Yo ho, let's go! So, we're getting ready for the exams and we're definitely dressed for the part when we're wearing bright colours! we're going to really pull the curtains away from the hidden talent, so how will the world respond to a great unveiling of skills never before seen in this world, or at least never seen for many years? There's only one thing we can be certain of... it will definitely put them under a silver spotlight! Anyway, let's go!
Super hero time!
Ex-aid: Naruto, make sure you've got all of your pencils prepared for the exam! It's not that kid of test...?
Naruto: Egi, you need to go and deal with something dangerous! time to get some testing done!
Ex-aid: Somehow, I feel my tests will be much easier than yours...
Naruto: What's the point unless there's some sort of challenge!?
E-a + N: Game start! Showtime!
"Right then team, are we ready to make a show of things!?"
"YES CAPTAIN!"
"Now that's what I want to hear!"
The group approached the building with caution there were little instructions apart from go to room 301 and enter, where they would receive further details. The grin present upon the Hokage's face when he stated that was all too innocent and in a world of deception and lies, who knew what sort of devious trickery had been planted at the pathway towards the entrance door, let alone the actual goddamn building?
"Well, this isn't my normal training gear, but it is none the less comfortable!" lee happily declared as he tugged upon the sleeves of his pirate outfit. Done in a similar green, it was an exact replica of the original Don Dogoier's garb, though the second green beast did have struggles when it came to finding an appropriate way to continue his usual regime in it.
"Yeah. Considering these are hand-downs, they're surprisingly good." Tenten praised. She had easily settled into Luka's clothes, Taking Gia's silver jacket to replace the yellow, straightening the grey sleeves as she walked. The jacket gave just enough leeway to wind a scroll down her arms, though admittedly, the shorts had been a bit awkward to get used to, considering how often she had abused the looseness of her usual trousers, but they at least looked nice.
"It's definitely warm…" Hinata sighed as her fingers ran down the pink fabric. In a time where a single misstep might lead to your downfall, there was no room for a dress, meaning Hinata wasn't able to fully emulate the looks of the pirate princess, merely draping over the coat that had been there over a white shirt. It certainly wasn't as baggy as she was used to, the few strange stares heading her way certainly not usual, but her father had accepted it, so she was happy.
"I am content with my choice. I do not believe too many zips is a style that truly suits me." Haku stated softly, her kimono worn through many battles covering her, if in a darker blue than it had taken before. She wasn't exactly comfortable wearing a dead man's clothes for anything more than an espionage disguise, even if it was for a tribute and she was none too certain about the ripped jeans either…
"So, we're at the academy like they said… but for an exam, it's surprisingly barren." Naruto remarked, ensuring that his captain's coat draped over his weapons. Wouldn't do to have them sticking out too much after all. "Hinata, can your byakugan see any forms within the dirt that could mean a trap?"
With bulging eyes, Hinata turned to the dirt scanning with an intense ferocity until with a sigh, she let her face return to normal, turning to her captain with the usual grace.
"I see no signs, though there are clearly a number of people as can be assumed to be taking the exam." She stated, a small wave from the blonde having them entered those fated doors.
It wasn't long before they found their way towards the second floor, the bane that is known as stairs being blocked by a collection of people all muttering various things under their breath as their way was blocked by a pair of… guards? They didn't exactly give off the right vibe though, standing firm against any who would attempt to enter, but with a surprisingly casual stance when nobody was being pushy. Was that confidence, or was there a reason for their lackadaisical approach?
"Haku, you're the furthest back. How many floors did we climb?" Naruto asked, looking to the blocked off door. It definitely said 301, so why on earth weren't they being allowed entrance? If the test truly was in there and they weren't being directed to wait, why not jst say that and get things done with? Perhaps it was a test of courage, to intimidate people from entering, but that didn't explain why there was absolutely no one entering; people would undoubtedly be unafraid of them and just walk in after all.
"We've only ascended to the second floor. Theoretically, we should only be in the floor where the rooms begin with 201." The ice user diligently stated, Naruto giving a nod as he pushed forward, a few giving a scoff as they saw him lead his group to the leading staircase.
"Hey, not even going to give it a try?" one genin scoffed, Naruto giving a shrug as he continued to climb.
"Maybe I can get in some other way. I'm sure you can keep trying though!" he genially called back, unable to see the small smirk the guards gave to each other before their iron façade returned.
"And that's better, isn't it?" Naruto cheerfully remarked as he pushed the doors open, a collection of genin sitting around in tense anticipation; a much better atmosphere for an exam meant to prove your worth on the battlefield."
"Naruto? How the heck did you beat us here?" Ino questioned, arms folded as she marched through the door, both Choji and Shikamaru approaching at a more leisurely pace.
"Well, I have wonderful friends at my side to give a little push when I get stuck." The blonde replied, wrapping his arm around Haku, who let only the slightest tinge of blood colour her cheeks.
