Chương 54: Chapter 54: On to the Finals
"Hmm…."- Bijuu
"Hmm…."- Flashback
Chapter 54:
On to the Finals
"Well, I'm surprised. I didn't think that you would actually take up my offer so soon, Miko-chan."
"Miko-chan" growled softly at the nickname as she watched a certain aggravating blond eat bowl after bowl of ramen. The two were currently inside Ichiraku Ramen. But the girl had yet to sit down, opting instead to stand a bit behind the eating blond.
Naruto noticed this after a few seconds. Patting the seat next to him, he said, "Come. Join me on a feast with the gods!"
Teuchi shook his head in amusement on the other side as he prepared more ramen for the boy who had quickly become his number one costumer in a matter of a day.
Mikoto hesitated for a moment before she did so.
"Yo, gramps, get her a bowl!"
"Oi! How many times to I have to tell you that I'm not that old yet, you little brat!?"
"You are to me!"
"That doesn't prove you right, you little rascal!"
Mikoto looked on between the two bickering males, not understanding what was happening. Nor did she understand just how she had lost to this goofball. It was weird for her. If there was one thing that Mikoto was, it was sheltered. Even if she didn't particularly know it herself, she was used to all the calm and cool demeanors that her clan was known for. Both Obito and Kazuki had been exceptions. But Obito wasn't her age, and Kazuki always had his own "Uchiha" moments, so to speak. This was the first time that she was socializing with someone that wasn't an Uchiha. And it was weird for her.
Teuchi hummed for a moment, looking over at Mikoto before he leaned in close to Naruto.
"So, brat…..is she your girlfriend?"
Naruto nearly choked on his ramen.
Mikoto glanced at them with a raised eyebrow, not having had heard what Teuchi had just asked.
Coughing, Naruto sent the ramen cook a small glare. "Don't ever ask that again."
But Teuchi laughed as he turned his attention back to the ramen he was preparing. "Ah. So you're a late bloomer, eh? Don't worry, my boy. I'm rooting for you!"
Naruto really wanted to strangle his favorite ramen chef right about now.
Mikoto was still lost, blinking before she realized why she had come looking for the blond to begin with.
"Hey, wait, why are we eating right now anyway!?"
Naruto looked at her with a slightly confused look. "Because we're hungry…..?"
The blond didn't know how else to take the question.
But Mikoto shook her head. "No! I was here to ask you if we could train together!"
"Ah." Naruto went back to his ramen, making the Uchiha girl twitch at being so easily ignored. Even if she didn't particularly like it, she was used to boys her age always trying to get her attention. But it seemed as if Naruto was another exception to that. Mikoto found it liberating. But if she was honest, it was also a bit annoying.
Gulping his favorite food down, Naruto turned his attention back to Mikoto. "What exactly do you want to learn from me anyway? Or are you just looking to spar with me?"
Mikoto looked down at her hands. "I don't want to steal your jutsu, if that's what you're thinking. To me, the sharingan isn't something I should use to steal the techniques of others. But you're strong. I haven't see anyone as strong as you. If I want to move forward, I know that I have to test myself against strong opponents. And since you're so close and within reach, I might as well take the chance."
Naruto eyed her as he hummed. "Is that so? Do you mind if I ask you something?"
Mikoto shook her head.
"Tell me, Miko-chan….why do you wish to get stronger?"
Putting the "Miko-chan" nickname to the side, Mikoto tilted her head. "What do you mean? Isn't it obvious?"
Naruto chuckled as he shrugged. "Maybe. But I am kind of slow, ya know."
Detecting the humor in his voice as he said that, Mikoto doubted those words before she realized that she had yet to answer his question.
Looking down at her hands again, Mikoto thought of the right set of words before she replied, "I guess it all comes down to my father. To him, I've never been anything but a pawn on a chess board he could use to better himself in the Uchiha clan. He doesn't believe in my skills. He didn't even think I could make it through the academy. All he wants is for me to be nothing but some lowly housewife for a husband who wouldn't care about me."
