[POV - Jiraiya]
I sat up in the spectator area, arms resting on the railing, staring down at the same battlefield I'd just fought just a moment ago. Taking a better look at the scorched battlefield below, where sensei stood.
There were a few more people next to him, discussing who would rank up to Chunin in these exams. Recognising a few proctors, I just sigh.
Turning my head, I spotted Orochimaru and Tsunade, who had just come back from their injuries for the ceremony.
'Well, the princess looks grumpy.' I thought to myself, amused, seeing Tsunade pout with puffed cheeks. Her mood was solely directed at Orochimaru for a change. It was honestly adorable, and I was tempted to pinch her cheek. But alas, my jaw staying intact was a pretty good deal.
Quite the predicament...
Orochimaru, on the other hand, was holding an ice pack to his right cheek, where I punched him straight with the Gaunlets. 'I wonder how Hiro Uchiha is faring.' I wondered, wincing a little at his burns.
These thoughts soon got drowned out, and my heart started to beat fast. Putting a hand to my chest, I felt my heart tighten.
'Logically, my fights showcased the most. Plus I won it all, surely I won't fail...'
This felt like waiting for your driving test results while the instructor just sat there in silence. You know you didn't hit the curb. You know you didn't run a red. But your brain starts tweaking, seeing their silence.
Down below, Sensei stood in the middle of the field. Then he finally spoke, causing the whole crowd to hush instantly.
"After reviewing the performances of all participants. The following Genin will be promoted to Chunin."
"Jiraiya, Hiro Uchiha, Shinku Yuhi and Orochimaru!"
Applause broke out while a smirk couldn't help but surface. Next to me, Orochimaru's lips curled into a wide grin as well.
'Lets fookin go!' The tension on my shoulder vanished as I melted into my seat.
"Hmmm..." I heard Tsunade hum, which immediately made me turn around.
Orochimaru heard it too. His grin twitched slightly as a bead of sweat rolled down his temple. His eyes flicked toward her, then away, then back again like he was calculating the safest way to get out of here right now.
Before anything could escalate, a blur flickered beside us.
Hiruzen appeared in a flash, hands resting comfortably in the pockets of his Hokage robes. They honestly looked pretty comfy but a little thick.
"Well done," he said, looking between Orochimaru and me.
I straightened slightly.
"Thanks, sensei."
Orochimaru gave a small nod, still composed despite the death glare next to him.
Hiruzen then turned to Tsunade.
"And you as well, Tsunade. Your performance was strong."
She clicked her tongue.
"…Wasn't enough."
"Perhaps not this time," He said gently as if to coax her. "But if you were to participate again, your chances would be very high."
She didn't respond immediately. Then her shoulders dropped just a little as if in resignation that she had lost. It was very disheartening to watch her little tough facade drop a little as she just looked like a sad cat now.
Hiruzen patted her head and soon after took out a scroll. In that scroll appeared two green flak vests.
'Oh hell no. I'm not wearing that...' I thought in dread of seeing the design. He handed one to Orochimaru, then one to me.
Orochimaru had already slipped his on halfway, adjusting it with a satisfied look. While my own was just put into a storage scroll, with the purpose of never seeing sunlight ever again. Despite the pockets it does have, this does not save the jacket in the slightest.
Hiruzen clasped his hands behind his back again.
"Now," he began, "With this, your current team will be disbanded."
All of us had a surprised Pikachu face at his words. Not waiting any second, immediately ripping off the band-aid.
"You three have multiple options. But firstly, Tsunade, I assume, will pursue being a medical ninja, correct?" He asks, making the Senju Princess nod. "You can work in the hospital, they offer a few ninjutsu, plus it's possible to become a Chunin through there." He explains, getting even Orochimaru's attention
Seeing the glint in his eyes at the "free ninjutsu", I knew this maniac was already thinking about joining in.
