Scarlet Justice - ep. 34
"Full Throttle!"
[Chuunin Exams: Third Round Preliminaries 2]
We wait with bated breath for the first pairing to properly appear.
Gaara vs. Tenten
"Will the two fighters step forward...everyone else, please move to the upper levels. Thanks," Hayate says. Everyone does so, finally getting to meet up with their teachers again after a week. I give Kurenai a hug in greeting.
"Happy to see you kids. And I heard you smashed the second round record, too. Congrats."
"Thank you. We're all here and healthy, Kurenai. Let's finish this," I say with confidence.
"Yeah. I'm behind you all the way."
We find ourselves between Team Seven and the remaining members of Team Nine. Naruto waves to me.
"Yo, Lili! Great to see you! Good luck, yeah?"
"Same to you, Naruto."
"If both fighters are ready...begin the first preliminary match," Hayate says.
It ends quickly.
Tenten tries her hardest, but no matter how many weapons she fires, they're useless against Gaara's shield of sand. It's a quick automatic defense that guards him from what seems like every possible angle. So this is what the cloth boy in the forest was warning me about...and it explains why he's said to be untouchable. The poor girl ends up exhausted, and Gaara strikes with high speed, high pressure sand attacks. She can't handle the force after being slammed into a far wall, and slumps over as she's knocked out.
Gaara doesn't even wait for the count before withdrawing his sand and walking away.
"The match is over. Winner, Gaara of the Desert."
Lee jumps down to check on Tenten. She stirs on her own eventually, but is still taken away on a stretcher just to be safe. The medical staff, dressed in white, is quick to respond and surgically effective. They look out over the spectators to see if anything is wrong. A few have dedicated their focus to Sasuke, from what I can tell. Suspicious.
But I know for sure from that match...Gaara was holding himself back. Severely. Is he waiting for something?
Sasuke Uchiha vs. Ino Yamanaka
The second match pops up. Sasuke and Ino go down to the arena floor, and Ino moves her headband to her forehead this time. She's taking this seriously, even as she shakes a bit from nerves.
"Begin!"
It's rough to watch. As much as she tries, Sasuke is stronger and faster. He doesn't use his Sharingan for whatever reason, but even then he's more than enough to overwhelm Ino. He launches punches and kicks at her with force before a heavy strike sends her flying into a wall. She tries to get up but is having a lot of trouble doing so. Sasuke keeps away and waits for Hayate to check on her.
"I'm calling it. Winner, Sasuke Uchiha."
I jump down to check on Ino, along with her team. She's coming back to her senses, thankfully.
"Are you okay, Ino?" I ask.
"Now that I can remember where I am, yeah. My pride's shattered," she says with a weak laugh.
I nod. "I take it you're still infatuated with him."
"Heh. Less and less each day. This won't help," she says, wincing as she stands up. "And he obviously went easy on me. Ugh...I'm gonna have to step it up next time. What a way to go." She gives me a smile. "I'll be okay."
I smile back. She will be fine. And if need be, I will make sure of it.
"Lili...shine bright in your match. Got it?"
"Count on it," I reply. After clearing checks with the medical shinobi, Ino heads back up top with Choji and Asuma. The next match has already been decided.
Shikamaru Nara vs. Zaku Abumi
Match three. The arm that Zaku has in a sling might be a bluff...but we don't get to see the results of that. Shikamaru has apparently already downloaded every relevant thing about this guy, and makes short work of him. A quick smoke bomb feint before using his Shadow Imitation technique to manipulate Zaku into nearly blowing his own head off. In any case, he's knocked out and unable to continue.
Shikamaru cracks his neck. "Damn...I was hoping it would be a bit more difficult. Now I gotta show off in front of a bigger crowd later. What a pain in the ass."
I want to punch him. A lot. Right now.
"Winner, Shikamaru Nara."
"Yeah! You go, Shikamaru!" Ino yells from the balcony. Her spirits aren't dampened, which is good. He groans in response and slowly makes his way back towards his team. The names for the next match appear.
