Chakra Wizard
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Alright, last intermission chapter! It’s kind of a weird leap, I know, but this chapter takes place the day before the finals instead of right after the preliminaries like the other three (just to avoid that confusion). Anyways, enjoy
Here’s my previous chapters, for those who missed any:
Chapter 048: The Calm Before the Storm
Over four weeks had passed since the eighteen finalists parted ways at the tower in the Forest of Death, their hiatus now entering its final day before the decisive tournament. For most of those uninvolved, the day went by like any other, and before long, the sun had already begun its descent from the cloudless skies. Near the center of the Leaf village, a robed figure ran up the lofty walls of the village’s stadium, reaching the top and leaping over the brownish-red roofing just as the sun’s tip connected with the horizon. Brushing himself off once he hit the ground, the figure considered the effects his age was having on his performance before walking to the center of the enormous arena, at which point a familiar voice called out from the distance.
????: So, you did come to this place, after all!
The intrusion almost catching him by surprise, the figure lowered his hood and turned towards the stands, where an amused Sasuke and Sakura had been patiently awaiting the third member of their old team.
Sasuke: Why all the theatricality, Naruto!?
Naruto: Hehehehe, well, I’ve always had a strange sense of humor!
Smiling, the two stood up and descended the walls of the arena, ensuring they took greater care than their teammate did, joining him in the center of the stadium after they reached the ground.
Sakura: You didn’t show up for our afternoon stroll earlier. We were wondering what you were doing.
Naruto: (He clasped his hands behind his head and scanned the arena as he answered.) Well, it’s the night before the finals, so I figured it’d be a nice change of pace. And a fitting one to boot.
Sasuke: Hmhm, that’s true.
The trio took a moment to admire the playing field, which was noticeably larger than the one that Naruto and Sasuke fought in during their first Chūnin Exams. In addition to its size, though, Naruto also noted its unfamiliarity, prompting him to turn to Sakura in question.
Naruto: How long ago was this stadium built?
Sakura: Hmm, this one’s relatively new. I’d say about…two years ago.
Naruto: (He gazed around the stadium after hearing her answer.) Huh…I don’t think I’ve been back in here since they finished building it. …It’s pretty gigantic, looking at it now.
Sasuke: (He nodded in agreement as he looked around, a confident smirk on his face.) Hmhm, as it should be, considering who’ll be squaring off here tomorrow.
Naruto: Hehe, yeah. Makes me wish our finals took place here.
Sasuke: By our finals, are you referring to the ones that were interrupted by Orochimaru’s invasion?
Naruto: (Having forgotten about this, he placed his hands on his hips and reminisced on it for a moment.) Oh yeah, …damn. It’s kind of a shame that happened now. Makes me wish we’d all gotten promoted together that year.
Sakura: (She reminisced, as well, looking up at Naruto in minor irritation after realizing something else about that particular tournament.) …Wait. But I wasn’t even competing that year. I was eliminated in the preliminaries, remember?
Naruto: (His chronic forgetfulness was starting to embarrass him, though he played it off with a smart remark.) Yeah, but neither of us really thought of you as a real shinobi back then, right, Sasuke? Hehahaha…just a joke, Sakura.
He added in that final bit after realizing how angry his remark made Sakura, but the reassurance still wasn’t enough to stop her from punching him in the back of the head.
Naruto: YEEEOOWW!! …Damn it, I said it was just a joke!
Sakura: YEAH, WELL YOU PROBABLY DID SOMETHING DOWN THE ROAD TO DESERVE IT ANYWAYS!!!
Naruto: AH, PLEASE!! YOU’VE HIT ME MORE THAN ENOUGH TIMES TO MAKE UP FOR WHATEVER I MIGHT’VE DONE!!! MATTER OF FACT, I OUGHTA GET A FREEBIE IN JUST FROM ALL THE TIMES YOU DID IT FOR NO REASON AT ALL!!!
