Chapter 5 - Of Chūnin Exams
A couple of years later, Ibiki-sensei deemed his students up to his lofty standards and ready for the Chūnin exams. He might of let them try at the last one if not for it being hosted by Kumogakure, with whom Konoha had rather rocky relations at present.
Thus it was party time at the Ogawa-Itō house, Izumo and Kotetsu, along with their teammate and sensei, were invited, as well as a girl named Mitarashi Anko and her team, who 'Ku had bonded with over stress relief in T&I every now and again, though the youngest girl subconsciously seemed to avoid Anko's sensei, Orochimaru, who just rubbed her the wrong way. 'Kuko was much more obvious, commenting to Anko that she had 'the creepiest sensei, ever' when the man was out of earshot.
The three teams gathered by the southern gate at dawn the next day, another team they didn't know very well appearing as well, ready for the trek to Sunagakure, where the exams were being held. 'Kuko made sure to gather all the gossip she could from the gate guard while they all waited for their sensei to appear.
The large group took to the trees, angling southwest at a quick but sustainable pace. That day passed in a buzz of quiet conversations, mostly discussing possible trials that might pop up in the exams. The group split up into their respective teams around mid-afternoon, in order to travel less conspicuously once they left Hi no Kuni's borders.
The next day, Team Ibiki took their typical formation for potentially hostile territory, 'Kuko was out in front as the best when it came to quick reactions and improvisation if suddenly attacked, 'Ku and 'Nai took the sides as the better chakra sensors, keeping watch for any enemies or unknowns and Ibiki-sensei covered the rear. They passed swiftly through Kawa no Kuni, the dense forest gradually thinning to grassland and an extensive network of rivers, eventually sparsening into sand dunes as they crossed into Kaze no Kuni. A well-hidden cave a short distance within the borders served as their night's shelter, being a commonly used rest spot for teams from Konoha that had to venture into the country. Team Orochimaru had beaten them there by a half hour or so and the other two teams appeared in quick succession shortly after nightfall.
If all had gone well, the Konoha shinobi would have arrived in Sunagakure with a week to spare before the first round of the exams. But since when did everything ever go to plan? Near enough everyone was going stir crazy after three days trapped in that cave by a particularly persistent sandstorm that picked up over that first night. Once the storm died down enough to move on, 'Kuko was the first out of the cave, sprinting a few metres before jogging round in little circles, to spend some of the excess energy that had built up, while she waited for the less hyperactive shinobi to get moving.
The teams finally reached Suna a little after nightfall, all of them relieved to be able to buy some juice to rehydrate, water being exceedingly expensive due to its scarcity in the desert and their own supplies had been rather strictly regulated to ensure they didn't run out on the way.
The next few days they were free to do what they liked with their time, thus 'Kuko dragged her teammates around the village to sight-see, somehow managing to integrate herself into a local gossip group which gave her easy access to pick up info on the other teams entered into the exams. Though she was just as interested in the civilian gossip such as the lady who owned the bakery supposedly cheating on her husband and the old, widowed man from the northern-most house being seen around with a pretty thing half his age.
Besides the sightseeing on that first day and the constant gossip gathering, Team Ibiki spent some time on light sparring just outside the village, not really showing anything they were capable of, in case of other teams spying - which they undoubtedly were - but getting used to the shifting sands as a surface and the lack of hiding places or easy places to sneakily trap. 'Ku in particular held back, making herself out as the weakest of the team, aided by the obvious age gap between her and the other two, to give them an advantage against other teams when they would need to fight.
The various teams gathered at a small training ground at the edge of the village at dawn for the first part of the exam, split into smaller groups for each village, the four teams from Konoha made up once of the larger groups, only smaller than the five Suna teams. Also present were three teas from Amegakure in Arashi no Kuni, two teams from Kusagakure in Kouba no Kuni and two teams from Takigakure in En no Kuni. Unsurprisingly there were no teams from Kumogakure, Iwagakure or Kirigakure, the Third Shinobi World War may have been over for a year but apart from Konoha and Suna's alliance, relations between the Five Great Shinobi Nations were still rather rocky.
A Suna Jōnin appeared in a swirl of sand, silencing the small, hushed conversations between the Genin.
"Ohayo Genin, I am Gōza, the proctor for the first section of your exam. A representative from each team will retrieve a list from me, your task is to find the items on the list and bring them here. If you are caught taking an item, you will be disqualified, if you fail to retrieve all the items within five hours, you will be disqualified, if you bring an incorrect item, you will be disqualified, if you attack any other team or civilian, you will be disqualified, your whole team must pass to move on to the next stage. The time will start one all teams have their list, you may not leave this training ground until that point or you will be disqualified. That is all." 'Kuko bounced over to the proctor, her teammates sighing over her excitability, she had been fretting the night before about the potential of a written exam and was all too relieved that it wasn't.
As soon as 'Begin.' left the proctor's mouth, the three sped away onto an isolated roof to hash out a strategy.
Chiyo-Bāsama's fishing rod
Fukuyama Takahiro's house keys
Takano Kohaku's amber necklace.
"Ooo, I know that Takahiro guy, he's always losing his house keys, he lives just over there, tends to go out in about an hour, he's a huge gossip so we tend to swap stories whenever we bump into one another, I could filch his keys easy if I catch him before he has a chance to lose them." And thus, 'Kuko proves an added use of her gossip network.
"Divide and conquer then, do you recognise any of the other names?" 'Ku inquired, her mind rapidly running through strategies to find the other individuals.
"I think Chiyo's an old recluse, lives up there with her brother, was a kunoichi so you'll need to hide your chakra and be really sneaky." 'Kuko pointed to the cliff side on the other side of the village.
"I'll head over there then, 'Ku-chan will have the best chance of finding the other target without getting caught but we'll keep our ears open for if someone mentions her." 'Nai rose to her feet, offering hands to yank the other two up. With a nod the three split to hunt down their targets.
*o*o*o*
'Nai walked carefully and silently up the stone steps to Chiyo's home, suppressing her chakra as much as possible to avoid detection, so long as she wasn't seen she should go unnoticed or mistaken for a small desert animal, such as a lizard, to a good sensor. Fortune favoured the eldest of the team as she easily found the fishing rod, left beside a small pond in the centre of the front room, with no sign of the two residents so early in the morning. She grabbed it and snuck back down to ground level before unmasking her presence and speeding away to blend in among the citizens, hiding the rod beneath the sand-coloured cloak all her team wore as camouflage in the terrain and as some protection against the sand when they had been travelling. She wandered absently, listening to conversations for mention of 'Ku's target.
*o*o*o*
"Ohayo, Hiro-san, not lost your keys yet, have you?" 'Kuko bounced over to her target from a market stand she had been browsing. The man laughed and returned the hug she had pounced on him for.
"Not yet, 'Kuko-chan, but I've only been out of the house ten minutes." They walked along slowly, glancing idly at the various stalls for anything that grabbed their attention, Takahiro pulling said keys from his pocket and jangling them at the girl in proof.
"Given you lose them inside your house, time outside doesn't necessarily mean anything but anyway, what's the latest with Ryū-chan and his evil Koko-oba?" 'Hiro rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment at the first part before laughing at the second.
"You know she would kill you if you dared call her that to her face, but Ryū-kun graduates soon and is already planning on getting his own apartment once he does." One of the other examinees pushed their way through the slowly thickening crowds of the market, giving 'Kuko the perfect opportunity to pickpocket the required keys as she fell against 'Hiro, the man being the perfect gentleman as he steadied he and shouted at the Genin about manners.
"Thanks, 'Hiro-san, and it's good about Ryū-chan, he'll be better off on his own, though I'm sure he'll get plenty of care packages from the gossip-biddies, they all find him adorable. I really should get going though, the Chūnin exams start today after all." 'Kuko gave the man another hug and climbed onto the nearest rooftop, returning his parting wave as she reached her perch.
*o*o*o*
'Ku had a decidedly harder time of things, not knowing who to hunt for. She disguised herself with a flawless Henge, taking the form of a young woman in her twenties, leaving her eyes the same, putting her hair into a high ponytail and changing her clothes into similar styled robes as most people were wearing, and wandered the market, paying close attention to the jewellery stands. A young man, of similar age as her Henge, lightly bumped into her, luckily not hard enough to disrupt the Jutsu but caused him to drop the boxes he was carrying.
"Sorry, I must not have being paying enough attention to where I was going." 'Ku helped the man gather his boxes, thankfully none had opened to spill their contents across the street.
