Age of Shinobi: Rebirth (IC)

[Sonitusia]

The Steel Maiden of the Rock
Okazaki Shinko

---

It was a long train ride.

For Shinko, it was a first. She'd never ridden out of the village before, having taken her Chuunin exams by moving on foot. But the train was fast and comfortable. The Iwagakure-nin quickly learned that it was an extremely useful piece of technology, and she was constantly walking around the cabins, studying how it was made, the structure, everything she could take in. But before anyone else could try and tell her to take a seat, even her father had joined in, obviously scouting out a new project for the Okazaki clan to begin. The duo would comment on certain things, even making notes of how it could be improved.

Also along with them was Yuuki, though Shinko didn't really stay in her seat long enough to converse with him at great length.

When they arrived at the station, Shinko had already filled out a scroll about her research on the locomotive, which she studied even as she got off the train. Despite not paying attention to where she was going, she was able to feel the location of moving footsteps through the ground, warning her should she collide into anyone. She wore black spats shorts, a long sleeved track jacket with black highlights and the Okazaki clan symbol on its back covering her torso. As usual, her long black hair was tied in a single tail, her black clothed forehead protector tied around her left thigh bearing the Iwagakure symbol, and a huge scroll was slung across her back. She carried no weapons, and looked like a very active librarian or journalist with all the small scrolls she had.

"Shinko!" she heard, and finally looking up from her writing, she saw the decedent of a true weapons master coming towards her in green. A smile grew on her face as she rolled up the scroll.

"Haruka! Good to see you again!" she greeted, waving towards him.

[Bycrest]

Maris was surprised and impressed at how easily the opposing shinobi deflected his senbon. Not only did he deflect even one of the metal needles, but he was able to perceived them all and escape without a scratch. He was obviously very use to his weapon's movements and acted as if it was a part of his body. Maris had planned to continue to keep his distance from the trident user but it was too late as his opponent rushed to Maris's location. The strict was aim directly at the armor's chest and subsequently Maris himself. He move the left arm in front of the attack, hoping that the steel would be enough to block the attack, or at the very least stop it from piercing the chest.

The enemy's puppet moved faster than he thought something that size could, swinging it's arm around to defend itself from Zankuro's attack. The Kinzotora was easily deflected. Zankuro furrowed his brow. Something made of copper or zinc shouldn't have that kind of strength; this must have been some form of steel. Zankuro immediately started planning. Steel was magnetic, which gave Zankuro an advantage. His jikiton jutsu would have great effect against an enemy like this. However, if he were going to use his jikiton, he'd have to reveal much more about his skills than he wanted. At least he knew he had his magnetic jutsu in his back pocket.

Zankuro lifted his trident, taking another wide swing at the enemy, and then again. Strikes like these amplified Zankuro's strength, but they weren't all that fast. He needed to change his stance to increase his speed, and test the limits of this puppet. Perhaps he could also find from where the puppeteer was controlling it. He choked up on the Kinzotora, and began striking in quick jabs, watching the puppet's movements carefully.

Maris continued to block the onslaught of strikes from the enemies trident, but he couldn't keep it up forever. The attacks were extremely powerful and Maris feared that the reinforced steel wouldn't hold under the constant assault. Soon enough, after multiple hits, the arm was severely damaged. In order to keep the arm from being completely destroyed, Maris activated the flamethrower he installed in the right arm and aimed it directly at the trident user. At this close of a range, it would be hard to dodge the attack.

[Acroticus]

The enemy's puppet moved faster than he thought something that size could, swinging it's arm around to defend itself from Zankuro's attack. The Kinzotora was easily deflected. Zankuro furrowed his brow. Something made of copper or zinc shouldn't have that kind of strength; this must have been some form of steel. Zankuro immediately started planning. Steel was magnetic, which gave Zankuro an advantage. His jikiton jutsu would have great effect against an enemy like this. However, if he were going to use his jikiton, he'd have to reveal much more about his skills than he wanted. At least he knew he had his magnetic jutsu in his back pocket.

Zankuro lifted his trident, taking another wide swing at the enemy, and then again. Strikes like these amplified Zankuro's strength, but they weren't all that fast. He needed to change his stance to increase his speed, and test the limits of this puppet. Perhaps he could also find from where the puppeteer was controlling it. He choked up on the Kinzotora, and began striking in quick jabs, watching the puppet's movements carefully.

Maris continued to block the onslaught of strikes from the enemies trident, but he couldn't keep it up forever. The attacks were extremely powerful and Maris feared that the reinforced steel wouldn't hold under the constant assault. Soon enough, after multiple hits, the arm was severely damaged. In order to keep the arm from being completely destroyed, Maris activated the flamethrower he installed in the right arm and aimed it directly at the trident user. At this close of a range, it would be hard to dodge the attack.

Zankuro Masoka
Konohagakure, Land of Fire

Despite the steel reinforcing the puppet's arm, it appeared as though he was making headway. Dents and dings marked the puppet's arm; it wouldn't be long before the thing gave way. The puppet master must have realized this, and the puppet swung forward with his right arm, revealing some sort of mechanism. Zankuro pulled his trident back, only to be set upon by a column of flames. He reacted quickly, beginning to rotate the Kinzotora in his hands, but the flames were too great. He was propelled backwards, and sent rolling on the ground.

As he came to a stop, Zankuro quickly analyzed himself. His right hand was badly burned, and his sleeves had been burnt away as well. He dropped the Kinzotora with his right hand, leaving it on the ground as he stood. He took a deep breath before reaching over and raising the trident to his side. Apparently the opponent had a variety of weapons at his disposal; close ranged attacks would be dangerous, especially without knowing all the tricks the puppet had. Furthermore, Zankuro had been unable to determine from where the puppet was being controlled. No matter where he attacked from, the puppet master seemed to be equally aware and able to react to every strike.

He flipped the Kinzotora around before slamming it into the ground. It remained upright as he released the weapon. He quickly made several hand seals, before pausing on the final one.

"Lightning release, Depth Charge (http://naruto.wikia.com/wiki/Lightning_Release:_Depth_Charge)!" Zankuro stretched out his right arm, firing a bolt of lightning towards the opponent. The blue lightning crackled as it rushed towards the puppet.

[Bycrest]

Maris continued to block the onslaught of strikes from the enemies trident, but he couldn't keep it up forever. The attacks were extremely powerful and Maris feared that the reinforced steel wouldn't hold under the constant assault. Soon enough, after multiple hits, the arm was severely damaged. In order to keep the arm from being completely destroyed, Maris activated the flamethrower he installed in the right arm and aimed it directly at the trident user. At this close of a range, it would be hard to dodge the attack.

Zankuro Masoka
Konohagakure, Land of Fire

Despite the steel reinforcing the puppet's arm, it appeared as though he was making headway. Dents and dings marked the puppet's arm; it wouldn't be long before the thing gave way. The puppet master must have realized this, and the puppet swung forward with his right arm, revealing some sort of mechanism. Zankuro pulled his trident back, only to be set upon by a column of flames. He reacted quickly, beginning to rotate the Kinzotora in his hands, but the flames were too great. He was propelled backwards, and sent rolling on the ground.

As he came to a stop, Zankuro quickly analyzed himself. His right hand was badly burned, and his sleeves had been burnt away as well. He dropped the Kinzotora with his right hand, leaving it on the ground as he stood. He took a deep breath before reaching over and raising the trident to his side. Apparently the opponent had a variety of weapons at his disposal; close ranged attacks would be dangerous, especially without knowing all the tricks the puppet had. Furthermore, Zankuro had been unable to determine from where the puppet was being controlled. No matter where he attacked from, the puppet master seemed to be equally aware and able to react to every strike.