Sakura: LIKE I SAID, IF I HIT YOU, YOU DESERVED IT FOR SOME REASON OR ANOTHER, EVEN IF IT WAS JUST FOR BEING A-
Her insult was promptly cut off by a swift, but relatively soft blow to the top of her head, courtesy of her irritated husband. She made no attempt to retaliate, though, and proceeded to rubbed her hands over the spot where she was hit to relieve the pain.
Sakura: Owwooooowww…
Sasuke: (Amused by her childishness, he placed his hand on top of her head and began rubbing it himself.) You tell the two of us not to bicker in our old age, yet you turn around and do the same, Sakura? Come on, I thought you more mature than that.
Sakura: (Her face now beet-red, she lowered her head in embarrassment.) Yeah…sorry.
As he watched this amusedly from a few feet away, Naruto looked up to find that the pink and orange hues of dusk had almost been completely replaced by a shade of dark-blue, which gradually grew darker to reveal the first stars of the night sky.
Naruto: Well, it’s getting pretty late, and the stadium isn’t exactly being used right now so…care for a little fun?
Sasuke: (A bit surprised by this suggestion, he looked over at him for a moment before smirking and gazing around.) At our levels, I doubt even a stadium of this size could contain a fight between us, Naruto.
Naruto: …Actually, I was thinking we could head up to the highest point and check out the sunset. A little bit of stargazing before we head home.
Both of them knew that Naruto was bluffing. Most likely, he was disappointed with Sasuke’s rejection of his challenge, prompting him and Sakura to chuckle softly before answering his second suggestion.
Sasuke: Sounds relaxing enough.
Sakura: I’d say we’re both in.
Naruto: (His slightly melancholic expression was quickly replaced by his trademark grin, afterwhich he took off towards the stands at high speed.) Great! You slowpokes better hurry up then!
Half-expecting this to be a ploy for another pointless challenge, Sasuke and Sakura shook their heads nostalgically before taking off after him, amazed by how little Naruto had changed in the forty-one years since their days as genin.
Team 7 gathers on the eve of the final rounds of the exams!!!
The End
Here’s my previous chapters, for those who missed any:
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Chapter 048: The Calm Before the Storm
Over four weeks had passed since the eighteen finalists parted ways at the tower in the Forest of Death, their hiatus now entering its final day before the decisive tournament. For most of those uninvolved, the day went by like any other, and before long, the sun had already begun its descent from the cloudless skies. Near the center of the Leaf village, a robed figure ran up the lofty walls of the village’s stadium, reaching the top and leaping over the brownish-red roofing just as the sun’s tip connected with the horizon. Brushing himself off once he hit the ground, the figure considered the effects his age was having on his performance before walking to the center of the enormous arena, at which point a familiar voice called out from the distance.
????: So, you did come to this place, after all!
The intrusion almost catching him by surprise, the figure lowered his hood and turned towards the stands, where an amused Sasuke and Sakura had been patiently awaiting the third member of their old team.
Sasuke: Why all the theatricality, Naruto!?
Naruto: Hehehehe, well, I’ve always had a strange sense of humor!
Smiling, the two stood up and descended the walls of the arena, ensuring they took greater care than their teammate did, joining him in the center of the stadium after they reached the ground.
Sakura: You didn’t show up for our afternoon stroll earlier. We were wondering what you were doing.
Naruto: (He clasped his hands behind his head and scanned the arena as he answered.) Well, it’s the night before the finals, so I figured it’d be a nice change of pace. And a fitting one to boot.
Sasuke: Hmhm, that’s true.
The trio took a moment to admire the playing field, which was noticeably larger than the one that Naruto and Sasuke fought in during their first Chūnin Exams. In addition to its size, though, Naruto also noted its unfamiliarity, prompting him to turn to Sakura in question.
Naruto: How long ago was this stadium built?
Sakura: Hmm, this one’s relatively new. I’d say about…two years ago.
