Standing in front of the Konoha High gym hall made Mana realize just how much the ranks of the genin still competing were trimmed. There were no more long queues or waiting for the better part of the day to get anything done. While plenty of the genin still stayed around the village just to get to see the finals, which took place right after this round, they were not allowed inside for this one, meaning they had no reason to crowd the place needlessly.

Mana sighed as she just stared at the large, modern, orange building made of three thick towers rotated around a large prismatic glass center, making an almost flower ring like of a shape with the rotating colorful towers looking like petals whereas the glass center was the ovary. While the place was certainly amazing, this just was not the day nor the mood for Mana to give it the credit it properly deserved. This whole morning she was just kind of functioning on autopilot.

Her parents really wanted to know why Mana came back home so crushed and did not talk to them. Their daughter's pain was a big deal to them and denying them the information for the sole reason of her not feeling like talking to anyone for the duration of last night just made Mana feel worse about herself. Not only did she feel guilty for ruining her relationship with a young man she very much still had feelings for but now she felt bad about just shutting down on her parents as well.

"You've come this far, going to let a door stop you"? A happy-go-lucky sounding voice speaking with a foreign, northwestern accent kicked Mana out of her little box of depression. The owner of the voice was a genin Mana had not gotten the honor of meeting in the previous stages of the exam. It was a young man with tall, brightly orange hair that laid on the boy's head vertically, like reeds on the shore of a lake, a simple, dark green shirt and baggy black pants that were part of the standard ninja uniform around the world. The boy had a slightly darker tanned skin suggesting he was from one of the warmer island countries. Only then did Mana's eyes linger down on the Getsugakure headband he wore as a belt.

"Not very talkative? Okay… We're all a bit nervous today, best of luck in there, if you consider actually walking in. Unless you face off with me, of course, in that case – worst of luck"! The tanned ginger started laughing out at his own joke so hard that he almost broke up. His large, held by his strong and broad shoulders arms reached for the handle of the door, failing to grab hold of it initially due to him cracking himself up but then finally overcoming the difficult task of walking through the door.

Mana sighed before grabbing the door, before it could shut right in front of her face and pushing her body gently through it, without pulling on the door too hard and using effort to open it wide up again. In a bit of confusion she wandered through the corridors leading to the different faculties of Konoha High before finding a sign that directed her to the gym hall. With her relationship done with and her mood as crushed as it was Mana felt almost naked walking up to the gym, seeing the light at the end of the dark hallway she was walking towards almost choked her up.

This would be it. If she failed here the world would not just explode, no one would die but… It would be it for Mana. She needed to win this, whatever difficulties came her way she needed to grit her teeth and push through. She had no team to go back to, she had no right to fail if she was to still believe in her own strength and wisdom being able to eventually change the world. Just keep walking, just keep pushing through…

Mana slowly crept through the various teams that stood lined up in a rectangular shape, surrounding a square in front of several higher-ranking ninja and an empty tall chair that, obviously, was reserved for Lord Sixth himself. It was not uncommon for the Hokage to observe the later stages of the exams as well as the teams and the team leaders of all other teams. The leaders of other countries and villages would only join in to see the finals, however.

"Mana"! Meiko's cheery voice made Mana finally peel her half-shut hazy eyes off the ground and look at her teammates standing around together with Lady Fifth – Chestnut Hanasaku behind them. Mana certainly was not in a rush, what with all of her dreamy and autopilot-like state the whole day long. Only made sense she would be the last one of her team to come, even with Meiko's tardiness when it came to procedural affairs and training in mind.

Without saying anything in return the magician just walked up to her team and joined their ranks. Trying to act natural and not drag her feet too much or seem too crushed with the last night's events. Mana was never good with the masks and the lies so it was obvious that they sniffed something being wrong.

"Is everything alright"? Kiyomi wondered, she seemed chipper and very fired up, Mana could sense her chakra having grown considerably which the magician found rather odd – from what she recalled Kiyomi did not intend to do basic body training and wanted to learn new Yamanaka hijutsu. Meiko's chakra had also grown considerably as well, the sheer size of it was impressive and both of the girls were already breathing at Mana's neck in terms of pure chakra size. An impressive feat knowing that Mana did specialized chakra boosting training in her off-time whereas these two probably just weight lifted and sparred their way there.

Just when Mana tried opening up her chakra sensory, all sorts of scary signatures began overwhelming her but utilizing her experience and training in controlling the ability the magician tunneled her sense just to wrap around Meiko and Kiyomi. If at any point she needed to broaden the horizons she could do so to include anyone else, but she made a mental note not to try and measure the higher ranking ninja as their chakra could've easily paralyzed the magician in fear. The larger sized chakra signatures were so large, in her experience, that one's mind had difficulty wrapping around them. It wasn't too difficult to imagine a chakra signature of a Jinchuuriki or a Tailed Beast sending a sensor completely insane from the sheer intensity and size of it.

