[First Chunin Exams: Konohagakure, 29MAY - 4JUN 2017] IC POSTS

So here's how we'll go about this. Everyone who participated is asked to give us an In Character Narration of what went down in your character's head during the event.

Please write and save it on your own for now and only post it here once I ask you to in person.

In this post I'll be giving a complete recount of how it went down in the open, adding in details from the gate scene to the last moment of the exam. You can get to work on it as soon as you like once you are done with the exam in game but please wait with posting it.

WHAT:
I want to see:
- Your character's mental status.
- Your character's inner conflicts.
- Your character's personality flaws.
- Your struggle during all of the events.

HOW:
Make separate paragraphs, each no longer than 2 paragraphs stacked, but under no circumstances longer than 1 page please. It's a lot to read from all of you. Section it as follows:

Round 1 - Test. I want to see how you cheated as well.
Round 2 - Forest. How you handled the situation.
Round 3 - Duels. Give me a recount of the battle.
Finale - Kiri attacks!

WHEN:
Post in order, wait for the player before you to post before you start working on yours so that you can add events which you missed into your own posts also.
I've ran this event 4 times so there will be inconsistencies, which means the first posts are what you need to adhere to and add in your own part fittingly.

Order of posting:

Soushou Hananki

Takeyama Katashi + Yumiko Miya together. I'm pretty sure Mia doesn't have a lot of time for this.

Senju Nao

Hitori + Eladar single post by Taka

Saika Arata

Kagutsuchi Yamaru

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Chat Log for the Proctors
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It's time to begin.
I am your proctor and from this moment your worst enemy!
I'll say this once so listen up! There will be NO COMBAT between candidates. No attacking one another without direct permission from your proctor and even then, use of fatal force is strictly prohibited.
Anyone who even thinks of messing with me will be disqualified immediately, got it?!
Now if we're ready we'll proceed to the first stage of the chunin exam. Hand over your paperwork, in return you will each receive a number. This number will determine where you'll sit. We'll start the written test once you're all seated.

EVERYONE, EYES FRONT! There are a few rules you need to be aware of and i won't answer any questions so you better pay attention the first time around.

Alright rule number one is this. The written exam is conducted on a point deduction system. Contrary to what some of you may be used to, you'll all begin the test on a perfect score of ten points. One point will be deduted for each question you get wrong. So if you miss three, your final score will be seven.
Rule number two. Teams will pass or fail on the total score of all three members.
Rule number three. The sentinels you see positioned in the room are there to watch out for any signs of cheating... and at any sign of cheating they will deduct two points from the culprit's score.
Be warned, their eyes are extremely sharp and if they catch you cheating five times, you will be disqualified before your tests are even scored. Anyone fool enough to be caught cheating by the sentinels does not deserve to be here. If you wanna be considered shinobi, then show us what exceptional shinobi you can be!
One more thing, if any candidate should get a zero and fail the test, then the entire team fails.
The final question won't be given out until fifteen minutes before the end of the testing period. You have one hour total. BEGIN!
------------
10th question
Hm. Now that we've weeded out most of the hopeless cases, fifteen minutes to go, time for the main event.

ALRIGHT LISTEN UP. Here's the tenth and the final question. But. Before I give you the question there are some more rules that you need to be aware of. These rules are unique to question ten. Listen carefully and try not to let them frighten you.
Very well then rule number one. Each of you is free to choose not to be given the final question. It's your decision. If you choose not to take the tenth question regardless of your answers to the other nine, your score is a zero. In other words, you fail. And then means of course both your teammates fail as well.

If you do accept the question but answer it incorrectly you will not only fail... YOU WILL BE BARRED FROM TAKING THE CHUNIN EXAM EVER AGAIN.
If you're not feeling confident by all means skip it, you can always come back next year and take it again. Now then if you're ready. The tenth and final question. Those who do not want to take it, raise your hand. Your number will be recorded and then you are free to go.
Well then I admire your determination, if nothing else. For those of you remaining there is only one thing left to do. And that's for me to tell you... THAT YOU'VE ALL PASSED THE FIRST EXAM.

------------ EXAM PART TWO SPEECH --------
Ichimon Uchiha
Genin are seen gathering around the big circle in the training wood of Konohagakure. Some swooning over the rather feminine proctor as he combs his hair getting ready for his speech, others just roll their eyes at how absolutely cheesy he is. No matter what though, they all seem ready to fight.
*Hairtoss, mangiggle* I'm so fabulous aren't I! I'm the number one and the best! Aanyway, before we start I have something to hand out to you! It's just a standard consent form. *Pulls out a stack of papers, throwing them in the air for everyone to catch.*

Before the test, all of you will have to read over it and sign it. Some of you might not return from this test and I need your consent for that. Otherwise it would be my responsibility. *Mangiggle, hairtoss.*

Now, I'll be explaining what you'll be doing on this test. Here, pass these out. *Hands over some maps.* The first thing that you'll wanna know is that this tests every single one of your survival skills.

