28

Chapter 28: twenty-seven: black sheepSummary:

"Why are you trying so hard to fit in when you were born to stand out?"

What a girl wants, 2003

Notes:

I do not own Naruto. I do, however, own Chiyuki, any original characters, and this story's plot.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Becoming Hokage 101

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Section Five

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Chapter Twenty Seven

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"A Hokage's job, huh." I exhale, choosing to just sit down on the ground. This is clearly something that won't be resolved in a couple of minutes.

I pat the spot next to me, and Itachi sits down beside me without a word. He continues to look at me with those big, black eyes full of guarded wonder and curiosity.

'I wonder how he's doing now that Fugaku's busy being interim Hokage. Mikoto's been handling most of his education so far, but I don't know if that's good or bad just yet.'

"Why are you asking me this?" I turn to him, buying time for myself. I don't want to give him a half-assed answer, but I also don't want to overthink it too much. I'll say what feels right, and hope it's the answer the child is looking for.

"Because you're going to be Hokage." The certainty with which he says it warms up my cheeks, and I bravely resist the urge to give him a bear hug.

A nice breeze goes by and I hum, turning to look at the empty courtyard for a while. A teacher comes out, clearly looking for Itachi, but when he sees me waving, the chunin bows slightly and goes back inside.

"I'm going to be Hokage, huh." I mumble, a bit absent-mindedly. The Uchiha child tilts his head at me, intelligent eyes not missing a thing.

"Do you not want to?"

"I do." I answer truthfully, trying to find the right words. "I'm just wondering when this whole thing started."

Itachi senses there's nothing to say to that, and only nods.

I'd decided that I'd be Hokage all those years ago to 'fix wrongs' and make the village a better place, but is that really all there is to it? Looking at the obvious special treatment that I get, how sheltered I was (and still am), and how the reality is so much more different that I thought it'd be, is that really it?

The people living in the slums, orphans being kidnapped without a care, the hospital having its funds stolen, child soldiers, shinobi disregarded as mere chess pieces, clan children growing up in wealth but unable to leave the cage they were born in-

Is that really it?

"I want to be Hokage so that everyone can freely choose how they want to live."

Basic infrastructure and healthcare, food on the table, a roof above your head, a bed to sleep in at night. The bar is on the floor, yet the so-called 'best ninja village' can't even do that. Not only that, Itachi is a child who hates violence, but because of the place and the time he was born in, he was forced to participate in a war he had no place in.

Nevermind him, how many more will have to suffer from something they have no choice over?

"What about you?" The four-year old asks, eyes shining with something I can't really describe.

"What about me?" I question, confused as to where he's going with this. Haven't I answered his question properly?

"Are you not going to freely choose how you want to live?"

'Oh, Itachi. You really are too smart for your own good.'

I smile at him brightly, if a bit wet-eyed. My heart swells and yearns for this kid who barely knows me, yet shows me more sympathy than half of my clan.

"But I am. The moment I decided to become Hokage is the moment I chose my freedom."

Knowing the things I do now - how truly rotten the village's roots were, how nothing was being done effectively - there's no way I'd be able to live with myself if I didn't try to do something. Perhaps I'd have tried to drown in my own ignorance, in an out of sight, out of mind way.

Would I have been able to watch the story unfold just as it did, knowing I could've attempted to change it?

(We all know the answer to that.)

The boy doesn't say anything, but I can almost see the cogs turning rapidly in his little head. Emotions shift quickly from one to another in his still expressive eyes, and I nearly ask what he's thinking.

"Did that answer your question?" My smile shifts to something smaller, softer, full of appreciation for this young child.

Itachi replies with a nearly breathless "yes", and that's the end of it.

For now.

My teammates get back just after the Uchiha child goes back to class, Genma merely raising an eyebrow.

"Are you ever gonna quit gathering your own little army of misfits?"

I nearly choke on my own spit, accepting Gai's help and getting up. For a moment I forget myself and quickly glance around, making sure there isn't anyone around. A brief scan of my chakra tells me there aren't any hums of iron either.

"Genma, shut up. If anyone heard you, they'd think I was preparing for a civil war."

