What started as a greeting flowed and they started talking however since it was late and they came unannounced they did not want to bother Yuna much further than they should. After a while they excused themselves with Pakura informing her that she would be visiting in a few days’ time before she left with Gaara.

 

As they walked back to their allocated Suna residence both of them were thinking about what they talked about with her. They were quite while thinking about what they heard during the short talk. After a while she started to open a discussion with Gaara regarding Konoha and their new generations.

 

“Hmm… the land of fire as a whole is stable, Konoha from the looks of it is also doing well. For the rookies to participate in this chunin exams, it appears that our intel about them is quite accurate. What do you think?”

 

“… nothing much …” Gaara was not that impress about the Konoha and even more so towards their rookies at the moment. From his point of view Konoha doing well is just because of their establishment within land of Fire, if Suna was in their place he viewed that they should be better than them. As for Konoha rookies, Suna also have their fair share of rookies in the past few years which were capable as well. His sister and brother were like them during their time when they participated in their Chunin exams and this time he will be leading the Suna delegates.

 

Pakura was amused by Gaara short reply and then she thought about something that could trigger him.

“… Indeed, there nothing much to talk about it…We still have to see truly how well their later batch that came from their newly created elite class. The current graduates are actually from their major clans and almost all of them are probably going to be successors when they grow up…”

 

Pakura continued on while looking at Gaara.

 

“What a coincidence and its even more remarkable that they allowed the capital political and business clans to join as well. Even Yuna-san son graduated from that elite class.

What is more surprising is that practically everyone from the political and business clans didn’t continue on and they went back to their respective clans helping their family. Even Yuna’s child did not continue and went on to his journey…”

 

When Gaara heard about the topic about the land of fire capital clans he was thinking particularly about Azuma. Pakura saw that and she smiled waiting for his reply.

 

“… Uzufuyuki Azuma… All our information of him is from his time in the academy and looking at it, it’s not that remarkable as a ninja but truly stellar for someone from someone outside of it. Sadly, we do not know how reliable that intel is…”

 

It made Gaara remember about the intel they got from the Academy regarding their final grades before they graduate.

Uzufuyuki Azuma

Ninjutsu: C

Taijutsu: A

Genjutsu: D

Cooperation: A

Positivity: B

Classroom Attitude: B

Teacher’s comments: It has to be noted that the lack of chakra pool within him lead to him having lower ninjutsu and genjutsu results. However, he recognizes his weakness, which allowed him to excel greatly in taijutsu and bukijutsu (weapons techniques). His is teamwork and cooperation with others is impeccable. His maturity is also beyond his age.

 

“…That’s why I wanted him to participate in this Chunin exam, I want to know. Sadly, he is not a ninja…”

 

As Pakura listened to Gaara, she acknowledges that it was true. All information they got about Azuma was hearsay or from the academic results intel they got. For her it’s not enough to evaluate someone until she meets him.

Even then she will still slightly be uncertain. The results could be manufactured by Konoha or Uzufuyuki, it will give her the shivers if it was by the individual himself.

 

Furthermore, she knows that the most reliable way to get information about someone is through actual combat first hand. It was particularly truer with regards to the Uzufuyuki.

 

For her and everyone in Sunagakure high echelon, the Uzufuyuki is an enigma. They were grateful of them as without them they will truly be in dire state. Even she did not want to wonder what Sunagakure will do without the Uzufuyuki.

 

At first even her, thought that the Uzufuyuki was having ulterior motives, however as time went by, she and many others thought that they were overthinking things.

 

The Uzufuyuki was truly a business entity. From their interactions and intelligence gathering the Uzufuyuki is a merchant family business.

They were having an equal partnership where Suna connected them to the areas within the land of wind and beyond. In return they helped in developing Sunagakure making it an important logistical location for the Uzufuyuki connecting their business beyond land of wind. With it they also helped in providing the much-needed work for Sunagakure ninjas.

 

Just looking at their operations it appears that the Uzufuyuki is only a business conglomerate. Trying to do business everywhere they go. Since Suna dealt with them constantly, the Uzufuyuki paint the same picture towards them always. They were a business-friendly company, the leaders of the organization are friendly and helpful, however they also showed their ruthlessness against their competitors. It was particularly so for the ones that are underhanded in their dealings. Nevertheless, it still portrays the Uzufuyuki in good light for them and many others that have contact with them.

 

However, she knows and felt differently later on after being close with them. She does not know how to describe her feeling but she felt that they are just one side of the coin. She experienced it first hand during her escort duties when she escorted Yuna. It was then that she felt something was off but she cannot identify the reason. Yuna and even everyone in Uzufuyuki family that she escorted made her felt something was off. It was the other side of the coin that she could not decipher.

 

Then there is Azuma, they do not have any intel about him after he graduated. Although they got some information from his peers that he was on a journey, they do not how true it was. For someone that just graduated to go on a journey was not unheard off, but for someone who was supposed to be from a merchant family it was completely different story. Also, there were no tracks about him anywhere beside sightings of him in places that have Uzufuyuki presences or some popular village or town from time to time. For him to not leave a trail but still appear all over different populated locations it was difficult to believe that he was just graduated from a ninja academy.

 

Everything about Uzufuyuki was enigma even their only descendance Azuma was also one, and that bothered her but she kept it in.

 

“… we still have more than a week before the chunin exams start, maybe he will be back to participate then. With the Uzufuyuki influence it’s easy for them to have him participate the chunin exams even if he is not really a ninja now.”

 

When Gaara heard Pakura reply he kept his silence as he thought about the possibilities he will participate.

