Sunagakure Chūnin Exams - Rain Country

Sunagakure Chūnin Exams: Rain Country:

The forests that made up the Rain Country were colossal, dark, and lush.

The canopy of the particular forest that the small mission ground had been transported to was overshadowed by towering bamboo, durian, and kapok trees; their crowns allowing cascading light from the sun above to shimmer through for vibrant plants to burst up from the insect-riddled soils below. Bundled, climbing plants also grasped the occasional tree, as well as a mishmash of flowers that claimed quiet, nestled corners so that they would not be disturbed. It all added some color to the otherwise unvarying terrain.

A mixture of noises, belonging mostly to birds, resonated through the air, and added to the sounds of the occasional roar of a large animal trying to scare away predators.

The rain too hammered down unceasingly from the skies above, and despite the cover provided by the thick trees up above, it still managed to make its way down in torrents to the ground below.

It was all too different from the sandy dunes that made up the Wind Country, as one could easily tell. Uchiha, Kaito would be the first to point that out, but his hatred of the rain and the fact that he and his team were rather vulnerable to any possible attacks would not deter him from the mission at hand. What would, however, would be the fact that he had not eaten in hours, and presumably neither had his teammates. It had been roughly an hour since they had all teleported into the deep, dense forest, and they had been walking nonstop ever since. Even before that, they had spent three or four hours walking through the unforgiving desert that made up the majority of the Wind Country.

'If we keep on going at this pace then we may be too weak to defend ourselves should anything happen...' He began to think to himself, looking out for anything that would provide them with some amount of cover and shelter from the rain.

Luckily for him, that shelter would make itself known. Tucked away within a dense thicket of brush ten meters ahead stood what appeared to be an abandoned shack. Most of the windows had been broken into and the door that had once hung upon hinges lay upon the ground, the wooden structure of it starting to give way back to the nature that surrounded it.

'Finally!'

He held up his arm to stop Naki and Karo dead in their tracks, before turning sharply on his heel and backtracking a few feet to stand within 1 meter of his two fellow Sunagakure Genin. He knelt down to sit on his knees, propping his right arm upon his right knee as he motioned with his free hand for the others to do so as well.

"Theres' an abandoned shack up ahead a few meters. I'm sure that you two must've seen it as well. We can use it to shelter ourselves while we eat and draw up a plan about what to do next." The Uchiha would turn his gaze to Naki. "I want you, Naki, to take the right flank." He then turned to Karo. "You take the left flank, Karo." He paused for a moment, closing his eyes as he did so. "As for me..." He would allow his rather newly awakened Sharingan to manifest with three tomoe in both of his eyes before opening them slowly and continuing to speak. "I'll scout out the inside to make sure that nobody is in there already and to clear it of any potential traps."

Kaito would allow his two teammates time to reply, and should they have any other ways to go about it, he would willing to hear them out and welcomed their input. If either of them would offer up any opposition to the plan, Kaito would hear them out before giving his two cents or agreeing with them.

Should they not offer any opposition, however, he would simply nod before standing back up to his feet. Once the other two were ready to march on, Kaito would wish them both luck with a bright smile before turning around himself and beginning to trek through the deep puddles of mud towards the cabin at a slow, cautious pace. He made sure to scan out the area with his Sharingan from side to side, looking out for any other signs of Chakra other than Naki's or Karo's as he pressed onwards…

AP Utilized:

Items Utilized:

[Word Count (Post) - 745]
[Word Count (Total) - 745]

Kaito would accept Karo's offer to use his Shadow Clone Jutsu. The Uchiha couldn't sense any other Signatures from the use of his own Chakra detection abilities, but it didn't mean that any potential enemies weren't hiding their signatures in much the same manner that he could. Plus, an extra set of hands should things get messy was always good to have.

"Good thinking, Karo. Thank you." He said with a smile before standing back up to his feet. He would wait for Karo to create the Clone and then for Naki and the real Karo to go take their flanks to their respective sides of the shack before proceeding himself. At least this way he could keep an eye on them as backup with the Chakra Vision granted from his Sharingan.

