A/N: It's two in the morning. This shows just how much I love you guys XD Anyways, enjoy the show!'
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The cave offered little protection from the cold, yet sweaty weather of the forest.
Maiko couldn't help but feel cramped and uncomfortable as she roughly crawled out of the rocky bed.
Standing in the same spot she was the night before, was Kotone.
She stood, unmoving as her green-haired partner stretched beside her.
"I would say it looks like a beautiful day, but it really doesn't."
The tomboy was right.
The trees were fat, having eaten the souls of those who had died there, and they blocked the sun.
It was dark, and haunting.
"Ah, Maiko-chan! You're finally awake!"
A cute blonde approached her two teammates cheerfully with her arms full of odd-looking berries.
"Yeah.. Umm, Hiromi-chan, what the heck are those?"
The girl with the braid smiled, "Breakfast!"
Kotone approached her silently and eyed the berries in her arms.
"Give them to me. I shall analyze them, in case you have returned with poisonous berries."
The blonde nodded and willingly poured the berries into Kotone's arms.
"How did you sleep, Maiko-chan?" She asked, not watching as her pale teammate began to quickly throw some berries into the bushes, saying blandly, "Poison."
The green-haired genin (her hair was sticking up randomly in places and Hiromi had to cover her mouth to stop the giggles) yawned, "Pretty good, I guess, considering I slept on a rock."
Her shorter friend giggled, "I think it was pretty rough.. But I'm glad Kotone found this place."
She turned towards said girl and squeaked, "K-Kotone! Where are the berries!"
The lifeless girl held up one single berry between her index finger and thumb.
"This is the only berry in your entire gatherings that is not lethal. Even now, I estimate a thirty-three percent chance of death after eating this berry."
. . .
Maiko smacked the berry out of Kotone's hand.
. . .
Hiromi sniffed, "What are we supposed to eat, now?"
Kotone deadpanned, "I gauge a fifty-nine percent chance that you will survive without eating this one meal."
The tomboy of the three growled, "But... I'm hungry!"
Hiromi sighed, "I guess Kotone's right, though, Maiko-chan.. We should just try and get our hands on a scroll."
Kotone swiftly leapt up into the branches of one of the trees surrounding them.
"I suggest we continue moving."
Her blonde teammate followed suite, glancing back at Maiko and saying calmly, "Come on, Maiko-chan. Let's go!"
The tomboy frowned, mumbling curses under her breath, and leapt after her team.
After three days and exactly two hours and twelve minutes (along with fifty two seconds), the girls found a scroll.
It was no easy task, but they got it.
They had ambushed an older group of genin and Kotone nonchalantly wiped them out.
No, she did not kill them.
Hiromi pleaded against their deaths and the impassive girl obeyed.
Maiko cheered, "Yeah! We finally got one!"
Kotone nudged a collapsed genin.
The genin with the long braid frowned, "I don't mean to be rude.. But how did they even get here? They seem a little.. weak."
Her friend with odd eyes shrugged, "Who cares? We got their scroll!"
Hiromi huffed, "Well, there were some injuries! So I care!"
She turned to face her pale teammate.
"How is your back, Kotone?"
During the short and victorious battle, one of the genin had managed to slash the girl across the back.
Blood squirted out, but she continued to fight.
"I feel nothing. Let us continue to the tower," she replied.
Maiko crossed her arms, "Don't lie, Kotone. If you're hurting you can tell us! Hiromi is good at healing."
The girl with the white hair deadpanned, "I do not feel pain. I am not lying. I am in no need of healing. Let us head to the tower."
Hiromi sighed, "At least let me look at your wound."
Kotone grabbed the Heaven scroll from a genin and put it in her kimono.
"I do not need assistance. I recommend the two of you learn to realize this."
Maiko growled, "We're just being polite. You're human! And humans get hurt!"
The girl with the white hair stopped walking.
"I am not human."
And she continued.
. . . .
POV change - Hiromi
-:-
The girl was speechless.
She stumbled behind Kotone with a confused expression.
Kotone... wasn't human?
Maybe she was an alien?
The blonde girl blanched.
An alien...
