The room was dimly lit by the evening glow from the sunset, the faint sound of birds and tree leaves moving was heard in the distance. A lively atmosphere could be observed in the hall as several people mingled together.
The smell of freshly cooked food permeated the air, raising the appetite of everyone who smelled it.
The sizzling noise got louder as the meat was placed in the barbecue. Chosuke took a spoonful of sauce and added it, adding more to the aroma of the food.
He turned to his left and saw someone who was focusing on a side dish, something sour made with lots of lemons. Chosuke's mouth watered at the thought of what it would taste like.
"Hey, can you pass the chili powder? It's in the cabinet on your left." Chosuke went back to cooking as he got the powder.
"I wonder how these would taste like! The recipe book has so many to choose from. What do you think?" The boy said excitedly,
"We'll have to figure it out after it's done. I cannot wait though! The meat is almost done, do you need my help in anything?"
---
Tatsuo sat beside Nawaki and Dai who also had their teammate sitting nearby. Unlike them, Sakumo and Tsume sat apart from each other, occasionally looking at each other before scoffing and looking away.
Tatsuo had managed to convinced them to stay in the same room but not get them to talk to each other.
"Hey Sakumo! Come here, tell them how you caught that eagle back at the academy! It gets funnier everytime you explain it." Tatsuo said excitedly, making the people he was talking to look at Sakumo eagerly.
Sakumo walked towards them and began explaining. The look of the bird and the plan to catch it. It was just as entertaining as Tatsuo said, but that was not his intention.
Tsume was sitting far from them, but that didn't stop her from hearing what he was talking about. Tatsuo smiled knowing that she was hearing, the moment Sakumo was explaining was the first time Aakumo and Tsume shared quality time together.
Tatsuo watched Tsume intently as Sakumo explained, she had a faint smile on her face. He struck the iron while it was hot.
"Hey Tsume, you were there too, right? Why don't you come here as well!" Tsume looked at Sakumo who smiled at her, she reluctantly chose to join them and continue telling the story.
Tatsuo walked away knowing that he succeeded in making them forgive each other. His eyes search for someone, someone with brain damage.
---
Satoru entered the room, his one hand holding the other near the elbow. He looked around to see his friends were hanging out, eating and overall having fun together.
He saw people he didn't recognize talk to his friends, which made him believe that they were the teammates of his friends. He walked up to one of them "Hey, do you where Tatsuo is? I'm his friend, Satoru." He said looking at the guy with the weird hair.
"Oh! Tatsuo...he left to fetch a guy named Kaito. He was actually looking for you a little back."
"Okay, thank you." Satoru replied before going to Chosuke, who was at the kitchen.
---
"Hey...thanks man, that room was too bland. At least now I can distract myself from my finger, or what was left of it." Kaito said, as Tatsuo led his wheelchair into the party room.
"Don't worry man, there are plenty of prosthetics on the market nowadays, just enjoy the party for now!" Tatsuo replied as they both entered the room. People looked at the two of them and greeted warmly.
"Hang out with them I have to find Satoru." Tatsuo said. Just as he uttered those words, Satoru exited the kitchen with a plate full of food, he was talking to Chosuke and the other cook.
The three brought all the food to the table, the aroma attracted everyone towards it. People began sitting at the table, Satoru and Chosuke began serving the food to everyone.
Tatsuo sat next to Satoru who took his portion of the food and began eating. Satoru munched silently while looking around, occasionally scratching his arm before going back to eating.
'Why is he scratching that part hand so much?' Tatsuo thought, his eyes scanned his hand when he was looking elsewhere, he noticed...
'Needle wound? He didn't have those when he was discharged. Did he meet the doctor again? Did something go wrong?' Tatsuo thought, Satoru's nonchalance made it look like it wasn't much.
"Satoru, what happened to your arm? You good?" Tatsuo asked before taking another bite.
"Nothing...*munch*...nothing. just a mosquito bite. You...*munch*...still didn't tell me how you...*munch*...broke the record." Satoru said, looking at Tatsuo.
His words caught the attention of other, which made them ask "Yo-you were the one who broke the record? HOW?" People began looking at him expectantly, which made Tatsuo drop the topic and explain.
"Okay...so it was my idea but most of the work was done by my teammate, Kana Hyuga." Tatsuo pointed to his teammate who sitting at the corner of the table eating quietly.
---
Tatsuo was patrolling alongside Kana who had her byakugan activated. Her eyes observed the the vast forest around them and the people fighting to survive.
She saw all the genins around their camp, none were currently coming near them, not that it matters since their fate wouldn't be pleasant if they did.
She noticed a monkey approach their camp from a distance, observing them with intensity that matched her own.
"Hey Tatsuo! Check that monkey over there, it looks suspicious. It might be a Ninken." Kana said, without even moving her head to look at Tatsuo.
Tatsuo shrugged, her way of speaking creeped him out a lot. The fact that she saw EVERYTHING and that NOTHING can be hidden from her.
He walked to where she pointed and found a random monkey staring at him intently. The monkey was hanging off a tree, before he jumped down when Tatsuo walked closer.
Tatsuo heard a snake slither near the monkey. The monkey seemed too engrossed to notice the snake.