Rock Lee vs. Sakura Haruno
The look of disgust on Sakura's face is glorious. Ino is trying to suppress her laughter on the other end. Lee meanwhile is in hysterics, ready to curse the gods themselves for his fate. The two participants get to their positions, each in a state of depression for their own reasons.
"Uh...yeah. Begin."
"Sakura...forgive m-"
"AAAAAAAAA!"
She charges him quickly with tears in her eyes, drawing kunai and slashing as fast as she can. Oh...I really hadn't noticed it before. Her hair is shorter now compared to the start of the examinations. I wonder what happened there. Ino's hair is the same length as before, and they were in proximity of each other the very last time I checked before leaving the test area. Hm. Something for later.
As for the match, she's nothing next to Lee. He's crying the entire time, not wanting to lay a hand on his precious flower. He goes on the offensive and Sakura squeaks out of fear, doing a decent job avoiding his love-fuelled grapples before counter attacking. But none of her tricks or feints work on someone that fast, and Lee, with some...well, a lot of urging from the women in the gallery, resolves to end it.
"F-forgive me! Sakuraaaaaaaa!"
"Guh...!"
"Gentle...Leaf Whirlwind!"
He lands a spinning kick with reduced power, but it's still more than enough to launch Sakura into the air. She lands hard on her back and seems like she's out cold.
"Winner, Rock Lee."
"Wow. That was harsh," Shino says sarcastically.
I sigh, wondering if this is a tournament, or a traveling circus meant to entertain the adults. The Hokage seems like he's had enough of all of us already. Sakura comes to and as soon as she gets up, Ino makes sure to indicate that it's a walk of shame by bursting into laughter. Kakashi has to hold Sakura back, though it doesn't take much.
"You damn pig! I'll get you! I'll make bacon out of your fat ass!" Sakura screams.
"Come and try it! All I have to do is make like I'm gonna hug you and you'll piss yourself, you prissy bitch!"
"I'll kill you!"
"I'll break your arms first!"
Lively for two people who got knocked out in the first round. But who am I to stifle the passions of aspiring warriors?
"Sakura," I say to her as she arrives.
"Lilith."
"You did well to get this far, so be proud of yourself."
"Ah...yeah, thanks. I appreciate that."
"Of course. After all..." I give her the most smug smile I can muster. "There's always next year."
She's so flustered that she can't speak, instead turning away to hit her head on the wall. Perfect.
Bullying is amazing.
"Sakura, you just got knocked out...that doesn't seem healthy."
"Kakashi-sensei, go away. I only exist to feel pain..."
He shrugs and goes back to reading his dirty book. The ideal of responsibility.
Yoroi Akado vs. Temari
Match five. This Yoroi character isn't one that I've seen much of. He seems quite unique, though...hm. His name does match up neatly with Kabuto's, doesn't it.
"Ah...the technique in his hands. I think...that's meant to take away chakra," Hina says. There is indeed a glow in his hands. Interesting.
So this match was his worst possible outcome.
I now have a name for our cute blonde from the Sand - Temari. And she's every bit as dangerous with that giant fan as I imagined. She immediately pushes Yoroi back with bursts of wind, and then slices into him with precise attacks before deciding to end it.
"Here's one for the road, buddy!"
She sends whirling tornadoes from three sides, slamming into Yoroi and suspending him in a mass of cutting winds. With a jump, she rides her fan into the air and then comes down with it as the winds disperse, smacking Yoroi to the ground where he lies still.
"Is this the best the Leaf can churn out? Pathetic," she sneers. She slams her fan onto Yoroi's chest as he lies unconscious. Mm. Spicy, isn't she.
"Yoroi is unable to continue. Winner, Temari."
It's as I analyzed, yes. Strong, an expert ranged fighter...and very nice legs.
Match six is coming up on the screen. And...
Lilith Kobayashi vs. Choji Akimichi
Well...this is a unique set up, to be sure.
"Good luck, Boss."
"Be safe, Lili..."
"You've got this one."
