Private/Closed Leaves and Their Shadows: A Naruto AU

[Shikowara]

Hijiro Haru, Lecture Hall
Haru gave a small smile. He was glad he wasn't alone for the most part. Sorano was such a kind person. She was willing to help him with many things. He was also glad he knew sign language. Otherwise they probably wouldn't have a friendship (not for long...what?) like this.
"Thank you, Sorano-san." Said the redhead. He continued to watch the genin converse while he thought to himself.

(@DarkHydraT)

 

[DarkHydraT]

"No problem, Haru-san." Sorano signed as she watched over the genin with him. Haru was relatively young, yet managed to become a chunin worthy of proctoring the Chunin Exams. It was impressive at the age of 16, she proctored her first exam at 17, though that also had to do with her being a special cause. Still, Haru had potential and a good heart. If things went right, he could become a great jonin if he wanted to.

@Shikowara

 

[ThAtGuY101]

~Hisato Gato...~

"Sup, dude!" Hisato said to Toko.

Hisato didn't think anything of being punched in the arm, "See what happens next?! Oh boy! Don't tempt me with a good time! Hahaha!" Hisato said cheerfully. Hisato was confused as to what she meant, but Hisato liked mysteries so he was interested in finding out.

"Will do!" Hisato said grinning and patting Eimi on the back. Hisato grinned and over-exaggeratingly shows his all his teeth in his smile.

 

[Shikowara]

Chishima Toko, Lecture Hall
The black haired genin let out a small chuckle as Hisato greeted him. But Toko was kinda worried that Hisato was gonna get beat up. Eimi would gladly beat the crap out of the energetic genin by the looks of it. I mean…she’d love to beat up anyone, really.

Hijiro Haru, Lecture Hall
Haru had always liked Sorano. She was very kind and didn’t mind all the redhead’s questions. He looked at the taller chunin again, saying, “Does anyone catch your eye in particular?”

(@~Nilion~, @ThAtGuY101, @DarkHydraT)

 

[EnviousWorm]

Shenre Kabe, Konoha Blacksmith​

"Kabe's Hammer", Exterior

An ever-present tightness in his muscles seemed to shriek out for mercy every time the blacksmith brought his hammer down on the weapon he worked on, flame and sparks spiraling high off the heated metal, teasing him almost.

'I can't believe she could just leave me high-and-dry like this...' The middle-aged man thought to himself as he toiled away, stopping briefly to wipe sweat away from his face.

When the hammering stopped, however, Kabe could hear feint breathing. Even before he could turn to face whoever had snuck up on him, Byukia said quite casually:

"Scuse me, good sir, may I have a few moments of your time, if that's okay with you?"

Startled, Kabe's eyes darted around the shop as if he were looking for a quick escape route.

"Oh, hi, Ms. Shinobi," The blacksmith bowed respectfully to the jonin, even though his heart screamed at him to get out of that place, "I - uh - I guess you could ask. I don't know wh-what kind of help I'll be though. I don't really know nothin'. Just a simple blacksmith, right?"

As if trying to convince himself, Kabe held the hammer he'd been using in front of his face for Byukia to see, with a mixed sense of pride and shame alike.

 

[DarkHydraT]

Eimi cracked her neck as Hisato patted her on the back. "There will be no good time for either of us if you keep that up. I am not a fan of people who touch me without permission, got it?" The girl attempted to grab Hisato's hand as she glared at the boy, any remnants of taunting having left her system and being replaced with threatening the other genin.

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

Sorano looked across the room, scanning for any potential future chunin. She did spot a potential fight brewing, so she kept her eyes on that. "The girl with an undershirt on and her hair in a bun. I'm unsure if she will become a chunin, but tensions seem to be rising around her. I'll keep my eye on her for now. If things escalate, I'll intervene. It's natural for tensions to be high during this time, they're probably nervous and want the exams to start." The chunin signed.

 

[Shikowara]

Chishima Toko, Lecture Hall
As Eimi attempted to grab Hisato's hand, Toko stepped in front of her. As soon as he did, he knew it was a horrible idea. He didn't want a fight to break out but he probably wasn't helping. But he continued to stand there, scared for his life. He didn't show it, though. He had a blank look on his face. He just hoped he wasn't about to get beat up...Sorta.

Hijiro Haru, Lecture Hall
Haru looked over at the girl that Sorano had pointed out. She did seem pretty tense. Haru hoped things wouldn't escalate enough for the silver haired chunin to interfere. To interfere was Haru's first thought when a fight broke out.
"I hope nothing-" He broke off when he saw a boy with black hair step in front of the taller girl. "Oh no." He mumbled.

