Chapter 16: Third, Fourth, and Fifth Games Begin!

AN: Hey everyone hope you're all doing well. I've been attempting my hand at a Reincarnated Bleach story. Don't know if any of you would be interested in it but I thought I'd let you all know anyways.

Please don't berate me for the name of the title. I know. I suck at naming titles, but at the very least it's straight forward...

Bleach Story: "Reincarnated Into the World of Bleach"

Yes...I know...you all can make fun of me for the unoriginality of the title name...3...2...1...okay I'm over it. And there you have it. As always, thanks for reading!

Bleach MC: Chigetsu Kishin

First Name: Kishin

Last Name: Chigetsu

Chapter 16

The fourth day of the Five Great Games arrived as all participants were currently waiting in their respective rooms. The stage for the Third Game, Synergy, was taking place in a large arena as the announcer on stage continued his greetings and introductions to the crowd. He then began to give a quick explanation of the Game.

"Now then ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, allow me to explain to you how the Third Game works. It's truly quite simple. It will be a team elimination match. Essentially it is a team battle that will showcase just how well teams work together in combat hence the name of the Game, Synergy. Each team match will have a time limit of 1 hour. The referee will decide when one team is unable to continue the match. If time runs out and neither team has been defeated then the referee's will review the match and victory will be granted to the team that showed the greatest teamwork. The losing team will be eliminated. If there is still time on the clock after the match is over then the winning team will gain 5 points for every minute that is still left on the clock. Seconds on the clock do not count towards points. Without further ado, let the Games...Begin!"

The crowd cheered on as loud chants and screams could be heard filling the entire arena stadium. The first to be called to the arena were Konohamaru, Zen, Hiroshi, and Shikadai. As they walked out on the grand arena stadium they felt the loud noises and shouts and screams reverberate all over their body.

Shikadai sheepishly scratched the back of his neck as he commented, "What a huge crowd...man what a pain."

Hiroshi simply grinned and smacked him on the back. "Come on Shikadai. Loosen up a little. You're being broadcasted live on TV right now. I know your dad can't be here since he's running things back in Konoha but I bet you he's watching on screen."

Shikadai felt even more embarrassed and nervous. "How does that help me calm down? But crap...you're probably right. Dad's probably watching us right now."

It was then that the announcer called the opposing team to the arena. "Now facing team 2 from Konohagakure will be team 1 from Kumogakure! Welcome to the arena Kumogakure's Jonin leader Omoi along with the three Chunin members Isen, Roma, and Tenji!"

As Omoi and his team walked out onto the arena the crowd once again went wild with cheers and shouts. Soon both teams stood facing one another as a palpable tension filled the air. The 1 hour time limit appeared on the screen and the crowd went silent as they watched in great anticipation. One second passed. Then another and another until finally, the clock let out a single loud noise signaling the start of the battle.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Instantly both sides dashed towards the middle in an epic clash of close quarter combat.

Ting! Cling! Ting! Clank! Zing!

The sound of metal hitting metal rung loud and clear across the stadium as dozens of kunai and shuriken flew through the air in opposition whilst amid a flurry of Taijutsu exchange. Neither side seemed to gain the upper hand in the initial clash, however that clash was all it took for both teams to understand the relative strength of their opponents. Just as both sides disengaged from one another Zen placed his hands in the Tiger sign and shouted, "Fire Style: Art of the Dragon Flame Jutsu!"

At the same time Konohamaru placed his hands together and shouted, "Fire Style: Dragon Flame Bullet Jutsu!"

Immediately a large fireball in the shape of a dragon's head flew through the air with incredible speed from Zen's mouth as Konohamaru spewed forth a large elongated fiery dragon from his mouth. Omoi and Isen were forced to jump to their left while Roma and Tenji were forced to doge to the right in order to avoid being hit by Zen's incredibly fast Fire Ninjutsu. This allowed Konohamaru to aim his Fire Ninjutsu right at Omoi and Isen who were now close to his vicinity. Before they could be caught in Konohamaru's attack, Isen formed her hand signs and shouted, "Water Style: Water Wall Jutsu!" A giant veil of water appeared just in time to intercept Konohamaru's Fire Style creating a giant misty veil of white steam that surrounded them from the clash.

Hiroshi quickly placed his hands together and shouted, "Wood Style: Wood Wall Jutsu!" A giant thick wooden wall quickly rose up from the ground right in the middle of the arena keeping Omoi and Isen on one side whilst keeping Roma and Tenji on the other, effectively splitting them up. Hiroshi then created a small tunnel in between his wood wall unbeknownst to the opposing team letting Shikadai dash inside. Konohamaru then quickly formed a Shadow Clone making it transform to look like Shikadai. Finally the white steam that was created from the fire and water clash from earlier dissipated letting Omoi and Isen see again. Konohamaru and his Shikadai Clone left to keep them preoccupied whilst Zen and Hiroshi dashed to the other side of the wall to face off against Tenji and Roma.

