Chapter 28 – True Genin Test

At exactly five in the morning, Raito opened his eyes and swiped the transparent box or notification in front of him. And then just like a machine with his eyes closed, Raito worked everything with Naruto joining him at late sixes.

Sitting in a chair, Naruto chowed down the food in a hurry whereas Raito sat in the opposite, slowly eating his food.

“Eat slower.” Raito sighed.

Gulping down the lump in his throat, Naruto replied, “No way, we will be late if we eat any slower.”

“Che, if you are in a hurry go on your own.” Raito waved his hand.

“Today is an important day for us. So, we should be there a bit earlier.” Naruto added.

“You, me and Hinata are going to be in a team, with Kakashi as our sensei.” Raito replied.

“Really!?”

“Yeah, everyone knows.”

“Why didn’t anyone tell me?”

Raito looked at Naruto wanting to punch him on his head. Not willing to act on it, Raito basically ignored him.

Naruto washed the dishes and pulled Raito to the academy.

On the way to the academy, the people on the street watched with an angry and dissatisfied glance towards Naruto. But Naruto as if not hearing them walked with wind under his feet.

“How can Hokage-sama let that…become a ninja?”

“Che, killer trying to become a savior.”

“Damn, damn, damn.”

Raito glanced at the one who had displeased and angry on their status tabs. Pressing on the star button of the status tab of the few of the people who had ‘Murderous Intent’ on their status page.

Buying a few of morning snacks, which equals to about two big bags, Raito entered the academy.

Students looked as Raito sat at the end of the room with Shikamaru, Chōji, and Naruto. Bickering, making noises they quickly gained attention and addition with the smell of the delicious snacks, everyone had already taken a few steps towards them.

“Chōji, chew, you should chew your damn food.”

“These snacks are good but not as good as what my clan makes. You should buy from the Shinobi stores. They have more variety and they can be bought cheaper.”

Meat bun in his hand, Raito sighed, “As if I can buy from the clan stores.”

“Raito needs a ninja identity card to buy from the clan stores cheaply. The stores sell at quite a high price.” Shikamaru rummaged through the bags and took out a bun with green outer cover.

“We need to register and get a number soon.” Raito replied as he fixed his headband.

“Woah a feast.” Ino walked in them and grabbed the meat bun that Raito had just fished.

“Hey that-” Raito shouted but Ino had already taken a bite from the bun.

Raito grumbled then grabbed another, quickly biting into it.

“They sure are late.” Raito looked around and seeing that Iruka-sensei had not come on time made him somewhat annoyed.

The upper floor of the academy was a small nice garden which was directly connected to the Hokage tower. Inside the Hokage room, in the secret chamber there group of ninjas, some standing leisurely and some quite seriously. They were standing looking at the crystal ball which was glowing and showing the academy classrooms.

Hiruzen looked at the crystal ball and said, “Most of them will have to do over.”

Nobody spoke but some nodded their head.

“It seems that something has happened with team 8, team 7 and 10. We already know that they capable, so I want these three teams to have some competitive spirit but don’t hate each other.”

Sighing Hiruzen looked at the room resting on Kurenai and Asuma, then frowning he looked towards the door then at the window. “Asuma, Kurenai, work together and try to help them work together. And someone gets Kakashi and tell him the same.”

Kakashi, on the other hand, was in a small room at the attic, looking at the students from a hole. From time to time, he would look at the students before going back to reading his book.

Raito got that annoying feeling of someone looking at him. So he used his ‘Chakra Sense’ but couldn’t find anyone who was looking at him so intently.

Minutes later Sasuke and his group entered the room and Sasuke quickly glared at Raito, who also ignored him.

BANG!

After Sasuke and group entered the room and sat, the door opened Iruka with a group of Chūnin teachers following him.

Seeing that the teachers had entered the room, Raito quickly swiped the bags and kept them in the inventory. And making his face as blank he could get.

Students stood up in respect and greeted everyone.

“Sit down.” Iruka once again stood out and stood in front of the podium.

“I would like to congratulate all of you students who have worked so hard for all these years. Worked so hard to learn all those boring books (small laugh) and train body and mind and polishing skills, to reach a level that…now it is time for you all to pass on from the academy to become ninjas. But the hard work doesn’t end now…you will be in a team of three, under the command of a Jounin ninja, an elite of the village.”

