Thankfully, the food was edible. The beds, although extra firm, somehow felt like fluffy clouds compared to the hard ground they have become accustomed to sleeping on during the Chuunin Exams.
Team Guy only had one night to recover from the ordeal of the second exam. Which, didn't feel like enough time at all. They were one of the last to finish the exams, no thanks to the fight with Orochimaru. Hisako couldn't believe it. One of the three legendary Sanin of the Leaf Village, Orochimaru, had infiltrated the Chuunin Exams and she somehow had the bad luck of ending up on his radar. How that even happened, Hisako had no idea.
All she knew, was her luck couldn't get much worse than that right?
Between being a target for the Yami Clan, and being a high profile prize on the black market because of that, Orochimaru now wanted her. And she had no idea why. To top it all off, according to Neji, he also attacked Sasuke. Which meant that Hisako wasn't alone. But, that also meant that Orochimaru is interested in Uchihas, great.
The next day, Hisako stood in a new arena. All of the contestants who passed the Forest of Death were here. Sasuke's team, Hinata's team, Ino's team, and obviously Gaara's team passed as well as a few other teams she didn't recognize. But, she was more than familiar with the team from the Sound Village. The man with both arms in slings, and then the other man with the now broken gauntlet thanks to Hisako. A part of her still couldn't believe that she had done that. That Hisako would have wanted to kill as much as she had at that moment.
Just remembering that moment was enough to terrify her.
"First of all, congratulations on finishing the second exam!" Anko shouted.
The teams were all standing in front of higher up Chuunin and Jonins, Lord Hokage was among them. The teams of Genin chatted amongst themselves and Hisako even noticed the Jonin chatting together. Specifically Guy Sensei and Kakashi Sensei.
Whatever they were talking about, was almost comical to watch. Hisako couldn't make out their words but bit back a laugh as Guy Sensei let out a random screech, his hands coming up to grab his hair in aggravation from whatever Kakashi Sensei had told him. Whatever Kakashi Sensei said, really pissed Guy Sensei off.
She watched Neji's gaze turn to Sasuke and her gaze followed. Sasuke was looking ahead, disinterested in what was going on around them. A part of her wanted to talk to him, to see what had happened to him, see if he was okay. But, now wasn't the time for that. She had to concentrate on the next phase of the exams.
"All right! Pay attention, Lord Hokage is going to explain the third exam to you. You better pay attention, maggots!" Anko shouted, silencing the crowd from their chattering immediately.
For a small woman, Anko sure was terrifying. Anko bowed to Lord Hokage and Lord Hokage stepped up, clearing his throat to address everyone who passed.
"First of all, before I explain the third exam, I want to explain something about the test itself. Listen closely now. It's something that all of you need to understand. I'm going to tell you the true purpose of these exams,"
This grabbed the Genin's attention and everyone went silent to listen to Lord Hokage's words.
"Why do you suppose our country holds these exams in conjunction with our allies? To raise the ability levels of the shinobi and to increase friendship between allied nations to be sure. But it's important that you understand its true meaning. The exams are, so to speak," he paused, taking a hit from his pipe before letting the smoke wither around him, "They're a representation of the battle between allied nations."
Everyone gasped at those words, and people squirmed where they stood. Hisako fiddled with the threads on her kimono, her green eyes glued to Lord Hokage as he spoke. She has come to realize that Lord Hokage was one of the wisest people she's ever met. And she wanted to take all of his words to heart.
"Now, if we look at our history, all the countries that we're currently allied with were once neighboring nations that continuously fought with each other for power. In order to avoid destroying each other's military strength meaninglessly, those nations chose champions to do battle on behalf of their countries at mutually selected locations. That is how the Chuunin Selection Exams originally began,"
Naruto was the first to speak up, "Well that's great! But then why do we have to do these exams? It's not like we're picking Chuunin to go fight!"
And, a part of Hisako agreed with Naruto. If this truly was the purpose of these exams, then why continue them?
"Actually, there is no question that part of the point of these exams is to select shinobi worthy of becoming Chuunin. That is not the whole story. These exams allow a place where shinobi can carry the pride of their nation on their backs and fight against other ninjas for their very lives. Many leaders and people of prominence from various countries are invited to attend these exams as guests and so possibly seek shinobi to work for them. This exam will determine the course of your ninja work from here on out. And more importantly, those rulers will watch these battles and will take note of the strengths of each ninja, and each nation is to hold. If there is a gap in power between these countries the strong nations are inadvertently given more job requests for their nations and the missions for the nations deemed weak, decline in requests. The stronger our nation is, the better our position when negotiating with neighboring countries. So it's important to show how much military strength our village has."
