Chapter 20: Groupings
Tenten stood in the middle of the arena, eyes inspecting the fighting grounds. To say that it was huge was an understatement.
It was rectangular in shape, with an estimated capacity of more or less 50, 000 spectators. On the top of one side were seats for the Kages of participating villages. Each Kage sandwiched between two elite guards.
Putting her hand in one pocket, she couldn't help but smile as she felt a smooth irregularly shaped stone.
(Flashback)
Glaring at the strange infrastructure before her, Tenten couldn't help but kick it in annoyance. She'd lost count at the number of times she tried to open that door but no matter what she did it wouldn't budge. It was about twelve meters high and eight meters wide. On each door were two long gold pipes curling in a fashion that mirrored each other. There was no knob in sight, nor were there hinges to signal how the door would open.
"Damn it! There must be some sort of secret to open this thing!" Tenten sighed in irritation.
"Oujo-sama? Why are you up so early? You're always the last one to wake up." Came the incredulous but mocking tone.
Tenten's eye twitched at the insult.
"Well that's not always the case Yue!"
Yue stared at Tenten, then at the door, before bursting into laughter.
Tenten fumed. He figured out what she was trying to do.
Yue wiped the tears of laughter from his eyes. "No matter how many times you try, you won't be able to open that door."
Tenten sighed and began to walk away.
"Do want me to teach you how?"
Tenten paused. Gritting her teeth in both annoyance and contemplation. Turning around, she folded her arms on her chest. "Fine."
Yue smiled before taking up a stance a few paces away from the door. Tenten raised an eyebrow in curiosity.
In a series of swift movements, Yue ended up facing the door, each hand placed strategically in front of each pipe. An indescribable strong gust of wind flew out of his hands and into the pipes. Tenten felt herself being swayed by the sudden change in pressure. The different pipes began to move receding backwards, freeing the door from its hold. The door grumbled as it opened, leaving tracing of sand and dust as it forced itself to reveal what was hidden inside.
Tenten was speechless. She watched with wide eyes as countless treasures – precious stones, gold and crystals – entered her line of sight.
"This is my branch family's treasure room." Yue stated proudly. "It is our gifts to your royal family."
Tenten stood frozen on the spot, mouth open in shock.
Yue chuckled. "Feel free to take whatever you want. After all, they're all yours."
Tenten looked at Yue incredulously. "You're kidding."
"Each branch family has a treasure volt in this temple. If my memory is correct, I believe it is Lucas' family that has the most treasure out of all four."
Tenten remained speechless as she strolled inside the treasure room. These treasures were more than enough to feed an entire hungry nation.
"What's that?" Tenten looked at Yue as she pointed towards the an irregularly shaped necklace.
Yue grinned as he took the translucent cerulean crystal in his hand. "You have a good eye. It was made with the rarest crystal in ancient history. Only five have been found around the world. It was believed to be a bearer of good luck in our family."
Walking behind Tenten's back. Yue carefully clipped the crystal on her neck. "It suits you."
Tenten blinked. She felt an odd sense of embarrassment. "Well, I can't really see so…" She motioned to take it off.
Yue shook his head, placing on hers. "Keep it."
"But-"
Before Tenten could protest any further, she was dragged out of the volt, which immediately sealed shut after their departure.
(End of Flashback)
Turning her head to one side, she smiled at the sight of her guardians. They sat pretty far. Yue and Griselda were giving her thumbs up. Mifuyu was waving in excitement while Lucas simply nodded his encouragement. Tenten nodded in acknowledgement.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, to discuss the rules and mechanics of the exam, please welcome the fifth Hokage."
A thundering applause was heard. Ever since the war, the relationships of all five nations were greatly improved.
"Fear unites people. And what do people do to things they fear?"
Tenten felt her smile recede at the memory of her clan's suffering. Looking at each of the Kages positioned comfortably on the platform, she couldn't help but feel a foreign apprehension grow within her. Even the most powerful man would fall against five great nations.
The cheers slowly faded and the clearing of a throat resounded in the arena.
"I would like to welcome each and every one of you to this momentous event." Tsunade began, her tone nothing but confident. "For this year's exams, the Kages have agreed upon a simple one on one match."
The crowd grew restless, hushed whispers amplified throughout the arena.
"One on one?" Sakura whispered in disbelief.
"How many people are we supposed to fight then?!" Ino complained in annoyance.
Shikamaru could only sigh. Things were becoming more troublesome.
Naruto brought his fists together in a sign of excitement. "Bring it on!"
"N-Naruto-kun…" Hinata whispered, her tone disheartened.
"Naruto's right! More fights equals more fun!" Kiba raised a fist up in the air as Akamaru barked his approval.
