"I thought you wouldn't come." Shin stated, as he saw Akai running towards him and Akito, who were standing in front of the blonde's house.

"I feel offended," she snapped, "Ibiki was gone and he idiotically locked the front door, tashikani."

"I bet he did it on purpose." Akito commented, snickering as he approached the Hozuki, "Come on. We should hurry or we're gonna be late."

"Roger that, Captain." Akai said with a salute, rolling her eyes, "Is it just me, or Shin looks like a panda?"

"It's my sister." Shin explained, groaning in annoyance, "She kept me awake all night long because she couldn't decide whether to enter the Exam or not."

"And her decision?"

"She entered. Saying that she won't lose to me." Shin said, "Are you guys nervous?"

"A bit." Akai admitted, "I hope there's no written test. The only things I've ever memorize are handsigns and maps. I went to Academy only for a few days, not listening to Dolphin-sensei at all."

"Ha-ha." Akito commented, laughing mockingly, "That's gonna be the death of us." He added, giving Akai a look, "I trust Shin, but you? No."

"Ouch. That hurts." Shin said, chuckling, "But seriously. I think they will give us a written test."

"And, knowing how cruel this village is, if one member failed, the whole team will be disqualified, tashikani."

The two boys' faces paled.

"I was a thief, so I'm sure I can get the answer from someone somehow, tashikani. But I will need your help. Although it's a very risky plan."

"Risky?" Akito asked, raising an eyebrow. Shin gulped at the thought, knowing how crazy Akai can be with her ideas.

Akai stopped walking, and turned at her teammates. She cringed, scratching the back of her neck.

"We might get disqualified."

| * | * | * | * | * |

"So many participants..." Akai muttered, looking around, "I hate crowds. And look at their faces. Putting on such scary looks..."

Akito hummed in reply, as he looked at his teammates. Akai was playing with a small coin, while Shin was rubbing his eyes in a sleepy manner.

"This team will definitely fail." He muttered, already feeling depressed.

"I agree." A voice confirmed. The blonde turned, to find a grey-haired boy behind him. He wore glasses, and he doesn't look really strong.

"Thanks for the support." Akito snapped sarcastically, receiving an apologetic smile in return.

"Forgive me. Your teammates just look like shinobis with no motivation."

"Hearing that gave me some motivation, four-eyes. I wanna choke you to death." Shin suddenly said, standing next to Akito, Akai behind him.

"No fighting before the exam starts." The boy replied, "My name is Kabuto Yakushi. You?"

"Akari." Akai lied easily, receiving weird stares from her teammates, "That's Aito," she pointed at Akito, "And Haru." She finished, referring to Shin.

"If you would excuse us? We have some important things to discuss." Akai snapped, glaring at him. A smirk made its way onto his face, as he fixed his glasses.

"Ah. Last minute plans? Alright. Good luck, see you later?"

Akito nodded warily, watching as Kabuto slowly left them, approaching Naruto's group.

"What was that, Akai?" Shin asked as soon as the Yakushi was gone.

"... I got bad vibes about him, tashikani."

"Seriously, though. Do you really have to fake our names?" Akito added, narrowing his eyes. Akai grunted, crossing her arms.

"Just for precaution. I only followed my instinct. Believe me, it had saved my life hundred times."

"Okay..."

Akai gave her teammates a grin, clasping her hands together. "Right! So are you guys ready?"

"We were... But with your plan, I'm not looking forward to the exam..." Shin muttered, receiving a slap on his back from Akito.

"Teamwork! You gotta trust her! She survived for years facing that risk everyday, thanks to her crazy mind! And, you have me! This genius will beat everyone!" Akito added, smiling widely.

"Now I really doubt our chance of success, tashikani..." She muttered, pulling out a silver coin, throwing it up and catching it again and again.

Suddenly, there was a large puff of smoke. Everyone's attention were quickly snapped to the front of the room.

"Alright, you baby-faced degenerates, shut the hell up! You're gonna listen to me right here, right now!"

The smoke soon cleared, and there stood a very familiar man, in a trenchcoat, with a bandana over his head. Behind him is a number of sentinels, also wearing similar T&I uniform.

"Oh sh*t." Akito muttered, recognizing the man.

"We're dead. It's official." Shin added, as he patted Akai's shoulder, "Nice knowing you, buddy."

