Fandom Naruto: Altered: IC

[InsaneAsylum]

Emerie Sairento
Team Makoto​

Emerie didn’t stop cutting at Shinjiro’s warning. If they wanted to stand around and brainstorm for the rest of the time limit they could do just that. By the time they came up with a plan Emerie would have at least made a sizeable dent in the amount of wires.

Emerie sliced each wire in her path, being sure not to miss any so she wouldn’t get caught up. She felt a tickling sensation sround her legs. It was probably just mud hardening or something, so Emerie just ignored it. Instead she focused on how there were so many damn wires. Who had the time to set all of this up, and why? It was obnoxious. They’d have a lot of work to do after Emerie was through, and she didn’t feel bad in the slightest. The mud stained genin didn’t understand why her teammates were so indecisive.

The young girl couldn’t help but wonder how her other classmates tests were going. Hell, she’d be gassed to death than get covered in mud. What jonin would gas their students though? Not any Emerie had heard of.

QuirkyAngel Phayne

 

[Phayne]

-Team Makoto-

Shinjiro listened attentively to Naomi's suggestion, the idea of transforming into Kunai and utilizing her Subterranean voyage jutsu to bypass the obstacle was an ingenious yet risky idea, considering the fact that they were not aware of what 'counted' as bypassing an obstacle and what was acceptable. Had the idea been plausible from the beginning then perhaps it would have been a solution to their current predicament, alas as is the case with most things in the modern era, a monkey wrench has to be thrown into the equation and that Monkey wrench was Shinjiro himself. The boy could not perform the Rank D transformation Jutsu.

"I.. I like the idea... but.." replied Shinjiro, a bit embarrased that his own incompetence would hinder their progress. Remaining silent for a few long seconds and fidgeting on the spot, Shinjiro pondered how best to reveal his own shortcoming to his team mate. It was such a simple jutsu to perform, an academy basic that most if not all genin were expected to master, yet Shinjiro had not accomplished such feat. For all the spectacle of his Kekkei Genkei, the boy had failed to master one of the simplest jutsus presently known to the Shinobi world. Shinjiro sighed, taking a few more seconds to compose himself. If they were to succeed as a team, then it was only to be expected that his team mates be aware of what he was not capable of.

"I.. I can't perform the transformation Jutsu... I've yet to succeed in performing it properly.." muttered Shinjiro, a bit sheepishly as he turned his gaze away. A genin that couldn't master a Rank D jutsu... what future was there for him?.. "It was a great idea... I just... I just can't fulfill my part in the plan.. I'm sorry.." he added, his brain furiously trying to compensate for his inadequacy by comping up with an alternative plan. Yet nothing beyond his initial idea would reveal itself to him and it was an idea that relied on perfect execution.

"All.. all I can think of doing is following Emerie's lead... " suggested Shinjiro, extending his hand out and holding his chain, its importance to be revealed when he suggested his own idea. "I.. I've got a magnet release Jutsu that can gather tools from a distance.. like from the target board.." began Shinjiro, uncoiling his chain. " If we were to follow behind Emerie, the two of us could keep an eye out for the target boards, hitting them the moment they appear. If its true that the wires slacken when the boards are hit, then the two of us can cover for Emerie as well as our selves, ensuring that we don't get caught... then I can use my jutsu to gather our tools.."

As Shinjiro spoke, a dozen or so creatures lurking above began to stir, their actions spurned on by the commotion below, the disturbance to the web like maze they were tasked with guarding causing them to move once more. Silently they crawled across the tree tops, predatory eyes lingering at the three genin morsels below.

KageYuuki InsaneAsylum QuirkyAngel​

 

[QuirkyAngel]

Team Makoto: Naomi Hanataro
“No, no! That’s a good idea!” Naomi replied quickly, face flushing a bit at Shinjiro’s apology. Usually she was the one apologizing and making mistakes so the change was somewhat…unsettling. He had nothing to apologize for anyway. “I should have considered our collective skill-sets.”

Nodding, Naomi reached for her kunai as she hurried to catch up with Emerie who was carefully dismantling every wire she came across in a manner that wouldn’t get her caught. While that method wasn’t any faster than trying to avoid the wires (slower actually), it was more thorough, ensured she didn’t get caught when the wires tightened in front of her (since she wasn’t exactly inside the trap), and eased the way for her teammates. Emerie had always been good with tools—whether it be using them or disabling them.

Not like they had very many choices, since Em had already started.

Metallic choruses resounded throughout the forest and target-boards appeared left and right with every breakage. A couple of kunais were thrown to loosen the wires that tightened around a non-existent victim (because bundled wires were more difficult to cut than not), but, for the most part, Naomi moved to assist Emerie in breaking apart the trap, trusting that Shinjiro would bring her weapons back to her. She went for the wires Em missed or did not reach, taking care to avoid getting surrounded by wires at any point. The more people helped, the sooner the task would be finished. When her last kunai was thrown, slicing through a wire and hitting a targetboard, Naomi drew Ametora. That was when she noticed a movement near Emerie’s legs.

Splat!

Naomi didn’t even hesitate, bringing down her ninja weapon upon the critter.

“Careful…there seems to be bugs in the forest,”

If she’d looked up, she might’ve noticed many more.

InsaneAsylum
Phayne
KageYuuki

 

[InsaneAsylum]

Emerie Sairento
Team Makoto​

Emerie was sure she was able to see the end of the wires by the time Naomi and Shinjiro decided to simply start helping her. Naomi assisted with cutting wires while Shinjiro used his magnet jutsu stuff to collect the tools he and Naomi threw at the wooden boards that popped up. Emerie was so engrossed in cutting the wires, each slash cut away a bit of the anger she felt sbout having to be so dirty. However, Naomi mentioned something about ‘bugs’ in the area. Emerie looked down st the ‘tickling’ mud on her legs. Turns out it wasn’t mud at all, but a bunch of spiders! Emerie didn’t panic, however. She didn’t want to act a fool and end tangled in the wires, or worse, covered in spider guts. Emerie shivered at the thought.

“Let us pick things up, yes? The spiders are started to crawl onto my legs. Perhaps they dislike me trashing their home? Whatever their reason I do not enjoy their presence!”

Emerie slid another kunai out, and began cutting wires with a renewed fire. Each blade hopped from wire to wire, severing them in a rushed dance like motion. Apparently the mud and spider covered girl had focused herself entirely on getting the hell through the obstacle course as fast as possible. They were making much better time now, and would be through the wires very soon at this rate!

QuirkyAngel
Phayne

 

[QuirkyAngel]

Team Makoto: Naomi Hanataro
“Right!”

Lifting her new ninja umbrella, which had some spider remains on it, Naomi twisted the handle, causing a hidden blade to slide out from the tip. Emerie was very brave in Naomi’s mind. If it were her that had spiders crawling up her leg, she’d be panicking to shake them off. What if they bite? What if they were poisonous?

Naomi shook her head, her grip tightening around Ametora as she swung downward, slicing through a column of wires. They just had to get through the obstacle before that happened. She had to be faster. Faster. Even faster.

Sadly, it was attempts at being faster than her current abilities that usually led to Naomi’s mistakes.

Swinging widely and swiftly, Naomi’s rapid dicing of the wires was halted when she could move her umbrella no longer. It had gotten tangled in the web! Realizing that she must’ve missed a wire or two in her haste, Naomi frowned and tried to tug Ametora free.

InsaneAsylum
Phayne

 

[Phayne]

-Team Makoto-

Target after Target appeared as the three genin stubbornly progressed through the tangled web of wires, the two young kunoichi using their various tools to severe the wires and in the process triggering the target boards all of which Shinjiro managed to hit. While they may not have landed dead center of the target every time, they still carried enough force behind each strike to cause the board to fall back and ease the tension on the wires designed to tighten around its victim.

"Keep it up!" shouted Shinjiro from behind, his chain swung towards the most recent board and retrieving the embedded shuriken via his magnet release. They were making good time now, their forced shortcut through the wires making up for the time they spent completely the previous courses. Maybe just maybe they would complete the course within their potential Sensei's time frame, that would surely impress the scar faced jounin.... alas... good old murphy had to interfere with his law.. the idea that anything that can go wrong will go wrong.

"What the ...." gasped Shinjiro suddenly as he felt an unseen force pull at both his arms, each appendage stretched outwards and at an angle above his head. "Na.. Naomi!!.. Stop!!"

