Ask to Join Naruto: One's Nindo

[kyuukestu]

Sagisō

Sagisō blinked.

"Seems like you've put some real thought into it," she nodded. "So you're the one they sent to babysit these two?"

The trio that surrounded her seemed to all come from the same village and it appeared only one of them possessed the capacity for logical analysis.

"But what if he'd only tampered with some buns? Say, only the buns given to certain top competitors. Then the rest of you who ate the buns would serve as his alibi, no?"

She then addressed his second question.

"Didn't you see that girl stuffing her face? I'm a bit too late to save her. Besides, I just sent her to get checked out by the village's medical ninja, I heard the Leaf has the best medics in the world. If it were poisoned, she'd be fine."

It was then that a bell was rung, its sound rising above the din of the crowd; then, it was announced that the exams would begin in a matter of minutes.

 

[ThAtGuY101]

Hisato looked over at Tsuki. "cool cool! Bearings... check! I'm totally ready for the chunin exam. Got a happy belly" Hisato said slapping his stomach.

"and a will to partake in the chunin exams! That or look for Bao. Guard is up and ready to go!" Hisato said trying to peep over Tsuki's shoulder to see what

Hisato squinted his eyes as he listened to Kiro talk. Physically not much time had passed, but listening to his fellow mist ninja talk felt like hours had passed. Then the Hasa ninja spoke.

"Babysister? I don't see myself as a babysitter, per saaaay... Tampered buns? What are these people talking about?" Hisato thought to himself. He wanted to ask, but wasn't gonna touch that subject. Hisato looked over and heard the bell ring.

 

[=Nightshade=]

Karui gave a small chuckle at the lollipop business. If anyone else offered her a lollipop she probably wouldn’t take it either, but Asahi didn’t have the deceitful capacity to poison sweets. Knowing her, she’d much rather eat them herself. But still, if that was what was happening with Sagiso right now, then Karui didn’t really have time to be licking a lolly. She shook her head with a wry smile, and said, “It’s alright. You keep it, I know how much you like sugary things. But you’re right, let’s catch up to Roulan. If she is using her intelligence to insult people, we will become targets. Although it would be fun to watch,” she added, grinning internally at the thought.

 

[Hecotoro]

Asahi looked at her lollipop with a worried look, three people rejected her sugary sweets, was something wrong with them? Before she could go further on, the announcement for the exam was announced. Just then, Asahi's brain decided to remind her she didn't buy weapons. She could already hear Sagiso scolding her about it, but it would be even worse if she didn't make to the exam.

"Let's go quickly before Rugal or whatever her name gets upset!" Asahi grabbed Karui's hand and dragged her down the street, reminding herself of when they were back at the training island and they went hunting together.

"Hey! Riceball!" Asahi called out the Sagiso as they arrived on the scene. However, she stopped cold as she remembered who was also there.

"Hey..." She had forgotten Karui's name also, "Chips, act normal and don't make any noise." She whispered as they approached their sister.

Maybe if I don't look at them, they won't look at me, Asahi thought as she looked at the Hyuga family and then looked away. She stopped before Sagiso, feeling as if her heart was stuck in her throat and stood still like a statue trying not to move. All she had to do was not call attention to her and that would be enough.

 

[Retro Master]

“Hmm. Good point.”

Ignoring her offhanded remark about being a babysitter to his fellow genin, Kiro had to admit her counter was quite solid. That hypothetical was very possible. Especially assuming Bao knew the ones Raiku ate wasn’t poisoned. If kindness could kill, which it can, Bao would have quite the body count. After taking a moment to consider her scenario, Kiro came up with a direct response.

“On the contrary, we could very well be the ones to prove he is guilty. Our evidence would be enough to make Bao a top suspect. All that would need to be done after is an autopsy to find that it was the buns that were poisoned. Assuming it can be detected. If not, then the only other option would be to capture him somehow and read his memories. Which I doubt the Cloud would allow unless the other villages forced their hand. They should be willing to sacrifice one ninja to avoid conflict.”

Unfortunately, they might actually have to jump through hoops and hurdles to catch the culprit. Kiro was about to reply to the answer she had given him when, ironically, that same girl she said went to go find a medical ninja had already come back just before the bell for the exams rang. The childish Hasa girl couldn’t help but appear extremely nervous for some odd reason. Was it because of him or something else on the room? Whatever the case, Smiley, as she called herself, must’ve wanted the girl before him to help with whatever was unsettling her. It was pretty obvious who her teammates looked towards for guidance. Seeing as the warning bell for the exams had just sounded, they would have to hurry to the hospital immediately if she really believed it was poisoned. Unless one of them was a medical ninja of their own of course. Sensing the unnamed girl he was speaking too would want to prioritize Smiley’s safety, Kiro decided to bring that up with his casual reply.

“Seems like you’re a babysitter yourself Riceball. Doesn’t look like your sister or whatever went to a hospital either.”

 

[jade421]

Yua arrived to what she had mentally called the boa group given that seemed to be the meal being handed out, well that and some buns. Though as she arrived the word "poison" was thrown around which of course had special meaning for the Tameru Clan member as her curiosity got the best of her and she figured there had been no harm in asking about it. Slowly she worked past her nerve and looked to speak up to the one who seemed to be passing out the food among the group. "Uh excuse me but there was mention of something being poisoned? I am curious." Yua asked as she made her presence known for better or worse.

 

[Godjacob]

"Oh hey Mori, nice to see you to. Allow me to not make a million judgements about you right after I say hi, because I am nice like that." Tomiko said with a faux offense as she smirked back and lightly elbowed his side. "Good to see you man and yeah, sorry I got a bit excited when I saw the village and wanted to explore." Tomiko confessed as she rested her arms behind her head while her grin seemed to grow ear to ear.

"Look mom you don't need to worry, I promised I got all ready like a good little girl. So no need to twist your panties." Tomiko mused with a light tongue extended in a bit of a playful jab though when the topic of food came her stomach let out a light rumble as she blushed rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.

"I guess you could say so, saw this guy handing out some yummy looking bao. Was heading back there now." Tomiko explained to her companion as clearly she desired a quick bite before the exams would begin. Then her attention turned to someone who seemed to be mistaken for Mori as he seemed to oogle at seeing Iwa nin before he hurt his hand on the hot buns.

Note to self, the bread is very warm.

"Careful there a bit too excited and well it may cost you a finger." Tomiko mused before she smiled at this curious second Mori. "Hey my name is Tomiko, Iwa-proud~" Tomiko mused as she stroked her headband she wore as a belt.

However, another new voice seemed to sound as a more familiar face to Tomiko joined the party, and he even seemed to bring quips with him as Tomiko smirked back folding her arms over her chest as she welcomed her Iwa-companion.

"What? Do you really think the future Tsuchikage was gonna miss this? Not a chance in the world." Tomiko said with her usual and frankly unshakable confidence before she smiled friendly enough his way. "Though am glad you made it here, gonna make this even better."

 

[ThAtGuY101]

After listening to Kiro accuse Bao of poisoning food, Hisato could help but to look down on his fellow mist shinobi with a look of shame and disappointment. Much like how a parent would look at their child for refusing to eat vegetables. Hisato didn't believe that the kind young man who offered them free food was a heinous or nefarious man of sorts.

