Fandom Naruto: Rain of War

[Ganryu]

-2 Weeks Later-

​

Finally, the chunnin exams began. From all over, various ninja filtered into the Leaf, eagerly awaiting the chance to bring fame (and by proxy work) to their own villages. Tensions, and gambling, ran high as the competition was fiercer than it had been for many years. Three villages were most prominent in this years exam, being on the edge of everybody's lips.


For those coming into the Leaf, quiet the surprise met them. Rumors of the 9 tailed fox attack almost seemed unbelievable. The village was in pristine condition, no rubble, nor sign of damage, and the busying of ninja about every street corner gave quiet the impression of strength.


The Hidden Sand Village seemed to be the only competitor from the major villages, having a rather high excitement about it's prospects. With no war, the Sand had spent much of it's resources towards teaching new ninja rather than spend it's jonin in the familiar sabotage and warmongering.


The village however that surprised most loose lips was the Hidden Rain Village. It rivaled even major village in participants. Many raised an eyebrow in amazement as much as anything that the rain could even manage such an effort. The fact they were a major player was unbelievable. Emotions seemed particularly high within the Rain genin, as their secret mission gave them yet another burden. Many were extremely excited about being entrusted with such an important task. Others were worried about task, and questioning their leader. Even if they succeeded, the village could hardly hope to come out unscathed against a major village.


Each of the genin would hardly have time to think however, as the exams quickly came upon them. Proctoring the first exam would be the Leaf's "Dead Eye", Bokuto Aburashi. The room in question, to most likely the surprise of many of the genin would be not an arena, nor maze, but a simple classroom, desks aligned across the room, with pen and paper at the ready.

 

[PewpewLaser]

Bokuto Aburashi


First Exam Proctor- Team Four Sensei




The classroom in question was in pristine shape. Desks aligned, seats assigned, even a single window towards the front of the room was opened to allow a very light breeze into the room-- soon enough it was going to be filled with enough genin to make the room stuffy, so one did have to make counter measures. Of course, at times like this-- exams, testing, villages from all over gathering for the sake of societal improvement-- why would someone go to such measure to ensure the comfortable, calm, atmosphere that was given in the room today? Well, one did have to also take into balance the amount of absolute hierarchy and demand one was going to spread during the unusually gripping test just ahead. Of course, just like any mission or task, if you had someone to share the load things certainly couldn't be as bad- exactly why Bokuto had assigned three ninbyo felines a part of the job.



A tabby calico stood in the doorway of the classroom, slanted eyes scanning every inch of the room and halls before the entrance of the door, ready to take in the information of the students that were coming in to start their exams. Two more, an unusually round striped cat and a small black bob tailed kitten stood in contrast to each other on the front of the proctor's desk, silent and ever watchful, the three waited for any commands given to them by the cap attired ninja in charge of the first exam who was currently standing with eyes downcast on a large clip-board, names and scattered numbers askew across the parchment attached. A tilt of a smile found its way across his appearance as he thought of each of the teams that he would be seeing soon, ready to work together to honor their villages, clans, family and all other areas of connection despite the numerous divots and blockades they would be facing,it was truly remarkable. Now all he had to do was await the arrival of all the contestants into the little testing area.



Today was the day genin from all over where going to be able to show their prowess, their keen senses and their ability to work together for their village to accomplish many goals despite the secrets from every side that laid in wait, just in front of the shadow everyone knew was there, ready to take that last step out and show its hollow gaze. But for now, it would have to wait. The stakes were too high for anyone to pull the last string just yet and have their plans fall aimlessly-- no, they would wait. They would be patient. Every village was here for a mission, better or worse, friend or foe, they would test. Test the stability of victory.

With that, Bokuto looked up and out towards the oncoming flow of students towards the room.



The first section of the Chunnin exams was ready to begin.



​

 

[Hanarei]

​

"Why a classroom? We are going to just go out and do something right? The classroom stuff was the most boring and useless stuff about learning to do ninja stuff!" Her voice could be heard in the hallway, very quick to question where they were being sent to meet at. The only thing she knew was the fact they were suppose to meet in the classroom. She had heard of the rumors of a 'written' portion being a thing, and the mentioning of actually getting into a classroom had only stoked those fears. It was no secret Tsukiashi had struggled to barely get through her time at the academy.


The young genin stopped short of the door. Her eyes focused upon the cat standing before it. Her eyes locked onto the fuzzball, keeping in place having stopped her loud ramblings looking at it. Her lips kept shut looking hauntingly serious all of a sudden. It was as if she was staring down upon the abyss, only darkness laid before her. It was a sense of emptiness that was never ending. That was when... the abyss stared back. Her eyes locked upon the cat's as suddenly the silence that had befallen Ashi had fell aware in an instant.


"WHAT THE HECK IS A CAT DOING HERE!" She yelled out, somehow outdoing her obnoxious whining from earlier. Her finger pointed in displeasure. Ashi had a deep seeded dislike of cats, perhaps a bit of her Inuzuka blood running through her veins. She might lack a ninpup, but she often could make up for it in her instinctive dog like traits she somehow managed to possess herself. Her sharp teeth showed looking displeased to the cat standing at the door.


@PewpewLaser

 

[Upton O Goode]

Masayuki Matsudaira


Team 14


Having finally arrived in the Leaf, Masayuki had a feeling the sight that lay before him had been prepared well in advance. He knew all too well it was typical for people to put on airs when they wanted to distract people from the real issue, and that was no less true for a great power like Konohagakure. Even if they looked outwardly strong, there was no telling how many cracks were hidden underneath the plaster they had applied to this village. He had to wonder how much prodding it would take to reveal just what they were trying to hide. Whatever the case, the Rain had come here to subvert this village by taking one of its greatest weapons. It was almost exciting just wondering how things would unravel when the Rain finally made its move, successful or not.


A far more immediate issue for Masayuki was the actual Chunin Exams themselves. Apparently they were to perform a written test first. His first thought was that it would be no great concern; if there was anything Masayuki possessed a great quantity of, it was knowledge. But then, he considered this test may be very unconventional in composition. It would only be fitting for a shinobi test to include hidden traps of whatever kind they saw fit. Or perhaps it would take the form of a hidden test of character more than anything? If there was one thing he knew about prior tests, it was that they often judged a shinobi's instincts and virtues more than simply being about getting from A to B. Of course, ruminate as he might on what the test might be like, he would not find out until he sat down and actually took the test.


Upon reaching the room where the first test was being held, Masayuki was amused to hear the whinging of another shinobi ringing out through the corridor. A quick glance told him this one was a Leaf shinobi. It seemed that for all the Leaf could do to appear strong, it couldn't mask the laziness of its Genin. Masayuki entered the room and sat down, intent on focusing on his own test, when the aforementioned shinobi once again made a scene. Apparently this girl had some form of problem with cats. Masayuki couldn't help but laugh. Of course, amusing as it was, it was also somewhat irksome to know they had a walking distraction on their hands. He could only hope the Leaf's proctor would be swift in making sure she remained silent when it mattered. Once everything had settled down, Masayuki only hoped he could begin on his test, and move on swiftly....