 

[ThAtGuY101]

~Hisato Gato...~

Hisato saw EImi's hand grab attempt and did her one better by fully finalizing the hand grasp. Though before Hisato could grab her hand, Toko hopped in the way, causing Hisato to bump into him. Hisato leaned over Toko and extended his hand out, grabbing Eimi's hand anyways, "It's a good thing I have your permission then!" Hisato said cheerfully believing he to have Eimi's permission.

"Isn't that right, Toko! Toko knows what I'm talking about! Speaking of which... Look at you Toko! Socializing and being the center of attention! Good on you bud! What do you think about that, Eimi?" Hisato said chuckling and giving Toko a firm yet friendly pat on the back. Hisato began stepping forward thus scooting Toko closer to Eimi.

~Byukia. Katzuke...~

"Oh hello, Mr. Smith, ugh hehe!" Byukia said with a chuckle. Byukia gave an equally respectful bow in return. Byukia caught on to the blacksmith's mixed feelings, "I wanna start off with a few questions" Byukia said sitting down, "How's life friend? Is work stressful this time of the year? Are you doing well?" Byukia asked.

"I wonder if I should come here, if I ever need a new staff" Byukia said gesturing to the one she has.

"Also, have you seen anything... Ya know... suspicious lately? Suspicious people? Interact with any of them? Also I'm here to speak with you in regards to one of your clients. A woman named Ami, I believe" Byukia said.

 

[DarkHydraT]

Eimi's eyebrows raised as she saw Toko of all people try and intervene. "So you're finally growing a spine, huh? Interesting that someone from a different team makes you stand up against me, yet you can't do it yourself when you are the target. Inconsistent little brat, it's a miracle that you got this far." The girl didn't truly intend to snap at Toko, he was just the nearest target for her to vent her frustrations at. Pulling her hand out of the handshake and balling it into a fist, the girl glared at Hisato and bared her sharpened teeth as she sneered. "Don't touch me again, got that? This insect might not be there next time to help you."

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

"Never voice what you hope, it is bound to blow up in your face." Sorano signed, her years of experience speaking. Thankfully the situation started to diffuse as a boy intervered. "So far, so good. I doubt that this will be the last time that girl will be involved with something, same with the boy who instigated this. Keep an eye on them both, they might start fighting again."

 

[EnviousWorm]

Shenre Kabe, Blacksmith
​

Kabe's Hammer, Exterior

Initially caught off guard by the odd shinobi's initial questions, Kabe looked at her as she sat (presumably on the ground as there were no seats outside his shop) in confusion. The quiet smith kept his mouth shut, keeping his eyes on her with a rigid stiffness. Then - when Byukia asked about "anything suspicious" and mentioned Ami's name - Kabe's eyes narrowed. Even as he maintained eye contact with the jonin, it seemed like his body begged him to look around.

"Ami?" He said, a contemplative nature to his tone as he finally moved, bending his right arm so his fingers could stroke at his chin in thought, "Well, Ms., I-I don't get many women 'round my shop for work. But that name do sound familiar. I think there's a hundred Ami's in Konoha, though. Musta met one or two out drinking, I bet. What'd...this Ami do?"

 

[ThAtGuY101]

~Hisato Gato...~

Hisato smirked at Eimi, "Ya boy doesn't need help! And stop pretending like you don't like it!" Hisato said grinning. Hisato now resting his arm on Toko. He gave a cheerful wave at Team Twelve Golden Baby, gesturing them to join in.

~Byukia Katzuke...~

"Its s little bright outside this morning! I had a little too much saké last night, can we chat inside, please? Light shining in my eyes this morning" Byukia said blushing. Byukia didn't overdrink last night, but she was also keeping an eye out for eavesdropping.

 

[Shikowara]

Chishima Toko, Lecture Hall
His eyed widened as Hisato grabbed Eimi's hand. He is so dead...
All confidence that Toko had before disappeared after Hisato spoke to him. Why does he always have to receive the wrong message?...
"Hisato, please stop." He muttered to the white haired genin.

Hisato moved him forward, closer to Eimi. He got really nervous. I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead. This was a horrible idea! I'm never standing up for you again, Gato!

He looked down as Eimi snapped at him. Little brat...insect... He felt very small compared to her. She was right. It's a miracle he got this far.

Hisato suddenly rested his arm on Toko's shoulder, startling him.

Hijiro Haru, Lecture Hall
Haru nodded to Sorano's words. He was thinking along the same lines. The girl had a very short fuse. The boy seemed to have a good heart. He would be watching those two closely. It wouldn't be a surprise if they started fighting in the middle of the exams.

Momo Yoshi, Lecture Hall
"What the heck is he doing? Doesn't he know that orcha girl is pissed? I can tell and I'm not even in the conversation." She said, half to herself.
Yoshi walked over to the group. "Hisato, why don't we leave them alone. They need some time to prepare for the exam. They might have plans they need to discuss." She told Hisato, ignoring everyone else.

