Next part of the Chunin exam. Honestly, I remember that it was very difficult for me to decide how I wanted to do this part. A first draft skipped the preliminaries completely and just hinted at them having happened, but I felt that it left big holes in term of character development. On the other side, I did not know how and if I wanted to change the fights. Finally, in my ongoing effort to make it slightly more realistic, I decided to mix up some one on one fights that seemed to "destined" to me (Sakura vs Ino, Hinata vs. Neji…). I seriously choose pairs at random (yes, I even made little paper slips and everything. But honestly, I probably shouldn't have invested that much effort into it. At the end of the day I think that unconsciously I left the fights I liked the most in the original manga and I changed those who enthused me less or when I had a good idea for the fight.
Btw, yes Kabuto makes an appearance.
The bold parts are directly from the manga.
Kakashi woke up feeling pretty terrible. He was exhausted but not the kind of deep, numb and aching numbness that came from chakra exhaustion but a more a painful and acute kind of fatigue that made his head pound. Poison then. The events that preceded his loss of consciousness came back to him all jumbled. There was Orochimaru, Naruto was hurt, the snakes, the Hokage had come.
He had to know if his team was safe. He dragged himself out of the bed, but his legs weren't ready to take the weight and he fell. He used the nightstand to prop himself up again and came face to face with a nice bouquet of flowers and a tasteful get-well card. He turned it around and recognized Sakura's neat penmanship.
Dear Kakashi sensei,
I hope you will get well very soon. The medics say that the wounds you sustained weren't extensive but that the poison was quite dangerous. They were able to find a cure but don't think you will regain consciousness before Monday.
We were all very scared for you.
I know you will worry but all three of us are mostly fine. Iruka will be ok too. Naruto had a nasty bite in the shoulder, but it wasn't poisoned. I don' t understand how he could heal so quickly but they released him today. He isn't allowed to train for at least one and a half weeks and complains all the time.
Sasuke-kun was still injured from what happened during the exam. We will tell you later, but we were attacked by some very nasty Ame-genin and he was poisoned with a paralytic. Now everything is okay, but he should still take it easy for a few days, even if I doubt he will listen.
I' m fine and I promise that I will train very hard. We won't give up on winning the exam.
Thank you for protecting us. Get well.
Sakura.
Kakashi felt relief and a kind of warm affection for his students. God, and he could have lost them so easily. He would have to get stronger. These kinds of situations couldn't keep happening.
It took almost two days to convince the nurses to let him see his pupils. Finally, the head-nurse from his floor released him with a glare and a few terse words.
Kakashi knew very well that he wasn't healed yet. The short way from the hospital to the training ground 9 left him winded and frustrated and he was happy to settle down against a large tree and watch his students. Naruto was grumpily training his chakra control that was slowly (so, so slowly) going from abysmal to terrible. More surprisingly Sasuke seemed to be helping Sakura with her taijutzu stance.
He was demonstrating how to attack an opponent from the side with a kunai. His steps were sure and precise. Sakura followed a little more slowly.
After some time. Sasuke and Sakura stopped, grabbed their water bottles and called their last teammate. All three of them walked towards him. Ah, so they had noticed him. Well, he hadn't tried to hide.
Naruto's smile was somewhat sheepish when he looked and beamed at him.
"Thank you, sensei for saving us!"
Kakashi didn't really know how to answer him. He should tell him that protecting them was his duty and that he was doing a pretty poor job of it. He didn't really know how to formulate his gratitude towards them for managing to remain alive, so he did not say anything at all.
Quickly, all three of them launched into a recollection of their adventures during the third task. Their different perspectives and... styles made for an interesting tale. When they finished Kakashi made them go over each of the fights, made them analyze their mistakes or that of their opponents.
They still had much to learn and terribly little time to do so.
In the next few days the training intensified. Kakashi tried almost despairingly to pass on decades of fighting experience to them. How the first few seconds of a fight were almost always the most decisive, how a keen eye could guess an opponent's strength and a quick mind could decipher his weaknesses.
The day of the next task came to quickly in his mind. He had been informed that this year the exam would include preliminaries for the last task. Too many genin had made it through the second one and the last exam was to be a public event and the audience (ninja's but also, mainly, civilians, nobles and high-ranking diplomats and court members) had a short attention span.
It made Kakashi want to bristle in irritation. For them it was nothing more than an exciting show. It was hard for a shinobi like Kakashi who had been thrown so young into the chaos of war to not resent the civilians' ignorance and naivety.
For his three genin, learning that an additional task had been added must have been absolutely frustrating.
They entered the wide stone arena with a feeling of foreboding. The amount of tension and ambient chakra in the room made the hairs at the back of Kakashi' s neck stand on end. Damn these rookies who hadn't yet learnt that masking one's chakra and keeping a lid on the killing intent was a) polite inside a ninja village, b) an intelligent way to not give away potentially crucial information about abilities and powers.