 

[PewpewLaser]

Bokuto Aburashi


First Exam Proctor- Team Four Sensei


Bokuto looked towards the entrance of the room as he heard the voices of Ashi approach, he was no stranger to the girls behavior some of it due to collaboration of genin teams among the leaf, his team and Ashi's joining together at some point in time, but it was not his business at the moment to say anything of her boisterousness, only if she was causing a serious disruption would he have to take any steps towards asking her silence during the exams. And he was the slightest bit curious to see how his ninneko companion would handle the situation at the same time, he had given the cats a task to do, the importance of collecting the students data was essential and he knew he could trust the small summons to do the job correctly. In the meantime, Bokuto took into consideration the inclusion of another new student, apparently from Amegakure by the sight of his headband, and gave a short but warm nod in his direction as welcome-- he could guess by the demeanor of the young ninja that he wasn't convinced, of the depth of the testing and the depth of Konoha's strength. Bokuto could only hope his method of the testing would convince otherwise.





Fuma Mai


Neko Ryodan


Never had a feline like Fuma been so aggravated and flustered at the same time. Fuma could tell as soon as he smelled the distinct scent of pelt and musty dog that the day would not end well on one side, which side was still to be determined, yet Fuma was going to try and make sure it was the right side-- cats of course.


So of course the abyss stared back, it stared back with great intensity and valor. The abyss would not be afraid of a measly student who happened to smell of canine and a hint of cinnamon and- no! The devil dog was a trickster of certain degree, that was one thing the abyss could tell, fur bristling and eyes ablaze, none would be tricked today by the hint of regular human smell the genin emitted, not today for certain!


" I assure you it is but my utmost duty to be here, Inuzuka! Orders from the boss, orders from the boss! " The cat yowled right back at the brunette standing before himself in a fit of fur and hisses. On guard fowl beasty!


" I'll have you know it is an honorable task at hand too! State your name, full name mind you, and your teams identification. What number are you? Two? Seven? Spit it out! " The feline was quiet insistent despite the obvious gleam of loathing just lurking behind his calico dappled eyes for the dog ninja. A job was a job after all, he had an image to keep mind you.


Meanwhile behind the calico's back, his sleek black companion left her position on the desk and trotted up to the newly entered genin from Amegakure, blinking violet eyes up at the student, and spoke up quickly and clearly, a cheerful tone playing around the cats voice. " Please state identification. Full name and team affiliation. Your cooperation is appreciated."




Asura Fuuynori


Team Fourteen


On arrival to Konohagakure, Asura had felt an overwhelming sense of confusion. The bustling, bright village had been nothing of his expectations in many ways he hadn't expected, and then would completely take him by surprise by other things. The people, despite the rumors and gossip of many a thing, were happy. Never had Asura seen so man people smile at one time, even if he could see half of them were fake. So plastered on he felt like he could reach out and peel them off like a festival mask. He wondered how they could do it everyday and mentally started a bet with himself to see how long the people around him continued smiling, he was definite he would see a decline soon enough. On matters not pertaining to their entertainment on arrival, Asura felt as if he was constantly being stared at, he didn't know if it was his guilty conscious or the fact that his headband was on full display-- not many of the civilians seemed to feel secure with a Amegakure genin like himself and his team around for whatever bizarre reason Asura was sure he would never get his head around, nor did he want to. But speaking of his team, he had to hustle or else he would never make it to the testing in time- it wasn't entirely his fault though.


After many mishaps on finding where he was staying at the village, he had managed to find the room and settle his things. Seeing as it had only been the beginning of evening he had decided to venture out into the streets for some time, gather information, see the new places and whatnot. By the time he had returned it was getting late, and only as he had reached his door did he realize he had locked himself out. Luck didn't seem to be on his side either as he went to ask for another key, only to find that the owners were gone, no trace of them in sight and no way into his room caused his early morning predicament. Sleeping outside was never a good idea, and Asura would be sure to forewarn anyone who thought it would be, in any situation, a good idea. Luckily he had managed to quickly find the owners to his room and got his belongings before any more problems occurred.


Now his only problem was getting to the assigned area for the first chunnin exams testing, mumbling and muttering to himself the entire way as he searched for the proper location.


Soon enough he found it, by more luck and a few more then necessary minutes backtracking through the streets, but he found the building spoken of and in time as well. "Why we didn't consider getting here as a team, I'll never know." An exhausted and irritable sigh left his mouth before he began his trek into the building and towards the assigned classroom.






​

 

[NekoQueen49]

Tsukiko~ Team Two


Entering after Ashi, Tsukiko still heard her loud exclamation and the resulting yowl from a cat. Tsukiko, unlike her teammate, actually adored cats in every form they came in. Still, she appreciated Ashi's friendship and did not go into her default cooing mode at seeing one. Instead, she held her hands up in a peacemaking gesture. "Hey, hey, let's calm down here. I'm sorry, Mr. Cat. This is Inuzuka Tsukiashi and I am Tsukiko. Our other teammate is Tanega Jiro and together we make Team Two." Tsukiko smiled at the cat's smaller form. "It is nice to meet you."


@Hanarei @PewpewLaser

 

[Hanarei]

​

Ashi growled a bit in response to the cat's reaction. its tone reached her ears grating at it as her bias against it had only grown that much more as the feline stared at her. Her teeth showed taking on much more of a canine in her reaction still despite her words. Even though the cat was doing a much better job containing itself then the young teen, she could easily tell the fur ball's feelings weren't that far from her own, at least in terms of not being very pleased. Whether it was her own fault wasn't something Tsukiashi would ever take much time at all to ponder herself.


"Don't tell me to spit it out! I'll go chasing you around and then..." She spoke nearly about to go off on the cat before she was interrupted by Tsukiko. She crossed her arms, putting on a pouting face as if an attempt to be rebellious to a parent attempting to quell an argument between two siblings over some silly matter. She wasn't known for being the most 'grown up' when it came to handling things. Cats were one of those things she disliked greatly. The fact the cat had talked had only helped to fuel her silly 'cats vs dogs' mentality.


Hmmph! Stupid cat, your lucky I would of came chasing you around and... and... I'd of showed you... for... doing what you did! She thought in her own head looking at the cat. She stuck her tongue out at the cat, as if expecting it to be some reasonable way to get back at it while her teammate introduced them both as well as Jiro (who she assumed wasn't likely far behind) to be put on the roster. Her eyes couldn't help but wander to the other cats keeping her displeased look on her face. It nearly made Ashi look over the fact that there were already some people there from the other village. Her red fang marks on her cheeks clearly marked her being an Inuzuka despite lacking a pup by her side. Her leaf headband sat down by her neck, resting there more casually not having bothered to put it on fully yet.


@PewpewLaser @NekoQueen49

 

[Upton O Goode]

Masayuki Matsudaira


Team 14


"Masayuki Matsudaira, of Team 14 of Amegakure. Pleased to make your acquaintance." Even though it was a talking cat that Masayuki happened to be speaking to, Masayuki planned on being as polite and formal as he ever was. Certainly he was not the type to look down on something for being less than human, though he was convinced that the dog girl from earlier was indeed less than human. He briefly noted that the prior situation between the Genin and the cat had been diffused. He could only hope it would remain that way. "I believe my teammates should be along shortly..." Masayuki had appeared to have managed to go ahead of the rest. He had thought they were all going together, but perhaps he had been mistaken. Nonetheless, Asura soon appeared in the room.