Naomi's tugging was perhaps the worst thing that could happen right now, the shaking coming from her attempts to free Ametora causing several wires to tighten in various locations; one of which happened to be around Shinjiro, the young boy finding both his arms caught by the tightening cable. The triggered trap was quick and had caught Shinjiro completely off guard, stringing the boy upwards and suspending him several inches off the ground. Whats worse was the noose presently slack around his neck yet slowly inching its way tighter with every tug.

"Naomi!" shouted Shinjiro again, struggling in vain to break free from his bonds. "Stop pulling on your umbrella.. its not helping!" he continued, a hint of panic in his voice as he felt the noose tighten once more. By now beads of sweat had begun to form along his brow as the reality of the situation began to sink in. Looking further ahead at Emerie who was still cutting the wires, Shinjiro shuddered. If she were to trigger a trap that got Naomi caught up aswell.... Shinjiro couldn't even consider the thought. "Naomi.. I need you to get her to stop.. if you get caught as well.. we won't be able to cover anyones back... if you can get her to stop for a moment, the target for this trap is just above..." Shinjiro stopped, a look of dread spread across his face now.

The spiders in their anger had formed an arachnid wall between the target and the three genin below, their bodies completely concealing the 'release trigger' from sight. If the two kunoichi were to hit the target they would first need to eliminate the spiders standing in their way and time was definetily not on their side.

KageYuuki InsaneAsylum QuirkyAngel​

 

[InsaneAsylum]

Emerie Sairento
Team Makoto​

“What are you two doing?”

Emerie had been so close to getting through. She could see clear grass where the end of the wires were at. All she would have to do is push just a bit further. However, her teammates just couldn’t avoid screwing things up. If only sensei hadn’t made this a teamwork test, or else Emerie would cut them free and leave them behind.

Emerie sighed, and turned to cut Shinjiro free. Fortunately Naomi had ceased her tugging as to not choke her ally to death. But even still, the weight of the umbrella was enogh to continue tightening the wire. She could free them by hitting those targets, but the spiders were blocking them off. This was getting too stressful, and Emerie was having trouble coming up with a plan. Beneath her mask, she bit her lip. Her spirit becoming discouraged. The wire was slowly inching its way closer to shinjiro’s throat, sort of like the spiders crawling arpund Emerie’s legs. Emerie wasntws to just throw downher steam bomb and kill the spiders, but that’d mean she’d be poisoning her allies too. Emerie made a note to get them masks as well.

The white haired genin looked up just in time to see a shuriken soar by Shinjiro’s throat, cutting the wire threatening to strangle the boy. Emerie looked in the direction it had came, but she say no one. Had it been sensei? No one else was around to help them Emerie thought.

Without a further thought, Emerie drew two shuriken, and tossed them st the wires holding up Shinjiro’s arms, cutting him free. She shot the spiders an unhappy look before turning to Naomi.

“Cut your umbrella free from the wire so we can exit this infuriating place. And both of you, do not touch any more wires,” Emerie commanded. Without checking to see if Shinjiro was ok, she went back to work, cutting through the last clump of wires to finally help them proceed to the final obstacle.

KageYuuki QuirkyAngel Phayne

 

[QuirkyAngel]

Team Makoto: Naomi Hanataro
Naomi had stilled as soon as she heard Shinjiro’s call, eye widening once her attention was brought to her taller teammate’s predicament. Fortunately Emerie was quick to act and a…shuriken…flew from the trees to free Shinjiro-kun’s throat. How, why, or who had thrown the shuriken didn’t even cross Naomi’s mind as the reality of the situation settled in.

Her teammate had almost died because of her.

Up until this moment, she’d thought of the obstacle course as an advanced playground. More difficult than what they did in the academy, but nothing too dangerous. Nothing that could get any of them killed. It was just an exam, wasn’t it? However, judging from how close the noose had been around Shinjiro’s neck, that was obviously not the case.

One moment of clumsiness could cost a mission.

One mistake could cost a life.

Teachers at the academy had always tried to tell her that—especially after she’d lost her eye while training by herself. Yet Naomi had always brushed such warnings aside. Shinjiro’s near death because of her though…that couldn’t be pushed aside or ignored. If only she weren’t so careless. If only she had Emerie’s agility or Shinjiro’s intelligence.

If only she’d put a bit more effort into her training.

Naomi nodded at Emerie’s command, resolving to not touch the wires again. So what if it was cheating or she might get a fireball? She didn’t have Emerie’s agility. She didn’t trust herself to not trigger something else by mistake. And she didn’t want to risk any more teammates potentially dying because she tried to do something she couldn’t. Releasing her umbrella, which hung suspended by the tight wires, Naomi brought her hands together. “Earth release: Subterranean Voyage.”

Dropping into the ground, with only her head sticking out, Naomi swum her way where Shinjiro was—occasionally dunking into the dirt when a particularly low wire blocked her path.

“Sorry about that, Shinjiro-kun. Are you okay?”

Eye landing on the shuriken that flew from the trees, Naomi plucked it from the ground near Shinjiro because 1) she used up all kunais which where her only throwing weapons and 2) she’d need it if she intended to free Ametora without touching the wires. Fortunately, the spiders surrounded the release mechanism intended for Shinjiro and not the one for her umbrella. Tying a wire string to the shuriken, Naomi threw it at the target board with enough force to free her weapon, even if it didn’t hit dead center, then tugged it back into her hand.

It was her last throwing weapon so she had to be cautious with it.

Spinning the wire, with the shuriken acting as a weight, Naomi threw it so it encircled the umbrella’s shaft and reeled her weapon towards her like fish on a hook. Fishing had always been one of Naomi’s stronger points. Once her weapon was back in her possession, Naomi’s attention turned to the spiders above them. They could still attack—especially if they were angry about their home being disturbed as Emerie said. Naomi had no idea. Spider faces all looked the same to her.

“I’ll make some decoys to hopefully draw some of their attention,” As her head spoke, copies of Naomi appeared around them—some on the ground and some crouched perfectly on wires such that they didn’t even bend (because the clones were weightless). One even appeared on Shinjiro’s targetboard, which caused the surrounding spiders to scatter a bit. Six in total. The clones didn’t have any substance to them, but Naomi was willing to bet the spiders didn’t know that. Probably. “You don’t need to worry about me being caught. It’s better to follow Em.”

The other girl did make an...interesting...sight, covered in mud with spiders crawling up her legs as she slashed her way through a path of broken wires. It was a miracle she hadn’t been bitten yet. Or, maybe she had, and she was simply masking her pain. Naomi couldn’t tell.

“I don’t think I can stop her when she gets like that.”

Never could say no to being a test subject either.

Opening her umbrella, so the canopy covered her head and guarded it from any potential attacks—like spiders and shuriken from trees—Naomi swum after Emerie while keeping close to Shinjiro in case he needed her. Emerie clones might've been a better distraction, but Naomi's transformations weren't perfect and she didn't want to waste the chakra. Besides, she'd also played a part in cutting some spider wires. More than Shinjiro at least.

Phayne
InsaneAsylum
KageYuuki

 

[Phayne]

-Team Makoto-

A flash of grey caught Shinjiros attention as a shuriken flew towards him, the trajectory of its flight path indicating that it was not aimed for him but at something else, though despite knowing that knowledge he could not help but flinch. It was human nature to flinch when a potential threat was aimed at you; an almost automatic response to danger, a survival instinct. What made things all the more confusing was the fact that neither Emerie or Naomi had thrown the shuriken, that much was clear as he had seen both Kunoichi's reaction; neither of which were fast enough to throw a shuriken. Was it Makoto sensei? Shinjiro couldn't be sure. It was the most logical answer sure but from first impressions he didn't really seem the type to step in.

Eyes closed and gasping for breath as the noose tightened around his neck, the sudden slackening of death's grip took several moments for the boy to even register, his mind and body still pumped with adrenaline and panic had caused reality to lag behind for a moment. His head and neck now free from the noose, the boy still hung there by his hands gasping, furiously inhaling as much oxygen as he could to fill the emptiness in his lungs, though the only thing he would be inhaling in a few moments would be dirt.

The next to be freed were his arms, Emerie's kunai's slicing through the wire like knife through butter and with nothing to support his weight and his slow reactions, Shinjiro simply fell to the ground, face landing square in the dirt as his chest still heaved desperately for air. Writhing and clawing at the ground as his body fought for as much air as possible and it was only when he heard Naomi's voice and saw her head sticking out of the ground near him that he was beginning to regain any semblance of composure.