 

[DarkHydraT]

As Toko got pushed closer towards her, Eimi growled as she glared at Toko. She knew the kid was innocent, but she also really wanted to punch someone. Thankfully, even she knew that punching her teammate would not be the correct move and Yoshi quickly intervened to stop the situation from escalating. As the Kiri-born girl exhaled forcefully, she walked away from everyone and decided to get some well-deserved alone time in a corner.

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

"Crisis adverted.' Sorano simply signed as she kept an eye on the children. "This exam needs to start, they are getting restless."

 

[ThAtGuY101]

"Yoshi! Good timing, bud! Pissed? Nah. She's not mad. That's her normal expression. I can tell!" Hisato said approaching Yoshi. Hisato waved at team eleven one last time for now. Hisato saw the anger in Eimi plain as day but didn't think much of it due to that being Eimi's biggest personality trait.

"We'll see you guys when we're all chunin!" Hisato said.

"Fine fine... Strategy this, strategy that..." Hisato said.

"Now to see what Zeren is up to" Hisato said.

 

[Shikowara]

Chishima Toko, Lecture Hall
The boy flinched as Eimi growled at him. He was glad Yoshi had come over, though.
He watched Eimi walk away from the group. What is going through her head? He wondered.

Momo Yoshi, Lecture Hall
Yoshi was glad that Hisato finally agreed to leave these three alone. She liked him and all, but he annoyed the hell out of people sometimes and she and Zeren had to deal with it.

Hijiro Haru, Lecture Hall
Haru gave a sigh of relief. He was worried an actual fight would break out.

"Yes, it does..." He agreed with the woman. "Uh, so... Do I just get everyone's attention now or?..." He was nervous. He wasn't sure how this would go. If he messed up, he'd be extremely embarrassed. Luckily, Sorano was there. Though having her tell him what to do might be a little annoying since signing isn't as fast as speaking.

 

[EnviousWorm]

Shenre Kabe, Blacksmith
​

"Kabe's Hammer", Exterior

"Its s little bright outside this morning! I had a little too much saké last night, can we chat inside, please? Light shining in my eyes this morning" Byukia said, blushing. In turn, Kabe let out a little growl.

"I'm sorry," He said, not sounding particularly convincing in his apology, "But whoever this Ami is, and what she might be up to? I got nothin' to do with it. I got an order to make, and I gotta be outside."

With that, the blacksmith turned back to his meager forge, and rose his hammer once more.

 

[DarkHydraT]

Sorano nodded, placing her hand on Haru's shoulder and smiling at the boy. "You got this, I am right behind you. Get the attention of the genin and tell them what the exam is about, what they have to do to pass and what happens to cheaters. It's as easy as can be and should you freeze up, I can jump in. Remember what you were told and stay calm." The chunin signed as she nodded to the front of the class.

 

[ThAtGuY101]

~Byukia Katzuke...~

"Ah razzle frazzle... That's fine. We can talk about her outside then. I don't know how many people named Amy you talk to on a regular basis, but I'm very confident you know exactly which one I'm talking about" Byukia said now standing next to the blacksmith. Byukia was confident she'd get answers one way or another. Byukia smiled and stood there patiently awaiting a response.

 

[EnviousWorm]

Shenre Kabe, Konoha Blacksmith​

"Kabe's Hammer", Exterior

Even as the nervous blacksmith returned to work, hammering away at the smoldering steel as it sizzled away in the morning sun, he took the chance to force a fake smile out at the jonin questioning him.

"Sorry, ma'am," He said with a smug and toothy grin, "But if I ever did talk with an Ami, the sake's makin' it so I couldn't hope to remember her face -- let alone what we mighta spoke about. Wish I could be better help to you and all, Miss, you bein' with the shinobi corps and all. I promise if an Ami does happen by my shop, you'll be the first to know."

 

[Gamingfan]

Uchiha Bastard

"Nah, just checking out the competition." Zeren replied to Yoshi. Really, he had nothing better to watch, until he caught Hisato starting to piss of the girl he called Orca for obvious reason. He smirked.
"Nevermind, this is much more interesting."
Sadly it didn't escalate further as Yoshi, ever the pacifist, brought Hisato back to a chuckling Zeren.
"Your innate ability to piss people off never fails to impress." he praised, only somewhat joking.

 

[Shikowara]

Hijiro Haru
Haru nodded to Sorano and took a deep breath before going to the front of the room. He sent out of pulse of chakra to get everyone’s attention.

Haru cleared his throat. “I am Hijiro Haru and this is Kutsu Sorano. We will be your proctors for the exam. Uh, please see Sorano-san for your seat and test paper. Once you are situated, I will explain the test.”

So far so good, he thought. Haru nodded to Sorano again, signaling for her to do her job.

