When Waves Meet the Sand

“The Chunin Exams are meant to test all of the skills we require to be competent ninja.” Megumi stated, expression serious. “Even when we don’t expect a trick, we should be prepared for one. Nothing will be as it seems.”

Both her teammates listened intently, even Kana, who had complained about this impromptu meeting stalling dinner only five minutes before.

This was more important than eating, at least for the moment.

“There are three ninja arts we should be prepared to confront: Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu. The first two are straightforward enough to not be much of an issue, but they will likely use Genjutsu to trick our eyes.”

A smirk grew at the corner of Megumi’s mouth.

“So it’s rather fortunate that we have someone here who has no need for their eyes, isn’t it?”

“Ain’t sure if I should be ‘appy or insulted…”

“Be happy. You’ll be our defense against illusions. There are few Genjutsu geared towards altering a sense besides sight.” The Firebender replied, raising a brow at the blind girl’s stubborn huff.

“But there’s more to being a ninja than offensive strategies.” Kumiko voiced. “There’s stealth, tactics, and information-gathering, too.”

“Exactly.” Megumi agreed. “And I have a plan for just such an occasion…”

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As the Academy came into view, Fubuki slowed to a halt, huffing as Kumiko swung out of the overburdened saddle.

“Good girl.” The Waterbender cooed, earning a happy growl from the overworked canine.

“Are you sure we can’t come with you, oneechan?” Konohamaru wondered, straddling the Polar Bear Dog’s neck.

“Yeah, are you sure?” Rei agreed, bouncing excitedly in the wooden saddle.

“Yes, I’m sure.” Kumiko replied with a smile, ruffling their spiky hair. “All of you have your practice kunai and shuriken, right?”

All five nodded some more enthusiastically than others.

“Ki-chan here will take you to one of the training grounds and watch, okay? Be nice to her, or I won’t make dango for dessert tonight.”

The nods were much more earnest this time around, and Kumiko turned her attention to the tired canine.

“Take care of them, Ki-chan.”

Huffing softly, Fubuki licked the young Avatar’s cheek before turning to leave.

“Gee, thanks…” Kumiko giggled to herself, wiping the saliva off her cheek as Tomo leaped onto her shoulders.

Adjusting her swords one last time, Megumi turned to her teammates.

“Ready?”

“Ready.” Both Kumiko and Kana answered, turning serious.

“Remember, we’re going to keep a low profile and scout out the competition first.” The Firebender repeated, turning sharp gold eyes on Kana. “So no attacking anyone, or goading them into a fight.”

“Jeez, ain’t any fun in that…” The blind Bender grumbled, heading towards the Academy. “Now come on. If I’m gonna be bored, I wanna sit down fer it.”

Jogging to catch up with her slightly-shorter friend, Kumiko slowed once the three passed through the main doorway.

The room to turn in their applications was on the third floor, and Kana aimed for the closest staircase without a single hitch in her step.

It was not until they reached the next floor that the trio of kunoichi hit a roadblock.

A throng of Genin were surrounding a door not that far from the staircase, and Kumiko looked up to see the number ‘301’ hanging over it.

Kana, completely ignoring the mob and the two shinobi keeping them out, made a b-line for the next staircase.

Sharing a glance, her teammates followed without a word.

This immediately caught the attention of the two ‘guards’, who seemed confused by this behavior.

“Where do you three think you’re going?” One demanded, his blue hair dull and bandages covering his nose.

“To the room.” Kana replied, not breaking stride.

“This is the room!” The other retorted.

“Of course it’s not.” Megumi stated calmly, sharp gold eyes taking in the crowd of Genin and their ‘handlers’. “We’re only on the second floor.”

The Genjutsu faded away, revealing the number ‘201’, though neither guard seemed particularly pleased about someone discovering their trick.

Kumiko paused for a moment, recognizing their faces…

Both shinobi froze at the flash of recognition in those blue eyes, panicking.

Giggling at their lack of faith in her discretion, the Waterbender took hold of her teammates by the wrists and tugged them towards the next set of stairs, her cat almost snickering in agreement.

Once she had set foot on the third floor, Kana smirked, excitement thrumming in her veins.

“We’re ‘ere.”

At the far end of the hall were a set of heavy metal doors, rather foreboding and intimidating even from a distance.

