[Chuunin Exams]

[Niro]

With an explosion of smoke, each Team arrived in a massive arena put together in collaboration of each village. An extraordinary landscape filled with nature's beauty stretched far and wide, an expansive tapestry woven with wild elements. As each of them stepped forward, their vision would be greeted by a mesmerizing sight: a vast expanse of tall grasses, their emerald blades swaying in the gentle embrace of the wind. The very air seems to hum with vitality, carrying the earthy scent of soil and the faint perfume of flowers that bloom among the verdure.

Dappled sunlight filtered through the canopy of ancient trees above them, casting intricate patterns of light and shadow upon the lush ground below. The forests that encircle the arena are a haven for a myriad of creatures, their songs and calls creating a symphony that harmonizes with the whispering leaves. Towering oaks, graceful willows, and majestic redwoods stand as stoic guardians, their roots entwined with the stories of generations past. Tranquil ponds and babbling brooks punctuate the landscape, inviting weary travelers to pause and reflect amidst the tranquil chorus of nature.

At the very heart of this living canvas stands a monument of awe-inspiring grandeur: an ancient temple. Rising from the earth like a guardian of secrets, the temple boasts a stunning fusion of architectural prowess and natural wonder. Carved from ethereal stone that seems to shimmer in the ever-changing light, its towering spires reach towards the heavens, adorned with intricate carvings depicting scenes of life, growth, and harmony. A sense of reverence and wonder washes over those who approach, as if the temple holds within its walls a connection to the very essence of the world.

The interior is a hallowed sanctuary, bathed in a soft, mystical glow that spills through stained glass windows depicting the cycle of seasons. The air is scented with ancient incense, and the sound of a distant waterfall adds a soothing rhythm to the space. Within the temple, a sacred grove of trees stretches skyward, their branches interwoven to form a natural dome above an altar of polished stone. It is here that participants would find their prize.

Yellow team posts first
Orange team posts second
Red team posts third
Blue team posts fourth

Konoha-Heart-Kumo-Suna

Red Team:

• Indra
• Ashura

Orange Team:

• Masaru
• Kasuri

Yellow Team:

• Kitsui
• Kureha
• Leimine

Blue Team:

• Akihiko
• Suzuko
• Shiun
• Rio

[Trusted Grader]

Kitsui couldn't believe that the day was finally here, he had heard his mother yell at him for over a year that he was nothing but a loser, something he would do his best to prove her wrong, he had somehow managed to get elected to join the Chuunin exam and was even chosen as the team leader. His outward appearance might have been smiling but on the inside, he was as nervous as the first day he had to prove to his father that he knew how to mold chakra. He shook his head and chuckled as Shikon barked, it boosted his confidence, he turned to face his comrades, his dark slit eyes peered at his teammates who had come from other villages, but had been united for one cause; ranking up

"Alright team, we got one shot at this and we are going to take it. Me and ya boy over here is Shikon, together we will act as your track and attack duo, we specialize in sniffing down our targets and holding them down. Get me close enough and I can bind most enemies. And if we need to make a quick escape, pop a smoke and I'll try to daze them with my partner." Kitsui pet the Australian Cattledog, allowing him to sniff the scroll for a second before he snapped his fingers and set the dog running through the tall grass and towards the forest. "I'll do my best as a leader to keep us safe." Kitsui said looking off to the distance, a wind picked up, kicking his hoodie to the side as he did his best to act cool.

"I suggest we follow my boy, he'll make sure no one sneaks up on us... Unless they mask their scents..." That was something he needed to work on in the future, to cover any potential gap he might encounter. He hoped that his teammates would believe in his ability to lead them, Kitsui wasn't known around his parts for leading teams but he had been the most promising Inuzuka in a recent while, among the youth he was the best at training new pups.

You... You can't think of people like puppies, come now Kitsui... The teenager snickered as he pushed through the tall grass, leaped up the braches then side-flipped next to the pond which had caught Shikon's attention. "What you found my boy? What you guys reckon?" Kitsui slid to a halt next to Shikon, pet the dog then tossed him a treat as he rounded his legs then tunneled him, the dog then turned to protect the group and kept a nose out while they inspected the pond.

[Kabu]

The time was finally here for the Chuunin Exams and Kureha couldn't help but feel that she wasn't at all prepared. There was still so much more work that could have been done but oh well, she would just have to do her best with what she already had at her disposal. More importantly, she had been assigned to a team and if they were going to effectively work together there was one important thing to be done.

And yet despite her determination... "I am... Ibakuro Kureha." she found herself hesitating with her introduction, not yet being used to introducing herself as an Ibakuro. She had practiced it extensively with Rin but the real thing proved to be much more difficult than she had anticipated. In any other scenario she may have sighed at her own inability to do something so simple but she held it in, not wanting to show weakness to her teammates.

In any case "I don't have any particular specialties but I'm quite good with both Taijutsu and Genjutsu." she added, finishing her introduction.

With that the group soon came to a halt, emerging from the brush near a small pond. It was peaceful and yet she couldn't help but frown at Kitsui's words and his dog's actions. "Could there be enemies nearby already?" she pondered, keeping a close eye on her surroundings as her hands reached towards one of her knives. [color=AA47BA]"Just give the word and I'll be ready to jump into action at any moment."[/color]

[Diatenshi]

'Kekeke so we've a tracker. Your team is best for laying ambushes, my favorite sort of work.' Mimi listened as Azir spoke in her mind his voice like drifting sand. As old and ancient as he was; it was weird to have another person constantly calculating things in her had. She couldn't imagine constantly living on edge like that herself.

" I'm Souseiji Leimine, a Nintaispecialist focused on close quarters combat. I also have a summonable spirit Azir, so our team consist of five. If were to target other groups our best chance is to lay an ambush. Tracking duo finds the targets, Ibakuro will trap them with genjutsu. Ill be the muscle, whilst my summon can use genjutsu with ninjutsu to cover a retreat if needed so guerilla tactics are an option."

The last to speak she'd join her thoughts with Azir's and develop possible tactics for the mission on hand. As they entered the woods she noticed the doggo start alerting to a pond. It was too soon to have encountered an opposing team so likely there was an animal or or something nearby... Or the dog simply wanted to swim. It seemed young and she had no clue how "trained" it was.

"Something special about the oasis, I mean pond?" She called out from the branches of a nearby tree. Her training in stealth and hiding rather moot as she wasn't accustomed to the forested environment. However, even she knew standing in the open next to a water source could be dangerous. She peered cautiously into the opening checking the surrounding tree line and glancing into the pond's clear green waters.

[Kanade]

((OOC: I am a bit confused about this all. but I was told to post?))

“I am Kyudo-ite, Kasuri, a pleasure to meet you.” The girl with teal hair pulled back a strand behind her ear and smiled, “I think that Akiko is supposed to be taking this exam as well.” Her brain was a bit scattered, especially because of the rough landing from the transfer onto the field and the sudden movement toward the centre of the field, the tower, visible at first had faded into the treeline. She looked her teammate up and down and nodded, “So um, we should steer clear of that pool, from what I have heard of the chuunin exam we should be leery of literally every tree, branch, leaf, pond, toad, and other living thing, and even some non-living things.” She seemed rather caught up in the thought that Akiko would also be in harm’s way and had little to no bandwidth for her own safety left.

“I am a long-range specialist, primarily, but can do a bit of hand-to-hand should the need arise.” She gulped and certainly hoped so. Often it was the people in the back that had the most upfront confrontations in her limited experience, which included reading and a sparring match gone pear-shaped. “And your name?” She gave a couple of glances to the pool with the vines and skirted around it as far as humanly possible. "The pool might have one of their aforementioned scroll pieces, but anything that is in that lake is going to have the advantage over us in the water, and I don’t have gills.” She bared her neck in a display, to show that she indeed did not have gills growing out of the sides of her neck.

[Diatenshi]

As his new partner spoke Iburo scoffed to Masaru speaking to him from within his mental space. 'The girl seems distracted even in an exam. Dont let her drag you down Masaru kekeke.' The Father of Rebirth's voice echoed out within his mind like the crackling of a campfire. It was clear the haughty spirit held the young woman in contempt, though he viewed most people this way even the Hokage.

'It show's empathy. There's nothing wrong with being concerned for a comrade. Besides, she may be able to use her knowledge of her friend to her advantage if they have to fight. Knowing the enemy is always useful.' Masaru countered the spirit's comments as they made their way through the forest. Not that he didn't agree it could be a liability but he had to put his trust in his teammate and being suspicious would only sow discord and make working together harder. As they approached the pond he nodded in agreement with the girl's words as they skirted around the water avoiding it.

"Senju Masaru, the pleasure is mine. Who is Akiko? Friend of your's? I hope they do well, but as they're not on our team, don't cave if we face them in combat." The young Senju's face was amiable but focused. After training with Fanho, it'd be a shame if he failed so he meant to give this exam everything he had. His eyes scanned the forest before them as they travelled around the pond making a beeline to the center. He performed a small number of hand seals and created a small nut within his palms. He passed it to Kasuri and smiled confidently.

"In case we split up or I lose sight of you. It'll help me track your position. I'm a close combat specialist with heavy emphasis on defensive combat. I mostly utilize mokuton and katon. I'll take point as we travel and you hang a small distance back. If we encounter enemies Ill do my best to pin them down while you pick them off from a distance."