"y...yeah.. i'm.. fine..." he sputtered, his chest still heaving to a small extent. He had his right hand pressed against his neck; feeling away at the slight indent in his flesh from where the wire had coiled itself around him. "a.. bit shaken.. but.. but I should be fine... just need a few.. moments.. to calm down.." he added, using his right hand to now wipe the sweat and dirt that had gathered along his face. As he did so, he watched in silence as Naomi began to gather whatever tools she could from nearby; primarily the 'mystery' shuriken that had released him from the noose.

Considering the situation Shinjiro had found himself earlier on, he no longer cared for subtlety and conservation. It was the act of 'playing it safe' that had initially gotten himself in that situation in the first place and perhaps that was his lesson to be learnt during this exercise. Whilst playing it safe and cautious was never a bad thing to begin with, it wasn't necessarily the only answer to every predicament. Sometimes rushing in head first and taking that risk was the better option, look at Emerie for example, her decision to confront the obstacle course in such a straightforward manner had put her far ahead of Naomi and Shinjiro in this obstacle and she had seemingly encountered the least difficulties along the way, of course Shinjiro still held the belief that that was not always the best choice for every scenario either.

Taking a deep breath and composing himself, Shinjiro pushed himself back up into a standing position; shaking his body to loosen any tension that remained in his muscles. Time was of the essence before he got caught... he sure as hell did not have the time to sit around here and force an epiphany whilst the clock still ticked and the future of his, Naomi's and Emerie's career as Shinobi still hanged in the balance. There would be time to reflect on today's events after the whole ordeal when they were not on the clock. With a final slap to his own face, Shinjiro stared towards Naomi whom had by now retrieved her umbrella; using a shuriken attached to a string to fish her umbrella back to her.

Composed, resolved and back to breathing in a normal manner, Shinjiro turned to face Naomi as she made her suggestion - nodding in approval- before she started weaving the required hand signs as she followed through with her plan to distract the spiders above with her own clones.

"I'm not worried and I'm not going to let you and Emerie do all the work either" responded Shinjiro, gathering his chain with one hand and fiddling around in his tool pouch with the other. "I don't plan on getting caught again either. Once was enough" as he said this, Shinjiro's hand which had previously been rummaging through his tool pouch shot out rapidly throwing a Shuriken several yards forward from where they stood in the direction of Emerie.

"Magnet Release: Shadow Shuriken" muttered Shinjiro, his eyes glaring ahead of him as he watched the Single shuriken he had thrown become three; two hidden shuriken splitting off in different trajectories from the original Shuriken with each of them finding their bladed edges buried deep into the carapace of a large spider the size of a small boar. The spider had manoeuvred itself to the tree's above the white haired Sairento and had began its descent from the skies above in order to ambush the girl whilst she continued to severe the threads.

Green blood or goo sprayed from the holes in the spiders carapace as it fell to the ground; all 8 legs twitching as the last of its life seeped out from the creature. A faint screech signalled its final breath.

"Lets finish this course and get out of here" stated Shinjiro, following Naomi as they chased after her. Whilst appearing to be composed and calm about the whole thing, Shinjiro was inwardly fuming at his own weakness and shortcomings. Not once but twice had he shown his weakness during this single obstacle; the fact that he couldn't transform had already let down his team mates and ruined a perfectly good strategy that would have quickened their success during this course and now after already causing them to fall behind once he had managed to get himself caught; requiring the aid of both his team mates and the mystery shuriken to free him.

Regardless of the outcome of today's obstacle course, Shinjiro knew for a fact that he would need to have a good hard look at himself in the mirror. The life of a shinobi was far harder then this meagre obstacle course.



KageYuuki QuirkyAngel InsaneAsylum​

 

[InsaneAsylum]

Emerie Sairento
Team Makoto​

The corners of Emerie’s mouth rose ever so slightly as she watched Naomi and Shinjiro collect themselves and follow after. It was the last stretch now, and it appeared to be a simple sprint down a wide dirt pathway. Of course, nothing was as simple as it seemed so far, as Emerie found out several times. Emerie began to shake the small spiders off her legs, most leaving of their own accord since she had escaped their trap.

With a tug of her mask and one last peek behind her, Emerie took off towards the finish line. If there was any trap left, she’d find them so Naomi and Shinjiro wouldn’t have to worry about them. If there were no traps, she’d be sure to stop before the finish line. Running like this made Emerie realize just how tired her legs were. Had she really been working so hard? Her shoulders ached from swinging her kunai so much as well. The finish line was fast approaching, so Emerie slowed downin hopes her teammates wpuld catch up. Perhaps she should have told them what she was doing before running off... they might think she was ditching them. As much as the dirty genin wanted to, she wouldn’t risk failure at this point.

Phayne QuirkyAngel

 

[Ganryu]

Okuni Tanabata
Squad Miyako
Arne Arael
AtlannianSpy
​

Okuni screamed as she was suddenly taken into a bear hug.

"EEEK! Where am I? Why am I? Is this the Mandela Effect?"

The test presented before the genin, how many of them were there? She saw two for the time being, but it could just as easily be one, depending on how one wanted it to be remembered. If both, a conscience effort to remember their names was to be made. If there was just one, even more so! They could try to erase people's memories as often as they wanted, Okuni would see through it! She swore she wasn't here a while ago, that she had the memory of someone else! She was a boy! Wait... had she just forgotten to take her medication? On the day of the test too? Dangit, that was going to make today super trippy. Well, if she could pass today without her medications, then any mission in the future would be super easy. And it made for a more surreal experience. Okuni wasn't crazy, everyone else was crazy. She was supersane.

She suddenly remembered her teammates. Arata and Asami, she was sent to Team Miyako. At the Gym. To take a test. Which they were currently taking.

Now, for the easy part, seeing through the man's oppression of the definition of strength. Who would be the strongest? Obviously the smart, and the smart would be the one's able to endure the total collapse of the impending governmental disaster that was immenent! So, whoever was smart was not bribeable. A simple solution!

"I will give 10,000 Ryo to the first two of you three who decide to go home. Got it right here if you are interested."

Okuni reached into her ninja pouch, and produced 20,000 Ryo.

"Who here wants a nice day home!? Or who's loyal to who is it... I was just born yesterday... Wait, no I wasn't.... but yeah, loyal to Ms. Fujihara. If you're that, don't take it!"

Besides, 20,000 might have been alot, but that was the cost of only 4 D-rank missions.... That was acceptable losses. Money was only useful right now.

She then whispered to her teammate(s?)

"So... uh... anyone else forget anything important today? Like their meds? I mean, I totes won't get in your way, but, uh... Kinda makes things trippy for me. I think I focus better without them though. Helps me be cognative I think."

 

[Ganryu]

Squad Tatsuya -
Ryoken has dinner, Mibu dies to a dragon, and Haru continues to be embarrassed.
​

Ryoken quite literally would not stop bouncing on his feet as they walked, he almost looked ready to take off into the sky with how he was. He was soooo happy! He got the test right! Well, sure he just sorta guessed form sensei’s words but yea!

He did it!

Well he and his friends did it, but he made Sensei kneel! He was so happy he barely even noticed his assistant taking down the banner. It was sooo wonderful! And he got the mythical magical free food tickets! He loved these things! Dad always got him some on his birthday! He wondered why he didn’t get them more often but dad always said.

“You’re usually sick for a week afterwards, don’t eat to much this time okay?” which is promptly followed by him doing exactly that and being in a food coma for a few days.

But this time he wouldn’t let the food beat him!!!!

He would beat the Dragon Ramen Challenge this time! And that gas really made him hungry! Well, kinda, the milk was really good and tasty to! But what made him hungry the most is going serious! It was so tiring, being all serious mode and stuff, why not be cool and chill?

Wait, weren’t those the same thing?

The young man finally came out of his own head to, almost purely on reflexive instinct, pose with a smile for a passing camera.

“I can’t wait for the food~!”

Mibu followed looking at the ground, trying to think. There were things to improve on, and there were failures that could be improved on. Why was she even bothered? They passed, and could move on. It was one mission at a time.

Teammates are precious

Mibu shook her head and looked up. Ramun Ramen. Right, she had work to do.

“What is this place like? Why was it chosen? Is it a favorite perhaps?”

Haru only offered a halfhearted shrug. Sure, they’d passed, but he wasn’t entirely sure how. Though it wasn’t any thanks to him. He’d panicked, froze up and collapsed. Neither of his shots had even come close to hitting Tatsuya.

