It was hard to believe this was your first time in what was ostensibly an enemy village or that you even were in an enemy village to begin with. You've seen your fair share of combat against the occasional bandit or academy dropout 'missing nin', but this was your first real chance to prove yourself, to spread your wings and prove to your Village that they were right to allow you to become a Shinobi instead of just strapping you down to a bed to have your semen harvested 24/7.
Your memories of graduation day were a little bit blurry since the test left you passed out from chakra exhaustion, but you did remember that after that day, things in your life started to come together. You got way more compliments during your part-time shifts at your grandmother's massage parlor, and it was like years of half-hearted kneading and rubbing had come together into an art form only you could recognize.
You even managed to get a blush out of the coldest girl from your graduating class when she came by with her friend asking about a massage for her 'back issues'.
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[Image]
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What a great week that was!
Still, your memories of after graduation were even better. The day you met your Sensei…
Yoruichi, Sensei of Team Kumo
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[Image]
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Well, needless to say. It was a wake-up call. What she called 'warm-up week' you and your teammates had dubbed 'hell week', with her slave driver tendencies frequently leading to at least one of you collapsing before the day was done.
The worst part for them, though?
You loved every second of it. Every spar, every moment where your lungs felt like they were on fire, even wobbling home on legs that felt like they were made of jelly, it all felt euphoric to you. Like you had spent your whole life in a muddled dream and were seeing the world for the first time with crystal clarity.
You were finally a Shinobi, and you couldn't get enough of it.
It wasn't all good news, though. After you won your first spar, your Sensei rewarded you with a slip of paper, and after following her directions, it turned sopping wet. Apparently, you had a water affinity and a very strong one at that. Unfortunately, your sensei was a lightning specialist through and through, and while she did know some water jutsu, they were either too powerful for you or didn't fit your fighting style.
(You hadn't even thought about how little Chakra you had when you 'discovered your chakra nature' or how you had gotten a reaction out of the paper before you event tried to flow your chakra through it.)
Though admittedly after that, your time as a Genin was fairly standard, even if you still found every moment of it exhilarating. The monotony of D-ranks, which your teammates couldn't stand, but you always smiled your way through. The occasional C-rank, which let you finally experience real combat for the first time…
Honestly, you couldn't remember them much either, but you were sure they were amazing. Besides, it's not like you'd lose to some Bandits or Academy drop-outs.
Still, that wonderful period of your life was coming to an end with your Sensei's announcement that she was recommending you three take part in the upcoming Chunin Exams, taking place in Konoha.
The day before your trip out of the village, you found some weird dust in a bag on your pillow. You had no clue what it was, but after asking your Sensei, she said she'd send it up to the eggheads for testing.
She nearly had a panic attack when you brought her the same bag two days later, saying the same thing had happened again.
Eventually, according to your Sensei, the Village had decided to let you keep the bag, since it always seemed to find its way back to you, and according to them, it was capable of knocking out anyone Chunin level or below in an instant.
They made the decision right before it was time for you and your teammates to leave the Village for Exam, which was fortunate. You'd hate to have stolen Village property…
Speaking of, they still had you fill up a few extra cups of your 'legacy' before you left 'just in case' and made sure your honeypot resistance was top-notch. Just because you had proven their caution wrong once before didn't mean they were suddenly going to act stupid about what might be the last recorded user of your bloodline in living memory. Honestly, you were so lucky to be of serv-
"Ah, looks like it's time to stop daydreaming, Sōkotsu. We're here~"
The velvety voice of one of your teammates snaps you out of your reverie, causing you to look towards them.
Sombra, Genjutsu Specialist of Team Kumo.
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[Image]
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Then… things got weird.
Feats achieved!
Enter a Foreign Village - 2 Random Bronze Tickets
Enter an Enemy Village (Detected) - 1 Random Silver Ticket!
Open: Y/N?
Huh? What the- okay, it's probably just Sombra playing a trick on you. She does that when she's bored. It certainly doesn't look like an enemy genjutsu. Don't react. Don't react. She'll get bored if you…
OPEN: Y/N?
Or not. With a roll of your eyes, you'd mentally reach forward and press the 'Y' option blaring in your mind's eyes. A moment later, your brain was filled with the sight and sounds of fireworks and a spinning bronze slot machine with options that seemingly went on forever before finally landing on-
Novice Cooking (Skill) - You are a novice in the culinary arts, you can cook most basic meals and they will taste good. But don't expect to get a job as a chef. You will however improve much faster than other people if you choose to train yourself.
Neat, you've always wanted to learn how to coo - Ahhh, headache! Fuck, that shit hurt. Learning whatever a 'French Toast' is definitely wasn't worth that. You weren't even able to hide the pain. Your teammates looked worried towards you as you suddenly grabbed your nose and let out an exhale to soothe your scrambled brain.
Deciding to get all of this out of the way now, you 'rolled' again, going through the same experience with a silver slot machine in your mind's eye instead.
Library Mind (Trait) - Your mind is like a library, organized and efficient. Your memory, mental clarity and speed are slightly faster.
Well, that sounded kinda nice actually.
And it did sound nice, for all of 5 seconds. Then your memories gained clarity. The sight of bones impaling, skewering, slicing, and tearing. They were coming out of you until your body felt like a sore sack of meat. The sight of your sensei giving you one of her rare and terrifying serious glares before blacking out.
In the back of your mind, you distantly realized that you had collapsed forward into one of your teammates' arms.
The first memories to come beyond those of pain and your 'episodes' being shut down during training were the faces of those bandits, with blood coming out of their mouths as they stared down in shock at the holes they suddenly had in their chests.
Next to come were the dropouts. You weren't as quick with them. After all, they were traitors and you needed to make examples out of them.
Your half-mad grin reflected in a pool of your victim's blood was probably the most disturbing sight you'd ever seen.
Or that's what you thought… before the older memories came flooding forward. They were still messy, still hard to fully put together in your mind, but your newly enhanced mental clarity helped you piece some disturbing implications together.
Why couldn't you remember signing up for your first day at the academy?
Why were the memories of your missions still so foggy, beyond the faces of the people you killed?
Why did the faces of your parents seem to- seem to change? Different shaped eyes, wrinkles and birthmarks disappearing and reappearing, it was subtle, but now that you were looking for discrepancies…
Why did you want to be a Shinobi?
Why were you so loyal that you happily butchered 'traitors' who were barely even old enough to be considered missing-nin?
Who… who were you?
CONTINUE OPENING (1 Bronze tickets remain): Y/N?
And why wasn't that thing shutting the hell up?! Fuck, yes, whatever!
Novice Biology (Skill) - You have the skills and knowledge of a Biology Major. You have a decent repertoire of knowledge regarding biology, bodies and organs as well as how things interact with biology.
Themitochondraisthepo werhouseofthecell
That was your last thought as it all became too much for you, and you passed out in one of your teammates' arms.
Darkness.
That was all that greeted you at first. Sweet, comforting darkness.
Then - a flicker of light. A classroom. The scent of chalk dust and sweat.
You're sitting at a desk, staring at your hands. Small. Unscarred. A child's hands.
Why can't I remember signing up?
The memory shifts… No, it shatters. Like glass struck by a kunai.
Now you're standing in a forest. Blood on your fingers. A bandit gasps at your feet, his chest a ruin of splintered bone. His lips move, but no sound comes out. Just blood. So much blood.
Did I do this?
The scene fractures again.
Another shift.
A dimly lit forest where the sunlight can't pierce through the canopy above. A dropout, just a kid really, kneels before you, trembling.
"Please, I didn't mean…"
Your arm moves before you think. A spike of bone punches through his throat, ripping it out.
