Private/Closed Naruto AU: Roleplay

[kyuukestu]

Furījia

The duo had made good time on reaching the clearing. A steady pace and well-charted path allowed Furījia to conserve stamina but, as soon as she arrived at the clearing, she got to work. In a few minutes, she'd booby-trapped the area to satisfaction and then, taking a position in the center of the clearing and giving herself amply space to react to any approaches, she picked out an overturned log, checking it for toxic insects or anything else errant, and sat down to rest. She deactivated the Byakugan, knowing it would take a few minutes for anyone to run across them. She would rest in the meanwhile before surveying incoming shinobi with the re-activated Byakugan.

 

[DarkHydraT]

Tension that had built up over the last couple of minutes was released like a spring as Mori ran into the swamp, staying close to Tomiko. The gameplan for now was to meet up with Madoka and Yasu, but then what? Were they going to hide? Stay on the move? He didn't know. "Hey, Tomiko? What's the plan? We can't just huddle up in a corner and hope for the best, but picking fights is just asking for us to get taken captive." Worry had gotten a foothold in Mori's head, or rather he let it get one. Caution can save lives, and the genin was not risking failing now when there were three other genin working together with him. The peer pressure was about to be real, so he could not afford to make mistakes. The one saving grace of this exam was that he could spend 24 whole hours with Tomiko, that unbreaking rock in the surf of life. No matter what the world threw at her, she would stand tall and keep marching on with a smile. Mori admired that quality about her, if only he was that resilient. He'd work on that later, right now he had other things to occupy himself with. For example, trying to pass this exam.

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

Taji shrugged with a small smile. "If we can even get halfway to the teamwork of wolves, we must be a relatively scary group to have on your tail. As long as we don't meet a group with only Wind Style, we should be able to give everyone a run for their money. Although, Aisha, didn't you have Fire Style? If so, you're a wildcard. When people think of Kumo, they think of Lightning Style for a good reason. Perhaps you can use Wind Style to power up your Fire Style, that will teach them to respect the fangs of a wolf." Content with her little idea, she smiled smugly before getting down to business. "So, what's the plan of attack when we are allowed to hunt?"

 

[Fire Mana]

Aku shifted his weight between his legs, he wasn't anxious, but he was considering his options. It went against his usual, somewhat aloof outward appearance, but talking to some of the other thieves might give him some advantage going into the swamp. He knew he shouldn't though, it was dangerous for others to be around him. He already broke his rules regarding getting to know others when he met Sema before the first test. Still, it might not have been a bad idea, if it wasn't for the fact that...

"Now then, Thieves, your time to enter begins now!"

...the second test had already started.

The older boy remained still for a moment as his junior competitors quickly ran ahead of him. When he realized that his time to get into the forest ahead of the other team had already begun, most of the others were already a decent way ahead of him.

Wait, shit! What the hell am I doing?

Aku quickly shook himself back into the present as he felt his body heat up, mostly from the fiery chakra he was preparing to put to use, but admittedly some of it was from embarrassment as well. Small jets of flame shot from his palms as he rushed into the forest, giving him a noticeable boost as he desperately ran forwards to catch up with the others.

Stop thinking about what you should and shouldn't do, or what you do or don't deserve, at least until this is over. All you need to focus on is passing this test, right here, right now.

 

[kyuukestu]

Sagisō

Curious scenery distracted the Nadeshiko while the journeyed to and fro through the rain village. The atmosphere and architecture of the village were eras apart from those found in the leaf village. While she hadn't the fettle to take note of it earlier, now that sight-seeing was her intention, inquisitive nature was unrestrained, she soaked in the sights. Before long, they arrived at Azumi's apartment. It was a bit shabby, but the Skillful Star understood that as a facet of the sheer number of people living in such a limited space.

'Why would they choose to live in such tight-knit areas...?'

After passing through several towns and villages, occupied by shinobi and otherwise, it was a consistent oddity that Sagisō had noticed. The land was nothing if not vast and abundant and yet the people seemed more than content to cluster themselves together, building stacked next to each other like a pile of cement bricks.

As Azumi entered her home, the Skillful Star opted to remain outside. Though an invitation inside went unspoken, the girl was, for once, extremely mindful of her manners, and made no attempt to invade her friend's home without a more explicit invitation. Instead, she allowed her thoughts to stir, consuming her attention as she passed the time with her thoughts.

 

[sSoul]

Taiyo
Once the duo reached the clearing, the focus of the exams had now shifted to a game of waiting. Taiyo dispelled his signature technique now that he knew for sure that the most recent modification worked to his intentions, allowing him to take notice of Furījia putting some booby traps in place.

"So, anything I could do to help?" The fiery shinobi turned to his partner and laid out an inquiry in order to avoid making a mess of things by adding anything that would ruin the plans of the Hyūga. Since she had been doing most of the heavy lifting up until this point, the Leaf-nin knew that he couldn't afford to fall behind.

Furījia seems more...confident than when I last spoke to her. I mean, if I did anything to help that along I'm glad...but I don't wanna be left behind
…

I mean to say that you were ever on the same pace was a bit of a stretch. I mean, our claim to fame is that we invented some cool technique. Big whoop, anyone can do that. She's the heiress of a noble clan, there's really not much one can do to compete with that. Especially if you're just some nobody.

 

[kyuukestu]

Furījia

"Hmmm..." the heiress pondered aloud, then offered a suggestion "watch my back?"

"If you watch the sky and my back then I'll watch your back and the underground. We should notice anyone with amply time to spare."

The girl stopped at that; but, her mind pondered further. To survive the full 24-hours they would need to work in shifts so that at least one of them would be awake and alert. Since she didn't plan to hunker down in this area (it was a good place to lay a trap but a terrible place to set up camp), she allowed her mind to wander, considering the characteristics that would be ideal for a camp...

 

[Godjacob]

"Mori relax, no matter what we do getting in a panic attack isn't helping anyone's odds." Tomiko said as she kept close to her fellow Iwa comrade as it seemed Mori already worried over what the plan was would be as nerves set in and of course Tomiko had a more eager excitement for what was to come. Though still Mori brought up a point of a plan as Tomiko thought it over during their search for Madoka and Yasu.

"Well, I presume the more detailed one comes when we bump into Madoka and Yasu, you guys are better idea guys, but my guess it we either keep going on the run around the forest or set up a defensive position and try to mask it in the swamp. Much as it soils the pride some digging could help the hunters pass over us limiting just the special eye guys to worry over." Tomiko said, with her well colorful description as she proposed least one idea.

Madoka in turn worked to get close to the others, the four had been around similar entrances so in theory it would not be long till their paths crossed. Madoka had been with Yasu already so they just needed to group up and then they could plan where to go or what to do. Madoka scanned her sides of the swamp as they jumped from one tree branch to the next. "Well, this place is just lovely, see any spots ideal to hide away in? Or think it would be best to move about laying low?"

-----
Rika quickly moved about the swamp before settling on a muddle lake, the thought of it made her shiver but she figured an unconventional spot to lay low and the muk in the water would help mask her presence. With a sigh, she formed hand signs and muttered a justsu quietly to herself.

"Water Style: Aqua Bubble."

Rika produced a bit of an air bubble around herself, before she jumped in the water as the little self-made air pocket would allow her to breath fine as well as protect her from the lake & its "offerings" even if the environment around her was a bit disgusting as she masked herself under the water in silence. Course, this was just the first part of her plan as she swam to the bottom, time to do some work...

-----
"Alright, just go to the opposite end of this swamp and run about, try to hide. And do what you can to throw off trail back to me. Understand?"

"Yes."

Sakura spoke with her clone at the top of a tree by the edge of the swamp, as the clone nodded before it dashed off aiming to guise as herself long as it could. Though that was just one precaution the student of Kakashi prepared for herself. As she cast a masking Genjutsu over herself which would conceal her sight and hide her sounds, making her appear as just some wind among the trees moving with the natural breeze. Course, there were Dojutsu applicants so this alone was not gonna cut it, which is why Sakura picked this spot in particular to set up camp.