I nod to my comrades. "I'll be back soon." I body flicker down to the arena floor. Choji crams down a bundle of beef jerky before taking his position. He seems focused, and I wasn't planning on taking him lightly in the first place.
Okay. Let's begin.
"Fighters ready," Hayate says.
"Ready as I'll ever be!" Choji yells.
"Ready," I reply tonelessly.
"Begin!"
"Go for it, fatass!" Ino yells from above. An insult? But why would she...?
"D-dammit...I'm not FAAAAAAT! I'M PLEASANTLY PLUMP!"
A hidden trigger. I remember Shikamaru stopping short of calling him fat during our first proper conversation...a reflex he learned. So that's it, then...well now that he's motivated, we can see what we're in for.
"Going in strong! Multi Size Jutsu!" He expands outwards to become a massive, round ball. "And now...let's go! Leaf Style Taijutsu: Human Bullet Tank!"
He starts to spin rapidly before shooting towards me. Not wasting any time, then...
Fine. Let's give him the care he deserves. I'll back off and figure out what I can do during the fight. First move is to dodge the incoming attack. Deceptively quick as he rolls around, but not enough to overwhelm me. There's a speed he likes to move at, zipping from side to side before charging. I set that speed in my mind, as I want to do some thinking while moving on autopilot.
So here we are. Multi Size Technique. He probably can expand any part of his body for added weight and damage. Dodging another attack, I observe his movement. Turning ability is low. He chooses to stop spinning and then reverse. This is...a finishing move, primarily. The team set up explains it, and there have been fifteen generations of this so...there's that much to be said for the effectiveness. Yamanaka or Nara can hold the enemy in place, and Akimichi can deliver the final blow in the meantime. Seems to work that way.
In a contest of pure strength, Choji has the upper hand. But compared to most, his speed is lacking and he can't immediately close on them. That makes landing attacks hard. The other person has to make the first mistake.
"Come on, Choji! Get that fat ass of yours into gear!" Ino is still delivering her encouragement, which I don't mind much. I continue to move around, observing. Choji starts to bounce himself off the nearby walls and towards me, trying to catch me off guard. However, he's slower in the air...I move out of the way easily as he cracks the tiles on the floor with his landing.
I don't have much of a means to take him out normally. Touching him would result in my hand likely being sanded down...at best. His fatness makes it hard to penetrate with my usual arsenal. And the chakra mode isn't of any use at this time, aside from possibly electrocuting him at the first opportunity. But I know that he can't keep up that rolling form forever.
"Oi, Choji! You can't keep dragging it out!" Shikamaru yells. He must have figured that much out from his position. Choji will have to do something drastic...a melee fight puts him at a severe disadvantage against me. Trying to clash with ninjutsu, not any better. His chakra is being chewed up by the Multi Size Jutsu, and I realize why he eats so much in the first place. At this moment, the ball is on his side of the floor.
"Uwooooooooh!" He spins in place rapidly before suddenly shooting forward at high speed.
I lock in my timing to dodge.
"Eat this! Giant Double Arrrrrrrrrrrm!"
"!" He breaks out of his roll and rockets towards me, both of his arms enlarged to truly massive sizes.
"Nowhere to run! You're through!"
"Good work, Choji!" Shikamaru yells.
"..." No. There's still a gap. It's small, but there. And compared to what I've been through so far...I don't feel any fear from this scenario. This is nothing to me. All I need to do is burst forward for a second...focus my chakra to the feet, and...
"Accelerate."
"?!"
I explode forward, leaving my feet. Head on, there's truly no room. But I twist myself sideways and brush through the gap between his giant fists with my small frame. Measure twice...cut once. His eyes widen before my chakra boosted elbow slams into his face, arresting his momentum completely. I bounce backwards from the impact and twist in the air before landing softly. Choji falls to the ground on his stomach, bouncing twice as his arms shrink down before coming to rest. Hayate starts the count and I wait patiently a fair distance away.
It was an impressive attack. He should be proud of himself for moving and executing it so smoothly.
"But...that's not good enough to beat me," I say. "Sorry about that, Choji."
"Ten. That's it. Choji Akimichi is unable to continue. Winner, Lilith Kobayashi."