Hisato then looked over at the ninja dragging presumably her friend/fellow ninja of sorts and calling out to 'Riceball'. Though Hisato had nothing to say to them so he just stood there silently observing their interactions thus far. Occasionally humming to himself.

 

[Hecotoro]

Asahi noticed the wall-leaning boy from earlier was standing before them. She didn't like the fact that he called Sagiso a babysitter, because that probably meant he was calling her a baby. One thing Asahi didn't like, is people making fun or her. She seemed to have forgotten of the possible danger she was in as she crossed her arms and faced Kiro.

"Aren't you the boy afraid of candy?" She pulled out the lollipop and hanged it in front of his face. "Oh no! Sugar! Somebody help me!" Asahi spoke with a squeaky voice. "The candy monster is going to be poisoned and kill me! Help~" She licked the lollipop and stuck it on his right shoulder. "Boom! You're dead!"

 

[Mango137]

A lot happened in just a short amount of time. People departed from the little picnic while others arrived, including a familiar face from his home village.

“Hey Kenji, good to see you made it!” He smiled, never one to forget a name of an acquaintance. Overall his mother’s friend making strategy was going far better than he anticipated, attracting a diverse crowd of shinobi from all over. Everything was moving along splendidly.

Poison? What? Bao looked up at the new addition to the gathering. Though he was growing quite tired of the narrative and was tempted to lash out, her eyes told a tale of curiosity rather than one of malintent, soothing his aggression. Taking a moment to reset he turned with a smile and presently replied, “Some people are a bit suspicious about me giving out free food. They think it’s some ploy to poison people. I guess all I can say is that I promise you it’s not poisoned, if you don’t wanna trust me it’s fine but otherwise feel free to dig in!”

Still, his words would prove to be nothing more than a facade. Their repeated acts of disrespect to tarnish his name were penetrating his optimistic outlook. But why are they still saying these things? I thought I proved to them it’s not poisonous. What could possibly be the rea-…oh.

A pit formed in the depths of his stomach like a blazing ember of charcoal causing the boy to boil with rage. We’re shinobi. Sabotage is one of our specialities. They’re trying to turn people against me. But wait, if they’re doing that then… oh no! They’re in danger! Anger was quickly replaced by panic and fear as Bao jumped to the worst case scenario conclusion. If they’re trying to frame me that means they’ll target some of the people I fed to support their claim.

His eyes changed color and, blinded by his fear of inadvertently hurting those who had been kind enough to trust and share a meal with him, Bao became enveloped in a bloodthirsty craving for revenge. Those brats! If they so much as touch anyone I’m gonna make them pay.

For the first time since he had sat down, Bao’s friendly disposition faded and he stood up without saying a word. He sternly turned to leave, dead-set on vengeance until an unexpected visitor brought him back to reality.

“Umm…excuse me mister.” He felt a gentle tugging at the leg of his pants. There stood a little girl who appeared as though she hadn’t had a proper bath or meal in quite a bit of time, looking up quite fearfully at the boy who now emanated an aura of wrath instead of his usual kindness and generosity. “I’m really sorry to ask you this, but, uhhh, my brother’s really shy and we were… um, we were just wondering if maybe you would share some food with us…? It smells really good and I promise we won’t take much.”

Her quite adorable mumbling and tone softened Bao’s heart and he was flooded with guilt that a small child would ever seem fearful to ask something of him.

“Why of course you can!” He crouched down level with the girl, his eyes returning to their normal color as the ferocity left his body.

RING

The sound of the bell punctuated his words, a gentle reminder that the exams would be starting soon. That’s right, they won’t risk harming everyone out in public and there’ll be a chance for revenge once the exam starts.

“Well how about that? It looks like I gotta get going soon. How about I help carry all the leftovers back to your home and your entire family can have all the rest!”

“r-R-REALLY!?”

“Really!”

Her eyes widened, tearing up just slightly, at the prospect and after Bao told the remaining party that he’d meet them at the exam site, he packed up the rest of the bao into his bag and held her tiny hand as she excitedly guided him towards her home.

It wasn’t long before they reached their destination: a rundown shed that had holes and cracks along the roof and walls.

“Brother! Sister! There’s so much food!” The girl dashed through the door, dragging Bao along with her. Inside was a a single room with a three bundles of hay and torn rags that he assumed functioned as a bed and blankets.

“Where are your parents?” He asked while he began to unpack, noting that the only other residents were a boy who looked even younger than the girl who had brought him here holding a toddler in his arms.

“They… umm… they’re gone.” She stuttered and looked down. Causing Bao to internally berate himself for asking such an insensitive question.

“But that’s okay!” She suddenly perked up, putting on a big grin despite her eyes being misty with impending tears. “I’m the big sister and I promised Papa I’d be able to take care of them.”

That was the last straw for Bao and his eyes began to water as well. He had come from humble beginnings but he was fortunate enough to have a family that looked out for him and to never need to worry about food. Was this the cruel reality of the world? That there were seldom orphans as lucky as he?

Bao stopped unpacking and set his bag down in the room. He unzipped his jacket and wrapped it around the girl.

“What’s your name?”

“Layla.”

“Well Layla, here’s the deal.” He put a hand on her shoulder. “Everything in that big bag is yours. There’s food, blankets, clothes, some money, and most importantly, this jacket. I treasure it very much, it was a gift from my mom. So once I pass the chunin exams and go on a high paying quest, I’m gonna come back here and buy it back from you with all the reward money. That way we can fix this place up and I’ll get my treasure back, sound like a good deal?” He grinned and held out his knuckles for an informal fist bump to seal the pact.

“D-Deal!” She bypassed the first and embraced the boy in a hug, which he happily reciprocated.

“Just promise me you’ll hang tough for a little while longer. You gotta keep being strong for your siblings.”

“I promise.”

On that note, he said his final goodbyes, wiped his teary eyes, departed from the tiny shack, and made his way to the entrance site now greatly impassioned by his resolve for two quests. I’m gonna protect the others from those two and then I’m gonna come help this family. I can’t afford to fail!

 

[=Nightshade=]

It took a conscious effort for Karui to smother her laughter with a well-practiced poker face as Asahi committed attempted murder with a lollipop. She approached Sagiso and touched her arm lightly. “I’m glad you are unharmed, Roulan. Not that I ever had any doubts.” Her golden gaze swept over the others in the area, appraising the comparatively large number of males. She wasn’t sure what reason she was called for, but now that her and her sisters were together she felt confident in their ability to take out any potential threats. It didn’t really matter, anyway; if the boys were simply being boys there wasn’t much to worry about, though Karu knew better than to let her guard down.

 

[SageNeb]

"Umm, well not personally but they're a notable clan I suppose. I could probably take you to them after the exams if you want," Raiku responded to Kenji. He then faced towards Taiyo as he departed and gave a nod to the Konoha-nin.

Before he could move anywhere though, he suddenly felt a cold chilling feeling come from Bao who he glanced at worryingly. He seemed to have reconfirmed the idea that the food wasn't poisoned which Raiku was sure of, but he felt a fakeness in Bao's words this time. He seemed discomforted with the discussion nearby about them still believing the food was poisoned. Raiku then noticed a change Bao's eye color for a moment.