"What a troublesome guy. You telling me there's another you've added to your little group now, Naruto?" Shikamaru remarked, perfectly happy to plant himself upon one of the provided chairs and never get up until he was forced to. "And here I thought you were going for a happy little band of four."
"Nah, we're looking for six!" he happily declared. "Just wait, we'll become the greatest group you've ever seen!"
"But.. don't you already have a big advantage with five?" Choji wondered aloud, casually chomping down upon a crisp from the gigantic packet clasped in his hands. "I mean, people usually have at max three to a group, and I'm pretty sure there are some working in pairs from where a teammate died."
"We are ninja. If we did not take any chance for an advantage in battle, whether it be simulated or not, we would not be worthy of taking the title." Haku solemnly said, standing to the side of her captain with her eased position still fully prepared to lash out if any of their competitors decided to get a little 'pushy'.
"Well spoken."
The approaching boy was both glaringly weak and strong at the same time. There was something about his… scent, for he could call it little else, that made Naruto's hair rise upon his neck, even if the grey haired boy did little apart front give a smile and a wave of his hand. the glasses resting upon his face looked as if they would be a terrible disadvantage in a fight, but it was pretty clear he had some form of technique that would make them more viable.
"You might want to keep yourself from making any enemies in this room though." The boy warned, gently gesturing to the watching crowd. Eyes eagerly glared back at them, Ino gently stepping back subconsciously , the body behind her not exactly happy with such a move. "After all, this is a ferocious exam. I've had to take this thing seven times already."
"Hey, watch it pigface!"
"Forehead? When did you make it here?"
"Just. It was all thanks to Sasuke that we made it past!" Sakura happily declared, a small grunt coming from behind her as Sasuke pushed off of the wall. There was a brief second before the boy's vison was filled with purple, Ino happily dangling off of him, much to Sakura's disconcern. It didn't take long for Naruto to connect the sudden flood of people with the proud boy, giving a small cough as he turned to Hinata.
"He totally told them all about the genjutsu down on the floor below, didn't he?" he whispered, a silent nod being the answer.
"Well, as long as you don't do what he did, you should probably be fine." The grey boy sighed, pushing his hands together as he gave a small bow of his head. "my name is Kabuto. Care to give me yours?"
"Name's Naruto, and this is Hinata, Tenten, Lee and Haku." The red captain called off. "Pleasure to meet you. How likely is it that we're going to face each other?"
"More than you could ever imagine. This isn't a field trip you know." Though it was a soft declaration, the smirk that erupted onto the boy's face was more than challenging, gradually softening as he pulled out what appeared to be a deck of cards. "If you want, I could give you a little help when it comes to the others. I've gotten a whole bunch of information on the other competitors here, apart from me of course, over the years I've tried this exam. Give any name."
"But these cards are blank." Tenten said hesitantly brown eyes flickering to the plain pieces until Sasuke's voice rang out, the Uchiha not even bothering to look towards Kabuto as he did so.
"Give me any information you have on the boy known as Gaara… and Naruto." Where had Sasuke heard of the name Gaara? Had he bumped into him at one point? Regardless, Kabuto held up a pair of cards, a small flicker of chakra until text flooded the fronts.
"Seems simple enough. Gaara of the sand, coming from the sand village. Any mission he takes, , have been accomplished with minimal effort and without even a single scratch on his body to show for it. There are eight C-ranks and a single B-rank, with D-ranks being undetermined on his mission record. Teammates are Kankuro and Temari, though any more information is through rumours and whispers." Kabuto stated, any objections the redhead may have had as he stood in the corner with Temari and Kankuro remaining firmly to himself. "He uses sand techniques to incredible effect, easily crushing his enemies with nought but a single hand gesture."
"When it comes to Naruto here though, I'm afraid there's not too much to say. There's an A-rank on here that was originally a C-rank as well as more purely A-rank. Fighting skills seem to be incredibly poor when using other's opinions, but surely that can't be true with A-ranks under his belt."
"Well that's nice. I didn't want me and my friends to be the only one here with A-ranks under their belt. That would've just been awkward." The captain snickered as he looked across the gathered genin, the looks growing in ferocity as he gave a scoff. "Oh don't be like that!"
"Oi Dobe, where'd they come from?" Sasuke interrogated, stepping up to the boy with a strange curiosity glinting within his eyes.
"Well, my first assumption is all over the elemental nations, but we know those guys came from Sunagakure, those seem to come from Iwagakure…" Naruto jokingly listed, giving a small chuckle as the anger began to seemingly physically emanate off of him, Kabuto smoothly interrupting before any violence could begin prematurely.
"We've also got a few from a place called Otogakure, the village hidden in the sound." The grey haired boy declared. "You shouldn't have to worry about them though; they're a relatively new village compared to the others, so the shinobi shouldn't be too hard to handle.
"Oi! You calling us weak!?" Yelled a gravelly voice, a heavily coated figure bursting through the gathered applicants with unheard of speeds with his teammates. Kabuto was quick to leap out of the way of the incoming steel, a triple barrage of kunai bouncing off a rapidly drawn sword as Naruto looked to the three that had chosen to come out. Bandages near swallowed the man's face, leaving all but a single eye exposed as he swung forth, Kabuto ducking the punch, but giving a small grunt as his glasses shattered to pieces.
