Adrik sat blank faced, too stunned to even change his expression.
"... Huh?"
The Hokage chuckled slightly at the genin's plight. Seeing as it wasn't fully processing in the teen's head, he repeated himself.
"I hereby declare you have earned the rank of chunin and are immediately instated as such."
Adrik's eyes widened before he put his head in his right hand.
"Sorry, I just... need to process for a moment..."
The Hokage nodded and the two sat there in silence.
"... Can I... ask why?"
The Hokage nodded again.
"For your efforts during the mission to the Land of Waves, your constant growth, and even assisting in the discovery and subsequent termination of a dangerous spy, along with your initial evaluation as genin coming into question, I saw fit to give you a promotion."
Adrik nodded, though it was very clear he was still coming to terms with the information.
"Sorry, it's just so sudden and... I mean, how will this affect my schedules and stuff? Will I have to join a team now? Will I-"
The old man put a hand up to stop Adrik before he could ask too many questions.
"Your schedule will not change too much. You are merely given more command in the ninja ranks and will be specifically called for missions where your abilities are best suited, among other things I do not feel like reading out at this moment."
Adrik sighed in relief. The Hokage's eyes narrowed slightly as the atmosphere became noticeably tense.
"And your first mission as a chunin of the Hidden Leaf Village comes directly from me."
Adrik nodded seeing as the situation became much more serious than it was before.
"Know that this mission is A-Rank at minimum. The possible dangers from accepting it are numerous. It will be ongoing and will require you to train much harder to keep up with the difficulties you will likely face. I would ordinarily ask others who are stronger or more experienced, but none come close to being able to sense as well as you. Knowing this, are you absolutely sure you wish to take this mission? Your first answer is the only one I will take."
Adrik looked down as he began to think over the proposition. He had no idea what he was in for. Hell,he didn't even know how to start being a chunin. With his first mission being so dangerous, perhaps it would be best to get an experienced jonin, or at the very least a team of experienced chunin. But if a team was needed, he would have been briefed along with a few others by now. If his skill set perfectly met the requirements of the mission, then there was only one thing for him to do.
"I'll take it."
X
"Now, your only goal during this test is to hit me three times, one time for each of you. Simple enough, right?"
The three genin nodded nervously. Though they had been training with Zabuza for a month now, they were unsure of how well they would perform in an actual combat situation. This would be the first time they put all of their combined skills to the test.
The three genin jumped back as Haku began counting down from the sidelines.
"Three..."
Sasuke drew his tanto from its sheath. Sakura brought her hands up. After a moment, they began to glow a faint green.
"Two..."
Zabuza put his hands in a single seal and held them there.
"One..."
The genin's eyes narrowed in response to the minor Killing Intent coming from Zabuza, something they had grown accustomed to.
"Begin!"
"Hidden Mist Jutsu!"
The moment the fight began, Zabuza covered the entire clearing in a thick mist.
Both Naruto and Sakura responded by going through hand seals of their own while Sasuke activated his Sharingan, now having three tomoe in both eyes.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
Naruto put his hands up, releasing a powerful gust of wind that cleared the mist completely. It revealed Zabuza behind the duo of Naruto and Sasuke with Sakura nowhere to be found. Sasuke brought his tanto up and deflected the downward swing of Zabuza's giant sword. He and Naruto jumped away as the jonin followed it up with a spinning slash.
Naruto made the same hand seals he did earlier as Sasuke sheathed his tanto and went through his own series of seals.
"Fire Style: Grand Fireball!"
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
Sasuke let loose a large fireball from his mouth while Naruto released a gust of wind that both quickened and intensified the fireball. Zabuza didn't even flinch at the wall of red hot flames soaring towards him. He made a seal with one hand and slammed it onto the ground.
"Water Style: Water Wall!"
