V8 ch 6
The Chunin Exams
Part I
Enter into the Mist
Takeru stood quietly as Rock Lee showed the passes to the guards at the front gate of the Mist Village. His dark eyes stared at the ground. Onari kept glancing at him, but he wouldn't look at her. There were numerous teams standing behind them. Takeru's mind was focused on the journey they had taken to get here.
Eiyu stepped forward realizing Takeru was not moving. He turned around to tug on his sleeve. "Takeru, we've been cleared. Come on, you need to focus."
Takeru followed Eiyu into the Mist Village with his eyes watching the boy's shoes. He glanced around lazily. I feel betrayed. What is she planning? Did I get Uso to fight with her in some war involving her clan? I thought we were in love with each other. Maybe it's just me. Onari wants revenge for her parents. If her uncle gains the phoenix, she said he controls it. I don't understand this anymore. He doesn't know where she is… What are the chances of him finding her?
Rock Lee put his hand on Takeru's shoulder. "You need to pay attention, Takeru. It wouldn't be brilliant to walk into a cart," he said steering the boy away. "What happened on the boat? You've been distancing yourself from the team."
Takeru shook his head. "Nothing, Lee. I'd rather forget it." Eiyu and Onari were moving ahead in the crowd. Other teams were coming into the village, as well. Lee handed Takeru his pass. Takeru took it and put it into his pocket.
"Don't get lost. I'll come get you after a while," Lee said. He didn't know what was going on, but Takeru needed time to think about it before the exams started.
Takeru found himself wandering the Mist Village aimlessly. This was the village his mother was from. He glanced around at the ninja who passed him on the road. He was so lost in thought that he didn't see a large man stepping out from a building. Takeru ran straight into him. He stepped back to see the man carrying large bundles of baskets filled with grain on each of his shoulders. "Sorry," Takeru said softly. The man ignored him.
"It's kind of a pain to use your head like that," a voice from off to his right said. Takeru turned his head to see a boy about the same age as his brother with brown hair in the form of a Mohawk with blue eyes. "You're from the sky country," he said recognizing the symbol around the guy's neck.
"And you're from the fire country," Enshi said pointing to the symbol on the boy's left arm. "Goto Enshi," he said introducing himself. His team stood behind him.
"We don't have any quarrels with the leaf village do we? It'd be such a shame to introduce one's self if the situation is heavy," Jun Umehara said moving his long blond hair aside. Mae, his pet flying squirrel stuck her head out of his oversized white shirt.
"No, we don't have quarrels with anyone," Chie Shibata commented. She eyed the younger boy with her one eye. "Wandering an unknown village without your team, makes you a target. You're no safer here, than you are outside the village," she said.
"I can hold my own," Takeru said blinking his eyes to reveal Sharingan.
Chie crossed her arms. "Don't get me wrong, kid. We don't want to start a fight this early in the day. Save it for the tournament."
Jun offered Mae a berry to nibble on. "Now that we're all chummy, lets get a cup of tea," he said clapping his hands together. "Nothing says friendship quite like a calm relaxing cup of jasmine."
"Clueless as ever," Chie said looking at her team mate.
"Sorry, Jun will take any chance he can get to partake in his aristocratic ways," Enshi said. "It seems you arrived here just as we did – so why not? It'll take you rmind off of things."
Takeru blinked his eyes again to turn Sharingan off. "How did you know something was bothering me?" The team turned around for him to follow their lead.
"Because your head's in the clouds," Jun said
with a gentle smile. "That's our territory." Mae climbed to the top of his head to get a better view as they walked down the road.
He reminds me of Kandai.
Minwa Ui smiled under his gas mask. "Look at what we found. A team trying to get to their room. Should we let them pass?"
Umai Nozora opened his mouth. He stared right at the blond headed girl with pig tails. "You're a cute one. What weapons do you have hidden in that shirt of yours? Open it and show us."
Saori's eyes widened. The male's voice lingered in her ears. She started to move her hand up to unbutton her shirt. Saori couldn't stop herself.
Daiya grabbed his team mate's wrist. "Saori, don't!" He struggled to keep her from obeying the ninja from the sound village. "Ryu, she's not stopping," he said grunting to keep her arms away.
Ryu narrowed his eyes. "Let her go. Now," he said with a growl. He started to move towards the team withdrawing a kunai.
Rina Nagai moved forward taking out her metal devices. They dangled from her fingertips as they spun. "Not so fast. One wrong move and I'll send your head cracking wide open," she said with a sly smile.
"How about we make things a little more interesting," Umai said. He leaned forward to take out a small light thin whistle. He blew it once, his eyes focusing on a particular member of that team. "Attack your team mates." He blew the whistle three times to initiate the command.
Ryu turned his head expecting Saori to attack. His eyes went wide with shock as Daiya started to charge. His team mate lifted his hand aimed at Ryu. The charges started to crackle down the boy's arm. He's not aware what he's doing! What did they do to him?