Once the two other Genin were in the position he would creep forward at a slow pace, not noticing anything out of the ordinary, before coming to the door in only a matter of a minute. Peering inside he couldn't notice anything out of the ordinary either, but it was almost pitch black inside. He would waste no time in forming the "Tiger" hand seal and activating his "Cat Eyes" technique. before peering back inside. This time, however, could see something that he felt was a bit... off.

"You able to see that?" He nudged the clone next to him and pointed upon a table against the wall at the back of the shack. Sitting on top of it was a candle; one that had freshly heated wax still dripping down the side of it and into the small collection dish underneath it. "That candle on the table... Someone was here not too long ago."

Looking back at the clone, Kaito would not allow himself to show a hint of the nervousness that he felt within him as his heart began to beat faster and faster; his mind racing a mile a minute.

'Did I just lead us into a trap?' and 'Are we all going to die?' were just a select few of the thoughts that ran through his mind.

What came out of his mouth, however, was a different story.

"I'm going in. I want you to stay out here by the door to provide support and catch any others who may be in there by surprise should they attack me, got it?" Without waiting for an answer from Karo's clone, Kaito already began to form the "Bird" hand seal with both of his hands to perform his "Wind-Style: Quiet Footsteps" technique. Wind Chakra began to swirl around underneath the bottoms of his feet, lifting him up from the ground only a millimeter or two. This bit of cushion that now rested underneath him, however, would be enough to muffle any sounds that he would make by stepping upon the dry rotted, and potentially creaky, floorboards.

Again, without awaiting a response, Kaito would take a big breath before walking through the open front door with a kunai drawn at the ready. Despite the darkness, he could still see clearly thanks to his "Cat Eyes" technique, and he still saw no signs of Chakra other than what he could see of Naki and Karo's from outside of the shack. The space was filled with very dilapidated furniture, and as to be expected some of the floorboards had rotted out to expose the dirt and grime that lay underneath the shack.

Kaito closed his eyes for a moment as he let out a sigh of relief knowing that at the present moment nobody other than the three of them was in the area, at least not anybody else that had any form of Chakra. He would look back out the front door to where Karo's clone was stationed.

"If someone was here though, they a most likely gone. For now, at least..." He would draw his attention over to the table where the freshly quelled candle stood; some smoke still erecting into the air from when it had been previously lit. If they were to stop here for a moment to collect their bearings then it would have to be a quick one, perhaps ten or fifteen minutes tops. "Can you go tell the others to come ba... oof!" As Kaito positioned himself directly next to the table, two of the rotted floorboards gave way underneath his weight. His entire body fell right down through the boards to the ground below, but unlike other sections of the cabin where the soil had been directly underneath the boards, these boards were stationed above a deep hole about ten feet deep.

It all happened so fast, and Kaito could swear that he felt he connected with something solid before tumbling down another foot or two down to the base of the hole. He also knew that he heard a scream, but it didn't sound like one that he would let out.

No...

This scream sounded as though it came from a mere child...

Collecting himself and scurrying back to his feet as loose dirt and wood continued to fall down upon him, Kaito picked up the kunai that had fallen out of his hand and put it at the ready in one hand with the other poised to perform one-handed seals if needed. The sight that he was greeted with, however, he did not expect in the slightest. Before him was a woman and child covering with their backs against the dirt wall of the hole. They both cried something horrible, with the sounds of their cries echoing throughout. Kaito would drop the kunai down to the ground and hold both of his hands out with open palms to show that he meant no harm.

"Its okay..." He said softly as he stood his ground, trying to no avail to silence them so that they did not draw any potential threats directly to them.

"Please..." The woman choked through her cries. "Please do-don't take us back there..."

Kaito was confused. What did this woman mean? Back where?

