Mesaal's POV
The past few days, I have been training none stop to help control my new kekkai genkai. I even asked Hina-chan to tell me about the techniques the Hyuga clan uses. She eventually found out why I needed to know, but swore not to tell anyone. Today was the day of the Chunin exams, and I was currently on my way to the meeting spot outside.
"Hey, Mesaal-chan!" Naru greets, when he sees me.
"Hey, Naru. Hey, Suke." I say to them both before leaning on a fence and reading one of my books.
I had also decided to use my hitai-ate as a blindfold whenever I was using my subete-no-me.
"Hn."
'I wonder if Obito was like that.'
'Probably not, kid. He was very cheerful as a kid and now, he is pretending to be a man-child in the Akatsuki.' Min tells me in my head.
'True.'
"Sakura-chan, you're late!" Naru shouts at the approaching girl.
"Yeah. Sorry about that. Good morning, Sasuke-kun." She says all non-fangirly.
"Hn." I can tell Suke is looking Pink hair over, checking for any signs of her not being ok.
"Suke, carry me." I request to the Uchiha.
"Get on." He bends down so I can go on his back. He holds my thighs while I wrap my arms around his neck and rest my head on his shoulder.
"Am I heavy?"
'I shouldn't be, I took my weights off.'
"No. I'm beginning to wonder if you eat at all, considering your weight."
"I'm not that light. I just work out a lot."
"You're as light as a feather, no exaggeration." He tells me as we enter the building.
"I don't believe you, but ok. Maybe it's just because you're strong."
'Yah, that sounded very pick-me.' I cringed inwardly.
When we reach the 'third floor' at 'room 301' Kotet and Izu are using the transformation jutsu, hurting Tenie.
"We just want to get through!" She protests as Izu kicks her.
"You think being a chunin is easy? You have to be strong and work hard!" Kotet sneers down at her.
"Suke, let me down." I whisper in his ear. He complies and puts me on the ground. We walk side-by-side to the duo.
"That's something, considering all you two do is sleep on duty. Guarding the gates. Would you remove the genjutsu? I want to go to room 301, not 201." I command, a sense of authority surrounding me. People around us start mummering.
"So you noticed, hey?" Izu smirks a fake smirk. I rival it with my own, mine more sinister.
"Not just us. Sakura, tell them. You would have noticed first." Suke encourages her.
"I would have?" Pink hair questions herself.
"Yes. You have the best analytical skills on our team."
"Yes! That's right, this is only the second floor." Pink hair clarifies.
"Now, time to kill you~" I smirk at the duo shivering.
"B-But! I-It was o-orders from t-the H-Hokage!" Kotet squeaks.
"Is that so?"
"Y-Yes." Izu confirms.
"I'm still going to kill you." I simply state.
"Heh. You think you're so cool?" Suke questions the duo. They focus on him and stop shaking, looking at him with smirks on their faces.
"I know I'm better than you." Suke also smirks and they aim to kick each other. That is, until Youthful kid stops both of their kicks.
"What happened to the plan of staying low?" Ne questions.
"I could not stay there and watch them." Youthful kid explains. "Hello, Mesaal-chan, my youthful flower!"
"Hello, Youthful kid, Ne, Tenie." I greet them all.
"Hello Mesaal. Looking forward to the exams?" Tenie asks.
"Of course! I get to kill someone! Finally!" I exaggerate.
"Are you sure you should be thankful for that?"
"You probably wouldn't be, but I am."
"Hey you, what's your name?" I hear Ne ask Suke.
"Don't you know, it's common courtesy to give your own name first?" Suke counters with a smirk plastered on his face.
"Wipe that smirk off your face, Uchiha. Before I do." I scowl at him. "You know manners, don't you Ne?" I pat his head and smirk.
"Mesaal, what do you think you're doing?" Ne questions through gritted teeth.
"I think I'm patting your head. You can't be mad. I am stronger than you, after all."
"My name is Rock Lee 'Green Beast of Konoha'! I believe your name is Sakura?! Would you like to go out with me?!" Youthful kid's voice echoed throughout the hallway. I snicker to myself.
"No way! You're so weird! And those eyebrows!" Pink hair screeches.
"Now, now. No need to shout in his ear, Pink hair. I'm sure she was just being idiotic." I comfort Youthful kid.
"Let's go." Pink hair pulled Suke and Naru along. Suke decided it would be a good idea to reach out for me at the same time as Naru. Their hands collided as I avoided both of them.
"I can walk myself. I don't need to be dragged. I can assure you that." I walk along side the rivals.
We are stopped when Youthful kid stands on the balcony and declares he wants to fight with Suke. "I am Rock Lee. It is common courtesy to introduce yourself first isn't that right, Sasuke Uchiha?"
