Scarlet Justice - ep. 31
"The Great Beyond"
[Chuunin Exams: First Round]
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It's a roar that rips through the area. Nobody dares to challenge the source of the voice, coming from the main entrance to the room.
A man in black, sinister looking with a black bandanna and deep scars on his face. He's flanked by numerous shinobi wearing the same type of grey uniforms. There are two signals I can recall from earlier...they must have been the ones scaring off the weaklings earlier. But the feeling I get from the man in black...it's very strong. Powerful...in a captivating way.
"You Hidden Sound idiots over there. I'll tell you and everyone this, one time: you don't get to fight unless I say so. I'm the law around here, got it?"
Everyone remains silent. He smirks.
"That's what I thought. Thanks for waiting...my name is Ibiki Morino, the examiner for the first test of this Chuunin Selection Exam. If you're interested in a quick exit, go ahead and piss me off. Let's get the test started. Don't worry about where you're sitting right now, first off. My assistants are going to happily pass along numbered tiles to you. Once you're all in your seats, we'll hand out the exam papers."
"P-p-p-papers?!" Naruto screams. "Paper TEST?!"
Oh, right. He's awful at those...bad luck for him. However, I suspect that there's more to this test than high scores. Let's see how it pans out...there are multiple parts to this experience, after all.
I get my number and settle into my seat. Ah, wonderful. A spot in the middle, right up front and close to the action. Tile 50.
Hm. Amusing.
I flick my tongue at the air briefly. Hinata is a ways ahead, meaning she got a lower number...about two rows, and to my right. Shino is three rows behind me, to my left. Our positions are locked in for the rest of this test. There's a young man in glasses directly right of me, and he seems to be in his twenties, maybe. A fair bit older than me, at any rate. To my direct left, there's a child who I can guess is only a year older than me at best, if not in the same year. He seems nervous...hiding it badly, but nervous all the same.
The 'elite chuunin' that are part of Ibiki's crew hand us our papers face down. They tell us to wait for instructions. Ibiki stands at attention until the very last sheet is placed, and then he begins writing on the blackboard at the front of the room.
"I'll explain the rules to you once. No questions, just pay attention," he says.
Sakura opens her fat mouth anyways. I record everything that Ibiki says, and the rules are thus.
Each participant starts with ten points in hand. The points system works by deduction. Each wrong answer takes a point away from our score of ten. A perfect score means that we keep all of our points, so we would have ten of them at the end.
Next, it's a points rush. This means teams are competing to see who's left with the highest score out of 30 at the end, or the combined score of each three person group.
And then, the most important rule as stated by Ibiki. The chuunin acting as officers will be seated on both sides of the room, watching for infractions. Cheating or anything similar will result in a permanent two point reduction if caught. This means that in the case of a perfect test, if you're caught cheating once the highest score you can get is eight points out of ten. We can cheat four times within this system, in theory. The fifth will leave us with a score of zero no matter what, and at that point we will be asked to leave the exams entirely.
But of course, this life isn't our own.
Losing all of our points or scoring zero will eject us from the exam, whichever applies first. But this is a team exam. If one of us scores zero, then everyone on the team will be forced to leave. In other words, we are only as strong as our weakest link. One person falling apart means that we're all done for. No matter how good you are, or how much potential you might have.
Naruto is some distance ahead, and I can see him clutching at his head in despair. He's definitely feeling the heat now.
"Make sure that you hold your heads high, and finish the test as proud shinobi," Ibiki says. "The exam will last one hour, no sooner and no longer than that. We start in sixty seconds. Good luck to all of you."
I let the information simmer, and then realize more than a few things. Cheating wouldn't be allowed according to the rules and would be immediately punished. But this is a wide open, spacious test room where anything can happen. Uchiha and especially Hyuuga wouldn't be allowed to take a test in a room like this under normal circumstances. It's far too easy for them to cheat by taking someone's answers with their doujutsu.
And with that, I understand the plot.
"Alright...begin!"
Five chances to cheat before being disqualified. Special ability and mystic eye users in a cut-throat examination scenario. Not just visual arts. Communication with animals. Special chakra signals. Secret jutsu. The list goes on. I flip the paper over, and all my thoughts are confirmed.
These are not questions genin children are meant to answer.
We have to cheat to win.
Now...considering all of that. It isn't an absolute, at least in my case. I've experienced a few of these sorts of questions before, thanks to a sheltered, elite upbringing. So that comes out to at least seven points easily, on my own. But this is a team effort, and I have to reduce the risk of Shino and Hinata failing. Already, I can sense the transmissions of chakra...those who understand are starting to move.
