The Chunin Exams: Development of Izaya and Hibiki

"The remaining participants of the Chunin Exams: Beginnings and End of Phase 2, hosted by Chrono Nexus, are free to join with their characters."

- Kaycherry

The red light of the signboard dimmed out. Operation successful, it screamed in the minds of the worried ones that sat patiently in their seats, waiting for the good news. But even after an hour not one doctor or nurse came to assure the safety of the Kumo-boy, Izaya Yashin.

The patience of the captain of team five had run out. She stood up, before patting the still messy hair of Nikkotama, ignoring the approaching presence of the Raikage. The worry, plastered on her face as she paced forward, but the hand on her shoulder stopped her from moving forward. They stood still for seconds followed by minutes. Pressing minutes that whirled the head of Karui, uneasiness crept in her mind, for her two students – Shichirou and Izaya. The white doors in front of time cladded open. Previous nurses streaming out, blocking the branch car that carried Izaya, but as well the instruments that currently life supported him. Her brimmed eyes watched them moving through the white halls of the hospital, before they turned to the right corner, out of her sight. She wanted to follow them but Karui could not, not before she has received the report of the surgeon.

“Are you Karui-san, team-captain of Kumogakure's Team Five?” questioned the feminine voice, snapping Karui out of her trance.

Her eyes travelled towards the voice. She noticed the familiar clothes of the surgeon. But Karui was stunned by the cherry blossom hair bundled together in a knot and the familiar fierce green eyes that watched her with concern. Sakura Haruno, came to her mind.

“Yes. Please, the report.”

“Very well, please take your seat. This might be causing you an enormous shock.”

Consideration, Deemed Failure
His soft breath, supported by the oxygen mask, broke the everlasting silence in the room. His surgeon, nurse and one of the most talented medical-nin, Sakura, was watching him personally, to be sure of his survival.

He is stable for now, echoed in her thoughts, the words she had said to his Sensei, Karui, whom had pleaded to see her student. She understood it clearly. It felt too familiar, with her old team, even though this situation was a lot different. After all, the three remaining teams were all badly wounded and exhausted, incapable to fight for the preliminary round to get even numbers.

Sakura scowled, scolding herself, for she had lied to them. The boy was far from stable. His chakra and element chakra were leaking, uncontrollable, into the already stiff air. She worried what would happen if Karui or at least the Raikage would enter this suffocating room with their own control over lightning.

"It could conflict." She had told herself. It would be dangerous, too dangerous, and it could bring even more harm to the boy himself.

She had witnessed what had happened during the surgery. The blackout of the lights, the board of the operation room had gone out, bringing even more worry to his teacher. But the first had been his wounds, all healed by itself for an unknown reason, to her at least.

The kunoichi had been quick enough to remove the metallic objects in his room, after he was brought in, as she witnessed something unusual... again. She was amazed, so to say, by this Kumo boy. It had been one of the reasons why she had taken him under her wing as a medical-nin.

"Sakura, can I enter?" Her fellow medical-nin, Ino, asked. "I've no dangerous stuff in my pockets or anything, because I clearly know the rules you've set for this patient."

Sakura sighed, pestered by her presence. Her friend had just bellowed some information out, but she had been in luck that this room was isolated, apart, from the rest of the available rooms. "Enter."

"How is he doing?" The blonde asked, moving towards the monitor that showed the heartbeat of the boy, it was an unregularly beat. "His blood pressure is low, you know."

"He suffers of anemia, which for some reason wasn't concluded earlier on. His sensei, Karui-san, did say some obvious symptoms. She had done tests, she said, but they never traced this."

Ino hummed in thoughts. "I see. It seems his body is in a shock then. Perhaps his body is finally adjusting, or something at the very least."

"I had assumed as much already," Sakura beckoned back.

She placed her hand over his bare chest, and the green glow surrounded her hand. Increasing her concentrating at the palm of her hand, the green began to widen till his neck and abdomen, to measure his heartbeat and other internal organs health conditions, precisely.