“This…this first test is a written test. It has a point system. You will start with 10 points. You and your team will have to answer a series of 3 questions. You must get the answers to all of them correct in order to pass. The shinobi around you will be watching your every move. If they catch you cheating, they will subtract 2 points from your total. If they catch you five times, you and your team will be dismissed immediately. Anyone who gets caught cheating doesn’t deserve to be a chunin.” He hoped he had explained everything well enough. He continued, “You have two hours. Good luck. You may begin…now.”
He turned to the silver haired chunin, wondering if she had any comments on how he did. He thought he did pretty well. He always overreacted about things. They usually came out better than he first thought. He was afraid he was going to mess up and forget what to say or get stage fright. But none of that happened. He smiled slightly.

(@ThAtGuY101 @=Nightshade= @Gamingfan @~Nilion~ @DarkHydraT)

 

[~Nilion~]

Amaririsu Manto
Ninja Academy, Lecture Hall

“Hello, Hisato. Try not to get killed- you’re very loud.”

Most would agree that this was a rather bold, and somewhat odd statement to make. But to Risu? It was her best attempt at socializing good advice.
It was the first thing that came to her mind, and she wasn’t very savvy with the idea of filtering her thoughts in general conversation.
She meant well, and hoped that would show through in her neutral demeanor.

Before Risu had time to see how her comments settled, two slightly older looking Shinobi sent a pulse of chakra throughout the room, causing most eyes to immediately dart her direction- Risu’s included.

Sachi Nendo
Ninja Academy, Lecture Hall

“Nearly got held up due to a uhhh- another death battle with Akari. Classic scenario- I like to be conformable, and she likes to be a pain.”

I’m truth, Akari didn’t have an issue with Sachi walking around the house with his mud coating, as it didn’t actually get on any surfaces until Sachi lost his concentration.
This, unfortunately happened rather often, leading to an endless stream of dirty rugs, pillows, and doorknobs.

“The proctors are younger than I expected.”

The Mud-Nin mumbled under his breath as everyone gave their ears to the Chunin.

Niko Hokori
Konahagakure Marketplace

With his scouts surveying from above, the Hokori Jonin was free to openly search the large, dirt roads of Konaha near the street market.
Thanks to the Jonins first target recently making himself known as a town merchant, it didn’t take long for one of the local shopkeeps to point him in the right direction.

“…Din Haobei?”

The Hokori man spoke in a quiet, firm voice as he finally approached the stand he believed to be run by his suspect.

 

[DarkHydraT]

Sorano simply nodded and began handing out seating numbers and test questions among the genin, carefully listening as Haru explained the test. The test papers had one single question on them, though there were three different questions that could be on the papers. Question 1 was about the physics of a shuriken being thrown at a target uphill during a windy night, question 2 was about a healthy jonin carrying 15% of their body weight in supplies with a shuriken weighing 12 grams, a kunai weighing 17 grams and scrolls weighing 537 grams and the third question was about a chunin laying a trap with 15 feet of wire, a firestarter and the ability to use Earth Style.

Among the genin, Risu got question 1, Eimi got question 2, Toko got question 3, Zeren got question 1, Hisato got question 2, Yoshi got question 3, Shin got questoin 1, Clover got question 2 and Sachi got question 3.

The information that Haru said was correct and he managed to say it all pretty fluidly in spite of potential nerves, not bad for a 16-year-old chunin. After all the papers were handed out, Sorano returned to her spot next to Haru. The seating order for the teams would be as follows:

Team 11: Risu R1, S1 (far left), Eimi R2 S15 (far right), Toko R3 S8
Team 12: Zeren R2 S4, Hisato R3 S12, Yoshi R4 S8
Team 13: Shin R4 S7, Clover R5 S14, Sachi R6 S2

----------

Eimi had gotten her test paper from the chunin and sat down at her seat, surprised by the sole question on it. Her team probably had other questions then, she just had to obtain them without getting caught. Interesting.

 

[Shikowara]

Momo Yoshi
Yoshi’s attention was taken by the pulse of chakra that turned most people’s eyes to the front. Two chunin stood there. Wow, they’re a lot younger than I thought.
She received the test paper and sat down. She noticed Chishima Toko was right in front of her. She tapped on his shoulder and waved to him, not wanting to disturb anyone.

Chishima Toko
Toko looked away from Eimi and to the front of the room when he felt of pulse of chakra. The proctors stood there. Didn’t expect them to be so young. He thought.
He sat down after he was given his test paper. The silver haired chunin that gave it to him seemed nice. He kinda liked her, even though she didn’t speak the entire time. He wasn’t sure why he liked her…She probably just gave off good vibes? He didn’t know.

He got a tap on the shoulder and quickly turned around. Momo Yoshi sat behind him. He waved to her before turning back around.

