I am amazed at how many reviews this story has been getting. Thank you all so much for the support.
Pyr00tje: Thank you! :) Go Sasuke indeed.
TheOrangeStar802: I'm not really the beta type :P
Rain Dove: YOU'RE BACK! Yes, I do feel this is a tad bit too similar to the Chunin Exams, but it's the only thing I could think up, and besides I've been planning for this since ages ago. Thank you for your holy review.
Lin: You forgot to name yourself! It says you reviewed under the name of Guest. Neither am I from the west :P
Crystal: I am unfortunately not accepting any OCs for this story because, to be honest, how do OCs fit in? I prefer to lean towards the real characters in the anime/manga. If you want to find out my age, you can click on my name and look at my profile. Thank you for your review, and your devotion to the story :)
Danish78: Reasonable complain there, but I couldn't really find an 'opening' to make Asuma use jutsu... And actually I, or Sasuke, created the Chidori Blade technique to compensate for his lack of a sword here in non-canon, so the Chidori Blade will stay as the replacement of the Kusanagi for now. Your idea is fairly interesting but there is one loophole in the fact that Sakumo's Chakra Blades were destroyed years ago in the battle of Kannabi Bridge.
Apologies for the lack of review replies. I'm just getting a bit lazy.
Thanks to demonic hellfire, Pyr00tje, NTA FANFIC, TheOrangeStar802, Awais, Arch The Ripper, Rain Dove, Lin, akasukifangirl, Started From The Bottom, SonYukiGokusSister, shadowphantomnes, Crystal, enerongoku77, FrozenFlamingFire and Danish78 for the reviews!
Sasuke and Neji landed. In front of them were the doors to their destination - the tower in the middle of the forest.
Nodding at each other, they entered.
A ninja nearby, not recognized by both Jonin hopefuls, nodded at the duo and informed them they were three hours early, and that there were refreshments, restrooms and resting areas in the tower where they could wait and replenish their energy.
Sasuke was tempted to hit the tower hot springs immediately, but didn't think it would be a good idea. Instead, he grabbed a bottle of plain water and headed upstairs to watch some TV. He wouldn't mind living in the tower, save for the fact it was in the middle of a scary forest. The tower itself was like a hotel resort.
Three hours came all too soon, and both dojutsu users gathered at the first floor of the tower - the sparring arena.
Sasuke inspected the teams that had arrived. He gasped at the number.
Five teams, comprising of ten Chunin. Tossing him and Neji into the mix, that was six teams, and twelve Chunin.
He had counted more than a hundred before the start of the exams.
The Jonin scattered around the forest had done more work than he'd thought.
That wasn't possible. He had defeated Asuma, and drove Kakashi back. Was it that hard repelling the other Jonin?
Then again, Sasuke was trained by Itachi and Kakashi - two of the best shinobi in Konoha.
He observed the passing Chunin. Among the five teams, one was from the Leaf, like them. Two from Kiri, and another two from Suna made up the six.
"Alright, listen up."
Asuma, his head heavily bandaged, addressed the Chunin, who all glanced at him with wide eyes. Only Sasuke smirked at him. Asuma noticed this, and shook his head.
"In the first part of the exams, we tested your skills and teamwork, two things that are vital to every Jonin. Of course, some of you here did not display adequate teamwork, but what we can confirm is all of you here are extremely skillful. All of you ran into one or more Jonin at some point or another during the exam, yet you managed to escape, or defeat the Jonin, with your amulet. Congratulations on passing to the next stage of the exams."
The other nine Jonin behind Asuma started clapping, one of them Kakashi.
As the applause died, Asuma continued speaking. "This next test will lean more on teamwork, and unlike in the Forest of Death, all of us ten Jonin will be standing here, watching and grading you."
Sasuke didn't get it. Grading?
The walls started moving. Sasuke gasped as the battle arena they were currently standing in expanded. The entire area now had approximately equal width to a small village.
"All twelve of you here... will fight to the death."
All the Chunin present tensed up.
"But of course, the thing to show here will be teamwork," Asuma emphasized greatly on his last word. "Do not work alone. That's key to passing this test."
He looked at a nearby clock.