"Sensei, can I also work in the hospital?" Orochimaru quietly asks, tugging at the Hokage cloak adorably. Hiruzen, who saw this, gripped the fabric over his heart at the sight. Still, this didn't blind him.
"I thought you wanted to learn as much ninjutsu as possible? Shouldn't you focus on elemental ninjutsu, Orochimaru?" He questions with a raised eyebrow.
In the end, Orochimaru got what he wanted anyway.
'Although with his prodigious skill, he will probably get the ninjutsu and any knowledge he thinks is good. Then leave soon after, which is what I would do.' I thought, personally, seeing it from his perspective.
Plus, he gets to stay in the village and spend more time training, rather than doing missions. So it's not exactly a world-ending decision.
Maybe that's why he got into human experimentation in canon. He saw the "Free A-rank [Mystical Palm Technique]" and had to get it. With medical ninjutsu being heavy on theory, it was just up his alley.
"Jiraiya, we can talk about your squad tomorrow, alright, come by the Hokage Tower tomorrow," Sensei says, giving me a nod.
With that.
Our team was officially disbanded, leaving me a lone Chunin.
...
---
[The Next Day]
"Eughhh~" I groan out, feeling sluggish.
Every step up the stairs to the Hokage building felt heavier than the last. My chakra was replenishing at extremely slow rates, making every movement a whole chore. The best way to describe the situation was my hands feeling like their blood circulation was cut off, due to an awkward sleeping position in a car.
While my stamina was still sort of alright, not too affected. My mental energy was at an all-time low.
'Yeah… that soldier pill was still worth it.'
I let out a small sigh as I reached the top of the stairs, dragging myself inside.
"Ah, Jiraiya." I looked up. The front desk lady smiled at me politely. "Congratulations on your promotion to Chunin. The Hokage is waiting up in his office."
I blinked, then gave a small nod.
"…Thanks."
My voice came out a bit softer than usual. Either way, I made it to the top and pushed the door open. The first thing I noticed was that Sensei wasn't alone.
Hiruzen sat behind his desk, relaxed as always.
But to the side…
A relatively attractive woman with black pulled back hair into a bun, standing with hands on her hips, in her mid 20s, had a scrunched up face. Beside her was a gruff-looking man with brown hair, a chiselled jawline and the same hairstyle as Sasuke.
It didn't take long before I recognised them.
Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado were conversing with him, which soon stopped. Their eyes landed on me the second I walked in with mild interest.
Damn Koharu...
'Didn't these guys offer the original Jiraiya the Hokage position thrice? Shit, I'm not one to be an asshole for no reason. Either way, they are on "My Side" in most conflicts anyway.
As a matter of fact, it's in my best interest to let Hiruzen "recruit" Itachi and Shisui into the Will of Fire's ideology, all things considered. Thank got I wasn't shoved into this world as an Uchiha. Every day, a prayer keeps the Uchiha away or something...
I straightened slightly and gave a curt bow.
"Hello, elders." The words felt a little lax coming out of my mouth. Hiruzen, behind the desk, had a wide smirk.
"Oh? Are you being polite today? You never treat me like that," Sensei added casually before the two elders could respond. They just chuckled at his words, making me a little embarrassed.
"Sensei, I can't respect a serial pervert," My quick retort hung awkwardly in the air while the two elders processed my words. Hiruzen choked on his spit, making me lazily chuckle.
One of the elders shook their head slightly.
"Quite the personality," Koharu murmured with a slight smirk.
"Indeed," Homura added, equally amused.
The two elders on the way out gave me a few compliments on my performance, which was quite nice of them. I'm not much of a people person, but that interaction with them seemed alright enough.
Short. Simple.
They didn't stay long after that.
Hiruzen chuckled, reaching into his desk. He pulled out a stack of papers and placed them on the table.
"Now then."
I stepped forward, curiosity kicking in despite how dead my body felt.
"These are the available candidates for your squad," Sensei says.
I leaned over slightly, eyes scanning the first profile that came into my view. Which, coincidentally enough, was my own. This profile gave the basic rundown of a person's achievements and rank.