That would explain a great many things.
Like, how strong she was with barely any training..
And how she practically knows everything..
Hiromi sped up so that she was at Kotone's side.
"Umm, Kotone?"
A flicker of pure white eyes makes Hiromi know she's acknowledged.
"If you aren't human.. Are you an alien?"
. . .
. . .
Maiko burst into laughter, and gripped her stomach, tears flying to her eyes hysterically.
"Ha-ha-ha-ha! A-.. Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha! An alien?"
Hiromi blushed, "I- well! She said she wasn't human!"
She turned and faced her emotionless teammate, about to say something, but she stopped.
. . . .
Was that a... smile?
. . . .
As quickly as it came, it went, and Kotone's hand began to twitch.
She deadpanned her response, "No."
Hiromi, nodded numbly, "R-right.. That was a dumb question."
Maiko folded her arms behind her head, "I've got a good question.. Are we close to that danged tower?"
The conversation went astray, but Hiromi couldn't help but smile.
. . .
Perhaps.. she had a part of Kotone figured out.
POV change - No one
-:-
"What. The. (Curse.)."
Maiko's words expressed her feelings perfectly.
"W-where is everyone?" Hiromi asked cautiously.
The tower was completely empty, according to Kotone, who had apparently already scanned the entire place.
They stood in what looked like an auditorium of sorts, and a message was on the wall.
Kotone read it aloud.
"If you do not possess Heaven, gain knowledge and be prepared. If you do not possess Earth, run through the fields and seek strength. If you open both Heaven and Earth, dangerous paths will become safe. This is the secret of. It shall lead you on your way."
Maiko fell to the ground, ignoring the stinging pain in her leg, "What the (curse.) is that even supposed to mean?"
Hiromi frowned, "Secret of what, Kotone?"
The pale girl responded, "There is nothing there. Perhaps it is unfinished."
Maiko groaned, "Well, what are we supposed to do, then?"
Her blonde teammate gasped, "I think.. It wants us to open both our scrolls!"
Kotone nodded, "I calculate a eighty-three percent chance that this message is suggesting that."
She pulled out their two scrolls (Hiromi cringed ; one was covered in blood) and handed one to Maiko, who took it lazily.
Hiromi gulped.
. . .
. . .
The two girls gently peeled their scrolls open until an image of a summoning inscription came into view.
Kotone tossed hers to the ground, glancing at Maiko, signifying for her to do the same.
When she didn't, Hiromi grabbed her scroll and chucked it at the other scroll already on the ground.
Maiko and Hiromi's eyes went wide as the two scrolls breathed out a large smoky explosion.
Immediately, the blonde girl squeaked, "I'm so sorry!"
. . . .
"Don't be, Sato-san."
The outline of a figure became obvious and Maiko gaped.
. . .
"Hanako-sensei?"
Said crazy woman stepped out of the dissipating smoke and smiled gracefully.
"Good afternoon."
Maiko hobbled to her sensei and barked at her, "Where is everyone? Why is there a retarded message on the wall? Did we pass?"
Hiromi fell to her knees, tears at her eyes.
. . .
Hanako shoved the tomboy away and smirked, "Keep your hands to yourself, brat! I'm here to explain all of that!"
She coughed gently into her hand before continuing.
"Anyways, you all have passed!"
Hiromi cried softly with joy.
Maiko whooped.
Hanako continued, "Well, you passed this exam, which tested your mission completion. So if you had broken the rules and opened your scroll, I would have had the opportunity to knock all of you out!"
Hiromi wiped away her tears unsuccessfully, "Th-thank you, s-sensei."
The beautiful woman waved her hand theatrically, "Oh, well, I would've enjoyed it.. But I enjoy the thought of my girls becoming chunin more!"
Maiko smirked, "So what's next?"
Hanako smiled, "The Preliminaries."
"Wh-what are those?" Hiromi sniffed.
"They're kind of a test for a test. It will drain out those who aren't strong enough to become chunin, and gather up those who might," her sensei explained.
Maiko whooped once again, "Yeah! We're gonna win this!"
