Tale of the Setting Sun
Chapter 34: "Homecoming"
Ignoring the inevitable staring that followed as soon as he had entered the stadium, Naruto seated himself in the stands. He was technically there to gather information on the foreign participants, though he suspected the Hokage had just wanted to keep an eye on him. However, he couldn't complain—the mission fell along the lines of his own interests, what with Amakurō detecting a jinchūriki in the forest.
It seemed this year's crop for the chūnin exams had more than its usual share of talent. The number of genin passing the second exam's criteria had exceeded expectations, and the proctors had set up a preliminary stage to trim the proverbial fat.
The same thing had happened when Naruto had taken the exam. Had it really been only four years ago? So many things had happened since then, it almost felt like the events of a past life. Back then, he had still been under the influence of the Taboo Seal, and his biggest preoccupation had been on improving his standing in the eyes of the village. But now, he was here, on the other side; he sat in the stands as a part of the faceless audience that had once jeered down at him.
Their spectacle was the group of genin that stood at attention at the center of the arena. Several faces immediately jumped out at Naruto—first and foremost, a male Suna genin. He was pale, with auburn hair and black-rimmed eyes—it was a distinctive appearance that Naruto immediately recalled having glowered at him during his short time in Sunagakure. Even without seeing him fight, Naruto could tell that he was strong. Given the amount of attention he was getting from the rest of the spectators, it was clear he was a popular contender.
The next face he focused on was a kunoichi from the Hidden Grass. She was the same sensor that had pursued him in Area 44 during the second exam, and now that he looked closer, the persistent sense that she looked familiar grew even stronger. His eyes locked on her bright red hair; it wasn't every day that he saw a shade so similar to his own…
"Unlike the third exam, the victors of the preliminary matches will be determined on a first blood drawn basis," said the third proctor, a chūnin with a spiky ponytail. "The first match will be between Temari from the Hidden Sand and Akimichi Chōji from the Hidden Leaf."
A blond kunoichi—yet again, another familiar face from the time when Naruto had taken the exam—and the chubby genin he'd seen in the forest stepped up to the platform stage. While he hadn't stayed long enough to see the outcome of their fight against the Iwa team, he supposed they must have emerged the victor.
In terms of aptitude, it was an oddly balanced match; while Temari was clearly the more experienced ninja whose skills would easily have matched those of most chūnin, her primarily long-range wind release techniques were weathered without too much difficulty by her bulkier opponent. Chōji, on the other hand, seemed to rely on a clumsy but powerful technique that combined his sheer mass with his chakra, turning into a ball that left a destructive crater wherever he landed—if he had actually had the speed to keep up, he would have demolished Temari in a single hit.
The specific conditions of the match, however, gave one of the pair a clear advantage, a fact that she clearly realized. Abandoning her fan—which seemed to multiply the power of her techniques, but slowed them down in the process—Temari began to circle Chōji, swinging her palm towards him at every opportunity, while always staying just out of his range. Each swing generated a blade of wind that propelled itself towards Chōji's body, and it was a testimony to the level of her mastery over wind release that each struck with deadly precision. As Chōji switched to a more defensive position, Temari picked up her offensive, and soon, it was almost as though she was dancing around him, each swing of her hands adding to an inescapable net that closed in around the Leaf genin.
It was a slow but calculated execution, and eventually, one blade of wind slipped through Chōji's defense; slicing through his sleeve, a thin, inarguable line of red glistened on his forearm. It was the barest of cuts, and would have hardly hindered the genin.
However, rules were rules, and the first blood had been drawn.
"Stop!" shouted the proctor. "The winner is Temari from the Hidden Sand."
His declaration was met with a polite smattering of applause from the audience. The jonin in front of Naruto yawned. It hadn't been the most exciting match, and had ended on a technicality. Judging from the neutral expression on Temari's face, she knew it too, and she descended from the stage without celebrating her victory.
However, something about her had caught Naruto's attention, and he found himself admiring her composed attitude. She knew her strengths and her limitations, and used her given constraints to her advantage. She would make a great chūnin.
Her face wasn't bad to look at, either. From his travels with Jiraiya, Naruto had seen more than his fair share of beautiful women—but with her sharp, even features, he thought Temari left quite a lasting impression on her own terms.
"Something catch your eye, Naruto?" asked Kakashi, who'd joined him at some point in the battle.
