Chapter 62: End of the preliminaries

"I would like to let you all go now, but first there's one last thing we have to do before the finals." - Hiruzen

"HEY, COME ON!! I NEED TO START TRAINING NOW!!" - Naruto

"Now then, don't be so impatient...there are slips of paper inside the box Anko is holding...each of you, take one." - Hiruzen

"I'll come around, so line up, okay?... One per person!" - Anko who was still in Eiji's clothes went around with the box.

When she went to Eiji so that he could draw his paper, he of course had to make a comment:"Is it a lottery for getting you as a maid for a day? But with such clothes, you will be an insult to all maids!"

Anko's eyelid twitched and suddenly drew her kunai, which touched his throat: "Listen here kid, I really have enough of your shit! If you open your mouth one more time towards me, I will make sure that you will mysteriously disappear before the finals. 'Do you understand'?"

"Sorry, I just thought everyone was a bit nervous and wanted to brighten up the tense atmosphere..." - Eiji

"Really?... Well, I guess you would be kinda nervous so I let it pass. But mind your tongue now when you are standing in front of me!" - Anko

"What, you really believed that? I was just telling some shitty exc-" - A fist interrupted him, which knocked him instantly out.

Hiruzen sighed, but he didn't intervene since he would like to finally finish his explanation and with Eiji continuing to piss Anko off, it would take way longer.

"All right...does everybody have one now? Then starting at the left, each of you read out the number written on your slip!"

Every Genin who won the matched said their number out loudly.

"So Uchiha will be number 4...while Nakamura drew 8..." - Ibiki

Then after Hiruzen told him to, Ibiki showed the pairings of the tournament.

Afterward, Hiruzen explained the tournament rules, how everyone can theoretically become a chunin despite losing in the very first round.

...

"Well then! Good work, all! You are dismissed until one month from now!" - Hiruzen

Everyone left the hall after hearing that while leaving the unconscious Eiji behind.

After some time Eiji finally woke up.

"Oh shit, what happened. I only remember how I bullied Anko..."

"Bullying? Haaaa, whatever everyone else already left, but since you missed the explanation from Lord Hokage, he ordered me to explain everything concerning the finals you have missed..." - Anko who was leaning against the wall walked towards him and squatted in front of him, while he still struggled to get up.

"Finals...? Oh right, tell who I'm up against!"

"What? Hey, wouldn't it be better to first listen to my explan-"

"Who cares about this shitty stuff. Come one tell me already!"

At this moment Anko decided it would be better for her mental health to just ignore him as much as possible while finishing Hiruzen's task, so she just showed him the tournament list.

'Oh no...it's sand emo...'

While Eiji was preoccupied with his own thoughts, a Konoha shinobi suddenly appeared next to Anko with a panicked expression: "Lady Anko, Lord Hokage has ordered you to stop your current task and come with me because of an urgent matter..."

"Urgent matter?"

"Yes, the dead body of Hayate was found..."

"What are you waiting for? Lead the wa-" - before she could finish her sentence, Eiji stormed at the Konoha shinobi and grabbed him at his collar.

"You...repeat what you just said..." - even though he said it non-loudly, the way he spoke that, was really intense.

"Eiji!! Are you out of your mind? What are you doing to a fellow Konoha -" - Anko stopped mid-sentence because he just shot a glare at her, which spoke more than a thousand words.

'Right, wasn't Hayate his sensei? Damn, what a shitty situation I found myself in here. This brat isn't half bad when he is serious and if he completely snapped now and starts attacking me and the guy over there, this could end up pretty ugly...what should I do?' - Anko who was still not in her best condition because of the curse mark, moved her hand towards a kunai.