Konohagakure

Kakashi Hatake, the famed Copy Ninja, found himself nursing a raging headache on his way to the Sandaime's office. Honestly he would rather go another few rounds with an S-Rank missing nin than deal with this hangover. His gravity defying silver hair likely looked even messier than normal. Constant banging from the workers setting up the stage for the reaping tomorrow didn't help matters. This would be his cute little Genin's first reaping. Took a few hours to drive it through Naruto's skull that he couldn't volunteer. Even so as he climbed up the stairs, he made a note to himself to stay close to the blond knucklehead tomorrow. No need to risk anything.

Normally he was better at dodging Gai at the bar. But the man was particularly enthusiastic and 'youthful' and was able to successfully challenge Kakashi to a drinking contest. Jonin senseis tended to throw giant celebrations a few days before the Games. They would have told the poor bastards whose kids were selected by now, so every Jonin who wasn't preparing their Genin was probably in a similar state as him at the moment. He had really been hoping for a nice easy day, but when the Hokage sends a messenger first thing in the morning, it has to be important. So with a tired yawn Kakashi knocked on the office door.

"Enter," came the worn voice of the Sandaime.

Immediately Kakashi noticed two things upon entering the office. Or three things? The Sandaime wasn't alone, his two 'honored' teammates/advisors Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitakado were standing behind the Hokage. Did that count as one thing or two things? More importantly however was the complete lack of an ANBU presence in the room. No one in the shadows, no one under the floorboards, there wasn't even anyone stuffed in the cramped secret compartment in the ceiling. Either the ANBU had found some new hiding places even Kakashi couldn't find (could be possible, at his age he really shouldn't be drinking that much at Jonin get togethers anymore), or he was about to get a mission. The kind of mission that would take months, leave a long trail of bodies and likely give him a few new scars. Could he leave Pakkun to watch the kiddies? Nah, he might need him.

He certainly couldn't read Icha Icha in this meeting, fighting the urge to reach for his favorite book. He ignored the glare of the Hokage's advisors, seriously he was only fifteen minutes late, that's pretty good by his standards, and stood attentively. "Kakashi Hatake, reporting as ordered."

"Kakashi," the Hokage's somber tone confirmed his earlier suspicions. "I have a mission for Team 7 in the Land of Iron."

That last tidbit caught Kakashi off guard. Why all the secrecy, if this was just a basic Genin team mission? Maybe he really was losing his touch. "What's our assignment?"

"You will be escorting our Candidates to this year's Games," responded the old voice of Koharu.

The Games. No, NO! Weren't they supposed to give him at least a few weeks to prepare his Genin? They were just rookies for Kami's sake! None of them were ready for something like this.

'Kasahahi, stop please! What are you doing? Kakashi, KAKASHI!'

He tried to suppress his memories. "Lord Hokage, yes Sauske has the makings of an exceptional ninja, but he's just not ready for the Games. Especially with everything he's gone through."

"Kakashi, Sauske hasn't been selected for the Games."

Okay scenario two then. "I know the rumors but you can't really think it's a good idea to send Naruto. His chakra's incredible and he's unpredictable, but he's still developing the skills and control necessary for something like this. He'll die in there."

The Sandaime pinched the bridge of his nose. "We're not sending Naruto."

"You can't seriously think Sakura is-"

"Kakashi, none of your Genin have been selected for the Games."

"None of them?" the Hokage nodded, "Then forgive me Lord Hokage, but why am I here?"

Homura stepped forward. "Hatake, we've selected you to act as the mentor to this year's candidates."

"That's traditionally the job of one of their Jounin Senseis," Kaskashi stated.

The Sandaime sighed, "Homura, Koharu, could you please leave us for a moment." The two advisors glanced at each other and for a moment Kakashi thought they would protest. In the end the two nodded and slowly left the room. Hiruzen sighed before removing his hat and placing it on the table. He continued, quite warmer than before, "Kakashi I know how difficult this may be for you. However neither of the candidates currently have a Jonin sensei. As a Victor, and more so because of your skills and experience, you are uniquely qualified to do the job. Especially this year of all years."

Kakashi paused for a moment. "So the rumors are true then? Suna is truly sending their jinchuriki?"

The Hokage nodded again, "We have multiple accounts able to confirm this."

"Konoha has other victors, some of which have actually mentored before."

