Wrath of a Woman Scorned
By: EDelta88
Rated M for language, violence, adult situations and concepts, lemons, and graphic imagery
[Insert disclaimer here]
Chapter 15: The Final Culling
Training Ground 44, Tower of Death: Arena #1
'There's so damn many of them!' Anko thought, staring out at the crowd of gennin.
There was barely enough room in here for all of them! This was a nightmare. An absolute nightmare! Just the logistics for food and toiletries had been a special kind of hell! They were not prepared for housing this many brats in the forest. Even if it was just a day or two!
Worst of all? The little shit responsible for all of Anko's suffering was standing in the middle of the sea of canon fodder, staring straight back at her with malicious glee dancing in her eyes.
Anko glared back, trying to concoct a way to get some small measure of revenge on the little menace that wouldn't get her killed. To be fair, Anko had known from the beginning that Red wasn't going to play nice, but she hadn't been expecting this.
No one had.
"My, my, they get younger every year," the Sandaime mused with an air of melancholy, breaking Anko from her thoughts. "Anko, if you don't mind, I'd like to take it from the beginning this time. I have some things I would like to say."
Anko frowned. "Introduction only then?"
"Yes, please," the elderly Hokage murmured, subdued.
Sarutobi-sama usually saved his speeches for the finals when there were lords and dignitaries around, people who actually mattered. What could he—Her eyes flicked back toward the gathered gennin.
Standing alone in the crowd, Aki's eyes roved over the gathered participants, her features carefully schooled into a mask of cool curiousity that didn't quite meet her eyes.
Anko's frown deepened as she returned her attention to the Hokage, eyeing her leader more closely. He looked…old, aged somehow. On a normal day, the elderly Hokage wore his years like he wore his robes, a symbol of office that lent him an air of wisdom and stability. Today though? It was a subtle thing, and he hid it well, but today he seemed worn.
He looked tired.
Anko nodded. "Alright then," she answered a second before stepping forward and flicking her mic on. "Quiet down you brats!" she called out over the dull roar.
Slowly, the noise died down and the crowd turned expectant eyes on the Hokage and the exam staff gathered at the front of the room.
Nodding, satisfied, Anko straightened up, projecting her voice as well as possible. "Firstly, congratulations on making it this far," Anko told them, keeping her tone professional. Personally, she wasn't all that impressed that they were lucky that Red had decided to let them pass, but people got so squeamish when she was that honest. "In a moment we will discuss how the Exam will progress from here on out, but first the Sandaime Hokage has a few things he'd like to say before things get started."
"Thank you, Anko," the Sandaime said as he stepped forward.
"Sir," she acknowledged, stepping back into line with the other proctors.
"Well, quite a crowd this time around," the Hokage mused, staring out at them. "I don't think I've ever heard of so many participants making it to the final stage of a Chunnin Exam before." As he spoke, the aged Hokage scanned the crowd gauging them as he considered how exactly he wanted to deliver his message. "If you would all indulge me, I would like each of you to take a good look around you. Take note of the people next to you, friend and foe alike."
The crowd of gennin shifts uneasily, eyeing each other with open curiosity and confusion.
"Thank you, everyone," the Sandaime said, offering them a pleasant smile. "You are all fine examples of what your villages have to offer. You are, all of you, talented young shinobi who are here to prove yourselves and to compete for the pride of your home. This is an admirable thing and something you should all be proud of. The people around you today share that same sense of accomplishment. They may even share hopes and dreams similar to yours. We are not so different I would say and for today I would like each and every one of you to consider each other comrades, even for just a moment. Then, regardless of what happens, I want you to remember that, going forward."
"Why?" someone asked.
"Because nearly a quarter of those ninja who entered the second stage of these exams are already dead," the Third Hokage grimly responded.
A deafening silence filled the room.
Well over a hundred gennin had entered the forest five days ago.