"No, no, it was my fault, can't see very well over these things, thanks for the help." The man bowed awkwardly over his boxes as the pair straightened up, all boxes recovered.
"Do you want some help getting these to their destination? I'm in no hurry." The girl smiled at the other's relieved acceptance, falling into step beside him as the moved on.
"So, were you looking for anything in particular or just browsing? Oh, and my name's Koji, probably should have introduced myself earlier but I tend to forget such things." He shifted a little awkwardly in embarrassment.
"Miku, nice to meet you. Actually, I was hoping to find an amber necklace for my sister's birthday, she has the most stunning golden eyes that it would match perfectly."
"You should talk to my wife, Kohaku, then. She has a beautiful amber necklace and could point you to where she got it, just round that corner to my house and you should at least stay for a cup of tea for your help." He indicated with an elbow from lack of hands.
"Really? That would be great." 'Ku grinned, three hours wandering the market and various streets with no luck had been grating on her patience.
"Kohaku, I'm back, and we have a guest." Koji deposited his boxes beside the front door, 'Ku placing hers on top, grinning a little as a small woman appeared from the kitchen and chewed out her husband for lack of advanced warning and 'the house is in no shape for visitors'. She sent him off to take the boxes upstairs and directed 'Ku into the kitchen for tea.
"Sorry about that, my husband can be so air-headed sometimes, here's your tea."
"Thank you, and I know the feeling, I've despaired with my sister many times for lack of forethought, though she's a lot better than she was." 'Ku sipped her tea and felt herself relax a little as the caffeine got to work.
"Oh, on that matter, would something like this be what you're looking for, for your sister?" The woman vanished into the next room while talking, appearing moments later with a small, open box with a silver and amber necklace inside. Half an hour later 'Ku made her excuses to leave, a swiped necklace in her pocket having left a Henge'd stone in its box.
The team met back at their original roof with an hour to spare and returned to the training ground to hand over their collection. Anko's team, two of the Suna teams and one of each Ame and Taki were already there, with another Suna team appearing soon after them. They settled down to wait, leaning on the cliff at the edge of the training ground, sheltering from the sun in its shadow. 'Kuko decided to take a quick nap, as nothing interesting was going on, using 'Nai's lap as a pillow and 'Ku's as a footrest.
By the end of the time, Izumo and Kotetsu's team had joined them and another Suna team, an Ame team and a Kusa team had also passed the round. A new Jōnin, named Ikanago, appeared with details for the next test.
"Your next test is survival, there is an old outpost two days southwest from here, you must go, retrieve a scroll from one of the Jōnin stationed there and return in no more than one week, with your whole team. You are permitted to fight in this round, so long as you only do so once outside the village. Death is a possibility so to continue you must all sign a liability waiver, it's not our fault if anything happens. You time starts once everyone has handed me a signed waiver. You have fifteen minutes." The various Genin scrambled into action, most grabbing a form and signing it without a glance before handing it in, while the smarter ones made sure to read it before signing, just in case.
As the last waiver was given in the teams scattered. Speed orientated teams quickly pulled ahead, heading for the only proper exit from the village and vanishing into the sands. Team Ibiki took the alternate route and ran up the cliff-face of the southwest edge of the village, taking advantage of the extra speed they could claim from the flat, rocky plateau at the top before they dropped to the sands on the other side. Their formation didn't really change with their lack of sensei, but they stayed closer together and instead of the two raven heads just keeping watch, 'Ku took the role of navigator, a mental map tracking a route to their destination, though taking into account the need for at least one stop each way to sleep, preferably at an oasis to refill their water supply. Barring the off-chance of getting trapped by another sandstorm or in quicksand, those would probably be the most dangerous parts of the test as an oasis would be the perfect location for a trap from another team, the open desert offering few location guaranteed to catch anyone.
They pushed themselves to the limit in order to get to their first oasis by nightfall. 'Nai got recon to check for other teams or traps and they were fortunate in lack of either. Though part of that could be from the fact there was a larger oasis, closer to Suna which n=most would have aimed for, hence why 'Ku chose to bypass it to reach this one instead. 'Kuko took first watch, a light but very warm blanket extracted from her pack to ward off the night's chill while 'Ku and 'Nai snuggled together, one of their cloaks beneath them, to try and reduce the amount of sand that could reach uncomfortable places, and the other on top for warmth.
Three hours later, 'Kuko and 'Nai switched places, 'Ku grumbling a little in her sleep as 'Nai moved away but settling again once 'Kuko replaced her. A little after the switch, another team appeared on the other side of the pool, but seemed content enough to leave them be. After another three hours 'Ku took over, one eye always on the unknown group while her other senses spread to cover the rest of their surroundings.
It was shortly before dawn when 'Ku woke the other two and neither complained when they left early after a quick breakfast, eager to put some distance between them and the other team, once again setting a hard pace to cover as much ground as possible.
Their good fortune lasted until late evening, when they reached the outpost. A Suna team was already there, blocking their way to the building and not keen on peacefully spending the night without conflict. Even worse, the team consisted of three boys, around thirteen or fourteen years old, who were under the mistaken impression that girls were weaker than them. In Konoha, very few held this illusion for long as almost everyone would get front row seats to Tsunade-hime beating Jiraiya at least once. Though since she'd left a year or so ago, the belief was beginning to reappear in some of the younger generations.
The boys' overconfidence would quickly become a handicap, especially as they fell into the trap the team had prepared before the start of the first exam, by deciding to focus on taking out 'Ku, the supposed 'weak link' in the team. 'Nai's Genjutsu had come a long way since the fragile constructs from when they began training under Ibiki-sensei, and it was laughably easy to give their overconfidence a boost as one boy distracted 'Kuko and the other two easily slipped past and 'killed' 'Ku. Cocky grins in place, the two boys turned to 'Nai, expecting a distraught little girl crying over her dead teammate. But the girl had disappeared, as had their teammate and the other girl he was fighting, leaving them alone with the cooling corpse. Which began to sink, as did they, quicksand pulling at them and there was no solid surface to get them out. Now there was something sharp digging into their guts, and the sand covered their heads, simultaneously drowning and suffocating them.
The third boy looked on in horror as his teammates suffocated in open air, their bellies sliced open by the 'weak' girls they should have easily overpowered. He froze, returning his gaze to his opponent as a kunai came to rest on his throat.
"You can take them, patch them up, maybe see if one of the Jōnin inside will help you. Try again next time and don't underestimate you opponent because they're female." 'Kuko withdrew her weapon at his nod and backed off, the other two girls joining her and 'Nai broke the Genjutsu as they walked into the building that marked the half-way point - distance-wise at least - of the second exam.
Fighting was prohibited within the building, so the team took the opportunity to sleep inside, allowing themselves to relax, though not completely, theft of opponents' supplies wasn't prohibited after all - a loophole they took full advantage of by filching the water supplies of anyone not clever enough to keep an eye on them.
Travel the next day was peaceful enough, with a much more relaxed pace than before, though still pretty quick, but their luck wasn't enough this time as the oasis they planned to stop at was already occupied and this team was less peaceful than the last they'd spent a night with, and much less overconfident that the Suna boys.
This team was from Ame, one girl and two boys. The girl, about thirteen, had red hair curled up into a high bun with two green hair pins holding it in place that matched the green of her eyes, a katana with green and grey cloth wrapping the hilt was strung across her back. The first boy, about twelve, had short, gingery-brown hair that spiked in all directions, and the same green eyes as the girl. The other boy, about thirteen, had very short, black hair and sky blue eyes. The red haired girl moved first, sword drawn and slashed towards 'Kuko in seconds. 'Ku darted forwards, grabbing the girl's attention to fight speed with speed and leaving 'Kuko to match strength to the stronger build of the older boy, while 'Nai and the gingery boy each kept one eye on each other and one eye on their teammates, creating a much more leisurely, spar-like, battle between them.
'Ku contentedly kept pace with the quick sword wielder but was somewhat hindered in retaliating by the lack of reach of her own weapons compared to the katana, projectiles being little use against the other's speed. The younger girl dodged another swipe from the katana, hands flashing through a series of hand seals with a murmur of 'Kanashibari no Jutsu'. The redhead froze as the Jutsu took hold and 'Ku took the opportunity to dart in close, slicing deeply into her opponent's right arm with a kunai, causing her to drop her sword.
The raven head danced out of reach as the paralysis wore off. The pair paused briefly as the dark haired Ame-nin flew between them, launched by a powerful kick from ''Kuko, quickly followed by a kunai with an exploding tag attached. The boy dodged, escaping with only light burns on his left leg as 'Kuko extracted a pair of Tekko-kagi from her pack and slid them onto her hands, changing after him.
