(The epic Chunin Exam Arc is underway! In the Thirty Second Chapter the fourth match of the 3rd Stage of the Exams begins. Will Kuroda be able to defeat the Powerful Rain Ninja? Or will Rino show why he is so confident in his own abilities? 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!)
When Hara reaches the waiting area, he sees Sakura and walks over to her to have a chat. "You are on that guy's team right?" he asks.
"Yes, Kuroda and I are on the same squad," she confirms as she stares out onto the field.
"Well, then I'd like to know a few things," says Hara.
"What makes you think I would tell you anything about him?" questions Sakura, coyly.
"Oh, it's nothing too revealing that I want to know, I just want to know if he is really cocky or just confident?" says Hara.
Thinking back to a moment ago, Sakura responds, "The only way Kuroda would lose is if he wanted to lose."
Kuroda reaches the bottom of the stairs and steps on to the field and slowly makes his way towards the center. Up in the VIP seats, the Tsuchikage leans forward in his seat when he sees Kuroda. The Hokage asks, "Why so eager, Lord Tsuchikage?"
He replies, "I am looking forward to seeing more of that Genin's abilities. I was impressed in the preliminaries, but that match lasted less than a second, so I want to see what else he can do."
The Hokage thinks to herself, "Kuroda, you had better not escalate the situation."
Chiasa and Yamashita watch from seats lower in the crowd. She thinks, "I hope that bastard dies. And if he doesn't I'll kill him myself for what he did to Naga."
Yamashita looks over at her, seeming to read her mind and comments, "Relax, Sensei, he's not stupid enough to pull something like that again."
"That isn't why I am stressed, Yamashita," she retorts.
"Is there something you are not telling me then?" he questions.
"You are awfully talkative today, is there any reason for that?" she counters.
Kayo is standing in a group with some other Leaf Ninja that are watching the matches. As she watches her student walk onto the field she thinks, "I hope you don't do anything foolish, Kuroda. Or it could be big trouble for all of us."
"Don't worry, he will be fine," reassures Tousen as he walks up next to her, "My Shun didn't forfeit the match on a whim."
"Why did he forfeit?" asks Yoshikuni who is sitting below them.
Tousen ruffles his hair, "I don't really want to reveal his secrets, but he had a good reason."
"Well, it would have been pretty irresponsible as his teacher to let him pull out if he didn't have a good reason," comments Yoshikuni Dosu, suddenly appearing next to them.
"Despite what Naoko and Rame Tsu might tell you, I am not completely incompetent," replies Tousen.
"I am more than aware of that, old friend," says Yoshikuni, patting him on the back.
"So what do you think about that last match?" inquires Kayo.
"Ichimaru did well enough," says Yoshikuni, "There is only so much you can do to prepare for a match like this. But I am confident he will grow from this experience."
"So, Kayo, how does it feel to be the only Leaf Jonin with students left in the competition?" asks Tousen.
"Very stressful," she admits.
"Why, do you think Kuroda will lose?" inquires Yoshikuni.
"I'm not worried about him losing," says Kayo, "I'm worried about the method he will use to win."
"That Hari Gaki was impressive," comments a wealthy noble dressed in gold and blue as he awaits the next fight.
"I told you he was good," responds another noble dressed in purple, "Now, which one of them is it?"
"What do you mean?" asks the first noble.
"You said earlier that one of the ninjas in the last match was rumored to be better than Hara," reminds the purple clad noble, "So which one is it?"
"I told you I wasn't sure," replies the man, "Why not try asking one of these nice Rock Ninja."
"I guess it is time that I actually start paying attention," comments Mazuma Shiranui.
"Don't try and fool us, Grass Ninja," comments Chiaki, "You may have been pretending to spy on those two women over there, but you were making detailed reports about everything that has occurred in the matches so far."
Mazuma smirks, "I guess I should have known better than to try and fool someone of your skill."
Kuroda approaches the middle of the field and Tatsuki suddenly starts to get goosebumps. "This feeling, I'm getting it again, just like the last time. What is it about this guy?" she thinks while starting to take a defensive position, "I'd better be ready for anything."
"That's it; take as much time as you want. It won't matter, because I'm not going to lose to you," softly whispers Rino.