On the exterior "rim" around her area were some low level flowers that Sakura used to prep a Genjutsu trap to anyone who passed by them; an odor would drift to them and work to make the tree she was on appear to them that it was never there. A subtle but strong security measure, if all else failed Sakura had a pair of escape routes to take from her high position and the flowers on her tree provided natural ammo if things got down and dirty. All in all she felt as prepared as can be for what was to come.

----------
"Game plan is easy. Sky and Luna along with yours truly already got a few scent signatures from several applicants. We simply tail the scent of one of the thieves and well...puts us in the right direction to plan an ambush as it were." Aisha said among their group with a hushed tone and sly smirk as she seemed a bit confident in their chances, as compared to other hunters they had both the tracking skills and already displayed survival skills in their training which seemed to cover all bases.

Kenji seemed to nod as he got the message easily enough. Well, least they had a way to seek out possible targets as those trusty noses gave them an advantage as far as tracking had gone. "Hard to plan for everything given we don't know what is in the swamp, though we should be prepared for traps." Kenji said as it seemed standard junk to talk over but hey in the heat of it a careless oversight could cost them.

-----
Zino himself seemed casual as can be during this, as really he had no extended plan beyond just search the swamp and find who he could. His twin Dojutsu would allow him a greater visual field and should help remove most Genjutsu deception attempts, but Zino was not gonna count on anything.

Zino had paused to consider what happened if he met one of his fellow Hyuga in there, as he had been certain Furijia at leadt was a thief, but then he shrugged. He had not trained for months to just lament how he fell short compared to more full blooded Hyuga, if anything a part of him would be eager to see how he measured up as he waited for their cue to begin.

-----
Ino and Takato naturally paired up as the strength in numbers philosophy would serve them both well, well more like Takato was dragged by Ino once the two were revealed to both be hunters but Ino was more of a natural idea type and her skills might be useful for this concept. Though Takato just internally hoped they avoided Sakura, if those two met int his environment he could be stuck a while as they sorted off sparks of their "rivalry" as it were.

Either way, Takato had that sinking feeling this would be a long 24 hours...

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

A bell rang all throughout the swamp, signifying that the hunters had been released and ready to prowl. Several blurs rushed into the swamp, making an uproar as they did do. It looked like fighting had already insued amongst several of the hunters.

Kai decided to distance himself from the majority of the Hunters, seeing a rather unsightly display of other Xenos slicing into other Xenos. Shaking his head, he decided to play the calm and silent approach, stealthily creeping from branch to branch. As a hunter nin, Kai was trained to move without even the slightest sound. To act like an assassin and move like one.

 

[kyuukestu]

Shaula ~ Koki'o transformation

The girl waded into the swamp, wandering off alone. She hid amongst the muddy mangroves, searching for a particularly pleasant spot to bury herself. Not long after she'd started, she found what she was looking for. A spot of thick mud: moist but not to wet, darkened by the tree shadows and covered in recently shed mulch. It was perfect. The scorpion shed the facade of a girl, it's fair skin and fiery red hair fading to prickly trichobothria and firm chitin.

The arachnid buried herself beneath the mud, then allowed it to completely submerge her. She had no need for air in the traditional sense, her book-lungs meant that even underwater she could persist for days. The 24 hours allotted to the exam would pose no problems. Her whisper-thin trichobothria, sensitive enough to detect wing-beats just overhead, were now attuned to the mud around her. She would sense any movements passing overhead or in the earth around her. Natural gifts alone put her among the best of hunters and Shaula had no intention to waste her advantages.

Nevertheless, she was a patient hunter. An ambush hunter. She would strike when the time was right; but, for now, she slept. Nocturnal by nature, Shaula would let the daylight hours pass before she began her hunt.

 

[DarkHydraT]

"Hiding like a Mole could save our hides, maybe we can create clones to lead most chasers away? I wouldn't worry about your pride though, you'll get it back when we reach the final stage. Ninja are not exactly supposed to hold themselves to pride and honor, and I know that is rich coming from me. My dad once said that honor is arrogance. A ninja must do whatever has to be done to protect those that rely on them. No deed, no matter how shameful, is wrong as long as those behind them get to live. To put one's honor and morals before one's duty, is the greatest act of arrogance and failure as a protector." Mori quoted poetically, thinking back to his parents. "I guess we can think something up, but I am not the brightest kunai in the pouch. You noticed that back when we were still in the academy, I can't even count all the times you put me on your shoulder to bring me back whilst I yelled to put me down because, dang it, I got the point on my hands." A chuckle, followed by silence. "Hey, Tomiko? Do you think our parents will be watching us in the third round? What if we don't make it to the third round? Wouldn't that be a big disappointment?"

Anxiety rose to the surface again as the mole genin thought about their respective parents going all the way to Ame, only to find that their children didn't make it to the final round. He knew he was not going to get too much of a reprimanding, but Tomiko's parents had to leave their bakery behind to visit and miss income that way. It was an expensive trip for them, and Mori could not help but feel bad for them should Tomiko fail. He'd have to help her, but it had to be subtle. If she found out, she would reject any help he'd offer. Was it pride? He didn't know, but surely she knew that he just wanted to help in that situation?

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

Taji nodded in approval. "Good job Aisha, I'd recommend that we track those signatures first. The rain might erase some scent trails, but they are still fresh. Should they be hard to track, the rain made the ground muddy. Anyone walking on the ground will leave footprints and move slowly. How well can Luna and Sky climb or traverse muddy terrain? We can catch any stragglers that way and assure a place in the finals for one of us at least. Think of this part as Kenji Satoru's Great Demise, part two. You survived the mountains of Kumo, these swamps should be managable as well. Like Kenji said, stay alert for traps. Do not get an open wound though, there is an incredibly high chance of infection with the mud and swamp being all around us. You can bet that parasites and the like would jump at the presented opportunity." Briefing her teammates, she heard a bell. "You heard the bell toll, now it is time that our targets hear them toll too."

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

“...”

Bobo walked slowly across the swampy grounds, his shoes miraculously not being tarnished by the muck and gunk that comprised it. Along his walk, he heard a chatter in the distance. Cracking his head toward the sound, the mime wannabe decided to investigate.

Slowly but surely making it around the area, Bobo was met with Mori and Tomiko, who appeared to be discussing their plans and...life story? He stared at them intensely from behind the veil of trees, heavy breathing coming from it as it’s stoic smile changed however slightly wider.

 

[sSoul]

Taiyo
Although he was somewhat underwhelmed with Furījia's suggestion, Taiyo decided that watching his partner's back would be a productive use of his time. Unfortunately, the task was rather boring in nature, leaving the atmosphere to silence that was waiting to be filled by conversation. However, the fiery shinobi had an idea on a topic that would help them pass the time spent waiting for an attack.

"Hey Furījia, you remember how you asked me if I believe in fate?" Taiyo began as he scanned both the sky above him and the ground in front of him as part of his surveillance, "To be honest, I don't really think that fate exists. As far as I'm concerned, no one's really destined for any sort of great task. But that's the fun part: we get to blaze our own trails. Even if there's a path that we're somewhat forced onto, it's ultimately up to us if and how the path continues." Once Taiyo was finished with his part of the conversation, he decided that it would be best to turn the question back to the Hyūga.

"What about you Furījia, do you believe in fate?"
Tsuki
At last, the bell had rung, giving the hunters their cue to spring into action. Although she was slightly put off by the speed the scenario devolved into combat, Tsuki eventually got her bearings together and began her hunt. Her primary plan was to shadow Kai to the best of her abilities, since it was likely that his expertise would lend him stealthy and efficient movement, Fortunately, she noticed a figure that seemed to be Kai traversing above the trees, so she scaled the trunk of the nearby evergreen and trailed about 5 feet behind the Yuki Prince.

