Chakra Wizard
Active member
Awards
Okay, onto the aftermath of the preliminaries. No action, but plenty of foreshadowing, so hopefully, that makes up for it*_* Enjoy
Here’s my previous chapters, for those who missed any:
Chapter 044: The Next Step
Several minutes had passed since Nakama’s match came to an end, but the remaining genin were still uncertain of what awaited them next. Having been asked to wait on the arena floor by their senior instructors, the seventeen victors who were still present stood there conversing with one another while their peers who failed to move on did the same from the balconies. Meanwhile, in the corner of the room, the Kages and some of the more seasoned shinobi present at the tower – including Shikamaru, Temari, and the old members of Team 7 – discussed how they would go about dealing with the remaining contestants.
Konohamaru: So, what is our verdict? Do we cut their numbers in half again?
Kitsuchi: We have to. As of right now, we’ve got eighteen genin going into the finals and that’s way too many.
Darui: I agree. It would be a rather dull event for those who attend if they were forced to sit through that many matches.
Temari: I don’t see what the big issue is. Just leave them as they are. Who cares if the audience has to be there all day?
Shikamaru: I’m afraid we can’t do that. Keep in mind, those who move on today will be competing in a tournament overlooked by several potential hirers for the villages. They’re not there to watch an endless parade of one-on-one matches between genin.
Mei: It just seems like such a shame to me. Those poor dears are probably exhausted by now and it would pain me to see them go through another round of matches.
Naruto: Well then, let’s not make them go through it. I agree with Temari. We should leave things the way they are now.
Most of them expected for Naruto to be among those to argue against a second round of preliminaries, but that didn’t stop every one of them from looking his way upon hearing the serious tone in his voice.
Sakura: Naruto, you heard what Shikamaru said, didn’t you? They’ll be looking to see which village offers the highest quality of shinobi for hire. They’re not there purely for their own entertainment.
Naruto: (He smiled at her before continuing.) Exactly. Right now, I look over at the middle of the room and I see eighteen extremely talented genin who deserve the chance to move on to chūnin. They’re the strongest shinobi of their generation and if you ask me, it’d be a crime to rob the tournament’s audience of the chance to see even one of them in action. …We wanna show them our best, don’t we? Well, if that’s true, then I say we can’t afford to cut our numbers down any further than they are now.
While he spoke, the others looked towards the small crowd of genin in question, recalling each of their matches as they thought over Naruto’s words. It was true that all of them showed impressive skill during their matches, and it didn’t long after that for most of them to realize that Naruto was completely right. Expecting nothing less, those who knew him best smiled nostalgically at his unceasing talent for swaying others.
Sasuke: He does bring up a fine point.
Gaara: I agree. We have a fine balance of shinobi from different villages here right now. If we were to divide them again, we would risk the chance of offsetting that balance.
Darui: Agreed, but still. We’re risking upsetting potential employers by doing this.
B: Yo, I’m with Naruto, Darui. We gotta let these kiddies fly. Don’t leave ‘em all cooped up where no one can see ‘em.
Sakura: (She nodded in agreement as her nostalgic smiling continued, a far more melancholic air about it than the others.) Yeah. I say we keep the total contestants at eighteen.
Mei: As do I.
Konohamaru: (Rather pleased with the verdict himself, he smiled before addressing the entire group.) That settles it, then. Let’s head over and give them the news.
After a few minutes of moving about, all the shinobi still present were back in their positions from just before the preliminaries – with the exceptions of the losing genin, who continued to watch from the balconies as Konohamaru spoke to the victors.
Konohamaru: First of all, I speak for myself and all those standing behind me when I say how impressed we were by the performances we’ve seen today. All thirty…almost all thirty-six contestants put forth valiant efforts in their matches, and our congratulations go out to the eighteen who will be moving on to the finals.
A few chuckles were heard throughout the tower directed at Konohamaru’s subtle correction, along with the turning of a few heads towards those whom he’d obviously meant to exclude from the aforementioned group. Vito was the main victim of this, though he was much too unhinged to notice it.
Konohamaru: Before we can truly move on, though, we must first determine the brackets for the tournament, so I ask that each of you draw a number from that box being brought around by Baiko. That will determine your position on the bracket.
As he spoke, a older jōnin with slightly tanned skin and wearing tinted glasses, a dark-blue bandanna, and a standard flak jacket began walking in front of the long line of genin, stopping every few steps to allow the one standing in front of him to pull a folded piece of paper from the box in his hands. Once this was done, he returned to Konohamaru’s side as each genin opened up the papers to see which number they chose.
Konohamaru: Now, go ahead and announce your numbers.
Manako: …Fourteen.
Akame: Four.
Chan: I have sixteen.
