Age of Shinobi (Naruto, IC, Open)

[New Neros]

OOC: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=352667

A calm wind rustled the trees of Konaha, the warm sun shining over the land as another day arrived in the Land of Fire. Citizens and Shinobi alike would awake and go about their day, but many young genin were hard at work before the sun rose to prepare for the Chūnin Exams, and others were away on secret missions as the Long Peace came to a gradual close. Shinobi Countries were growing jingoistic, preparing their kinsmen for battle and teaching their children to be weary of once friendly allies, the sanctuary forged in the aftermath of the Fourth Shinobi World War was over, and a renewed age of Shinobi was upon the land. The young Akiko Kamikaze was already training with her teammates, preparing for their trials to become chūnin with their teacher, Koname Rayama.

The genin girl breathed heavily after a serious bout of exercise, exhausted from the hours of training lasting from the earliest in the morning to now, when the sunshine was just beginning to stretch out it's heat for the day. Akiko looked to her sides and realized she was alone, having outran her two teammates with her inherent speed. She turned her head around, and realized she was indeed alone - and suddenly became more afraid of being lost than getting on the bad side of her teacher. She thought about calling out for her team, but decided against it.

So she stood there - undecided and not knowing what exactly to do in that sort of situation, unaware of her surroundings and whether or not she was actually safe during the training session. Her breath began to calm, but her heart beat steadily rose as fear and panic set in, Akiko shaking as she yearned for any kind of companionship. She was thirsty, hungry, and tired, but the girl refused to give up even then, only breaking when the loneliness began to set in harder. She was fighting back tears as she spun around, trying to watch every angle at once, swinging her head wildly, but growing dizzy all too quickly. Akiko was light-headed, ready to pass out, when a sudden noise jolted her to attention.

[Bycrest]

Maris Benjiro walked across the boarder connecting the Land of Rivers to the Land of Fire. It had been a long journey from his home in the Land of Wind but he was steadily making ground. In order to achieve his goals he would have to travel the world, even if his country didn't approve of what he was doing. He looked at the plaque with the Sand insignia on it and took out a kunai knife. He scratched though the metal and put the plaque in his bag.

He moved farther into the Land of Fire and head towards the Village Hidden in the Leaves. If anything he might be able to find something there that could help him since that seemed to be a place of interest in the past.

"This is going to be a long walk." he said to himself as he continued on the path.

[Lycanth]

Yorasu Uchiha

The Chunin Exams were coming up. Yorasu was determined to pass them on his first try, he had to. If he wanted to become the head of the Uchiha Clan someday, what other choice did he have? He reached the entrance to the Forest of Death a lot earlier than his other comrades and leader, it was something he always did. He found a nearby tree and set his things down by it, making sure his equipment was fastened tightly and his headband was secured on his forehead. "Well, suppose I'll practice a few moves." He moved to a more open area, taking up a fighting stance. He quickly weaved some hand signs. "Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu!" He held up his hand in front of his mouth, blowing a large ball of fire into the air. It seemed every time he practiced it, the flame got larger. He smiled afterwards, feeling pretty content. "Let's try this..." He formed the Ram hand sign and yelled, "Wind Style: Divine Wind!" To his disappointment, all he managed to create was one dust devil. Sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose, he went back to the tree. "Damnit. I still got some work to do."


Karasu Uchiha

They're not here yet? Huh. And I thought I was running late. Karasu slowed her jog to a walk, heading for the three wooden poles in the Third Training Ground. She dropped off her bag by the middle one and sat down, drinking from the flask she brought. It was a really pretty day, the clouds were sparse, birds were singing, and animals skittered about here and there. Karasu just took the moment to really enjoy her village. She loved the Leaf. She wouldn't pick any other village to live. She looked around, wondering if the others were just lying in wait for them. It wouldn't be the first time. She stood up and walked over to the monument, looking over the names. She ran her finger over each Uchiha, noting the ones she knew and the ones she didn't. She knew a good bit of her clan's history, but not all. She wanted to learn as much as she could.

[The Fallen Jedi]

- Snip -

Ryuichi Masaki

The Young Genin known as Ryuichi Masaki hid up in a tree, having fallen to one knee as he regained control of his breathing, even though he had a large amount of chakra reserves to rely on, his Sensei was far more experienced and powerful than him, normally people would feel outclassed and thus would lose their confidence in fighting, but Ryuichi would face whatever challenge would come his way, he wanted to bring about a period of peace between the Main House and the Branch House of the Masaki Clan, but in order to do such a thing, he had to gain much more experience, and he knew that training with a Sensei such as Rayama would help him in his quest to gain the experience he so desperately needed. A small, childish smile formed on Ryuichi's face as he brought his hands together to form the Tiger Seal "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" three identical clones of Ryuichi appeared beside him.

Ryuichi gestured his fingers to the surrounding trees, the three Shadow Clones automatically understanding Ryuichi's orders, the three of them splitting off into the treeline and would hide amongst the foliage, Ryuichi (The Real Ryuichi) then commenced with the hand signs necessary for a Fire Style Technique, closing his mouth while he did so "Rat, Tiger, Dog, Ox, Rabbit, Tiger..." Ryuichi then jumped out of the treeline and rapidly descended to the ground, his Sensei in sight "Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" Ryuichi's lips parted slightly, causing a volley of small fireballs, to quickly emerge from his mouth, said fireballs being sent flying in a unpredictable manner, Ryuichi quickly brought out a pair of Three Shuriken and threw it at Rayama without even a second thought.

[Ancient Magmia]

Before meeting up with his team at the Forest of Death, Daichi Nakahara meditated in his room, reflecting on his time spent in the Land of Iron and his training with the samurai. "It's been three years since I've been part of a team", he thought to himself. "It'll take some getting used to; I always enjoyed the relative solitude I had during my training. But, I will manage. My main focus is just to pass the Chunin Exams and master my Fire Release." After grabbing his ninja tools and his two swords, he departed to go meet up with his team.

[The Rebel Alliances]

Koname Rayama-24 Yrs-Konoha Jōnin

Rain began to slowly find it's way to the forest floor, creeping through the tree line as I observed one of my own students in person. As for the others, I had formed Water Clones to keep them busy as I analyzed Akiko's status in the training. The young thirteen year old girl with long blonde hair and sky blue eyes was already beginning to show signs of mental break down from the stress. She comes from the Kamikaze Clan, a clan renowned for their skill. I have already seen that she is the exception, in more ways than one. It's not bad that she desires to be different, but her tendency to be overly dependent on allies and to stress out too easily, is not one favorable of a Shinobi. I need to find a way to instill some, sense of urgency, in her. I quickly weaved the hand signs for a a simple technique for me, meant to hide me in plain sight in the rain as I whispered the technique to levels below what she could hear.

"Water Style: Hiding in Rain Technique."

I then had the Water Clone appear in front of Akiko, as I positioned myself within the very rain behind her. The Water Clone spoke as I do, and received her attention.

"You are not ready for the Chuunin Exams Akiko. I have informed Akira that if you do not perform well in my tests, you will need more training.....back at the Ninja Academy." The clone taunted.

The words were harsh, and untrue. But I needed to inform Akiko of her mistakes. And the repercussions of them, she is the teams medical nin, and she has allowed herself to become separated, leaving her squad vulnerable. As well as herself. Such a mistake in the Chuunin Exams can be lethal.

I then continued to wait for my perfect opening to strike, using the misdirection of my clone to give me the chance.

Elsewhere
The second Water Clone, this one fighting Ryuchi saw the attack incoming and quickly weaved the signs for the Water Shield technique to defend itself. Only having access to a portion of my chakra however, its own abilities were lessened. Ryuchi was a promising student, having access to the Shadow Clone Jutsu, and that...is a Jōnin level technique. The clone did a back flip after deflecting the attacks, and agilely leaping it's ways up trees to give a height advantage. Then, positioning Ryuchi below, it initiated a very simple jutsu, as it exclaimed.

"Waster Style! Water Shuriken!"

With that, about a dozen shuriken made of water formed in the air and propelled themselves at Ryuchi. Testing the young child as the battle went underway.

Aido Sagara-22 Yrs-Ronin Samurai

The tavern was crowded, smokey and noisy. And has served as my own home for roughly three weeks now as I have not yet bothered myself to leave this village. The Chunin exams are approaching, and many personas will arrive in that time. The hope was that one of them would have some information of value to me, as I continue my search for the killer of my old friend. My blade was leaned up against the wooden wall next to me, as smoke rose to the high ceiling from my pipe as my small cup of sake rested nicely on the low table next to me. My head was resting against the warm wood, as the waitress, a rather attractive young woman, perhaps twenty years old, approached me. She seemed nervous about speaking to me, but I reasoned it was simply my reputation. A ronin samurai can be intimidating. She brushed some beautiful brown hair from her eyes, as I ignored the drink stained apron she wore as she spoke to me.

