There had been murmurings of a new hidden village for some time before any true confirmation was received. This was in part because none of the spies sent to investigate had either a) found anything or b) come back. Most of category a, a little of b, but the end result was the same.
Nobody knew anything.
Surreptitious comments between Kage at chuunin exams or in carefully worded letters revealed that none of the major villages knew anything about the upstart village. If any of the minor villages knew, particularly its neighbours Hot springs and Hidden Waterfall, they were keeping mum about it.
The only limited information going around about it was that it existed, and it was somewhere in what had been the Land of Rice paddies.
A few ninja had pinned down where they thought the village might be, after one mentioned hearing an odd ringing sensation in his ears when poking around, but even that could have been anything really.
The Kage were stymied. For once it seemed like a hidden village might actually be hidden in a way impossible to find. (Unlike most hidden villages where they were concealed and/or hard to get to, but still accessible and even then, half of them weren't hidden at all.)
It had been suggested that perhaps the village was built underground, but rock ninja confirmed that not to be the case.
The first time a ninja from Sound was actually seen by someone (aside from a client – somehow the extremely-hidden village was managing to get business despite no ninja finding a single one of them or their home) it was because they were attending the chuunin exam in Konoha. By that point Hidden Sound had been completely unknown for over six years.
Understandably curiosity was high as ninja from all the nations wanted to see who the upstart village were represented by.
By now questions of whether they could compete with the major or minor villages had been moot because nobody could bloody find them. It was as if they were all invisible and knew when spies or saboteurs were coming to invade.
At first glance the group from sound seemed... normal? Not particularly impressive or standing out, though they seemed sure of themselves. It was a small group, four genin coming to test, two jounin sensei, the Otokage and two guards. They seemed decently dressed, good quality ninja gear, even the genin, though there was a clear distinction in their clothing style – something each hidden village tended to have in response to their natural environs. Oto seemed to have lots of sleeveless shirts and clothing with trailing fabric on asymmetrical garments.
The Kage barely stood out as his station though, dressed without the heavy robes one would expect but instead wearing black ninja pants and a sleeveless slate grey shirt. He looked around his twenties, not that unusual for a Kage. Strong ninja often peaked in those years after all.
What was significant however, was the mild hum that seemed to surround all of them – combining into a faint breeze that was visible in the grass some distance around them.
"Greetings Otokage." The Third Hokage welcomed in a mild tone, stepping forward to invite the newcomers in as if half the village and its guests weren't staring at them. Typically the Kage were all at least somewhat familiar with eachother but the newcomers were completely unknown, including even the name of the Otokage. It unfortunately meant the formalities were a touch awkward.
"Greetings Hokage-sama." The Otokage replied, a surprisingly friendly smile on his face. "I'm known as Ren Oto, Otokage. I present my genin, for the chuunin examinations."
"My ninja will escort you to your hotel, as I am sure you are weary from travel." The Third informed, his ninja already moving to follow his bidding. "If you are willing, would you meet with I and the other Kage prior to the first task in the morning? We would love to know your thoughts on the prepared tests."
"Most gracious." The Otokage replied, letting his ninja precede him into the village. "It'd be a pleasure to meet with you. I presume your ANBU will show me the way?" Ren's lips quirked in amusement.
"Of course. Honoured guests are welcome to wander the village also, so long as they make it to the testing on time of course." The old man wore joviality like a second skin, despite the lack of true sincerity behind it. Having the genin of Otogakure out in the village would give more opportunities to learn from them, after all.
"My thanks." Ren kept it simple and followed his people to their hotel, ignoring the eyes following their passing for now.
None of his ninja seemed unduly worried, though a few of the genin seemed a mite uncomfortable under so many eyes. The group gladly retreated to their hotel to the relative safety it provided.
More safety than was probably intended in truth. After a few questions of the hotel proprietor to discover that the Oto ninja occupied the entirety of the small hotel, the hotel itself soon...seemed to vanish? There was clearly a gap where the hotel should be, but the building itself was no longer visible. Any attempt to touch where the walls should be were driven away, as those attempting to do so seemed subtly redirected and confused.