As the fire died down, Zabuza noticed the ground behind him erupt. Out popped Sakura with her glowing fists raised high. She came down and slammed her hands on the ground where Zabuza once stood, sending cracks all across the ground. As the jonin landed, he had to use his chakra to stick to the ground to maintain his footing when Sakura slammed her fists down again.
With Zabuza being stuck in place trying to keep his balance, Naruto and Sasuke jumped to opposite sides of the jonin and made hand seals.
"Lightning Style: Lightning Bullets!"
"Wind Style: Wind Bullets!"
Small projectiles of wind and lightning shot towards Zabuza from either side. The two genin flinched as the jonin replaced himself with a log at the last second. Naruto turned around as Zabuza appeared behind him, sword raised high. Naruto brought out his katana and narrowly deflected the swing.
Naruto continued to deflect and block each strike to the best of his abilities while Zabuza kept forcing him further and further back.
"Earth Style: Mud Bullets!"
Zabuza turned just in time to deflect three bullets of mud with his sword. Naruto took the chance to form a cross shaped seal.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
A Shadow Clone appeared behind Zabuza and grabbed onto his arms, managing to hold the jonin back just enough that Sakura could run up and land a glancing blow on him.
"That's one..."
Sakura's eyes widened as the clone popped and Zabuza batted her away with the flat of his blade. She had luckily brought her arms up just in time to keep from taking too much damage. She was sent flying and Sasuke caught her before she could take a harsh landing. She nodded her thanks as he landed and set her down.
Zabuza deflected a kick from another Shadow Clone Naruto had made. Three more clones joined the first in trying to land a clean hit on the jonin, only to miss all their shots.
Zabuza swung his blade, dispelling two of the four clones. His eyes widened, however, when two explosive tags appeared on his sword. Thinking quickly, he threw his sword at Naruto and the other two clones just in time for the blade to explode right on them. Zabuza narrowly avoided a stab aimed at his midsection from Sasuke. He brought out a kunai to help defend from the onslaught of slashes and stabs being thrown his way. Eventually, he got his footing and put Sasuke on the defensive. The jonin's rapid attacks were met with narrow blocks, thought he did manage to score a few small cuts on the genin.
Zabuza spun in place, sending a slash that made Sasuke skid back. He rushed off in an attempt to reclaim his sword on the ground. Once he grabbed it, he immediately swung it at the approaching Naruto, who had his katana already slashing downwards. He was surprised when his sword shattered, only to disappear in a white puff of smoke in the next moment. Naruto couldn't help but grin as his clone appeared from the smoke, sending a kick that managed to land on Zabuza's side, though he caught it before it could do more than that.
"That's two..."
Zabuza squeeze as hard as he could with his hand wrapped around the clone's ankle, popping it. With the white smoke clouding the area, Naruto was unable to avoid the kick that sent him back across the clearing.
The blonde genin landed in a crouch next to his other two teammates. He breathed hard as he stood up, preparing for another attack as Zabuza finally got his hands back on his sword, which was thrown further away by Naruto in all of the chaos.
All three genin flinched as they heard an alarm go off. Zabuza nodded to himself and holstered his blade on his back.
"Time's up. The test is over."
The three genin slouched over as the exhaustion caught up to them. Sasuke, however, was noticeably less winded than the other two, on top of having a small frown on his face. They all looked up as their sensei approached, along with Haku.
"You three did good. Two minor hits, but hits nonetheless. Consider your test passed."
The genin seemed confused by this.
"But I didn't land any hits. And we only got two out of three."
Zabuza nodded to Sasuke.
"I told you your goals before we started the test. Nothing more."
The three genin were still somewhat confused, so the jonin explained.
"To pass, you only needed to land one hit on me while working together. And you three did so about as well as I could've expected."
The jonin sighed as the three genin seemed a little downtrodden.
"Look, if you're upset you didn't get to use everything you learned, don't be. Fights shouldn't be like that. If you can accomplish your goal with as few jutsu as possible in such a short amount of time, you should. Keeping a technique hidden might be what you need to keep yourself alive. Besides, I already know what you would've used, I trained you."
