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Silver Lining in A Dark Cloud

The Conqueror of the Preliminaries!

Previously on Silver Lining in a Dark Cloud,

Then Orochimaru felt something pressed against his chest. "At least I don't talk too much, in your definition of arrogance." Looking down, Naruto started up at the Snake Sage with murder in his eyes. "Reject Dial!"

Orochimaru suddenly realized that he could no longer breathe. And the pain was the worse, like there was a huge wound and the air was causing the edges to itch. Looking down once again, the Snake Ninja saw it; a giant hole in his stomach. "Wh-what kind…?"

But those words were the last Orochimaru will speak when he never realized that his pain and shock had caused him to longer his guard and his willpower. Just low enough for Naruto stare him in the eye like a vicious animal to its prey. Then the Snake Sage fell to the ground, foaming at the mouth.

Naruto, turning back to both Team Seven and his own, "Let's go. He will be out for an hour if that boy toy of his doesn't heal that wound." Naruto moved for them to move and when they didn't, "I SAID LET'S GO!"

That outburst had gotten their attention and they followed the blonde with Hinata not far behind. "That was…!"

"Brutal, foolish, bold?" Naruto cut off Kiba's half-spoken comment. "Yes. I am still a Genin and I tried to go against a monster like Orochimaru. I only got him because of the mistake anyone can make to a Shinobi, civilian or not. I caught him off guard and gave him no time to move when I focused my desire to kill him and overwhelm his will with mine."

Silence. Silence came once again. No one spoke, not a word. They just stared at Naruto's back. And they saw something. It was like an aura was glowing around Naruto. Despite the sound of murder in the blonde's voice, that aura was warm and welcoming; it was like a mother's, willing to watch over and protect the ones she welcomes with her love.

"Now we just need to complete this Exam so we can share this with the Hokage. That a terrorist and a traitor is back, for the destruction of the Konoha village." Naruto spoke up and both teams followed after him.

It was day five of the Second Exam,

"Welcome everyone! I am impressed to see so many Genin remaining. This hasn't happened since the last time five years ago." Hiruzen said but saw that his words were not appreciated. All the Genin who just made the deadline grumped and huffed to show their bad mood.

"Can we just get this crap over with!? We just got out of that fucking stupid forest and you didn't let any of us catch our breath!" One of them could use some lessons about his manners and vulgar tongue. But most of the Genin did nod and agreed with that rant.

"Yes, yes. I will like to start right now." Hiruzen said to calm the grumpy crowd down. "Since there are eight teams, five from this village, one from Suna, one from Kiri and one from the latest village of Oto, we will have to have Preliminary Matches."

"Preliminary Matches! Are you fucking with us!?" Hiruzen sighed at how vulgar Genin are of this generation.

"Yes, Preliminary Matches. Currently, there are twenty four of you. It will take too long to cut you all down to just one winner left." Hiruzen explained and that calmed the crowd, somewhat. "Once we cut the amount by half, then we have a better number for the Finals. And in case you will be wondering, each of you will have just one chance to fight, win or lose; the Finals will happen one month after the Preliminaries. That should be enough time to download your analysis of your competition and prepare to fight anyone left in the Exams. Understood?"

And with a little spiritual pressure and KI (Killer Intent), the Genin all accepted the conditions. "Now will anyone like to forfeit because this is the last legal chance for any of you to drop out." Hiruzen then spoke up. And yet he scowled to see a single hand showing,

"Yes, I will like to forfeit." Kabuto said in an instant. But when he tried to move from the crowds, Anko appeared and stopped him. "I said that I wish to forfeit." Kabuto said in a stained tone and Anko just scowled and nodded.

"I know and are there anyone else willing to drop out?" Anko asked of the crowd and to her disappointment, no one raised their hand after Kabuto. "Sorry kid, but we need you still in the Exams since we need an even number of Genin. Better luck next year to drop out early and add to your 'good record'."

Kabuto growled as Anko left in a blur. He was planning to drop out after getting his Intel and data, to share with his master. And now this development will delay it by an unpredictable margin.

"Regardless, this is going to be how things are going to turn out." Hiruzen said to the crowd that were muttering on how dropping out was offered only to be denied so quickly. Then the Hokage signaled for a large blackboard to appear on the opposite side of the large arena. "Each one of you have submitted a piece of paper for you to sign at the start of the Second Exam. We will use those for this machine to randomly select two of you to fight and remain in the Exams. For all those who lose, better luck next year."

And as that was said, the board sprung to life. It then showed the first match up of the Preliminaries. But it will also be one of the first few this year.

