bunshin other than hitting them. No way am I fast enough to check them all before she gets me. As the clones began to move in perfect sync, she heard the faint bell chimes coincide with their movements. Thinking furiously, Sakura tried to focus on sensing her opponent's chakra, hoping desperately that she could find the real one before she was overwhelmed. Distantly feeling a small surge of chakra with each ring of the bell, Sakura guessed that her opponent must be planning something with the sound.

I need to find that bell before this gets any worse. Closing her eyes to ease her hearing, Sakura yelped as a senbon grazed her cheek.

"Closing your eyes is a bad idea, little girl," came the mocking words of the Sound nin. She kept moving amongst her clones, taunting the pink haired girl all the while.

Tuning out the kunoichi's voice, Sakura found the bells were somewhere to her left, but the clones charged before she could verify it. Tossing kunai at the handful in her way, Sakura sprinted for the wall, trying to escape the circle of clones.

"Hah, you won't be able to get away!" Moving her hand slightly, the Sound kunoichi altered the pitch of the bells' ring. The change in the chakra-infused waves sent Sakura to her knees, completely destroying her balance and coordination.

Thanking the various Kami for retaining control of her chakra, Sakura hurriedly cut off the chakra flow to her ears, emulating one of Naruto's favorite Higan pranks. Once her hearing had faded away and she regained some use of her body, Sakura lobbed a kunai at the senbon embedded in the nearby wall. Once the kunai mangled the senbon, Sakura released her intense focus and launched a surprise attack. Pushing some chakra into her legs and fist, Sakura launched herself at the Sound nin, landing a powerful punch to her temple. The force of the punch sent the unconscious girl tumbling over fifteen feet while Sakura stared at her hand in surprise.

I can do that?! The girl thought numbly. Heh, maybe this Chuunin Exam won't be so bad... Shannaro! her inner self echoed. Turning away from the downed foreigner, the kunoichi of Team 7 resumed the walk to her home, feeling more confident in herself than ever before.


The next day, Naruto met his impatient teammates outside the Academy. "Ohayo Sakura-chan! ...teme."

"Don't say such things to Sasuke-kun, Naruto!" Sakura yelled at her annoying teammate while her crush ignored them both.

"Let's just get inside, I want to take this test." Sasuke suggested as he led his teammates into the Academy.

When the trio made it to the third floor, they were interrupted before they could reach the proper room. As they rounded a corner, Naruto suddenly winced and covered his flaming eyes. "Gah!There's some kind of chakra layered over the whole hallway, I can barely see through the glow," Naruto whined at his teammates, refusing to take his hand away from his eyes. Glancing nervously at each other, his teammates led the way towards the huge crowd outside the door labeled 301.

Standing outside the door was apair of Konoha genin, denying access to everyone trying to get through. As Team 7 approached, a lanky boy with a 'fantastic' bowl cut and a green spandex leotard had just been denied entry, getting tossed haphazardly at his teammate, a brunette kunoichi in a pink Chinese shirt with her hair tied into a pair of buns. Rubbing his cheek, the spandex-clad genin glared angrily at the taunting guards.

"You plan to take the Chuunin Exam like that? Hah, you should quit now. The chuunin ranks have no room for weaklings like you." The bun-haired girl tried to plead with the self-appointed guardians, only to be slapped away. "The Chuunin Exam is difficult beyond measure; even we have failed it three times. We're doing you a favor by keeping out those that would fail anyway."

"I agree," Sasuke finally spoke up, drawing attention to the new entries. Many curious genin wondered quietly to their team about them, especially the blonde one covering his eyes. "But you will let me through." After a moment, Sasuke continued further, "And remove this genjutsu, I'm headed for the third floor." The crowd gasped at this statement while the talkative guard grinned.

"So you noticed." Sasuke gave asmug look in response, as if such simple tricks were beneath him.

Sakura nodded sharply. "Hai, even I noticed it a while back. We're only on the second floor." Naruto sighed in relief as the residents of the hallway felt a small amount of vertigo. The moment passed quickly, revealing the sign to read 201. Naruto finally relaxed, dropping his hand from his eyes. The results could not have been better if he had planned it.