AP Utilized:

Items Utilized:

[Word Count (Post) - 1,007]
[Word Count (Total) - 1,752]

As Karo joined Kaito down in the hole, the woman and child seemed to become more frantic. That was until the other Genin made it known to them that neither of them were a threat. It seemed to calm the two civilians down some, and through pants and cries, the woman would bring herself to reply to the duo.

"Y-you're not with the ninja stationed i-in Old Amegakure?" She sniffled. Kaito shook his head no in reply, wondering what the woman meant by her question. It must have been enough of an answer for the woman, who still holding the child in hand lurched forward and wrapped her free arm around him. "Oh, thank heavens!" She wailed. "I thought you were here to kill us for leaving that place!" Kaito would comfort the lady for a moment, looking at the clone all the while with an air of confusion. Then, Naki's voice sounded throughout the cabin.

"We're fine." Kaito reassured him loudly enough for Naki to hear him over the sound of the rain pattering harshly against the tin roof above them. "There are two civilians here. Can you help us hoist them outta here?"

The Uchiha would give Naki time to help him in getting the woman and child back up to the surface before finally himself. He would also help Karo back out of the hole as well if need be before brushing himself off as he realized where he had stepped had been a trap door.

The mystery of whom had been at the shack before they arrived had been solved, but there was still one major question that the Uchiha had on his mind. He would address this after making sure that both the real Karo and Naki were also within the confines of the building. Once the confirmation was made, he would release both his "Cat Eyes" and "Wind-Style: Quiet Footsteps" techniques.

"Ma'am, what did you mean when you asked if we were with the ninja stationed in Old Amegakure? What's going on there?"

The woman frowned and looked down at the ground below her as she brushed the head of the child with her hand comfortingly.

"Well, when Amegakure was abandoned many years ago, there was a group of us that stayed there. Our homes were there. We couldn't just leave them you understand..." Kaito nodded with understanding. "Things were peaceful there for a long time. No outsiders bothered us and we kept to ourselves in return; living purely off the land surrounding the island. A few months ago a group of ten or so ninja walked into the village. They immediately started killing those who opposed their presence, and once they were done they said that they were taking over the village." The woman paused for a moment, looking as though they were going to throw up but didn't. "They took those of us who weren't killed and turned us into slave laborers, tasked with rebuilding the village with what we had from when it stood before. These ninja... they do nothing but sit around and booze all day, and recently some of us women have been going missing in the night, their screams heard by all of us as they are taken far away... I-i'm sure you can imagine what's going on... I had to escape! If I didn't then who knows what would've come of me and my little Iggy..."

Kaito nodded as a chill went down his spine thanks to the woman's explanation.

"These ninja..." He asked after allowing what the woman said to sink in for a moment. "Do they have any headbands indicating where they're from?"

The woman shook her head from side to side.

"Not all of them. One or two maybe, but all of the ones that do have slashes through the symbol."

"Missing-Nin..." This time the woman nodded yes in agreement. Kaito tsked, realizing the sheer amount of trouble the citizens of the abandoned Amegakure were in. He would look up to Karo and Naki with his Sharingan still active. "How do you two want to proceed?"

AP Utilized:

Items Utilized:

[Word Count (Post) - 665]
[Word Count (Total) - 2,417]

Kaito listened to Naki and Karo's decisions.

Naki, whom Kaito had known for some time, was more than willing to fight the mercenaries in Old Amegakure, or at the very least scout out the situation.

Karo on the other hand had another idea. The lad wanted to go back to the village and alert the village's higher-ups. Kaito tsked as he heard him say these words.

"These exams are being held for a reason, Karo." He said as he removed five of the M.R.E food packages from his bag and distributed them to everyone for some sustenance. "Our mission is to scout this place out, not just leave at the first sign of trouble. Let's at least do that, and then if we think that we can't take them on we will hightail it outta here. If we come back empty-handed, then what would Lord Kazekage think?"

