บท 27: The Finals Begin
*Random Chunin POV*
Not knowing why the Hokage sent me to check the Thousand Fissures Desert, I began flickering towards it. A weird feeling hit me immediately, since usually, the closer you get to the place the hotter the weather gets. But this time it didn't. In fact, it felt quite cold.
'What the hell is going o...'
I couldn't react to what I was seeing. I had no words to say and even if I had, I wasn't able to produce any sound.
"WHAT HAPPENED HERE?!"
The place that I had been to hundreds of times before didn't exist any more. All that was left of it were a few patches of land, as the lone survivors of a natural calamity. The once irregular desert was now completely flattened and covered in water, as if it was a small scale representation of the Land of Water and Kiri. The places where small elevations of earth once stood now looked as if they had been eroded by thousands upon thousands of years of rain.
But that wasn't the scariest part. The scary part was the lone kid standing in the middle of water, breathing hard and deep, as if he had just performed an exhausting task. I was sure I would never forget that face. The sharp eyes, the excited smile with long canines and the red fang marks under his eyes. The thought of that kid having done this, in spite of him being a Konoha Shinobi, scared me to no end.
*End*
The week was over and I was currently talking with the gang about who we would be wighting with. All the fights remained canon, bar Shino who was fighting me instead of Kankuro. He was a tricky opponent, but his bugs didn't work well underwater, right? Naruto vs. Neji was also a thing, so I was happy to be able to see this fight happen in reality. Then were Temari and Shikamaru and Sasuke against Gaara, but I knew that the last one wouldn't get to happen.
Sasuke wasn't present, which I already expected since that was the way it should be. As we arrived to the arena for the Finals, I could feel a few malicious emotions focused on me. Looking around, I spotted the Kazekage, which was Orochimaru if my memory didn't fail me, Baki, who was standing with his team, Gaara himself and Kabuto disguised as an Anbu. Unluckily for them, I could rat them out.
"Hey guys, I'll go do something real quick, save me a seat ok?"
"Were are you going, Ryo-kun?"
"*sigh* Bathroom, Tenten"
When it looked like my excuse worked, I just rushed towards Kakashi, who was standing by Guy's side. The reason why I contacted him first was that he was more reliable than other Jonin. After I told him what I knew, I moved towards Kurenai and Asuma. I told the four Jonin I recognized and, much against my wishes, I was summoned for the first match of the day.
Since I saved his life, the Finals were still being presented by Hayate.
"*cough* Ryota Inuzuka and Shino *cough* Aburame, please hurry to the arena"
Shino came into the scene slowly and extremely calm. I on the other hadn, jumped from where I was all the way down.
"Well, now that both paricipants *cough* are here, let's begin"
Shino immediately released his Kikaichu and a few Shōkaichū in case I tried to disappear in the mist. What he didn't know was that this fight wasn't going to be one were I did my best to take a killing shot. I knew what that I would become a Chunin regardless of the result, so long as I showed what I could do. And that I did.
"Suiton: Suishōha!"
Spewing water from my mouth, a wave big enough to cover the entire arena was created. This would ruin at least most of Shino's bugs, and I capitalized on the fact that it covered his vision of me too.
"Guremaru, Beast Human Clone. True Beast Ninja Arts: Okami"
Guremaru's training in my new transformation was extremely succesful. Since it was closer to his animal characteristics, he was able to transform with even more ease than the original Jutsu. His power was also a lot more similar to mine in this form, but he was still a tad bit weaker.
"Now! Water Beast Ninja Arts: Futago Nagareru Tsume!" [1]
Both Guremaru and I began rotating while creating a water vortex from which many blades grew. The reason why I used this technique early on was because Shino's bugs would have a harder time sticking to either of us while we spinned, and I must say it worked quite well.
"I give up. My bugs can't fight in water"
"Sorry Shino, I had to win"
"Don't worry, I would've done the same"
The battle was not very exciting, but it did provide a good show of skill. At least that is what everyone's faces said. If I had to put it into words, the only thing I could think of was "Is this kid really a Genin?" Oh how I would enjoy their reactions when they see a small leake appear out of nowhere.
"The winner is Ryota Inuzuka *cough*"
*
We went back to the stands, where everyone congratulated me, bar Ino who just said I could've gone easier on Shino. Talking about Ino, she was back to her usual self, just that I didn't feel that infatuation from her anymore. I could only guess that my words proved effective. I was sorry for Lee, but I had somehow developed a crush on Tenten so I would try my best to get with her.
"Congratulations, Ryo-kun!"
Tenten was hugging me happily as she said those words. By now, I could guess that she just enjoyed having a good excuse to hug me.
"Thanks, Tenten"
I knew she would survive. I knew nothing would happen to her. And yet I still couldn't help but worry about her with the incoming invasion. That was the reason why I was ready to do whatever it took to protect her, it didn't matter from who. Two more matches... and my second real fight in this life would take place. This time, with consecuences I wasn't ready for yet.
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