To my utter annoyance, the 13 year old merely shrugs and rolls his eyes, as if nearly accusing me of revolting isn't that big of a deal.

"That's exactly what you've been doing, though."

"Ge. N. Ma." I say through gritted teeth, ready to punch his nose in.

"Chi. Yu. Ki." The little shit mocks as he smirks, as if daring me to do something about it.

"You motherfucker-!" I fly at his neck, wanting nothing more to bash his skull in, when a strong grip grabs me by the scruff of my neck.

"Now, now, we talked about fighting in public places, didn't we?"Choza-sensei chids light-heartedly, holding one problem child in each hand. Gai, bless his soul, just looks relieved he didn't have to step in.

"Yes, sensei." Both of us reply in unison, and Genma nearly sticks his tongue out at me.

"And what exactly was it?" The Akimichi slightly shakes the boy in his grip, just enough to stop him from adding anymore fuel to the fire.

"We shouldn't do it." We reply dutifully, and Choza-sensei nods proudly.

"That's right. So what comes after arguments?" We both make a face, and my sunshine boy Gai excitedly raises his hand.

"Yes, Gai?"

"Make-up hug!"

"You're completely right, my boy!" Our teacher's smile is blinding, and a part of me thinks he must be getting a huge kick out of this. "Now, hug!"

"Ughhhhh."

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Sending 4 year olds to war is, of course, a huge no-no, but no one can just ask for a meeting with the interim Hokage and say that.

Especially not me, who had been officially kicked out of the thick of things, due to the ~near death experience~ I had nearly a year ago. In addition to that, Tsunade had been adamant in changing the "favoritism" system to a more practical and just one, so getting a meeting with the ever-so-busy Hokage isn't exactly easy for a mere genin like me.

Still, I had to find a way to get my point across somehow, and the only way I had readily available was a mission report. It was unlikely it'd reach Fugaku, and even if it did, it'd take a while between Choza-sensei, Shikaku, and finally the interim Hokage.

But hey, a shot is a shot, and I'll take any opportunity I can get to prevent children from going to the frontlines, geniuses or not.

'My teammates and I completed the mission swiftly and efficiently. The Academy's main building and fences have been painted on the eleventh of September- bibbidi bobbidi boo let's write some more shit that makes it look well put together. However! I could not help but notice that some students are being taught very practical and on-hands lessons, and it does make me wonder if there is a chance there is another reason as to why they are having such lectures-'

I'm summoned to the Hokage's office two days later.

Fugaku has a long-suffering look on his face, as if he's wondering what sorts of evil deeds he has done in a past life to deserve this. Shikaku stands next to him, with a serious expression that has hints of amusement here and there.

"Chiyuki-hime." The interim Hokage begins, a tired drawl to his voice, and I feel kind of bad for adding more stuff to his workload.

"Yes, sir."

"I'm sure you know why you're here."

"Yes, sir."

"Very well, then. Talk." His piercing dark eyes make a chill run down my spine, and I'm suddenly reminded that he's not only the interim Hokage, but the head of the Uchiha clan and the chief of the police department.

'Ugh, the pressure.'

"Yes, sir. My concern is that the young children at the Academy are being taught very hand-on lessons so that they can be sent to the frontlines later on. I may be basing this off my own experience, but I had mostly theoretical classes up to a year before I graduated." Hey, better to rip off the band-aid in one go and all that, right?

"From what I know, they wanted to have you graduate early, but you refused." Fugaku leans back on the chair, like a huge feline waiting to pounce, while Shikaku seems perfectly content in watching me struggle.

"Yes, sir."

"Why?" I can't tell if he's genuinely curious or if this is some sort of test, but I decide to answer truthfully, regardless.

"I was around six at the time, sir. No matter how talented people might think I am, there is only so much a six year old can do in the field."

"You graduated the next year, though."

"I did, sir. It was the year the war broke out. I suppose it couldn't have been helped."

"Couldn't it?"

My brain stops working all of a sudden, as if I were driving a speedy car down the highway and I suddenly had to hit the brakes.

'Is he saying what I think he's saying?'

