Preliminary Battles End
The following matches were not too unexpected.
Kankuro versus Misumi Tsuguri from Team Kabuto – a friendly battle filled with hugs and wrapping arms around each other. Their exercise time was feisty, and things somehow worked out in the end.
The double knockout of Sakura and Ino filled with drama and friendship flashbacks. Their thoughts were similar: "I-no you are my friend, but I will Sak-ur-ass."
Rich lady Ten Ten showing off her wealth by throwing ninja weapons at Temari, just to have them being sent flying back because Temari wasn't a fan of charity.
Shikamaru's forced date with Kin Tsuchi, the kunoichi on Team Dosu, ending with a wall bang. Fortunately, no one ended up being knocked up on this date. Perhaps Shikamaru found it too troublesome to do so?
Coming up was Kiba against Naruto. Former friends, now secretly love rivals – or maybe it's just the one-sided rivalry of Kiba – for now.
Due to the growth of Shino, Team Kurenai had undertook increasingly challenging missions, probably more so than the original Team Kurenai. They tackled tasks that even the original Team Kurenai would have found daunting.
Naturally, Shino wasn't the only one growing, Kiba too had come a long way with every mission they took on.
Even so, the end result was the same. Like a villain, the dog barks the loudest, but even if the protagonist was a beggar, he would have the dog-beating staff.
Needless to say, Kiba was beaten down by Naruto… and this was done in the most comedic way out of the entire batch – a hilarious display of pranks, a fart, and a new knock-up technique that Naruto plagiarized from Sasuke who borrowed it from Lee.
All Shino can say is: as expected of the students of the Copy Ninja, they didn't pick up his bad habit of being late but learned his 'your jutsu is mine' style instead.
Meanwhile, everyone forgot about poor Kiba. He got face-slapped, lost, and served as the stepping stone for Hinata's increasing affection towards Naruto.
Alas, Hinata only felt happy for Naruto instead of sad for Kiba. Heck, the cute girl even wanted to gift ointment to Naruto, instead of the unconscious Kiba.
Ahem. Even Kurenai sensei didn't head down to check on the unconscious Kiba. Instead, she played cupid for the cute couple. Hey, boys, this is why you shouldn't smell like a dog.
As for Shino, well…
"Alina, deduct one point from the Kiba interruption variable. He deserves it."
[Affirmative, Overmind. Deducting 1 point from XXXX points...]
Next was the cruel and heart-wrenching fight between Hinata and Neji.
Honestly, had Shino not been a transmigrator, he would really want to sock Neji's face for treating Hinata like this. But he knew Neji's tale of tragedy and redemption. Can't hate him – boy had it rough till the very end
Plus, all this cruel speech of Neji was part of the plot… for the protagonist to support the female lead. Neji's antagonism only served to strengthen their resolve.
Hearing Naruto's shocking encouragement for Hinata, Shino knew that he couldn't hate this boy in his heart. It's a pity that it's too late to blacken him and assimilate him into the hive… or is it?
Ahem- Shino quashed his death-seeking thoughts. There was no way this could succeed with the powerful ninja presence watching over the boy.
As much as he craved for it, the risk was too high to indulge in it. He needed to stick to his plan and play it safe. After all, he couldn't afford to jeopardize his plans for a fleeting desire that may never come to fruition.
The victor of the showdown between Neji and Hinata was hardly a surprise, yet the finale was nothing short of intense. Four powerful Jonins emerged to halt Neji's rampage, a level of intervention that was reserved only for the female lead.
As expected of the female lead – she even orchestrated the perfect setup for a rivalry between Naruto and Neji, even while passing out, appearing as innocent and helpless as a white lotus.
Shino adjusted his glasses as he watched Hinata being carried away on a stretcher. Now that he thinks about it… can the female lead's mind really be as simple as depicted in the anime? Recalling Hinata's personality after getting married, Shino had a lot of doubts…
But there was no one to provide him with answers. One fight ended and the very air around him was charged with the energy of the impending battle.
The anticipation was palpable because the iconic, hot-blooded battle between Rock Lee and Gaara was staged next. It was one where youth truly shined, just like Lee's teeth.
Unfortunately, it was the audience that felt the youth of that fight, not Gaara.
Gaara's abilities were too buggy – even without the insects. Even with the weights taken off, the weight of youth couldn't triumph over the weight of sand. So, poor Rock Lee hit rock bottom and was sent to the hospital. The gate of tears opened for many audiences at that moment.
