"Congratulations on passing the second portion of the Chuunin Exam, candidates. Please go down the hall," Genma said to the Konoha genin passing through the doors. The special jounin gazed appraisingly at the gang of twelve. Collusion was not explicitly forbidden, but most genin teams, especially rookies, were generally too prideful to seek the assistance of others. The senbon chewing nin smiled, fondly recalling his own team's disastrous experience at their first Chuunin Exam.
"Excuse me, but our teammate, Uchiha Sasuke, needs medical assistance," Sakura called out in a concerned voice. There was a flurry of activity as the Uchiha heir was taken away. Sakura and Ino dutifully rushed after their teammate without so much as a backward glance.
"Gee, not even a thank you," Kiba muttered as he turned towards Haruto, figuring that the blond must feel slighted at being ignored. Lee, for instance, looked crushed.
Haruto smiled to show that he didn't mind. Well, actually he did mind. But he minded it no more than the cool looks he received out on the streets every now and then. He hadn't used his shadow clones to carry Sasuke so he could receive some reward. That wasn't how he worked. Besides, the two girls did help treat his wounds, so it all evened out in the end.
"Maybe someone should take a look at you as well, Haruto," Chouji suggested helpfully. By all rights, Haruto had looked far worse for wear the night before. Off to the side, Kiba made another wisecrack about pretty boy fainting for one reason or another. It was fortunate for the Inuzuka that both of the "pretty boy's" personal harpies were absent, else he would be talking through a different hole come tomorrow.
"Nah, I'm fine. Good as new," Haruto assured his friends. He really was fine for the most part, but even if he wasn't, he couldn't afford to be absent at this crucial stage. If the dark markings on Sasuke's neck were anything to go by, there was bound to be trouble ahead, trouble that he would have to deal with.
"Please be quiet while… the Hokage explains the conditions of the preliminary… matches." It took the sickly special jounin almost twice as long to make the short speech, interrupted as it was by coughing spells.
The crowd of tense genin quieted down. By now, people had digested the fact that a significantly smaller number of teams had emerged from the Forest of Death than anticipated. And without exception, they all looked like hell. Most of the Konoha proctors chalked it up to Anko's presence at the exam, but others wondered what had really happened.
"Thank you, Hayate." The Hokage rose and directed the full weight of his imperious presence toward the genin. "The first two portions of the exam tested skills required of chuunin ranked ninja. Can you gather information without giving any away? Do you have the inner resolve to do what is required? Are you resourceful enough to survive in a hostile environment? All of you have performed admirably in those areas."
The Hokage's words drew loud cheers as smiles broke out all around him. Haruto was impressed by the old man's skillful performance, which appeared sincere and genuine. As Hokage, Sarutobi must realize how hopelessly ill-prepared these genin were for what was to come. But he was the Kage of Konoha and Konoha only. That last bit was an important fact that many seemed to forget. Sarutobi-dono was not, contrary to popular belief, the guardian peacemaker of the entire world.
"Every time I signed a treaty or negotiated a truce, I did it for Konoha. I did it for the people of Konoha. I didn't do it for the sake of making peace. If at those moments making peace wasn't beneficial or appropriate, then I would not have hesitated to strike first at the enemy. Be sure to remember that when you become Hokage, Haruto."
Yes, old man, Haruto thought fondly as he recalled the venerable leader's words. An apt pupil and always eager to learn, the blond had readily taken those lessons to heart.
"However, from this point onwards, you'll be tested on your worthiness to be chuunin, to be a team leader. But leadership isn't only the ability to take charge. It also means knowing when to attack and when to hold back, when to compromise and when to persevere, when to take unilateral action and when to follow the lead of others. We cannot hope to test you all on these essential qualifications, but we can illustrate their importance. Therefore, the structure of this year's preliminaries has been altered to be a series of two-on-two team matches."
The gathering of genin looked stunned. Sure, everyone claimed to conduct their chuunin exams a little differently, but the basic format was very similar across the elemental countries. Suddenly, more than a few genin looked out of their league.
"Teams that win their matches will advance to the tournament round with all their members. Teams that lose will only advance the members who didn't participate." The Hokage held his hand up to silence the inevitable protests.
"Regardless of the outcomes, at least one member of each team is guaranteed to advance to the next round. It is up to you to decide who will fight and who will sit it out. As many of you have noticed, you have been prohibited from meeting your jounin sensei. This is why. When you are chuunin, you cannot always count on the aid and guidance of superiors. With what time you have, please decide on the members you wish to field for the preliminaries."
Haruto allowed himself a small smile for a maneuver well executed. After all, he had been the one to insist on keeping the foreign jounin away for as long as possible for strategic reasons. But for such a move to not attract suspicion, a blanket ban had to be imposed along with a plausible excuse. From the genin candidates' excited chatter about whether to send into battle their best members or not, it was clear that they had all fallen for it, hook, line and sinker.
"Haruto, about this preliminary match…" Chouji began, looking towards his longtime friend for assistance. "I know you're stronger, but Shika and I have trained together for years so maybe we should handle this fight."
"Okay," Haruto answered.
"I know you don't like it, but since you were wounded—Wait! What did you say?" Chouji looked sharply at his teammate.
"I said, 'okay,'" Haruto repeated with good cheer. "You're right. You guys make a better team together, and I'm still sort of sore. Good luck on the fight."
"Okay, well, that went easier than expected," Chouji noted to his childhood friend as they moved toward one of the proctors taking down the names of the participating candidates.