(The epic Chunin Exam Arc is underway! In the Thirty Fourth Chapter the semi-finals of the 3rd Stage of the Exams are set to begin. Will the Leaf Village be able to keep up it's winning streak? 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!)
Kuroda wakes up early in the morning; the sun has not risen yet but there is some fading moonlight trickling in through his hotel window. After washing, dressing, and grabbing a small breakfast of oranges and bananas, he heads outside and decides to slowly make his way to the stadium. Today he has chosen to stray from his usual attire. His black shirt now has a large t-shaped red stripe on the front and back. He dons shorts instead of pants and these have a red stripe going down the sides. His legs are now covered in white bandages. Lastly, he has switched his normal blue headband for a black one. He exits the hotel and slips his hands into his pockets before walking off in a random direction.
As usual, he is closely tailed by a trio of Rock Ninja, but he chooses to not waste his time losing them today. He travels through the mostly barren streets of the still-awakening village. He peers into the windows of some unopened stores. A few of the villagers recognize him and give a polite nod or wave. However, all of the Rock Ninja he comes across shy away from his presence. He rounds a corner and starts towards the arena. As he goes he starts thinking about his plans for the day.
"I guess I should make a decision before I get to the stadium," he thinks, "On the one hand I don't want to expose my abilities to the world just yet, but on the other hand I am pretty bored with this village. I want to return to the Leaf Village because at this point in time there is really nothing else that I need to do here. Additionally, I really want to piss off the Tsuchikage some more. It'll be a while before I can properly pay him back for what happened to Gramps, but for now it is fun to see him squirm. He is so easily startled; it is really surprising given his reputation. Yet I also don't want to anger the Hokage too much or else she might decide to limit my movements again. So then I will have to find a nice balance between the two. Today is going to be a very interesting day."
By the time he arrives the entrances are already open and the early-risers are starting to go in so that they can get the best seats for the upcoming show. Kuroda gets inside and then heads towards the stairs that lead to the fighter's viewing area.
"Excuse me, young Leaf Ninja, may I have a moment of your time?" calls a voice from behind him.
He turns around to see a wealthy looking middle-aged man garbed in gold and blue. "Why of course, my lord," he replies, "The matches won't start for a while so I have some free time."
"I see you have a keen eye, just as I expected," replies the noble.
"I try to keep it sharpened," says Kuroda, "So what is it you wish to speak of?"
"My friend and I enjoyed your performance yesterday and decided to make a wager on today's matches," explains the noble, "I was wondering if you could advise me on the chances of your victory."
"I myself am not one to gamble. I like to stick to facts and calculations," responds Kuroda.
"Ahh, I see, a very good philosophy. Thank you for the chat, it was very informative," replies the noble as he turns to leave.
"But if you want to know my honest opinion, my lord, I would say that the Leaf Village is going to have a very good day today," calls Kuroda quietly.
The noble walks off quietly with a large grin on his face.
"He may be useful to me in the future," thinks Kuroda as he continues towards the stairs. He makes his way up to the waiting area and finds Hara and Hoshi already there.
Hara looks over and inquires, "Where is your teammate? Her match is before ours."
"I came here on my own, but she should arrive soon," replies Kuroda as he walks over to the rail and leans his elbows on it.
"I hope she will," says Hara, "because I am looking forward to her match with Hoshi."
Kuroda asks, "Why are you so concerned with her match, other than wanting to scout her some more?"
"What makes you think I want to do anything other than scout her?" counters Hara.
"Don't try to play me, Grass Ninja. Your village excels at information gathering, and I've noticed you have better eyes than the rest of your team members. By now you have fully analyzed all of Sakura's capabilities. I'm sure you want to verify your findings by having a third observation, but what are your real motives?" Kuroda questions.
"It seems your analytical abilities are just as good as mine," admits Hara.
"That didn't answer my question," points out the Leaf Ninja.
Hara answers, "Your teammate can summon that giant creature; it is an extremely powerful Jutsu. On the other hand Hoshi also has some powerful Jutsu, and she is the top-ranked Genin in the Hidden Rock Village. It should make for a very exciting match. The Hidden Grass Village doesn't just go out and gather information; we enjoy seeing two powerful forces collide just as much as anyone else does."
