A/N- Sorry for the wait, but as you can see, this chapter is bigger than the other two combined, I would have split it up into two or three smaller chapters, but don't like cliff hangers. Might end up having to do it next time though, ended up procrastinating too much with this one.
Kino's POV-
I yawned loudly as I rubbed my eyes, sitting down beside Tokama-sensei. The other team was late, and Yacou was getting antsy, her small grey dragon puppet whirring around our heads as she tapped her fingers along her legs lightly. I'd heard she'd been experimenting with her puppets, but I couldn't tell, it still looked the same as always.
The only difference I noticed was that instead of it's usual, smooth sleek surface, it's new surface was built of overlapping plates, and it looked like it was more armored than usual… Weird. I placed my hand on my cheek, rubbing it lightly as I tried to figure out how it was different… I couldn't and I knew if I stared too long Yacou would attack me…
Instead I turned my attention to Dakede, who wore his usual steam armor, with the furnace in the back. He looked as calm as always, and I couldn't help but find that annoying. I reached out to grab his hat, but he moved his hand around to grab mine, shaking his head at me. Apparently he wanted the hat... Bully.
Instead of taking his armor apart, I poked his shoulder, raising an eyebrow at him. "Hey Dakede, what's with the armor? You're a Taijutsu user, won't it slow you down?" Before Dakede could respond, Tokama-sensei placed his hand on my head, smiling down at me. His voice rang out, as soft as always. "That's a nice question Kino-san, although I'm surprised Tsuchikage-sama hasn't told you already."
Tokama-sensei moved to stand behind Dakede, and he gestured at the armor. "See that there? The little band around the collarbone that looks like it's pressed tight against Dakede's skin? It is, it's almost an airtight seal, and the face covering that leads up around his mouth and nose acts as a way to protect his lungs."
Tokama-sensei moved his hands to the furnace on Dakede's back, which he tapped twice. "The furnace here fills the armor with steam, building up pressure inside. Now, Dakede's clan holds the secrets of this armor to themselves, and even I don't know if the steam comes from the furnace or themselves, but I do know that the more steam built up in the armor, the more the pressure, and the stronger and faster Dakede-san will become. Han wears armor like this… At least he did before he left. We'll have to see if Dakede-san is as good with it as Han is."
I nodded in understanding, though the only thing I got from the entire speech was that it made Dakede faster and stronger. That sounded useful… I still wanted to know why he wore it, it was eighty degrees out here, and he had to be burning up in that thing. Still, I'd just have to leave him to deal with it; after all, I had my own problems.
I needed to make a list of what jutsu I'd use for the match, and I didn't know which ones it was safe to use… Obviously I couldn't use any Dust Release techniques, though I'd only started that rumor to intimidate the other Gennin, I don't even have the Fire Release necessary for it… Well, I did but I didn't know any techniques with it.
What techniques could I use…? The Flight Technique was fun, and I'd only just mastered it a few days ago, and I had the Earth Fist technique… But other than that, I didn't have much… Of course I could always use that technique, but I didn't really have it down just yet, I always ended up using too much chakra or not enough, it was irritating.
Still, what happened would happen…? I could see my grandfather approaching, and I knew I wouldn't have much more time to think about it, so I went to join the others. There was a fight to prepare for, and it was going to get ugly. Oddly enough, a member of the opposing team, Seika, was already here. He was running around giggling, chasing after Yacou's dragon puppet. Yacou flew the dragon around in circles, deciding to entertain the child, though occasionally he would capture it in his hands. What an odd child…
Girin's POV-
I walked alongside Kokoro, poking his side and asking him what was up with his swords, as Shinuhi-sensei walked behind us, trying not to laugh. Finally Kokoro turned to glare at me, fixing me with a stink-eye. "Girin, I will show you when we start, now shut up, your questions are annoying."
I raised my hands in surrender, acknowledging defeat. We were almost there, I suppose I really would have to wait. I felt a heavy hand on my head as Shinuhi-sensei tousled my hair, laughing loudly. "Come now Girin, patience is a mark of a true Shinobi! Why, I remember a mission where I was supposed to ambush an enemy caravan, and I was forced to wait at a bridge for over two weeks!"
