Previous Translations: Yorokobi - Pleasure/Delight/Joy
Yokubo - Desire/Lust
Kajo - Excess
Shifuku no Kurushimi - Blissful Throes/Blissful Suffering
Tatakainouta - Song of Battle
Zeitakuna Kutsu - Luxurious Torment
Hentai-ryu: Erokenho - Pervert Style: Erotic Fist Art
Konton - Chaos
Kanzen - Perfect
Henka - Change
Harakainokeru - Dispel
Aka-en - Red Flame
Aoi-en - Blue Flame
Kiiro-en - Yellow Flame
Orenji-en - Orange Flame
Tankoshoku-en - Pink Flame
Maho - Magic
Chishiki - Knowledge
Unmei - Fate
Nozomu - Hope
Hoho no Chenja - honestly this one is a mess, but roughly means Changer of Ways
Ryuketsu - Bloodshed
Chikara - Strength
Meiyo - Honor
Budo - Martial Arts
Ikari - Rage
Jumon - Incantation
Himitsu no Sewanin - Secret Caretaker(Keeper of Secrets)
Sento - Combat
Same no On'na - Shark-Woman
Maebure - Harbinger
Shibari no Ashikase - Binding Fetters
Kanpeki - Perfection
Reikan - the closest English word would be Inspiration, but it specifically refers to 'a divine creative impulse'
Sekkyo-sha - Preacher
Aijin - Lover
Kaen Hosha-ki - Flame Radiator (Flamer of Tzeentch)
Himeiwoageru - Which Screams (Screamer of Tzeentch)
Shikkan - Disease
Ai - Love
Zetsubo - Despair
Mi Haito - Undivided/Not Divided
Shibo - Aspiring
Koki - Exalted
Chakra no Bato - Coruscating Chakra/Chakra of Coruscation
Gyokai - Industry
In case someone somehow doesn't know, Hi - Fire
Don'yoku - Greed/Avarice
Yokuatsu - Tyranny/Oppression
Yami no Chichi - Father of Darkness/Dark Father
Raimeiton - Thunder Release, what Naruto has decided to name his mix of wind and lightning chakra
Shuryoju - Hunting Beasts (same word for plural or singular), an alternate name for Fiends of Slaanesh, best word I could find for them
Konton no Omo - Lord of Chaos
Kemonojin - a very jank way of translating Beastmen into Japanese, basically would mean Animal-Human
Gyumao - Ox Demon King
Eiyu - Hero
Gyumahime - Ox Demon Princess
Kajomahime - Excessive Demon Princess
Renkinjutsu - Alchemy
Eventually it was time for Konoha to send teams to Kusa no Kuni, and unfortunately Tsunade couldn't allow all of their reserve genin to go, they needed their best showing. Which was, much to the irritation of those who had been genin for a few years, Gai's team and the rookie nine. The Hokage felt this would have the biggest impact while leaving the minimal dent in their forces, they still needed to accept and perform missions even with some of their genin going to the exams after all.
Karin knew she wouldn't be able to go, but she was still a little sad to miss out on spectating the finals. Haku wasn't even able to get permission to go watch the finals, much to his irritation and for the first time he missed being free.
The only one who might be able to get permission if she tried was Isaribi, but the young woman had been content to wish Naruto and Hinata good luck when the pair left to go meet with their teams, Naruto had a back pack full of scrolls tucked under the mane of his golden mantle, his new nodachi strapped to his back beneath that and the holster for his Raito incorporated into the back pack for easiest access.
Hinata could tell Naruto was wearing his usual orange kimono and dark blue umanori hakama combination under the golden mantle and lion pelt skirt. Her own outfit hadn't changed at all since she'd grown a new arm and needed new shirts and jackets anyway. Maemi's hair had turned blonde and become a style Hinata didn't recognize, the Hyuga wondered who Naruto had met while on his mission.
Given Hinata and Naruto living together, cell seven and eight were leaving at the same time, with cell ten leaving with Gai's team later. Naruto didn't fully get it, but it was supposed to be a safety precaution. Sakura was bringing her new axe, carrying much like Naruto was carrying his new sword in that it was holstered under her back pack, her handle however extended much further up as the blade itself needed to be holstered to her back to avoid it getting in the way.
