Naru: Misty Eyes (A Naruto Fanfic) [Complete]

Chapter Eighteen: To Pass the Test

The morning of the chunin exams finally arrived, and Naru found herself surprisingly nervous. She didn't know why. It wasn't like her passing or failing made any difference... except that she didn't want to hold Sakura and Sasuke back. The two had worked so hard to get here. They were truly shinobi of the Leaf. She wondered sometimes if they resented her for being on their team even when it was clear she had no loyalty to the village. Regardless, she decided to do her best in these exams if only so the other two might pass.

"Naru. Hey, Naruuu," Sakura said, hand coming to rest on Naru's shoulder. Sakura had been getting along with Naru better and better lately. It was almost weird, especially after the whole fiasco with Naru's family meeting her team. Naturally, Naru had beat all who challenged her on ramen-eating, a.k.a. Kankuro and a reluctant Sasuke. The two of them had now declared themselves rivals, if only because their personalities were a tad too similar to tolerate one another. On the other hand, Sakura was now rather close friends with Temari, who had surprised Naru with a declaration that she was now studying medical ninjutsu. "Naru, are you ok?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah. I'm fine." Naru smiled towards Sakura. "Sorry."

"If you're nervous now, how do you expect to get anywhere in the exams?" Sasuke asked. Naru could just hear him frowning, and she had to refrain from sticking her tongue out at him. It was hard, but she managed. Barely.

It was Sakura who responded, further catching Naru off-guard. "I'm nervous too. And even if he won't admit it, Sasuke's as nervous as both of us."

"Tch. Not a chance," Sasuke scoffed. "I don't need to be nervous."

"Pride is easily your fatal flaw." Temari came up beside them. Naru turned towards her with a small smile. Like Kankuro, Temari didn't exactly get along with Sasuke. However, she didn't fight with him every thirty seconds either.

"Yeah, ya stupid duck." Speaking of, there was Kankuro.

"Say that again, you idiot cat puppet."

Naru sighed. Really, if they were going to fight, they could at least use better nicknames. It was funny the first time or two, but now it was just sad.

"Don't worry, Naru. You'll be great," Gaara said, coming up next to Naru, moving in between her and Temari. Temari simply moved to Naru's other side to talk quietly with Sakura as Sasuke and Kankuro continued their insult-throwing. "I just know it."

"Thanks, Gaara," Naru said. "I don't know if I want to though. I mean, I do... but I don't care about it personally. I just want my team to do well."

"Of course we'll do well, Naru," Sakura chimed into their conversation again. "Because all of us are together."

'But I'm leaving in less than six months... We won't be together after that, will we?' Naru chose not to voice that thought aloud. Instead, she just smiled and nodded. "Right!"

~*~

Naru thumped her head onto the desk. How was she supposed to do a written test? On top of that, she was seated apart from both her teammates and Gaara's team. Just like the day teams were assigned, she was seated next to the quiet but kind Hinata. However, there wasn't much Hinata could do for her in this situation, and Naru wouldn't ask her to. She wouldn't be the reason someone who worked as hard as Hinata got disqualified.

Suddenly, Naru sat bolt upright, a grin spreading across her features. She wondered if anyone else had realized... They started with a perfect score. It was answering incorrectly that resulted in the loss of points. Therefore, by leaving her test blank, her score was perfect. She sat back in her seat, hands fidgeting with the pencil on her desk. The only thing she had asked Hinata for was to write 'Naru Senshi' at the top of the paper, and that had been before the exam really started. Nothing else needed to be filled in.

~*~

The end of the exam came in a flurry of exhausted sighs. Everyone seemed relieved it was over. Naru slowly stretched, setting her pencil aside.

"Now for the tenth and final question."

There was more? The proctor, Ibiki Morino, was the one speaking, so apparently there was. Joy. She couldn't wait.

"If you answer this question incorrectly, you can never take the chunin exam again. Leave now, and you can retake the test some other time."

Lots of people started leaving. Naru heard chairs scraping, numbers called, and the door opening and closing. Idiots. Not one of them was a real shinobi if they backed out now. They were nothing more than cowards, more concerned about themselves than anything else. They lacked everything that made Naru admire true shinobi, shinobi like her parents, like Weasel, like Karasu and Tsuki, like the Sand Siblings. Even Kakashi, lazy as he was, was a real ninja of the Village Hidden in the Leaves when it mattered.

These thoughts got Naru a bit riled up, so she decided that she might as well voice them. She slammed her hand down on the table, mostly to ensure she had the room's attention, and stood slowly so that her chair scraped against the ground. "Anyone who leaves is a sorry excuse for a shinobi. If they're scared by something like this, they should find something else to do with their lives. They give real nins a bad name. Stay and finish the test or quit while you've still got some pride left." She smirked. "Not that you'll have any if you leave..."

"And you're a real shinobi, kid?" Ibiki asked, sounding somewhere between annoyed and impressed.

"Not at all," Naru replied. "I just have too much respect for those that are truly dedicated to this life to tolerate such weak dispositions and wannabes."

"Well, then, if there are no other drop-outs..." No one else moved. Noise-wise, Naru was convinced they'd all stopped breathing. "You all pass."

"What?!" Several of the prospective-chunin called, although Naru was pretty sure she heard Sakura among them. Not surprising. The pink-haired girl had probably aced the test even before this final 'question' came up.

"You've got the resolve to become true shinobi. Don't lose it when you meet--"

That was when something crashed through the window.