Hopefully Kai finds a few target soon, then I can swoop in and claim a reward out of the leftovers of his work~

 

[kyuukestu]

Furījia

"Yes," a simple reply followed by a moment's respite as Furījia considered Taiyo's question further and sieved through the words in her mind, picking out the correct ones to explain her beliefs. After a moment, she spoke up once more.

"Fate is undeniable."

It was another simple statement, no more informative than the first; but then, the girl continued.

"Fate is not the future, it is the past. It's...it's things you have no control over. You always have control over your future, that's what my mother says; but, where you were born; who you were born to; the circumstances of birth and family...that is fate. There's nothing you can do about those things and they're certain to push you towards certain paths. Those things that were decided at birth; that is fate."

Hyōryugetsu

Though the Hōzuki was eager to make headway, to track down those she'd tagged earlier and extract what she could from their recollection, a greater sense of logic and methodological working appealed her to do otherwise. However much she could do alone even more could be done with help. As the saying went: 'Time spent sharpening the ax may well be spared from swinging it.'

She shadowed her target from the get-go: neither hurriedly nor stealthily. She had initially thought to conceal herself if only to respect her target's intent to remain hidden; but, she soon noticed Tsuki scaling the most conspicuous tree in the entire swamp, the sole evergreen, a tree that wasn't native to swamps and that stood out like a sore thumb, taller than the surrounding mangroves and swamp-plants and touting bristle-like leaves instead of the more frequently seen broader ones. Hyō half-imagined the proctors had planted it in the swamp for shits and giggles; never would they have ever dreamed anyone would actually scale it. She wouldn't have been the least bit surprised if the tree was rigged in some sort of way, and for a brief moment, she was concerned about Tsuki's well-being. Since, after several moments, nothing seemed particularly remise, Hyō shifted her focus.

"Do you have a moment, Prince?" She called out to him, knowing he'd be somewhere in the vicinity.

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

“...”

within moments, Kai descended to a lower branch, becoming visible to Hyo. It seems Kai was watching Tsuki during their journey thus far. Not seeming threatened by Hyo, but knowing of what she was calling him for.

“...It appears I have time.”

 

[sSoul]

Taiyo
Given that she had initially brought up the concept of fate, Taiyo assumed that the Hyūga held some conviction on the topic. However, the fiery shinobi was pleasantly surprised by the perspective that Furījia introduced to him. .

"I guess you've got a point. I've never really thought about fate in regards to the past," The FBS master chuckled as he spoke to his partner, taking the time to ruminate on what else he wanted to say, "But even if fate is uncontrollable, I wouldn't just give my livelihood to fate. What's decided at your birth shouldn't determine how you live your life. I get that some upbringings are harder to rise up from than others, but everyone has the potential to make something of themselves. Why worry about the things you can't control when you can focus on the things that you can?" He ended on the question hoping that the Hyūga would take the cue to share more of her beliefs.
Tsuki
The Yuki-nin didn't get very far before the Hozuki snuck up behind her and called out to Kai, who had come down shortly after Hyo had called to him. This caused Tsuki's face to turn beet red as she descended down the minimal distance she had actually climbed, making her best attempts at hiding her reddened face. Currently, the icy kunoichi's hands were clasped over her face to conceal her embarrassment and she took the time to hide behind the tree that she tried to climb in hopes that neither Kai nor Hyo would see her.

This is utterly humiliating! Maybe if I just stay over here, they'll ignore me and give me time to recover from this blunder...

 

[kyuukestu]

Furījia

Her lips became a line as she thought. She agreed with Taiyo and yet...she also didn't. She agreed with his general sentiments, you could not change the unchangeable so your time was better spent elsewhere. But there was something that bothered her about the way he said it. As she mulled over his words, her attention focused on one phrase in particular: 'I get that some upbringings are harder to rise up from than others, but everyone has the potential to make something of themselves.'

The thought baffled her for a moment but soon after, realization dawned on her.

'Oh...we're looking at it differently.'

In her own view, there really was nothing to 'rise up from'. She was already the daughter of a Noble Clan, how much higher could she go? Daughter of the Feudal Lord?

If she wanted it, a life of debauchery in the lap of luxury would've been hers to enjoy. It'd taken her a brief moment to realize that when most people talked about fate, they meant it in the sense of bettering themselves and their circumstances. They wanted to 'make something of themselves', as Taiyo had put it.

Despite the revelation, it still took her an additional moment to pick her words.

"That's true..." she ventured tentatively, trying to explain things from her point of view, "but, for people like me, it isn't right. It would be...irresponsible."

"My birthday is in a few days. I got my presents early since we wouldn't be in the village to celebrate or anything. Do you know what my mother got me? I love ice cream, so she bought out the Ice cream shop near Amaguriama. It usually turns a tidy profit, but the last two attacks on the village have hurt a lot of the village's small businesses. No one's got money to splurge on ice cream when things are so hectic. That's the main reason we could buy them out so easily. If you want to get some ice cream when we get back to Konoha then it'll be on the house, hehe~.

"I'm not trying to brag but...I've got it good. Like...really good. It comes with being nobility; but, there are two sides to that coin. As rich and privileged as I am, it isn't free. Noblesse Oblige; Nobility Obligates. Since I enjoy these privileges, I also have to accept the responsibility that comes with it. That is my fate. I could fight it, refuse to become a shinobi, refuse to do right by Clan and creed; but then I'd be nothing more than a leech. A parasite to the village."

Hyōryugetsu

The Hōzuki briefly wondered how she should broach the subject, but she figured any tact she came with would be wasted on Kai. Rather than beat around the bush, she went straight to the meat of the matter. She hesitated only long enough to ensure that the surroundings were clear and then spoke in hushed tones.

"Lady Mizukage passed a directive to my Clan. She wanted us to investigate the group that attacked the village three months ago. We've made some progress, but whoever they were, they concealed themselves quite well. We figured that the best way to catch a thief is with another thief, so we're looking into a few rogue groups. The Chūnin exam provides a rare opportunity where intel from all corners of the world gathers and we want to use this chance to advance our search as much as possible. If you come across anyone from Konoha it would be nice if you could squeeze some other intel regarding a snake? The circumstances around the attacks on the Leaf could assist our search."

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

“I think I see where you are coming from...”

Kai’s attention had been caught. Damos was a big matter to him, so much so that he still carried the Book from the archives of the Yuki Clan’s forbidden section. Nodding his head the Yuki seemed very agreeable.

“I agree on the pursuit along this chain of thinking, but why are we searching into the rogue ninja Orochimaru if we were attacked by some demon from beneath the wretches of the earth? And why would genin have such important actual intel on hand?”

 

[kyuukestu]

Hyōryugetsu

The questions Kai had asked were within expectations, they were reasonable questions who's answers Hyō had no reason to withhold.

"There aren't that many notable groups which the capacity to attack one of the great villagers, in fact, you could probably count them on one hand. There's certainly no more than 5 such groups in existence, and that's a generous number. The chances are high that such groups would have similar methods or have crossed paths with each other. Furthermore, that group was clearly after jinchuriki, and might I remind you Orochimaru possessed two.

"We aren't looking for singular answers from any of the examinees. We're being inductive. We want to amass a lump sum of information; many smaller tidbits from which we can draw general conclusions. Those small pieces of information can be connected to show the big picture. They may also be privy to a lot more than you think."

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Normally, Kai would instruct Hyo to leave it to the Yuki clan to gather information about Damos. But considering his recent skepticism regarding their practices, or rather his father’s, he decided to ignore that part of his brain.

“A wise move. Albeit I doubt Damos could be in league with the snake...the possibility is not ruled out. Very well, we should pool together what we know and come back to each other at a further time...”

He decided to leave out the existence of the book for now, for it might cause damage to the Yuki’s reputation if anyone found out that they withheld
Information.

 

[kyuukestu]

Hyōryugetsu

"I'll be in touch, just look for the mist."