He flipped the Kinzotora around before slamming it into the ground. It remained upright as he released the weapon. He quickly made several hand seals, before pausing on the final one.

"Lightning release, Depth Charge (http://naruto.wikia.com/wiki/Lightning_Release:_Depth_Charge)!" Zankuro stretched out his right arm, firing a bolt of lightning towards the opponent. The blue lightning crackled as it rushed towards the puppet.

Maris was relieved when his flame attack managed to give him some breathing room, but there still wasn't much he could do. At the current range he considered using his missile but find the necessary components to make more of those. Whoever this guy was, he was pushing the limit of Maris' puppet armor and it couldn't take too many more beatings. The only other option Maris had available was to use his smokescreen to make a break for it.

Before Maris could even finish deciding, his opponent was already back in action. Apparently he was trying to play smart by keeping a distance as well, however he probably had a lot more going for him than Maris. At first Maris was confused because it he didn't know why anyone would stick their weapon in the ground, but then he realized what was happening. He could see the hand signs and then a burst of lightning heading for him. Thinking quick, Maris extended out the armor's iron tail and stuck it into the ground. He crosses the puppet's arms and took the blast full force, sending most of the lighting through the puppet's body and grounding the attack. He thought it was working well until he realized that his missile would also absorb the charge and explode. Without a second thought, Maris opened up the back hatch and jumped out of the armor before the missiles blew the armor to pieces.

"What the heck?! Do you know how long it took me to complete that? And how much most of those parts cost? All that brass, iron, and steel gone to waste. Why are you even attacking me to begin with, as far as I know, you don't look like a bounty hunter?"

[Altruistic Paladins]

The Steel Maiden of the Rock
Okazaki Shinko

---

It was a long train ride.

For Shinko, it was a first. She'd never ridden out of the village before, having taken her Chuunin exams by moving on foot. But the train was fast and comfortable. The Iwagakure-nin quickly learned that it was an extremely useful piece of technology, and she was constantly walking around the cabins, studying how it was made, the structure, everything she could take in. But before anyone else could try and tell her to take a seat, even her father had joined in, obviously scouting out a new project for the Okazaki clan to begin. The duo would comment on certain things, even making notes of how it could be improved.

Also along with them was Yuuki, though Shinko didn't really stay in her seat long enough to converse with him at great length.

When they arrived at the station, Shinko had already filled out a scroll about her research on the locomotive, which she studied even as she got off the train. Despite not paying attention to where she was going, she was able to feel the location of moving footsteps through the ground, warning her should she collide into anyone. She wore black spats shorts, a long sleeved track jacket with black highlights and the Okazaki clan symbol on its back covering her torso. As usual, her long black hair was tied in a single tail, her black clothed forehead protector tied around her left thigh bearing the Iwagakure symbol, and a huge scroll was slung across her back. She carried no weapons, and looked like a very active librarian or journalist with all the small scrolls she had.

"Shinko!" she heard, and finally looking up from her writing, she saw the decedent of a true weapons master coming towards her in green. A smile grew on her face as she rolled up the scroll.

"Haruka! Good to see you again!" she greeted, waving towards him.

"It is fantastic to see you again," Haruka cheerfully declared, approaching her at a fast pace before he arrived and remembered what was in his hands and suddenly gained a meeker posture. "I believe that this is for you," Haruka said, holding-out a gift-wrapped case that housed two emeici. "I, Iknow that it is not much and, and, and that you deserve far greater for what you accomplished two years ago, b' b' but I thought that you were the kind of person to also appreciate this kind of thing," Haruka explained rather nervously. He bowed momentarily, catching his breath. "What I mean to say is 'thank you'," he said before returning to an upright posture.

[Nachfolgia]

Kaito watched the girl, a smile lighting up on his face. He allowed his Jashin necklace to remain close to his chest. So close to a kill, yet so far. He couldn't just attack another shinobi on the street, at least not right now. So he smiled and decided to play along, "Yeah, we're here for the exams. How did you know?" Yuriko stayed aside, examining the girls. They looked inexperienced, maybe they were genin too. Suddenly she felt a weight push past her and she turned to see Daichi. He waltzed forward as though being drawn by something, as though he were looking for something. His eye remained focused on the blonde girl. Kaito knew better than to block the girl from Daichi, and he moved aside to allow the ninja to pass. Daichi examined the girl closely, and for a moment Kaito looked embarrassed for his teammate. "Something about your chakra is off, but i just can't seem to put my finger on it." With that small statement he walked past the girls towards one of the booths. Yuriko remained quiet, wondering what Daichi had meant. Kaito thought it was a little odd, but paid it no attention otherwise. "Are you entering the exams as well?"

" I mean, isn't that what most of the visitors are here for? This village is full of interesting people from the five nations. It's all so exciting!" Akihko said, bursting with excitement. That excitement quickly changed when one of the strangers walked up to her and got dangerously close. Seizo and Harumi took a step forward in the off chance that their cover would be blown and a fight break out.

Akihko, maintaining her cool, faked nervousness and looked oddly at the man. She was even more confuses when the man mentioned that her chakra felt weird. " Ummm...you're a little too close." Akihko said, not skipping a beat. Without saying another word, the man walked past them and entered one of the booths. After watching him, Akihko turned back to the girl who greeting them. " Yeah, we are. We've been excited about this for a long time. By the way, I'm Megumi Ebisawa and this is Mayo Kumagae..."

" Hello." Harumi said as she bowed.

" ...and Ginko Itoh."

" Hey." Seizo retorted, looking away.

" Dont mind him, he's always a sour puss. It's a pleasure to meet you." Akihko said as she held out her hand.

[Acroticus]

Zankuro Masoka
Konohagakure, Land of Fire

Despite the steel reinforcing the puppet's arm, it appeared as though he was making headway. Dents and dings marked the puppet's arm; it wouldn't be long before the thing gave way. The puppet master must have realized this, and the puppet swung forward with his right arm, revealing some sort of mechanism. Zankuro pulled his trident back, only to be set upon by a column of flames. He reacted quickly, beginning to rotate the Kinzotora in his hands, but the flames were too great. He was propelled backwards, and sent rolling on the ground.

As he came to a stop, Zankuro quickly analyzed himself. His right hand was badly burned, and his sleeves had been burnt away as well. He dropped the Kinzotora with his right hand, leaving it on the ground as he stood. He took a deep breath before reaching over and raising the trident to his side. Apparently the opponent had a variety of weapons at his disposal; close ranged attacks would be dangerous, especially without knowing all the tricks the puppet had. Furthermore, Zankuro had been unable to determine from where the puppet was being controlled. No matter where he attacked from, the puppet master seemed to be equally aware and able to react to every strike.

He flipped the Kinzotora around before slamming it into the ground. It remained upright as he released the weapon. He quickly made several hand seals, before pausing on the final one.

"Lightning release, Depth Charge (http://naruto.wikia.com/wiki/Lightning_Release:_Depth_Charge)!" Zankuro stretched out his right arm, firing a bolt of lightning towards the opponent. The blue lightning crackled as it rushed towards the puppet.

Maris was relieved when his flame attack managed to give him some breathing room, but there still wasn't much he could do. At the current range he considered using his missile but find the necessary components to make more of those. Whoever this guy was, he was pushing the limit of Maris' puppet armor and it couldn't take too many more beatings. The only other option Maris had available was to use his smokescreen to make a break for it.

