The Final Steps to Chuunin

Mission:

The sun’s warm glow peaked over the horizon, filling the sandy deserts of Hoshigakure with an orange-tinted light that spanned over the village and the tan-colored buildings that filled it. Hoshigakure’s grainy buildings glistened in the light of the sun, shimmering quietly as the glowing ball of fire rose. The blazing star’s radiating heat and shine peaked through the window of Yurei Uchiha, the pale Uchiha of the Village Hidden in the Stars. His alabaster skin glowed in the orange light as it kissed his face, summoning him from his deep slumber. The light gently touched his eyes, and, fluttering open, they slowly stopped, staring up at the ceiling as the light from the sun waxed over his vision.
In his soft bed, Yurei stretched, yawning. The morning had just arrived, and the sun, lighting touching his face, had risen him from his slumber with thoughts and good news. The Uchiha was to become a Chuunin today, or, at least, that was his goal. The pale genin up and launched his arms upward like a space shuttle, giving out a loud grown as his muscles unraveled and his back popped. The stress in his chest was relieved as he rose, and his back could suddenly breath again. His muscles stretched, relieving the boy of any cramps and toxins trapped within him after a night of being stationary. The Uchiha bent over in a hunch, still blinking with the hopes of finding alertness. He yawned, patted his mouth, and popped his fingers. He was not all there, not yet. The drowsiness of slumber still had some form of a grip on the boy, refusing to allow him to fully awaken.
Yurei rotated his head, popping his neck with an uncomfortable crunch, but the relief from the tension was present, and it felt wonderful. He quickly did the same in the other direction. The lanky boy exhaled with force and then sighed, shifting back into a yawn. He swallowed his own spit and turned his legs off from his uncomfortably soft bed, planting his feet onto the cold floor below. The chill stung Yurei’s nerves, sending a sharp freeze up his spine. The boy recoiled, lifting his feet from the floor and wiggling his toes. Today was to be a long day, and he was in no rush, even with the excitement. However, the groggy feeling that swelled around the boy was much to handle, even after he had received an excellent night of rest. Perhaps he had slept too long or too short. Maybe he had exerted himself too much. Yurei was so focused on achieving the rank of Chuunin and saving Hoshigakure that he had placed his body in a state of unrest and stress. His hair would have likely turned white had it not already been.
Yurei planted his feet on the cold, wooden paneling and launched his hips from the bed, yawning as he did so. His toes curved inward from the sharp decrease in temperature, and the boy quickly rose his feet to warm them with his hands as he hopped onward. His silk kimono, embroidered with a brilliant, cyan, wave-pattern, hung from his clothing rack, a dark, tall, and wooden structure near his door. Yurei took the robe from the rack and wrapped it around his cold body. With the sash, he tied the smooth, silky coat around at his waist. It was incredibly soft, yet cold from the cool air in his room. Yurei rose his arms in a final stretch before reaching for his headband. The Uchiha lowered the metal and cloth to his eye level, staring at it. Engraved in the headband was a large star, much darker than the rest of the silvery metal. The Uchiha stared at it carefully, thinking of what it meant.
It had been so long since he had received the headband. Perhaps a year or more. Who knew? Yurei wasn’t counting. He was too focused on his mission. The Uchiha sighed, rubbing his fingers across the headband. It was both a work of art, and a symbol. He adored the headband, despite all of the hardships the village had put him through and others had made him suffer. However, to Yurei, the headband represented just the opposite. It was not a symbol for violence, but one of peace. At night, the stars of Hoshigakure looked down upon the village. There was no conflict in the sky, only observation from those too far away to intervene. However, the stars’ gaze never shifted from the city blessed by them. They were always observant, always watching. They were the ideal to strive towards. Each star in the sky was united together in order to form a brilliant blanket that kissed the world below goodnight, every night. They worked in unison to bring about a vision of quiet peace and beauty. That was the future of Hoshigakure. Yurei would make that so. He had to. And this Chuunin Exam would aid him in that goal. Yurei closed his eyes as he tied the cloth around his forehead. The thin boy gave an equally thin smile, thinking about the future and what it would hold.
This chuunin exam was it. The last of three that would shape him into a better shinobi and help him to progress forward. That was his mission, his goal, but all of that took a back seat to helping Hoshigakure, and, to Yurei, advancing in rank helped to solidify that goal. It helped him feel that he could do anything. It gave him a sense of status and importance, not that those were things he desired. Or perhaps they were. Perhaps, as well as bringing about peace, Yurei wanted the fame that would come with it. Or maybe he simply wanted to prove his father wrong: that shinobi could bring about peaceful and were not the catalyst for so much pain and war.