"That's right; I am proctor of the match," Tatsuki reminds herself, "I need to keep my cool, but also I won't let another person die. Not on my watch."
When Kuroda finally reaches the center, Rino comments, "Look who finally made it. You were going so slow I thought I would die by the time you got here. That arrogant attitude of yours is really pissing me off."
Kuroda retorts, "You keep acting like you are so much stronger than everyone else. Well, now is your chance to prove it."
Rino replies, "Don't you worry. I will show everyone that I am stronger than anyone from one of the five great villages. I will prove that just because I am from a smaller village doesn't mean I can't defeat anyone I face."
Tatsuki informs them, "Hey, both of you! The match has started all ready, so get to it!"
Rino mutters, "When did you ever say the match started?" but he quickly focuses on Kuroda instead of worrying about it. Rino back flips away to put some distance between them, removes one of the umbrellas from his back and throws it into the air.
Kuroda taunts, "I have already seen that Jutsu many times. You Rain Ninja should learn some new tricks."
Rino is angered and yells, "Shut up and take some of this: Rain of Needles."
Tons of poison-tipped needles shoot out from the umbrella. They curve around and join together and then shower down, right over Kuroda. Kuroda is able to easily dodge the first wave, but Rino relentlessly sends wave after wave of needles after him. Getting annoyed with having to dodge so much, Kuroda remembers there is a small pond on the field so he runs over to the pond and dives in.
Rino thinks, "So you are using the pond as cover so my needles won't hit you. Well, then I will just wait for you to come up for a breath of air. After all, you can't hold your breath forever." While maintaining his distance he maneuvers his umbrella to float over the pond.
Unexpectedly Kuroda jumps out of the water and focuses his chakra on the soles of his feet to land on top of the water. Then he uses his Ice Weapons Jutsu. Water jumps up into his hand and then forms into the shape of a staff before freezing solid. Rino is caught off guard by the speed of the Jutsu and misses his chance to attack.
Up in the stands the Tsuchikage comments, "How peculiar! It is unusual for a Leaf Ninja to know techniques which are commonly used by the ninja of The Village Hidden Among the Snow."
Michiyo adjusts her uncomfortable sitting position. She wonders to herself, "Where the hell did Kuroda learn that Jutsu? Wait a moment; I recall he once went on a mission to the Snow Country. He must have picked it up when he was there."
The crowd goes silent, eager to watch the new development.
Rino attacks with his Rain of Needles again, but now Kuroda simply deflects the attack by twirling his staff in a circular motion. "Damn, I was not expecting him to know an ice-based Jutsu," thinks Rino as he tries to come up with a plan, "It is rare to see a Leaf Ninja with that kind of Jutsu. I am really at a disadvantage because he didn't use any Jutsu in the preliminaries."
Quickly, Kuroda uses his amazing speed to dart forward and get close to Rino to start his offensive. Rino has little time to react, but is able to take out his second umbrella and block Kuroda's spear jab. Rino then begins to use his umbrella as a sword, making it more deadly because of the sharp point at the top.
He wields it with great authority, swinging back and forth easily, even though it is shaped oddly for a bladed weapon. But Kuroda also knows how to use his weapon to its greatest potential. Rino tries to push forward; however he is barely able to defend himself against Kuroda's superior close combat-fighting. Rino pops the umbrella open and surprises his opponent with another Rain of Needles barrage at a point-blank range. This gives him the distraction he needs to use his Mist Servant Technique.
After dealing with the needles, Kuroda instantly recognizes the new technique from having faced it before. The mist spreads across the field and copies of the elder Rain Ninja emerge. "I see, he's probably going to use the same tactics as his sister used. But he is a lot stronger and smarter, so I won't be able to deal with it the same way Sakura did. If I had the Byakugan it would be easy to spot where he is," thinks Kuroda. A flurry of kunai knives comes at Kuroda, but he easily uses his staff to deflect them. Two of Kuroda's Shadow Clones suddenly jump out of the pond.
"What? When did he make those clones? I didn't see him use any hand signs," thinks Rino as he hides.
"Woah, this battle is getting pretty intense," exclaims Tousen, "That Rain Ninja is pretty inventive and Kuroda is a lot more strategic with the use of his Shadow Clones than he was before."