The Hōzuki nodded and prepared to depart but, on second thought, she paused and pointed a finger at the branch Tsuki was perched in. She pursed her lips and made a soft mutter—bang~—intending to shatter the branch with her water pistol. Tsuki should've been able to catch herself (probably) and even if she couldn't, she wasn't falling from that high. In either case, Hyō would've made a simple point.

"Don't cover your eyes when you're in the field; you'll get hurt."

She would've giggled at the girl's distress, but she hadn't the time to linger around much longer. Instead, she cupped her hands together, her fingers melting together into a watery mass from which she released a single fist-sized jellyfish. Being made from water, it was translucent which granted it a strong camouflage that would only enhance within bodies water.

"Carry that around with you and try not to get hurt, it's a part of my body so you can contact me through it if you get in trouble."

The aqua-form creation was one of the techniques the Hōzuki had picked up recently. It wasn't very strong but it was versatile and, if needs be, she could connect her senses to it. What that really meant was—

"You can hug it if you get scared, it'll be just like hugging me~"

A teasing chortle followed her words but her voice and body began to fade as the shimmered and vanished. The swamp-water rippled slightly where she once stood, alluding to her disappearance into the waters below.

 

[sSoul]

Taiyo
When he heard the points that Furījia had discussed about the benefits and responsibilities of a nobleperson, Taiyo couldn't help but shrug. Everything she had said was logical, yet there was still a part of him that wanted to talk about his experiences. However, he realized that there weren't any thoughts he had that he could put into words about the topic, so he opted to voice his agreement with Furījia.

"That sounds right. Every benefit should come with a price." The FBS master mused out loud, thinking about what else to discuss. Eventually, he decided to switch gears to the topic of Furījia's birthday.

"I didn't know your birthday was around the corner. We could get some ice cream to celebrate if you're alright with that." Taiyo gave one of his signature warmth-filled grins as he made the offer. Of course, he would have to think of a gift for the heiress of the Hyūga when the occasion actually arose, but Taiyo didn't know the type of gifts that his partner would be looking for,
Tsuki
Unfortunately for Tsuki, more embarrassment was thrusted upon her as Hyo shot a bullet of water on the branch that she was perched on, causing her to hit the ground earlier than she would've initially intended. Fortunately, she managed to land on her feet and avoid any serious injury, but the redness that painted her face was exposed since she had to remove her hands from her face in order to balance herself better.

Well that's just great, more humiliation...

Upon hearing the obvious advice that the Hōzuki had to offer, the Yuki-nin's embarrassment gave way to anger due to the patronization that was now thrust upon her. To further the point, Hyō had the audacity to give the icy kunoichi a jellyfish that she could "hug when she was scared", addressing her as if she were a child. While Tsuki took the gift with a sheepish smile on her face, she wasted no time in stuffing the aquatic creature into her pocket with chilling vexation.

"Sorry about all of that, Kai. I'll see you around," Tsuki's tone lacked any friendliness it usually held due to the newfound conviction that she held. After bidding a somewhat insincere farewell, the Yuki-nin indignantly set off on her own path to success, using the chaos in the background as a cover until she found somewhere that would better prove to be better concealment.

She must think I'm a child or something! I'll show her that I don't need her to come to my rescue nor do I need to hug a stupid jellyfish for comfort!

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

“...Hope you make it through this trial I’m one piece.”

He said this to himself as Tsuki disappeared, leaping soundlessly back Into the tree branches himself. He had to focus on passing rather than focusing on someone else. Slowly making his way near the middle of the swamp, he made sure to obscure himself from sight. If he caught the unsuspecting ninja at a disadvantage, he’d take it in a heartbeat.

 

[kyuukestu]

Furījia

As Taiyo turned to flash a sunny smile at the Hyūga heiress, she promptly pressed a finger to his cheek and pushed his attention back to the forest behind them, the area he was supposed to be watching instead of flashing googly eyes at her. Her actions severed to keep the boy focused on the task at hand; but, they also prevented Taiyo from seeing the faint blush that colored her cheeks. Her lips pressed into a pouty line. He was supposed to be watching her back; not flirting with her!

Regardless, she wasn't opposed to his suggestion.

"Sure...if you earn Chunin then we can go celebrate. At least then I wouldn't be footing the bill for my own celebration."

Yasu

"Is it...one of yours?"

Yasu raised an eyebrow, looking askance at Madoka.

"You've got pretty poor taste in puppets if this is your new thing. Well, it sure is unnerving."

His eyes shifted back to the subject in question: the heavy breathing, crooked smiling, forest lurking, mime looking, stalker acting, creep alerting, thing known as Bobo. Yasu had stealthily plucked a feathery dart in preparation for an assault, but had broken the silence and alerted the group to the opponent's presence with a flakey joke. At the least, his joke would set the mood, lessening the inherent tension of having someone stalk them.

Lowering his tone until only his team could hear, Yasu all but whispered.

"Do you think he's a hunter...?"

 

[Godjacob]

"I know I know, look I spent the last time in Konoha's forest digging underground. Granted, I was looking for scrolls and some action but I know when to play it cool." Tomiko assured, in spite of preference she was a ninja like anyone else here so she knew when she had to bite her tongue and play smarter not harder. Though as the topic shifted towards their parents for the third exam, Tomiko felt something off...her seismic sense felt something move about them, but the steps were light almost weightless which made it hard to pin down compared to the usual.

This caused Tomiko to frown her brow in confusion, but as she turned her back to whatever direction she had sensed it from she focused on her convo with Mori as Madoka & Yasu grouped up around them. Or least she appeared to anyway as it seemed Yasu had also picked up on the presence watching them. "W-well uh course I'd want to see them come but can't ask them to pull the bank to come here if I made it through. Would have to be a sudden decision based on if I made it to the third round or not, and really I can't ask them to sacrifice time away from the shop." Tomiko said, though as she spoke casually about that she made a point to try and direct Mori & Madoka's gaze to her hands she had her back conceal; making a hand sign signal as if to warn him she felt they may have been watched as they spoke. Making sure to convey her message with a degree of subtly towards Madoka and Yasu, as the latter seemed to acknowledge Yasu's comment.

This was not her puppet, and whatever it was, they needed to decide what to do about it. And quickly. As the moment, Madoka had a hand masked in her pocket but threads already formed as had been ready to strike at a moment's notice.

----------
"We've lived in the harsh environments rain included. Some mud won't slow us down~" Aisha said as she pet Luna & Sky who grinned with affection as they seemed to have firm resolve. And yeah, the rain was a problem but hey they had to track food in the rain, so tracking scents even those hindered or faded by the rain had not been a new experience.

"And let's not waste the moment. Let's go." Kenji mused and before long the group sat out as Aisha took lead with Luna & Sky in toe as the group set off in the swamp and Aisha already began to sniff the air. The rain made it naturally hard to follow trails, though there seemed to be one she managed to pick up upon; one of the recent ones she snuck a sniff near, a kusa ninja if she read the headband correctly.

-----​

Unaware of the possible trail by the Kumo Inuzuka and her comrades, that Kusa nin (An unassuming died blonde with a cut under the right eye) had paired himself with another thief who seemed to be a Konoha-nin with short brown hair; they seemed to have set up shop as they tried to use thick foliage that masked their flank in a spot of clearing as one worked on camp while the other scouted.

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

“...”

*Sprong!*

Suddenly, Bobo leaped up from the foliage, landing down in front of All four of the onlooking ninja. After landing, it held its hands up straight to the sky like it was an Olympic athlete that landed a jump. Fanfare sounded from an unknown source as the mime made it’s presence known loud and clear.

“Bo!”



......


A hunter nin always stalked a target ever so carefully. Picking off ones that were focused on other things were always ideal. In this case...

Approaching Shiho’s position, Kai readied a few senbon. He wasn’t sure if he was a hunter or a thief, but from the shame her brother put the Yuki a few months earlier...he wasn’t going to let that slide.

