บท 31: Cloud Second Exam
A/N: Get the Story to 600 powerstones by Sunday, for a double release next Monday. This story's continuation depends on your support—so don't forget to give the story powerstones! New Goal: 600 Powerstones!
Arriving at the Great Cloud Mountain, Goro couldn't help but notice the vast number of participants.
'It seems this is the place. I thought I misheard that old man when he said the exam would be held at the Great Cloud Mountain. Why here specifically? Moreover, there seem to be too many people for a second exam. There are around 100 people attending. Did no one fail in the first round? And why are all the participants from the cloud?'
The girl Goro had met the day before came rushing toward him. On her chest, she wore two tags. The tag on the right side bore her name, while the one on the left displayed a number.
'Miki Nii… and number 55, hmm.'
"Namaki, are you feeling alright?" Miki asked, her voice concerned.
Puzzled by the question, Goro, with a nervous smile, replied, "Yeah, I'm doing great. Why do you ask?"
Miki pointed to his chest and looked up at him, her expression serious. "You forgot your tags, idiot! You've been really off the mark lately. Nerves shouldn't be an excuse—pull yourself together!" Miki berated him.
'Oh…'
Rummaging through his pockets, Goro pulled out his two tags and put them on. "Sorry, you're right. Nerves aren't an excuse. I'll try my best," Goro apologized.
Miki reached around Goro's neck, pulling him in and pressing her forehead against his. "That's better. Now you're starting to sound like the Namaki I remember," she whispered, letting him go.
'She must really like this Namaki guy.'
When Goro last saw him, Namaki was a fairly handsome boy with spiky brown hair, a black hoodie and pants, white sandals, and a sword strap that went diagonally across his back and chest. After wandering around the village the day before, Goro's eyes fell on a katana with a white hilt, a black blade, and a white ridged edge. Since Namaki didn't have a sword with him during training, Goro decided to fill the empty strap with this new blade, securing it on his back.
Goro had also done some background research to see if Namaki had any family, but to his luck, the boy was an orphan.
As Goro and Miki continued their conversation, a boy with blond hair and blue eyes approached. Goro felt like he had seen the boy somewhere before, but he couldn't place him.
"You two are already here?" the boy asked, grinning.
"You're always barely making it in time, Atsui! At this rate, someday you'll actually be late," Miki scolded.
'I remember now. That's Samui's brother.'
Mocking Miki, Atsui made a chatterbox hand motion, mimicking her speech.
"I'm serious, Atsui!" Miki exclaimed.
Rubbing the back of his head, Atsui retorted, "Okay, okay, I get it. I'm not even late, so could you knock it off?"
Miki realized her words were falling on deaf ears, so she crossed her arms and turned away from Atsui. "The next exam is a tournament anyway, so if he fails, that won't affect us," Miki muttered, fury in her eyes.
A puff of smoke appeared at the mountain's base. Standing within it was a young man who looked to be in his twenties. Clearing his throat, he began, "I am Fujiro, your exam proctor for today. I'll explain the exam and the rules while keeping things brief. Your goal is to reach the top of the mountain. For some of you, it will take a day, and for others, a few hours. Know that the first 12 people to reach the top will pass and move on to the final round."
'I see. They plan to drastically reduce the number of participants with this exam. It makes sense; too many people in the finals would make for a long and tedious day.'
The man continued, "There will be 10 proctors on either side of the mountain, ready to swoop in and save you if you fall. That doesn't mean you should take absurd risks! You must still look out for yourself, as death is a possibility. The proctors are only there to minimize the number of fatalities. Finally, there will be a surprise for those nearing the top, so stay vigilant. You've all signed a waiver before joining the exams, so you know what you're getting into."
Goro looked up at the mountain, inspecting its edges. The more he stared, the harder it seemed to scale. The mountain was riddled with ledges, so only those with exceptional chakra control or physical prowess could manage the climb.
'Only a handful of genin from my village could pass this exam. I don't even think Naruto would make it.'
Fujiro raised his hand, signaling the participants to line up at the mountain's base.
"On my command, you will begin. 3, 2, 1, Go!" Fujiro shouted.
The first to leap up were two dark-skinned individuals—one with white hair and wearing a grey hoodie, the other with red hair and a grey bandana. Following them were Miki and Atsui.
"There's no mistaking it, that's Omoi and Karui," Goro muttered as he stretched his limbs, preparing for the climb.
The only ones left at the mountain's base were the quitters and Goro. Fujiro watched Goro, who was disguised as Namaki, continue stretching. "Even if he starts 10 minutes late, he could still finish in the top 12 if he's skilled enough. But no one with the drive to win would be this relaxed about the mountain. He's either overconfident or doesn't take the exam seriously," Fujiro thought.
Feeling ready, Goro imbued his feet with chakra and lunged onto the mountain, flickering up its surface.
"What?!" Fujiro mused, watching the boy climb at a speed he'd never seen before.
In an instant, Goro caught up to Miki. Slowing down, he matched her pace as they ascended the mountain.
"So... how's the mountain?" Goro asked casually.
Focusing on the climb, Miki replied, "It's tough, but judging by the number of people ahead, we should be in the top 10."