"You know me?"
"I have heard the Uchiha's are looked up to for their strength. I want to test that. Fight me, Sasuke."
"So you know of my clan and you still wish to fight? Fine with me. I've wanted to test this out anyhow." He closes and opens his eyes to reveal the sharingan.
"Let me fight him! I'll have him on his knees in five minutes!" Naru proclaims. He lunges at Youthful kid, only to be blocked in the blink of an eye. Naru is then thrown over to the other side of the room.
"I have no interest in fighting you. I only want to fight the Uchiha."
Suke charges at him, only to be dodged. Youthful kid starts a barrage of attacks and sends Suke flying. Suke, being as stubborn as he is, gets back up in a fighting stance. Youthful kid kicks him up in the air. In mid-air, Youthful kid unwraps his bandages while staring down at Suke's floating body. I throw a kunai at each of the bandages, pinning them to a wall.
"Lee! Enough!" A turtle appears in a poof of smoke. Naru begins waking up.
"What?! There's a talking turtle?!" Naru shouted.
"That's what I see! Can't you see it?!" Pink hair screams back.
"Can a turtle be a sensei?"
"How should I know?"
"By shutting up and watching?!" I hit both of them upside the head.
"You were watching?" Lee asks.
"Yes. Now prepare for Gai-sensei!"
"Lee! You should know that is a forbidden technique!" Hyper-sensei thunders. "Even Mesaal knew! Well done for stopping him Mesaal."
"Yeah, no problem." I salute with two fingers.
"You shall serve your punishment after the exams 100 laps around the village!"
"But-! I had a worse punishment then that after I tried it!" I protested.
"You are my most youthful student, Lee! Come here! Let it all out!" Hyper-sensei ignores me. Soon, they were hugging each other like it was the end of the world and crying their hearts out.
"Seriously..." I mummer.
"You ready? Sakura, Naruto, Mesaal?!" Suke signals for us all to follow when the Green Worm Duo finished crying their eyes out.
"Why not? I've got no other way to become a chunin." I follow behind him slowly.
"Yeah!" Naru cheers as Pink hair follows Suke like a lost dog.
"Of course, Sasuke-kun." She practically trips over her own feet to get to him.
"Suke, carry me." I beg the Uchiha.
"Now it's just a procedure." He sighs before bending down. I get on his back and wrap my arms around his neck. He stands upright and places his hands under my thighs to support me. "Are you sure you eat properly?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"I've said this before: you're as light as a feather."
"Hm." When we reach the room, Kaka-sensei is standing there, waiting for us.
"Ah, Sakura. You came." He seems surprised.
"Hai." Pink haired buffoon answers.
"That's good."
"What do you mean, Kakashi-sensei? You said it was our own decision to come or not." Naru inquires.
"That is true however, you can only participate in this exam in teams of three. I told you all that because Sasuke and Naruto would pressure you in coming. I wanted you to make your own decision." Kaka-sensei explains.
"What about Mesaal, sensei?" Pink haired buffoon questions.
"She could have participated with them in a team of three but she preferred to work by herself. I offered her to ask Lord Hokage if he would allow a team of four if you did come, but she refused and said she would prefer to work alone." Kaka-sensei replies.
"And I'm only now starting to regret that. Now I don't have Suke to carry me." I intervene.
"Be glad I'm carrying you now." Suke scoffs at me.
"Hai, hai. I'm not letting you carry me in there. No way, I can't be bothered to deal with both Ino's and Pink hair's complaints about me being carried by 'their Sasuke-kun'." I climb off of his back. He freezes and tries to make me stay.
"I don't want to put up with them."
"Too bad." I stand to the side.
"I'm proud of all of you! Good luck in there!" Kaka-sensei smiles through his mask.
"Whatever." I walk away from them and open the doors. In the room, shinobi from different nations are gathered. Some try to glare at me and intimidate me. "If you want to intimidate me, you should probably work on all your glares. No-one's going to be scared of you if you have a glare like a five year old girl."
"Shut your mouth, girlie!" One of the ninja snap.
"Do you want to try to do it for me?" A feral grin spreads across my face.
"Sure! You're probably weak anyway!"
"Come at me~ I don't want to stand here all day, waiting~"
"You're going to regret messing with me!" Whoever it was, charged at me. He was a ninja, seemingly fifteen or sixteen with curly brown hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a light green jacket and brown trousers.
"Is that so~? Prove it."
He tries attacking me with a kunai but I dodge. He then tries taijutsu, kicking and punching at me. I dodged each of his strikes.
"You're making fall asleep, come on."
