"Well, jonin candidates. You have been selected to participate in this promotion exam taking place in Kirigakure," began Tsunade-sama, pacing in front of them. "You are gathered here because I believe you possess what a good jonin must have: discipline, academic knowledge, a strong mission record, leadership skills, solid taijutsu and ninjutsu abilities, but above all, the maturity to handle the increased responsibility that comes with being a jonin. We depart tomorrow morning."
Seina disappeared in a swirl of leaves. It was night-time, but no one was home. She felt a bit sad realizing that Sasuke, Naruto, and Kakashi-sensei were on a mission the day before her jonin promotion exam. However, when she went to eat dinner, she noticed some notes on the table. Smiling, she read the words of encouragement from her team. She ate, showered, and headed to her study to review her supplies one last time.
She would spend five days in the infamous Blood Swamps. Like Konoha with its Forest of Death, Kirigakure had a special place to test its own ninjas and foreign ones. It was an area of swamps. Surprised? From what she had learned thanks to Shiro since discovering her destination was Kirigakure, it wasn't all water. There was a dense forest that eventually transitioned into various types of swamps—some barren, others covered in lush trees that blocked out the sun. Add the constant fog, present 90% of the time in Kirigakure, and the place didn't seem very appealing.
She went to her room, pondering what lay ahead, until she finally decided to let it go and get some sleep.
The next day, she woke up and dressed entirely in black. From the thin, long-sleeved hooded jacket, her elbow-length gloves, to her tights. She couldn't wear the tokubetsu jonin uniform since this was a jonin promotion exam, but at least she could wear something that helped her blend in. She secured her wakizashi in her thigh holster, strapped the sheath to her left leg, and slipped on her trusty black combat boots.
After a quick breakfast, she met the other candidates at the village's southern gate. Some looked a bit nervous, while others appeared more confident, chatting among themselves. A few glanced her way, as they had since noticing her recommendation, but left her alone except for a few smiles and nods. That suited her just fine. It was an individual exam, so she had no reason to form alliances.
When Tsunade-sama arrived, accompanied by her ninja escort and Shikaku, they left the village. Shizune would oversee things, with Shikaku's second-in-command assisting her. The journey felt quick, as they only had one day to reach Kirigakure. To Seina, however, it dragged on endlessly, but she used the time to listen to the others' conversations as a distraction. Unsurprisingly, everyone was talking about the exams, particularly about Kirigakure.
Some had been to the Land of Water before and could answer questions from others who hadn't been so fortunate. Seina listened intently as they described the village, its people, and the troubles they'd had until recently with Yagura... As night fell, they reached the port that would take them to Kirigakure. She was grateful she didn't get seasick; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to sleep at all during the overnight journey.
"Ah, we're here," Tsunade-sama's voice greeted her the next morning. "How was the trip?"
"Short, considering I was asleep," she replied, joining her at the ship's bow.
Tsunade-sama and Shikaku chuckled at her response.
"You're lucky," said the Nara. "Some only managed a couple of hours of sleep."
"Some people just can't sleep on boats. Or maybe it's nerves."
"We should arrive in less than 30 minutes," the captain called from the helm.
"I'll go inform the others."
"Are you nervous?" the Hokage asked, watching Shikaku head below deck.
"Not really. More excited than anything. I've trained as much as I could, so now it's time to see if it's enough."
"I'm sure it is."
Tsunade-sama squeezed her shoulder, and they turned to watch the port draw closer. Seina noticed they were greeted by a group of ninjas led by the newly appointed Mizukage, Mei Terumi. She found it fascinating what had transpired in Kirigakure over the years. A large part of her was glad they had turned the page, and kekkei genkai users were no longer persecuted by the former Mizukage's puppets.
"...hope you enjoy your stay in Kirigakure, Tsunade-sama," the Mizukage's voice brought her out of her thoughts.
"Thank you very much. I'm looking forward to revisiting the hot springs at the hotel," the Hokage said politely, eliciting a laugh from the Mizukage.
"Of course. Everyone asks about them."
Seina half-listened to the conversation between the two Kage while scanning the ninjas who had received them. Some, a minority, had a weary expression, while the rest seemed serious but somewhat kinder. She blinked when she recognized a familiar face. It was the boy who had received the payment from that client in the Land of the Sea months ago when she was on the mission to protect the ships and eliminate the sea monster. He still had the same whitish hair and glasses, though he seemed to have grown taller. Even his uniform and the bandaged weapon on his back were the same.
