Author's Note: I want to clarify something that caused a bit of confusion in the previous chapter. The third member of Team Killer B, T, is an Original Character. As for why I didn't use a canon character like Samui or Yugito instead, that's because they're Kakashi's age, and I didn't feel like changing their canon ages.
Anyway, enjoy the second phase of the exams, way more action packed than the first one. See you at the bottom of the chapter as usual.
Chapter 22:
The Chunin Exams Continue
or
Ninjas of sweet water
Next Day, Training Ground Thirty Nine
Training Ground Thirty-Nine was a massive, elliptical lake, with plenty of derelict ships on it. Many of them were made of wood, while some were made of steel. All those ships were the last remains of the old fleet Konoha used to have, which was used whenever war was waged against Kirigakure or other maritime enemies.
After the Third War, however, the Fourth Hokage decided to sell the fleet's remaining ships to private businesses, and hire a ship whenever Konoha needed to carry their ninja across large bodies of water. Many opposed this measure, but the Fourth's argument that the ships were way too costly to maintain despite how little they were used outside times of war –and sometimes not even that– were hard to counter.
The training ground, known among Konoha as "The Ship Graveyard", was mostly used to train for battles in high sea. Many ninja, who were used to fighting on solid ground, were usually lost when they found themselves surrounded by so much water.
And that was the reason as for why Zabuza Momochi, who hailed from the Land of Water, chose this place as the battleground for the second part of the exam.
"Alright maggots, listen up!" the masked swordsman said, slamming his massive sword on the ground for added effect. "You may think that after passing that test the Uchiha put you through, you're almost Chunin now. My job is to give you a reality check, and make you realize how far all of you still are from that goal.
"This," the swordsman motioned behind him. "Is the Ship Graveyard, and the second part of the exam will take place there. But before we begin, do all the teams here have the scroll from the previous test? Those teams who didn't bring the scrolls are automatically eliminated."
All the members of every team who was carrying the scroll pulled it out and rose it to prove that they had it. Zabuza confirmed that there were no teams without a scroll, something that didn't sit well with some.
"Troublesome. I was hoping that one or two teams would forget about the scroll, and thus it would make the competition easier," Shikamaru moaned.
"Oh come on, one or two team less aren't going to make a difference," Ino rolled her eyes.
"Now, all of you, open the scrolls!" Zabuza ordered.
All the Genin did as Zabuza asked, and saw that there was a map of the training ground, with a couple points marked with an X.
"The scroll is a map that will help you navigate the area. You'll notice a X on all your maps. That X marks the location a treasure chest that you'll need to retrieve in order to pass to the third and final phase of the exam. Just like in the previous phase, the number of chests is smaller than the number of teams competing –I won't tell you how much smaller– . Unlike the previous phase however, not only fighting is allowed, but in most cases you'll have to fight other teams. Everything is permitted, killing included.
"Once that item is in your possession, you'll need to bring it to a large steel freighter in the middle of the lake. You will recognize the freighter by its size –much bigger than the rest of the ships here,– but in case that's not enough, the freighter has multiple flags on it.
"You have three days to complete this part of the exam. If you don't reach the freighter with the required item within that time limit, you fail. Also, your whole team has to be there to pass. If one of your teammates gets killed, your team automatically fails. Before the exam begins, you will need to sign a waiver that will exempt Konoha from any responsibilities in case of injury or death. Once you signed them, you will be escorted to a row boat that you can use to sail the lake. If said boat is destroyed or stolen, you'll need to find other ways to move through the lake, like water walking. If you don't know water walking...well, it sucks to be you."
Some Genin, who didn't know water walking, gulped in fear. Most of the Konoha Genin smiled proudly, since they did learn such skill at the Academy.
The row boats were evenly placed across the lake's perimeter. Once every team was in position, the second phase of the exam officially begun.
…
While Naruto and Haku rowed the boat, Hinata studied the map. Apparently, the item they needed to find was inside a ship on the northeast part of the lake. They started on the southeast part, meaning that the chance to cross another team was high. Even if they didn't have the item yet, it was more than likely that if two teams crossed paths, they would fight for the sake of reducing competition.
As they approached the many derelict ships, they started to notice a dense fog forming. Soon they were nearly unable to see what was in front of them.
"Hey, where did this fog came from?" Naruto asked. "Fog doesn't appear all of sudden!"
"I think I know how, but just to make sure..." Haku nodded at Hinata, who nodded back in return.
"Byakugan!" the Hyuga heiress activated her Bloodline Limit and found something surprising about the mist. "The mist is laced with some sort of chakra! I can't see through it!"
"What!?" Naruto was shocked. Unlike the Sharingan, there was nothing that the Byakugan couldn't see through. The only way to fool the Hyuga's eyes were a couple of special seals. "How's that even possible?"
"Because this is no normal mist. This is Zabuza-sama's signature ability, the Hidden Mist Jutsu," the Ice Ninja explained. "It seems that he wants to make the exam as hard as possible. I doubt the mist will be the only trap he has prepared for us."
"Is there a way to dispel it?" Hinata asked.
"Fire is usually a good way. Do any of you two know fire jutsu?" Haku asked. Hinata averting her gaze and Naruto angrily crossing his arms were all the answers he needed. "Alright. I know how to use this jutsu as well, so I may be able to dispel it a little."
…
Meanwhile, Team Shizune had already boarded the ship where their treasure chest should be. The three of them were inspecting the deck, even if they knew that the chest wouldn't be there. Still, you could never be too sure.
"Karin," the redhead perked up upon hearing Sasuke calling her. "Can you sense anybody near us?"
Karin shook her head. "Nope, Sasuke-kun. While I'm sensing a couple teams, they're too far away from us to be a threat. I think."
Sakura raised an eyebrow. "You think?"
"This weird mist is interfering with my sensing abilities," Karin commented. She then frowned and crossed her arms. "But not too much! You need something more than some little fog to nullify my power."
"Enough. Let's get down to business and search the ship before another team shows up," Sasuke interjected. She looked at the redhead. "Karin?"
Karin nodded and made a hand seal often associated with a certain blond. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
The redhead would forever be grateful to Naruto for teching her such an useful jutsu.
Four Karins appeared besides the original one. Two of them scattered through the ship, while the other two remained on the deck. The original Karin and her two teammates scattered through the ship as well in order to look for the treasure chest. It didn't take long until Sakura found said chest inside the hold and called her teammates.
"Are you sure that's what we're looking for?" Sasuke asked.
"That chest looks new and shiny, while everything else on this ship is old and dusty. It has to be that," Sakura explained. "Plus if you look closely, the chest has the symbol of Konoha on it."
"I guess that's our target. Let's get it then," Karin was about to walk inside the hold, when Sakura grabbed her by her arm.
"Stop! I'm sure that the hold is booby trapped. That chest isn't even hidden. I'm sure that they left it like that on purpose for us to get confident."
