Suigetsu led Jugo, Tenten, and Gekido to a walled-off plot of land on the outskirts of the village. As they expected, the gate before them read Bamboo Blade Battlefield. When they reached the gate, however, they noticed two people in Hidden Mist flak jackets guarding the gate, one more Hidden Mist ninja sitting at a wooden desk with papers piled on it, and one more individual with their back to Suigetsu's group. This was a very tall individual wearing a dark blue sleeveless robe kept together with a black obi, and dark blue pants. They also had waist-length dark hair tied in a braided ponytail, and most alarming of all, had orange skin with what seemed to be black stripe tattoos on his arms.
"I told you before. My name is Torasame. Check the forms again." The tall figure said in an incredibly deep voice.
"Uh… okay…"
The seated man nervously nodded, quickly going through the papers. Eventually he found one paper and he sighed with regret as he pulled it out of the pile:
"Entrant Number 81, Torasame Hoshigaki… Pick up the bamboo sword with your number on the butt and head on in."
Torasame promptly did as instructed, making sure to pick up his bamboo sword among those that were leaning on the side of the wall on his way in.
"Did we hear that right? Hoshigaki? As in Kisame Hoshigaki?" Tenten asked those around her.
Suigetsu shrugged. "This is news to me. I had no idea Kisame had any relatives."
"Me neither." Gekido added while shaking his head.
Nonetheless the four stepped up to the gate attendants, starting with Suigetsu.
"So the traitor's come back to take a sword away from us, is that it? I don't even know why Lady Mizukage let you participate… whatever, Entrant Number 78. Pick up your bamboo sword and head in."
"Okay then…"
Suigetsu sighed and did as instructed. Even some of the proctors have it bad for me… he thought.
Tenten stepped up next.
"Hi there, sir. My name's Tenten. I signed up right after Suigetsu did!"
"Yes… I have it right here. Entrant Number 80, Tenten." The man said as he pulled out a form with a smile on his face. "It's rare for a Leaf ninja to drop by for a visit. Good luck, and enjoy your stay at the Hidden Mist Village!"
"Thank you!"
Tenten bowed, and then took her bamboo sword and entered after Suigetsu. Jugo was next.
"Ah, you… Entrant Number 79, Jugo of the Scales. Your form is right next to theirs. Go on in after picking up your bamboo sword… Just make sure not to lose control in there, okay? We don't want any deaths…"
"Will do."
After assuring the attendant, Jugo took up his bamboo sword and entered.
That left Gekido.
"You're just a kid… what are you doing here?" the man asked with wide, sympathetic eyes.
"I'm competing. My name is Gekido. I signed up before the others."
"You sure about that? Let me check again."
The man went through the forms once more, and after almost a minute he found the registration form he was looking for. His eyes only widened even more:
"Well I'll be damned. Entrant Number 66, Gekido. Be careful out there, boy. You're going up against some really notorious people… even a couple monsters."
"Thank you…"
Gekido bowed his head, then took his bamboo sword and went in. When he did, he found that Suigetsu, Jugo, and Tenten were all holding their swords in one hand effortlessly, unlike him; he needed to hold his sword with both.
The interior of Bamboo Blade Battlefield was a very large forest of bamboo shoots that rose up very high; not even Jugo could reach the top of one, even with the tip of his bamboo sword. When Suigetsu and the others entered, they noticed a crowd of people huddled underneath a computer monitor embedded into a wall… and one lone participant just outside of the huddle, looking up with the rest. Suigetsu and the others instinctively ran toward this man with orange skin, curiosity overwhelming them. Suigetsu tapped him on the shoulder, which he was just barely able to reach with his free hand:
"Excuse me!"
"What do you want?"
Torasame turned around to face them. Suigetsu, Jugo, and Tenten all gasped in horror as they saw the man's face.
None of them could forget the three gill-like markings underneath each eye.
Tenten pointed up to Torasame's face. "You… you look like Kisame!"
"Who's that supposed to be?" Torasame asked as he crossed his arms impatiently. "Everyone seems scared of me because of my resemblance to that man."
Suigetsu's jaw dropped. "Who's Kisame?! He's only the most reviled criminal in Hidden Mist history, that's who! I'm just a small-time thug compared to him!"
"It's very strange that you don't know him." Jugo added. "You and he share a family name. And a face. When we first heard your name we thought you were a relative of his."
