34 Chapter 34: Everyone's Ready!

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Hiruzen's POV (Hidden Prison in the Leaf)

Hiruzen, Homura, and Koharu walked patiently through the hall of the prison escorted by several guards. Homura was an old comrade and friend of his. The man had aged as much as he has, the hair on his head and chin now gray. He wore a green pair of glasses and robes marking him as an advisor to the Hokage. The most prominent feature of the man was his constant scowl. It was fitting for a serious and withdrawn man such as him. Danzo and he had always gotten along. And doubtless, the man was excited to hear from him again. Koharu, the woman of the two, was an older lady with a matching scowl who had once been beautiful and vibrant. She had gained poise but lost the innocence and optimism she had been known for when young. She now was a pragmatic and focused woman… who also preferred Danzo. Hirzuen needed new friends, he supposed.

There were meetings in this prison for risky personnel to discuss the topic of the Chunin Exams. And though the man was imprisoned for his crimes Hiruzen knew few could match his knowledge except for Danzo. He doubted the man would approve of the situation or offer advice he'd wish to do. The Sarutobi had learned the wisdom of hearing differing perspectives. And as a man who had run his own Anbu core, likely had information regarding the Land of Iron. So with secrecy and reservations aplenty the three elders traversed to the cell containing Danzo. Each was subjected to chakra scans by one of the guard's standing posts before being let in. In front of them lies the restrained man. His body was covered in seals, primarily sealing off his chakra and remaining Sharingan. His arms were restrained by chakra-imbued chains. Even his feet were shackled. There was no expense too great to keep a Kage-level shinobi imprisoned. Danzo's lone available eye met them as they entered.

Despite the man's odd position and indefinite imprisonment to be served, the man was calm not speaking a word as he stared his long-time friends down. Both Homura and Koharu flinched seeing him like this. While they had not even attempted to defend the man on the charges. But were uncomfortable to see their colleague imprisoned. Hiruzen was himself, doubly so, that he had been the one to order the punishment. As a Kage though, he had no option to hesitate or allow his feelings to dictate this situation.

"Hiruzen, Homura, and Koharu. All of my dear friends are here to see me at my lowest." Danzo said simply. "Even an emotionally driven man like yourself is above gloating friends. So why are you here? I could only guess the Exams."

"Yes." Hiruzen replied. "Things have taken some turns"

"Indeed. The villages agreed on a new location. Wanting a more neutral area." Koharu added.

"What was the chosen location?" Danzo asked seemingly already game to discuss business despite his imprisonment.

"Yes, that is what is troubling. They decided on the Land of Iron. A land full of samurai with very different customs and unknown power." Homura said, annoyed. "This fool went against our wishes and agreed to it."

"They are known to be a peaceful nation, Homura." Hiruzen countered tiredly.

"But the other villages are coming as well. This would be a perfect opportunity for enemies of the Leaf to strike at us." Koharu interjected.

"Yes but-" Hirzuen started but was interrupted by dry snarky laugh of Danzo.

"Heheh. What a day it is. It was Hijiki day and I find myself agreeing with my rival." Danzo said humorously, smiling for one moment. Before it was washed away. "We do need to go. I'm sure Hiruzen reasons to do so for peace between the villages. But the advantages are not limited to opportunistic ones. It would be good to flex power among the villages. I assume you already arranged for the Sand to stand with us?" The other two elders sneered at the two for this. Both choose to leave.

Hiruzen smiled at his friend. Momentarily setting aside their complicated history as Danzo had. "Indeed. We have strengthened our alliance for the next few years. Should help sell the idea of staying away from us for now."

"Not quite how I would put it. But the idea is the same. We need to go or the villages would take it as a sign of weakness. Numbers were bringing for this?"

"Genin teams six, seven, eight, nine, and ten are being sent. Obviously with their Jounin. As well as my own Anbu guards. Under the pretense of defending the Genin of course. As for my guard, I figured Tsunade and Jiraiya."

"Not bringing Obito or Itachi?" Danzo asked simply.

"Not even surprised you know this old friend." Hiruzen said with a smile.

"Just how far did your reach go?"

"As far as the Leaf required." Danzo answered teasingly.

"You never keep things boring Danzo. Now there's something else I'd like to discuss. About a certain Genin."

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Ino's POV (Hidden Leaf Gate)

Ino had never felt so nervous in her life. She wanted to take the exam of course. It was her chance to prove herself to Neji and Naruto. Neji had become a good supportive teammate, even offering her various pointers at times. She had come to enjoy the polite Hyuga. Kakashi was another situation entirely. Often aloof, quirky, and teasing he seemed like a man-child often. But in training or missions, he showed fearsome intelligence. And was surprisingly caring and thoughtful. The most complicated was the Uzumaki on their team. She hadn't thought much of the recent reveal of him being a jinchuriki. It was certainly tough to hear he carried the burden. But she knew he was not looking for pity. It was hard to pity the blonde. He was confident, funny, clever in very odd ways, and cute in a more rough way. He was also a bit childish, stubborn, and surprisingly dense. Yet she would be a liar if she claimed she wasn't paying attention. In the academy, she had pursued Sasuke. It was easy to see why. He was handsome, powerful, and intelligent wrapped in a brooding exterior. In other words, perfect for her. Yet she hadn't thought of Sasuke in a while. Instead, the goofy blonde occupied her mind. Before she had dismissed him in any special way due to his... well goofiness.

