Kusari no Naruto

Nineth Link

The second exam started off slowly for the pair of them. The enclosed forest hosting the task was very large, likely twenty kilometres across or more, so encountering other teams would be a rare and tactical occurrence. It stopped the exam becoming a messy battle royale that wouldn't show much of anybody's skill, even if that was how Naruto would have preferred it. This way, those Jounin candidates that didn't necessarily excel at direct confrontation could shine, showing off their other noteworthy skills in their bid for the position.

"So shrimp, what's your story?" Anko asked aprubtly, shattering the delicate silence he had been cultivating since entering the jungle environment. "Going for Jounin at such a tender young age… and height."

One downside to such a massive arena was the long stretches between confrontations, leaving Anko open to chatter away freely. Naruto was doing his best to ignore her, but when she was the only other person around, possibly for miles in any direction, and the fact she was Anko, it was difficult.

"I think I would have seen you round, people are always buzzing about little kiddie prodigies like that stick-up-his-ass Hyuuga or the duck-butt Uchiha," Anko continued in a cheerful and conversational manner, her arms articulating casually as she carried the conversation by herself. "Bet you must be one of those ANBU Gaki, the kids they pluck out of the academy and fast-track; am I right?" Naruto's eye twitched slightly, giving her all the answer she needed without him having to say a word. It irked him how easily she was able to read the situation.

"Yeah I knew it; you're easier to figure out than you try to make yourself seem." She grinned cheerfully, a confident gait to her step. "I pride myself on batting the stickler right out of people, you get me?" She chuckled to herself as they continued their trudge through the forest, her voice the only sound above the buzz of insects. "I bet that's why you're here too, most don't take the Jounin exams you know, just us special circumstances-types, ya know?" Naruto didn't know, but he didn't dignify her with her response and she didn't care either way, continuing without permission or acknowledgment.

"A lot of ANBU come through these exams, got no other choice really thanks to their mission records being locked up tighter than a Akamichi's pantry. I think the old man also uses it as an excuse to get them into the world a little; not the most sociable types you ANBU, you know?" She gave the blonde a cheeky wink, uncaring when he didn't even glance at her, validating her point. "I'm glad you understand." She giggled, a surprisingly feminine sound from such an obviously tomboyish woman. She coughed into her hand right after, looking away as if realising her slip before setting her hands on the back of her head and walking more upright, glancing up at the bright green canopy above them.

"But then, it ain't just you white-masks; you get a whole horde of people looking for a challenge in other aspiring Jounin, they're the crazy types. Others'll want to make a name for themselves in the world; try to make themselves into legends without war, they're usually the vain pushovers, not confident enough in their natural skill." She looked down for a moment, a dark look passing over her eyes for a split second before it was gone, replaced by her usual grinning, childish mask. "Then there are the people that don't have much choice. You'd be surprised by how prejudiced some Shinobi can be, so the exams become their only option for advancement. It helps they're impartial."

Naruto thought he heard a hint of spite in the bubbly woman's tone but it didn't register much with him beyond noticing it.

"Do you ever shut up?" Naruto asked, his voice betraying his irritation slightly as a chain whipped out and uncaringly slashed right through a thick patch of undergrowth in their way. Anko just ginned happily at him, allowing him to do all the work clearing out the path.

"If I ever find the off button, you'll be the first to know," she shot back without missing a beat, making Naruto grimace as he ripped a particularly large tree out of the ground and casually tossed it aside without ever having to lift his arms. Anko's eyes widened at seeing the sight of the thick golden chains so effortlessly tearing up the tree that had likely been there longer than her and Naruto's lifetimes combined. "Useful ability that, now I get why everyone keeps calling you that nickname."