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"To your right," Sasuke subtly gestured to a duo walking not too far from them. They looked mean, one girl and one boy identical in appearance.
"They look like twins," Sakura commented.
"Jeez, they're creepy…" Naruto shuddered.
Both of them had angular, shimmering eyes and permanent snarls etched into their features. They had unmistakable fiery red hair at shoulder length on both of them. The girl had a scar stretching from temple to chin and a scythe strapped to her back. The boy was missing an arm, which was replaced with a sword hand, and a spiked whip strapped to his back. To top it off, they both had matching obsidian bandage ninja suits from neck to toe.
"Do you know anything about them?" Sakura asked Sasuke warily.
"No. I don't like their look, but they seem our age. I bet they'll be placed in our category," he couldn't tear his eyes away.
"Oh, great…," Naruto's enthusiasm dipped. The black cloud of the ninja twins passed them, leaving them all with an uneasy feeling.
"Up ahead!" Sakura pointed to a line forming before a row of dormitory halls, "They're separating us into categories."
They watched eagerly as an officer observed the ninja twins, asked them a few questions, and pointed towards the hall labeled: two.
The twins silently stalked off.
The officer waved the three of them forward.
"Please not with the creepy twins, please not with the creepy twins, please not with the creepy twins," Naruto silently prayed to himself.
"You three," the officer stopped them, "travelling together?"
"Yes," Sakura nodded, "I am Sakura, this is Sasuke and Naruto. We are chunin from the Hidden Leaf Village."
The officer flipped through his catalog. He marked next to each of their names, "You will be placed in Dormitory Two."
Naruto felt his stomach drop. Sakura gulped and mutely moved forward, her two teammates behind her.
They closed in on Dormitory Two. Each dormitory hall was separated from each other by steep rock, like their own little jagged stadium sections.
"There's no climbing that," Naruto commented at the sharp rock separating the dormitory halls.
"Remember what Kakashi sensei said?" Sakura recalled, "Any outside help from our designated category means automatic disqualification. The rock must be to prevent that"
Sasuke observed the walls himself, "It does seem a little too cautious, even for the standards of the Skills Championship."
"And if everything is supposed to be a test here, wouldn't they want to make cheating more tempting?" Naruto questioned.
"The moron's right," Sasuke nodded, "it wouldn't be a physical test, but a mental one. A test of a ninja's will."
"I guess there's only one way to find out," Sakura said eerily as they walked through the doors.
They came to an abrupt halt upon entry. A crowd of the Dormitory Two residents was starting to form in the slim halls. Shinobi their age looked right and left, confused at the sudden stop.
"What's going on?" Naruto tried to peer over the heads.
"I'm not sure," Sasuke's eyes flashed, "but I don't like it."
A booming voice spoke over the intercom. They all jumped.
"Congratulations on your willingness to participate in the Skills Championship. The competition for victor begins now."
The hall was silent, each of them listening with intent.
"There is a stairwell at each end of this hall. The stairwell will lead you to the residency quarters on the second floor. There are fifty shinobi present in this category. However, there are only twenty rooms available. The first participants to claim a room shall advance to the next round. Begin."
There was a moment of hesitation, then the hall erupted.
Shinobi fought shinobi as everyone clamored for the stairwells.
Naruto felt someone pull at his leg, as he started to run. He tumbled to the floor, but was quickly straightened by Sakura.
Her eyes were wide and she yelled above the noise, "Stick together! We need to move as a unit!"
Naruto nodded. Their combined force would be harder to overcome than their individual selves.
"Where's Sasuke?!" she searched around them. Naruto spotted their teammate fighting a young ninja from the Land of Water.
Naruto pushed the ninja off the pinned Sasuke and helped him up. Sasuke gave him a quick nod.
They rushed back to Sakura, being shoved from all directions.
"There's too many of them!" Sasuke growled, "I can't focus my sharingan on one jutsuu!"
"I don't think jutsuus would be effective in this trial," Sakura shook her head.
"No jutsuus?" Naruto gaped, "Then how are we supposed to fight?!"
"The Skills Championship is meant to test you at all times, but it also tests all of our abilities - our jutsuus and our other fighting skills. You don't just use your powers in a battle, you also use logic and quick thinking to strategize!"
"I get it," Sasuke clenched his jaw, "people automatically rely on their jutsuus to fight, this test is to see what we can do without them."
"Exactly!" Sakura nodded.
"Good thinking, Sakura!" Naruto praised her, "What should we do?"
"We stick together as a team," she ordered, "link arms and make a chain. Do not break the chain no matter what! You two stay on my flanks and fight off anyone who tries to stop us. I'll direct us and lead us to a quarter."
"Smart," Sasuke approved, "Let's do this, quick."
Without hesitation, Sasuke linked arms with Sakura on her right and Naruto to her left. She took a deep breath, focusing on their mission. All of them tightened their grip on each others arms and moved forward.
Sakura raced for the stairs, Sasuke and Naruto in tow. Sasuke kicked at a shinobi who was lunging for Sakura. Naruto shouted at his teammates to duck as a shuriken came slicing through the air towards them. It barely nicked Sasuke on the cheek, but they escaped it harmless.
This is actually working! Sasuke thought incredibly to himself. Sakura was leading them expertly through the crowd, up the stairwell. Naruto and Sasuke fought off anyone who blocked their path. Through it all, they never broke their arm chain.
They elevated to the second floor. Before them was a set of rooms with a green light or red light above each door.
"We need to claim a room," Sakura's eyes darted towards the green doors, the only available ones left.
"There are only three!" Naruto's eyes widened. All the others had been claimed.
Sasuke noticed the crowd around them thinning, as shinobi secured their quarters and advanced to the next round.
Sakura's eyes hardened, "Come on!"
She lunged forward. Naruto punched a tall ninja going for his arm and allowed himself to be steered by Sakura.
They suddenly veered to the right. Naruto tripped, but tightened his grip on Sakura's arm to prevent breaking the chain.
Sasuke was pinned down by one of the ninja twins, the boy. His foot was on Sasuke's wrist and chest, keeping him down.
"Get off of him!" Sakura shouted.
Naruto narrowed his eyes. The boy was there, but the girl was missing…
At the last second, he pushed Sakura to the floor. One moment more and both of them would've been hit from behind. The girl landed a few feet in front of them, poised and ready to deliver another attack.
Click! Another quarter was secured. Only two left.
"We are getting a quarter," Naruto growled, "no matter what."
The girl, smiled, her scar stretching evilly, "Good luck."
She looked to her twin. Her brother raised a shuriken over Sasuke's chest. Sasuke's eyes widened in shock and disbelief.
Naruto gave one glance at Sakura. She seemed to understand him immediately. Both of them, still linked, pulled to the left with all of their might. Sakura still had a grip on Sasuke's arm. With their combined strength, they pulled Sasuke out from under the twin's hold. The boy fumbled and the shuriken stabbed the wooden floor, stuck there.
"Get up, Sasuke!" Naruto shouted. His teammate was still recovering, but gained his footing fast.
The girl wasn't expecting their defense. The three of them surged forward, Sakura leading them straight towards her. She jumped away out of reflex, narrowly avoiding the trio. The three of them plowed through a green lit door and fell inside.
Sasuke quickly slammed the door shut. Naruto shoved his back against it, holding it there for a few seconds. The light above the door went red.
They caught their breaths, a few moments of silence passing between them.
"And that…was only…the first…round…? Naruto panted heavily.
Sakura flopped back on the floor.