18 Chapter 18: Let the Games Begin I

As soon as Team 7 stepped into the examination room, they were hit by a flood of killing intent. While this would have terrified most Genin, Team 7 were previously exposed to the Killing Intent of Momoichi Zabuza, one of the most proficient killers to ever exist.

Therefore, the combined intent from a bunch of Genin didn't even come close to stacking up to the Kirigakura no Kijin. Sakura still trembled though, being of a weaker constitution then her teammates. Sasuke, had an eager grin on his face.

Despite the humiliating defeat he suffered a few minutes ago, he was still raring to fight strong opponents. Naruto didn't even blink. He experienced the raw power and intent of the Kyuubi on a daily basis, the feeling given off in this room was a complete joke to him.

He just kept his outwardly polite demeanour and went over to a corner of the room not too far from his teammates and leaned up against the wall. It was a strategic position that protected his back whilst simultaneously giving his a clear view of all the Chuunin hopefuls in the room.

He spotted the team from Suna team he ran into a week earlier and waved happily at them, causing Temari to smirk at him, in what he assumed was supposed to be a sexy way, Kankuro just scowled at him and Gaara did nothing but stare unblinkingly at him. His impromptu staring contest with his new 'friend' was interrupted by an annoyingly familiar screech.

"Sasuke-kun! What took you so long? I've been eagerly waiting for you since I heard that I could see you for the first time in months." Came the annoyingly high pitched voice of Yamanaka Ino, one of Sasuke's biggest fan-girls and Sakura's 'rival', as she jumped on said boys back.

He assumed that she was trying to be seductive, but it kind of fell flat as her voice came off as nasally. Naruto didn't care much for the girl as he didn't really know her apart from her desperate desire to spread her legs for his brooding teammate. Ok maybe that was a little harsh, but Naruto has always had sick sense of humour.

He never voiced those thoughts out though, he just entertained himself and his equally twisted tenant with them.

"Ino-pig! Let go of Sasuke-kun!" Screeched the resident howler monkey, Sakura.

"Oh my, it you, Sakura. Your forehead is wide and you're still ugly….us usual." Commented the blonde Yamanaka, much to the ire of his pink headed teammate.

"What did you say?!" Seethed Sakura as she watched her former friend poke her tongue out at her.

If Naruto didn't have to keep up his outwardly polite and friendly demeanour, he would be rubbing his temples in exasperation at the childish behaviour of these two idiots in a room full of potential enemies who would have no problems killing them.

He really needed to speak to Iruka-sensei about the teaching methods of the academy.

"What, are you guys taking this troublesome exam, too?" Said the lazy voice of Nara Shikamaru. He still looked the same as Naruto remembered him, with his pineapple shaped ponytail and half-lidded look in his eyes.

But Naruto knew that behind that lazy exterior, was one of the most brilliant and analytical minds in the village. But it was just too 'troublesome' for the boy to use. He was accompanied by the big-boned Akimichi Chouji, who was, as always, snacking on some potato chips. Shikamaru along with Chouji and Ino, made up Team 10.

"Yahoo! Looks like everyone's finally here." Said the loud voice of Inuzuka Kiba. He was one of the members of Team 8. He was a bit of a braggart, not to mention arrogant, but Naruto knew he could be an okay guy if it came down to it.

He just needed a few more years to mature. It didn't make him any less annoying though. He viewed himself as being the 'alpha male' of the group. He had his faithful partner, Akamaru, a trademark nin-dog of the Inuzuka clan, riding atop his head.

"Hello…" Spoke the soft voice of Hyuuga Hinata. She was always a quiet and shy girl who kept to herself most of the time. She was never a Sasuke fan-girl, which was a plus in Naruto's book. But she was always a little weird around him.

Nervously stuttering and fainting in his presence…Eh?...now that he thinks about it….it might be that she has a crush on him? Huh? Is that possible? The girl who is the closest to being an actual princess in this village, probably just behind Senju Tsunade herself, has a crush on him? The village pariah.

While he had nothing against the girl, and she was pretty cute, he wasn't ready for a relationship yet, but he would keep her in his peripheral vision. It didn't mean he couldn't be friends with her. She had always been kind to him, and he would be damned if the acted like a brooding asshole, like Sasuke, to her.

The final member of this team was Aburame Shino. He was a guy of few words and mostly kept to himself. But now that Naruto is whole again, he can appreciate the talent of the quite boy. While Sasuke and Kiba went about their business in a loud and flashy way.

Shino, stayed in the background and got his objectives done in an efficient manner. He never gave much away and never sought fame or recognition for his acts. He was arguably the most complete shinobi from the graduating class. And the one most qualified for this line of business. With the exception of Naruto of course.

