Chapter 33: Chunin Exams (5): The Second Phase Ends.
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto. Naruto is the work of Masashi Kishimoto.
Crack—Crack—BANG!
The wall of earth exploded with a bang like a firework. Tenten narrowed her eyes and yanked a scroll open, just before the earth debris dirtied her white clothes, "UNSEAL," she whispers.
SHHHH—BANG!
When the water bullet struck her second earth wall, Tenten broke out in cold sweat.
"Phew," Tenten wiped the cold sweat off her forehead as she looks at the trembling wall in front of her.
Thankfully, the second wall didn't fall like the first.
'What a powerful water-style jutsu!'
Crack… crack…
'That wasn't enough?'
Tenten frowned and jumped sideways, her gaze locking on the girl responsible for the attack. The other girl saw her too, aiming for her body as soon as she saw her leave the earth wall.
Tenten smirked and took a scroll from the inside of her clothes. "Heh, have a taste of this!"
Before Akemi could launch another water bullet, Tenten threw two, long scrolls above Akemi's head,
Before Akemi launched another water bullet, Tenten threw two long scrolls above Akemi's head and spun like a vortex in mid-air.
Akemi frowned, canceling her water bullet jutsu, and weaving hand seals while watching the scrolls spinning around her. "Water Style: Water Wall Jutsu," she mumbles.
"UNSEAL!"
Tenten channeled her chakra into her hands which was formed into a tiger seal.
POOF! POOF! POOF!
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Akemi frowned as she eyes the trembling water wall. Beyond the semi-transparent water wall, she could see the rain of weapons coming out of the scrolls.
'Thankfully, I was cautious.'
Or else she would be a hedgehog right now.
'But… I'm out of chakra!'
As if to prove her thoughts, the water wall started to thin, and a few weapons made it through the water wall. Akemi was a ninja, so she can dodge the weapons for now, but what would happen if the water wall collapsed?
'Sigh,' Akemi's lips form a flat line. "I… I give up!"
Tenten smirked, and the proctor jumped down from the balcony and signaled for her to stop her weapons. She complied by recalling and deactivating the seals on both scrolls.
Shhhhh… Drip. Drip. Drip.
When Akemi canceled the water wall, she was panting and her body was trembling, but when she saw Tenten's leisurely smile with her arms lazily dangling by her side, her eyes twitched.
'This bitch…' In the end, Akemi was the loser and she has to accept her defeat.
While walking up the stairs, a gloomy cloud hovered above her head. When she reached her teammates, she was greeted by two frowns and two pairs of worried eyes.
"You guys…"
Akemi smiled, much to the relief of both boys.
"Temari of the hidden sand village and Choji Akimichi of the hidden leaf village, please come down to the arena!"
On the arena, dust flew around like snowflakes falling, and strong gusts of wind sharply danced around the air.
WOOOOSH—WOOOOOSH—!
"Hmph! Too easy," a girl with blonde hair scoffed, looking at the fallen genin in front of her.
He was her opponent from the Akimichi clan, and she was the worst match for him, according to her words.
"Temari of the hidden sand village wins and advances to the third phase of the exams!"
During the entire fight, she only used her giant folding fan to keep the massive rolling flesh boulder away from her, and after sending a couple of sharp wind blades, the result was Choji being knocked out with many cuts and bruises, bleeding like a rabbit mauled by a wolf.
After walking up to the balcony, Hayate ordered the medical ninjas to take care of the defeated and called the next pair of genins.
"Rock Lee of the hidden leaf village and Gaara of the hidden sand village, please come down to the arena!"
The arena floor was covered in yellow sand, rivers of blood, and bite-sized, chunks of flesh.
Long story short, the fight between the two crazies was gruesome. The crazy-training-genin nearly broke the arena with his insane speed and strength, and the crazy-for-blood-genin nearly killed his opponent.
"Why…?"
Gaara asked, his eyes wide at the thought of somebody protecting his prey.
That genin was supposed to be killed by him!
That genin was supposed to prove his existence!
That genin…
"Because he is my student," Might Guy said, his voice hoarse, his eyes puffy, and droplets of salty liquid trickling down his cheek. He had Lee in his embrace, and his mind was spiraling downward to the pits of self-blame.
"I don't understand," Gaara muttered.
Hearing this, Guy glanced at Gaara, but he didn't say anything. He knew the dangers of the exams, and he didn't blame Gaara despite his bloodlust. He only regrets taking his team to participate.
They could've been promoted to the rank of chunin some other way, why did he have to recommend them for the chunin exams?!
"You don't have to understand," Guy said before flickering away with his student in his arms.
"Medics, please take…"
"I can walk."
Gaara glanced at the proctor before walking toward the hospital.
Meanwhile, on the balcony, Hiroko was staring at Gaara's departing back.
He looked at his own, two hands, his brows furrowed and his lips turning into a frown.
'How cruel,' Hiroko thought, 'Can I be that cruel too?'