As the old man began rambling on about his old missions, Kokoro shot daggers at me with his eyes, and I shrugged, giving my teammate and friend a sheepish smile. We listened to the man's torturously long stories, as he led us towards the battleground.
When we got there, I was relieved to know he'd shut up, but surprised to see Seika already there, still chasing the dragon. I was sure he'd have gotten distracted chasing a butterfly, or watching grass grow, or trying to figure out how to walk and breath at the same time... You know, fun stuff. When he spotted us, he stopped chasing the dragon, instead going over to stand next to Shinuhi, as Kokoro and I attempted to distance ourselves from our dimwitted teammate.
I looked up at the Tsuchikage, noting his cucumber like nose, which Kino shared. Kokoro and I doubted this fight would be judged fairly. The Tsuchikage probably only agreed to do this because his grandson was involved. It was likely the Tsuchikage would declare Kino's team the victors no matter what happened… As long as we got to pound them a little, I could live with that.
The old man we called sensei spoke up, his voice grating on my ears as he did. "Now, because these Chuunin exams are set up to compare the strength between the gennin of the villages, we're going to see how you would work as a team in a time of war. Now, in war we have people who conduct strategies for us, and basically call the shots. So each team leader will pick a team member to serve as a strategist. The strategists will stay out of the fight for the first three minutes, and will provide their teammates with strategies. This will test your intellect, teamwork, and obedience."
Sounded fair in my opinion, I waited for Shinuhi to tell Kokoro to stand aside, and I was given a terrifying shock as he called Seika out instead…. Why was the idiot our strategist? We were screwed! I could hear Kino and Yacou snickering, as Tokama-sensei called for Dakede to be their strategist…. We were already beaten in strategy… Kokoro and I would just have to beat Kino and Yacou quickly.
Seika immediately wandered off, climbing a tree and plucking leaves from the branches. He ripped the leaves into tiny peaces, as small as he could manage, giving Yacou and Kino a good laugh. Kokoro and I shared uneasy glances, knowing that Yacou and Kino would be getting good tips from someone who could the entire battle, while we were blind.
Tokama-sensei strode forward, turning from Kokoro and I to Yacou and Kino, before directing us to either side of the small forest. The Tsuchikage cleared his throat loudly, before calling out for us to begin, as a stream of fire passed my right ear, and Kokoro darted to the side.
Kokoro targeted Yacou, pulling two blades from the holster on his back and twirling them rapidly, deflecting the senbon her puppet fired. Deciding that Kokoro was more than equipped to handle Yacou, I attacked Kino, making several hand seals as I gathered spit and chakra. "Explosion Release: Spit Grenade!"
I spat forward, the glob of spit flying forward. Kino jumped to avoid it, though the blast still knocked him back, as he landed against a tree. I'd managed to attack before he was ready, and I knew it… My quick action had just won me the match.
I darted forward, dodging another stream of flames as Yacou attempted to defend her teammate, suffering for it as Kokoro lopped off part of her dragon's tail. I jumped into the air, landing in front of Kino as I thrust my hand forward, grinning in victory. "Explosion Release: Landmine Fist!" A small spark appeared in front of my fist, but otherwise nothing happened, and I groaned loudly. I still hadn't quite mastered that technique.
Kino grinned in relief, bringing his knee into my gut, causing me to double over as he backed up. He threw several kunai at me, and I dived to avoid them. Well, there went my advantage… I began firing more spit grenades at him, feeling my chakra draining, until Kino stopped trying to escape, breathing heavily…. Perfect.
Kino's POV-
I was tired, and didn't have many options… I raised my hands, making a few hand seals, before rising into the air, dodging the spit grenade that blasted the ground I'd stood on seconds before. My chakra was draining with every moment I flew, and I dove forward, extending a foot to kick Girin on my descent.
The Explosion Release user darted backwards to avoid my attack, as he slipped something from his coat… A soldier pill? That was cheating! He fired more spit grenades at me, and I was forced to use the Flight technique once more, flying to the other side of the forest as I groaned. I had no choice… I couldn't get close enough for the Earth Fist, not when he was bombarding me like that, I'd have to use that jutsu.