"Okay, so why is it necessary for us to risk our lives?" Kiba asked, stepping forward.
Lord Hokage's expression was unreadable, "The country's strength is the village's strength. The village's strength is the shinobi's strength. And the true strength of the shinobi is only achieved when it's pushed to its limits. Such as in a life or death battle. This exam is a chance for each nation to display the strength of their shinobi, and hence the strength of the nation itself. It's because your life is on the line that this exam has meaning. And it is for this very reason that for the strength of your nation that your forerunners fought in this exam. It's truly a dream worth striving for."
The Hokage's words hung in the air like a thick miasma. Everyone was silent, and still. A part of Hisako wished there was a better way than this. A more peaceful way to achieve the same goal. But, this was the life of the Shinobi. She couldn't deny that.
However, even though she couldn't deny reality, she could do her best to change it.
She still believed in a world where the lives of their shinobi didn't have to be sacrificed for peace. A world where no more wars existed and the villages could finally live in harmony together. Everywhere she looked, every step she took, it brought her closer to what she realized she wanted to do. She wanted a world of peace. And she would fight for that world.
"Just tell me the details of these exams already. I can handle whatever you throw at me," Gaara said, his voice dead and emotionless as he turned his dull blue eyes to Lord Hokage.
"Very well then. Listen closely. I will tell you all what you will be doing during the third exam," Lord Hokage replied, clearing his throat.
Right before he could continue, another Chuunin jumped into the arena, landing in front of Lord Hokage landing on one knee, his head bowed in respect. The red swirl symbol encrusted on the back of the Chuunins' green vest faced the Genin who were waiting patiently.
"Lord Hokage, please if you will allow me, the proctor for the Third Exams Hayate Gekko, to say something first," The proctor asked.
"So be it," Lord Hokage replied, his expression blank as the proctor stood up.
He turned to the Genin, "It's nice to meet you all," he said by way of introduction, coughing.
His dark eyes had bags under them, like he hadn't slept in days and his face was pale. Based on the deep cough and the other signs, Hisako could only assume he was sick.
"There's something I would like all of you," he paused and let out another series of coughs without covering his mouth before continuing, Hisako grimaced, "to do before the third exam," he coughed again.
The proctor paused to regain his composure, "You see, we have to have a preliminary exam before we can move onto the real Third Exam,"
"A… preliminary exam?" Hisako muttered, echoing the other Genin who muttered in confusion.
Shikamaru surprised Hisako with an outburst that wasn't like him at all there was even a trace of anger in his voice, "A preliminary exam? What do you mean?"
"Yeah, Sensei. Can you please explain it to us? Why do we need a preliminary exam? Why can't we just move on?" Sakura asked, her head tilting to the side in confusion.
"Uh, well you see, the first and second exams may have been too easy. The fact is we never expected so many of you to still be here. According to the rules of the Chuunin Exams, a preliminary round can be held at any stage in order to reduce the number of candidates remaining."
"B-But, is that fair?" Sakura demanded, her voice breaking.
"It's just at this stage, we have to speed things up a bit, as Lord Hokage said, a lot of important guests will be watching. We can't afford to waste their time. They've come to see only the best. So if there's any of you that don't feel like you're in top physical condition, now is your chance-" the proctor's sentence was cut off with another wave of coughing and he doubled over from the force of his coughs.
Physical condition? He should be seeing a doctor. Hisako thought to herself, a frown on her face. A moment later, the mark on her neck flared up and she gasped. Her hand went up to cover the mark as burning hot lava crept its way down her arm from the mark. Neji noticed this immediately and she felt his gaze on her even though he wasn't able to turn around to look at her fully.
"Sorry about that," The proctor said immediately after he was done coughing, "as I was saying, if any of you don't feel up to this, now is the time for you to bow out. The preliminaries will be starting immediately."
"Come on! You mean right now?" Kiba shouted.
"We just finished barely surviving the last exam! Don't we get a break?" Ino complained a look of defeat and exhaustion crossed her face, and Shikamaru looked rather annoyed.
The Genin squirmed where they stood, all feeling the heat of the proctor's words. Especially Hisako. No. She wasn't in top physical condition. However, she couldn't bow out. Not yet. She had to wait and see.
"Oh yeah, the winners will be determined by one on one combat. Sudden death. So like I said, if there's anyone who doesn't feel up to it, nows the time to raise your hand."
"S-Sudden death?" Hisako muttered, her body trembling in fear despite her best efforts to hide it.