 

[=Nightshade=]

Kirie Sento, Chunin
Kirie, having arrived late from the last mission she took, was rather unnoticeable as she shot in quietly to stand against the far right wall, clipboard already in hand. She shook out her platinum twintails, glad for a moment that she was so small that she wouldn’t distract the students from their instructions. When the exam began, she held a pencil poised like a snake above her clipboard, sharp eyes gliding over the genin for any telltale signs to mark them down for.

Shinrin Aburame, Genin
Shin was both confident and terrified by the written test. On the one hand, she excelled at cheating. On the other hand…. She was kind of an idiot when it comes to this kind of stuff. Put her in an actual combat situation and she wouldn’t need to calculate a shuriken’s trajectory because she knew it would hit. And… if it didn’t she could always tweak its path a little with a beetle or two. Her mouth moved wordlessly, completely disregarding the chunin who passed her test to her in silence, already trying to work out the problem she knew she would probably get wrong.

That was fine, though, because as she pretended to be wracking her brain, insects were pushing their way out of her legs to fly below the desks of the others. Soon nearly every desk had a kikai beetle crawling slowly up its side to peer at the tests, staying as hidden as possible in thick heads of hair, beneath hands, or on the tips of pencils. Near the familiar chakra signatures of her teammates, though, Shin directed the insects sent their ways to make their presence obvious but still mostly hidden from the proctors… hopefully. Once she obtained her answer, she’d send a few more insects to relay it to the others, along with the question, but for now it was just to let them know she was getting stuff done.

Which she was doing, of course. As the more intellectually inclined students began scribbling away, Shin’s insects homed in on the ones with her question, waiting for a most-occurring answer to appear.

 

[EnviousWorm]

Din Haobei, Traveling Merchant
​

Konoha Market District, Exterior

Quietly humming as he cleaned off one, fresh cabbage after the next, the plump and stumpy Din Haobei looked up at the clear, morning sky with a pleasant smile. He was one of the last merchants to open up his stand that morning, simply because he'd so enjoyed his stroll to work from his hotel.

“…Din Haobei?” A voice asked for him in a hushed - but firm - tone. The Mist-born merchant looked down from the sky to Niko Hokori, carrying his reverent smile down from the clouds with him.

"That is I!" He replied, warmly, "Lovely morning, isn't it, sir? A wonderful morning to be alive, I think."

 

[ThAtGuY101]

~HISATO GATO...~

"It's not easy being this charming, but I do make it work" Hisato said in response to Zeren.

"Hisato leaned all the way back then looked over at Risu, "Thanks! You try not to get killed either! I wanna see you get that chunin vest too! Eleven and twelve, baby! We're getting that chunin rank!" Hisato said holding his thumbs up at Risu.

Hisato noticed the chakra pulse and looked over at Haru, who given out the test. After taking his seat, Hisato was given his test by the quiet girl. Hisato smiled and watched her walk by. He then looked at his test and spent a few minutes looking at the paper debating on how too answer it.

"A healthy jonin carrying 15% of their body weight in supplies with a shuriken weighing 12 grams, a kunai weighing 17 grams and scrolls weighing 537 grams"

Hisato grinned and began writing onto the paper. He went into long detail giving oddly specific details as he answered the question. He then thought about how he was gonna get the other questions.

"Think Hisato! Think! I know! Yoshi! Yoshiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!! What's the answer to number one! Wait... She can't hear my thoughts. So how am I gonna get these questions...?" Hisato thought to himself.

~Byukia Katzuke...~

Byukia began grinning wider, "That's okay. I can wait here until you either remember or or better yet see her" Byukia said tapping her finger tips together.

"Just think of me like a bodyguard or a customer looking at your products. Oooh! Customer! Yes... I can ask your customers if they know about her" Byukia said keeping an eye out for anyone that looked like they'd shop at the blacksmiths store. One way or another, Byukia was gonna get some information.

 

[EnviousWorm]

Shenre Kabe, Konoha Blacksmith
​

Kabe's Hammer, Exterior

"What are you-" Kabe laid his hammer down and rubbed at his temples with the index and middle fingers of both hands, "Don't bother my customers. I already told ya I didn't know her and-and I was just saying I'd look out for her to be nice. Now are we done here? Because if you gotta stand here all day botherin' me, fine -- but not my customers. You got that?"

As the smith spoke, his voice had started to rise in defiance. When he finished speaking, Kabe seemed to take note of that and looked - shyly - toward the ground, before grabbing his hammer in an attempt to return to work.

 

[~Nilion~]

Amaririsu Manto
Ninja Academy, Lecture Hall

Blissfully unaware of her teammates potential struggles, Risu began scribbling down notes along the side of her paper; already on her way to solving the problem.

About halfway through completing her answer, Risu looked up to note that several people seemed to be struggling with question 1- only boosting the girls confidence even more.

“If they have to cheat, they better not get caught.”