He would await any input from either Naki or Karo before looking over at the woman and child and handing them their M.R.E packs. Their eyes lit up like stars in a night sky as they grabbed them and began to chow down. Being enslaved people and all, they probably hadn't eaten anything remotely edible in a while.

"How were you two able to escape Amegakure?"

The woman looked up at Kaito from her meal and swallowed what food she had already begun to scarf down before clearing her throat.

"My little Nagiska and I slipped away through the huge pipe system that runs underneath the village and under the lake." She grimaced as she spoke about it. "It's a sewer system, but it's the only way in and out without being noticed. The village has really tall walls surrounding it, it's on an island in the middle of that huge lake about three miles east of here, and there is only one entrance into the village naturally by a long, heavily guarded bridge."

Kaito nodded and continued eating, trying his best not to think about what... crappy situation he was about to be putting himself through. But it needed to be done. He wouldn't stand for these missing ninja doing as they pleased, let alone to mere civilians. He would sit in silence for a moment as he finished his food, gathered up what garbage remained, and used his "Storage Displacement" technique to dispose of it all. They couldn't risk leaving any sort of evidence behind detailing their presence. He then stood up to his feet and stretched.

"I don't know about you two, but I'm going to Amegakure. We can't just sit by and do nothing about this." He would look at the woman again. "Where can I find the pipe that you exited from, Ma'am?"

"About 100 yards east there is a 25-foot cliff. At the bottom is a small creek where the sewer spills into from the pipe about five feet up the side of it. You can't miss it. Just follow the main pipe itself and you'll soon find yourself directly underneath the old village square."

"Would you and Nagiska mind waiting here for a bit longer or going with Karo back to Sunagakure just in case he decides that he doesn't want to go with me to Amegakure?" He reached back into his backpack and pulled out his remaining Travel Token, handing it to the young Nagiska with a smile. "Either way, I'll make sure to stop back here when I'm finished to make sure whoever stays is safe." The woman and Nagiska shook their heads in unison and Kaito bowed to them before walking out the front door that led into the cabin. "If Naki or Karo want to join me, then let's go."

Whether Naki and Karo joined him or not, Kaito would take his exit from the cabin and begin the journey to the village of Amegakure with quick haste.



[1 HOUR LATER...]

Kaito finally found the end of the sewer system the woman had told him about. As soon as he had come to the cliff and scaled down to hop into the pipe, he instantly threw up from the pure, rancid stench of many, many years worth of vile human extremities. He pushed through, however, and he did so by unwrapping the cloth turban he wore upon his head and wrapping it around his nose and mouth like a mask. It wouldn't help much to relieve the stench, but any bit of help would suffice.

He would proceed forward at a quick pace, but it did take him some time to navigate to the end of the tunnel where a metal ladder rose perhaps forty feet above him. He could see some daylight through small slits up above.

'A metal grate, perhaps?' He asked himself, wasting no time at all in climbing up the ladder.

Sure enough, it was a metal grate, and from the continued use of his 3-Tomoe Sharingan he could sense about seven Chakra signatures fifty yards north of him. He would ease the grate up enough just for him to peer his eyes through, and he could in fact see seven men of all different statures and builds sitting around and having a hearty time of themselves as they sat around drinking alcohol and playing cards. Many people worked tirelessly in the pounding rain around them, but Kaito sensed little to no Chakra signatures from them.

'They must be the citizens...'

Suddenly, one of the workers fell to the ground meekly. Kaito narrowed his eyes as some of the men began booing and getting up from their seats to surround the fallen person.

"What's wrong, old man?" Said the biggest of the Chakra-laden men. "You too hungry to continue?" The old man would shake his head weakly, and the missing-nin crouched down in front of him. Their eyes locked as the old man rose his head ever so slightly in hopes that he would at least be given a crumb of bread, but this would not be the case. The missing-nin would swiftly pull back his right arm before swinging a balled fist into the elder's face, slamming it down harshly into the ground.

"Get up!" He demanded, rising back up to his feet as he did so.

