All characters and story belong to Kohei Horikoshi and Masashi Kishimoto
—I really want to beat up the mummy, the plug without eyebrows and that jerk with weird eyes... —Bakugo muttered as the last of the students entered room 201. He still had some walking and a staircase to go to get to room 301, which would be where the chunin exam would take place.
Bakugo walked around the room, but aimlessly since he didn't know where room 301 was.
"Shit, at this rate I'm going to be late for the exam," Bakugo thought, disgusted.
—Don't do it, Sasuke-kun! We only have half an hour left until the exam starts and we still haven't found Bakugo! —Bakugo heard Sakura's high-pitched voice to his left
Bakugo ran to the source of the voice and entered a massive two-story room. He was on the top floor, and downstairs were Sakura, Sasuke, and Lee, the latter in a fighting stance. Bakugo waited expectantly and didn't announce his entrance, not wanting to interrupt the fight that was about to ensue.
"Relax. I'll be done with him in less than five minutes," Sasuke said confidently.
Sasuke ran at Lee straight to punch him, but when he was about to reach him, Lee disappeared with incredible speed to place himself behind the survivor of the Uchiha clan.
—Konoha senpu! (leaf whirlwind) —Lee launched a series of low and high kicks, Sasuke dodged almost all of them but in the end he had to cover himself but it was ineffective since at the last moment the kick changed direction and hit him in the face.
—Sasuke-kun!—Sakura shouted worriedly as she watched Sasuke fall to the ground from the impact on his face.
Bakugo stood with his arms crossed, watching the duel intently from the second floor. He was surprised by how fast Lee was. He was even faster than when he stopped the bully and Sasuke earlier. Sasuke stood up and smiled arrogantly.
"Heh. I've been waiting to try this," Sasuke said, showing the sharingan with two blades in each eye.
"I had already forgotten that I had to ask him about those eyes when I saw them when he was fighting the boy-girl. How did he get the eyes of Itachi and the one-eyed man?" Bakugo thought, twisting his face.
Sasuke once again ran at full speed after Lee, but this time, he trusted his sharingan to copy the jutsu the boy with the big eyebrows was using. The result didn't change; a kick to the jaw sent Sasuke flying.
—He's an idiot! You can't copy someone's speed, you moron!—Bakugo thought, annoyed by the Uchiha's poor plan.
"How did he manage to reach me? What jutsu was that?" Sasuke thought painfully as he stood in the air.
"I don't use ninjutsu or genjutsu. Even if you can read my movements with your eyes, your body isn't fast enough to react to my taijutsu. So I don't care if your eyes are fast, because your body isn't on my level, rendering your eyes useless." Lee explained, then jumped down and placed himself beneath Sasuke, who was still in the air. "KAGE BUYO! (Dancing Leaf Shadow). I'll show you that hard work beats genius."
"What's the next move?" Sasuke thought, starting to get really worried.
There was no next move, as a paper pinwheel with a needle pierced one of Lee's bandages and embedded itself in the wall. Lee broke away from Sasuke and with a flip landed on the floor unharmed.
"That's enough!" exclaimed a huge turtle.
"What the fuck? Did a giant turtle just talk?" Bakugo thought, raising an eyebrow in surprise.
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura shouted. Seeing that Sasuke was about to fall from a great height, she ran to catch him in midair. "Are you okay, Sasuke?"
"Grrr," Sasuke said, enraged and hurt at the same time, focusing his gaze on Lee who looked at the ground in regret.
"Sasuke is in shock. He hasn't been able to move enough to fall properly," Sakura thought.
"Did you see what we did?" Lee asked, shaking with fear.
"Lee, that last jutsu was forbidden. You know that," the turtle scolded him.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do it," Lee said ruefully.
"Well, I guess the fight's over," Bakugo thought, watching in disbelief as Lee apologized to a turtle.
Bakugo climbed onto the railing of the floor above him and jumped down to the floor below where everyone else was. Lee, Sakura, and Sasuke were surprised by Bakugo's presence.
—Bakugo... —Lee and Sakura said at the same time.
"I've been meaning to ask you this question ever since the Land of Waves. Why do you have one-eyed eyes, Sasuke?" Bakugo asked, but his attention was on the big talking turtle. The real question he wanted to ask, though, was why he had the same eyes as Itachi.
"You're not the only one with a kekkei genkai, Bakugo," Sasuke said, sitting up and moving away from Sakura's arms. "The Uchiha clan is characterized by the sharingan."
"So the one-eyed man is an Uchiha?" he asked, turning his head momentarily, remembering Itachi and Kakashi's three-bladed sharingan.
"Not that I know of," Sasuke answered truthfully.
—Mmmm. —Bakugo decided not to say anything else.