First, a bit of info on the terrain. The 44th battle training zone has 44 locked entrance gates. It's chuck full of dangerous snakes, bugs, poisonous plants and pitfalls harder to notice than Kanae's boobs. At the center there is a locked tower, located ten kilometers from each gate.

It's in this confined area that you'll undergo the survival test. The test consists of anything-goes all-out battle to grab hold of two of these scrolls. One of each, a heaven scroll and an earth scroll. I'll hand over one kind of scroll to each team.

Your entire squad must bring both to the tower at the end. Which means if one of you doesn't make it, you fail. If you don't bring both scrolls, you fail. But half of you will fail anyway, right? No big deal. *Hairtoss, mangiggle.* Get goin'.
*The scrolls are in linen bags, hidden from dojutsu as well with a seal.* Only open it when your enemy can't see you.

Featuring:

---

The past week had been a blur for Hana, the ordeal with the Saihoushi, Shinkirou, her father... Fucking Eiji, and other more minor details. But here she was in front of the academy building in Konoha, looking at the droves of wannabe Chuunin while Katashi and Yumiko strode alongside. Confidence in large crowds was not her strong suit, but the multitude of children flooding in forced her hand into something resembling a steady stride- she was already behind, adding to that would only make things worse. Barring the hall were some signs of what was to come- a trio of Konoha nin, Kiri nin, and thankfully, the Suna ninja that she somewhat recognized, headed by one of the few children that she was allowed to play around with back in the days before Suna was officially founded, Hagiwara Kokoro. It didn't take long for the boisterous Konoha trio to grate on the nerves of the Kiri trio, tensions rising almost to the point of an actual fight in the cramped hallway, but the familiar form of Uchiha Kanae blinked between them, holding off hostilities- at least for the moment.

I'm really glad I know Hitori, these guys give Kirigakure a bad name... but this is about what I expected from Konoha. Eugh. A written test shouldn't be that hard, anyways. Filtering into the room, given her number, 22, Hana found her seat and waited for the simple explanation of the test, confident in her ability to finish a test made for young children- and once she flipped the page, she was not disappointed. That was, at least, until things were simplified even further by one of Koko's puppets delivering a keyed test to her table. Koko already pulling strings for me, heh... still I should probably double-check... Taking her time with the generous hour, Hana checked over the chakra-traced answers, putting on a front of heavy thought and unassuredness- things were easy enough, she'd just hoped that Yumiko and Katashi also had the means or know-how to answer. They hadn't failed her yet, so there wasn't much of a reason to doubt them now.

Then came the final question- and its unique stipulations, a heat rising in her chest to the ridiculousness of it- Wait- what? The other ones don't even count?! What the -hell-? Rrrrh... well, whatever, this one can't be any harder than the others. Konoha's always finding ways to make things bullshit. Stealing a glance back to Katashi at this, she offers a mild shrug, noting the air's heaviness to Nao's nearby fiddling. Just like the forest. Who wouldn't notice something like that? ...eugh, let's just get this over with. Then something almost magical happened. With a slap to his desk in the back, Noboru stood up, barking loud and proud- garnering the attention of all the room raptly and undivided.

"I NOBORU UCHIHA WILL BE THE HOKAGE, I ACCEPT WHATEVER CHALLENGE YOU POSE TO ME NO MATTER HOW HARSH BRUTAL OR UNFAIR IT MAY BE. I AM POWERED BY THE WILL OF FIRE AND WILL DEFINITELY BECOME THE HOKAGE, NO MATTER WHAT! BELIEVE IT!" The worry and gloom hanging in the room immediately gone, Kanae seemed to smirk to herself, announcing that the entire room had passed. Relief washed through everyone it seemed, until at least the next Uchiha swooped in, a man of effeminate beauty and wavy golden hair- a Golden Boy (in more than one way as she'd learn later)... and yet, with all the swooning, there seemed to be some unspoken tension between him- Ichimon- and Noboru. Some bad blood? Or something deeper? Perhaps just her imagination... or a reflection of her own annoyance at the apparent meaninglessness of the test prior. After a brief back and forth about the origins of Ichimon's luscious locks, Hana departed the academy, eager to find out how exactly the next test would be ruined- but not before changing all of the Konoha-nin's answers to some crudely-drawn pictures of Ichimon and Kanae while heading out on her way out via a simple ink manipulation. None of the answers mattered anyways, and she'd come to realize... some people never even wrote a thing. Pointless.