"Yes, he has improved vastly," adds Yoshikuni.
Kayo does not respond, she just watches and waits for Kuroda to do something that she will regret.
"He can use shadow clones," realizes Chiasa, "Hey, Yamashita, do you think that that is what he was doing in the forest?"
"I guess it is possible," admits her student, "But I really don't see how he would have accomplished that."
"Maybe he combined it with Genjutsu," she suggests.
"Again, it is possible," says Yamashita, "But it would have had to have been a very high level Genjutsu otherwise I would have recognized it."
"Well, his mentor is Kayo Yuhi," says Chiasa, "And she is a Leaf Ninja that specializes in Genjutsu."
One of the clones immediately uses hand signs; the water from the pond jumps up into its hands and forms into a giant hammer before freezing solid. "What? He can form it into different objects?" shout the mist servants in unison.
"It is called the Ice Weapons Jutsu," says the original Kuroda, condescendingly, before doing a series of back hand-springs, "It would be a pretty dumb name if I could only form one type of weapon." Rino fires his needles to try and prevent Kuroda from joining his clones, but the one with the hammer smashes them out of the air.
The original positions himself behind the clones and slouches while lazily holding his pole over his shoulder. Then the second clone bends down on one knee and puts his hands together. The clone with the hammer backs up a bit then runs toward his partner, he steps on his hands and then is launched high into the air.
"What are they doing?" thinks Rino as he watches the strange move from his hiding spot within his battalion of fog clones. The first clone lifts his hammer behind his back to an extreme angle, and while he falls back towards the pond he swings down and slams the hammer into the pond with tremendous force.
This creates a giant wave of water that floods the battlefield. The wave crashes into Rino's Mist Servants. All of them are immediately destroyed when the water comes into contact with them. The real Kuroda watches from behind his clones and notices, "So there are four left. One of them might be the real one, but it's doubtful. It is most likely they are all a different type of clone."
"Damn, that was a good move, but it is not over yet," thinks Rino.
"Well, now that was an interesting move," comments Tousen.
"A great strategy," agrees Yoshikuni, "He destroyed the majority of those clones while only using a minimal amount of chakra."
"Yeah, but it looks like that wave isn't going to cut it against that Jutsu," replies Tousen.
"He wasn't trying to destroy the clones," interjects Kayo.
"What do you mean?" inquires Tousen.
"Kuroda has already seen that Jutsu a number of times and he knows exactly how it works. His real objective was to find the location of the original," the Kunoichi explains.
"He is already ten steps ahead, reminds me of how Ichimaru thinks," comments Yoshikuni.
The mist servants then quickly start to regenerate their bodies. However, before they completely conceal the four different copies Kuroda memorizes where they are standing and starts to attack the different locations. He rushes at the closest one, using his superior speed to attack. It has no time to react, "Gotcha," says Kuroda as he stabs it through the chest with his ice pole that has gained a spearhead on the end. The copy turns into a puddle of water and splashes on to the ground.
"A Water Clone, very clever," comments Kuroda.
Rino laughs and taunts his enemy while darting around him moving between his servants, "That was a good move you just pulled with your clones at the pond, but now I have you trapped!" Two more umbrellas zoom up into the sky and hundreds of poison tipped needles shower down towards the area Kuroda is in.
"Damn, that is a lot of needles," comments Yamashita, "That Rain Ninja is very skilled. Not only is he using three jutsu simultaneously, but his accuracy is still spot on."
"He will be a dangerous opponent in the final round," agrees Chiasa, "If he can make it past Hara of the Hidden Grass."
"Not only is he a deadly fighter, but he must have a large amount of chakra if he is throwing this much out in the battle," says Yamashita.
"Did I get him?" asks Rino, but then he sees a small boulder in the place where Kuroda should be, "Substitution, damn you," he curses.
"That was a pretty good idea, but now you have given away the position of your other clones," yells Kuroda, "I anticipated you would move them after I took out the first one, but now they are mine." Then Kuroda's Shadow Clones quickly leap into the ranks of the mist servants. They separately attack and destroy the other two Water Clones Rino created with the use of the ice hammer and a kunai.