I casually run a hand through my hair. There it is...
"Good."
The small bug crawls into the safety of my sleeve and rests on my wrist. Shino is now accounted for, so now I would like to take care of Hina as soon as possible. She has yet to move...it hasn't clicked for her yet, it seems, but we will have a wealth of time before the exam ends.
The final question...is a dizzying one. We have to wait until forty five minutes pass before it's even asked, since it's not actually on the test paper itself. Is this another trap of sorts?
"Ugh..."
Oh. I had forgotten about the two people near me in the midst of my thoughts. The one on the right is answering questions confidently, as I assumed he would once the test was revealed. I can use him to funnel answers to Shino, perhaps. The one on the left isn't having a great time. I see him glance over at me once or twice. Suspicious, but I don't think he has anything that can bother me. And if he does...well, I don't know what the rules are regarding self-defense here. Best to think on it a bit more.
I pick up my pen and start to leisurely answer questions. And of course, I will show all of my work. It's only right. No need to rush anything...I will wait until Hinata starts to move before doing anything else.
Although...I really am curious about-
...
...
...
...is...someone here? Inside of my head? It's a strange feeling, like I'm floating right now.
"Hello?" I call out.
'She' is restless. There's...another chakra in here. But that doesn't make any sense, does it?
I can't move my body well. I can see outside, but it's like looking through a window. Paralysis? No...it's not that I'm frozen. It's...'resistance'. Something is pushing against my consciousness.
What...why is this so difficult? What's with her body?
That voice...so that's what this is.
Ne...is that you, Ino?
Ah? No wonder I'm having difficulty, you're still awake in here! And...and there was another you I passed by. She kept trying to bully me and was saying...d-dirty things!
Oh, I see. Yes, that was my S half.
Your what? Lili, what do you even...n-never mind. It might be too much for young girls. But...yeah, you caught me. I guess you know what I meant to do.
I do, yes. Oh, could you get that loose strand of hair for me?
Yep, one second.
I feel Ino move my arm, brushing back my hair for me.
Is that good?
Perfect. Thank you.
No problem. Sooo...you haven't written much of anything yet. How come?
I'm waiting for the promised time. Our team is going to synchronize soon.
I hear her sigh.
Oh. Well, that's bad luck for me, then. This jutsu takes up some energy.
I see.
Hmm...well, she's technically competition. But I do find her lovely, so...I think it should be fine, at least this once.
I can give you a bit of service, Ino.
Yeah? How so?
Do you see the young man next to me? He's pacing himself, but he's cleanly and confidently answering each question. At this rate, he'll be done soon. If you enter him the next time you use your technique, you should have a very easy time.
You're...helping me? Why?
I'm feeling very confident, and...well, that's what friends do, don't they?
Lili...I'll be sure to pay you back. I don't know how, but I will. Thank you...
Of course. Good luck, my dear Ino. And you can come back in to visit any time that you like~
Eh...I'll have to give that one some thought...you're seriously wild...
I find myself fully awake and back in control of my consciousness. What a unique experience. Another useful bit of information for the future.
Oh, it's time. Hinata's chakra is moving, and so is her pen. Ino is starting her technique again, so I steal a glance at the man beside me, and...out he goes. Good work, Ino. I stand up and let Shino's insect move ahead to Hinata.
"Bathroom, please~"
A pair of handcuffs are secured around my wrists. The men's and women's rooms are predictably in opposite directions. I'm led to my stall where I close the door behind me and unbuckle my belt. Right...those just in case kits on the inside of my cargo shorts, in small hidden pockets. Lessons from kunoichi classes led me to making small capsules for the emergencies we so frequently talked about.
As for the exam...I made sure to write Ino's name lightly at the top of my exam sheet, inside of a sentence of course, so that it isn't easily gleaned. Shino should have picked up on that and acted accordingly. I have my own system of communicating which I've whipped up, so we can test it once I get back...
A loud thumping interrupts my thoughts. "Hey. Don't take all day in there," my woman escort says.
"You have more than enough manpower in there. Should be no need for you to rush me," I reply.
"Sorry that I don't like waiting for dumb brats on the toilet all day."
I roll my eyes before pulling up my tights and shorts, and buckling my belt again. I wash my hands and dry them with paper towel...she's watching me carefully to make sure that I don't take any extra. There's no problem there, since I already have some tissue paper stashed underneath my waistband. Just in case.
"Are we okay now? Or does the pretty princess want to make sure I'm not cheating extra hard?" I ask mockingly.
"You've got some nerve, you little bitch."