"Yeah… Didn't sleep very good, that's all", Mana pinched her own thigh until she managed to force out a broken smile. Technically it was an efficient deflection tactic, the events of last evening truly did make Mana's night sleep less than of desirable quality so she wasn't lying per se. That should have helped the believability of her delivery at the very least.

"Oh, well, cheer up. Plenty of teams only have two members available. We've got all three of us. We've got such an advantage in numbers that your night sleep won't matter", Meiko tried cheering Mana up but she then got silenced by Kiyomi's sharp elbow to the gut. Even without using ninjutsu the blonde must've been a natural face reader and she went through enough boy trouble romancing Eiju for so long that she must've known those despaired eyes of Mana's.

"Oh, you wanna go"? Meiko grinned with confidence, "You wanna go now"!? the blacksmith grabbed Kiyomi's hand and tried breaking it up before the antics of Team Hokage got broken up by Lord Sixth entering the hall and settling down, surrounded by his two assistants. One of them was the cute young woman that accompanied him back when Mana received a mission whereas the other one was yet unseen to Mana young gent with a hedgehog haircut and thick glasses.

Gladly enough, Meiko did not need to be silenced and restrained. The sight of the Hokage himself making his way into the hall sort of restrained her desire to pay back the painful bump in her side. A gentle whisper at her ear made Mana's own eyes shoot wide open however.

"Nice work with that mission couple of days ago", Hanasaku's restrained voice uttered. There it was. That feeling when it seemed like she was drowning in wet cement however somehow a small hole peeked open giving Mana some hope to keep groveling through and out. Her mentor figure commending her with this small venture really did feel like the small motivation booster she needed, just what was required to stay afloat.

Shortly after settling in his big chair the main man in the room picked himself back up and walked up to the stand before extending his large hands widely to gesture him addressing the entirety of the hall.

"Genin, their mentors, welcome having made it this far in what is probably the most competitive and… Most massive in scale Chuunin Exams in quite a while. I won't lie by telling you that I know what you're feeling, I studied here at Konoha High and then moved on to working underground. I wasn't promoted in large events like this but through envelopes slipped into my room with my food. I have no idea what it is like knowing that this is the event that will make you suffer for fifteen minutes before escalating you to higher fame and recognition. What I do acknowledge, however, is your skill that was needed to get here". After giving this brief speech the man slowly crept back to his large chair and settled down meanwhile the short curly hair assistant lady of his rushed up to the stand.

"As Lord Sixth said before, you've demonstrated great skill and ingenuity, maybe even a bit of good luck sprinkled on top, getting here. However, you didn't all pass these last stages equally, some of you are in teams of three, some of you are in teams of two. This makes the competition aspect somewhat unfair and meanwhile, life isn't fair either, we want to make at least the competition aspect fairer. Therefore, until the end of the Chuunin Exams, all your teams are disbanded, each one of you is a competitor in their own right. In this competition, you may face off against your teammate and you'll be expected to beat them".

The teams around the hall rustled, raising a moderate amount of noise. Mana wanted to feel surprised or shocked but all she could find was the same unrest that she felt right when she entered the Forest of Death – the uneasy fear of facing her teammate and being forced to eliminate them, crush the dream of someone whose dreams she knew about and helped support. There was no liberation, no joyful shock of the conditions being shaken up from their grounds up. At least, at this point, she was the only person she could let down.

A jounin wearing thick, geeky glasses and a bandana, being of rather unimpressive and slim build approached the center of the gym, knowing full well that eyes of all the genin around him followed his each movement. This particular jonin was well known to Mana as he had once rescued her from the Hanada estate, what seemed like a whole lifetime ago. Curiously enough, judging from Sugemi's reaction all the way from the western parts of the gym, Mana noticed that the Nara also had experiences with this particular jonin.

The jounin then removed two scrolls he had on his back before carefully positioning them at the opposite ends of the rectangular space meant for competitive sparring and physical games. With a bright red glow, the scrolls stuck to the ground they were positioned on and begun floating, surrounded by maroon colored chakra aura emanating from them. The man then weaved a pair of hand seals before driving his palm to the floor, similarly to how the Summoning Jutsu was performed, except without actual summoning being involved.