"Excuse me...mr...your collective bill, for room and board and food...is now up to seven hundred. My...manager was wondering if you could pay..."

I closed my eyes, as I answered non chalantly, this is not a new situation, and normally happens when I run out of money at least once in each of my stops.

"Put the charge on my tab please." She was about to leave me be as her manager, a large and very round man approached and shoved her out of the way. My eyes then opened sharply, as he threatened me.

"Listen here bub! I wont be giving any more hand outs to the likes of you, either you pay by the end of the day, or else I will allow the authorities to handle you!" My voice was firm and cold as I answered.

"Apologize." He seemed confused.

"Apologize? To you, for what?" I then in a single moment had drawn my bade and had maneuvered myself to where the katana was place next to his throat.

"Not to me you stupid oaf...to her." As he fell backwards onto the floor in a panic, he turned to his employee and bowed before her, quickly apologizing for shoving her to the side. Satisfied, I sheathed my blade and stepped over him.

"You will have your money by the end of the day." As I approached a drunken man, who had watched our argument, I asked him about a ninja he was talking about before.

"Oh...Akira? Yes, perhaps the best Jonin in the village. He easily defeated me, why, what about it?"

Then came my plan for paying the business. "Before you were talking about paying anyone who could defeat him in a fight, to avenge your loss or what not. How much?" The man scratched his bald head in thought.

"I dont know, maybe eight hundred?"

"Make it a thousand, and you have a deal." The man was obviously upset by my attempt to hustle him, but he clearly wanted the fight to happen.

"Fine, but you had better win this." I said no more words, but simply left the bar and proceeded into the village, searching for my opponent. And although this fight may not be to kill, a battle occasionally keeps my skills sharp.

[Aidannadia]

The evening air was cool to the skin. Dew was beginning to gather on the arrangement of flowers in the Kangosotsu's district in Iwagakure. These plants were for the enjoyment of the public; the garden was a front, said to be where the Kangosotsu got the plants for Moxa, but anyone with a sense of reason knew this to be smoke and mirrors. It would be careless to leave such secret substances and mixtures available for theft. The charade barely fooled anyone.

Souma enjoyed these plants nevertheless. They had always been there to brighten his day when things felt hard and no one else was around.

Most of the day had been spent training on controlling that ethereal substance that was beyond normal perception: Chakra. Chakra was a cruel bitch, a mess of complications, and a force with which to be reckoned. It was alive, sometimes having a mind of its own in a way that almost made Souma want to refer to it as a her rather than an it. While it could be a force of destruction when disrespected, Chakra was also essential to life: a form of sustenance in its own right. This was the form that Souma strived to perfect. Chakra was the great life giver in his eyes and yet he tried so hard to keep it from becoming that great life taker once again...

A small pain twinged in Souma's callused hands as he used them to push himself up by his knees. He had burned his hands once more in practice earlier today and the burns were still a bit raw. No doubt he would be burning them once more soon, tomorrow even, when he would be meeting with his fellow squadmates for their routine training exercises.

His walk was solid and straight as he continued through the cobbled streets of the Kangosotsu District, as if to make up for his relatively small stature. On either side of him laid houses that seemed to be cut from the stone rather than built up from the ground. Space had become expensive here and, as such, living spaces were often held close with no private yard. That was another reason that Souma enjoyed the Kangosotsu Gardens; they provided people with a place to meet and discuss things during the day and a place to think for the weary during the wee hours of the night as if it were one, large, communal yard for the clan.

Soon, Souma arrived at his door. He slid the frame to the side and entered his home, leaving his sandals by the door to keep the floors from getting dirty. It was not out of fear of consequence; he could probably get away with it if he really wanted to walk through the house with his sandals, but Souma had been ingrained with certain standards in mind from his birth.

He could see the memory before him as he closed his eyes to go to sleep.

---

"Hello, Father!" A young Souma called to his dad, Daichi Kangosotsu. "My teacher told me I received the highest grade among my classmates on my quiz." The child handed his father the paper to reveal an almost perfect worksheet. That was the problem. Almost.

His father placed the paper down and looked at his son sternly. "Highest is not something to strive for. The standard is not set by those that are lesser than you. The standard is set by your skills and your capabilities. You were capable of getting a perfect score on this paper. Perfection is not something to look towards as a fiction, but rather the only acceptable outcome. Do you understand now, Souma?"

The young boy nodded, but that lesson would not sink in until-

Suddenly, the dream sped forward years to that fateful night. Souma came home from The Academy to the find his home deathly quiet. "Father? Are you home?" His mother was out on a mission that night, meaning that Daichi would be home alone to cook his son's and his own meal, but the smell of cooking was not detectable by Souma.

A small and weak cough from the other room caught the boy's attention and he rushed to the source to find the a body laid out on the ground. Blood stained the man's robes, the robes he knew to be the robes of his father. Tears began to flow as Souma realized the gravity of the situation.

His father was strong enough to start issuing an order to the young wanna-be-shinobi, "Your Mo-" His breath didn't allow him to continue.

Souma understood, reaching for the Red Moxa Cylinder that was kept in his satchel in case of emergencies such as this. The boy held the paper cylinder, focusing on putting his meager chakra into catalyzing the reaction that would save his father, but the adrenaline spiked his power levels unexpectedly. This caused the paper to shoot fire into his father's wound, sealing his fate and leaving Souma alone with his mistake until his uncle came to find the child despondent over the long gone cadaver the next day.

---

Souma woke to the sound of his alarm clock. A cruel bitch indeed. He thought before clicking it off and beginning to prepare for the day to come.

Brush my teeth. Bathe. Prepare my outfit. How many cylinders will I need for training? Let's say 3 blue, 2 green and.... 1 red should be enough. Now kunai and shuriken.... 9 shuriken and 12 kunai knives should fit pretty well around my person. Anything else would be excessive.

Souma finished his preparations. His hands had healed overnight; they had quite a bit of experience with that sort of burn and it wasn't meant to last anyway. As the genin exited his abode, the sun began to rise over the cliffs in the distance. This city is beautiful at sunrise. Anyway, it was said that Isao would be meeting us at our usual training area. The genin noted as he began to sprint his way across the village rooftops, not disturbing a soul as he leapt from rooftop to rooftop.

[The Fallen Jedi]

Yorasu Uchiha

The Chunin Exams were coming up. Yorasu was determined to pass them on his first try, he had to. If he wanted to become the head of the Uchiha Clan someday, what other choice did he have? He reached the entrance to the Forest of Death a lot earlier than his other comrades and leader, it was something he always did. He found a nearby tree and set his things down by it, making sure his equipment was fastened tightly and his headband was secured on his forehead. "Well, suppose I'll practice a few moves." He moved to a more open area, taking up a fighting stance. He quickly weaved some hand signs. "Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu!" He held up his hand in front of his mouth, blowing a large ball of fire into the air. It seemed every time he practiced it, the flame got larger. He smiled afterwards, feeling pretty content. "Let's try this..." He formed the Ram hand sign and yelled, "Wind Style: Divine Wind!" To his disappointment, all he managed to create was one dust devil. Sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose, he went back to the tree. "Damnit. I still got some work to do."

Kenji Masaki

Kenji stared on, watching as Yorasu trained with both Fire Style and Wind Style, the same two Chakra Natures that Ryuichi had, this interested Kenji to say the least, considering that early on in life Ryuichi and Kenji were rivals, but as soon as the two of them were placed on different teams, the rivalry between the two of them had died down entirely, and Kenji grew annoyed with this fact. "Seems like I may have another rival after all..." Kenji pondered as he calmly lept out of the tree that he was sitting in and landed softly on the ground, a small wave of leaves from the tree landing around him as he walked forward, a small smile on his face as he clapped his hands "I never thought that I would be paired up with someone who has the same Chakra Natures as my Clan mate does." Kenji said as he approached Yorasu "I happen to be able to use Fire Style, Earth Style, even Storm Release, have you ever heard about the Kekkei Genkai of the Masaki Clan?"

Koname Rayama-24 Yrs-Konoha Jōnin

Elsewhere
The second Water Clone, this one fighting Ryuchi saw the attack incoming and quickly weaved the signs for the Water Shield technique to defend itself. Only having access to a portion of my chakra however, its own abilities were lessened. Ryuchi was a promising student, having access to the Shadow Clone Jutsu, and that...is a Jōnin level technique. The clone did a back flip after deflecting the attacks, and agilely leaping it's ways up trees to give a height advantage. Then, positioning Ryuchi below, it initiated a very simple jutsu, as it exclaimed.

"Waster Style! Water Shuriken!"

