A low ripple of sound went through the genin, kind of like wind through leaves. It was murmurs, and whispers, and you could tell it was all mixed with surprise and this… nervous feeling. "Twenty-seven?" someone breathed out loud. You could hear him plain as day in the quiet. "That's… that's way too many, isn't it?" He didn't even need to say anything else; everyone in the room was thinking the exact same thing.
Kuro let his gaze drift around the edges of the hall, just taking in the instructors positioned around the sides. He watched them closely.
And yeah, he caught it. Little glances flicked between them, eyebrows pinching together in tiny frowns, subtle shakes of the head. Nothing big, nothing obvious, but it was there.
You could almost feel this wave of unease coming off them.
It was like even they were thrown by this. These were experienced ninjas, right? They'd seen this exam a bunch of times, probably.
You'd think they'd be expecting things to go a certain way, smooth and controlled. But this… this wasn't that. This was off.
Something's definitely wrong here, Kuro thought, his mind clicking into gear. The instructors are clearly not happy. Twenty-seven.
It wasn't just a big number; it felt like it broke something. Like the whole plan had just gone sideways. "Twenty-seven…" he repeated silently to himself. "That throws the whole structure out of whack." He could sense the tension ratcheting up, a feeling that something significant was definitely coming, and probably sooner rather than later.
Anko moved before anyone else could even really process what the proctor had said. She stepped right to the front like she couldn't wait for another second.
Her purple eyes were sparkling, but it wasn't a friendly sparkle. It was more like… a predator looking at a really crowded field of prey. Except mixed in with that amusement, there was definitely a hard edge of irritation.
She folded her arms across her chest, this lean, wiry posture just screaming impatience. Then she let her gaze rake over all the genin. It was intense.
She didn't just glance at people; she looked at them like she was trying to see right through their skin. You could see some of the younger kids squirm a little under her stare.
And then she let loose.
"This is utterly ridiculous!" Her voice was sharp, like a whip cracking, and it sliced through the hall, making everyone jump a little. "Twenty-seven survivors? Are you serious?" She didn't even seem to be asking a question; it was more like she was stating a fact of pure disbelief and disgust. "This isn't a test anymore – it's a farcical gathering!" She practically spat out the words. Then she curled her lip in a sneer that could curdle milk. "At this rate," she drawled, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "we might as well just hand out participation ribbons to everyone and call it a day. What a joke!"
Okay, now a couple of nervous little laughs bubbled up from the genin, here and there. It was a weak attempt to lighten the mood, to cut through that thick tension hanging in the air. But most of them stayed quiet, you could see they were all mixed up inside.
Confused about what was going on, a little scared maybe, but definitely excited too. I mean, they'd made it, right? They were still in the running. Even if it was suddenly feeling a bit… weird.
Kuro flicked his eyes sideways, just a quick check to see how Xero and Reika were taking all this. Reika… yeah, you could tell she was bothered. That calm, peaceful look she usually had? Gone.
She had a proper frown going, lines of worry etched around her eyes. She looked genuinely uneasy like something felt really wrong to her.
Xero, though? Total opposite.
He was grinning like a wolf who'd just found himself in a sheep pen. His eyes were practically shining with this crazy delight. It was that grin of someone who thrives on chaos, on having the odds stacked against them.
This whole mess? To him, it wasn't a problem, it was a playground. A playground full of potential fights, new people to measure himself against. He was loving it, you could just see it radiating off him in waves.
Reika's voice cut through the lingering buzz of Anko's words, quiet and tight with worry. "Twenty-seven," she murmured, barely more than a breath. She shifted a little, turning just her head towards Kuro, her eyes troubled.
"This is chaos in the making. It's just… unheard of." You could hear the genuine bewilderment in her tone.
"It would have 15 people or less, which helps balance the competition. This means the competition will last longer..." She didn't raise her voice, nor did she need to. The unease was evident in every word.
"This isn't going to end well, Kuro. I can feel it." That was all she said, but with Reika, it was enough. She wasn't one for dramatic pronouncements, but she had this way of sensing things, a kind of built-in alarm system honed by years of training and just… a naturally sharp mind. When Reika said something felt wrong, you listened.
It was almost always a guarantee of trouble brewing.
Kuro pushed himself upright, the sound of his back leaving the stone pillar echoing just a little in the suddenly charged air. He wasn't leaning anymore, no more casual observation.
He was focused now, like a switch had flipped. His eyes went back over the crowd of genin, but this time it wasn't just a survey. He was searching.
Looking for details, for tiny hints in their faces, in their posture. Trying to read between the lines, to guess at what they were really capable of, what they were thinking.
He folded his arms, and suddenly he just looked… more solid.
Less laid-back, more ready for action. You could practically hear the gears whirring in his head as he re-evaluated everything. He dropped his voice, just a notch, talking directly to Reika and Xero, keeping it calm and grounded.
"More competitors mean… exponentially more variables," he stated, matter-of-factly. No panic, no surprise. Just analyzing the situation.
"But," he added, a pause that drew attention, his gaze flicking to Xero's eager grin and then back to Reika's worried frown. A faint glint appeared in his own eyes, a flicker of something beneath the surface calm. "It also means more… opportunities." There was a hint of something in that word – a hint of challenge, maybe even anticipation. "We just need to be ready to adapt, to expect the unexpected." He met Reika's concerned gaze directly. "We'll have to be ready for absolutely anything they throw at us now." The way he said "anything"… it didn't sound like a warning as much as it sounded like… a promise.