Sarutobi scanned the hall once more, taking in the various reactions to his statement. Some were shocked. Some were horrified. A few, most of them older, barely reacted at all. It was those few that saddened Sarutobi the most as he continued his speech. "Of those of you who entered Training Ground 44, exactly half were eliminated with only one member of each team surviving," the Hokage explained, his eyes lingering somewhere in the crowd for a moment before continuing to rove the participants. "Normally more are eliminated with fewer and less severe casualties, but it would appear that elements within this exam had… other ideas."
The crowd of gennin shifted in agitation, becoming a hive of whispered words and paranoia.
"Half? Why only half?" someone wondered as teammates exchanged nervous glances.
"They left survivors? That doesn't make any sense!" someone hissed as the participants eyed each other warily.
"Why would someone do that!?" one of the gennin cried, their voice rising over the dull roar of the crowd.
"To send a message," the Hokage replied simply.
"But… this is just an exam. We're just gennin!"
"No, you are not," the Sandaime refuted with such stoic surety that it silenced all protests, leveling a heavy glare at the boy who had spoken. "You represent the future of your villages and that of the shinobi world. You are not just anything. Likewise, in the same way that you are not just gennin these exams have never been just a convenient way of sourcing fresh chunnin during peacetime. It has never been formally acknowledged, but these exams are sublimated warfare," he explained as a flurry of harsh whispers filled the room.
"What?!"
"What's he talking about?"
"Is he serious?"
"Think about what you have done here this past week," the Sandaime continued, unbothered by the whispers spreading through the examinees as he began to pace in front of them, his gaze combing over them. "Think of the skills you have used. Investigation, intelligence gathering, guerilla fighting, the protection and seizure of high-value targets, and soon enough open combat. These are all key roles that shinobi play in the conflicts between our nations and your performance here is viewed as a representation of your villages' ability to do the same on a grander scale. Those who have succeeded are here now. Meanwhile, those who were unskilled or unlucky… are not."
The crowd went suddenly silent at the weight in his tone.
"This is the reality of war," the Sandaime told them. "Some of us will live while others will die. Sometimes they die because they made stupid, avoidable mistakes. Sometimes because they weren't fast or skilled enough… sometimes they die because they are just unlucky enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."
No one refuted his words, no one dared. Anyone with any real experience in the room knew all too well how true they were.
"So, again, look around you," Sarutobi Hiruzen commanded, staring out into the sea of young faces, challenging them to be better. "Look around for the empty spaces and remember that it could have been you. It could have been a friend… and it was someone who could have been a friend." He paused letting that sink in for a moment. "I tell you this because one day you will face a choice. That choice will be different for each of you. It may be obvious, something as simple as sparing an enemy when it would be more convenient to slay them. It may be simple, something as easy as sparing a few coins so that a hungry child knows that there are still good people in the world. However, it is far more likely that the dilemma you face will be far more difficult. It may be something that costs you your career, possibly even your life. You will likely never understand the full ramifications of your decision. You will never know the lives you touch, but make no mistake, the choice you make will be a decision that will have far-reaching consequences. What has happened here? This has happened because others faced such choices and chose… poorly."
Even the most stubborn elements in the room shifted uncomfortably under the sheer weight of the Hokage's presence.
"The measure of a shinobi is not how they lived, but the way in which they will die," the Hokage mused. "Be wise in all things, young shinobi. Imagine that each moment could be your last and live in such a way that you could die with a smile on your face for the actions that lead you there and pride in your heart for the legacy you will leave behind."
Silence reigned for several long moments as the gathered crowd processed the old Hokage's words. More than a few wondered whose decisions had led to the massacre in the forest. Some took his advice to heart. A scattered few tried to dismiss his words entirely, reasoning they were the bitter ramblings of an old man.
But they all listened…
"Hayate. Genma," the Hokage, called. "I am finished."
Two figures appeared before the Hokage in a burst of speed.
"Thank you, sir!" one of the men said as they both bowed to their leader before turning to the crowd. "My name is Gekko Hayate. Welcome to the third portion of the Chunnin Selection Exams. Traditionally these exams are concluded with an elimination tournament. However, there are too many participants present to be manageable. For that reason, we will be holding preliminary rounds immediately. I will be one of the proctors for the first arena for these preliminary rounds."