With that, about a dozen shuriken made of water formed in the air and propelled themselves at Ryuchi. Testing the young child as the battle went underway.

Ryuichi Masaki

Ryuichi didn't waste any time in responding, as the Water Shuriken quickly came upon him, Ryuichi weaved yet another pair of handsigns, he knew that Water Style was weak against Fire Style, which he happened to have knowledge in 'Tiger, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger..." Ryuichi closed his mouth as the chakra began to heat itself up into a Fire Style Jutsu that was considered the Coming of Age ritual for the Uchiha Clan "Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu!" Ryuichi parted his mouth slightly, causing a surge of Fire Type Chakra to come roaring out of his mouth, enveloping the Water Shuriken in the burning light of the medium-sized Fire Ball "I'm not done yet!" Ryuichi exclaimed inwardly, slightly turning his head to a concealed Shadow Clone of his, giving him only a nod as the Real Ryuichi jumped up into the tree, bringing the Bird handsign up, switching to Wind Style Jutsu "Wind Style: Air Bullets!" The small bullets of wind emerged rapidly from his mouth and all flew into the direction of his Sensei.

When Ryuichi launched his Air Bullet Jutsu, one of the Ryuichi clones clapped his hands together "Wind Style: Gale Palm!" the second Ryuichi clone then did his part, bringing out eight Shuriken, he threw them directly into the current of the Gale Palm Jutsu, increasing the shuriken's speed and power substantially. "It's my move now!" The Third Ryuichi Clone Exclaimed inwardly, crafting the handsigns necessary for a Fire Release technique "Rat, Tiger, Dog, Ox, Rabbit, Tiger, Monkey..." the Ryuichi clone then suddenly exclaimed "Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu – Scarlet Claw!" Instead of the small volley of fireballs being shot off in differing directions, these fire balls were fired at the Shuriken individually, the volley of fireballs quickly enveloped the eight shuriken in a burning fire, which combined with the Wind Style Jutsu would increase the amount of damage that the flame enveloped Shuriken would cause, the flaming shurkien quickly shot downwards towards Rayama.

[Atlannia]

The Kurokawa Compound

Nanaki was returning to her place on the floor as the negotiations began in earnest. Folding her legs up underneath her she placed the tray containing the three mugs of steaming teas between the men and bowed respectfully, raising her eyes just enough to closely observe the proceedings as her Father had instructed.

"I understand where you're coming from Kaien, I really do, but you have to understand my position as well," the chief gave a greasy smile and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe his wetly shining forehead with. "The people rely on me to look out for the village's interests so even if I wanted to simply lower the tariff on pottery the matter is out of my hands,"

This wasn't what Kaien Kurokawa, 47th head of the Kurokawa clan and Nanaki's Father, wanted to hear but nevertheless his pleasant smile remained firmly in place. the man next to him however, Kaien's older brother and Nanaki's uncle, let out a fierce scowl. He leaned forward, invading the space of the suddenly nervous chief.

"It's not as though we're asking you to lower the tariffs though," he said in a low, almost growling voice. "We're only saying to restore them to their original levels, after all it was you who raised them in the first place on your own authority,"

"Ah...You knew about that," said the chief, smiling uneasily and looking slightly ill.

"We would consider it disrespectful to invite you into our home without first doing a little research," said Kaien, still smiling. He picked up his mug of tea with both hands and took a slow sip, savouring the taste and warmth. "But as I told you earlier we understand your position completely and wouldn't dream of asking to do something that goes against your villages interests.

"You w-wouldn't?" stuttered the chief, taking out his handkerchief and heavily mopping his forehead.

"One of us wouldn't," growled Reiji Kurokawa, startling the old man. Her face still pointed at the floor, Nanaki smiled privately.

"Both of us wouldn't," said Kaien with mock firmness. "Our Clan considers the village of the stony brook a long term friend and trading partner. We would never want to inconvenience someone we value so highly. So I think it's prudent to discuss us withdrawing our exports from your market,"

"Right of course you wouldn- What?" the chief asked, his eyes bulging as his expression switched from temporary relief to panic in an instant.

Kaien's smile widened. "Obviously our trade exports are having a negative impact on the village, which is why you raised tariffs in a bid to protect the village's growth,"

"It's certainly not because your skimming money off the tariffs to fund your retirement," said Reiji sarcastically, watching with pleasure as the chief stiffened.

"In which case the ethical thing to do would be to withdraw our business before any more damage is caused," continued Kaien, paying no attention to his brother's veiled accusation. "Nanaki can you tell us what goods the Kurokawa clan currently export to the village of the stony brook?"

"Of course Father," said Nanaki, raising her head and smiling politely at the chief, who still looked uneasy despite her unthreatening appearance. "Including affiliated clan interests and ventures in which we only have a partial stake, we currently export sake, textiles of both high and medium quality, preserves, honey and glassware. Oh and pottery of course."

"Thank you Nanaki," smiled Kaien, before turning his gaze back to the chief. "We should be able reroute all of those goods into other villages within...oh the next week or so, if that's what's best for the village,"

"No! Ah- ha-ha," the chief stuttered, holding out a hand weakly. "What I mean to say is isn't it a little bit sudden to talk about a change like that? Of course the Kurokawa clan is a valued trading partner of our village as well,"

"Then how about we go back to the original topic of this discussion?" said Reiji with the same scowl on his face. "Namely restoring the pottery tariff to its original level."

"O-of course," said the chief, smiling queasily and once more wiping his face.

.....

Within fifteen minutes the proposal had been finalised and the chief had departed back to the Village of the Stony Brook, muttering under his breath about "walking into a den of Vipers," The Kurokawa brothers watched him depart and then Kaien yawned and stretched out, his legs spread out in front of him.

"Well I'd say that went rather well," said Kaien mildly, finishing his tea with a long, undignified gulp.

Reiji snorted. "Waste of our time, dealing with an arrogant little twerp like that, we could have sent someone down there,"

"But it's also beneficial to be seen aggressively protecting the clan's interests, Irigari will have to find something else to complain about now and that will take the wind out of his sails for a bit,"

"Not for long," said Reiji, his own tea remaining untouched. "Finding things to complain about is Irigari's most impressive talent,"

"True," smiled Kaien "But we've earned ourselves a little breathing room, Nanaki I hope this was instructive,"

"Yes Father," she said, raising her head again. "Basically I just need someone as scary as Uncle Reiji to distract everyone while I subtly undercut them,"

"That's the gist of it," chuckled Kaien as Reiji gave his niece a sour look. "I don't know where you're going to find someone as scary as Reiji though."

"Don't you have some real training to do girl," grumbled Reiji, folding his arms over his chest.

"I was supposed to meet my team at the training grounds yes," answered Nanaki her smile fading. "Actually I might be a little late so..."

"Off you go then," said Kaien, dismissing her with a wave of his hands. "Economics is important but it won't do to neglect your own strength,"

"Well then I'll be off," said Nanaki, bowing and standing up. "Father, Uncle," with that she was off, running to the door in search of her shoes.

......

Karasu Uchiha
They're not here yet? Huh. And I thought I was running late. Karasu slowed her jog to a walk, heading for the three wooden poles in the Third Training Ground. She dropped off her bag by the middle one and sat down, drinking from the flask she brought. It was a really pretty day, the clouds were sparse, birds were singing, and animals skittered about here and there. Karasu just took the moment to really enjoy her village. She loved the Leaf. She wouldn't pick any other village to live. She looked around, wondering if the others were just lying in wait for them. It wouldn't be the first time. She stood up and walked over to the monument, looking over the names. She ran her finger over each Uchiha, noting the ones she knew and the ones she didn't. She knew a good bit of her clan's history, but not all. She wanted to learn as much as she could.

"Karasu san!" called Nanaki,as she jogged around the corner and spotted her teamate studying the monument. Her katana was bouncing agaisnt her hip and she had found her shoes but otherwise she was dressed in the same white jacket patterned with the kurokawa emblem and red skirt she had been wearing earlier. The favoured attire of the kurokawa were suitabel for both trainign and formal occasions. "I'm so sory I'm late! I was tied up with family business, you haven't been waiting long have you?"

[The Rebel Alliances]

Ryuichi Masaki

Ryuichi didn't waste any time in responding, as the Water Shuriken quickly came upon him, Ryuichi weaved yet another pair of handsigns, he knew that Water Style was weak against Fire Style, which he happened to have knowledge in 'Tiger, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger..." Ryuichi closed his mouth as the chakra began to heat itself up into a Fire Style Jutsu that was considered the Coming of Age ritual for the Uchiha Clan "Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu!" Ryuichi parted his mouth slightly, causing a surge of Fire Type Chakra to come roaring out of his mouth, enveloping the Water Shuriken in the burning light of the medium-sized Fire Ball "I'm not done yet!" Ryuichi exclaimed inwardly, slightly turning his head to a concealed Shadow Clone of his, giving him only a nod as the Real Ryuichi jumped up into the tree, bringing the Bird handsign up, switching to Wind Style Jutsu "Wind Style: Air Bullets!" The small bullets of wind emerged rapidly from his mouth and all flew into the direction of his Sensei.