Ryu threw himself to the floor as an electrical charge went over his head. The flash of electricity burned the wall. "Daiya, knock it off!"
Minwa chuckled. "You're not a very good leader, are you? You can't even stop your team." He opened his armor to reveal long pipes jutting out of his sides and back. Noxious fumes started to escape the pipes. "Nighty night, team from Konoha."
Ryu coughed hard. He struggled to keep his body upright, his focus on the sound village team. Ryu tried to throw his kunai at the figures in front of him, but their forms were swirling in his vision. The kunai tumbled to the floor as it slipped from his fingers, his eyes rolling into the back of his head. The last thing he heard was Saori and Daiya falling to the floor beside him.
"He's coming around," Ryu heard a voice say. He opened his eyes to see a ceiling overhead. Ryu sat up quickly to throw a kunai at whoever was near him. His head became dizzy as Shikamaru grabbed his wrist. Ryu fell backwards with a groan.
"Take it easy, Ryu. Whoever attacked you fled the scene," Shikamaru said as he placed a cold rag on the boy's forehead. He noticed Ryu was craning his head to look around the room. "Saori and Daiya woke up some time ago. Who was it that attacked you?"
Ryu sat up holding his head. "Sound-nin. They stopped us in the hall. They wouldn't let us pass. Daiya attacked me and Saori tried to reveal her weapons to them. Those bastards were controlling them," he said as his head ached.
"I thought I trained you better than this," Sasuke said from Ryu's left. The genin turned his head to blink his eyes at him. "You're supposed to be on guard at all times in a village. This isn't Konoha. Some of these students are playing for keeps; as you found out today. Think of their mischief as a warning to you and your team."
"You call that mischief? I call that an attack," Ryu said almost coming off the bed at his trainer. "I wasn't the only one to blame for not reacting quicker. You left us alone. We're in your care while-"
"Your responsibility is to protect your team, Ryu Yuhi," Sasuke said with a fatherly tone. Ryu slightly lowered his head, calming down. "Have you forgotten that my son and Shikamaru's daughter are also in your care? I shouldn't have to worry about my students defending themselves against anyone with the training I've given them. You have been prepared for this moment. It's called 'survival'. I suggest you get your head out of your rear and make sure your team survives the exams."
Ryu turned his head away as Sasuke walked out slamming the door. He closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and slammed his fist into the bed. My screw ups are going to cost my team their lives!
Shikamaru watched Ryu punish himself with his own mental thoughts for a while. He finally decided to speak after Ryu calmed down. "You're not the only one whose made major mistakes with his team," he said with a low caring tone. Ryu glanced at him. "I once almost cost the lives of Neji Hyuuga, Choji Akimichi, Kiba Inuzuka, and the Hokage." That seemed to get Ryu's attention. "A long time ago – something I'll probably get in trouble for mentioning – all of us were sent on a mission to get Sasuke back from ninja who had captured him. We were up against the most strongest opponents we had ever faced. Each of us, had almost died fighting to save him. Trying to be wise and quick to solve the problem, I split everyone up to handle each ninja – a huge mistake. We should have faced them all together. That would have been wiser. Our ages and inexperience were against us. The end result was, Sasuke was gained by a man named Orochimaru. We couldn't save him, Ryu.
I was upset at my decision making. I know strategy when it comes to facing my opponents. I thought I was wiser and had better planned everything out. But when I learned Choji had worn himself out in his fight; Kiba had almost came close to sacrificing himself; and both Neji and the Hokage were spent to the ending strands of their chakra, I broke. It was all my fault. My father told me I wasn't a man because I had acted too rashly in my decision making. I vowed to become a man from that day on – to come up with better strategy – to not cost my team their lives. Today you've learned the same lesson I did. You need to become a man to protect them, Ryu. Saori loves you more than you'll realize. And Daiya looks up to you as much as he does Sasuke. Today, become a man to protect them."
Ryu could not answer Shikamaru as he listened to the man's testimony. He could only sit quietly, with ears open, and eyes staring. Today, he had to come a man to protect his team. It wasn't Sasuke's job anymore – it was his.
Gin Akimichi sat on the floor of the room in the inn where they were staying for the Chunin exams. She looked over the forms of her sleeping team mates. Her eyes moved from each one of them, burning the memory into her mind until she stopped to look at Shikamaru. He was sprawled out with his hair loose. She had never seen him without a ponytail before. Gin covered her mouth giggling. He looks like a sleeping prince. I wonder if Ms. Temari is in love with this side of him as well. She smiled to herself. Tomorrow the Chunin exams would begin.
Gin wondered where the other teams were. Her fingers trailed on the bed of the futon as she thought about Idai. They weren't supposed to have any contact with each other until the exams started. Shikamaru had informed them there were always chances of fighting their own friends, or team mates. It was a random draw. Gin didn't want to go up against Idai. He was the person she was in love with. Her heart skipped a beat trying to imagine him fighting. She put both of her hands together in a prayer. I hope you do well, Idai.
