"Next match is going to be between Hikari Fuma versus Naoki Hyuga!"
Two Genin stepped onto the arena floor, the contrast between their postures free for the audience to see. Hikari moved lightly, twin curved blades glinting in her hands. Her posture is more meek.
The Hyuga, on the other hand, stood in calm silence, the veins around his eyes already faintly visible as his Byakugan activated. Staring down the girl as if looking at an ant.
Jiraiya, who was on the high ground spectating, frowned.
'Is it legal to already have your dojutsu active? Well, I suppose it wouldn't make too much of a difference at this level of strength.' The thought still irked Jiraiya as the referee seemed to ignore the single hand sign from the Hyuga.
It was the equivalent of making hand signs before a match started.
Not too long after, the proctor gave the signal. "Begin!"
Hikari moved first. With a quick flick of her wrist, she launched a set of wire-bound shuriken that curved midair toward her opponent. Naoki turned slightly with veins bulging around his eyes.
With a graceful pivot, two fingers extended, and each shuriken caught with precision. He then yanked the wires backwards. The Fuma girl who saw this had a surprised look as she was sent forward, two meters away from her opponent.
All traps were laid bare before his eyes.
She lunged forward regardless, her blades flashing in quick arcs.
'Close combat with a Hyuga? Oh...' Jiraiya, who saw this, had a clenched fist to his mouth, as if blowing air on it.
Then, in an instant, the Hyuga broke her guard and stepped in. One, two, three palm strikes landing with surgical precision. Chakra burst from his fingertips, slamming into her tenketsu points.
Hikari gasped, blades falling from her hands as her limbs went numb. Falling to the floor, unable to move.
"Winner! Hyūga Naoki!" The proctor announces.
The match had lasted less than a minute. It almost felt like a robbery the way the girl wasn't able to show off her entire arsenal. But it was the reality of a battle, not every tool in your possession is used.
Below, the Hyuga simply bowed, calm and unreadable as he walked off the field. As the Fuma girl was taken away in a stroller.
"This will be the final match!" the proctor called out, getting all of the Genin's attention. "Aburame Shin versus Hiro Uchiha!"
A battle between a Uchiha and an Aburame.
'It's not Shino versus Sasuke, but it's pretty close...'
The Uchiha stepped forward first. Dark-haired, eyes sharp, a single tomoe spinning lazily in his crimson Sharingan. Across from him, the Aburame stood composed, his high-collared coat hiding the faint hum of bugs beneath.
This was almost unfortunate.
"His bugs can be seen by the Sharingan. What an amazing Kekkei Genkai. I wish I had one..." Orochimaru mutters, which made Jiraiya's skin crawl a little.
"Begin!"
At once, a cloud of insects poured forth, swarming toward Hiro in waves. The Uchiha's eyes narrowed, the Sharingan glinting as it tracked the faint shimmer of chakra each bug carried.
Rat → Tiger → Dog → Ox → Rabbit → Tiger
[Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique]
A burst of flame erupted from his mouth, splitting into several smaller fireballs that streaked outward like meteors.
Each small fireball seemed to hit specific areas of the arena, which made the Aburame flinch. All of his hidden bugs, meant to flank, were killed.
The Aburame reacted swiftly, commanding his surviving insects to circle behind him, but the Uchiha was already moving. A flicker, then another burst of fire, sent the remaining swarm fleeing.
*Roar!*
Watching the flames engulf the Aburame helplessly, he was crawling on the floor, fire burning his clothes. Soon after fainting, his chest was full of bug holes, which crept out a bit of Genin's from the audience. Most frowned while some more detestable people talked.
"Eww..."
"Do all Aburame have that? That's disgusting."
The proctor's hand soon after rose. "Winner! Hiro Uchiha!"
...
---
[POV - Jiraiya]
The moment the final preliminary match ended, the tension that had been thick in the air seemed to loosen all at once. We Genin stood scattered around the stone arena, some triumphant, others exhausted, and a few still looking dazed from the fights they'd just survived.
Still, the losers of the preliminaries were still here.
All of them were looking at the floor, disappointed.
Before anyone had time to exchange more than a few murmurs, the proctors began herding everyone back toward the main chamber.
We filed in, boots echoing through the wide corridors, until we reached the same massive hall where we'd first gathered.
