A/N: I promised some of my readers that I'd get at least two updates today so here is number two. Merry Christmas everyone, I hope you've had a wonderful holidays so far :D As for the song, I was trying to be christmas-y :D
Shinobu POV
"Thank god you guys are already at the tower.. are you all ok?" Shinobu panted slightly, happy to finally be back with her entire team. She couldn't help but giggle as Akamaru and Hitami teamed up, kissing her cheeks.
"Haha, ya, we ended up getting a scroll in the beginning." Kiba grinned, scratching the back of his head.
"Great, we have our set too." Shinobu grinned, pulling out the scrolls and handing them to Shino who was holding the scroll they had gotten from the leeches. Part of Shinobu wanted to wait to make sure all of the leaf genin had their scrolls before they advanced, but they didn't have time for that. They didn't want to miss the deadline. It had taken her a lot longer than she had expected to get to the tower after running into a nasty genjutsu which caused her to run in circles for what could have been a day for all she knew.
"Alright! Let's go!" Kiba grinned, punching the air as he guided Shinobu and Hinata back to the room he and Shino had been sleeping in. While they had been there they had lots of time to look at this one poster on the wall. It had some words missing but it seemed to be a set of instructions.
"Without heaven... so we're supposed to open the scrolls here aren't we?" Shinobu clarified, taking one back from Shino so they could be opened at the same time.
"That's what we figured." Shino responded, putting his own thumb under the crevice of the paper getting ready to open it.
"Three.. Two.. One" Shinobu counted down before they were opened.
"That's a... Shino-kun! Shinobu-chan! That's a summon! Drop the scrolls!" Hinata shouted, or rather, talked in a louder than normal fashion for her. Within a couple of seconds the room was filled with smoke causing the team to cough and rub their eyes, it stung and caused them to tear up.
"What the hell! Couldn't they create something less acid like?" Kiba shouted as Akamaru whimpered.
"You know.. if Kurenai was here she would hit you for that." A voice chuckled.
"Anko-sensei?"
"You got that right, kiddo. I knew you maggots would pass." Anko grinned as the smoke cleared.
"So that's what this was for.. if we opened the scroll early you would have been summoned and we would have failed.. but now you're here to ensure that we passed and have both scrolls."
"Yup, I'd congratulate you with some awesome training but you maggots have somewhere else you need to be for this exam." Anko grinned as looks of confused passed over the faces of team eight.
"Wait.. what?" Kiba tilted his head.
"All of the genins are meeting up in the arena now that this portion of the exam is over. As you passed, you're expected to be there. As in now." Anko looked like she was getting ready to shout at them to move and get their butts into gear but Shinobu interupted her.
"What exactly are the instructions on the poster.. Anko-sensei?"
"Oh those? It's a chunin's motto. The heaven represents mind while the earth represents body. It's the whole idea behind this part of the exam, you can't pass your mission if you don't have both. You need both wisdom and strategy as well as stamina and strength. Keep it in mind.. and MOVE IT!" Anko grinned, her voice booming from the walls as the genin scrambled through the door.
"Kabuto.. do you have my information card for me?" A man with a rather creepy complection asked, dark purple make up lining his eyes while his tongue made him appear snake like as he talked.
"Yes.. Here." Kabuto smirked, handing over the card.
"Good.. I have one more thing, a change of plans, for you to do for me."
"Sure."
"First off, for the second test! Congratulations on passing!" The hokage smiled as his voice echoed around a large stadium like room. There were two sets of balconies on either side of it with strairs leading up. On the opposite end of the room from the doors there was a small platform and a statue of someone holding a jutsu hand sign. The sign for tiger or fire. Up on the stand in a line were the jounin teachers of all of the teams including Kakashi, Gai, Kurenai, Iruka, Asuma, Baki, Anko and the Hokage.
In the middle of the room in six lines of three and one line of four stood the remaining genin teams who passed the forest of death. There was the konoha rookie ten, team gai, the team from the hidden sand, the sound team and Kabuto's team. Some standing more confidently while others showing the obvious wear from the last task.