"Grr." He growls and tries going faster. I still dodged. I sighed, reaching out, I pressed down on a specific pressure point on his neck making his body spasm.
"I can do worse~" A smirk graced my face.
"Try me!"
"You seem determined." I noted. "I'll make sure to break you~"
I grabbed his right arm in a tight grip. I twisted and pressed down it so much, you could hear his bones shattering from his wrist to his shoulder. He screamed in pain.
"Shiro!" His teammates called out to him.
"Is that a plea I hear~" I turned my attention from the boy screaming in pain, to the people who stepped up.
"Let go of him! What did he do to you?!" An ebony haired female demanded.
"Pretend to be my superior. Act us if he is better than me. Attack me." I list some things.
"Is that a reason to make him go through so much pain?" The same female asked again.
"Of course~ I kill people for no reason at all except for that they're alive~"
"Monster."
"I know."
"You enjoy being a monster?!"
"Yes~ Call me a demon~ Anything you want~ I don't care. Show them, they should fear me."
"How could you be so cruel?!" She shouts again.
"Because I was born and raised to be like that~ After some time, it came naturally~"
"Just let go of him!"
"Why should I~? What will convince me~?"
"I'll tell the Hokage!"
"That wouldn't be too bad. If Old Man did kick me out of the village, I could go back to the Mist~ Or maybe the Lightning~ I could go anywhere, really~ If they kick me out, I'll just become a rogue. Would you like to encounter me on a mission? Would you like to be killed by me~?"
"I would never be killed by such a pitiful ninja!"
"Oh~ Do you want to fight me like your friend here~?" She looked down at 'Shiro' and hesitated.
"No...." She started. "But I would never let my comrades die because I was weak!"
"So~ You're one of those 'teamwork is all' people~? You're much like my sensei. He only focuses on teamwork because his old team supposedly died because they didn't have it~"
"At least he knows the purpose of teamwork! He may not have before, but at least he does now! Sure, he might have made a mistake before, but that's just a part of life!"
"Oh~ I'm sure he would be very happy hearing that~ But can you stand your ground before I do the same to you?"
"I don't need to!"
"Please~ Enlighten me, how so?"
"Because I refuse to lose to a lowlife like yourself!"
"So, you're calling your teammate weak? How amusing~ Someone who thinks teamwork is number one looking down on her own teammates? Intriguing~" I laugh.
"I don't think Shiro's weak! I just think I am more suited for close combat!"
"Oh~ You know~ Telling an enemy your strengths and weaknesses is a bad idea~"
"She's right, Ami." The boy spoke up. He was a ginger. He was wearing the same get-up as Shiro.
"Wow~ Your teammate is siding with me."
"Shut up, Fumihiro."
"So~? Fumihiro~ Ami~ And Shiro~ How nice of you to introduce yourselves."
"S-Stop it!" Shiro interrupted.
"Do you want me to break the other arm?" I threatened.
"P-Please! I didn't mean anything by it! Just.... Leave my teammates out of this!"
"Trying to be the hero~ A cowardly one at that~"
"N-No! I don't need to be a hero! I'm just looking out for my teammates."
"Why~? I don't understand the importance of teammates~ They could drag you down~ That's why I'm taking this exam alone."
"What?" Fumihiro furrows his brows. "That's not possible."
"It is. Old Man made an exception for me because he knew I could get out of this~ Besides, my teammates are idiots."
"You can say that again." Ryuu hissed.
"Now, now, Ryuu~ No need for that." I look at the snake wrapped around my waist.
"S-Snake?!!?!?!?!?!" Ami screams. She begins backing away and shaking.
"Ami, remember what I told you. Not all snakes are going to harm you! Take deep breaths." Shiro orders from the floor beside me.
"So~ You had a run in with Orochimaru before? I'm going to keep you alive~" I look Ami in the eyes.
"Orochimaru. Someone so cruel, I don't know how he was able to become himself." She muttered to herself.
"Maybe I should let Shiro go~? I might be able to get information on Orochinaru from you~"
"Wait!" Shiro intervenes again, when I started walking away from them.
"What~? You want to have round two~?"
"N-No! When you called your teammates idiots. Did you really mean that?"
"Of course~ It's them, the blond, Uchiha, and Pinkie." I point in my teammates direction. "Wouldn't you call your teammates idiots if they were them?"
"LISTEN HERE! MY NAME IS NARUTO UZUMAKI! YOU BETTER REMEMBER IT BECAUSE I'M GOING TO BEAT ALL YOUR ASSES!!!" Naru declares. I resist the urge to facepalm.
"Yeah.... Maybe I would...." They each mummer.
"Told you so~"
I watch as the sound ninja attack Kabuto. He dodges the punch but gets hit with the chakra infused sound.
