Kusari no Naruto

Eighth Link

It was a set of rather confusing and fast-paced events that saw Uzumaki Naruto standing on a barren dirt track in the middle of Kusa no Kuni, holding a fluffy and rather nervous-looking white rabbit. The petit, effeminate creature was staring up at him with innocent black eyes, occasionally shivering as it caught the painfully neutral gaze of the teen holding it. He was sure that if his former squad mates could have seen him then, holding what by all rights should have been some young girl's pet, he would be the butt of the team's jokes weeks.

As it was, he was currently charged with protecting the rather pathetic creature, naturally in an effort to make the first test of the Jounin exams more difficult. Because for what other reason would Naruto have accepted taking responsibility for the all too fluffy animal than lack of choice? Yes, Naruto was currently staring down an overgrown path in a darkened corner of one of the famously over-sized forests. He was here because this was where the bi-annual, independent Jounin exams took place… so again, lack of choice.

The heat within the jungle environment was stifling, and he had seen a few prospective Jounin from Kumo forced to remove their bulkier clothing. They were used to the frigid temperatures of mountainous regions, not the sticky, humid heat of such thick and overbearing jungles. Even in his admittedly light clothing, Naruto found himself with a noticeable sheen of sweat without needing to exert himself at all. It was unpleasant, and as far as Naruto was concerned, the sooner he could get back to the familiar, less humid heat of Hi no Kuni the better.

His reception in the exams was mixed. Nobody seemed to recognise him at first and a few even ridiculed his presence, citing the fact that a 'pipsqueak' like him had no right to be at the 'big-boy' exams. He had quickly altered their perceptions on that matter, nearly getting himself thrown out of the exam in the process. Afterwards though, when rumours began to spread that Kusari no Naruto was present at the exams, he received a much wider birth. On the flip-side, many of the prospective Jounin now stared at him with more calculative, or even hungrier looks, no doubt looking to prove themselves.

The reactions from his own villages' Shinobi were less mixed, they simply chose to ignore his presence completely, as though he would vanish if left unacknowledged. Luckily, there were few specimens from any of the villages present, as the Jounin exams were a much more selective affair than the, in comparison friendlier, Chuunin exams. Of course, irritatingly, there seemed to be one glaring exception to the rule.

"So what do you think this'll be, Gaki?"

Naruto's eye twitched as the voice that had been pestering him for the past two days decided to speak up. The purple haired woman, whose smirk he could practically feel on the back of his head, also took the opportunity to lean into him, as she was want to do, pressing her sizable assets up against his back. Years of desensitization from such things, due to Nezumi's lack of respect for his personal space, quelled any less-than-professional reaction he may have had.

It was still annoying.

"I don't know," he ground out, hoping the woman would get the message and leave. "The animals suggest some aspect of protection, so we will likely either be pitted against one another or against some form of proctor." The former seemed the more likely in his mind; Kusa had already shown themselves to be rather hands-off in their approach to the exams. The first real test they had issued was simply finding the start-line to the first official portion of the exam. Presumably, they were supposed to use information gathering skills to glean the information. Naturally, Naruto had threatened the nearest proctor he could find until the man told him. People tended to speak when suspended over ravines by their feet.

"Ah, you really need to learn to lighten up Gaki; this 'stern and proper' attitude's gonna add years onto you." There was a pause as the woman seemed to look up in thought, a barely restrained grin on her impish features. "Although, I suppose you could use 'em, eh shrimp?"