"I am not aware of the exact circumstances of that time, but we weren't immediately sent out to field missions. We stayed inside the village for a year or so after we graduated."

The Uchiha says nothing, and I'm not quite sure what he expects of me. Is he actually agreeing with me or-?

"Was it productive?" Shikaku extends the figurative olive branch to me, and I grab it with both hands.

"It depends on the point of view. We did D-ranks around the village, and while it was nice to finally see how things are truly done, they do get repetitive and boring after a while. We trained as a team everyday, though, so it was very productive in that regard."

The room nearly drowns in silence, and the two men look at me expectantly.

"Is this perhaps what is going to happen with the Academy this year as well?" I ask hesitantly, not sure where the line between commanding officer and friendly mentor is. I honestly would hate to be seen as rude because I couldn't read the room properly.

"It's what's been happening, yes. Children have been graduating at the age of seven, but they don't get sent outside the village until at least a year has passed."

I sense there's a but, and fill in the silence left by the Jounin Commander.

"...but there's a shortage of jounin, and we can't really afford to have so many of them 'idle' for years." Both men nod solemnly.

Something finally clears up in my head, almost like a stubborn light bulb finally turning on.

"Is that why we're going to host the Chunin Exams this year?"

The interim Hokage exhales heavily, closing his eyes for a brief moment. Fugaku had always looked immobile like a mountain, the epitome of righteousness even if sometimes misguided, but now he looks like he can't carry the weight of the world on his shoulders for much longer.

And the thing is that it kind of is the weight of the world, because Orochimaru and the ROOT members had played a crucial role on the frontlines, and now that they've either ran away or have been killed, Konoha has been struggling with manpower.

"That's right." Fugaku schools his face to a stony expression, which is something he often does when he makes a tough decision. Shikaku actually looks a bit regretful, and knowing that's what's in store for me, I really don't envy them.

Of course it's not ideal, but genin teams who have been together for longer will probably be pushed to pass the exams and become chunin, as much as possible. It means that teams who have graduated when the war broke out, like my team, Asuma's, and Kakashi's, will most likely be promoted with no major issues, leaving us to take missions on our own without our jounin mentors.

Back when Choza-sensei had mentioned it in passing, it had already sucked and seemed scary on its own, but then another thought strikes me.

"But if we're going to host the Chunin Exams, then-" The Jounin Commander nods, jaw clenched.

"-other villages are welcome to send their shinobi as well, yes."

I want to ask if there are villages who would be willing to send their shinobi to another village in the middle of a war, if that's why we've been doing so many drills with the civilians and checking the infrastructure of the village so often, if-

A knock echoes loudly in the heavy room, and I can barely make out Utatane's sluggish iron moving through her bloodstream. I instantly make a face.

"A moment." Fugaku says just loudly enough to be heard from the other side of the door, and turns impossibly dark eyes to me.

"Next time, just schedule a meeting."

"Tsunade-sama said to abolish the whole favoritism thing, though."

The Uchiha raises an eyebrow, unamused. "So you thought the best course of action was to be passive-aggressive on your D-rank report?"

I sense a light-hearted opening, and I gingerly take it. "You gotta make do with what you have."

"Of course." The interim Hokage ironically mutters at the same time Shikaku ushers me along.

"Thank you for your time, Fugaku-sama." I remember to say just as the door opens, and Elder Koharu can barely hide her contempt for me in time.

"Elder Koharu." Both Shikaku and I greet the old lady, and I can only wonder what goes on inside her head when she sees me having a meeting all by my lone self with the interim Hokage and the Jounin Commander.

'Behold the field in which I grow my fucks, and see that it is barren.'

"You look well, Chiyuki-hime." 'Despite everything' goes unsaid, and I can feel a vein popping on my forehead. Shikaku puts a hand on my shoulder and squeezes, nodding.

"Chiyuki is very focus-driven. She's actually at that age when a girl only has one thing on her mind." The Nara smirks, an amused twinkle in his dark brown eyes.

"Boys?" Elder Koharu asks, a slight sneer on her face that she can't help but let show.

"Revolution." I answer bluntly and swiftly, and the silence that follows speaks volumes.

