Illumination – A Naruto Fantasy

 

Iwagakure¹Hidden Stone Village

{It should be around here somewhere...}

While his students were fighting for their lives in the second phase of the Chunin exams, Tango refrained from merely sitting around in wait for results. Undergoing a particular mission of his own, he covertly roamed the streets in casual clothing, hiding his identity as a Kumogakure Jonin

While being the only Kumo ninja here, his comrade and spy Karai arranged for a proxy to send him intel on the current situation. Now on his way to a "drop" left for him in an inconspicuous alley...

RUSTLE!

"Ah! Found it..." 

Placed inside a building wall behind a removeable stone slab, lied a scroll containing Karai's most recent report

FWAP!

Glancing around once more for witnesses, he opened the scroll containing a message written in code. Tango immediately went to work, deciphering it as fast as he could

{So I was right... this explains Ishigakure's²Hidden Rock Village involvement. Iwagakure is having them target every other village Genin for the second and third exams. Hmmm...our Daimyō will be here soon. What else...notes on a--"reconstruction" for the... Just what the hell are they building?}

Due to the report being assembled in haste, the code's message remained broken and inconsistent. Frustratingly akin to a puzzle, Tango spent most of his time putting the blank spots together

The majority of it contained information on Iwagakure's recent "changes" to the Chunin exams, particularly the commodities too big to keep secret, such as alterations to the arena set for the third and final part of the exam

"Given the number of VIPs on the way, there's gonna be a big audience, so changes are expected. I'm more concerned with the second exam..."

RUSTLE!

Tango unrolled the scroll even further, deciphering the rest of the message. Only when he finished its contents did he clench the paper in anger...

{Compasses and...! Those lousy... So that's why they chose that location for the second exam! Their Genin have no doubt been informed beforehand...this is clearly an unfair advantage!}

SCORCH!

After tossing the scroll aside, it abruptly caught fire, set by Karai to burn until message was nothing but ash. Tango promptly left the alley, leaving everything as it was, ensuring no one caught on to his actions

Putting his skills to work, he subtly blended in with the local populace already up this early in the morning. Making his way back to the hotel, his thoughts focused on his students...

 

 

"Those kids should be able to figure it out, but making it through that ridiculous canyon, that's another story. No matter what, they mustn't split up..."

 

♦♦♦

 

Rengoku no Kyōkoku³Purgatory's Canyon

The Genin team from Kirigakure⁴Hidden Mist Village poised to fight Rei moved into formation, with the medic known as Kiri situated behind his two teammates, Kussaku and Unmo. The latter of whom maintained a charge of electricity on his fist

Eager to end this before sunrise, Rei was more than ready to fight, smugly goading them to attack 

"I'm on a tight schedule, let's go already" (Rei)

"Cocky jerk... It won't be so easy this time! Ready Kussaku?!" (Unmo)

"Anytime!" (Kussaku)

"In that case, I'm moving out!" (Unmo)

CRACKLE!

Unmo dashed ahead, increasing the intensity of his Raiton⁵Lightning StyleNinjutsu. As Rei prepared to intercept, Kussaku made his move

"Suiton: Mizurappa⁶Water Style: Wild Water Wave!" (Kussaku)

SPLOOSH!

Kussaku spat out a stream of water in Rei's direction. Unmo jumped just as it was about to him, before placing his hand on it, adding his own technique in the process

"Raiton: Kangekiha⁷Lightning Style: Wave of Inspiration!" (Unmo)

{I get it. Make me think you're gonna strike me, when your true aim is a combo attack. Smart, but your methods are rudimentary} (Rei)

ZWIP! ZWIP!

Opting to return their Ninjutsu with Taijutsu, Rei zipped around with incredible speed, easily dodging their attack. Running forwards, he already had his target in sight...!

"What the?!" (Unmo)

"So fast...uh?! Kussaku! He's coming!" (Kiri)

"K-Kuh!" (Kussaku)

BLAM!

Maneuvering around Unmo, he stopped in front of Kussaku, delivering a powerful palm strike to the sensor-nin's torso!

"Uhack! A-Agh!" (Kussaku)

"O-Oooof!!" (Kiri)

Struck with such high level force, Kussaku threw up on impact as Rei violently sent the Genin flying right at Kiri! The medic didn't even have time to react as Kussaku's head collided with his own, knocking them both out in one fell swoop!

Unmo stood completely stupefied at what had just occurred, his squad was taken down, and no more than a few seconds had passed since the battle begun!

"That's...urgh! You're gonna pay for that you little shi-UGH!" {W-What? I-I can't move...!} (Unmo)

"I told you, I'm on a tight schedule. Now... sleep" (Rei)

"U-UH?!" (Unmo)

THUD!!

