Child of the Moon

Nanami has her suspicions...

Nanami was worried about Aki since she didn't seem able to get control of herself. She could sense her comrade shaking, and hear her heart beating rapidly. Everything about Aki's body language was primed for fight-or-flight responses, even as she made jokes with them.

"Uh..." Nanami had been so worried about her friend, that she realized she forgot the name of the ninja talking to them. "We have to have a preliminary exam before we move on to... the real one."

Nanami wasn't sure if his hesitation in his speech was due to anxiety, or if he was trying to keep from coughing again, but it made her feel... confused.

"Huh?" Naruto voiced her slight confusion.

"A what?" Sakura also sounded like she was trying to process this new information.

"A preliminary? Just what do you mean by that?" Shikamaru yelled.

"Ya think maybe ya could clarify that?" Aki called out. "'Cause, this is starting to be a real pain."

"I'd like to know more too," Aiyanna said. "Is there a reason we need to hold a preliminary? Why not let us just proceed to the third stage?"

"Uhh... well you see..." the ninja said slowly. "The first and second exams might've been too easy. The fact is, we never expected so many of you guys to still be here. According to the rules of the Chunin Exams, the preliminary round can be held at any stage in order to reduce the number of candidates remaining."

"But..." Sakura spoke up. "Is that fair?"

"Life as a shinobi is not about fairness," Tsukiko spoke up, and the genin all turned their attention to her. "Life, in general, isn't fair. The Chunin Exams are to discern if you have what it takes to be a leader. Besides which, the Final stage of the exam is something of a spectacle for those who come to watch it. Only the best will be put on display."

"Tsukiko is right," the ninja said. "Because we'll be having so many important guests there, we can't afford to waste their time. This will just be to speed things up, so those who make it through to the finals will be the ones to fight."

"That's messed up!" Katsu yelled.

"Messed up or not, this has great tactical value for the Villages that make it that far," Tsukiko said. "Since it shows off the strength of the Village, it brings in more work for that Village's ninja."

"Exactly," that other ninja agreed. "So, if there are those of you who don't think you're in top physical condition, now's your chance to -"

The rest of his sentence was cut off with a sudden fit of coughing. The sound was grating on Nanami's ears, and she gritted her teeth as she tried to ignore it.

"Sorry about that," he croaked. "As I was saying, any of you who don't feel up to this now's the time for you to bow out. The preliminaries will be starting immediately."

"Come on! You mean right now?" Kiba yelled.

"We just barely finished surviving the last exam," Ino whined. "Don't we get a break?"

"Man, what a drag," Shikamaru groaned.

Choji also whined, following his whine with a classic "when do we eat?" that Aki's stomach loudly agreed with. Naturally, this set Aiyanna and Aki off with a fit of giggles. Nanami fought to keep herself from joining them.

"Oh yeah," the proctor suddenly said, like he'd just remembered. "The winners will be determined by one-on-one combat, sudden death. So like I said, if there's anyone who doesn't feel up to it, now's the time to raise your hand."