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"What the hell happened in here?"
A loud crash resonated throughout Ino's room as Kankurou cautiously stepped in behind Sasuke, gaping openly at the sight before him. An assortment of dresses, shirts, pants and skirts were heaped up into what resembled colourful, bright and sparkly mountains of clothing all over the room, heavily restricting any means of movement around it. To top it all off, tubes of cream, lipstick and (almost) every other cosmetic item littered the tiny dressing table in the corner of the chamber, giving off an overwhelmingly pungent smell of overused hairspray and - Temari's 'Desert Rose' perfume?
"Kankurou? Is that you? We're in the bathroom! Just hang on a sec, we'll be right there!" The muffled sounds of his sister's voice were barely audible through the thick piles of clothing and he wandered what on earth caused such a mess in the room when he heard another crash coming from the bathroom.
"Sheesh, Tenten! That's the third time you destroyed my hair curler this week! I don't even know why you keep doing it!"
Tenten childishly blew a raspberry at Ino. "Can't help it - I don't 'do' curly hair, get that through your empty head already."
Seething, Ino waved around a deformed device in front of Tenten's face. "Then why the hell do you always bend my hair curlers into candy canes every time I approach you with one? I know we've never been the best of friends, but at least refrain from destroying the very things that I am trying to help you with! You're just so mean, and selfish, and irrational - what have I ever done to you?"
Sensing the sudden hostility in the air, Kankurou rushed to the bathroom with Sasuke right on his tail. It was, had been, pristine white before their teammates littered it to the brim with more accessories. The quarreling girls stood at the center, misshapen hair-curler lying neglected on a dressing table.
"Mean, selfish, and irrational?" Tenten smirked, "Says the girl who can barely even walk down a hallway without yelling at her little posse of wannabes. When was the last time you were nice to someone without acting for your own interests? Ever heard the word genuine? And plus, I didn't ask for your help."
Ino scoffed. "Whatever, you say, Miss Inferiority Complex. I'm generously lending my equipment to help you look good, for once, and for the good of the team. At least I have the decency to shut up and deal with it. Get the hell over yourself!"
"Girls," Temari interjected as Kankurou let out a sigh of relief, "If we were back at home, I wouldn't care who or what you two have your pathetic little spats over. Frankly, no one does anymore. But we are in Konoha. We're representing our country, whether we're outside, smiling to the crowds, or indoors, preparing for who-knows-what they're throwing at us later on." The eldest girl glared down at her female teammates, scowling as they looked down apologetically. This was typical of them, starting a commotion in the hallways, and acting as if they really were sorry. They never were.
Sasuke coughed loudly to bring an end to the deathly silence. They only had an hour left to prepare, and although he and Kankurou were most definitely done, Tenten and Ino were far from ready. Fortunately, Temari seemed to realise this as well, and ordered the two girls to "put on your bloody dresses and behave, or you'll be on the first bus back to Suna before I can say 'Gensho'."
He didn't miss the way the blonde and brunette gave each other dirty looks when Temari's back was turned, or the way the words "whore" and "outcast" were exchanged between them. Frankly, he didn't care. They had a game to win, and the more fire they had, the better.
"Ano, Shikamaru-kun, have you s-seen Naruto-kun recently?"
Said boy's head lazily fell backwards to look up at his new companion.
"Oh, Hinata. He-" A sudden thought popped into his head mid-sentence. Naruto was no doubt fooling around with that green idiot and aggravating Sakura to no end. Sakura herself wasn't a bad person in Shikamaru's eyes. She just had a bad temper. And monstrous strength. Nothing to be afraid of, right?
Troublesome. He had known for a long time that Hinata loved the Uzumaki idiot and that the one thing - person - who stopped Naruto from returning her feelings was undeniably Haruno Sakura. Hinata knew that for sure, after all, Naruto wasn't exactly subtle about his supposed 'love' for the pink-haired Gensho.
"-he's probably with Sakura." He regretted saying that immediately after a hurt look adorned the Hyuga heiress's features. He should have known it was painful for her to hear that. "Oh, gee. Look, I'm sorry-"
"It's alright, Shikamaru-kun." She smiled brightly at him, although he could tell it was the professional smile she plastered on her face out of habit from years of decorum lessons. "You are not the one at fault."
An awkward silence followed.
"You look nice tonight, Hinata." She looked surprised that the notoriously lazy Nara boy complimented her but quickly recovered with a genuine smile directed towards him. Shikamaru hoped she wouldn't automatically misunderstand his compliment like so many other girls did when Naruto praised them. He just wanted to cheer her up, and was panic-stricken for a moment. He didn't want any relationship at a time like this. He was relieved, however, at her distant smile.