Yurei waved his hand dismissively from the thoughts. Peace was all that mattered, and everything else took a back seat. There were other benefits, of course, and, unless arrogance took him, he would serve as a symbol for peace, so long as he could maintain humility. And Yurei believed he could. The Uchiha recalled the night his father had died. That was the ultimate humiliation, and it was the reason Yurei had not become arrogant. That mistake would stay with him forever, and it would serve as a reminder that he was far from perfect, no matter how noble his intentions were. But, his father was wrong. He had to be.
Yurei remembered that night. That look on his mother’s face. His. And he remembered the surge of chakra in his eyes that manifested something great, a potential he didn’t even know he had: the Sharingan. Back then, he had only unlocked the first tomoe of three, what Yurei knew to be the final stage of the doujutsu. It had granted him with special powers that had aided him on his journey to becoming a Chuunin and restoring peace. It possessed the power of Genjutsu, increased visual prowess, and the ability to see things before they happen. It was power Yurei was thankful for.
The pale boy looked down at his hands, clenching them into a fist. Today was the day. The culmination of all of his hard work. After today, he would become a Chuunin of the City Blessed by the Stars. A beacon of hope, or so he wished, but also a bringer of it. Yurei took up his weapon pouches, placing them on his belts. The Uchiha smiled, sliding open the door fashioned out of bamboo and paper and stepping outside.
As Yurei walked down the halls, the smell of tea, lemon, and orange filled the air. The sweet and sour tang of citrus filled the air, and there was always that hint of honey. His mother must have risen out of bed before him. The white genin traversed through the hallway, running his fingers along the wall as he went to make his turn. In the kitchen was his mother, and she was squeezing the lemon and orange into the teapot. The acidic liquids ran down her freshly-washed fingers, dripping into the brown, evaporating liquid. The sweet smell was rampant in the air.
“Good morning, Yurei,” Takia said, turning to face her son. Her eyes fell on his headband and then onto his alabaster face. “You’re up early as always,” she said with a thin smile.
Yurei smiled in return, sitting at the table. “I got enough rest, don’t worry,” he said to her. “I get to start my final examination for Chuunin today!” Yurei tried to sound enthusiastic, he was, but the drowsiness he suffered from was still potent in his words and expressions.
Takia smiled sarcastically. “Enough rest, huh?” she inquired with a hint of sass in her buttery voice. The dark-haired woman chortled before turning back to her work, stirring the tea. “Maybe you got too much. That always happens with me,” she replied, smiling once more.
“Maybe,” Yurei said. “Did you hear, though!? I’ll be a Chuunin soon!” Yurei smiled brightly, forcing his eyes open.
“And I’m proud of you, Yurei,” she said, looking back at the boy. “You’re growing up too fast, Little Ghost,” Takia said, giving a slight frown.
“Don’t be sad, Mom! Once I become a Chuunin, I can get access to more powerful jutsu from the head shinobi! Then I can protect you better from those villagers!” Yurei said, energy beginning to course through his veins. Yurei recalled the night those villagers had attacked his home. He had been exhausted from training, having practiced his ninjutsu for hours, up until nighttime. When he had finally arrived home, the radical, religious villagers had attacked him home with firebombs and other weapons. That night, he had unlocked his second tomoe of the Sharingan. He was violent that night. Yurei wasn’t the peaceful boy he wanted to be when those people attacked both his mother and him. In fact, he had followed a trail of blood to their hideout. He had been so violent with these people, even hunted them. Was it in anger? Yes. But it was also to protect, wasn’t it? Surely, they would have done it again. He had even tried to peacefully subdue them, but that crazed priest would not allow it. That wasn’t his fault, no. Yurei had the best of intentions.
But how far one could go on the best of intentions was a concept Yurei struggled with.
Takia smiled briefly, but it soon faded. “Yes, Yurei. You’ll be a strong shinobi, I know it.” She turned to looked at her boy in the eye and gave a pitiful smile, extending her arms.
The pale boy launched from his chair, rushing to go and hug his mother. The two fell into the other’s grasp, clinging tightly to one another. “Thank you, Mom. I won’t let you or Dad down. Ever,” Yurei said, part of his face tucked into Takia’s shoulder. The two sat for a moment, the bubbling tea slowly becoming a crescendo. The air around them swelled with a magnificent smell, and the two separated, but only slightly. Takia bent down, holding her son on either shoulder and looking into his eyes with seriousness.
“I believe in you, Yurei. And I think you can save this village and everyone in it…” Takia said, smiling as she held onto his shoulders.
Yurei smiled in return, tears swelling in his eyes.
“And I think your father would be proud of you if he were here.”
Yurei’s smile turned into a contorted grin. He swallowed his spit, trying to force words out of his mouth. They did not. The pale boy’s tears ran down his cheeks, and he tried to force a smile.
Takia took in her son, hugging him tightly and placing her hand on the top of his head.
“Thank you.”
