Chapter 59 – Chūnin Exam in Iwagakure I
"Talk"
'Think'
Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto sensei.
A/N: Thank you Aurelia Azyton, brian3215, Lunar fox35, natsuzu2 and NeKo 19-94 for your supports.
Six months later, Iwagakure no Sato
"Wow" said Naruto as the teams from Konoha arrived at Iwagakure. Hamaki was reporting their arrivals while the genin were looking around at their surroundings.
Unlike Konoha which was surrounded by greens and browns, Iwagakure was a lot of greys.
"You know, it doesn't seemed cold and sterile despite of a lot of greys" commented Noriko.
"The blue sky, the white cloud and the rays of sunshine put life to the greys" said Sai. He was already sketching.
"I take that as a compliment" said a foreign voice belonging to a kunoichi with short, black hair "I'm Kurotsuchi"
"You are Tsuchikage's granddaughter" stated Hamaki-sensei.
"Yes" said Kurotsuchi "I heard Konoha is sending four teams for Chūnin Exam and I'm curious" she eyed all of them critically.
"Are you participating too?" asked Tenten.
"No. I'm a chūnin already" Kurotsuchi said proudly "You all better bring your A-game or we will crush you" warned Kurotsuchi before she shunshin off.
"She's right" said Kakashi "Look around you". Konoha's genin noticed the unfriendly looks thrown at them, many were even hostile.
"Let's go to our lodging now" said Hamaki
"Do you remember why all of you are here?" asked Kakashi.
"Hait! To show them our youthful power and become chūnin!" cried Lee.
"Yes, but why only twelve of you?" questioned Hamaki
"Seeing that Chūnin Exam serves as a mock war, it is most likely that many, if not all of Iwa shinobi will use this exam for revenge. Iwa had suffered great losses during the Third Shinobi War and many remained unforgiving towards Konoha" answered Shino. He pushed his glasses upwards and continued "We are representatives of Konoha. Our participation in this Exam basically put a target on each of our backs. Only four teams are allowed to participate as we are the strongest candidates for chūnin and the Hokage did not wish to waste the lives of Konoha shinobi needlessly. Team Asuma could not make it since Shikamaru was promoted and they could not find a suitable third"
"Shino is right" said Kurenai "Chūnin Exam is carried out differently in each Hidden Village. Similar to Suna, Iwa shinobi also prizes strength and power over everything else, maybe more"
"So it is best to presume that all Iwa genin that we'll meet will be at Gaara's level" interjected Neji.
"No way" said Hinata and Sakura simultaneously.
"I doubt all is at Gaara's level, but it is best not to keep your guard's down" said Hamaki.
"Yes, and remember, fight will all of your youths!" said Gai in his thumb up pose.
"Hait, Gai-sensei!" said Lee
"Lee!"
"Gai-sensei!"
"Why are we discussing this?" asked Sasuke loudly, effectively interrupting Gai-Lee union.
"Ah yes. Because of this" said Kakashi, holding out waiver forms.
"Didn't we signed this during the second round of the Chūnin Exam?" asked Kiba.
"Yes, but that was in Konoha. There is no definite rule how a Chūnin Exam should be carried out" explained Kurenai.
"Also, I heard that the number of participants this time is small" said Hamaki.
"So…tomorrow is the survival test?" asked Tenzō.
"Most likely" replied Kakashi.
"YES! Oooooh, I was dreading the writing test" shouted Naruto.
"I take it, tomorrow we'll be attack by Iwa genin whose skills are similar to or slightly below Gaara?" asked Noriko.
"Most likely" answered Kakashi with an eye-smile.
...
...
...
"We'd better get our rest now" said Neji.
Next day, a Hall in Iwagakure
"…after you've submitted your form, every team will grab each of the Earth and Heaven scrolls, once we gave the signal, open one of the scrolls which will transported you to a location in Iwagakure. You are given three days to return here with both Earth and Heaven scrolls or your team will be disqualified" said their Proctor.
"What will happen if we all open the same kind of scroll?" asked one participant.
"Then all of you are disqualified and have to try again in the next Chūnin Exam" answered the Proctor cheerfully.
"What? That's not fair!" yelled another participant.
"Luck sometimes plays a role for a mission to succeed" replied the Proctor "Or in this case, you and your team are out of luck. You are disqualified!" The hall gone silent immediately "Anyone got a problem?" The Proctor glared around.
…
…
…
"Good" the Proctor returned to her cheerful self "Ready? You can open the scroll in 3…2…and open!"
Forty-nine teams opened their scrolls and were transported to different locations surrounding Iwagakure no Sato.
Naruto, Noriko and Tenzō looked at their surroundings and saw mountainous terrains. Tenzō immediately tried to sense his sōshinki that he had placed in the hall at the start of the test.
"So, have you found it?" asked Noriko.
"How do you-" Tenzō began to ask when Noriko grinned.
"Itachi and Kakashi-sensei taught me how to get one step ahead of your opponent" Noriko answered "One way is to anticipate how they would make their move and react accordingly. I'm trying now, the moment the Proctor said we have to return back to the hall, I figured you would leave your sōshinki"
"I see…the hall is that way" Tenzō pointed forward "But it's very faint, I guess we are very far from the hall"
"Let's get moving then" said Naruto "Who's going to keep the scroll?"
"Me" offered Tenzō "Both of you are the type to jump and fight (Naruto and Noriko grinned and looked a bit abashed). The scroll might get lost then"
"Ok" said Naruto. Tenzō secured the scroll in his pouch while Noriko channelled Rajah's nose. Team Kakashi moved towards the hall.
Hinata activated her byakugan and looked around. She shook her head and said "I cannot see anything but these mountains"
"I've left my female kikaichu at the hall" said Shino as he released his kikaichu to track the scent.
"Once you've got it, I can use my bird to take us to the hall. It will be faster" proposed Sai "Hinata can use her byakugan on air to detect opponent team for us to take their scroll".
"That is a sound plan" said Shino.
"I agreed" said Hinata.
Kiba and Akamaru sniffed around and said "Maybe that way" he pointed to his left "It's not definite because of the distance but there's a mixture of scents over there"
Sakura said as she looked up "Kiba's right. I remembered the hall's position from the sun when we arrived".
Sasuke nodded and said "Let's go then".
Team Gai found themselves in an area surrounded by high grounds, effectively unable them to locate the sun's position. Neji' activated his byakugan, first to see if he could find a clue. Seeing none, he located the sun's position and tried to calculate the hall's direction.
"That way" he pointed to his back and Team Gai made their move.
End Chapter 59
Sōshinki – Signal seeds
Shunshin no Jutsu – Body Flicker Technique