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 Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2007 1:56 pm
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Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2007 7:12 pm
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You posted randomly just to get the thread to the ninth page? xD. I suppose it is a special event...KYUUBI! XD. Nine-tailed...
Okay, I know you're not laughing or smirking amusedly or anything...that was a corny remark, rofl. And please don't fake laugh. xd . I just had the sudden urge to do that to relieve stress. A group of idiots (coughseniorscough) were walking past me while I was on my way to my third period, and one of them threw a "slightly used" strawberry StarBurst at my face. Luckily, I was able to dodge enough that it only hit my chin. It was so disgustingly close to my lips that I cringed and kept my mouth shut for an hour. (shudders) .
I swear, if I hadn't had my shot for Hepatitis and had gotten infected, then I would have tracked him down and threw my Biology book at him. Trust me, it's really heavy. I dropped it on my foot and it HURT.
Anyways, since I am swamped with tests and term projects as of right now (coughImprocrastinatingcough) I've decided that I will give you all a tiny sneak peak of the next chapter, since I can't really do that for the story posted on Fanfiction.net without having multiple reviews complaining incessantly about not having a longer update.
Well, here you go:
Naruto and Ebisu stood stock-still, staring blankly at each other. They were standing in front of the entrance to one of the local hot springs, and Naruto was suspicious. After all, Ebisu was a closet pervert.
Ebisu coughed slightly into his hand. “Why won’t you go in?”
Naruto’s right eye twitched and the tokubetsu jounin slapped a hand over his mouth before the boy could say anything.
“Insolent brat!” he hissed into his ear, pulling them both into a nearby alley, “I know what you’re thinking of! Do not speak of that! I will give you anything! Ramen…money…anything!”
Naruto narrowed his cerulean eyes a little before wiping all emotion from his face. He ran the words ‘I will give you anything!’ through his head. The possibilities…!
Ebisu shifted uncomfortably at Naruto’s expressionless face, instantly starting to regret his words. What is that boy thinking of…?
“All right Ebisu…I’ll take you up on that offer after today’s training…”
With that, the jinchuuriki allowed the jounin to lead him into the men’s hot springs. They stopped by the edge of one of the larger bodies of water.
“Now…I’ve been told by Kakashi that you are lagging behind your teammates in chakra control, so today we’re going to be working on that…by walking on water.”
A sudden image of Zabuza walking on water floated into his mind, and he nodded a bit, grinning now that he was going to learn such a cool trick.
“The method of walking on water is similar to walking up trees. But, instead of coating your feet with a certain amount of chakra, you must continuously expel chakra from your feet, making sure to count in other variables such as the depth of the water and your weight.”
Ebisu put his hands in the ram seal, and the blue chakra circled around his feet for a bit before he walked out into the middle of the hot spring. Naruto’s eyes stayed glued to his feet, and the water beneath them.
He formed the ram seal, sending the same amount of chakra he used to climb trees into his feet, before nodding firmly to himself and putting one foot onto the water.
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Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2007 6:17 pm
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Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2007 6:46 pm
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Hehe, sorry about that, but I still need to type up the second half of the preliminaries, and the very end of the chapter, seeing as I skipped to try to get the writer's block to go away.
It didn't work, unfortunately.
And, anyways, seeing as the chapter all Akina-centered, I'm afraid that I might spoil something major if I mention anything, but I suppose I can let out one little sentence. It's not a direct quote or anything, but it will still give you a vague enough hint that I'm not worrying about spoiling you, and you guys still happy about having a tiny preview (kinda).
The Shishou no Ryuuki shall receive a mission.
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Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 12:02 pm
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Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 6:34 pm
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Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 7:06 pm
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Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 7:31 pm
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Posted: Sat Mar 10, 2007 8:31 am
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Posted: Mon Mar 19, 2007 11:44 pm
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OMFG...I FINISHED THIS CHAPTER!!! FINALLY! Hmm. 13752 words; 27 pages on OpenOffice Writer. Cool, x3.
“Talking”
Thinking
“Telepathy through mind seal”
(“Animals talking / “Telepathy with animals”)
“Demonic language”/ ‘Demon talking telepathically to their jinchuuriki’
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I suppose that you already knew this, neh?