This finally seemed to get their spirits up. Sakura frowned as she thought for a second.
"Why did you give us this test in the first place? I know you said it was to test how far we've come, but I feel like there's gotta be something else to it."
Seeing the other two genin nod along with the girl, Zabuza shrugged.
"It was also to see if you're ready for the Chunin Exams on Monday."
Their eyes collectively widened.
"Oh, right! That's coming up! Wait, I thought you were only gonna train us for a month? How come Kakashi Sensei isn't back yet?"
Zabuza nodded to Naruto.
"The Hokage said he made the cyclops train longer as a 'punishment'. I don't know what he did exactly, but he's only gonna be back in the next couple of days. Besides, you three are apparently one hell of a team with all of the D-Ranks you're doing without a jonin. The Hokage said to keep training you guys a little longer since it seems to be so effective."
The three genin nodded as their questions were answered. All aside from one.
"Where has Adrik been? We only ever see him in the mornings."
Zabuza sighed at the question Sasuke asked.
"I couldn't really tell you even if I wanted to, kid. The Hokage is keeping his mouth shut."
Naruto nodded along.
"He always gets home pretty late. He goes to sleep the moment he gets in his apartment, one time before he could even open the door. The only thing he told me is that he's trainin'. I don't know what for, though."
The other two genin nodded, along with Haku and Zabuza.
"Well, whatever it is, it must be pretty intense to make him of all people drop dead tired like that. He barely even talks to me anymore."
They couldn't help but nod in agreement with Haku's comment.
X
Naruto looked up and smiled widely as Hinata approached, carrying two bento boxes. With it being the weekend, the two had decided to relax together until the Chunin Exams as they had no idea what they would be in for.
"Hey, Hinata! I'm glad you could make it!"
Hinata nodded and smiled back at the blonde teen.
"I-I'm glad, too. I w-was worried it would t-take too long t-to get these ready."
Naruto looked down at the boxes she was holding.
"Really? What all did you make?"
Hinata unraveled the string holding the two boxes together and gave one to Naruto.
"Th-They are both the same, b-but this is the first t-time I have h-had to prepare food for m-more than just m-myself."
Naruto looked up with slight surprise.
"You didn't have to go and do all that, Hinata. We could've just got somethin' in town if it was too much trouble."
Hinata shook her head slightly.
"N-No, it's fine, really. I w-wanted to make you s-something. I h-hope you like it."
Naruto nodded and the two sat down on one of the benches in the park. He opened the box to see Hinata had prepared a grilled fish with a side of rice and dumplings. Not exactly his first choice of a meal, but who was he to complain? Naruto decided to start a conversation as the two ate.
"So, how're you and your team doing?"
Hinata responded after selling a bite of food.
"W-We have been doing g-good. Sh-Shino and I are n-nervous about the Ch-Chunin Exams, but K-Kiba seems to be handling it w-well."
Naruto nodded.
"You guys too, huh? Well, I look forward to going against them, soon. Nothing like a good spar against your old friends, right?"
Naruto chuckled slightly before digging back in. Hinata hummed her agreement.
"S-Say... You w-wouldn't happen to know wh-what Adrik is doing, w-would you?"
Naruto raised an eyebrow before shaking his head.
"O-Oh... W-Well, he hasn't talked t-to me or my t-team very much. H-He only trains w-with us in the m-mornings and disappears after our l-lunch break. It's... worrying."
Naruto sighed after gulping down another bite.
"Yeah, it's about the same for us. Probably the same for Shikamaru and Choji's team, too, if I had to guess. I tried askin' about it one night but he just said he was trainin' a lot more. I dunno what for, but it's pretty intense. He comes home lookin' like a zombie half the time. I think I'll try askin' the old man about it tomorrow."
Hinata nodded and the two continued eating.
X
Naruto and Hinata walked side by side. They had finished their meals not long ago and decided a stroll through the park would be nice.
