---

Tsukiko Umene. Usagi pondered if she had heard the name before, maybe not - but she certainly wasn't a stranger. Either way, the woman spoke in a confident tone, claiming that they physically could take another scroll. Usagi didn't voice her disagreement but she didn't wish to claim someone's else scroll. Everyone had a fair chance of succeeding after all, so why bother? Right now, Usagi was contemplating if she had joined the wrong team. Sakana was too closely tied to his beliefs regarding fate and it's doing. Uzumaki Kamui wasn't exactly her type of person, even though he had said what, three or four words so far? Usagi didn't bother with him to remember. And this... Tsukiko, she had a permanent frown and seemed angry - violent. The very opposite of Usagi.

Peace. Only achievable by war.

Was it truly?

Making no efforts to hide the long, drawn out sigh that had ghosted past Usagi's lips, her eyes scanned the seals forming around her and her team. A blinding light later and Usagi found herself in a room - shortly after, the hokage's voice was heard. There was relief in the very last words; it meant that they couldn't take another team's scroll, good. Tsukiko was already making her way towards the door, impatient as ever, but so was Usagi. She clasped her her hands together behind her back and dragged her feet towards the door, giving Tsukiko and the others a nod of approval. It was indeed time.

Sakana and his constant speech of fate was starting to irk Usagi - and yet again, he proves himself the biggest cunt in existence by brushing past Tsukiko and pulling the seal off while making his way inside the other room. There, a silver-haired man awaited them, with such a disapproving gaze and judgemental eyes that even Usagi felt slightly irritated. Not to the point of an outburst, such as Sakana or Kamui.

The fact that Sakana went as far as suggesting killing the man maybe Usagi's eyes widen slightly and by all means, she hoped he wasn't being serious. Kamui gave an explanation that he could try and check if it was a test of courage or not. Well, his clone was about to touch the scroll through the flames, so... Usagi waited. Silently and quietly.

If they failed, she would try to use her wind technique and suppress the fire forcefully by ceasing all oxygen within it. Yep. That might work. Or she could just stab it with her blade and pull it off, anyway.

Kurin was starting to notice that change in Shizuka's mannerisms. From a somewhat likable if goofy individual to the 'ideal leader.' Not that a leader would break somebody's radio. He left the broken pieces behind as they kept moving through the challenge. Shizuka was probably the most useless of the team skill wise at the moment, second to Jaakuna. He was used to wide open area, and while he wasn't about to mention it, he suspected that knowledge made Shizuka all the more unwilling to cooperate. After all, a 'leader' didn't look weak in front of his soldiers. Guess that was the difference in their personal philosphy. Kurin didn't care who lead, just as long as everybody left alive, and sometimes that required stepping into the role of leadership. Shizuka clung to leadership like a dog, fighting off anybody who tried to reach for it. Arguing about it now was meaningless, as they where clearly being timed. But if push came to shove, Kurin would do what was best for the team, not just what Shizuka wanted. Some aspire to greatness, and some have it thrust upon them.

Kurin was starting to catch on that this challenge was inflexible. Attempting to stop the impending collapse of the tunnels seemed to only just be that. Holding off an impending absolute. Guess that kind of inflexible planning fit with an earth theme'd challenge. But the mechanism of the timer was clearly important. It stopped the tremors, if only for a moment. They still had that door to worry about, which didn't open. "Keep an eye on the button, we may need to keep pushing it if this takes too long." Kurin said, looking to one of his team. It didn't matter who, but at least they could keep it simple right now. He had to admit, the puzzle itself seemed based around these golems. Something about them just made it more and more clear that they where important.

"Chances are, these are the Jian-Huren." Kuren said, placing a hand on one of the golems. "They're the guardians of this place, and the way out is to find the Dajian. Minister." Kuren added, for those unaware of the dialect. "We need to find the minister, who is either behind this door, or we missed him along the way." But one thing always bugged him. Worm. It came up a lot, but... WAIT! Jian-Huren was Chinese! He couldn't believe he didn't realize it. The tribes of china had fought a force known as the m- Mongolian Death Worm. "Quick, Mongolian Death Worms. What do you know about them?" Kurin said, turning to the others. His eyes focusing on each of them. "Trick question, it spits acid and the touch is deadly. We have a big metal door we can't break with force, and acid make a hole without damaging the surrounding structures." Kurin explained quickly. "Either this worm is a metaphor, or it's real and that's what we need to get through the door. The beast was documented by a Minister!" Either he was going off on a wild idea, or he was cracking the mystery. "But it's a desert dwelling creature. But, it's still a worm. And worms come to the surface when it rains."

