Uzumaki

Six

I wake up before my alarm and am racing down the stairs when I smell food cooking.

"Good morning, Yuki. I have begun prepping for dinner, for I know you'll do great today. Good luck, sweetheart," my grandmother smiles at me as she places the two cooked eggs near the bacon.

"Eat up."

I nod and quickly scarf down my food, I want to get to the academy already.

"Slow down, Yuki, the examiners aren't going anywhere," Grandpa lectures as I choke on my bacon.

I slow down my eating as Grandma tells me what she has planned for dinner, "Oh homemade ramen would be amazing, Grandma! Extra meat on mine, please!"

I take off after breakfast and make my way to the academy training grounds.

"Yuki over here!" I follow a beaming Etsuko to the back of the class.

"You ready?" I ask as I approach her.

"Yes, I'm ready to be a genin!" She bounces between the balls of her feet.

"Did you hear? They're gonna begin patrolling the border missions, I'm guessing we will be getting those missions," Kadiki Udon walks up to the group.

"Yeah, my mom believes we will not be getting usual D-rank missions but simple war-prepping missions," Hibiki responds and a few others nod in agreement while most just listen in.

"Well, whatever happens well be ready. We've been training," Etsuko speaks up.

"What if that isn't enough?" Shia responds quietly and the rest join in the silence that falls after.

"We try to survive anyways."

The Sensei interrupts us then and draws our attention back to the exam.

"When I call your name you'll come up and perform the Shadow Clone Jutsu. Then you'll walk over the pool of water and back. The final portion of the exam will be after lunch," he raises his clipboard and begins going off the list of names.

I was the last one to go up, and just like the kid before me my Shadow Clone was perfect and my walk over water went flawlessly.

"Alright everyone you're free for lunch we will resume in an hour," Sensei  Izuko leaves us to ourselves.

I join Etsuko and the others in the shade under a tree and we begin exchanging food amongst each other as we discuss what the last portion of the exam could be.

Before we knew it we were making our way to a small forest, "for your final task you will complete a mission. I will hand you a scroll and you will go in and complete your task."

Another ninja arrives with eighteen scrolls, "the tasks will start mundane but the challenge is completing the challenge once inside and reaching your designated location," he picks it a scroll and reads the name on it.

"Enter that way," he states before moving on to the next scroll.

I watch each of my classmates get the strolls and make their way into the forest.

Once I get my scroll I make my way inside a few meters before climbing up a tree and opening my scroll.

My challenge was to find a two-tailed monkey and take it to the drop zone under a waterfall north of the entrance.

I jump off the tree and make my way around, the forest heading north. Hopefully, the monkey I need is up ahead.

It was almost midnight when I came across another person, he had started a fire, and it had gotten cold.

"Miski Udon! You decide to take it easy?" I ask I point to the free spot on the log across from the fire.

"Yeah. Something like that," he responds quietly and points to the deep dash on his leg that had been bandaged up.

"Mind swapping stories? I checked out the river and found massive fish. I can share my catch with you two," I say as I look to my left where Niko is approaching.

I unsealed fast two-foot fish, "these were the smallest I could get," I say and Miski smiles.

Thanks, Yuki. We're starving," Miski breaks into a smile.

"Thanks, Yuki but we don't have much information. For a small forest, we fell prey to a labyrinth, half turned out to be a Genjustu but still most of it was real," Niko takes the fish from Yuki and starts prepping them.

"When you two team up?" I ask as the fish begin to cook.

"Miski saved me from a large snake when I fell into a swap yesterday," Niko speaks up.

Yesterday? The sun's yet to set, I asked them the time and they said it was four in the afternoon.

I question the day again and they say it's the day of tomorrow.

"I think this whole forest has a genjustu cast on it. To me, it's only been a few hours."

They ask what we should do now. I say try and focus on the task and ignore the time that passes.

What creature did you two get? I got a two-tail monkey," I state clearly and they tell me theirs,  a bird and a toad.

"Good luck with those," I say and they sign in defeat.

"'Thank you,'" they say in unison and I nod amusedly.

After we eat we part ways I make my way upstream after finding prints that match my target paws.

I make my way to the monkey's nest after I find one by the water.

I use a Genjutsu to get them all immobilized before sealing one away and getting out of dodge.

I make my way to my given location and find Izuko Sensei waiting, "where's your creature?"

I unsealed the still immobilized monkey and handed it to him, "Way to go Yuki. You have passed the last portion of your exam."

I break into a smile and ask for the way out. He points me in the right direction and I join two others in the front of the forest.

"How was it Kiggo? Uzuki?" I ask the two scratched-up boys.

"The challenge itself was easy but the damn cat I got was horrible," he mutters, poking a forming bruise.

"At least it's over and we have passed," I respond and they both break out into smiles.

"We are Genin!" Kiggo cheers.

After everyone makes it out we become one of the few classes that has everyone pass the exam. Izuko sensei takes the whole class out to BBQ.

It was late when I got home, after checking in with my grandparents I headed to the training grounds for a small training session.

Standing in the middle of the field was Shisui, I approached him, but it was my hand on his shoulder that alerted him of my presence.

"Hey Shisui are you okay?" I ask him.