Before Maris could even finish deciding, his opponent was already back in action. Apparently he was trying to play smart by keeping a distance as well, however he probably had a lot more going for him than Maris. At first Maris was confused because it he didn't know why anyone would stick their weapon in the ground, but then he realized what was happening. He could see the hand signs and then a burst of lightning heading for him. Thinking quick, Maris extended out the armor's iron tail and stuck it into the ground. He crosses the puppet's arms and took the blast full force, sending most of the lighting through the puppet's body and grounding the attack. He thought it was working well until he realized that his missile would also absorb the charge and explode. Without a second thought, Maris opened up the back hatch and jumped out of the armor before the missiles blew the armor to pieces.

"What the heck?! Do you know how long it took me to complete that? And how much most of those parts cost? All that brass, iron, and steel gone to waste. Why are you even attacking me to begin with, as far as I know, you don't look like a bounty hunter?"

"Hm?" Zankuro was confused but only for a moment; his mind quickly caught pace with reality. The puppeteer had been inside the entire time! That was why he couldn't find him. Zankuro listened carefully to the man's words, but they filled him with anger.

"Your puppet! That's what you're worried about?!?!" Zankuro lifted his arm to reveal his burnt right hand. "You toasted my with a flamethrower, but you're worried about your puppet!" Zankuro sneered before he continued. "And a bounty hunter? Pffft. I'm a ninja from Kumogakure not some paid bounty hunter! I approached you because I suspected you of illegally entering this village, with the intent of harming those within it. And you turned around and attacked me!"

Zankuro pulled his trident from the ground, and slowly approached the man who emerged from the puppet.

"Now tell me; who are you and why are you here?" As he said these words, he raised the Kinzotora, pointing it towards the man.

[Bycrest]

Maris was relieved when his flame attack managed to give him some breathing room, but there still wasn't much he could do. At the current range he considered using his missile but find the necessary components to make more of those. Whoever this guy was, he was pushing the limit of Maris' puppet armor and it couldn't take too many more beatings. The only other option Maris had available was to use his smokescreen to make a break for it.

Before Maris could even finish deciding, his opponent was already back in action. Apparently he was trying to play smart by keeping a distance as well, however he probably had a lot more going for him than Maris. At first Maris was confused because it he didn't know why anyone would stick their weapon in the ground, but then he realized what was happening. He could see the hand signs and then a burst of lightning heading for him. Thinking quick, Maris extended out the armor's iron tail and stuck it into the ground. He crosses the puppet's arms and took the blast full force, sending most of the lighting through the puppet's body and grounding the attack. He thought it was working well until he realized that his missile would also absorb the charge and explode. Without a second thought, Maris opened up the back hatch and jumped out of the armor before the missiles blew the armor to pieces.

"What the heck?! Do you know how long it took me to complete that? And how much most of those parts cost? All that brass, iron, and steel gone to waste. Why are you even attacking me to begin with, as far as I know, you don't look like a bounty hunter?"

"Hm?" Zankuro was confused but only for a moment; his mind quickly caught pace with reality. The puppeteer had been inside the entire time! That was why he couldn't find him. Zankuro listened carefully to the man's words, but they filled him with anger.

"Your puppet! That's what you're worried about?!?!" Zankuro lifted his arm to reveal his burnt right hand. "You toasted my with a flamethrower, but you're worried about your puppet!" Zankuro sneered before he continued. "And a bounty hunter? Pffft. I'm a ninja from Kumogakure not some paid bounty hunter! I approached you because I suspected you of illegally entering this village, with the intent of harming those within it. And you turned around and attacked me!"

Zankuro pulled his trident from the ground, and slowly approached the man who emerged from the puppet.

"Now tell me; who are you and why are you here?" As he said these words, he raised the Kinzotora, pointing it towards the man.

"Well of course I'm worried about my puppets. There are tons of medical ninja that can fix a burnt hand, there are only so many puppet masters in the entire world that can help with this mess. And getting your hand fixed will defiantly cost less than rebuilding and entire suit of armor."Maris moved over to his ruined puppet, completely ignoring the other man. "Also, there are, or were, a bunch of people entering the village. Why single me out as a suspicious character, huh? The only reason I attacked you was because I thought you were a hunter, that's completely justifiable, not so much for your case. As for who I am, I'm-"

"That will be quite enough, Maris." Maris was cut short by a voice calling out from down the road. It was the Kazekage who had left Suna earlier in the day to make it to Konoha and meet with the Hokage. Zenko wasn't expecting to see his agent fighting with a member of the Shinobi Union task force. Zenko and his guards walked over to where the two men were, his guards moving to help Maris gather the pieces of the destroyed puppet.

"This man is a special agent I employee to keep an eye on places I cannot go. He was currently assigned to scout out the Leaf for any potential danger. To see the task force here only heightens my suspicions and shows that there is reason to be on alert. Come with me to the Hokage's mansion and brief me on the situation." Without another word, the Kazekage started walking into the village with Maris and his guards in tow. He expected the task force operative to follow as well.

[Bycrest]

One of Orochimaru's abandoned hideouts, Konohagakure
Shikyo
Shikyo had been searching for any information regarding Earth Grudge Fear and if it had the possibility to absorb someone's kekkei genkei. He figured that the most likely person who would have dared experiment with the forbidden technique was the old snake Sannin who happened to work with Kakuzu, the only person from Takigakure who knew Earth Grudge. The only problem was that Orochimaru was known to have multiple hideouts around Konoha and Shikyo didn't know where the snake would have stored the information, if he did any research on it.

Currently, Shikyo was moving from one of the bases he recently raided. He found a lot of notes dealing with body transference and few old corpses, but nothing about Earth Grudge. The main key to finding anything was finding the bases Orochimaru used after either during or after his time in the Akatsuki. Another problem was that Shikyo had to replace one of his hearts soon, it was getting close to dying and he needed to find another one, preferably one of equal or greater power. "It shouldn't be too much of a problem finding a powerful heart from someone in the younger generation. Those kids have seen a power increase ever since the Fourth Great Ninja War." He continued walking through the forest of Konoha, looking for any potential candidates who were willing to donate their hearts.

[Acroticus]

"Hm?" Zankuro was confused but only for a moment; his mind quickly caught pace with reality. The puppeteer had been inside the entire time! That was why he couldn't find him. Zankuro listened carefully to the man's words, but they filled him with anger.

"Your puppet! That's what you're worried about?!?!" Zankuro lifted his arm to reveal his burnt right hand. "You toasted my with a flamethrower, but you're worried about your puppet!" Zankuro sneered before he continued. "And a bounty hunter? Pffft. I'm a ninja from Kumogakure not some paid bounty hunter! I approached you because I suspected you of illegally entering this village, with the intent of harming those within it. And you turned around and attacked me!"

Zankuro pulled his trident from the ground, and slowly approached the man who emerged from the puppet.

"Now tell me; who are you and why are you here?" As he said these words, he raised the Kinzotora, pointing it towards the man.

"Well of course I'm worried about my puppets. There are tons of medical ninja that can fix a burnt hand, there are only so many puppet masters in the entire world that can help with this mess. And getting your hand fixed will defiantly cost less than rebuilding and entire suit of armor."Maris moved over to his ruined puppet, completely ignoring the other man. "Also, there are, or were, a bunch of people entering the village. Why single me out as a suspicious character, huh? The only reason I attacked you was because I thought you were a hunter, that's completely justifiable, not so much for your case. As for who I am, I'm-"

"That will be quite enough, Maris." Maris was cut short by a voice calling out from down the road. It was the Kazekage who had left Suna earlier in the day to make it to Konoha and meet with the Hokage. Zenko wasn't expecting to see his agent fighting with a member of the Shinobi Union task force. Zenko and his guards walked over to where the two men were, his guards moving to help Maris gather the pieces of the destroyed puppet.