O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O
::;Seeing the Truth;::
Chapter 13: Shishou no Ryuuki - First Part
O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O
Akina’s black bangs swayed to and fro as Temari unleashed wave after wave of wind to counter Tenten’s weapons. Lee and Gai’s cheering echoed in the large room, but she paid no heed to it. She leaned against the wall and evened out her breathing, slowly fading into some light meditation, trying to lengthen the range at which she could bend the elements to her will.
Kouseki glanced at her before looking back down at the arena floor, only to see that the Leaf kunoichi had lost her battle and had to be caught by Lee when her body was thrown off of the large fan. She watched Temari go back up to her team, and inwardly sighed.
That bites. She had to go against the one person that she had no chance of winning against from the beginning.
The screen flashed again, and chose the next examinees.
‘Nara Shikamaru VS. Tsuchi Kin’
Shikamaru’s groan and mutter of “Troublesome…” reached Naruto’s ears, who just snickered slightly.
He shuffled downstairs and stood in front of the long haired girl, slouching so much that Kouseki had to wonder how he could balance himself out and not fall over on his face.
Akina slipped deeper into her meditation, already knowing the outcome of the battle. Shikamaru was a little like Akina, hiding his real abilities behind an attitude of not caring.
In another room inside the tower, Kabuto was meeting with Orochimaru. Akina noticed the two humans that were not watching the fights, the only reason that everyone was here in the first place. She tapped into the earth beneath their feet and listened to their conversation through the winds.
After Shikamaru knocked out the sound kunoichi, Naruto and Kiba grinned at each other and jumped into the arena, tossing witty banter. Both boys noticed that Akina was still meditating, and hollered at her from the arena floor.
“OIII! AKINA-CHAN!”
“YO! WAKE UP!”
The talking between Orochimaru and the spy, Kabuto, had ended, and Akina allowed herself to be “awakened” by the two boys. She lifted her head and got up, positioning herself beside Sasuke in front of the railing. They seemed satisfied with this, and went back to arguing with each other over who would win.
“Fight Number 7, between…”
Gekkou Hayate sweat dropped once he realized that they weren’t really paying attention to him. He cleared his throat, and ended up coughing horribly. Kiba and Naruto looked at him wearily and distanced themselves from each other and him, fearing that his coughing might be contagious.
“Ahem. Gomen. Fight Number 7 between Inuzuka Kiba and Uzumaki Naruto…begin!”
The two had talked enough before the battle, and were completely focused on beating the other right now. Kiba appeared in front of Naruto in a burst of speed and slammed into him, sending the boy skidding backwards several yards.
Naruto grimaced slightly and rubbed his chest area where he was hit. The two ran towards each other after Naruto had gotten over Kiba’s increase in strength, landing glancing blows on each other as they tested how strong the other was.
They gave one last punch towards each other and skidded back, now satisfied of each other’s abilities.
The same thought ran through both of their minds.
I’ll win.
Kiba used Shikyaku no jutsu (Four Legs Technique) and Juujin Bunshin (Beast Human clone) with Akamaru to out maneuver Naruto. But Naruto evened out the odds by forming Kage Bunshin.
After a minute of repetitive dodging and attacking, no one was getting any clear advantage, so Kiba took it to the next level.
“Gatsuuga (Double Piercing Fang)!”
Two whirlwinds of claws and fangs shot through the air, forcing Naruto to re-adjust his plan slightly. He narrowly avoided the slashing attacks for a few more moments before creating multiple clones. By the time they had all been destroyed, Naruto was gone.
Kiba stopped his attack and cautiously looked over the entire arena floor, his back facing a wall so that he couldn't be attacked from behind. His eyes narrowed once he realized that Naruto was nowhere in sight.
Where is that--!
His thought was interrupted when he was suddenly pulled into the arena floor by a pair of hands. He clenched his fanged teeth and glanced to the side to see that Akamaru had suffered the same fate. His face contorted into a scowl before both man and beast were struck with an idea.
“GATSUUGA!”
Using their chakra, they unscrewed themselves out of their little prisons, sending a shower of gravel everywhere. A dust cloud went up, obscuring everything from view.
From up on the catwalks, Sasuke heard many kunai and shuriken being thrown and batted away, along with Naruto's grunt of pain.
When the smoke cleared, Naruto was covered with some minor looking scratches, his clothes ripped in several places. Many of the steel weapons were scattered about the floor. Kiba was on the other side of the floor, grinning at how easy he would take the victory now that his opponent was tired out a bit.
