Chapter 32: 32
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It was afternoon on the fifth day of the second part of the exam and Naruto was currently fishing in a isolated area of the forest, he hadn't caught anything in 6 hours, but atleast it alleviated some of the annoyance and boredom he was feeling, he had to constantly remind himself not to just up and leave the tower due to what had happened during the 5 days, though it was hard when he had to hear Sasuke nagging him to spar now that he had the mark and Sakuras screeches about how her dear Uchiha had to fight a Sannin inside the forest, annoying everyone in the process and making the whole administration and teams know about it.
Anko had been replaced by a random Jonin for this test to continue overseeing the teams, Ino and Hinata had made it to the tower the next day with their teammates having a confused look, probably because of how they had handled the test.
Hinata surprised her team when she took out the other scroll and they decided to camp outside for a day to not make it obvious, much to Kibas annoying attitude because he almost felt superior to clear it so fast, though it didn't last long when he saw 2 other teams clear it faster, she had spent most of the time with her team and couldn't interact with me without Kibas dog nose following behind.
Ino on the other hand was annoyed with her team in a fight and had to take out the opposite team herself with a few well placed Senbons, causing both Choji and Shikamaru to contemplate on how she did that, and constantly ask her questions she didn't want to answer. She dumped them both when they reached the tower and spent most of her time with me at the roof.
Gaara had up and become dense when he confronted his siblings with smiles and hugs, causing both of them to be terrified and perplexed until he had to explain that he just reflected on himself and wanted to treat them better from now on, we had met up with eachother for casual talk after his 2 day sleep at night and I had started becoming a guidance counselor of sorts, it felt good seeing him relaxed and sleeping well.
Karin had settled down into the compound after she woke up freaking out, I had to tell her that she didn't need to worry about Kusa anymore and could stay here with me as a member of the Uzumaki Clan, it ended with a lot of eating and crying to calm her down.
Sakura had woken up screeching shortly after I made it back from dropping Karin off the compound, she alerted the whole tower on how frantic she was about what had happened, I had to sit and watch her explain the whole thing while being oblivious, I told her I found them both unconcious after I was blown away and carried them to the tower when I saw the scroll we needed next to them.
Of course Sasuke had to wake up at that moment with curse markings active all over his body, his negative emotions and bloodlust hightened from the mark, it also made him high from the power he was feeling, instantly asking for a fight and attacked me without even a warning, had to put him in his place before knocking him out and calling for Kakashi to come and seal the hickey he recieved by using the Evil Sealing Method, which had to be one of the most useless seal to use against someone who wanted to use the mark, not that I would help after his display.
My musing was interrupted when I felt a clone dispel, telling me that the second part is about to start, the total amount of people who made it was only 18, they still had to have a preliminary to decide who was going to the third test, it was the first preliminary held in 5 years. I hurriedly sealed the rod and headed towards the tower. When I arrived, all the teams who passed the test were ushered into the combat arena of the tower to take part in the preliminaries. I saw Hiruzen and all the Jonin senseis of the teams who passed standing there as well as the examiners.
Hayate Gekko who stood next to the Hokage stepped forward, he is Nekos boyfriend. He has short brown hair, dark-coloured eyes and dark markings under his eyes. Even though he looked like a young man, he had pronounced lines under his eyes as well as a annoying and unexplained chronic cough that constantly plagues him. He wore the standard Konoha shinobi outfit complete with a forehead protector that he wears as a bandanna, flak jacket and regular shinobi sandals. He also carried a katana with a rectangular hand guard strapped over his back.
He started explaining about the need for a preliminary round before we could proceed to the next test, some people were protesting about the descision but where silenced when he just said they could give up, which Kabuto happily accepted since he said he was low on chakra as his team were the last to complete the second test, leaving us at 17 members, the team that didn't make it was the Sound nin, which was suprising knowing Orochimaru might have instructed them to not proceed. Hayate waited until there wasn't anyone else giving up before explaining the rules which basically was "Everything is allowed until I say stop or your opponent gives up"
A screen dropped down from the side wall and started to raffle our names, they were going to give the first person a free pass, it stopped at Sabaku no Gaara. It started again but this time to choose a pair to fight. Surpisingly the matchup was the same as the show. Hayate announced the start of the match when he saw everyone but the two fighters going to the viewing stands.
