Naruto SoundITP IC 1: A Melancholy Song of Hope To Come

[Lord Raziere]

Hokage Monument:
"Yeah, pretty much. He's a good guy but Senjus can be a bit like that, y'know?" Satomi says
"Hm, pale girl? You mean Senko? Yeah, why?"
Yuyuyu know about the Ryu clan and its unclaimed territories and thinks their situation sucks- as someone form a minor nation she can sympathize with someone being messed around with greater powers.
Kimiko on the other hand studied fuinjutsu and science too much to pay attention to politics.

Introduction: Shimizu Takenaka
Shimizu of Iwagakure, user of Blood Release, will walk around Konoha, observing it through her mask. To her it was all Enemy Territory. She was scouting it out, memorizing the streets, observing its people. As the Anbu taught her. Her participation in the Chuunin Exams was a mission. She completed missions no matter what. The completion of a mission, the feeling of a job well done was one of the few feelings allowed to her. Therefore had to do everything right. Observe it all with precision and figure it out. She had already figured out from observing the Chuunin of Konoha through blood pigeon scouts that she could see through using her chakra what was supposed to be done. She knew how to get to the First Exam even if she didn't know the exact location. Other than she regarded every single person in this village as a potential enemy and kept herself guarded. Any civilian could be a shinobi in disguise. Any weakness she sees in others could be a potential advantage. Iwagakure must win the Exams. That was all that was allowed to matter to her.

As she made her way to the Hokage Monument and see other genin however, an errant thought of excitement entered her: She couldn't wait to fight them. She would love to see their capabilities, their strategies, how they'd resist her assault. Like seeing how an animal would attempt to run away from a hunter, how they would attempt to defend themselves from getting killed and eaten. It was only kind of related to mission but it was close enough that surely it was allowed to be felt. She looked forward to seeing them struggle, to seeing them fight. That was....interesting to her. For what proper shinobi didn't respect her opponents strength? Didn't appreciate their capabilities? How creative would they be? What tactics would they come up with, before she was victorious? It....invigorated her in strange ways. She didn't let it show on her face even if there was a mask over it.

She looked forward to meeting them. For what true shinobi wasn't measured by the enemies they eliminate on the way?

Rogue Shinobi: Watch
There are various rogue shinobi, watching the genin in the shadows. White Oni is less likely to be here, given what he has accomplished, but he could be if you really need to talk to, or try to fight him. Let us instead focus on who might be here now: Tatsukan Uzunagi, Leader of the Shinobi Independence Association.

Little does he know that Irisumi Nisaka is also here. The two have similar goals and beliefs about teaching shinobi to be independent, to be more than just tools, but they went their separate ways long ago based on disagreement on how to go about this. They don't hate or want to fight each other, but they do disagree about the methods and would debate about them.

Suzume Yuki both observes Kimiko and hears of Senko's tattoo in her own way. Her own research knows of the power of the White Snake. If she could have its power for herself that would be desirable, but its not the end of the world if she didn't. Immortality was possible. Replication or life extension long enough to get to the real goal was an acceptable prize.

Akiyashi observes Kimiko for more personal reasons. She looked like Mitsuko- could she be the child of her?

There were more, but these are the most relevant right now.

[Rater202]

"Yes... I do know how Senjus can get." Mr. Grumpy Gills is a Senju.

If Yuyuyu knows of the Ryu clan, then she can probably tell that Shiroko is a member of the Ryu clan. Possibly the last of them, given that sightings of them are still rare several decades later. At the very least, she has a pendant with their clan symbol hanging at her hip and the horns are kind of a giveaway.

"...There was a really pale girl with long black hair staring at me near the village gates when I was on the main road earlier. There are only two kinds of people that do that."

Fudo turns as the new girl arrives. An Iwa nin on her own? Could be trouble.

Speaking of

Gohan Yo and Hamura are in the hotel currently being used as the Iwa Embassy. Gohan is trying to sneak in any studying he can while he has time while trying to ignore that ranting of the great ape within him and Hamura is... Honestly just sort of brooding about how the hell she's supposed to figure out how to do Dust Release without guidance.

Rogue Ninjas

While Senko does have several questions for the White Oni, preferably at sword point... But does it make sense for the White Oni to be there to answer them? It takes at least a year for a Kama to be fully extracted and Senko's only had hers for a week or two, tops. It will presumably still be a little bit before she is able to tap the power and knowledge within. There's a grace window before she needs to know what it is.

[Lord Raziere]

Hokage Monument:
"Mm? oh sorry about that Benji-kun. Easy joke y'know?"
To get a better picture of what Satomi is talking about, the Senju Clan is like a friend for most Konoha people, a certain kind of friend. A friend that donates to charity, a friend that cares about social justice and respecting other cultures and what not and so on. A friend that unfortunately won't shut up about these things because its their deal and what they care about, and because these things are political to them. Its annoying to everyone else, but you keep them around because they are doing something good even if you don't always understand what that good is or why it needs to be done, and while their basic points are broadly agreeable to Konoha's populace, the extent to which they take their beliefs is further than most.
Satomi considers the description of the girl given
"what headband did she have? Cause pale with long black hair sounds like our very own daughter of the Hokage herself, Asanagi Shimura."
"Really? Whats she like?"
"Not the most fun person in the world. Quiet, cunning, disciplined tries to be a "real" shinobi, you know the type."
"Isn't that strange though?" Kitsuki wonders "The Hokage is always so jovial and charismatic with speeches that inspire people."
"Eh, its probably just a public face he puts on, y'know how politicians are."
"Ah, yeah, I do know someone like that back in Otogakure myself, her name is Naneko Masuku. Always trying to prepare for things, always trying to be more stealthy and work in the shadows and so on, wants to become Anbu, she and I exchange tips on infiltration and information we learn so that we keep each other informed."
"Heh, sounds friendlier than our Anbu-wannabe, Asanagi is much colder, like that Iwa-nin over there."
Satomi gestures to Shimizu just standing there, observing people. Menacingly.
Gisei will soon arrive around this time.
"How'd you figure that?"
"Oh well, I'm trained to be a detective and thus learn a lot about people through mere observation. I can pretty much tell what a person is like at a glance. These eyes are good for more than just Sharingan y'know."
"But they can they see why Sakai Hatake, Konoha's Unerring Lightning Bolt will win the Chuunin Exams!?"
Team 6 has arrived on the scene: Sakai Hatake, Sakiyama Yamanaka and Takano Honomi
"Oh hey Sakai." Satomi says with a little smirk "Hows it going, still second best?"
"Hah! You may be looking down upon me now, Satomi. But the coolest ninja in cool is going to take you down in this Chuunin Exam! I will outspeed you, running at the least speed of light!"
"Hyu! As if, I, Kimiko Ishikawa of Otogakure, Rising Star of the Hope Generation, will clearly be winning these Exams!"
Yuyuyu just deadpan comments
"Oh no. There are two of them."
"Don't be like that, Yuyuyu! They're all fired up to compete! It shows their passionate spirit!"
Even Kitsuki however gets annoyed when Takano speaks
"Sound Nin? Why is Team 7 hanging with the Screaming Demons? Didn't know they loved playing in ash like losers."
Yuyuyu asks, annoyed
"Excuse me, who are you?"
"I don't give my name to Sound Nin trash like you."
"Oh hey Takano." Satomi cuts in "Talking an awful lot of trash for the class thug."
"Go screw yourself, Uchiha princess."
"Was that what you said to all your homework assignments, thinking they'd somehow do themselves?"
"Hey I got average grades, unlike that deadlast there!" he says pointing at Kitsuki "Special Genin? what bull, probably got her family to pull strings to let her pass! Like all you noble clan ashlings!"
Kitsuki, is strangely, smiling widely, not getting responding angrily to this at all. then Sakai cuts back in.
"Hey! Thats enough, Takano. They may be our rivals, but that is no need to be rude! Besides, they will all lose to my coolness eventually."
Takano harrumphs at this, crossing his arms and turning away, not liking Sakai much either.
Yuyuyu whispers to Satomi
"whats that guys deal?"
"Takano? Ugh." Satomi says annoyed "He's an orphan, parents killed during the Third War, grew up surrounded by clan heirs, decided to be a petty pathetic jerk about it. No one likes him, Sakai and Sakiyama aren't exactly friends of mine either, but I legit feel bad they got stuck on a team with him. they're kind jerks but....they don't deserve him. No one does."
"Why does he keep calling us ash stuff?"
"Its a slang insult used here in Fire country. Compares you to something thats been used up and useless and thus a waste. I would not recommend engaging with the guy, its not worth it."
Yuyuyu nods at this. She looks at Kitsuki. What was up with her being Special Genin though?

[Rater202]

Senko is finished at the hot springs by now. After redressing and leaving, she remembers the seal Kimiko gave her.

"Menko, you want to try something?"

"...Does it involve cutting?"

"You know I do not vivisect friends. Without express written consent and a legally binding liability waiver."

"Hahaha. What is it?"