"No, this cannot be happening!" screams Rino as he goes into a panic, "Wait, I can still win. I'll just get rid of those two clones and then I have him. Take this: Rain of Needles." More needles stream out of the umbrellas, this time bombarding the entire area that the mist servants are covering. The original Kuroda has already made his way out of range so he is safe from the attack. The two clones sprint so fast to dodge tiny weapons, it seems like they actually vanish.
The clones determine Rino's location based on his screaming. One of them appears in front of him, and does a jumping spin kick. Rino ducks backwards to dodge, but the other clone appears in front of him and swipes his legs from underneath him. Then the first clone turns in mid-air and does an axe kick to Rino's gut, slamming him hard against the ground. This forces the Rain Ninja to lose his concentration and the mist servants evaporate into nothingness. The scene is now exposed for all of the audience to see.
"Did you see what happened, Sensei?" inquires Yamashita.
"No, the fighting was too obscured by those clones," she replies, "But whatever happened it happened fast."
"I wonder if he used his special technique?" thinks Yamashita.
Rino struggles to his feet, coughing. One of the clones says to him, "You shouldn't have given away your position, you might have lasted a bit longer if you hadn't."
"It's not over, I still have another trick up my sleeve," retorts Rino as he starts to do hand signs, preparing for another Jutsu.
The real Kuroda bursts up from the ground beneath Rino, grabs him by his ankles, and pulls him under. "Headhunter Jutsu," says Kuroda as he traps Rino's entire body, up to the neck, underground. All three copies of Kuroda hold a kunai up to Rino's neck. Kuroda reveals, "You should have looked at the rock I used for my Substitution Jutsu more closely. I dug a tunnel right underneath it and waited until you revealed your position."
Rino struggles to get out of the trap but is unable to and yells, "Damn you, once I get out of here!"
"That's unlikely," says Kuroda calmly.
Kuroda presses the kunai to Rino's neck and then turns his head over towards the proctor. He tells her, "I suggest that you call the match unless you want me to kill another opponent while you just stand still looking dumb."
At first she is stunned, but Tatsuki quickly regains her composure and sticks her hand in the air, "The winner of the match is Kuroda Taishi." Kuroda stores his kunai away and then grabs the cloth on Rino's neck and gives a hard tug to pull him out of the ground. As he stifles a yawn the two clones beside him disappear leaving a puff of smoke behind.
Kuroda looks at Rino who is wearing the look of failure on his face. He speaks softly, "Don't be disappointed with yourself. You are a very capable ninja, even better than many of the Leaf Genin, but your reasons for seeking strength are wrong. Instead of gaining strength to prove that someone from a smaller village can be powerful as well, you should become strong to protect the ones that you care about, like your siblings. You should also want them to become stronger too, so share your knowledge of Jutsu and strategy with them. Not everyone can become strong on their own, most people need support."
Rino seems to take Kuroda's words very seriously and thinks to himself, "Have I been wrong all this time? Is that the true way to become powerful? To protect the ones I care about? You, Kuroda Taishi, must have ones you deeply care about, for your strength is astounding. Even after our match you have barely broken a sweat, and I don't even see a scratch on you. I will take the advice you have given me and use it to become stronger."
With the match over Hara asks Sakura, "Why did he take so long to win the match? It seems like he could have beaten him much sooner if he had wanted to."
Sakura replies, "I have no idea why Kuroda does the things he does, but I do know that every action he takes serves to bring him closer to his goal."
Hara asks, "His goal? And what would that be?"
Sakura says, "Truthfully, I have no idea what it is, but I will give my life to help him accomplish it."
Hara mulls over this statement.
"Well, now I think we know who our mystery Genin is," comments an attendant to his feudal lord.
"Yes, it seems he is Kuroda Taishi from the Hidden Leaf Village," replies the lord wearing gold and blue.
"How convenient, the next match will be between the powerhouses," says a feudal lord in purple garments.
"I beg to differ," says the first noble.
"What you think the girls are stronger?" inquires the second.
"No, I meant that their battle won't be decided by power, but by who has the sharper mind," explains the first.
His counterpart nods and asks, "I see, well then, would you care to make a wager on the victor?"
(That is the end of the chapter, what did you think? Kuroda has attained victory and shown he is one to be feared by the rest of the competition. 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.)