When Ryuichi launched his Air Bullet Jutsu, one of the Ryuichi clones clapped his hands together "Wind Style: Gale Palm!" the second Ryuichi clone then did his part, bringing out eight Shuriken, he threw them directly into the current of the Gale Palm Jutsu, increasing the shuriken's speed and power substantially. "It's my move now!" The Third Ryuichi Clone Exclaimed inwardly, crafting the handsigns necessary for a Fire Release technique "Rat, Tiger, Dog, Ox, Rabbit, Tiger, Monkey..." the Ryuichi clone then suddenly exclaimed "Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu – Scarlet Claw!" Instead of the small volley of fireballs being shot off in differing directions, these fire balls were fired at the Shuriken individually, the volley of fireballs quickly enveloped the eight shuriken in a burning fire, which combined with the Wind Style Jutsu would increase the amount of damage that the flame enveloped Shuriken would cause, the flaming shurkien quickly shot downwards towards Rayama.

Koname Rayama Water Clone
As the Fire Ball Jutsu quickly evaporated the far smaller water shuriken, the water clone was quick to respond. Knowing the higher tier jutsu were off limits, as it's pool of chakra was severely limited, the clone weaved a very rapid three sign jutsu. As Ryuchi fired wind bullets at the clone, the clone responded by weaving the hand signs. Ram, Horse, Bird with perfect accuracy. With that the announcement of "Water Style: Tornado of Water Jutsu!" was summoned as a barrier to block the air bullets attack from striking the clone. The timing and execution of Ryuchi's moves were flawless, as the clone relayed this information back to his real master. How he combined the Gale Force Jutsu, Shadow Clone Jutsu and Phoenix Flower Jutsu for a combo that some Chunin would have trouble pulling off, it was all very impressive.

With almost no time to react, the triple threat attack carried with increased momentum due to the Gale Force, and the added power of the shuriken and Phoenix Flower struck true, digging into the clone. Or so it seemed, as a wooden log appeared in it's place, it was a substitution jutsu. The clone's chakra was now running almost on empty, as it moved into it's final moves. Running at high speed at Ryuchi, the Water Clone initiated a new attack.

"Water Style: Rising Water Slicer!" With that, a jet stream of water burst forth from the ground at high speeds powerful enough to carve through stone, but easily avoided by leaping into the air, however the clone cut off that avenue of evasion by leaping into the air as well, and this time, activating another ninjutsu, one to increase it's taijutsu ability.

"Water Style: Water Scorpion!" Another attack with the clear potential to cut a person in half. Time seemed to slow down, as the clone drew ever closer to it's target. When the duel attack was just an instant away from hitting the young Ryuchi, the chakra reserves ran out for the clone, and it fell apart, spilling cold water all over the young child.

And revealing that his battle was simply against a Water Clone, as he still has yet to locate his master.

[Lycanth]

Yorasu Uchiha

The Chunin Exams were coming up. Yorasu was determined to pass them on his first try, he had to. If he wanted to become the head of the Uchiha Clan someday, what other choice did he have? He reached the entrance to the Forest of Death a lot earlier than his other comrades and leader, it was something he always did. He found a nearby tree and set his things down by it, making sure his equipment was fastened tightly and his headband was secured on his forehead. "Well, suppose I'll practice a few moves." He moved to a more open area, taking up a fighting stance. He quickly weaved some hand signs. "Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu!" He held up his hand in front of his mouth, blowing a large ball of fire into the air. It seemed every time he practiced it, the flame got larger. He smiled afterwards, feeling pretty content. "Let's try this..." He formed the Ram hand sign and yelled, "Wind Style: Divine Wind!" To his disappointment, all he managed to create was one dust devil. Sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose, he went back to the tree. "Damnit. I still got some work to do."

Kenji Masaki

Kenji stared on, watching as Yorasu trained with both Fire Style and Wind Style, the same two Chakra Natures that Ryuichi had, this interested Kenji to say the least, considering that early on in life Ryuichi and Kenji were rivals, but as soon as the two of them were placed on different teams, the rivalry between the two of them had died down entirely, and Kenji grew annoyed with this fact. "Seems like I may have another rival after all..." Kenji pondered as he calmly lept out of the tree that he was sitting in and landed softly on the ground, a small wave of leaves from the tree landing around him as he walked forward, a small smile on his face as he clapped his hands "I never thought that I would be paired up with someone who has the same Chakra Natures as my Clan mate does." Kenji said as he approached Yorasu "I happen to be able to use Fire Style, Earth Style, even Storm Release, have you ever heard about the Kekkei Genkai of the Masaki Clan?"

Yorasu Uchiha

Yorasu looked up to see his probably teammate heading his way. He looked him over, listening to his words. "I have, actually. I haven't heard the specifics but it's an amplified Storm Release I've heard. This should prove to be interesting," He met the Masaki clan genin bowed in greeting. "Ever heard of the Uchiha clan? I'd honestly be surprised if you hadn't." He motioned to the Uchiha Family Crest on his shoulder. "I'm Yorasu Uchiha. And you're name?" Three releases, huh? This may prove to be an interesting team.

Karasu Uchiha
They're not here yet? Huh. And I thought I was running late. Karasu slowed her jog to a walk, heading for the three wooden poles in the Third Training Ground. She dropped off her bag by the middle one and sat down, drinking from the flask she brought. It was a really pretty day, the clouds were sparse, birds were singing, and animals skittered about here and there. Karasu just took the moment to really enjoy her village. She loved the Leaf. She wouldn't pick any other village to live. She looked around, wondering if the others were just lying in wait for them. It wouldn't be the first time. She stood up and walked over to the monument, looking over the names. She ran her finger over each Uchiha, noting the ones she knew and the ones she didn't. She knew a good bit of her clan's history, but not all. She wanted to learn as much as she could.

"Karasu san!" called Nanaki,as she jogged around the corner and spotted her teamate studying the monument. Her katana was bouncing agaisnt her hip and she had found her shoes but otherwise she was dressed in the same white jacket patterned with the kurokawa emblem and red skirt she had been wearing earlier. The favoured attire of the kurokawa were suitabel for both trainign and formal occasions. "I'm so sory I'm late! I was tied up with family business, you haven't been waiting long have you?"

Karasu Uchiha

Karasu was pulled from her thoughts as she heard a voice from behind her. She spun around and saw Nanaki and her katana bouncing their way towards her. She smiled and met her half way. "No! Not at all! I completely understand how family business is." She checked her pouches on her jacket, making sure she filled them with the right equipment then looked back up at Nanaki. "Shall we train a little while we wait for the others?" She said with an eager smile. She just learned a new jutsu and really wanted to try it out. There's no way I could test it on Sensei. He'd see it coming from a mile away. Maybe it'll even surprise Yorasu next time we spar. She smiled more at the thought of that.

[Atlannia]

Karasu Uchiha

Karasu was pulled from her thoughts as she heard a voice from behind her. She spun around and saw Nanaki and her katana bouncing their way towards her. She smiled and met her half way. "No! Not at all! I completely understand how family business is." She checked her pouches on her jacket, making sure she filled them with the right equipment then looked back up at Nanaki. "Shall we train a little while we wait for the others?" She said with an eager smile. She just learned a new jutsu and really wanted to try it out. There's no way I could test it on Sensei. He'd see it coming from a mile away. Maybe it'll even surprise Yorasu next time we spar. She smiled more at the thought of that.

"Mmm," nodded Nanaki, rolling her shoulders and smiling softly. "I'm a little stiff still so a warm up would be good," she said, slipping her katana out of her sash, although she didn’t unsheathe it just yet, instead holding it by the saya. She seems enthusiastic, I wonder if she has some technique or something she wants to try out... Is it possible her sharingan has awakened? As one of the few things that could pierce her claims unique illusions, the Uchiha clan's famous visual jutsu was something the Kurokawa kept close tabs on. Nanaki was both anticipating and apprehensive of the moment when Karasu's would awaken. On the one hand being able to spar against someone able to ignore her illusions would be valuable experience and having a teammate with an ability like that was always useful. On the other hand it would probably mean Nanaki would start to lose more of these fights, she wasn't a particularly sore loser by any means but she had her pride and her clans pride to consider.

All of this ran through the teenagers sharp mind in a few seconds and none of it was reflected on her expression, which remained serene.