"So that's why you broke your engagement."
Mikoto looked at the whiskered blond with a surprised look.
Realizing what he had just said, Naruto scratched his cheek as he chuckled uneasily. "I….Sasuke told me."
Mikoto didn't know how to take this. "How are you and Sasuke so close?" she asked, finding how quickly their relationship had developed to be a bit weird.
"It's a long story," Naruto replied. "But don't worry about it."
Before Mikoto could reply, she paused when a bowl of ramen was placed in front of her by a smiling Teuchi.
"Take this one on the house," he said, his smile still in place. "Any friend of Naruto's is welcomed here anytime."
Naruto laughed. "Awwwe, gramps, you're going to make me blush over here!"
Mikoto merely watched how the two males began to exchange pleasantries with one another once more. She didn't quite understand how the blond had managed to get on such good terms with this ramen stand owner already. It was yet another mystery for her that surrounded the blond.
Looking down at the ramen, Mikoto decided to at least give it a try. Which she did. She found the taste to be pleasant. But ramen wasn't something that she particularly enjoyed either. At least, not to the extent that Naruto obviously did.
Naruto was soon leaning over towards her, though, making the Uchiha lean back a bit due to the blond's closeness. Despite herself, Mikoto was able to pick up a good amount of Naruto's scent even though the smell of ramen was everywhere. The blond smelled of grass and ramen. It was an odd combination for sure. But for some reason, Mikoto felt that it fitted the blond. Realizing what she was doing, though, Mikoto had the decency to blush as she turned her head to the side as Naruto grinned as wide as he could.
"So? So? So? It was good, wasn't it? Better than anything else you've ever had right!?"
Against her better judgment, Mikoto did smile. "It wasn't bad…."
Naruto pouted as he leaned away from her. "Really? That's it? I was expecting something more grand here."
Having watched the entire interaction, Teuchi shook his head. 'You have a long way to go, my boy. A looooooong way.'
Stretching, Naruto pulled out a wad of cash to pay for his meal. Mikoto glanced towards him, wondering where he was heading now.
"Well? Don't you want to get a start with that training of yours so that you can show off to that annoying father you have?"
Mikoto blinked for a couple of seconds, her brain having a bit of trouble making sense of what her ears had just heard. But realizing that she was getting what she had set out to do, Mikoto followed after the blond without hesitation.
"I'll be seeing you, gramps," Naruto said as he threw a wave behind him.
Teuchi chuckled. But not one to go out without getting the last laugh, he called out after them, "You're welcome to come back here for your second date too! Ichiraku will always have its doors open for you!"
Both Naruto and Mikoto paused as the words reached their ears. To any outsider that passed by, it could have very well seemed like a small date between them.
Well. That certainly changed the atmosphere between them to a different tune.
'I'll get you back for this, gramps,' Naruto thought, vowing to get his revenge on the ramen chef later.
Mikoto wouldn't look him in the eyes after that.
Mikoto's eyes fluttered opened before she stood up from her bed, her gaze instantly drifting to one of the windows in her small apartment. She could see the faintest bit of sunlight shining through her curtains, signifying the start of another day.
'It's been a month since the preliminaries already,' she thought as she rubbed her eyes before she made her way out of her bed. Her mother had made sure to get her a double decker bed for both her and Obito. She had taken the lower level, mainly because Obito had proclaimed that he wanted to be on top the moment that he had lain eyes on the bed. Mikoto hadn't cared either way, so she had let the younger boy get his wish.
Mikoto was wearing nothing but an oversized shirt as her sleeping attire. She preferred to be as comfortable as possible when she slept.
The Uchiha girl let out a small yawn as she opened the curtains of her windows, the bright sunlight hitting her a moment later. Mikoto could feel the excitement the village was radiating already. And she understood why: today was the final rounds of the Chunnin exams. To her, time had passed quickly. But that probably had to do with the fact that she had trained intensely the whole time. Although this time she had to do it without any help. Naruto wasn't here anymore, after all.
