Chapter 8:Training for the Chunin Exams

I scowled at the fish in front of me. Even after hours of trying to pump it full with medical chakra, it still remained in the state of suspended animation that Chiyo had placed it in with only a tap from one of her fingers.

"Good. Finally, something you are truly terrible at. If you had continued at that pace, I would have begun to suspect you of being something not quite human," Chiyo said after 10 minutes of my trying with no results at all. I could understand where she was coming from, though. In two weeks of medical training, I'd blitzed through most of the preliminary texts she had me study and had an easy time moving through the chakra control exercises she recommended. The first of those exercises, balancing a floating ball of water between my fingers, had awakened my chakra control skill. It was already at level fifty on account of me being the Gamer and all that, which was a boon. It also came with the detriment of being nearly impossible to train.

What I'd found in the last few months from my own training, seeing what Baki could do, that fight against the root anbu, and spying on other ninjas in the village was that level 50 was pretty much the bottom of Jounin-level, with level 25 forming the bottom of Chunin-level. Other people didn't have levels since they didn't have the Gamer's body, letting them live their lives like games, but that didn't mean I couldn't gauge their abilities with pure observation. I had Jounin-level intelligence, after all.

"Maybe you should try a different method," Chiyo commented as she entered the office and still found me struggling to revive the fish.

"Different method?" I asked, repeating her words, a habit I'd picked up recently because of how much it seemed to annoy the woman. Less than ten total hours spent together, and I was already beginning to pick up on the woman's tells and hints.

"Your impersonation of a parrot is no more amusing now than it was the very first time you tried it out," she said, scowling and drawing closer.

"Yes, a different method. Now, you are trying to use your chakra and guide it to go where it instinctively wants to go. That is how most medical ninjutsu works. You only need complex knowledge of anatomy to make sure you don't accidentally break anything in your attempts to ensure things get back to working. However, there is another method. More advanced, but maybe more suited to you. You must learn the exact nature of the injury and use your own willpower to heal the injury. You must not let your chakra flow as it wishes; you must instead force it to do what it needs to," she said as she finally reached the fish in front of me.

"Maybe that will work just a bit better for you and get some actual results," she said before leaning over and humming at the fish. "Or maybe you're just a complete idiot, and the fish died over an hour ago." I looked up at her, eyes wide. Nani? She shook her head at me, bursting into laughter.

Today, Baki showed up to training with a form that was already filled in. He only showed it to me to affix my signature to it and make sure the information there was accurate. It was a Chunin exam form, and I almost sighed in relief when I saw it. The bastard had been getting more and more abusive with his training methods, and I was just about done with dealing with him for any long periods of time. A promotion to Chunin was just what the doctor ordered.

"Good, you're interested. It would have been a pain to force you," he said with half a scowl visible. I looked at him and resisted the urge to act. For some reason, his words were beginning to get on my nerves even more. It might have been my frustration with medical ninjutsu bleeding over to the rest of my life. It might also be that I'd just had enough of his bullshit over the past few weeks.

"The exams will be held in Kusa. Your training from now henceforth will be aimed at polishing off every dull edge in your fighting style. You will be the only ninja from Sunagakure sent to this exam, so your victory must be a foregone conclusion. We risk much for you. The reward must be equally great," Baki said before blurring into motion and making for my head. I backflipped out of the way of the attack before catching myself in a cocoon of sand to avoid the follow-up that was sure to catch me mid-air.

XXXXXXX-KAZEKAGE POV:

"What do you have for me, Three?" I asked the ANBU agent kneeling on the floor, the head of our counterintelligence operations. "The other villages are aware of Gaara's participation in the exams at Kusa. Their spies sent the reports last week, and word from our spies is that even isolationist villages like Kumo are mobilizing to send their representatives. Gaara's participation has stirred the hornet's nest," he said, and I smiled. All was going according to plan. "Beautiful. And the Daimyo?" "The wind Daimyo has been convinced to attend, and he has similarly sent out letters to all his cousins to attend the exams."

There was nothing I loved more than a plan coming together. All the great nations danced according to my tune, and at the end of the day, Sand will land on top.

