Private/Closed Naruto AU: Roleplay

[Godjacob]

Azumi glanced to her shoulder when she had heard the voice of Ryo as he expressed that the pink-haired girl had been able to force him out and heard his apology over his failure to hold her longer.

Someone breaking through the Yamanaka-clan's signature technique through sheer will power? I've never heard of anything like that.

Azumi complied simply enough as she set Ryo down next to her as she gave him a chance to recover. During this Azumi had thought over the group's situation as she hoped that Ryo had put enough distance between the pink-haired Genin and them so they would not confront her so easily.

"We have no time to worry over things like that. What's done is done. We simply need to keep moving forward. Sagiso is good for only a limited time, she exhausted herself during her battle with the pink-haired kunoichi's ally." Azumi explained to Ryo.

----------
"Oh, my head..."

Sakura had finally regained control of her mind. With Ryo pushed out of it by Inner Sakura she had a minor headache that caused her to rest on a knee for a moment as she regained her bearings. Soon enough however, confusion had shifted to realization.

The Scrolls!

Sakura stood up and began to jump through the trees back in the opposite direction as she aimed to get back to the trio that had made off with hers and presumably Kenji's scrolls. This was bad, but Sakura figured that if she and Kenji regrouped they could cut the trio off and...

"Gah...."

Kenji!

Sakura's plan came to a halt when she caught sight of Kenji; who had remained in a state of semi-consciousness. Bleeding and beaten from his battle with Sagiso. Sakura jumped to said branch as she disregarded the stolen scrolls and quickly placed both hands on Kenji's chest as she checked for pulse. It was there, but it was also faint. Not a good sign Sakura thought to herself. Given his state, Kenji would be a dead man if Sakura had not taken him someplace safe. Though doing this would guarantee that the trio would get away from them and neither would have a scroll to their name.

"F-forget...about m-me...go...go kick...kick their...a-asses..."

Kenji, weakly and without much volume behind it, seemed to be aware of where he was just enough to try and encourage Sakura to go on ahead. The one thing Kenji wanted to avoid was somebody else failing because of him, so he wanted Sakura to know she did not need to worry about him.

But Sakura ignored that, as she picked Kenji up and placed him on her back in a piggyback carry and jumped down to the ground. Once Sakura confirmed no one was around them, she began to walk away as she aimed to find some shelter. Kenji, despite ho weak he was, groaned as he seemed displeased by this.

"D-did you...not hear me? I-I said forget about...about me..." Kenji said as he winced in pain while Sakura continued to walk ahead as she seemingly ignored him.

"I did, but you are in no condition to go anywhere. If I left you, you are as good as dead. We're partners now and I am gonna find a safe place to heal your wounds. Though given my observation, I'll likely have to get out of the forest to get you to a hospital where I'll have the proper equipment and medication to heal you fully." Sakura explained as Kenji's eyes widened but he was powerless to stop the kunoichi. Though naturally, Sakura's decision confused him to no end.

"W-why though!? You are not allowed to leave the forest, Y-you'd fail the exam." Kenji warned as he groaned in pain which only caused Sakura's pace to quicken. Sakura remained silent for what seemed like an eternity, but eventually gave her justification.

"Because like my sensei always taught me, those who break the rules may be trash. But those who abandon their comrades are worst than trash."

 

[kyuukestu]

"Ah, the sleeping Prince has awoken." Though weary Sagiso still had the sense of mind to throw in a teasing comment. Her face was, however, anything but teasing. Her complexion had paled visibly and her body trembled lightly. In truth, she was quite pleased that Ryo had awoken since that meant she would now be able to rest. A sly, yet coy smile bloomed on her lips as she stuck two fingers up in front of Ryo.

"Now that you're up, you have 2 options," Sagiso waggled her index and middle fingers before his eyes, "First, Switch places with me." Emphasizing her index finger she pointed at Azumi's shoulder, indicating that his first option was to let her take his place and get carried by Azumi. "Second, you can carry me." Both her fingers were emphasized to convey that this was his second option. She figured that she might've been rather abrupt and he would be rather confused by the sudden situation. That was, however, quite easily solved. A single glance at her legs would've been enough for anyone to see why she seemed so eager to get off her feet.

 

[Bluetail]

"I gotta find another scroll,i won't become a chunin without it.And i need to!"Kilka cried out.Perfect,someone will think i'm a weakling by my shouts and come to attack me,Kilka thought."What am i to do?!"This scream was louder then the first.I should probably search for food first,i'm hungry anyway.

 

[Fire Mana]

As Yasu approached the center of the forest, he glanced back at Tomiko to make sure she was still close by. After confirming that she was indeed still there, he looked back up and noticed the large tower in the distance. It was taller than the trees surrounding it, and he was honestly surprised he didn't notice it earlier.

"I think that's the place Tomiko. just a little bit farther to go and we'll be safely into the next part of the exams."

