Well, this is the last chapter of the multiple update. Hope you'll enjoy it and that you'll review it (like you did the two previous ones, hopefully). And, if after reading this, you still won't have enough, I wish to invite you to my original tales on FictionPress. My penname there is the same as here and those who like my action scenes and plot will most likely enjoy those stories as well. And, I'll be grateful for a review, if you do give them a try.
And with that said, let's get to the newest chapter of NNG:
Chapter #122: Aftermath
Title Page: Kusari is hanging from the wall, chained, while before him stands Kumiko in a black, tight, revealing outfit with a whip in her hand with a signboard in the corner, saying "candidates for punishment, vacancy XD"
"Winner: Takai!" Lee called out, instantly making the entire arena cheer loudly, clapping echoing throughout the stands. In a flash the medics appeared on the field, picking Kai up on the stretcher and taking him for treatment. The artificial shinobi only glanced at his opponent's fallen form, stopping the medics that came to him with a hand gesture.
He said nothing, gathering his strength to get back up on his feet. The words spoken by the blond rang in his mind once again, while his gaze shifted back to the platform, where Aoru kept on yelling 'great job, Takai-kun' from the bottom of her lungs. He also noted an approving nod from Honemaru, who he believed smiled for a split second there, just to return to his usual, emotionless expression a moment later.
"Calm down, already!" Tarakudo finally snapped, placing his hand on his redhead teammate's shoulder. "You're acting just like Takai could actually have lost. Lets face it: that blond was done from the instant he was picked to go against our grim reaper…"
He looked down to the arena, managing to catch the last glimpse of the defeated leaf-nin before the medics carried him out: "But, all things considered, that was the first time I actually saw Takai having so much trouble with a single opponent. Haisha Kai… you're an interesting guy, indeed…"
"Kai-kun…" Mikka whispered as her hands shaking before her mouth as a worried expression found its way to her face. Ibuki only glanced at the young medic with a sad look, but decided to say nothing.
Senkou, on the other hand, could not restrain himself. "Dammit, how could that idiot lose!? If it comes up I've lost to him during eliminations, then everyone will think I've become some sort of wimp!"
"Did anyone ever tell you that you have an ego problem?" Tsume asked her teammate, sweat dropping at his behavior, but the weapons mistress sitting beside her only giggled lightly at the whole situation, making the dog kunoichi glance at her confused.
"Regardless, Kai sure put up a good show," stated Kogane, still clapping her hands, but as a snoring sound overcome her claps, she turned to look at Rei who apparently returned to sleeping, making the blonde's eye twitch from annoyance. And certain munching that came out of Hanamaru's mouth didn't help her calm down. "Can't you at least pretend you're not morons!?"
Meanwhile, back at the platform, Dekai was closely observing Sabure, whose body shook a few times uncontrollably, worrying the Sand swordsman: "Is this because she saw her brother again or did she just get even madder at Takai for using her sibling like that? Damn, there's just no way to guess what's in her head, but after all this…"
"Leave it," he suddenly heard Karame's voice, noticing the mummy standing right behind him. "Be it anger, sadness, nostalgia, depression or excitement, she must deal with it on her own. At least at this time, there is nothing that you can do for her. Realizing her brother's fate has most likely made her even less stable than she usually is…"
"But we can't…" Dekai began, yet he never got to finish, as Hari instantly cut him off:
"And what can you offer her that'd remedy the pain?" the blonde kunoichi asked calmly with her arms crossed. "There's no way for you to even imagine how she feels right now. Comfort her and you might end up making it worse than it is…"
The swordsman stared at his companions for a short moment, unsure as to what he should do, but in the end calmed down, settling his gaze on the floor. Seeing this, Horamaru only smirked and then shifted his eyes at Sabure as well.
"Say what you will, but just then she had tears in her eyes. Even I could tell as much. Is it possible that with just what happened… she regained a piece of her humanity? But if so, would that…" he broke his trail of thoughts, while his eyes went to Honemaru and Tarakudo right before narrowing.
"Dammit, that dope actually lost," Takaru complained, making Kumiko raise her eyebrow at the statement. "This is really troublesome. Now I'll have to win all my matches until I get to that scythe guy, so that I can avenge the idiot…"
"Yeah, Kai was really selfish by losing his match," Kusari nodded sarcastically, but then his face grew serious as his eyes shifted back to the battlefield below. "But speaking of that Sand guy, where is he? He hasn't returned to the platform and I can't see him on the arena."
