Chapter 27: The Fame

"This is the last week of April! The sun is shining, it is 16° Celsius! I am Trisha and this is my colleague Misha! Welcome to our chunin exams semi finale special!"

Trisha was a woman in her mid-twenties. She wore an expensive dress, matching shoes and jewelry. Her colleague Misha was a little older than her, wearing a grey suit and red tie. He held up his microphone and smiled at the camera, revealing bleached white teeth.

"Thank you Trisha for the nice introduction," he winked, "the semi finales are approaching fast and we bring you the inside report. Right now we have two very special guests. Please welcome tomorrow's competitors: Houzuki Suihi and Uzumaki Bolt!"

The two kids were sitting on a couch in between the two announcer guys. Suihi's head was tomato red and she was sitting there like ready to run as fast as the devil, while Bolt looked like he regretted not running fast enough away from the reporters before. The boy had sunk deep into the cushions.

Misha, seated on a bar chair and therefore a little higher than the kids, bent down a little, "so Bolt – I may call you Bolt? Thanks' dear. So, are you exited yet for tomorrow?"

Bolt looked at the man like he was about to kill him, "yeah… I'm totally exited… Can't wait for it…"

"And what about you," Trisha's smile was just as radiant as Misha's. Suihi looked to the floor. It felt like if she looked again, she would go blind. The wooden tiles were so much friendlier than those two adults – or the camera.

"I am excited, I guess. But not as excited that I would run around the stadium to blow off steam, more the good kind of excited. If there was time I would bake a cake and eat it all by myself or give it to other people or preserve it for tomorrows match and throw it at Bolt's face or I could just sleep the whole-"

"That's really nice my dear," Trisha stopped Suihi in her rant. It was Misha's turn again.

"So the two of you made it to the semi finale. We have some nice videos about your progression to this point," Misha looked at the camera, "please enjoy after a short commercial break!"

The lights went out and the whole set came to life. The two moderators, Suihi and Bolt were sitting on a set with comfy lounge furniture in front of a green screen. The boy actually got a glimpse on a screen behind the camera: The green background had been replaced with the picture of a veranda.

A young man came over to the competitors. He opened a case filled with make-up.

"Ok you two – sit straight boy! I need to powder you."

"Powder us WHAT?!" Bolt was up in a second. Up on the backrest of the couch, "you won't touch me! No no no!"

"Ooooh cutie I'm sorry but you got the wrong impression here," the man rolled his eyes, pulled out a brush and started to fling it over Suihi's face. The girl, just in time, closed her eyes. Bolt slowly crawled back down into his spot, deep between the cushions. Someone from behind though roughly pushed him forward and stuffed another cushion behind his back to keep him from sinking in again. The boy growled angrily and suddenly had the powder brush in his face.

A second later some guy called and everybody got back into their place.

"3… 2… 1…"

"Welcome back ladies and gentleman to Nissou TV! Yesterday we asked you to submit your questions to the candidates on and we are here to ask them for you now. This program is sponsored by Kyuuketsu juices and here is your first question," Misha narrowed his eyes and read the words on the screen next to the camera aloud, "to Bolt: how does it feel to be the son of the most powerful guy in the world?"

Bolt looked at the suited man.

"Is this a joke question?"

"I don't think so," Misha smiled professionally, "just answer the question please."

"I don't get any of that 'most powerful guy' thing. I couldn't care less."

"Let's have a question for Suihi," Trisha put her hand on the girls shoulder, eyeing her colleague nervously, "is it true that Suihi is the daughter of Cloud and Sephiroth – what kind of question is this?" Trisha looked at the director but he only shook his head and send someone upstairs to the digital management.

Suihi answered nonetheless, "I don't know these people. And I assure you, my parents aren't called like… this…" She had a very confused look on her face.

"uhm… let's just ask Bolt another question." Misha was trying to keep the show going, "so… Judging from your last performances: do you even use your brain, class clown?"

It was silent for a second.

"Ok you don't have to answer such a weird question, Bolt." Trisha looked at the boy, "how about we talk about your strategy in your first fight?"

"No…" Bolt got up and the camera shifted to his face, "you guys listen. Now! I always have a strategy, even if you cannot see it. I am not my father! I am called Uzumaki Bolt! I am a fighter raised in Konoha and I will kick this girls butt just as I have kicked the other two idiots butt," Bolt was pointing straight into the camera. He had a wild, angry look on his face now. "And this goes straight to Uchiha Sarada: you'd be pathetic to loose against that Suna girl! So get your ass to the finale and I'll kick you through the arena! Bolt out!"