It meant people didn't accidentally wander into the invisible wall, but seeing it happen before their eyes was certainly baffling. This strange stealth certainly raised a few concerns regarding village security however. If a ninja from Oto could do this to a building, it stood to reason they could do it to themselves also – they could walk invisibly into anywhere they wanted and no one would be the wiser.
Definitely a daunting thought, and the ANBU assigned to the Oto group were tripled in a matter of minutes.
It would later be revealed (by an ANBU who had been inside the hotel with them, and received a wink from the Otokage beforehand despite being concealed in a ceiling panel) that being inside the distortion they had felt a deep thrum through their bodies as the Oto group – all of them, not just Ren Oto – had activated the technique.
Once activated, they had been trapped inside but there was no discernable difference being inside the field. Oddly, despite the windows being open and visible, the same buffeting affect was present, preventing them from leaving. Indeed, in order to leave the premises, the ANBU had been forced to go to the ninja clearly guarding the front door in order to be let out, along with the hotel staff who had the procedure explained to them. Only those who had a counter-jutsu cast on them could get through the barrier, but for they and the ANBU at least, they still couldn't see the building once they were outside nor had any way back in without help.
This security was both unwelcome and definitely envy worthy, but so far at least, impenetrable.
The next morning the ninja of Oto left the hotel together. Ren headed with his guards to the Hokage tower, while the genin and jounin sensei wandered the market before the first test was due to begin.
His arrival was clearly foreseen as he was led right into a meeting room, which held the other Kage also. A few papers littered the desk – clearly the plans for the exams.
"Good morning all." Ren greeted breezily, finding his way to an empty seat. He still wasn't wearing his Kage hat, but at least his outfit looked a bit more regal than what he'd rocked up wearing. The white cloak that was individualized for each Kage was similarly unique, asymmetrical and made of a light fabric. It stood out, pure white against the black long sleeve shirt of a similar peculiarity. The fabric of the top draped to near his knees, the fabric splitting into two panels at his torso.
(I did have pics here, but ate them, sorry. Read this on AO3 if you want to see them)
As he sat down he received a few greetings in return, some more disgruntled than others. All the other Kage were dressed in their finery, cumbersome looking though some of it was.
"What's on the docket this morning then?" Ren asked, just this side of chipper.
"We're to go over the plans for the chuunin exam tests now, raise any last minute issues before we begin." Sarutobi said, clearly the spokesperson as the hosting village. "The first test is unlikely to draw any problems – it consists of a written exam with a separate final question, to be asked each student individually outside the exam room. Two shinobi, henged to look like whoever those genin or their village are most hostile with, will threaten their lives for village secrets. Should they succumb, they will of course fail. If they resist for two minutes, they will pass. No physical will come to the students."
"Of course once the test is over, the Kage will be given the papers of their students to mark." But not before Konoha had mined them for information, went unsaid.
"The second exam is going to be far more controversial. In this exam, the genin will be paired up into groups of three, each individual of a different village if possible. The purpose is to ensure that each genin is able to work with other ninja, despite not knowing their strengths or weaknesses. This part will also test whether they are able to temporarily put aside any hostilities or prejudice for the sake of the mission, which is to gather intel from several 'camps' of chunin. It will last for five days and take place in a prepared zone outside of Konoha. Be assured, we will be watching closely."
Understandably this had initially caused much outcry from the other Kage, as several of them were hostile with each other at the very least, if not looking for any excuse to provoke hostilities. However, the lessons involved were valid, and the opportunity to work with genin from Oto was enough of a temptation that the other Kage had begrudgingly accepted the test.
"I have no problem with that." Ren assured, though the test was not at all subtle in its intention to learn what his ninja could do, especially from the more vulnerable genin.
"Good. The third test then is the typical one on one combat, to take place two weeks after the second exam. Participants and affiliated shinobi are welcome to remain in Konoha in the time between exams or return to their homes, whichever they choose." Some he knew, like Hidden Rock, would be out the door the moment the second exam was over. No amount of temptation would keep them a second longer, not on Konoha's soil, even if they'd spend more time travelling than they would back at their village.