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On a particularly cold autumn day, eleven years ago, a little baby girl was born.

Sarutobi Chiyuki, yours truly, was born in late autumn, on December 2th, in a village where snow is a rare thing. A lot of people think my name is written like 千雪 ('thousand' and 'snow'), but it's actually written like 千幸, which means 'unending happiness'.

I'm not sure what my mother was thinking.

"You're finally eleven. So, how does it feel? Is the weight of your age too much for you to bear yet?" Genma leans his arm on my head and pushes all of his body's weight on me, forcing me to stand strong enough to keep both of us standing.

"That should be you, you're the grandpa here."

"I'm fourteen!"

"You're thirteen. Your birthday is still six months away."

"Those are details."

"That's what your old man brain likes to think."

"Youthful teammates! Isn't it wonderful that we're together on this cold, crisp day, enjoying each other's company?"

"You're right, Gai-chan."

"Oh, so you're playing favorites now?"

"Gai-chan's been my favorite ever since we became a team."

"Wait until I tell Kakashi-"

"Hello, children! Ready to kick everyone's ass today?" Choza-sensei appears in a whirlwind of leaves, seeming awfully excited today, perhaps as much as Gai is - and that's saying something.

"I am, sensei!" Our green-clad teammate exclaims, ready to take on the world and show everyone how much stronger and faster he's become.

Genma and I look at each other and remain silent, in a rare moment where our thoughts are in sync.

"Genma?" Choza-sensei prompts, no doubt sensing our unease.

"I'm not particularly excited, but I'm ready." The teenager next to me shrugs. Nevertheless, our teacher seems satisfied with the answer.

"I also think we'll do well." I add, giving a shrug of my own. "The Chunin Exam itself doesn't make me worried."

'It's the aftermath that does.'

The Akimichi clan head brings us all close to one another and kneels before us, so we're all at eye level.

"I know it might seem like things are moving too fast sometimes, and I also know that you're worried about what comes after you'll inevitably get promoted." He says seriously, patting our shoulders as if to say 'don't worry, I'm here.'

"I'm a bit worried, sensei." I whisper, and each boy takes one of my hands on their own. "Like I said, the exam itself doesn't scare me, but… do you really think we're ready to take missions on our own?"

'Am I ready to lead such missions?'

"Yes. I believe you'll do wonderfully on your own, and it's not like you'll be sent to A-ranks right off the bat." Choza-sensei makes sure to look each one of us in the eye, assuring he gets his message across. "I wouldn't be recommending you to take the Chunin Exams if I didn't think you had what it takes to succeed. Trust yourselves like I trust you."

Tears burn in the back of my eyes, but I vehemently hold them back. Now is definitely not the time to get emotional.

"Thank you, sensei."

"Of course, children. Don't tell anyone, but you three are my favorites." That gets a giggle out of us, and the tense atmosphere dissolves into the cold autumn air. "Go on now, kick some ass for me."

"We will."

"I will make sure the flames of the Springtime of Our Eternal Youth keep burning as brightly as ever!"

"See you later, sensei."

We all turn around to head to the Exam Hall, until Choza-sensei calls out for me.

"Ah, Chiyuki?"

"Yes?"

"Happy birthday." The smile he gives me is reassuring, bright, and warm like the sun. There would be no sort of party this year, as everything was still too raw for me to be able to celebrate my birthday with a clear conscience, but I could appreciate the sentiment.

My heart bursting with affection and gratefulness, I answer his bright smile with one of my own.

"Thank you, sensei."

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The Chunin Exams are incredibly… underwhelming, to be honest.

Maybe it's because I already had an idea of what to expect, but I had been prepared for something a lot more complicated and/or difficult than whatever this was.

We briefly greeted the other Konoha genin teams taking the exam, Kakashi's and Asuma's team included. It was good to see no one seemed particularly nervous - except for poor Obito, who even Rin was having a hard time with.

I grab a napkin out of the nearby ramen stand and throw it in his direction, the white paper floating slowly to the ground.

"Chiyuki?"

"It's okay to give up, Obi. No one will think less of you." And then I grin my cruelest, most evil smirk at him, basically giving him a written invitation to blow his top.

