In Jugo's cabin, Terumi Mei looked at Suigetsu with obvious interest. -That's Hozuki Mangetsu's younger brother, right?
-Yes.- Jugo replied, seeing no reason to hide it.
Mangetsu was one of the last 7 swordsmen of the mist, not only that, but their captain, able to wield all 7 kirigakure swords. Although Suigetsu was only the younger brother and quite young when he left Kirigakure, Mei still recognized him.
Mei moved closer to Jugo, whispering in his ear. -How about letting me take him back? I can pay you a fitting reward...
Jugo chuckled lightly, looking at the woman, he said. -If you can convince him to go, feel free.
Jugo knew that Suigetsu would never agree to return, firstly because he had no attachment to Kirigakure, and secondly because he would probably be forced to return the swords he had already acquired.
Mei smiled at him and winked, clearly already planning how to approach Suigetsu.
Beside her, Kin glanced at her small breasts and then at Mei's enormous breasts, pursing her lips in annoyance. Jugo noticed and lightly squeezed her buttocks, causing her to blush slightly and look away.
Mei noticed too, but just found it funny, Kin was quite easy to deal with, unlike Guren.
//-//
In Tsunade's VIP box, Naruto was already jumping around.
Damn it! That guy Neji used my technique! And he still lost! He's just like that idiot Shikamaru.
Kakashi rolled his eyes at Naruto, Tsunade beside him was already looking at Neji wearily, deep in thought. Neji wasn't weak, not at all. If he were a normal jonin there, that last combo would have been enough to leave his opponent weakened, not to mention Neji's awareness of giving up when he saw there was no way to win.
Although what Nanami did was brave and in a way admirable, if she had been captured by the enemy and acted like that, it would have been a truly good thing, but it was a exam, even knowing that killing is against the rules, her attitude could not be considered correct.
Aside from how stunned she was and how she cried afterwards.
Each situation is unique, at the very least. In terms of both strength and mentality, this girl wouldn't be promoted to chunin if it depended on Tsunade.
Of course, given how far she's come, she still has other chances to show progress, while Fuu, despite knowing when to stop and show mercy, her way of acting is really very 'un-ninja-like', wanting to go around making friends to the point of not even paying attention to her opponent and starting to show off to the public.
Nanami even managed to land a blow on her because of that, if it were a real situation with Nanami possessing a powerful jutsu like Rasengan, Fuu could have died right there.
In the end, neither of them were fit to be Chunin in Tsunade's opinion.
Suigetsu, on the other hand, was strong enough that his mindset was difficult to read, but at least in terms of combat, he had made the right decisions, turning the field into a favorable location and Attack with clones to deplete the enemy's stamina.
If Neji's Kaiten wasn't powerful enough, it would have been enough to overwhelm his opponent to the point where he couldn't even fight back.
In the end, the first fight was disappointing, but the second, on the other hand, showed that both not only had Chunin qualities, but even Jonin strength.
Tsunade was already thinking about promoting Neji when she returned.
//-//
(Fuu's POV)
When Fuu found Shibuki, she had her head down, clearly sad and not wanting to look at Shibuki.
The man, who at first wanted to lecture Fuu, sighed when he saw her like that.
He stood up and approached Fuu, raising his hand. Fuu flinched slightly, thinking she was going to get hit, but instead, Shibuki smiled and stroked her hair.
Fuu looked up in surprise and gazed at Shibuki's gentle smile.
-Fuu, are you hurt?- Shibuki asked lightly, worried.
Fuu's eyes widened slightly, then turned red as she jumped into Shibuki's arms, hugging him tightly. -Uwwwaaaa, Shibuki-sama, I'm so sorry! I wanted to bring victory to Takigakure! I failed you.
Shibuki was nearly thrown to the ground, struggling to keep his balance. He sighed and shook his head, hugging Fuu back. -It's alright, Fuu, you'll do better next time.
-Uuuuh, yes, Fubuki-sama.- Fuu promised through her tears.
Fubuki's guards offered gentle smiles, nodding their heads slightly. This was Fuu, completely emotional and erratic, but perhaps because of that, even as a Jinchuuriki, Fuu was still loved by part of the village.
//-//
In the waiting room for those being examined.
Suigetsu returned to the waiting area, where all the teams were present. Their opinions about Suigetsu's strength had increased considerably, even those who were going to fight Karin and Ranmaru seemed more solemn.
Akamaru let out a soft cry beside Kiba. Kiba patted Akamaru's head, looking at Karin, feeling the pressure growing. -It's alright, Akamaru, we haven't been idle all this time, our strength has increased a lot, we're going to win!
Akamaru let out another cry, but still licked Kiba's hand. He didn't quite believe it, but he would still fight alongside Kiba, always.
Next, Ino looked at Ranmaru with a mixture of admiration and fear. Ranmaru was very handsome, almost causing Ino to revert to her fangirl tendencies, but the fear of the fight was greater.
-It's okay, Ino, just do your best.- Choji patted Ino on the shoulder.
Ino rolled her eyes and glared at him, if he didn't know how to comfort others, he'd be better off keeping quiet!
Choji chuckled softly, scratching his cheek.
Suigetsu, on the other hand, seemed a little unhappy, he had hoped to be able to fight with all his power, but Neji gave up before that could happen.
-Idiot, who told you to show off so much power?- Karin yelled at him, annoyed.
Suigetsu pursed his lips at her, not answering, just staring at the monitors, waiting for the next fight.
At that point, a ninja from Otogakure appeared and spoke. - Karin-sama, Inuzuka Kiba, please follow me.
Kiba swallowed hard and Karin frowned, hoping to finish this quickly. She glanced at Kiba and Akamaru, mocked them, then walked ahead.
-Damn it, that shrew big-breasted slut, making me show off in front of the audience like a circus monkey, idiot!- She said, annoyed, but inside it was a completely different situation, she was excitedly shouting, thinking. -Ah, finally Jugo-sama will see how much I've improved! He'll surely be pleased and then... hehehe.