Mizutsurugan
1-The Chuunin Selection Exam
Rated PG-13 for violence and mild swearing
Don't expect to see Naruto and the gang for a while, but they turn up eventually. I really didn't know what the genre was for this, but these seemed about right. R&R!
It was the dead of night when the second Chuunin test began.
We were standing on a long dock that stretched out to the ocean, all of us standing shoulder to shoulder. To my right was my teammate, and my superior, Oyukiri Santo. He had the Advanced Bloodline of the Oyukiri clan, the Mizutsurugan, an eye of many watery powers, including seeing and breathing underwater. He wore his mist headband proudly on his brow, looking like the best shinobi here. On my left was the class funkie and my other teammate, Sugati Ruijihin. Right now he looked panicked, even in the dark I could see the beads of sweat on his face. He nervously rubbed his forehead protector on his left arm; he had the right to be nervous, this was our first time trying out for the exam. I had never been the jewelry type of girl, so my forehead protector had been a pain to wear, but eventually I decided to also wear it on my forehead.
"Dammit, Kori, how can you be so calm?!" Ruijihin said to me as the examiner for this test walked out on the water towards us. I just shrugged. The examiner stopped a few meters away from us and counted us up. Ruijihin started again, "How can you stand to be by that bastard, Santo. He's a total jerk!"
"He's not that bad, Ruijihin. Just because he's the best rookie of the year and you're the worst..."
"I am not the worst rookie! And someday I'm gonna be the Mizukage!"
"Keep dreaming..."
"So!" the examiner shouted, interrupting me, "Twelve teams have survived the first part of the exam! You were lucky! Not this many have lasted to here for a while!" I could feel Ruijihin shiver beside me. "I am Huanami Jigosha! The examiner for the second test! And I warn you, this test is a killer, literally!" He pointed in front of us, "You will swim halfway around the island..."
"What?!" came the repeated call, "That's more than a day's swim!"
"You and your team will figure it out," said the examiner, smiling, "The chuunin's exam is not for sissies, now listen!" he dropped his arm, "The only rule is that you can't go on shore or face immediate disqualification. As mist ninjas you are expected to experience rigors harder than this! You fight to the death! Make sure your whole team makes it for this one too! Halfway around is a dock just like this one, you go there, understand?!"
"Yessir!" came the call.
"Then, second test, begin!" Jigosha shouted. He jumped up and disappeared as we all dove in.
Exhausted, we kept swimming, over half the exam was over. At first we had swam ahead, Santo's Mizutsurugan leading us on, but now we were running out of stamina to continue. We had figured out how to continue. First, someone would swim with a teammate on their back. Then, the person who had carried got to swim by themselves, and finally was carried before they went back to carrying. It was a slow process, and an enduring one, but we were getting weaker. Right now I was carrying Mr. High and Mighty himself, Santo of the Mizutsurugan. I could barely keep up with Ruijihin, who was just as exhausted as me. I kept dipping underwater, the water going up my nose. I was thirsty, but I didn't dare drink the salty water.
"Kori-kun..." Santo said, only semiconscious. He raised his head and I dunked underwater. My eyes where burning from the salt, the water running up my nose and down my throat. Suddnely I felt a jerk and my head was above the surface. The water drained from my mouth, Ruijihin had both me and Santo, and he was at the end of his strength. He was kicking with all of his might, exerting his chakaras to help him swim.
"No Ruijihin..." I said, trying to get through to him, "don't...you'll kill yourself..."
He abruptly slowed down, his grip loosened on me and Santo, once again my head slipped under the waves. I didn't mind the water rushing down my throat and into my lungs, was I dying? I could see clearer than I had ever seen in the water before, all of us genin spread out in these waters how is that? I felt myself hit the sandy bottom, I didn't even feel the water pressure. My chakara was flowing, I could feel it, there was a purplish tinge to everything, this had never happened with any jutsu I had ever used...
For the second time I felt a jerk and I was rising, this time it was Santo pulling me to the surface, his eyes aquamarine with the effect of the Mizotsurugan. Then he started dragging both me and Ruijihin to the dock, we could see it in the distance. I had a crazy thought, but it faded away with everything else.
I was on the dock, lying on my back and staring at the sky.
"Cell number 68," said the examiner's voice above me, "Pass!"
Santo came into my line of vision with a wide grin, "Hey, Kori-kun, we passed."
I slowly blinked, "You saved me and Ruijihin..." I smiled slightly, "And I thought you were all talk."
"Yeah, Ruijihin-kun is in pretty bad shape, but he'll live." Santo helped me to my feet, "Kori-kun, we might all become chuunins!"
Shakily, I stood by myself, "Yeah..."
The Jigosha scanned the surrounding area, "I don't think anyone else is coming." As Santo helped Ruijihin to his feet, Jigosha said, "Three teams have made it to the final round! Follow me, we will return to Kirigakure where I will fill you in on the details of the next test..."
"Let go of me!" Ruijihin shouted. Santo had been helping him up, but Ruijihin shoved him away. Then he ran towards the shore on the dock where there were stairs leading up to higher ground. Shakily he ran, he went up a few steps and tripped. He gasped as he fell off the dock and onto the sharp rocks below. The last I heard from him was the agonizing scream as he died.
Naruto is lucky, most failing rookies don't make it -. Anyway, I hope you like it! Some of you will be like, why did you kill him?! I accept flamers and comments alike! Expect the next chapter soon!