This entire thing was either making him look like a mad man, or a genius. Either way, they had a door they couldn't force open, a great deal of stone guardians, and a minister to find. But unless anybody else had an idea, it seemed they'd need to use this worm to break the door for them. The problem was, it was a death worm for a reason. If it was even still alive. He'd rather explore this idea than continue just standing around.




Alright, they're going to blast right through the ceiling, huh? Bumu was not happy with this whole ordeal, as at best his swimming was kinda mediocre. Just not something that came up. She could do the fox paddle, but that's about it if you want to be honest. Either way, they couldn't just break through normally. They had to have a lot of force. The fox snorted softly, holding out his hands, and there was the fluttering of paper. Bumu's fox eyes shimmered in the dark, and paper tags began to collect at the bottom of the barrier. "Here's the plan. Barrier inside a barrier." She grinned from ear to ear, becoming a focal point for attention. "When Barrier A breaks, I detonate these. The water will buffer the impact, turning explosive forces into a concussive force. We'll shoot out like a fucking arrow from a cannon!" It was honestly more complex than that, but simple was as simple does. His little trick with the oil had bought them seconds, but that was all they needed. Explosive tags used an internal combustion method, sealed in a wax inline to keep water out. If they could be used in rain, they'd work this way too.

Bumu liked these two. Sure they got stiffed on the 4th teammate, but they'd make it work. Task 1, get to the surface, if that works, they'll experiment with the rest of the environment. They still had a scroll to find, it's not as easy as just getting out of one trap. Shame, because this one trap was more impressive than any of the others he had seen in a while. Maybe she'd experiment with water techniques later. Sounds fun.
"Ready when you are, Captain Kaba!" Bumu declared, making use of 'talking is a free action.'

Shizuka Ichimi

---

”Can a man still be brave if he’s afraid?” A young Shizuka asked his father.

”That is the only time a man can be brave.” His father told him.

The words echoed in Shizuka’s mind as he was transported to the past in the midst of all the chaos that surrounded him. His vision was enveloped by the sight of sand and wind. A boy just barely of age, wet behind the ears was dueling his father with wooden swords. Every morning strictly at the break of dawn the two would duel for what would seem like hours. His father being the former leader of the Land of Iron ruled with an iron fist and regime meant for only the toughest of soldier. It was foolish to think he would be anything less than cruel with his own son who still spoke as softly as woman, his manhood not having dropped yet. His father was relentless in his assault, any time Shizuka had dropped his sword he shouted one word, ”Again!” each time Shizuka’s hand becoming a little more read and beaten. Many suns and moons had passed before Shizuka was able to swallow his fear and strike precise as if his whole body had turned into the weapon. One fluid motion and the wooden sword had one again been tossed aside. ”Very good, you might be a well worth leader one day.” Shizuka’s vision slowly returned to him seeing his sword still in hand with his father’s on the floor.

The praise was like a wave of radiance, but it was short lived as warriors didn’t have time for such pleasantries on the battlefield. ”Just remember son, leaders aren’t born they’re made. Just like your first katana, now come with me. Your first step to the way of the Samurai lies before you.” Shizuka scampered into the distance as his memory faded away. His sense returned to him although he had drowned out the noise surrounding him. ”Be brave, be a leader.” In reality Shizuka never wanted to be a leader, he never had aspirations of becoming anything extravagant like the Hokage or the next Ruler of the Land of Iron, he had been spoiled by his mother’s will of wind and wanted to coast through life in search of a new challenge like a cool breeze. Yet life had a funny way of thrusting him into the reigns to choose whether or not he wanted to lead. His comrade’s words not falling on completely deaf ears, Shizuka heard their pleas and words of advice. Luckily his memories brought back a wave of calmness and he was readily able to study the positon they were in and react accordingly, even if it mean arguing with the self-appointed leader that was their class president.

With no words Shizuka rescinded his air dome that protected them from the minor debris that had begun to fall from the weak and molting structure. Walking over to the switch he turned his back to it before sitting down right in front of it. His body retreating into a natural meditation position he learned from studying the Futon experts of Sunagakure. “No one will be pressing the button, pressing it would only delay the inevitable. You can’t fight fate.” Shizuka said looking towards Kiku flicking a loose hair that had depressed over his forehead; a quick wink and smile followed prompt. If Kiku could sense his aura she would see a very colorful vivid aura that assured certainty if she followed his instincts, she only need to trust him. “If you want to press the button you’ll have to get through me. We’re all equally useless here in elements. Me being one of the worst to be assigned to this stone prison.” Shizuka looked over to the new images on the wall. “There is no worm either, if there were we would have seen it by now. I could be wrong, but if there is one we won’t see it right here right now.” Aiming his words at the scrambling Senju.