Their skill sets were complimentary and had good synergy. They should be able to work well together and this raised his hopes for the upcoming trials. Especially since she could do a bit of close combat if necessary. She could potentially hold her own if he got pinned down and was unable to help.

[Ace Trainer]

Indra and Ashura would get the starting signal and take off, ninja running in the direction they’d agreed upon. What made the most sense to them was the most expeditious path, so they would move carefully but with intention. They would need to get to their destination as quick as possible if they wanted to take an easy and early lead. As they closed in on their first goal point, Indra was relieved not to run into any opposition, hugging the tall-grass not to fully enter it, but attempting to still use it for some degree of coverage. However, to his southwest, he could pick up on something large…and loud.

Making eye contact with Ashura, he’d make a motion, pointing towards the source before making a strange face, ”Whadduya think that could be?”, he said with a hushed tone. It was directly on the path they were heading, so the duo would be faced with a hard decision. ”Guess we’ll find out if we head on like we were.”, he’d pat the partial scroll in his pocket, making sure it was still there. Time would tell, it seemed.

[Nick]

This had been one of the worst waits of Suzuko's young life. There was, of course, the long wait leading up to the exam starting when she'd been given notice by Goro that she'd been signed up against her wishes, thinking she wasn't ready, especially placing so poorly in the 'strongest genin' competition at the iron banner festival so closely before! But the wait of the day before was even worse, like a child on the night before christmas, except instead of Santa coming down the chimney, it was one of those weird Norse fairytales where some fat demon would come down the chimney and eat her in a gory mess because she forgot to put salt in her left shoe.

That said, she'd gotten practically no sleep the night before, and looked like a mess with her hair in strands outside of her usual ponytail, but put on her usual strict and haughty face all the same despite the bags under her eyes making her look a good ten years older than she actually was. When they were let loose and given the starting signal, she looked around to her team and nodded. They'd been planning on what they'd do before it all started, and each person understood their roles in the team fairly well, and so after they were each tagged by Akihiko, Suzuko activated her sensory technique and moved to the first space, cutting through the forest was part of their plan to find more bits of intrigue, and possibly scroll segments.

"Strong chakra presence to the north, weak one to the east, strange chakra to the northeast... Skip the east." She said, informing her team of what she'd found with her ping, and making a judgement call for which ones to seek out. "Northeast, north, then we continue to the tower."

[Taiga]

The eldest of the motley Heart-Kumo squad had been silent most of the journey to Fire Country. Rio had focused on keeping her wits about her and instead kept focused on their environment around them, ever aware that the slightest slip up would not only end her contract to Goro but potentially bring a far worse fate for a companion she cared deeply for. Though she hadn't given it much thought, perhaps that had been Goro's plan all along. He needn’t pay much gold to win Rio's service of protection of the child whom which she had formed such a sisterly bond with.

As the event kicked off and the group was shuffled to their "starting block", Rio cracked her knuckles and checked through her inventory one more time as her hair gently became the embodiment of her rising anxiety, its frizzled and frayed ends lengthening out from the opening at the bottom of her Ryuuhagane helmet and wriggling in the air as if it was grasping for something.


Her hands finishing their checks and ending at her holster right as Akio touched the group she revolted for a moment as her hands flicked at her blade- only to be pulled out of her gut reaction by Suzuko’s intel. It seemed there was a strong chakra presence near by… and they would go right to it.

The day had come.

Marching along her squad with her hands and hair at the ready Rio would be extremely alert to her surroundings and at the ready in case of hostile interference. All the while a feeling of uneasiness enveloped her psyche, the loss of her father to a chakra-wielding rogue shinobi still too real in her mind after all these years.

After all, it was chakra that allowed the shinobi to kill her father… a bounty hunter she worshipped, feebly perhaps, as invincible.

[Texas]

It was a beautiful day, not at all a foreshadow of what was to come... was there a word for a false foreshadow? Akihiko stood there with his heart comrades, all of which he has hand individual and group interactions with. The pink haired boy considered them friends! He was especially grateful to be in a team with him, since the child was the only Kumo Genin in the chuunin exams. Akihiko knew his role, it was a heavy part of his training... support. Part of utilizing his genma ability was to be able to aide and support his comrades in battle. The child wanted to be the ultimate team player and now it could potentially pay off.

Was showing off part of the event? Was there a way he could sparkle?! The child made his way to each person. A light tap on the back for Suzuko, then he would make his way to Rio. Finally his last tap was on Shiun's head. Was it taboo to touch her mushroom head?? Akihiko quickly winced and flinched as he jumped back just in case a "friendly fire" strike was sent his way.

Before Aki could fully prepare the moment came where it started. Aki and Shiun took the rear as Rio and Suzuko took the front. A rectangle formation, it probably had a name, but if Aki was told it... that information was long gone in the hollowness of his head. As they headed to the forest, the child would get distracted by a thought. "Shiun do you think our friends and family could see us?" The boy would turn his body slightly as they ran, well before getting to the forest and waved in the air. "HI MOM!"

With the shenanigans out of the way, the pre-teen delinquent followed orders and simply acknowledged Suzuko's direction. "Yes Sir!"

Jutsu UsedShow

Limbo • Passive Touch - Tagging
E-Rank Ninjutsu
Due to extreme exposure within the Limbo Realm, Akihiko as a slight bit of chakra located on his hands and feet. When touching an inanimate object (or inorganic) or a person, Akihiko leaves a slight chakra signature on it. By tagging an item and willfully leaving a slight bit of his chakra, it gives the selected organic or inorganic object/being the capability of entering and exiting the Limbo Realm.

[Golnax]

The International Chunin Exams were finally here and Shiun. Was. PUMPED! She felt unusually positive about their prospects here in the forest, maybe because she was with friends who she knew pretty well at this point? Maybe because they, as a group, had a well thought out and planned system of operation? Maybe because in said system she was tasked with being the ranged support since she was able to attack from the furthest and thus had a theoretically safer job? Possibly all of these thinfs and none! She really was just in unusually good spirits!

Unlike Rio and Suzuko, Shiun didnt flinch when Aki touched her mushroom cap to transfer his chakra to her. She didn't know about Suzuko or Rio but back when Suzuko and Shiun had been in Kumo, the Kinoko had gotten a fairly extensive look at what the Kumo genin's powers were like, which might have also been why he was in the rear on support with her. "No, I don't think our family can see us, Akihiko! Probably no one can see us!" she refuted. "Keep your voice down though! We might not be being watched by our parents or proctors but the other teams can still hear us!"

Shiun's long braids had been pulled back into s thick ponytail at the back of her head and she had her butt bag on her filled with her usual bevy of equipment. Musu was on her finger, naturally. She mostly appeared unarmed which was to her benefit, really. Things were still in the early stages so there wasn't much need to be on high alert just yet, but Suzuko was being a good leader and using her sensory abilities to scout ahead. "Right behind you!" Shiun called back up to her friend, keeping her voice down relatively speaking. She was looking around them herself from behind, making sure nothing and no one was sneaking up on them. She was the first line of defense if something came from the rear, after all...

She could do this. She had this!


Right?

[Trusted Grader]

Kitsui listened in on his team-mates, he nodded and took note of their words, his focus was on the lake while Shikon made sure that they were safe, if anyone tried anything he would alarm them, causing the Inuzuka to wave at Kureha, to make sure that she calmed down a bit, for it was pointless to be in high alert when they seemed to be alone.

Kitsui checked the pond then tried to dip his hand into it, nothing really happened but he could smell the chakra, his mind wandered back to his academy days. His teacher had told him about unknown water sources that could replenish ones chakra, especially if the water contained such mana, he made a mental note of this pond then nodded, he snapped his finger and Shikon was on the run again.

Kitsui followed suit and soon found himself in the tall grass once again, they continued their journey until they reached a rock formation, with the main one being 7 meter in size, that for some reason made a strange noise, Shikon was the first to react to it before Kitsui too reacted. "Do y'all hear that? It sounds like... Breathing..." Kitsui stopped moving, Shikon on the otherhand barked as he was certain that he smelled the scroll hidden within the chest.

"I see, team, there are scroll pieces inside that chest, but I believe... I believe the rocks are alive..." Kitsui removed two explosive noted Kunai and held them in his right hand. "I'm going to try something, be ready for whatever team!

Sorry Shikon..." Kitsui looked over the dog and nodded, he grabbed Shikons harness then tossed him towards the chest, the dog would kick the chest as hard as it could to not only attempt to knock it off the rock but also kick himself off and land in Kitsui's arms. His left hand was still ready to toss the Kunai if anything happen, but now if the chest fell they could steal the contents and bail.

[Kabu]

As they walked Kureha trailed a bit behind her allies, keeping an eye out for any potential oddities. Thus far it seemed to be relatively peaceful with no signs of the other teams or any other enemies. Honestly some part of her quite enjoyed this uneventful trek through the forest, Rin having been working to instill an appreciation for nature in her. It would soon come to a stop however as they came across a strange rock formation. It was quite large and even had a chest sitting on top. Whatever it was it clearly wasn't normal... she realized that even before Kitsui spoke.

