The students were clearly on their last legs – the Santaru was heavily wounded and would collapse before much longer, and everyone else was fast running out of supplies and stamina. Parts of the forest burned and smoked, and the formerly pristine examination grounds were a morass of debris and craters. It might not have been an exact simulation of war, but it was damned close. In response to Satoru’s question, Juunin nodded and clapped his hands.
“I’ll answer that soon enough,” he nodded. “ALL TEAMS, ASSEMBLE AT ATTENTION!” he bellowed, as the rest of the notes de-activated. In a few minutes, the students stood in front of him at the ready, holding their salutes.
“Congratulations, you have all completed the proving trials. This was a test of your skills – to see if you could work in teams with each other, and also resist the temptation to sabotage each other’s progress along the way even if it meant potentially not graduating because you lost to another team. One thing that you must always remember is that Kumogakure stands United. We shinobi do not stab each other in the back, and our common Lord and Master is the Raikage in all situations,” he said, thumping his chest. As he walked down the line, he addressed each student individually.
“Junko, you were courageous to think of helping your comrades, even though all signs indicated that this was an adversarial exam with the possibility that only one team would pass. You even went so far as to aid Haru, who others might have left for dead and said ‘he deserved it.’ That speaks to a noble heart within, and certainly speaks to your dream of becoming a medical shinobi.”
“Haru, you reek of ambition and trouble, and you are a decidedly lone wolf in your style of combat. At this point you of all of your classmates have the highest chance of going missing. But if you can overcome your youthful foolishness and apply your drive to developing your shinobi skills, you may one day become Raikage. Be warned, however – when you play the game of thrones, you either win or you die. There is no in-between.”
“Satoru, throughout this exam you remained the most perceptive of your class, always inquisitive, always seeking the truth behind the veil of ignorance and circumstance. This is the most important quality of shinobi of the Main Branch, who must above all else follow the dictates of their conscience when serving their village. You are destined for great things.”
“Kazuma and Shimete, I must inform you that blood slavery is highly frowned upon in our village because of its long history of abuse and degradation. That being said, it is clear that you two have a strong, growing bond beyond the obligations of your clans to each other. At some point you will have to re-evaluate your relationship, because the status quo cannot hold for much longer.”
As he finished with his advice, he gestured with his hands, and moments later, a raised platform shimmered into view behind a disappearing genjutsu screen. Three hard-faced men sat watching the proceedings, and it was clear now that they had been watching the entire event.
“Leaders of Kumogakure, I present to you the graduating class!” declared Juunin proudly.
The men saluted wordlessly to Juunin, before rising and departing. And just like that, the students were now genin - they were now real shinobi.
Alright, exam is over, you all passed to genin-rank. Those of you who wish to be AiT, you must contact Kogami Ayumu to arrange an interview thread. Those of you who wish to be MiT, you must contact Isaki Kushin or a mednin you have worked with before to give IC approval if this has not been done already. After you have done those things, you may make another banner request to get those other branch banners. Sorry about the wait, guys.