Chapter 19: The Jounin Exams
Tenten directed her gaze towards the arena. She was still a good hundred meters away but if the noise was any indication, it was going to be one tough crowd. A foreign anticipation was welling up in her chest. Her pace increased every second until she was practically running. She could feel adrenaline coursing through her veins. She couldn't wait any longer. The excitement was killing her.
A loud scream erupted from the skies.
Turning her head towards the sound, she watched with glee as Lee cartwheeled on top of the roofs with amazing speed, heading towards the arena without a care in the world.
Tenten smiled. She really couldn't thank Lee enough. After their apologies, she felt lighter, like she was finally able to breathe for the first time.
Reaching an intersection, she stopped on her tracks. Someone was watching her. Turning her head to one side, she was met by two scrutinizing onyx orbs.
"Uchiha-san." She deadpanned.
He said nothing, only looking at her with a seemingly accusatory glare.
Tenten felt a mixture of annoyance and intimidation. Standing face to face with another Uchiha was definitely something to be anxious about. It went without saying that he was definitely the biggest threat in this competition.
Clearing her throat, Tenten willed herself to smile politely. With a curt nod that signaled goodbye, she leaped up towards the arena.
Sasuke looked towards her retreating back with an unexplainable annoyance. He didn't know what it was about that girl that made his blood boil. He couldn't understand the compelling feeling of wanting to bash her head against the ground. But whatever it was about her, he was sure of one thing. He wanted to fight her.
Sakura walked towards the arena at a steady pace looking sideways every once in a while hoping that she would somehow run into Sasuke.
"Yo Forehead!"
Sakura stiffened. She knew that voice all too well.
"Who are you calling forehead, INO-PIG!"
There stood the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.
"Still looking for Sasuke I presume?" Ino stated as she rolled her eyes patronizing.
"What's it to you pig?" Sakura answered with narrowed her eyes.
"Everybody knows that Sasuke passes by this road! It's the nearest to his house!" Ino folded her on buxom chest. "You should just give up, forehead girl! A flat-chested girl like you would never win against me."
"You wanna go right now?!" Sakura threatened with a fist raised in the air.
Not soon after, a cat fight began on the streets, much to the enjoyment of the crowd.
"Why are women so troublesome?" Shikamaru whispered as he stretched his arms and yawned. He passed by the two not even bothering to stop them.
Chouji simply shrugged not bothering to stop from eating his favorite bag of chips.
Shikamaru sighed. "Why the hell did I even agree to take the Jounin exams? This is so troublesome."
"Oi! What are you two doing!?"
Shikamaru and Chouji turned their heads towards the voice. They saw Naruto and Sai running towards Sakura and Ino to break up the fight fight.
"Looks like the whole gang's here…"
They all turned their heads to see the members of team eight.
"Oi! Kiba, Hinata, Shino!" Naruto greeted cheerfully, a large bruise notable on his left cheek and a few scratches on his face courtesy of Sakura and Ino.
"N-Naruto-kun…" Hinata whispered in worry.
"Sasuke-kun's not here." Ino replied.
"That idiot probably chickened out!" Naruto yelled as he laughed out loud. The laughter slowly weaned down when he sensed a strong killing aura from Sakura and Ino.
"As much as I am enjoying this reunion, the Jounin exams will start soon." Sai stated.
All of them turned their gazes towards the arena.
"Troublesome…" Shikamaru whispered as he scratched his head in annoyance.
Naruto clenched his fists and jumped into the air. "Jounin exams! Here we come!"
Tenten stared at the entrance of the arena in awe. This was it. There's no turning back now. It was her chance for redemption. A chance for-
"Ow!" Tenten turned her head towards the sharp object that poked her head. She blinked at the sight of an eagle trying to peck its way through her skull. "Hey mister what did I do to you?" Pulling out a tonfa, she began to parry the attacks of the bird's beak.
A familiar laughter rang in her ears.
Turning her head to one side, her eyes widened in surprise. Standing a few paces from her were her guardians, disguised in civilian clothes.
