Chapter #36: "Genin round-up: The Preliminaries begin!"
*Note: Credit goes to the following authors for the following team(s)
-Tengaigakure: Ayane Shuura, Sono Ishikara, and Nikaari Shuuma. Credit goes to Quzor.
-Konohagakure: Ansari Hotaru, Kaori Kasume, and Kyoshi Katsurou. Credit goes to TheWrongVine.
-Iwagakure: Hiroto Yamanouchi, Honoka Yamaguchi, Atsuko Yamaguchi, and Masaru Dazai. Credit goes to SpectacularInsanity
Somewhere in a deep dark cavern, lies a hidden villa a few miles outside of Kumogakure. A light-skinned, slender youth garbed in a black tank-top, shorts, sandals, and fingerless gloves, walked down a dark walkway carrying a lit torch. He had long spiked hair that stood up and curved back, his eyes were deep brown, and his face showed a sinister grin painted on.
The youth arrived at a pair of large wooden doors with red kanji painted on either one. The kanji meant “Cavern Village.” The youth pushed open the large wooden gates, revealing an old yet ornamental mansion laying twenty or so feet away from the gates. The youth approached the mansion and was spotted two masked guards, “You’re late!” one of them declared. “Get lost!” the youth barked back. “Lord Mizaru will be most displeased with you.” the second guard said. “Mind your own damn business!” the youth cursed, shoving the guard into the other, knocking them both down. “If you continue to annoy me I’ll just have to kill you both, how about that?” The youth asked.
The youth stepped up onto the mansion’s porch and opened the front door, entering the foyer. “Shin, shin come in here!” A voice cried from another room. The youth, Shin; followed the voice into a small bedroom, where Mizaru was sitting up in a bed. “Ah there you are Shin.” Mizaru said with a smile. “I was told you were expecting me?” Shin replied. “Of course, but you always come through for me, so never mind your lateness.” Mizaru added. Shin grinned, “Well since you put it that way…” He said, turning his back and scratching the back of his head. Mizaru sat silently, staring at Shin, his smile had long vanished and was replaced by a serious look. “What news have you brought me, I pray that it is to my liking?” Mizaru asked. Shin shook his head, “The old man’s still a threat, other than that just about all of the village is fighting a war that doesn’t even concern them.” Shin replied. “I see…yes that war was my exit from the confines of that wretched village!” Mizaru said. “So then…what shall you do?” Shin asked, facing Mizaru. Mizaru smiled once more, “That is why I have you Shin…you are the answer to this problem.” Mizaru finished with a laugh.
The genin shinobi were all gathered within the confines of the Kumagimo Tower. Before the genin stood all of their respective jonin; Tita, Misame, Mikoto, Shuun, Hiroto, and Taki. Mikko smiled and waved to Tita, who merely nodded politely so as to not look silly in front of the other jonin. The Rokudaime and Ai Asagiri also stood by Katsura, who was eying down the remaining groups of genin. “Well, now that the big field mission is over, anyone who wants to back out now may do so without worrying about disqualifying their teammates.” Katsura announced. There was a stark silence in the room, and no one said a word, much less breathed. Katsura looked around, Umikira stood deathly quiet with his arms folded and stared at her, while Lin-Lin looked unsure and confused, yet said nothing. “Alright, so I will take the silence as a sign that you are all ready to continue.” Katsura said. Katsura turned and nodded to a nearby gate captain who signaled and the large doors to the tower slowly crept open. Katsura stepped aside, allowing the large groups of genin to enter the tower. “Okay, everybody in!” Katsura exclaimed with a smile. “Oh wait, I almost forgot: the goal is to reach the top of the pagoda.” Katsura said. “Each team will be entered through after a certain amount of time has elapsed.” Katsura explained. “Team one will be the first contestants.” Katsura added.
Mikko’s group was the first to enter through the opened doorway and into the lingering darkness. “Guys, this place is like pitch black!” Mikko cried. “Just keep close to us and we should be alright!” Tanzou replied. “I have this feeling like we’re going to end getting lost!” Hishegami said. “What are you talking about?” Mikko asked, before walking right into a wall. “OUCH!” Mikko groaned. “Mikko, you okay?” Tanzou asked. “Yeah, I’m fine except my nose aches!” Mikko replied, cupping her nose with both hands. Tanzou pulled out a lighter and felt around the wall, “I knew it!” He exclaimed, pulling down and holding an unlit wall torch. “A torch!?” Hishegami asked. “Pretty archaic huh?” Tanzou added. “Well at least we’ll have light now.” Mikko said. Tanzou light the torch with his lighter and held it up in the air. “I think I see a path that goes further along.” Tanzou declared. “Great, let’s follow it.” Mikko said. “Wait guys, how do we know if this takes us to the top or not?” Hishegami asked. “We don’t, that’s why we have to follow it and hope that it gets us there.” Tanzou said. “Oh great.” Hishegami mumbled.