"We do ask that while you are inside the land of fire, you adhere to our rules. Arrivals and departures come through the front gate, keep hostilities to a minimum, etc etc. There are training grounds assigned to each country and should there be a problem or more required, just let me know and I'll make arrangements." Sarutobi promised smoothly, well versed in how to run the chuunin exams and likely explaining for Ren's benefit as much as to follow protocol.
"Now that that's out of the way." The Raikage A spoke up roughly. "Does anyone have anything more to say about the exams or issues in general? Otherwise, its time to place bets!"
There were a few snorts of amusement around the table, and a few hats came off now that the formalities were out of the way.
"Alright then." The Tsuchikage spoke up. "I bet that at least three of my genin all make it to the final exam." He smacked a hand down on the table. "And they crush their opponents!"
"I bet that four of my genin make it through the second exam, but only two make it to the final exam." The Mizukage bet in a soft voice, expression blank. "And at least one opponent is drowned by them."
"Well I bet that at least one of mine makes it into the finals!" A announced, letting out a guffaw. "I wouldn't be surprised if he takes the whole thing! He's a poison specialist – his opponents are unlikely to survive."
Dutifully writing each bet down, the Hokage hummed for a moment, before making his own bet. "I bet that Leaf has the most genin make it to the final exam." He paused for a moment, mulling it over. "I also bet that one of mine wins the competition."
The Kazakage made his bet; that two of his would make it to the third exam, before Ren's turn.
"I suppose I should bet something." He mused blandly, not really one for betting. "How about this then: I bet that one of my students castrate someone in the duration of the exam." He grinned with teeth when the Hokage's hand slid slightly across the betting pad. "And that one of mine win the finals."
"Very well then." Sarutobi acknowledged, finishing the bets. "That will be all for now I suppose. Let us hope for a successful chuunin exam once again."
Meeting apparently over, Ren watched the other Kage stand and head for the door. He was a touch surprised when he wasn't questioned further about his village or shinobi but supposed they had several weeks with which to speak with him, not to mention his own ninja to question in the meanwhile.
"I don't suppose you can recommend anywhere good to eat?" He asked the Hokage as he stood. "Its always worth making the most of an experience, and trying local delicacies is a worthwhile venture in my opinion." Except for that time when 'local delicacies' happened to be live squid – that was one experience he'd rather have missed out on.
"Ah yes of course. There are a few places I'd recommend personally – a lovely Akimichi restaurant not far from the tower to start with in fact. What sort of food is standard in Oto, if you don't mind my asking?"
"Well, rice for starters." He grinned – Oto had been the land of rice paddies once after all, and those paddies hadn't just disappeared (not like the village anyway.) "Otherwise we've a fairly diverse selection - we have the coast on one side so fish, sushi, things like that are staple. Salads are also common, but we've a beef stew that I've never found anywhere else either." He shrugged. "Oto also has a fair selection of desserts - we grow cocoa which is always great for things like that."
As he talked the two of them made their way out of the meeting room, the Hokage carrying his hat in one hand rather than place it back on his head. Ren had shoved his hands in his pockets seeming unbothered to be talking cordially with the vaunted Professor.
"Forgive me for asking, but is there anything you can disclose about Otogakure? I'm afraid none of us have ever seen it for ourselves." The subtle dig against visitors went ignored, but Ren shrugged ambivalently.
"Otogakure is pretty pacifist." He disclosed, like that information wasn't significant. "We don't attack unless provoked, but don't tolerate cruelty either." They got on quite well with their neighbors in Hotspring because of that, which was partly why the other village was so tight lipped about them, amongst other things. "However, if we are provoked, a quick death is the only mercy we grant."
Ren left after that, heading out with his escort to get some breakfast. It would only be a few hours until the first exam began, and while it wasn't likely to be thrilling, he still wanted to observe personally.
Two hours later saw him once again accompanied by the other Kage, though this time they were in something of a surveillance room along with several Konoha jounin observing the exam over camera. There were several cameras set up watching empty rooms also, waiting until the final question to be used.