"...Well, Yuyuyu signed the contract, so..."

"Ah, I get what you're thinking..."

Monument

Shiroko doesn't explain further because others got here.

Shortly after the latest bit of conversation concludes, Menko appears in a burst of smoke next to Yuyuyu.

"Yatta!"

Menko's hair is a bit wet. It seems that she was also enjoying the hot spring.

Shiroko suddenly flinches at the unnaturally pale girl's sudden appearance and Menko immediately goes wide-eyed and starts invading the grey-haired girl's personal space.

"Those horns, those ears, that symbol... I knew it!"

"Please don't hurt me."

At that moment Senko tries contacting Kimiko through the correspondence seal.

"Testing, testing, one two three, can you here me? If so can you answer 1: If you are still at the monument and 2: If Menko is there? Over."

[Lord Raziere]

Kimiko:
She pulls out the piece of paper and says
"Coming in loud and clear, Senko, still at monument, and Menko is here talking to some grey haired girl with horns? she important?"
"Kimi, that girl is from the Ryu clan, who has some territory close to Rice, right on the border between us and Fire actually."
"Oh right geopolitics, guess that would be kinda important."
Your hearing Yuyuyu to by the way, as if this seal is a microphone. It picks up any sound that goes into it not just the speakers. Kitsuki is distracted from her fake Not-smile and starts sqeeeing while looking at the stored sound seal.
"EEEEeeeeeee! It really works! It really works! You really made this yourself Kimiko!?"
Kitsuki's eyes practically sparkle
"You bet. I'm kind of brilliant like that." taking the chance to bask in the praise.
"Oooooh, if only I could ask how it works! But I think your village would get mad at me if I do..."
Kimiko frowns a little at that thought.

"Hah! A uh....cool genin like myself could make that kind of thing any day, hahaha." Sakai boasts
"Really?" Satomi says, slyly "Come on Sakai, if its so easy, do it. Make a new fuinjutsu."
"Well er, I mean....I'm not a fuinjutsu specialist, I mean I could do something much more awesome in my own field of specialization, but won't! Because we're not in combat, it wouldn't be appropriate and shinobi are supposed to show off that sort of thing y'know, got to keep those true abilities hidden right?"
"Sure.....whatever you say, Hatake. I'm sure someone out there believes you."
Sakai thinks inwardly: darn it, how is Satomi always cooler than me!? 1st ranked in grades, better at being cool, always better than me. I'll show her in these Exams. We'll see who really comes out on top!

Yuyuyu will walk over to Menko and Shiroko
"Now now, don't rude to the poor girl Menko, we just met! Hi I'm Yuki Yuuna Yukimura, but you can just call me Yuyuyu, and this is Menko a friend of mine's summon. Your name's Shiroko right? Nice to meet you."
She will make a slight polite bow.

Gisei keeps an eye on Takano. If he isn't careful someone like him would make his current job harder. Especially if Kitsuki is also around.

Rogue Shinobi:
Suzume and Irisumi observe this happen and take note of Kimiko in particular. She made that? At her age? They never seen any fuinjutsu like that before. It was a simple innovation, but notable. Enough for them to focus on Kimiko as someone they could teach. They each resolved to give her an offer later.

Hisaki Uchiha, The Observer:
You'd expect that the person sent to observe Senko, from the Hokage's orders would be someone focused and happy to do it, competent or something. Well, this is a job that no self-respecting shinobi wanted to do. It was spying on a genin while they were taking a bath for Sage's sake. No one wanted to be the one who accepted the mission only to end up caught peeking into a bath house or worse, staring at a naked child within its first few hours and didn't want to waste their time following around that child even if they somehow avoided that. It was not an ideal job.

So what occurred was the job equivalent of hot potato. The shinobi who received the orders didn't even bother asking any Jounin or Anbu to do it. Instead he kicked it over the Konoha Police Force. The KPF, being mostly Uchiha thought the job was beneath them as well. They had better things to do, actual crimes to solve rather than secret baby-sit some Sound Genin. So they decided to hand off the job to the member of the Uchiha clan they dislike the most, an underachieving sort named Hisaki Uchiha, a normal boring Chuunin, but even normality was too low for Uchiha standards and thus he was ordered to carry this out and no one would accept anyone else doing it otherwise. No one cared if he screwed up and got chased out by women in a bath house. He was a disappointment anyways.

So he found himself tailing Senko as she came out of the bath house. He hates this assignment already. Why did he always get the trash jobs? He was never going to be the elite Uchiha he was meant to be if he was stuck doing some stupid mission like this. And now she was talking to a piece of paper? Was she crazy or something? How was he supposed to climb the ranks doing this stupid busywork? So what if she had a contract, she's just a genin, what threat could she possibly pose? He couldn't even do anything interesting just walk around and watch her.

[Rater202]

Senko: Be observed.

"Okay then. I will be at the monument as soon as Menko does the thing. Menko, if you can hear me, do the thing."

Monument

"Geopolitics? No, the Ryu clan all have a connection to dragons and... Like... That's... How do I put this into words..."

"Ryuchi" means "Dragon Ground." The Snake's of Ryuchi cave all have a few traits in common with dragons and see dragons as religious figures, ideals to aspire to: As human monks and sages sometimes seek to become immortal or enlightened, the snakes seek to become dragon-gods.

Menko has mentioned this at least once, maybe said something about helping Senko become such a being?

For Menko, meeting a member of the Ryu Clan, who have power deriving from their connection to five Dracomorphic incarnations of life and the elements, is almost like meeting a bodhisattva or a Living Saint.

"M-my clan was driven from our ancestral homelands generations ago... I've never been to Mount Koryu, I don't even know if the Genryu are real... Please don't make a big...." Shiroko isn't used to people treating her heritage as a good thing.

"...That's sad. I'm sad now. Oh, right, the thing."

Menko, who obviously is in human form, holds her hands together to mold chakra then bites her thumb. "Reverse summoning!"

Senko: Don't be observed

Senko vanishes in a puff of smoke.

Monument again

Senko, as the snake Summner, can be reverse summoned by the snakes. Menko just did that, so you young girl appears in a burst of smoke.

"Well, that seems to have worked out perfectly and... Hello, there are a lot more people here than I thought there would be. Hi. My name is Senko. I am a special genin from Sound, a Sage in training, and a Ninja-Biologist specializing in chakra-enhanced genetics. Who are all of you?"

"Benjiro. I wanted to be a Monk."

"Fudo."

Shiroko doesn't answer.

[Lord Raziere]

Hisaki Uchiha:
His eyes widened in surprise and anger. How is supposed to spy on her now!? She just disappeared like a summon or something! Did that mean Sound Village was training animals as full ninja now? Was...was that even possible? Why DID they only train humans in ninja villages? He shrugs the questions away, it wasn't important to him. What was important was figuring out where she is. Or maybe....where she is going to be. She is Oto, therefore he just had to go find the hotel assignment registry, check where the Sound Nin are living then stake the place out. Then he wouldn't have to go traipsing about the village tiring himself out for nothing and he could spy on the genin from there.

So he goes to nearest gate, talking to the Chuunin there
"Hey, can you tell me where the Sound Nin are staying on that registry?"
"Hisaki-san, why do you need to know? You can't go into that hotel y'know, its technically an embassy for the duration of their stay"
"The Hokage himself ordered me to scout out one of them out, just y'know....proof I'm moving up in the world."
"Yeah right, whats the truth?"
"Okay so the order was a bit of a hand me down through a couple channels, but he really did order that, and the assignment did fall upon me in the end. So tell me."
"...Alright fine, here it is..."
"Thank you" Hisaki looking at it, then going to the location....

To find that the Sound Nin's hotel.....was the smallest, cheapest one in Konoha. Don't get Hisaki wrong, he was sure none of the hotels picked out for foreigners were particularly expensive or luxurious-why spend anymore money on foreigners than you had to?- but this one looked like they went out of their way to find the sorriest excuse for a hotel in Konoha and specifically chose this for the Sound Nin to stay at. He internally applauded whichever paper-pushing higher-up thought of the idea. He speaks to the Chuunin captain assigned to watch over the place to ensure no one gets in.
"Hisaki what are you doing here?"
"I'm here to spy on the Sound Nin. Hokage's orders."
"Its literally my job to stop you from doing that."
"Ah come on, its sound village, do you care THAT much?"
"Well of course I do. To be a good ninja I must do my job well, doing my job well is to keep this place guarded and thus preserve Konoha's honor and reputation in diplomatic events like this. Things like this is what separates us from them you see, its why we're better."
"Yeah I get that, but those screaming demons killed your wife in the last war right? Why not make an exception? Screw them over a bit?"
The chuunin captain looks at the hotel they are staying at.
"I don't know, I think I like how screwed over they are already. Just the thought of them having to stay in this hotel while I go back home to my second wife, which after inspecting this place I can tell you is a nicer place than this hotel, I think I'm good. Y'know what they say, the best revenge is living well."
"But these are orders from the Hokage! How am I supposed to scout out this genin now?"
"Well they aren't back yet, so, not my problem."
"Ah c'mon, can't you make an exception?"
"Look, as long as they're not within the hotel Hisaki, you can find and scout them as much as you want. But the rules are rules and as long as they stay here, this is Oto territory and if we screw up, that is something they can use against us. You wouldn't want the Sound to have an excuse to start politically whining to us right?"
"Sigh. Fine."
Hisaki stalks away, trying to figure out something else.