"I don't hear anything but even I can tell this isn't normal." she responded with a shake of her head. As if on instinct she was already reaching for her knives though she didn't otherwise make a move just yet.

And yet even despite her shift into combat mode she couldn't help but gasp in shock as Kitsui threw his dog towards the chest. The two seemed to share an unspoken understanding of what was to be done but she still was nervous. "I hope this works..."

[Kanade]

((was informed my teammate timed.))

“Akiko, she’s my partner.” Kasuri said, as they pressed on, “She’s my-.” She let the sentence trail off in a dreamy tone as they traversed the way southeast. She cleared her throat, “I would rather not fight her if at all possible, but in the event we do find her in this mad maze, I will only waylay her.” She shook her head, “even in the chuunin exam it’s best to not go all out against each other, as it shows a lack of discipline in pulling your punches.” She had been trained to spar, but only to a point with other samurai of her newly formed nation of heart.

‘It might get you killed in the end.’ Ayago warned softly. Kasuri brushed it aside. She took the nut in her hand and turned it over carefully two times before tucking it into her kunai pouch, “I have no such gift for you, so please don’t lose me.” She grinned, knowing that she was more reliant on him than he was her.

As they made their way through the tall grass Kasuri relaxed a little as there wasn’t anything obviously dangerous about this place. She ran her hands through the tall strands, letting the heads fall through her fingers, tickling her palms and the tips.

She stopped suddenly and bent down, ducking beneath the tall strands as she spied a camp, holding her breath for one, two, three, four heart beats. The alert that came after that brief repose was like the thunder crash after the lightning bolt that alerted the others in the camp to danger.

“Damn.” she swore, looking at the senju, “Time to earn our scroll piece.” Ayago fit neatly and lightly in her hand as she drew back and released a quick four shots, two volleys of hidden projectile arrows with Ayago singing with her bowstring, creating projectiles out of the chakra that poured into her from Kasuri.

jutsu usedShow

*[Flawless Aim Style • Hidden Shot]
C-Rank Taijutsu Maneuver
By launching two projectiles, one immediately after the other, the practitioner attempts to create a decoy for the second. The first projectile is often larger or of equal size, and the second projectile is slightly behind and below it, the second projectile hiding in the first projectile's shadow. This masks the second projectile and makes it more difficult for the opponent to completely avoid. Opponents with a Perception technique equal or higher in rank may be able to see both projectiles clearly within a reasonable distance, though they'll still have to properly defend against it.

[Diatenshi]

Masaru nodded quietly as they conversed indicating he was listening and paying attention. He raised a hand to halt their party of two and dropped down hoping their chatter hadn't given their position away. The alarm that sounded told him they had indeed been spotted. "Indeed in the future well have to be quieter to avoid attracting unwanted attention. At least I know you've got my back. I'll distract them try to sneak around and raid the camp if you can. All else fails Ill trap them in a ring of fire and we run like hell."

Masaru would charge and scream loudly as he charged out his eyes scanning his opponent. He was likely out classes and while direct confrontation against four opponents was definitely not in his favor, he had his role to play. He performed a series of hand seals performing two jutsu in rapid succession the first created a wall between the first target and his allies in camp the second created a pit fall trap immediately behind it for any that would try to jump over or break through with brute strength to get caught in. Following this, he'd swing his lance clearing the tall grass around him to prevent falling victim to any traps hidden in the tall grass before leaping and piercing down upon his target in an effort to take him hostage. To his foe he'd give off the impression of weighing like a mountain as if he was an immovable object.

JutsuShow

Doton • Wall
D-Rank Ninjutsu
After performing the correct hand seals the user will form a solid stone wall up to 5 meters away from them at [10] speed. The wall has [15] strength and is 3x3x1 meters large.

*Doton • Trip Fault
D-Rank Ninjutsu
After performing the correct hand seals, the user will cause a 1/2 meter pot hole to appear at [16] speed somewhere within 5 meters.

Crushing Weight of the Mountains
D-Rank Taijutsu Maneuver
Masaru jumps up and stabs down with his lance into the target, if it lands the target is locked in place unable to unpin them selves from the ground as Masaru stands on their arms. While Masaru isn't all that heavy the target is given the impression of him being as heavy as a mountain. This isn't genjutsu or illusion as the targets senses are not being tricked nor manipulated, rather it is a presence Masaru himself gives off. The target must have greater strength than Masaru to stand break his hold on them.

[Nick]

As they moved through their oddly proportioned sections of space, each kept an eye out from their positions, moving carefully so as to not attract attention or wake sleeping giants, and took a short break at the pond to rejuvenate themselves, or at least Suzuko did, who was the only one who'd expended any amount of chakra, filling her canteen with the waters. When they entered their final hex, Suzuko held up a hand for her team to stop in the universal way, pinging her chakra sensory once more to figure out where the chakra was coming from that she'd sensed previously. She'd been expecting the chest to be the source of the chakra, but to see it was the rock pile itself was worrisome, and made it clear that this wasn't as simple as it first appeared, some kind of trap.

"Huddle." She whispered, making it clear that they needed to be quiet for a moment. "Rock pile is trapped." She said matter-of-factly, unsure if anyone on her team would notice besides herself. "Chest itself seems safe." She looked around at each of her teammates, trying to figure out how best to handle a situation like this. "We can try knocking the chest off, but that might trigger the trap anyway..." Her eyes landed on Akihiko, as much as she didn't want to look at him.

"You're probably the sneakiest of us, do you think you could grab it? Maybe Rio and I could toss you up there to give you a headstart..." She said thoughtfully, before turning to Shiun. "If we go with that, I want you providing artillery support from afar, in case it's some kind of construct, or alerts a proctor to come after us. Any objections?"

[Ace Trainer]

Apparently, the thing they heard wasn’t that loud, so Indra stopped hearing it but could still see it. As they continued on, they were forced to confront was appeared to be a giant structure of rock with a very fancy chest. He could have sworn it was moving, but now that it was clearly in sight, there was no motion he could detect. Staring at it intently, he put his hands on his hips, his large black eyes unblinking as he tried to gauge what should happen next.

”The scroll pieces are in there. Or at least one? I’ma get it. You keep a look out!”, without even considering that the stone might be dangerous or that Ashura might have some protest to Indra’s plan, the young genie would bolt forward and jump onto the rock, quickly grappling his way up it until he get to the chest unless he was impeded in some way.

[Niro]

"Wait, Indra! Something's wrong here!" Ashura shouted after his partner as the teen jumped ahead and onto the rock formation. Ever since they had approached the 'natural' formation, the hairs on the back of Ashura's neck had been raised and he had felt like he was being watched by something and it gave him the same feeling he got when he knew his Genma Detail was following him around Sunagakure. As Indra dashed up the rock formation, the entire structure began to shake and groan before moving.

The stones began to shift and the entire formation began to tilt backwards as whatever was guarding the chest was awoken and reared back on its hind legs. Ashura couldn't even see Indra at this point but finally was able to get a clear picture as to what was guarding the chest. His eyes scanned over the rock laden beast that towered over him with its stubby legs and arms and beady coal-like eyes. A mouth full of serrated teeth opened wide as it stared him down before unleashing a screech and its stomach began to glow red hot with the preparation of an attack.

Ashura's already-wide eyes seemed to grow even wider as he began to channel his own chakra and dropped his hand to the ground. His and Janesisu's chakra surged forth into the ground and a wall shot up made of earth as a breathe of flame washed over his position.

SpoilerShow

[Matter Reconstruction: Wall]
D-rank Toukoujutsu
The user will channel their chakra and touch matter containing their own chakra or matter with no chakra, whether it be jutsu or simple equipment. The matter will reconstruct into a 10x10x1m curved wall.

[Taiga]

Rio had kept her position held, every limb or piece of her body capable of throwing a projectile ready to pop off as the group moved through their area. As the group continued to progress through the landscape suddenly, Suzuko would signal for the group to stop as Rio came to a silent and graceful halt. Unlike Rio, the child she had once been tasked with guarding Suzuko had abilities- she was a sorcerer of sorts and able to feel chakra and even track with it. It was something Rio didn’t fully comprehend being raised out of the loop of shinobism and not so great at their mystical arts herself despite an effort to learn.

Having a kid like that at your side certainly had its advantages though. Huddling up with the group at Suzuko's order she silently listened, pensively really. Her plan was for Aki to grab the chest- but her statement that the rock was trapper worried her. Was Aki fast enough to escape whatever trap laid in wait? Perhaps striking from a distance was better.

Rio, after all, was entrusted to make sure no harm would befell Suzuko, Aki, and Shiun. She wasn't just a normal teammate but a hired hand unknown to the others. Her hair swelling around her shoulders as it grew out from beneath her helmet and formed tentacles in the air, the solemn warrior spoke from beneath heir chrome armor.

"Perhaps.... Well, maybe... its better we knock it down from afar? How heavy can it be?” She said as her hair flexed like it was a bicep, ready to strike.

“Unless the pink haired wonder is reaaaaallly fast and fleet of foot.”