-Sasuke Uchiha vs Yoroi Akado
Sasuke was already angry after the beating he recieved so instantly retreated to analyze his opponent and see what he does, though it didn't last long when Yoroi taunted him constantly and he rushed in without activating his Sharingan, he was suprisingly fast enough for Yoroi to not be able to keep up, Sasuke appeared infront of him before punching out towards his chest, Yoroi barely managed to cross his arms to block before he was sent flying back, though he quickly recovered with a flip and dropped his cocky attitude when he saw that. Sasuke started gloating Yoroi, making him growl and dash towards him to attempt to catch Sasuke and wipe away the smirk, though Sasuke easily kept up dodging and countering everything Yoroi threw at him before sending him flying back again with a kick. Tired of playing around he instantly appeared under Yoroi before he could recover and kicked him upwards, calling out "Uchiha Rendan" he appeared above Yoroi and heel dropped him. Hayate instantly called out a win to Sasuke when he saw Yoroi out cold.
Sasuke walked towards the viewstand while looking at me with a smirk, it made me feel exasperated, I honestly didn't care about him copying that move. The next matchup soon showed up on the screen and both combatants jumped down, they made a seal of confrontation and Hayate announced the start.
- Hinata Uzumaki vs Misumi Tsurugi
The match didn't last more than 10 seconds before Misumi got his body shut down when he attempted to get close to Hinata, a really stupid idea and Hayate quickly called out her win. Many people were surprised to see Hinata take out her opponent this fast, they had all heard of what had happened with her clan and now were confused on why they'd let her go with such a result, most of them thought it would be a close match from what they knew of her, though only Kurenai, Ino and me weren't fazed.
The screen started to shuffle through to the next match, my eyebrows started twitching when I heard cries of despair from the Jonins betting on Hinatas match on the other end, I was itching to go there. The next matchup was decided and both parties jumped down on opposite sites, seeing them ready, Hayate instantly started the battle.
-Shino Aburame vs Sabaku no Kankuro
They didn't move at the start and just stared at eachother, Kankuro took out his puppet and attached the chakra strings, he couldn't disguise himself as the puppet in such a open terrain that was unfavourable for him and he would be seen through quickly knowing the other party is a Aburame, meanwhile insects started appearing all over Shinos body. Kankuro decided to take the initiative and sent his puppet attacking with poisoned blades sticking out from its wrists, forcing Shino to dodge out of the way constantly from the assault, just as he was certain he could retaliate, he saw a poisoned smoke bomb explode next to him, making him surprised, he quickly got out but not before being poisoned, he already started coughing, he couldn't recover fast enough when the puppet came out of the smoke and impaled him. Kankuro instantly put on a smile but froze when he saw his opponent turn into insects, he felt something behind him but was too late to dodge a kick that sent him crashing down the ground, he tried to will his puppet to attack but found out it couldn't move from the insects blocking all its joints and even some were on his body sucking up his chakra. It didn't last long after that and ended up as a double knockout with Shino collapsing from the poison first and Kankuro followed with chakra exhaustion.
Everyone was intrigued to watch such a close match and were excited for the next, Temari and their sensei Baki seemed surprised too at the result though they couldn't blame Kankuro after watching the match. Both got sent to the side by medics to help them while the screen shuffled the next match. I heard a screech and a groan when the matchup appeared. Both contestant got on the arena and when they were ready, Hayate announced the start.
- Haruno Sakura vs Sabaku no Temari
There was only one thing that could describe this match, a joke. Sakura couldn't even get close or do anything else, everything she threw was neutralized with the wind from Temaris fan, she couldn't close in before she was blocked off with a whirlwind, and even the little Ninjutsu and Genjutsu she knew didn't help, she ended up the match with her looking like she went through a shredder, if not for Hayate she would've been sliced up by Temari who decided to try and seriously hurt her even after she couldn't get up. Even though she had trained during these months, she was barely passable for a Chunin, Temari was the worst opponent to go against this early on. She was sent to the hospital directly after it finished.
Everyone looked at this and weren't surprised, all the Genin that shared a class with her knew she wasn't trained, though they were surprised that she could even put up a fight. Hayate quickly asked for the next combatants after it was shuffled, they got on and started when they were ready.
-Ino Yamanaka vs Higurashi Tenten
Tenten instantly started attacking with all kinds off tools while Ino kept dodging what she could and blocking what she couldn't with a Kunai, Tenten kept this pace up for a while before she was forced to use a scroll to restock, she jumped up and unsealed Shuriken tags and sent them flying towards Ino, Ino took the chance to throw Senbons at Tenten while dodging the projectiles, Tenten had to twist out of the way midair, making her lose sight of her opponent. When she recovered she was caught from the back by Ino before she was body slammed into the ground, knocking the air out of her, followed by a quick Mind Body Switch Technique which Ino used to force her to give up.
Asumas cigarette was on the ground from his gaping expression, while the rest of the graduating genin were shocked at her victory, the match was pretty decent, but it ended in one exchange from Ino which was suprising. Hayate announced the next match and both parties entered the arena to prepare. When they were ready, Hayate started the match.