As the dust settled over the heavily damaged arena, Shino's eyes narrowed as he recalled the fight. He finally had a gauge on his own taijutsu level.
Needless to say, his level was not even close to Lee's peak moment, but according to Alina, if he were to go all out, he may actually be able to keep up with Lee when he had weights off, even without using the body flicker technique!
Shino must admit that Lee is a hard-working taijutsu genius, one who had trained for far longer than him – but Shino had a golden finger - one that optimized both his training plans and the usage of his own special bio-energy that sped up his evolution!
Give him some more time and breaking the limit of his body would be no problem – even without opening the gates!
Of course, unlocking the full potential of the human body was a challenge that required extensive research and careful consideration. While rapidly increasing his strength to the limit was achievable with the assistance of his system, breaking the limit of the human body was never an easy task.
This was one of his intention of collecting so many ninja blood samples. He was trying to find the right genes to optimize his own body!
With every blood sample he collected, he felt closer to unlocking the secrets of the ninja body. The pursuit of body optimization was a necessity, especially since his body was the main nest, and he was willing to do whatever it takes to achieve it.
Although Lee's abilities came from hard work, who knows if there are any special changes in his body after activating the gates for the first time. So, it was best to let Alina analyze his sample.
[Notice – retrieving blood sample of target Rock Lee. Progress 23%… 25%...]
Sensing his bugs discreetly collecting Rock Lee's blood sample buried underneath the rubbles, a slight grin appeared on Shino's face. Although it wasn't as great as studying the actual body itself, it will make do.
The preliminaries ended with Dosu Kinuta versus Choji, who was tempted to fight with BBQ.
Unsurprisingly, Choji was steam-rolled by Dosu. It seems Choji will have enough rolling around for now.
Out of all the fights, this one was the most anti-climatic. Perhaps the only thing that could be boasted about this fight was the fact that Choji was so fat that the battlefield was in rubbles when he landed.
The preliminaries finally came to an end. The old Hokage stepped up to brush his face once more, explaining the details of the third round of the exam, which will commence one month from now.
Not long after, it was time to pick their opponents. Shino's heart raced as he the box approached. The outcome of this simple lottery could make or break his plans for the Chunin Exam.
He was the last one to pick, but there is still a 50% chance he gets the worse pick. So with quick thinking and the aid of his trusted insects, he managed to secure the number 6 - just like in the anime.
He knew that some of the proctors might have caught on to his tactics, but to his surprise, they only gave him a glance and didn't intervene.
It seemed they acquiescence. Who said one couldn't cheat before the final part? Choosing the right opponent was also a crucial strategy for victory on the battlefield.
Of course, Shino was just doing his best to avoid Gaara, picking his original opponent of Kankuro.
Shino knew better than to be the one to test the limits of Gaara's power. He wasn't willing to be the one to trigger the boy's wrath. Shino knew that Naruto's obsession was reserved for Sasuke, and he couldn't count on Naruto to jump out to stop Gaara for him like he did for Sasuke.
"We will adjourn until next month..."
Puff. Although the genins were important to the future of Konoha, the Hokage certainly didn't have time to come in person – he had paperwork to do… and he had to predict the future with his crystal ball. Ahem.
The genins dispersed, knowing their goals and ready to prepare for the battle in one month.
Shino headed home while his thoughts churned.
The third part of the Chunin Exam was fast approaching, and with it, the opportunity to set his carefully crafted schemes in motion. These were ready, but he knew that every detail needed to be perfect for his plan to succeed, and he couldn't afford to leave anything to chance.
Minor adjustments would definitely be necessary, but it depends on the success and effects of his current plan.
It was another plan he was more concerned about, one that required precise adjustments and no room for errors. It was the reason behind his reveal of his camouflaged bugs.
As he walked, he mulled over the meticulous preparations he had made, fine-tuning every aspect of his strategy with the help of Alina, making sure everything was perfect for the upcoming operation.
As he approached his home, he couldn't help but feel a little nervous about the upcoming plan. His thoughts were interrupted when he saw his father, Shibi Aburame, standing outside their home, waiting for him.
As Shino met his father's gaze, he could sense an unusual tension in the air. Despite his father's usual stoic expression, there was an underlying seriousness that left Shino uneasy.
It appeared that the upcoming conversation was not going to be a simple one.
Shino had hoped he had a few more days to prepare, but it seemed that events were moving faster than he had anticipated, and those in power were already taking action.