Atsui, who was only slightly ahead, slowed down and began running beside them.
"How are you guys holding up? For me, this mountain isn't much of a challenge," Atsui said, huffing for breath.
'It sure sounds like you're struggling…'
Stifling a laugh to conserve her energy, Miki retorted, "You sound like you're about to pass out. Worry about yourself."
Goro, impressed by the fact these genin could maintain a steady pace, added, "I'm holding up fine for now."
Provoked by Miki's comment, Atsui shouted, "Alright, then! I'll take the top spot!" He surged ahead, increasing his pace.
Karui had taken the lead, leaving Omoi and the others behind, but Atsui was quickly closing in. As he approached Omoi, Omoi tried to block him, but Atsui shoved him aside in a fit of rage, nearly knocking him off the mountain.
Barely regaining his balance, Omoi thought, "That guy's a hazard. I've got to keep my distance, or I'll really fall next time."
Atsui continued to charge up the mountain, sprinting with all his might. Before long, he had caught up to Karui and was about to shove her as well, but she effortlessly dodged him.
"I'm not a pushover like Omoi," Karui said, a smirk on her face.
Although Karui was able to evade the attack, the maneuver slowed her down, putting her side by side with Atsui. The two repeatedly bumped into each other as they raced to the top.
Still running alongside Miki, Goro commented, "Atsui is an interesting character…"
Glancing at Goro, Miki replied, "You're only realizing that now?"
An hour passed, and the peak of the mountain was now visible.
'It's my time.'
Increasing the chakra in his soles by an explosive amount, Goro rocketed forward, damaging the section of the mountain beneath him.
"Huh?!" Miki yelled, failing in her attempt to conserve oxygen.
Goro shot past Omoi, landing a few meters in front of him. As soon as Goro's feet touched the mountain again, he flickered even farther ahead, rapidly closing the gap between him and Atsui and Karui.
Omoi shuddered, "Something just rushed past me… It's got to be the grim reaper! I knew that guy was a safety hazard! Now both Karui and he are going to die!" Omoi worried.
Goro overtook both Atsui and Karui with ease, continuing his ascent. The peak was now only 2,000 meters away. However, as he climbed, his view of the top was blocked by a large boulder heading straight for him. Goro prepared to jump left, but a bigger boulder was falling on that side. Swiveling his head to the right, he saw yet another boulder approaching.
'This is planned… So, this is the surprise Fujiro was talking about.'
With no other option, Goro unsheathed the kunai on his back and sliced the middle boulder in half.
Instead of stopping, the split boulder continued rolling down the mountain like a wheel, on course to hit Karui and Atsui. Stepping in to prevent disaster were Omoi and Miki. Miki threw a kunai with an explosive tag, blowing up the half heading for Atsui, while Omoi sped up and kicked the other half off the side of the mountain.
"I knew the grim reaper was after them!" Omoi thought.
Meanwhile, Goro had reached the top of the mountain. At the summit sat one exam proctor behind a desk. His mouth hung open as he stopped the clock, his eyes fixed on the timer. Tearing his gaze away, the proctor scribbled the time on the form before him, his hand trembling as he wrote.
"T-Th-That's! That's almost as fast as the Raikage's time! You're only 10 seconds off!" the proctor yelled.
'I thought by stretching and chatting with Miki, my time would be slower… Looks like I went overboard.'
Ten minutes later, Karui, Omoi, and Atsui arrived at the top. Omoi and Atsui walked over to the proctor to have their names written down.
Ignoring the proctor, Karui stomped over to Goro, grabbing him by the collar. "I don't know who you think you are, but you almost killed me!" Karui roared.
"I would've died if I hadn't split it in half," Goro retorted.
Pulling back her fist, ready to strike, Karui shouted, "So, what? You wanted us to die in your place?!"
'It's an exam… It's meant to be competitive…'
"It's better than if I had died," Goro answered bluntly.
The next person to arrive was Miki. Seeing the commotion between Karui and Goro, she rushed over and pulled them apart.
"The second exam is over. Let bygones be bygones. If you really want to fight him, your time would be better spent training so you can face him in the later stages of the tournament," Miki reasoned.
Omoi, having finished signing the form, joined them and helped calm Karui down.
Goro and Miki then walked to a quieter part of the mountain, away from Karui's shouting.
"You did great. I really didn't expect that. It seems all those hours you've spent training are paying off," Miki congratulated.
Goro thanked her and admired the view from the top of the mountain.
"The finals aren't until next week, so how about you come over to my place tomorrow? My mother can make some good food, and we can do some training afterward," Miki offered.
'I don't have anything planned tomorrow, so I guess there's no harm in accepting her offer. I'll also do some cemetery shopping.'
Goro shrugged and nodded. "I don't have much going on then, so that's fine," he replied.
Miki jumped with joy. "You never accept offers! Okay, let's meet at my place tomorrow at 1 p.m. In case you've forgotten again where I live, it's on the outskirts of the village near the training ground," Miki teased.
Reminder: Get the Story to 600 powerstones by Sunday, for a double release next Monday. This story's continuation depends on your support—so don't forget to give the story powerstones! New Goal: 600 Powerstones!
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