A week and a half later the finals began. The population in Suna blossomed into an even greater number over the days, with civilians, businessmen, and dignitaries coming from all around to watch the public stadium fights.
Suna, Konoha, and Iwa each had a team that would be competing. This made the event even more exciting.
The Hokage and the Tsuchikage had both arrived early. They would be in attendance at the third trial and were using this time beforehand to make treaties with each other and the Kazekage. After the exam, they would also make deals with international traders and businessmen.
As Kioshi walked through the crowded village with Team 2, he saw video footage of the Labyrinth exams being played at entertainment stalls. Each screen showed clips of different applicants and different points in time. This was an advertisement for people to buy cassette tapes and to get tickets to watch the full footage at a different location.
Kioshi was impressed by Suna's editing abilities. The clips transitioned between different angles with close-ups and far-away shots. There was also added music in places.
Team 2 watched all the Labyrinth footage already. Akio had bought a tape for entertainment while they waited for the next trial. They also watched it so that they could study their opponent's abilities. Gamblers and clients bought tapes for these reasons as well.
People recognized them as they passed. Some parted out of the way, while others tried to come up and asked questions. Their Anbu escorts made everyone keep their distance, making Kioshi feel like a celebrity. And in a way, he was. This was a fight for the championship. People respected them for getting this far.
Walking into the stadium, the Anbu escorts lead the team to reserved seats at the front of the Konoha fan section. Only Kage's and first-class got covered seating, so lots of people in the stands were holding plain or colorful umbrellas against the sun. Thankfully, the day wasn't too hot, as Kioshi hadn't thought to bring such an accessory.
Sitting down on their sandstone bench, Team 2 had a good view of the flat dry stadium field. The style of the area was like a coliseum, except the stone benches went all the way down to the arena level. Applicant benches were front and center, like player benches in a football game.
The final trial was open to the public, so Akio was allowed to attend. He sat down next to them to coach and advise if needed.
Kioshi watched as the other teams arrived. The Suna finalist team, surprisingly, was the team that Team 2 had tortured and outwitted. Despite being initially defeated, the prisoner and his other teammates had pulled through. They all seemed to be okay. The previously tortured prisoner looked at Itachi with a mixture of anger, fear, and embarrassment, but otherwise, his steps were strong. Interestingly enough, his teammates were smirking in contrast, looking at Itachi in approval. It seemed like Emi wasn't the only one who found the boy annoying.
The Iwa team then walked in. As expected it was the torture-loving blond-haired boy, the cocky smirking pink-haired girl, and the shy outcast. Kioshi was happy to see the second trial prisoner of this team was okay as well. The boy's head stayed down, but there were no visible limps or injuries.
Kioshi felt someone's eyes on him, and he looked over at the Iwa team's sensei, who was following a bit behind. The adult ninja was looking straight at him, as if waiting for Kioshi to catch his gaze. This was the first time seeing either of the competing finalist's instructors, so Kioshi was unprepared for what he saw.
The features were recognized. Shock and horror flared. It wasn't possible... Out of all the people to attend… and to be the Iwa team's sensei no less!
It was the spiky red-haired ninja. The man's face was heavily scarred on one side, but there was no doubt. This was the last and remaining man who had destroyed his young life. What was he doing here!
The man smiled in satisfaction as he took a seat next to his Iwa team, as if Kioshi's shocked reaction had just confirmed something. Kioshi cursed. The man recognized him! He knew about his Dojutsu! Would he tell the Tsuchikage? Had he already told him? Kioshi looked up at the Kage box. None of the village leaders had entered the stadium yet, so there was no way to tell.
This was bad…He'd hoped that the man was dead…that his mother had somehow killed him. But that seemed too good to be true.
"Do you know that man?" Akio asked softly, confused and a bit troubled. The Iwa sensei's angry glare on Kioshi was not subtle. Neither was Kioshi's stiff poster.
Kioshi swallowed. The spiky red-haired ninja was watching him closely, probably waiting to see what he would do. Should he tell Akio with the audience?
The boy figured it wouldn't hurt. His cover was already blown. The hair dye, sunglasses, and three added years of age had been useless in hiding him. His uncontrolled reaction was just icing.
"It's the red-haired ninja," Kioshi whispered, his voice soft and a bit shaky, turning away from the gaze and facing forward, hoping desperately that this was a bad dream. Akio had been there when the ninja had been discussed with the Hokage, so that should be enough information to know who he was talking about.
Akio's poster became more guarded, and the man didn't ask a clarifying question, so Kioshi knew the situation was understood. "We can't do anything about this now," Akio said grimly. "The trial is about to start. We will speak of this afterward."
Kioshi nodded.