"Sasuke's team was attacked by sound-nin once they were left alone," Kiba told his team as they sat at the low table looking over their food. "We can't take any chances these next few weeks. I don't want my team alone. I expect all of you to watch over each other."
"We can do better than that," Masaru said as he stared at his food with his chopsticks in hand. "We can look after all of our allies as well as ourselves. I'm not afraid of any sound-nin, or any other ninja that comes near us."
Idai sat with his chin rested on his hand. He squeezed Yanagi's hand under the table. "I doubt Team 2 knew what was coming. Sound-nin are sneaky," he said of himself and of what he remembered as a small boy living there. "They probably ambushed the team. They knew were and when Team 2 was for a while."
"Or they just wanted to toy with them," Kiba said as he caught Yanagi's frown. "They had every opportunity to finish them off while they were unguarded. No one would have been the wiser to who it was. Why did they choose to leave them alive?"
"It was a warning," Yanagi said as she pictured Team 2 under attack. "They're overly confident of their own abilities. Idai is right about them watching and waiting as Ryu's team moved through the village. How else would they have known when Sasuke sensei wasn't around? We need to be on our toes," Yanagi said with a hard stare at the table.
Onari stood on the roof of the inn watching the stars above the sky. Her team was fast asleep below. She had a lot on her mind and needed to get her head clear. Akaihi clacked his nails on the rooftop. He was defused to keep a low profile. Onari sensed someone behind her, watching her. "Why is Idai watching Onari?"
Idai walked over to her slowly with his head craned up at the sky. He had gotten over the fight between him and Onari. It had taken a lot of re-direction by Kiba to make him realize she was doing what her training entailed. "You're just like me, in some respects. We seek higher places when we have things on our minds. What's on yours?"
Onari felt Idai sit next to her. He was petting Akaihi on the head. Should she bother to tell Idai what was really bothering her, or let it go? "Onari had a fight with Takeru."
Idai turned his head slowly to look at her. "First off, try saying I instead of your name. It makes you sound less significant to the others around you," he said tapping her shoulder. She turned her head to look at him. "I had a fight with Takeru," he repeated.
"On- I had a fight with Takeru," she said. It felt strange to be equals with the others around her. Onari's yellow eyes watched Idai lean his head forward a bit.
"What did you two fight about?" He hadn't known Takeru to fight with anyone in a serious manner. Most of the time he had arguments with Daiya, or Onari, but that was over trivial matters.
"Takeru thinks I have tricked him into linking with the celestial dragon," she said in a hurt voice. "He won't talk to me right now. He keeps telling me I'm hiding things from him."
"You are," Idai said as she flipped her head quickly to regard him. "You've been hiding yourself this whole time, like I have. You're not really all that serious, or stand offish like Daiya, Onari. Underneath that tough skin of yours lies a girl who is afraid of what she's been training for." He could see it in her eyes. "You're afraid to lose those around you like Takeru is. Maybe that's why the two of you are so perfect for each other." He laid back to stare up into the sky. Akaihi crawled onto his stomach and laid down.
"See, from what I know, Takeru has been alone most of his life. Until you came along, he didn't have anyone who would listen to him, or regard him. You sought him out – to learn from him – but also to be his friend. Haven't you realized that your bond with him is stronger than his and Ryu's?" Idai turned his head to see her sad eyes. She hadn't realized it. "When you came to the Uchiha house, he was prepared to accept you for whatever background you had. I don't know too many people that are like that."
Onari bit her bottom lip nervously. Takeru had always been smiling and playing with her. Even when she misbehaved or didn't understand something, he was there with her. He was always guiding her with a smile, or coaxing with his hand. Onari owed him more than just a simple explanation of who she was.
"I promise if you open the doors to that secret garden of yours, he'll caress every flower in it," Idai said in a soft, romantic way. "He does care about you, Onari. He just feels betrayed that he's shown you who he is without ever knowing you." Idai sat up abruptly once he heard her crying. Akaihi fell off of him and tumbled over a few times. "Ah, Onari, I didn't mean to make you cry!"
Idai moved in front of her on his knees. He leaned towards her watching the tears flow down her face. "Please stop crying. I'm an idiot for saying it that way. I really am." She shook her head at him. His eyes softened. "Daiya's going to beat me up for making his sister cry."
Onari reached her hand up to place her finger over Idai's lips. "No, Idai is correct about what On- I have done. I haven't shown Takeru who I am. He has been very open about who he is and what he wants. I have been avoiding such an influential person that I love."
"So… what are you going to do to make it up to him," Idai asked. He watched Onari come up with an idea. He yelped as Akaihi bit his finger for throwing him off. "I can't win right now," he said as he wrestled his finger out of the phoenix's mouth.
Takeru Uchiha woke to the sunlight peeping through the window in the inn. He raised his body slowly. It felt as if every bone in him ached – even his heart. Takeru lifted his hand over his chest to touch it. His sad eyes looked over at Eiyu and Rock Lee sleeping soundly. He wondered how early it was. His eyes moved around the room to look at Onari sleeping far away from the group, but she wasn't there.