Hanako frowned, "Not so fast, Arakawa-san. You'll be facing whoever survived this. They're stronger than you most likely."
The tomboy flexed, "No problem! I'll blow 'em away."
Hiromi shakily stood, her face tear-stained.
"W-well.. Let's go then!"
Hanako-sensei giggled, "Hold your horses! I still have to explain what this ga- I mean, uhh, important message means!"
Kotone spoke up, "I have a theory."
Her sensei crossed her arms, "Go on ahead, then."
The pale girl explained, "It is the principal written by the Hokage, made to be kept in the mind of chunin. Heaven, in this message, means one's mind. Earth means one's body. Thus, combining such powers would make a chunin. If you do not have knowledge, seek it. If you do not have strength, seek it. This is the secret of man, the word imprinted inside the scroll. With the powers of the mind and body, dangerous missions become safe."
Hanako smiled, "Correct! Now I don't have to explain it! Now that we're all done here.. Are you ready to go to the Exam?"
Hiromi wiped her face once more before nodding, "Yes, Hanako-sensei! I'm... ready."
Maiko flexed again, "Heck yeah, sensei!"
Kotone deadpanned, "Yes, sensei."
"Then let's get the heck outta here!"
They stood in lines.
The other nine rookies were there, surprisingly.
Also, Kabuto and his team were there.
From left to right, the teams were Ino, Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, Hinata, Shino, Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Neji, Rock Lee, Tenten, Kabuto, his two friends, Gaara, Kankuro, Temari, Kotone, Maiko, and then Hiromi.
[A/N : I GOT RID OF THE SOUND NIN FOR FANFICTION PURPOSES. OROCHIMARU IS A FLIPPIN' SNAKE. HE WILL FIND A WAY IN WITH DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES. THANK YOU AND GOODBYE.]
Hiromi was shaking nervously.
Maiko was tapping her feet impatiently.
Kotone stood deathly still, her pure white eyes looking straight ahead of her.
In front of them were the Hokage, and multiple other jounin.
Hanako-sensei was smiling delicately at them.
She waved her small feminine hand and Maiko rolled her eyes.
"Congratulations on passing the second exam!" the purple-haired examiner, Anko, said loudly.
Her voice echoed away and a heavy silence ensued.
Maiko smirked, "This doesn't look too hard."
Hiromi's teeth chattered, "Y-yeah.. This means we're one step closer to becoming chunin.. R-r-right, Kotone?"
The impassive girl stared straight ahead, not uttering a single word.
Maiko huffed, "You're not too much cooler than us, ya know! We're your teammates."
Hiromi's knees clacked together, "R-right.."
Anko coughed into her fist before continuing, "You all will now receive an explanation of the third exam from the Hokage."
Maiko groaned, "Again? They just get more and more boring!"
The purple-haired woman glared furiously at the tomboy before turning towards the Hokage and nodding.
She gritted out another final comment, "Everyone listen well."
Maiko smirked.
Hiromi almost melted into a puddle of blonde liquid and drowned in her anxiousness.
Kotone stood deathly still.
The old geezer hobbled towards the students before speaking in a very rough voice.
"The Third Exam will begin," his voice was somewhat altered by the pipe shoved in his mouth, but he continued, "But before we being, there's one thing I'd like to make clear. It's about the true purpose of the exam."
Maiko groaned again, receiving another death glare from Anko.
The Hokage continued.
It took an entire speech to actually get to the speech needed.
Maiko was surprised this entire nation got anywhere.
After a long moment of everyone being frozen and bored, a red-haired kid beside them (Hiromi thought she recognized him..) deadpanned, "I don't care. Tell me the details of this exam."
The geezer coughed roughly before pulling his hat down stylishly, "Alright, I will now begin the explanation of the Third Exam.. But first," he stopped and magically, a man with a girly haircut appeared in a respective pose.
"Excuse me, Hokage-sama," he said lightly, "I, Gekkou Hayate, the judge, will explain."
The old man nodded, "Go ahead."
Gekkou stood and turned, with an expression almost as lively as Kotone's, "Everyone, it is nice to meet you."
To Maiko's dismay, the man went into a temporary coughing fit before continuing.
