Welcome to my latest fanfic! Takes place somewhat early in the original Naruto series, right after the Chunin Exams. I do not own any Naruto content or characters.
"I'm gonna win it, just you wait!" Naruto excitedly pumped his fist in the air, beaming with energy.
Sasuke rolled his eyes, staying broodingly quiet.
Sakura snapped at Naruto for kicking up dust.
"Patience, Naruto," Kakashi sensei said calmly, walking behind his trio of students, "There will be many talented chunin present. The competition will be fierce."
"I don't care!" The young, blonde ninja puffed out his chest, "I'm gonna come in first place! No Skills Championship will scare me!"
"Don't be so ignorant, you moron," Sasuke sighed irritatedly, "The Skills Championship has been around for decades, crowning the most talented shinobi from any village as victor of their age group for generations. You'll be weeded out in individual contests, pitted against the best of the best who have travelled from all over the world to fight."
"Sasuke is right, Naruto," Sakura crossed her arms and sniffed at him, "you have no chance of winning!"
"Not with that attitude!" their comments did not phase him a bit, "If I'm going to be Hoekage one day, I need to be able to prove myself in the Skills Championship. If I don't win, how can I be expected to lead the village?"
Kakashi's slight smirk was hidden under his black mask. That Naruto never loses his spirit, does he?
The Skills Championship occurred every three years, allowing shinobi from all walks of the Earth to train as hard as they could to compete in their category for the prize of the victor. It was the most esteemed of contests for any aspiring or established ninja, giving one the chance to demonstrate their jutsus for a grand prize and famed recognition.
Kakashi had competed in the Skills Championship himself several years ago. Now, as a jonin, he had little time and too much responsibility to focus on the contest. However, that did not stop Naruto. When the young shinobi had caught wind of the upcoming Skills Championship being held not too far from the Leaf Village, he almost talked Kakashi's ears off for the last two weeks to convince Kakashi to let them participate.
At first, Kakashi was against the idea. Yet, the more he considered the prospect, it began to grow on him. The Chunin Exams provided good diversification for his students, allowing them to fight against shinobi from the other local villages. However, the Skills Championship was a whole other level, bringing in talented shinobi worldwide. It would be greater exposure for his students to learn against new, skilled opponents.
Now, here they were on the road to the arena. It would be a day's walk until they arrived, with the formal competition starting tomorrow upon entry. Kakashi volunteered to take them as their escort. Though Naruto was now training under Jiraiya's skilled eye, the Sannin was grateful for the break and Kakashi was eager to see how his students were faring in their progress.
"Whatever," Sakura turned away from Naruto and naturally inched closer to Sasuke, "what can we expect from the Skills Championship, Kakashi sensei?"
"When we arrive, we will be separated. You three will be escorted to your category's dormitories," he began to explain.
"What about you, sensei?" Sakura tugged lightly at her pink hair.
"I will be staying in the jonin's quarters, a different area of the arena campus."
"We won't get to train with you in advance to prepare?" Sasuke asked with a raised brow.
"No," he shook his head, "the Skills Championship is meant to test you at any and all moments. Everything will be a trial, even when you least expect it. Prepare yourselves. The moment you step into that arena, the Championship will have begun."
Naruto could barely contain himself, Sasuke appeared disinterested but was secretly strategizing, and Sakura was trying to be seem confident while hiding her nervousness.
"What if we need your help, sensei?" Sakura seemed flustered, her insecurity in her skill taking hold. Kakashi knew Sakura was more powerful than she gave herself credit for, but it was up to her to unlock that from within.
"No outside help can be granted to any participant. If you are caught receiving help or cheating from anyone outside of your category in any way, you will be disqualified immediately and banned from ever competing again."
"No help from anyone outside of our category," Sasuke pondered Kakashi's words, "but that means we can help each other if we're all in the same category, right?"
Kakashi looked at his students coyly from behind his mask, "The Championship rules don't omit category alliances. I say it would be quite beneficial if you utilized teamwork to your advantage. Trust me, you won't be the only ones."
The three students gave each other glances as the arena loomed ahead of them in the distance.
Team 7 spent the night in the forest. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura unrolled their sleeping bags and slept under the shelter of the large trees. Kakashi kept watch and stoked their small campfire. At dawn, the group resumed their pace.
After several more hours of marching, the gates of the arena were finally before them. Crowds of competitors and spectators flooded through the entrance, eager for the start of the Skills Championship.
"Woah!" Naruto's eyes widened in awe at the gleaming stadium before him. He could not tear his gaze away from its towering metal walls topped with triumphant flags at their tips.
The excited buzz of the crowd was growing. Visitors found their seats in the arena, as the competitors marched towards a separate area of the stadium.
Sasuke could not tear his eyes away from everyone that passed before him. He tried sizing every competitor, attempting to identify potential opponents in his category. However, he was floored by the number of participants present for the Skills Championsip and even more flustered at their unique appearances. At least in the Chunin Exams, he was familiar with some of the competitors from the local villages and their jutsus by name. Here, everything and everyone was unknown.
"This is where I leave you," Kakashi came to a stop before a separate gate for the competitors. His three students turned to look at him and he gave each of them a nod in turn, "remember what I said. You three are a team and I am confident in your abilities."
"B-But Kakashi sensei-" Sakura started, her heart beating fast.
Kakashi held up a hand and spoke calmly, "Try your best, all of you. There is no shame in defeat, there is only shame in loss of spirit. I will be watching from the jonin quarters should you need me for any emergencies."
"Thank you, sensei," Sakura stared at the ground.
Naruto noticed her anxiety and lightly bumped her shoulder, "Don't worry, Sakura, we're a team! We can do this!"
Sasuke nodded slightly, "He's right. We'll be there for each other."
She looked at both of her teammates and smiled slightly, grateful for their encouragement, "Yeah...yeah, okay! Let's do this!"
Kakashi smirked from behind his mask and watched as the trio entered the gates.
"Remember what Kakashi said," Sasuke spoke low to Naruto and Sakura as they walked under the metal bars with the other competitors, "the Skills Championship starts now."
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