The old man, however, continued to lay in the muddy rain without moving.

"I said get up!"

Still no reply or sign of movement from the old man...

Suddenly, the missing-nin's leg rose up into the air and he brought the heel of his sandal down upon the elder man's head. He did this over and over again until a pool of blood started to form in the rain around them. Kaito's heart skipped a beat as his eyes widened at the sight of such utter brutality.

"Stay down then!" The missing-nin said condescendingly before spitting on the old man's body. Kaito's heart began beating faster and faster as it felt as though a fire had been ignited from deep within him.

'Kill them...'

Kaito's breath started becoming heavier and heavier as his 3-Tomoe Sharigan transformed into his Mangekyō Sharingan...

'Kill them all, Kaito...'

The metal grate shot up into the air at a frightening speed as Kaito jumped out from the sewer with a terribly agonizing scream, landing ten meters in front of it and facing the missing-nin who still stood 40-meters directly in front of him. The group of seven missing shinobi stopped looking down at the man and all returned their glances towards Kaito, drawing their weapons in unison.

"Who the fuck are you, huh!?" Yelled the biggest of the men. Kaito recognized him as the one who had curb stomped the elder to death. The boy stared at them all with his crimson red eyes as the darker half of him took to the surface of his psyche. It was now in complete control, and it was much more brutal than what the real Kaito was. It hadn't surfaced again since the second round of the exams, and it now had access to all of the new latent power that the young Uchiha was granted since then.

"Not gonna say anything, brat?" Kaito remained silent. The leader chuckled. "Kill him, guys!"

The other six men charged forward simultaneously, readying their weapons as they did so. Kaito stayed perfectly still with his arms folded across his chest, yet whenever all of the men had him surrounded he hurriedly formed some hand seals. Long tentacle-like tree branches erupted from the earth below each and every one of the attackers' feet, either piercing straight them or binding the men in their clutches before squeezing their very life from their bodies.

The Wood-Release granted to Kaito by the Senju DNA the Kazekage had given him had finally awoken.

The leader of this sect of the missing shinobi stood above the old man's lifeless body with a dumbfounded look upon his face.

"Wh-what the hell are you!?"

Again, Kaito said nothing. He would slowly begin to walk forward towards the man, who took a step back in unison with each of Kaito's steps forward. Unbeknownst to the man, however, another branch erupted from the ground behind him. As soon as he was in range it would snag him up, lifting him a few feet of the ground. He screamed and cowered; trying to fight the vicious root that snagged him. But it was too late. Kaito now stood directly in front of the man, looking up at him with enraged eyes of red.

"You bastardized the ways of the shinobi... And now you must pay..." The branch lowered the man down to Kaito's level as the young Uchiha drew his Chakra-Bonding Katana from its sheath at his right hip. With a swift motion, he swung the sword with blinding accuracy. Blood covered his face and front, but it didn't bother him. Then there was a small thud about five feet to the left of them, and Kaito knew it was the man's newly severed head. With a sour look, Kaito would keep his Mangekyō Sharingan active as he resheathed the sword and turned around towards the old man. He was still alive, but just barely. Acting fast, Kaito would remove his coat and place it over the man before lifting up the elder to a sitting position.  "Can you hear me, old man?" The man nodded. "Okay. Hold still, please." Wasting no time at all Kaito would perform the "Basic Medical Ninjutsu" technique and place his open palm on the man's head where it had been struck over and over again by the fallen missing-nin. Within a few moments it would be completely healed, but the man was still groggy and out of it slightly.

"Thank you, young man..." The man said in a strained and raspy voice. Kaito would smile and nod before asking some of the other citizens to help the man to his feet and take him somewhere to get some rest. He then went off to finish off the remaining missing shinobi, and he would allow Naki and Karo to take the reigns of this part of the operation if either of them were there with him. Once the remaining outlaws were taken care of, Kaito would walk back over to where the old man had been. As he did, the rain finally began to die down and open up to clear skies above them all.

