==============================
Chapter 04 : Prelude
==============================
¡§I bet we¡¦re the first ones here,¡¨ Kiba bragged happily to Hinata and Shino as they entered the Left side. ¡§There¡¦s no way that anyone else¡¦s made it this fast.¡¨
¡§It¡¦s been a day already. I¡¦m sure there has to be some other team who¡¦s made it first.¡¨ Shino said from behind him to his right.
¡§Oh come one, you spoilsport.¡¨ Kiba said, turning around, walking backwards. ¡§There¡¦s at most, ONE team who made it before us.¡¨
¡§Ano... Kiba-kun.¡¨ Hinata objected softly. ¡§You¡¦d be wrong about that.¡¨
¡§Huh?¡¨ He turned around. The team from the Sand was already residing in a Bedroom, Naruto and the young boy with black hair were watching TV in the Living Room, and the girl, whatever her name was, was doing something in the Training Room.
¡§You were saying something about being first, Kiba?¡¨
==============================
After a full 5 days of wait, all the Genin teams who made it through the Second Exam where gathered in the Fighting Hall. Only 8 of the 20 teams made it to the 3rd exam Preliminaries. Shizune had fulfilled what Anko promised to do the year before.
The first team was, of course, Naruto¡¦s team, the team from the Hidden Air. The next team who made it was Gaara¡¦s team. Then, Kiba¡¦s team, then Neji¡¦s team, Sasuke¡¦s Team, a team from Hidden Mist, a team from Hidden Rain, and surprisingly, the team from Hidden Grass that Kai stole the scroll from.
¡§Since so many people made it to the 3rd Exam,¡¨ Tsunade said to the 8 groups, ¡§We will have a Preliminary Round, to eliminate half the people from the Exam. Your instructor this year is---¡¨
¡§Me.¡¨
A man with blonde hair and a forehead protector tied on backwards stepped up. ¡§I¡¦ll be your examiner this year.¡¨ He said through a straw tucked in his mouth. ¡§My name is Gemma.¡¨
¡§You¡¦re the guy from last year!¡¨ exclaimed an overexcited Ino.
He rolled his eyes ever so slightly. ¡§Yes, I judged the second part of the Third Exam last year. This year, I will instruct both preliminaries, and the main tournament. First of all, for anyone who does not want to fight either from exhaustion or personal reasons, now is the time to leave.¡¨ He waited, and when no one showed any indication of exiting, he continued. ¡§In that case, we will begin immediately. For everyone who was not here last year, the matches are completely random, and the only rule is to defeat your opponent by any means available. You may forfeit anytime before or during the fight. From here on out, it¡¦s an individual fight, so you may move on even if your team fails. Any questions?¡¨
When none came, he said, ¡§So will everyone proceed upstairs, and we will begin the 3rd Exam preliminaries shortly.¡¨
==============================
Naruto got a strange sense of deja vu as he looked around at all the teams. Gaara, Temari, Kankuro, and the foreign teams were on one side, while everyone else was on another side.
¡§This is like, the 16th thing that both my exams had in common.¡¨ Naruto said. He leaned on the bars. ¡§Do you think that there really is some kind of deity up there, and he¡¦s somehow influencing everything so it¡¦s happening exactly in the same sequence as it happened last year?¡¨
¡§Maybe.¡¨
¡§Hnn.¡¨
¡§NARUTO!¡¨
The said Naruto rotated his head and looked into the very EXPTREMELY angry eyes of an infuriated Haruno Sakura.
¡§Ohayo, Sakura-chan.¡¨
She opened her mouth, then closed it. She had been planning what to say to him during the entire trip through the Forest of Death, but now, face to face with him, she couldn¡¦t say it. Luckily, Sasuke came to her rescue.
¡§Where have you been the last year, you Dobe?¡¨ Sasuke asked in a controlled manner, but had just enough rage in his voice for Naruto to be able to tell that he was ridiculously angry. ¡§You leave without a word, then just come back suddenly with replacements?¡¨
¡§Hai.¡¨ He replied, completely ignoring the Dobe comment.
His nonchalant attitude seemed to only fuel the Uchiha boy¡¦s anger, and he would have sorely loved to deliver a punch to the blonde-haired person¡¦s jaw just about now, but he managed to control his anger. Barely.
