Despite it All

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Naruto's POV (Trial of Nio Mountain)

Things had been tense for the blonde since Gaara's little romp. While he refused to say what had happened during it. But the third point added to their wrist had made it clear he had seen combat and somehow had come out of it unharmed. While they were pleased they could now finish the exam they all felt the weight of knowing Gaara had likely killed whoever he ran into. Samui seemed to take it personally due to Gaara technically disobeying her orders. Similar to himself, Fuu seemed to take it poorly as well. Multiple times he himself had sniped at the redhead for his apparent murderous impulses. Personally, Naruto wanted to kick his ass. Admittedly though Gaara unnerved him somewhat. He was murderous, impulsive, and powerful. For now, Naruto decided to let it be.

They now raced through the path at the maximum speed the horse could manage. It was a slow jog compared to them but rules are rules. As they did so Naruto spawned various clones to patrol the area and form a tight perimeter. Samui sat behind Gaara on the horse with Naruto running in front. Fuu kept an aerial view of the group. Acting as the group's eye from the sky.

Samui had been right to keep her there because shortly after she signaled that a team was nearby. She flowed down as a group of forty clones responded to the notification. Intending to see who was coming and how strong they may be. He was shocked when the clones reported they saw Ino and Shino but grimly willed the clones to interfere. "I'm on it!" Naruto told the team, as feedback from his slain clones came to him. With this, the group pushed the horse even more. Hoping to escape them while they struggled against the army of blonde Uzumaki's.

They continued on this path before they were shocked as Fuu suddenly started dodging head-sized fireballs.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flame!" Sasuke called his group running onto their path slightly behind Team Two. Sasuke seemed focused on holding Fuu back from helping them with her long-range jutsu.

Samui frowned at this development. "Two teams? This is becoming uncool." She complained as she tapped Gaara on the back. "Mind helping out murderous and unfriendly?" She asked Gaara with a sassy stare. Gaara glared back but, with a pop of his gourd unleashed several tendrils of sand. The tendrils flew forward as they attempted to grab and crush their pursuers.

Suigetsu chuckled wildly. "Now this is more my style! Speaking of which, Water Style: Double Water Gun!" He called excitedly, raising both hands with finger extended and firing off his technique. The small blast of water flew through the tendrils. Both are not even slowed by the sand.

Samui's eyes widened as Gaara's narrowed. The busty blonde stood precariously on the steed as she drew her tanto. "Cool Twin Bisection." She said simply as her tanto glowed with the power of her chakra. She slashed twice, each sending a blast of chakra towards the water blast. Each smashed into the other with a boom. The powerful techniques cancel each other out. Team Two smiled at this while Team Five frowned.

Sasuke growled annoyed that Fuu seemed to dodge his attacks with ease. "Can't you bind them, Nara?" He asked, his voice dripping with annoyance.

"We'd need to be much closer." He responded.

"I cannot truly aid here! Forgive me for my lack of youth!" Lee answered weeping tears of shame as he rode on the horse with Shikamaru.

Sasuke sighed annoyed, as he ran before Suigetsu leaped in front of the group excitedly.

"So we just need to get close right? Couldn't we just run up to them. We're faster than the horse." Suigetsu asked.

"It's not worth the risk. Besides, the horse needs to get in front of them. That's it!" Shikamaru called with a smirk. "This is gonna be a big drag, but are you able to use the Water Dragon Jutsu right?"

"Hmm, I see a decent idea, definitely risky though." Sasuke commented.

"Any idea is better than failure!" Lee added helpfully.

"Well yeah, it's almost a right of passage in the Mist." Suigetsu answered.

"Fire it off! Everyone! Hop onto it! Shadow Stitching Jutsu!" Shikamaru called as suddenly he and Lee were wrapped in shadows. Binding them to the horse.

"Whatever you bossy dick!" Suigetsu called as he weaved hand signs. "Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!" A large dragon made of water formed and roared. Before it could take off Suigetsu turned to water and merged into the attack. Shikamaru and Lee were lifted by its head as it launched itself forward. Sasuke attached himself skillfully to the dragon using chakra control.