The trio walked through the darkly corridors of the pagoda, and soon realized that this was no ordinary pagoda, that in fact the lower layout of the Kumagimo Tower was a series of complex mazes, and seemed ever shifting. “Hey guys, I just noticed something!” Hishegami exclaimed. “It looks like whenever we reach a certain point, the entrance we used is replaced by a wall!” Hishegami added. “Yeah I noticed that too, something’s odd about this place for sure.” Tanzou said. “As long as we reach the top then there’s no worries right?” Mikko asked. “I don’t know…” Tanzou responded. Mikko shrugged and chuckled, trying to shrug it off. But there was no shrugging off the severity of the current situation.
Meanwhile the remaining teams waited outside the Kumagimo Tower, waiting for their chance to enter and ascend to the top. Katsura looked to a Chunin officer, “Do you think enough time has passed yet?” She asked. The officer nodded. “Alright then, the next team may enter!” Katsura exclaimed. Umikira, Satoru, and Fuuko approached the darkened doorway and looked onward, all in anticipation except for Umikira who at the moment seemed devoid of all fear and emotion. “You may now enter.” Katsura declared. The Mist Trio stepped into the darkened pagoda, and looked around for a path to follow. “So where are we supposed to go?” Satoru wondered. “We’re just supposed to get to the top, but everything is all dark and weird.” Fuuko added. “Shut up and follow me!” Umikira interrupted harshly. “There he goes again; he’s got his dander up!” Satoru exclaimed.
Mikko, Tanzou, and Hishegami arrived on what they believed to be the fourth floor of a seven floored Pagoda. This floor was dimly lit with oriental paper lanterns and cobwebs were decorated around the ceilings and corners of the fourth floor, adding a new layer of creepiness. “What is this?” Mikko wondered to herself. “Scary as hell is what it is!” Hishegami answered for her. “You’re right though, this floor is not very welcoming.” Tanzou added. Mikko looked around until she spotted a pair of wooden doors, “Hey do you supposed this is the way up?” Mikko asked. “Let’s try it and see!” Mikko added. “Mikko wait!” Tanzou cautioned, but it was too late. Mikko pulled open one of the wooden doors revealing not an exit but a mirror of sorts. “Could be a trap…?” Tanzou finished. “What is it?” Hishegami asked approaching it. “Don’t know, looks like a mirror to me.” Mikko said. “Yeah, but mirrors aren’t all swirly and weird looking.” Hishegami added while running her fingers on the surface of it. “And it feels all weird and smooth too.” Hishegami described. Mikko stood before it, staring deeply into the swirls upon swirls of the mirror vortex. “Mikko, come on let’s go Tanzou found us an exit!” Hishegami cried. But Mikko stood perfectly still, staring into the swirls. “What IS she doing?” Hishegami complained. “She’s in a trance!” Tanzou realized. “What!?” Hishegami replied in disbelief. "Katon: Fenikkusu Tai Karasu no Jutsu!" and almost familiar yet foreign voice yelled from beyond the swirls of the vortex, the voice being audible only to Mikko. (“W-who are you?”) Mikko asked herself. "My, my, such a pottymouth for such a young girl!" the voice cried from beyond the vortex. (“What are you talking about!?”) Mikko laughed and asked herself. “Do you remember how in Kusagakure, it almost never snowed?” the voice asked from beyond the swirling mirror vortex. (“Huh? What do you mean?”) Mikko asked herself. Suddenly Mikko’s widened and entranced eyes light up and turned normal, SLAM! Mikko blinked and looked around, Tanzou stood before after having slammed shut the wooden door. “Mikko, It’s time to move on.” Tanzou said. Mikko nodded, “Uh-right.” Mikko replied, scratching the back of her head. “What was it you saw in there anyway?” Hishegami asked. “What do you mean, didn’t you hear him?” Mikko asked. “Hear who, there was nothing but garbled static.” Hishegami replied. “Oh…that’s weird.” Mikko said just before walking through the exit. She turned and took one last look back at the door containing the mirror vortex.
Ai Asagiri and Iruta Udonishi stood in the ANBU commencement chamber along with fellow ANBU scout, Suichi. “This isn’t right, if we know something bad is happening then we should say something!” Ai announced. “And then what, alert a state of emergency within Kumogakure?” replied Suichi, a pale blue haired man wearing spectacles. Ai folded her arms abruptly and shook her head, I know the Oinin’s policy and what the Raikage has decided, but I don’t like it.” Ai added. “Would you rather have news of our state of crisis reach enemy ears?” Suichi asked. “Like who, Sawagakure?” Ai replied sharply. The doors opened up swiftly with a young woman anbu with long wavy ashen blond hair entering, her name was Haruna Kowaki. “Forgive me if I am interrupting anything but Lord Raikage requests our presence at the top of the Kumagimo Tower.” Haruna declared. Ai looked at her sharply, “The tower?” Ai asked. “That’s where ‘he’ went and saw his vision…” Ai added. Iruta watched Ai as a look of concern and upset took over her. Suichi and Haruna were silent as well while Ai swallowed the news. Ai gulped and wiped her forehead, “Fine, let’s go!” Ai finally exclaimed. The group of four Tokubetsu Jonin disappeared in a poof.