"This man is a special agent I employee to keep an eye on places I cannot go. He was currently assigned to scout out the Leaf for any potential danger. To see the task force here only heightens my suspicions and shows that there is reason to be on alert. Come with me to the Hokage's mansion and brief me on the situation." Without another word, the Kazekage started walking into the village with Maris and his guards in tow. He expected the task force operative to follow as well.

Zankuro Masoka
Konohagakure, The Land of Fire

"Whaaaa?" Zankuro was surprised to see the Kazekage show up suddenly, only to protect that man that had just barbecued his right hand! But the Kazekage did appear to be legitimate; he had the requisite retainers, and clearly moved as an accomplished ninja. Zankuro had no choice but to submit. He grabbed the Kinzotora and placed it on his back once again. As the Kazekage began to walk away, Zankuro ran after them.

"Lord Kazekage, this man is really one of your associates? But he... he's clearly not... I mean he attacked... I apologize for my stuttering." It was at this point that Zankuro had realized he had been very rude. "I apologize again, Lord Kazekage. My name is Zankuro Masoka of Kumogakure. I am part of the task force, as you suspected, charged with protecting Konohagakure. I would be happy to brief you on what has been happening in the village, but I was hoping you would be able to tell me more about why you had this rogue attack me in the streets!" Zankuro shot Maris a look.





Kazuo Namura
Cloud Tower, Amegakure



Hitori Yoshinaga was a very old man. As a young man, he had joined the force trying to revitalize the Rain Village, and successfully became its leader. He won over the hearts of all the people, and, with the help of the Rebirth, brought life back into Amegakure. He was given Cloud Tower, the tallest tower in the village, as the administrative building from which he did all his work. He reformed the Amegakure secret ops, known as the ANBU, and worked with thousands of citizens and shinobi alike. World renown as a great medical ninja, he had put his powers to work for good for his community and country.

How the mighty had fallen. Hitori now lay on a bed on the top floor of Cloud Tower, struggling to move. Now in his seventies, he appeared to be far older. He looked sicklier than anyone Kazuo had ever seen. Kazuo himself felt honored that he was close enough to the great leader to be among the few that he interacted with daily, but working in his vicinity always depressed him. Kazuo owed Hitori everything he had, from his powers to his position to his standing in the community. As a medical ninja, he had been trained by Hitori to a significant extent, although he was never able to achieve Hitori’s proficiency.

Together, these two men sat, awaiting a special guest whom neither of them thought would arrive. The guest’s name was Reiko Yoshinaga, the granddaughter of old Hitori. She was reckless, ambitious, and obnoxious; Reiko was often late for meetings, or skipped them entirely. Ever since she had assembled her own ANBU squad, she had been reluctant to interact with others in the village. Kazuo didn’t much mind her not showing up, however. He had been friends with her, but that was a long time ago. She had grown obstinate, and fought against him at every turn. He had begun to avoid her as much as he could, to his own dismay.

As Kazuo was thinking this, he heard the doorknob klick. The door opened, revealing Reiko herself, still in her ANBU uniform. Her short green hair was so familiar to Kazuo, and as much as he had wanted to avoid her, he was admittedly happy to see her. He and Hirito smiled as she entered the room.

“Grandfather,” she began as she walked over to Hirito’s side. “You wanted to see me?” She spoke in monotone, very official. Kazuo thought that this was an odd tone to take with her grandfather, but did not want to say anything about it.

“Reiko,” Hirito replied. “So good to s… see you. Please come here; I want to talk with you about something.” Reiko nodded and silently sat in an empty chair at Hirito’s side, across from Kazuo. She glanced over at Kazuo, shooting him a look as if he didn’t belong. Kazuo furrowed his brow to show confusion, but did not show anything else. She quickly turned back to her grandfather when he continued speaking. “You know that I have not been well… not for some time. My illness is progressing; we still don’t know what it is, and even with all the help from my own jutsu, as well as Kazuo, I cannot live in perpetuity. As such, we have begun planning for what happens when I’m gone.” Reiko remained quiet, but nodded along as her grandfather spoke.

“I have worked my entire life to bring Amegakure back from the ruins of the past. This village and those within are dear to me. It is important to me that I choose the right person to protect the village. My successor needs to be willing to spend the rest of their days in this Tower, working to serve the people. As such, I have decided that… that Kazuo will be the next leader of Amegakure.”

As Hitori said these words, Reiko’s face visibly twitched. Both Kazuo and Hitori knew that Reiko had wanted to follow her grandfather. But both of them also knew she didn’t have the proper temperament to lead the village. With the world in the state it was in, the larger nations fighting the Rebirth, the Village Hidden in the Rain would need to be led by someone with a steady hand. Kazuo wasn’t sure he was the right man, but he knew that Reiko was not. She was justifiably unhappy. Kazuo guessed that she wanted to scream and cry, but she maintained her composure and nodded along. When Hitori was finished, Reiko thanked him, and left. Kazuo stood to leave as well, but was called back by Hitori.

“Kazuo. Come sit with me a moment longer.” Kazuo turned around and nodded to Hitori, as he returned to his seat.

“What is it, Lord Hitori?”

“It’s about Reiko; you know she won’t be happy with this arrangement. I fear that she may try to take the village from you. I thought it would be important for you to be prepared for this eventuality.”

“You don’t have to worry! You’ve trained me well. I’m sure I’ll be able to handle it with what you’ve left me. After all, you dealt with much worse circumstances.”

“That may be true, Kazuo. But nevertheless, I would still like to give you one last thing: the Curse Mark.”

“Lord Hitori, you don’t have enough chakra! Even if you did, it would take away from the jutsu keeping you alive. It could reduce the time you have left significantly! And..”

“I’m aware of the risks, Kazuo. But this way I can protect you long after I’m gone. I’ve made my decision.” Kazuo nodded and removed himself from the chair.

“At least let me give you some chakra.” Hitori nodded, and Kazuo knelt to the ground. From his bed, Hitori weaved several hand seals before placing both of his hands on Kazuo’s neck. Kazuo felt a sharp pain, like a needle, and the curse mark appeared on his skin: three, curved dots in black. Kazuo stood, rubbing his neck, looking down over Hitori.

“Thank you.”

“Of course, Kazuo. Now, we need to discuss the remains of my compound…”

[Bycrest]

"Well of course I'm worried about my puppets. There are tons of medical ninja that can fix a burnt hand, there are only so many puppet masters in the entire world that can help with this mess. And getting your hand fixed will defiantly cost less than rebuilding and entire suit of armor."Maris moved over to his ruined puppet, completely ignoring the other man. "Also, there are, or were, a bunch of people entering the village. Why single me out as a suspicious character, huh? The only reason I attacked you was because I thought you were a hunter, that's completely justifiable, not so much for your case. As for who I am, I'm-"

"That will be quite enough, Maris." Maris was cut short by a voice calling out from down the road. It was the Kazekage who had left Suna earlier in the day to make it to Konoha and meet with the Hokage. Zenko wasn't expecting to see his agent fighting with a member of the Shinobi Union task force. Zenko and his guards walked over to where the two men were, his guards moving to help Maris gather the pieces of the destroyed puppet.

