Chapter 39: Illusions and Expectations
"Don't speak wild words lightly," Aizen said, his smile faint and his posture relaxed as he stood on the branch, looking down. "It only reveals your own weakness."
Gaara's brow furrowed, the placid emptiness in his eyes churning into a visible, sand-like swirl of murderous intent. With a mere thought, a torrent of sand erupted from the gourd on his back, swirling around him in a protective, menacing cloud. First provoked by Sasuke, and now blindsided by Aizen's effortless display, a genuine, killing rage began to simmer within him.
"Enough, Gaara," Temari interjected, her voice tense. "This is Konoha's territory. Acting rashly will only cause trouble for us." She pressed further, her logic clear. "There will be plenty of chances during the Chunin Exams. There's no need to reveal our strength here."
Gaara was silent for a long moment, the sand hovering in the air. Finally, with a slow, deliberate motion, the sand retreated, flowing back into the gourd. He fixed his chilling gaze on Aizen, his voice a low promise. "You are an interesting one. I hope you do not become my opponent in the exams... otherwise..."
He left the threat hanging, the words 'otherwise' dripping with cold, unrestrained bloodlust.
Swish!
Without another word, the three Suna shinobi vanished in a simultaneous Body Flicker, leaving only a faint disturbance in the air.
From beginning to end, Aizen's composure had not cracked. Even Gaara's direct threat was nothing more than a minor ripple on a vast, calm ocean. With a mindset that looked down upon the very heavens, he truly disdained to expend energy on a few insignificant insects.
"Let's go," Aizen said, his voice returning to its usual, gentle tone, so convincing it could make anyone feel at ease. "We should head to the academy as well." He dropped lightly from the branch, landing softly in front of his teammates. After a brief, polite nod to Team 7, Team 8 set off for the Ninja School.
"Sasuke," Naruto grinned, elbowing his brooding teammate. "I finally found a guy cooler than you!"
Sasuke ignored the jab, his fists clenched. "Aizen Sōsuke... Gaara..." he muttered, a fierce competitive fire igniting in his eyes. "This Chunin Exam just got a lot more interesting. Let's go, Naruto, Sakura."
Ninja School
"I didn't expect there to be so many people," Kiba exclaimed, his eyes wide as he took in the scene.
The hallways were packed, a sea of bodies wearing a dizzying array of different village headbands and flak jackets. Genin from every major nation and several minor ones were crammed into the corridors, a low hum of nervous and competitive energy filling the air.
"It is statistically normal," Shino stated, navigating the crowd with calm precision. "The Chunin Exams are a significant event. Every village places great importance on them."
"Let's keep moving," Aizen said, his voice a calm center in the storm. "We need to get to Room 301. Kurenai-sensei is expecting us."
The four of them pushed their way through the throng and soon arrived at their destination: a classroom marked with a '301' placard. To their surprise, a large crowd of genin was gathered outside the door, seemingly blocked from entering by two large, intimidating figures.
"There's some kind of argument. Let's check it out," Kiba said, his impulsive nature taking over as he pushed forward.
They squeezed through the crowd to see three genin—a boy with incredibly thick eyebrows and two others—lying pitifully on the ground, nursing fresh bruises. Two older-looking genin stood guard in front of the door, arms crossed.
"Please, just let us through," the thick-browed boy pleaded, his face already swollen.
"No way," one of the blockers sneered, looking down his nose at them. "If you're this weak, you shouldn't even bother taking the Chunin Exam. Just go home, kid."
The boy tried to get up, but one of the guards swiftly kicked him back down.
"They're not holding back at all," Kiba muttered, a worried look on his face. "It doesn't look like getting into 301 is going to be easy."
"No," Aizen said, shaking his head slightly. "We don't need to go in here. Let's go."
"Why, Aizen?" Hinata asked, her voice soft and confused. "Isn't this where we're supposed to go?"
"This is nothing more than an illusion layered over a simple barrier," Aizen explained, a knowing smile on his lips. "In reality, this is only the second floor. The real Room 301 is one level up."
Such a paltry trick could never hope to deceive his senses.
"Let's go. There's no point in wasting time here."
Aizen turned and walked away from the crowd without a second glance, heading calmly towards the staircase that led to the third floor. Hinata, Kiba, and Shino exchanged a look of dawning understanding before quickly following their leader, leaving the confused mob behind.
After they had left, the two "genin" blocking the door glanced at each other. Their forms flickered and dissolved, revealing themselves to be nothing more than Shadow Clones. From behind a nearby pillar, the real proctors—two special jōnin—watched Aizen's retreating back, their eyes sharp with interest.
"So, they're Kurenai's students. No wonder they saw through the Genjutsu Barrier so easily."
"It seems this year's exam is going to give us proctors something to look forward to after all."