To start off I want to thank everyone who sacrificed their time and reviewed! Thanks for all the encouraging words, that really gets me going! And I didn't even realized, but it seem that this fic approaches 500 reviews! Cool!
Well, this one turned out longer then usual, but I really didn't see any point in making this into two chapters… especially since some parts are similar to those in the manga… however with this chapter you might find it easier to remember "WHO'S WHO"… and there also will be few hints as to character plots… but to find out more, you'll have to read.
Not that many questions this time around (at least which I could answer without spoiling too much)… I can only promise that you'll learn everything in the right time. As for the length of this fic, well I haven't calculated the number of chapters (since there are changes… like this one was supposed to be a bit longer, but split in two) but I can promise this one will the LONG… and I mean LONG… and I hope you'll enjoy it enough to make it to the end (which is far away at the time being).
ANNOUNCEMENT: just wanted to inform you about something… well, for some time now I've being writing my original story that is influenced by manga… and I finally decided to place it on the web… you can find the link on my profile page… as for the details, it's a fantasy story with a lot of action and quite a lot of humor and drama… plus romance later on. If you feel like it, do try it out and leave a review if you can. Thanks in advance.
Now, without further to do, here's another chapter of N:NG!
Chapter #35: Third Exam
Title Page: all the rookie, Leaf kunoichi are dressed as cheerleaders! Tsume is smiling widely, wrapping her hand around Mikka, who has her head lowered. Kumiko and Kogane are having the time of their lives cheering, Rei is sleeping on the floor and Ibuki is doing her best to succeed at performing split
"Wow, thing place is huge…" announced Kai as he looked at the forest surrounded with wire-net with a sigh "Restricted Area' on it. The trees were colossal and seemed to be blocking any way through.. "Is this really the right place?" and with that he turned to his teammates.
"That's what the scroll says…" replied Kumiko as she read the scroll they got during the second exam. "Training area 44… but what's with that 'restricted area' sign?"
"That's for people's safety, of course…" all the gathered chuunin wanabies heard a voice and as they turned around in the direction it came from, they noticed a man around thirty years old with spiky, brown hair and two, red, fang-like tattoos on his cheeks. He wore a blue t-shirt and metal protectors on his arms. A moment later a huge, white-furred dog came running after him. The man smiled at the kids and announced: "My name is Inuzuka Kiba and this is Akamaru…" with that he pointed at the dog. "And we were chosen to be the examiners of the third test this year…"
"Looks like your dad's the examiner, Tsume…" announced Senkou as he turned to his teammate. "Think he'll give us some handicap?" he joked but the dog kunoichi didn't paid too much attention to him.
"The place you're all staring at is training area 44, but most of the higher rank shinobies in this village call it The Forest of Death…" continued Kiba. "But that's besides the point… I was never good at patience, so I won't force you to learn it either. Please listen carefully as I explain the rules of the third exam!" and with that he gained everyone's attention. "You all signed the agreement forms before the exams even started, however before you decided whether you wish to participate in this one or not, I advice you hear me out first… those who'll decide to keep going are to go with their teammates to that booth behind me… now to explain what's this exam is all about… putting it as simple as I can, it's an ultimate survival test…"
"Survival?" repeated Kitsune. "Damn, this sucks… wasn't the previous one enough?" and with that he turned to Rei who was, as usual, sleeping while she stood. "And with her on the team it'll be troublesome to pass something like this…"
"For starters, let me give you some detail about your battleground…" asked Kiba as he held out a small map that shown the area they were standing before. "There are exactly 44 located gates that led into the forest through which you'll enter the area… look closely at the tower that's located in the middle of the forest… from every gate to the tower the distance is about 10 kilometers and that tower is your destination…"
"So far this sounds like a simple walk through the park…" announced Reiji with a smirk.
"It would be, however reaching the tower is not the only task you must fulfill to advance to the next exam…" replied the dog jounin. "You are allowed to use any weapons or techniques, just like in the previous exam, in a thing called 'Scroll Battle'…"
"Man, another scroll gathering…" complained Kai. "What the hell is with this boring stuff?"