"Danzo has put forth one of the candidates," Hiruzen allowed that to sink in before continuing. "The boy is a trained and experienced killer. Whether or not he has what it takes to defeat the Ichibi Jinchuriki remains to be seen. It's likely the other villages have gained the same intelligence as us. A, Onoki, and Yagura will use every resource they have to win this year, to say nothing of the minor villages. Should the boy win, he will likely become the most influential and celebrated Victor the Games have ever produced. What Danzo will do with such a figure under his influence…" The Hokage left that thought unsaid. "He will need someone to guide him, both during and potentially after the Games. Someone who understands the effects of Danzo's control."

Kakashi slouched, if he was a Nara he would likely call the situation 'troublesome'. "What's his name?"

"Sai," the Hokage replied. He reached into his desk and pulled out a photo before handing it to his subordinate. The boy was quite young and very pale, but what Kakashi noticed most was the blank, emotionless look in his eye. A look Kakashi had once recognized in himself.

"And the kunoichi?"

The Sandaime sighed before reaching into his desk for another photo. "How familiar are you with the Kurama Clan?"

Sunagakure

Matsuri and Yukata found themselves waiting in line with the other female Genin. While they had observed the reaping several times as children, this was their first year as potential candidates. They had arrived at the courtyard with Mikoshi and Lo-Sensei, but had been split up for registration. Matsuri couldn't see Mikoshi anymore, likely he had already passed through registration, while Lo-sensei had surely run off to stand with the other Jounin.

"Isn't this so exciting Matsuri," Yukata ecstatically said, raising up her arms. "We're finally real Genin."

"We've been Genin for three months, Yuka," Matsuri replied conservatively. She had largely gotten used to her teammate and friend's abundant energy. It could still catch her off guard a little when it flared up during inappropriate moments like this.

"You know they don't take you seriously until after your first reaping," she responded just as enthusiastically as before. "Plus my favorite tea shop gives out free dango to Genin on reaping day. We totally have to go with Mikoshi after this."

Matsuri sighed, sometimes it was just better to go along with whatever Yukata said. Still the girl's optimism and energy could be infectious, and Matsuri found herself with a small smile despite her nerves. "Yeah, sure thing."

After about another half an hour of waiting, the two teammates reached the registration desk. A bored looking Chunin was sitting at the desk with a much more aware samurai observing. Matsuri had only ever seen samurai during Reaping Day, though this was the first one she had ever seen up close. As a neutral power the Land of Iron would host the Games every year with its samurai acting as the primary escorts for the candidates.

"Name, team and serial number," droned the Chunin. Like many Suna ninja the Chunin wielded a fan, though in this case she was using it for its natural purpose rather than ninjutsu. Even by Suna's standards this was a particularly hot day. Matsuri could already feel herself sweating. The courtyard where the Genin were divided was notorious for its lack of shade. She was not looking forward to standing there for potentially hours. She had no idea how the samurai was able to stay so rigid while wearing that heavy armor.

"Matsuri Sakamoto, Team 19, 1701284."

"Yukata Nakatsuka, Team 19, 1701286."

The Chunin checked both girls' names on the list and allowed them to pass through to the kunoichi section of the courtyard. Neither of them noticed the extra attention and care the Chunin gave to listing both their names. In the courtyard they found themselves waiting for another hour before the proceedings got underway, as more and more Genin filed in. Matsuri focused on the stage. The Kazekage hadn't arrived yet, though several Jonin, councilors and samurai were wandering around and setting up. She inadvertently found herself reaching for her johyo. Lo-sensei had told all of them to bring their weapons to the reaping, as was tradition. She had also explained that should they be reaped there was no need to panic. Whoever the Kazekage selected would quickly volunteer.

Still Matsuri couldn't quite shake her sense of unease. Lo-sensei had explained that that was perfectly normal for a Genin's first reaping. Matsuri would be expected to go through a few more of these before she made Chunin, so she had better get used to it. To distract herself, she ended up glancing towards the boys' section looking for Mikoshi. After a little while she finally made eye contact with her teammate, who was hanging out with a few other boys from their year. She waved over to him, only to stop part way when she realized he was shaking. It made sense that he was nervous, she was too, but his nerves must have been really bad for him to be shaking. It was only when she noticed who was standing nearby did she realize the reason for his logical terror.

Nearby wasn't necessarily the right word. The other Genin had given the pair a wide berth, though Mikoshi's group was certainly the closest. The Kazekage's eldest son was easily recognizable, with his black ninja suit, hood, and purple face paint. Though even he looked uncomfortable for reasons other than the intense desert son.

Standing next to Lord Kankuro was his younger brother, with his trademark red hair and gourd of sand. She'd only ever seen him a few times, but everyone in the village knew to avoid Sabaku no Gaara. The demon of the desert had been responsible for several grizzly murders, even now she could feel the blood lust radiating off of him. Just as she was about to turn away, the boy turned his head staring directly at her. She went cold despite the heat as his deadly glare appeared to stare into her soul. Like her teammate, she found herself shaking. The one thing that allowed her to stay standing was focusing on the dark rings surrounding his eyes. He appeared to snort before turning his head, though she remained transfixed.