Kana was unaffected, but Megumi noticed the unease starting to fill Kumiko’s face.

“Do you want to leave?” The Firebender wondered, voice neutral.

Tomo rubbed against her cheek with a purr, and Kumiko smiled, shaking her head.

“Iie. I’m alright.”

Put at ease, the elder kunoichi walked through the doors after Kana without hesitation, Kumiko hastily bringing up the rear.

The room, one of the larger lecture halls, was filled to the brim with foreign Genin.

And none of them seemed too friendly.

Kana did not even spare them a turn of the head as she walked to a free desk, plopping down in the seat and propping her bare feet up on the smooth wood.

Megumi rolled her eyes, but followed suit, sitting on a chair next to her teammate while Kumiko hopped onto the desk between them, nonchalantly scanning the room.

Jade caught blue, and her eyes lightened noticeably at the discovery.

Gaara straightened, that warmth spreading through his chest like it always did.

Before either could move to join the other, a commotion started at the front of the room that brought the entire room’s attention to the Rookie Nine of Konoha.

‘Oh, spirits…’ Kumiko thought sadly.

“Poor mouse.” Kana muttered, frowning. “Can’t get a word in edge-wise wit’ ‘ose idiots shoutin’.”

“They’re playing a dangerous game.” Megumi voiced, too soft for anyone but her friends to hear. “Bringing so much attention to themselves will either mark them as incompetent or a threat, if it doesn’t annoy one of these ninja into action first.”

“With Naruto, it’s likely going to be the third one.” Kumiko admitted, growing nervous as Tomo began to pace along her shoulders.

The trio fell silent as an older Genin approached the Academy Genin, a Konoha hitai-ite tied around his forehead.

“I don’t remember him.” The Firebender murmured, gold eyes narrowed suspiciously.

“Me, either…” Kumiko agreed, gaze flicking between this new arrival and the Genin she had come to care about over the years.

“…Yakushi Kabuto.” Kana informed them, deceptively indifferent. “It’s ‘is seventh time takin’ the exam.”

Nodded minutely to show she had heard, Megumi straightened slightly to better study this new player.

“He has blank cards.”

“Somethin’ ‘bout chakra and usin’ ‘em to get info on other participants.”

“That’s a smart move.” Kumiko admitted. “Gathering information on the competition to learn their weaknesses is important.”

“Not important enough.” Megumi noted. “Considering he has failed this exam six times before now.”

“Smarts don’t ‘lways beat out brawn, hothead.” Kana replied rather gleefully.

“But it tends to.” The Firebender retorted calmly.

Kumiko sighed as the two quietly argued between themselves on which was better, resting her chin on a raised knee as the tabby meowed softly in amusement.

Naruto’s exuberant shout was not exactly what she was hoping to hear at that moment.

“My name is Uzumaki Naruto! I’m not going to lose to any of you! Got that?!”

Kumiko face-palmed, unable to fight back a smile.

‘Baka…’

A flash of movement in her peripheral had the Waterbender tense.

Three Genin were ghosting through the crowd at impressive speeds, their hitai-ite marking them as Sound shinobi.

And they were heading straight for the front of the room.

Adrenaline hit her blood like lava, and she was already moving.

Just as Kabuto flinched, about to dodge the fist aimed for his face, someone grabbed the back of his collar, pulling the larger boy out of harm’s way as a foot shot out, catching the Sound boy’s face.

As the three foreign Genin regrouped, they froze under the icy look in Kumiko’s dark eyes.

“You’re new to the village, so I’ll let this be your warning.” She voiced, dangerously calm. “Shinobi of Konohagakure don’t care for threats towards our comrades.”

The entire room fell silent, most likely recognizing the only daughter of the Third Hokage, and waited for what would happen next.

The foremost nin, who had bandages covering most of his face much like Kakashi’s mask and hitai-ite did, spoke first.

“Ah, so this is the old man’s daughter. It’s such a shame that a pretty girl like you might get hurt during the exam.”

Kumiko faltered, confused and caught off-guard, as Tomo bristled, hissing.

“Nani?”

Kankuro flinched at the thunderous expression that crossed Gaara’s face, eternally grateful that he was not the cause of it, as the Sound ninja smirked visibly through his bandages.