"I see," comments Kuroda.
Hoshi says nothing to Hara's comments, but when Kuroda looks over at her she backs away into a corner.
Nobody says anything for a while; they just watch the spectators file into the stadium. Kuroda sees Tatsuki, the exam proctor, appear in the center of the battlefield. "She must know the Body Flicker Technique," he assumes. Hoshi also sees her, and immediately exits the room. The crowd starts to settle down as the Tsuchikage and the Hokage arrive and take their seats up on the highest level. Kuroda then sees Sakura enter the arena, and on the opposite side Hoshi comes out from the stairway and makes her way to the center.
"Are we ready to get going then?" inquires the Hokage.
"Yes, I think all the important guests have made their way inside," replies Masato.
"And all the competitors are here," adds Michiyo.
The Tsuchikage stands up and gives an opening speech, "Welcome back, everyone, to the second day of the Chunin exams. Judging by yesterday's performances, I expect we will have some very exciting matches today and even more so considering that none of the winners suffered any significant injuries. Good luck to all competitors!"
The majority of the Leaf Village Ninja seem to be clustered in one section of the seating area. "Where is Shun?" inquires Yui who is sitting between Kenta and Naoko, "Doesn't he want to see the fight?"
"I'm sure he is around here somewhere," replies Naoko.
"He watched the fights yesterday on his own as well," adds Rame Tsu.
"Well, that is dumb, he should sit with the rest of us and help cheer on Sakura and Kuroda," replies Yui.
"Shun needs some time on his own to mull things over," says Tousen from behind, where he is sitting with the other Jonin-sensei.
"Is Ichimaru going to be in the hospital for a while?" asks Jando who is in the seat to the far left.
Kenta who is beside him replies, "He actually is in pretty good shape considering that attack he got hit by. The medical ninja want to keep him in there for a few days just to make sure though."
"Better safe than sorry," comments Yoshikuni.
"I concur," says Tousen.
"So, Kayo, do you think that Sakura will win the fight?" asks Yoshikuni.
"I don't know what kind of tricks the Tsuchikage has taught his daughter, but I have confidence in Sakura. She has come a long way since she came under my tutelage. She won't go down easily," replies Kayo.
"Yeah, let's go, Sakura!" cheers Yui.
"We are late again, Yamashita," complains Chaisa as she enters the seating area.
"Don't blame me, Sensei," he replies.
"What do you mean, don't blame you?" she retorts, "If it wasn't for your obsession with a certain cute, green-haired girl then we might actually have a decent place to sit once in a while."
"It is rude not to help a lady in need of assistance," responds Yamashita.
"Excuse me, are you not Chiasa Inuzu, the teacher of young Hoshi Ishimaru?" inquires a male voice from behind them. They turn around to look and see a noble man dressed in purple.
Chiasa replies, "Why, yes, I am."
"In that case I believe I have the perfect place for you to sit," he says, "Follow me." He leads them over to a spot with an extraordinary view of the entire arena. They sit down next to another wealthy noble covered in gold and blue.
"Now, how did you manage to secure such an interesting guest?" inquires the second noble.
"It appears I am not the only one who has trouble arriving on time," chuckles the purple-clad noble, "Now then, before this match gets started, is our wager still on?"
"Most certainly," assures the second noble, "I am most confident the Leaf Ninja will secure victory in both matches.
"We shall see, my friend, we shall see," replies the first noble.
"Excuse me, my lord," says Chiasa, "But I think you are underestimating the talent of the Tsuchikage's daughter."
"I am certain that as her instructor, you would be the one to know, Miss Inuzu," says the blue and gold-clad noble, "However, I have acquired information from a very reliable source that today will be a very good day for the Leaf Village."
"Well, this is strange. I got the feeling that you two didn't exactly enjoy being in each other's company," says Mazuma as he joins two Rock Ninja standing at the back upper railing.
"Orders are orders regardless of feelings," replies Chiaki blandly.