"Ah that's so much better," he exclaimed into the sudden silence. "That genjutsu really hurt my eyes damnit!"Noticing all of the stares he was receiving, he embarrassedly scratched the back of his head. "Uhh.... Hiya... Guess none of you have ever seen the Higan before, ne?"

"Baka! How could they see it before when you're the only one who has it?!" Sakura berated her less than intelligent teammate, reaching to punch him. Naruto, sensing the incoming attack, ducked behind their third teammate, using him as a shield, furthering raising the ire of the angry kunoichi. "How dare you hide behind Sasuke-kun like that, Naruto! Get out here and take your punishment!"

Sasuke, annoyed by his teammates'behavior, pointedly ignored them as he was approached by the final member of the green ninja's team, an obvious Hyuuga in a baggy white shirt and black shorts. "What is your name?"

"It's only polite to give your own name before asking for another's," Sasuke scathingly replied. Grabbing his bickering teammates he dragged them towards the stairs. "We're leaving."

"Oi, let go of me Sasuke-teme!" a struggling Naruto screamed as he was bodily dragged towards the stairs. Fixing his rival a vicious glare with his fiery orbs, he was suddenly released as Sasuke's entire arm went limp. "That'll teach ya, teme, try that again and it'll be worse!." Straightening his jumpsuit, the blonde led Team 7 towards the real room 301.

/Interesting.../thought the Hyuuga, Byakugan active, staring after the retreating forms of Team 7. He didn't move at all, but somehow halted the flow of chakra in his teammate's arm. It must have something to do with those'eyes'. His female teammate's voice brought him out of his musings.

"Neji-kun, it's time we head to the testing room, or we'll be late."

"You two go. I'll meet you there. I need to take care of something first." And so the team split up, Neji following the blonde that so occupied his thoughts, while his teammates left to wait for him outside the testing room.




Team 7 continued on their way to room 301, passing through a small courtyard before reaching the stairs to the third floor. They were approaching the stairs when they were forced to halt by the sudden appearance of the Hyuuga from earlier.

"You in the orange," the boy began, singling out the Higan user. "Spar with me. Your eyes have piqued my interest. I wish to see what they can do." At this, the Uchiha's eyes flashed darkly. The scowl on his face deepening as the unthinkable happened; he, Kami's gift to Konoha, the one and only Uchiha Sasuke, was ignored in favor of his dobe of a teammate.

"Sure, but before we begin,"Breaking into a grin, Naruto asked the Hyuuga. "What's your name? I need to know so I can tell the story of how Uzumaki Naruto kicked your ass!"

Letting none of his feelings cross his face, the normally stoic boy answered. "My name is Hyuuga Neji, Uzumaki-san. Now let's get started."

Nodding agreeably, Naruto grinned in anticipation as he left his teammates and moved into the center of the courtyard, preparing himself for the coming fight. Neji followed, dropping into the Jyuuken stance when he arrived. Flashing a cocky look at the Hyuuga, Naruto began the fight.

Bringing his hands together in afamiliar seal, Naruto's yell rang out, "/Kage Bunshin no Jutsu/!" A dozen puffs of smoke announced the arrival of the clones as they spread around Neji. Loosing a battle-cry, the thirteen Narutos attacked at once. Byakugan active, Neji flowed around the attacks, never once being struck. Eventually, he jumped out of the jumble of clones, landing in a crouch to the side. Turning back to his blonde opponent, he stated rather coldly, "If that is all you can do, don't bother taking this test. It is not your fate to win."

Grrr... Another Sasuke?! Naruto growled to himself, picking himself off the piles of clones. Shaking his head to clear out his suddenly negative thoughts, Naruto charged again. "Don't underestimate me teme! I'm gonna be Hokage!"