What the... does he also have some type of dojutsu? I haven't heard about a dojutsu from the Cloud before...

However just as quickly as Bao's eyes changed they seemingly went back to normal after a little girl tugged on the Kumo genin's leg. Raiku watched the exchange Bao had with the little girl and smiled at the Kumo-nin's kindness to the poor girl.

I guess he's not upset anymore... still that was interesting what I noticed. Oh well, all's well that ends well, as they say.

Then the bell rang signaling that the exams was starting soon. Raiku decided to leave the area and walk around again which was when he saw Shiho. He noticed her Leaf headband and decided to go introduce himself like Taiyo did to him earlier.

"Hey, what's up, I'm Raiku Uchiha. Exams gonna start in a couple minutes, don't know if there's gonna be team activities or not but if there are I wouldn't mind teaming up with other Leaf genin. I also met someone called Taiyo who we could team up with as well."

Isn't this a bit too sudden to ask of someone I just met? Well doesn't really matter, I already did it.

 

[Retro Master]

Kiro blinked.

‘Is she trying to mock me? Gonna have to do a better job than whatever this is.’

The aggression from the other Hasa Kunoichi had been quite unexpected and now there was a lollipop being waved in his face all of a sudden. He honestly didn’t even know what he had done to turn Smiley into a clown. If his presence alone was enough to trigger someone, then it actually quite funny. Maybe the bun had actually poisoned the girl and she was just losing it. Did all the Hasa members have their own infuriating traits or was it just her? Kiro would actually get the chance to expand his knowledge on that topic as another girl from Hasa had also shown up and directed her focus towards Riceball.

‘Who is this Riceball girl? A Princess?’

Kiro mentally scoffed after hearing the greeting from the third girl of Hasa group. Clearly, they were very protective of their precious leader. Asking if she was unharmed just for talking to people. They might as well be wiping the dust off her dress like proper maids instead of just standing there. He didn’t know what was with these Hasa girls, but his opinion of them was quickly going down the drain. Kiro glanced over to Riceball, or Roulan as here Hasa teammate called her, and wondered if she was gonna step in to quell the situation or if he would have to act himself. However, considering her own somewhat derisive nature, he doubted she’d do much to stop a comrade of hers. Not wanting to punch a girl in the face outside of a fight and stir up any unwanted attention before he could get to the person at the registry, Kiro was prepared to endure this madness for a little while longer. Unfortunately, that all changed when he felt something tap his shoulder.

‘I must be seeing things.’

Apparently, the lollipop Smiley had licked was now touching his shoulder. Kiro just stared at it, seemingly unsure if this was reality or some cruel genjutsu. There was no way this cretin had gotten her disgusting germs on his fresh clothes. She wasn’t actually lacking common human decency. Then after a few moments, it finally dawned on him.

‘Oh.’

Without any hesitation whatsoever, Kiro slapped the lollipop right the fuck out of her hand with just a swipe. The lollipop was sent flying towards some wall and crushing some insect that had been chilling on the wall. It was killed on impact with only the specks of it’s blood remaining on the shattered lollipop. He could feel his eyes burning as they held a blank gaze aimed at the lollipop. The glare should’ve been enough to burn a hole right the center of that infected piece of shit, but it didn’t. So he would have to settle for something else.

Letting out a forcefully calm sigh, Kiro stepped back and began to carefully remove his jacket to avoid any further contamination. Once it was off, Kiro held it away from him with his fingers, keeping them from touching the part that had been touched by the infected lollipop. Then he casually ignited it with his fire release. The jacket was set ablaze with hot orange flames, likely attracting the attention of every person nearby as it was cleansed of all its impurities. Kiro then glanced in the direction he remembered Smiley looking towards and suspiciously turning away rather quickly from after he saw her call out to Riceball. After looking directly at the girl with a guard beside her for some odd reason, Kiro looked back at Smiley with a smirk.

“I hope you don’t mind the attention.”

He sure as hell didn’t. Kiro didn’t give a fuck if he had just revealed his fire release to every person in the room. Even at a disadvantage, he wasn’t concerned at all. If they tried to take advantage of this newfound knowledge, he’d welcome them to try. Right now, all he cared about was dealing with the disgusting creature right in front of him. At least, that was the case until he sensed something unusual emanating from outside. A slightly discomforting feeling that made him recall something much more terrible.

There were quite a few times in his life when he felt his heart drop. He could remember the feeling of seeing the patterned masks of a group of Anbu, their shadowy gaze glancing down at a boy no older than ten years old. The air around him turning so unbelievably heavy. It was like a paralysis. The feeling of something dark grasping for his heart, wanting so desperately to crush it. Without the sufficient willpower, one might just might just faint due to the suffocating feeling of someone itching to kill. Yet, even willpower wasn’t enough to save him from being crushed by reality. They played with him like a toy, giving him fleeting moments of hope only to break him down, painfully. The only really they spared his life that day was because of the very thing he cursed. One might ask why a group Anbu wanted to kill a ten year old child. The boy wanted to ask why he was even left alone there in the first place.

‘Annoying... oh. Gone just like that? Interesting.’

Whoever was behind that unusual sensation must’ve stopped as quickly as they started. Kiro glanced outside, wondering who could’ve possibly been behind it in that area. Of the few suspects hovering around the area, there was only one that had some reason to be slightly mad. Of course, Kiro didn’t want to believe it was someone as kind as Bao of all people, but perhaps he’d overheard his ongoing conversation with Roulan on their suspicion. Whatever it was, Kiro simply brushed the thought aside for now and let out another sigh before extinguishing the flames on the jacket. Any competent fire release user should be able to avoid burning themselves and Kiro was no exception as his hands remained completely clean. His jacket was now clean as well, but also destroyed. It was quite unfortunate to see clothes go to waste, but he had had brought plenty of spares. Glaring at the reason for all of this, Kiro supposed he could take the high road instead and spread some of his generosity like Bao.

“Here. You touched it, so it’s yours now. At least you can cover yourself up with it if you want to.”

Kiro remarked in as calm a voice as possible as he tossed the remains at Smiley.

 

[Grand Master Koop]

Shiho had been uncharacteristically minding her own business since she internalized her thoughts about her clan's branch system when the bell notifying the examinees that the test will be beginning in a few minutes brought her back to reality. "Oh, the exams are about to start." She mumbled to herself. Suddenly, she heard footsteps approaching and then someone introducing themselves. The young girl turned towards the new form, slightly surprised. "Oh hey, that was quite sudden." She replied. "I'm Shiho, so you're from the Uchiha clan huh." She stepped closer towards Raiku, her eyes focusing on his. "Hmm, your eyes look very normal though, are you sure?" Shiho spoke as her face leaned towards Raiku's. She moved her finger up to his eye as if she is going to poke it.

 

[ThAtGuY101]

"Hmmmm.... Hmmmm... Hmmmmmmmm..." Hisato muttered to himself looking at the Hasa ninjas. They were a peculiar bunch to say the least. Hisato also wondered what was up with the 'Riceball' name. The weird lollipop girl stuck her lollipop out, touching Kiro's coat and getting candy on it.