"Is he okay?" I ask the medics as they arrive.
"Just a broken nose, looks like. He'll be fine," one says to me.
I let out a breath. "That's good."
"Ah, this is my fault." Ino looks over her dazed teammate. "I told you to go out and do your best, and I guess you did. Just wish you didn't draw big boy, here." She looks at me. "But that last attack...I mean, sheesh. What exactly were you thinking there?"
I shrug. "About winning, I guess. Not much else to consider."
"Heh. So simple...but so like you, too."
"I don't think it would have mattered what he did. After all, she was holding back the entire time. Insane last second moves aside," Shikamaru says.
"These are just the preliminaries. No need to show off all my tricks just yet," I reply.
He groans. "Damn. You're a major pain in the ass, Kobayashi. I really wanted you to lose, and not just because Choji's my friend..."
"I told you before. I'll kick your ass if you come at me halfway, slacker."
"Ugh..."
"Start praying that you don't draw her in the finals, eh? I'm gonna go with Choji. See you later, Lili!" Ino gives me a wave as she leaves with the medics, and I wave back.
"Impressive stuff. It's no wonder Dad talks about you so often...looking forward to see what you can do in the next round, Lili," Asuma says to me.
I nod towards him. "No problem. I'll do my best as the Hokage has instructed."
"Heh. Glad to hear it."
I ascend back onto the balcony, only to be immediately smothered by Hina as soon as my feet touch ground. Shino and Kurenai congratulate me.
"Good work, Boss."
"Those were some moves out there," Kurenai says.
"You were so graceful, as always," Hina says to me.
"Thanks, everyone."
The next match.
Kankuro vs. Shino Aburame
"They have no data on you, so you can go wild this once," I tell Shino.
"Understood, Boss."
Shino jumps over the railing to meet his opponent, a boy dressed in black with purple face paint. He looks like one of those puppet show actors, come to think of it. There's that weird item wrapped in bandage from before. Kankuro...so we have the names of all three Sand children, then.
"Hey...those Sand guys are strong. Does that weirdo Shino really have a shot against him?" Naruto asks.
I flip my hair back dramatically and address him. "It seems that you don't understand, Naruto."
"Huh?"
"That mysterious boy is Team Eight's master tactician. A person of many different styles, and with an ice-cold persona to match. The legacy of the Leaf's great bug-using clan. He is none other than the boy wonder himself, and my valuable right hand."
I gesture down below to him.
"His name...is Shino Aburame."
Shino gives me a thumbs up as I finish my speech. I return to my position and ignore the exasperated look Kurenai gives me.
"Hina, can you see what that object is?"
"Yes...it looks to be for...the puppet technique."
"Puppet...yes, the Sand is known for that sort of art."
"And begin!" Hayate calls out.
"Well. This should be light work for Shino," I say.
Shino makes a seal and starts his movements, baiting Kankuro into attacking an insect clone...or rather, the puppet that took on Kankuro's appearance. But the advantage comes to nothing, as the Kankuro hiding in the roll of cloth is drained as well, Shino covering all of his bases with ease. A bad first round matchup for the Sand child.
"Winner, Shino Aburame."
Shino returns, and we bump fists.
"As expected of my right hand," I say with a smile.
"I couldn't let you down, Boss."
Match eight brings us to...yet another unfortunate event for Team Nine.
"Oh dear," Kosugi says, sighing too dramatically for my tastes.
Kiba Inuzuka vs. Koichi Nagano
"This bites...first Erika leaves, now this." Kiba jumps down to his position and faces his teammate. "Dammit...you better win it all after this, Dark."
"I understand...I will carry your essence into battle, and us-"
"God, shut up! Ref, start the fight already!" Kiba yells.
Hayate coughs. "Yeah. Begin."
"Alright, Akamaru!"
"Eddie...let's make this quick. For his sake." Dark makes several seals before clapping his hands. "Earth Release! Light-Weight Rock Jutsu!"
