A Lethal Weapon

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE: The Final Rounds

"I think he's angry..." Itachi turned to look at her.

"You don't say..." he sighed tiredly.

"It was just one week." Hanako looked at him a frown.

"Where were you that week?" Itachi asked.

"Training."

"With whom?" Itachi raised an eyebrow.

"Alone?" Hanako replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Itachi sighed again and shook his head. "I'm sorry, okay? I'll train with him next time if that's what got him so upset."

"That's not the problem, Hanako..." muttered the Uchiha. "We knew nothing about you, and we were worried. You cannot just leave like that-"

"Alright, it's time to begin with the final round of the Chuunin Exam," the proctor called loudly, making everyone in the arena fall silent.

"We'll talk about this later," Itachi finished making Hanako nod. She turned to look towards her opponent, who was staring at the proctor with confidence radiating from his pores. Then her eyes drifted to the bleachers, looking for Shisui. She met his eyes, but he immediately looked away.

Hanako pushed every thought away from her mind when she heard the proctor speak once again. "My name is Hayate Gekko. I'll be your proctor for the third and final exam."

The arena was submerged in the screaming and shouting of all the spectators. Each one made their own bets on who would win their fights. From the bleachers, the Genin were cheering their friends who were on the battlefield. Ren and Kaichi shouted for their teammate, Hyori. Kazuki supported Takeshi and Hanako, who were both his friends and comrades. Koharu yelled for Itachi and Hiroki. Meanwhile, the Tsuchikage was sitting next to the Third Hokage in a private section balcony, from where they waited patiently for the next round to begin so they could witness the development of the Genin from their villages.

"I believe it's time to begin," Hiruzen said while standing up.

"Yes, my back won't stand too long this position. It'd better start soon and end soon." The Tsuchikage commented while getting comfortable in his chair.

"Aren't you a stubborn Kage, isn't it time for you to choose a successor?" He laughed.

"I'm not leaving such an important place in hands of ignorant and impulsive brats until the day I die."

"I see..." The Hokage sighed. "I didn't expect any less from you, Oonoki," he said, making the Tsuchikage chuckle.

"Anyway, start with the exam now, Hiruzen. My back is starting to ache."

The Third Hokage neared the railing of the balcony and started to speak in a loud voice, directing to both spectators and participants. "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, and thank you for your presence in this final round of the Chuunin Exam here in Konoha." At this point people had resumed their shouting as excitement filled the place. "Right now, we're about to begin with the encounters that are to take place in this final round. Please, find a comfortable sit and enjoy the matches."

After the Hokage finished talking, the proctor turned to participants. "Well, as you already know, the rules for this final match are the same as in the preliminaries. There are no rules. The fight will only end when one of you dies, admits defeat or isn't able to continue. I can also decide when to stop a fight, but I will only do so in special cases, like fights that may harm a third party, in which case you'd both be disqualified." Hanako felt slightly uncomfortable when his eyes lingered over her while he said this. Itachi also noticed this and nudged her softly making her look at him. He smiled slightly at her; he took her hand in his and gave her a soft squeeze before letting go and turning back to the proctor. Hanako felt her cheeks flush for a brief moment but quickly pushed it away. She felt another set of eyes on her and turned her face to find Takeshi glaring at her. Beside him was Hyori who only looked at her before dedicating a playful grin and turning away. "The first match is Hiroki Diashi against Takeshi Komatsu. The rest of you, please direct yourselves towards the waiting section upstairs, and wait upon being called for your match." All of the participants complied with his orders.