---

The next day's gathering was outside the forest of trials, just as she'd expected from Jade's foreknowledge of the exams. It was really the only reason that Hisui might know of all of this beforehand anyways- the only thing to worry about off-hand would be these 'large animals' mentioned in passing from Masami... but even then, animals are easy to fool and avoid. The issue came when Ichimon stated that they needed to find a scroll opposite of their own. Led to the gates and waiting for the sign to go, Hana sneakily slipped the scroll to Katashi, figuring that the rest of the groups saw her take it as well as the map- and then the alarm rang for them to enter. Taking the opportunity to check their bags- the team apparently was given a Heaven scroll- Hana had Katashi and Toragan take point, with herself in the middle and Yumiko in the rear, fair given her use of the bow. Confident still that they might pilfer a scroll cleanly given her team's penchant for clandestine movements, she had her squadmates keep their eyes and ears (and noses for Toragan) peeled for hints of other squads. It didn't take too long to come across a clash- or the remains of one, between a younger squad of Suna genin and a trio of Kiri-nin. While it seemed to be over and the kids alive, she motioned Katashi to check the pack of the scroll-bearing Kiri-nin, which fortunately contained the Earth scroll they'd needed. That was meant to be it. But things never really go as one expects- certainly not in Konoha.

The Kiri squad persisted, raising their blades to the defenseless children- and her team had no choice by to try and intervene... but unfortunately, only Katashi was quick enough to stop the blades. With horror, Hana witnessed two of the three being struck down, the middle Suna-nin being cleanly decapitated- a mixture of revulsion and fury burnt again at her stomach, beckoning a familiar voice from within, one she kept at bay while the adrenaline rushed through her body. Wh-what... sort of monsters would kill defenseless children like that? I thought- we... we weren't meant to kill? The skirmish didn't last very long from there, with Katashi throwing a smoke bomb to cover the remaining boy's escape while they did their best to contend with the trio of ninja- though they seemed oddly skilled for 'genin', with one in the back repeatedly trying to form many handseals- though never succeeding with the help of her ink-hounds and a very well-placed shot from Yumiko. As the fight seemed to start dragging on- albeit with only herself injured via a pirahna projectile to the brow- Kokoro's squad swooped in, ambushing the Kirigakure ninja with his puppets and some odd tongue-jutsu. Justice... needed to be done.

"They need to learn their lessons I think." The thought made her queasy, but she pushed through with the order, reaching with her thumb down in her best attempt to make it seem casual. "In hell." With great efficiency, Koko's squad massacred the apparent Genin-hunters from mist. The burning in her stomach lurched again, this time biting with acid rather than hatred. Hana barely managed to keep her breakfast down to the sight of more bodies. It.. it wasn't supposed to be like this... And yet thankfully, the rest of the round went to the original plan. They took steps to avoid the rest of the teams, keeping their distance and steadily making their way to the tower at the center of the forest, sitting down and reflecting. Or in Hana's case, loading her pipe with opium and trying to forget.

---

The next round couldn't happen fast enough. Not only was she supposed to fight Eladar, Hitori's squadmate, but Eiji had stopped to give her one more thing during the night before. A black and gold dress with "Make Me Proud" printed on a note attached- no doubt from her father. Eiji told her to make the fight a show of the Kirei's capabilities as well as to showcase her 'art'- and he expected her to win?! In this? ... The pressure wasn't bad enough already was it? Hana took to her pipe once again, lounging in the arena district and waiting for her turn- it was bad enough that she'd even missed most of the other matches, beyond Katashi and Yamarou's. Still, even though her teammate hadn't won... he hadn't lost either, something she'd felt rather proud of, given her lessons offered. But, Katashi wasn't a fool either, he knew his strengths, and single combat was definitely not one of them. After the Hokage himself declared them both lost, it was her time to head in, Katashi stopping her on the way.

"Hey, seems like you're the last one on the team left. Don't lose!"

Very helpful, Katashi.

