A New Shinobi Era

Summary: A century has passed since the existence of Naruto Uzamaki and his legacy. Now, a new era of ninja control the fate of the Five Great Nations. For the first time in decades, the Chunin Exams have returned to the Hidden Leaf village and a new era of shinobi are born. OC submission. Rated T for now. Will be violent.

Author's Note

This story will initiate a new tale taking place in the world of Naruto. However, this story is set so far in the future that the majority of the characters we know from the actual show (Shippuden & Original), will no longer be around. Obviously, most of the clans remain intact and past events will remain the same. The story will begin with the undertaking of the Chunin Exams, where most of our characters will be introduced. There's a catch to this however, and that catch is that the characters participating in the Exams will be characters created by you, the readers! Thus, you get to create a character and watch them flourish in the story.

Important Note: I am not up to date with Shippuden. Therefore if events of the past are inaccurate in this story, it is because I haven't actually finished all of Naruto. Please no spoilers. I enjoy the show as much as you do!

The purpose of this story, is to bring a community of readers together and enjoy what I hope you find to be good writing. Sound interesting? Wonderful! If you wish to submit a character, please follow the rubric below and PM it to me on the site. Please do not post your characters as reviews to the story. I'd rather you PM them to me; that way if I have questions about the characters I can ask you directly. Keep in mind that once these characters are submitted, the story will take its course with them. Some will be good, some will be bad, some will fall in love, and some will die. It's what will make the story interesting to read! Lastly, I will be accepting a maximum of 12 genin characters and do possess the option to decline your submission if the character is too unrealistic… See rubric below if you would like to submit a character to the story:

Rubric for Creating a Character

Name (First, then Clan name):

Village of Origin:

Rank: Genin (all characters will start out as Genin)

Physical Appearance:

Personality (Three to Five traits):

Nature of Chakra:

Weapon of choice (Kunai, Shuriken, etc.):

Preferred style of fighting (Long-range, close-range):

Specialty/Best Technique (Jutsu):

Other significant jutsu (Nothing overly advanced):

Brief Biography (2-3 sentences):

Now please enjoy the story's prologue…

"Do you know why I summoned you here today, Roku?"

Morning sunlight spilled across the room, drenching the décor and occupants within. It coated the desk, piled high in mountains of paperwork. It gleamed off the framed artwork that adorned the room's red walls. Most importantly, it gave the Lord Hokage's white robes a radiant glow. A bright sheen that reflected the old man's calm, majestic nature.

Roku folds his arms and closes his eyes. Moments later, a smile cracks through his beard. "Maybe," he says, opening his eyes to focus on his superior. "If I had to guess; my summoning here today regards the upcoming Chunin Exams."

The balding hokage bows his head ever so slightly. "Indeed. It has come to my attention that we have yet to administer an Organizer for such an event." The Hokage lifts a thick envelope from his desk. "Roku Takoma, you have proven yourself a worthy shinobi and exceptional negotiator on past missions. For this reason, I believe you to be an excellent choice for coordinating the Chunin Exams with the other villages."

Roku sighs. "You praise me too much, Lord Hokage."

"Hmph. You're as humble as ever," the old man says, rising to his feet with the aid of a black cane. Slowly, he proceeds to walk around his desk and stop in front of the taller shinobi. "Roku Takoma, do you accept the task of organizing the future shinobi of this world?" He was greeted by silence. "Well?"

Roku's warm hazel eyes met the Hokage's. "I would be honored, Lord Hokage. Just do me a favor, and uh, don't expect too much. All right?" Roku takes the thick envelope from the Hokage's bone-thin hand. "I'm not exactly as young as I used to be either, you know?"

The Hokage chuckles as he moves back around his desk. "I could only dream of possessing your age again, Roku." He lowers himself into the chair and clasps his hands together on the desk. "My time draws short in this world. I am simply grateful that I have the honor of hosting the Chunin Exams in my village one last time before my departure." His dry lips form a smile. "I am eager to see how you go about fulfilling such an assignment."

Roku looks down at the envelope. "As best I can, Lord Hokage." He scratches his beard and grins. "So, I assume I should meet with the Leaf Instructors first?"

"That would be a wise place to start," the Hokage agrees, picking up his brush. "Report to me on your progress in a week's time." He begins writing on a scroll of parchment, his hand shaking. "The Exams are but a month away, and you have a lot of work ahead of you."

"I figured you'd say that," Roku replies, turning away from the desk. "Thanks again for the honor, Lord Hokage."

The old man glances up from his writing, just in time to see the green jacket disappear behind the door to his office. Good luck, my nephew.

Roku found the first Genin squad instructor outside the Hokage's palace. Team 5 leader, Yokomaru Gekko, met him coughing as usual.

"Roku, what's up?"

Roku holds up the envelope to show him.

Yokomaru's eyes widen, his mouth going slack in surprise. Then abruptly, a hand flies to cover his mouth as he coughs again.

"It's exactly what you think it is. I'm supposed to organize the Chunin Exams." Roku lowers the envelope. "You know what that means?"

"We're supposed to meet and discuss my squad's progress, correct?"

"Exactly." Roku tilts his head to the sky, puffy white clouds drifting across the blue sea. "I think such a meeting will work best with all of the Instructors present, though. Let's do supper at Setsu's diner." His eyes return to Yokomaru. "At sunset we'll gather there. Sound like a plan?"

Yokomaru rubs the back of his bandana-covered head. "I guess so. I'll uh, spread the word to anyone else I see before then."

Roku nods. "Good. There's what, four Genin Instructors total, right?"

Yokomaru rolls his eyes. "They chose you to organize the Chunin Exams and you don't even know how many Instructors there are? Sheesh, why'd they pick you?"

Roku laughs. "If I knew, I'd tell you. You know?"

Yokomaru shakes his head. "Yes, there's four of us. Think Riba is still in the training grounds with her squad. If you hurry, you should be able to catch them."

"Thanks for pointing me in the right direction." Roku starts to walk away, then stops. He turn around to watch Yokomaru continue toward the palace, the sheathed katana bouncing on his comrade's back. "Considering your swordsmanship, think you could give me a hand with something later?"

Yokomaru comes to halt, a hand moving to the striped hilt of his sword. "I guess so. What do you need?"

"Just a small favor."