"What?" Akai asked, as she caught her coin in mid-air, and put it in her pocket, as she turned to Shin. She soon realized what were holding his attention, and looked up.

"Eh? SCARFACE?!"

"Yell out like that once again, and your team will be disqualified!" The man yelled at her, throwing a kunai to her direction, which she caught easily.

"Oi. No need to use weapons, geez. Still the same as ever, huh?" Akai asked, throwing the kunai back. The blade was soon plunged into a desk right in front of the man. She jumped off the table she was sitting on, and stood facing the man, her hands shoved in her pocket, a bored expression on her face.

"You can't disqualify me or my team, tashikani. You haven't said anything about rules, so that means I didn't broke any. Alright, I'm done with my speech. Start the exam, tashikani."

Ibiki, Akito, and Shin stared at her in disbelief. "What the hell?! We're gonna get disqualified, definitely!" Akito hissed in anger, as Shin punched the girl lightly on her head.

Akai only smirked. "Bet 100 ryō we all will reach the last round." She told her teammates, before turning back at the proctors. "Ya hear that, Scarface?!"

Ibiki glared at her. "I'm watching you, brat." He growled maliciously. Then he turned his attention at the other participants.

"My name is Ibiki Morino, your first proctor." He introduced himself, "And from now on, your worst enemy."

| * | * | * | * | * |

Akai slammed her head onto the table out of frustration. She looked up once again, mourning over how far her seat is to Akito's and Shin's. Akito sat behind Shin, in the middle of the room. While she sat at the left corner, far at the back.

Tapping her pencil on the desk, her eyes scanned the questions in front of her.

'Hurry up, Shin, Akito... Ibiki's gonna make my hair burst into flames with his glare... Hurry...' She inwardly said.

Maybe the two boys can hear her plead, because just then, they begin the plan.

"Oi! Stop kicking my chair, blondie!" Shin suddenly yelled, as he stood up abruptly, turning at Akito.

"What? I didn't do anything?!" Akito exclaimed back.

"Don't play dumb with me, idiot! I can't concentrate!"

Ibiki narrowed his eyes. His students' teamwork is one of the best he had ever known. They hardly ever fights, and if they do, Akai must be the one who started it. But how come the two boys started an argument all of a sudden?!

"Aw... Poor Pinky..." Akito cooed, as he stood up, and walked to the Haruno's side, "Is your brain that weak?"

Now everyone's attention were on the two. Akai smirked, noticing how Ibiki told the other proctors not to interfere the fight.

"Trying to belittle your enemy? Such cowardly act," Shin sneered, "You're nothing without this!" He yelled, as he grabbed Akito's weapon pouch and hold it up above his head, "Take it back if you can, Shortie." He dared, shaking the pouch tauntingly.

Akito's eyes widened, and he began to panic. "Don't shake it like that!" He warned, as he jumped, trying to reach the pouch, "The kunais inside might hit the smoke bomb and it will-..."

BOOM!!

Smokes engulfed the whole room. Everyone starts coughing uncontrollably, and when the smoke cleared, Akai had already standing next to her teammates' seats, arms crossed with a glare aimed at the two.

"That's enough, idiots! This is an exam, can't you two just try to tolerate each other for once?!" She scolded. Akito and Shin instantly nodded in fear, and bit their lips as they turned their attention back to their papers.

Ibiki's fingers now are itching to choke the three to death. Akai, however, turned at him, and gave a two-fingers mocking salute.

"I assure you that this won't happen again, Sir! And before you disqualify us, I want to remind you that no one is harmed, so none of the rules is broken! Now, excuse me..." She trailed off, as she made her way back to her seat, with Ibiki's suspicious gaze following her.

Akai sat down, and flipped 'her' paper again, replacing the stranger's name with hers before re-reading the first question.

Question 1: An enemy shinobi has been captured and you are in charge of torturing him for interrogation. He's hard-headed and he doesn't give in quickly. What do you do to get the information?

She raised an eyebrow at the already written answer, and scrunched up her nose, before erasing the whole paragraph. Then she took her pencil and wrote her own thoughts.

Lock him up in a cell with no light, chain his limbs and leave him for 2 days without food and water. Break his limbs, and douse him with water. When that doesn't work, skin him alive and cut off his finger. If he has yet to talk, obliterate him. He's too loyal and would be in no use for the village.

