NARUTO
Drifting
The Center of the World
The very next day…
Late evening…
Yugakure…
Night had started to fall by the time the convoy from Konohagakure arrived at the gates of the hidden village in the Land of Hot Water; the very same village that would be hosting the final events of the Chunin Selection Exams. While the squads and their instructors would have probably showed up a lot earlier, thanks to the dillydallying of one of their members that morning and the continued impediments of heavy traffic on the highways, they were kept from arriving at an earlier time.
Of course, when they finally did step in through the main gates and they were greeted by both the event's officials and the shinobi guard, the group was simply stunned into silence at the setup that greeted them.
Under the slowly darkening sky, every single building and stall out on the streets was open and abuzz with life. Businesses were booming as there were hundreds upon hundreds of visitors littering the streets, reveling in the entertainment provided for them and feasting on all the delectable food items up for sale. It was just a fantastic sight, reminiscent of all the festival seasons that had come and gone from Konohagakure. Yes, the fireworks and the attractions were a familiar element to the visiting teams, but seeing it all in another village was another thing altogether.
What with all the excitement in the air and the anticipation of tomorrow, the sight of the bustling town in full swing of the festivities just seemed to enhance everything about them. Hell, Naruto and his crew felt their adrenaline increase tenfold the moment they crossed the threshold and onto the main highway leading through the foreign shinobi village.
The pace of the march slowed so that everybody could drink in their surroundings.
"Boys and girls meet the audiences that you will be entertaining tomorrow," Asuma announced, pulling out the cigarette wedged between his lips and chucking it. "Make it count, alright."
"Hai, sensei," Ino and Choji said loudly.
The stereo track was then followed up by the mono response from the forever half-asleep Shikamaru, strolling along with his hands in his pockets. "Troublesome…"
Rock Lee grinned brightly and raised a fist towards the overhanging lanterns with glee, "YOSH! What a glorious time to be alive! A time where people from all walks of life can come together under one banner and watch shinobi battle each other in spirited competition! No matter what happens tomorrow, I will do my best to show the world that my flames of youth burn the brightest!"
While Gai smiled down at the boy he was grooming into a fine taijutsu master, his other squad mates were strolling alongside looking a little bit embarrassed at all the weird stares they got from Lee's outburst. While Neji remained as composed as he possibly could, Tenten sighed and tried to make herself appear as small as possible.
"Does he really have to do this now?" the kunoichi with buns in her hair asked.
"All good things come to an end, Tenten. We just have to be patient," Neji replied hopefully and trying his best not to break character.
While the various squads on route for their hotel were walking along and marveling at the scenery, they along with the surrounding villagers and vendors in the area suddenly became aware of a very strange sound. Walking along for a little bit longer, the noise persisted, prompting everyone to slow their pace to a crawl before stopping altogether. Following the strange jangling sound back to its original source, they saw Naruto walk past them in a marching fashion, a loud 'chinking' noise ringing out with every step he took, which had everyone look down at his feet.
Realizing everyone on the road had stopped and was now staring at him Naruto also pulled to a halt and looked over his shoulder at the teams behind him. "Hey guys, what's up?"
Sakura sweat dropped, "Naruto… why are you wearing spurs on your sandals?"
Sure enough, looking down, Naruto flashed them the pair of riding spurs on the backs of his heels. The rowels spun when he clicked them against the ground, glinting under the lights of the festival and earning confused blinks from everyone. The jinchuriki then grinned and made a cool-guy pose while flashing the squads his most dashing smile.
"I'm glad you asked, Sakura-chan," Naruto responded in a very suave tone of voice. "It's to let everyone around me know that the world's most bad-ass motherfucker has just pulled into town." The boy then lifted his nose high in the air, framing an even more awesome pose as a gust of wind blew past and ruffled his clothes. In reality it was just his Hero's Wind technique kicking up and blowing leaves in the background, including tumbleweed. "Look out Yugakure… the hero has finally arrived."
His little stunt blew through several stalls and disturbed the many civilians and villagers standing in the area when things were windswept out of place.
Everyone sweat dropped, except for Tayuya, Tenten and Hinata, who all giggled discreetly at his display.
Sasuke sighed, "Right…"
Dispersing of the spur issue, the teams then made their way over to the hotel reserved especially for the Konohagakure shinobi, the very same one that they'd used on their first visit here. After finding their rooms and beds, and upon setting all of the stuff that they'd carried here with them down, their teachers then allowed them to go out and enjoy the festivities. It was still early in the night, so there was plenty of time for them to mingle and enjoy themselves before the competition early tomorrow morning. They were warned though not to stay out too late or to get into fights with any of the shinobi there or the other participants should they happen to run into them.
If they caused any trouble for the Yugakure authorities, not only would they face charges but also be disqualified from the competition. This was not something they wanted to do.
Closing the door to their room, Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke then headed off down the hall to the lobby. They moved for the exit side by side, with the kunoichi of the three using the time she had available to her to take in her teammates' appearances and to get a feel for their auras. Compared to the forms they held weeks earlier she certainly sensed a more prevailing air about them, which really spoke wonders about their increases in strength.
While Naruto hadn't changed much in terms of appearances save for his height, he still gave off those vibes that told Sakura he was indeed a physical presence to be reckoned with. Despite this, the one that gave her the biggest surprise of them was Sasuke, who'd not only taken on a more empowering image but had also switched out his wardrobe.
It was a sight that Sakura took her time in appreciating and brushing her hair over. She leaned over and smiled across at the Uchiha, who glanced back at her when he sensed her eyes on the side of his head. "You look good, Sasuke-kun."
Taking in the compliment, Sasuke nodded back to her and glanced ahead of him again, his expression unwavering. "Thanks."
"I really like your outfit. Black suits you very well. Where'd you get it from?"
"It's something I had lying around the back of my closet. Since all of my blue tops were ruined from the training Kakashi-sensei put me through, I had to come up with something else," Sasuke replied collectedly.
Sakura blinked, "You couldn't do your laundry?"
"I was busy," Sasuke shrugged offhandedly, closing his eyes. "Work for a shinobi comes before dress, but after this is over I'll be able to clean out my room and replace some of my ruined clothes."
Smiling, the girl tucked some hair behind her ear and tilted her head at him. "What do you think of my outfit? Is it good?"
The Uchiha glanced at his female teammate and sized her up. Taking a moment to look at each of the pieces she wore, from the top to the skirt, he then turned his eyes front again and continued on walking. "It's okay."
Sakura frowned when she realized that was all the response she was going to get from him. Deflating slightly, the pink haired kunoichi then turned to the jinchuriki to see him smiling and marching along with one hand in his pocket and the other swinging beside him in a cheerful manner. Mood improving from the high spirit he was showing, Sakura beamed at the blonde before siding up to him and nudging him in the side.
"Huh? What's up, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked in surprise.
"So… I heard you and Tayuya are a couple now," Sakura spoke, getting the blonde to blink. "What's that like? Being boyfriend and girlfriend I mean?" The kunoichi was genuinely curious about this.
After all, she didn't know how that stuff worked? Was there some kind of special vibe going on between them? Did they have rules? Regulations? Commitments? What? Sakura wanted to know for the sake of curiosity.
Plus she was inquisitive about her friend's current situation. She wanted to know whether he was doing alright and was comfortable with his relationship. After all, Naruto was a really nice person and one who always looked out for others. It wouldn't be fair on him if people didn't look out for him in kind. She needed to be there to support him if something went wrong, because he was one of her best friends.
The boy grinned back at Sakura when he was finally able to process her question. "Honestly, it's not that different from what things were like between me and Tayuya-chan before."
The kunoichi blinked, "What do you mean by that?"
Naruto scratched his cheek sheepishly, "Tayuya-chan and I have been living together for a long time already. I was really happy that she was there with me and I really enjoyed spending time with her and looking after her. Since we were always together and already did a lot of stuff that a boyfriend and girlfriend would do, I guess… the change from being friends to being a couple wasn't that big of a step to make."
"Oh," Sakura nodded in understanding, before smiling brightly. "So you and Tayuya were already really close that you didn't even notice taking that next step?"
