[A/N: I had so much fun writing this chapter. I hope you have fun reading it too.]
"What exactly does this game do?" Genma asked as he tried to understand the game that Shunsui just told would help them protect their territory.
Shunsui placed his sword on his shoulder in a relaxed manner. "The rules are simple. This entire territory belongs to me. Anyone who enters becomes a player."
His voice stayed calm and confident, as if turning the forest into a board game was the most natural thing in the world.
Guy nodded seriously, trying to follow along with full attention. "So we fight them."
"Eventually," Shunsui replied with a small smile.
Guy blinked in confusion."Eventually?"
Shunsui smiled wider. "First they pay rent." Genma rubbed his forehead again and said, "I have absolutely no idea what that means."
Shunsui simply sat beside the flag and said, "You will find out soon." He looked completely at ease, waiting patiently for the first challengers to arrive in their territory.
Almost an hour later, a branch snapped. Then another. Then footsteps. Three figures emerged from between the trees. All of them wore Kusa headbands.
The three immediately froze when they saw the flag pole with seven flags on it. Their eyes widened in surprise and greed at the impressive collection.
The leader slowly smiled and said, "Well, well, well. I thought this forest was full of unlucky people, but it seems fate has decided to bless us. Seven flags in one place. Do you even realize what that means? If we take all of those, we will jump ahead of almost every team in the exam. I was expecting a difficult battle tonight, but instead we found three idiots sitting on a pile of points." His teammates grinned with excitement, clearly thinking this would be an easy victory for them.
Guy stepped forward and puffed out his chest. "I believe you are mistaken. We are not sitting on a pile of points. We are bravely defending our territory after a day filled with youthful victories. If you wish to take our flags, then I welcome your challenge with all the flames of youth burning inside me." His voice was loud and full of energy.
The Kusa leader stared at him for a moment. Then he looked at his teammates. "Why does it sound like this boy is trying to challenge me to a duel and give me a motivational speech at the same time?"
Genma sighed and replied, "You should get used to it. He has been talking like that all of his genin life. We stopped trying to understand him several months ago."
The second Kusa genin laughed and said, "This is even better than I thought. One of them talks like a wandering tired old man, another one looks half asleep, and the third keeps talking about youth. These are the people who captured six flags? I am beginning to think every other team in this forest is completely incompetent."
Shunsui slowly adjusted his hat. "You seem very confident. Confidence is good. Confidence usually makes people walk straight into trouble."
The Kusa leader smirked. "And what kind of trouble would that be?"
Shunsui's smile widened. "The kind that charges rent."
Silence filled the clearing for a few seconds. The three Kusa genin stared at him in disbelief. Guy nodded seriously as if it made perfect sense. Genma covered his face with one hand. Even he had to admit that the sentence sounded ridiculous in the middle of a deadly forest exam.
The Kusa leader blinked several times. "I am sorry. I think I heard you incorrectly. Did you just say rent?"
"I did," Shunsui confirmed calmly.
"In the middle of the Forest of Death?" the leader asked with growing confusion.
"That is correct," Shunsui replied.
"You want me to pay rent for standing on dirt?" The leader asked as Shunsui smiled kindly. "It is not just dirt. It is my property."
The second Kusa genin suddenly burst into laughter. He nearly bent over from how funny he found the situation. "This is amazing. I was prepared for traps, explosive tags, hidden weapons, maybe even poison. I was not prepared to be greeted by a landlord."
Shunsui nodded thoughtfully. "I understand your confusion. This game has that effect on people."
The Kusa leader shook his head and stepped forward with determination. "I have officially decided that you people are insane."
As he stepped forward and was inside Shunsui's territory, a glowing square beneath his feet lit up. A wooden sign rose from the ground.
'Property of Shunsui Kyōraku.'
The leader frowned at the sign. Then he took another step. Suddenly, some chakra left his body.
He immediately stopped and looked at his hands in shock. "What was that?"
He looked at Shunsui, then back at his hands. "What did you just do to me? Where did half my chakra go?"
Shunsui looked thoughtful. "I believe that was your first payment."
"My what?"
"Your rent."
The leader's eye twitched with anger. "I am not paying rent."
"You already did."
"I did not agree to this."
"Most tenants never do."
The second Kusa genin looked horrified. "Did this man just rob you of your chakra?"
The leader looked equally horrified. "I think he did."
Guy looked amazed. "It actually works. You are stealing chakra from people by making them pay taxes. That is incredible."
Genma slowly looked at him. "I am not sure if incredible is the word I would use."
The Kusa leader pointed angrily at Shunsui. "You cannot seriously expect us to fight while paying rent."
Shunsui shrugged. "Then do not enter my property."
"We are standing in the middle of your property." Kusa genin argued back.
"That sounds like a you problem."
The second Kusa genin frowned. "This has to be a bluff." He stepped forward. Another square lit up. A portion of his chakra disappeared.
The boy nearly stumbled. He looked down at himself, then back at Shunsui. "No."
Shunsui blinked. "No?"
"No. I refuse to accept this." The Kusa genin pointed at the glowing square. "You cannot tell me that I just got taxed by the ground."
The leader glared at his teammate. "Stop complaining and attack."
"I cannot attack." The Kusa genin shook his head.
"Why?"
"I am angry."
"Then use that anger."
"I am too confused to be angry properly."
The third Kusa genin slowly backed away. "No." Everyone looked at him. He pointed at the board that said it was Shunsui's property
"No. I want no part in whatever this is. I thought we were going to steal flags. I did not agree to pay rent. I am already broke as it is. And whatever you are doing, it's some voodoo level shit."
The leader gritted his teeth. "Fine. I will do it myself." He charged forward. Three steps. Another property square. More chakra disappeared.
The leader stopped as he reached Shunsui. Shunsui kicked him as the genin was pushed thirty metres away and landed on another square.
The ground lit up there Chains erupted from the ground. The leader screamed. The chains wrapped around him. A glowing cage appeared around him. He was thrown inside. The door slammed shut.
Silence filled the clearing. The imprisoned genin slowly looked around. Then gripped the bars. "I have been arrested and sent to jail." Nobody answered. "I HAVE BEEN ARRESTED."
Inside the cage, the leader grabbed the bars. "GET ME OUT OF HERE."
Shunsui looked at him. "You are in jail."
"I KNOW."
"You should remain calm."
"DO I LOOK CALM?"
The third Kusa genin looked at his team leader. "You are technically a criminal now."
"I WAS ALREADY A SHINOBI."
"Yes, but now you are a shinobi in prison." The leader looked like he was about to explode with frustration.
The second genin slowly stepped backward. "You can keep the flags. Let us leave your territory." Shunsui thought for a moment before agreeing. He paid a little chakra on behalf of the captured genin to get him out of jail.
The cage disappeared, and the leader stumbled out looking completely defeated and embarrassed. Shunsui shooed them away with a friendly wave. "You should be more careful next time. Rent is expensive in this part of the forest."
The three Kusa genin ran as fast as they could from all the weirdness they had experienced. They would spend the rest of the examination warning everyone about the terrifying Konoha genin who charged rent for walking on their territory.
------Author Notes---------
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