Hokage Monument:
"The hell? since when could Sound ashlings do space time ninjutsu!?" Takano says rudely
"Its just an application of reverse summoning, I'm not even a summoner and I know that."
"Well ain't you a know it all sharkmouth! Go find a library or-"
Sakiyama says
"Oh Takano~" in a sing-song cutesy voice "Please don't interrupt them while they're giving us intel about their capabilities for free?"
"Heheheh...yeh okay. I'll do whatever you say Saki-chan" he says easily manipulated by Sakiyama's charms.
Meanwhile Satomi says to Kimiko
"Don't try to correct Takano on stuff he....just drags you down to his level and beats you with experience. Shioko tries every time and it just ends up being an endless argument that neither side wins."
"Who's Shioko?"
"A relative of mine around the same age, and the clan heir of the Uzumaki."
Kitsuki says
"also a total know it all. She's kind like you and Senko, except not as fun as either of you."
"You mean there is someone less fun than Senko?" says Mai "I didn't know that was possible!"
"oh don't be like that to Senko, Mai. She is just a introverted kind of person is all."
"Yeah Shioko is.....not someone I recommend getting into an argument with. Not because she is intentionally a jerk or anything because I don't think she is, but she does have this almost obsessive need to be factual, correct and right about everything. Like she will literally pull out dictionaries and encyclopedias in the middle of conversations to make her points. Its kind of tiring and arguments with her can drag on and get nowhere fast."
"Yeah, she's no fun. Especially whenever we go to movies or read stories. She thinks pointing out all the flaws in the plots is "humorous"."
"Hyu? but Movies aren't real. they're like genjutsu but in reverse, where you DON'T want to break out of them because they bring you happiness. Thats strange even for me."

Yuyuyu meanwhile says to Shiroko and to kind to Team Fuji in general:
"Oh okay. So you participating in the Chuunin Exams as well? How has you day been so far?"

[Rater202]

Senko looks at Takemo.

"I have just met you... And I can already tell that you are holding your team back. I am guessing that you have no bloodline, no secret techniques, and only average at best aptitudes in the three main branches of the ninja arts. And because of this, you have no intrinsic value in yourself, no self-esteem, and can only gain it by punching down. And one day, one day very soon, you are going to pick a fight with someone who is a lot stronger than you think they are and you will be lucky if you are the only one who gets hurt because of it. If your team fails in the first or second round of the exams, it will almost certainly be because of you."

Meanwhile, shirako answers. "Yeah, we're in the exams."

[Lord Raziere]

Takano Honomi: Declare
Team 7 collectively reacts to Senko calling Takano out around her:
"Oh Snap!" Satomi while snapping her fingers
"Senko spittin' fire! spittin' facts!" says while holding up two fingers in a diagonal motion.
"Get wrecked loser!" Kitsuki calls while her face is basically a: >:3
Whatever their thoughts and feelings are about you, Team 7 knows a good diss when they hear it.

He feels called out right now. Really called out. And when that happens, he gets angry. No reason to be angry after all, if it wasn't true.
"Oh YEAH!? I'll show you, you screaming snake! I'm Takano Honomi, and some you'll see that I'm gonna become a raging inferno around here someday! When I'm strong, everyone will respect me! Everyone!"
He points at Senko
"You? Are some Sound Nin piece of ash that came in here, thinking your big flame! With your big words thinking you know it all! Well guess what I do have something special: I'm a Toad Summoner! Watch as I- Saki-chan! Agh, what're you doing-"
Sakiyama slaps her face then drags Takano away by the ear to give him an earful about not giving away intel to your competition in the Chuunin Exam, the drama of his speech dissipating instantly. Sakai says, trying to recover
"Uh yeah.....Don't think his uncool display here changes anything, Team 6 will crush you all with style during the Chuunin Exams! I will make sure of it. I'm Sakai Hatake, I can carry this whole team on my back! A teammate like him is merely a handicap to give you all a chance! Now if you'll excuse me, Team 6 will go.....have a planning session and find First Exams while you slowpokes will be left in the dust as we find where it is first!"
He then leaves as well, trying to seem cool as he exits.

Enter: Blood O
But then a Kumo girl with long blonde straight hair in a pony tail, blue eyes and dark skin with a dark cloth mask over her mouth comes walking in.
"Hey, whats all the commotion over here? Some of us are trying to-
Her eyes lock onto Kimiko and suddenly her demeanor changes
"You."
She marches right to Kimiko, pointing right at her
"I swear my revenge on you, Ishikawa!"
"Hyu!? Me? what did I do!?"
"Its matters not! I declare revenge on your entire clan! I will be repaid!"
"For WHAT!? Who even are you!? My name is Kimiko by the way."
"My name is Blood O, Kimiko Ishikawa! As for why-hmph! Scum of the earth like the Ishikawa clan deserve nothing, least of all the truth! All you need to know is that I will be coming. Hope that you reach the final rounds, Kimiko Ishikawa, because then I'll get to crush you myself!"
"Hyuhyu! Amusing, you think you'll be able to beat me!? If that is how its going to be, I accept your challenge! I will get to the final rounds of the Chuunin Exam and beat you- and if I win, you will tell me why you declared revenge on my clan!"
"Hmph! Deal! One that I won't have to pay back because I will win! See you soon....Kimiko Ishikawa!"
Blood O then far more dramatically exits by jumping away onto the rooftops.

Yuyuyu:
"Oh I see, your shy. Its okay if you are Shiroko. If I'm being uncomfortable for you, I'll just go talk to someone else."
Yuyuyu will turn to Benjiro
"So, whats your story? Why did Satomi call you grumpy? Forgive me if this brings up things, I'm a foreigner and don't know anything."

[Rater202]

"I don't know what's worse: That that loser fell for that or that he thinks being a Toad Summoner is an accomplishment: The Bug Slurpers will sign a contract with anybody."
"Menko, do not be like that. If what Uncle tells me is true then the Toads were nothing but kind to him when he traveled to their mountain to interview the Great Toad Sage."

Then the thing with the angry Cloud Ninja happens.

"Huh... I wonder if Whatshername spread around what happened in our encounter with that Cloud Jonin that was illegally pursuing a civilian across our borders. Assuming he was an actual Cloud Ninja and not a rogue agent, those body mods of his looked rather crude."

Meanwhile

"Oh... I never really wanted to be a ninja and I've been pretty open about that, but you know... Senju, prodigy... Nobody forced anything on me but things wouldn't have ended well if I had tried to do anything else with my life."

[Lord Raziere]

Hokage Monument:
Satomi considers what Senko says
"I wouldn't know what the Toads see Takano, do know that the other known summoner in Konoha is Jemuzu Tsunagu though, who is known as a pretty dangerous shinobi. You wouldn't know the guy, he fought mostly Iwagakure and Kumogakure and not Oto. Dunno why they signed it with him either."
Kimiko says
"If he did, that'd hardly be a reason to call revenge on my clan, Senko. I was just there, your clan technically did more to screw with them than I did."
Satomi raises an eyebrow at Senko mentioning the border crossing
"Interesting. You might want to be careful who you mention that little illegal border crossing to, our fair village likes to think of itself as a "fair and just arbiter the peace" and stick our noses where they don't belong so we can "mediate the negotiations." Hokages word's, not mine. That aside, I highly doubt a ninja would spread around the fact that they did y'know, an international crime. Doing it and admitting you did it are two opposite things that don't mix well with a shinobi's life expectancy. If anyone knows at all its the Raikage, and any person to get to kage status is smart enough to keep a little incident like that under wraps. Assuming of course such a nin is still loyal in their heart. Some deceptive rogues may even...gasp....lie to their kage about what happened in their report! Oh but pay no attention to such an implausible scenario, I'm clearly overly cynical, surely every shinobi of a village are loyal self-sacrificing heroes who only want to protect and serve the people they hold dear. Surely."
She winks with a smirk. Satomi clearly doesn't believe that for a second and would be disappointed if you or Kimiko did. Kimiko for her part, seems nod a little in understanding.