“I would certainly enjoy backing you into a corner, little minx.”

None of the room’s male occupants could argue with that sentiment.

With her soft features and expressive eyes, she was certainly pretty, with a body toned from hard training, but still filled in with gentle, womanly curves.

It certainly did not hurt that her breasts were a good size or two larger than those of most kunoichi her age, either.

“Back off.” Kana warned, coming to her Avatar’s defense. “’Fore I make ya.”

“Oh really?” The other boy of the squad voiced, smirking. “And how are you going to do that, pipsqueak?”

“You don’t want to know.”

All three jumped, turning to see Megumi standing behind them, gold eyes half-lidded but keen.

“No one ever does.”

“It’s alright, Kana. Meg.” Kumiko assured. “I’m fine.”

“If you insist.” The Firebender replied, grabbing her less-than-willing teammate by the collar and, ignoring her curses, dragged Kana a few feet back.

The bandage-masked Sound nin seemed to smirk through his covering.

“Ah, willing to play after all?”

“Hey, you leave Mimi-chan alone!” Naruto shouted, coming to the white-haired girl’s aid this time. “She’d never date a jerk like you, anyway!”

The boy sneered, voice dripping with innuendo.

“Who said anything about dating?”

Tomo yowled in outrage, baring needle-like teeth, and Gaara half-wished the feline would rip up the boy’s face.

The other half wanted to do it himself.

“I only allow strong partners.”

Blue eyes darkening a couple shades more, Kumiko frowned as Naruto sputtered indignantly and even Shikamaru and Sasuke looked upset.

“Unfortunately for you, so do I.”

The implication, that she saw him as a strong partner, made that warm feeling rise in Gaara again, dimming his rage.

Naruto, unable to see the underneath, only saw the stunned look on the Sound nins’ faces and promptly began to laugh uproariously.

“Ha! Not so cool now, are ya?”

Kumiko was already turning away, heading towards her teammates and done with the conversation, when she saw the bandaged shinobi raise his fist as if to strike Naruto across the face.

Everyone was startled by her speed, but none more than Gaara.

He had always known of his angel’s violent protectiveness, but had never witnessed her fight before.

It was strangely beautiful.

Grabbing the hunched boy’s right wrist as Tomo leaped clear, Kumiko twisted on the balls of her feet, jerking him off-balance and throwing him clear across the room.

Reacting to his teammate’s sudden defeat, the other boy held up his hands as if to strike, but he was not fast enough.

Taking hold of his wrists for leverage, the Waterbender brought both feet up and kicked him in the chest, using her weight to fall on her back and roll, the momentum allowing her to push him off onto the wall behind them.

In one fluid motion, she was on her feet and facing the angry Sound kunoichi.

When the taller girl armed herself with senbon, Kumiko moved instinctively, using a hurricane kick to knock the projectiles harmlessly away and bringing her other leg up to hit her opponent upside the head.

In less than a minute, the entire squad was dazed on the floor without landing a single blow.

The room fell silent, wary of her midnight-dark eyes and icy expression.

“I told you that Konoha nin don’t take kindly to threats towards our comrades.”

Her gaze turned to the audience, sending a chill through the air.

“Would anyone else like to see what would happen?”

No one stepped forward; in fact, the foreign Genin took quite a few steps back, wary of her temper.

Gaara felt a flare of pride at the knowledge that his mate was indeed stronger than she looked.

“Quiet down! You punks!”

Standing in the front of the room, smoke lingering around his feet and with a group of veteran Chunin in grey uniforms, was an imposing man in a black trench coat with a bandana-style hitai-ite that Kumiko recognized.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. I am the examiner of the first phase of the Chunin Selection Exam, Morino Ibiki.”

Blue eyes a few shades brighter now that the danger was past, Kumiko looked over her handiwork with a flinch, somewhat ashamed of her impulsiveness as the Sound nin shakily rose.

“Chiyo Kumiko.” Ibiki shouted, and said kunoichi nearly jumped out of her skin. “Are you going to explain yourself?”

“Gomen, Ibiki-san!” She replied, bowing hastily. “They shouldn’t be badly hurt, but it was in self-defense!”

His sharp black eyes studied her, and then her opponents, seeing it had been a match of three against one.