 

[Godjacob]

Indeed, as Azumi glanced at Sagiso's legs it had been easy enough to see her ally was on her literal last legs and would have to be carried the rest of the way there. Azumi was open to doing the deed herself, though she still needed a scroll to get to the tower now that both Ryo and Sagso had matching sets. So if Ryo handled the labor, and remained loyal to the group, she'd be fine with allowing him to handle that which would give her freedom to act as guard for the group and allow her to find and fight another Genin with an Earth Scroll.

Though if Ryo declined, Azumi was prepared to carry Sagiso to the tower and get the Earth Scroll regardless. Azumi would not fail no matter what; she was prepared to do anything to ensure that and ready overcome any hurdle to pass this exam. Sagiso being added weight to her person or not, she'd ensure they made it to the tower in time though this all depended on Ryo's answer.

-----------
Tomiko kept close behind Yasu before she saw the tower ahead. Like a small child her eyes widened and she broke out an excited grin as she dashed forward at full speed as she raced past Yasu and had her sights set on that tower entrance.

"Come on, last one there owe's the other lunch!" Tomiko teased as she moved as fast as possible to get to the tower.

 

[Zcraftgaming]

Lako stepped in through the doors of the tower the scrolls clutched tightly to his chest. He sat in a corner for a few minutes and to grasp the fact that he had passed 'I did it!' He thought excitement surging through him. Lako picked himself off the ground and went to go have a shower "Damn I'm sweaty" he muttered aloud and walked to what he thought was a shower block.

 

[Bluetail]

Kilka looked at some leaves."These look edible,i'm not sure,but i'm gonna take my chances and say that they are and that i've found food."She said quietly as she picked them.She stuffed a small one in her mouth and started eating.

 

[Fire Mana]

"Wait! Slow down! I wanted to enter the tower together!" Yasu uped his pace to keep even with his energetic partner. She was a bit faster than him, so he had to put in the effort to keep up. Yasu could tell she was trying to hide her laughter, but not doing a very good job at it.

As the tower came closer and closer, Yasu made sure to warn the girl.

"Be really careful from here on out. There's gonna be people trying to snatch scrolls and jump into the tower last second."

 

[Godjacob]

Indeed, Tomiko "tried" to contain her amusement over this but really it failed to do much of that but she had began to slow her pace...slightly. And it was not as if she had disregarded Yasu's warning as she scanned the immediate area around them.

"Don't worry, I got my eyes peeled. If anyone wants to try something I say let them. We will not be denied!' Tomiko said with a grin as she continued to advance forward as she closed in on the tower while she remained on guard in the event of some ambush or last second confrontation.

 

[Fire Mana]

As they finally reached the entrance to the tower, Yasu's heart started beating faster and faster. Just a few more feet and he would pass the second part of the exams.

"Okay Tomiko, let's go!"

Yasu ran into the tower, placing his two scrolls on the table before him. Suddenly his position changed and his balance shifted and before he knew it he was somewhere else. He faced a tall gray haired shinobi, he was reading a book and appeared to be waiting for the exam takers.

 

[Zcraftgaming]

Lako finished his shower and sighed in relief he turned the water off and pulled on some clothes. His nervously checked his jacket for his scrolls and calmed down when he felt them. He took them out and placed them on the ground in the tower of to a side of the room. He nervously unrolled them and awaited what happened

 

[Godjacob]

Tomiko arrived just as Yasu had, as she followed his example as she opened her scrolls at once before she was transported from the interior tower towards some new location. Tomiko scanned the area with a look of wonder before she focused in on the white-haired proctor from earlier which Tomiko figured was a positive sign.

Okay, seems like we're good. Hopefully we did the right then and he is gonna pass us rather than say we broke a rule or something.

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

............

Zaku awoke to the likes of light filling in his room. He groaned as he sat up and yawned. Eh? I don’t remember getting it bed. He must have been extremely tired the other night, as they checked I. The tower at 2:00 am after a long day of battles and running. The time on the wall said 11:00 am, close to exam time. Zaku grinned and he saw it. Close to time to knock the block with some hopeless saps. He got up and began getting ready for the exam to come, putting on his cheek guards and other tools.

.......

Kai was up already, meditating. Getting mentally aware and sound for anything the day would hold. He breathed in and out, as water he controlled bathed him right in his bed. His eyes flashed open, the daylight shining directly at him. It’s almost time

 

[Retro Master]

Kiro had been awake for almost two hours now. After doing his morning routine, Kiro went outside to the gathering area. It seemed as if he was the first one there. Even though he was an hour early, he expected that the other genin to also be atleast a bit early. Still... he was an hour early. Kiro sighed before taking a deep breath as he focused chakra into his eyes.

The sharingan was a beauty indeed. It offered so much with just a simple glance. As he looked around, he could see what the normal eye couldn’t. Kiro could see the multitude of chakra signatures where the dorms were. Some were calm while others were wild. He could see the chakra shifts as some woke up while others turned in their bed. However, that’s not what he was focused on. His body was well rested but his mind needed focus. He had an hour to waste so he figured now would be the perfect time. Kiro leaned his back to the wall and crossed his arms as he closed his eyes before he began to meditate.

