[IC] Sentaku

[KZOMBI3]

_{Mentions: @Roach @Fiber @Hey Im Jordan @Infinite Cosmos @Altered Tundra
Location: Chūnin Exams Staging Room}

---

"Yatta~!" The silver haired kunoichi stretched as high as she could above her head, going so far as to even balance on her toes to get that extra height (not that it made much of a difference) as she and the last remaining of her team stood there, staring after their fearless leader as he just runs off on them. The last 24 hours were nothing if not filled to the brim of with studying, sparring, more studying - she'd hafta make sure to inform Katsumi-kijo-sensei that she did actually study for this stupid exam - and of course Karu poking her and Mori with chopsticks resulting in an all out chopstick war. Which then escalated to a pillow war; that she total won.

However, it was at the mention of a fight somewhere near her that boosted her spirits exponentially. With a clap of her hands to her face, leaving slightly red hand prints in their wake, and a successful "YOOSH!" Izayoi was off in the direction of commotion, only adding to it herself. Later as she would think back on it she would swear to herself that Mori was questioning his existence and his friendship to her.

She had been wondering just exactly how this day was going to play out and if she was even going to be able to enjoy it. But as she dove in and out of the other genin there, she came upon the two that spat venom towards one another. 'Figures it would be these two,' Iza thought to herself and like the cat that got the cream, unsuccessfully hid her wide grin. This was gonna be easy, almost too easy, in her opinion. Izayoi was no stranger to how her presence annoys most people especially old classmates. She just needed to make sure to send it 1000% as Karu would tell her. She nearly rolled her eyes at the thought. Steeling herself and fixating that almost too chipper of a grin to her face she jumped out between the two of them. Turning to her gaze between them both, head cocked sideways, bangs mussed about.

"Hey ya, boys~!"

[Roach]

_{@Hey Im Jordan @KZOMBI3}

In an ideal world, Mori slept well the night before his chunin exams, because he was a perfectly functional child soldier who didn’t feel the mounting weight of academic pressure squeezing all the air out of his lungs. Instead, after Iza had dozed and Karu was making a reasonable attempt at it, Mori just closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep, all the while dreaming of what it would mean for him to graduate from the ranks of genin.

Pros: his arrangement with his clan and his country would continue as planned, and he would be on track to becoming the fuuinjutsu specialist of his wildest imagination.

Cons: his arrangement with his clan and his country would continue as planned, and he would go back to the Land of Whirlpools for an indefinite period of time, without a doubt leaving Team 3 behind. Dowsing that pesky Will of Fire that tried its damnest to rear up in his heart.

He kept adding conditions to his own future. He’d only disappear once he was a chunin was one of the first. He’d wait until Team 3 disbanded. He’d wait until Karu had achieved his Sharingan. He’d wait until Katsumi-sensei had taught them all they needed to know from her encyclopedia. Well, at that rate, he might as well as wait for them all to be married-with-children in a picturesque vision of adulthood, their dreams all achieved, except his.

Come morning he was no quieter than usual, careful to hide any lingering sense of doubt beneath respect for his team. Beneath duty –– and something much warmer. If he dozed off during the Hokage’s speech, well, it was fine. The Academy had taught him how to daydream with his eyes open, looking for all the world like he was listening intently to the content of a lecture.

Plus, she was Karu’s mom. And Mori practically lived in her house five nights a week. On the off-chance that he was caught out, forgiveness would surely come easily, right?

Tuning out Karu’s endless panicked babble, he answered his concerns silently in his head, waiting for a pause to answer that never came. ‘Lunch would most likely be after the test. You’ll be fine, you’re sensei’s favourite and you must have picked up something helpful in three years,’ and so on, until he directed them to split up, with special instructions to both himself and Iza.

“Summoning Princess Nurunuru would be a waste of chakra,” Mori said, staring down Karu’s retreating form, face blank. Absently, he noticed that Iza had already left, but he was fully committed now; if he had to explain the problems of this plan to an audience of one, himself, then he would. “The genin from other countries – our opponents – will see her, and will thus be able to plan accordingly if we ever come into conflict. That’s not even mentioning the fact that she hates being called for trivial tasks.”

But no matter how wasteful, how show-offish, how Kaminari the order was, he just let loose a long-suffering sigh and slit the tip of his thumb with the edge of a kunai.

One long-suffering kuchiyose no jutsu later, a blue-green slug slid over the floors of the auditorium. Obligingly, Mori knelt down to pick her up; a purely pragmatic move that delighted Nurunuru with his deference. In a chiming voice incongruous to her whole slimy everything, she said, “Lift me, peasant.” And he did, letting her slither up the sleeve of his hoodie to settle on his shoulder. “What do you require of your benevolent future-queen today?”

“This one would humbly ask for your aid with his reconnaissance of the room.”

“I refuse.” Mori began to make his way into the crowd anyway, careful not to jostle the slug on his shoulder. More than one would-be chūnin paid him a quizzical look as he passed them by, and one Iwa-nin even went so far as to scribble something down in a small pad. “To do so would debase me. I would lose all respect as a heiress–.”

He interrupted before her pitch and volume could increase even further. “Karu thought that Your Benevolence would be the best one for the job.”

“Oh. Well, that certainly changes my answer. Why didn’t you say so earlier?” Her eye-stalked wiggled an implication at him that was troubling to see, and the chakra within her pulsed, warming her ‘cheeks’ like a blush. “If young sir Kaminari believes that to be the best course of action, then of course, I will oblige him. Onwards, steed!”

Not for the first time, Mori wondered if he was really the summoner here – or indeed, if he should have ever signed the contract in the first place.

Nurunuru whispered in his ear superficial information about people of note as he walked towards the commotion. She could, in fact, be quiet when she wanted to be, but she only wanted to be when she had Karu’s appreciation as a carrot on a stick. Of those she pointed out, she recognised a few nin on the older side of genin, as well as a lone shinobi from Mist who glared at anyone whose eyes made contact with his eerie gaze, and a kunoichi from Suna who played with a set of scrolls so worn they were fraying at the edges.

After that, before he could stop her, she began to comment on those Mori actually knew. His classmates. In no world did he need a second opinion on Shirou’s adorability, Kanehara’s rugged masculinity, or the Hinoiki cousins’ edibility – whatever that meant.

“Will young sir Kaminari be pleased with my services rendered?” she asked when they circled back around.

“I’m– I mean, this one is sure he will be.” Mori paused as he caught a glimpse of the conflict on the other side of the room, one that Iza had firmly planted herself in the middle of. He made a noise in the back of his throat, the progeny of a groan and a sigh. “Although, he would surely appreciate it if Your Beauticiousness would so kindly stick around to help in case of injury. Perhaps he would even appreciate it so much that he might reward you with a kiss.”

“Hohoho, a kiss! How scandalous that would be; I could never accept it from such a rogue!” She wibbled and wobbled as she giggled, until her voice dropped into a thoughtful whisper, “Unless...”

Okay, maybe Mori did have a spike of mischief in him. Blame Hirameki.

[sly13]

Tetsu had chosen to stand at the back of the room away from most of the other genin that were present for lady hokages speech. This did allow for him to have a good view of the other competitors that were present for the exams. Gauging their reactions to what the hokage said could give him a clue as to who could be a threat and who his team didn't have to worry about. By the looks of things some ninja to instantly get nervous or scared even at the mention that some would die in the tournament. Not that Tetsu really cared, he knew that his team would pass the exams with flying colors and do Kami sensi proud. As expected, though some of the other villages genin were unfazed even excited at the prospect of a deadly exam. Not that Tetsu could blame them, he himself was all to ready for the battles to begin and prove to everyone just powerful he was.

Once the hokage left Tetsu leaned against the back wall closing his eyes as he thought about the coming exams and what would be his best course of action. If one looked closely, they could see the Black lines form around Tetsu’s eyes as a small almost invisible line of sand flowed out of its container. Levitating into the air a decent distance above his head the sand coalesced into what looked like an eye. Using this Tetsu looked over the crowd of Genin once again with a much better view. At first glance it didn't seem like any of the teams immediately gave him a warning as to their power or skill. Most of them from his vantage point seemed to be more bark than bite.

As his eye hovered over the crowd of Ninja he did notice his teams in rather interesting circumstances. Kotetsu seemed to be preoccupied with cramming for the test while satoru seemed to be trying his best to start a fight with an old classmate. Giving out a small grunt in frustration tetsu was about to move when he saw some of his old academy class mates moving to his own teammates. “This should be interesting,” he thought to himself. It seemed however that while Hikaru was attempting to help his brother it seemed Iza was only egging the fight on. Tetsu gave out another sigh as he watched the exchange between the three waiting for when one of them finally snapped.

[AlteredTundra]

A War of Words, Part Two: Izayoi Annoys

_{Collab with @KZOMBI3 & @Infinite Cosmos}

---

“Hey ya boys~ Whatcha doin’?” Iza’s voice seemed to cut the tension like a finely honed kunai. It wasn’t the most unpleasant noise but it definitely wouldn’t be something they would have selected to hear. At least not here. Not now.

Iza had settled for stalking up to Ren, gliding a finger lightly across his shoulder. He physically flinched outta her grasp and she fixed him with a glare, “Geez, Ren-kun~ no fun… I guess what Sato-kun says is true… nothing but a stick-wielding genin~” she pouted before turning on her heel and with a hop, skip and a jump and it was like Iza had teleported to Satoru’s side of the makeshift ring they found themselves at the center of. Surprisingly, even with the number of taunts and puffed chests, the area oozed threatened pubescent masculinity and yet there weren’t any spectators. Obvious ones at least.

As she leaned over his shoulder, she listened to his breathing pattern; so soft and slow and calmly maintained. Though that didn’t come as a shock or surprise to the Kiryu girl. Satoru was known throughout the academy as someone who possessed a multitude of natural talents such as controlled chakra - so his breathing should be a walk in the park.

Bangs shuffling out of her gaze as she looked straight ahead towards Ren, who looked ready to murder Satoru - maybe even her too if she were unlucky enough to stick around - however, the thrill of it all excited her and she couldn’t the buzzing of electricity that flowed in her. It was only a matter of time before it was going to build up to a tipping point and spill out in the form of her getting into a fight. Anyone would do, though she preferred someone from an opposing village. Except that Katsumi-kijo-sensei warned them not to fight unless absolutely necessary. Which Iza would probably speak on her behalf that now is not absolutely necessary.

Her voice dripped, like the warm honey of his locks, as she spoke to him. Taunting words like she did with the other boy. Trying to wane his patience and weather the calm. “Sato-kun~ you’re supposed to be intelligent but you lack the intelligence to wield a blade as skillfully as Ren-kun,” she released an audible gasp, bringing a hand to cover her mouth as slid away from the boy, her touch seeming to linger as she did, her eyes narrowed in mirth moreso than concern, “You aren’t even on the same level as your own teammate; Tetsu~”

As she pulled away Izayoi could sense the hawk-like gazes the three of them were warranted by opposing nin from other villages. Suspicious looking Suna and Iwa-nin were slowly making their way closer to them; trying to close the circle without their notice. Apparently, believing Ren and Satoru were too engrossed in the other to pay them any attention. Which, as Iza saw it, it did seem like.

She had to curse herself for being too good at getting into their psyche if they couldn’t ascertain the threats around them, not just the ones in front.

Ren’s composure and dedication remained intact regardless of how many times Izayoi tried to get a reaction from him. His chuckled did come when she started to direct her attempts to annoy on Sato, which Ren couldn’t help but gaze towards his opponent's way, trying to see exactly how badly Iza was getting to him. Someone like Sato was sure to be bothered by the things she said about him and how he doesn’t compare to Ren or even Tetsu, his teammate.

Satoru’s attention went from goading Jiren on, to the diminutive Izayoi. Her voice typically incited some sort of drama, given their interactions in the academy. Her comments, as typical of her nature it would seem, were meant to incite even more chaos than there already was. The sword comments, Satoru did not mind. Using a sword wasn’t something he bothered himself with anyways. Given his natural talent, and whatever else the gods deemed fit to bless him with, he has gotten this far without relying on weapons too much. “Its alright babe. I don’t need a sword in my hand to prove that I can fight. As far as being on some sort of level, I can show you some levels.” He said, ending the sentence with a small wink.

Even walking away from the nin she rolled her eyes. ‘Who does he think he is, huh? Ugh!’

Moments away from Ren having a comment ready, he saw the approaching Sand and Stone ninja start to close in. “Great, now I have to deal with these nobodies before dealing with you, Satoru.” Ren sighed, exchanging a quick glance between Izayoi and Sato, though focused on Iza. “So, was this your plan all along? To get me from taking out Sato and instead show why Konoha is the best village represented at the chunin exams?” He asked Iza.

