Chapter 131: Self-Introduction
Hidden Cloud Village, Training Ground 3
The young men and women who were about to participate in the Joint Chunin Exams were gathered here. Some were chatting, others were warming up.
"The exam is a team-based event," Dana said, clapping his hands. "Rest assured, the village has taken your individual strengths and characteristics into account when forming the teams. First, you need to get to know your teammates. And since there may be cooperation between the different teams during the exam, it's best to get to know everyone here."
"So, let's start with a self-introduction. Team One: Hiroto Uzumaki, Kayo Uzumaki, Tetsuo Okine, step forward. Tell us a bit about yourselves. What you like, what you dislike, what your dreams are... actually, just tell us your combat specializations."
The three of them looked at each other. The youngest, Tetsuo, went first.
He was a stocky boy, of average height, but with long arms. A number of iron rings were on his thick forearms, serving as both weights and armor.
"My name is Tetsuo Okine," he said. "I like iron. I dislike soft things. I'm a Steel Release ninja. My specialty is a full-body, gapless defense. My chakra natures are Earth and Fire, but I prefer close combat. My dream is to become the hardest ninja in the Hidden Cloud, surpassing even Lord Raikage."
He then hardened his hands into steel and slammed his fists together with a clang.
When he was done, Kayo spoke.
"My name is Kayo Uzumaki," she said. "I like Onii-chan Dana. I dislike handmaidens and fiancées. I'm a sensory-type ninja, and I have some special healing abilities. My chakra natures are Water and Earth. My dream is... my dream is... oh, I can't say it!" She covered her face, blushing.
Dana wisely did not press the matter. He turned his attention to Hiroto.
He sighed. The others all looked at him, the oldest of the group.
"My name is Hiroto Uzumaki," he said. "I like... reading and making money. I dislike... accidents. I'm good at ninjutsu. I don't have a dream right now."
"Big Brother Hiroto," Killer Bee suddenly jumped up, "you told me you were a Chunin when you were teaching me the multi-sword style! Why are you taking the Chunin Exams with us?! Were you lying to me?!"
Hiroto's face fell. He shot a resentful look at Dana.
Chunin? I was about to be promoted to Jonin, and then, in one fell swoop, I was back to square one.
"Big Brother Hiroto," his teammate, Tetsuo, raised his hand, "what kind of ninjutsu are you good at? What are your chakra natures?"
"All of them," Hiroto said. "And all of them."
Now it was the others' turn to be surprised, and disbelieving.
"I don't believe it. He's this old and still a Genin. How strong can he be?"
"No way."
"Alright," Dana said, clapping his hands. "There will be plenty of opportunities for you to get to know each other's strengths."
The Uzumaki siblings, one with overwhelming power and mastery of all five elemental releases, the other with superhuman senses and healing abilities, plus a close-combat tank to draw fire. A classic trinity.
Tetsuo's Steel Release clan had been one of the first to be brought to the village under the "Fire Thief Initiative." It had been ten years now. He was the most talented ninja of the younger generation, and his grandfather was the Tetsuo Okine of the "Three Hundred Spartans of the Cloud." Though he was not yet at a dominant level among his peers, his unique Steel Release made his role very clear. And only a tank like him could keep up with the Uzumaki siblings.
This was the team the Cloud had the highest hopes for. They were aiming for first place.
In reality, Hiroto's strength was far beyond that of a normal Genin. He was skirting the edge of the rules. No one but the Cloud would have believed he was a Genin. Though he hadn't been a main player in the "Night of the Purple Moon," he had been in the same cage as Sakumo Hatake, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Killer Bee, fighting for his life. If he weren't so young, the Cloud would have been ashamed to even put him in the exam.
"Team Two: Killer Bee, Yahiko, Konan Kohaku."
Before he could even finish, the excited Killer Bee had jumped out.
"My name is Killer Bee! Ninja Killer! I like cool things! I dislike dawdling! I'm a master of the multi-sword style! And my dream is to go down in ninja history as its creator!"
"What's the multi-sword style?" someone asked.
"Good question," he sneered. "Let me show you the ultimate art of the multi-sword style."
It was then that everyone noticed the long tube on his back, filled with swords.
With a strange cry, he leaped into an open space. He held a sword in each hand, one in his mouth, and one between his legs, and began to flip and spin.
"So gross... between his legs?"
"It's wobbling! Look, that sword is wobbling!"
His two teammates, Yahiko and Konan, were stunned.
What kind of teammates are these?! Are they trying to get us killed?!
The two of them had come from the Land of Rain together. Konan's mother was a chef at "Gokuraku no Yu," and Yahiko's father was a maintenance worker for the hot spring system. They had come to the Ninja Academy together and had always been close.
They exchanged a look.
In the end, it was Yahiko who, with a deep breath, said, "My name is Yahiko. I like water. I don't dislike anything in particular right now. I'm good at Water Release. I don't have a dream right now."
"My name is Konan Kohaku," she said. "I like cooking. I dislike waste. I'm good at Paper Release. My dream is to own my own hot spring inn."
By now, Killer Bee had finished his demonstration (though no one had been watching the latter half). "What's Paper Release?" he asked, panting. "Sounds weak."
Konan took a piece of paper from her pocket and, without any visible movement, folded it into a paper crane, which then flew around him.
He was amazed, but he still couldn't help but say, "But what's the point? It seems so weak."
She then took out another piece of paper. It was an explosive tag.
The explosive tag also folded itself into a paper crane and began to circle around him.
A cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He froze.
Don't move, don't move.
Killer Bee had strong close-combat abilities. Yahiko was thoughtful and could be the strategist, and his Water Release was not weak. And Konan, though she couldn't yet infinitely print explosive tags, could already do amazing things with them. She had a powerful area-of-effect damage capability. The three of them complemented each other well.
"Konan-san," Dana said, clapping his hands, "please don't do anything so dangerous. Alright, Team Three: Yusuke Akahoshi, Ganseki, Akane, step forward."
A boy with blue-black hair stepped forward. "My name is Yusuke Akahoshi," he said. "I like sashimi. I dislike barbecue. I'm a Red Eye ninja. I'm good at long-range reconnaissance and stealth. My dream is to be a painter."
Two girls who looked almost identical stepped forward together. "We are Ganseki and Akane," they said in unison. "We are twins. We like to be together. We dislike doing anything alone. We are Crystal Release ninja. We're good at trap-based combat. Our dream is to marry a pair of twins."
Yusuke's Red Eye clan was the same one that Orochimaru had mistaken for Dana's group, the one Danzo had failed to stop. They had come a little later than the Steel Release clan, another fruit of the "Fire Thief Initiative." But at the time, the clan had been on the verge of extinction, their traditions almost lost. Yusuke was the first of their children to grow up in the Cloud, the first of their new generation of ninja.
The Crystal Release sisters' clan was the most recent to arrive, having been in the village for less than four years.
Yusuke's Red Eye gave him a long-range reconnaissance ability similar to the Byakugan, and he also had a special stealth ability. The two sisters were experts in trap-based combat. Together, they could create an unexpected chemical reaction.