The mark still burned, and her hand shook over her neck. A large part of her mind screamed at her to bow out. Give up now before it was too late. She couldn't fight. Not in the condition she was in. Not without the use of her Ninjutsu. Her strongest abilities. Her Sharingan. All of that was off limits. She would fail in a one on one match.
"Hisako, I think it would be a good idea if you quit," Neji whispered to Hisako, his voice stern.
Hisako's chin trembled, and her gaze was unsteady as she stared ahead towards the higher ups who were standing in front of them.
"I-I-" Hisako stammered.
She heard Sasuke gasp in pain and turned to see him grabbing onto his neck in the same area where she had the same mark. She gasped in realization, her entire body going still. Did Sasuke have the same mark? She had a suspicion, but it hadn't been confirmed until now. But, Sasuke wasn't bowing out. He wasn't quitting.
Hisako steeled her gaze, and turned back to Neji, "Not yet. I won't quit yet," Hisako whispered back to Neji, a sense of resolve washing through her, "I'll quit when the time comes that I know it's futile. But for now, I won't quit,"
"Hisako, I'm worried. You can't go through with this! It's reckless, futile. You cannot win in a one on one match without your ninjutsu!" Neji scolded.
Hisako closed her eyes tight, fighting against the fear that gripped her heart, "I know, Neji. I know. But, at the same time," she opened her eyes, and lifted her gaze to him once more, "I am also Guy Sensei's student. He is the strongest shinobi in Taijutsu in the entire village! If I have been his student this entire time and cannot hold my own in a fight with my Taijutsu, what would that say about me? I have to try!"
"I say go for it, Hisako!" Lee exclaimed, raising a thumbs up to Hisako and giving her a large smile, "with the Power of Youth, you'll be able to win against any opponent!"
Neji let out a low growl, his eyes narrowing on the two of his teammates, "This is pointless. Hisako needs to drop out! There will be another chance to take part in the Chuunin Exams. But this isn't the right time for Hisako to be risking her life,"
"I'm staying," Hisako retorted, her voice calm and even as her green eyes bore into Neji.
Neji turned his gaze back to Hisako fully, "Hisako, I'm telling you this is reckless,"
Right before Hisako could continue arguing, another Genin raised his hand to quit. A silver haired Genin with a bandage on his nose and round glasses. The proctor called him by the name Kabuto. Hisako's gaze was drawn to Sasuke and Sakura after Kabuto left the arena. It seemed like they were having a similar argument that Neji and Hisako were having. Sakura had a look of deep concern and worry on her face. And of course, Sasuke was acting like a stubborn idiot.
Okay. Maybe Neji had a point. She should just quit. She was being just as stubborn as Sasuke was with Sakura. And she could see the pain it caused her friend to see her teammate go through with this. For Hisako to put her life on the line, when she wasn't in top condition, wasn't smart. But, she had to see where this led. She couldn't give up when she was so close.
The proctor stepped up and continued explaining the preliminary exams to everyone after he had given everyone the chance to quit.
"Alright then. We'll now begin the preliminary round. This round will consist of one on one individual combat at full battle intensity. This is not an exercise. There are twenty of you remaining, so that means we will need ten matches. The surviving candidates from these ten matches will advance to the third exam. As for the rules, there are none. You will fight till one dies or concedes defeat or is rendered physically incapable of continuing the contest. Naturally, those who are losing are encouraged to concede defeat promptly to avoid a fatal outcome. Furthermore, as proctor, I'm given a certain amount of leeway in judging the matches. I might occasionally intervene if a match seems hopeless, to save as many lives as possible. Now it's time to reveal what fate has chosen for you."
A panel on the back wall slowly opened, to reveal a large digital screen.
"The names of each pair of opponents are chosen randomly. Before each match, the names will appear on the display behind me. As there's nothing more to say, let's begin. In a moment, the name of the first two opponents will appear,"
It felt like everyone held their breath as the display started sorting through pairs of names at random. After what felt like a lifetime, the display finally landed on two names. Sasuke was to go up against a shinobi that was on that man Kabuto's team. Hisako turned her gaze to Sasuke and saw a smug look on his face but a moment later, his smug look turned to pain. Hisako could only assume that was from the mark on his neck.
Hisako's gaze dropped as the rest of the Genin all retreated to the balconies to watch the match play out. Hisako's gaze gripped the railing of the balcony as she stared down at her cousin. Neji and Lee took up spots beside her and Guy Sensei stood right behind Hisako.
"Hisako," Kakashi Sensei said, coming to stand beside her and her team.