‘They never stood a chance.’ Ibiki thought ruefully.

“This is a good chance to say this…You are not allowed to fight each other during the exam unless given permission by the examiners. Even if the permission is given, you are not allowed to kill each other. Anyone else who breaks this rule will fail immediately. Understood?”

No one argued, so the proctor continued.

“We will now begin the first phase of the Chunin Selection Exam. Turn in your applications, take one of these number tags, and sit where the number tells you to. Then we will pass out the papers for the written exam.”

Coming up on Kumiko’s right, application in hand, Megumi sighed tiredly.

“And here I thought it would be Kana to make a scene.”

“Gomen, Meg-chan…”

The red-haired kunoichi waved it off nonchalantly.

“You did it to keep someone from being hurt. There isn’t much to be angry over.”

“Can I be pissed we gotta take a test instead ‘a beatin’ people up?” Kana voiced, smirking.

“The fighting will come later.” Megumi retorted, sighing. “Be patient.”

“Yeah, yeah…”

The trio made it to the front of the room, handing in their applications and receiving their number tags without a hitch, and immediately found their seats.

Kana set off for the middle row, where Hinata was already seated, while Megumi aimed for the far back left, hiding a smile at the sight of Shikamaru already dozing next to her chair.

Scooping Tomo into her arms, Kumiko felt a nudge in the back of her mind and looked up.

There was Gaara, eyes so intent on her that she felt the weight of it, slouched attractively in his seat right next to hers up on the far right side.

For a moment, the Bender was frozen in place, amazing little tingles spreading through her belly and stealing the air from her lungs.

Composing herself, Kumiko headed for her seat, fighting back a blush at how those jade eyes followed her every movement with this emotion that she had never seen before.

Whatever it was, it made those tingles so much stronger, and her knees were practically jelly by the time she sat down.

Gaara noticed, and felt a rush of power knowing that all it took was one look from him to reduce such a strong, formidable mate into a blushing, flustered mess.

Once she was within reach, Gaara yanked the girl’s chair right up next to his and, leaning in, whispered hotly into Kumiko’s ear.

“Are you always so willing to let men eye you like a piece of candy?”

Kumiko was fairly sure she could make her own fire at that moment, with how hot her insides were becoming.

“W-Well, not really…”

Teeth nipped sharply at her ear, and she almost jumped at the bolt of warmth that came up from her belly.

Shukaku practically purred, grinning at her reaction.

‘Oh, would you look at that! She likes it rough!’

“The next time someone says such things to you, I’ll kill them.” Gaara promised darkly.

Those blue eyes suddenly leapt up to meet his jade, and he saw an unexpected sadness and fear.

“Gaara-kun, please…”

With all of the tests passed out, Ibiki called everyone’s attention the front with a hard tap of his chalk against the blackboard.

“This first phase has a few important rules. I will not accept any questions, so listen carefully.” He started, writing them out as he said them. “First rule is you all are given ten points at the start. The written phase consists of ten questions, and each is worth one point. This is a deduction-based test; if you get one problem wrong, you will get one point deducted.”

Ibiki took a moment to scan the room before continuing.

“Second rule, the pass-fail decision will be determined by your team’s total points.”

Sakura seemed to have hit her head rather painfully on her desk.

“Wait! You’re team’s total points? What?!”

Kumiko understood the girl’s sudden incoherence; Naruto’s incompetence with written exams was legendary.

“Shut up!” The proctor ordered. “There is a reason for this. Just shut up and listen.”

When no other objections came, Ibiki continued calmly enough.

“Now that you know, let’s move on to the next rule. If an examiner determines that you cheated or did something similar during the test, each action will cause you to lose two points.”

That caused Kumiko to straighten somewhat, confused.

‘Lose points? If otousan ever caught me cheating on a test, I’d fail immediately, not get four more chances.’

“In other words, there will be people who will be forced to leave this place without their tests being graded. Those who try to cheat without thinking carefully will only hurt themselves.”

The presence of the examiners lining both sides of the room certainly made sense now, and Kumiko eyed them warily, recognizing two as the ones who had been guarding the fake room.

“You are all trying to become Chunin. If you are a ninja, act like a first-rate one.” Ibiki advised. “Also, if anyone in a team gets a zero, everyone on that team will fail.”