"I agree with Sakura. Send a clone instead," Sasuke added.
Karin dispelled her two clones that were still searching the chest somewhere else and created another one, who started to walk towards the chest. Upon stepping on a switch under a loose plank, the clone triggered a trap, and multiple kunai flew at her from multiple directions, poofing it instantly. Karin winced twice, once after seeing the trap in action, and a second after getting the clone's memories.
"It is safe now?" Karin asked.
"Just in case, send another clone," Sasuke suggested.
They needed three more clones until it was safe to pick the chest. However, the Medical Squad was about to face another problem way bigger than mere traps.
"Shit!" the redhead cursed.
"What is it, Karin!?" Sakura worriedly asked. If the team sensor reacted like that, she had an idea of what was going on.
"Another team arrived at the ship and made short work of my clones," Karin explained. "They're Taki ninja. Pretty strong, I may add."
"They will be after the treasure chest," Sasuke concluded. He pulled out an empty storage scroll and sealed the chest inside it. "We need to get rid of them before we can go to the central ship."
"Okay, any of you have a plan?" Karin asked.
"Sakura and I will fight them head on. Karin, you will cover us," Sasuke explained. Sakura couldn't help but beam at the idea of fighting alongside Sasuke, while Karin frowned childishly.
"No fair! Why can't I be the one who fights alongside you?" the redhead pouted.
"Because Sakura is a better hand to hand fighter than you. Plus you can cover us better with your Shadow Clones," Sasuke explained. Sakura's smile grew wider, while Karin sighed in resignation.
"Okay..."
Being as silent as possible, Team Shizune returned to the deck. Sasuke could see two Taki ninja inspecting the area, who didn't notice him yet. Good, that would be their undoing. Sasuke pulled a few shuriken from his tool pouch and tossed them at the enemy ninja.
The whirling sound made by the flying steel stars warned the Taki ninja, who immediately pulled out a kunai each, which they used to deflect the incoming shuriken aside. After the failed ambush, Sakura and Karin jumped at Sasuke's side, and three of them adopted fighting stances.
"There's no need to fight," one of the Taki ninja, a man with brown curly hair, said. "We are only here for the treasure chest. Give it to us, and we'll leave you alone."
"We don't have it. We inspected the ship, and found nothing," Sakura replied.
"Yeah, don't you see that we're not carrying any chest with us?" Karin added.
"Do you take us for idiots? Storage scrolls also exist in Takigakure, you know," the other Taki ninja replied.
"We know that there's a chest on this ship. Our map said so," the first ninja continued.
"Karin, track down the third member, he or she can't be too far" Sasuke whispered. "Guess that there's no point in trying to fool you. But if you want the chest, you'll have to take it from us by force."
The two Taki ninja smirked.
"Trust me, that won't be a problem. Fu!"
Something dived at Team Shizune from above, forcing them to duck. The buzzing noise made them think of a giant insect, but it turned out to be something entirely different.
"Is that...a girl?" Karin asked, incredulous, looking at the winged girl floating above her two teammates.
"And she's flying?" Sakura added, just as shocked.
"Hiiiiii~!" the girl, who had green hair, tan skin, and was wearing very revealing clothes, greeted them cheerfully. "It's so nice to see you again! Sorry we have to fight. I hope that this doesn't deter us from becoming friends later."
"...is this girl for real?" Sakura asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Hey, I remember this girl! I saw her talking to Shino's team before the first part of the exam!" Karin pointed out.
"Oh, you're friends with Shino too? Then there's no way we can't be friends then!" Fu chirped.
"Fu, focus! You can befriend them later, right now, they're enemies" the Taki ninja with spiky black hair chided.
Fu rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay, I get it..." the flying girl made a hand seal. "Hiding in Scale Powder Jutsu!"
Fu exhaled a large quantity of a fine powder that reflected sunlight, creating an artificial wall of light that momentarily blinded Team Shizune. Not even Sasuke's sharingan was able to see through it.
"Water Release: Water Shuriken Jutsu!"
"Shadow Shuriken Clone Jutsu!"
A barrage of shuriken, both made of water and steel, flew at the Medical Squad. Even with his sight impaired, Sasuke knew what to do.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Pouring as much chakra into the jutsu as he could, Sasuke exhaled a massive fireball that not only dispelled the luminous powder, but managed to evaporate the water shuriken and stop the steel ones.
"Sasuke, watch out!"
Sasuke heard Sakura's voice, following by the sharp cling of metal clashing, and the Uchiha saw his pink haired teammate engaged in a fight with one of the Taki ninja, the one with the exposed abs, who tried to blindside Sasuke while he was busy stopping the shuriken barrage. And before he could even realize, the other Taki ninja was leaping at him as well.
While Sasuke and Sakura traded blows with their respective opponents, Fu decided to provide some aerial support to her teammates.
"Wind Release: Savage Whirlwind!"
"Adamantine Attacking Chains!"
Before Fu could complete her jutsu, a couple of chains seemingly out of nowhere wrapped around her legs.
"Uh?" looking down, the mint haired girl saw that the chains came from Karin's back, who pulled her into the floor displaying a surprising strength. "WHOA!"
Karin rushed at the Taki girl, gathering chakra on her closed fist, before launching said fist at her opponent's face. Much to her shock, Fu managed to catch her fist, suffering no harm other than being pushed backwards a little.
"Wow, you're really strong!" Fu commented, while Karin struggled to release her fist. "Where do you hide your muscles?" Karin's reply came in the form of another punch who was also captured by Fu's remaining hand. "Though, as you can probably see, I'm pretty strong as well."
While Karin struggled with Fu, Sasuke and Sakura struggled against the other two Taki ninja.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu!"
Multiple fireballs flew at the Takigakure ninja, who both of them smirked while one of them made some hand seals.
"Water Release: Water Wall!"
A stream of water appeared from the lake, forming a protective dome around the two Taki ninja, successfully blocking the Uchiha's attack.
"Water Release: Dragon Bullet Jutsu!"
The water dome changed its shape to take the form of a serpentine dragon, which lunged at the two Konoha Genin, who jumped in opposite directions to avoid the devastating watery attack.
"These guys are really strong! I can't believe that they're Genin just like us!" Sakura commented.
Both Taki ninja tensed up upon hearing Sakura's words. And even if they had enough experience to mask their reactions from others, their efforts were useless against a Sharingan user.
"That's because they aren't Genin," Sasuke matter-o-factly added.
"What!?" both Sakura and Karin yelled in unison.
"We are Genin. If we weren't, there's no way for us to be competing here," the man with spiky black hair replied.
"They're lying!" Karin shouted. "His chakra fluctuated in an irregular way when he was saying that!"
"What so you can detect lies?" the other male Taki ninja asked incredulously.
"Yes! It's part of being a sensor!"
"Well, your powers are clearly failing you then," the Taki ninja replied, though he didn't sound very convincing.