“Come just sit with me and relax.” Shizuka said before closing his eyes and breathing in a surplus of air while slamming his fists together.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At this point, the lavender girl was crouched down on the ground - hands placed palm down as she felt the vibrations. Standing up, she listened intently - hearing the thud after the button was hit. Noticing the shaking had slightly all but stopped, if she listened closely - she could also still hear the sound of sand falling in the hourglass. Bringing a hand up she rubbed her chin in thought, her face twisting in disgust overhearing the word 'worm' - especially an acid spitting one. She walked away momentarily to one of the metal doors - and rapped her knuckles against it as the other hand was placed against the door. It was thick. No way of just busting through it. She sauntered back over to the Team, and began to feel the vibrations start to pick back up. Turning her attention back to the hourglass, raising an eyebrow. It seemed full again, Kiku kept her head pointed at the hourglass. Also hearing her teammates began to talk, sharing ideas.

"To the Uncertain and Distressed
Activate the Switch
And Remember your Focus"

She repeated out loud, deep in thought. Her face went down to the switch, becoming very stiff in her movements as her thoughts consumed her. She began to send chakra out to all her sense, trying to absorb all the information she could - and keeping an ear on her teammates conversation as well. In doing this, she felt a positive aura radiate towards her, sending a calming sensation through the kunoichi. The feeling caused her body to turn towards it, raising the mask to reveal Shizuka's friendly wink and smile. The girl smiled at him softly, and felt a small tinge of pink in her face arise. But her thoughts were currently consumed with the task at hand, and she turned back towards the hourglass - then the metal doors, and back to her team.

"I think we're all correct in some way," She began, and crossed one arm under her chest as the other hand held her mask up, "To the uncertain and distressed.....upon hitting the button - all tremors seemed to have stopped," She looked at her teammates - and took her free hand pointing to her ears "I didn't hear anything - remember your focus , perhaps time to reform a plan, give a moment to...refocus" Kiku bit her lower lip, and nodded at Shizuka on the ground - though he was sitting more in protest. Walking back to her teammates, she stood near him as he sat peacefully on the ground. "The hour glass has flipped, and the vibrations began again as it did so," she had noticed this earlier upon walking back from the door, "I'm not sure of the exact time it flips, or the correlation - but they're intensifying after it flipped.. And that worm you mentioned - Kurin, acid. The door is pretty thick - but maybe something similar to acid to wear it down...." Turning towards Jaakuna, Kiku smiled slightly with a snap of her fingers, "Fire! Can you melt that door? Or is there a way to get through it you know of? I'm not too educated with temperatures or techniques needed to melt through it".

Kiku then motioned to all the metal sealed doors, "The problem, picking one...obviously not the one we came out of.." A breath escaped her lips, as she moved her hand from being crossed to her hip. "The problem with that Shizuka is, we're not completely certain of our fate, we still have a chance to alter our outcome. It is my fate to lose my eyesight, but not to die here under a bunch of rocks". She smiled at him, her mask still up and winked back. Dropping the mask, she turned towards the hour glass, and looked at the button. "I may fight you myself to buy us time and see if this works." Her tone serious as she clicked again to readjust her mental of the room, flinching as a small pebble hit her head, "We may want to hit the button soon...." she sent chakra to her feet, "The vibrations are intensifying......... Shizuka?". Kiku turned her head to him, as he just protested the idea of hitting the button again.

_{@Syn@Altered Tundra@Reflection}

Koma Hitsugi

@Reflection @BladeX @Syn

One of the many things Koma was good at was holding her breath, hopefully a trait that these two were somewhat versed in as well because it would be essential once they began their escape. Koma looked up at the oil-coated ceiling to see that it was eroding far quicker than anyone could anticipate, having maybe bought them a minute before the barrier stopped the rest of the water from flooding around them. [color=drb887]"Exactly, the wind should, in tandem with those explosive tags... Fire us up through the ceiling and to the surface."[/color]

Koma was already building up a reserve of wind chakra as she prepared to let loose the gust of wind from her immense breakthrough technique. "On my mark..." As she spoke the screech of room around them briefly startled her, but she maintained her control of her chakra, by now Kaba had created the secondary barrier to act as their impromptu life-pod and the tags were littering the floor of the first barrier.

