Darkest Before Dawn

Suspicion: The Chuunin Exams: Part 2

   The following morning, all the genin were waiting in front of Training Ground 44- The Forest of Death. Anko had handed out consent forms that stated that if any of them were to die during this portion of the test, it wouldn't be her responsibility. This test, much like the first one, had simple directions. Each team was given either an earth scroll or a heaven scroll. Once they were let into the field, they had to take the counterpart of their scroll. Not knowing which team had which scroll, luck played a huge part in finding what you needed.

   After Anko finished explaining everything, she set a thirty minute period for all the genin to sign their forms and collect their scroll. Sakura walked up to Anko with all of her team's consent forms.

   "Here you go, Anko-san." she said.  

   "Thanks kiddo." grinned Anko, "Also, Ibiki told me that stunt you pulled yesterday. Smooth moves, short stuff! He was actually pretty proud."

   "Yeah, but he made me run a hundred laps around Konoha right after."

~

   Shikamaru watched Sakura converse with Anko from afar. He had been suspicious of her ever since the end of the first exam. He saw that note at the bottom corner of his exam paper and vaguely recognized it at her's. They worked at partners a few times in the Academy so he was bound to indentify it. While working beside her, he noticed that she breezed through them rather easily. She also rarely paid any attention to lessons, yet managed to get the top scores in class. 

   Shikamaru remembered asking his father about her after the first exam.

   "Hey tou-san, I"m curious."

   "What is it, Shikamaru?"

   "Do you happen to know anyone named Sakura Haruno?"

   Shikaku paused from doing his paperwork for a few moments before a smirk fell onto his face as he continued writing.

   "I can't say much about her. Keep your eyes peeled though, Shikamaru. She's not someone to take lightly."

   Shikamaru walked across the field to a guy with round glasses and his silver hair tied up into a pony-tail. The man greeted the Nara with a smile.

   "What's up?"

   "You're the genin with the information cards right? Kabuto Yakushi?"

   Kabuto nodded and pulled out his trusty deck.

   "Who do you need info on?"

   "Sakura Haruno. Please." said Shikamaru. A surprised look crossed over Kabuto's face as he pushed his glasses up.

   "Sakura Haruno?" Kabuto mused, "She's one of the rookies competing, no? Why do you need information on her?"

   Shikamaru looked over his shoulder. Ino and Chouji were occupied, and none of the other rookies had noticed his disappearance. He turned his head back towards Kabuto.

   "Curiosity, if you will. I just have a nagging feeling at the back of my head. Could I see her card?"

   Kabuto nodded and puleed out a card from his deck. He spun it around a few times with his finger before the card released smoke and revealed Sakura's information. D-rank: 12. C-Rank: 5. Stat Total: 18. Nothing special. Shikamaru scratched the back of his head and sighed. He must've been paranoid over nothing. Kabuto, though, had narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

   "Wait." Kabuto said. He flipped through the deck once more and took out a second card. He performed the same jutsu revealing... another Sakura Haruno card? The two read the information with wide eyes.

   D-Rank: 12. C-Rank: 16. B-Rank: 19. A-Rank: 18. S-Rank: 5. Stat Total: 31.

   "Im... Impossible... And she's only a genin?!"

   Kabuto took out Sasuke's and Naruto's cards. Those two had 12 D-ranks and 5 C-Ranks. There were no traces of the extra C-Ranks, B, A, or S-Ranks. Sasuke's stat total was 18.5, and Naruto's stat total was 16.5. Sakura Haruno might be on their team, but she was completely out of their league. Shikamaru scratched his head and sighed.

   "What a drag." he mumbled, "Thanks for showing me the cards, Yakushi-san."

   Kabuto nodded, his attention still focused on the cards before him.

~

   "Do we have a plan?" Sasuke asked as all of Team 7 stood in front of their designated gate. Naruto, as always, was clueless and shook his head.

   "We do." Sakura assured, "Find a team as quickly as possible. If they don't have the scroll we need, we disappear without a trace and scout for the next one. After we find what we need we head straight for the tower. Plain and simple."

   Ibiki had made her train at these grounds on numerous accounts so she had already memorized the layout of the area. With Anko's call, the gates were opened and nearly all the teams bolted in, Team 7 included. 

~

   "Well Gaara, do we have a plan?" Kankuro asked as him and his siblings walked through the dense shrubbery of the training grounds. Gaara was silent for a while before he finally spoke up with his usual monotone.

   "All we need to do is find an earth scroll to our heaven scroll."

   "Let me guess, we're not going to kill anyone." Temari inputed.

   "We are not killing."

   Gaara was a pacifist. He disliked violence and tried to avoid killing or fatally a person at all costs. Regardless of having the Ichibi encased inside him, he was able to quell any bloodthirsty urges Shukaku had in store. The source of Gaara's secret kind-heartedness was definitely from their mother- Karura. She was her husband's, the Kazekage's, assistant and an incredibly doting mother to her three children.

   The siblings continued on their way and eventually came upon a team from Amegakure. They stood no chance against the team from Suna and were quickly knocked unconscious. No bloodshed was necessary. Coincidently, the opponent had the scroll they needed and they headed straight for the tower at the center of the grounds.

   They made it to their destination at an hour and forty-seven minutes.

   And they were the second team to arrive.