Team Harmony

CE31: The Written Exam

Naruto woke up to his mother yelling downstairs. This was the last thing he needed as it was finally the day for the chunin exams, but he rushed downstairs to find his father taking cover behind a chair that did little to protect him.

"Who's coming?!" She yelled.

Minato nervously chuckled. "I told you, honey. I just got word from Jiraiya-sensei that he'll be stopping in the village for just a bit." Judging by the look in her eyes, this was no longer Kushina.

"He better not teach Naruto a single inappropriate thing or I'll kick your ass, you know!"

Minato gulped and nodded vigorously. "He promised to be on his best behavior. Besides, it's time for Naruto to meet my teacher," Minato reasoned. At this, Kushina calmed herself with a sigh.

"Yeah, you're right. So long as he doesn't do anything wrong, then it's okay for them to meet." It wasn't that she disliked her husband's teacher as he had always treated them right, it was just the fact that he would often get kicked out for peeking at women in the hot springs because he was doing "research" for his smutty books. She didn't want Naruto to pick up anything from that behavior.

Naruto came into sight with a yawn. "Is Jiraiya that white-haired dude in those photos?" he asked sleepily. He hardly paid attention to those photos but made a note to look at them more closely later on sometime soon. Taking in his state, Kushina smiled apologetically for waking him up too early on such an important day; the sun wasn't even up yet.

"Yes, that's him," Minato answered.

"I'm sorry for waking you up, sweetie. Go get some more sleep and I'll wake you up a little later," Kushina said.

Naruto nodded, yawning again. "Okay. Can't wait to meet him," he mumbled as he went back up to his room. He crawled back into bed and curled up before quickly falling back asleep.

*

Sasuke was awake early to get a headstart on the housework he didn't have time to do yesterday after a long day of training into the night. His father began working with him a little more than usual after getting word that he was nominated for the chunin exam. He taught Sasuke more about how to deal with his anger than actual jutsu but he appreciated it nonetheless, especially since Kakashi had called him out on not being as level-headed as he appeared. Fugaku had shown him another fireball technique that he had practiced day and night to accomplish which had left his mouth suffering the same burns they did previously.

Sasuke did laundry first, never once speaking a word as he worked. Next, he cleaned up the kitchen, silent as ever. Finally, he swept and mopped the floors. Housework, he discovered not long after taking up the work, was its own exercise. He often found himself sweating and aching after doing what he needed to. This gave him a new sense of appreciation for his mother, though he often silently begged someone would just help him.

Today, however, he welcomed the work as it kept his mind distracted from the fact that the chunin exam began later today. He was confident in himself and in his team, but he was nervous about what the exam entailed.

When his mother woke up, he sat at the table and watched as she made a small breakfast. She was nervous for Sasuke, probably more than him, but was taking it all in stride. She had gone through the exams herself and knew more about what they were going to be doing but she didn't give any specifics. Sasuke felt he was more thankful for this than frustrated. He didn't want to freak out about something that might not even be the same as when his mother took them.