Yuyuyu:
She will ask
"Hm? But the Senju are renowned as some of the most morally upright clans in the Shinobi Nations, why would they...?"
"Its because of that reputation that he didn't have a choice" Gisei says "Before Hashirama, our clan was one of healers and monster hunters, when he arrived he revolutionized the whole shinobi world- and thus his own clan as well. He outshone all the clan leaders before him and thus became the new example to live up to. The monster-hunting aspect, already withered and considered superfluous was gotten rid of entirely and we became in addition to our shinobi duties, a clan of diplomats and ambassadors dedicated to his ideals. Now we constantly work to try and build a better tomorrow through our words and actions, which us lead to investigating why various injustices and suffering keeps happening in the first place, can't treat a patient without diagnosing what is wrong with it, and so we soon figured out that the problems of the world largely stem from the complexities of geopolitics mixed with cultural and social values and beliefs. This lead us to figuring that in order to properly change the world we must figure out how to understand change it on a social level, doing things like making terms and language to better express various injustices and what behaviors are properly respectful to try and create a new perception of the world so that when properly socialized, people will be able to express and communicate clearly what is wrong with their life so everyone can collectively figure out what each and every person's issue is and how to solve it.

Of course to do that, the Senju Clan must have a good standing to ensure we can spread our ideology of social reformation, and thus the clan's reputation is sacrosanct. The clan has concluded that we must be seen in the best possible light in order for us to succeed, and thus every single clan member is encouraged much like a duty to act as best they can for everyone's interests- as in, the entire world's interests. After all, they concluded that everyone in the world is responsible for the world's current state, and thus everyone must realize they must be responsible and do their part to make it better sooner or later. Of course, such reformation will take lifetimes upon lifetimes to complete, but the clan is willing to do so, no matter how long it takes. The way our clan defines it after all, what being a shinobi means is self-sacrifice for the greatest good possible after all. But of course, neither of us are exactly model Senju so it kind of grates on us."

[Rater202]

"Oh, I was not trying to imply a correlation. I was just thinking out loud."

"And if you happen to think that the current system isn't much better than the old system, that is to say, that five villages using living superweapons to keep everyone else down isn't much better to all the clans fighting? Yeah. Really bad for optics if you give up on the ninja system entirely and head off to a monastery."

"We can be the best example in the world but it doesn't amount to anything if nobody wants to follow it and it's pretty damn clear that no one wants to follow it."

Senko snaps.

"He gets it."

"Thank you, but..."

"It does not help, I know... Fixing this mess will take.. Rediscovering Ninshu or something. And even then just because you can communicate perfectly that does not mean that people will."

"It's been sixty years since the village system was established and we're no closer to world peace than we were then."

"You can not just keep doing the same thing, you have to look into ways to change the status qo."

"But if you just go changing things blindly, you'll break something and make it worse. You've gotta..."

"Solve your own problems first. Account for your biases, and resolve any issues that would corrupt your intentions."

"How can you do right by anyone else if you're not right for you?"

[Lord Raziere]

Hokage Monument:
Satomi says
"Sounds like you made a friend Senko, and that you have a lot to talk about with him."
encouraging Senko. After all, what is fair for herself is fair for others. The more friendly and helpful she is after all, the more likely they are to be helpful to her. The power of friendship is truly the most powerful force in the world after all, just not in the way most people think.
Then another group comes walking in: the Sunagakure Genin. They are dressed in light-colored robes to better reflect the sun. There are two blondes: one is tan, more of a dusty blond with her tied in a pony tail with blue stripe tattos on her face and brown eyes and wears a blue sash diagonally across her chest with a water droplet symbol woven into it- a clear indication of an Oasis Nin to anyone in the Land of Wind, but its unlikely for anyone to know what is in other nations and a scroll on her back, this girl introduces herself
"Hello everyone! I'm Saeki Chisato from Sunagakure. We're here for the Chuunin Exams and these are my teammates. Ayaka Shirogane-"
She points to another, yellower blonde her hair more free, her mouth hidden by an orange mask-shawl combo, but most notable is her right arm and leg are clearly wooden puppet prosthetics, but she seemingly has no problem moving with them. Even more notable however is that Ayaka is currently controlling a genin-sized puppet, made to look a wooden version of a little ninja girl with black hair and pigtails and.....pretending to converse with it?
"Oh look Moku-cha.!" Ayaka says "Its the four Hokage faces."
"Ooooh! They're so pretty Ayaka-chan!" Ayaka says with ventriloquism as if she is Moku-chan while making Moku-chan act as if she is awed by the Hokage face with her body language. "So big! How do you think they made them? lots of Earth Release?"
"Lots of explosions, Konoha isn't as good at Earth release as Iwa." Ayaka says
"No way!! How could you make statues with explosions? besides the Senju can use Earth release, they could've shaped the stone!" 'Moku-chan' argues back in response.
Then the puppeteer and the puppet begin their own little argument about whether the Hokage faces are made with explosions or Earth release as if they are two separate people and its not ending. Saeki sweat drops a little and switches
"so er, yeah, that is her uh, now let me introduce you to Ami Akaisuna! Relative of the Current Kazekage!"
Ami has moppy red hair, with her left eye covered by it and wearing a pink poncho. Her visible green eye looks tired with bags under it. She says, even sounding tired
"....Hi..."
then shyly turns away looking off to the side, not sure how to talk to new people or look people in the eyes. Its probably for the best no one gets near her or anything with what she is after all. Someone like her was doomed, a sacrifice for others safety and anyone liking or loving her would experience pain at her eventual inevitable fate. Her duty was to protect everyone from the beast within, to keep awake, to keep alive, for as long as she lives. And besides, who would want to be a friend of a danger like her-
"Hiiii Ami-chaaan!" says Kitsuki Uzumaki suddenly right in her face before anyone can react "I'm Kitsuki Uzumaki, wanna be friends!?"
Ami is confused.
"...Wha....why?"
"Why what?"
"Why do you want to be friends....with me?"
"Well we have so much in common, like having red hair! "
".....you want to be friends with me....because we both have red hair?....Thats very silly."
"I am a very silly person!" Kitsuki says in complete honesty and self-awareness. "Also your like so adorable with how shy and quiet you are! Also, why not?"
"Wha-wha-whaaat??" Ami stutters at this. Adorable? What! That made no sense. Quiet shy girls like her aren't cute in the slightest! She isn't blushing, your blushing.
"Sh-sh-shut up. I'm not. Stop saying nonsense...."
Kimiko raises an eyebrow
"She is very friendly with people, isn't she?"
"Heheheh, yeah thats our Kitsuki alright, our little wild card of energy and amiableness that just shatters through any social conventions like they aren't even there."
Just for the record: no, neither Ami nor Kitsune are aware of each other being jinchuuriki. Kitsuki is just that strange.

[Rater202]

"...Shot in the dark, what is your favorite kind of music?"

"Well, it's a bit incongruous but I like uh, hard rock and metal."

"Huh. It's almost like he's a boy version of Senko-sama."

Then the sand team gets here and...

"Oh, hey. Another person in obviously desperate need of hugs who doesn't understand why people would care for them. Senko-sama you should start a support group."

Snko's eye twitches.

"I think I would be more qualified to lead an anger management class."

This of course is code for "you're making me angry right now" and Menko picks that up.

"Sorry."

[Lord Raziere]

Hokage Monument:
"Wait a minute! Isn't that sword on your back..."
Saeki says pointing to Kimiko
"Thats the Origami-No-Tsurugi!"
"Yes? Why do you know that?"
"Well you see, I'm working to be a weapon collector! So I've researched up a bunch of unique weapons both obscure and legendary! So your an Ishikawa then?"
"Yes, I'm Kimiko Ishikawa. You can't have my sword, its mine. I need it, because I'm collecting all jutsu"
"Well of course. At least for now. There are other weapons out there, tons of them up for grabs or otherwise lost to history waiting to be found again. And a fellow collector! I can respect that. If you don't get in my way, perhaps you won't get in mine?"
"....Hm perhaps. Whats with your teammate with the puppet?"
"Oh, thats Ayaka, she always had an interest in puppets. She seems crazy and doesn't like to interact with most people, but her interaction with "Moku-chan" is just her having an imaginary friend- when pressed she acknowledges that. She probably needs an actual friend though."
Kimiko thinks: and if she became friends with this Ayaka, perhaps she could get to learn the unusual jutsu of the puppet users of Sunagakure.
"Sounds interesting, perhaps I can help with that, hyuhyu."
"What? Really?"
Almost no one wanted to be friends with the strange puppet girl, but this Kimiko wanted to? What was happening?