Sachi Nendo
Ninja Academy, Lecture Hall

The Mud-Nin stared at his test with wide eyes, uncertain of where to begin. Sure, he knew how to start a fire, but the question at hand was under such specific circumstances, he couldn’t even begin to guess with having experienced something similar firsthand.

“This…could be an issue.”

Sachi- who’s normally relentlessly optimistic - felt his first twinge of worry since the exams began.
Was he really about to screw up on the very first question? Was he genuinely just too inexperienced?

“No! I’m more than capable…I’m just as good as everyone else!”

Just before his worry and panic could shine through, the Nendo boy caught site of something that could very well turn the tides in his favor.

He saw a very small insect trailing along the edge of his table.

“Shin- that’s it!”

Niko Hokori
Konoha Market District, Exterior

There was a long, awkward moment of silence as Niko took in the man’s words, before closely eyeing the products available at his shop.

“….”

The Hokori Jonin stepped closer, now being right against the stand the man was selling from.
He lingered for a moment, before finally cracking a large smile.

“A lovely morning indeed. I’m Captain Hang. Heard we recently had a new shop pop up in town and I was hoping to relieve you of some of your fruits and veg, here.”

With that, Niko took his attention off Din, instead opting to carefully inspect each head of cabbage at the table.

“Either he’s our guy- or he’s too damn jolly…”

 

[EnviousWorm]

Din Haobei, Traveling Merchant
​

Konoha Market District, Exterior

Watching patiently as the jonin inspected his squeaky-clean cabbage, Din clasped his hands together and let out a soft chuckle of pleasure.

"Pleasure to meet you, Captain Hang," He said, his voice a high-pitched, nasally squawk, "I've had quite a few of you shinobi stop by and -eh - inspect my wares lately. Oh ho! I do suppose you all need to eat your greens to do...whatever it is you all do. Well, let me tell you what I told them: 300 ryo per head of cabbage, don't worry about that sign there that says 500. And these carrots? Just 250! They're so tasty you'd just wish you were a lil' rabbit. How's that sound, Captain?"

 

[ThAtGuY101]

~Byukia Katzuke...~

"Oh no sir... That's the wrong answer" Byukia said in a disappointed tone. Byukia stood up, and with a serious look on her face. She looked around to see if anyone was looking. Luckily it wasn't many people out. When nobody was looking, she slapped him with the back of her hand to the face. His cheek rippled as her hand made contact. She gently caught him.

"Let's get you inside, hun... You drink too much, hehe" Byukia muttered as she snuck him inside. She used vines to tie him up nice and good. Byukia covered his mouth with one of her sticky flowers. Byukia sat atop her staff, looking down at the man with a gentle friendly smile awaiting him to wake up.

Byukia had some tools set off to the side just in case. A kunai, a towel with a bucket of water, and a thick nine inch piece of wood.

 

[EnviousWorm]

Shenre Kabe, Hostage Blacksmith
​

"Kabe's Hammer", Interior

The world came back to Kabe from a high-pitched ringing, all-encompassing darkness. He spent the first several minutes forcing open his eyes, which would shut themselves in response. He murmured and grumbled in stunned confusion all the while, not quite sure of what was going on. All he knew was that he felt unsafe in a once-safe place.

"H-huh-- wha-?" Kabe's breathing came back to him as he tried to ask the usual questions one asks when they wake up from being knocked unconscious and taken hostage, "W-wait--"

Finally his eyes stayed open, and he could see his fine blades displayed along the walls - swords, axes, polearms, halberds, daggers, shuriken and kunai of course, even arrow-heads - and finally his sight settled on Byukia.

"What the hell are you doing you crazy bitch!?-" Kabe spat out in disgust, having found his tongue and the vitriol wrapped around it. Except the words stopped muffled in his mouth, covered up like some sort of muzzle. It smelled like a tulip or a rose or some such; was it...a flower?

 

[Shikowara]

Chishima Toko
The question itself wasn’t so hard. The only problem was that he only had one. How was he going to get the other ones? A distraction of some kind would work just fine. But what?…

Everything he thought of he knew would get him in trouble. He just hoped Risu and Eimi would be able to help.

Momo Yoshi
Aburame Shin was seated next to her. Shin was one of the only students that Yoshi was taller than in class. She kinda liked being taller—But that’s not the point. Her thoughts were getting ahold of her.
The question seemed pretty easy. But she wasn’t sure how to get the other ones. She concluded that a distraction would work, like Toko. But she, too, couldn’t think of anything that wouldn’t be obvious.

(Why did I have to make my characters so boring?…)

 

[ThAtGuY101]

~Byukia Katzuke...~

"Good mooorniing" Byukia said looking down at Kabe as she sat balancing atop her staff. She leaned forward and began running her hand gently across his face. She leaned In then turned her hand into a fist. Knuckles pressed against his jaw.

