Multi-reply time!
Eimii wrote:
Gah! I knew there was something else i wanted to comment on >_<;! Though
the reader is sort of given to assume that all the characters dress
exactly how they usually dress (since they all wear the same outfits
every frigging day, as far as the original manga is concerned O_o;),
there _is_ one thing that stuck out to me: Sakura's normal outfit lacks
sleeves, which means she would be unable to hide the snake tattoo
without a bandage or something wrapped around her forearm, and there
would be no sleeve for the Hidden Snake Hands technique to burst out
from, which would means that everyone would be treated to the sight of a
bunch of snakes bursting outta Sakura's skin ^_^;;...
It's not directly mentioned in this chapter, but way back when she first
started wearing weights Sakura abandoned her usual outfit, and what
she's been wearing since then includes a long-sleeved jacket.
David Johnston wrote:
Though if this had been a real fight, Neji would have just lost no
matter what he did next, because the poison probably wouldn't have been
of the 'non-fatal' variety ^_^;...
Pretty much. Neji probably knows that, though he'd never say as much
out loud.
Well, lethal isn't instantaneous. By and large how quickly a drug or
poison takes affect is determined by dosage and where and how it is
applied but it's fairly rare to get an instant K.O. from any of it.
Very true, but in a real fight Sakura wouldn't have been giving him an
antidote after the fight either; even if he defeats Sakura he still dies
if he or a nearby ally doesn't have the stuff on-hand to treat him.
Jed Hagen wrote:
It is possible that the graduation exams are not actually tied to a
particular class, and rather are open to any student -- sort of like
the SATs in the US system (you can actually take them before you
reach your senior year in high school, even though the majority of
people do not do so). This would allow the "geniuses" like Kakashi
to pass early with a more advanced class, and I'm sure Naruto would
consider himself enough of a genius to try crashing them as soon as
he learned about such a possibility.
That was my first thought as well, but I don't think it works. While
clearly at some point it was possible to become a genin early (Kakaashi
and I believe Itachi being examples), it doesn't seem to be available at
present. Otherwise, probably Neji and certainly Sasuke would have taken
the exams and passed as soon as possible, rather than hanging around the
academy until they were twelve.
Beyond that, this tournament certainly had better pacing than most
other tournament chapters (or, more frequently, multi-chapters) I've
read, and remained engaging throughout. Nice job with that.
I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks to everyone for their comments!