(The epic Chunin Exam Arc is underway! In the Twenty Seventh Chapter everyone is using the full month to train for the Third portion of the exam. Well, mostly everyone. Kuroda is playing a dangerous game of tag with the Stone Village ANBU at the same time as the proctors of the first and second exam try to gather more intel on him. The Chunin Exams continue! What will be the outcome? I love feedback and constructive criticism, so please leave a review so I can improve my writing and storytelling skills. Enjoy!)
With only ten days remaining until the third stage of the Chunin exams officially begin, everyone is stepping up their training. The tremendous howl of a fierce warrior is followed by the blur of brown, green, and tan. A figure moves out of the path of the powerful kick and it snaps a small tree in half. Then a swift and solid punch flies in and hits Kuro Bandou right in the gut. The dark-skinned Grass Ninja buckles over.
"Nice one, Hara," cheers Mari Matsumoto as she runs up to congratulates the victor of the sparring match. Hara extends an arm to his comrade and pulls him back to his feet.
"Good match," compliments Hara, "You almost got me a few times."
"Yeah, but you lured me into a trap with that last go around," replies Kuro.
"Good work, Kuro," says an elder Grass Ninja in mostly green and black apparel.
"Thank you, Mazuma-sensei," responds Kuro.
"It looks like Hara passed this test as well," comments Mari, "So what is next?"
"I think it is time we started actually preparing you for your first match," declares Mazuma.
"Isn't that what we have been doing the whole time?" questions Mari.
"No," says Hara, "I have been preparing for opponents that I might face in the later rounds."
"Yeah, just now I was imitating that Shun kid who beat me," reveals Kuro.
"Oh, well that explains a lot," comments Mari.
"Yes, but now I need to teach Hara how to beat a ninja who fights with his head and not his fists," announces Mazuma.
The back of Shun's heel whips around and connects with the skull of a short-haired brunette carrying a large shuriken. Rame Tsu crashes into the ground a few feet away.
"Okay, that is enough for today," declares Tousen Nohana.
Naoko drops down from her hiding spot in the trees and goes to check on her friend. "What the heck, Shun?" she complains, "I know you are trying to train hard for your match, but you didn't have to go that far. You could have really hurt her."
"You shouldn't have come out of hiding!" yells Shun as he charges toward Naoko with a kunai in hand.
"Shun, what are you doing? The match is over," says Naoko.
"Stand down, Shun!" orders Tousen. Shun ignores the order and closes in on his target.
Naoko looks up again and suddenly realizes that he doesn't intend to stop. As he lunges forward with his kunai she closes her eyes and tries to bring her arms up for a defense. When she doesn't feel the pain of a sharp object piercing her body she opens her eyes. The kunai is inches away from her body. Tousen has a solid grip on Shun's arm and is holding him from advancing.
"It is over, Shun, stand down now!" commands Tousen.
The message finally seems to get through and Shun relaxes.
"Go home and get some rest," says Tousen.
"The day isn't even over yet, Sensei, and I'm not tired at all. I need to keep training," argues Shun.
"You are overworking yourself. You may think you can train forever, but you cannot. Plus Naoko only recently got out of the hospital. She can't go as hard as you can," says Tousen, "Now go back to the hotel and get some rest."
Shun angrily stalks off and even punches a hole in a tree.
"Thanks for the save, Sensei," says Naoko with genuine appreciation.
Rame Tsu sits up holding her head and mutters, "Wow, my head hurts."
Tousen checks her out to make sure she is okay then announces, "You'll be fine after you get some rest."
"Alright, Sensei," she replies.
"What was up with Shun today?" asks Naoko.
"Listen," says Tousen with his rare serious tone, "I want you both to make me a promise."
"What kind of promise?" asks a suspicious Naoko.
"I want you both to promise me that you won't train with Shun unless I am there to supervise you," says Tousen.
"Why not?" inquires Rame Tsu, "I know he was a bit off today, but he is just under a lot of pressure."
"It is more than just a little off. It is more like desperation," corrects Tousen, "And it wasn't just today, ever since the preliminaries he has been getting more and more unstable."
"Yeah, I noticed it when I got back," admits Naoko.
"He is not himself. What makes him so strong is his self-control. It gives his fighting style a contained fury. But he has been steadily losing control of himself. And today he almost went out of control. He would have seriously injured you if I hadn't stepped in," says Tousen.
