Age of Shinobi: Rebirth (IC)

[Russian people of america]

Prior to the Exams

As the girl extended her hand so did Kaito. He shook her hand before allowing his to fall back under his cloaks sleeve. He smiled widely at her, "yes, it is nice to meet you". He allowed a quick silence to follow before adding his name into the mix. "My name is Kaito Sanshoo, this is Yuriko, and that oddball in the Dango booth is Daichi. He's the leader of Team Five, our team, we specialize i-". Kaito was silenced by Yuriko's hand, he remembered that they weren't supposed to tell people about their mission. He'd gotten ahead of himself. Suddenly he felt another tug at his sleeve, and Yuriko suddenly spoke up, "we need to be going, now Kaito. We don't want to be late for the exams". Kaito nodded reluctantly, turning back to the other team, "i guess we'll see you around then, good luck in the exams." Daichi exited the booth with his favorite food in hand, Dango. Dango was the only thing that seemed to interest the kid, well other than battle. Without a word the group fell behind them as they made their way to the exams.

Exams, Current Time

The three ninja's that were team five continued on its way through the Forest of Death. Like hounds they hunted, sensing the air for chakra and the ground for tracks. Somehow the other teams still seemed to elude them despite they're above average tracking skills. At least that was how it seemed for a long period of time. They had an earth scroll, and Yuriko was the one to carry it. Her mid range capabilities made her the best choice in defending the scroll. Eventually the group gave up its search and made camp. "Say, Daichi why do you think we haven't found anyone yet, your usually a great tracker aren't you? At least thats what Katsura said back in the estate". Daichi looked up from his meal, a bored expression remaining on his face. "Shut up". The group finished their meal in silence before lying down. Sometime later Yuriko felt herself awaken. The sound of rustling bushes quickly alerted her that a danger could be approaching, until she saw a small rabbit hop out. She sighed and allowed herself to fall into a relaxed position. That is until a kunai sailed through the air, burying itself in the rabbits vulnerable neck. By now the other two were waking, Kaito having an overexcited look on his face. Yuriko noticed a shape disappear into the forest and before she knew what she was doing she gave chase. The thrill of the hunt, a Sanshoo trait of course. Two other shapes had awoken back at the camp, and Daichi and Kaito had risen to meet whatever challenge presented itself to them.

[United States of Indonesia]

Downtown
Konohagakure, Land of Fire
Slightly depressed on failing to get to Revan, Shaoyun then walked on the streets. He bought some takoyaki & ate them while walking. He was back to his old, bored self, with his depression gone thanks to the takoyakis he bought earlier. "Man, this is boring. Should I go observe the first exams? Hmmm...." he said as he walked while finishing up his snack. While walking, he remembered something. Then he checked on his phone. "Oh shi~!" he said when he realized it. He forgot that Revan had a family member that's currently taking the Chunin Exams. "Crap.... This ain't gonna be pretty...." he said. He then called up the Hokage's Office. "This is Kurogami! I got a possible lead on the whereabouts of Uzumaki Revan! Please alert the others! I'm sending in the location!" he said as he typed & sent the name of the location. "But this is.... Got it! You're allowed to pursue the target! Do not let him escape!" the person on the phone said and the call later ended. He remembered there was an incident, and that particular person was the center of it. "Gotta hurry, or he will die by the hands of his own little cousin...!" he said as he hurried himself towards the Forest of Death's exams entrance location.

Entrance, Forest of Death
Konohagakure, Land of Fire
Shaoyun managed to arrive at the entrance, but the exams were already underway. He then went to the present examiner & guards. "All of you! I assume you've heard from the office by now that we got a dangerous fugitive in the forest right now! I will be going in to capture him! Several others will be sent by the orders of the Hokage to help me in capturing him!" he explained as he took a breather after all that running. They nodded after they understood what he just said. "Okay, but don't warn the students just yet! Until we can confirm, only warn each team leaders, with instructions not to tell their members unless they saw it is the right time to tell them! We can't afford to have the exams get screwed up just by this!" he said as he then entered the forest.

[Altruistic Paladins]

Exam proctors were quick to act, with suddenly a lot more attention paid to the cameras and an alert for ANBU Black Ops to be on stand-by as Exam proctors started to work on guarding the perimeter from a large number of infiltrators who had already entered. Among the proctors at one of the gates was Haruka, who promptly ran for the Jōnin Standby Station to pass-on the message after he got confirmation of what he had feared. Nearly twenty-four squad leaders were waiting in the building, lined with red couches throughout the structure.
"We have a rogue ninja, Revan Uzumaki, who has entered the village. It is not yet confirmed, but he may be infiltrating the exams. Be at-the-ready," Haruka explained, running-out of the room. On his way-out, he noticed a friendly face also on the way to the Forest of Death. "Shinko, we have an emergency."

[Sonitusia]

The Steel Maiden of the Rock
Okazaki Shinko

Stopping dead in her tracks, Shinko turned around while grabbing two of her scrolls from her thigh, ready to deploy them at a moment's notice.