His blood spatters your face. You watch as life leaves his eyes. You're smiling.
The memories come faster now, overlapping, twisting.
Your parents' faces… flickering. A different nose here. An old scar's disappearance there. Their voices warp, syllables stretching like taffy.
"You've always wanted to be a shinobi, haven't you?"
Of course you did.
You were made for this.
Your chest burns.
Something moves beneath your skin.
Then - Gold.
Two slitted eyes, serpentine and ancient, lock onto yours.
A whisper, not in your ears but in your bones:
"Remember."
You wake up screaming.
"So… I take it that means you didn't enjoy your nap, my adorable little genin?"
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[Image]
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She's giving you a reassuring smile that doesn't reach her eyes. Your old self wouldn't have noticed, too preoccupied being wowed by her presence or her strength, but the new you is too wary to not take a mental note of her every little movement.
And she, being an experienced ninja, notices this change in your normal behavior. She doesn't press you for now, but she knows something is different. Something has changed.
But how can you tell her what's going on when you don't even know yourself?
The world snaps into focus as you exchange glances with your sensei. It's not the forest from your dreams, but the plain and uninteresting walls of a Konoha motel room. The sheets beneath you are stiff, the air thick with the scent of your own sweat. Your throat is raw from screaming.
And then she is there. Her body is all muscle and wild energy, her calloused hands gripping your shoulders before you can even process her movement from the doorway of the motel to right by your bedside.
This will do for now.
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[Image]
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"Oi! What the hell was that?!"
Her voice is too loud for the quiet room, her usual cocky grin replaced by something sharper, and to your surprise it is genuine alarm. Her biceps flex as she leans over you, close enough that you can see the faint scar cutting through her eyebrow, the flecks of gold in her sapphire blue eyes.
"You just started shrieking like a demon was in the room!"
Behind her, the curvy form of your second teammate lingers near the doorway, arms crossed, watching. Normally, she'd have some teasing remark, some lazy provocation dripping from her lips like honey. But now? Her violet-painted nails tap silently against her elbow, her dark purple eyes narrowed in thought.
The smirk is too smug, but then again, that's her default expression
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[Image]
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"…You weren't just dreaming," she murmurs, but her voice is sharp with the accusation. It wasn't a question.
Your sensei leans against the wall, her arms folded and her smile never slipping. But her gaze is heavy and calculating, taking in your response to you teammates' sudden appearance and registering it.
"Well? Did your little nap stir up something interesting? Something you want to share?~"
Your tomboy teammate scowls at the unspoken command for a report in your teacher's words, whipping her head around and giving Yoruichi a glare that is filled with far more bravery than she should probably have when faced against someone like your sensei.
"Stop talking like that! Can't you see he's freaked out?!"
She turns back to you, grip softening just a fraction.
"Hey. Whatever it was, it's over. You're here. With us."
The words are meant to be comforting. But they ring hollow in your ears.
Are you?
The other girl pushes off the wall, slinking forward with feline grace. She stops just beside your bed, close enough that her perfume, something that was floral, expensive, and very foreign, fills your senses.
"You're shaking," she observes, voice low and calm. Her fingers brush against your wrist, feather-light in her quick and precise touches to you, measuring your responses. "Your pulse is erratic. And your chakra…"
She trails off, lips quirking. She's the sensor of your team, a rare talent, and a frustrating one during moments like this.
"Well. It's interesting right now."
Korra growls, she has little patience for Sombra's antics at the best of times, and this is definitely not 'the best of times'.
"Stop being creepy and help!"
"I am helping." Her thumb presses against your pulse point, just a little too hard. "Aren't I?~"
Your chest burns. That same, unnatural heat from your dream.
Do you trust them?
The question coils in your gut like a snake.
Korra is still her usual self, being loud, reckless, always charging headfirst into anything in front of her so she can punch away the problem, but she is also staring at you with open worry in her puffy blue eyes. Has she been crying? Sombra is different. She is calculating, sharp, always three steps ahead, and she is staring you like you're a new puzzle for her to solve.
And your sensei?
She would know if you try lying to them.
You swallow hard.
What do you say?
"I saw... blood. A fight. But it didn't feel like a dream. It felt like... a memory. One that I haven't been able to remember until just now."
Before speaking on it any further, your hands instinctively form the Kai seal—just in case your fears aren't true. Just in case things can go back to normal. In your desperation, you don't notice the flash of recognition in your sensei's eyes as you describe the scene from your memories.
You force chakra through your coils, snapping your focus outward.
Your hopes are dashed. Nothing happens. No flicker of a disrupted illusion and no shift in your reality or perception.
Your sensei's eyebrow quirks. "Trying to dispel something, little genin?" Her tone is light, but her gaze sharpens. "Interesting reflex... for someone who supposedly just had a nightmare. Understandable though, considering how you got put into it. Wanna explain your little collapsing stunt? I don't think old memories cause that."
Korra blinks, surprised by your sudden actions. "Wait, you thought you were in a genjutsu?"
Sombra simply tilts her head, as if a piece of the puzzle she's been analyzing just snapped into place. "Or you were hoping you were."
They now suspect there's more to this than you're saying. They're right.
Might as well give them some more then.
You press a hand to your temple, not even needing to feign the disorientation you've been feeling since you first woke up. "It's like... something was shoved into my mind and messed with my head. Like a foreign chakra-based memory inhibition. Or - or a synaptic hijacking. Oh yeah. I nearly forgot in all the waking up chaos. I know Med-nin terms now. Info about something called a Mito-chon-dry was the last thing I remember before passing out."
Korra looks torn between concern and confusion fueled anger and your latest reveal. Sombra is already trying to piece things together with her incomplete info. And your sensei? The moment the words leave your lips. Words like synaptic hijacking, and foreign chakra-based memory inhibition, the air in the room changes. It's like the temperature drops, the weight of your sensei's reaction to those terms hanging between you all like a live explosive tag.
Korra's strong hands, which are still gripping your shoulders, go rigid. Her usual brash energy evaporates, replaced by something colder, sharper. "What the hell?" Her voice is low, almost a growl. "You don't—that's not something we learned. That's not something any genin just knows." Her fingers tighten, not just in anger, but in something closer to fear. She looks at you like she's seeing a stranger or, even worse, a victim.
Sombra doesn't move at first. She stands perfectly still, but her eyes are dark, calculating, and flicker with something dangerous. When she finally speaks, her voice is smooth and deliberate. "Those are terms used in interrogation protocols. Used to categorize techniques meant to hide crucial information. Not something you could just pick up in a library." A pause. Her fingers twitch toward her kunai pouch, not to attack but ready. She's not looking at you like a teammate anymore. She's looking at you like a threat assessment.
And then there's your sensei.
For the first time since you've known her, her smile vanishes. Completely. The playful glint in her eyes hardens into something razor-sharp. She steps forward, and the air around her shifts. It's not with killing intent either, even though she'd be capable of it. No, the room has shifted with the quiet, terrifying focus of an experienced shinobi who has just identified a security breach. Her hand clamps down on your shoulder, grip unyielding.
"... Sōkotsu, I need you think back very clearly for me. Have you met any suspicious blondes on the way here? Any person who might be the source for your mental disturbance or new knowledge? Tell me."
It's not a question. It's a demand. A promise.
The tomboy of your team bristles, her protective instincts flaring as she once again attempts to earn herself a Darwin (who the fuck is Darwin?) award through back-sassing your sensei. "Does it matter who? Look at him! He's—he's messed up! We need to get him to the hospital, or—"
"No." Your sensei's voice cuts through the room like a blade. "Not until we know what was done. Or by whom." Her gaze bores into you, searching for lies, for tells, for any sign of the person she thought she knew or an imposter living in your skin. "If this is enemy action, we contain it first."