The two sat in silence for a moment, the only sound in the room being the boiling tea. Takia slowly rose, pinching her son’s chin and raising it. She wiped away his tears and smiled at the boy before turning to the teapot and withdrawing a teacup. Much like Yurei’s skin, the cup was porcelain white, with a blue embroidery that lined the rim of the container. The woman grasped a spoon and the sugar, carefully feeding it into the cup. With a fluid motion, she took up the tea and began to pour it. “I want something warm in your stomach for when you take the exam, ok? Do you know what you have to do for it?”
“No,” Yurei said, sniffing. “Well, a little. I heard about having to do research or something, but I’m supposed to be receiving the mission in the shinobi district, later.”
“You’ll do well, I’m sure,” Takia said, slowly inclining the teapot as the brown liquid poured out. The dark-haired Uchiha placed her teapot on the stove and gave the cup a stir. She quickly placed the cup on a small plate and handed it to the albino boy. “Here,” she said, trading it into his hands. “It’s hot, so be careful. Don’t want your lips getting burned.”
Yurei nodded, smiled, and took the cup to the table.
“How is it,” his mother asked.
Yurei rose the cup to his lips after giving a few gentle gusts of air. It was still hot, a complete contrast to the chilling floors, but it was serviceable. It was also delicious. “Scrumptious,” Yurei said, smiling.
“Big word,” Takia said, arching her eyebrow and smiling.
Yurei smiled and took another sip. The orange, lemon, and honey blended together magnificently. The labor of the bees nullified much of the acidic liquid, but the tea still possessed a sort of kick to it. “It’s really good, Mom,” Yurei said, pouring the brown substance into his mouth.
Takia smiled, pouring her own cup. “I hoped so. Do you want to eat anything before you go?”
“I don’t want to be late,” Yurei said, finishing off the tea. His stomach bellowed with the sound of hunger.
Takia smiled at Yurei, cocking her head to the side. “Let’s find you something, Yurei,” Takia said, taking out a pot from the cabinets below. The woman placed the pot onto the stove and walked to a cupboard, withdrawing a brown, burlap sack filled with rice. “I won’t have you take your exam on an empty stomach, now,” Takia said, setting the rice down against the oven. The woman quickly took up the pot and ran water into it. The hiss of the liquid hitting the silvery pot filled the air. She quickly moved the pot onto the stove and increased the heat.
With that the woman paused, taking a sip of her tea. “Mhm, it is good. Has a bit of a kick to it, doesn’t it?” she would say, propping her hips up against the counter. Takia smiled at her son, raising the cup to her lips and wrapping her other arm around her waist. She closed her eyes softly and leaned back, taking a deep breath. The woman smiled, smelling her freshly brewed tea. “So, Yurei,” she said, setting the cup onto a small plate with the same blue embroidery. “What do you think about the exam? Think you’ll pass?”
“Well, Mom, I’ve done just about everything else well enough. This shouldn’t be too hard.”
“Don’t be too proud, now, Yurei,” Takia would say, eyeing him with concern.
“Oh, I’m not,” Yurei said, lowering his head. “I’m just speaking from experience.”
“You said it was about research, yes?”
“I think so,” Yurei said, scratching the back of his head.
“If you have to do any sort of reporting, be concise, to the point, and be clear. That’s what matters the most, you hear?”
Yurei nodded. “Yes, Mother.”
“And don’t lose focus.”
“Yes, Mother,” Yurei would say again, lowering his head further.
“And don’t you dare come back home if you don’t make Chuunin.”
Yurei raised his head up. For a moment, there was silence, but that was soon broken by a chuckle from Takia. The two then began to laugh, even bellowing throughout the kitchen so loud that the neighbors could hear them.
“You’ll do fine, Yurei. And, succeed or fail, I’ll be here to pull you up, alright?”
Yurei nodded firmly with a smile.
The water next to Takia began to evaporate, coming to a rolling boil. The woman looked inside the pot and quickly grasped the bag of rice, emptying a portion into the metallic container. “Here we go,” she’d say, tilting the bag upward. “I’ll have a lot left over, so don’t eat anything on your way home, ok?”
“Mhm,” Yurei would say, nodding at his mother. “I don’t know how long I’ll be. I’ve never really done research before aside from some jutsu and a few books.”
“I’m sure you’ll do fine. And don’t worry about time. You’re always coming home late, anyway,” Takia said, turning to face her pot of rice. The woman quickly gave it a stir, noting how tender it had become. “Alright, Yurei, here we go,” she said, pouring out the excess water. The woman quickly grasped the rice, forming it into balls and wrapping them in seaweed. “I’ll pack some for you, too. I don’t want you getting hungry up there, now, ok?”
Yurei replied with a smile. “Thank you,” he would say in addition, rising from the table and walking over to his mother. The boy quickly withdrew a container, placing the food inside of it. He left one out and took a bite, deciding to eat it there.
“Taste good?” Takia asked.
Yurei nodded, chewing the rice and swallowing.
“Good,” the dark-haired mother would say, smiling at her son.