- Kiba Inuzuka vs Neji Hyuuga
Kiba instantly went on the offensive with his clan techniques, he used the Four Legged Technique and Akamaru transformed into a clone after eating a Military Ration pill, they knew that they couldn't fight Neji in Taijutsu, so they both did a Fang Passing Fang to constantly attack Neji in synchronisation. Neji already expected this and used the Byakugan to keep track and dodge both of them. This went on for a while until Kiba chose to forfeit after he saw that anything he did was useless against Neji.
Neji was annoyed that he didn't get to fight properly but quickly calmed down and went back to the stand while looking at Hinata with a stoic expression, though Naruto could feel hate and anger radiating off him, he would've went up and taught him a lesson if this wasn't a tournament. Next participants came up and Hayate instantly started the match when they were ready.
- Naruto Uzumaki vs Shikamaru Nara
Shikamaru already tried to not fight but he was forced to by Asuma, he started trying to send out his shadow possession jutsu towards Naruto to test him out and think of a plan. Naruto let the shadow possession take hold of him, surprising both the audience and Shikamaru himself, since they thought he would dodge it. Shikamaru though he didn't know about their clan techniques and started to walk towards Naruto slowly while Naruto mimicked what he did. When they were close enough, Naruto suddenly burst with a small amount of chakra, breaking the jutsu before taking hold of Shikamaru and casually locking his limbs with a grapple until he gave up.
Everyone was surprised on how fast the match ended and how Naruto got out of the Shadow Possession so easily, Shikamaru still hadn't registered how it happened until he was at the veiwers stand when Hayate announced the last matchup
- Choji Akamichi vs Rock Lee
Choji wanted to forfeit but was taunted by Ino when she said Lee called him fat which caused him to be pumped up and angry, he tried hard but none of his techniques worked against Lee, who had suprising speed to dodge everything he threw at him, he ended up forfeiting when he let out some steam, making Lee disappointed in this unyouthful match.
When it was finished, the winners were asked to come up and draw a number from a box which confused many. The Hokage came up and started explaining why the Chunin Exams are held in the first place and why we gather here which is to represent a villages strength, Naruto had tuned him out at this point and only came back whe he told them that the finals will be held in a month so that finalists have a chance to recuperate and prepare. This also allows news of the matchups to get around and attract greater publicity for the event. The finals consist of one-on-one tournament battles refereed by Hayate Gekko in the order of the drawings, which surprised the Genin when they saw that the number they pulled represents their match. Ibiki came up at this point and showed a board with the matchups.
1. Naruto Uzumaki vs 2. Rock Lee
3. Ino Yamanaka vs 4. Sabaku no Temari
5. Hinata Uzumaki vs 6. Neji Hyuuga
7. Sasuke Uchiha vs 8. Sabaku no Gaara
The Hokage asked if we had any questions before he dismissed us to prepare for the final exam. Neji asked if the format only allowed only one Genin to get promoted, which Hiruzen started explaining that it's their performance that decides if they can get promoted or not. When he saw everyone quiet after that he dismissed us. It was finally over.
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It was afternoon on the fifth day of the second part of the exam and Naruto was currently fishing in a isolated area of the forest, he hadn't caught anything in 6 hours, but atleast it alleviated some of the annoyance and boredom he was feeling, he had to constantly remind himself not to just up and leave the tower due to what had happened during the 5 days, though it was hard when he had to hear Sasuke nagging him to spar now that he had the mark and Sakuras screeches about how her dear Uchiha had to fight a Sannin inside the forest, annoying everyone in the process and making the whole administration and teams know about it.
Anko had been replaced by a random Jonin for this test to continue overseeing the teams, Ino and Hinata had made it to the tower the next day with their teammates having a confused look, probably because of how they had handled the test.
Hinata surprised her team when she took out the other scroll and they decided to camp outside for a day to not make it obvious, much to Kibas annoying attitude because he almost felt superior to clear it so fast, though it didn't last long when he saw 2 other teams clear it faster, she had spent most of the time with her team and couldn't interact with me without Kibas dog nose following behind.
Ino on the other hand was annoyed with her team in a fight and had to take out the opposite team herself with a few well placed Senbons, causing both Choji and Shikamaru to contemplate on how she did that, and constantly ask her questions she didn't want to answer. She dumped them both when they reached the tower and spent most of her time with me at the roof.
Gaara had up and become dense when he confronted his siblings with smiles and hugs, causing both of them to be terrified and perplexed until he had to explain that he just reflected on himself and wanted to treat them better from now on, we had met up with eachother for casual talk after his 2 day sleep at night and I had started becoming a guidance counselor of sorts, it felt good seeing him relaxed and sleeping well.