"Good news, your missing-nin problem is taken care of. You are all free again." There was a round of applause and people giving their thanks to the Sunagakure Genin who had assisted in their becoming free, and the old man stood up to his feet and walked over to Kaito and whoever else may be with him.

"I cannot thank you enough. All of you. You helped to free my people from those bastards." The old man would then notice Kaito's headband. "Ah! From Sunagakure I see. Are you here on business or just passing through?" Kaito would then explain to the man that they were participating in the village's Chunin Exams, and that they were tasked with traveling to the Rain Country to test their survival. He would not, however, disclose the fact that it was a direct mission from the Kazekage himself. The old man would ponder for a moment before nodding his head and smiling. "If it helps any, lad, I would love to represent myself as the leader of this small community and speak with your Lord Kazekage myself in person. Would you mind if I traveled back to your village with you?"

"I don't mind at all, Sir." Kaito said with a bow. "We just have to make one quick pitstop before we do head back out to the Wind Country."

The old man would address the rest of the villagers before him, Kaito, and whoever else was with him set back out for the shack. They would describe to the woman and child that the village was now free from the missing shinobi, and the woman and child would thank the Sunagakure shinobi present for their service before her and her son set back out for Amegakure.

Once the woman and child were gone, Kaito then turned his attention to the old man. Should Naki and Karo still be in the Rain Country with him, he would also keep his attention on them.

His Mangekyō Sharingan was still active.

"As you all may know, I have been gifted with the power of the Sharingan in between the second and final round of the exams. What I haven't revealed to anyone else, however, is the fact that I have this Mangekyō Sharingan. I've done extensive research on it ever since I was granted its power, and I've discovered that I have a certain technique called "Kamui". With it, I can transport myself and upwards of three other people to any location my Chakra has been previously. I did not disclose any of this information to either of you previously because I was unsure whether we would need to use it or not." He would pause for a quick moment to catch his breath. "It is apparent to me, however, that if I do not use this technique now, then we will not make it back to Suna before the end of the exams." He would extend out his arm.  "Everyone grab my arm."

Once the others present in the cabin would grab Kaito's arm, including the old man, He would activate the "Kamui" in his left eye. The area around the group would begin to swirl from the focal point of Kaito's left eye, which began to bleed profusely. It pained him some, but he knew that it had to be done.

"Come on!" He yelled in excruciating pain, wanting nothing more than to cut off the technique then and there. That wouldn't happen, however, and the world around Kaito and the rest of the group swirled into a brief nothingness...



[30 SECONDS LATER...]

The world, which had become black after Kaito activated the Kamui in his left eye, quickly fazed back into existence. This place, however, was completely different then where they had just left from.

Sand crunched underneath Kaito's feet, and the sun beat down on him harshly. Before him now stood a tall, black building.

It was The Spire...

They were finally back home in Sunagakure...

With a sigh of relief, Kaito would allow himself to fall to the ground. He was surprised that it actually worked considering the only way to bypass the village's "Interdiction Seals" that surrounded the village was via a molding of Chakra in a very specific way. He had done this, but he had to do it in conjunction with his first ever use of Kamui, so it tuckered him out to no end. He huffed and puffed sharply, holding his hand tightly above his left eye. He would do this for a moment, contemplating on what else his new eyes could do, but it would have to wait for another time. Standing back up to his feet, Kaito would point to The Spire and look at the old man as he did so.

"We're here, Sir. That building there is where Lord Kazekage has his office, so why don't you come with us and we will introduce you to him once we let him know that our exam is now finished?" The old man nodded and Kaito would lead the group into The Spire, feeling happy that he was now home, and praying that his acts in the battlefield may be enough to convince the Kazekage that he was worthy of the position of Chunin...

[TOPIC EXIT]

AP Utilized:

Items Utilized:

[Word Count (Post) - 2,772]
[Word Count (Total) - 5,189]

Exit Claims: