Gisho Omawarisan/Shinko

A large boom could be heard throughout the entire forest of death. Each of the scroll participants had now finished and were presented with the chance to heal if so chosen. The ones who have been fighting already were swiftly teleported away to a new starting zone of the forest as to prevent a repeat battle and ease of stealing the scroll. The rules were made quite simple and would be tolerated rather strictly, any deviation would not be handled nicely. The boom was none other than the voice of the Hokage himself, “SENTOU KAISHI; LET THE BATTLES COMMENCE!” was all he said before a gunshot was heard that issued the start of the second examination.

Shizuka Ichimi

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Seeing and hearing his friend and teammates all cheer and laugh in relief was quite therapeutic for Shizuka. He never really experienced this many shifts in emotions and feelings, before this his closest friend was his landlord and his parents. Come to think of it when he was in Sunagakure he didn’t really have friends over there either. He had done the same there as he did in konoha, one could only guess it was a perk of being a wallflower. Then again it never bothered Shizuka, sadness was rarely an emotion he felt let alone understood enough to feel. In some aspects people might be envious to how naive the boy really was to emotions and experiencing them. Having no attachments and never having to feel pain on the emotional level seemed quite ideal and useful in this ninja world, especially if he were to be turned into a killing machine.

Before he could proceed any more they were abruptly interrupted by the thundering voice of the Hokage which prominently issued the start of the examination. Yet something didn’t sit well with Kiku as she launched a sneak attack on the group. Shizuka’s vision went offline in that moment, his eyes filled with the same familiar cloudiness he had grown accustomed to while looking into her eyes. All he could hear and sense with his wind was her sudden vanishing act. Time slowed down to a near halt as he felt the moment she ran past him and vanished leaving him powerless to stop her. A slither of a second prior to engaging her genjutsu, Shizuka’s air sensed the sudden shift in his field allowing him to kai out of the genjutsu almost instantaneously. “KIKU!” Shizuka screamed, why? Why did he scream? Shouldn’t he had been focused on passing the exam first and foremost?

Shizuka in a confused panic whipped his head around looking around for something, anything. His eyes instantly met with the band Kiku notoriously wore over her eyes. In delirious excitement he ripped the band from the floor where she once sat and channeled her lavender scent from the mask as almost a perfect GPS signal to her location. Before he could leave Shizuka flicked his fingers creating small orbs of air that splashed against the bodies of his teammates knocking them out of their blind paralysis. “I’m the healthiest here, I’m going after her. We’ll meet up in the forest, take care of each other and use those spores sticky.” What was he saying? Since when did he care about the wellbeing of everyone else but himself? Regardless Shizuka darted into the forest almost weightless as the noble wind seeker was in search of his favorite cloud.

In her current critical condition Kiku wouldn’t make it quite far with a mostly healthy Shizuka pressing on her heels. Weaving in and out of branches above and roots below the scent drew him closer and closer until he was able to perceive the blind girl within his vision. In almost sound breaking speed he darted towards kiku before landing in the earth alongside her cutting off her route of escape. “Why did you do that? Where did you think you were going?” Shizuka realized how bewildered he was and how it might not have helped the situation at hand, maybe she was confused or scared, he was getting better at reading social cues, but not a master yet. Shizuka scratching his head and forming the same persistent smile that intoxicated her in the first place, let out a soothing voice, “I think you forgot something cloudy eyes.” Shizuka said before invading her privacy once more as he wrapped the mask around her clouded eyes. Whether she attacked him or not was up to her and if she did he would have left himself wide open.
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With Kyo and Senna making it out of their trial with the others there was rather small room for praise. They were last, dead last and that was never a good thing. How many uchiha does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Apparently more than 3 to find a scroll, but then again it was also Kyo’s over analysis that drove them into a corner. They were more or less all at peak health just as they were when they entered, little to no chakra was wasted by any of them aside from Kyo. So there was no need or arrival of medical ninja, just Shinko with his fast explanation of the rules. It seemed like as soon as he finished the explanation that they would hear the roar of the Hokage’s voice over the entire vicinity of the field. No doubt this was a declaration of war and the start of the second exam for all teams and individuals.

It was time to plan and execute as a team, it seemed almost too free and unfair to be a team of Uchiha with a sensor that was most likely the strongest there was in these exams. The interworking of his mind began to spin and weave devious plans. His mind moved, but his mouth stopped, a heart dropping pit was felt in Kyo’s chest when he caught the vision of Mizuki. Mizuki? Mizuki died in that forest only days ago, or did he? How was he alive? The aura filled the other two uchihas with dread and confusion, senna could be heard audibly gasping in horror almost in tears. Kyo grabbed Senna by the hands before they vanished off into the distance chasing after the mirage or real Mizuki leaving the other two behind. The connection they shared with Senna was gone now, they were naked once more.

The initial attempt at a scroll was narrowly foiled by Sakana's quick thinking. He had just the reflexes to block Tsukiko's slash in time; so close that she still cut about halfway through the cord before her blade was deflected. It was a good attempt on her part but she still followed through with her escape to the trees above, which apparently avoided a wind attack from Usagi. Before the wild woman could make her escape from the other three Sakana appeared before her upon the branch she landed on. He used a substitution to avoid Usagi's attack and intercept Tsukiko, two birds with one stone. Already it was cemented that he was clever and quick but still it surprised Tsukiko. She immediately shifted her body into a combat stance, spinning her ninjato in her hand to hold it in a reverse grip before spreading her feet further apart in a low and wide position for optimal balance. However Sakana wasn't there to attack but instead to reason.

He gave a little speech after relaxing out of his handseals, though Tsukiko remained on full alert throughout its duration. His analogies were cute but not completely accurate. She was confident that she could retrieve a scroll from another full team on her own. But it was true that it could be easier as a team effort, should things go south. When he tossed his own scroll to Tsukiko she shifted her position to bring her unarmed hand forward to catch it, finally holding her blade to her side and relaxing out of combat. While Sakana continued to explain his logic Tsukiko took a look back down to the ground, to see how Kamui and Usagi were behaving. Joining forces with Sakana would be relatively pointless if the other two were fighting but it appeared that they were only at a standoff. Tsukiko had done a good job at dismantling the team, but Sakana also did a good job at keeping it from totally falling apart.

When she looked back up to Sakana there was a suspicious glare in her eyes. "There's something about you that I can't quite put my finger on," she finally spoke. "The way you think is dangerous. That kind of charisma only belongs to the worst of people." Despite her words she finally sheathed her ninjato, freeing up both her hands to begin tying the second scroll to her belt on the opposite hip of her original. Once making sure it was snug and secure she returned her attention back to Sakana. "I'll trust you, and this team, for now. We are allies after all, but today we are also rivals. I won't hesitate to kill allies if I have to so imagine what I'd do to rivals if I felt the need." She kept both her hands free, leaving her weapons on standby as a sign of good will. Instead she crouched again, bringing a hand up to her chin as she clearly began to think about something. Her eyes slowly drifted away from Sakana back down to Usagi and Kamui though she remained motionless otherwise.

"We have to find another team before they find us. An ambush will make quick work and give us our scrolls, then we can leave the forest and be the first team to complete. Potentially the only team to fully succeed. Although..." Now her eyes shot back up to Sakana. The suspicious glare from before was replaced by an angry fire. "Our performances will be evaluated and so far you are the only one to make any particular strides. It'd look better for the rest of us if you took a backseat role while we retrieved more scrolls. It'd be embarrassing to pass the exam but only one of us gets promoted..." She relaxed her gaze and looked down at the branch as she continued to think. "I haven't been able to pick up any other scents but our own since we got here, so we'll need Kamui to find our targets and anticipate their movements..." With that assertion she looked back down at the red-haired shinobi below. She would understand if he wasn't particularly happy to work with her now after her attempted betrayal, though she figured he would put that aside for the greater goal of promotion. Hell, he might even have understood that there was nothing personal about it and not even think about it anymore after a few minutes. Sakana was right about this team being ragtag. A mish-mash of personalities and skills. But as Tsukiko thought about it perhaps that would be an asset. Individually each of them were strong, so together they would be even stronger with coordination. But can we be coordinated? I wonder if anyone else will try to take the lead or if we'll let Sakana make the calls...

