The day, the m mist g to the air as Kuro, or rather James trapped in Kurotora Shigeno’s body, found himself walking alongside twers. Xero, a young man with ad an air of smug fidence, and Reika, a red-haired woman with a quiet, knowing smile, fnked him oher side. Despite their casual demeanor, they both had an iy about them that made James uneasy.

  He wasn’t sure what felt strahe fact that he was in what seemed like a world straight out of anime or the fact that he was supposed to py the role of this “Kuro.” Ba Earth, he was just James Khan, a regur guy with an i in martial arts and adventure, but certainly not a shinobi destined for a life-or-death trial like the in Exam.

  After a breakfast of "mystery stew" — a mix of uifiable vegetables ahat tasted as odd as it looked — James found himself wrestling with the bizarre reality of his new life. Xero and Reika acted as though they'd known him for years, and perhaps they had, but this Kuro they spoke of was just a ghost to James.

  As they walked, Reika gnced over at him, her lips quirking into a teasing smile. “What’s with the brooding, Kuro? You look like someoole your st bite of breakfast.”

  James forced a half-smile, trying to hide his uainty. He was still w through the shock of finding himself in a fial world, not to mention the revetion that he was expected to take on ay he barely uood.

  Ba Earth, James had only been expl what he thought was an eborate challenge in the Lamp of Time Dungeon, a pce which is a magical item for him. He’d been with fighting with monsters and navigating the winding maze of the dungeon’s ninth level, when he’d stumbled onto a hidden trap. In one instant, he was feeling the cool stoh his feet, and in the , the ground gave way, and he was falling.

  James remembered how time seemed to stretch as he plummeted, an eerie sensatioaking him as he dropped through the darkness. He had tried to brace himself, but instead of hitting the ground, he found himself enveloped in a strange, suffog fog, ohat tugged at his mind. Everythi bnk.

  Then came that odd meical voice:

  > "[gratutions! James Khan's brain data was successfully uploaded to Kurotora Shigeno's body.]"

  By the time he opened his eyes again, he was lying in a rusti in a fn body with no dungeon in sight.

  “Just… lost in thought,” he mumbled, unsure if his words sounded natural. He couldn't shake the disorientation of it all. *Who is Kuro? I am not able to remember any of his memory* he thought, frustration gnawing at him. Whoever Kurotora Shigeno was supposed to be, James was certain he had never prepared for a day like this.

  “Better snap out of it,” Xero said with a smirk, his lone visible eye glinting with mischief. “If you’re this out of it now, the in Exams will eat you alive. We’ve got a reputation to keep up, after all.”

  James blinked. “Right… the in Exams.” He’d heard of them in the anime—dangerous tests of skill, determination, and survival. *Great,* he thought. *Thrown into a trial I know almost nothing about.*

  But he couldn’t let Xero and Reika see his uainty. He was Kuro now, or at least he’d have to pretend to be.

  “So, you two are... my teammates?” he ventured cautiously.

  Xero chuckled. “We’ve been more than teammates, Kuro. We’ve been practically inseparable. Don’t tell me you’ve fotten?”

  Reika raised an eyebrow, her voice carrying a hint of humor. “You really must have hit your head harder thahought. We’ve traiogether for years. Though I’ll admit, you’re ag a little... off today.”

  “Just nervous about the Exams,” James replied, trying to sound like Kuro. He could feel the weight of their expectations pressing down on him. He o learn more about this world, fast, and his supposed teammates would be his best resource. For now, he’d py along.

  They tinued walking through the dense forest, the silence broken only by the occasional birdsong or the ch of leaves underfoot. James couldn’t help but be struck by the beauty of his surroundings. T trees stretched up to the sky, their branches f a opy overhead that dappled the path in patches of sunlight. It was far removed from anything he’d seen bae, yet it held an allure that was oddly calming.

  Reika suddenly stopped and crouched down, iing something oh. She gestured for them to e closer, her face a mask of tration. “We’re not alone. Look,” she whispered, pointing at a set of faint tracks.

  James squinted, studying the prints in the dirt. They looked human but were oddly spaced, as if whoever made them had been moving at unnatural speeds.

  “Think it’s a scout?” Xero asked, his tone immediately serious.

  Reika nodded, her expression grim. “Probably. Could be a rival vilge trying to gather intel before the Exams.”

  James’s mind raced. He knew rivalries ran deep between vilges in this world, but having that theoretical knowledge was different from experieng it firsthand. In this pce, death wasn’t a distant threat; it was an ever-presey.

  “Well, whoever it is,” Xero said, pulling out a small knife, “we’re not going to make it easy for them.”

