15 Chapter 15: Chunin Exams II

Chapter 15

SHINSO KEN

The forest of death whizzed past us as all three of us jumped from one tree to another. The first exam had been easy enough, even without having to cheat I had been able to answer most of the questions. Yet, cheating was quite easy for me. A couple of seals previously given to Hinata and Shino had enabled all of us to share our answers.

"I still can not believe you helped her cheat as well. You do know the huge target you have painted on your back, Shinso Kun?" Hinata teased me as all three moved through the forest. She was giggling as she stared at me, my face reddened at her words. I shouldn't have told them this I thought.

"Indeed. This would just further fuel the rumors. A large number of teams seemed to be staring at you with quite some enmity." Shino added though I could sense the mirth in his voice. "You shall have to cut them all to satiate your heart." Shino finished with a giggle.

I stopped. "Augh. Will both of you stop this? Ok. I just helped her slightly as a friend. She seemed nice enough when we talked at the hospital. There is no greater story here." I finished, despite my heart not believing in the words. "She is from Kusa. She will just go back to her village after the exams. And that will be the end of it all." I said to my two teammates. Both of them nodded.

A large grin spread across my face after a couple of seconds. "Plus isn't it nice that all these teams are coming to us? Each one with its scroll. We won't have to go looking for prey." I said loudly. Various grunts could be heard from our surroundings.

Several people appeared from the trees. Three teams in total. And then two more genin jumped out from the trees. These two were genin from Kusa. Both of them were quite older than us and had large grins on their faces.

"Hoh. Isn't it that over-smart genin who attacked us in the village? I guess you do not feel so smart about it now." One of them snarled. The other was about to go forward with his monologue as well, but I cut him short.

"Technically, I did not attack you at all." The Kuro something guy's face consorted with fury and embarrassment.

"Shut up. You wanted me to face you in the exams, right? So here I am." he smiled as if he was being extremely funny. "So, here I am. And this time there is no one here to protect you."

I just shook my head at that. Well, it seems villain monologuing is a thing. I looked towards my teammates who were getting ready to fight. I stopped them with a shake of my head. And motioned for them to leave.

"Are you sure about this Shinso Kun?" Hinata asked. But by this time I had started walking towards the eleven genin in front of us. My hand unsealed the scroll from my back, using it to summon my sword. All eleven of them got ready.

"You don't have to worry Hinata. I just want to test my technique against some real opponents." Hinata nodded at that and both she and Sino jumped back. One of the guys in front of me laughed.

"It seems your team has abandoned you. At least they are smarter . ." But before he could continue, he suddenly stopped as I vanished from his vision. He looked down and found his arm missing. Blood spurting from the stump.

"AHHHHHHHHH..." His shout marked the beginning of the battle. The other ten jumped back, taken back by my speed. Several projectiles like Kunai and Senbon were thrown toward me. Pumping chakra into my feet I jumped up, rolling once in the air. I made a couple of hand seals. With lightning coating my fingers, I flicked a dice at another one of them.

"Lightning style: Rail gun."

Before the genin could even spot me, it went through his neck. He just fell to the ground, blood pooling around his body. I could feel it in the air. The rest of them had become wary. I landed after a flip. The remaining nine people stared at me, sweat visible on their foreheads.

"So, whose next?" I asked the rest of them.

"HE IS JUST ONE GENIN. WE HAVE TO ATTACK HIM TOGETHER. FOLLOW MY LEAD." Shouted the guy from Kusa once more. All of them got ready to attack and I just shook my head at their antics. Well, perhaps now I could test my technique. I took out the large scroll from my back and unfurled it.

"Sealing arts: Spatial Dome." Lines spread across the ground. Covering the ground, they only stopped after they covered a perimeter of around three hundred meters. This perhaps started some of them, but they paid it no heed in their bid to overwhelm me.

I let my chakra circulate through my whole body. I channeled it to my sword and changed its nature. Arcs of Lightning danced across my whole body. The sword pushed against the scabbard, yet my hand firmly held it in place.

"Lightning style: Abyss Prison." KSHIIIIIIIIING. BOOM.

And with the sound of metal grinding on metal the whole area was filled with lightning. Too quick to see, seemingly impossible to stop the whole area was riddled with Lightning strikes. A huge explosion rocked the surrounding, covering the whole area with thick smoke. The loud boom was heard across the forest.

