Sumoku's figure blinked past the rooftops of Konoha with incredible speed. No longer than 15 seconds had passed since his exit when Sumoku appeared before one of the hidden entrances to ANBU HQ, his basic jonin attire already swapped for his Commander uniform.
Phoenix quietly traveled through the unassuming sewer pipe before stopping suddenly in front of a particular section of the curved metal wall. His chakra flared in a soft, indecipherable pattern causing the once static wall to shimmer a bit. It peeled away as if it were paper, opening up an entrance which Phoenix walked through.
Without any warning, Phoenix's surroundings transformed from near complete darkness to sharp illumination. Not even acknowledging the shift in environment, Phoenix quietly continued on his way.
As he passed by, every single ANBU that saw him would pause their actions to salute before returning to their respective duties. Phoenix didn't respond with anything other than the slightest nod to each person.
Finally, after a short walk, the Commander had reached his destination.
[ ANBU Training room #1 - Simulated Forest ]
"Applicant #3, disqualified. Applicant #4, you move on. Step aside, now." The monotone voice of the Deputy Commander of the ANBU reached the ears of the two teenage shinobi on the field. Both wore blank masks, displaying the serious nature of ANBU when it came to anonymity.
The ANBU responsible for overseeing this entire recruitment affair, Dog and Monkey, stood to the side of the field. They both had notebooks and pens in their hands, marking down any and all significant details about each applicant. The parameters for recruitment this time were far more specific than prior years, causing the two to put extra effort in their analysis.
Phoenix watched this all calmly while standing out in the open. Interestingly enough, none of the other people occupying the training grounds had noticed his presence. Even the two high-rank ANBU present were too engrossed in their evaluations, just as unaware as the aspiring recruits.
'Hahh, a tournament? At the rate these two are going, this is gonna take forever to get through all the applicants. Looks like I underestimated the interest of the clan heads… Welp, no better time for a flashy entrance'
Sumoku's thoughts behind the mask were a stark contrast to his unmoving exterior. This was how he always operated. Just maintain the mask of quiet, calm authority and you're free to talk shit in your head whenever you please!
The recruitment process was moving on to the next two applicants until a soft fog started to roll into the training grounds, whipping past the legs of everyone present and delivering a chill down the spine to the uninitiated.
Dog and Monkey immediately recognized the technique, but chose to maintain the appearance of having not noticed a thing. They both knew better than to ruin the Commander's sudden flashy entrance.
The first applicants to notice the increasingly abundant fog looked to the ANBU, trying to gauge their reactions. Seeing their inattentive demeanors caused a few of the dumber ones to feel some anxiety. The cautious ones immediately moved to stay within close proximity of the ANBU conducting their tests, tensing their bodies slightly.
Before their eyes, the smoke gathered in the center of the training field, coalescing into a ghostly-white door. Not long after it appeared, it swung open at a slow, tense pace, revealing an awe-inspiring figure that walked through. The training ground was completely silent, every applicant shocked to their core at the cool entrance. As the new arrival was fully revealed, the ghostly aura dissipated.
'Nailed it! I have to tell Tsunade-sensei about this later. Oh right, bunch of kids staring at me.'
Phoenix's gaze behind the mask passed over every person present. The feeling of his eyes landing on their form, even for just a fraction of a second, paralyzed the masked hopefuls. This person needed no introduction, especially considering the raw feeling of power radiating from him. The weight of his stare eventually left the group as it turned to the two ANBU.
"Monkey. I've returned ahead of schedule. You're alleviated from testing duties as I will take over as Chief Examiner. Go handle the mission arrangements for now." Phoenix's voice was deep and left no room for discussion on the matter. His commands are law here. Monkey gave a curt salute and flickered away without bothering to respond verbally. The quicker he could get off of babysitting duty, the better!
"Dog. Let me see the application forms for a moment." Unbothered by his subordinate's cheeky attitude, Phoenix went straight to business and snatched the notebook in Dog's hand. Imaginary gray lines appeared over Phoenix's face as he read.