The red haired girl swiftly grabbed her katana from the sand with her left hand, thrusting towards 'Ku, who sidestepped to the left of the sloppy attack but didn't see the kunai in the girl's other hand which caught her under the right eye. Her head unconsciously followed the kunai's trajectory, limiting the depth it could dig into and 'Ku spun her body with it, a kunai in her left hand lashing out at her opponent. The redhead pushed forward, away from the younger girl to escape the counter but failed to notice the senbon that followed, digging deep into her thigh, a little above the knee, which paralyzed her leg, sending her crashing to the sand.
'Kuko kept her opponent on the defensive, a continuous flurry of kicks and slashes giving him little time to launch an effective counter-offense, however his defence was good, letting very few hits connect, and even those that did were deflected enough to limit the damage caused. She used a final kick to push herself away, and the pair paused, assessing each other for weaknesses. The brunette's hands flashed through a few hand seals, long hours of practice preventing her tekko-kagi from knocking each other as she did so, and vanished into the sand with a murmured 'Doton: Moguragakure no Jutsu'.
The Ame-nin scanned the surroundings for any sign of her but instead noticed his female teammate disable with 'Ku quickly closing in. He abandoned his search and sped over, deflecting 'Ku's attack at the last moment and unrelentingly attacking to prevent her from reaching his downed teammate. Said kunoichi took the opportunity to yank out the senbon, grimacing at the sting, and rose, taking a few moments for her leg to recover from the paralysis, before joining the dark haired shinobi in his assault on the youngest girl.
'Ku pushed away from the pair trying to pincer attack her, using her speed to escape and put distance between her opponents as they followed at differing speeds. Just as the redhead reached her, 'Kuko's hand rose from the sand, slashing through the dark haired boy's Achilles tendon and disappearing down again. The Ame-nin fell, hands ineffectively breaking his fall as they sunk into the sand and 'Kuko's other hand punched up from underground, claws digging straight through the boy's throat, before they were yanked back and vanished beneath the sand once more.
'Nai took the opportunity, presented by her and 'Ku's opponents' distraction due to their teammate's death, to hide 'Ku within a Genjutsu, returning her attention to her foe as the moment passed and an avenging rage added a vicious edge to his attacks.
'Ku wasted no time, knowing the female redhead wouldn't be deceived for long, and sped behind her, stabbing a kunai deep into the back of her neck and wrenching it to the right, severing the spinal cord and external jugular vein. 'Kuko popped out of the sand behind the remaining Ame-nin, claws slashing at him but the boy dodged, throwing a kunai which lodged itself deep into the girl's side. However, he failed to keep track of 'Nai while evading 'Kuko and she gets behind him, the ring end of a kunai crashing into his temple, knocking him out.
'Ku shuffled over, exhaustion pulling at her limbs and sat on the sand by 'Kuko, dragging the older girl with her, to check over her injury. She gathered healing chakra into one hand, then yanked the embedded kunai out with the other, without warning and pressed on the wound, hard, with her chakra-encased hand.
"Gah. A little warning would be nice, 'Ku-chan." 'Kuko sat stiffly while her friend worked, watching as 'Nai tied up the surviving Ame-nin with steel wire, leaving him in a relatively sheltered spot and began setting up camp.
"It's too deep for me to heal all the way but I've done what I can and stopped the bleeding. However, you are going to get as much rest as you can, we can take care of keeping watch without you, and I'll check you again in the morning." 'Ku glared, in full medic-mode, until the older girl nodded in acquiescence, rolling her eyes at the cheeky grin and salute that accompanied it.
The night, thankfully, passed with no incident, and 'Kuko groaned as she woke to her injured side being prodded by 'Ku.
"Well, you'll live, but we'll take it easy today and tomorrow, there's not another oasis on our route though so we'll just have to make do, we've got plenty of water so it shouldn't be problem. Here, breakfast. She trust a ration pack at the brunette and rose, dismantling the small camp and erasing the traces of their presence. 'Nai helped 'Kuko sort herself out with the least strain on her injury as possible while 'Ku wandered over to the survivor of the previous day's fight, who glared rather heatedly at her approach.
"Stop glaring, you look like a pouting kitten when compared to a pissed off Uchiha and I've long since become immune to their glares. Now you have two options. One, we leave you tied up here and wish you luck when we leave. Two, you can come with us, still tied up, I'm not stupid, but it gives you a better chance of survival and we'll direct your sensei back here once we get to Suna to retrieve the fallen. Your choice." 'Ku stared impassively, showing she really didn't care either way.
"I'll come, I don't see myself with much of a chance left behind." The Ame-nin grumbled, unhappy but resigned.
"Wonderful. Eat." 'Ku smiled, holding a piece of bread in front of the boy's mouth, only smiling wider when he stared at her with a raised eyebrow which questioned her sanity. He sighed, realising he wasn't going to be released, even a little to feed himself, and ate, resisting the urge to glare again.
The group set off at a light jog, 'Kuko's injury making things easier for their captive as their pace stayed fairly slow. 'Ku had point, constantly sensing for the presence of other teams and diverting their path to avoid confrontation. With nightfall the youngest was able to use the stars to correct their course from where they had drifted slightly due to diversions, and they settled down to sleep on the open sands, 'Kuko taking her turn at watch as well this time.
The next day was much the same, though the beginnings of a sandstorm started to creep up on them as they got close to Sunagakure, so they upped the pace to ensure they escaped it, entering the village slightly after nightfall to the sight of their sensei waiting for them.
"'Ki-Sensei!" 'Kuko forgot about her injury and sped over, glomping the Jōnin in exuberant greeting. 'Nai decided to keep an eye on their captive, motioning for 'Ku to deal with the excitable brunette before she did herself any more damage.
The appearance of the Ame-nin's sensei sent 'Ku and 'Nai into diplomat mode as they handed him over and gave the location of the others' bodies. The team was glad to finally collapse into bed in the hotel room they were renting for the duration of the exams.
The next day they permitted themselves a lie in 'til mid-morning before 'Ku finished healing 'Kuko's wound, allowing the hyperactive girl to return to her gossip-gathering, though she started by apologising to Takahiro for stealing his keys, even if it was for the sake of the exam. 'Ku did the same for Kohaku and Koji, who were quite surprised at how young she really was when she passed so easily as the same age as them. When 'Nai attempted to apologise to Chiyo, she ended up suffering through a lecture on respecting her elders and got whacked a few times round the head with the fishing rod. Though she did leave with her apology, grudgingly, accepted as Chiyo muttered about her being 'better than most disrespectful youths, these days'. The rest of that day was spent relaxing however they wanted, 'Ku somehow got roped into giving the Kazekage's, two and a half year old, daughter, Temari, speedy piggy back rides across the village's rooftops, the little girl giggling gleefully as the wind rushed through her hair while the Genin made certain to be extra careful that no harm came to her, especially with the number of eyes she could feel watching her every move.
The next day they spent training with each other and Team Orochimaru who had arrived the afternoon before. At eleven o'clock the day after, they gathered back at the starting ground to wait the last half hour of the round's time, giving their scroll to Ikanago, the second exam's proctor, before they were permitted to enter. Six teams of the ten that had started the round passed, two from Suna, one Ame, 1 Kusa and the two Konoha. Izumo and Kotetsu had got back late the night before but had lost their teammate in a fight, so couldn't continue.
"Congratulations, you know how to survive." A new Jōnin Shunshin'd in front of them in a swirl of sand, commenting dryly.
"I am Yashamaru, the proctor for the last exam, the first part of which shall occur tomorrow, two hours after dawn. The exam consists of tournament-style battles. Tomorrow you shall compete as a team, thereafter the fights are solo. Dismissed." Most teams split off to train for the rest of the day, though Team Ibiki instead chose to conserve their strength and spy on the other teams, in order to hash out the beginnings of strategies for each as they didn't yet know which would be their opponent.
*o*o*o*
The first match was Team Orochimaru against one of the Suna teams. 'Kuko was quite happy to take a nap, knowing that 'Ku would be examining their abilities and keeping a mental not on who to particularly look out for in future rounds. Team Orochimaru won fairly easily, obviously on a different level to the Suna team, and Team Ibiki was called next, to fight the team from Kusagakure. The team was composed of two boys - one had short, spiky, light brown hair and murky blue eyes with a katana slung across his back, the other had short, but flat, blond hair, dark brown eyes and a pair of wakizashi on his left side - and a girl - who had shoulder length black hair and light brown eyes with a kusarigama at her side, the long chain curled into a thick loop.
