Sakura's Twin Brother

Third Exam

"Congratulations to you all on passing the Second Exam!!" said Anko.

"Your students made an impressive showing! I wonder how much of it was dumb luck...not that it matters. My team is bound to knock them out in the next round" said Guy-sensei looking at Naruto, Sasuke, Rokudo, and Sakura "At the next level, it will be all about their abilities...or lack thereof. Ah, well...sometimes being young is all about learning to deal with heartbreak, eh, Kakashi?" asked Guy-sensei as he looked at Kakashi-sensei "Huh? I', sorry...did you say something?" asked Kakashi-sensei, confused.

"Hmm...I've got a bad feeling about this..." said Sasuke smirking "You could say that again," said Rokudo "No wonder their instructors vied for the right to recommend them for this competition..." said Lord Hokage as he looks at the sensei's behind him "Now Lord Hokage himself will explain about the Third Exam. Listen up and take every word he says to heart!! they're all yours, My Lord" said Anko.

 "Very well. The Third Examination is about to commence...but before I go into the specifics of how it will be conducted...let me make one thing perfectly clear!!!" said Lord Hokage, everyone looked at him confused "It pertains to the underlying purpose of the Exam. Why do you suppose an Examination of this nature is being jointly conducted by all of the nations in our mutual alliance?! "To promote friendship among allied nations and raise the level and standards in the Art Of The Shinobi"...be very clear about what those fine-sounding phrases actually mean! this series of so-called examinations is, in fact...a war-in-miniature between all of our allied lands" said Lord Hokage "Wh-what do you mean...?" asked Tenten "If you were to study our recent history -and consult a map- it would swiftly become apparent that our alliance is, in fact...a temporary and mutually beneficial agreement between a group of geographically contiguous lands...whose previous existence was one of continual strife...constantly jockeying against one another, for power and the control of resources depleted almost to exhaustion in the struggle...until a better way was devised...the way of the Chunin journeyman ninja selection examination...!" explained Lord Hokage.

"That's the stupidest thing I ever heard! I thought the point was to select Chunin!" yelled Naruto "Make no mistake. When this Exam is done, it will have had the side effect...of winnowing out any applicants unit to ascend to the level of Chunin. But even more importantly...it serves as an arena wherein, for the honor of their respective homelands...young shinobi may fight...to the death, if need be!" said Lord Hokage " said Lord Hokage "The honor of their lands...?!" asked Ino "This Third Examination will be conducted under the watchful eyes of a number of distinguished guests...including the rulers and nobility of the various lands you all aspire to serve. And among their number will be those who rule over each country's own Hidden Ninja Villages. They will be watching you. If anyone nations applicants demonstrate outstanding skill and superiority...the noblemen from work from very land will be quick to commission work from those trained in that superior nations. Conversely, if a particular country's applicants are shown to be incompetent or feeble...commissions to agents of that county will dwindle. And when one land is strong in battle...and the village coffers overflow with fruits of the many outside commissions this begets...then that village may say to its neighbors, "Beware, for we possess prowess and riches and the influence of political power"!" said Lord Hokage.

"So?! why is it necessary to stake our lives and fight...?!" asked Kiba "The strength of a country is derived from the strength of its village...and the village draws strength from the shinobi who live there...and the greatest strength of those shinobi...only emerges in the midst of a desperate life-and-death battle! these Exams provide a public arena for each country to show off and boast of the strength of its warriors...and hence the strength of the country itself! this test has meaning and great consequences. As you struggle for the sake of your very lives and your people, you help to fulfill the dream that was envisioned by our ancestors" explained Lord Hokage "But...you've always emphasized the concept of "Friendship"...why?!" asked Tenten "Though my meaning is subtle, I chose my words with care. To preserve the balance of power at the risk of lives...is the essence of friendship in the world of shinobi. Let me reiterate before the Third Exam begins...you are taking no ordinary test! you risk not only your own futures and your dreams...but the dignity and prestige of your home village as well" said Lord Hokage.

"Now I get it!" said Naruto crossing his arms while smiling "Whatever...could you wrap up the philosophical talk and get down to the life-and-death stuff any time soon?" asked Gaara "Hmph! so, you insist I explain the Third Exam? well...the truth is..." Lord Hokage was soon interrupted when a ninja appeared in front of him "...Forgive my interruption, Lord Hokage, but...if you don't mind handing the rest of the proceedings over...to me, Geekko Hayate, proctor of the Third Exam" said the ninja known as Hayate "Go Ahead" said Lord Hokage.

"Good to meet you, everyone...I'm Hayate. Uhhh...before we start the exam...I must ask you all to do something for me..." said Hayate, when he turned around Rokudo looked to see bags under his eyes "Ummm...you see...there are some preliminaries to the Exam proper...and whether you proceed to the main Exam proper...and whether you proceed to the main Exam is contingent on how well you manage those" said Hayate "Preliminaries?!" asked Sakura "Preliminaries...? like what?!" asked Shikamaru "Hayate-sensei...I don't understand what you mean by preliminaries. Why can't all of the remaining applicants just proceed directly to the next Exam?" asked Sakura.

"Well...I don't want to say that the first two Exams weren't demanding enough...but the truth is...we still have too many applicants. Under the traditional rules of the Exam, we have a preliminary test...to reduce the number of applicants who'll proceed to the Third Exam" explained Hayate "B-but..." "As Lord Hokage mentioned, a number of honored guests will be observing you during the Third Exam...so we must make the Exam intense, tight, and fast-moving. Hmmm...so anyway...now that you know something of what it's really all about...anyone who doesn't feel up to the challenge, either physically or mentally, can walk away. Just take one step forward...because the preliminaries start...right now!" said Hayate "Now?!" yelled Kiba confused while the others were shocked. It was silent for a few seconds until...

"Well...I'm outta here"