Rame Tsu asks, "Do you really think that..."
"Yes, I do," says Tousen, "So will you promise me?"
They look at each other and then say together, "We promise, Sensei."
Hoshi scans the area around her for the soon to be coming onslaught. As she is looking to the left, two long, brown chains of stone come speeding towards her front. She does a double back-handspring to avoid them. The chains lash into the ground, striking small holes into the surface. Another chain whips at her from the right and she jumps over it into a tuck and roll. She stands up and prepares for another strike when she feels the tip of a blade on her neck.
"Game over, princess," declares Yamashita.
"Damn it, how did you get behind me?" asks Hoshi.
"You were too focused on dodging. You have to pay attention to everything going on around you," Yamashita replies.
"Do you really think my opponents will be this good?" she asks.
"Maybe, maybe not," says Chiasa Inuzu as she steps forward, "Either way, this solid training that will help you become an even stronger shinobi."
"Okay, Sensei," she replies.
Chiasa responds, "Good, now if you are ready we can start again."
Ichimaru stumbles to his feet and barely manages to avoid a set of fangs that crash into a nearby tree. He turns to the left and only just raises his kunai in time to block a different set of incoming fangs. He struggles to keep the hissing snake from advancing and taking a piece out of his shoulder. Ichimaru hears the brush of some leaves behind him and releases the snake while stepping out of the way. A third snake darts out of hiding, but it smashes right into the one he was just entangled with.
Ichimaru quickly slices their bodies in half before they can recover and attack again. Suddenly a tall man in a long brown overcoat jumps out of the forest and charges at him. Ichimaru decides to meet him head on, and he charges as well. However something shoots out from behind the young ninja and wraps itself around his waist. Ichimaru tries to cut the snake off, but before he can the man in front of him holds a kunai to his neck.
"You did better this time, but you still need work on maintaining full awareness of everything going on," says Yoshikuni Dosu as he lowers his kunai from his student's neck.
"I don't understand," states Ichimaru, 'How are you still controlling the shadow snake?"
"He isn't," calls a voice from behind, "I am." The snake releases its grip and retracts and Ichimaru turns around to see a copy of his master walking up.
He turns back and sees the other Yoshikuni dissolving into mud and comments, "You said you weren't going to use any clones in this exercise."
"I lied," replies Yoshikuni, "Never trust the word of your opponent. Even if they seem like they are being truthful, but they can always be holding back a key detail."
"Sensei, I don't think this training is the thing I need to be doing to prepare for my upcoming match," says Ichimaru, "Honestly, you are too tall and too much of a mid-range fighter. If I could practice with Kuroda, I think it would be a lot more beneficial."
"Kuroda has his own match to worry about, and you need to focus on what I am teaching you," responds the wise teacher, "I think we need a change of location though. There won't be this many places to hide in the stadium."
Soon the sky becomes dark and the day ends. The people of the village and all of their guests settle down and go to bed. The next few days fly by fast and soon the time for training dwindles down to zero. The night before the Third Exam most of the participants can't sleep, and stay up wondering, plotting, and thinking about what will happen the next day.
On top of a tall blue water tower stands a lone figure. He stands as unmoving as a statue as he stares down at the village.
Rino's stillness and his solid grey rain coat could cause him to be mistaken as a gargoyle. Even though it is not raining, or expected to rain, he holds one of his light blue umbrellas open above his head. "Only one more night," thinks Rino, "Just this one last night until the third exam begins. Once I destroy all of my opponents I will prove the strength of the Hidden Rain, and then I can leave this hell hole."
"Where are you dragging me to, Kenta?" complains Ichimaru, "I'm supposed to fight tomorrow. I should already be sleeping."
"It isn't even that late, Ichimaru," says Yui, "Don't be such a girl."
"Relax, we will be there in a minute," proclaims Kenta.
"Do you know where we are going, Sensei?" asks Ichimaru.
"You will be fine," replies Yoshikuni.
"Your teammates are trying to do something special for you. Just stop resisting and enjoy it," orders Yui.
"Okay, we have arrived!" announces Kenta as they stop in front of a large stone building that seems to have been built ages ago, but looks brand new.
"Okay, so where exactly are we?" inquires Ichimaru.