“I should be going, then,” Yurei would say, turning to the door with the container of rice balls. The boy walked over to the sliding door, finding his bamboo sandals when he noticed something. They were becoming smaller. Or he bigger, rather. Yurei was growing up, and these shoes were beginning to outlive their usefulness. His toes peaked over the edge of the bamboo sandal.
“Need new shoes?” Takia asked, looking down at them.
“I can make my own, Mom,” Yurei replied. “It’s just like that armor I used to make.”
Takia would nod, smiling at the thought of Yurei making armor. He had done so as a child. Even at a very young age, Yurei dreamt about being a shinobi, or at least a warrior of some kind. He fashioned himself a set of samurai armor and would often pretend to fight in the backyard, sometimes with his father. That was a simpler time, and a memory both Takia and Yurei longed for.
But that was behind them, now. Something far away and intangible. Now Yurei had to move forward and strive for a better world. “Thank you for the rice balls, Mom. I’ll see you later, ok?”
“Yurei,” Takia said. Yurei looked up at his mother, stopping. “Whatever happens, your father and I are proud of you.”
Yurei looked down at the floor for a moment, then back at his mother. He gave her a grin. “Thank you, Mom,” he said. And then he slid the door closed, setting foot into the hot outdoors.
Takia frowned, staring at the door. And then she was alone again. That was an emptiness she had grown accustomed to. No, not accustomed to, but a feeling she knew all too well. Her son was never home, off fighting for an ideological cause, and her husband was six feet under. The dark-haired woman took up her tea and sat down on her knees at the table. She took a sip and breathed in the dry, cool air. “Roshi,” she said, looking up. Her eyes fell onto a portrait of both she and her partner in the living area. The oil painting had been completed years ago, and it had luckily suffered no damage from the attack that burned much of her home. Instead, it watched over the home, much like Yurei had.
The woman stared up at the painting, noting every stroke of the oil and its color. Tears streamed down her cheeks. “I miss you so much, Roshi,” she said, gazing at the portrait. The dark Uchiha closed her eyes, looking up with her eyelids shut. The tears slowly faded after a moment, and she wiped away what remained. “I should have stepped in. Stopped all of that from happening...”
Takia opened her eyes, looking into the cold eyes of her husband’s portrait. “I was so scared then. I still am…. But there’s less fear, now, Roshi.”
“Now there is something else.”
Typical of the City Blessed by the Stars, Hoshigakure was very hot, and the heat very dry. There was little humidity outside, but hopefully water was plentiful where he was taking the exam. Yurei trudged onward from his own, walking along the hot sidewalks in his bamboo sandals. Heat radiated from the concrete below his feet, distorting the images that lie beyond him in a type of hazy mirage. Yurei watched the grey road closely, thinking about the exam. How difficult was it going to be? What would he have to do exactly? Questions filled his head as he walked onward. The thoughts raged on in his mind. Inside his head was an amalgamation of excitement, curiosity, hope, and dread. This was it. This was the day. He had to become a Chuunin.
Yurei smiled, finding a bit of confidence as he found himself in the marketplace. The housing district lie behind him. Row after row of tan-colored buildings lined behind him like a game of follow the leader. The pale Uchiha smiled at the thought. He figured himself a good leader. Strong. Thoughtful. Cool-tempered. Maybe he could be one someday. Who knew?
Yurei wormed his way through the crowds of people at the marketplace. His goal was set, as was his destination, and he would not slow down. Yurei dashed through the crowds carefully, maneuvering through them with relative ease. Just behind them and the shops was the entrance to what Yurei called the shinobi district, where most ninja-related facilities existed.
The Uchiha quickly broke from the crowd, marching through the sweeping sands and entering the somewhat sparsely populated area. Just inside was the academy. This is where he was told that he would receive his exam in full.
Upon arriving, Yurei opened the door slowly. Class could be going on. The albino quietly maneuvered forward, finding a shorter gentleman with numerous files lined up. His hair was dark brown, and his headband slightly crooked. He was a younger man, probably in his late twenties. Not uncommon.
“Excuse me, sir?” Yurei called out, walking forward.
The man looked up from his desk. “Are you the boy who wanted to complete the final exam to become Chuunin?”
“Yes, Sir, I am,” Yurei said, giving a faint smile.
“Hm.. you’re younger than I expected, but you’re qualified. Here.” The man reached from his desk a scroll, marked with Yurei’s name. “You can either leave the village and do personal recon or you can go to the library and read. Up to you, but, if you’re anything like me, reading isn’t all the fun.”
“I’m looking for efficiency, Sir,” Yurei would say, opening the scroll.
“To each their own, I guess. I recommend you get some practice in the field after, though. It’s not something you can just read.”