"I've got it in spades, you old bat."
She snorts before pulling me roughly by the arm, back towards the exam hall. I get back to my seat and she unlocks my handcuffs. "Don't worry too much. I'll make sure to pass so that I never have to see your wrinkled face again," I say with a cruel smile.
She makes a face before shaking her head at me, smiling. "Got some balls on you, kiddo. Make sure you don't fuck it up."
I nod to acknowledge her before sitting down, rubbing my wrists a bit and then picking up my pen. A kunai then flies across the room and accurately pins down a paper in someone's hands nearby.
"Number 45, you fail. Take your teammates and get the hell out. Number 78 and 33, greet your shitty teammate at the door," the officer yells.
At this point, several teams have already screwed up and gotten themselves kicked out. Such is the nature of these things.
"Mm." I feel something enter my hair. So...Shino has already moved. I write a few phrases on the back of my sheet as planned, then let the bug settle on my desk. It stops for a moment on a few of them, allowing me to put some pieces together as it settles in my palm again.
From this I can gather that Hinata is either finishing or almost finished. Her chakra is indicating the latter. Shino is saying from this that he's finished as well. That makes me the last one, and there's still time. Alright, then we can make this count. I send the insect back after indicating I need the answers to 5 and 8. Those are the only fuzzy ones left...after that, I can relax.
Out of the corner of my eye, I notice movement on my left. It's just a flash, but I notice the kunai in that boy's hand. If he...
My eyes fly open and I get a good look at him. There are explosive tags attached to the kunai, a bundle of them. He has it held on the seat so that nobody can see it other than us. He's shaking, sweat running down his face as he stares at me with bloodshot eyes.
"I won't...again. I won't go back. Give them to me...the answers. Please."
He can't be this desperate. Can he? But...but I don't know. I don't know what's going through his head. Ino...she's too far and I can't call to her. Hina is also too far and she can't do much. Shino can't do anything without outing himself and getting caught for cheating. I can't get up and go to the bathroom again so soon.
He was waiting for this. This bastard.
Whether or not he fails as a result isn't the problem...if he goes through with it, for whatever reason, everyone in the area will die or be horribly maimed as a result. Including me. Hinata and Shino won't be able to continue. Worse than that...everyone...I...I can't die here. I can't. Hasn't anyone noticed? I don't know how many strikes he has, or I could just do something to get him kicked out right away.
I have to...calm down.
"P-please...it's too much..."
"What...do you mean?" I ask. "Why are you doing this?"
"If I fail...again...my family...just give me what I want."
I keep my head pointed towards the front. I'm shaking. Kill...I should kill him right now. Take his life. But if I do that, then Team Eight...everything we worked for will disappear. What can I do? What should I do? I feel scared...I feel...
Oh.
If I had...done better. If I hadn't been so afraid, so hurt...then I...
Midori. I can her her voice, filled with pain. I can feel her sorrow. Her regret. I think of her, crying for me. I think of Luna, broken and empty inside after I disappear. A vigil with Hina wailing uncontrollably. With Shino unable to move. With Kurenai blaming herself, despairing. Naruto giving into fury. Iruka, feeling helpless. My heart aches so much that I can't stand it. I can't accept that kind of future. I can't leave this world.
He is for real. He wants to succeed, to save his family, to make something of himself. And he will go this far to do it. He would light those tags, and nothing would be able to save us. I can't wait fifteen more minutes for the final question. I don't even think I can wait fifteen more seconds at this point. I can't ignore him. I can't run away.
Be proud shinobi!
Ibiki's voice rings through my ears. Pride. I will use that to move forward.
Just as Hina declared...I will not run away. Never again.
"A person with nothing to lose is said to be the most dangerous type of being," I say to him quietly.
"..."
"But I am not a normal person. That was your first mistake. And it will be your very last."
I strike. I grab his wrist and squeeze until I feel it break, making him bite his lip to stifle the scream that would have come out. The kunai drops from his hand and into one of mine, which I slowly use to put into one of the pockets of my shorts.
My hand is still around his wrist, and he's about to break from the pain and terror.
Then I will send him straight over the edge. My switch is flipped on.
"Was this what you wanted?" I whisper. "Tell me...was this is it? The thing you risked your life for? The thing you shed tears for?"
"I...please..."
I pull him close to me, close enough that I can speak into his ear, so that I can drill my hatred into his brain. I can feel him trembling. I can smell his fear. "You crossed me. You made me think bad things. You made me hurt. You made me despair. You did the most unforgivable thing. You tried to take from me. You will never take from me. My loved ones, my family, my life. You sinned against me, and I will make you suffer for it, you fucking trash."