Even Kumiko could see the death glares being shot Naruto’s way at this revelation, and Kana seemed to be valiantly fighting off laughter at the prospect.

“The last problem will be given forty-five minutes after the exam begins. You have one hour for the exam. Begin!”

Flipping the paper over, trying to ignore the warmth of another human body so close to her own, Kumiko looked over the problems in a cursory way.

‘Oh crud…’

There was no way she could answer them, let alone do so with only five minutes per question.

Megumi probably could, but she was a military genius.

Another thought crossed the Waterbender’s mind, and she frowned.

‘What about Kana?’

True, they had taught her to write (with quite a bit of difficulty), but reading was not something she could do.

‘Well, Meg did say Morse Code would come in handy…’

Tomo curled up in her lap, purring as she scratched behind an ear, as Kumiko tapped the heel of her foot against the floor in a practiced rhythm.

‘We are going to have to cheat.’

The Earthbender twitched slightly, and Kumiko closed her eyes to better focus on her Seismic Sense as a reply was sent back.

‘Get on with it, then.’

Taking a deep breath, Kumiko hid her hands under the desk to keep any of the examiners from seeing the movement of her fingers.

Slowly, her senses stretched, brushing against the moisture in the air before finally touching the ceiling.

The particles reacted, connecting and creating droplets along the smooth tile like condensation.

Careful to keep the newly-forming water hidden, wary of stray sunbeams and eagle-sharp eyes, Kumiko scanned the room for someone to copy from.

The quick, confident strokes of a pencil a few rows down caught her eye, and the condensation slowly moved into position, solidifying into a reflective sheet of ice.

After a few minor adjustments, the answers were visible, and Kumiko quickly jotted them down, taking a few moments longer to decipher the upside-down script.

With that done, she melted the ice and pressed the remaining water through the seams of the tiles to hide the evidence.

Tapping the heel of her foot against the floor once more, she ran a hand down Tomo’s back, earning a soft meow.

‘I have the answers. Are you ready?’

There were a few moments of delay before Kana replied, pencil twirling between her fingers.

‘Whenever you are.’

‘Okay. First answer…’

Looking over the first box, her heel tapped rapid-fire, giving the information as quickly as her already-aching calf would allow.

Gaara preferred sitting back and watching her work, finding the Waterbender’s concentrated expression rather cute.

A frown crossed his face as the tabby rubbed against her stomach through the mesh, purring happily and almost smiling at him as if to say “Too bad you can’t touch her like this, too.”

He decided to prove that infuriating feline wrong.

Just as Kumiko began to relax, having relayed all of the information to her teammate, a hand brushed aside her mesh shirt and pressed against the small of her back.

With a jolt, she realized something.

Gaara’s Sand Armor was down.

The contact of skin-on-skin sent a jolt of electric heat up the Jinchuriki’s spine, and Shukaku purred loudly as his container reveled in the feeling of soft, warm flesh under his palm.

Nerves tingling pleasantly, Kumiko tried to control her breathing, but when Gaara’s hand traveled up along her spine, it hitched noticeably.

One of the examiners looked towards her, curious, and she flushed hotly, ducking her head.

Deciding to give his angel a chance to catch her breath, Gaara reluctantly removed his hand and turned his full attention to conjuring the Third Eye jutsu.

There was no difficulty in finding a victim, and by the time Kumiko had managed to regain her equilibrium, the red-haired Suna nin was done.

Instead of immediately reaching out, he took a moment to ensure none of the examiners were looking.

While Gaara enjoyed showing who his angel belonged to, he certainly did not want Kumiko upset with him for embarrassing her a second time.

Once the coast was clear, the Jinchuriki leaned in and licked up the slow, pulsing vein in the Waterbender’s neck.

Kumiko squeaked in surprise, and turned deep red at the mild attention that sound earned.

Chuckling inwardly at her reaction, Gaara settled back, an arm over the back of her chair in a subtle display of ownership.

Flustered, Kumiko shot a mild glare at the amused Demon of Suna, looking, in his opinion, very much like a disgruntled puppy.

“We’re in the middle of a test, Gaara-kun.” She scolded softly, careful not to be overheard. “Can’t this…”

The blush flared up again, but the young Avatar was determined to push through.