"We might indeed be related if what you say is true, but I've still never heard of him. You know the story: two brothers go their separate ways and centuries later their descendants don't even know they're related. Stuff like that happens all the time."
"How are you competing in the first place?" Gekido asked. "Neither Suigetsu-Senpai or myself had seen you until today. Are you even a Mist ninja?"
"About that…"
Torasame suddenly reached into his left pant pocket with his free hand and took out a scrap of paper. "Lord Daimyo just recently hired me to be his bodyguard, and he wanted me to display my worth to the country by having me compete here. Read this:"
Dear Fifth Mizukage:
Who delivers this to you is my new bodyguard, Torasame Hoshigaki. Do not be alarmed by his appearance or his name; I can assure you that he and Kisame Hoshigaki have no relation. I would very much like Torasame to participate in your Strongest Under the Mist tournament to display his power to the village. You can trust that I am indeed well-protected, with or without your ninja.
See you at the finals,
Water Daimyo
"Not even a Kage can refuse a Daimyo's request, I guess." Tenten remarked.
"There's not much time left until it starts."
Torasame put the Daimyo's message away and looked up to the monitor once more. Suigetsu, Jugo, and Tenten followed his lead, and Gekido took a few steps forward before doing the same. Indeed, within minutes a nine-by-nine grid appeared on the monitor with all the numbers between 1 and 81 on the panels. Furthermore the Fifth Mizukage, Chojuro, and Killer B emerged from a set of stairs coming from inside the wall to the top of the wall, facing all the participants. The Mizukage proceeded to shout down to the crowd:
"Hidden Mist ninja and honoured guests! Welcome to the Strongest Under the Mist tournament! The first round is called the Bamboo Blade Battle Royale! If you wish to display your talents to the country in the finals and win the Swords of the Mist, then you must first prove yourself as a worthy swordsman! Out of the eighty-one of you here, only eight will advance! This is a massive free-for-all cage match that will end only when eight are left standing! Surely you've been wondering what this monitor and the numbers on your swords are? Those are how we'll track your progress! Every time a sword's hilt touches the ground, that corresponding number will be blacked out and that entrant will be eliminated! You only lose if your sword hits the ground, so don't let go and don't get knocked down! Oh, and you also lose if you get caught using Ninjutsu or Genjutsu! This is a contest to determine who the best swordsmen are, so anyone using techniques outside swordplay and Taijutsu will be disqualified! And we have surveillance cameras hidden all over the place, so don't think of pulling a fast one on us! After I give the signal, you'll have five minutes to get into your starting position, and when time is up you will hear a loud buzzer letting you know that you can begin your attack! The same sound will play again once the participants are down to eight! Is this all clear?!"
"Yes, Lady Mizukage!" many voices yelled in unison.
"Then… BEGIN!"
Mei promptly threw up her Mizukage hat. Immediately upon seeing this gesture, all the participants began running in several directions around the battlefield. Suigetsu, Jugo, Tenten, Gekido, and Torasame remained together as they ran to find a starting point.
"Shoot… I don't have any experience with swords… I wasn't expecting a contest like this." Jugo dejectedly sighed.
"Don't worry about it!" Tenten replied. "Suigetsu and I can cover for you; if anyone tries to disarm you, we'll be there to strike them down!"
Suigetsu grinned and nodded. "Good thinking, Tenten! That way, we can work together and bring all three of us into the final eight! You in too, Gekido? Torasame?"
Torasame shook his head. "Count me out. Lord Daimyo wouldn't think highly of me if I relied on a rogue and an outsider to get by the first round. Still, I won't turn my sword on you either… I would like to fight you in the finals."
With that last word, Torasame promptly broke away from the group and set off on his own.
"I… don't want to either." Gekido added. "I don't want you to baby me through everything. I need to put my own effort into making my wish come true."
Gekido then also took off on his own path.
"Eh… We'll move faster with just three people anyway." said Tenten.
[X-X-X]
After a few more minutes of travelling, the trio heard a loud buzzer just as the Mizukage warned them. At that moment, they stopped their movement and got into position: Suigetsu and Tenten began circling around Jugo with their backs to each other, lying in wait for any participants foolish enough to take them on. This continued for a few minutes without incident, but eventually a group of unrecognizable Mist ninja, eight of them, surrounded the trio.