"All of you will have an hour to rest," he said. "Then, you will be thrown into this arena, and fight until we finish our evaluation. The two-man teams that demonstrate teamwork best, will pass."
"What if a team shows teamwork, but they get defeated... or killed?" One Chunin asked.
"Then you just have to stay alive," Asuma winked.
Sasuke looked around, observing the Chunin that had gathered.
These Jonin Exams... are way, way more dangerous than the Chunin Exams...
On the second floor, where people could spectate the battle arena, Sasuke and Neji rested.
"What do you think?"
Sasuke looked back at Neji. "Huh?"
Neji fixed him with a halfhearted smirk. "Got any confidence?"
"Yeah," the Uchiha shrugged. "It's just... the thought of having to kill people... it bothers me."
Neji nodded in understanding. "Anyway, we are going to have to work together, so we should take this last half an hour to discuss our tactics, how we'll fight, and everything."
Thinking about this for a moment, Sasuke finally nodded. "You're right. Let's do it."
In thirty minutes, all the Chunin had returned to the arena, and all the Jonin were on top, looking down at them.
"This will end in five hours... or when there is only one team left standing," Asuma declared. "... Begin."
That was abrupt, Sasuke thought.
Cries of battle followed, as a Kiri team proceeded to attack a Suna team.
Another Konoha team quickly joined in the fight.
Sasuke smirked, getting an idea. Before any of the other two teams could try anything funny, he jumped into the air, making hand seals.
"Fire Style: Great Dragon Flame Jutsu!"
He aimed his technique at the six battling shinobi from Kiri, Suna and Konoha. The Leaf and Mist ninjas jumped clear just in time, but the team from the Sand was caught off-guard, and were caught in a heavy explosion.
They flew into the air, and landed with a loud crash, burns all over their wounded bodies. They were still alive, but heavily injured.
More battle cries came, as the two Kirigakure teams attacked together, apparently having forged a temporary alliance.
Neji placed his hands together.
"Byakugan!"
Sasuke walked up to stand beside Neji, his black pupils soon turning blood red. A Chidori appeared in his hand, forming the shape of a sword.
Both dojutsu-wielding ninjas nodded at each other. Sasuke jumped forward first.
"Water Style: Raging Waves!"
Three of the Kiri men blasted their technique towards their fourth member. Sasuke looked on in confusion, but then understood as the gushing water was quickly shaped into a blade upon touching the Kiri ninja's hand.
"Water Style: Water Slicing Blade."
This sword-wielding Chunin attacked Sasuke. The two engaged in a sword fight, as the other three Kiri ninjas went for Neji.
Gracefully avoiding all of their punches and kicks, Neji raced towards Sasuke instead of retaliating. The sword-wielding Mist nin was too engrossed in the battle, and was only alerted to a presence behind him when he heard a voice.
"8 Trigrams..."
Sasuke jumped over his opponent, getting out of the way. The Mist nin tried to do the same, but it was too late.
"2 Palms!"
Two palms slammed into his back, and he started feeling strange. His water sword exploded and water droplets flew everywhere.
"4 Palms!"
He was definitely feeling weakened now. He tried to get away, but more palmed attacks kept him in place.
"8 Palms!"
From the corner of his eye, the Mist nin noticed his three comrades attempting to help, but were being handled by Sasuke, who was driving them back with Fire Style attacks.
"16 Palms!"
The Chunin started feeling blood rising from his gullet.
"32 Palms!"
The blood was spat out, narrowly missing Neji's face.
"8 Trigrams..."
A brief moment passed, and the Mist nin sighed in relief. He didn't know how, but these palmed attacks were harming him, and he was glad they'd stopped.
"... 64 Palms!"
He screamed as he flew back at alarming speed. As gravity finally forced him down onto the ground, he could feel no chakra coursing through his body - only blood, blood, and more blood rising into his throat. He spat them out, as the red liquid trickled down his lips.
In the spectator zone above, Kakashi smiled. So they are working to take them out one by one.
"Good job, Neji," Sasuke grinned. He was having a real struggle. These Kiri ninjas weren't like the ones he'd faced in the forest. They were stronger, better, faster. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
It was the fourth fireball he had conjured up against the Kiri trio. They all jumped back, avoiding the ball of flames. As their attention were focused on the technique, Sasuke rushed towards the ninja on the left, kicking him in the face.
