Chapter 135: The Joint Chunin Exams Begin
Minato followed the two figures. They seemed to be intentionally waiting for him, yet not letting him catch up. They finally stopped in a dead-end alley.
The terrain was very confined. He approached cautiously.
When he got closer and confirmed there was no ambush, he asked, "Who are you?"
The two of them were silent for a moment, then, at the same time, they removed their hoods. It was Hiroto and Kayo.
Minato was taken aback by their hair color. He remembered seeing them at the training ground. "You're from the Hidden Cloud?" he said. "That hair... are you from the Uzumaki clan?"
Kayo nodded. "I was the one who sent you the messages," she said. "Did you find out anything about Kushina?"
Minato's eyes darkened. Though he had joined the ANBU and had even earned the Hokage's favor, he was still too young and had no real power. He was just a promising young ninja.
Most importantly, the Foundation, which was nominally under the ANBU, seemed to be a separate entity. Their work had no connection to the Hokage or the regular ANBU, and they did not take orders from him. So far, all he knew was that the department existed. He knew nothing about its internal affairs.
Sometimes he even wondered if the person who had sent him the messages was mistaken, or had some ulterior motive.
"Before I answer your question," he said, his voice low, "why should I believe you? Wasn't it you, the Cloud, who tried to capture Kushina? Maybe she's not in the Foundation at all. Maybe she's in the Hidden Cloud."
"Do you really think," Hiroto said, "that if the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki had been taken by the Cloud, Konoha would be as quiet as it is now?"
Minato's breath caught in his throat.
"I'm afraid Konoha's own high command knows where she is," Hiroto added. "That's why they're being so quiet. Otherwise, even if they were outmatched, they would have at least put up a fight."
Minato, as a member of the ANBU, knew that the matter of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was a taboo topic among the high command. He had always wondered about it.
Sensing his change in attitude, Kayo continued, "I was the one who sent you the messages, because I saw Kushina being taken by the Root ninja with my own eyes. And it was because I was weak. Otherwise, she would be with us in the Cloud now, starting a new life."
"Listen, Minato Namikaze," she said, her voice earnest. "Kushina said you were one of the few people in the village who cared about her. You were the only one who came to rescue her as a friend, even though you didn't know she was a Jinchuriki. So I think you're the only one who truly wants what's best for her. That day, you said, 'Rescuing a comrade needs no reason.' Kushina almost cried."
Minato understood. The only ones who had heard him say that were the four people in the forest that day. These two must have been using a Transformation Jutsu.
"We may be from two different villages, even enemies," she continued. "But for the Cloud, as long as the Nine-Tails is in Konoha, it doesn't matter if it's in the open or in the Foundation. It's still in Konoha's hands. But as a fellow clansman, I don't want her to be controlled by those people with their dark, strange chakra. I want her to live a normal life, not be locked in a dungeon by a bunch of bad people. And if there's a chance in the future, I still hope she can live with us. But right now, I suspect she's being held prisoner. After all, you haven't seen her either, have you?"
He remembered the sad look on her face, the "Red Hot-Blooded Habanero" from the Academy, and the look of fear in her eyes when she had spoken to her senpai.
"The Foundation is not a good place," his own senpai had told him. "I don't know the details, but I've had friends who went in, and I never saw them again."
He looked into Kayo's eyes. His intuition told him she was telling the truth.
"I've been trying to investigate the Foundation," he said after a long moment, "but I don't know much. Can you tell me anything about it?"
"I only know a little," she said, her spirits lifted. "I'll tell you everything I know."
The official start of the Joint Chunin Exams was fast approaching. The Stone Village's ninja arrived just one day before, as if they thought it was fashionable to be late. But that also meant they had little time for acclimatization.
Some of the smaller villages had also come, but they had been housed in a different area, so Dana had not seen them.
The day before the exams, the young ninja from the various villages were a mixture of excitement and anxiety. A few of the girls had come to him for "counseling," which was really just asking for comfort and a chat. But even so, many of them had dark circles under their eyes the next day. It was understandable. They still didn't know what the exam would entail.
Perhaps it was a sign from the heavens, but on the first day of the exams, it was not raining.
After breakfast, all the participants were taken to a cliff on the eastern side of the village. The top of the cliff was unusually flat and wide, and a hundred or so people were already gathered there. The Rain had also built a platform, seemingly for a speech.
A short while later, the high-ranking officials of the various villages walked onto the platform.
The first Amekage, Hanzo of the Salamander; the Third Raikage, A; the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi; the Konoha elder, Koharu Utatane; the Sand elder, Chiyo; and the Stone elder, Haido.
Looking down at the hundred or so participants, Hanzo nodded in satisfaction. "You are all the talented young ninja of your respective villages," he announced. "First, I welcome you to the Land of Rain for the first Joint Chunin Exam. I, along with the other two Kage and the other high-ranking officials, will be the witnesses of this exam. This will be a very special Chunin Exam, and I expect you to all do your best."
"Before we begin, I will explain three rules. These rules apply to all parts of the exam. First: if your opponent surrenders, you must stop immediately. Violators will not only be disqualified, but will also be severely punished by their own village. I and the others on this stage will be watching. And you are not allowed to feign surrender and then attack. Those who surrender must wait on the spot to be retrieved by the staff."
"Second: any act that is explicitly stated as a violation of the rules is not allowed. Even if it is not discovered at the time, if it is discovered later, your results will be nullified."
"Third: you must all consider the risk to your own lives. You may still withdraw at this time. But if you choose to continue, you are agreeing to accept the risks."
"Remember these three points."
Dana noticed that some of the people in the back were starting to waver. They were from one of the smaller villages. They had clearly not realized that people could die in this exam. They were starting to have second thoughts and were arguing with their teammates.
Sure enough, about four or five of them chose to withdraw.
Hanzo nodded. "Now then," he said, "let me explain the rules for this round."
"Yes, sir!"
A Rain ninja knelt at his side. "The Joint Chunin Exam will have three rounds," he said. "This is the first round: The Canyon Escape."
"Below us is a massive canyon, with cliffs hundreds of meters high on either side. It is ten kilometers long."
"The participants, in their teams, will start from different points. Each team will be given a map. You must find a specific escape point in the canyon and use the correct method to leave. Each escape point can only be used twice. After that, it will become inactive. You are not allowed to leave the canyon by any other means. Violators will be eliminated."
"A team that escapes with all its members will receive a base score. There will also be additional individual points based on your performance. This round will be scored on both a team and an individual basis, and will have a significant impact on the following rounds."
"The time limit is sunset. Anyone still in the canyon after that will be eliminated."
The participants were confused.
"Now then," he said, "let us draw lots to determine your starting points."