Naruto: (He gazed around the stadium after hearing her answer.) Huh…I don’t think I’ve been back in here since they finished building it. …It’s pretty gigantic, looking at it now.
Sasuke: (He nodded in agreement as he looked around, a confident smirk on his face.) Hmhm, as it should be, considering who’ll be squaring off here tomorrow.
Naruto: Hehe, yeah. Makes me wish our finals took place here.
Sasuke: By our finals, are you referring to the ones that were interrupted by Orochimaru’s invasion?
Naruto: (Having forgotten about this, he placed his hands on his hips and reminisced on it for a moment.) Oh yeah, …damn. It’s kind of a shame that happened now. Makes me wish we’d all gotten promoted together that year.
Sakura: (She reminisced, as well, looking up at Naruto in minor irritation after realizing something else about that particular tournament.) …Wait. But I wasn’t even competing that year. I was eliminated in the preliminaries, remember?
Naruto: (His chronic forgetfulness was starting to embarrass him, though he played it off with a smart remark.) Yeah, but neither of us really thought of you as a real shinobi back then, right, Sasuke? Hehahaha…just a joke, Sakura.
He added in that final bit after realizing how angry his remark made Sakura, but the reassurance still wasn’t enough to stop her from punching him in the back of the head.
Naruto: YEEEOOWW!! …Damn it, I said it was just a joke!
Sakura: YEAH, WELL YOU PROBABLY DID SOMETHING DOWN THE ROAD TO DESERVE IT ANYWAYS!!!
Naruto: AH, PLEASE!! YOU’VE HIT ME MORE THAN ENOUGH TIMES TO MAKE UP FOR WHATEVER I MIGHT’VE DONE!!! MATTER OF FACT, I OUGHTA GET A FREEBIE IN JUST FROM ALL THE TIMES YOU DID IT FOR NO REASON AT ALL!!!
Sakura: LIKE I SAID, IF I HIT YOU, YOU DESERVED IT FOR SOME REASON OR ANOTHER, EVEN IF IT WAS JUST FOR BEING A-
Her insult was promptly cut off by a swift, but relatively soft blow to the top of her head, courtesy of her irritated husband. She made no attempt to retaliate, though, and proceeded to rubbed her hands over the spot where she was hit to relieve the pain.
Sakura: Owwooooowww…
Sasuke: (Amused by her childishness, he placed his hand on top of her head and began rubbing it himself.) You tell the two of us not to bicker in our old age, yet you turn around and do the same, Sakura? Come on, I thought you more mature than that.
Sakura: (Her face now beet-red, she lowered her head in embarrassment.) Yeah…sorry.
As he watched this amusedly from a few feet away, Naruto looked up to find that the pink and orange hues of dusk had almost been completely replaced by a shade of dark-blue, which gradually grew darker to reveal the first stars of the night sky.
Naruto: Well, it’s getting pretty late, and the stadium isn’t exactly being used right now so…care for a little fun?
Sasuke: (A bit surprised by this suggestion, he looked over at him for a moment before smirking and gazing around.) At our levels, I doubt even a stadium of this size could contain a fight between us, Naruto.
Naruto: …Actually, I was thinking we could head up to the highest point and check out the sunset. A little bit of stargazing before we head home.
Both of them knew that Naruto was bluffing. Most likely, he was disappointed with Sasuke’s rejection of his challenge, prompting him and Sakura to chuckle softly before answering his second suggestion.
Sasuke: Sounds relaxing enough.
Sakura: I’d say we’re both in.
Naruto: (His slightly melancholic expression was quickly replaced by his trademark grin, afterwhich he took off towards the stands at high speed.) Great! You slowpokes better hurry up then!
Half-expecting this to be a ploy for another pointless challenge, Sasuke and Sakura shook their heads nostalgically before taking off after him, amazed by how little Naruto had changed in the forty-one years since their days as genin.
Team 7 gathers on the eve of the final rounds of the exams!!!
The End
