Ask to Join Naruto: One's Nindo

[ThAtGuY101]

~Hisato Kaguya Gato...~

"I wonder how the other fights are doing at the moment. Did either of you see any cool fights? Would be helpful to see some of these fights in case we ever have to go up against these ninjas. Then you'd at least see some of their jutsus beforehand" Hisato said.

"What about you?" Hisato said gesturing towards Furijia.

"What about you Fuga- I mean Fujiko, no... That's not it either. Do you have an L in your name? Fu... Furijia! That's it. My bad. I'm bad at pronouncing names. Are you gonna watch our fight? Get a good seat! It's gonna be a good fight! Right, Taiyo?" Hisato said grinning towards Taiyo, excited about their eventual fight.

 

[DarkHydraT]

Mori stumbled through the halls, only a hair's width away from letting out a curse. It wasn't a flattering display, but sometimes 'Gosh darn it' just didn't cut it. As the boy sharply inhaled to deal with the pain, a voice entered his ears from a nearby room.

'A mummy, a peg-leg and a kid with a hole in his gut.'

Keito's voice was one he'd be able to pick out of a million, mostly because how many times he heard it. Making his way to the room where Keito was, the boy cursed every God under the sun out of sheer frustration because of the pain that came with every step. Opening the door, he saw Keito and Tomiko, who really did resemble a mummy. Leaning against the door to relieve pressure from his leg, he gave a lazy smirk. "Hey, atleast we made a lasting impression. How're you guys doing? Sorry I couldn't come visit, Keito, my match was scheduled right after yours and we all know how that went. Sorry about that, by the way."

 

[EnviousWorm]

Ugokasenai Keito, Iwa Genin
​

"Hey, atleast we made a lasting impression. How're you guys doing?" He turned to get a good look at the sorry-sight that was Mori. Keito really hadn't been wrong — if he looked the best of the three in his state, they all had to have taken a helluva beating. "Sorry I couldn't come visit, Keito, my match was scheduled right after yours and we all know how that went. Sorry about that, by the way."

The genin waved his hand left and right with a flicking wrist, offering a casual, quiet, doesn't even matter.

"Three Iwa ninja in the exam finals is a good look no matter the result," he said, simply. Keito placed a hand over his gut, even as he moved close enough to offer Mori his sheathed sakabatou to use as a walking stick as he'd been doing. "These wounds are gonna heal..."

Though he turned and grinned, staring at mummified Tomiko as he added:

"I donno how you're gonna fight a whole 'nother round, though, Tsuch — I better not see you running on any damn broken legs next match, too, yeah?"

 

[DarkHydraT]

"Yeah, they better. I'm not exactly looking forward to seeing Keito Guts whenever you are shirtless, cause that's my signature move now." Mori said, scratching the back of his head whilst grinning. "And hey, I got to have a good fight, so I'm not complaining. Just wish I didn't have to scorch Tomiko the way I did."

"I admit I got a bit carried away and I could've easily used a rock or something, but I just wanted to be dramatic. Sorry bout that, hopefully the scars won't be too extreme."

 

[Godjacob]

In spite of how she appeared, Tomiko seemed more worried about Mori than anything else so when Keito had informed her he had no info on how he had been, and to add to it he seemed to be worried over her which only added to the concern in the air. Though Keito least had the sense to work in a joke which even if it had been abrupt had worked to get a bit of a chuckle out of her.

"Hey, I say these are badges of honor. Showing everyone we're not afraid to put it all out there to try and advance, shows character." Tomiko had said with her usual optimism of the situation. Then attention shifted to Mori as somehow he had wobbled his way over to her room which had brought both some relief but also some alarm to the kunoichi.

"Oh Mori! What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be resting?" Tomiko advised, which if nothing else showed the concern she had for him given how reckless she had been seen as in her time as a Genin.

Still, when Keito questioned how he could go, Tomiko decided to use this chance to assure them she had been okay.

"Look guys, I know I look like a cheap Halloween costume but trust me I will be fine. It is just a precaution to allow the medication to kick in and the burn wounds to fully heel up. Doctor said I should be good to move around before the end of the round." Tomiko assured Keito and Mori as she even smiled a bit as she waved Mori in with her bandaged arm.

"Believe me, can't keep a good ninja down! I think we're proof of that." Tomiko beamed as she seemed to soak in the team pride she had felt in the air.

"Hey it's fine, you were trying to win a match. Gotta do what you gotta do, if anything I admire you did whatever you could to win, showed you respected me as an equal. Though I also apologize for trying to bury you in rock and about the leg." Tomiko had sheepishly said to Mori in regret over what she had done to him.

 

[EnviousWorm]

Ugokasenai Keito, Iwa Genin
​

Folding his arms anxiously across his chest, Keito let out a long sigh. He hadn't intended to get stuck in an extended stay at the hospital ward again any time soon, but at least he had Team Iwa beside him, as battered as they were. Though his spirits felt low, he couldn't feel at least in part at home with Mori and Tomiko — the two people he certainly wouldn't have come as far as he had without. Even while the two apologized to each other for the brutality they'd brought down on the other. To be honest, Keito had to admit he wasn't sure if he could have done the same, were he to face either of them.

"Alright you two, enough with the friendly-" for some reason, he emphasized the word friendly with air-quotations. "-apologies and all that. Besides, Tsuch, we know how much you admire Mori. Doin' plenty of it when he went all primal and took off his shirt. I thought you were steaming carrots down there--"

 

[DarkHydraT]

"Tis but a flesh wound, a broken leg will leave less scares than a molotov cocktail will. But it's not like I know someone who would be so stubborn to keep going after being set ablaze, do I?" Mori said, chuckling as he taunted Tomiko. "No need to apologize. Like I said, a broken leg will heal and I am already used to being surrounded by dirt and rocks. It just so happened to be non-consensual."

As Keito brought up the way how Tomiko reacted to his little act of removing his shirt, the boy looked away and a light blush covered his cheeks. Now that he was no longer high on adrenaline, it sounded incredibly awkward when it was brought up again. Maybe if he said nothing, no one would involve him in this conversation...