Team Two all flinched as they watched the dragonfly by. They were aiming for the finish! Naruto and Samui each used their swords to attack them with separate cries.

"Cool Flashing Beheading!" Samui called as a bolt of lightning flew from her blade.

"Uzumaki Style: Raging Wave!" Naruto added. Both slashing attacks did manage to hit the dragon but got dragged along while Naruto was getting pummeled by the raging water..

"Please don't complain too much." Gaara interrupted their panic calmly. Suddenly sand burst from beneath the snowy ground. It formed a large disc beneath them and slowly rose into the air. It raised them out of the air and suddenly it went flying. Samui got knocked out of the horse from the force. Naruto barely managed to catch her in their flight as he caught the tendril very generously offered by Gaara whilst on his flight. Fuu flew with them free from their trap as they saw a quickly approaching finish line marked with a large flag saying goal.

Even from so far up they could discern that the mountain was flat on top, housing several buildings and a large stadium.

Though this did little to help them as they fell once they realized the sand was not floating but had rather jumped!

Gaara formed a shield around him and the horse. Fuu managed to grab Samui and Naruto and somehow hold up both of the young adults. Gaara crashed into the ground as Sasuke's group did. While Gaara's defenses held up, cracking the ground he landed on and then slowly falling apart to allow him and the terrified horse out. Meanwhile, Naruto and Samui were lowered to the ground by a happy Fuu. Samui seemingly clutched onto Naruto before realizing as such and letting go allowing her to stand on her own two feet.

"Good to see you make it Blondie!" A familiar voice rang out. Team Two turned to see another group already there. Team Two. Ino stood in front of the group waving cockily and somewhat angrily to Naruto. Behind her stood a smiling Temari and Omoi. Naruto was sure Shino was smiling as well but it always was impossible to tell with the aloof young man.

"You're blonde too! And how the hell did you get past my clones!" Naruto asked Ino as he walked up to her rubbing the back of his head.

"That would be me." Temari said with a smile. "Took a lot of my reserves but I flew us here. Luckily you and that other team kept each other distracted. We flew right past you all undetected."

"Yes, the second place seems fitting for you, Uzumaki." Shino added. He enjoyed teasing the blonde after all.

"Screw you guys, we kicked ass!" Naruto countered. "Didn't we?" He asked Samui.

"We were incredibly cool." Samui stated with absolute certainty.

"Ya, we were all unstoppable!" Fuu added as well.

"Naruto." Ino said, her voice dropping to her false sweet tone. "You made more female friends?" She asked.

"Of course! You've already met Samui. She's so awesome! And then there's Fuu." The friendly girl mentioned hugged her newest friend excitedly…. Ino's eye twitched.

"Lovely. Wait, why is your teammate leaving?" Ino asked, confused as they all watched Gaara walk a short distance away before turning to face the group.

"That would be because you forgot who else is coming." Gaara informed them plainly.

As he said this the rest of Team Two and Team One all looked up. They saw the falling water dragon and the screaming faces of Team Five. Sasuke merely jumped off before the crash landing with ease close to Gaara. The rest of them crashed into the other finished Genin. The group rolled into a large and painful ball. Samui, Ino, and Naruto were in a bundle of pain. Naruto on the bottom and the prone forms of Ino and Samui on top of him. Shino, Lee, and Fuu also got mixed up in the pile. Fuu, seemingly not hurt, asked if it was some kind of game. Omoi was covered in what he did not know was Suigetsu. The group of hurting and disoriented Genin slowly untangled and climbed to their feet (Ino and Samui both refusing to look at Naruto). Gaara and Sasuke stared down.

"I'm not sure how or why. But I'm certain you're the strongest here. I will defeat you myself and show you the power of the 'Uchiha'." Sasuke said as he stared down the redhead.

"It is because you're trash. You can sense my superiority due to the fact I'm not a pathetic human like yourself." Gaara countered. "On the topic, I thought the Uchiha were nothing more than traitorous scum."

