Another Nine-Tails?!

Chunin Exam

(A day later, in the Leaf. Also, Hikō will be going by the name 'Uta' for majority of this)

Uta looked around, assessing each and every person in the room. Which was a lot of people. "You know, there are a lot more people here than I expected there to be. There weren't this many when I took it a couple years ago."

"The exam is a big deal." He paused for a moment, her words registering. "How old were you when you took it?"

"13."

"Ah, I remember you now. You stood out to me for some reason. Maybe it was because you didn't have a team." Kabuto shrugged. "To be honest, I could care less about the amount of people taking the exam. Our mission is to spy, or at least mine is. You don't have a mission." She smiled slightly.

"The only mission I have is to check on my brothers. That's it. My father gave me a job the night he died, and I failed. I just want to make sure they're okay."

"So that's why you willingly agreed to do this?"

"Maybe." The older boy hummed, giving her a side glance. The girl looked at her shoulder as a black head emerged. "Welcome back, Uroko." The snake flicked out her tongue, greeting her partner. "Did you enjoy your exploration?" She flicked her tongue again before nuzzling her head into Uta's cheek. She chuckled, gently running her hand down the reptile's body.

Her attention was suddenly grabbed when a Hidden Stone genin complained about someone giving him a headache. Uta glanced at him before yelling reached her ears. She recognized the voice in an instant. "You know who's shouting, don't you?" There was a smile on Kabuto's face as he questioned her.

She grinned up at him before chirping. "Of course I do!" He shook his head, facing the back of the room. 'Jeez, you always have to be the loudest in the room. Don't you, Naruto?'

The medic noticed the soft gaze she had in her bright blue eyes. He caught on instantly from there. "I see. It's your brother, isn't it?"

"Yep!" She let out a pop at the end. Suddenly, she grabbed his hand and forced her way through the crowd. She got some complaints from people, but ignored them. When she stopped moving, Kabuto removed his hand from hers.

"Hey, you guys should be quieter." The group around Naruto looked at the ash-haired boy, some of them surprised at his sudden appearance. "You guys are rookies just out of the academy right? Screaming like little kids.... Geez.... This isn't a picnic."

"Who do you think you are?" A girl with long blonde hair questioned him. She glared at him for a moment before her eyes caught sight of Uta. The redhead recognized her as Ino Yamanaka.

"My name is Kabuto Yakushi. Right now I'm not important. Look behind you." They all turned around. A lot of people were staring at them, but a group of Hidden Rain genin were glaring daggers. "Those guys from the Hidden Rain have short tempers. Everyone is tense about the exam, so quiet down before you cause a scene. But, I can't exactly blame you, you're just clueless rookies. You remind me of how I used to be."

"Uh, Kabuto, right?" A pink-haired girl questioned. Uta recognized her instantly; Sakura Haruno.

"Yeah."

"Is this your second time taking the exam?"

"No. It's actually my seventh time. Since the exam is held twice a year, this is my fourth year."

Uta stared up at him, surprised. 'Fourth year!? I knew he had taken it before, but jeez. I didn't know it was that many. Why didn't he say anything before? Though, I didn't exactly ask.' She kept her thoughts to herself, choosing to observe the situation.