Takeru arose to find a piece of paper with a message written on it near his ninja sandals. You are requested in the kitchen. The paper slipped from his fingertips onto the floor. Takeru walked slowly out of the room. What was Onari up to? His feet touched the bases of the stairs as he moved to the first floor. Takeru looked around the quiet area.
He soon moved to the back of the inn where the kitchen was located. His hand brushed the curtain away as he stepped inside. Takeru's eyes befell upon a small table. It was decorated with plates and food. He moved towards it. Was he supposed to sit here?
Takeru sat down on his knees with his hands placed on his legs. He wasn't in the mood to eat. Soon he heard soft movement towards the doorframe he had walked through. A husky looking man entered the room. He glanced at Takeru then preceded to write down a list of items he needed for the day. After his list was complete, he left.
Takeru lifted his hand absentmindedly to touch the bowl of food in front of him. It was still steaming. Why did she go to all of this trouble? He hung his head letting his long bangs shield his view.
Onari hung from the ceiling watching Takeru. She didn't know what was going through his mind. He wasn't aware she was there. She let her chakra detach from the ceiling to flip over in the air. Onari landed behind him with the grace of a bird. She crouched with her hands on the floor and leaned her head towards his ear. "I love Takeru Uchiha as much as it is a bird's destiny to fly. I did not give him the dragon to ensure he would fight by my side." He slowly turned his head to look at her with a hollow gaze.
Onari looked at him sadly as she reached forward to touch his hand. "I gave you Uso so she could ensure your survival. I am very aware how strong Gekido is and what he controls at his fingertips. An army of lightening users are a reality, Takeru. It only takes one to waste an entire family. I do not want that to be your fate."
Takeru looked down at his hand as Onari shyly held onto his one finger. "If that is the reality you're afraid of, why keep it to yourself, Onari? I can't do my part to protect you if you don't trust me. Who are you really?" His eyes rose to look into hers. "Who are you," he repeated.
Onari knew in that moment that Idai was correct at what Takeru perceived. He didn't truly know her, or understand her. She lowered her head. "I'm afraid," she admitted. "All of the training your parents have taught me is out of fear. I do not want to be killed like my parents from Gekido, or his men. I do not want my brother, or you taken away from me. I've caused you a lot of pain by not letting you inside. But how do I know that you'll still accept me if I act the way I feel?"
"Stupid," Takeru said as she looked at him hurt. "I've liked you no matter what crazy things you've done in the past. Onari, you're not that slick. None of us are." He kissed her softly to make his point. "Trusting someone takes a lot of effort. You've wasted two years of your life guarding yourself instead of opening yourself to me." He ran his fingers through her long dark hair. "I wish you would give me a chance to know you. The real you, Ri – not just letting me skate on the ice. I want to swim in you," he said with half lidded eyes as his lips hovered over hers.
Onari grabbed his face and brought his lips closer to hers. She kissed him deeply and slowly, letting him feel every ounce of her emotions. Onari pulled Takeru with her as she laid back. She blushed hard as she touched his cheek watching him from her view. "I think you need to eat breakfast. We start the Chunin exams today."
Takeru shook his head as he turned his head to kiss her hand sweetly. "I don't need breakfast. I can live without food for a while. I only need you," he said sincerely.
Onari blushed hard. She moved her hand through Takeru's hair. Onari stared at him for a while until the sun was getting over the trees. "Takeru, please eat. You're going to need your strength for the match."
"Only if you'll eat with me," he compromised. Onari tilted her head on the floor with her eyebrow raised. Takeru pulled her up.
"I only made food for you," she said as he turned around to grab the chopsticks. Onari watched as Takeru got some of the stew. He brought it to her mouth and waited. Onari felt her pulse increasing. She opened her mouth slowly and cautiously. Takeru simply started to feed her before he ate himself. She watched him eat hurriedly as she sat next to him with her heart racing.
Takeru drank his tea in two gulps. He set it back
on the table. "Ri, I like how shy you are," he said much to her surprise. "Who would have known that's what's behind your walls?" He turned to see her gaze on him with her mouth slightly open. He reached up to close her mouth.
The teams walked down a long hall until all of them were gathered in a large circular room with many doors. Every team from the various countries looked around the room at their opponents. They were sizing everyone up. The tension in the room was enough to make Ryu Yuhi tense. He wondered where they were going to take the written portion of the exam. Every country gave a written portion. However, the Mist Village was one sneaky place. He noticed that the Jounin were standing high above them on various platforms. They were being watched. "We seem to have an audience," Ryu said gesturing his head up. His team started to look in the same direction.
"They're up to something," Saori said taking the words right out of Daiya's mouth. She had been accustomed to being cautious since gaining him as an allay. "Notice the doors around the room. Why are we gathered in such a large area if we're to take the written portion of the exam?"
Daiya's eyes shifted to stare at each person who was near him. He saw ninja from the Wind country as well as the Grass country. Soon they moved away and his eyes were stuck on ninja from the lightening country. "They're from the lightening country," he said almost in a whisper.