The grin that split her face was almost too good to be true, as she hopped from one foot to the other, “Maaaaaaybe~” If she were being honest with herself it was all in good fun just to egg them on to fight - regardless of Karu’s idea on the matter. However, with this turn of events, it provided her with a much more entertaining situation than having two friends battling. At least before a proper setting was established.

As Jiren exchanged some more words with Iza, Satoru took stock of the approaching ninjas. Sand and Stone fodder. It is known that the Leaf stands supreme. Even still, the lower rank and file needs to be put in their place once in a while. Asserting dominance and whatnot. Turning and tilting his head low to avoid showing his Byakugan anymore than he has, He spoke lowly to both Jiren and Izayoi “If those fuckers take another step, I’m going to hitting them. No questions asked. They don’t seem friendly, anyways…”

Iza noted that it wouldn’t be long before the opposing ninja would be on them, asserting some type of force unknown to the three of them. However, upon hearing that Satoru was all in for throwing punches, the elation she felt was almost palpable. With a giddy laugh and a clap of her hands, Iza was bouncing up and down excitedly, before she was seen swinging kunai around her fingers that seemingly appeared out of thin air, “Yatta~! This is gonna be sooo much fun~! Hey, hey! Maybe the others are gonna wanna join, ya?”

Jiren had his two kodachi swords out, inhaling a breath to center himself and his eyes fixated the Sand and Stone ninja, their annoyance seemed to be multiplied when Iza had jumped excitedly. “Aw, they look mad,” he laughed, turning his attention to Sato. “After these poor excuses for shinobi are done, I’ll give you that loss you were pining for earlier, Satoru.”

“Exactly. As soon as we handle this bunch, I’ll be sure to take it easier on you than I was already planning to. Make sure you can still hobble to the exams…” Satoru said, in response to Jiren. Turning and holding a small smirk, Satoru said to Izayoi “And after the exams, you let me take you to get some dangos.” Taking a step forward and rolling his neck slightly, Satoru keeps his gaze low, and started his move towards the other ninjas.

[Bee]

---

The young sun shined through the residence that contained the Haruna clan, the distant sound of a cascading waterfall nearby as Usagi Haruna sat cross-legged, her eyes closed as she held her hands on her legs. Taking a deep breath and exhaling, Usagi cracked an eye open before she glanced over to her father, who was also meditating with her. "Dad, why are we doing this? I don't think I'm doing it right." She complained, her blue eye staring at her content, peaceful father. "Well, Usagi, you've got the chūnin exams coming up soon, don't you? Mamoru replied, "I've had many disciples go through this, and they've all gone on to be great. Minako went through this, and look at her now. I think it will benefit you greatly, Usagi. Usagi looked down, before closing her eye, "Only if I'm doing it right! All I'm doing is breathing." Mamoru chuckled and made a content sound, "Oh Usagi, so naive. If all you are doing is breathing, then you're doing it right."

"Well, I think I'm good!" Usagi said, stretching her arms and yawning, "I'm hungry." The prospective medical-nin stood up, stretching again. "Come on, dad, let's go eat!" She said, turning around to disappear inside of the house. "Alright, Usagi." He replied, straining himself as he got up and followed. Inside, Rei Haruna was just about finished with preparing breakfast for the day. Three bowls of rice sat steaming, with helpful servings of natto and other staples of breakfast. Usagi practically flew in and sat down. The poor girl had been up since before the sun had even risen, and she had no time to eat as she was spending her time for today's exams. Jutsus, techniques, the works. She was burying her nose in books and practicing jutsus as soon as she was awake. Straight out of bed, and the night before, she was rehearsing them in her bed. These exams would literally make or break her, and considering the reputation and status of the Haruna clan, and the amount of work she put in, Usagi really did not want to fail and let her clan down. Sure, there were to be chances in the future, but all the Harunas passed their first time around.

There was a lot resting on her shoulders.

The pressure was on, but yet Usagi's appetite didn't waver. Grabbing her chopsticks and digging in, Usagi started to demolish her bowl of rice. "Someone's hungry." Rei laughed, as she grabbed some fish, "Are you ready for your exams?" Rei Haruna asked curiously. "Yeah." Usagi nodded, "As ready as I can be." Mamoru nodded, chuckling a bit. "You know, your sister was the opposite. She was so nervous for her exams she could barely eat. We had to give her a couple of dorayaki before she could even think about eating." Usagi shrugged, "But she passed, didn't she?" Mamoru gave Rei a smirk, before looking at Usagi. "That's right. She did." "So why do I have to be worried? I worked just as, if not harder than Minako!" Usagi remembered watching Minako stand in their backyard and spend every single minute she had practicing the various jutsus she had to know. Usagi was but a young child, but she remembered how Minako was practicing. For the time leading up to the exams, it was like Usagi and Minako weren't siblings. Minako had no time to play with Usagi, and she was always upset about it. However, now that Usagi was about to take the exams on her own, she completely understood.

"Don't get too confident, Usagi." Mamoru warned, "That's how you fail." Rei nodded, "One of my friends as a kid failed because she went in too confident. Eventually, she passed, but it took her a while before she could do it." "Remaining modest is a must, Usagi. We Haruna are not the type to be braggarts. We do our work and we acknowledge it if we are credited. Being boisterous only does you bad." "I'm not being boisterous." Usagi replied. "Usagi." Rei glared. "I'm not!" She shrugged. "I know, but in the case that you are in a situation where you can brag -- don't." "Okay, dad... okay."

"That's right, Usagi. Mamoru looked over at Usagi, smiling, "You're gonna be fine, Usagi."

---

The Hokage was always someone that Usagi admired. But, knowing that someone of them, maybe even herself, may die, Usagi was lying if she said it didn't instill some fear into her heart. Usagi didn't want to die in general, but a prospective medical-nin dying in the exams out of all the things in the world was a little ironic. This was dangerous, for sure, but if her parents, and her sister had made it through, then everything was going to be alright for her. She trusted her training enough to give her the best chance of survival that she could have. The first written section was going to be a breeze for her, hopefully. She had heard it was rather difficult, but obtaining information on what exactly was on it was rather difficult for Usagi.

Hopefully, it was what she actually studied and not something in a textbook written way before the Haruna clan was even a thing. Only time would tell, and by the time the Hokage left the students to their own accord, Usagi stood up in search of her teammates. It wasn't hard to locate Kurimi. She was probably the smallest person at this school, and Usagi didn't have to look far to figure out where she was. Walking over and getting closer, it seemed Suzuhime had already found her.

“Where is Usagi?” Suzuhime asked. "Right here!" Usagi beamed, waving. "You guys ready for the exams today?"

[Hey Im Jordan]

_{Collab @Fabricant451}

---

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“Where are they?! I keep them in the drawer, so they don’t get lost. Just because of situations like this!”

In Ashikaga Kaiju’s mind, there were many benefits to living on the Soaked Grove. Some of their names were, Midori, Kasumi, Naoko, Kiyoko, and — the young Ashikaga’s favorite benefit — Hitomi. Of course, Kai also knew there were many cons to living here! It was always busy, and people were always stealing things from him! Now, he was missing the most important part of his ensemble for the chūnin exams! How was he supposed to compete without his lucky charm!?

Many people thought Kai worked his ass off to get to where he was, but he didn’t — not really. Kaiju was blessed with a whole lot of natural talent, and he was rarely (if ever) motivated enough to actually train. Kai felt like he just needed his lucky charm, and then everything else would just kind of fall in his lap. But now, he couldn’t find his lucky charm! What was he supposed to do? Try?!

That was just unreasonable.

With his room now in shambles, Kai burst out into the hallway, and decided there was only one place his lucky charm could be: the washroom; he’d already checked all the pockets in the dirty pants in his room, and the ones in his drawer (which were now scattered about). And if his lucky charm had wound up in the wash… Kaiju wasn’t sure what he was going to do, but dammit, it wasn’t going to be good or nice. The thing would get ruined!

The Soaked Grove was more than just Konoha’s premiere hot springs and brothel. Attached to it was the Ashikaga Manor, the home of the wealthy Ashikaga clan that owned and operated the Grove for years. There was a hard and fast rule that Grove business never came home with the clan, which, of course, was just a fancy way of saying that if the Ashikaga wanted to partake in the Grove’s offering, they couldn’t bring someone back to the place where they all ate and slept and lived.

For Ashikaga Maiko, the Grove was home and she, perhaps more than any other young member of the clan (and certainly more than her younger brother) knew the reputation her clan had around the village. If she could distance herself from her clan, she would, but the reality was that people couldn’t help who their parents were but they could work to change perceptions and that was why Mai had wanted to become a shinobi in the first place. She didn’t wish to just be another Ashikaga working the family business, living a life of luxury and excess, not when there were others who risked their lives for the good of the people. If people who had little to their name were willing to fight and risk their lives, why shouldn’t she do the same?

But of course, among the Ashikaga Siblings, Mai had always been the responsible one, settling into a morning routine that she followed even now. She woke up, attended to her bedding, bathed herself for no longer than six minutes, dressed, practiced her hand seals for fifteen to twenty minutes, made herself a breakfast of a rolled egg, rice, and one glass of herbal tea left brewing the night previous, and for the last thirty minutes before her duty as a genin began she assisted her family in more menial tasks, such as janitorial or economic. This morning was, of course, no different even with the looming promise of the chunin exams. She had been prepared. Of course she had. Someone on her team had to be. Mai was not going to be late, not today, not ever.

This morning’s chores had been to fold towels left to air-dry and so Mai found herself in the wash room, the room where patrons disrobed and prepared before entering the hot springs proper, where she was diligently folding the towels into triangles and placing them on a rack. Her hands were moving like they were programmed, following a specific path to a perfect fold. It was oddly therapeutic, like yoga or calisthenics, which she did every other day. “Rat. Ox. Tiger. Hare. Dragon. Snake. Horse. Ram. Monkey. Bird. Dog. Boar.” She repeated the basic twelve signs as she folded. She was truly having a peaceful morning, well needed given what was sure to be a restless afternoon.

“It’d better be in here, or I’m gonna lose it!”

The declaration broke Mai’s careful concentration, and ruined her peaceful morning. Kaiju had arrived, and his arrival meant Mai’s entire morning was very likely going to be thrown out of normalcy and into whatever hellscape Kai saw fit to drag her through this time. Kai slammed the door behind himself, and looked across at Mai, “I can’t find my lucky charm, Mai. I’m not gonna be able to participate in the exams without my lucky charm. Doubly so if we find it and all of its luckiness has been washed away!” Kai boldly declared, pleading with his sister who was folding towels. “Help!”

Mai’s sigh was so loud and drawn out that they probably heard it in the next country over. How was it that her brother could so perfectly find a way to steamroll right through her peaceful mindspace. He wasn’t the type to assist in chores unless they involved the opposite sex’s bath - which was never permitted for obvious reasons and yet he still tried his best. Naturally she knew he wasn’t here to help her but for a brief moment she assumed he was there for something beneficial or helpful.

“What are you talking about? What lucky charm?”” Mai finished folding a towel and set it on the rack, this one’s folds weren’t perfect and was taking up slightly more space on the rack than the others. She’d fix it later. “Lucky charms are a superstition. You’ll be fine. Why aren’t you ready for the exams?”

“What? What do you mean?! I am ready.” Kai said, pointedly jabbing a finger at his Leaf headband, as if that was the only thing he needed to be ‘ready for the exams,’ even if his clothes weren’t exactly perfect — and were in fact, stained in several places just on the shirt alone. It was clear whatever charm he was referring to was more important than proper preparation. “Charms aren’t a superstition! The lucky charm helps me be good at this! How could you say that?! The charm’s gotten us through a lot of stuff!” Kai protested, shaking his head in protest.

“I’m out here suffering, and you’re over there just acting like I’m a bad guy! I don’t have time to practice seals and stuff, Mai, I gotta do research for the future.”

“Seals are quite literally the foundation for our future!” Mai offered in protest; she was dangerously close to throwing up her hands in annoyance but to her credit she was remaining calm in the face of unflinching idiocy that was her brother. He had the headband, that much was true, but would he even have it if Mai hadn’t helped him with his Academy work? If Mai hadn’t stayed up late helping him with transformation jutsu? To have that hard work be written off as just a good luck charm was almost insulting. Having the headband didn’t mean the period of growth, study, and learning ended.

“I’ve gotten us through a lot of stuff. But whatever, where did you put it last?” Mai couldn’t believe she was even humoring him but in truth...it wasn’t the first time she’d been swept up in what eventually turned out to be a monumental waste of time in the name of helping her brother.