“We will be dividing you all into groups of three, each group is made to be balanced. Now let’s begin.”

“Team one….

…

“Team seven Uzumaki Naruto, Hyuga Hinata, and Yoshizawa Raito. Your Jounin-sensei will be Hatake Kakashi.”

“Team eight Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino, and Uchiha Sasuke. Your Jounin-sensei will be Yuhi Kurenai.”

“Next team ten as team nine is still there from last semester. Team ten Nara Shikamaru, Yamanaka Ino and Akimichi Chōji.”

After teams were formed, everyone left the room except the three. Chōji grabbed Raito wanting to leave the room and Ino also urging him to do so.

“Oi coward.” Sasuke called out.

Raito frowned slightly, his muscles twitching the slightest.

“We, no I am going to leave you, eating dust.” Sasuke announced and left the room.

Exhaling a deep breath, Raito walked back and took out the big bags and placed them on the table.

“Thank Kami, he went out. It would be a pain if we had to go out.” Raito joked and opened the packaged foods.

“Raito, fight with him and get don’t with it.” Naruto wanted to continue but with Raito glaring at him made him freeze.

“I don’t wanna. So who is gonna make me.”

After the break, students sat in the classrooms as one after another Jounin instructor came and took a team.

“Team ten, meet me at the Yakiniku Q in an hour.” Asuma eyed the group.

“Team eight, follow me. We are going to the dango shop.” Kurenai waved her hands.

“Wow, she is beautiful.” Kiba commented and followed her.

Before Sasuke went out, he looked at Raito with a provoking look.

Corners of Raito’s mouth twitched remembering Sasuke. It was almost an hour and all other groups had gone with their Jounin instructor. Raito slept on the table and Hinata looked for Kakashi using her Byakugan.

“He is soo late.” Naruto wined.

“Anything, Hinata?” Raito asked for which she shook her head.

And there was a long, long silence in the room. Rubbing his hair vigorously, he said, “Naruto, Hinata, let’s go. We are going back home. Kakashi is a Jounin, so, maybe he knows our home.”

“Argh better than being here waiting.” Naruto jumped.

Looking at the two, Hinata was slightly horrified about their actions.

Opening the window Raito and Naruto were ready to jump. At the end, Raito grabbed Raito’s jacket then looked back. “Hinata, are you coming?”

“Yes...N-no. I mean- ah…please wait.” Hinata fumbled and after a lot of breathing exercise, he added, “We should wait for Kakashi-sensei, maybe he hii- I mean maybe he is doing some work?”

Raito and Naruto looked at each other, they both had distressing expression. After thinking for a while Naruto said, “Jiji always has the answer to everything.”

Kakashi who was hiding inside the small room at the above the classroom was alarmed and quickly used ‘Body flicker’ and disappeared from the spot reaching the classroom door.

Raito who was sensitive to chakra with a ‘Chakra Sense’ felt the activation of chakra and a figure behind the door. Silently he focused on the door making Hinata and Naruto also look at the door.

SWISH!

“You three…my impression of you guys…definitely troublesome.” Kakashi who opened the door commented making the trio roll their eyes.

“Let’s go to the rooftop. The air is much fresher there.” Kakashi said and started walking his speed making it look like he was running.

“Run!” Raito shouted and the three ran following Kakashi.

When they reached the rooftop, the three were slightly winded. Kakashi looked at the three and thought, ’16 seconds, four floors and they are only slightly winded.’

They sat down facing Kakashi in the opposite.

“Well let’s start. First, why don’t we start with introductions? Name, likes, dislikes and what are your goals for the future...Let’s start with you Hyuga.”

“H-Hai! My name is Hinata Hyuga. What I like- I like my family, especially my little sister and (glancing at Naruto)….and I hate bullies…traditions. When I have I love to do flower pressing. For future…I want (again glancing at Naruto) (Then with a sudden turn in an expression) I want to be a great Kunoichi, my clan’s cage bird seal, I want to destroy it.”

“Oh.” Kakashi then pointed at Naruto.

Naruto looked at Hinata for a long time before looking back at Kakashi then smiled.