As instructed, Hana made her entrance, setting up the arena with three glittering rainbows that she dove through to land off-center of the pit, raising her arms and motioning around to the visual spectacle- and across from her, the purple and white Kiri-nin. Eladar. Okay, Hitori said to give up. Real helpful Hitori. Let's start things off slow. Bowing to the Kage and the audience, she tried to offer a friendly fist-bump that went untapped, setting the awkward mood for the first few clashes of the fight- Hana favoring her bizarre taijutsu style reliant upon visual manipulation and small bursts of suiton and ink to guide herself, but not much of the direct method worked- At- bah, he's slippery- at least I've demonstrated I can -do- it. What does he keep doing though? Every attack from her opponent seemed some sort of invisible shove or grasp that made her suddenly stop and fall over herself. Soon after, she'd decided to bring out her ink hounds to help harry Eladar, even saturating the air with her ink to make molding his chakra more difficult- but it was too little too late, and her last gambit to finish things off after taking a short reprieve in hiding failed to finish him. At least she finished while still moving forward. Not something she was accustomed to, let alone the deep pain coursing through her system. Unconsciousness was a welcome break from the nonstop madness and pressure- if only it could've been administered a little more gently. The glimmering sheen of air and grass faded out with the light in her eyes, hitting the ground with a heavy thud, the arena itself growing more dull with Hana's loss. I... at least... I.. d-id... it on my ... own...

Ohhh~? Alone, Snowflake? I suppose it was as much as you possibly could yes. A shame it wasn't enough, mhhh~?

Pride still bubbled from her chest while her thoughts swam on the edge of darkness, albeit behind a rather distracting, intense pain wracking her body. Still, not a single regret came to mind at the conclusion on the duel. This was Hana's strength, and she'd fought tooth and nail for it.

---

Sleep was not meant to last however. Not this night. Hananki awoke with a jerk to the sound of a crash in the lobby of the hospital, wincing at the soreness still left over from the match an unknowable amount of hours before, holding her stomach and huffing. The nurse attending her looked worried- moreso as the shrieking and spraying of blood sounded outside, yet so closeby.

Oh dear, snowflake~... it sounds like we have some guests... perhaps some people wanting to say hello to me rather than you~?

Caught in a panic from the prospect of suffering Kurai's fate, she took the mysterious box next to herself on the bed, gathering her tools and carefully peering into the lobby- the sight and scent of death greeted her, along with the more familiar faces of Masami and Arata, the two killing wave after wave of what seemed to be Kirigakure ninja. Numbing horror seeped through her bones, and Hana's mind went blank, barely hearing Masami's barking for her to help. Nothing was right. The deaths before were nothing compared to the weight of the scene before her, and it threatened to pull Hananki entirely into paralysis.

Ahhhh, war~... war for the Bijuu, war for blood. Take in the sights Snowflake, this is what humans are Aaaaaalllll About!... are you listening? We really do need to get moving you know. I'd rather not be the pet of the Gobii- I'd like to think you might want to live as well, hmmm~? Let me help-"

A familiar burning ache spread throughout her body as Shinkie wormed his chakra through the cracks of Hana's passive resistence, helping to force her at least into the cover of the desk at the center of the room, starting to spread his chakra out to aid in manipulating the senses of the flood of ninja coming in-- but it was when Masami barreled out the door that they saw their chance at freedom, much better than being trapped inside a major target of the enemy. Much better than the choking haze of dead bodies as well, though outside was little better. Under the cloak of chaos and their mirage jutsu, they sought answers, or hints thereof, sticking near Masami as the Hyuuga shot straight towards her home at the compound, meeting a squad of Kiri-nin... with Hitori and Eladar in tow.

Hitori... c-couldn't have... he wouldn't... he can't have took part in this... I don't believe it... Nothing made sense since she'd awoken in this nightmare, the only thing that mattered was survival- and answers. Hana needed something to make sense- so she chased after Hitori and Eladar as they left the other Kiri-nin to be slaughtered by Masami desperate to find some meaning in the chaos. Shinkirou was kind enough to allow her to step among the clouds to avoid the wretched sights below, sinking down once the two were clear of the worst of it and making herself known to her fellow host, croaking out the question.

"Hitori, stop! I... why... what is all of this? What's... what is happening? Tell me you didn't have a hand in this!" Fury churned in her gut before he even spoke, avoiding her gaze as usual. She knew what he'd say, gripping her pipe tight and pulling it from its holster as she approached.

"Sometimes we need to do what we're told until we're strong enough to decide for ourselves." Bastard.

Marching up, Hana pushed her father's gift to her into Hitori's chest, watching him leave with that pained expression he usually carried himself with. No answers offered, she retreated back to the hospital, perching on top of it behind a veil of chakra and watching the village burn and be torn apart, detached from the killing fields.

Father told me... he said my first priority is always to survive. For the village. For the family. If they're looking for me... getting into a fight is the last thing I should do... I.... I don't... want to kill anyone... Shinkie. What should I do?