Beside him was a tall, imposing man with an eye patch covering part of his forehead. She wondered what had happened to him as they disembarked and waited to be escorted to their quarters. They would only stay a few nights, as the written exam was scheduled for the next morning, but she planned to relax as much as possible. She wouldn't even practice, not trusting that the room might not have been... altered with spy jutsu.
She felt a gaze on her back but didn't turn around. Instead, she walked to catch up with the Hokage, who was still conversing with the Mizukage. They were taken to an enormous, luxurious hotel clearly meant for dignitaries and wealthy guests. Upon entering, Seina managed to keep her jaw from dropping through sheer will. It was colossal. It even had a fountain in the lobby, along with decorative pools dividing the massive space. The walls were so high she could probably summon Katsuyu's smaller version without hitting the ceiling.
"What do you think, Seina?" Tsunade-sama asked, turning to look at her. "Even Katsuyu would fit!"
"That's exactly what I was thinking..." she replied, smiling back.
She noticed the Mizukage turning to look at her, drawn by the Hokage's attention.
"Do you like it?" Mei Terumi asked with a smile.
"It's a masterpiece," Seina nodded. "Huge, but beautiful."
"Thank you. We're very proud of this hotel."
Seina nodded. They weren't wrong to be. Each candidate was given their own room on the same floor, while Tsunade-sama and Shikaku were housed on an upper level with their escort. Still, seeing her spacious room with its private bathroom, she had no complaints. The first thing she did was check for anything suspicious. Finding nothing detectable, she set up a couple of invisible barriers.
She left her room after surveying it, carrying nothing since she always kept her pouch on her. She found it amusing to explore the hotel alongside the other jonin candidates. Downstairs, the Mizukage was about to leave the lobby with her entourage, while the Hokage and Shikaku sat on one of the many crescent-shaped sofas scattered throughout the space. Her spy jutsu, enhanced for this special test to a range of 50 meters, picked up the low conversation between the Mizukage and the man with the eye patch.
"...look strong. A few stand out,"
"The girl is one of them, right?" the Mizukage asked. "Tsunade-sama has a clear interest in her."
"If by girl you mean the blonde teenager dressed in black, yes. Luckily, there's no Hyuga among the candidates, so I've been able to analyse them from a distance with my eye."
"I think this will be very interesting, Ao. More than we expected..."
"Should we inform them about Yagura?" the ninja murmured so faintly that even her enhanced jutsu barely caught it. "Our relations with Konohagakure have suffered greatly over the years. Perhaps telling them the truth could formalize an alliance. After all, the same thing happened recently with the Fourth Kazekage, and they're still allies."
"I'll think about it. Not another word about that, Ao," the Mizukage cut him off firmly.
Seina pretended not to hear anything, but she wondered what "eye" he was talking about. And why did he think it was fortunate that there wasn't a Hyuga among the participants? She needed to relay this information to the Hokage or Shikaku because, whatever the case, that guy had a covered eye capable of analysing people from afar—and who knew what else. With some irritation, she realized that perhaps he had come to greet them precisely because of his ability. That way, he would have more information about them than they had about Kiri's candidates. What she couldn't quite grasp was the second part of the conversation.
She locked eyes with Shikaku, knowing he would need little to realize she wanted to talk to him. She watched as he glanced at the Hokage and continued speaking for a few more minutes. After a while, he got up with his hands in his pockets and walked off as if nothing had happened. Seina followed him from a distance, stopping first at the bar to order a juice, which she didn't start drinking until she ensured it was clean. Then, she wandered around the hotel until she reached Shikaku's chosen hiding spot. With some amusement, she realized it was a cleaning closet. She cast a spell on the room under her commander's watchful gaze and placed the juice on a shelf. She spoke as soon as she saw his raised eyebrow questioning her.
"The guy with the eye patch... Apparently, he has some ability that lets him see from afar and, according to him, analyse the candidates. I'm not sure what he meant by that. His exact words were, 'fortunately, there isn't a Hyuga among the candidates, so I was able to analyse them from afar with my eye.'"
Shikaku let out a heavy sigh at her words. He scanned the room thoughtfully before his gaze settled on her.
"I didn't expect it, but now that I know, it makes sense," Seina raised an eyebrow at his contradictory words. "Problematic."