"So, if I ask the Hokage to do a background check on you two, he won't find anything fishy going on, right?" Sasuke replied.
Their nervousness was starting to become more evident. They have been caught.
"There's no point in denying it. Your reaction betrayed you," Sasuke added.
Both male ninja looked at each other, as if they were speaking without words, until they reached some sort of unspoken agreement, and dropped their fighting stances.
"Okay, you got us. We aren't Genin, but Jonin," the brown haired man confessed.
"If you're Jonin, what are you doing here then?" Sasuke asked.
"Kegon and I are Jonin. Fu is a Genin," the black haired man clarified.
"Wait...so you're helping this girl going through the Exams? That's cheating of the highest order!" Sakura angrily accused.
"Techincally yes, but that's not our mission! We're her bodyguards!" Kegon clarified.
"I can't go into more details, but Fu is a very special girl, and sending her here without escort would have been incredibly risky," the black haired man added.
"If she needs to be coddled so much, then she doesn't deserve being a ninja, much less a Chunin," Sasuke replied, crossing his arms.
"It's not coddling. You don't understand it."
"What's so special about her? Is she the last bearer of a rare Bloodline Limit?" Sakura conjectured.
Kegon and his partner traded glances once again. "You could say it's something around those lines," the former said.
"Okay, now we won't only leave you alone, but we will escort you to the main ship. In exchange, all I ask you is not to report us. Not only that would create unnecessary tension between our villages, but this exam is important for Fu as well."
"What about the other Taki teams?" Karin asked. "Are there Jonin posing as Genin among those as well?"
Kegon shook his head. "No, the rest of the teams are legitimate. Like I told you already, this team is a special case because of Fu."
"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura looked at him. "What do you think we should do?"
"Hmm..." the Uchiha youth started to ponder. "Okay, I think we have a deal. We have nothing to lose and everything to win. With this fog, an escort would be appreciated."
"Really? Aren't you afraid that this isn't a ruse to make you lower your guard and kill you in order to keep our secret?" the black haired ninja asked, raising his eyebrow.
"You yourselves stated that you're Jonin. If you wanted to kill us, you wouldn't need us to lower our guard," this time, it was Sakura who replied.
Kegon smirked. "You three are smart kids. We should have put more effort into hiding our true strength better. We clearly underestimated you."
"Next time, try to hold back a little more, and suppress your chakra a bit," Sasuke advised.
"Alright, let's hurry. We still need to find a treasure chest for us as well" the black haired ninja said.
…
Meanwhile, Naruto, Hinata and Haku had already arrived at their ship, and like Team Shizune, they found the treasure chest in the middle of the hold. It couldn't be more obvious.
"I'm seeing a seal under the chest" Hinata kept her Byakugan activated the moment they boarded the ship. "My guess is that the moment somebody moves the chest, it will spring a trap."
"Don't worry guys, I have this" Naruto made a hand seal, and a single clone popped into existence.
Without needing to be ordered to do so, the clone walked towards the chest and lifted it. The four of them waited expectantly for something to happen, but in the end, no trap was triggered.
"Well, so much for all that caution," Naruto said, almost disappointed.
"There's no harm in being cautious," Haku wisely noted.
"Whatever. Let's go to the central ship before another team arrives."
The four of them turned back and walked out of the hold, but two poofing sounds followed by a loud thud made them turn back once again. Much to their shock, in front of them was the second exam proctor, Zabuza Momochi himself, who has just destroyed the Naruto clone, causing the chest to fall to the floor.
"Zabuza-sama?" Haku dumbly asked.
"You three lowered your guard when you thought there was no danger. That's such a shame, especially for you, Haku," Zabuza teased them.
"What? That trap summoned a exam proctor himself? That's bullshit!" Naruto complained.
"A ninja should be ready to face the unexpected, so shut your mouth, blondie," Zabuza sharply replied as he slammed his sword into the floor.
"We need to take that chest back," Hinata whispered to the boys.
"I know, but this space is too cramped to fight, and Zabuza-sama can easily overwhelm us" Haku whispered back.
"Then how about this?" Naruto made a hand seal. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Suddenly, the whole hold was bursting with Naruto clones, who pushed Zabuza against a wall. Another of the clones grabbed the treasure chest and threw it at the original Naruto.
"Go, go, go, go!" Naruto yelled as he and his teammates left the hold.
The three of them arrived at the deck seconds later, and stopped to catch their breath.
"Come on, we need to leave immediately. Zabuza-sama will make short work of your clones in no time", Haku warned.
"Oh, come on! I know that that guy's strong, but there's no way that-"
At that moment, Zabuza burst through the deck floor and landed in front of them. An evil smirk formed under his mask.
"Destroying those clones was pretty fun. Do you have more?" the former Kiri swordsman taunted.
Far from being intimidated, Naruto scowled at him. "You bet!" he replied, and a dozen more clones came to life.
"There's no way we can defeat Zabuza-sama. One of us has to stay and keep him busy while the others take the treasure chest to the main ship," Haku explained.
"But Zabuza-san himself said that the three of us need to be in the main ship for our team to pass!" Hinata frantically replied. "Besides, if Zabuza-san is as strong as you say, he won't take much time to defeat one of us and hunt the other two. We need to stay and fight."
"That's the spirit, Hinata!" Naruto cheered, before leaving the chest on the floor. "Come on, everybody!"
A wave of Naruto clones charged at Zabuza from multiple directions. The swordsman swung his gigantic blade in a circular motion, poofing said clones instantly. However, by doing such thing, he left himself wide open. From the smoke created by the destroyed clones, Hinata appeared, her hands crackling with electricity.
"Lightning Release: Thunder Palms!"
Hinata tried to strike Zabuza on his chest, but the swordsman was way nimbler than his size suggested, and dodged all of Hinata's electrical palm strikes. While he was busy, Haku decided to try his luck, his hands quickly forming hand seals.
"Ice Release: Flying Icy Fangs!"
Zabuza saw multiple sharp ice spikes flying at him. Once again, his trusty sword stopped the attack. And just like Haku did before, Naruto attempted to capitalize on Zabuza's momentarily vulnerability, and formed multiple hand seals.
"Wind Release: Cyclone Vortex!"
Naruto's wind attack successfully hit Zabuza and pushed him outside the ship, and into the water.
"Ha! Take that!" Naruto taunted, while pumping his fist.
"Naruto-kun, I don't believe that that's near enough to get rid of Zabuza-sama..." Haku warned the cheering blond.
And true to Haku's words, a few seconds later a wall of water rose above them, with Zabuza standing at its crest.
"Now...let's see how well do you do against this! Water Release: Crushing Wave!"
"This guy is a madman!" Naruto yelled.
"Naruto-kun, Hinata-san, come close to me!" Haku shouted as he made several hand seals.