Tenji frowned at their predicament and placed his hands together shouting, "Storm Style: Laser Circus!" Immediately blinding streaks of incredibly fast piercing lightning beams shot straight for Zen and Hiroshi. Zen quickly placed his hands on the ground and shouted, "Summoning Jutsu: Rashomon!" Instantly a giant monstrous gate appeared on their half of the divided arena blocking all of the incoming lighting beams.

Nice! It worked. This summoning is one of the greatest defensive techniques in my arsenal right now thanks to sensei letting me sign a contract with it as a gift for my promotion to Chunin.

Zen then dispelled his summoning as he and Hiroshi engaged their opponents in hand to hand combat. Tenji and Roma greatly felt the pressure weigh down on their shoulders as they realized just how much Zen and Hiroshi had held back during their initial exchange from earlier. As the fight between them continued on the gap between not only the teamwork between Hiroshi and Zen, but the sheer individual skill level that they were at compared to Tenji and Roma began to show more and more. At that moment Zen formed the hand signs of Rat, Tiger, Dog, Ox, Hare, and Tiger shouting, "Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"

Hiroshi also placed his hands together and shouted, "Wood Style: Grand Garden Emergence!" As a barrage of flaming fireballs flew through the air and a bunch of wooden bushes, trees, and vines erupted beneath the ground, Tenji and Roma were left with only one path open to them. For some odd reason a path by the giant wooden wall Hiroshi created earlier was left untouched by their attack, but placed under the pressure of Hiroshi and Zen's fierce attacks they didn't have much time to think about it and their body just simply dashed in that direction to avoid being ensnared and hit, however Hiroshi smirked as he was monitoring everyone's position with his Byakugan. He immediately created a thin long opening along the bottom of his wooden wall. Shikadai who was currently hidden within the hollow wooden wall smirked as he knew that this meant Konohamaru, Zen, and Hiroshi had successfully lured Omoi, Isen, Tenji, and Roma near his position. He immediately formed the Hare hand sign and said, "Shadow Possession Field Jutsu."

Instantly, with Shikadai in the center, a large circular shadow spread out from beneath him and out onto the arena surface capturing everyone within its area of influence. Omoi, Isen, Tenji, and Roma didn't even have a chance to counter. Omoi gritted his teeth as he struggled to move but couldn't as he stared at Konohamaru and Shikadai questioningly.

"H-How? This is the Jutsu of the Nara clan but...how are we captured when he's right behind you?"

Konohamaru smirked as the Shikadai behind him disappeared. "The steam created from our clash of Fire and Water Jutsu prevented you from seeing me create this Shadow Clone and transforming it into Shikadai. Just as the steam dissipated you saw Zen and Hiroshi leave to the other side of the wall to engage your teammates Tenji and Roma. Since you accounted for all four of us you assumed we had just wanted to turn this into a two on two battle, however that was never our intention from the start. It's a team battle after all. We fight as one."

It was then that the wooden wall was dispelled revealing Shikadai inside as he smirked and said, "Shadow Possession Jutsu, complete."

The referee immediately declared Konohagakure's team 2 the victor. The clock stopped ticking and the crowd erupted in a frenzy of loud cheers. In the end the clock stopped at 26 minutes. It had only taken 34 minutes for them to defeat Kumogakure's team granting them a total of 130 points.

The matches that followed were between Konoha's team 1 vs. Iwa's team 1.

Iwa's team 2 vs. Suna's team 1.

Kiri's team 1 vs. Suna's team 2.

And Kiri's team 2 vs. Ame's team 1.

After one exciting battle followed by another the end of the Third Game, Synergy, finally came to a close. The overall final results of every passing team's score were broadcasted live across the world.

Suna's team 1 was currently in the lead with a total of 450 points followed by Konoha's team 2 with 430 points.

In third place currently was Iwa's team 1 with 420 points followed by Kiri's team 1 with 415 points.

And lastly Ame's team 1 held a solid 400 points.

After the Game the festivities continued and the day ended peacefully without any major incidents. The next morning marked the beginning of the 5th day of the Games and also the start of the Fourth Game, Skill. Just like the other day this Game was also held in the large arena stadium. While all participants were waiting in their rooms the announcer on stage gave the introductions to the Game.

"Now ladies and gentlemen, today marks the beginning of the Fourth Game, Skill! Yesterday you were able to witness the remarkable capabilities of each shinobi as a team, however today you will be able to witness the individual skills and abilities of Jonin and Chunin! Today's Game will consist of individual matches instead of team matches. The Jonins of each team will be placed in one bracket whilst the Chunins in another. And just like yesterday, should one lose in the match then they will be eliminated. This will not be a team elimination, but rather an individual elimination. Once again there will be a time limit of 1 hour. A victory will gain one a total of 25 points. Now because there are 5 teams remaining, by random two teams shall face off against one another whilst the other three teams will be placed in a three way match. Those placed in the three way match will have an extra 30 minutes added to their battle time for a total of 1 hour and 30 minutes. Now without further ado, randomization, begin!"

