Chapter 17 - A Nice Surprise

Hokage marked off another stack of genin rank papers. One caught his eye. I shouldn’t be surprised THIS one caught my eye…He’s the odd man out. Hokage was holding Ekyt’s bio in his liver-spot dotted hands. “Very interesting indeed…No complaints at all about him from his superiors…Two mission, one C rank, one A rank…both successful completion,” Hokage muttered to himself, standing up and walking to the bay window, which afforded him an excellent view of the Leaf Village. “He reminds me a lot of Naruto, in some ways. No matter how grim things look, he refuses to throw in the towel…Perhaps I can throw him a bone…”

Ekyt stretched himself out, warming up his body to prevent injury. He ached horribly from that fight with Chakaro, but he had to train. In the back of his mind, he wondered where everyone else way, but guessed that if it was his business he would have been told. He had just finished his stretching, so it was time to get to work. He pulled the tape off his hands, and pulled his shoes off. Staring at the huge tree stump, one that was taller and wider than he was, Ekyt reared back and started attacking it. Punches, kicks, elbow, blocks, every Taijutsu move he could think of. When he was done, his hands and arm were red from the effort, and they stung considerably more. But he really needed to toughen up his skin, mostly his knuckles. As he was winding fresh tape around his hands, Ekyt heard movement behind him. He spun around, hand reaching for his kunai. Something told him to hold his fire, and he did. Thank God. Lord Hokage and Ebisu-Sensei were waiting for him.


Back in the Forest of Death, everyone gathered around Naruto as he started to open the scroll. They were shocked when the shout out of Naruto’s hand and into the sky like a Bottle Rocket. It burst into flames high above their heads, spelling out the names of most of the students. In a starry display, following the list of names (Kayla, Linda, Kakashi, and Shikamaru’s names were absent. “Congratulations.” A familiar young woman leapt out of the bushes, stunning the genin. “If your name was up there, you and your squad have been cleared to take, or re-take, the Chunin exams.” Anko Mitarashi stood before the still-shocked group. “You have two days to decide. Oh, and…the exams are in two months! Happy training!”

Ekyt stopped his workout. “Good Afternoon Lord Hokage.” Ekyt said, bowing politely. “And to you too, Ebisu-Sensei.” Ekyt added. He had been doing his best to ignore the “trainer of the best” because, no doubt, Ebisu was fuming about the log incident (That happened last chapter).
“Good Afternoon to you, too. Training I see?”
“Yes sir.”
“I have a mission for you. It is, however, A-ranked.” Hokage warned.
“I’ll take it Lord Hokage.” Ekyt said immediately.
“I thought you would. Your mission is to act as one of my bodyguards, en route and at a tournament we are headed to. You partner will be Ebisu. I see you’ve met, so there isn’t any need for introduction. We leave right now.”

“Asuma-sensei.” Asuma looked up, surprised to see Shikamaru. Without being asked, Shikamaru continued. “The Chunin exams…since I’m already a chunin, I don’t need to take them…but what about Ino and Choji?”

Asuma picked a fresh cigarette out of the box. “Well, they’ll need to find someone to stand in for them. Well, YOU will need to find someone to stand in for you. You can’t take the test again, so you’ll have to find a genin who CAN. When you’ve found one, bring him or her to me, and I’ll discuss it with the others.”

“I’ll do it…but it’s still a drag…” Shikamaru mumbled as he slouched out of the room.


The trip to the tournament was uneventful. However, when they arrived at the tournament, problems sprang up immediately. Two students were fighting, and one was barely standing. Ekyt looked over at Lord Hokage. At his nod, Ekyt leapt toward the battle.

Hinata coughed up more blood. Her cousin, Neji, was coming in for the kill. Naruto…thank you…you’ve taught me so much…I wish you could be here…
Neji had reached top speed, getting ready to destroy Hinata’s heart. “It was fate Hinata. You were destined to be a loser. The skies predicted it! And they also predicted you would perish at my hand,” Neji crowed as he moved in for the kill. He stopped as there was suddenly someone else in the way.
“The skies were wrong then.” Ekyt said flatly, standing in front of Hinata. Turning to the medical-nin, Ekyt said “Please take care of her, I’ll have Kurenai informed.” Ekyt’s gaze was fixed on Neji again. “I don’t know what kind of scum you are, attacking a critically injured girl. But I’m telling you now: Back off.”