Kakashi could tell his students were going to be the center of attention even without Naruto's loud mouth, Sasuke looked part tengu, Sakura was made of brass and carrying a massive axe, and Naruto still looked like an ox yokai samurai. Then there was Hinata's third arm, Shino looking like a zombie ninja with a beetle horn, and Kiba having grown more fangs going by his feral grin. Between this first batch of genin, and the six who would be arriving later, Konoha was certainly sending their best and weirdest.
Cell seven and cell eight of Konoha arrived at the outskirts right as a cell of Kumo shinobi were being checked in, Naruto frowned as he saw the blonde hair but was disappointed to see it was a different blonde haired woman. He did appreciate that this jonin was a bit more curvaceous than Yugito, and quickly decided he wasn't too upset.
Kakashi guessed the age of the Kumo genin to be around the same age as Gai's cell, with the jonin being roughly Anko's age. The young woman's hair was cut in an asymmetrical bob style, and as she turned to look at the Konoha shinobi Hinata couldn't help but think her blue eyes were nostalgic in a way. The jonin was wearing a very low-cut outfit which displays her sizeable cleavage, with mesh armor underneath, a short skirt and red hand guards, high boots, and what appears to be a modified Kumogakure flak jacket that covered her stomach only, similar to a girdle. Kakashi had noticed a tanto strapped across the woman's back.
All three genin seemed armed for combat, two of them even had katana while the third had a ninjato. All three had much darker skin than their jonin commander, the young woman being rather fair skinned, the younger kunoichi had spiky red hair and amber eyes. The other two genin had short, spiky hair of platinum blonde and brown eyes, but one had a katana, the other boy had the ninjato. The one with the katana had more of an upward curve to his eyelashes and thinner eyebrows.
Kakashi noted that even though they were genin, the three Kumo genin were in uniform as if they'd already made chunin. He supposed they were dressing for the rank they wanted, not the one they had, but he had to admit they had some dedication to buy their own personal flak vests and swords. He wondered if Naruto might have some competition for kenjutsu and recalled the feathers falling from the tail of a sparrow and decided that no, there was no contest there.
The horned blonde was curious though, two genin with katanas grabbing his attention from their pretty blonde sensei, "You guys here for the Chunin Examinations too?" he asked in a friendly manner.
"I won't give my true name, yokai." The boy with the katana said bluntly, having apparently made up his mind on that point.
Naruto blinked at that rebuke and raised an eyebrow at the blonde jonin behind the older genin, "He thinks you're going to eat his soul or something." she said dryly.
"I can do that?" Naruto wondered, baffled.
"No." Maemi answered quickly, sensing the paranoid Kumo genin would latch onto that as a confession if she didn't correct him.
Sasuke was surprised they already needed a waver to free Kusa of responsibility if they died, he thought that was strange but Kakashi seemed unsurprised so he went along with it. He was confident no one could match him besides his own teammates anyway. Sakura was a bit more worried, having assumed the examinations followed a pattern and that a written phase would be first. Naruto just signed without a second thought.
Shino and Kiba were similarly confident, but Hinata wondered why they were already signing such a thing. Upon being allowed into the small village they started to understand, the place had plenty of shinobi milling around, mostly Kusa genin. Not a single civilian, Hinata wondered if one phase of the examinations would have the entirety of the village be a testing ground.
Naruto looked around to see if there was anyone he recognized, in particular wondering if Karin's surviving Kusa team member would be participating again. Instead he met eyes with Gaara, who was coming right at him. The blonde barely managed to get a hold of the geography of the small village, enough to know it was mostly inns anyway, likely a tourist destination for some reason from what little he'd gathered by the time Gaara stopped in front of him.
"You're even prettier than before." The auburn haired boy pointed out, his tone making it sound more like a dry observation than a compliment.
"My magnificent self is flawless." Naruto declared proudly, hands on his hips and chest puffed out.