“My name is Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto, dattebayo. I like ramen and Raito’s cooking. I like spending time with Raito and my friends, and of course with Jii-chan. I hate to wait for three minutes for ramen to cook and also I hate bullies. For future..i have only one- I wanna be the Hokage.”

“Hokage, huh? What about you?” Kakashi faced the last black haired boy.

Lazily Raito answered, “Me? Yoshizawa Raito. Like? I have tons of things I like but if I have to name, there are few things I like, training, eating and playing video games. Dislike? One word right now – Sasuke. As for the future, I don’t have many plans, maybe a Jounin?”

“Sasuke?” Kakashi tilted his head in thought then added, “You can call me Kakashi-sensei but if you have nicknames you want to call me, feel free to do so. I like to read my books and for my dislike, there is one absolute taboo, which I will tell you later. I don’t have much ambition for the future.”

“What? Don’t you wanna be a Hokage or something else?” Raito questioned.

“Even Sannin?” Naruto asked and Raito blushed, didn’t know whether it was for anticipation or embarrassment.

Kakashi looked at Naruto wanting to say something but in the end, he kept quiet.

“Nope.”

“Now let’s talk about something else. Though you have graduated as an academy student but….you are still not a Genin.” Kakashi watched the blank faces with no surprise he continued.

“Let’s go for some special survival mission, then.” Kakashi added.

“Kakashi-sensei, we already had the survival exercise. Are we going to do it again?” Naruto asked.

“Well…for this mission…you are going against me.” Kakashi pointed at himself.

“You?” Naruto shouted then got slapped at the back.

“Yeah me. But there is a catch. If you can fulfill the mission criteria, you will be fresh new Genin from tomorrow, but if you fail you are going back to the academy or may even have to quit.”

“No way.” Raito shouted.

“Academy exams are for selecting students who have capabilities to become a ninja. But this survival mission or popularly called Genin exams, is for choosing who will be Genin and who will be going back. In these few years, only 33% have passed to become Genin, rest have been sending back to the academy for a quick course or something else.”

“Liar.” Raito commented, “There are no senior failed students in our class.”

“Why would they keep the old students with new students? And you may have seen those old students walking at the academy.” Kakashi asked.

“Y-yeah.”

“Then let’s meet at the Training ground 7 in an hour. I will be waiting for you.” Kakashi said and disappeared from the rooftop.

“Raito-san, Naruto-kun. Let’s try our best.” Hinata cheered which lit the already bright roof.

Raito laughed and nodded towards the two.

At the end of the hour Raito, Naruto, and Hinata entered the training ground seven and with the help of Byakugan, found Kakashi.

“When I said in an hour, you guys took it literally and even dared to come at the last moment.” Kakashi watched the three and said.

“Un.”

“So what are we going to do?” Naruto asked.

“It will be you guys against me.” Then took out two, tattered bells and continued, “Your mission is to get these bells from me. The ones who get the bell stays, as simple as that.”

“It seems easy.” Naruto commented as he started stretching.

Hinata raised her voice, “Sensei, you have only two bells?”

“Yeah.”

“But you said that the one who gets bells stay…that means….”

“Yeah, Hinata your thinking is right, it means that out of you three only two may pass.” Kakashi explained.

Raito who had already understood the meaning behind the words had his gears started working. ‘Only two?’ Even after thinking for a lot of time, the doubt still remained making Raito’s head hurt. ‘But there is no way that….’

“You have fifteen minutes to decide then you have to come and take these ‘two’ bells.”

Naruto and Hinata had a sad expression on their faces. Raito grabbed the two and walked away from Kakashi.

Kakashi glanced then took out a book from his pocket and started reading it.

After making quite a distance away, Raito looked at both of them and said, “Naruto, Hinata….You guys believed him?”

“Huh?”

“Try to remember what Iruka-sensei said about teams in Konoha.”

Hinata eyes again filled with hope, answered, “Three ninjas and one captain.”

“Yes, in an ideal situation, there will always be four members in a team. Remember Naruto when we bunked classes a few months back.” Raito looked at Naruto.

“Yea, I remember. One big guy followed by three like us.” Raito tilted his head and closed his eyes in thought while answering.

“Field promotion day. Raito-san, Naruto-kun, you skipped class that day? I remember that Inuzuka had flea problem that day. Did you do that?” Hinata asked with a bit of anger in her voice.

“Flea problem?” Raito looked at a distance.

“Flea problem those stupid dogs.” Naruto growled.

“Raito-san!”

Raito raised both of his hands and said, “Let’s talk about that tomorrow. Right now let’s get those bells. I have an idea of what it really is.”

‘Raito-san and Naruto-kun are both very hardworking and they are…what about me?’

‘Damn Raito is acting but I know that he going to do something stupid. Hinata and Raito both are so talented. Stupid like me….”

“Got it!!”

“Come close.” Raito signaled everyone and they huddled together.

Kakashi was standing in the middle of the field. One hand in the pocket and other holding his book. His eyes following the text and at the same time counting down.

SHO!!

Kakashi swung his arm and caught the kunai then used it to block the shuriken. Looking at the kunai he thought, ‘Powerful throw.’ But when he continued, years of trained eye caught the mix of ink making a seal in the kunai.

“Explode!”

BOOM!

“He switched! 10! Bird!” Raito shouted.

“On it.” Naruto with his clones chased Kakashi, clones attacking one after another but they were only serving as cannon fodder, slowly dragging Kakashi to the destined place.

“You guys are better than other teams. I was thinking of not using both of my hands but…”

Unknowingly the Naruto’s Taijutsu slowed down and the stones surrounding Kakashi transformed to more Naruto.

“Wind Release – Gale Palm”

Five clones used gale pal causing the currents of air to land on Kakashi’s body. Then again Kakashi turned into smoke and in Kakashi’s place, there was another wooden log.

“Damn, just how many are there?”

“Raito-san below you?” Hinata shouted.

Shocked Raito jumped and disappeared in a dungeon.

“That works almost every time.” Kakashi appeared from below and jumped up, looking at the ground.

‘ID Escape.’

Raito appeared above Kakashi, his hand covered with rocks, ready to strike Kakashi.

“Haa!”

“Not good enough!” rotating Kakashi caught Raito’s rock hand then with a spin threw Raito hard on the ground.

“Hah!” Hinata strike with her palm on Kakashi’s back, only to be kicked away. Instead of seeing Hinata kicked away, Kakashi saw her grabbing his leg, desperately, her hands stretched towards the bells, releasing chakra trying to cut the threads of the bell.

But before she could do that, Kakashi spun and kicked with the leg Hinata was strapped to into a tree.

A pained sound came from Hinata and Raito appeared out of nowhere, throwing shuriken. In a blink of eye, Raito had grabbed Hinata and they both had disappeared. Feeling the wave of chakra, Kakashi quickly dispelled the Genjutsu and looked at the surrounding.

“Uzumaki drop.” Naruto dropped down and one after another hit Kakashi, each clones creating pain to Kakashi.

With a forceful stomp, Kakashi backed away.

“Hehe.” Naruto laughed lightly but Kakashi was immediately alarmed and used substitution. The wood immediately exploded into pieces, making Raito who was watching from a distance frown.

“How many left?” Raito asked

“Four more.” Hinata answered signaling Naruto to regroup.

“Where is he?” Raito asked and Hinata pointed towards a distance.

“Tell Naruto to be ready. He must do it. Jounin is far powerful than that.” Then Raito stood up and ran towards Kakashi. Facing Kakashi face to face, Raito used a kick to the gut but was immediately caught which was quite loose. Twisting his body, Raito used the right leg to kick at the crotch from below with full force. Releasing one leg, Kakashi grabbed another leg, protecting his privates. Again twisting his body, Raito grabbed Kakashi's right leg and with a power kicked at Kakashi’s chin. And there it was a clean hit, the first clean hit or so he thought, Kakashi turned into a log and disappeared.

“Hinata?”

“Naruto-kun.” Naruto was trapped in Genjutsu created by Kakashi.

Hinata tried to use her own chakra to dispel the Genjutsu but she was blocked by Kakashi who had one hand on the back and other in a knife hand strike.

“You guys have real combat experience. I should have gone a bit harder.” Kakashi rubbed his chin and said.

“Haa!!” A wave of chakra blast pushed Kakashi forward, making him stumble.

“Tch, so much chakra.” Kakashi used the push and attacked Hinata with one hand.

‘Lightning palm.’ Raito pushed forward and helped Hinata fight Kakashi off.

“Taijutsu is good but…” leaning back Kakashi swept with a powerful leg strike.

One leg was on air and another slightly above the ground, when Naruto jumped down rolling and hitting Kakashi on the head.

Raito immediately clapped his hand and used his chakra. The ground below Kakashi disappeared and he fell down.

Kakashi stood in a circular room with an opening on top. He stood there as he rolled his shoulder. “These kids are something else. Yosh!! Let’s-” Just as he was about to do anything, he looked at the walls and found that there were seals, about ten of them?

“Naruto, now!!”

“Explode!!”

The circular room lit in a fire creating a low burnt smell. But there was no Kakashi or Naruto.

Kakashi used replacement, barely dodging the hell hole. But that is not what Raito thinking was, he saw that Kakashi had only one bell attached to the pouch.

“Kakashi-sensei?” Raito walked forward cutting the lone bell hanging from his pouch and showed off.

“A seal?” Kakashi asked.

“Yup. It was a paralysis seal. It took me quite a long time for me to make you to use those substitution. It was a pain, you know, PAIN!” Raito laughed happily while looking at the bell in his hand.

“Where is the other bell?” Kakashi asked still stuck in the seal.

“Here” Naruto cried out. In his hand a bell without string.

“So you got both the bells, huh?” Kakashi asked and suddenly moved forward and plopping down.

Raito stared at Kakashi and asked how.

“That? I just overpowered it with my own chakra. The seal is a battle between chakra and technique.” Kakashi answered and looked at Raito who held the two bells in his hand.

“So its time. Who gets the bell and who goes back to…academy?” Kakashi asked.

Raito walked a step forward and threw the bells back with a bit of force. “I am quitting on being a ninja, I give up.”

When Naruto heard that, he quit searching for the bells and ran forward pushing Raito. “If Raito is quitting then I am quitting too.”

Looking at the bell in her hand she threw it far away and with tears in her eyes shouted, “I am quitting too.”

Rubbing the tip his nose, Kakashi thought, “What the Hell!?”

“What the hell are you two saying?” Raito lashed out.

Pointing at Hinata, he shouted, “You- if you are not a ninja then you will have no say what happens in your clan. They will mark you and sell you as a bride. Do you want that, baka-yaro?”

Then punching at Naruto, with a paralysis tag then again at the Hinata. Looking a bit sad, he turned around and continued, “You will train hard, do mission and do a lot of shitty work and become a Hokage in future.”

“D-Damn…rem-remove it, remove….it, right now!”

Kakashi asked himself, “This is…too much?” He didn’t act, he didn’t want to, he liked this group. After all this drama, he should give them the good news.

“Listen now-” Before Kakashi could finish, Raito had already disappeared from his spot.

Unable to find Raito, even after using his Sharingan, Kakashi sighed and looked at the sky. “I am going to get an earful again.”

“Hah!” Hinata destroyed the seal then destroyed on Naruto’s too.

“Naruto, Hinata, listen.” Kakashi tried.

“No!! Stay away.” Naruto growled as he panted heavily, ignoring everything else. Trying to use his brain to find Raito, ‘Home? Monument? Tower? Gate? ANBU HQ?’

One after another idea came and went.

Hinata used her Byakugan searching every corner of the village trying to find the shadow of Raito. Her eyes were turning red and she was going low on chakra.

“NOW! LISTEN!” Thunder boomed as Kakashi shouted.

Getting attention, he quickly shouted, “You all passed.”

Naruto still in anger shouted, “Who cares!? I quit.”

Hinata who was calmer asked in hope, “All?”

“Yeah, but Naruto just quit and Raito he…”

Ignoring her talking sensei she slapped Naruto on the face and said, “Naruto-kun, we all passed. Even Raito-san, we pass as a team.”

“EH!? Ehh!?”

“Calm down you two.” Kakashi made some hand signals wishing that Hokage-sama was watching.

“Let's find Raito-san.” Hinata used Byakugan to her top form.

“Mm, he must be using that technique.” Naruto guessed.

Bzz! “He will be in the Hokage office.” From the earpiece someone said something.

“Zero?” Kakashi guessed.

Zero wasn’t someone of the leaf villages but he was someone from the poison hall.

Saying nothing, Kakashi watched the two in front of him for some time before grabbing them and using body flicker disappearing from the training ground.

Raito walked the empty halls of the Hokage tower, with confusion and sadness, towards the Hokage office.

*Ding

Quest Completed

Rewards

Formation of team seven.

Bounty system unlocked.

Abyss shop unlocked.

Increase relationship loyal to Konoha by 200 points.

Bonus: 50,000 Ryo, Skill book – Seismic step.

Raito looked at the list of rewards and made a small dance. Looking at the skill book he this time, first opened the book and went through it, only to find the gibberish language and understandable picture.

“This seismic step looks really dangerous.” Thinking for a while, Raito closed the book and kept it in the inventory.

Then the realization hit Raito. “Team seven is formed, can it be that I passed too? If I pass then they…”

Raito went to the notification and pressed the highlighted words ‘Team 7’. Pressing it, he saw that it was all three of them and Kakashi-sensei.

“I am already here, might as well go.” Raito thought and exited the Dungeon.

With a joyous mood, Raito appeared at the broken stall of the bathroom. Reaching the Hokage office, Raito saw Mariko sat on the chair with a joyful mood. But when she saw Raito, her joyful mood changed quickly and an angry expression appeared.

She glared, “You are finally here.”

“Ah, Mariko-nee, What’s wrong?” “Oi, you look scary, oi.”

Inside the Hokage office, Hiruzen looked at the two Genin, Hinata and Naruto then at Kakashi, with his slightly scorched uniform, reading a small orange book.

“Ow, ow, oww. Stop, stop. My ear, my ear. Mariko-nee I am really sorry please.”

“Cat.” Hiruzen called and sounds of shuffling were heard outside.

Moments later, the door opened and everyone could see, the secretary, Mariko tearing the ear of one pitiful Raito.

“Jii-chan, help me. I can't take it anymore. My ear, it's going to, going to-”

Hiruzen enjoyed the scene for a while before ordering Mariko to let go.

Before letting go, she bends down and pats down his clothes, “If you do anything stupid like this again in future, I am going to tear your ear off.” Tidying the clothes one last time, she hissed, “Now go, Behave!”

Holding his right ear, Raito walked in grumbling.

“It's good that you joined us, Raito.” Hiruzen called out.

Raito walked slowly and joined Naruto and Hinata. Naruto immediately held Raito, not letting him go.

“Soo…You passed and all three of you are a part of team seven from now on.” Kakashi explained.

“Oh.” Raito expressed blankly.

“Raito.” Hiruzen called out, hi gaze showing his anger.

“Rash, still rash.” Hiruzen voice out his comments and a figure appeared behind him, staring at him.

Letting out a breath, Hiruzen continued, “For now go with Kakashi. Tomorrow get yourself registered.”

“Okay.” The three nodded and Raito nodded extra hard.

Later everyone was back at the training ground seven in front of a black stone with names written on it.

“You three passed and from now on to the very end, you are team seven with me and no one can change that.”

“What about the bells, then?” Raito asked

“Bells? They are just bells and nothing else. I don’t care that you get bells or you have skills to take the bells from me. I was looking for you three to work as a team. Even though you all had reasons of your own, you worked in a group as a team, showed sacrifice you can make for each other and surprisingly there is someone like you, Raito. That may have been a little…but it doesn’t matter.”

“Before you guys, I have failed six other teams, some fought among themselves while others backstabbed one member of the team and some were just…too horrible. And I failed them all.”

“You guys…Naruto, Hinata, you both trust Raito hold the bells and you, Raito, sacrificed yourself for them, chaos happened you quit then they quit. You knocked them down and disappeared. If it was possible, I would like to make a drama out of it.” Kakashi ended with a warm voice and a hidden warm smile that could be expressed through his eyes.

“From tomorrow onwards, you will start your life as a ninja, true ninjas. Following the shinobi code of conduct and representing the Hokage and the village. Don’t disappoint us all.”

“If you break them, you will be known as scum among the ninjas… But there are something even worse…that is betraying your comrades, friends. If you betray them…then you will be worse than scum.”

“Read history, it tells us what not to do.”