And with these last words he punched his right inner elbow with his left arm, making his right fist go up with the middle finger standing straight up and finally leaving the studio.


The common room at the hostel was silent after the announcement Bolt had just made. Everybody was staring at the screen. Nissou TV was playing a commercial right now.

Suddenly someone in the back was starting to giggle. The giggling evolved and that someone was laughing hard.

Hotaru was sitting in his chair. More like almost falling off: it had taken him some seconds to take in what Bolt had said, but when it finally reached him, the chocolate guy couldn't hold it together. He simply burst out into laughing, not caring that the whole room was staring at him.

"Uhm… Hotaru..? Are you alright," Momoka wasn't sure what to say. She looked at him worried. Maybe he had just lost his mind? Maybe this was a side effect of being in a coma for almost a year..?

It took him another minute, but eventually Hotaru settled down again. He had tears in his eyes.

"Sorry Momoka…" the people gave him one last confused look and turned away, ",I just couldn't stop myself… this was gold…"

The girl held her hands up to her mouth, "I don't know what you are talking about. He was very rude…"

Hotaru stood up from his chair, "yeah he was."

"Where are you going?" Momoka looked up as the boy was making his way towards the door, ready to follow.

"Just toilett."

"Ok see you later!"

Hotaru rolled his eyes, what she couldn't see. He opened the door and walked out. His feet though didn't lead him to the toilets, rather to the exit of the hostel he was staying in. Time without anybody around him was rare. Either way there were his roommates, a doctor or Momoka around him. He grabbed his jacket at the door, put on his shoes and quickly left.

The announcer had been right. It was a nice day. A not too hot nor too cold day of spring. The alley down to the event area near the lake with the market was barely crowded. A quick look at the huge white clock told Hotaru that it was noon. Maybe he would get himself something from the combini. One or two onigiri would be nice. He hadn't had them in a long time.

While choosing the flavor (in contrary to the popular opinion, he actually liked umeboshi, the pickled plums), he started to think about Bolt. The blonde idiot hadn't looked happy. But who would? Being on display, vulnerable to the public in an interview with questions that were just not appropriate. Which were hurting Bolt probably more than he would admit. And Hotaru knew these hurt. They had been friends throughout their academy time and gotten even closer after being put into the same team. They wouldn't talk about themselves much (the boys were mostly occupied being as awesome as possible. Nobody had told them that they looked ridiculous most of the time…), but there had always been a mutual understanding. If Hotaru was having a hard time again, because some old geezers had been joking on his skin color, Bolt would defend his friend fiercely and send the old men into a horrific shock by exposing them as racist idiots to everybody around. And Hotaru didn't even have to ask for it.

On the other hand, the chocolate boy would offer Bolt a place to stay for as long as he needed, when he was fighting with his father again. Bolt never stayed over more than two nights because he knew he had to help his mother in the household and his sister with her homework. But these days and nights were when Bolt was actually behaving like a normal boy in contrary to his usual behavior.

And asking Bolt about his relationship with his father or about his fighting style (Hotaru admitted: Bolt had a very interesting way to fight, but until now it had been quite successful) was just inappropriate. Hotaru had seen the outburst coming as soon as the blonde had appeared on the screen, sunk into his cushions. He didn't anticipate the type of outbreak though and started to laugh at what Bolt had chosen to say and to do.

After paying Hotaru made his way towards the lake. He sat down on a bench and enjoyed his umeboshi onigiri, watching some kids play at the stony shore.

"Where Sarada is…" he mumbled and shoved the last piece of rice into his mouth.


Some birds were flying in between the trees. They were singing/shouting at each other.

Sarada hated their voices. Yes, they could be soothing, but most of the time they were just annoying. Especially when Uchiha Sarada was training. The girl was just standing in the middle of training ground, her eyes closed.

Her teacher Kakashi, had the brilliant idea to play hide & seek at the training grounds, to make her sensible for her encounter with Sabakuno Saeko. Sarada just didn't see the point. She knew what she was in for: A sand ninja using sand to scrub of the flesh from the body. What she needed to fight Saeko, was in Sarada's opinion speed. But what did her teacher care? Kakashi explained to her that there was no way of making her fast enough within two days to "run away" from the sand. But he could help her get sensible for coming attacks. Therefore she wore a blindfold and Kakashi hid himself somewhere around: maybe in the small shack with equipment? Or behind the fence? The forest was also a nice option.

Sarada just wished he'd cut the crap.

"I found you," she said and pointed at a bush in the area.

"Oh nice one," Kakashi stepped out of the bush and Sarada took off the blindfold. He was reading one of these perverted books again.

"Can we please stop now? I need real training if I'm to win against Saeko…" the girl threw the cloth away and put her hands on her hips.