"I look forward to fighting you again," Gaara continued, much to the alarm of the Konoha genin, "I think I've learned a lot from our last match, and I've refined my jutsu." he explained, smirking proudly.
Most of the Konoha genin looked nervous, but Naruto grinned, "Awesome!" he praised cheerfully, looking forward to testing his own abilities too.
Kusa chunin approached the jonin around their genin cells, "All jonin are asked to come for a complimentary stay at an inn that will be one of the off limits buildings for the duration of the first phase." they parroted each other, given Naruto's advanced senses he heard it far more consistently than others and it was starting to irritate him. The Kumo ninja wandered away from the Konoha teams as they milled around, wondering what exactly they were supposed to do, nothing had been explained yet.
So far, they were without direction or instruction, it was an odd prospect, Sasuke wondered if the exam had already begun but kept the thought to himself, not wanting to inadvertently start a riot among the more hot headed genin. Sakura felt tense, wondering when they were going to fight, she wasn't sure why but she was certain a fight would break out eventually.
Unaware of his two cell members becoming more high strung Naruto heard the soft beginnings of the Tatakainouta, he could feel the malicious intent in the air around him as various shinobi sized each other and his team up.
The blonde was getting excited, eager to begin and unable to stop grinning cheerfully. His demeanor and appearance, along with the shifty looking Sasuke and the angry Sakura had the genin under Kakashi labelled by most of the genin sizing them up as 'avoid unless unavoidable' partly due to the reputation of the horned blonde in particular.
Kakashi was impressed with Kusagakure's hospitality, free beer was an interesting prospect. Also the inn was overlooking something rather interesting, an arena had been set up in the town square. Kurenai wondered how soon Hinata would notice the ring, the jonin assembling all quickly realizing that the first phase would be held in the arena.
"A little early for the fights, isn't it?" The Kumo jonin spoke up, Kakashi noticed she was the only jonin from Kumo to arrive so far.
"Arahashi-san has figured out something that he thinks will be entertaining the whole day tomorrow when the exams officially start." A chunin answered and it clicked, the genin all had to find accommodations on their own. Kakashi sat down with his free beer and got ready for some entertainment, Kurenai was a little annoyed she couldn't indulge due to her current 'condition'.
Shikamaru smelled a trap as soon as he saw the death waver, but he signed it anyway. He presumed it was part of the examinations this time around, they were apparently different every time. Whatever the case he was confident he was prepared, Ino had been nagging that they should have done more team drills before leaving but the Nara was sure their teamwork was fine and that the real issue would be the one on one fights at the end.
Choji was worried, but not scared, so Shikamaru was sure that as long as he remained lazily confident his team would maintain good morale. Neji, Tenten, and Rock Lee all looked eager and confident themselves, which wasn't helping the confidence of cell ten very much but Shikamaru kept up a brave face as he had a few new tricks up his sleeve.
Soon after entering the village, Gai and Asuma were directed to the same inn as all the other jonin. The spandex clad taijutsu specialist was amused by what he assumed would be happening while Asuma was just confused.
Neji and Shikamaru lead their teams deeper into the village, both sensing something else, then they saw cell seven and eight, and realized immediately what they had been doing since they arrived. Sasuke was trying to herd his team towards the center of the village, which resulted in Hinata following Naruto and her team following her. However Naruto was not easily herded, simultaneously like an ox and a cat in the difficulty he presented.
Namely he'd found a ramen stand being manned by a chunin, "I honestly didn't think I'd get much business, but we need to make the place feel authentic for the examinations." the chunin let slip carelessly. Neji, Shikamaru, and Sasuke were all glad they overheard that, and all three realized instantly they were technically the competing tacticians of their teams. Shikamaru felt both of the other genin staring him down, he wondered which one of team eight was the tactician and saw Hinata staring at him as well.
The young Nara felt this was slightly unfair, as he couldn't help but feel things were tilted in Naruto's favor. The horned blonde was just blissfully eating ramen, "It doesn't smell like any poison I recognize, and my body is real tough y'know!" the hermaphrodite bragged with a laugh.
"I don't detect any toxins, so I assume this is just a food stand." Maemi piped up, backing up Naruto's decision to eat there.