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Kakashi had been reading his book for hours now, waiting for other participants to reach the tower. It was a tiring occupation, but nothing compared to his previous tasks. After he admired Yasu and one other the night before, he had not seen a single person else make it. Weather the rest were dead, active, or just failed was of little consequence for him. He peered over to the first one up, which was none other than Kiro.

First one to pass, first one to finish the second exam, and first to wake up. Either this one is extremely motivated or just lucky. What’s his game?


.......

Zaku our on his sound headband and stretched, his innards clanking as he did so. Phew, need to get an adjustment when I get back to the sound. He quickly refreshed his ninja tools and existed his room, going up the stairs to the exam area, noticing the proctor and Kiro there. Heh, it’s that meditating kid again. What? Is he some sort of prodigy?

.......

After Kai’s meditation was over, he quickly stopped bending the water around him and got dressed, putting his mask on and loosely tying a robe around himself. His moves his arms back and forth. It seems I have recovered from the Forbidden jutsu from yesterday, I think I am fit for whatever task may lie ahead

 

[Zcraftgaming]

Lako suddenly found himself in another room not in the tower. He stumbled backwards before noticing the white haired proctor reading his book. "Erm hi?" Immediately regretting it 'I sound so stupid' he thought to himself.

 

[Bluetail]

"That was easy,how did they even get those scrolls?They fell for that trick easily."Kilka said as she carried away two scrolls in the direction of a tower."Hope that they did't finish without me."She took the quickest route she saw there.

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Kakashi peered over to the new person that had teleported in, Lako. Another genin has passed I see, right under the thirty minute mark.

“Cutting it pretty close aren’t we?” Kakashi sai, still reading his book. “You have passed the forest of death. Your proctor will be here in thirty minutes, and at that point, the next exam will begin. You may use this thirty minute period to recover.”

 

[Bluetail]

"Hey!I'm here finally!"Kilka pounded on the door."Am i here fast enough?Did the exams finnish without me?"She looked around."I'm not late am i?!"

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Kakashi looked down at the young lady, who had appeared mere seconds before Lako did. Seems like they are streaming in now.

“No, but you cut it close.” Kakashi spoke in a mellow tone of voice. “If you had been 30 minutes later, you would have failed.”

.......


Zaku looked at the newcomers to the arena, Zaku smirked at their appearances. No rest before the next part of the exam eh? They are going to be in a weakened state - perfect!

 

[Bluetail]

"Ok,what do i have to do now?"Kilka said.Yes!I passed!Great,she thought.But i sorta wanna get along with all this,i don't really like to wait for things.I'm exited,what do we do now?

 

[sSoul]

"Oh hey Kilka, glad you passed, might as well look at these scrolls," Taiyo said cheerfully as he opened both scrolls. Then he felt himself getting teleported and he initilly began freaking out, but he calmed down and let it happen. He was brought to Kakashi's location and looked proud that he passed.
Wait, was Kiro serious when he was taunting me that Kilka was my girlfriend? What was he talking about?

 

[Retro Master]

Sensing he was being watched, Kiro opened his eyes, without sharingan, and glared in the direction of Zaku. ‘Sound ninja.’ Kiro thought, quickly examining the genin. Zaku didn’t look that intimidating but he could tell that there was something unique about him. Whatever it was, Kiro would find out eventually. However, he did nod at Zaku as a sign of respect. Unlike the other genin, atleast Zaku seemed to have the decency as a ninja to be early.

His attention on Zaku was lost when Kakashi appeared in front of Lako. Kiro had been expecting the Copycat ninja to make an appearance and he wouldn’t be surprised if Kakashi had been watching him the whole time from an unknown location. Kiro would have to work on improving his awareness if he wanted to see if he was being watched.

Kiro would’ve also been lying if he said he wasn’t atleast a bit surprised to see Kilka or Taiyo there. However, they still posed no threat to him. They weren’t even worth looking at. Instead, Kiro closed his eyes and went back to his meditation.

 

[Platinum_]

Ryo nodded silently as Azumi explained the situation upon his awakening. He was then greeted by Sagiso, who had looked quite rough; without a doubt having been pouring tons of effort into her previous battle. He couldn't help but fear what Kenji was capable of - because he had been hit by one of Sagiso's powerful blasts... he couldn't imagine what kind of person would be able to give someone as her such a hard time.

He blinked out of his mental train of thoughts and re-focused in on the conversation as Sagiso openly admitted that she would need to be carried due to her physical state. Well, she didn't exactly say that she was weak with her mouth, but it was obvious she couldn't be independent for much longer. Ryo looked to Azumi, who he had noticed was the only one who hadn't received a matching pair of scrolls. He couldn't help but feel guilty. She willingly helped him secure his, as it would not have been possible without her, and Sagiso put everything into making sure that Sakura's partner was not a threat.