 

…     

 

As days passed by more and more chunin examinees arrived, some even arrived at the last hours before the expected start of the exam. Participants were seen walking to the exam venue, some were looking tired because of them arriving in Konoha on that day. However, the overall atmosphere of the attendees could be split by three type of individuals some looking pump up, some serious, while others appear to be lax confident in their passing in the exam.

 

As for a certain Konoha participant, Naruto was feeling pump up as well while he meets up with Sakura and Sasuke at their agreed meeting place. After greeting each other they started to walk to the exam venue as well. All three of them have discussed in great lengths with group training while slotting time for their own personal training by themselves for a month for this exam. They felt confident that they can pass the exam easily now with the preparation they did.

 

While they were walking through the corridors following some participants, Sakura and Sasuke felt something was wrong so they halted midway which Naruto noticed and stopped as well. It made Naruto question about their abrupt stop as he questioned them about it. However, both Sakura and Sasuke kept quite while looking at the surrounding environment for a moment and caught on to something.

 

As they looked at each other both noticed the problem that they felt and turned to looked at each other. Both had the same assessment regarding the situation and nodded silently agreeing among themselves. After knowing that her assessment was the same to Sasuke, Sakura quietly went close to Naruto. When she was close to him, she whispered to him to keep quite and just to follow her while not making any unneeded actions that could provoke attention towards them.

 

Naruto was baffled by Sakura actions but he nodded and followed her request. As Naruto followed Sakura and Sasuke, they walked past group after groups of participants as they maneuver to corridors after corridors. Every point of gathering of the participants were passed by and Naruto almost questioned why they are not going in but he kept quiet.

 

Finally, they walked up another flight of stairs and they stopped in front of an inconspicuous lecture room down the corridor. When they reached the door, Sakura looked around and asked Sasuke confirmation about the location. Hearing her, he looked around and nodded to her. Naruto kept his silence figuring what was going on with both of them as he wanted to question their actions. For him he thought that both of them wanted to discuss about the exams and so he followed them since he had passed the examination venue, however now he felt different. He had walked past many participants and even go up another flight of stairs to arrive at this location. Nevertheless, he kept his silence as Sakura told him to as he knew that if he didn’t follow, he felt that she will be mad at him again and he didn’t want that. He knows what will happen if he makes her mad so he just followed them quietly.

 

As Naruto was questioning about their motives Sakura opened the door and he followed her walking in.

 

When Naruto walked in the room the first person that he noticed was Shikamaru as he called to him. “Yo, Naruto so you guys noticed as well.”

“Huh?” Naruto stood there and saw Shikamaru with Ino and Choji sitting around when he called him. He did not know what was happening and why Shikamaru called him out that way.

 

“Him? Nope, I just made him follow me.” As Naruto was still standing there thinking about why Shikamaru called to him that way Sakura replied back.

 

“Sigh, I thought so…” – Shikamaru

“Huh, what! What the hell you guys are talking about?” – Naruto

“Yup looking at you now, it’s definitely true *rustle*crunch*munch*munch*” – Choji

 

“Naruto-kun this is the real exam venue, the rest of the location are fake, they are location that have a genjutsu technique placed around the area.” Looking at Naruto still figuring out what was going on, Hinata gave him the answer so he knows what was really going on.

 

“…Genjutsu…” ‘What the hell!’ As Naruto was cursing in him for not noticing anything he realize that only him that it was only him that did not notice. ‘Shikamaru and Hinata teams is here already… its only me…’ Naruto felt sort of dejected that he was the only one in here that did not notice the genjutsu trap.

 

“Well, your weakest skill is genjutsu after all… actually you don’t have any skill in it.” When Naruto heard that statement from Sakura, he felt the invisible spears stab at him.

 

“Ahaha, Naruto don’t feel down with that that’s what teams is for, I also did not notice it but I have Shikamaru and Ino to help in that front.” Choji was happily talking to Naruto about his experience as well but Naruto kept quite while listening to him. He knows that Choji was just trying to help but he felt that he could have at least noticed something was not right but he failed in that part as well.

 

While Naruto was feeling dejected about himself, Lee, Tenten and Neji came in and noticed Naruto standing in the pathway towards the seating area. Lee greeted Naruto and the others that he was acquainted to because of Azuma. After greeting he noticed Naruto was feeling dejected and he asked them about the reason.

Shikamaru and Sakura filled him in and he looked at Naruto quietly. He actually feels that he will be like him if it was not because of Azuma training. The mental training, he got from Azuma trained him to heighten his sensitivity towards chakra within his striking zone. Without that training he would actually not notice the genjutsu traps as well. After hearing about the possibility that this was a test as well by Shikamaru he would have failed immediately if it were not for his training.

 

He agreed with Choji as well. As a team they could cover their own shortcomings however, he knows Naruto and he is someone that want to excel as a Ninja like him. Falling victim to the trap was something that hits him.

 

When he wanted to help Naruto so that he will not be bothered about the blunder another Konoha participant walked towards them. The individual introduced himself as Yakushi Kabuto. After he introduce himself, he started an open discussion on the Chunin exams in general, he explained to them his experience of his past exams and many others that have the same experience he had as well.

Since Naruto and the others did not have any experience in the exams they kept quite and listen to his narration about it. The discussions went on to the spread of the current ninja world power structure, their status quo, and the current ratios of participants in this room divided to their respective ninja village.

 

The explanation pique Naruto interest as he didn’t actually know much about other ninja villages beside Konoha. His only exposure to outside ninja was during his C class mission that he participated in.

After a while out of a sudden a group of Konoha ninjas appeared out of nowhere. The group of Konoha ninjas identified themselves as Chunin examiners. It was then that everyone in the room realize that the Chunin exam is about to start.