  James followed suit, instinctively reag for the kunai he’d found strapped to his belt earlier. The feel of the etal in his ha a chill down his spine. He’d sparred before, had even faced off in his school’s martial arts club, but this was different. This wasn’t a trolled fight with rules aions or without rules aion against school bullies or in the dungeon where he respawn infintely; it was the real thing, with survival at stake.

  Reika motioned for silend took the lead, guiding them carefully along the path. They moved slowly, each step calcuted and quiet. James did his best to keep up, imitating their practiced movements. His pulse pounded in his ears as he focused on eaent, hyper-aware of the fnness of this body, of Kuro’s unfamiliar reflexes.

  A rustle irees. James tensed, fingers gripping his kunai tighter. He gnced over at Xero, who had his eyepatch lifted slightly, exposing ahat gleamed unnaturally. James hadn’t noticed it before, but the eye had a faint, eerie glow, and he wondered if it was some kind of special ability.

  They pressed forward, the sileretg until it felt like a living thing. Finally, they reached a small clearing. There, crouched in the shadows, was a figure cloaked in dark fabric, their headband bearing the symbol of an unknown vilge. The figure hadn’t noticed them yet, seemingly engrossed ig something onto a small map.

  Reika signaled, and they moved in closer, cirg the figure to box him in.

  “Now!” she hissed.

  Xero lunged first, striking with a fluidity that spoke of years of training. The scout reacted quickly, dodging just in time, but James and Reika were already on him. Their bitack left the scout off-bance, forced to parry blows from every dire.

  James found himself moving almost on instinct, his strikes more precise and trolled than he would have expected. His new body responded with a skill he hadn’t earned, a muscle memory that beloo Kuro. He struck out with his kunai, nding a shallow cut on the scout’s arm.

  With a snarl, the scout attempted to escape, weaving through their attacks with surprising agility. But Xero was faster. He moved in a blur, blog the scout’s retreat and bringing him down with a swift blow to the back of the knee.

  The scout colpsed, panting and gring up at them with defiance. “You won’t get anything out of me,” he spat.

  Reika crouched beside him, a cold smile pying on her lips. “That’s fine. We don’t need you to talk.” She gestured for Xero to check the scout’s belongings, who quickly retrieved a small scroll from his bag. Reika exami, her expression darkening. “This isn’t just a random scout. He’s been trag multiple teams,” she murmured.

  James watched in silerying to absorb the se. Here he was, face-to-face with a captured enemy, feeling the tension of a life he hadn’t chosen but was now living. This wasn’t some thrilling adve was a harsh reality.

  “Let’s go,” Xero said, tossing the scroll back to Reika. He turo James with a wry smile. “See, Kuro? This is what you signed up for. Still think you’re not ready?”

  James gave a tight nod, doing his best to mask his unease. "I’ll manage." Ihough, his thoughts raced. *The level here is parable to the eighth level of a dungeon... and those monsters were insane.* But he also khe true potential of this world. What worried him wasn’t the strength of his oppos, but whether he could push himself to his limit and actually succeed.

  The rest of their journey was marked by an uneasy silence. Reika and Xero moved with the alertness of seasoned shinobi, while James tried to follow their lead, keeping his senses sharp and his steps light. He was beginning to uand just how serious the in Exams would be, and the thought sent a shiver down his spine.

  As they approached the vilge where the exams would take pce, the ndscape shifted. The dense forest gave way to open fields, and in the distance, James could see the tall, fortified walls of a settlement. Fgs fluttered in the breeze, bearing symbols he didn’t reize but which felt strangely familiar.

  Xero broke the silence, his tone more rexed. “Here we are, Kuro. Our ce to prove ourselves. Hopefully, I will find hear worthy oppo who give me a satisfactory fight.”

  Reika nodded, her gaze fixed ahead. “Once we’re iay close. The exams aren’t the only dahere’ll be others watg, assessing the petition.”

  James aking it all in. He was walking into the unknown, surrounded by strangers who expected him to be someone he wasn’t. Yet as he looked at the vilge before him, with its t walls and the thrill of unknown challenges within, he felt a straermination rising in him. Kuro the James was inwardly excited, "Will I see those Konoha brats! For real!".

  They crossed the final stretch, stepping through the gates and into the thrumming energy of the vilge. Shinobi from every er gathered here, their headbands gleaming, eae sizing up the petition. The air was charged, and James couldn’t help but feel a rush of adrenaline.

  “Wele to the real world, Kuro,” Reika said softly, her gaze flickering with a mix of excitement and caution.

  James took a deep breath, steeling himself. *Real world or not,* he thought, *I’ll survive this. One way or another. Now that, I think about it, I want to bash those kids face.*