[Texas]

The boy listened to his teammate and nodded. Shiun made a great point, it was time to get a little serious. Especially since they were broadcast throughout the entire world, or at least... that's how Aki envisioned it. When they arrived at the body of water, Aki bent down and put his index finger in. It was calming... maybe some day he could come back to this mysterious place and swim in the water... Before a true distracting thought could take over his simple brain, the group continued to move. This constant moving truly got the juices flowing, how exciting! It felt like a real mission with a group of talented individuals.

They arrived in an opening where there was a large rock structure... but the upon that rock structure was a chest!!! Treasure! The boy followed Suzuko's lead and huddled with the other ladies. Although the Genma in his head was giving him ideas of ways to act foolishly, the child tried as hard as he could to be serious and in the moment. How long that mentality would last? Not even Aki would know.

The child listened to all of his teammates before speaking up quietly in the huddle. "I hear you guys, I will just run silently to the chest and grab whatever is inside. If I do that I would rather you guys be prepared for backup." The child would leave the huddle and stretch while flexing his leg muscles a little bit. Before he ran forward he would look behind at the ladies and try to act cool "it's only a bunch of rocks anyways." With his famous last words, Aki would look forward and run towards the rock. Due to his training with the Kumo's blackops, the child had adjusted to being stealthy without using his ability.

The boy would run up and climb the rock structure as quietly as possible. When he arrived at the chest, Aki would open it and see.....

Jutsu UsedShow

Asashin to Supa - Faster and Silenter
C-Rank Discipline
A quieter version of Basic Silence. By honing his muscles in his legs, and adjusting his feet slightly, Aki can run in a silent manor without being heard unless the person seeking him out has a higher perception technique.

[Golnax]

The pool of water was... just a pool of water to Shiun. She wasn't thirsty, hadn't used any chakra, and had no reason to go anywhere near it so she avoided the little pond while Suzuki and Akihiko did the testing for her. Seemed safe at any rate, so they could come back and get a drink if necessary! The akibushi samurai tried to make a mental note of where this pool was for later...

Onward the group of three samurai and a goofy Shinobi went until they came up on a pile of rocks with a chest on top of it, at which point Shiun huddled in as close as she could (what with her mushroom cap taking up a lot of space in close quarters) and listened to what Suzuko had to say. A trapped pile of rocks!? Had some of the other competitors gotten there before then!? Was it part of the exam!? Before she could stress about it any more, Suzuko came in with a suggestion of action which helped to center Shiun and pull her back to the present moment.

"Leave it to me!" she whispered confidently, clenching her fist, a sparkle in her eyes! If there was one thing she could do better than anyone else here it was attack people at range. She had this! Definitely had this. Then Rio cracked back with a plan of her own, revealing her ability to... grow and manipulate her hair?
"That's kind of weird..." she blurted out without thinking, watching that hair flex like that. "Maybe save that trick for one of our opponents?"

Aki broke up from the huddle first and silently sprung into action, which, in turn, made Shiun back up and straighten up, running off a bit to the left so that she had a good, clear view of both the pink haired goof and the pile of stones they were attempting to steal from. She stood at the ready, fingers curling and uncurling on her right hand in anticipation of using Musu. Her pale eyes watched for any sign of movement or treachery, ready to act at a moments notice...

[Niro]

Kitsui listened in on his team-mates, he nodded and took note of their words, his focus was on the lake while Shikon made sure that they were safe, if anyone tried anything he would alarm them, causing the Inuzuka to wave at Kureha, to make sure that she calmed down a bit, for it was pointless to be in high alert when they seemed to be alone.

Kitsui checked the pond then tried to dip his hand into it, nothing really happened but he could smell the chakra, his mind wandered back to his academy days. His teacher had told him about unknown water sources that could replenish ones chakra, especially if the water contained such mana, he made a mental note of this pond then nodded, he snapped his finger and Shikon was on the run again.

Kitsui followed suit and soon found himself in the tall grass once again, they continued their journey until they reached a rock formation, with the main one being 7 meter in size, that for some reason made a strange noise, Shikon was the first to react to it before Kitsui too reacted. "Do y'all hear that? It sounds like... Breathing..." Kitsui stopped moving, Shikon on the otherhand barked as he was certain that he smelled the scroll hidden within the chest.

"I see, team, there are scroll pieces inside that chest, but I believe... I believe the rocks are alive..." Kitsui removed two explosive noted Kunai and held them in his right hand. "I'm going to try something, be ready for whatever team!

Sorry Shikon..." Kitsui looked over the dog and nodded, he grabbed Shikons harness then tossed him towards the chest, the dog would kick the chest as hard as it could to not only attempt to knock it off the rock but also kick himself off and land in Kitsui's arms. His left hand was still ready to toss the Kunai if anything happen, but now if the chest fell they could steal the contents and bail.

Shikon would land on the pile of rocks and begin to run up it to the chest but before the dog could reach the top, the entire structure began to shake and rumble. Rocks began to fall off from the very top and tumble downwards with a crash indiscriminately towards the team at its base, some even large enough to crush a person beneath them if the team wasn't careful. Before the teams very eyes, the pile of rocks was standing upright and shaking off the accumulated dust and debris. The entire structure seemed to groan as it stood up to its full height with a tremendous roar and they could get a better look at what they were dealing with.

A giant, rotund lizard covered in armored plates made of stone with two horns on its forehead and blade-like protrusions facing backwards from its forearms. It's legs were short and stubby but a flexible, club like tail flicked around in the air behind it. Still attached to its back was the chest containing the scroll pieces. The beasts eyes roamed the area before finding the team at its feet and responding with a thunderous roar. It's left arm reared up and swung forward against the ground, shooting a cloud of rocky projectiles towards the team.

[Niro]

The boy listened to his teammate and nodded. Shiun made a great point, it was time to get a little serious. Especially since they were broadcast throughout the entire world, or at least... that's how Aki envisioned it. When they arrived at the body of water, Aki bent down and put his index finger in. It was calming... maybe some day he could come back to this mysterious place and swim in the water... Before a true distracting thought could take over his simple brain, the group continued to move. This constant moving truly got the juices flowing, how exciting! It felt like a real mission with a group of talented individuals.

They arrived in an opening where there was a large rock structure... but the upon that rock structure was a chest!!! Treasure! The boy followed Suzuko's lead and huddled with the other ladies. Although the Genma in his head was giving him ideas of ways to act foolishly, the child tried as hard as he could to be serious and in the moment. How long that mentality would last? Not even Aki would know.

The child listened to all of his teammates before speaking up quietly in the huddle. "I hear you guys, I will just run silently to the chest and grab whatever is inside. If I do that I would rather you guys be prepared for backup." The child would leave the huddle and stretch while flexing his leg muscles a little bit. Before he ran forward he would look behind at the ladies and try to act cool "it's only a bunch of rocks anyways." With his famous last words, Aki would look forward and run towards the rock. Due to his training with the Kumo's blackops, the child had adjusted to being stealthy without using his ability.

The boy would run up and climb the rock structure as quietly as possible. When he arrived at the chest, Aki would open it and see.....

Jutsu UsedShow

Asashin to Supa - Faster and Silenter
C-Rank Discipline
A quieter version of Basic Silence. By honing his muscles in his legs, and adjusting his feet slightly, Aki can run in a silent manor without being heard unless the person seeking him out has a higher perception technique.

Aki silently scrambled as towards the peak of the rocks but before he could reach the top, the entire structure began to shake and rumble. Rocks began to fall off from the very top and tumble downwards with a crash indiscriminately towards the team at its base, some even large enough to crush a person beneath them if the team wasn't careful. Before the teams very eyes, the pile of rocks was standing upright and shaking off the accumulated dust and debris. The entire structure seemed to groan as it stood up to its full height with a shrill screech and they could get a better look at what they were dealing with. Aki would have to either hold on or be flung free of the beast as it revealed itself.

A giant pangolin with its back covered in sharp quills made of stone and blade-like claws extending from its forelimbs. Still attached to its back was the chest containing the scroll pieces. The beasts eyes roamed the area before finding the team at its feet and responding by beginning to dig at the ground below it with its monstrous claws. Rocks, dirt, and sand kicked up everywhere making it difficult to see each other but the still digging form of the creature created a clear silhouette.

[Niro]

((was informed my teammate timed.))

“Akiko, she’s my partner.” Kasuri said, as they pressed on, “She’s my-.” She let the sentence trail off in a dreamy tone as they traversed the way southeast. She cleared her throat, “I would rather not fight her if at all possible, but in the event we do find her in this mad maze, I will only waylay her.” She shook her head, “even in the chuunin exam it’s best to not go all out against each other, as it shows a lack of discipline in pulling your punches.” She had been trained to spar, but only to a point with other samurai of her newly formed nation of heart.

‘It might get you killed in the end.’ Ayago warned softly. Kasuri brushed it aside. She took the nut in her hand and turned it over carefully two times before tucking it into her kunai pouch, “I have no such gift for you, so please don’t lose me.” She grinned, knowing that she was more reliant on him than he was her.

As they made their way through the tall grass Kasuri relaxed a little as there wasn’t anything obviously dangerous about this place. She ran her hands through the tall strands, letting the heads fall through her fingers, tickling her palms and the tips.

She stopped suddenly and bent down, ducking beneath the tall strands as she spied a camp, holding her breath for one, two, three, four heart beats. The alert that came after that brief repose was like the thunder crash after the lightning bolt that alerted the others in the camp to danger.