“The lucky charm is why I understand ninjutsu stuff so easily. It’s why I’m good!” Kai protested. To Kai’s credit, he was quite good at the application of ninjutsu itself. It was the more theoretical parts which didn’t click too well with him. Whatever ‘it’ was, Kai had ‘it’ in spades, he just didn’t care enough to practice as much as the other people in his squad. Why should he? He had Wood Style, that alone made him a pretty strong ninja.

As he racked his brain, trying to remember the last place he left the charm, Kai rocked back and forth on his feet. Where had he had it? Kai paused and tapped his forehead, tilting his head. He wasn’t sure, really. The fact was, it never left the hidden drawer in his bed, unless he was taking it out to put it in his pockets, but it wasn’t even there! “It’s not in its secret spot, so someone must’ve picked it up and taken it as their own.” Kai reasoned. “The secret spot was its last place!”

“The secret spot?” Mai raised an eyebrow as she crossed her arms. Sometimes it was hard to believe they were related; he was a ninja of the leaf but he still acted like such a child at times. Mai didn't know what the ‘secret spot’ was and she didn’t exactly care. All she cared about was how long this little search would take. The unfortunate reality was that it would probably take longer than it needed to; he was old enough to leave charms behind.

“Look, just forget about the charm, okay? We’ve got to get to the opening speech. If we’re late they won’t let us participate, and it’ll be up to you to let Ren know. And sensei.”

“We won’t see sensei for a couple of days, right? Since, she has to be with the other jonin watching the exams. We’re not gonna be babysat now, remember?! That just makes it doubly important I have my lucky charm! Without sensei, we could need me to pull some sweet ninjutsu out, and what if I mess it up!? Without the lucky charm, there’s like, a forty percent chance I do.” Kaiju said in defense of his plan. He wasn’t like Mai, he didn’t think about things like she did. He wasn’t ready to move on from his lucky charm, he wasn’t ready to forget it. He could tell Ren that anytime. Sensei too, if she was around. “It’s fine if we miss a dumb speech. What’s the Hokage gonna do? Chidori us? Five to one chance she isn’t even keeping track.” Kai was trying to ease Mai into it, and make it seem like less of a big deal than it actually was. Maybe if he could calm her down about possibly being late, she’d be willing to dedicate herself wholly to the search. “It’s important, I’m telling you.”

They were already quickly running out of time. If a search was going to be made, it had to be made soon.

“Just grab something else to be your charm! It’s the same exact principle!” Mai’s frustration was growing. The hands that had been practicing seals earlier in the morning were now balling and unclenching as if she was trying to keep her nails from digging into her flesh. Time was being wasted on something stupid. She couldn’t help who was born into the Ashikaga but that didn’t mean she had to agree with everything they did. “Like...here.” Mai grabbed a small, unlit candle and tossed it to Kai. It was lavender colored and scented. “There’s your lucky charm. Now let’s go.”

“Sensei gave me my charm!” Kai said as he caught the tossed candle, bring it up to his nose and sniffing it. Quickly shaking his head, Kai through it back. That wasn’t going to do the trick. Why didn’t she understand the sentimental value here? Kaiju didn’t get it. She was supposed to be his sister! That meant she was supposed to be on his side, including (even especially) situations like this one! “This doesn’t smell the same. It won’t work.”

“Sensei will understand you not having it. You’re not a child anymore.” What difference did it make? Put some luck in something, call it a charm. End of story. There wasn’t time to waste and she had been meticulous in her planning. Just because one of the pair was an irresponsible, slugabed who thought he was above training and learning didn’t mean she had to get swept up in his rhythm every time. And yet, here she was. “Sensei bought me mochi once, you don’t see me needing mochi to function. Whatever it was she gave you, I’m sure she just found it lying around the house. I’m leaving, I’m already late as is and this is stupid.”

“Here.” Mai slid the wicker basket of towels she didn’t get to fold across the floor towards Kai. “Make yourself useful and put the basket away.”

“Mai, you’re no help at all!” Kai scoffed as he took the basket away from his sister. Clearly, Mai didn’t understand the deep bond he shared with Shion-sensei. The lucky charm was important! Scoffing, Kai took the basket and picked it up, without looking into it. “You wouldn’t get it.” He claimed boldly, before looking into the towels. Once Kai looked into the basket, his eyes went wide, and he reached a hand in, pulling out the lucky charm.

“I found it! It was in the basket!” He said happily, waving it around, and showing it to his sister for the first time. The lucky charm was… a gift from Shion-sensei: the best way she’d found to motivate Kai to try to do anything. The lucky charm was the token pervert ninja’s dream. A pair of the sensei’s panties. Kai stuffed them into his pocket. “Okay, I’m ready.”

Where before Mai was doing her best to keep from losing her cool in the face of her brother’s idiocy but now, seeing what the fuss was about? Now Mai was genuinely balling her fingers into fists. Her ears looked like they were steaming, her face red, and her eyes narrowed. “Are those...panties?” That was what this was all about? How did he get them? Why would Shion-sensei give them to him, willingly? The little pervert was going to drag the clan reputation even further into the mud and he just...didn’t...care. And now they would be late. Because the immature, dirty little pubescent pervert...needed to stuff a hag’s panties into his pocket. “You...little….PERVERT!”

Mai reached a tipping point and sent a red hot fist right into Kai’s face, not caring if it hurt, scarred, maimed, or broke something. The only reason she didn’t punch him more was because it would make them even more late. “Unbelievable. Idiot. Pervert. Stupid.” Replacing the meditative mantra of the hand seals from earlier, Mai stomped her way out of the washing room muttering negative remarks about her brother the entire way out of the Ashikaga grounds.

Luckily, Kai had been punched by Mai many, many times. He was prepared for the strike before it even came flying. Saying he was prepared for it wasn’t saying enough. Kai was able to angle himself so the punch connected with his head rather than his face, and was even able to get one hand up to soften the blow. Of course, this was because Kai was fast, and experienced at getting punched in the head by his sister. However, Kai would, of course, claim the block was because of the return of his lucky charm. Quickly heading after his sister, Kai wasn’t too far behind.

“I’m not a pervert!” He shouted as he ran to catch up to the angry girl, though he knew his claims would fall on deaf ears. Similar situations had arisen many, many times, and he was sure they would rise many, many more. “I’m a Leaf shinobi! I wear the headband! And I’ll probably be a chūnin after today, sis.” Kai wasn’t shouting by the end, because he’d managed to catch up. “Do you know where we’re heading?”

“Don’t talk to me.” Mai was still, understandably, in the anger phase. She was walking quickly just to maintain distance from her brother because him walking next to her or even close enough that she could see him in her peripheral vision was far too close. He was an idiot. He was a pervert. But worst of all, he was family which meant try as she might she couldn’t be rid of him. Whoever thought it was a good idea to put brother and sister on the same squad was probably upset at the Ashikaga and thought it would be a petty form of revenge. That was the only explanation.

“Don’t follow me, either. I’ll catch pervert.” Mai knew where she was heading, and she was marching there with purpose. The quicker she got there, the quicker she could...well at this point she just wanted to get there in time.

“Awww, Mai, come on. Don’t be like that. We’re gonna be on time, don’t worry about it! Where’s the building anyway?” Kai asked as they trotted along. He was mostly filling dead air, because he knew that Mai was most likely going to lead him where they needed to go without him needed to poke and prod her at all. She was, after all, the one of the two siblings that really cared about things like punctuality. “We’re not gonna be late. That’s the place, isn’t it?” Kai was confident of that, as the building came into their distant view. Almost defiantly, Kai pointed at the building… and he could see the heavy wooden doors leading into the auditorium slam in front of him.

“Nani the fuck?! OKAY. We’re a little late! I admit it!”

“A little late? THEY SHUT THE DOORS, KAI. AND IT’S YOUR FAULT.” Mai couldn’t believe it. She was late, through no fault of her own, on the most important day of her life so far. And now..they were shut out. Kai would have to apologize to Ren and Shion-sensei. And he would have to apologize profusely to Mai before she even thought of forgiving him. “Maybe if we knock they’ll let us in.”

“I don’t think you can knock hard enough to be heard through those…” Kai muttered, looking at the heavy doors ahead of them. There was no way the two of them even pounding on the door aggressively would have a chance of getting through. They’d have to think of something else. “I s’pose I could open ‘em.” He mused, stroking his chin as he considered his options.

“No you can’t. The only thing you can do is fondle a dirty pair of panties like a creep.” Mai was pacing in front of the doors, stopping to glance upwards. “Maybe we can climb it. We climbed the tree, it should be the same principle…”

“It’s wood, Mai. I can do a whole lot with wood,” Kai scoffed in response to his sister’s blatant disrespect. Not to mention that she clowned on him for carrying the lucky charm! There was no respect left in this world. While Mai paced, Kai stood in front of the door, and took a deep breath. He clasped his hands together, forming the snake seal. “Right. Let’s see, I saw Grandpa do this once, and y’know, he’s pretty old, so I bet I can pull this off. I’m young, and uh, what did sensei say that one time? Virile?”

Gathering his chakra in his hands, Kai looked over at Mai. “This isn’t gonna be exactly like his, because I’m new school. Alright, here we go. Gonna see what I can do, though. Same concept, just a proper name.” Kai’s hands quickly breezed through expert hand seals, before he spoke clearly. “Wood Release! Open Sesame Jutsu!” Kai said, and the result was immediate, with branches reaching up from the dirt around the path, and worming its way into the heavy set of doors. Kai seemed slightly disappointed as he watched his handiwork… before the doors exploded and fell inward, blown off the hinges. With a loud noise.

“Whoa! Dang. I guess… I didn’t know my own strength… Whoops. Well… uh, we’re here. But we missed the speech!”

Mai’s hand promptly met her forehead as her head looked towards the ground. Somehow, some way, she would be held responsible for this. Or else be the one to have to clean it up while Kai got off free. Nothing else would be appropriate, given everything. “You’re going to be the death of me one day, I swear.”

Still...at least they had a way in.

“Hey, we’re here. That’s what you wanted! Let’s just find Ren, and we can move on with our lives. Knowing him, without you around, I bet he got in a fight.” Kai was just being realistic, as he gave his sister a shrug of his shoulders. “That’s why I keep that lucky charm, for the record.”

[Haha]

@Roach@Bee

“Yay.”

Kurimi quite happily exclaimed, if you could call it that- her tone raised in pitch and her voice actually projected out to be more than a whisper and raised her arms up as she did so. A strange sight for sure.

Her milky sights would veer between her two teammates, excitement that was once quite restrained welling up within her chest as the thoughts of what was to come became more prevalent. Hitting people with her swords was number one on the list of enjoyable pastimes, followed shortly after by eating tasty things- which she would hopefully be able to do as well. Kurimi had heard about these exams from friends, mentors, family, but it just went in one ear and out the other for the most part. This event was nothing but a challenge and a fun time for the small Mochi girl, though, her team's competence in comparison to the others did give her more peace of mind than anything else that factored in.

"Where is Iza?- We get food before?"

Kurimi boldly inquired, her vision peeled from her teammates and back towards the rivers of young shinobi that seemed to be breaking into pockets of people- getting into arguments, physical altercations, she believes she may have even spotted some flirting between the youths. Her eyes squinted as she vaguely picked up the similar hues of Izayoi's head, though rather than gesture towards her cousin she just audibly grumbled. Too much into the mix, she's probably with her own team anyway- they would likely meet soon enough either way. Her shoulders raised as she glanced back to Hime and Usagi, biting her lip briefly as the moodswung girl returned to her single-minded excitement. Her small hands balled into fists and she raised them up to the two, perhaps there was something in the air?

"We fight someone, for practice?"

There wasn't much time before the exams themselves, but Kurimi had some newfound energy charged up in her. The aura of hope and competition seemingly came to be on the same wavelength of the typically quiet girl, not that she was being noisy- though if anyone saw her she would be emoting these feeling quite well. From the balled fists from before she was now baring her teeth and growling like an animal, her small feet stomped down to the floor as she looked around the immediate area like a small agitated boar. Kurimi's nostrils flared and she continued to scan the area for the familiar presence from before- unsuccessful, but the happiness of reuniting with her teammates was now just some mob mindset. The very words that ran through the girl's mind at the moment were.

"Where is that rude boy? I'm going to break his face. Who needs to wait for the exams to start? Not me nope, I'm going to bathe in his blood."