He thrust the senbon behind the girl, hoping to catch them off guard without a sound.

 

[kyuukestu]

Yasu

Pupils constricting, adrenaline began to pump through the Suna-nin's veins as the little imp sprung at them. He didn't know what it wanted to do, but he sure as hell wasn't going to let it finish. A deft flick of the wrist sent his feather-dart flying, silent death piercing towards their opponent as Yasu simultaneously sprung backward to gain some distance.

 

[DarkHydraT]

Mori couldn't resist a smug grin from crawling its way onto his face. "Well well well, guess I made more of an impact than I thought back at the academy. I inspired you and you didn't even feel the need to tell me, how mean." Sniffing to sell the scene even more, the mole genin chuckled. "Maybe I can convince my parents to drag yours along if we make it to the third round, I don't see why they would be against it. Let's focus on our mission for now, that is more important after all." Tomiko's hand sign caught his attention and sent all his senses into high alert as he replied to Yasu in the same tone as the Suna-nin used. "I don't know, but it is not worth the risk." When the ninja made his presence quite literally loud and clear, Mori uttered a silent swear that would earn him scoldings if his parents heard him. "He's gonna sell us out! Get ready to flee at a moment's notice!" Brandishing his freshly sharpened tanto, he disappeared into the ground and covered up the hole. The only evidence that Mori existed was the pair of footprints that suddenly stopped. This whole situation reminded him of Absurd, and he sure hoped that history would not repeat itself. Even without a Tailed Beast around, they were still being hunted. If he had to think of one positive thing that just happened, at least his scent was getting masked by the mud a bit.

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

A solemn nod was all that Taji had to add to the conversation before the trio, no, quintet of Kumo entered the swamp and started to hunt down any unfortunate souls that Aisha had caught wind of. Preparing herself to draw her bow and unleash a barrage of arrows, the kunoichi exhaled a breath that had been caught in her throat for a while. The second part of the exam had officially started and there was no way out, except failure. Shifting the mass on her back, she inadvertedly thought about the ink drawings on her back. Although they could not be damaged anymore by movement, she still was careful of them. The cresent moon in the nape of her neck and the open bird cage on her left shoulder blade were permanent reminders of her old life that she left behind, she had a new and scary life in front of her with knowledge she didn't have last time. If the first big event of her new life was failure, she'd never forgive herself. She had to pass as her mouth transformed into a grim line and chakra was preparing itself to be unleashed on an unsuspecting target.

 

[Grand Master Koop]

After the hunters received their go ahead, Shiho made her way into the forest where she is supposed to find someone from thief team and recover some form of intelligence. Problem was, she didn't know where to start. The thieves has a good period of head start and probably hid themselves or have some sort of defense set up already. Beside that, just finding one of them would be an entire process, running around in the open probably wouldn't be a very effective means to find people who don't want to be found. "Ah man, this is a pretty annoying situation." Shiho said to herself.

Getting tired of standing around, Shiho extended her arms above her then crossed them behind her head. She began stretching, loosening her body a bit. As she bend her body to the side, a Senbon flew right by her ear. Had she not moved, the needle would have struck her head. "What was that?" The girl mumbled before turning around.

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Shiho was met with a familiar masked Yuki who had already prepared another senbon in response, hurling it toward the startled ninja. It aimed for their neck, to slow their breathing and lead to a painless victory, for Kai at least.

If this did not succeed, he put his hand behind his back and prepared a few hand signs.

 

[sSoul]

Seiun
Letting out an amused chuckle, Seiun decided to humor B.O.S.E.C during the time he was waiting for his audience with his brother.

Relax, I got the result I was looking for anyway, so who cares. In the meantime, let me be the first to point out that you’re like a machine. You’re great at predicting statistical outcomes, but you’re not the best at accurately understanding human interaction. If I had said exactly what you said to that attendant, he would’ve been weirded out since I had information that I wouldn’t normally have access to. But by taking the basis of what you said and turning it into something that won’t draw his suspicion, I convinced the attendant to get me an audience with the big lug himself. At any rate, this whole apologizing thing is something I gotta do myself so until this is over, I won’t be needing you for conversations.

Snapping out of his headspace and back into reality, the rogue shinobi followed the attendant to the keep of Lord Yasei to discuss the information that he claimed to have. One of the first things that Seiun noticed about his brother’s appearance was that he had the same tired, dazed look as his attendant. While he was always told that Xingyu Yasei, the great heir of the Yasei Noble Clan, was always a hard working man, the stories led the former Ame-nin to believe that his brother could handle the workload. Now, it seemed that the paperwork that was suffocating his desk was beginning to suffocate him as well.

“Guess tired depression is a running theme in this place,” Despite the hardship that Seiun was about to endure, he still made time to wisecrack, mainly because it helped him swallow his nerves.

“Cut the pleasantries. Where’s my brother?” If Xingyu’s appearance betrayed his exhaustion, his tone refused to do the same.

“Right, sorry about that,” The rogue nervously chuckled as he prepared himself to say the words that would change his fate, “Well...I don’t have him, nor do I actually know where he is.”

“Men, seize this wretch!” Before Seiun could react, two hidden shinobi revealed themselves and grasped tightly around the traitor’s arms, inhibiting his offensive capabilities. Now that Seiun was rendered helpless, Xingyu rose to his feet, his tired demeanor fading as he drew his weapon of choice, the ancestral sword of the Yasei Noble Clan, and aimed the point of blade towards Seiun’s throat.

“I must say, I commend you for having the balls to deceive me, the Lord of the most powerful clan of Amegakure. So, any last words? Or should I cut to the chase right here?”

Did this guy really just make a pun as he was about to murder me..?

“Firstly, I think that pun was just in poor taste. Seriously, ‘cut to the chase’, where’s all that nobleman’s class that I know you have buried under that husk of exhaustion?” Unable to resist his urges, Seiun once again quipped in spite of his fear, causing the Lord of the Clan to give his brother a deadpan before moving in for the kill, “WAIT!”

“What is it now, scum?! Haven’t you said enough for this world?” Xingyu’s temper flared, yet he refused to kill his target due to an unexplainable sense of fairness. This gave Seiun enough time to try and save his life.

“The truth is...I am Seiun Yasei!” Dispelling the disguise, the revealed shinobi gave a determined glare towards the heir of the clan. He paused to let the impact of his statement sink in for Xingyu. Unexpectedly, the nobleman began to let out a low, sardonic chuckle rife with venom.

“So, you have returned, Seiun…” Xingyu’s tone was undisturbed, its frosty serenity betraying the frigid rage that was welling up within the Lord, “I’ve grown tired of your games. If you have anything else to say, then say it quickly.”

The jig is up now...guess I gotta commit to this. If he’s gonna kill me, then I at least owe him some kind of explanation for my crime.

“To be blunt, Mom and Dad were assholes...I know it may be hard for you to believe, but that’s because you were their favorite, whereas me and big sis were just mistakes in their eyes. As it turns out, that kind of treatment tends to lead to resentment, but unlike big sis, I acted on my hatred for them,” To his dismay, his words seemed to ring hollow, but since his brother had yet to silence him, Seiun figured that he should try to say as much as he could before he was run through, “But the day I planned on killing them, they went on a mission and realized how wrong they had treated both my sister and I. When I found out about this, I realized how much I screwed up, but I couldn’t extract the poison from the wine I planted in their wine...I killed them, and I felt awful about it. I’ll admit, I ran away from this place, but the time to own up to my misdeeds. So, like our father before me, I ask not for your forgiveness, but I ask for the opportunity to atone” He lowered his head to indicate to Xingyu that he had nothing more to say.

The nobleman took a moment of silence to ruminate on everything he heard from his brother, piecing together information he had prior with information he had gained from this conversation. Eventually, he arrived at an epiphany.

