3 hours later
"Welcome to Milsy Wetlands also known as "Swindler's Swamp"." Satotz was impressed with the numbers he had so far. He had expected a lot more failures but it would seem that this year's crop had a great deal of potential hunters. "We will be venturing through here in order to reach phase two site. The strange creature here will resort to every trick to deceive people and turn them into food. This is why it's called the swindler's swamp." The shutters leading from the long tunnels began closing much to the horror of a few individuals whom were still trying to leave the tunnel. As soon as the shutters were fully closed, Satotz continued. "You must follow me carefully. If you get tricked, you'll die." This caused a stir amongst the surviving participants.
Having heard the next step, Naruto turned towards his traveling companion to see how he was holding up. It was then he realized that he had somehow managed to lose him during the last stretch of the tunnel. Naruto chuckled awkwardly at his mistake. 'Well it's not like it'll be hard to find him. I just have to wait for his bloodlust to spike again which shouldn't take long.'
8 minutes later, Hisoka's bloodlust spiked and Naruto quickly moved towards it whereas others moved away from him. It didn't take long before he found the jester in the middle of what appeared to be a crime scene. It would seem that he wasn't able to contain his bloodlust any longer and decided to kill two….. What the hell were those things? It looked like two monkey creatures tried to do a henge and failed for the most part. One of them almost had the henge correct but the other one messed up big time. And why did the ugly looking one have similar features of the proctor? Did he try to imitate his appearance to deceive the group? If that was the case, then should it have waited until they were in the fogs?
"I will take that as a compliment." Naruto's attention went to the proctor currently holding several playing cards. It would seem that Hisoka attacked the proctor as well. "But from now on, any violence directed to the proctor under any circumstances will result in an immediate disqualification. Did I make myself clear?" There was no anger behind Satotz's tone. It was as if he wasn't fazed by Hisoka's actions.
"Hai, I understand" was Hisoka's casual reply. Naruto could sense his thirst rising at rapid levels. It would seem that the sight of blood had caused a stir within him. It was only a matter of time before he struck.
"Anyway, we shall proceed with the exams. Please follow me" stated Satotz as he began leading the group once more. Naruto took this moment to jog towards the red headed jester catching his attention.
"So Hisoka-chan, where and when do you want to do this?"
The look that Hisoka was currently sporting promised nothing but bad intentions. "Very well Naruto-san, follow me. I have just the perfect place." Naruto grinned eagerly as he followed him away from the crowd. Kurapika, Leorio, and Killua sent Naruto a pitying look as they traveled with the group.
Satotz glanced at their retreating form in wonder.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Are you seeing what I'm seeing right now?"
"Are you for real?"
"That kid's still alive?"
"Look at that bastard? We should kill him while he's unconscious."
"Tch, you'll have to get past the kid first and I doubt he'll be an easy picking."
"We'll just have to wait patiently for now. As soon as the moment arises, we'll take both of them out."
"He doesn't even have a scratch on him. He's a bigger monster than that guy."
"Who the hell let monsters like this into the exam?"
Satotz watched in amusement as Naruto entered phase two site dragging Hisoka's unconscious form. Other than a few dirt spots, it appeared that Naruto didn't suffer any wounds. To pull off a feat like that was extraordinary. He knew number 44 wasn't a pushover if his aura and past was anything to go by. It would seem that this year's crop was truly extraordinary. Satotz turned his attention back to the audience then proceeded to withdraw and small handgun. He pointed the weapon in the air and fired once.
"Phase one has ended. Well done everyone. Here the Visca Forest Reserve will serve as the test site for phase two. Anyway let me officially congratulate you. All of you currently present have successfully passed phase one. I wish you all the best of luck with phase two." Once he finished his speech, he simply walked away leaving the contenders to do their own thing for the time being. He spared one last glance at number 45 as he placed 44 against a tree. '200 contenders have passed this exam but it's only a matter of time until those numbers drop with those two around.' He noticed movement in his peripheral vision.
Contenders 99, 403, 404, and 405 were moving towards the duo whereas majority was the others did the opposite. There were a handful of individuals that simply watched the scene, never moving from their current position. Based on their looks, they were weary of the duo but they didn't outright fear them.