They all turned to Kakashi Sensei, "What is it, Sensei?" Hisako asked.
"I need to speak with you," Kakashi Sensei ordered.
Hisako shared a confused look with Neji but followed Kakashi Sensei down the balcony so they could speak in private.
"You cannot use your Sharingan in your upcoming match, no matter what," Kakashi Sensei ordered, his voice quiet.
"I know, I know about the mark. About how it responds to my chakra. I won't let it control me," Hisako replied.
"It's not just about that, Hisako. That mark could kill you if you use your chakra," Kakashi Sensei explained.
Hisako's eyes widened in shock. She knew it was responding to her chakra, but to kill her?
"That mark feeds off of its host's chakra. You're lucky to still be alive let alone standing. During your match, if that mark starts to get out of hand, I will have no choice but to intervene and stop the match to save your life. Is that understood?" Kakashi Sensei continued.
Hisako's mouth ran dry as she swallowed the cotton that formed in her throat. She nodded her head. She understood. That just made matters much worse for her.
"What can be done?" she asked quietly.
She saw his mask curve upward like Kakashi Sensei was smiling, "After your match, I'm going to seal that curse mark away so that it won't bother you anymore," Kakashi Sensei explained, "Now, why don't we watch Sasuke's match?"
Hisako's frown deepened at Kakashi Sensei's casual tone and she turned around heading back towards her team. She took up her spot between the two boys as she watched Sasuke's match play out. He would be in the same position as she is. He has to rely only on his Taijutsu. Could he do it? Could he win this match just with Taijutsu alone?
She watched the two battle, and at first, it seemed like he would lose. The man that he fought had the ability to absorb chakra, and this weakened Sasuke greatly. But, right before Sasuke was about to lose, Sasuke somehow gained enough strength to overpower his opponent. Hisako watched as Sasuke was able to perform one of Lee's techniques, the Front Lotus, on his opponent.
Hisako couldn't believe it! It was like Sasuke had used this technique before, and yet, as far as she knew, Sasuke had never trained with Lee. So how did he use that technique?
"Huh. Looks like Sasuke copied a technique from you, Lee," Kakashi Sensei observed turning his attention to Lee.
Lee frowned, his fist raised in frustration as he watched Sasuke win his fight by using one of his techniques.
"But, when did Sasuke have the chance to copy that technique? He has never fought Lee with his Sharingan active to be able to copy it," Hisako asked.
"No, we fought," Lee corrected, his gaze narrowed on Sasuke, "before the exams. I wanted to test his strength for myself when Guy Sensei interfered. That's when he copied the Front Lotus," Lee explained.
"Y-You what? Is that why Guy Sensei punched you?" Hisako asked her voice full of disbelief.
"Y-Yeah," Lee stammered, giving Hisako a sheepish grin.
"Well, whatever happened, because of that fight, Sasuke won. Maybe there's still hope for me yet," Hisako whispered.
After the match was over, Kakashi Sensei met Sasuke down in the arena and escorted him out. Probably to get the curse mark sealed away just like they were going to do with Hisako after her match. A sense of trepidation and anxiety swept through her with that thought.
She's heard that sealing jutsus was rather painful. Curse marks too. She survived Orochimaru's curse mark, so far. But now to have it sealed away? She wasn't sure if she wanted to face that type of pain. She didn't know how painful something like that would be, but it wasn't something she was too thrilled about. Her hands trembled on the railing at just the thought.
"Hisako?" Neji asked, pulling her mind out of the dark thoughts she had found herself in.
"N-Nothing," Hisako whispered even though her hands still shook, "It's nothing."
She didn't want to talk about it. She couldn't. If she did, she might lose her nerve. And she had to keep a calm head. Especially right before a difficult battle like this.
The next match was between Naruto and Kiba.
Naruto cheered in excitement, "Woo hoo! I'm second!" Naruto yelled, running for the stairs.
"Ah! This is gonna be easy!" Kiba shouted, Akamaru barked from inside Kiba's jacket, "I almost feel bad for the kid!"
Hisako had a small smile on her face, "You might wanna watch what you say, Kiba," Hisako whispered shaking her head.
"What, you don't actually think that knucklehead has a chance of winning, do you?" Neji asked, his voice sounding dubious.
Hisako gave Neji a confident smile, "Naruto against Kiba? I know he'll win. There is no doubt in my mind,"
Neji didn't look convinced at all, his expression almost uninterested as he turned his attention back to the match. At first, the match looked completely one sided. Naruto was losing. Kiba was beating on Naruto badly and Hisako gripped the railing so hard her knuckles turned white. Sakura was cheering beside her team and so was Lee. It seemed like everyone was cheering for the underdog. Everyone was cheering for Naruto.