"Ah, Fuyunori!" He called out. "I believe this one here needs to hear your details." He gestured to the cat. His comrade Asura, while not the most friendly of individuals (and Masayuki knew all too well he himself was no social butterfly either), was perfectly clever and a dedicated team member. Masayuki imagined if this test were a conventional one, Asura would stand a fair chance at passing much like Masayuki. He wondered if he would come sit near him? He wasn't sure if there was any intended seating arrangements, but Masayuki would appreciate having a buffer between himself and the disruptive Leaf shinobi.





@PewpewLaser

 

[Ganryu]

Umichi Kamimizu, Team 15

​

Umichi's view of the city was startling. The first thing that stood out to her was the lack of constant rain. It was something she almost missed, it'd been almost comforting for the last 2 years to constantly hear. The next big difference was the sheer scale of the city. Her hometown was small, and she figured the Rain Village was large, but the Leaf Village was enormous, and lively. Umichi hated it. How on earth was she supposed to find a Jinjuriken here?


Looking around, vendors were having a field day to the incoming Shinobi. Umichi smugly turned to her teammate, Tatsuya.


"Hey, Tatsuya, there sure are alot of people here. Wouldn't it be funny if something small was to go bang in such a large street? "





She was sure Senzo would stop him, but it'd still be funny.


Eitherway, Umichi slowly made her way to where the first test was to take place. Her face lit up at the classroom. She'd heard of written test before, but somewhere she'd doubted it'd be that easy. To Umichi, the first test was as good as passed.


@JustJazzy @Pentagon


____________________________________________-

Hiro Uemura, Team 4

​

"- And that's why I think the kunai Kenshin sells on 8th street are the most well rounded. 'Course, Shingen's on 12th -"


Hiro continued to rant to his teammates about knives as he turned into the room, and his rant stopped abruptly, and his face was one of absolute horror.


He looked like his dog had just been ran over, and then told he had cancer. Hiro even put his knives away in shock as he peered around. He was expecting a test to triumphantly show off his skill, to show off how much better he was. He'd been dreaming of a stadium.


"This has to be a joke. Where's the arena, the real test!? Someone tell me this is a joke! Suzume? Kumori?"


There could be hope though, maybe it was just a registration... Wait, he'd been there earlier this morning. Well, kinda there, he wasn't paying attention. He hung his head in loss. Suzume was pretty smart, maybe she could figure something out.


"So, uh.... whole plan thingy.... Suzume, got anything?"


@Nada @Sagitarius

 

[Sagitarius]

“………………….” Joke? Nah, these tests weren’t a joke. He bet this was the written part of it—Something that his father had mentioned a long time ago if he remembered correctly. Of course, this didn’t shock Kumo as much as it did to poor Hiro—Who looked heartbroken and shattered inside. This made an eyebrow raise up; Clearly, it was an exaggeration.


"So, uh.... whole plan thingy.... Suzume, got anything?"


Kumori turned towards his upset teammate, eyeing the two; I mean…Anything that had the word EXAM in it was bound to have some part of it that was…exam-ly…You know, paper and pencil exam-like? Now, the only nerve racking thing about this situation was what it was going to be about…He…w-were they supposed to study something before this? D-did he miss some information….?


The blue haired boy looked around the classroom, eyes briefly falling on all the groups that were taking a seat, or who were lingering around confused on what was going on. “We should take a seat too” He told his group, sticking close to them. It’s not like he knew them that well yet, but it was better than being alone. Hiro was…very…showy. He usually talked about his interests or anything that had to do with him, and Suzume was fairly nice. Though nothing special stood out about her yet. So yes, Kumo was curious to see his Teammate’s abilities and skills. But here they were, in a classroom.


‘Guess that’ll have to wait’ The young man thought, letting out a sigh. For now, not standing out was his number one priority. Making enemies before the war was not in his best interest.

@Nada @Ganryu
​

 

[Nada]

Suzume Saionji


Team 4

​

Suzume had been nodding along to Hiro's latest knife rant, not really paying much attention, when he suddenly freaked out about the test. It seemed he was hoping for more of a combat section first than anything else. After going through some theatrics for a bit, he turned to her, expecting her to come up with a plan. For just a brief moment, Suzume considered making a snarky comment about how he was supposed to be the best. But that was far too mean for Suzume to seriously consider.


"Okay, um....use your people watching skills and....you know, cheat. Yep!" She told him in a hushed voice. It sounded awful, but it was the only idea that flashed through her head at the time. Suzume usually tried to be an honest person, but in this case, it would be Hiro being dishonest. She could live with that. And when she thought about it, wouldn't a ninja cheat in this situation anyway? They're supposed to be sneaky! Maybe the proctor would acknowledge that and give him partial credit. Or even full credit!


At Kumori's suggestion, she took a seat in the classroom. She guessed that Hiro was going to try and sit next to her and cheat off of her. She didn't know why he turned to her so much, because she didn't think she was THAT smart. Whatever he did, she just hoped he wouldn't get the whole team in trouble. Bokuto, their Sensei, was the one proctoring this exam, and he would probably be watching them all...


@Ganryu @Sagitarius

 

[Pentagon]

Senzo Kobuchi, Team 15


Senzo scrunched his nose at the leaf village. Too big, too loud, too crowded, and crawling with ninja far better than him, and ostensibly on different sides of whatever was about to happen. He had an itch on his neck that wouldn't go away, the itch that only came with nerves. Fat fingers scratched the patch of worn skin, and he looked down at his sharp-witted teammate. "Try not to make me shit myself just yet, Umichi. Lets get to the second stage at least, before you start giving me migraines."


He followed her lead, though, without question. She guided him to the exam location, and he blanched when he saw the room. Desks, chairs, ink. The tools which would no doubt prevent him from becoming a jonin, were now arrayed before him in his pursuit of chuunin-hood. He sent up a silent prayer to the Sage for the jinchuuriken to be as bad with this sort of thing as he was. He stuck tighter to Umichi, hoping to find a seat next to her and harvest her prodigious brain for all it was worth. He patted the massive sword strapped to his back, in his form of apology to the blade.


Jiro Tanega, Team 13


Jiro had seen this coming, and he thanked his lucky stars. Every interview he'd done, every book he'd poured through, confirmed that some sort of written exam was the usual start to the chuunin selection process. His eyes scanned the room: it seemed like the best course of action, of course. Traditions usually were, at least when it came to the cutthroat world of ninja. He did a headcount. Roughly half the students would have to be eliminated to have an easy route into the final exams, if the final was to be the usual eight man tournament. Maybe slightly more, depending on who hadn't arrived yet. He'd been studying incessantly, brushed up on his sign language and Morse code. He had woken up early, gotten a healthy breakfast from his mother, gone for a jog. He had arrived at the test room early, before his teammates, and had found a seat, getting acclimated to the stress. He tried to focus on the words he had memorized in his textbooks, scrolls, trips to the library, but all he could think of was the book which told him how not to stress, or fixate on certain aspects of the exam. He thought it comical, in its own way. Sitting at a desk, with space on either side of him for his teammates, he turned when he heard the familiar shout of feline hate, and waved to them, beckoning them over, wanting to cement last-minute plans and fallbacks for when those plans inevitably failed miserably. He felt a lump in his throat, and pushed it down with yet more anxiety.