 

[sSoul]

Tsuki
Tsuki's opponent proved her adeptness at working making the best of even a slightly disadvantageous position by dodging the kick that was aimed for her and even managed to counter the Yuki Princess's counter attack. Tsuki was feeling a sharp, searing pain in the wounded leg; she could move it, but wouldn't be pleasant. Despite that, the Mist-nin was not only able to stand without doubling over, but she managed to exchange wounds by cutting into Yua's shoulder. At this point, the two had come to a standstill, both seeming to have their stamina and resolve dented by the wounds they've received. However, Tsuki was more willing to stray from the current state of affairs. First, she grabbed a handful of explosive tags and threw them in an arc encircling the space behind her opponent. This was meant to reduce the appeal of the dodging backwards or sideways, if not cutting them off outright, After that, Tsuki made sure her free hand hovered over her kunai storage. In the event that Yua were to jump straight upwards to avoid her upcoming attack, Tsuki would aim a kunai to attack her midair. Otherwise, she'd keep her hand free to release the seal on the explosive tags. Lastly and most importantly, she acknowledged that Yua was out of her whip's range. Therefore, she opted to collect more water to add to her whip before freezing it, increasing the range that she can work with. Now with the reach she required, the Yuki princess quickly cracked her whip twice in opposite diagonal arcs, aiming to cut the eyes and blind her opponent. She could feel her breaths getting heavier and the sweat dripping from her face, but she had to keep herself together for as long as possible.

All scenarios lead to her taking a lasting form of damage, but I have to end this fight quickly, this blood loss and the substance that Yua secrets from her body is taking its toll. If I don't get a good hit in somehow, she may pull ahead...

 

[jade421]

Yua had not been merely idly waiting for as soon as she had landed on the ground and had deflected the ice whip she had pulled from her weapon's pouch two items. One was a kunai, one she had already began to rub her palm along the sides to apply her poison towards, the other had been a large rag. The latter had been an item she normally used to clean her weapons once a battle was over to remove the poison that rubbed off her skin, but here she used it to wrap around her shoulder wound as with a wince she tied it to least try to combat the worry of blood loss. However, Tsuki had been quick as well and after she seemed to get some kunai or other projectiles ready, she had gathered some water on her whip as she seemed to increase its range but as Tsuki prepared her whip Yua had began a sequence of hand signs as the end of her kunai had began to glow a bright violet as an extension had taken shape. "Tameru Art: Poison Blade Jutsu!" The extended blade had been a combination of Yua's own chakra which extended and fed into the poison that she had covered on the kunai, and this blade proved to be potent stuff as she used it to block the first whip strike of Tsuki's razored ice whip. Shards of ice and bits of poison flung on the collision, but unlike previously this blade had better worked to deflect the whip as she knocked it back. Yua had stood her ground and once more blocked the second strike that tried to hit her eyes as she had been able to fend that off again after a forceful struggle.

Yua managed to knocked the whip back which fended off both strikes before Yua tossed a series of shiruken at Tsuki; the aim seemed to either be to get her to waste her kunai on them or force her back so Yua would be able to better avoid her toss if and when it had come. Though a tense expression on Yua's face seemed to suggest she had not been in top form as she hoped the poison that had been in Tsuki's system would began to show true consequence. She needed it to.
This jutsu is more costly than my previous techniques, and this wound is only gonna get worse rag or no rag. I have to try and finish this quickly who knows what else this girl has up her sleeve.

 

[=Nightshade=]

Karui straightened and blinked sweat out of her eyes, preparing her own addition to the formation Sagiso had called for. She wasted no time in calling forth chakra with hand signs into lightning (despite her creator wasting plenty of time in writing this post) and sent it out in waves, where it joined with Asahi’s wind. The force of the lightning snapped and growled as it leapt between air and rock, and the cyclone of air crackled with electricity as some of the lightning gathered in the water shurikens, their relative conductivity attracting it. The lightning would shock on impact and might have paralyzed a smaller creature, but it was likely to only cause pins-and-needles on the monstrous feline. The static in the air made the hair on Karui’s exposed skin stand on end as she danced backwards, out of close range.

 

[Godjacob]

"Oh come on Mori. I would figure you of all people know how stubborn I can be." Tomiko chuckled, as for better or worse Tomiko had a streak of never say die no matter the situation. Though she seemed relieved enough he held no ill will towards her. "Well good, cause you need to come back from this better than ever. I won't expect anything less." Tomiko had said with a big grin.

Keito's comment however Tomiko's head to snap towards Keito as he had made comment of her...reaction, towards Mori's shirt removal earlier which had caused her eyes to widen if a bit slightly as she glanced away and tried to keep a casual head about it even when he tried to get a rise out of the kunoichi. Thankfully, she had some tape that covered her cheeks to not immediately give that weakness away.

"O-oh come on now, I was just a bit guilty I ruined one of Mori's better shirts. There's reading between the lines and then just making up gossip..." Tomiko said before she coughed to clear her throat. Seems that spot had been captured by more eyes than she would've liked, however she quickly had a memory of her next round opponent who seemed to have a chummy chat with Keito and decided to fight fire with fire.

"Besides, if anyone shouldn't I ask about you? That Rain girl you fought seemed to be having a fine conversation with you. Care to go into that~?" Tomiko asked with a sly smirk.

 

[EnviousWorm]

Ugokasenai Keito, Iwa Genin
​

'Hey, woah, that's not fair—" Keito wanted to object to the completely fair shifting of subjects. His initial, prodding remark had gotten its expected response; the normally blabbering Mori's mouth had sewn itself shut in embarrassed fear. Tomiko, well, he hadn't really known it was possible for a blush to be seen through heavy, medical bandages — but then again, when he'd seen it before he'd been well over her head in the oddly-designed Konoha arena. What the Ugokasenai boy wasn't expecting, though, was for the flustered Tomiko to deftly turn the tide back on him. Instead of the heat rising to his face, it drained; for some reason, Tomiko's words churned his brain to butter.

"You — well, uh, hey," For some reason he'd managed to whisper out a joke with a steel blade through his belly, but this is what took his words away. In a moment, Keito felt like he could re-experienced their entire fight, with the unforgiving clarity of hindsight. It ended the same way every time: the sound of her weapon digging into his flesh; the feeling of his blood pouring out; her eyes like tar pits bleeding with him, pulling him into the aether."It's — you know, just the usual...st-stuff people talk about. She-I-we-but — she stabbed me with an umbrella gimme a break!"

 

[Godjacob]

Tomiko's masked fluster had managed to subside as an evil grin crossed the lips of the kunoichi. She had managed to pull Keito's legs out from under him it seemed, and now he had been the one who had some rosy cheeks. Yeah, it felt good to be on the teasing side of things after he had thrown the first stone.

"Hey hey hey I ain't gonna judge. Think it is kinda cute, but come on. Can't tell me the only thing you guys were chatting about was the match. I saw the way you looked at her~" Tomiko mused as naturally she figured such vulnerability would keep Keito on the defensive. The more they discussed this and less on how Tomiko reacted to a shirt flying off, the better far as she had been concerned.

-----​

Azumi had been in the arena by a water fountain as she worked to fill up her canteens in preparation for the next round. The less water one had to make yourself with chakra, the better which had been the MO behind the multiple canteen belts she had prepared in her scrolls. However as she had been filling one up a sudden sneeze came over the Amegaure Genin. "Achoo!