He was quite frail compared to the other guys that were his age, but he didn't want Azumi worrying about anything other than retrieving an Earth Scroll. The gash in his back stung, but fortunately it wasn't very deep, and the blood had already ceased to flow.

"I'll do it, no worries. I'm sorry about the misunderstanding earlier....thanks for...like, not killing me." The blue eyed boy replied, turning around before Sagiso and holding his hands slightly out behind him piggy-back style.

He closed his eyes, and focused chakra into his hands - causing a faint teal aura of energy to emit around his palms.

"Hop on. This way will definitely be easier for me to not drop you and might be more comfortable for you to recover. Azumi needs a scroll, and I don't want her to worry about us. I know a small amount of medical ninjutsu techniques, and even though it's weak, it should work to help speed up the process of your leg's healing."

 

[kyuukestu]

"En."

A small grunt of acknowledgment escaped her lips as she climbed onto Ryo's back, the relief of finally being off her feet escaping a soft, pleasure-filled sigh. For the first time since the Chunin exams had begun, she slipped the scarf on her face downwards, revealing her eyes. "I won't be too much of a burden, these eyes of mine are perfect for scouting. I can find another target for Azumi, and help us avoid any nasty ambushed."

She relaxed further as Ryo's medical ninjustu began to do its work, admittedly, she'd been rather wary of 'a small amount of medical ninjutsu', the position of his hands, which would've surely landed on her legs, had almost caused her to reject him on the spot. Quack-medical nin were rather dangerous people, and she didn't quite trust a novice with her injuries since they could easily exacerbate the situation, but in the end, she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.

 

[Godjacob]

Azumi watched as Ryo offered to carry Sagiso and Sagiso assumed a piggy-back position as she waited for both to be set before she gave a nod to the pair.

"I do not fault you for that, you do have to be careful in the ninja world. Not just this exam. In any event we'll progress towards the tower, the remaining Genin should be close there either due to other applicants racing to the tower or others setting up ambushes." Azumi explained, as that seemed like a sound plan and would not allow them to venture away from the tower which in turned would have hampered Sagiso & Ryo's progress for her sake; since they seemed willing to allow her the chance to get her own scroll she figured this was a fair gesture in return. Sagiso also providing so sensory to the group would be beneficial in detecting possible threats as well as potential targets which Azumi appreciated. With that Azumi faced forward as she knew time was not on their side and they needed to hurry.

"Let's move."
----------
Eventually as the party arrived close to the tower they encountered another Genin, one who appeared to among the Yamanaka-clan much as Ryo had, in fact said Yamanaka member had actually been a classmate of Ryo's; Ino Yamanaka. Not that Azumi cared knew this or cared.

Ino had been waiting just outside the tower entrance to ambush any applicant who came her path to steal the scroll she needed. A wise tactic, Azumi had to admit, that was foiled due to Sagiso's scouting with her Byakugan which pointed out somebody had hidden themselves up ahead. Add to the fact that Azumi had seen Ryo's bloodline ability in action personally which meant she had known that specific gesture Ino tried to use as she tried to take over Azumi's body.

Azumi jumped back which caused Ino to curse as she feared a misfire and instead went with a direct approach as she pulled a kunai and charged Azumi. Azumi pulled out her umbrella as she easily blocked the strike and knocked back. The two clashed back and forth for a bit with Azumi holding a clear edge as she delivered a strike to her ribs which caused the Konoha-nin to clutch her side as she fell to her back. Ino sucked it up enough just to deliver a follow up strike as she jumped back and avoided impact with the tip of Azumi's umbrella as it smashed the ground below where Ino would have been.

Ino dashed back as Azumi had been quick to peruse. Knowing that the exam was nearly over Azumi had no assurane another Genin would bump into them. She simply had to assume this one had the scroll she needed and...

Pluck.

Seems Ino had been more than just running away, she had set a trap. As Ino pulled a set string in the clearing a trio of explosive tags descended from the tress all around Azumi. Azumi's eyes widened as she flashed a series of hand signs just before the tags exploded; which seemingly consumed her in a ball of explosive fire. Ino watched with a smirk.

I did it!

However, her victory proved to be short lived as once the smoke cleared Azumi had been standing within a sphere of water which shielded her from the explosive surprise attack. "Water Style, Bubble Barrier Jutsu." A technique Azumi just managed to get off before she had been blasted, and said barrier descended and Azumi flashed at high speeds before Ino and delivered a hard strike to her stomach with a swing of her umbrella.

"GAH!"

Ino cried out in pain and shock as she was sent flying back from the bone breaking strike and slammed back first into a nearby tree. Said tree cracked on impact as Ino slumped down and fell unconscious. Her Konoha headband had been knocked lose and fell to the ground next to her. Azumi walked over to Ino as she searched her belongings and found an Earth Scroll on her person. Azumi placed said scroll in her bag and turned back to Sagiso and Ryo.

"Alright, let's go." Azumi said in reference to the tower. Though as she did so she glanced down at Ino's Konoha-nin headband and with a cold glare stepped on it before she made her way back towards Ryo and Sagiso and then proceeded towards the tower interior leading the trio to their destination.