He was an efficient person. He hated doing unnecessary things… aside from matters regarding his Hinata… that's why, if he has to kill, he'll do so instantly. If he has to kidnap, he'll do so like a ghost. And if he has to spy, he'll do so like a fly.
It's how a ninja works.
When he saw the boy with auburn hair using brutal means to deal with his opponent, he couldn't help but frown. That was definitely unnecessary, although his boiling blood told him that it was beautiful.
'How bittersweet.'
'Naruto, don't think about it too much. Everybody has their own ways of working, so don't compare yourself with others.'
. . .
'All right,' Hiroko sighed, 'Thank you, friend.'
"Kiba Inuzuka of the hidden leaf village and Benjiro Suzuki of the hidden leaf village, please come down to the arena!"
"Give up, Kiba."
Bark!
"GOD. DAMN. IT."
On the arena, Kiba growled, spitting out each word through gritted teeth. His fight against Benjiro was, to put it gently, fast. To put it bluntly, it was shameful.
Benjiro didn't use any ninjutsu, he only used taijutsu!
"Next time," Kiba growled, "I'll beat you next time!"
Benjiro chuckled, "Sorry, Kiba. I don't think there'll be a next time."
"FUCK!"
Kiba grumbled as the proctor dragged him away.
"Benjiro Suzuki of the hidden leaf village wins. He will move on to the next phase of the exams," Hayate announced, "Shikamaru Nara of the hidden leaf village and Kankuro of the hidden sand village, please come down to the arena!"
"What are you doing?"
Kankuro rubbed the back of his head, looking at the genin in front of him. Shikamaru's shoulders slumped down, and his eyes looked lifeless as if his body is there but his soul isn't.
"Uhh… hello?"
Kankuro asked again, this time, Shikamaru snapped out of his trance, "Oh. Right, damn. Can you just admit defeat so we won't have to fight?"
Kankuro's eyes twitched, "Why don't you admit defeat instead?"
"Nah, my mom will kill me," Shikamaru shrugged.
Hayate looked at the two genins and shook his head, "BEGIN!"
Shikamaru flinched and looked at the proctor, "Hey, I wasn't ready—"
WOOOOSH—
"Damn it!"
Shikamaru cursed, looking at Kankuro in front of him, and the kunai nailed to the wall.
'If my guess is correct, then he's a puppet master. The sand village is known for its poisons, so I can't get scratched during this battle… hold on, I've got an idea.'
BAM—POOF!
"Huh? A smoke bomb?"
As the smoke slowly engulfed the arena, Kankuro narrowed his eyes to scan his surroundings, but it was easier said than done.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
"There!"
Seeing the silhouette running toward him, Kankuro smirked and took out a kunai, throwing it at Shikamaru's figure.
"AH!"
Seeing the trail of blood swim in the air, Kankuro's lips curled upward.
"Heh," he scoffed, "Give up. Only I have the antidote. In ten minutes, you won't be able to move a muscle, and after that comes death," Kankuro chuckled.
"Damn… it…!"
Gritting his teeth, Shikamaru aimed a kunai at Kankuro's face, which the latter caught with ease, but apparently, he didn't expect another kunai to fly toward him, embedding itself deep inside his head.
"…what?" Shikamaru's mouth gaped open.
But no blood came out.
Instead, wood chips flew out of Kankuro's head, and the puppet revealed its true face. Behind the puppet, Kankuro removed the bandages wrapping around him and looked at the kneeling Shikamaru.
"That was a good trick, but tough luck. You were fighting a puppet the whole time!"
Kankuro shrugged his shoulder, making Shikamaru look down.
"Look man, just give up. I know you don't want to die, and you can always apply for the next chunin exams—"
"Really? I guess you're right. There's always a next chunin exam… for you," Shikamaru lifted his head, revealing a wide smirk, his palm opening to reveal a fresh cut.
"W-what?"
Kankuro's eyes widened, and realizing that he was tricked, he tried to jump away.
"I can't move!" Kankuro's heart dropped, his mind running a mile a second.
"Oh, you can't move? Let me help you with that," Shikamaru chuckled and looked down. Oddly enough, Kankuro mimicked his movements.
"Shadow Possession Jutsu, complete," Shikamaru whispered.
Up on the balcony, Akemi scratched her head, while Ken looked at the arena with narrowed eyes.
"Did… any one of you understand what just happened?"
Ken asked, making Akemi shrug her shoulder.
"Simple," Hiroko said, "Kankuro tried to outsmart Shikamaru, but Shikamaru outsmarted Kankuro's outsmarting…"
Hiroko tried to explain, but the proctor suddenly lifted his head to look at him.
"Hiroko Uchiyama of the hot waters and Shino Aburame of the leaf, please come down to the arena!"
Hiroko paused, looking back at the proctor in a trance.
Akemi chuckled and patted his back, "Good luck, Hiro," she said, while Ken rubbed his head.