"What? What happened?" Fumihiro whispers.
"He used sound. He infused chakra into it so it wouldn't miss the target and it came from the device on his right arm." I explained.
"How do you know?"
"I can see it~" I half tell the truth and half lie.
"How?"
"Now, that's something you might never find out~"
"Who are you?!" Ami questions me as I begin walking away again.
"Should I tell her?" I ask Ryuu.
"Why not? Just tell them your name is Mesaal. Seeing as you don't know their last names, they don't need to know yours." Ryuu replies.
"Hm~ Mesaal." I tell them before walking away.
Scarface decides to make an appearance then. "You, from the Hidden Sound Village! No doing as you please before the exam! Do you want to be failed at the get-go?!"
"Sorry. It's our first time taking the exams, so we flipped out... Despite ourselves."
"This is a good opportunity, so I'll say this. There will be no battels, competition and alike without the permission of the protractors! Even if you do get permission, actions that could lead to the death of an opponent will not be permitted. Any pig that screws with me will be disqualified immediately. Got it?!"
"You're no fun, Scarface~" I whine as I walk up to him.
"Mesaal? You made it this far?"
"Of course~"
"What did you do?" He narrows his eyes at me.
"Nothing much~" I point at Shiro.
"You broke all of the bones in his right arm?!?!"
"Yes~"
"I should disqualify you now."
"Now, why would you do that~? I know you would love me being a chunin. I could finally help in the T&I unit~"
"Shut up, Mesaal."
"This exam seems to be easy." Zaku proclaims. All the chunins at the front with Ibiki smirk and darkly chuckle.
"Now then, we will start the first test of the Chunin exams! Turn in your applications, take one of this number cards in exchange, and sit in the seat matching the number! After that, we will hand out the paper for the written test!"
"Written..... Paper......?" Naru questions himself. "Paper... A paper test?!" He explodes.
Eventually, we were all sat down at our seats. It was just my luck to be on the end but sit next to Shiro. By now, I was back to normal and my bloodlust wasn't as high. Kotet was on my other side. I see Hina-chan talk to Naru near the front. I snicker to myself.
"There are several important rules for this test. I will take no questions, so listen accordingly! First off is the first rule!"
'Well, duh. You aren't going to start with the last rule.'
"You are given ten points from the start! The written test has ten problems in all! Each problem is one point! And, this test is a point deduction system. You are deducted one point for each question you get wrong! If you get three wrong, you'll have seven points!"
'No. You're going to have four.'
"The second rule. Pass or failure will be determined by the total points of the three person teams!"
"W-Wait a minute!" Pink hair interrupts. "What do you mean, total points of the team?!"
'I don't know which one proves she is stupid. The fact that he said no questions or that she doesn't understand what 'total points of a team' means.'
"Shut up! There's a perfectly good reason for this! Shut up and listen! If you've got it, here is the most important next rule! Those who are deemed by the sentinels as having committed an act of cheating or something like that will have two points deducted for each act. In other words, there may be those who are dismissed during the test without waiting for test grading. Know that those who commit awkward cheating will bring ruin upon yourselves."
"I'll check you anytime. Remember, I've got my eye on you." Kotet announces.
"Good thing too. I have my eye on you." I look at him. He looks away at eye contact.
"If you aspire to become chunin at all, know that shinobi should act like exemplary shinobi. And, in the case of even one person in the team getting zero points.... Everyone on that team will fail immediately."
I can see Suke and Pink haired buffoon freak. "W-Wha-?" Suke cuts himself off.
"W-What did he say?!" Pink haired buffoon questions herself. Naru is shaking, feeling the rage of Pink haired buffoon and Suke.
"By the way, the last question will be given forty five minutes after the start of the test. The time for the test is one hour!" He waited for the clock to turn exactly half past three. "And... Begin!"
I looked down at my sheet.
'These questions, they're easy. I'm sure even Naru could answer these.'
'Kid, you need to remember how dumb he is.' Min deadpans.
'I suppose you're right. I should just start these questions so I can relax.' I begin answering the questions without fail nor hesitance. Soon, I was finished with nothing to do.
"Scarface, I'm bored." I lean backwards.
"You're finished already?"
"Yes. If you don't know the answers to these questions, I honestly don't know how low your IQ is."
"Come here."
"Fine...." I trail off and slowly walk over to him. He scans over the paper and he gapes.
"H-How?"
"Hm?"
"H-How can you answer all these questions in less than ten minutes?" Everyone looks up from their papers to Scarface's pale face.
"They're easy." I shrug.
"These questions are at least chunin level or higher. It's impossible to complete all these questions in such a short amount of time."