'Nai took note of their automatic formation, with the two boys in front and the girl behind, and slid from her place on 'Kuko's left to between her and 'Ku, whispering a plan at which they nodded, moving forward to mirror their enemy's formation, 'Ku opposite the katana wielder, 'Kuko opposite the wakizashi wielder and 'Nai a little behind in the middle. A moment later, Yashamaru called for them to begin, and the two boys wasted no time in rushing the girls opposite them. 'Kuko pulled out a pair of kunai and caught the blond's blows, testing his speed with twisting counterattacks, as the strength of the blows wasn't particularly great, which he fairly easily kept up with.
'Ku also used a kunai to catch her opponent's blows, easily noticing the lack of speed compared to the blond, so tested the strength he placed in his attacks, for now keeping her speed below 'Kuko, as it was unnecessary, though the heavy blows she caught jarred her arms and she grit her teeth, bearing it with the mental fortitude she had developed from the couple of years learning under 'Ki-Sensei. 'Ku dodged to the left, barely avoiding the Kusa-kunoichi's kusarigama that appeared above her with her reduced speed and quickly back-flipped away from the katana wielder's following strike. 'Nai sent a small barrage of senbon across the arena, forcing the kunoichi to concentrate on defence instead of assisting her teammate against 'Ku.
The blond Kusa-nin upped his speed, ducking through 'Kuko's defence, though he only manged a shallow slice on her left arm as she kicked his blade, deflecting the strike and pushing herself back. She quickly dropped her kunai to make some hand seals - Tora, U, I, Inu - muttering 'Doton: Doryūheki', and spat out earth, making a wall in front of her which spread a few metres to each side, forcing 'Ku and her opponent apart as well. The two girls ran towards each other, grabbing the other's hand to yank themselves to their destinations and each other in the opposite direction, swapping opponents before the wall fell. The wakizashi wielder laughed as he saw his new foe.
"Seriously? You really think your sluggish movements can keep up with me when the other broad couldn't?" 'Ku gave a small, amused smile and dashed forward, not showing her full speed but easily faster than the blond had shown thus far, ducking under his defence and slipped up close, stabbing a kunai into his right shoulder, still with that smile on her face as she kicked him in the chest, knocking him back and propelling herself away before he could retaliate.
The kusarigama wielder again sent a high strike at 'Ku, a pair of kunai flying straight and to the left, forcing her to dodge right, towards the katana wielder, before 'Nai attacked again, dragging the enemy kunoichi's attention back to her. The brown haired boy had just sent a short Hitei Mushō at 'Kuko, who had dodged the small nails but was knocked a good distance away by the strong kick that followed the moment she landed from her dodge. He then slashed at 'Ku as she dodged towards him.
The girl quickly spun to face him, catching the blade in the ring of her kunai and she placed a hand on his shoulder, using it as a vaulting platform to flip over his head. She kept a tight hold of her kunai and wrenched the katana from the Kusa-nin's grasp, sending it flying towards the arena wall, landing back to back with her opponent. 'Ku spun to the right to stab into the boy's left shoulder but he was already turning, to his right, and he used his right hand to backhand the smaller girl, sending her sprawling in the sand back towards 'Nai.
Before the Kusa-nin could follow up, 'Kuko dashed in front of him, slashing at him with her tekko-kagi, which she had donned when she had recovered her footing after his kick, dodging out of the way of another burst of small nails while he ran to retrieve his katana. As she did so, the blond Kusa-nin recovered his feet, yanking out the kunai 'Ku had left in is shoulder, and sped over to attack 'Ku from the left before she could regain her feet. The youngest rolled to avoid him, jumping back to her feet and leant back to avoid the flurry of projectiles that were flying between 'Nai and the kusarigama wielder.
The raven haired girl used Sōshūjin, releasing chakra from her hands as she grabbed ten kunai, leaving them floating in an upwards arc around her. She sent them flying, aiming at a spot behind the blond, so they wouldn't fly into each other before hitting him and, being more spread out, would be harder to dodge. She also clapped her hands with a murmured 'Fūton: Rappūshō', sending a powerful blast of wind after the kunai, severely increasing their speed. He managed to avoid four of the kunai and deflect another five but the last dug into his thigh to the hilt, unfortunately causing a mere flesh wound, not debilitating enough to make a lot of difference bar a small reduction in his speed.
The Kusa-nin sped through some seals - I, Inu, Tori, Saru, Hitsuji - and swiped his hand through the blood running down his leg, placing it on the sand with a call of 'Kuchiyose no Jutsu'. A swarm of black butterflies with electric blue spots on their wings appeared in a puff of smoke, all flying at 'Ku to distract her while the boy removed the kunai, quickly and tightly binding the wound to limit further damage and blood loss.
'Ku spun quickly, a kunai in each hand, slicing through more and more butterflies with each revolution until only a few remained, dismissing themselves in small puffs of smoke.
The katana wielder lunged at 'Kuko but his blade was caught by her left claws while she countered with her right. While exchanging blows 'Kuko ended up with her back to the Kusa-kunoichi and noticed too late when her kusarigama came flying from the side, thus couldn't dodge fully, gaining a shallow slice curling around her left hip, not deep enough to really worry about but a painful annoyance none-the-less.
'Nai focused on the pair ganging up on 'Kuko and murmured 'Jikan Chien no Jutsu', knocking their perception a few seconds back from real time, allowing 'Ku to easily escape from their delayed attacks.
The wakizashi wielder formed a Kage Bunshin and attacked 'Ku from left and right simultaneously. She dropped into a low spinning kick, knocking both off their feet and rose, bouncing over the low slice he sends in retaliation. As the pair rose to attack again, the girl performed Hikari no Kyūtai, forming a barrage of small orbs of light which fired at the boy and his clone, who tried to dodge, several glancing the clone with one impacting into its chest, causing it to disperse in a puff of smoke. A couple of the orbs impact on the shinobi's legs, severely burning them, thus hindering future movement.
'Kuko took advantage of 'Nai's Genjutsu to spit a Dorosandan at the Kusa katana wielder's eyes, the mud blinding him when he couldn't dodge. Meanwhile, 'Nai sent a barrage of kunai towards the other black haired kunoichi, who managed to accidentally block most of them when she swipes her kusarigama at 'Kuko. Upon feeling the pain of the impacting kunai while still seeing them in flight, she noticed the Genjutsu and broke it with Genjutsu Kai.
'Kuko ducked behind the katana wielder, avoiding his blind slashes and swiped her claws through his Achilles tendons on both ankles and kicked him face down into the sand, yanking his arms behind his back and tying them tightly with steel wire, effectively removing him as a threat.
With one enemy dealt with, 'Nai's plan could be properly set into action and 'Kuko darted in to attack their female opponent, dragging her attention away from 'Nai. The Kusa-kunoichi formed a Tora seal and used Suiton: Teppōdama, spitting high speed balls of condensed water at 'Kuko to keep her at a distance. With the black haired girl suitably distracted, 'Nai concentrated on a new Genjutsu, Magen: Jubaku Satsu. She vanished like mist, to the enemy's sight, and snuck in close before the technique truly kicked in and the Kusa-kunoichi was suddenly immobilised by an illusionary tree rapidly growing around her.
'Ku and the wakizashi wielder exchanged, relatively, fast blows, the blond's speed hindered by his burns and 'Ku's hindered by a lucky shot he had snuck in from behind by using Kawarimi with a kunai she had dodged. 'Kuko appeared behind the blond, as the other opponent was under control, and the boy dodged but lost track of ''Ku, allowing her to slip the ring end of a kunai around one of his swords, twisting it sharply against a weak spot and breaking the blade. He backs away from the pair, keeping both in his sights but this allowed the girls to launch a pincer attack. The boy caught 'Ku's kunai with his broken wakizashi and one of 'Kuko's claws with the unbroken, but 'Kuko holds the blade still, using her other claws to break it as well. 'Ku holds a kunai, in her other hand, to the boy's throat, 'Nai doing the same with her captive and the Kusagakure team surrenders, with no way out of their predicament.
When Team Ibiki was called as the winner, 'Nai dropped her Genjutsu and stowed her kunai, gathering all the thrown weapons that littered the arena's floor - though some senbon were left unaccounted for, lost within the sand - 'Kuko removed her tekko-kagi and went to untie the brown haired Kusa-nin, also removing the mud from his eyes, while 'Ku did what she could to heal his ankles until the Iryō-nin arrived to take care of him, after which she concentrated on the, fairly minor, injuries her own team had sustained.