“Damn.” she swore, looking at the senju, “Time to earn our scroll piece.” Ayago fit neatly and lightly in her hand as she drew back and released a quick four shots, two volleys of hidden projectile arrows with Ayago singing with her bowstring, creating projectiles out of the chakra that poured into her from Kasuri.

jutsu usedShow

*[Flawless Aim Style • Hidden Shot]
C-Rank Taijutsu Maneuver
By launching two projectiles, one immediately after the other, the practitioner attempts to create a decoy for the second. The first projectile is often larger or of equal size, and the second projectile is slightly behind and below it, the second projectile hiding in the first projectile's shadow. This masks the second projectile and makes it more difficult for the opponent to completely avoid. Opponents with a Perception technique equal or higher in rank may be able to see both projectiles clearly within a reasonable distance, though they'll still have to properly defend against it.

The camp was slow to respond; Kasuri's arrow seemed to sing as they cut through the air and struck the first enemy, the one who raised the alarm to alert the rest. The chakra arrowhead dug into the flesh of his shoulder and blood blossomed from the wound near immediately. He gave a guttural cry of pain as he fell back onto the ground and looked to the projectile only to see it be ethereal. Chakra.

From the ground and through his cry of pain, he once again alerted the camp the enemy who had attacked was using chakra. The remaining arrows tore through the tents of the camp and due to this, they only lightly struck the remaining bandits who soldiered through the pain with ease and tore free of the tents. Arrows were notched in response and fired in the same direction as to where they had been received from. Three of the bandits loosed their own into the brush as they rushed to and fro in camp to find cover with one of them being come upon by the screaming red-head wielding a lance.

The unlucky man clumsily drew his blade and parried the blow, only to feel as if he had struck a boulder. A cry of pain erupted from him as he tried to follow up with another swing as his hand painfully throbbed and made it much harder to hold his blade.

The remaining bandit, the leader, had emerged from the tent and begun to run through a series of hand seals that ended on tiger. His chest swelled up as he took a breath and followed his compatriots in firing into the brush towards Kasuri and her team mate.

[Trusted Grader]

Kitsui watched as Shikon fell a bit short from his planned toss, No worries, we got this. Kitsui grit his teeth as he spotted the rock formation move, taking a couple of steps back the leader of the pack shouted for the rest to move. "Watch out!" Kitsui performed a back flip, his left hand reached inside his pouch as he removed another kunai, this one had a flash attathed to it, with a quick glance towards Kureha the dog boy tossed the kunai at her feet.

"Use that to flash him if things get too rough! Lei, follow my lead!" As the Inuzuka landed he would whistle at the dog to make haste, once the arm would be raised the Inuzuka would dash towards the lizards right side while nodding at Lei to follow before he would side flip then toss the two explosive kunai's at the lizards left rear leg in hopes of getting it fall backwards right as Shikon would attempt to knock the chest off the back.

If the chest was still stuck to the lizard then the dog would at least clear itself from the monster, it would spin in the air then urinate at the box right as Kitsui would toss a smoke bomb towards the lizards face, he hoped that the bomb would block its view and leave him enough time to prepare for the next set of attacks. Lei would now be open to figure out an attack strategy, Kitsui's pouch was open for use.

Hopefully the box would fall off, which would allow Kureha to be free to open it while the duo would try to keep the lizard monster busy. Come on you stupid box!

---

MetaShow

Kitsui
• [2] Explosive noted Kunai(s) in his pouch - Tossed at the beasts left hind leg
• [1] Note flash Kunai(s) in his pouch - Handed to Kureha
• [1] Smoke bomb in his pouch - Tossed at its face.

Preparing for next post.

~ Four-Legged Technique
C Rank Ninjutsu
After performing the necessary handseals, the user of this jutsu will take on a more canine-like appearance. When activated, the user's pupils will become nothing more than slivers, nails will become more claw-like, and s/he will travel on all fours. This partial transformation grants the user +6 speed and increased maneuverability, but lowers his/her control (-6) for five (5) posts.

Shikon

(If the chest doesn't budge.)

~Dynamic Marking
D Rank Taijutsu Maneuver
Prerequisite: Permission from the target
The ~Dynamic Marking Technique requires the user to first release a stream of urine onto the target. This urine is quite sticky and will quickly soak into clothing and similar fabrics. After it has been applied to the target, both the ninken and its partner are able to utilize their sense of smell in order to locate their target as long as they remain within an 80 meter radius of the clan member and familiar. The urine can be washed off with water and Suiton jutsu, but otherwise remains active until cleaned.

[Kabu]

Kureha's eyes grew wide at the sight of the monster, this being her first time having such an encounter. Even in the midst of her surprise however she knew she couldn't afford to get hit by an attack this early and so leapt to the side, narrowly dodging the projectiles that had been sent her way. "You know... this thing is actually kind of cool." she muttered in awe once the initial shock had worn off.

In any case she took a deep breath to clear her mind, picking up the kunai that Kitsui had tossed by her feet. She placed it in her knife holster for now and began channeling chakra. "Heads up you two!" she shouted. Once Kitsui had finished his own she snapped her fingers, resulting in the sound of an explosion coming from behind anyone who would hear it. Hopefully combined with Kitsui's own assault it would distract the beast for Leimine to be able to make her own assault without worry.

"We all need to work as a team, I can't just stand back and do nothing."

Jutsu UsedShow

*[Genjutsu • Boom!]
D-Ranked Illusion Genjutsu
The user will do a series of hand seals, then within the next post, snap their fingers. Anyone who hears the snapping will hear an explosion in the distance behind them. This works as an effective distraction, or a scare tactic, if properly utilized.

[Diatenshi]

Mimi was surprised to see the giant rock monster. It wasnt it's existence that surprised her but its inclusion in the exam. She began casting hand seals furiously and a spirit projection of Azir would appear behind her. She'd charge in socking the monster with a one two three punch combo to the face as Kitsui attacked its rear leg with an explosive.

As the sound of a loud explosion went off Leimine would hear Kureha call out behind her and smiled. She like the girl's grit. The sound of a second explosion Mimi would grab for the creatures throat, the projection mimicking her action with an extended reach, to push it back and expose its under belly. Holding on to the creature with two of the projections arms, the other two would begin wailing on it to keep it's attention off her allies. "Come on ugly!" while she had no clue if the creature understood her words, her tone wouldve been a clear indication of hostile intent that even an simple animal could understand.

JutsuShow

~Souseiji • Tsuin no Kage
D-Rank Nintaijutsu Stance
Using a moment to synchronize with their twin, the Souseiji joins with their twin spirit and molds their chakra into a projection that resembles the upper body of their spirit that is four times as large as the user. This projection follows the movements of the practitioner. So long as the practitioner remains in this Stance, they can constantly emit chakra to maintain and repair this chakra projection. If the practitioner attacks with this projection, the attack moves at a Speed equal to their Speed and a Strength of [Control]. Nintaijutsu maneuvers in the Tsuin no Kage style executed while in this Stance are granted a Strength value of [Control]. The practitioner can exit this Stance reflexively to conserve chakra. Due to the chakra intensive nature of this Stance, this technique drains 1 Chakra Pool stat every five posts in addition to the chakra costs of other techniques the practitioner uses, regardless of whether they attack with the chakra projection or not.

~Souseiji • Tsuin no Kage • Shadow Box
D-Rank Nintaijutsu Maneuver
Prerequisite(s): [CQC] Concentration, ~Souseiji • Tsuin no Kage must be active.
Working in tandem with their spirit, the practitioner releases a 1-2-3 punch combo. This technique turns the punches into a double-strike, the spirit projection mimicking the user's assault, its Speed equal to the practitioner's Speed and a Strength equal to [Control] for up to ten meters away.

~Souseiji • Tsuin no Kage • Crushing Grip
D-Rank Nintaijutsu Maneuver
Prerequisite(s): [Deft Hands] Concentration, ~Souseiji • Tsuin no Kage must be active.
Working in tandem with their spirit the practitioner releases a seemingly simple grab at the target. The spirit projection will mimic the grab seeking to latch on to the target, its Speed equal to the practitioner's Speed and a Strength equal to [Control] for up to ten meters away.

[Nick]

"Akihiko, no!" Suzuko hissed out as the pink haired boy launched himself without discussing the plans further, or even going with the plan they were in the middle of discussing! She looked to the other two members of her team incredulously, before puffing her cheeks out and spinning her mind into overdrive. For a moment she considered telling Akihiko to jump off and let go, but things clicked into place bit by bit as she scanned the silhouette of the beast. She couldn't tell if it was making a move to flee by digging, or if that was the beginning of some kind of pokemon-inspired attack, but either way she hoped to grab the contents of the chest and get out of there as quickly as possible.

"Don't let go until you have those scroll pieces!" She cried, forming a series of hand seals in preparation for the shit-show that was about to go down. "Rio, Shiun, destroy the box for Akihiko, I'll try to make sure he gets out of there safely!" Her hand seals were almost finished, and she started to run to get into position. Casting [Lift] first, she hoped to make it more difficult, or even impossible for the creature to complete its maneuver as it would hopefully be stuck in the air, unable to gain purchase on the ground, and following up with [Wind Tunnel] she attempted to help guide Akihiko's natural movements so that he'd be able to move in the now three-dimensional space without flailing uselessly as the creature was likely to.