Neji looked at the kid in his way. “You have interrupted fate’s work…not an intelligent move if you prefer life to death. It was her time to die. Now…perhaps it is yours.”
Ekyt gave a derisive laugh. “Keep talking like that and you’re assuring your own. I think you’re a jerk for hitting that girl like that. Then trying for a coup de grace….it’s disgusting.”


“What do you make of this Ebisu?” Hokage asked his companion. Ebisu just shrugged. He doesn’t like Ekyt…but apparently he respects his abilities…or his attitude…Ebisu will be enough to guard me…perhaps it’s time to throw a variable in the mission. “Ekyt!”

Ekyt broke off his staredown with Neji. “Yes Lord Hokage?”
“There has been a change in plans. I want you to enter this tournament. That was a Leaf Villager they carried off, and we need a replacement.”
“Yes Lord Hokage!”

“Chunin exams already? Bring it on! I’m gonna pass for sure this time, believe it!” Naruto’s enthusiastic shout forced a smile to form on most members of the group. “We’ve got to start training! I can’t believe we didn’t make it last time!” Naruto was so excited to get back to the Leaf Village that he “happied” himself right into a tree. Sasuke and Sakura shook their heads. The three went their separate ways.

I’m getting stronger big brother…you won’t be able to ignore it much longer…make your move…Life means nothing…Death means everything. Sasuke’s though always ran along this track. However depressing, it kept him going.

Sakura took the long route home, the one with the cherry trees. They were so beautiful in fall. A light breeze tossed her pink hair around. The chunin exams…I failed last time…what’s to say I won’t fail this time? I’ve got to talk to someone about this…I wish Sasuke paid attention to me…Ekyt, of course!

Naruto spied Sakura. “Sakura, hey! Sakura!” he shouted, running to catch up. “Oh, Naruto. What’s up?” She asked, lost in thought.

“There’s a tournament in Tanuza town! Wanna go?”
“No thanks…” Sakura said sadly.
“Bet I can change your mi-iiiiind…” Naruto said tauntingly.
“Naruto”
“Ekyt is there as Lord Hokage’s bodyguard!” Naruto exclaimed.
“Let’s go then! What’re we waiting for?!”

Hayate was surprised to see Ekyt among participants. But it wasn’t his place to question it. “Let’s begin (koff). Um, first match: Kiba Inuzuka vs. Hinata Hyuga. Participants…” Hayate stopped as Lord Hokage marched up to the front. “There has been a last minute substitution. Due to her inability to participate, Hinata Hyuga has been replaced with Ekyt. Hayate, you may proceed.” Hayate looked questioningly at Lord Hokage and Ekyt, but shrugged it off. “First match: Kiba Inuzuma vs. Ekyt. Participants, to the center.”

Ekyt had never faced Kiba. He knew that he was a teammate of Hinata’s, but had never met him. He took the time to extend a greeting before the fight began. “Kiba, right? My name is Ekyt. It’s nice to meet you.” Kiba took the hand reluctantly. “Likewise…I hope this isn’t begging for mercy…” Kiba had a tendency to be overconfident. Ekyt understood that this was his attempt at being friendly. “No. Mercy isn’t a word that I use often. Good luck to you. Win or lose, at least a Leaf Villager will be advancing.” Kiba gave a wolfish grin at that. “Well, let’s go to it then!”

“Begin!”

Kiba and Akamaru stood across from Ekyt. “Two on one? Okay, let me see…” Ekyt whipped out his scroll, pierced his thumb, and hit the ground with his right hand. “Summoning Jutsu!” POOF! Ekyt’s summon, a Keeshonden dog named Holly, appeared at his side. “Kid, you’re getting to be a pest!” Holly said in a husky female voice. “Come on Holly, cut me some slack. Everyone likes you.” “Can you blame them? I’m only the cutest thing on four legs!” Holly looked around, snout in the air. She suddenly spotted Akamaru. “Except for maybe that thing! Hey, c’mere sexy!”