 

[CaughtInTheRiddle]

Hana Sasaki


Team 3
​

Her morning had started as a beating from Pachid before dawn. Following the humiliation of being crushed into the dirt, was a vocal reprimand from her father. She had once again cleaned her body, ridding her skin of the dried blood and mud that caked her body. The cuts and bruises, however, stayed behind - making it look like she'd been physically abused. Early in the morning when he had nearly killed her, Pachid had mentioned that he may have been too hard on her - but the sympathy hadn't lasted long when he forced her to get back up just so he could beat her back down. After, he used a simple Medical Ninjutsu on her to heal the serious injuries, and he sent her onto her father.


The encouraging words from her father had been along the lines of "Don't disgrace this family" and "Don't mess this up". And by the time she walked into the examination room, she just wanted to collapse under the expectations of the Village and the Sasaki. The dark rings under her eyes darkened her hazel eyes, making her look almost evil. She glanced at the commotion between the other Leaf Genin and then proceeded to watch the other teams from the foreign villages mingle.


Her head tilted slightly as she scanned the room: a written exam. A small smile formed upon her lips - this is what she was good at. From here, she could actually be of use to her Team - and it lifted the burden off her shoulders slightly.


It seemed that she was the first of her team to arrive... which made her slightly uncomfortable. Yet, in saying that, she didn't care enough for her peers to make conversation, so she simply stood, by herself, near the wall - awaiting either her team members, or instruction.

 

[Hanarei]

Ryosei Kouda and Ren Kaguya

(Team 14 Jonin) (Team 15 Jonin)
​

Ryosei had gotten up before his students to have a look around the village. It had been a great number of years since he had set foot in the Leaf... in fact, he had taken his own Chunin exams in Konohagakure; which were a piece of cake when compared to Kiri's Genin exam. A smile couldn't help but twist on his features as memories flooded his mind, along with the screams and warm feeling of the blood soaking into his skin.


The previous night he had seen Asura lock himself out, and had watched with amusement as the boy worked to find the owners. Had the boy been locked out for the whole night, Ryosei would have happily let him sleep on the street.


The Jonin hadn't bothered to meet with his team in the morning. There were no words of advice nor of encouragement - the Genin would be met with an empty common room and an absent Sensei... which was a normal thing for them.


He had gone for a long stroll through the Village, and the festivities seemed to be never ending. The citizens were rising early and stepping to the streets, eager to see the Leaf Genin who would bring glory to their beloved home. It also interested him to see the way the people avoided his gaze and watched him carefully when they believed he wasn't looking - but little did they know... Ryosei Kouda was always watching.


It seemed the Villagers were weary of all foreigners who had entered for the exams... but being from Amegakure, they overlooked him and cast their suspecting gazes upon a group of Suna Nin who were walking the opposite way. The corners of his lips twitched up into a smirk as he glanced into the eyes of a Sand Genin who had barely acknowledged him. The young Shinobi did a double take, looking for any hint of sinister intent that had been in Ryosei's eyes... and the young girl found herself wondering if she were just being paranoid.


A twisted smile warped his features as the snow white hair captured his auburn gaze. With could be almost mistaken as a skip, he made his way towards the woman, taking a large step around her, so he was standing in front of her with a cheshire grin on his face,


"Eh-Chan~" his voice was sickly sweet as he greeted her, "How are you enjoying the sunny skies of the Leaf?" closing his eyes as the grin enveloped his features, his hands in his pockets. His near-crimson gaze rested on her blue irises as the smile dwindled into a smirk, although his expression was warm, it was hollow, and there was no real emotion written on his face.


The woman's long white hair flowed in motion as she turned her head to great Ryosei. Bright blue eyes locked onto the man's own. Her light robe flowed, shunning away more traditional shinobi wear for a much more lighter outfit, her pale flesh shown with little reservation lacking any notable interest in hiding away many tools. The crimson crescent moon rested on her head, a variation of a mark found along most of the Kaguya clan. Her own crooked smile rested on her lips possessing an eerily similar emptiness in her own lack of emotional involvement.


"It provides a less strategical advantage in terms of utilizing the environment to one's advantage during the day. It reducing the over-all advantage a member of the rain might be able to properly utilize for a surprise attack. It might be detrimental to the Genin giving them one less advantage to use in their favor for the exams." She commented bluntly using simple cold hard logic in words. Unlike Ryo, she had made sure to wish her Genin luck... although perhaps in less subtle ways.


'Remember, failure isn't just affecting you, but also the entire village. If you try anything but your absolute best you are dishonoring everyone you know and love. If you must fail, do so only once you collapse on the ground no able to move a single muscle.'


She shook her head a little as her thoughts jumped back to Ryosei. She focused on him as if suddenly coming to the realization of what he meant, although truthfully she knew full well what he originally asked of her to start with, even if she knew full well his actual curiosity about her feelings about it was minuscule at best.


"Oh... myself... I find it quite pleasant. The bright sun might tarnish my completion, although I suppose it is a worth-wild cost for such a tranquil environment to be in. What about yourself? Do you enjoy such a place, or perhaps is my own beauty detracting your own mind to look upon me with want once more?" She spoke soft clutching her wrist lightly behind her back looking towards him.


She knew of his own 'game', having been with him and known him long enough to pick up on some of his intricacies. The two of them were eerily similar in many ways lacking the emotional connection most shinobi tended to feel. It was perplexing to many to find the two had been dating. In some part their seemingly lack of emotional connection fit so well, yet both of them approached matters in strangely different ways. Ren wasn't the typical woman who would fall for his usual ploys, and she held a deep fascination for his own behaviors and the mystery behind them.


"I'm sure Team Fifteen will be fine," Ryosei mused in resonse to her analysis of the weather, a strange glint in his eye as he smirked slightly, "After all... they were trained by you..." his voice was silky smooth, but it held too much subtext for the normal person to even comprehend - to anyone else it would sound like he was just being overly kind... but to one who knew better, it would sound like he meant the opposite of what he said.


He shrugged and rose his hands in a carefree manner, "And if they fail... well, then clearly they simply didn't train hard enough," his voice was almost cold... but once again, if one didn't know him, they wouldn't pick it up.


A low chuckle emitted from the depths of his throat and his face lifted into an evil smirk, "Pride is a sin, my dear," his voice was barely above a whisper as he leaned in close to her, raising a hand and placing the back of it on her cheek, "Don't get too close to the sun or you may just burn up,"


The mood turned dark for a moment as his mahogany eyes stared intently into hers - and then, just like that... it lifted and he pulled himself away from her, his features twisting into his usual grin, as if nothing had even happened between them.


"This is a nice Village, no? One would never think that a Tailed Demon had leveled this place in the not too distant past," his voice was almost mocking as he scanned the area and the people who happened to be walking by, "And the people here are just... to die for," the last part of his sentence were enough to send shivers down his own spine as he gazed upon the citizens like a child would a new toy... he could just eat them up... literally.


Ren listened intently to his words, listening in to what he said both verbally as well as the words laced in between. He was like a devil, crafting his narrative through weaving his contract in a way that few could ever truly account for. He always found a way to fill his own agenda within anything he said, knowing how to fit it in the most subtle ways. It was her emotional disconnect that truly allowed to piece together his game, and unfortunately for him kept her from succumbing to his ploys.


She blinked as he lifted her hand to touch upon her cheek. His words reached her ears as she listened to it not even flinching from his touch and the hushed whisper he allowed to slip into her ears. As quickly as it came, she felt his breeze pull away finding space between them with his lips curving in response.