Just… useless…

“Well yea! It’s all my favorite!” Ryoken laughed, looking absolutely over the moon. “AND we’re now genin! So we’re on the road to victory!” Ryoken almost burst the door down on his entrance. “Hello Mr. Ramun! One big beef, pork, chicken, shrimp dragon style ramen please!” he got a thumbs up from the jovial looking chef in the kitchen as he took up a seat.

“Hmmmmmmm.,..... I want to have more friends around for this… I wonder where other groups are..? Should I have gotten more? I wonder how Emi is?”

Mibu held her ears as Ryoken entered. She was going to have to… adjust.

“Make two of those. Ryoken’s taste are a mystery to me, and one cannot understand another til they have walked a mile in their shoes.”

Tapping her ears to remove the ringing Mibu looked at Ryoken.

“So is this Emi precious to you? What do you like about her? The information at my disposal already indicates Haru likes Naomi, though why is unascertained. ”

Haru quietly slipped into a seat, looking up at the menu for a moment. He was fairly certain Emi was only hanging around Ryoken to share in his popularity, but… it felt wrong to point out to his bubbly teammate. “Uh… Tonko-” He stopped at Mibu’s comment, a deep flush quickly taking over the boy’s freckled face. “Wh-why do you even think that?”

“Yea she is! You are too, Mibu! I love all of my friends a great deal!” if he had a tail it would be wagging, blissfully ignorant, or perhaps he simply didn’t care, in what she meant in this. “Emi is very pretty, and she gives me food. And you’re very smart Mibu and smell really nice!”

Mibu blinked a bit surprised. Normally people weren’t this open. They tended to be more like Haru… who Mibu was beginning to suspect had the same problem she had. Well, it would be a failure to her research to stop now.

“What are the requirements to be your ‘friend’. Is it to be a teammate? That doesn’t seem right, as Emi isn’t it. Is there a favorite odor of yours? Is it intelligence? What makes you consider someone smart?”

Mibu then gave a quick bow towards Haru.

“Apologies. Occasionally this shadow gets distracted by curiosities. To answer your inquiry, one would think that from how you blush, your body language, your interactions with her, and the sudden outburst of embarrassment, for if it were untrue, it would be what many people would say is ‘funny’. A ‘funny’ misunderstanding, but as you do not deny it well, and as you seem embarrassed, one is led to believe that. Do not worry, give it your best, for one has heard that women like confidence. Perhaps some support from the shadows might also be of assistance.”

“That’s a lot of conclusions to jump to… I wouldn’t even call us ‘friends’.” Haru groaned, resting his forehead on the table. “Just… just tonkotsu ramen…” He finally muttered out to the chef, who was likely growing impatient on his lack of answer.

Ryo stared at the two for a moment, his mouth drew into a line as his two brain cells worked together to form the sentence the mouth was about to blurt out. “So what do you two wanna be ninjas for? I wanna help my dad and everyone! Oh and eat lots of stuff! And see lotta stuff! Oh and eat- Oh I already said that.” He eyed the two, looking between them quickly.

Haru lifted his head when Ryo began talking again, sapphire hues growing distant at the question. He fiddled with the wrapped chopsticks that had been sitting in front of him. “I… I don’t really have anything planned I guess…” He never wanted to be a ninja, but that wasn’t exactly something he could just tell the kage’s son.

“Cooooome ooon!!! There has to be something you wana dooooo!” Ryo pressed, his arms extended on the table and patting it like an impatient child.

“I-I don’t think I do…” Haru crossed his arms in front of him. As if it would stop Ryo’s badgering.

“Do teammates not share everything amongst themselves? Even if you were unwilling to be a ninja, and perhaps it is simply the best route, would that not suffice as an answer? There are many who are not shinobi for fame, fortune, or personal goals, simply that it is the best course of action. The simple things such as family pressure, or paying the mortgage.

It is fascinating to see Ryoken wishing to be powerful enough to aid the chowakage, as that is quite a bit of ambition.”

Haru gritted his teeth, muscles tending despite his efforts to keep a calm expression. Why was he so miserable at this?

“Hrrrmmrrrr fiiine!” Ryoken relented, looking like he was told no when somebody was eating something right in front of him, something he couldn’t have. “Mibu! What do you wanna do?!?”

“To pay my mortgage. To have a roof over my head. To eat well. Or perhaps more ethereal desires? In which case, the answer would be to understand both of you, and the people around me. What is love? Why do people desire to protect each other? Why do ninjas exist? These are questions one who has never known the answer to wishes to know. Being a ninja is simply a means to an end.”

“Oooh!” Ryoken nodded, not understanding at all. “Ummmm, whats a mortgage?” The boy asked, cocking his head in curiosity.

“A debt that persists after death. Such as to pay for housing, or other large items. The reason you don’t know is what my personal desire in becoming a shinobi is. To be well off.”

“Ooooh! Dad told me those who do not work do not eat!” Ryoken rose his eyes to the incoming food. “Ooh! Thank you!”

Mibu tilted her head. Did she not work hard enough? She even did extra drills with ANBU whenever time afforded, and Hibiki was available. Perhaps more was needed. Afterall, one could not imagine the Chowakage doing anything but working.

As the foot arrived, Mibu curiously poked at it with chopsticks.

One big beef, pork, chicken, shrimp dragon style ramen please

It had all the ingredients inside, it was a large bowl. If one was the dieting type, it would definitely be too much, but to waste food was disgraceful, she would manage. The broth wasn’t as light as Haru’s, being a darker shade, and it had more soy in it rather than relying on the pork broth. The noodles were well strained, and yet not too soggy to fall apart to the chopsticks. The meat was abundant, that was for sure… but this ‘dragon style’ Ryoken had ordered in his, what did it mean?

Lifting a strand of noodles out of the soup, Mibu noted red flakes in it. The smell was immediate and strong, clearing her sinuses nearly instantly. Mibu put the strand back in, and made a quick bow of thanks before lowering her mask, and taking a bit.

A dull throb went through her mouth, a strong taste of peppers filling it. Blinking once, Mibu swallowed. A single tear than rolled down her eyes.

That’s odd, one such as myself does not fee-

The glass of water next to her was instantly down as fire invaded her mouth. All down her throat, flames burned her tongue, roof of her mouth, throat… if it could be on fire, it was on fire. The fire only spread as she downed it. Gaping her mouth open, Mibu looked around the table for anything to solve the immolation occurring in her mouth. She breathed slowly, trying to calm down. How did Ryoken- no, now did any mortal man eat this!?

Across from the currently being tortured young woman, Ryoken seemed to have the noodles flowing into his mouth without pause, without a tear, a face that would make the devil flinch as his closed merry eyes sung only of contentness. He paused only to sample the meats, shrimp, pork, beef, it mattered not the combination, they simply went into the hell gate that was his maw, lined with the very liquid flames of hell it’self.

“Shoooww guuddd!” Ryoken between tongue melting bites, one with a keen eye might note the meat seemed to tinge quickly within the broth and when contacted with the more intact peppers… As if being tainted with the searing heat with each touch.

It was then the two sitting across from him might notice on the wall across from them, a picture was hung up of a certain young man, with a large empty bowl and a smile on his face.

Below it, a plaque that read “The Dragon Slayer.”

Ryo then, let out a soft, and thoroughly spicy, burp.

Haru could only watch the pair in wide eyed silence, numerous noodles dangling from his lips. “You uh…” He quickly finished off the bite, not wanting to be rude. “Y-you okay, Mibu?” The genin slid his bowl closer to his teammate, “Would a bite of mine help…?”

Mibu was still in shock, flames coasting off her lips. Now she was at a crossroad. One was never to waste food, but this food… it might be the death of her.

She shook her head rejecting Haru’s hospitality.

“One’s plate is one’s own demon. And to waste food is a pity.”

She took another bite, staying quiet with silent tears before looking over at Ryoken, and the plaque behind him.

Help the Chowakage… he just might…

 

[KageYuuki]

Sakura Yamauchi

Sakura rolled her eyes at the complaints voiced by the trio, two of them even flinching at the breaking glass. She fought to keep her lip from curling in disgust, her emerald hues shifting between each of them in a piercing glare. Anger was a double-edged sword, it could cloud judgment and dull the senses. Or when channeled properly, it kept blades sharp and affirmed purpose.

