-Chunin Exam Day-
Pov: Takumi Uchiha.
My senses are much sharper now- a few full days of training them was easy enough, considering how skilled I am in using the dulled senses of mine.
And I am also skilled in using them when they are ten times better- so while I have the senses of an average Chunin I am capable of much more than the average Chunin.
I was predicting and effortlessly evading a Jonin with genin level senses.
Could I see the Jonin if they hid from me? Hear them approach? Smell their scent? Absolutely not, but if I can detect them I can predict them.
Hn.
I could have gotten more training done- if I focused on my senses full time I would have Jonin level by now surely. Considering that I am merely reclaiming a lost skill instead of learning one.
Or perhaps instead of staying up to read the newest book in the [Love, regret and the Honeydove Café] series I could have start learning new taijutsu or improved upon it.
Hn- I could have instead opened a book on genjutsu, the part of combat that I keep pushing to the back of my mind.
I will almost certainly get caught off guard by it when it happens to ensnare me.
"Hey Takumi, you ready? I am- this is like our first mission together" Rin taps my shoulder and starts taking.
"Hello Rin. Of course I am ready" I nod lazily.
"Hey! Hey! I am here and I am ready to win" Obito smiles and pseudo tackles me into wrapping his arm over my shoulder.
"You sure are" I comment.
"Ha! I love the confidence Obito but I am here to claim my victory! This time I shall claim Chunin and match my eternal rival in rank! Ha! Ha!" A loud child interrupts who dresses in green spandex.
"Who is that?" I ask.
"I am Maito Gai! Future chunin!" He slides forward and offers a thumbs up.
"I am Takumi Uchiha. Future retired Shinobi" I nod at him.
"The Lazy Uchiha himself! I have heard quite the amount about you" Maito tells me.
"You two have met before right?" Rin furrows her brow.
"No, they did- first time was in the Academy and then again at our training ground two months ago" Obito nods with her.
"I have?" Maito calms down for a hiccup to ponder.
"I lack the care to recall you. Today is the day I have learnt your name" I tell him.
"Then it is our first meeting!" Maito poses as cool as possible.
"No- that isn't, you learnt his name before..." Obito tries to reason with me.
"I didn't. If I did I would know it, learning something implies you have actually learnt it. I merely lacked care to learn it the days prior and decided now was the time to know him" I insist.
Reasonable, in my books.
"So many weird habits" Obito stares at me in the eyes as he removes his arm from my shoulder.
"... So where is my eternal rival?" Maito asks, with a bit of confusion.
"He isn't participating today. Takumi is filling in for him" Obito points his thumb at me.
"Kakashi is your eternal rival? My condolences for intruding" I bow lightly to him.
"It's... that's fine- I guessed he couldn't participate again..." Maito replies sadly.
"Of course he can't, he became a chunin... why did you not..? Never mind..." Rin shakes off the problem and ignores it.
"Nevertheless I will beat you anyhow!" Obito cuts in.
"Oh yeah? Bring it on!" Maito smiles wide once more.
"Enough! All Genin here? Doesn't matter, if your not on time you are disqualified" A strong looking Shinobi calls out.
"Enter the Academy doors and head into the classroom on your left" The man gestures and the group of fifty Konoha genin walk inside.
A few walk into the classroom and just as I am about to follow them Obito pulls on my hand.
"There is no classroom there- that's the staffroom. Its a simple genjutsu" Rin whispers and we walk to the next door over.
"Come on- that's just remembering where stuff is in the Academy, or seeing through a basic genjutsu. Focus up, our ranks are on the line" Obito lets go as we sit inside the actual classroom.
I suppose I slept through the Academy and hold no knowledge on it's layout apart from the classroom I was in and the training field.
I am quite embarrassed about this.
"If you are embarrassed don't do it again" Obito scolds and my eyebrow twitches.
He has gotten too good at reading me, my fault for lack of communication and forcing him to rely on body language.
"That's embarrassment? He looks like he is about to doze off..." Rin comments and Obito chuckles.
"Sit down- I would ask you to hand over your sign up sheets but I already stole them all from you. No- that's not part of the test but it's too much of a drag waiting for you all to come up one by one..." The man sighs and pulls out a bundle of papers.
I look inside my jacket and realise my sheet has vanished.
"On the desks in front of you are exams. Thirteen questions- each member of your team must submit at least three correct answers within one hour. No getting up from your seat- other than that there are no rules" He states and leans his back on the wall behind him.
No rules?
"So we can talk and... cheat?" A kid raises his hand.
"Yes, I just said that" He shakes his head.
I look over the exam and start answering the questions I know, Rin fills in the ones I don't know and we both help out Obito who cannot correctly calculate a kunai throw and struggles with some more detailed stuff.
We finish in twenty minutes, whether we are correct on all questions I am unsure.
"We are done sir!" Another genin raises their hand before us.
"Come here then, show me" The Jonin yawns.
*Tap*
"Disqualified. Take your team and go" The Jonin states as the Genin gets up.
"What- but!" The genin stutters in confusion.
"Out. Or I will forever ensure you remain a genin" The Jonin commands and the team silently leaves.
"Can you check our answers sir?" Rin puts her hand up.
"I am not moving... it's too bothersome" He replies and I nod in understanding.
*Clack*
Obito tries to shuffle his chair out the isle but the other genin besides him blocks his attempt.
"Can't get up, he won't move and we can't shuffle out without interference from other competitors" Obito mutters.
"Knowledge and critical thinking is being tested here" I sigh.
"Paper plane?" Rin suggests.
