Ask to Join Shinobi’s Dawn

[sSoul]

Nodding at the information that Kani held an earth scroll, the Iwavian shinobi did the quick calculations necessary to note that their group needed at least two earth scrolls and one heaven scroll. Knowing that the rookie of the group had the scroll he needed to pass the exams made it tempting to attempt to steal it from her and make a run for it. However, Garu dismissed the idea almost as soon as it presented itself, since not only would that put a target on his back and make him a hypocrite for suggesting the idea to team up, but it would just be unfair to her. Fortunately, the exams began before any other exploitive notions regarding his teammate presented themselves to the crystal wielding shinobi, since he could now focus his strategic mind on exploiting the other exam takers. Out of the crowd, he noticed an especially pale girl in a navy blue kimono as one of the first entrants into the forest. Further examining where she came from revealed two other shinobi that seemed to be grouped up in a way resembling his own team.

It makes sense that other Shinobi grouped up with one another...still, the fact that she went ahead of her teammates means that for a moment, she's all alone, making her a prime target for us.

"Alright, lets stick together for these exams," Garu instructed Yoshi and Kani in an authoritative tone, "Follow me, I'll make sure not to leave either of you behind," Garu slowly approached the forest, though his pace would speed up relative to his teammates.

I should've introduced myself, but the time for introductions has passed. Since I'll probably see them again, I'll make my identity clear at that point.

 

[Retro Master]

Kazue had heard the warning from Koichi before the exam started and felt the same could be said in return. Though they had become acquaintances, Kazue wouldn't hold back against the Sound genin if they ended up coming to blows. Once the exam began, Kazue burst out the gates along with the first wave of examinees. He originally thought they would have everyone start at different entrances before the exam started to ensure the participants were spread out. Instead, with nearly everyone starting from the same place, people could just start fighting each other right at the start. It was an interesting setup for sure. However, Kazue didn’t plan to stick around the starting area at all and continued to move deep into the forest. The Namikaze was confident in his ability rush past most in order to gain more separation, but chose to pace himself instead as he jumped from tree branch to tree branch.

 

[Schrift]

"Sheesh, what are they gonna make us do?", he muttered as he signed his life away. Tensei wandered with the others. I knew I was gonna get past the first part so this second one must be a breeze, he thought. Tensei was completely oblivious to what the next exam could be, though he did get a few ideas of what it could be. It was only when he was handed his scroll, did he figure out what was going on. Any means necessary? he tried to figure out how far he could take that. Though it probably wasn't a good idea for Tensei to be killing nin for scrolls. He tucked the scroll under his bandages, making sure it was a tight and it wouldn't just slip out. Looking around he tried to figure out his chances with everyone else. "All I know is that there is a snowman here", he murmured. Eventually he gave up on trying to make any sort of ally. Tensei was strong, he didn't need people to help him out or weigh him down.

"I have 5 days to do it, if I beat someone and get to the tower in the first hour then I'll be fine", he mumbled to himself. When the opened, Tensei didn't hesitate to run off ahead. He decided to take a route which would've looked like a child scribbling if it was drawn out. Eventually he came to a halt, realising running around was as useful as concrete umbrella. "Okay okay so I'm lost, and I have no idea where I am or who's around, crap", he said, to himself. Tensei didn't really have a plan other than don't die a gruesome death. "Maybe I can start burning down the forest and make people investigate, no that would just cause too many people to come and investigate and I can't win a twelve on one", he murmured. He paused to sit by a tree, just to think about his next move. Thinking was a rare thing for Tensei, it was even rarer that he wasn't doing anything stupid. Eventually he pulled out his kunai, lifting it in the air before he hurled it upwards. Where ever it landed was his new direction.

 

[Mystic Zander]

Yoshi~

Slightly amused by the fellow Iwa-Shinobi’s sense of leadership and candor, Yoshi had no qualms with hastily following behind his unnamed teammate.
In truth, the boy was amped up on sheer adrenaline. After making such bold decisions as hiding his training from his father, announcing his scroll for all to hear in favor of tactics, and even now, teaming up with these two people he knew...absolutely nothing about.

“Hm...that might be an issue.”

After getting a fair bit of distance between the entrance and spontaneous ninjas new comrades, he leaned in towards his self-appointed leader and mumbled-

“So hotshot, mind telling us where we’re going? And maybe telling me what we can call you?”

———————

As the befuddled Tensei’s Kunai went soaring straight into the air, a small breeze heading northwest shifted the kunai’s trajectory, causing the finely crafted weapon to then plummet and land about forty meters away, within the heavily wooded forest just ahead of the boy.

However...before the young man would have a chance to track down his weapon, the bushes and branches in which his Kunai has landed began to shake and rattle vigorously.
Not a moment later, a massive centipede, no less than two meters in length, came scurrying out of the bushes and directly towards Tensei.
The centipede in question had a small stab mark on the exoskeleton of its lower body, likely from the stray Kunai...

Chkchkchkchkchkchk!

At a surprisingly high speed, the snake-sized centipede closed the gap between its prey and itself, it’s sharp, tooth-like front legs emitting a crystal clear venom as it charged in for a bite.

@Schrift

 

[Grand Master Koop]

As the second stage of the exam commenced, Hatsumei quickly ran off into the forest and now found herself alone. "Hmm, 5 days to find someone with the opposite scroll, obtain that scroll then make my way to a tower at the center of this Forest." She summarized her objectives. "I wonder, what's the best way to go at this? I assume the scrolls are divided evenly amongst the participants so if I just ran up to someone there's only a 50% chance they will have the scroll I need." She thought. "Well perhaps if I find someone with the same scroll as me I can form an alliance with them and make the searching easier. But then again, its likely I won't know who I'm teaming up with so they could very well take the scroll for themselves and leave me after getting their pass. I could also try teaming up with someone with the opposite scroll with the promise of helping each other get our respective objectives, but trying that would be even more dangerous as I risk loosing my own scroll if I get backstabbed. Hmm, what to do." Her rambling dragged on.

In another part of the forest, perched on a tree a safe distance away from Yoshi's group, stood a young girl in a dark blue dress. "So the bold one has got himself some allies." She said to herself. The woman was Midori Jian, the heir of the Jian clan in Kumogakure and a fellow examinee. Due to being assigned an Earth Scroll, Yoshi was a high value target for her. "I assumed that someone who would so recklessly proclaim their scroll would either be someone who confident in their ability or an idiot, I see he is likely not the latter." She observed. "Doing anything reckless this early can cost me, I better keep observing them for now." Midori thought as she kept doing exactly that.