"No...p-please...I just..."
"Struggle and suffer. I will find you, and then I will devour you. And I will enjoy every single moment...boy."
I lick his cheek before roughly shoving him off, leaving him to clutch his shattered wrist as he sobs. None of the officials has moved an inch. It would have been well worth the loss of points if they did, but I'm not complaining.
I secretly want him to pass. Just so that I can find him, and end him myself.
It takes a while...but I can calm down, finally. I let the visions fade away, and settle down to focus on the rest of my test. Ten minutes to go. Hina makes a signal in the distance that I take as a sign things are well, and I sign back so that she can see with her Byakugan. Shino sends back a message with his bugs using our hastily formed system, and we check our answers with each other.
The ten minutes are long and tense. Fantasies about killing the trash beside me start to creep into my head, and it takes some effort to shove them down. That hunger is faint, but present. I know what I have to do...I will take care of it, soon enough.
"Alright, it's time for the tenth question," Ibiki announces. He positions himself at the front of the room again. "There are some extra rules for this question, so pay attention. First...you have to decide whether you want to take it or not."
The blonde girl from the Sand speaks up. I wish I could have been next to her...what a treat. "What if we choose not to?" she asks.
"Then your points are automatically reduced to zero, and you fail along with your teammates. Simple," Ibiki responds. From the scattered reactions, the choice is obvious.
Beware the shuriken's shadow.
Iruka repeated it alot. And he made a point of doing it before certain tests. There's more to come with this question, then.
"And now, the other rule. If you choose to take up the tenth question, and you answer incorrectly..."
The air is being sucked away from the room as we wait.
"You will lose the right to take the Chuunin Selection Exam...for as long as you live."
And there it is. The shuriken hiding in its partner's shadow.
"Now, there's a way out, since I'm such a generous guy," he says with a sarcastic smile. "If you so choose, you can forfeit. Quit the exam right here, right now, and you can take it freely again next year. Maybe you won't draw me the next time in the first round. Maybe the last question will be different, or there won't be one like this again. Who knows. But of course, you remember...if you quit, your teammates have to go home with you. Your choice. If you want to back out, raise your hand. The officers will confirm your numbers and you can leave as a group."
Ibiki leans back against the front desk, hands in the pockets of his coat.
"Now...let's begin. We're answering the tenth and final question."
Immediately, people start to crack. They file out with their teams, three by three. I hear apologies and cries of disappointment. The trash next to me obviously isn't going anywhere unless his teammates do, and they must know of his desperation.
So...the answer to the question. First...taking it up. And next...we-
I heard a loud thud ahead of me suddenly.
"Don't underestimate me! I'm not gonna run away! Even if I end up a genin forever...even if my path is closed off...I'll become Hokage some other way! I'll make it to my dream, no matter what! I promise you that!" Naruto yells.
Ibiki stands up again and takes his hands out of his pockets. "This is your last chance to back off," he warns Naruto. "I'll ask one more time...you sure you want to do this?"
"I don't ever go back on my word. That's my shinobi way!"
And with that, the room is galvanized into action. The dark atmosphere from earlier is gone, replaced with confidence. No more quitting. No more running. Naruto has lifted every spirit in the room...and so, nobody will turn back now.
Not that it was ever an option for us. "Hina! Shino! Did you receive that idiot's message?" I call out.
"Easily. We move ever forward," Shino calls back.
"Through the flames, and every obstacle in our path. We persevere," Hina calls out.
"Don't underestimate us, either," I say to the room. "This is the strength of the magnificent Team Eight. And more than that...it's the strength of Leaf shinobi!"
"Yeah!" Naruto yells in approval.
Ibiki sighs. "Well, I guess nobody else is moving. Then, to all you still remaining..."
Again, it feels like the air is being sucked away as everyone tenses up, and Ibiki...
...smiles.
"Congratulations! You've passed the first test!"
"Eh...ehhhhhh?!" As always, Naruto is the picture of confusion. But I have a feeling that I know what's going on.
"Heh. You could say there never was something truly called question ten...the last two questions you were just asked were the essence of it, in any case."
The first nine questions were as I suspected: a test for information gathering. The questions were all far beyond genin level thinking, and so cheating was not only the best, but the preferred option. And the trick was indeed to do so without getting caught - the explanation for all the chances and a decreasing point system. Some chuunin were also planted with the correct answers. To my right is number 51, the gentleman who I directed Ino to. He is one of those plants.
He extends his hand towards me, and I shake willingly.
"Congratulations. Good work as well."
"Thank you."