Yurei would nod and bow, leaving the academy and stepping outside back into the heat of the day. The boy sat down his rice balls and examined the scroll carefully. The contents of the mission requested that Yurei explore the village’s imports, exports, defenses, and how diplomacy might be used in turn with the selected village. This was his final exam, information gathering, and it was most vital to Yurei and his goals. He had to succeed here, to not do so would be a major failure on his part, and he could not allow that. If Yurei Uchiha had come this far, he could continue and become a Chuunin of the Village Blessed by the Stars!
Yurei nodded, glancing through the scroll once more. So, he had to spy, or at least gather information, on a village. Yurei had no real choice of village, but he did recall something that striked him as rather odd. That rude shinobi, Sakana. He had mentioned something about zombies in Kumogakure, and that had peaked Yurei’s interest to a degree. There was little outside of genjutsu that did such a thing. Well, that and something else that had left the boy curiously confused. Every time he saw a beautiful girl or woman, he got this warm, fuzzy feeling that-
But that was beside the point. Yurei had to focus now.
Zombies. That was always a pleasant topic. Yurei, of course, had no ill will to Kumogakure shinobi, save Sakana, but what the pale boy had mentioned was certainly interesting. The pale Uchiha couldn’t control what the information he would gather would be used for, but it would provide valuable insight about different village cultures, maybe even ways to help unite shinobi and villager.
Yurei recalled what Komon had told him. There was no violence between the shinobi and the villagers in his village. There were no religious cults bent on destroying anyone who used chakra. It was peaceful, or at least sounded as though it was. That helped Yurei cope, to a degree. It gave him a small measure of hope. Hope from a village with zombies. Who knew?
Yurei raveled the scroll and took up his rice balls, placing the scroll inbetween his belt and his waist. The pale Uchiha then trudged through the sands, slowly coming up onto the road.
So, now he had to go to the library. Yurei had never been. Most of his scrolls were taken by his mother or from the academy, but never did he himself go there. The albino looked up at the sun, its radiant glow beating down on him. He took his hand and placed it between the sun and his face, quickly blocking it out as best he could. Sweat ran down his brow, and the salty substance stung his eyes. Yurei quickly wiped away the liquid as he traversed the concrete sidewalks. Fresh sand brushed against the grey walkways, slowly eroding it with its gentle gusts and friction. The hot sand burned the tops of Yurei’s feet unprotected by his sandals, turning them blood red.
On his way to the library, Yurei walked in thought. Just what about Kumogakure was there to know? What did Hoshigakure want to know about it? And what could he say without feeling terrible given his new friends?
Yurei felt disgusted on the inside. Like he was betraying trust. The Shinobi was, of course, loyal to the City Blessed by the Stars. His heart belonged here. But he had made friends with those outside of the village, and seemingly spying on them made his heart sink. Still, his village wanted information, and it seemed they wished to be diplomatic. Good. No war. Instead, it was a peaceful but careful watch. Or, at least, that was how it was presented in the scroll and assignment. Yurei rose his fingers to his chin in thought. Maybe he could come up with ways to better their relationship with Kumogakure. Yurei himself knew little of it besides the presence of some sort of zombie and a lack of shinobi/villager violence. The pale Uchiha would have to carry out his report with the upmost care as to not offend his new friends should he tell them. Or should he tell them? That could prove troublesome. He would just have to go in with the best of intentions, keen on not betraying their trust and instead promoting it as best he could, at least in his own mind. That was for the best, at least for now. Finding ways to achieve peace behind the scenes, collecting different opinions, it was all genius, really. That’s what this was. The Hoshigakure officials no doubt knew all of the information on the other villagers given the number of people who had passed the chuunin exams and taken up the rank. These reports were mere opinion pieces and ways to test information gathering. They presented new, fresh thoughts that the tired minds of the officials could use.
Yurei felt his concerns begin to fade. He, personally, would gain information on his new friends, but this presented ways of finding peace, and that was Yurei’s specialty. The pale Uchiha then saw the library come into view. It was rather large. Massive. Gargantuan. And beautiful, too. To Yurei’s right was a sign, with the engraved words “Kozai Yuki National Archives.”
“Kozai Yuki?” Yurei said, pondering on the name. He did not recognize it. Still, he must have been an important guy. Especially if this massive library was named after him.
The pale Uchiha walked forward, treading up the stairs as he moved onward. He came to two massive doors that towered above him. With a push, they slowly came open, and, just ahead, was a librarian. Yurei switched the container of rice balls for his scroll, slowly unravelling it as he walked to the librarian, an older man with greying hair and a face like crinkled canvas. It was not pretty, instead rivaling that of canyons, but he seemed nice enough.
“Excuse me, Sir,” Yurei said, starting.
“Shh!” the man hissed.
Yurei’s eyes suddenly widened and then returned to normal. The man had startled him. “Excuse me, Sir,” he repeated, this time in a softer tone. “I’m attempting my third Chuunin Exam. Could you point me in the direction of the foreign achives?”
The man gave a small nod, pointing upstairs. “It’s in the far back of the room, upstairs,” he instructed with a soft voice. “Paper, pen, and ink is also awaiting you there.”