"Well then," she said, unsheathing her blade in a smooth motion refined by years of repetition. "Would you like to start us off or shall I?" she asked, still smiling.

[Lycanth]

Karasu Uchiha

Karasu was pulled from her thoughts as she heard a voice from behind her. She spun around and saw Nanaki and her katana bouncing their way towards her. She smiled and met her half way. "No! Not at all! I completely understand how family business is." She checked her pouches on her jacket, making sure she filled them with the right equipment then looked back up at Nanaki. "Shall we train a little while we wait for the others?" She said with an eager smile. She just learned a new jutsu and really wanted to try it out. There's no way I could test it on Sensei. He'd see it coming from a mile away. Maybe it'll even surprise Yorasu next time we spar. She smiled more at the thought of that.

"Mmm," nodded Nanaki, rolling her shoulders and smiling softly. "I'm a little stiff still so a warm up would be good," she said, slipping her katana out of her sash, although she didn’t unsheathe it just yet, instead holding it by the saya. She seems enthusiastic, I wonder if she has some technique or something she wants to try out... Is it possible her sharingan has awakened? As one of the few things that could pierce her claims unique illusions, the Uchiha clan's famous visual jutsu was something the Kurokawa kept close tabs on. Nanaki was both anticipating and apprehensive of the moment when Karasu's would awaken. On the one hand being able to spar against someone able to ignore her illusions would be valuable experience and having a teammate with an ability like that was always useful. On the other hand it would probably mean Nanaki would start to lose more of these fights, she wasn't a particularly sore loser by any means but she had her pride and her clans pride to consider.

All of this ran through the teenagers sharp mind in a few seconds and none of it was reflected on her expression, which remained serene.

"Well then," she said, unsheathing her blade in a smooth motion refined by years of repetition. "Would you like to start us off or shall I?" she asked, still smiling.

Karasu grinned and jumped back a few paces. "Don't mind if I do." She weaved a few hand signals, using a jutsu that was simple yet effective. "Fire style: Fire Ball Jutsu!" She held her hand up and blew a large ball of fire towards Nanaki. She jumped to the side afterwards, throwing a few kunai her way and immediately began channeling lightning into her hands. I just need a little time. Hopefully the fire ball and kunai will give me that time.

[Atlannia]

Karasu grinned and jumped back a few paces. "Don't mind if I do." She weaved a few hand signals, using a jutsu that was simple yet effective. "Fire style: Fire Ball Jutsu!" She held her hand up and blew a large ball of fire towards Nanaki. She jumped to the side afterwards, throwing a few kunai her way and immediately began channeling lightning into her hands. I just need a little time. Hopefully the fire ball and kunai will give me that time.

She's an Uchiha after all thought Nanaki mildly, dashing in the opposite direction as her opponent had to avoid one of the clan's signature jutsus, at the same time her eyes caught the flash of metal as Karasu's follow up. Nanaki's response was textbook, at least for the Kurokawa. As her dash propelled her through the air she raised her sword, mimicking a slashing attack and calling at the same time.

"Shatter!"

Nanaki's katana surprisingly complied, splitting in to six razor sharp pieces. Two of the pieces were propelled by the slash towards the incoming kunai, colliding with the mid-air and bouncing off while three of them flew through the air towards Kurasu, aiming blindly for her centre of mass, the final shard hovered close by Nanaki on standby. While this was happening Nanaki felt her feet hit the ground underneath her and immediately sheathed what was left of her sword before stabbing the sheath into the ground, leaving her hands free to weave signs.

I won't let you show off that easily! she thought with determination, noticing the lightning gathering around her opponent's hands. Whatever that technique was, Nanaki was confident her own was faster, a basic, rapid attack meant to distract and keep opponents off balance rather than annihilate them.

"Water Release: Water Senbon!" she called, spitting a shower of needle thin droplets from her mouth that whizzed towards her opponent with dangerous speed. Still if that doesn't work, maybe know would be a good time to do that, thought Nanaki, planning a few moves ahead and continuing to weave signs.

[The Fallen Jedi]

Ryuichi Masaki

Ryuichi didn't waste any time in responding, as the Water Shuriken quickly came upon him, Ryuichi weaved yet another pair of handsigns, he knew that Water Style was weak against Fire Style, which he happened to have knowledge in 'Tiger, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger..." Ryuichi closed his mouth as the chakra began to heat itself up into a Fire Style Jutsu that was considered the Coming of Age ritual for the Uchiha Clan "Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu!" Ryuichi parted his mouth slightly, causing a surge of Fire Type Chakra to come roaring out of his mouth, enveloping the Water Shuriken in the burning light of the medium-sized Fire Ball "I'm not done yet!" Ryuichi exclaimed inwardly, slightly turning his head to a concealed Shadow Clone of his, giving him only a nod as the Real Ryuichi jumped up into the tree, bringing the Bird handsign up, switching to Wind Style Jutsu "Wind Style: Air Bullets!" The small bullets of wind emerged rapidly from his mouth and all flew into the direction of his Sensei.

When Ryuichi launched his Air Bullet Jutsu, one of the Ryuichi clones clapped his hands together "Wind Style: Gale Palm!" the second Ryuichi clone then did his part, bringing out eight Shuriken, he threw them directly into the current of the Gale Palm Jutsu, increasing the shuriken's speed and power substantially. "It's my move now!" The Third Ryuichi Clone Exclaimed inwardly, crafting the handsigns necessary for a Fire Release technique "Rat, Tiger, Dog, Ox, Rabbit, Tiger, Monkey..." the Ryuichi clone then suddenly exclaimed "Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu – Scarlet Claw!" Instead of the small volley of fireballs being shot off in differing directions, these fire balls were fired at the Shuriken individually, the volley of fireballs quickly enveloped the eight shuriken in a burning fire, which combined with the Wind Style Jutsu would increase the amount of damage that the flame enveloped Shuriken would cause, the flaming shurkien quickly shot downwards towards Rayama.

Koname Rayama Water Clone
As the Fire Ball Jutsu quickly evaporated the far smaller water shuriken, the water clone was quick to respond. Knowing the higher tier jutsu were off limits, as it's pool of chakra was severely limited, the clone weaved a very rapid three sign jutsu. As Ryuchi fired wind bullets at the clone, the clone responded by weaving the hand signs. Ram, Horse, Bird with perfect accuracy. With that the announcement of "Water Style: Tornado of Water Jutsu!" was summoned as a barrier to block the air bullets attack from striking the clone. The timing and execution of Ryuchi's moves were flawless, as the clone relayed this information back to his real master. How he combined the Gale Force Jutsu, Shadow Clone Jutsu and Phoenix Flower Jutsu for a combo that some Chunin would have trouble pulling off, it was all very impressive.

With almost no time to react, the triple threat attack carried with increased momentum due to the Gale Force, and the added power of the shuriken and Phoenix Flower struck true, digging into the clone. Or so it seemed, as a wooden log appeared in it's place, it was a substitution jutsu. The clone's chakra was now running almost on empty, as it moved into it's final moves. Running at high speed at Ryuchi, the Water Clone initiated a new attack.

"Water Style: Rising Water Slicer!" With that, a jet stream of water burst forth from the ground at high speeds powerful enough to carve through stone, but easily avoided by leaping into the air, however the clone cut off that avenue of evasion by leaping into the air as well, and this time, activating another ninjutsu, one to increase it's taijutsu ability.

"Water Style: Water Scorpion!" Another attack with the clear potential to cut a person in half. Time seemed to slow down, as the clone drew ever closer to it's target. When the duel attack was just an instant away from hitting the young Ryuchi, the chakra reserves ran out for the clone, and it fell apart, spilling cold water all over the young child.

And revealing that his battle was simply against a Water Clone, as he still has yet to locate his master.

Ryuichi Masaki

Ryuichi was beginning to breathe hard, after pulling of a multitude of jutsu that was Chakra Taxing, not even his inherently strong chakra levels were enough to save him "Blast, if this keeps up, I'll have to use the Asterogan-" To his amazement as he jumped, Rayama fell apart and soaked his body, this Rayama was nothing more than a water clone! This gave Ryuichi the opening to land safe and sound on a tree, avoiding the Rising Water Slicer by mere inches "That was really close, that may have been a water clone, but I would have been injured or caught up in the Water Slicer, I'm enjoying this!" Ryuichi laughed inwardly, a small smile forming on his features once more, he was exhausted, that much was true, but he was now beginning to realize that he needed more experience if he was properly going to react and even avoid from potential life or death situations, that much was true, but now he had to find his fellow team mates before he would go off to find Rayama.