When we arrived, Hiruzen-sensei was already standing on the raised platform at the front of the hall. Several other high-ranking shinobi stood from when they first showed themselves.
Sensei waited for the last group to settle before clasping his hands behind his back.
"Congratulations to all of you who have made it this far," he announced, voice steady and warm. "These preliminary matches have tested more than your skill. They have challenged your composure, your adaptability, and your will to continue."
A few of the Genin straightened with pride. Others just stared at the floor, still nursing bruised egos or faces.
"But the Chunin Exams," Hiruzen continued, "Do not end here. In thirty days, the final battles will take place. There, your performance will determine whether you are prepared to take on the responsibilities of a Chunin."
It was an ample amount of time to train in some sort of way. Especially since we know the move sets of some of the competition now.
What seemed the most annoying to battle was the Uchiha.
Does he know how to use Genjutsu through his eyes? We never got to see it due to the Aburame being immune to that type of stuff because of his bugs. A shame that guy got beaten so badly.
The Uchiha was his literal only counter. Man, the Aburame need some representation.
'Fire and the ability to see his bugs... Yikes.'
Tsunade stood next to me with her arms crossed, no doubt in my mind was gonna train her strength or ninjutsu. Orochimaru, on the other hand, just looked thoughtful.
Probably ninjutsu? A mix of poison and shurikenjutsu.
There really isn't much of a way to tell this early on in his shinobi career. Like, yeah, he'll try to learn every technique he wants. But that doesn't mean he hasn't thought of a way to get past Gamabunta.
Hiruzen let the announcement settle before shifting his tone, softer but firm.
"To those who did not pass this stage," he said, "do not be discouraged. Failure is a part of every shinobi's life. Just make sure it's not the final mistake you make, that's why we train and take such opportunities like this for growth. Your efforts will serve you well. Good job on getting this far."
Some of the disappointed Genin looked up, surprised by the reassurance. I guess getting a pep talk from the Hokage himself does soften the blow a little. Though what he's saying is true.
It's better to notice a weakness in these exams than in war. The Genin's a few years ago didn't get such a luxury.
With that, he nodded to the proctors, who began directing everyone toward the exits.
Tsunade nudged me lightly with a teasing smile. "You owe me dinner, I'm starving! That's gonna be number seven!"
"Fine... Wait, we're at seven already?" I say in fake exasperation.
"Mm-hm," she hums in delight, but gets a suspicious look. "Are you not even counting?"
Orochimaru, who was off to the side, was in his own world. While I was currently ignoring the senju princess staring daggers into the back of my head.
"Yo Orochimaru, wanna join?" I ask.
Orochimaru, who heard my words, just shook his head. "I need to write down everything I've seen today. Before I forget."
"Say, don't we have to battle each other? I wonder who is the strongest..." Tsunade cheekily intervened, losing her previous thoughts.
"Well, I don't care too much. At the end of the day, it's not like becoming a Chunin now matters too much." I say which gets the attention of my teammates, and even a few Genin across from us. "Like I'll still do my best, but the results don't mean too much to me. I'll eventually become a Chunin anyway. It just means more time to train with sensei."
This made the other two think for a little bit, but agree with my sentiment. While I'm not sure if Sensei still trains us past Chunin, as Kakashi definitely abandoned his students afterwards. I'm 90% sure that if I asked Hiruzen-sensei for help on a technique, he wouldn't mind.
Anything to get away from paperwork...
If anything, he'll use me as an excuse to skip out on doing work, which sounds pretty amusing.
Either way, it was a win-win scenario.
The crowd gradually thinned as teams trickled out into the late afternoon sun.
We stepped outside the tower, and for a moment, I just breathed in the open air.
...
Three days after the preliminaries wrapped up, the village atmosphere was still the same as ever.
On the fourth morning, Hiruzen-sensei gathered us after giving the team a little rest.
Hiruzen arrived a few minutes later, hands behind his back, expression calm in that way only he could manage. At the sight of us, though, a pleased and giddy look hit him.
"Well done on the exams! The finals will begin in 27 days, and we will begin our training. It seems like our training together has definitely worked..."
Tsunade straightened immediately. Orochimaru folded his arms, listening carefully. I stood there waiting.
Without another word, three puffs of smoke appear behind him.