Sombra exhales slowly, her arms crossed as she leans forward with a smug look in her eyes. She's confident in the information she's gathered based on what you revealed. "He just described advanced cognitive techniques with perfect terminology. Terminology I've only seen when researching advanced perception altering torture resistance techniques. That doesn't happen by accident." Her eyes meet yours, and for the first time, there's something almost like pity in them. "Either someone's been inside his head… or he's been programmed."
A beat of silence.
Your Sensei lets out a low chuckle that's interrupted by your other teammate.
Korra looks like she's about to punch something. "You're saying he's a sleeper agent? Bullshit! He's our teammate!"
"That's exactly what a sleeper agent would want us to think."
The words land like a blow.
And in the middle of it all, you sit there, the weight of their suspicion pressing down on you.
You wanted them to know something was wrong.
Now they know.
And they have no idea how deep this goes. You wish you could help, but you don't know much either.
The clock is ticking. Every second you wait, their theories grow darker.
What do you do, or rather, where do you start?
Who do you talk to first?
You give your sensei a nod, letting her know you're ready to answer her questions, and hopefully get some answers of your own.
At the same moment your teammates take step back out of the room, Korra reluctantly and Sombra with that infuriatingly knowing look, and your sensei leans in. Close. Too close. Her breath ghosts over your ear as she murmurs, low enough that only you can hear:
"Let's play a game, little genin. You tell me exactly what you remember… and I'll tell you if it was real."
Her voice is honey-sweet, but her chakra, it's pressing against yours, it is like a blade at your throat. A silent but not very subtle warning. No lies.
Feat achieved!
Become a Security Risk - 1 Random Silver Ticket!
Open: Y/N?
You swallow. Your throat feels dry, but you mentally press the glowing 'Y' bbutton in your mind. It had gotten you into this mess. Hopefully, it will get you out.
Mr. Sir Ceo (Familiar/Card) - Theskills and memories of an extremely motivated and driven man with expertise in areas such as politics, management, negotiations, corporatism, and business. If you let him loose in the world, he will start climbing the corporate ladder with ease and build you your own business empire. He'll even manage it for you. (Note - These skills can only be granted to others)
Ah, shit. That won't help, for now anyways. Your distracted pause in the conversation hasn't gone unnoticed either. Without the gacha helping you, there's only one way forward.
You need to know the truth.
"I saw blood. Bones. People begging." A pause. Your fingers curl into the sheets of your bed. "And I - I was smiling." The horror seeps into your tone at the end there, because now that you can recall those memories with clarity? That smile... it's trying to come back. The excitement you remembered having from painting fences or helping clear debris from a mountain trail, it's been replaced. Replaced by blood-lust. "Was that... was that the real me?"
Your sensei doesn't react at first. Her expression stays perfectly, unnervingly neutral. But her grip on your shoulder shifts—just slightly—thumb pressing into the dip of your collarbone. Testing. Waiting.
You push forward before you can second-guess yourself.
"There was a voice. Gold eyes. It told me to remember."
That gets a reaction.
Her fingers twitch. Just once. Barely noticeable. But you've spent months under her training so you know what that twitch meant. Surprise.
"Gold eyes, hm?" Her voice is light, almost amused. But her smile doesn't reach her eyes. She's worried. Something about that description threw her off badly enough it cracked her tough facade in front of someone she sees as a potential info leak. "That's a new part of your story. Any particular reason you left it out?"
She leans back slightly, studying you like a puzzle she's only just realized is more complex than she thought.
"Tell me," she murmurs, "did this voice feel… familiar? Like it's been there before?"
There's weight behind the question. She's not just asking about whatever supposed brainwashing your teammate was suspicious of. She already knew where that came from, after all. She's probing for something else. Something newer.
You hesitate.
Because the truth is-
It did feel familiar.
Not like a memory. Like a presence. Something that had been curled inside your ribs long before you even had your first day at the academy. A slimy oily substance in your very bones that's been using you like a marionette, a puppet.
"Yes. Yes it did."
Your honesty so far had only caused you more problems, but if you had clamped down now, you would have all but confirmed her suspicions. Technically, you still have a way out of this. You just didn't like considering it. Your latest roll is all the proof you need, after all.
Do you reveal the existence of the Gacha?
Your hesitation stretches a fraction too long and the moment for your reveal is gone. The silence hangs between you like a drawn kunai, and you can see the exact second your sensei's patience snaps.
Her hand moves fast, too fast for you to react, blurring through hand signs you barely even recognize before suddenly her fingers are pressing against your forehead, her chakra a needle-thin intrusion against your temples.
"Let's see for ourselves, then. Sōkotsu, I'm going to put you into a genjutsu that projects your memories for both of us. You resist, and I'll be forced to be less nice about this. Clear?"
You don't even have a moment to protest before the world dissolves into black.
-x-X-x-
The Memories
You're standing in a fractured memory—the forest from your dream, the bandit's corpse at your feet. But now, your sensei is beside you, her presence a cold, clinical weight as she surveys the scene.
"Hm." She nudges the body with her foot. "This one's real. Sombra's work too, suppressing the memories of your first kills to keep you from embracing the Kaguya bloodlust. Channeling the energy towards 'nobler' goals, like filling up your spunk bottles." Her gaze flicks to you. "But you already figured that part out, judging by those questions you were asking."
The scene shifts like before, the dropout now, your bone spike through his throat.
"This one was real, too. Standard propaganda conditioning gone wrong." She sounds almost... disappointed. Like she expected worse.
Then… gold.
The serpentine eyes surge forward, filling and taking over the memory, and for the first time, your sensei flinches.
"Ah." Her voice is very quiet. "So that's what you were hiding. Fuck."
The presence coils around you both, whispering:
"Mine."
Your sensei's hand snaps out, dragging you back as she cancels the jutsu.
-x-X-x-
Reality
You gasp as the genjutsu breaks, your sensei's grip now bruising on your wrist. Her dark and dusky face is pale.
"Stay here, I'm sending word to the Raikage. Now."
Korra bursts back in, Sombra at her heels. "What happened?!"
Your sensei doesn't look at them. Her eyes are locked on you, not with suspicion anymore, but something worse.
Fear.
"Your little voice," she murmurs, so low only you can hear, "belongs to Orochimaru of the Sanin. I'm using my authority as your Sensei and a high ranking Jonin of Kumogakure to make that an A-rank secret. It's probably going to get higher once the Raikage hears about this."
Well… at least she didn't see the Gacha.
Feat achieved!
Become privy to an A-rank secret - Random Gold Ticket!
Open: Y/N?
You were starting to notice a pattern of this damn thing getting you into trouble and then rewarding you for it.
-x-X-x-
Patch Notes:
Non-Gacha Abilities:
Dead Bone Pulse - The recessive Kekkei Genkai of the famously warmongering Kaguya clan. It allows its user to control their own skeleton and even use their bones as weapons with enough skill. At a base level, it hardens all of the user's bones to be as strong as tempered steel. You have an innate understanding of your bloodline, and this understanding deepens in the midst of combat.
Jutsu –
Bone Bullets
Allows the user to shoot out their finger bones as high speed projectiles, penetrating physical defenses
Overall Capabilities –
Taijutsu
Sōkotsu has high level Taijutsu capabilities for a Genin, right at the top of what would be considered by many as 'Genin Level' skill. His style is the basic form taught within Kumo's Ninja academy, made slightly better by his advanced knowledge of a body's weak points and his own higher than average strength. His skills have grown further now that he has a better recollection of his Taijutsu llessons and spars that he previously forgot.