Once inside said tower, Azumi glanced at the words written inside. "Heaven" and "Earth" which seemed to provide a clue, or what she presumed was the case given no one else had been here. So Azumi pulled her Heaven & Earth Scroll and in one swift motion opened them up which transported her towards where the other competitors had been sent towards as she was met with a white-haired man; the proctor from earlier. Sagiso and Ryo followed soon after, as Ryo continued to work on healing Sagiso while she remained on his back being held in a piggyback carry.

----------

Spoiler: Sakura & Kenji's run

Sakura had managed to get herself and Kenji within a cave and had spent the majority of Day 2 treating Kenji's injuries. To say that the Nadeshiko Village-nin had done a number to him would have undersold it.

Kenji's body had been bruised from head to toe. Lacerations along the shoulder and thigh, cracked ribs, signs of internal damage along the organs as well as Sakura knew she had her work cut out for her. Sakura considered just bailing on the exams to get Kenji to a hospital, but Kenji had been stubbornly against this and eventually Sakura decided to do what she could here. Thankfully because they lacked scrolls neither of them had been made targets which gave Sakura time to work.

Sakura gathered various berries, herbs and plants she recognized from medical books within the academy. Seem the Forest had just enough of them for situations like this; Sakura figured this had been by design; as a way of giving applicants within the forest a chance to save themselves should they be placed in situations like and should they possess the knowledge to do so. Which thankfully, Sakura had.

Sakura had never been a physical standout at the Academy, but her chakra control had been exceptional among her peers and she was an academia. Not a Nara by any means, but when it came to medical knowledge she hoped it'd be a good enough imitation. Sakura first used some athletic tape to act as gauze as she covered the lacerations on the shoulder and thigh. A means of stopping the immediate bleeding and an insurance to counteract possible infection; which were vitals though Kenji winced as Sakura pulled to secure the tape.

"Easy there, trying to patch me up not stretch me out remember?" Kenji teased as Sakura ignored a response as she began to grind up some of the berries, herbs and flower petals into a bowl she crafted using a rock and precise kunai slices.

"I would save your strength and close that mouth for now, you'll need all of it if we are to make it through this. Now drink up." Sakura said as she handed Kenji a bowl of what appeared to be green liquid. Kenji did as he was asked, though after he swallowed it...

"Ew! Gross!"

"Oh come on, you are a ninja not a five-year old."

-----------
By the end of Day 2 Sakura had managed to treat the worst of Kenji's injuries. It was not perfect, mainly due to her inexperience with practical medical ninjutsu along with the limited resources, but it had been enough to get Kenji up and walking...with a slowed pace but with time he should get his strength back.


But time was the one thing Sakura and Kenji lacked. It had now been the waning hours of Day 3, as Sakura needed the night to rest as did Kenji once the operation had finished and neither were at their best. Though Sakura had not suffered a major injury, she did not leave that battle unscathed and she had spent plenty of energy treating to Kenji. Who himself had been far from one-hundred percent given the injuries he sustained which meant the two had to slug there way through the forest in the direction of the tower for most of the day.

It seemed hopeless till a turn of good fortune came before them. To the side of them a pair of ninja, what appeared to be Kirigakure-nin brothers, ran through the trees with pleased grins despite visible bruises on their bodies.

"Woo! We did it!"

"Don't celebrate yet, we are not at the tower yet."

Right you are, sorry but we are not failing just yet!

Sakura had her eyes on the siblings as she flashed a series of hand signs. Thankfully neither of them took note of her as, from their perspective, vines seemed to have descended from the tress and wrapped around them. Both brothers had been entangled, though in truth they just remained standing on a branch as the Genjutsu had them ensnared them. Kenji had been "quick" or rather as quick as he could move to follow it up as he flashed a series of hand signs and sent an electric shock up the tree to the siblings.

"GAAAAA!"

Both fell from the branch to the ground unconcious. Sakura and Kenji walked over to them and pulled two pairs of Heaven & Earth Scrolls.

"Come on hurry! We can make it!" Kenji said as Sakura and him dashed to the tower and just managed to get inside to beat the clock. Once they had made it inside, the two saw the clues within the tower as the both opened their Heaven & Earth Scrolls and were soon transported towards the area the other Genin who completed the second exam had been sent. Sakura gazed at her Jonin instructor with a sheepish grin.

"S-sorry I'm late, Kakashi-sensei."

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Kakashi watched as the trio arrived. Along with two others, Sakura, and another genin passer. Hm, right on the minute mark, leave it to Sakura to be punctual. Speaking of punctual...

Kakashi closed his book, walking over to the center of the room as the clock strikes 12:00. He cleared his throat and addressed the crowd of genin.

“I’m sure you all are aching to go on to the next portion. Your proctor should be coming in-“

Before kakashi could finish his sentence, a puff of smoke filled the center of the room, a tall figure who’s appearance was. The figure gave out a thumbs up as it cleared. He was dressed in green with a leaf village jounin vest. He also had a chiseled face with an odd black bowl cut.

