Reborn as Sakura and Hinata: Lost in the Wind

A New Age Arena

I paced anxiously as I waited for the others to join me in the main room. The tournaments were going to take place any minute now, and I was questioning as to why everyone wasn't out here yet.

"Shino," Izumi smiled gently, "You're not one to pace normally. Everything's going to be fine."

I shook my head, pausing in my tracks, "It's not the tournaments I'm worried about."

His smile dropped, and he looked down at his hands with a sigh.

I turned to the hallway when I heard footsteps, feeling equal parts relief and anxiety when Akamaru ran to my feet. Looking up, I saw Kiba and Tenten come down the hall. He stared at his feet awkwardly when they came up to me.

"Hey man," he sighed, "I'm sorry I yelled at you yester-"

Without another word I stepped forward and hugged him, "I'm sorry." I stated, hoping he'd just accept it. I couldn't believe that I had made him cry.

He tensed, slowly lifting a hand up and patting me on the back, "Uh... okay. It's chill, man. I'll explain everything aft-"

"You don't need to tell me if you don't want to." I dissuaded, stepping back.

"Um... thanks." he looked around the room to see that Sasuke, Ino, and Choji were sitting on the couch, "How'd things go for you guys?" he called out.

Sasuke threw his head back dramatically, "Horrible."

"It wasn't that bad." Choji chuckled, "Sasuke's sharingan rooted out most of the traps for us."

"We had to carry our hostage and shit, and the cavern at the end was stupid." Sasuke continued his rant.

"We had to carry our hostages too." Kiba frowned, "It wasn't that bad."

"'We HaD tO cArRy OuR hOsTaGeS tOo'." Sasuke mocked, "Fuck off muscle man, some of us don't want an old lady hanging on our backs for the better part of five hours!"

Kiba stifled a laugh, any more banter being prevented by Anko bursting into the room.

"Hope you kiddies are ready!" she declared out, "Because it's showtime!"

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We found ourselves in the combatants balcony of the arena.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Was that Sakura? "I am pleased to present to you not only this year's chunin candidates, but also an arena of revolutionary design!" What.

The panel covering the balcony lifted, revealing, not an arena, but more of a giant lake with a few sand islands in it.

"What the fuck." Sasuke asserted.

"She's not serious." Neji denied.

"Say goodbye to yesterday's boring dirt field, and hello to today's arena that not only serves as the set to a battle, but poses an obstacle itself!" Sakura enthusiastically presented.

Kiba slowly lowered his head into his hands, "Please no."

Sakura appeared on a platform high up in the audience, in perhaps the strangest garb I had ever seen her in, "This pirate-themed arena not only challenges our chunin to maintain constant chakra control in combat, but also features a vast selection of traps to make sure that only the most acute of candidates will come out on top!" Why did she have to present it like a product?

Multiple sets of eyes turned to me as Sakura continued rambling about the various ways she was going to 'liven up' our matches.

"Any idea." Neji repeated this time with an edge of sarcasm.