Kiro got bug guts on the girl's lollipop. Extra flavoring if you like that stuff. Then took it a step further and burned his coat. Hisato watched as the orange flames burned up the coat. A spiteful bitter act. Rich kid problems, Hisato imagined. Turn down good food, lean on walls like they so cool, and now just destroy shit. Like money grows on trees.

Though Hisato couldn't help but get a weird feeling. Ominous vibes in the air or something. It was killing Hisato's mood. No fun that. "I wonder if they will give free lunch after the chunin exams, or maybe duuurring the chunin exams... Hmmm... I wonder what the first portion of the exam will be as well..." Hisato couldn't think of much to say so he said the first things that came to mind. Hisato had half expected 'Smiley' to wear the burnt coat at this point.

 

[kyuukestu]

Sagisō

"Right, I'm definitely the babysitter."

Sagisō's expression flatlined as Asahi returned and proceeded to justify her need for a babysitter. Unfortunately for Kiro, this meant she slapped her licked lollipop onto his jacket. The Skillful Star watched on, mildly amused; but any sense of joviality went up in smoke as Kiro's sudden display combined with the untimely release of prickling bloodlust.

Her senses swept outward—seeking and searching—but there were too many people and too little to go on. The bloodlust hadn't been directed at her and that made it impossible to accurately assess. As quickly as it had come it had vanished; and, without any indication of its origin.

Although her expression had only knitted slightly, her body was already a tightly wound coil ready to spring at the first sign of danger. Kiro's fire release had almost been that sign. Sagisō blinked.

"If you'll excuse me, I have some babysitting to do." She turned her gaze on Asahi, ice in her eyes. "Stop playing with your food; we're going to see a medical ninja."

With that Sagisō turned and left expecting Asahi and Karui to follow. After turning a few corners, she veered off into an open store. As she entered, she pulled her hands from her cloak—revealing the nails on her right hand were wet with blood. Sagisō turned, anticipating Karui. She pulled aside her cloak, exposing five puncture wounds on her left arm each around 2 cm deep.

This was the real reason Sagisō had left as quickly and abruptly as she did, preventing the scent of her blood from spreading by keeping the wound plugged until now.

"Got a little tense," she grunted. "Could you heal this?"

While she waited for Karui, Sagisō also divulged all that she'd learned. Warning her sisters of Keito—the Iwa nin who was sharper than he looked—and described the various competitors—especially the ones who seemed awfully gullible—she also revealed all the information Kiro had generously provided on the relationship between the five villages and the purpose and function of the chūnin exams. If the five villages all possessed interrogation methods that allowed them to read memories as Kiro had stated, then she didn't want to risk any unnecessary suspicion falling on them. Finally, she added her own speculations on the matter.

"There's always the possibility that they could be lying, but I doubt it. They didn't seem that keen on my provocations. Anyways, the exams will begin soon. Let's return."

"Oh," she paused, ensuring the shop was empty save for the shopkeeper. Sagisō motioned for his sisters to cover their noses as she retrieved a packet of dust and released it into the air. A sweet scent filled the shop, one that caught the attention of the shopkeep but not for long as he slumped over at his desk, fast asleep. With that done, Sagisō lowered her voice and whispered to Asahi.

"We'll stay here for a while. Use your eyes; see if you can recognize the elements of the people inside the registration hall. We'll wait until they start initiating the exam, then we'll rush back. It'll give us the most time to identify the others and it'll make our 'medic' visit look more credible. Also, let me know if you see anyone coming. We don't want to blow our cover."

@=Nightshade= @Hecotoro

 

[Hecotoro]

Asahi turned in the direction of the lollipop smacking against the wall. She felt bad such a good treat had been wasted, but when she saw the bug she figured Kiro was just trying to kill it. Things got more confusing as he began to set his jacket on fire. Asahi didn't really get the reason to why until he basically told her. She couldn't blame him though, it wasn't his fault for not knowing about her issues with the Hyuga. Before she could warn him though, the sensation of a dangerous foe reached her senses. For a few moments, Asahi's friendly smile disappeared as she turned towards Sagiso, ready to jump into combat at her signal. However things seemed to settle down and the lollipop hater threw his jacket at her.

"Oh thanks!" Asahi's smile came back as she caught the burnt cloth. "I was actually planning on getting something like this..." She tied it around her waist. "Looks like we have to go, next time I'll offer you chocolate!" She waved and smiled as she ran after her sisters.

Once they were in the store and Asahi saw what Sagiso had done to herself she shook her head in disapproval. She would lecture her about being too tense but she decided to just let Karui do her thing while she eyed the different products the small place had to offer. She even smiled and waved at the shop keeper who had peeked over in their direction. The girl's attention was caught by a small stuffed cat that was on a shelf in the back, until it meowed and ran away, letting her know it wasn't a toy. She wondered if they could adopt a cat...

Asahi's attention went back to Sagiso, who instructed her to user her Byakugan. "Sure thing sis." Asahi replied while taking in a deep breath an concentrating.

The world expanded around Asahi, one kilometer in radius to be exact, as she was able to see her surroundings in a way she normally couldn't. Her focus quickly went to the registration hall, getting a quick look at all the elements she saw, naming them one by one to her companions. She did however seemed to struggle with a few which she decided to name afterwards.

"Bao boy, nice lady who I spoke to in the registration hall and someone I have not met yet, are different." She spoke in a whisper, something she normally did when using her Byakugan. "I don't recognize the type of chakra they have, which is weird." She went silent for a bit fore before giggling, she had quickly scanned to see where the cat had gone to before releasing her technique. "That's it, besides those three, I think everyone is pretty normal." She took a deep breath to gather enough courage to ask her following question. "Now, can we get a cat? Before you guys disagree, let me give my reasons why. One, they're adorable and two I promise to feed it and clean after it."

 

[jade421]

Well it seemed Yua got an answer, technically speaking as much as anything as it seemed this guy serving boa had some allegations which he seemed to be upset over. So it was more a metaphorical comparison? Regardless it seemed to trigger the one kindly passing food around which caused Yua to frown a bit, but soon some kids and a bit of bonding with them which caused Yua to smile. It was nice to see such things, given the intensity of the exams to come and Yua tried to work up the nerve to speak but then the bells sounded which seemed to signal they should least begin heading to the exam area as Yua decided to hold her tongue. She was sure she'd have some time to properly socialize, but for now she had to focus on the coming exams and began to shuffle her way over to the exam area.

 

[Gamingfan]

"Crap, gonna be late." stated Sable calmly. Despite the urgency, he spoke in such a deadpan manner that it almost like he took pride in it. Regardless, he was freaking out internally...somewhat. It was noticeable to the keen-eyed, who just may notice him walking about 2 miles per hour more than usual, essentially a run at that point.
Luckily, Sable actually managed to make it and sign up, ending up being the last genin to show up for the test. Amazing.
With that whole ordeal over and done with, Sable's speed-walking caught up to him. He needed to rest after running all the way here from so far.
At least, that would be his excuse as he dumped his bag on the floor and collapsed on top, already starting to doze off.

 

[=Nightshade=]

Karui’s eyebrows lifted slightly, the only sign betraying her surprise at Sagiso’s nail marks. She gave a silent nod and brought her hands forward, enveloped in a soft golden light, the color her healing chakra took. The skin closed in a matter of seconds, and the blood evaporated into nothingness. In all of ten seconds, it was as though the puncture marks had never been there.