 

[Schrift]

"Another nin?", he murmured as he sprang to his feet and eyed the bushes. Tensei wondered whether it was a nin who was planning on attacking him or just some fool wandering around the bushes. "What the shi-", was all he could get out his mouth as he saw the centipede rush at him. His fingers tightened on his sickles as he stabbed it into the tree and began to climb. "What the hell is that thing?!", he asked himself as he began to climb quicker. He didn't dare look down in fear that it would be at his heels. "okay Tensei, you got this, you're supposed to be strong", he told himself to reassure himself. Tensei used a chakra thread to connect his sickles together, before throwing one into the nearest tree branch. Using his momentum from when he was climbing, he sprang off the tree over the centipede. In that moment it looked like everything was going well for Tensei. That was until the branch broke and he came plummeting to the earth. Only thing that stopped him from doing any serious damage was the fact that he was relatively close to the ground to begin with. Only issue was, was that he was now winded on the floor with a giant centipede behind him. Get up dumb ass, he told himself, prompting him to jolt slightly on the floor onto all fours. "C'mon, think! Think before that thing eats you alive!" was all he could tell himself before his only course of action he could do was to weave a few simple hand seals. He slammed both hands into the floor, creating a mud wall to separate him and the centipede. "this should get me some time", he muttered as he used the wall to support himself as he stood.


@=Nightshade=

 

[=Nightshade=]

When the cut in her finger didn’t swell up after about a minute, Yuna deemed the berries to be safe. She bit into one tentatively and its juice filled her mouth with a citrus-like tang. Guess I lucked out, she thought to herself, gathering up a couple branches of the berries and stowing them in the empty kunai pouch she kept handy. She noticed the annoying boy from her village down below throw a kunai into the air like he was flipping a coin and shook her head; she wouldn’t kick his ass unless she had to, best to ignore him for now. She had turned back to the berries in the tree when suddenly the ground started shaking, and she clung onto the branch she was on for dear life. Leaves fluttered down around her, and she glanced back towards the ground.

A massive centipede with a kunai embedded in a chink of its armored head was scuttling towards Tensei at high speeds. And it did not look like it wanted to share some tea and crumpets. Yuna groaned internally. Just perfect. Well, it wasn’t as if she could let her village-mate get eaten, even if his first impression was less than impressive. She grit her teeth before making the hand signs to create thin sheets of ice from her back that resembled wings. Her River of Wind Jutsu did the rest of the work, allowing her to glide down to perch on top of the wall Tensei had erected. “Catch your breath, dumbass,” she threw over her shoulder. “I’ll lead it away.” She leaped off the wall and threw a rock at the centipede. “Come get me, you overgrown armored worm!” she taunted.

 

[kyuukestu]

Kikyō

"It's Kikyō," the Suna-nin doubled-down on the introductory handshake; a firm squeeze conveyed not only camaraderie but also allowed her to gauge her new partner's grip strength. After all, a warrior's weapon was only as good as his grip on it.

Needless to say, Hiroshi did not disappoint.

"The Plan?" Kikyō smirked, "Attack."

Although attacking right off the get-go seemed like it could go horribly wrong, Kikyō was more than willing to bet that most of the other participants would be willing to ignore any unfortunate fights in order to preserve themselves. Therefore, she gauged the other examinees and decided she would choose a target at random. But, she would need to switch weapons.

Kikyō slung her short-spear into a holster attached to her quiver and withdrew a scroll. She unfurled the scroll and revealed the first set of inscriptions. She pressed one hand to the center of the seal while her other formed the hand-seal for 'release'. A sleek compound bow appeared in a puff of smoke and Kikyō wasted no time. She notched an arrow and took aim, her bow packed with tension as she pulled it to full draw. Her chakra began to flow, super-heating the arrow as she scanned for an opportunity.

"Eenie meenie miney, Leaf!"

The bow-string twanged; the arrow flew true. The arrow thunked into the tree ahead of Kazue—his next foothold by Kikyō's estimation—and released its fiery payload. Leaves and bark turned to kinder, flames rapidly devoured the tree. Red-hot tongues licked the air, awaiting Kazue's arrival.

 

[Godjacob]

"That's the spirit, let's show these fools what the pride of Oto can do!" Koichi said with a grin as he seemed excited to get going and once the gates opened and the team had been confirmed he led the charge inside following Ryu's um "unorthodox" battle cry as he moved into the forest and had his aim for one thing and one thing only.

Find some sorry competitors and take their scrolls right out of the jump.

----------
Mitsuko's quick pace and speed had allowed her to get ahead of the crowd as she considered her options. She had no way to know who had what scroll on this field, and while the inner competitor in her wanted to get to a battle in a hurry she tried to restrain herself for the moment. This was a survival exercise, five days to work with and it had yet to be minutes since the start of it. For now it was more practical to get supplies and take advantage of the go getters taking each other out before she had to worry about food or water.

Speaking of water, soon enough Mitsuko found what she needed. What seemed to be section of a river within the forest as she scanned around her to ensure she was alone even if momentarily before she pulled her canteen and took some fresh water for storage. Once that was done, she quickly had made herself scare as she found a secure hiding area by the river while she contemplated her next move.

Naturally, she aimed to find a location along this rival to set up her shelter, there was no guarantee she'd find reliable fresh water if she took a chance to scout too far into the other areas of the forest and fresh water would be vital in this environment. Another factor had been her knowledge that other applicants would have similar process, so if she bided her time she'd be sure someone would come to this river as well and then she'd get a chance to get the scroll....

----------
Indeed Hiroshi had a firm handshake and seemed to respect Kikyo having a similar grip & resolve as he flashed a smirk at her "plan" and seemed to get behind it. Without another word spoken he followed Kikyo's lead as the latter seemed to prepare a new weapon for their first opponent.

Hiroshi however kept things simple, as he pulled and removed the wrap of his spear sealing the wrapping in a scroll as the full weapon was revealed as Kikyo seemed to pick out a target for them as she readied an arrow and fired upon what seemed to be a Konoha-nin with a fiery tip as Hiroshi grinned.

Excitement filled his being, yes this was what a ninja exam was all about!

Hiroshi moved so he was not in immediate view next to Kikyo, an effort to not instantly sell they were a two-man team, but also to get a better angle. In the likely event he avoided or otherwise countered this surprise arrow strike he wanted to be ready to strike at him from wherever he'd adjust his position to. One hand had been on Hiroshi's spear as another reached into his pouch as if to pull an assit item for his own planned attack...

 

[sSoul]

Partway into the forest, Garu noticed the mumblings of his bolder teammate. Although now an introduction and explanation would require time that could be better used in tracking down the target, a lack of communication would eventually cost much more time later down the line.

