Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Chapter 17's finally here. YAY! I've just been busy lately that's all…
Chapter 17
Byakugan's Bane? The Preliminaries Begin!
A weary looking figure with arm blades trust the door open, looking exhausted. A girl stood behind him and another boy stepped around him, into the light, smiling at the other 21 Genin.
"Miss me, blondie?" Kyban asked.
Ino screamed.
"What the-?"
"We beat you!"
"How are you here?"
"Are you three here for another beating?"
A barrage of outbursts from Teams 6 and 10 (minus Tamaru and Ino that is)
Karken smiled.
"Did you really think that minor setback would put us out for good? No, after that humiliation at your hands, we just have to have our revenge!" Karken laughed.
"Why do you ALWAYS have to laugh every time you say something?" Sakura asked.
"Maybe we wouldn't laugh if you six weren't so laughable!" Ryuna stepped into the room as well.
Genma was examining his watch.
"Laughable? Well I guess since we beat you, that makes you three more laughable!" Raigar shot back.
"Yeah, but you had to buddy up to take us down. If you weren't so cowardly, we would have defeated you easily!" Kyban replied.
"What the heck is going on here…?" Neji murmured.
Shikamaru meandered over to him.
"That's the Mist Team that Team 6 and Team 10 had to ally to beat last night. Apparently, they managed to get nine medals in one day." he said.
Neji raised an eyebrow.
"Nine in a day? That's pretty impressive."
Shikamaru nodded.
Genma cleared his throat, reclaiming everyone's attention.
"11:59." he said, "At least it was when they arrived. That means that they made it in time, and we can include both them and Team 10 now."
Sakura was at once angered and relieved at this declaration. On the good side, they were allowed in. On the bad side, so were those Mist Genin.
Kyban smiled.
"Hmm… I think our appearance got that team of incompetents in too. Guess you better thank me, eh blondie?"
"In your dreams!" Ino exclaimed in a disgusted tone.
"You're welcome." Kyban replied.
"Now go get some sleep! Whoever isn't here by 8:00 sharp is going to be disqualified, and I figure you all will want rest." Genma said, "So go!"
The Genin grumbled off as they went to the stairs on opposite sides of the arena, climbing up the tower to their rooms.
"Twenty-four." Shikamaru said, "We're having a tournament with twenty-four people."
Genma shrugged.
"It'll be at least down to twelve for the real tournament."
"Still, this is more than we've ever had."
"I guess we have a talented crop this year."
Shikamaru chuckled.
"Half of them were the same crop as last year."
Genma shrugged again.
"So? It took me way more than one try to get my Chuunin ranking. You are one of the very, very few that got it on your first shot. You should be grateful."
Shikamaru scoffed.
"Cheh, being a Chuunin is just WAY too troublesome."
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"I'm using the bathroom for the next hour or so, you boys stay out!" Rasha slammed the door in Raigar and Tamaru's faces.
"What's up with her?" Tamaru asked.
"Probably just mad she didn't get to go home. I mean, I'm kinda annoyed too- last year they didn't give any rest to those Genin, so I guess I should be grateful that we're getting 8 hours of it… but still, why wouldn't they let us go home?" Raigar asked.
"We might not get out. Or back in." Tamaru said.
"Oh, the forest? True… I guess the tower is in the middle of the forest, by the time we got out and back in we'd be more tired than we started."
"It's better this way." Tamaru assured.
Silence.
"Anyway, we can't be the only team with this problem. Every team has at least one girl." Tamaru said.
"…not the Rock Team."
"Whatever. The point is, we can't be the only team having this problem."
"Rasha just isn't used to sharing… living conditions… with boys. She only has sisters, I think."
"No, no, she's an only child."
"I've met one of her sisters though!" Raigar protested.
Tamaru looked confused.
"Who?"
"Rayla."
"…oh. That was her sister? I wouldn't ever have guessed." Tamaru answered.
Another silence.
"Are you actually going to sleep tonight?" Raigar asked.
Tamaru nodded.
"Good."
"I do sleep. I just don't eat." Tamaru explained.
"What? Of course you eat."
"No I don't. Have you ever seen me eat?"
"Well… no… but… are you anorexic or something then?"
Tamaru shook his head.
"Then how can you not eat?"
"I just don't."
"I'm going to find out when you eat sometime." Raigar said.
"Go ahead and try."
"Oh I will. Someday, I will."
"Well, good luck." Tamaru chuckled.
Another silence.
"Let's get some sleep… I don't think we're getting the bathroom back until morning, so we may as well rest now and try to wake up before Rasha." Raigar said.
Tamaru nodded and rolled over, closed his eyes, and was instantly asleep.
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"You really think twenty-four is going to be all right?" Shikamaru asked.
Genma looked at him oddly.
"Why are you being so… well… troublesome right now?"
Shikamaru shrugged. He didn't like having his own word turned back on him.
"I'm just concerned that's all. Have you contacted Tsunade yet?"
"No… but what do you suggest we do?" Genma asked.
"I don't know… maybe hold a double round preliminary or something?"
Genma shook his head.
"No, six is too few. Seriously, what is up with you right now? You don't usually care this much about anything."
Shikamaru shrugged again.
"I'm going to bed."
Genma smiled.
"That's more like the lazy Shikamaru I know."
Shikamaru left without comment.
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The next day, the Genin came down one by one, starting with the Sand Team. Gaara had insomnia and never slept, so it wasn't a surprise that he came an hour before the match- but it seemed like he had dragged Temari and Kankurou down with him. It was unlikely that they came of their own free will. Or maybe they did, just to make sure Gaara didn't try anything. The "New Gaara" may have seemed to be doing well, but they had to make sure he didn't kill anyone. Just in case. You can never be too safe, right?