But a sudden painful jolt fibered through her hand, breaking the concentration, as the volt of light channeled through her arm, to her brain waves. She had witnessed this before and she couldn't take the risks. "Get the Raikage, NOW!"

"Y-yes!" Ino took off, sprinting to find the man. But instead of finding him, she bumped against him. Her nose itched and she rubbed it, with an unpleasant feeling. "Hurry strip down anything that could harm the boy, like metallic stuff." She sputtered, flushing in a deep red, embarrassed by her words.

Understand the meaning behind the words, Darui's eyes widened. "I already know about this little fact."

He wanted to speak more but Ino had pulled him back into the hospital room of Izaya. "Orders of Sakura," she whispered, pushing the man further in.

Darui hadn't seen the critical condition of the Kumo boy before. He had thought that Sakura merely had been overdramatic, knowing the acting skills of Izaya. It would've never occurred him that the boy was literally fighting to break through his slumber.

"His element chakra is pulsing out. I can feel it when I try to properly measure the condition of his heart and internal organs. Just now he electrocuted me. Of course, unknown to the kid," the pink-haired medical-nin walked back to one of the chairs that was in the room, and sat down. "I think he needs you, a fellow and excellent lightning user, to discharge the overload, would it occur. Another thing... he needs encouragement."

"Why?" He could merely utter.

"I'm losing him, Darui-san. He is slipping away."

The harsh words shocked the fourth Raikage immersive for he had never thought that this stupid kid could be in this kind of state. His own boy, Shichirou, was in a bad state. It would kill him to see the best friend of his comrade to faint away.

"You stupid moron... I didn't know you would ever give up. Especially not when things have gotten interest, no? What about your girlfriend, Nikkotama, and your partner, Shichirou, are you going to leave them in the competition?" He spoke fiercely, angrily, some would say. "I'm giving you one hell of a week to snap out of this bullshit! If you don't get your ass out of it. YOU will be the one that is out of this."

Darui breathed deeply, frustration left his body, and he walked closer to the younger Kumo-nin. "I know you can do it, Kiddo." He took the hand of Izaya, squeezing it, while wiping off his forehead with his left hand.

His hand got squeezed back.

Concern and Denial
The halls echoed with the subtle tapering of footsteps across hollow floors, resonating down the row. A lone figure, a young woman of olive complexion; garbed in medical-nin clothing. Long white scrubs draping down her sides, with the teal green underlay fitting underneath, soft flowing pants trekked down her legs as she skirted past the doors. Holding in her hands a folder, papers concerning the patients in the halls, and in particular... the room that Izaya Yashin lay in.

Hair pinned in such a way that her long flowing raven mane skirted around her neck in a loop; a shawl of her own feature. Favored by piercing green eyes, she looked forward with intent. Her body twisting, conforming more to the garb then it was to she.

Scanning over the doors, she watched as the numbers progressed, and her sight caught hold of the area restricted to any but the Head Medical Nin, Sakura Haruno and her personal squad. The pseudo-nurse adjusted her lips and eyes, to look as involved as possible. A ruse to potentially fool the ones she needed to bypass.

A sharp inhale, steadying the nerves. A heartbeat fluttering to pace herself.

Her breath stopped short when she at last came face to face with the man guarding the door, the head of Kumogakure himself; the Raikage. Her eyes met his deep black, and the nurse uttered her name in quick assembly, "Greetings, I am Hibiki Fuka, and I wish to see your Izaya Yashin."

No formalities, no theatrics, only a direct route would ensure the Kumo-nin around her that she meant no harm. Thoughts raced inside her keen mind, knowing that getting past the medical nin at the front gates and within the facility was the easy part... but now, convincing these individuals of opposing village: would be her true challenge.

The Fifth Raikage, Darui, ruffled his shaggy white hair in frustration. His palm covered his face as he leant his head against the wall, shaken. He had received a reaction, the first reaction, back and Sakura had literally pushed him out of the room to recheck upon the kid, immediately.