"Hold your breath for as long as you can and when the barrier breaks try to resurface as soon as possible. You two had the water-walking chakra control training, right?" They didn't get time to answer, now was not the time for any more chit-chat, Koma tightly clung to her bow-grip just in case she had to make use of it whilst under the water. "BRACE FOR IMPACT AND FIRE." Provided the other two timed their own actions right, Koma released the gust of wind to be funnelled out of a hole in the base of the barrier to act as their propellant to help put enough distance (and water) between them and the explosive tags before they went off too.

Hopefully all of this effort would fire them at least out of their sinking prison, if not... Well that's why she had her bow-grip handy, just in case they would need a bit more of a bang to get a bit further up.

---

With their previous initiatives failing, and propositions that didn't get the approval of the whole group, it seemed that the group was in a stalemate of sorts. Jaakuna's proposition was not a foolish one, but considering the bulk of these metallic doors, it would likely take a considerable amount of time before passive heating could actually have an effect. Especially at his current level of power. Little options remained, and strong-arming the thing wasn't all that appealing either with Kurin's previous, well-meaning approach.

Shizuka remained the guardian of the hourglass, while the others wasted time figuring out alternatives. Time was going by fast, with barely two minutes contained in this hourglass. If Shizuka would stall them for a good thirty seconds, it would finally reach its end. The fact that the tremors accelerated in power as time passed would have likely flared a few nerves. Added to the endless rain of small, rocky debris serving as quite the deterrent to whatever hermit-like initiative Shizuka was going for.

They would let it empty, and were to face the consequences of such a choice. The Tremors would be the first to be affected by this conclusion. With one final rumble worthy of an earthquake, they'd finally stop, and stability was found once more. Afterward, the same mechanism with the button would now split open, and reveal what was a fractured representation of a wheel with broken pieces falling over. The machine was most certainly broken.

But that didn't stop the grand scheme of things. The runes that illuminated the area would suddenly flash blue, with more forming under the feet of our heroes. A big, runic circle similar to the elevator's was revealed. What could this mean? They'd have a hard time finding out as another disconcerting thud was heard, with the newly revealed mechanism cracking once more. Something wasn't going right.

The blue runes turned red, and the room darkened significantly, leaving only the dim, crimson illumination of the markings guide team Daddy. A fail-safe, perhaps? In any case, everything was hard to distinguish in this oppressive darkness. With the exception of one door, the closent one to the main, large one starting from the right. The same, circular red rune on the floor would be flashing urgently on the metallic structure. As if beckoning those in the room to come closer.

Any tactile approach would cause the door to slide open, with a trail of red runes leading through a tight corridor. Rails did not follow this path, even though it seemed like the turntable could very well direct itself in its direction. What could this lead to?

Perhaps at this point they could recall how they approached this challenge. Was it truly a puzzle made by the sadistic minds of the inhabitants? Or simply a contraption in which the process ended up being dangerously taxing to the unstable environment around it? However, maybe the most absurd thing today would be to think ancient miners ever truly addressed random explorers in their mottos and sayings.

Kurin had to admit that he had gone through a bit of a leap in logic. Thinking far too hard on the problem at hand. In truth, he adored challenges. All the thoughts and methodologies that came to a head. And as it became more and more clear that nothing they could do would open the door safely, and nor did the puzzle itself seem to have a solution or even a key, he took a seat. Turning his hand into a shield of wood, he stretched it out over the group, being a little shield against debris. It wouldn't hold if the whole thing collapsed, but it was better than getting a rock to the face. With no agreed upon solution, it seemed they had to wait the puzzle out. And in the most disappointing of outcomes, it turned out that the challenge indeed presented them with a solution... Do nothing. Kurin, had to admit this was the most disappointing outcome... It felt less like a test of skill, and more a test of patience. Which one could argue was an important skill too.

Either way, as everything happened around them, Kurin couldn't help but look at the mechanism. Either way, when it came time to approach the door, he took first step. "Well Shizuka, that was fine work. Don't rub it in any faces though." Kurin laughed softly, either out of nerves or because he actually thought it was funny. "But, good work none the less." He approached the door, watching it slide open and looked to the team. As the most defensive of the group, he took the front. If things went south, he wanted to be able to react first. Helped that out of the whole group, he was the only one who had a skill set available at the moment. His telescopic lens focused ahead of the group, spying on whatever may come up.

"Any thoughts on what may be ahead?" Kurin asked, looking to Shizuka. The boy seemed to be most on game today, even if their personalities collided a bit. In fact, the group seemed to be a mix of strong emotions, and more logical strict learning. This seemed less and less like a puzzle, and more like a simple trip down a historical avenue. Was there a lesson here? Or maybe he should stop thinking so much. They'll figure it out as it comes. They just had to get to the scroll and be done with it. "Kiku, Jaakuna, good work with the fire idea." Kurin added, feeling at least some praise was deserved no matter if it failed.

