Disclaimer: I don't own anything that doesn't belong to me.
…
Nestled deep within the mountains of the Chūgoku region near the western tip of Japan was a secret valley, secluded from the rest of the world. The valley was lush and green, filled with plants and trees and insects and other creatures that had not been seen in the outside world for almost 70 million years.
Deep within the prehistoric jungle, a young woman sat crosslegged atop a flat rock at the edge of a large pool of water being fed by a waterfall tumbling down the cliffs from the mountains above. Rainbows shimmered in the mist and water spray, giving the setting a mystical vibe which was only amplified by the anachronistic plants growing everywhere, making the pool feel as if it were truly a place taken out of time.
The teenager was wearing a black ninja outfit with red trim and a patch on her left breast resembling a red and black Tyrannosaurus head. Her garment was very form-fitting, emphasizing her curves and musculature, her body toned and incredibly fit from a lifetime of training, with hips thick enough she could crush a man's skull between her thighs and he would probably thank her for it and a bust which had garnered her more than her fair share of admirers from either sex. Her features were lovely but angular, with a sharp chin and high cheekbones with a faint overlapping pattern resembling scales or feathers on her cheeks. Her hair was long, black, and spiky, with red stripes and several red feathers tucked into her thick mane here and there. Her eyes were closed, her hands were tied behind her back, and a bowl of water was perfectly balanced on her head. She looked calm, at peace with herself and her surroundings.
Her nostrils flared slightly and she inclined her head to the side ever so slightly, careful not to unbalance the bowl on her head or spill a single drop of water.
As a result, the arrow which was fired at her from the foliage merely breezed past her shoulder instead of burying itself in her face.
A few strands of her hair blew away, along with the upper third of one of her feathers. She frowned.
More arrows suddenly launched themselves at her from multiple directions. Without opening her eyes, without even standing up or moving from her spot, she quickly and subtly moved her body about so that every projectile shot past her without hitting anything, none of them even scratching her clothes or touching her hair. Throughout all this, the bowl remained perfectly balanced on her head, the water within sloshing about as she ducked and bobbed to avoid the arrows, but not a single droplet spilled out.
She tilted her torso back a few millimeters as another arrow shot past, opening her mouth to reveal her teeth had been carved into sharp points and biting down on it, catching the missile out of the air. As even more arrows, along with Shuriken, flung themselves at her from the trees, she started moving her head and upper body about with more intensity, using the arrow in her teeth to deflect any projectiles which came too close to her head or risked dislodging the bowl. The arrow shook violently with each object that slammed into it, sending a jarring sensation up her teeth and into her jaw, but she refused to relax her grip on the arrow.
And then, abruptly, all the projectiles stopped. For a moment, peace returned to the pool.
And then half a dozen ninjas burst from the trees and charged at her, screaming and brandishing their weapons.
The girl smiled around the arrow, waited patiently until they were almost upon her, and then her eyes shot open, revealing yellow irises with slit pupils. A red aura made of particles resembling Tyrannosaurus skulls blazed to life around her, emanating a pulse which forced the ninjas back a step, and caused her hair to turn completely red and start billowing behind her.
She popped her head up, flinging the bowl directly upwards, and then bit down on the arrow hard, shattering it and sending splinters flying at the ninjas surrounding her before they could regain their bearings. They grunted as the wood fragments pierced their flesh, and one of them gasped and fell back, the arrowhead buried in their gut.
She slammed one of her feet on the rock she was sitting on, cracking it and shaking the ground with a faint tremor. Pebbles and rock fragments fluent here, and she darted her head forwards rapidly, smashing her nose into as many of the stones that she could and sending them flying at the ninjas with shocking force.
Another ninja went down, one of the rocks striking them between the eyes and knocking them out. The remaining four, bruised and a little battered, advanced, lashing out with their weapons.
She moved her head to the side as a chain sickle shot towards her, grabbing the chain in her teeth as it flew past and breaking it with a single bite, spitting out a link into the face of another ninja which was about to cave her head in with a hammer, stunning them and allowing her to strike the hammerhead with her forehead while its wielder was off guard, causing it to tumble from their grip and land on their foot, crushing it.
As the hammer-wielder yelped and hopped away, clutching their foot in pain, another ninja tried to decapitate her with their sword. She leaned her head back to avoid the ninjato, which passed so close it nearly cut her neck, then grabbed the blade in her jaws and broke it off with her teeth. She lashed out with the jagged piece of metal in her mouth, driving it into the chest of her attacker and removing them from the fight.