"If the other genin get to it we will lose our answers" I cut that suggestion down before Obito chucks his paper.
"Got any jutsu to help us here?" Obito ponders on his jutsu list.
"We could kill everyone in front of us to create a clear path to victory" I contemplate.
"Dude. The side path has less people in the way..." Obito frowns.
"Why are we killing people?" Rin asks in confusion.
"I thought he meant eliminate, these tests are meant to simulate a real environment" Obito replies.
"I did mean murder but eliminate might involve less hassle after this exam finishes. Your foresight is truly great Obito" I comment.
...
"Takumi..." Obito and Rin sigh at the same time.
*Crash!*
"Follow me temporary team mates!" Maito yells as he moves forward down the isle, kicking people off any chairs if they get in his way.
His teammates follow behind and the three hand over papers.
...
"You are clear to go towards the next section, head to the forest of death entrance 15" The Jonin tells the group who immediately jump up and out the room.
"We should do the same" Obito says quickly.
"Everyone is going to" Rin notes.
"Everyone is securing themselves to their seats and becoming extra defensive. You two punch me as hard as you can" I tell them both.
"What?" Rin asks as I grab all our sheets and make a weighty paper ball from them.
"Strike you?" Obito nods and prepares to kick me hard.
"Wait- I get it" Rin nods as well and raises her feet to kick.
"On three. One, two, three" I time them and they kick.
*SMACK*
Holding the paper ball out I freeze and transfer the impact to the palm of my hand... causing the ball to shoot forward.
*Woosh!*
Flying faster than the defensive genin can care for the paper ball hits the chalk board and lands perfectly in the crossed resting arms of our Jonin.
"Our exam- Please accept it!" Rin raises her hand.
He unravels the paper and reads through them all...
"... You pass, head off already" He yawns and we get up to walk away.
*Tch*
Someone clicks their tongue as I walk by, I look down at them and raise an eyebrow.
White eyes stare back at me- a hint of annoyance aimed towards my direction.
"You think you can just become a chunin after putting in no effort? Sitting in your safe little home everyday?" The odd eyed teenager scowls.
"Yes" I nod and keep walking out, Rin pushing me out quicker.
"Why did you antagonize him?" Rin asks quietly as we leave.
"He already had a predisposition against me. I merely answered his question" I tell her as our team starts running towards the next area.
"You don't need to start anything though... just ignore him" Rin asks me.
"I will act as I do, if he suffers consequences for antagonizing me then that is on him" I tell her.
"She isn't worried about him Takumi" Obito shakes his head.
"Nor am I" I close the conversation and the remaining sprint is a silent trip.
The kid must be annoyed by the interference of someone who doesn't deserve to be here, granted I do not. However my talents are so special in the eyes of the Hokage that exceptions are made.
If I was in charge a deadweight like me would have just been ignored. I might as well not exist if I am not helping.
We eventually arrive at the correct gate thanks to Obito's directions and wait with the other team nearby.
"Yes! Congratulations on making it" Maito tells us.
"You too" Rin smiles.
The two teammates of mine discuss with each other and the other team as everyone catches up and finally the Jonin overseeing us arrives.
"Let's begin everyone- I am your examiner for the second test within this exam, Choza Akimichi. The rules are simple, inside the forest behind you is a building at the centre- the first five teams to make it there qualify while those who come in last place are disqualified. Be careful and start when you are ready, hurting each other is allowed but I have been warned to remind you not to kill each other when we are low on shinobi in Konoha" Choza tells us all.
*Wooosh!* *Flicker* *Whoosh!*
Multiple teams take off and a few others immediately follow them.
"Ah! We are going to be left behind!" Obito grabs his hair before flickering after them.
Rin follows and I start sprinting quickly.
A race? What a bother, I wanted something less fast paced. Then again I don't mind getting this out of the way as quickly as possible.
Pov: Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"How did he do?" Fugaku asks.
"I would have failed him the second he stepped towards the wrong door. It is imperative you teach him simple genjutsu, apart from that he averaged out" Shikaku tells us.
"And if he fails this test entirely?" I ask Fugaku.
"No more special privileges, he will be ignored and the deal will be made null. If he is of no use then he will get what he wants" Fugaku shakes his head.
"I'd fail him from his current behaviour alone, it would take a lot for me to change my mind on this. He is lazy, and also untrained- he shouldn't have that deal, no matter how talented" Shikaku insists.
"You saw that flame inside him... helped me strike that deal at his graduation" I note.
"But he hasn't grown" He returns.
"This is another potential Sannin, Minato- Sakumo, Kakashi. You cannot deny the skill he can bring onto the table" I raise an eyebrow.
"I am merely questioning if he is placing that skill on the table. We shouldn't waste resources on someone who isn't willing to use them wisely" Shikaku argues.
"He is right, the Uchiha needs strength more than ever right now and I let that blind me. If Takumi fails at the basics of becoming a chunin then so be it" Fugaku sighs.
"I see. So unless he overperforms you recommend we let the talent go and take back his headband along with the deal?" I ask sternly.
...
"It is recommended, perhaps you could put that funding into Kakashi Hatake or giving a bonus to someone in need of it" Shikaku tells me.
"I'll give him my own ultimatum after the exams, if he will not benefit the clan he will not benefit from the clan. That is if he fails to meet the expectation he himself set" Fugaku agrees.
Of course, the end of Takumi's line is here.
Can he carve out another path? Or perhaps convince us that this deal is productive in some manner?
I hope everything falls into place, for his sake and Konoha's.
Thanks for reading :)