"There's something else... That guy asked the Mizukage if they should inform us about Yagura. He said that our relations had suffered in recent years and that maybe, if they told us the truth about Yagura, we could formalize an alliance. He said that, after all, the same thing happened with the Fourth Kazekage, and we're still allies."
"...Did he say that exactly as you've just quoted?" Shikaku asked seriously, straightening up from the wall and staring intently into her eyes.
"Yes."
"Anything else?"
"No, that's all. The Mizukage said she'd think about it and told him not to speak of it anymore."
"Let's get out of here. If you hear anything else, you know what to do."
Seina exited first, the half-empty juice in hand. It was clear that something strange had happened with Yagura, the former Mizukage. Ao's reference to the Fourth Kazekage likely alluded to how Sunagakure had attacked Konoha not long ago. The only odd thing about that invasion was that the Fourth Kazekage wasn't actually the instigator—Orochimaru had impersonated him. She sipped the rest of her drink as she pondered whether that was what Ao meant. Could he be implying that Yagura hadn't really been Yagura? She didn't know.
Honestly, she didn't care much. She needed to focus on her exam. That night, she tried the hot springs Tsunade-sama had mentioned. They were just as incredible as the rest of the hotel. If it weren't for the high cost—and the fact that they were in Kirigakure—she wouldn't have minded staying a few more days on vacation. She closed her eyes, leaning back against the stone like the other women. She only heard a few occasional whispers that didn't disturb her relaxation, so she allowed herself to stay for quite a while.
Dinner, in comparison, was a quick affair. She soon returned to her individual room and fell asleep under several protective spells.
The next day, they were sent to the academy for the written exam. Within 15 minutes, they were seated randomly at individual desks, each equipped with nothing but a pencil and an eraser. As the exams were distributed, one of Kirigakure's jonin explained the rules.
"One of our experts will come to each table and place a temporary seal on you, preventing you from using ninjutsu. When you leave the room, the seal will be removed. This exam consists of five written questions. Read them carefully and answer concisely in the space provided. Anyone caught cheating will be expelled from the exam immediately. You will have two hours to complete the test. Once finished, stand up and leave the room quietly. You won't know your score until after completing the survival stage in six days. If your score is below five, you will fail and won't proceed further in the exam."
Seina noticed a few murmurs of complaint, though they were rare. She also found it odd to complete the survival test if the written exam could ultimately disqualify them. Why take the risk?
"Silence! You're here because you've accepted the risks this exam entails," the Kirigakure ninja shouted, glaring at those who had complained. "That means risking your life even if there's no guaranteed reward. That's what being a jonin means. If you disagree, you can leave now."
No one left. Seina received her seal a few minutes later. She looked at the upside-down test in front of her and knew it was time to give it her all. Shizune and Kakashi-sensei had bombarded her with oral questions over the past month, so she was confident she would pass. Otherwise, they wouldn't have let her leave the village. About ten minutes later, when everyone was sealed and had their exams, the jonin indicated they could begin.
Seina quickly flipped the paper, noting that each question had its own page. The first question was a secret code. The second was a complete map of a fictional village paired with a text describing an infiltration mission. The third was similar but required mathematical calculations. The fourth question demanded three different ways to solve what seemed like an impossible mission. The fifth dealt with ninja country history and its application to a hypothetical mission from 20 years ago.
With less than 30 minutes per question, she started with the easiest ones—the second and third. Fortunately, not needing to cheat allowed her to focus entirely on her own work. If anyone copied from her, that wasn't her problem. Many wouldn't survive the survival stage, and half would likely fail during the one-on-one combat. With only about 100 participants, she knew few would make it to the fourth stage.
An hour and fifteen minutes later, she had answered the second, third, and fifth questions. The fourth required some creative thinking to come up with solutions to an apparently doomed mission, but fortunately, she had plenty of experience to draw upon. A bit of passive legilimency to pick up anything useful helped her complete that question in 20 minutes. The last 25 minutes were dedicated entirely to the code.
She had to reread the novel excerpt serving as the cipher's basis several times, but eventually, she cracked it. The key was focusing on repeated letters or symbols, which typically corresponded to common vowels or consonants. After that, it was a matter of matching each coded phrase to the novel's paragraphs. Each letter in the code represented the previous letter in the first word of the corresponding paragraph.
Fortunately, the passage describing a landscape was split into four distinct paragraphs—the same number of lines in her code. In the final few minutes, she double-checked her work, turned in the test, and left the room. A Kirigakure ninja, under the watchful eyes of observers from other nations, removed her seal without issue. She felt her chakra flowing freely again, thanked the ninja, and left. Mentally reviewing the seal, she realized she had inadvertently gained a new fuinjutsu.
