Chapter 28: Chunin Exam (3)

In the hall, inside the building within the forest of death.

There stood Genin’s elite, which successfully gathered the earth and heaven scroll from the other Genin that comes to the forest of death.

Chunin exam isn’t something like Academy exam, where your life is guaranteed.

Death will target you within the forest.

One negligence and you’d killed by either the monster hid in the forest, or other Genin from the other village.

Sunagakure, Otogakure, Amegakure, Kusagakure, Takigakure, and of course, Konohagakure Genins were included in the count.

Within those, only 20 Genins survived and will fight in the preliminaries. The battle itself will then continued a month later in the stadium, in the village town, of course out of 20 of them, and there are only ten survivors or even less to battle in the final.

“cough, before we start the match. I, as the judge of this exam, will congratulate you guys, at the same time, wish for none shall be killed or crippled. That’s all from me, now then… let’s start the match…”

Hearing nothing but cheers from the pitying Hotaru, Hayate coughed and called the first match.

Albeit the change in history, the canon still happened in the match,

The first match the battle between Sasuke vs. Yoroi Akado, sound village’s spy, which belonging from Konoha’s repeater Genin, teamed with Kabuto.

Orochimaru’s strong, ability wise, he’s stronger than Tsunade, that means, Orochimaru have power more than a Hokage is.

With that as the reason, that’s why in Canon 3rd can’t act much while knowing that Orochimaru already infiltrated Konoha. However, with Danzo in his back, 3rd can withstand to battle Orochimaru, but with caution.

Not caution that he’d lose, but caution that Orochimaru will run while inflicting more damage to Konoha.

Each and every plan needed to be done with care, or with this hole, another village will attack Konoha from the back.

The battle between Sasuke without Sharingan against Yoroi Akado done in a jiffy, as this worlds’ Sasuke still learned from Itachi, even without the Sharingan he can adequately battle against chunin, win, if the chunin belittle him.

Not to mention some Genin.

“Sasuke Uchiha’s win!”

“As expected of my rival!”

“Kyaa! Sasuke-Kun!”

The battle ended with a kunai being held near Akado’s throat, at first, he tried to struggle to attack Sasuke and tries his best to kill the boy. With a left kick, right punch, and throwing shurikens.

However, being dodged by Sasuke and countered, Akado can’t do anything but beaten, and threatened by him.

Knowing that he’s still struggling even after all that, Sasuke knocked him out unconscious.

The day he lost against Haku and defeated without being able to counter the beautiful boy, he swears to be stronger, with Haku still alive, he wished for someday be able to defeat him. Not to mention Naruto’s unknown chakra that he unleashed that day.

Sasuke was refusing to believe that, he’d be unable to defeat the person that always in his back.

Clenching his fist, he glares to the waiting area and thus leaving the arena.

“What the heck, that Sasuke… Dattebayo”

While Naruto grumbling at Sasuke’s lousy attitude, Hiura, and Hotaru calculate Sasuke’s increase in ability.

“He’s getting stronger…”

“Emm -zo.”

“Even with your Sharingan, can you defeat him now?”

“I guess, barely -zo.”

“what’s the ability of your Sharingan anyway?”

“Not yet… I’ve yet to awaken the ability since there’s only two tomoe in it…”

“you forgot the -zo.”

“Oh, thanks -zo.”

While both of them held the conversation, Erika gave help to the medic team, along with the medic ninja.

Hayate and Flynn already told her, to focus on healing, as her byakugan isn’t something that she can use casually without training, and perceiving the acupuncture of the injured can be a right way for her to train.

The 2nd match is between, Zaku Abumi and Aburame Shino. The game ended without many high and down, but the sight of Aburame clan’s insect astonished them so much that Hiura has goosebumps all over his body.

While Hiura tries to use his eyes to penetrate Shino’s body, he can’t see anything since Sharingan not as adept as Byakugan, and it’s not like that he can go over and ask what’s happen with Neji.

While pondering so, the 3rd match commenced.

The battle of Kabuto’s henchman no.2 vs. Kankuro, at first of the fight Hotaru, can see something’s weird in Kankuro’s gaze. Perhaps, because he already knows that Kankuro is a puppet master he can adjectively know what will Kankuro do, and use to attack the henchman no.2.

Smirking, he made a bet with Hiura.

Alas, even before the bet with Hiura gets through, Kankuro ended his battle. As if being deceived, Hiura squints his eyes at Hotaru while taking some distance, with a look of betrayal in his face.

“Damn it, Kankuro! Why does it so fast!”

While at first, Kakuro astonished with the loud yell, he looked at Hotaru and look at the speaker with a question filled his eyes. But knowing the oddball, he ignored him and went to Baki and the others.

“He’s your friend?” Temari asked suddenly

“I thought so… he’s an oddball, and if he isn’t injured, he might be our toughest opponent in this exam…”

“You exaggerate it…”

“Well, even in his injury he can fight me toe to toe until his injury worst that is…”

“The name is Hotaru, and he’s the referee’s team… he has a small chakra repository, but the intellect that can’t belittle…” Baki suddenly chimed in…

While Gaara took a glance at him, Kankuro shuddered and becoming more silent than before.

Temari, Kankuro and Gaara are siblings, they had the same father with unknown whether their mother is the same or different…

In the canon, just like Gaara that was adopting a child, it might be possible that the others also took children of his father, but like always, it’s still vague, and there’s no specific case whether they’re blood-related or not…

Well, leaving the siblings aside, the 4th match is the battle between Ino and Sakura. While it should be where they head each other and making up, and became besties again, they never fought in the first place, but there’s something that pulls the string where Ino and Sakura which is in the match see each-others with hatred in their eyes.

“Damn it, Ino! You ate my mochi!”

“You, you’re hitting me so much already, but you dare to say that to me again!”

“I’ll beat your ass up, you damn girl!”

And so, they have double knocked out…

No, I’m just kidding with you…

They aren’t battling with that as the reason of course, but to Hotaru and the others, they do… fight each other for a silly reason…

The 5th match between girls again, but, there’s a scale difference between the one before and this match, although it’s faster than the earlier, they used the technique in fuinjutsu and a big fan.

The battle between the CQC specialist team, the one who wields weapons from Lee’s group, Tenten, against Kankuro’s little sister, is a great match.

Hotaru, for once, feels that he can grasp something from the match. Tenten’s technique intrigues him more than Temari’s. The usage of sealing scroll in attacking and defending, whether close or far might be too hasty.

However, the potential of them is humongous.

Hotaru can imagine a different way to use the fuinjutsu, the scroll, and the weapon that can be stored inside.

It can also become a way for him, to move faster with less baggage to include in his bag. Heck, he can even put his own arsenal of weapons inside with the use of the weapon scroll. And diminish his lack of chakra, as the usage on the scripture didn’t rely too much upon chakra.

As expected, Tenten loses against Temari with a difference in their ability by a wide margin.

The 6th match is the battle Shikamaru and Kin tsuchi, the woman that belongs with Sound village ninja trio. One of them defeated by Shino, so she gets worked up and try to beat Shikamaru, but using his kageshibari jutsu, Shikamaru knocked the girl’s head into the wall.

7th match, at last, Naruto VS Kiba Inuzuka’s battle…