To my utter shock, the bird lifts the apparently super-light Dark into the air...by his hair spikes. Dark draws two kunai, and Eddie takes them both into a high speed dive.
"Ah, crap! Akamaru, get ready!"
"Arf!"
"Here we are! Four Legs Technique!" Kiba drops down to the ground on all fours, emitting chakra and becoming more feral in appearance. Akamaru jumps onto his back. "Beast Human Clone!" Akamaru transforms into a copy of Kiba, and because of the earlier technique, they look incredibly similar. They separate and start to synchronize their breathing and movements as Dark approaches.
"Let's go! Fang Passing Fang!"
Dark easily dodges the rapid attacks, moving in the air with Eddie's help. The crossing attacks cause damage to the arena, throwing up dirt and dust into the air. I watch as Dark tosses a small sphere at Kiba, who reacts by swiping at it and breaking it open.
"Gah...!"
Kiba begins to cough harshly as Dark closes in from above, carried again by Eddie. They go into a rapid spin, becoming a dark vortex that looks like it will fill the room.
"Heightened senses mean heightened vulnerabilities. A blade with two edges, one that will cut you if you're not careful. Now...experience darkness, Kiba."
"Ugh...Akamaru! We gotta-"
"Witness...Forbidden Mystic Taijutsu: Black Tornado!"
The darkness engulfs Kiba and Akamaru, leaving them inside a whirling black tornado. It's made of chakra, that much I can tell...Kiba and Akamaru both let out cries of pain before the tornado disappears, leaving them unconscious on the ground. Dark lands and dramatically stands with his back towards them.
"Messastsu..."
"..." Oh dear god. He even makes winning look as lame as possible.
"Winner...Koichi Nagano."
Dark whispers to Hayate, who rolls his eyes before coughing.
"Also known as...Phantom the Dark."
I am cringing.
He carries Kiba and Akamaru back up to the balcony, leaving them with Kosugi. "My apologies, Goddess. But...I could not hold back my cursed strength enough."
"Ah...you shouldn't do that. Remember, the best sign of respect is to give it your all." Kosugi puts her hands on his cheeks. "Don't hold back, okay?"
"My Goddess...yes, I will remember your words."
"Good~!"
Something about that woman is off. Defintely strange...aside from the fact that she's being called goddess, but that can be chalked up to that chuuni idiot's imagination. A strong idiot, but an idiot all the same.
Match number nine. Home stretch.
Hinata Hyuuga vs. Dosu Kinuta
"Hina...good luck."
"Yes." Her demeanor has changed. She's focused. I watch her jump down to the arena floor and waste no time setting up, her Byakugan already activated. Neji is watching with interest, with his bloodline limit also on.
"Hmph. I was hoping that I wouldn't have to hurt one of you little girls, but...a fight's a fight," Dosu says.
"Hinata...I don't know if she's going to be alright against that Dosu guy," Sakura says.
"This is the worst possible matchup," I say.
"...yeah. It is."
"And begin!"
"For him, anyways," I finish casually.
"W-what?" Sakura stammers.
Dosu charges forward, and Hinata quickly moves to his side, clinching his right arm for a moment before releasing and setting up on the other side. Her back is turned...
"What's the matter? Too scared to attack, brat?!" Dosu mocks. He rushes at full speed, raising his arm with the strange device on it.
"That thing...! It emits sound waves!" Sakura says. "If Hinata gets hit-"
"There's nothing happening, though," I point out. "She disabled it, I think."
"What...what's happening. My jutsu...you should be on the ground by now!" Dosu yells.
"That object on your arm was emitting chakra before the match began. You were preparing it for something like this. So I did what came naturally," Hinata says as she turns around. "I stopped chakra from flowing through that arm. You wouldn't know it until the last moment. Do you understand? This is the strength of the Gentle Fist. Hyuuga style taijutsu...the strongest in the Leaf."
"You little...!"
"Oh. There's one more thing I feel the need to tell you, Mister Kinuta."
"Huh?"
Hinata takes a stance. "You're in range of my divination." She glances upwards at Neji for a moment. "My apologies...this will hurt a bit."