¡§Ohayo, Naruto-kun.¡¨
¡§Huh?¡¨ He looked at the speakers. ¡§Oy, Lee, Neji, Hinata, Kiba.¡¨ The four of them had wandered over along with the rest of their team. Suddenly, Naruto smacked his head.
¡§Oh yea, everyone, this is---¡¨
¡§So you are back, Naruto.¡¨
¡§Kakashi-san, Asuma-san, Kurenai-san.¡¨
The Genins visible flinched slightly. //Kakashi-san?// Ino thought, heart sinking. //H e no longer acknowledges Kakashi-sensei as his teacher?//
¡§Everyone, this is Kurakai, or Kai.¡¨ He said, ¡§Call her Kurekai, and she will give you a beating you will never forget, and damage whatever ego you may have brutally.¡¨
¡§Naruto-niisan has personal experience.¡¨ Came a voice that startlingly resembled Naruto¡¦s.
¡§And THIS.¡¨ He went on, ¡§Is Akito, twin of Kai, and twenty times as annoying.¡¨
¡§FOURTY TIMES as annoying.¡¨ Akito growled.
¡§Eighty.¡¨
¡§ONE SIXTY.¡¨
And the two of them went on like that, arguing the younger one¡¦s annoyance level, ignoring the fact that they were arguing the exact same thing. While the two of them were arguing, the others took this opportunity to observe the two children.
At first glance, you would exclaim that they looked nothing like Naruto. He had blond hair and slightly tanned skin, while they had black hair and pale skin. Most of them thought that the pair looked more like Sasuke than Naruto, but when they got closer, they began noticing similarities here and there.
The big one, were their eyes. The two pairs of eyes and Naruto¡¦s on visible eye were the exact same shade of blue, not the fake kind of blue, or the type of blue that changes with age or emotion, but a clear electric blue. It was the kind of blue that would never fade, and could only be obtained through genetics.
¡§So, anyway,¡¨ Naruto continued, after he and Akito had settled his annoyance level on 2048, ¡§They¡¦re my teammates.¡¨
¡§Wait,¡¨ Neji said, ¡§What village are you from? I¡¦ve never seen these headbands before.¡¨
The headbands were on black cloth, and the symbols looked like two wings, one pointing up, and one pointing down, with a swirl in the middle.
¡§Our village?¡¨ he said, ¡§Well we¡¦re---¡¨
¡§We¡¦re from the Village Hidden in the Air.¡¨ Kai interrupted.
¡§Hai.¡¨
//Hidden Air Village?// Ten-Ten thought. //I¡¦ve never heard of such a village.// Judging from the faces of Neji and Lee, they had never heard of it either. She made a mental note to ask Gai-sensei about it later, but suddenly, a huge stone curtain shifted up slowly from it¡¦s original position, right above the Hand Seal statue.
¡§Will everyone please direct their attention to the screen.¡¨ Gemma said. ¡§The first match of the Preliminaries will begin shortly.¡¨
==============================
While everyone¡¦s eyes were glued to the screen, Kurenai spun and glanced at Kakashi.
¡§Kurakai.¡¨ She said in a low tone, ¡§is she...¡¨
¡§Yes, she is the same.¡¨
¡§Wow.¡¨ She cast a quick look towards the young girl, who was sitting on the bars and staring at the screen intently. ¡§To think that a Jounin would participate in a Chuunin Selection Exam. Why?¡¨
¡§Hokage-sama does not know yet. But when she does, she will let us know. Besides,¡¨ he added, ¡§She came with Naruto, and I trust him. He would not forsake his home.¡¨
¡§I guess not,¡¨ Kurenai said, turning her attention back towards the screen.
But if she had kept her gaze on Kai just a second longer, she would have seen the girl¡¦s childlike face form a small smile as the names stopped flashing.