Neji realized this was actually useful information, it meant the inns might be staffed normally too. Which was good because the examinations technically started tomorrow. The other genin all swiftly came to similar conclusions, Hinata however capitalized on it quickly, "Naruto-kun, could you get us a room just for you and me?" she asked sweetly.
Shikamaru understood immediately, there was nowhere safer. It was kind of cruel to leave her teammates to fend for herself, but he assumed Sasuke and Sakura would be fine. Neji noticed Hinata and Sakura were actually bumping fists behind Naruto's back when Sasuke wasn't looking and wondered when Hinata and Sakura had organized that little plan. Kiba and Shino seemed unsurprised and Sasuke just looked bored.
Then the Uchiha looked thoughtful, and finally embarrassed. Tenten wondered why it took him so long to realize he'd be sharing a room with his cell member. The kunoichi of Gai's cell was prepared to bunk with her male team members for safety. Neji apparently saw her naked whenever he used Byakugan in her presence anyway and Lee was too dense to be embarrassed anyway. Tenten wasn't sure how she felt about either of those reasons, but she bottled it up for later.
Kakashi was a little disappointed his own students weren't part of the group of panicking genin milling about the arena, he asked a chunin about his students, "Ah, a genin from your cell, and one from Kurenai Yuhi's cell are sharing a room, leaving their cells to fend as groups of two." the man explained.
Kurenai raised an eyebrow, able to guess immediately it was Hinata and Naruto, but Kakashi just shrugged, "They'll be fine." he announced, amused by Kurenai's huff. Asuma chuckled, amused despite the situation. He was sure his genin would be fine, at worst Ino was probably giving Shikamaru and Choji a hard time.
The jonin were all given complimentary rooms, Gai supposed the entire place must just be reserved for the jonin commanders of foreign villages, given the number of Kusa genin and the lack of Kusa jonin he presumed the Kusa jonin had their own inn. Or perhaps the Kusa jonin weren't in the village at all, the visiting jonin had no way of knowing.
The next morning Naruto had found the arena earlier, having dragged his team and cell eight there early in his excitement. A few teams had apparently suspected there was more to the first phase and camped out at the arena, the blonde wondered if any of them would provide a challenge. Either way, the ninso with the most horns was grinning eagerly in anticipation, the air was taut with tension and the arena made it obvious there would be some kind of fight to be had.
Sakura looked barely more reserved, but was clearly looking around for a proctor to start the first phase, "Come on, isn't it time yet?" she wondered quietly to herself. The central square wasn't even filled up with genin yet, Sasuke ignored his impatient teammates as he carefully considered the competition.
Shino was less than amused, "We're very early." he pointed out, casting a side eyed glare at Hinata who was just clinging happily to Naruto with a content expression on her face.
"Forget it, man," Kiba spoke up, "she's gone." he said with a sigh and a shake of his head. The only indication the kunoichi of cell eight heard him was her left eye twitching slightly.
Soon enough Gai's team arrived, more Kusa genin, two teams of Ame genin, that one Kumo team, and a team from Takigakure. The kunoichi of that last team locked her sights on the Konoha twelve who had naturally congregated together, Choji felt surrounded by Kusa genin and was comforted by being near the others from Konoha.
"Hey, are you really a yokai and a ninso?" The green haired young kunoichi asked as she approached Naruto, earning some amusement from the Konoha genin until the horned blonde answered.
"Yeah!"
"Cool! Wanna be my friend?" The girl asked cheerfully while the Konoha genin were reeling from Naruto claiming to be a yokai.
The blonde grinned, "Sure, my magnificent self is Naruto-sama, head of the Uzumaki clan, but who are you besides new friend?" he asked regally, accepting the girl instantly despite his arrogant attitude.
"Fu!" The kunoichi introduced happily before turning to her stunned team, "I told you I'd make friends here!" she announced happily.
Sakura felt the glares from the older genin, they already thought Fu was a brat and that Naruto was an idiot, she couldn't blame them but she was being lumped in with them for being on the same team as the horned blonde, "You do know you might have to fight her?" she pointed out dryly.