That actually made a lot of sense. Whenever Sakura saw Naruto and Tayuya hanging out, the two always acted like a couple together anyway. It wasn't that much of a stretch to imagine them as an item, since they were practically one to begin with. It was a perfect match.
Though the kissing was a new addition, the two of them already being together wasn't.
Naruto nodded affirmatively, "Even though things aren't that different between us, I think Tayuya-chan is a lot happier now that we're able to open up to each other a little more. Nowadays we don't even worry about what other people think. As long as she's happy, then I'm happy too." His expression then became more profound as he looked ahead of him contemplatively. It was a look that surprised Sakura because she'd never seen him appear so positive and attentive before. "I really care about her, Sakura-chan. No matter what happens and no matter where she goes, I will always be there for her."
Awed by the conviction in his voice, Sakura gazed across at him admiringly before giving a smile. The words spoken by the jinchuriki also didn't go unnoticed by Sasuke, who momentarily glanced across at Naruto before looking back as if nothing had happened. His words did strike a chord though, and it brought smiles to both listeners' faces.
Once they reached the lobby, Naruto stopped in his tracks and watched Sasuke and Sakura turn to him questioningly. He nodded to them with a smile, "You guys go on ahead." He grinned, "I've got a date tonight."
Nodding in understanding, the two members of Team 7 left, exiting out onto the streets and into the festival that awaited them.
Naruto waited there in the lobby, watching the staff moving about and tending to their duties. It was a pretty classy place considering it was built in a village most famous for its various hot spots, sights and delicacies. Yugakure was basically just one big tourist attraction. It made the jinchuriki think that its shinobi must really love it here.
While he was standing there and waiting, using the time he had to admire all of the decorations and design features of the building, he suddenly felt a familiar presence come up behind him and his eyes covered by a pair of nimble hands. The world blocked out, the boy froze up when he heard the person giggle, "Guess who."
"Tayuya-chan?"
"Nope."
"Neji?" He grinned in amusement when he heard the person snort. "He actually does have very womanly hands. Have you noticed that?"
The hands were quickly relinquished from his face and he looked around, just in time to see Tenten poke her head around and smirk at him. "If he ever heard you say that he'd beat you to within an inch of your life. That or put you into cardiac arrest."
Naruto chuckled, "But he's not here, is he? I think I'm safe… unless you're thinking of ratting me out to him."
Giggling, the brown haired girl moved around till both were standing in front of each other. "I wouldn't dream of it. What are you doing waiting in here and not out there joining the party?" Tenten asked while nodding towards the exit. "Are you expecting someone?"
"Yeah, Tayuya-chan said she would meet up with me later so that we could hang out together…" He then blinked when he processed the rest of what the red head said to him and he looked around the floor space in thought. "Actually, she never told me exactly where she was going to meet me. I just assumed it would be here." Wait, did she want to meet up with him. He remembers her saying something more along the lines of 'you're going to have a surprise tonight.' Or did she say something else?
Hearing this had Tenten smirk before she promptly wrapped her arms around his. When she sided up to him and got the boy to look at her in surprise, she flashed him her brightest grin. "Well, lucky for you I know where she is. I'll take you to her… but first you're going to take me for a walk around town. I want to check out some of the stalls… and the gaming booths. That mini shuriken range had some awesome prizes on it. I want the stuffed panda!"
"Huh?" Naruto shook his head in surprise. Did he miss something? "Wait… you want me to take you out?"
"Of course, I mean…" Tenten then gave him a mischievous grin with a dark shadow across her eyes, a look that had Naruto lean back in bewilderment, "You still owe me a service. Don't you remember the race we had in the second stage?"
Naruto had the common sense to appear a little dismayed, "Oh. You remember that?"
"Hey, just because we nearly got killed tobogganing down the side of an active volcano, doesn't mean I'm going to forget the deal we made at the beginning of the run. Good shinobi don't back out on agreements… and aren't you the one who said you'd never break a promise, no matter what?" Tenten asked, still grinning as she watched the boy take it all in. She then nodded when she saw him blink, signifying he got the message. "That's what I thought."
Seeing her smug look had Naruto take on one as well and he hooked his arm in her grip, "I didn't say I wasn't going to take you out. I was just a little bit surprised." When he felt the girl step closer to him, he then gestured towards the door. "Where do you want to go first?"
"Ball toss," Tenten chirped, making her grip more comfortable as they started towards the exit, "I want to test out my aim."
"You're the boss," Naruto replied.
As the two of them exited the lobby, they failed to notice the familiar presence of one red haired musician girl wearing the purple scarf, khaki fur coat, spandex shorts and red swirl pattern on the back of her jacket standing behind one of the nearby pillars. Arms folded and eyes trained on them, Tayuya allowed a smirk to cross her lips before stepping off of the support beam.
"Time to hit the hot springs."
She was in a village made famous for its body healing and vitality increasing baths. There was no way she was passing off a perfect opportunity to enjoy a nice long soak in one of the steaming hot ponds. Trick Naruto to go out and knock off to have some fun on your own.
Hey. A kunoichi needed some downtime for herself every once in a while.
OOO
Reveling in the sights and sounds of the town, Naruto took Tenten down the main road where they immediately started exploring the various stalls displaying the various goods and services of the famed tourist hub. The entertainment was strictly carnival stuff, like ball throwing, races, target shooting, those weird clown things where you sprayed the mouths to make the balloons pop, whack-a-toad, gold fish scooping, coy hop, fruit smashing, and the occasional guessing games. The whole village was alive with celebration, and it wasn't just filled with the local villagers. You had people from all over the place.
There were civilians from all walks of life too, ranging from the middle-class to the super rich. You could tell who the super rich were from the armed escorts and what not, not to mention you had to part ways for them. This went to show that the main entertainment reserved for tomorrow was much bigger than what was to be expected. This certainly got Naruto and Tenten's spirits riled, but for the time being they just wanted to enjoy all the little trinkets set up for them and relax until the big games in the morning. Even though they weren't the audience, it was going to be one hell of a show.
Tenten had a ball at all the target practice booths. She even challenged Naruto to a few rounds of shooting and tossing, where she won most of them and the blonde only got lucky at a couple. As a result, the jinchuriki ended up paying for every game following the first one and also wound up hauling around all of her winnings in a large bag, which consisted of a few stuffed animals.
At first the blonde was a little bit desponded, believing he was going to wind up on the losing end all the way through to the end. However, when it came time for him to choose their games of… let's say, koi fishing and those of the gambling sort, well… let's just say the odds quickly shifted in his favor. Much to Tenten's chagrin, Naruto ended up winning all of the betting games and those that required an insane amount of luck.
By the end of that round, the pair quickly found themselves at a food stall, gorging on yakisoba and whatever other little treats was made there.
"I thought I had you on that last one," Tenten said with a bit of a whine while poking her chopsticks in Naruto's direction, "You sly dog you… how'd you know it would hit that number?"
The blonde shrugged wide and proud, "I'm just that good."
"That's not the answer I was really looking for," Tenten replied with an amused grin.
"You're just jealous because I won the giant green frog in that last booth and you didn't," the jinchuriki said, throwing his arm around the prize sitting on the chair beside him, an enormous stuffed amphibian. He then nodded towards the bag of goods sitting on Tenten's side, "I won the toad and you won the panda. I think that's a square deal."
"Yeah," Tenten replied, stirring her plate of noodles and picking some more up. She then chuckled when she realized something, "I guess from all that messing around we know where all our strengths lie then, eh?"
"I'm good at gambling and you're good at throwing… really good at throwing," the blonde answered with a nod, before gesturing towards her, "You've got a fantastic arm by the way. I never knew a dart could be thrown like that." It was an under arm shot; a brilliant toss that landed dead on. "You must have spent hours practicing to get as good as you are."
"Yeah. It took forever learning how to hit several different targets at once on all sides with a single swing. I can get ten points with one hand," Tenten said, holding up her right and flexing her fingers. "I know Jonin who can only hit four for four, but my aim and skill is top notch. The best."