The remaining two ninjas, the empty-handed chain sickle wielder and one with nunchucks, stared at her warily before exchanging glances and nodding. In unison, they cast down a pair of smoke bombs, engulfing the girl and themselves in a cloud of smog.
The girl closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and focused, her hair waving in an ethereal breeze. Her aura surged into it, causing it to grow even brighter, lifting up and curling as it became sheathed in an energy construct resembling a dinosaur tail. She whirled her head about, lashing out with her hair "tail," not only striking both of the ninjas and flinging them away seconds before they could thrust daggers into her heart but also generating a gust of wind which blew the smoke away.
As the defeated adversaries lay on the ground, prostrate and unmoving, she exhaled, causing her aura to dissipate and her hair to once again tumble down her back, regaining its original hue.
A second later, the bowl landed back on her head, followed by the water that had been contained in it. Not a single drop hit the ground.
For a moment, peace and quiet returned.
And then, without warning, a giant red and black biomechanical Tyrannosaurus with armor resembling a Shinobi shozoku erupted from the pool, sending water flying everywhere, and roared in the girl's face with such volume and force that her hair was blown back, the ninjas on the ground were sent flying, and several of the nearest trees were bent back, a few of them even toppling over. The air was filled with squawks and buzzes of fright as dozens of birds and insects rose into the air and flew away, frightened by the bellow of the undisputed ruler of the valley.
The girl, unmoved, stared right back at the Tyrannosaurus. Aura flaring up again, she took a deep breath, and roared right back in the dinosaur's face as hard as she could.
Her cry wasn't nearly as powerful as the dinosaur's shout, nor was it as loud. But it was every bit as full of spirit, and the Tyrannosaurus nodded in approval, pride gleaming in her yellow eyes, a match to the girl's own. "You've been practicing."
"Like a good ninja should," the girl replied.
The Tyrannosaurus smiled, flashing dozens of huge, pointy metal teeth at the girl, who smiled right back. One of the dinosaur's foreclaws twitched, and the defeated ninja constructs vanished in bursts of red dinpo. "You've done well, my daughter," Tyrajonin told the girl, bowing her head in acknowledgment. "You have passed the test with flying colors. You are now a chuunin, and one step closer to becoming my successor and future queen of the Shinobiryu. I am so very proud of you."
Akira's face lit up at this… Only for her expression to falter a moment later. "Don't I actually need to be a Shinobiryu, though?"
"What with how hard you've been training and all the regular dinpo infusions you've been taking, you've already got more dinosaur in you than any human who has ever trained under me," Tyrajonin assured her daughter. "Your spirit is more Shinobiryu than many other dinosaurs I've had the misfortune of knowing. We live in a world of wonders and mysteries, little one, and even we Masters do not know everything there is about dinpo. If there is a way for you to become a dinosaur, I am certain you will find it. It is not as if you are short on time."
"Compared to you, I am," Akira pointed out. "What is a few decades compared to a millennia-long lifespan such as yours?"
Tyrajonin leaned in to nuzzle her daughter. "It's not about how much time you have, but how you use it," she told her. "You will become a Shinobiryu someday, if you continue training and demonstrating skill and spirit such as you've demonstrated today. But no matter what species you are, know that I will always love you."
Akira closed her eyes and nuzzled her mother back. "Thanks, mom."
Drawing back, Tyrajonin smiled at her daughter as Akira snapped her bonds with little effort. "Now, let's go see which of your peers will be joining you as chuunin, shall we?"
…
A handsome, athletic young man whose nimble, well-muscled frame more than filled out his black ninja outfit with blue trim and a patch on the left breast resembling a blue and black Triceratops head landed before a giant biomechanical blue and black Triceratops with armor resembling a Shinobi shozoku. He bent down and gently rolled the egg in the spoon held in his mouth into the basket between the dinosaur's front paws.
The Triceratops smiled and nodded in approval. "Well done, Kenji. Perfect marks, as usual. Congratulations, you are now a chuunin."
Kenji bowed as his fellow graduates applauded, as did those who had failed the test. (Those capable of applauding, that is, more than a few were too mangled from the rigors of the test to do anything more than moan from where they lay on their stretchers.) "Thank you, sensei."
"Now, let's all head back to celebrate-" the Triceratops began.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!"
The Triceratops' eye twitched. The other ninjas groaned. "… Didn't I deliberately give him the wrong time and location for the exam?" He asked slowly.
"Knowing him, he got so lost he wound up in exactly the right place by accident," one of the other ninjas groaned.