Nousagi paused, his eyes noticing that his opponent had stopped moving. In all honesty, it was probably for the best. By the time the proctor had approached him, the Hyuuga was more than ready to continue onto round two. "Well, normally I'd be honored, but I feel I should focus on... Other matters." Nousagi said, turning to the proctor with a smile. "Either way, I came here to test myself. The rank of jounin would be offered to me anyway." He nodded as he spoke, and the other ninja from the branch clan nodded as well.
"Lord Nousagi was always a shoe in for the position. A tournament like this is for others who can't prove their skill otherwise." She said, smiling at the proctor. "But it's good to know you care."

But as Nousagi soaked in his victory, he decided he should check in on the lesser of his clan. Branch member Kaijin had entered the tournament as well. A waste of such skill to be honest... The lesser of the hyuuga was clearly the strongest of the branch clan, but as Nousagi watched the fight from above, he couldn't help but notice how pathetic it all seemed. By the time it was all over, he was the first there, hands on his hips to great the branch clan. "Pathetic." Nousagi grinned from ear to ear. "Why, a real Hyuuga would have destroyed those wires easily." He smirked, smug as always. "But, I must admit, for the lesser ninja you actually put up a fight. That at least should be honored." Nousagi said, holding out his good hand, and tapping Kaijin on the cheek.
"Lord Nousagi, please don't tease Kaijin. I th-" The other branch member began. Only to be immediately be silenced by the black haired hyuuga.
"Nobody asked you... Please do yourself a service and be quiet. Kaijin deserves attention from a true Hyuuga for his... Accomplishment." Nousagi snorted. "Now, Kaijin, lets go watch the rest of the fights."




"So uh... You think this is a summon?"
"Look, this thing is wearing a headband, and the other ninja isn't around. If it is a summon, we gotta fix it up anyway."
Ugh... Why did Bumu's head huuurt? Why was everything blurry? The last thing the fox remembered was water filling his lungs, and then... Wait a minute! She passed out! Oh shoot! Coughing and sputtering, Bumu's eyes snapped open, just to see two medical ninja standing over him, confused and clearly trying to figure out what just happened. Checking his body, Bumu took a moment to absorb every detail. One... They where in a forest. That was obvious. Two, they beat the challenge and where being taken care of by medical shinobi. Three... Bumu was a fox. OH! The fox scampered to all fours, snapping his teeth when one of the medical ninja reached out to try and poke him. Apparently he didn't seem real enough.
"Hey, don't poke me!" Bumu growled, looking around and preparing to hop away. Only to freeze, wincing in pain before she could even leap. Oh riiiight, broken rib. The rough patch job of a bandage made it clear they didn't exactly know how to operate on animals. The spike of pain caused the fox to stumble as the two ninja stood up, confused and concerned.
"Hey uh... Is this one of your guys summons?" The first ninja asked, clearly the larger of the two as he turned to Kaba and Koma. Clearly one of them had to be responsible for the fox. "And where did your third partner go?"
Bumu opted to stay quiet, mostly in a mix of panic and fear. Oh shoot, the disguise was over. Each twitch of an ear made the fox shake, slowly taking a step back, eyes on the bushes. If Bumu could get to the woods, she could recast the transformation jutsu.




Kurin rubbed his forehead, feeling a tad dizzy after such a smack. But it seemed the team got along well. So why did Kiku suddenly run off. Shizuka was off after her before he could say a thing, leaving Kurin wondering just how Shizuka knew about his ability to track others. Well, it sounded useful, but considering this was a forest, Kurin have better means. The blindness cost him a few seconds, which alone made this annoying. But as the blindness vanished, he knew he should get the plan going. Rubbing his eyes, he nodded to Jaakuna, still not speaking. His throat was too badly damaged at the moment, but that'd heal. He just had to focus on his other tracking technique, one better suited for such a dense forest. Wood Release: Root Sensing Disturbances.

Placing his hands on the nearest tree, Kurin began to focus. His chakra pushed into the trees, and suddenly, his senses where alive. The roots of the forest mixed together, interwoven like a net. His mind connected to each tree, mapping out the area around him, and somewhat beyond. He could feel each time another ninja tried to jump from branch to branch, and even the ground they walked on as long as roots where buried beneath. But as far as Kurin could be concerned right now, this was the advantage the team needed over the others. If they knew where everybody else was, they could attack and defend better. This connection made his detection skills immeasurable here. In fact, he couldn't detect any wildlife, except for one fox... Weird. Otherwise, all humans. He'd know as soon as anybody approached them. Or tried to attack his allies.

Pulling his hand away, the forest ninja took a step back. The forest of death was a bit of a blessing, as he now only had a few teams of humans to keep track of, rather than a whole mess of wildlife. He turned to Jaakuna, silently miming his success. With the two of them, Jaakuna could easily handle any kind of offensive combat. Kurin though, he was in his element.

The whole forest has been connected to Kurin's senses. All inside are now tracked.

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To say Usagi wasn't caught off guard would be a lie. She didn't lean down to pick up the scroll as she knew it could be a trap to lower her guard, but Sakana was quite resourceful and a very quick thinker - he didn't simply avoid her attack, but he saved Kamui from it and managed to stop Tsukiko in her tracks. Thing is, he wasn't attacking - he was trying to reason with her. Usagi was a peaceful shinobi who didn't often vouch for violence, but the moment Tsukiko so quickly attacked was the moment she lost trust in the team as a whole. Everyone fought with the objective of becoming a jounin - and while Sakana was right on the four of them being ragtags, Usagi couldn't help but wonder how long it'd take for Tsukiko to stab their back again.

That and Sakana seemed too smart. Too smart to be good. His positiveness didn't mesh well together with the rest of his... persona. Usagi kept her sword in her hand at all times, ready to flow her chakra into it and move into a fight should the need arise - but for now, it seemed as if the three others were on standby. Eventually, Usagi took a deep breath and sheathed her blade, relaxing her stance and posture in general. Was this it, then? She'd collaborate, even if only until someone else decided to move against their own team. She hoped the fact that she seemed to drop her stiffened stance and sheathed her sword was enough to show that she was willing to work together again. Truth be told, Usagi was alert now - and every suspicious move would unleash her and she wouldn't hold back a second time. A backstabber needs no second chance.

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Yuu was late. As a result, he moved onto the second part of the exam without competing in the first. As a result, he already had generally lower chances than the rest - at least, that was what he assumed. The change of scenery happened in a flash - in a moment, he was waiting in the arena. At the other, he was in the Forest of Death, with instructions to bring two scrolls to the center in order to succeed. Since he had a scroll of his own, this meant that he'd need to find someone in here and take their own - and certainly, no one would handle their scroll without a fight, so, things must be done, right?

As a result of his intense training, Yuu was particularly agile and fast. Moving through the forest would be quick, but he couldn't exert himself to avoid becoming too tired or to avoid fatigue in general. He'd need everything in order to take someone's scroll. So, Yuu moved carefully - yet at a steady pace - through the woods. For all he knew, there was a possibility that he was being tracked or sensed through some technique or another already, but as long as he was prepared, he could face everything.

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“There's no need to imagine,” Sakana idly commented on Tsukiko's remark as to what she'd do with rivals. He was right, there was no need. “You've already shown you are willing to do what it takes. I'm just asking you to apply that will in a different direction.” He agreed with her on the notion of an ambush though, as that was exactly what he'd been thinking. If the goal of this test was to acquire scrolls, then whether or not they did it by combat was irrelevant. A jonin that accomplishes his mission with no combat at all was, in truth, far more effective than one who had to slaughter a village to do it. All it would take was a willingness to use violence if it was required. Sakana, however, was not predisposed against going over other people's backs. Just preferably the backs of other teams.