^{Kurimi is not liable for the deaths of shinobi from other villages.}

[Rabidporcupine]

@Feijao@Bluetommy@Haruharara

---

Shirou flinched away as Makoto started shouting at him. He knew he really should trust that she wasn't going to start anything, but... Well, he still wasn't so sure... Of course, if he wanted to pass, he should probably also avoid antagonizing her if possiblein the interests of not being beaten up himself.

"O-ok, ok, I'm sorry for doubting you!" He said, holding up his hands and trying to keep the nervousness out of his smile, although he had little doubt the efforts were proving futile. "You have incredible s-self restraint and I'm sure you'll be able t-t-to remain in c-control!"

Thankfully, Yasu managed to distract her from continuing further with an unexpectedly heartfelt speech about how much their time together as a team meant to him. Also equally important, he agreed with Shirou's statement, which only added to the appreciation. Even if the praise left him a little embarrassed.

Before he could say anything though, he heard a voice that he had long since learnt not to expect anything good from. He reluctantly turned to see one of his main tormentors, one who had been targeting him since even before they started in the academy.

Mochi Genji. The two had met through his best and only friend outside his team, Kurimi, who just so happened to be the boys cousin, and ever since that day he'd looked down on Shirou. At this point, he generally knew exactly what to expect as soon as he heard Genji's voice. However, that wasn't what had him worried. In fact, he could say with pride that he was quite used to the bullying by now, and had learned to deal with it.

No, what did irritate him somewhat was the gaudy wakizashi he was flaunting around, all while insulting the quality of his family's own weapons. Except even a student blacksmith like him could see that the weapon was in no way suited for combat. Probably not even made for combat, when he thought about it. It looked like more of a decorative piece. The knowledge brought a frown to his face. Whoever sold the blade to Genji's parents should've made sure they were aware of that fact if they had any pride in their craft. To not do so could get the genin killed!

Before he could try to warn Genji of the danger the weapon could put him in however, the boy went ahead and decided to do it himself by jumping straight from insulting him and Yasu to something even Shirou understood was a poor excuse for flirting.

I should stop this before Makoto-san kil-

And then Makoto obliterated him, leaving Shirou to simply stare for a moment, mouth still half open to try and tell Genji to stop for his own safety.

Eventually, all he could do was bring the outstretched hand up over his face and sigh.

"Makoto-san..." He said, and even he was surprised by the frustration he heard in his voice. "I-... Why?.. Why-why-why, why, we j-just... just talked about this. I know Genji was being really rude, but what if th-this gets us disqualified?"

Also Genji's well being. He should probably be kind of worried about that too. He was a Mochi though, so he'd probably be fine.

"I... I hope we don't get kicked out already..." He said, before glancing back to his teammates again. "But maybe Yokoni-sensei might be able to talk anyone who wants us out to into letting us stay in. I'm sure she and the other Jonin-sensei's are watching us all in here, after all."

[Feijao]

Yasu Hinoiki

Genji's hands rose to his nose instantly, his breaths became slow and heavy, the dark red liquid oozed from between his fingers, the Mochi boy was no stranger to the stinging, throbbing sensation on his nose, pain in fact he had been introduced to worst, however a punch like that, unexpected to anybody their age would hurt, or even knock them out. The boy delivered a piercing glare towards three Genin of team 5. "You'll regret you that." The two members of his squad tried to come to his aid, but the boy would raise his hand, indicating not to touch him or even come near him. "Let's hope our teams don't cross path once the exams start," he moved his hand from his face, the blood running down from his red nose all the way down past his lip."As I can't guarantee your safety, Mokoto. Drop those two before they get you killed, if your alive after the exams and you apologize maybe I'll let you come over let my mom teach you to cook a good meal." The Genin would retreat slowly, their mean gaze locked on the 3 Genin.

Yasu sighed shaking his head for a brief moment, as he believed now Makoto had made the exam more difficult for them, they were now on squad 19's radar, and though he believed Makoto could take out one of them, it would be very foolish to think she could take on all 3, after all they weren't kids fighting on the playground, but young Shinobi trying to survive a life or death situation, the Chunin exams. Yasu observed everyone. The two boys arguing, a sliver haired sword wielder with sapphire blue eyes, that would make any lords wife scream out in envy, the other boy had the opposite of what of what his opponent had. impure coloured hair, a mix of blonde orange and red, it looked messy, this boy carried no sword that Yasu could see, but he carried something greater, something that feared had feared Yasu just over 2 years now, the Byakyguen. He sighed again, but this time more faint, more quiet, he hoped he wouldn't run into the white eyed boy. There were a few more Genin Yasu didn't like the look of. However the more he thought about them the more Genin would be tempted to abandoned his squad, so he chose to close his eyes and just block out everything. Meditation had helped him a long way, he wasn't advance, but he would practice from time to time. Despite the fear that lay his fast beating heart, he wanted and needed to be at his best, to survive to see another day and to protect his teammates the best he could, he was no powerhouse but he had his ways. "Shirou, he called faintly." How do you get your Kunai's so durable, yet so light to carry?"

[Hey Im Jordan]

Kotetsu & Karu

^{Collab w/ @Fiber
Mentions: @Roach (Mori at the end, but read the whole thing Holly I know you’re reading this}

---

Kotetsu looked up from the paper for a moment to see Hikaru. He’d seen him in class before, but they didn’t talk a lot. Kotetsu had heard a lot about the kid’s family, but the only thing he could say about Hikaru himself was that the guy had a real enthusiasm for the ninja life. Kotetsu said “You can use the notes I’m not using, if you want.”, pointing to a stack of papers he had dropped on the floor “I figured you’d already know this stuff, I mean your whole family is knee deep in it. I’m sure you’ve gotten to learn a lot being around them.”

“Yeah, you’d think that, but… I’m not actually as good as the rest of my family,” Karu admitted with a frown, bending down to pick up the paperwork. He was definitely a lightweight, for his family. Karu was the least talented of his clan, and it was especially true when it came to things like book work, which Karu did not excel at. While casually flipping through the papers he’d picked up, Karu added. “Honestly? I don’t know about you, but I was up all night studying, and I’m not even sure I’m gonna be able to pass the written exam! If I fail there though, Katsumi-sensei will never let me hear the end of it. Hey, you’ve got some good stuff here. You’re a good note taker. I am not. I just draw in the book…”

Kotetsu was surprised by the compliment. Obviously Karu had found a section that wasn’t labeled SEE TETSU’S NOTES. Squad 1 relied on each other a lot, but didn’t interact with the others much. “I’m sure you’ll be fine at being a ninja one day, it’s what you guys do. I mean, it must’ve taken the rest of your family time to get good, but look at where they are now. I’ve been working on the farm for a long time but I’m not even close to knowing as much as my parents do, but all I can do is just keep at it. Y’know, even though I took these, I don’t study my notes much, my sensei is big on physical training, and that’s stuff that’ll help me in the fields, too.” For a second, he looked around the room, it looked like Satoru was getting mixed up in something over on the other side, but the distance meant Kotetsu couldn’t make out much.

“Yeah, I hope so! I wanna be like my parents were! They’re pretty cool, and it’s gonna be a lot of work to get there… ‘course, my brother is pretty cool too, but only when he like… does stuff. He spends a lot of time sleeping. What about your family? They’re like, farmers, right?” Karu asked, before following Kotetsu’s gaze toward the commotion. From where he was standing, it looked like Iza was maybe starting a little bit of a bigger fight than he’d anticipated. “Awww, crap! Iza’s overdoin’ it! Crap, they’re gonna be fightin’ soon. Hey, that’s your guy over there, right? Do ya think we should go get in on the scrap?”

Whatever was happening over there didn’t bother Kotetsu at the moment. “If Satoru started it, it’s his to see it through. Sensei said to let people settle their own scores. If it gets real bad, I’ll back him up, now it’s not much of anything. For their sake, I hope it ends quick, if they leave something unresolved, there’s plenty of time to make them regret it during the rest of the exams.” Now Kotetsu shuffled through his papers a little, trying to find one on handseals. He sucked at handseals, and he never could use them anyway, but they were still on the test. “Yeah, my family is farmers. That’s what we’ve always been, and if you look into the past, throughout all the generations, you won’t find a single notable thing they’ve done. I sorta like it that way, makes it simple.”

“Oh, you don’t wanna fight?” Karu seemed a little deflated at that, but eh supposed he could understand the sentiment. It made sense; great shinobi should handle fights on their own, and everyone that made it this far was definitely an elite shinobi! At least the best in their class… which was, the lowest class, but hey. Who was counting? “It’s pretty cool your family is like that. I’m almost jealous, ‘cuz I gotta lot pressure on me, ya know? Maybe not from my family, they’re pretty relaxed. But everyone else? Sheesh, man, it’s like I’m just a name at times. Hey, on this paper about seals? Your Dog seal is just a lil off.” Karu said, offering the piece of paper to the other ninja. “At least I think it is.”

“I’ll take you word for it. I spend more time practicing grips than hand seals. You think they’d ever put those on the test? Choosing something like S grip over a Gable grip can make a difference when you’re fighting up close. This test will probably be the last time I’ll ever need to know seals; they don’t do me much good. Heck, with luck I won’t even have to make a career out of being a ninja.” Kotetsu looked through the bag for more paper, trying to see if there were any more with hand seals on them. Might as well get free corrections while he could.

“You don’t wanna… make a career out of this?” Truth be told, Karu sounded horrified. He couldn’t help it! There was a lost soul standing in front of him; someone who didn’t understand his duty to his village, to his people. To himself. It was important that all the able people in the village dedicate themselves to the craft. A strong shinobi force meant a strong village, and a strong village was good for all people! “Are you frickin’ serious? Being a ninja is it, man. For me, and my family, anyway, that’s just… that’s just it. You have to be a ninja. To protect people, ya know? To be the best you, you can be! Geeze, I’ve never met someone that doesn’t want to make a career out of being a ninja… and to come this far and feel that way! You’re a weird one.”

Kotetsu’s voice was low, like he was telling a story he’d told many times before. ”The ninja life hasn’t done a lot of good for my family. A big war comes around and all the stories I hear are about ninja doing this and that, but I look around and I see what it cost people like my family. I still don’t know what the point of it all is.” He sighed ”Ask me, ask my parents, we wish that war never happened, we had all we wanted before then. See, the only reason I’m training is because I know I got to do something to try and get some saved up, just get enough stability that my folks will have some land to pass down. Being a ninja ain’t the easiest thing, but I don’t give up easily, and if there’s one job that I know will always get respect and a decent living around here, it’s being a ninja.”

“I guess that makes sense…” Karu listened to Kotetsu’s words, and he took them to heart. For him, he’d heard of nothing but his parents feats in the war, and he’d certainly never considered how it affected other people in the world. To him, the war was the Leaf Shinobi vs their enemies. It had hardly ever crossed his mind that there were people who had been affected… negatively by the war. Given his goals, it was something he needed time to thing about — but right now wasn’t going to be that time, Karu had to focus. Even if he needed to consider his future, he had to think about the here and now. “Yeah, I mean, you’ll definitely make plenty of money, that can’t be denied. Maybe you’ll come to find you like it.”

”Eh, maybe. I’ll see how it is.” Kotetsu said. He was about to ask Karu for one of the sheets of paper back when he heard a loud bang from the other side of the room. The doors had fallen off their hinges, and as soon as he saw the roots around it he knew who to blame. It was Kai, the arrogant SOB, one of the few students Kotetsu had actual animosity towards. He kept it quiet, but he never liked the Ashikaga’s; they lived a life far removed from the commonfoll, and the only thing their family ever had to sacrifice was money. ”Oh great, it’s him. I guess he can pay for new doors if he needs to.” Kotetsu went back to his papers, not noticing that Mai was with Kai.

“Whoa… he can do that on his own?! Man, I’m really itching for a fight... “ Karu was a little jealous that Iza was getting to fight already, while he was stuck studying. Maybe Karu had made the wrong decision, trying to study instead of getting involved in the mayhem. Shrugging his shoulders, he looked at Kotetsu. “Hey, you don’t like him do ya? Maybe you can fight him, in the exams. Take some of that energy, and channel it into your fights, ya know? You gotta be the best you can.”

Karu looked seriously at Kotetsu, holding out a hand to shake. “You have to promise me, that if you and me fight, you give it your all! I don’t care if you wanna be a ninja or not, I don’t wanna beat anyone who’s not gonna give it everything they’ve got!”

Kotetsu was puzzled for a moment, but reached out and returned Karu’s handshake. ”Don’t worry, I’m not someone who takes the easy way out. I know that whatever’s in front of me, I’ll go out and meet it with my full strength. It’s who I am and who I will be, whether I’m a ninja or not. I don’t particularly like fighting, but sometimes there’s no substitute for just beating the tar outta somebody. I hope whoever I end up fighting is ready for a real ugly brawl.”

