A's POV (Kage Box of Iron Arena - Land of Iron)
A felt some fury as Samui was defeated. He was no fool; as good and loyal as the woman was, he did not expect her to beat a jinchuriki. She would have to be punished somewhat for not even managing to make him use his beast. But regarding his most recent orders, he was pleased. Clearly, Samui had made a move of some sort when she used the smoke. For neither had looked harmed and had even seemed closer after the fact. Not to mention that ending…
Yes, it was fortunate indeed A had slain her traitorous parents and imprisoned her brother. Samui would prove more than worth the cost of sparing them if she managed to seduce the Nine Tails jinchuriki. Even better, they would likely spawn worthy soldiers. Yes, things looked nice for A and, by proxy, the Cloud.
He supposed he would spare Atsui and Samui from any further punishment,
at least in this case. But it was time to act his part.
"DAMN HER! MY ENTIRE GENIN FORCE WILL FEEL MY IRON CLAW!" A roared belligerently.
Yagura, Rasa, and Onoki were all openly amused by such. A was not
surprised; his exaggerated personality was grating. It must've been satisfying to see him "rage." Besides, they could take these mere exams.
One day, he would show them all true strength…
"Anyway." Hiruzen interrupted their chatter with a small smile. Smug Leaf bastard. "We may want to discuss how we wish to do the finals."
"A good point." A agreed, happy to escape mockery.
"There are three Genin left, perhaps a free-for-all?" Mifune offered.
"Such a chaotic experience may become too much with two jinchuriki and a Uchiha in play," Yagura warned. "Besides, a one-on-one bout would provide a much more heroic battle."
"While I do not share whatever mental illness this lad has." Onoki sniped as he chimed in as well. "But I do agree, I doubt the civilians could keep track of the action. Nor could we expect Kakashi Hatake to reasonably contain such. Those three are nothing short of Jounin level."
"So we continue our randomizer to select a final bye round. The other two will engage in honorable combat and, after being healed, face the third." Mifune concluded. The others all nodded, leaving A no choice but to do the same.
"Well, time to see which Leaf Hippie will die." A spoke bitterly. The board whirled with the three names as it landed on the official match.
First Match
Gaara of the Sand VS Naruto Uzumaki
Bye Round
Sasuke Uchiha
"Excellent. I'll enjoy watching the Uzumaki perish." A said with a sneer.
"I hope my son doesn't kill him," Rasa offered while rubbing his temples.
"Hmm, Gaara will win then." Yagura decided.
But much to A's disdain, Mifune, Hiruzen, and Onoki seemed to be leaning towards Naruto.
"Naruto Uzumaki is a shinobi unlike the many I've met little over the years," Hiruzen admitted. "He has always been one to shock and inspire. I expect no difference here."
Guren's POV (?)
Guren sat on a branch, slowly sharpening several crystal blades. They were in a small forest just outside the Land of Fire. She sat up high in a tree, keeping watch for their expected guest while the other two waited below. In truth, sharpening her blades was pointless, with a thought she could do so instantly. But it passed the time as they waited. Also helped block out the other two, who were deep in an argument.
"I'm telling you, shitstain, you can't possibly compare to the Sound Four!" Tayuya yelled angrily as she stood in Dosu's face. The two were both arrogant in their abilities and had decided to pass the time by arguing.
"And I'm telling you, we both lost to Naruto Uzumaki. We obviously aren't all that strong. We both were practically useless in the battle with Kabuto," Dosu reasoned.
"One loser, I didn't lose; I surrendered. Two, you three lost three on one! Hell, in the last fight, I only struggled because you blew out his damn eardrums within seconds of the fight. He was fucking immune to my strongest Genjutsus!" Tayuya replied.
"Against any normal foe that would've been lethal." Dosu countered. "Besides, all you did was use that accursed form to fight like a bruiser."
"Better than getting hamstrung and dropping out of the fight first!" Tayuya roared.