Sakana couldn't help but feel the irony in her statement about embarrassment. She was right, in the sense that it'd be embarrassing if he was the only one to get promoted. But at the same time... it'd be far more embarrassing to be given a scroll on a silver platter and pass that way without having to lift a finger. He kept this comment to himself, however, as his eyes shot to Kamui.

“Find us a target.”

Once Kamui had understood, he looked back at Tsukiko. She was now, in a shared position with Sakana, the most influential member of the group. Although Usagi and Kamui were both strong shinobi in their own rights, they hadn't spoken up to either Sakana and Tsukiko. All Sakana could draw from that was that both of them were just waiting to see where the cards would fall. Tsukiko.. her loyalty was bought and, as a result of that, Sakana expected her to ditch them to hand in her scrolls if things went wrong. Usagi and Kamui? They had no insurance. Their betrayal, if it came, would be unexpected, unlike Tsukiko's. “I'm anticipating some of the other teams broke up too. We should go after loose targets, perhaps. People are tired, they just completed the first trial and some of them might have had to fight, unlike us. After Kamui healed me, I'm at full strength, and so are you and Usagi. We just need to guard our support shinobi, Kamui. Rely on him to snag scrolls, maybe. Unless you're intending to take them from the bodies?”

By now, Kamui must've found a group or a set of loose shinobi, preferably one with expended chakra reserves, if he was at all capable of finding that out. Sakana wanted to go for the easy targets - the weak ones. The weak fell behind and that was true for shinobi too. He turned around and made ready to leave, but remembered something that seemed important to note. He turned back around and faced Tsukiko and the others, before undoing the buttons of his flak vest. “Before I forget,” he noted, lifting his undershirt up a bit. A strange thing to do were it not for the obvious purpose - underneath it was the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing seal placed on his torso.

“In the event that I die,” he calmly stated, “it's better to run.” He stated it rather matter-of-factly, seemingly not really having any qualms that his death would trigger a jutsu that would kill those around him. Even in death, it seemed, Sakana seemed satisfied that he would serve a purpose, that he'd see what fate death would hold for him. He then lowered his shirt and did the flakvest up again, before turning around and making ready to leave to whatever direction Kamui directed them. “Okay, let's go.”

The girl had disappeared rather quickly, her Body Flicker took her a 100 meters out. She grimaced from the pain that was being met in her calves, the lava had truly done some major damage to her muscles, tendons, and nerves. Stopping momentarily, Kiku bent down and rubbed her hands down her legs. Popping right back up and staring behind her, "Did someone just call my name?". She closed her eyes and listened again, but nothing else met the Kunoichi's ears. Kiku then hopped down and began to move onto the ground at a rather normal quick speed for a Ninja. She could now feel a presence quickly gaining on her. Grumbling, she reached into her Kunai holder pulling out three - she quickly whipped around and threw them only to realize that as she was throwing them the aura was now in front of her.

Turning back around, she dug her heels into the ground - the two sliding in unison. Her long lavender locks flowed behind her and slowly fell down to her sides as she stood facing Shizuka. This Shinobi was getting under her skin, and right now it wasn't in the best way. "You didn't hear the Hokage? We're all against each other now....I cannot fight any of you. My team," She spoke, and inhaled deeply to let out a slow exhale match it. Her eyes met his, and she slightly squinted as her vision blurred in and out momentarily. Wiping her right eye with the back of her hand, she realized it was wet and raised an eyebrow at this. We're her eyes tearing up? Kiku looked back to him, his concerned emotion confused her - but he managed to crack one of his toothy grins. Again, he came close to her - this time she stood still and let him wrap the mask around her face - the pink returning to her cheeks as he did so.

It was quiet in that moment, the leaves rustled as the wind picked up. She could smell the sweat off of him, they both needed to shower - Kiku certain she herself was probably radiating the same body odor. She could feel her persistent heartbeat, but wasn't sure if she could hear his as well or if her's was beating that hard. Her hands started to shake as she brought them up to the sides of his face, grazing his cheeks lightly with her finger tips. Bringing herself up on her tiptoes - she brought her lips mere centimeters from him. Their breath would collide, as her hands went down to his chest. It was weird, she actually wanted to touch his lips now in this moment of her plan of distraction. Each hand landing on one pec - she then would probably hurt the boys feelings at this point. Kiku pulled her hands away, and slammed them into him pushing him away from her. Jumping back, and fell to her knees instantly - she was gonna have to get used to this muscle damage.

"Look Shizuka, I have no clue why you take constant interest in me....But I can look out for my own. I know I wasn't the best in that challenge, but I cannot fail now....I'm going blind, I'm not fully blind. I appreciate every ounce of selfless help you gave to me, but I can do this..." Still on her knees she punched the ground, "I'm going to get the one in the center before anyone else. I'm clearly in no condition in fight, but if you're going to stop me - I will do what I can to ensure you don't". The girl seemed agitated, but one could tell that with her words it really was just more or less at herself. Her Genjutsu was useless back there, but out here - she could shine in her own little dark world. As long as she used her Gen/Ninjutsu, she would be fine, her second strongest factor - Tai was currently out of the question with her current state. Standing up, she put one hand still hand out of front of her - palm up, the other folded behind her back. A bluff at this, she wouldn't charge him or attempt to fight him, she merely wanted to obtain the scroll in the center and finish this portion of the exams.

Hime Yuki

@Pirouette @Savato @BladeSS4

Hime repaid the eager Kyoka's affection with another cuddle and even giggled a little at her offer of a favour or meal no matter what. "You're too kind, Kyo-Kyo!" She chimed before parting the embrace and picking her scroll out to keep a firm grip on it, instinctively keeping it within her grasp juuuuuuust in case there was an attempt at some sleight of hand from the acidic cousin.

"I wasn't born yesterday, Rumi, after that easy test you want an even easier one? There's no fun in that at all! Tash and I will run off into the forest, together or separate, and we'll do this properly. It wouldn't be much of a trial if I just gave you the scroll, besides I said almost the same thing as Kyo-Kyo during the start of the test, but no one gave it a chance then, so I put a lot of effort into the thinking side of things too." Hime beamed with some pride and gestured to Tashiro. "Get running, we've gotta try and pass as well, you know!"

As the Hokage declared the test to begin, Hime's fairy wings popped into being again as she took hold of Tashiro's hand to pull him along. "See you in the forest, Rumi, Kyo-Kyo! Good luck! C'mon Tash! Run, run, run!" She once again chimed before she took off towards the forest, going as fast as the little wings and defiance of gravity would let her go.

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@Reflection @Syn @BladeX

Finally, victory over the fish-man was assured as they managed to finish him off completely and relinquish the scroll from him, just for the group to be whisked into a whirlpool that unceremoniously dumped them all onto the ground in the outskirts of the Forest of Death where some medical nin and Shinko were waiting for them.

Being the only one actually conscious, the young kunoichi found herself coughing and spluttering and taking in every breath she could physically muster as they were given the sweet freedom of not drowning once again. She almost didn't believe that they were actually free of the trial yet, but all evidence argued that they were indeed onto the next stage.... And Koma was tired, drained and more or less in no good state to continue, then there were the other team mates that she had to worry about, waving off the medical-nin to handle those two before she would see treatment.

Where was their third? They hadn't died too, right? There was a fox that was coming round to consciousness now that sounded a lot like their third team member but it couldn't be them... Right? But she felt that there was something familiar about the fox and it's voice, as well as it's general demeanour. "Huh? Oh! Y-Yeah, they switched places with their summon before we got pulled out of the trial, they're probably already in the forest, they said that's where their summon tended to live. You should probably let it swap places with them again." She began to explain as she looked at the fox, then at the medical-nin, one of them starting to treat her rather superficial, yet still heavily bleeding, wounds.

If she wasn't so mentally exhausted from almost dying several times, she would've been quite embarrassed about being so exposed whilst being treated.