"Matsuri, Matsuri, Earth to Matsuri," Yukata said. She had started waving her hands in front of her friend's face to gain her attention, at last breaking Matsuri from her trance.

Shaking herself out of her state, Matsuri replied, "Sorry Yuka, what were you saying?"

"I said they're about to start. Really Matsuri, you can be such an airhead sometimes."

Matsuri took a moment to digest the irony of that statement, but quickly realized her friend was right. The Kazekage was on the stage and was approaching the microphone.

"Greetings young shinobi of Suna, welcome to the reaping for this year's Genin Games." It was practically the same speech every year, yet still Matsuri remained focused on his every word. That might have been the power and authority exerted by the Kazekage or more likely it was a result of her need to think about anything other than the red headed demon standing nearby. The Kazekage continued.

"Even in times of peace, conflict never leaves this shinobi world. That is the ultimate truth of the shinobi, blood must always be shed. The blood of soldiers will always flow through the rivers, forests, mountains and deserts, as the nations struggle and compete. However in times of peace the blood of innocents at least can be spared. Today the fate of Suna lies not with our brave Jonin and Chunin on the battlefield of war, but with you Genin on a battlefield of equal importance. It is your role, as the future of our village, to demonstrate our strength for all to see, so that no village, nation, rogue ninja, lord or even Kage will dare challenge the people of this land."

"It is this burden we place on you, a burden we have placed on each of the generations that have come before you. A burden that you yourselves will place on the generations to come. The champions we select from among you today will be among the very best our village has to offer. At least one of them is certain to die, but do not mourn their passing as a tragedy. Rather celebrate and honor their sacrifice as they will give their life for the village, no different from the shinobi that fall in war. These Candidates will fight against the elite Genin of our rivals and will compose themselves with honor. They will fight for nation and of equal importance they will fight for glory. In these circumstances, as is often the case in true conflict the two go hand in hand."

This was where the Kazekage's speech normally ended, but to Matsuri and the other Genin's surprise, he continued. "It has been thirteen years, thirteen long years since the village last tasted victory. This is a streak that cannot be afforded any longer. The weight we place on our candidates this year is greater than ever before. It's not their lives that are at stake today, but the lives and livelihood of every person in this village. Nothing short of absolute victory can be tolerated. To the candidates that will be chosen shortly, know that I wish you luck, and I am certain that you will bring the success Suna requires."

There were some faint murmurings among the Genin and the civilians watching in attendance. The Chunin and Jonin however remained perfectly silent, displaying the qualities of professionalism expected from the ninja of Suna. After a short pause a polite applause rang out throughout the courtyard. At last a pair of samurai rolled out two giant glass balls, each filled to the brim with slips of paper. The Kazekage approached the ball on the left and slowly reached inside, grasping a single slip, before unfurling it. Matsuri's last thought before he read out the name, was why did they bother with all this ceremony in the first place if the Kazekage just picked the volunteers anyways.

"Matsuri Sakamoto."

Matsuri Sakamoto .

Matsuri Sakamoto.

At first Matsuri wondered why the Kazekage had just spoken her name, before she realized that she had been selected. Okay no reason for her to panic, she just had to remember what Lo-sensei said. Someone will volunteer. This will just be a fun story she'll tell in a couple of years. She could probably leverage some extra free dango at the shop out of this, maybe even guilt her team into treating her to barbeque later. Ignoring the worried looks Yukata and some of the nearby Genin were shooting at her, she started looking around for Lady Temari. Everyone knew she was the most talented kunoichi of all the current Genin in the village. At last Matsui caught sight of her, but Temari remained rooted to the spot staring straight ahead at her father.

"Matsuri Sakamoto," the Kazekage spoke out again. "Come down to the stage."

Matsuri found herself walking towards the stage without even realizing it. Okay still no need for her to panic, this happened every few years. The village just wants to add an extra bit of showmanship. The Kazekage will call for volunteers, someone will come forth in some grand display and everyone will end up cheering. She's just a bit player in all of this, the set up for the main event. She will be fine. She just needs to remember to bow to the volunteer and they'll send her on her way. She'll be a minor village celebrity for a few days and then everything will go back to normal. After what feels like an eternity she reached the stage, earning the attention of the Kazekage. He nods to hers with a stiff frown on his face. It's almost over, just a few more seconds and she can start breathing again.