"Think fast, and don't let those spikes get you!"

JutsuShow

Fuuton • Lift
C-Ranked Fuuton Jutsu
After forming a set of hand seals the user will focus his chakra into an area within 30 meters of himself. Activating this supplementary technique will cause winds to rise up from the selected location, covering an area of up to 30x30x30 meters in [Control] Strength and [Control] Speed winds. These winds contain no cutting properties but can still be quite dangerous and difficult to traverse through, sending anything soaring high into the sky unless they are anchored with a Strength greater than the technique. The winds can persist for up to 4 posts. This technique was developed by Takeshi.

Fuuton • Wind Tunnel
D-Ranked Fuuton Jutsu
Channeling chakra through her body, Suzuko will build up chakra manifesting a wind tunnel from within 10 meters of her. The stream of air will follow a funnel pattern that can be manifested in a variety of shapes but not manipulated after creation to serve a variety of purposes. The length of the tunnel is up to 10 meters long and 2 meters wide. This jutsu moves at a Speed and Strength equal to [Control] but does not contain the cutting passive of Fuuton. The wind tunnel will last for 4 posts after creation. This technique was developed by Takeshi.

[Taiga]

The group had barely finished their conversation when the pink-haired-snot-nosed-brat-from-Kumogakure that Suzuko and Shiun spoke so highly of had launched himself out for the rock. His confidence could have easily been his undoing. Luckily, with her eyes squinted like the legendary cowboy of a sphaghetti western Rio had been at the ready. Her hands flung at her holster as the blade delicately danced between her fingers and she flicked them with added momentum and speed- drawing as quick as the rock had unsurprisingly sprung to life.

She would deftly aim 4 of her knives from her left hand for the spikes most likely to hit Akio- aiming for their tips to damaged them (26 str), hopefully removing them or at least taking the points off to make it a little safer for Aki. The 4 knives her left hand would launch (26 str) at the box itself, aiming to shatter it open and hopefully make whatever was within available to Akio. If need be, she would launch another volley from her left hand at the box, alternating between her hands to use her other arm as a pendulum to achieve the best momentum on her throws.

The armored lady meant business, and was silent through every action.

DisciplinesShow

Shoot From The Hip
D-Ranked Discipline Taijutsu
Requires: Quick Draw
The practitioner has learned to transition straight from a draw into an attack- using the draw itself as part of the attack and momentum. They can do this at full power, with a slight edge even, and with full accuracy.

Trajectory Predicition
D-Ranked Discipline Taijutsu
After much practice, the practitioner has learned how to read an opponent's movements to gauge where they will be at any given moment without penalty. Effectively, the practitioner can "lead" their shots to account for movement by targets.

Multi-Draw
C-Ranked Discipline Taijutsu
The practitioner has trained such a deftness to their draws that they are now capable of drawing multiple projectiles and more impressively, launching them in a tight spread, capable of putting multiple projectiles into a small bullseye at the same instance.

Situational Awareness
C-Ranked Discipline Taijutsu
The practitioner has keen senses and perception and has trained to use them to have advanced spatial sense. This allows them to envision complex happenings around them with ease: this means it is hard to surprise attack the practitioner as they are always aware of their position and their surroundings. Likewise, they have a greatly sharpened ability to judge the speed of things, and the spatial aspect of them.

[Texas]

Akihiko first was scared when his efforts to climb the rocks and impressive his "friends" failed as miserably as it could have. Almost as if "what's the worst that could happen" did happen. This was no rock it was some butt ugly creature! The boy was startled and almost froze for a moment. However, he was quickly snapped out of it when Suzuko yelled at him. Akihiko could feel winds picking up and almost launching him in the air. Before he knew it he was above the monster for a moment, enough to see a few kunai destroy the chest that rested on it's back.

With the self proclaimed greatest mind within Kumo, Akihiko channeled his chakra and extended his right arm forward. Manifesting the 1st layer of the limbo realm, allowed the boy to invisibly extend his reach to the broken chest itself. It was within that moment he was able to grab the scroll pieces before the winds would, borderline violently, take him away and back to his group. Due to his technique and not wanting to mess up again, the child would turn his arm and throw the scroll back, towards his group. Specifically towards his great ally Shiun! Upon flying towards the group, Aki would land on the ground, but roll. It was as if he had been falling his whole life just for this moment! The roll was calculated enough for the child to use his feet to pump himself up in the air. He acted like the monster before them!

jutsu usedShow

₪Extended Strike
D-Rank Nin-Taijutsu Maneuver
pre-requisite: [First Layer of the Limbo Realm]
A simple technique of extending a punch utilizing the chakra residing in the first layer of the limbo realm. Utilizing chakra control and a strike using either a foot or fist, Akihiko can overall extend his reach. He can reach up to 15m. This technique also has a different stat set up. His normal speed will determine the strike physically, however because of the extension via chakra, the Strength is determined by the [Control] Stat.

Lightning’s Shadow • Grounding
D-Rank Discipline Taijutsu
Akihiko has trained and perfected distributing his weight during a fall through the art of Ukemi. This means he can naturally (like second nature) perform and seamlessly move into a roll, forwards, backwards or sideways from any position. This has many practical uses but is mainly used as a response to being thrown, knocked over, or falling. When utilizing Ukemi, Akihiko can almost completely eliminate impact damage.

[Golnax]

It all happened so fast and everyone (well, almost everyone) on her team was so on point in what to do! Suzuko, giving out directions and using her own fuuton ninjutsu to raise and manipulate the giant mammal. Rio, straight to the point, achieving the goal given to her by Suzuko in destroying the box faster than Shiun could even manifest Musu into her grasp! Akihiko was... doing his thing, she still didn't fully understand it, and that left only one thing in her mind; the pangolin! It had a hard, nasty looking outer shell, but most creatures like that (turtles came to mind for the Kinoko girl!) usually had a softer under belly, so she could end this struggle by going for that!

Fast as she could, golden spear in hand, Shiun heroically and without thinking sprinting forward, springing into action with the intention of eviscerating the giant pangolin with a single cloned instance of her spear and ooooooooooooh no Akihiko was doing something! As she was approaching she tried to keep an eye on her pink haired teammate and, due to this diligence, she was able to see both his descent through the wind tunnel Suzuko made as well as him throwing something in her direction! The contents of the chest? A scroll piece!?

Instantly her plans changed and the sprinting samurai came to a skidding stop that saw her bending down backwards and planting the pommel of her spear into the ground to help slow her advance just before encountering the winds her friend had made, pivoting on a ryo coin and sprinting back in the opposite direction, her pale eyes now on the thrown pieces of scroll in the air! She leapt up, high as she could manage but it wasn't high enough, so, with the additional help of a bit of chakra in her feat, she propelled herself upwards, appearing to spring off of the air itself, arm outstretched, snatching the thrown pieces of scroll and clutching them tightly into her fist. "Ha! Got 'em!" she cried out triumphantly as she started to fall back towards the ground still several meters away from where the pangolin had been behind her!

That, of course, still left the problem of the pangolin, but hey. She was helping out!

Jutsu UsedShow

Ninjutsu • Double-Jump
D-Rank Ninjutsu
By channeling chakra into his feet, Taiga will cause his foot to release a controlled blast of chakra from it's bottom equal to a D-Rank explosion. A clever technique, the force created by the weak explosion gives his foot enough resistance to push off of seemingly thin air, allowing him to "spring" himself up.

[Niro]

Mimi was surprised to see the giant rock monster. It wasnt it's existence that surprised her but its inclusion in the exam. She began casting hand seals furiously and a spirit projection of Azir would appear behind her. She'd charge in socking the monster with a one two three punch combo to the face as Kitsui attacked its rear leg with an explosive.

As the sound of a loud explosion went off Leimine would hear Kureha call out behind her and smiled. She like the girl's grit. The sound of a second explosion Mimi would grab for the creatures throat, the projection mimicking her action with an extended reach, to push it back and expose its under belly. Holding on to the creature with two of the projections arms, the other two would begin wailing on it to keep it's attention off her allies. "Come on ugly!" while she had no clue if the creature understood her words, her tone wouldve been a clear indication of hostile intent that even an simple animal could understand.

JutsuShow

~Souseiji • Tsuin no Kage
D-Rank Nintaijutsu Stance
Using a moment to synchronize with their twin, the Souseiji joins with their twin spirit and molds their chakra into a projection that resembles the upper body of their spirit that is four times as large as the user. This projection follows the movements of the practitioner. So long as the practitioner remains in this Stance, they can constantly emit chakra to maintain and repair this chakra projection. If the practitioner attacks with this projection, the attack moves at a Speed equal to their Speed and a Strength of [Control]. Nintaijutsu maneuvers in the Tsuin no Kage style executed while in this Stance are granted a Strength value of [Control]. The practitioner can exit this Stance reflexively to conserve chakra. Due to the chakra intensive nature of this Stance, this technique drains 1 Chakra Pool stat every five posts in addition to the chakra costs of other techniques the practitioner uses, regardless of whether they attack with the chakra projection or not.