'I wonder what he's up to,' she thought for a moment before shaking that thought away. Right now, she needed to focus. She had the number one spot in her sights, after all. And her first obstacle to reaching that was that aggressive Suna kunoichi. But Mikoto wasn't planning on becoming a repeat of what had happened to Tsume. She was going to win this.
Obito let out a series of snores from the top bunk, making Mikoto smile. It made her realize that she was getting too excited too quickly. She still hadn't even made it to the arena yet.
Sighing, the girl set out to start her usual morning routine. But this time, there was the noticeable amount of skipping in her steps as she made her way to the bathroom.
"So do you have everything with you?"
'Of course.'
"Your scrolls?"
'Yes.'
"Your other tools?"
'...Yes.'
"Hmm…..well, I guess we should get a move on then!"
Kushina rolled her eyes. 'You really are starting to sound like my mother, Kura.'
Kurama huffed. "Well, excuse me. I'm only trying to make sure that you don't get your butt kicked by your first opponent. And stop calling me Kura already!"
In the last month since the preliminaries had ended, Kushina and Kurama had gotten closer, close enough to the point where Kushina had dubbed him as "Kura." The redhead thought it was cute while the grumpy bijuu didn't like it. Well, okay. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Kurama knew that he did indeed enjoy it. But he couldn't let Kushina know that. He had a reputation to maintain dammit!
Who knew Kurama was such a tsundere?
But back to the story. Kushina ran down the stairs towards the living room where her mother was already waiting there for her with a smile on her face.
"My, someone sure is excited today," Kazumi said with amusement twinkling in her eyes.
"It's the day of the finals, so of course!" Kushina exclaimed as she stopped in front of her mother. "Where's dad?"
"He's already on his way to the arena to save us some seats," Kazumi replied. "Kaito is with him too."
Kushina's eyes sparkled in excitement at hearing that. Kaito had returned to Konoha a couple of weeks back. When Kushina had first seen him again, the girl had also expected to see Naruto with him. But apparently the blond had stayed behind to complete more of his training. If anything, that was the only thing Kushina felt was missing here. But she would just have to brag to the blond about making chunnin when he finally returned.
"You'll have to go on without me, though," Kushina said as she grabbed her sandals. "There's somewhere I have to go first before I go to the arena….."
Nodding, Kazumi grabbed a hold of her daughter, wrapping her arms tightly around her. "Good luck, sweetie. We're all rooting for you. And I know that Naruto is too, wherever he is."
Kushina nodded, grateful for her mother's hug. Today was going to be huge, that was for certain.
"So you guys are finally heading out, right?"
Rasa and Karura looked down towards the floor to see Itsuki sprawled about in the middle of their hotel room.
"Yes," Rasa replied. "We would like to be a bit earlier. Just in case."
Itsuki chuckled. "I see. Well, Rasa buddy, I know I've told you this a lot in the past month. But if you beat your opponent in the first round, I'm certain you'll face that blondie in the semifinals."
Rasa narrowed his eyes. "I'm aware of that."
"Good," Itsuki said with a grin. "So just be careful. Even if you have faith in that gold sand of yours, it won't do much good if your opponent is faster than you. I just wanted to let you know that."
Rasa nodded while Karura merely listened. Or pretended to listen. Her mind was somewhere else entirely right now. And that was on Uchiha Mikoto, her first opponent in the finals. Karura knew that she had quite the fight in front of her. But she didn't mind. She was looking forward to it.
She would show the public just how supreme Suna was over Konoha. That was her goal.
Shikaku was scowling heavily as he looked at the girl currently invading his room. He was still in his pajamas. Hell, he had been in the middle of a pretty good dream. But then someone had taken him out of it. And the perpetrator was none other than Yoshino who had both hands on her hips as she looked at him with a scowl of her own.
"Troublesome…..what are you doing here? How did you even get in?"
"Your mother let me in," Yoshino answered before she pointed at him. "And you! You should be ready by now! Even if your match isn't the first one, that's no excuse for showing up late!"