0000

KAKASHI HATAKE

Kakashi Hatake was with the rest of her colleagues as they watched the second phase of the exams. It was not unusual for minor villages to team up in the chunin exams and go after teams from the great villages. This was quite a common occurrence. Though most of the time truces were made in the field, unlike this time, where an arrangement had been made beforehand.

All this fuss over a single kunoichi. Though the kunoichi's name and red hair sent a pang of regret through him, yet still Kurenai's student had painted a target on his back. All of their teams had been commanded to avoid combat against one another, and if needed assist their fellow Konoha nin. Konoha looked after its own.

Yet it seems it was unnecessary. The technical staff was still shouting as the feed from several cameras was cut off by the sound of a large explosion. Kakashi Hatake was extremely impressed. To invent a technique like that at such an age, was nothing short of genius.

"So, it seems he finished the technique in time." He commented to his sole female colleague, who was shaking her head. He had heard of the boy's request to study his sensei's technique. Though Hokage had rejected the request and proposed an alternate, he had gotten a short look at the seal the boy had used.

"Yes, he completed it. But I had warned him against using it. The technique is too chakra intensive and it still takes a huge toll on his body. And with such a huge sound the other teams will flock to the area." Kurenai lamented while shaking her head.

Well, from what Genma had told him. The boy had imagined the technique years ago and had been working to complete it for quite some time. Perhaps, he was a bit too eager to use it.

"Or they will avoid it." Asuma is supplied from the side. "If the rest of the teams are smart enough, they will avoid it. That was one scary explosion. Inventing something like that at thirteen. Reminds me of a certain someone," he finished smiling at Kakashi.

Kakashi's technique had been inspired by his sensei's Rasengan.

"You know, this technique was inspired by Lord fourth as well," Kurenai told them a bit of trivia. Something Kakashi had not known. Both Kakashi and Asuma looked at her, asking her to elaborate and she continued.

"I asked him about it. He told me how he got the basic idea. It was from his battle against Iwa at the end of the Third War. He said he was inspired by how a single shinobi formed an impenetrable line. A line that thousands of Iwa shinobi could not cross'" she told them with a proud smile. Kakashi also felt proud of his sensei, a man whose stories still inspired kids to this day.

"Though he had to modify the technique and the theory behind it various times. Yet the core concept remains the same." Kurenai supplied. The feed from the camera was getting stable once more. Though debris still covered the area. One could see bodies strewn across the ground. A single person's silhouette could be observed. The ground around him was charred and cracked. Sparks of lightning are still visible in the air.

"To form an impenetrable line," Kakashi spoke before Kurenai could finish her words. And Kurenai nodded scrutinizing her student through the various screens. He stood tall, his back straight. Though his face was covered with caked blood. The severe heat had made the liquid evaporate. The boy in question stared straight at the hidden camera. As if he knew that he was being watched.

His teammates jumped to his side and the Hyuga began berating him. The boy just smiled sheepishly at her as she fussed over him. He could see Kurenai relax. Team ten now just had to make their way to the tower. The aburame kid scanned the surroundings as several swathes of his insects began inspecting the bodies. After a while, they returned with three scrolls. Two of them 'Heaven' and one 'Earth.'

It seems we have our ringer. The boy was Tokubetsu jounin with his skills. It was highly unlikely that he would not make it through the exams, Kakashi thought.

Though suddenly all three of Kurenai's students became alert. The Hyuga pointed in a certain direction. All three of them started moving towards it. Their pace was measured as they moved through the forest. The feed shifted to cameras in that direction and as soon as the visuals were shown, Kakashi's eyes widened as he saw his team facing another shinobi from the Kusa. Many would have missed it, but Kakashi had seen those eyes. In a cave filled with depravity and desolation, he had stared into the same golden irises. Orochimaru, he thought.

He wanted to rush into the exam ground, yet he could not do it. He was a sensei and doing so would result in his team's disqualification. He just had to believe in them. Though he did get up and left the room, perhaps startling his colleagues. The village blurred as he made his way to the Headquarters, he had to inform Lord Hokage.

Later when he made it to the Hokage's office. He found another person there. A tall man with a white mane, and a large scroll across his back. He wore a metal helmet and stood against the wall as Lord Third observed the ongoing exam. Another sanin had made his appearance. The Toad Sage was finally here.

0000

Jiraiya is here. Orochimaru is here. Will Team seven survive this encounter, or will they learn the truth about what it means to be regarded as a monster! An S ranks against a team of genin, with another team on its way for assistance.

Had an epiphany for an original story this week so I am going to see where that goes.

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