"This man is a special agent I employee to keep an eye on places I cannot go. He was currently assigned to scout out the Leaf for any potential danger. To see the task force here only heightens my suspicions and shows that there is reason to be on alert. Come with me to the Hokage's mansion and brief me on the situation." Without another word, the Kazekage started walking into the village with Maris and his guards in tow. He expected the task force operative to follow as well.

Zankuro Masoka
Konohagakure, The Land of Fire

"Whaaaa?" Zankuro was surprised to see the Kazekage show up suddenly, only to protect that man that had just barbecued his right hand! But the Kazekage did appear to be legitimate; he had the requisite retainers, and clearly moved as an accomplished ninja. Zankuro had no choice but to submit. He grabbed the Kinzotora and placed it on his back once again. As the Kazekage began to walk away, Zankuro ran after them.

"Lord Kazekage, this man is really one of your associates? But he... he's clearly not... I mean he attacked... I apologize for my stuttering." It was at this point that Zankuro had realized he had been very rude. "I apologize again, Lord Kazekage. My name is Zankuro Masoka of Kumogakure. I am part of the task force, as you suspected, charged with protecting Konohagakure. I would be happy to brief you on what has been happening in the village, but I was hoping you would be able to tell me more about why you had this rogue attack me in the streets!" Zankuro shot Maris a look.

Maris was about to speak up against the accusation but Zenko put a hand up to stop him. "Maris' situation is a bit different. Back in Suna, he is classified as a rouge ninja to the people so his face might be in Bingo books around the world, but the Kage know that I was the one that banished him because we came up with the plan to gain as much insight about the threats we might face. The task force can only take care of problems after they've started, but Maris is here in order to prevent them from happening in the first place. With the Chunin exams coming up, I wanted Maris to infiltrate any terrorist cells and break them down, or at the very least leak their plans. This is very confidential information so do not tell anyone you know Maris' real identity." For the most part, Zenko was fairly certain it was safe to give out this information right now. It was unlikely that anyone else was listening in and with the Chunin exam being today it was almost expected to see the other Kage coming into the village.

[Sonitusia]

The Steel Maiden of the Rock
Okazaki Shinko

Shinko's eyes lit up in surprise as he held out something covered in gift-wrapping paper. Usually she only received things like this on her birthday or for special ceremonies, so it was rather odd to see someone giving her a gift at this time of year. But she didn't hesitate, and accepted it gracefully, smiling brightly at Haruka since he had taken the time to find something to give her. Looking at how nervous he was, she giggled slightly before thinking of a response.

"And thank you as well for the kind gesture, Haruka. You're so thoughtful, I didn't even get a chance to get you anything..." she said sheepishly, and then hugging him for a few moments before backing away, accidentally bumping into someone. It took a few moments to adjust, but she realized that she had bumped into her father, Okazaki Kinzoku. He looked rather stern, studying Haruka as if he were a sheet of metal about to go through processing. It didn't help that he was crossing his arms so that his extremely well-built arms were visible, though they were mostly just usable for brute force rather than being efficient in a fight. His hands were covered with a blacksmith's gloves, and he wore a long-sleeved shirt rolled up to his elbow along with a black apron with the Okazaki crest in white on its chest. All-in-all, he looked like the toughest blacksmith someone would ever meet, but he had an aura of diplomatic ability surrounding him.

"Good day, Haruka," he said, "I hope our recent delivery was satisfactory for your needs."

[United States of Indonesia]

Cemetery
Konohagakure, Land of Fire
Shaoyun

Shaoyun managed to arrive at the last known location of the rogue-nin Uzumaki Revan. But when he got there, there were no one in sight. "Tch... Missed him..." he said as he kicked a pebble that was near his foot. He then called it in. "This is Kurogami. The mark is no longer here. Send in the police." he said as he brushed his hair and breathing out a sigh. Some time after the call, the police unit arrived. They began scouring the location, searching for any trace that could lead them to the rogue shinobi. He then talked to the present captain of the police. "I leave things here to you. Send the details straight to the Hokage's Office." he said as he left the location with a slight disappointment. He had hoped to meet the shinobi & hear his reasons on why the mission went southward, which left the rest of the rogue's team dead. For him, the truth about the events is vital, as it could at least give some closure to those left behind. Well, that's for the families of the dead team members of Revan's. Personally, he only cared about the truth, since he's tired of the world that had forgotten the efforts that saved the entire Shinobi World by the heroes of the 4th Shinobi World War.

[Acroticus]

Zankuro Masoka
Konohagakure, The Land of Fire

"Whaaaa?" Zankuro was surprised to see the Kazekage show up suddenly, only to protect that man that had just barbecued his right hand! But the Kazekage did appear to be legitimate; he had the requisite retainers, and clearly moved as an accomplished ninja. Zankuro had no choice but to submit. He grabbed the Kinzotora and placed it on his back once again. As the Kazekage began to walk away, Zankuro ran after them.

"Lord Kazekage, this man is really one of your associates? But he... he's clearly not... I mean he attacked... I apologize for my stuttering." It was at this point that Zankuro had realized he had been very rude. "I apologize again, Lord Kazekage. My name is Zankuro Masoka of Kumogakure. I am part of the task force, as you suspected, charged with protecting Konohagakure. I would be happy to brief you on what has been happening in the village, but I was hoping you would be able to tell me more about why you had this rogue attack me in the streets!" Zankuro shot Maris a look.

Maris was about to speak up against the accusation but Zenko put a hand up to stop him. "Maris' situation is a bit different. Back in Suna, he is classified as a rouge ninja to the people so his face might be in Bingo books around the world, but the Kage know that I was the one that banished him because we came up with the plan to gain as much insight about the threats we might face. The task force can only take care of problems after they've started, but Maris is here in order to prevent them from happening in the first place. With the Chunin exams coming up, I wanted Maris to infiltrate any terrorist cells and break them down, or at the very least leak their plans. This is very confidential information so do not tell anyone you know Maris' real identity." For the most part, Zenko was fairly certain it was safe to give out this information right now. It was unlikely that anyone else was listening in and with the Chunin exam being today it was almost expected to see the other Kage coming into the village.

"I see," Zankuro replied, carefully thinking over the Kazekage's words. If they were true, it meant the Kazekage was trusting him with important information. It also meant that the Kazekage didn't entirely trust the Leaf Village. It was valuable information, and Zankuro knew he was expected to keep it close. "Don't worry about it; I'm not telling anybody about Maris here." Zankuro smiled and nodded as he spoke.

"Now, I think it's important that you know, Lord Kazekage, that an S-Ranked missing ninja, Revan Uzumaki, has been spotted somewhere in this village. I was actually looking for him when I spotted Maris. As far as I know, he hasn't been found yet. I would be careful on approach."

[Altruistic Paladins]

The Steel Maiden of the Rock
Okazaki Shinko

Shinko's eyes lit up in surprise as he held out something covered in gift-wrapping paper. Usually she only received things like this on her birthday or for special ceremonies, so it was rather odd to see someone giving her a gift at this time of year. But she didn't hesitate, and accepted it gracefully, smiling brightly at Haruka since he had taken the time to find something to give her. Looking at how nervous he was, she giggled slightly before thinking of a response.

