Here's the next chapter. The tournament begins.


He shot off towards the brown-haired Kumo ninja called Dareka almost as soon as the match began. Dareka had been hanging at the back, behind O and K who'd almost immediately gotten ready for hand to hand combat. So he figured that he was a support type combatant and had to be taken out first. His teammates were on the same page, and were holding back O and K, Neji using his hyuga style to engage in close combat while Tenten had brought out a scroll and was using a variety of weapons. Dareka was going through some hand seals, trying to use a jutsu before he reached. But he was too slow.

Just as he was about to throw out a Leaf Whirlwind to knock Dareka out, O and K had activated some sort of lightning armor that was also enhancing their speed, and O had managed to get back and throw a desperate punch at him to help his teammate. But it was a simple attack that he dodged with a simple sidestep, and proceeded to kick O, who'd overextended his attack in his zeal. A youthful mistake, but one he had to take advantage of. That managed to hurt O while throwing him far back, and so he promptly turned his attention back to Dareka. But before he could attack, Dareka had managed to complete his jutsu, releasing a bright light that forced him to close his eyes for a moment. After opening them, he saw K closing in towards Tenten, about to beat her, while Neji lay slumped on the ground. O and Dareka were moving to attack him.

Hah, Neji beaten here. Like such a thing was possible. He use a Genjutsu release while also biting his tongue, and managed to get out of the genjutsu. The moment he did, he ducked to avoid the attack from K. He saw that O was being beaten up by Neji, who seemed to be enjoying beating him up slowly. Tenten had beaten up Dareka and was moving to support him. He got ready to engage and...

"We resign" was said out loud by K. "We don't have a chance here."

So they'd won. A most excellent showing, in his own opinion. But unfortunately, Neji still had the anger in his heart.

"Hah, what weaklings. I suppose that's all you are capable of. I suppose that's expected of Kumo, the thugs who have to resort to bloodline theft just to keep up. I wonder if your esteemed Raikage is just as weak."

O bristled upon hearing that and charged at Neji, ignoring K's yell to him to stop. But the proctor stopped O before he reached, and said "This match is over", while looking at Neji pointedly, who just scoffed and started walking back.


"Ugh what are those idiots doing ?" A yelled out.

He said "Now now. It wasn't a bad display. K seems to be a good candidate for chunin.", trying to placate the angry Raikage.

Onoki snorted and said with a laugh, "Of course you can say such words like that Hiruzen. Konoha has 4 teams in the final round."

He replied, " Yes, we had an excellent batch this year."

Yagura then inserted himself into the conversation, and said "Well I wonder if the sheer strength this team displayed makes them worthy of chunin. Especially that hyuga boy. I wouldn't say he showed the right attitude."

Onoki objected, saying "Well considering the history the hyuga have with Kumo, I think it's a fair way for him to behave. It's not as though the Kumo ninja responded to his taunts properly either." He then sneered at Yagura "Well you're still young, and you've only recently overthrown the stupid old fool who was there before you, so perhaps you don't quite understand these things. Kiri really is struggling isn't it ? It sent only a single team to these exams after all."

Rasa, who'd stayed quiet, saw his opportunity and said "Sending a single team means nothing Onoki. Suna also sent a single team, and both our teams made it to the final round. It's a testament to the quality of our Shinobi that we could trust a single team to beat the competition. Though I suppose Iwa, which sent more teams than any of the other villages wouldn't understand."

A guffawed at that, and just as Onoki seemed ready to spit out a retort, he interrupted, asking them to pay attention to the next match, which was about to begin.


A/N

Hope you enjoyed that. Next is going to be Team Asuma vs Team Oboro. Most of these first round matches are predictable and generally easy wins.

O

Ninjutsu: 2

Taijutsu: 2.5

Genjutsu: 1.5

Intelligence: 1.5

Strength: 2.5

Speed: 2.5

Stamina: 2.5

Hand Seals: 1

Total: 16

Notes: Forms a duo with O. Their teamwork is excellent, being capable of pressuring some jonin when working together. Delivers powerful strikes with K's help. Is good friends with O even outside his team.

K

Ninjutsu: 2

Taijutsu: 2.5

Genjutsu: 1.5

Intelligence: 2

Strength: 2

Speed: 2.5

Stamina: 2.5

Hand Seals: 1

Total: 16

Notes: Forms a duo with O. Their teamwork is excellent, being capable of pressuring some jonin when working together. Sets the pace of their attacks, and assists O in delivering his powerful strikes. Is good friends with O even outside his team.

Dareka

Ninjutsu: 2

Taijutsu: 1.5

Genjutsu: 3

Intelligence: 1.5

Strength: 1.5

Speed: 1.5

Stamina: 2.5

Hand Seals: 2

Total: 15.5

Notes: Is good at genjutsu and to a lesser extent ninjutsu, but has no other skills. Can support his team well enough, but has no real defense against being targeted from the beginning.

Neji

Ninjutsu: 2.5

Taijutsu: 3.5

Genjutsu: 2

Intelligence: 2.5

Strength: 2.5

Speed: 3

Stamina: 2.5

Hand Seals: 3

Total: 21.5

Notes: A true prodigy of the hyuga clan. Has almost no real weaknesses, and makes the necessary adjustments to attain victory. Has excellent powers of insight.

Lee

Ninjutsu: 0.5

Taijutsu: 4

Genjutsu: 0.5

Intelligence: 1.5

Strength: 3

Speed: 4

Stamina: 3

Hand Seals: 1

Total: 17.5

Notes: A former failure of the Academy, he managed to blossom under Guy's tutelage. A true genius of hard work. But his lack of ninjutsu and genjutsu severely limits his options in a fight.

Tenten

Ninjutsu: 2.5

Taijutsu: 2.5

Genjutsu: 1.5

Intelligence: 2.5

Strength: 1.5

Speed: 3

Stamina: 1.5

Hand Seals: 2

Total: 17

Notes: excels at using weapons, and can master almost any weapon. Generally uses projectile weapons. Is also interested in making her own, and has a few prototype weapons in the works.