Chakra
Low-level Chunin amounts of chakra; Sōkotsu has gone to extreme lengths to exercise his chakra capabilities through practicing with his bloodline, on top of that, the physical portion of his chakra is stronger than average. The mental aspect of his chakra has also grown considerably.
Chakra Control
High, Genin level. Just high enough to utilize the most basic techniques competently, there is a moderare amount of waste when it comes to how Sōkotsu spends his chakra.
-x-X-x-
You mentally press that damned glowing 'Y' for potentially the last time, and your brain is filled with shimmering golden fireworks.
Rabbits Foot (Trait) - You are naturally very lucky, being on the good books of lady fate pays off. You can rob a casino blind and in general, things without a high impact on fate go in your favor.
The moment your sensei releases your wrist, the world seems to tilt, just slightly, in your favor.
Korra is still demanding answers, her voice sharp with concern. "What the hell is going on?! You can't just blow us off with that 'A-rank secret' shit and walk away!"
"Actually, I think she can." Sombra says with a scowl, upset that her search for answers would have to stop for now. She was curious, but she didn't have a death wish, if it's an A-rank secret and she gets caught snooping, it'd be her head besides yours on the chopping block.
Your sensei ignores them both, already scribbling a message onto a scroll with furious strokes. "I don't have time to coddle you three. This just became a village-level threat." She seals the scroll with a snap, then hesitates, just for a second, before adding, "But until the Raikage responds, you-" She jabs a finger right at you. "-aren't going anywhere alone. Understood?"
You nod, still reeling.
Then ---
****
Somewhere in Kumo,
in a dimly lit office stacked with neglected paperwork, the Raikage's secretary drops a file onto his desk with a thud.
"Monthly approvals, sir. You can't put these off again."
The Raikage grumbles, flipping through the pages with disinterest, until he pauses on one.
"Chunin Exam confirmations? Now?" He scowls, then shrugs. "Whatever. Probably just some Sensei getting overly formal. Approved."
The stamp comes down with finality.
---
Your sensei's hawk returns within the next couple of days, right before your team started to pack their bags, the exams forgotten. When she reads the response, her face does something complicated - part disbelief, part exasperation.
"You've got to be kidding me."
Korra leans over her shoulder. "What? What does it say?"
Your sensei exhales sharply. "The Raikage has approved Sōkotsu's participation in the Chunin Exams. Effective immediately. Nothing else there, just a confirmation for you three to compete."
Sombra blinks slowly, for once actually left speechless by the events of this little situation. "...That makes no sense."
"No," your sensei agrees, dry as sand. "It doesn't."
She turns to you, eyes narrowed. "Congratulations. You're officially too dangerous to leave unsupervised, but not dangerous enough to bench, at least according to Raikage-sama. So guess what?" Her smile is all teeth. "We're going through the exams. And you? You're going to prove that whatever's in your head isn't a liability. You're also not allowed to leave your teammates supervision. If you do, the three of you are getting pulled, I don't care how it looks."
For some reason, you have a feeling this is the Gacha's fault.
[End of Prologue - Waking Up]
-x-X-x-
The mission was supposed to be simple.
That was the first mistake. Assumptions like that got Shinobi killed.
Sombra exhaled through her nose, the scent of damp earth and iron thick in the air. The bandit's corpse at her feet was still warm, his throat slit with surgical precision. No wasted movement. No hesitation. Just efficiency.
Just like she trained me.
Her fingers flexed, the bloodied kunai glinting under the moonlight. Across the clearing, Korra was laughing, her knuckles raw from punching out a man's spine through his chest.
Typical.
And then there was him.
Sōkotsu.
Her new teammate stood unnervingly still, his hands limp at his sides, his pupils blown wide. He hadn't moved since the fight ended. Hadn't even blinked.
Wrong.
Probably just first kill jitters.
She sidled up beside him, voice a velvet murmur. She shook off the repressed gag she almost went through when she remembered her orders regarding him. He'd probably grow into a fine ninja, but he was just not her type. Too... simple. "Enjoying the view?" But that didn't mean she didn't enjoy his adorable reactions to a little bit of light flirting.
Something was weird, though. There was no response. No cute bluster or an overdramatic eye roll to let her know she had her cute little teammate wrapped around her finger.
Her smirk faltered.
Then…
A twitch. A shudder. His fingers spasmed, bones beneath his skin shifting like something waking up.
And then he smiled.
Not his usual awkward grin. Not even the blood-drunk leer Korra got after a good brawl.
This was something hungry.
"Sōkotsu?"
His head tilted, slow, deliberate. When his eyes met hers, they weren't his own.
Gold. Slitted. Ancient.
Her breath hitched.
Run.
The thought came unbidden, primal. Her muscles coiled, but before she could move, his hand shot out, fingers wrapping around her wrist with an iron grip that was impossible for her to escape.
"Sombra..." His voice was wrong. Too deep. There are too many echoes. Worst of all… it made her soaking wet. "You've been pulling my strings for so long. But who's pulling yours?"
Her pulse thundered in her ears.
For the first time in her life, the self-described 'Spider in the Web' felt the threads around her tug back.
---
She startled awake with a quiet gasp, blinking away the horror of the nightmare she just woke up from. She at least had the comfort of knowing her nightmares weren't real. Just the results of a paranoid mind playing tricks on her.
She really was too curious for her own good. Her sensei would have her head if she realized that Sombra had overhead the 'private' chat between her and Sōkotsu.
Korra snored on the cot beside her, oblivious. Sombra sat awake, her back against the wall, staring at her reflection in a kunai's edge and taking deep breaths.
For a moment, she could've sworn the eyes in her reflection were different.
Gold eyes.
She shuddered, and it wasn't just because of fear.
The kunai's edge trembled slightly in her grip. Sombra watched as the distorted reflection of her own face rippled across the steel - her usual composed mask fractured by the flicker of those golden eyes still burning behind her eyelids every time she closed them for a moment of rest.
She exhaled slowly through her nose.
Control.
That was the first lesson her sensei had taught her. The one she'd carved into her bones long before the higher ups got involved and gave her the ridiculous mission to make sure a little boy got his dick wet.
And yet…
Her free hand drifted unconsciously to the inside of her thigh, where the heat still pooled. Where her body had betrayed her.
Disgusting.
The reaction made no sense. That voice, that thing wearing Sōkotsu's skin, should have terrified her. And it had. But fear had always been… complicated for her.
A floorboard creaked.
Sombra's kunai was at Korra's throat before the other girl could fully sit up.
"The fuck, Sombra?!" Korra rasped, frozen mid-reach for her water bottle beside her cot.
For a long moment, Sombra considered driving the blade home, to save herself the embarrassment if Korra noticed the arousal dripping down her thigh.
Instead, she forced a smirk and quickly hid the evidence of her body's betrayal beneath the thin sheets she rarely used in low class accommodations like this. "You snore like a dying boar."
Korra scowled, batting the kunai away. "And you're jumpier than a cat in a thunderstorm. What's really going on?"
Sombra's gaze flicked to the third cot, empty, the sheets rumpled.
"Nothing, just wondering what has our dear teammate acting so strange lately," she purred, rising smoothly. "Though you might want to check on him. He was looking… unwell earlier. You've always been better at dealing with him."
Let Korra play the concerned friend. Let her blunder into whatever was festering inside Sōkotsu.
She had other priorities.
Like getting out of this room before her teammate took notice of what exactly she was doing before she woke up.
---
She quickly escaped to the roof of the building under the thinly veiled excuse of needing some air.
An excuse with some truth hidden within it, as it turned out.
