Chapter 36
Walking into a large room with a hand sign built from what I believe is stone and painted to look just like hands I tilt my head. All who passed were suppose to enter into this room. Filing in behind Naruto I release a sigh. I had to admit one thing about the annoying meeting with Iruka, it took long enough I was able to drink from my flask and had gotten back some of my strength.
First glancing around us I take note that all of the rookies made it, which was surprising. Then Lee's team made it as well, I knew Kabuto's did since we helped him get here but then, Gaara's team was here as well along with Dosu and his friends. Tilting my head slightly I wonder how they got here, they had given us a scroll before they left which means they had to of accumulated two more scrolls again. Were they really that strong? It didn't seem like it to me. To top it off, I had broken Dosu's favorite weapon… Or at least I thought I had.
Moving my gaze up to the one-step platform I run my eyes over everyone there, I could see Gramp, Anko, Kurenai, Asuma, Might guy, Kakashi, Ibiki, and Iruka that I could name. There were others of course I could not. As my eyes fall upon the sound ninja up there mixed within the group I couldn't help but stare at him. He didn't look familiar at all but the look in his eyes did. Where have I seen that look before? I cross my arms trying not to glare at the guy.
"Kira." Sasuke's voice came from behind me in a whisper.
"Yeah?" I answer speaking in the same pitch so no one else would listen in.
"What's wrong?"
"I don't know, but it seems like I know that sound guy somehow. I can't describe it."
"I know what you mean." With his words, I turn to look at him even as the proctor of the second exam begins to talk.
"First of all, congratulations on finishing the second exam!" I heard Anko's voice come up.
"Hey look, all the leaf village rookies are here too." Sakura points out surprised.
"Whoa, everybody's here. Old man Hokage, Iruka Sensei, and even bushy brow. It looks like absolutely nobody got left out this time." Naruto points out excitedly. Late as usual with his observations.
"I don't have a very good feeling about this." Sasuke says holding his neck and glaring up towards the Jonin. Causing me to turn and look back towards the sound Jonin as well. Why is Sasuke's mark acting up at the sight of the Jonin and mine isn't?
"Alright! Now, pay attention Lord Hokage is going to explain the third exam to you! You better listen carefully maggots!" She stares at all of the examinees for a moment before turning towards Gramp. "Lord Hokage, they're all yours." Watching him step forward he then raises his hand to his mouth as he clears his throat.
"First before I tell you what the third examination entails. I want to explain something about the test itself. Listen closely now it's something all of you need to understand. I am going to tell you the true purpose of these exams. Why do you suppose our country holds these exams in conjunction with our allies?" He pauses and reaches his hand up to his hat briefly. "To raise the ability levels of the Shinobi and increase friendship between allied nations to be sure. But, it is important that you understand its true meaning, the exams are... So to speak... They are a representation of the battle between allied nations."
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Tenten speaks up as I see her glance around Rock Lee to Gramp.
"Now, if we look at our history all the countries that we are currently allied with were once neighboring nations that continuously fought for power. In order to avoid destroying each other's military strength, meaninglessly those nations picked champions to do battle on behalf of their countries at a mutually selected location. That is how the chunin selection exams originally began."
"Well that's great but why do we have to go through these exams then? I mean it's not like we are doing this to pick chunin to go fight." Naruto asks the very question I am sure is on nearly every examinee's mind. Although I myself find his question rather redundant. Ninja are a military force. Our sole purpose isn't just to complete mundane jobs such as the D rank missions we usually get. To be a chunin you are qualified not only to lead a team on missions but also complete ones far more dangerous. Missions like the one we had when we went to the land of waves. Even if the countries are not at war right at this second ninja are trained to fight and overcome obstacles to fight against other ninja whose own mission is opposing the others. Zabuza though, he was a rogue ninja himself his mission was to kill Tazuna as ours was to protect him. That was the only reason we were fighting against each other at the time. So yes, they are choosing ninja who are capable of not only fighting but those who are capable of completing equally as dangerous missions.
"Well actually, there is no question that part of the point of these exams is to select Shinobi worthy of becoming chunin. That's just not the whole story. These exams also allow a place where Shinobi can carry the pride of their nation on their backs and fight against other ninja for their very lives."
"The pride of their nation?" I'm pretty sure Sakura asked this subconsciously before she could realize what she was doing.