Saori turned her head in the same direction as Daiya's. "So they did send a team to compete in the exams. One of them appears to be a lightening user, too," she said noticing the strange metal plates on the boy's outfit. He didn't resemble Daiya in any form, but his attire was similar. She looked at Daiya who seemed to be quite uneasy. "Are you worried about them finding out where you came from, Daiya?"
Daiya swallowed before he answered. "I don't know which side they are on. I don't want them finding out about Onari. They could have ties to the person she fears. I'll protect her if it costs me my life," he said seriously much to Saori's surprise.
"Before you go being heroic, I'd suggest you start protecting yourself," Ryu said. "Onari can take care of herself. Don't jump out of fear. They don't know you, or her. You're letting your mind run away with you."
Aku Endoso smiled evilly as he looked out at the teams in the room. "They look absolutely delicious," he said licking his lips as he kept his eyes focused on a particular ninja he was interested in. "I want that one, first," he said about a girl with blond hair in ponytails. "Her chakra has to be the best out of the bunch."
Meiji Kamon held onto the bazooka he had strapped to his back. "I doubt her chakra is what you're interested in," he said moving his eye over the girl's figure. She was interestingly voluptuous.
"Males are incredibly disgusting," Arawasu Ryusaki commented. She adjusted the grass insignia on her waist. "We're here to win. So if we come across your little favorite, I will slaughter her," she said with malice as she stared the girl down.
Indo Otani from the Hidden Hot Springs sensed she was being watched. She turned her head to see a girl from the grass country eying her. Indo waved to her with a big smile and giggled. I'm going to kick your butt. Nice to meet you. She put her arms together and made sure her breasts were squeezed. The girl from the grass country turned around to hit both of her team mates upside the head.
Masafumi Okasawa shook his head as he watched Indo embarrass the team. "If you keep doing that, they're all going to stare at you. At least have a little bit of dignity." He filed his nails as he waited for the exams to begin.
Indo turned around with a pouting lip. She flipped her head to the side making a sad face. "Masafumi is so mean to Indo. She's only having a little bit of fun," she said defending herself. "Besides if I know what they're interested in, I can use it against them." She winked at him as she raised her finger.
"I'd like to see you use the interest of killing us against them, "Masafumi countered as he adjusted his glasses. "Remind me how you got to be the team leader again." He crossed his arms.
"She bribed us, remember? We hardly knew each other and she gave each one of us a kiss while begging to be the top dog," Ogai Maikoka said reminding his team. "It's our own fault."
Masafumi sweat dropped. "That may be so, but we deserve a better team leader who isn't going to use us as her pawns." He eyed Indo who was turned around doing the same thing as before to another guy on another team. He tensed and closed his eyes. "Indo, pay attention!"
Indo turned around with an innocent expression on her face. She reached up putting her arms around Masafumi's neck. Indo pressed her chest close to his. "You're jealous because I'm not showing you that kind of attention," she said with a chime in her voice.
"I am not! I have someone I like back home. You're not as dignified as her," Masafumi said as Indo asked Ogai who he was referring to. He narrowed his eyes getting angry as he heard his team mates discuss the possibility of it being his mother.
"It's time to weed these kids out," said Haruchi, an older ninja, who signaled to the Jounin around him. The Jounin nodded as they signaled for the doors to be shut behind the students and locked. The students turned around as the heavy doors slammed into place. He watched some of them get into defense mode trying to figure out what was going on. Soon he started to walk out to the edge of the platform above the students. He placed his hands on his hips. "Well now, it seems none of you have any idea what is going to befall you – Good, good."
"The first part of the Chunin exams will begin shortly. You all are gathered here to pick a door to enter. What you will find is a challenge unlike any you have expected. Now your exam begins," he said with a smirk as the students regarded his words. "Do it," he signaled the Jounin around him.
The Mist Village Jounin jumped from the platforms to run at the students. They started to herd the students away from each other to split the crowd up. "Move it, or you die here," a man told several teams as he took out a kunai. "Go towards the door!"
A girl fell over onto her side afraid of what was happening around her and her team. A man came at her with a malicious expression. "Get up," he said forcefully stomping his feet on the ground. He turned his head to see a fist coming straight at him. The man was thrown off of his feet. His body slid on the ground.
Idai narrowed his eyes. "Ninja don't take orders from anyone but they're own leader. You're not her leader," he said with a low threatening voice. He helped the girl up.
The girl tensed as she saw three ninja coming straight at them. "Look out," Nabiku shouted. The guy with long red hair started to unsheathe two swords that he wore on his back. She blushed hard as she noticed the insignia on the straps around his arms. He's from the leaf village.
Idai rotated both of his blades, spun on his heels, then sent the gusts of wind at the three ninja coming at him. He kept his body rooted in place as the force of the wind sent the Jounin back. Idai glanced out of the corner of his eye at two others who were deciding to target him. "Not so fast," he said as he directed his chakra at his feet. Idai jumped as if he were a jackrabbit avoiding a pack of wolves. The Jounin slammed into each other. Idai landed next to them prodding them with his foot.