"Are there any volunteers," the Kazekage calls out. They are really stretching this out. It better be some spectacle for them to scare her like this, something with music, fireworks and confetti. To Matsuri's surprise the Kazekage grabbed her hand. She remained perplexed as he raised her arm into the air. "I give you your female candidate for this year's Genin Games, Matsuri Sakamoto!"

The crowd started cheering as Matsuri began to contemplate what had happened. She was a rookie, she only started being a genin a mere three months ago. She hadn't even gone on her first C-Rank mission yet. She couldn't have been selected for the deadliest competition in the world. She looked out to the cheering crowd for her teammates. Yukata looked like she was on the verge of tears, Mikoshi seemed to have already let a few drops go. Even Lo-sensei seemed completely shocked, and had another Jounin patting her on the back. This wasn't real, any second now she would wake up in the hospital and they would tell her she had suffered some head trauma in a training accident.

The Kazekage put down her hand and walked towards the second ball. "Now for the boys."

However before he could reach into the ball for another slip, a large swirl of sand appeared on the stage. After a few moments the sand cleared, and Gaara emerged to the silence of the entire crowd. The boy's rapeseed voice somehow rang out for the audience to hear. "I volunteer."

The child's father looked at his son with disdain, before turning back to the crowd. "I give you your male candidate for this year's Genin Games, Sabaku no Gaara." Complete silence, not a word or even a gasp could be heard. He turned back to Gaara and Matsuri. "Make the unison sign."

She heard the Kazekage's order, but once again she realized she was frozen. She was going to die. Not only that, but she was going to die horribly, likely fully encased and broken in sand if she didn't suffocate first. She started trembling only for an iron grip to be placed on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw the glare of her Kazekage. Quite tenitavely she raised her hand towards Gaara, her still shaking fingers poised to make the unison sign.

The boy stared at her with a fully blank look on his face. She hadn't noticed before now, but they were the same height. He just continued to look at her, her gesture left unanswered, before turning around and walking towards a contingent of samurai. Her arm still outstretched, she barely noticed when a turban clad Jonin with red facial tattoos roughly grabbed her arm. "Come on now," Baki gruffly said as he pulled the girl towards the awaiting samurai.

Konohagakure

Suna, Iwa, Kiri, Kumo, Taki, Kusa, Ame, Oto, Shimo, Ishi, Tani, Hoshi and Nadeshiko. Counting Konoha, that's fourteen villages, twenty-seven candidates. Kakashi struggled to remember a larger edition of the Games, his own competition having a mere 16 candidates. It seemed that everyone was taking their shot at the Suna jinchuriki. A tantalizing prize, that clearly none of them could resist.

Konoha was one of the last villages to hold their reaping, giving the Copy Ninja the chance to observe some of this year's candidates. While in the past only notable lords and wealthy merchants could observe the Games, improvements in technology such as cameras and film now made the event and its buildup much more watable for the widespread public. While for the general public that meant crowding into the growing number of movie theaters, a select few could observe the Games on personalized viewing sets. Kakakshi himself could neither afford nor desire one of these rare sets for himself, but he was able to make use of one that belonged to the village in the Hokage's building.

The reapings for most of the minor villages remained untelevised, but it was a different matter for the 5 Great Nations. As always, Kiri appeared to have ready made killers for Genin. That white haired Hozuki boy had flashed an eerie smile at the cameras, displaying his pointed shark-like teeth, as he had walked up to the stage. Unsurprisingly for a Kiri genin, he was wearing a sword strapped to his back. The signature Suika Transformation of the Hozuki clan would likely be a handful. Kakashi made sure to mentally note the boy as a contender.

Iwa was sending the Tsuchikage's Granddaughter, a surprisingly bold and dangerous pick from the old fence sitter. If the girl possessed the Kekkei Tota then the games would likely be a forgone conclusion. He found it doubtful, Iwa had two jinchuriki, the Ichibi wasn't worth risking an ability as rare as that. No matter what, the kunoichi would surely be extremely dangerous. He also made note of the large male Genin, who could likely give an Akimichi a run for their money. While his size was his most notable factor, Kakakshi's attention was drawn to his carefree nature, a rare quality for a candidate. No trace of nervousness, determination or fear. Quite unique indeed.

By comparison Kumo's candidates seemed positively average. Both had swords strapped to their backs (seemingly a lot of kenjutsu experts in this year's games) but beyond that there didn't seem to be anything to distinguish them beyond a typical year's candidates. Both clearly displayed the nerves and determination one would expect from a Candidate. By the standards of the Games they were normal. While many might write off the duo after observing some of the candidates from the other villages, Kakashi knew better. Normalcy could be the perfect cover for the most dangerous shinobi.