Kouseki shook her head in slight dismay. Damned idiot still has that arrogance...it will be his downfall...
He launched his drilling attack again, aiming for the jinchuuriki. Once he reached the middle of the arena, a cloud of black ninja smoke rose again. The whirling tornadoes continued, ignoring the smoke. When he was halfway towards Naruto, the boy smirked in the face of what might be his demise, confusing some of the genin.
That is, until they heard multiple voices shouting: “Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu (Grand Fireball)!”
Two rows of Naruto clones each looked up at the roof and breathed out their fireballs simultaneously. Kiba and Akamaru passed by four fireballs, whose flames just nicked his claws, but didn't reach him, before he realized what Naruto was planning.
Dammit!
The various shinobi upstairs, after getting over the intense heat that had circled around the room, noticed the tornadoes gradually losing their spin and speed as they passed by the tornadoes, before Sasuke just smirked to himself, being a fire-user himself and knowing what Naruto had been planning.
Five feet away from a grinning Naruto, the jutsu canceled itself, and out from the whirling winds emerged a woozy pair of Kibas, half-glaring at the orange-clad boy.
“Wh...what the hell did you do to us?”
The other boy just raised a finger, waving it at him for a bit and shaking his head. “Nope! Not yet...first, I gotta finish something first.”
He disappeared and reappeared behind Kiba, effectively restraining him by grabbing his arms and twisting them towards his back, doing this same with the other Kiba. Another pair of clones stepped up towards the trapped animal-like Kibas and raised kunais to their necks.
Hayate coughed and motioned his arm towards the side the Naruto had started on. “The winner is Uzumaki Naruto.”
Kiba and Akamaru were released, and they promptly returned to their normal forms and checked by the medic-nin who rushed onto the scene. After they were deemed healthy enough to not be sent to the infirmary, the two Leaf-nin walked back up the stairs.
“Explain what you did, Naruto-baka.” There was a bark of agreement.
Naruto grinned as he put his hands behind his head, laughing to himself. “Fire sucks up oxygen. I thought you knew that?”
The scowl was back on the dog boy's face, but inside he was wondering how Naruto had gotten so smart. He's not the same idiot as before...
They reached Team Seven, where Naruto received a smirk from Sasuke and an eye smile from Kakashi. Both Akina and Kouseki were non-responsive for a short few seconds before the girl nodded at both of them for a good fight, and the wolf grinned.
Both the boys and the dog seemed to find this acceptable, since they had to choose between the two, their friends since they've 'moved' to Konoha.
Kouseki automatically looked up at the screen when Hayate next coughed, and, sure enough, her theory was proved correct when it selected the next fighters. Sasuke looked up, now a little more interested in the fight.
“Hyuuga Neji and Hyuuga Hinata, please come down.”
Naruto tensed slightly at what this fight represented, as did all other Leaf higher ups and anyone else that knew about the Hyuuga clan's situation.
Hinata cringed and avoided all eye contact with Neji, who had jumped onto the arena floor, inwardly smirking to himself at this opportunity. She shuffled along the catwalks, confidence now at an all time low.
Akina didn't sit down again like others thought she would, choosing to stand up and silently support the shy girl in what might be the worst match up ever. Hinata approached the area where Team Seven and Kiba were standing, when the Inuzuka stepped in front of her, frowning.
“Hinata-chan...please give up this fight. You and I both know that Neji'll kill you.”
His response was a shiver. Kouseki rubbed her head against the girl's side in an attempt to ease her nerves a little.
It didn't work.
Her eyes lifted from the floor for a second, and Naruto caught it firmly. They locked gazes, neither letting go, even Hinata, who in her frightened state gotten over her blushing state that seemed to occur when she was within fifteen feet of Naruto.
Naruto searched through the eyes that all Hyuuga inherited (though Hinata's had a slight purple hue around the edges, and were much, much less intense), seeing a small sense of determination that seemed eerily familiar.
He nodded firmly and grinned comfortably. “Good luck.”
The blush came back full force as she stuttered, momentarily forgetting that she was to fight her cousin in a minute. “A-Arigatou, N-N-Naruto-kun...”
A blond eyebrow was raised before he inwardly smacked himself silly for adopting the Uchiha's habits. He shrugged and made a shooing motion towards Hinata, urging her to go down to the arena floor. Kiba cast a sharp glare at Naruto once his team mate had started going down the stairs.