"T-thank you, you dashing tonight as well, Shikamaru-kun. I'd best be off now, Niisan will be waiting for me. Good luck in the Tournament, it is an honour to be in the same team as you."
With a deep bow, to which he responded with a respectful nod and smile, she walked off, exquisite lavender kimono swaying in the light breeze.
"Right, the Tournament," he mumbled to himself, "I should probably meet up with the others in the Hokage's office to meet the Suna people."
He sighed. Troublesome.
An inky black blanket covered every inch of Konoha's horizon line, stars embedded and twinkling like diamonds in the night sky. Underneath, the merry festivities celebrating the return of the Gensho Aliance Tournament have begun. People - both old and young, rich and poor - from different lands flocked into the village in the hopes of securing a lodging in one of Konoha's many hotels in order to watch over the course of the Tournament; it was a source of entertainment for every day citizens and a mingling of daimyos and potential clients for both shinobi and Gensho competitors.
Children clustered around toy and lolly stores in the same manner ants would to a sticky drop of honey, eager to purchase novelty items to consume or play with. Young couples, still experiencing the earlier stages of a relationship, shyly held hands as they strolled down the streets, taking in the lavish decorations hung all over the village. In contrast, elderly couples ambled around the festivities either in an aggravated or joyful manner as they pushed through the throngs of people.
The sky was soon brimming with multicoloured fireworks, signifying the end of the Ceremony's festivities. Almost immediately, all civilians were piling into the nearby training dome to grab a seat around the wide arena inside. Their eyes were wide with anticipation, undoubtedly to catch sight of Sunagakure's competitors, whom they had been unable to see at their arrival. People bustled to and fro, some to sell their products amongst the newly-formed crowd and others to find their family members.
Meanwhile in the Hokage Building, fourteen teenagers stood facing each other - seven on each side - in tense silence, as if assessing each other's visible abilities.
"Ugly." All of Team Konoha glanced abruptly at the speaker, shocked at his sudden statement. Sai looked towards his teammates, who were either holding back sniggers to maintain peace or sending him looks of utter horror. "Isn't she?"
When met with blank looks, he continued. "Her forehead is so wide that I could draw hundreds of my lions on it and still have plenty of space available. What's your name, Ugly?"
His empty eyes turned towards the pink-haired Gensho of his opposing team, whose green eyes widened upon being targeted, as he awaited his answer. He saw a pair of cold white eyes glaring at him disapprovingly and two strangely-dressed men shaking with rage beside Ugly. His eyes rested upon the girl again and he noticed she was also quivering - angrily? - with more fury than the two green and orange boys put together. Sasuke was disguising his laughter as coughing ("Burn."), so that clearly meant that he was promoting social harmony magnificently.
"Haruno Sakura." Then, as quickly as it appeared, all traces of anger were gone and replaced by a sickly sweet smile. His head cocked to the side, intrigued. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't insult me like that, thank you."
He felt confused, although the confusion was not shown on his face. "Insult you? Didn't I tell you the truth?"
A vein visibly throbbed at her temple as Sakura took several deep breaths to reign in her temper. Sai observed her reactions with amusement. He barely registered two brightly coloured figures hurtling towards him at the speed of light before he drew out his sword, only to find the perpetrators flying back in a blur and smashing into the opposite wall. Sai looked around, startled. His teammates were no longer in their previous positions. Instead, they surrounded him protectively - like a herd, he thought - in their primary battle stances and surrounded by a circular trail of sand - Gaara's sand. This went against the code they had agreed on earlier - to keep their abilities low key until the ceremony - but Sai supposed that it was completely obvious what his ability was, given that his gourd was practically brimming with sand.
He looked forwards and saw Temari standing directly in front of him with her giant fan positioned carefully in front of her. Even without seeing the ferocious snarl on his leader's face, he could tell that she was poised to strike judging by the tenseness of her shoulder blades.
"Who's the Captain?" she asked, her voice laced with venom. A frightening silence ensued. Both teams were prepared to fight - save for the pineapple-headed leaning against the other wall. A sudden movement caused the opposite team to step aside to make way for the white-eyed boy Sai spotted earlier.
"I am," he replied levelly.
"Then I assume you know how high the stakes will be if your...teammates attack one of my own?"
"And I assume you know the risk of allowing your brethren to ruthlessly insult a highly-respected member of my team?"
"Sai was not raised to take others' feelings into account. He is still learning. Can you blame him for that?"
"No, but I blame his guardian for raising such an abhorring, socially inept human being."
Team Suna stiffened at the boy's words. No one, no one, insulted Sai's guardian. No one. Temari's eyes were darkened with hate. She smirked sinisterly.