“Good! Keep that mindset.” Karu’s handshake was firm, and the genuine smile on his face was unwavering. He was excited! How could he be anything but? The whole room was filled with nothing but challenging opponents. He dropped the handshake, and nodded his head. “You’ll make a good opponent. Don’t worry about the Ashikaga guy! I’m sure you and him will have your chance to duke it out, too!” Karu grinned, and like that, he was off, bounding back over to his teammate.

“Hey! Mori! How did it go?!” While Karu had given Mori a stealth mission, it didn’t seem like he had been stealthy in the slightest.

[KZOMBI3]

_{Mentions:@Roach @DClassified @Bluetommy @Altered Tundra @Infinite Cosmos}

Asami had prayed all morning, partially because her mother had beaten it into her to do so as soon as she woke up since she was a tiny thing, mainly however because today was the day she had been both itching for and dreading since it was announced to her and the rest of her squad.

The chūnin exams

It wasn't that she thought she was going to do poorly. No quite the contrary, Asami knew she would succeed. It was the fact that she had to exert an amount of energy that she really didn't feel like exerting. Her dreams are to be the best kunoichi of the Leaf - but in her own time and way. Competing against her fellow classmates, friends and randos just put a bad taste in her mouth. If they wanted to test her might

With all the chimes dangling precariously next to one another, strips of paper attached, each one with their own wish and hope and goal Asami stretched to attach the newest and last one; for awhile at least. Once the final chime was fastened securely to the rafters above her, she pushed off the wall, landing gracefully on the ground beneath her, stretching with a content sigh.

"Nyaaaaaaa~ time to go Kuroo," Asami called as she began her trek to the examination grounds, her black feline companion trailing after her chirping at all the birds along the way.

Asami made it to the building in no time, not taking her time like she normally would, she really didn't want to hear it from Yo or even worse Kenshin-sensei. She was already dwelling on the ideas that she caused him too much disappointment the last few days, she really didn't need to dwell on anymore that she could cause him by missing the exams all together. Letting out something that was akin to a growl and a hiss Asami ran her fingers through her hair in frustration, "Kuroo, why should we care? Hmm?" she ranted to her cat companion, who just gave a series of meows in response. "Ya know what, I don't. Yeah, yeah, you're right! We've done well for ourselves. Bury it far, far back and push forward!" And with that final say, Asami squeezed through the opening in the door as silent as her feline accomplice.

When she finally graced the room with her presence she went unnoticed by all though took notice of all that was transpiring. A Sand and Sound nin were being tossed about like they were rag dolls by three other Leaf genin that Asami took to recognizing immediately. A cat like grin graced her features and she shot a look down to Kuroo who kept his eyes trained on the fight before them - on edge if he needed to fight. However, the other three seemed to have it all under control so she lightly grazed Kuroo's frazzled tail and called for him to follow as she searched for her teammates.

'A 'fro and mess of chili colored hair should NOT be this difficult,' she thought to herself as her gaze scanned the room. When they finally landed on the two she navigated through everyone, dipping and dodging everyone as she attempted to sneak up on them both. As she approached from behind Hirameki she picked up on the strong grass scent that coated him, almost like he rolled in it just this morning. A large toothy, cat grin split her face as she jumped on him, leaning her arms on his shoulders. Voice annoying and grating and just very.... Asami. "Rollin' in the grass again, 'Meki? How's it goin' Yo?"

[Bluetommy]

Hirameki replied to Yosuke's greeting with a wave and a wide smile. He always enjoyed meeting with that squadmate specifically. Yosuke was cool and collected, the exact type of person to act as a foil, a rival! Hirameki knew that the best ninja always had rivals! Though those ninja always ended up killing their rivals... he didn't need to take one hundred percent of his inspiration from them.

"Not much is up Yo! Other than the sky, the sun, the moon, it's all up there somewhere, but we, as a team, can reach them!" he said with a flourish. He had a flair for the dramatic, yes, but being a little overdramatic was necessary to bring your teammates' spirits up! "What was that Yo? You're my best friend ever. Aw that's so kind of you! You're my best friend ever too! Come here, let's hug it out!" Hirameki approached Yo with arms outstretched, clearly really wanting to go through with this unsolicited embrace.

Only to be interrupted by a weight on his shoulders that caused him to yelp in a very unmanly manner. He flailed against the arriving Asami's grasp with a few frustrated sounds. "Damn you! You can't just scare me like that Asami! It's totally unforgiveable!" He roared out, using his father's deep voice to sound as dangerous and villainous as possible. "You idiot! You're lucky I didn't set you ablaze! I'll hurt-" he went to continue before realizing he'd dropped out of his father's voice, and cleared his throat angrily. "I'll hurt you if you screw with me!"

His other teammate, his punishment for sins in his past life, Nekomata Asami. She'd seemingly made it her god-given duty to irritate him at every turn. When he talked, she'd talk too, but louder! When he fell down during training, she'd keep going! There was a third thing but he'd totally forgotten what it was! Point was, she was hell on human legs, and Hirameki couldn't handle it!

"I wasn't rolling in the grass! I was... I was practicing my hand-eye coordination! You wouldn't get it," he replied with a dismissive wave of his hand. "And that wasn't even all I did today so there! I also did some training and talked to some jonin, it was radical! I bet you're jealous!" he said mockingly, sticking his tongue out in a display of supreme maturity. He Had to demonstrate that he wasn't bothered or she'd just keep going, he knew how this went, he wasn't stupid.

"But enough of you being childish, we have to focus on the exams, maybe we should plan, strategize!"

[Hey Im Jordan]

選択

♪

“Now that you’ve passed the written exams, the real test can begin.”

The genin remaining were standing in front of what looked like an abandoned, fenced off forest. With barely a break between this test and the last, nerves were running high. The written exam had been anything but easy, and the way the second proctor was speaking made it seem like the second part would be even harder. With their collective lack of knowledge (consisting mostly of fact or fictional stories from elder siblings, or even the jonin leaders of their squads), the genin were getting ready for the next task they faced.

And none of them were yet sure what the so-called ‘real’ test was going to be.

Luckily for them, the proctor seemed happy to continue talking — so long as no one interrupted her. “What you see behind me —” at this point, the proctor gestured grandly behind herself “— is where the second test will be conducted.” It seemed she thought the genin were a little slow — a fact which couldn’t have been more obvious if there was a giant sign with arrows pointing at the forest and declaring it as such.

The proctor did give a lengthy pause, allowing the genin time to speak. The pause continued to an almost awkward length, and it wasn’t until one of the genin (a Cloud nin, bless his soul) tried to speak up, the proctor charged over them, without even giving him the chance to finish asking his question, “what’s the forest called you ask?” To the people in the immediate vicinity of the young Cloud nin, the actual question could be heard ‘what’s the second exam?’ “The stage for the second test… is Practice Area 69.” A pause that was so on the nose it had to be intentional… just the right length to let some snickering build up in the crowd, before...

“Also known as the Forest of Death.”

The follow up statement quelled whatever snickering was building up, replacing it with quiet murmurs of concern. The Forest of Death? Because of the implication, it was easy to incite fear in the hearts of the young Genin, who hadn’t faced any real threats yet. “Inside the forest, it’s going to be an all out, no holds barred war. Each squad will be given one of these —” She held out two scrolls, one marked with the kanji for ‘Earth,’ and the other with the kanji for ‘Heaven,’ “—and your goal is quite simple. Acquire both scrolls by any means necessary, and make it to the tower in the center of the forest. You’ll have one week. You and your teammates will all enter the forest from different angles, and you’ll have to survive on your own. It’s a no holds barred battle royale! Get the scrolls, and get to the tower — by any means necessary. Yes, some of you may die, but that’s a risk we’ve all agreed to take.” She held up a piece of paper — the release form the genin had all been required to sign before being allowed to participate.

“Any questions?”

There were some questions, a few hands shot up, and the proctor clasped her hands together as if she were preparing to answer them…

“No questions? Good. You start in one hour.”

---

---

With the second task of the chūnin exams beginning, the genin find themselves entering the Forest of Death, with the simple task of collecting two scrolls… from their fellow squads, with no rules and no holds barred. In this fight to death, how will the heroes fare?

[Roach]

𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠 𝟯 𝗩𝗦. 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗢𝗙 𝗗𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗛

_{^{@Roach, @Hey Im Jordan, @KZOMBI3 𝗙𝗧. 𝗣𝗢𝗘𝗠𝗦 𝗕𝗬 @Fiber}}

With his hands behind his head and a slug princess on his shoulder, Kaminari Hikaru had a certain pep in his step as they moved away from the group and to one of the different entry points. Karu was looking forward to this! This was a real chance to show off his abilities, rather than barely floundering through a written exam (he was silently hoping his sensei never saw the results of that test). This was his best chance to show the world his moves.

The rank of chūnin had never been closer! “So, we need a plan of attack. Right? And a real one, not like what we usually do where, Mori is like ‘hey do we have a plan,’ and then I’m like ‘yeah, my plan is to attack, and then I use the Kaminari Wind Tunnel Burst Technique. Something with more clarity than that.” Karu stretched his hands up from behind his head and into the air, leaning side to side to get his blood pumping. “I’m itchin’ for a fight. Don’t tell me you guys want to be all tactical, right? That’d be so boring…”

“We can call it something different, if it would make you feel better,” Mori suggested drily. It was often two versus one in the department of not-rushing-off-and-getting-killed, and as the one on the losing side of this debate most often, he wanted to get his piece in first. “I vote for strategically making our way through this forest and fighting only the teams we need to get that other scroll. We want to come first place, right?”‘

With a skip to her step, Iza piped up to her fellow teammates, “Soooo like strategically kickin’ ass?” the wide, offset grin should point to more hazardous plans than just ‘kickin’ ass’ but who were any of them to question the half baked ideas that floated around in Izayoi’s head. If anything at all. “Who do you boys think the best team to knock out is gonna be? Hmm?”

“I talked to this guy, before the written exam… he seemed pretty strong. I didn’t fight him, but I wish I had! Maybe we can find him in there… then, of course, there are a few squads from Konoha worth looking out for. I know there’s Ashikaga guy — he blew through that heavy door at the center… then I think the Senju boy and Jiren were about to fight. It’s gonna be a war in there! Let’s just send it and beat the first group we found! Why take it slow?” He paused, and thoughtfully looked between the two of his teammates. For the briefest of moments, it seemed like Karu might have something important to say, something worthy of the team leader role he’d bestowed upon himself — without the insight of either of them. It seemed like Karu was about to step it up and be the man his mother hoped he could be, and then… he spoke.

“Maybe if we’re the first ones to the tower, there’ll be a huge celebratory feast!”

Mori’s hands were shoved in his pockets, rummaging around at the contents – scraps of paper he’d transferred fūinjutsu during the written exam and a few crumpled (but serviceable) sealing tags. He didn’t speak much at the question of which teams were strong, because any number of their graduating cohort would be a challenge, and a fight between them could go either way.

“We should find that out, Karu,” he encouraged. Quite frankly doing things fast was something that could be worked with; doing things with the usual Kaminari flair and flash, on the other hand, was antithetical to what he thought a ninja ought to be. “But we do need plans. What to do if we get separated, to defend against enemy infiltration, retreat plans… To make ‘strategically beating their–’ you know, easier.”

Iza couldn't help but roll her eyes before twirling around in her spot, eventually falling on her back and enjoying the sight of the leaves rustling in the breeze somewhere above them. "Easy is boring and you know it, Mori. Besides, I didn't get to actually fight nothing worth nothing before the written test…" She puffed her cheeks as she pouted thinking about the potential waste of time spent fighting nobodies earlier.

She had to admit though, both of her teammates weren't entirely wrong in their ideas for how the next portion of the test should be played out. Yes, some kind of plan was needed, but she also just wanted to do something. When the thought of Katsumi sensei berating her even more crossed her mind she couldn't resist gritting her teeth and snapping into a sitting position. "Just… ugh, sorry Karu, Imma hafta side with Mor. We need some kind of plan. I'm not gonna be the reason Katsu sensei chews us out. Not this time," Iza would be remiss if she said it wasn't time to start using Karu's title to their advantage.

"How's this, Mori and I focus on the initial attack and detaining of the team and you can land the finishing touches."