“Thank you, Sir,” Yurei said, bowing. “Would you care for a rice ball?”
The man’s beady eyes stared at Yurei over his thin glasses and just under his shadowing brow.
I guess not.
Yurei walked through the library, gazing at the brilliant architecture. He knew craftsmanship of this quality to exist inside cathedrals, but never the library. It was brilliantly complex, evoking a sense of art in the walls, the ceiling, even the railing on the staircase. The pale Uchiha slowly ascended from the first floor onto the second, making his way to the back section of the library. This section seemed more limited and less populated. It was probably only used by shinobi or high village officials. Seemed most people wanted to read fiction or something relevant to them, and another village far away didn’t really seem to represent that. That was, of course, not the case. There was nothing more impactful than war, and villages outside could certainly make that relevant. However, village defense and strategy wasn’t truly needed by the common man in Hoshigakure, and understandably so. Most villagers probably wanted simple entertainment or so information they could use; others would likely want ways to dispatch shinobi.
Yurei walked past the stacks and shelves of books. They were old, very old, and the covers had all faded into neutrals rather than vibrant ones. The shelves and stacks were tall. Much taller than Yurei. They reached up to the 50 meter tall ceiling, blocking some of the marvelous architecture that had been constructed. The ceiling was carved like a Renaissance sculpture, beautifully complex and intricate.
And then Yurei saw it, the foreign village section. And not a soul was in it. Yurei moved forward, descending through the shelves of books. Ladders extended upward on each shelf. Now it was just a matter of finding a Kumogakure book. Or a ton of them. Yurei focused his chakra into his eyes, generating his 3-tomoe Sharingan. The Uchiha scanned the massive shelf of books, finding one that bore even the smallest connection to the Village Hidden in the Clouds. His eyes analyzed each over, reading rapidly as he took them from the shelves. It was amazing that this library had a subject on everything. A few searches and Yurei could discover the meaning of life.
By the time he was finished, Yurei had gathered numerous books, perhaps a dozen, all pertaining to Kumogakure. It was mildly excessive, sure, but it did the job. Yurei climbed down from the later, carefully balancing the stack with all of his strength. When the boy had reached the floor, he couldn’t see over the books, instead opting to move sideways like a crab. The boy came to a round table, on which he placed his books atop. The boy grabbed a chair and stood upon it, grabbing the book on the top of the stack. Looking at the cover, Yurei asserted that it would discuss the terrain of Kumogakure. Interesting. Just by the name, Yurei knew that the village was hidden in clouds. That implied high elevation or dense fog, but it was the former.
As Yurei read, he discovered that the village was atop a mountain. The weather was temperate, but, based on the information, the albino Uchiha could reasonably assert the village’s imports. Being in the clouds and at a high elevation, rain was likely scarce, resulting in a lack of crops, especially given the lack of soil atop a mountain. No soil meant no grass, and no grass meant no livestock. Food was likely in short supply for the village and a major import for Kumogakure. Yurei quickly grabbed a piece of parchment, a pen, and some ink, noting this.
The pale Uchiha thought briefly about the diet one would have to have in Kumogakure. It was likely food from imports would be diverse, but otherwise it was likely scarce. Such a reliance would not be smart, unless they managed to get their supplies from elsewhere, perhaps at the bottoms of the mountains. Relying on food from other nations seemed lacking in critical thought, especially if there was war. The country would starve.
Yurei quickly closed the book, offering his final thoughts to the notes. He brushed the book to the side and stood once more, taking the highest book once more. This one’s cover seemed rather old and battered, and there was an element of eeriness to it. The leather cover was ripped and falling off, signifying age and abuse. The title was barely intelligible.
What Yurei read horrified him.
It was the village defenses for Kumogakure, and they were appalling. The information in the book was hand-written. Yurei reasonably assumed that this was by a genin who set foot in the village, having opted to use recon instead of going to the library.
So these were the ‘zombies’ Sakana spoke of. Yurei was horrified. Civilians were trapped in a state between life and death, their bodies decaying as they patrolled the village, watchful of intruders. The smell had to be horrid and gut-wrenching. And Komon and the like lived here? How? Just where were these poor people positioned in the villages? And how did his new friends cope with such a horrible thing?
Yurei squirmed in his chair. Sakana had played them off for something not so bad, but this was terrible! Perhaps he had never seen them, or maybe this information was inaccurate. Yurei wasn’t sure, but, as the boy read, he took numerous notes. The actual cause of the zombification was unknown to him, but it was terrifying to say the least.
The pale Genin turned the pages, flipping through the book. These zombies were very potent in Kumogakurian defenses. The Uchiha had come across the Rot Forest, a defensive mechanism much like that of the zombies he had read of before. Only these produced an acidic ooze. Yurei felt his stomach drop upon reading it. The book described the smell as repulsive, but Yurei knew the words paled in comparison to reality. The thought of the pus and acidic ooze made him squirm. Yurei closed his eyes briefly before continuing. A byproduct of the Rot Forest was the mushed ground that the corpses would generate, but not much information of the defense was given.