Channeling chakra to his hand, Neji ducked under the charge and lightly slapped the wanna-be Hokage in the stomach. Clutching at the surprisingly pained area, a wide-eyed Naruto stumbled forwards. Steadying himself, Naruto spoke with a confident grin on his face. "Teme... that was the last hit that'll hurt me!"

Chuckling darkly, Neji replied from his standing position, "You are nothing compared to me. Fate has decreed that you will lose." Focusing chakra into his palms, he moved against the blonde, hitting his opponent with the infamous Jyuuken more times than he could count. So confident was he in his abilities, he didn't notice the chakra for his attacks being discharged from the back of his hands a heartbeat before they could connect. The final blow was delivered, along with a victorious smirk, sending the Higan user onto his back. "See? You can't even stand!"

The smirk was quickly wiped off his face however, when the sweating and panting blonde kipped up rubbing lightly at his sternum. "Damn... didn't expect that blow to hit that hard," he muttered to himself. Looking up at Neji, he controlled his breathing as he continued, "Your Jyuuken can't hurt me I'm afraid. Kakashi-sensei told me how it works, and with my bloodline, there's no way you can hurt me with it!" Buy the bluff asshole! I don't think I could do that again, especially since he'll be hitting a lot harder.

"Impossible! The Jyuuken is perfect, there's no way to defend against it!"

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto, the impossible is nothing compared to what I can do!" Naruto's impudent grin shattered what remained of Neji's self control, unknowingly signaling an end to the match. Neji's stance deepened and he shifted his arms into the correct positions. Oh shit.

"You are in range of my divination," Neji intoned as concentric circles and strange green symbols appeared around the two boys. "Hakke: Rokujyuyonsh-" Before Neji could finish the name of his new technique, a cloud of smoke appeared between the boys and avoice rang out.

"Neji! While I am glad to see the Flames of Youth burn brightly in you," the voice began. Neji's expressions darkened as the voice continued. "That technique is not to be used on another Konoha ninja!" Neji sighed and relaxed his stance, dispelling the green symbols, while an errant gust of wind blew through the courtyard, clearing the smoke away from the intruder to their battle.

The smoke's exit revealed a man that appeared to be an exact replica of Neji's green-clad teammate, from twenty years in the future. "I apologize, Gai-sensei," Neji bowed slightly to the man."I let my anger cloud my judgement. It won't happen again"

"It's alright, Neji," Gai assured."Just be careful in the future. I must ask though, what stoked the Flames of your Youth so much that this spar couldn't wait until after the exam?"

"He's standing right behind you, with a doujutsu I've never heard of before." Gai turned as he listened, his eyes growing wide upon seeing the Higan.

"Yosh! I can see why you would wish to spar with him now!" Gai stated. Immediately becoming serious, his next question he directed at Naruto. "I am Maito Gai, Konoha's Beautiful Green Beast! What's your name?"

"Uzumaki Naruto, Gai-san." The answer caused a slight tightening around the eyes of the Green Beast for his next question.

"Those eyes of yours, what do you call them? And how did you get them?"

"They're called the Higan, and it's the best of all the fancy eye abilities! I've got no idea how I activated it, my old eyes just burst into flame near the end of our first C-rank mission and ended up like this."

Naruto's answer statement eased most of the worries of the eccentric jounin before him. "YOSH! The flames of your Youth must burn brightly to manifest so! If I can't do the same, I'll run around the village six times on my hands! And if I can't do that, I'll do 1200 kicks..."

The genin sweatdropped as one while the green ninja began to list the most absurd exercises any of them had ever heard. Backing away so he could avoid catching the crazy, Naruto rejoined his teammates near the base of the stairs. Sneaking away while Gai rambled on, it was not long before the trio found themselves outside the real room 301.

"...So you all decided to come. Good," their sensei greeted them outside the room, his nose predictably buried in a little orange book. "That means I can let you in."

"Ano, sensei, I thought taking the exam was an individual decision," Sakura said, looking at her teacher in confusion.