Sasuke's eyes gleamed at the insult as he prepared himself for combat. Gaara looked on as if not bothered at all.

"Enough young ones!" Mifune interrupted as he strolled up the group. "Allow me to show you where you may rest. Congratulations on passing the Trial of Nio. Arrivals according to my sources are - "Team One, Team Two, and Team Five."" At this, he immediately walked off silently showing them where to go. "Also, your finishing positions do hold some level of importance as previously mentioned. Members of Team One will always go last in the final test. An advantage I cannot overtake. Team Two after and Team Five after them."

The Genin wordlessly followed the Samurai. They were much too tired for much else. Pity be to those still in the exams.

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Neji's team silently traveled. His eyes made it clear they were close to the goal. Seeing the flag even from their current distance. He also noticed another rider taking a separate path. But they had all their points and based on the fact they were solo were likely not a threat nor worth the time to take care of. His eyes also showed that Naruto and Ino had already arrived. It appears he was the slowest here.

Kurotsuchi whooped in joy as she saw the finish line come close. "Ya, we're finally getting off this damn mountain!"

"I don't support the way you said it, but I certainly won't miss this mountain either." Tenten replied casually.

"And why is that Panda?" Sai asked innocently.

"First off ,you're dead meat once this is over." Tenten threatened. Sai seemed confused by this but she merely trucked on. "It's this thin air that makes it feel like I can't breathe."

"Typical Leaf softies!" Kurotsuchi answered happily. "We live on them at home."

"Rich hearing you call us softly considering we defeated you in the last war." Sai added happily. Not even realizing the confrontational nature of her comment. Luckily this worked well on Kurotsuchi who grumbled angrily at that, not quite realizing Sai was a bit of an oddity.

"Ignore him." Tenten offered as she faced palmed. "He does it to everyone, doesn't know any better."

"He's lucky." Kurotsuchi stated with a frown.

"Very much so." Sai answered as he mocked Kurotsuchi's face. Attempting to decipher the expression she was making.

"GET THE FUCK OUT OF OUR WAY!" A deep animal-like voice called. Team Eight watched in shock as a building-sized dog hopped over them. Horse held it safely in its mouth.

They all looked on in shock as the dog raced to the finish dropping the horse and exploded with smoke. Showing a weak-looking Kiba and Akamaru both collapsing as several medical personnel ran over to aid them.

Team Eight finished mere moments after too much less fanfare than Kiba.

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Yuno's POV (Trial of Nio Mountain)

Yuno's life had often been a confusing mess. Before she was born her clan had attempted to throw a coup leading to much of her family being killed or detained. Luckily her father was not a Uchiha and as such she and he had been spared.

The complications of life continued in the Trial of Nio. Her team had been an odd group, with none of them being particularly powerful. They had launched an assault on Team Two and had been pushed back viciously, Mubi being killed in the process. Raiga had chosen to stay behind to fight the man which surely had led to his death. Karui and her had been an unlikely pairing to make it through. This is further shown when the waterman appeared and pressed them both with ease. They had been lucky to survive let alone make it out. Well she had, Karui had been too exhausted and had to drop. Then she helped Kiba in the process getting the points needed to pass.

She had wrecked her brain on how to finish the Trial of Nio. But how to do it efficiently without being crushed by another team. She had debated trying to navigate the forest with her steed before she witnessed another team passing her by from the path she just left. She recognized Hinata and the waterman who had attacked them earlier. She also believed the man in the body suit had briefly clashed with Neji. Yuno smiled as an idea passed through her mind.

Hinata - Trial of Nio Finish Line

Hinata had her own reasons for doing this exam. Firstly with the shocking ally of Neji, she had grown heaps and bounds and wished to show such. Furthermore with things at the Hyuga residence heating up it would be security to be promoted here. It would allow her to hold onto her heir position at least until Hanabi achieved the same.

She also wanted to see how she measured up. She had come a long way from her shy self but doubtless, she had even longer to go. The only way to be sure of this would be to try her very best! She owed it to Neji for sticking up for her. She owed to the Side House, retribution for years of discrimination, and she owed herself to show herself she was not a failure. To prove her father wrong.