"I see, so all nine Genin rookies are taking the exam this year. How far do you think we can get Sasuke?" spoke Kiba while sending a challenging stare at Sasuke, who just smirked at him.

"You seem confident Kiba." He responded.

"We trained like hell. We won't lose to you." Declared the de-facto leader of Team 8. He noticed someone missing though. "Where's that dobe Naruto? Did he chicken out of the exams?" He questioned mockingly.

"Ara Kiba-san, I've been standing here the entire time." Spoke a smooth voice that drew the attention of the rookies. Sasuke just grimaced to himself, a reflexive action to the sound of Naruto's voice, so used to having it politely mock him. Sakura was torn between scowling and blushing.

The rest of the rookies felt their eyes widen at the sight of the tall blonde leaning against the wall to the left of them. They didn't even notice him or his presence. His appearance also sent them for a loop. The blonde hair and whisker-like marks were a dead giveaway, but everything else was new, and intimidating, despite the friendly smile on his face.

"Is that….Naruto?" Ino questioned herself incredulously. She felt her cheeks heat up at the delicious eye-candy that presented itself.

Her mind couldn't comprehend that the short, loud idiot became this tall, gorgeous hunk.

"N..Naruto-Kun." Whispered the Hyuuga heiress to herself. The atomic blush on her face could probably be seen from outer space. She was happy to see her crush again. He looked so much more handsome then she remembered.

She could feel a tiny trickle of blood flow down her nose and had to work hard to keep herself from fainting. Her overactive imagination when it came to our favourite blonde went into overdrive, producing many perverted fantasies..

Shikamaru took one look at Naruto, his mind trying to work out the details, but eventually settled for just one word to describe him. Chouji just gave him a thumbs up.

"Troublesome."

"Shino, Hinata, it's nice to see you both again. I hope you've been well?" He greeted politely, causing most of them to do a double take. Hinata had a hard time speaking, so instead settled for nodding, and had to hold herself back from squealing at the kind smile Naruto directed at her.

"I am well, thank you for asking, Naruto-san." Answered Shino.

"Shikamaru, Chouji." He greeted the other two, that he considers to be somewhat, friends. They nodded back in response.

"Heh, what's with the new clothes, dobe? Trying to look cool?" Mocked Kiba. He didn't like the attention that Naruto seemed to be getting. Naruto just raised a single eyebrow at him.

"Strange, Sasuke-san asked me the same thing. I didn't realise my wardrobe choice was so important to the both of you. I find myself feeling a little uncomfortable at the attention you are paying me, like I'm some piece of meat.

Please keep your lecherous eyes to yourself Kiba-san." Naruto courteously answered causing Kiba to go red with embarrassment and splutter indignantly.

Sasuke, for his part had to hold back the snort that was threatening to escape. While the blonde pissed him off to no end, it was amusing seeing somebody else on the end of his politely demeaning barbs.

Hinata, for her part shot a spicy glare in the direction of her feral teammate. She would have a talk to him later about keeping his perverted eyes of her Naruto-kun. The rest of the conversation was cut off by a voice calling out to them.

"Hey, you guys. You should keep it down." Their attention was drawn to an average looking boy, probably a few years older than them wearing a leaf hitai-ate, with whitish/grey hair pulled back into a ponytail and round framed spectacles on his face.

Naruto's eye's momentarily sharpened at the newcomer. The amount of chakra he could sense from the guy was easily Jounin level and the smooth, unhindered way that it flowed suggested immaculate control.

It was probably even better than Kakashi-sensei. He also sensed lust coming from the boy. Not lust in the sexual sense, more like lust for knowledge and something else Naruto couldn't pin-point. This guy was dangerous, he concluded.

There was something seriously off about him. He decided that he needed to find some way to keep tabs on the guy. It only lasted for a split second, and nobody else noticed the change in his countenance, before Naruto's face melted back into it regular genial expression.

"So you're the nine rookies that just graduated from the academy, correct? You're all fooling around with those cute faces….Geez, this isn't a field trip." He said.

"Who are you to tell us that!?" Exclaimed Ino indignantly.

"I am Yakushi Kabuto. Look around you…" He advised. All around them, the other Genin were shooting them mocking and distasteful looks. It put most of the rookies on edge.

"The ones behind you are from Amegakure. They have a short temper." Pointed Kabuto to a trio of scowling Genin. "Everyone is tense since its right before the exams. I warned you so that you won't get picked on." He said to them.

Most of them looked around the room with a lot more trepidation than before. They focused their attention back on Kabuto who started speaking again.