Naruto shrugged, "Fighting is fun." he decided, unbothered by Sakura's point. Maemi was doing like Sasuke and sizing up the competition, but she couldn't find anyone who was an obvious threat besides Gaara. Then again ninja were supposed to be good at hiding their presence, Naruto was just special.
The two team members of Fu looked less than enthused to be there, but the green haired young genin ignored them, "So what was it like to drink the Eiyu no Mizu?" she asked curiously.
Naruto considered the question for a moment, "Powerful I guess, it was like my chakra was overflowing." he mused, realizing idly that he could almost replicate that anyway with the Hoshi chakra he'd absorbed.
The discussion was interrupted by a loud shout, "Alright! First phase is starting!" a man in the center of the arena announced, wearing a white mantle over a black jumpsuit and looking as if he was anticipating being able to fight himself, "You genin runts have to stick around, even when it's not your turn because you never know when you're up until you're up!" he called out, in an almost lackadaisical manner, "I'll be pulling the names of your jonin sensei from this here bag! But first let me explain the rules of engagement for my arena!"
Sasuke was confused, there was only one ring. Neji's eyes widened as he realized the real challenge of the first phase, there was some luck to it, but some teams would be standing around practically all day waiting for their turn to pass. There was an endurance test to this first phase, but not for everyone, the Hyuga wondered how such an unfair testing method had been approved. He realized a moment later, those who left to go relax wouldn't get to see their competition, those who passed early and returned to their inns to rest for the next phase would likely miss out on crucial information.
Naruto and Sakura were both clearly impatient for a fight, and thankfully the man continued, "You punks can call me Arahashi, I'm the head examiner for this first phase, but you're being watched by chunin make no mistake!" he laughed, no one else did as they'd all noticed the chunin lurking about, "However your sensei all get to watch these fights too, seemed more fun that way, to me at least!" he continued boisterously, "But these ain't normal one on one or three versus three battles!" he announced, "This is a simulation, as each team comes up, you're to organize yourselves in a marching order. Scout goes first, followed by vanguard, and a leader taking up the rear! Obviously other formations exist but this one suits the purposes of this exam!" he explained loudly.
Sasuke was starting to suspect he understood the purposes of the formation, "Sasuke-kun should be leader obviously." Sakura spoke up quietly, as other teams started murmuring.
"No way, my magnificent self is the strongest." Naruto shot back childishly.
"That's not all there is to leadership you dunce!" Sakura hissed, annoyed with the horned blonde for arguing.
"Both of you shut up, Naruto will probably end up in the leadership position anyway." Sasuke shut them up quickly, surprising the two that he wanted the kenjutsu specialist in charge.
Shino overheard and wondered why the Uchiha would not want the leadership role, "So, first of all, team Josui versus team Shinsei!" Arahashi spoke up, and two Kusa teams made their way up to the arena, organizing themselves as they want, "We need plenty of space for the competition, so stay outside the available red tape!" the man continued, and Naruto looked around for it as he hadn't noticed it but saw his teams were already well outside of it, "Alright, first the scouts and I'll explain how these formations work for this competition!" the man boisterously declared.
The scout for the team lead by Josui had shades on and was dressed in beige clothing with a tan mantle, having short spiky brown hair peaking over his hitai-ate, while the Shinsei team scout wore all white robes and carried a brass staff, having long black hair and brown eyes himself. Sasuke wondered if there was some significance to the staff, but as near as he could tell it was a basic weapon made of affordable materials.
"A scout is to look ahead!" Arahashi continued, "As such, this is your last chance to size up your opponent and back off for the vanguard to fight in your place!" he explained, much to the surprise and confusion of the assembled genin.
"Why would anyone back down there!?" Naruto asked loudly, baffled by the very idea and visibly taken aback.
"Shut up and let me finish!" Arahashi snapped, glaring at the blonde for a moment before clearing his throat, "As I was saying, a scout is not generally supposed to fight the enemy alone, but clashes with enemy scouts are inevitable! However more important than defeating the enemy is information! Should the scout deem himself capable, he could take out the entire enemy patrol!" the man announced with a laugh.