“Poison, hmm?” The temper faded from Xingyu’s tone, now taking a more thoughtful diction, “The day our parents died, one of the workers said that they were poisoned, but there was no way that you would’ve had access to that poison, since mom and dad rarely let you leave the estate. Therefore, I decided to investigate this matter, discovering that there were moles in our ranks. Someone set you up...granted, we had rooted them out long before now, but I still can’t help but ponder on who was behind this, and what they hoped to achieve...” This revelation gave Seiun something to ponder on for a time as the nobleman turned to the attendant and asked him to bring his sister to his presence. The attendant carried out his orders without hesitation and the middle child of Hueici and Sumire Yasei had been reunited with her siblings.

“So I guess you thought now was the most opportune time to invite me to this little family reunion huh?” Like her brothers, Shōku had her own sense of dry wit, much to Xingyu’s chagrin.

“Spare me the humor today, Shō. I know it isn’t my place to ask, but was it true that you were treated poorly by our parents?”

“Well, ‘treated poorly’ is one way to put it, but it would be more accurate to say that they emotionally abused me, and according to Seiun, they didn’t change until it was too little. too late.” Now that Seiun’s story was supported by someone who wasn’t a traitor, the Lord couldn’t help but loosen up in his demeanor.

“Men, release him,” Without hesitation, the shinobi followed the command that Xingyu had given, allowing Seiun to move freely once again, The former Ame-nin turned to his brother in confusion, wondering what he would do now that he had demanded him released.

“While our parents were denied the chance to atone for their wrongs, I refuse to allow the same fate to befall my brother,” The young man noticed his younger brother’s relief in his demeanor, causing him to give a small smile, “However, there is only one way that you can truly be redeemed. If you wish to wipe away the stain of your betrayal, you must pledge fealty to our Lord, the Kage of Amegakure.” While it was a simple task on paper, there was a noticeable caveat in that demand.

"Where exactly is the Kage of this place anyway?" Due to his unfamiliarity of the land he once called home, Seiun's question came from a place of genuine intrigue. However, it became apparent that even Xingyu was struggling to find a concrete answer for his question, since he found himself too swamped in paperwork to think about anything else. Fortunately, Shōku was still present, and she held beneficial information for her younger brother.

"Our leader transcends the title of mere Kage. If you wish to speak to Lord Pain, to our god, you must seek the proper place of worship. A church, I go there every Wednesday. There you can confess your sins to his holy disciple the High Priest who will send your request of redemption to Pain. I've got the directions written down in case I ever got lost, I can give them to you if you'd like." Shōku explained to her brother, much to the latter's surprise. Eventually, Seiun gave a nod to his sister, causing her to leave for a bit to get the directions to the church.

Didn't think that this would turn into a religious experience, but I guess truth will always be stranger than fiction.

Fortunately, the young woman didn't take very long to get the map that held the directions to the church. After getting the map from his sister, Seiun decided that it was his time to go, feeling that he had done all that he came to do.

"Well, I guess I'll be going to that church now," Seiun began sheepishly as he turned to exit, "Hopefully, I'll see you two again." As he left his siblings, he noticed that his sister gave a small wave as a goodbye, whereas Xingyu simply returned to his desk to get back to work. Although Seiun was slightly disappointed that his brother wasn't properly seeing him off, he disregarded that feeling as he took his first steps to a definitive future for the first time in 8 years.

"I'll be on my way to the church now. Hopefully, I'll see you guys again,"

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

"I'll be on my way to the church now. Hopefully, I'll see you guys again.”

The instant after he said those words, a intense pain would be felt from his hippocampus, a throbbing, jolting sensation similar to sticking one’s finger in a power outlet.

“̎B̾͗̊̑́͌̆o̿ͤͫͩý͗̈́̓̾̊̚.ͭ̌ͯ̓͋ Y̓o̒̽u ͧ̿̈́hâ̓̓v͐̆̃ͥͦeͩ̌̈ ͧͤ̆̈́̿n̚o͊̾͆ id͆͂͆̓̓̚eͮͤ̍̉ͦa͑̿̐̌ͯͣ ͑wͦhͬ̐̾ͪ̽͐a̎́̿̑ͩ̔t ̀͑Iͣͮ̚ ͐̓a͊ͯ͊̑̏̉͊m̓͒̂.̏̈́ͪ̚”̆

B.O.S.E.C. Emerged from inside him, angry at it’s master. It loomed down at him like a vulture, deciding weather or not to finish it’s living prey off before digging in to the meat.

“́̇ͣTh̾̊͛ͪ͐̈́ͯe͑ͥ̀̓̑rͤe̔͐̓͂ͥ i͒̌s̅ͨ̆̒͐̋̚ ͒̇̒a ͩrẽ̒̒ͣaͦ̍͂ͩ̌̚sͨ͌̽͆͆̏ͫoͥṅ͂ ͣͮ͌w̔͑̓͒ͩh͋́̊ͮ̚yͣ͌̂ͬ͋ ͋ͯI͌ ͑ͮ͐̔ͫͨ̇aͬ̂d̍̂̑͑͌́̑v͌ͨͩ̃i̓̆̏͆̊ͮ̆s͐͑̄̔̇̒͂eͥͨ̓ ͂͛̆̏̑w̾ͬ͛ͭh͗ͮ̄ͫ̽ͩͥa͊̈́ͯ̏̀t̽̈́ͨ̓ ̎͑I ͐̓ͩ̒ͪ͊d͒̐̌͂o.́͋̀̒ ̇ͣ̓M͗ͫ̅͗̂̈a̐̔̉̌̓͑sͨ̑̑̅͋̂te͆̇ͫr̆̀̌͒͆͗̄,̽̊ ̿͗Y̒̂̌͆̿̊ǒͩ̅̚u ̊̌ͯ́m̈͆ͤ̽͛ay̅͐ ̀̃̊hͦ̈̄̚avͮ̋͋̑́̏ȅ́ͪ̆ͩ ͆ͧ͌ͮ͆̄ͬg̅͐o̍͌͆ͩ̃̿tt͂͗̍ē̍̍ͤ͗ͭn͑ ̆̑a͐w̎̑ͤayͪ ̎ͮͫ̃̚wͨ͌̂͒̚ǐ͑̓̀t̔h ͩ̀ͫȁͦͬ ͦsͬ͒̄̐ͬa͑̈̏͒̏̓̑t͋ͬi̅̈́̀s̅f̆̉͋̄̔͆̈a̚c̏̍̍͑̊̾̀t͆̎ͨͬͯõ̊̅̍̐r̆ỳ ͂ỏͬͪ̉ͯ̈ͭuͯ͆ͥ̀͐̓tͬ̒̾͂ͧ̉cõ̽m͐e̐ͭͪ͋̂ ̆̄ͤẗ́ͩ̐hi̒ͭ̒s̃̆̌̓͐̂ t́͛͛͛͌̍ͮi͂̔̊m̒͒e͆͋̉ͧ̅ͧ,̽̑̒̾̏̐ͪ ͭ̓̈́ͬ̚b͌ͦͯ̑͑ͣu̓tͦ̋̂͋ͨ iͧ̀͌ͯ̒̌m͌pͥ̔r̃̋͗͑ov̇ͪ̏̈́ͬͨ̃īͫsͭ̓̎̍̏̏̄ǐͯͥ͊ͨ̽ͮn̚g͛͌ ͭ͂̃ͥ̔wͣ̆̓̋̃ͧi͗ͪl̾ͩ̚l ̂̉ͪ̊̂̉l̽̎́̅eͫaͤ͂̄̊ͮͭď ͩ̀ͥ̎ͬͮ̆t̐̅̒ͫ̇ͯ̃oͧͮͯ́ rͫ̔̽͊̽e͑̂ck̄l̏̎ͨ̃̓ͩeͬ͐̓͐̄sͩ̇́̒̄̆sne̅s͊̆̃̉̌s ͩ̏͗̈a͐ͥͦ̓ͫ͛n̾̆d ͛̆ͤ́ͮ͑̆iͥnj̄͛ͯů̿̓̔r̓́̎ý.ͣ̌̔͐̃ͬ̚”͒ͩ̉͊̐̓̈

That’s when B.O.S.E.C. Seemed to phase slightly into Seiun’s cheek and chin, appearing to caress the flesh.