Karin had settled down into the compound after she woke up freaking out, I had to tell her that she didn't need to worry about Kusa anymore and could stay here with me as a member of the Uzumaki Clan, it ended with a lot of eating and crying to calm her down.
Sakura had woken up screeching shortly after I made it back from dropping Karin off the compound, she alerted the whole tower on how frantic she was about what had happened, I had to sit and watch her explain the whole thing while being oblivious, I told her I found them both unconcious after I was blown away and carried them to the tower when I saw the scroll we needed next to them.
Of course Sasuke had to wake up at that moment with curse markings active all over his body, his negative emotions and bloodlust hightened from the mark, it also made him high from the power he was feeling, instantly asking for a fight and attacked me without even a warning, had to put him in his place before knocking him out and calling for Kakashi to come and seal the hickey he recieved by using the Evil Sealing Method, which had to be one of the most useless seal to use against someone who wanted to use the mark, not that I would help after his display.
My musing was interrupted when I felt a clone dispel, telling me that the second part is about to start, the total amount of people who made it was only 18, they still had to have a preliminary to decide who was going to the third test, it was the first preliminary held in 5 years. I hurriedly sealed the rod and headed towards the tower. When I arrived, all the teams who passed the test were ushered into the combat arena of the tower to take part in the preliminaries. I saw Hiruzen and all the Jonin senseis of the teams who passed standing there as well as the examiners.
Hayate Gekko who stood next to the Hokage stepped forward, he is Nekos boyfriend. He has short brown hair, dark-coloured eyes and dark markings under his eyes. Even though he looked like a young man, he had pronounced lines under his eyes as well as a annoying and unexplained chronic cough that constantly plagues him. He wore the standard Konoha shinobi outfit complete with a forehead protector that he wears as a bandanna, flak jacket and regular shinobi sandals. He also carried a katana with a rectangular hand guard strapped over his back.
He started explaining about the need for a preliminary round before we could proceed to the next test, some people were protesting about the descision but where silenced when he just said they could give up, which Kabuto happily accepted since he said he was low on chakra as his team were the last to complete the second test, leaving us at 17 members, the team that didn't make it was the Sound nin, which was suprising knowing Orochimaru might have instructed them to not proceed. Hayate waited until there wasn't anyone else giving up before explaining the rules which basically was "Everything is allowed until I say stop or your opponent gives up"
A screen dropped down from the side wall and started to raffle our names, they were going to give the first person a free pass, it stopped at Sabaku no Gaara. It started again but this time to choose a pair to fight. Surpisingly the matchup was the same as the show. Hayate announced the start of the match when he saw everyone but the two fighters going to the viewing stands.
-Sasuke Uchiha vs Yoroi Akado
Sasuke was already angry after the beating he recieved so instantly retreated to analyze his opponent and see what he does, though it didn't last long when Yoroi taunted him constantly and he rushed in without activating his Sharingan, he was suprisingly fast enough for Yoroi to not be able to keep up, Sasuke appeared infront of him before punching out towards his chest, Yoroi barely managed to cross his arms to block before he was sent flying back, though he quickly recovered with a flip and dropped his cocky attitude when he saw that. Sasuke started gloating Yoroi, making him growl and dash towards him to attempt to catch Sasuke and wipe away the smirk, though Sasuke easily kept up dodging and countering everything Yoroi threw at him before sending him flying back again with a kick. Tired of playing around he instantly appeared under Yoroi before he could recover and kicked him upwards, calling out "Uchiha Rendan" he appeared above Yoroi and heel dropped him. Hayate instantly called out a win to Sasuke when he saw Yoroi out cold.
Sasuke walked towards the viewstand while looking at me with a smirk, it made me feel exasperated, I honestly didn't care about him copying that move. The next matchup soon showed up on the screen and both combatants jumped down, they made a seal of confrontation and Hayate announced the start.
- Hinata Uzumaki vs Misumi Tsurugi
The match didn't last more than 10 seconds before Misumi got his body shut down when he attempted to get close to Hinata, a really stupid idea and Hayate quickly called out her win. Many people were surprised to see Hinata take out her opponent this fast, they had all heard of what had happened with her clan and now were confused on why they'd let her go with such a result, most of them thought it would be a close match from what they knew of her, though only Kurenai, Ino and me weren't fazed.
The screen started to shuffle through to the next match, my eyebrows started twitching when I heard cries of despair from the Jonins betting on Hinatas match on the other end, I was itching to go there. The next matchup was decided and both parties jumped down on opposite sites, seeing them ready, Hayate instantly started the battle.