"Traitors and cowards don't deserve to make it to the finals!" one of them said. "Get them!"
The eight Mist ninja promptly rushed at Suigetsu, Tenten, and Jugo. Suigetsu and Tenten simultaneously smirked as they parried all the incoming attacks and gracefully knocked the swords out of all their hands, not a single enemy making it to Jugo. The enemies' unconscious bodies fell on top of each other while all the swords hit the ground, eliminating eight entrants all at once.
This happened three more times. Each time took marginally longer due to creeping fatigue on all sides, but Suigetsu and Tenten successfully protected Jugo up until the seventh ninja in the fourth batch dropped his sword.
The buzzer sounded again before Suigetsu and Tenten got around to dispatching the eighth.
"Saved by the bell…" Suigetsu remarked with a smirk.
"L… Lucky me!"
The last remaining ninja ran for the monitor in terror, holding on to his sword for dear life. Curious about the results, Suigetsu, Tenten, and Jugo rushed for the monitor as well. They returned to find only eight numbers still lit: 1, 2, 42, 66, 78, 79, 80, and 81.
"78 to 80 are us." Jugo said.
"66 and 81 are Gekido and Torasame." Tenten added.
"So the little kid made it by himself. Good for him!" Suigetsu said with a smile. "Who are the last three?"
The surviving Mist ninja near the trio was breathing heavily. "42… so I made it! Yeah! The final eight!"
Suigetsu smacked himself in the forehead. "By pure fluke…"
"Who are Number 1 and 2?" Jugo asked.
"Hozuki! Your team made it! Nice going!"
Suigetsu and the others turned around, back toward the woods, in response to the voice that interjected to find Tia and Yuri still holding their swords, with Gekido and Torasame just behind them. Tia grinned as she and Yuri showed the butts of their swords off.
The numbers 1 and 2 were marked on them.
Suigetsu smirked at them. "You guys got in the final eight too, then. I was looking forward to fighting you two!"
Tenten ran past Suigetsu, Tia, and Yuri and kneeled down to look Gekido in the eyes. "Congratulations, Gekido! I honestly didn't think you'd make it on your own!"
"I didn't make it on my own… An enemy knocked my sword out of my hands, but Torasame-san showed up just in time to catch it in midair with his free hand and save me… He eliminated my opponent and gave me my sword back. Then we worked together. We were about to face off with Tia-san and Yuri-Senpai when the buzzer rang again."
"Really now?" Suigetsu interjected, walking up to Torasame with a grin. "You might look like Kisame, but you certainly don't act like him!"
"I'll take that as a compliment."
At that moment, the Mizukage re-emerged at the top of the wall and shouted down to the contestants once more with Chojuro and Killer B at her sides:
"Attention! The eight finalists are Entrant Number 1 Tia Terumi, Entrant Number 2 Yuri Joki, Entrant Number 42 Kukyo, Entrant Number 66 Gekido, Entrant Number 78 Suigetsu Hozuki, Entrant Number 79 Jugo of the Scales, Entrant Number 80 Tenten, and Entrant Number 81 Torasame Hoshigaki! If I announced your name, let your swords down and meet me just on the other side of the wall! To everyone else… you are eliminated! But feel free to watch your peers in the finals tomorrow at Noon at Ryujin Stadium! Remember, Noon tomorrow at Ryujin Stadium!"
As soon as the Mizukage finished her announcement she, Chojuro, and Killer B left down the stairs from which they came, and heeding her orders, the eight finalists let their swords down and exited Bamboo Blade Battlefield to meet her and her company just outside. Once they did, they found that the Mist ninja that manned the registration form station now had the Mizukage hat upside down in his hands.
"Why does that dude have your hat, Lady Mei?" Tia asked.
"We're deciding your match-ups for the finals tomorrow." Chojuro explained. "Rather than a Battle Royale, you'll be fighting in single-elimination single-combat matches. Inside the Mizukage hat are slips of paper numbered 1-8, and you'll take turns picking the numbers out. 1 fights 2, 3 fights 4, 5 fights 6, and 7 fights 8… any questions?"
Jugo raised his hand. "I have one. Will our abilities be restricted like in today's round?"