“What the hell are you doing?! Do you want her to be killed?!”
Naruto looked to the side, frowning in thought. “Some things are worth fighting for...you wouldn't understand...”
Underneath them, Hinata had finally gotten into position to fight, but when Hayate had started the fight, Neji didn't move or bother getting into his stance (which was obviously going to be the same one as Hinata's).
Kouseki stared incredulously at the 13-year-old as he preceded to mentally destroy Hinata without so much as moving a muscle. Is this how the Hyuuga treat their own flesh and blood? She shook her head in disgust, growling lowly to herself.
Hinata was near tears by the end of it, and it looked like Naruto wasn't going to take it anymore. He gripped the railing tightly and leaned over it, glaring at Neji.
“OI!! Why don't you just SHUT THE HELL UP! That destiny and fate stuff is a load of bullshit!” he snarled, then turned to face Hinata. “Hinata! Don't let this idiot trash-talk you! It isn't true!”
Neji sneered. “Yeah? How would you know, dead last?”
Naruto's hands twitched as he tried his best to restrain himself. He only accepted that nickname from Sasuke, and only on very rare occasions did he get let off without some sort of rude retort.
The Hyuuga boy snorted softly to himself before turning back towards Hinata, only to narrow his eyes slightly when he saw fierce determination in her white eyes. He finally shifted into the same starting stance as his cousin.
“I will not be held responsible for anything that may happen in this fight, Hinata-sama.”
The native onlookers watched on grimly as Neji pounded Hinata until she was half dead, and even when she continuously got back up after she was knocked down, he spared no mercy.
I cannot show such an unsightly scene...in front of the person that I admire...
The Hyuuga heir panted and struggled to get up once more. Kiba sent a glare at Naruto before gritting his teeth, silently urging Hinata to remember that she can always give up. Both Byakugans were now de-activated.
“I can tell with these eyes that you have carried the destiny known as the Hyuuga Family,” started Neji, “You cursed your powerlessness, and blamed yourself.”
Neji had by now calmed down some, and was now talking somberly, as if he said the words to himself many many times. “But people cannot change. That is destiny. There's no need to suffer. Let yourself go.”
But Hinata only shook her head, still panting. “You're wrong, Neji-niisan. Because I can see...that you are suffering more than me.”
Her cousin's frown grew deeper. Nani?
“You are the one who is confused and suffering inside from the fate of the head and branch families.”
Neji flinched slightly before his white eyes narrowed. He let out a feral growl before charging at the fragile girl, intent on her demise.
“Neji-kun! The match has ended!” Hayate was ignored. This isn't good, he thought, as he ran towards the teen.
In a blur of action and a small amount of airborne dust, Neji was restrained by Hayate, Gai, Kurenai, and Kakashi (though barely, seeing as he had one hand in his pocket and the other holding Neji's right arm).
“Neji, cut it out,” said Gai. “You made a passionate promise with me that you will not argue about the Head Family.”
Neji only gritted his teeth, ignoring what Gai had just said. “Why did the other jounin come out? Does the Main Family receive special treatment?”
There was a pained gasp as Hinata swayed slightly, the damage on her heart getting to severe. Kurenai let go of Neji and rushed forward.
“Hinata!”
Naruto and Lee sprung off of the railings and hurried towards the injured Hyuuga girl. When they got close enough, both cringed inwardly at the damage Hinata had sustained. Kurenai carefully checked over her injuries, then started to glare at Neji.
“You were aiming to kill from the beginning!”
He smirked. “You should stop glaring at me and use that time more wisely to save her, sensei.”
A cough brought her attention back to her student. “N-Naru...to-kun...”
He rushed over and knelt down beside her, looking into her eyes and waiting to see what she needed of him.
“I...” Her mouth moved some more, but no sound was coming out. Her eyes were starting to droop and close from loss of blood.
“Dammit! I can't read lips!”
Akina tilted her head slightly as she smothered the protective instinct from her wolf demon side, urging it to calm down, even though the only human female that she was 'friendly' with was slipping into a coma.
She took out a shuriken and threw it at the area where the medic-nin were located. They jumped before rushing out onto the scene.
“Sumimasen (Sorry)!”
Hinata was put carefully onto the stretcher before she was carried out.
“She tried to say: 'Was I...able to change...a little?' ”
Naruto thanked Akina telepathically, sinking into some deep thinking before he was brought out of it be Neji.