Naruto immediately removed his scrutiny; while it was an innocent enough question, given the shrewd side eye the jōnin was directing at him, he thought the safer bet would be to deflect the question.
"Looks like it'll be a strong group of contenders this year, especially from the other villages. There's not much I can say about Konoha's showing, however."
"Well, there's been some buzz over the Hokage's grandson, though that may be more due to his lineage than his prowess. And…I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss the others." Having said that, Kakashi offered him a mysterious smile.
Following Naruto's return to the village, he had wondered how to resume his relationship with his former teacher. It seemed he needn't have worried, however, as Kakashi was clearly making a conscientious effort to maintain the amicable atmosphere of their meeting at Ichiraku.
"The next match will be between Ajisai of the Hidden Rain and Yamanaka Ino from the Hidden Leaf. Begi...!"
Even before the proctor's hand had fully extended into the air, the blonde Leaf genin made her move. Making a square with her hands, she directed them at her opponent, a stone-faced female.
"Ninpo: Shinranshin no jutsu (Mind Destruction Technique)!"
While Naruto had certainly heard of the Yamanaka clan, the only Yamanaka he knew in person was Menma—and he had never gotten the chance to take a close look at their famous clan techniques. The result was in equal parts instantaneous and impressive: A look of perplexity crossing the Ame genin's face, she raised her own kunai to her arm, and nicked it, drawing blood.
Naruto felt his brows rising. Kakashi's smile widened through the mask.
Much like the preceding match, It had been a victory determined by quick-thinking strategy rather than a show of power. However—perhaps because of the victor's local origins—at the proctor's declaration of her win, the stands broke out into noticeably more enthusiastic applause.
The preliminaries continued. Some matches were determined in an instant while others were more equally matched and drawn out. Throughout, Naruto couldn't knock the sense that he was being closely watched by someone, and he quickly identified the source as the red-haired Kusa genin. The moment they made eye contact, the girl's face broke into a big smile that made Naruto blink.
Unfortunately, he wasn't the only one to have noticed the unsolicited attention.
"You know her, Naruto?" It seemed nothing ever escaped Kakashi when he put his mind to it.
"I faced off against her during my chūnin exams in Sunagakure," said Naruto evasively. The memory had come to him shortly after first catching sight of her; though from what he recalled, nothing had passed between them that would have warranted such a warm greeting.
"And that's it?"
"That's it."
"Hmm." Kakashi didn't sound convinced, though he dropped the topic.
"The next match will be between Sarutobi Konohamaru from the Hidden Leaf, and Haku from the Hidden Rain!" called out the proctor.
A young male Leaf genin and a fair-skinned Ame genin of ambiguous gender headed up to the stage. The jōnin who'd been dozing off in front of Naruto perked up; no doubt, an effect of the Sarutobi name.
"Begin!"
Crouching close to the ground, the Leaf genin—Konohamaru—brandished a staff that became swathed in bright flames. With a defiant shout, the boy shot forward and leaped into the air, gaining momentum before bearing down on his opponent. In an effortless dodge, the Ame genin slipped past Konohamaru and returned with a barrage of senbon directed straight at the Leaf genin's exposed back. Not so easily outdone, Konohamaru twisted and spun his staff, the needles bursting into flames as they were batted away.
For a moment, their respective weapons held out defensively before them, the two regarded each other warily—and then shot towards each other once more.
Despite Konohamaru's obvious talent, the Ame genin called Haku wielded an agile speed that would have left the average jōnin in his dust, and Naruto was surprised the battle had progressed as far as it already had. This phenomenon only started to make sense when he realized that, for some reason, Haku had yet to use any ninjutsu; and that on top of that, they weren't using their right hand.
Naruto swallowed. Alarms were going off in his head as he watched the shinobi weave in and out of Konohamaru's relentless attacks. That speed and senbon-based offensive, combined with their disabled right hand—could it be?
Was it the mercenary he'd encountered at Gato's hideout? Naruto had left him alive, after all, so it was well within the realms of possibility. But if that was the case, why wasn't he using his ice release ninjutsu?
Eventually, the fight between Konohamaru and Haku drew to a close when Haku's swift movements threw the younger genin off balance. Stumbling, one of the senbon slipped through his defenses and cut his cheek.
"The winner: Haku from the Hidden Rain!"