Hayate's companion stepped forward. "I'm Shiranui Genma. I'll be handling the second arena."
"Why do we even have a preliminary?" someone asked. "Can't we just have a full tournament?"
Genma rolled his eyes. "These things are scheduled years in advance kid. The Daimyo and lesser lords that are going to attend don't have the time to spend a few weeks watching you brats beat the shit out of each other."
This statement was met with more than a few angry grumbles.
"These prelims will be single elimination, single combat. Match pairings will be pulled at random from the pool of participants who choose to participate and have not yet had a match. Matches will be one on one combat ending when one combatant is unable to continue or forfeits at the discretion of the proctor. These matches will be conducted with only three rules," Genma continued. "Firstly, any violence or sabotage committed outside of the arena will result in the immediate expulsion of the aggressor, no exceptions. Second, keep the fight confined to the arenas. Any participant unable to demonstrate the ability to ensure the safety of an audience will be expelled from the exam, no exceptions. Lastly, your proctor's word is law. They say stop, you stop. They say the match is over, it's over. If a participant demonstrates a flagrant disregard for the direction of their proctor, they will be expelled from the exams. If you don't like a call, ask your sensei to appeal it."
"Before we get started," Hayate jumped in. "Are there any participants who will not be continuing past this point?"
One hand went up.
"I think I'm gonna call it quits," Kabuto said while raising his hand.
"You're Yakushi Kabuto, right?"
"Yes sir," he said with a fragile smile.
Hayate rolled his eyes. "Alright, you can go. Anyone else?" the proctor asked as Kabuto made his way to one of the exits. 'That kid is about as subtle as a toothache,' Hayate thought as more hands went up. 'Points for dedication though. Actually, showing up to the tower on the off chance that it preserved his cover was a ballsy move. Especially knowing who would be here waiting for him,' he thinks, watching as Aki tracks the boy's progress out of the arena. He would not be surprised if they found that boy face down in a ditch soon if ANBU didn't manage to pick him up.
"Can we stay with our teams even if we withdraw?" one of the gennin asked.
"No," Genma responded, eyeing the kid that asked. Clearly a support ninja. "If you withdraw, you withdraw. No aiding your teammates without risk," he explained, watching a number of the gennin exchange calculating looks with their teams. "Additionally, since we are on the subject, eliminated gennin will also be required to vacate the premises. As our Hokage said, the exams are a simulation of war. If you die? You're dead. There are no second chances."
"I would also like to add that some of you may be thinking that you have been given a gift by being well-rested. This is not the case," Haryate added. "Normally, preliminary rounds are short and limited by the exhaustion of the participants. This means less chance of injury and fewer chances for your opponents to gather information on your full abilities. Today you will be facing opponents who are fresh. There is a very real risk of death or permanent injury if you participate today."
More than a few gennin raised their hands at that. They weren't alone. After a few hurried discussions with teammates and teachers, several more gennin filed out of the room.
"Anyone else?" Genma called, checking for any last stragglers. "Alright," he continued when no one else came forward, "with the number of participants remaining, there will be two rounds of matches. So, plan accordingly. Any questions?"
No one spoke up.
"In that case," Hayate pointed to a screen on the wall behind them. "Matches will be announced on the board above. If your match is called for Arena #1, remain here. If your match is called for Arena #2 proceed next door."
Then the boards came to life, names flashing rapidly for several seconds before they suddenly stopped.
Match #1, Arena #1: Abumi Zaku vs Sabaku no Temari
Match #2, Arena #2: Hyuuga Neji vs Hokori Usagi
A/N
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Fair warning, I will NOT be showing every single match. I will be picking and choosing what I show based on what I have inspiration/material for and what serves the story. If you have suggestions, matches you'd like to see, please speak up either in the reviews or slide into my Discord server.