Z: Seventeen over here.
Shikaru: Huhhh…three.
Irezumi: Eleven.
Ide: (Looking directly to her side immediately after hearing Irezumi’s number, she giggled softly to herself as she looked down at her own.) Hmhm, I have twelve.
Kagetsu: Uh, I got two.
Sabure: …Thirteen.
Ryūza: Eight.
Kūrogane: Five.
Minto: Fifteen.
Taigen: (Oh man, this isn’t looking good.) …Seven.
Nakama: One.
Kei: I got nine.
Inase: (Taken completely by surprise upon hearing Kei’s number, her eyes widened slightly before she closed them and chuckled softly.) Hmhm, ten.
Airon: (…Perfect.) Eighteen.
Konohamaru: Excellent. That leaves the number six position to our missing finalist, Hitomi Hyūga. Now then, take a moment to look at this chart.
Once again, he turned his attention towards Baiko, who had been scribbling down names onto a blank sheet of paper the entire time the contestants were announcing their numbers. After drawing a few lines to form the bracket, he held the paper up for all the genin to see.
Konohamaru: This chart shows you who your first opponent will be in the finals. It will also help you determine who you may wind up facing later on if and as you advance.
Each genin took a moment to memorize the chart, paying special attention to those names closest to their own. Many expressed surprise at the results, though what this entailed varied between them.
Manako: (Sabure from the Sand village, huh? …Hm, that should be an interesting warm-up.)
Sabure: (Manako Uchiha…just what I was hoping for.)
Z: (So, I’m startin’ with Airon Namikaze. …Heh, now THIS is gonna be a kickass tournament.)
Shikaru: (Ah, great. I’m stuck with one of those Uchiha’s, not to mention the one who likes using genjutsu to screw people over. …I’d best think this one over long and hard.)
Kagetsu: (Aw, damn it. I’ve gotta go up against that powerhouse chick from the last round? …This sucks.)
Minto: (So, first Chan and then Airon. …Well, guess I can only hope for the best. Don’t expect me to lose so easily, old buddy.)
Taigen: (You gotta be kidding me. Ryūza? …Oooo, I don’t feel so good about this.)
Kei: (Hehe, you are sooo going down, sis.)
Inase: (Hmhmhm, that awaits to be seen…and no, you’re the one that’s going down.)
Airon: (How perfect. All the shinobi I hoped to fight most, lined up one after another. …Hmhm, it’s like I just can’t lose.)
When it seemed they were all satisfied with what they’d seen, Baiko quickly rolled up the chart and placed it beneath his flak jacket while Gaara picked up where Konohamaru left off.
Gaara: As shinobi, we expect you to use this new information to your utmost advantage, so you’ll be given one month to prepare before the finals begin.
Upon hearing this, all but the most composed genin began showing signs of disappointment or concern, which was almost immediately quelled by the words of yet another Kage.
Kitsuchi: The long time span might seem tiresome now, but those of you who are wise will make good use of it. This is not only a time to build your strength, but also to maintain your health and recover from any ailments you have now or may suffer before then. You might even take the time to find out more about your future opponents, since I’m sure you all still have some hidden talents that weren’t already revealed today.
Mei: Think of it as us being lenient towards you and putting your own needs before timeliness.
Seeing that any qualms or unanswered questions regarding the finals no longer remained, Konohamaru smiled and moved to long-awaited dismissal.
Konohamaru: That concludes the third round preliminaries. I look forward to seeing you all in good health and ready to fight exactly one month from today.
Naruto: Now, get outta here. I’m sure you all have plenty of training to do before that time comes.
All seventeen genin nodded at his words before exiting the building, some in an almost hurried manner, with the older shinobi following them shortly. Naruto was making a valiant attempt to catch up with his grandchildren when a long-forgotten task suddenly plagued his mind.
Naruto: Oh, before I forget! Shikamaru!!
Walking several feet behind him, Shikamaru and Temari quickly stopped and waited as Naruto spun around and walked over to them, holding a small scroll out for the former to take.
Naruto: Kogane asked me to give you this two days ago. Sorry, it just slipped my mind.
Shikamaru sighed as he took the scroll, half-expecting that whatever matter its contents pertained to was no longer relevant. He quickly unfurled it and scanned over its words as Temari looked in from beside him, both of them exchanging amused expressions with one another as he rolled it up again and put it away.
Naruto: So, what is it?
Shikamaru: (He merely shook his head, taking Temari’s hand into his own as they began walking away.) Nothing I didn’t already know. …Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it later.
Naruto stood there a moment longer, pondering what message Kogane had for him, before suddenly realizing what he was doing and running off after his grandchildren once again.
The remaining genin disperse, set to regroup one month from today!!!