"Thank you, Three," I said before looking to the other side and facing Baki. "Is he ready?" I asked, unsure of how much of my concern was that of a Kage risking his village's future on the shoulders of a six-year-old and how much was that of a man who wanted to know the fate of his youngest son, Karura's sacrifice. I did it all for her. He would never know, but it was all for her. Everything was for her. "Yes. He might not have the strength of a Jounin, but he is more than crafty enough to kill one if it comes to it. It won't. He will be facing Genin and will be the strongest of them all by a fair margin." I nodded at Baki's words and waited for him to continue.

"However, if the others in the Great Five are truly stirring, then he might face stiffer competition. I have no doubt that each of the other villages would have their own monsters ready to face him down," he said, head still bowed and tone doubtful.

I could understand the doubt. It was unbelievable that there could be other Genin as strong as Gaara out there. He was a jinchuriki, and one with almost perfect control over his creature's gifts. The only other village with a chance of having even a similar weapon was Kumo, and it was well known that they would never endanger their weapon beyond times of war.

"Might I ask why, my lord?" The ninja bowed in front of me, bringing my head from my thoughts, and I gave him a look before ceding his request.

"You may. Suna is not in a good state. You of all ninja can see this. Our position in the Great Five has never been more at risk. Kusa stumbles and grows bolder and bolder every year. Konoha whispers of reevaluating our alliance. Our own Daimyo contracts other villages to fulfill his missions. This village has never been in more peril, but we've also never had such an opportunity to turn things around before," I said, taking a deep breath before continuing as my sense of his chakra told me he was paying rapt attention.

"Gaara is strong. I have never seen a Genin so strong. He is, without a doubt, the future of Suna. If he sought it, this seat would be his one day and I would never deny him. He is strong, and he is young. That is why we are sending him out now. A six-year-old at the Chunin exams will draw eyes. A six-year-old at the Chunin exams alone would draw even more eyes, and that same child winning the entire thing would be the show of the century. Gaara's victory will secure the future of Suna. That is why I am so willing to risk her present. Genin who ought to participate in this year's tournament will be forced to wait another six months. I will stall their development for Suna's future, and their sacrifice will be nothing," I said, standing up at the end and projecting my voice. I had my own doubts about the plan. I had my own worries, but I needn't have bothered with them. The plan will work. It just has to.

"Yes, my lord," Baki said, and I nodded before dismissing him.

I pulled out the drawer on my desk and took out the photo frame within. It was Karura, heavily pregnant as she was, and smiling with the radiance of the sun. All for you, my dear. You dreamed of a supreme Suna. I will deliver.

XXXXX- Gaara

The exams were slated to be held in Kusa, so that meant I had to deal with lessons on how to fight in the grassland, as well as even more brutal training sessions with The Bastard. The good part was that every single one of my stats had seen visible, measurable improvement. The downside was that every day, I tested the limits of my natural healing factor and endurance. I still had not been cleared to use medical ninjutsu on myself, so I had to deal with the pain for the few minutes it took for my natural healing to deal with the bruises and light cuts.

The Bastard always lived up to his name, but at least he had the good sense to avoid causing any damage that would impair me for considerable lengths of time. After all, I was essentially taking on the role of two different people: studying dozens of medical textbooks and journals while training to become the youngest Chunin in Suna's history. I was more than strong enough to beat virtually any Chunin out there, but we still trained because Baki was a bastard, and I would never turn down an opportunity to improve.

'God will descend in 10 years.' That was the phrase I repeated to myself whenever I was tempted to quit, slow down, or take care of myself instead of charging full speed ahead in self-improvement. Whenever the temptation arose, the knowledge that I was nowhere near strong enough to even be a blip on Madara's radar was enough for me to throw myself back into my training. Sure, it might have been nice to be knocking on the door of Jounin level, but Madara had cut through hundreds of Jounin with no difficulty. Maybe one day, I'd be strong enough to match up to a Kage, but Madara had taken all five of them without breaking a sweat. Hashirama was even worse. I had virtually all the benefits of being a perfect jinchuriki for the One-tails, but Hashirama had beaten nine of them and sealed them up. He'd taken on the strongest one while still fighting Madara at the same time.