"Stop that!" Hiroko slapped Ken's hand away. He hated being the shortest on his team.
"Hello, Shino!"
Hiroko waved his arm toward the statue of a boy named Shino. Shino is already standing next to the proctor, looking down at the ground.
"Do you remember me?" I asked, but the other boy was busy with his own mind. He didn't even spare me a glance.
"Ready?"
When the proctor asked, I nodded my head, pondering how I should win this game.
"BEGIN!"
BZZZZZ—
Not a second after the proctor started the match, a swarm of beetles flew out of Shino's sleeves. The swarm of insects formed a cloud that swoop down on him.
'Insects, huh?'
I have an idea, and it would help a lot with spying on other villages. In the future, I won't need the land of hot waters to do information gathering anymore, but that's for a later date.
For now, I have to focus on my fight.
"Water Style: Water Blades!"
This water-style ninjutsu is one of the most basic attacks in the ninja world, and I'm currently a genin with water affinity.
It was a perfect fit for my disguise.
It's just that…
BZZZZZZ—
Like Choji, I met my nemesis.
'Damn it, the bugs would just fly away from the water blades!'
The water blades couldn't hit a single bug and only went past them like the bugs were an illusion.
'I need to use a wide-area range attack…'
I thought when I noticed a bug flying in front of my eyes. There's no need to think, I reach down for my ninja pouch, and a kunai flew into the air in the next second.
Woooosh—
The bug in front of my eyes was cut in half, but the kunai kept flying toward the swarm.
—BOOM!
Before the explosive tags activated, the bugs had already gotten away, but that wasn't the point. I managed to put distance between me and the bugs.
BITE!
'Shit,' feeling the prickle on my skin, I sped through hand seals in less than a second.
"Water Style: Hot Water Dome!"
When the jutsu launched, all the bugs that entered my body flopped like ants drowning in lava.
Yes, the bugs entered my body.
'He knows my secret,' I mused, looking at the boy with sunglasses, who seemed unfazed. I felt my chakra get absorbed by the bugs, and the master has access to his servant's perception.
'Should I kill him?'
I shake my head, 'No. Hinata is watching, and so are the others. I can't act recklessly.'
'But how should I save my disguise?' I ponder when I remembered Ken's condition.
'That's right, a special chakra trait!'
After thinking of a plan, I felt my body heat up, and my stomach churned like I swallowed a hot ball of iron. My eyes felt itchy, and my nose felt stuffy. My fingers shook, and my knees trembled.
SHHHHHHhhhhhh…
Seeing blue chakra coat Hiroko's body, Shino tilted his head. Then, when he saw the chakra turn red, his eyes narrowed behind the sunglasses.
'No, the chakra isn't turning red. Rather,' Shino clenched his teeth and took a deep breath, 'Blood!'
It was blood that was making Hiroko's chakra appear red!
'What's happening to him? Why's he suddenly covered in blood?' Shino mused. When his bugs tried to absorb Hiroko's chakra after they entered his body, he received a shock. From his bug's senses, he realized that Hiroko had an enormous chakra volume.
'I was wondering why he isn't using all that chakra, is it related to this?'
"AH! Damn…"
Seeing Hiroko mutter to himself, Shino lightly nodded his head, watching as Hiroko absorb his blood through unknown means. He even licked himself.
'Yes, he must have a rare chakra illness. Does he bleed when he uses too much chakra?'
Shino threw the idea away. 'No. He didn't use that much chakra yet. My bugs entered his body, and then this happened. Maybe foreign chakra can't enter his body, or he'll bleed like this.'
Shino was convinced by his own deduction.
Meanwhile, I tried my best to reabsorb the blood that spilled out.
'Damn it, my blood is a treasure! Why did I do that?!'
His plan was exactly as Shino deduced, but after executing the plan, he regretted it instantly.
"Ha… Ha…"
"You're tired. Maybe you should give up."
Hiroko's face became twisted. "Yeah, shut up. I like you better when you're not talking. Go back to how you usually act."
". . ."
Shino ordered his bugs to dive at Hiroko, but his eyes narrowed seeing that Hiroko didn't put up any defenses.
"Water Style: Raining Water Senbon!"
'Is he not afraid of his chakra being drained dry… oh, is that it?'
Realization suddenly dawned upon Shino when his bugs landed on Hiroko's body.
'His skin is coated in water-style chakra,' Shino frowned, 'and all my bugs die as soon as they touch him.'
Shino sighed and looked at the proctor, not minding the fast-approaching water senbons.
"I give up."
WOOSH!
"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"
Bang! Bang! Thud… Crack…
Shino glanced at the trembling earth wall that saved his life before turning back to head toward the stairs.
Hayate glanced at him for a second before announcing the match's result.
"Hiroko Uchiyama of the hidden hot water village wins! He will advance into the next phase of the exams."
Hayate bowed and looked at the hokage and the ROOT commander. Then, he cleared his throat by coughing.
"All remaining participants, please come down to the arena!"
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