Azumi took a cloth to wipe her nose as she blinked to herself. That was...odd, but with a shrug she decided not to linger on it as she focused on filling up her canteens.

 

[EnviousWorm]

Ugokasenai Keito, Iwa Genin
​

"Think what's kinda cute—" having raised his voice to speak in a manner that was quite unlike him, the nervous and teetering genin rasied a fist to his mouth and coughed into it, gathering himself. "We didn't-I didn't look at her — w-well of course I was looking at her but not like — gah!"

Keito threw both his arms up into the air a bit dramatically, flailing them as if to say he was so lost for words even his body couldn't make sense of what it wanted to do.

"My dad showed up," he explained simply, his flailing arms drooping down again so that Keito could offer a shrug. "After that, talking to anyone else seemed like a step up from there — you know how he gets. She wasn't friendly, but she wasn't without understanding. I think a lot of us genin are a more alike than we'd care to admit — or for our elders to care to notice. Put us all in a room and take away our headbands and what we think of our villages, what then? I don't really know, but she helped me..."

His words trailed off, Keito losing his confidence slowly; like a nervous tick, his head darted around the room as he took in all the surroundings — beds, their sheets and pillows and headboards and all, the tile flooring and popcorn ceilings, the windows dotted between every few beds, and the television sets pushed into the far corners facing the beds. Keito's eyes trailed out one of the windows, toward a stone fountain spewing a gentle, cascading water down several levels. He half expected to see her there like a nightmare, like when he'd gone to watch Mori and Tomiko fight, only to nearly run into her once more.

 

[DarkHydraT]

Mori was grateful for the topic shift, glancing at Keito as a mischievous glint shinmered in his eyes. "Oh? Did I miss something? Has our worm boy found someone fun to talk to? Don't leave me out of the fun, spill the tea for me. I want to hear every single detail." The boy sat down next to Tomiko and attempted to cross his legs, only for his leg to protest.

Back in Iwa, Mori had developed the habit of listening to gossip and partaking in it. It was generally innocent, and he always got some good amusement out of it. Someone's cat walked away, someone called her colleague brave for wearing an objectively ugly dress, someone cheated on their partner with the babysitter, a lot of topics were talked about. Mori himself saw it as training, as ninja had to blend in and gather information, but it was clear that he was just a fan of gossip.

Whilst Tomiko's comment on the destruction of one of his better shirts was certainly not unheard, he chose to ignore it as to not give Keito a way to change topics. "Come on, Keito. What was she like? Don't leave little ol' me hanging, please?"

 

[EnviousWorm]

Ugokasenai Keito, Iwa Genin
​

With a twitching, frustrated eye, Keito turned his head back to look at Mori. Defiantly, he crossed his arms over his chest and tried to will the color back to his drained face. He reached out with his sakabatou in his right hand and poked at Mori's forehead.

"She's like a ninja who stabbed me in the stomach with an umbrella," he said with a hint of irritability. He had to turn the tables again, somehow. With his free hand, he gestured vaguely to their many wounds. "Though I guess there's a reason you two think that's why -- clearly you've got some practice - uh - aggressively flirting with each other, huh?"

 

[Grand Master Koop]

A vast sea of darkness stretching as far as the eye could see laid in front of Shiho, she could not see nor hear anything other than the deafening silence present in the void she found herself in. The young Hyuga couldn't help but feel a crippling despair and sense of loneliness invade her being, unable to do anything other than float in the endless abyss. Then, all of a sudden, the world of light returned to her in an instant. The change of scenery sent a shock through Shiho's body, the switch being too sudden to properly prepare herself for. Nevertheless, being set free from the darkness cleared the despair Shiho's mind, bringing a sense of hope back to the girl despite how disorientated she was. However, this hopeful feeling wouldn't last.

Without being able to even take in what was happening around her, a powerful impact hit Shiho on the back of her neck, denying her any time to recover. Just as she thought she escaped from the world of darkness, it appeared she was about to return to it as she felt her consciousness fade. "What is going on, why can't I stay awake?" Before her eyes fully closed, Shiho was able to catch a glimpse of Raiku. "Oh yeah, I was fighting Raiku just now. Does this mean I lost?" The young Hyuga felt her body hit the floor, her eyes closing alongside the fall. "Darn, I thought I was prepared but I guess I was wrong. I wasn't strong enough." With this last thought passing through the girl's mind, Shiho lost consciousness.

Shiho Hyuga, Retired in the first round.

 

[kyuukestu]

Land of Fire | Nekomata Fortress (Sept 256:35 pm, Day of the Exams)

Titled Name: Yan Xia Roulan

True Name: Sagisō Ajisai​

Rank 36 — Heavenly Skillful Star | Yan Qing​

Nekomata swept out with his twin tails, intended to brutally blind-side Asahi as she struck at his body; he hardly paid attention to the small jutsu combining around him.

Asahi’s wind whisked up the water shuriken, adding force and power to them; then, Karui charged the whirling shuriken with lightning, turning it into a veritable storm of three elements. The resulting attack was far beyond what any of the three could’ve achieved on their own. The water shuriken were the centerpiece of the technique, strengthened by the force of the wind while the lightning added a numbing charge; the wind and lightning were thus the secondary support. Although the elements often went contrary to each other, their interaction was different on account of the present water-shuriken. The wind still insulted, of course, but because there was a conductor for the lightning to attach itself to, the wind served to force the lightning to concentrate inside the water shuriken.

A downside of lightning release was that current traveled quickly and without extensive chakra control, lightning would disperse across anything that conducted it. That was why when a lightning release technique hit a body of water, it tended to quickly travel throughout the body, trading power for spread. It was difficult to keep lightning concentrated but with the wind insulating it and keeping it inside the water-shuriken, that’s exactly what it did; since the lightning was incapable of being discharged due to the air, the technique was far more impactful than it seemed. In fact, when two opposing charges became strong enough to overcome the insulating property of air a devastating phenomenon was created—a lightning bolt. It went without saying that Karui’s lightning could not compare to the millions of voltages charged within a thundercloud; but likewise, Asahi’s wind could not compare to the vast expanse of atmosphere that acted as an insulator between a given thundercloud and the ground. However, it was the principle rather than the power that was at work.

As the storm approached Nekomata, only the sharpest of eyes might notice the charges built on each water shuriken, when two shuriken brushed past each other in proximity, the charge of both was able to overcome the insulating properties of the wind—resulting in a violent and concentrated discharge between them. The result was subdued flashes and crackles as the storm moved, a hint at the nascent technique’s inner workings.

Sagisō had not missed these flashes of light, but the Skillful Star lacked the requisite knowledge to infer what had happened. It was a pretty light show that captivated her attention for just a moment before the storm slammed into the giant ninja cat.