Karu straightened up once her work was finished, listening intently to Sagiso’s intel before letting out a breath that passed as a laugh if you knew what to listen for. “However impractical it may be to have a cat with us at all times, I have no doubt it would be quite enjoyable,” she said, deciding to humor Asahi’s earnest exclamations upon seeing the feline. “Although, if we happened to be starving—“ Karui cut herself off, not wanting to kill the mood. “We… would go fishing… and… share with the cat. Yes, that’s it.” The girl decided to stop talking, instead thinking about what Asahi had said about the unknown chakra natures. Perhaps this won’t be as boring as I had originally anticipated…

 

[SageNeb]

Raiku looked back at Shiho's stark white eyes with less intensity than Shiho but without looking away. "Uh yeah, my bad." He laughed a bit at the Hyuga's comment about his eyes being normal. Though he didn't blink at Shiho moving her finger towards them, he did appear a bit nervous at how close her face was to his.

"Um... well you don't need to touch them to make sure. They are pretty normal, but that's because I don't have my Sharingan currently activated. They'd look red if they were and would have tomoes in my pupils. Shiho, you said? I guess you're a Hyuga clan member considering your eyes are white."

@Grand Master Koop

 

[Grand Master Koop]

"Your eyes change completely when you activate them? That's quite different from how we do it." Shiho spoke as she retracted her finger. She took a step back, leaving some breathing room between her and Raiku. "I have never spoken to a Uchiha before so this is the first time I learn this, I kind of always assumed all Dojutsu were visually different from normal eyes like our Byakugans even when inactive. Thanks for the info Raiku." She explained. "Anyways back to what you were speaking of, you said you wanted to team up with me during the exams right?"

 

[Retro Master]

‘She actually took it...’

Kiro just stood there in disbelief as he watched the girls hurry away. There was definitely something off about those girls from Hasa. Maybe they could a check up done at the hospital they were going to. Assuming they were going to one, of course. In any case, Kiro wanted to put on another jacket since he felt slightly exposed with only a t-shirt on. However, that would have to wait as there was still some important business he had to attend to before the exams started. Not wasting anymore time, Kiro turned around and walked straight towards the registry desk. There was no longer a line in front of it, probably due to the fact that most of the competitors had already arrived.

“Uhhh, shit. I mean hello there. Is something wrong?”

The person at the desk tried to greet Kiro the best he could after seemingly having been startled by the boy’s appearance. Perhaps he had thought this was a chance to take a break on the job as he had been laying back in his seat with his eyes clothes only moments before. Not that Kiro cared about that.

“I would like to check some information on the form I filled out. May I do that please?”

“Eh? Well, the exams are about to start at any moment and I’d have to check with a higher up depending on the changes you want to make.”

“What if it’s just part of my name?”

“Your name? Don’t tell me you actually misspelled your name. Sorry kid, but no. Maybe this will teach you to pay attention next time.”

Hearing the Leaf citizen start snickering before outright denying him to teach him a lesson not only annoyed Kiro, but made him realize what he had to do to get what he wanted without drawing much attention. Since there was no one else besides the proctor that could see his eyes, Kiro decided to take the chance.

“I see...”

Blinking once, Kiro’s eyes changed color and within moments, the information he wanted was right in front of him. It was better this way. Just in case he had made a mistake, the guy at the desk would never know since Kiro wouldn’t have to tell him his name in the first place. Once Kiro had confirmed what he wanted to see, primarily that his last name was indeed a fake one, he blinked once more and his eyes were back to the same usual black. He could’ve taken advantage of the guy to get more information on the other participants, but decided it wasn’t worth the risk at the moment. Besides, he would learn more about them once the exam started. Turning away, Kiro headed back to his little group of Mist shinobi to await the start of the exams. Meanwhile, the guy at the desk seemed to break out of some type of daze and looked around confused before laying back in his seat once more. Letting out a drawn out sigh, he closed his eyes to try and relax again since now his head was starting to ache.

“Ugh, they don’t pay me enough to do this job. I can’t even rest now.”

 

[ThAtGuY101]

Hisato saw the girls hurry off. He wondered what was the hurry. Bathroom emergency? Were they hoping to bum some food off Bao before the start of the exam? Hisato didn't care enough to ponder long on this thought.

"Don't mind me... I'll just be talking to the wind. Sup. Got any lunch plans? Yeah, I think those people look funny too" Hisato said.

Hisato looked over at Kiro who was now cutting it close on entering the chunin exam. Hisato chuckled after looking at the man at the front desk.

"I too am curious how the chunin exams will unfold" Hisato went.

Hisato looked back at the man at the desk, "tch... They don't pay you to whine, but your doing that like a champ" Hisato muttered to himself. Hisato leaned his head to one side then to the other. Then cracking his knuckles, and of course blinking. Not one blink, but two blinks.

"Time to get HYPED!! Eat buns and kick ass! And I'm don't have another bun" Hisato said excitedly.

 

[kyuukestu]

Sagisō

"Ugh," this was neither the time nor the place. However, Sagisō decided to go along with it. If for no other reason than to provide her scattered-brained sister with some form of incentive. The feline was neither here nor there to the skillful star, but if it could be used to get results then she'd milk it for all nine of its lives. "Fine, make it to the final exam and we'll get a cat."

After thanking Karui for her assistance then Sagisō began to go over her inventory, one last check before the exams began.

 

[Hecotoro]

Asahi's jaw dropped in surprised as the last person she expected to to agree actually did. All she had to do was get to the last part of the exam? It was probably not a simple task, otherwise Sagiso wouldn't have agreed. This mean things would be different now, it wasn't just about showing what the Hasa girls could do, it was now to add a new furry member to the group. Asahi's big smile faded as she untied the burnt jacket around her waist and sat down to start folding it and cutting some holes into it.

When she finished she wrapped it around her eyes, only leaving two holes where her goggles could be seen, but nothing else around that. She did this so she could hide her veins while using her eyes. Now she could use her Byakugan without having to worry about getting caught, although she looked completely weird.

"I'm running to buy some weapons really quick!" Asahi said out loud before rushing out the door. "Meet you back at the registration hall!" She called out. If only Sagiso had reminded her to buy weapons earlier...

 

[DarkHydraT]

"I've known you long enough to expect such a thing. Save the energy for the exams, then you can prove how suitable you are for the role of Tsuchikage. There's nothing wrong with exploring a new area, but at least try to act like a ninja instead of a boar." Mori sighed as he shook his head, only for him to blush when Tomiko joked that he was wearing panties. "Panties? Have you seen those things? They are the most uncomfortable thing in the world, and no way would a guy wear one of those!"

"Bao, huh? Never knew you liked that, I always pegged you as a ramen type of gal. Do be careful with food that gets handed out, it is generally safer to order them yourselves. I'm willing to cover for you if need be, didn't you get taught to never accept food from strangers?" As Mori once again lectured his friend, he raised an eyebrow at a supposedly second Mori that burnt himself on a hot bun. This is the competition that we will have to face?