I emerged from behind the tree, as Girin spotted me, preparing for another spit grenade. I made several hand seals, as I heard my grandfather gasp in recognition. "Earth Release: Earth Golem." As the large rock golem formed in front of me, Girin fired off another glob of spit, as it impacted the golem, a large explosion following. My vision was obscured by the smoke, but I could hear Dakede barking out orders to Yacou.
Girin's POV-
I frowned as the smoke cleared, spotting a hole that went about halfway into the golem's chest… It would be difficult to destroy apparently. Yacou had whipped out two new puppets; one with swords for arms was pushing Kokoro back, while another shot volleys of kunai and senbon at him. I needed to help him out…
Suddenly Kokoro grew angry, and he made several hand seals. "Arms of Baizenten!" Several arms made of chakra appeared from Kokoro's body in various places, grabbing the bladed puppet and placing it in front of the senbon firing one. The bladed puppet's mouth opened, a large ball appearing there. It looked like it was made of Explosive tags… this was bad.
The arms around Kokoro lifted the puppet into the air, two of them grabbing swords from the holster, driving them through the chakra blades, as Kokoro threw the bladed puppet at its senbon firing partner. The explosive tags exploded, destroying both puppets, as Yacou gave a small pout…
A loud clicking sound could be heard, and we looked up to see the small dragon puppet, except it wasn't small anymore. The plates had slid out from under one another, interlocking to make the dragon triple in size, as a large column of flames jetted from it's mouth.
Kokoro stood unfazed; the chakra arms each grabbing a sword, interlocking the blades to create a shield like substance. The flames spilled around the flames, and the dragon puppet shrunk, the plates sliding under one another as it darted around, firing darts of wind from it's mouth as it circled Kokoro.
Both Kino and I paused our fight, though while I was too busy watching Yacou and Kokoro to fight, Kino's jutsu had clearly exhausted him. Kokoro's chakra arms formed an ultimate defense, each one weaving the blades around to block the darts. While faster and tougher in its smaller state, the dragon didn't have the same destructive capabilities.
Dakede called out more orders, and Yacou took his advice, pushing Kokoro back by enlarging the dragon once more, waiting for Kokoro to interlock the blades before firing wind darts, making him back up towards a tree.
There was a commotion from the spectator's area, and Shinuhi was practically throttling Seika, growling angrily. The old man shouted loud enough for the entire village to hear, and I smirked as he realized his mistake. "SEIKA! PAY ATTENTION TO THE MATCH!" The old man turned to me, glaring angrily, as he shook a fist. "YOU TOO GIRIN, QUIT WATCHING KOKORO!" I looked over at the golem, realizing now was my chance. I darted forward, thrusting my fist into the hole in it's chest as it brought it's arms down towards me. "Explosion Release: Landmine Fist!"
Seika called out to me from the side, his voice detached as he did. "I wouldn't do that if I were you! Ooops, too late." I realized my mistake as soon as he did, and I prayed the technique failed again. No such luck.
A large explosion ripped from my fist, forming cracks along the golem. However, as explosions tend to do, it traveled along the path of least resistance, which happened to be the hole my arm was in. The explosion ripped into my arm, knocking me backwards, as the old man immediately made several hand seals, intent on shielding me until Tokama-sensei grabbed his hand, shaking his head. My cousin knew me well…
We knew it didn't mean anything, we knew we didn't have to win here, but we wanted to, and that was all that mattered to us… Victory. Kino ignored me, sending the golem towards Kokoro… The golem was slow, but Kokoro was distracted. I made several hand seals, the flesh on my right hand slightly burned, as I gathered spit once more. "Explosion Release: Spit Grenade." I shot the projectile at the point of the creature's back where the hole in the chest would be, as it shattered slightly.
Kino looked at me in shock, as Seika turned his attention to Kokoro. He called out loudly, pointing to the creature's tail, which wasn't extending properly. The reason was a kunai Seika had jammed in it earlier, when he had been playing with it. "Kokoro-san, jam your swords in it's armor, it'll be stuck as a little one."
Kokoro nodded, his chakra arms immediately moved into action, as Yacou moved too slow to stop it. She merely turned to Seika in shock, and I couldn't help but wonder if she was thinking the same thing as me. Since when did Seika think?