"So, you use that sort of attack then…" he muttered, pulling off the near empty frames with a small smile.
"What was that?" Hinata asked, looking to the captain with a grave glint to his eye.
"You should remember what I told you about when we were training, with Beat Five." He commented, keeping the edge of his Gokai saber on the two others that had approached with their teammate. The girl held a haughty grin as she looked down the steel, long black hair flowing down her back and a plain jacket over grey and black snake designed camo, as well as a scarf that she tucked back around her neck. The boy had a similar scarf, though his hair jutted upward, the top he wore over the reptilian camo being beige with the repeated kanji for death.
"Their hitai-ites have notes on them, right? Then can you guess what their powers would be based around?" the captain muttered, Tenten's eyes widening with her small gasp. "Good. And another effect should be…"
As if cued, Kabuto fell to his knees with a heave, both Ino and Sakura cringing slightly as the puke began to roll out.
"Disorientation, potentially leading to sickness."
"Well, looks like he's not so special after all for a veteran who's been taking the exam for four years." The bandaged man said, turning away for his male companion to speak.
"Why don't you write this on your card? The three from the Sound Village… Doubtless chunin." He declared with a smirk, though unwilling to move with the saber at his neck.
"That attack missed… what the hell was it?" Shikamaru muttered under his breath. "It definitely didn't connect… or maybe it grazed him on the nose? That wouldn't explain the vomiting… A poison?"
"Silence you degenerates!" A sudden cloud of smoke gave way to reveal a heavily scarred man, the epitome of a commander flanked by his army of Chunin. His long trench coat fluttered silently, Naruto discreetly wondering what was hidden under the bandana with the plate of Konoha stitched onto it.
"I'm sorry to keep you all waiting." He quipped with a small lifeless chuckle, turning cold eyes onto the many applicants forced into the room. "I, Ibiki Morino, shall act as the proctor for the first exam. Until you are told to, there will be no violence in any part or you risk having your right to take this exam taken away from you and getting kicked right back to your own village."
The deep voice served its purpose, a few genin already trying to keep their shaken resolves together. It was a slow movement when Naruto sheathed his blade, an unspoken conversation passing between him and the other sound genin.
'These people are all going to be incredibly difficult to deal with. I don't know who I would have to defend myself against first.' The red captain mentally mused. 'That's not exactly a bad thing though… with my crew at my side, this'll be a cakewalk! And if anything major does happen to come across… the GokaiGalleon is waiting to be called in. nothing dissuades people more than a good old ball of iron slamming into their entire body!'
The atmosphere of the earth seemed exactly the same if not slightly more charged than it had been in the alternate universes. Finding a place to land his craft would be simple enough, a basic invisibility field and perception filter meaning that there was little chance people would find it and if they did, they would simply ignore it, but it was trying to keep his stealth while investigating the big gathering. He wasn't going to kid himself; there was no way his looks could be considered normal to these people!
"Fortunately, as long as I stay outside of the main hall where they gather, I should remain safe. The borders of the location provide a great amount of shadow in which to hide." He remarked, holding tight against a tree as the passing gaze of a guard flew over where he previously stood. "Security has been strong; either this place is naturally suspicious, or there is a large enough gathering of important people that a high security is needed. That bodes well for the plan."
The main objective was to scout for now, wait for the most opportune time to unleash the Indaver and strike when they were at their weakest. If they had a good majority of people gathered here, then they would be able to provide a strong statement, instilling fear in the populous and allowing for an easy take over.
With the strength available to him, it wasn't difficult to ascend over the great wall that protected the village within, completely unnoticed for the brief second he touched the roof. A quick dip into an alleyway had him traversing 'Konoha' (for that was what was proudly stated as the name of the village on a bakery which claimed to be the best within it) unseen of and unheard, catching the various gossip and hearsay spread about by the civilians.
"So, there is something called a Chunin exam occurring, which brings people from many of the well-known powers of this world…" he remarked, gently stroking his chin as he rested upon a white cracked wall. "Then it is all the more simple. From what I've heard, they are participating in a combat tournament, so the end of that will have all of the competitors weakened, tired and potentially killed immediately to whittle down the competition. Then the unleashed Indaver will enter and take down the grunt forces while I handle the main combatants and use the stage to give a worldwide warning."
But he would have to gain more information than that. Compared to the protection outside of Konoha's walls, getting into the hall with the largest amount of heat signatures was all too easy, a small chuckle escaping as he sneaked around empty halls.
"And now, we wait…"
Anchors aweigh! Tell me, do you think that these chapters are a little poorly paced? that the scene changes are too numerous or abrupt? I had the concern raised, so I want to see if I'm getting any better. Anyway, if you were interested to see what comes next in the chapters, I'm afraid you'll have to wait for two weeks, for I won't be able to write in that time period!