Hinata and Kankuro had been shocked once they had gotten points. Even more so when an injured Magetsu returned. But with their points in mind, they had raced forward. Kankuro and Mangetsu rode on the horse as Hinata ran from behind. She was focused on making sure no other team snuck up on them. While Kankuro focused on the front. They were having a great time and were quickly approaching the finish.

All three shinobi tensed at this point. If there was an ambush set it would likely be here. Luckily the group faced no opposition as they crossed the line. All three slowly unsensing as Mifune approached.

"I see both of the final teams have finished." He said formally.

"Um old man, there's only one team here." Kankuro answered with a frown as he climbed down the horse.

"Ya, we would know if some clowns were following us." Mangetsu said with utter confidence.

"Easy to say, even easier to be incorrect about." Yuno filled in happily as suddenly she and her horse stood in front of the group. She climbed down herself as Kankuro and Mangetsu seemed to boil with rage. Hinata merely smiled at her friend as Yuno walked up and whispered into her ear. "Thanks for not ratting me out Hinata you little cutie."

"N-no problem Yuno-san." Hinata replied with a subtle smile. The two girls nodded at one another as Yuno walked to the other side of Mifune.

"With that, all teams have passed. If you follow me I'll show you where you can rest and where the rest of the Chunin Exams will be handled." Mifune informed the group, leading the group past a large stadium and several merchants into a smaller building. Inside there was a litany of screens and even the Hokage and Raikage observing from a distance. There was a group of chairs containing other passing Genin as well as various Samurai who watched over them.

"Sit and rest for now. I will announce everything shortly." Mifune told them before marching off towards the two Kage.

It seemed the Trial of Nio had ended.

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Mifune's POV (Trial of Nio Finish Line Area)

With some short barking of samurai officials, the Genin were quickly gathered into a herd patiently standing in front of the three older men. The Raikage radiated power and energy, clearly seeming to be on another level than most. Hiruzen held a captivating aura of his own. While it was more pleasant than the Raikage's, it felt just as powerful.

Mifune supposed he seemed to lack luster in comparison, but samurai cared little for personal glory. He looked down at the group of Genin seeing that the betting of the guard still seemed healthy. He allowed them to bask in the moment for a second. All the better for his speech to cut through the minds of the Genin.

"Firstly," Mifune started. "You have all passed the Trial of Nio and Janus. Congratulations are in order. Furthermore, you all performed well. You make your various homes proud by standing here today. But your duty is not yet done. If you wish to become a Chunin you have one more task in front of you. The final trial is an infamous one. A tournament will be held. In this tournament, you will all be going through various one-on-one battles until one stands. These are to show off your more combat-based skills. This will be held in a month. This allows for the crowd to gather and provide potential business to your homes in time. These matches will be randomly determined. With your place in finishing determining if you fight first or last. To ensure you all can do your best we've given you one month to train and prepare." Mifune raised his hand and clicked a remote. This dropped a thin screen that held the numbers and names of the participants. "This will help us determine the matches and the order. Here are the matchups:

First Match

Kankuro of the Sand VS Kurotsuchi of the Stone

Second Match

Shikamaru Nara VS Suigetsu Hozuki

Third Match

Mangetsu Hozuki VS Omoi of the Cloud

Forth Match

Yuno Uchiha VS Shino Aburame

Fifth Match

Sasuke Uchiha VS Neji Hyuga

Sixth Match

Naruto Uzumaki VS Tenten of the Leaf

Seventh Match

Sai of the Leaf VS Temari of the Sand

Eighth Match

Gaara of the Sand VS Kiba Inuzuka

Ninth Match 

Rock Lee VS Fuu of the Waterfall

Tenth Match

Ino Yamanaka VS Samui of the Cloud

Bye Round

Hinata Hyuga

The information was displayed on the board in bracket formation allowing the Genin to see their opponents. In merely one month the Chunin Exams would continue. They all had to prepare.