They lingered back in the stands with 'Ki-Sensei for the last fight - the other Suna team and the Ame one - again for the purpose of judging abilities while 'Kuko napped.
Once the Suna team won, 'Ku poked her friend awake as Yashamaru told them that the solo matches would be held in two weeks' time at eight o'clock in the morning, if they were late, they were disqualified.
And so the team trained, spending most of their waking time sparring and practicing a few higher ranked Jutsu they had either started working on or at learnt the theory of before leaving for Suna.
*o*o*o*
At a little after seven, Team Ibiki was the first team to arrive at the arena, though already the stands were rapidly filling with spectators, and they made their way to the smallish section that was reserved for the competitors and their sensei. 'Ku brought out her flask of green tea, giving a cup to each of the other three and thanked Kami-sama that you couldn't be disqualified for the consumption of caffeine before the fights.
'Nai ended up with the dubious honour of going first, her opponent one of the Suna-nin, a roughly thirteen year old boy with short, flat, black hair and light brown eyes, no obvious specialised weapon.
The Suna-nin moved first with Fūton: Rasen Kazedama, sending a fast ball of spinning wind at 'Nai, quickly followed by a barrage of kunai. The girl barely dodged the Jutsu and deflected the kunai with her own. She stomped on the sand with a whispered 'Shinkirō', and a whirl of pink leaves surrounded her, soon causing her to vanish as a pink mist enveloped the arena. She took advantage of her disappearance and used Doton: Moguragakure no Jutsu, which she had bugged 'Kuko to teach her in the previous fortnight, tunnelling underground to remain hidden even if her Genjutsu was dispelled.
The black haired boy did just that with a whispered 'Kai', scowling when his opponent wasn't revealed, so he used Ressenpū and spun in a circle, sending a powerful stream of wind across the arena in all directions, expecting the girl would be there somewhere and get revealed when hit by the wind. His scowl turned to confusion when nothing happened past the piling of sand at the edges of the area as it was pushed away from his position. 'Nai dug her way underneath the Suna-nin and created another Magen: Jubaku Satsu from there, rising behind the boy once he was immobilised and held a kunai in each hand, one across his throat, the other perilously close to his family jewels.
The boy cursed but surrendered quickly enough when 'Nai added a little pressure, her chin on his shoulder where he could just see the serene smile on her face as she did so.
'Nai returned to her place in the stands, sharing a grin with 'Ku, while 'Kuko was practically cackling. Once the sand had been returned to a flat surface, the next fight was called, 'Ku against Anko.
Silence covered the stadium as the two girls stood opposite each other, both in battle-ready stances but waiting for the other to make the first move. Anko broke the tableau with hand seals. 'Katon: Kaen Senpū', a spiralling blaze erupted around the purple haired girl and with an, almost lazy, hand movement, she sent the flames spinning after 'Ku. The younger girl dodged, but Anko just waved the flames after her, so 'Ku ran in circles around the other, forcing Anko to spin on the spot to keep the flames chasing her. Each circle became smaller than the last until 'Ku was close enough to get behind the older girl with an extra burst of speed, kicking the back of her knee.
Anko lurched forward, disrupting her Jutsu and spun around, kunai in hand, stabbing towards 'Ku's side. The raven haired girl dodged back and gathered wind chakra into her right hand, releasing it as a slicing wave with a swipe of that hand across her body and a murmured 'Jūha Shō'. Anko ducked under the blue chakra wave and dashed closer, hands forming the Mi then Tora seals then punched at 'Ku, despite not being close enough to actually make contact.
"Sen'eijashu." About six large snakes erupted from the large sleeve of Anko's coat, mouths gaping to reveal long fangs. 'Ku dodged away, kunai slicing through the snakes' necks as she went and grabbed ten kunai, spreading them in an arc, around her waist, in front of her with Sōshūjin, letting them fly straight at that level towards Anko. The older girl watched their trajectory, ready to jump when they got close enough, but failed to notice 'Ku repeating the action moments after the first group of kunai flew, this batch aimed higher up to where she predicted Anko would be when she jumped.
The strategy worked perfectly, though 'Ku's aim was a little off, so Anko was left with slices on her right arm and side from glancing shots and a kunai buried deep in her abdomen. She quickly ran through some hand seals - Tora, Uma, Ne, Inu, Tora - with a shout of 'Katon: Benijigumo', spitting out fire that formed into a ring that circled 'Ku, also forming a spider out of the flames that attacked the younger girl. While 'Ku was occupied, Anko yanked out the kunai in her abdomen, former a Tora seal and exhaled a weak Katon: Karyūdan to seal the wound.
'Ku dodged the flame-spider's attacks, darting swiftly around the small space she had and once by the edge Anko was on the opposite side of, she released another Jūha Shō, the wind chakra picking up fir from the wall, amplifying it as it flew towards the purple head. Anko released the Benijigumo as she flattened herself on the sand to avoid the flaming arc of wind chakra.
'Ku dashed forward, kunai in hand, stabbing out at the downed girl who kicked at the attacking hand and blew a stronger Karyūdan at her. The raven haired girl dodged back and flashed through some hand seals - Ne, Mi, Uma, Inu - before spinning while exhaling wind chakra into a sharp, circular blade around her which blew outwards, amplifying Anko's flames as it blew them back at her.
The elder girl dodged as she cut off the Jutsu, cursing when the tallest spikes of her ponytail set alight and quickly extinguished the small flames. She bit into her thumb and placed her hand flat on the sand, summoning several, roughly twelve foot long, blue snakes which darted swiftly across the sand. 'Ku hurriedly swiped a Jūha Shō, beheading all but one of the approaching reptiles, which wrapped itself around her body, knocking her kunai from her hand, and preventing escape, though her hands stuck out between the coils with just enough movement available for hand seals.
Not wanting to give the younger girl time to escape, Anko dashed forwards, kunai at the ready. 'Ku formed the Mi seal and focused wind chakra into her fallen kunai, "Fūton: Suiran Reppū." The kunai glowed blue with chakra and flew over the snake's head, then stabbed down, slicing through all its coils on the way down, freeing 'Ku from its tightening embrace.
The girl scurried away from the dying snake and caught Anko's wrist as she attacked but the older girl kicked her in the gut, sending her flying into the wall of the stadium. 'Ku regained her feet, leaning against the wall for support while she pushed aside the daze that had appeared from hitting her head to hard but these precious moments gave Anko time to approach and send more poisonous snakes from a Sen'eijashu at her.
"Jūha Reppū Shō." 'Ku thrust her hand forward, sending forth a giant demonic claw of wind chakra, which sliced easily though the approaching snakes and slammed into Anko, too fast to avoid, thrusting her across the stadium, into the opposite wall and cracking her head against it. The older girl barely clung to consciousness and summon several small brown snakes to attack 'Ku, a couple of which slipped beneath the sand to remain unnoticed.
'Ku wasn't in a much better state than Anko, having exhausted most of her chakra on that last, powerful, Jutsu, but she still managed to defend herself with a kunai, at least from the snakes she could see above ground, the pair that approached from below slipped past her defence and bit deep into the girl's legs, releasing a painful poison into her bloodstream. 'Ku quickly decapitated the snakes, but the damage was done and she surrendered, knowing that any time wasted before the poison was removed or she was given an antidote could allow it to cause irreparable damage.
A group of Iryō-nin sped into the ring, half heading for Anko to fix her up for the second battle she would have to fight later in the day, while the other half went to 'Ku to see what they could do for the poison. Had 'Ku been less exhausted, she probably would have tried to flee when Orochimaru-Sensei approached with the antidote, something about him just creeped her out which really said something considering the amount of time she spent working in T&I.
Both girls were ordered to take it easy, 'Ku for the next few days, though she would be permitted to watch the rest of the matches so long as she didn't strain herself, Anko for the time until her next fight, commanded to nap if she could. The pair supported each other back to their seats, each congratulating the other for a good fight with promises to spar again in the future. Despite the lack of hard feelings between them, 'Kuko levelled Anko with an impressive glare for daring to hurt her best friend.
The next battle was between a Suna kunoichi with shoulder length strawberry blonde hair and green eyes and one of Anko's teammates, a boy with spiky brown hair, dark eyes and large round glasses. 'Nai kept an eye on the fight to judge their abilities while 'Kuko hovered by 'Ku's side, unused to the younger girl being the, relatively, seriously injured one.
Due to the odd number of combatants, the final fight of the round was a three-way free-for-all between 'Kuko, the other Suna-nin - a girl with long sky blue hair in a high ponytail and green eyes - and Anko's other teammate - a Hyūga with long brown hair in a high ponytail.