Then she looked at Kaba, the barrier nin she'd worked with, as he was being brought back from the brink... Surely, there was no way he was going to be in a good enough shape to compete for these scrolls, so she would tuck her scroll into his possession with his other one and steadily struggle up to her feet and begin to assess her situation.

No longer in possession of a scroll, a few smoke bombs and just enough chakra to set off her genjutsu once or twice. Well, it wasn't like she was in a good enough shape to continue to fight, and she had to repair her cloak. "Please take him through the exit, I don't think I'm able to continue with my current state either, so I'm withdrawing here."

Shizuka Ichimi

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There was something off about Kiku, she was never this unhinged or angry. Even when Shizuka would unintentionally provoke her she always seemed to take it with a grain of salt and understood the method behind his not so madness. He was confused and angry at himself for he figured he must have done something wrong to send her into such a spiral tirade. “Kiku…I don’t think you heard everything he had to say. You’re hurt! Let me take care of you. You shouldn’t be walking on fresh injuries.” Shizuka prayed. “He did say we had to fight each other but it was optional. I’m sure the other teams are staying together as well. I don’t want to hurt you either so please, just please let me help you.” Shizuka pleaded with the blind girl. First his teammates back at the entrance and now Kiku, what was he turning into? Life seemed so much easier when his head was in the clouds and the wind at his side.

Her eyes were wet like clouds about to explode with rain. The revelation contorted Shizuka’s heart, her pain was quickly becoming her pain. It was as if someone stabbed a dagger into his chest and pulled it out. How many times did they do this song and dance? It seemed they worked in tandem with the laws of magnets, they were always drawn in so close to each other. With the scurrying wind of the forest blowing through them, they exchanged all five senses in that moment even if her vision wasn’t so well. The wind brought to him her sweet soothing scent of lavender, but now it was mixed with the saltiness of sweat and charred skin. His eyes met hers and the wind didn’t anything but lower the heat flash he was feeling. More sweat beaded on his eyebrow and forehead while his heartbeat echoed in his ears. This only happened last time they got close, when she yelled at him for being so reckless in the second room.

Her cool hands touched the sides of his face almost trembling, transporting him to another world. There was an unfamiliar feeling in the pits of his stomach. It were as if butterflies were flying around on the inside. Was this what his parents told him about before he left for Konoha? Their lessons in life weren’t completely wasted on him. Everything they taught him he reserved in the back of his head, it was only through these continued challenges and experiences did they come forward and changed subtle little nuances in Shizuka’s mind. Kiku was closer than before, her lips seemed to almost gravitate towards his own, her breath was deep and felt hot on his skin. But just like that she pushed off his chest pulling away from him before instantly collapsing, he body was still in pain and in need of therapy. The bitter confusion hurt him, but also eluded him due to his naivety.

With the gust of wind brought another lucid image of his past. ”Father why do you and mom put your faces together like that? His father caught off guard like most parents when asked about adult learnings. For the once great chief of the Samurai he was only ever caught off guard by his precarious son. “Well you see when two people love each other a great deal. They show it by kissing. You’ll know when you found love when you see it at first sight. You’re completely exposed to that person for better or worse and you constantly think about them first. Especially when you start to get weird feelings inside of you, like butterflies in your stomach. Butterflies? ”That’s weird! You’re silly papa I don’t have butterflies in my stomach.” his memory faded with the two of them giggling in a fit of shared bonding.

”But I thought they told me love was for people you care about like Kurin and Jaakuna as well? So there’s two types of love then….butterflies?” Kiku’s rigid fighting pose and loaded comments brought Shizuka back to the forest of death. Rather than say anything Shizuka’s face was burning with conviction, his eyes practically on fire. There was no rebuttal and no attempt at dissuading the girl, he knew what he had to do. Walking briskly up to her grabbing her palm with one hand and reaching for the other arm behind her back before pulling her into to him. There was no hesitation only the two of their lips meeting. Birds fluttered away at the exposition that Shizuka ushered in with a moment of serene silence following suite.
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Kamui couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief when Sakana managed to calm down the situation through the use of his weirdly effective gloomy charisma, going as far as showing some slight satisfaction in his face as he once more stored the fan that he used as weapon inside one of his seals - quite the weird sight, given how the Uzumaki's facial expression hardly demonstrated anything other than a listless apathy. His face had already returned to his normal apathy in the following second tho, as he looked as apathetic as always whem Tsukiko looked towards him - after all, the last thing he wanted was showing a sign of weakness in front of the savage woman - answering her glance with naught but a slight tilt of his head, as if wondering why did she even bother with looking towards him, clearly demonstrating that he was far from being affected by her previous acts - a result of his sensor technique letting him detect lies through the fluctuations of a person's chakra, and thus knowing that Tsukiko was sincerely helping them... For now.

He didn't even need to wait for Sakana's order to start searching for their target, quietly accompanying the movements of the teams that gradually filled the area as Sakana continued talking, concentrated to the point of where he didn't even react when the shinobi revealed the seal in his body - though he did rejoice internally when he did so, as he confirmed that his decision of planting a trap in his body was indeed wise, for no sane person would willingly decide to set such an absurd thing in their own body - concentrating his attention in a particularly run-down team, with 3 of its members showing chakra fluctuations that represented that they were either facing an internal conflict or just got out from an extremely dangerous fight (hopefully both). He immediately darted towards them right in the following second, using the opportunity provided by the fact that one of their members ran away towards the forest, being followed by the only relatively stable member of the group (possibly chased? He couldn't tell since by what he could see through reading her chakra fluctuations, the person in the running side seemed to be facing some serious emotional crisis) - and thus leaving two weakened members behind.

"A group of four just broke into two duos. Three members seem to be weakned... Shit!" Before he couldn't completely relay the situation to his comrades - that hopefully followed him - one of the weakened shinobi released some weird technique - possibly a sensory one, though Kamui couldn't confirm - triggering Kamui into slightly shifting their trajectory to make them able to target the area between the weakned duo and the other duo of shinobi if they tried to reunite - that now seemed to be weirdly close one to the other, making Kamui mutter a small curse to their shamelessness before he reported the change in situation to his group."Weakened guy just released a technique. Possibly aware of our position. I recommend accelerating to attack them while we can." He quickly relayed right before they entered the proximity of the group, suppressing the urge of suggesting circling the group to ambush the other member of the duo to Tsukiko - after all, he just suspected it was a sensor technique and thus couldn't risk talking loud and alerting them about his presence. Hopefully, they hadn't any method of communicating with the other group for now.

The girl felt like she had something to prove, which was her main goal in running from the group. She kept a stiff, rigid composure as her hand invited him to attempt to fight the girl. This of course, not what she wanted to happen - but her mind also began to flee to the idea of a possible ambush, or run in with any of the other students in the exam. Her mask on, her senses were heightened yet again - she couldn't hear or sense anyone in the immediate area. Except Shizuka was no emitting an aura that made her stomach seem to sink with a decision of regret on her part from pushing him away. Her hand was now quivering as she was feeding off his emotion. Her jaw was clenched tight as he began to walk towards her, "Shizuka - I'm not joking with you..." She grumbled, knowing that he was one to not exactly take people seriously all of the time.

But she let him encounter her space one more time, and this time her mind went blank. He swiftly grabbed her hands, though she could've easily pulled away and fought back. She didn't. No thoughts exactly entered, and no thoughts formed - just shock and surprise met her. As did his warm lips. Her arms were limp in his hands, but she broke them free and they moved up his back to the back of his head. Her fingers entangled in his short deep brown locks, her senses all pulsating in this moment. The kiss broke, and she pulled back, pulling her mask down and her eyes meeting his, "You caught me off guard is all..." Kiku stated bluntly, her cheeks tinging shades below his eyes. His ruby eyes pierced her waning lavender ones, and there was silence in between them for a moment. Kiku hadn't cared for the idea of love, though her parents had a great marriage - she just wasn't intrigued. The idea of becoming a great blind ninja is what drove her, she rarely cared to look to a man's face for any form of comfort. But his brought her some without even trying. She walked back up to him, her hands rising again - he possibly though it would be to his face again. But, alas, her hands stopped at his jacket and she gripped it tight in her fists and shook him "Don't ever surprise me like that again!" She let him go with a small push, and crossing her arms - as a weird feeling filled the air.