"Of course, this village has a sense of community behind it... pride if you would." She mentioned in some part linking to his earlier comment about herself. "It thrives upon working together... of acting as a single entity to accomplish difficult tasks beyond what a normal man could accomplish. The sense of calm is built off of hope and community. An ant can accomplish little on their own, however having a full colony they can achieve impossible tasks. So long as they work together they can overcome insurmountable odds. A sense of companionship is the greatest fuel to spur hope and a desire to survive."


She looked over to Ryosei quietly, her expression still cold. In some part, perhaps she was far more fridgid then even Ryo. His words and connotation didn't even make her flinch. Her eyes locked upon him unwavering. "As trivial as a life might be... it is important to not underestimate it's value. Discard it so casually, and you might find a world filled with only void. There comes a point when you can take things to far, where even a monster fears to look upon itself."


"You mistake my intentions, Eh-Chan," he proclaimed, almost sounding offended as he rose his hands in a defensive manner, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he flashed a closed eyed smile. A small chuckle errupted from his throat before he spoke again, "I'm just Ryosei Kouda, a Jonin of the Rain!" He stated, taking a step back for dramatic performance, "Not some evil villain!"


His eyes opened, and they betrayed his words, this time, he allowed her, and the world to see the malevolent corruption in his empty maroon gaze. His smirk was small but to many, unnerving. However, the moment didn't last long as his face dropped into a nonchalant expression as he turned himself around so he was standing beside her. He stretched out an arm and wrapped it lethargically around her shoulders, and the look in his eyes, behind his smirk, would tell her that his actions weren't affectionate in the slightest.


He walked forward, draging her along with him, "Let's go get some food, shall we?" it wasn't a question, "I could really go for some sushi right now,"


Ren stood quietly as his arm wrapped around her shoulder. Her eyes looked to him as he nudged her forward openly keeping his arm around her. It didn't bother in the least bit even knowing his show of 'affection' was more of a farse. She looked at him walking with him as he took her to find some food. "Very well, let us go sweetheart. You are paying of course." She spoke as her own words seemed to complete what sounded as an extremely cheesy and fake dialog of one of the most stilted acting couples to ever exist, an even more haunting play knowing the two were considered 'together'... as much as individuals like themselves could be.


@CaughtInTheRiddle

 

[Pentagon]

Hoshiko Tanega, Team 13 Jonin


The house hadn't changed. It was still the same cluster of rooms on a nondescript street, ornamented garishly with evidence of what wealth her family could claim. She hated seeing it, but found herself walking in circles around it over, and over, and over again. She could spot her mother, walking within past windows, cleaning. She wondered if her father was inside: she'd seen neither hide nor hair of the balding (probably now bald, she considered) chubby man who had carried her on his shoulders during festivals just like the one which surrounded her. She walked away to find a snack, but found herself coming back. She smiled up at the young ninja the Leaf had set to watching her. A precocious chuunin, by her estimation. Not much younger than Hoshiko, but bearing signs of either mediocre talent or inept training. She took a deep breath, steadied herself, and walked up to the door. Worn knuckles rapped thrice on the thin wood of the port, and after a few moments, the door swung open.


Hoshiko's eyes raced over her mother. She'd gotten older, her hair graying slightly, wrinkles becoming more prominent around her eyes and mouth. She was slouched a little more than usual, her lips pursed in the change from welcoming smile to confused stare. Hoshiko waited for her mother to process what she was seeing, the older woman's eyes flicking first to the rain headband, then to the face. Her voice was just as soft as Hoshiko remembered.


"Oh, who's this? I don't get many..." Comprehension dawned slowly. Inexorably. Rikka Tanega's eyes widened slightly, her mouth opening, a shocked breath escaping. "...Hoshiko?"


Hoshiko could only nod. Her mouth was welded shut. She could feel wetness in her eyes, and blamed this damned sun. Her mother reached forward, as though not believing the figure before her was anything besides an illusion, and Hoshiko saw it in horrible slowness. She lunged forward, and wrapped her mother, the woman she had loved her whole childhood, in a tight hug. Hoshiko choked back a sob. "It's me, mom. I...", Hoshiko managed to splutter, and then the tears came. She had missed this, more than she could have ever expected.


She left quickly, a half an hour visit. Hoshiko didn't feel ready to see her father, and certainly not to see her younger brother. Hoshiko feared that meeting most of all. As she left, she placed a pair of scrolls within the house. One on the attic, and one on the roof. The chuunin set to watch her had left, no doubt to stalk some other foreigner, and Hoshiko stepped into the street. She made her way to a pond, a familiar body of water in front of an old manor that had been uninhabited since Hoshiko was little more than a girl. It had been the focus of no shortage of ghost stories. She deposited herself on the bank, and began skipping stones. She waited ten minutes, counted to the second, before she replaced one of the stones which had fallen into the water with another in her other hand. She waited another ten minutes, and as one stone, thrown far too quickly, bounced from the water and over the wall of the manor, it too was replaced with a scroll. Hoshiko waited another ten minutes, skipping stones and looking at the unfamiliar, white, sun-dappled clouds trace their lazy patterns, then stood. She had more work to do.

 

[PewpewLaser]

Fuma Mai


Neko Ryodan


Fuma gave an unsatisfied sniff and scrunched his nose. But, despite his deep longing to show just how deep cats claws could go after Ashi's provoking start of words, he settled down enough to appear civilized again as the dog's teammate stepped in between the argument. " Pleasures all yours I'm sure. " He started rather flamedly. " But nonetheless, It is nice to meet your acquaintance as well Tsukiko of team Two. To avoid further disruptions and for the sake of everyone else, please keep an eye on your mut- comrade for the remainder of the test." Fuma was actually happy that he was given the chance to converse with Tsukiko, as long as it meant that he didn't have to throw a hissy-fit at the Inuzuka genin-- plus it gave him a chance to blatantly exclude the other female from the conversation, payback for the rudeness. Canine-0, Feline-1. Queue also sticking his tongue out momentarily back at Ashi just long enough for the Inuzuka to see and Tsukiko not to. Nobody said he had to be entirely professional about things.





Asura Fuuynori


Team fourteen


Asura had stood a good few feet away while the leaf genin conversed with the cat by the door entrance, well, more of the cat and the girl with red markings screeching at each other like uncivilized hooligans in Asura's opinion, 'what have I gotten myself into..'.


He was certain he would have stayed standing there, so close to the door, yet so far, covering his ears and just wishing the day over and maybe a great big thunderstorm to drown out any substantial noises from other bothersome leaf Genin, if he hadn't heard his name being called and finally breaking his gaze from the less then subtle rivalry happening in the doorway, he saw his teammate.


Masayuki was gesturing him towards another small feline that was now looking straight over at him and he shuddered. It wasn't that he didn't like cats, it was more specific-- he didn't trust them.


They were unpredictable creatures with little to no sympathy, and yet Asura found himself almost identifying with the same feelings he was sure more then several cats felt. Grumpy, tired and often quite sour, a cat could be acting one way one minute, and then change completely the second, and Asura almost respected that, often feeling the same way.


"Matsudaira, good to see you here already." Asura managed out as he slipped past other students as the tubby striped cat went around collecting more names, skittering in front of his feet even as he walked over to his teammate in waiting. He eyed the cat, and the cat eyed him back, but seeing no end to their silent staring Asura just vouched to speak up. " Asura Fuuynori, team 14 of Amegakure. Is there anything else you needed?" He questioned stoically and the black cat shook her head, answering with the same amount of frankness as Asura had just a moment ago. " No, thank you for your time. Please be seated in the chair marked with your name when the testing starts. Until then, goodday." - And with that scampered back in between the desks to continue gathering the student data with her companion feline from before.