Whoosh!

Instantly the random generator on the screen flashed by each of the team numbers for a good 10 seconds before the outcome was revealed.

Beep!

With that the teams facing off one another in the individual matches were shown. It would be Konoha's team 2 against Kiri's team 1 while in the three way match would be Iwa's team 1, Suna's team 1, and Ame's team 1.

"Ladies and gentlemen, there you have it! The matchup's for the Fourth Game, Skill have been decided. Let the Game, begin!"

The first to battle were the Jonin leaders. Zen, Hiroshi, and Shikadai watched from within their room as Konohamaru stepped out onto the arena stage against his opponent, Kiri's Jonin leader named Saizo. Hiroshi curiously asked, "Hey, do you guys know anything about this Saizo?"

Zen nodded as he replied, "His skill lies in Kenjutsu, but he is also adept at Water Ninjutsu. While he does seem skillful I don't believe he'll give Konohamaru-sensei too much trouble."

Shikadai nodded in agreement. "Zen's right. When I watched the matches that Kirigakure was in the Jonin leader Saizo didn't give me an impression that he was stronger than Konohamaru-sensei. His skill with the sword is greater, but Ninjutsu-wise I think Konohamaru has him beat. On top of that Konohamaru-sensei has that Summoning Monkey that can transform into a staff. He still hasn't used it yet. So if we talk about weapon handling then Konohamaru-sensei has his own specialty."

Just as they predicted with just about half an hour left on the clock Konohamaru claimed his victory gaining their team a total of 25 points whilst Saizo was eliminated. The next match was a three way battle between the Jonins of Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Amegakure. Suna's Jonin leader was the Taijutsu specialist Shira. Iwa's Jonin leader was Akatsuchi and Ame's Jonin leader was named Zeshin.

As Hiroshi, Shikadai, Zen, and a now returned Konohamaru watched the match they couldn't help but think the same thing.

Suna's Jonin leader Shira is strong! His Taijutsu is definitely no worse than Rock Lee's.

After approximately 55 minutes into the match Shira was declared the victor gaining Suna's team 1 a total of 25 points. The matches then turned over to the Chunin individual battles as the announcer shouted in excitement, "Now let us welcome to the stage Konoha's team 2 Nara Shikadai and his opponent, Kiri's team 1 Hozuki Shingetsu!"

The crowd once again began to cheer in excitement as the two young shinobi appeared on stage. As Shikadai stood on his side of the arena field he took a moment to take in the appearance of Shingetsu. He took note of Shingetsu's shoulder length white colored hair that was tied in a low ponytail behind him. His hair had a faint tint of red to it. He had crimson eyes and pointed shark-like teeth. Shingetsu wore a sleeveless navy blue colored shirt with white colored pants and donned a navy blue colored belt on his waist. Attached to his belt was a white colored water bottle and on his back hung a giant buster great blade. Shikadai noted that Shingetsu was probably a year older than he was. He was tall as well. At least taller than he was. After finishing his observation Shikadai couldn't help but feel a formless pressure weighing down on him and immediately knew that his opponent was incredibly powerful. Unfortunately he didn't have anymore time to contemplate as the timer began its countdown signaling the start of the match.

He instantly activated his Shadow Possession Jutsu creating a dark shadowy line that stretched across the arena towards Shingetsu who simply stretched out his hand in the shape of a gun and said, "Water Gun."

Shikadai widened his eyes in shock as he saw a water droplet form on the tip of Shingetsu's pointer finger before shooting straight at him with an incredible speed. Shikadai instantly stopped his Jutsu and leaned to the side dodging the attack, however he took note that although the water droplet was small it contained a frightening amount of piercing power. He didn't have any time to think as he heard Shingetsu shout, "Water Style: Water Gatling Gun Jutsu!"

Shikadai ran dodging left and right hoping to make Shingetsu's attack harder to aim at him as a barrage of powerful water droplets shot out from Shingetsu's right hand. Shikadai gritted his teeth knowing he was in a tough spot.

Damn it! He obviously watched our match and knows that I use the Shadow Possession Jutsu and in order for it to work I have to be still. If he just attacks from afar then I stand no chance in catching him.

He was snapped out of his thoughts as his right leg was pierced through by a water droplet.

"GAH!" Shikadai gasped in pain. He immediately knelt to the ground and threw out a kunai attached paper bomb towards the rest of the incoming water droplets.

Boom!

The force of the explosion was enough to disperse the rest of the attack.

Tch. Now I wish I asked my mom to teach me more of her Wind Style Jutsu. That would be incredibly helpful right now.

Just as Shikadai was going to try a different tactic he froze as he felt the cool edge of Shingetsu's giant blade resting by his neck.

"It's a shame you were the one chosen to fight me. I admire your skills and intelligence, however an open battlefield like this one is disadvantageous to you."