Something felt off though, like they were being watched. She placed her mask back on, and began to sense when it felt like she tapped into a new part of herself. The world around her became alive, and more vibrant than before - she inhaled sharply at this new untapped jutsu that seemed to just expose herself. "There is a team near..." She murmured, and ended her sensing, realizing the amount of chakra it was pulling. She lifted her mask up to him, and looked back "We should just leave, the wisesr choice for me is getting a scroll that requires minimal effort" She motioned to her bandaged legs, and turned away from him, before heading off she looked back "You're a decent kisser..." Though she had nobody to compare him too, and then motioned for him to come with her and leave their former teammates behind.

Waiting for the next part of the test.Tashiro was planning on handing his scroll over to Kyoka no questions asked. Suddenly they were in the forest and the next challenge was to begin. He then went to grab the scroll he was going to hand over but first he listened what Hime had to say.

She wasnt going to hand her scroll over to Rumia or Kyoka which Tashiro thought was be the case but he wasnt ready for what happened next as suddenly she ran off, before Tashiro realized it she grabbed him and started running. He didn't have time to say anything as he had to start running with Hime that or be dragged by her. He called back to the two cousins, "See you two in the forest." Tashiro then turned his attention to running with Hime. He was trying not to run into anything as she was dragging him along as fast as she could run.

Tashiro would have laughed about being dragged away if he wasnt now focusing on the task at hand. This was the next challenge and everyone was suppose to be working for themselves. Tashiro wasnt sure if Hime was dragging him away to get his scroll for hersel. Tashiro wants to believe Hime was wanting to work with him during this task. They were just on the same team and she didnt seem like the type to turn on a friend. Tashiro was going to trust her unless she gives him a reason not too. Part of Tashiro wondered if the two cousins from the stone village would attempt to follow them. This task would be easier if they had a team to obtain scrolls. Having someone to watch his back in this challenge would make it easier. Kyoka and Rumia worked well with them He thought if all four of them worked together they would have no problem getting scrolls for each of them. Then again Tashiro had no choice in this as Hime had taken the choice away from him.

Tashiro continued to follow Hime, both by choice and the fact she was dragging him behind her as she ran or flew as fast as she could. As Tashiro followed her he tries to free himself from her grasp so he can follow her without having to be dragged. "So what's the plan and where are we going? We need to find people with scrolls and or go after the scroll in the middle of the forest. Either way we both need to find scrolls so we can pass this challenge. If we are going after scrolls other people have in this test we should find a place where we can place a trap for others in this challenge. It is that or continually search for others in the forest and hope we find someone. So what do you think we should do Hime?" Tashiro asked this as he followed Hime too the best of his ability focusing on not slowing her down as she dragged him along.

---

---

Glancing over to Ai as her sister put an arm around her and tapped her hip in what at first she thought a playful gesture, Ayame smiled slightly. After a moment the expression became more conflicted before Ai departed, leaving her with a frown. Ayame looked at her former teammates, and then threw a barrier rod down, the rod puncturing the ground easily.

She'd rather work with a team, perhaps at least one other person, but at the same time it was risky. What if one of them took it in mind to backstab her, that was the sort of environment they were in anyways. Channeling chakra through the metal frames in her body, she bowed respectfully,

“I doubt you'll want to work together, but I greatly appreciate your assistance in the previous trial. Perhaps we can...avoid accosting one another at least?” Her head rose and she smiled lightly, the slightest hint of worry creasing her brow.

It was in part because of the fact that she'd realized what Ai had done. She'd given her a scroll, which made her even more of a prime target than she otherwise may have been. Of course, it also gave her a distinct advantage over a great many others. Boons and banes as it were.

Drawing forth two more barrier rods, one in each hand, Ayame nodded once more to her likely former allies then oriented herself towards the exit and started in that direction. She moved from a walk, to a job, a run, and then vanished into a Shunshin.

She'd liked Ai's plan, it would likely let her avoid as much combat as possible, and also to choose her opponent. Hopefully she would make it to the exit without encountering anyone else.

---

---

---

Eyes widening at Shinko's sudden appearance, Koutaku quickly utilized chakra threads to move wires and kunai into place for whatever his next encounter became. This meant that there was wire going into the holes of a total of 10 kunai, which were then strung up beneath his shirt and threaded down the inside of his arms to his hands where they were bound at the fingers. There was enough slack that he could move easily, but not so much that moving would reveal the wire at all.

So it was that when the Hokage's assistant transported him, he was quite ready for an immediate engagement. Alas, there was none, which while good, was also troublesome in a way. It meant he'd have to find someone and then steal that someone's scroll. Additionally, unlike the majority of shinobi in this exam, he had not been in a team. This meant that while others might naturally stay with their teams and hunt their peers to gain scrolls while working together, Koutaku did not have that option. He had to do this solo.

Narrowing his eyes a bit as he glanced around, sniffing the air, he took in a deep breath and sent a rush of chakra to his ears, closing his eyes as he did so. Immediately the sounds of the forest became much more clear, but so too did the faint sounds of voices and heavier movement elsewhere. He opened his eyes and sprung into movement, launching upwards into the treetops where he stayed for a moment to get his bearings and make a decision. Here he was protected somewhat by the canopy, the many branches making it hard to attack from any angle with a linear projectile or technique.

It bought him time to think, but it also let the enemy organize.

Not good.

Hmm, so if they were going to form teams, and they were—it was the only thing that really made sense—he would need to exploit the weaknesses of people in groups. That said, he'd need to exploit such a thing when there was chaos, when there was confusion...so he would need to go where conflict was going on.

He listened again, and this time he focused on finding the most noise, non-forest sounds he could, and when he did...well, it was good. He smiled, opened his eyes once more and moved. He was heading for what he was almost certain was an encounter between two teams.

It would be a fight in a larger group. Even if they had sensors and detected his approach, neither side would quite know what to do with him, the interloper. Plus, they would be at eachother's throats, and so would not be likely to all turn against him.

He wasn't a big enough threat for all that. This in mind he traveled the top of the canopy, totally out of sight, he still decided to take an additional precautionary measure. He transformed himself into a hawk and sped up his approach, while also hiding his nature. He even changed his flight pattern to be almost indistinguishable from any other bird in the forest.

They would never see him coming...even if they did he'd just be a bird...or perhaps something else entirely.

This was going to be interesting.

It had finally finished. The trio's struggles had come to an end, and they had finished victoriously but not without a price. They moved on to the next phase of the exam, appearing in a forest. Kaba's entire body ached, he could barely lift a muscle in his current state. Luckily he had protected his body with a barrier just before taking the worst of the now-deceased Sea King's assault. As a result, Kaba only suffered a few fractured bones and a painful ache throughout himself. Seeing medical-nin greet the group was a relief. Kaba sighed, hoping they could at least renew his body to a point where he could advance and defend himself.

He looked over to check on the others. Bumu's true form seemed to reveal itself, and Koma seemed to be in the best shape of any of them. Kaba did not move nor talk as he was being healed. He listened closely as the Hokage's words rang through his ears, informing him of the stipulations of the current phase of the Jounin Exams. He was understandably discouraged. How would a weakened Kaba retrieve an extra scroll? Either way, there was no way he would duck out of the exams. If he was going to fail, it would be from a fair defeat. And as if a god was watching over him, he received a second scroll from Koma.