"You guys are nuts!" Chouji's face was incredulous. He was eating faster than usual.
Tsunade raised a hand in the air to hush the noise.
"This is a one on one battle. There are 256 participants. A total of 16 groups will be made. Each group containing 16 fighters."
"I knew it was going be like that." Shikamaru mumbled as he scratched his head rougher than usual.
"You mean to say we need to fight eight times in order to win?" Ino complained.
"That's not the end of it." Sakura corrected, her tone laced with apprehension. "There are 16 groups. Winning in one would mean having to fight eight more times to become the winner of this contest."
"The groupings will not be decided by the contestants themselves." Tsunade stated plainly, gesturing a hand to a specific direction on the battle field.
Kakashi, Gai, Kurenai and Anko came out to the arena, each holding a box filled with paper.
"Ah!" Naruto and Lee yelled at the same time as they each pointed towards Kakashi and Gai.
"Kakashi-sensei never mentioned anything about his role in the Jounin exams." Sakura stated a little disappointed.
"Did Kurenai-sensei tell you anything?" Ino directed her attention to Team 8.
Hinata, Shino and Kiba all shook their heads.
"Judging from Lee's reaction, I guess Gai-sensei didn't tell him either." Shikamaru added.
Tsunade continued to explain. "Each box contains 84 pieces of paper, each carrying a random letter from A to P and a number from one to 16. Would the four please show a sample?"
Kakashi, Anko, Gai and Kurenai each dug their hands in to the box and brought out one piece of paper.
Kakashi was holding up a piece of paper with the letter E written on it. Beside it was the number five. Anko held a paper that read "K11". Gai raised paper with the letter O and the number 16, and Kurenai got a paper with the label "G3".
Tsunade pointed to the huge screen right across the platform of the Kages. "The letter will correspond to your group, and the number will correspond to your position in that group."
The screen showed a picture of the four in their corresponding groups and their corresponding numbers. Kakashi's name and picture was beside the number "5" under group "E". The same thing was done to Anko, Gai and Kurenai.
"Needless to say, the winner of each group will be pitted against each other in alphabetical order." Tsunade pointed to the screen once again to emphasize her point.
"Rules." Tsunade paused to emphasize her point. "The rules are simple. Harming of civilians is prohibited. Fighting outside of a match is not allowed. Any form of aid provided by another individual during a match will not be tolerated. All of those merit disqualification. Winning is decided through submission, knock out or death."
Another wave of hushed whispers resounded throughout the arena.
"With that…" Tsunade paused, awaiting the murmurs to die down. "I wish you all luck in this year's Jounin exams."
A round of applause was heard as Tsunade made her way back to her seat.
"To begin, please form a line under the box of your choice and draw your lots." Came the announcer's voice.
The contestants did as they were told.
Tenten watched as the contestants shuffled around towards the box of their choice. Directing her attention to the screen, one by one familiar faces began to pop up.
Uzumaki Naruto - A7
Shikamaru Nara - B3
Akimichi Chouji - D9
Haruno Sakura - F13
Yamanaka Ino - G4
Rock Lee - H1
Hyuga Hinata - K10
Inuzuka Kiba - M16
Aburame Shino - O11
"Hey! Tenten! What are you still doing there? Pick a group already!"
Tenten snapped her head towards Lee who was currently pushing her towards one of the boxes. She sighed allowing him to choose the line for her.
"Do your best Tenten-san!" Lee cheered before waving goodbye.
Tenten scoffed in amusement. This wasn't about skill. This was about luck and whether it was willing to show her mercy.
Sensing a pair of eyes on her, Tenten shifted her head to the right.
Sasuke Uchiha was eying her through veiled onyx orbs. He was in line for the other box.
Tenten directed her gaze back upfront, feeling a bubbling sense of irritation. She didn't know what it was that Sasuke wanted from her, but his looks were unnerving her. She was feeling the paranoia build and the annoyance grow. It was taking her everything she had not to scream bloody murder at him.
"Not picking?"
Realizing it was her turn, Tenten glanced at the shinobi holding the box. "Kakashi-sensei…" So she was in Kakashi's line.
The box was shoved lightly in front of her to encourage her to draw her lot. Letting out a sigh, Tenten finally brought her hand into the box and slowly pulled a piece of paper.
G3.
"J5!"
Tenten turned her head towards the sound of Gai's voice. Tenten smirked at the annoyed form of the Uchiha avenger. Relief washed over her at the realization she wouldn't have to worry about him so early on in the competition.
Glancing up, she watched her picture and name appear on the screen. Realizing who she was up against, the initial relief turned into dread.
She was up against Ino in the first round.