"My name is Garu," The Iwavian shinobi stated tersely, not wanting to say more than was needed, "As for where we were going, I was tracking down the first target I saw. She was a pale girl dressed in a navy blue kimono, but more importantly, she seemed to be travelling alone, making her an easy target. However, if you find another, easier target, feel free to speak up so we can coordinate." Now that the Crystal Release introduced himself and provided a baseline explanation of his intentions, he figured that it was time that Yoshi started speaking up as well. After all, communication is a two-way street.

"But what about you, Mr. Bold and Brave, what's your name?" Garu turned the question onto his teammate, measuring his tone to make sure that he only came off as inquisitive, "And more importantly, what's your strategy? If you want to play your cards close to your chest then that's fine, I just believe that we'd be able to cooperate with greater efficiency if we were on the same page."

 

[ThAtGuY101]

Ryu Ryu Grinned after Koichi spoke, "Drop the base!" Ryu Ryu said. He wasted no time entering the forest, and began running up the side of the tree. He took a good vantage point to look further into the forest. He leaped from branch to branch, he stopped atop a large branch which extended outward from an even larger tree. Ryu Ryu began lightly tapping on Seko and Seikichi in a slow repetition. If there we're ninjas nearby, Ryu Ryu sensed them. If even as much as a leaf fell within Ryu Ryu's range, he knew about it. For now Ryu Ryu was only using short range sensory to conserve chakra. Sound waves danced across the wind. Echoing across short range with each and every hit to his drums.

The only thing left to do now was find a target and get a scroll. Having two other ninjas help would definitely be a pro in getting three scrolls. One for each of them. Ryu Ryu thought for a moment. "Say... If everyone has a scroll... And you need two scrolls to continue... Means everyone has to take a scroll from someone. Means at best, only half the people competing can proceed to the next portion of the exam. That's assuming half the shinobi manage to get a scroll, and nobody gets greedy and finishes with more than two scrolls. On the flip side it would be cool to have a bunch of scrolls! Hehehe! Walk to the tower with eight scrolls Tf Ryu Ryu, what?! Eight scrolls?! Nah... Just get two and that's that... You don't need eight... Although... Nah! Just worry about getting your second scroll Ryu Ryu!" Ryu Ryu thought to himself. He chuckled with a smug grin at the thought.

 

[Retro Master]

Kazue had remained focused on the area in front of him as he hopped through the trees. It seemed like he was making good progress through the forest and so far none of the competitors in the vicinity had made a move yet. Of course, that would soon change. There was a subtle thump as an arrow suddenly came flying out of nowhere from behind and struck the tree branch before him.

‘An arrow? Someone already?!’

Within moments of his realization, searing flames engulfed the arrow and began to rapidly consume the branch he was about to land on before spreading to the rest of tree. Fortunately, the Namikaze was able to think on his feet. In fact, Kazue quickly sent wind chakra under his feet, using it to create a burst of air so he could propel himself over the flames and towards another tree nearby. Using the forward momentum he had been traversing the forest with, Kazue was also able to turn his body over midair and reposition himself so he could land feet first on the tree trunk. His attackers could’ve followed up by shooting down another tree branch if he wanted to land on one, so this seemed like the better option for now. Though, it wasn’t like he would would give them the chance to follow up anyways.

“Um. You do know that if my scroll was burnt up by those flames, it would be worthless, right?!”

Taking one good look at his attackers, Kazue gave a reminder to the careless girl as he performed a quick set of hand seals. He took a deep breath, carefully allowing sharp chakra to flow from his lungs up to his throat before expelling a decently sized blast of air downwards out of his mouth. This was both an offensive and defensive attack. The wind should be powerful enough to push any projectiles sent his way back towards the duo while also having the opportunity to land some minor damage due to its sharpness. But that wasn’t all.

At the angle Kazue was facing the duo, the gust of wind would also pass near the tree that had been set aflame. Carrying the rampant flames with it, a strong wave of fire empowered by his wind blast would form and crash down upon the duo if they were unlucky enough to avoid the counterattack. Deep down, Kazue hoped they would be able to defend themselves since, unlike the archer, he didn’t want to burn anyone to death. At the very least, it should cause a large enough distraction for him to make his next move while preventing them from using any projectiles for a brief moment due to the force of the wind.

 

[kyuukestu]

Kikyō

Kikyō rolled her eyes at her opponent's retort. If he had lost his scroll to a little bit of fire then that would truly be unfortunate; she could only blame herself for choosing a foe that was too weak.

The Suna nin didn't deign to speak but she carefully watched her opponent's reaction. His reaction was smooth, his counter-play even smoother. A simple wind-bullet that borrowed from her flames, transforming itself into a conflagratory incendiary. Her eyes sparkled. Kikyō leaped backward, avoiding the flame-bullet while trusting Hiroshi to take care of himself. At this distance, both parties had ample time to react to each other's attacks; but, Kikyō was in no rush to close the distance. Her bow was well-suited for combat at this distance and she had no qualms with whittling down her opponent.

The raging flames between them, further fueled by the wind and feasting on the greenery, somewhat hindered her vision but it would hardly stop her from making an accurate shot. She notched three arrows, arching her back as she aimed heavenward. She fired into the air, a burning volley that would descend on her opponent's location.

Since she couldn't aim in a straight line, then an arc would have to do.

Just as with the first shot, none of the arrows were directly aimed at Kazue, but would instead ignite his surroundings.

The hunter was in no rush; she needed to observe her prey and understand his habits before she moved in for the kill.

 

[Mango137]

Yeah “Hahahaha, she takes her role as the ice queen quite literally.” Keba joked to himself, inducing a giggle that made him completely oblivious to the fact that his group had just run off without him. “Aww, why are people always in such a rush? Such a pain.”

The languid boy inhaled a deep breath and stretched his arms and back, taking a moment to appreciate what was likely the last bit of serenity he’d be able to enjoy before the next few days spent in the exam. “Ahhhhhhhh. Alright. Well, time to get going.” He exhaled and broke off in a sprint, only instead of following in the direction of his peers, each of Keba’s steps carried him higher into the sky as fluffy little clouds formed below his feet.

It didn’t take long before he passed the others. His silent footsteps above the trees allowed him to slip by undetected. A feeling of concern stirred in the pit of his stomach as he observed the beginnings of coordinated team fights. I hope those two are alright.

He wouldn’t have much time to worry for his teammates. A volley of arrows pierced through the canopy and almost skewered the cloud jumping boy. He narrowly dodged the attack, but was thrown off balance and crashed through branches, quite ironically landing near the member of his village best known for falling down.