Kaba's eyes widened, unsure if he was being pranked or not. And before he could even ask Koma her reason, she withdrew. Kaba's shock could not be translated into words - he was speechless and completely thankful. "Koma... I don't understand why you did this, but I won't ever forget it. I hope to work alongside you once again in the future." Kaba examined both his scrolls, a new wave of confidence sweeping his pain filled body. Fortunately, he was a man of determination. He would not allow Koma's sacrifice to go to waste, and he would not allow his wretched grandfather to be right about him. He waved off the medical-nin, ready to enter the fray. He could move now, and had regained a small amount of his chakra back. In his current state, it would be incredibly unlikely he would be able to win a head to head matchup with another. But Kaba could at least protect himself and use his brain. He already had 2 scrolls, he just needed to make it to the finish with the key items still intact.

As insurance, Kaba pulled two explosive tags from his pouch and in a poof of smoke he suddenly had two fake scrolls to fool possible enemies. Kaba would tie and strap the other two scrolls onto his torso. There they would be hidden under his garments. He placed the faux scrolls in his equipment pouch, hoping that he would not even need to use them. Before venturing into the wilderness, Kaba formed a multitude of hand seals and placed his right hand over the scrolls that were now hidden on his body. He applied a seal to both that would prove to be perfect for his situation. A safeguard. Kaba hoped he avoided running into a Hyuuga or someone else proficient in fuinjutsu. He entered the forest without looking back, activating Barrier: Canopy Method Formation in about a 25 yard area around himself. This way he'd hopefully notice someone else before they notice him. Kaba quickly moved, avoiding branches and leaves as to not create sound to draw attention. He was unsure if he could make it to the end without confrontation, but would move along as if he could.

Kyoka had let Hime go without compliant, though a little more time would have allowed a bit more proactive and suggestive touches. Most intriguingly, however, was the nuances of Hime checking for her scroll. The realization had dawned on Kyoka quickly and she let slip a seemingly random chuckle, though in reality she was amused by Hime being at least clever enough to have her wits about her. Even more admirable was her standing up to Kyoka's brutish cousin, even having a semblance of strategy by bringing the boy-wonder, Tashiro with her. It was probably a move out of kindness or loyalty to her village, but deep down, Kyoka had hoped Hime was making the decision out of tactical requirement of manpower. Kyoka doubted it, though...

"Run! Run! Run! Go on and git! Imma be on da both of y'all like a fly on shit!" Kyoka hollered at the fleeing former companions, letting them vanish from sight in an effort to give them a sporting chance. The moment they were, Kyoka turned to her cousin, charging at her before mounting up on Rumia's back like previously. "I want em cuz! Go on and git a chasin'! Dey had der chance to run now we chase! Yeyeyeye! Kyoka hollered on Rumia's back, grinding her body excitedly against her cousin.

---

As soon as Kamui had taken off, Sakana would be right behind them. At this point in time they needed to utilize every strong point in every members' repertoire, and momentarily that meant that they had to let Kamui lead them despite his weakened state. Things seemed to be going fast and fine, but then Kamui alerted them to a change. They broke off - this was good. It was easier to defeat two teams of two than a single team of four. Sakana briefly looked to the side to ponder who they'd be up against, when Kamui continued. Something else had changed. A jutsu had been released? Most likely a sensory jutsu. Most self-respecting shinobi would have at least a single sensory nin in their team... and team fire had two, if you counted Tsukiko's extraordinary smelling sense. “Tsk.” He sucked the air between his teeth in annoyance. Kamui was right - they had to go fast. Even if the two knew they were coming, if they were fast enough they could at least prevent them from preparing adequately.

“Agreed,” he said, and then began overtaking Kamui, propelling him forward harder and harder with every single tap of his feet on the trees - unbeknownst to him, the taps on the trees would most likely also alert the user of the jutsu that they were speeding up. But at that point.. how useful would that information be? Tap... tap... tap tap... tap tap tap... his feet picked up the pace until he breached the clearing and landed on the grass, standing almost directly in front of Jaakuna and Kurin. Both of them were shinobi that he recognized, being a Konoha nin. “Oy,” he casually said to them. For a moment it might've seemed like he was the only one - at least to Jaakuna, who was unable to tap into the sensory jutsu Kurin was using, and thus would not see the other three members of team fire until they, too, broke the cover of the forest to meet this team of two.

“I need your scrolls,” he blandly stated, reaching to his back with both hands where he would pull out the two corded knives that were in their sheaths diagonally on the back of his hip. Although it might've seemed like he was bargaining for their scrolls, he was really just giving Tsukiko, Kamui and Usagi time to get into position and ambush them. However, that would be reliant on their ability to synergize - and so far, if Tsukiko was the guiding principle of synergizing, there would be little of that in team fire. If Jaakuna and Kurin both paid exceptional attention to detail, they would also notice that Sakana no longer had a scroll of his own. If anything that just minimized their gains from fighting Sakana - and of course, it would be impossible for them to tell Tsukiko held Sakana's scroll until she revealed herself.

Sakana himself eyed the area carefully, looking to see where the rest of their team was. He saw, however, nothing. It seemed they had been abandoned, truly.

---

It would have been a shame if Rumia resented the idea of a brawl. But, it was clear this individual was a junkie for the stuff. This overly intimidating approach with an accent on dire consequences was not tailored to have the targets comply. No, the ginger wanted to butt heads, for the opportunity was inexistant in the previous challenge. When Hime would correct Tashiro's conviction and opt for a flee, the lass could only smirk at the turn of events. The desired turn of events.

"What will we ever do, cuz? They're runnin' away and we be sittin'ere on err asses. Already so far away."

The heightened senses Rumia employed allowed her to keep track of the distance and location of their designated victims. Kyoka had a thirst for them too, and with that confirmation, the taller cousin would grin ear to ear. One hand reached back to snag the petite one's collar in order to lift her off.

"Those fellas be gettin' away now. Fastball speshul?"

A quick glance at her cousin's yellow eyes would covey all the morbid excitement the monster would be feeling at this very moment. From collar to actually supporting the girl with her hand flat under the abdomen, Kyoka had to straighten are body as if she were an arrow for this next phase. The opposing arm would straighten and point diagonally upwards, clearly a preparation to actually throw the girl. Chakra rockets burst out of shoulder, arm and elbow, prepped to launch the acid fiend well over the forest of death.

With a second of consideration, Rumia was ready. Flesh jets flared with blue chakra before she'd hurl the blonde with her monstrous might upwards. Kyoka would be like an arrow, flying over the escapees in the attempt to cut them off with the accumulated velocity and lack of obstacles in the air. The ginger, on the other hand, had the jets mutate throughout her back and legs, so she could propel herself forward, and directly pursuit the fleeing duo.

Zigzagging while keeping their ethereal scent, it was clear that she surpassed them in physical might, and channeled this might to make herself even faster. One would only need a convenient obstacle to allow the vile Shinrikyo to bulldoze Tashiro and Hime. They would see her dead-eyed glare fixed on them in the shadows of the forest behind them, famished for 'fun'.

---

---

Transported into an open field with only the very slightest of breezes, he didn’t even bother to glance around. He didn’t wait for their proctor to say or do anything, instead he simply performed the three necessary handseals and activated a technique.


A fine particulate mist spread from his person, dispersing and passing from visible to invisible in barely two seconds. Glancing across the field, his glowing eyes noted the distance between them. About 10 meters, not terribly far really. Watching in silence, robes billowing forwards gently, moving almost as if drawn towards Deki.

“Been thinking about how you did that earlier. Gotta say, I’m going to pay you back 10 fold for that! Cut my flesh, I’LL CUT YOUR BONE! Remember the name Deki.”

The same jonin candidate as before looked the cloaked figure dead in the face as he cracked his knuckles. He too started a series of handsigns, fire beginning to wreath each of his fingers.

“Aren’t you going to at least say your name? Makes marking your tombstone easier.”

The breeze continued to blow, the air between them shimmering occasionally while the two conversed.

“Why bother,” the figure said. After all, there wasn’t a soul alive that truly cared about his wellbeing. In fact, knowledge of his death would only give those few who knew him a feeling of relief and satisfaction. On the other hand, this Deki would hardly walk away from their encounter.

It didn’t really matter either way, though not telling his adversary was a slight in its own right. Besides, the proctor might hear him if he said his name, and he’d rather leave no record of his identity. Not yet at least.