"That's incredible."
"If you think that's impressive, try throwing shit over your shoulder blindfolded." Tenten laughed at seeing Naruto's jaw drop slightly. "Yeah. I can do that. Want to see."
"Maybe afterwards when we're done winning everything from the booths," the blonde replied, eating some noodles before grinning back at her. "What do you want to do next?"
Tenten looked over her shoulder out onto the street, spotting another target game nearby. Smirking, she gestured over to it. "Archery."
"Oh no! I know what you're trying to do. Nah-uh," Naruto laughed, shaking a finger at her. "I'm not paying for another ten games. You'll clean me out."
"What? You don't have a problem with that, do you?" Tenten inquired with a sly smile.
"Damn right I do. Why don't we play something where we're both at a disadvantage? Make it more interesting?" Naruto proposed, looking around the main street behind him before spotting another stall further down the road. Feeling reinvigorated, he pointed towards it. "Flower arranging competition?"
"Oh, you don't think I can arrange good flowers?" Tenten asked, feigning offense.
Naruto grinned, "I'm not saying you can't. But if you don't think you can handle it you can always back out."
Sucking in air through her nose, Tenten smirked widely and pointed straight at him. "I'm going to make a bouquet so damn good, it will make a cherry blossom tree look like foot fungus!" She then made a gang sign gesture, "I'll pimp the shit out of those flowers."
This had the jinchuriki laugh and glare back at her challengingly, just as she did toward him. "You're on!"
What followed immediately afterwards were several more rounds of competition between the two energetic youngsters. They were running neck and neck by the time their night out slowly drew to an end, and they decided to settle it on a high note. While they prized the games that allowed them to cool off and appreciate the other's company for a period, it was the fair's gaming stalls that allowed them to try and one-up each other that were the most fun. What could they say?
Both of them loved a good challenge, both enjoyed hanging out with the other, and both of them grew up in a competitive environment one way or another.
To end the night's celebrations, a bar, where the two kids were intent on commemorating possibly the last couple of days they would be Genin. Finding a quiet joint in the village, the pair pulled up a couple of chairs and along with their winnings faced the bartender with determined looks on their faces.
"Two please," Tenten exclaimed, pointing at their headbands.
The young man standing behind the desk nodded and went about filling out their order. While the customer service agent went about collecting a couple of glasses and a bottle of sake, Naruto turned to the kunoichi next to him inquisitively.
"We're allowed to have alcohol?" Damn. He didn't know that. All this time he figured because they were underage they weren't allowed to have drinks of this nature. However, what Tenten just did was order two sakes for both of them and the man behind the counter didn't even put up a fuss.
Tenten nodded affirmatively in response to his question. "Yeah. We're shinobi after all, so we have privileges a lot of ordinary people wouldn't normally have. If you're allowed to kill then you're allowed to drink. It's one of the many allowances that's given to all shinobi."
"Heh. Well… when you put it that way," Naruto spoke, tipping his hat to the man when he poured the pair their glasses and they paid for them. After seeing the bottle set down between them, both the jinchuriki and the kunoichi accompanying him took up their cups and held them up to each other. "All the best… and have a great match tomorrow."
"You too, Naruto-kun," Tenten responded in kind, the pair tapping their shots together before downing the sake.
Setting the glasses down at once, the pair breathed out hard when the warm alcohol traversed their throats, lighting them up and filling them with what could only be described as zest.
"Wow! So that's what sake tastes like," Naruto said loudly in surprise.
A slightly red faced Tenten breathed away the heat and grinned back at the blonde. That was seriously strong stuff. The bartender really knew what they wanted. "Good isn't it?"
"Is this your first time drinking, or have you already had it before?"
"A couple months ago after one of our more successful C-Rank missions, Gai-sensei decided to take us out to celebrate as a team," Tenten replied, only to have her expression develop a frown when she looked down at the counter and memories of that afternoon started to flash by her. "That's also the day we decided that that was the last time we ever had an afternoon out like that when Lee was with us."
"Huh? Why do you say that?" Naruto asked.
Tenten sprouted a nervous grin and faced the blonde haired boy fully. "He… isn't exactly a heavy drinker." The brown haired girl then made a wobbly gesture with her hand. "To put it into perspective for you, a single drop of alcohol is enough to make Lee go ballistic. The moment he got his first taste of sake from the cup, he got blitzed, started stumbling about in a daze and trashing everything in sight. He literally brought down half the bar, and it took both Gai-sensei and Neji attacking him together to restrain him."
"Whoa. He's that much of a lightweight?" Naruto murmured in surprise, seeing the girl nod grimly. "How did he manage all that? Isn't your sensei and teammate supposed to be super tough?"
"The thing is… Lee is a natural Suiken (Drunken Fist) user." Looking at the boy's change in expressions, the kunoichi knew immediately that the blonde understood what she was saying. "Yeah. Now you can see why we had such a hard time trying to restrain him."
"Where were you when all of this was happening, if I may ask?" Naruto asked with a cheeky grin on his face.
Tenten smiled and turned back to her cup, pouring herself another shot of sake. "I was on the other side of the room, hiding behind an overturned table. As much as I would like to say how much of a help I was, there was no way I could have taken on Lee head to head, even in a sober state. I got knocked through a wall from a single kick and spent the rest of that fight nursing some serious bruising."
"Yikes. So he couldn't even tell who was friend or foe?" It was kind of a redundant statement, seeing as how Lee had gotten drunk in a place with no enemy shinobi in sight and only innocent civilians. He really needed to work on his control if there was any to be had. "Must have been pretty rough."
"Oh, you have no idea," Tenten giggled. She watched the boy pour himself another glass before both of them downed it in a single swig. "Too bad you weren't there. With your whacked up fighting style, you would have had a ball."
"You know, I think you're right. I probably would have," Naruto chuckled brightly, thinking a bit more on the prospect. If Lee was to unleash all of his taijutsu potential with just a few drops of alcohol, and if they were to clash in the middle of the street, the fight would have brought down more than a handful of the suburbs. The possibilities were biblical. "Maybe next time. Preferably after we become Chunin and are able to set our own dates and times without having to worry about the teams for a while."
Tenten shook her head at him and poured another glass, "You really are a crazy one. I'll be sure to add that to your tombstone after you get beaten into the same ground that will be your grave site. Naruto Uzumaki: Beloved comrade, friend… certifiably insane."
"Oh, ha-ha," Naruto fake laughed with an amused grin of his own.
After a couple more sips the pair fell into further conversation, with the subjects primarily revolving around the opponents they were likely to encounter in tomorrow's competition. However, before they could gain any traction on the talk regarding the toughest obstacles they were bound to face in their matches, their little chat was suddenly cut short when Naruto's senses perked up to a familiar presence in their midst. Distracted, he looked about quickly, drawing the kunoichi's attention to the problem.
"What's up?"
"Hang on… I've smelled this perfume before." Naruto exclaimed, surprising Tenten at his being able to pick up someone's scent in this joint. It was a bar filled with alcohol and people out for a night on the town. He shouldn't have been able to detect anything. "Weird… it… almost smells like…" Scanning the air for a few seconds longer, Naruto then looked over Tenten's shoulder, where he saw a familiar person walk by.
That dark blue kimono, short brown hair and the pig she was carrying was a dead giveaway.
Beaming, Naruto jumped from his chair and jogged across the floor, "Shizune-neechan!"
Jumping at hearing her name called, said woman turned around to see the blonde haired jinchuriki coast to a stop directly in front of her. Taking a moment to look over his face, outfit and smile, it didn't take long for the young lady carrying the pig to recognize said individual and immediately gazed back. "Oh, Naruto-kun."
"Hey! You remember my name," the jinchuriki responded happily, clearly pleased at being recognized.
"Well of course. How can I forget a face as bright as yours," Shizune said with a warm glow about her as she gazed down at the youngster. "You're also one of the Genin participating in the tournament, so there's no way I could misplace it."