"Earth Style: Terraforming Jutsu", the jounin chanted as the rectangular area with two scrolls floating at the opposite poles rose up a good meter in the air as the foundation of the building rose up with the wooden tiles elevating the rectangular shape into an improvised arena.

"Greetings, genin who have gotten to this point. I am Konohagakure jounin – Dorimi, the leader of Team Walnut, which, unfortunately, didn't make it this far. I shall help clear things out with the rules of this stage…" Dorimi started talking in a rather monotonous and dull tone, appearing to very clearly only have a professional interest in the matter and little to no excitement.

"Yawn, this guy's so boring", Meiko complained, actually yawning, after acknowledging how boring the terraforming jounin ninja was.

"No wonder his team got eliminated, he can't explain anything at all", Kiyomi tried to joke to elevate the team's mood, even if there was no longer any team nor was it within her interests to do so.

Dorimi went on to talk for a good twenty minutes about the establishment they were standing in – Konoha High. About its purpose to further shape ninja who have graduated the Ninja Academy into more specialized shinobi ready to tackle specific professions of the ninja world. Such as being part of the "Intelligence Division", "Village Protection Services", Konoha's recently formed "Barrier Corps", as well as a medical ninja and how it was the only such institution of its kind. It could have been all so very interesting for the foreign ninja but even Mana had to admit – it was outright boring to any local ones, Dorimi's dull, boring and uninterested tone did not really help things at all.

"Thank you, Dorimi-senpai", Lord Sixth's male assistant interrupted Dorimi's clearly completely fireless speech before politely bowing multiple times as he stepped into the recently built up and erected arena and addressed the genin, looking up from below. "Your speech was highly… Informative, however, I would like to still explain the rules of the competition before the youths are completely lost and over-informed".

Dorimi laughed innocently from his own long-winded speech and happily apologized the audience before stepping down and allowing the assistant to take over.

"Greetings, hopefully, future chuunin. I am Haiji, Lord Sixth's assistant and I shall explain the rules of this exam, as well as be the judge of this stage, in Dorimi-senpai's stead." The strict looking ninja bowed to the audience before turning sideways and pointing at the erected arena. "This is where you'll be fighting for your right to participate in the finals. Make no mistake, however, it won't be as simple as just the honorable Traditional Shinobi Kumite you are used to from your Academy days, it'll be a Tag Team match, as per the traditional exercise of improvised teamwork skills building game played here in Konoha High".

Haiji then turned around and patiently waited for a monitor to light up behind him. As the title screen of the monitor proudly declaring "Konoha's 32nd Chuunin Exams" lit up, the ninja then turned back to the audience before gesturing with his hands at the glowing monitor.

"This system will determine the Tag Teams that will compete in the semi-finals of these Chuunin Exams. They will still call you up by the names of your old teams, just for the sake of national and personal pride, as well as your own name. When called up, step up to the arena and determine if you are planning on being the active combatant or the passive one through dialogue with your selected partner." Haiji then turned at the two scrolls positioned at the opposite ends of the arena.

"These scrolls are for the passive combatants. When the passive combatant appoints himself, they must place their hand onto the sealing glyph inside the scrolls and they shall be sealed away, unable to perceive anything happening outside. Meanwhile, the active combatants will be fighting it out, following the same rules that are applied to the Traditional Shinobi Kumite – fights go on until ring out or the opponent is no longer able to fight, or until they surrender". Haiji stopped talking for a breather, letting the rules sink in for the genin who'd soon be participating in the exam.

"The twist of the exam comes in the Tag rule – at any point, any active combatant can open the scroll and unseal their passive combatant, also giving both of them three seconds to attack their opponent together. After the three seconds pass – the active combatant becomes passive and is sealed into the scroll. A team wins the exam by eliminating both their opposing competitors. Any questions"? Haiji looked across the audience waiting for the audience's questions.

"It's a trick, this unsealing rule. Unsealing requires letting your eyes down from your opponent and opening the scroll. It's a risky move." Kiyomi thought aloud, scratching her chin as she pondered on the most efficient timing to tag herself out with her partner.

A hand came up from one of the teams, a muscular and fit, tall dark-skinned young woman with short blond hair that spiked out at the front of his head raised her hand, the headband tied around her arm betrayed the young woman to be from Kumogakure.

"Yeah, what about a situation when the active combatant is knocked out, or ringed out, but the passive combatant remains sealed"? The Kumogakure kunoichi asked.

"A good question, in that case, I, as the supervisor, shall unseal them for you and they automatically become the active combatant", Haiji nodded before explaining.

For a good while, Haiji waited for more questions but it appeared like none came from the audience. At which point he turned to the monitor behind him and allowed it to activate before scrolling through a sheet of names, slowly, one by one picking out four of them and lighting up the screen with the selected names.

