Kunoichi Competition, Chapter 2

“So, what do you propose we do?” Ino asked, looking around the huge room. Nearly all of the girls were awake now, most sitting in groups of at least five, all talking at once, asking a thousand questions that none of them could even hope to answer. Some were screaming across the room at each other, arguing over something stupid, some continuing arguments that must have been happening before they even disappeared from their villages.

“No, he’s my boyfriend!”

“Yeah, in your dreams!!”

Temari scowled and leaned back to look at the noisiest two girls in the room. “Hey, shut up!” she screamed. “No one cares. Look around, retards!”

The two turned to glare at her, but stopped dead in their tracks, blinking and looking around. “Where are we?” one of them asked.

“I have no idea,” the other said, and then the two disappeared as they spotted someone they knew. Temari rolled her eyes.

As if nothing had happened, Sakura shook her head. “I don’t know. I think we should go ask the Jonin,” she said, nodding over towards Anko and Kurenai.

Tenten, Temari, and Ino all nodded in agreement, and the four stood up, making their way over to the Jonin, who were all looking very confused.

“Oh, girls!” Anko said, grinning over them. “Hey, look around, have you seen the place?” she asked.

Tenten sweat dropped. “Yeah, Anko-sensei, we’ve seen. Kurenai-sensei, do you have any idea what’s going on?” she asked, praying for a positive answer. Unfortunately, Kurenai shook her head.

“I don’t have any clue. Have any of you seen Hinata?”

“No,” they all said in unison, shaking their heads and looking around.

“Maybe she’s up there,” Sakura said, noticing a wooden, eloquent staircase across the room. Even on the second floor, girls were standing and looking around, some leaning against a wooden rail, others rushing down the stairs, some little girls crying and wanting to go home.

Sighing, Temari started across the room, weaving her way through the throngs of girls, until she was making her way up the stairs, the whole group tagging along behind her as they started down a corridor to the left.

The hallway was lined with doors, and luckily, it was wide enough that even more girls could make their ways to and from the main room. “Where do they all come from?” Sakura asked, amazed.

Ino smirked at her. “Well, Sakura, there’s a momma and a daddy....”

Sakura cut her off. “Oh, shut up, pig.”

“Both of you shut up,” Temari called over her shoulder. She was going to say more, but suddenly stopped and waved to someone near the window. “Oi, Hinata, over here!” she called, swinging her arm through the air to get the Hyuuga’s attention.

Relieved, Hinata started over, and Tenten instantly held up a finger.

“Before you ask, no, none of us know anything,” she said, sighing.

Hinata frowned. “So, everyone here is a kunoichi? They’re all from different villages,” she said in her low voice, which the others could barely hear over the roar of the crowd, which seemed to grow a little louder.  

“What’s happening?”

All at once, people were piling out from behind closed doors, and dozens of girls were pushing each other through the hall until they were standing at the top of the staircase, surrounding a man who was holding his arms up in the air. A really, really attractive man, apparently, for within moments, everyone was staring at him with big heart-shaped eyes, holding in their breaths.

When no one made a sound, the man cleared his throat. “Ahem. Welcome, kunoichi from all lands. First things first, I suppose I should start by introducing myself. I am Toshi Hanizuka, and I figure that you’re all wondering where you are, and why you are here.”

A few people nodded, and a group somewhere in the back began to mumble before quickly growing silent again as Toshi continued.

“I would like to formally welcome you all to the newest village in the ninja countries, the Village Hidden in the Dark.”

“Did he just say Village Hidden in the Dark?” Tenten whispered. Shizune, who hadn’t said anything this whole time, nodded and stared at the man, a serious expression on her face.

Someone in the back of the first floor suddenly let out a squeak. A hand was raised in the air, and Toshi Hanizuka spoke.

“Yes. What is it, Amily?”

There was a second of silence, in which people pondered over how this man knew the girl. Amily seemed to wonder, too, because she hesitated before she spoke. “Uh, I was just wondering.... How come we’ve never heard anything about a village hidden in the Dark?”

“Ah.... an excellent question, which brings me straight to our point.” A moment’s pause, and then he continued. “You see.... The Village Hidden in the Dark is too new to even be formally considered a village,” he admitted. “We don’t even have a ruler. But, you see.... As the creator of what is hopefully to become an official village sometimes soon, I have come to the decision that.... One of you will become the ruler to this land.”

Suddenly, the room was filled with a loud uproar. Everyone was talking to the nearest people, some in excitement, some in confusion....

“What’s with that?” Temari asked, turning around to face the group. Of course, none of them knew. Just as Tenten was about to say something, Toshi held up his hands again, and silence settled over the crowds.

“I know, I know. Though the whole idea is very thrilling, there are those of you who aren’t interested. And that’s understandable. So, for those of you who do want to go home, come back here tonight at midnight. Until then, you’re all free to find your own rooms.” Before anyone could even say anything, he disappeared, and his voice echoed through the hall. “For those of you who wish to continue, we’ll meet again here in the morning, and I will explain the competition.”

As soon as he was gone, the room erupted in a swirl of frantic conversation. Those who had decided to stay without any further argument pushed up the stairs, crowding the hallways. Doors slammed all over the place, and the conversations began to overlap.

“Sorry, this room is taken.”

“What do we do?”

“I want to go home!”

“I’m scared.”

Sighing, Temari turned around to face the rest of their group, who was pressed against the wall. “So... what do we do?” she asked, an irritated edge to her voice.

Shizune shook her head, as did Kurenai. Very helpful.

Tenten sighed. “Is knocking that guy out and leaving an option?” she asked. Sadly, everyone shook their heads.

Of course, they probably could have taken the guy out, easy.... The problem was that they needed to figure out what this was all about, and doing so involved sticking around. Temari scoffed and shook her head as the wistful banter continued on around her. Already, people (annoying fangirls in particular) were arguing over the rooms.

“Let’s go,” Tsunade, who had just seemed to randomly materialize out of the sea of kunoichi) said with a sigh. “No sense in moping around.” With a scowl, she started down the hallway to the right.

By now, all the rooms were filling up, and the group began to worry. Luckily, though, Ino (who apparently wasn’t all that useless, after all), found a staircase at the end of the hallway, and they managed to get three rooms on the third story of the mansion. No one dared to go too far up just yet, until they had their rooms reserved. Tenten and Temari and Hinata took one room (each room consisted of two sets of bunkbeds and a pull out couch), Sakura and Ino, unfortunately, were ruled out and had to take their own room with a girl from the Rain village, who came in, looked around, said she’d stay here, and then left. And the Jonin took another room all to themselves.

There were keys in the rooms, under the pillows. The girls all locked up their rooms, Sakura and Ino leaving a spare key just under the doorway for the other girl, and retreated to the Jonin room.

All of the rooms were basically the same, with wooden-paneled walls and thick golden carpets. Red curtains were drawn over the large windows on the walls. There was a desk in each room, but nothing on it except for a small TV. And, much to everyone’s relief, a bathroom in each. Though, any way you think about it, one bathroom in a room full of four odd women…. Anyway, it would have to do.

So they all gathered, preparing for what was to come.