Shikadai let out a sigh as he continued clutching his right leg that was pierced through and replied, "Heh. Even if it wasn't an open field terrain there's no telling if I would have won. You're strong. I could tell that much. I concede."

Shingetsu smirked amusedly and nodded accepting Shikadai's verbal declaration of defeat and strapped his giant sword back behind him ending the match. A medical unit immediately rushed out to tend to Shikadai's wound as Hiroshi, Zen, and Konohamaru ran over to the nearby medical wing to console him.

"Shikadai! Shikadai, are you alright?" Hiroshi asked concernedly.

He just let out a disappointed sigh. "Yeah. It's not a terrible wound. I'm sorry guys. I lost."

Hiroshi smirked and patted his shoulder. "Don't sweat it. We don't care about that. I'm just glad you're alright. It couldn't be helped. That guy Shingetsu was crazy good. You just relax now and leave the rest to us."

Shikadai smirked at Hiroshi's words and nodded. "Alright. Then I'll do just that. Go get'em!"

"Mn." Zen and Hiroshi nodded in response.

The next to be called onto the arena was Zen and the opponent he would face was named Reya. As they both stood there on the stage Reya couldn't help herself from ogling Zen a little as she asked, "Ahem...your name is Zen right? You wouldn't happen to be single would you?"

At hearing Reya's question the image of Iraia flashed by Zen's mind so he responded, "Not interested."

Reya pouted. "So you're single then...how about we make a bet? If I win then you date me and if you win I'll give you a kiss on the cheek."

Zen could only feel a bit lost after he heard what the wager was.

How in the world does that benefit me in anyway? What if Iraia gets the wrong idea? She's here watching the games right? Wait...I heard she's been spending time with Koen these past couple of days. D-Don't tell me that she likes him? Right...what if she doesn't even like me? And what am I even thinking. She's sensei's daughter! How would sensei see me? How could I do that to him?

He was snapped out of his thoughts as the time began counting down at that moment. Reya smirked at Zen's lack of response to her wager.

I'll take that as a yes then. The bet is on!

She quickly unsheathed the katana on her waist and performed a horizontal slash, however she frowned as she noticed that Zen didn't even try to dodge. He simply stood there as his hand slightly twitched by his side. Then, her blade cut right through Zen's waist, however she widened her eyes in shock as Zen's body split right in half before turning into a dozen crows that flocked around her.

"G-Genjutsu? No, wait. Crow Clone?" Before she could formulate her next thought the crows flew straight down at her. She quickly shouted, "Release!" Instantly those crows flying towards her revealed their true nature as shuriken. She grasped her sword tightly and expertly swung deflecting and defending every strike.

"Heh. So you were crafty enough to somehow pull a Genjutsu and Crow Clone technique on me huh? Not bad not bad but you'll have to do better than that. You see, I'm also a Genjutsu speci-huh?" She couldn't finish her sentence because she felt herself sinking down into the ground. There was a giant tar pit right beneath her and it was pulling her in rapidly. She widened her eyes in shock since she didn't even notice when it appeared. Immediately she surmised that it was another Genjutsu, however she didn't know how Zen had pulled it off. She couldn't recall ever seeing Zen weave any hand signs. She quickly performed another Genjutsu release, however she was shocked at this very moment because it didn't work. The sinking tar hole continued to pull her in. At this point she was already neck deep and she panicked.

"AH! N-NOOOO! Stop! Please! Stop! Help! AAAHHHH-GGGHHHH…"

She had finally been completely consumed by the sinking tar hole. The entire audience in the stadium simply widened their eyes in shock and confusion as they didn't quite understand what had happened. At one moment Reya had unsheathed her sword and dashed at Zen, but before she even reached him she simply stopped dead in her tracks and stood completely still in the middle of the arena. They saw Zen weave some hand signs and then, in merely 5 minutes later they heard Reya scream for help before she collapsed completely unconscious on the floor of the arena. Zen simply heaved a sigh of relief.

My apologies. I'll have you sleep for a bit. I can't accept a wager like the one you proposed where even if I win you'll give me a kiss. With you being unconscious and after experiencing my Genjutsu perhaps you'll just decide to leave me alone.

With that the referee declared Zen the victor. Zen returned to the medical ward where their team was now waiting so they could keep Shikadai company. Hiroshi quickly dashed up to him and praised, "T-That was awesome Zen! Is it me or is your Genjutsu getting stronger and stronger by the day?"

"Oh...that. I didn't want to accept her wager so I kind of overdid it a bit. As you know I was born with both Ninjutsu chakra and Senjutsu chakra. Instead of casting my Genjutsu with Ninjutsu chakra I infused my Senjutsu chakra instead to make my Jutsu even more powerful. Even a simple Genjutsu at that point would be much harder to break."

Hiroshi, Shikadai, and Konohamaru simply stared at Zen with a bit of shock.