-Shino Aburame vs Sabaku no Kankuro
They didn't move at the start and just stared at eachother, Kankuro took out his puppet and attached the chakra strings, he couldn't disguise himself as the puppet in such a open terrain that was unfavourable for him and he would be seen through quickly knowing the other party is a Aburame, meanwhile insects started appearing all over Shinos body. Kankuro decided to take the initiative and sent his puppet attacking with poisoned blades sticking out from its wrists, forcing Shino to dodge out of the way constantly from the assault, just as he was certain he could retaliate, he saw a poisoned smoke bomb explode next to him, making him surprised, he quickly got out but not before being poisoned, he already started coughing, he couldn't recover fast enough when the puppet came out of the smoke and impaled him. Kankuro instantly put on a smile but froze when he saw his opponent turn into insects, he felt something behind him but was too late to dodge a kick that sent him crashing down the ground, he tried to will his puppet to attack but found out it couldn't move from the insects blocking all its joints and even some were on his body sucking up his chakra. It didn't last long after that and ended up as a double knockout with Shino collapsing from the poison first and Kankuro followed with chakra exhaustion.
Everyone was intrigued to watch such a close match and were excited for the next, Temari and their sensei Baki seemed surprised too at the result though they couldn't blame Kankuro after watching the match. Both got sent to the side by medics to help them while the screen shuffled the next match. I heard a screech and a groan when the matchup appeared. Both contestant got on the arena and when they were ready, Hayate announced the start.
- Haruno Sakura vs Sabaku no Temari
There was only one thing that could describe this match, a joke. Sakura couldn't even get close or do anything else, everything she threw was neutralized with the wind from Temaris fan, she couldn't close in before she was blocked off with a whirlwind, and even the little Ninjutsu and Genjutsu she knew didn't help, she ended up the match with her looking like she went through a shredder, if not for Hayate she would've been sliced up by Temari who decided to try and seriously hurt her even after she couldn't get up. Even though she had trained during these months, she was barely passable for a Chunin, Temari was the worst opponent to go against this early on. She was sent to the hospital directly after it finished.
Everyone looked at this and weren't surprised, all the Genin that shared a class with her knew she wasn't trained, though they were surprised that she could even put up a fight. Hayate quickly asked for the next combatants after it was shuffled, they got on and started when they were ready.
-Ino Yamanaka vs Higurashi Tenten
Tenten instantly started attacking with all kinds off tools while Ino kept dodging what she could and blocking what she couldn't with a Kunai, Tenten kept this pace up for a while before she was forced to use a scroll to restock, she jumped up and unsealed Shuriken tags and sent them flying towards Ino, Ino took the chance to throw Senbons at Tenten while dodging the projectiles, Tenten had to twist out of the way midair, making her lose sight of her opponent. When she recovered she was caught from the back by Ino before she was body slammed into the ground, knocking the air out of her, followed by a quick Mind Body Switch Technique which Ino used to force her to give up.
Asumas cigarette was on the ground from his gaping expression, while the rest of the graduating genin were shocked at her victory, the match was pretty decent, but it ended in one exchange from Ino which was suprising. Hayate announced the next match and both parties entered the arena to prepare. When they were ready, Hayate started the match.
- Kiba Inuzuka vs Neji Hyuuga
Kiba instantly went on the offensive with his clan techniques, he used the Four Legged Technique and Akamaru transformed into a clone after eating a Military Ration pill, they knew that they couldn't fight Neji in Taijutsu, so they both did a Fang Passing Fang to constantly attack Neji in synchronisation. Neji already expected this and used the Byakugan to keep track and dodge both of them. This went on for a while until Kiba chose to forfeit after he saw that anything he did was useless against Neji.
Neji was annoyed that he didn't get to fight properly but quickly calmed down and went back to the stand while looking at Hinata with a stoic expression, though Naruto could feel hate and anger radiating off him, he would've went up and taught him a lesson if this wasn't a tournament. Next participants came up and Hayate instantly started the match when they were ready.
- Naruto Uzumaki vs Shikamaru Nara
Shikamaru already tried to not fight but he was forced to by Asuma, he started trying to send out his shadow possession jutsu towards Naruto to test him out and think of a plan. Naruto let the shadow possession take hold of him, surprising both the audience and Shikamaru himself, since they thought he would dodge it. Shikamaru though he didn't know about their clan techniques and started to walk towards Naruto slowly while Naruto mimicked what he did. When they were close enough, Naruto suddenly burst with a small amount of chakra, breaking the jutsu before taking hold of Shikamaru and casually locking his limbs with a grapple until he gave up.