A pained shriek confirmed the hit and the ninja cat swayed—as if to faint—and then steadied.

“Not bad brats, I actually felt that one.”

It wasn’t enough; even the combination attack wasn’t enough to put the Boss cat down for good. If it weren’t clear before, it definitely was now—they couldn’t win. Even if the ninja cat stood there and let them pelt him with every attack they had, their chakra would fade before his strangely defensive fur did.

Sagisō made her decision immediately—they needed to leave; Asahi’s cat would need to wait. “Scatter!”

With the command given for her sisters to flee, Sagisō began to knead chakra in her tummy. She wove hand seals for a familiar technique, but with an unfamiliar twist. The two hand seals of the Starch Syrup capturing field were followed up by a third and fourth hand seal as Sagisō added the singular seal of the Hiding in Drizzle technique and a fourth—a one-handed tiger hand seal, commonly used in breathe-based ninjutsu. The resulting jutsu created a thick and viscous mist that hung very low to the ground, like a fog and it quickly condensed itself across the floor. The Skillful Star grimaced, that hadn’t at all been what she’d wanted to produce.

Her failed jutsu garnered no reaction from the boss cat, none save for chortling laughter. The castle seemed to shake to the sound of his voice, walls trembling, threatening to come down on the trio. Having faced this before, Sagisō recognized it quickly as genjutsu; but where the earlier ninja cats lacked power, Nekomata had it in spades. Saggisō could feel the rumble of his laughter across her body, the vibrations shaking her to the very bone. Her pupils constricted with terror as she found she was completely immobile.

As Nekomata raised a paw to deal a finishing blow, Sagisō’s eyes frantically darted about. Had Karui and Asahi managed to escape? The detritus from the fight prevented her from seeing either.

“It’s been fun, kid. Good Night!”

A sense of mounting dread was the last thing Sagisō felt before being rendered unconscious. Despair and…confusion. What sort of enemy wished their opponent’s good night..?

Land of Fire | Nekomata Fortress (Sept 26 5:35 am, Day after the Exams)

Sagisō awoke in a panic and her chakra flared; her still groggy senses reached out to grasp the situation.

“Relax, you’re fine.” Quiyue’s voice had not been what Sagisō expected to wake up to. Though it made sense, the Hero Star had been tasked with watching the skies and would’ve taken note of them when they snuck away to Nekomata’s Fortress.

“W…what happened..?”

“You caused a small incident in Sora-ku, something we’d told you not to do, and then followed it up by trying to invade and kidnap one of the city’s guardians. You were, quite rightly, given a thrashing in return.”

The reprimand in Quiyue’s tone kept the Skillful Star silent.

“We had to make a number of concessions to make up for the trouble you three caused; count yourselves lucky that you didn’t cause negotiations to fail outright.”

Thoroughly chastised, Sagisō merely lowered her head abashedly. She noticed Karui and Asahi were in beds beside her, but she couldn’t tell if they were awake.

“Your punishment can wait for; we’ll leave in two hours, so wrap up things in the city.”

With that Quiyue left the room and Sagisō breathed a sigh of relief.

“Hey…are you guys awake?”

 

[Hecotoro]

If you had let me out, I could have won for you. Asahi sat in the middle of nothing, there was no light, no darkness, just a void everywhere around her. She looked around, trying to remember where she was or how she got there. Just for a few minutes, that's all I need and we can defeat anyone. Asahi looked around, not sure where the voice was coming from, but whoever it was they seemed to talk in a very nice and proper way. "You sound weird mister." Asahi said out loud. If you ever find yourself in trouble again, just call for me.

Asahi sat up in quickly on her bed, looking around, until her eyes finally set on Sagiso. "Why do you need my permission to let you out?" She yawned loudly and rubbed the back of her head. "I know we can defeat anyone, but you don't need me to tell you, you can get out. You can't keep relying on me sis." She stopped for a bit, trying to figure out, again, where she was. "Wait did we win?"

"Not even close." Kas walked in between the beds, her ears barely visible because of her shortness, until she leaped on to Asahi's bed. "But it seemed you amused the boss, he didn't kill ya and told me, that you have the privilege of being under my care." She looked disgusted at the idea. "So, you do what you do and I'll just make sure you guys don't die."

"Here kitty kitty kitty, pspspspspsps." Asahi moved across her bed and crept closer to Kas, holding out her hand as if holding invisible food.

"Stop that! I am literally communicating with you in your language!" Kas shot an angry look at Sagiso. "Is she always this dense? How can you stand being with someone so stu-" Kas stopped talking as Asahi began scratching her chin. The cat couldn't help but begin purring and rubbing her head against Asahi's hand.

"Look Sagiso! I think she likes me." The jinchuriki shot a playful smile to her sister while petting the new addition to the team.

 

[DarkHydraT]

"Hey, maybe she heard that the way to a man's heart is through the stomach?" Mori chuckled, pushing the sakabatou away with his hand. "Still, an umbrella's an unique weapon. Where did she come from again? Ame? Our little worm's working on international connections, what a good little ambassador for our Tsuchikage." The boy chuckled, attempting to pet Keito on his head for a job well done.

"I have no clue what you're talking about, delusional old man. That fight just now had nothing romantic, unless you have a very twisted idea of dates. Imagine bombing someone and thinking it's romantic, couldn't be me." Mori said, denying any accusations that Keito sent his way. After all, it was more fun to see the boy flustered.

 

[EnviousWorm]

Ugokasenai Keito, Iwa Genin
​

"Well now, Memento Mori, all's fair in love and war, or is it not?" Keito grinned as he broke out the oldest platitude in the book on his teammate.

Mori had reached out to try to pet him on the head for whatever reason, but being that the tall, lanky Keito was standing and Mori had sat by Tomiko's beside, the broken-legged boy just looked like he was reaching out for a different head to pat. Keito swatted the hand away with his wood-sheathed weapon, his grin widening.

"I mean, imagine your friend getting stabbed and thinking it's romantic. Couldn't be me, of course." he said, shrugging with a hint of insolence dripping off his shoulders.

If one of them was going to give it good, they had to be able to take it back in full in return. And Mori had already proven himself quite breakable as it were. Sure, Keito had stumbled a bit out of the gate at the childish teasing of his peers — but he'd also seen how Mori had reacted like he were battery-powered and had lost power the moment Keito let slip a hint of the boy's emotionally charged fight with Tomiko.

"You're lucky, anyhow," Keito made sure to note. "With who you were fighting and all. I don't think Az-the Ame girl would have gotten nearly as distracted when that shirt of yours came flying off."

He tried not to wince as he caught himself from using her name, almost like a curse, and tried to pivot before he'd gotten too far. Hell of an overcorrection, Keito noted to himself — the story of his damn life.