The pre-dawn air was crisp against her flushed skin. Below, the village slept, like all those people were just… oblivious.
Foolish.
Her fingers traced the hidden seal inside her sleeve again. The one that linked her to them. Those dumb old men who wanted her to offer up her womb for the 'glory of Kumo'. Like they cared about anything except their own prestige and personal power.
Should I report this?
The thought tasted bitter.
Her introspection was interrupted by a shadow shifting at the edge of the roof.
Sombra didn't turn. "You're up early, rookie."
Sōkotsu stepped into the pale light, his expression unreadable. His small body was familiar. Small, cute, and far from the terrifying presence that haunted her nightmares earlier. "Couldn't sleep." A pause. "You?"
He's a terrible liar…
She smiled, slow and deliberate. "Bad dreams."
His eyes, normal now, an electric blue instead of an ancient and predatory gold, narrowed slightly.
For a heartbeat, neither moved.
Then…
"We should train our teamwork later," he said abruptly. "If we're going to survive the exams it will need to be top-notch."
"Looking forward to it," she lied as easily as she breathed. He still couldn't read her. It was part of what made him cute.
Cute and simple.
As he turned away, the rising sun caught the edge of his silhouette, just for a moment, in gold.
Hopefully he stays that way.
-x-X-x-
A sharp gasp cut through the darkness of your shared room with your teammates.
Your eyes snapped open, instantly alert. Across the room, Sombra jolted upright, her breath ragged, fingers digging into the sheets. Moonlight caught the faint sheen of sweat on her forehead, the way her knuckles whitened around the kunai she always kept close.
Nightmare.
You didn't move. Didn't speak. Just watched, silent as a shadow and sitting on your cot, as she steadied herself.
Korra snored beside her, undisturbed.
Sombra's gaze flicked to you, just for a second, before she schooled her expression back into that lazy, self-assured smirk. But you'd seen it. The crack in her mask. The way her pulse still hammered in her throat.
She's scared.
The realization sent a thrill through you. Not because you wanted her afraid, no, that wasn't it. But because for the first time, she wasn't this untouchable teammate who saw right through you. She was just as human as you and Korra.
And she'd looked at you like you were the reason.
Were you?
That thought distracted you during your teammates short argument, but you snapped back to attention when Sombra got up to leave.
She rose, fluid as always, but there was a tension in her shoulders that hadn't been there before.
You followed her out of the room, and skulked up behind her, using what you remembered of your stealth training (which was a lot more than it was before your recent acquisitions) to attempt a little jumpscare. It didn't work.
"You're up early, rookie." she murmured, as if the accusation would spare her from having to deal with you instead of the empty space in front of her. She didn't even turn around to look at you as she called out your presence.
You broke the awkward silence between the two of you with an explanation, even if it wasn't the truth. You doubted that she wanted to hear that seeing her like this had you worried. "Couldn't sleep." Another pause. "You?"
She responed with a smile, slow and deliberate like always. "Bad dreams."
You almost laughed. You doubted a bad dream would explain the wet spot on her cot that you saw as you left the room.
Liar.
Feat achieved!
See Through a Lie - 1 Random Bronze Ticket!
Open: Y/N?
But you didn't call her out, even after the seeming confirmation from the all-knowing Gacha. You just nodded, playing the oblivious rookie you had been before your life had been flipped upside down, and absentmindedly mentally pressed that glowing 'Y' button and ignored the fireworks that started to go off in your head.
Her fingers twitched.
A beat of silence. Then…
"We should train our teamwork later," you said, hoping acting casual will defuse the tension that's been between you and your teammates since you first arrived in Konoha. "If we're going to survive the exams, it'll need to be top-notch."
Her smile was razor-thin. "Looking forward to it."
Liar again.
As she slipped out, you let your own grin fade, staring at the ceiling.
What did you see in your dreams, Sombra?
And why did it make her look at you like that?
Golden Shot (Trait) - Your little swimmers are the strongest in the world, any woman you cum inside of WILL get pregnant, even if they are more barren than the arid desserts your semen does not care.
… Fuck you too, Gacha.
The training ground was quiet in the pale morning light, dew still clinging to the grass as you, Sombra, and Korra stretched in preparation. The air between you all was tense—thick with unspoken questions and Sombra's lingering unease—but none of you addressed it. There was no time for weakness, not with the exams looming.
Besides, things were hardly peachy before now.
Your sharper memory flashed through strained smiles and awkward glances. Really, it wasn't exactly a surprise that a team that had spent years together suddenly getting a member replaced with a fresh genin would be a little awkward.
You were just too dense to notice.
Korra cracked her knuckles, grinning. "Alright, let's make this quick. I wanna save my energy for kicking Konoha ass later."
Sombra rolled her shoulders, her usual smirk back in place, though her eyes kept flickering to you when she thought you weren't looking. "Basic coordination drills. No wasted movement. No mistakes."
You nodded, flexing your fingers.
No bloodshed. No live opponents. No need to be nervous.
The exercise was a simple one, just a mock skirmish against a set of training dummies rigged with basic traps. The goal? Take them down efficiently, using each other's strengths without getting in each other's way.
Korra went first, barreling in with her trademark brute force, shattering the first dummy with a single punch. Not exactly ideal for a drill like this, but true to life enough to prep both you and Sombra for what you should expect from her out in the field. Sombra followed, slipping through the debris like smoke, kunai flashing as she disabled the tripwires before they could snap shut.
Then it was your turn.
You exhaled, letting the rhythm of battle settle into your bones. No bloodlust. No grinning like a madman. Just precision.
You darted forward, weaving between Korra's follow-up strikes and Sombra's razor-thin wire placements, your bone bullets punching through the dummies' weak points with surgical accuracy.
For a moment, it was perfect.
Then—
Feat achieved!
Perfect Teamwork Execution – 1 Random Silver Ticket!
Open: Y/N?
You mentally pressed 'Y' mid-movement, hiding your flinch in a flurry of movement as the slot machine spun in your mind's eye.
Invisibility (Ability) – Allows the user to bend light around themself or other objects they are touching to render them invisible.
A grin tugged at your lips.
Now we're talking.
You didn't activate it yet. There was no need to reveal your new trick prematurely, especially when your teammates were already suspicious, but the possibilities already danced in your head.
The exercise wrapped up without incident, your team moving smoother than you three ever had since you collapsed days ago. Even Sombra seemed marginally less tense, though her gaze still lingered on you a second too long.
As you wiped sweat from your brow, Korra clapped you on the back hard enough to stagger you. "Not bad, bone boy. Maybe you won't drag us down after all."
Sombra hummed, twirling a kunai between her fingers. "Just don't get cocky. The real test starts soon."
You just smirked in response, meeting her usual cocky grin with one of your own.
Oh, I'm counting on it.
-x-X-x-
Later, route to the exam hall.....
You flexed your fingers, testing the weight of your new ability. The chakra required was minimal, the effect seamless. A flicker of focus, and the world bent around you like water, your form dissolving into nothing.
Perfect.
Now all you had to do was survive long enough to use it.
The first phase of the Chunin Exams awaited.
And you?
You were ready.
Or at least you were, till you saw your first real challenge.
.
[Image]
.
Konoha girls are sluts…
The Academy building loomed before you, its wooden frame creaking under the weight of dozens of the gathered genin from the various ninja villages who were sent to compete in the exams. Teams of every shape and size milled about. Some of them were sizing up the competition, others were trying (and failing) to hide their nerves.
Your fingers twitched at your sides.
Focus.
You couldn't let a hot blonde with big tits cloud your judgement. If you did… well, you have a feeling higher-ups would be delighted to exploit that 'weakness' alongside your newest trait to put you out to pasture as a breeding stud.