Ryuichi slowly stood up, his Chakra slowly starting to recover, but it would take time for him to utilize any high tier Ninjutsu for a time, he let out a sigh as he closed his eyes "It seems..." When Ryuichi's eyes opened up, it revealed eyes that seemed as if it were a nebula, the Asterogan, or the Cosmic Eye had been reactivated by Ryuichi's hand, not only skyrocketing his Chakra Level to the limit, but also granted him 360-like vision, thus allowing him to even see behind him "That I have to use it right now..." Ryuichi said with a sigh before he went jumping through the trees and heading off to find his teammates.

[Lycanth]

Karasu grinned and jumped back a few paces. "Don't mind if I do." She weaved a few hand signals, using a jutsu that was simple yet effective. "Fire style: Fire Ball Jutsu!" She held her hand up and blew a large ball of fire towards Nanaki. She jumped to the side afterwards, throwing a few kunai her way and immediately began channeling lightning into her hands. I just need a little time. Hopefully the fire ball and kunai will give me that time.

She's an Uchiha after all thought Nanaki mildly, dashing in the opposite direction as her opponent had to avoid one of the clan's signature jutsus, at the same time her eyes caught the flash of metal as Karasu's follow up. Nanaki's response was textbook, at least for the Kurokawa. As her dash propelled her through the air she raised her sword, mimicking a slashing attack and calling at the same time.

"Shatter!"

Nanaki's katana surprisingly complied, splitting in to six razor sharp pieces. Two of the pieces were propelled by the slash towards the incoming kunai, colliding with the mid-air and bouncing off while three of them flew through the air towards Kurasu, aiming blindly for her centre of mass, the final shard hovered close by Nanaki on standby. While this was happening Nanaki felt her feet hit the ground underneath her and immediately sheathed what was left of her sword before stabbing the sheath into the ground, leaving her hands free to weave signs.

I won't let you show off that easily! she thought with determination, noticing the lightning gathering around her opponent's hands. Whatever that technique was, Nanaki was confident her own was faster, a basic, rapid attack meant to distract and keep opponents off balance rather than annihilate them.

"Water Release: Water Senbon!" she called, spitting a shower of needle thin droplets from her mouth that whizzed towards her opponent with dangerous speed. Still if that doesn't work, maybe know would be a good time to do that, thought Nanaki, planning a few moves ahead and continuing to weave signs.

Shit! She's fast! Karasu rolled to the left, dodging the blades. One nicked her shoulder, slicing it slightly. She cursed and looked up just in time to see needles of water coming straight toward her. She didn't even waste time thinking. It only took one hand signal to do it. She threw up Tiger and yelled, "Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bullet!" Fire spewed from her mouth like a flamethrower, engulfing the water needles and turning them to steam. One needle passed through the fire, barely missing her. Water. Right. Try some lightning then. Karasu jumped forward, closing the distance between her and Nanaki and feigned a kick, rolling to the girl's opposite side. She'd practiced forming her hand signals for this jutsu every single day. She'd gotten pretty quick at doing it. "Chidori!" She cried, feeling the lightning in her hand. She thrust her hand forward, knowing she'd miss. Her hand dug into the ground. Perfect! Keeping her Chidori going, she weaved four other signs with her free hand and planted it onto the ground as well. "Lightning Release: Spider Web!" Suddenly, the ground around her was surrounded by lines of lightning, forming a shocking web. Karasu was sure Nanaki would have to hit at least one of the strands. I did it! I pulled it off! It looks so cool!

[Sonitusia]

"Dad, I passed! I'm a kunoichi now!"

The black haired girl bounded into the foundry with a scroll in her hand, signalling her graduation from the academy and proving that she was now officially a Genin from Iwagakure. Her face was beaming, and she had tears of joy in her eyes. It was something she would have never imagined, something that she'd been training for such a long time for. At long last, she could bring honor to her family her own way.

The hot fires that sputtered, and the clanging of the other men and women at work would have deafened any normal person's voice. But Shinko knew better. Her speech was louder than the banging of metal, fiercer than the roaring of flames, yet as smooth as the smoke that was produced. As such, her father noticed, a man of strong build and darker skin than an average Okazaki clan member due to his much lengthier hours with the anvil. His arm was raised, gripping tightly onto a hammer, but he stopped to take notice of his daughter.

"Really now? Well ain't that something," he grumbled, putting down the tool and hugging the girl as she came next to him. He had never been too approving of her choices to become a shinobi, preferring that she would take up the hammer and make weapons like he and her mother did. But long was the time since he's given up on trying to stop her, and he even helped her develop skills based around the family trait. Hearing her pass was good news for him, despite his disapproval, and maybe she would bring the clan a new kind of honor.

Letting go of her father, she handed him the scroll to hold, and then fumbled for something in her pocket. Curiously looking over, the father watched as she produced a long headband, and finally revealing it to be a forehead protector, the symbol of Iwagakure stamped upon it. He couldn't help but smile, and helped her tie it around her head as a symbol of his acceptance. "Keep working hard, kiddo..."

---

Several weeks have passed, and Shinko was now getting ready to meet her teammates as usual. "Gotta train, gotta train!~" Collecting her scrolls, she placed them in varying areas of her clothing, and then walking over next to her mirror, she brushed her hand against the largest one she had so far. I won't be needing this for today's training... Right? But excitement took over, and she grabbed onto it, and then wore it across her back like a bag. After all her scrolls were in place, she grabbed her forehead protector and swiftly tied it around her head. It was easy to do so, and her ponytail helped keep her hair from getting tied altogether. Taking one last look in the mirror, the girl jumped out of the window quietly, hoping no one would notice.

"Oy, Shinko!" The girl bit her lip while looking over to her right, her father tapping his foot impatiently on the ground. "Take this package to the shop, will you? It's on the way, so it's not like it'll bother you!" He tossed a sack towards her, and she caught it, though surprised by the weight. "A-Alright dad!" She waved with before jumping off, her father sighing. "Always tries to get away..."

Groaning, the girl jumped from roof to roof with the huge package now in her arms, mostly filled to the brim with the daily supply of kunai and shuriken. "Why meeee?!..."

Souma finished his preparations. His hands had healed overnight; they had quite a bit of experience with that sort of burn and it wasn't meant to last anyway. As the genin exited his abode, the sun began to rise over the cliffs in the distance. This city is beautiful at sunrise. Anyway, it was said that Isao would be meeting us at our usual training area. The genin noted as he began to sprint his way across the village rooftops, not disturbing a soul as he leapt from rooftop to rooftop.

Seeing her fellow teammate already up, Shinko sighed in relief.

"Ooooy, Souma! Glad to see you! Mind giving me a hand, will you?"

[Atlannia]

Shit! She's fast! Karasu rolled to the left, dodging the blades. One nicked her shoulder, slicing it slightly. She cursed and looked up just in time to see needles of water coming straight toward her. She didn't even waste time thinking. It only took one hand signal to do it. She threw up Tiger and yelled, "Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bullet!" Fire spewed from her mouth like a flamethrower, engulfing the water needles and turning them to steam. One needle passed through the fire, barely missing her. Water. Right. Try some lightning then. Karasu jumped forward, closing the distance between her and Nanaki and feigned a kick, rolling to the girl's opposite side. She'd practiced forming her hand signals for this jutsu every single day. She'd gotten pretty quick at doing it. "Chidori!" She cried, feeling the lightning in her hand. She thrust her hand forward, knowing she'd miss. Her hand dug into the ground. Perfect! Keeping her Chidori going, she weaved four other signs with her free hand and planted it onto the ground as well. "Lightning Release: Spider Web!" Suddenly, the ground around her was surrounded by lines of lightning, forming a shocking web. Karasu was sure Nanaki would have to hit at least one of the strands. I did it! I pulled it off! It looks so cool!

That's her new technique!? Thought Nanaki, her eyes widening in alarm as the shining web arced towards her, crackling with energy. It was fast, too fast to do anything except stare aand then--

--disappear. Suddenly the Nanaki that had been standing there disappeared with a opposing noise and puff of smoke, revealing only the final shard of her blade that she had held back earlier. Suddenly the real Nanaki appeared above Kurasu, falling onto the other girl from above with a vicious, double footed kick. As she fell the shard of her blade whizzed back into her hand and she caught it and had it up against the back of her opponent's neck in an instant.

What a scary jutsu! thought Nanaki, her free arm lunging forward to snag one of Kurasu's and wrenching it backwards, although not enough to cause more than discomfort. Using my shard substitution to avoid that was defintely the right call and fortunately the steam she created masked the switch for me. Well that's the jutsu she's most familiar with so it was probably she'd respond like that to an attack as fast as my water senbon.

"Not a clone are you?" Nanaki asked the girl wriggling underneath her. "I think I win this one."

[Aidannadia]

Groaning, the girl jumped from roof to roof with the huge package now in her arms, mostly filled to the brim with the daily supply of kunai and shuriken. "Why meeee?!..."