Nodding at her own work, she continued to the next question.

Question 2: An enemy shinobi is twenty feet away on a tree that is ten feet away. Taking in the account of the average height of a man, how far will you have to throw it so that it will pierce his heart and how much strength should be applied to assure his death?

A scowl made its way to her face. Akai hates math, especially questions like these. She found it rather useless to calculate her actions before doing so.

Question 3: You have 94 chakra pills which each heal 482 chakra. You can use healing touch for 32 chakra to heal 127 health each. An enemy ninja has 157 medicinal pills which each heal 732 health but cannot use healing touch. Using pills and healing touch, who can heal the most health and by how much?

Her eyes twitched, seeing the calculations that was written neatly as the answer. Shaking her head disapprovingly, she read the next question.

Question 4: A shuriken is moving at a speed of 36.7 metres per second when it hits an enemy ninja in the stomach. The shuriken penetrates through the flesh a distance of 6.21 cm. What is the deceleration of the shuriken while moving through the flesh (assuming a uniform deceleration)?

She scoffed, adding a short note below the answer, 'Why the hell do I need this kind of skill to be a chūnin?!'

Question 5: Which of the main chakra points is the strongest link to the spiritual world?

Crown.

Question 6: Death is inevitable in the shinobi world. Your teammate has just been killed. What do you do?

Akai read the answer, and clicked her tongue out of annoyance. She erased the sentence, and wrote her own answer.

Take whatever I might be able to use from his supply, seal his body in a scroll and finish the mission. Give him a proper burial after I arrived back at the village.

Question 7: List all the possible natures you can use to perform ninjutsu.

She didn't even bother to check he answer.

Question 8: Assume that you have the ability to heal yourself. You are covered in numerous wounds. What do you do to keep yourself alive for the next few hours?

Akai rolled her eyes. It's easy, and the space below it is still empty. She twirled her pencil and answered it.

Stay awake as long as I can, stop the bleeding and make sure my wounds weren't poisoned or infected.

Question 9: Pick the most important rule of the shinobi guidelines and explain why it is the most important to you.

Akai frowned. It was too simple, unlike the others. Akai closed her eyes, recalling the times when she was still in Kiri, and finish her task by writing her own philosophy.

Sighing out of satisfaction, Akai turned to look at her teammates. Akito was making a tower with his pencils, while Shin is trying to balance an eraser on the tip of his finger. The two felt her gaze, and turned at her. She gave them a meaningful smile, watching as they let out a relieved heavy breath.

"Alright, time's up!" Ibiki called out. "Pencils down."

Akai looked up at Ibiki, their eyes meeting for a brief moment before Ibiki continued with his speech.

"We have come to the last portion of the first exam. Before I give this question, is there anyone who feels that they are not qualified to finish this test? If there is, you and your teammates are to leave now." Ibiki said, his hands behind of his back in his dark trench coat.

Students were glancing around the room at their teammates, hands were flying up and apologizes were behind spread as people began to leave. Akai glanced over at Shin and Akito, nodding her head slightly. All three of them already knew that if they quit, Ibiki would cut off their heads.

Akai glanced around the room as Naruto's hand slowly came up, and Akai's eyes widened slightly. She knew how much being a ninja meant to him, so this was shocking to bed.

But it was even more shocking when Naruto slammed his hand down on the table, pushing himself up out of his chair, staring at Ibiki.

"My names Naruto Uzumaki! I don't run and I don't back down! Don't underestimate me!" Naruto shouted, and Akai smiled slightly to herself at the blondes spunky self.

"Alright, if that's all of you.." Ibiki trailed off, glancing around the room to make sure that none of the remaining students were going to leave. "Then I am honored to tell you that... you all passed." Ibiki said with a slightly crooked smiled on his lips, and Akai gave him a confused look.

"I passed?" Akai said aloud, tilting her head slightly.

Ibiki nodded as giggles were heard from the remaining Genin.

"You all pass. The entire part of this exam was about gathering information. We needed to see if you could do that without getting caught. We tested you ability to distribute information between your squad without being caught. You had to cheat to pass this part of the ex-" Ibiki said, but he was cut off as the window was crashed into and someone busted through it.

"Okay maggots! Listen up!" A very familiar voice screamed out, and Akai's eyes grew wide.