“That’s ridiculous, why would I do that? I don’t wanna land the finishing blows, I wanna be the hero of the day! This is my chance to come into my own, and earn my last name! Or… something like that anyway… look, the point is, if i’m just comin’ in to finish ‘em off, then nobody’s ever gonna run on sight from me, they’ll just run from you guys! That doesn’t work, y’know.” Karu protested, just a little bit away from stamping his foot, in a childish tantrum, but he held back. A ninja doesn’t throw tantrums. He had to make his dad proud! His mom proud! And most of all, he needed to show his older brother how strong he’d gotten under Katsumi-sensei’s tutelage. For some reason, Karu ranked that the highest; it most likely had something to do with the rivalries some of the Konoha jonin seemed to have… well, except for Samuru-sensei, who seemed less and less like he should really be a sensei. In fact, Karu was fairly certain he’d never seen or heard of Samuru doing anything nearly cool enough to be a sensei!

But, that wasn’t the point. The point then and there was simple: Karu didn’t want to be babied. “I think you’ll find that I’m the one holding the scroll —” Karu waved the team’s Earth scroll around in front of his teammates. Having claimed he was the team captain, Karu was the one that had been handed the scroll. To Karu’s neverending surprise, neither of his teammates had spoken up when he’d staked the claim… Maybe they do believe in me! “— so I should have some say in what we do! I think we should split up, and do some scouting. We can have a password to make sure we’re not trying to infiltrate the group… hey, when did we get inside the forest?”

Looking around himself, Karu found that they had indeed entered the Forest of Death.

There was no stopping their ‘team captain’ when he was like this, so Mori silently followed without protest – shooting only a worried glance at Iza and a half-shrug at Karu’s form ahead of them.

“One of Katsumi-sensei’s lessons, perhaps?” Mori asked, scratching a low-lying branch with an errant swipe of his kunai as they passed. Already the trees were blending into one another, indistinguishable in the low light from the canopy above, so a few man-made landmarks could not hurt. “There are a few poetic ones in the book, which I know you guys have for sure read… and no-one else will have.”

And then, in the knowledge that at least one of them hadn’t, he continued, “‘Hear the reeds speak / they tell when to clasp and loose / the sacred arrow.’”

Iza grumbled lowly as she walked in step with Mori, catching his side glance and glaring at the back of their 'fearless leader's' head. If it came down to it she would restrain him and she would hope that Mori would assist. Something for her to run by him when she got the chance.

Another roll of her eyes at the mention of Katsumi-sensei and her extensive reading list she thrust on them; as a form of "training". "Yeah, that would work. It's not like anyone would gather what it is. Probably think it's just some death pack poem or something…" While Mori was busy cutting into branches on his side of the makeshift path they were creating she opted to do the same.

"Honestly think splitting up is dumb, but whatever… if we need to regroup, because we will, just follow Karu's shouts," She smirked at the both of them before taking off to the higher branches of the surrounding trees leaving the two of them to their own devices.

“Iza! We’ll meet right back here at night!” Karu shouted after Iza as she hopped into the trees, and in the same breath he threw a kunai, sticking it into the tree and marking their place. If they were going to hunt and explore the forest, then it was important that they had a home base… and this seemed just as good as any. Their craziest adventures wouldn’t be on the first day, right? That would be ridiculous. “Mori, how long can the princess be out? I’ll bring her back tonight!” Karu didn’t even wait for an answer before he was gone, flying into the trees.

Down on the forest floor and suddenly very, very alone, Mori pinched the bridge of his nose and drew his jacket closer to him. The ebb and flow of his connection to Princess Nurunuru tickled, like he was stuck by a leech, but he could feel it stretching away to the east as Karu carried her away. At least he would be able to keep Karu alive through chakra infusions if he got into the thick of it.

Hopefully.

Knowing full well that neither Iza nor Karu were close enough to hear him ‘shout’ (when it would only ever reach the volume of a moderate drone), he called after them, “This wasn’t what I meant!” A quick hop up onto the nearest branch, and it wasn’t even a question who he was going to follow after – there was no way he could leave Iza alone out there.

[Bluetommy]

---

Forest of Death! It was happening! Totally happening right now! Hirameki was ready, he was pumped, he was fast, he was quick, he had trained for this, and now he and his teammates would be right on top! He'd tried to get them to strategize earlier but he'd been interrupted. Thankfully he was smart enough to strategize on his own and come up with a game plan. He was such a good ninja. It was frustrating that his teammates couldn't recognize that. He bounced on his heels and did some controlled breathing as preparation, palming his fist and exhaling slowly.

"Okay, team!" Hirameki yelled out in an authoritative tone, holding one hand out and placing the other on his hip. "We have to plan! We have to have a strategy, the other teams will destroy us if we're not prepared, and as good as I am, I can't do it without you guys!" Hirameki admitted with shocking humility. He was arrogant, but he was also realistic, at least that's what he was aiming for. Hopefully his team would actually work with him here, even if he doubted it.

"I vote that I distract and then you guys take em out! I get their attention and screw them up, then you guys can fight them off! You guys are the muscle, I'm the brains!"

[KZOMBI3]

mentions of @Bluetommy@DClassified

At the sheer noise coming from her teammate was enough to get the hairs on the back of Asami's neck to stand up. The first portion of the chuunin exams went smoothly enough. There was, for a brief moment, where she believed them to be doomed; the entire team failing all because 'Meki can't focus long enough on his studies... thankfully, it didn't matter whether they knew the material so much as to whether or not they could skirt by cheating without getting outright caught. Something she and Kuroo excelled at.

"If you don't stop buzzing, I will personally string you up from the trees and leave you there while Yosuke and I complete the mission." Asami's tone was less than inviting as the redhead began to literally bounce while attempting to calm down. It was going to be more of a hassle than anything this go around, if past missions were anything to go off of. However, if threatening him into submission was needed, she would be more than thrilled to oblige.

He must have shot her a glare but ultimately ignored her, speaking up about having to come up with a plan or some such nonsense. It wasn't uncommon for him to come up with plans, and then for the rest of the team to either indulge unlikely in this situation or straight up ignore it. Hearing him exclaim that he was the brains was enough for her to roll her eyes and scoff in Yo's direction; as if to ask him to reign the young man in before she snapped. Asami couldn't deny that she, too, believed that their team held the highest chances of coming out on top. There were a few others that caused her to worry her bottom lip between her teeth, but at the same time it excited her to potentially get the chance to square off against someone other than the usual suspects.

Sighing in somewhat defeat, she rested on a branch above the others, Kuroo casually dancing between Yo and Hirameki's legs. "... what's the plan then, 'Mek? Distraction? Really that's what-," it was as if something clicked on in her mind. "Wait, wait... no. That's good. That might actually work." In an instant she was beside him throwing an arm around his shoulder and leaning down to peer at him with narrowed eyes and an upturned smirk.

"'Meki, that's a purfect plan~"

[KZOMBI3]

^{Collab w/ @Fiber @sly13 @Infinite Cosmos & ME}

---

The patch of forest they were in was flat, with a thick cluster of trees directly ahead of them. Kotetsu looked around but didn’t move far, staying where he was. He said “Awful big forest here. I can find the way to the center but can’t help much with navigating besides that." Kotetsu checked the fit of his gloves and tightened his hand wraps. “I’m afraid I won’t be able to help with finding the other teams either, but once we get that done, the rest should be easy enough. How many do you think we’ll have to beat before we get the right scroll?”

Tetsu looked around at their surroundings for a moment before turning back to his teammates. “Unfortunately I won't be able to search through the forest much while we are on the move so that leaves it to you to find our first targets Satoru. Once that's done all that will be left is to take the scroll off them.” He said in is usual flat tone as he turned his attention back towards the forest surrounding them. “Since you're going to be our guide, why don't you decide the direction we travel While Kotetsu and myself flank you.”

Satoru peered into the forest with his white eyes. “Sure. Give me a moment. Please keep the attacks away from my 6 o’clock direction while I’m searching for my target. It's a common weakness that our enemies might want to exploit as soon as they see my abilities. Otherwise, I have confidence in our combat abilities to handle them. First things first, let's head into the forest and head west, I suppose. I will try to look as far ahead as I can and make adjustments on the go…”

Kotetsu nodded and started to pace around, but then he stopped and said. “Hey, before we get going, who's going to keep an eye on our scroll? I think this’ll be quick enough but I’d hate to see it all messed up because of confusion. I trust you guys, so I want to know who you think is best.” He folded his arms and looked at them, eyes keeping look at the treeline just in case.

Tetsu took a look at the scroll for a moment before a step toward Kotetsu holding out his hand. “If you don't mind I'll hold onto it. They'd have to get through my sand and me to get to it. And I assure you, they'll die trying.”

“Tetsu, I’d trust you with things that are a whole lot more important than this scroll. You can have it, no doubt about it.”

“Thanks brother.” Taking the scroll and placing on his belt Tetsu looked at his fellow teammates before continuing, “Well I think with that settled we can start hunting,” as he finished this in his usual tone there was the slightest bit of excitement and anticipation hidden deep in his eyes as the three of them leapt into the trees.

Iza couldn't help but scoff at her close friend and teammates' utter lack of foresight. Too busy with trying to make a name for himself? What did that even mean? He was already the child of the fucking Hokage for fucks sake. He already had it made. She sighed, slowing down in her tracks to shake the negative thoughts away. Iza harbored no I'll will for Karu, just annoyance, and it was during those time where she had to consider this was how everyone viewed her too. Utter annoyance and somewhat contempt.

As Iza slowed to a stop amidst the foliage, she heard distinct footfalls in the brush around her. And they seemed to be moving in her direction. A wicked grin found residency on her face as she slunk further back into the shadows,scanning for movement. It didn't take her waiting long before three familiar figures graced her field of vision. One in particular, with his infrared locks a stark contrast to the greenery around them.

'Tetsu~' she couldn't help the subtle blush that coated her porcelain skin at the mere sight of him. He had been actively avoiding her for the last few months, only breaking that sabbatical when their teams were mandated to work together. Katsumi and Kami sensei be damned. But now, here, during their second test, he'd be forced to interact with her, whether he wanted to or not. An idea formed in her mind, making sure to stay behind the trio, for fear of being spotted too soon by Satoru's exceptional eyes. With a little help from some broken branches and her own kunai and senbon, she made sure to inflict some damage upon herself. A little pain and some acting was going to be needed if she wanted to get in close.

Iza took in her features, what she could at least, and with a determined nod, a deep inhale, she tossed herself from her hiding place. Trying her hardest to not lock up on impact, for fear of causing more damage than planned. After landing she struggled to her feet, 'Yep, definitely sprained something' she thought, pushing through the new pain, trekking towards her old classmates. Panic stricken eyes searching the trio before locking onto Tetsu's.

"T-tetsu…" her fumbling allowed her to fall into him, blood trickling from the gash above her right eye. "Another team… we got, we got separated. Karu, the dumbass ran off on his own…" her voice wavered, a complete 180 from her normally chipper tone. Iza kept a shaky hand on her childhood friend's shoulder, looking across to the other two, as if offering them to fact check her story. From somewhere ahead of them, a series of grunts and shouts. Seemingly making their way towards the now foursome group. Calling out obscenities, calling out to search for the girl. Iza could only hope that the young men she found herself with would take the bait.

Satoru paused, while traversing the forest with his team. The three of them were covering a good distance. His eyes were focused, determined to guide his team through this maze of death. With Tetsu holding the scroll, Kotetsu providing firepower when needed, and himself forging a path through, he did not see a way for them to fail. That progress came to a halt. Iza, a member of a separate team, showed up on their path. Satoru took the moment to catch his breath and gather himself. The girl approached their team’s “package”, a move that planted the inkling of suspicion in Satoru’s mind.

Satoru wasn’t a medical nin, by any means. Tetsu and Kotetsu even less so, by Satoru’s estimation. So, even though this girl claims friendship with Tetsu, such things had no place in their current mission. “Ah ah ah. Girl. I would ask you to step away from him. We’re all on a very specific mission. I’m sure you have and know your own.” Satoru took a step in, gathering a small bit of chakra in both of his palms. With his eyes, Satoru was gathering chakra readings on the girl that approached them. Sure, she had some superficial injuries but her chakra reserves, or the flow of it, were not impacted… Interesting, considering the fact that she is claiming that her and her team were ambushed and thus separated. Satoru leaned into Kotetsu and faintly whispered “Get ready for a fight. The girl is lying through her teeth...and her injuries…”

Iza couldn't help the small glare she sent Satoru's way. He deserved it, especially after his comments from earlier, but she let that roll over and set to focus on her issue at hand. When she had scanned them on her approach to the trio she was searching for their scroll, and seeing as how she didn't spot it coming from the other two it meant it was within her fingertips.

