Naruto's POV (Entryway of Courtyard of Iron Arena - Land of Iron)
Naruto sat in a dead-end hallway. After ensuring Shikamaru had won, Naruto felt like taking a break from other people. Kami knew he had many problems to ponder, and he had always done his best thinking alone. Wandering the sparse halls of the Iron Arena proved perfect for allowing his mind to drift. Empty and devoid, they were as the cool and collected Samui clashed with the battle-hungry Mangetsu. Naruto was sure Samui would win; she seemed much more skilled than most had thought. And would not struggle nearly as much as Omoi to take advantage of the well-known weakness of the Hozuki at this point. It was the perfect circumstance for Naruto to achieve some inner peace.
Eventually, he wandered absentmindedly into a dead end leading to a closet. Knowing most people other than a janitor would not end up here, it seemed wise to stay at this spot. 'Unless there are Samurai janitors… nah.'
Ino was at the forefront of his mind. She was his friend, one of his closest ones, in fact. However, Naruto had many problems and needed to be more confident of Ino or her intentions. As much as Naruto would like to bury the hatchet and repair their friendship, he felt it would be best to hold off on addressing it until at least after the exams.
That was primarily due to Gaara, the Sand shinobi and fellow jinchuriki, who seemed prepared to kill or capture him should he not see the "truth." Naruto had never been a coward; even when it was doubtful he could, he had stood up to Neji. Gaara felt different and had been fearless in a clash with the missing shinobi. Naruto could admit to somewhat fearing the man. Gaara had shown to be decisive in a way Naruto had never seen. Gaara was intelligent and vindictive; he did not acknowledge his humanity. Naruto felt the two were similar, but there was no denying Gaara was more monstrous.
He wanted to fight Sasuke and held no ill will towards the Uchiha. Naruto could tell Sasuke had primarily been fair. But it still rubbed him the wrong way, as Neji had been beaten by someone other than himself. Naruto had deemed it only fair that he paid Sasuke back personally. Plus, the fight would indeed be incredible, win-win, as it were.
Yes, Naruto was too busy to figure out Ino at the moment. Soon, but not now.
"I wonder if you'll impress me once again, brother." A raspy and familiar voice called. Naruto's eyes whipped up to see his redheaded tormenter himself.
"Brother?" Naruto asked, curious but neutral. Despite his tone, he had already drawn Riptide. 'Better to stall for now. Not sure I can defeat him in these narrow walls.' "As far as I knew, our relationship was between the victim and the stalker."
"We are both not mere humans but jinchuriki; this makes us unique and family," Gaara said with a pleasant tone. Naruto raised a brow at this; Gaara's vibe seemed different this time. "I say this because, in all truth, I'm desperate to make you understand. You should understand, not like these pathetic humans. We are connected through shared pain. You also felt that, didn't you. Was it you who connected to my mind, or should I say mindscape? Join me, and I will spare you in our match; I will lead us to greatness. Or if you choose to be foolish, I'll either force you into joining or kill you should you prove weak. Even for jinchuriki, only the strong survive."
"I've never been much of a follower," Naruto said coldly. His fear was silenced by righteous fury. Time and time again, this man before him had decided the fate of many. Naruto just couldn't allow someone to live like this! "And you're wrong. I won't be joining you, and I see the truth clearly. We may be different, but we are still human."
"You fool, we are nothing but human. Have you not seen how much they hate us? Abhor us? They made this choice. We merely will show them their mistakes." Gaara replied evenly. "Should you believe we need humanity, you must prove it. Show me the strength of a jinchuriki who has embraced humanity. I'll show you how meager it is to the strength of a jinchuriki who has embraced their power." Gaara chuckled silently as he dispersed into a moving cloud of sand, drifting away from the blonde.
Naruto sighed, annoyed and slightly tired after facing Gaara. Unfortunately, it seemed he wouldn't be given an actual break.
"UZUMAKI! There you are, you little shit! I've been looking everywhere for you!" Kurotsuchi yelled as she ran down the hallway, subtly cutting off his escape just as Gaara had.
Naruto leaned against the wall with a slight frown. "What do you need, Kurotsuchi?"