She gracefully moves towards him before he can react, with her lightning fast first step. And she strikes.
"Eight Trigrams...two palms!"
She strikes Dosu twice.
"Four palms!"
Two more.
"Eight palms! Sixteen palms!"
Four more. Eight more. Each stage done with increasing speed. Dosu is barely on his feet, nothing but a rag doll for Hina to hit endlessly.
"Thirty two palms!"
I can see Neji looking down on her. As if she's still not good enough.
"That's her limit," he says.
"How do I become strong, Lili?"
A warm summer day. Extra practice with shuriken. Hina decided to join me, watching my progress as I hit targets.
"How do I...become someone to be proud of?"
I throw one more shuriken before turning to face her. "Well, you don't have to worry about the last part. I'm already proud of you, Hina."
"I..."
"But the first part...you have to strengthen your heart. Move forward, and your body will follow with a bit of hard work." I set down my weapons and bring her to her feet. "Let's begin, Hina."
"H-huh?"
"Go ahead. Show it to me. Your progress."
"I don't..."
I take her hands in mine. "You can see it. Seize it, Hinata. Grab hold of what's in front of you."
"Is...it okay? To be like that? To do that?"
"Yes," I say to her. "It is. Say it out loud, even if it's just to me. Even if it's our secret."
"..." She pulls my hands towards her.
"Tell me what you want, my love."
And that yearning becomes material, coming from her lips. "Power. I want to be...powerful. I want to rise above myself, and make you proud. I want...I want..."
"...to be strong," I finish. And in this time and place, the girl I call Hina, my beautiful flower...
"Eight Trigrams Sixty Four Palms!"
In this moment. Hina explodes forward with the speed we forged together, and delivers thirty two rapid strikes in a brilliant blur of colour. The final blow rips through the air, and Dosu is sent rocketing along the floor until he bumps against the far wall, unconscious.
Hina slides to her knees, gasping for air. Exhausted...and a magnificent victor.
"Hinata Hyuuga...you are already the strongest there is," I say with a proud smile.
"It's over. Winner, Hinata Hyuuga," Hayate announces.
Hina raises her head and stares defiantly at Neji.
"I am strong. And I will not run away, from anyone or anything. Never again."
"..."
She rises to her feet, and jumps to the upper level on her own.
"You were incredible, Hinata," Kurenai says. "You pulled that one off. Something nobody ever thought you could do. Well done."
"Well done, Hinata," Shino says. "You were dominant."
Hina and I look at each other before sharing a hug.
"I love you so much," I say to her. "You were beautiful."
"Thank you for loving me, Lili. You brought me this far...I won't stop for anyone."
The tenth match.
Neji Hyuuga vs. Misumi Tsurugi
Neji looks like he has a point to prove.
"Begin!"
He takes the same stance that Hinata did earlier, and Misumi is unable to escape in time. He falls victim to Neji's first step and is crushed under the weight of Neji's successive strikes.
"Eight Trigams, two palms! Four palms! Eight palms! Sixteen palms! Thirty two palms!"
He drives Misumi back towards a wall and ends it.
"Eight Trigrams Sixty Four Palms!" The last blow slams Misumi back first into the wall, cracking it apart as he slumps over.
"Winner, Neji Hyuuga."
He stares up at Hinata, who doesn't flinch. She looks back at him with determination.
"Your small strides mean nothing. People...cannot escape their fates. You will never be strong, Lady Hinata. That is something you have to accept."
"..."
He quietly returns to his team before the final match begins.
Naruto Uzumaki vs. Kin Tsuchi
"Aw yeah! Saving the best for last!"
Yeah, right. He's been itching for a fight all day.
"Hey, idiot. Don't lose," I say. Naruto blows a raspberry at me before dropping to the floor.
"Well, little boy...you'd be better off quitting now and saving us both the trouble. You barely made it out of the forest, you know?" Kin taunts.
Naruto grins maliciously and brings his hands close together.
"Begin!"
"Shadow Clone!"
At least fifty clones surround Kin, who is now pale with fear.