As expected the Oto genin didn't seem to have any trouble with the written exam. Things got a bit tense with the final question though – several genin attempted to fight their way free of their captors. Two chunin were injured, but none of the genin escaped before their two minutes were up.
Ren's genin did raise some brows when, after being asked/ordered to disclose village secrets, started questioning the classification of 'secret' considering their whole village was secret at present.
"Does that mean that saying we have a village or a secret is breaking the secret – its not like anyone here has seen it to confirm right? So is it a valid secret? Who decides what is and isn't a secret? Is it only a secret if it's a valuable secret, or does it still count if its useless information?" The kid rambled on so fast his proctor could only stare at him.
"Talking is a viable distraction technique." Ren commented with a chuckle. They weren't full pacifist after all, but the genin hadn't been harmed (not even with psychological torture, which he'd been worried about though it could just be because the other ninja never got the chance) and so didn't respond with violence.
The second exam came on the heels of the first. The genin were escorted to the testing area, where they were assigned their new team mates. In the surveillance office the cameras were changed to show the testing area, and refreshments were brought for the Kage to partake.
The second task was much more interesting. His Oto shinobi had no hesitation working with others, not to say they trusted blindly, but they didn't have a problem sharing some relevant information so they could work together.
The aim of the exam was to acquire intel from the chunin camps, several of which could be found in the testing area. Teams could sneak in to get the information, or try and get it from other genin who were better at sneaking than them. Combat between groups wasn't the primary aim, but they'd be competing against eachother to get the information.
Indeed, over the course of the days, several groups used the distraction of another group trying to get into the camp in order to make their own infiltration or to sound the alarm to catch that group. Some went for straight combat with other groups, both to get the information and also to beat out their competition for the next round.
Not all the Kage watched the second task, and those that did weren't there the whole time – they weren't about to stay awake for days straight to watch a controlled exam. Ren stuck around a fair bit though, enough that the jounin on watch adapted to his rather more laid back approach and insistence on muted etiquette. They too asked plenty of questions about Oto and their techniques, especially the hidden hotel.
"But how come we never found Otogakure? Nobody reported feeling that confusion/humming feeling and we scoured the land of Rice paddies." One jounin asked, but Ren only smiled and didn't answer that one. He wasn't giving away real village secrets, after all.
"Maybe one day you can tell me how we did it." Was all he said. "Perhaps you'll get to visit some time."
They would never find Otogakure though. Not unless they could fly. Waves were powerful things, energy in different form, and using them in the right way allowed magic to happen.
In the end all of Ren's Oto ninja passed through the second phase, though in some cases it was by the skin of their teeth. Two of the genin had struggled because of their teammates, and one of them had taken a pretty severe injury that they had been unable to fully tend to while out in the wilds. He received medical care once the exam was over, but that genin wouldn't be continuing to the next round in all likelihood, even with a two week break in between.
In the gap between exam portions, the Oto shinobi explored Konoha. Many of the other delegations left for their homes, but in the interest of fostering better relations, Ren and his group remained behind. It was clear by this point that the Sound had joined Konoha's exams for this purpose, as the most like-minded of the large villages (not that they were hugely like-minded, but closer than the other major villages.)
With that in mind it became normal to see the Otokage around the town with his entourage, or visiting the Hokage when he wasn't busy.
Three days into the break, one of Ren's genin castrated a male civilian who'd been refusing to take 'no' for an answer from a clearly distressed young Konoha genin. All Ren had to say about it was "the bet never specified the castration would happen during the exam itself" and an emphasis on a 'no means no' policy in Sound.
It was only during the final exam that Ren finally started answering some of the long-held questions from the other Kage.
"For the basis of much of our stealth techniques we use soundwaves with genjutsu interwoven." Ren explained as they watched one of his female genin fight with a brutality which seemed surprising given the kindness displayed by the Oto group thus far. "And even a deaf man would not be immune – though they are called 'sound waves', they are just as much felt in our bones as through our ears at certain frequencies. The use of the word 'sound' is also more in relation to the origin – my name – than in relation to the waves." Sound waves were only one of many types.
