The Strength of the Weak {A Naruto Fanfiction}

The Strength of the Weak - Chapter 19

Satomi P.O.V.

"Rock Lee... he's a genin from Konohagakure, and seems to be a year older than you. He got a lot of attention last year when his taijutsu skills rapidly increased. His other skills, though, are pretty shaky," Kabuto says, pulling out Rock Lee's card first.

I glance behind me at Neji and his squad, analyzing Lee. He didn't seem like much... but now that I really look at him, the bandages cover his arms and hands. Plus, he beat Sasuke in a fight only using taijutsu... there was definitely more to this guy than I originally thought.

"As for Subaku no Gaara... woah, this guy has gone on 7 C-Rank missions and one B-Rank... but the thing is he has never gotten a scratch on him during any of them," Kabuto exclaims. My eyes narrow at this news, as well as Sasuke's. These Suna shinobi were not to be taken lightly, either.

Kabuto pulls out yet another card, pouring some chakra into it and revealing what it was previously hiding.

"Ninja of Konoha, Suna, Ame, Taki, and Oto... all of these ninja are exceptional. They're the best bunch in a while... however there is little to no information on the Oto shinobi. Otogakure is a small village that popped up a short while ago, and they are very mysterious..." Kabuto informs us.

From beside me, Naruto starts shaking. His head is down, so I can't tell if it's in terror or excitement, but knowing him, it's definitely excitement.

Across the room, I notice quick movements from a team, heading to where we were standing. Nobody but Kabuto seemed to see them, raising my suspicion of him even more. He's just... too nice. We don't know enough about him to trust him yet... at least I don't.

Emerging from the crowd, an Oto ninja throws a couple of kunai at Kabuto, causing him to jump back to avoid them. Quickly advancing, the Oto ninja pulls back his sleeve, just enough to reveal a small device on the back of his arm.

He throws a punch, but Kabuto successfully avoids it, coming out without a scratch. A smirk etches across his face, but it soon crumbles when his glasses shatter into tiny pieces. The rookie nine gasp in surprise, having seen what I saw. Kabuto wasn't hit by that punch.

Moments later, Kabuto crumbles to the ground, hurling for no apparent reason. There was definitely something fishy about that device on the Oto ninja's arm.

"Put this in your ninja information cards... the shinobi of Otogakure will be chunin by the end of these exams," he states confidently, his teammates coming up behind him with smirks across their faces.

"Hold on a second... I saw that attack, and Kabuto dodged it in time. How did he end up like that?" Sasuke demands, stepping forward.

"The device on his arm. Something's up with it," I whisper out, watching the Oto ninja carefully.

"Alright, pipe down you baby-faced degenerates! My name is Ibiki Morino, and I am your proctor for the first part of your exam... and from this point on... your worst enemy," A burly man calls out from the front of the room, a horde of chunin appearing behind him.

"You, from Otogakure, do you want to be disqualified before the exams even begin?" Ibiki asks hauntingly. The Oto shinobi smirk, turning away from us to face our proctor.

"Sorry, it's our first time. I guess we are a little... jumpy," the ninja who attacked Kabuto states. Ibiki narrows his eyes at him, a smirk crawling across his lips.

"From this point on, there will be absolutely no fighting tolerated, unless the proctors allow it. Even so, the use of fatal force is strictly prohibited and you will be automatically disqualified if you do use it. Am I clear?" Ibiki booms, commanding the attention of the entire room.