Chuckling excitedly, Naruto was then joined by Tenten. Quickly noticing his friend and her puzzled expression, the blonde stepped aside and gestured between the two girls. "Tenten, this is Shizune. I met her on my first D-Rank mission outside of the village where we got side-tracked by a band of rogue ninja. She was up in the town at the top of the mountain."
"Oh?" Tenten chirped, smiling and bowing a moment later, "How do you do?"
"I'm doing well, thank you kindly," Shizune responded, straightening up again. "It's nice to meet you." She then weighed the pig in her arms and held her out slightly. "This is my friend Tonton."
Tenten smiled at the pig and waved, "Hi!"
"Heh, it's been a while," Naruto grinned, bending over and holding a fist out. "What's up, Tonton? Doing great?" He was pleased to receive a fist-bump in kind from the little animal and a few 'oinks', which had him giggle. "Awesome."
"I assume you're also participating in the tournament alongside Naruto-kun as well, right?" Shizune picked up, looking between the youngsters inquisitively. "Since both of you are Konohagakure shinobi and a majority of the competition are Genin from the hidden leaf, I'm guessing you also have your name up there on that bracket too." She then thumbed towards the bar where, up on a massive blackboard, there was a pyramid-shaped chart with all the names lined up at the bottom in the order that they'd been drawn.
It was worth nothing that the tree chart sat alongside what Naruto and Tenten immediately saw was a betting table with a list of odds and numbers. This told them that not only were their fights going to be viewed as good sport, but also a prime opportunity for gamblers to indulge in their little habits. How they felt about the whole setup however was a bag of mixed feelings between the two of them with the kids merely staring blankly at the pool before turning back to a still smiling Shizune.
"Based on your individual stats, you both have a really good chance of making it to the final rounds," Shizune pointed out, though this was only partly true since she didn't want to worry them so much. A lot of people had their bets riding on several other Genin, with both Naruto and Tenten sitting somewhere in the middle. "Are you two ready for your matches coming up tomorrow?"
Naruto grinned and grabbed his bicep while flexing it, "As ready as we'll ever be." He then shared a look with Tenten before both of them posed. "We're gonna rock it all the way to the final rounds."
"Says the pintsized, loudmouth with the average numbers."
Naruto, Shizune and Tenten's attention soon found it directed towards a very well-endowed blonde woman walking towards them from the corner booth she had previously been sitting at. Her hair done into twin ponytails, and wearing a grass-green haori over a grey blouse held down by a dark blue obi and matching pants, and wearing black, high heel sandals, the woman stopped before the group and placed her hands on her hips. The necklace she also wore around her neck dangled tentatively above her ample bosom.
Glaring down at the youngsters, the newcomer grunted, "Yep. You definitely seem like the type who barks better than he bites. Not surprising considering your state of dress and wanton public displays."
Shizune turned to her master in surprise. The telltale blush on the woman's face told her that she had more than a few drinks, but definitely not enough to be completely blasted out of her mind. She was sober enough to have heard their conversation all the way from the back.
Talk about sharp.
"T-Tsunade-sama… you don't need to be so harsh on him. I'm sure he'll do just fine in the tournament," Shizune spoke, trying to lighten things up a little from the sudden, negative input. She didn't want her teacher's words to rub off on the youngsters she was talking to the wrong way. After all, what she'd just said had been a bit of an unnecessary call. "Naruto-kun seems like a very diligent and charming young man."
"Charm and assiduousness can only take you so far," Tsunade stated, hands still resting on her hips as she gazed at the blonde. "Besides, judging from his talentless record, they're the only things he has going for him next to stamina and taijutsu." It was all up there on the board; information taken from the last two stages of the exam and a little bit from his own profile.
Processing the older woman's words, Naruto frowned deeply.
Was he being picked on by this person? God damn it he was. This was not something he was going to take sitting down or standing up. However before he could make any sort of retort to her disapproval, he suddenly became aware of the fact that his friend Tenten was gawking up at the blonde bombshell standing in front of them. Turning her way, he could see the look of awe glimmering in her eyes.
The two females they were conversing with also noticed the girl's astonishment and turned her way.
"Y-You're… Lady Tsunade… one of the three Legendary Sannin," Tenten said, pointing up at the person.
The blonde haired kunoichi nodded, "I've been called that from time to time, yes."
The lone female of Team Gai then lit up with excitement and stepped forward, hands clasped together and eyes shimmering with admiration. "I've been a huge admirer of yours since I was in my first year at school. Ever since I learned about you, my dream was to become a really powerful kunoichi like you and I've been training really hard every day to get there."
"Is that so?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow, looking the young lady up and down to see her nod ecstatically. Rounding on her, the blonde folded her arms under her chest. "You're Tenten right? One of the Genin fighting in the first half?" She glanced briefly towards the board before looking back at the teen. "You've got a pretty well-rounded set of skills, but mainly a penchant for shurikenjutsu and fuinjutsu. While that's a rarity in a lot of villages in the world, you may want to think about working on your other abilities than sticking to a dominant strength, since you appear to be short-falling in some of the other areas. You've got some tough competition here."
Tenten smiled and nodded, "O-Of course…"
Not finished yet however, the woman frowned slightly, "However… if you're thinking of becoming powerful like me… you can forget that right here and now. Ambitious kunoichi like you don't last very long in this world, only cautious ones. Put your dreams on the back burner and concentrate on doing your job. Your dreams are useless to you."
The teen practically deflated at that, lowering her hands in front of her while Shizune looked on worryingly. Hearing what Tsunade had to say to his friend, Naruto frowned even more before glaring up at her.
After the long strings of pessimism he'd heard from her so far, the jinchuriki just couldn't take it anymore. That last shot towards Tenten was the last straw.
"So what if she wants to become strong?" the blonde spoke up loudly, getting both Tsunade and Shizune's attention. "What gives you the right to deny someone their dream? If she wants to become strong then let her, because I believe she can. Not like you."
Tsunade's frown deepened. While Shizune stepped forward to intervene, her master raised a hand to stop her. Tonton gave a small oink in concern as the tensions between the kids and the older woman grew. "Since you know who I am, I think it's appropriate that I remind you that I'm exactly the person and probably one of the only people in the world qualified to give out this sort of advice. I've gone through trials kids like you can scarcely even imagine, and I have both an insurmountable level of knowledge and experience when it comes to being a ninja. That being said, no matter how much you believe in her, all of your talk and resolve is meaningless in the end."
Naruto stepped forward and glared, with Tenten looking across at the boy in shock at his willingness to hold his ground. "I don't give a damn who you are or how much experience you have. Everyone goes through life differently to the person next to them. If you want proof then look around you." Seeing the woman glare, Naruto stared right back and pointed straight at her. "If you think people will just give up on their dreams because of what you say and who you are, well you're mistaken, lady. People will fight for what they believe even if the whole world is against them. If Tenten wants to become strong and will do everything she can to get there then she will, and I know this because I'm going to become Hokage someday, and nothing is going to stop me from getting there."
Silence fell between the members of the group, with both Shizune and Tsunade balking at the conviction in the boy's voice. While they reeled, Tenten gazed across at Naruto intently and smiled, her eyes shimmering as she saw the boy stand up and voice his support for her. While it would have been considered unwise, he wasn't afraid to return fire with the strongest kunoichi in the world.
Looking the kid up and down, Tsunade's eyes widened a little upon processing the boy's spirited declaration and appearance. "Nawaki?" Memories flashing past her eyes, the woman quickly shook her head to rid herself of the familiar face and how it was reflected in this youngster's expression. "No. He's just some stupid kid. He only looks like him." She steeled herself for a retort. "So you want to become Hokage? That explains why you're so high up on that horse of yours. That dream will only lead you to a life filled with misery and sacrifice, brat. It's just a dead end. In this world, when you reach a dead end, you die. Only a fool would ever want to become Hokage."
Shizune narrowed her eyes bitterly at her master as she attempted to shoot down the boy in front of her, whom she could see had clenched his fists and was shaking profusely. "That's going too far, Tsunade. He's just a kid." As if hearing her thoughts, Tonton gave an oink in agreement.