Visibly disappointed, Konohamaru lowered his staff, and the flames faded away.
"You did well, Honorable Grandson!" shouted out the jōnin in front of Naruto.
Raising his head, Konohamaru returned the praise with a glum nod; however, he hadn't been the only one to look in their direction. For a moment, just as he was descending from the stage, Haku's eyes flickered up to their seats—and froze.
It passed in a flash, and then Haku looked away. To any other bystander, it wouldn't have raised any flags. But for Naruto, it was the final nail in the coffin: Haku knew who he was, and that could only mean he was the hunter-nin from Wave country.
What was he doing all the way here, masquerading as an Ame genin? Was it for revenge?
But there was something odd about the way Haku had been looking at them. Given that the moment had passed, it was difficult to say for sure—rather than at Naruto, it had felt as though the shinobi had been looking at the seat beside him.
Casually, Naruto glanced at Kakashi. There was no reaction there, making it a difficult situation to decipher.
Before he could ponder on it further, however, the coming match would quickly overshadow its significance.
"The next match will be between Gaara from the Hidden Sand and Furuyo from the Hidden Rock!"
The proctor needn't have announced the next match; the moment the Suna genin stepped onto the stage and saw his opponent, the sheer wave of malevolent bloodlust he exuded swept over the stadium, stunning the entire audience into silence. Naruto felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.
As for the match, it was over in a flash.
One moment, the two genin were facing each other on the stage. The next, sand erupted out of the Suna genin's gourd, enveloping the other before he could react. When the sand receded, it revealed a broken corpse lying prostrate on the ground. Dark blood trickled from the agape mouth and swollen eye sockets.
The stadium descended into chaos; the proctor must have realized what was happening, for he'd used a technique that extended his shadow to immobilize the Suna genin. But it was far too late.
It wasn't difficult to piece together what had happened—the sand had infiltrated his opponent's body through every orifice and crushed his organs in a single blow. It was cold-blooded murder. Ironically, it could also be considered merciful, for the genin's life had been snuffed out so instantaneously, it must have been a painless death.
Several medical-nin crowded the dead genin's body—as futile an effort as it was—and the third exam's proctor continued to hold Gaara in place. The genin did not fight against it; his icy cold eyes glowering out at the audience, he stood stock-still. His tremendous bloodlust had abated to a steady stream, as though it was a separate entity that had been momentarily satiated.
Naruto felt his heart tremor. He didn't need to summon Amakurō to confirm. He had found him, his counterpart—the other jinchūriki in the forest.
Eventually, after an emergency meeting between the proctors, Gaara's win was declared valid, on the technicality that first blood had been drawn on the moment of his opponent's death. His name was added to the brackets for the official third exam, and the preliminaries continued.
However, none of the following matches proved to be of any note for Naruto—with perhaps the lone exception of the fight between the Kusa kunoichi and her Leaf opponent, a bout from which she emerged the victor.
By the end of the preliminaries, the skies were red and orange as yet another day drew to a close.
Reflecting on the events of the past day, Naruto decided to take the long route home as an opportunity to stretch his legs.
There were multiple things to take into consideration, most notably the hunter-nin he'd fought against in Wave country, and the Hidden Sand's jinchūriki. There were so many forces in motion, so many unknowns, and he knew it couldn't be coincidence that all of this was happening at the same time.
It seemed that Naruto had returned straight into a predator's web. Here and there, with every discovery, he thought he could just barely make out the faint outline of a spinning line. Who—or what—was the mastermind pulling the strings?
Deep in thought, before Naruto had properly realized, his lone footsteps had taken him the opposite way from his apartment. While it wasn't too late to turn back, he kept going—and soon, he found himself staring at a series of names inscribed in a stone face:
Kamizuki Mayu.
Hagane Rai.
There was a white carnation at the base of the memorial stone. Taking care not to disturb it, Naruto sat down.
He let out a slow exhale, and the numerous thoughts crowding his head faded away.
These days, for Naruto, time seemed to fly by in an instant. With his training, there was always something to learn, something to practice. Like clockwork, the sun rose and set without fail; the world moved without rest.
But here, just here—for a moment, he felt timeless.
"I'm home," he said, at last.
A/N: Probably not the chapter you were waiting for, but I thought it'd be interesting to see how some of the other canon characters have been doing.
Thanks for reading and reviewing. As always, thanks to my beta, blueandgold.