Surely enough, the Uchiha does not disappoint.

"Like hell!" He grabs the napkin off the ground angrily and throws it at me, but by this time we're all laughing our asses off.

"Must be nice to be a Konoha genin, huh."

"Life must be so easy."

The taunt comes from a team of Kiri ninja, who'd been watching the interaction with a roll of their eyes. Before I can say anything, Genma gives the team members a slow up and down look and raises his nose, looking down on them.

"So this is Kiri? My pops is scarier than you, and he's dead." I can't help the snort that comes out, and see team Minato struggling to keep their laughter in check.

Before we can start a fight right in front of the Exam Hall, Asuma drags us all inside.

"You two are a menace."

"Me? I didn't even do anything." I protest innocently, batting my eyelashes at my brother, who just gives me a look as dry as the desert.

"You're the worst one out of us."

"Blasphemy!" I gasp and feel a sympathetic pat from Kurenai on my shoulder, but no one defends me.

"Why is it that you're always at the center of every racket?" Ensui drawls from his place at the front desk, giving me an entirely unamused look.

"It's all a conspiracy against me, Ensui-san." I chirp next to Genma, who's writing down our names.

"I'm sure it is." The Nara says, not even bothering to attempt to sound sympathetic. "Head on over to the room on the right, the written part is about to start."

As all nine Konoha genin dutifully head to the mentioned room, Gai pulls on my hoodie and glances at me worriedly.

'Is it going to be okay?' He seems to be asking.

I take my hand out from the confines of my hoodie's too-long sleeves and squeeze his hand quickly, trying my best to reassure him.

Out of the three of us, Gai had been the one with the 'lowest' theoretical scores at the Academy, but that didn't mean he was bad at it. I can understand where he's coming from, but my knowledge of Before assured me that there was no way they'd actually consider the scores from the written part of the Chunin Exams.

'Don't worry. The test itself will probably be difficult, but they'll most likely mix in a psychological test as well, and that's where you gotta stand your ground.' I write in his hand using a mix of the code we created years ago and morse code, squeezing his hand one final time.

By the time I let his hand go, he looks much more confident, and the sight makes me smile.

Until Kakashi snatches my hand out of thin air and all but drags me to the examination room, iron running a tad too fast inside his veins.

"Kakashi, you gotta take a chill pill." The boy grunts but otherwise doesn't say anything, pulling me over to a random seat and making a show of taking the one next to it.

"How can he take a chill pill when Gai's your favorite?" Genma, the little shit, whispers from his own seat behind us, and the way Kakashi whips around to glare at me makes me roll my eyes.

"Listen-"

"Alright, everyone. We'll begin the written part of the Chunin Exams now, so any chit-chat from this point onwards will make you fail automatically." Inoichi poofs into existence in front of the room, and everyone shuts up.

Much like the one Before, there are chunin stationed around the entire room, presumably to make sure you 'won't cheat'. The test paper itself is blank, and we're all supposed to choose whether or not we're going to save a comrade who got kidnapped by the enemy, and write how we're going to do it. If we choose to not save the comrade, we have to give a reason why (no matter how simple or cruel it might be) and what would be our next course of action.

When the exam starts, I take the pencil and start to doodle on the paper, and continue to do it for the next hour or so. The fact that Inoichi himself is here means that the psychological trap will be nothing to sneeze at, and will most likely be the major part of the 'written' test, so I don't bother writing anything.

Rather than that, I take the time to silently judge the examinees by the flow of the iron in their blood. Aside from our three teams, there's another one from our village (Ibiki and two other boys), two teams from Taki, three from Kiri, two from Iwa and three from Suna. It's no surprise there are no Kumo teams, but it did take me by surprise to see not one, but two teams from Iwa.

'They're probably teams they consider to be expendable, so whether they actually return to Iwa or not isn't really the goal. Their jounin sensei, on the other hand, definitely has some sort of intelligence mission as well, though I don't know how much intel they'll be able to gather from such a tight security system.'

"Ten minutes left." Inoichi says, and the scritch-scratch sound of the pencils intensifies.