Sasuke Uchiha vs Yoroi Akado

XXXXX

Sasuke's match was pretty much straight forward. Sasuke was taking on the masked Shinobi that was also a Konoha Shinobi, but from Kabuto's team. It was rough at first since Yoroi had the advantage in size and body weight, and that he had the ability to slowly drain the chakra of his targets. But Sasuke was only able to pull thought by what seemed to be a new move, but Naruto knew better when he said,

"Shishi Rendan (Lion Combo)!" Sasuke was somehow able to lift Yoroi of him and land a strong hit in the stomach, knocking him out. Sasuke was pronounced the winner with almost everyone cheering him on. "Beat that Dobe. And count your days with your girlfriend, there aren't a lot left."

"You are a Shinobi, not a fortune teller. You will make a lousy one either way Teme." Naruto retorted. And Hinata didn't even twitch an eyebrow at Sasuke's 'performance'. The Uchiha just furiously marched away, away from Naruto and hopefully his biggest fan.

A couple more matches came shortly afterwards. Shino Aburame was paired off with a Shinobi from a new hidden village named Oto. He thought that Shino was just a 'creepy and weak bug guy'. But he soon will have to eat those words when he lost both arms to the bugs. His style was tubes in his arms to create powerful gust of wind; all Shino's bugs had to do was to clog them up so the air will burst not out of the mouth of the tubes but at the end in Zaku's elbows.

Choji Akimichi was paired with another Shinobi from Oto and it was painfully straight forward. Choji was promised an all-you-can-eat barbeque if he fought and won. But this time, Choji of Konoha underestimated his foe. He tried to use his Baika no Jutsu (Multi-Size Technique) and then his Nikudan Sensha (Human Bullet Tank) attack on Dosu of Oto. But he was defeated when he hit a wall instead and Dosu had every chance possible to land his own attack; and Choji fainted right in spot in the wall.

Then the board shifted to show these names,

Hinata Hyuga vs Ame Usei

After coming down, Kunoichi Hinata saw that her opponent was also a Kunoichi. And looked rather confident at that. Not with her attire that is consisted of simple, blue, overcoat style kimono. She is like a princess that was outfitted with battle padding and equipment over her royal gown.

"Begin!" Hayate spoke through his coughing and left the two Kunoichi to fight it out.

"Hah!" Ame charged in for the first strike but underestimated Hinata's speed and reflexes. Whatever power that was in that punch, only to be halted by Hinata's palm, was more than enough to shake the ground and shift the sand around in the wind. "Arrgh!" Then Ame felt a couple of bones in that hand crack and then kicked away.

"Sorry but Naruto-kun is counting on me to win and soon. So I have to not hold back, no mercy." Hinata spoke in a tone that was a mixture of a sweet, shy girl with a malicious and sadist psychopath. This had sent shivers down everyone's spine from their seat in the crowds.

"You think that will scare me!?" Ame shouted out in a brash tone, no doubt to hide the shaking in her breathe. Ame also weaved some hand seals and her mouth budged, as if it was filled with water. "Then take this! Suiton: Mizurappa (Water Release: Wild Water Wave)!" But Ame growled to see Hinata raise the same palm and the water attack just fell to the floor like harmless H20.

"Now it is my turn. Hakke Kūshō (Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm)!" Hinata cried out and Ame couldn't get out in time, her stomach was hit hard by a tremendous force of compressed air.

"You are tougher to beat than you look! But you can't take all of this!" Ame took in a huge breath before initiating a continuous spitting motion with her mouth. "Suiton: Enchoku Harusame (Water Style: Vertical Drizzle)!" Out of Ame's mouth was a literal drizzle of rain but they didn't fall to the ground, they flew across the floor and at Hinata.

But Ame noticed that Hinata wasn't even concerned about the wide-spread attack. She instead showed the back of her other palm and motioned her arm as if she was swatting something away. And that was what happened to the Enchoku Harusame, or at least most of it. Some were able to land on Hinata but they all caused scratches the most.

Ame was shocked at this as well as everyone else but she soon grew enraged to see that Hinata had actually blocked out most of her Jutsu, and with a smirk on her face. "If you want me to go out then fine! Here is my strongest attack!" Ame then hunched, tightened her right hand into a claw form and with her other hand holding her wrist.

Hinata used her Byakugan to get ready for anything Ame might bring out and saw that most of her opponent's chakra was being sent to that clawed hand. Everyone else then saw the water around the ground and a lot more formed on Ame's right arm. They soon see that the water suddenly became droplets and formed needles that formed neatly at Ame's hand, now in a chop stance.

"Get ready!" Ame then charged at Hinata, once again, and with this new Jutsu going in for the kill. "Suiton: Yau no Ya Senbon (Arrow Needles of the Night Rain)!" But Ame only got as far as the start of the match, when Hinata used the same palm from before to actually catch that sure-kill stab. "Will you start fighting for real!?"