Choosing to ignore the stranger in favor of the third Iwa-nin that appeared, Mori smirked. "Please, you think that we'd miss the Chunin Exams? I've got a goal to meet, after all. Becoming chunin is only the first step to greatness. Good to see you, Keito. I was worried you'd still be in the mud back home."

 

[SageNeb]

Raiku nodded at Shiho in understanding as she explained that she didn't know the Uchiha's eyes were supposed to be normal even if they did have dojutsu. He internally breathed a sigh of relaxation as Shiho took a step back and continued with what he had been saying earlier. "Yes, I figure there might be some type of team exams considering it is common for shinobi to be in teams during missions. Seeing as you are another Leaf ninja, I'd prefer to partner up with you. It's even better since you're a Hyuga, I mean we would possess two of the Three Great Dojutsu and the only ones that people really know about."

 

[Godjacob]

"Mori I am insulted. If you think a little stroll around this village could tire me out, then you don't know the first thing about me~" Tomiko mused as she seemed to chuckle a bit as his response to the panties comment, ah this was just what she needed to help feel at ease. If there were any nerves for these exams, which seemed doubtful given her demeanor, they'd be gone now after this little reunion. However, before she could press conversation with the other Mori and the Sand-ninja the bell sounded which seemed to signal to move and get ready for the coming exams which of course had Tomiko excited.

"Come on guys, it's time to go kick ass in the exams!" Tomiko declared, though as she said this her stomach let out a light rumble which caused a sheepish sweat to drip the back of her head as she extended an index finger.

"Uh, I'll meet you over there. One sec." Tomiko said before she dashed to the guy who passed bao to people.

-----​

"Well, least you found some appreciative faces." Kenji mused as he patted his back, having appeared behind his former classmate as it seemed Kenji decided to tail him with Lightning and Thundra as he grew concerned over a fellow ninja of his village making a scene. Especially since the whole "poison" thing had slipped beyond control. However, Kenji caught the tail end of Bao's most recent generous offer, and seemed to find the gesture a bit touching.

Something to tease over, maybe, but touching all the same. And he tried to help encourage him so he could say he had done one kind gesture today.

"Sorry but you got anymore of that bao?" Tomiko suddenly asked Bao with a clear desire in her eyes, which caused Kenji to raise an eyebrow at the Iwa-nin while his ninken sniffed her way. Where had she come from? If the dust that kicked behind her boosts was any indication, it seemed she dashed over to catch up with Bao as she seemed to have just arrived here. Guess food really was the way to a woman's heart, though he had some sense not to say this aloud as she tried to get a last minute sample.

----------
Azumi had already been in the area where the exam was set to begin, having decided that there was little use in socializing as she simply found a secluded spot and sat with her eyes closed. Seemed she opted for some meditation before the exam would begin properly, as the Ame-nin seemed to have a perpetual intensity to her, she knew what was at stake for her. Being one of the reps from one of the smaller nations, there was an expectation she'd be fodder for the great nation's star youth.

Azumi however had one thing on her mind, to prove a point. To show what the pride of Ame could do, and make a small but in her mind necessary first step to showing her people will not be the push overs they've historically been. If there had been one bit of benefit to the exams being in the Leaf, it is winning on their soil would be rather fitting cherry on top of things.

A thought that momentarily caused the Ame Genin to smile as the room began to fill up.

 

[EnviousWorm]

Ugokasenai Keito, Iwagakure Genin:​

"What? Do you really think the future Tsuchikage was gonna miss this? Not a chance in the world." Tomiko, bold and confident in a way Keito found he could never be, "Though am glad you made it here, gonna make this even better."

"Please, you think that we'd miss the Chunin Exams?" Mori smirked, like he'd flipped a switch somewhere that helped him match Tomiko's confidence, "I've got a goal to meet, after all. Becoming chunin is only the first step to greatness. Good to see you, Keito. I was worried you'd still be in the mud back home."

The third Iwa genin shrugged even as he heard the bell that signaled all the fun and games were coming to an end, slipping his hands out of his pockets and aiming his palms to the sky to add emphasis.

"I figured if you poked your head out of your hole, I could crawl out of my mud," Keito replied with a smile, "Besides, I think we all have to make chunin. Nobody wants Tsuchikage Tomiko on the loose without a couple leveler heads around to help her."

Keito laughed at his own joke, settling his left hand on the hilt of his sakabatou. But inside, the worry started to bite away inside his belly. Did he even want the promotion? Was he only here because he felt like he'd let everyone else down? To tell the truth, even he didn't know.

"Come on guys, it's time to go kick ass in the exams!" Tomiko declared, snapping Keito out of his own bout of self-doubt. Then, the braggadocios girl's stomach let out a telling growl, "Uh, I'll meet you over there. One sec."

As Tomiko dashed off, a bead of regretful sweat formed at Keito's right temple, his cheek twitching as he watched the girl as she ran to find more free food.

"Oh man I wish I had her confidence...or her appetite," He half-joked/half-confided to Mori, watching as swarms of other genin stormed off to start the first exam. It had all just happened so damn fast; the Academy, his time as a genin, preparing for the exam -- Keito felt like he needed another five years. But here he was, "Ok. Let's do this."

 

[Grand Master Koop]

"That makes sense, I don't mind forming a team with my fellow Leaf Shinobi." Shiho said with a large smile on her face. "Well we should probably start getting ready, the exam can start any minute now." With that, the young Hyuga turned away. "I'll see you later Raiku." She called out as she walked off.

As she walked, Shiho's eyes scanned once more across the room. She came upon the sight of Kiro burning his jacket followed by him throwing it to Asahi. "What the heck happened over there?" She whispered to herself.

 

[kyuukestu]

Sagisō

A second bell signaled the official start of the Chūnin Exams; a written test that Sagisō promptly crumpled and threw away. The rules were that getting caught cheating 5 times would result in disqualification. She spent the next hour darkly eyeing the proctors. If they were phased by her glares then they didn't show it. When the time limit expired the head proctor proudly announced that the whole thing was a sham and that everyone who hadn't been caught cheating would advance to the next round. Sagisō rolled her eyes.

The next exam proved much more interesting: the 44th Training Ground, the Forest of Death. Each genin was given either a heaven scroll or an earth scroll. They had five days to obtain the other scroll and then make their way to a tower in the center of the forest. Once that was complete they would've passed the second exam. The only rules were that the scrolls could not be opened at any cost and—oddly enough—they had been made to sign death warrants before the exam began.

When all was said and done, the proctor opened the many gates to the Forest of Death and shinobi struck off in groups or on their own.

For her part, Sagisō planned to find Asahi and Karui before she engaged in a bit of sleight of hand.

 

[Gamingfan]

The ring of the second bell roused the Sand Ninja out if his half-slumber. This fortunately kept him from missing the test. Unfortunately, he ended up giving within the first two questions in the written exam. FORTUNATELY it ended up being a bait and switch, sparing him from failure. Now the real challenge began.
Sable looked at the entrance to the appropriately named "Forest of Death", then to his heaven scroll. He unceremoniously shoved it into his bag, tied it snugly to his back, slapped himself awake...and loitered near the entrance as he was shoved aside by the eager shinobi.
Once the entrance appeared safe, Sable shrugged and followed through the gates. He walked casually, moving at a snail's pace as if he already won.
Really, he just didn't want to overexert himself. Twas only the first day, after all.