If they wanted to even take a shot at her, may as well add fuel to their fire. Though she meant every word, her disdain for the entire situation.

”Not even trying because you’d rather play in the dirt?” The red-haired kunoichi shot back to Akio without missing a beat. She looked to Kaoru next, ”Exemplary?” She scoffed, ”Don’t kid yourself, I’ve seen your grades.” Taking her arm off the back of the chair, the jounin folded them in front of her chest. ”But if you’re so exemplary, why don’t we actually start the-”

She heaved a sigh at Shinichi’s questioning, ”Did I fucking stutter? Yes, kill me. Or do you need a demonstration?” Because with the way the last few minutes had been going, Sakura was itching to just cut into something. Luckily for them, it seemed the genin finally got the message, Shinichi calling out moves between him and Akio.

Akio first threw a kunai… pitifully. She raised an eyebrow at the weapon as it clattered to the ground, though the boy soon sank into the concrete as well. It didn’t take much to pinpoint where he had moved to, her sword could easily reach him if she were so inclined.

Wouldn’t that be a surprise?

Her attention returned to the other genin as Shinichi and his little furball began forming an orb of water, the otter jumping inside of it. Kaoru threw a pair of shuriken and followed up with another jutsu of his. At least one of these brats shared her element. And that’s when things took a turn the trio likely wouldn’t have been anticipating.

Sakura didn’t even move.

The electrified shuriken, naturally, bit deeper into her chest than the normal iron weapon. Shizuka crashed into the jounin a split second later, the chair starting to tip backward. A wolf of lightning followed next, knocking the chair and kunoichi to the floor completely. Unfortunately, chances were high Shizuka also got a nice zap in the process. The acrid smell of burnt hair did not mix well with the perfume Sakura had been wearing.

Burned and bleeding, Sakura hit the floor with a dull thud. None of the swift movement Akio had likely been expecting. There wasn’t any movement at all, actually.

AllHailDago IG42 Damafaud

 

[IG42]

Shinichi Kabuso
Striking his target dead on Shizuka rebounded and crash landed a metre away twitching with residual electricity from Kaoru's attack, recovering quickly he got to his feet and screeched his displeasure at Kaoru. "You okay there buddy? Seriously Kaoru watch it!" It wasn't like the water attack hadn't been obvious.

Looking down at what was left of their sensei he shifted awkwardly. "Umm...sensei? Hello?" Glancing around he couldn't see her anywhere else and a substitution would surely have dispelled by now revealing whatever log or other random object she had elected to use as a decoy. "Come on playing dead is the oldest trick in the book so get up already!" Creeping closer Shizuka sniffed at her foot making Shinichi quickly scuttle over to scoop up his partner. "Careful! She's gotta be faking!" He gave her a quick nudge with his foot then jumped backward holding his hands up defensively.

Shuffling further away he felt his certainty that she was playing possum start to fade. "Hey Kaoru, shock her again, just a little one to see if she moves."

KageYuuki AllHailDago Damafaud

 

[Arael]

Asami Kurayami
Team Miyako
​

Asami sighed a bit, the reply given by their sensei left her with more questions than answers, even though she didn't really ask any herself and judging by the older woman's stance she didn't want to be bothered with more questions and simply expected them to come to a consensus on their own terms. The genin-to-be was about to drift into her own thoughts before her other teammate spoke up, Asami was almost unaware of the other's presence as she stood in silence- having been in almost a trance-like state before bursting to life and causing the raven-haired girl to jump slightly as her hands sparked nervously before watching as Okuni?- The name vaguely finding its way into the back of her head- had begun offering 20,000 Ryo to the rest of their 'test subjects' who remained in the same stances as when they first arrived; she had to admit it wasn't a bad idea, the test was about finding the strongest among the three, but what kind of strength was never specified so by weeding out the obvious factors they would narrow down to an ideal result. Mental, Physical, Spiritual, and possibly social...or willpower all different ideas that defined strength, but what was the right answer? Asami shuffled silently in her spot before eyeing each individual again.

'The first man Ryuuga, stocky, short and well-built individual who obviously spent his time training hard but that was physical strength alone, the second was Shogo, a taller man obviously less defined than Ryuuga but still had a lean build and obviously knew how to train himself without much strain to the body itself...mental Intelligence, and finally the odd one out a more pleasant figure, Miho who was more of an average build and seemed more welcoming than the other two...Possibly spiritual, but all of these roles could easily be reversed and applied to another since we're mainly judging by an external perspective not the unseen.'

Asami was slowly pulling together a plan before being pulled from her own thoughts yet again by Okuni who was asking if either of them forgot anything and how she seemed to focus better without her meds, which should have been more worrying but hell if she claimed it helped her focus who was she to judge? Asami simply shook her head before looking over each volunteer again before turning so she could talk with both her teammates. "Sooo I think Okuni has the right idea, but on top of character we need to test which makes each of us strong, so we can either go about asking questions and risk a lie or we can attack and if we do go that route I have a genjutsu that can start our mental test on all three and someone could pick up from there...the general idea of strength for us would be the basics: mental, physical and spiritual strength so maybe we could test them that way...unless anyone had a better plan other than leaving it all to chance." She glanced over at the other two once she finished explaining, part of her hoping she wasn't overthinking again, but another part knowing they couldn't leave anything to chance, especially in a test like this.

AtlannianSpy Arne Ganryu

 

[KageYuuki]

Makoto Takenaka

Makoto never considered himself a stealthy person, not by a long shot. But it was more than enough to keep a watchful eye on a trio of wet behind the ears genin. He wasn't entirely worried about them though. This may have been more difficult than the course back at the academy but it certainly wasn't the most difficult or dangerous in the entire village. They should be able to handle themselves.

Or fall into every single pitfall...

He sighed, reaching into a pouch for a worn waterproof case. Withdrawing a slender cigarette, he lit it with a small flame in the palm of his hand before continuing onward. The genin didn't seem overly stressed even as time ticked away. Did I give them too much time? There should at least be some pressure at this point. He sighed, stepping off after them.

Did they add more wires? Makoto settled into a perch, extinguishing the cigarette. Nearby leaves rustled, quickly drawing his attention. God...dammit, again Kuromaru? Was this why there were so many more wires? Kuromaru throwing a fit because he asked him to take his little pets back home.

Or did he say 'pests'? Hmm

A commotion drew his attention, Shinjiro had somehow managed to get one of the wires wrapped around his throat. Fucking... how? I told myself I wasn't going to intervene, but... He drew a shuriken from its holster, flinging it down to free the hapless genin. With any luck, they wouldn't need his interference again.

God, was this how his sensei felt?

...Didn't he break his arm on this very same course?

Shaking his head, he saw that they had escaped the obstacle and were finally headed for the finish line. Guess that's my cue. He reappeared in front of them at the finish line, arms crossed. "Well, seems you've had a bit of a rough run." Makoto withdrew and lit another cigarette, taking a long drag off it while waiting for Naomi and Shinjiro to get closer. "Shame you've still got one last obstacle." The jounin's hands flew through handsigns before he released a torrent of flame.

Searing, white-hot fire encircled the trio, reaching far higher than any of them could jump. And they already knew Naomi couldn't pull all three of them through the earth. "The life of a shinobi is a dangerous one," Makoto called over the flames, "filled with countless unknowns. Every mission can always be your last. So, what will you do?"

InsaneAsylum Phayne QuirkyAngel

 

[QuirkyAngel]

Team Makoto: Naomi Hanatora
“Earth Release: Steel Umbrella Reinforcement Technique!”

That was Naomi’s first reaction when she saw a torrent of flames shoot at them. Sprinting in front of the others (mainly Emerie as she was ahead of the group), Naomi lifted her umbrella close to her body, the canopy glowing silver, and braced herself for impact. Not that it was necessary as the flames split even before reaching her weapon, winding around to entrap them all in a circle of heat.

Naomi sighed.

Lowering her umbrella, the she looked up at the wall of flames too tall for them to jump over. The finish line was in sight. Yet there was one last obstacle standing in their way.

What will you do?

The question reverberated in her mind as she thought of possibilities. If only Em’s boots worked. Regardless of how high the flames reached, the sky was limitless…

Naomi shook her head. She should be focusing on what she could do. She couldn’t take her teammates below ground with her. Not if she wanted to risk them being stuck underground should her jutsu fail to cover them all. Barreling through with her umbrella was also risky if they didn’t move fast enough. Maybe spinning her umbrella while doing so would generate enough wind/drilling force to split the flames a bit. Certainly something she’d be willing to try if it wasn’t just her getting potentially burned.