"That's what I said, but you really need a team of three to take this test. If I had told you the truth, you would have come, but not because you wanted to. A ninja that is not fully committed to their goal will fail, so I had to make sure all three of you came to the test because you wanted to, not because you felt you had to." Kakashi explained, looking up from his novel and eye-smiling at his students. "That being said, all three of you came of your own will. I'm proud of you all. Good luck."

Ushering his students through the door, Kakashi relaxed against the wall once more immersing himself in the world of Icha Icha Paradise.




Walking through the door, Team 7was treated to a rather intimidating sight. Almost every one of the assembled genin was glaring daggers at the rookies. At least, they tried to, until the fiery glare from the Higan sufficiently cowed them. The looks suddenly became more worried than angry as quiet whispers spread throughout the room, the only ninja remaining unaffected by the sight were either too experienced to react noticeably or had seen it before.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto, and I'm not gonna lose to you bastards! Got that?!" Naruto yelled into the silence, raising the ire of more than a small portion of the present genin. Sakura, noticing the glares returning as the occupants of the room got over their surprise, grabbed her teammate quickly, firmly planting her hand over his mouth.

"Ehehe, Gomen... he gets like this sometimes." Sakura's embarrassed chuckles as she restrained her teammates mollified most of the shinobi in the room. It didn't stop the approach of Konoha's Team 10 from behind the trio though.

"... You're still too loud, Naruto,"a lazy voice drawled. Facing the new arrivals, Naruto embarrassedly scratched the back of his head while the other team became frozen in shock.

"Hehe, I guess so. So you three are in the Chuunin Exam. ... Eh? Shikamaru?" Naruto poked the frozen Nara, hoping to illicit some kind of response. What the hell happened to him?

"Na- Naruto?!" Ino stuttered out when the blonde's voice finally registered with her. "What the hell is with your eyes?!"

"It's a Kekkei Genkai that I named Higan," Naruto explained excitedly. "It's really cool! I can see and control other people's chakra with it! Ever since I activated it in Wave Country it's been a blast."

Just as the explanation was finished, the last of the nine rookies arrived. "You guys are taking the exam too? Wicked!" Glancing at Naruto's eyes Kiba shuddered slightly. "Gah, Naruto find some way to turn those off. That fire is just way too creepy!"

"That's all part of the appeal, Inu-teme."Kiba squared away against Naruto, ready to start a fight then and there, when an unassuming grey-haired Konoha genin reprimanded the duo.

"Geez, you guys are loud," the shinobi said with a quelling look at the rabble-rousers. "These tests are serious, if you don't pay attention you could be killed." The grim pronouncement effectively killed the light atmosphere the group had been gathering a moment before. "My name is Kabuto by the way, and you guys can't help but remind me of myself the first time I took this exam."

"You've taken this exam before Kabuto-san?"asked Sakura.

"Hai. I've tried and failed seven times now." Most of the rookies started at this, re-evaluating their ideas on the test. The Inuzuka in the group, though, took it as an admission of weakness.

"Hah! You failed seven times?! You must be pretty weak." With a sheepish smile, Kabuto bowed his head slightly in acknowledgement before responding.

"That may be part of it, but there's also a lot of really strong competition," Kabuto explained. "The teams here are the best genin in their villages, hailing from great villages like Suna or Iwa, all the way to the minor ones like Oto and Ame. Fortunately for you guys though, I've managed to collect quite a bit of data on most people here."Pulling out a deck of innocuous cards, Kabuto held them out like they were agift from the Kami. "On these nin-info cards I've stored information on every shinobi in this exam. Anyone specific you guys want some info on?"

The dark avenger decided to take the opportunity, and spoke the name of the one he was most interested in fighting. "Hyuuga Neji."

"So you know his name, that will make things faster," Kabuto said as he leafed through the cards. Locating the appropriate item, he pulled it out of the deck and pushed some chakra through it, causing words to appear on the previously blank card. "There we go. Hyuuga Neji- genin of Konoha. Sensei is Maito Gai and teammates are Rock Lee and Tenten. Extremely skilled in the Hyuuga taijutsu style Jyuuken, some have even claimed him to be the greatest Hyuuga genius ever born. Mission history is 20 D-rank and 12 C-rank missions. Just like you guys, this is his first time in the exam."