At Rei's command, Unmo fell over like a motionless puppet, powerless under the former's formidable Genjutsu

{Took them down in less than a minute, wow. I haven't had much chance to test my ability in the last three months since all I did was train. Maybe I was too cautious during our fight at the factory...} "No, there's no such thing. The white-haired guy was dangerous, plus Deidara being there only complicated things" (Rei)

POOF!

Taking out a scroll from his pouch, he unsealed some ropes for practical use, tying the downed team to a boulder nearby. Once his work was complete, he searched them, but failed to find anything of value

{Did someone take their "piece" already?} "Ugh, screw this! I'll just ask them directly" (Rei)

WEAVE!

Utilizing his Genjutsu once more, he interrogated all three Genin at the same time

"Now tell me, what item did you receive at the start of this exam?" (Rei)

"C-C-Com...pass" (Unmo)

{Again?! That's all I've received since the start of this test! There's definitely a pattern I'm not seeing...} "Tsk...when you first entered the exam gate, after moving towards the wooden barricade that hosted the gates, which direction were you directed towards. Left, or right?" (Rei)

"L-Left..." (Kiri)

{Just like us} "What was your gate number?!" (Rei)

"Twen...ty f-four" (Kussaku)

{An even number, left side, white compass... just like my team. Did they place all teams with an even number on the left, and the odd on the right? Compasses on the left, Black Needles on the right...} "But I don't think that's all there is to it..." (Rei)

WOOOOO!

The wind blew as Rei pondered, arms folded, eyes closed as he gathered his thoughts in attempt to unravel the machinations of this test

Soon enough, he gained an epiphany...

"OH! Son of a bitch, of course! I was so focused on finding a needle, I forgot the true purpose of the second exam..." (Rei)  

Hundreds upon hundreds of examinees from everywhere took part in what was considered, the biggest Chunin Exams in shinobi history. No matter the village, the second test is always designed to weed out the competition, and shrink numbers by at least half

"They split the teams down the middle, and placed us all on opposite ends of the canyon! That's why...!" (Rei)

Half of hundreds of Genin is still a hefty number, too big for the final exam, which was meant for entertainment. Enjoying shinobi fights was a form of entertainment, but none wanted to spend the entire day watching them fight

The upper brass of Iwagakure knew this, and opted for a better solution to eliminate more examinees. The teams were set up to first encounter those who lacked the item they required, but forcing them to fight regardless

Along with the harsh environment, these extra steps ensured there'd be plenty of eliminations. Rei surmised this to be the reason all of his first opponents held the same piece as his team, while also considering the possibility Iwagakure reduced the overall number of Needles given as well

"Forget 50% of the participants, it'll be amazing if 25% managed to pass. My chances decrease the longer this goes on. If I want a Needle, I'll have to venture further into the canyon, and I'm willing to bet that's where the most dangerous creatures in this place thrive... F**king beautiful" (Rei)

He heaved a downhearted sigh, and for good reason. The odds were already against him, but now... he had to hope Tai and Suzu caught on and succeed in getting a Needle as well. One cannot pass this exam without their team

Rei moved his focus towards his captives again...

{Given this team has a compass, it's safe to say I didn't teleport too far from the starting point} "Have you discovered anyone with a Black Needle?" (Rei)

"Y-Yes..." (Unmo)

"You have?! Where?!" (Rei)

"Several klicks...east of here. Konoha genin... alone" (Kussaku)

{A lone Genin from Konoha. Could it be Itachi?} (Rei)

He touched his chin, wondering whether or not it was safe to go. Interacting with crucial "Characters" towards this world's plot meant a high chance of creating "Ripples"

More distortions in the world's original "plot" would only create more problems for him

"How did you meet him?" (Rei)

"We discovered him...fighting with other ninja from...K-Kirigakure. Decided to help them...but got hurt in the process" (Unmo)

"How many other ninja from your village?" (Rei)

"T-Two. They're still... chasing the ninja" (Kiri)

Rei raised an eyebrow in confusion after hearing their latest response

{The absolute prodigy, Itachi Uchiha...running? From just two Mist ninja? That doesn't make any sense} "What did this Leaf ninja look like? His name?" (Rei)

"Don't know... name" (Kussaku)

"Short, dark brown hair in a...p-ponytail... Scar... on his nose" (Kiri)

"Scar? That description, that sounds very familiar... No. There's no way... but it--no, I shouldn't deny the possibility...! SHIT!!!!" (Rei)

ZWISH!

Rei dashed towards the east, leaving the incapacitated team behind

Blasting through the canyon like a bullet, he utilized his inhuman speed without a single trace of stealth or subtlety, throwing caution to the wind in desperation to find this anonymous Leaf ninja!

 

 

{If it really is him, and something happens, this world's gonna be permanently thrown off course!!} (Rei)