"I guess it can't be helped though, since you guys are just rookies who don't know anything. It makes me remember the old me." He reminisced.

"Kabuto-san, was it? Is this your second time, then." Asked Sakura.

"No. It's actually my seventh time." He answered bashfully, shocking them.

That answer set off even more alarms in Naruto's head. He was quietly listening to the exchange so far but the fact that this guy who is easily Jounin level, failed this exam seven times, didn't sit right with the blonde.

He was definitely up to something. Naruto definitely needed to keep a closer eye on this guy. He was way too suspicious.

"This exam takes place twice every year, and it's my fourth year." He said.

"That means you know a lot about this exam, right?" Asked Sakura. Kabuto just nodded in response.

"But he hasn't passed it." Pointed out Shikamaru.

"Yeah, that's true." Said Kabuto bashfully, as he rubbed the back of his head

"Is the Chuunin Exam that difficult? This is getting even more troublesome." Commented Shikamaru.

"Maybe I should give my cute kohai some information, then…." Said Kabuto enticingly, before pulling out a deck of cards. "With these recognition cards. In simple terms, it's a card that has information burned into it using my chakra. I've collected information on this exam for the past four years. There's about 200 total cards. "He finished.

"Are there any cards there that have detailed personal information?" Inquired Sasuke.

"There are. Is there someone that interests you?" Asked Kabuto. Sasuke nodded in response. "The information of this exams examinee's are not perfect, but I have burned and saved them. They include information about you nine as well." Said Kabuto.

"Tell me whatever you know about the people you know that interest you." Advised Kabuto.

"Sabaku no Gaara, from Sunagakura and Rock Lee from Konohagakure." Said Sasuke.

"Oh, you know their names? Then it won't take much time." He said before swiping two cards from his deck. "Let's start with Rock Lee. He's a year older than you. Mission experience:

20 D-Ranks and 11 C-Ranks. Squad Leader, Maito Guy.

His Taijutsu skills have increased dramatically over the past year, but his other skills are almost non-existent. He got everyone's attention last year as a skilled rookie, but he didn't take the Chuunin Exams. His team is composed of Tenten and Hyuuga Neji." He finished.

Naruto didn't miss the way Hinata flinched at the mention of Lee's Hyuuga teammate. He remembered the stuck-up boy that wanted to have a pissing contest with Sasuke a while ago. The girl with the buns would naturally be Tenten.

"Next, let's see Sabaku no Gaara. Mission experience:

8 C-Ranks and….This is amazing, but he did a B-Rank mission as a Genin.

He is a foreign ninja and it's his first time taking the exam, so I don't have a lot of information on him. But…It seems that he returned from all of his missions unharmed." He said, shocking the rookies.

"He did a B-Rank as a Genin, and returned unharmed?" Questioned Shikamaru incredulously.

Kabuto then went on to point out the different Hidden Villages participating in this year's exams, as well as his perceived reason for these exams taking place as a way to balance the power between the nations. He went on to disregard the single team from Otogakure, citing them as a new village.

Naruto noticed the sharp movements from the back of the room, and he noticed that Kabuto did as well, but pretended not to.

One of the Oto Genin burst from the crowd and hurled two kunai at Kabuto, who easily dodged them by backtracking, before coming face to face with the second Oto Genin who was covered in bandages with a single eye uncovered.

The Oto Genin swung his right arm, which had a strange metallic device in it, at Kabuto who stepped back and dodged. Kubuto smirked a little, before his glasses shattered and he dropped to one knee, with blood leaking from his right ear.

Naruto realised that even after dodging, the device on the guys arm released, if he had to guess from their village name, a sound wave of some kind that disorientated Kabuto and shattered his eardrum.

But the most interesting thing to Naruto, were the movements of Kabuto. His sharp eyes could clearly see that he was forcing himself to move in a way that he normally didn't. He was deliberately moving in a semi-sloppy manner, like he was almost fighting his body's natural reaction.

"You're not as good as I thought for a veteran who took this exams for four years in a row." Spoke the one in the bandages, in a raspy tone of voice.

"Write this in your cards….The team from Otogakure will definitely become Chuunins." Declared the one with the happuri-style forehead protector, in an arrogant tone of voice.

The tension in the room rose dramatically. Most the Genin looked like they were chomping at the bit to start a brawl.

Before anything else could happen, an explosion of smoke in the front of the classroom drew their attention before a powerful voice boomed throughout the room.

"Quiet down, you maggots!" He was a tall man wearing a black trench coat with two scars running across his face. "I am the examiner of the first test of the Chuunin Selection Exam, Morino Ibiki." He announced

...

if I reach 200 powerstone by the end of this week I will release one more chapter