“I am might guy! I will be your proctor for this section!” He announced boldly. “This section is meant to cut down the number of competitors to the final exam. It will be an exam where you will show your power of youth against your fellow genin in 1v1 solo combat. Whomever is left standing at the end wins the match and carries on to the final exam!”

Behind Guy, a large tv screen seemed to light up, it’s pixels showing the results of random matchups:

 

[Godjacob]

Azumi had little care about the...rather sudden display and mannerisms of the proctor as she listened to what they were to do next. Appeared too many people passed the exams and now they had to cut that number with preliminaries. Azumi's eyes landed on the bracket on display and she had to admit the name she had been matched up with was a surprise.

So, appears now we're enemies now Ryo. I appreciate our partnership that helped me progress, and I also appreciate you showed your clan's signature technique before my eyes. That will prove rather useful...

----------
So, seems our paths cross once more Zaku. Well you helped me advance to this stage and now I'll have to go through you to advance even further. Though this time I won't have to worry about interference if nothing else.

Madoka had looked at the brackets on display in detail, and had been a little surprised to see Zaku's name next to her own. Still, she should have expected that given the randomized nature of the selection for this. Though Madoka had no reservations about this as she was ready to do what she needed to do to get past the Oto-nin and make it to the finals.

-----------
Kenji had to admit, he was rather amused by this proctor's flare. A stark contrast to the stoic that their previous proctor had been but he quickly shifted his focus to the bracket on display, and what he saw caused him to shake his head with an amused grin.

Oh just my luck. I get the very first match while my body is fresh from the hell of the forest. Oh well Kenji, no use whining about it you are not the only guy who had it tough here and nobody is going to give you sympathy. Certainly not this Yasu guy....

------------
T-that's our proctor? What's what that hair? That outfit? P-power of youth?

I'm with you on this one, this guy is such a weirdo!

Sakura had been rather...distracted by the entrance of their proctor Might Guy and his "theatrics" that she had almost failed to notice the brackets which appeared before their eyes. However, Sakura and her inner voice quelled their questions about the proctor as they focused on the brackets and looked for who their exam for the prelims were.

Hashima huh? Don't think I've encountered someone with that name yet.

Who cares who this Hashima is, we'll take her down no matter what!

-----------
Tomiko, much as she had with Jiraiya back in the first exam, found the over-the-top presentation of this proctor to be rather infectious as she could not contain her eager grin. Said grin only grew when Tomiko glanced up at the display bracket and saw the name of her preliminary opponent.

So, I get to tussle with that trouble making brooder from earlier? Well bring it, I'm not gonna let anyone get in my way of becoming a Chunin!

Tomiko, on reflex if she had to guess, slammed her gauntlets that covered her hands together as she seemed rather eager about her preliminary match.

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Zaku was rather annoyed by the Proctor, seeming very unprofessional and idiotic of a Shinobi. What? This guy is a proctor? The leaf is a laughing stock! Taking his mind off the man in green, he looked who he was paired up with in the exam. Zaku smirked, glancing over to Madoka. It seems that useful partnership has finally met its end, now I can crush her and move on. Heh, thankfully she revealed her secret early.

...........


Kai noticed who he was paired up with on the board. While he had never me Sagiso, he knew it would undoubtedly be easier since he came in later, giving in a distinct advantage. He crossed his arms and waited further instructions.


..........



Might Guy grinned as he saw the many genin talk amongst themselves or were lost in thought. He put his hands on his hips and took a deep breath before speaking again.

“Now! Anyone know why this place was constructed in the shape of a tower? It’s so that simultaneous battles can happen at once! Each fight happening on a different floor. Last year we had an incident where a shinobi used poison gas and nearly killed half the bystanders, but not this time!”

The matchups on the board showned a number to the left of each fight, dictating what floor they were to be on for each of their fights. The use of that number finally revealed.

“Alright then! Everyone hear that? Then let’s move out!”

 

[Fire Mana]

Yasu turned to Tomiko as the group of Genin began moving towards the stairs to ascend the tower.

"Eager as ever huh? Well I'll be thinking of you during my fight, hope you do the same for me, show your opponent who's boss for me so we can meet in the finals!"

The stairs were made of the same material as the rest of the tower, and were rather steep.

Okay, I need to mentally prepare myself... This is happening so fast!

 

[SageNeb]

Hashima woke up and stretched as she looked at the time. 11:30 PM.

Oh shoot I need to hurry up! The Exam's about to start!

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

She made it in time to see the people who were fighting, although she was gasping for air.

Sakura? I don't think I've met her before... Oh well. Hopefully I'll be able to win.

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

Raiku had woken up early, and was found reading by his mother. "C'mon, you need to get ready for the day," she told him. Raiku simply nodded and did as he was told.

In breakfast, his father remarked that he was going out.

"What for?" Raiku asked simply.
"The preliminaries for the third exam starts today. I'm going to keep an eye out for who might advance to the finals in a month," he responded."