"You see... A friend of mine is in danger, and I need answers if I'm gonna protect them. If my friends get hurt. I take that personally. You know the woman I'm talking about. Nobody is gonna stand in my way in saving MY squad" Byukia's soft friendly voice turned more cold.

"Don't yell or scream. Cause if you do I'll have to make you be quiet" Byukia said. Her fist now pinching the flower on his mouth. She ripped it off like a bandaid.

"Talk, please?" Byukia asked.

 

[~Nilion~]

Niko Hokori
Konoha Market District, Exterior

The Hokori-Nin nodded happily as the shopkeep made mention of his discounted pricing, giving the whole lot one final glance over before responding.

“Unfortunately I’m not looking for any carrots today, but I’ll take two heads of cabbage and one of those Daikon’s over here. That should be all for now.”

Niko pointed out two of the smaller, younger heads of cabbage he had a preference for, before glancing over the more limited supply of radishes available.

“Inu-Ne-U-Mi-Tori-U-U…”

 

[EnviousWorm]

Din Haobei, Traveling Merchant
​

Konoha Market District, Exterior

"Ah, excellent choice, if a bit reserved, mhmm." The merchant remarked, a smile still plastered across his face as he set about producing a small, paper bag and - quite delicately - placing the proper cabbages and radish in the bag, taking care of ordering them so as to not put undue pressure on the radish.

His eyes even drifted away from Niko for a moment as he took care to seal the bag itself and pause a moment to stop some cabbages from rolling off the display after the two the jonin had requested had been moved from their place.

"That'll be 625 ryo, my good man." Din said, stretching his arms out to hand the concentrating Niko the order.

Shenre Kabe, Hostage Blacksmith
​

Kabe's Hammer, Interior

"F-friend of yours?" Kabe spoke softly between violent coughs -- coughs brought on from his mouth being bound, which he fought in desperation to keep quiet in order to appease his captor, "S-she told me they were spies! From the Mist! Y-yeah, after I made her a sword she asked me to help. Said I-I lived near these people, and that the Leaf needed people. Y'know, people l-like me. Citizens. And hell, I-I could tell they was from the Mist right away. They got those freaky teeth, them folks. Dead giveaway."

 

[ThAtGuY101]

"Byukia's eye twitched when he said spies from the mist. For a brief moment she looked at kabe like a lion glaring at a zebra. For less than a second Byukia looked like a homicidal murderer as she placed her hand closer to Kabe's neck. Her fingernails gently rubbing across the nerves on his neck. Though her demeaner calmed down quickly. Byukia maintaining a calm, but serious expression.

"Those damn mist ninjas!" Byukia smacked the table causing the items on the table to rattle.

"Those damn mist ninjas are the people I have a bone to pick with. Not some random blacksmith. If you tell me everything I need to know about the mist ninjas, I won't have to come back, and you don't want me to come back for more information" Byukia said still looking down at the blacksmith.

 

[Gamingfan]

Uchiha Bastard
Zeren showed no reaction to the test, appearing completely relaxed, almost smug. Despite this, he was internally surprised at the singular question, and quite a thonker too. Of course they would make it harder and complicated. Despite their earlier warning, it only made sense to cheat. They were ninja anyway; stealth and deception is what they do.
But how could he?
Zeren began tapping his foot, putting both of his hands on his head and sighing defeatedly. Though it appeared as such, he was purposefully covering the sides of his face to hide his shifting eyes, surveying the area.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Zeren saw someone stiffen. He stopped tapping. They relaxed. With a mischievous smirk, he began doing so again. They stiffened again, and this time he swore he heard a faint huff of annoyance.
Oh-ho-ho~
Zeren began tapping his foot, this time more rapidly. To add on, he uncovered his face and began tapping his pencil alongside it, purposefully avoiding doing so in rhythm. Some others seemed to find it irritating, but the nearby ninja seemed the most annoyed, to the point of trembling slightly.
Zeren sighed again.
That broke them. They turned around, fuming.
"Could you not! Some people are trying to work in peace!" they hissed.
Perhaps a bit too loudly. A shinobi cleared their throat, looking down at the genin, who's face immediately changed from annoyance to horror.
"Something interesting to say?"
"Wha-no! It's just-"
" Do not bother. You know that-"
At that point. Zeren tuned them out. As the shinobi chided the genin, and the other ninja either focused harder on the test or were distracted by the diversion, Zeren's eyes quickly looked around and over nearby students, taking notes of their answers. Some varied, some weren't even finished or similar to his own, but he managed to scrounge up enough information to write his own, educated answer once the kerfuffle was over. The shinobi turned around, and the pissy genin gave a quick glare towards Zeren, who faked being engrossed on his question. Though with his head down, no one could note the shit eating grin he wore.