Next came Tsunade herself, along with all the Jounin instructors and a few of her own.
Each of the senseis' greeted their team in various ways, the most conspicuous of which was Gai.
"YOSH! My extraordinary team of youth!" he exploded, running up to a clearly disturbed Tenten and Neji and exuberant Lee.
"Gai-sensei! I made it through, just like I promised!"
"That's great, Lee!"
"All thanks to your great training, Gai-sensei!"
"No! It was all your work that brought you through, Lee!"
"Gai-sensei!"
"Lee!"
The two embraced and a beach with a sunset appeared behind them. Those who had not seen or experienced this before gawked in amazement at the landscape appearing seemingly from nowhere. Tamaru and Raigar shook their heads at the display, and Rasha was still trying to see how the sunset and all that appeared. The other teams kept their reactions to themselves (Temari probably would have been weirded out, but she was busy trying to catch the eye of a certain lazy ninja sitting with Tsunade, Shizune, Genma, etc.)
(Author's Note: I haven't been using very much of the Japanese suffixes, but I just can't go without Lee calling Gai Gai-sensei. Also, I couldn't leave the fic without a Gai/Lee scene moment. It's classic.)
"Hey, you three. Glad you made it." A particular masked Jounin appeared behind Team 6 in a swirl of leaves, intently reading his book.
"Hi, Kakashi." Raigar said.
"Hey." Tamaru added.
Rasha looked too stunned at the moment to answer at all. Her Seigan was on, her eyes shifting from the cover of the book to Kakashi's face, then back again. Then, abruptly, she turned around away from Kakashi, arms crossed.
"What's up with her?" Raigar asked.
"Something in the fruit?" suggested Tamaru.
Rasha buried her face in her hands.
"There are times I wish I wasn't a mind-reader…" she whispered.
Raigar and Tamaru glanced at each other, confused.
Kakashi let out a small chuckle, but resumed normal composure quickly, stowing the book away.
"What's going on here?" Tamaru asked.
"Beats me…" Raigar answered.
"Is that… thing put away yet?" Rasha asked.
The tone of her voice was enough to make even Kakashi cringe underneath his mask.
"Uhh… yeah." he said.
She turned around, smiling pleasantly.
"I'm so glad we don't have a pervert for a sensei."
Raigar and Tamaru looked at each other again, confused. Kakashi seemed to be the only one to catch the sarcastic comment, so well it was concealed in a seemingly pleasant and respectful voice.
"Umm… I think the round is starting." he said.
Indeed, Genma walked into the middle of the hall, looking at the twenty-four Genin before him.
"Anyway… it's 8:00 now, glad to see you all made it ok. So… without further delay… Shizune?"
"Right, right." she said, hitting a button on a remote she had. A tv screen slid down from the side of the hall.
"The pairings will be randomly chosen by the computer. Once the competitors are chosen… the rest of you go ahead and move upstairs to the balcony to watch the match. We have medic-nin standing by, and Tsunade herself has chosen to honor us by watching the matches." Genma said, "Please try to act properly, and use proper sportsmanship."
Shikamaru stared lazily at the ceiling. Proper sportsmanship? Since when had that ever happened? He highly doubted it was going to start now.
The names on the screen began whirring with a continuous electronic noise. The various people stared at it intently, expressing anxiety in various ways.
Then it stopped, the shining yellow letters taking form.
Kyban Yataro
vs.
Hyuuga Neji
"Heh. And who would that idiot be?" Kyban said.
Neji scowled at the derision in his opponent's voice.
"'That idiot' happens to be the number one rookie two years ago, AND the Hyuuga prodigy." Tenten said.
"AND my eternal rival!" Lee added.
Tenten shot him a glare to say you aren't helping any.
Lee stepped back.
"And I suggest you surrender now." Neji said, "The Hyuugas are honorable. I never go easy on any of my opponents."
To everyone's surprise Kyban laughed.
"Hey, Karken! I think this guy really is as blind as he looks!"
Neji's eyebrow twitched, but it was Tenten who spoke.
"Blind? BLIND! Neji's eyes are better than yours could ever hope to be!"
"I hope you aren't as dumb as you sound." Neji retorted.
"We just told you, he is the number one rookie two years ago, and also the Hyuuga prodigy."
Kyban still ignored them.
"Hey Karken! I've always wanted to test my mettle against the famous Konoha Hyuuga clan!"
"…just don't lose." was Karken's response.
Kyban scoffed.
"Lose? I'll have this match over in two minutes, tops."
"No way. Nuh-uh. If anything, you won't even last two minutes." Tenten said.
"Can you please stop arguing?" Genma cut in.
"Hyuuga Neji, just so you know, YOU should be the one surrendering." Kyban smiled slightly, then whispered, "My jutsu make me the worst possible opponent for you."
Neji said nothing in response.
"Everyone move up to the balcony." Genma ordered. The Genin complied, Tenten and Lee looking for a moment like they were going to pounce on Kyban.
"Can he really hold up to his claim?" Tenten wondered aloud as they walked up the stairs.
"No. Not a chance. This is NEJI we are talking about." Lee said, "At least, Neji better not lose. He's my eternal rival, so the only one he can lose to is ME."
Tenten scoffed at much at Lee's claim as at Kyban's.
"All right, since everyone's moved upstairs now…" Said Genma, "BEGIN!"
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…And the preliminaries are OFF AND RUNNING!
Sorry again it took me so long, everyone, but I should be pretty good now. I think. I hope. Anyway, I haven't given up or anything stupid like that… just so you know, I'm still at it. R&R please!