Raiku finished eating and stood up. "May I come, as well? I may not be a participant, but I'd like to see my fellow Genin in action," he asked. His father, Seshu, simply nodded and the two were off.

-----------

Raiku arrived around the same time as Hashima and looked at the board.

So they're all going to fight at the same time? I'll just use shadow clones to watch others while I watch Hashima. I may not know much about her, but she seems friendly. Looks like she's up against one of my former classmates from the Academy. Oh well...

Hashima noticed Raiku, and although she was a bit confused, she waved. Raiku pretended not to notice and turned away.

 

[Retro Master]

‘What an idiot!’ Kiro didn’t have any respectful thoughts about their latest proctor. However, Kiro wasn’t such a fool to believe that his attitude defined the proctor’s skill as a ninja.

Kiro’s attention turned to the screen where the match-ups were revealed. ‘Great! I’m against that careless loudmouth.’ He cursed internally at his luck. He remembered a few days ago when Tomiko boldly challenged him to come out of hiding. Kiro glanced over in Tomiko’s direction just in time to see her slam her gauntlets together. ‘Annoying.’

Kiro put his hands in his pockets before he walked up the stairs.

When Kiro reached his floor, he walked towards the middle of the battlefield. The size of the arena was decent to say the least. The stands, where any spectators would be, overlooked the battlefield. Kiro didn’t expect anyone to be spectating his match. All anyone else knew was that he was just a regular Kiri shinobi and not part of the legendary Uchiha clan.

Kiro just stood and waited calmly until his opponent arrived.

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Kai saw Kiro go off to fight his battle with Tomiko. So he passed the second exam after all. Kai walked toward him a s he was in his way to the arena, he brought himself close to the genin.

“Kiro, you’ve done well to come this far. Be aware, this next challenge isn’t going to be light. I would suggest you don’t show...’that’ yet. You know what I’m referring to. Half of us are going to be eliminated, I don’t want you to be one of them.”


............

Zaku made it to the level two of the tower, where his match would take place. His cracked his neck and knuckles, and readied himself for combat. He knew who Madoka was, and knew the sand ninja was strong, at least enough not to be considered a joke. Hands his way to his side of the arena and stood there, as a shadow clone of Guy was waiting in the center, for the other combatant

 

[Godjacob]

Tomiko turned back to Yasu and had an eager grin of her own.

"Same to you, I don't have any intention of losing. And nether should you." Tomiko said as she aimed to "pump" Yasu up before a third voice was heard.

"I also wish the both of you luck." Madoka said, as she had not properly spoken with Tomiko and Yasu since the first day but the puppet-ninja felt it was only proper to wish them luck in their matches as Tomiko turned to Madoka with an eager grin.

"Right back at yeah, I'll see you both on the other side. Kick their asses and I'll meet you both at the finals!" Tomiko said with a fist raised, as she then took off to the stairs with Madoka having followed close behind along with Azumi who all headed to their matches.

-----------
Sakura walked over to Kenji, as she attempted to get some last second healing on him to try and speed up his recover before his match but Kenji shooed her away.

"I appreciate you want to get your hands on me, but I need to do this on my own. Everyone went through the same thing, nobody else is gonna get this kinda treatment. I'll be fine." Kenji "assured" Sakura as she let out a sigh.

"Fine, but just be careful. I was able to get you back on your feet but pushing too far might undo all of it." Sakura advised as Kenji put a hand on his shoulder which still had the athletic tape which had been stained red to the blood but Kenji grinned at the pink-haired kunoichi all the same.

"Like I sad, I'll be fine. Worry about your own match, and I wish you luck." Kenji said before he and Sakura made their way towards the stairs for their matches.

------------
Tomiko arrived and already saw her opponent had arrived there, as she remembered this guy from Day 1 which only made her all the more eager.

"Gotta say I like this match-up Now I get to pay you back for your attitude to start these exams." Tomiko said with an eager grin as she slammed her gauntlets together which showed Kiro she was pumped for this battle.

-----------
Sakura arrived to her battle arena, which was sizable but not too much from Sakura's estimate as she saw her opponent had arrived before her. Sakura took a deep breath as she assumed a battle position.

Have no way of knowing what she is capable of. Just gonna have to see for myself and hope I can respond in kind.

Oh screw that! Just go in and kick her ass!

 

[SageNeb]

Hashima turned towards the stairs once she realized her fight was about to begin. Meanwhile Raiku had summoned 15 shadow clones, same as his father. The Uchihas (and their clones) had all gone up to their respective floors, as spectators. Once Hashima had reached her floor, so did the real Raiku, but in the spectator area. His clones had gone to their different floors as well.

"Good luck, Hashima!" Raiku called out. The Suna shinobi smiled and gave him a thumbs up before turning to face her opponent. "Good luck too," she told Sakura with a grin.

I wonder when the proctor's gonna get here, so I can start. It's probably gonna be a clone of that energetic guy with a weird haircut and bushy brows.