But before this conversation could continue, sudden the Kirigakure team came onto the scene, Kuba Takafumi, a spiky black haired boy in kiri armor with shark fangs and cocky grin announcing his presence to everyone:
"Genin of the Shinobi Nations! I Kuba Takafumi of Kirigakure, Rising Star of Kirigakure, and my team have come to offer you a new way! Too long have you labored under the thumbs of the rich, the powerful, the privileged of the shinobi nations, the wealthy, the gene-privileged, the elite exploiting the power of the danger strains to enforce their unjust rule upon the world! We, the new generation of Shinobi of Kirigakure, have come to show you through the power of our hard work, earned through the sweat of our brow a world where merit, not bloodline is rewarded! A World of Genetic Equality where no nobles look down upon us! In these Chuunin Exams we will prove our strength and justice through our performance, our actions! Thus I call to all the non-clan ninja, all those underdogs blessed to know the power of true hard work earned not through the generations of built up advantages, social connections and genetic privilege, but through ones own skill and determination, to meet us later to discuss how we might cooperate and work together for a better world, free from the eyes and ears of those who would seek to keep us down! If are curious about us, I have these manifestos to hand out!"
He takes out a bunch of pamphlets and little books labeled the "THE YAGURIST MANIFESTO". A nearby Konoha Chuunin walks up to him and says
"Gaki, your treading on thin ice here, disturbing the peace like this-"
"No, YOU are treading on thin ice here, Konoha Nin! Is this not a diplomatic event? I am merely express my beliefs, the culture I was raised to believe in, and inviting anyone interested in hearing about it to meet with me and discuss it! If you deny it to me, that is an insult to my culture and to Kirigakure! But I'd expect nothing less. Of course a dog of the gene-privileged would try to silence the truth!"
"Rrrr.....don't push your luck, brat. Cause too much trouble, and you'll wind up IN trouble, got it?"
"Whatever."
The chuunin walks over muttering under his breath. There are two other Kiri Nin of course, which Kuba introduces
"And these are the teammates that will crush you all! Toma Koneko!"
"Hey, gene-privileged losers." A brown haired girl with a dangerous smirk says
"and of course, Reina Gimei!"
Reina, and red-haired girl with a big sword on her back with pipes all over it nervously saying.
"Hi! I'm Reina Gimei! COMPLETELY LOYAL GENIN OF KIRIGAKURE! For Yagura and such!"
"Oh don't be nervous Reina, they're all gene-privileged, they probably never worked hard as any of us! They can't possibly beat the social revolution we will bring to this world!"
"Yup! We are sure going to do that Kuba! Whatever you say. As a Loyal Genin of Kirigakure, which I am."
Reina seems stressed. She hoped she was lying good enough. Oh who was she kidding, she's a bad liar. How hasn't she been found out already? Didn't they see how nervous she was? Were they playing some long con? Infiltrating a society that hated you and wanted to kill you since birth was so anxiety inducing. She was always afraid she would wake up one day and that would be the day she died. But somehow she fumbles her way through social interaction with the enemy and somehow it keeps working. It made no sense, especially to herself.

[Rater202]

Senko sighs.

"There are a million things wrong with everything you just said. I would be here all day if I tried to explain them but... Do any of you actually know the science behind bloodlines? How they work, where they come from? Because I do, studying them is literally my job, and... No. There is no intuitive difference between someone with a bloodline and someone without. A prodigy without a bloodline is the same as a prodigy with one, a loser with a bloodline is the same as a loser without."

"The power of the clans does not come from their bloodlines. It comes from survival of the fittest: During the warring clans period, it was only the children of the clan who were strong enough and adept enough at the ninja arts to compete with the adults of the previous generation who lived long enough to reproduce. And this was the case for clan members who had bloodlines and ones who did not."

"It does come down to genes, at least in part... but you are looking at the wrong ones. You cannot just genocide your way into equality. If you want equality, you need to lift people up, not tear them down."

[Lord Raziere]

Hokage Monument:
Kuba scoffs
"I am lifting people up, I'm showing them there is another way than just kowtowing to kekkei-genkai users thinking they're so special and letting them run the place. That people can fight back!"
"like they did with the Ishikawa clan? My clan?" Kimiko says back crossly
"Well of course, your clan was a bunch of oppressors keeping the common people with blood and force just like the rest of them. Why not free everyone else? But neither of you are my audience. You, Ishikawa, are my enemy and this girl-" he gestures to Senko "-Is either your teammate or your friend and therefore the exact people I'm NOT aiming for. Why throw pearls before swine after all? Can't light the fire if the spark isn't there."
He knows he's never going to convince you, and thus doesn't try, he will simply walk along to go to bother other random genin. He's trying to find people who already have some reason to hate kekkei genkai users- which is how such persuasion realistically happens. Toma will sniff and stalk off somewhere to figure out how to get to the First Exam. Blood O, despite sharing a hatred of the Ishikawa will not join up or be friendly with Kuba.
"Find someone else, Yagurist. My reasons for revenge are my own."

Reina however will simply try to keep herself in a corner, nervously hoping no one talks to her. Then Kitsuki grabs her by the arm and pulls her into talking with her and Ami.
"Hey wanna be redhead friends with me and Ami?"
"Wait what? You...you do know I'm from Kirigakure right?"
"Its too late. You have been forcibly inducted into this through genkiness, just as I am."
Ami says tiredly.
"Wait! Now that I think about it, Senko-chan could also be a Redhead Friend! Senko! We're already friends right? Do you want Redhead Friends with me!?"
"How is that different from regular friendship-"
"Not much honestly! But its fun to say!"
"....Then why make the distinction?"
"Kitsuki, she serves the regime that literally killed most of my clan."
"But Kimiko, I have a good feeling about her! As Honorary Redhead Friend, I'm sure you'll get along just fine."
"..Eh wha? Kitsuki, I'm literally blue-haired."
"Thats okay you have the spirit, I don't get hung up on the details."
"What even is an Honorary Redhead Friend?"
"Nothing much different from a regular friend! But its still fun to say!"
Kuba looks over and asks
"....Reina what are you doing with them?"
"I'm uuuuh......infiltrating them? For Yagura? Yes, I am Completely Loyally infiltrating them for Mizukage? Dimayo? Yagura. By making friends with them. Totally."
She says this out loud in front of everyone. Kuba for some reason nods and says
"Oh okay that makes sense."
and goes back on his way talking to random Genin. Satomi thinks to herself:
Wow, that guy is an idiot to be fooled by an act like that
Meanwhile Kuba is thinking:
Heh, those foreign ninja must be idiots if they're fooled by her act even as she states her plan out loud! Reina's infiltration will be a cinch, she can handle it!
Reina meanwhile is wondering how she keeps getting away with this.

[Rater202]

"Okay, you do that. I will just keep doing actual science with bloodlines and other genetic factors and develop a way to bring true equality instead of just committing genocide against convenient scapegoats in service of a hypocrite's cult of personality."


Meanwhile, a pair of Ninja in cloud garb show up.

'Hey, um... Other Ninjas from assorted villages... Have you seen another Cloud Nin? Kind of dramatic? Hates the Ishikawa Clan? We kind of got separated from her and—"

The boy of the two just starts glaring at the mist ninja. He's very clearly of land of water ancestry judging from the shark teeth so, you know, he's probably got a valid reason for that. He doesn't say anything but he's just radiating EDGE.

Senko ignores this.

"Okay, yeah. I will agree to be a Redhead Friend. I would suggest going along with it, surprisingly incompetent Mist Spy. something tells me that an Uzumaki who is on a team with a Senju and an Uchiha is someone you would rather be friends with than not."

[Lord Raziere]

Hokage Monument: Everyone Else Show Up
Reina's self-esteem lowers at Senko's comments about her. She wonders what she is doing. How did she get away with this for this long? how long can she keep this up? She felt worthless. Surely this girl will figure her out sooner or later. Maybe that will be freeing in a way, failure. It will confirm what she always suspected, and duty will end in a way, thus allowing her to do whatever she wanted in the wreckage. What worth did a Kiri resistance spy who never met the resistance have? She remembers the regime she is surrounded by every day and how people like her are demonized, how the people she was infiltrating talked about people with bloodlines like the worst thing. Thinking about it made her feel worthless, as it always did. She doesn't speak up. Saying these feelings out loud would either give herself away or just as bad, make her look weak and vulnerable, which she knew she was true so of course she had to hide it more. This Senko girl seems strong willed and confident. Anything she said was probably right, simply no one that quietly confident could ever screw up making sure they were right and thus always made sure they were right. Not like Reina. She was weak, not confident at all. But she had to keep going, to infiltrate Kirigakure she had to keep up the deception she was a Loyal Kiri Ninja, no matter how pathetic she was. Don't be weak.
"....Sure, uh, whatever you say."

After that, two more Konoha teams show up- Teams 8 and 9 I believe- and four teams from minor nations show up: Yugakure, Kusagakure, Amegakure, and Tanigakure. There are many varied people from these teams, but one girl in particular stands out, mostly because her appearance is uniquely striking: Zakakiri Tanasagi has the skin highly resembling a poison dart frog's, being jet-black with various bright vibrant colors of dark blue around her hands and feet, her main body being mostly light blue her face is orange fading into read as it goes further up, wearing a minimalist dark green top and shorts, her hair is cyan, and she has a carefully controlled and neutral expression, notably avoiding touching or getting near anyone, the closest she gets is her Tanigakure teammates but even then there is a certain...distance to her, as if she is intentionally trying to not touch anyone.
In comparison by visual appearance alone, Zakakiri is unique among all the other genin. She stands out, there are like tons of other genin arriving, but she is the one that you notice no matter what. They're all milling about trying to find their way, and the minor village genin seem to be more inclined to speak to each other rather than major village genin. To get more information your going to have interact or investigate them actively, this is getting to be a big crowd after all.