“I can, uh, try to find us some water to put out the flames…or something…”

Closest water source was probably back in the city and she doubted she could make it back in time. Didn’t even know how much time they had left. Still. The thought of her teammates dying by fire or permanently maimed (like her) was worse in her mind. Naomi wasn’t the sort to take risks when it involved others. Nor did she think becoming a genin was worth her friends dying over.

The combination of the heat and all the exercise she'd been doing for the exam caused beads of sweat to drip from her forehead, unnoticed by the eye-patched girl as she waited for input from her teammates.

KageYuuki
InsaneAsylum
Phayne

 

[InsaneAsylum]

Emerie Sairento
Team Makoto​

Sensei had appeared to block the path jist as Naomi and Shinjiro caught up. Emerie had hoped he was simply there to congratulate them, but his words told her differently. She was snapped to reality when he created a wave of flames flying right at them! Emerie closed her eyes and brought her arms up in front of her face. When she opened them she only saw Naomi in front of her with her umbrella outstretched and the flames encircling them.

“What will we do?” Emerie whispered to herself in response to Makoto. Her accent thickened when she got nervous, making it harder to understand her. Damn her families foreignness!

Emerie shook her head when Naomi mentioned water. “No. We have no time for that,” Emerie paused looking to Shinjiro, then to Naomi. “I think that yoor umbrella is our only option. We can block out as many flames as we can and just try to get through fast.”

Emerie turned to Shinjiro.

“If we get lit on fire, can just drop stop and roll, no?”

QuirkyAngel Phayne

 

[Phayne]

-Team Makoto-

"There has to be a better way to get through these flames.." replied Shinjiro, as he listened to the idea's of his team mates, neither of which seemed plausible to him. Of course finding water was one of the more logical ideas to combat fire, yet whether or not Naomi was able to find and transport a large enough source of water was another question. The chances of finding an underground spring were just about as great as the odds of winning the lottery were, likewise as Emerie had stated time was against them and it could be a case that Naomi would not get back in time even if she did find a source of water.

"I highly doubt our sensei would consider roasting us alive the moment we came to the finish line" commented Shinjiro as he stared upward, unable to gauge just how high this pillar of flames extended. "Think about it logically, " he began, "this pillar of flame is not among the original obstacles of this course... its something that Sensei has decided to add on top of it. A test just for us three" surmised Shinjiro, lowering his gaze downward once more and addressing Naomi and Emerie. "Unless you believe that Sensei camps out here and does this to everyone who uses the course" the idea that Makoto sensei did this was farfetched in Shinjiro's opinion. "There has to be a reason why he waited until the end to test us like this and I think it extends beyond just passing the course... if that was the only thing he wanted from us, then he would have let us cross the finish line without adding this pillar of flame as an extra obstacle" Shinjiro wiped his brow as sweat dripped downward.

"Emerie, I disagree with your idea of using Naomi's umbrella and blocking the flames. There's too many things that can go wrong with that" his attention now focused on the white haired Sairento girl. "We can't just run into every obstacle head first without considering the consequences.. who knows how thick this pillar of flame really is? Its possible that it might not just be a thin veil of flames separating us from the other side. Naomi's umbrella can't possibly protect the three of us simultaneously as we run through.. and we don't know for sure if it can even withstand the heat of the flames long enough either" Shinjiro glanced at Naomi and her weapon Ametora. "Unless you are confident that your umbrella can handle this heat and flame, I personally will not rely on it as our main option to get out of here" he stated rather firmly. If anyone in the group knew the capabilities of Ametora best, it would be Naomi.

"If anything, I think the best course of action right now is to have Naomi escape first with her jutsu. Gather information from the outside of this pillar. Maybe there is something there we can use to aid us inside... or better yet tackle the flames from the outside whilst we tackle it from the inside"

QuirkyAngel KageYuuki InsaneAsylum​

 

[InsaneAsylum]

Emerie Sairento
Team Makoto​

Emerie didn’t respond for a moment, only staring into the flames before her. It was amazing to think that there were several ninja like sensei capable of performing powerful and beautiful jutsu such as this one. A few burn marks were worth passing this test if she could esrn the chance to be able to perform techniques of this level. Burns weren’t that bad, right? Emerie wasn’t sure if it was the adrenaline making her think this way or not.

She turned to Naomi. “Hurry and look then, we are counting on the information you provide, just do not take very long,” she said turning back to the flames. Makoto and the finish line were just on the other side. It would only take one jump surely, considering how close she was when the flames first appeared. The fiery eyed genin was a bit confused when Shinjiro said that leaping through the flames was too risky, but that sensei wouldn’t want to burn them alive. The test was to cross the finish line, and this was simply an obstacle. Nothing more, nothing less... right? Emerie didn’t voice her thoughts out loud, as Naomi would be back with information soon.

QuirkyAngel Phayne

 

[QuirkyAngel]

Team Makoto: Naomi Hanatora
Naomi nodded. Listening to Shinjiro-kun seemed to be the smartest choice because the boy was quickly proving to be the voice of reason in the group. Though, Naomi was quite pleased that Emerie seemed to have faith in Ametora. Naomi did too. Hence following through with the white haired girl’s plan wasn’t entirely unappealing to Naomi. It was just that she didn’t want to risk any of them catching fire on the chance that Ametora failed to completely cover them.

She didn't want to be the cause of her teammates getting hurt again.

Closing her umbrella, Naomi slipped her weapon back into the holder strapped to her back, turned to her right, brought her hands together, formed the handsigns, and quickly dropped into the ground. Seconds later, she reappeared on the other side of the flames. The finish line was just ahead. Makoto-san as well. Shyly waving a greeting to the jonin when their eyes met, since lack of acknowledgement of their exam proctor was probably rude, Naomi returned her attention to the fire.

“A section of the circle of fire seems to touching the finish line…so whatever we do to cross the flames, we have to do it at the same time.”

Or risk failing.

“We’re in a clearing. There are some trees around us, but…” She had no idea how they could be of any use. Wood easily burned, didn’t it?

Naomi shook her head. Not feeling the need to continue that line of thought, she wracked her brain for more information she could provide for her teammates from the outside. “The wall of fire doesn’t seem too thick to jump through…” Having seen both sides of the fire, it certainly didn’t look it. “…A bit less than the length of Ametora, maybe?”

Naomi’s eye widened. “Wait! I have an idea!”

Really. Why hadn’t she thought of it sooner? She played with dirt all the time.

Naomi brought her hands together. “Earth release: Subterranean Voyage.”

Treading the earth to remain afloat, with the wall of flame in front of her face (the heat making her sweat more), Naomi drew Ametora. “Earth release: Steel reinforcement technique.”

Then, in one motion, she opened her umbrella and promptly used it to scoop the burning earth aside as easily as scooping water. The heat from the white flame caused the canopy to glow bright yellow, like tempered steel, though it fortunately hadn’t deformed. Yet . She cooled her weapon by dipping it into the ground.

Swimming through the narrow opening she created at the side of the circle of fire, Naomi beamed at her teammates before nodding at the gap. “Let’s finish this exam.”

Hopefully there weren't anymore hidden obstacles. Naomi was ready for some R & R, whether they made it in time or not.

KageYuuki
InsaneAsylum
Phayne

 

[Ganryu]

Mibu
Squad Tatsuya
-
​

Safety in Pyrotechnics​

Waiting in line, Mibu once again counted the change in her pouch. That meal at Ramune’s had worked out in her favor, the voucher her sensei had given her had put he one meal ahead of her budget. The explosive tag she'd used put her back 3 though. Still, a ninja was a ninja, and one couldn’t help it. Besides which, she’d start missions soon.

Some genin complained about D-ranked missions. Why? They were quick, they were easy, and they paid. If one worked hard, one could even make a living out of being an eternal genin. They'd have to work extremely hard, the pay wasn't yet good, but it was possible.

“Ooooh! Dad told me those who do not work do not eat!” ”

Still, it would take several D-rank a day for Mibu to no longer need her stipend, her problems weren’t quite over. Maybe she didn't work hard enough. She'd get there. A voice brought her back to reality.

“Next.”

“One explosive tag, please.”

“You’re in luck, we’re having a sale to celebrate our newest tag-maker. Buy one explosive tag, get one free! 1000 Ryo.”