But she had grown used to his demeanor. And though she would never openly admit had grown to like it. It kept her mood up and it often seemed endearing in some strange way. She wouldn't say she was crushing on the blonde. But she was keeping an eye on him. She could admit he had his qualities she liked quite a bit. He was kind earnestly, it was simply second nature for the man to be friendly. His humor was similar to her own. Hell, he could even be sarcastic as hell if pushed. He also had a caring side. Reckless making an enemy of the Hyuga was a decision she would label as foolish any other time. But when the blonde did so she moved with him. She had been surprised by how much she trusted his judgment. She wasn't looking to nail anything down. As great as he was she didn't think she wanted that… but she would keep an open mind.

"Ino, Blondie, hey! Can you hear me?" Naruto who had been standing next to her in the crowd of shinobi awaiting to be addressed by their Hokage before venturing out to the Land of Iron for the exams. Ino had heard him but simply was too engrossed in her odd feelings about her fellow blonde.

Neji smiled to himself before whispering to Naruto. The Uzumaki looked back at the Hyuga in disbelief before sighing and attempting to break the Yamanaka's thought process again. "Ino, hey cutie you there?"

Ino's entire body and soul froze at that word. She felt a blush come on. Not only from the sudden compliment. But the utter embarrassment of the choice of words. She growled as she slammed her fist into the blonde's head. When Neji chuckled she kicked his shin viciously dropping the two. "Never say something that awkward again Blondie." Ino said as she looked around panicked to ensure no one heard. Once she was comfortable no one did. She noticed the Hokage standing on the stage flanked by two of the legendary Sannin. Tsunade Senju, daughter of Hashirama and renowned medic. Jiraiya is known for his sage techniques, toad allies, and… controversial books he wrote. The three shinobi stood together and were some of the strongest shinobi in the world. It was showing that even in his advanced age almost everyone seemed to treat Hiruzen with respect. Ino had started to come around to the idea of Naruto becoming Hokage. But seeing one in action made it clear how far Blondie had to go.

"Greeting shinobi of the Hidden Leaf. There is much to discuss, but first, allow me to state how proud I am. I am proud of the Genin who have trained hard and been recognized for their potential. The Jounin have spent their time and effort to get these young men and women to where they are now. I am proud of the Anbu who serve dutifully and diligently every day and night to protect our lovely home. But now it is time to strike out. The Chunin Exams are a time-honored tradition to promote peace. It is a warfare-free way to flex our muscles. As well as build relationships between villages. Keep in mind the path to Chunin is a violent and painful one. But in the process, peace is made. Surely those of you who signed up are after a promotion. A rise in station, a chance to show off. Well, do so proudly. For we are the Hidden Leaf. We do not want violence. But we prepare ourselves for it all the same. So as we continue to remember the Will of Fire, let it fuel you. I know you all will show the world the true strength of the Leaf!" Hiruzen lectured.

"LEAF! LEAF! LEAF! LEAF!" The crowd roared as they hyped themselves up.

"Now let's go!" With this command, the Leaf group left their home. Determined to arrive at the destination and have a good showing.

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 Rasa's POV (Village Hidden in the Sand)

Rasa stood impassively as he flew through the air on a golden platform of moving sand. Below was a battalion of some of their strongest warriors. The first team of Genin was exceptional but unlikely to reach the finals. But the other team? Well, Temari and Kankuro were on another level. And his youngest son was another thing entirely.

"Gaara, you cannot kill on this journey," Rasa warned darkly. Gaara floating on his cloud next to him. In some ways his son had improved, he rarely killed unless provoked and even seemed to finally understand that Shikaku was not the ghost of his mother. Yet he was still undeniably strange.

"I have no interest in killing impulsively anymore Rasa. I merely come in hopes of meeting some like me." Gaara said dryly.

Rasa grunted at this. He didn't doubt his son's words. But admittedly the idea of him looking for other Jinchuriki was also concerning. He would have to remain vigilant or he was sure he was in for an international incident.

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Killer Bee's POV (On the Way to Land of Iron)

A large crowd of Cloud shinobi marched down a mountain. For the most part, they seemed like an organized group following their proud Raikage. But at the back sat a more… unique group.

"Going to the Chunin Exam~ They are fearful of the moves I spam~ I am a killer bee~ The champion of the Clouds~ That's me~ Weeeee!" A large buff, dark-skinned, white braided hair, sunglass-bearing man rapped and danced as they marched. He wore the standard uniform the Hidden Cloud. A white scarf and two blue horns tattooed on his left cheek. He was one of two jinchuriki of the Cloud. The man known as B, is half of the AB combo.

"Sensei if you do that the whole way there, I'll kick your ass!" A red-haired dark-skinned, lithe woman responded. She wore the same uniform but her green underjacket was torn at the sleeves. As well as a bandana headband. Karui of Team B.

"But you can't. What if you try and get injured? Then we would have to drop out of the exams…" Omoi theorized worriedly. He was also part of Team B. He was similarly garbed as the other two. With short spiky white hair. He somehow talked easily with a lollipop in his mouth.

"You're all so uncool." A tall fair-skinned woman complained. She wore a simple gray low-cut blouse. Armored with a hard corset. With thigh-high sandals and red wrapping on her wrist.

B ignored his unsupportive students for now. Perhaps when they won this thing they'd listen to the victory rap he had written.

Ikam knew entering the Land of Iron secretly was risky. The samurai were powerful and lawful men. But once had heard the Chunin Exams were to be held here he had to attend. He had originally intended to come alone but Leifazu and Mishio had insisted on coming with him to ensure his safety. Ikam would never have a chance to observe all five villages like this. Besides, he was sure it would find plenty of new targets. Eradicating the Uzumaki was a considerable amount of work.

He emerged from his thoughts as Mishio finished her scan. "It seems clear love." He smiled at the good news.

"Excellent, remember we don't make any problems unless we need to." Ikam lectured. "Today is scouting, but worry not. If we have an easy shot at one of our accursed kin." Leifazu and Mishio both nodded at this. Ikam had always been decent at finding subordinates.