“Hey, dropout.” Used to being called that, put on a glare and turned his head towards Neji. “Let me warn you about two things. If you're a ninja, stop with the idiotic cheering for a stranger.
And...a dropout will always be a dropout. They cannot change.”
The rest of Team Seven watched, interested as to how Naruto will reply to that. It had hit pretty close to home. The glare grew deeper as Neji only smirked at the orange-clad boy. A spike of killer intent was released, and Lee moved to block Naruto just in case he tried anything.
“I understand how you're feeling Naruto-kun, believe me. But you should fight in an official match. A dropout defeating a genius with hard work...wouldn't that match be exciting? But I might be his opponent,” he paused, then added, “But I will not hold a grudge if you were to match up with him.”
Naruto stared at his Lee for a few more moments before he growled lowly and nodded to show he understood, casting one last look at the archway that Hinata had been rushed through.
Lee turned towards his sensei, grinning and getting into the Good Guy Pose. That was good, right, Gai-sensei? His teeth pinged.
Gai answered by giving him a thumbs up and grinning, blinding Kouseki with the light that had reflected off of his shiny teeth. Lee, that was very nice!
(“AAAH! MY EYES!”) Her attempt to lighten the mood a bit didn't work, and she sighed in defeat, cursing a certain Hyuuga under her breath.
Naruto leaned down and wiped some of Hinata's blood onto his fingers. He clenched his fist and raised it towards Neji, his face set in a death glare rarely used seriously.
“You're going down.”
Neji only smirked.
Hayate coughed to get everyone's attention again, and silently, everyone made their way back up onto the catwalks. Another cough activated the screens.
Lee crossed his arms and turned away from the screen, pouting. Gai looked worried. “What is wrong, my cute student?”
“I no longer want to fight next. If the screen has not picked me yet, why should it pick me now?”
“NO! Do not give up hope, Lee-kun!”
The electronic screen beeped again, and as one, everyone turned to look at it.
'Sabaku no Gaara VS. Rock Lee'
“YOSH!” Lee jumped into the air in triumph, pumping his fists. “I knew that if I said that I did not want to fight next, that it would pick my name! It was simple reverse psychology!”
Gai grinned with his student. “An excellent idea, Lee!”
They hugged, gripping each other tightly.
“LEE!”
“GAI-SENSEI!”
“LEE!”
“GAI-SENSEI!”
They stopped the disturbing scene and Gai pulled Lee down in a small huddle for some last minute advice.
“Watch out for that gourd...”
He was whispering a tad too loudly, and nearly everyone on that side of the arena leaned in to hear this so called 'advice'. What could he possibly tell Lee that would save him from dying a painful death?
“...there's something freaky about it!”
Some twitched in agitation as Lee nodded, jumping down into the arena, almost bursting with excitement.
By the time ten minutes had passed, Akina had to once again check over the cage in which she had trapped her demonic side, to make sure that it would not escape it's restrains and try to take over.
Lee had lost, but had made a valiant effort and had shown what hard work could do, though only seven people in the room truly knew what had just occurred.
A mortal who could use no chakra whatsoever had fought with a jinchuuriki and fought at the same level for most of the fight. That was truly amazing, considering the circumstances.
After Lee had been taken towards the infirmary, leaving a heartbroken Gai, Dosu and Chouji came down to the arena floor, already knowing that they were to fight each other, since they were the last two examinees.
Even though Asuma had tried to bribe his student to win with a BBQ dinner, Chouji lost, due to the fact that the Oto-nin had used the water in his enlarged body to amplify the sound waves, knocking him out.
The nine genin that had won their matches lined up in front of the Hokage once again, awaiting further instruction.
“To those who have made it to the main matches of the Chuunin Exams Third Exam...there are six Konoha-nin, three Suna-nin, and one Oto-nin. I will now begin the explanation for the main matches.
The main match fights will be shown in front of everyone. We wish for all of you to show off your abilities as your country's representative power. Therefore, the main matches will begin in one month, which is the time in which you can conduct the appropriate preparations.
In other words, we are going to announce to the feudal lords and the head ninja of the individual countries that the preliminary matches had ended. And time is needed to gather those people for the main matches.
This is also preparation time for you candidates. This time is used so you can know your energy and yourself better. It is a time to analyze the information that you have gathered during the preliminary matches.
The battles we had were just like real combat situations. It has been done where both parties knew nothing of each other.