"You're hinting to what the exam is about and it's not impossible because I clearly did it." Irritation lacing my voice. "Are you going to do something or just stand there like a fish?"
Scarface cleared his throat, "You can just sit back down and be quiet."
"Sure, sure." I just walk back to my seat and slump down.
(Time Skip)
"I think we almost finished shaking off the losers. Then I guess I'll move onto the main issue. It has been forty five minutes, so I'll start. All right! Here is the tenth question! But before that, I am going to add some rules for the last question."
Kuro then walks back in with the chunin escorting him.
"Aren't you lucky? It looks like playing with dolls wasn't a waste, after all?"
Kuro visibly tenses, he fakes a nervous chuckle and walks back to his seat. On his way, he slides something on Mari's desk. She quickly writes the answers down on the paper.
"Let me explain!"
"That would be nice right about now!" I interrupt. "I've been waiting for ages. Just get on with it already."
"Quiet Mesaal. These are the rules! First, you guys will have to choose whether or not you will do the tenth question!"
"What, choose?!" Mari exclaims. "What will you do if you choose not to take the tenth question?"
"If you choose to not take the last question, then your score will be zero. In other words, you fail! And of course, the same goes to the other two members of your group!"
Everyone starts asking him questions all at once.
"And... One more rule.... If you choose to take it and answer it incorrectly, then you will have to..... relinquish your right of ever taking the Chunin exams again!"
"What kind of ridiculous rule is that?!" Ki explodes. Aka barks with him. "Besides, there are plenty of people here that have taken the exam multiple times."
Scarface's dark chuckle echoes throughout the room. "You're just unlucky. I make the rules this year. But I did give you the option to go back! For those who aren't confident, you can choose not to take it and take the exam next year or the year after that. Then let's begin.... The tenth question.... Those who will not be taking it, raise your hands! Once I confirm your number, I'll ask you to leave!"
The guy next to Naru raises his hand and starts standing up. "I..... I.... I'm quitting! I'm not going to take it!"
"#50 failed!" Some random chunin called out. "#130 and #111 will be failed as well...."
"I'm sorry... Gennai! Inaho!"
"Me too!"
"Me too."
"Me too." People start raising their hands and walking out after their numbers have been called.
Naru begins raising his hand, shocking everyone who knew him. He then slams his hand down on the table. "Don't underestimate me! I won't run! I'll take it! Even if I'm stuck being a genin forever, I will become the Hokage no matter what it takes! I'm not scared!"
"I'll ask again. It's a choice that will alter your life. If you want to quit, now is your chance!"
"I'm not going to take back my words! That's my Way of the Ninja!" Everyone looks at Naru proudly? I think it is anyway, I'm not good with human emotions other than the basic ones. No-one else makes a move to quit after that.
"I like your determination! Then... For those who are still here.... The first exam.... You have passed it!"
"Huh?" A small sound came from Naru's mouth as he dropped his pencil.
"H-Hey! What does that mean?! All of a sudden telling us we passed! What about the tenth question?" Pink haired buffoon shots up from her seat.
Scarface's face was gifted with a wide grin. "There wasn't such thing to begin with! Well, you can look at it the choice you had as the tenth question!"
"Hey!" Mari speaks up again. "Then, what were all those nine questions for?! It was just a waste of time!"
"Not a waste.... The objective of the nine questions was accomplished. To test your individual ability to gather information!"
"Ability to gather information?"
"First... The focus of this test was on the system of determining the pass or failure based on three person groups, that was the first rule. By grading the exam on a group basis, I added the unimaginable pressure of bringing down your teammates."
"I see, I see. I kind of felt like that was the point of this test." Naru nodded his head. I inwardly laughed and shook my head at him, seeing how obvious it was that he absolutely didn't.
"However, the questions on this test weren't things that you genin ninja would be able to solve. So in that case, I imagined most of you here would have come to this conclusion: 'In order to score points, I must cheat.' In other words, this exam was created in the premises that you would all cheat. That being said, I had two chunin in the group who already knew the answers from whom you would cheat!"
"It was so obvious! There's something wrong with you if you didn't notice! Right, Hinata?!" Naru was lying through his teeth. Suke sweat dropped and I facepalmed.
"Seriously, Naru. As if anyone would believe your smart enough to figure that out."
Shiro laughs next to me. "You have a pretty weird teammate."
"You don't need to tell me..."
"However, those who just foolishly cheated, naturally were disqualified." Scarface unties his bandana so we can get a good view of his scalp. It was covered with screw holes. Obviously from previous acts of torture. "That's because..... Information, depending on the time and situation, it will be more valuable than life. And, in a mission or on a battlefield, you will always have to risk your life to fight for it! When information is gathered and the enemy or third party finds out about it, that information is no longer guaranteed to be correct. Just remember this, to be given the wrong information can bring a catastrophic blow to your friends and town. So that is why, out of necessity, we forced you guys to cheat in order to test your information gathering ability. And we filtered out those who were clearly lacking those abilities."