"Ne, Kabuto-san," Naruto began. Sending a glance to the tri of Sand nin towards the side of the room, Naruto continued. "Do you have any info on Sabaku no Gaara? He's a sand nin with a big gourd on his back."

Kabuto glanced at the Higan user before nodding. "It's his first time in the exam so I don't have much, but let me find his card." After a moment of shuffling, he pulled out another nin-info card. "Sabaku no Gaara - his teammates are his siblings Temari and Kankurou under the jounin Baki. Mission history is 8 C-rank and 1 B-rank mission." Kabuto paused as he listed the genin's missions. "A B-rank as a genin, most impressive. Idon't have much else on him, but apparently he has returned from everyone mission without so much as a scratch."

Gulping audibly, Hinata mumbled,"That's enough to make you lose your confidence."

"Oi! Don't worry so much Hinata-chan!"Naruto assured the quiet girl. "You can definitely beat the crap out of any of these low-class wanna-bes."

In the midst of the crowd, a trio of Sound genin overheard the conversation. "Low-class, eh? Maybe we should show them just how low we are Dosu." One of the ninja spoke.

The mummified Dosu responded to his spiky haired teammate, "Right behind you Zaku," before both genin blurred into action. Weaving through the crowd Zaku launched the first attack, lobbing a kunai at the blonde that had insulted him so. Turning as he heard movement, Naruto barely managed to shove Hinata out of the way, but the delay cost him.

"Naruto-kun!" a very worried Hinata called. Picking herself up, she got ready to deal with the fools that had injured her crush. The other seven members of the Rookie 9 prepared themselves as well.

With the kunai protruding from his shoulder, Naruto braced himself for the next round. Dosu attacked, attempting to swing his gauntlet-covered fist through the blonde's face. Throwing his head back, Naruto avoided the chakra-laden punch, only to gasp as he saw even more chakra fly from the holes in the strange glove. Without thought, Naruto reacted, sling-shotting the chakra charged air around his body and straight back into Dosu's wide-eyed face.

Surprised by the return of his own attack, Dosu couldn't dodge in time and fell to his knees, vomiting. Naruto backed away, pulling the kunai from his shoulder and worriedly watching the other Sound nin. "What hell did you do, you bastard?!" Charging at the blonde, Zaku was interrupted by the sudden appearance of a fist before his face. Skidding to a halt before he hit it, the Sound ninja backed away from the Inuzuka's fist and the other rookies arrayed before Naruto.

A sudden bang drew the attention of the gathered genin before any more attacks could be launched. "Settle down you worthless bastards!" came a yell from the front of the room. "There will be no fighting in this part of the exam, am I understood?" Pulling his attention from the standing Sound nin, Naruto got his first look at the exam proctor. His first impression was not a pleasant one. Numerous scars littered the jounin's face and neck, disappearing under his collar and the bandana he wore over his head like a hat.

"Hai." Zaku sullenly responded, helping his teammate to his feet. "This is just our first time taking the exam and we're a bit anxious." As the Sound nin moved away, the Konoha rookies let out a sigh of relief while Hinata helped Naruto bandage his wound. Smiling brightly at the cherry red heiress, Naruto thanked her for the help and pulled his shirt and jacket back on before testing his mobility. The proctor, seeing the boy ready to continue, began the test.

"My name is Morino Ibiki, and I am the examiner of the first of the three portions of this Chuunin Exam. All of you will line up and take a number. This will determine where you sit for the first test." When the assembled genin had all secured a number, the examiner led them into the next room, where numbered seats were in neat rows around the room. The genin took their seats and prepared for whatever test was coming their way. Striding to the front of the room, the scarred jounin explained the first test. "This first part is a written test that my associates are passing out now."

Naruto frantically looked for aloophole upon hearing the dread words 'written test'. Kuso! I suck at written tests. What am I gonna do!? As the tests were passed out, Naruto's racing mind could not stop thinking of the certainty that he would fail. When the proctors finally reached his row and began handing out the tests, he heard a quiet whisper from his right. "Ganbatte, Naruto-kun."