“Can’t this wait?”

Studying her expression, Gaara nodded minutely.

“If that’s what you want.” He replied, hiding a smirk as he noticed Kumiko’s sudden relaxation. “We’ll continue once the test is completed.”

Luckily, before she could overcome the shock, Ibiki spoke up once more.

“Looks like we’ve already dropped the incompetent ones.” The proctor noted, smirking. “I will now give the problem, since forty-five minutes have already passed.”

Everyone was suddenly at attention, wondering what this elusive tenth question would be, and the curiosity distracted Kumiko from her irritation.

“Yes, but before that, there’s one thing I must say…There will be one special rule for this last question.”

‘A special rule?’ She wondered. ‘What kind of special rule?’

Just then, the door opened, and Kankuro stepped back in with one of the examiners, most likely returning from a bathroom break.

“You’re lucky.” Ibiki noted. “Your puppet show didn’t have to go to waste. Oh well, sit down.”

The proctor waited for Kankuro to sit before returning to the previous subject.

“I will now explain. This is…a hopeless rule.”

Out of her peripheral, the Waterbender saw both Megumi and Kana straighten up in their seats, interested.

“First, you are all going to choose if you wish to take this tenth problem or not.” Ibiki informed them.

“Choose?” Temari replied. “So what happens if we don’t take the tenth problem?”

“If you choose not to take it, your points will be reduced to zero. In other words, you will fail. Your other two teammates will fail along with you.”

The thought of failing was not particularly distressing for Kumiko; there were more important things than becoming a Chunin.

‘Like mastering Earthbending.’ She thought guiltily.

Still, Megumi and Kana had been looking forward to this…

Kumiko did not want to fail them.

“And here is the other rule.” Ibiki voiced over the outcry. “If you choose to take it and you get it wrong, you will lose the privilege to take the Chunin Exam forever.”

“Ya’ve gotta be SHITTIN’ me!” Kana shouted, barely restraining herself from causing an earthquake. “What kinda rule is that?!”

“Yeah! There should be those here who have taken the Chunin Exam in the past!” Another Konoha Genin, Inuzuka Kiba, agreed.

When Ibiki started to chuckle, most of the room shuddered in response.

Kumiko thought it was a bit much.

“You were unlucky.” The proctor retorted. “This year, I am the rule. That is why I gave you the option of quitting. Those who are not confident can choose not to take it, and take the exam next year, or the year after that.”

Heart clenching painfully, she closed her eyes and took a shaky breath.

The last thing Kumiko wanted to do was take away her friends’ chances to become Chunin, but she did not want to make them all fail, either…

Gaara immediately noticed his angel’s discomfort, and frowned.

“Let us begin.” Ibiki ordered. “Those who will not be taking this tenth question, raise your hands. After we confirm your numbers, we will have you leave.”

Silence reigned, and Kumiko fiddled with her hands, debating with herself.

Should she, or shouldn’t she?

Meowing softly, Tomo placed his forepaws on her wrists and leaned up to rub against the girl’s collarbone with a low purr, as if to say “Just relax.”

Taking a deep breath, she looked towards her teammates.

Megumi’s gold eyes were sharp, her competitive Firebender spirit shining forth, and Kana’s entire body was tense, her inherent Earthbender stubbornness not allowing for retreat.

They were both willing to take the chance…

Blue met jade, and Kumiko smiled, at ease.

Failing was not the end of the world, anyway.

Eventually, Genin raised their hands and left with their squad, still shaking with nerves.

As bodies trickled out, Kumiko could see how nervous Naruto was getting.

It was clear this entire phase of the exam had put the boy into a near panic, and here he was, given a chance to get out…

‘But he won’t.’ She thought. ‘Naruto’s a lot of things, but he’s never given up when he wants something. He won’t…’

Painfully slowly, the orange-wearing shinobi began to raise his hand, and her heart squeezed.

‘Will he?’

That same hand came slamming down onto the desk, and Naruto stood, radiating fierce determination.

“Screw you! I’m not going to run away!” He shouted. “I’ll take this problem! Even if I become a Genin forever, I’m going to become a Hokage no matter what anyway! I’m not scared!”

With that, the blonde sat down with a huff, and Kumiko smiled weakly.