—It makes sense that he's not an Uchiha. Unlike Sasuke and Itachi, the one-eyed man only has it in one eye. But how did he get it if it's a blood barrier passed down through inheritance? Although that scar and the fact that whenever he shows that eye it's with the sharingan... Did they transplant it through surgery? And if so... who did that eye come from? Damn, another Uchiha-related mystery. Because I'm sure if I ask the one-eyed man, he'll just give me the runaround. —Bakugo thought.
While Bakugo was entranced, trying to solve that puzzle, the turtle and Lee exchanged reproaches and apologies respectively. A smoke screen appeared over the turtle's shell. When the smoke cleared, an adult emerged who was an exact copy of Lee, only more muscular, taller, wearing a vest, and with even bushier eyebrows.
"How's everyone doing? Are you living your youth energetically?" he asked, looking ridiculous.
Sasuke, Sakura and Bakugo showed, without any dissimulation, faces of disgust.
"Now I know where that big-eyebrowed guy's bad taste comes from," Bakugo thought with a look of disgust.
"What a pair of weirdos..." Sakura whispered.
"I can't believe this being defeated me," Sasuke thought.
—Big eyebrows, don't fuck with me! Is this geek your teacher?—asked Bakugo, pointing at the adult.
"Hey! Don't insult Gai-sensei, Bakugo! Even if you're my friend, I won't forgive you if you look down on him!" Lee exclaimed angrily, clenching his fist.
—I told you no...!—Bakugo shouted, but he didn't finish his sentence because he was shocked to see Gai give his student a very strong punch in the face, making him bleed profusely.
—"EHHHH?!" said Kakashi's three students, stupefied.
"This was your punishment for being a fool, Lee!" Gai said. Then he walked over to where Lee's body lay and knelt. "I'm sorry, Lee. But I'm doing this for your own good."
"Sensei!" Lee said. Then they both started crying and hugging each other tightly.
—Lee! Gai-sensei! Lee! Gai-sensei!—said the big eyebrows without stopping the hug.
"How could I have lost to someone so pathetic?" Sasuke thought with a nervous twitch.
—Uaghhh. —Sakura said, embarrassed.
"I've had enough of this shit," Bakugo said, almost sick. "Let's go to the exam before I throw up my breakfast!" Bakugo ordered his classmates.
Sakura and Sasuke obeyed and walked towards room 301. Gai noticed
"Hey, wait a minute," Gai said, realizing they were Kakashi's students. "How's Kakashi?"
"Ignore that geek and don't look back," Bakugo said, trying to forget the scene of the hug and the tears.
"Heh," Gai said with a serious face, appearing almost as if teleporting in front of the three genins.
"What?" Sakura, Sasuke and Bakugo said at the same time, stunned to see Gai suddenly in front of them.
"You see..." Gai said, closing his eyes and placing a hand on his chin. "My record with Kakashi is 50 wins and 49 losses. I win by one. People call us eternal rivals."
"Is this geek stronger than the one-eyed guy?" Bakugo thought, seeing Gai with different eyes. "Truth be told... his speed is no joke. And he managed to make the big-eyes guy, who doesn't know ninjutsu or genjutsu, defeat Sasuke."
"Well, I'm off. Good luck, Lee. See you later," Gai said, disappearing in a screen of smoke, along with the giant turtle.
"Sasuke," Lee said, removing the grinder and putting on his bandages. Lee turned to pay attention. "I haven't been entirely honest with you. I came to test my skills against you because it's not true that I'm the strongest genin. That position belongs to my teammate."
"The weird eyes?" Bakugo asked, remembering Neji.
"If that's Neji you're talking about with that name... then yes, Bakugo," Lee said, staring at Bakugo intently. "Bakugo, I know we're friends..."
—How many...!—Lee disappeared from his sight, placing himself on Bakugo's back.
"But, during the chunin exam, we'll be rivals. So don't hold back... because I won't hold back with you, Bakugo," Lee said, very seriously, disappearing from the room.
"Heh," Bakugo smiled, trembling with excitement at the thought of Gaara, Neji, and Lee. "I haven't felt this agitated in a long time..." he said, clenching his fist. "Not even at the Sports Festival..." he whispered the last bit.
"Sports Festival?" Sakura asked, surprised.
"It's a very long story, and it happened a long time ago, Big Forehead," Bakugo said, tightening the knot of his forehead ribbon even more. "Now my only goal is to reach the top and surpass all those extras who dared to challenge us." He took a few steps toward Room 301. "Are you with me?" It seemed more like an order than a question.
"Of course!" Sakura said, catching Bakugo's excitement.
—Heh. No one can beat Team 7. —Sasuke smiled.
"Good, because I'll only be satisfied with a resounding, crushing victory," Bakugo exclaimed, baring his teeth.