Sucking up under the woman's glare, Naruto smirked. "What makes you think I don't know that?" Tsunade, Shizune and Tenten froze at this, all of them looking to see the confident grin on the blonde's face. "A ninja's life is hard, even for a person who doesn't want to become Hokage. When you become a shinobi, you still have to go through everything every other ninja in the world has to. You still have to go on missions, you still have to work your ass off, get hurt, bleed, watch your friends go through the same shit… and you still have to fight. It's not a clean life and it's not one you can have without taking a few hits. Eventually you're going to take a blow and fall down… but that doesn't mean you can give up." Naruto grinned smugly. "Unlike some people… I don't plan on giving up and becoming a bitter, old crow that's jaded about life."
Tenten beamed when she heard Naruto's words pass over all of them and clenched her hands together fondly. "You tell her, Naruto-kun."
Even with her tongue-lashing, Tsunade wasn't able to get through to this kid. She couldn't break him and she couldn't move him, which irritated her greatly. What's more, he was also insulting her, returning fire with just as much punch as her own.
He was determined to go out there and prove himself, as evident by how he was standing up to her right now. What's more, that damned grin on his face kept reminding the older woman of Nawaki… and she just couldn't take it anymore. "We'll see how well your words hold up when your opponent grinds you into the floor tomorrow." Tsunade said, turning and walking away.
Naruto scoffed at seeing the older woman turn and start to walk. "I hope you have a front row seat you old hag, because I'll be looking for you when I do my victory lap of the arena."
Hearing this had Tsunade immediately shudder to a halt, Shizune backing down quickly when she saw the woman turn around with a dangerous look in her eyes. "What was that, brat?" Knuckles cracking as she tightened her fists, she turned abruptly, intent on teaching the kid some manners. She didn't care if she started trouble; she was going to flick this kid through the next wall.
Shizune and Tenten panicked when they saw Tsunade advance on Naruto, who stepped towards her in kind and grinned up at the fuming woman.
The blonde grinned cockily, "You heard me. I'll see you tomorrow in the ring once I've stomped my opponent into the ground, Tsunade-baachan."
"You little…" Tsunade growled, swiftly raising her fist to clock him across the head. However, when she swung, aiming to send the boy flying, just as Shizune was moving forward to stop her, Naruto suddenly swayed straight under her fist and, in the blink of an eye, the Sannin had to lift her head ever so slightly to avoid the heel of his foot from smacking into her, which stopped just millimeters from her chin.
The entire bar fell silent when everyone turned to see Tsunade with her fist sticking out and Naruto swayed back under it in a remarkable evasion with his foot just a centimeter from touching her. Shizune and Tenten's jaws dropped at the exchange, with the latter simply gob smacked at what he was able to do to who she believed to be the most powerful woman in the world.
After several moments of stunned quiet and sweating from nearly having her head knocked upwards from the incredibly flexible teen, Tsunade saw a grin sprout across Naruto's confident face as he held his position perfectly.
"Your reflexes are a little slow. Maybe you had one too many drinks tonight. That or you've let all that strength you've accumulated go to waste over the past several years," Naruto said, backing up under her fist before returning to a normal standing position to see Tsunade back off and glare at him. He smirked in return, "Looks like I'm in my best condition today. My reflexes are razor sharp." You could see in his eyes how prepared he was. "I'll see you tomorrow, baachan. Uzumaki Naruto: Future Hokage of Konohagakure and winner of this whole damn tournament. Don't forget it." Raising his fist, the boy gave one last defiant look before turning heel and exiting the bar, closely followed by a still staggered Tenten, who also gave one last bow to the two women before leaving.
Staring in shock after the kids, Shizune slowly panned across to Tsunade to see the woman in an equally dazed state of disbelief. Through her veil of firmness, the apprentice saw a range of emotions going through the blonde haired woman, which prompted her to approach her out of concern. "Tsunade-sama?"
"What a noisy, little punk," the Sannin muttered, rubbing the area of her chin that would have gotten hit before tightening her glare. Pondering on the memory for a moment, she then turned and marched over to her table. "I'm going to order some more drinks, Shizune."
Following her master with her eyes, the younger female nodded before glancing in the direction Naruto and Tenten had left. After staring towards the doors for several moments, Shizune spoke, "Best of luck, Naruto-kun." She smiled at the memory of the boy's grin, to which Tonton also voiced her support for the young man with an oink.
OOO
On their way back to their rooms at their hotel, wandering the corridors at a labored pace, Tenten was looking across at Naruto shyly as they sauntered side by side. She'd been stealing glances at him for quite some time now, ever since they left the bar with gear in hand and had decided to turn in for the night.
Her little stares didn't go on unnoticed by Naruto however, who allowed the girl to do as she pleased since she was clearly enjoying herself. But then, once they returned to the hotel and began heading towards their rooms at the far end of the lavish estate, he couldn't contain his curiosity any longer. With a bright smile on his face, he looked across at the kunoichi at the right moment to catch her gazing at the side of his face. The girl averted her stare quickly and blushed at being caught, something that brought a chuckle from the jinchuriki.
"See something you like?" the blonde asked cheekily.
"Uh… well… I… just… umm…" Tenten babbled, trying to come up with the proper response but failing miserably. She did smile though, which was a good thing. Recovering by clearing her throat and shrugging her shoulders, the kunoichi hastily jumped into something else so to eliminate the awkwardness in the atmosphere, "Thank you… by the way."
"Hm. For what?"
"For what you said back there… standing up for me," Tenten spoke, beaming at the jinchuriki to see him stare at her casually. The girl breathed out as she looked ahead of her again. "For years I've always dreamed of meeting Lady Tsunade of the Sannin… and for even longer I've dreamed of becoming powerful, famous and as amazing as she was. But then… today… when I met her for real, face to face, and tried to tell her all about my aspirations and dreams for the future… well… it… wasn't… exactly how I expected my first time meeting with her to go."
It had been downright depressing. Hell, she even nearly had her wings clipped just from having Tsunade comment on the stats the officials had collected for the competition. It was just one major buzz kill.
Reading what she was saying clearly, the blonde stepped over to her and nudged her in the side. "Sometimes the great people we hear about aren't exactly what we imagine them to be in real life. I mean… I've met a couple of the Sannin already. Jiraiya is an old pervert who writes books about his numerous 'romantic exploits' and constantly tries to spy on girls in the hot springs, and Tsunade is an old crab out of touch with her skills and is cynical about life." She also appeared to be an alcoholic, judging from the vast quantity of empty sake bottles Naruto spotted over on her table. "You can only imagine what she had to go through to get like that."
"Yeah," Tenten agreed, having heard many stories regarding the Sannin and the trials they'd been through. She'd also heard many of the tales about Tsunade, and not all of them were roses and sunshine. In fact a lot of them were really quite dark. "A shinobi's life is a rough and unforgiving road."
"Yep... and a desperately dangerous one," Naruto replied affirmatively.
"You must have had it pretty hard yourself," Tenten added, looking across at him. "I know, because I remember you told me about some of the stuff you had to go through over the years even before you became a Genin, like your unexpected adventure to the west, your first mission outside the village… and Wave. Those must have been really tough times for you…" If she had to gamble, she'd say Naruto had experienced far more of his fair share of trials and pain in his young life in contrast to a lot of other shinobi with many more years under their belts.
He practically rewrote the laws of the things shinobi went through on a day to day basis.
"Aside from all that stuff, I still believe you have to fight your hardest to make your dreams come true," Naruto stated, glancing at the girl to beam at her. "Life isn't easy, period. We struggle, we win and we lose. If you manage to survive and make it to another day, keep going and don't stop, no matter what. You can't let all of that bad stuff get to you because if you do, even if you manage to live, a part of you will still die." He grinned brightly. "That's why I don't want you to give up on your dreams of becoming an amazing kunoichi, Tenten. If there's anyone who can do it, it's you."
Moved by his profound words, Tenten smiled warmly at the boy. Cheeks red and brushing some stray hairs behind her ear, she stepped closer to him and wrapped an arm around his. Though confounded by her actions, the blonde allowed her to take his hand and led her back to her room.