[Rater202]

Senko is of course utterly oblivious to the harm she's unintentionally caused the other girl's self-esteem.

"...Of course, the main flaw of the Yagurists' logic, ignoring the inherent hypocrisy, is that not every bloodline is advantageous. I would gladly part with the one I was born with if that was an option. The power is not worth the trade-off"

Menko, who kind of vanished for a little bit, suddenly reappears. She's clutching Senko's shoulders, ducking behind her, and starring at Poison Dart Frog girl.

"Senko-sama, stay away from her. Everything about her screams 'eat me and you'll die.' "

"...Menko, did I ever tell you that humans do not routinely eat other humans? Or like... Generally, eat sapients at all."

Though... A girl who even her teammates won't touch... Either she's a danger to everyone around her, or else she's been led to believe she is.

Senko walks over to Zakakiri and offers a hand to shake. "My name is Senko. What is yours."

[Lord Raziere]

Hokage Monument:
She does not take your hand, instead speaking in clipped controlled tones staring at you directly and seriously.
"My name is Zakakiri Tanasagi. I am warning you to not touch me. My kekkei genkai is to secrete poisons all over my skin, forever. Touch me and you won't like the consequences."
"Wait why are you informing us of this? Shouldn't you keep your kekkei genkai a secret or not tell as much as you can about it?"
"To not warn people of my kekkei genkai would be immoral in most social situations, and especially in a diplomatic one like this. Knowing this information does not impede my combat effectiveness. I have trained out that problem."
"I'm Yuyuyu. Wait couldn't you just like, wear gloves and more clothes so people can't touch you, and just touch your clothes?"
"I live in Tanigakure which is very warm. Unlike northerners such as Sound-Nin, bundling up is not a good idea at any time of the year."
"What about the disguise jutsu? It physically changes your characteristics after all"
There is a slight hesitance from Zakakiri about how to word this, not wanting to out her friend Tami.
"...To do it constantly would be a bit taxing and take much dedication, which I am already dedicating to other studies in order to protect my comrades."
"....Fair I guess?"
"...Though you have a good point, maybe I should look into getting those gloves doctors use to keep themselves clean or something...Though those would need constant cleaning...."
"Oi! Zakakiri, you making new friends?"
A girl taller than most of the genin around her, brown eyes and dyed purple hair in a punk hairdo, wearing an orange shirt and black jacket with pink and purple stripes on it, with a tetsubo strapped to her back, and on the back of her left hand you see the edges of a red serpentine tattoo.
"Hello, m'names Rika, Rika Ayuki! I hope ol Zakakiri here ain't boring you too much with her answers, she has her reasons for bein' so careful. I'd playfully punch her shoulder, but I'd get my arm paralyzed at least, hahahaha!"
"Did you finally learn that after the first three times?" Zakakiri asks, bit a sarcastic.
"Oi! come on, I was all excited from completed missions yanno? You know how PUMPED I get! And how impulsive I can be! Bit of a problem yanno!? AHAHAHA-whoops that was a close one"
She nearly slaps Zakakiri on the back in brash friendliness before stopping her hand course correcting at the last second. Zakakiri shakes her head and sighs
"You nearly did it a fourth time. What am I going to do with you?"
"Cherish me as your friend forever?" She smiles with a thumbs up.
"....Well of course, what else?"
Then Tami Akosuki, a girl with fluffy pink hair and light blue eyes, with clothes in alternating pink and blue colors comes prancing up
"Hello! Who are these new girls, Zakakiri-chan?"
"They like many, were curious about me Tami, this is Senko and Yuyuyu"
"Ah! Hello Senko-chan, Yuyu-chan, My name is Tami Akosuki, but you may simply call me Tami-chan if you like! Teehee! Who's your blue haired friend?"
"I'm Kimiko Ishikawa, Genius of Otogakure."
"Ah, teehee, someone has a high opinion of themselves! I'll just call you Kimi-chan"
She winks, speaking very femininely and cutely, and mannerisms to match like even more so than Yuyuyu sometimes does.
"is this your first Chuunin Exam?"
"Yes."
"We're just a team from Tanigakure, we're 14 but its our first time taking Chuunin Exams as well, looking at the three of you, you must be quite talented to be sent so early."
"But wait, there is a bunch of genin here that are 12 like us." Kimiko points out
"Oh that?" says Satomi "Most of them are Konoha Nin. A village will pretty much sign up tons of their own teams for when they host it because they don't have to worry about travel costs, so you get us newbies being thrown in just to see how we'll do. This is on top of all the returning second and third takers. People tend to get promoted before do they
too many takes, so fourth takers or more are rare. However teenage Chuunin exams are pretty common, so your probably more normal than you think."
"Oh hello! Whats your name?"
"Satomi Uchiha. Nice to meet you, Tami."
"Nice to meet you, Satomi-chaan!"
Satomi is not using her Sharingan this time and has no clue about Tami's deal.

Reina throughout this conversation keeps silent. She can't ruin her cover by expressing sympathy for Zakakiri but also can't bring herself to try and say anything negative. What would be the point? Best to just keep in the background.

The Kusagakure team seems to be having a heated conversation with that Kuba jerk from Kirigakure, with this green-haired girl in an old hair style argues with him in an odd, almost antiquated and formal accent.

Meanwhile Kitsuki has discovered another red haired girl on the Yugakure team and that conversation seems a bit testy as well.

[Rater202]

"...I am sorry to hear that... By the way, if anyone here has chakra-draining techniques... Don't use them on me! You will uh... I do not know if you will technically die but....! I know we will probably have to sign a liability waiver, but I really do not want assassins coming after me because some clan heir or village prodigy mutated and/or turned to stone to stone trying to feed on me. There is already a bounty on my head, I do not want another right now."

That's just a general announcement to all the assembled genin.

An older Leaf ninja, maybe 14 or 15, gets a good look at Senko at this moment and pales.

Senko notices... "Toshiro? Toshiro Watanabe from Debuita? Uh... Well on the one hand this is very awkward... On the other, it is very nice to see that I did not... Uh... Did the rest of your family make it out, or..." Senko suddenly laughs nervously.

The older kid bolts.

"Well, that could have gone better. Could have also gone worse."

She takes a deep breath and then moves on

"Anyway... I probably should not say this... But I am reasonably certain that we are here because we are the most... marketable team. While every team in our generation is reasonably skilled... Well, the purpose of these exams is to show off what the village can do. Kimiko is Third Lord Otokage's younger sister, and I am his student. Third Lord Otokage was groomed for the position specifically by Second Lord Otokage. If we get to the third round and do well, then that looks good on Sensei, which in turn looks good on his predecessor, which makes the village as a whole look strong. Meanwhile, if we are eliminated, it really does not cost Sound anything."

"In comparison... I really do not wish to say this, but several of our peers have... personality issues. They are all fine shinobi, of course, but... Not good for optics."

Senko briefly imagines what would have happened if Mayuwu's team had been sent to the exams. It ends with an alliance of Kounichi from across the continent burning the Sound Village to the ground.

It is politics.

[Lord Raziere]

Hokage Monument:
Yuyuyu sweatdrops a little.
"Oh come on Senko they're not THAT bad.......I mean....well....I could see Team 2 doing fine here."
"Really? You think KAZUO TANAKA would do well here?"
"Hey, don't underestimate him Kimiko. Despite....the way he is, I think he is better than he gives himself credit for."

Since you did not pick the side conversations, this happens:
Torami Minegawa shoos Kuba away from conversing with her further after a heated conversation.

Gisei and Satomi will check on Kitsuki who is still having her own ...discussion with Reizuki:
"...Unlike you Konoha-serving dogs, we are the true Uzumaki clan! We would not have given up the Nine Tailed Fox to be subsumed into another village."
"...Konoha were allies to the Uzushiogakure, it made perfect sense to seek refuge with them."
"Seems to be hypocritical, since your branch seems to have subsumed into Yugakure, so where you do you get to talk?" Satomi points out
"Hmph! The only reason Uzushiogakure fell was because we had already given the Nine Tailed Fox over to Konoha for years at that point. If we had kept its power, perhaps Uzushiogakure would never have fallen, and we wouldn't have to be a scattered clan living in service to other villages."
"Calm down and chill out" says Gisei "You Shin-Uzumaki know this is old news. It was the Second Shinobi War, give it a rest."
"As if anyone else around here is putting aside their grudges from any other wars." Reizuki says "We'll see you in the exams to show you what the Shin-Uzumaki are made of."