"You're team isn't too bad, maybe they were lucky." Gai spoke from the platform, looking over the remaining genin. "But as long as my team is aroung, getting any farther is impossible. Since from now on, it's about real ability. Well, with youth there are some sweet times and there are some sour times, eh Kakashi?"
"Huh? You say something?" Kakashi replied, his face displaying confusion as he looked over at his 'rival' for a mere moment before looking back towards his team. Gai secretely infuriated said nothing more.
'Aah.. so that's Gai sensei's eternal rival. Gai sensei totally loses in terms of looks though' Tenten thought to herself with a small smile.
'I knew it! Among all of the other teachers Gai sensei is the coolest!' Lee held his fists in front of him, thinking with his 'youth' displayed in his expression. 'He's sparkling alright! Watch me Gai sensei! I'll sparkle too!'
'So all of the main guys survived.. Uchiha Sasuke...' Neji thought, looking at him. He wasn't the only one glaring towards the young Uchiha.
'I'll get you back for my arms Uchiha Sasuke...' Zaku thought.
'So only seven out of the twenty seven teams passed... hm..' Temari sighed.
'Akamaru is acting strange...' Kurenai winced, Anko had said that they had made it through fine!
'Gaara is unscathed.. of course..' Baki noted.
'That sand guy..' Kiba frowned as Akamaru whimpered.
'Oh good, Naruto-kun passes too.' Hinata thought, smiling to herself.
'Good.. Naruto and Sasuke made it through ok.. I bet Hinata's thinking the same thing.' Shinobu grinned slightly but the effort of the last task had exhausted her.
'What's this? All the leaf rookies are here..' Sakura noted, looking around.
'Old man hokage, Iruka sensei, Kakashi sensei and even super brows is here. Wow! Wow! It's like everyone is getting assembled.' Naruto thought, getting all hyped up.
"Heh.. I can't say that I'm getting a good feeling." Sasuke spoke outloud, clutching his neck.
'For this many to make it, and most of them are rookies. No wonder they all nominated them.' The Hokage smiled slightly, looking back at the jounin.
"Hokage-sama will now explain the third test! Listen carefully!" Anko shouted. "Now Hokage-sama.. please."
"Yes. For the third coming test.. but before I explain that.. There is something I'd like you to know." The Hokage paused, allowing everyone to collect their thoughts. "It concerns the true reason for this exam. Why do we have all the allianced countries take the exam together? 'To promote friendship among the countries.', 'To raise the level of shinobi'. I don't want you to all be confused about the true meaning. The exam is.. a replacement for war, among the allied countries." The Hokage paused again, letting the information sink in.
"What does that mean?" Tenten asked, confusion lining her features.
"If you go back in time, the current allies were enemies who fought each other over who would rule. In order to prevent the wasteful fighting, the stage that these countries chose for battle.. that is the origins of the chunin exam."
"Why the hell do we have to do this crap? Isn't this thing for deciding who is chunin?" Naruto burst out. Shinobu sighed shaking her head, sometimes he could be so wise.. and other times she just had to wonder.
"It is a fact that this exam decides which shinobis have what it takes to become chunin. But on the other hand, this exam has another side.. Where each country's shinobis risk their life to protect their land's prestige.
"Prestige?" Ino asked, tilting her head.
"Watching this third exam will be leaders and influencial individuals from many countries who make up the clients of the shinobi. And the leaders of the countries will also be there to watch each of your battles. If the strength of a country is clear, that country will receive more clients and conversly, if seen weak, they will lose clients. And this will signal to potental enemy countries that 'our village has this much power' so it will send a political message to the outsiders." The Hokage explained.
"Yeah, but why? Why do we have to risk our lives in battle?" Kiba shouted, not quite understanding.
"The strength of the country.. is the strength of the village.. the strength of the village.. is the strength of the shinobi.. and a shinobi's true strength.. is born only through life-risking battle. This exam is a place to see each country's strength and to show off your own strength. It only has meaning because lives are at risk and that's why those who have come before you have fought in the chunin exam for that this dream that is something meaningful."
"But then why? Do you say things about this being for "friendship"." Tenten asked.