 

[Grand Master Koop]

The first stage of the exam posed no real trouble for Shiho thanks to her special eyes. Though she had absolutely no clue how to answer any of the questions on the test paper, she was able to copy the answers from people around her thanks to her Byakugan. Although, she did end up very close to being disqualified when she was caught 4 times in succession near the end of the exam. The only reason she was able to pass was because time ran out before she was caught for the fifth and final time.

At the start of the second exam, Shiho made sure to look around for signs of Raiku. "Raiku said he wanted to team up, I wonder if he's at the same gate as me." While looking for Raiku, the young Hyuga also made sure to note which scroll she had and hid it away in her bag. "Alright an Earth scroll, this means I need to find a Heaven scroll." She whispered to herself.

 

[Mango137]

“Yeah, they’re good kids.” Bao replied to Kenji, though he sounded a bit more dull than normal as his attention was diverted into the thoughts racing around in his head.

“I’m just glad I could hel-llo there.” A girl who had burst onto the scene caused Bao to shift his sentence from one thought to the next as he recalled the brief interaction he had with the girl who had requested he saved some Bao for her. “Oh of course. I got some right here for you. I’m sorry there’s not much, I gave most of it to some kids when I heard the bell ring. I’d be happy to make you some more after the exams though!”

It was a white lie that nobody would ever suspect to be disingenuous. It was true that he remembered the girl reserving an order, but it was also true that in the chaos of everything he had forgotten to set some aside for her. Thankfully, Layla being the sweet girl she was requested that Bao brought a few dumplings with him for the road. While he did feel bad about accepting food from a girl who had nothing, he also knew that unless he obliged to her request she could potentially get insulted, so he resolved to accept a small token of three Bao packed in a tiny paper bag.

In full honesty, he was glad it worked out that way and was hoping to get a last little bite in, but it was his own fault that he had forgotten about Tomiko so he would have to give up his snack for her.

The customer always comes first. His mother’s words echoed in his mind as he handed over the humble bag, wishing the two good luck, before heading into the exam site.

——

It can’t be over already! I promised!

Bao was frantically scrambling down numbers and letters that he was certain were possibly, maybe, some sort of theorem he might have see once in a desperate attempt to finish filling out the test before the hour ended. With three questions remaining and only five minutes left, Bao knew he had basically failed but he refused to give up. Sure, he probably could have figured out a way to cheat, but he would have never been able to be satisfied if he felt his success was only due to copying from others. That being said… he probably should have cheated.

Bao was far from daft compared to many from his academy days, but he also knew (as his kind mother always put it) “Intelligence is far from your best quality.” Still he had resolved to become a chunin and that meant passing no matter what. By some miracle, that resolve succeeded after it turned out the exam was primarily a test to see if you could get away with cheating.

Hard to get caught if you don’t even do it, but I’ll take the win. He breathed a sigh of relief and continued onto the next phase.

——

This was it, his moment to strike. By some stroke of luck Bao had ended up at the same gate as both of his targets. Two birds, one stone.

He glanced to either side of him, on one end stood the nin from Hasa whose wild black hair made it impossible for her to blend into the crowd. Bao didn’t even have to look to see his other opponent. The edge radiated off the edgy boy from the edgy village secretly part of the edgiest clan as he edgily leaned against the edge of the edgy wall. On the other was Kiro, the boy he had just began to grow more fond of before he revealed that his true intentions were as sinister and dark as the pitch black eyes he bore.

Just the mere sight of them conjured back Bao’s feelings of wrath and betrayal and with the promise of soon being able to enact his revenge, he could no longer contain his bloodlust. His brain told him to wait until an optimal moment and strike them when they’re separated, but his carnal desires could not be restrained by logical thoughts.

The gates were a dam, and before any of the shinobi could flow outward, the heavy weight of Bao’s malicious intent burst forward in a tsunami of hatred. His eyes shown and activated his Zentogan while two spinning rings formed in the palms of his hands.

The northwest and straight north!

He predicted the first steps of the two, and while the countless others rushed forward, Bao leapt forward high into the air and aimed a hand where he predicted each of them would be by the time his jutsu activated.

Vacuum Style: Saturn Cyclone!

The rings began rapidly spinning counterclockwise, and the low pressure system caused by the vacuum in his hands created a powerful suction force, drawing in gusts of wind as well as the duo of shinobi. In only a few moments, the two were falling upwards into the grasps of their enraged attacker.

He took Kiro by the wrist and Sagiso by the leg, and after performing a backflip to gain some momentum he hurled them into the ground. The attack was not meant to defeat them or even severely damage them, rather it was a declaration of war.

Bao fell to his feet and entered into his “On guard” fighting stance. He turned his left side forward, stretching his left leg outward and holding his left arm slightly down and in front of him with an open palm, ready to intercept any attack. He bent his right knee and raised to the balls of his feet while keeping his right arm loaded.

“Your tricks aren’t gonna work out here. I’m ending this… Now!”

 

[kyuukestu]

Sagisō

It all happened in a flash: too quick and too sudden for the virago to grasp. One moment she was lurching through the gates and the next she was being sucked through the air, her skin prickling with goosebumps as a wave of malice washed over her. Instinct took over and Sagisō swathed herself in curtains of her inky black hair.

Chakra rushed to permeate every inch of her body, invigorating muscles and revitalizing tendons; transforming her every bodily extremity into deadly weapons: sharpening nails into claws, and amplifying the durability of hair-fibers whilst allowing her a great degree of control over them.

With her hair as a durable vest against incoming attack, Sagisō braced for an impact that never came. Instead, someone grasp at her foot and tossed her to the ground.

Her hair fluffed, cushioning her landing with unnatural softness. A second later and Sagisō was springing to her feet, sweeping around for her attacker. This time the originator of the killing intent didn't even attempt to hide it, instead boldly announcing his presence—bun-boy.

Meeting his gaze Sagisō was alarmed—dōjutsu! Even as unlearned as she was, she had heard of the legendary prowess of the dōjutsu; able to enchant their opponents with a fleeting glance. Sagisō immediately bit her lip, tasting tangy blood and ensuring she hadn't been caught in a genjutsu.

A dōjutsu and wind release. These were the attributes of her opponent and as wind-release was heralded for its powerful close-combat capabilities, Sagisō wasted no time. Without a word, she lurched into action: aiming to leap backward while adding a spin to her step. She would do so three times, taking three bounds backward and releasing just as many volleys of shuriken.

The first volley of shuriken—three in total—would draw arcing motions through the air, converging until they collided. At that moment the flash-bombs attached to them would detonate, filling the area with blinding light. Sagisō would time this detonation and it would occur just as her back was turned in preparation for the second volley, where her orientation away from the flash and her wild mane would protect her from a blinding hit. The surrounding shinobi might not be so lucky.

It would be difficult—if not impossible—to see through the flash but anyone who did would bear witness as the girl moved into her second bound backward, weaving a pair of hand seals; then, the second volley followed.

The second volley of shuriken—four in total—would be crafted from water, clear and translucent, and thus rendered all but invisible in the blinding light. The water the formed these shurikens was compacted and most unnaturally, incredibly sticky. As the shuriken neared Bao's location they would explode, dashing their sticky payload—hopefully—all over the Cloud-ninja and his surroundings. It would take a great leap to completely avoid the radius of these four shurikens, which Sagisō had allowed to spread out to cover the area around Bao as much as possible (nearby examinees be damned).