Shikaku scratched the back of his head. "You do realize I'm going off against Minato right? I don't stand a chance against that guy. So it doesn't make a difference whether I show up or not."
Yoshino sighed as she lowered her hand. "That may be true, but you shouldn't give up before you try. I know you, Shikaku. And you have the potential of becoming a great shinobi one day. So go out there and show the rest of the village the same thing that I see in you!"
Shikaku t'ched. "Troublesome girl…."
He nevertheless got up from his bed. "Give me some privacy, will you? I have to get ready."
Yoshino smiled before she made her way out of the room. "I'll be waiting outside. So don't think about sneaking out. Otherwise, I'll tell your mom on you."
The last thing she heard before she closed the door was the word "troublesome."
Shibi looked up at the blue sky with a quiet hum. The Aburame boy was currently deep inside the forest that surrounded Konoha. He had gotten permission from his father to gather the right amount of insects that he wanted before the finals began.
Turning his attention to his hand, Shibi saw another one of his precious insects land on his index finger.
'I'm as ready as I'll ever be,' he thought, turning his head towards the direction of the village.
'I might as well head out now.'
Hikari was humming to herself as she looked up at the bright blue sky from right outside the Hyuuga compound. The girl couldn't have hoped for better weather for the finals today.
"Nee-sama."
Hikari turned around to see her sister standing there, her arms folded in front of her while she looked at her with a worried gaze. She was wearing the simple servant uniforms that a lot of the Branch Members wore.
"What is it?"
The younger girl looked down. "A-are you sure that you're going to be alright? I heard all your opponents are tough."
Hikari smiled. "Of course. I did defeat Hiashi, remember? You can have a bit more faith in my abilities."
The girl nodded, making Hikari smile even more as she patted her head. "Don't worry. I'm going to try my best to represent our clan. Hopefully you can make it there, Kimi."
The now named Kimi nodded even more at the request. "You know I will! I'll be cheering you on, nee-sama!"
"Thank you. I have to get going now. But I'll be seeing you, okay?"
Kimi merely nodded again as she watched her sister go with a smile. To her, Hikari was everything that she wish that she could be but would never attain. At least, in her mind.
Shaking her head, the girl was about to enter the compound again before she noticed Hiashi making his way towards her.
Kimi instantly tensed up when she caught sight of him. Ever since their confrontation in the academy, she had made sure to avoid the boy as much as she could. But now, she had no choice but to cross paths with him. She certainly did not enjoy this.
Except that Hiashi wasn't looking at her. His attention was focused on Hikari's retreating form.
"She's something else, isn't she?"
Kimi titled her head, not understanding what Hiashi was talking about. In fact, this was the first time that he was bothering to start a conversation with her other than when he had insulted her. She didn't understand what was happening because of that. Had someone kidnapped Hiashi and switched places with him? But for what purpose? To get their hands on the secret techniques of the Hyuuga? But why would they-
Her thoughts died down when Hiashi's gaze turned towards her. "Hopefully you can go see her today. It's a special day for her, after all."
Kimi stood there, not uttering a single word as Hiashi followed behind Hikari with his eyes closed.
'What just happened?'
The world no longer made sense to her.
Hizashi and Fugaku stood in the same bridge that their team usually met at before the Chunnin exams had begun. They were wearing their usual attires. Hizashi was in a calm mood while Fugaku was in a slightly irritated one. But Hizashi couldn't really fault him for that. He, just like himself, had lost his chance to prove himself as the better in the Chunnin exams. They would have to wait some time before they got another chance.
But that wasn't why they were here. The two boys had gathered here today because Kushina had called for them earlier in the week. They didn't know why, but the redhead had been adamant about seeing them before the finals took place. Fugaku had almost blown it off, but seeing that Kushina must have a good reason for calling for them, he had decided to come.
They didn't have to wait long either as Kushina came running towards them with an energetic wave.
"Guys! I'm so glad you could make it!"
Hizashi smiled while Fugaku h'mphed. "You better have a good reason for this, Kushina," the latter said.