Madara and Hashirama. Those were the monsters I aspired to match and surpass, and I had just ten years to do it. I had even less than that before Pein would come for me. The entire Hidden Leaf could not stand against him. Naruto with sage mode could not stand against him. Naruto with Kurama's chakra still couldn't defeat him in battle. Pein could only be beaten when he was talked down. Madara, Hashirama, and Pein. All three of them. I needed to surpass them in a decade. With that knowledge in my head, I was much less tempted to consider the idea of resting on my laurels.

I moved away from Baki's kick as I shuffled backwards, preparing myself for another exchange of furious taijutsu. The more time went on, the more it became clear that the only thing stopping my taijutsu from getting better was my own body. Chakra enhancement could only do so much, and I had a lot to do before I could even consider Tsunade's strength technique. I suspected I'd have to take my chakra control to level 75 at the least. If 25 was Chunin, and 50 was Jounin, something told me 75 would be the level beyond that. The level where people like Tsunade and Jiraiya dwelled, and then above them, level 100 would have to be the Gods of this world. Madara, Hashirama, and Pein. They'd most likely be the very pinnacle of what any shinobi could achieve.

I turned to the left, avoiding a right hook and keeping my body on his blinded side. I moved in for my own counterattack, trusting him to block and preparing a surprise if he did. My punch hit nothing but air as he dodged, maybe sensing my plans. I twisted underneath his returning kick and bolted back up with another punch. Once again, he dodged, moving out of the way with ease and ignoring how my punch distorted the air.

"Your chakra enhancement is sloppy. I can sense it from a mile away. Any ninja worth their salt will be able to do the same," he said as he moved across my body and slammed into my midsection with a kick. I had already started moving backward, so I didn't get the full brunt of the attack. Regardless, I was still sent flying back and had to twist midair to land on my feet and rush toward him in a shunshin to prevent him from gaining the upper hand.

Xxxxxxx

"At least, your control is no longer so sloppy," Chiyo said as she watched me try to revive the fish for what felt like the hundredth time this week. After my first experience, she had me go back to the drawing board. I could produce medical chakra, but I couldn't direct it, and unlike virtually every other medic in the world, my medical chakra had no natural inclination to head to the affected areas and solve the problems. Chiyo said it had something to do with the malice of Shukaku influencing my chakra's instincts. I couldn't tell her there was no malice to speak of, and my personal theory was that the gamer's body had somehow purged me of all that. I couldn't tell why or how. I just had to accept it as it was.

The solution to the problem, though? Chakra control exercises. Lots of them. Tree walking and water walking were too easy, so I did med-nin grade techniques. Manipulating chakra strings and senbon with only my chakra were just the beginning of the training. I did anything and everything I could with my chakra to ensure my control was actually improving, and I had seen some rewards in the past few weeks.

The day I was to leave for Kusa was quickly approaching, and I had been forced to come to terms with the fact that I would not be able to make good headway with medical ninjutsu by then. Chiyo had offered me a place at the hospital after the exams, though. With all the free time of a Chunin whose expenses were borne by the state, I had nothing to lose from spending months or even years by her side, getting the training I needed. Yes, medical ninjutsu was just that important to me. There were three Sannin. Two of them were fuinjutsu masters, and one was a master of medical ninjutsu. Considering I would not be able to learn the former, the latter was where I would shift most of my energy. Especially since the thought of dying filled me with paralyzing dread. I had experienced it once before, and then gotten blessed with a second shot. I would be using this one for all it was worth.

"Good, just like that. Guide it. Don't let it wander on its own. Force it to go, and it will follow your lead," Chiyo whispered as I felt myself beginning to succeed. I did all I could to prevent myself from being distracted by anything as the fish began to show some signs of movement. I laughed in joy when it began to flop around on the table. It was only Chiyo's cough that brought me back into reality enough so I could actually run a diagnostic check on the fish.