¡§The first match,¡¨ Gemma said, ¡§Will be between Rock Lee and Sogoiri.¡¨
==============================
A/N: This chapter¡¦s revision was easy. I actually had fun doing it. O.o
Q/C: icy_cloud359@kuririnmail.com
-Yume
Chapter 04 : Prelude
==============================
¡§I bet we¡¦re the first ones here,¡¨ Kiba bragged happily to Hinata and Shino as they entered the Left side. ¡§There¡¦s no way that anyone else¡¦s made it this fast.¡¨
¡§It¡¦s been a day already. I¡¦m sure there has to be some other team who¡¦s made it first.¡¨ Shino said from behind him to his right.
¡§Oh come one, you spoilsport.¡¨ Kiba said, turning around, walking backwards. ¡§There¡¦s at most, ONE team who made it before us.¡¨
¡§Ano... Kiba-kun.¡¨ Hinata objected softly. ¡§You¡¦d be wrong about that.¡¨
¡§Huh?¡¨ He turned around. The team from the Sand was already residing in a Bedroom, Naruto and the young boy with black hair were watching TV in the Living Room, and the girl, whatever her name was, was doing something in the Training Room.
¡§You were saying something about being first, Kiba?¡¨
==============================
After a full 5 days of wait, all the Genin teams who made it through the Second Exam where gathered in the Fighting Hall. Only 8 of the 20 teams made it to the 3rd exam Preliminaries. Shizune had fulfilled what Anko promised to do the year before.
The first team was, of course, Naruto¡¦s team, the team from the Hidden Air. The next team who made it was Gaara¡¦s team. Then, Kiba¡¦s team, then Neji¡¦s team, Sasuke¡¦s Team, a team from Hidden Mist, a team from Hidden Rain, and surprisingly, the team from Hidden Grass that Kai stole the scroll from.
¡§Since so many people made it to the 3rd Exam,¡¨ Tsunade said to the 8 groups, ¡§We will have a Preliminary Round, to eliminate half the people from the Exam. Your instructor this year is---¡¨
¡§Me.¡¨
A man with blonde hair and a forehead protector tied on backwards stepped up. ¡§I¡¦ll be your examiner this year.¡¨ He said through a straw tucked in his mouth. ¡§My name is Gemma.¡¨
¡§You¡¦re the guy from last year!¡¨ exclaimed an overexcited Ino.
He rolled his eyes ever so slightly. ¡§Yes, I judged the second part of the Third Exam last year. This year, I will instruct both preliminaries, and the main tournament. First of all, for anyone who does not want to fight either from exhaustion or personal reasons, now is the time to leave.¡¨ He waited, and when no one showed any indication of exiting, he continued. ¡§In that case, we will begin immediately. For everyone who was not here last year, the matches are completely random, and the only rule is to defeat your opponent by any means available. You may forfeit anytime before or during the fight. From here on out, it¡¦s an individual fight, so you may move on even if your team fails. Any questions?¡¨
When none came, he said, ¡§So will everyone proceed upstairs, and we will begin the 3rd Exam preliminaries shortly.¡¨
==============================
Naruto got a strange sense of deja vu as he looked around at all the teams. Gaara, Temari, Kankuro, and the foreign teams were on one side, while everyone else was on another side.
¡§This is like, the 16th thing that both my exams had in common.¡¨ Naruto said. He leaned on the bars. ¡§Do you think that there really is some kind of deity up there, and he¡¦s somehow influencing everything so it¡¦s happening exactly in the same sequence as it happened last year?¡¨
¡§Maybe.¡¨
¡§Hnn.¡¨
¡§NARUTO!¡¨
The said Naruto rotated his head and looked into the very EXPTREMELY angry eyes of an infuriated Haruno Sakura.
¡§Ohayo, Sakura-chan.¡¨
She opened her mouth, then closed it. She had been planning what to say to him during the entire trip through the Forest of Death, but now, face to face with him, she couldn¡¦t say it. Luckily, Sasuke came to her rescue.
¡§Where have you been the last year, you Dobe?¡¨ Sasuke asked in a controlled manner, but had just enough rage in his voice for Naruto to be able to tell that he was ridiculously angry. ¡§You leave without a word, then just come back suddenly with replacements?¡¨
¡§Hai.¡¨ He replied, completely ignoring the Dobe comment.
His nonchalant attitude seemed to only fuel the Uchiha boy¡¦s anger, and he would have sorely loved to deliver a punch to the blonde-haired person¡¦s jaw just about now, but he managed to control his anger. Barely.