All Konoha main buildings had been renovated, and by now all the civilians know what to do in case of an emergency, even if there aren't many ninja to guide them. There's a very low chance anyone will attempt anything right in front of our faces, but it's always best to be safe than sorry.

"The written exam is over. Drop your pencils. Stay seated while your papers are collected."

When the desks are empty, the Yamanaka ninja drops the bomb I'd been waiting for-

"Now, I'd like you to be aware of the fact that if you fail this part of the exam, not only will you fail the Chunin Exam as a whole, but you'll never be able to take it again. However, if you give up now, you'll still be able to take it again next year."

…seriously?

Exactly like Before, there are people who get mad and say that Konoha can't do such a thing, and three teams actually end up giving up.

'You've got to be kidding me.'

I keep staring at nothing in particular, my mind drawing a blank. As Inoichi briefly explains the true meaning of the test and congratulates us for passing, a part of me can't help but think this is boring as hell.

Perhaps their intention is to tire us out mentally as well as physically, because the remaining eleven teams are quickly ushered to the gates surrounding the training ground #44 - otherwise known to every Konoha ninja as the Forest of Death.

I can basically feel my soul leaving my body, until all that remains is a dry, cold shell of who I once was.

"Wow, there's no need to look so excited." Rin snickers from the gate next to mine, clearly finding amusement in my dryness.

"I can't help it." I say in monotone, wondering if every Chunin Exam in Konoha truly follows the same pattern, always. It's like an urban legend told in the Jounin building, but I didn't actually think it was true.

Instead of giving us different scrolls, they divided all the teams and sent one person to each gate. All team members must arrive in the tower in the middle of the forest as fast as possible, and the five teams with the lowest score will be eliminated.

It might actually look daunting for some of the other teams, but every Konoha genin here has trained in the Forest of Death at least once before, which kind of makes the point moot.

'Fugaku, what the hell.'

The gates open suddenly with a screech, and both Rin and I dash forward, silently agreeing to stick together. We honestly could've tried to bother the other teams, as it was indeed an option they'd given us, but the knowledge that they'd try to end this exam in one single day propelled me forward.

I've gotten a lot better at going for long periods of time without food, but there's only so much I can take on an empty stomach.

We basically ignored any and all other living creatures inside the training grounds and kept a steady pace forward, not batting an eyelash at the huge snakes and carnivorous plants. At some point, I did hear Obito going at it with someone, but Rin and I just looked at each other and wordlessly kept going.

By the time we got there two hours later, Gai had been the first to arrive (of course), followed by Kakashi, Asuma, Kurenai, and one Taki genin. I barely had any time to rest before the last Hatake grabbed my hand again and basically demanded my undivided attention.

"I thought I was your favorite." He mumbles, and though I know some of it stems from pack tendencies, it's still kinda cute.

"I have a lot of favorites." I reply breezily, sitting down with the sulky boy in a corner of the room.

"Gai, though?" Kakashi asks me disbelievingly, and I take some offense to that.

"Hey, Gai-chan is someone who's precious to me, don't talk about him like that." The silver-haired boy grumbles an apology under his breath, looking entirely unhappy with the whole situation.

"I thought I was your favorite, too!" Rin jumps in the conversation, and I'm pleasantly surprised when she sticks out her tongue at Kakashi.

"You are." I snicker, holding both my dear friends next to me.

"I'm actually offended." Asuma drawls from across the room, and I somehow fly to where he is.

"You're my favorite too, Asuma-niisan."

Slowly but surely, the rest of the genin make their way into the tower, and a grand total of eighteen people have made it, ten of which are from Konoha.

The last part of the exam is held just as the sun is setting in the horizon, and the remaining people are meant to fight one-on-one until either one gives up or is unable to continue. There's no time to rest, no one has eaten anything since morning, and there's no month off to prepare for it either. I furtively eat one of my Akimichi soldier pills in one single bite, nearly choking when Fugaku shows up with Shikaku and Tsunade next to him.

'Talk about a power move.'

The jounin sensei start to arrive as well, wordlessly going up the stairs while the genin remain on the first floor. No one glances at me, which I'm endlessly grateful for. This is one of those situations where being recognized as someone close to any of them would end up being a huge pain in the ass.