Kushina nodded as she stopped in front of them. "Of course I do. At least, it's important to me….."
"Well?" Hizashi said, urging the girl on. "What is it?"
Kushina hesitated for a moment before she steeled her nerves. "I only wanted to let you guys know that I've cherished the time we spent together as a team. And that I haven't forgotten what we promised to each other: even if you can't be beside me, I will still make sure to win this. For us. For our team."
Hizashi and Fugaku were silent for a couple of seconds before the latter smirked. "Damn right. I may have lost to Mikoto but don't dare repeat the same mistake that I did. Think of this as my first request to you: kick her ass."
"That goes double for me," Hizashi said with a smile. "Give that bastard a good beating for me, alright? I want him to be on the receiving end this time."
Kushina smiled. "Yeah. Thanks, guys. It really means a lot."
Fugaku scowled. "Don't get so dramatic. The finals haven't even started yet. It won't look good if you're already in tears by the time you get there."
Kushina rolled her eyes. "Way to kill the mood, Fugaku. You and your emo genes."
Fugaku smirked as he turned away from them, his hands in his pockets. "Good luck, Kushina," he said that with as much sincerity as he could muster as he began to walk away from them.
Hizashi patted her back. "The same goes for me. Make sure to kill it out there."
Kushina nodded as she watched the two boys walk away. Despite their differences, they really had come as a team. And while it had been short, Kushina had enjoyed the time that she had spent with them. It was an experience that she wouldn't trade.
"Why are you talking like things are ending? This is only the beginning, brat. Besides, there's no guarantee that you'll even make chunnin. You might even end up going back to how things were before the chunnin exams began."
Kushina rolled her eyes. 'I really appreciate your support, Kura.'
The bijuu shrugged. "I call them as I see them."
Before Kushina could reply, the atmosphere around her suddenly got darker and colder. Even though she wasn't a sensor, she was also able to sense a powerful chakra…..right on top of her.
Looking up, the redhead was surprised to see a girl her age floating down towards her via an umbrella.
Inside her mind, Kurama narrowed his eyes, also sensing the same powerful and cold chakra that Kushina was. "Oi. Don't let your guard down. This girl…..she isn't ordinary."
Kushina didn't know how to reply as the girl landed in front of her. Her violet eyes met this strange girl's wine red ones. Unlike Kushina's, though, hers were almost devoid of any life. To Kushina, it was like she was staring straight at apathy.
"You're not from around here, are you?" Kushina began, not really knowing what else to say. "I don't recognize you….."
"There are many people from different lands here today," the girl answered softly. "After all, isn't today the finals of the Chunnin exams?"
Normally, Kushina would have accepted that response. But this girl was simply too strange. The redhead was certain that there was another reason for this girl suddenly appearing here.
"Are you sure that's all you want?"
The girl titled her head. "Want? No. What I want doesn't lie here. But that's not why I'm here either."
"Then why are you here?"
"I already told you," she answered in the same tone. "I'm here to watch the Chunnin exams."
"Is that really all?"
The girl didn't respond right away. Instead, she looked up at the sky for a few moments. Kushina was beginning to get tired of the silence. But thankfully the unknown girl's attention went back to her a second later.
"There are many forces at play out there. But none of that should concern you right now. I only wished to talk to you face-to-face once before things went any further."
'I don't understand what she's saying,' Kushina thought with a frown. And for a good reason. This strange girl suddenly appeared out of nowhere and started sprouting things that just didn't make any sense.
Either the girl didn't sense or just didn't care about Kushina's many questions. Instead, the girl began to make her way around Kushina, umbrella still in hands.
"I wish you good luck in the exams, young Uzumaki. I'll be watching."
Kushina didn't need to turn around to know that the mysterious girl had disappeared, the cold and powerful chakra having had left the area as well.
'Kura….what was that?'
Kurama was silent, having no response for his partner. One thing was certain, though: Naruto needed to know of this. But for now…..