Outside, some of her fellow candidates were already discussing the questions. Seina tried not to listen—she had always disliked post-exam discussions, unlike Hermione.
"Let's head back to the hotel for lunch," someone suggested upon seeing everyone had exited.
Lunch was a tense affair. The candidates separated themselves by country, keeping their distance from rivals while carefully watching their own comrades. Afterward, Seina took what she assumed would be her last shower for the next five days. She left her satchel in a secret spot in her room and handed the key to the Hokage, along with the others.
"The time has come for you to prove yourselves in the swamp," the Hokage addressed them, gathered in the lobby before their departure to the exam site. "All I can tell you is to keep a clear head and stay calm. You are all worthy of being jonin. Now it's your turn to prove it. Good luck."
Seina felt strange with only her wakizashi strapped to her back and a kunai hidden in her pocket. She had grown so accustomed to relying on her satchel that being without it felt unsettling. Now, she'd have to fend for herself with only two weapons. Not that it mattered—she could conjure basic supplies if needed. The journey to the entrance of the Blood Swamps was silent. She noticed that most of her group of ten were far more nervous than before. Even so, no one withdrew. She couldn't say how the others were doing, as they had been randomly distributed around the perimeter in small groups. Still, she imagined they were just as tense.
Seina silently took the scroll handed to her by another jonin organizing the event. They could open it before entering the forest and exchange it peacefully if they wanted. If not, they could open it inside, where no one would know the difficulty of the mission they had been assigned. She wondered what to do but ultimately decided to open it privately.
"In 5 minutes, the next part of the exam will begin. On the fifth day, at 7:00 p.m., the test will end. Remember. You must obtain at least 2 scrolls; it doesn't matter if they are missions of the same difficulty. This means that at least half of you will be going home. On the sixth day, you will choose one of the missions from the scrolls you have collected, so choose wisely. Good luck."
Seina entered the forest, leaping onto a branch with her spy spells fully activated. In the distance, she could see other contestants running to hide. She cast several spells and activated her bracelet to become invisible. When she was sure that she couldn't be seen, heard, smelled, or sensed, she opened the scroll. The first thing she saw was the moderate difficulty level. She had been given an intermediate mission. The question now was whether to deliberately search for a scroll with an easier mission or settle for the first scroll she came across. If she chose the latter, getting an easier mission would depend on luck since, at worst, she could always stick with the moderate-level mission in her hand.
After thinking for a few minutes, she realized it was better to move quickly before others entrenched themselves and started mining the area with traps. Fortunately, she could use her summons, so she let them spread out everywhere, surrounding her beyond the range of her spells, and began searching for the first scroll with a locator spell. If the scroll she stole turned out to be an easy-level mission, she wouldn't need to hunt down her rivals further. She would just have to hide for 5 days. On the other hand, if it turned out to be a difficult-level scroll, she could spend the following days debating whether to keep it or search for another.
The forest was full of poisonous animals, both small and large, which she avoided by staying in the trees. Thankfully, her spells helped because the dense fog covering everything made it hard to see, and her face was drenched in moisture. Fortunately, all her clothing was enchanted to be waterproof, so the humidity didn't bother her at all. The spell indicated she should change direction, so she headed east.
On the way, she stopped to transform a rock into a bottomless canteen, filled it with an aguamenti spell, and stored it along with the scroll in her newly enchanted bottomless pocket with a zipper. She would have used it to store food and medicine, which she kept in her waist bag, if it weren't for the thorough search they conducted before entering the swamp. She didn't want anyone to discover her enchanted pocket. Luckily, she could now use it to keep her hands free. Eating, however, would be a challenge since she'd need to cook the food unless she wanted to risk illness. At most, she could collect some edible fruit if she found any along the way. Moreover, it would soon be completely dark, and her visibility would worsen.
She needed a place to hide. She hesitated about continuing to pursue her rival but ultimately decided to follow the ninja's trail. She could turn any spot into a shelter, but the more time she gave her opponents to fortify themselves, the worse it would be for her.
For hours, she tracked the ninja from a distance. She knew she hadn't been detected since there wasn't a single trap set in her direction. In the distance, she heard an explosion and roars that made her hair stand on end. From the sound of water, she realized someone had ventured into the swamp and awakened a monstrous creature. Fortunately, the ninja she was following seemed to be avoiding the swamp or, at least, had not entered it yet. Perhaps he or she also knew that night was approaching.