'Jesus fucking… I told them one applicant per Jonin, how the hell did we end up with 60 applicants in one go???' Sumoku had to physically resist the temptation to rub his temples, choosing to maintain his stoic mask in front of the young ones.
A quiet minute passed as Phoenix flipped through the notebook. Every shinobi besides Dog held their breaths, not daring to interrupt the Commander as he studied the content in his hands. The notebook eventually closed with a soft noise as he looked up at the applicants properly.
"The current test is inconvenient for the purposes of this test. I am going to change the exam content to speed up the selection process. We will continue in another training room. If you have any questions, direct them at Dog. Dog, training ground 0."
"Who are you?" One of the applicants, a teenage kunoichi by the looks of her, blurbed out before covering her mouth (or, well, mask) in embarrassment.
The question was in the minds of almost every applicant. With a cool entrance and commanding presence like that, who wouldn't be curious??
"You will earn a reply when you have passed the exam." Phoenix disappeared without a trace, his voice carried by the wind as he flickered at a speed faster than most shinobi present could even detect.
Gasps of quiet shock rang out in the training ground. Dog shook his head while observing the scene.
"Follow me to the designated training ground." Without waiting for a reply, Dog flickered away at a moderate pace that the recruits could follow. Couldn't have them getting lost in HQ now, after all.
The journey to training ground 0 took a minute at most. As the group stepped past the cold steel threshold into the new exam area, numerous things caught their attention. To start, the room that encompassed training ground 0 was massive. A quick glance showed that the room was divided into five distinct sections.
The first section closely resembled the snowy expanses surrounding the Land of Iron, a perplexing sight when considering those present were currently underground. The second section contrasted it sharply with a dry desert environment that looked like it belonged in the Land of Wind. As the recruits' eyes circled the room it became clear what purpose this room served: A simulated training room for each and every extreme weather condition. Each separate zone surrounded a large machine that rested at the room's center.
Here, ANBU could train their bodies to resist any and every environment they found themselves in. The story behind this facility's existence was quite simple – Phoenix ordered the renovation of training ground 0 as soon as he became Commander. He reasoned with the Fourth Hokage that being prepared for any environment both mentally and physically was core to ensuring success in future ANBU missions. After all, the absence of Root redirected the responsibility of handling long-term foreign operations to ANBU operatives.
"The exam is simple. Select one of the following simulated environments and withstand the highest extreme weather setting for 3 minutes. You may use any means necessary within your capabilities. Holding back can very easily get you killed, so I suggest disposing of any unearned confidence before proceeding. This exam is about the most important quality for any member of ANBU." Phoenix's voice came from behind the group, startling the lot out of their curious observations.
Without ceremony, Dog called out, "You will be entering each training zone in groups of five, two groups at a time in separate zones. You all have a minute to decide your groups amongst yourselves."
The next minute flew by in a storm of quiet greetings, information exchanges, and strategy discussions between the recruits. Not wasting a single second, Dog began the exam by calling out two groups in order by team number.
The first group, Group One, selected the desert zone for their test. They quickly entered and prepared themselves mentally for what was to come. Group Two chose to enter the Island zone, similarly readying themselves for the test to begin. Seals that were once hidden activated with a pulse, revealing a dense and complex sealing array that surrounded each training environment respectively. The seal patterns all connected to the center console being operated by Phoenix.
Without warning, devastation erupted in each active training zone. The deceptively simple Island zone was suddenly thrown into a devastating hurricane that picked up anything not nailed to the ground. The five shinobi facing the natural disaster conditions only seemed caught off guard for a fraction of a second before each exploding into action.
Three members of Group Two summoned earth walls from the ground in a triangular formation, facing the sharp angles of the wall towards the wind to cut through as much of its force as possible. Another member pulled out multiple seals and applied them to each wall, aiming to reinforce their temporary shelter.