"Couple of my friends here disagree. Maybe you want a second opinion...or a tenth...or a thirty third..."
"I was just jo-"
"GET HER!"
Well, I can say one thing...he's got no problems hitting women.
"Winner, Naruto Uzumaki."
"That's how ya get it done!" he yells with a beaten Kin in the background. "See that? Too easy!"
That Kin woman really was a joke, though. What a useless character.
With that last match, or whatever you called it, the preliminaries are completed. For most of us, it ended up being simple. I wonder how that will affect the upcoming fights.
The Hokage starts to explain what will happen in the upcoming finals.
Hm. One month between rounds.
"This is the time needed to arrange the event properly, for you to rest, and for you to go over the data you've collected. Since you've already seen what your rivals can do, the battles from here one out will be more intense."
Makes sense. And I've already gathered some information on the winners so far. In terms of combat power, my most trouble will likely come from Gaara, Neji, and Lee...there are others obviously, but those are the top three right now. But with a month to prepare, the one who can do the most damage overall is Shikamaru...
Anko comes around with a small box as we've gathered together. It has pieces of paper inside for a draw. She winks at me as I draw my piece, and I wink back in return.
"Now, each of you will tell us the number on the paper you've drawn," the Hokage says. I hadn't noticed before, but Sasuke is absent. Obviously something shifty going on there...but it's not my place to worry about it right now. Not that I even want to.
Ibiki writes on his clipboard, and nods to the Hokage when he's done.
"Good! Now, here's the selection for the final tournament!"
Oh, so it was for that after all. Interesting way to go about it...Ibiki is showing us the arrangements, and they are:
(8) Temari
vs. [Match 1]
(9) Shino Aburame
(7) Shikamaru Nara
vs. [Match 2]
(10) Koichi Nagano
(6) Naruto Uzumaki
vs. [Match 3]
(11) Neji Hyuuga
(4) Gaara of the Desert
vs. [Match 4 -Quarter]
(5) Lilith Kobayashi
(1) Hinata Hyuuga (Bye)
vs. [Match 5 - Quarter]
(Winner of 8 vs. 9)
(2) Rock Lee (Bye)
vs. [Match 6 - Quarter]
(Winner of 7 vs. 10)
(3) Sasuke Uchiha (Bye)
vs. [Match 7 - Quarter]
(Winner of 6 vs. 11)
(Winner of Match 4)
vs. [Match 8 - Semi]
(Winner of Match 5)
(Winner of Match 6)
vs. [Match 9 - Semi]
(Winner of Match 7)
Grand Finals:
(Winner of Match 8)
vs. [Match 10 - Final]
(Winner of Match 9)
Of all the luck in the world...I drew the psychopath that everyone was giving me warnings about. Seems like I'm not meant to have an easy life at all, then. That suits me fine enough. Another chance to draw blood.
"..." I twirl my hair around my finger in thought. Mm...actually. There was that remark, that he had never been scratched in battle before. It's just a bit lewd, isn't it...I'll be taking his first time. I'm shivering a bit, thinking about how scandalous it sounds...
Shikamaru does something other than complain for once, bringing up an important question. How do these evaluations work for promotion?
"There will be judges, including myself and the lords and ladies of other nations, to evaluate you," the Hokage responds. "If you are judged to have the necessary qualities of a chuunin, you will be promoted regardless of how many matches you win. Likewise, you can win the tournament and still not earn a promotion."
So advancing just means more chances to impress the judges. But if you do it right the first time, you don't even have to win a match. Meaning everyone can potentially become a chuunin...and potentially nobody can become a chuunin. Interesting approach.
"You are all dismissed until a month from now. Thank you for your effort thus far, and good luck!" The Hokage waves us off, and we disperse with our groups. The long week is finally over, and Team Eight has survived the tough road that is the Chuunin Exams. All three of us are in the final round. We might even have to fight each other, and with the way the bracket is set up, it can easily happen quickly.
But...we can worry about that later. I yawn and stretch my arms as we prepare to leave the tower and the miserable forest altogether.
What a week...I want some milk as soon as possible.