"Y-You can do that?!" Konohamaru exclaimed incredulously.

Zen simply nodded. "I can. But don't tell anyone. This is a secret trump card of mine."

"No worries. We won't." They all said at once. It was finally Hiroshi's turn to be called up on stage as the opponent he was facing was Kagura. As they both stood on opposite ends of the arena face to face a feeling of nostalgia and respect filled the air between them.

"Hiroshi...It's good to see you again. I see that you made it to Chunin. Congratulations."

Hiroshi smirked and happily rubbed the back of his neck. "Ehhh, just luck just luck. Kagura, the last time we fought was in Kirigakure two years ago during our class field trip. Back then we only used wooden swords. I'm not holding back this time. Be prepared."

Kagura nodded and narrowed his eyes in focus. "Mn. I remember saying that if we were allowed to use Ninjutsu back then then I might have lost. This time, let me witness your true strength!"

Beep!

The clock began its countdown signaling the start of the fight. Kagura instantly unsheathed his blade and dashed right at Hiroshi who activated both his Byakugan and Sharingan at once. Hiroshi then dashed around the outskirts of the arena as he formed the Ram and Snake sign shouting, "Wood Style: Grand Garden Emergence!" Instantly trees, vines, and bushes began rising from the arena floor hindering and slowing Kagura's movements.

Kagura furrowed his brow and fueled his Water nature into his blade as he shouted, "Kenjutsu: Water Style Crescent Moon Slash!" A large 3 meter horizontal sharp watery slash flew through the air slicing through any obstacle in its way as if it wasn't even there in the first place as it continued towards Hiroshi's direction. Just before the attack could hit Hiroshi quickly spun and shouted, "Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven!"

Wham!

Instantly the powerful spinning chakra shield destroyed Kagura's attack and at the same time, Hiroshi had formed the hand signs of Rat, Boar, and Snake before throwing out several kunai right at Kagura. Kagura simply took up a defensive sword stance and expertly deflected the first three kunai aimed at him off to the side, however once his blade made contact with the fourth kunai it exploded before Kagura could deflect it away. This not only shocked Kagura, but the force of the explosion also caused him to recoil and take a few steps back to the side in order to steady himself. It was then that Kagura realized the few steps he took to re-stabilize himself was a grave mistake as he had fallen into Hiroshi's trap, but it was too late. The kunai that he deflected earlier to his right side was now near him and exploded at that moment. The force of that explosion caused Kagura to fly uncontrollably to his left side through the air, but that only brought him closer to the kunai that he deflected to his left side earlier and it was then that that one exploded.

Boom!

Kagura was jostled through the air by the explosions. He had managed to come out of the attack without receiving any serious or heavy damage as the amount of explosive chakra that Hiroshi fueled inside the kunai weren't all too much, however it was enough to distract Kagura and buy Hiroshi time to control the wooden vines in the arena to wrap themselves around Kagura's limbs and restrain him. He then dashed forward and stood right in front of Kagura. Just as he was about to ask if Kagura would like to concede he widened his eyes in shock and dashed to his right as a sword stabbed right where he was standing before. The Kagura he had ensnared was a Water Clone as the real Kagura now stood before him, granted he looked worse for wear. Kagura panted heavily as his clothes were ripped and torn in multiple places and had remnant burn marks on them caused from the explosions earlier.

Hiroshi grinned and praised, "You're damn good to be able to catch me off guard by substituting yourself with a Water Clone while I have my Byakugan active. You did it last minute right before being ensnared and hid right behind your Water Clone to try and prevent me from noticing two chakra signatures. The one to your Clone, and your original self."

Kagura smiled and praised back. "Explosion Style on top of Wood Style huh? Then the Byakugan and now Sharingan. Honestly speaking with the way I am right now I don't think I stand much of a chance against you. There's only one surefire way I can beat you, and that's to wait it out until your Byakugan and Sharingan drain you of all your chakra." Kagura then smiled in defeat as he felt a kunai behind his back. "However...it appears that it won't be possible. To think that you'd also come up with a backup strategy just in case and actually substituted yourself for a Wood Clone while the actual you hid behind one of the trees in the arena. I've lost. You've truly impressed me Hiroshi."

Hiroshi simply grinned and put away his kunai as he and Kagura shook hands amiably. "Ah, I was just lucky this time. I had to show some results or I'd put the training my dad gave me to shame."

Kagura nodded and smiled back. "Looks like I need to train harder as well. The next time we meet Hiroshi may be when I officially wield Hiramekarei as one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist."

"Mn. I'll be looking forward to that day."

With that the end of the match between Konoha's team 2 and Kiri's team 1 ended. The total points they accumulated were 75 from the Fourth Game whilst Kiri's team 1 gained 25 points from the win Shingetsu obtained against Shikadai. The three way battle between the other teams began soon after.

Kaito from Iwa, Leerin from Suna, and Zosa from Ame fought in the first round ending with Kaito's victory granting Iwa's team 1 with 25 points.