All characters and story belong to Kohei Horikoshi and Masashi Kishimoto
At the entrance to the real room 301, stood Kakashi Hatake with his hands in his pockets.
"So you've come too, Sakura," Kakashi said. "I'm happy for you and the others. This way, you can officially register for the chunin promotion exam."
"What do you mean by that?" Sakura asked, not understanding.
"You see, they only allow entire groups to register for the exam. That's how it's always been," Kakashi explained.
"Hey, one-eyed!" Bakugo said, annoyed. "Don't give me that crap now! You said yourself that taking this exam was voluntary!"
"It's true what I said, Bakugo. I wasn't completely lying, since it was supposed to be an individual decision and no one should be pressured to sign up so as not to affect the group. I wanted the decision to be free and free of any coercion," Kakashi said. "If Sakura hadn't come, I wouldn't have let you or Sasuke sign up."
—Tsk. ...Bakugo muttered, not entirely convinced by his sensei's answer, but since everything turned out well in the end, he didn't say anything else.
—Stop thinking about it. It's already done, and you're all here for a good reason. Sakura... —Kakashi said, looking at the pinkette— Bakugo...—his gaze fell on the ash-blond's— and Sasuke. —I'm very proud of you. I couldn't have asked for a better team. —He showed a smile under his mask. —Good luck on the exams.—
Sasuke and Sakura opened the door and entered the room, but Bakugo stayed for a moment to chat alone with his sensei.
—One-eyed, when are you going to tell me where you got that sharingan? As far as I know, you're not an Uchiha.—said Bakugo, frowning.
"I'm not an Uchiha, Bakugo," Kakashi replied.
"So what?" Bakugo asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It's a very long story, and if I tell you, you'll be late for the exam. Besides, I don't feel like recounting old stories. Maybe if you become a chunin, I'll change my mind," Kakashi said.
"I'll take you at your word, Kakashi," Bakugo said, his face very serious.
"And why this interest in my past so suddenly, Bakugo?" Kakashi asked.
"There are too many mysteries about the Uchiha clan that require an explanation," Bakugo replied, recalling the episode of the Uchiha clan massacre, the strange masked man, and the Hokage and Danzo's evasiveness.
"Mmm," Kakashi said thoughtfully.
That was the end of the conversation as Bakugo entered the room where everyone enrolled in the chunin promotion exam was. Kakashi closed the door and walked toward the Hokage tower.
Inside room 301, hundreds of candidates from all the ninja villages looked at group 7 with disdain.
"Wow, I had no idea there would be so much competition," Sakura whispered worriedly. "Besides, they all look much older than us."
—Mmm. —Sasuke frowned, feeling a little intimidated by the animosity contained in the hundreds of stares.
"I didn't know there would be so much extra," Bakugo thought, scanning the competition. Then he showed his white teeth and smiled arrogantly. "Well, whatever. Victory will be even sweeter when I crush them all."
The tension that group 7 felt due to the atmosphere was cut short when Ino appeared, hugging Sasuke tightly from behind.
"Sasuke-kun, you're late!" exclaimed a blushing Ino. "You have no idea how much I was looking forward to you showing up here!"
Sasuke didn't think the same, his face of disgust reflected it.
"You, Ino-pig, get away from Sasuke! He's mine!" Sakura screamed out of control, a vein popping out on her forehead.
"Aa, I didn't notice you, Sakura. I see you're still as big-faced and ugly as ever," Ino replied.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Sakura asked, clenching her fist.
Ino separated from Sasuke for a moment and approached Bakugo.
"I haven't seen you in a long time, Bakugo. Have you missed me?" Ino said in a flirtatious tone.
"Mmm, not really," Bakugo replied absently. He tried to see where Neji, Gaara, and Lee were, but his gaze couldn't find them.
Ino lowered her head in frustration. But she recovered almost instantly and clenched her fist.
"Well, you better know that neither do I, idiot!" the blonde exclaimed furiously.
"Who do you think you're calling an idiot, bitch!" Bakugo shouted, bringing his face close to Ino's to intimidate her.
"Well, you, idiot!" Ino replied, not letting herself be intimidated and taking a step towards the ash-blonde.
"Grrr," they both growled, standing just inches away from each other.
"I knew this was going to be a drag, but I didn't think it would be this bad," Shikamaru said, yawning, accompanied by Choji, who was eating from his bag of chips.
"Huh? You're here too, yawning boy?" Bakugo asked, turning his head and forgetting about the argument with Ino. "I was sure you'd find some excuse not to come to this."
"The exam is a pain," Shikamaru scratched his head. "But it would have been even more of a pain to endure my mother's screams if I hadn't taken the exam."
"Yum, yum, yum," Choji nodded.