Live with the burden of the deaths of others I suppose~. However much you consider it as such. Don't worry Snowflake, it seems the Gobii is being restrained as we speak. Things are winding down, no one will blame you~

No one else, no.

Katashi slinks into a shadow of a nearby alley and starts working the complex message container's mechanism, forcing his chakra into it to let living lock unravel, Takeyama heraldic device's polished surface shining in the faint whisp of early morning sun penetrating into the alley. Rolled up message is easily fished out and spread out to read.



"Ugh.. great. Now I am being a pointman in a pointless exam I am not ready for. And they got Yumiko tied into this as well. What are they thinking? Eh.. I guess it is once in a ten years chance. Still.. I wish they sent us third member." - he would sit down and start quickly brushing an response to his clan lord.
"I guess I can ask Hananki. She wont mind working with us. I think? I mean... she is without official squad too. Better grab her before anyone else does."


"Gates of the academy... damn it was not so long ago I walked out of these things and onto that ridiculous graduation mission. One would think mighty Leaf could spare a couple of its many sensory and tracking ninja instead of pulling unprepared exchange student. But hey.. I showed them, and I will do so again. Village's reputation is on the line." - thoughts swirled in Katashi's mind as his senses tried not to be overwhelmed by sheer pressure of numbers that presented the accumulation of so called humanity in the tight and narrow hallway.
“Do you think they will let Toragan in? I mean.. its crowded as is?” - Asked his Suna companion
“Eh, we will be fine. He is part of me as much as someone's toolbag might be.” - Their chatter got cut short by sudden explosion of sound that was trio of Leaf children trying to act tough in front of some shady Kiri nin who by looks of them had just enough and were more than ready for a conflict just there and then.
Remembering their orders and wanting to avoid any conflicts by too close association, Katashi produced couple of cloth strips with Kusagakure logo, attaching one onto his shoulder and handing other one to Yumiko.
“Lets not intervene if possible.” - But before any further discussion could happen, interruption in form of a stern Uchiha woman appeared, spouting standard orders establishing authority trough fear before pushing all of them towards the classroom.

Looking at the strip of paper in his hand with 76 written on it, Katashi found his seat, with Toragan sitting up next to him, eyeing Noboru hungrily. It did not take long for the proctor to explain the exam's convoluted rules, before cat spoke in low growl.
“So... its a cheat test. Choose your target carefully and copy their work. You wont be able to pass otherwise.”
“Can you help me see?”
“Nhhhh.. observe the lame examiner, he does not smell human.”
Green eyes quickly found the limping man, just in the right moment to see him pass a note to Hananki, and then for another Suna nin next to her to smile way too knowingly.
“Thats it. Alright. Lets see...” - As exam started, the overly thin nin started concentrating both his ears and eyes alike, following his teammate's brushstrokes, their number and form, and simply copying them with his own hand on the paper, without even looking down. Until... The cacophony broke loose...
"I NOBORU UCHIHA WILL BE THE HOKAGE, I ACCEPT WHATEVER CHALLENGE YOU POSE TO ME NO MATTER HOW HARSH BRUTAL OR UNFAIR IT MAY BE. I AM POWERED BY THE WILL OF FIRE AND WILL DEFINITELY BECOME THE HOKAGE, NO MATTER WHAT! BELIEVE IT!"
“Good heavens my poor ears... Hah... ears.. this must have been a hellish wakeup call for Yu-chan.” - smirked a bit despite the pain before focusing on the most disappointing reveal of his life when proctor proclaimed their exams finished on basis of just staying present. Meanwhile Toragan continued to stare at the shouting youth with utter disbelief.
“Oi, Uchiha-sama, what was the whole point of this?” - But his question was apparently ignored as suddenly glorious hunk of a man appeared, spilling his glossy curls of beauty, to inform them about next step.
“Tch... figures. Ah well time to go and cheer these two up.” - Katashi would slip out of the classroom among the first to leave it, only to return couple of minutes later, handing a bottle of juice and pack of dango to each of his companions in turn.
“Here, to enjoy the victory, I guess?”


“Alright, so we do this as quiet and as unobtrusive as possible. No engagements, just get in, sneak by and try to get the scroll from existing conflict.” - green hair youth nodded to his companions, while stowing the heaven scroll away.
“Damn.. I better keep up the relaxed facade to this. Yumi is too out of it.. and Hana is sort of queasy about things. Have to be the anchor.” - The thoughts simmered in his mind as the party crept into the forest ahead.
“A bear!” - Said Yumiko way too enthusiastically.
“We sneak past it, look at the size of it!” - as the large beast feasted on a deer
“It would be a shame to leave it.. its a hunter's prize!”
“Stop it. Focus.” - Katashi grabbed his friend and dragged her along into the shadows as they proceeded forward.