[Multi-Shadow Clone Technique]
Three identical clones of the Third Hokage appeared beside him, each already reaching into the back pocket of the sensei for some scrolls.
"Over the next month," Hiruzen said, "I will divide my time among you by using shadow clones. I've decided to give you all a select amount of techniques I personally think will help you the most. Of course, you can request any ninjutsu based on the path you want to take. I don't want to limit you guys."
At his latter half of his words, his gaze met mine.
Tsunade's eyes widened with excitement. Orochimaru was barely shaking in anticipation. I tried to keep my face neutral, but a wide smile crept up on my face.
Jackpot.
Hiruzen pointed toward the clones. "Today, we will begin by splitting off for the remainder of the 27 days."
Tsunade stepped toward her assigned clone first, lightly stretching her arms.
"What's inside the scroll, sensei!" she giddily says, already grabbing the clone's arms. Reaching for the three scrolls. Sensei's clone, though, grabbed her like a mother grabbing their kitten.
By the back of her clothes, then walking off. Tsunade just accepted it, knowing she couldn't resist.
Both Orochimaru and I soon parted ways.
Once we split up, I followed my clone toward the far corner of the training field. He didn't speak at first. Just watched myself as I loosened my shoulders and prepared myself.
"Your fundamentals are solid, as an all-rounder," he said. "But you need a way to make use of your arsenal in some situations. Sometimes opponents just run away and force you into uncomfortable positions." Silently listening to him, he kept on talking.
"Today," he continued, "We're expanding your arsenal. I have two techniques here, but you're able to ask for another as long as it's not above B-rank."
My back straightened with a smirk. "I like where this is going, sensei."
The clone gave me a cheeky smile, pulling out two scrolls. "Very well. First: a sensing technique. You kept complaining in training about not knowing if a clone is being fake in the heat of battle. So this is perfect."
"Nice!"
Was I a natural sensor?
Honestly, not sure but most likely not. But a technique like this would still be extremely important for me.
"Second," he said, "is a Lightning Release technique. Although it's not too important right now."
Not bad, not bad.
He tapped his staff on the ground, and the earth vibrated faintly.
"The sensing technique is called Earth Pulse Sensory. You push a small wave of chakra into the ground and get feedback to whether there is anyone or by your own judgement traps nearby. A good example of this is a wire laced with chakra to put you in a Genjutsu."
I nodded slowly.
"But," he warned, "your pulse can also be sensed by a sensor shinobi who is extremely sensitive or actively scouting. Naturally, this is best for close to medium range use, as further sensing takes a bit of time."
'Honestly, it's good to know the downsides, but it won't make me not want it.' I thought.
Then he stood, making a few hand seals.
Tiger → Snake → Tiger → Bird → Tiger → Ram
[Lightning Release: Thunderbolt]
His fingers crackling with blue-white chakra in a bright ball. A couple bolts of lightning in a instant, left the ball.
"This is Lightning Release: Thunderbolt. Fast, semi-guided, and excellent for disabling moving opponents of all ranges."
The lightning blast, in a flash, zoomed forward into a tree, creating an explosion.
*Boom*
I was grinning as the gust of wind from the attack hit my body.
Thinking back to sensei's words before we split off, a question arose in my head. Memories of people such as Tayuya with their special Genjutsu were honestly pretty cool and versatile.
Would it work against stronger opponents?
Probably not, but most villages didn't have a hard counter.
You can't worry about aliens and Madara without surviving the first few shinobi wars. Matter of fact, did any village have any way to counter Genjutsu flat out without chakra control? Konoha had the Sharingan and the Hyuga.
'Maybe that's why Kurenai became a Jounin.'
That's enough slander. All things considered, if we look at talents from different villages, like maybe the hidden sand. One of their strongest Jounin was Baki, and let's be honest, that's like one Asuma or less.
I wouldn't doubt that if Kurenai had the jump, she could kill Baki.
Genjutsu users were just good in general for weaker fighters, weaker than themselves.
Ah, the unfortunate dilemma of being compared to Kakashi and Might Guy...
"Uh… Hiruzen-sensei?" I rubbed the back of my neck. Which got his attention, "Is it possible to teach me Genjutsu? Oh, are there any that can work through sound?"
Hiruzen's clone narrowed his eyes but thoughtfully rubbed his chin.
"Through sound, huh? I can think of a few I currently know."