When the ninja stopped hours later, Seina approached as stealthily as possible. She saw several traps surrounding a tiny clearing. At the centre were large grey rocks—one diagonally placed over another lying horizontally, with a third rock behind them. Seina noticed a gap between the rocks where the ninja seemed to have built a shelter. If not for her aura-detecting spell, she might have overlooked it. Naturally broken branches covering the gap made it look like anything but a hiding spot.
Still, this ninja was no match for her. She used the somnus spell so gradually that the ninja didn't even realize they were under attack. To ensure the ninja was asleep, she cast a stupefy spell in their direction. Keeping the somnus spell active, Seina removed the leaves covering the entrance and observed the unconscious Iwagakure ninja among the rocks.
"You're so sneaky," Kurama suddenly said, startling her as he appeared on a branch. "It's impossible for any ninja to beat you with your magic. You're making it boring."
"And how is that my fault?" she rolled her eyes.
"Just realize that without your kekkei genkai, it would've taken you years to get this far."
"Again, how is that my fault? I'm not the only one with a kekkei genkai!"
"I know. That's why people resent those with dojutsus or kekkei genkais. I wish I could fight."
"I know, Kurama, I know."
She levitated the ninja out of their hiding spot and placed them before her. To ensure the stupefy spell had worked, she cast it again and bound their hands and feet with enchanted chains. Escape was impossible, no matter how hard they tried.
"Accio scroll," she cast the spell directly at the ninja.
The scroll shot out of an inner pocket, tearing through their jacket, and she caught it mid-air. She checked for any traps or signs of forgery but found nothing. Upon opening it, she stifled a sigh. Of course, it was a difficult-level mission. She stored it in her pocket along with the other scroll. For a moment, she considered leaving the ninja unprotected on the ground but dismissed the idea. She wasn't that cruel. She set a spell to dissolve the chains in a few hours, giving herself time to flee. Then, she repaired their jacket, levitated them back to their hiding spot, and replaced the branches over the entrance.
If they were smart, they would check for the scroll upon waking. If not... well, that wasn't her problem. She left the area, retracing her steps. Most contestants were likely moving around searching for hidden rivals, so the safest option was to find a spot near the entrance to hide. After all, no one would suspect someone of staying there for 5 days without moving. That's exactly what she planned to do.
Destiny had handed her a harder mission scroll, so she could either settle for her moderate-level mission or risk herself again in a dangerous, unfamiliar area with hostile fauna and flora, as well as countless enemies, to acquire another scroll. She didn't have to think too hard. She preferred a moderately challenging mission over hunting another ninja in a place called the Blood Swamp. She was lucky the Iwagakure ninja hadn't seemed inclined to start searching until the next day and had stayed in the forest—a safer, more familiar area for her as a Konoha ninja.
It was pitch black when she found a tree with a dense canopy and branches thicker than her body where she could hide above ground. She immediately recognized it as the perfect spot. Only 10 minutes from the entrance at a running pace, she knew it would be inconspicuous. Gathering stones and wood, she started building a small treehouse. She used the wood to create a floor between the two closest branches, then added walls and a roof. She also transformed stones into square windows on either side and finished with a rectangular wooden door. The structure took only half an hour to complete. She then used the fidelus charm to keep the treehouse a secret, ensuring no one would stumble upon it. Finally, she cast an expansion spell to enlarge the interior.
There were no rooms or anything elaborate, but she could stand and walk around the 10 square meters she had built and protected in less than an hour.
She sent her summons to scout for hunting or fishing spots while she sat on a newly conjured sofa. It took them a while to locate any water in the middle of the forest. Unfortunately, it wasn't a lake but a pool of murky water. Other summons found the edge of the infamous swamp. The water was covered with a green film that obscured the bottom. From what they could see, it was full of tall, slender trees that blocked the sky. She didn't even want to imagine what might be lurking beneath, waiting for exam participants.
Still, she needed food; otherwise, she wouldn't have the strength to complete the survival stage, let alone fight and carry out her mission without rest. If she could find a good spot to fish or hunt and gather enough food, she wouldn't have to leave the house for the rest of the exam. She could keep the food fresh for days with a spell. Water was the least of her worries since she could easily refill her canteen with aguamenti.
In the end, she fell asleep without finding anything useful.