(The epic Chunin Exam Arc is underway! In the Twenty Ninth Chapter the first match of the 3rd Stage of the Exams begins. Will Jando be able to defeat the last remaining Stone Ninja in the competition? Or will Hoshi show her skills as the Daughter of the Tsuchikage? 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!)
Hoshi steps to the center in her normal ninja attire, only it looks practically brand new and she doesn't have a spot on her. Jando, on the other hand, has sweat and dirt all over his worn-out clothes.
Tatsuki repeats the general rules of the match, "Remember, this match is at full battle intensity. Fighting only stops when one candidate dies or concedes defeat, or when one is rendered unable to continue. If you are losing I urge you to concede defeat promptly to avoid a fatal outcome. Also, as proctor, I have leeway in judging the matches. I will stop a match if I feel that it is clear that one person is no match for the other. Now, are you both ready?" they both nod, "Then let the first match of the third stage of the Chunin exams begin."
Jando wastes no time and immediately activates his Byakugan.
Hoshi comments, "You possess the Byakugan. I know all about your abilities. Historically the Hyuga clan has not been very effective against the ninja of the Hidden Rock Village, and you are not even very good at it. I should have no problem defeating you."
Jando warns, "Don't be so cocky. I will show you the true power of the Hyuga clan."
A woman enters the seating area of the arena and walks down the stairs to one of the lower bleacher rows. Almost all of the males take a moment to check out the attractive female as she goes by. White bandages cover almost every inch of her body that isn't concealed by her black clothes. Her black and scarlet hair combined with her outfit only serve to increase her natural beauty. However the hardened warrior expression on her face serves to deter any man thinking about approaching her.
Chiaki Enjoji spots the light brown bandana man she was searching for, enters his row, and sits down in the free spot next to him.
"That's quite an entrance you made," comments Kenji Takimasu as he observes the match.
"How would you know?" she mocks, "You have been looking forward this whole time."
"I can always tell when you enter a room," he jokes, "So when did you get back?"
"Obviously I only got in a few minutes ago," she says in a demeaning tone, "Otherwise I would have met you before the tournament started."
"A private meeting, that sounds like it would have been fun," jokes Kenji.
"Stop with the lame flirting and tell me what happened while I was away," orders Chiaki.
"Nothing significant," he replies, "Just the same exact thing that was happening while you were here. I made no progress with my part, and the ANBU didn't do any better in tracking him."
"Well, I guess that means the Tsuchikage will have to try his hand," she says.
"How did your investigation go?" inquires Kenji.
"It was basically a dead end," she replies, "I went to the Tea Country and was able to find out what the mission was. It seems someone was using ninja skills to cheat in the gambling halls. The Leaf Ninja were hired to deal with the problem."
"So what happened?" asks Kenji.
"Apparently the mission was successful," explains Chiaki, "I wasn't able to find out who the cheater was or what happened to them, but evidently the person hasn't been back since the Leaf Ninja left."
"And Kuroda?" inquires Kenji.
"No one I interrogated noticed anything unusual about him," reveals Chiaki, "He just seemed like an ordinary Genin to them. But I guess nothing special would happen in that situation. It seemed like a standard C rank mission."
"And that would be where you are wrong," says a deep male voice from in front of them.
"Unwanted guests seem to be listening in on our conversations lately," comments Kenji, "But I guess I shouldn't expect anything less from Mazuma Shiranui."
"So what does the Grass village think they know that we do not?" inquires Chiaki.
"You two should be well aware that the Grass Village specializes in information dealing," replies Mazuma.
"So is it an information exchange you want then?" asks Kenji.
"I think it would be mutually beneficial," comments Mazuma.
"Fine then, tell me what you meant when you said I was wrong," requests Chiaki.
"Everything you were saying is the exact same that I heard, however I have some contacts that allow me to dig a little bit deeper and I wanted to find out exactly what happened to the cheater," explains Mazuma, "But then something interesting happened as I was digging."
"And what would that be?" asks Kenji.
"I hit a roadblock. Everything about that mission has been classified as top secret in the Hidden Leaf Village," reveals the Grass Ninja, "I went through all my best channels and not even they could uncover anything. The records have been sealed. Now, what the hell could have occurred on a C rank mission that would make the details so secure?"
"Well, I can assure you that whatever happened, it didn't involve the people of the Tea Country," says Chiaki.
"So that means the only people that do know what took place are the bandit, the people on the mission, and the leaders of the Hidden Leaf," deduces Mazuma.