The next three way battle was between Isshin from Iwa, Enrai from Suna, and Kento from Ame ending with Kento's victory granting Ame's team 1 with 25 points.

And the last three way battle was between Genma from Iwa, Shinki from Suna, and Raima from Ame ending with Shinki's victory granting Suna's team 1 with 25 points.

All in all the total points that each team accumulated after the end of the Fourth Game was 505 points for Konoha's team 2.

440 points for Kiri's team 1.

445 points for Iwa's team 1.

500 points for Suna's team 1.

And 425 points for Ame's team 1.

Since the Fourth Game was a singles elimination round the individuals that weren't eliminated and allowed to continue to the Fifth Game were Konohamaru, Zen, and Hiroshi from Konoha's team 2.

Only Shingetsu from Kiri's team 1 made it through.

From Suna it was the Jonin leader Shira and Shinki.

From Iwa only Kaito passed.

And finally from Ame it was Kento who passed.

Currently Kaito, Koen, Kimimaro, Kurotsuchi, Asuka, Haku, Akane, Iraia, Hiroshi, Zen, Izaya, and Hanabi were seated along a large round table in a restaurant celebrating Kaito, Hiroshi, and Zen's victory in the Fourth Game. While everyone was busy discussing and eating doing their own things Koen grinned and passed some cooked meat over to Iraia as he said, "Here, have some of this. It's really really good!"

Iraia simply nodded and responded with a thanks, however Zen slightly flinched as he watched their interaction. An hour later into the feast and Zen couldn't bear to watch anymore so he silently excused himself and took a break as he left the room and stood outside on the restaurant balcony. Iraia took notice of Zen's strange behavior and raised her eyebrow in curiosity. She turned to her left and found that Asuka still hadn't returned from her trip to the bathroom so she made an excuse to go check up on Asuka. As she got up from the table and left the room she walked around the restaurant a bit looking for traces of Zen. As she was walking down the hallway and looked out the window she took note of Zen's presence outside on the balcony across the other side so she made her way over there. Just as she was about to turn the corner that led to the balcony she paused and waited as she saw Asuka walk to the balcony.

Zen took note of Asuka's presence but didn't say anything as he continued to look out towards the festival lights that glowed in the dark of night. It was then that he heard Asuka's voice. "What are you doing out here?"

Zen took in a deep breath before responding, "Nothing."

Asuka simply raised her eyebrow even more curiously now. "Oh? Nothing huh? Not even watching the festival lights below?"

Zen furrowed his brow at Asuka's teasing tone. "Is there something you need from me?"

Asuka simply shook her head. "Nope. I was just making my way back from the bathroom when I noticed you standing out here all alone."

"It was nice and quiet when I was alone."

"Heh. Is that your passive aggressive way of telling me to leave?"

"No. I was just making a comment."

Asuka smirked in amusement. "Noted. Congratulations on your victory. You won your match with no effort."

"Thanks." Zen replied bluntly.

"Hmmm...I recall that girl, Reya was it? She made you an offer right? A bet? That if she won you'd have to go out with her and if you won she'd give you a kiss. Not a bad offer if you ask me. So, did you go claim your prize yet?"

Zen frowned at Asuka's continued teasing and was just about to answer when he heard the footsteps of someone walking away in haste. He furrowed his brow and turned to look in the direction of the noise but felt his heart skip a beat as he took in the image Iraia's retreating form in the distance. His facial expression showed a hint of panic and Asuka didn't miss this fact. She tilted her head to the side in a bit of confusion and asked, "Errr...something wrong?"

Zen clenched his fist and let out a sigh in defeat. "I...I should probably go back." With that he quickly dashed off looking for Iraia leaving Asuka alone completely confused.

Iraia continued walking with great haste through the restaurant building feeling a bit bitter.

Right. That girl Reya did make an offer like that to Zen. And it wasn't like Zen never agreed. He didn't actually turn her down. Does he like things like that? Why should I care anyways? I don't...hmpf. He can do whatever he wants. It has nothing to do with me...but...I thought that maybe we had a bit of a connection...maybe it was just me that felt like that. Haaaaaa...I should forget it. I don't even know why I feel upset over something like this. Zen is papa's disciple. We're just friends. That's all. Wait...are we even considered friends? I mean...Zen doesn't really say too much. But I guess I'm not one to talk. I don't say much either. Papa and mom always say communication is the most important thing in a relationship. In fact they say that it is the most important thing in general. In this regard...I think I should improve on it.

She was snapped out of her thoughts as she bumped into someone in the dark hallway.

"Ow." Just as she felt her body recoil and tip back she felt a strong hand grip her arm and pull her back upright. When she looked up to see who it was she felt her heart skip a beat and confusion was written on her face. "Z-Zen?"

Zen gave her an apologetic look as he replied, "Sorry if I startled you."