Another ninja wearing the black and blue of the Triceratops tribe ran into view. "Sensei! Sensei Tricerajonin!" He cried, nearly tripping on thin air as he stumbled to a stop in front of the Triceratops. "I made it! I'm here to take…urp!"
His face turned green and he bent over and threw up right on the giant biomechanical dinosaur's feet.
Tricerajonin's eye twitched. "Bakano. So good of you to join us. We were almost starting to think you wouldn't make it."
"And wouldn't that be a shame," one of the other ninjas grumbled darkly.
The newcomer continued throwing up until there was nothing left in his stomach, then dry-heaved for several more minutes. Then he panted for several more to catch his breath, holding up a finger. Finally, he staggered to his feet, still looking rather woozy. "Of course…ha… Of course I made it, sensei. As your best student, naturally I need to show the rest of the slackers how to do it right!"
The other ninjas glared at him, including the ones on stretchers. Somehow he failed to notice this.
Tricerajonin frowned down at the ninja, who, somehow, failed to read his mood. Bakano Triko was not the sort of person who came to mind when one thought of an elite shadow assassin. He was pudgy, stocky, his ninja uniform didn't quite fit him and didn't seem to have been cleaned recently, and he had a doughy face framed by an uncontrollable mess of hair and dull brown eyes squinting through incredibly thick glasses. He wasn't ugly, per se, but few people would give him more than a second look if they passed him on the street. And while yes, theoretically that sort of trait was ideal for a ninja to have, it usually helped if they had actual competence to pair it with, and a less repellent personality.
"Well," Tricerajonin said finally. "Seeing as how you've managed to find us, I assume you want to take the chuunin exam like your peers."
Bakano grinned, showing off his less than perfect teeth. "You assume correctly, sensei!"
Tricerajonin sighed and gestured with his horns behind Bakano. "Very well. The test is just over there."
Bakano turned around…
And swallowed when he saw a very long, very nasty obstacle course full of barbed wire, spike traps, pit traps, blade traps, arrow traps, Shuriken traps, glue traps, mines, swinging logs and spiked mauls, smashing pillars, oil slicks, rotating columns covered in spikes, bees, crocodiles, lasers, piranha, swinging swords, and pretty much every other deadly impediment one could imagine. It was half a mile long, all uphill.
Bakano gulped. "That's, um, that's some course."
"Yes," Tricerajonin agreed. "It is." He nodded at the starting line at the bottom of the hill, where a small bowl filled with eggs sat on a podium. "You must take one of those eggs and carry it through the obstacle course without dropping or breaking it-"
Bakano licked his lips. "Tough but doable-"
"I wasn't finished. You have to carry it in a spoon, held in your mouth."
Bakano turned pale. "Oh."
"If you think it's too difficult, you don't have to take the exam," Tricerajonin suggested, try not to sound too eager. "After all, several of your peers tried, but couldn't quite make it-"
"Yes, well, they aren't as good as I am!" Bakano declared, puffing himself up, much to Tricerajonin's disappointment. "Don't worry sensei, I'll make it through the course, and in record time, too!"
"Bakano, you aren't being timed and he's gone," Tricerajonin groaned as Bakano swaggered down the hill with totally undeserved confidence.
"He's going to die," one of the other ninjas spoke up.
"He might not," Tricerajonin argued.
Bakano abruptly stumbled, fell, and rolled down to the bottom of the hill, screaming all the way.
Tricerajonin sighed. "He probably will, though."
Bakano pulled himself up, brushed himself off, and shouted, "I'm okay!"
"You're bleeding!" Tricerajonin yelled back.
"It's just a flesh wound," Bakano waved him off.
"No, really, I think you might have a serious head injury-"
"So, I need to make it through this course, huh?" Bakano interrupted as he wiped off the rather copious amount of blood pouring down his face, looking at the large, ominous archway signifying the start of the course.
"Without dropping or breaking the egg," Tricerajonin reminded him. "It will be a test of your reflexes, agility, and ability to think on your feet-"
Bakano laughed. "HA! That's a good one, sensei."
Tricerajonin blinked "I'm sorry?"
Bakano sneered. "Please, I'm not as dumb as the others. Reflexes? Agility? Preposterous! We are ninja of the Triceratops tribe! And does a Triceratops get through an obstacle course using reflexes and agility? No! They barrel right through it, letting nothing impede their path!"