"And thank you as well for the kind gesture, Haruka. You're so thoughtful, I didn't even get a chance to get you anything..." she said sheepishly, and then hugging him for a few moments before backing away, accidentally bumping into someone. It took a few moments to adjust, but she realized that she had bumped into her father, Okazaki Kinzoku. He looked rather stern, studying Haruka as if he were a sheet of metal about to go through processing. It didn't help that he was crossing his arms so that his extremely well-built arms were visible, though they were mostly just usable for brute force rather than being efficient in a fight. His hands were covered with a blacksmith's gloves, and he wore a long-sleeved shirt rolled up to his elbow along with a black apron with the Okazaki crest in white on its chest. All-in-all, he looked like the toughest blacksmith someone would ever meet, but he had an aura of diplomatic ability surrounding him.

"Good day, Haruka," he said, "I hope our recent delivery was satisfactory for your needs."

"It is very much so, Mr. Okazaki," Haruka explained, bowing to him upon greeting. "As expected, Genin are prone to impulse purchases and last-minute shopping." Kinzoku's presence demanded respect, and Haruka was snapped-out of his nervousness and into professionalism by his mere presence. "Is another member of the Okazaki clan competing this year?" Haruka inquired. A timer went-off, and his attention switched elsewhere. "I am sorry. I have to get going for Chunin Exam preparations. I shall soon have to treat you to dinner once the busiest part of the Chunin Exam ends."

---

The first stage of the chunin exams had been a rather odd example. Through genjutsu, the building had become a smoke-filled labyrinth with low-lighting conditions and sound-dampening walls. One particular area involved a pressure plate which had to be activated in order for a gate to open, and would not allow the team to progress if it did not remain active. The big emphasis of the stage had been emphasizing the importance of not abandoning teams, with disorientation and short lines-of-sight requiring teams to stick close together. Teammates were under no obligation to stay on the pressure plate, with the looked-for characteristic being that equipment would be left behind with the ability to leave equipment instead to keep the pressure plate active, with the equipment being returned shortly after completion. Any team that left a person behind rather than equipment behind was disqualified.
An hour-and-a-half later, the second stage's arrival was imminent. The forest of death was set before them, but something was anomalous about it's appearance. Namely, it appeared to be still a few weeks earlier in time than everything else since it radiated cold and damp air. For those who could see, the water in it was frozen-over, and made the weather in a quarter-mile radius of them still snow-drenched in a winter that had just left Konoha with the rest damp and cold of a recently ending winter. The trees did not seem to anticipate the event since their leaves were still present. Many had utilized their hour break to get cold-weather necessities. Some teams were anticipating that there was the possibility that the test was going to involve extreme weather variation and so had made changes to the equipment to be prepared for any number of potential climate conditions. While in the hour-and-a-half break, Team Five was approached by a figure.
"I would like to have a word with you," they had been told about before arrival--Inorō Yamanka, leader of one of the original cells.

[Bycrest]

Maris was about to speak up against the accusation but Zenko put a hand up to stop him. "Maris' situation is a bit different. Back in Suna, he is classified as a rouge ninja to the people so his face might be in Bingo books around the world, but the Kage know that I was the one that banished him because we came up with the plan to gain as much insight about the threats we might face. The task force can only take care of problems after they've started, but Maris is here in order to prevent them from happening in the first place. With the Chunin exams coming up, I wanted Maris to infiltrate any terrorist cells and break them down, or at the very least leak their plans. This is very confidential information so do not tell anyone you know Maris' real identity." For the most part, Zenko was fairly certain it was safe to give out this information right now. It was unlikely that anyone else was listening in and with the Chunin exam being today it was almost expected to see the other Kage coming into the village.

"I see," Zankuro replied, carefully thinking over the Kazekage's words. If they were true, it meant the Kazekage was trusting him with important information. It also meant that the Kazekage didn't entirely trust the Leaf Village. It was valuable information, and Zankuro knew he was expected to keep it close. "Don't worry about it; I'm not telling anybody about Maris here." Zankuro smiled and nodded as he spoke.

"Now, I think it's important that you know, Lord Kazekage, that an S-Ranked missing ninja, Revan Uzumaki, has been spotted somewhere in this village. I was actually looking for him when I spotted Maris. As far as I know, he hasn't been found yet. I would be careful on approach."

"So I was right to send Maris ahead of me, Revan Uzumaki is a serious threat to the village. If you were planning on taking him on alone, you were seriously underestimating his abilities. Since you two seemed to have hit it off so well, I'm sending Maris with you on your search for Revan. He'll provide excellent assistance should you find your target."

"But Lord Kazekage, I don't want to help this guy. He blew up my puppet armor and you know how long I was working on that." Maris immediately said, his annoyance with the situation apparent on his face.

"I don't care what you want or who you like, you're mission is now to help this man find Revan Uzumaki. We'll take what remains of your puppet armor back to the village and have the puppet masters there fix it. I trust you still carry your original with you?"

"Yes, Lord Kazekage." Maris replied with a surprising change in attitude. It was as if Maris knew not to argue with the Kazekage even if he was familiar with the powerful shinobi. He turned to Zankuro as they finally approached the Hokage's mansion and said "Well I have my orders to help you and you have your orders to find this Revan person, so lead the way."

[Bycrest]

Shikyo
Once again, another old snake hole ransacked, the difference was Shikyo was getting closer. He found a few notes related to Earth Grudge Fear meaning this was one of the hideouts Orochimaru used during his time in the Akatsuki. Unfortunately, the snake didn't leave any information about where his next hideout was located so once again Shikyo was wandering around the forest. He also still needed to find a "willing participant" for his dying heart.

[Acroticus]

"I see," Zankuro replied, carefully thinking over the Kazekage's words. If they were true, it meant the Kazekage was trusting him with important information. It also meant that the Kazekage didn't entirely trust the Leaf Village. It was valuable information, and Zankuro knew he was expected to keep it close. "Don't worry about it; I'm not telling anybody about Maris here." Zankuro smiled and nodded as he spoke.

"Now, I think it's important that you know, Lord Kazekage, that an S-Ranked missing ninja, Revan Uzumaki, has been spotted somewhere in this village. I was actually looking for him when I spotted Maris. As far as I know, he hasn't been found yet. I would be careful on approach."

"So I was right to send Maris ahead of me, Revan Uzumaki is a serious threat to the village. If you were planning on taking him on alone, you were seriously underestimating his abilities. Since you two seemed to have hit it off so well, I'm sending Maris with you on your search for Revan. He'll provide excellent assistance should you find your target."

"But Lord Kazekage, I don't want to help this guy. He blew up my puppet armor and you know how long I was working on that." Maris immediately said, his annoyance with the situation apparent on his face.

"I don't care what you want or who you like, you're mission is now to help this man find Revan Uzumaki. We'll take what remains of your puppet armor back to the village and have the puppet masters there fix it. I trust you still carry your original with you?"

"Yes, Lord Kazekage." Maris replied with a surprising change in attitude. It was as if Maris knew not to argue with the Kazekage even if he was familiar with the powerful shinobi. He turned to Zankuro as they finally approached the Hokage's mansion and said "Well I have my orders to help you and you have your orders to find this Revan person, so lead the way."

Zankuro Masoka
Konohagakure, The Land of Fire

"Ah, thank you, uh, Lord Kazekage," Zankuro smiled and nodded as the Kazegake left him with the cutthroat he had just minutes ago been hurling lightning bolts at. He turned to Maris rather reluctantly. The truth was, he knew very little about where Revan Uzumaki was; that was why he was checking the outskirts of the city. But he had an idea of where to go next.

"So... Maris... I don't have a ton of info on Revan's current whereabouts, but the Chunin Exams bring a lot of attention; it'd be relatively easy for him to slip through the more populated areas of the city. With all the commotion over the Chunin Exams, that'd be the best area to start." He paused as if to wait for a reply, but didn't leave Maris enough time. "This way!" Zankuro spun around and jumped to the next building, heading closer to the center of the village.