“One explosive tag, please.”

“You don’t want the free one?”

Mibu looked at her pouch thinking again. It would save her money for next time she used one. However….

“No.”

“Suit yourself.” The clerk handed over one explosive tag, looking a bit offended.

As Mibu turned to leave, she heard someone at the desk get a little too excited.

“GET ONE FREE! I’LL TAKE TWENTY!”

Mibu slapped her ear as the ringing began again. Why must people be so loud?

Luckily, the ringing subsided completely before she reached home. She quickly found her key and let herself in. Quiet as always, Mibu’s apartment had very little to it. Things were sentimental. Mibu was not… mostly. There were three pictures were framed on her wall though.

The first had her in a (borrowed) ANBU mask, practice clothes much too large for her, and holding a kunai at the camera, next to a man wearing a suit and covering his face with his hand. Hibiki, her neighbor, and probably the only reason she’d passed the academy. He'd insisted on the picture even though Mibu thought it looked silly. She was glad he'd won though. She’d have to tell him about her teammates when he wasn’t busy.

The second frame had a picture of her new team. Ryoken was screaming in the air, Haru looked like he was afraid the camera was going to bludgeon him to death, trying to hide into the background, sensei looking annoyed leaning on his cane, and Mibu was holding her ears looking equally annoyed. It probably had the nicest frame of the three, however. Teammates… were precious.

And a third framing her final report card from the academy. It was raggidy, but it was something to be proud of... maybe? Did anyone else frame theirs?

Spoiler: ReportCard

Mibu ♦♦♦♦
Class 3-A | Ao Hojo
134 Sakura Ln, Apt #3

Grades:
Ninjutsu: C
Taijutsu: C
Genjutsu: D
Cooperation: B
Leadership: C
Class attitude: C

Mastered Jutsu:
Core Jutsu:
Clone Jutsu
Substitution Jutsu
Cloak of Invisibility – Very nice application
Body Flicker
Rope Escape

Personal Jutsu:
Sticky Fingers – Nice chakra control
Wind Release: Hiding in Dust – Good of an academy student to know their element
Hiding in Shadow – Advanced technique for an academy student.
Oumu – Advanced technique for an academy student
Noted Abilities:
Extreme promise in stealth
Poor genjutsu
Notes:
Attentive in class
Needs to bring lunch more often
Average in all core subjects, sans genjutsu. Vast improvement.

Definitely a better report than her earlier report cards...


======================================

(Six Months Earlier)

An even smaller Mibu stood in front of the academy late at night. She’d not yet bought her ‘ninja gear’, and instead of wearing mesh, a headband and a mask, she wore relatively plain clothing. A simple yukata, a bit worn and very simple. Bandages that made it look ‘tough’, but in reality held her arms down so the material didn’t get in her way. And most of all, cheap. It was really little more than a cloth with holes in it.

Mibu looked at her report card, blinking relatively little, detached from it completely. Everyone else had left the academy long ago, no one would notice one little shadow getting a little extra practice in. Not that Mibu felt a burning desire to be a ninja, or practice in general, but today was special. Today she’d swiped the key to the supply closet from sensei when he wasn’t looking. So maybe she’d try a little more training while no one else was about. Maybe today she’d try and be a ninja for once.

Afterall, why bother learning ninjutsu when one could literally carry as many bombs as their pockets could hold? Mibu’s pouch was to the brim with small sheets of paper.

Ninjas were supposedly masters of the art of deception. Well, that’s what she’d heard. If Mibu couldn’t convince her sensei she was decent with chakra, she could deceive him instead. A fireball was a C-rank jutsu. An explosive tag was a sheet of paper detonated with a single hand sign once primed. Which one made more sense to master?

But that would take practice. Practice took equipment. Today she had equipment.

Setting her pouch on a training post, Mibu began to shuffle through the explosive tags. She'd prime them now and then practice. She just had to make a convincing show that she’d learned ninjutsu.

Mibu took a deep breath as she reviewed mentally how to pull it off. A taijutsu chain, slip the tag on the target, some fake handsigns, and detonate. A flashy ninjutsu show achieved. Good timing and she would have what looked like a natural chain leading into an explosive ninjutsu.

She continued with deep breathes as cicada’s chirped into the warm night air. Some people called them beautiful, Mibu called them distracting.

“Go.”

Jumping in what could hardly be called a body flicker, Mibu struck at the training dummy with an open palm, followed by a quick flurry of side to side strikes that she had to admit were worthy of her grade in taijutsu. It allowed her to quietly slip a tag onto the back of the training dummy before she kicked off of it, gaining some distance away.

Fire handseals start with tiger, so Tiger, dog, ram, snake.

"Tora, Hitsuji, Inu, Mi."

Verbalizing them as she went, Mibu finished a believable sequence and detonated the tag on the dummy.

A large ‘bang’ resonated through the area. Mibu wasn’t sure what had happened. One moment she’d been looking at the dummy, the next she’d been sent toppling to the side in a large shockwave.

Tumbling and tumbling, Mibu wasn’t sure when she’d stopped. She did know she didn’t bother to get up, the wind knocked out of her. An intense ringing vibrated through her ears, making her flinch. Getting back the air in her chest, the ringing made Mibu shout something unintelligable. Mibu never shouted, but she couldn’t hear any of it. The ringing only seemed to get worse.

Despite the splitting headache, Mibu managed to lift her head to try and figure out what had happened, no tag had that much power behind it… right? She never could afford them on her own...

The training dummy had a hole blown in it from the explosion, and several burn marks, nothing too different from a normal explosive tag. However, a dark circle drew Mibu’s eye to the side. A training post shattered in half, and a dark moved out from it. Pieces of wood and cloth rained from the post. Mibu finally got it. She’d primed all the explosive tags, an hadn’t detonated the right one. Or rather, she’d detonated the right one, and all of the wrong ones too, all at once.

Grunting, Mibu let her face fall back into the dirt. The ringing in her skull was quite literally driving her insane. Mibu tried to slap her ear to get rid of it, only to feel something wet. That wasn’t good.

Groaning one last time, Mibu saw a figure running towards her… was that Ao-sensei?

From the sky, a piece of singed paper fluttered down from the blast, landing ontop of the girl.

Spoiler: ReportCard

Mibu ♦♦♦♦
Class 3-A | Ao Hojo
134 Sakura Ln, Apt #3

Grades:
Ninjutsu: D
Taijutsu: D
Genjutsu: F
Cooperation: F
Leadership: D
Class attitude: D

Mastered Jutsu:
Core Jutsu:
Cloak of Invisibility – Eh

Personal Jutsu:
None to note

Noted Abilities:
Subpar in all fields, needs improvement
Notes:
Fails to pay attention in class.
Needs to bring lunch more often
Often skips practice.

 

[AtlannianSpy]

Miyako Fujihara
Team Miyako

​

The three adults stared silently for a moment, perhaps taken aback by Okuni's rather brazen attempt to bribe.


"Hey! HEY! You think you can get away with insulting us like that!" This was Ryuuga, the stocky and now rather red-faced one, the veins on his neck becoming prominent as he became agitated. "We three might not be shinobi! But we have our pride as martial artists! WE TRAIN DAY AFTER DAY TO HONE OUR BODIES INTO THE ULTIMAATE WEAPON. WE SWEAT AND BLEED BECAUSE THE BURNINNG FIRES IN OUR HEARTS WILL BE QUENCHED BY NOTHING SHORT OF THAT! NOTHING SHORT OF REACHING THE PEAK OF-"

"Sure I'll take it," Said Shogo, the tall one, leaning forwards and taking half of the money Okuni offered. "Whelp I'm out, see you guys later, see ya Miyako,"

"Wh- SHOGO!" Ryuuga yelled, turning on his heels with an expression of betrayal.

"I'm not gonna turn down free money you musclehead," Shogo said flatly, as he counted out his earnings and walked away nonchalantly. "Being a martial artist is great and all but i's not like we really make all that much and my girl is always hassling me about our budget.

Ryuuga's face twitched noticeably. "Well fine! With a shitty attitude like that there's no way you were the strongest!" he yelled after Shogo's retreating form. "And you girlie!" he rounded on Okuni furiously. "This underhanded tactic won't work! Me and Miho are TRUE MARTIAL ARTISTS! Who would never put money before showing our strength! Ain't that right Miho,"

The woman in question smiled softly, covering her mouth with the tips of her fingers. "Well I don't know about all that. I would feel a little guilty taking money from a child though, so I think I'll have to decline all the same,"

From her position on the floor Miyako's mouth quirked into a small smile while her eyes remained closed.