But the main matches will not be like that. There are those that have revealed everything to their rivals. To make things fair, work hard and improve yourselves on your own in the next month.
So, I want to let you guys go, but...there is something important we must do before the main matches.
Grab a piece of paper from the box that Anko is holding.”
Anko stepped forward, holding a wooden box with a hole. “Just stand still and keep your trap shut. I'll come to you and let you pick the paper out of the box.”
She went down the line of genin, letting them pick a small square of paper. Akina realized what she was doing and made sure to get the highest number so that she would be able to save up her energy for the coming invasion.
“Okay, everyone got one!” yelled out Ibiki, “Now, tell me what number you got, starting from the left.”
Dosu: Eight.
Naruto: One.
Sasuke: Four.
Akina: Ten.
Temari: Seven.
Kankurou: Five.
Gaara: Three.
Shikamaru: Nine.
Neji: Two.
Shino: Six.
“We will now tell you the match-ups for the tournament!”
“What?!” All the genin except Akina, Gaara, Neji, and Shino looked slightly shocked. “That's what we drew numbers for?!”
Sarutobi ignored them. “Ibiki, show the match-ups.”
“Sir.”
The large bear of a man stepped forward and showed them the diagram on his clipboard.
Match One: Uzumaki Naruto VS. Hyuuga Neji
Match Two: Sabaku no Gaara VS. Uchiha Sasuke
Match Three: Sabaku no Kankurou VS. Aburame Shino
Match Five: Sabaku no Temari VS. Dosu Kinuta
Match Six: Nara Shikamaru VS. Takamaru Akina
Naruto tensed slightly and glanced sideways at Neji. “Perfect. I get to kick Neji's a**; and in the first round, too!”
“Sabaku no Gaara...” was all Sasuke thought in reply.
Shikamaru raised his hand. “I have a question.” The Sandaime nodded at him to voice it. “If it's a tournament, then that means that there's only one winner, right? Does that mean that only one person becomes a chuunin?”
“No, that's not how it is. These main matches will have judges, including me, Kazekage-dono, as well as the feudal lords and...head ninja from the other countries who will be potential clients. These ninjas will grade you by watching you in the tournament.
And those who are qualified to be chuunin, even if they lose in the first round, will become chuunin.
It's possible for all of you to become chuunin, or none of you. Winning the matches in the tournament means that you are able to show off your skills more.
That is all. We are adjourned until next month. I wish you all the best of luck.”
O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O
Down in the arena, Team Seven had gathered, now that the explanation of what the third part of the Chuunin Selection Exams would be was over.
“Okay you guys…since Sasuke is going against Gaara, I’ll be training him…”
Naruto immediately scowled. The first thing his sensei had said automatically threw all his hopes of getting trained by the famous ninja out of the window and into the trash. Sasuke spared a glance at the ramen-loving ninja before looking back at their sensei.
“The dobe needs a sensei, too.” Naruto is another person that I want to test myself against…he needs to get stronger as well…and Akina…
Kakashi seemed to sense the boy’s resentment, and smiled. “Don’t worry, I found someone better than me to train you, Naruto…his name is Ebisu, and he specializes in training young ninja.”
At the sound of the tokubetsu jounin’s name, Naruto had cringed. Through the mind seal, he accidentally sent images of his last meeting with the shinobi into the minds of his teammates. Sasuke merely raised an eyebrow, and Akina shook her head slightly. Naruto growled and pointed an accusing finger at Kakashi, who looked amused at the kids’ expressions.
“Why would you give me a trainer that is weaker than me?! That guy’s a total closet pervert!”
Kakashi blinked once. “Closet pervert…?”
The image of Naruto in his Sexy no jutsu form appeared in their minds, and Sasuke had to turn his head away to hide the tiny blush that had appeared on his face. Akina’s mouth twitched into a slight frown, and she reached out to his cheek and pinched it, pulling slightly.
“Naruto…” she said warningly. He finally realized what he was doing and stopped, scratching the back of his neck, chuckling a little.
“Ahaha…sorry.” She let go of his face, leaving a small red mark where she had squeezed it. Sasuke looked back, having gotten over his slight embarrassment.
“Out of the three of you, Naruto, you need the most work on your fundamentals and chakra control.”
Akina scanned over the images she had gotten from Naruto, and recognized the look on Ebisu’s face. Her hands twitched into certain positions.