~Souseiji • Tsuin no Kage • Shadow Box
D-Rank Nintaijutsu Maneuver
Prerequisite(s): [CQC] Concentration, ~Souseiji • Tsuin no Kage must be active.
Working in tandem with their spirit, the practitioner releases a 1-2-3 punch combo. This technique turns the punches into a double-strike, the spirit projection mimicking the user's assault, its Speed equal to the practitioner's Speed and a Strength equal to [Control] for up to ten meters away.

~Souseiji • Tsuin no Kage • Crushing Grip
D-Rank Nintaijutsu Maneuver
Prerequisite(s): [Deft Hands] Concentration, ~Souseiji • Tsuin no Kage must be active.
Working in tandem with their spirit the practitioner releases a seemingly simple grab at the target. The spirit projection will mimic the grab seeking to latch on to the target, its Speed equal to the practitioner's Speed and a Strength equal to [Control] for up to ten meters away.

Between the barrage of exploding tagged kunai and the repeatedly double-punches to the face, the armored bipedal lizard truly felt like its summoner had woken it up only to serve as a punching bag. The chest attached to the rocks making up its outer shell was knocked loose and fell to the ground with a crash due to the explosions. It rattled to the ground with a crash as the wood making up the chest broke apart on contact with the ground. The lizard brought its arms up and let loose a desperate cry as it ignored the girl and spirit in its face and struck the ground at its feet.

The ground below all of them began to shake with enough force to throw them off balance and knock them down if they didn't have some sort of technique to balance themselves. With the battlefield move in its advantage, chakra began to build up around the lizard as its bladed forearms seemed to glow the most intense of all. Another cry left its mouth as it aimed the limb at Kureha and from the forearm, launched the bladelike protrusion at the genin. Meanwhile, the club at the end of its tail came whistling through the air aiming to strike Shikon and take the dog out.

[Niro]

It all happened so fast and everyone (well, almost everyone) on her team was so on point in what to do! Suzuko, giving out directions and using her own fuuton ninjutsu to raise and manipulate the giant mammal. Rio, straight to the point, achieving the goal given to her by Suzuko in destroying the box faster than Shiun could even manifest Musu into her grasp! Akihiko was... doing his thing, she still didn't fully understand it, and that left only one thing in her mind; the pangolin! It had a hard, nasty looking outer shell, but most creatures like that (turtles came to mind for the Kinoko girl!) usually had a softer under belly, so she could end this struggle by going for that!

Fast as she could, golden spear in hand, Shiun heroically and without thinking sprinting forward, springing into action with the intention of eviscerating the giant pangolin with a single cloned instance of her spear and ooooooooooooh no Akihiko was doing something! As she was approaching she tried to keep an eye on her pink haired teammate and, due to this diligence, she was able to see both his descent through the wind tunnel Suzuko made as well as him throwing something in her direction! The contents of the chest? A scroll piece!?

Instantly her plans changed and the sprinting samurai came to a skidding stop that saw her bending down backwards and planting the pommel of her spear into the ground to help slow her advance just before encountering the winds her friend had made, pivoting on a ryo coin and sprinting back in the opposite direction, her pale eyes now on the thrown pieces of scroll in the air! She leapt up, high as she could manage but it wasn't high enough, so, with the additional help of a bit of chakra in her feat, she propelled herself upwards, appearing to spring off of the air itself, arm outstretched, snatching the thrown pieces of scroll and clutching them tightly into her fist. "Ha! Got 'em!" she cried out triumphantly as she started to fall back towards the ground still several meters away from where the pangolin had been behind her!

That, of course, still left the problem of the pangolin, but hey. She was helping out!

Jutsu UsedShow

Ninjutsu • Double-Jump
D-Rank Ninjutsu
By channeling chakra into his feet, Taiga will cause his foot to release a controlled blast of chakra from it's bottom equal to a D-Rank explosion. A clever technique, the force created by the weak explosion gives his foot enough resistance to push off of seemingly thin air, allowing him to "spring" himself up.

The chest on the back of the summon was removed with ease by the team and the pieces secured. The pangolin, however, flailed about wildly in the midst of the churning winds holding it aloft. There was little for it to do besides struggle in place and rather than continue its futile attempts, it decided to curl up into a ball and let the wind spin it. As it did so, however, it began to glow with chakra and then shortly after a barrage of stony spikes began to rain down all over the battlefield and at the genin below.

[Trusted Grader]

Kitsui watched anxiously as their plans were going into motion, his hadns were already forming the set of seals he needed to boost his speed. His posture changed, claws grew and so did his teeth as he began to run on all fours, and seeing as his comrades were doing so well, he focused on trying to get his animal out of the way, so instead of focusing on his comrades, he would begin to spin violently towards the side of the beast, bouncing off it and heading towards his dog.

Midair, the kid would stop spinning and grab his dog, using the speed and momentum to clear the tails trajectory, in the air he could watch how the ground was still violently shaking and how the chest had burst into pieces, revealing the scrolls that were once inside, although from his current position he wouldn't be able to do much. "Are you okay buddy?" The Inuzuka asked after he landed on his back and slid a couple of meters.

Hopefully his teammates did what they had been tasked with doing, Kureha still had the flash and the smoke would provide visual cover for Mimi if she used it correctly, hopefully saving his dog wasn't the wrong choice as he knew that without Shikon hed be half of a man.

---

MetaShow

~ Four-Legged Technique
C Rank Ninjutsu
After performing the necessary handseals, the user of this jutsu will take on a more canine-like appearance. When activated, the user's pupils will become nothing more than slivers, nails will become more claw-like, and s/he will travel on all fours. This partial transformation grants the user +6 speed and increased maneuverability, but lowers his/her control (-6) for five (5) posts.

~Piercing Fang
C Rank Taijutsu Maneuver
Prerequisite: ~ Four-Legged Technique must be active.
The basis for the Beast-Man form style of combat, this attack is performed by an individual clan member. By spinning rapidly, the user turns into a whirling mass before launching themselves at his/her target. By putting their full body into the attack, the clan member will hit an opponent or nearby object at full strength with their claws, easily rending flesh from bone.

Psyche!
C Rank Taijutsu Maneuver
Prerequisite: Piercing Fang
The user twirls towards their enemy and stops mid turn and attempts to grapple their target, using their momentum, strength, and surprising skills to wrestle their target down and hold them in a rear naked chokehold.

[Kabu]

"We did it!"" Kureha cheered as the rock creature staggered and the chest came flying loose. In the next instant she would find it was too early to be celebrating as the creature brought its fists down on the ground. It was followed by a sudden tremor, Kureha losing her balance and falling to her butt with a startled squeal.

Feeling she wouldn't be able to fully recover in time to avoid an attack as the creature began to glow, she channeled herself and transformed into her spider form. As she did so she leapt up to her feet, gaining her footing just in time for a blade-like protrusion to fly her way. She would make an attempt to leap out of the way only for the blades to make an impact on her left side, the chitinous armor provided by her transformation managing to protect her from harm. It would however crack slightly from the impact.

"So, what should we do? The chest is broken but we're not really in a position to be checking the contents." she called out to her allies, grabbing the tagged kunai she had been provided earlier out of her holster. "Oh well, no time to be hesitating." she muttered to herself, launching the kunai at full force towards the beast's face, fanning her face with one hand and forming a seal with the other to detonate the tag once it got within striking range. "If you ask me, I don't think we have much of a choice, it's pretty clear that it's just as desperate as we are."

Notes and JutsuShow

Spider Form Activated, lasts for 2 posts
Tagged Kunai thrown

*[Basic Jutsu • Chakra Kai]
D-Ranked Ninjutsu
A jutsu used with the purpose of activating seals and a range of devices and weapons, this technique begins with a single handseal. Once this has been performed, the user will focus a dollop of their chakra into what they are looking to activate in order to complete the task. Seals activated with this technique must be within 10 meters of the user's position.

[Diatenshi]

"How ya like-wooah!" Leimine was mid smack talk as she whaled on the lizard when it sent a shockwave out knocking her down. As she hit the ground she saw that the chest had fallen and been destroyed. She over heard Kureha talking about the chest and noticed that for the moment the lizard seemed to be targeting her comrades instead of her. Its mistake.

She reached out using the projection to grab the broken chest and its contents before hurling it towards her team. "Grab it and run like hell! I'll hold it off and then catch up!" With that said and done, she would stand up and resume her assault this time punching in sync with the spirits four arms.

[Kanade]

((was informed my teammate timed.))

“Akiko, she’s my partner.” Kasuri said, as they pressed on, “She’s my-.” She let the sentence trail off in a dreamy tone as they traversed the way southeast. She cleared her throat, “I would rather not fight her if at all possible, but in the event we do find her in this mad maze, I will only waylay her.” She shook her head, “even in the chuunin exam it’s best to not go all out against each other, as it shows a lack of discipline in pulling your punches.” She had been trained to spar, but only to a point with other samurai of her newly formed nation of heart.

‘It might get you killed in the end.’ Ayago warned softly. Kasuri brushed it aside. She took the nut in her hand and turned it over carefully two times before tucking it into her kunai pouch, “I have no such gift for you, so please don’t lose me.” She grinned, knowing that she was more reliant on him than he was her.