"Not...exactly what I had in mind, but I guess that's one way to handle things," she said "One possibility down and two to go~"


Meanwhile Ryuuga wasn't the only one llosing his temper. Arata, who had been silently fuming for a while now over the test he saw as plainly absurd finally lost it again. "What the fuck was that!" He demanded angrily turning to Miyako. "After all that crap about what the meaning of true strength is the answer is to bribe people! THIS WHOLE TEST IS A WASTE OF TIME!" He yelled, storming off towards the exit.

Miyako let him go silently and smiled thinly, finally opening her eyes halfway. "Ahhh but there goes one on your side as well, maybe he'll figure it out next year?"

Arael Ganryu

 

[QuirkyAngel]

The Conclusion of Team Makoto's Genin Exam, Finally!

Shinjiro sighed a breath of relief as it appeared Emerie had decided not to run through the flames just yet, evident by how she had proceeded to usher Naomi forward into using her subterranean voyage technique. As she disappeared into the earth, Shinjiro continued to observe the fire around them, using the time now to try and formulate any other idea on how best to tackle the situation; though nothing was forthcoming and Naomi soon returned with vital information of the situation outside.

It was good that the fire's pillar was not thick, if they did have to resort to running through the flames then that worked in their favor; however Naomi instead had idea's of her own as she performed her jutsu again and proceeded to use Ametora to scoop the earth away, creating a gap in the fire.

"Brilliant" shouted Shinjiro, as he looked at Naomi then Emerie and then the clearing beyond the flame.

Naomi blushed. She intended to wait until both her teammates safely exited the ring of flames before following suit.

“That was excellent, Naomi!” Emerie said, motioning for Shinjiro to follow. Without even glancing at the flames, Emerie stepped through the opening.

The praise from both her friends brightened Naomi’s mood, such that she forgot her tiredness, as she hurried after them. “Let’s hold hands and cross the finish line together~”

Emerie nodded. “If you so desire,” Emerie responded, taking Naomi’s left hand. It was childish, in Emerie’s mind, but Naomi seemed so excited she couldn't help but want to as well.

Naomi turned her puppy eye to Shinjiro.

“Why not” replied Shinjiro, reaching out to hold Naomi’s free hand. “This will be a moment I doubt any of us forget, our first proper step into becoming fledged shinobi” Shinjiro’s gripped tightened around Naomi’s hand.

Thus the 3 dirt-covered, would-be genins made their way across the finish line.

Makoto stood before the trio with his arms crossed, a light smile on his features. “Well, I can’t say that’s how I intended for you to get past it, but I suppose it works. I suppose congratulations are in order, you three are now genin of the Village Hidden in the Crowds.”

“Thank you,” Released of her hand-hold once they crossed the line, Naomi found a nice, grassy spot near Makoto to take a seat, because her body was tired, if not her mind. They’d been running for most of the obstacle, after all. Only when she was settled did she question curiously. “How were we supposed to have done it?”

“Oh, simple, just jump through it.”

Makoto’s response made Naomi blink up uncomprehendingly.

Emerie stood with her arms crossed, smiling confidently at Makoto’s congratulations. Hearing that they had officially become genin was so relieving that she had totally forgotten how tired she was at the time.

When Makoto answer Naomi’s question, Emerie only made a brief inquisitive noise. She was more content than ever now. She brushed her mud stained hair back behind her shoulder. “I can not wait to become magnificent ninja with you all now!”

Shinjiro let his body drop to the floor, the confirmation from their sensei that they had become official genin was a huge weight off of his shoulders and his body could no longer will itself to stand. “Finally..” he muttered to himself, as he allowed his body to rid itself of all the tension from only a few moments ago. “I can’t believe we’ve made it this far” he stated, again talking to no one in particular. “A full fledged Genin… I’m so excited I don’t even know how to express it”

“Exhausted after a single obstacle course?” Makoto looked at the trio with a raised eyebrow. “Seems we’ll need to do some stamina training…” He went to make a note of it, quickly realizing he didn’t have his notepad with him. “Ah well,” the jounin flew through the same series of handsigns as before, engulfing them in white flames before they could move out of the way.

Fire Release: Purifying Flame

Instead of searing heat and agonizing burns, the genin were surrounded by a gentle warmth. Not unlike a caring embrace. Their energy would return as aches quickly fell away, scrapes and bruises gathered during their run fading from view.

“Oh!” Naomi gasped, watching as her bruises faded. Her vigor returned as well. “That feels nice.”

She took note of the color of the flame. It was the same color as the fire that surrounded them in their last obstacle. Though...she could’ve sworn the other fire felt...hotter. The sheer proximity of the flames had been enough to make her sweat...at least enough to make her believe they had been in danger then.

A light gasp escaped Emerie’s lips. As soon as the white flames finished with her, her body was relieved of all the stress it had been put through. She couldn’t help but grin. Today was simply full of surprises. She had heard about the jonin with healing flames before at the academy. Never did she think said ninja would end up being her sensei. Emerie clenched and unclenched her fists, feeling the dried mud crumbled between her fingers. It was over… and she wanted to shower now.

Shinjiro’s body relaxed as he let the touch of the flame embrace him; its warm hold upon his body relieving the tension and exhaustion that had a only a few moments ago had a firm hold on him. “This fire seems so different to the last…” muttered Shinjiro, perhaps it was because he was on edge and worried about the exam that he had assumed the earlier pillar of flame to be dangerous, rather then taking it for what it was. Thinking about it now, it would have been one hell of a way for them to have finish the course, had they all ran through the flames instead, though who could fault him for taking precaution and prioritizing safety over everything else.

“So.. what now Sensei?” he asked, standing up and pulling a few stretches.

“Nothing, the three of you are done for the day. I’ve got paperwork to go through to make the team official so you can begin missions.”

“Missions!” Naomi exclaimed happily, her previous questions about the white flames forgotten as the topic changed. “How exciting! I can’t wait to tell mom. I can finally call myself a Hanatora.”

Pushing herself to her feet, since Makoto’s statement about being busy seemed to be a dismissive gesture, Naomi glanced at her teammates. She waited to see if any of them had anything else to say.

“Yes, sensei” replied Shinjiro, containing his own excitement as he tried to act the ‘ninja part’.

“So, should we… um…” Shinjiro paused, realizing that he had never really done what he was about to do before and getting a sudden case of the nerves. “..er.. Should.. We.. celebrate..?”

Emerie shook her head. “I would not dare go out looking like this. If you truly want to celebrate, we must rendezvous a time differente when we have all properly bathed.” Emerie responded with a relaxed grin. “Let us all return to our homes and clean up!”

Makoto shrugged, “Up to you three, I’m not gonna dictate your free time.” He turned away from them with a slight wave, “Though I will see you all at the academy gate by 0700 tomorrow.” In a puff of smoke the jounin vanished, leaving the trio to their own devices.

KageYuuki , Phayne , InsaneAsylum

 

[AllHailDago]

Kaouru Issho
Team Sakura​

Kaoru was trying to wait as last minute as he could with his jutsu. Sensei was sure to dodge, but he could be sure which direction. A skilled shinobi would dodge at just the right moment to counter attack, but he could turn the beast to chase her when she did. Unfortunately the only option he hadn't ever even considered was the unforeseeable chance she'd simply take the attack. As such he didn't have the time to shift the attack completely away from his teammate's little otter partner. He tried his best, making sure the wolf mostly hit the side opposite him on Sakura.

Kaoru cut the jutsu off and ran over along with Shinichi. He gave Shinichi a downcast look that was so apologetic it was palpable. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't e-expect her to s-stay still! I was g-going to turn i-it away when she m-moved!" He eyed the still form of their Sensei with worry... And perhaps a bit of suspicion. Why would she do that? It wasn't a clone or it would've disappeared being hit by all those attacks.

"I-I dunno that shocking her w-would really h-help either way, S-Shinichi. She barely e-even reacted when hit with all o-our attacks!" He hurried over and stood with his back to Shinichi. Akio was still underground, and he didn't know if he could hear or see what was going on. "D-do you th-think it could b-be some kind of a-advanced clone technique? O-one that takes r-real injuries and doesn't d-disappear?" He eyed the room with a look of confused concentration. What kind of weird test was this?

Damafaud IG42 KageYuuki