Tricerajonin's eyes bulged as Bakano concentrated, an aura resembling blue Triceratops skulls engulfing his body. "What?! No, Bakano, this test is to teach you how that sort of mindset isn't always the best way, if you charge in there you're going to get yourself killed-"
"I will not be fooled by your mind games!" Bakano roared. "I will pass the exam, I will become a chuunin, and I will marry Akira Tyruga!"
Tricerajonin face pawed. "Oh for the love of – she doesn't even like-"
"BAKANO TRIKO!" Bakano bellowed, running into the obstacle course.
Tricerajonin and the other ninja cringed as screams of agony echoed up the hillside, flinching and wincing at the sound of every bone breaking, flesh getting pulverized, and blood splattering all over the place.
"Sensei," Kenji said finally, unable to take his eyes off the train wreck unfolding right before his eyes. "Why, precisely, haven't you expelled Bakano? He has to be, without a doubt, the worst ninja our clan has ever seen."
"He is," Tricerajonin said morbidly. "Which is why I deliberately trained him wrong, because I did not think him worthy of being one of us. And because I thought it would be funny."
There was a susurrus of agreement from the other ninjas that yes, it was, in fact, very funny.
Tricerajonin sighed. "Unfortunately, it turns out that while he may be the worst ninja I've ever seen, he also has the strongest Triceratops dinpo I have ever seen, which is why I've been doing my best to try and correct my previous training methods and help shed him of his many, many inadequacies."
"AAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH MY TIBIA!"
"As you can see, it's not working."
Several minutes later a horribly mangled, bleeding, and disheveled Bakano managed to drag himself out of the obstacle course and collapsed, gasping and sobbing and vomiting, before Tricerajonin. The Shinobiryu couldn't help being somewhat impressed that he'd not only managed to make it through the course without dying, but that he was also on fire, even though none of the obstacles had involved fire.
"Well," Tricerajonin remarked, nostrils flaring and putting out the flames with a gust of breath. "Well done."
"Does this mean… I'm… A chuunin?" Bakano whimpered, looking up at the Shinobiryu hopefully.
"No, because you forgot to take an egg with you," Tricerajonin told him, nodding at the bowl of eggs back at the start of the obstacle course. "So, unless you want to go back and try again, I'm going to have to fail you this year."
Bakano passed out. It was probably for the best, none of them really wanted to see him crying, it was very uncomfortable for everyone involved.
…
A young man wearing a black ninja outfit with yellow trim and a patch on the left breast resembling a yellow and black pterodactyl head stood on top of a cliff overlooking the valley, holding a ninja glider. His hair was short and well-kept, and he looked out at the world through his glasses with a cunning, calculating look in his eyes.
An immense yellow and black pterodactyl with armor resembling a Shinobi shozoku glanced at him, her red eyes gleaming as she gazed at him down her long, sharp beak. "Begin."
The young man raised his glider and took a running leap off the cliff, the wind catching in his wings and keeping him from plummeting towards the Valley far below.
A huge shadow passed over him, his glider buffeted by the wind from its wake, but he managed to stay on course as the mighty Pterajonin passed overhead, the downdraft from each mighty flap of her wings threatening to rip his fragile glider apart. "What," she called at him, her cry piercing the air. "Was the name of the yellow Punishment Sailor Sister?"
Three smaller biomechanical pterodactyls flew into view, each of them holding a ring in their talons with a streamer hanging from the underside with a name written on it. The man tilted his glider to the left, altering his path so he passed through the ring labeled Yukiyo Yamasaki.
"Very good."
Abruptly, Pterajonin swooped down, attempting to skewer him on her beak. The young man tilted his glider completely sideways to avoid her lunge, kicking out with his feet and landing on the beak. He ran up the length of the proboscis and leapt off her crest, the updraft from her passing lifting him back into the air.
The giant pterodactyl arced back upwards and, as if she hadn't just tried to kill him, asked, "Shurikenger is known as the Ninja of 20 Faces. How many of them were seen by the Hurricanegers?"
Three more smaller pterodactyls appeared, carrying rings labeled 11, 12, and 20. The man angled his glider towards the ring labeled 11… Then suddenly, thinking better of it, changed his angle to glide through 12 instead.
"Correct. You remembered Asuka Kagura's successor, Tenkai."
Pterajonin attacked again, swooping down from the side to try and catch him in her talons. The ninja tilted his glider's nose down, going into a steep dive that would have sent him crashing into the jungle if he hadn't pulled it back up just in time, soaring back into the air.
"Which Tetsunosuke Saika originally designed the Otomonin?" Pterajonin asked, appearing on his right side.