 

[Godjacob]

Keito's flustered response had been enough for Tomiko to chuckle, when she had heard the proverb of "laughter is the best medicine" she had not expected it to be this true. "Easy there Romeo didn't meant to touch a nerve~"

Though when the topic shifted as Keito had discussed his father, Tomiko in turn shifted from teasing to understanding as she listened to that part. Tomiko had not known much about Keito's family story, or Mori's for that matter...she had the benefit of two loving parents who tried to support her best they could even as they tried to make a living in the slums of Iwagakure. The fact he seemed more comfortable speaking to a random opponent than his own father however had given Tomiko a picture and it was not the best one.

"A shame he can't appreciate what he has. I think if people tried to build each other up more rather than tear each other down for every little fault, the world would be a better place." Tomiko replied back, though as he had talked of a world with one headband Tomiko had glanced at her own which rested on a table beside her as she seemed to gaze upon the Iwa symbol in thought.

Mori seemed to try to lighten the mood with his own tease Keito's way, which seemed to shift the discussion between them for a moment as Tomiko chuckled, even as Keito threw his own teases back at the pair and she worked to keep her cheek temperature controlled, she had to enjoy this experience. After a brutal battle, this was the kind of thing she needed to fuel back up her spirits.

"Can you guys imagine if someone overhears our talk? Probably think we are all crazy and horny." Tomiko said with an amused giggle as she tried to put a light spin on this bit of banter. This...this is just what she needed.

 

[EnviousWorm]

Ugokasenai Keito, Iwa Genin
​

Much in the same vein as Tomiko, Keito felt his mood brightening in spite of the more traumatic turn the day had taken. He - and now two close friends of his - were...quite wounded, to put it lightly. Even with a smile on his face, the young Iwa shinobi still felt something unsettling bubbling inside of him. Maybe that was an emerging side effect from his recent battle wound — or maybe it wasn't. With the smile slowly fading from his lips, Keito turned a bit more serious — something Tomiko and Mori might be used to; often, his stretches of teasing, prodding wit were followed up with more somber notions.

"Hell, they'd think they were listening to a bunch of little teenagers, some normal kids" he pointed out, his voice oddly quiet. Keito looked out the window again, toward the fountain. His mind and heart raced as they had been of late. "Instead...I keep wondering, has this whole thing been worth it? The chance for promotion, I mean. We knew it could be like this going in, but, seeing it now, with my own eyes...what even is a chunin, that makes it worth putting lives on the line? To tell you the truth, I was insane enough before this all started I think I could have told you. I probably did. Now, though — now I just feel like a little pawn on my shogi board."

 

[Godjacob]

Tomiko had taken note of Keito's shift in expression, the frown that had come to his face as he seemed to have been troubled over something. This seemed to get Keito's concern as he began to lament on whether the price they paid had all been worth it; whether the physical and greater tolls had been balanced by the prospect of a progression to the next level. Seemed Keito's battle had shaken him in ways, and indeed these had been valid concerns to raise as Tomiko had no way to know what Keito's answer had been or how Mori felt about it. One thing was clear though, Tomiko had known her own answer and decided to just speak her piece on it.

"Of course it was. The truth is we are not gonna be Genin forever. What kind of service to our people would we be if we never tried to go further than this? The days of helping the elderly and volunteer work they call jobs will be past us at some point. Our profession is a dangerous one, we will be made to deal with life and death situations. In a way, this is kinda a controlled environment to test if we are ready for that next level. If you go at it half speed and pull the breaks a bit, I feel like you'd only be cheating yourself and might not be prepared for when the danger hits and you don't get the option to just quit." Tomiko answered back, as she clutched the headband in her hand she seemed to have a bit of a personal fire when this topic was brought up but for her she had no regrets over what she had or will do in these exams.

"I will become Tsuchikage someday. What kind of example would I set if I just threw in a towel the second things got hard? If I failed to give it my all to see how far I could go? I won't allow myself to be that kind of person, that kind of leader. That's for damn sure."

 

[EnviousWorm]

Ugokasenai Keito, Iwa Genin
​

"Oh, Tomiko," Keito sighed, pressing his face into one of his hands, almost as if he were ashamed. Her unmoving conviction was inspiring and...horrifying, he decided. "If there were anyone I really wanted to believe when they say they want to be Tsuchikage, it's you — I hope you'd know that by now."

He shifted again, taking his face from his hand to take a look at both of his teammates. Keito wanted to smile more than ever before; he found it harder, as well.

"It's not the rank, it really isn't. It's...the whole thing," Keito said, taking his eyes off of Tomiko and Mori, almost unable to at that point. "Our profession. There's so much of it that comes down to ink on maps and grudges older than our grandparents. We get told these people are our enemies, we're conditioned to hate them, to want to kill them even. They're just people — a lot of them are just kids, like us, who grew up staring at the same map from the other side of the table. Iwagakure is a beautiful place...but so is Konohagakure...so is...so is Amegakure."

Keito trailed off then. What he'd seen, in the other girl's memories, was far from beautiful — it was broken, nearly beyond repair. And it was his fault, in a way. He could peel away the horror of the war-torn nation. He knew it could be beautiful, some day.

 

[Godjacob]

"Believe me I think you've made your view clear. Least in recent events." Tomiko said sheepishly though it seemed her answer had done little to dissuade Keito's doubt. Doubt that he clarified was about their profession in general, rather than the idea of ranks as it seemed he had grown concern over the morbid aspects of what it had meant to be a ninja. A view that Tomiko herself had also had to accept to a degree...the path was a deadly profession and the risk of death and chance to deal death was well an expected reality.

Not an easy reality of course, but one that had been inherent to the system. Still, nothing had ever been so cut and dry and Tomiko had her own view of it but beyond that she sensed Keito had been concerned.

So, she worked to move off her bed, bandages and such be damned, as her body showed signs of the healing as she got up off the bed and moved by Keito as she placed an arm on his shoulder as she tried to least assure her teammate and friend she was there for her.

"What we're told by other people and how we interact is just one aspect. There have been brutal conflicts, wars even...but also periods of peace. Even the one we have today. A ninja is not only a occupation of death, but one of security to our land, one to help people in need of it and try to do better than the generations before us. It's not easy, but it also isn't all despair either." Tomiko said, before she glanced out the window as she walked over to it and seemed to hold an assured expression even with the emotion in her eyes.

"I don't need people to tell me what kind of leader I want to be, or why I became a ninja. I think in the end the only thing we can really do is be true to ourselves and be the best we can be in that respect. I don't want to kill, or cause pain to others...I just want the people of Iwa to smile. And it's my duty to do what I can to try and make a difference for that goal." Tomiko explained. Course she knew it was not that simple, but she made a point to not say Keito's views had been wrong or even she fully disagreed with them. Just what had inspired her to be a ninja and see it as more than just a means of death to enemies the world over.

