One week later, I found myself walking toward the exam grounds once again for the preliminary meeting before the tournament phase began. I was more excited than before, because this time around, this round will be watched by almost everyone inside the village. Of course, I walked beside Minato, and as he looked at me, he seemed calm, but only on the surface, because he caught my eyes, and I saw a flash in his.
"You look excited," I grinned, still glancing at him.
"So do you," he answered, smiling.
"You need glasses, because I am clearly nervous and a wreck."
"That is definitely a lie."
"Of course it is." I chortled, "I just don't want to face you from the get-go, that would be a bummer."
That made him shudder, and he was also worried about that possibility as the exam building came into view; today, it would be only about drawing names and setting up who would fight with whom. When we got to the building, two Chūnin stood by the entrance, checking our names against a list, while a few other proctors lingered near the walls, watching everything, which alone told me they were not really there for paperwork.
I was curious, who they were reporting to, though... The Hokage, Sakumo, or old one-eye?
"You feel that?" Minato asked quietly, the moment we stepped in, and I also picked up on a chakra signature, flashing somewhere inside the building.
"Yeah," I murmured back. "I guess the Hokage is here."
"I thought of the same," Minato's lips twitched, whispering back to me. "I wonder why."
"Us." I said simply, "Why else?"
It had to be the case because after our record was publicized, people recognized me everywhere I went. It was no longer even subtle or local, like after my Sharingan awakened. The moment Minato and I walked anywhere, heads turned, and they looked at us, pointing and whispering. Honestly? It was getting annoying, and I didn't know it would be this grating to have zero privacy.
Chasing my thoughts away before they could ruin my mood, I began examining the room where we were now gathering. It was simple, with tatami mats covering the floor, the center left open, and the walls lined with low benches. There were no decorations except for the Konoha symbol hanging behind the raised platform at the far end. A low table had been placed there, and on it sat a plain wooden box with a narrow slit carved into the top. Ahhh... a lottery box... Well, well, well! Looks like we were really doing this the old-fashioned way, huh?
By the time we entered, all of the finalists had already arrived. The Hyūga twins stood near the left wall from which we entered, while Shibi Aburame stood near the opposite side of the room, hands tucked into his sleeves, standing apart from the twins. Interesting... Looking at him, he was so still I almost mistook him for furniture. A little farther away, Shikaku leaned against the wall with both hands in his pockets, nodding at me when our eyes met. At the same time, Inoichi stood beside him, while Chōza sat nearby with a snack bag already open, stuffing his face full, with zero care for anything else. I stared at him with a growing smile, and he noticed it and then held the bag out toward me... Damn, I was tempted, but Minato saw my eyes move and elbowed me before I could walk over and take some for myself.
"Later," he whispered.
"You're no fun." I rolled my eyes, seeing Chōza smile at me, saying with his eyes he knows the pain of others robbing him from enjoying some snacks.
"You ate before coming." Minato continued, and true, Mom made us a nice breakfast, that's why we were last, I had to have seconds, but... come on.
"There is always a place for some snacks." I argued, "It helps relieve stress."
"Like you are stressed," He answered, making me shrug again.
Moving my eyes from the trio, I looked at the last three and only remaining foreign team that stood together near the rear of the room, the Yugakure genins. Haru Kazenami looked just as relaxed as before, while Ayame Hotori stood beside him, her arms folded inside her sleeves, at least a bit more serious, as her eyes kept moving from person to person. Their last member, Daichi Murasaki, leaned against the wall with one shoulder, maybe the most nervous of the trio, but at least they got this far. Maybe that alone will pull them through, as I know very well that winning doesn't mean you get promoted. Just then, Haru noticed me looking and raised a hand.
"Hey," he said cheerfully. "Fast guys."
"Hoy!" I raised my hand back. "Scroll guys."
"Heh!" He laughed at that, "Fair enough."
Well... that was a weird exchange, but just then, the door at the far end opened, and Sakumo Hatake stepped in first, wearing his proper shinobi attire, along with a small sword attached to his back. Looking at him, his expression was unreadable, as his eyes swept over us all, stopping on each of our bodies for a second or so. Then... the Hokage entered. Just like Sakumo, the Third Hokage wore his full robes today, hat included, which made this an official arrangement.
Behind him came two senior officials, then a pair of Chūnin carrying scrolls and writing boards. They took their positions near the wall, ready to record everything, while Hiruzen's gaze slowly passed over us. When his eyes reached me, they paused for maybe half a breath longer than on the others, prompting me to smile at him, and he smiled back like an old man who absolutely knew I was ready to kick things over just to hear them break. Great... I am not even a troublemaker like Naruto was! Or will be... or... ugh! Whatever.
