A nervous energy thrummed through the grand arena, almost like you could reach out and touch it. It was that jittery feeling you get in a crowd all keyed up about something, amplified a hundred times over. Every single genin down there was feeling it, you could tell.
The ceiling disappeared way up into the shadows, so high it made you feel small. That huge space just seemed to swallow up every little sound and then bounce it back, magnifying the rustling of clothes and hushed whispers into something significant.
You could see the wear and tear on their young faces – the exhaustion was etched right there, clear as day. They'd been through the wringer already, no doubt about it. But beneath the tiredness, you could still spot a flicker in their eyes, a stubborn refusal to give in.
They'd made it this far, pushed themselves harder than they probably thought they could, and now they were standing right at the edge of whatever came next. And honestly? Nobody looked like they were planning on backing down.
Kuro leaned back against this huge stone pillar – it felt nice and cool against his back, actually.
He just started taking it all in, looking over the whole crowd of genin. His eyes were sharp, you could tell he was really studying everyone. Not just seeing faces, but figuring people out, if that makes sense.
Like he was making a mental map of who was who, and what they were all about.
He wasn't just watching, though. It was more like he was calculating something, breaking down the whole group into pieces.
You could almost see the gears turning in his head. He was probably trying to figure out who could be useful, who he could team up with maybe, and more importantly, who was going to be a real problem down the line.
His mind was definitely working overtime.
You can bet he was running through a million different possibilities, like playing a strategy game in his head, only this was real life. He was figuring out what he was good at, what he needed to watch out for, and all the things that could go completely wrong. "Twenty-seven genin," he thought to himself, probably shaking his head a little. Way too many. This had "twist" written all over it.
Something was up, he could feel it in his gut. They wouldn't let this many people get through just to keep going like nothing happened.
Nah, this was definitely leading somewhere, and it probably wasn't going to be good news for most of them. His past experiences, things from his old life – stuff he called the "Bully System" – had taught him one thing for sure: too many people in the game meant someone was about to get cut. And cut hard. Especially in something competitive like this.
He knew this wasn't his old world anymore, not even close. No cheat codes here, nothing easy. This was Naruto world.
He knew all about this place from manga and anime, of course. But being in it was completely different. Here, you had to fight for everything, work for every scrap of power.
And if you weren't strong enough, well… you probably didn't last long.
The chattering just cut off, like someone flipped a switch. One second it was a low hum of nervous talk, the next? Dead silence.
It was the kind of silence that buzzed in your ears, all tight and charged up, you know? You could feel the shift in the air, thick as a treacle all of a sudden.
Then, someone stepped out of the shadows at the far end of the hall. It was a proctor, you could tell right away.
He just carried himself with this kind of… authority, like he'd seen and done it all ten times over. He had gray streaks running through his hair, framing this face that looked seriously no-nonsense. You could read years of hard fights and zero-tolerance in his expression.
He started walking towards the middle of the room, each step real deliberate, and in that quiet, every footstep echoed – thump… thump… thump – like a drumbeat telling everyone to pay attention.
Right behind him, another figure popped out – bam! This one had a shock of bright purple hair, which you don't see every day. And her smile… well, it wasn't friendly.
It was more like a predator's smile, you know? Like she was looking at a room full of tasty snacks. She was practically radiating impatience like she was about to bounce off the walls, but she kept it under wraps with this grin that was just dripping with wicked amusement. You could tell she lived for stirring things up.
Kuro recognized her instantly. "Anko Mitarashi," he muttered to himself. Special Jonin. He'd read enough about her.
Unconventional? That was putting it mildly. Brutal efficiency was probably closer to the mark. He could practically hear the sardonic thought forming in his own mind.
"Great," he thought, a little twist to his lips. "Just when you thought things were getting boring. Anko's here. Buckle up, everyone, because this is about to go completely off the rails." He just knew, deep down, that with Anko around, chaos was definitely on the menu.
Right in the middle of the hall, the proctor just stopped dead.
He stood there, solid as a rock, completely in charge. He let his eyes travel over all of them, slowly, deliberately, like he was weighing them up, each one. It was a look that made you want to stand a little straighter, you know?
Then he spoke.
His voice just boomed out, filled the whole space. "Attention, Genin!" No messing around, no beating about the bush. It was the kind of voice that just demanded you listen, and shut up while you were at it. The acoustics of the hall just grabbed his words and threw them right back at everyone, so there was absolutely no way anyone could miss what he was saying.
"After the rigorous trials of the second phase," he continued, "a total of twenty-seven participants have demonstrated sufficient skill and tenacity to proceed." He paused just a beat, letting that sink in. "You have all successfully qualified for the third phase of the Chunin Exams."