Barely a kilometer away, the party finally crept upon a scene of revulsion at human nature. Three Kiri ninja bullying and pushing around trio of young genin from Suna. However... their orders were clear.
“Yumiko... can you see which one has the scroll?”
“Middle one, in the backpack.”
“Alright... let me handle this.” - Katashi said with far more bravery than he felt as he dropped to the forest floor and padded softly, coated in camouflaging jutsu of Hana's, towards the scene, to brazenly snatch the scroll from the engaged ninja.
“I should.. I should just go now. They are not my allies. We have no reason to engage.” - making quick getaway, he reached his companions and shared the minor victory of obtaining the scroll before conflict became serious and with flash blades came down.
As one, trio responded trying to counter the assault on the innocent kids. But only the wall of the bamboo was quick enough to stop the slaughter, as two young lives expired on spot.
“Honourless dogs, how dare you!” - he thought as pretense of stealth died out, and he tossed a smoke grenade to let last survivor make his escape. “We failed them.. I should have.. No. Battle now, mourn later.”
Conflict was short but fought with fury of skill and wit, stalemate of it only broken with arrival of reinforcements summoned by the surviving genin, the Kiri team being quickly dispatched by the Suna rear action.
“Right.. if only. How could I have let it happen? Was it cowardice? Or duty. Or did I leave shred of my humanity back in that accursed forest?” - the thought and ones alike it tormented the young mind all the way to the tower and beyond.


“I do not like these match-ups at all. Is someone pulling a prank? Two grass vs two demon? Ugh. I am not sure Yumiko even has a chance. The redheaded dolt is a Jinchuriki. Maybe I should advise her to give up? No. That wouldn't do. Orders are orders. Besides... she always liked the challenge no matter its difficulty.” - rubbed his temple a bit
“And I am against that uptight asshole with black flames. I mean.. why? I am not a front line fighter. I guess I can outlast him though. Not sure I will be given days to finish this though. And Hananki is... against Eladar? Eh, that shouldn't be too harsh. He is at least not one to overdo things.” - the feet slowly led him to the arena stands, where he leaned on the fence to observe Yumiko's duel, only to nearly buckle and rush to the field to help her, heal her.. as the vile blood technique almost blasted her arm off.
“If he was not of the village, I swear, I would have gone to try and kill him then and there. But fine. Maybe I will get a chance if I win.” - He thought as his friend yielded in the field and went off with medics.

“Katashi Takeyama!” - Called the Proctor, and green youth jumped into the arena, offering polite bow to Kage and Daimyo, then crowd and finally his opponent, sliding into defensive stance, looking indifferently at the dour figure with fan across the field. Duel was soon joined, overwhelming force of flaming death spouted by now demonic looking opponent, while Katashi barely kept up his defences, managing nearly no attacks of his own, but eventually retreating to rejuvinate once the opponent's stamina buckled, but desire to keep up the battle remained.
“Hnnn... I cannot take him out quickly. I guess I could whittle him down over next day or two.. but who ha..” - thought interrupted by Hokage's voice “Since neither of you can defeat another, this is a draw. And you are both disqualified from further duels.” - he wiped his brow - “Excelent... then this farce is finished. I need to go check up on Toragan.. he really got burned badly. I will get some food for him. And fruit for Yumiko on the way. She lost a lot of blood, it will take long to recover.”


Faint knock would echo in the room that held beaten body of Hana, before Katashi slipped in to check on his friend despite the Nurse's advice. A small basket of fruit set on her nightstand while he checked the patient's file left on side. “Damn.. you got yourself beaten up again... did you really have to go all out like that?” - He sighed and sat down by the bed, observing the heavy bruising, before listening closely, noting Nurse's feet going away from the room down the corridor. Beaten artist stirred in uneasy, pained sleep.
“I cannot watch you like this. I guess nobody will mind.” - With that he would close his fists into meditative stance and let the surrounding natural energy rejuvinate her chakra and body alike.
“Right.. nobody saw me.. I better make a getaway and see that last battle while at it."