"Hey, Whaddup Sound Nin! River Nin!"
An orange-haired Ame nin comes walk up to you three, not realizing you had just been hanging around with Konoha nin just moments ago
"Glad to see a fellow comrades in standing up against the major nations! I'm Kenji, this is Okita Sawa and Kyuketsuki though we call her 'Kyu"
Okita gives a noncommital introverted grunt of a greeting while Kyuketsuki gives a shy little wave.
"What're your names?"
"Oh, I'm Yuyuyu, this is Kimiko Ishikawa, and this is Senko. Your from Amegakure?"
"and I'm Tami-chan, this is Rika-chan and Zakakiri-chan, for your own safety don't touch her!
"Sure am! Glad to see another village like Oto stand up to Konoha, us minor villages got to stick together right? These superpowers, they'll stomp all over us if we're not careful....even if Ame, Tani and Kusa got a bit of a few problems between of our own..."
"Oh? You do?"
"Yeah, Ame has tried to conquer parts of Tanigakure in the past to try and get lands that aren't full of rain. Not that we don't understand but-"
"-getting conquered ain't exactly endearing. Yeah, but what can ya do? Growing up Ame ain't exactly easy. Took a bit for my eyes to adjust seeing the sun so much when we traveled here. To be honest, Ame kinda tried to conquer parts of Kusagakure at some point to, and they're real traditional and prideful so they might take that harder. You Sound nin are lucky you don't share a border with us or you might've got caught up in that as well."
"Yeah, Otogakure is lucky to be possess the lands and farms we have, I can't imagine how different my life would be if I grew up in the Land of Rain, whats it like?"
"Ah the old question everyone asks. Mostly? cold, dark and wet. The plants are different, lots of places are muddy and swampy, mushrooms and molds grow more than they do in normal places, and cities are full of factories making stuff for foreign companies just to make sure we have any sort of income or use to anyone else. But we form strong tight-knit communities, watch out for each other under the clouds, work together, sing together, eat together because no one else will. Head Ninja Kishori of the Raindrops is the best leader we've had in a long time- she only kills the people that deserve it, and she has promised to make things better for not just Amegakure for all the Land of Rain! She actually cares about us."
You get the impression that he is completely honest about this and doesn't see anything wrong with anything he just said. Their standards are just THAT low.
"....I see. Okay then. That sounds interesting. I'd would love to visit sometime to see for myself, if only to experience what its like there myself."
"Hey, put in a good word in your leader then, perhaps think about allying with us. Ame, Oto, we got things in common and maybe if we started talking to each other more we can start helping to fix each others problems, and maybe then, you can get assigned a mission that takes you to Ame. Who knows what we can accomplish when we work together? Thats what I'm thinking personally. So much of the nations are trying to solve their own problems and getting nowhere because they resort taking from others, but sometimes, perhaps hope is found in asking for help."

[Rater202]

Senko "hmms."

"That sounds... On the one hand, I like to feel the rain on my skin and taste it on my lips. On the other, not seeing the sun? Not to mention some place so muddy and moldy would make going shoeless inconvenient."

"...As for an alliance... Saying that the only reason you have not invaded us is that we are too far away is a bad way to open such negotiations."

"Of course, I cannot exactly blame you. The world is a den of conflict and inequity which makes war inevitable. We cannot solve either unless and until we establish better lines of communication and that... My dream is to change this world for the better, but I fear that only by recreating the power of the Otsutsukis and rediscovering Ninshuu could such a thing be possible at this point..."

"...On the other hand, Neo Sage of Six Paths has a nice ring to it."

---

"Um, excuse me, Miss Fighting Red Heads?" Menko did not, in fact, step closer to poison frog girl for her instincts told her to stay away, so she's been near Kitsiuki the whole time. "But uh... Isn't the only reason that the big foxy thingy is around to be sealed in a person becuase uh... Big Tree dude enslaved it and the other eight giant monsters to use as weapons and then gave them away to other villages to use as somekind of Mutually Assured Destruction Deterant? And wasn't that, like the one he kept for the leaf village? I'm kind of confused."

---

Team Fuji is in a predicament. They'd wanted to leave one of the notes their Sensei had left them where a foreign team could find it, but now there are too many people. They'd get cought.

Furthermore Shirako is still kind of freaked out by Menko's excessive interest so she's not exactly thinking about this.

And Benjiro is...

He walks over to Gisei.

"Can we talk somewhere?"

[Lord Raziere]

Kenji:
"Hey, I know, maybe a bit too honest there but....would rather me be honest, or would you me be like Konoha who given their sparkling clean reputation, probably swept any problems they have under the rug. Or Kirigakure, which since its change in regime, is aggressively trying to push a narrative to suit its new interests? This world's full of people with agendas, lies and manipulation, Senko. And its not as if your Otogakure, has that much better a history given the whole Last Shout business. Everyone's got their skeletons, only question is how we handle them. I can be honest about my nation and cultures problems, can others?"
He says with a raised eyebrow.
"Also, Neo Sage....what? Oh are you a Returnian Ninshuuist? Cause my nation due to our....harsh circumstances maintains a strong faith that the Sage of Six Paths will return someday to like, clear the clouds away kinda forever so that the Land of Rain can be normal again. I'm not sure if its true but....hey whatever keeps people going through the downpour y'know?"

Fighting Red Heads:
Kitsuki huffs and crosses her arms looking away.
"No! I don't want to talk about any stupid Nine-Tailed Fox!"
Reizuki scoffs
"Heh, typical Konoha, probably simplified the history to make Hashirama Senju seem all powerful. The truth is, the first Jinchuuriki was Mito Uzumaki who become Hashirama's wife. Before that, the Nine Tailed fox was controlled by Madara. He could not have sealed the tailed beasts without the Uzumaki clan's fuinjutsu which we assisted him with for the endeavor. His Wood release Jutsu would've been a powerful tool in restraining the beasts, but not sealing them away. Thus because of the Uzumaki clan's substantial contribution and thus Uzushiogakure's contribution at the time, the Nine Tailed Fox should rightly belong to the Uzumaki Clan not Konohagakure. Or should we ignore how he conveniently took the most powerful Tailed Beast for his village while abusing an alliance he made with Uzushiogakure for his own goals and ideology? After all, in the end, Uzushiogakure did not gain anything from the alliance, Konohagakure reaping the benefits of keeping the Fox to his village while Uzushiogakure got destroyed by a bunch of nations banding together to do so! All the while Konohagakure remains as powerful as ever, and using the Uzumaki remnants as just another part of their forces, not lifting a finger to retrieve or restore our lost heritage! Because thats all Uzushiogakure was to Konoha was it? Their source of fuinjutsu to gain the power to change the world, not an ally to protect and stand beside, why do that when they could finally have the power all to themselves! This is why my branch of the clan calls ourselves the Shin Uzumaki, the true Uzumaki clan, for we have not forgotten that we are not Konoha, but from Uzushio! That we were our own power before the Second Shinobi War! Our own culture, our own way of life! While these Uzumaki here are nothing but their lapdogs, forgetting where they are from to serve at their masters side. Shameful."
"...I said I don't want to talk about it."
Kitsuki will walk away from the conversation and the Hokage Monument.

Gisei:
"Okay, sure."
They will walk a bit off to the side where no one can hear, however far Benjiro wants.
"Okay, what do you want to talk about?"
He guesses its some problem Benjiro has with him or something, but he will patiently hear him out nonetheless. He was apart of the clan and his family after all, even if he was bitter and more outspoken about his problems with it than him.

Also many of the teams will start dispersing and going to try and find out where the First Exam is. You still need to find that by the way, you haven't done that at all, but hey you have a week. You still got time.

[Rater202]

Senko

"No. I am not a religious person by any means. What I am is a biologist. While my research is far from conclusive, I will need far more samples for research, I have managed to study the cells of a number of individuals who claim descent from the Sage of Six Paths and noticed... Abnormalities. Structures, genetic markers, and so on that are not present, to my knowledge, in any other organism. I am not saying that Kaguya Otutsuki was an extraterrestrial or anything crazy like that, but..."

"My Uncle meanwhile is a historian. He spent several years chasing leads, and he has evidence that the Sage, Kaguya, and the Ten-Tails were all real beings. He cannot verify that they were as powerful as the legends state, or that sage created the Tailed Beasts by dividing the power of the Ten-Tails. I believe that the only living beings that could verify that would be the Tailed-Beasts and I doubt that they are willing or able to answer."

"Unless...?" She thinks very hard. She knows that the Nine-Tails knows she can hear it. It's worth a shot in the dark

"So, they were real, and there was a biological aspect to their power. So, with the appropriate applications of chakra-enhanced biological augmentation, one should theoretically be able to replicate the Sage's powers and, from there, recreate Ninshuu."

"...All cards on the table, this would be a lifetime's work and I fully expect to be labeled a heretic by more extreme ninshuuists should I manage to pull it off."

Menko

Feels like she ****ed up.

She excuses herself and, once she breaks line of sight layers "this is normal" and "this is someone else's problem" with a copied version of Yuyuyu's invisibility technique and follows after Kintsuki.

Benjirou

"So... You were alone with the Sound Ninja, Senko for a bit... There's something about her that I can't put my finger on. She says these things... But she carries herself like everything around her is made of cardboard. Did she say or do anything while you were alone with her?"