 

[EnviousWorm]

Ugokasenai Keito, Iwa Genin
​

Times of peace. The words rang like a hollow echo. He wanted to wince in pain actually, but Keito forced himself to smile on Tomiko's behalf. In reality, he wanted to force her to sit back in bed, but none of the three genin were patient enough to sit and recover in an uncomfortable hospital bed. There were so many things he wanted to say; hell, there was so much more he wanted to ask. How did she come to terms with not wanting to cause pain, but wanting the people of Iwa to smile? Weren't those two things one-and-the-same? Especially if she were to truly be Tsuchikage...A smile on one face in Iwa could be flipped into a frowning face in Ame.

He couldn't bring himself to. What kind of person would he be, to stomp on the dreams of his friend? If she even slightly believed in what she was saying, maybe Tomiko really was a person he'd have to put his faith in. Still, her reassuring words couldn't fill Keito with any sort of confidence. He felt like a sham, a used up bandage tossed in the trash and never thought of again.

"If there's one thing that's kept me going, it's having someone around who know what she wants," Keito said. "I gave my all for Iwa, I felt like it meant something. My oppo — Azumi fought for her village. Losing doesn't feel like a shame. Almost killing a girl, almost dying myself, as a tryout? No, I'm ashamed for them."

Keito wasn't sure if he had to clarify that he meant their leaders, even the old Tsuchikage himself.

"I don't mean to take this out on you two," he admitted, gripping at his forehead like he'd been struck by a sudden migraine. "I just — feel trapped, trapped like I'm in my own damn genjutsu."

 

[Godjacob]

Tomiko sensed that trying to validate her own stance was gonna go nowhere, really the point was not to debate Keito but to help her troubled friend. She only wished she had the ability to truly understand him and the source of his pain; she guessed sympathy for what Azumi had fought for. The pain Amegakure had been put through, the guilt of their own nation's involvement with it but it had been hard to come up with an easy answer to address his sorrow. For now, she'd do what she can to offer support to Keito as she greeted him with a sympathetic gaze as she finished letting him speak.

"Stress and anxiety are natural for something like this. Emotions are high and that is a lot to swallow, but I don't believe you are responsible to shoulder the pain others have caused...even if they wear the same headband. Blaming yourself for all that isn't gonna make anyone not you not that Ame girl feel any better about things." Tomiko said as she tried to ease the guilt that seemed to hover over him.

"I think the key is figuring out what kind of person you want to be, and working a path to become that person. Everyone is the author of their own story, you just need to decide what you want that story to be. Your opponent seems to understand that. All I can offer is a helping hand along the way." Tomiko added on as she tried to help even in any minute way Keito stomach these troubled feelings he experienced.

 

[EnviousWorm]

Ugokasenai Keito, Iwa Genin
​

"I'm not blaming myself," Keito replied, repeating what he'd said before. It wasn't about him, Tomiko, Mori, or Azumi — it was about their parents and grandparents and everyone who'd come before that. "Hell, I'm not even trying to make anyone feel any better — not even myself. Thank you, Tomiko, really, I mean it. But this isn't just some...guilt trip, this isn't me feeling shame for actions wildly out of my control. This is me. After the illusion of my abandoned youth has been stripped away. I thought I knew who I was. I thought I knew a lot of things when we started these exams just a month ago. Now I see my path; it forks away from this one we're on right now, it hooks off to the left and deep into the forest — it's quiet, dark and lonely, but it's mine."

For the first time in a while, the young shinobi felt he had the strength to walk on his own feet. He slipped his sakabatou through the simple belt of thick rope tied around his waist. Keito felt an invisible weight passing up through his chest and catching in his throat; it was a violent thing, like the will to scream except it felt like freedom and prison all balled up into one.

"I'm sorry, maybe it's best that I go," he apologized, turning toward the door with a couple, half-certain steps. Part of him wondered if he'd have the courage not to return. "Sorry—"

 

[DarkHydraT]

Mori sat in silence during the exchange between his friends. Keito made a solid point, but so did Tomiko. Who was he supposed to side with? He didn't know, was he supposed to side with someone? The mood shifted so fast, they went from joking around to criticizing the world around them. There wasn't anything.......wrong with it, but he kind of wanted to let this topic blow over. Saying nothing was easy, no? Staying neutral was the safe road, wasn't it? But wasn't it the coward's way out? Wasn't standing up for your morals, even against your friends, the moral high road? Mori didn't know, yet he wished that he did.

Letting his head fall as he folded his hands together, the boy spoke up, not wanting to look at his friends. "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing. My dad used to say that, but what exactly is evil? Something that is good for us can very well be evil to someone else. The current system has its problems, with wars ready to break out at any minute. I have seen the effect that war has on people in person, and it is nothing short of demented. War knows no victors, only victims. Even on the so-called 'winning side', people will suffer. The fact that literal children are fighting for life and death and that it is generally accepted is messed up and never should have been allowed. We are no longer in the Warring States period, yet we still treat everyone that is not from our village as a threat. We never think about it because it has been the status quo for so long, but is stagnation really progress or is it a slow descent into a war?"

"I'm not saying that either of your views are wrong, because they aren't. We are kids, yet we fight like adults for no reason other than distrust between nations. The idea of ninja is not wrong itself, as a powerful force that the nation can lean on allows for peace of mind among the civillians, but.....this? A power display in times of peace? I cannot help but feel that it causes tensions to rise and previous suspicions to be warranted. Every village can see what the others are capable of and will react accordingly, which in turn causes neighboring nations to grow suspicious. The system needs an overhaul, no one benefits from these suspicions and a system where children are routinely used as soldiers. The problem is because we are children, no one takes us seriously and the Kage don't listen to us. With all due respect to our Tsuchikage, but I don't feel like our international relations have priority over.....anything. If I didn't know any better, I would say that no one wants to take that first step to peace that actually lasts. How long ago was the last war? My dad still suffers from it and I've yet to see anything from both Iwa and Konoha other than a peace treaty that means as much as the paper it was written on."

"I won't stop you from finding your own path, Keito, as it is your right to discover who you are. We all have our own path to follow, but know that you are not alone. There is always a home for you here. We might be a ragtag group with nothing in common other than our nationality and the fact that we are ninja, but you are a good friend. Do not blame yourself for the mistakes of former generations, we will find a way to make up for them. I promise that." Mori got up from the bed as he talked, ignoring the pain in his leg. There were more important things than his own discomfort. Attempting to place a hand on Keito's shoulder, the boy smiled at his friend. "The best of luck be with you, Worm Boy. We'll be waiting for you to return, if you want to hang out with us after you've found your path and are too cool to hang out with us."