Kiba’s jaw dropped as Akamaru sprinted over to Holly. “C’mon tough guy, let’s go find some vittles. You can tell me a little about yourself.” Holly urged, giving Akamaru a wink before trotting away with her tail in the air, earning Akamaru’s attention.

“Did he just…use his dog to get rid of Akamaru?” Linda, Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto, and Lee were in the stands. “That was an excellent move. He knows how much Kiba relies on Akamaru. Ekyt just took away half of Kiba’s advantage,” Lee was leaning forward intently, not taking his eyes off the match. Sakura stood up and shouted “That’s the way Ekyt, beat that flea bag!”

Lord Hokage was sitting with Kurenai. “You’ve got to give the young man credit for being perceptive.” Hokage said with a laugh. Kurenai smiled, despite the fact that her student had lost a disadvantage. “He’s certainly an interesting one. But…why did he come to Hinata’s defense?,” Kurenai asked. “He has a very strong sense of right and wrong, with no gray area. Have you heard the story of his eye…”

“No! Akamaru!” Kiba growled. “You’ll pay for that! All-Fours Jutsu!” Kiba’s blinding speed caught Ekyt by surprise. He rammed Ekyt full speed, knocking the young ninja backward. Ekyt stayed on his feet, but skidded quite a distance. He sensed a presence behind him. He shot a glance over his shoulder while jumping. He was above Kiba’s range now. He swung his leg down, cleaving Kiba on the shoulder with his heel. Kiba growled and leapt back, ready to charge again.

Kiba leapt high this time, extending his claws and cutting across Ekyt’s chest. The claws dug into Ekyt’s flesh, but only superficially. Kiba kept attacking, clawing as fast as he could. Ekyt was forced to leap backward, clinging to the wall, earning the wrath of the crowd.

Gotta think this out…that jutsu makes him so fast, I can barely follow with my eyes. Never mind the fact he’s been training his whole life! How can I stop his speed? Or this particular jutsu? I’ve got to take away that speed advantage somehow…

Ekyt had an idea. He threw four exploding tag-laced Kunai into the ground. “Exploding Tag: Remote Detonation Jutsu!” Ekyt called out. BLAM! A series of craters appeared in the ground in front of Ekyt. “You missed!” Kiba shouted. He charged forward again. Ekyt threw two kunai, forcing Kiba to dodge to the side. “Bad aim!” Kiba shouted. “Think so?” Ekyt replied. “Huh? How can you be so calm?! I’m going to destroy you!” Kiba yelled, annoyed at Ekyt’s serene expression. His speed grew. Ekyt still hadn’t moved.

Kiba suddenly tripped. With panic, he suddenly realized what happened as he grasped his ankle in pain. That was his plan…those exploding tags created holes, and he drove me right into them. Now I can barely stand…But I’m not giving up yet! Kiba pulled himself up. He suddenly heard a bark.

“Akamaru!” he called to his dog, who sat at Kiba’s heels.. “Good boy! Let’s get him! Hey, where’d he go?” Kiba didn’t see Ekyt anywhere.

With a poof, Akamaru turned into a crouch Ekyt. “Woof.” Ekyt said sarcastically, kicking low, hitting Kiba’s arm. “Gahh!” Kiba heard the sound of small bones in his forearm breaking. “It’s gonna take more than a cheap trick like that to put ME down!” Kiba was blowing smoke, but it was better than admitting defeat.

“Hey, kid! Heads up, behind you!” Holly came running back, warning Ekyt of the REAL Akamaru’s attack from behind. “Thanks Holly! How about taking a bite outta Kiba?” Ekyt knocked Akamaru aside, careful not to injure him seriously. Holly ran up to the still-hurting Kiba and dug in to his ankle. “All your’s boss!” Holly called. Akamaru whined. “WAIT!” Kiba shouted. “I FORFEIT! STOP THE MATCH!”