"But... The last question doesn't make any sense.."
"However, this tenth question was the main issue to this first exam."
"What do you mean?" Pink hair's annoying voice was heard.
"I'll explain. The tenth question was to take on the question, or not. Needless to say, it is a painful decision to make. Those who chose not to take on the question, would immediately be failed along with their squad. Those who chose to answer the question and got it wrong, would be robbed of their chance of ever taking the exam again. It really is an unfair question. Then, how about this two choices? Let's say you guys did become chunin. The mission is to steal a secret document. You have no idea how many ninja the enemy may have, the ability, or other armament they may have. On top of that, there maybe the pitfall of enemy traps. Now this mission.... Will you take it? Or will you not? Because you want your life spared... Because your partners will be put in danger... Can you get away from dangerous missions? The answer is.... No! There are going to be missions you cannot avoid no matter how dangerous or risky it may be! Showing your courage to your teammates in a tight spot, and the ability to get through hardships.... This is the quality needed in a Chunin Troop Leader! In a pinch, there are those who cannot risk their own fate, and those who waver and give up their chances becaue they think they will have another chance. I believe such fools who don't have strong determination have no right to become chunin! For those of you who chose to take on the question, you can say you have successfully answered the difficult tenth question! You shall be able to take on the adversity that may lie in your way. You've passed though the gates! The first test of the Chunin exams has been completed! I wish you well!"
"Alright! Wish us well!" Naru cheers. "I did it! I did it! Yeeeeeah!!!!"
Something was quickly approaching. It hit the window and smashed the glass.
'Anko. You sure know how to make an impression.'
"You guys! This isn't the time to be celebrating! I'm the proctor for the second exam! Anko Mitarashi! Let's move onto the next stage! Next!" She punches the air and we all stare at her blankly.
"Read the atmosphere. You're early again." Scarface talks to the crazy woman, making her blush from embarrassment.
"79?! Ibiki! You let 26 and an extra slide by?"
"I'm not an extra you moronic woman who seems to be overly energetic! I'm on my own!" I shout to her.
She laughs "I like you, kid. I guess the first exam was too easy. Or are you just getting soft?"
"It seems like this time, there are lots of excellent candidates."
"Alright..... I'll drop more than half of them in the second exam! I'm getting excited! I'll give you the details tomorrow! We'll be changing locations, so get the information from your jonin about the location and time. That's it. You're dismissed."
"Whatever. I can't wait to go home." I teleport out of there, in a swirl of black and silver lilies. I recently added silver because I also have streaks of silver in my hair.
Shiro's POV
"Whatever. I can't wait to go home." I hear Mesaal mutter and teleport away. Black and silver lilies whirled where she just sat.
'What?! She knows how to teleport?! That's not fair! I should ask Naoko-sensei to teach me that.' I think as I watch contestants file out of the room. On the other side, I see Fumihiro and Ami waving for me to come to them and leave.
"Coming!" I exclaim as I make my way over to them.
"Shiro, we have to go to the Hokage." Fumihiro informs me.
"Why?"
"Because we're going to be residing in a leaf genin's house and they're responsible for us." Ami explains.
"Is Naoko-sensei included?"
"I don't think so. I think all the senseis from the Village Hidden in the Stars are staying at a hotel."
"I see. Let's go." We start walking to the Hokage's office. "Lord Third." I knock on the door. "We are Team Three from the Village Hidden in the Stars."
"Come in." A gruff voice urges. We open the door and bow to the Hokage. "The person who will be your escort and house manager will arrive shortly."
"Hai, Lord Third."
Someone appears in another swirl of black and silver lilies. "What do you want, Old Man?"
'Mesaal?! She's going to be the one looking after us?!' I think. Me, Ami and Fumihiro share a quick glance and nod.
"Mesaal. So you've changed the colours up a bit."
"Not really. I just added silver. Now, what do you want? I see a messenger bird outside my window. Not what I wanted to see."
"You're going to be taking care of genins from the Village Hidden in the Stars." She froze.
"What?! Why that village?!"
"Because you might find out some information."
"Fine." She turns around and sees us. My arm is bandaged up and still hurts slightly from where she broke all the bones in it. "These ones? Seriously? Lord Jashin what did I ever do to you?"
'Lord.... Jashin.?'
"Ah, yes. These are the ninjas you had a run in with earlier, aren't they?"
"You know they are. You watched us."
"Nothing seems to get past you."