The moment the start was called, 'Kuko dashed towards the Suna-kunoichi, grabbing her wrists as she tried to attack and leant close to whisper without the Hyūga overhearing, who seemed happy enough to stay out of the way as if to let the two girls fight and pick off the winner afterwards.
"Ok, calm down. I propose a truce until we get rid of the Hyūga, think fast, yes or no?" The two girls stood motionless, 'Kuko staring intently, trying to convey the sincerity of her off.
"Why?"
"Because any Byakugan wielder is a pain in the ass to fight one on one unless you're a strict Taijutsu specialist who doesn't really use chakra, so do we have a deal?" The other girl agreed and the pair parted then turned to their other opponent. The Suna-kunoichi darted forth, speed greater than 'Kuko's though the brunette could tell her speed didn't come close to 'Ku's, so should be should fairly easy to manage once the Hyūga was dealt with.
While the blue haired girl distracted the boy, 'Kuko moulded chakra - Ne, Mi, Tora - and created a wave of earth with Doton: Doryūha. The wave surged towards the fighting pair and 'Kuko had it branch off to either side , curling around 'til it hit the arena walls to trap them within the smaller area. The Suna-kunoichi formed a few Suna Bunshin to join her in attacking the boy from several sides simultaneously. The Hyūga activated his Byakugan and responded with Shōtei, striking at the chests of the bunshin with the heel of his palms and pushing chakra into them to return them to sand, the real kunoichi dodging out of reach after the first bunshin fell.
While the boy was distracted, 'Kuko spat a Dorosandan at his feet, the chakra infused mud sticking him in place. The Suna-kunoichi raised her fist away from her body with a murmured 'Saganken' and sand rose to her hand, solidifying into a katana made of sandstone. The Hyūga raised his hands next to each other and used Hakke Kūhekishō to release a powerful wave of chakra from his palms, knocking the girl into the wall, where she took a few moments to shake off her daze.
'Kuko sent another Dorosandan, this time aimed at the boy's nose and mouth to suffocate him, but he repeated his attack, repelling the mud and almost knocking 'Kuko off her wall as she dodged the wave of chakra using Doton: Moguragakure no Jutsu. The blue haired girl, having regained her wits formed a multitude of Suna Bunshin to attack from all sides with the opponent unable to escape, while 'Kuko emerged from her wall at ground level forming the Tori seal for Doton: Doryūsō, which condensed the stone of her wall and shot it as stalagmite-like spikes at the Hyūga.
The boy was unable to dodge the earth spikes and couldn't repel them while dealing with the bunshin, so was speared through each limb, the force pushing him out of the mud trap and pinning him to the area wall. 'Kuko ran along one of the spikes and bashed the boy over the head with the ring end of a kunai to knock him and left him pinned in place while she threw a few kunai towards her other opponent.
The Suna-kunoichi dashed towards 'Kuko's wall with the Hitsuji seal formed and slid through it with Hyōmengakure no Jutsu, 'Kuko following with the simpler technique of just running up to the top of the wall. She formed a Tora seal and used the stone of her wall to create a river of mud with Doton: Doryū Taiga, immediately followed by Doton: Doryūdan - Hitsuji, Uma, Tatsu - which created a dragon head from the mud which spat balls of mud at the Suna-kunoichi. The bluenette used her Saganken to form a shield in her off-hand to block those shots she couldn't dodge and 'Kuko jumped down to ground level, instantly sinking into the sand with Doton: Moguragakure no Jutsu.
With 'Kuko no longer supplying chakra, the dragon head sunk beck into the river of mud, allowing the Suna-kunoichi to still, taking the moment of peace to form three Suna Bunshin and the four stood back to back, not allowing their opponent the opportunity to sneak up behind them.
Unfortunately for her, 'Kuko didn't need to rise to attack, she burrowed down through the sand until she reached rock, several metres down. She placed her hands on the stone, muttering 'Doton: Ishi Kasui', causing the stone underneath the Suna-kunoichi and her bunshin to surge up at tall spikes, which speared through all the bunshin and glanced the original as she tried to dodge, leaving a deep slice through her left side.
'Kuko slid om her tekko-kagi as she moved through the sand , rising towards her opponent. She let her hand rise above the sand alone, slashing at the girl's ankles and she fell as her feet became unusable. 'Kuko's head rose just above the Suna-kunoichi's, one set of claws resting lightly across her throat. The bluenette glared but accepted her defeat and surrendered. The brunette lifted herself back onto ground level, placing her first aid pack under the girl's chin so she could take her weight off her arms without either getting a face-full of sand or rolling her onto her back and forced sand into her wounds. 'Kuko then darted over to her stone wall and dismantled it, catching the, still unconscious, Hyūga when he was released from the spikes which held him up and handed him over to the Iryō-nin. She then bounced back to her place in the stands, Ibiki-Sensei telling her not to get a big head while 'Nai and 'Ku congratulated her.
There was an hour break before the next round commenced, in which most people had, a rather late, lunch, while gossiping about the various battles they'd seen, filling in late-comers on the earlier fights they'd missed and commenting on who they expected to advance to Chūnin from what they'd seen. 'Kuko found her shoulder being used as pillow while 'Ku napped, finally allowing her exhaustion to take hold as she needn't worry over her teammates for a while. Though her nap only lasted for that break as the first fight of the second round was 'Kuko vs. 'Nai.
As the pair descended to the arena, they shook hands with a 'no hard feelings, whoever wins' agreement. Before they started, 'Kuko pulled on her tekko-kagi, knowing well enough there would be no winning by holding back in the beginning, the pair had sparred against each other often enough no to be fooled into thinking the other was any weaker than they really were.
'Kuko took the first move by spitting out a Doton: Doryūheki and sliding underground with Moguragakure. 'Nai responded with Magen: Kokoni Arazu no Jutsu, creating the illusion of a Konoha-esque forest. The surroundings were insubstantial, so the pair couldn't have a treetop battle as they'd prefer, or use any of the surroundings for Jutsu but the trees could still be used as hiding places, if necessary.
'Nai stood still, all senses aware to find where 'Kuko would pop up, her ability to pinpoint such by vibrations through the sand, unfortunately limited. 'Kuko slowly slid though the sand, careful not to assist 'Nai in locating her by making large vibrations from movements that even she would detect, and set a few exploding tags underneath the other girl's feet, burrowing away much faster so as not to be caught up in the explosion herself. 'Nai noticed the signs of 'Kuko moving away from her and dodged backwards just as the explosion went off, barely catching her left foot, leaving it with mild burns.
'Kuko rose in front of the black haired girl, claws slashing towards her, driving her to dodge back further, closer to the arena wall. 'Nai knew better that to let herself get trapped with her back to a wall and grabbed the brunette's right hand as it approached, pulling 'Kuko forward and spinning them around to slam the other girl into the wall, kunai in her other hand to attack. 'Kuko reacts swiftly, dodging away from the kunai with the Tori seal formed, using the arena wall to shoot stone spikes at 'Nai with Doton: Doryūsō.
'Nai jumped back, dodging away from the spikes with the brunette following, claws flashing and the pair exchanged a flurry of blows from claws and kunai, each inflicting superficial slices on the other but nothing that would really bother them. Despite the current stalemate, 'Nai knew that she could not match her teammate's stamina and used Shinkirō to back off and form a Kage Bunshin. 'Kuko slid underground, the Genjutsu may have stolen her sight but she could still feel the vibrations of movement through the sand and from there it was safe to focus on her Genjutsu Kai, before she dove down to the stone layer beneath the sand, using Ishi Kasui beneath 'Nai's feet.
The black haired girl and her bunshin dodged the emerging spikes, pushing off another and channelling chakra to their hands and feet to cling to the edge of the first dodged spikes in order to avoid the others that rose in a six foot radius from their position. Once the movement ceased, the pair hopped from spike to spike and the bunshin dropped back onto the sand at the edge of the Jutsu's influence, while the original remained perched on one of the outermost spikes.
'Kuko appeared behind the bunshin, stabbing at the back of the neck but was dodged and received a thrown kunai aimed at her face in retaliation, which the brunette deflected. The real 'Nai pushed off her spike towards 'Kuko while her bunshin attacked from the other side. The brunette deflected the bunshin's attack while kicking the original away, with enough force that, had she been the bunshin, she would have dispersed. With the lack of smoke as that 'Nai went flying, 'Kuko knew the one in front of her was the bunshin and stabbed forcefully into its chest, causing it to vanish in a puff of smoke.