"What makes you think she doesn't like me?" questions Kenji.
"Give it a rest, Kenji," warns Chiaki, "I'm really not in the mood today."
"You are an odd couple," says Mazuma quietly.
The Tsuchikage gives a signal to Tatsuki and she motions towards Sakura and Hoshi to get ready.
Right as she is about to start the match, Kuroda yells, "Wait!" Everyone in the stadium is very confused and wants to know what is going on.
"What do you want? Your match is the one after this one," yells Tatsuki.
Kuroda replies, "I have a message for Sakura before the match begins."
"Well, spit it out then," replies Tatsuki.
"Sakura, I want you to forfeit the match," he orders. Everyone in the crowd is stunned.
"Lady Katonae, what is the meaning of this?" asks the Tsuchikage in a calm but angry voice.
"I have no idea," she says, "I did not order this."
Internally the Hokage is furious, "What the hell is going on, Kuroda?"
Tousen inquires, "Kayo, what is…?" But before he can finish his question Kayo uses her Body Flicker Technique to appear right next to Kuroda.
She starts yelling at him, "Kuroda, what do you think you are doing? Why are you telling her to forfeit?"
Hara watches silently from across the room also interested in what is going on.
Kuroda says, "This is none of your concern, Sensei, go back to your seat now!"
Kayo starts to argue, "Go back to my seat? What… ahhh." The surging pain envelopes her whole body, causing her to collapse on the ground. "Damn you," she swears under her breath with menacing eyes, but she quickly uses her Body Flicker Technique to return to her seat.
"You're back already, what is going on, Kayo?" asks Yoshikuni.
"I don't know," she replies angrily.
"Well, what did you talk about with Kuroda?" inquires Tousen.
"It doesn't matter," she responds.
"Why is everyone making a fuss? It is not like Sakura is just going to forfeit just because Kuroda told her to," comments Naoko.
Back in the competitor's viewing area, Hara is astonished and wonders, "I have never spoken to my Sensei in that way, but what is more curious is that she actually obeyed his orders with no apparent objections. What is going on?"
Down on the field Sakura turns to Hoshi and says, "I pity you."
Hoshi questions, "Pity me? Why?"
Sakura explains, "Well, if we would have had our match it probably would have been a good one and we both might have made our villages look strong, but now you no longer have that opportunity."
"I assume that means you are going to forfeit, so why am I being pitied?" asks Hoshi.
Sakura replies, "If you had paid any attention to Kuroda's earlier matches, you would know that he wasn't even trying against any of his opponents and he humiliated them. I don't know why he doesn't want me to fight, but I suspect he has something special planned for you later." Then Sakura turns to Tatsuki and announces, "I am forfeiting the match."
"Are you sure?" asks Tatsuki, scratching her head. Sakura gives a nod, and then starts to walk off the field.
"Okay, if you say so," Tatsuki says and then officially declares, "By the method of forfeit the winner of this match is Hoshi Ishimaru. Will the next two competitors please come down to the battlefield."
The crowd is angry and starts to break out into arguments about how they did not get to see a highly anticipated match. The Tsuchikage leans over and asks the Hokage, "Are you sure this wasn't your doing, Lady Hokage?"
"No, I had no prior knowledge of it and certainly did not approve of it," she says sternly.
"Woah, she actually did it!" exclaims Kenta.
"What the hell is she thinking?" asks Yui, "She is wasting a perfectly good opportunity!"
"This pisses me off," states Rame Tsu, "Why did Kuroda ask her to do that?"
"I want to know why she is even listening to him," says Naoko, "She is wasting a great chance to fight one of the strongest Genin around. What the hell is she thinking?"
"Hey, Kayo, Sakura isn't in love with Kuroda, is she?" asks Tousen.
"It wouldn't make a difference either way," states Kayo, still in a foul mood.
"What does that mean?" thinks Yoshikuni.
"Who cares? It is already done and over with," states Jando, "Let's just hope that Kuroda doesn't chicken out and forfeit as well."