---

Renji hadn't spoken since exiting the tiny janitor's closet alongside the rest of his team mates. As he looked around the light-filled room, he felt humbled by the enormous Buddha statue located in the center of the massive space they'd walked into. Hundreds of lights illuminated the statue which made sense, given Buddha's true meaning. He noticed the drums too, frowning as he inspected them from afar. Why were they placed so oddly? Nothing came to him, so he figured he'd wait for someone else to speak first.

"Anyone else religious or have any ideas what Buddha here means?"

"The Enlightened One." He spoke softly, his voice barely echoing off the walls of the room. He knew this from his time spent at study back at the monastery. The monks of Shinkai Shūdōin had tutored him in the ways of both Shinto and Buddhism, to compliment his combat training. He hadn't realised he'd spoke until after the fact - when the others had turned to regard him, their inquisitive eyes almost urging him to continue.

"His great light of knowledge is said to have illuminated all the lands in ten different directions." He continued, referring to one of the many scriptures he'd been forced to memorize as a child. He looked again at the placement of the drums, squinting this time.

"Maybe the drums represent the ten directions and we're supposed to figure out which of them are the correct ones?"

As the group's plan began to materialize, the ceiling finally gave in. Water began to rush in at an alarming rate. Kaba, feeling confident in his barrier, did not let his resolve be shaken. That was until the water actually made contact. Kaba's knees almost buckled from impact. "Whew...Guys, this water isn't normal. Either we are deeper than I anticipated or there are special properties that cause chakra to be drained. My barrier is weakening..." Kaba chuckled a bit. Of course the water wasn't normal, this exam was not one for novices.

Sweat began rolling down his temple as the water surrounded the team. He looked at the explosive tags littered at the bottom of the first barrier. He calmly nodded and smirked at the other two."This is nothing...Let's get ready -" Before he even completed his sentence he had formed the smaller secondary barrier around the trio, this one cone shaped. He made sure to leave a small opening for Koma and despite not being used to working with each other, their actions were perfectly synced. The group was shot upwards while the first barrier began to dissipate. He looked forward while they flew through the odd water praying that the surface was near. Due to the strange properties of the water, there was a small chance the barrier would make it to the top intact and with that in mind, Kaba braced to hold his breath.

---

---

Hikaru couldn't help but nod slightly at the fairly tame introduction of the last team member. While he felt a faint familiriaty while looking to the indivifual, by how he acted and how he openly declared that his job normally involved not being seen, the redhead could easily tell that even if he tried to get more info it would be for naught anyway, so he just acknowledged his words and turned back to Ai, waiting to see her answer to the unexpected hole in her planning.

"Kyaaa, how manly. Openly declaring that you'll protect us like that, my heart can't help but go doki doki" The redhead openly exclaimed as soon as Ai explained her condition, partially lightening the mood and partially covering over their conversation to diverge any nearby overly-curious fellow from completely listening Ai's ability reveal and thoughts about the trials. "Guess I'll be in your hands then, please take care of me~" He added with an mischievous wink - the closer to his usual mischievous expression he could get while wearing the bandages as mask - before turning back to hear the Hokage's speech - after all, a more detailed talk about her abilities could wait until later.

Turns out that the time for a briefing didn't actually came, though, as they were forcefully transported to a dark room right after the Hokagr's speech ended. Hikaru's immediate reaction was, of course, try to make sense out of his surroundings, moving to try to reach any surface to understand the size of the small room that they were transported into - just to reach something considerably more soft and round in the process, though he didn't have a chance to know what exactly he touched before someone else managed to open a way out of the small room, giving him the opportunity to exchange the small, dark and excessively populated room for a ridiculously bigger and definitely brighter one.

"Now that's something" The redhead muttered as he tentatively examinated the strange room. He didn't even have the time to wonder about what exactly did his hand fondle earlier or how his teammates reacted to the sight as he tried to make sense of the escessively bright and weirdly decorated room, taking a few seconds to accommodate to the new environment before he once more turned to his comrades, stopping to listen their opinion.

"Well... I don't know shit about Buddha and his ten directions, but I guess we need to try and beat the drums to see what happens." The redhead said after Renji finished his explanation, directly walking towards the nearest drum. He immediately swung his fist as soon as he came near enough the neared drum, directly hitting the surface of the instrument with a punch - after all, the only way to confirm the actual use of the drums was directly teasting the effects of beating one, and since it was a test, they wouldn't just be some death traps anyway... Or so he expected. "I really hope this shit isn't just a way some leaf guys found to kill us in an elaborate manner."