"I still can't believe how unlucky I was when I got these two in my group," Ino lamented.
"Hey!" an excited Naruto approached, accompanied by Kiba and Hinata. "Finally, the nine genin from our class are here! Dattebayo!"
"I wanted to talk to you, brat!" Bakugo said, walking briskly over and pointing at Naruto.
"Huh? About what, Bakugo?" Naruto asked, not understanding.
"You better tell your old man to stop sending me crappy missions!" Bakugo said, tapping Naruto's chest with his index finger. Then the incident with Konohamaru came to mind. "And most of all, tell that bastard not to send me impertinent kids to challenge me!"
—I don't have the power to...—he didn't finish the sentence because Bakugo interrupted him.
"No excuses, bastard!" He then turned his head to where Hinata was. "And you, weird eyes!"
—Bakugo-kun ...—Hinata said half scared and half excited because her crush was addressing him.
"I exchanged a few words earlier with a bastard I believe is related to you. Who the hell is he?" Bakugo demanded.
"Huh? This..." Before Hinata could answer, Kiba stepped forward and placed himself between the two.
"A loser like you can't be demanding anything from my teammates, Bakugo," Kiba said threateningly. Then he noticed Kubikiribōchō, the greatsword Zabuza had given him. "Ha. Do you think carrying that thing is going to change the fact that you're useless, Bakugo?"
"I don't need this thing to send you to the other side, dog face..." Bakugo said in a threatening tone.
The two remained silent, staring at each other with narrowed eyes. The tension could have been cut with a knife. Akamaru, who was perched on Kiba's hood, was growling, trying to intimidate Bakugo. Hinata looked from side to side, worried. On one side was Kiba, her teammate, and on the other was Bakugo, her crush. Ino was once again wrapping her arms around Sasuke's neck to annoy Sakura, so neither of them paid attention to the verbal sparring between the two genin.
"Come on, come on, guys," Naruto said, his neck aching with discomfort. "Let's not fight each other. We're friends."
"I could never be friends with this loser, Naruto," Kiba said, turning his back on the pair of blondes.
"Friends?" Bakugo said incredulously. "You have the same mosquito brain as your old man, gas man."
"Well, well. For once, the nine of us got together and spent the whole time arguing," Shikamaru said, his hands in his pockets. "What a drag."
"The nine rookies..." Kiba said, looking at the rest of the competition. "That's what the rest of the candidates call us. I have a feeling this is going to be fun. At least for those of us who make the cut, right, Sasuke?"
"Careful, don't get too confident, Kiba," Sasuke replied with a smug smile, slipping out of Ino's embrace.
"You'll see. We're going to beat the hell out of you. Our group consists of the Hokage's son, the heiress of the Hyuga clan, and me, who's amazing," Kiba said arrogantly. "Besides, we've been training like beasts. You don't stand a chance."
"You're starting to piss me off, dogface," Bakugo muttered, wanting to beat him up.
"Don't listen to Kiba, Bakugo. I'm sure he didn't mean that," Hinata said, touching her index fingers together, nervous about talking to Bakugo.
"Huh?" Kiba and Bakugo said simultaneously because they didn't understand why Hinata said that. Hinata turned red as a tomato from the embarrassment she felt.
"Hey, guys. Maybe you'd better keep your voice down," advised a young man with graying hair in his twenties who wore glasses. "You're the nine genin fresh out of the academy. The nine rookies, right? If I were you, I wouldn't go making a scene. Calm down, this isn't a class field trip."
"And who the hell are you?" Ino asked, somewhat annoyed by the unknown guy's attitude.
"I'm Kabuto Yakushi," the young man replied, extending his hand to shake Bakugo's hand, who was the closest to him.
"Go fuck yourself, four-eyes," Bakugo said rudely, rejecting the greeting.
—BAKA-GO! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU THAT YOU HAVE TO STOP BEING RUDE?— Sakura shouted, shaking the ash-blond. Due to Sakura's mysterious magic, he felt unable to do anything against her.
"Hehehe," Kabuto said with a nervous smile. "It's all right. But look around. You've made your mark." All the other candidates glared at the nine of them. "See those kids over there?" he said, pointing to a group of ninjas with the headband containing four vertical stripes. "They're from the Rainfall Village. They're all very nervous about the exam, and I suppose you don't want any trouble."
Sakura stopped shaking Bakugo and looked back in fear.
"Well, you can't help it. You're just fresh out of the academy, after all, and you don't know how the world works," Kabuto said, closing his eyes. "You remind me of me a while back."
"Isn't this the first time you've introduced yourself, Kabuto?" Sakura asked.
—No. It's the seventh. —Kabuto replied.
Bakugo looked at the gray-haired young man with even greater distrust when he said it was his seventh time. There was something about him that didn't give him a good feeling.