“Hey Clumsy! Looks like things are getting pretty crazy already.” He grinned and jumped to his feet, brushing himself off in the process. “By the way....” Keba’s amber eyes scanned the area, disappointed at the lack of a female presence. “Where’s Peach?”

 

[Retro Master]

The girl didn’t seem interested in responding to Kazue even though he had just seen her willingly ally herself with a shinobi from another village. Perhaps the Sand genin just didn’t want to converse during battle as she was quick to fire another set of arrows. They didn’t appear to be aimed directly at Kazue, but around him instead. He had no doubt she was plotting something with the arrows. Swiftly, Kazue whipped out enough shuriken to match the volley of arrows and allowed some of his own chakra to flow into them. Then he threw the ninja tools, directing them towards the arrows. At first glance, they seemed to be normal-sized shuriken, with their length and diameter appearing to remain the same. Upon closer inspection, one would be able to discern the chakra that amplified the sharpness of the weapons. This would allow the shuriken to slice through the now smoke filled air and the arrows like a hot knife through butter. As this happened, Kazue made another attempt at trying to speak some sense into his attackers.

“I understand if you don’t want to talk, but maybe we should. If I don’t have the scroll you’re after, this will be a waste of time for both of us and we can stop before anyone gets hurt!”

Kazue exclaimed, trying to reason with the girl who seemed hellbent on hunting him like some wild prey. Perhaps it was his naivety speaking, but Kazue believed they could still talk things over. If people could just talk with each other, then maybe fighting didn’t have to happen, right? Yet, he still continued to remain on the offensive for his own safety. After cutting through the arrows, using his chakra to control them, the shuriken would then be maneuvered to go directly towards Kikyō. More specifically, one towards her bow hand. Another towards her face area and the last towards the girl’s lower midsection. Of course, it wouldn’t be too difficult to narrowly dodge them. However, that might just be what he was banking on.

 

[Mystic Zander]

“Yoshi, the Demolition Ninja. Whatever plans you come up with should involve me taking the rear. I’ll need my space.”

The newly acquainted Iwa-nin gave Garu a small wink as he introduced himself, before swiftly producing his assigned Heaven Scroll from the depths of his over shirt.

“Since we’re further out- and talking tactics...”

Yoshi trailed off, gently gritting his jaw back and forth, before opening up his mouth as wide as possible and sliding the scroll down his throat in one clean motion.

“Best to keep that tucked away. Any who, if we come across a single person, we shouldn’t just jump them in a surprise three-on-one. We should proceed one at a time, making said target focus their time and energy on one person. If someone appears too dangerous, the other two will intervene and do what’s needed to mend the situation.”

Having given his input, Yoshi was quick to break away from the conversation and focus his attention on his surroundings. While it was true that they hadn’t heard anyone else for a short while, it was entirely possible someone could be masking their presence in some way.
Yoshi didn’t like surprises. They set him off like a firecracker...

——————

The angered centipede recoiled slightly as the rock bounced off its sturdy exoskeleton. Now locking on to the girl who had thrown the rock, it went in for a venomous bite, aimed right for the newly acquired targets upper thigh.

@=Nightshade=

 

[kyuukestu]

Kikyō

Actions spoke louder than words, and Kazue's silver tongue couldn't hide his black heart. Despite his peaceful profession of talking things out and avoiding unnecessary conflict, the boy had not once moved to avoid fatal attacks. At the very least, despite her aggressions, the worst of wounds Kikyō would've inflicted on him were moderate burns. He, on the other hand, had immediately retaliated with lethal force and even now, spoke of peace while his wind-enhanced kunai aimed to puncture her skull and spill her guts. The sheer hypocrisy!

Kikyō's hand never left her bow. Even as the shuriken closed in, she swiftly notched another arrow and begun to fill it with her chakra. The chakra imbued within this arrow was unlike the steady burn of the previous arrows; instead, it swirled within the arrow violently, explosively! And, as she loosed the arrow to meet Kazue's ninja-tools, the arrow did just that—explode! The concentrated blast provided a small smokescreen whilst also knocking Kazue's kunai off-course; and, Kikyō took advantage of the opportunity to leap to the tree-branches overhead.

"If you want to talk then hurry up with it, you're burning daylight."

She obliged the boy's request to speak with a disgruntled harrumph; but, she'd already plucked another arrow from her quiver in anticipation of the boy's schemes. Kikyō also noted the size and quantity of the flames that had been steadily gorging themselves. Despite cutting them in two, Kazue had done little-to-nothing about the flames and the three flaming arrows had become six burning halves that, arguably, caused the forest to kindle even faster.

"This section of the forest will go up in smoke soon, so if you don't want to get surrounded by our curious compatriots then you'll make it snappy."

 

[DarkHydraT]

Utano shook her head at the exclamation of Ryu-Ryu and smiled. "I appreciate your enthousiasm, but I don't want to get sued for disturbing the peace in a different country. Plus, a concert hall pays us money for performing. That's a discussion for later though, right now we have an exam to win. Koichi, Ryu-Ryu, let's do this thing!" Following her teammates into the forest, the Oto-nin ran into the forest. She needed a Heaven Scroll if she wanted to pass, but how was she supposed to find it amidst the ninja that were frolicking around in the forest? Surely it couldn't just be random chance, that was just not a smart design. Shaking her head in disapproval, the girl prepared herself for a long and tiresome exam.

--------

Kani quietly followed Yoshi and Garu and listened to them discuss tactics. Although the fact that Yoshi swallowed his scroll was unnerving, she quickly gathered herself and spoke up. "I can be the distraction, my jutsu and training have been focused on physical combat and my inexperience should make people more inclined to make mistakes. I-If you agree with me, that is."

 

[Godjacob]

"What can I say? Sorry we presumed you could take decent care of important items on your person?"

Stab!​

Hiroshi, seemingly or least in the beginning, seemed more talkative than his partner and as the Konona ninja prepared a response Hiroshi flashed a grin as he seemed to fill was excitement. First was the matter of the wind bullet which he seemed to mix with the flames as he had stuck his spear into the tree he rested on, before he flung himself using the spear as a make-shift catapult as he shot to the nearest non-burning tree while he pulled a scroll with one hand and quickly called something to him.

Woosh!
​

A large gourde filled with water quickly was pulled as Hiroshi flipped it onto his back as he landed and faced the wind user spear in hand as Kikyo seemed quick to respond. As more arrows seemed to fire in, the flames seemed to increase and more tellingly the smoke rose which gave inspiration to Hiroshi as the Mist ninja sucked in his breath and moved among the smoke as his steps seemed to lighten and his presence became muted as the smoke provided ideal cover as he worked to move closer to him.