The gigantic wave crashed against the Genin. When the wave passed, Zabuza noticed that there was now an ice dome where his opponents used to be. He couldn't help but smirk under his mask.
"Very well, Haku," the former Kiri swordsman complimented as he advanced towards the dome, dragging his sword across the wet floor. "I'm glad to see that you're nowhere near as weak as I first had feared. You didn't let Konoha influence you much."
"Well, if you liked that, then what about this?"
The dome shattered, and Naruto and Haku jumped out of it, and while they were mid air, they tossed multiple senbon and kunai at Zabuza. The masked swordsman was about to lift his sword in order to block the attack, when Naruto yelled.
"Hinata, now!"
Zabuza realized too late that the Hyuga girl was still in the dome, but before he could react, he felt a powerful electrical current painfully coursing through his body, leaving him paralyzed. Unable to move, he couldn't block the senbon and kunai flying at him, and they stabbed into his chest.
And then, much to the Genin's shock, Zabuza melted into a puddle of water.
"Uh...? What was that?" Naruto asked, confused, as he scratched his head.
"I believe that was one of Zabuza-sama's Water Clones," Haku explained. "I should have guessed it earlier. There's no way Zabuza-sama would fight us personally."
"Hinata, how is that you didn't notice he was a clone?" Naruto asked the only female of his team.
"S-Sorry Naruto-kun, but the Byakugan can't tell a difference between a clone and the original," Hinata meekly explained.
"You would have been able to tell the difference if the real Zabuza-sama was here. Unlike Naruto-kun's Shadow Clones, Water Clones only have a fraction of the original's power. Usually it's ten percent, though this one we fought appeared to be a little stronger," Haku clarified.
"Anyway, w-we should bring the chest to the freighter before we are attacked again," Hinata suggested.
Both Naruto and Haku nodded, the former picking up the discarded treasure chest, and left the derelict ship.
…
Meanwhile, not far away from there, two Genin teams, one from Konoha, and the other from a foreign village, were fighting for the possession of a treasure chest the former team just retrieved from the ship.
"Shadow Imitation Jutsu!"
Shikamaru's shadow formed a thread and extended in front of him, aiming to catch his opponent, the only kunoichi among his current foes. A blue eyed blonde, just like Ino, though this girl's eyes were more teal than blue. Said girl was carrying a massive fan that she used to blow powerful and devastating winds.
Though right now, she was unable to attack since Shikamaru was forcing her to keep running.
"Dammit Temari, what the hell are you doing?" her teammate, a hooded boy dressed in black with purple face paint exclaimed. "Why didn't you deal with that weakling already!"
"Why don't you try and fight him if he's that easy, Kankuro?" Temari replied. "It's not that you're overwhelming your opponents or anything."
Kankuro was fighting Ino while treading on one of the lower sail booms. Despite her unimpressive appearance, Ino was putting quite a good fight.
"Why don't you use your-"
"Shut up!" Kankuro interrupted Temari before she could finish. "I don't want people to know about my secret weapon until the time is right."
Temari rolled her eyes. "Whatever."
"Choji, how are you going with the redhead?" Shikamaru yelled at the third member of his team.
The Akimichi Genin was fighting against a redheaded boy with an impenetrable wall of sand. Whenever he tried to punch him, sand would appear and absorb the impact. The boy didn't even make any attempt at moving and just stayed there with his arms crossed and a bored expression.
"Not too good!" Choji replied between pants. No matter how hard he punched, the wall of sand would never give in.
Then the redheaded boy made a hand motion and several sand projectiles flew at Choji. The Akimichi yelped and jumped aside as fast as he could to avoid the sand missiles, some of them which pierced the ship's mast when they hit it.
"That sand's going to be trouble. And worse, the guy looks as if he isn't even trying," Shikamaru mused to himself. "Ino, go and help Choji! Your water jutsu should counter all that sand!"
"On it!" Ino was about to leave the boom, but Kankuro was having none of that.
"Oh no you won't!"
Ino suddenly found herself unable to move properly. Looking back, she saw that Kankuro had cast what appeared to be threads made of chakra from his fingertips that were attached to Ino's body. The Yamanaka heiress tried to pull but Kankuro's pull was stronger.
"As you can see, I have you in a pretty tight leash. Escaping is impossible" Kankuro taunted, as his purple lips formed a confident smirk.
"We'll see about that!" Ino retorted as she continued pulling.
Kankuro pulled even harder, and his efforts paid off when Ino was slowly dragged to him. But then all of sudden, the force pulling in the opposite direction disappeared, and Ino was flying at him at an alarming speed. The blond crashed against the hooded boy, which made him fall on his back, with Ino on top of him. She then placed her hands on his forehead.
"Mind Transfer Jutsu!"
And then Kankuro's world turned black, and Ino saw herself looking at her own body. Getting on her feet in her new body, she gently placed her original body on the deck, and went to help her teammates.
Meanwhile, Temari had enough of Shikamaru and decided to push him out of the ship in one, swift strike.
"Sickle Weasel Jutsu!"
Upon swinging her massive fan, Temari created a powerful gale that Shikamaru had no hope of dodging. Then he remembered that besides his clan's jutsu, he also had a couple of elemental jutsu under his sleeve. And his element happened to be the one who countered Temari's.
"Fire Release: Great Flame Jutsu!"
Shikamaru exhaled a stream of flames that got progressively wider. The flames drastically increased upon clashing against Temari's wind attack, but for some reason they were unable to move forwards. And much to his horror, he saw how Temari's jutsu pushed back the flames back at him.
"Damn!" he yelled as he jumped aside. Unfortunately for the Nara, there was no floor where he jumped at, only water. Still, Shikamaru managed to grab the edge of the deck before falling into the water.
"You're a tough nut to crack, I give you that," Temari walked menacingly to where he was, while trying to get back aboard the ship. She prepared her war fan for a final attack. "But in the end, there's nothing that-UCK!"
Temari was silenced when Kankuro, or somebody who was ironically using his body as a puppet, knocked her out cold with an elbow strike to the base of her neck. Kankuro helped Shikamaru up.
"Ino?" the Nara asked, and his guessed proved correct when the black clad Suna ninja nodded.
"Ino, if you're going to help me, now it would be a good time!" Choji shouted, while frantically dodging a whip made of sand.
"Let's hope this also works on a different body," Ino mused. "Water Release: Water Bullet!"
Ino-in-Kankuro's body spat multiple watery projectiles at the surprised redheaded boy, who blocked them with a wall of sand. The sand, however, absorbed all the water, and became much heavier and muddier, and thus immensely more difficult to use.
"Temari isn't going to be happy when he wakes up," the redheaded boy deadpanned.
"She probably won't. That girl screams trouble. And even if it will get her even madder, you should surrender. You look pretty strong yourself, but with your teammates out cold and Ino's water jutsu to counter your sand, you won't defeat us. Now take your teammates and leave us alone," Shikamaru told the Suna ninja.