Yurei reluctantly opened the book to the next few pages, discovering numerous walls surrounding the village, once of which was surrounded by paper bombs. How all of this information had made its way to the library was beyond the pale Uchiha. Many shinobi had to have died before these texts made it back here. That would explain the different handwritings. It must have been terrifying and horrifying having to survey that awful place.
The lanky genin quickly closed the book and swallowed, refusing to read any more. Komon in particular had been so nice, and Sakana at least somewhat polite. Did these defenses simply not have an effect on the Kumogakure way of life? This was far too gruesome.
Yurei paused, deep in thought. Hoshigakure was in bad shape, but this? This was psychotic.
No. Yurei stood. He couldn’t let this influence him. Things were bad here, things he had to fix. But maybe, just maybe, he could help Kumogakure as well. Or perhaps Komon and the others were already trying to correct this. Who knew? All Yurei knew is that this place was awful, and that the Raikage could not be of sound mind. In fact, they had to be the opposite. Or perhaps they were simply evil. What could have driven a person to do something such as this? What would drive a human being to create such vile products. It was disgusting. Appalling. Yurei felt himself getting angrier. How could humanity come to something such as this? How could it experiment on its own kind, trapping people in an undead state of pain and suffering? How could they bully and kill those around them, their own neighbors, simply because they were shinobi?
Had humanity always been like this? Was Yurei simply enthralled in his own ideological fantasy? How could something so evil go on like this?
Yurei’s chest tightened. His could hardly breath. No. He couldn’t think like this.
The pale boy recalled a hot summer’s day in the back of his yard. He had been with his father, Roshi Uchiha, and he had just made himself a set of bamboo armor, envisioning himself as a shinobi. The two would fight with sticks and play. It was a fond memory, one that was still vivid within Yurei’s mind. He could smell the dry air and the freshly cut bamboo, draped as shoulder pads over his body. The lanky Uchiha smiled at that thought, and that was the only reason he could press forward.
What was happening in Kumogakure and Hoshigakure were atrocities. That was true. However, Yurei knew that there was hope to be seen and experienced. His father had spoken of wars, but there was no war now. The pendulum always swings back. Sometimes it gets stuck. Sometimes all you need is a simple push. Yurei hoped that push would come, for both the Village Hidden in the Clouds and the City Blessed by the Stars.
The boy took a deep breath and withdrew a blank scroll. Now came the time for the report. Yurei felt he had gathered enough information about the village, enough to write down, but one thing still lingered in his thoughts. Peace. How could they be diplomatic with a village such as this? With someone like that ruling it? Yurei frowned in deep thought. How could peace with someone who would use people as decaying defenses, keeping them alive, be achieved.
And then he realized something. He needed help from his new friends. They were Kumogakure, not the Kage.
Yurei began his letter, first detailing the climate of the village and following it with the other information he had gathered.
 
Kumogakure, the Village Hidden in the Clouds, is located in Lightning Country atop a mountain. The climate, despite the high altitude, is fairly temperate. This postion, however, brings up numerous questions pertaining to imports and exports. Given the high altitude, it is reasonable to assume the vegetation, including that of crops, is in short supply, if any, and this, in turn, convinces me that the village is lacking in livestock as well. In light of this, it is reasonable to assume that the village is in need of food supplies, and most likely obtains them from either other villages, or from an area separate from the main village, yet still under the Raikage’s dominion. This potential shortage could be exploited, effectively starving the village out.
Writing such made Yurei uncomfortable, as if he were advocating for mass famine for a village, even with this library, he knew little about. That could only be remedied by actually visiting it, and that was not on Yurei’s list of priorities. The Uchiha continued writing, now moving onto the village defenses.
                Kumogakure, is, in a word, brutal. The village is immensely militaristic and harsh. Many of the village’s defenses are a result of experimentation involving the mutilation of its own citizens, keeping them in a hellish purgatory so that the village’s will be carried out. This is not only disturbing, but effective, albeit morbidly…
Yurei’s vernacular had broaded, mostly because he had found a thesaurus inside the library. It was very handy in wrapping his essay together.
…these defenses repulse those of a weak stomach, but, should they withstand the disgusting nature of the village’s defenses, traversing the outer layer of Kumogakure is not simple by any stretch of the imagination. The human experimentation known as The Rot patrols the village grounds. They are slow, yes, but deadly, and, while the outer layer is dangerous, the further you go, the deadlier the village becomes. The decaying victims of the Raikage’s wrath can also produce a strong acid that is highly volatile.