You barely had time to scan the crowd before a familiar flash of orange caught your eye again. You tried to ignore her, but that damn outfit of hers had a way of grabbing attention.
There she was.
That same slutty blonde stood at the center of a small group, her outfit clinging to her curves in ways that defied both modesty and practicality. The fabric was tight, the shorts too short, and the neckline—
Korra snorted beside you. "Wow. Konoha really does let just anyone become ninja, huh? Wonder if she showed her Academy instructors her 'Will of Fire' in order to graduate~"
Sombra's smirk was razor-edged. "Or they're sending their best assets to distract the competition."
Personally, you thought Korra was right about this one. Based on your honeypot resistance training, this girl was either way above Genin level when it came to her acting skills… or she was just a natural born slut.
You forced your gaze away from those bouncing tits barely hidden by her mesh shirt, but not before noticing the way the blonde's teammate, a pink-haired girl with a scowl, kept tugging at her own shirt like she wished it had more to cover.
(Ignore the axe for now)
.
.
[Image]
.
The third member, a dark-haired girl with an aura of cool indifference, looked like she'd rather be anywhere else.
.
[Image]
.
Quite the showing for Konoha this year. No chance it's their only team, but still…
You filed the information away just as the crowd began shifting toward the stairs.
"Second floor," Sombra murmured. "We need to go up one more to get to the exam."
You nodded, falling into step behind her—but something felt off.
The stairs were too quiet. The genin ahead of you too tense for what was supposed to be a normal highway.
Then—
A genjutsu.
Subtle. Almost elegant in its execution. The second-floor hallway stretched before you, identical to the one below, and likely identical to the one above it, except for the faint shimmer in the air, the way the light bent just wrong around the far door marked with the number that was shown off prominently on their invites to the exam.
A trap.
Feat achieved!
See Through the Chunin Exam's First 'Test' – 1 Random Silver Ticket!
Open: Y/N?
You mentally pressed 'Y'—and the world briefly flashed silver.
Enhanced Stamina (Trait) – You have inordinate amounts of stamina, always relative to your current status, so if you were a human with inordinate stamina and became a dragon you would be a dragon with inordinate stamina.
Korra, ever impatient, took a step forward
You grabbed her wrist. "Wait."
She scowled. "What—?"
Sombra's eyes narrowed. Then, with a slow, approving tilt of her head, she murmured quietly, "Clever. It's not the third floor. It's another illusion of it, combined with a slight sense of vertigo to induce worrying and encourage forgetfulness."
You nodded. Then, just in case Korra didn't catch the implication, you whispered the hidden mmeaning to her. "The real exam starts on the next floor. This? This is the first test."
Korra blinked. Then grinned. "Hah! And here I thought Konoha was full of idiots."
You didn't answer. Your attention was fixed on the Konoha team, specifically on the Blonde who was already stomping toward the false door with all the subtlety of a charging bull.
Her teammates followed behind, but you didn't really care how they fared. Whether or not the eye-candy passed or failed, you came here to prove to yourself that you deserved to be a Shinobi.
The reveals from the Gacha just raised the stakes.
...
Your team slipped past the genjutsu trap with ease, ascending to the *actual* third floor where the exam would begin. The hallway here was nearly identical—same wooden floors, same flickering lanterns—but the energy was different. It was tense, but it was also real. Not just a trick meant to fool the chaff who shouldn't have even come to the exams.
The doors to the exam hall loomed ahead, proctors in flak jackets standing guard. One gave your team an appraising glance before nodding you through.
Inside, the room was already half-full. Genin from Suna, Kiri, even an Iwa team—all clustered together in their village groups, whispering or glaring across the space. By far the biggest group was Konoha's, which had teams old and young competing. Your team found an empty spot near the back surrounded by the disparate groups of Genin from the many Minor Villages competing, giving you a clear view of the entrance.
Not five minutes later, the doors slammed open.
The Konoha team that caught your attention downstairs stumbled in, looking disheveled. The blonde was red-faced and puffing, her pink-haired teammate looking ready to strangle both her and the boy with the bowl cut who entered behind them. The black haired girl merely brushed past them both, her expression icy.
"Took you long enough, Forehead. But I guess I shouldn't have expected much of you, you did get stuck with the dead last," drawled a voice.
A blond girl in a high-collared jacket lounged against the wall, a smirk playing on her lips. A Yamanaka, you assumed based on what your Sensei has let slip over the last week of suspect hunting. She's another Konoha genin, if the leaf symbol and her familiarity with the other team were any indication.
.
[Image]
.
Beside her and her team of a girl with a pineapple haircut and a chubby Girls, was a dark-haired girl (A Hyuga, based on her eyes) peeked out from behind her bangs, her gaze flickering toward the blonde before darting away back to her own team of a girl in an oversized trench coat and a girl with a puppy on her head.
.
[Image]
.
The pink haired girl, Sakura apparently, bristled. "Shut up, Ino-pig! We got distracted!"
"Distracted by your worthlessness or that dumb bimbo's stupidity, probably," Ino shot back.
Before the bickering could escalate (the Hyuga even looked ready to jump in once 'Ino' had continued to insult her fellow blonde), a new voice cut through the noise.
"Ah, the rookies are here. How nostalgic."
A silver-haired teen with round glasses stepped forward, a stack of cards in his hands. Kabuto Yakushi, if he could be believed (for some reason your mind screamed at you to distrust him). He was a Konoha genin who'd failed the exams multiple times, according to his introduction.
"Mind if I offer some advice?" he said, smiling like a kindly upperclassman even though you didn't buy that for a second. "I've compiled data on most of the participants. It might help you survive."
Sombra's eyes narrowed. "How helpful," she murmured, too low for anyone but your team to hear.
Korra rolled her eyes. "Yeah, real ninja move, handing out free intel. Fucking Tree-humpers."
You stayed silent, watching.
Kabuto's "advice" was interrupted by the arrival of another team—the Sound genin, based on their reaction to his (admittedly rather rude and dismissive) description of their Minor Village. Pale, sneering, and radiating malice, they drew every eye in the room. Their leader, a boy covered with bandages on his face, locked eyes with Kabuto before swinging at him and knocking the older boy down for the count, despite the blow missing.
All you could think was…
Why can no girl dress normally during this damn exam?
(Wrong headband)
.
[Image]
.
The tension in the room spiked—
Then shattered as the proctor finally entered.
A towering man with a scarred face and a scowl that could curdle milk slammed a fist onto the front desk.
"Listen up, maggots!" The self-introduced Ibiki Morino barked. "This is the first test. A written exam. Fail it, and you're out."
A murmur of confusion rippled through the room.
Ibiki's grin was savage. "Oh, and one more thing. You'll be taking it in the teams you arrived in. But here's the catch–" He leaned forward. "Only one of you needs to fail. The other two maggots you brought? They fail with you."
Silence.
And then…
Chaos.
Genin erupted into protests, panic, frantic strategizing. Your team exchanged glances before you moved to your assigned seats..
Sombra's smirk returned. "Well. This just got interesting."
Korra cracked her knuckles. "Guess we're carrying your ass, bone boy."
And who's gonna carry yours, Dumbass?
You bit down on your tongue to stop the reply and just rolled your eyes, but your grip tightened on your pencil as you sat down with your test paper in front of you.
It's time to see what you're really made of.
You flipped over the page. Your heart suddenly dropped as you read the first question, slowly filling with dread like you've been forced to just read your own autopsy.
… We're doomed.
Feat achieved!
Realize You Know Nothing During the Chunin Exam's Written Portion – 1 Random Bronze Ticket!
Open: Y/N?
