The persistent rain of Amegakure washed over the training grounds of the Ninja Academy.
Fifty young Genin stood in straight rows shivering slightly in the cold damp air. They were the hope of the Rain Village the new generation trained to serve Hanzo the Salamander. Or at least that is what they believed.
In front of them stood Uehara Naraku.
He was dressed in the standard uniform of a Rain Village Genin a gray flak jacket over a high collared shirt and the breathing apparatus mask that many Rain shinobi wore hanging loosely around his neck. Despite wearing the same uniform his aura was completely different. He stood relaxed holding a paper umbrella while the others stood at rigid attention.
Konan stood beside him her expression unreadable.
"Naraku" Konan said softly. "Choose your team. The Chunin Exams require a three man squad."
Uehara looked at the rows of nervous teenagers. To him they were not comrades. They were NPCs. Extra weight. Baggage.
"Do I really have to?" Uehara sighed. "Can't I just go alone and say my teammates got lost on the road of life?"
"Rules are rules" Konan replied. "We need to maintain appearances. Pick two."
Uehara walked down the line. He stopped in front of a tall boy with a bandage covering one eye and three umbrellas on his back.
"What is your name?" Uehara asked.
"Shigure!" the boy shouted saluting nervously.
"You look like you like umbrellas" Uehara noted. "And you look like cannon fodder. Perfect. You are in."
Shigure blinked confused but relieved. "Yes sir!"
Uehara continued walking. He stopped in front of another boy who looked slightly older with a messy mop of hair and a nervous twitch.
"And you?"
"Baiu!" the boy stammered.
"Baiu. Sounds like 'Bad Luck'. I like it. You are in too."
Uehara turned back to Konan.
"I have chosen Sensei. Shigure and Baiu. We will be Team Rain."
Konan nodded. She gestured for the other students to dismiss. Once they were alone she handed Uehara a scroll.
"This is your travel permit and registration forms for the exams. Remember your mission. Gather intelligence. Assess the strength of the other villages. And do not reveal your true allegiance to anyone."
"Understood" Uehara tucked the scroll into his pouch. "We are loyal ninjas of Hanzo sama here to bring glory to the Rain."
He turned to his two new teammates who were looking at him with awe and fear. They knew Uehara was the direct disciple of the Angel. To them he was practically royalty.
"Listen up you two" Uehara said his voice dropping to a serious tone.
"Yes Captain!" Shigure and Baiu shouted in unison.
"Our strategy for the Chunin Exams is very simple" Uehara raised one finger. "You two will stand behind me. If a fight starts you cheer for me. If I tell you to run you run. If I tell you to play dead you stop breathing. Do you understand?"
"Understood!"
"Good" Uehara smiled. "Now pack your bags. We leave in one hour. Destination Konoha."
The journey from the Land of Rain to the Land of Fire took three days on foot.
As they crossed the border the landscape changed drastically. The dark gray cliffs and constant rain gave way to lush green forests and bright sunshine.
"It is so bright!" Shigure complained shielding his eyes. "I hate the sun. It dries out my skin."
"Stop whining" Uehara said though he also adjusted his collar to block the light. "We are entering the territory of the strongest village in the world. Keep your guard up."
As they walked along the main road Uehara checked his inventory.
He had 500 Gold left after buying the Blasting Wand component for Rylai's Crystal Scepter. He needed another 400 Gold to complete the item recipe.
"I need a side mission" Uehara thought. "Hopefully some bandits try to rob us."
As if the System heard his prayer a group of three ninjas appeared on the road ahead. They weren't bandits however.
They wore the sand colored uniforms of the Hidden Sand Village.
The one in the lead was a boy with red hair and dark rings around his eyes carrying a massive gourd on his back. A boy in a black cat suit and a girl with a giant fan walked beside him.
Gaara. Kankuro. Temari.
The Sand Siblings.
Uehara stopped in the middle of the road. Shigure and Baiu bumped into his back.
"Watch out Captain!" Baiu whispered. "Those are Sand ninjas. They look dangerous."
Gaara stopped. He slowly raised his head his teal eyes locking onto Uehara.
"Move" Gaara whispered. His voice was raspy and filled with a suppressed bloodlust. "Or I will kill you."
The air temperature seemed to drop. Kankuro smirked anticipating violence. Temari looked annoyed.
[Side Mission Triggered: Provoke the One Tail Jinchuriki.]