''Perhaps you're the one who is socially inept, Hyuga Neji." He regarded Temari suspiciously, no doubt wondering what led her to that conclusion. Sai observed Tenten looking at the Hyuga coolly, and in the same manner that Gaara was.
"That's quite enough." A booming female voice broke them out of their tense state and all competitors scrambled back to their original positions. The busty woman - Senju Tsunade - strode past the younger Gensho and sat down in her desk, head resting on two clasped hands. She gave her home team a quick, disappointed look, knowing what had happened prior to her interruption.
"I hope you have all enjoyed your time down in the village plaza with our Opening Ceremony festivities. I would like to, again, welcome our visitor team from Sunagakure to our beautiful village. I presume your stay so far has been hospitable?"
The question was directed towards Temari, who hesitated before smiling gently. "Yes, Principal Tsunade, it has been very pleasant so far."
Seemingly pleased, the elder lady continued, "Your roommates will be spending an enormous amount of time with you during your stay. However, I have assigned tour guides to all of you for the first few days and they will also be your training partners as well - just to mix up the abilities a bit. Information about the final segment of the Tournament shall be revealed to you all in due time, but just remember it will be situated in the Forest of Death."
Collective gasps around the Team Konoha side of the room were silenced by the Principal.
"You all have a crowd waiting for you downstairs. Follow me."
Tsunade watched all competitors walk calmly into the arena, greeting the crowd with radiant smiles as they did so. They were lead by the emcee to stand in a large circle, where they proceeded to blow kisses in every direction and wave gracefully. Sunagakure's females were clad in shimmering black dresses flowing around their toned legs wherever they went and the team's males were comfortably suited in tuxedos and humourously posing for the crowd and media crews to snap several - hundred - photos of them.
Her eyes then fell onto her own team. They stood like stiff wooden boards nailed to the ground, with the exception of Naruto and Lee, who looked like they were growing more and more energetic with every snapshot aimed at them. Tsunade frowned. Konohagakure's team were practically family to civilians of the village and yet the visiting team were far more open.
The time for Gensho ability sneak previews began with the blaring of fanfare and the crowd fell silent. The ever-silent Hyuga Neji was the first of all Tournament members to display his abilities and the pressure was on him to make the initial impression for his team. He did not disappoint, as hundreds of flying kunai with explosive tags attached flew from all directions and blew up when colliding into what seemed like an invisible barrier around him. The audience ooh'ed and ah'ed upon seeing this and he bowed stiffly before walking out of the arena.
The second was Nara Shikamaru, who was famous not only for his mental prowess inherited by all his clansmen, but his notorious habit of being completely and utterly lazy. This suited his Gensho ability perfectly, Tsunade thought, considering the fact that the boy was almost always hidden in the shadows. Gasps and screams resounded through the entire arena as Shikamaru physically melted into the shadows surrounding him and materialised on the other side of the stadium. He silently walked off the stage with his posture slumped unhealthily. Tsunade rolled her eyes. She'd have to fix up that boy's posture herself if he didn't want to live the rest of his life with a hunched back.
Haruno Sakura was her pride and joy - the girl who excelled in her healing classes and the one Tsunade herself gave private lessons to after seeing her immense potential as a healer. As her protégé, Sakura became one of the most well-known Gensho in the village for her profound intelligence and brute strength. The Sannin smiled proudly when Sakura jumped high into the air and landed with her fist facing downwards, causing the earth to literally shatter beneath her touch. The crowd gaped at her with wide eyes as the dust settled down, revealing a happily smiling Haruno girl who waved happily and skipped out of the field.
Tsume's only son, she registered, was Inuzuka Kiba and if she wasn't mistaken, their clan specialised in dog jutsus - although she had no idea what Gensho ability he inherited from that line. A majestic white dog - Akamaru, as he called out during one of her classes one day - followed him, tail wagging energetically. Kiba gave a loud whistle and stood up straight, eyes sparkling mischievously. The viewers looked around, expecting to see an explosion of some sort and they expected right, however it was more of an explosion of animals; dogs and cats came barking and meowing through the large double doors, rapidly followed by the nearby horses. Birds from every corner of the village flocked in through the large hole at the top of the arena, squawking as they glided in. Spectators looked on in awe at the rarer, endangered creatures entering and clapped enthusiastically at his display. Grinning from ear to ear, Kiba bowed several times and marched out with the assortment of animals, who were following his every movement.