"Many leaders and people of prominence from various countries are invited to attend this exam as guests. Also possibly to seek Shinobi to work for them. This exam could determine the course of your ninja work from here on out. And more importantly, those rulers will watch your battles and take note of the strengths that each ninja and each nation is developing. If there is a gap in power between the countries. The strong nations are inundated with job requests for their ninja and conversely the requests to countries that are deemed weak decline. Therefore the stronger our nation is the better our position when negotiating with neighboring countries. So it's important to show how much military strength our village has." A gap in power? There is already a gap, the only villages that reached the end of the second exam were the sand, sound, and leaf.
"Okay but even so why is it necessary for us to risk our lives?!" Kiba growls up at Gramp.
"The country's strength is the village's strength. The village's strength is the Shinobi strength. And the true strength of the Shinobi is only achieved when it is pushed to its limits such as in a life and death battle. This exam is a chance for each nation to display the strength of its Shinobi and hence the strength of the nation itself. It is because this is an exam where your life is on the line that it has meaning, and it is for this very reason and for the strength of the nation that your forerunners fought in this exam, it's truly a dream worth striving for."
"But then why did you use the expression friendship before?"
"But you only remember half of what I said. You also must not have the wrong idea of the exam's meaning. This is a custom in which balance is preserved by fighting and dying, in the world of the Shinobi, that is friendship. The third exam is a fight for life with the pride of your village and own dreams at stake." I see. So it's like in the death note world. Even before my coma from Light having destroyed my death note Lucien had become our friend. He was also our enemy but the three of us could not deny how close our personalities were to one another. We could truly understand the other where everyone else couldn't seem to even grasp the beginning concept of how our brains worked.
"Hmm well, you sure convinced me!" Naruto says as he crosses his arms causing me to tilt my head. He really is excited to fight, isn't he?
"Any test is fine just tell me what the details of the exam are already, I could handle anything you throw at me." Gaara says causing me to look in his direction. Well, I think that is the most I've heard him talk in one comment.
"Very well then! Now listen closely I'll tell you exactly what you'll be doing on the third exam!" Gramp brings his hand to his mouth again and coughs. Just then another Shinobi appears in front of him on his knees with his head bowed to Gramp.
"Lord Hokage, before you do. Please allow me Hayate Gekko pointed as proctor of the third exam to speak first."
"So be it."
He then stands with his back to us. "It's nice to meet you all." He says before coughing and turning to face us. "There is something I would like all of you to do before the third exam." He coughs in the middle of his sentence and after. Is this guy really healthy? "Uh, we have to have a preliminary exam before we move on to... The real one."
A preliminary huh. There are possible reasons for such an exam to be necessary. Such as possibly there are too many of us left for the third exam, or they want to make sure the best are in the final exam. Gramp already said that the final exam is a fight for life with the pride of our village at stake. He also said that if the ninja do poorly then it would reflect badly on the village and could cause the village to be less prosperous. Since that is the case then making sure the best are in the final exam would be a necessity. You don't want some chump who let his teammates carry his weight just to get here in the final exam.
"Uh, well you see the first and second exams might have been too easy. The fact is we never expected so many of you to still be here. According to the rules of the chunin exams a preliminary round can be held at any stage. In order to reduce the number of candidates remaining."
"But is that fair?" Sakura questions with a pleading tone.
"It's just at this stage we have to speed things up a bit. As Lord Hokage said, a lot of important guests will be watching; we can't afford to waste their time. They've come to see only the best. So if there are any of you who feel you are not in top physical condition. Now's your chance to." His words are cut off by him coughing. "Sorry about that. As I was saying any of you who don't feel up to this, now is the time for you to bow out... The preliminaries will be starting immediately."
"C'mon you mean right now?!" Aphro's object of affection shouts annoyingly.
"We've just finished barely surviving the last exam, don't we get a break?" the voice of Ino... Questions exhaustedly.
"Man, what a drag."
"Hey... When do we eat?" The roly-poly Choji wines drawing out the word hey pitifully.
"Oh yeah uh, the winners will be determined by one on one combat sudden death. So like I said if there is anyone who doesn't feel up to it. Now's the time to raise your hand."