Three more pterodactyls appeared, their rings labeled XX, XXI, and XXII. This time, however, instead of hovering in place, the winged reptiles started quickly moving in circles to try and make it harder for the ninja to go through the right one. Thinking quickly, he tilted his glider up and a little to the left, catching a gust from one of Pterajonin's flaps which sent him rising in that direction. He quickly corrected his angle, moving in an arc which allowed him to pass right through the ring marked XXI, coming incredibly close to either crashing into the side or missing it altogether.
"Correct."
Pterajonin shot towards him from behind, but he had anticipated her attack and tilted his glider upwards, catching the wind and rising above her charge, soaring in a loop before coming back down and shooting forwards, taking advantage of the pterodactyl's slipstream to slingshot past her.
"What is the name of the mecha used by Kamen Rider Shinobi?"
Three more pterodactyls appeared, but instead of hovering in place or circling, the ninja realized they were going to pass right in front of and past him.
Quickly glancing at the names written on the three rings, knowing he would need to time this perfectly, he glided towards the one labeled Kurogane Oogama, managing to just make it through the ring, though in the process he scraped a wing a little too hard against the side of the ring, snapping off the tip and sending him into a tailspin due to the sudden imbalance.
Managing to keep his head despite the chaotic, spiraling descent, he focused his energy, causing an aura made of yellow pterodactyl skulls to blaze to life around him, engulfing the glider as well. As if mimicking his own inner focus, the glider leveled out, and he was able to rise back into the air before he could crash into the jungle, though he grazed a treetop with his feet as he climbed back up.
"Correct."
Pterajonin suddenly appeared in front of him, shrieking and beating her wings, sending gale-force winds blowing at the ninja. The immense force should have pushed him back, sent him into an uncontrollable descent towards the forest below…
Only for him to concentrate further, causing the aura enveloping the glider to expand and take shape, turning into an energy construct resembling a pterodactyl. The pterodactyl construct shrieked in defiance and folded its wings back, generating a gust which propelled the ninja and glider forwards, right at Pterajonin's heart. The giant pterodactyl quickly dove out of the way as the ninja shot past.
"Impressive. Most impressive," she complimented her student. "Now, something more challenging. Which Youkai was faced by the Kakurangers, but not the Ninningers?"
Again, three pterodactyls bearing rings appeared…but flaming arrows started shooting up from the jungle. Much to the ninja's surprise, they punched right through his aura and managed to tear holes through his glider's wings. He quickly dispelled the resulting flames with another burst of his aura, but there was nothing he could do to fix the holes, and he gradually began to descend.
And, of course, more arrows kept shooting towards him.
Taking a deep breath, he released an impressive shout, bursts of yellow wind blasting off of him, blowing away the nearest arrows and startling the pterodactyls. One of them accidentally dropped its ring, and he quickly dove after it, passing through the ring – which was labeled Rokurokubi – and rose back into the air before it could vanish beneath the trees.
"… Okay, now you're showing off," Pterajonin murmured, clearly impressed. She glared at the pterodactyl who had dropped the ring, who gave her a sheepish squawk. "Let's see how you handle a real challenge. Which of the following organizations is Jiraiya not a part of?"
Yet again, three pterodactyls bearing rings appeared. The ninja immediately identified the correct ring, the one marked with Izayoi Way Ninja Army Corps…
When suddenly, more flaming arrows shot up from the ground, striking the streamers dangling from the rings and incinerating them instantly. Immediately after, the pterodactyls started circling and shifting about. The ninja tried to keep his eyes on the ring he was certain had been the correct answer…
When abruptly, Pterajonin hovered in front of him, blocking his sight. "I'm afraid it won't be that easy."
She moved out of the way, revealing the three pterodactyls were hovering in place…
With no indication as to which of them had the correct ring.
The ninja narrowed his eyes as he examined each saurian and ring, trying to compare them to his memories. Were there any distinguishing marks on the right ring that the others lacked? Any difference between the pterodactyls?
He couldn't think of any. As far as he could tell, every pterodactyl and ring was identical to the others. There was no way to distinguish one from another and identify the right answer.
But he would need to pick a ring, and pick soon, because in a few moments he would be too close to turn into any of the rings.
His intellect and powers of observation had failed him. All that he had left to trust in now…
He closed his eyes and concentrated, reigniting his dinpo.
Was his gut.
Acting on instinct, he adjusted his flight path, passing through one of the rings moments before he could hit the point of no return.