Glancing over, he saw Hinata picking up her test next to him. Calmed by the familiar presence, he answered,"Thanks Hinata-chan, you too." He fell silent as Ibiki explained the rules of the test.

"This test uses a point-deduction system, where you start with 10 points and if you answer a question incorrectly, you lose a point. For example, if you get 3 of the 10 questions wrong, you end with 7 points. The grade of the team is decided by the team's total points at the end of the test, but if any member of the team scores azero, the entire team fails." Naruto felt a pair of death glares focus on him at that. "Being caught cheating will cost you 2 points each time. The pathetic ones that get caught cheating will only be destroying themselves. As shinobi aspiring for the chuunin rank, be proud ninjas. Now... begin."

Focusing back on his test with renewed determination, Naruto began to examine the questions. Alright, number 1. If a ninja at point A, 15 meters above the ground, is capable of throwing a shuriken at 22 meters per second, calculate the effective range for... Kuso! There's no way I can do this one... What's the next one? The questions continued in the same vein, completely unsolvable for the hyperactive blonde. Completely panicked, it was all Naruto could do to keep his lunch down. After a few minutes, a slight voice from his right reached through his panic.

"Na- Naruto-kun. You can c-copy my t-test," Hinata said, shifting her arm out of the way. Shooting the girl agrateful glance, though it was hard to tell with the Higan, Naruto started to read the first of the answers. Without warning, a kunai flew past his face. Frozen in surprise, the blonde almost missed the proctor who had thrown it speaking.

"Number 73, you've been caught cheating five times, you're out."

"Nani?! You don't have any proo-,"The accused genin's protest was silenced by a kunai held to his throat by the same proctor.

"This is all the proof I need."The genin gulped and nodded before the proctor released him. "Take your teammates and get out."

A pair of other genin stood and, giving nasty glares at both the proctor and their teammate, filed out the door. Silence reigned in the classroom after the little performance as the remaining genin focused back on their tests.

"Hurry, Naruto-k-kun," Hinata prompted from beside him. "look quickly."

"Hinata-chan..." a choked Naruto mumbled. No one's ever offered to help me like that before... "I can't get you in trouble, I'll be fine without cheating."

He's worried about me! Hinata thought to herself, smiling despite her worries at the confident blonde. Nodding resolutely, she focused back on her test as Naruto did the same.

The next 30 minutes passed uneventually, with more and more genin disqualified for cheating, while even more were stealthy enough to avoid notice. The Uchiha and both Hyuuga in the room discretely used their bloodlines to copy from a nearby examinee, while the rest of the room used more conventional methods. Mirrors on the ceiling and chakra strings were enough for the non-Hyuuga members of Gai's team. The Inuzuka used his puppy to spy from its perch atop his head and his last teammate preferred the use of bugs, sending them out to memorize the answers. The Ino-Shika-Cho trio made efficient use of their bloodlines to get the answers and share them amongst themselves. Sakura didn't need to cheat at all. She methodically worked out the answers using nothing but her own intelligence, in stark contrast to most of the rest of the genin. In fact, the only other person in the room that didn't cheat was the one who needed to the most. What am I gonna do?! wailed Naruto in his mind. I can't answer any of these!




"I hope those kids will be alright," Asuma said to the cyclopean jounin of Team 7. "This test's examiner is Morino Ibiki."

"That sadist?" Kakashi replied. "Maa, looks like they may have run out of luck."

"Who's Ibiki?" a suddenly worried Kurenai asked. "Can he really be that bad?"

"It's understandable that you wouldn't know," Asuma answered. "but Morino Ibiki is the head of the ANBU Torture and Interrogation unit. Breaking people is his specialty."

Seeing their female companion tense, Kakashi moved to reassure her. "Relax. Ibiki won't be doing anything physical. He's an expert in psychology and will be pouring on the pressure. They'll be going through some extreme mental suffering."