Does he really think anyone's going to quit? Just then a pain shoots through me from my hip causing me to wince and nearly attempt to grab at it. "Sasuke.." Sakura says pulling my mind enough from my own pain in order to look back at Sasuke who was grabbing at his neck. The waves of pain I thought I had ended from drinking my canteen were now so much worse. My knees nearly buckle beneath me as I try to work through the pain. "Kira…" She says my name next looking at the both of us. Am I really in good enough physical form to fight?
"Sasuke, Kira. Listen to me you've got to quit. You both have been like this ever since you've tangled with Orochimaru, and it's getting worse." I watch as Sasuke looks at me as if he himself was debating if he could fight right now. "It's those marks he put on you, isn't it? You guys can't deny it…"
Sakura pauses causing all of us to look at her as she folds her hands over her chest and begins to shake. "Please, quit now before." She moves a hand to her right eye to wipe away the tears that are beginning to form. "I don't know, I'm scared." Finally moving my hand towards my hip I rest my fingertips over my scarf I wrapped around my waist, in order to touch the fabric covering my own mark. The next wave of pain causes my nails to dig into the cotton attempting to create a new pain to take away from the other. By this time Sasuke and I were looking at each other again.
"Kira." He says quietly through the pain. Causing me to tilt my head in question. "Do you think I should quit?"
"Honestly Sasuke, I am not even sure I can compete in the preliminaries. If I do, it will put a huge strain on my body and could end with even me in some really bad shape. But, at the same time, I don't want to fail." Looking away from him by averting my eyes. "You are in the same predicament right now, I can see it in your eyes. It hurts so bad your legs just want to give out. But, if you stay in the exam it is all up to you. I will follow your lead." He just seems to look at me while I speak as if trying to decide if I really meant that I would allow him to push his body too far, or if I wanted him to really weigh in the options and possible outcome.
"C'mon, you both know as well as I do, Kira you said it yourself. You are in no condition to keep on fighting." Sakura pleads.
"Shut up Sakura." Sasuke warns her quietly.
"You think I'm blind or something?!"
"Will you please be quiet." Sasuke tells her as I clench my free hand into a fist, knowing she is causing enough of a scene that people either are or will be looking this way. I don't even have to look around to know this.
"You think I don't see the suffering you're going through?!"
"That's.. enough Sakura." Sasuke narrows his eyes on her.
"I'm sorry I can't let you do it to yourselves. I'm going to tell them about those marks. Then maybe you'll…"
"Sakura, do you really think they don't know about them already?" I growl at her causing her to look at me. "I'm sure they already know, as they are debating themselves whether or not to pull us from the exam. Your words are unnecessary… They're just annoying."
"Okay, you got me, I'm out." Turning I see Kabuto raising his hand. What the...
"But.. Kabuto" Naruto speaks up looking at him. As the proctor flips through a page or two on his clipboard.
"Oh hmm.." He says as he looks down at the paper. "Kabuto Yakushi of the leaf village right? Okay, you can go on and step back."
"Now then, we will begin the preliminary round. This round will consist of one on one, individual combat. At full battle intensity. This is not an exercise. There are twenty- two of you remaining." I nod recalling Kabuto dropping out. Leaving his three other members on his team. The one with sunglasses and his face covered, another with regular glasses and his face covered then there was a girl that stood slightly shorter than them with her features covered like theirs and sunglasses. "So that means we will need 11 matches. The surviving candidates of these eleven matches will advance to the third exam. As for the rules, there are none. You will fight until one dies or concedes defeat. Or is rendered physically unable to continue the contest. Naturally, those who are losing are urged to concede defeat promptly to avoid a fatal outcome. Furthermore, as proctor, I am given a certain amount of leeway judging the matches… I might occasionally intervene if the match seems hopeless to save as many lives as possible. Now it is time to reveal what fates have been chosen for you."
Hayate says as he looks towards a large screen that comes out of the wall. "The names of each pair of opponents are chosen completely at random. Before each match, the names will appear on the display behind me. As there is nothing more to say, let's begin. In a moment the names of the first two opponents will appear." It was then the screen began to roll through the names. I couldn't help but feel excited at this time even with my hip killing me, as I see it first stop on my name the other side still rolling. The seconds seemed to tick away as if they were minutes as I watched the screen until it fell on the name Amaya chi. Interesting. The name would mean night rain blood. As if the rain itself will poor blood upon the very floor during this battle. With that thought, I felt myself smile wondering who it will be.