Pterajonin flew beside him, giving him an appraising look. "Correct. How did you know that was the right one?"
"I didn't," he confessed.
Pterajonin regarded him for a moment, then smiled and nodded. "You have learned to trust in your instincts, rather than merely your intellect. Well done. Congratulations, Sora, you are now a chuunin."
The ninja cracked a grin. "Thank you, sensei."
A second pterodactyl flew into view. She was larger than the ones who carried the rings, but still much smaller than Pterajonin. "That was incredible!" She gushed, looking at Sora with pride and adoration. "You did so, so well out there, Sora!"
Sora blushed, a little flustered. "Y-you were watching?"
"Well, of course I was, silly," she chided him. "I have to say, you had me worried there a few times. I genuinely thought you were going to crash more than once. Mom, did you really have to be so hard on him?"
"I treated him exactly as I did all the other students who took this exam, Petra," Pterajonin huffed.
Petra raised an eyebrow. "Really? Because I don't seem to recall any of the other students having to deal with a trick like that for their final question."
"If I don't change things up every now and then, they'll know what to expect," Pterajonin claimed. "A true ninja needs to be prepared for the unexpected."
"And the fact that Sora recently asked me out on a date has nothing to do with it?" Petra asked skeptically.
"Absolutely nothing," Pterajonin said with a straight face.
From the look on her face, Petra clearly didn't believe her mother.
"Petra, it's fine," Sora assured her. "I passed, didn't I?"
"You almost didn't, though…" She muttered, displeased.
"But he did," Pterajonin pointed out. "Which is all that matters. Now, let us return to the temple so I can rub it in everyone else's faces that my future son-in-law passed the test despite all the odds being against him, quelling any fraudulent claims about favoritism."
"MOM/SENSEI!" They shouted in dismay, causing the ninja master to burst into laughter.
…
A young man wearing a black ninja outfit with green trim and a patch on the left breast resembling a green and black Ankylosaurus head sat crosslegged in a small, dark room with only a candle for light and company. He was big, at least a head taller than most of his peers, his muscular frame more than filling out his uniform. His head was almost completely clean-shaven, except for a strip of hair cut to resemble an Ankylosaurus shell and tail. His eyes were closed, his craggy features… Troubled.
He breathed. In. Out. In. Out.
The candle burned brightly.
In. Out. In. Out.
A flash of memory. Red eyes, glowing in the dark. A face like a skull.
His hands tightened.
The candle dimmed.
In. Out. In. Out.
A cold, evil laugh. The sound of thunder. The feeling of rain. The scent of… Blood…
Sweat started rolling down his face.
The candle flickered.
In. Out. In. Out.
Screams. Cries for help. Shame. Regret. Pain. Fear. Fear. Fear.
He grit his teeth.
The candle sputtered.
In. Out. In. Out.
A malevolent chuckle. "Impressive. You didn't say a peep when you saw me come in. Didn't think to warn your parents. Didn't scream when I butchered them. What does that make you, then? A cowardly child, whose tongue was stilled by terror? Or a monster like myself, who knew what I was, knew what I was going to do… And just didn't care?
"And if I were to deny you the use of that tongue forever… What would you become? A coward, forever scarred by trauma? A hero, who uses that trauma to make sure no others will suffer as you have? Or maybe, just maybe… A monster just. Like. ME?"
His eyes shot open, and he discovered he was no longer alone in the room.
Seated across from him was a familiar shadowy figure, the same glowing red eyes, bony visage, and monstrous armor that had haunted his nightmares since that dark, stormy night. The figure's permanent rictus grin grew, and it whispered, "Why don't we find out?"
The ninja opened his mouth in a silent, wordless scream-
And the candle went out. The specter vanished.
Not that it had ever been there to begin with.
The ninja sat there for a moment, panting, sweat soaking his muscular frame.
Then one of the walls slid open and the room was lit by a brilliant blue glow as the sorrowful, compassionate eye of Ankylojonin peered in. "I'm sorry, Tetsu," the Shinobiryu said in apology. "But you fail the test. Again. Better luck next year?"
Tetsu clenched his teeth, trembling – was it in rage? Shame? Disappointment? – Then took a deep breath, and nodded, a stoic expression back on his face. He nodded once to his sensei, then got up to make room for the next student.
…
The fortress was massive, a tower of darkness reaching into the sky. Pterodactyls circled the castle at various altitudes, constantly scanning the surrounding mountainside. Armored guards manned the walls while samurai riding biomechanical raptors patrolled the outskirts. A pair of biomechanical Stegosaurus flanked the gates, while the snarling of a Tyrannosaurus rose from the inner courtyard.