“̎W͋̌̈͆͛ͬȧ̉̇s̑ͪ̓̂ͫ ͌̈́́̈íͪͯt̿́ͨ̾̇ͫͭ ͒ͣͪ̿͋̓ͫṅ͊̃̊̋ỏ̊͐̀t͊̈ͨ̽ ̈ͨIͬͭͦ͗̀ͨ ̂̔͂͒̓t͌̄̓ͩͩh̆åͪt̎̓̑ͫ ͋̓a̋ͬ̈́͂lͫ͆̊̎ͬ͒l͗̂͂̊ͬ̈ͧoͧŵ́ͧͫ̊ed̊̀ͤ̾ͯ̐ ͧ̅͐͋̽ͨ̉yͥ̓̓ͤ͐ͬ͋ö͋̉̽ͯ͊̎ȕ͆ͨ̄ͭ͆ ̓̇to͑̐̊ͯ̊̊̚ ͆̍̆e͑sc̑͆̾ͤ͂ap͌́ͬé ̎ͤ͗p̄̄̏ri̎ͦ̓̈́́s̽̏ͦͨ̐onͧ͒͋̏̅̚?́ ̎Wa̓̑ͩͥ͛ͭ̃sͭ̏̓̇ͨ̃ ̉iͮ̈́̂͛̎̔t͐̽̐ ̾ͥ̿͋̂̔͛n͛ͮͧͫ̓̓̇ot̓ͥ̓̏ Iͪ t̿̐̂̈́h̊ͪͬat̿̇ͤ ͯ̎̾̏ͨ͌͑ȧͭl͐ͮͦ̈ͮ͒l͐̾̅̍ͧoͦͮw̾͐͌e͆̋͌d͑ ͩͤ̑ͣͭy̾ͮỏͩ͐̎ũͤ́ ̃̄̒ͧá̅̉c̆̽̏ͥ͑cͣͫͫ̂̒͑eŝsͨ ͬ̅̎̀ͫtͥ̅̽͑̒ͧõ̃̂ͬ̑͊ ̋̓̃̾̍ͬ̚Ḡ͂aͮ̍ͤ͑ͯ̇̚heͫd̃̄ͣ̍ͩ̑͒r̓͛̃ͬa̓ͫͨ̎̑ͤ?̍̽̂͂͊ͧ ́Y͂̌̍̀ōͯu͑̑ ͨͦ̇͐̑̚t͐̓͐h̓͂̏i̓̿ͤ̃n͒k̎̐ l͂̉i͒ͥtt̋͗͑ͨ̏l͒̾ͧ͋ͯeͣ ͒̇oͤͬͤ̊͗f̓̒ ͬ̈m̌̎̑̀ͧe͐̋͊͒ͥ̇̂, ̓̓̅̐̍ͭtͯ͋h̅̌̋ͤ͗͋ůs͂̑͂ͫ ̊y͛oͨͣͫͮuͣ d̊̍̌͋͛ẽͮ̚̚v̂͆̈́ͦ̊̇a͑̔̊̽l̊͒ͨͩ͛̋͌u͛̆̍̏e͌̈́̂̎ ̅́̓eͬͮͫ̇v̉̊̅̄͛̅̈en̔̌͛͑ͧ͌ y͒̓̂ͥ̅ͣ̚o͐ȗ̑̆̑r̋ͮ̎̋ͥͦsͭe̒̿̓̋ͬ̂lͣ̀̉̓̾̌̚fͫͧ̏̇ͥ̒͛.”

That’s when B.O.S.E.C. Pinched down on Seiun’s chin and cheeks, and for a moment...it almost seemed like it was actually touching him.

“͆̌̄͊ͣ̐Rͦe͊ͪm̾̒̿e̽͗ͥͤm̈b̿͆̑̈ér.̒̐͐ ͊̃̑T̀h͛iͨ̐̃sͬͫͣͯ ͐î͗͑́sͨͨͭͩ̐ ́̌̐y͐ͯ͌ͩ̋̿̓oͦ̾̈ͯ̋͂ũ̈́̉̇ͣ̏r̍͐ͩ̄̋ ́͑͗ͬdes̍̉ͩ̇ti̓̀n̄y.̽̽ͦ̉̄́”ͩ̚

The A.I. Uttered those words with distain, the tenant of Seiun’s brain acting snide to him. Fading away and back into Seiun’s head, the A.I. Glitched Echoing chuckle was heard.

“̈́Yͭ̔̉̍ͩo̎ͭ͊̽̈́u̽́ ́r̈́ͤ̄̅̽ͬe̾ͭ̓̚ǎ́̾͑̆p͆̅ ͛w̓̿ͨ̂h̃̉̔͊̒̏̒at͛ ͧ́y̔̎o̾ͮ̓̌u̎̒͒ͤ̓ ̊̑̾̔ͭs̉̌͌ͥ̽o̍ͣw̓͊͑, ̆Mͧ̇̌as̓ͭ̍tͦe͑͊̃ͯ̊ͪ͛r͛̓̂̎.͑͊ͮ̈́ͦ̋”

 

[Godjacob]

"Shit! Alright ladies and gentleman time for action!"

Tomiko's sudden cry followed her movement, as already she moved back to gain distance as she faced the curious Bobo who seemed to be the creepiest little guy around, but that had been beside the point. Tomiko stomped her foot down and formed a slab of Earth behind Bobo as if to cut off an immediate area of escape as Yasu seemed to fire a feather his way.

Madoka in kind had produced ole reliable and called fourth Raven, as she fired projectile talons in a swift motion; naturally poisoned as they tried to strike before Bobo had a chance to take initiative.

----------
Kenji's group soon arrived beyond the clearing as Aisha had them go to a stop. Sky and Luna seemed extra attentive to the spot as Aisha glanced back to the pair. Using some non-verbal signs, she seemed to work to get across the scent led beyond there.

"I seem to pick up two cents. Though my trail to track them is getting smaller in the rain. We need to act while they are here or risk being lost if they escape." Aisha said, as she had spoken with a tone only Taji and Kenji would have been able to hear. They would scout the area, seeing the lone ninja on guard though if Aisha's nose was to be trusted another was around. Likely in the make shift foliage camp.

"Seems like a basic enough target. Want to take a shot?" Kenji asked in the same hushed tone towards Aisha and Taji.

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Bobo didn’t make any motions as the feather darts and talons flew at him from two separate directions. As they came in to impale him, when they got within three feet of him...they both stopped dead in their tracks. All momentum was lost instantly. Bobo’s head creaked down, looking straight forward at nothing in particular.

Suddenly. The floating projectiles appeared to swerve in a circle, Yasu’s feather turning to Tomiko and the talons toward Yasu. And without warning, they flung straight at them, not even fluttering in the wind. It’s as if they were imbedded in concrete!

 

[Godjacob]

Madoka in a flash twitched her finger and the talons flew off the path from Yasu as she swung them back around and collected them harmlessly. Or least attmpeted to, as once she tugged upon it she found that for some reason the projectile talons acted like they were bound to the air. Seemed this guy, whatever he was, had some sort of protective jutsu around him that extended to total control of objects near him. Some Wind Release? Madoka had been unsure but as Raven formed a protective stance while she fired a gust of air to knock the talons off Yasu's path, it required a bit more force than she would have liked but avoided the worse for ware for her comrade. With Raven's position, she made a subtle hand sign behind the puppet as she knew she had to act before Bobo pressed his counter attack.

Suddenly, Raven's beak opened as a quick bullet-like stream of air chakra fired out towards Bobo. If this enemy had some sort of defensive/redirected jutsu, she needed to know the limitations sooner rather than later.