Reiko Yoshinaga
Amegakure, The Land of Rain

Reiko Yoshinaga and her team met in many different places. But tonight, it was on top of one of the many skyscrapers in Amegakure. This building was unique in that it was connected to another, taller building that towered over it. This arrangement protected Reiko and her team from the pouring rain that almost always covered this city this time of day. She was supposed to meet with her team sooner, but she decided last minute to meet with her grandfather. It may have been a mistake. His disownment, which was what it really was, hurt her, and not only emotionally. She had put plans in place for when she took over the village, and without the village, these plans would go to waste. She wouldn’t let them.

When she arrived, her team was already there, waiting for her. Tanoro Osada lay on the ground, his longsword by his side. He was from the Osada Clan, a rather large and important clan in Amegakure. He had been close with Reiko since childhood. Obiro Nagate was significantly older than the rest of the group, standing straight as a board in the corner, as always. He was a quiet man, who rarely associated with anyone. In fact, Reiko wasn’t aware that the man had any friends at all. And then there was Haru, the youngest of the group. He was their archer and their sensory ninja. He was talented for his age, but certainly wouldn’t have succeeded as far as he had without Reiko’s assistance. The entire group was based around her.

“Reiko, you’re late,” Tanoro joked, smiling at her. She could barely hear him under the rain, but she knew what he said. He was predictable.

“Yes, well, I was speaking with Lord Hitori. We are going to have a problem. He’s naming Kazuo as the next leader of Amegakure.” She paused to let the news sink in. Before she could continue, however, Tanoro responded.

“But, then… what will you do? You know we’re behind you, no matter what you…”

“Quiet, fool,” Obiro cut Tanoro off mid-sentence. “We are not talking about this in the open.”

“Don’t worry, Obiro,” Haru quickly responded. “I’m sure we’re fine. There’s no one within earshot; I just checked.”

“Thanks, Haru,” Reiko cut in, trying to regain control of the conversation. “But it doesn’t matter. We will continue with our plan. There’s no inherent reason Kazuo should be a problem for us. Let’s try this with him in power, and we can reevaluate as necessary. Besides, I’ll be next in line after him. And how long could he live? A failed experiment like him? He’s got ten years left at best.” Reiko turned to look at her team. “Still, we may need to move a few things around. Are you all ready to go?”

[Bycrest]

"So I was right to send Maris ahead of me, Revan Uzumaki is a serious threat to the village. If you were planning on taking him on alone, you were seriously underestimating his abilities. Since you two seemed to have hit it off so well, I'm sending Maris with you on your search for Revan. He'll provide excellent assistance should you find your target."

"But Lord Kazekage, I don't want to help this guy. He blew up my puppet armor and you know how long I was working on that." Maris immediately said, his annoyance with the situation apparent on his face.

"I don't care what you want or who you like, you're mission is now to help this man find Revan Uzumaki. We'll take what remains of your puppet armor back to the village and have the puppet masters there fix it. I trust you still carry your original with you?"

"Yes, Lord Kazekage." Maris replied with a surprising change in attitude. It was as if Maris knew not to argue with the Kazekage even if he was familiar with the powerful shinobi. He turned to Zankuro as they finally approached the Hokage's mansion and said "Well I have my orders to help you and you have your orders to find this Revan person, so lead the way."

Zankuro Masoka
Konohagakure, The Land of Fire

"Ah, thank you, uh, Lord Kazekage," Zankuro smiled and nodded as the Kazegake left him with the cutthroat he had just minutes ago been hurling lightning bolts at. He turned to Maris rather reluctantly. The truth was, he knew very little about where Revan Uzumaki was; that was why he was checking the outskirts of the city. But he had an idea of where to go next.

"So... Maris... I don't have a ton of info on Revan's current whereabouts, but the Chunin Exams bring a lot of attention; it'd be relatively easy for him to slip through the more populated areas of the city. With all the commotion over the Chunin Exams, that'd be the best area to start." He paused as if to wait for a reply, but didn't leave Maris enough time. "This way!" Zankuro spun around and jumped to the next building, heading closer to the center of the village.

"Hey, wait up!" Maris jumped after Zankuro and followed after him. "You say you don't know much, but I'll need to know something before going up against this guy. So why don't you start with what you do know. From my knowledge, the Uzumaki's are the direct decedents of the 7th Hokage, pretty much revered in all of Konoha. I'm guessing this one didn't like living under that much pressure."

[Acroticus]

Zankuro Masoka
Konohagakure, The Land of Fire

"Ah, thank you, uh, Lord Kazekage," Zankuro smiled and nodded as the Kazegake left him with the cutthroat he had just minutes ago been hurling lightning bolts at. He turned to Maris rather reluctantly. The truth was, he knew very little about where Revan Uzumaki was; that was why he was checking the outskirts of the city. But he had an idea of where to go next.

"So... Maris... I don't have a ton of info on Revan's current whereabouts, but the Chunin Exams bring a lot of attention; it'd be relatively easy for him to slip through the more populated areas of the city. With all the commotion over the Chunin Exams, that'd be the best area to start." He paused as if to wait for a reply, but didn't leave Maris enough time. "This way!" Zankuro spun around and jumped to the next building, heading closer to the center of the village.

"Hey, wait up!" Maris jumped after Zankuro and followed after him. "You say you don't know much, but I'll need to know something before going up against this guy. So why don't you start with what you do know. From my knowledge, the Uzumaki's are the direct decedents of the 7th Hokage, pretty much revered in all of Konoha. I'm guessing this one didn't like living under that much pressure."

"Yea, well..." Zankuro said as he continued moving onto the next building's roof. "I already told you I'm from Kumogakure; I'm not exactly well versed in the history of Konohagakure, and especially not with their secret missions. All I know is that Revan Uzumaki went on a mission, and for some reason he turned against his team, killing one of them and injuring at least one other. After that, well, I guess he never returned." Zankuro looked over his shoulder at Maris. "That's really all that I- Hey wait!"

Someone running along the road beneath them caught his eye. It was Kurou Gāgoiru, another task member that Zankuro had met some time ago. Zankuro himself had little knowledge about what he was supposed to be doing, other than looking randomly for Revan, and he had received little instruction from anyone. Zankuro had expected that even if there was some sort of secret Konohagakure plan that ninja from the leaf carry out when faced with infiltration, he wouldn't be told about it. Neither would Maris, come to think of it. He figured that it was likely Kurou would know.

"Hey!" He shouted as he came to a sudden stop. "Kurou Gagoiru, sir!" Zankuro quickly dropped down to the street below where Kurou had been moving. "I need your help; I don't have any orders, and I know that Revan Uzumaki has infiltrated the village. Any chance you know
what to do?"

[Anowa]

"Hey, wait up!" Maris jumped after Zankuro and followed after him. "You say you don't know much, but I'll need to know something before going up against this guy. So why don't you start with what you do know. From my knowledge, the Uzumaki's are the direct decedents of the 7th Hokage, pretty much revered in all of Konoha. I'm guessing this one didn't like living under that much pressure."

"Yea, well..." Zankuro said as he continued moving onto the next building's roof. "I already told you I'm from Kumogakure; I'm not exactly well versed in the history of Konohagakure, and especially not with their secret missions. All I know is that Revan Uzumaki went on a mission, and for some reason he turned against his team, killing one of them and injuring at least one other. After that, well, I guess he never returned." Zankuro looked over his shoulder at Maris. "That's really all that I- Hey wait!"