And ninjas, of course, lurked in every shadow, unseen to any trespasser until it was far, far too late.
A giant black and pink biomechanical raptor with armor resembling a Shinobi shozoku examined the fortress with a critical eye from her hiding place behind a rock formation a few kilometers down the slope from the fortress. The formation was just downhill from the start of the single, narrow, zigzagging trail leading up to the stronghold, the path descending on either side into a deep chasm filled with spikes, the route completely without cover, so anyone making their way up the road would be immediately spotted by the entirety of the small army guarding the city at all.
In other words, it was perfect for a stealth exam.
Nodding once in approval, the giant velociraptor turned to look at her student, a very pretty young woman wearing a black ninja outfit with pink trim and a patch on the left breast resembling a pink and black raptor head. She was very lithe and slender, without an ounce of fat or unnecessary body mass on her slim frame, with long pink hair in a high ponytail and a determined look on her face. "Now, my little prodigy," Raptorjonin crooned to her young ward. "It is time for your exam. Deep within that fortress, your graduation certificate is waiting under constant watch and heavy guard. The fortress is guarded by Shinobiryu, senior ninja, animated suits of armor, lethal booby-traps, and the certificate itself is rigged with every alarm system you've ever been taught about, and several you haven't. The instant it is removed, touched, or even breathed on, every guard in the fortress will be alerted to your presence. Your mission is to infiltrate the fortress without being spotted, retrieve the certificate without setting off any alarms, and return to me without its absence being noticed. You may not kill or even incapacitate anyone, and if a single guard is alerted to your presence, you will instantly fail."
She produced an oversized pocket watch. "Also, you will be timed. You begin… Now."
"Finished."
Raptorjonin blinked and glanced up from her watch. "I'm sorry?"
The girl held up a scroll with her name, Mozu Kariya, on it and Raptorjonin's signature indicating that she was a chuunin. "I got the certificate."
Raptorjonin stared at her in disbelief. "How… I only looked away for less than a moment."
"I grabbed it a few minutes ago, while you were examining the fortress to make sure it met your standards and your back was turned," Mozu explained.
Raptorjonin blinked. "That took less than a minute."
"I am aware," the kunoichi replied.
Raptorjonin narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Before you even knew that you needed to find your diploma."
"It seemed a reasonable assumption."
Raptorjonin frowned. "Did you cheat?"
Mozu tilted her head to the side. "If I did, but you never figured out how I did it, would it matter, especially since being sneaky and deceptive is what a ninja is supposed to be?"
Raptorjonin considered this. "A good answer. Congratulations, Mozu. You are now a chuunin."
Mozu bowed gratefully. "Thank you, sensei. And…"
Raptorjonin raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"
Mozu looked up, her face almost as pink as her hair, a besotted look in her eyes. "Do you think this will make Tyruga-sempai notice me?!"
Raptorjonin faceclawed. "Mozu, we've been over this. If you like her, just ask her out already."
Mozu gasped, scandalized. "B-but sensei, Tyruga-sempai is a princess, the chosen successor of Queen Tyrajonin herself! She's practically more dinosaur than human, and is the first human ninja to have Tyrannosaurus dinpo in hundreds of years! I am nowhere near good enough to court her!"
"Mozu, you're the youngest chuunin in the raptor tribe in history, have the strongest raptor dinpo I've seen in generations, you just broke the all-time record for exam completion, are a literal prodigy, and your family has been part of our order since the very beginning," Raptorjonin pointed out.
"But I'm not a princess!" Mozu whined.
"She's adopted," Raptorjonin reminded her.
"Which still counts! And besides, I'm much too plain compared to her," Mozu lamented.
"You get dozens of gifts every year on White Day."
"Not as many as Akira!" Mozu insisted. She pouted and fondled her chest. "Also, I'm not nearly as well-endowed as her."
Raptorjonin faceclawed again. "It's the 21st century, and breast envy is still a thing? Honestly, I don't understand you mammals at all."
"Weren't you bragging the other day about how much bigger your claws were compared to the other raptors-"
"THAT'S TOTALLY DIFFERENT!"