"You speak the truth. But I'm not as defenseless as you think, especially when I have one of your teammates as hostage," the redhead replied.
"Hostage? What are you talking...SHIT!"
Much to Team Asuma's horror, Ino's inert body was almost engulfed in a cocoon of sand, with only its head exposed.
"That possession jutsu is very impressive, but it does have a downfall that's very hard to conceal. Now, release my brother, and give us the treasure chest you found on this ship, and we will leave in peace."
Shikamaru greeted his teeth. The redhead was right. In fact, he could have pretty much killed Ino there, and thus Shikamaru and Choji would be unable to finish the exam on their own. A tactical retreat was in order.
"Alright...you win."
The redhead's expression didn't change.
Ino undid her mental jutsu, and both her and Kankuro awakened inside their actual bodies, while Choji handed Gaara the treasure chest.
"Uh?...what happened...?" Kankuro groggily asked.
"Pick up Temari and let's leave for the central ship. We have the treasure chest," Gaara explained in his usual monotone.
"Wait...did we win...?" Kankuro asked, rubbing his temples.
"Yes, not thanks to you," Gaara sharply replied. "Now do as I say."
Kankuro nodded and carried the unconscious Temari on his shoulders. When the Suna Genin left, the sand that trapped Ino left as well.
"Man, this sucks" Ino groaned. "What are we going to do now?"
"We need to find another treasure chest, but we don't know which ships have one. And that's not counting on those which had been claimed yet," Choji replied a bit down.
"Don't lose hope, we still can pass this," Shikamaru interceded. He looked at the blond. "Now Ino, we're going to need your sensory abilities to track other teams."
"Sure I can track them, but how do we know if they have a chest?" Ino asked.
"Easy. Let's find two teams fighting each other. When they exhaust each other, we barge in, beat them senseless and grab the chest," Shikamaru explained.
"Or maybe we could go near the central ship, and ambush a team that's going there?" Choji suggested.
"Well thought, Choji. Now let's see what kind of team we can find first."
…
Not long after that, Naruto's team already arrived at the central ship. Like Zabuza had stated earlier, it was decorated with multiple flags that made it stand out. The deck was empty save for a couple pile of crates and barrels, more than likely either empty or with its goods already spoiled. And guarding the only door to go inside the ship was none other than Zabuza Momochi himself. The three Genin, and two Naruto clones carrying the treasure chest, walked up to him.
"Well, well, well, look what do we have here," the Kiri Jonin mentioned as he rubbed his chin. "So, I see that you have the treasure chest. Was it hard to get it?"
Naruto eyed Zabuza carefully. "Are you the real one, or are you a clone as well?"
Zabuza smirked under his mask. "So, you fought against one of my water clones? I did sense a couple of them disappearing earlier."
"You didn't answer my question," Naruto insisted.
Zabuza rolled his eyes. "I'm the real one. Do you think that they'd put a clone in charge of verifying the passing teams?"
"Speaking of which," Naruto motioned his clones to take a step forward and brought the chest to Zabuza. "Did we pass?"
"We'll see" the swordsman mysteriously answered. Zabuza then pulled out a key from under his shirt, and used it to unlock and open the chest. Inside it, resting over a bed of straw, there were three large metallic bracers with the words "FINALIST" carved upon them. "Yes, everything seems to be in order" Zabuza then handed the bracers to the three Genin. "Keep those on as prove that you passed this test."
"Yay, we did it! One more test and we will be Chunin!" Naruto cheered, bouncing up and down in excitement.
"Don't cheer so soon, brat. You did well, but the last part of the exam is the one that counts the most," the swordsman then moved aside, and opened the door to the inside of the ship. "One of the ninja inside the ship will show you your cabin. If you want to eat something, head to the cafeteria."
Team Kurenai did as Zabuza told them, and upon entering the ship, a Chunin was already there to take them to their cabin. All the teams who made it to the second phase of the exams had a cabin prepared in advance, marked with the names of each teammate, as well as a symbol of their village.
The cabins weren't that great, a small, cramped place with a triple bunk bed, and a small, empty wardrobe, to store their belongings while they were on the ship. Naruto scanned their provisional home, and frowned.
"Well, this isn't exactly a resort, but guess that it will have to do" the blond crossed his arms.
"I agree, but then again, we will only come here to sleep," Haku commented.
Upon hearing Haku and seeing the beds, a realization suddenly dawned upon Hinata, who started to turn red.
"Wait a minute...a-are we s-supposed to s-sleep the t-three of us...together?" the Hyuga asked, almost trembling.
"Guess that they couldn't spare more than one room per team", Haku guessed. Then he looked at his distressed teammate. "But don't worry, Naruto and I will make sure not to make you feel uncomfortable."
"Yeah, we will give you all the privacy you want whenever you need to get changed" Naruto reassured. "Anyway, fighting against the fake Zabuza left me hungry, I'm going to the cafeteria. Who wants to join me?"
"I think I'll go with you as well, Naruto-kun. I could use some food," Hinata answered.
"Yeah, me too," Haku replied.
After one of the patrolling Chunin told them the way, Team Kurenai arrived at the cafeteria. Much to their surprise, they saw other two teams already there: Kakashi's Animal Squad, and a team from Kumogakure composed of two girls and a boy.
"Aw man, two teams already here? I thought that we were the first ones to arrive" Naruto moaned.
Kiba, who was sitting with Tamaki and Shino on a table, were on the process of finishing their meals and heard Naruto's comment and turned his head at him.
"Hey, look who's finally here! You took your sweet time!" the dog ninja mocked.
"This isn't a race, Kiba," Naruto retorted, crossing his arms.
Kiba snorted dismissively. "Yeah, as if you would think that if you arrived here first."
"Actually, Naruto-san has a point. It doesn't matter if you arrive here first or last, as long as you arrive. That won't give you an edge during the next phase of the exam," Haku interceded.
"I have to disagree on that, Haku-san" Shino mentioned, as he adjusted his glasses. "Due the nature of this test, the more time you take to complete it, the smaller the chances of success. Therefore, arriving here first is an indicator of a team's skill and power. But then again, given that the difference between the time of arrival of our teams is negligible, so is the difference of our skills."
"Well, there's also luck. We got pretty lucky that we caught a team fighting against a Zabuza clone and were able to steal their chest before they noticed" Tamaki explained.
"Anyway, according to my sister, the last phase of the exam is usually a fighting tournament. That will be the best way to determine which one of us is the best ninja. Which will be me," Kiba proudly stated. Akamaru happily barked in agreement.
"In your dreams, mutt," Naruto retorted, but decided not to waste his time anymore trading bravado with Kiba, and headed for the cafeteria's counter to see what they had to eat. Much to his disappointment, there was no ramen.
