-White Plum Hidden in the Leaves-
Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me, only the OCs that I created.
Chapter 10:
Hunting
The Jonin lead the trio to the outskirts of the village, where fourteen other teams were waiting. Ahead of the crowd was a large chain link fence that reminded Ume an awful lot of the fence that surrounded the Forest of Death back in Konoha. Did Kusa have their own version of the dreaded training ground?
As they stood around with the other waiting Genin, Ume began to pick out shinobi from several different Hidden Villages. Ume spotted four other teams from Konoha, three from Kusa, Suna, and Ame, and even a team from Iwa. That made fifteen teams in total had passed the first test.
After a few more moments of waiting, a stern-looking Kusa-nin appeared before the large group of Genin.
"Quite!" he barked, silencing the light chatter coming from the group, "Listen up! Now that the failures have been weeded out, it is time to get serious."
The Jonin had the Genin's full attention; nobody said a word and waited for the examiner to continue.
The Kusa-nin swept his gaze over the remaining teams, "The second part of this Chunin Exams will be a search-and-destroy test, and will be done as individuals instead of as a team."
Ume was a bit surprised by this; why were they acquired to enter as a team if they were just going to be split up in the middle of the exam?
"The first test tested your ability as a team, but this test is different. The area behind me is a training ground that runs twenty kilometers in all directions; this is where you will be tested," explained the Jonin, "All of you will be sent into the forest from different gates. Once inside, you have seventy-two hours to collect as many hitai-ites from other Genin as you can, as well as keep a hold of your own.
"Out of the forty-five Genin standing here now, only six who gathered the most hitai-ites will advance to the next round."
A low murmur ran through the group of Genin; so the second test was a free for all?
"What are the rules?" asked a random Genin.
"Only to gather as many hitai-ites by any means necessary," said the Jonin, "Think of it as test that simulates hunting down and destroying enemy shinobi."
Ume gulped, 'By any means necessary? That means people can be killed in this test, I need to be very careful.'
"One last piece of advice before we start," said the Jonin, crossing his arms, "Show no mercy, fore you probably won't receive any."
Ume said goodbye to Kabuto and they wished each other luck, before each of the Genin were placed at a gate with a Chunin, waiting for the signal to begin. The butterflies had returned in Ume's stomach.
'Focus, girl', Ume told herself, 'Don't let all of those games of "Catch the Snowflake" go to waste. Just don't loose your cool, and you will be fine.'
Suddenly, the Kusa Jonin's voice rang-out for all of the Genin to here, "The second portion of the Chunin Exams will begin…. Now!"
Ume took to the trees the moment the Chunin had opened the gate; Ume had spent a large amount of her time training in the tree tops with Anko, and she was going to use that to her advantage. Plus, she was in her element. Even if she was told not to use her Mokuton, Ume felt more secure in the trees than she did on the ground.
Lucky for Ume, the trees here were as big as the ones growing in the Forest of Death, and even had mammoth-sized mushrooms sprouting from them. So, Ume could travel without ever touching the ground.
Ume suddenly slowed down and quieted her pace, when she picked up a chakra signature up ahead. Suppressing her own chakra, Ume began trailing the unknowing Genin. She slowly gained on him, but kept out sight. If she played her cards right, she could get the jump on the other Genin and steel his headband before he noticed what had happened.
Ume was nearly directly overhead of the Genin, as he traveled along the ground. Waiting for the perfect moment, Ume launched herself from the treetops directly at the oblivious Genin.
The heel of Ume's sandal collided with the back of the Genin's head and sent him rolling head-over-heels along the ground. Ume watch as he skidded to a stop and lay in the dirt, unconscious.
Ume rushed over and untied the Genin's hitai-ite. She grinned triumphantly and held up her prize, revealing the Kusa symbol etched onto the metal plate.
'That's one,' thought Ume, sliding the stolen headband into her hip pouch. 'Time to find another target.'
The white-haired kunoichi once again took to the treetops.
It was now nearing the end of day two in the second part of the Chunin Exams. During this time, and Ume had not been able to find any other Genin other than the one she had ambushed on the first day.
The white-haired kunoichi was currently resting under the cap of one of the giant mushrooms growing in the towering trees. It was getting late, and Ume decided to search for another target for a little while longer, before finding a safe place to camp for the night.
Ume kept a steady pace as she leaped through the treetops, searching for any nearby chakra signatures. She wasn't having any luck, and it would be dark soon.
'I doubt only one headband will be enough to make the cut,' thought Ume, 'I've got to keep looking!'
Ume had no time to react on what happened next. A figure suddenly appeared in her peripheral vision, and Ume felt something hard collide with her cheek.
Ume was seeing stars when she landed hard on one of the lower branches of a tree. The wind was knocked out of her and tears came to her eyes as her left cheek throbbed painfully. Ume's vision finally started to clear when a mocking laugh echoed somewhere nearby.
"It must be my lucky day; Another leaf for me to pluck!"
Ume looked to see a smirking shinobi standing on a branch in a tree across from her. His hitai-ite marked him as a Genin from Iwagakure. Ume inwardly cursed herself for being caught off guard like that; she had gone from the hunter to the hunted.
The Iwa-nin sneered as he held up his arm to reveal three Konoha headbands dangling from his wrist, "It looks like you Konoha shinobi aren't as great as they say you are. I'll be adding your hitai-ite to my collection."
Ume glared at him and rose up to defensive stance, "Over my dead body."
This bastard only targeting Genin from Konoha; Ume's allies! Konoha and Iwa never did get along with each other, especially after the Third Great Shinobi World War, but this was pushing it.
The Iwa Genin gave a predator-like grin, "If you say so."
Ume braced herself as he lunged towards her, two curved daggers in each hand.
Anko was lounging across her bed back at the hotel, waiting out until the second test had ended and to see who would advance to the next round. She watched the sun slowly start its descent towards the horizon.
The snake-mistress scowled; she wondered how Snowflake was doing. The two other Genin she didn't think much about, but Anko would be lying if she said she wasn't a little worried about Ume. The Chunin Exams were dangerous, they always have been.
Most of the shinobi participating were on fair terms with Konoha. But a few Genin from Iwa were taking the exam, and Iwa and Konoha mixed like water and oil. If Ume had anything to worry about, it would be running into a bitter Iwa-nin. Especially when she didn't have a team to back her up.
She just hoped that Ume's training would be enough.
Anko snorted to herself, 'Maybe I' am getting soft. Snap out of it, Anko. The gaki will be fine…. I hope.'
A/N: New pictures are up on the link on my homepage! Reviews and healthy criticism are helpful. =^.^=
Japanese/ Jutsu List:
- Suna: Sand
- Ame: Rain
- Iwa: Rock
- Iwagakure: Village Hidden in the Rocks
P.S. I'm thinking about letting Haku live in this fic. Please send me a message telling me your thoughts on the idea. ^/.\^
