Chapter 10

The Chunnin exams.

It's finally here.

Sakura made sure to double check her things before heading out, packing tools for possible situations. She grabbed her katana and placed it horizontally on the back of her waist. She left the compound with no words exchanged, she knew what they would have said. Returning without the title of a Chunnin is not an option.

When she reached the academy, Neji was the first to see her.

"How are you feeling today, Haruno-san?" He politely asked.

Back to formalities, there were too many people around. Ninjas from all around the world were present.

"I'm fine, thank you Hyuga-san." She answered and faced her other teammate. "Good morning to you, Uchiha-san."

"G'morning." He simply replied.

They headed to the door and Neji opened the door, gesturing for his teammates to enter before him.

"Ladies first." He said.

Sakura walked into the building with the guys following closely behind.

They stopped at the second floor to find two disguised Chunnins causing some trouble. Sakura released the genjutsu without a word, she didn't want to waste any time. They moved on to the third floor, leaving the other contestants to gaze at them in amazement.

"The 'Trio Prodigy'.." Some whispered.

"What a show off." Some voices snorted.

As soon as the team reached the door to a classroom, they met Kakashi in front of it.

"It's good to see three of you in action again. Good luck!" He smiled behind his mask. The three nodded and entered the room in optimism.

"Sasuke-kun~~!" Ino squealed and jumped on him.

"Sakura-chan!!!" Naruto and Lee called out.

Before they could come near the pinkette, Neji protectively raise a hand to stop them from coming closer. Sasuke would have done the same, but he's defenceless as well. The two knuckleheads pouted at his action.

"Please, respect Haruno-san. Don't cause her trouble in a public place like this." He sternly said. Sakura gave him a smile, she was grateful for his help. On the other hand, she felt bad for Naruto and Lee. But it wasn't an issue to worry about. She giggled in her mind as she watched the both of them have a glaring contest with her teammate.

"Enough! Behave yourself!" TenTen huffed in annoyance as she knocked both of their heads. It was good to have a tough girl like her in their team. She could put them in their place.

"Alright!" A voice boomed from the front of the classroom. "Get to your seats and the test shall begin! I'm you're proctor for the first test and I.. am your worst nightmare." He smirked.

After each of them got their seats, they start with a theory test. He gave a simple briefing about the rules, but it seemed sketchy.

The pinkette read the questions carefully, but stopped at the bottom page. It was written:

The 10th question will be revealed 15 minutes before the first test ends.

She was fairly surprised, the questions they were given aren't in the level of a Genin. Very much everyone besides the outstandingly smart Genins would fail without a doubt. She began to suspect the true objective of the first test.

It was to cheat without getting caught.

But this wasn't something she would worry about, she can answer these questions just fine. She believed her teammates could as well, and Shikamaru. Could they?

After 20 minutes, she completed her paper and relaxed on her chair. There were people who tried to copy her answers. The participants on both sides had to leave because they were caught copying me.

She looked at the clock, waiting for the time to pass and for the proctor to reveal the 10th question. She sighed and leaned on her table. As much as she would allow her acquaintances to copy her, she didn't like her mind being invaded. She focused on blocking out Ino who tried to use her signature jutsu.

Sakura used her forehead protector to reflect light to the mirror above her, courtesy of Tenten who was copying as well. The light seemed to alert Neji, which was her purpose. He activated his Byakugan and quickly copied down her answers. She quietly shook her head, she believed he could answer them, but maybe he was stuck in some questions.

The pinkette observed all the remaining participants in the room. That was all she could do while waiting for the test to end. The three ninjas from the village of the Hidden Sand caught her attention, especially the boy with red hair. Something about him gave her goosebumps, she made sure to be cautious around him.

Finally, Ibiki, their proctor spoke.

"Drop your pencils, time for the 10th question. If you answer the 10th question wrongly, you can never take the Chunnin exams ever again." Whispers passed around the room. "You may disqualify yourself here and participate next time. However if one of you leave, the entire team leaves with you."

Some teams left the room with their heads hung low. Ibiki asked, "Anymore?"

Nobody answered.

Then, he flashed a genuine smile. "You all passed."

Everyone was confused, they looked around hoping someone would explain to them or if this was a joke.

"What do you mean?" A guy asked.

"What about the 10th question?" Another person asked.

Ibiki answered, "That is the question. The question of courage."

Everyone was speechless.

Just then, a figure broke the glass window and leaped into the room. It caused a panic in the room until the figure started speaking.

"Alright, brats! It's time for your second test and I, Anko Mitarashi, will be your examiner! Follow me to the next venue!" As she said those words she had a wicked grin on her face.

They obediently followed her to a creepy place. It was a forest surrounded by tall fences. The look of the forest was certainly unsettling.

"This is the forest of death." She started. "Each of your will be given a gem. Your aim is to collect a total of 5 gems within the time limit, which is 1 week. Whether you battle with the other teams or steal their gems, it's up to you as long as you return with 5 gems. The gathering point is a tower in the middle of the forest."

She held out a gem. "You will stumble upon some gems in the forest, but they aren't easy to find. Before the test begins, you're required to fill in this form." She dropped the gem and pulled out a piece of paper. "This is to ensure I won't be held responsible for your deaths." She ended her long speech with a smile.

Each team waited at their respective gates after filling up the forms and claiming their gem stones. While they waited for their cue to enter, the trio prodigies were quiet. They were trying to prepare themselves for the worst. Failing was not an option to each of them as they all have a reputation to live up to.

After 30 minutes, Anko yelled. "The time has come, don't die!"

With that, most of the teams rushed in and scatter around to look for gems. But to no avail and worse, they were quickly caught in a battle. The trio prodigies walked silently while observing their surroundings, it's a fool's mistake to run in head on without any precautions.

"Neji, Sasuke, is it alright if both of you activate your kekkei genkai?" Sakura suggested. "Let's start hunting before time runs out."

"Sure." Sasuke said and instantly activated his Sharingan.

"Of course." Neji obeyed.

The two boys looked around the forest, searching for anything that resembles a gemstone or a human. Sakura did her hand signs.

"Cherry Blossom Release: Cherry Blossom Tracker."

Cherry blossom petals started to appear and it moved around the area sensing for chakra signs. She spread her petals as far as she could.

It took quite awhile for her to find someone.

"Guys, here." She called and hopped in the branches to head towards the direction where the chakra strings were interfered.

"Found them." Neji said with his Byakugan still on.

Sasuke smirked, adrenaline running in his veins.

All three of them were filled with excitement despite the burden they had. They could finally fight as a team, with someone their own size.

==

Dedicated to Lily-Lilac for your votes and comments on my Naruto fanfics!

~Joelle

Published: December 2014
Rewritten: 5 May 2018

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