"The rules are different from before though…" Kiba just ignored the blonde. "Whereas in the previous test you just needed to sneak in, fighting will be unavoidable here… unless you wish to fail… now, let me explain it properly…" with that he held out two scrolls: one white with the kanji symbol for 'heaven' on it and the other black with 'earth'. "There are currently thirty six teams left, so half of you will get the 'heaven scroll'… and the other eighteen teams will get the 'earth scroll'… in order to pass this test, a team must bring both scrolls to the tower."
"So the eighteen teams that will bring the scrolls will pass…" noticed Taki. "And the other half will be failed…"
"It's not as simple…" interrupted the jounin. "To start let me tell you that there's a time limit… the test will last exactly a hundred and twenty hours, so five days… to pass, you must bring the scrolls to the tower before the time expires…"
"Five days?" yelled Hanamaru. "I don't have enough chips! I need food!"
"Then look in the forest…" replied Kiba. "Of course keep in mind that some plants are poisonous… also you should watch out not only for enemies but also wild beasts and poisonous insects… I'll tell you right now that never, throughout the whole history of this exam, there was a case when half of the teams that entered the forest made it successfully to the next test… Once you'll enter, you'll realize that as the days go by, the tower will seem more distant, you'll have less time to rest and enemies will be everywhere… in this test you may fail by not only losing your scroll but also by not being able to stand the harshness…"
"Already I love this…" announced Funbo with a smirk.
"Now please listen while I explain what disqualifies you…" asked the dog jounin. "First, those who won't manage to bring both scrolls to the tower within the time limit… also those who'll lose a teammate or get one of their comrades die… just so you know, there is no such thing as quitting in the middle… if you decide to enter the forest, you'll have to spend there five days no matter what… and finally: you're not allowed to look inside the scrolls before you reach the tower…"
"And what if you'd take a peek?" wondered Kusari.
"That is for those who'd dare to do that to find out…" replied Kiba. "Chuunins are often trusted with classified information so this exam is also to test your trustworthiness… I believe that covers all the aspects of this test so unless there are any question, the teams may go into the booth to receive their scroll and then follow the chuunin to their starting gate… once all of you will get their scrolls, the test will begin… before you all decide, just one, last piece of advice from me: don't die…"
"So this is how it'll work…" noticed Ibuki as she observed the covered booth. "We won't know which team got what scroll and who's carrying it…it's just like Ino-san said, information is crucial here! Attacking blindly is the worst thing you can do… everyone's the enemy!"
"What's with the worried look, Ibuki?" she heard a voice and without even turning around, she replied coldly to the boy: "Not worried… more like excited, Senkou…"
"Is it…" Kokoro cut in, yet said nothing more. The young assassin looked at the blonde boy a little angry: "I hate when he does that…"
"Excited, you say?" came a voice and a moment later Hizoku walked over to the leaf-nin. "You do realize that fighting will be unavoidable this time, right? And with the rules as they are now, you must choose your opponents wisely…"
"There's no need…" replied Kogane as she moved closer to Tsunade's son. "Takaru-kun will beat everyone… coz the power of my love will aid him…" and then she sweat dropped as Rei's snoring was heard by everyone.
"With those two, troublesome females on our team…" Kitsune thought to himself. "How can we not worry?" and with that he turned to Hanamaru and Toku, who were both eating the last bag of the chubby ninja's potato chips. "And those two ain't making it any better…"
"Your turn, I believe…" announced Toku to Hizoku as he pointed at the booth from which the team standing before them just left.
"So I guess I'll wish you luck…" announced Hizoku to Leaf gennin. "If everything goes well, we'll face each other during the next test… see ya…" and with that he returned to his teammates and entered the booth.
GATE #2: metal-nins – Ono Reiji (the bald one with an axe), Futatsu (the one with two katanas), Naginata (the girl with the stick), Hogosha (the guy with metal protectors) and Sentou (the one with metal arms)
"Finally a chance for payback…" Futatsu smiled under his mask as he looked at Kusari.
"Our main objective is to pass this test…" reminded Reiji without even looking at his teammate. "Do not forget that…"
GATE #7: rain-nins – Furikuzu Tsuino (the guy with scars on his face), Kasano Youji (the girl with umbrellas on the back), Hebereke Nazaa (the redhead guy), Nokogiri Karei (the girl with a chain) and Eshaku Ryu (the bow guy)
"So, are we sticking to the original plan?" asked Ryu as he fixed his glasses.