The pale Uchiha took a deep breath, thinking about what he had written thus far. A brief summation served him well, but it was his conclusions that would matter the most, he thought. But the summation had to be an excellent blend between factuality and being concise, just as his mother had instructed him. Yurei surmised that his mother must have written at some point in her life. Or maybe she still did. He was never home. The Uchiha fanned away the thought dismissively before moving on.
                In conjunction with The Rot, Kumogakure also possesses a wall comprised of thousands of explosive tags, which, one would surmise, would destroy a considerable portion of land mass. As it stands, however, Kumogakure, while beind hidden by clouds, does not possess much of a defense from an air assault, instead relying on a force to be suppressed by the overwhelming might of the Rot and the village’s other defenses. Defenses such as a hallowed ground support this theory. A ground assault in, reasonably assumed, suicide.
Writing of this made Yurei sick. Not just of the Rot, but also of the proposed methods of conflict. The boy was, ultimately, a pacifist, but, despite this, Yurei was a sound planner. That was what allowed him to succeed in his second exam, along with sheer prowess in the illusionary arts. But not just then. Carefully planning and strategy had assisted him in numerous situations, mostly against radical villagers. There were times where Yurei was lacking in this field, but he felt his report had met the requirements, and he fancied himself a decent strategist, especially for someone who had never dealt outside the village. Yurei knew not what sort of politics, if any, were involved with this village, or of its current state. But he did know that Kumogakure’s leader was dangerous. He only hoped that his friends were not so loyal to the man that they would try to destroy Yurei’s home. Yurei held onto hope, however, believing in his new-found comrades. He had to believe in them.
                Diplomacy with Kumogakure is risky. Based on the information presented, it is likely impossible. The Kage of the village is an animal, and a horrific one at that. In my experience, those with this sort of motivation cannot be reasoned with, but must instead be bargained with, and only with something they would be afraid to lose. They must be carefully watched and surveyed, and, most importantly, they cannot be trusted. Diplomacy with villages such as these should be at a careful, yet analytic distance with the worst possible scenario always prepared against.
Yurei placed his pen and ink on the table, sighing. It pained him to write that report, but he knew in his heart that it was true. Yurei strived to believe in humanity, but this… This challenged that. Yurei wished he had selected another village, but this had helped him in more ways than one. He knew hearts could be darker than he ever thought, but he was also challenged with the concept of love, understanding, and redemption. Were these concepts applicable to someone like the Kage of the Hidden Clouds? Yurei had to believe they were. He had to believe in his new friends and that they would help such a horrid village to heal. But perhaps, much like a phoenix, it needed to die first. And, as with all decaying creatures, death is inevitable.
The pale Uchiha quickly coiled his report into a scroll, sealing it. What he had learned on this day was perspective, and new ideas and concepts. Dangerous ones at that, but necessary ones. Ones that would allow him to grow up, change, and think critically.
The Uchiha rose from his seat, books in hand, and slowly traversed the library, placing each dilapidated piece into its original slot. The boy carefully slid across the shelf, climbing and descending as he nestled each literary work and analysis back where they had come from. There was a chill in doing so, but not one Yurei was unfamiliar with. That was the chill of evil, and Yurei had witnessed it before. It was in the eyes of the villagers that tried to burn he and his mother alive. It was in those who perpetuated brutal violence in Hoshigakure. It was pain, and the pale Uchiha longed to baptize that evil. He had to find some way to, some way to make the world right. Did that potential reside within his Genjutsu prowess? Perhaps. Perhaps he needed something more real, perhaps not.
Exiting the library, Yurei shut the door behind him, suppressing the thoughts of Kumogakure. All that was left was to summit the report, and, hopefully receive the promotion to Chuunin. Was this knowledge what it took?
Yurei traversed the sandy sidewalks of Hoshigakure in the hopes of finding the Academy where he would submit his report. Anxiety filled the air, around him, and it filled his body. He was notably nervous, but somewhat eager at the same time. This was it. It was the day he would become a Chuunin. It had to be. All of his work had come to this moment, and it had to traverse this and move onto the next obstacle. Yurei had to become a Chuunin. He had to become a Jounin. He had to become the Hogokage. He had to bring peace and understanding to the village. He had to end the violence.
Yurei could almost taste it. The goal was just before him.
Entering the Academy, Yurei happened upon the same man from earlier.
“Back already?” he would ask.
Yurei replied with a nod, somewhat down from his findings, but still eager to heal Hoshigakure, or, more directly, achieve the rank of Chuunin. “Yes sir,” Yurei said, attentive and alert, “and I’d like to submit my report.”
The shinobi would nod, taking the boys scroll.
Now Yurei just had to wait and see. This was it.

WC: 8002


[Exit]

Requesting: 4, 000 Ryo, 10 AP and Chuunin Rank Up (Also some pain meds because my hands hurt so much right now)

Spoiler:

(Not sure if I can approve chuunin rank ups  so uhhh)

Approved unless denied by kage 

Congratulations