Lightning chakra crackled in his left hand and with it, he punched this particular Chunin in the stomach, causing him to scream in pain.
His two companions dashed towards Sasuke, intent on providing assistance.
"8 Trigrams Air Palm!"
One of the two was blown back by a strong force of air.
"8 Trigrams Air Palm!"
The other was also given the same treatment. Neji looked on as they flew through the air, and rushed to Sasuke, who was mercilessly assaulting the poor Kiri ninja with his punches.
Sasuke stepped aside, and the beaten-up Kiri teen decided to take the opportunity to recover, but was given no time. An array of palmed attacks rained on his chest, knocking him to the ground.
As he tried to get up, realization hit him. "I-I can't use any jutsu..."
The other Kiri ninjas leaped towards Sasuke and Neji, their faces filled with rage.
"Earth Style!" They cried together. "Twin Earth Dragon!"
A gigantic two-headed dragon made from mud rose from the ground, roaring with anger and drawing the attention of the other Chunin in the arena.
Sasuke and Neji stared as the dragon descended on them in an attempt to crush the two with mud.
Expressions of glee flew onto the two Kiri ninjas' faces as their earth dragon hit the target, exploding as soon as they hit. Mud flew everywhere, and briefly rained down on the people in the arena.
However, as the Kiri ninjas gained sight of their opponents again, they gasped.
Sasuke and Neji were enclosed in a blue, semi-circled barrier of Lightning chakra.
"Lightning Style..." Sasuke smirked. "... Lightning Barrier."
Rage returned to the expressions on the Kiri ninjas' faces, and they charged forward, keen on finishing Sasuke and Neji.
The barrier disappeared, and the Chidori registered itself on Sasuke's hand.
"Chidori True Spear!"
Raising this particular hand, he watched as it slammed into one of his two opponents, creating a lightning-charged explosion. The other Chunin, not hit by the spear, was flung towards them.
"Rotation!" Neji cried. As soon as the Mist ninja hit the spinning blue sphere erected around Neji, he gave a pained shout, and flew back.
This one refused to give up however. He looked at his comrades. One of them was lying, unconscious with blood all over his lips. The other was on the ground, unable to get up from the pain, as well as being horribly weakened. The last one had an alarmingly large wound on his chest.
"Give up, or we'll make you," Sasuke warned.
The Cursed Seal on his neck started generating black marks that only traveled up his left arm. These marks fused to form dark skin, on only that particular arm.
It's amazing how much control he has over that Cursed Seal of his! He must have been training... really, really hard, Neji thought.
The Black Chidori was powered up in his different-colored arm.
Intimidated for a moment, the Kiri nin stepped back. Then, he growled and jumped forward. "You don't scare me, bastard!"
"Chidori Lament!" Sasuke threw his arm in front, and black Lightning chakra spread from the Black Chidori on his hand, shooting towards the Kiri ninja.
With surprising agility, the target dodged Sasuke's electrifying attempts. He finally got close to the Uchiha, and with a roar, tried to punch him in the stomach.
Neji stepped forth, his palm connecting with this Kiri ninja's face and knocking him off his feet.
He jumped back up, making hand seals. "Earth Style: Earth Dragon!"
A mud dragon rose from the ground, smaller than the two-headed dragon earlier, but still looking menacing.
"Didn't you hit him earlier?" Sasuke asked curiously, as the dragon flew towards them.
Neji shook his head. "There are no chakra points on his face."
The Cursed Seal sprang to life again, and the black marks of the powerful fuinjutsu spread over Sasuke's face. He threw his shirt off, showing off the black tattoo-like marks on his well-toned chest, and flew off as wings sprouted from his back.
Neji jumped away just in time as well, as the Kiri nin stared at Sasuke. "Wh-What?"
Flying towards their opponent at breakneck speed, Sasuke charged up a considerable amount of Lightning chakra in his fist, and flew into him with his fist making contact with his face.
There was a crack, and the Kiri nin flew back.
He put his shirt back on as the marks and the wing faded. "He won't be fighting for some time."
He's putting his opponents out of commission, but he's refusing to kill them, Asuma realized.