When they reached her team's place of temporary residence, Tenten turned to Naruto and smiled at him. Brushing more hair away, she looked him in the eye, "Thanks for taking me out tonight." She held the stuffed panda up along with her bag of trinkets, squeezing the animal. "I really had fun."
Naruto smiled, "We'll have some more tomorrow. Definitely."
Smiling, Tenten took a deep breath while looking somewhat nervous, a stark contrast to what the jinchuriki came to know of her. Before he could say anything else, the girl stepped closer to him. "I… know that you're with Tayuya already and that you care about each other a lot… and I know that you also have a couple other girls living in your apartment. Though I'm not sure about them or how strong their connections are to you, I'm definitely sure about how I feel and… I want you to know that I like hanging out with you a lot, Naruto-kun."
Naruto merely looked at her and listened. "R-Really?"
Tenten nodded, cheeks glowing red as she shuffled and swayed on the spot nervously, "I… haven't told anyone this before, but… I really admire guys who are good at fighting. I especially like guys who can throw down when the odds are stacked against them." The grin she gave at that had the jinchuriki raise an eyebrow in intrigue. "At first I thought there wouldn't be anyone in the village my age that could fight like Neji and Lee, and someone who had a personality that complimented mine as well. But then you showed up, and when I watched you go on to fight not just Neji but Lee not long afterwards… I thought you were amazing. I became fixated on your skills, but then I got to know you some more… and I started to become interested in your character. I guess you can say I've become obsessed with your fighting spirit and roguish charm."
The blonde looked at her for a moment longer, watching as the girl tucked some hair behind her ear a third time and step away.
"I look forward to seeing you fight some more, Naruto-kun… and I know it's going to be fantastic."
Winking, Tenten then opened the door to her room and stepped in, swaying her hips to catch the boy's attention before vanishing behind it, leaving a slightly stumped Naruto behind.
Staring after the girl as the door closed in her wake, the jinchuriki allowed a stupid grin to slowly pull itself across his face before sliding his hands behind his head and moving on down the hall. In spite of his best efforts, he just couldn't help but skip with every second step.
He was really, REALLY looking forward to tomorrow.
XXX
The very next morning…
Once all of the Genin teams were up and had gone through all their regular morning routines, the Jonin instructors in charge of them then gathered all of their squads together at the front of their hotels before leading them down to the predetermined location where the tournament was to be held. Moving across town to the edge of the village, the various groups from different nations soon arrived at the entrance to a massive building; an enormous, concrete stadium with huge courtyards, large amounts of space, venues, and seating enough for upwards of 50,000 people.
Due to the sheer enormity of the competition and the amount of effort that had been put into advertising it, it came as no surprise to the squads that every single seat had been filled for the occasion, minus the ones reserved for their Jonin captains. They had their own section somewhere in the front rows. Those that were unfortunately unable to procure a spot for themselves were able to of course, view the fights from the massive jumbo televisions in the venues provided outside of the building. To make observation and surveillance easier for the audience as well, cameras had been set up all around the place, all of which were trained on the arena floor with an enormous television screen on either end of the inside nest that was the coliseum for the people finding it difficult to keep up with the rounds and numbers.
Additionally, for all those audiences who had been unable to get to Yugakure to view the shows live or had been unable to acquire tickets and had decided to remain at home, a signal would be shot out to the receivers in all the other hidden villages across the continent. Similar screens had been setup in every major venue where the Chunin Exams would normally be held in the hidden villages so that the locals could view the performances as they went. This was to make sure that those who were interested in viewing the proceedings didn't miss out and that everybody got at least some taste of the action.
It was also to insure that other potential clientele scattered elsewhere would be able to check out the quality of shinobi each of the villages was giving out, so that they knew who to hire for whatever jobs they wished to have completed.
This was most definitely an event worthy of the history books. Aside from ticket sales, cable viewing and what not, every detail of the setup was to be documented and made for extended preservation in the archives.
While the stands and the thousands upon thousands of spectators situated in them was impressive enough, the battle arena was something else entirely. From wall to wall across a field larger than any reserve any of the Genin had ever seen positioned in the center of a manmade construction was a far stretching plain of fields, rolling hillsides, trees, plateaus, raised land, streams, lakes and barren expanses. The land inside of the arena was like a well tended garden, where a piece of geography of every known area across the continents had been taken and molded together to form a single stretch of untouched environment. From the wind that passed over the grass, the butterflies that fluttered around and the birds circling high up overhead, it was like a little shred of paradise.
However, the true purpose of this huge slab of selected nature was a battleground reserved for the Genin being pitted against each other in its center. While all of it was very pretty to look at, neither one of the kids thought of it as anything more than what its prime function was to be, except for Naruto, who was having a blast admiring the wonderful flora in the area.
The Feng Shui of the arena was almost palpable to him.
Dotted with lakes and rocks, along the edges of the grounds high walls of concrete raised the stands of spectators above the field, keeping them safely out of harm's way. Since it was expected most of the battles were to take place in the middle, the design made it ideal for the villagers to see every bit of the competition. Furthermore, the stands were also divided between the rich and the middle-class. While a majority of them were ordinary villagers and shinobi, there were stands reserved for the powerful, including a box up at the back at the very top where the daimyo sat and right up in the front row where the Kage were seated along with their bodyguards.
The people of Yugakure really put their hearts and souls into making this thing all possible, something that the Genin could acknowledge and appreciate. This was the time where they could showcase their abilities to the world and show everyone what each and every one of them was made of.
Speaking of which, all of the Genin scheduled to fight today stood in the center of the arena, waiting patiently on the patch of ground that would be the starting point for all of the battles to follow.
Filed up into a single line, the participants looked around at all of the competition with varying degrees of interest and enmity.
"Troublesome," Shikamaru groaned, looking around at the people in the stands. Due to the amount of time they'd already spent out here, the Nara was able to make out the box where the competitors could sit and observe the fights, as well as the sections reserved for both their Jonin instructors, fellow villagers they'd brought along, and the Kage box. Strangely enough, the latter sat across from the competitor's box, probably so that the Kage could get a good view of the people they were judging. "With all this noise it'll be impossible to take a nap."
Ino glared across at her teammate. "Really? We're standing in perhaps the biggest stadium ever, for possibly one of the biggest events in history, and you're complaining about getting a little shuteye?"
Shikamaru shrugged groggily, "Priorities, Ino. Since I'm going to be in the first fight, I gotta think about what I'm going to do afterwards. Whether I win or lose it doesn't matter, because I'm going to be unconscious up in the stand while you guys solve your pointless arguments."
If it were possible, the pale blonde's glare narrowed even more. "No you bloody will not be sleeping, because I'm going to make it my mission today to keep you awake and make you watch every second of the fights so that you can come up with something useful for us." She turned to glare across at her other teammate. "Right, Choji?"
The boy in orange grinned back nervously, "S-Sure… Ino."
The Nara groaned in dismay and his shoulders slumped, "Outstanding." Their resident kunoichi had both of them on a leash.
All of the Genin were lined up in their squads, so that they could still commune with each other even when in the presence of the enemy. They had to be extra careful with what they had to say of course, since they didn't want to give anything away to their opponents. This was the main reason why everybody was so tense and avoided talking between groups. Team 10 was in their corner doing their thing, Team 9 was just relaxed in their part of the line and speaking freely with one another, the Suna team was intense as usual, as was the Kiri team, the Iwa team was looking all pumped and Team Gai was surveying the competition discreetly, while allowing Lee to get his freak on.
"I cannot wait to get started!" the boy in green shouted brightly with flames blazing in his eyes, "To show the world what Rock Lee is capable of! I have been training hard for this very moment, for the day that I am acknowledged for my skills! My youth will carry me through to victory!"
Neji smiled, "Don't forget your fighting style, Lee. Remember… focus."
"Yes! Focus! That is the most important thing!" Lee chirped, taking in a deep breath before raising his fist. "I will concentrate wholeheartedly on this competition and use all of my power to carry me through this!"
