You are Kaguya Ryōko. You are a shinobi who now lives in the hidden village Yūgakure, and to your knowledge, you may be one of just two of your kind left in this world. Today is a big day for you, since it’s fallen to you to serve as the sole representative of your village in the international chūnin exams being held in Konohagakure. After clearing two previous stages meant to test your information-gathering and survival skills, the third stage consists of a tournament-style rotation of duels – of which you have won two.The next match will see two Konoha genin facing off against each other – Tsurugi Misumi, an unremarkable twentysomething with glasses who seems to usually keep his face covered, and Hyūga Hinata, the timid eldest daughter of the supposedly most powerful house in their village. Out of all the matches so far this is the second which you’re finding it difficult to predict – Uchiha Sasuke versus Hyūga Neji being the other owing to the relatively high level of apparent skill each contestant brought into it. But this match is somewhat opposite.Misumi Tsurugi’s preliminary match against Yamanaka Ino wasn’t much of a fight, and only really served to tell you two things. First, Misumi-san’s technique relies on softening his bones to improve his grappling ability. Second… he has a lousy personality. Hyūga Hinata’s preliminary match demonstrated that she can use the Hyūga clan’s specialty form of taijutsu… if her opponent allows it. Her speed and physical strength are fine for a genin, but not quite up to the standards of the strongest candidates still in the running.The two of them facing off in the middle of the arena paints a stark picture. If you had to guess, the way Misumi-san carries himself and smirks like he’s already won will make most of the audience think he’ll likely be the winner – but want to root against him anyway.“This is going to be a good time!” Misumi Tsurugi muses. Hinata-kun doesn’t say anything in response.Genma-san watches them both with a frown. “Misumi Tsurugi versus Hyūga Hinata… you may begin!”Hinata-kun throws a kunai at Misumi-san and closes the distance after it, forcing Misumi-san to duck low to avoid it. Unfortunately for Hinata-kun, it doesn’t stop him from weaving hand seals and clasping his hands together with his fingertips pointed at his opponent.“Suiton: Suireiha!”The grapefruit-sized ball of water forces Hinata-kun to break off her attack, using her own fingertip-strikes to try to break down the ball before it connects with her torso. The force causes her to stagger back, and the three smaller shots in quick succession push her even further off her balance as she twists to intercept them as well.That gave Misumi-san a moment to fall back and open the distance up a little more.“What’s wrong!?” he crows, drawing several kunai of his own. “Can’t get close!?”>1/3
>>6455218He throws the blades, which Hinata-kun manages to either deflect or dodge, including rolling away from a kunai with an exploding tag hidden around the tang which she no doubt saw coming with her byakugan.“She’s totally getting pushed around,” you hear Temari-kun muse somewhere over your right shoulder.Naruto-kun, who has been leaning over the railing to your left, turns to confront Temari-kun… past where you’re standing.“So what!?” he counters. “I bet she’s just waiting for an opening to get close and finish this guy off, ya know! You saw how hard that Neji guy pressed Sasuke before!”“Yeah, but that was him,” Temari-kun answers, crossing her arms. “She’s not.”“Don’t you dare underestimate her,” Naruto-kun growls, before turning back to the railing. “Hey!”You don’t let him finish shouting whatever he was going to shout at Hinata-kun, interrupting by sinking a kunai into the floor at his feet. He hops to one side and looks down at the blade where it stuck.“What the heck was that about!?”“They’re at your end of the brackets,” you glance at Temari-kun for a moment. “Shouldn’t you focus on watching them?”Temari-kun makes an indignant noise and turns back to the fight, away from you and Naruto-kun. “Calm down Naruto-kun. Let your friend focus on her fight.”“She’s got a point,” a new voice observes as Sasuke-kun finally joins the rest of you in watching the fights. “Shouting at people doesn’t always help, knucklehead.”“Sasuke-kun, where’ve you been!?”“Sensei and I were getting an earful for being late,” Sasuke-kun admits, strolling towards the railing. “Twice, actually.”“Welcome to the show,” you muse, watching as Hinata-kun stays firmly on the proverbial ropes… but hangs on nonetheless.“This is taking far too long!” Misumi-san declares, weaving a set of hand seals you recognize. “Mizubunshin no jutsu!”He only manages to create one water clone using the water he can produce, with only limited natural water being available on the spot to use such a technique, and uses that clone to close the distance with Hinata-kun while the original continues to attack from a distance. It doesn’t look great for her… but she doesn’t seem any more bothered by the development.In fact, unless you’re reading the look in her unusual eyes completely wrong, it actually looks like she’s had an idea.>2/3