"Of course…" replied Tsuino simply as he kept looking at the gate in front of them.
GATE #9: snow-nins – Nadare Aisu (the blue-haired girl wearing all blue), Sarumaru Yari (the spearman), Urufu Kato (the one with the sword and bulldog), Yamazaru (the one with the wooden helmet) and Sutaru Kuri (the light blue-haired girl)
"This test shouldn't be a problem…" announced Aisu. "Just keep Yamazaru on the leash…" with that she turned to Yari and then gave a quick glare to the giant.
GATE #13: sand-nins – Takai (the scythe user), Aoru (the redhead girl), Tarakudo (the psychotic one with bandages), Torune (the blonde girl) and Honemaru (the boy with white hair)
"An enemy's an enemy…" thought Aoru as she looked at her teammate. "But spending five days with Takai… now that's a challenge…"
GATE #16: moon-nins – Junsei Teela (the girl with blue hair), Kihako Tasuki (the green-haired boy with a sword), Tenka (redhead girl wearing violet), Chishio Nobu (the blonde of the twins) and Chishio Kumo (the green-haired of the twins)
"Hey, Teela, I know what you're thinking about, but lets concentrate on passing this exam first, okay?" Tasuki asked the blue-haired girl, yet she didn't answer. "She's ignoring me again… dammit, she never listens…"
GATE #19: Galu, Tsume, Kokoro, Mikka and Senkou
"Heh, survival is our specialty, right Uramaru?" Tsume asked her dog with a wide smile appearing on her face. The dog only barked loudly as a 'yes'.
"Mikka, are you sure you're gonna be alright?" Galu turned to his teammate, who only replied with a slight nodded, yet still had a worried expression on her face.
"Kai-kun, I hope you'll be okay…" she thought to herself.
GATE #21: Toku, Rei, Kitsune, Kogane and Hanamaru
"No chips for five days…" Hanamaru cried in his mind as Kogane did her best to wake up Rei.
GATE #26: Kai, Ibuki, Takaru, Kumiko and Kusari
"Alright, lets kick ass!" yelled Kai as he raised his hands to the sky.
GATE #28: shadow-nins – Tenma Saiken (the one with the headgear), Fuma (the loud one), Raina (the girl with the metal glove), Kyuu (the one the stood up-side-down) and Bakara (the last one, not described in any way yet)
"So, we're going after the brats?" asked Fuma with a chuckle.
"No…" replied Saiken. "For the time being we'll not interfere… unless it'll be required…"
GATE #32: waterfall-nins – Abura Tetsu (fatso with a hammer and two pipes on his back), Tora Miaka (the girl with a white tiger), Makko Shita (the pipsqueak wearing orange), Azarashi Kawa (the girl with bottles) and Rein Kasui (senbon user)
"Finally something for us, right Torabaku?" Miaka said to her tiger as the wild cat only exposed his sharp fangs in something like a smile.
GATE #35: sand-nins – Hari (the short, blonde girl), Dekai (the swordsman), Karame (the mummy), Horamaru (the snake-like face boy) and Sabaku no Sabure (the girl with a gourd)
"This should be a walkover…" announced Horamaru with a smirk. "We'll get to have some fun, right Sabure?" and with that he turned to the masked girl.
The red-haired girl didn't answer. She just stood motionless with her arms crossed.
GATE #39: leaf-nins – Manako Akira (the one with closed eyes), Hyuuga Hitomi (the peril eyes girl… duh), Horohoro (the boy wearing light blue), Hamano Taki (the girl with the boomerang) and Tanken Funbo (Ibuki's brother… also duh)
"Just stick close to me, Akira…" Horohoro said to his teammate, who merely nodded.
GATE #42: grass-nins – Wanabi Hizoku (the redhead with a strange-looking spear), Hokku Tobane (the blonde girl), Kuchibashi Taka (the guy with the bird mask and a chain), Kanraku Nezumi (the girl with the rat) and Kyohaku Tokame (the one wearing jet black robe)
"You know, Hizoku, there is something I wanted to ask you for a while now…" announced Taka as he looked at the redhead. "Why do you socialize with those Leaf brats even though you still plan on doing… well, you know…"
"I'm not sure really…" came a response. "But there's something about them… can't really place a finger, but… well, it doesn't matter anyway… it changes nothing…"
"If you say so…" replied the masked boy as he gave his teammate the last stare.