"Damn it! I didn't even think about that!" exclaims Kayo attempting to stand up, but quickly being forced to sit back down due to her orders.
Yamashita Uzuki seems to be the calmest of all the spectators. However, that is only because he is deep in thought, "What is going on? Why did he order her to forfeit the match? There was no problem when his other teammate fought Hoshi, so why did he have her forfeit? I wonder if he just wants Hoshi at full strength for when they fight. This is all very puzzling, but I will just have to watch and wait."
"Looks like your so-called source inside the Leaf Village was wrong. Ohh, and a forfeit still counts as a loss, in case you were going to try and get out of paying," declares the noble sitting next to him, "I win the first part of the bet. I guess your source is not as reliable as you thought."
"Damn that kid, I thought he said the Leaf would be having a good day!" thinks the furious noble in blue and gold. On the outside he still presents himself as cool and collected as he replies, "Of course I would never try to do that. Besides the main bet is still coming up, and I can more than make up my loss."
"We shall see, my friend," replies his counterpart.
"So it seems," replies the blue and gold-clad noble irritably.
"Nobles are so disgusting," thinks Chiasa, internally.
This time Kuroda decides to jump down to the battlefield. "I guess he isn't going to forfeit," comments Kenta.
Hara watches as the Leaf Ninja lands on the ground with little effort and instead chooses to take the stairs. As he walks down he ponders, "This is all very strange. I don't understand how he has so much control over his teammate and Sensei. They didn't even put up a protest to his orders. It could be because he has some sort of immense power that he isn't letting on, and they follow him out of fear. But that doesn't explain my conversation with the girl earlier. She had strange sort of admiration for him almost as if he was god-like. Well, whatever the reason I think I am going to have to use my full strength if I want to stand a chance against him."
Kuroda jogs over to Sakura as she is heading towards the stairs. When they meet she mentions, "I thought you wanted me to show my power to you?"
Kuroda explains, "I have been thoroughly impressed by your earlier displays, and it is not necessary for you to prove yourself again. But that is not the only reason I did not want you to fight. You probably would have been able to defeat Hoshi, but not without risking serious injury or even your life. So I did not want to have to accidentally step in. It would be very inconvenient and many people including the Hokage would be angered if another incident happened."
Sakura says, "I understand. It seems as always that you chose the wisest course of action."
"I am glad you agree," he says.
"There isn't much point in trying to argue with your level of intelligence," she states.
"Even I can be wrong sometimes," he admits, "I'm not perfect, you know."
"Are you sure?" she replies, blushing, "I should get going. I'll catch up with you after your match."
Kuroda sees Hara coming out onto the field and says, "Sakura, please explain the situation to Sensei so I don't have to deal with her pestering later."
"Yes, Kuroda," she replies and then she quickly runs off to the opening from which Hara just exited.
Kuroda turns around and swiftly makes his way to the center of the battlefield. Once he arrives Tatsuki gets the chills down her back. "Not again. Why does this keep happening? What is it about this kid?" she thinks as she tries to maintain her poise. Hara arrives soon after and stands opposite Kuroda.
The crowd starts to calm down after the recent unexpected event and when everything is ready, Tatsuki prepares to start the match. "Do I need to remind you both of the rules once more?" she asks.
Sakura reaches the top of the steps and searches around for a familiar face. She sees a large group of Leaf Ninja and walks in their direction. She easily spots Kayo's long black curly hair among them. She walks over and sits down next to her when the match is about to start.
"Hey, Sakura, why did you…?" asks Yui.
"Save your questions for after the match," interjects Yoshikuni.
Looking disappointed and annoyed the blonde-haired girl turns her head back towards the arena.
Sakura leans over and politely whispers in her Sensei's ear, relaying Kuroda's message.
Kayo sighs and comments, "And he couldn't have told me because it would have looked suspicious. I don't like it, but I understand his reasoning. So do you have any idea what he is going to do today?"
"Not a clue, but it should be fun to watch," responds Sakura eagerly.
(That is the end of the chapter, what did you think? Kuroda has suddenly asked Sakura to forfiet her match, what other surprises does he have in store? 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.)