‘Baka…He scared me for a moment there…’

“I will ask one more time.” The proctor warned. “This is the choice that will impact your life. If you want to quit, now is the chance.”

“I’m not going to take back my words.” Naruto vowed. “That’s my nindo.”

No one else raised their hands after that, taking strength from his words, and Ibiki smirked.

“Nice determination. Then, for the first phase, everyone here…”

That smirk grew into a smile.

“Passes!”

Even Kumiko was dumbstruck.

‘What?’

“Wait, what’s the meaning of that?” Sakura wondered. “We pass already? What about the tenth question?”

“There was no such thing to begin with.” Ibiki replied lightheartedly. “Or you can call the two-choice question the tenth question.”

“So what were those previous nine questions?” Temari demanded. “It was all a waste!”

“No it’s not.” The proctor explained. “The nine problems accomplished their purpose. The purpose to test each individual’s information gathering skills.”

Mentally, Kumiko cheered.

‘Yes! We did it!’

Kana just smirked, arms crossed confidently, as Megumi hid a small smile, elbowing a grumbling Shikamaru in the ribs.

“This test’s purpose lies in the first rule: your pass-fail decision is based on your three-man squads. By giving that idea, we have given you an unprecedented amount of pressure to try and not be a nuisance to your team.” Ibiki explained. “But these test problems can not be solved by you Genin. So, most of the people here must have come to the conclusion ‘I have to cheat to get points’. In other words, this exam assumed that everyone was going to cheat.”

Megumi scoffed, almost insulted.

‘Looks like a couple didn’t have to cheat, after all.’ Kumiko thought to herself, smiling.

“So, we snuck in two Chunin who knew the answers to be targets of cheating. But those who just cheated like a fool failed, of course.”

The proctor began to undo his hitai-ite.

“Why?”

Kumiko covered her mouth in shock at the sight of numerous, painful-looking scars covering his entire head.

“Information can have greater value than life at times, and in missions and battlefields, information is contested with the lives of people.”

Ibiki began to tie his hitai-ite back into place as he continued.

“The information that an enemy gets after being noticed by a third person will not necessarily be accurate. Remember this. Getting incorrect information can cause great damage to your teammates and village. So, we made you gather information in the form of cheating. We kicked out those who were lacking in that field. That’s what went on.”

Kana seemed rather disgruntled, most likely because of the need to write, and Kumiko giggled at her childishness.

“But I still can’t agree to that last question…” Temari voiced.

“But this tenth question was the main question of this first phase. The tenth question was a ‘take or not take’ choice. Needless to say, it was a painful two-choice problem. Those who did not take it failed with their teams. If you chose to take it, and could not answer it, your right to take the exam would have been taken away forever. It was a very insincere problem.”

Ibiki looked over the room with sharp eyes.

“How about this two-choice problem: let’s assume that you have become a Chunin. Your mission is to capture a secret document. The number of enemy ninja, their abilities, and armaments are unknown, and there may be traps that the enemy ninja have set up. Now, will you accept this mission or not? Just because your life and the lives of your teammates may be in danger, are you able to avoid dangerous missions? The answer is…”

There was a pregnant pause, and the proctor broke it with one word.

“No.”

The word rumbled like thunder through Kumiko’s chest, reverberating in her soul.

‘I can’t keep running.’

“There are missions that carry heavy risks, but can not be avoided. The ability to show your courage to your teammates when needed, and the ability to get through a bad situation…That is what we look for in a Chunin, a squad leader. Those who can not bet their fate in a critical situation, those who give up when given the chance because there is a next year, and let their minds sway over an uncertain future…”

Ibiki’s expression grew harsh.

“Fools who only carry a light determination like that have no right to become a Chunin. That is what I believe.”

Kumiko felt guilty for a moment, because she had swayed, if only for a few moments.

‘But seeing how much my friends wanted it…Maybe that’s enough.’

“I am saying that you here who have chosen to take it gave the right answer for the difficult tenth question. You can deal with the difficulties you will face.” Ibiki finished.

“You have broken through the entrance. The first phase of the Chunin Selection ends now. I wish you luck.”

Just as Naruto began to celebrate, a cloth bundle burst through the window.