Tatsuo stepped forward, he was about to grab the monkey and prevent the snake from biting, but was shocked by the monkey's actions.
The monkey didn't even break eye contact and used its tail like limb, grabbing a rock from the ground and smashed it on the snake's head. Tatsuo took a step back and processed what he just saw.
"Hey...Kana? You saw that right?" Tatsuo called out, in reply, Kana popped out from behind him, "Yes."
Tatsuo knelt down to meet the monkey eye-to-eye. He reached out his hand hoping for the monkey to communicate. The monkey just stared and left him hanging.
Tatsuo turned to Kana, "Hey, doesn't Shiro keep a lot from fruits in his bag? Can you check if he has bananas?" Kana looked at Tatsuo with a confused look.
"Are you planning to give the food which is meant for our survival to this monkey? Especially Bananas? Shiro's favorite!" Kana said, unaware of the devious plan cooking in Tatsuo's mind.
"Trust me Kana, I've never made a bad decision and I'm not intending to make one right now!" Tatsuo reassured her, which made her sigh and walk away.
"Fine, you'll handle all his tantrums when he wakes up." Kana said, her voice getting quieter over time.
"That is if he gets an opportunity to throw one!" Tatsuo mumbled quietly.
The monkey finally showed some trace of emotion and stopped staring at Tatsuo. The aroma of the bananas brought by Kana made the monkey jump in joy.
Kana placed the bananas near the monkey who excitedly took one and began eating happily. After finishing, the monkey reached out to take the second one, but was stopped.
The monkey looked to see Tatsuo holding the rest of the bananas, his devious smile made even the ever stoic Kana gulp in anticipation.
"You want these?" Tatsuo said, making the monkey reach his tail out to get them. "You'll have to earn them." Tatsuo easily dodged the tail and stepped back.
The monkey grabbed a rock with its tail and charged up its chakra, the rock was launched at him at high speeds. 'Ninja beast indeed! Well trained as well.' Tatsuo blew pressurized wind at the rock and made it hit the tree just near the monkey's head.
The monkey saw that its probably strongest attack didn't work and reluctantly bowed to Tatsuo, putting its fate in Tatsuo's hands.
Tatsuo threw a piece of banana near the monkey who ate it immediately, "If you fo something for me...use your abilities for me, I'll give an entire dozen of bananas." Tatsuo said while dangling the banana at the monkey's face. "So, will you or will you not work for me?"
---
Kama observed a camp from far away, her byakugan glowed with a pinkish light, scanning everything in the direction of the camp.
"you know what to do, right?" Tatsuo said while handing him a small piece of banana. The monkey nodded eagerly and reached into the camp.
The monkey charged its tail with chakra and grabbed a rock, one of the kunoichi looked at the monkey, who began pretending to be cute.
"Hey, come check this out! This monkey is so cu..." Before she could complete her words the monkey swung the rock on her head knocking her out.
The monkey immediately searched the pockets and took the badges and ran away. The teammates couldn't respond in time, they reached their fallen teammate and notice their badges were missing and the thief was nowhere to be seen.
The monkey returned and handed the two badges to Tatsuo who gave a banana.
"We got two badges just from all that? We now have three badges. What do we do now?" Kana asked Tatsuo who just said "rinse and repeat."
---
"Oh my God! Why didn't I think of that! I guess, thinking like that is what's required to create a world record." Nawaki said, while Dai was more concerned with the special training that Tatsuo's team received as a reward.
"Life really is unfair...our monkey was fucking disabled!" Satoru said in frustration as he threw a piece of chicken at Chosuke who ate it.
Everyone laughed heartily when they heard Satoru's comment. Eventually the party slowed down and reached to a stop. People walked out and left to rest in the rooms assigned to their teams.
Satoru patted his belly in satisfaction and left alongside his team. Satoru pushed Kaito's wheelchair as they went to their room.
They walked through the hallway and took a left turn which opened into a hall. Satoru looked at the group of people in front of him.
'These people aren't hidden leaf, not even allied nations. What are they doing here out in the open?' Satoru thought as he saw hidden mist shinobi talk with hidden stone shinobi.
"What are they doing? They are enemies of each other right? It doesn't make sense for shinobi from four different great nations to talk together without killing each other." Kaito said looking at them.
"Hey! ITS HIM!!! That Satoru guy! He was the one who killed the clown." A sand shinobi said, pointing straight at Satoru.
"Yeah, he was also the one who made our life hell during the written exam!" A kumo ninja said with venom in his voice.
Everyone looked at him with a lense of hatred, Satoru was about to respond when Ay walked up confidently.
"You ruined the chances of several shinobis at a fair chance at the chunin exams, just because it was funny to you, wasn't it? You used the biased judges and supervisors to your advantage and openly broke rules like killing the competitors and the clowns!" Ay accused Satoru,
'Insecure much? He lost to when he had twice the people and now is rallying up people to side against me. Though I'll give credit where it's due, he did a good job at convincing enemy shinobi to team up against me.' Satoeu thought, contrary to his thoughts...
...the other shinobi were caught into his words and held their weapons in anger, the thought of their friend's career being destroyed just because it was funny to someone deeply offended them.
Satoru didn't show any reaction at first, but then showed a bloodthirsty smile to them. 'By the time this exam ends, my trophy count will increase definitely!'