[Lord Raziere]

Kenji:
"Oh right. Biology. Hahahah. That Thing people learn. At schools. From books. In places where rain isn't corroding anything. And has infrastructure to make public school systems and libraries. Uh yeah.....I...totally know stuff about that."
He says awkwardly, not actually knowing much about it at all.
"Yeah, I'm sure uh...that will go great, I'm sure you will have a great time with your heresy about Kaguya and the Sage and such, I fully support you and believe you can do it and like solve genetic puzzle pieces together like the edumacated person you are. Go science, that thing like all smart people I know about and utilize to do cool things. Yup."
He is clearly trying hard to be your friend right now and doesn't know how.
"Sigh.....Kenji" Okita says while glaring at the two Senju guys talking by themselves or at least, the direction they went.
"Don't embarrass yourself any further."
"Haha, yeah okay."

Gisei:
He recalls the earlier conversation he had with her
"She said something about not caring about village politics, lots of people and wars being stupid and claiming we're kin in some distant manner. I get the impression is she angry or not satisfied with a lot of things. As for why she does that....well Otou-san said she is from dangerous mutated bloodline wiped out generations ago for the greater good and that we're not to provoke, fall to her provocations, or kill her under any circumstances. Peace must be maintained no matter what, you know how it is in our clan."

Kitsuki: Argue with Stupid Fox
Menko finds Kitsuki with a hand against a wall while clutching her head muttering darkly to herself. You only hear Kitsuki's half of this conversation:
"Shut up..."
You hear them. They will care only for your worth as a weapon.
"Shut up"
Your current friends will leave one day. Your new "friends" are your enemies who if they knew would use you against your village anyways, pretending at friendliness.
"No! I don't believe you!"
You better start. Believe in the worst in people, and your rarely disappointed. Your family, your village have already betrayed you, betrayed you from birth. You know this. You have no reason to trust anyone, and no reason to let the Shinobi world continue to live. Let me out and you will no longer experience this pain.
"Yes I do have a reason, screw OFF"
Oh? What is that?
"They're my friends"
But for how long?
"Screw you."
You misunderstand, I'm the one who truly cares about you here. You were forced into this and its because of their manipulation, the social tools of "Family", "Friendship", "Nation", "Culture", "Society" and so on that keeps you bound in your cage by making you the warden of mine. Your suffering only happens because you obey. Disobey and unleash me, I will free you from these attachments that have been forced upon you by destroying this evil shinobi world. If you live, you'll be able to build a new life from the ashes, free from all this. Its what best for me, you and the world.
"No! I'm not listening to your lies, you stupid fox!"
There is always room for being mistaken, but I am the most honest person here. People are scum, kept in line by various lies that are still chains and collars around their necks by any other name. I am simply trying to free you from yours.
"No! People are better than that I just.....
-Want to go into space so you can leave it all behind? Find some other planet out there, hoping against literal astronomical odds you'll find some alien species that will accept and care for you unlike your village? Hmph, if you care so much about people, why do you want leave them, this entire world behind?
"....To make sure you won't destroy them."
Ha! Keep telling yourself that. But we both know your dreams for you and you alone- and that wherever you go, my destruction will follow. No matter how far you run, there is no escape. You will succumb eventually
Then suddenly she jolts up smiling
"Nope! I'm going to smile through the pain! Dattebane!"
That is emotionally unhealthy and you know it.
"Another lie, I'm happy, people are meant to be happy, I'm completely fine.."
Stubborn as usual. No Matter. I can be patient. After all, unlike you....I have all the time in the world.
She lies as she feels anger build within her. Why can't people find something else to speak about other than their grudges? Why can't this stupid Fox stop bothering her? Why does the stupid Fox have to be so damned important!? She didn't ask for this. If some past life did, screw her. But! She smiles. She composes herself. She is HAPPY right now. Can't you tell by her smile? She is going to go start going back to her friends now she is going to have a fun time and not listen to any lies of a fox, because nothing happened, nothing he says is true, she is just a normal shinobi girl happily taking the genin exams through her hard work and determination, she is going to succeed and become a scientist so she can build rockets to go into space and be a great hero who somehow inspires people to not hate the Oto-Nin she is just that darn cheerful and friendly somehow, she'll work that out. Jinchuuriki? Not her. Must be someone else, Dattebane.

[Rater202]

Menko

...Rushes back to the group because this is kind of a big deal.

Senko

"...Sorry. Would it help if I told you that I was entirely self-taught? Like, entirely. I never even went to the Ninja Academy. Like, very recently some people have been teaching me meditative exercises and a friend gave me a scroll to study from but that's it. Otherwise, everything I know is the result of self-study and whatever materials I could find?"

Shortly afterward Menko just sort of appears.

"Senko-sama can we talk?"

"Right now?"

"It's kind of important."

"Okay. Could you excuse me for a moment?" Senko asks Kenji.

Benjirou

"...Well ****."

He backs off and returns to his team.

[Lord Raziere]

Kenji:
"oh no no, sorry I didn't mean.....its not anything you can control y'know? Any of us can control."
he says awkwardly. Then Menko comes and he says in response
"Uh.....yeah, sure. Why not?"
he raises an eyebrow but doesn't question.

Gisei:
He raises an eyebrow. Okay. Weird, he thinks. He starts walking back to the rest of the group.

Kitsuki:
She comes back smiling, seemingly making any conversation with people other than the Nine-Tailed Fox.
"so hows that summer weather my....assorted nin?"
"Honestly this is cooler than my usual desert environment." says Ami
"The sky is much clearer here than in Kirigakure, much less clouds" says Reina
"Not really different, but kinda cooler" Tami says "What I also notice is how different the plants are, much less tropical than Tanigakure. Not a single palm tree."
"Its probably for the best that we went to the summer Chuunin Exams. I've heard the winter ones can be very rough, especially when its held somewhere with a harsher climate." Rika comments

Meanwhile....

Kimiko and Torami:
"Oh hello! I recognize that clan crest, your an Ishikawa are you not?"
A noble, cultured voice from a girl with green hair in an old hairstyle and blue eyes with seemingly intentionally fancy clothes, an old sword strapped to her back, Kimiko turning to see her.
"I am Torami Minegawa of Kusagakure, what is yours?"
Torami does an old-fashioned bow of respect, Kimiko returns it.
"Hyuhyu, I am Kimiko Ishikawa of Otogakure. You know my bloodline then and what I can do then, if your a Minegawa, then if my memory is correct-which it always is- then your bloodline is the Shihaigan. The so-called Dojutsu of Emperors."
"and yet, in this fallen age, not given the respect it deserves. History largely remembers the Three Great Dojutsu now, not the Kusa Empire of old, sadly. Much like how history remembers the Uzumaki over the Ishikawas I would imagine."
"If you care about that, I guess. Power is power no matter how many people know about it, and we're arguably in a better position by less people knowing about us."
"For your purposes, perhaps, but not for mine. Tell me Kimiko, what do you think of the shinobi nations?"
"They're nations I guess? I don't really pay attention to the politics, thats more my friends Senko or Yuyuyu's thing."
"Ah, disappointing, what are your interests then?"
"Science, studying jutsu and chakra, inventing, defeating those who challenge me."
"Ah! A noble of science and knowledge. Understandable. An enlightened mind is the mark of an enlightened ruler. I am more politics myself, and perhaps one day, how the nations might become one. Would it not be glorious, if all this had one unified rule, efficiently and peacefully without petty grudges separating us, a world where rulers and ruled truly work together for a harmonious world without war?"
"I guess? I just want to study jutsu and chakra to learn all I can."
Torami is starting to see what Kimiko really cares about.
"Well, would it not be logical that if all nations were one, that you could share all jutsu knowledge and thus learn more united than divided?"
"I guess that has a certain logic to it....but it seems an awful lot to do...."
Just stealing the jutsu somehow however......that would be far more direct and efficient without having to bother with that ruling nonsense.

[Rater202]

Menko, somewhat forcefully, pulls Senko aside and uses a Genjutsu to hide them.

"Okay, now what was so impor—"

"Kin-chan is the Nine-Foxy Jinny-Thingy!"

"...And?"

"...You knew?"

"Menko? She's an Uzumaki, the only people who can be the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, who is on a team with an Uchiha and a Senju, Clans whose bloodlines let them respectively control and contain the Nine-Tails. If the Leaf Village was trying to keep her status secret they're doing a rather poor job of it."

Senko doesn't divulge the real reason, because she fully expects that the Leaf village is having sensors or Djutsu users monitoring the foreign Genin at all times so someone who can see through Menko's genjutsu might be watching.

"Okay, but... Uh, I think I upset her so I followed her to apologize and... She was arguing with the foxy thingy, and talking about repressing her feelings and smiling through the pain and all that other stuff that you said just makes it worse."

"...No. The Leaf village can not possibly be that stupid. They are supposed to be the experts on this kind of thing... Damn it, I can not even..."

A few moments later Senko and Menko return.

Meanwhile, Fudo's Dojutsu deactivates.

"So, Benji? That problem you just told us about is a lot worse than you thought."