THUM! As Hikaru's fist collided with the drum, a beat surged through the room. Everything shuddered. The walls and stairs rattled like body had picked the whole room up like a toy. Every vibration thumping through the four competitors and letting it ring out. The drum slowly began to die out, still shaking like a leaf before it stopped. The room was silent for a moment, and then once more, it was shaken to the core. A sound echoing out, but unlike the drums, it's far more beastly.



A beast screamed into the air, once more shaking the room. But, there! A flash of light! In the already bright room it would be impossible to track, but it was there. Another flash, and the group was hit by a force. A force like a bull smashing into them, blinding siding them completely in that blinding white light. And then, it was gone, vanished into the shimmering light of buddha's glow. But more a moment, as a shadow of one of the four brushed along the form of the enlightened one...



Something... Something was very wrong about this challenge.

Shizuka Ichimi

---

There were only ever a handful of things that irked the otherwise free spirited Shizuka. And if he were to count them on his hand right now they would be, closed spaces, rude people, and girls with lavender hair that playfully teased him. Shizuka’s eyebrows stiffened as one rose in defiance to what the cloud eye’d girl was saying, but he quickly lowered it so she wouldn’t be able to savor it as she had been the whole time watching him. He would grumble if he could but he took a vow of silence and meditation for the remainder of the test only to move if challenged. He hoped she would challenge him, but then of course he was growing a weak spot for his fellow comrades and other comrades surprisingly, even though he had gone to class with them his whole life. If the test had failed here at least had started a bond and that was in and of itself a reward to a challenge Shizuka had never faced. Regardless the meditation wasn’t doing him very much good as he couldn’t focus with the noise around him so he just sat there mildly grumpy and eavesdropping on his pondering teammates.

However to much of his team’s dismay it seemed that the sand behind him was getting ever so closely to the bottom and the room around them was crumbling like a house of clay. The rumbling led to a violent earth quake that shook the room to its core. Was this a gross miscalculation of his degree of understanding? Was the challenge more than just patience? Was there an actual worm that would help them purge the steel doors with acid? Thoughts raced through his head for what felt like minutes, but quickly halted like the rumbling and shaking of the room. It….was over. Shizuka had indeed figured out the ruse that was cloaked as more. The machine had been broken the entire time, simply just an illusion to lure their insecurities out. Lest they forget about the runes, the runes shimmered with a flash of blue, the inner machinations of the room were activated. A large runic circle they had seen upon entering appeared underneath, a new blemish and a new sound echoed through the dilapidated ruins.

And like an ever changing breeze the blue shifted to the red, and impressive jump on the visible light spectrum. The light vanished from the world around them, Kiku most definitely would have been in her element with their sight being robbed, she was made for this a true light in the dark. Although he would like to praise her he needed his revenge. One singular path and door opened before them inviting them in like a village elder, how could one say no. First was the stick boy who challenged him from the very beginning, the first chess piece to fall to his side, and perhaps the most important. Shizuka rose from the ground cloaking a grin that was unmatched, he made his way to the side of Kiku. “I plan on doing more than rubbing when we get out of here and pass the exams. Stick and stones may break my bones and all that right Mr Class President? Thank you for your praise.” his childhood rhyme overlapping the senju’s ability to spread wood and sticks. Next was the vexing cloudy eyes, he invaded her personal space again in a relentless assault. “I guess the forecast called for overcast today.” Shizuka winked devilishly at her before moving to her ear only a few inches away, she could catch the hint of sweat and a sweet aroma radiating off his body. ”I may have to take you up on that offer, see what you got.” snickering in her ear perhaps leaving goosebumps before turning around faster than a spinning top, digging his hands into his pockets.

He passed the Sundance Kid and nudged him with his elbow. “I know you weren’t scared bud, good acting you had me fooled. I knew you were on my side the whole time. I could feel it. You have to be like the leaf though, follow my lead kid and we’ll be golden.” Shizuka’s demeanor had shift from one of leadership to a perfect harmony of his carless airheaded state of wind partnered with his serious and foreboding leadership tendencies. This was a side few had ever seen, it was rather unheard of Shizuka in his own right. Was the boy learning the value of having a team? “I’ll only call you Fire God if you call me Wind Seeker. Now let’s just head in I’m not so sure it’s going to be as simple as this test so be on guard. I think Cloudy eyes and Stick boy can cover us on this one.” Shizuka once again slapped his hands thunderously together creating a powerful draft that exploded through the narrow hallway, illuminating a world only Kiku could see. They pressed onward.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As the little redneck shinobi tested her acidic saliva on the walls between the door, it seemed only to sizzle a little bit as the wall got used to the acidity and, almost supernaturally, seemed to adapt and overcome the acid. Within a few seconds it stopped sizzling and left only a tiny mark, but the walls had adapted and any further attempt to use saliva at this point would not yield any result at all - not even a sizzle.