"Congratulations," Hiruzen began, "Each of you has passed the first two stages of the Chūnin Exams. That alone is worthy of recognition; be proud of yourselves." Nobody answered, of course. "You have demonstrated intelligence, adaptability, endurance, and ample teamwork, but the rank of Chūnin requires more than the ability to survive as part of a team. A Chūnin must be capable of independent judgment, personal combat ability, discipline, and restraint when victory is within reach."
After he stopped speaking, Sakumo stepped forward next, picking up where the Hokage had left off.
"The final stage will be a tournament," he said simply. "One-on-one combat and the matches will end when one participant is unable to continue, surrenders, is judged incapable of fighting by the proctor... Or violates the rules." He let the last part hang a little before explaining, "Lethal force is prohibited. However, shinobi combat carries a certain risk that cannot be denied. If you enter the arena, you accept that risk, but intentional moves to kill will be deemed as an immediate forfeit and will be punished." His eyes swept across us, and I mean, Minato and me. Come on, guys... please? We are not... evil! "If you are unable to control your techniques, do not use them. If you are unable to judge when your opponent is beaten, you are not fit to become Chūnin. If you believe winning matters more than the mission, the village, or your own discipline, then you have misunderstood what this exam is meant to measure."
"Hmm..." That sounded familiar. I was about to fall into thinking when his next words stopped me from that.
"There are eleven finalists. Since there is an odd number, one participant will receive a free pass in the first round. This will be decided by lottery, in front of all participants, overseen by the Hokage personally, and recorded by the exam staff."
That made a few people shift, starting to calculate themselves. Duh! Eleven finalists meant one lucky bastard would get to skip a fight. I could already feel everyone doing silent math, trying to decide whether that was a blessing or a curse. A free pass meant no risk, no injury, no revealed techniques, and a step closer to getting into the finals. Personally? I wanted to fight, just make sure it won't be Minato, because if that happens, then the whole thing would lose its interest for me. While thinking about that, the Hokage moved toward the table, and one of the Chūnin placed eleven folded slips beside the box. Each had a name written on it, and then it was shown to us openly before being folded and placed in the box.
"For transparency," The Hokage said, "I will draw the names personally. The first slip drawn will receive the first-round pass. Afterward, names will be drawn in pairs to determine the opening matches. Any objections?"
Nobody spoke, of course. What were we going to say? 'No, Lord Hokage, I think you are secretly rigging the box?' Good luck with that, although it would be funny. Still, the gesture was what mattered, and it stopped any accusation before it could happen. Probably it was done so that the Hyūga or my Uchiha clan couldn't complain about the results. I watched as Hiruzen slid his hand into the box, and for some reason, the room felt louder when nobody was speaking. I was so tempted to use my Sharingan... ugh... Then, I watched as he drew the first slip, opened it, looked at the name... and... and, then his eyebrow lifted slightly.
Oh no... No. Don't you dare!
"The participant receiving a pass from the first round is…" Stop pausing! Just say it! Come on, it's not me... It's not, "Renjiro Uchiha."
"FUCK!" Then every head turned toward me, while Minato took a step away from me, acting as if he wasn't there, and I just stared at the Hokage. "Can I exchange it with a willing participant?"
Chōza started laughing first, while Haru followed his example immediately, throwing his head back with open amusement. Shikaku covered his face with one hand, muttering something that was probably similar to what I had yelled out, while Inoichi looked like he was trying very hard not to grimace.
"No, you can't." The Hokage said, deciding to ignore my outburst, and added, "Congratulations." Tsk... his voice was very... dry.
Wonderful. Fuck me... I was the one person who wanted to fight immediately, and the lottery gave me a free pass?! The universe had a sense of humor, huh? Well, I wasn't laughing.
"Now," Hiruzen continued, clearly pretending he had not heard or seen my complaints, "the first match."
His hand returned to the box, and of course, it was nobody else but...
"Minato Namikaze," and then, "Daichi Murasaki."
"Well," the latter said, pushing away from the wall and cracking his knuckles. "Don't hope to just make me roll over."
"I wouldn't dare." Minato looked at him with calm blue eyes.
Oh, that poor boy, he for sure will be rolled over. I almost felt bad for him. Almost.
"Hey," I leaned toward Minato. "Don't break him too quickly."
