Chapter 27: The Prelude to the Finals
After Ryouma's team reached the tower, they found it empty. Just like in the original story, Team 8 was the first to arrive. This time, however, it wasn't due to Kiba's traps, but to Ryouma's overwhelming strength.
Over the next few days, the tower gradually filled. Ryouma also spotted Gaara—pale, with dark circles under his eyes and a large gourd on his back—along with his siblings, Kankuro and Temari.
"Hey? Ryouma!" The moment Naruto entered the tower and saw Ryouma casually looking around, he couldn't help but shout. He bounded over in a few quick steps, grinning widely. "Ryouma! I heard you were the one who saved us last time! I had no idea you were so strong!"
"Oh, it was nothing," Ryouma replied, scratching his head with an embarrassed laugh.
"Naruto-kun... Naruto-kun..." Hinata's face had been bright red since Naruto entered. Unconsciously, she grabbed Ryouma's hand and hid her body partially behind his back.
Naruto didn't seem to notice. He continued chatting with Ryouma for a bit before returning to his own team.
Ryouma watched Naruto's retreating back, then looked down at Hinata hiding behind him. He smiled softly and patted her head. "That Naruto... he's a good guy."
"Huh?" Hinata looked up at him, unsure why he'd said that suddenly.
Meeting her gaze, Ryouma's eyes softened. "However," he said, his voice gentle but firm, "I'll do even better than him."
Hinata's heart skipped a beat. Her cheeks flushed an even deeper shade of red as she whispered, "I believe in you."
"Attention, everyone!"
A somewhat hoarse voice echoed through the tower.
After the list of qualifying teams was announced, not only was the second exam's proctor, Mitarashi Anko, present, but so were the other jōnin instructors, including those of Ryouma and Naruto. Even the Hokage himself stood in the center, observing the remaining candidates.
"First of all, congratulations to all of you for passing the second exam!"
78 people started the second exam... and now only 18 remain, Anko thought, a vulgar smirk playing on her lips. I did say I'd pass more than half, but honestly, I was hoping for single digits...
Originally, 156 genin had taken the first written test, with exactly half being eliminated. Now, from those 78, only 18 had been selected.
"I'm so hungry..." Akimichi Chōji from Shikamaru's team rubbed his stomach.
"I didn't expect so many people would be left. What a drag," Shikamaru muttered, his lips curling in annoyance. His eyes, however, drifted involuntarily toward Ryouma, who stood with a long sword strapped to his back.
That guy could probably take out anyone here with ease. If I get matched against him, I'm surrendering immediately...
"Ryouma passed, and Sasuke-kun passed too... If they have to fight, who should I cheer for...?" Ino tapped her index fingers together over her chest, utterly conflicted.
"It took so much effort to help Sasuke-kun. There's no way he can be disqualified now," Sakura thought, her expression unchanging, but her gaze shifting from Ryouma to Sasuke.
That guy... I should be able to fight him...
"The team you led did pretty well. Should I call it luck?" Might Guy, the jōnin instructor for the team containing Hinata's cousin, Neji, flashed a brilliant smile at Kakashi, his tone deliberately provocative. "However, with a team led by my eternal rival, the next stage won't be so easy! How should I put it? The next level relies purely on strength! Youth is sometimes sour, sometimes bitter, Kakashi—"
"What did you say?" Kakashi asked, having clearly not been listening.
"WHAT?!" Guy's eyes bulged, flames seeming to shoot from them. He clenched his fists. "You didn't listen to a word I said! As expected of my eternal rival, Kakashi!"
"As I thought, all the noteworthy individuals are here," Hyūga Neji's gaze swept the room, finally settling on Sasuke. "Uchiha Sasuke..."
"It's almost identical to the original story," Ryouma mused with a mental shrug. "But it seems Shino didn't make it to the third round because I took his spot..." He offered a silent apology to the Aburame genin before his eyes fell upon the jōnin leading the Oto-nin team. He frowned. Those snake-like eyes... Orochimaru?
"Ryouma, Hinata, Kiba..." Kurenai looked at her team with evident pride. "You are truly the students I recognize, passing the second round almost completely unscathed." Her eyes then lingered on the long sword strapped to Ryouma's back. "When did you acquire a blade...?"
"So many are left... and almost all of them are rookies," the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, thought, glancing at the various jōnin instructors behind him. "No wonder they were so eager to recommend them."
"Next," announced Mitarashi Anko, the second exam's proctor, "Lord Hokage will explain the details of the third exam. I hope you will all listen carefully." She then turned and bowed slightly to the Hokage. "Lord Hokage, the floor is yours."
Hiruzen Sarutobi gave a slight nod and stepped forward. "The third exam will be held shortly. But before that, there is something I must make clear to you all. Regarding the true purpose of this exam... Why do allied nations hold a joint selection test?"
Hiruzen adjusted his Hokage hat and continued. "It is to strengthen the friendly ties between our villages and to enhance the overall strength of our ninja. I hope you do not misunderstand its true meaning. This exam can be said to be... a microcosm of the wars between our allied nations."
Ryouma shrugged internally, watching the shocked expressions around him with a silent chuckle.
It's just like the original intention of the Olympic Games, he thought. The prestige of your nation is on the line.
Hiruzen Sarutobi went on. "This exam is a stage to display the strength of our village's ninja to the world. Therefore, you must fight with your lives on the line for it to hold meaning. It is for this reason that our predecessors established this exam, dreaming that 'this is a goal worth fighting for.'"
"Then why do you emphasize 'friendship'?" asked Tenten, the weapon specialist from Team Guy.
"Did I not just explain?" Hiruzen replied patiently. "I hope you do not misinterpret its meaning. The practice of risking your lives against one another to achieve a balance of power... that is the so-called 'friendship' in the world of shinobi!"
"This is a battle where you stake your life, the prestige of your village, and your own dreams!"
"Yeah! I get it!" Naruto nodded vigorously, flashing a bright grin at the Hokage.
So this is the world of shinobi... Is this the dream of a ninja? Ryouma's gaze drifted to Hinata standing behind him, then fell to his own hands. "However," he murmured under his breath, "that is the dream of a ninja... not mine."
"Although I would like to explain the third exam to you all now..." Hiruzen began, but was interrupted.
Suddenly, a man with a sword on his back, a pale complexion, and heavy dark circles under his eyes appeared, kneeling on one knee before Hiruzen Sarutobi. "Lord Hokage, please forgive my interruption," he said respectfully. "I will now hand over the proceedings to the referee for the next stage... Hayate Gekkō!"