 

[kyuukestu]

Land of Fire | Nekomata Fortress (Sept 26 5:35 am, Day after the Exams)

Titled Name: Yan Xia Roulan

True Name: Sagisō Ajisai​

Rank 36 — Heavenly Skillful Star | Yan Qing​

Sagisō curled her lips at Asahi’s completely random implications but ultimately held her tongue. Instead, a cursory glance at her sister revealed she was still filthy from all the dirt she’d rolled in yesterday. For whatever reason, their 'excursion' had been...successful? It was easy enough to guess this might've stemmed from the concessions Quiyue had mentioned, but the why wasn't as important as the fact that Asahi now had a cat. Mission Accomplished.

“Well, ask if she likes baths too because you definitely need one.”

A quick shimmy out of bed had Sagisō shivering against the chilly, tiled floors. She shuffled over to Karui’s bed and proceeded to shake her sister awake.

“I’m gonna bathe Asahi, you coming?”

 

[Schrift]

Mori grimaced at the fact that the two clones were still moving. He was overworking himself so much for such a small match. Deciding to try and end the match quicker. Well at least there was one positive, those dogs had no chance of getting to Mori. Sure it was annoying how they chased him relentlessly. Sure Mori didn't know who they were, or if they were Kenji at all but either way. This would prove for less obstacles for him to deal with. Mori placed his hand on the dome, twisting it as the dome closed in on the Kenjis. If the Kenjis were dumb enough to try and charge Mori, well probably wasn't the best to try and get out. Well for now it wouldn't be the wisest thing they could do, namely because the walls of the dome were rowed with spikes, all jagged with it having barbs pointing inwards as to hook anything on it. Maybe this was Mori's best way to hold in the Kenjis but now there was an issue. Mori had used up most of his ironsand with this little stunt. Sure he had some left but definitely not enough to pull off another stunt like this.

Mori was starting to take Kenji more seriously. This fight wasn't going to end well if Mori kept underestimating him. Mori put together a few handsigns, finishing on the snake sign. What did this do? Simple, he had just used a clan special technique. One that he wasn't planning to use this early on. From his sleeve the remainder of his Ironsand spilt out, circling around him in the air. Why was it spinning around him? Well that was for Kenji to find out.

Mori would've been fine, ready to take on Kenji. But then Kenji managed to get that first hit on Mori. Standing on an ironsand dome probably wasn't the best idea as Kenji had struck it with his jutsu. Kenji had definitely damaged the dome, though he hadn't really broken through. This time the damage was much more visible. A large crack from where Kenji had hit it. But was it really worth punching your hand through? With all those spikes inside were barbed, it wouldn't have been pleasant for anyone to put their hand in the ironsand dome like that. However the attack had fallen Mori as he fell off the side of the dome with a loud thud. That sharp pain rushing through his body as it left him on the ground. That was unexpected. Mori groaned on the ground, pulling himself up to his feet. This wasn't good. This was bad, very bad for Mori. This fight was quickly turning in Kenji's favor. Why did he have to underestimate his opponent like this. Mori stumbled up to his feet as his Iron sand dome kept its structure, that was good. Mori felt weakened from that attack but nonetheless went to the source of the punch where he saw the flash. Mori's Ironsand still circled around him as he went to go face Kenji.

 

[sSoul]

Tsuki
As a mirror to Tsuki using her element to extend the range of her attack, Yua managed to use hers to improve her defenses, preventing the Yuki-nin's blinding attempts. Once she was able to go on the offensive, the Suna kunoichi sent a collection of shuriken her way, forcing Tsuki to drop down to the ground as if she were to do a pushup in order to evade the oncoming attack. The descent was easy, but pulling herself back up was an unexpectedly difficult task, caused by a newfound numbness that the icy kunoichi found herself feeling in her leg. Movement of her leg hadn't been cut off completely, but mustering the motions needed to get herself back on her feet caused the icy kunoichi to wince in pain. After allowing herself to cough once again, Tsuki recognized that she might be rendered unable to continue the fight.

Things have been going less than ideally ever since I lost my bubble. The doses of the harmful substance that flow through my veins make defeat seem imminent. But I can't give in yet! I've been given a second chance at success and I would be an inferior kunoichi if I did anything less than my best. My opponent is weakening as well, that rag is too flimsy to properly halt her blood flow. We're both running low on strength, and these next moments will ultimately determine the outcome.

The icy kunoichi was about to prepare a jutsu, but her left hand was occupied by the icy whip that she was holding. To accommodate this pitfall, Tsuki opened her mouth and gently bit down on the handle of the whip to hold it in place while she performed her hand seals. Once again, she used a familiar jutsu, Starch Syrup Capturing Field, with the same intent of restraining her opponent. After performing her hand seals, she loosened her bite, allowing the whip to slip back into her left hand before inhaling and expelling the sticky substance from her mouth. Unlike before, Tsuki would be taking a more proactive approach with restraining her opponent. Not only did the puddle land close to Yua's feet, but the water itself seemed to reach for the Suna kunoichi's ankles. Once the first step of her plan was complete, Tsuki grabbed a kunai with her free hand and threw towards Yua's chest. Anticipating that Yua would block the incoming projectile with her blade, the Yuki Princess lashed her whip in hopes of hitting her opponent's wrist, either disarming or wounding her if not both.

I don't wanna move too much, but it's a terrible idea to fight stationary...

 

[jade421]

Yua had managed to fend off the attacks, panting a bit to herself as she winced in pain from the shoulder. The rag had managed to keep herself from bleeding out but it on top of the chakra cost she had to make this sword among other moves had begun to show an effect. Still, Yua figured she had been at the advantage as compared to Tsuki she had natural poison she merely needed to mold with chakra as oppose to create her element like the Mist ninja. On top of that it seemed the poisoned strikes had began to show greater effect which turned this into a contest of attrition which Yua always preferred. She had taken a moment to adjust the rag on her shoulder as she tried to tighten the now red-stained rag to better hold it in place before she had began to move as she watched her shuriken sail over her opponent.
In spite of it all, she has yet to give up. So long as she believes she can still win I cannot take anything for granted. If I can land one slash with this blade, there would be more than enough poison in her to put her out of action.

Yua had already moved away from her original spot when Tsuki had made her move which was an advantage as she had not lost any mobility compared to her limped foe. But even as her attack seemed to land harmlessly behind her the technique had a surprise as the puddle seemed to lunge out and tried to grasp her ankle in her efforts to try and circle Tsuki. So Yua hopped ahead as she aimed to just get out of the range of the puddle before its reach could grasp her but even with that escape she had not avoided Tsuki's wrath. Two strikes came for her one being a kunai aimed for her chest and the other a whip that had been aimed for her wrist and much as Yua desired to close in on Tsuki she had been forced to jump back as she flipped in the air and allowed the kunai to sail under her while she raised her blade to fend off the whip as sparks flew and poison & ice seemed to crack on the collision before she landed out of the whip's reach. Yua panted a bit as she had to adjust her rag and tighten it while she seemed to have some visible frustration.
No matter what I do I can't close the gap on her. I need to find some way to get close to her. I need to get rid of that whip.