The End
Here’s my previous chapters, for those who missed any:
You must be registered for see links
You must be registered for see links
You must be registered for see links
You must be registered for see links
You must be registered for see links
You must be registered for see links
You must be registered for see links
You must be registered for see links
You must be registered for see links
You must be registered for see links
Chapter 044: The Next Step
Several minutes had passed since Nakama’s match came to an end, but the remaining genin were still uncertain of what awaited them next. Having been asked to wait on the arena floor by their senior instructors, the seventeen victors who were still present stood there conversing with one another while their peers who failed to move on did the same from the balconies. Meanwhile, in the corner of the room, the Kages and some of the more seasoned shinobi present at the tower – including Shikamaru, Temari, and the old members of Team 7 – discussed how they would go about dealing with the remaining contestants.
Konohamaru: So, what is our verdict? Do we cut their numbers in half again?
Kitsuchi: We have to. As of right now, we’ve got eighteen genin going into the finals and that’s way too many.
Darui: I agree. It would be a rather dull event for those who attend if they were forced to sit through that many matches.
Temari: I don’t see what the big issue is. Just leave them as they are. Who cares if the audience has to be there all day?
Shikamaru: I’m afraid we can’t do that. Keep in mind, those who move on today will be competing in a tournament overlooked by several potential hirers for the villages. They’re not there to watch an endless parade of one-on-one matches between genin.
Mei: It just seems like such a shame to me. Those poor dears are probably exhausted by now and it would pain me to see them go through another round of matches.
Naruto: Well then, let’s not make them go through it. I agree with Temari. We should leave things the way they are now.
Most of them expected for Naruto to be among those to argue against a second round of preliminaries, but that didn’t stop every one of them from looking his way upon hearing the serious tone in his voice.
Sakura: Naruto, you heard what Shikamaru said, didn’t you? They’ll be looking to see which village offers the highest quality of shinobi for hire. They’re not there purely for their own entertainment.
Naruto: (He smiled at her before continuing.) Exactly. Right now, I look over at the middle of the room and I see eighteen extremely talented genin who deserve the chance to move on to chūnin. They’re the strongest shinobi of their generation and if you ask me, it’d be a crime to rob the tournament’s audience of the chance to see even one of them in action. …We wanna show them our best, don’t we? Well, if that’s true, then I say we can’t afford to cut our numbers down any further than they are now.
While he spoke, the others looked towards the small crowd of genin in question, recalling each of their matches as they thought over Naruto’s words. It was true that all of them showed impressive skill during their matches, and it didn’t long after that for most of them to realize that Naruto was completely right. Expecting nothing less, those who knew him best smiled nostalgically at his unceasing talent for swaying others.
Sasuke: He does bring up a fine point.
Gaara: I agree. We have a fine balance of shinobi from different villages here right now. If we were to divide them again, we would risk the chance of offsetting that balance.
Darui: Agreed, but still. We’re risking upsetting potential employers by doing this.
B: Yo, I’m with Naruto, Darui. We gotta let these kiddies fly. Don’t leave ‘em all cooped up where no one can see ‘em.
Sakura: (She nodded in agreement as her nostalgic smiling continued, a far more melancholic air about it than the others.) Yeah. I say we keep the total contestants at eighteen.
Mei: As do I.
Konohamaru: (Rather pleased with the verdict himself, he smiled before addressing the entire group.) That settles it, then. Let’s head over and give them the news.
After a few minutes of moving about, all the shinobi still present were back in their positions from just before the preliminaries – with the exceptions of the losing genin, who continued to watch from the balconies as Konohamaru spoke to the victors.
Konohamaru: First of all, I speak for myself and all those standing behind me when I say how impressed we were by the performances we’ve seen today. All thirty…almost all thirty-six contestants put forth valiant efforts in their matches, and our congratulations go out to the eighteen who will be moving on to the finals.
A few chuckles were heard throughout the tower directed at Konohamaru’s subtle correction, along with the turning of a few heads towards those whom he’d obviously meant to exclude from the aforementioned group. Vito was the main victim of this, though he was much too unhinged to notice it.
Konohamaru: Before we can truly move on, though, we must first determine the brackets for the tournament, so I ask that each of you draw a number from that box being brought around by Baiko. That will determine your position on the bracket.
As he spoke, a older jōnin with slightly tanned skin and wearing tinted glasses, a dark-blue bandanna, and a standard flak jacket began walking in front of the long line of genin, stopping every few steps to allow the one standing in front of him to pull a folded piece of paper from the box in his hands. Once this was done, he returned to Konohamaru’s side as each genin opened up the papers to see which number they chose.
Konohamaru: Now, go ahead and announce your numbers.
Manako: …Fourteen.
Akame: Four.
Chan: I have sixteen.
