Chapter 19: The Unraveled Mummy and the Exam of Doom part-1
Physics took over. As I fell, the bandage unspooled. Dosu, caught off guard, spun around like a violently activated dreidel.
Whizzzz.
"Stop! Let go!" Dosu yelled as he spun.
I couldn't stop. I hit the ground, rolling to break my fall. As I rolled, I acted as a spool, winding the bandages around my own body.
Dosu spun faster and faster until—fwip—the last inch of bandage left his body.
He stopped spinning, dizzy and swaying.
He was standing in the middle of the street. His shirt was gone (it was part of the bandages). His pants were gone (also bandages). He was left wearing nothing but his metal gauntlet and a pair of boxers that had a pattern of musical notes on them.
Silence descended upon the street.
Sakura, who had just arrived with Sasuke, covered her eyes. "Oh my god!"
"My eyes!" Naruto yelled.
Dosu looked down at himself. He looked at me, currently wrapped up like a Egyptian queen in his bandages.
[Ding!]
[Achievement Unlocked: "Mummy Unwrapped." You have exposed the mystery of the Sound Ninja.]
[Reward: 400 Shy Points.]
[Observation: Musical note boxers? This villain has a surprisingly whimsical side.]
"You... you little..." Dosu trembled with rage and embarrassment.
Before he could attack, a blur of green descended from the sky.
"Leaf Hurricane!"
Rock Lee smashed into the ground between us, posing dramatically. "Stop right there! It is dishonorable to attack a lady! Although... why is the lady wearing your clothes?"
Lee looked at me, wrapped in bandages. He gave a thumbs up. "A bold fashion statement! Youthful!"
I scrambled backward, shedding the bandages like a snake shedding skin. "I am sorry! I didn't mean to undress him! It was the bow!"
I grabbed my application form and ran. I ran faster than I had ever run before. I didn't look back. I just wanted to find a hole and live in it forever.
................
The Chunin Exams were held at the Academy. I met up with Kiba and Shino on the third floor. I was still out of breath, and I was pretty sure I had traumatized a foreign diplomat, but we were here.
"You made it!" Kiba grinned. "We were worried you got lost on the stairs. Shino said you might have gotten stuck to the railing again."
"That is a valid concern based on recent data," Shino noted.
"I am fine," I lied. "Let's go in."
We pushed open the double doors to Room 301.
The room was packed. It was filled with terrifying ninjas from all over the world. Some looked like they ate gravel for breakfast. Others looked like they were made of knives.
The air was thick with killing intent.
"So many people," I whispered, shrinking behind Shino's coat.
"Hey! It's everyone!" Naruto's voice cut through the tension.
Team Seven and Team Ten were there. The "Rookie Nine" were gathered together. It felt like a class reunion, if the reunion was held in a shark tank.
"This is a drag," Shikamaru sighed. "Why are there so many troublesome looking guys?"
"Hey, you guys might want to keep it down," a soft voice said.
A young man with silver hair and round glasses approached us. He had a Leaf headband.
"I am Kabuto Yakushi," he said, smiling kindly. "I have taken this exam seven times. You rookies are drawing a lot of attention."
He pointed around the room. The other ninjas were glaring at us.
"Here," Kabuto said, pulling out a deck of cards. "I have info on everyone. These are my Ninja Info Cards."
He channeled chakra into a card. "For example, Rock Lee. Ninjutsu: terrible. Taijutsu: excellent. Or Gaara of the Sand. completed B-Rank missions as a Genin. Unscathed."
I stared at the cards. They were amazing.
"Do you have... info on me?" I asked quietly.
Kabuto looked at me. His glasses glinted. "Hinata Hyuga. Let's see."
He pulled a card.
"Hinata Hyuga. Team Eight. Statistics: Below average in Ninjutsu. Average in Taijutsu. Special Notes: Warning. Highly prone to catastrophic accidents. Do not stand within grapple range. Hazard Level: Ecchi."
My face turned scarlet. "It... it says that?"
"No," Kabuto chuckled. "I am just joking. It just says you are the Hyuga heiress."
He stepped closer to put the card away.
[System Alert: Threat Detected. This man is lying. He is creepy. Also, his pouch is open. Opportunity for sabotage detected.]
[Activating Skill: "The Fumbling Hand."]
As Kabuto moved to put the cards in his pouch, I felt a sudden urge to sneeze.
"Ah-choo!"
My body jerked forward. My hand shot out to stabilize myself.
My hand dove into Kabuto's open pouch.
My sticky chakra fingers (thanks to my nervousness) grabbed the first thing they touched.
I pulled my hand back.
I was holding a small, leather-bound book.
"What is this?" Kiba asked, leaning over.
Kabuto's face went pale. The friendly smile vanished for a split second. "Wait, give that back!"
But Kiba was faster. He snatched the book and opened it.
"Whoa," Kiba laughed. "It is a diary! 'Dear Diary, today I polished my glasses for three hours. I hope Orochimaru-sama notices me.' Dude, that is sad."
The entire room burst into laughter.
Kabuto froze. His eye twitched.
I stood there, horrified. I had just stolen a spy's diary and exposed him to ridicule.
"I... I..." I handed the book back to Kabuto with trembling hands. "Here."
Kabuto took the book. His smile was strained. "Thank you, Hinata-chan. You are... very skilled at pickpocketing."
"It was a sneeze!" I defended myself.
Suddenly, a cloud of smoke exploded at the front of the room.
"Quiet, you maggots!"
A scarred, terrifying man stood there. Ibiki Morino. The proctor of the first exam.
"I am Ibiki Morino, your proctor for the first phase. Take a seat. You will be assigned a number."
I gulped. The written exam. My nightmare.
............….
I was assigned seat number 23. To my immense relief, Naruto was sitting right next to me. To my immense horror, he looked like he was about to vomit from anxiety.
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