Iraia simply shook her head as she reigned in her emotions. "No...it's alright. What are you doing here? I thought you were on the balcony?"

Zen bit the bottom of his lips a bit in nervousness. "S-So it really was you by the balcony then."

Iraia noticed her mistake and looked away from him. "Ah...I mean...mn...I was just walking by."

"Then...did you hear what Asuka and I were talking about?"

Iraia quietly nodded her head.

Zen let out a soft sigh in defeat. "I...I wanted you to know that nothing happened with Reya. I haven't seen here since our fight. And I don't plan for anything to happen."

Iraia slightly flinched at Zen's statement.

Nothing happened? Really? Wait...why is he even telling me this? And why does it make me slightly happy to hear that.

Zen noticed her continued silence so he felt even more anxious.

Was it presumptuous of me to think that she cared about something like this? Right...what if she doesn't even care. Now she'll probably think that I'm weird or something for telling her that out of nowhere.

As the two of them were lost in their own thoughts standing in awkward silence in the dark hallway of the restaurant the sound of someone's voice brought them back into reality.

"Ahem. Don't mean to interrupt or anything but this hallway seems a bit daft if one of you is planning to confess their love or something."

Immediately Iraia and Zen's face burned up in embarrassment for two seconds before they both quickly reigned in their emotions and turned to face the other party. Zen was a bit surprised at who it was. "You're Hozuki Shingetsu? The one who fought Shikadai." He then took note of the person standing next to Shingetsu and commented, "And if I'm not mistaken you're Karatachi Kagura. You fought Hiroshi."

Kagura nodded as Shingetsu continued, "So, what are you two lovebirds doing out here in the dark anyways? Not that I suspect you two of doing something shady or anything. I mean...c'mon, we're all still so young. You both might want to wait until you're a bit older to do any...funny business."

Iraia crossed her arms and replied indifferently, "Hmpf. We're just talking. That's all."

Shingetsu just snickered and laughed amusedly. "Since you didn't deny that you're a couple then I was spot on huh?!"

Iraia and Zen wanted to retort and say something but they found themselves in a difficult spot because they had the same thought at that moment.

I-I don't really dislike the sound of that but-what do I reply with…

Kagura noticed the difficult position Shingetsu put the two Konoha shinobi in so he quickly interjected, "Ahem! Shingetsu and I are here to meet with our teammates. We're having dinner on the 5th floor in a private room. Are you both here meeting with someone as well?"

Iraia and Zen inwardly breathed out a sigh of relief at Kagura's change in topic as Iraia responded. "We're here with our own party. We should probably head back. I hope you both enjoy your dinner." With that she walked off.

Shingetsu simply shrugged his shoulders in amusement before walking off himself leaving only Kagura and Zen. It was then that Kagura stood right by Zen and asked in a soft voice, "You like Iraia don't you?"

Zen slightly flinched at Kagura's straightforward question but he couldn't deny that Kagura was right. Kagura took note that while Zen didn't say anything he also didn't deny what he said so he let out a soft sigh and continued, "I see. Then I guess we'll be rivals."

Zen turned to look at Kagura seriously as Kagura simply said, "I like her too. So...good luck."

Zen frowned as he watched Kagura walk off into the distance.

Tch. So that's how it is...I never knew I had so much competition. Fine. I was holding back before because Iraia was sensei's daughter but...forgive me sensei...you said that you hoped I would one day find someone I could give all my love to. I think that person could be Iraia. After all these years I finally found her again. The one person who I can forget all my pain around. I won't lose her this time.

He took a deep breath as a newfound determination reflected in his eyes and walked back to their room. He took note that Asuka had already returned from earlier and was seated on Iraia's left side so he quietly made his way over and took a seat on Iraia's right side. Asuka took note of this and inwardly snickered amusedly to herself.

Oh? Hehehe...could it be...don't tell me...when he said that he was going back to the room and left the balcony he actually went to find Iraia. No wonder they both returned after I did. Does Zen like Iraia? Muahaha! Iraia I'm not letting you off the hook either. I'm definitely going to make you tell me what went down between you two.

Asuka was snapped out of her thoughts as she noticed Koen about to pass some more meat to Iraia so she smirked mischievously and took the plate of meat right from Koen's hands before Koen had the chance to say anything to Iraia.

"H-Hey! Asuka what ar-" Asuka quickly cut him off as she said, "Mmmm, this stuff is good! Thanks Koen! Oh, can you pass the sauce?"

Koen simply stared dumbfoundedly at Asuka, however she couldn't care less as she ate in silent amusement.

Mhm. Don't say I'm not helping you both out Iraia...Zen…I can only do so much on my own.

The rest of the dinner went smoothly for the most part. Koen ended up giving in to Asuka's antics and simply resigned himself to watching Zen and Iraia talk amiably and share plates of food. Kaito could only shake his head in amusement at everyone's silliness as he and Hiroshi simply enjoyed their food and conversations.

