First Trial:

The exams had brought with them massive crowds of spectators and quite a large number of genin from all across the lands. Within those extensive crowds and the beautiful village of Kumogakure no Sato was one Hanza of the Kōri clan. In of himself he was a prime example of someone who could dedicate themselves for weeks to preparation for something like this and still feel inadequate. It felt like everything had hit him like a freight train. He stood in shock and awe, realizing in just a moment that he was standing at a start line, crowds of spectators formed above him, roaring and shouting as competitors stretched and chatted to one another as an announcer boomed across the rather advanced speaker system.

“Welcome esteemed guests and visitors from abroad to Kumogakure no Sato! We are honored to bring you the highly regarded event where the genin of each village compete to prove their worth of ascending in rank. It is my pleasure to bring you one of a many trials in this years chunin exams!”

The voice was one of those sort that commentated over the footage of high octane sports events, and the man did a wonderful job of getting the crowd roaring. As a side effect he did a great job of making Hanza regret his entire existence. It was at that point that the young man decided it best that he not focus on the crowd and minimally to the voice.

“These genin from all across the lands will be racing across this elaborately put-together obstacle course. If I’m being more specific it is extremely dangerous. Keep your eyes glued to these contestents as they cross beams, jump hurdles, climb walls while evading razor wire, explosive mines, and dodge dangerous dart traps. The catch to this whole thing is that making it to the end does not in itself equate victory. The contestants will need to cross the line without falling below a certain placing value. All who do not cross above that failure line are knocked out of these exams.”

Hanza cringed a bit as the man finished, unable to block those words out. Everyone took a stance to prepare for the run. Ahead was a street, like any other spread throughout Kumo. It was obviously roped off, and this was no conventional stadium like most events of similar style were often held within. It would appear as nothing more than a street, shops on either side. Rather narrow, with hardly enough room for everyone to begin on the start line.

“Runners, prepare yourselves.” Hanza knelt down, assuming the same position as most of the others on each side. “On your marks!” He tensed his body intensely. “Get set.” He felt the tension around him as everyone was essentially a loaded spring trap.




Lightning crashed from the sky and slammed into a high rise buildings storm catcher, sending out a massive boom. Hanza’s muscles launched and he flew forward, keeping his footing with the fastest of the competitors, but eventually seeing just a few of them take over, speeding beyond him. He felt a rush as someone from behind had clearly used some sort of futon based jutsu to launch himself forward. Hanza could only watch as everything seemed to enter slow motion. This person was going to make it ahead of all of them and the force propelling him was too much for simple physical interference to stop.

With the best part of his reflexive thinking, Hanza instinctually utilized a technique he hardly ever had cause to use. He reached up with a flash of speed and connected a chakra thread to the individual’s shirt as they rocketed passed him horizontally. When the thread reached its maximum length, Hanza jumped, his feet smashing into the shoulders of the individual in front of him, then pushed with his maximum force, the intertia rocketing him passed the competitor and knocking him off balance, and face first into the ground.

By some stretch of luck, this had positioned him where many traps were not thought to have been placed, airborne in a sort of “null-zone” with no contact with the buildings or ground. He glanced back momentarily just to see the competitors turning into a crowd with no actual facial features.

That was when he looked ahead in time to see a maze of electrical wire. He gasped, with only microseconds to decide what to do, he chose to surround himself in his water bubble, which he immediately converted to ice. Now moving through the course as a massive, rapid-flying ball of ice, he destroyed the wires as he passed them, the charge not strong enough to cause harm to his chakra enhanced bubble.

Hanza wouldn’t realize he had long since passed the finish line until he plummeted into the side of a building, around twenty meters beyond the finish line. He had finished the race in first place. When he emerged from his ice bubble, the crowd still hadn’t silenced and the runners-up had yet to arrive. The announcer spoke his name over the speakers.



WC: 871/750