"Who shall we fight next?" Sasuke turned, to see the two Suna ninjas that he'd burnt with the Great Dragon Flame Jutsu earlier, being defended by their fellow Sand shinobi. They were battling against the other Konoha duo, who looked like they wanted to attack and kill the unconscious ones on the ground.
Neji jumped into the fray, rushing into the middle of the fight and using the 8 Trigrams Palm Rotation, and Sasuke looked on in amusement as the Suna and Konoha duo flew off in different directions.
"It's the punk from the Hyuga's Branch House," one of the Konoha Chunin growled. "Let's take care of him."
Suddenly, he felt himself being picked up by his collar, and smashed into the nearby wall. Sasuke grinned, as he powered up a Chidori in his other hand, and smashed it into his fellow Leaf colleague's back.
It was a weakened Chidori, but the Konoha nin still felt extreme pain as he was dumped onto the ground.
"Satori," his partner stared in a mixture of shock and anger.
The two Sand ninjas, sensing this as an opportunity, roared their heads off and attacked him.
One descended underground, while another continued charging up.
"Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu!"
The Leaf nin was pulled underground, as the user of the technique jumped back onto land.
"Wind Style: Wind Sword!" The other Suna nin smirked, as an invisible blade materialized in his hand, before flying for the neck of the Konoha ninja.
Desperately, the target of the attack grabbed onto the foot of the Earth Style-using Suna ninja before he could jump away, just as the blade flew into his neck.
Neji cringed as his head started flying off.
"That's what you get for trying to fight the Sand," said the Wind Style user with a wicked smile.
This smile faded into a look of shock as his team partner turned to face him, to reveal he was the Konoha ninja, with an equally wicked smile of his own. He gestured towards the head that had fallen onto the ground.
To the Suna nin's shock, it was the head of his team partner.
"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!" Before the Suna nin could react, flames shaped into a dragon burst towards him, hitting his stomach and exploding, ripping his clothes apart and drawing a roar of pain.
The Suna nin flew back, bloodied. As he landed on the ground, he coughed out. "How?"
Kakashi shook his head at the gore, answering the question for the Chunin. A perfectly timed Substitution Jutsu...
Sasuke took this as the cue to move in.
"Chidori Sharp Spear!"
The Konoha ninja noticed, and jumped into the air, avoiding the lengthening spear. "Fire Style: Flaming Vortex Jutsu!" From his mouth came a vortex of fire, rushing towards Sasuke.
Neji quickly made the move forward, engaging the young man in close combat with his Gentle Fist. This made the ninja stop his technique, and the vortex disappeared into smoke before it reached Sasuke.
"So it's true then," he murmured, skillfully avoiding Neji's blows, and then cleverly side-stepping before hitting his Hyuga assaulter in the neck and knocking him down, something that started to make Neji cough. "Both a Hyuga and an Uchiha kid entered the exams."
"What's it to you?"
Sasuke was quickly behind the stranger, Chidori Blade in hand. With an ear-piercing shout, he thrust it forward.
In a split second, the young man had revealed his own blade, countering Sasuke's strike with it.
At that moment, Sasuke smirked. "Surprise."
The man raised an eyebrow, but then jumped back swiftly.
Just in time, as Sasuke exploded into a mass of lightning.
The real Sasuke appeared behind the ninja again, this time with a Chidori in hand. Another shout followed as Sasuke ran up to attack, but he missed as the Leaf nin dived away.
"My name is Shin Yaiba," he introduced himself, brushing a lock of his outrageously long orange hair off his eye.
"I don't care," Sasuke replied matter-of-factly.
Shin laughed. "You should... for my name, followed by the word 'mercy', is what you will be crying out in ten minutes. I am going to beat you, and then I am going to be a Jonin."
Meeting his confident gaze with a cold glare, Sasuke raised his fist, his Lightning chakra sizzling on it.
"If that's what you think is going to happen... then you've got another thing coming."
I hope you liked the... Bloody Mist-style fight scene. It's not really nicely-planned, but I hope it works.
Question of the Day: On a scale of 1-5, 5 being the highest and 1 being the lowest, how much would you rate Sasuke and Neji's teamwork today?
In the next chapter, Sasuke and Neji battle their new friend Shin Yaiba.
See you all then.