The eagle gave her another peck on the head before flying back to the shoulder of its master.
"Ow! Griselda what was that for?" Tenten complained as she headed towards their direction.
Mifuyu enveloped her in a bone-crushing hug. "We were so worried about you!"
"I. Missed you. Too." Tenten struggled to speak.
"You're killing her Mimi." Came Yue's amused tone. Gone was the staff he always kept within arm's reach.
"We need to talk." It was Lucas who spoke this time.
With a nod of her head, Tenten followed Lucas' lead into a more secluded place. Unbeknownst to her, two pairs of eyes were watching her every move.
Looking at the dense woods they were treading, Tenten kept her eyes on Lucas.
Stopping, Lucas nodded towards Griselda for affirmation.
"I don't sense anyone within a 100-meter radius. We should be fine here. But just in case, Yue."
Yue nodded nonchalantly. Soon, a strange breeze began to blow. "This way it'll be harder to hear whatever it is we have to say." He grinned.
"So what do you guys want to talk about?"
"We just wanted to warn you." Lucas began.
"Warn me about what?"
"If you are ever pitted against an opponent that could serve as dangerous threat, we want you withdraw." Lucas finished.
Tenten was silent.
"Your blood limits react to danger. Whenever your life is at risk, they activate almost immediately. Needless to say there are spectators from all over the world. Would you really risk exposure at a place like this?" Yue added.
Tenten released an exasperated sigh. "Then why allow me to take exams in the first place?"
"If we told you not to, would you have listened?" Griselda asked rhetorically, a knowing look on her face.
Tenten looked away in a mixture of annoyance and resignation.
"There's your answer." Griselda finished.
"In the end, it's up to you whether you accept a fight or not. We're just here to remind you of everything you're risking just by participating in this tournament." Lucas paused to emphasize his point. "You are our master. Whatever you decide to do, we will be behind you."
Tenten couldn't help but look at all four of her guardians with unveiled gratitude and guilt.
"Promise me one thing."
Yue sighed in apprehension. "Why do I have a bad feeling…"
"No matter what happens, you guys won't interfere."
Silence.
Tenten gave each of them a knowing look. "Promise me."
Knowing there was no escape from such a request, Lucas released a sigh as he nodded with resignation.
Lee narrowed his eyes, searching the arena for a familiar face. "Has anyone seen Tenten?"
Sakura gave Lee a questioning but ecstatic glance. Lee simply smiled sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head. Sakura smiled knowingly.
Ino sighed as she pouted in annoyance. "Even Sasuke-kun isn't here yet."
"That idiot better not back down from this." Naruto whined in annoyance. It practically took him months, using his most underhanded techniques to get Sasuke to finally agree to join. He couldn't even begin to could how many near death experiences he had to go through just to get the asshole to finally agree.
"Oh come one Naruto!" Ino rolled her eyes. "As if someone of Sasuke's caliber would be intimidated by this."
Sniffing around in curiosity, Kiba turned his head towards a direction. "Look who's here."
Lee's eyes beamed. Rushing towards Tenten, he enveloped her in a bear hug.
Tenten felt winded. She still hadn't recovered from Mifuyu's hug yet.
"You're killing her." Shikamaru pointed out nonchalantly.
Releasing Tenten from the hug, Lee brought his fisted hands up in a gesture of pure excitement. "Can you believe it? We're finally taking the exams!"
Tenten smiled in response. "Makes one feel really nervous, doesn't it?"
"Nonsense!" Lee replied with determination. "Trust in your abilities Tenten! Your growth is monumental!"
Maybe it was the look of genuine admiration Lee was giving her, or maybe it was the choice of words, but for the first time in her life, Tenten felt like she was finally catching up.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the exams will begin in half an hour. Will the registered participants please proceed to the arena. I repeat, will the registered participants please proceed to the arena."
Tenten felt her heart skip a beat as thunderous cheers erupted from the crowd. The Jounin exams were about to begin.