Z: Seventeen over here.
Shikaru: Huhhh…three.
Irezumi: Eleven.
Ide: (Looking directly to her side immediately after hearing Irezumi’s number, she giggled softly to herself as she looked down at her own.) Hmhm, I have twelve.
Kagetsu: Uh, I got two.
Sabure: …Thirteen.
Ryūza: Eight.
Kūrogane: Five.
Minto: Fifteen.
Taigen: (Oh man, this isn’t looking good.) …Seven.
Nakama: One.
Kei: I got nine.
Inase: (Taken completely by surprise upon hearing Kei’s number, her eyes widened slightly before she closed them and chuckled softly.) Hmhm, ten.
Airon: (…Perfect.) Eighteen.
Konohamaru: Excellent. That leaves the number six position to our missing finalist, Hitomi Hyūga. Now then, take a moment to look at this chart.
Once again, he turned his attention towards Baiko, who had been scribbling down names onto a blank sheet of paper the entire time the contestants were announcing their numbers. After drawing a few lines to form the bracket, he held the paper up for all the genin to see.
Konohamaru: This chart shows you who your first opponent will be in the finals. It will also help you determine who you may wind up facing later on if and as you advance.
Each genin took a moment to memorize the chart, paying special attention to those names closest to their own. Many expressed surprise at the results, though what this entailed varied between them.
Manako: (Sabure from the Sand village, huh? …Hm, that should be an interesting warm-up.)
Sabure: (Manako Uchiha…just what I was hoping for.)
Z: (So, I’m startin’ with Airon Namikaze. …Heh, now THIS is gonna be a kickass tournament.)
Shikaru: (Ah, great. I’m stuck with one of those Uchiha’s, not to mention the one who likes using genjutsu to screw people over. …I’d best think this one over long and hard.)
Kagetsu: (Aw, damn it. I’ve gotta go up against that powerhouse chick from the last round? …This sucks.)
Minto: (So, first Chan and then Airon. …Well, guess I can only hope for the best. Don’t expect me to lose so easily, old buddy.)
Taigen: (You gotta be kidding me. Ryūza? …Oooo, I don’t feel so good about this.)
Kei: (Hehe, you are sooo going down, sis.)
Inase: (Hmhmhm, that awaits to be seen…and no, you’re the one that’s going down.)
Airon: (How perfect. All the shinobi I hoped to fight most, lined up one after another. …Hmhm, it’s like I just can’t lose.)
When it seemed they were all satisfied with what they’d seen, Baiko quickly rolled up the chart and placed it beneath his flak jacket while Gaara picked up where Konohamaru left off.
Gaara: As shinobi, we expect you to use this new information to your utmost advantage, so you’ll be given one month to prepare before the finals begin.
Upon hearing this, all but the most composed genin began showing signs of disappointment or concern, which was almost immediately quelled by the words of yet another Kage.
Kitsuchi: The long time span might seem tiresome now, but those of you who are wise will make good use of it. This is not only a time to build your strength, but also to maintain your health and recover from any ailments you have now or may suffer before then. You might even take the time to find out more about your future opponents, since I’m sure you all still have some hidden talents that weren’t already revealed today.
Mei: Think of it as us being lenient towards you and putting your own needs before timeliness.
Seeing that any qualms or unanswered questions regarding the finals no longer remained, Konohamaru smiled and moved to long-awaited dismissal.
Konohamaru: That concludes the third round preliminaries. I look forward to seeing you all in good health and ready to fight exactly one month from today.
Naruto: Now, get outta here. I’m sure you all have plenty of training to do before that time comes.
All seventeen genin nodded at his words before exiting the building, some in an almost hurried manner, with the older shinobi following them shortly. Naruto was making a valiant attempt to catch up with his grandchildren when a long-forgotten task suddenly plagued his mind.
Naruto: Oh, before I forget! Shikamaru!!
Walking several feet behind him, Shikamaru and Temari quickly stopped and waited as Naruto spun around and walked over to them, holding a small scroll out for the former to take.
Naruto: Kogane asked me to give you this two days ago. Sorry, it just slipped my mind.
Shikamaru sighed as he took the scroll, half-expecting that whatever matter its contents pertained to was no longer relevant. He quickly unfurled it and scanned over its words as Temari looked in from beside him, both of them exchanging amused expressions with one another as he rolled it up again and put it away.
Naruto: So, what is it?
Shikamaru: (He merely shook his head, taking Temari’s hand into his own as they began walking away.) Nothing I didn’t already know. …Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it later.
Naruto stood there a moment longer, pondering what message Kogane had for him, before suddenly realizing what he was doing and running off after his grandchildren once again.
The remaining genin disperse, set to regroup one month from today!!!
The End