Sasuke nodded, "I'm the scout, congratulations on your leadership position, Naruto." he said with a smirk, amused that the blonde was irritated to have exactly what he wanted. Sakura was a little confused, but understood she would be vanguard.
Shikamaru meanwhile was considering his team, Ino was acting like the leader by deciding already that she should be scout, he would be leader, and Choji would be vanguard. The Nara supposed that made well enough sense, so he didn't argue, he could hear other teams nearby muttering about formations, but too quiet for him to make out useful details. Then he noticed Neji, Tenten, and Lee were arguing to decide who should be scout.
"I'm fastest." Lee grumbled.
"My eyes make me most suited to judging the strength of an opponent." Neji argued logically but quietly, "Tenten you be leader, I just know you'll damage the ring more than Lee somehow." he added, Shikamaru decided that counted as concerning information more than useful information.
Shino glanced at team seven, having overheard how they would handle things he considered his own position, "Kiba-san, I believe my abilities are the most 'last resort' among our team, are you fine with letting me take the leader role and going last?" he asked, the Inuzuka frowned and glanced at Hinata who was clinging to Naruto as if she was on his team but nodded, "Hinata-san, your Byakugan makes you most suited to scout in that case." the Aburame finished, unconcerned by being overheard too much as he was choosing his wording carefully.
Hinata nodded, anyone with eyes and history knowledge would know about her being a Hyuga, Shino's words would confirm it for those uncertain at worst.
Arahashi noticed all the genin trying to reorganize themselves, a few having waited until now to organize their teams at all or had been arguing until they got more information. This was by no means a perfect simulation of a war like he'd wanted but his Shinobigashira had talked him down to this simulation of a skirmish between shinobi cells at the very minimum. The tokujonin was a combat specialist, "Before I let you two kids try to kill each other, and keep in mind my chunin aides are here to stop you from landing that killing blow if they can, your teammates can also interfere!" he announced, much to the surprise of the genin.
"So if Sasuke is getting his ass kicked I can jump in." Naruto muttered to himself, nodding sagely as the Uchiha scoffed at the idea of that happening.
"As if." Sakura grumbled.
"However!" Arahashi continued, "The vanguard must be the one to step in for the scout, and the leader can choose to send himself or the scout for the vanguard!" he added, confusing the genin who wondered why the scout could be allowed to fight first, "The scout may only be chosen if they abdicated the enemy to their vanguard of their own free will though! Not if they needed to be rescued!" he added, explaining the rules he'd come up with.
Sasuke was starting to understand the purpose of this exam, it tested more than just combat, there was a simplified form of shogi going on with the genin as both the pieces and the tacticians. The Uchiha instantly glanced at Shikamaru, realizing that it would be a battle of tactics between Naruto and the Nara if cell ten had become strong enough that they couldn't just overpower them. Aoki was warning him not to underestimate cell eight either, so Sasuke was trying to size up how fights would go down should they be forced against certain match ups.
The Konoha genin all overheard one of Fu's team members, a plain looking boy dressed in green named Shigeki, take the leadership role and name Fu their cell's scout. The brown clothed boy with darker and shorter hair was apparently named Jin, who would be the vanguard for the Taki genin cell.
Finally, Arahashi stepped back, "Begin!" he announced for the first team. Maemi slowly realized what some others had already guessed, this was going to be an endurance event. If it was just endurance, that wouldn't be an issue and Naruto would come out on top. But this would be a test of focus, the genin currently fighting were testing each others defenses carefully. The Imp noticed her blonde master losing interest immediately and looking around for something to catch his attention.
Sasuke was able to focus on the fight despite the relatively low level of it, taking the opportunity to gauge potential threats. However the first match showed that one team was definitely not ready to be there, the genin with the brass staff knocking them out using C rank bojutsu at best. He'd even won each match with a ring out, something the Uchiha hadn't thought a thing until it happened.
Kakashi and Gai settled in for a long day, they noticed a few jonin getting into it, and Kakashi noticed the Kumo jonin from earlier just watching impassively. The Hatake supposed this Arahashi fellow had devised an interesting test at least, then he saw the gambling happening and realized how Kusa intended to afford all the free food and drinks they were giving. Not that the free drinks were unlimited, much to Kakashi's disappointment.