Everyone was surprised on how fast the match ended and how Naruto got out of the Shadow Possession so easily, Shikamaru still hadn't registered how it happened until he was at the veiwers stand when Hayate announced the last matchup
- Choji Akamichi vs Rock Lee
Choji wanted to forfeit but was taunted by Ino when she said Lee called him fat which caused him to be pumped up and angry, he tried hard but none of his techniques worked against Lee, who had suprising speed to dodge everything he threw at him, he ended up forfeiting when he let out some steam, making Lee disappointed in this unyouthful match.
When it was finished, the winners were asked to come up and draw a number from a box which confused many. The Hokage came up and started explaining why the Chunin Exams are held in the first place and why we gather here which is to represent a villages strength, Naruto had tuned him out at this point and only came back whe he told them that the finals will be held in a month so that finalists have a chance to recuperate and prepare. This also allows news of the matchups to get around and attract greater publicity for the event. The finals consist of one-on-one tournament battles refereed by Hayate Gekko in the order of the drawings, which surprised the Genin when they saw that the number they pulled represents their match. Ibiki came up at this point and showed a board with the matchups.
1. Naruto Uzumaki vs 2. Rock Lee
3. Ino Yamanaka vs 4. Sabaku no Temari
5. Hinata Uzumaki vs 6. Neji Hyuuga
7. Sasuke Uchiha vs 8. Sabaku no Gaara
The Hokage asked if we had any questions before he dismissed us to prepare for the final exam. Neji asked if the format only allowed only one Genin to get promoted, which Hiruzen started explaining that it's their performance that decides if they can get promoted or not. When he saw everyone quiet after that he dismissed us. It was finally over.
It was afternoon on the fifth day of the second part of the exam and Naruto was currently fishing in a isolated area of the forest, he hadn't caught anything in 6 hours, but atleast it alleviated some of the annoyance and boredom he was feeling, he had to constantly remind himself not to just up and leave the tower due to what had happened during the 5 days, though it was hard when he had to hear Sasuke nagging him to spar now that he had the mark and Sakuras screeches about how her dear Uchiha had to fight a Sannin inside the forest, annoying everyone in the process and making the whole administration and teams know about it. Anko had been replaced by a random Jonin for this test to continue overseeing the teams, Ino and Hinata had made it to the tower the next day with their teammates having a confused look, probably because of how they had handled the test. Hinata surprised her team when she took out the other scroll and they decided to camp outside for a day to not make it obvious, much to Kibas annoying attitude because he almost felt superior to clear it so fast, though it didn't last long when he saw 2 other teams clear it faster, she had spent most of the time with her team and couldn't interact with me without Kibas dog nose following behind. Ino on the other hand was annoyed with her team in a fight and had to take out the opposite team herself with a few well placed Senbons, causing both Choji and Shikamaru to contemplate on how she did that, and constantly ask her questions she didn't want to answer. She dumped them both when they reached the tower and spent most of her time with me at the roof. Gaara had up and become dense when he confronted his siblings with smiles and hugs, causing both of them to be terrified and perplexed until he had to explain that he just reflected on himself and wanted to treat them better from now on, we had met up with eachother for casual talk after his 2 day sleep at night and I had started becoming a guidance counselor of sorts, it felt good seeing him relaxed and sleeping well. Karin had settled down into the compound after she woke up freaking out, I had to tell her that she didn't need to worry about Kusa anymore and could stay here with me as a member of the Uzumaki Clan, it ended with a lot of eating and crying to calm her down. Sakura had woken up screeching shortly after I made it back from dropping Karin off the compound, she alerted the whole tower on how frantic she was about what had happened, I had to sit and watch her explain the whole thing while being oblivious, I told her I found them both unconcious after I was blown away and carried them to the tower when I saw the scroll we needed next to them. Of course Sasuke had to wake up at that moment with curse markings active all over his body, his negative emotions and bloodlust hightened from the mark, it also made him high from the power he was feeling, instantly asking for a fight and attacked me without even a warning, had to put him in his place before knocking him out and calling for Kakashi to come and seal the hickey he recieved by using the Evil Sealing Method, which had to be one of the most useless seal to use against someone who wanted to use the mark, not that I would help after his display. My musing was interrupted when I felt a clone dispel, telling me that the second part is about to start, the total amount of people who made it was only 18, they still had to have a preliminary to decide who was going to the third test, it was the first preliminary held in 5 years. I hurriedly sealed the rod and headed towards the tower. When I arrived, all the teams who passed the test were ushered into the combat arena of the tower to take part in the preliminaries. I saw Hiruzen and