The final member of Group Two performed a summoning jutsu that revealed a hulking bear. Without needing direction, the brown bear held its full weight against the earth wall facing the most extreme winds. Despite the seemingly flawless preparations, the hastily constructed shelter was already beginning to crack and crumble as debris and seawater slammed into its walls in waves.
Group One wasn't faring much better. The desert air lacked moisture, causing the recruits inside to have hoarse voices that struggled to carry past the intense sandstorm that surrounded them. Visibility was reduced to a minimum, and the combination barely allowed the accosted recruits to coordinate their actions amongst the chaos.
Cries of pain and struggle filled the air as the young shinobi were battered relentlessly. As soon as the 3 minute mark was up, the chaos ceased without ceremony. Once the extreme conditions calmed down in their respective zones, the seals powered down and released the recruits.
What emerged from each training zone were no longer powerful shinobi, but battered and defeated bodies without an ounce of energy left. Some of the more serious injuries were especially jarring, especially with one recruit's leg bent at an odd angle after taking a flying rock to the knee at 250 mph.
Without pausing for any further observation, Dog spoke, "Groups Three and Four, step forward and select your zone. Those injured from groups One and Two may direct yourselves towards Squirrel and Moth." Two ANBU flickered into position beside the most injured recruits, both supporting their respective patients to the ground before skillfully using medical jutsu.
Throughout the whole process, Phoenix observed the recruits and occasionally wrote his observations in the notebook. It was as if the life-or-death struggles that the recruits were facing was of no importance to the man.
The exams carried on in this familiar pattern. All 12 groups faced hellscapes of weather and destruction before emerging from their chosen exam sites in broken states. Those who had received attention from the medical ANBU were now sporting various bandages and splints. All the while, Phoenix was mulling over the recorded data in the notebook.
'Out of the 60 applicants, only a handful are worth paying attention to. There's the Aburame brat who used his swarm jutsu to coat himself and his allies and vibrate the bugs at intense speeds to combat the freezing snowy expanse. Interesting that he has such cold-resistant bugs at his disposal…
Then there's the Uchiha that surprisingly utilized water jutsu to carve diversion paths and douse the ground of the volcanic zone. I didn't expect such a fiery clan to produce a skilled water specialist. I gotta ask Fugaku where he found this kid when I have time.'
Phoenix flipped the page as he continued his evaluations.
'Next is the Inuzuka clan kid that summoned a fucking grizzly bear. I mean, seriously, did those furries get tired of the old dog routine? Whatever the case is… his coordination with such a large companion summon was unexpectedly impressive. He'll be an interesting one to educate personally.'
His eyes passed over more text before pausing on two particular evaluations that Dog had written in the notebook before he handed over the evaluation responsibilities to him.
'A pair of twins from civilian families, a girl and a boy aged 14. They are both skilled in wind and fire release, how familiar… Both participated in the same group facing the tornado simulation and produced respectable results with the only notable injuries being a few deep bruises. Even more respectable was that they prioritized team cohesion and safety over personal survival. Now here's a couple of worthy recruits! Now I just gotta fill out the other 7 spots…'
Phoenix's silent thoughts continued to consider and calculate the value of each and every recruit. He asked for interesting recruits, and by Kami did the Jonin Council deliver.
He glanced up from the notebook after a few minutes, his voice breaking up the scattered conversations between applicants.
"The exam has concluded. Those of you who passed will be informed by tomorrow evening and receive further orders then." He walked around the center console to stand before the freshly healed up group of masked teens.
White wisps coalesced at Phoenix's feet suddenly, rising to cover his form as he spoke his last words.
"Today you survived. Should you be welcome back into these halls, you will learn how to thrive." The ghostly white smoke covered Phoenix's entire body from view before suddenly falling to the ground, revealing empty air where the Commander once stood.
'Next on the docket: Let's see how the business is doing!'