He was by no means any master or proficient in the infamous "silent killing" techniques of the assassins, but one in the Mist would be a fool not to work with the advantage a limited vision provides. The fact he could hold his breath for minutes at a time due to his frequent hunts in the sea for game only made the smoke less of a hazard than an ally as he worked to move silently as he could to an ideal strike position.

Course, the boy seemed to want to talk, naturally just as he got in the action it seemed Kikyo was willing to hear him out even as she drew a fresh arrow as he kept his gaze on their opponent for what he'd do. If he truly wanted to talk, they'd likely change locations. If not, well a spear to the flank could only better their odds as he saw it...

 

[=Nightshade=]

Hideki
Hideki shrugged without breaking stride, which proved to be a mistake, as he immediately tripped over a root he hadn’t noticed before. He muttered a curse under his breath as he disentangled himself from the vines that had caught him. “Dunno,” he replied once he caught up, paying careful attention to the ground while ignoring the low-hanging leaves that kept grabbing at his hair and face. “She ran off ahead of us at the beginning. It was all I could do to stay upright, I couldn’t see where she went.”
@Mango137

Yuna
Yuna cast a glance back to make sure Tensei wasn’t dead yet, and was greeted with a less than welcome sight. The massive centipede was coming straight for her, mouthparts clacking together menacingly and legs crushing bush and sapling underfoot. One of the smaller trees in the area came crashing down, birds hurrying to escape the cascading branches. Yuna did the same, narrowly dodging being crushed, all the while staying just a few feet ahead of the colossal insect. She tried freezing the centipede’s legs, but her ice wasn’t strong enough to hold its armor in place.

Dammit. I have to land. She changed direction without warning, arcing over the centipede’s head and landing in a tree branch behind it. As the ice on her back sublimated, she formed the hand signs for the River of Wind Jutsu for the third time that day, with the intent to pound the centipede’s face into the dirt with a stream of pressurized air from behind.
@Mystic Zander @Schrift

 

[sSoul]

Now that he had a name to match to the face, Garu could feel at ease working with his new ally, even if he was inclined to swallow his scroll whole. Ignoring that, the Crystal release user figured that trying to use Yoshi's tactics as a plan of attack would be useful. Although it could be more efficient to simply rush one's opponent with a three-on-one, slowly leading the target into the unwinnable scenario was more likely to produce results over time. Scanning the area around him, the Iwavian shinobi eventually locked eyes with his pale target, a slight smirk creeping on his face once Momo was in sight.

"Kani, come here," Garu spoke lowly to avoid attracting listeners as well as gesturing to the inexperienced kunoichi to come closer, "You see that girl in the kimono over there? That's our target, do whatever you need to retrieve her scroll." Though he sounded like he had faith in Kani, he truthfully doubted that her abilities alone would be enough to get the job done.

It feels...wrong to send her out first. It's like I'm sending a lamb to slaughter. Still, as long as Yoshi and I can feasibly back her up, I'm sure she'll do fine...at least I hope so.

 

[Retro Master]

Kazue expected the archer to avoid the shuriken, but not by directly shooting them. She made sure to change her position by jumping up to a nearby tree branch as well. Fortunately, his weapons had only been knocked off course and could still be utilized. However, they might not be necessary for the time being as the girl unexpectedly gave him an opportunity to converse. The Leaf genin did take a step back before responding when he saw Kikyō notch another arrow. She clearly still had her guard up. Along with the growing wildfire that was beginning to spread rampantly around them, his time to speak seemed to be limited.

“W-well I was just saying that maybe it would be wise to figure out what scrolls each of us has. That way we don’t have to fight if we have the same scrolls. Sounds reasonable, right?”

There was some nervousness in his tone as Kazue responded to the Sand genin. The Namikaze even raised his hands to show her they were empty. After all, Kikyō did seem quite bloodthirsty to him and could possibly change her mind on a whim. Hopefully, his aggressors should be able to realize by now that he wasn’t exactly plotting to make a sudden move. However, what his opponents couldn’t see was the chakra that he continued to let flow through his hands just in case. As for those hot compatriots the girl mentioned, Kazue wasn’t planning on being burnt by them either. Judging by her remark, he figured his opponents didn’t want to either.

“Also, if you’re really worried about being roasted, we can move to a different location or perhaps your missing teammate can use his water to douse the flames instead.”

Knowing that Hiroshi was a ninja from the Village Hidden in the Mist, Kazue took a shot in the dark and assumed there was water in that gourd he summoned earlier. Unfortunately, the Namikaze had lost visual of the genin from Kirigakure earlier. The smoke was a great cover for a sneak attack and Kazue could only make a guess as to where it might come from for now. He also didn’t really expect that suggestion to lure the Mist genin out, but it was a possibility. At the very least, Kazue was certain that Hiroshi wouldn’t just let the flames consume them both, even if his teammate was from a separate village.

 

[DarkHydraT]

Kani crouched next to Garu, listening to his plan as her throat became parched from nerves. "Okay, I will try my best." Her voice was shakier than she liked and with a shaky sigh, she grabbed a couple of shuriken and waited a second before throwing them. Most of the shuriken hit a tree on her side in an attempt to distract her and get her to look into a different direction. "Wish me luck guys." After getting her breathing under control and equipping her tekko-kagi, she went on the attack. Flowing chakra into her arm for more damage, the girl prepared to strike. She didn't like the fact that she might injure someone for life, but this world was not exactly kind if it needed ninja and just asking for the scroll would not work whatsoever.

 

[kyuukestu]

Kikyō

"No need," the kunoichi casually dismissed the suggestion to change locations, "inside an inferno like this—I'm the strongest."

Why else would she have intentionally started the forest fire? Her open admission was for both her opponent and her partner. For Kazue it put him on the clock, the still-growing blaze would soon surround him, and for every moment that he stalled, Kikyō passively grew stronger. For Hiroshi, the message was even clearer. The blaze would be to their advantage and shouldn't be doused.

"Now go on," she prompted with an enchanting smile, "you're burning daylight."

Momo

'Enemy...'

The sound of punctured wood immediately alerted Momo to the presence of her pursuer; but, while her ploy to distract the girl had been clever, it was ultimately in vain. The girl was such a raw bundle of wound up nerves that the minute she'd stepped out to attack, Momo had instantly been afflicted with the same nervous parchedness.

Momo's head whipped in the direction of her new source of unease and she lightly bit her lips to steady herself...to some limited success. Her nervous fingers fumbled with the latches that kept her sabers securely in place, wasting precious time as her opponent closed in. A split-second decision later, Momo gave up on unsheathing her blades and grabbed for the lasso coiled to her side. As Kani closed in on her, Momo cracked her lasso-turned-whip towards the girl's legs seeking to force her to keep some distance.