"Ignore him," Akio stated firmly. "He can't do anything to you here. Just focus on your fight."
Kioshi nodded again. This was probably one of the worst things to happen right now.
"Why would that Iwa ninja specifically want to hurt Kioshi?" Emi asked. "What's going on?"
Itachi also looked concerned, studying the glaring Iwa ninja for a time, before turning back.
Kioshi felt guilty that his teammates knew so little of him. They were his best friends, and he wouldn't mind them knowing, but it was hard to think about. The worry and uncertainty of his mother's status, combined with the death of his father caused him to become crazy and depressed at times.
He was the one who had caused his parents to suffer. It wasn't intentional, but the fact remained that if it wasn't for him, his parents would still be alive and well. It was easier to push the thoughts aside and focus on the present and future.
"I said, we will speak on this later," Akio reiterated. "There are too many eyes and ears."
The Inuzuka acquiesced with a frown.
The stands then fell quiet as the Kages entered, this being a sign of respect and anticipation for the fights to start. The Tsuchikage caught Kioshi's gaze. The grumpy red-nosed man looked suspicious and calculating, making the boy slump in resignation. So the spiky red-haired ninja had already informed the leader of Kioshi's possible identity. Was it after watching the Labyrinth tapes? It was either that or he'd been seen elsewhere.
"Welcome to the final trail of the chunin exams!" A male Suna ninja announced once the Kages were seated. The crowd cheered, and the man waited patiently for the noise to die down. "Thank you all for coming! This trial is something I hope you will all remember. Here you will be able to watch the best genins in all the elemental nations compete! This is the day they will prove themselves as ninjas, and the Kages will see if they have what it takes to be chunin!
The crowd cheered again.
"This trail will be three days long," the announcer continued. "Today will be preliminary battles. Winners of these battles shall move on and battle each other tomorrow in a semi-final event. The winners of the semi-finals shall then compete on the third day for the championship!
"Please be aware that separate tickets are required for each day. If you wish to see the other fights, you will need to buy tickets outside the entrances as you leave."
"Each applicant will face an opponent by random selection. Since there is an uneven amount of applicants, a random winner of one of the first four matches will be drawn to fight the last match.
"Lethal attacks are permitted, but they must cease if an opponent or their sensei signs surrender. Attacks should also be focused away from the stands and crowds. We have strong dampening seals and shield barriers in place, but some attacks cannot be blocked. Applicants, please keep this in mind. Hurting spectators will result in high fines."
The announcement was more to reassure the crowd. Teams had already received a form explaining what was to be expected and what kind of attacks the stadium barriers could withstand.
"Lord Kazekage shall we proceed?"
The middle-aged man in green and white robes nodded. "Excellent!" the announcer exclaimed. "Please bring out the bowl of names."
A woman came up and held out a wooden bowl to the man. The announcer picked out two folded strips of paper, and opened them, reading them out loud. "The first match shall be Itachi Uchiha vs Karen Tanaka!"
The crowd roared and cheered.
Itachi walked calmly out onto the field. The girl from Suna did the same. Whistles and yells drowned out the stadium until a hammer was raised which silenced them in anticipation. "Begin!" the man announcer said, hitting a large brass gong.
The girl rushed at Itachi, sending out a blasting wind technique. Itachi responded by blowing out a large fire attack. Wind was weak against fire, so the blowing oxygen got overpowered while simultaneously making Itachi's attack larger and more powerful. The Suna girl dodged the monstrosity. She then came at Itachi from a different angle, throwing projectiles. Itachi dodged the sharp blades effortlessly.
As the fight continued, the girl started to act strange. Instead of aiming at Itachi, she started to throw techniques in random directions. At first, Kioshi suspected this was some sort of trap, but the girl's actions were too sporadic for it to be logical.
Itachi stopped moving altogether, standing still as the girl fought an invisible enemy. Some of the audience members started to mumble and others laughed at this. Itachi's incredible genjutsu was on full display.
In response to the crowd's laughter, the girl's eye's widened and finally understood what was going on. She quickly dispelled the illusion.
The fight continued, and the girl on extreme guard now. But even though she was looking for it, it seemed like she was still having a hard time determining reality because she resorted to simply expelling chakra every few seconds. Doing it constantly would quickly drain her, so there were times that she paused. It was in one of these pauses that Itachi struck, casting a genjutsu that made her think he was coming in from the left when he was really coming in from the right. He knocked her out with a quick blow to the back of the neck.
Itachi turned to the girl's sensei, and the woman nodded, gesturing the sign of surrender.
