From A Life Long Past

13: Orochimaru

The sound of munching filled their corner of the examination hall.

Sasuke was scowling at Naruto, who was folding a sheet of paper covered in seals into a three-dimensional fūinjutsu matrix.

After the paper was folded into a small fourteen-sided closed figure, Naruto channelled chakra through the black-inked writing.

The matrix glowed blue and Naruto tossed the paper object at Sasuke.

Sasuke reached a hand out to catch it, only to look on blankly as the thing passed through his hand. Immaterial and elusive, it did not slow as it phased through his body and continued its path in a clean arc unaffected by air resistance. He glanced back at Naruto, and saw the blond jerk his wrist as if tugging on an invisible string.

The paper construct tumbled through the air towards Naruto, and remained still as it hovered over the Uzumaki's palm.

"This isn't genjutsu?" Sakura remarked, studying the seals painted on the paper in curiosity.

Sasuke corrected her absently, "It's still fūinjutsu, but it contains the fundamentals of a space-time law. It's a modified version of a toy that we used to play with when we were kids. This one exists on a different plane from us -- we can see it but not touch it."

"It's a little gadget to practice chakra control with," Naruto translated Sasuke's explanation into a comprehensive statement.

"I think you're oversimplifying things again," Sakura huffed.

"You want it?" Naruto asked Shikamaru, catching the yearning in the latter's gaze as he scrutinised the paper construct.

Shikamaru knew better than to beat around the bush.

"I want it," said Shikamaru, frankly.

"I'll give it to you," Naruto replied agreeably, retracting his chakra from the seals.

The glowing mystical pentagon-derived figure dimmed and the paper object landed gently in his hand.

"Just send chakra into the matrix and it will become intangible. You can play with the controls if you move the chakra that you have placed in it," Naruto briefly instructed, placing the toy in the Nara's hand.

Shikamaru did not hesitate, running his chakra through the circuitry of seals and watching them light up in sequence.

He twirled the paper structure and started messing around with it.

He finally understood why Naruto was always fiddling around with these things.

It was a form of stress relief. It helped one to think. It even allowed him to study fūinjutsu.

"Awoo," a low howl reached the ears of the six genins huddled around the glowing paper toy.

Naruto traced the sound back to its source and saw a white puppy with black markings on its floppy ears. The puppy was comfortably lying on the fluffy hood of a boy with narrow, upward-slanting eyes and maroon triangular markings painted on his face. He recognised this boy as a classmate of the same graduating class, and the two following him were also acquaintances.

The jōnin senseis seemed quite confident this time? All nine rookies of the most recent batch of Academy graduates were sent out. The Chūnin Exams was not a cakewalk -- many people would die every time it was held. These children were all inexperienced. Shikamaru aside, Naruto could not imagine any of the other genins passing this time.

"Yahoo! Found you!" Kiba yelled boisterously.

Naruto thoughtfully rested his gaze on the boy's canine companion.