As if on cue a clone of Guy-Sensei appeared in the middle of the arena. "Alright! Now that you're both here, let the battle begin!"

Hashima jumped backwards and waited for Sakura to make the first move.

 

[Retro Master]

When Tomiko finally arrived, Kiro was reminded of what Kai had managed to tell him while they were walking.

Kiro just smirked when he heard Tomiko’s words. “How unfortunate. I would rather not have to harm a woman...” Kiro paused for a moment. “But I’ll make an exception for you.” Kiro said as pulled his hands out of his pockets.

If anything, the only challenge that this match should have would be restraining himself from using the sharingan. However, Kiro had utmost confidence in himself to be able to manage without the use of the sharingan. It’s not that he believed he outclassed Tomiko, it was the fact that he literally trained for scenarios like this. His stamina would be important and he would have to keep his awareness at an all time high since he wouldn’t be able to rely on his sharingan.

Now he just waited for the match to begin,
silently observing Tomiko. Her gauntlets would be a key factor and Kiro just had to find a way to limit them, if not use them against her...

 

[sSoul]

Who hired this idiot?!? Taiyo thought before looking at the matchups, he noticed that he was up against some guy named Lako, this would be fun.
Alright, so I am going up against a guy I barely know, well, lets just get it over with.
He went to the couch and took a nap, just to restore some extra energy that he exterted from his run.

 

[Godjacob]

"Oh well aren't you so considerate. Willing to overlook what a usual gentleman you are for my sake. I feel I need to reward you in some way for this progressive shift." Tomiko replied with a thick layer of sarcasm as she lifted her right fist in the air as she eyed Kiro with an eager grin.

"So here's a gift, from me to you."

Tomiko slammed said fist into the ground, which smashed the the tile into dozens of pieces that were sent into the air due to the sheer force of the impact. Tomiko, using a level of control that had seemed surprising given her usual hot-headed nature, punched those broken bits of tile towards Kiro as she used them as make-shift projectiles.

These dozens of high-flying bits of rock had been more than just a long range strike; but a distraction. While Kiro had been busy either blocking or dodging them Tomiko dashed ahead with a great speed as she aimed to get behind Kiro as she reared her right fist back with the intent to deliver a bone-breaking blow to his back.

----------
Sakura gave a smile to Hasima, as she paid no mind towards the spectator that had come along to cheer her on as she gave a nod to the girl who wished her luck. Some sportsmanship had been appreciated.

"Thanks, good luck to you as well and let the best kunoichi win." Sakura said as she brought her hands up, but before she could cast a jutsu a new voice emerged.

"Kick her butt Sakura! I know you can do it!"

Sakura glanced up to the spectators and saw her childhood friend and role model. Ino Yamanaka. Ino had been eliminated in the second exam by Azumi, but had caught wind of the prelims and saw Sakura had progressed. So Ino decided to find her friend and cheer her on which confused Sakura at first, before she offered a small smile.

Ino, thank you. Now you get to see how much I've grown.

Sakura turned to Hashima as she flashed a series of hand-signs.

"Mirage Mirror Jutsu!"

Despite the flashy name, it simply appeared as if Sakura made a shadow clone. Both Sakura and the apparent clone pulled out kunai as they charged Hashima from the left and right side as they seemed to try to attack her from both sides.

----------
Madoka soon arrived to the stage of her battle, and the Oto-nin Zaku had already arrived and seemingly had been waiting for her. In a flash Madoka revealed her ninja puppet Raven as she placed the puppet ahead of her.

No reason to pretend I don't have it, Zaku saw it in action himself. But he didn't see much of what Raven could do. Which is key...

Madoka began with something that Zaku likely would have been familiar with. As she had Raven fire a series of poison-senbon aimed right for Zaku. During this, Madoka got on Raven's back and used her puppetry to have the puppet take to the sky as she glanced down at Zaku to keep her eyes on him as she rode on her own puppet.

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Zaku smirked as he saw the puppet burst into action. Heh, did she learn nothing from facing me days ago? Zaku brought out his hands and aimed it right st the senbon storm.

“Decapatating airwaves!”

A burst of air was shot toward the puppet master, blasts aside any thrown element with ease. right as he did so, hisother hand revved up with a different motive.

“Crippling Soundwaves!”

The invisible burst of sound flowed out toward Madoka, shouted by the loud and powerful shockwave of air. The sound wave was guided by zaku’s Chakra, aimed directly toward her ears. Heh, an invisible projectile!

......

Kai patiently waited for his opponet, meditating in the arena, in place. When would his opponet get there? He couldn’t say, if the filthy Xeno would reveal themselves at all

 

[Fire Mana]

Yasu emerged onto the field he was set to battle on. His opponent hadn't seemed to have arrived yet, so he took this time to prepare himself. His black cloak waved in the wind as he reached down to grab feathers from the pouch on his waist.

He held them in his knuckles, hardening them before spinning them around. He had to admit that waiting was pretty boring, but it let him calm down in a way.