Umikira, Satoru, and Fuuko were finally on the fourth floor and had already discovered the exit, “Whoa that was a little convenient!” Satoru noted. “Seriously, I hate the dcor of this place.” Fuuko added. Umikira walked away from his peers and toward a pair of wooden doors, he pulled them open and stood blankly as the doorway showed swirling darkness and whispers and gnarls echoes back and forth to Umikira’s ears. He thought he saw glimpses of red or yellow flicker on and off within the backdrop of the vortex. Umikira also thought he heard someone speak just briefly “…the village.” Was that was audible to him. Umikira scoffed and closed up the wooden doors. “What was it, what did you see Umikira?” Fuuko asked. “Nothing…let’s go.” Umikira replied. Satoru and Fuuko exchanged unconvinced looks, both knowing that Umikira had indeed seen something in there.
What seemed like hours later, Mikko, Tanzou, and Hishegami arrived at the top of the tower, they scaled a mammoth spiraling staircase arriving at the supposed “Seventh” floor. “Hey guys, if this thing really is only ‘seven’ floors, then why does it feel like it was thirteen?” Mikko asked. “Illusions maybe?” Tanzou answered, while catching his breath. “Mirrors strategically placed in order to take us off balance.” Hishegami added. “That all sounds a little farfetched to me,” Mikko replied. “I mean everything we’ve encountered so far was like ‘real’ and ‘physical’, you know.” Mikko added. “Well so what Mikko, these Shilin statues guarding this gigantic door are ‘physical’!” Hishegami mockingly pointed out. “This large heavy door is ‘real’ and ‘physical’!” Hishegami said wrapping on the door several times. “See!?” Hishegami said nastily. “Everything in this god-forsaken pagoda is REAL AND PHYSICAL!” Hishegami cried out. Just then the large heavy doors opened up slowly, creaking and groaning, revealing the interior antechamber and the rest of the genin along with their respective sensei. Hishegami and Mikko both looked over to see them staring back at them rather unimpressed. “Hey maybe they’re illusions!” Mikko pointed. “They’re late.” Hiruko murmured. “Figures as much.” Pai said with a smirk. “Nope, they’re definitely real all right!” Hishegami said frustrated.
Mikko and Tanzou followed a frustrated Hishegami into the antechamber where the rest of the genin gathered along with their jonin senseis. “Team One, welcome back!” Katsura announced with a smile. “So it really DID take us hours!” Mikko groaned. “No, you were just slow as hell.” Rikki corrected. Mikko turned and scowled at him for the remark. “Now please make yourselves at home while we await the arrival of our very own Raikage!” Katsura exclaimed. Suddenly there was a loud poof, Rokudaime, Ai Asagiri, Iruta, Suichi, and Haruna all appeared in front of Katsura. “There is no need for further delays Miss Mitsurgi.” Rokudaime explained. “Suichi, would you please commence the preliminaries?” Rokudaime asked. Suichi nodded and approached the crowd of genin. “All of you will now take part in the preliminaries portion of the chunin selection exams, this portion will eliminate the loser from participating in the rest of the exams, while the victor will move on to compete in the Raigaou Stadium.” Suichi explained. “The two competitors will fight until you are either dead or unable to continue, does everyone understand?” Suichi asked. The crowd uttered some yeses and nods. “Good, now without further ado we will commence the preliminaries!” Suichi added. Ai Asagiri pressed a button on a remote, and a wall opened up revealing an electronic scoreboard. “This scoreboard will randomly generate the names of each contestant.” Suichi explained. “If you would begin the process please.” Suichi added. Ai pressed another button causing yellow lights to generate and swirl around and generate random names, then finally it stopped with two names. “The first contestants are; Makato Mikko, and Rokubi Akira!” Suichi exclaimed. Mikko gasped and her eyes widened, (“I’m first up!”) Mikko approached the center of the antechamber, meeting Suichi in the circle, while Akira followed and stood across from her. “Would the remaining genin please follow your instructors to the balconies above?” Suichi ordered. The rest of the genin split up, one side going up to the left balcony while the other went over to the right. The attention returned to Mikko, who was breathing in and out and checking her wrists. “Heh…me facing a girl!” Akira scoffed. Mikko smiled, “You’re gonna respect me soon enough pal!” Mikko exclaimed. “Whatever!” Akira replied unimpressed. Suichi looked the two genin over before raising his hand, “Are you both ready?” “Yes!” Mikko exclaimed. “Ready.” Akira replied. “Then this match has officially begun!” Suichi shouted lowering his hand and backing away.
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Chapter notes: Mikko Makato, Tanzou Murasaki, Hishegami Otokusa, Umikira, Satoru, Fuuko, Makki Fuhina, Batsou, Sanu, Pai, Hiruko, Li, Lin-Lin Shiranui, Rikki, Akira Rokubi, Mikoto, Misame, Ai Asagiri, Iruta Udonishi, Suichi, Haruna Kowaki, Rokudaime Raikage, Katsura Mitsurugi, Mizaru, Shin.
Chapter end notes: Flashback Exams Arc