Time went by and finally all the gennin heard Kiba's voice coming from the loud speakers at every gate: "The third test of the Chuunin Selection Exam starts… NOW! Good luck everyone…" and with that the dog jounin added to himself: "You'll need it…"
"Lets do this then!" yelled Kai as the chuunin that guided them opened the gate and they walked into the forest.
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A man wearing black walked through the Leaf village. He carried six scrolls on his back and had purple markings all over his face. But what should drew the most attention in that man was his hitae-ate, which he wore on his forehead: it had a sandglass symbol on it.
"Where the heck is that Temari?" he thought to himself a little pissed. "Sure, I can understand that they haven't seen one another for few years, but that doesn't mean she can just ignore me, dammit! I'll kick her ass when she'll finally show up!" and just then his eyes widen as a strange sensation hit him. The sand-nin turned around where a mysterious, hooded man walked down the street.
The hooded figure didn't even bother to look the man's way, but that didn't help the sand-nin to shake off the strange feeling: "Am I just getting old?" he thought to himself. "That hooded guy just now…" but with that he turned around and slowly walked away: "Nah, this can't be… but just in case, maybe I should warn that blonde pinhead and Gaara?"
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"So, you guys remember what I told you before?" asked Kumiko as they all jumped from one branch to another.
"Just relax…" replied Takaru. "Sure, we have Kai on our team, but besides that we're not stupid… I suggest for Ibuki to be the one to hunt us some food… Kai and Kusari should take care of the camp and Kumiko and I will go into the forest in search for some enemies… among the five of us, in case we ran into some enemies, the two of us have the biggest chances of getting away safely…"
"If you say so…" responded Kusari. "But for a while now I have a strange feeling… like we're being followed… I can't tell who it is or how many, but…"
"You're probably just imagining things…" assured Kai. "The exam started just few minutes ago, how could anyone be on our trail already?"
However the blonde didn't even knew how wrong he was as high in the tree tops a certain team of leaf-nins did follow the young shinobi.
"Your eyes are irreplaceable as always, Hitomi…" announced Funbo with a smirk as he observed his sister. "Ibuki, hope you'll show me how much you have growth…"
"So, what's the plan?" asked Akira.
"Well, the one carrying the scroll is that scar-face guy…" replied the peril-eye girl. "He also seems to be the strongest among the five… it would be pointless to fight all five of them, so I say we separate them and then attack… Taki, I guess this is your department…"
"Okay…" responded the boomerang user with a smile. "Shouldn't be a problem…"
And that's that for the time being. Hope you enjoyed it. PLEASE leave a review once you're finished.
No jutsus used this time, but as for character profile this time around, since I did mostly kunoichis and there was someone who wanted to know more about Funbo, this time I'll go with presenting Ibuki's older brother. Here goes:
Name: Tanken Funbo
Name origins: as I already wrote, tanken means 'dagger' which is somewhat an assassins tool… his first name, Funbo, can be translated as 'grave' or 'tomb'… he's from the assassin clan, so he has a lot to do with death, right?
Age: currently 14 years old
Birth Date: 15th of March
Blood Type: AB
Height: 155,2 cm
Weight: 46,9 kg
Favorite Food: sushi (any type)
Village: Konoha (Hidden Leaf)
Current rank: gennin
Team: cell led by Aburame Shino; his teammates are – Hyuuga Hitomi, Hamano Taki, Manako Akira and Horohoro
Bloodline Limit: none really, but he's an expert in all sort of weapons
Family: he's the son of Tanken Satsu and has a year younger sister – Ibuki… his mother died giving birth to his sister
Techniques used so far: none… but it's not a secret his skills are similar to Ibuki's
First Appearance: 27th chapter
And that is that. I'll do my best to finish the next chapter before Easter, however in case I won't manage, I'd like to wish you all HAPPY EASTER and COLORFUL EGGS!
Until next time, hopefully.