Asura took a moment to glance at the simple paper markings on each of the desks around him at the mention of assigned seating, confused and curious at the same time to see that every single one, though it had the names and team numbers correctly inscribed, where entirely mismatched, not a single teammate was beside each other with the strange system, meaning no team member would even be close to each other.. "It must be some Konoha custom.." He muttered and rubbed at his forehead, though not meaning to really say it aloud, it was true. Deciding to just take a seat for now he finally sat down after his chaotic morning, using whom ever's empty chair was beside Masayuki at the moment. He thought it best to converse while he could with his only seen teammate while he could before the testing officially started, see if they could gather any important information about both the exam and the other Genin while at it.
​

Makoto Orumasu


Team Three


Makoto hadn't entered the room yet. She was too fascinated with watching the genin entering the room. Standing off to the side with her arms crossed and leaning against a wall, she let a coy smile pass her as she simply watched. It was amazing to see how many reactions she could get from them, she wasn't planning on going into the room until absolutely necessary or unless told otherwise, because personally she was getting a kick out of watching how skeptical other students got when she just stared. They were too obvious, frightened little children, some even started getting so nervous they left to find the restroom like little kids even without her obsessive staring. Laughable really. But Makoto simply smiled that sly serpent like smile and stayed ever so silent.


Hand sliding across the back of her neck and to the simple but elegant stretch of her blades handle she paused on it a moment and gave a Genin a smirk and watched him scamper off in a hurry to his team.


Too predictable, and almost pathetic. They didn't act like they could handle a simple dominant gesture let alone a paper cut, Makoto had no idea how they would survive the exams. Oh well, all the more fun for her at least.


"They look like rabbits, such scared eyes." She mused to herself very quietly and laughed, she was enjoying her time too much, especially when someone would try and challange her gaze for more then five seconds, they each ended up looking away from her one auburn-red eye as she smirked.
​

Makoto didn't think it was possible to have such fun by just standing there, but she was enjoying it too much now and she doubted she would have left her spot unless she hadn't spotted Hana and paused for a moment. Taking in her teammates tired and beaten figure into view. She looked miserable and Makoto couldn't help but scoff before finally making her way fully into the room- glancing at the names on the desks as she went, running her fingers along the few empty wooden surfaces as she passed by towards Hana's current location. "My my, don't you look like a ball of sunshine today." Makoto spoke up as she finally made it to Hana's side along the wall. "Perhaps you should consider sharing your secret for looking so.. Well." In Makoto's odd way of prying into the situation- a small notation towards actually caring about what had happened in a way- She phrased things so that it didn't catch too much attention from others and bring humiliation towards the medic ninja, while still sounding upbeat in her cocky attitude. Something her team should have been used to by now considering she often asked them to spit information out without actually saying it- like now for example.








Okabe Uta


Team Two Sensei



​

Okabe watched from outside the classroom windows into the room to see the multitude of genin. It hadn't been her main task to watch over them, let alone sit outside and just stare in at them-- not like they could see her unnaturally small form from where they were. No, she hadn't even begun her day with the slightest thought of ending up in her current spot, crouched down on a tree limb, she had in fact started her day with the idea to go make sure the older jonin that had come to the village weren't up to anything suspicious. She had spent most of her morning following people around from many different places and keeping tabs on things, many things, not like she'd divulge them to anyone yet. Old habits die especially hard when most of her life was spent the way it was for her she supposed and she found herself being cautious and suspicious of everything that moved and breathed and carried a foreigners headband. It was like a wound being reopened as she saw people from villages she had personally gone into in not so nice way to get some not so open information, but she held back the urge to shadow each of the people she found suspicious and scour through their measly minds for important facts they could be carrying, which from what she could tell of them she was certain more then half had hidden intentions or motives.


But somehow she found herself here, by the classroom. Muddled with the fact she subconsciously brought herself to this destination. Not that it mattered now, so she decided to take the time and mull over her newfound info.


Something was just off. And she knew it, she could see it. She knew what was up, it was right there in front of her, but at the same time she knew she didn't know.


Her own strengths were working against her now that she needed them most, and she was going to have to wait it out for the right moment to come before she could do anything about it. The one thing of her abilities she knew she could count on at the time.


She could wait. She could wait for a long time.








Bokuto Aburashi


First Exam Proctor- Team Four Sensei

Bokuto was unsure at first whether he should wait a few more moments or not to begin the first part of the exam. The students from all over were conversing and trading ideas about everything that would be going on in both the classroom and for the rest of the exam, many didn't seem to like the idea of having to come back into a classroom seeing as they had just seemed to finally escape it not too long ago-- A thought that made Bokuto laugh over silently as he looked the room over. He even spotted his own students and gave a brief grin. Things seemed to be going well and under control, for now at least.


Glancing at the lone clock behind him he gave a brief sigh as he realized he couldn't go on much longer stalling for time and that he needed to get things kicked into gear-- the idea though thought figuratively, it wouldn't come as a surprise if he did have to take that order literally if any students decided not to listen. He noticed that most of the students had arrived anyway and thought that it would be best to at least get the genin's attention and get them seated, seeing as some teams were confused as to why the seating was seemingly random and they couldn't sit by each other. Any time a genin was caught trying to switch name spots around they got a good cat claw to the hand from the ninbyo scampering about the room as ordered.


"Attention Genin." Bokuto began, tapping the clipboard on the desk to get them to be silent and listen for a moment, pausing to let his words get across to all the kids and watch their gaze turn towards him.


"Please take a seat in the assigned seating, we'll be beginning soon. Don't be too alarmed-- you kiddos will get plenty of time to have at each other soon enough." He joked with a chuckle as he smiled almost slyly afterwards.


"As soon as you all sit your gluteous maximus down I'll start explaining how much trouble you'll all have to go through for this test, so hop to it 'cause I've got some explaining to do and you better be ready to listen."


Leaning against the front of the proctor desk he crossed his arms and waited for the students to do as told. He wouldn't say he was having fun with everything going on, seeing as it wasn't a particularly happy-go-lucky situation to begin with among genin and the villages alike. But Bokuto was here to bring up that strong physique and stature of Konoha to the front, and he was dead set on making sure the foreign genin knew that the village was not a blow-hearted nation and that they knew their place in this testing, he may act more on the easy-going calm side, but one. single. step out of line towards tyranny to Konohagakure and he wasn't afraid to boot them back to their village where they belonged. And boot them back hard he would.


@.Everyone



​

 

[Ganryu]

Each genin would find the paper before them listing the instruction of the Exam. The instructions might seem a little oddly written to a few of them. They were wordy, but simple.


We, as ninja, must continually make hard decisions, and work relying on the strength of our teams. The


Right to be trusted is earned from trusting eachother. Take everything you need. In this exam


I expect each of you to choose one a single name to pass to the next round.


Teams must agree upon a single name, despite being placed far apart. Being in-sync to you team is


Essential to passing this portion of the exam.


Team's must not obviously pass information to eachother. Such attempts will be siezed by the Ninneko.


Each team that is unable to agree upon a single name to pass this exam will fail collectively.