 

[ThAtGuY101]

Ryu Ryu pulled out his kunai. He looked down at his kunai, tightly gripped in his hand. He then carved the words "turn around" on the tree. He doubted anyone would see if, but if there was even the slightest chance of it being came across, he loved messing with people.

He continued to hop along his path. There wasn't anyone in the immediate area for him to talk with or take a scroll from so, might as well get comfy. Ryu Ryu found a decent looking hiding place near a large old tree. Ryu Ryu had already seen several plants with berries. "Not sure if those berries back there were edible or not... I wonder... i wonder what giant snake meat tastes like..." Ryu Ryu said. Ryu Ryu knew he'd need another scroll, but having both heaven and earth scroll wouldn't matter if he could not survive in the forest.

 

[Godjacob]

Teaming with someone willing to use arson to get ahead. A bit extreme but hey can't say it doesn't get results...

Hiroshi had that thought even as he held his breath in the smoke, ready to strike if need be though it seemed that there were to be talks after all. That had not meant Hiroshi would drop his guard or ability to strike in a moment's breath of course, but still if this could work in their favor without further blows that only meant saved energy.

Speaking of breath, Hiroshi had hung in the smoke but at the edge of it, so that he'd be able to lean his head back and suck in fresh air before sucking back in his breath to return to the smoke. A way to keep out of the Konoha-nin's view but not risk suffocation even if his lungs had been trained to hold in air for extended time in less than hospitable locations. For the moment he waited for Kazue to begin his talks curious as to what he'd offer them if nothing else.

---------
Mitsuko had managed to get plenty of fresh water secure, shockingly it seemed the river was quiet for the moment. Not that this opening had been unappreciated mind you, as she stocked up well on water and local berries along the bushes as she traversed along the river's path to look for a suitable place to nest for the time being. Being ever studious she had done research into local fauna and natural herbs of the Land of Fire so she had a sense of which food was edible vs. which was not.

Mitsuko had the philosophy of one could never be too prepared.

Soon enough she saw what seemed to be a pock of area surrounded by thick bushes and trees with countless leaves. Seemed as safe a spot to set up camp as any, giving her a vantage area to scout from parodically and offering cover. Mitsuko moved in to visualize where to set up camp supplies, all the while keeping an eye and ear out around her in case the river bed offered any interesting activity.

---------
"From what I recall I believe white and yellow are the colors of death. But I half paid attention to that class so I wouldn't trust that knowledge. Really we should find an animal to roast that is always a safe bet~" Koichi replied, as he seemed to watch as Ryu marked up the trees for a bit of misdirection. A bit respectable as he observed from a more elevated tree branch the area around him in case anyone of interest wandered by,

Koichi had wanted to strike early, almost had been giddy about it but it seemed his team wanted to adopt a more conservative style and scout the area. A bit annoying but he had not been prepared to fight within his own team over it so he allowed it to be.

"Gotta say so far this "Forest of Death" has been a bit less than advertised." Koichi said as he naturally seemed dismissive of the danger; so sure of himself and his teammates to answer whatever challenge faced them he made no effort to hide it.

 

[DarkHydraT]

A whip? That was an unexpected weapon, but she couldn't speak as her weapon was made of barbed fish hooks. As if on reflex, Kani jumped and slashed at the whip. As she landed, she took a step forward but tripped over a rock. Desperately trying to stay upright, she stumbled forward and would barrel into Momo if given the chance. It was far from graceful and not exactly a good image to paint, but it wasn't her fault that rock was there.

------------

"I'd avoid eating berries if you are not 100% sure what they are and if you want to eat snake meat, you're more likely to become its meal than vice versa. I'd stick to smaller creatures that are not venomous or poisonous, for example fish. I can get those pretty easily, maybe some unlucky birds that fly overhead." Utano commented on Ryu Ryu's thoughts. "This is a forest with giant snakes Koichi, I'd say enjoy the peace we have right now. For all we know, this could be the last time we're relaxing like this for a very long time."

 

[ThAtGuY101]

"I don't think the snake had yellow or white... To be fair, a lot of that crap you learn in school is bullshit anyways. Cause knowing the names of the battles in the second great ninja war is gonna be soooooo helpful in being a better shinobi or paying bills" Ryu Ryu said looking at Koichi. "Forest of chumps!" Ryu Ryu continued.

Between the giant creatures, and poisonous berries Ryu Ryu wondered what was better to eat, then turned to listen to Utano. "Tsh! I ain't 'fraid of no snake! As for berries, I ain't living five days without meat. Turn one of these shinobi into shinobeef roast before that happens! Alternatively fish would be nice alternative. Dunno about birds tho. Theres a river not too far from here just that way" Ryu Ryu said pointing the direction of the river. Ryu Ryu also wasn't keen on eating people, but would strongly consider it before forgoing meat. The thought did bounce around in the back of his mind if hypothetically, they didn't catch anything. He briefly glanced over at Koichi like a hungry lion before turning towards the river with thoughts of fish.

Ryu Ryu would also need to stay on alert in case some food shinobi with an earth scroll came running by. The sooner Ryu Ryu, and his team got their scrolls, the sooner this trial will end. Atleast Ryu Ryu was hoping so.

 

[Mango137]

"You lost her? That's no good, Peach just looks like an easy target." Hmmmm what to do... Keba kept a level head planning out what to do next. Well to be honest, we're all kinda easy targets being from the frost. Clumsy here made himself at target at the beginning too, but Peach ran ahead on her own and a group could definitely wanna target the lone pretty girl. Decisions decisions..... Wait I got it! A look of clarity broke out on Keba's face and he snapped his fingers as the answer came to him. What was I thinking, Clumsy is one of my only friends, and Peach is always so cold to me....... but Peach is so hot! Plus if I save her she'll for sure fall in love with me and Clumsy will understand cause he's my friend. It's a win-win-win. Perfect!

"I gotta go make sure Peach is alright! She's the leader's daughter, he'll kill us if we let anything happen to her." He grinned as he lazily lied, not concealing his true intentions in the slightest. Keba once again began sprinting into the sky, not having even the slightest bit of guilt over ditching his friend for a girl.
"Just follow my clouds and you'll catch up! If you don't pass this I'll never be able to become the first Shimokage so if you die I'll never forgive you!" He chuckled and gave a thumbs up before dashing out of sight.

 

[kyuukestu]

Momo

The Shrine Priestess from the Frost had expected a lot of things from her first opponents, but Kani had somehow managed to go above and beyond—or perhaps sink far under—all expectations. As her opponent bumbled over a rock, Momo could feel their coupled hearts leap into her throat. In any other circumstance, she would've rightly punished the girl for such clumsy ineptitude; but, the girl's raw desperation was sending her into uncontrollable jitters and, as she reached for her sabers one more, she promptly spilled her bag of ninja-tools; the more volatile of which: flashbangs and smoke bombs, promptly exploded.