The silver haired jonin approached a betting table near the window overlooking the arena, but he didn't intend on gambling until his team was up to fight.
Arahashi called up another pair of Kusa teams, and Naruto grew ever more bored, tuning out the fight entirely as his mind wandered aimlessly. He caught sight of some birds but they weren't exactly within leaping distance, if they were closer he'd be tempted to use shunshin but as it was he watched them intently, his glowing pink slit pupils tracking the flight of the birds as they rested on a building away from the large group of assembled shinobi.
Sasuke was able to pay attention, watching a few more C rank fights play out, some using exotic weaponry, some sticking to taijutsu, a few even had ninjutsu. No one seemed to be using genjutsu, the Uchiha supposed it was a difficult ninpo to specialize in, especially with the common knowledge that dojutsu could commonly see right through genjutsu as their most basic abilities. Sakura however had gotten bored and closed her eyes, trying to focus on meditating while standing up.
All around the square, genin lost interest in the fights, many still watched for something to occupy themselves and gather information, but a few were making attempts at seeming relaxed. An older Kusa genin in a tan poncho and black pants approached the Konoha genin, "Any of you kids want something to drink?" he offered, lifting his leather jingasa to offer a reassuring smile. Sasuke didn't trust the man and offered a glare, Sakura following his lead.
"Huh?" Naruto asked, turning his attention away from the birds, "Yeah, sure." he accepted, holding out a hand. The man was surprised someone actually fell for it and pulled out a canned beverage.
"No holes in the can, I got plenty for my team and figured I'd be friendly." The man lied smoothly, Maemi detected it and warned Naruto mentally as he opened the can and both Imp and master smelled the poison.
Naruto smirked, it was a poison he had built up an intentional tolerance to, "My magnificent self prefers canned ramen broth," he said, earning weird looks from everyone who overheard, "but your gift is accepted." he decided, taking a sip.
Hinata was startled, wondering why her future husband would drink that. The older genin smirked, lowering his hat and turning to disappear into the crowd.
Naruto made a show of chugging the canned coffee, it was vanilla late so it wasn't too bitter for him anyway, "Good choice," he praised, "the iced coffee really covers up the poison you're using!" he announced with a laugh, startling everyone further.
"Why would you drink poison?" Sasuke asked dryly.
"Alcohol is poison and everyone drinks that." Naruto retorted with equal dryness, the two genin exchanging a silent glare for a moment as everyone registered that it was confirmed the Kusa genin was trying to poison his competition. There was a tense moment as he stood there, on edge as a few other teams glared at him. But no chunin moved to do anything, the team fighting in the arena was ignoring the goings on in the crowd.
Soon mutters spread, and everyone got the hint, underhanded tactics outside of the ring were allowed. Sasuke wasn't surprised that hadn't been stated, by not expressly forbidding it the proctor had basically left it up to the genin to police themselves. Until someone broke the floodgate though, everyone had clearly assumed such things wouldn't be allowed. The Uchiha wondered what kind of exam this Arahashi fellow was running as he noticed a few of the younger Kusa cells shying away from those older and more experienced than them.
Naruto ignored the ruckus he'd caused as he finished his free drink, also ignoring the glares of some of his fellow Konoha genin for making it obvious to everyone that underhanded tactics were allowed. Hinata knew her blonde lover had no way of knowing the older genin wouldn't be punished, but she was keeping an eye on any genin who strayed closer to their group.
As the day dragged on Sasuke wondered if there was something else to this phase of the exam, with Kusa having the most participating teams as the host, and those invited having sent so few, combined with this first phase effectively cutting the number of participants in half. The Uchiha realized a little late that he had no idea how many teams the examinations had begun with this time around, he supposed he could guess based on how many were left when they finished.
"Team Kakashi," Arahashi got Konoha's attention, as well as a few others with that famous name, "versus team Nomu!" he finished, giving each team time to line up for the fight. Sasuke noticed it was one of the two Ame cells present, the Uchiha found it suspicious that Kumo had sent less teams than a minor village like Amegakure but he had no idea what it could mean.