Half an hour later, Shizune's Medical Squad arrived at the cafeteria. Naruto felt the impulse of taunting Sasuke about his team arriving first, but remembering his conversation with Kiba, he decided that he didn't want to be a hypocrite and bit his tongue. Still, he decided to greet them.
"Hey, what's up guys?" Naruto asked as he walked towards them. "How was the test?"
"It was okay, I guess. You could say we had a bit of luck with our opponents," Sakura replied.
"What about you, Naruto? Did you have to fight against somebody strong?" Karin asked.
"Nope, we managed to get our treasure chest before other teams arrived. Though we did have to fight against a Zabuza clone," Naruto explained.
"Our treasure chest was full of traps, but thanks to the Shadow Clones we managed to disable all of them. Thanks again for teaching me that jutsu, Naruto," Karin replied with a genuine smile.
"It's useful, isn't it?" Naruto smiled as he put his hands behind his head. "Well, I better go back to my team. Good to see you guys make it."
Team Shizune decided to grab something to eat, and headed to an empty table. Sakura noticed that Sasuke didn't utter a word since their encounter with the Taki ninja, and while that wasn't unusual for the Uchiha teen, he also looked a bit absentminded.
"Sasuke, you've been pretty silent, is everything okay?" Sakura asked.
"Yeah, it's fine. I'm only thinking," Sasuke replied.
"...can you tell us what worries you so much?" Sakura asked as politely as possible.
"It's about that girl, Fu. I've been trying to figure out what's so important about her to warrant an escort of two Jonin. The next phase of the exam is going to be a fighting tournament, and I want to be ready in case I have to fight her," Sasuke turned at his bespectacled teammate. "Karin, did you notice something unusual about her?"
"Well...her chakra was really potent for a Genin, and massive. Almost as much as Naruto's. Maybe I can a better look at her chakra the next time I see her," Karin replied.
"If you see her," Sakura corrected. "There's no guarantee that her team will pass this exam."
"With two Jonin, no other team has any chance to beat them. They will pass," Sasuke interceded.
"Speaking of which, why did we agree to keep this a secret? You said you're worried about fighting that green haired girl in the finals, but aren't you worried about those two Jonin?" Sakura asked, a bit puzzled.
"Despite keeping the team together was a requirement to pass the first two phases, the teams are usually dissolved before the final phase. We will be on our own, and so will Fu, meaning that she won't need her escorts, which I presume they will quit before the final phase, or throw their matches if they decide to keep their masquerade," Sasuke deduced, but Sakura wasn't entirely convinced.
"And what if such thing doesn't happen?" Sakura asked.
"Then we will have to denounce them to the Hokage" Sasuke firmly stated.
About an hour later, another team arrived. This time, it was Team Baki from Sunagakure. Naruto beamed upon seeing his foreign friends, and went to greet them.
"Hey, you guys made it!" Naruto cheered.
"Of course! Did you doubt it?" Kankuro proudly replied.
Temari just rolled her eyes, and decided not to reveal how Kankuro was possessed by that other blonde kunoichi.
"By the way, Naruto," Gaara spoke up in his usual monotone. "A thin boy with spiky black hair styled in a ponytail, an obese kid with brown hair, and a girl with long blond hair and blue eyes. Do you know anybody who looks like that?"
"Yeah, that sounds like Shikamaru, Choji and Ino. Why do you ask, did you fight them?" Naruto asked, and suddenly realized what had happened. "Wait, you didn't kill them, don't you!?"
"No, no!" Temari was quick to correct Naruto's assumptions. "We did fight against them, but they're okay. We didn't plan to kill any Konoha ninja your age just in case they were your friends. But it's more than likely that they won't pass this phase."
"What a pity. I was hoping that they would make it. You see, they fought alongside us on a very dangerous mission not long ago, and we would have died if it wasn't for their help," Naruto replied, a bit saddened.
"Hey, don't look so down! This isn't the worst that can happen during these exams. They will live to try again in a few months," Kankuro said, trying to reassure Naruto.
"Now that I think about it, it's very likely that we will end up fighting each other in the finals..." Naruto awkwardly said, as he rubbed the back of his head.
"I'm actually looking forward to it, Naruto" Gaara stated, staring intensely at Naruto. "I really want to check how strong you really are."
Naruto smiled at him. "I'm sure you won't be disappointed."
…
No more teams arrived that day. Besides eating and passing time at the cafeteria, and sparring in a special room designed for light training, there was not much else to do, and the five teams who had completed the second part of the test spent most of the day at the cafeteria, chatting. The Konoha ninja sometimes gathered in groups larger than their teams, while the Kumo and Suna ninjas usually remained separated, though Naruto sometimes joined the latter for a chat.
Finally, sometime after lunchtime, a new team arrived, composed of Neji, Lee and Tenten.
"Oh boy, look how many people arrived before us," Tenten noted, shaking her head. "And most of them are rookies!"
"I know! That was mostly unyouthful on our part!" Lee excitedly claimed. "As a punishment, I will run one hundred laps around Konoha on my hands, while carrying a boulder! And If I can't do that-"
"There's no point in fretting over that," Neji interrupted his hot blooded teammate. "That's in the past. We should focus on passing the next round, whatever it is."
Lee was about to reply something, but his eyes drifted towards certain pink haired girl, sitting with her two teammates. Despite not being able to use ninjutsu, Neji and Tenten would swear he used the Body Flicker to disappear and reappear next to Sakura.
"Oh, Sakura-san, I'm so happy to see that you passed this test as well!" Lee said as he grabbed her hand. "But it should not be a surprise to see that your talent and strength are just as great as your beauty."
Sakura started to sweat. "Uh...er...you're...eh, very kind, Lee..." Sakura said as she removed her hand from Lee's.
Karin's mouth formed a wicked smile. "Sasuke-kun, I believe we should leave the two lovebirds some time alone, don't you think so?"
Before Sasuke had any time to react, Karin was dragging him away. "What?"
"Hey wait, where do you think you're going!" Sakura exclaimed. Everybody correctly guessed that she was more outraged at the thought of Sasuke and Karin being alone than being left with Lee.
Karin then blushed, and smiled tenderly at him. "Besides, I believe we could use some time alone, you and me"
"WHAT!?" Both Sasuke and Sakura shouted in unison.
Sakura immediately grabbed Karin, and the two of them started a loud argument. Sasuke took advantage of this and left the cafeteria unnoticed.
While Lee tried to regain Sakura's attention –which was focused on Karin– his teammates decided to approach Team Kurenai. Or better said, Neji decided to approach Hinata, and Tenten followed him.
"Good afternoon, Hinata-sama," Neji greeted in his usual stoic and overly polite tone. "It seems that your team got less trouble passing this part of the test than mine, given that you arrived here before us."
"You could say we had some luck. It's good to see that you and your team made it as well, nii-san," Hinata greeted her cousin with a smile.
