Disclaimer: Oh, you know. I don't own this. I'm also not getting any profit from it.

Warnings: Bad plot ahead, beware.

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:The Village of the Mist:

Mist shrouded the trees and clung to the travelers, swirling about their legs. They had yet to reach the village walls. Despite it being high noon, only pale watery light could force itself through the cloud-cover, falling on them but providing no heat.

Sasuke sneezed once, then twice. The Village of the Mist was neither the warmest place nor the driest place he'd ever visited. Sakura seemed to be feeling the pervading chill of the place also. Kakashi-sensei seemed to be the only one unaffected.

The walls, so much like Konoha's walls, came into view, seemingly rising out of the mist. Before long, the travelers were at the gate. A guard stood at attention next to the wide doorway. Through it, they could see milling people and houses and shops.

"Business in the Mist?" The guard asked gruffly.

"Exams tomorrow. We're from Konoha. Kakashi Hatake, instructor; Sasuke Uchiha, second level; Sakura Haruno, also second level." Kakashi produced three sheets of paper from the pouch on his thigh. The guard examined them for a moment, then handed them back with a distracted "good luck" as he lost interest in the newcomers.

"Sensei," Sakura began once they were out of the guard's hearing range," how does he know we didn't just falsify those documents?"

Before Kakashi could explain, Sasuke answered. "Those guards are trained to spot false documents from a mile away. Even the highest grade of professional forger couldn't fool them."

Kakashi smiled, a mere crinkling of his one visible eye above the mask. "Exactly, Sasuke-kun." The man checked his watch. "We're supposed to be meeting the others at the Mist Academy."

The Mist Academy was a semi-secluded structure resting slightly off from the town center. Primary students pressed themselves against windows to watch the older strangers. Bolder primary students actually stood in small clumps close to the academy entrance. The secondary students stood close to their instructors with their cells while others mingled with friends. They seemed to be waiting for something.

"What's this? Kakashi? On time?" One instructor called out. He clutched his chest in mock-shock. "This must be a sign of the apocalypse."

"What are we waiting for?" One secondary student asked loudly.

"So impatient!" Another laughed. "If we could get your attention up here, please?" The nearest talkers quieted, but the less mature students on the fringe of the crowd kept on chattering. "Excuse me!" Shouted the student again, his orange hair bristling in agitation. "Your attention over here!" His shouts were duly noted and duly ignored.

A taller student walked up behind him, resting an arm on the smaller boy's shoulder. "Oi, cretins! Shut your faces." His deep baritone voice carrying across the crowd. Silence spread like ripples in a pond. All faces turned to the two boys in the middle.

"Thanks." The orange-haired boy smiled at his savior.

"Tatsuki, what're you doing?" Called a girl, apparently from the boy's cell. Similar cries rang out as other cell members joined the two in front of the crowd.

Eight secondary students of various sizes and genders stood facing the crowd. Another cry, this one of surprise arose when the same eight stumbled out of the trees to stand bewildered before exact images of themselves. The first orange-haired boy to speak up smiled and spoke again. "Congratulations on making it this far in your training. We'd like to officially welcome you to the Mist Academy." By ones and twos, the eight quickly passed an arm over their face and down their bodies. Their disguises seemed to melt away like spun sugar in the rain before the stunned eyes of the secondary students.

"Like I said, welcome to the Academy! We're your proctors for the exam. We're from the Mist Country." The one who spoke, formerly the orange-haired Tatsuki, was now a gorgeous young man with long chocolate brown hair. The taller boy that had helped him get everyone's attention was now a tall, slim, golden-haired young man who greeted everyone with a wave. His lower face was masked much like Kakashi's and his blue eyes bounced from person to person, his hands never resting.

"The Sand Country." Announced a blond woman, whose hair was divided into four ponytails. The man stand beside her in the kabuki makeup nodded briefly.

"Sound Country." Continued a silver-haired man with round glasses, nudging up the frames with his middle finger, lips quirked in a pleasant half smile. His companion just stared at the crowd.

"The Fire Country!" Chirped a shorthaired woman in a jacket, fishnet shirt and shorts, smiling at the students like a shark. Her companion also stared at the secondary students, the scars crossing his face making his unblinking stare even more foreboding.

There was a moment of silence in which the brown-haired man tapped the bridge of his nose before laughing. "Well, I guess there's really nothing much else to say, is there?"

The other Mist Country proctor flipped his long hair out of his eyes. "What my friend here is forgetting to say is you have the rest of the day to yourselves. There are already lodgings set up for you; the instructors just have to pick up the information from Mr. Gateau. Be sure to get enough sleep tonight, because you are expected to be here at seven a.m. sharp. Any later than that and you can consider yourself failed. Other than that, enjoy your stay here." He gave a sarcastic salute and turned on his heel, gliding back to the building with his friend next to him.

He stopped by the entrance to point at a group of primary students. "If you get back to the room before I do, I won't give you detention for the rest of your natural existences." His companion laughed and the secondary students stared. The primary students all but trampled each other in a frantic rush to get back inside the building.

Sakura winced inwardly. 'Poor kids.'

Sasuke tilted his head. "Hn. He seemed kind of familiar."

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An: ... I have low self-esteem when it comes to this fic. I don't think the scene with the proctors revealing themselves turned out quite how I wanted it to. Oh well. C'est la vie.

And a giant thank you to everyone who reviewed. You guys make me want to keep this thing alive.