Someone running along the road beneath them caught his eye. It was Kurou Gāgoiru, another task member that Zankuro had met some time ago. Zankuro himself had little knowledge about what he was supposed to be doing, other than looking randomly for Revan, and he had received little instruction from anyone. Zankuro had expected that even if there was some sort of secret Konohagakure plan that ninja from the leaf carry out when faced with infiltration, he wouldn't be told about it. Neither would Maris, come to think of it. He figured that it was likely Kurou would know.

"Hey!" He shouted as he came to a sudden stop. "Kurou Gagoiru, sir!" Zankuro quickly dropped down to the street below where Kurou had been moving. "I need your help; I don't have any orders, and I know that Revan Uzumaki has infiltrated the village. Any chance you know
what to do?"

Kurou was still jumping from building to building, looking for the one man who still knew the truth about what happened. His search was inturrupted by a duo of foreign village members, he recognized one, Zankuro, from the taskforce and as a dignitary from Kumo, "About finding Revan or what to do when he's found? if we find him, you're to request no less than three ANBU squads to your location before engaging. As for actually finding him..." that was something Kurou actually had to think about, Revan would be back in the Village for one of three reasons: 1) kill him, which had yet to make an attempt on, 2) steal the Scroll of Seals, more likely, but still a bad idea or... "Shinobu... We need to get to the Forest of Death. NOW!"

With that Kurou took off, hopefully with the two others in pursuit.

[Altruistic Paladins]

"Listen-up," Inorō Yamanka said, having taken Team Five aside into an alley during the break, "I know that you may have some beliefs that I may not hold high opinion of and are participating in an archane event where the death of children is considered acceptable, but I know I cannot change those rules and so you may feel free to run in the one case where you are free of consequences for such. However, there is another rule to Rebirth that I suspect that you may not have understood entirely from the briefing that my underlings gave you, so let me make it abundantly clear: if you sacrifice Inoko Yamanaka to Jashin or otherwise maim, torture, traumatize, dismember, kill, eat, or, in any other way, be connected to the lasting harm to my daughter, then you will have just killed the daughter of a founding member of Rebirth and shall be sacrficed to Jashin by whatever you inspire me to put to canvas," Inorō Yamanka chided to them, handing Yuriko a picture of Inoko. "You are still kids to me and are still Reborn. I hope that you don't die at the exams either. Be safe," the unassuming man in black and purple said before disappearing into a puff of smoke.

---

The second stage of the exam was afoot. Shinobu and the rest of Team Kaede had been quick to move, aiming to separate from the rest as quickly as possible. Deep within the forest of death they got to work on their plan and the problem it posed for the rest of the Task Force. Their plan was to use traps to ambush, and were planning-on remaining hidden. Whether those traps netted a needed scroll or one of the missing-nin, they were to be happy. In the area where they planned to establish themselves, Shinobu was on-guard, thirty-five meters away from the rest of the group with a radio on her neck and a ninja hound at her side, both hiding in tree twenty-meters across from eachother were Shinobu, Guinefort, and Midorimaru, an Inuzuka ninja hound. Uttered in hushed tones was the phrase, "Sub-Surface Jutsu," by her and the dogs. Even though she had jutsu for camouflage, she also utilized fail safe measures, in this instance dark tree bark camouflage and a snow-colored ghillie suit, Guinefort's utilization of similar measures, and Midorimaru's utilization of an unorthodox symbiotic relationship controlled by chakra that allowed for such benefits as active camouflage.
"In position," Midorimaru uttered under hushed tones, using no button presses to broadcast considering the lack of digits. The dog was even positioned down-wind from Ashi and Inoko to ensure that he could keep their scents and potential ambushers in mind. This was not downwind from Shinobu and Guinefort, who held the same position. For all of her planning, she was not expecting a particular problem caused by the instructor's wish to mess with the weather and vegetation. Before she expected to wear any new ghillie suit, she would take it to a body of stagnant water with rotting vegetation and sit for twenty-minutes, braving the harsh scent of decay to ensure that her equipment would be cleansed of manufactured scent. The change of plans meant that she was forced to bring a suit that had not yet undergone . Shinobu was left to use a ghillie suit that, though befitting her purposes visually, left a trace of the industrial products.
"The net will be prepared in five minutes' time," Ashi stated-over the radio. The partner of Midorimaru, he had come-up with the organization for the traps, pre-making materials for them sealed within scrolls so that they could set-up traps with minimal preparation time. They-intended to turn the area into a hazard for any missing-nin or unfriendly genin. Neither he nor Inoko nor Midorimaru were in-sight from the line of sight of Shinobu, though this had been hoped by be negated by Guinefort's ears and the radios.

[Anowa]

-snip-

As Team Kaede settled into their positions, the wind changed. The air currents in the surrounding area were now heading towards the ninja hound, creating a gentle updraft upon the dog, it also gave him a scent of everything within 300 meters... It was also laced with a chakra familiar to Shinobu.

A gentle voice echoed very near to Shinobu, "Eight out of ten, I can smell the dog, his fur is damp, dry him as best you can." It was Revan. Although the actual man was over half a kilometer away, watching with his Dojutsu, he could see every member of team Kaede, as well as several other teams.

[Sonitusia]

The Steel Maiden of the Rock
Okazaki Shinko

"Yes, it's-" Kinzoku began, but suddenly Haruka had to leave, and his words trailed off, "Okazaki Shirogane..."

He grumbled a bit, then patted Shinko's head. "I have some business in town, would you like to come along or do you have plans?" he asked, taking out a small scroll and opening it, a list of errands he had to perform. Mostly ordering materials that the Land of Fire produced for his clan, and other necessities. Shinko looked down at the present in her hands, still neatly wrapped and awaiting for her to open. Shaking her head, she smiled to her father.

"I think I'll go and watch how the Exams are going. Hope that Shiro's alright," she replied. Her father nodded.

"Very well, stay safe," he said, walking away, waving his hand a few times. Waiting for him to disappear from her sight, Shinko began running towards where she could watch the proceedings of the exam could be analyzed. She hoped that Shirogane would be doing well, given that his teammates were also good ninjas from Iwagakure.

[Altruistic Paladins]

"Watchdogs, the wind currents changed. Reposition downwind with Shinobu. Sign-off and rendevous in a minute," Ashi called over the radio.
"Present," Midorimaru chimed-in. The radio did not answer immediately. The radio signals were taken over by the language of dogs for the moment. Outside of Ashi's line of sight, Midorimaru arrived at their position. Guinefort was in a hostile stance, teeth bared as he he radio remained momentarily silent. Midorimaru spoke over the radio in vocalizations the dogs and Ashi made that communicated general status more than particular details despite the tricks the ninja hounds used to make dog vocalizations communicate anything more than a mood. Shinobu remained in her position, but Guinefort instead stood out of concealement, the small mutt in an warning stance at Shinobu's side. She had not moved, frozen in place eyes rushing about. Midorimaru took-up Guinefort's reassuringly protective position as Guinefort went-back into the surface. Concerned cries did not get Shinobu's attention, and so the dog licked Shinobu's face to get her attention.
"We are almost finished here. Rendevous back on the trap," Ashi chimed-in, Shinobu broken-out of her stance as she and Guinefort left the surface as the watchdogs left with Shinobu at their side.
"What was all that yapping about?" Inoko asked.
"There's the scent of a few teams in the area. We shall keep building traps and attend to them and ambushes as warranted," Ashi explained with sufficient detail that Inoko felt no reason to inquire about what else they had noted.