Both of his teammates just shook their heads at his antics. If Lee was really going to get through this, he needed to be at his most cheerful. That is exactly why they encouraged him to get as hyped up as he possibly could, before returning to surveying the contestants quietly. It was while they were looking around, Tenten spotted Naruto and his team just down the ways and were looking around casually, with Sasuke standing with his hands in his pockets and a bored look on his face, Sakura simply gazing at said boy, and the blonde looking about in awe at everything.
When Tenten saw the jinchuriki's eyes meet hers, she smiled and waved, earning a charming grin and a wave in return.
This gesture did not go unnoticed by Samui either, who leaned forward a tad to look at the boy from her end.
Feeling somebody nudge him, Naruto panned over to see Tayuya grinning at him.
"Had fun the other night?" the red head asked.
Blinking, the blonde smiled back. "Yeah. It was great. The booths were awesome."
"What about the company?" the teen asked, siding up to him slightly. "Did you enjoy spending time with Bun-girl?"
Expression becoming visibly nervous, the blonde averted his gaze and started scrubbing the back of his head in a clear show of anxiousness. "Y-Yeah… we had a lot of fun." Forcing a laugh, Naruto hoped to steer the small conversation towards something else.
Damn, he didn't want to tell Tayuya that Tenten had pretty much confessed to him the other night and told him she liked him. In fact, he'd also been avoiding the stuff that had happened between him and Samui.
After all, he didn't want to upset her. He didn't want to upset any of the girls he knew. He didn't know what to do regarding the feelings all of them were giving him since these were completely new and confusing experiences for him, so the best he could do at this point was panic and hope.
However, just as he was about to lead off into a different topic, he suddenly felt a hand placed on his cheek and his head pulled over, where he then received a quick peck on the side from Tayuya. Looking back at her quickly when they pulled away, he saw the red head grinning mischievously at him.
"Don't worry… we'll talk more about it later, okay," Tayuya whispered with a smile.
Hearing this, Naruto smiled back and nodded, his body easing up.
The gesture of affection didn't go unnoticed by the rest of his team, with both Sasuke and Sakura glancing over at him in interest before turning away, the latter smiling in amusement.
At that exact moment, the teams suddenly spotted three figures marching over to them from the rise up ahead. One of them was a Konoha shinobi with short brown hair tied down in a bandana with his forehead protector on it, had a very professional look on his face and was wearing the regular uniform. Another was a Kumogakure shinobi with black, spiky hair, had a purple mark under his right eye, and was wearing the standard clothing of his village. The third was a Sunagakure kunoichi wearing a white head cover with her headband over it and the regular sand shinobi uniform, with an additional medic-nin patch on her left arm and a bag hanging from her shoulder.
Once the three older shinobi stopped before the teams, the hidden leaf ninja stepped forward, "Alright everyone, may I please have your attention." At his command, all of the kids present straightened up and set all their sights on the trio of officials. "I am Hayate Gekko, the Kumogakure shinobi to my right is Tenga and the Sunagakure kunoichi to my left is Mizore. Both Tenga and I will be your main proctors for your fights. Mizore will serve as both a proctor and a fight doctor, so in case anyone receives serious injury and the fight has been called, she will tend to you if necessary. Because this is an official competition, there will be no fighting between matches. Understood?" It was worth noting that his voice was being projected throughout the arena via the speakers and a lapel mike on his collar. The blaring of his instructions effectively silenced the clamor of the crowds and had all focus fix on the center of the ring
The other two proctors had lapel mikes too, additions they weren't hesitant in using as Tenga stepped forward to continue.
"I will go over the rules again, just to make sure you guys didn't miss anything at the end of the second test," the Kumogakure ninja exclaimed, looking around at all the serious faces. "As you probably already know, the third test is a tournament-style combat exam that will be carried out over a two-day period. Because there is a total of twenty-four of you, there will be a total of twelve fights today. Each fight will take place in this arena, which has been designed based around the most common places shinobi would often do battle with one another, and will allow you to fight however you please. There is no area in here that is out-of bounds, so go nuts. Just try to keep the audience out of it."
"Each of the fights will be conducted under basic tournament practices," Hayate led on once he was certain Tenga was done. "Before each match, we will call both participants down to the ring. They will then stand in the center of the neutral plate here facing each other and give their consent to battle, after which we will then begin the fight once we're assured that both shinobi are ready. The battle will proceed until one side concedes defeat or is unable to continue. After the end of the match there will then be a three-minute break period until the next one, in which both opponents will be called down to the ring and must report here before the end of the three-minute intermission. If too much time has passed and one of the participants has failed to report to the center ring, they will automatically be disqualified and effectively lose the match."
Mizore nodded and stepped forward as well. "As it is our duty as proctors, we will step in to stop a fight to prevent you from killing each other unnecessarily. Since this is a competition designed to showcase your skills, we would like to avoid killing as much as possible, and will jump in and put an end to a fight to keep competitors from dying. That being said, there will be no substitutions during another person's fight, and as proctors, you will obey our commands. If one of us moves to call a competitor out of a fight then that's that. We are the ones who make the final call as to whether a fight can continue or not." Nodding she smiled towards the teams. "Good luck to all of you and make your villages proud with your performances."
Tenga gestured to the stands for all to see. "Remember, the whole world is watching you. All these people here today have come to see you do your best and to judge your skills. Give them a good show and show them why you were given this opportunity to fight on the big stage." The moment he said that, the thousands of spectators all around them broke out into a round of applause and cheering, which drowned the arena and lifted the spirits of all those present.
Seeing the faces of many of the Genin light up, Hayate nodded before directing their attention to one of the massive television screens positioned in the stadium. "In case you've forgotten, here is the lineup for today."
XXX
First Half
(Bracket 1)
Match 1: Shikamaru vs. Kurotsuchi
Match 2: Gaara vs. Tenten
Match 3: Karui vs Shirotsuchi
Match 4: Kaede vs Tayuya
(Bracket 2)
Match 5: Naruto vs Neji
Match 6: Temari vs Sakura
INTERMISSION
Second Half
Match 7: Ino vs Kiyoko
Match 8: Lee vs Kankuro
(Bracket 3)
Match 9: Tsubaki vs Akatsuchi
Match 10: Omoi vs Sasuke
Match 11: Utakata vs Shiho
Match 12: Choji vs Samui
XXX
The competition hardened their glares on the boards as the audience also drank in all of the information. The proctors waited for each of them to get their eyeful of the brackets and the fights to follow, from match one all the way to the final round, before one of them broke out their opinion on it all.
"So… whoever wins bracket one will get an immediate bye out of the semi-finals into the final match," Omoi exclaimed, furrowing his brow. "That means that whoever wins the first bracket will be a lot fresher than the one who wins in either bracket two or three… otherwise known as the block from hell." That meant that whoever wins both the fights on the second half of the line up would get one extra fight before the actual final battle.
That's how the lineup was.
"That's how it is, kid," Mizore exclaimed with a smile. "That's how life is sometimes. It can either play ball with you or pit the entire world against you. Besides, this will give you more of a chance to show the audience your skills and give them more reason to promote you if you win." She then steeled herself and glared at all of them. "We will begin the first match: Shikamaru vs. Kurotsuchi. Please come forward!" The two Genin did as requested, with the former needing a little bit more motivation in the form of a kick to the butt from Ino because he didn't respond fast enough. Once both competitors had stepped forward, they were acknowledged by the proctors.
Hayate then pointed to the rest of them, "All those who are not participating, please move to the booth provided for you at the end of the arena across from the Kage box." Those whose names had not been called to the stage did as instructed and immediately started their way over to the area reserved especially for them. It would be a long walk and a quick hike up the stairs inside the stadium stands before they arrived at their booth, where they all spread out along the railing to watch the first battle of the third stage of the exams unfold.
OOO
(Stadium - Kage Section)
Up in the box reserved especially for the leaders of the villages participating in this stage of the exams, there sat the five Kage from the nations otherwise known as the five great power-houses of their world. Along with their bodyguards, the five biggest heads on the continent watched attentively as the setup for the very first match of the tournament was underway.