In an instant her gaze was turned to Tetsu, trying her best to look worn and defeated, eyes boring into his own, full of pleading, even if the other two were suspicious. "Tetsu… I need your help… please…" Tetsu stood stunned while staring at Iza who was currently bloodied and asking for help. He was using every ounce of willpower not to show his true emotions through either his face or his eyes. “Satoru calm down. We can trust her. So put those hands down.” he said, keeping his eyes on Iza with the slightest sign of concern with his voice slightly breaking out of its normal dry tone.

“Satoru scan the trees for the squad. Kotetsu cover him while I move Iza,” he said looking briefly towards them leaving little to no room for a debate on the matter. Turning back to Iza, Tetsu could feel his eyes soften ever so slightly as much as he tried to fight it. “I apologize for this.” He said before picking up Iza, getting ready to move her to a safe distance.

As soon as she felt her feet lift off the ground she tensed up, a very un-kunoichi squeak leaving her throat. Instantly her arms wrapped around her crush - friend's neck and the blush that had been pushed down resurfaced. "Tetsu…," seeing his reaction to her distress she felt her heart ache at the trick she was pulling over on them. But it was too late, she had to go through with the place. Iza only hoped that he wouldn't hate her too badly.

Upon giving the orders, which was something Iza practically drooled over - she couldn't remember the last time she had seen Tetsu so demanding, the trio were preoccupied with scanning the trees for threats. Threats that had fizzled out of nowhere. Izayoi couldn't risk conjuring a phony team once more without Satoru catching on. He was already too talented for his own good. Something that irked her to no end. Instead she began to reconfigure her plan. If she wanted too, she could trap Tetsu and Kotetsu with her kekkai genkai to immobilize them, then she would only have Satoru to deal with, 'But he wouldn't want to risk falling under my genjutsu also, and would probably try to keep his eyes closed… but then that means I would have to maintain eye contact with Kotetsu, and still touch Tetsu before escaping. I don't know how much time that would allow me…'

Kotetsu looked around slowly, keeping an ear out for any sign of trouble. He was watching Satoru’s back mostly, but not moving much. He wanted them to stay in an area they knew, not get blindsided running off. While standing there he said, “Might be best that you step a little further away from Tetsu, young miss. If a fight breaks out the last thing you want is sand in your wounds. We can keep you plenty safe over here, and while we wait you can tell us some more about who took out your team. Let us know what we’re in for.” He kept his center of gravity low and his muscles tensed, ready to spring and fight anything that tried to jump them. His lead leg was planted heavy and chambering a kick, prepared to give a burst of explosive power when the time was right.

There was something about the way Kotetsu spoke to her like she was dainty. To be fair, that was what she was going for but it still rubbed her the wrong way and she would have corrected him of his misnomer but the feeling of Tetsu being so close to her was calming. 'What kind of kunoichi gets easily distracted by a guy?! Katsumi-kijo would wring me by my neck if she ever found out… not to mention if the boys knew, I wouldn't hear the end of it...' the thought alone sent annoyed shivers down her spine. Her vision misted over for a split second at the thought of duping her crush and friend, but she reasoned that if the roles were reversed they'd do the same. So, she pushed the bubbling emotions down and steeled herself for what was to come next.

“Yes, please answer my teammate here… We just want to be prepared, that's all. If you pose no threat, I have no qualms with Tetsu carrying you to some sort of rendezvous point so we can hand you back over to a moderator, or a member of your team, should they have survived that is…” Satoru said, creaking his neck some before taking a quick drink from a canteen he brought with him. His eyes still intensely focused on her chakra flow. The fact that they flowed almost undisturbed still does not sit well with him. She is definitely faking. How would Satoru get Tetsu to see through her ploy was a more pressing concern. For all he knows, she could have told her team that she is going to bait him and his team out in order to plant an ambush. There is no way Satoru lets that happen. Satoru first turned his gaze on a nearby tree to make sure it was not rigged with some sort of trap, be it ninja tool or ninjutsu. Then, he backed himself up against the tree so his back was at least covered. Thirdly, he used a little bit more of the power of his eyes to scan their surroundings, trying to pick out movements nearby and to see if there are people approaching them, and from where...

The fact that he moved into a position that allowed him his 180+ vision, keeping her within his sights, irked her. More so than Kotetsu's comment about her being 'little miss'. The thought alone caused her to physically shake. It was now or never. Her plan needed to come to fruition and the only way that that was going to happen with minimal damage sustained on her part was to limit herself to two combatants, not three. Eyes closed she steeled herself and the repercussions that were soon to follow. Opening her now blood red eyes, she locked her gaze onto the furthest male, Kotetsu; distant sounds of an imaginary enemy team encroaching into their parameter, hoping beyond hope that he would take the bait. All the while, her grip on Tetsu's arm never faltered.

Kotetsu was a man of action, and when he heard the enemy creeping around behind the back of Tetsu and Iza, he launched himself into battle to protect them . An explosive leap sent him into the air on a high angle trajectory, twisting his body in mid-air. He only had a split second to aim his descent because of the speed he was traveling. On the way down Kotetsu looked for something, a sign of the enemy he had heard, but he found none. Something about it all felt fuzzy and unclear, like he had just woken up from a dream. His foot completed it’s arc right as he landed, slammed heel first into a tree with a kick that so loud it could be heard a thousand yards away. The massive tree heaved and bent, falling down as Kotetsu picked himself up from his landing. Around him see no enemy, not even the puff of smoke from a disappearing clone or a substitution jutsu. Kotesu scratched his head and then tried to figure out where to go to get back to the group, the whole situation leaving him very confused.

When the muscle bounded off to the foreign, invisible and nonexistent threat, is when the fun truly began. Iza's grip on her crush's forearm increased slightly, enough to gain his attention and with it came a small, sad smile before pushing up onto the tips of her toes grazing his cheek with her lips. A quick, chaste kiss; an apology without words.

All too suddenly, her red gaze locked onto the blonde's, trapping him into place. Her once loving and tender grasp on Tetsu's arm now turned captive, making sure to keep him in place and rendered helpless as her genjutsu worked its way into both of their minds. Through their haze she was able to wrap her free hand around the scroll that had made its home on Tetsu's belt. Now that she had what she needed it was time to high tail it out of there, but without letting go was going to be tricky. And honestly she didn't think this far. Already applying her talents to two ninja was putting a strain on her limits as it were; blood seeping from her nose and eyes, blurring the lines of her vision. She needed to get out of there soon otherwise it would have been for nothing.

Before letting go, of either of them, she knew she had at least a few seconds before they would come to their senses and begin to follow her, she readied her kunai and a smoke bomb and letting go of the red head, an apology passing her lips as she sank into the shadows of the greenery around them, heading off in the direction she thought would lead to her team.

[AlteredTundra]

_{A @metanoia, @Fabricant451, and @Hey Im Jordan Collaboration}

---

Now that they were in the forest, they were almost at the point where they could have fun. And, luckily, he’d found his lucky charm before they’d left the house that morning. In fact, with the way his luck had been so far today, he was almost certain they’d run into a squad composed completely of beautiful, foreign women from other villages! There was a chance he could even meet a beauty from the mysterious land of Rain… Looking over his shoulder at his group, Kai wiped the dripping blood from his nose with the back of his hand, and sniffed.

“Let’s work hard to find some gorgeous babes here, guys. This is my chance to make a good impression.” Kai said, sniffing again before looking out at the forest in front of them. Here in the forest, he was in his element — all he needed now was some cute girls to show off to, and he’d be right at home. Squad 4 was already considered one of, if not the strongest Konoha squad by many people, and this was their first real chance to prove it. Blowing a door off its hinges hardly counted! That was baby stuff, he could do that in his sleep.

“Just think! Right now, there could be a damsel already in distress in the Forest of Death, waiting for Kai the magnificent to swoop in and save her. It’s up to us to find them!” Kai was far from the team captain of Squad 4, but here in the forest, it seemed like he was far and away the most passionate about their current mission.

“Kai!” Ren snapped his head at Kai with almost as much quickness as he did when he swung his blades, eyes glaring at his squadmate. “We aren’t here so you can get lucky. Keep your eyes on the prize.” The coldness in his eyes refocused on the mesh of trees in front of him. “Once we have secured our passage into the next round, then we can pursue personal missions.” Maybe, to Kai, that meant finding a voluptuous kunoichi to serenade or fondle, but for Ren, that meant getting his hands on a certain Senju.

That they had made it to the forest wasn’t a miracle, they’d had time to prepare for it and they weren’t exactly slouches in the department of genin ability; what had been a miracle was that they made it with someone like Kai having his mind on anything other than the task at hand. Mai knew better than anyone how...singular minded her brother could be and how incorrigible he was besides; if anyone was to jeopardize their opportunity it would be him. “Don’t tell him to keep his eye on the prize; his prize is some stupid fantasy like that.” Mai was already coming close to sighing like a disappointed parent and they’d been in the forest all of a minute. “We’ re not here to save anyone, we’re here to get what we need and get to the end. The quicker the better. We find some squad stuck in the nerves and fear of the situation, we take them out, we let nothing stop us from getting through, agreed?”

“What, like rush ourselves through the thing? Why would we do that? It’s a beautiful forest, we can take it slow. This is a great place for me to serenade someone!” Kai was protesting rather quickly, but he knew he was going to be overwhelmed. There was no way he could stop and smell the roses if they had to get in, and get out fast. Kai had to think of something, and fast. Knowing that his sister would push hard for the stealthy approach, Kai figured now was his chance to try a last ditch effort style play. With only one option, Kai figured he had to go for the pride. “Y’know, Jiren, if we took our time and got two sets of scrolls, I bet it’d really solidify us as the top squad vs Squad 1.” Maybe it was Kai’s lucky day.

It bothered him beyond his own comprehension just how sound Kai’s logic was. To Ren, Kai had always been something of a moron who followed nothing more but what fell beneath his waist and who was often emboldened by Shion-Sensei’s attitude, which was always a questionable, enabling dynamic. But right now, as he weighed what he knew right in what Mai had said and what would get him to the end goal he personally wanted to pursue, which aligned with Kai’s suggestion. On one hand, he knew Mai’s route was more efficient and wouldn’t complicate them in any regard, but the longer he sat with the unresolved feelings dwelling in his heart, it froze everything else out, making the choice all too clear for him.

Cocking a smirk, Ren cracked his knuckles. “Sometimes, Kai, there’s a method to your madness,” Ren said chuckling. Not once did he ever see himself uttering those words out loud.

“No, no there isn’t a method, and I expected better from you, Ren, than to get swept up in his nonsense.” What was it about these two and their pointless pursuit of excess and pointless risk taking? It was an arrogance thing, for sure, why they couldn’t just be satisfied at being the first team to succeed which was a feat in itself was beyond her. Being a ninja wasn’t about showing off or chasing pointless squabbles under the guise of pride or whatever, but that seemed to be all the boys of the squad cared about, much to Mai’s eternal chagrin. They might call it being overly strict or unfun or any number of negative terms, but to Mai it was more like having to wrangle two rowdy children who never learned their lesson. She was far too young to be a mother but she clearly couldn’t even rely on sensei given her brother’s ‘lucky charm’ so if that’s what she would have to act like then so be it.

“If you idiots - because that’s what you’re acting like - want to keep being idiots and risking everything because you’re godsdamned idiots then be idiots AFTER we advance. You do know this is an exam, right? Which means they’re probably watching us and no chuunin ever became a chuunin by taking selfish, pointless risks! Think with your brain having head for a change, Kai.” Mai was frustrated and her team would have to deal with it.

“You don’t know what comes after this, why would you bother risking everything on some pointless endeavour? It doesn’t make you or us better by wasting time and seeking out unnecessary conflict. What you’re doing is going against orders for no good reason. If you two idiots ruin my chance at this, not only will I never forgive you, but I’ll ensure the both of you will never have the ability to infect the world with little versions of you. If you catch my meaning.” Of all the times Mai wished she had an apple or something to crush in her hands, this was certainly one.

“I don’t care if you have issues with another team, settle it somewhere else. We get there first, we’re still the team to beat. Kai, unless you have anything wise to say, shut up. And Ren, don’t listen to my idiot brother lest you become an even bigger idiot yourself. Now let’s go, no distractions. I want to pass.”

“We’re gonna pass anyway! We’re the strongest team,” Kai protested, dragging his hand along one of the trees. The fact they were as powerful as they were was part of the reason he wasn’t bothering with ‘stealth.’ What kind of shinobi was stealthy anyway? Stealth didn’t earn you style points with any voluptuous, bodacious babes. In fact, it’d do the opposite! If he was silent and sneaky all the time, then the Hokage — or worse, Shion-sensei — was going to take all of his credit! Being a shinobi was about being cool and flashy — silence stuff was for the ANBU black ops, not the cannon fodder.