A single name is any name written exactly the same on all three sheets of paper. Being shy and using a


Moniker or pronoun as a substitute is perfectly acceptable instead of a


Name.

 

[Hanarei]

​

Ashi glared over at the cat, staring with a pout at the cat in distaste. She heard it speak to her partner, looking at it suddenly flared up more. She watched it stick its tongue out at her, the dog-like Genin growling as she looked as if she was about to jump at the cat in some form of attack, restrained mostly from the fact her squad member being there acting as an unintentional barrier from her retaliation. I hate cats... stupid stupid stupid cats... She growled more as she was the cat stick its tongue at her.


Tsukiashi found her seat, a little confused as she wasn't put anywhere near her teammates. She blinked tapping her chin listening as the instructor spoke. Her eyes focused up looking rather contently forward despite her over anxious attitude. The whole notion it was a test to become a Chuunin was thrilling to her. His voice made her pause a bit forgetting (although briefly) the fact it seemed they were in some weird written exam of some sorts. She wasn't so certain just what bug sensei might be up to.


Ashi turned her attention to the paper. She looked at it staring upon it quietly. She blinked as it wasn't hard to see her confusion. She picked the paper up looking at it as if trying to find some other meaning to it. She placed the paper down before glancing back up. She wasn't one to really think much through her own actions and her impatient nature had only caused her to blurt out loud carelessly.


"What does it mean a name? What kind of test is this? It doesn't make any sense? Why a name and what does it mean by a name to pass to the next round?" She asked out loud without much of a filter looking over to Bokuto. The girl's eyes fixated at him seeming to show her own frustration and confusion about the test.


@PewpewLaser @Everyone (she is saying it out loud when things probably would be quiet. ^^;; )

 

[Pentagon]

Jiro, Team 2


Jiro looked at the paper. This couldn't be as simple as it seemed. The odds of three people choosing the same name were, assuming nothing else, one in twenty seven. That was the average minimum pass, an absurd pass rate. Even assuming that every team managed to pass the test, removing two out of three would mean that the next test would have to be easy, too easy, especially as teams would not be able to work together. There had to be some trick to it, but Jiro couldn't work out what it could be. His teammate asked a question, and he absently wondered what the answer would be. Before he did anything else, he read the words again. Then again. And once more. The last sentence seemed strange, so he underlined it. A moniker or a pronoun? He could write 'her', and that would double his chances of aligning with the others. The odds of his two teammates choosing him seemed low, this would be safe. But it would mean he wouldn't become chuunin. This wasn't even a Prisoner's Dilemma, it was just... cruel. Maybe that was the lesson? But that wouldn't be in the interests of the Leaf, not during the exams...


Jiro's mind traced whorls of thought, circles within circles of confusion and doubt. What to write? What to write... He wanted to communicate, to send some message, but of course he couldn't. He couldn't even move their pencils or pens, since they didn't have any metal. He wrote down 'her'. Then, epiphany hit him. It never said a single individual. A single name. Well, when put like that, the answer seemed obvious to Jiro. He erased 'her', and penciled down a name he could be proud of.


Team 2


There. It still seemed like a long shot on behalf of the exam organizers, to trust their charges to make the leap regarding names, but maybe it would yield the correct amount of passes? Jiro could only sit back and wait. It was his best, the only one that made sense to him. He considered writing 'us', but decided against it. This felt right, and Jiro was not so cynical yet that he wouldn't trust a gut instinct when he couldn't easily disprove it.

 

[Nada]

Suzume Saionji


Team 4

​

In the end, it turned out that team members were deliberately seated away from each other, so Hiro couldn't cheat off her even if he wnated to. Suzume didn't mind this at all, but she did worry that he would end up failing this exam on his lonesome. But that was less important right now, because she had to worry about her own chances of passing. Bokuto finally motioned for everyone to sit down and begin the exam, and so Suzume took her own seat.


When she finally got the chance to look at the exam paper, she was quite displeased. Besides the weird way it was written, it said that only one name could be chosen to pass on to the next round. What was the point of them coming here as a team if they could only select one of them to carry on? And they had to all choose the same name? As much as she would hope, her team had yet to get on the same wavelength. Especially Hiro, who she could almost imagine was write now furiously scribbling his own name on the paper. If she were to be pragmatic, she thought that the only real chance of them all selecting the same person would be to write down "Hiro Uemura" since he was guaranteed to put himself down.


But as she freted more over the issue, she suddenly saw it. The real name they were expected to choose. When she saw the solution, she was both relieved and disappointed. This written exam had boiled down to a very simple trick. She felt foolish for having spent so much time worrying about what to do when something like that was staring her in the face. Wasting no time, Suzume wrote down "Team 4" and left it at that.


...but when she thought about it more, she started worrying again that Hiro might be too dense to figure it out. Team 4 might be done for anyway....

 

[PewpewLaser]

Bokuto Aburashi

First Exam Proctor- Team four sensei


As students started seating themselves and quieting down, Bokuto thought of many things-- mainly how he was going to smoothly talk this many Genin through an exam, but he was certain to an extent he could accomplish a good enough explanation for everything. He wasn't picked for no reason to be the proctor.


Hearing Ashi voicing her confusion aloud he gave a quick nod in her direction to acknowledge her raised concern.


" That is a very good question to be asking and it's an important one." Seeing as Ashi had practically asked every question really in need of asking, Bokuto directed the rest of his speech towards the filled classroom. " On your paper it states that you may write one name; one name from your team. A moniker or pronoun is accepted as stated as long as it is identifiable as a subject of your team. This means you are to decide among each other who moves forward to the next part of the exams." he paused to let his information sink in, even though he was near certain that they understood that already and he even noticed a few students beginning to write things down. " However, there are some rules to the ways you may communicate." This is where he was starting to get to the nitty gritty of the rules.


" You may not speak and you can not openly transmit information where others can see it- consider it this way. You are on a mission and are seperated from your team, you have to get any information you can to your team before they are killed." He held a hand in a pistol shape to enphasize what he meant; probably a little more meaningful to the people who knew of his title and abilities. " If your opponent sees your information, it's one strike off of your team. Three strikes and you're out. You may set up a communication hub; if only one of you can transmit information easily, that person may communicate to both other teammates to get anything through quickly." Taking a breather he watched the classroom in silence for a moment and gave a hint of a smile.


"Time is of the essence here, if you don't finish the test or answer anything other then what your teammates have, you are disqualified. If you purposefully sabatoge, withhold or excommunicate from your team or other teams, you are disqualified. 'Cause an unnecessary ruckus, start a fight or other harsh misbehavior you get a point to two off your teams strikes, which can lead to quicker disqualification. You don't have the luxery to take your time as of now, decide who is important to get you through. What is important to you? You better keep it close whatever it is."


Reaching the end he gave them all subtle and unnerving grin as he walked behind the desk and picked up a piece of chalk. Beginning to write rules the rules down slowly and clearly across the board.


"Ask questions now before things start getting rough kiddos, make it quick, we've got a lot to do."


@.Everyone

​

 

[Upton O Goode]

Masayuki Matsudaira


Team 14


Finally, it was time for them to sit down and begin their exam. When Masayuki looked at his exam paper, he only wrangled with the meaning of it for a few moments before he noticed the trick hidden within. Not that he considered it much of a trick. In fact, he was severely disappointed in how simple and ultimately meaningless this little test was. Was this really worth bringing together a generation of upcoming shinobi just to test whether they could see through such a juvenile trick? Of course, not long after he figured out the meaning, the very same disruptive Leaf Genin from earlier started making a scene again. From what she said, Masayuki gathered that she barely understood the literal meaning of the words before her, let alone the trick within. Perhaps it was prudent of the Leaf to consider vetting their shinobi with simple tricks; it seemed they had at least one moronic Genin on their hands.