"PURPLE-HAIRED GOBLIN, TASHIKANI?!" She screamed out, and Anko glanced up at Akai with a smile, throwing her thumb up at her.

"The one and only, brat." Anko said, glancing back at Ibiki as he tapped her on the shoulder slightly,

"What, Ibiki?!"

"You're early. Again." Ibiki said with a loud sigh, and Anko's face turned red, and she scratched the back of her neck slightly.

"Oops." She said with a laugh before turning towards the students. "Alright maggots, follow me to the next stage of your exam!" She said, throwing her fist in the air.

"I don't want to go anywhere you're gonna be, tashikani..." Akai mumbled slightly.

"WHAT WAS THAT?!" Anko screamed, and Akai quickly looked up at Anko.

"I said I love you!" She said with a cheeky smile, and Anko just rolled her eyes slightly.

| * | * | * | * | * |

As everyone left, Ibiki let out a tired sigh and began to make his way around the room. He noticed how almost every team had same answers on each of their members, except of a few. The sand siblings, and also team Kakashi. Sasuke Uchiha obviously used his Sharingan, Sakura Haruno surprisingly doesn't cheat, and Naruto Uzumaki's paper is empty.

What makes him shocked is his own team. He thought that the smoke bomb was a distraction so that the three can copy each other's answers. Turns out that he was so wrong.

Akai, Shin, and Akito had different answers. Shin seemed think everything by his own, just like his sister. Akito had a few answers similar to a chūnin who sat next to him. While Akai is a total different case.

A few mathematical answers, he noticed, was in one of his chūnin's handwriting.

The answer of the first question, in her messy handwriting, makes him wonder. It was brutal, a pretty gruesome way for a shinobi of her age. It seems like she had done those things, as if she learned from experience and not theory.

The rest are rather unpredictable, but considering the fact that she was a part of the Mist's 7 Swordsmen, it was understandable.

However, the last answer managed to catch his attention. She wrote no shinobi guidelines. Instead, she wrote,

I never knew there are something called 'shinobi guidelines'. To be honest, I was forced to be a shinobi. I, however, do everything according to my own belief. I live by what I think is right. All in all, there's only one rule that I follow:

My life is my war. My own battle against the world. I live alone, I fight alone, and I will survive alone.

This startled him. What happened to her? What happened that hit her so hard, so that she decided to rely only on herself? What kind of tragedy has she gone through that turned her mindset into that?

Another question popped into his mind. Who is Akai? She is a half-Hozuki, but what is the other half? How strong she really is, to be a part of the Swordsmen at her age?

His guts told him he's gonna find out soon.

| * | * | * | * | * |

When the Morino went home, he found Akai in the backyard, fighting against her own clone, Kubikiribōchō against Hiramekarei.

"Akai."

"What is it, Scarface?" She asked back, dispelling the clone and grabbed the swords, easily transforming them back into daggers, putting the Executioner Blade into her pocket and began to spin her own sword around.

"It's getting dark. Enough training. Besides, I need to ask you a few things."

A small amused smile made its way into her face. "Got it, tashikani."

As they made their way towards the living room, Ibiki couldn't stop watching Akai. Unlike other genins, she's not nervous or whatsoever, surprisingly very confident with her skill.

"About the exam..." He started, as Akai poured a glass of orange juice for herself. She then sat in front of him, started drinking while looking at him expectantly.

"I can't believe you just stole one of my chūnin's paper." He bluntly said, giving her a disapproving look.

Her eyes widened, and she instantly choked on her drink, putting the glass down and coughed violently as she held onto the table for support. Ibiki's eye twitched, watching until Akai finally calmed down.

"That was a chūnin?! You must be kidding me, tashikani!"

"No."

"I don't know that!"

"It's obvious you don't." He said sarcastically, "In my whole life as a shinobi, I've never find anyone who did what you had done."

She gave him a grin. "There's a first in everything!"

"What about your answer for the last question?"

Her face paled. She stood up, and put her glass on the sink, walking towards her room.

"Find it out yourself, Scarface."

And the door was slammed shut.

| * | * | * | * | * |

The questions of the first round was taken from an amazing story called "Haruno by Name, Hoshigaki by Blood" with the permission from the author, @writer168

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And Happy New Year!