The next day early in the morning all the participants gathered at the designated location known as the Grave Canyon. It was so named because deadly wars were fought here in the ancient past and bones and fossils filled the gorge. Stone trees and rocky hills strewn about the area creating a rough terrain and several rivers flowed through the ground. Currently all participants were separated as they each followed an Iwagakure staff member to a different spot along the Grave Canyon. The announcer for the Fifth Game then began his greeting.

"Welcome everyone to the last and final Game of the Five Great Games competition! This Game is called, To Be Shinobi! It is so named because this is the final Game. And for all those to make it this far proves that they are truly someone who strives to be a great shinobi! To survive the First Game Unsealing of the Scrolls and show that they can strategize, plan, infiltrate, distract, deceive, and succeed in their goal. To survive the Second Game The Hidden Gems and show that they can track, find, hunt, defend, attack, and have within them the quality to show mercy to their opponents. To survive the Third Game Synergy and show that they can adjust their strength and battle styles and formulate strategies with others in a cohesive way. To survive the Fourth Game Skill and show that they, as an individual, have honed their abilities and their craft to incredibly high levels and have not neglected personal training. And now, finally, it is only right that all those remaining participating in the Fifth Game show us all what it is, To Be Shinobi."

The crowds all over the world watching the broadcast and all those seated outside of the Grave Canyon shouted in cheers and excitement for the final Game to begin. The announcer waited for the cheers to quiet down a bit before he continued, "Now everyone, allow me to give you all a quick explanation of the rules of the final Game. It is in essence a survival test. Every remaining participant will be entering the Grave Canyon in different areas. They each will be carrying a scroll. Every scroll they are able to acquire is worth 20 points. Obtaining the scroll of someone on your team does not count towards any points. Should one lose their scroll then they will automatically be eliminated. For every hour that an individual is able to remain within the Game they will gain 10 points. The Game will last for a total of 6 hours or until there is only 1 individual remaining. If there is only one individual remaining when the time of 6 hours comes to a close then that individual will be granted 100 extra points. Once the Game is over the total overall points of all the Games will be added and the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place victors will be announced with the 1st place victors having their names recorded down in the Five Great Games Hall of Fame! Now, with all of that out of the way, let the Game...begin!"

The crowd once more cheered incredibly loudly with excitement as all the participants were now allowed to enter the Grave Canyon. The remaining participants included Konohamaru, Zen, Hiroshi, Shira, Shinki, Shingetsu, Kaito, and Kento. As Hiroshi was running through the area observing the terrain of the Grave Canyon he took note of the many bones and fossils strewn about all over the ground, however he quickly felt something off and instantly jumped in the air dashing behind a giant boulder before he could get pierced by a bone spear. He smirked and quickly activated his Byakugan as he said, "Nice try Kaito! You almost got me! Your mistake was your disguise. You tried to mask yourself as one of the many bones and fossils around the area to catch people off guard right in the open, however your bone disguise was too new looking. You forgot to use the Transformation Jutsu to make it look more aged."

Kaito clicked his tongue and slowly walked towards Hiroshi's location as he replied, "You're still as observant as always Hiroshi. How about you come out fr-"

Before Kaito could finish his sentence he widened his eyes in shock and quickly dashed out to his left dodging an iron sand spear that was aimed right at him. He then turned to look where the attack came from and smirked. "Well...this is unexpected. So you're here too huh? Shinki."

At that moment Shinki appeared in the area as his iron sand floated around him. "Nicely dodged. Kaguya Kaito. I saw your battle in some of the earlier matches. You are definitely worthy for me to test my skills against." He then turned to look at Hiroshi who had now come out from his hiding spot behind the boulder and commented, "Hiroshi. You and I still have a score to settle. The match we fought last time back during the Chunin Exams were interrupted. I can't fathom how you had lost to Boruto."

Hiroshi simply let out a sigh and awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "Haha...let's not mention how I lost. It's embarrassing. Still...how am I so unlucky. Encountering Kaito and now you Shinki. You know not even 15 minutes has passed yet. We still have more than 5 hours to go. You both sure you want to do this now? I really feel this isn't going to be an easy fight."

Instead of giving Hiroshi an answer Shinki simply made his move and struck with an iron sand fist. Hiroshi immediately responded by creating a wooden golem fist and like deja vu during the Chunin Exams, they began a fierce boxing competition. Kaito decided he'd sit back and watch letting them both waste their chakra first, however he frowned and quickly shouted, "8 Extreme Fists, 7th Fist of Splitting!"

BAM! BAM!

He quickly knocked away a giant wood golem fist attack from Hiroshi and the iron sand fist from Shinki.

"Phew...I take it that you both won't let me sit this one out?"

Once again instead of anyone answering him they simply attacked. Kaito could only clench his teeth and their battle quickly turned into a three way boxing match. Shinki and his iron sand fists. Hiroshi and his wooden golem fists. And Kaito with his 8 Extreme Fists.