Amazingly enough, the proctor of the exam actually engaged with the girl rather than dismissing her questions. Even more astounding, it seemed as though he was encouraging them to cheat. Was this whole invigilated examination a farce? Or perhaps the real test was whether you could communicate with your team without getting caught? He supposed that would be a very intriguing take on the nature of the exam. It would even be a rather clever way of testing a shinobi's real skills. But that was precisely why he was uncertain; it seemed far too intricate for the Leaf to actually envision. However, while Masayuki did harbor doubts about the mental acuity of this village's shinobi, he wasn't one to underestimate others so easily. Perhaps there would turn out to be more to this exam than what met the eye.


Masayuki wrote down his team name on his paper. He was starting to suspect there might be more to this exam than he thought, but for now, he would simply write down what he believed to be the correct solution. He trusted that neither of his comrades would be foolish enough not to notice the obvious clue in the paper's wording.

 

[NekoQueen49]

When Tsukiko first saw the words on the board, she was ultimately confused. Even as she sat as her seat, the young girl squinted at the words while trying to decipher them. Luckily, the questions Ashi voiced and the answers given from the proctor she recognized as Aburashi-sensei helped somewhat. However her default problem was that she was kicking herself for not developing her own brain or at least the ties between her and her teammates. The best she could get was 'dogs' from Ashi and... Tsukiko didn't even know what from Jiro. That boy was always a mystery to her, somewhat. She guessed.


A word, name or pseudonym that both of her teammates would choose. Tsukiko wished that she could pass a note to them in some way. Maybe if Ashi had a ninja dog... No, that wouldn't work, the dog would make noise. Tsukiko only had her taijutsu. Wait. Maybe if Tsukiko made like a vibration through the floor... No, others would be to feel it. The girl slumped in her seat when the only ideas that she could think of were scrapped just as quick as she conceived them.

 

[AtlannianSpy]

Literally minutes into the first section of her exam and Hikaru found herself with a dilemma. It wasn't the obvious dilemma one would expect of a person in her situation, the question in front of her? Hikaru already knew the answer, the Proctor's little Q&A session had all but confirmed it. She was supposed to write not the name of a single person but the name of her team, Team 6, there by allowing the whole team to pass. That much was obvious, the issue was whether or not Hikaru's team mates knew that and whether or not Hikaru should take some steps to make sure that they did.


Oookaay calm down Hikaru the genin thought, forcing herself to inhale and exhale in at a slow, measured pace. Think it out, lay out everything you know.


one: As long as we don't caught, cheating is allowed, practically encouraged, this is both a teamwork exercise and a practical examination.


two: The answer isn't very hard to figure out, my teammates prrrroooobably know the answer already.


three: We can get caught twice before we're disqualified.





These three facets of the problem swirled around Hikaru's head, colliding off the walls of her skull until she sighed melodramatically. No matter how she spun it it came down to two options. Write down the answer and hope her teammates wrote down the same thing OR Try to contact them and risk detection. It basically came down to whether her chances of getting an undetected message through were better than the chance that both of her teammates got the right answer.


So how likely are those two to write down the same thing I did...


...


...


I HAVE NO IDEA!





Hikaru's stomach was starting to backflip. Even after months of working together she couldn't honestly say she knew that much about how either of them thought or operated internally. The only thing she was certain of about Katsumoto was that he went out of his way to keep people guessing about how he thought or what he felt. Hikaru also suspected that he didn't like her very much but as far she could tell he didn't actually like anyone so Hikaru tried not let it bother her. As for the other guy... There just wasn't enough there to go on.


What did her teammates think of the test? What were they going to write down? What did they think she was going to write? Did they think she as smart enough to have figured out the answer? Did they think she was dumb and were right now trying to get a message to her that she wasn't noticing because she was over-analysing? Were they totally stumped and waiting for her to help?


I Have no idea. I have no idea I HAVE NO IDEA! ARRRGH! Maybe we should have tried a little harder during Sensei's team building exercises. Or at all really. though Hikaru, deciding to try a different tack.


Okay what are my chances of getting a message to the other two undetected? Hikaru decided to eliminate all the uncertainties and focus purely on what she knew for certain, her own abilities. Thinking about it, she had one particular tool that might give her an edge here.


Chakra threads.


Though chakra threads were not invisible, although Hikaru had heard some masters of the art were capable of something like that she certainly wasn't, they were pretty hard to spot unless you were actively looking for them or they caught the light. A definite plan was startign to form here and a plan with a reasonable expectation of success was a lot more attractive than blind faith in teammates Hikaru would freely admit she didn't really get.


Sighing again, Hikaru rested her chin on one fist as though despondent, employing her considerable acting skills towards making this believable, drumming the fingers of her free hand on the desk restlessly. At first glance, she simply appeared to be expressing a nervous tic, fairly likely behaviour for someone who hadn't figured out the answer yet. Of course the Proctor and his funny little cats would likely assume she was trying to tap out some message, but there was no pattern to the drumming, it was entirely a misdirection, designed to draw watchful eyes away from the more subtle movements of her other hand, the one currently sending two thin chakra threads down the neckline of her dress. The threads slid down her body, along her leg and touched silently onto the floor, before splitting up, one thread stealthily making its way to each of Hikaru's teammates.


The progress was slow, she had to be careful to keep them in the shadow of the desks above and, where possible keep something between the thread and the observers, whether it be a leg, someone's bag or anything else. They were so close now though, if she could just reach her teammates' legs with her threads she could give them six gentle tugs, that should be enough for anyone to realise the answer should be team six.

 

[Hanarei]

​

Ashi listened to the instructor further. Her eyes darting at him then to her teammates. It wasn't ahrd to see her unease at the whole situation. She didn't know what to write. She began to write. 'Ashi'. She looked at it shaking her head scratching it out. No they wouldn't put me in... not to mention I'd be a jerk to do that... but... .then I wouldn't get through. What if I put... dog? Then they would be confused by it! Yes! They would be like 'well dog could mean anyone from the group lets let them all through!' No no! They would be like 'nah, none!' Why does it gotta be such a dumb test! Graaah!





It wasn't hard to see the frustration plastered on Tsukiashi's face. She wrong down Tsukiko, then Jiro, then she started writing practically every word she could think about. She looked up as she seemed to get an idea. I can smell the answer! Yes! That is it! She looked about smelling the air. Her expression quickly changed from expression a revelation to that of despair again. A pouting face lingered back on her face.


No... they can't do that... and how would you even do that? It doesn't make sense... nor does hearing it cause even if its loud enough for just me and not the stupid cats to hear it doesn't help everyone just me. She shook her head scratching off the words 'cool one'. She bit at her pencil, looking upon the paper struggling for a way.


Think think! There has to be something... dog! No wait I thought of that one before. Darn it! She scratched it off as her paper at that point looked like an complete mess. She tapped the pencil to her chin. She struggled for a word before quickly writing Team 2. She looked at it shaking her head. It seemed just as dumb as the others. She tapped her foot looking down struggling for an answer to put.