As the group debated a ticking noise was audible from a corner of the room - although the purpose was unclear - and upon closer inspection would lead to the team to see a very tiny camera and microphone set that wasn't there before. It must've appeared over the time span over the debate they were having. That, or the ticking noise was the counter alerting them that there wasn't much time left to decide. As if on cue, the voice would boom into their head again.

“Two minutes left, make a decision or fail the test.”

---

---

“Just looking at the sky...” Yogensha repeated after the Hokage, before a faint smile appeared on her lips. “Hokage-sama, with all due respect, but when we look at the sky, it is not a waste of time. In fact, it is just as paramount to our duties as leaders as any other task. Weather is a omnipresent factor in all our calculations,” she explained, leaning sideways slightly and placing her one hand on the table to lean on it, the other being pressed on the sash around her waist. “In a mission, weather is a deciding factor. For the crops of your farmers, the weather is the single most deciding factor. But that is not what I mean, Hokage. You must think of yourself too. To reach a decision of the highest magnitude in the order of decisionmaking, you must be tranquil and at peace of mind. Looking at the sky is.. one of the tools to approach such a state.”

She smiled at his comments about Iwagakure, though did not answer for she felt no love or hate for Iwagakure. They were - in her eyes - similar to Konohagakure, a place she neither loved nor hated. She accepted it, but as an 'ideal' Konohagakure was far from what she idolized. The people were a different matter - Konoha citizens and shinobi had a tendency to be the friendly sort once you got to know them - though, through a lesson she learned long ago in the forest, there are still the unsavory types among them.

But when he noticed the lack of Amegakure students, she couldn't help but stifle a laugh. “You honor me, Hokage-sama, for thinking we have plenty students. But Amegakure is small and so are the numbers of shinobi.” She said it almost as if it was a weakness, and momentarily she looked at the Hokage slyly, waiting to see if he'd respond. When he had, or had not, she simply added, “all the more reason for us to focus on their quality. I am sure our students will impress you, just like the other students have impressed me so far.”

A new arrival entered the room then, one that Yogensha recognized as the Tsuchikage. He spoke to the Hokage, and made sure to bow his head towards Yogensha, a mild greeting for a person of mild stature, and she returned the favor, bowing her head to him as well. “Likewise, Tsuchikage, although I am not sure we need more masculine additions to this tiny gathering of ours. Your students are doing well, from what I can see.”

"Two minutes to make a decision. Great how do we do this..." Tashiro trails off with his train of thought and tries to think of what he knows.

'Very clever whoever the Jounin is surely knows how to make a hell of a riddle. As a shinobi we all have to make sacrifices, but do we sacrifice our comrades so that we can go ahead..." Tashiro thought to himself as he walked towards the sacrifice door way but not going in he stares at it.

"If we need to choose then I don't think there is much choice with me. Two must be sacrificed and two most go through the exit doors. While the voice never said what would happen if four of us goes through either of the doors but there isn't much room to guess what the voice is saying and means. We have two minutes to decide on an answer. And if I must pick my answer is plain and simple. I will make a sacrifice and that will be me." Tashiro points at himself with his thumb as he talked about himself. "Look it is simple I will not sacrifice a comrade or teammate to move my rank up throughout my village. If I was a different kind of person maybe I would wait and see if anyone else will sacrfice themselves but I am not. We might have just recently a few minutes ago or so made this team, and I can't say I know any of you but we are teammates and lets just say I am a sentimental fool with ideals of not sacrificing teammates for personal gain."

Tashiro gets ready to enter the door marked 'sacrifice' He then waits then says, "Well, who is coming with me? Normally I wouldn't ask but you know the weirdness of the challenge I feel like I should ask." Tashiro looks at his hand and thinks back to what Rumia first said when he had asked to join the group. "Haven't even shook on it about me joining up with you girls for the exam. Oh well I guess." Tashiro says that last bit waiting to see what the other three decide to do in this situation.

She listened to her teammates, and felt out the emotion in the room. Shizuka was being firm, Jaakuna was agreeing. Kurin was on the same side as Kiku - she could feel tension in the room heighten. She clutched her hands into tight fists, trying to combat the feeling of anxiety. Shielding her head, she moved her arms up over her head as smaller pebbles began to rain down. Kiku began to open her mouth again, ready to debate with Shizuka. She heard it first, and felt it last. The tremors abruptly stopped, she turned her head to the hourglass - it had stopped.