"We'll take care of that later. From the sounds of it, she's not trying to destroy this village or anything. So you should only focus on the finals for now. Understand?"
Kushina nodded, also realizing that that was probably the best course of action for her at the moment.
With that in mind, the girl made her way towards the arena, pushing all other thoughts about the strange girl to the back of her mind.
"Spying on others is rude, you know."
Greed's eyes widened when she felt the girl's presence behind her. Turning around from her position up in one of the trees, Greed saw how the girl was standing on top of one of the other branches, her umbrella still over her head.
Greed of course knew of this girl's existence and who she was, specifically that said girl wasn't really a girl but a woman who was hundreds of thousands of years old. She was older than even Kaguya's era. Nori had already told her and the rest of her sisters about her, after all. That being said, she had no idea what she could possibly be doing here in Konoha right now.
The girl's eyes went to Kushina's retreating form for a moment before looking back at Greed. "What is Nori up to? He wouldn't have sent you here without reason."
Greed gulped. "I-I'm afraid that I can't disclose that information….not even to you….."
The girl hummed. "Is that so?"
Greed could tell that the being in front of her was probably running through the many different scenarios that could have brought her here.
A few moments later, the girl's eyes widened partially. "Ah, I see. So you're here to see him then….."
Greed gulped again, realizing that her mission had been compromised. But this wasn't her fault dammit! She hadn't said anything!
"What exactly does Nori desire with that man?" the girl questioned. "And better yet, if you're here for him, why are you spying on Naruto's mother? Does Nori really have a death wish on him?"
Greed shook her head. "My Master doesn't want anything to do with Asura's mother." 'Yet,' she added in her mind. "I was only curious, you see…..since the first step of my mission is already completed…"
The girl didn't respond for a few moments, her eyes studying Greed. "You do well to remember that, especially since I'm here," she said at last. "I may be neutral for now, but do tell your master not to forget that my patience isn't unlimited."
Greed could only nod as the girl disappeared in a burst of flames.
'That was close,' she thought to herself with a frown. Her mission had suddenly turned in a different direction altogether. Not only that, but Greed couldn't understand why Kushina would entice this level of hostility from the girl. Nori had told them that the mysterious girl was completely neutral in this despite the fact that she had helped Hagoromo bring both Naruto and Sasuke to this time period. But that had all been part of the wager in the end. So then, why? Why was Kushina different?
'I won't be able to figure it out, no matter how much I dwell on it,' Greed thought at last with a shake of her head. At the very least, she could continue with her mission without a problem.
Even so, she would have to inform her Master of this as soon as possible.
Tsume growled softly as a ton of new scents assaulted her nose. It always annoyed her when that happened since it made her lose focus of her surroundings while her nose sorted through them all. Kuromaru was in the same state as well, whimpering softly.
Next to her was Emi who chuckled softly, already being aware of her friend's annoyance right now. "We should hurry up and get our seats."
Tsume looked at the arena that stood in front of them. Before, she had wanted to come here as a participant, not a spectator. But that damn Suna bitch had taken that from her. And as much as she hated to admit it, it was all up to Mikoto to teach the bitch a lesson.
Just as Tsume was about to respond, though, her nose was able to pick out a familiar scent. "You can go on without me," she said, turning towards the opposite direction. "I'll meet you there."
Emi merely raised an eyebrow as she watched her friend go. 'I wonder what's gotten her so worked up now….'
It didn't take long for Tsume to reach her target who was also making his way towards the arena. Unlike the many different people around him, however, he wasn't here to spectate. He was here to take part in the event.
Takao raised an eyebrow when he saw Tsume standing before him with a small frown on her face.
"Tsume," he said, "fancy meeting you here. But is there a reason why you're blocking my path?"
"I already heard about it," Tsume replied. "You're Kushina's first opponent today. Your match against her will be the first of the day."
"And? What of it? Are you here to tell me that I should take it easy on her?"