"Gasco Patura (Team Phobos/Getsugakure) & Dhaogu (Team Zumurrud/Sunagakure) VS Armasar Fulgertun (Team Iocaste/Getsugakure) & Neph-T (Team Alto/Kumogakure)"

Mana's heart stopped for a moment. She had a very bad vibe about Team Phobos and she has had first-hand experience in witnessing their tendencies to cross into the weird side and be a bit unhinged. The towering sensor, whom Mana had a bad feeling about all this time, later to be revealed as just her sensory abilities going haywire when encountering another sensor, stepped out of the line of his mysterious and dangerous team. Team Phobos were cloaked, as usual for them, the fronts of their cloaks were decorated with a large white crescent moon shape that made the trio stand out amongst all other genin but also sort of served like larger headbands for the team.

"Weren't those guys the weirdos that hurt you while you were looking for a medical ninja, Mana"? Kiyomi turned at the magician who continued to observe Gasco walk past her, momentarily looking at her with a stone cold face.

"Your sensory abilities have improved tremendously in such a short time", he muttered looking straight into Mana's eyes with his scary paled out, almost white, ocular orbs, before resuming his slow crawl to the arena and leaping onto its grounds with a single restrained bound.

"Maybe he'll be more restrained when facing someone from his own village"? Mana spoke up, hopefully. "They have displayed some nationalist tendencies before".

A silent young boy with a bit excessive love of eye shadow and ragged baggy clothes, that made him look like a desert traveler, stood up from his seated on the wood position and walked up to the arena, much faster than his partner and leaped up onto the stage as well. His dark purple hair made the blurry, lightning fast, moves of the boy appear like a dark purple flash.

"That Steinck guy told us about this Dhaog in the Forest, hasn't he"? Meiko wondered as she stretched out and relaxed, ready to observe the tag battle that was about to break out in great anticipation and excitement.

"Yeah, maybe seeing him do his thing will help us clear up his ability since Steinck wasn't too clear on that", Kiyomi nodded with a confident smile. Observing these battles closely was very useful, as it would serve as valuable experience for the future. One would have been wise to reveal as little of their abilities as possible, or else risk exposing their strategies and fighting style to the opponent, which they would end up facing in the finals.

"Alright! I get to go first"! The curious darker skinned ginger boy whom Mana met before entering Konoha High earlier raised his fist into the air. His name must've been "Armasar Fulgertun" since he was the one from Getsugakure. Mana calmly observed the broad-shouldered and fit young man run off and excitedly leap into the ring.

The spiky haired blond dark skinned young lady from before stretched out before stepping into the ring in a much more reserved manner, instead choosing to carefully jump up and use her unaugmented physical abilities to pull herself the short distance up onto the ring. She was the Neph-T of Kumogakure.

"Would it be alright with you if I was the passive combatant"? Dhaogu of the Sand Village inquired Gasco calmly. "I very much intend to not use my ability until the finals".

The hooded man then removed the cloak on his shoulders and tossed it aside, revealing his tall and muscular state and a black vest encrusted with gold colored rings that held it together from revealing the by far most buffed up chest amongst the genin present in the ring. The darker skinned, matching Armasar's complexion, bald head lit up with popping out veins as he took a fighting stance.

"Very well, it makes no difference to me. I planned on beating both of them by myself anyways", the creepy bald sensor man grunted out.

"That's a mean amount of trash talk, Gasco, you sure you can back it up"!? Armasar grinned excitedly as he shadowboxed all around the arena, moving at impressive speeds from one part to another.

"Not against you, ginger, I'm itching to sear something"! Neph-T, Armasar's partner grinned in a disturbing and almost sadistic looking way. Just that smile alone creeped Mana out and made her temporarily divert all of herself to the present situation and not her own inner turmoil. This young woman has undoubtedly tortured and killed people in her life.

"Well, well… You seem really fired up, you've never really met anyone from Team Phobos though, be careful and soften him up for me then", Armasar smiled before opening the scroll and getting sealed inside. The Getsugakure ninja's actions were mirrored by Dhaogu on the other side of the arena. After the maroon colored shimmer emitting sealing process concluded, there were only Neph-T and Gasco Patura left at the opposing sides of the arena.

Haiji lifted his hand up, without even bothering to request the two to follow the proper kumite procedure as neither of them looked like they wanted anything other but to utterly annihilate their opponent.

"Let the first round of the semi-finals of the Chuunin Exams begin"! he declared swiping his hand down and signaling the beginning of the next stage of the exams and the start of the first tag battle.