He looked around the room. The other Jounin had managed to herd the various teams into certain sections for each door. He was in the middle protecting a girl he didn't know as the man on the platform gave him a harsh look. Idai gave him the same expression back.
"You with the swords," Haruchi yelled above the students. "Get back to your team before I disqualify you! NOW!"
Nabiku bowed low to the guy who had helped her. She stood up blushing as she heard someone from another team off to her right yell at them. Nabiku turned around to go back to her team. She ran to them.
"Idai, quit screwing around! If you disqualify us, I'll knock the hell out of you," Masaru said as he shouted. He saw Idai glance around before starting to move towards them. "Does he have to cause trouble everywhere he goes?"
"No, but that girl was threatened, Masaru. Idai's not going to let anyone bully another person. He takes it personally. If it had been you, he would have defended you in a heart beat," Yanagi said as the Jounin eyed Idai when he approached. "What happened out there?"
Idai turned his head to look behind him to make sure the girl was safely back with her team. "That bastard wanted to get his point across when she fell. I don't approve of anyone playing on someone's fears," he said to quiet the matter.
Haruchi shook his head at the upheaval that kid had caused. "There are ten doors in this room. Each door will hold ten teams. The object for each team is to complete the puzzle that is inside the room. Find out it's meaning to help you with the second part of the exam. If you manage to survive both parts, you will fight until you are a successor or a loser. If your team cannot get all of the parts to the riddle, you are disqualified." He signaled for the Jounin to open the doors.
"Enter the rooms now. Each team will go through that opening – either left or right and stop. A small opening will lift and your team will gain a piece of parchment. Upon that parchment is a clue. Complete the riddle by outwitting the other teams," the woman said. She signaled the ten teams to go inside.
Each team entered the rooms cautiously looking around. Once they were all inside, Haruchi gave the signal for the Jounin to close the doors, locking the students in. The Jounin moved into position, pressed a button, and the door started to automatically shut. They moved back and waited. There was utter darkness in the rooms. Haruchi soon heard the students arguing and yelling as they became confused to the darkness. "Now let's see which teams survive. This will help to weed them out," he said with a smile before he turned around to walk off the platform.
Enshi Goto couldn't see anything in the darkness of the room. He could hear people trying to move around, but they were bumping into each other. "Why don't we regroup the situation so we can figure out what's going on?"
Jun Umehara moved his hair aside as he tried to let his eyes adjust. It was pitch dark. "It's apparent that we're suppose to get to the target without seeing where we're going."
"Or fight without knowing whose around us," Chie Shibata said as she stayed against the wall. She started to feel along it walking sideways. "Come on, you two. We can't just stay in this room. We're sitting ducks like this."
"And where do you suppose we go once we get what we're supposed to retrieve," Jun asked as he held onto her arm. He tugged Enshi to follow them through the darkness. "It's a rather peculiar predicament," he said in his aristocratic voice. "Whoever heard of a written exam being in the dark?"
"That's not the point," Enshi said as he mind started to whirl with solutions. "It's to make it more challenging. The target is still the same. It's no different than taking a mission at night. Just watch yourselves. Some of the teams are getting heated," he said.
Azuki Kobi, from the Valley, moved her body around trying to feel for her team mates. She wasn't surprised that she had poked Kimi in the eye. "Sorry," she apologized. "I can't tell where you are," she told him.
"Most people feel below head length," Kimi Seo said rubbing his eye. "This is ridiculous. They want us to attack each other in here to limit ourselves as well as everyone else. It's a no-win situation."
Ikki Usami popped a pill into his mouth after he had managed to fish it out of his coat. "I wouldn't say that," he said as his voice started to change from human to that of a beast. His eyes changed to a bright yellow. The pills he used let him see the heat signatures of others around him. "This is more to my advantage. Maybe I should thank them for this opportunity." He looked around to see three ninja up against the wall moving towards the entrance.
Ikki grabbed the arms of his two team mates. "This way. We have some competition already going for the parchment." He led his team through the opening and off to the left. There he ran into the wall. "Ah, dead end," he said shaking his head.
"Why don't you let me help," Azuki said moving past Ikki to get to the front. She started to feel along the wall for an opening. "There's something here. I can feel the way the stone is cut out. I can't figure out how to open it."
"Show me where the groove is," Ikki said. Azuki grabbed his clawed hand and let his nail slip into it. He started to slide his claws under it. Ikki pulled with all of his might, grunting as the stone started to lift. They all heard it open.
Kimi reached forward to feel around for the parchment. He found it. "I've got it," he said withdrawing his hand. As he did, the stone door closed suddenly.
"Now what do we do," Azuki asked. The wall in front of them started to slide apart. "It opened. Are we supposed to go in there," she breathed.