"Itachi Uchiha has won the first match!" the announcer exclaimed happily, seemingly unbiased to the fact that one from his own country had just been defeated. Most of the crowd didn't seem to care either, simply happy for the good show. Claps and whistles continued all the way until Itachi retook his seat.
Medical ninjas got the Suna girl to come to her senses, and she got up and walked off the field sulkily. Her teammate, who Itachi had tortured in the second trial, was now openly smirking, saying something that made the girl glare. The large Suna boy then looked at Itachi with some respect and returned pride.
"The next match will be Grin Matsuda vs Emi Inuzuka!" the announcer exclaimed, pulling out and reading two more pieces of paper. The audience cheered as the next two applicants stepped forward.
Kioshi's heart clenched with worry. Grin Matsuda was the torture-loving boy from Iwa. Knowing the personality, it was likely that the boy would try to inflict debilitating or fatal blows. Emi would need to be careful.
Koru had been left behind on the bench. The puppy didn't like the situation either, growling and whining softly.
The gong rang and Emi and the Iwa boy rushed at each other. As the fight progressed, Emi quickly proved her skills as a ninja, blocking powerful ninjutsu with her golden shield, while also pummeling the boy with taijutsu. The outclassed Iwa boy got a deep claw slash across his face, causing him to cry out and lose focus, allowing Emi to kick him hard in the stomach, sending him crashing hard into the stadium barrier.
The crowd cheered at the spectacle.
The Iwa boy, to his credit, quickly recovered and didn't give up, slamming his hand down, causing rock spikes to sprout up out of the ground. Emi dodged the technique skillfully and sent three knives with exploding tags towards the boy in response. The Iwa boy got caught in one of the blasts, and before he could recover, Emi flashed over to and knocked the boy out with a precise blow.
The Iwa sensei gave the sign of surrender and Emi returned to her seat. "Good job," Akio said.
Emi nodded, smiling slightly.
The next fight was between the shy Iwa boy and the large boy from Suna. Both had been prisoners in the previous exam. The match was surprisingly equal, the scranny younger boy holding his own against the older, larger opponent. Eventually, though, the boy from Suna got the upper hand, and the Iwa boy was defeated.
The announcer then pulled out the next two names. "Kioshi Hirano vs Roku Kikuchi."
The crowd cheered and Kioshi took a few deep breaths to calm himself. As he walked out to the center of the field he could feel the eyes of both the Iwa sensei and the Tsuchikage on him. The scrutiny was horrible. All the other gazes combined could not even begin to inflict such panic.
What was he supposed to do! This was the place the Hokage had ordered him to show his bloodline ability. The Tsuchikage and spiky red-haired ninja, however, would easily conclude that it was his Dojutsu. If he demonstrated it, then they would know its abilities and that he knew how to activate it.
This was a terrible idea. No amount of money was worth this! He shouldn't have come to this Chunin Exam in the first place.
It was too late now though. Iwa would target him whether they knew his Dojutsu abilities or not. At this point, maybe more popularity was better. Popularity would make it more difficult for people to attack without making fans, nations, and international traders angry. Kioshi nodded, focusing on the lean tattooed Suna boy across the field as the hammer to the gong was raised. He'd give everyone a show they wouldn't forget.
Once the gong sounded, the Suna ninja rushed forward, throwing six knives attached to ninja wire towards Kioshi. Kioshi unsheathed his sword and flared sharpening chakra around the blade, slicing through the strings as he dodged. Simultaneously while doing this, he pushed a long red wisp out of one of his eyes, sending it high into the air.
Once the invisible red energy was in position, he twirled it into a large red portal. A rock slab the size and thickness of a king-sized mattress fell out, falling 30 feet down, right above the unsuspecting Suna boy. Luckily, the boy saw the rock's shadow and managed to get out of the way.
This was Kioshi's flying slab. The piece of granite was specifically designed to view and battle from above. Four dime-sized red portals were made and sent under each corner of the slab. Kioshi then stepped on the slab and lifted it back high into the air.
The slab of granite was covered with interconnected strengthening seals. The seals made the rock almost impossible to break. From his high vantage point, it would be hard for the Suna ninja to get in any attacks due to the distance and the rock acting as a shield.
Lifting and ridding around on a large heavy rock was strangely much more efficient than simply using a large red portal as a hovering craft. Kioshi could keep four dime-sized portals going for quite some time. It didn't matter how heavy an object was. Portals lifted things all the same. Small portals simply needed objects to be stiff and strong.
The crowd cheered at the sight. Kioshi looked over the rock's edge, staring 30 feet down. The Suna ninja was staring up at him in astonishment.