Torune narrowed her eyes at the mentioning of the fact.
"Could he have…?" she wondered, but never dared to finish that thought.
"Excuse me," Gaara suddenly said, performing a quick seal, making his body disappear in the whirl of sand, leaving his seat empty. Satsuki only glanced at the place the redhead Kazekage was sitting a moment ago and let out something of a frown, turning back to the arena.
"How rude… The second match is about to begin. Being one of the judges, it's inappropriate for Gaara-chan to just leave like that. But then, considering the next participant is a Wanabi, I'd figure you'll be very interested in the upcoming fight, eh Kakashi-kun?" she asked with a teasing voice, making the Cyclopean Kage glance at her but said nothing.
"Next is Reiji's match," the grey-haired leader thought to himself, propping his cheek on the hand with the 'root' beneath the skin: "Certainly he's not one to ignore, as he's one of Kane's strongest genin. But his opponent is a Wanabi… to think Nakamoru had a son… I truly had no idea… I'm anxious to see how this one grew…"
"Was that a smile?" Hitomi asked her teammate, without even turning to face him. "Because if so, wouldn't that be an emotion? It's not like you to show one, Funbo. Could it be that this blonde kid intrigues you so much? Back in the Forest of Death, you practically destroyed him and yet here he is, just a month later, being on par with the enemy we couldn't bring down either…"
"Skip it," the young assassin responded with his usual, emotionless voice. "I can fight that brat any time and beat the crap outta him. He merely amuses me, that's all. The one person I really wanted to fight is not among the contestants, so I have little interest in this event." He then glanced over to Naruto's team. "But it's truly entertaining to see how much you've improved… what will the other three show?"
Tenka only gazed at her female companion, as always not managing to spot any change in her expression. Teela's face remained still as she kept her arms crossed; now staring off into the distance, while a single thought raced through her mind.
"So this is the strength of your team, Kusari-kun? Surely I'll be awaiting you in round two…"
Tetsu limited himself to smirk at the result of the match, while Tsuino stood motionless, his eyes set on the exit behind which medics took Kai.
"That blonde was one of those who defeated Mushi in the Forest of Death, it seems… and that redhead grass-nin who's about to fight was there, too… So this is the power of those who brought down my brother…"
"The more I see of this Takai guy, the more scary he gets," whined Kitsune with a monotone, making Toku sweat drop at his comrade's lack of emotion in his speech. "Makes me really happy I'm not in the same block as him. But then, we'll have to fight each other soon," he added, gazing at the umbrella user and only now his face became slightly pale. "Still, this is nothing compared to that headgear guy from the forest… If he'd taken part, then I could just as well give up right on the spot…"
"Headgear guy?" Kokoro instantly got interested, turning towards the blacksmith. "Do they know something about him?" he wondered, settling his gaze at the other genin. Galu, who stood beside him, only glanced at the blond for a split second, but decided to ignore his behavior and returned to watching the arena, patiently awaiting the start of the second match.
"That scythe guy really creeped me out," announced Taki quietly, shivering slightly, as she glanced at Akira, who stood propped against a pillar right behind her.
The blind genin kept his eyes closed and his head lowered. "Relax and don't worry about it," he stated with a warm smile. "In a worst case scenario, you'll have to face him in the finals, should you both make it that far. Before then, he'll have to get past me, so I'll soften him up for you…"
Those words managed to make his teammate release a sigh of relief.
Horohoro remained silent, but still smiled slightly under his nose at the scene.
Meanwhile, in the stands, Temari threw the Leaf's Golden Fox a compassionate gaze as she spoke up softly. "Sorry, Naruto-san, but Takai simply cannot be beaten… that's just how it is. But your student truly did an excellent job. Never before have I seen Takai pushed this far in a single fight. You can be proud…"
"I am," the blonde reassured the kunoichi with a smile. "Something, no matter how hard you try, you just can't succeed. In actuality, this may turn out to be a valuable lesson for Kai, showing him there's always someone stronger out there. But even from here I can tell that you're mistaken, Temari-san… the match we all have just witnessed proves that your student is just like the rest of us and he has his weakness… one that's fatal, even to him…"
"What do you mean?" asked Kankuro curiously, but the Leaf jounin didn't reply, merely putting a grin on his face as he looked at the puppeteer.
"You're next, Hizoku-kun!" announced Tobane cheerfully, throwing her hands to the sky. "Do your best!"
The redhead only nodded at her pled, noting Reiji already jumped off the platform.
