Chapter 14: The Desert of Expectations
Feb 22, 7 AK
Our first Chunin Exam finally came.
Kakashi was not pressuring us to advance. We had no direct competition, and nothing to prove to the other villages. He had waited a full year to even bring the matter to our attention, and even then, we decided to wait for the one after next to give us more time to prepare.
This was doubly good because it meant the exam was in Suna. Our one real ally amongst the Hidden Villages—for as much as that is worth.
Kakashi is careful with us, his first team. He asks us what we think we need to achieve in order to be qualified for Chunin, and pushes us till we meet those goals. The pressure is more than welcome for the growth it brings.
It is not the end-all and be-all for me to pass. But I am looking forward to it with a sort of coiled anticipation in my gut.
It would push me one step closer to Itachi's record.
In the back of my mind is the half-formed expectation that we will succeed on our first try. My team is quite strong. We have all made significant strides. It might even be the new trend: my pessimism ensuring success, somehow. Facing challenges, difficult, seemingly insurmountable, and then victory snatched from the jaws of defeat.
Fitting.
Though the thought is quickly crushed as a traitorous seed of weakness. Even if it was true, I wouldn't dare to think it lest my confidence prove its undoing.
However, the promotion would serve a very important purpose. With the rank of Chunin, I will gain access to higher-rank jutsu.
I still need to grow. I still need time to master what I have already. I am not a prodigy like Itachi. But I may not have that time. And it may be that having even a single high-rank technique partially mastered may be the difference between life and death.
I will not die.
I must be strong.
x-X-x
The first test was too easy.
The answers were hidden in the etchings along the ceiling, with a few decoy test-takers in the audience to cheat off of. Child's play for an Uchiha.
Though maybe I'm biased. It's making me twitchy.
I scrutinized the competition from my position partially shielded by my teammates. Nikkei and Wasabi have both started into their growth spurts and now rather tower over me, giving my comparatively tiny body plenty of room to hide and quietly observe the new testing area from within the tepid comfort of their shade.
Hot. Hot. Hot.
How I hate the heat. And the dull, dusty brown expanse of the desert. The wind kicked up a few times on the way here, howling across the expanse of sand and rubbing exposed skin raw with airborne grit.
The test area has a few rocky outcroppings visible in the distance—precious shelter from the heat and the wind. My gaze flitted over the other competitors, cataloguing the various idiosyncrasies visible in the spectrum of primarily brown and white and tan-clad Genin.
The exams in Suna are less well-attended than in other countries. They might not be known for being hostile to foreigners in the same way Kiri, Kumo, and Iwa are, but simply getting to the Hidden Village is a three-day hike across open desert.
The other teams are a pretty even mix of kids in their mid-teens. I am the youngest person here by a wide margin, though there are a few teams of Genin from Suna that look barely out of the academy. A few singletons too, which was a surprise, though one I should have expected. Konoha is big on teamwork, and other nations acknowledge its use too, but not to nearly the same extent.
"Each unit will be given a token!"
My eyes snapped to the proctor. They flickered on for a moment to catalogue his appearance and mannerisms.
"Your unit will need three tokens to pass on to the next round! This is the survival portion, kiddies; you're going to be out in the desert, and if you screw up, there's a good chance you'll die. If you do decide to forfeit—"
His sharp eyes seemed to focus on the younger participants preferentially. I returned his gaze with an impassive smile.
"—Set off one of these flares! We'll come get you. Lethal force is permitted, but not encouraged."
Hmm. Sensible.
So far as I know, there isn't much riding on this exam. Suna wants to make a good showing in the finals, of course, to attract more business since there have already been whispers that their Daimyo is becoming less generous. But I don't recognize any important figures in the current pool of competitors. No known clan heirs or last wielders of legendary bloodlines.
It's actually possible that our team is the most important one here, simply by virtue of having an Uchiha and being students of Hatake Kakashi.
What an odd thought.
I accepted the small wooden disc from the proctor with a silent nod of thanks before slinging my pack over my shoulder. A loose clasp rattled slightly before I hooked it shut again—a little sleight of hand hopefully fooling anyone watching into thinking I put the token inside.
Actually, I stored it in the seal tag stuck to my chest.
It was a double bluff. An attempt to look clumsy at something easy so they'll not only look in the wrong place, but underestimate our skills. Or at least my skills.
No, don't think that way.
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
The Sharingan is not an instant win. The Sharingan is not an instant win. Lots of things can get past it—like puppets, of which I can see at least a few.
Don't get cocky. Don't get overconfident. Be prepared. Be calm. Be observant.
-----
(For every 5 star review, I will release 1 bonus chapter. You have a total of 9 slots.)
Want to jump 30+ chapters ahead right now?
You can read the advanced chapters and support me directly on p 4 treon.
Link in the synopsis & profile: p 4 treon > ForgottenDaoist