It seemed a lot happened in the few moments that Shizuka shone brightly as having the correct mindset for this obstacle. She was concerned about the sounds, and sudden loud thuds. Crouching down and preparing herself for a quick get-away if need be, where to she didn't know - would just fuse chakra to her feet and probably stand on the wall. But that would be a feeble attempt if this place was going to collapse, her heart nearly skipped a beat until everything just stopped. Perking back up, she looked around the room physical "What?" She spun around in a circle, still turning her head towards everything. Confused as to what was going on. The sprouting of the broken mechanism actually caused her to jump, she wasn't expecting it - there was so many other things going on sensory wises she had dropped her guard for a moment. She inhaled deeply, and exhaled a sweet breath of relief as nothing continued happen.The poor Kunoichi was now disgruntled at being wrong - only slightly though. She usually led with logic and reason during these trials and tribulations in her life, and liked facts over emotion based initiative.

But she didn't exactly notice that the light had all but disappeared - still in her own dark and confused world. Suddenly a shrill voice broke through her ears, and she almost smacked her hands over them. Then realized it was Jaakuna and almost laughed at his sudden revelation. A little tense at the sudden silence that filled the room - she heard Kurin's praise and gave a thumbs up in his general direction. "Well, it worked..." Kiku responded to Jaakuna's comment taking one of for the team. But what happened next left her a bit more disgruntled - she felt him walk up next to her, and he gracefully came close again to the Kunoichi whispering in her ear. She was now currently shooting daggers through her mask, to her "May? Hmph, no its happening - after the exams," Stating firmly, and placing her hands on her hips and leaning forward her rather ridiculous amount of hair spilling over her body as she did so - she then stuck her tongue out childishly. Not sure how to manifest the current whirlwind of emotions inside of her. Kiku was very confused by this boy's deamenor and aura, he was constantly a pleasant one - even when taking jabs at her eyes. She couldn't sense an ounce of negativity when he spoke -so reacting was rather difficult for her. Kiku began to follow her teammates, staying in the back - as she sent chakra to her senses, it suddenly illuminated vastly. She realized it Shizuka's doing, and went to say 'thank you,' but the moment of irritation wouldn't allow it for the time being. "I'm not sure where this is going...its either very long - or opens up in a very large room," She added after a moment, not sensing anything coming back to her after a few clicks.


_{@Syn@Altered Tundra@Reflection}

When Sakana brushed past Tsukiko she couldn't help but give him a brief glare, though his offense was forgivable as there really was no reason to be waiting. She was unsure of what to expect for the challenge, perhaps something physically grueling or demanding. But instead it appeared to be a test of wits. The room was a vast expanse of darkness with only the proctor and the scroll floating high above the ground at presumably the center of the giant room. His silver flames were interesting but his attitude left much to be desired. Just his voice began to irritate Tsukiko, let alone his tone. The young woman kept her silence but gave this man a deadly glare, unblinking and unflinching in intensity. Only after he finally finished talking did she relent her gaze.

While Sakana and Kamui began to voice strategies Tsukiko first crouched and sniffed the air a few times. Her sense of smell was far beyond human levels but she couldn't detect the presence of anyone she couldn't already see right now. There were no people or animals hiding among the darkness of the room. Remaining in her crouched stance she performed several handseals and planted a fist against the ground. There was a brief rumble across the room before the floor underneath the scroll and the proctor began to rise. It continued all the way up, stopping just a few feet short of colliding with the two. "Now we can actually reach it," she finally said aloud, now standing back up to her full height. Kamui's clone now had a means to reach the scroll, but Tsukiko already had her doubts of the success.

Much like Usagi, she was concerned by the fire. Surely they had to put it out, but as well the fact the flames behaved so differently meant that it was likely they had different properties as well. Could they even be extinguished? "You know... I can just encase the scroll in rock," Tsukiko announced to her team, finally contributing to the strategy. "Either that counts as a success or the flames run out of oxygen and extinguish in a minute. But we have to consider the possibility that we might not be able to put the flames out, or that attempting to do so might destroy the scroll. We can't even be sure this is the real scroll with that shitty emblem on it."

Tsukiko took another glance up towards the floating asshole before letting her gaze wander around the darkness of the room. "We need to clear the room. I don't smell any people or animals but there may be traps or doors or the like. That man has no reason to tell us the truth so this may not be straightforward. I only have explosive tags to try to light things up to scan the room so I might not be the best for it. But if this room really is empty and that is the real scroll... Then I can grab it if we must."