His sleeveless shirt clung tightly around his upper body and loosened around his waistline, while a loose black cloth was tied around his waist, matching his dark trousers. The wardrobe hadn't changed at all, except that he now wore the privileged Kage robe – the hat in the given room by the Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki.

Even after becoming the Raikage, Darui still had the carefree and laidback attitude. For this mere reason he could connect himself with a boy such as Izaya. However, his facial features had changed more towards a responsible person, a stern face with the aura of a person with authority. He was not one to mess with.

The approaching soft footsteps echoed through the silent restricted halls. He didn't watch whom it was, but the young voice piqued his interest. He looked dully at her as she introduced herself, to him. But the next request made him slightly snort, a selfish request.

"A kid of Koji, eh? Anyway his teammates, comrades and friends aren't allowed to see him. Not to mention that you know that you aren't from Kumo, my village – his village. Sorry Miss but ya'll have to convince me," he began to say with amusement, before he fully faced the girl, but the amusement was all gone, "Dull as it is. Your team is one of the roots of his problem, even my partner is a huge mess, the girl is under the cold because of the poison. So your reason should be good."

Her eyes met his cold stern visage, staring back in cold complacency. She had no regrets of the events that unfolded; her techniques were put to the test, it was a trial for the right to become Chunnin. Lips parting, she spoke her mind, "Lord Raikage, I offer my condolences for the pain this might be causing you to see your shinobi like this..." trying to sneak her gaze past Darui in hopes to see Izaya and his current condition.

The battle had been dangerous. It had taken them all to their highest, and then down to a state of suffering. All for the chance to become a real member in the world of ninja. It was a sacrifice they would have been willing to make, and one she was willing to do over again if she had the choice. "You know the cost of being a Shinobi, Raikage, you were in the Great War..." her words dropping the notes of the greatest confrontation known to the world with little to no hinder. "I paid my cost for that battle, we all did..."

Gazing down to her hands, pulling them out of the tucked pockets in the white linen coat, layered in bandages with no skin in sight, gauntlets tightly locking in place over them. The gauntlets were mechanical in nature, gears twirling, the sound of the faintest ticking; but they provided no illusion of threat. If anything, this equipment was shackles. Meant to inhibit and circulate her chakra for her, a cost for the battle she had paid.

And even then... it was all for naught. Damned spider...

"I won't tell you to be grateful that they still live, I am sure you already are." Her words carried no taint of allure, no hint at deception; no means to even try and bargain her way in. She was a blunt instrument, telling her truth. It was the only way she'd gain entry - "But I saw in that battle what your shinobi were made of. And though I had no woe or liking of your village, Izaya was one of the few that proved that there are other ninja out there willing to put their life on the line for their allies."

She left her hands tucked out, "I didn't come here as a means to add insult to injury, I am here to see his condition. That battle took it out of all of us, and I'll be lucky to get my hands back..." "I am just hoping that one of us, Sound or Cloud, come out being able to complete the exams..."

Darui crossed his arms, muscles flexing in his movement, as his eyes softened just a bit. He scolded himself, mentally, for being a softhead. He had listened to her words silently and pleased to hear the complimentary opinion of Team Karui. "Yes, I'm more than happy to know that they passed and have survived, proven themselves more then I had expected," he paused, frowning and bothered, "I hope you'll be well, Hibiki of Otogakure."

He knocked the door of the room and within a second it swung open. Sakura Haruno walked out of the room, quickly closing the door. Her eyes fell upon the girl in front of her, eyes widening at the fact that she wasn't a member of her medical squad. "Darui-san, what's the meaning of this?"

"I've given her ten minutes, perhaps fifteen if she is taking off anything that goes against the rules to enter his room," he spoke with a commanding and stern voice.

Sakura sighed. She didn't understand this man at all. Before she had told him that none other than him and Karui could see him, which wasn't a lot either. But perhaps this could be an improvement for Izaya. "Very well. No metallic objects or anything harmful. I don't want anything that is related to scrolls and tags, either. Do not question the reason, you will see and feel it soon enough."