"Very well." Hinata then revealed the palm of her other hand, only gas had emerged from wherever! Ame coughed and gasped at how the gas stank worse than a month-old junkyard and excrement dump. "And if you are wondering what this is…" Hinata then crushed a few more bones in Ame's dominate hand again. "It is gasoline. Stinks like hell, I know. But it is also…" Hinata then showed the backside of her right hand, the one she used to take those powerful hits. "FLAMEABLE!"

And, as if on cue to Hinata's words, a gust of flames burst from the back of Hinata's right hand. And it ignited the gas that Ame was just about to get rid of. This caused an explosion that covered most of the fighting area. Thankfully, all it did to the crowds was send some smoke there way.

Once they were able to see the damage, they saw Ame with a steaming half that wasn't pretty looking. But he got up anyways, while trying to ignore the stabbing pain with all those burns. But everyone then wondered if Hinata had made it; she did.

Ame could only growl to see that Hinata was not covered in burns or in dust, but in water. And she saw the water around Hinata's feet. All that confirmed one thing. "The Suirō no Jutsu (Water Prison Technique) is a handy one indeed." Awe could only growl and then finds Hinata's right palm facing her. "And so this is. Impact!"

A very extreme force had shot out of Hinata's palm like a cannon ball and sent her right into the wall. And with that damage and force, even a Jonin will faint from it. Awe didn't move from her spot. "Shousha (Winner): Hinata Hyuga!"

Then the board showed the next set of names,

Naruto Uzumaki vs Haren Ochiame

Then it was Naruto's match and it will not end with just a winner and a loser. But with a judgement. To see those who deserve to the promotion of Chunin and those who truly understand the ways of the ninja.

XXXXX

"Are both fighters ready?" Hayate did his thing and the two boys just nodded. "Then begin!"

But this match was nothing like with Hinata and Ame. This time, both boys just stared each other down, trying to see what there is too see about each other. It seemed that this Haren boy was a lot like his teammate Ame. Only he just wore more of a nobleman's kid uniform that had padding and equipment added to the mix.

"I have figured out your little scheme with that girlfriend of yours, tree hugger." Naruto had figured out one thing for sure. Kiri Genin sure don't see Konoha in a good light, not even as a fellow hidden ninja village. "Those devices that she hid in her gloves. They are somehow able to see out impact force, wind blades, ignitable gas and flamethrowers. But I will not go for that trick this time."

"Fine." Naruto said which got his opponent by surprise and pretty much most of the Genin. They expected the blonde to be more of a shocked expression and sweating like a pig to hear that his style was discovered just as the match first started. "I won't use those 'devices', or wear these gloves. Right now."

Naruto then took off the gloves he was wearing, like he said, but he also held them to reveal nothing underneath. But everyone was shocked this time to see that when Naruto dropped the gloves, they left cracks on the ground where they landed. And the chance to catch them off guard was irresistible, even to Naruto.

And that chance allowed Naruto land a very mean punch to the cheek. But then he pulled his own combo like Sasuke 'invented' for his match. When Haren fell to the side from that sucker punch, Naruto grabbed the opposing arm and pulled him in, only to use that elbow to land a strike on the opposing cheek.

Then Naruto pulled Haren back again only to use his left arm to land another hit, one strengthened by Haren's face moving towards his fist instead of moving from. But of course, that collision had pushed Haren away once again and it affected Naruto's right arm. That why Naruto used that arm to go like a bullet on Haren's face, sending his head into the ground. But Naruto still had some momentum in his remaining arm and landed a mean punch into Haren's stomach.

"It think that I will call it, Kaishuu Rendan (Collected Combo)." Naruto spoke and then walked past Haren's busted up body. But then he stopped and sighed, just as Haren painfully gotten on his feet and drew a Kunai from his sleeve. 'Predictable and pathetic. I guess that it is time after all.'

"Die!" Naruto sighed to see such an amateur charge for his neck.

"I think not. It is time to see who really deserves to be Shinobi." Naruto said and then it came. That rippling feeling that surged throughout the stadium. Some of the Jonin and even the Hokage himself felt like shaking for no apparent reason and that they couldn't stop themselves from acting out leaves in a stormy wind.

After a few seconds, it happened. All the civilians, most of the Genin and Chunin all fell unconscious! They dropped like flies, off their feet, in their seats and including the one on the field. They stood not a chance and now they were helpless. "Just as I thought. Weak minds that think Shinobi affairs are soap operas and plays to laugh and have a good time with. Dying is what everyone expects of a Shinobi to be so our line of work shouldn't be treated like a day at the fair."

Naruto didn't have to wait for the verdict, he just walked off the battle arena. There was just no point to wait an hour while standing in one place, doing nothing, just for Hayate to call for the obvious. Meanwhile, Hiruzen just sighed like a tired old man, 'Naruto. You sure do know how to make even the simplest of things become difficult.'

End of Chapter 7.

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