"It seems I have been played," says Kenji, "I guess Tousen Nohana is not as dumb as he lets on."
"So tell me, Mazuma, what interest does the Grass Village have in Kuroda Taishi?" asks Chiaki.
"You can never have too much information," replies Mazuma, "What exactly does the Hidden Rock want with him? I can't really believe you would really go to so much trouble over what happened in the preliminaries."
"His actions throughout the entire exams have been peculiar," explains Chiaki, "My superiors thought he warranted further investigation. It seems they were spot on with their concerns."
Jando runs toward Hoshi eager for a quick victory, but instead of charging to battle with her own Taijutsu she quickly uses a Jutsu. Two clones rise up from the ground in front of her.
Jando smirks and says, "Clones won't work on me. When you create a clone you evenly distribute the chakra between them, but my Byakugan allows me to see which one of you is the original."
She responds, "You're right, but it won't matter if you know who I am, unless you can get past my clones."
"No problem! My Gentle Fist Style Taijutsu allows me to target the chakra points of my opponents, and it is even more effective on clones," he reveals.
Jando attacks the closest clone, jabbing his fingers with high accuracy into the designated spots. He easily lands a number of hits, and then spins around to attack the second clone which was sneaking up behind him. Again he is able to effectively use his special Taijutsu on the clone. The clones charge at the same time and he hits them with an impressive combination to force them back.
"What is going on? They should have destabilized by now," thinks a highly confused Jando.
Hoshi, who was sitting back and watching the whole time, laughs and explains, "Those aren't ordinary clones, they are my village's trademark Boulder Clones. They can only be destroyed by using a lightning based Jutsu or with extremely powerful Taijutsu. Your style of Taijutsu is useless."
"What? No, impossible," exclaims Jando, "It doesn't matter what the base material is, my Gentle Fist should be able to destroy any clone."
"Sorry, their chakra points are protected by stone. Even the famed Hyuga clan cannot penetrate the armor with chakra," says Hoshi. The clones charge forward again. Jando tries to fight back, using all new moves that he has never even thought of before, but it is to no avail. The clones are only held back temporarily and rush in harder every time they are pushed back.
Jando blocks a leg aiming for his face with his forearms, but that opens up his defense and the second clone lands a blow to his gut. It then grabs his head and pulls it down, smashing it into a rising knee. Then the other clone twirls into a spinning back kick that hits Jando smack in the face and launches him. Jando lands completely unconscious a few yards away. Hoshi ends her Jutsu and the two clones fall apart into a pile of stones.
Tatsuki declares, "The winner of the match is Hoshi Ishimaru!"
The crowd erupts with cheers and clapping, and chanting for the daughter of the Tsuchikage.
Hoshi exits the arena quietly, uncomfortable with all the attention. Tatsuki calls for the next two competitors, "All right, we need the competitors for the second match down here. That's Ino Shigure from the Village Hidden in the Rain, and Sakura Nagana from the Village Hidden in the leaves."
"That was impressive," comments a wealthy noble covered in purple, "A quick and solid victory."
"I see that Masato's legacy has a secure future," comments another noble dressed in blue and gold.
"Give her about ten years and she will probably become the next Tsuchikage," says a female Rock Ninja in the row above.
"Yeah, good job, Hoshi," yells a spectator.
"The Ishimaru clan is the best," cheers another.
"Hoshi is going to win it all!" yells a villager.
"She'll wipe the floor with all of the others," cheers the young boy next to him.
"I don't know about that," comments the first noble," Hara Gaki of the Hidden Grass is in this tournament as well."
"I've heard rumors that there is another boy who might be even better than Hara," comments the second noble.
"Really, who is it?" inquires the first noble.
"I don't know his name, I just heard he is in the last match," he replies.
Ino makes her way down to the field by jumping over the rail and floating down on her umbrella.
Ichimaru notes, "Something is different. Now she has that second umbrella with her."
"Right, I'll watch out for that. Thanks, Ichimaru," Sakura says before turning to Kuroda and asking, "Is there anything special you want me to do?"
"Not really," replies Kuroda, "Just don't get hurt and win the match."
"Right, I will," she says with a look of joy on her face as she runs off to the stairs.
(That is the end of the chapter, what did you think? Hoshi has attained victory with ease and shown the strength of the Ishimaru Clan. Sakura's match is next, what will she have to do in order to defeat the Rain Ninja Ino? 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.)