Tomiko in kind quickly reacted, as she used her gauntlets to deflect the feather away from the ground before she slammed her palms together. In a seamless transition she aimed to turn the ground under this guy's feet to sticky mud and sink him a bit, careful to avoid her path from intersecting from Mori below. This guy could block projectiles, but could he handle this Tomiko decided to find out as she aimed to pin and immobilize him.

 

[kyuukestu]

Yasu

Eyes narrowing, Yasu closely watched the talon and feather as they were redirected.

'A barrier...?'

Madoka and Tomiko seemed on top of their game, swiftly neutralizing the counter-attacks.

'Then, in that case, I'll add some pressure.'

With a leap, he took to the trees, flattering between the branches and uses the sturdy trunks and foliage as cover. He threw another volley of feathers, tightly nit together in a close formation. It seemed like another futile projectile attack, but hidden within the feathers was a paper bomb which he would detonate the moment it got stuck in the barrier a few feet away from their foe.

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Bobo’s ground appeared to liquify and form an earthen trap due to the efforts of tomiko. However, as it began to form, the feather of Yasu’s appeared to jet right back toward Bobo. Right as the mine’s feet began to sink into the ground, it flew right over to him, the odd ninja gripping the feather as it had the force to rip him from the trap and carry him a few feet into the air.

That’s when Madoka attacked with their puppet. An air bullet was sent his way, throwing the mime off of the feather and sending it spiraling Upwards into the air. Bobo fell back to earth, starting to control their descent until they appeared to stop just three feet off the ground, a noticeable large gash in their front vest from the attack.

From his flank, the feathers that Yasu sent were blocked in a similar fashion to the previous time he had thrown them, stopping within three feet of Bobo. But suddenly, the paper bombs exploded shortly after their impact...only seeming to cup around the impact site and avoiding any harm to the mime. then suddenly...

*CRASH!*

An ear shattering crash was heard, as it seemed A previously translucent Cube shape had broke apart right in front of bobo, scattering into mirrored fragments. The fragments exploded outwards, and as the sound resonated throughout the area...Bobo’s very form appeared to distort. It wobbled in place, changing colors as several different colored Bobos also appeared to phase into reality, counting exactly to the amount of mirrored fragments scattered about.

 

[kyuukestu]

Yasu

The Suna-nin's eyebrows furrowed in dissatisfaction and he observed the opponent closely.

'The gash is new, but he's not even singed? And what was that sound, the barrier?'

Madoka's attack had passed through; but, his had been blocked. Why was that?

Though he'd noticed a few things he was curious about, the Suna ninja sidelined them. All except the sudden, inexplicable distortions that had risen over the battlefield. A swampy mirage, a sudden heat haze that warped and twisted the boundaries of perception. It was so disorienting, Yasu almost stumbled off the branch he was on. Almost. The Suna-nin swiftly shifted his gaze away.

‘What the hell is that?’ He paused a moment to reorient himself, tempted to take another peak at the bedlam beneath. Instead, he opted to push the assault. He hoped that since the opponent hadn't found the time to launch a counter-attack that meant the pressure was getting to them. That was good. They wouldn't give the little mime any room to breathe.

Yasu leaped over the battlefield, springing from branch to branch. He tucked into a spin as he soared over Bobo, his feathered head-dress wrapping around his body, and then, like a porcupine firing its quills, he rained a scattered barrage of feather-darts onto the mime, targeting all the mirrored copies. Although he didn't expect the feathers to do much, he held some hope in the shattering sound he'd heard earlier. Maybe it really was the barrier and, if it was, that meant his feathers would've regained their effectiveness.

Furījia

"Someone's fighting..."

Furījia had remained vigilant while awaiting Taiyo's response and, as a result, she had immediately noticed a plume of smoke and scattering of birds that told of a far-off battle.

Of course, the girl's immediate reaction was to check. A single hand seal assisted her focus of the Byakugan and her vision zoomed into the distance, picking out the on-going battle between Bobo and the Iwa-Suna quartet.

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

For Yasu, it appeared those mirror copies had warped, twisted, and phased. The feather darts he sent appeared to warp along with them. They seemed to mix together like a water painting, the color palettes and textures of both meshing and fusing. One couldn’t be sure what exactly they were looking at if they were to look at this scene.

With the practical abstract art on display, this would make a excellent distraction for something Invisible to the naked eye whooshing over to bash Yasu’s back from behind.

 

[sSoul]

Taiyo
Unsure how he should feel about Furījia touching his face as she pleased, Taiyo opted to focus on the idea of getting ice cream to celebrate achieving the rank of Chunin. However, the fiery shinobi was interrupted from imagining for too long by his partner's claim that there was a fight going on ahead of them. While a part of Taiyo wanted to check, he knew that he would be leaving the area behind the Hyūga and the area above both of them unsupervised, forcing him to take the kunoichi at her word.

"Do you want to join in?" Taiyo responded as he scanned the vacant sky and the empty expanse in front of him, "As far as I see it, we gain no benefit from fighting now, but I'll leave it up to you since you know more about the situation than I do right now."

You think Furījia would like flowers or something?

It's not the worst idea, but it's the least personal. If possible, I'd ask what gift she wants for her birthday and then look for what's within our budget.
Tsuki
Amidst the chaos of the Swamp of Suffering, Tsuki was struggling to find a place to strategize. Granted, the main advantage that she was seeking was a place that held easy access to water, and a swamp had no shortage of water, but every location that seemed to have a body of water was densely populated with shinobi, much to the Yuki-nin's chagrin. Eventually, Tsuki gave herself the time to reevaluate her current approach to the exam.

I've been trying to go on the defensive when I have no reason to. This place is filled with water, so if anything, I should use my surroundings to my advantage to go on the offensive!

With a new plan in mind, Tsuki began to truly hunt for a thief, using the moisture on the ground to minimally boost her speed. Eventually, she took notice of a shinobi who seemed to be using fire release as a movement enhancer, like she was using the moisture on the ground. Given they seemed to be running from no one in particular instead of pursuing a target like other hunters, she assumed that she was a thief, or more accurately, her new target. While she wasn't the most skilled at hitting a moving target, she still had an idea on how to slow him down. As she continued to pursue her prey, she quickly created an ice needle and sent it careening towards him. Using it's miniscule size as a cloaking measure, the needle flew at a low altitude to insert itself within the left leg of the target. Once inserted, it would proceed to stitch the leg to the torso, travel through the torso to stitch the other leg to the torso, hindering the shinobi's movement.

 

[Fire Mana]

As Aku ran deeper into the swamp, he took notice of the fact that he had still yet to see another participant. There hadn't been any hunters chasing him down, nor had he found any of the other thieves hiding themselves or running further ahead. Not that he minded this, of course. If it was possible to make it through this round without getting injured or revealing his combat abilities to the others, he would take it. The extra alone time also let the Suna-nin explore the rules of the test in greater detail. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that he wasn't ever really safe for the duration of the second test.

Even if I'm not being actively hunted down, the other thieves are a threat too... Taking another thieves intel gives you a safety net in the case of losing your first one to a hunter. If that's the case, then I can't trust a single person here.

Still deep in his thinking, it was almost too late when the older boy noticed the sound of a small projectile racing through the air towards him. Aku leapt off his left foot, swinging his arms to the left side of his body as he did so. The flames coming his palms flared up, giving a boost to his jump as his body moved quickly to the right. Drops of red stained the muddy ground as he looked behind him, the icy needle now crimson with his blood.

That's the second time this test that I've been too inside of my own damn head and not paying attention to my surroundings.

The small cut on his left leg now shone red by the light of his fire, a light trickle of the sanguine substance running down his skin and soaking into his the fabric of his pants. The fiery Suna-nin placed his left hand onto the hilt of his blade, his right hand still open and ready in front of him.

"Who the hell's there? Show yourself!"