It wasn't like the information he was giving was all that valuable – he wouldn't be surprised if several ninja had already figured it out now that they had an actual example to work with. He'd seen quite a few curious shinobi poking around the hotel trying to figure it out over the last few weeks.
"Where did you learn such techniques?" The Kazekage asked him, leaning forwards slightly to watch his shinobi fight with Ren's kunoichi. The battle wasn't going well for him as the Oto genin was soundly deflecting his poisoned senbon and apparently deafening him at the same time, not that anything could be heard by the audience themselves. "You share the name of your village so are they clan techniques?"
"The techniques are from my family, yes. I am the last, and my parents were no ninja – our skills were developed to hide, not to be aggressors. We survived by keeping ourselves invisible, and you don't stay invisible if you draw attention to yourself." Being active spies and the like would have definitely drawn attention.
"So why come out of the shadows now? While Otogakure has remained hidden a remarkably long time, you have been on our radar. Why change from hiding?"
"Because I am the last." Ren answered simply. "And I started out with a found-family who I taught my skills to. We began something of a refuge for those who wanted no part of the wars which constantly plagued the other villages. Otogakure is the result of that." It had never been his intention to found a village, especially a ninja village, but that was the thing about offering a safe space for people to hide in – people took you up on the offer. It was only after years that they became anything more than any other village – once they started policing their own land and taking contracts.
"Otogakure has no intention of becoming an offensive force, so that should allay you. We also shan't be crushed however – Otogakure is a refuge for those who wish to be free of danger, and there are plenty of us willing to defend that." Including a fair few Uzumaki survivors, who were key to the secret of how Otogakure was hidden, and who had no intention of losing another home to war.
Three matches later, the only contestants remaining were on of Ren's Oto genin and the boy that A had been sure would win the competition. The match was fast-paced, especially for genin, and the end was almost a double knock-out, except for the fact that Ren's shinobi managed to use his soundwaves to boil the poison from his opponent's blades during the fight without the other boy realising.
Congratulations were given (along with medical attention to the combatants) and Ren stood to applaud with the rest of the crowd and Kage.
"A good showing." Sarutobi acknowledged, a weathered smile sent Ren's way. A just grunted in begrudging agreement, clearly unhappy with the finish despite his genin's performance.
"It's been a pleasure." Ren informed, offering a tilt of his head. "My thanks for the performance." He directed to Sarutobi. "Its certainly been enlightening."
"Perhaps eventually you might host a chuunin exam of your own?" The Hokage suggested sneakily, to the amusement of the group. "Maybe then we will get to see your hidden village for ourselves."
"Maybe so." Ren didn't outright reject the suggestion, though he had no idea how he might pull it off – it'd be one hell of a feat if he could. Keeping a village hidden while keeping it also accessible was one of their biggest problems.
"For now though I believe it is time to head home." Having stayed for the duration of the exams, the Oto group had been away from the village for almost a month now.
So it was with questions answered and more to replace them that the Oto shinobi departed Konoha with two newly promoted chuunin and an ANBU tail they'd lose before they left fire country.
Notes: So, I originally had a mini-rant about why the heck Otogakure had the name. I mean, sound? All the other villages are named after where they're hidden – what the heck is hidden sound? How is it hiding in sound? It clearly wasn't.
So I ended up writing this little random AU – where hidden sound is actually hidden in the sound, the how and why. It wasn't meant to be this long at all! It was meant to be a little story/rant thing, but it just wouldn't stop... This wasn't how I intended to spend my day lol.
Also I didn't intend for the first test to be a written test, but couldn't help but think that Konoha is a village with a lot of paper-pushers lol – not necessarily a bad thing but all paperwork in triplicate!
Finally, I admit my knowledge of physics is from highschool which was over ten years ago, so I don't actually know how the hell Otogakure might be able to stay airborne with only energy waves but well, hoverboards exist and that's magnetic fields or something right? So yeah, my pseudo science ftw. I'm not a physicist. (not even a little)