Kakashi assumed the Ame jonin who had jolted up from the bar in alarm was Nomu, "Oh, well that's just not fair." the man lamented.
Kakashi didn't want to kick a man while he was down, but, "I'd like to put sixty-thousand ryo on my team." the Hatake couldn't resist, it was easy money. Although unfortunately few people were betting on Nomu's genin so it wouldn't be a big pay out.
Sasuke squared off against the scout of Nomu's genin, a young man in a yellow jumpsuit with a beige mantle and a leather jingasa, the older genin readied an umbrella that the Uchiha assumed was a weapon of some kind, "Begin!" Arahashi gave permission and Sasuke activated his Kiiro-en, yellow flames igniting in his false golden eye as his right eye become a four tomoe Sharingan, at the same time his opponent unfurled his umbrella to cover his movements.
Unfortunately for the Ame genin Sasuke saw him swinging a ninjato that had been concealed in the umbrella at his neck before he even started and turned to poke the airborne shinobi in the throat with the end of his staff, knocking the older genin off balance right as he came off the end of a shunshin before following up with a jab to the solar plexus. The Kusa genin with the brass staff was startled, as that was how he'd dealt with one of his own opponents. He was glad he'd stuck around to watch more fights than the rest of his team.
Sasuke tossed his winded opponent from the ring before he could catch his breath and turned to face the remaining Ame genin, "I'm ready to continue, no need for my team to bother themselves." he announced arrogantly, mocking his remaining opponents to rile them up.
The vanguard of the Ame cell charged next, dressed similarly to his two team mates but clearly taller than the first, Sasuke noticed the leader was the biggest though, not just in height but in muscle, and he had a naginata. The Uchiha swayed aside of a kusarigama almost lazily, allowing the chain to wrap around his staff before orange flames ignited along his staff, turning the standard wooden bo to iron and fusing the chain to his weapon before tugging hard, disarming his opponent to make a weapon that blended bo, flail, and kama all in one.
Sasuke twirled his weapon a bit, carving up the ring between himself and his opponent slightly before, "I'm stepping in." the leader of Nomu's genin spoke up, stepping into the ring with his curved bladed polearm confidently. With a flick of his wrist the Uchiha disconnected the chain from his bow, sending the kama flying at the man who knocked it aside but still was struck by the chain flying past as his smaller and lankier team member dived out of the ring to take cover.
Yellow flames blazed from his left socket yet again but the Uchiha was surprised, "Huh, you're more dangerous than most genin here." he mused, wondering why this man was a genin. Instead of answering the muscular man charged, his blade readied against Sasuke. The younger genin lowered his stance as his orange flames shaped the tip of his staff into a spear, "Alright, bring it on." he mocked, his beak barely flexible enough to manage something that could be recognized as a smirk as the yellow flames over his golden eye died down.
It was an uncanny expression, but the older genin thrust his naginata forth only to have Sasuke parry the blow downwards with a flicking twirl of the tip of his spear and actually step on the haft just under the blade with his clawed left foot and grab on, focusing his chakra to ensure a good grip as he thrust for his opponents chest, aiming for a solid center mass blow in between the organs, critical enough to require medical attention, but not lethal.
Arahashi grabbed the spear, startling Sasuke with his speed, the Uchiha having deactivated his Kiiro-en the moment he'd seen how to win and not anticipated the speed of the proctor altering things, "Alright, Kakashi's genin win this with a wash from their scout!" the tokujonin announced, "Not bad, Uchiha-san." he mused, curious about the strange flames the boy used, but presumed they were a hijutsu he'd never heard of, which wasn't inaccurate per se.
Sakura looked impatient and irritated, surprisingly even at Sasuke for once, while Naruto looked upset, "Glory hog." the two accused in unison, each had wanted to fight. Sasuke shrugged, he hadn't even gotten boons for those fights, not even the last one. He'd also mostly stuck to the basics to conserve chakra, if anything they should be thanking him for letting them hide their true abilities for even a little longer but he supposed ninso were different from regular shinobi.