Neat.
[-----]
Name: Jiraiya
Rank: Chunin
Age: 8
Missions <>
C-rank - 10
D-rank - 19
(Notes: An all-rounder with Ninjutsu/Summoning/Taijutsu. Has shown competence in scouting & leadership. Skills heavily lean towards general combat.
[-----]
"Hey, sensei, my profile isn't looking too bad", I say, a little proud.
Hiruzen rested his chin on his hand with a warm smile, not answering my question. But the bastard proceeds to ruin the currently good mood.
"Jiraiya, you know that you're extremely fortunate to have me as a sensei, right? If you were any other Chunin, you would be stuck with mostly Genin and maybe a Chunin with some luck." His words made my smirk waver.
Though he did make sense. How the hell am I meant to respond to those words thought? It's just one of those things you get said and there isn't really a correct answer.
Wow thanks man!
"Don't worry, sensei, I'll thank you by cooking you some meals." With only food on my mind, this was the best I could come up with. This answer made his eyebrow raise.
"So how many people can I take?"
"Five maximum."
'Alright, we can work with that.'
Before I could say anything else, Hiruzen tapped the desk lightly and handed me two profiles, which I quickly recognised. Both pictures of my white-haired friends, Sakumo Hatake and Hiruko, were there.
[--୧--]
Name - Sakumo Hatake
Rank - Chunin
Age - 10
Missions <>
B- rank: 2
C-rank: 19
D-rank: 34
(Notes: A combat-specialist shinobi with a focus on Ninjutsu/Kenjutsu. Has shown competence in taking orders to a tee. Skills lean towards assassination with his speed.
[--୨--]
Not surprising at all, Sensei knew about who I wanted to join and had already reserved them for me. Hiruko was pulled out of his team, while Sakumo was already teamless anyway.
Sakumo had a better overall profile than I, but his notes were a bit concerning due to the middle part of them. 'Taking orders to a tee?' I thought with a frown.
That does benefit me quite a lot...
[-----]
Name: Hiruko
Rank: Genin
Age: 8
Missions <>
C-rank - 4
D-rank - 14
[-----]
Brother didn't even have any notes on him, RIP.
With this, my squad had two spots left.
"Can I spend some time looking through my options?" I ask, seeing the eight total options I had.
"No."
"Bruh."
Sensei quickly shut down by saying the paperwork would be too much. But I knew this bastard was just lazy and wanted to get this over with, which was fair. I had two roles to fill with four options for each one.
I needed a sensor and a tracker. Most of the offence falling on Sakumo and me was fine; we just didn't have the flexibility people with specialties have in certain fields.
After some thought, I held two papers up for my tracker.
[--୧--]
Name - ShikiAburame
Rank - Chunin
Age - 13
Missions <>
B- rank: 6
C-rank: 24
D-rank: 30
(Notes: A tracker shinobi with a focus on Insects/Kenjutsu. Has shown competence in taking orders, scouting & solo missions. Skills lean towards long-range assassination utilising Kikaichū/Kochū/Shōkaichū/Bikōchū]
[-----]
Name - TatsumoInuzuka
Rank - Chunin
Age - 15
Missions <>
B- rank: 7
C-rank: 28
D-rank: 34
(Notes: A tracker shinobi with a focus on Taijutsu/Clan Ninjutsu. Has shown competence in communication, tracking, and scouting. Skills lean towards frontline combat, with his companion being one of the purest & strongest breeds to date.
[-----]
Taking a better look at these two I've focused on, the choice was a bit harder considering their records. While the Inuzuka was better, he was older and had less flexibility due to overlapping skills with Sakumo and me.
Having a third frontline combat would suck, plus the versatility of an Aburame was amazing. The choice from here was obvious in my eyes.
'What is that symbol though?' I wondered, seeing the little swirl on the top of the profile.