"May I have the weapon?"
I nod and hand him the kunai with the explosive notes attached. He seems awestruck before pushing up his glasses.
"Seriously impressive work. But...I could feel your murderous intent chill my bones. What do you want to do? The next round...offers an opportunity."
I lick my lips. The hunger is slowly building. "I want him...for myself."
"Understood. I'll report to Ibiki, but you should be able to get what you want."
"Thank you."
I watch as Ibiki removes his head covering...I can see why it's in place. His head is dotted with screw holes, and there are burns and scars all over...evidence of horrific torture. The price of intelligence in the shinobi world. Torture is far from a joke. The purpose of this test is to separate the wheat from the chaff...those who could cheat properly, and those who could not for the sake of their comrades for the first section.
And for the second, the true reason for the test. It connects cleanly with the very first test that Kurenai and all the other instructors gave their children to determine who even entered this room.
"If you become chuunin and get assigned dangerous missions for the village, do you think you get to pick and choose which ones you go on? Do you think you get to run away whenever you want?" Ibiki asks as he puts his bandana back on. "The ability to be courageous...to suffer hardships...to lead no matter what the situation. Those are the things needed to be a chuunin. The captain of a team! Anyone who chooses to walk away from a chance out of fear, who hope for a next time...any trash who makes those kinds of choices isn't fit to become a chuunin!" He yells. "Or a shinobi, period! That's how I see it. And that was what the last question determined. Your courage and your will. Leading a team isn't just about how many flashy techniques you can learn...it takes more. Much more!" He claps his gloved hands once. "But you here who have answered the tenth question correctly, by choosing not to run...your futures are bright, and you'll be able to overcome whatever comes your way."
He smirks and looks over the room one more time. "With all that said, the first test is now finished. Good luck, all of you!"
"Hell yeah!" Naruto yells.
Something then bursts through the nearby window, and a strange figure appears with a black banner unfurled behind them.
"There's no time to rest on your heels! Don't get cocky! Anko Mitarashi, examiner for the second test! Let's go!"
A woman with purple hair, bound into a fan-like ponytail. She has on a trench coat, and a mesh bodysuit with a skirt over it. I get a strange feeling from her, but not the same as the one from Ibiki...and as her eyes lock with mine for a moment, I understand.
She has a contract, too.
"Eh? Ibiki...how many of them?"
"Seventy-eight this year."
"Seventy-eight?! What the hell...your test was too damn easy this year! Whatever. I'll just slash the numbers down, then...all you runts follow me, and I'll explain everything once we reach the new venue. No time to lose!" Anko gives me another glance before leaving.
"Number 50...before you head out, a word? Won't keep you from the next round's fun," Ibiki says to me.
"Yes, sir." I head to the front of the room and stand in front of him. He kneels down to meet me.
"You okay?"
"Yes. I'm fine, sir."
"You're sure now...I'm not here to judge."
"I...thought about it," I admit. "I thought about dying. That it would be over for me, right then and there. I was thinking that it was so...unfair."
"That's a fair feeling. If I was your age...and in that situation. I wouldn't know what to do. I'm sure it's happened before, and people have given in just to avoid getting hurt. What you did was dangerous...and very brave. I assure that it wasn't a test on my part, or some sort of prank. That guy was really ready to risk it all for the sake of a test. Desperation doesn't excuse any of it." He clenches a fist. "Not everyone who deserves to fail does, unfortunately. I can't forgive that kind of trash."
He's...far more than just a tough man. "Thank you."
"It's nothing. We talk a lot about being proud shinobi, and about killing our emotions and feelings, about being strong and unbreakable. But we're human on the inside. We have hopes, and dreams, needs and fears. You know that...that's how you could do what you did."
"Ibiki-sensei. Thank you again. I'll remember your concern."
He nods and smiles. "Think about joining Intelligence, kiddo. We could use someone with your strength of character one day."
"I'll consider it. But I really do want to travel the world, and find a wife first."
"Heh. A man's romance, eh? Considering what I've heard about you, it makes sense. Alright, get going before Anko drives herself up a wall. Oh, and one more thing."
"Yes, sir?"
"Watch out for that joker, Uzumaki." He rubs his head, amused. "I didn't believe it when I saw, but..."
"Let me guess. He didn't answer a single question."
"Yeah."
I smile at him as I leave. "That's definitely Naruto."
As I head out after Anko's group, I hear the sound of hearty laughter. Ibiki is...a very good person. I'm glad to have met him this day.
And now...I'm on my way to the next stage, after proving my courage. This Scarlet Viper will show her fangs in time.