By the third and final volley, the light from the flashes would've faded, and with her vision restored, Sagisō would more accurately aim her final throw: a large fūma shuriken created from the same sticky water as the smaller quartet. She would allow the large shuriken to rip through the air, aiming to take advantage of an opponent trapped in her sticky trap; but, the fūma would be still troublesome on its own as it possessed all the capabilities of the smaller shuriken.

'Seven Stars Accompanying the Moon!'

@Mango137

 

[Mango137]

A glimpse into the near future had Sagiso flinging her arm and snapping her wrist.

Shurikens!

Bao quickly spun and dragged his front foot in a large radius around himself, creating a complete circle.

Vacuum Style: Jupiter Anticyclone

After rapidly forming a few hand signs, Bao pressed his hand into the ground, and in the circle he had drawn a vacuum ring formed and began spinning counterclockwise. The cycle accelerated and soon it created a vortex doom expelling powerful winds around Bao. During his years training, he had come to realize he had a very limited arsenal of ranged attacks so he always struggled against those who kept their distance. This was his solution: a low chakra costing vortex that allowed him to wait until his opponent expended their resources and energy, or forced them to close in. It wasn’t flashy, but it had also proven effective.

On the other hand, his opponent was quite flashy… literally.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The three shuriken his opponent had launched erupted in a blinding light, disorientating Bao and disrupting his sense of sight. It was fortunate he had opted to use Jupiter, for had he not his fate may have been sealed.

Just as soon as he had regained his bearings he would have had no time to set up another block, but thankfully the powerful gusts deflected the next string of four water shuriken, sending them in different directions until they coated the field in a sticky substance.

Finally came in a larger shuriken than the rest. She’s not holding back at all. Bao had hardly anticipated she’d be so welcoming to his sudden act of aggression, but she was returning his aggression with a plethora of relentlessness.

He pushed his hand into the earth once more, spinning the vacuum and providing the winds with the boost they would need to protect Bao from this next attack.

 

[EnviousWorm]

Ugokasenai Keito, Iwa Genin
​

To be honest, Keito hadn't expected a written test first. It almost floored him how simple some of the questions were, too; theory he could do all day -- read it, write it, critique it, debate it, whatever. Hell, it was easy to be a ninja on paper. And lucky for him, for the several questions he didn't know, he noticed one of the shinobi seated in the row in front of him seemed to have what Keito needed. The genin of the Stone built chakra up in his belly, waited until the exam's proctor was distracted by another cheating test-taker, leaned over his row and blew infused-air into his target's right ear.

The kid tried to swat at his ear from annoyance, but found instead his hands gripping his paper tightly on both sides and bringing it up close to his face for further examination. Keito got the gist of what he needed to know and released control. Even as the shinobi turned around to the three closest people behind him, a proctor gave Keito his first warning for cheating.

He earned a second, later, trying to help the same kid copy his answers, almost to say, "sorry for that".

And his third - but final - warning a bit later, when he realized he needed just one more answer, and scrambled to find someone in his vicinity who'd answered it.

When the first exam had come and gone, Keito found his confidence somewhat boosted from the experience. It gave him just the time to stop and think and prepare. He felt almost...ready. Determined, the genin found his other Iwagakure shinobi while the exam participants got the run-down on the second phase; though he wasn't crazy about entering The Forest of Death, he didn't think he had to do it alone.

"Let's all stick together," He proposed just as the gates were ready to be opened, "We can show everyone that Iwa stands together. We have five days to co-operate, help each other get the scrolls we each need to pass. Hell, I'll get mine last, if that's what it takes. I don't know a shinobi here that could stand up to us three united."

Then with a grin, Keito shot a glance over at Mori, chuckling to himself before he added the kicker: "You dig?"

 

[=Nightshade=]

The first stage of the exam was not terribly difficult for Karui; not that she attempted to make it hard. A written test had no connection whatsoever to how strong a shinobi they were, and a stealthy glance around the room showed her that Sagiso had clearly had the same idea. Instead of trying to solve problems that had no real value, Karu put an insuring hand on a kunai, and fell into a half-sleep to increase her chakra and concentration in preparation for the next phase.

When her hunch was proven correct and she received a scroll for the second phase, she allowed herself a nod of satisfaction as she noted the symbol for Earth on the scroll. The first thing she did was use a rather simple Illusionism Jutsu to change its appearance to an exact copy of a heaven scroll. She could always change it to avoid direct confrontation if someone showed their scroll first. With that completed, she began searching for Asahi and Sagiso within the forest, two gold-colored antennae sprouting from her head.

Karu was off like a shot the moment the antennae picked Asahi’s presence out of the other chakras. They weren’t that far apart. She paused for a moment as Sagiso’s chakra spiked as she released jutsu, and sensed the other two presences, but knew that Sagiso could handle herself easily. Karui continued to use the antennae like a dog would its nose, directing herself away from unknown chakras while still moving towards Asahi’s familiar presence. When she was close enough, she absorbed the antennae back into her head and emerged into the area Asahi was.

“Smiley,” Karui said as she slowed down, addressing Asahi by her code name just in case. “Roulan’s fighting somewhere in that direction. I have no doubt she can handle her opponents, but perhaps we should be there to provide backup should she need it. My scroll is one of Earth, as well.” Karu waited for Asahi’s response. If she wanted to go to Sagiso’s aid, Karui would follow, but if Asahi would rather remain and strategize, she would stay. Either were viable options in Karui’s mind, so she didn’t mind deferring to her sister.

 

[Hecotoro]

Asahi had never worked her brain so hard as she did during the first exam. She wrote down theories, made up formulas and even a few drawings of a cat and what she believed where diagrams that would help her solve the problems on the test. She had no idea if she even had done things correctly, but she felt confident on what she wrote down as answers. In her head anyways, they made a lot of sense, although hopefully whoever checked them understood her scribbles.

When Asahi found out she had passed, she convinced herself she was secretly a genius. She didn't really pay attention as to why, but she figured they saw how good she was and decided she needed to pass to the next exam. With her confidence boosted, she headed down to the second exam after getting her earth scroll, which she placed in the bag attached to her left leg.

Asahi adjusted the cloth Kiro had given her around her head, making sure to hide her use of the Byakugan well. She checked her bag, making sure the scroll was still there and she had some weapons to use, to her surprise her lollipop was also there. The girl looked around a bit concerned, seeing many faces but none that she recognized. She could probably scout out her sisters, but if a Hyuga was nearby, that could get her in trouble. The gates opened and the exam started.

Asahi dashed forward, not wanting to be near others too much as to avoid conflict at the start. Finding her sisters was a priority. Asahi positioned herself in between some trees, providing lots of shade and waiting for other ninjas to pass by before trying to find the other two Hasa girls. To her relief though, Karui found her first.

"Earth scroll buddies!" Asahi smiled before looking in the direction Karui had mentioned, "I can watch the battle while we move, I just need to keep Riceball within one kilometer. Maybe we should try and steal some scrolls, it's not like we haven't stolen things before right?"