"All problems solved, Chiyo-sensei," I said as I turned to her with a bow. The old woman just smiled.

"You might have some future in this field after all, more than I'd ever expected," the woman said, offering me a rare compliment and making my face turn completely red as I nearly exploded from embarrassment.

"Now, let's move on to the next exercise," she said, taking out another fish from the basin she had moved into the office we used for our training. I just smiled at the challenge. This was getting good, very good.

XXXXXXX

"You leave tomorrow," Rasa said as he stood next to me, staring at the massive sea of sand outside the village. Our training had been moved outside the village as he began teaching me larger and more impressive maneuvers.

"I will," I said, agreeing and answering as if he had asked a question.

"You are smart. I'm sure you already understand the situation you're in. You will be the only Suna ninja being sent to this exam. Over a dozen Suna genin are losing their chance at a promotion for the next year to grant you this chance. You have to deliver. Failure is not an option, Gaara."

I nodded at his words. From the moment I found out I was the only Genin going to write the exams, I had figured that the entire thing was a power play. I wondered how bad things had already gotten if Rasa was taking a risk like this. I knew that in canon, they had been forced to attack Konoha because their economy had been shot to death, but was it already beginning to head downhill? I hadn't noticed any signs of things getting worse for the average Suna resident, but I wasn't exactly a good view on how things were for the average Suna resident, considering I never did any actual shopping, and all the things I wanted were paid for and supplied by the state.

"You are strong, much stronger than I was at your age. Strong enough to win. Strong enough to send a message. That is what I want you to do. Go there, and don't just win. Send a message. That is your mission, Gaara. Succeed, and this hat will be yours one day," he said, making me double-take as I turned to him in shock.

"The look in your eyes when you look at it. I can see how much you hunger for the position. Maybe it's the power, maybe it's the freedom. Maybe you just want to serve our people. The reasons don't matter. All that matters is this: Succeed, and you will become Kazekage one day."

With Rasa's promise, my motivation to do my best on the exams skyrocketed. Sure, I had every confidence that I would eventually become the Kage and have all of Suna at my beck and call, but the support of the present Kage could not be underestimated. Oh, what I would do to have that kind of influence behind me. Just Rasa naming me as his successor before meeting his death at Orochimaru's hands was enough for me to be sure of my position.

It would happen, one way or another, and I just had to make sure I was the one to come out on top when the dust settled.

I stood by Baki's side as we set off for the exams. There wasn't a flashy sendoff or anything of the sort. We departed at the break of dawn and expected to be out of Kaze no kuni by dusk. Our journey to Kusa was not expected to take longer than a few days. We'd be traveling at Shinobi speeds for most of it, and I had the endurance to keep up with the punishing pace Baki could set. The anime hadn't spent enough time establishing it, but Baki was a physical powerhouse very few people could match up to. I felt it whenever I punched him, and whenever he punched me.

Here I come, Kusa. It's time to show the world that "I am here."

(End of Chapter)

Name; Gaara of the Desert

Age; Six

Level; 7

Title; Genin of Sunagakure (10% increased growth when trained by Suna ninja); Jinchuriki of the Ichibi (+ 50 Sand Control; +20 Ninjutsu; 50% increased growth when training in the desert)

Chakra Capacity; 20,000/20,000 (Regeneration; 100 cp per minute)

Stamina; 102/120 (Regeneration; 1sp per minute)

Strength; 28

Dexterity; 32

Endurance; 60

Intelligence; 56

Durability; 32

Stat Points; 0

Skills;

Taijutsu; 41

Ninjutsu; 45

Genjutsu; 2

Sand Control; 65

Pain tolerance; 24

Meditation; 18

Chakra affinities;

Wind; 40

Earth; 32

Fire; 28

Jutsu;

Sand Release: Sand Clone- 54

Wind Release: Great Breakthrough- 46

Wind Release: Wind Bullets- 32

Earth Release: Earth Wall- 22

Earth Release: Earth Flow River- 23

Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld - 9

Fire Release; Great Fireball- 12

Shunshin no jutsu- 46