"No. Unlike today, you'll be allowed to use any jutsu at your disposal. We wouldn't be able to determine who the strongest is if you're being held back, after all. Now, Suigetsu-kun, please draw your number first."
"Why him?!" Kukyo objected. "He's a rogue!"
"We chose the order based on how you all performed on the surveillance footage." Mei explained. "Suigetsu-kun and Tenten's teamwork resulted in the highest combined knock-out count of all the participants. Since Suigetsu-kun had marginally higher individual knock-outs than Tenten - with sixteen compared to fourteen - he gets first pick while Tenten gets second. Torasame gets third pick, since he individually had more knock-outs than anyone else at twenty-five. The ones that follow after that are Yuri, Tia, and Gekido-kun with five, four, and two knock-outs respectively. Jugo's seventh, and you, Kukyo-kun, are dead last."
"Why is that?" Jugo wondered. "I did nothing. I should get the last pick by default…"
"Actually, during that last battle, Kukyo-kun accidentally disarmed one of his own allies." Chojuro said. "That means that even though you did nothing, Jugo-kun… Kukyo-kun did worse than nothing."
Kukyo hung his shoulders in shame. "You've got to be kidding me…"
Without any more interruptions, Suigetsu stepped up and grabbed a slip of paper out of the Mizukage hat, followed by Tenten, then Torasame, then Yuri, then Tia, then Gekido, then Jugo, and finally Kukyo. After doing so, they read their numbers out in order:
"I'm Number Three."
"I've got Six!"
"Seven."
"Five."
"Number One! Yeah!"
"Number Four… Ah!"
Gekido gasped as he looked up to Suigetsu. The Rogue Ninja's eyes were starting to twitch.
"I've got Eight." Jugo continued.
"And I have Two."
"That settles things, then!" Mei said as she took back the Mizukage hat and placed it on her head. "The quarter-final rounds will be Tia vs. Kukyo-kun, Suigetsu-kun vs. Gekido-kun, Yuri vs. Tenten, and Torasame vs. Jugo!"
"Make sure you rest up well for tomorrow's finals." Chojuro added. "Lord Daimyo and many villagers will be watching your battles, and one way or another, the next generation of the Swordsmen of the Mist will be decided in front of a nation-wide audience. Also, as Lady Mizukage said before, the finals are being held at Ryujin Stadium at Noon." Chojuro paused to look at Jugo, Tenten, and Torasame, "… do you need any help finding the place?"
Jugo shook his head. "Suigetsu will take Tenten and me there."
"I already know where it is."
Torasame's words took everyone by surprise.
"Lord Daimyo informed me of your village's geography before I arrived." he added.
"I see…" Chojuro meekly replied.
"Then we shall see you all tomorrow at Noon! Sleep tight, finalists!"
Upon the Mizukage's command, Suigetsu and Gekido started walking away, back to their house with Jugo and Tenten. Meanwhile, Tia and Yuri left in a different direction and Kukyo ran off on his own.
Suigetsu looked back briefly to find that Torasame hadn't begun leaving yet. He also seemed to be looking at Killer B with scorn, and what surprised him even further was that Samehada started vibrating in response momentarily, before Torasame walked away.
[X-X-X]
"Oh no… Suigetsu-Senpai and I are fighting tomorrow…" Gekido said on the walk back home. "I don't know if I'll be able to fight you…"
"It'll be fine! Just pretend I'm one of the people that killed your father. Then you'll be able to attack me without holding back."
"Hmm… I'll try that. Thank you."
"But don't think for a second I'm going to hold back on you either, Gekido!"
"Yeah… It's better if you don't."
"Make sure you win your matches tomorrow, you guys!" Suigetsu told Jugo and Tenten, who were just behind them. "Just kick Yuri's and Torasame's asses and three of the Swords will be ours!"
"Easier said than done…" Jugo objected. "Torasame took down twenty-five competitors all by himself, and I don't have the slightest clue to how he did it… He's a massive unknown quantity."
"But Torasame's just as clueless about you." Tenten pointed out. "You didn't do anything in the first round. That makes you a 'massive unknown quantity' too!"
"You're right, Tenten. Let's win our matches and fight in the semi-finals."
"Count on it!"
With renewed confidence in their chances in the finals, Suigetsu, Gekido, Jugo, and Tenten returned home and prepared for the end of the Strongest Under the Mist tournament.