I leaned back, as Kokoro cut threw the remaining blades at Yacou who turned to look at them, screaming in fear. Until a glass cube surrounded Kino, Yacou and myself. Apparently we were out… At that time, Shinuhi gestured for Seika and Dakede to jump into the battle.
Dakede wasn't at a disadvantage for long. He'd been storing steam in his armor all this time, and he managed to overwhelm Kokoro through speed and strength, while Seika returned to plucking leaves from his tree, seemingly uninterested in the fight.
Dakede jumped at the back of the child's head, deciding to end it quickly, until Seika leaned completely backwards, hanging upside down from the branch he'd been sitting on, suspending himself by his legs. Dakede continued along his path, unable to change direction as his gut slammed into a branch that Seika's body had hidden, and Dakede fell.
As Dakede fell, Seika looked down at him, smiling and waving, before making several hand seals. "Lava Release: Congealing Quicklime Technique." The mist fell over Dakede, coating his body and irritating his eyes, as he tried to see through the haze. He landed sharply on his back, crying out. Soon the quicklime cloud cleared, and Seika smiled, waving once more.
Shinuhi frowned, unable to discover what Seika was doing, as I tried to tell him not to do it. I banged my hands on the glass, which was apparently soundproof, as no one paid attention to me. "SEIKA! SHOW SOME RESTRAINT!"
Seika pulled himself up by his legs, following the path of his ascent and turning it into a descent, doing several front flips as he carted down to Dakede. The adults realized too late what was happening, as Seika pulled out of the flip, one foot distended as it landed on one of Dakede's arms, a loud cracking sound following.
Seika was pushed aside as Tokama-sensei rushed forward to grab Dakede, who was now screaming loudly, cradling a broken arm. Shinuhi began scolding Seika, who gave the man a confused look. "But Shinuhi-sensei, you wanted me to win…. He can't fight without his arm." Shinuhi's eye twitched at the child, who had a slight smirk on his face, before moving to climb his tree once more, going back to his leaves.
His victory was short-lived however, as I watched Yacou tackle him, screaming like a lunatic. She caught him in the middle of his climb, and he was unable to defend himself as she pinned his face to the dirt, wailing on his back. Tokama-sensei grabbed her from behind, pulling her off and telling her the fight was over, though none of us was sure how she escaped the glass.
At least, not until I noticed the lack of the Yin-Yang symbol on her palms. The symbols were now on the glass walls that had entrapped her, and from what I could tell, were draining chakra from it steadily… Well, that was a nifty trick. Still, the fight was clearly over. As far as I could tell, I was the only one capable of escaping the glass except for Yacou, and using my Landmine Fist in this confined space… Well, I'd learned my lesson from the Golem.
But still, a good shockwave from one of my explosions would vibrate the glass enough to shatter it… I soon discovered it was unneeded, as the glass seemingly melted away. Presumably, Shinuhi-sensei remembered we were here and decided to free us. I could hear the Tsuchikage congratulating Seika on his victory, and then lecturing him about restraint, but I didn't pay any attention.
Instead, I made my way over to Kokoro, giving him a high five. "Kokoro! That jutsu was awesome, the way you stopped her puppet from expanding? Awesome!" Kokoro merely shook his head, unwilling to take credit for his victory against Yacou. "I was bound to win Girin, Yacou and I were a poor match ability wise. Except maybe for those symbols of hers, I used up a lot of my chakra making the arms, she could have killed me if she'd used that against me… Maybe that's why she didn't."
I turned to look at Yacou, who had been looking toward us, but she looked away when she saw me watching her. I could see how he was right…. Dakede probably would have beaten him, depending on how long Dakede could dodge him… We just got lucky I suppose… I turned to yell at Seika for not warning me sooner about the golem, but he was gone, and instead Tokama-san was placing a hand on my shoulder.
He gave the bone a light squeeze, and smiled at me… Great, now it was time for a lecture from my high and mighty cousin. Instead, he merely nodded his head to where Shinuhi-sensei was fading in the distance, and smiled. "Come on, if we don't get your arm looked at soon your mother will kill me."