"Well, since I'm not in the Chunin exams anymore, and Yoshikuni-sensei only needed my help with your training for a few hours of the day I have been making my way around this village," explains Kenta, "I've been combing up and down the streets, searching for the best restaurant in town. And this is it: The Yellow Lion Gourmet Restaurant!"
"It even has a full course buffet," adds Yui.
"You expect me to eat a huge dinner tonight?" complains Ichimaru, "If I do that I won't be able to move tomorrow."
"But this might be your only chance to ever eat at a five star restaurant in the Hidden Rock Village!" exclaims Kenta.
"Plus the meal is free," adds Yui, "Yoshikuni-sensei is buying."
Ichimaru says, "This is really nice, but..."
"Just be quiet and get inside," interrupts Yoshikuni as he pushes Ichimaru towards the entrance.
A gust of wind blows and cool night turns a bit chillier. A young man wearing white and grey robe-like garments stands before the still waters of a stream. Jando stands in complete concentration, just waiting until he is confident the moment is right. He gathers the chakra around the soles of his feet and then steps out onto the water. He takes one step, then another, then another, and another until he is standing in the middle of the stream.
Hidden deep in the forest nearby the Hidden Rock Village is a small but lively waterfall. At the foot of the waterfall there is a ledge that allows passage underneath. A boy with dark brown skin sits Indian style on the ledge. The only clothes he wears are a pair of black swim trunks. The ice cold water pours down on his head and flattens his usually puffy hair to his back. Shun sits completely still; contemplating the fight that he will have the next day. His right arm begins to shake, and it is not from the water temperature. He grabs the arm with his left hand, but it refuses to stop. Shun screams out into the night.
"Your training went well?" asks the elder man sitting in the stone chair.
"Yes, father," replies the young girl wearing a beaten and battered set of tan training robes.
"Yamashita Uzuki was helpful?" inquires the man as he sets a large white hat with a brown symbol in front down on the large table before him.
"Yes, father, thank you for allowing him into the Hisho Shinki Mountains," responds the young girl.
"I thought you would prefer sparring with him rather than one of your cousins," says the Tsuchikage.
"Thank you, father," she repeats.
"Did you sustain any injuries?" he inquires.
"Nothing other than a few scrapes and bruises," answers Hoshi.
Masato Ishimaru gets up from his chair and walks around the table to inspect his daughter more closely. He gently lifts her chin up so their black eyes meet for a moment, then he turns her head side to side. "You are a member of the Ishimaru clan, you should keep your head held high even if you are tired," he lectures.
"I apologize father," she says, "I will remember in the future."
Masato looks into her eyes again and then returns to his throne and says, "Just because we are one with stone doesn't give you an excuse to go around with dirt on your face. If your mother were alive she would be very disappointed to see her beauty presented like this," says the Tsuchikage, "Take a warm bath before you go to sleep, and make sure you have a maid assist you. I don't want my only daughter looking filthy in front of the crowd tomorrow."
"Yes, father," replies Hoshi.
Hara sprints through the forest hunting make-believe prey. His long hair waves all around as he runs, jumps, and leaps into the trees. His movements are completely natural, every step is perfect. If anyone were to catch a glimpse of him they would not be able to tell the difference between him and an animal of the forest. This is his element, this is his home, and this is where he belongs. Hara is a free spirit, he is a wild beast, he is a hunter. He is ready and waiting to hunt his prey.
Kuroda looks down on the village from atop the highest peak of the closest mountain to the village. The location gives him a full view of the entire village. "So tomorrow is the day," he thinks, "Who knows, maybe something interesting will actually happen. I wouldn't want the Hokage to get bored after all." A strong gust of wind blows and Kuroda vanishes, leaving no trace that he was ever there.
(That is the end of the chapter, what did you think? The month long training has begun and most of the remaining competitors are working hard to get better. But Kuroda has other plans, just what exactly is he up to? Everyone has a different reason for competing. Who will attain victory in the third stage of the exams and be elevated to Chunin rank? As usual, if you want more information on my characters you can see their bios on my profile page. Be warned, there may be some spoilers. Also I'm in the process of getting pictures drawn for the characters, but I have no idea how long that will take. If you're interested in drawing and have a DA account then send me a Message. Enjoy the next chapter, and please review.)