The leader of Yugakure himself, a young man adorned in pale kimono robes with purple trim and his village's wide-brimmed hat atop his head, sat in a meditative position as he watched the majority of the Genin leave the center of the ring, while those competing first remained with the proctors. "And so it begins."
"This is quite the marvelous setup, Hiroto-san," the Third Hokage spoke warmly as he looked across at the young village leader from his comfortable seat. "You must be incredibly proud of your people for putting this all together."
The young Kage nodded, "I am. But I have you great Kage to thank for allowing the exams to be hosted in my village. I hope the services and attractions were to your liking." He leaned over to look hopefully across at the other leaders filling up the individual seats in the box.
Kirigakure's leader, a very young and attractive woman with a sizable chest, long brown hair tied up into a bun, green eyes, and a blue, revealing uniform with her Kage hat hanging around her neck, smiled as she returned the gaze sent her way by the Yugakure leader. "They were wonderful, Hiroto-kun. I only wish I could've spent more time yesterday enjoying more of the glamour your town had to offer. Unfortunately there was business to attend to and I was unable to immerse myself in all of it."
Hiroto smiled, "Perhaps tonight when you have some more free time you can enjoy more of the village, Mizukage-sama."
Mei gazed fondly, "I think I will. Perhaps… you can show me some more of the village yourself…"
A series of chuckles came from the large, burly, dark-skinned man with slicked back white hair, mustache and goatee, wearing massive arm braces and ceremonial robes sitting in the chair next to Hiruzen. "Flirting with the leader of Yugakure, Mizukage? You certainly are a free-spirited woman."
Mei brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and smirked across at the Raikage; the leader of Kumogakure. "I may be a new Kage, but I'm not afraid to make acquaintances with the other villages, even former enemies."
A smirked, "Well… that explains why you're getting so cozy with the Hokage. Trying to cover up some of your village's bad rep by being friendly with villages you've had past transgressions with?"
"We learn from the mistakes of the past, Raikage-sama," Mei chirped with that deceptively sweet smile of hers. "There's nothing wrong in trying to make amends and establishing new relations. Think of it as building a bridge over water."
A grunt came from the brown-haired man with the stern face and robes illustrating him as the leader of Sunagakure, who was currently sitting on the other side of the Raikage. "While I do agree with the point the Mizukage is trying to establish, I think it is best to concentrate on the first match. I believe it's between the young Nara from Konohagakure and your granddaughter, Tsuchikage-dono." The Kazekage looked to the short, old man with the bulbous nose and formal wear seated next to him. "How do you think the match will go?"
Onoki murmured as he glared down at the arena, ignoring the banter taking place between the other Kage beside him, "The Nara have a reputation for being extremely unmotivated, but also for being remarkably intelligent. However, next to Kurotsuchi, a well-rounded ninja in all areas of the profession, she might be a little too much for even that young upstart to handle."
"You say that like the match is already over," A spoke up from his spot in the line.
"Based on the stats and what I've seen of my troublesome granddaughter myself, it may as well be," the Tsuchikage informed proudly.
A smirked as he sat back in his chair. "Watch yourself Onoki. That pride might come back to bite you in the back if you're not careful with it." He looked in the direction of where he could see the other Genin exiting the arena, with some of them already filing into the box across the way. "As for my shinobi, I have full confidence in their abilities to make it through. While not the most diverse, they certainly make up for what they lack with tactical brilliance and superb fighting skill. Karui, Omoi and Samui were all trained by my younger brother after all… and I believe one of them is already showing the promise of a magnificent Chunin."
Onoki grinned smugly, "And you say I'm the prideful one." The Kazekage stuck in the middle of them breathed a sigh, drawing the short, old man's attention over to him. "Something you want to say, Kazekage?"
The stern man looked up and across towards his children he could see up in the competitor's box. "It seems to me that we all have prospects in this exam that we have extremely high hopes for. As for me, I believe that Gaara, Temari and Kankuro will show me good reason to promote them. They are the absolute best in Suna, without question."
Hiruzen raised an eyebrow before looking towards the kunoichi beside him, "By the way, Mizukage-sama. Why did you only send one team to participate in the exams this year? What with everything that has gone on in your country in the past, we believed you would try to throw in all of the prospects you could to make up for lost time." This question had the collective attentions of all the Kage, with those that had high stakes in this locking firmly onto the woman.
At that, Mei sat further back into her seat and crossed her legs under the scrutiny of the other leaders. "It wasn't my decision to send only one team. I actually reserved that right to all of the squads who were interested. When Harusame-san put his team forward for consideration, all of the others backed down… that's because his team of students are the strongest my village has to offer."
Onoki frowned across at the leader of Kirigakure. "As I understand it, you not only have a jinchuriki on that team, but you also have a kunoichi who has the highest recorded stats from observing officials out of every other Genin participating in this tournament. From what I've read about her, her abilities seem a little bit farfetched, don't you think? She outclasses everyone."
The woman smiled as she looked across the way towards the team in question, whom she could see lined up away from everybody else. "She's an impossible individual. Out of all the shinobi present, it is a given that she will advance to the finals. For that I'm willing to bet everything."
Hiruzen looked at the woman considerably for a moment, taking in her collectiveness and her smile. After a few moments, he leaned back in his chair, deciding to dismiss his troubling thoughts for the time being and focus on the match that was about to take place.
OOO
(Stadium – Arena)
The three proctors spread themselves out over the field out of the way of the two competitors as they faced each other down, with Hayate remaining behind to oversee the opening parts of the act. He stood between them as the Genin glared across at one another.
"Are both competitors ready?" the man asked, seeing the excited, raven-haired Kurotsuchi smirk and nod while the bored, close-to-falling-asleep Shikamaru gave a tired nod of his own. "Very well then. Match 1: Shikamaru of Konohagakure vs Kurotsuchi of Iwagakure." The proctor then raised his hand in the air and dropped it. "Begin!" At that the crowd gave a mighty cheer and Hayate leapt away, giving the pair the space they needed for their performance.
Almost immediately Kurotsuchi dropped into a stance and grinned across at her adversary. "You're looking tired, kid. Want to take a nap?"
Shikamaru blinked lazily in the girl's direction. "Yeah… actually I do…"
"Well then, I hope you don't mind if I knock the piss out of you for a bit before putting you down for good. I've got a pretty-boy Uchiha to fight later on and I won't have you standing in my way," the kunoichi cheered brightly as she placed her weight on her back foot and slid forward.
The Nara sighed and rubbed the back of his head before taking a reluctant stance of his own. "I never liked being with girls for too long. They're always so noisy and keep you awake for so many pointless things." The look in his eyes changed as he focused for the fight, doing so because he didn't want to have Ino scold him at the end of this for not putting any effort into it. "Well… it's not like I can help it. I drew from the hat and came up short. Let's just get this over with."
He really, desperately hoped that this fight wasn't going to end up being a drag. Unfortunately for him, looking at how riled up his opponent was and judging from how comfortably she wore that shit-eating grin, Shikamaru knew that this wasn't going to be an easy haul…
TO BE CONTINUED…
Author's Note: Sorry to leave you guys in suspense, but the fights will start in the next few chapters. This was merely an intermission to highlight the stakes and to setup the environment. These Chunin Exams are a big deal after all, so there's bound to be stuff happening in between.
Naruto and Tenten go out on a date of their own, while also bumping into Tsunade and Shizune. The jinchuriki and the Sannin have a spat, and he solidifies his position. The Five Kage have also gotten together to watch the show, with Mei being the newest Kage. You can imagine she'd only been on the big seat for a couple of months or so, so it's safe to say her country is slowly recovering and she's spearheading the fixing of it. This tournament is a great time for public appearances.
Just so anyone is wondering, the length of this story chapter-wise will be similar to Keichi's chapter number for Better Left Unsaid. I don't count words, I just count chapters. So I hope you're all looking forward to the exams.
So basically, whoever wins bracket one will immediately get a shot to the finals, while the winners of bracket two and three will have to fight in one more match. I wonder who's going to win each round?
I'll let you guys try and figure it out.