"What other choice do we have," Kimi said as he walked inside. The rest of his team followed. Kimi kept his hands on the walls trying to find out which directions they were going, but once the stone wall closed again, lights turned on. He blinked his eyes. It was tough coming out of the darkness. "This is a change."
Ikki smiled revealing his sharp teeth. "Yeah, but now it's fair game. Whatever that parchment says is our key to finding out what the second part of the exam is."
"It's not going to be that easy, Ikki," Kimi said showing Azuki what was written upon it. "We have one word: The. Whoever has the other two are the ones we fight," he said noticing the number three written in the corner with a circle around it.
Areku Inuzuka and Ichigo sifted through the scents of the ninja around them to find Gin and Kandai. His team mates were starting to get as confused as the other teams in the dark room. "This way," he said leading his team straight ahead. "It's amazing that once a person's sight is gone, how useless they can be."
Kandai held onto Areku's vest as they weeded themselves through the crowd of ninja who were bumping into each other. Each team was having difficulty getting past the obstacle, but some were also finding their way through the opening. He felt along the wall until it stopped at the end of the tunnel. "I think the parchment is located somewhere in this area. That man told us to grab it at the end of the hall."
Areku sniffed hard. "It's behind the wall. I can smell the ink upon it. There's going to be a certain way to open it. We just have to find it."
Gin Akimichi formed hand seals in front of her body. She didn't need to use her sight to know the sequence to unlock one of her jutsus. "Forest seekers," she said using one of her newer techniques. Vines started to lift out of the stone floor. The plant structures twisted and grew upon the wall . Soon the newer, smaller vines started to make its way in the grooves of the stone, searching for an opening. Gin heard the stone creaking as it began to open. "There we go." She reached forward to grab the parchment. "Now that we have it, what do we do?"
Kandai turned around to hear other teams finding their way down the paths. "We run," he said as his head flipped around to see the wall moving aside. Gin latched onto his wrist to pull him into the wall with her and Areku. Kandai blinked his eyes trying to adjust to the light that suddenly turned on. "Where are we?"
Areku turned his head around to hear another team attempting to open the wall. "Wherever we are, we need to get going. There's another team behind us. Right now, let's try to avoid coming into contact with anyone. We need to figure out what this place is."
Gin started to run down the hall as it began to curve one way then another. "I think it's a maze," she said as she skidded on her heels. There were three different ways to go. "Which way," she turned her head asking Areku.
Ichigo sniffed along the floor to figure out what other direction the previous teams had been taking. She shook her head grunting as she made comments. The teams ahead of them had each went a different way. There was no way of knowing which direction to take.
"One of them has to be the correct direction," Areku said. He could hear the other teams catching up. "We have to pick one. Choose one, Gin, we don't have time to stand here."
Kandai grabbed both of his team mates and jutted off to the left. He urged them to keep going. Within a matter of minutes they came into a large room. He looked around to see the three openings behind him. "They all went the same direction. It's used as a distraction tactic."
Areku wondered what this room was for. He walked forward slowly until he saw a different colored stone on the floor. Cautiously, he touched it with his foot. Areku had to really stomp it in order for there to be a reaction. The stones around him started to lower into the ground. Ichigo was barking madly at Gin and Areku. "Get on! It's the only way out of this room!"
Gin and Kandai quickly ran towards their team mate. The floor underneath them was lowering into the earth. Team four didn't have a clue where it lead, but it was their only option. Gin screamed at the floor they were standing on tilted to drop them off. They fell several feet onto another floor. She looked up to see the stone floor lifting back into place. Gin turned over onto her stomach so she could get up. "We're trapped."
Eiyu went straight for the girl's chakra points as he spun on his heels to avoid a strike at his chest. He hit her once on the shoulder and as he attempted to strike at her collarbone, she blocked his hand, latched onto his wrist causing his body to move down. Eiyu grunted as he was kicked full force into the chest with the girl's leg. He coughed hard going down to the stone floor.
It was impossible to see in the darkness of the room. He could hear other teams fighting each other, as well as, the others around them. They were all trying to make light of the situation. He heard the girl who had kicked him yell in outrage as her forearm was clamped down upon. Eiyu knew it was Onari defending him.
"Let go of me, you little-," the girl swore until Onari put more pressure on the girl's arm. Now the unknown student was alarmed at how Onari was breaking her bone. She was trying to get away from her and calling to her team mates to defend her. Onari turned her head at to the sound of a boy approaching her from the back. She moved her body fully to her right, letting the boy's arm come over her shoulder. Instead of hitting her, he hit his own team mate square in the face. The girl went tumbling backwards. Onari lifted her body off the floor, spun slightly and came back around to nail the guy with her fist.