Tsume smirked. "Nah. It's the exact opposite in fact." Takao raised another eyebrow as Tsume continued. "I can't say that I particularly condemn your actions against Hizashi. It was a match, after all. But it's different for Kushina. That's her teammate. And you've pissed her off. That's not exactly a smart thing to do. That girl has quite the wild side, trust me. That's why you should be careful today. Or else, you might find yourself chewing more than you can handle."
Takao didn't exactly know how to take those words. But he did understand one thing. "It doesn't matter what Kushina tries to do now. I'm even more powerful than I was a month ago. But at long last, I'll be able to finally make her realize that she belongs to me."
Tsume frowned. "I'm not Emi. I don't care about your obsession with her nor do I care why you chose Kushina to begin with. Hell, that blonde herself has quite the weird crushes. But you just can't force someone to like you. And you're only pushing Kushina further and further away. Not like it matters anyway." The Inuzuka turned around and started to make her way to the entrance of the arena. "Kushina said it herself, didn't she? She's already got someone she wants."
Takao frowned, watching Tsume's retreating form. That was something that had been nagging him this whole time. Just who was Kushina interested in? If he at least knew, then he could show himself to be the better choice.
Either way, he was going to make Kushina his today. He would see to that.
"Yes! Empty seats!"
Tsunade sighed as Kagome dropped down on the seat with a satisfied sigh.
"We've only been searching for a few minutes," the Senju said as she took the seat next to her friend.
"It felt like hours, though!" Kagome groaned. But the Uchiha titled her head to the side when she felt someone take the seat on the opposite side. Her eyes widened a bit when she noticed that it was taken by none other than Orochimaru.
"Orochimaru, fancy meeting you here!"
Tsunade turned her attention towards her teammate at hearing Kagome's words, surprise written all over her face. "What are you doing here?"
Orochimaru chuckled. "What? Is it so odd for me to come and watch the finals of this glorious exam?"
Tsunade and Kagome shared a look before they both answered at the same time.
"Well, yeah."
"Pretty much."
Orochimaru chuckled a bit more. "Well, I can't exactly skip it this time. There's a student of mine that's participating."
"Woah, back up right there," Kagome said with an even more confused look. "Since when did you take a pupil? And since when have you wanted one?"
Orochimaru shrugged. "It was a spur of the moment thing. But it did end being quite…..fascinating."
Tsunade narrowed her eyes. "And this student of yours…..who is it exactly?"
"Why, he's in the first match of course."
Both Tsunade and Kagome shared another look with one another, this time a worried one. If Orochimaru had trained Kushina's opponent for the first match, then the redhead's chances of victory had just become that much slimmer.
'No, we also trained her too,' Tsunade thought. 'Not to mention that her parents also took the time to teach her some things apparently.'
'We'll just have to have faith in her,' Kagome added.
But Orochimaru paid them no mind. His attention was focused down below in the arena where the nine genin had finally gathered.
The crowd began to cheer.
Up on the Kage box, Sarutobi sat by himself. Apparently the Kazekage couldn't have taken anytime from his busy schedule to come and spectate this exam alongside him. Sarutobi could understand that. The man was facing a war with Iwa at the moment, after all. Even so, Sarutobi felt that it was a bit insulting for the team he had sent. Either way, it wasn't something that could be helped now. He would have to carry on the show by himself, so to speak.
Standing up, Sarutobi smiled as he began to make his speech.
Down below, Kushina was giddy, feeling just about everyone's gaze on her. It was a bit intimidating honestly. But she had finally made it here. She was in the finals of the Chunnin exams. Now, she just needed to make sure that she won this tournament.
The redhead was so focused in her thoughts that Sarutobi's speech went over her head. It wasn't until the chunnin, the same one as from the preliminaries, coughed that her attention returned back to the real world.
Raising a piece of paper in front of the genins' faces which contained the matches in order, he said, "Alright. Take one last look at the brackets and whom you will all be facing."
But there was no need for him to do that. The matches hadn't changed whatsoever. So Kushina already knew who her first obstacle was: Takao.