"Yet I survived the same as you. Perhaps your title was as manipulative as your leader." Dosu pointed out.
"I get the two of you are bored, but please either fight or be silent," Guren barked from her perch above them.
"I suppose that would be the most efficient way to solve this," Dosu said as he lowered himself into a charging stance.
Tayuya squared up with him as she raised her flute to her lips.
Before the two could clash, a duo arrived in the middle of them.
"I have been beseeched to aid you, but I must warn you: I will not condone pointless violence. I am a man of principles, after all." A deep voice sounded out.
"Sensei, remember these aren't the best of people. But I'm obligated to aid them, " a lighter-pitched voice reasoned.
The group stared down the new arrivals. One was a monk with a shaved head and garbed in simple robes. His eyes were serious, and his chakra powerful; he nearly felt as strong as Guren herself.
The other also radiated power and presence. His long hair was pulled back into a bun and seemed more expressive than his supposed sensei. He wore the same simple robes, though his aura was different—it held an air of darkness…
Guren dropped onto the ground, facing the two. She had figured Danzo had some men who were still loyal and merely laying low. Then she had discovered Sora. After a brief clash to test his power, it had been clear he would be needed for her plan. But she had not expected him to bring Chiriku with him; he was a Jounin-level fighter. Guren could not help the smile that filled her face. Two strong fighters had joined their group…
'Prepare yourself… Orochimaru…'
Kakashi's POV (Courtyard of Iron Arena - Land of Iron)
Kakashi was unsure how he felt once Naruto was chosen to fight Gaara. Naruto had seemed absolutely sure it would happen, and Kakashi had not doubted him. But he could not feel as if his student was not ready. Gaara had a soulless quality in his eyes, which Kakashi had seen before—something his father had held when he had left. Nothing was left behind but a note telling them he had hidden away and planned to die alone—a grim reminder of his past.
No one as young as him should hold their eyes like that. Not when Kakashi had them at one point, back in his Anbu days. When he had mindlessly and tirelessly completed the most difficult of missions. Truthfully, he had been searching for death, unwilling to kill himself yet looking for a battle he could not win. It had earned him his infamy through the blood of countless enemies soaked on his hands. Gaara had those same eyes, was intent on killing or taking Naruto, and seemed much more powerful than any mere Genin should be.
Was Naruto ready for an opponent of that caliber? Would he ever forgive Kakashi if he dared interfere or suggested he surrender? What did Kushina want him to do? What would Minato think? Had Jiraiya done his job?
As if further complicating his situation, the crowd cheered and chanted wildly. This was the semi-finals of the biggest Chunin Exam ever. They had already seen both participant's battles and knew they were powerful and skilled. Though they were mere Genin, many had shown a combat aptitude and power of Chunin or Jounin. And these two had yet to even seem strained. Instead, they appeared to steamroll the competition. They were both monsters in their eyes as well. Jinchuriki posing as humans bred for violence. There would be no need to form a favorite. With any luck, they would kill each other. The civilians thought hatefully, though the majority of shinobi saw it differently. They knew how powerful jinchuriki were and knew the risk of two clashing like this. Regardless, the entire audience knew the upcoming bout would be one worthy of note.
Kakashi glanced around until his eyes landed on the Kage Box. Should Gaara make a mistake here and kill Naruto, there would be an international incident. Likely even war, it had been had before for much pettier reasons. Yet alone the death of a military asset as valuable as a jinchuriki. It was his job to ensure it would not happen this way. All while not interfering in a way that would embarrass, infuriate, or disqualify his student. A conundrum of duty and wants. The whirl of his mind and the endless roar of the crowd were slowly and surely giving him a headache.
His life seemed more straightforward when he had been an anbu captain. Kakashi had wished to serve his sensei's student as his father had served him. Now, here he was, about to watch as a spectator as Naruto ran head-first toward a monster who would gladly slay him.
Was Kakashi to watch someone he loved die again? In ten minutes, he'd find out…