Takeru was busy forming hand seals to light the room. He had to be cautious of using his fire jutsu in the room. There was no way of knowing who was near him. Takeru made sure he was pressed against the wall before he slowly blew. A tiny flame came out of his mouth. For a split second, the area around him was illuminated. Eiyu was fighting two guys at once while Onari ducked to the floor letting two girls run into each other. Everyone was in a huge unorganized mess. Takeru sighed disappointed. This isn't what I expected from the Mist Village…
"Takeru, could you stop playing around with fire and help us," Eiyu said rather aggravated as he tried to avoid three others coming after him in the darkness. He skidded on his heels to force his hands down while his feet came up. Eiyu used the wall to give him an extra push as he twisted his body in the air. He landed on his shoulder blades. Eiyu began to spin, rotating his body as his legs came out. "Three hundred speed kick!"
Onari threw herself to the side as the three ninja came soaring past her. Eiyu was breathing hard; she could tell that much by his increased agitation. Onari stood as a wall in front of Eiyu as someone came at them. She lifted her hand. When the boy came within her reach, she hit three direct spots near his collar bone stunning him. As he stood in pain, she sent her chakra directly at him. The boy was pushed back by an immense force. She heard his ninja shoes skid on the floor until he slammed into the wall. "I'm tired of cat and mouse. Can we play tag now?"
Takeru smirked as he signaled her voice out. He grabbed onto her hand pulling her along as he yelled, "Eiyu, this way!" Takeru ran through the opening of the stone wall and down the path to the right. He didn't know why he chose that particular path. Once they had managed to find out how to get the parchment out, they made their way through another opening.
Eiyu moved his team along as he heard other teams starting to figure out the puzzle. "We need to get out of here fast. They're starting to catch up with us." He led his team through the left tunnel with the parchment. Much to his surprise, all of the tunnels connected. It led them into one single room. "I suppose now we fight to the death."
"I wouldn't say that," Takeru said as he noticed a particular stone on the floor. It wasn't the same color as the others. He bent down to touch it with his hand. Something clicked. They all stood up in defense mode as the floor started to lower with them on it. Eiyu looked at him rather strangely as he laughed embarrassed. "Maybe I do have a brain in my head, Eiyu."
Eiyu smiled shaking his head. "No, that was luck, Takeru. It could have been a trap for all you know." Eiyu felt his body tilting to the right. He yelped as he and his team went tumbling to another floor. He fell on top of Takeru. The stone floor moved back into place over their heads. Eiyu was pushed by Takeru to get off. He sat up taking in the room. "What's the point of this room?"
"It's another riddle," Takeru said as he blew small streams of fire out so he could see. "Ri, can I have some of the bandages around your arms?" He took out a kunai. Takeru wrapped the bandages around the end of the kunai then preceded to blow out fire. Now they had a torch. "What were you saying again, Eiyu?"
"Alright, now you're being a smart ass," Eiyu said as he walked to stand next to Takeru. His eyes looked up to strange pictures on the wall in front of them. "I guess this is another riddle we have to figure out," he said watching Onari trace her hand over the images. "It appears to be the symbols for the earth's elements. This is a compass," Eiyu said tapping his finger to a point of paint on the wall. "The earth's elements are all associated with certain directions."
"Like Feng Shui, I guess," Takeru said watching Eiyu nod. "So we just have to put these symbols in the correct positions," he said moving his hand towards them. Eiyu grabbed his wrist. Takeru turned his head. "Why are you stopping me?"
"It's not that easy, Takeru. Onari explain it to him," Eiyu said knowing Takeru would fathom what she said in her own words. He let go of his wrist.
"The symbols of the earth must be put in a certain order. What order are we trying to create? There are two paths for the earth to take: Creation and Destruction. If we create the wrong path for the earth to follow, a trap will be laid upon us," Onari said. She pointed to the symbol for fire. "Fire is the start of creation and destruction." Onari pressed the symbol. The stone moved into place. They watched the fire symbol light up. It was correct. "What is next, Takeru?" She was giving him the opportunity to figure it out for himself, instead of relying on Eiyu's brain intellect.
Takeru looked at the other symbols on the wall. "It can't be metal. Metal isn't a natural element. It's something deep in the earth. It has to be water, wood, or earth next." He sifted through the images in his mind and what they related to. "Wood has to be on earth. Water has to be beyond wood, but it is above earth. The next symbol is earth!" Takeru pushed the symbol in before Eiyu or Onari could say a word. The symbol glowed green. It was correct.
Onari moved Eiyu's hand along the wall until it touched the symbol for 'metal'. "Metal is next, Eiyu. Fire must start the process. Earth must come next for a foundation. Metal is what sparks life and the center of creation."
Eiyu pressed the symbol. It glowed silver through the stone. "So far it's: Fire, Earth, and Metal. Wood or water is next." He thought about it for a minute. "Wood cannot exist without water to make a seed grow. Water has to exist for life to begin." He pressed the symbol for water. It glowed blue.
Takeru took Onari's hand. He forced her to push in the symbol for 'wood' with his fingers over hers. "And life begins with plants."
Team 9 turned their heads to the left as a door opened. They hadn't noticed it before. With the parchment in their possession, they continued upon their journey of the first part of the Chunin exam. They had no notion of how the other teams were fairing. However, they would get as far as they could with each other by their side.
To be continued…