Seeing that all the genin were ready, the chunnin lowered the paper. "Well, then. The terrain may be different, but the rules are the same: everything goes until one of you surrenders or can no longer fight. I can also step in at anytime that I want. I don't want to get any backtalk from that. Otherwise, you risk getting yourself disqualified. Is that understood?"
The genin all nodded.
"Alright then. Uzumaki Kushina. Amane Takao. You two will take part in the first match. The others: you can go all wait in the observation area until your turn comes."
Kushina's eyes were completely on Takao, even as the others all set out towards the waiting area. Hikari sent her friend a worried glance as she made her way towards the stairs alongside the other genin.
It only took a couple of more seconds for the battle area to be cleared save for Kushina, Takao, and the chunnin.
Takao smiled. "It's finally time, Kushina. I had wished things wouldn't come to this. But it seems that it cannot be helped. But do not worry. I will make sure to end this as quickly as possible."
"Shut it," Kushina said with narrowed eyes. "I'm not interested in what you have to say. Nor am I interested in you. But you hurt a friend of mine. I'm here to avenge him. And I will succeed. Just you watch."
Seeing as though Kushina wasn't going to back down, Takao sighed. "So be it. I guess I have no choice to but to silence you by force."
Kushina smirked. "Just try it, teme. You'll find that you're the one that's way over his head."
Takao didn't respond as the chunnin raised his arm up in the air.
"The first match of the finals….begin!"
The arm went down with the crowd exploding into cheers.
"Achoo!"
"Are you feeling okay, Naruto-kun?"
Said blond scratched his nose. "Yeah. I guess someone must be talking about me or something."
Konan, who was walking next to him through the rain, shook her head with an amused look. "And who might that be exactly? Hmm?"
Naruto shrugged. "Who knows? I do have quite the fan base, you know."
Konan giggled. "Is that so? It'll take me seeing it to believe it."
Naruto pouted. "Don't be so mean, Konan-chan. Especially since I even agreed that you could come with us."
Konan looked at the rain around them, hugging the dark cloak that was over her more closely. "Jiraiya-sensei has his hands full with Nagato and Yahiko. My jutsu isn't something that he can help me with."
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "And you think that I will be of any better help?"
Konan grinned. "Of course not. But this will give me the chance to see the world outside of this country. So I just had to take the chance."
Naruto chuckled. "I see, I see. So you're just using me then? I see how that mind of yours works, Konan-chan."
The blue haired girl shrugged. "I'm not sorry."
Naruto grinned until the other person next to him coughed.
"Naruto-sama, are you sure there's any need for us to walk? I mean, I could just teleport us-"
"It's fine," Naruto said as he waved his hand in dismissal. "I actually prefer walking. And Konan-chan wants to catch the sights too. Besides, we're not exactly in any hurry either. Not until Sasuke brings us any dire news anyway."
Miyuki sighed. "Even so-"
"It'll be fine," Naruto stated with a firm tone. "I would prefer for the man to know that I am coming rather than to sneak into his village again. It really won't send a good message if I did."
"Be that as it may, we also have young Konan with us now," Miyuki said in return. "You can't expect her to keep up with us."
Konan frowned. "I may not have Nagato's fancy eyes, but I do know how to take care of myself. I have been training hard this entire time too."
"I know that," Naruto said with a smile. "So don't worry. We're not leaving you behind. Besides, if my hunch is correct, he won't try to kill me this time."
Miyuki sighed. "I wonder what you're basing that on…."
"Like I said: a hunch."
Miyuki merely sighed again, knowing there was no use in trying to change her master's mind.
In any case, this unlikely trio continued on their way through the rain, their destination being far far away.
In the midst of this, however, Naruto recalled how Kushina and the rest of their class were in the middle of taking the Chunnin exams. More specifically, the final portion which apparently was due to begin today. It was more than likely that they had already begun. Some part of him wished that he could be there, but it couldn't be helped. There were other things that he had to take care of unfortunately.
Looking up, Naruto smiled. 'Good luck, Kushina. Go and show them what an Uzumaki can do!'
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