Summary: The qualifying matches start and end with disappointment.
Kokoro stood next to her teammates with a grim expression on her face. When they passed the second part of the exams, she believed they would have some reprieve before starting the next part. She was wrong. Standing beside all the genin who passed the stage within the Forest of Death, she stared at the Hokage with a less than happy expression on her face. Her father stood behind the Hokage with his hands at his sides. He made eye contact with her and shrugged his shoulders when she frowned at him.
Even though they passed the second part, they were not guaranteed a spot in the third part of the exams. Apparently, too many genin made it through the forest, so they had to participate in an elimination round of sorts. They had to fight each other randomly to determine who gets to move on to the final and third round of the Chunin Exams. Kokoro scoffed at the explanation but knew he was right. Having been to the Chunin Exams before, the third part almost always consists of a tournament to determine a winner. It only takes a day as important guests - Kages, Lords, the wealthy - come from all over the shinobi world to watch them. If there are too many genin entering the tournament, the whole thing could last two or three days.
They were given a chance to leave, to give up and fail the exams, but Kokoro stayed rigid in her place. There was no way she would back down after spending all that time and energy spent in the Forest of Death trying to survive. Not everyone thought like her. Kabuto raised his hand and dropped out, stepping away from everyone else to announce his departure. Kokoro narrowed her eyes at his behavior and silently wondered what he was doing. If he failed the exams six times already wouldn't he try to at least attempt the preliminary round to get to the third round?
The proctor of the preliminary round, Hayate Gekko, turned everyone's attention to the board that would announce the participant of each battle. There were two slots on the digital board that spun around before landing on two names: Yoroi Akado and Sasuke Uchiha. Kokoro chanced a glance at her teammate and saw him grip his shoulder in pain. An image of a three-tomoed mark entered her mind and she couldn't help but feel it was the cause of his pain. Sasuke saw her observing him and dropped his arm from his shoulder. He shot her look that promised pain if she were to tell anyone about his condition. She contemplated telling the proctor or her father or the Hokage but she startled when his stare grew dark and animosity shined through his dark eyes. Pure hatred and anger directed at her made her uncomfortable and she shifted in her spot so that she stood closer to Naruto. Sasuke smirked and searched for his opponent, one of Kabuto's teammates.
Sasuke and Yoroi stepped out and faced each other while everyone else was told to move to the upper level of the area. Kokoro stood next to Naruto and another boy named Rock Lee. Lee was the smaller version of Gai. He sported a black bowl cut that glistened with healthiness and thick, dark eyebrows to match. His shinobi gear consisted of a green jumpsuit, orange leg warmers, and bandages that spiraled on his hands and up to his forearms. He wore his red hitai-ate like a belt around his waist instead of above his round, expressive eyes.
"Lee, I'm glad you made it," Kokoro said pleasantly. "Just know that your speed alone can't beat me."
She was honestly glad he made it so far. He worked very hard to get to where he was currently as he was a special case. Lee couldn't mold chakra, so he relied heavily on taijutsu to defeat his opponents. Because Gai has a similar situation, Lee was placed in Gai's tutelage and has been strengthening his skills every day. He was a tough opponent because he was fast and his blows hurt. It was like battling against a flexible piece of metal that could move at blinding speeds. Kokoro rubbed her arms in remembrance of all the bruises he had given her over the few years they knew each other.
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An Unexpected Friend (Book 1 of the Unexpected Series)
Fanfiction[Book 1 of the Unexpected Series] Kokoro Hatake had a lot to bare and a lot to live up to. Her grandfather had abandoned a mission, tainting the Hatake name, and her father, while known as the Copycat ninja, was known as the friend killer, too, and...