"Now I'm hurt, that was quite the vicious stab you gave me 'Kuko-chan." 'Nai pouted at her teammate as she got back to her feet from the heap she'd landed in after that kick.
"Don't take it too personally, 'Nai-chan, I knew it was the fake." 'Kuko grinned in response, spitting a Dorosandan at the other girl's eyes while she remained stationary. The black haired girl dodged the flying mud and used Jikan Chien no Jutsu but 'Kuko wasn't about to let 'Nai have a Genjutsu advantage so burrowed down again for another 'Kai'. She popped up behind 'Nai and kicked her, the other girl spun as she fell and slashed at 'Kuko's leg, thankfully for the brunette not cutting in too deep.
"Kuso, you trying to take my foot off or something?" 'Kuko hopped back and gingerly tested her weight on the injured limb, satisfied when it wouldn't hinder her too much. 'Nai gave her an innocent smile that said 'Would I do such a thing?' as she flipped back onto her feet. 'Kuko simply retaliated with Doton: Doryūha and rode the wave of earth after 'Nai as she fled, laughing at the glower that was painted across the brunette's face. She used the wave to trap 'Nai, as she had the Hyūga, and jumped down to join her teammate in the small enclosure.
'Nai quickly formed her hand seals - Ne, I, Tora - and summoned a flock of crows with Sanzengarasu no Jutsu, then began scaling the walls to escape her friend's trap. 'Kuko tore through the crows with claws and, getting annoyed at the number, used Doton: Doryūsō to spear them. The last crows vanished when 'Nai got stabbed through the stomach with one of the spikes.
'Kuko froze in panic at the thought of causing her friend serious harm and cancelled her Jutsu, catching 'Nai as she fell and spouting an endless stream of apologies as she was announced the winner. 'Ku suddenly appeared at her side, having dragged herself down from her seat and gently pulled 'Kuko away, allowing the Iryō-nin to do their job while she calmed the brunette down. Which only really worked once the medics had verified that 'Nai would be fine, though confined to the hospital for a couple of days. The Horror!
The last fight of the day was Anko against the Suna-nin that had beaten her teammate. Due to the lateness when that battle ended, the final was scheduled for the next day. Thus Ibiki-Sensei dragged 'Ku and 'Kuko back to their hotel room and forced them to sleep, rather than spend the night with 'Nai in the hospital, especially as 'Kuko had to fight again.
*o*o*o*
It was mid-morning the next day, when the final began, 'Kuko reassured of 'Nai's wellbeing after a visit earlier so she could concentrate on her fight instead of worrying.
Anko took the first move with Katon: Karyūdan, breathing fire at the brunette, who evaded by ducking under the sand, quickly pulling on the tekko-kagi while she had the opportunity. The purple haired kunoichi summoned a collection of her large blue snakes which slithered into radiative circles around her feet, ready to restrain 'Kuko, should she attempt to pop up anywhere nearby.
"Clever, Anko-chan, but not clever enough," 'Kuko muttered to herself as she felt the vibrations in the sand which betrayed the other girl's plan. The brunette dove to stone, using Ishi Kasui to remove most of the snakes, knowing better than to expect it to do much damage to her opponent.
Anko grabbed onto the tip of a spike as it rose beside her, letting it lift her out of the way of the others which skewered most of her blue snakes. 'Kuko popped up a short distance behind the purple haired girl, gaining height with Doryūha, however instead of sending the earth wave at the other girl, she used it as a medium for Retsudo Tenshin, creating a giant needle which stabbed out to impale her.
Anko swung around her spike, out of the way of the needle and jumped on top of it, running towards 'Kuko. A Doton: Doryūsō forced her 'round the needle to run along the underside instead and she slipped back on top once close enough to send a Sen'eijashu at the brunette.
'Kuko intentionally fell off her perch, ducking under the striking snakes, and stuck herself to the side of the wave about half way down, using another Doryūsō to skewer the sleeve-snakes whilst her claws slashed at the blue binding-snakes below which had survived her Ishi Kasui and were trying to ensnare her. The spiralling fire of Kaen Senpū cascaded down the earth at 'Kuko's precarious position and she hurriedly dodged to the side and created a horizontal wall above her with Doryūheki.
Anko used Katon: Haisekishō to breathe out a cloud of ash-like gunpowder and ignited it with Karyūdan, creating an explosion which destroyed the hastily created wall and carved out a large chunk from the wave. However 'Kuko had already disappeared into the rock, sliding up behind the other girl and washing her off the wall with a well-placed Doryū Taiga , Doryūdan following to keep her dodging, careful direction of the shots drove the purple head along a specific pathway, making it easy for 'Kuko to spit out a Dorosandan on the predicted path, so it would hit her eyes when she got there, leaving the other girl blind. Anko summoned some of her small, brown, poisonous snakes as protection while she cleared her eyes, a small collection of them slithering beneath her feet due to 'Kuko's penchant for sneak attacks from beneath, and one curled around her neck to be her eyes until she could use her own again.
As her opponent's blinding was of limited use due to the snakes, 'Kuko sunk back through stone, into sand, with no qualms about slicing her way through the underground snake defence, but Anko could tell when she did so and stabbed down into the sand, a lucky hit breaking the tekko-kagi on 'Kuko's right hand.
"I really liked these, you know? They weren't easy to come by." The brunette pouted as she rose from the sand a short distance away, pulling off both sets of metal claws.
"Tsume no Seisei no Jutsu." 'Kuko's finger and toe nails grew swiftly into long sharp claws, durability enhanced by chakra. She dashed forward, hand and feet tearing through Anko's small summons and a spinning kick dug the claws for her foot into the purple head's left shoulder, the leg yanked back to remove them in a spray of blood.
A right handed Sen'eijashu was sent in response and all but 1 of the snakes were sliced through with 'Kuko's left claws while the rights dug deep into the other girl's gut. The left claws came to rest at Anko's neck, even as 'Kuko's pure stubbornness fought the poison of that one snake and the pain of a kunai from Anko, driven to the hilt into her, just below the ribs, and Anko surrendered, acknowledging that in a true fight she would be dead already, before the poison could overcome the brunette.
The Iryō-nin dragged the pair away to fix them up, one of them snatching the poison's antidote from Orochimaru-Sensei when he tried to approach and shooing him away before he could get in their way.
It was a couple of days before the pair and 'Nai were permitted to leave the hospital, just in time for the results to be announced. Though, 'Kuko in particular was almost bored to tears by the long-winded speech from the Kazekage before the list of those advancing was read. In alphabetical order. Thus 'Kuko and 'Ku were announced one after the other at the beginning and 'Nai was right at the end, which had 'Kuko fretting for her in the interim, with Anko, as the only other Konoha advancement, somewhere in the middle.
Despite the joy of success, Team Ibiki didn't really celebrate until they got back to Konoha, at which point the whole village probably knew from the size of the party at the Ogawa-Itō house, 'Kuko managed to organise within an hour of their arrival.
*o*o*o*
Kumogakure - Village Hidden in the Clouds
Sunagakure - Village Hidden in the Sand
Hi no Kuni - Land of Fire
Kawa no Kuni - Land of Rivers
Kaze no Kuni - Land of Wind
Amegakure - Village Hidden in the Rain
Arashi no Kuni - Land of Storms*
Kusagakure - Village Hidden in the Grass
Kouba no Kuni - Land of Plants*
Takigakure - Village Hidden in the Waterfall
En no Kuni - Land of Dams*
(*These countries are unnamed in canon so I used the names from here (remove spaces) z13. invisionfree Red_Clouds/ar/t124. htm, I also used it for distances)
Iwagakure - Village Hidden in the Rocks
Kirigakure - Village Hidden in the Mist
Ohayo - Good morning
-Bāsama - Honoured Grandmother
-oba - Aunt
Kami-sama - God
Kuso - Damn
Tekko-kagi - A weapon made of, usually, 4 claw-like blades attached to metal ring.
Katana - 1-handed Japanese long sword, only bladed on one side.
Wakizashi - 1-handed Japanese short sword, also only bladed on one side.
Kusarigama - Japanese weapon consisting of a sickle on a metal chain with an iron weight at the other end.
Doton: Moguragakure no Jutsu - Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole Technique - changes earth into fine sand by channelling chakra into it, allowing the user to dig through it like a mole.
Kanashibari no Jutsu - Temporary Paralysis Technique - physically restrains target(s) as if bound by steel ropes for a few moments.
Doton: Doryūheki - Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall - user creates a solid wall of earth, either using surroundings or by spitting out Chakra as earth.