'Perhaps I should stay and watch the fight' thought Satotz as he came to a complete stop. 'I'm curious as to what will happen next, especially considering who the two proctors are.'
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Oh the agonizing pain. Naruto-san you've hurt me so beautifully." Naruto snickered as Hisoka slowly sat up. Hisoka body shivered in delight as a new wave of pain erupted from his body. It felt like someone struck him with a truck and that excited him greatly. Just the thought of fighting him once more filled his heart with joy. It would seem that this exam was not a waste after all. It was in that moment that he noticed various food scents in the air.
"What's going on?" Amber eyes scanned the area as he regained himself. Based on what he was seeing, it would seem that there was some sort of cooking contest happening.
"Phase two revolves around our ability to capture and cook utilizing ingredients gathered from the forest and tools supplied to us by the proctors. I've already gone ahead and gathered everything we needed. In fact, you're roast pork is almost done. You just have to rotate it a few more times." Naruto pointed to the pig slowly rotating over an open fire. Hisoka glanced in the direction he was pointed and spotted the pig right away.
"Oh my, how generous of you." he allowed a smile to grace his lips as he rose to his feet much to the protest of his body. If anything, he enjoyed every second of it. Slowly he made his way to his cooking station and did exactly what he was told. Once the pig was complete, both Naruto and Hisoka carried both meals to the proctors before returning to their respective stations. This act caused several people to whisper amongst themselves.
"Leave it to a monster to save its kind"
"Is that even allowed? They should be disqualified for that."
"That bastard didn't have to lift a single muscle"
"We should have killed him when we had the chance"
"He could have been feinting unconsciousness the whole time. We weren't sure and no one was willing to see."
Buhara drooled in delight as he eyed the pork intently ignoring the audience. Unlike the other pork brought to him by the other contenders, he could already tell that these two would please him the most. He had observed everyone gather materials from the forest and was slightly disappointed for the most part. Almost everyone gathered the bare minimum materials to create a plain dish. Contender 45 on the other hand had gathered a quite a few exotic ingredients that could only be obtained from certain dangerous areas and he prepared two dishes one being for himself and the other for his unconscious friend. Buhara licked his lips and rubbed his hands together in anticipation. Even though 44 didn't perform the task at hand and should theoretically be disqualified, he simply couldn't bring himself to care enough to actually go through with it for two reasons.
The first reason was 44's presence and the fear he seemed to inspire amongst the others. He saw the fear filled looks from the others as they eyed his form. Most of them wanted 44 dead but fear stopped them. Based on those facts, failing him would be a waste of talent. There was also the fact that he would spare future proctors from him. Who's to say someone like 45 would appear next year to keep 44 in check? That was not something he was willing to gamble. The other reason stemmed from the fact that he was going to enjoy two delicious meals to himself.
As he went to retrieve one of the dishes, Menchi's nimble hands beat him to it surprising Buhara. It would seem that she was actually interested in someone's dish which was rare considering her exquisite tastes. She ripped a piece off and gingerly took a bite. Buhara watched intently as she chewed the small piece of meat and swallowed it. Menchi paused for a brief moment as the flavor danced about her tongue.
"This is actually delicious"
Buhara's lower jaw struck the ground with enough force to create a small tremor. She actually liked some's dish? Now he really had to try this. He quickly grabbed the other plate and bit into it. Stars appeared in his eyes as the flavors assaulted his mouth.
"SUPER DELICIOUS"
In the span of seconds he devoured the meat in his hands then snatched the one in front of Menchi much to her shock and disbelief. Several tick marks appeared on her forehead as her fellow proctor licked his fingers in delight. Buhara pat his belly a few times.
"Oh boy did I eat. I'm stuffed now."
Menchi struck the small gong stationed next to her. "It's over. One hundred and thirty roast pigs have been consumed." Menchi turned towards her partner and glared at him. "You didn't even fail a single contender. That's not judging at all." Buhara shrugged at this.
"Meh, I managed to lower the numbers and that's all that matters. Besides, we're not here to judge them on intricate flavors." Several tick marks appeared on her forehead at his dismissal of the issue.
"Well if that's the case, then shouldn't we fail number 44? I mean 45 cooked his meal for him." She glanced at contender 44 as he eyed the others intently. Something about his predatory gaze unnerved her.