"You just made it obvious." She shrugged and turned back to us. "So, they're going to be staying in my apartment? And I have to give them a tour of the village? What a drag."
"How much time have you been spending with Shikamaru?" Lord Third chuckles.
"Too much. Come on, follow me." Mesaal signals for us to follow her. She then jumps out the window.
"Mesaal, do you really have to go through the window every time?!" Lord Third shouts at her.
"It's your own fault! I can't teleport because they don't know how and probably don't know how to sense a specific chakra signature!" She shouts back.
"You should follow her before you can't find her." Lord Third advises.
"Thank you, Lord Third." We bow and jump out of the same window as Mesaal and head in the same direction she was going in. Eventually, after several minutes of jumping from roof to roof, I saw her waiting with a bored look on her face in the centre of the village.
"Took you long enough." She commented as she looked up at us. "And I wasn't even going at full speed."
"Maybe you're just impatient." Ami shoots back.
"I can leave you here and make sure you don't come into my apartment. I can make you sleep outside without dinner."
"As if."
"You want to try it?" A tilts her head and a crazed look appears in her eye.
"No! Ami meant nothing of it!" I stand up for her.
"You seem as if you're a different person completely from earlier." Mesaal looks at me. "Whatever. Follow me, don't get lost."
She starts walking and we rush to follow her.
(Time Skip)
Mesaal has showed us all around and we're now heading to her apartment.
"You're going to have to sort out your own sleeping arrangements. None of you go in my room."
We turn a few corners and walk up some stairs. She then walked down a few doors, eventually stopping at one. Mesaal takes a ring off of her waist and unlocks the door. "Are you coming in or staying out here?"
"Coming." Fumihiro answers for all of us and walks in with her. Me and Ami follow closely. The apartment was pretty simple, the kitchen and living room were regular in size and there were two hallways leading to different places.
"Kitchen, if you're cooking something, don't burn my apartment down. Living room, don't make a mess. Bathroom, is down that hallway. Come." She walks down the other hallway. "This is my bedroom. That one is yours. In there, three futons are set down."
Mesaal opens the door to our room and I see three futons neatly folded on the floor. "I'll call you for dinner when it's time. For now, I'm going to train and see some of my friends." She tells us before leaving again.
"Well? What do you want to do?" Ami asks us.
"I'm just going to use what she gave us and read." Fumihiro heads to the living room where there's a bookshelf filled with books. He picks one out and walks back to our room, sat on the windowsill and read.
"What are you going to do?" Ami turns her attention to me.
"I don't know." I shrug.
(Time Skip)
Mesaal had come back and was cooking dinner. "Come on, you three!"
"I'm guessing that means dinner." Fumihiro estimated as he shut his book and stood up.
"Yeah." I agreed. We all walked out to the kitchen and saw Mesaal with a tray in hand.
"Sit." She pointed to the table in the corner. We obeyed and sat at the table. I noticed there were three extra servings.
"Who's are those?" I pointed at them.
"My team. I told you about them earlier. Loud blond, sulking ravenette."
"What about the cherry head?" Ami asks.
"Pink hair? She's not coming. Kaka-sensei's coming instead."
"I see....." There was a knock at the door. Mesaal went to answer it.
"Suke, Naru. Where's Kaka-sensei?"
"Probably late again!"
"I'm not late."
"Oh. So you're on time. I've got others too."
"Who?"
"Some people from the Village Hidden in the Stars. Ami, Shiro and Fumihiro. Old Man said I'm the person in charge of them for the time they're here."
"I see. Let us in."
The four walk into the kitchen. I see a tall man with silver hair defying the laws of gravity, a taller boy with black hair shaped like a duck ass and the blond that shouted at the beginning of the first test.
"I'm Fumihiro Sato." Fumihiro introduces himself to the newcomers.
"Ami Wanatabe."
"Shiro Tanaka."
"I'm Kakashi Hatake. Their sensei."
"I'm Naruto Ukumaki. Believe it!"
"Hn. Sasuke Uchiha."
"Introductions done. Go to your usual places you three."
"Hn."
"Ok, Mesaal-chan."
"Let's just do it." Their sensei urges them to go to their normal places. Mesaal sets down sets for us to eat with.
"Enjoy." With that, she walks out with her team's eating stuff.
Kakashi's POV
Mesaal walks to the living room with a tray in hand. We're all sat down, ready to eat. Naruto's stomach starts rumbling.
"Naru, I know you're eager, but wait." Mesaal looks at him.
"Gomen, Mesaal-chan." He sheepishly rubs the back of his neck. Mesaal sits down on the floor, ready to feed us.
"I can't believe I'm feeding all of you."
"I couldn't believe I was carrying you." Sasuke shoots back.