"Do you really need to win this fight? Judging from what I have seen there is a very high chance that you are going to be promoted to chunin anyways. And you even used one small lighting jutsu. I think you outdid yourself already," Kakashi closed the book and looked at his student, "there will always be situations in your life when training is not going to help you getting through and this might be one of those."

"So you are telling me that I have no chance of winning," Sarada was offended. Why would her teacher, the one person that was supposed to cheer on her, say something like that, "do you think I'm not strong enough?"

Kakashi sighed, "That's not what I mean. You are strong, Sarada. With all that I have seen you do yet, I think that you are the strongest genin in this tourney. But there will always, be opponents that you won't be able to beat because you can't counter their powers."

"You told me my father dominated over the former Kazekage. And he is using the same sand, right? Even stronger than the girl!"

"Yes. But she is not her and you are not your father."

"Thanks I almost forgot…" Sarada snapped at him and Kakashi buried his face in his hands.

"Look, a good friend of mine once said this: Luck is also part of your strength."

"…so… you think I can only win with luck..?"

"You have all the 'tools' you need to win this fight. All that is left, is a little bit of faith and trust and-"

"…a little bit of fairy dust… yeah I get it." Sarada rolled her eyes. She went over to the tool shack and grabbed a bottle of water. Kakashi followed her.

"Why do you so desperately want to win?"

For a moment there was silence between them. Sarada drank some water and turned around.

"Because I promised Bolt that we'd meet in the finale. I promised that we'd finally settle our score. And I could never forgive myself if I didn't meet his expectations."

"I see," Kakashi smiled beneath his mask, "you kids have more in common with your parents than I expected. I believe you can do it and that you will fight Bolt in the finale."

At first Sarada wanted to say something snappy again, but instead her cheeks turned red and she smiled.

"Thank you, sensei."

End of Chapter 27


Welcome back my dear readers,

how are you feeling? I hope you are alright! I'm turly sorry for the long wait and even more sorry for the hiatus notice. But there was no way I could have gone on writing while working on my bachelor thesis. The chapters would have been half assed, delayed and stuff. So I took four weeks off. I'm sorry. But I'm back! That's something, right?

This chapter is more or less the last deep breath before the climax of the chunin exams. The kids are getting settled, mentally (and physically) prepared to make their way to the top. Next chapter will be Bolt vs Suihi. I guess it'll be on time!

I have some more good news! I found someone to be my Beta - which means I will be able to upload much higher quality chapters from next week on probably. There are some projects I'm working on paralel (short stories) and there is a lot you can look forward to this autumn!

So how did you like this rather short chapter? Please leave me a review, so that I can enhance my writing!

Thank you very much and see you next week

Your Usagi


Review Answer

Thank you all for reading and leaving a review! You are awesome!

Rdk3: I really do love your reviews. It's always delightful to read them, because you can see them from different angles. What I notice reading other peoples fanfiction, is that (the longer these get) the plots are often just pop up. This is also the case in a lot of officially published storys (Naruto itself is a good example). I don't want that for my story. I want it to feel like all characters have complex lifes and that every character being there has a meaning to it. If I am correct with my calculations, this is just the first quater of the whole story. And maybe it might not come across why these characters are necessary right now, but each one of them will play at least once an essential role in the story of Sarada and Bolt.. so yeah you are probably right: I've put my pieces on the chessboard and am ready to make the first move XD Thank you so much for the review! And sorry to have kept you waiting... Your Usagi

SoundlessWorld: I know! And I'm sorry! Sorry for the long wait... Yeah, Konohamaru might be around 26-29 years old. but what I mean with "far from having kids himself" is that he doesn't have a real love interest. He likes Ako, but he feels like she doesn't take it as seriously. And if you look at it: most Naruto charas become parents between 19-23. And Konohamaru probably feels like he already ditched the right age. Boys. And yes, Tadashi has always protected his sister. And since they have been guarded by Gaara too, he didn't have to show off his powers too often. So Saeko had no clue what was coming XD Thank you very much! Sorry for the wait.. Your Usagi

CaauweKilla: Hey there! Thank you for the kind review and sorry for the long wait! Sasuke won't be back in the chapters until the end of the exam. But he'll be mentioned. And I'm sure Bolt wants to train with his father too! But I doubt Naruto has time...

Dark princess: Thank you for the review :3 The last chapter was to set up the following storyline. It may right now make not much sense, but the woman has already appeared and what it was all about will be answered some chapters from here ;) Thank you and sorry for the wait! Your Usagi

Guest: Thank you very much!

saraswati: Here you go and thank you very very much!