"You said in the beginning that you didn't want us to confuse the purpose of this.. so what you're saying is, that this is the shape of friendship.. in the world of shinobi. Right?" Shinobu called out, answering Tenten's question while asking her own.
"Yes." The Hokage paused and silence took over before he began the explanation of the third and final task. "Before we begin the third test, I will tell you one more thing. This is not just a test. This is a life-risking battle with your dreams and your country's prestige on the line."
"I get it." Naruto grinned.
"I don't care what it is.. just hurry up and tell us what this "life-risking battle" entails." Gaara growled.
"Yes, I'd like to explain the third test now but-"
"Actually.." A man started but cut himself off in a cough. "I apologize Hokage-sama. From here on, as the referee, will you please allow me, Gekkou Hayate.."
"By all means." The Hokage replied.
"Hello everyone, I'm Hayate." A man with dark circles under his eyes began, he looked rather ill. "Umm.. before the third test.. there's something I would like you to do. Umm.. it's a preliminary for the third test, to decide who gets to participate in the main event."
"Preliminary?" Sakura said outloud, obviously shocked.
"Preliminary? What do you mean by that?" Shikamaru shouted, another troublesome thing he wished he didn't have to do.
"Sensei, I don't understand this preliminary but.. why aren't all the people here allowed to participate in the main event?" Sakura asked.
"Umm.. because the first and second test may have been too easy this year.. we have a few too many people. According to the chunin exam rules, we must have a preliminary and reduce the number of participants for the third test." Hayate explained.
"No way..."
"As Hokage-sama indicated earlier, there will be many guests at the third test. So the fights could take too long, we are limited in time."
"So umm.. anyone who isn't feeling well, those who are quitting after these explanations, please come forward now, since we will be starting the preliminary immediately."
"What? Right Now?" Kiba shouted.
"Kiba.. everytime you do that.. you kill my ears.." Shino sighed.
"Sorry.. but.. seriously?" Kiba asked?
"Yes, this will be your last chance to quit, is there anyone?"
"Guys.. if you feel we can't we can all come back next exam.. but I'm staying.. I know I can do this." Shinobu spoke to her team. "I will not back down, to get here means we are strong enough.. we have the strength and mind.. heaven and earth. I will not lose."
"I-i'm staying also.. I can do this.." Hinata smiled at her team and they nodded in agreeance.
"Anybody? Oh and I forgot to tell you, from now on it will be individual fighting, so you will not effect your team by pulling out." Hayate coughed. "You may raise your hand based on your own judgement"
"Still staying." Shinobu grinned slightly.
"Umm now.. there are no retiring then? Umm.. Now.. Let's begin the preliminary. This preliminary will consist of one on one fighting. You will basically fight as if in real life confrontation. Since we have exactly twenty-two participants we will conduct eleven matches and umm.. the winners will advance to the third test." Hayate explained.
"There are basically no rules. The fight continues until one of you dies, is knocked out or admits defeat. Umm.. if you don't want to die.. then quickly acknowledge your defeat. But when I decide that a winner has clearly been established, we don't want to pointlessly increase the amount of corpses, I'll jump in and stop things."
"And the object that controls your destiny is.. open it." Anko grinned.
"Is this, this electric score board will show the match ups for each battle. Now, this is sudden but lets announce the names of the two in the first fight." Hayate finished. "Round one, Nara Shikamaru versus Tenten! Now these two entrants come to the front, can everyone else move to the balconies."
"Good luck Shika." Shinobu grinned as she passed by.
"Troublesome." He grumbled, but smirked back none the less.
"The two participants in the first fight are Nara Shikamaru and Tenten. Are you ready?" Hayate asked, looking between the two.
"Whatever.. sure."
"Yes!"
A/N: And so the Preliminaries have began.. begon..begun.. wtf it all looks wrong XD MWAHAHAHA. BTW.. since I'm updating so quickly with my stories some of the review responses will be doubled. For example if someone responds to my last chapter after this one is out I will respond to that review and their review on this chapter (if there is one) next chapter. :D HAPPY HOLIDAYS :D