"Oh, come on, we're finally gonna get to fight soon! How are you not excited? Besides, this isn't just any match-up. This is a battle between the future Kage!" Kurotsuchi said with a large grin. "A great chance to show the world that I, the granddaughter of Onoki and future Tsuchikage. Is a superior shinobi to the nobody Naruto Uzumaki, the future Hokage!"
"No one knows who either of us are," Naruto said dryly. "Secondly, I'm awesome and definitely will be Hokage. But why do you think so?"
"I can just tell! A rival of mine could afford to be no less Shortstack." Kurotsuchi taunted. "Besides, you'd never make it as a Tsuchikage, maybe a lame Hokage, but never a Tsuchikage."
Naruto grinned through his annoyance. A fight to prove himself to some asshole was just up his alley. "Whatever you say. Just remember the smack you're talking about when I kick your ass." He teased back his lousy mood, momentarily forgotten.
"Sounds like a plan, Shortstack. Bring your A-game; I need a real show-stopper for my Chunin Exams. Need a story to tell about my promotion!" She teased as she walked off.
Naruto offered a final heavy sigh before returning to the contestant section. Naruto Uzumaki may be stressed out, but he was never down and out.
Yagura's POV (Kage Box of Iron Arena - Land of Iron)
Yagura had been hesitant to attend the exams. The Chunin Exams were considered by every village as a chance to increase revenue and show off to dissuade their enemies. Something the Mist Village could, of course, use. But unlike the other villages that could afford to do so with ease, he could not. Yagura had freed his home from its previous tyrannical leader. But being a true hero did not stop there. He had routed out all his villainous supporters, their families, and anyone who had become unjust. It had been necessary, the only way to ensure their evil would not return.
But it had led to his current predicament: a bloody and, at times, seemingly endless Civil War. Yagura had found it unfortunate but had no problem combating the evil of this newest "rebellion." He had been unconcerned; why would he be? Yagura knew he was just and knew no shinobi or team of shinobi could face him in battle. They tried to politicize, but no hero wasted time on such things.
That's why he was hesitant about these exams. Yagura had no impressive Genin left in his employ, and the war was always a wrong time for Genin, especially with their harsher practice of forging strong heroes. He could only send the recently injured Mangetsu and the inexperienced Suigetsu, who were at odds with Mangetsu's diminished state and Suigetsu's lack of skill. Their powerful bloodlines were heroic; he thought it would allow them to coast through the opposition. A decision that A's and Hiruzen's Genin had proved unwise. Yagura had been aware of their weaknesses; every technique had flaws. But they had thought they were skilled enough to bypass such. Suigetsu had been embarrassed by what had been proven to be an intelligent and skilled but ultimately weak Nara. Mangetsu had performed better. Omoi had been an embarrassing but decisive match. Yet Samui, the strange boy's teammate, proved much more game. She had defeated Mangetsu decisively, purely outperforming him in all categories. 'This will surely harm our reputation even further. No true matter, I suppose, a hero cares little for approval; they only need to know they serve justice.'
Besides, an increase in business would be troublesome; it was just as well that they focused on crushing the rebels. Yes, in fact, Yagura was sure this was for the best. Attracting business for the Mist was needed, but doing so in their volatile and violent state would need to be more helpful. No, heroes could not call out to others until they had vanquished their evil foes. This was necessary to an extent for image anyway; his presence would save face. And the need for more business would ensure they could focus on the war. Crush the villains, gain business, expand…
A silent wish of air announced the arrival of Tsunade from a rather long restroom break. Hiruzen and Mifune offered glares for such, but Tsunade ignored them as she settled behind Hiruzen next to Jiraiya. Yagura gazed at the room before him and focused back on it. A was still mocking him, having been the one to "deal the final blow to the Mist." He had been ranting during his inner monologue, but Yagura knew better than to listen to his Lesser's advice. Hiruzen seemed to be silently admonishing the female Sanin for her late arrival. Mifune seemed to be listening as well, passively enjoying Tsunade's reprimands. Rasa seemed more amused at Yagura's Genin's failure. Why Onoki was distracted, likely thinking over his daughter's coming bout.
There are so many places to cleanse the ill-intended. Yagura would be patient; the hero was always a little late.