Hayate, a tokubetzu jonin which he had met a few times through common acquaintances was leaning against a side pillar. He looked ill but Kakashi had come to expect that from him. The genin were less impressed. Sasuke and Sakura were throwing him dubious glances.
The genin were told to line up squad by squad in the middle of the arena while their senseis, the previous examiners accompanied by a few chunin and the Hokage were standing in front of the massive statue that covered the entirety of the front wall. It gave the whole event an air of ceremony. Other's would have called such dramatics excessive but Kakashi remembered how important it had seemed to him at the time of his own graduation. Even in the middle of the war the Hokage had taken the time to encourage them for their last task. There had been no preliminaries, the village was undermanned and made no effort at all to lessen the number of graduates. He had been the youngest but maybe also the most conscious of the responsibility that would befall to him if he succeeded.
Back then the Hokage hadn't looked quite as old and wasn't yet shrouding himself in a soft air of harmlessness. His sharp gaze had traveled over all of them but Kakashi had thought that it lingered on him for a second longer. The Hokage had spoken a few terse words about the reality of war and a shinobi's duty. Kakashi hadn't looked away, not once had his gaze left the old man. He hadn't spared a glance for the many among the ones allowed to watch who were against his very presence among his Leaf-comrades. His fights were over quickly. He was the youngest but that only meant that he had learnt to compensate for his lack of height and strength in speed, perfect execution and ruthlessness.
This time the Hokage seemed more serene and among the jonin there was a sense of febrile excitement and not of morbid resignation. Still, the chunin exam could be dangerous for unprepared genin and Kakashi knew that.
"First off", the Hokage began, "for passing the second test, congratulations!"
A pregnant pose settled in the room.
The rookies were looking at each other with calculating gazes. The jonin were slightly more discreet in their rivalry. Except Gai of cause. Discretion and Gai weren't well acquainted. The man half-turned his face to him.
"Your team isn't too bad or maybe they were lucky. But as soon as my team is around getting any further is impossible since from now on it' s all about real ability. Well, youth brings sweet and sour times..."
Kakashi ignored him with familiar ease to Guys annoyance.
The man wasn't completely wrong though. The last tasks were almost always one on one matches and depending on the one they'd be paired with his genin could find themselves in a really tight spot. More than most of the other genin, they lacked real battle experience and practice of their skills.
"Hokage-sama will now explain the third test, listen carefully". Anko exclaimed.
"Yes...for the coming third task...but first there is something I'd like to explain to you. It concerns the true reason for this exam...why do we have all the allied countries taking the exam together."
The Hokages deep voice was rumbling through the complete silence of the room.
""To promote friendship among the countries"? "To raise the level of shinobi"? I don't want you to be confused about the true meaning of it. It is a replacement for war among the allied countries."
The old man went straight to the point. Kakashi had always preferred it that way with him. The Hokage knew how to spin lies and sweet illusions and was better than most realized at manipulating enemies and allies. Kakashi had always wondered why everyone always talked about his gentle and merciful ways when he knew him to be a harsh and ruthless commander.
Right now, the Hokage was looking at the next generation with a cold, incisive gaze. Almost two decades ago he had handed a newly promoted 9-year-old grey-haired chunin his first assassination mission looking down at him with the very same gaze. Kakashi imagined it meant something like " I will at least have the honesty to not baby you. This is how things are and you and I know there is no other way".
"If you look back, the shinobies that stand together as allies were once enemies who fought each other over who would rule. Now that the wars have stilled this exam is a stage to vent the hate and the aggression, to reenact the battles of the past."
That was Naruto' s cue to blow up. Kakashi was too used to it to really feel frustrated and stoically resisted the urge to face palm.
"What the hell is that crap, aren't we fighting to decide who'll become a chunin."
"Certainly, the exam serves to decide which genins have what it takes to become chunin but the other, hidden purpose is for the shinobies to battle, sometimes to death for their village's prestige."
"Prestige?"
"Watching the final task will be leaders and influential individuals of many countries who make up the clientele of the shinobi villages. If you prove your strength, you prove your village's strength which will in turn bring that village more clients, more wealth, more power, more respect, more success, more safety.
At the same time... the strength and safety of the village is the strength of its shinobi and that strength is born through life-risking battles.
This very exam only has sense if you are willing to risk your life."
"But then why say stuff about friendship. Is that only a lie?" An average looking, brown haired girl interrupted. One of Guys students as she stood behind the boy with the infamous green jumpsuit. Well, at least she was a bright one, it seemed.
"This fragile balance of power, this game of intimidation, that is friendship between the shinobi countries."
His genin looked strangely thoughtful, Naruto was frowning, and Sakura was looking uncomfortable.
"Do not forget from now on you are fighting with your life for the prestige and safety of your country; you aren't children anymore, you are shinobi."
