"Yeah, that too..."

He huffs and settles against the wall. "We'll - have to think, if there's preliminaries - I don't want you guys getting hurt worse. Some of the fights would be - really stupid for us to try. Like that Elieyha."

Sugira nods. (His shirt's back on by now, and he's rubbing at his shoulder a bit.)

"We could forfeit."

"I wouldn't object, but... That Orochimaru - the chuunin exams are about showing off. Playing along with that might keep him from trying to seek us out. At least for a little bit."

Why the fuck did he have to run into an alt of Mirsha, this remains intensely unfair. (He's trying not to think too hard if this means Orochimaru might have created certain experimental children yet...)

He frowns. "We can probably forfeit after a match is declared?"

Chihiro nods.

"I'd rather not pass without you guys, but if we don't all get to the third round we can figure that out later."

"The third round is not a team competition."

"We should make chuunin together, though. Better chance of them keeping us together."

"That would be- good."

He makes an agreeing noise.

"Heh."

"Anyways, other than resting and watching, is there - anything we should do to prepare?"

"I do not believe so."

He nods and flops back a bit. "I feel a bit restless... But yeah, probably just need to rest..."

Chihiro settles down cross-legged. Waiting was part of her training.

Sugira dozes off fairly quickly, having been exhausted by the fights and then the sealing.

Naruto spends the next few days mostly in their room, though he's a lot friendlier with the other Konoha teams than Sasuke. (He's fretting a lot. He can't do anything, not about Sasuke's seal or his or even Chihiro's...)

(When they get out of here it might be time to tell Kakashi about Chihiro's seal...)

If any foreign teams show up he'll be polite and nice, but he's not feeling well enough to be in a friendship blitz mood.

Over the next few days, a handful of teams trickle in. Team Gai, from the year ahead of them. Team Nine, Ino-Shika-Cho. A team each from Hidden Waterfall, Hidden Grass, and Hidden Rain, some of the smaller villages. At the very end, just barely before the deadline, Kabuto's team makes it in.

Everyone's directed to assemble in the main hall on the ground floor.

Twenty seven people. Almost certainly means preliminaries.

Naruto's recovered physically by then, has done his best to analyze the competition - fighting without chakra is going to suck -

He's there.

His bruises have had just enough time to start swelling and hurting properly. He hasn't figured out a healing spell.

He's also there, and not planning to forfeit against anyone short of the sand jinchuuriki.

There's a lineup of jounin instructors, exam proctors, and the Hokage in the front of the room.

Anko congratulates everyone on making it this far in a backhanded sort of way, then the Hokage makes a short speech about how the chunin exams are doing more than simply testing their abilities, they are also showing off the strength of the village and thereby serving as a replacement for war.

This is probably mostly bullshit but it's political bullshit, so he pays attention.

Sugira's of the opinion they need better hobbies.

After the Hokage is finished, the proctor for the third exam steps up. He explains, coughing dryly and repeatedly, that because there are so many contestants still remaining, there will be a preliminary round of eliminations. This produces some incredulity among those who weren't lucky enough to have their sensei visit them early. The proctor offers anyone who doesn't feel they are in good shape to participate at the moment the chance to preemptively withdraw.

They don't back out.