Ebisu is like the villagers.
With that, Akina turned around and started walking out of the arena with Kouseki. The boys sent questioning looks at her, and she just shook her head slightly.
“I will train on my own.”
Both females disappeared, and the rest of Team Seven to walk out of the Tower, already used to the way Akina liked to disappear to be by herself every once in a while.
Naruto scowled and looked, disappointed at the ground. “Fine…but it doesn’t mean I’ll like it…”
Once they reached outside, they found a large tiger waiting for them as their escort. It growled lowly before turning around and facing the forest, ready to guide them safely through his domain.
Kakashi stopped walking. “Sasuke, pack enough clothes for a week of training and meet me at the Eastern gate.”
He nodded a good-bye and disappeared in a swirl of leaves, leaving the boys to walk the whole ten miles out of the Forest of Death.
“Well at least Akina left us with someone to keep us company, right Sasuke-teme?”
“Hn.”
O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O
Akina arrived inside Enkou-sensei’s classroom, dressed in her Anbu uniform and her trainee mask. Kyou was sitting atop her head, and both greeted Kenshiki with a nod. Together they walked to the front of the classroom, ready to receive their assignment from the strict Anbu agent.
The Bird-masked ninja grunted and waved them off, as if he didn’t even want to see them. They paid no heed to it, already used to his behavior and not at all deterred by it.
“You guys are on patrol duty under the command of another Anbu.”
They saluted, about-faced, and walked out of the classroom. Once the door closed, Kenshiki sighed and scratched his brown hair.
“And so begins the most boring assignment ever…”
They stopped before a cloud of ninja smoke appeared in front of them. A cat-masked Anbu with long purple hair was crouched in front of them. She stood up, easily towering over the short girl. Uzuki Yugao tilted her head slightly at the small Anbu, vaguely reminded of a certain short Anbu from 5 years ago, before he became a nuke-nin.
She nodded at the two. “Follow me. I’m the one in charge of you.”
Kyou stared at the cat mask for a moment before mewing at her. The two trainees bowed once at their senpai, and followed her through the maze of hallways. She stopped at one of the many hidden equipment rooms and picked up swords and a few mobile earphones so that they could speak to each other over large distances.
She wordlessly gave them what they needed. “Go to the Eastern Gate’s Anbu entrance.” The need to stay hidden didn’t have to be ordered. With so many foreigners in town, they had to be careful not to show any suspicious behavior.
Akina slipped the katana into position on her back and put the microphone into her left ear. She could still feel Kenshiki’s anguish over doing such a boring mission. He sighed in defeat before disappearing with Konoha Shunshin. Kyou took her place on the Takamaru’s head.
Shunshin no jutsu.
The small brunette appeared behind her Anbu friend in a puff of smoke, now standing in one of several hidden gates known only to the Anbu Black Ops ninja. She cut off her mind seal’s connection to the boys so that Sasuke wouldn’t be able to sense her through it. After all, he was to meet Kakashi here.
The purple haired Anbu nodded at them and silently pointed to the areas that each of them would watch over for the next six mind-numbing hours.
O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O
Naruto and Ebisu stood stock-still, staring blankly at each other. They were standing in front of the entrance to one of the local hot springs, and Naruto was suspicious. After all, Ebisu was a closet pervert.
Ebisu coughed slightly into his hand. “Why won’t you go in?”
Naruto’s right eye twitched and the tokubetsu jounin slapped a hand over his mouth before the boy could say anything.
“Insolent brat!” he hissed into his ear, pulling them both into a nearby alley, “I know what you’re thinking of! Do not speak of that! I will give you anything! Ramen…money…anything!”
Naruto narrowed his cerulean eyes a little before wiping all emotion from his face. He ran the words ‘I will give you anything!’ through his head. The possibilities…!
Ebisu shifted uncomfortably at Naruto’s expressionless face, instantly starting to regret his words. What is that boy thinking of…?
“All right Ebisu…I’ll take you up on that offer after today’s training…”
With that, the jinchuuriki allowed the jounin to lead him into the men’s hot springs. They stopped by the edge of one of the larger bodies of water.
“Now…I’ve been told by Kakashi that you are lagging behind your teammates in chakra control, so today we’re going to be working on that…by walking on water.”
A sudden image of Zabuza walking on water floated into his mind, and he nodded a bit, grinning now that he was going to learn such a cool trick.