Lucky Shot
Clover sighed as he looked over the question. He had no idea what to answer. He'd never dealt with anything similar to this.
But, it's not like he could cheat. Even if he wanted to, he doubted he could get away with it, even with his lu-
Where did my paper go?
Clover glanced up, horrified at the sight of his paper being carried by his sigh, somehow gliding across the wind and into a distracted ninja's desk, knocking the paper off and replacing it as their own.
But of course, the higher forces looking over him weren't done as the ninja's paper glided down and back towards Clover, managing to land perfectly by his side. He of course, had to reach down and grab it, catching some suspicious glances by the surveying shinobi. He was afraid to look over it, but forced himself to, and of course it was the same question he had, all answered and ready to go. It was even in a similar handwriting!
Clover looked up to the poor genin, who had looked around, completely bamboozled. He gave a silent, mental, and fruitless apology.
Clover smiled almost sadly as he saw Shin's insect come onto his seat.
"The thought is appreciated, but it appears the higher powers struck again." he whispered in defeat.

 

[~Nilion~]

Amaririsu Manto
Ninja Academy, Lecture Hall

After answering her question with unwavering certainty, Risu took a glance around at her teammates, slightly worried by the looks of discontent on either of their faces.

“If we don’t get those other two answers, we’re toast.”

Just as Risu thought this, a small gust of wind rushed through the cracked window nearby, causing most of the tests to rustle, with two even being swept up by the breeze.
It was too easy.

Thanks to Risu’s impeccable perception skills, all she needed was a small glance at the passing papers as they swept through the air. Just one brief look, and she did it.

“That’s two answers down…”

Sachi Nendo
Ninja Academy, Lecture Hall

Attempting to remain as nonchalant as possible, the Mud-Nin sat back in his chair and rubbed his eyes while letting out a hard exhale in an attempt to feign boredom.

“Gonna need to try sooner or later.”

He quickly returned to staring down at his paper, and gave his tongue a small click while skimming the page.
Unbeknownst to anyone, that small click of the tongue had caught the attention of one of Shin’s insects, which quickly made a b-line for Sachi’s desk.

Niko Hokori
Konoha Market District, Exterior

“There you are- keep the change.”

As Niko concluded his exchange with the shopkeep, a lone, dismembered hand with an eye protruding from its wrist-stump quietly wriggled onto one of the lower shelves of the man’s food cart.

“Have a good rest of your day, and best of luck with the shop.”

With that, Niko slipped away with a small wave. At the same time, his ‘Handy Little Spider’ quickly nestled itself under some of the darker, more aged vegetables, determined to remain undiscovered.

 

[EnviousWorm]

Shenre Kabe, Konoha Blacksmith
​

"Kabe's Hammer", Interior

Further confused and intimidated by the suddenly raging jonin woman, the blacksmith closed his eyes and turned away as she banged her hand on his table - nearly splitting the old, weak wood down the middle - demanding and threatening Kabe with what seemed to him to be reckless abandon.

"I-I don't know!" He pleaded, desperate, "S-she came to me. Ami! Ami came to me. She said she was working for the Leaf!"

His words sounded as true as they did pained and despairing. He squirmed in his seat, gritting his teeth.

"Please," Kabe continued, "I-I-it's only been a week! I didn't learn anything. T-those people are w-weird but they seem normal! I ain't no shinobi! C'mon, Miss, please! I got six kids! T-they lost their mother last year, when the Nine-Tails attacked! A-a-and I lost my s-shop, I just re-opened last month! Please!"

Din Haobei, Traveling Merchant
​

Konoha Market District, Exterior

"Ah, quite kind of you, Mr. Shinobi!" Din said with warm, kind eyes as he accepted the generous tip, waving back to Niko as the jonin made his exit, "May you enjoy this fine and lovely day as well, may I add!"

With his business concluded, the merchant set about humming to himself once more, immediately moving to fix the vegetable displays he'd somewhat dislodged during his transaction with Niko. One-by-one, the merchant began pulling cabbages and radishes alike, cleaning them again and re-arranging them. Every so often, another customer or two would wander over, buy what they needed, and Din Haobei would set about the whole process again.

Niko's Handycam found itself mixed in with some...older honeydew; though the fruit itself seemed as though it'd been cleaned recently - as Din had hand-washed the cabbage and radish and other products earlier as well - a morning wash couldn't quite hide the age behind the unpurchased product.

Every so often as Din went about his day, bagging product for customers, re-arranging displays and cleaning his wares with a particular passion, the round man would pause - one hand held over the honeydew - and he'd stop to think.

"Oh I should fix this this display is terribly out of order," He'd mutter, concerned, "And I can see dirt beginning to collect overtop the fruit as well...oh isn't this just horrible. Just horrible. But when did I last sell honeydew? Even when I displayed it right up front. Maybe I should just fix up the lemons and leeks again, those are doing well today..."