Let It Burn: Life [Sasuke Uchiha]

Chapter 15

The final exam. Many of those who had entered the tower were beyond exhausted. They passed out in corners of the room or sprawled out on the hard wooden floor. Mai had been one of them upon arrival. Some were a little worse for wear, but no one was completely unscathed by their trek through the forest. Obviously, it had proved to be more of a challenge then they originally anticipated. Mai scanned the room and noticed their numbers had been cut in half. If not more.

"The exam will resume in five hours, rest and eat," a voice came over the speaker system. "Your next Proctor will be with you shortly."

Many groaned in protest at the fact that the next step to becoming a Jounin was happening so soon. It even caused the Be Fong's brow to arch. Belva had said they would receive a full day to recover before entering the final exam, which was the most challenging. At some point, the rules had changed and she snickered under her breath. The Jounin Exams weren't so different from the Chuunin.

"They just love giving us surprises."

Eyes opening, the ninja lazily glanced over to see who took a seat beside against the wall.

"And here I was hoping that I'd be able to go over some tactics with my sensei," Teru mused.

"Obviously fate was not kind to us," Mai muttered.

"How right you are." She sighed heavily. "Well, I'm going to pass out. Wake me up when they get out."

"What makes you think I'm staying awake?"

The two shared a laugh under their breaths before relaxing.

She went through one hell of a fight, Mai thought to herself. The Chuunin's arm was covered in bandages, dirt smudged all over her face, clothing roughed up. Still Teru fared better than the others. Mai wondered how many of the Chuunins would survive the final heat. Some could barely stand and five hours was not enough time to properly recover.

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"In this final exam you will be pared into teams of three at random," the third Proctor stated.

Mai inwardly groaned. The last thing she needed was a reminder of the past.

"Now, when we call your name step forward and a ninja will lead you out to another enclosed arena. Your destination will be in the north and the stakes have raised. You'll all have to find out for yourselves what lies inside. Your mission, escort a vital piece of information to the meeting point without losing it or a member. Do this and you'll pass. This time we'll be generous and give you three days."

"What?" a Chuunin exclaimed in the crowd.

They weren't the only one surprised by this as a murmur went through them. All of them were headed back into the wilderness and for a longer period. How could they complete such a mission after the time crunch earlier?

"Keep it up and I'll fail you here and now. This is what it takes to become a Jounin. The will to go on no matter how tired or injured you are. Don't like it then leave." Though no one made a move for the door. "If you're done, we'll begin."

One by one the names were called and the small group of Chuunin thinned out. "...and Teru Sato..."

"See you on the other side," the Chuunin grinned. With a wink at Mai, the ninja left.

"Good luck."

She wave over a shoulder in response.

"Mai Be Fong, Doosun Lin, Ryo Matsumoto."

Mai's attention snapped towards the Proctor before moving towards the door and out of the building. The walk to the next arena was silent as their escort left them at the gate. Glancing around they noticed other teams standing further away at their own entrance.

"Doesn't look like they'll let us all in at once," Doosun spoke beside the Be Fong. "Probably will alternate so there's no traffic when we rush in."

"What do you think is in there?" Ryo asked.

"Anything."

He snorted. "Well, that's helpful."

"How about death," Mai pointed out. "Does that help paint a picture?"

The two fell silent at the statement, sharing a look. "Way to be morbid," Ryo muttered.

Their gate buzzed before clicking open.

"Well... looks like that's our cue," Doosan said.

"Ladies first," the other ninja grinned.

Glancing at them without emotion, the other two were unsure for a moment whether or not the Chuunin would actually do anything. Attention turning back to the forest the Be Fong finally began moving forward.

Doosun cleared his throat as the third member to their party cocked a brow, "After you, Ryo."

"What the hell have I gotten myself into," he muttered walking in.

"I hope you are both ready," Mai spoke up. "Don't jeopardize the mission. Now isn't a time to be sloppy. We need to stay focused and watch each other's backs. I don't care what your background is. If either of your get my killed, I'll make your life hell, one way or another."

"What the...?" Ryo grumbled under his breath. When Be Fong was out of earshot. "Who the hell is she?"

"This is going to be fun," Doosun snickered.