all the Jonin senseis of the teams who passed standing there as well as the examiners. Hayate Gekko who stood next to the Hokage stepped forward, he is Nekos boyfriend. Hehas short brown hair, dark-coloured eyes and dark markings under his eyes. Even though he looked like a young man, he had pronounced lines under his eyes as well as a annoying and unexplained chronic cough that constantly plagues him. He wore the standard Konoha shinobi outfit complete with aforehead protectorthat he wears as a bandanna,flak jacketand regular shinobi sandals. He also carried a katana with a rectangular hand guard strapped over his back. He started explaining about the need for a preliminary round before we could proceed to the next test, some people were protesting about the descision but where silenced when he just said they could give up, which Kabuto happily accepted since he said he was low on chakra as his team were the last to complete the second test, leaving us at 17 members, the team that didn't make it was the Sound nin, which was suprising knowing Orochimaru might have instructed them to not proceed. Hayate waited until there wasn't anyone else giving up before explaining the rules which basically was "Everything is allowed until I say stop or your opponent gives up" A screen dropped down from the side wall and started to raffle our names, they were going to give the first person a free pass, it stopped at Sabaku no Gaara. It started again but this time to choose a pair to fight. Surpisingly the matchup was the same as the show. Hayate announced the start of the match when he saw everyone but the two fighters going to the viewing stands. -Sasuke Uchiha vs Yoroi Akado Sasuke was already angry after the beating he recieved so instantly retreated to analyze his opponent and see what he does, though it didn't last long when Yoroi taunted him constantly and he rushed in without activating his Sharingan, he was suprisingly fast enough for Yoroi to not be able to keep up, Sasuke appeared infront of him before punching out towards his chest, Yoroi barely managed to cross his arms to block before he was sent flying back, though he quickly recovered with a flip and dropped his cocky attitude when he saw that. Sasuke started gloating Yoroi, making him growl and dash towards him to attempt to catch Sasuke and wipe away the smirk, though Sasuke easily kept up dodging and countering everything Yoroi threw at him before sending him flying back again with a kick. Tired of playing around he instantly appeared under Yoroi before he could recover and kicked him upwards, calling out "Uchiha Rendan" he appeared above Yoroi and heel dropped him. Hayate instantly called out a win to Sasuke when he saw Yoroi out cold. Sasuke walked towards the viewstand while looking at me with a smirk, it made me feel exasperated, I honestly didn't care about him copying that move. The next matchup soon showed up on the screen and both combatants jumped down, they made a seal of confrontation and Hayate announced the start. - Hinata Uzumaki vs Misumi Tsurugi The match didn't last more than 10 seconds before Misumi got his body shut down when he attempted to get close to Hinata, a really stupid idea and Hayate quickly called out her win. Many people were surprised to see Hinata take out her opponent this fast, they had all heard of what had happened with her clan and now were confused on why they'd let her go with such a result, most of them thought it would be a close match from what they knew of her, though only Kurenai, Ino and me weren't fazed. The screen started to shuffle through to the next match, my eyebrows started twitching when I heard cries of despair from the Jonins betting on Hinatas match on the other end, I was itching to go there. The next matchup was decided and both parties jumped down on opposite sites, seeing them ready, Hayate instantly started the battle. -Shino Aburame vs Sabaku no Kankuro They didn't move at the start and just stared at eachother, Kankuro took out his puppet and attached the chakra strings, he couldn't disguise himself as the puppet in such a open terrain that was unfavourable for him and he would be seen through quickly knowing the other party is a Aburame, meanwhile insects started appearing all over Shinos body. Kankuro decided to take the initiative and sent his puppet attacking with poisoned blades sticking out from its wrists, forcing Shino to dodge out of the way constantly from the assault, just as he was certain he could retaliate, he saw a poisoned smoke bomb explode next to him, making him surprised, he quickly got out but not before being poisoned, he already started coughing, he couldn't recover fast enough when the puppet came out of the smoke and impaled him. Kankuro instantly put on a smile but froze when he saw his opponent turn into insects, he felt something behind him but was too late to dodge a kick that sent him crashing down the ground, he tried to will his puppet to attack but found out it couldn't move from the insects blocking all its joints and even some were on his body sucking up his chakra. It didn't last long after that and ended up as a double knockout with Shino collapsing from the poison first and Kankuro followed with chakra exhaustion. Everyone was intrigued to watch such a close match and were excited for the next, Temari and their sensei Baki seemed surprised too at the result though they couldn't blame Kankuro after watching the match. Both got sent to the side by medics to help them while the screen shuffled the next match. I heard a screech and a groan when the matchup appeared. Both contestant got on the arena and when