“I’m thinking ahead of the game, sis. If we eliminate more than one team here, then there’s less people we’ll be competing with in the next part!” Maybe that logic could convince her. The more people they beat up the more chances he had to save stunning kunoichi from foreign villages. Kai had to keep his eye on the prize, which wasn’t really a Chunin jacket, but more importantly about becoming popular. If everyone knew his name, then it’d be way easier to get a date. The jacket was just an accessory to help with the goal. “C’mon, Mai, we’ve never had a real chance to test the limits of our abilities! This is it. We can make Shion-sensei proud.”

“Relax, Mal! Like Kai said, we’ll pass this exam, but!” Ren gripped the handles of his two swords with a clear feeling of anxiety, a feeling of impatience, but most importantly, Ren was excited. He normally didn’t have this thirst, but combined with his team and the singular goal of fighting that Senju from Squad 1 again was fueling his will of fire more than anything else could. “That doesn’t mean we can’t have our fun along the way!” He shot Kai a grin, taking his position next to the boy.

“If you think this will make sensei proud then you don’t actually listen to sensei at all.” Mai wasn’t willing to just accept this without putting her foot down, she wasn’t going to simply go with what her brother and Ren wanted - and if they thought this was some kind of majority rules thing then they would be sorely mistaken. “Think for one second. You’re suggesting we get four scrolls when we just need two and we have no way of knowing which team has which scroll. Your plan is to mess around, fail to impress anyone other than yourself, and act like the superior team by picking fights? You don’t have a plan, Kai, and neither do you Ren. But I do. Now here’s the thing. I have our scroll. Mai held up their scroll of earth and promptly deposited it back in her satchel. “So you two can go off on your pointless, stupid, time-wasting endeavour, but I won’t be going with you if you do. If you’re so confident in yourselves, then while I get the one scroll we need, you idiots can waste your time and get two and we’ll see who gets to the end first.”

“If I were you, Ren, I wouldn’t go with Kai. He’s just as likely to be lured into a trap because a girl is pretending to cry than he is to become a great ninja.”

Ren laughed, choosing not to say anything in response to what Mai just said. Instead, as he readied himself for the final takeoff, he glanced at his team. With a deep breath, he glanced at the two. “With us around, there’s no way that’s going to happen.” Ren was convinced that he and Mai could guide Kai away from obvious traps. And if not, well then they’ll have to pick up his slack.

“It’s not a race sis, geeze. I don’t know why it’s such a big deal to want to have some action. But fine, whatever… We’ll do it your way, okay? We’ll just rush through the thing with minimal cool moments.” Kai huffed, pushing his hair out of his eyes. Didn’t she understand the problem with something like that? He wasn’t going to have a chance to run into any shinobi girls at this rate… “I’m just as strong as you are, sis, we’re like the strongest Konoha team and we’re gonna have to slink around the forest like a bunch of… a bunch of cowards. If we run into more than one team, we’re fighting them! Maybe we’ll just end up with two sets of scrolls through luck...” After all, Kai did have his lucky charm.

And so, with a grumbling Kai, Squad 4’s plan was set in stone.

[KZOMBI3]

_{Mentions: @Fiber Goon Squad @Sly}

---

Izayoi didn't know how long she was running for, only that the sweat dripping off of her like rivulets carried the dried blood from her eyes and nose with it. In one hand she clutched onto the scroll, her knuckles white with tension, the other palm covered in more dried blood. There was no time to stop and rest, or even to readjust any of her tools before squad one would catch up to her. She was already experiencing the headaches that tag along with the strenuous usage of her kekkai genkai. The pounding in her head was enough to make her stumble and trip, falling through the brush and into a small clearing. The place that would house her last stand.

Not too far behind she could hear the quickening rustling of her former classmates rushing to her location. The pain in the space between her ears was growing at an enhanced rate, especially when she reactivated her Ketsuryūgan alongside a simple genjustu, to project noises just further north from her spot. Hoping that it would buy her enough time to find Mori and pass off the scroll before succumbing to anymore injuries. In the short run, her initial plan had worked; she was able to successfully steal a scroll - that they did, in fact need - and make a clean enough getaway. The downside to it all was that she overworked herself and eyes - why she believed that actually injuring herself was the best course is beyond her - but what truly hurt was the fact that she used one of her closest and longest known friends. 'Tetsu, I'm so, so sorry...'

Iza'z moment of reprieve was cut short, as she sat there staring at her bloodstained palm, vision blurring as she tried to focus. On what? She couldn't exactly tell you. Ears feeling as if they were stuffed with cotton, mouth just as dry. The thrumming seeming to not stop anytime soon. While she was caught in her own world she completely missed the sounds of an approaching team. It wasn't until they broke through the tree line that she was able to tell that they weren't of the Leaf. If their their headbands weren't a dead giveaway, it was definitely their garb.

The showmanship that the first warm body possessed was absolutely that; a showman. Back flipping, with a twist, landing in a crouched position into the clearing from the other side of the forest where Iza resided, his entrance was something to be in awe of. It was quite impressive. Even with his back towards her. What was not impressive was the attire that hung from his frame. Baggy fabric, gathered around his legs in the hues of white and blue, something in the pigment that when they caught even the slightest bit of light it shone like a gemstone. It's what first caught the blurring vision of the silver haired kunoichi. Not like she could observe much else but the reflecting material. She didn't get a good look at the symbol on his hitai-ate, it was too far away and her vision still hadn't sharpened - and there was no way she was going to use her Ketsuryūgan before pinpointing the other members of this nin's team.

The strange man continued to perform back flips until he was satisfied it seemed, "Tch, idiot..." she couldn't help the scoff under her breath at the sight before her. He raised a fist into the air with an exclamation that sounded very similar to a “Nailed it!” A few feet from where he landed, a smoke cloud of the deepest black appeared and with it gave way to a flash of light only to reveal a hooded figure. Attached to the hood, a cloak made of what looked to be fine silk adorned with elaborate and intricate stitching of a dragon devouring a tiger; though from what Izayoi could make out it simply looked muddled and indistinct. The newcomer pulled his hood down and unfastened his cloak to reveal his equally atrocious ensemble and a demonic mask to top it all off.

The masked man crossed his arms over his chest, the sleeves of his cloak belling out. When he spoke, it was with a deep and booming voice. He clearly had taken notice of her, now in a standing position, as he addressed her - and subsequently anyone else in the area. Because like Tetsu and his team, they must have believed her own squad was nearby and waiting. “Oh foolish ones, you cannot comprehend how swiftly your destruction is at hand! For on this day you have had the misfortune of encountering the awesome powers of those you see before you. Too mighty are we for your less than worthy talents to compete. Who you see standing before is the one who humbles lightning, the ray of light given human form…”. He gestured to the first man, who proceeded to perform yet another back flip, yet still managed to land with his back turned towards the kunoichi. With her vision on the back end of clearing up she took notice of the nasty body language shot his way by the masked ninja before flipping once more; this time landing forward facing, his fighting stance up at the ready.

It was then, with a slight shake of his head that the masked man continued on, announcing his team as if this was a pageant and him and his team were the contestants. “He is Eiji! Not only is he a master of-” Iza could only assume his next words would have contained some mention of 'lightening' and 'back flips' and 'horrible fashion choices' but she never got the chance to see if her thoughts were correct, for yet another, oddly dressed ninja burst through the treeline to join up with his fellow squad mates. “Hey! I’m here, ugh, that was a lot running.” The newest one to join the soiree was clearly out of breath and the largest built nin on the team. Iza was clearly overwhelmed at his size, but seeing as his stamina seemed less than ideal, she figured he would be easy enough to take out - should it come to that.

Both of the other men gave looks of annoyance to the one who had just arrived, a bald ninja, his attire dirty and distressed - and Iza was sure it wasn't just from their trek through the forest. His breathing was heavy and his hands were placed on his knees to rest, hunched over trying to catch his breath from hurrying over to join them in the clearing. As if it was all planned to happen as so, the masked male continued on, voice still booming, announcing their presence to any and all in the surrounding area. 'I could use this to my advantage...' she thought to herself as she began to think up ways in order to get Tetsu and the others to come to her location - if they already weren't

“Ahahaha, you will soon discover for yourself that which Eiji is master over! He is joined by the powerful master of an unlimited arsenal, Mitsuhide!” The bald one then proceeded to pull out a scroll and flung it up into the air, causing Iza's curiously terrible nature to track it with her own gaze to see what became of the scroll and it's contents. She nearly fell over in a stupor when a folding table popped out and he looked to the item and then to the ground, muttering something about “that was the camping one” The tolerance levels for his fellow squad mates was at it's tipping point she noticed, as the masked man shook his head and looked to physically restrain himself from attacking his team before finally concluding his speech. “Greater than either of those, you face the one who holds the cosmic power bestowed by the Akashic epochs and the Aeonic forces of Nibiru, the sixth Demiurgic emanation, the greatness you behold now, my divine self, the one known only as… Koji!” He struck a dramatic pose with his finger outstretched, signaling he was ready to fight.

The erratic rustling of the foliage directly behind Iza snapped her out of whatever smartass remark she was about to make. Especially when the people she least wanted to see - this close up at least - were standing a mere six feet from her. She could almost reach out and touch her crush friend; however she stopped herself, arm midair, at the look that graced his features. One of determination and raw distrust... not thrown exclusively at the opposing team. It was as if his gaze alone burned her and she retracted her arm quickly, cradling it to her chest as she stood between the two teams. Neither one of them making the first move.

"Well, shit..."

[Fiber]

The place they found themselves was a gap in the trees, an opening large enough to give them room to maneuver. Kotetsu was at the edge of it, close enough to see all of the enemies. Eiji, the one with the back flips gave him a look, the kind that said “I bet I can take you”. Kotetsu shook his head and clenched his fists tight, not raising them yet, that would be giving Eiji too much acknowledgement. If he could win the mental game and get Eiji to stop thinking straight before the first blow was even thrown, it’d be that much easier. Eiji answered with a back flip that landed him in the exact same spot as before, just a way of showing off, not even threatening enough to qualify as a real feint. Kotetsu kept his feet planted and raised one hand towards Eiji, keeping a bend in it to let him strike quickly if he needed to.

Eiji really liked cartwheels, almost as much as he liked backflips. He did a one-handed one, then a no-handed one as he circled a permeter around Kotestu, getting a little closer with each jump. The Eiji passed by a tree and the aerial kicks started. First he kicked off a tree to launch himself closer to Kotetsu, then he punctuated his flight with more flourishes and little strikes in each direction around him, hacking down tree limbs from the canopy with each one. Eiji came at Kotetsu like a buzzsaw, with fast rotation on an overhead kick. Kotetsu’s outstretch hand parried the blow and then Eiji landed on the ground with a roll, where he let loose with more spinning kicks. He shifted between using his hands, his feet, even his heads as the base during his kicking combo, looking like a top spinning out of control and his reflective gear glimmering like a disco ball. None of them landed because Kotetsu stuck to the fundamentals of his footwork and controlled the distance, keeping each one just out of range.

Now Eiji was frustrated and jumped to his feet with a one-handed spinning maneuver. He feinted a kick and launched a jumping punch which bounced of Kotetsu’s blocking hands, then followed with a spinning backfist that Kotetsu caught.

They traded hands, parrying and catching blows until Eiji got both on Kotetu’s wrist and went for a wristlock, which was so poorly applied it amused Kotetsu to see where that would go. Eiji held it for a moment, trying to wrench it in a way that wouldn’t have worked even if someone didn’t have bones as strong as Kotetsu’s. To add some flavor to his escape, Kotetsu did a forward flip to break out of it, landing face to face with Eiji, who stood there dumbstruck. Kotetsu blasted him with an elbow to the face.

When the elbow hit Kotetsu felt Eiji’s head rotate much further than he was used to after hitting someone with that kind of blow. With his concentration he saw the ninja’s face distort like a puddle of water some just stepped in, waves going up and down. Eiji’s legs had all the strength of deflated balloons and the sound he made upon hitting the ground was a deep thud. Kotetsu might allow himself a little smirk after a victory, this time he was surprised at how it went. He poked Eiji’s uncocnsious body with his foot; the way he went down made Kotetsu wonder if he had killed him. Still not satisfied, Kotetsu bent down low enough to grab an arm and check his pulse, not getting too low to avoid leaving himself vulnerable. After that he was convinced Eiji would live through this, and hopefully work on developing a more balanced skillset in the future.