…
A few hours later, almost the entire Valley, human and Shinobiryu alike, gathered in the courtyard of the temple at the heart of the Valley. A stage had been erected at the back of the courtyard, and every ninja who had completed their chuunin certification stood there, grouped along with the other graduates in their respective tribes, while their masters stood at their back, looming over them with proud looks on their faces. Sora and Mozu, as the most accomplished ninja of their respective tribes, stood first and foremost among their peers, while Akira, as the sole ninja in the Tyrannosaurus tribe, which had always been the most elusive and difficult for any human to be a part of, stood alone in the center of the stage. From the sharp-tooth grin on her face, however, it was clear she didn't mind all that much; if anything, she relished the attention, and the knowledge that she, of the very slim number of humans in their order to try and master Tyrannosaurus dinpo, had succeeded where they had failed and achieved the rank of chuunin.
(Mozu couldn't help swooning every time she looked at her, and she wasn't the only one.)
Petra, perched along with many of the other pterodactyls on the roofs of the Temple and the surrounding buildings, winked at Sora, who flushed, much to the amusement of Pterajonin.
Everyone else – the underclassmen, the upperclassmen, the students who'd failed to make the grade like Bakano or Tetsu, the families of the students, the staff and fully-fledged ninja, and most of the Shinobiryu – were seated before the stage, looking up at the graduates with pride, envy (mainly Bakano, Tetsu just brooded), boredom, or a mix of all of the above.
Smiling winningly at everyone, Tyrajonin began to speak, her sonorous, booming voice reaching every corner of the valley. "Denizens of the Hidden Valley and members of the Shinobiryu Clan, thank you all for gathering here today… Not that you really had much choice in the matter."
There was a smattering of laughter at this.
"With the passing of another year, comes the elevation of a new generation of ninja to the rank of chuunin," Tricerajonin spoke up.
"And I am not wrong in saying this may be one of our best crop of graduates yet," Pterajonin said proudly.
"Granted, we say that every year," Ankylojonin joked, earning some more laughs.
"Which does not make it any less true," Raptorjonin pointed out calmly.
"To everyone who failed this year, don't fret, you can always try again next year," Tyrajonin told Bakano, Tetsu, and the other ninjas who hadn't made the cut.
"Especially since we don't eat the failures anymore," Tricerajonin spoke up.
There was an awkward pause.
"That was a joke. Because I'm an herbivore," he explained a little desperately.
"Most of us aren't, though," Pterajonin reminded him.
"You should really leave the joking to the professionals," Ankylojonin suggested. Tricerajonin glared at him.
Bakano frowned. "Wait, they didn't actually deny that they used to eat failures-"
"In any event," Raptorjonin said loudly. "With this trial behind them, the ninja before you are one step closer to achieving their full potential… But do not grow complacent," she warned the new chuunin. "There will be many, many more tests ahead of you. Not all of you will pass. Not all of you will even survive. But those who do will come out the other end all the greater, and your names will be immortalized in the Hall of Ancestors with all those who have come before you."
"But that is a worry for another day," Tyrajonin added. "For now, take pride in all that you've accomplished, and know that you are truly worthy. As such, we, the Shinobiryu Masters, formally proclaim all of you chuunin."
The Masters bowed to the ninja, who bowed back.
The spectators applauded, and pterodactyls flew overhead in formation, trailing smoke in the colors of the primary Shinobiryu tribes.
"And now," Tyrajonin declared as a band largely comprised of Hadrosaurs and ninja playing similar instruments started striking up a tune and Microraptor servants started setting up tables laden with food. "With that stuffy formality dealt with, I believe it's time to celebrate-"
"WAIT!"
Suddenly, what appeared to be a woman with the head of a protoceratops clad in formal robes rushed out of the temple, a frenzied look in her eyes.
Tyrajonin frowned. "Bix? What's the matter?"
The woman, Bix, took a moment to catch her breath. She was more of a scholar than a ninja, and wasn't that used to physical exertion. "Your Majesty, honored Masters, I am sorry to ruin such an important event… But there is dire news!" Looking up, she dramatically proclaimed, "they have returned!"
A moment paused. Absolutely nobody gasped or reacted to this grave warning with the gravitas it deserved. Bix blinked. "They have returned!" She repeated, in case they hadn't heard her the first time.
The Shinobiryu Masters exchanged confused looks. "They who?" Tricerajonin asked, perplexed.
Bix threw up her hands in exasperation. "The Youkaliens!"
"Ohhhh," the Masters intoned.
There was a pause. Then, everyone gasped, much to the protoceratops's gratification. "There! That's the reaction I was looking for!"
"You know, you probably should've lead with that," Pterajonin pointed out.
"… Fair point," she admitted, looking embarrassed.