All in good time.

“Fine, I’ll title it asshole.”

With that, Deki was off. Concentrating an incredible amount of chakra in his feet, he jumped straight into the air. Fire blazed in particular from two of his fingers on each hand as he jumped twisting in midair. Following him, they seemed to make two crescent moons in the air. It was… oddly graceful.

He dove straight at the figure, both sets of hands swiping at him.

Glancing up at Deki, he willed the crystals in the air upwards, using small releases of wind chakra to guide their movement and alter the steady breeze to his will. Mentally he calculated the force behind the strikes, and the relative heat of the flames based on their color and intensity.

He raised his hand as if to catch or block the strikes, and with the movement the crystals grew rapidly, connecting to create a dense, interwoven crystal lattice. A curved wall that encircled half of his body, obscuring his head, arms, and the entirety of his upper body from Deki’s view.

He bent his knees, bracing himself before his hand touched the crystal barrier. Immediately, more crystal formed, slamming as spikes into the ground, acting as supports.

Deki flinched as he backhanded the crystal wall, but there was no way he was quitting. Flaring the same hand, a jet of flame burned against the right of the strager’s barrier. Deki grabbed the other side hard with his other hand, sending him pivoting around it. At high speeds he swung around behind his opponent, swiping with tiger claw at it. Deki was going to rip out his spine. If the coward had one.

Two avenues of attack, the first was circumventing the barrier, and the second was to pierce it. He expected the former of the two, and was not disappointed. As the boy swiveled around one edge of the lattice, having already pulled his hand back, he bent two fingers, and then flicked the crystal. A tiny pulse of chakra on the weakest point of the lattice, aimed at all of its connecting points, shattered the entire construct into a thousand tiny crystals. He swept his left hand from front to backwards in an arc on his left side, and the cloud of deadly crystal followed the motion, rending flesh, and whatever else it made contact with.

The attack covered the entire space in an arcing motion on his left side, as if a storm of crystal had attempted to form one fourth of a dome to his left.

Then he met Deki’s eyes with the same expression as before: Boredom.

“Predictable,” he said with a scoff.

A scream was the sound of boredom as crystal bombarded the ninja. The shattered balance point didn’t stop him however. Deki, if he had anything, had ungodly balance. His entire style was based off it. Instead of flying off, he maintained his course, flaring his left hand now to stay in place, and increasing the power in his right. Despite the pain, his movement never ceased, going for a rocket Tiger Fist at the shinobi’s spine, just as he’d sworn he would, trying to pierce it, and inflict significant back damage.

As the figure looked Deki in the eye, he’d be met with a fountain of blood instead of a face.

Deki’s pain was so high, however, he was having trouble trying to snap the spine assuming he was even grabbing it. The world was dark to him

Sensing the movement, the tension in muscles, the shift in the heat of his crystal storm, he channeled chakra into his body and, as the would-be Jounin’s movements continued, he predicted the target on his own body. The chakra began crystallizing, forming a shell up and down his spine and that area of his back. Rather than focusing on covering his whole back, he kept the focus on blocking first the initial strike, and second on healing the residual damage.


However, Deki did of course strike, his hand striking the crystal with intensity, if not precision.
He grit his teeth, but felt the rush of pleasure at Deki’s screams. A smile spread over his face as he stumbled forwards a step, then another before bracing himself. The crystal shattered with the impact, but the way it did so was measured, dispersing much of the damage through the construct rather than into his own body.

With his momentum significantly decreased, the crystals caught up with him properly and before he could renew his efforts to attack the crystals bound together on his form and rapidly grew over him where they hadn’t been already, constricting his movements.

He turned around as the crystals encased Deki’s body, anchoring him in place. There was blood on the back of his shirt where the boy had struck, as well as black burn marks, but they were encased in a thin layer of crystal, and the damage was quickly disappearing.

“Tsumi no Meiwaku(_罪の迷惑 'The Burden of Sin'),” he said with a smile, as he drew back a hand, wreathing it with chakra. He spoke as he reached into the crystal, the crystal seeming as if it moved aside for his arm. He placed the tip of the chakra scalpel over Deki’s heart and, with the contact with his crystal, used the Healing Technique...on the boy’s face and eyes.

They healed fairly fast.

“Don’t feel too bad now. Your sacrifice will be remembered,” he said, and then, before the proctor could get in the way, he plunged his hand through the flesh, and bone of the fool’s chest and wrapped his fingers over his heart.

A wide smile spread across his face, the expression manic, eyes wide, pupils dilated. Then, he muttered something under his breath, and after a moment, Deki would feel a brief indescribable pain followed swiftly by agony and a loss of consciousness.

He let go of the fool’s heart, the body not quite dead, but getting there, and retracted his hand.

He gradually became aware of an adult yelling at him to dispel the storm of deadly crystal dust that raged around them. He smiled at the man, his blood soaked arm raising slightly. His fingers came together, and he snapped.

Lightning curled out from his hand, conducting through the crystals in the storm. Then, he started walking, heading towards the exit of the field. The storm of flaying crystal and deadly lightning followed as killing intent began to roil off him like waves of heat.

There was bloodlust in the chuunin’s eyes.

Shizuka Ichimi

---

The encounter which Shizuka hoped to encapsulates in the annals of his mind forever, only lasted a mere seconds outside of his mind. A sensation he had never felt before, he could understand why his parents enjoyed it so much. It was a titillating sensation that didn’t really make sense to him, but the moment was serendipitous and he enjoyed it as much as he could. She didn’t seem to push away from him as eager as she was moments ago, in fact she ran her injured hands through his mop of hair. Had Shizuka tried that with hers, he’d probably get lost and never find his hands again. When they broke, Shizuka was a bit disoriented but he saw Kiku in a newer light a more sensitive light. Probably a mixture of dopamine and first time jitters yet he was almost most certainly in the puppy dog affection stages now, unbeknownst to him.

In his stupidly innocent boyish charm, Shizuka simply gave Kiku a warm smile before answering, “I thought you never let your guard down, cloudy eyes.” Hoping for another bout of steamy romance amidst the forest of death, Shizuka was instead greeted with the fury of the lavender haired girl as she violent shook him. Emotions were confusing. “Well if I didn’t surprise you, where else would we be right now? You’d be trying to poke my eyes out with your kunai.” Snapping back at the girl. Pushing him off leaving him to dust off his clothes.

He listened to her aroused suspicions, his wind sensing abilities didn’t translate well over large distances at his current level. Having Kiku along was essentially filling in any blind spots he had, there’s a pun in there somewhere. Her mood immediately shifted to defensive as well as his, he lest not forget that they were still in a rather dangerous challenge, the promiscuous kiss was only a small reprisal. Shizuka was carefully weighing their options as she spoke. She was horribly injured and wouldn’t be able to defend well against any close range specialist, her genjutsu was more effective here, but again they had to fall into her gaze. Shizuka on the other hand was completely healed and at proficient fighting prowess minus the constant burning feeling coming from his blisters. A small price to play considering the rest of his team was horribly wounded.

Jaakuna and Kurin were heavy hitters and together worked well, especially given that Kurin was in a forest that would allow his abilities to thrive. He did mention he would send any word as soon as he got moment’s notice. Could he really just leave the two behind to fend for themselves while he watched over Kiku and himself? The dilemma was testing his morality, but they had been split for the last part of the first exam as well. "You're a decent kisser..." echoed through his ears separating him from his thoughts. Kiku was his first kiss, but could he be sure she’d hadn’t kissed anyone else? Stooping down to the child’s game they were playing, Shizuka flicked a gust of wind towards Kiku hopefully lifting her dress, before of course turning to face her. “I don’t like the idea of leaving them behind, but I trust that they’ll be okay. For now we have to get you to the center and the exit. I can go back if anything. Your legs are too badly injured to stay Kiku. I don’t want more people I care about while I can prevent it.”
Shizuka motioned for her to allow him to lift her to make it easier on her recuperating legs, physical therapy was essential, but she was forcing herself too early. The strudel wind seeker was starting to see her pride cloud her judgement, she didn’t want to seem weak and she wasn’t, only she was the only one who couldn’t see that. “Let’s go” Shizuka nodded
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Āito arrived in the absolute middle of the pack. She found herself in the center-right of the crowd and watched intently as a man strode out to the center. His presence commanded attention, but not in the way of an angry parent. Rather in a familiar form, those belonging to the ICDO or perhaps the ANBU black ops would know a figure that commanded presence through purely being there. Standing there she felt as though she could feel power seeping from him. It caught the girl off guard. Her ears tuned into the other students around her bickering over their differently unimportant minutiae before the man began to speak up.