Slowly, he too went for the rail, but before he flipped over it, Tokame's voice made him freeze, as the other boy spoke up quietly. "There's more to this guy than we've seen during eliminations… Stay on your guard…"
Again Hizoku only bowed his head and, getting a pat on the back from Nezumi, he jumped down to the awaiting duo. The second match of the Final Exam was about to get under way…
--That time, medical wing--
Kai slowly opened his eyes, his body almost completely wrapped in bandages. He made an effort to sit up on the bed, but his strength failed him, forcing the boy to lay flat against his will. He glanced at the clear blue sky outside the window, almost like the view hypnotized him. His gaze instantly shifted to the other side the moment a creaking sound filled the room as the door opened.
The blond's eyes widened at the sight of Takai slowly walking towards him. The Sand genin didn't say a word. He just raised his hand, making another spike grow from his palm, its tip aimed at the leaf-nin. Surprisingly enough, Naruto's pupil didn't yell or anything. He just waited. And then, it happened…
--Back to the Arena--
"Certainly, fighting that Takai fellow is a pain," Taka summed up in his mind as a smirk appeared behind his mask, while the next battle was on the way. "Hizoku, once you advance to the second round, how are you gonna play that match?"
"Second match: Ono Reiji from Kane against Wanabi Hizoku from Kusa!" Lee announced as the two boys stood in the center of arena, ready to reach for their weapons the moment the signal would be given. A soft breeze blew through the battlefield, putting leaves into the dance and carrying the Green Beast's words throughout the whole stadium:
"BEGIN!"
--The Final Exam proceeds… and what about Kai? --
And so this chapter ends and with it this multiple update. Hope you had fun reading it and that I'll see you with the next installment. I'd also wish to encourage you to review. The more reviews I get, the greater the motivation for me to work on the next chappie and update sooner, so I don't really have to explain that your comments have an impact on my update speed.
KONOHA: Kumiko Murasakki, Ibuki Tanken, Takaru Gekido, Kusari Hagane, Kai Haisha
KONOHA: Mikka Igaku, Tsume Inuzuka, Kokoro Benda, Senkou Hatake, Galu Kobushi
KONOHA: Rei Konpaku, Kogane Rikoteki, Toku Amagasa, Kitsune Debano, Hanamaru Gusoku
KONOHA: Taki Hamano, Hitomi Hyuuga, Akira Manako, Funbo Tanken, Horohoro
SUNA: Aoru, Torune, Honemaru, Takai, Tarakudo
SUNA: Hari, Sabaku no Sabure, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame
KUSA: Tobane Hokku, Nezumi Kanraku, Taka Kuchibashi, Tokame Kyohaku, Hizoku Wanabi
AME: Youji Kasano, Karei Nokogiri, Ryo Eshaku, Tsuino Furikuzu, Nazaa Hebereke
BAKUFU: Kawa Azarashi, Miaka Tora, Tetsu Abura, Shita Makko
TSUKI: Teela Juusei, Tenka, Kumo Chishio, Nobu Chishio, Tasuki Kihako
KANE: Naginata, Reiji Ono, Futatsu, Hogosha
Fight 1: Haisha Kai vs. Takai
Fight 2: Ono Reiji (3) vs. Wanabi Hizoku (4)
Fight 3: Abura Tetsu (5) vs. Tanken Funbo (6)
Fight 4: Honemaru (7) vs. Gekido Takaru (8)
Fight 5: Benda Kokoro (9)vs. Horamaru (10)
Fight 6: Furikuzu Tsuino (11) vs. Tarakudo (12)
Fight 7: Manako Akira (13) vs. Dekai (14)
Fight 8: Hyuuga Hitomi (15) vs. Tenka (16)
Fight 9: Hokku Tobane (17) vs. Sabaku no Sabure (18)
Fight 10: Murasakki Kumiko (19) vs. Debano Kitsune (20)
Fight 11: Junsei Teela (21) vs. Kanraku Nezumi (22)
Fight 12: Horohoro (23) vs. Hagane Kusari (24)
Fight 13: Aoru (25) vs. Hamano Taki (26)
Fight 14: Torune (27) vs. Hari (28)
Fight 15: Amagasa Toku (29) vs. Kyohaku Tokame (30)
Fight 16: Kobushi Galu (31) vs. Karame (32)
Fight 17: Takai vs. ??
Thanks for tuning in and I do hope to see you all next time! And do not hesitate to check out my FictionPress stories and review! Take care!