“This is not right... where are all the Kiri?” - He wondered just as he was climbing the arena's stands, before the sudden explosion happened followed by screams, scrambling guards and worried Hokage. The spirit of war drew its blade once again above the village. And its spectral companion death in tow. Quickly everyone ran to act to their best knowledge. Few of shinobi that he joined decided to go and engage with Mizukage who raged in middle of the village, while silent green whirlwind rushed towards hospital, where all those he cared for were currently housing. “Please be fine, please be fine, I will get there in time.. I will not see my friends die this day. I will not see this cowardly act of desperation rob anyone of life if I can help it!” - he thought and joined battle at entrance of the hospital, delaying the enemy from reinforcing their group already inside. Short but fierce battle occurred, before the Hokage came down to declare the enemy defeated and Mizukaze under arrest. Hearing the good news, Katashi dropped his combat stance and proceeded to search the village for those forgotten and abandoned, to save them from death and injury if possible. “War.. it strikes again. I just hope... my land will not be trampled once again. And lack of my presence home.. will not be end of us.”

Chunnin Exams - Part 1... Written Exams. [Hitori & Eladar]

[Display of stealth/subterfuge/teamwork and espionage]

[Noboru]

The young adolescent complied with the moving swarm of Chunnin potentials into the exam room. He despised crowds, but this wasn't the time for his petty environmental preferences. Hitori quickly made the assumption that this was going to be a theoretical exam. The crowd settled into the room as each genin made their way to an assigned seat. He gave Eladar a reassuring pat on the shoulder before moving to his designated seat. What others mightn't have seen was the transfer of ash into his teammates clothing, disguised in the uncharacteristic body contact.
 
Hitori settled down in his seat with the rest of the rabble and listened as the exam proctor began speaking. She explained the three rules of the written exam. The three rules that dictated the meaning of the exam, albeit in an obscure way. Obscure as they were, Hitori picked it out. Espionage, stealth and teamwork. That's what they were looking for.
 
The written exams commenced. The genin began to scribble answers. Some had come to the same realisation as Hitori and were actively seeking to steal the words from others... Though in somewhat less obscure ways. Hitori put pen to paper. He wrote his name, then eventually began to draw a neat spiral in the top right of his page. Several seconds later, Hitori drew a tick next to the spiral. What others mightn't have seen was that Hitori had already made use of the ash that was hidden in Eladar's clothing.
 
Hitori had moved his chakra-infused ash around Eladar's wrist and in subtly placed locations near the joints. He did the same to himself. The ash was linked in such a way that allowed the two to copy each other's hand movements if they desired. Eladar quickly picked up on the technique. Hitori knew from the tick that he copied from his teammate, next to the spiral he had drawn. The exact same spiral and tick that was now on both his and Eladar's page. If anything, this was a clear indication to the markers that Hitori and Eladar successfully shared knowledge in a most confidential way.
 
The exam continued in mostly silence, occasionally broken by an examiner's exclamation of a clumsy team's elimination. Hitori scribbled down answers, slowly but surely. He noticed the two next to him had a steady stream of answers through slightly noticeable shared signals with their apparent teammates. What they didn't know was that Hitori had the smallest amounts of ash connected to their scribing utensils. Hitori mimicked the pen movements perfectly down to every detail in the handwriting. This of course was fed back to Eladar.
 
The proctor eventually made the announcement of the tenth question. There was a declaration of a finality in failure. 

"I NOBORU UCHIHA WILL BE THE HOKA-"

(Shut the fuck up...) He thought to himself. 

Hitori felt his confidence waver just the slightest. He wrote on his page. "Don't give up." Perhaps seen by others as a self-motivating message... But Hitori knew that Eladar wrote this as a message to him. They were proceeding together as a team.
 
With the confirmation from his teammate, Hitori sat firm in his seat, ready for what was next.

---

Chunnin Exams - Part 2... Forest of Death. [Hitori & Eladar, ft. Chibi Chikako]

[Eladar]
[Chikako]
[Hitori]
[Mei (Mizukage)]

Hitori, Eladar and Chikako entered the forest and were almost immediately met by two Kirigakure jounin accompanied by the Mizukage. The three immediately knelt down to offer their respect. 


"Stand up. I have an order for you. During this part of the exams... Kill as many genin as you see. Questions? No? Good." She said, smirking as she disappeared before any of the three could object.

"...I don't want to kill anyone." Chikako murmured.

"... Sometimes we need to do what we're told until we're strong enough to decide for ourselves." Eladar encouraged the two.

Hitori felt conflicted, but convinced himself that this was a necessary step in achieving his goals. The group continued on their path towards the tower. The forest was full of dangerous beasts and scarcely available safety.... Thankfully survival was Hitori's specialty.