Tenten spoke up. "Of course! We weren't going to be left behind a bunch of rookies! No offense" she added, looking at Team Kurenai with a semi-apologetic look.
"None taken" Haku replied.
"You know, now I kind of wish we didn't finish this part so soon. This waiting is killing me!" Naruto complained.
"Be careful with what you wish for. With each passing hour, the chances of passing this test dwindle more and more. And their chances after the first day weren't so big to begin with," Neji interceded.
Haku cleared his throat. It was about time to make his move. He needed to stay alone with his crush, and knew the perfect excuse.
"Um, Tenten, may I ask you something?" the Ice Ninja asked.
"Shoot," was her reply.
"If you're not too tired, would you like to spar with me in one of the training rooms?" Haku asked.
Tenten raised an eyebrow, a bit puzzled. "You're right, I'm a bit tired right now, but guess that I could do it later. But, why me? Don't you prefer to spar with your teammates?"
"The reason I chose you is because from what I've been told, you're a mid-ranged fighter, just like me. Besides, I sparred against my teammates countless times already, and as you have with your teammates. It would be good for the both of us to fight against somebody new before the final test."
"You have a point there. I barely fight against anybody that's not a close combat specialist, so I could use a change. But now, I'm going to have something to eat, and then I will take a nap," Tenten replied. He looked at her Hyuga teammate. "Neji, you coming?"
"I'm right behind you. And we should...liberate Sakura from Lee's affections," Neji suggested.
Once the older Genin left, Haku sighed in relief. Naruto grinned devilishly.
"So, that's why you were so interested in Tenten, huh? You have a crush on her?" it was less a question and more a statement.
"She's really cute," Haku replied. "But I wish to know her better before making any moves on her. And a spar is the perfect excuse to do that, and we will be alone."
"Eh, okay. But you shouldn't let that girl distract you too much. There's still one last phase yet and we need you at one hundred percent," Naruto warned, in an almost parenting tone.
"When I asked her for a spar, I meant it. Tenten has been a ninja for far more time than us, so I believe I could benefit from sparring with her," Haku explained. Then, he smiled in a way Naruto found odd. "Maybe you two should find a room and spar as well, don't you think?"
"Right! We can't afford losing due lack of preparation now that we're so close to the finish line! What do you say, Hinata?"
"Uh...sure, I'd love to be alone with you-I mean, to spar against you, Naruto-kun," Hinata stammered.
…
By dinnertime, only one other team arrived, one with a certain green haired girl on it.
"Hello everybody, Team Fu is here!" the green haired girl announced with her usual excitement. She scanned the teams there having dinner, until she found some familiar faces.
"Fu! Over here!" Tamaki waved at her, indicating her and her team to take a seat with Team Kakashi.
After getting something to eat, Fu and her team sat besides Shino, Kiba and Tamaki and started talking. Though to be fair, it was Fu who talked with the members of Team Kakashi, while her teammates Kegon and Yoro remained silent.
"So hey, how long have you been here?" Fu asked.
"Pretty much since the test began. We managed to snatch a treasure chest real quick and bring it here in no time!" Tamaki proudly recounted.
"Such luck! We had to fight against another Konoha team, but they made us retreat," Fu explained. "We were afraid that we wouldn't be able to find a treasure chest in time, but I wasn't going to leave the exam so soon! Especially not after befriending so many cool people here!"
"We're glad to see that you made it, even with some difficulty," Shino spoke up.
"Eh, it wouldn't be much fun if it was easy, would it?" Fu asked, smiling.
"Well, if it's easy, that means that your skills are above the requirements," Kiba retorted.
Fu continued talking with the Animal Squad for some time. Meanwhile, at another table, another team was keeping an eye on the newcomers.
"Karin, Fu is here. You know what to do," Sasuke instructed.
Karin just nodded, and made a hand seal. With her Mind's Eye of the Kagura, she started to inspect Fu's chakra. Just as she expected, it was abnormally powerful. Watching closer, she realized that there was something inside her that was empowering her chakra. A second source of chakra within her body. It was something that Karin already saw once.
The redhead remembered the time she sensed Naruto, who also had an extremely powerful chakra, and a second source of chakra as well. Naruto explained to her that it was a Tailed Beast sealed within him when he was a baby, and his large chakra reserves were a side effect of the sealing. Would it be possible that this Fu was a Jinchuriki too?
"I think I have something," Karin's statement caught her teammates' attention. "I believe that girl may have a demon sealed inside her too."
"Those are bad news," Sasuke replied.
"I'm sure it's not that bad. Naruto has a demon as well, and he isn't that strong," Sakura commented. "I mean, he is strong, but not as strong as you, Sasuke-kun. He never defeated you so far."
"Maybe. But that girl is not Naruto, and assuming otherwise would be unwise," the Uchiha retorted. "When I saw those wings, I thought it was a Bloodline Limit, but now I'm not so sure. That girl might have other hidden abilities we are not aware of."
"Uh oh," Karin muttered.
Sakura turned at her. "I don't like the sound of that."
"I just picked up another guy whose chakra signature has similarities to Naruto's and that girl. The redhead kid from the Suna team," Karin pointed out.
"Ugh, how many people have demons sealed inside them? I thought Naruto was the only one!" Sakura groaned. It seemed like the exam was getting progressively harder every minute.
…
The last day of the exam was just as uneventful as the others. Just like the previous two days, most of the Genin spent the time at the cafeteria chattering and eating, and sometimes training to blow off some steam. All that waiting was starting to make them restless.
Naruto and Hinata were in one of the training rooms, fighting against each other. They agreed that Hinata would only use the Byakugan and the Thunder Palm, while Naruto would only use clones. Those restrictions were for the sake of keeping the fight simple, as well as honing those two specific skills as well.
While Hinata started the fight really well, poofing clones left and right while keeping them at bay, she slowed down little by little, and her defense grew sloppier.
"Hinata? Are you alright?" Naruto asked.
"I used up a lot of chakra, do you mind if we rest a bit?" Hinata replied between pants.
With a hand seal, Naruto dispelled his remaining clones and smiled at her. "Sure. Sorry, I think I may overdid a little. Sometimes I forget that not everybody else has my stamina," he said as he tossed a water bottle at his teammate.
Hinata caught the bottle and opened it."No, it's my chakra reserves. It's just too small. I think I should work harder on expanding it a bit. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to keep up with you during long fights," Hinata replied.
"Given that I have so much chakra, maybe I could share some with you?" Naruto suggested, but much to his confusion, Hinata shook her head.
"It's not that easy, Naruto-kun. People have different chakra types, and some kinds of chakra aren't compatible. It's akin to blood donations. You need a compatible type," Hinata explained.
"So if I tried to transfer my chakra to you and we weren't compatible..." Naruto started.
"...your chakra would harm me," Hinata finished. "In fact, that's one of the basics of the Gentle Fist: to introduce your chakra inside the enemy's body. Though the charka is specifically molded so it's always harmful to the opponent, in case you fight against somebody with chakra compatibility."