¡§Ohayo, Naruto-kun.¡¨
¡§Huh?¡¨ He looked at the speakers. ¡§Oy, Lee, Neji, Hinata, Kiba.¡¨ The four of them had wandered over along with the rest of their team. Suddenly, Naruto smacked his head.
¡§Oh yea, everyone, this is---¡¨
¡§So you are back, Naruto.¡¨
¡§Kakashi-san, Asuma-san, Kurenai-san.¡¨
The Genins visible flinched slightly. //Kakashi-san?// Ino thought, heart sinking. //H e no longer acknowledges Kakashi-sensei as his teacher?//
¡§Everyone, this is Kurakai, or Kai.¡¨ He said, ¡§Call her Kurekai, and she will give you a beating you will never forget, and damage whatever ego you may have brutally.¡¨
¡§Naruto-niisan has personal experience.¡¨ Came a voice that startlingly resembled Naruto¡¦s.
¡§And THIS.¡¨ He went on, ¡§Is Akito, twin of Kai, and twenty times as annoying.¡¨
¡§FOURTY TIMES as annoying.¡¨ Akito growled.
¡§Eighty.¡¨
¡§ONE SIXTY.¡¨
And the two of them went on like that, arguing the younger one¡¦s annoyance level, ignoring the fact that they were arguing the exact same thing. While the two of them were arguing, the others took this opportunity to observe the two children.
At first glance, you would exclaim that they looked nothing like Naruto. He had blond hair and slightly tanned skin, while they had black hair and pale skin. Most of them thought that the pair looked more like Sasuke than Naruto, but when they got closer, they began noticing similarities here and there.
The big one, were their eyes. The two pairs of eyes and Naruto¡¦s on visible eye were the exact same shade of blue, not the fake kind of blue, or the type of blue that changes with age or emotion, but a clear electric blue. It was the kind of blue that would never fade, and could only be obtained through genetics.
¡§So, anyway,¡¨ Naruto continued, after he and Akito had settled his annoyance level on 2048, ¡§They¡¦re my teammates.¡¨
¡§Wait,¡¨ Neji said, ¡§What village are you from? I¡¦ve never seen these headbands before.¡¨
The headbands were on black cloth, and the symbols looked like two wings, one pointing up, and one pointing down, with a swirl in the middle.
¡§Our village?¡¨ he said, ¡§Well we¡¦re---¡¨
¡§We¡¦re from the Village Hidden in the Air.¡¨ Kai interrupted.
¡§Hai.¡¨
//Hidden Air Village?// Ten-Ten thought. //I¡¦ve never heard of such a village.// Judging from the faces of Neji and Lee, they had never heard of it either. She made a mental note to ask Gai-sensei about it later, but suddenly, a huge stone curtain shifted up slowly from it¡¦s original position, right above the Hand Seal statue.
¡§Will everyone please direct their attention to the screen.¡¨ Gemma said. ¡§The first match of the Preliminaries will begin shortly.¡¨
==============================
While everyone¡¦s eyes were glued to the screen, Kurenai spun and glanced at Kakashi.
¡§Kurakai.¡¨ She said in a low tone, ¡§is she...¡¨
¡§Yes, she is the same.¡¨
¡§Wow.¡¨ She cast a quick look towards the young girl, who was sitting on the bars and staring at the screen intently. ¡§To think that a Jounin would participate in a Chuunin Selection Exam. Why?¡¨
¡§Hokage-sama does not know yet. But when she does, she will let us know. Besides,¡¨ he added, ¡§She came with Naruto, and I trust him. He would not forsake his home.¡¨
¡§I guess not,¡¨ Kurenai said, turning her attention back towards the screen.
But if she had kept her gaze on Kai just a second longer, she would have seen the girl¡¦s childlike face form a small smile as the names stopped flashing.
¡§The first match,¡¨ Gemma said, ¡§Will be between Rock Lee and Sogoiri.¡¨
==============================
A/N: This chapter¡¦s revision was easy. I actually had fun doing it. O.o
Q/C: icy_cloud359@kuririnmail.com
-Yume