"Want me to exhaust myself?" He asked back, making me flinch.
"Okay, okay. Finish it under a minute, then."
And by then, Hiruzen drew again.
"Hiashi Hyūga against Ayame Hotori."
A Hyūga against a genjutsu user, huh? Depending on how good she was, that could either be a complete stomp or a genuinely complicated match. Thinking about it, I glanced toward Hiashi, trying to read him, but he gave away nothing.
"Hizashi Hyūga," The Hokage said, already pulling out the next set of names, "Against Haru Kazenami."
That could be good, too. Maybe I will have something to watch until it's my turn.
"Shibi Aburame against Inoichi Yamanaka."
"Oof..." I groaned because that fight probably wasn't going to be flashy, but it would be nasty. Bugs versus mind techniques? Can that even work...? Two clans that fought in ways most people didn't want to deal with...? Errr... What a weird setup.
The final two names were obvious now, but Hiruzen drew them anyway, making me look pityingly at the two.
"Shikaku Nara against Chōza Akimichi."
That was the worst kind of draw, almost as bad as if I had been matched up against Minato for the first round. Looking at each other, Chōza eventually scratched his cheek, shaking his head.
"Well," he said, trying for a smile, "guess we know each other pretty well."
"Too well," Shikaku muttered, biting his lips before he shoved his hands deeper into his pockets, looking annoyed. "If we have to do it, we do it properly. Otherwise, it's pointless... got it?"
"Yeah..." Chōza stared at him for a moment, then smiled for real. "Yeah. You're right."
Okay, that will also be aslo an interesting match to watch. With the drawing done, Hiruzen looked over the completed board, then nodded once, finalizing it. At the same time, the Chūnins finished copying the bracket onto a second scroll, while Sakumo stepped forward again.
"The first round is set." He began, "Renjiro Uchiha advances automatically to the second round, while the remaining ten participants will compete in five matches. The winners will advance." He paused, sweeping us with his gaze, "After that, depending on the number of participants remaining, further draws may be held, depending on the outcomes. The matches will be held in the public arena one week from today. Representatives from Konoha and allied minor villages will be present, and all the clan heads may attend along with foreign observers. Your conduct will reflect not only upon yourselves, but upon your village, your teachers, and your clans, so keep that in mind."
I could almost hear Fugaku telling me not to shame the clan, and I could also hear Jiraiya's voice, mostly speaking to Minato to dazzle everyone. I could hear my mother telling me not to get hurt, my father telling me to win, Kushina yelling something with dattebane, and Sayuri probably trying to pretend she was calm while secretly squeezing the life out of a seat cushion. This is going to be fun!
"Until then," Sakumo continued, "train, rest, or prepare as you see fit. But understand this clearly: once the matches begin, only your performance matters. There will be no excuses, and no second chances."
"You have all come far." The Hokage spoke up right after, "Fight well and remember that becoming Chūnin is not a reward for strength alone, but it is recognition of your judgment."
With that, the event was over, and everyone was allowed to go. But, instead of leaving at once, I watched as Shikaku, Inoichi, and Chōza remained near the board a little longer than the others. I could tell Inoichi wanted to say something to his teammates, but didn't know what, really. Of course, Chōza had gone back to eating, using it to calm himself down.
"Bad luck," I said as I stepped over to the group.
"Could have been worse," Shikaku looked at me, "Like pulling you."
"I am suffering here, okay?" I said, raising my voice indignantly.
"I hate you."
"You love me." I countered, hearing how Chōza chuckled, then held out a chip, and of course, I took it at once. "See? He loves me, too. Seriously though," I said after chewing it, "you two okay?"
"Mhm," Chōza nodded. "Yeah."
"Yep," Shikaku sighed. "There is no point in complaining. If anything, it's better than drawing one of you two in the first round."
"We can still meet in the later rounds." Minato joined us then, glancing at the board once more. "The tournament will be interesting."
"You are already confident in advancing?" Shikaku asked, looking at him, making Minato smile innocently.
"I will win it."
"And they say my Clan lives amongst the clouds," I whispered, loud enough for everyone to hear.
"No," Chōza said, crunching up the empty bag in his hands, "Those are the Hyūga brothers. Didn't you hear their slogan? The strongest clan in Konoha!"
"Uhum." I nodded, crossing my arms, humming repeatedly, "I do hope I face one of them in the second round. Maybe then, I can hear them speak, too! Or groan, which is still more than anything else that left their mouths throughout the exams."