"Sure but I'd rather not. Failing him would mean trouble for the next proctor and I doubt we'll have someone like contender 45 here to keep him on a leash. Besides 44 is more than qualified. I heard the only reason he failed last year's exam was because he mauled the proctor. I think we should pass him to spare future hunter exam contenders." For once in her life, Menchi didn't object. She felt the tension in the air and most of it stemmed from 44 and strangely enough 45. Then again seeing 45 did managed to beat 44 so their reaction was justified. Buhara tapped his friend regaining her attention.
"Are you going to start the next part Menchi?" Menchi laughed nervously as she scratched the back of her head. Using the gong mallet once more, she struck the gong again.
"For roasting a whole pig, one hundred and thirty challengers have passed. But things will only get harder from here. Unlike Buhara, I won't be easy. I will judge very harshly. The second half of phase two will be sushi." The moment she announced the next dish, most of the contenders stared at her in confusion.
"I don't suppose you know what sushi is Naruto-san" questioned Hisoka. Naruto slowly nodded his head.
"Of course I do" boasted Naruto. Based on the blank expression of the majority, it would seem that no one knew what sushi was. Only Hanzo seemed to have a clue as to what was going on. Based on that fact alone, there was a chance that most of them just might fail unless Hanzo blurted it out. But seeing him silently snicker, that didn't seem like it would happen anytime soon.
"Wait here for a second and I'll be right back." Naruto left a confused Hisoka and towards Gon's group with the intention of helping them. In a way, they reminded him of either himself or people from his past.
Both Kurapika and Killua had aspects that reminded him of Sasuke before the whole forth shinobi war. He could sense Kurapika's hatred dwelling from within ready to burst in a moment's notice. As for Killua, despite how much he hid it, he could feel the darkness in him. It reminded him of Hisoka and Sasuke after he joined up with the Akatsuki. Gon was definitely him through and through. Naruto blushed a bit in embarrassment on that one. To think he was that simple minded and naïve. Then again, nothing's changed much except that now he possessed the ability to detect people's true natures no matter how well it was hidden. As for Leorio…. He seemed like a nice fella.
"Gon, everyone" Gon, Kurapika, Leorio, and Killua paused mid step and turned towards Naruto. "Follow me and we'll succeed together" They all perked up at this. It would seem that Naruto knew what sushi was or so they hoped. He seemed confident enough. Naruto led the small group back to Hisoka then away from the test site to gather materials once more.
Menchi eyed the small group with interest as she wondered what exactly he was gaining from all this.
"I wonder what his sushi will taste like" Buhara thought out loud. "If it's anything like his roast pork" He trailed off as drool leaked from the corner of his mouth.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Examinee # 405 pass
Examinee # 404 pass
Examinee # 403 pass
Examinee # 45 pass
Examinee # 44 pass
Examinee # 99 pass
It would seem that Naruto's skill went beyond just roasting pork. He was very skilled at cooking and instructing others as well. Unlike the first part of phase one, Naruto didn't cook the meals for the others. Instead, he provided step by step instructions and assisted them whenever they seemed a bit stuck. After a few screw ups and corrections, they managed to produce some good sushi thus they passed. And it would seem that Naruto's companions weren't the only ones that benefitted from the step by step instructions. Several examinees had ease dropped on them which resulted in sushi actually looking like sushi. People weren't simply shoving fish into a clump of rice anymore much to her relief. She was actually close to snapping at these idiots. Now the only thing left to do was judge each sushi based on its taste.
Menchi glanced over to her companion as he devoured the latest failure. She had never in her life met anyone capable of eating more than him. It actually amazed her that he could still eat this much after consuming one hundred and thirty whole pigs. She was brought out of her musing as another examinee placed his latest dish in front of her. Using her chopsticks, she picked up one of the sushi from the dish, bit into it, and then gave the rest Buhara.
"It's too salty try again"
The contender glared at her as he stomped away in anger. Menchi sighed in annoyance at the latest failure. Despite the amount of information they now had at disposal, none of them were capable of making a decent sushi. And what the hell was everyone's problem? Cooking was a necessity for all hunters. How else would they survive harsh jungles or tough terrains without food? It's not like there were restaurants everywhere. Were they planning on surviving on rations the entire time? What if they ran out of that and had to hunt for food?