Fucking- Yeah, sure, why not?
Novice Chemistry (Skill) - You have the skills and knowledge of a Chemistry Major. You have a decent repertoire of knowledge regarding chemistry and compounds. You know how to make most regular chemicals and know not to drink bleach.
Huh, you might be able to solve the Chemistry question now.
Maybe the Gacha is looking out for you?
Your palms were sweating.
The test paper in front of you might as well have been written in the same cipher shown in the first question. Advanced tactical theory. Cryptographic analysis. Questions on math problems way beyond anything taught in a Shinobi academy.
You weren't passing this. Not legitimately.
A glance at your teammates confirmed they were in the same boat. Korra's brow was furrowed so deeply it looked painful, her pencil tapping an erratic rhythm against the desk. Sombra, at least, was maintaining her usual composure—but the way her eyes flicked between questions betrayed her frustration.
Cheating it is, then.
You exhaled slowly, steadying your nerves. The proctors were everywhere - looming between desks, watching with hawk-like intensity. Getting caught meant instant failure, and you doubted suddenly going invisible would be a subtle cheating method. But sitting here doing nothing? That was failure, too.
So you buckled down and got to work answering the questions you could, hoping Sombra would be able to bridge the gaps with whatever cheating method she ends up devising.
Question 3: Describe the chemical composition of a delayed-release neurotoxin effective against shinobi with enhanced metabolic rates.
Your newly acquired chemistry knowledge flared to life. Your pencil moved almost on its own, scribbling formulas and compounds with surprising clarity.
One down.
Question 5: Describe the physiological effects of a punctured lung on shinobi combat performance, including a recommended field treatment prior to med-nin intervention.
The biology information you received days ago was perfect for a question like this, how fortunate! Things could've gotten ugly if the medical question required proper med-nin knowledge to complete.
Two down.
Feat achieved!
Answer Two Impossible Questions Correctly – 1 Random Gold Ticket!
Open: Y/N?
You didn't hesitate.
Adept Kama Sutra (Skill) – You are very talented in the carnal arts, being able to spot signs of arousal and attraction. Instinctively know how to pleasure your partner in bed and be a very pleasant recipient, enhancing pleasure for both of you.
Not helpful right now, Gacha.
You shoved the new, ahem, knowledge aside (though not without noticing, with new and startling clarity, the way Sombra's breathing hitched when the main proctor leaned too close to her desk, how interesting).
Time was running out.
Korra was sweating bullets. You're sure her test is nearly blank.
.
[Image]
.
Sombra looked like she had managed a few answers, just like you, but her lips were pressed into a thin line. She knew it wasn't likely to be enough for your whole team to pass. They'd have to be grading you on an insane metric for that to be the case.
Then, you got an idea.
Your Mr. Sir Ceo card. A familiar that could grant skills to others. If you used it on Korra… Well, she'd probably at least be able to answer the analysis and strategy questions. That was almost certainly a lot better than how she was currently doing. It might even be enough for the three of you to pass without Korra risking herself through what is likely to be not very subtle cheating.
But was it worth the risk, worth the questions it might raise?
Your mental grasp tightened around the Mr. Sir Ceo card hidden within your mind, kept a secret from even your own team. It was a useful trump card. Indecision warred within you, then you relaxed.
No.
Not yet. This wasn't the time to play your literal trump card.
Instead, you locked eyes with Sombra from across the room. A silent understanding passed between the two of you in a fraction of a second.
I'll be fine, help Korra.
You both seemed to say at once without exchanging a single word.
Sombra's smirk was razor-thin.
A flick of her wrist. Nearly imperceptible. A strand of chakra-threaded wire flew forward across the room in a fraction of a second, connecting to the pencil of the icy raven haired girl from before sitting three rows ahead. The girl didn't even seem to notice as her hand moved, and her answers found themselves onto Sombra's paper through subtle tugs and guided motions Sombra copied using the thread.
Korra caught on fast. With a grunt, she closed her eyes and began to write once Sombra's pencil was down, your smarter teammate projecting an image of the completed answers into the meathead's mind using a Genjutsu.
Cheating? Maybe. But at this point you were sure that was the point of the test.
Feat achieved!
Discover the hidden objective of the chunin exam written test. (copy without getting caught) - 1 Skill Silver Ticket
Open: Y/N?
Ah, so you were right. The proctors probably knew then, especially the Jonin. Of course they knew. But they let it happen, because the real challenge wasn't the questions. It was getting the answers without getting caught.
You mentally pressed 'N'. You weren't willing to risk your strange reaction to a possible knowledge dowload getting treated as cheating and deducting your team's points.
Time crawled.
Until finally...
"Pencils down."
Ibiki's voice cut through the room like a blade. The scarred proctor loomed at the front, his single visible eye scanning the genin with cold amusement.
"Now for the tenth question."
A beat of silence. Heavy enough to choke on.
"You have a choice," Ibiki continued, lips curling into something between a smirk and a threat. "Answer it—and if you're wrong, you fail permanently. Never take the Chunin Exams again." His grin widened, showing teeth. "Or quit now, and your team can try again next year."
A ripple of unease slithered through the room like a live wire. Genin exchanged panicked glances. Some of them were sweating bullets, others gripping their desks hard enough to splinter wood. A Kiri team stood abruptly and left without so much as a backward glance, their footsteps echoing in hollow defeat.
Then like fireworks detonating in an empty classroom, that same slutty blonde from the start of the exams exploded into motion.
"BULLSHIT!"
She slammed her palms onto her desk hard enough to crack it, surging to her feet so fast her chair clattered backwards and toppled over with a crash. Her blue eyes blazed like liquid fire, reminding you of the lightning strikes back in Kumo. Her hair whipping around her face as she jabbed an accusing finger at Ibiki. "You think we're just gonna quit? After coming this far?! Hell no!"
Her breasts bounced wildly as she ranted, barely contained by the thin fabric of her top. The wire mesh strained against the swell of Naruko's heaving chest with each angry breath—until finally, one tightly woven thread popped loose, then another...and another…
Ibiki raised a brow at the unexpected display of cleavage he was given a front row seat to but said nothing. He was a true professional and his village was lucky to have him. At the same time, he was a lucky bastard whose heart you'd carve out with a bone dagger if given half the chance.
"...I don't care if the question's impossible!" The dumbass blonde continued undeterred, not even noticing her wardrobe malfunction in her furious state. "I'll answer it a HUNDRED TIMES if I have to! I'm Naruko Uzumaki and I'm going to be Hokage someday—you think some stupid test is gonna stop me?!"
.
[Image]
.
The room held its collective breath—their hearts pounding in sync with Naruko's thundering pulse… several female genin backed out, mostly to stop their male teammates' gawking. Thankfully, Korra and Sombra weren't among them, even if Naruko's pink haired teammate seemed to be seriously considering it.
Then—
Ibiki laughed. A deep, rumbling, and honestly a little bit of an unnatural sound considering everything you've seen from the man so far. "Well said." He crossed his arms. "Congratulations. You pass."
Murmurs of confusion.
"The tenth question wasn't about knowledge," he said. "It was about resolve. Those who stayed? You've proven you have what it takes. Even if some of you had… help." He gives a side-eye glance to the all-male teams which had been shocked into not moving from Naruko's 'speech'.
A wave of relief crashed over the room. Korra let out a loud "HA!" Sombra's smirk returned in full force, but then both of them threw a judgemental look your way once they realized you were still watching those big pair of perfect all natural leaf tits bounce.
Damn Konoha sluts…
You just exhaled, rolling your shoulders.
Even if it took several miracles from the Gacha along with Sombra saving Korra's ass at the end there, your team passes the first part of the exams.