He laid the rules out fairly clearly and it was between two major options. She could either participate in some team-based combat, or she had the option of fighting a one on one match, but in that latter route she had to win her fight in order to continue on to the next round.

It was often times that an age-old saying in Iwagakure that when two options are given to you by a neutral party the one associated with risk is often done in such a manner as to dissuade you from taking the best option.

Āito would not make that mistake. She stood perfectly still, clutching her scroll in one hand while most of the others around her began to write their answers onto it. When it came time to hand them in she was escorted to an area to meet with a proctor who went on to explain the essential rules to the fight. She was under no circumstances supposed to stop fighting until commanded, upon that command being issued she was to stop immediately. Failure to do so would result in immediate failure. The rules were simple enough.

Āito took her place while she waited for the other two fights to take place. By the time it was her turn she spotted a few traces of blood and obvious signs of a struggle. It was a good way to understand what to expect. But not for the opponent that had been selected for her. A young man with dark glasses walked out towards her, from the opposite side of the arena.

“This fight will be between Hokusai Āito of the Hidden Stone, and Kenki Aburame of the Hidden Leaf!” The proctor shouted.

He seemed fairly diminutive, which would lead the fight towards her favor as she saw it. Her skill in hand-hand combat was passible, but a more physically dominant opponent could pressure her to the point of no return. She was not all that well aware of the clans in Konohagakure, which made him a threat immediately out of the gate.

If he pulled something that could be used to end the fight immediately she would have to leave it up to her reaction speed. Genjutsu was her primary concern. The proctor’s hand raised and the entire arena quieted. His eyes glanced between the two of us before he closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. She didn’t dare mirror the action as her eyes didn’t leave his stomach area, gazing between that and his legs. She looked long and hard before her peripheral vision watched as his arm dropped.

Immediately she formed the seal of confrontation and waited. But the young man did not move, save for his hand reaching out towards Āito, palm facing her head. The crowd was completely silent as they rested in that pose for a full minute. Both unmoving until suddenly, a small buzzing sound reached her ears and out flew hundred if not thousands of insects barreling towards the woman.

“Fūinjutsu: Bijutsukan.” Āito said, still completely unwavering as her sleeve rolled off of her right shoulder and a beautiful ink dragon reared its head roaring magnificently. His size increasing tenfold from being able to fit on her shoulder to being large enough to for Āito to ride on. He was beautiful water colours primarily greens and blues, with a pair of stag’s horns on his head and piercing red eyes. The bugs grew increasingly closer as she murmured to the illustrious beast. “Suiton: Mizurappa.” And it followed suit.

As the bugs grew ever closer the dragon made a noise not at all based in earthly sounds before expelling a massive stream of water, immediately stopping the insects in their path. It quickly obeyed Āito’s consciousness forcing the stream in the direction of Kenki, water hitting the tiled floor shooting off into every direction, soaking the audience members. While Kenki prepared to react to the beast Āito immediately pulled a scroll from her side and got to work, sitting down cross legged with the scroll in front of her.

Surely the young man would prepare a counter attack quickly. But she had a small window to make quick work. Bugs appeared to be his primary source of offense, she would need something to counteract that. Viscous liquids would work, but perhaps something stronger and something she had more reasonable access too.

But as the water reached Kenki he formed the clone seal and in a puff of smoke, vanished. From the smoke a demon wind shuriken was launched outwards towards Āito’s dragon, striking it and reflecting off and to the right of the great beast. Only a few feet away from the dragon the shuriken turned into Kenki, but was it a clone or the original?

Āito couldn’t immediately tell which caused her to treat it as a threat in and of itself. The dragon roared in agony as ink began to pour out of the beast, just as the Kenki that was airborne sent a stream of insects down through the beast eliciting a sullen screech as it dispersed back into ink. The dragon that had been immediately above Āito, collapsed from the wound soaking the attacking insects and Āito herself in dazzling ink. Appearing as though it had rained ink from the sky Āito closed her eyes as a shower of bugs with wings that couldn’t flap scattered the ground alongside drops of ink. Her eyes opened as she felt the shower quickly begin to lessen, the ground was painted a beautiful mosaic of colour and the smoke from the clone Jutsu had all but dissipated, the Kenki in the air was the original. The seal of confrontation formed through her fingers almost instantly while a second barrage of insects flew from two sides. The chakra channeled once more just fast enough to protect Āito as a massive Albatross sprung up from the scrolls.

The coos of enamored onlookers filled Āito’s ears but she flushed them out innately. She focused alone on the buzzing of her opponent. As the bugs began to land on her they found themselves stuck. The ink that had fallen on her coating her outfit and skin in the viscous liquid. They couldn’t get through it without consuming the ink first. But before he could issue a mental command to his insects, Āito unsheathed her Tanto and simultaneously the albatross flapped its wings once with a powerful gust of wind. Most of the ink on her sides were ejected and it took the insects stuck on it as well. The albatross began to take flight it flapped once more, powerfully ejecting the bugs and ink from Āito’s form before she jumped backwards towards it, keeping her eyes on Kenki who was about to reach the ground.

The bird acted merely as a bridge as it let itself dive towards his landing position and Āito leapt from it, snagging Kenki’s collar and flipping over the boy, bringing him with her. As soon as she made contact with his collar she felt insects begin to crawl out from his body onto her skin. The Aburame seemed to be a vile, if not effective people.

But it was no matter as the boy’s back collided with the ground and a buzzing sound increased within him she activated the seal around the hilt of her Tanto bringing three ink spears to his throat before the sound she had been waiting to hear erupted from the mouth of the proctor.

“HALT!” He shouted.

As commanded Āito immediately withdrew the spears and sheathed her Tanto, the insects that had crawled up her arm and began to eat away at her Chakra took flight off of the girl and the Albatross dissipated into ink that quickly fell to the ground.

“Advancing in this exam will be Hokusai, Āito!” He said, eliciting uproarious applause from the audience.

She offered the young man a hand in rising to his feet and bowed to him before exiting the arena. She struggled for a moment between replacing the dragon she had lost during the fight as it took time and chakra to prepare or repairing her body. But with the dull ache in her wrist she knew what she had to do. She decided to visit the healer as she knew being the third and final fight in the singles rounds meant that things would be wrapping up shortly.

Her healer explained what she was healing, primarily her wrist, she was informed that she had dislocated it during her extravagant flip over her opponent towards the end of the match. Āito was then handed a scroll and told to hang on to it. She felt ready to go.

Lucky that too. Because she was immediately teleported away and into a forest, the forest actually. The Forest of Death.

She found herself near what she could only identify as the likely exit before a voice was heard by all participants.

“SENTOU KAISHI; LET THE BATTLES COMMENCE!”

She immediately sat down and began to sketch. It took only four seconds for her to draw twenty mice. The goal of the mission was clear. She had a scroll, and presumably so did the rest of the participants. Let the battles commence.

With the seal of confrontation formed the mice immediately scurried off into the corners of the forest. She was looking for an opening, perhaps an open conflict.

But before she found anything she was found, perhaps by mistake.

She remembered the feeling of being tossed into a wall and blinked away the pain from the memory. Glistening purple eyes and short black hair caught the girl’s gaze as she saw herself in the reflection of her friend’s headband.

“Aya.”