"It is now time for the final question to be revealed," Ibiki announced, creating a stir among the genin."But before I can do that, I need to introduce the 'rules of desperation'."Here he paused to let his words sink in. When he judged the gathered genin unsettled enough, he continued. "Before you receive the tenth question, you must choose whether you will take it or not."

"What happens if we refuse?" a worried Temari asked.

"Then your points immediately drop to zero and you and your teammates will fail."

"Then of course we'll take it!What kind of stupid rule is that?!" exclaimed Kiba, annoyed at the foolishness of the new rules.

"Keep in mind, if you take the question and fail to answer it correctly, you forfeit all future chances to take this exam." Ibiki countered easily with a sadistic smirk.

"You can't do that! There are people in here who have taken this test before!"

"It's your bad luck that this time, I was the examiner. This is my test and my rules. Now you must decide. Will you risk the question, or not?" Ibiki watched impassively as the genin began leaving in droves. The few minutes of watching ninja, one after another, give up on the test struck a terrible chord within Naruto. His usual confidence faltered and he shakily began to raise his hand. His pink-haired teammate and the shy Hyuuga next to him shared the same thought when they noticed.

Even Naruto's giving up...

Suddenly, Naruto's arm steadied and he slammed a fist into the table before him. Standing up he exclaimed "Give me the question! I'm not afraid! I bet my life every time I go on a mission, compared to that, this gamble is nothing! Even if I fail, I'll just be the first genin ever to make Hokage, and then I'll give you D-ranks for the rest of your life!"

Bolstered by the declaration, the remaining genin steeled themselves against the coming question, prepared to risk their lives and their future. Seeing the tension and pressure he had so carefully built evaporate in an instant, Ibiki had to grumble. "You're sure?Are you really so willing to bet your life?"

"Damn right I am. I never go back on my words, and I never do anything I'd regret, for that's my nindo, and not you, Hokage-jiji or Kami himself will get me to back down."

Hmm, doesn't look like any of them will budge soon. ...Oh well. "Well then, there is only one thing I can say to all of those remaining." Letting the tension build during his dramatic pause, Ibiki watched the genin squirm. Finally taking pity on them, he finished with a smile. "Congratulations on passing the first test of the Chuunin Exam."

The chaos that followed that announcement almost made having his plan spoiled by a genin worthwhile for the Torture and Interrogation specialist. "What do you mean, we pass?" Sakura called out. "What about the tenth question."

"There is no tenth question," Ibiki answered calmly. "Or rather, the choice you made was the tenth question." Looks of confusion were thrown around the room as the genin tried to decipher his words. "Chuunin are squad leaders, every day they risk the lives of themselves and their comrades to complete their missions. Those that don't have the determination to see it through, who will put it off because 'there's always next year'... Trash like that doesn't deserve the rank of chuunin!"

"Yatta!" yelled Naruto into the ensuing silence. He turned to Hinata and pulled her into an ecstatic hug. "We did it!" Blushing profusely, it was all the Hyuuga heiress could do to stay conscious as she nodded happily. Excited whispers spread through the room following the little scene, celebrating their success on the test.

Suddenly, the whispers were silenced as a window exploded inwards and a large bundle of black cloth flew into the room. The bundle unfurled itself, kunai tied to corners of the cloth sinking into the ceiling, revealing the message 'Mitarashi Anko, the Second Examiner is here!'. A heartbeat later a rather scantily clad woman stepped out from behind the cloth. Dressed in no more than a miniskirt, fishnet, and trench coat, the woman stood before her banner, more than sufficiently revealing her impressive assets. Quickly counting the remaining genin, she addressed her compatriot. "You let 26 teams pass? You've gone soft Ibiki."

"There's just a lot of exceptional genin in this bunch." Nodding dismissively, the grinning kunoichi looked back to the waiting genin.

"Don't get too excited, kiddies. The second test begins now!"

A/N - And here's chapter 3. Bit more action scenes and the like, and a bit longer than the last two. Let me know what y'all think.