Seeing her fellow teammate already up, Shinko sighed in relief.

"Ooooy, Souma! Glad to see you! Mind giving me a hand, will you?"

A yell that Souma knew could only come from Shinko caught his attention and he doubled back to her.

The genin inspected the box Shinko was carrying; it would be going to her families shop most likely. "You shouldn't e jumping rooftop to rooftop with this thing. Here, let's get to the ground and just carry it on the street like normal people. We'll drop less shuriken that way." Souma said, grabbing the other side of the box before the two went down to the street below.

These were the situations with which Souma had trouble. No doubt she will soon start a conversation, so I won't need to say anything until then. Now, what will she talk about? Probably training, right? They passed an older man who met eyes with Souma for a moment. They both turned their faces, not wanting to face the other. Or she could bring that up.... She doesn't know anything about that. Shinto is nice to be around in that way, I suppose. The aloofness dos come in handy.

[The Templar High Council]

Souma woke to the sound of his alarm clock. A cruel bitch indeed. He thought before clicking it off and beginning to prepare for the day to come.

Brush my teeth. Bathe. Prepare my outfit. How many cylinders will I need for training? Let's say 3 blue, 2 green and.... 1 red should be enough. Now kunai and shuriken.... 9 shuriken and 12 kunai knives should fit pretty well around my person. Anything else would be excessive.

Souma finished his preparations. His hands had healed overnight; they had quite a bit of experience with that sort of burn and it wasn't meant to last anyway. As the genin exited his abode, the sun began to rise over the cliffs in the distance. This city is beautiful at sunrise. Anyway, it was said that Isao would be meeting us at our usual training area. The genin noted as he began to sprint his way across the village rooftops, not disturbing a soul as he leapt from rooftop to rooftop.

Seeing her fellow teammate already up, Shinko sighed in relief.

"Ooooy, Souma! Glad to see you! Mind giving me a hand, will you?"

At around the same time, Ryo was just finishing getting dressed. Tying his headband under his disheveled red mop, he grinned to himself in the mirror. "Alright Ryo, now you're a full-fledged genin. Next stop: chunin exam. Just gotta finish training with Isao, and we're going to Konoha soon." Ryo kept smiling to himself, until he couldn't take it anymore. "Woohoo! Let's go!" Bounding out of his room on the second floor, he raced past his father in the living room and out the door. "Bye Dad! I'm off to train with Yuki-sensei!"

Teijo waved goodbye to his son, turning around to see Isao Yuki himself on the back porch. "Are you sure... it's a good idea to send them to the chunin exams? What if Ryo can't take it and the Yonbi tries to take over?"

Isao replied calmly. "If you were worried for his safety that much, you shouldn't have let him become a shinobi." Teijo sighed, to which Isao chuckled. "Don't worry, Teijo. Ryo's going to be a great shinobi one day. He's already doing so well. If I didn't think he could handle it, I'd call it off."

"You're right, but you can't blame a father for trying." Teijo extended his hand, and Isao grabbed it to shake. "Take care of my boy, I'll come to Konoha after I get things settled here."

"With pleasure." Isao flashed away, running across the rooftops to the rocky outcropping where he trained his three charges.

Meanwhile, Ryo encountered Souma and Shinko in the streets. "Hey guys!" He shouted, racing over to see them. "What's going on? Are you excited for the chunin exams too? I could barely sleep since Isao told us about it." His happiness evident on his face, Ryo beamed at his friends.

[Mavorpen]

Today was an average day. Well, that isn't exactly true. The Chūnin Exams were quickly approaching, and Genin around the world were training rigorously in preparation. For Tomoe however, the was nothing of particular note. Whereas most Genin ramped up their normal training regiment in preparation for the Chūnin Exams, Tomoe's normal, everyday training was already significantly more demanding. She awoke roughly an hour before the sun peeked out from the horizon and wrapped individual bands of 20 pound weights around her wrists and calves, then jogged for roughly an hour through a special route that she had established for herself. The purpose of this was to build her endurance over long periods and distances

Once the sun rose, she would head back home, eat a small snack for a burst of energy, and then switch out her 20 pound weights for 40 pound weights each. Then, she went through her route again. However, this time, instead of jogging, she sprinted at her max speed for short 15 minute intervals, then slowed to a jog for 2 minutes, and then again sprinted for 15 more minutes. She repeated this five times and then returned home. Usually by this time, he mother would be awake and would be making dinner. Indeed, that was the case of this particular morning. Tomoe walked up to the entrance of her home, opened the door, and took off her shoes, setting them on the floor against the right wall of the entrance hallway.

"I'm home." Tomoe called out, rather enthusiastically. She took a few steps and the smell of breakfast filled her nostrils, prompting her stomach to growl. A few more steps and a turn to the left brought her into the living room. The lack of any wall between the living room and the dining room kitchen allowed her to see the back of her mother as she prepared breakfast.

"Welcome back!" Her mother greeted her, without turning around. "How was your morning run?"

"Fine." Tomoe simply responded. "I'm probably going to increase the load again."

After a few seconds of silence, her mother replied, "Oh... is that so?" The tone of her voice noticeably shifted from the inviting and warm tone that she greeted Tomoe with when she entered. Tomoe frowned. She hated when her mother did that whenever she brought up her progress with her training and her decisions to push herself even further. It was as though she was telling her that she didn't support her. Tomoe brushed it off, and her mother continued. "Go ahead and take a seat, breakfast is finished."

"No time." Tomoe replied. "I'm probably already late for training. Just pack me a bentō." Her mom sighed and complied with the request, packing the breakfast in a bentō and handing it off to Tomoe.

Tomoe took the bentō and left. She took her time heading to the typical meeting spot of her and her team, traveling with a brisk walk to the Third Training Ground. She reached the Training Ground just in time to watch her two teammates, Nanaki and Karasu, in the middle of a sparring session. Tomoe's first instinct was to jump into the fray, her Imada blood compelling her to take action and fight. Though, she understood that this would be disrespectful to the two, so she sat and finished her breakfast until they were done, figuring that they would be too focused on the battle to notice her.

Tomoe watched the battle intensely, internally critiquing her teammates and noting their strengths and weaknesses, their mistakes, etc. She personally disagreed with their style of fighting, not being a big fan of their tactics focused styles and preferring to physically overwhelm her opponent. Still, she recognized that they were both very talented. When Nanaki pinned down Karasu, Tomoe decided to make herself known. She sat down her bento on the ground and stood up. "Nice fight, guys!" she called out.

[Lycanth]

Shit! She's fast! Karasu rolled to the left, dodging the blades. One nicked her shoulder, slicing it slightly. She cursed and looked up just in time to see needles of water coming straight toward her. She didn't even waste time thinking. It only took one hand signal to do it. She threw up Tiger and yelled, "Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bullet!" Fire spewed from her mouth like a flamethrower, engulfing the water needles and turning them to steam. One needle passed through the fire, barely missing her. Water. Right. Try some lightning then. Karasu jumped forward, closing the distance between her and Nanaki and feigned a kick, rolling to the girl's opposite side. She'd practiced forming her hand signals for this jutsu every single day. She'd gotten pretty quick at doing it. "Chidori!" She cried, feeling the lightning in her hand. She thrust her hand forward, knowing she'd miss. Her hand dug into the ground. Perfect! Keeping her Chidori going, she weaved four other signs with her free hand and planted it onto the ground as well. "Lightning Release: Spider Web!" Suddenly, the ground around her was surrounded by lines of lightning, forming a shocking web. Karasu was sure Nanaki would have to hit at least one of the strands. I did it! I pulled it off! It looks so cool!

That's her new technique!? Thought Nanaki, her eyes widening in alarm as the shining web arced towards her, crackling with energy. It was fast, too fast to do anything except stare aand then--

--disappear. Suddenly the Nanaki that had been standing there disappeared with a opposing noise and puff of smoke, revealing only the final shard of her blade that she had held back earlier. Suddenly the real Nanaki appeared above Kurasu, falling onto the other girl from above with a vicious, double footed kick. As she fell the shard of her blade whizzed back into her hand and she caught it and had it up against the back of her opponent's neck in an instant.

What a scary jutsu! thought Nanaki, her free arm lunging forward to snag one of Kurasu's and wrenching it backwards, although not enough to cause more than discomfort. Using my shard substitution to avoid that was defintely the right call and fortunately the steam she created masked the switch for me. Well that's the jutsu she's most familiar with so it was probably she'd respond like that to an attack as fast as my water senbon.

"Not a clone are you?" Nanaki asked the girl wriggling underneath her. "I think I win this one."