Gaara pulled Kumiko into him, as if to act as a shield, as the bundle unfurled, revealing another face the Waterbender recognized.

“Everybody, there’s no time to be happy. I am the second proctor, Mitarashi Anko. Let’s go to the next phase! Follow me!”

One could almost hear the chirping of crickets, and Kumiko sighed with a slight smile.

“Oh, Anko-san…”

“Grasp the atmosphere.” Ibiki advised, and the woman blushed in embarrassment before scanning the room.

“Ninety?” She accused, frowning. “Ibiki, you let thirty teams pass? The first phase must have been too soft.”

“It looks like there are a lot of excellent students this time.” Ibiki argued.

“Oh, well…I’m going to make more than half of the teams fail in the next exam.” Anko promised with dark glee.

‘She’s getting carried away again…’

“I’m getting excited.” The Tokubetsu Jonin admitted, smiling. “I will explain the details tomorrow. We will go somewhere else, so ask your Jonin teachers about the rally point and time. That is all. Dismissed.”

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Night fell over Konohagakure, but it’s darkness was muted by the lanterns and streetlamps lining the buildings.

Skirting along the edges of the light, Gaara approached the window leading into Kumiko’s bedroom, peering in.

There were two windows, one facing east and the other west, as if to amplify the feel of outdoors by following the rising and setting of the sun.

The bed was just below the east window, where Kumiko was sleeping soundly under a mound of dark, shadowy furs.

Fubuki was sprawled on the floor, completely lax, but her ear twitched towards the window, showing she was aware of Gaara’s presence.

When the canine made no other move to get up, the Jinchuriki took it as a sign to enter, and wasted no time in doing so.

Sand crept through the seams of the window, disarming any traps, before carefully lifting it.

The runners were creaky from lack of maintenance, but Gaara suspected that was on purpose.

No need to help an enemy sneak into your home, after all.

His weight shifted the mattress, and glowing green eyes stared at the intruder from the foot of the bed.

Returning that stare, Gaara waited for his furry enemy to make a move.

Eventually, Tomo yawned, jumping down to continue his rest in Fubuki’s warm fur, and the Polar Bear Dog huffed in amusement.

Now that there were no more obstacles, Gaara turned his attention to the sleeping girl as she stirred.

Hair loose from it’s usual braid, it tumbled off the bed like a waterfall, tinted gold from the faint lantern-light that filtered in.

A slight frown formed on her face, most likely sensing an unknown presence nearby, and those blue eyes fluttered open, still heavily fogged with sleep.

“Gaara…?”

“It’s me.” He replied softly, heart almost melting as Kumiko’s entire body went lax at the discovery.

“Is something wrong?” She mumbled, rubbing cutely at her eyes to wake up further.

“No.” Gaara assured, settling on his haunches as sand pulled the window closed.

Oasis eyes pierced straight through his armor, brushing against his soul.

“Then why are you here?”

Kumiko saw the sudden lost look cross the boy’s face, and sat up.

Gaara had never looked more like a sad, vulnerable little boy than he did right then.

“…I don’t know.”

The Jinchuriki almost flinched at the butterfly-touch of fingers on his face, but the clear affection in Kumiko’s entire aura put him at ease.

“It’s alright…” She soothed, pulling Gaara into a hug, fingers carding through unruly red hair in a comforting manner.

Enveloped in her warmth, the boy slowly relaxed, burying his face in her neck as both arms wrapped around her waist.

It was not until then that Gaara realized that the hole in the chest, the hole that had been left gaping in his heart for so long, had pulled him to this.

Kumiko had filled it so well that, when they had to separate for a few hours, the pain had throbbed in the back of his mind like a bleeding wound.

What would Gaara do if she ever decided to leave?

If he had to leave?

At that moment, holding his angel close, the worries seemed almost surreal.

Feeling the tension leave his body, Kumiko smiled, slowly guiding them down properly onto the bed, careful not to jostle his grip.

Quietly, Fubuki reached up and pulled the furs over them, growling softly in contentment.

Sending the faithful canine a grateful look, the Waterbender curled into Gaara’s warmth in a symbiotic search for comfort.

With a kiss to the bright red scar on his forehead, Kumiko began to slipped back into the world of dreams…

“Goodnight, Gaara…”