Caught completely unprepared, the explosions took Momo at point-blank. Blinded, but still keenly aware of her distress-beacon of an opponent, Momo scrambled out of the way with footwork that shamed her many years of training. The sheer extent to which an overly emotional opponent could hamper her was astounding, and what Momo hated most of all was being influenced by the unwanted emotions of others. In equal parts hope and vengeance, she wished the opponent would step on one of the spilled shuriken or paper-bombs and off herself.

???

As the Sound-shinobi traversed the forest if they had been paying close attention, they would notice that apart from the tree's Ryu Ryu had so brazenly defaced, others were marred with deep scratch marks and broken branches. Unknowingly, they seemed to have wandered into something's territory.

@Godjacob @ThAtGuY101

 

[Retro Master]

‘Did she not hear me?’

Here he was trying to make both of their lives a bit easier, but the girl didn’t seem to understand. Even smiling after literally repeating the exact same phrase she said only a few moments ago. Kazue would like to believe she just hadn’t heard him otherwise he would be certain the girl was just a barbarian. Obviously, her battle prowess was nothing to scoff at as she did manage to easily knock the shuriken he controlled off course and essentially had him trapped now. It was imperative that he got out of this situation fast. His wind style was not a good match up against Kikyō as it would only serve to empower her flames. Unfortunately, he didn’t really see an opening and had lost sight of the Mist shinobi as well.

If Kazue had to guess, her partner was probably in a position to take him by surprise if this conversation ended up falling apart. Seeing that he was high up on the tree trunk itself, his only blind spots were either from above or the other side of tree behind him. Since their choice of weapon was a spear, they would likely have to attack from a close distance as well. Using the thick smoke as cover was definitely a good way to close the distance without being noticed. Obviously not too close to avoid revealing themself. There were only so few options Kazue had available to himself here. Fortunately, the Mist ninja seemed to respect his desire to talk things over first. There wouldn’t be another opportunity like this and Kazue spoke up louder than before, gesturing to Kikyō with his hand.

“If you didn’t hear me earlier, I basically said we should figure out what which scroll each of us has. Just in case we have the same scrolls. That way we can decide whether or not it’s worth continuing this fight. So are you willing to reveal your scroll? You do have the advantage here so it wouldn’t hurt your chances even if you did tell me.”

 

[kyuukestu]

Kikyō

"I heard you the first time," Kikyō spat impatiently, "So go ahead, show your scroll."

She had all but spelled it out this time. He was in no position to bargain with her, so the least he could do was take the initiative and show his scroll. It had been his idea after all.

 

[Retro Master]

“Do you mind if I just tell you instead? There is no guarantee I won’t be suddenly attacked as soon as you see my scroll is different from yours. There is also no reason for me to lie either since I don’t even know what scrolls you two have.”

Kazue knew he was in no position to bargain. However, if they did have different scroll, then he didn’t want to be in a position where he couldn’t react effectively. It would be hard to do much with one hand occupied with holding the scroll. This was assuming they chose to immediately attack him of course.

 

[Godjacob]

"Ah no need to be so sour Utano, a little excitement can only liven the mood." Koichi replied with a sly smirk though he had understood her point even if he'd prefer action over tree marking though as they found the river it seemed the scouting work had yielded merit. Though Koichi noticed something else...trees that Ryu had not given his signature mark had signs of deep scratch marks and broken branches that seemed quite unnatural. Something which had caused Koichi to slyly smirk as he moved by his teammates.

"Hey guys, notice something funny bout those trees~?" Koichi asked, as he had spoken with a tone only they'd hear next to him as he tried to get them to see the signs he had noticed, all the while he kept his ears out for any signs or most importantly sounds of curious note.

----------
As Mitsuko made the base of her camp further along the river, the samurai kunoichi prepared to scout along the tree line down the river as she tried to see if any other combatant had decided to seek fresh water yet. Course, she needed a way to map back to her own little foliage hideout as she'd make a subtly mark with one of her blades along the base of each tree she'd climb as she prepared to depart.

This forest, big as it is, cannot contain everyone without notice. I am sure I shall meet at least another before this hour is over let alone day. I can only hope they have what I seek...

----------
"I mean, that's cool and all but how would we know you are not just lying about which scroll you have? Seems easy enough to try dacite given this is a ninja exam."

Hiroshi voiced his own question, as he had moved his head back to soak in fresh air and he figured he should least address the obvious though he tried to project his voice to make more of an echo effect; a skill he learned as a means to try and impose a predator from another area of a lake bed to draw shallow fish closer to where he had been fishing.

He was no sound ninja in this regard, but he figured it'd least not give away his spot as he sucked in air to hide back in the smoke while he waited for the Konoha-ninja's answer.

 

[Mystic Zander]

The Explosion-Nin’s eyes widened as the flash bang slid from thee enemies bag, his instincts taking over in this moment of panic.

“Shit!-“

He cursed quietly while grappling Garu in a bear-hug, before wrenching the fellow Iwa-Nin from his crouched position, and pulling him flat onto the floor, facing away from the fight.
As the smoke flash bang struck the ground, it detonated, causing the smoke bombs to follow but a moment after.

PUF-PSH!!

While the flash bang itself produced no concussive force, the brief flash of light that it emitted was incredibly intense- still visible in the corner of Yoshi’s eyes, even while turned away.

“She appears skilled, and all of her equipment seems to be well-made...so why this change in her demeanor? Is this all a ruse, or am I missing something?”

The jumpy Genin cut himself short, glancing over at Garu...who he’d just tackled.

“Heh...sorry. I’m a little jumpy around explosives...”
———

The centipedes unfathomable number of legs clicked and scraped against the newly formed ice, causing the beastly bug to lose its balance.
The snake-like centipede slammed into the base of the tree it’s new target had fled to, quickly coiling around the base, before slithering up the side at a remarkable speed.

Once the bug had reached roughly the same height as Yuna, it did something very unexpected...it crawled right off the branch, sending it careening down directly on the spot where Tensei had been.

@Schrift @=Nightshade=

 

[Retro Master]

While the Mist genin didn’t outright expose himself, the echo had all but confirmed Kazue’s suspicions. If it wasn’t clear before, he now knew that Hiroshi was trying to hide his position. The locations from where he could be approached were also only a few as well. At least the question itself asked was one worth nearly risking his location. Unfortunately, the question asked had basically been answered by the Namikaze not a moment ago.