they were ready, Hayate announced the start. - Haruno Sakura vs Sabaku no Temari There was only one thing that could describe this match, a joke. Sakura couldn't even get close or do anything else, everything she threw was neutralized with the wind from Temaris fan, she couldn't close in before she was blocked off with a whirlwind, and even the little Ninjutsu and Genjutsu she knew didn't help, she ended up the match with her looking like she went through a shredder, if not for Hayate she would've been sliced up by Temari who decided to try and seriously hurt her even after she couldn't get up. Even though she had trained during these months, she was barely passable for a Chunin, Temari was the worst opponent to go against this early on. She was sent to the hospital directly after it finished. Everyone looked at this and weren't surprised, all the Genin that shared a class with her knew she wasn't trained, though they were surprised that she could even put up a fight. Hayate quickly asked for the next combatants after it was shuffled, they got on and started when they were ready. -Ino Yamanaka vs Higurashi Tenten Tenten instantly started attacking with all kinds off tools while Ino kept dodging what she could and blocking what she couldn't with a Kunai, Tenten kept this pace up for a while before she was forced to use a scroll to restock, she jumped up and unsealed Shuriken tags and sent them flying towards Ino, Ino took the chance to throw Senbons at Tenten while dodging the projectiles, Tenten had to twist out of the way midair, making her lose sight of her opponent. When she recovered she was caught from the back by Ino before she was body slammed into the ground, knocking the air out of her, followed by a quick Mind Body Switch Technique which Ino used to force her to give up. Asumas cigarette was on the ground from his gaping expression, while the rest of the graduating genin were shocked at her victory, the match was pretty decent, but it ended in one exchange from Ino which was suprising. Hayate announced the next match and both parties entered the arena to prepare. When they were ready, Hayate started the match. - Kiba Inuzuka vs Neji Hyuuga Kiba instantly went on the offensive with his clan techniques, he used the Four Legged Technique and Akamaru transformed into a clone after eating a Military Ration pill, they knew that they couldn't fight Neji in Taijutsu, so they both did a Fang Passing Fang to constantly attack Neji in synchronisation. Neji already expected this and used the Byakugan to keep track and dodge both of them. This went on for a while until Kiba chose to forfeit after he saw that anything he did was useless against Neji. Neji was annoyed that he didn't get to fight properly but quickly calmed down and went back to the stand while looking at Hinata with a stoic expression, though Naruto could feel hate and anger radiating off him, he would've went up and taught him a lesson if this wasn't a tournament. Next participants came up and Hayate instantly started the match when they were ready. - Naruto Uzumaki vs Shikamaru Nara Shikamaru already tried to not fight but he was forced to by Asuma, he started trying to send out his shadow possession jutsu towards Naruto to test him out and think of a plan. Naruto let the shadow possession take hold of him, surprising both the audience and Shikamaru himself, since they thought he would dodge it. Shikamaru though he didn't know about their clan techniques and started to walk towards Naruto slowly while Naruto mimicked what he did. When they were close enough, Naruto suddenly burst with a small amount of chakra, breaking the jutsu before taking hold of Shikamaru and casually locking his limbs with a grapple until he gave up. Everyone was surprised on how fast the match ended and how Naruto got out of the Shadow Possession so easily, Shikamaru still hadn't registered how it happened until he was at the veiwers stand when Hayate announced the last matchup - Choji Akamichi vs Rock Lee Choji wanted to forfeit but was taunted by Ino when she said Lee called him fat which caused him to be pumped up and angry, he tried hard but none of his techniques worked against Lee, who had suprising speed to dodge everything he threw at him, he ended up forfeiting when he let out some steam, making Lee disappointed in this unyouthful match. When it was finished, the winners were asked to come up and draw a number from a box which confused many. The Hokage came up and started explaining why the Chunin Exams are held in the first place and why we gather here which is to represent a villages strength, Naruto had tuned him out at this point and only came back whe he told them that the finals will be held in a month so that finalists have a chance to recuperate and prepare. This also allows news of the matchups to get around and attract greater publicity for the event. The finals consist of one-on-one tournament battles refereed by Hayate Gekko in the order of the drawings, which surprised the Genin when they saw that the number they pulled represents their match. Ibiki came up at this point and showed a board with the matchups. 1. Naruto Uzumaki vs 2. Rock Lee 3. Ino Yamanaka vs 4. Sabaku no Temari 5. Hinata Uzumaki vs 6. Neji Hyuuga 7. Sasuke Uchiha vs 8. Sabaku no Gaara The Hokage asked if we had any questions before he dismissed us to prepare for the final exam. Neji asked if the format only allowed only one Genin to get promoted, which Hiruzen started explaining that it's their performance that decides if they can get promoted or not. When he saw everyone quiet after that he dismissed us. It was finally over.