Yua decided to try and test Tsuki's leg, as she prepared her own kunai and tossed it at the kunoichi. This kunai unlike her shuriken seemed to have an added surprise as she placed an explosive tag on it with the aim to be simple; she focused on the spot between Tsuki's feet on the ground and aimed to try and blast Tsuki from her position. Maybe she'd get lucky and blow up that troublesome ice whip for added measure.

 

[=Nightshade=]

“I’m awake,” Karui grumbled as her sister rocked her back and forth. “Have been for a while, but it’s cold outside the sheets…” The girl shoved back the blankets and stifled a shudder at the cold air, sitting up fast enough to grow lightheaded for a second. She swung her legs to the side, over the edge of the bed, and stood up, noting with mild surprise the cat rubbing up against Asahi. Then Karui turned back to Sagiso to answer her question. “Yeah, I’m coming, I’m coming. She’s got a point, you do kinda smell,” she directed at Asahi with a slight grin.

 

[Hecotoro]

Asahi smirked, she wouldn't mind a bath, but she saw an opportunity to have fun with her sisters and she was going to take me. She held up her bare right foot towards her sisters and wiggled her toes. "Whoever gets there last has to wash my feet!" She jumped off the bed and pointed towards the door. "And I ain't washing my own feet! Kas, distract them!" She bolted for the door, using her wind chakra to speed herself forward like she had learned from the fire killer boy back in the second exams.

Kas gave the remaining two Hasa girls a bored look. "I'll wait here." She yawned as she curled up on the bed.

 

[kyuukestu]

Land of Fire | Nekomata Fortress (Sept 26 5:35 am, Day after the Exams)

Titled Name: Yan Xia Roulan

True Name: Sagisō Ajisai​

Rank 36 — Heavenly Skillful Star | Yan Qing​

Sagisō rolled her eyes and curled her lips. She oozed disdain as Asahi sped off. Winning? Losing? There was no difference, Asahi couldn't be trusted to bathe herself, so she’d be the one bathing her either way. Still, Sagisō didn’t completely ignore Asahi, she opted to holler down the hallway, already knowing Asahi would probably throw her clothes all over the floor.

“You’d better have neatly folded your clothes by the time I get there!”

And speaking of clothes, they’d probably need some new ones soon; their current ones were getting tattered. They’d have to go shopping afterward.

Sagisō turned to Karui and narrowed her eyes. “Go on…” She gestured for her sister to go first and crossed her arms with parental judgment, “You’re not going back to bed without a bath.”

 

[Godjacob]

The mood seemed to only get more intense as Keito retorted and seemed prepared to leave, which left Tomiko to wonder if she should stop him or not. She wanted to make Keito feel better but also recognized that he needed some time to simmer with these thoughts. It had been quite a long day physically and mentally for him and she figured that more than anything might help more than her words could. Even if Tomiko tended to view the optimistic side of the ninja world she had no way to say Keito's critiques were wrong, and Mori seemed to build on that idea.

Tomiko had to admit she had not expected this side of Mori. Their years at the academy had told her he was a talented student, but he never came across as a motivational speaker and seemed to shed greater insight as really how had Tomiko been expected to follow that? Even if she felt whatever words she had to say paled in comparison to what Mori had just said, after a minute of silence that followed something compelled her to speak all the same.

"Yeah, no matter what live has in store for us we'll always be a team. Can't get rid of us that easily~" Tomiko had said with a grin, the fact she had capacity to smile after all she had heard seemed to carry that undying energy that defined her. But she had meant it, if nothing else she had said stuck she was determined to make that comment true.

 

[EnviousWorm]

Ugokasenai Keito, Iwa Genin
​

Keito stood with his back to his friends, torn apart by their support and his need to be alone. Somehow, Mori had managed to surprise more with his words than with his fight. Although the longer Mori went on, the more Keito felt a black hole tear open inside his stomach. Of all things though, he wondered how much his friends spoke of was perceived truth, and how much was instinct — the need to hold on to that which is already there in hand. No matter how he felt about Tomiko and Mori, Keito would think about going home, and suddenly he felt the anxiety bubble over again. His body let out a grumbling sigh almost subconsciously — he'd hardly realized he had sighed for a moment, until coming out of a trance.

He turned around, twisting his body much like he'd twisted his mind, scratching at his chin with a nervous forefinger.

"This is all relative, you know," he said, his voice still quiet as he spun back around to face the door. "Where am I gonna go? 13 years old and I can't fight for shit. The Stone is where I'll be for the foreseeable future. For now, I need to step away. Without fanfare. I was thinking about heading back to Iwa early...but you know I won't miss your fight, eh, Tsuch? Yeah, I'll be around."

Resting his palm against the hilt of his sakabatou, Keito walked off into the hall on his own two feet, even as pain started to flare up in his stomach. Maybe, he thought to himself, he'd find a fountain like the one that had caught his eye. Keito could envision himself, sitting down at its edge in a quiet peace.

 

[sSoul]

Tsuki
While the icy kunoichi was unable to restrain her opponent, putting her on the move carried its own benefits. Once again, Yua had tried to close the distance in a circular motion, though Tsuki didn't need to anticipate this as her sticky water puddle was hot on her opponent's trail. Though none of her attacks connected, Tsuki accomplished something else: preventing her opponent from operating at her preferred range. As the drops of poison and shards of ice fell from their most recent clash, the Yuki Princess took a moment to study Yua's expression. It quickly became evident that her opponent was growing weary from the current state of affairs. In contrast, Tsuki had remained as cool as her family's signature element, though admittedly feeling a modicum of pressure as their contest began to climax. This pressure would've increased in light of Yua attempting to throw an explosive kunai at the icy kunoichi's injured leg, but Tsuki already had a contingency for such an event. The puddle of viscous liquid that once tried to grab the Suna kunoichi quickly shifted targets to grab the projectile. The task was simplified by the fact that the blade was aimed towards the ground in front of Tsuki. Reminiscent of an earlier moment in the fight, the icy kunoichi temporarily reduced the viscosity of the puddle so she could throw the explosive Kunai back at Yua.

Though the physical battle is evenly matched, I am definitively winning the battle of the mind. She's getting desperate and frustrated, causing her to repeat tactics. If she can't get her emotions under control she'll end up defeating herself before I get the chance.