Soon, three Iwagakure shinobi blocked their path after apparently meeting with other Kirigakure squads... Of which were focused on slaughtering other genin. Battle soon broke out and it became evident that the other team had significantly more power than Hitori's... As shown when a genjutsu had the entire team paralysed. It was thanks to Eladar's tactful thinking that allowed the group to fight on equal terms.

Eladar and Chikako were able to injure one of the opponents severely enough so that they could no longer fight, while Hitori remained in a state of stun. He gritted his teeth in frustration as he watched his team struggle. In a heated state of mind, Hitori lost touch with his humanity. Okami's chakra enveloped his body. Hitori growled as he raised his sword high, and stopped. The shinobi had revealed his scarred body. The many scars of past wars. This was an innocent man who put his life on the line for others. Hitori couldn't move. He could not attack an innocent. 

In this moment of hesitation, the injured man ordered his team to stand down. They surrendered their scroll, and Hitori, Eladar and Chikako moved onto the next part of the exams.

"...sorry." Hitori apologised to his teammates.

"You big softy." Eladar punched him in the arm.

---

Chunnin Exams - Part 3... Duels. [Hitori & Eladar]

[Hitori]
[Eladar]

Hitori's match was first. He was against Asami... Though the fight might have been enjoyable, Hitori cared very little. In fact, after a recent conversation he had with the Mizukage... Hitori didn't care at all about the Chunnin exams at all.

He refused to push himself in the face of the approaching attack against Konoha. He needed to conserve strength. Asami was ellusive and relentlessly defended and attacked Hitori with skill far superior to any ordinary genin. There was a spark however when Asami performed a genjutsu on him. It affected both him and Okami. Soulless, icy eyes pleaded with him as the wailing of childless mothers echoed through his brain. Then Okami's vision took over. Hitori was looking through the eyes of an older man, centuries past. A previous Jinchuuriki. He gazed over a smoking and blood soaked village. Hitori felt overwhelmed by... pleasure. He growled as Okami's chakra flared up around him. He threw his shorter sword at Asami, stabbing through her shoulder. As he approached, he paused. This wasn't want he wanted. Both he and Asami were worn.

"Congratulations." He murmured before looking to the proctor. "I concede." He announced before moving off the playground.

Then it was Eladar's fight. He was against Hananki... Hitori felt uneasy and advised Hana to forfeit, however she refused. The fight commenced, and the two began to cast their trickeries. That's all it was to Hitori. He cocked a brow when Hana decided to use her biju's chakra... though too late, it seemed, when Eladar successfully knocked her unconscious. 

"Sorry about your girlfriend." He murmured once he returned to the stands.

"Not my girlfriend." Hitori corrected lamely.

---

Chunnin Exams - Finale...! Kiri Attack. [Hitori & Eladar]

[Hitori]
[Eladar]
[Hananki]

Hitori gazed down at Hananki, who laid unconscious in a Konoha hospital bed. She was beaten up, but looked peaceful. 

"..Sorry, Hananki." He murmured. For whatever reason, the idea of her hating him for the approaching attack was painful.

Hitori felt weird, looking at her. A swelling in his stomach. It made him feel uncomfortable, so he left, leaving behind a box that he might have forgotten to unlock.

As the final match was announced, Hitori made himself scarce... As did all other Kirigakure shinobi. Hitori had his orders, but he could not follow them. He knew the risk involved... but he would not kill the innocent. He could not. Hitori clasped his hands together as a large swirl of ash plumed from his being and spiraled away towards the arena. It spelled out a warning to the kages. "RAID." He made himself scarce and moved to meet up with a Kiri squad of five, who were tasked with ending the Hyuuga bloodline. Hitori knew he could not follow through, and planned to confront the group... Thankfully Eladar was part of the team too. When he arrived, it was just Eladar alone. He cocked a brow as he spotted Masami sprinting across the grassy fields. 

"Fuck. They went ahead." Hitori snarled.

"Shit!" Eladar exclaimed as the two hurried ahead, joining Masami. 

They skidded to a halt in front of the compound. Corpses were spread far and wide across the bloodstained grass. Hitori snarled... But it was Masami who launched herself at the Kirigakure assailants. She decapitated them, one after the other. 

"Let's go." Eladar said as the two fled, passing a chakra-coated Hananki as they crossed over the Hyuuga compound's bridge.

The two fled to the temple, however Hitori turned when it was noticed that Hananki was following.

"...Hitori, tell me you didn't have anything to do with this." She pleaded.

"Mh... Sometimes we need to do what we're told until we're strong enough to decide for ourselves." He repeated his teammates words.

Hananki pushed her treasured pipe into Hitori's hands, and with that Hitori fled with Eladar through the temple and out of Fire Country.