"I suppose." She motions for Naruto to come over to her. He complies and lays his head on her lap. She begins feeding him gently. When she finishes, she signals Sasuke to come over to her. He follows her orders and does the same as Naruto. When done, she shooed the two boys away so she could feed me. "Kaka-sensei."
"Coming." I walk over to her and pull my mask down. I lay my head on her lap and so, she commences feeding me. Soon, we're done and I sit up and pull my mask back up.
"You can come back in." The boys walk back in and sit in a circle.
"Where do we have to go tomorrow? What time?" Naruto interrogates.
"You mean for the second test of the Chunin exams?" I inquire.
"I already know. I'm going to check on the other three idiots." Mesaal turns to walk away and back to the kitchen.
"How do you know?" Sasuke questions.
"I know all the tests for this. Old Man told me." Mesaal tells them before picking up the tray of washing up and walking out.
Mesaal's POV
I walked back into the kitchen and see Ami, Fumihiro and Shiro finished and talking. I collect their plates etc and go to wash them up. Ami walks up to me by the sink and says. "I'll help."
"No objections. Just dry them, I'll put them away later." And so, we begin the washing up.
'We make a better team than I had thought we would have.'
'Don't jinx it. Make it last.' Min advises.
"Ryuu, you can go."
"Ok. I'll see you when I get back from hunting."
"Alright." Ryuu slithers down from my waist, to the floor. He made his way to the makeshift door I created for him. Ami visibly starts shaking and slowly backs away, taking deep breaths. "I don't know why you're afraid of snakes. Just because you met Orochimaru, doesn't mean you have to be scared of snakes."
"What do you know?"
"More than you think....." I look away. "Leave. I can do the rest myself." She does as told and leaves, but not before taking one last glance at me. I finish the dishes and put them away.
"Mesaal." Suke calls for me.
"Hm?"
"Ami wants you."
"What does she want?"
"I wanted to ask you what you meant by that." Ami's voice is heard. I look in the direction I heard her voice.
"That's for me to know, and you to not."
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why do you hide the real you behind that permanent mask of yours?" Shiro cuts in.
"None of your business."
"Why don't you tell anyone how you really feel?" It was Fumihiro's turn to question me.
"God damn it! Because none of you'll ever understand! Because I went through too much to let people in! Because it is impossible for you to know what I went through! Because words will never be able to describe the pain I went through!" The wind was swirling everywhere and the windows slammed open. My haired whipped my face as I hovered in the air. Kaka-sensei and Naru ran in to see what the commotion was.
"Mesaal? What is going on?" Kaka-sensei had a look of distress on his face.
"This is what happens! If you see the real me. If my power is unleashed, there will be unimaginable destruction! That's why you don't dig deeper! That's why you stay away from me!" The wind dies down and I stop levitating.
"W-What was that?" Ami stutters. She was holding onto the wall to stop herself from blowing away. In fact, everyone was holding onto something.
"Whatever." I storm out of the kitchen and to my room, I slam my door shut and slide down the back of it. Sitting on the floor with my back on the door, I bury my face in my hands and my body trembles.
'Kid.' Min tries getting my attention.
'I can't, I can't, I can't.' Was the only think running around my head.
'Kid! It's ok. They still haven't seen all of your power. They aren't afraid of you.'
'Yes they are. This is why I lock myself away. This is why I made my walls. Did you see the looks on their faces? I thought it wouldn't hurt if they were afraid. It's normal for me, so why does it hurt? Why did I trust them? Why, why?'
'Kid, just calm down. You have the Chunin exams tomorrow.'
'So I can just avoid them until then?'
'As much as you may want to, three of those people are staying in the same apartment as you.'
'Where's Ryuu?'
'I don't know.' Just then, Ryuu slithers under my door.
"What's wrong?" The snake asked me.
"They almost saw the real me."
"Maybe they can be trusted."
"No. Not possible."
"Haven't you eaten yet?"
"No."
"You should."
"Fine." I snap my fingers and a small meal appears on the floor. I slowly eat it.
"Naruto, leave her be for the time being. She needs space." I hear Kaka-sensei from behind the door.
'I should make myself emotionless again.' This time, Min stays quiet. 'I wonder how long it will take until I snap?'
'You want to make yourself snap?'
'Of course I do.'
'What about Obito? He cares for you. So does the Hokage. I'm sure Naruto, Sasuke and Kakashi still care for you. No matter how strong you are.'
'I scare them. I scared them before. Now? There's no hope.'
'I'm sure that's not true.'
'I should just get ready for the Chunin exams tomorrow.' Kaka-sensei, Naru and Suke have already gone home. It seems like Ami, Shiro and Fumihiro have also gone to bed.