"That' s where things go wrong" Kakashi added mentally " they are shinobi and children and we as adults should have the duty to fight for them to remain children as long as possible".
He saw in Gai's tense form and Asuma's clenched jaw that they agreed with him.
For a moment no one spoke. Then Hayate cleared his throat and looked over a paper he was holding.
"Good now that you are ready, I will explain the next task. I, Hayate Gekko, am the referee for the preliminaries and for the third test in general. This next task will be about...cough, one on one matches. 30 genin managed to advance to the third task. Only half of you will be allowed to go on. Remember from no on your life will be in danger so, cough...Does anyone want to quit?"
A pale young man with glasses stepped forward. He looked back sheepishly at his teammates.
"I' m sorry but I' m still all bet up and I still can' t hear well. I don' t think I will be able to fight on. And now that our life is on the line..."
Naruto seemed to be about to open his mouth again to share his opinion with everyone, but Sakura put his hand on his shoulder and shook her head. The blond began to pout.
Kakashi smiled. Cowardice was something that Naruto could probably hardly understand. Well, it was unimportant. They should concentrate on their tasks.
"Good, now we are ready to begin. There really are no rules, not really. You win if the other is dead, unconscious or admits defeat. So, better admit defeat than die, ok. If I have the feeling that the winner is clearly defined I am also allowed to stop the match and announce the winner. Good. The first match...hum... will be Dozu against tzurugi...euh, the other you should leave the arena and wait upstairs, you are not allowed to enter the arena."
Kakashi climbed the stairs slowly. His genin were looking around the room, probably wondering who would be their opponent.
Meanwhile the two first opponents positioned them self on opposite sides of the arena and glared at each other. The signal to begin was given.
At first the battle offered little entertainment. Both adversaries were average in taijutzu and mostly focused on defense. They would launch an attack and if it was deflected step back and wait. In any real fight with a somewhat decent opponent such tactics would have been mediocre as few would be kind enough to give them time for respite.
Most Jonin from Konoha were looking at the sound boy expectantly. If sound really was allied with Orochimaru, then there was no telling what would come out of this. Everyone waited for some kind of trick. However, it's the Konoha-genin that first revealed to have a secret up his sleeve.
The sound-guy had managed to land a hit and had grabbed him around the shoulder and arm in a basic hold. The next second an ominous cracking was heard and the Konoha-nin's hand extended unnaturally. It folded back on itself as if all bones had disappeared in his wrist. He gripped the other nin's hands and the next second his other hand, extended in just the same way crept around the sound-nins throat, blocking him effectively.
Slowly each limp wrapped itself snakelike around his opponents.
Kakashi was musing about the strangeness of the technique when, in a desperate effort, the sound nin freed his left hand. Before he could reach for a kunai it was snatched again by an elongated hand.
He was now completely restrained. One hand twisted in his back, the other held above his head and the Konoha nin standing behind him taunting him. The next second an unbearable shrill sound resonated around the arena. Kakashi directed chakra to his ears in a split second but still felt a sharp pain take hold of his brain. Acute hearing came with downsides.
If it affected him so much he could understand that the Konoha-nin, whose head had been centimeters away from his opponent's arm, obviously the source of the sound, had crumpled.
Hayate bent over him.
"Euh, Tzurugi is unconscious as such the winner...cough...is Dozu."
The young man was grinning darkly, looking up at the jonin and genin his arm, half flesh, half mechanics held up in victory. Yeah, he really may be one of Orochimaru's.
A lot of flashy abilities for a pretty mediocre fight. Kakashi dismissed but something at the back of his mind told him that he had overlooked an important detail
Before he could think more about it the next match was announced:
"Sasuke vs Ino."
He looked at his student and saw the dark look on his face. Sakura was beaming uneasily. Understandable, who should she cheer for: her crush or her best friend. She seemed to decide that her loyalty was for her team.
"Hey Sasuke, that is great. You will beat her easily."
"That's bullshit. The boy interrupted her. I' m not looking for an easy fight. This isn't just a test to me. I don' t care about chunin or whatever. " Am I strong?" I just want an answer to that. I need to fight strong guys, and they are here. I don' t care about Ino, she is weak, so she is useless to me."
Kakashi cringed mentally. The girl wasn't two meters away and Sasuke had made no effort to speak quietly. Ino had straightened slightly and while her face remained expressionless there was something wounded in her eyes. Asuma was looking at the Ushiha with scorn. He had just humiliated his student in public. Kakashi tried to send him an apologetic look. He really was trying to work on Sasuke's arrogance and selfishness. Asuma just moved that burning glare onto him.
He would hear about this later.
Ino brushed past Sasuke and an uncomfortable looking Sakura. Sasuke followed her a second later, still scowling.
They stood on opposite part of the arena. Hayate looked from one to the other.
"Ready? The fight begins, now."
I really, really appreciated your comments. I came back from uni feeling overworked and seeing them made me happy. Don't hesitate, tell me what you think!