In response, Kioshi started to attack the Suna boy with hot bowls of soup from the sky. It was silly, but it would demonstrate his portal's preserving capabilities. This battle was to show his usefulness and to gain allies. Reluctantly, Kioshi also attacked the boy with ice cream, red portals dropping soft cones or icy containers out like rain. Portals also handed Kioshi ammunition to hurl forcefully at the boy.
Many of the audience members started laughing at the attacks, especially when a half-gallon ice cream tub exploded upon being blocked, covering the Suna boy in sticky liquid, the cold substance melting quickly under the hot sun.
Keeping to his food theme, Kioshi started to hurl fresh raw meat down as well, followed by some tomatoes, balls of lettuce, and other fragile foods.
When the ground looked like a wasteful restaurant dumpster, Kioshi changed tactics. A large red portal was made which poured out five thousand gallons of water that had been gathered from a rushing river in the land of fire. It created a large wave across the stadium. When the water surrounded the Suna boy, Kioshi sent powerful lighting bolts into it, the liquid transmitting the energy in every direction.
The boy seized up, and Kioshi took the chance, striking directly, causing the Suna boy to scream and spasm around like a dying fish. Kioshi hovered his rock closer, continuing the constant onslaught, turning to the boy's sensei. The woman glanced between the two for a few moments and then nodded, making the sign of surrender.
The lighting stopped and the boy sagged with a groan, twitching and barely conscious. Kioshi hopped off the rock and deactivated his small red portals, allowing the slab to fall into a large purple portal underneath.
"The winner of the fourth match is Kioshi Hirano!" The announcer said loudly. "My what a spectacle that was!"
The crowd roared in agreement.
Kioshi sloshed back to his team bench, almost slipping on mud in the process. Since Kioshi had used real water, not water made from chakra, the attack from his portal hadn't dispersed. Many people in the crowd noticed this as well, mummers and glances traveling around. Water was scarce in the dry windswept village. Natives hardly ever saw it in such amounts. The implications weren't lost. Suna would want to make many deals with Kioshi in the future.
"Well done." Akio praised.
Kioshi nodded, sitting down. Time would tell if the demonstration would help more than hurt.
The last match was the cocky pink-haired girl vs the large boy from Suna, the Suna boy being the unlucky one to have to fight twice. The Iwa girl was fast and very skilled. Using underhanded tactics, she defeated the Suna boy quickly.
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Two hours later Akio, Kioshi, Itachi, and Emi stood in front of the Hokage.
"Congratulations Team 2. You have made Konoha proud," the old man said. They were currently in the leader's temporary quarters in Suna, privacy seals in place.
The team dipped their heads in acknowledgment.
"Thank you, my lord," Akio said gravely. "But I'm afraid pleasantries will have to wait. There is something urgent that needs to be discussed."
The old man frowned. "Continue."
"The sensei of the finalist Iwa team knows of Kioshi's Dojutsu." Akio explained. "He is the red-haired ninja espionage has been trying to find. The man has shown great anger in Kioshi's direction, and the Tsuchikage also does not seem pleased. I fear they might try something."
The old man stayed silent for a long moment. "That is unfortunate," he finally said. "Suna will most likely be able to stop any immediate violence, but this will cause problems in the future. We will have to be on guard. Are you sure of this assessment?"
Both Kioshi and Akio nodded.
"Then keep your distance," the old man said. "I will have two of my personal guards accompany your team to make sure you all stay safe."
Kioshi swallowed, eyes downcast. "I can't do that, my lord."
The Hokage blinked. No words were spoken for a moment. "You can't stay away? Why? Surely you see Iwa does not mean you well."
Kioshi firmed in his resolve. "I know that, but I need to find out what happened to my mother. This is my chance to do so." He'd had time to think about it. This Chunin Exam was a place of neutral territory with strict rules and security. The Iwa ninja being here was a blessing in one aspect. He'd finally be able to get some answers.
"Kioshi, I don't think that is a good idea," Akio warned. "It is unlikely that the man will tell you the truth. There is no reason to. He will only tell you things that will benefit Iwa or cause you pain."
"I have to try," Kioshi said. "The smallest chance is enough for me. I'll do it by myself if I have to." Kioshi knew he was being petulant, but he wouldn't back down. Konoha didn't care about his mother. The Hokage's confusion in the beginning confirmed that. It was up to him to get closure.
"I suppose it would be wrong to deny you this," The Hokage finally sighed. "You seem determined, and if what you say is true, Iwa already recognizes you. A confrontation will do nothing more than notify Suna of the situation. Suna is on weaker terms with the village, so this might work in our favor. However, if Suna wishes to stop you, you must obey their orders. This is their land. Do not attack in any way. This will break your exam contract."
"I understand," Kioshi said.
The Hokage nodded. "Then I wish you luck."