>>6455220At first you wonder if your instincts were mistaken, since she takes a punch to the chin that slips through her guard as she’s trying to block an incoming kunai. Misumi-san’s water clone is doing a good job of drawing in Hinata-kun’s focus, staying in-her-face enough to create openings for the original to attack at a distance but not committing so much that Hinata-kun can dominate it in close quarters. But it isn’t long before Misumi-san makes the sort of mistake Hinata-kun seems to have been waiting for – he throws another kunai with an explosive tag.Naruto-kun seems alarmed, but Sasuke-kun and Temari-kun both seem a bit confused at the decision. They clearly both know what you do – that using a timed explosive to finish off his opponent while also relying so heavily on a clone technique introduces a risk, for no clear reason or as part of any immediately obvious plan.You’re not sure that they see what you and Gaara-kun clearly both do, based on the little verbalized ‘idiot’ that escapes Gaara’s lips from somewhere behind you.“There!”Hinata-kun catches the kunai by hooking one finger through the ring-pommel, spins it there for a moment, and carefully times the release so that the paper bomb explodes while it’s inside the water clone she aimed it at.“Tch…” Misumi-san scoffs. “Not bad… but not good -”He doesn’t get to finish his thoughts, because Hinata-kun turns and leaps to face him, weaving hand signs as she does so. “Suiton: Mizuhari!”The water from Misumi-san’s clone doesn’t get a chance to soak into the ground before Hinata-kun is using her chakra to draw it up into the air where it forms a small ball in front of her outstretched palms. Then it starts to spit small needles of condensed water, which Misumi-san struggles to dodge or parry.Several of those needles bounce off each other midflight, changing their trajectories abruptly while Misumi-san is in the middle of dealing with a previous volley, and two of those surprise needles hit him in the neck. His eyes go wide, and he falls to the ground immediately as though he’s been struck dead on the spot.“… no way,” Naruto-kun stares, almost as wide-eyed as Misumi-san himself was. “Did Hinata just…”“It totally looks like she killed that guy,” Temari-kun muses aloud, seemingly both unnerved and slightly impressed. “I didn’t think she had it in her…”Even Gaara-kun is no longer leaning against the back wall, showing enough interest that you'd almost describe him as having suddenly 'woken up' from daydreaming before.>1d10, best of three
Rolled 1 (1d10)>>6455340God damn, did she just fucking paralyze him Haku style after bouncing water needles off each other???
Rolled 5 (1d10)>>6455340
Rolled 6 (1d10)>>6455340
>>6455340“She didn’t kill him,” you declare.“Ah… I get it,” Sasuke-kun sighs. “Hey Naruto, you remember the first time our team fought Zabuza?”“Yeah, when Haku showed up.”“Still no idea who those people are,” you remind them before continuing. “Needles aren’t good for killing on their own, but there are pressure points in the neck closely tied to the chakra network. Striking them can put a victim into a state where they may as well be dead.”“I didn’t want to use too much chakra on that technique,” Hinata-kun pants down in the arena. “With no water in this arena, I was afraid I couldn’t use it. So thanks for helping. I couldn’t have done it without you.”Genma-san examines Misumi-san, and quickly realizes that he’s been completely incapacitated.“Misumi Tsurugi is unable to continue. Hyūga Hinata will advance to the semifinals round.”“Huh,” Sasuke-kun muses aloud. “Wonder how Neji-kun feels right now…”>1/2
>>6455392It would be a complicated feeling, you’d imagine. While she may be “disappointing” to her clan in terms of proficiency with their family fighting style, what she just did is far from unimpressive. Hitting two specific pressure points at range by deflecting water senbon off each other… you couldn’t do it. Elements of it perhaps, but without the byakugan you're not sure you could replicate the feat entirely.“The next match will be Uchiha Sasuke versus Temari-kun. The candidates will please head down immediately.”“Well, guess I get a shot at the ‘great’ Uchiha Sasuke myself,” Temari-kun muses. “You better not disappoint me.”… after this match you’ll be facing Gaara-kun, who seems to have been growing impatient this whole time with no planned opponent. And if you can beat him, you expect you’ll either have to face his sister Temari-kun or Sasuke-kun… since as surprisingly well as Hinata-kun did, you don’t see her beating Sasuke-kun.>Maybe go talk to Gaara-kun a little. He seems like he could use a distraction from his boredom.>Go and speak with Hinata-kun. Watching her fight revived your interest in her clan somewhat.>Just watch the match from the rail. If anyone wants to talk with you they’ll find you.>Other?
>>6455435>Go and speak with Hinata-kun. Watching her fight revived your interest in her clan somewhat.
>>6455435>>Maybe go talk to Gaara-kun a little. He seems like he could use a distraction from his boredom.I have a Gaara Agenda.
Welcome back, QM! Had been missing this quest, so I'm glad it's back again.Also, sidenote, did not expect Mr. Fantastic to put up such a fight. Also, turning Hinata into a long-range ninjutsu/senbon user with the Byakugan is fascinating. That was... Water Needle? Distinguishes her from Neji, certainly.>>6455435>Just watch the match from the rail. If anyone wants to talk with you they’ll find you.I wonder if Gaara would approach if we stayed away. Though I'm also interested in who else would be around at this point. ...did our teammates come back to watch the Chunin Exams? I know they were sent back after the second phase, but I don't think there was any mention of them being here.
>>6455435>Maybe go talk to Gaara-kun a little. He seems like he could use a distraction from his boredom.Is he tired?>>6455447>but I don't think there was any mention of them being hereWe're in a "secure" section of the stands for competitors, they probably wouldn't have access. of all thongs it would have been a nice concession but you get what you get.No Idea how Naruto is here though since he lost.
>>6455435>Go and speak with Hinata-kun. Watching her fight revived your interest in her clan somewhat.That was a surprising display of skill by Hinata, certainly a unique turn of events. It makes perfect sense though.>>6455447I vaguely recall something about them heading back to the village to train or something, but I may be misremembering.
