Euphoric Dysphoria [A Naruto Fan Fiction]

Chapter 6 - 'Canon Plot Twist'

Chapter 6 - 'Canon Plot Twist

Kumo no Toshi, the City of Clouds, was absolutely bustling with excitement, more so than usual, even for a capital city. Situated in the centre of Rai no Kuni, The Land of Lightning, and as the closest city to Kumogakure no Sato, Village Hidden in the Clouds (also the main shinobi village of Rai no Kuni), Kumo no Toshi was positively flooding with tourists and travellers from across the elemental nations, spilling in from every direction to see the gathering of the Five Great Kage and their respective daimyō, as well as the final tournament of the Chūnin exams held in Kumo this year, which was the reason for all this mess.

And such a great arrangement that was-with the leaders of Kumo, Kiri, Konoha, Iwa and Suna in such tense relationships, it would be a wondrous miracle sent from Raijin (the Thunder God) himself if Rai no Kuni survived the encounter. What possessed the still-recovering-from-war-Raikage to attempt the theft of Konoha's Byakugan Kekkei Gekkai (still safely locked away by the Hyuuga's damnable seal) was beyond the country, and what possessed their Daimyō to think to invite all the five Kage was even more mysterious.

The citizens of Kumo, however, didn't seem all that bothered by it, nor did the members of the other countries. To be more specific, it was the civilian citizens that didn't have worries. Their shinobi counterparts, however, were probably somewhere far, far, away from the place, praying to their respective gods for the continued survival of their respective villages.

However, that, they knew, was not very likely.

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" A man crowed excitedly from a large stand near the heart of the city, face alit with a handsome grin as he turned to his rattled audience. Light coloured hair and deeply tanned skin marked him as one of the Cloud, a trait found in most of the residents of the area.

"I welcome you, as a humble citizen of Rai no Kuni, and wish you all a safe and happy stay! Today we shall present to you the contestants for the Final Tournament of the Chūnin Exams! Don't miss it!"

Flourishing a richly decorated hand, the fancily-dressed announcer gestured to the dazzling board behind him, a ginormous structure towering over the wave of people who had come to watch. Lights sparkled, colours flittered across the glowing board's screen, entrancing the citizens with their brilliant shades of red, green, yellow, blue, and purple.

"Told you that Kumogakure (Hidden Cloud) always have the best technology!" A man of the audience whispered excitedly to his companion, whose eyes were still fixated on the board. The words, however, were lost on his mesmerised friend.

A drum sounded in the distance, and the board's spots of colour 'rolled' around the screen like the roulette would in a casino. Finally, the blurring figures came to a stop, eliciting a fascinated 'ooh' from the crowd who had never seen such advanced inventions before.

Names appeared on the board with a blinding flash, linked with pictures and details such as villages and rumoured skills. At this, the people began to chatter furiously, trying to decide who to bet on, who was there favourite, or even things like 'who looked the hottest'.

Such was the Chuunin exams-commotion, commotion, and more commotion. Onlookers would later say, after the excitement and temporary mass adrenaline wore off, that Kumo had tried too hard to impress their tourists, and that they were absolutely sure that all the 'technology' had been a fluke, no matter how hard they had cheered when they saw it.

This, was otherwise known as gossip.

However, as the saying goes, 'nothing is perfect', and this proved all too true for the few individuals who were not-so-impressed by the display of technological advancement, one of them being a small girl at the age of three, who also happened to be the second daughter of the second brother of the Fire daimyō who may or may not have had a whole brain to think with. Or any brain at all, for that matter, given the current political condition of the Land of Fire.