As they made their way through the tall grass Kasuri relaxed a little as there wasn’t anything obviously dangerous about this place. She ran her hands through the tall strands, letting the heads fall through her fingers, tickling her palms and the tips.

She stopped suddenly and bent down, ducking beneath the tall strands as she spied a camp, holding her breath for one, two, three, four heart beats. The alert that came after that brief repose was like the thunder crash after the lightning bolt that alerted the others in the camp to danger.

“Damn.” she swore, looking at the senju, “Time to earn our scroll piece.” Ayago fit neatly and lightly in her hand as she drew back and released a quick four shots, two volleys of hidden projectile arrows with Ayago singing with her bowstring, creating projectiles out of the chakra that poured into her from Kasuri.

jutsu usedShow

*[Flawless Aim Style • Hidden Shot]
C-Rank Taijutsu Maneuver
By launching two projectiles, one immediately after the other, the practitioner attempts to create a decoy for the second. The first projectile is often larger or of equal size, and the second projectile is slightly behind and below it, the second projectile hiding in the first projectile's shadow. This masks the second projectile and makes it more difficult for the opponent to completely avoid. Opponents with a Perception technique equal or higher in rank may be able to see both projectiles clearly within a reasonable distance, though they'll still have to properly defend against it.

The camp was slow to respond; Kasuri's arrow seemed to sing as they cut through the air and struck the first enemy, the one who raised the alarm to alert the rest. The chakra arrowhead dug into the flesh of his shoulder and blood blossomed from the wound near immediately. He gave a guttural cry of pain as he fell back onto the ground and looked to the projectile only to see it be ethereal. Chakra.

From the ground and through his cry of pain, he once again alerted the camp the enemy who had attacked was using chakra. The remaining arrows tore through the tents of the camp and due to this, they only lightly struck the remaining bandits who soldiered through the pain with ease and tore free of the tents. Arrows were notched in response and fired in the same direction as to where they had been received from. Three of the bandits loosed their own into the brush as they rushed to and fro in camp to find cover with one of them being come upon by the screaming red-head wielding a lance.

The unlucky man clumsily drew his blade and parried the blow, only to feel as if he had struck a boulder. A cry of pain erupted from him as he tried to follow up with another swing as his hand painfully throbbed and made it much harder to hold his blade.

The remaining bandit, the leader, had emerged from the tent and begun to run through a series of hand seals that ended on tiger. His chest swelled up as he took a breath and followed his compatriots in firing into the brush towards Kasuri and her team mate.

Kasuri waited in her spot as three arrows came at her location, two would undoubtedly hit her if she didn't do anything about them, but the third was off-course. She didn't have time to calculate where the trajectory of the arrows would be as she fired her own two to set them off course, aiming their deadly barbs away from her and toward the ground, sending her own chakra-made arrows toward the man that had emerged from the tent to start making his hand seals. She knew that anyone that could use chakra was more of a threat than those who couldn't. She dashed from her hiding spot, away from the new trajectory of the arrows to the left, firing off another volley, this time at the weapons of the people who had shot at her in the brush. She aimed for their bow-hand, and not the string-hand as piercing the bow hand would make shooting useless and would make sure that her partner could get up close and personal without threat from arrows at least. It wouldn't be safe to use genjutsu or really any jutsu until she absolutely had to, or until her partner got into the camp.

Her main objective was to keep away the arrows from her companion until he got into camp and then rain down murder on them all, but barring that, it was to keep herself out of danger. She wondered what kind of jutsu would be coming at her when the bandit leader finished his seals. It was going to probably hurt, she wasn't sure that she would be able to make it out unscathed, and she hadn't been in any 'real' combat situations before. It was all sparring and she felt woefully unprepared for the chuunin exams.

On the bright side, there were proctors that would help her if she did fail, she hoped. She shook the thoughts from her mind and focused on the bow-hands of the individuals and sent three more arrows at her foes, aiming low so that they spun through the grass like snakes toward their targets.

jutsu used in order:Show

*[Flawless Aim Style • Forcible Redirection] (used to throw two projectiles off and aimed at the bandit leader)
C-Rank Taijutsu Maneuver
The practitioner first launches a projectile at -1 Strength. Then, they launch a second projectile at full Strength, targeting the first projectile. The second projectile ricochets off of the first projectile, capable of changing direction within 360 degrees of the location of the first projectile upon impact. The practitioner first launches a projectile at -1 Strength. Then, they launch a second projectile at full Strength, targeting the first projectile. The second projectile ricochets off of the first projectile, capable of changing direction within 360 degrees of the location of the first projectile upon impact. The second projectile is treated as an attack with a -5 Strength penalty.

*[Flawless Aim Style • Sweeping Shot] (aimed for the three bandits' bow-hands)
C-Rank Taijutsu Maneuver
Momentarily crouching, the practitioner launches one or more projectiles in a low arc, the weapon(s) flying close to the ground before arcing up in a single direction when approaching the target. If the practitioner launches more than one projectile, their trajectories can cross over each other, making it difficult for the opponent to ascertain which projectile will rise up to strike them first.

[Diatenshi]

Masaru noticed from his target's cry of pain that he was likely barely hanging on in a contest of raw strength. Adding to the fact he was previously using his bow it was likely he and the other two specialized on ranged combat. 'Head out of the clouds. While its important to analyze your targets you have to be aware of your surroundings use the man as a shield to get in close!'

"Forward!" Listening to the spirit Masaru would let out another shout to up his morale and to unsettle his opponent. Taking his lessons with Fanho to heart about subverting an opponent's preconceptions to gain an advantage he planned to close the distance using his reach rather than keep his foe at bay. With a horizontal slash he used one end of the lance to knock aside his opponents weapon. Following the momentum of the first strike he'd turn and stab the opposite end of the lance into the foe's chest. He pushed with all his strength towards the camp, keeping his current opponent between him and the others as a shield.

[Nick]

The team all performed admirably even after the initial issues with Akihiko's lack of adherence to the plan, something she'd have to write up formally for disciplinary use later... If anyone asked for such a thing, anyway. She wasn't totally sure if getting the scroll pieces necessary to finish was enough to pass the exams, or if they were being judged off other factors as well that might be weighted even more than the direct objective itself.

Reaching into her backpack, she pulled out her puppet armor to act as a shield against the spikes, which would already be slowed and made ineffective by her earlier "lift" jutsu, before pushing it back into the pack quickly. "We've got the scroll pieces, leave the creature. Northeast, go." She ordered, taking the lead, and only looking over her shoulder long enough to ensure that everybody else was getting away as she was.

Suzuko's chakra was still in good shape, especially after being able to top up from the fountain earlier, but she still needed to pace herself carefully, unsure of how much longer they'd be out here in the exam location. As they arrived at their third stop, and the fog began to roll in, Suzuko pinged out her chakra sensory once more to check for threats near and far, holding a fist up to signal for the team to stop. She was sure she wasn't the only one that heard the voices, and so didn't point them out explicitly, turning to Akihiko with a stern look on her face.

"Make us disappear." She whispered, hoping he'd learned his lesson from the last encounter and actually listen to her, shifting her attentions to the other two. "Senses open. Might be another team. Either way, this close to the tower the challenges are likely more difficult. Take it slow."

[Taiga]

Rio had continued with her attack forward dashing for the other side and pushing on her forward momentum as she had chucked the blades at the spikes and laid cover fire for Akio and destroying the box, allowing him to obtain the scroll and get away. Regrouped on the other side as the pangolin-like creature would rise up to the air, unable to move much, and curl into a ball. By this point Rio and the group had already begin to follow the commands of their leader and was ready to book it.

Wasting their resources on this creature when more dangerous threats were around would not be a good idea.

With Akio's limbo and the wind slowing and weakening the spikes from the pagolin, they likely would get away with ease but just in case Rio's hair took hold of a few throwing knives, holding them behind her and at the ready as she continuously peered over her shoulder. If the group needed it she would lay down covering fire to take out any spikes that got too close to them during their retreat... with her ability to aim, deflect projectiles, and bounce projectiles, she could use only a few knives to clear out quite a few projectiles but most likely they wouldn't need it.

---

After their retreat, she would follow the group as they would make it forward on towards the next encounter, moving quietly and carefully with the team.

USEDShow

Used as needed to deflect any spikes that pose a threat:
Bouncing Projectile
D-Ranked Maneuver Taijutsu
The practitioner aims a projectile at a shallow angle, targeting the ground or a hard surface. The shallow angle of the shot causes the projectile to bounce off of the surface, moving at -1 Speed and striking with -1 Strength after the bounce. This technique can be used to launch an attack from an unexpected angle or to shoot around, over, or under obstacles.

The Clash
B-Ranked Maneuver Taijutsu
Rio will deftly launch a projectile at an oncoming solid mass. If the [Strength] behind her projectile meets or exceeds the Strength of the attack it is clashing against, the attack is deflected away from the practitioner, often destroying the incoming attack in the process too. If the projectile is only slightly weaker than the attack (-5 Strength or less), the attack is still partially deflected, though Rio must supplement her defense with other techniques or movements to fully avoid the attack. If Rio cannot perceive or track an attack, this cannot be used.