"-But I haven't really seen him make any seals yet. All I have to go off of is what he tells me."
Hinata nodded.
"It m-must be hard, though. T-To make your own s-sealing language, I-I mean. I-It sort of m-makes me wonder j-just how other arts were made a-as well."
Naruto nodded.
"Yeah..."
The two continued in silence, merely enjoying each other's company for a while. Before the silence could become awkward, however, Naruto stopped in place as he remembered something.
"Hm? I-Is something wrong N-Naruto?"
Naruto tilted his head down slightly.
"Uh... no... No, nothing's wrong. I just remembered something. Can you... come with me for a second?"
Hinata tilted her head slightly in confusion before giving Naruto a small nod. She blushed when the blonde teen grabbed her hand and started walking back to his apartment.
X
"N-Naruto, why are we h-here?"
Hinata watched as Naruto fumbled slightly with his keys before unlocking the door and heading inside. She followed him in wordlessly.
"It's... about the Fox... kinda..."
Hinata's eyes widened slightly when Naruto closed the door, put his hand on the wall, and channeled some chakra. After a second, seals lit up all across the room.
"The old man helped me set up some privacy seals recently. Nobody can see or hear into this room as long as they're active."
Hinata nodded with surprise still clear in her expression.
"Wh-What do you need to t-tell me, then?"
Naruto turned towards Hinata. Her blush returned when he grabbed her hands and stared directly into her eyes.
"I need you to promise me that you won't tell anyone else what I'm about to tell you."
Hinata saw the seriousness in his eyes and nodded, her blush disappearing for the moment.
"Of course."
X
Hinata sat next to Naruto, rereading the letter written by his father, Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, the man she knew he had always idolized. She wiped a stray tear from her eye as she set it down gently.
"Your parents truly did love you, N-Naruto. It's easy to tell just by the way they write."
Naruto nodded solemnly.
"I know. I just wish they were able to tell me themselves."
Hinata put a warm hand on Naruto's as she looked at him.
"Thank you for telling me, N-Naruto. It... It means a lot that y-you trust me with this."
Naruto nodded and smiled back softly.
"No problem. And, hey, you're not stuttering as much."
Hinata put a hand over her mouth.
"I... I-I guess I'm not."
Naruto laughed a bit, making Hinata smile. The two sat there in silence, her hand over his, for what felt like hours. Naruto got up after a while to put the letters back in what he now deemed his most important sealing scroll. As he did so, he asked Hinata a question that instantly turned her face beet red. He even sported an embarrassed blush of his own as he scratched the back of his head.
"Hey, after this whole 'Chunin Exams' thing, would you maybe wanna... go... out on a... a date?"
Hinata sat in stunned silence for a few seconds. The only word she was able to get out being a quiet "What?" that Naruto heard perfectly clearly.
"I-I've been thinking for a while, y'know. Ever since Adrik brought you here, I've been feelin' weird. And I had a talk not too long ago with Haku, and it made me realize I... I uh... like... you... a lot."
Naruto looked up to see Hinata still sitting there, staring wide eyed at him. He responded to her silence with slight worry.
"It's fine if you don't want to, though. I'm alright with just bein' friends, if that's what you want."
When he was met with yet more silence, he walked over and sat back down next to her. He shook her shoulder lightly.
"Hey, Hinata? Are you alright?"
Hinata shook her head and turned towards Naruto after a few more seconds of silence.
"I-I w-would l-love to g-g-go on a-a d-d-date... with y-you, N-N-Naruto..."
Naruto smiled widely at Hinata's response before his eyes widened. Hinata slumped against him, fainting from the myriad of emotions she had felt in such a short amount of time. He carefully moved her so that her head rested against his shoulder and sighed to himself.
'Oh, that's good. For a second I thought she'd hate me like Sakura used to for askin' her that...'
Naruto looked at the unconscious girl leaning against him.
'I should probably let her lay down...'