Hiromi raised a brow in confusion.
"Everyone.. Before the Third Exam," he continued with a few more coughs, "There's something I want you to do."
Yet again, the man coughed again into his fist.
Maiko snorted, "Dude, just say it."
Hiromi tried to take him seriously, but..
"Fight in some preliminary matches.. to see who gets to fight in the Third Exam's main battle."
. . .
"What the (CUUUUUUURSE.)?" Maiko drawled out.
Shikamaru spoke up as well, "Preliminaries? What do you mean?"
A girl from the back (Sakura, Hiromi recognized) spoke, "Sensei, I don't understand what you mean! Why can't we just start?"
Gekkou seemed a bit overwhelmed by the questions, bursting with so much emotion, Maiko believed her eyes were going to burn.
He spoke composedly, "In this case, it's because the First and Second Exam were too easy. There are too many examinees left over. According to the regulations, we must decrease the number of those participating in the Third Exam."
Hiromi gasped.
Maiko tapped her foot impatiently, mumbling, "Can we go now..?"
Another glare from Anko.
(Curse.), that woman has ears like a bat.
Gekkou continued, "As the Hokage mentioned earlier (Aw, snap. Hiromi wasn't listening), there will also be an audience, so we mustn't have too many matches."
. . .
He continued despite the fact that no one cared, "And we also has very little time, so those who aren't feeling well.."
Before he could finish, he began to cough violently, causing Hiromi to stare at him numbly.
He needs to go home and have some tea..
The ninja composed himself before speaking, "Excuse me. Anyways, those who aren't feeling well enough to battle, or wants to quit, please contact me. The preliminaries will be beginning immediately."
Hiromi wailed, "What? We just now got out of the S-second Exam!"
Maiko growled, "We should at least have some time to recuperate!"
Kotone stood as silent as a rock.
"I am one hundred percent fully capable of battling. You, Sato-san?"
Hiromi shivered from the cold stare, "I-.. I think so! I-.. I hope so."
"Arakawa-san?"
Maiko smirked, "(Curse.) yeah! It doesn't matter how roughed up we are! My leg feels fine and I'm ready to rock!"
The man at the front spoke again, almost hesitant, "Oh, I forgot to mention, that you will be fighting one-on-one matches from now on. So please withdraw if you want."
. . .
"Kotone," Hiromi said in a small voice, "I take it back. I want to go home."
"There is a sixty-two percent chance Arakawa-san will not allow this."
"(Curse.) yeah I won't! We're doing this!"
. . .
"B-but.. I'm not as strong as you guys!"
"I calculate a seventy-seven percent chance that this argument is no longer valid."
. . . .
"Listen to Kotone, Hiromi-chan. She's smart."
"Well, I'm not smart! All I do is run and around and get you guys hurt!"
"I estimate a fifty-two percent chance that that situation is less likely, seeing as to how this event is a one-on-one match. Unless you leap into the area of battle, there is a very low chance that you may 'run around and get us hurt'."
. . .
"I take back what I said. Shut up, Kotone."
. . .
A hand raised in the crowd and Maiko snorted.
Hiromi frowned, "Kabuto-san..?"
"What is this?" asked the Hokage.
A fake smile was plastered upon his face as he said casually, "I'll quit."
. . .
Gekkou messed around with his clipboard before coughing out, "You're Konoha's Yukashi Kabuto, right? You may leave."
The silver-haired punk turned and walked away, his blonde friend calling after him.
"Kabuto-san, why are you leaving?"
Maiko leaned towards Hiromi, "You know what this reminds me of..?"
The blonde girl blinked, "What?"
. . .
"A man leaving a woman, after a night of love."
The girl with the braid turned as red as blood and turned away, causing Maiko to snicker.
A few adults murmured at the front of the room as the silver-haired ninja with glasses took as much time as possible slithering towards the exit.
Hiromi recovered from her blush and coughed gently, "Umm, Kotone, who do you think you'll be facing?"
The girl spoke blandly and left no room for a response, "I have no data with this matter. Consult me another time on this subject."
After a little while, the anxiety in the room became palpable and Hiromi gulped.