“Because I just told you why there’s no reason for me to lie?”

Kazue replied to Hiroshi with a somewhat confused tone, still unsure why they were trying to make this so difficult. It was understandable that they couldn’t trust his word. However, they were already willing to pause the fight in order hear him out. If he never planned to truly talk through things with them since the beginning, then they should know this conversation wouldn’t have lasted this long in the first place. Considering how hard this was becoming, Kazue could only begin to understand why it was so difficult for villages to cooperate with each other.

“Here’s the thing. Even if I did lie, it’s still a fifty-fifty chance that we have the same scroll. Unless the scroll I lied about was the same as yours, I’d just get attacked. Which would be counterproductive, since I could’ve just told you the truth in the first place. Either way, we get the same result if you get what I’m saying. Otherwise we could just forget this and fight to the death until we realize our scrolls are the same.”

For added measure, the Namikaze had went on to provide a more in-depth explanation to hopefully get them to understand why lying in this situation was virtually pointless. If this didn’t work, then he’d have to be prepared for what would likely come next.

 

[ThAtGuY101]

Ryu Ryu was considering writing more notes on trees in katakana. Occasionally throwing a few hiragana characters in randomly to confuse any readers for no apparent reason other than amusement. Though looking back, they were still in the 'Forest of Chumps!'. Thus writing messages on trees would mostly just be a waste of time. For now Ryu Ryu would focus on actual priorities.

Ryu Ryu was so lost on thought that he almost didn't hear Koichi talk, "Huh? Uuuugghh... Yeah! Totally funny. Weird out here. All these broken tree limbs... I bet some fatass ninja is bouncing on trees thinking these branches can support all that weight!" Ryu Ryu said. Alternatively, Ryu Ryu knew it probably wasn't a fatass ninja, but more likely something more scary or sinister. Ryu Ryu made sure to remain vigilant just in case.

 

[sSoul]

Any apprehension that Garu had about sending Kani into battle was minorly diminished when he noticed that her opponent seemed to be just as green as her. Unfortunately, Momo's brand "inexperience" was more dangerous than Kani's endearing antics, since the former accidentally activated her explosive tools. Fortunately, Yoshi was able to get him down before he could react. Just like Yoshi, the Crystal Release user noticed the flashbang activating out of the corner of his eye.

Something isn't right...if she was this inept all the time, then her village wouldn't trust her with flashbangs. So she's either a thief or something is throwing her off her game. Either way, they're weaknesses to exploit.

"Don't worry yourself too much," Garu said with a relaxed tone, almost with a tinge of unprofessional friendliness, "I'd rather have an overly jumpy teammate over one that's got their head stuck in the clouds." As the Iwavian shinobi brought himself back to his previous crouching position, he got closer to Yoshi to whisper.

"You saw that flashbang of hers too, correct?" His voice was kept low to dissuade any hidden allies of the "clumsy" pallid girl, "There's no way the village would trust her with those if she was usually this incompetent, so either something is amiss or she stole them and lacks the real skills. Either way, this is an opportunity prime for exploitation, and considering that Kani's probably been blinded, one of us should run interference."

 

[DarkHydraT]

As Kani fell, flashbangs and smoke bombs went off. Blinded, the girl coughed from the smoke and felt her surroundings. There was something on the floor, something pointy. Carefully tracing the edges of the item, she made out the shape of a shuriken. They were probably dropped when she attacked, but that raised another question. What else was lying on the ground that she could not see? It would not be too far-fetched to imagine that there were other weapons and tools on the floor. Slowly crawling forward, she touched the floor in front of her and felt paper. Paper tags. Bombs. She was in danger and she knew it. Taking her tekko-kagi off, she began weaving hand signs. "Earth Style: Earth Armor." She couldn't see where her opponent was and she was most likely surrounded by bombs, she had to have some protection now.

-------------

Utano sighed and shook her head. "Don't indulge in cannibalism, it'll reflect poorly on the village and us. Just stick to fish or stuff, anything but humans." As the girl followed the others, she heared Koichi's comment and stopped to look at the trees. "That is indeed odd, it doesn't look like storm damage. Otherwise we'd have seen other branches being broken the moment we entered, and I highly doubt that it would be an overweight ninja. I can't imagine how being overweight would be anything but a detriment." Walking over to a tree, she traced her finger over deep scratch marks. "Besides, that doesn't explain these scratch marks. I don't think these are made by human hands, they are way too deep and numerous. If I'd have to make a guess, something used these trees as their personal scratching poles. Like a cat, but way bigger. Did the proctor ever mention anything about wild animals, like I dunno, tigers?"

 

[kyuukestu]

Kikyō

"You're going to burn if you keep wasting time..."

The Suna kunoichi leaped to a new tree as her former perch gave way and collapsed from the flames licking at its trunk. While Kazue bickered back and forth about inconsequential things, the flames had been rapidly spreading. The entire area was now awash with the orange glower of a hungry forest fire. Kikyō was unconcerned with the rising heat, she was more than equipped to handle it; but, it would be rather troublesome if Kazue burned himself and his scroll to ash.

Momo

This wasn't supposed to happen. Blinded, and with her opponent threatening to kill them both, Momo took advantage of the moment's reprieve to fumble through some hand-seals. 'Water Style: Water Whip'! A thin spout of water flowed from the torn pieces of her lasso, linking together into an elongated whip of water. In spite of the smoke, Momo was still keenly aware of where Kani was and she quickly flicked her lasso to take advantage of the girl's position. She would bind the girl with her elastic whip, and ideally, she would buy herself enough time for her vision to return.

NPC Encounter - Zenren

"How carefree..."

A mocking voice was quickly followed by a bullet of water headed straight for Zenren. While the boy had idled about in the Forst of Death, someone had taken him as an easy target. His attacker was a fierce-looking boy who wore a headband representing Takigakure—the village hidden in waterfalls.

@Gamingfan

NPC Encounter - Hatsumei

The serpent crushed bushes and snapped branches as it slithered, unchallenged through the forest. Smaller creatures who took note of its arrival scampered away in terror and, lucky for them, they were much too small to sate the beast's hunger. It could hardly be bothered to pursue them. Testing the air with a flick of its tongue, the creature picked up on the scent of something much larger and potentially more filling. The scent of a human.

With surprising speed, the snake wound between the tree-trunks, pursuing its target until it had finally caught up with her. Its hisses filled the air as it locked onto the figure of a young woman, and the serpent raised itself threatening; its torso towered at a height of 5 meters, and it opened its gaping maw, reveling two dagger-like fangs that, with a blindingly fast flick, unsheathed themselves from its gums and released a spray of pungent venom.

@Grand Master Koop