The interim Hokage gives a speech and congratulates the people who have made it so far, but keeps the whole thing brief. Ten minutes later, we're all being ushered upstairs while a Suna jounin draws two names from a box full of pieces of paper.

Whether it's pure luck or not, no genin fights another from the same village except for Ebisu and Ibiki, and the matches are quite well balanced - sometimes. Kakashi annihilates his opponent from Taki in exactly six seconds, and Gai wins his own fight in less than half a minute. Kurenai manages to trap her opponent in a genjutsu as soon as the battle starts, and nothing happens until the boy drops to the ground, unconscious. Obito doesn't activate his sharingan, which might have been a recommendation given by Fugaku himself, and Rin doesn't heal any of her wounds.

'So the deal here is to hide our true skills, huh?'

Aside from Kakashi's and Gai's battles, everyone else's fights lasted at least five minutes, which gives you some time to analyze other people's skills and abilities.

My brother, for example, had gotten much faster since the last time we spared, to the point where even Gai might break a sweat fighting against him. Ebisu and Ibiki's fight ends in a draw, but they have shown enough skill to be promoted to chunin without much problem. Genma actually wins thanks to how much he managed to piss a girl from Kiri off, which is impressive on its own.

"It's this okay, sensei? I mean, he barely even showed his skills with the senbon." I whisper to the big man next to me, and Choza-sensei merely grins at me.

"It's ok. Pissing people off and making them lose focus is an ability of its own."

A boy from Taki wins against one from Suna, and a girl from Iwa wins against a boy from Kiri before it's finally my turn.

"Sarutobi Chiyuki and Nakajima Kouki."

My opponent is a pretty unsuspecting boy from Iwa, who keeps eyeing me up and down with a plain dislike in his eyes. As it happened with every clan child so far, my surname means that I'll inevitably end up catching people's attention more easily, even more so as the Sandaime's daughter.

"Where's your daddy, princess?" Kouki sneers, and I give him the dryest, most unamused look I can muster.

'You thought you ate? Seriously, son?'

"That's the best you could come up with? Really?" The boy's face turns an interesting shade of red just as the bell goes off, and I take advantage of the long sleeves that cover my hands.

'Thank you for the wonderful idea, Choza-sensei. I'll use these well.'

With so many different eyes on me, and knowing how fast rumors spread, it's vital that I hide the sneakiest and most useful of my techniques. Instead of perhaps ending the fight quickly with my iron binds, I carefully choose how I want to be known out there, and how I want people to talk about me as soon as they step foot outside the village. More than that, it'd be too risky to show such a useful technique in front of our enemies, basically gifting them the opportunity to come up with different ways to counter it.

No, at times like these it's best to use brute force.

The boy dashes in my direction, pulling ninja wire out of his pockets and coating it with chakra.

'One.'

I pull my own chakra outwards, forming my iron club in my right hand while I make sure to keep my arm slightly behind my back.

'Two.'

Kouki attempts a strike at my shoulder, but as someone who trains with Gai on a daily basis, he might as well be moving in slow motion. In one movement, I dodge his clenched hand and will my iron club into existence, clenching it tightly.

'Three'.

I put all my strength in this single swing, aiming directly for his chest and ripping his ninja wire in the process.

'Four'.

The Taki genin flies and crashes against the wall loudly, falling unconscious instantly. Debris falls around him like rain, until Ensui is forced to intervene lest he actually dies.

'Five.'

"Nakajima Kouki is unable to continue. The winner is Sarutobi Chiyuki."

I hear my friends cheering loudly, but I refrain from showing any signs of happiness. All the way back to the stairs I drag my iron club with me, eyes cold and unfeeling, making sure I catch the eye of the remaining Iwa team's jounin sensei.

'Go on. Spread this. Shout it out loud for everyone to hear'

He looks back at me unflinchingly, face carefully blank.

'Tell everyone about a demon living in Konoha who looks nothing like her father. Do me a favor, and spread the story that she ended her fight in five seconds with a single swing of her iron club.'

Speak up, and notify everyone of the monster that's being raised in the 'nice ninja village'.

.

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