Today was an average day. Well, that isn't exactly true. The Chūnin Exams were quickly approaching, and Genin around the world were training rigorously in preparation. For Tomoe however, the was nothing of particular note. Whereas most Genin ramped up their normal training regiment in preparation for the Chūnin Exams, Tomoe's normal, everyday training was already significantly more demanding. She awoke roughly an hour before the sun peeked out from the horizon and wrapped individual bands of 20 pound weights around her wrists and calves, then jogged for roughly an hour through a special route that she had established for herself. The purpose of this was to build her endurance over long periods and distances

Once the sun rose, she would head back home, eat a small snack for a burst of energy, and then switch out her 20 pound weights for 40 pound weights each. Then, she went through her route again. However, this time, instead of jogging, she sprinted at her max speed for short 15 minute intervals, then slowed to a jog for 2 minutes, and then again sprinted for 15 more minutes. She repeated this five times and then returned home. Usually by this time, he mother would be awake and would be making dinner. Indeed, that was the case of this particular morning. Tomoe walked up to the entrance of her home, opened the door, and took off her shoes, setting them on the floor against the right wall of the entrance hallway.

"I'm home." Tomoe called out, rather enthusiastically. She took a few steps and the smell of breakfast filled her nostrils, prompting her stomach to growl. A few more steps and a turn to the left brought her into the living room. The lack of any wall between the living room and the dining room kitchen allowed her to see the back of her mother as she prepared breakfast.

"Welcome back!" Her mother greeted her, without turning around. "How was your morning run?"

"Fine." Tomoe simply responded. "I'm probably going to increase the load again."

After a few seconds of silence, her mother replied, "Oh... is that so?" The tone of her voice noticeably shifted from the inviting and warm tone that she greeted Tomoe with when she entered. Tomoe frowned. She hated when her mother did that whenever she brought up her progress with her training and her decisions to push herself even further. It was as though she was telling her that she didn't support her. Tomoe brushed it off, and her mother continued. "Go ahead and take a seat, breakfast is finished."

"No time." Tomoe replied. "I'm probably already late for training. Just pack me a bentō." Her mom sighed and complied with the request, packing the breakfast in a bentō and handing it off to Tomoe.

Tomoe took the bentō and left. She took her time heading to the typical meeting spot of her and her team, traveling with a brisk walk to the Third Training Ground. She reached the Training Ground just in time to watch her two teammates, Nanaki and Karasu, in the middle of a sparring session. Tomoe's first instinct was to jump into the fray, her Imada blood compelling her to take action and fight. Though, she understood that this would be disrespectful to the two, so she sat and finished her breakfast until they were done, figuring that they would be too focused on the battle to notice her.

Tomoe watched the battle intensely, internally critiquing her teammates and noting their strengths and weaknesses, their mistakes, etc. She personally disagreed with their style of fighting, not being a big fan of their tactics focused styles and preferring to physically overwhelm her opponent. Still, she recognized that they were both very talented. When Nanaki pinned down Karasu, Tomoe decided to make herself known. She sat down her bento on the ground and stood up. "Nice fight, guys!" she called out.

Damnit! I was too focused on using my new jutsu, too careless. She looked up at Nanaki and smiled. She'd lost, but hey, she was used to that when she sparred with her brother. "I should be a clone, but I didn't think about missing...Yorasu would kill me for that." She acknowledged that Nanaki won and stood up after she moved. She looked towards Tomoe as she headed towards them and Karasu waved at her with a smile. "Hey! I got my ass whooped but it was a good spar. Were you watching?" She lowered her arm and brushed back her hair, now a tangled, grassy mess. Next time, I'm gonna win. I just gotta train harder. She pressed out the dirt in her clothes and tightened her equipment. "Also, when is Sensei supposed to be here? He's late. Again."

[Mavorpen]

Damnit! I was too focused on using my new jutsu, too careless. She looked up at Nanaki and smiled. She'd lost, but hey, she was used to that when she sparred with her brother. "I should be a clone, but I didn't think about missing...Yorasu would kill me for that." She acknowledged that Nanaki won and stood up after she moved. She looked towards Tomoe as she headed towards them and Karasu waved at her with a smile. "Hey! I got my ass whooped but it was a good spar. Were you watching?" She lowered her arm and brushed back her hair, now a tangled, grassy mess. Next time, I'm gonna win. I just gotta train harder. She pressed out the dirt in her clothes and tightened her equipment. "Also, when is Sensei supposed to be here? He's late. Again."

Tomoe shrugged as she walked up to her teammates. "I wouldn't go as far to say you got your ass whooped. You did really good in my opinion. But yeah, I think you should have pressed Nanaki more instead of assuming that that fancy jutsu you used towards the end would finish the fight. You left yourself wide open standing there admiring your handywork." When Karasu mentioned that their sensei was late, she nodded. "Yeah, you'd think that sensei would start getting his shit together, what with the Chunin exams being right around the corner."

[Ancient Magmia]

Kenji Masaki

Kenji stared on, watching as Yorasu trained with both Fire Style and Wind Style, the same two Chakra Natures that Ryuichi had, this interested Kenji to say the least, considering that early on in life Ryuichi and Kenji were rivals, but as soon as the two of them were placed on different teams, the rivalry between the two of them had died down entirely, and Kenji grew annoyed with this fact. "Seems like I may have another rival after all..." Kenji pondered as he calmly lept out of the tree that he was sitting in and landed softly on the ground, a small wave of leaves from the tree landing around him as he walked forward, a small smile on his face as he clapped his hands "I never thought that I would be paired up with someone who has the same Chakra Natures as my Clan mate does." Kenji said as he approached Yorasu "I happen to be able to use Fire Style, Earth Style, even Storm Release, have you ever heard about the Kekkei Genkai of the Masaki Clan?"

Yorasu Uchiha

Yorasu looked up to see his probably teammate heading his way. He looked him over, listening to his words. "I have, actually. I haven't heard the specifics but it's an amplified Storm Release I've heard. This should prove to be interesting," He met the Masaki clan genin bowed in greeting. "Ever heard of the Uchiha clan? I'd honestly be surprised if you hadn't." He motioned to the Uchiha Family Crest on his shoulder. "I'm Yorasu Uchiha. And you're name?" Three releases, huh? This may prove to be an interesting team.

Daichi Nakahara was approaching the Forest of Death and saw two people off in the distance. "This must be my new team", he thought to himself, taking a deep breath and a nervous sigh as he approached. "Alright, hopefully we'll make a good team." He approached the two, bowed and said, "Greetings. I'm supposed to be meeting my team here, and I assume that would be you two. My name is Daichi Nakahara. And your names are?" Daichi observed Yorasu's appearance, and noticed the Uchiha clan symbol on his shoulder. " Looks like I have an Uchiha on my team", he thought excitedly. "Depending on how this other kid is, we should make a great team."

[New Rob Halfordia]

A lone shinobi flew through the woods, a young boy sporting the clothes of an Uchiha. But, as he traveled, the boy need not touch his feet to a surface even once, a gift given to him by his genetics, and the power it brought. A double tomoe Sharingan in both eyes was useful, and it had it's purposes, but this genetic trait was one all of the Uchiha had. This one however, was born with something that set him apart. Three chakra natures, fire, wind and earth. In conjunction, they made a kekkei tōta. The legendary Particle Style. It was this ability, one only seen two other times in history, that set Kaizo Uchiha apart from the rest of his clan, and made him a prodigy. And, as he would come to learn, a target...

But, these things were unknown to Kaizo for the time being, and all he was focused on was tracking down his opponent. Thankfully, water clones kept his squad mates busy, as they would only get in his way. As he approached his target, he suddenly rested in a tree, only a hundred yards away, and began analyzing the situation using his Sharingan. His opponent was hidden among a cluster of trees, just behind his fellow squad mate, and seemed to be unaware of his presence, something that gave him an advantage. But, he would have to use his flight sparingly, as the Lightened Boulder Jutsu which allowed him to do it not only drained Chakra, but significantly hindered physical combat. And, his adversary knew that. One thing stood in his way though. His opponent was using a Jutsu which also hid her in the rain, making normal assaults useless. But, it was not an impervious defense, especially against such a gifted ninja as Kaizo.

The Uchiha suddenly lifted his arms, nearly connecting the tips of his index finger and his thumb, using his hands to form a triangle, and pointing it down at the trees surrounding his hidden opponents general area. He spoke three words which set him apart from nearly any other Shinobi in existence.

"Particle Style: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu."

With those words, a small white sphere appeared in between his hands, surrounded by a slightly transparent cylinder. In mere seconds, the cylinder expanded into a large disc directly in front of Kaizo, firing outwards with enough pulverizing force to destroy objects at a molecular level. At full speed, the attack was nearly unavoidable, but, Kaizo slowed it down just enough for his opponent to escape. He did not want to kill her, just make her exit hiding, and, with this Jutsu, there was not really much a choice.