The cheers of his comrades seemed to have sparked a hidden strength in Naruto and he slowly got to his feet. Blood dripped down from the multiple wounds he had suffered at the hands of Kiba's and Akamaru's brutal attacks, but Naruto wouldn't give up that easily. And as Kiba mocked Naruto's dream of becoming Hokage, the fire inside of Naruto only grew. Naruto was far from beaten.
But, even so, the fight wasn't easy for Naruto. Kiba and Akamaru used a technique called Beast Human Clone that allowed Akamaru to take on the form of Kiba so that they could perform their clan's secret abilities. Even so, Naruto had an idea. Naruto, using the cover of a smoke bomb that Kiba used, transformed himself into a Kiba duplicate as well. As the smoke cleared, the three Kiba's were staring at each other.
Kiba was left completely confused. He trusted his nose, which was a lot more sensitive then a normal human's nose, and when he threw a good punch, he landed one right on Naruto. However, instead of reverting back into his own body, he performed a second transformation jutsu during the hit, turning into Akamaru's dog form. This further confused Kiba resulting in him punching his own companion in his confusion.
Naruto had got the upper hand now that Akamaru was unconscious.
The battle played out for a little longer and everyone was sitting at the edge of their seats as they watched the battle. Kiba was now enraged with Naruto for having him hurt his own dog and wasn't going to let Naruto off that easy. However, in another turn of events, while Naruto was trying to gather up chakra for his neck attack, Kiba got a little too close to Naruto's rear. Naruto accidentally let one rip and with Kiba's extra sensitive sense of smell, it was too overpowering for him. Kiba screamed in disgust as he stumbled back, grabbing his offended nose from Naruto's scent. Everyone's expression on the balcony dropped to disgust, and shock.
"D-Did Naruto plan that?" Sakura muttered.
"No, I think that was an accident," Kakashi Sensei responded, suddenly appearing behind Sakura in a cloud of smoke.
Sakura screamed as she turned to her sensei, "Kakashi Sensei! Don't scare me like that!"
Naruto used the confusion that his fart had caused and by using his own version of Lee's Frontal Lotus that he called the Naruto Uzumaki Barrage, won his match against Kiba.
Hisako turned a curious look to Lee letting out a nervous laugh as his jaw dropped in surprise,
"It looks like everyone is copying your moves today," Hisako observed.
Lee didn't really look all that pleased with that thought, and it looked like he was fighting back angry tears. But, before he could feel any sort of defeat, his eyes opened wide and he brought his fist up.
"So what? That just means that my moves are superior! I will show everyone what a true Taijutsu master is like and I shall win my match!" Lee shouted.
Hisako had a small smile on her face as she watched Naruto walk onto the balcony. Hinata was the first to greet him, a shy smile on her face as she bowed, lifting a healing salve up for Naruto to take. Naruto and Hinata had a long stare off between each other for a time before Kurenai Sensei interfered.
"Naruto, Hinata is trying to give you a salve to help with your injuries, take it," Kurenai Sensei encouraged, giving the two a motherly smile.
"O-Oh! Thank you, Hinata," Naruto said with a laugh as he took the salve from her.
Hinata looked like she was about to faint. Neji scoffed beside Hisako and when she turned to look at him, it looked like Neji was fuming. Smoke was practically coming out of his ears. She wasn't sure what he was thinking about, but it was obviously directed towards Lady Hinata. Hisako's gaze softened.
They were always like that. He hated the Head Family more than Hisako wanted to admit. It hurt her to see the two at such odds. Hinata never treated Neji badly, in fact, she always avoided him. Hisako didn't blame her. She just wished it didn't have to be this way. But, she couldn't interfere. She said her two cents that day in the forest which felt like a lifetime ago. And she told Neji she would never bring it up again. She had to stay true to that, even if it hurt her to see such pain and hatred in Neji's eyes.
She lifted her gaze to the display as the names shuffled through chaotically. Eventually, they landed on a set of names and Hisako couldn't believe who was to be fighting against each other.
Neji vs. Hinata.
Hisako's eyes widened in fear and panic as her gaze darted between the two cousins. Hinata obviously felt the same, her eyes were filled with terror. Neji seemed calm and collected on the outside, but she knew that on the inside, he was filled with so much rage she wasn't sure if he would be able to control himself. She was terrified that in a battle like this, he could let his rage get the better of him. He could do something he would regret for the rest of his life.