"And how would we know if we're compatible?" Naruto asked.
"There's no way to know that without trying to transfer our chakra," Hinata explained.
"And...do you want to try?" Naruto asked, a bit uneasy.
"I don't see why not. Being able to share our chakra would be an invaluable ability," Hinata replied.
Naruto was unsure. "But...what if I hurt you?"
Hinata smiled at him sweetly. "Don't worry, we'll only transfer minimal amounts of chakra so the damage is negligible."
Naruto perked up a bit. "Okay! So...how do we do it?"
"Well..." Hinata started to fidget with her index fingers. "W-We need to create p-physical contact..."
"Physical contact?" Naruto suddenly grabbed both of Hinata's hands. "Like this?"
"Y-yes" the Hyuga tried her hardest not to blush. "Now t-try to t-transfer some of your c-charka into my s-system, Naruto-kun..."
As the blond prepared, he could feel Hinata's chakra almost as if he was a sensor now. And just like Hinata had said, her chakra felt different to his. That would mean that they weren't compatible. Naruto was about to let her hands go when he got an idea: he heard Tsunade explaining that in order to use her Immense Healing Network, she molded her chakra to make it compatible with Katsuyu, so the slug could use it to heal others. So maybe he could try something similar?
He gathered some chakra, and sensing Hinata's, tried to mold it so it would be similar to Hinata's. When he felt it was similar enough, he pushed the modified chakra into Hinata's system. The Hyuga shuddered upon feeling the foreign chakra.
"Hinata...? Are you okay...?" Naruto asked.
"It...it worked! We're compatible!" the Hyuga cheered, clasping Naruto's hands.
"Actually, we aren't," Hinata was visibly confused upon hearing Naruto's words, so he elaborated. "You see, our chakra was too different, but I molded my chakra so it was similar to yours before sending it. But it worked in the end!"
"You did that? That was really ingenious!" Hinata praised.
"Hehe, thanks" this time, it was Naruto who blushed a bit. "Say, do you want more? I have tons of chakra, so maybe I could replenish your chakra reserves completely."
"O-Okay, but don't overdo it. I don't want you to exhaust yourself."
Naruto nodded, and repeated the process –which was much easier the second time– until Hinata's chakra was once again at its fullest. They broke physical contact.
"How do you feel?" Naruto asked, a bit worried.
"Amazing..." Hinata scanned her body as if this was the first time she saw it. "It's like I never used my chakra to begin with!"
"Cool! Now if you or Haku run out of chakra during a mission, I can recharge your reserves!" Naruto grinned.
There was a moment of comfortable silence between the two of them, until Naruto spoke up once again.
"Speaking of Haku, I've been thinking...do you think he'll have some luck with Tenten?" Naruto asked.
"I don't know. Maybe?" Hinata never thought much about it. She didn't know Tenten much.
"I hope he does. Besides, that girl seems to be one of the few of our age not chasing after Sasuke, the others being you and Ino, so he won't have much competition. Speaking of which… Hinata, is there a boy you like?"
Hinata's face turned so red that steam started to come from her head. "W-WHAAAAT!?"
"It's just that most girls our age are already pinning for a boy, and I thought that maybe you liked somebody..."
"I...uh...e-eh...well..." Hinata wasn't even able to form proper words.
"So you do…" Naruto declared. Hinata could faint at any moment. "It's okay, I won't ask you who is, since you're obviously not very comfortable talking about it."
"T-Thank you..." Hinata babbled.
"Whoever that boy is… I'm sure he's lucky of having a girl as amazing as you wanting to be his girlfriend" Naruto mentioned.
Yet, for some reason, the idea of Hinata having a boyfriend was something he couldn't agree with. If he was okay with Haku chasing Tenten… then why wasn't he okay with Hinata chasing somebody else?
…
When it appeared that only seven teams were going to pass the second test, Team Asuma arrived shortly before dinner, much to everybody else's displeasure, since that meant that the next phase of the exams would be a little more difficult due the extra competition. However, despite this, Naruto, Hinata and Haku were quite happy to see that they made it to the finals, regardless of the additional difficulty that it implied.
The next morning, the eight passing teams were summoned to the ship's main hold. Upon entering, they saw that the hold hasbeen remodeled into a fighting arena, with two sets of stands at each side, and a huge plasma screen mounted on one of the walls.
In front of the twenty four Genin, were the Hokage, Jiraiya, flanked by Tsunade, Shisui, Zabuza, the Jonin-sensei of the teams that had passed (minus Fu's team) as well as a few other exam proctors. Zabuza took several steps forward.
"And now, the second phase of the Chunin Exams is now over. Congratulations to all of you who passed. But once again, don't think you are Chunin already, since the worst is yet to come," Zabuza told them.
"Man, he can't even congratulate us without slipping a threat. That guy has issues," Kiba commented, rolling his eyes.
"Thank you, Zabuza," Jiraiya spoke up. Zabuza nodded and returned to his previous place while Jiraiya took his. "You should feel proud. Almost two hundred Genin took the exam, and yet only a small fraction of that number reached the finals. That's a testament of your ability to work as a team. However, this begets a question: how do we know that all of you contributed to your team's success, and you didn't let your teammates do all the work while you shared their success? The third and final phase of the exam will reveal it all: a one-on-one fight tournament!"
Jiraiya then proceeded to explain the hidden purpose of the Chunin Exams: a war simulation between villages, as a way for said villages to showcase their power to potential customers. That's why the finals would be held in a stadium in a month's time for everybody to see, among them many nobles, including the Lord of the Land of Fire himself.
"However, there is a problem," worry started to spread like wildfire among the Genin upon hearing those words from the Hokage. "Too many Genin passed. A tournament of twenty four people would take way too long to finish. That's why we're going to cut that number in half right now."
"What!? We made it to the finals, you can't kick half of us just because you say so!" Kiba loudly protested.
"How are you going to determine which of us are going to pass to the finals then?" Ino asked, no less outraged.
Jiraiya grinned. "Easy. We're going to have twelve one on one fights right here, right now! Take a look at the screen above us: the two names displayed there will be the first two to fight for a spot in the finals!"
Author's Note: And with another phase over, the Chunin Exams are now a bit closer to their end.
Next chapter will feature the preliminaries, which will be a two parter, with six fights on each chapter, and probably the most action-packed chapters of the story so far. They gave me a lot of hell to write, so I hope you will enjoy them.
So, make your bets, people! What kind of matches will we see? Who will pass to the finals, and who will kiss the exams goodbye? I can tell you now that NONE of the preliminary fights from canon will happen. Everybody will have a new opponent (albeit in some cases, such as Sasuke, Shikamaru or Shino, it's obvious since their canon opponents aren't present this time around).
In the meantime, don't forget to leave a review! Reviews make me really, really, really happy!