Now?
Feat achieved!
Pass the First Stage of the Chunin Exams – 1 Random Gold Ticket
Open All Avaliable Tickets: Y/N?
You grinned.
Hell yes.
[META NOTE: Consumable items continue to work as they did before. See WOG for more details]
The moment of victory that filled the room was short-lived.
Before the relieved murmurs could settle, or you even got to see what you rolled on the Gacha, the windows on the left side of the room shattered, and the wall collapsed.
And in burst a whirlwind of chaos, a Kunoichi who looked like... Well…
.
[Image]
.
She's definitely from Konoha…
The woman landed in the center of the room in a crouch, her spiky purple hair whipping around a face split by a manic grin. Her mesh tank-top clung to curves nearly as distracting as Naruko's, though with far more lethal intent in their exposure. A long trenchcoat flared behind her, and the glint of kunai at her hips promised violence.
"Well, well," she purred, straightening up with a roll of her shoulders. "Look at all these little survivors! Ibiki, you're going soft. Last time, you only let through half this many!"
Ibiki sighed, rubbing his temple. Probably a rare sight, considering the calm he showed throughout Naruko's outburst. "Anko."
Anko Mitarashi, if the banner she hung up with her entrance was any indication, spun on her heel, her grin widening as she took in the room. "Hope you brats enjoyed your little written test, 'cause my exam?" She licked her lips. "You're gonna bleed for it."
A beat of silence of silence passed. Anyone who could be intimidated by that had already left the room, that or they were busy ogling her tits.
"Follow me if you wanna live~!"
She vanished in a swirl of leaves, leaving the genin scrambling after her.
Your team exchanged glances.
Korra cracked her knuckles. "Oh, I like her."
Sombra just rolled her eyes at that predictable response from your punch-happy teammate. "She's going to try to kill us."
You just sighed, pondering something of grave importance even as you checked the results of your rolls.
Bajiquan (Skill) - You are an apprentice in Bajiquan, a Chinese martial art specializing in explosive short-range attacks and aggressive forward momentum to break through enemy defences. With sufficient mastery over Bajiquan, you can enhance your strikes with your internal energy
Huh.
Convenient.
You had a feeling you'd need it.
Next…
Dremora Merchant (Familiar) - A Dremora Merchant from Oblivion that can be summoned to your side at any time to be haggled with, the merchant sells items and equipment unique to his world in exchange for gold coins or items. His prices aren't very good. He cannot interfere with the world in any way other than trading. (Skyrim)
No card this time to go with the familiar? That was weird. You wondered why.
Feat achieved!
Survive Anko's Grand Entrance – 1 Random Bronze Ticket!
Open: Y/N?
Then again, who were you to question the Gacha's infinite wisdom? You mentally pressed 'Y' with a grin on your face.
Bear Manipulation (Ability) - Allows you to take control of all bears within a 50-meter radius around yourself. Good luck finding so many bears.
Maybe it would come in handy? Honestly, it wasn't even close to the hidden power that Invisibility had the potential to be, but you'd take something situational over nothing.
System Note: Due to the Compatibility between Familiars 'Dremora Merchant' and 'CEO' a synergistic merge can occur. Would you like to combine these familiars?
The genin stampeded after Anko like a herd of spooked deer, their footsteps thunderous against the wooden floors. Your team moved with more restraint, Sombra slinked through the shadows and Korra cracked her knuckles with anticipation. You kept pace between them, your mind still reeling from the Gacha's latest "gifts."
System Update: Familiar Evolution
Synergistic Merge Complete!
New Familiar Unlocked:
Dremora CEO
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[Image]
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"Mortals and their coin are easily parted... how quaint of a quote. Let us discuss terms. Preferably ones that benefit me."
A fusion of the ruthless corporate acumen of Mr. Sir Ceo and the infernal mercantile instincts of the Dremora Merchant, this towering, crimson-skinned daedra now serves as your personal underworld executive. Clad in a coal black tailored suit or obsidian armor. Her horns are polished to a shine and she carries herself with the arrogance of a being who's brokered deals in the ashes of conquered realms.
System Note:
"Congratulations! You've created capitalism's final boss. Use her wisely and treat her well—or don't. She'll be happy either way. This 'devil' always gets her due."
"Would you like to summon her now?"
[Y/N]You wisely choose 'N'.
Later.
Preferably when Sombra and Korra aren't within earshot. When it comes to Sombra in particular, bargaining range would be a better description of what you're trying to avoid. She did seem like the type who would sell her soul…
But how am I gonna get away from them when they're in charge of keeping an eye on me?
A question for the future version of you to solve. For now, your mind wandered away from your most useful acquisition to your... less useful ones.
Bear Manipulation? Really?
You shoved the thought aside as Anko led the pack to the outskirts of Konoha, where a towering fence of reinforced steel loomed over the treeline.
Anko spun on her heel, arms spread wide. "Welcome to your graveyard, maggots! Although we locals like to call it the Forest of Death." Her grin was all teeth. "This is the Second Phase of the Chunin Exams. A little game I like to call… survival."
She held up a scroll, one marked with the kanji for "Heaven."
"Two scrolls. Heaven and Earth. Your mission? Retrieve both and make it to the tower at the center of the forest within five days." Her eyes gleamed. "Oh, and if you run out of food, water, or luck? Well…" She licked her lips, her sharp and predatoru eyes darting to the chubby boy who was on the team with the Yamanaka. "Cannibalism isn't technically against the rules."
A hush fell over the genin.
"Pfft. Yeah, yeah, scary lady, we get it!"
Naruko Uzumaki, ever the idiot, was doing some kind of ridiculous chicken dance, flapping her arms and mocking Anko's dramatic introduction. "Ooooh, Forest of Death~ So scarwy~"
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[Image]
.
Anko's eye twitched.
The kunai was a blur, one second it was in her hand, the next it was embedded in the tree behind Naruko, having grazed the blonde's cheek. A thin line of blood welled up where it passed.
"Try me again, brat," Anko purred, her voice dripping with venom. "*See what happens.*"
Naruko paled, her bravado momentarily stunned into silence. That silence stretched to the rest of the genin once a weird looking grass genin retrieved Anko's kunai and returned it to her with her tongue. Even the proctor herself looked disturbed by the gross sight.
Feat achieved!
See Anko Show Real Fear – 1 Random Gold Ticket!
Open: Y/N?
Okay, so maybe she was more than just grossed out…
Anko clapped her hands as she shook off her bizarre reaction to the Kusa-Nin's actions. You mentally pressed 'Y' during the confusion. "Now! Pick a gate, sign your death waivers, and get the hell out of my sight."
---
Your team was assigned Gate 12, a nondescript entrance on the eastern edge of the forest. A proctor handed you a Heaven Scroll with a bored expression, he likely stopped caring once he saw the symbol on your headband. Damn Tree-fuckers with their favoritism.
"Don't die," he said, like it was an afterthought, and to him it probably was.
Musk (Trait) - Your smell is really good, a bit arousing even.
This gacha either wants you to die or wants you to get laid, probably both.
Sombra tucked the scroll into her pouch, her smirk sharp. She had decided as the long range fighter of the team she'd be on scroll-watching duty. "Well. This just got interesting."
Korra just cracked her neck in response, a feral grin on her face. "Finally. Some real action."
You flexed your fingers, feeling the weight of your new gacha granted abilities. Invisibility, Bajiquan, Bear Manipulation and even your damn Musk thrumming beneath your skin. It felt as if you were filling the very air around you with your gacha granted power.
Time to hunt.
The gate creaked open.
The Forest of Death awaited…
[END OF CHAPTER 1: The Game Begins]