“The method of walking on water is similar to walking up trees. But, instead of coating your feet with a certain amount of chakra, you must continuously expel chakra from your feet, making sure to count in other variables such as the depth of the water and your weight.”
Ebisu put his hands in the ram seal, and the blue chakra circled around his feet for a bit before he walked out into the middle of the hot spring. Naruto’s eyes stayed glued to his feet, and the water beneath them.
He formed the ram seal, sending the same amount of chakra he used to climb trees into his feet, before nodding firmly to himself and putting one foot onto the water.
O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O
Six hours later, Akina, Kenshiki, and Kyoukoumune were let go by Yugao. After he was sure she was gone (she had mysteriously disappeared), Kenshiki let out a relieved sigh and stretched his aching muscles, which were sore from staying in certain positions for long periods of time.
“Aaaah…! That’s better. Hey, Gaia…,” he called Akina’s codename, as they disappeared and reappeared inside the Anbu Training Center, “What else do you think they’ll have us trainees do? I’m getting tired of patrol duty…”
Akina remained silent, simply shrugging in response as they entered Enkou’s classroom, informing him that they have finished their mission. The hawk-masked Anbu grumbled under his mask for a bit before nodding at them.
“You are dismissed. Report back at the usual time. 55—stay here.”
Kenshiki saluted at their sensei, and before he exited the classroom, Akina could have sworn she sensed some amusement in his aura at the fact that she had to do something else. She stood at attention, awaiting orders, just how Enkou liked his students—quiet and obedient.
“Hokage-sama wants you in his office.”
“Hai.”
She saluted again before disappearing in a puff of smoke. In Sarutobi’s office (which was empty of towering stacks of paperwork, for once), she bowed to the old Hokage, who offered her a brief smile.
“How was patrol duty, Akina-chan?”
She let the little puma cub answer the question. The kitten sighed, itching to be released back to the mountains to rejoin her family. Working with the Guardian was fun, sure, but after six hours of watching nothing happen, any normal child, human or beast, would get bored.
Sarutobi chuckled, then eased into a stern face, getting down to business.
“Akina-chan. I trust that you have heard of the rumors concerning the Shishou no Ryuuki?”
She nodded once, her face giving no reaction, though even if she did, he wouldn’t have seen it behind her Anbu Trainee mask.
“I have a mission for her.” He rummaged through his desk drawers, taking out a small scroll with black borderlines. He handed it to Akina. Before opening it, the girl tilted her head at her superior after being told what color it was. Scrolls with this color on them were S-Class missions, reserved only for Anbu and Kages. Akina was only a trainee.
“Read it,” was the only explanation she got. She nodded, breaking the seal and unrolling it. The imprints that the ink made were scanned over, and she understood what he wanted. The scroll was rolled back together and tucked into her ninja pouch before she saluted, accepting the mission.
The Sandaime Hokage let out a relieved sigh, now that part of his plan was initiated. Now, it was all up to fate.
“Arigatou.”
The young girl heard how stressed he was and nodded, taking off her mask while keeping her eyes closed. She gave him a brief little smile before the porcelain mask was replaced, and she disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Sarutobi blinked at the small (and rare) sign of affection she gave him, and then chuckled under his breath.
“So she does care…”
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Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2007 8:47 am
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Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2007 11:44 am
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Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2007 3:39 pm
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Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2007 5:25 pm
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Nah, Shishou no Ryuuki is not her demon...thing. On her first Anbu mission, the one when she had to assassinate Gatou, that was when her demon blood first started to become active again (in Chapter 8, Origins, the demon blood was released fully). As you can see throughout the chapters following, she's had some problems with it, but is able to control it.
So, the Shishou no Ryuuki (directly translated into Master of Dragon Spirits), is not a physical manifestation or representation of Akina's demonic personality. At least, not in the way that you're thinking of.
Yeah, yeah! Zabuza spread the word about the 'Shishou no Ryuuki' because he was one of three people who could have possibly spread the word about her, but is the only one who would have the means (or enough boredom) to do so. Haku is too gentle to spread a rumor, and Tazuna doesn't have enough of a reputation to do that.
Yes, Naruto is a little calmer...though, it's only when he needs to be. That scene with Ebisu? That was his inner prankster showing. That right there is a good example of what some would call 'blackmail'.
BUAHAHA. xd .
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Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2007 11:10 am
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