Hyuga Hinata's performance was similar yet different to that of her Inuzaka teammate's one, only hers differed in the way that she seemed to influence the land around her to shift back from its chaotic mess to its initial state with a single touch and the activation of her Byakugan - a centuries-old dojutsu trait seemingly adjusted to suit the Gensho spirit's requirements. Tsunade unconsciously compared Hinata's exhibition to her cousin's. Whilst she needed her Byakugan to activate to unleash her ability, Neji appeared to relinquish that activation power and demonstrated his ability without the trait. Perhaps, she thought, he is far greater with the dojutsu..
Her thoughts were soon thrown into the back of her mind as a familiar, hyperactive boy she knew and loved like a son leapt into the stadium and stood with his hands on his sides while grinning idiotically at the ecstatic crowd. They knew him too well for being the local prankster for a majority of his life and the adopted son of the Legendary Toad Sannin Jiraiya. Within a second, hundreds of orange Narutos littered the stadium, screaming loudly and pushing around for more space. Tsunade facepalmed, almost embarrassed to witness the sight. Suddenly, they all vanished into thin air, and in the centre of the arena was a cross-legged Naruto meditating in an eerily still manner. The audience sat still with him and leaned forward ever-so-slowly whilst craning their necks around in order to not miss what the boy was about to execute. Naruto's eyes opened and Tsunade widened her eyes in surprise. Jiraiya, what did you-? How is he able to perform both shinobi techniques and maintain his Gensho abilities?
She missed Naruto's final trick, to which the onlookers applauded fervently at. Looking up, she saw him jumping up and down with his arms in the air and merrily running around in circles ("I'm gonna be the Hokage, 'ttebayo!"). As he finally exited the grounds, Tsunade shook her head and laughed to herself. That boy definitely inherited his teacher's personality.
The female Sannin nearly spat out the sake inside her mouth when the last Konoha competitor stepped in from the double doors. Green jumpsuit, check. Orange arm and leg warmers, check. Hideous bob, check. Thick eyebrows, check. Complete disregard and ignorance of my uniform rule, check. Now that I think about it. Naruto didn't wear the uniform either... She slammed her fist on the armrest. I'll deal with them later. She stole another horrified glance at the bushy-browed boy, an exact replica of Maito Gai himself and wondered what on earth drove him to adopt such a costume. She identified the boy as Rock Lee, who was, according to the files she was given on him, extremely adept in the martial arts department. Well, it's not wrong - the boy's movements are lightning fast and he hasn't missed a single target.She massaged her temples to soothe her throbbing headache. Those last two boys, in her opinion, were far too much to handle.
It was time for the long-awaited Sunagakure participants to showcase their abilities. A sandy-haired girl with her hair pulled up into four spiked ponytails appeared to float into the centre of the field, drawing out a large metal fan adorned with three purple moons on its surface. She then continued to wave the large fan around as though minimal effort was required to perform such a feat and gave it a final sweep, resulting in a furious windy storm from which everyone watching immediately crouched down in their seats to avoid. Tsunade was surprised, to say the least, when immense amounts of sand, black and white dragons (drawings, they looked like) and a strange purple substance spiralled into the swirling tornado.
As it died down, Tsunade barely caught sight of the entire seven members of Team Suna standing in a group in the centre when a slender brunette girl elegantly leapt into the air and hide the team from view in a large metal half-sphere. Unexpectedly, the hemisphere began to emit sparks of blue electricity as if it were charging up itself. The static lines distorted and meandered uncontrollably up into the very top of the dome before releasing a single thick, white, tinted blue bolt of lightning straight into the air where the clouds split apart while forming a wonky circle around the lightning bolt. Onlookers gazed at the phenomenon in amazement, during which the metal dome disappeared and revealed the visitor team smiling and waving while a thin girl with her blonde hair tied up into a high pony tail stepped forward with her hands forming a diamond-shaped seal. Following that movement, a smooth, female voice resounded through everybody's ears. Heads turned from side to side desperately to identify the speaker, but it was difficult pinpoint as no one's mouth was forming her exact words.
'-nd gentlemen, boys and girls, we, as Sunagakure's Team in the Gensho Alliance Tournament, would like to thank you for your village's generous hospitality and-'
As the mysterious girl continued her speech, honey-brown eyes flickered down to observe the visitor team. So it's the front girl who's "talking" to the audience...and effortlessly as well. She mentally assessed each of the six competitors positioned behind the telepathic girl, who were barely keeping their smiles to themselves as they wholeheartedly bowed and waved to the applauding civilians. Such flawless teamwork...
"Shizune." Tsunade gave said woman a quick nod. A look of understanding appeared on Shizune's face and she shuffled towards the podium to begin her congratulatory speech.
Principal Tsunade leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes.
Let the games begin.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
I'd actually just realised that this story has an incredible amount of two-dimensional characters and, dare I say it, dickheads. Apologies if this isn't appealing to you in anyway. That being said, please review!
~misspandalily