Then there was Suna. If the Hozuki boy had the eyes of a killer, then the jinchuriki's eyes were those of a mass murderer. Sabaku no Gaara, even through the screen Kakashi could see the blood lust radiating off of him. Honestly he was half surprised that the red head hadn't murdered his kunoichi counterpart right there on the stage. Even with a batch of candidates likely handpicked to kill him, and everyone in the arena targeting him, the jinchuriki had to be the heavy favorite to emerge victorious.

With this thought Kakashi looked towards a clock on the wall. Huh the Reaping should have started thirty minutes ago. He was kind of disappointed no ANBU had been able to track him down and drag him to the stage yet. He had likely kept everyone waiting long enough, and quickly karwarimied to the stage just outside the building. It took less than a second for the Third Hokage and every other alert official to send him disapproving glares, which he promptly ignored as he searched the crowd for five specific Genin.

Genin were not the most patient bunch and neither were civilians, as the crowd was growing quite restless from the delay. As the soon to be mentor to the Candidates, the Hokage had likely insisted that the reaping didn't start until Kakashi got there. While looking for his Genin, his eyes spotted Gai with the other jonin instructors, but he shrugged off the look of shock his spandex adorned rival was sending him. It didn't take long to find Naruto and Sasuke. The two were standing together with some of the other rookies from their year. Naruto was hardly inconspicuous with his orange jumpsuit and was clearly making some sort of scene to Sasuke's displeasure. Tracking down Sakura wasn't much more difficult, as her defining pink hair also stood out even in a crowd this size. She was paying attention to the stage and unlike the other two, had noticed his sudden appearance. He would have to give her credit for her awareness.

Kakashi tuned out the Hokage as the ceremony officially got under way. It was a speech he had heard dozens of times before, and would likely hear several more times again. He struggled to find the two future candidates and while cursing the fact that he likely had the most noticeable Genin team in the entire shinobi continent, he missed the Hokage draw and read off a name from the kunoichi pool.

"I volunteer!"

Yakumo Kurama had been standing closer to the stage than Kakashi had expected. It made sense in a way, the brown haired girl was reputedly frail. As he watched her struggle up the steps, he spared a look back toward the jonin senseis searching for Kurenai. After reading Yakumo's file he could understand why the Yuhi hadn't been selected for mentorship, though he still believed that a mentor with a personal connection to at least one of the candidates would likely have been better than him. Strangely enough Kurenai was nowhere to be found. Perhaps the Sandiame had covered all his bases by ensuring that the genjutsu mistress was out of the village for the reaping on a minor mission.

It seemed strange to send a girl with no skill in ninjutsu or taijutsu to the Games, but if half of what her file said about her genjutsu ability was true, then she was a dangerous wildcard who could help upend the Games. Her unpredictable nature and apparent mental instability made her an asset the village could afford to lose. Distracted by his thoughts, Kakashi once again missed out on the Sandaime's next announcement.

"I volunteer," a cheerful voice rang out through the crowd.

Sai, last name unknown. Danzo's operative climbed the stage wearing the least convincing smile Kakashi had ever seen. Sighing while placing his face in his palm, he realized that was something he would likely have to work with the boy on. How could a mentor teach a kid to fake a smile without revealing his own face? Maybe one of his Genin could help. As the pair made the unison sign and received the Hokage's congratulations, Kaskashi slowly walked over to make his introductions.

"Yo, I'm Kakashi Hatake and I'll be your mentor for the next few weeks," he said with what he knew was an actually convincing fake grin.

The girl nodded towards him and keeping his fake smile the boy responded "It's a pleasure Captain Kakashi." Yeah that smile would need a lot of work.

As the samurai approached them, Kakashi saw his normal Genin struggle their way up the stage. He had told them to prepare the night before and to find him as soon as the reaping was over with the justification that they would have a mission right afterwards. While technically true he had purposely left out the details, they weren't quite professional enough yet to be trusted with keeping secret the information that their sensei would be involved in the Games before his role as this year's mentor was made public. At least they all had their packs ready, though he suspected that Naruto likely had more ramen cups than essential provisions. Kakashi groaned for what felt like the millionth time in the last few days. This was going to be a long mission.

Continuing the process of cross-posting this from AO3. Will add the next chapter in a couple days. Chapter 3 is by far the shortest in the story, so I might end up fusing it with chapter 4.

Next time: there are some complicated feelings going on among Kusa's Candidates, as they wait for the Games' opening ceremony in "Welcome to the Land of Iron"