Hitei Mushō - Flying Nail Mist Soaring - user exhales a flying stream of very small nails from their mouth.
Sōshūjin - Manipulating Attack Blades - user releases chakra from their hand to hold multiple kunai in suspension in order to fire many from varying directions simultaneously at a single target.
Fūton: Rappūshō - Wind Release: Gale Palm - Compresses wind into a powerful gale.
Kuchiyose no Jutsu - Summoning Technique - uses a blood sacrifice to transport people/animals across long distances instantly, requires a contract to be signed.
Jikan Chien no Jutsu - Time Delay Technique - alters target(s) perception of time so they see things a few seconds after they happen. (Own Creation)
Kage Bunshin no Jutsu - Shadow Clone Technique - creates corporeal copy(ies) of the user. The user's chakra is evenly distributed amongst all clones and self. User receives experience of clone(s) upon dispersion.
Hikari no Kyūtai - Orbs of Light - creates a barrage of small orbs of light which fire at target, burning them.
Dorosandan - Mudshot - user fires chakra-enhanced mud at target from their mouth.
Genjutsu Kai - Illusionary Technique Dissipation - user disrupts/stops their own chakra flow to break a genjutsu's influence.
Suiton: Teppōdama - Water Release: Gunshot - user spits out condensed chakra in the form of balls of water, with the same speed & power as an actual gunshot.
Magen: Jubaku Satsu - Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death - user disappears in a mist-like fashion to sneak up on target, once close enough target is robbed of mobility as a fast growing tree wraps around them.
Kawarimi no Jutsu - Body Replacement Technique - user exchanges their body with another object, typically the instant an attack lands to create the short optical illusion of a successful attack.
Fūton: Rasen Kazedama - Wind Release: Spiralling Wind Ball - user breathes wind chakra into their palm, shaping it into a small spherical whirlwind & shooting it at a target.
Shinkirō - Mirage - causes pink leaves to surround the user & envelops the area in pink mist, hiding the user.
Ressenpū - Violent Whirlwind - user produces a powerful stream of wind from their mouth.
Katon: Kaen Senpū - Fire Release: Flame Whirlwind - fire erupts around the user in a spiralling manner & is launched with their hands towards the target.
Jūha Shō - Beast Tearing Palm - user gathers chakra in their hand and swipes a slicing wave of wind chakra which can cut/slash through any material.
Sen'eijashu - Hidden Snake Hands - user ejects poisonous snakes from their wrist/sleeve, usually after a punching motion.
Katon: Benijigumo - Fire Release: Crimson Earth Spider - user spews out fire which surrounds the target(s) and transforms into a spider that attacks them.
Katon: Karyūdan - Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bullet - user exhales a flame breathe from their mouth.
Fūton: Shinkūha - Wind Release: Vacuum Wave - user takes deep breath and spins while exhaling, compressing the released air into a single blade that covers a substantial area around them.
Fūton: Suiran Reppū - Wind Release: Verdant Mountain Gale - user infuses wind-based chakra into a bladed weapon from a distance and manipulates them.
Jūha Reppū Shō - Beast Tearing Gale Palm - Enhanced version of Jūha Shō, condenses a mass of wind chakra into a massive demonic-like claw extending from user's hand. Can be used to slice/grab/deflect attacks/push etc.
Doton: Doryūha - Earth Release: Earth Flow Wave - user creates & rides a wave of earth that can branch off.
Suna Bunshin - Sand Clone - creates a solid clone from sand.
Shōtei - Palm Bottom - Byakugan & Hyūga specific, quick, precise thrust of user's palm to opponent's body which sends chakra into them for internal damage.
Saganken - Sandstone Fist - user gathers sand into their hand which transforms into very solid & durable sandstone weapons/shield.
Hakke Kūhekishō - Eight Trigrams Vacuum Wall Palm - Byakugan & Hyūga specific, two Gentle Fist users, or one with both hands, send a powerful wave of chakra from palm(s) simultaneously with great force.
Doton: Doryūsō - Earth Release: Earth Flow Spears - user condenses stone/mud from ground and shapes it into spikes which protrude from ground to skewer target.
Hyōmengakure no Jutsu - Hiding in Surface Technique - user can phase through their surroundings to quickly evade attack or travel undetected.
Doton: Doryū Taiga - Earth Release: Earth Flow River - transforms ground into a river of mud which can throw opponent off balance & push them away from the user. Is also used as a medium for Doton: Doryūdan.
Doton: Doryūdan - Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet - creates a dragon-like head out of Doton: Doryū Taiga which shoots mud balls at target.
Doton: Ishi Kasui - Earth Release: Stone Spikes - user creates spikes of earth that come up from the ground beneath the enemy in a 6' radius of spikes.
Magen: Kokoni Arazu no Jutsu - Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings Technique - weak Genjutsu which creates illusionary surroundings that trick target(s) into mistaking one place for another.
Sanzengarasu no Jutsu - Scattering Thousand Crows Technique - summons a flock of countless crows to dazzle enemy, can be manipulated by emitting chakra as high frequency waves from fingertips.
Retsudo Tenshin - Violent Heavenly Earth Needle - user creates a large needle out of Doton: Doryūha to impale target.
Katon: Haisekishō - Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning - user spews a stream of chakra-infused gunpowder from mouth which surrounds a region, lingering like a cloud. Can be used as a smokescreen or is easily ignited.
Tsume no Seisei no Jutsu - Claw Creation Technique - user temporarily enhances the growth of their nails on both hands & feet, causing them to grow significantly in a short space of time. Also enhances nail durability & sharpness.
Hand seals
Saru - Monkey - right hand on top of left - palms to palm-side of fingers - thumbs on top of pinkies.
Tatsu - Dragon - palms facing but separate, fingers interlocked - rights on top of lefts, knuckles facing forwards - pinkies stretched down - palm-sides together - thumbs raised - still curled, left on top of right.
Ne - Rat - left hand pointed up - middle & index fingers pointing straight up, ring and pinkie curled to palm - right hand curled around left middle & index fingers, left thumb on outside of right hand.
Tori - Bird - palms facing but separated, fingers interlocked - rights in front of lefts from own perspective, knuckles facing up - pinkies & indexes stretched up - palm-sides together - thumbs stretched towards self - parallel to ground.
Mi - Snake - palms together, fingers interlocked - lefts in front of rights from own perspective, knuckles facing up.
Ushi - Ox - right hand horizontal, left hand vertical - fingers & thumbs interlocked but straight, except left middle & ring which lie flat on top of right hand, lefts in front of rights from own perspective.
Inu - Dog - left hand flat on top of right fist - parallel to ground.
Uma - Horse - palms apart - parallel to self - fingers interlocked - lefts on top of rights, thumbs curled to base of own hand's index - index finders pointed to touch at tips.
Tora - Tiger - palms together, rings and pinkies interlocked - rights in front of lefts from own perspective, knuckles facing up - indexes and middles flat together - pointed up - thumbs sides together - pointed up.
I - Boar - both hands fists - thumbs curled so nails rest on 1st index joint - knuckles flat together - thumbs knuckles side by side together - finger knuckles facing ground.
Hitsuji - Ram - right hand vertical - pinkie and ring curled to palm, middle, index and thumb pointing straight up - left hand slightly higher, also vertical - pinkie and ring curled over right pinkie and ring, middle and index flat against right's, thumb in front of right from own perspective.
U - Hare - left hand palm facing self - thumb straight up, index straight towards right, other fingers lightly curled - right hand horizontal, palm facing ground - pinkie straight towards left in front of left thumb, pinkie edge of palm flat on top of left index, other fingers lightly curled.
If anyone's confused, I used Japanese alphabetical order, not English.
Don't worry about keeping track of all the random Ocs in this chapter, near enough, if not all of them will not crop up again. Anko's teammates might pop up, but they're not really important, hence why they remain unnamed.
And my apologies for not getting this out last month as I expected but I seriously underestimated the length of & amount of research required for the 3rd exam. I had to look through over 1700 Jutsu, screen out Kekkei Genkai (bloodline limits) and Hiden (Secret Tradition - family specific techniques), then differentiate by type, rank and range, note down what each does, make Japanese names for those without and make lists of what each character is capable of. Literally took a week to do.
Anyways, it's 3:30 in the morning and I have a 9 o'clock lecture later this morning so need sleep, please review and see you next time, though almost certainly not so long a chapter or AN then.
Your seriously-knackered-from-typing-for-the-past-9-hours -straight-even-skipping-dinner-to-get-this-up-in-time-author
Kouseki