The crowd murmured in surprise. Kiba rushed to Akamaru’s side. The little dog had hurt himself in one of the holes Ekyt had created. Kiba picked the dog up, stroking it’s white fur, then placing it on his head. “Good job Holly, thank you.” Holly scratched at the hitai-ate around her neck, serving as a collar. “No problem kiddo…but help out the competition, will ya? That dog’s got a hurt ankle.” Ekyt nodded, then ended the summoning jutsu. He walked over to Kiba. “May I?” he asked, gesturing to Akamaru. Taking some gauze out of his first aid pouch, Ekyt wound it around Akamaru’s hurt left front leg. “That should do it.” Ekyt said, patting Akamaru on the head. Kiba didn’t quite meet Ekyt’s eyes.

“Thanks…it was a good match…good luck…” he said, not liking losing, but appreciating the help. “Thanks for a good match Kiba.” Ekyt answered.

Hayate grinned slightly. I shouldn’t be surprised, I’ve seen what he can do…Good for him. “Winner: Ekyt!” Hayate indicating Ekyt’s side of the field. The crowd roared it’s approval.

Hayate continued. “Next match: Shino Aburame vs. Temari!”

Temari looked up at her name. She had to pass Ekyt to get on the field. “Pardon me, Temari?” Ekyt said.

Temari: It’s you? You’re still fighting?
Ekyt: Yes…listen…thank you?
Temari: Thank y- for what?
Ekyt: For stopping Gaara from killing my friends.
Temari: He mangled you though
Ekyt: Doesn’t matter so much. All it did was make me train harder…for revenge. But…I felt like I should thank you for helping my friends. Good luck in your match.

Temari thought back to that day. She hadn’t done much to stop the fight…wait, she had! Ekyt had broken Gaara’s thumb, trying to stop his senseless attacks on his comrades. Gaara had responded by launching a deadly attack at who he (correctly) guesses was the center of Ekyt’s affection.

He had used the Sand Shuriken attack, aiming for Linda. But this guy…Ekyt…he had dove in the way. The shuriken had destroyed his eye and pierced a lot of his body. As he tried to struggle to his feet, Temari had begged Gaara to stop attacking. “Please, stop! Do it for your big sis!” she had said. She remembered, all too well, feeling sure that Gaara was going to attack her. But, remarkably, he had done what she had asked.


Temari suddenly snapped back to reality. “Well, you needed the help kid.” She said, messing up his hitai-ate. That was Temari’s nature, she ticked other people off. Ekyt didn’t seem bothered. “Have a good match.” He took a running leap up into the stands to watch.


“Well done Ekyt!” Lee was the first to offer his thoughts on the match. Beside him, Linda stood, staring. She didn’t seem as angry as before, as if she was lost in thought.

“Nice moves! You won a lot more gracefully against Kiba than Naruto did!”
“How did Naruto do it?” Ekyt wished he had known ahead of time. He looked from Sakura to Naruto, looking for an answer.
“Well, actually, he heightened his sense of smell with some jutsu, and I had to fart…” Naruto said with a big grin. The grin got bigger at the look of surprise on Ekyt’s face. “What can I say, my farts are as deadly as some people’s kunai!”

Out on the field, the two of the three dark horses were meeting. The favorite, by far, was Yuzo Kozimatsu, a highly-skilled genin from the Village Hidden in the Grass. But right now, everyone was focused on Temari vs. Shino Aburami.

They started the fight, both of them playing carefully, using tactics over brute force. The anticipation of every move grew to the point where the crowd stopped shouting and started just…staring…

NEXT ISSUE: TEMARI VS. SHINO- WHO’S GONNA WIN? EKYT TAKES ON THE TOURNAMENT FAVORITE, A DEADLY GRASS SHINOBI; YUZO KOZIMATSU. AND WHO WILL SHIKAMARU FIND TO REPLACE HIM?

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