"Sensei, what is this?" Hiruzen, seeing what I was pointing at, looked at me with a contemplative look. Before finally speaking.
"You're a Chunin now and can access information at the library, but they are Anbu. A Hokage's personal operatives." He explains, to which I nod. That means that little Shiki over here was being recruited into Anbu sometime soon.
"So like the guys with masks who escort me, right?" My words just got a simple nod. Didn't want to act too knowledgeable here.
Does this mean I'm preventing him from joining the Anbu? Or if circumstances differ, like the team being forced to disband, he will immediately be recruited.
How interesting.
His talent must be pretty good, as, from memory, these guys have been scouted since the Academy. Orochimaru must have a similar mark in his own profile.' Taking a look at the other profiles, Sakumo also had a similar mark.
Huh...
"I'll choose this him, sensei," I answer.
Next was my sensor.
[-----]
Name - EnnoHyuga
Rank - None
Age - 15
Missions <>
None
(Notes: A combat specialist who focuses on Taijutsu. His father is a Hyuga elder, making his eye purity great.)
[-----]
Name - NaoriUchiha
Rank - Chunin
Age - 10
Missions <>
None
(Notes: Is a sensor type shinobi, paired with her Sharingan. Being amplified by having the eye of perception trait of the Uchiha. Specialises in Kenjutsu/Ninjutsu)
[-----]
Name - IzuchiYamanaka
Rank - Chunin
Age - 14
Missions <>
B-rank: 10
C-rank: 16
D-rank: 27
(Notes: A sensor type shinobi who uses Kenjutsu/Clan Ninjutsu. Has been shown to be lazy. Skills lean towards support.)
[-----]
"Sensei, why do the Uchiha and Hyuga not have any mission record?"
"It's because the Hyuga haven't registered this exact person. And the lady over in the Uchiha works for the Police Force."
Hearing this, I scratch my chin in thought.
The options between a Yamanaka, Hyuga or Uchiha were quite tough. Taking a better look at their pictures, my eyes squint at the Uchihas. The girl had long purple hair with a relatively joyful expression.
'Who's OC invaded my world?' I thought, my face scrunching up. This girl looked familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on it at all.
I've definitely seen some sort of fan art of her.
Meh.
'Well, the Yamanaka is automatically eliminated... Lazy? Come on, brother. Between the Hyuga and Uchiha is a bit iffy. Both are close-quarters fighters, but Naori, knowing ninjutsu, puts her above Enno in my eyes.'
There was no need to overthink this decision. A pattern that was common was that most Chunin didn't know much elemental ninjutsu, even in a clan. Maybe it was the more Veteran Chunin that specialised in ninjutsu.
The final team ended up being quite the line up. Sensei took some papers and started to write up the final team, making it official.
[-----]
Elimination Unit
Leader: Jiraiya
Members: Sakumo Hatake, Hiruko, Shiki Aburame, Naori Uchiha
[-----]
"The Elimination Unit kind of goes hard," I murmur, making Sensei puff up his chest. He seemed really proud of it, too. The name was a bit awkward to say outloud, but read?
Absolute cinema.
"Jiraiya, some of your team members are still on missions, so I'll summon you back once they're here. For now, rest up, alright?"
"Yes, sensei!" I say with a bit more spunk in my voice.
I left the Hokage Tower with a warm feeling in my chest, the pain of the soldier pill fully ignored. Walking home, my mind drifted a little, remembering that I promised Orochimaru and Tsunade lunch tomorrow.
'My monkey brain needs some entertainment while I'm resting...'
Then it hit me, card games. The thoughts of Tsunade getting multiple plus fours hit my mind.
Now I had to make it real...
...
-------
[A/N: To note, Rock Lee had 11 C-rank mission and 20 D-rank mission by the time he did the Chunin exams. In like a year and a half of time as a shinobi? I'm too sure how to judge it, give me your opinions if that's little or a lot.
What word count do you guys generally think is aight for a chapter. This chapter is around 2800.]