"So, I guess no one else will be leaving?" asked Gekkou.
No one raised their hands so he spoke again, "Well then, let's begin the preliminaries. Like I said, it will be a one-on-one match. It will be real combat. Now that there are exactly twenty of you left, there will be ten matches. The winners will advance to the Third Exam. There are no rules. So you will be fighting until one dies, or collapses, or even forfeits. If you don't want to die, I suggest you leave."
. . .
Hiromi gulped down a lump in her throat.
She had so much more to live for..
What if she faced.. Sasuke?
She'd be torn apart!
She would no longer have a future as a ninja, or even a wife or a mom!
She'd be dead.
And what if she faced Neji?
She wouldn't have the willpower to face her.. handsome crush.
The blonde girl glanced at her teammates, and sighed.
She didn't want to disappoint them.
So she kept quiet.
Gekkou deadpanned, "However, if I find that the match is finished, (a cough.) I may stop the battle to prevent any unnecessary deaths. The thing that will hold your destiny, is this."
Anko mumbled something into her microphone, and a part of the wall slid away to reveal a screen.
Hiromi's palms became sweaty with fear.
Maiko crossed her arms and smirked, her sharp teeth showing menacingly.
"This board will randomly pick two contestants for battle," The brunette ninja said, "And without anymore interruptions, I will now display the first match."
. . .
The screen flashed yellow before dialing names, one on top of another, with a sign that meant VERSUS in between.
Maiko gulped.
Hiromi covered her eyes right after seeing her name be flashed upon the board for a moment.
A loud buzzing sound occurred and Hiromi sighed in relief as she peeked at the board.
Sasuke Uchiha versus Akadou Yoroi.
The unfamiliar name must have been one of Kabuto's friends.
Maiko, though reluctant to admit it, was glad it wasn't her.
She had a severe case of stage fright.
Kotone turned stared, analyzing Sasuke before turning back to the front of the room.
He did not look suited for battle, but it was nowhere in her database about him, so she kept silent.
"Those whose names are displayed above, please step forward."
The two obeyed and Hiromi frowned.
"Good luck, Sasuke-kun," she whispered.
She may not have known him personally, but she was just as in love with him when she was girl like Ino and Sakura were now.
"The first match will be between Akadou Yoroi and Sasuke Uchiha. Are there any objections?"
The two responded 'no' at the same time and Sasuke winced in pain.
Maiko snorted, "He's already losing and the battle hasn't even started yet."
"Well then," Gekkou sighed, "The first match will now begin. Everyone else, please move up there, meaning the balcony."
The team of three girls staggered up the stairs and Maiko and Hiromi collapsed at their sensei's feet, ready to nap instead of support Sasuke's match.
To their surprise, Kotone stood completely still, her arms crossed on top of the railing, focused on the match.
"She's practically a robot," Maiko yawned.
As she attempted to lie down, Hanako-sensei kicked her in the head.
"Don't even think about sleeping! You may be up next for all you know."
The green-haired tomboy groaned, "I've been sleeping in dirt all week! The least you can do is let me rest on this rocky, comfortable ground."
The beautiful woman sighed, "I can't believe you idiots. Why can't you guys act like Kotone?"
Hiromi whined, "Because Kotone is super woman! She didn't sleep a wink the entire Second Exam! Or eat!"
Hanako-sensei wrapped her arms around Kotone's neck happily, "That's my student! Working so hard unlike those other two bums!"
The insipid girl spoke hollowly, "I suggest you remove your arms from me. The match is beginning."
The dark-haired beauty nodded, "Oh, of course! Sato-san, Arakawa-san, support your classmates! Come on, sit up!"
The two girls craned their necks, lazily eyeing Sasuke dance around the arena with a kunai.
Maiko booed.
"Boo! Down with the Uchi-OW!"
Hanako-sensei smacked her roughly upside the head, "Shut it, twerp! Support your (curse.) classmates."
Hiromi sweat dropped before sighing.
. . .
How was she going to make it..?
A/N:
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Hope you guys and gals enjoyed! Please leave feedback and wait patiently for Chapter 15!