[Reward: 100 Gold Coins.]
Uehara grinned. The System really wanted him to die young.
"Kill me?" Uehara stepped forward ignoring his trembling teammates. "That is not very polite. We are all going to the same exam aren't we? Where is the camaraderie?"
"I don't need comrades" Gaara's sand began to leak from the gourd swirling around his feet. "I only need blood to feed Mother."
"Mother?" Uehara tilted his head. "You should really see a therapist about that. Bringing your mom to an exam is kind of embarrassing don't you think?"
Kankuro's jaw dropped. "Hey you suicidal rain brat! Do you know who you are talking to?"
"A short guy with a backpack full of dirt?" Uehara guessed.
Gaara's eyes widened. The sand surged forward forming a spike aimed straight at Uehara's chest.
"Sand Coffin!"
Whoosh!
Uehara didn't move.
"Command: Protect."
The invisible shield flared to life.
BAM!
The sand spike shattered against the barrier scattering into harmless dust.
Gaara froze. He had never seen his sand blocked so easily without a physical wall.
"You blocked it?" Gaara murmured. His killing intent spiked higher. "Good. You will be fun to break."
"Gaara stop!" Temari grabbed his shoulder. "We are near Konoha. If we fight here we will be disqualified before the exams even start!"
Gaara trembled fighting the urge to kill. He glared at Uehara burning the Rain ninja's face into his memory.
"We will meet again" Gaara promised.
"I hope so" Uehara waved casually. "Next time try using cleaner sand. That stuff got dust on my boots."
The Sand Siblings walked past them the tension in the air thick enough to cut with a knife.
Once they were gone Shigure collapsed to his knees.
"Captain! Are you crazy?!" Shigure gasped. "That guy... he smelled like death! Why did you provoke him?"
"Because I was bored" Uehara lied checking his system log.
[Mission Complete: Provoke the One Tail Jinchuriki.]
[Reward: 100 Gold Coins.]
"Come on" Uehara kicked Shigure lightly. "We are almost there. I can see the gates of Konoha."
A massive green gate loomed in the distance with the kanji for 'Fire' painted on it. Two guards Izumo and Kotetsu were sitting at the desk checking permits.
Uehara walked up to the gate.
"Name and village?" Izumo asked looking bored.
"Uehara Naraku. Hidden Rain Village" Uehara handed over the scroll.
Izumo checked the papers. "Rain Village? We haven't seen many of you guys lately. Are these your teammates?"
He pointed to Shigure and Baiu who were still shaking from the encounter with Gaara.
"Yes" Uehara sighed. "They get motion sickness easily. Please ignore them."
"Everything seems to be in order" Kotetsu stamped the papers. "Welcome to Konoha. Don't cause trouble."
"I wouldn't dream of it" Uehara smiled angelically.
They walked through the gates into the bustling streets of Konohagakure.
It was vibrant. It was alive. Civilians walked everywhere shops were selling dango and ninja tools and the Hokage Rock looked down upon the village with solemn grandeur.
"So this is Konoha" Uehara looked around. "The main stage."
He felt a buzz in his pocket. It wasn't a phone. It was the System interface vibrating in his mind.
[Main Mission Update: The Chunin Exams.]
[Objective 1: Pass the First Exam (Written Test).]
"Written test?" Uehara groaned. "I hate tests."
He looked at the Hokage Rock specifically at the Fourth Hokage's stone face.
"Well then Konoha" Uehara whispered. "Let's see if your will of fire can burn brighter than my gold coins."
"Captain where are we staying?" Baiu asked looking at a map.
"The cheapest hotel available" Uehara said immediately. "I am saving up for a new item."
"But the Angel gave us funds for lodging..."
"That is my money now" Uehara clarified. "You guys can sleep on the floor. It builds character."
Uehara Naraku the Captain of Team Rain marched forward ready to ruin the plot of the Chunin Exams for everyone involved.
....
Author Note
Hi guys! Thank you for reading my fanfiction.
I wanted to let you know that I'll be releasing bonus chapters for Power Stones. Here are the goals:
15 Power Stones: 1 Bonus Chapters
30 Power Stones: 1 Bonus Chapters
50 Power Stones: 1 Bonus Chapters
75 Power Stones: 2 Bonus Chapters
100 Power Stones: 2 Bonus Chapters
Thanks for the support!