"What's going on?" she asked, chasing after Haruka as they made their way towards where whatever trouble was currently brewing. It always seemed that the Chuunin Exams were always getting attacked, and she wondered just why people found it so useful to do so. Perhaps it was due to the large audience? Acts of terrorism were better with more people after all.

[Altruistic Paladins]

"I will explain on the way," Haruka said, going-on the move. "Revan Uzumaki is back, and he's probably in the Forest of Death. He is a rogue ninja who may be going-after Shinobu or Inoko. Shinobu Uzumaki is a cousin of his that he tutored and a former teammate of mine. Inoko Yamanaka is a cousin that Yoshi Yamanaka tutored before he was killed by Revan Uzumaki."

[Nachfolgia]

Prior to the Exams

As the girl extended her hand so did Kaito. He shook her hand before allowing his to fall back under his cloaks sleeve. He smiled widely at her, "yes, it is nice to meet you". He allowed a quick silence to follow before adding his name into the mix. "My name is Kaito Sanshoo, this is Yuriko, and that oddball in the Dango booth is Daichi. He's the leader of Team Five, our team, we specialize i-". Kaito was silenced by Yuriko's hand, he remembered that they weren't supposed to tell people about their mission. He'd gotten ahead of himself. Suddenly he felt another tug at his sleeve, and Yuriko suddenly spoke up, "we need to be going, now Kaito. We don't want to be late for the exams". Kaito nodded reluctantly, turning back to the other team, "i guess we'll see you around then, good luck in the exams." Daichi exited the booth with his favorite food in hand, Dango. Dango was the only thing that seemed to interest the kid, well other than battle. Without a word the group fell behind them as they made their way to the exams.

Exams, Current Time

The three ninja's that were team five continued on its way through the Forest of Death. Like hounds they hunted, sensing the air for chakra and the ground for tracks. Somehow the other teams still seemed to elude them despite they're above average tracking skills. At least that was how it seemed for a long period of time. They had an earth scroll, and Yuriko was the one to carry it. Her mid range capabilities made her the best choice in defending the scroll. Eventually the group gave up its search and made camp. "Say, Daichi why do you think we haven't found anyone yet, your usually a great tracker aren't you? At least thats what Katsura said back in the estate". Daichi looked up from his meal, a bored expression remaining on his face. "Shut up". The group finished their meal in silence before lying down. Sometime later Yuriko felt herself awaken. The sound of rustling bushes quickly alerted her that a danger could be approaching, until she saw a small rabbit hop out. She sighed and allowed herself to fall into a relaxed position. That is until a kunai sailed through the air, burying itself in the rabbits vulnerable neck. By now the other two were waking, Kaito having an overexcited look on his face. Yuriko noticed a shape disappear into the forest and before she knew what she was doing she gave chase. The thrill of the hunt, a Sanshoo trait of course. Two other shapes had awoken back at the camp, and Daichi and Kaito had risen to meet whatever challenge presented itself to them.

" Good luck to you too." Akihko said as the strangers walked away. She was very intrigued by the group and the evidence showed on her smiling face. Akihko was especially interested in the man that caught a whif of her real chakra. She couldn't wait to catch them in action in the Chunin Exams.

As the strangers walked off, Akihko and her companions walked in the opposite direction, taking a detour to the Forest of Death. Seizo decided this was the time to speak up. " They know who we are, that brat sniffed us out. We should take them out as soon as possible." Seizo said in his usual angry tone. " Calm down, brother. They have no clue who we are. If the Anbu can't track us down, then there's no way a couple of kids can. Have some faith, brother." Akihko said with a confident smile. " Eldest Sister has never steered us wrong." Harumi chimed in. " Whatever. I still don't like it." Seizo retorted. " Everything will happen in due time." Akihko said with a sinister smirk.

Just like every exam, the teams gathered around the Forest of Death waiting for the signal. Each team was given an earth or a heaven scroll and the objective was to take the other scroll from another team. Akihko and the others had a heaven scroll and were waiting patiently at one end. When the signal was given, all the teams dashed into the woods, except for Akihko's. The three shinobi casually walked into the Forest and disappeared into the darkness.

Akihko and her siblings weren't bothered with the threats of the other teams running around. In fact, they didn't even have the drive to actively look for the other scrolls. They were in the exams to compete, they were there for intel, learning as much as they could about the five nations and their capabilities.

After a few minutes of walking, the group came to a small clearing between some trees. Akihko looked around a few moments and didn't sense anyone. " Sister, do you sense anyone?" Akihko called out. " Aside from a few teams several yards away. The closest one is 213 yards and from the feel of it, it's the group we met earlier."

" Well then, this will be interesting. We'll wait here to greet our new friends." Akihko said with a smile, as she leaned against the tree.

[Acroticus]

Kazuo Namura
Amegakure, The Land of Rain

“Otero, come in.” Kazuo sat at his desk the floor below Hitori Yoshinaga’s bedroom, where the leader of Amegakure lie slowly dying. He was one of the few allowed this close to Hitori’s current room, as the truth of his illness was an important secret. In fact, no one could get to the stairs to Hitori without passing through Kazuo’s room.

Kazuo stood to welcome Otero. Otero had been a friend of Kazuo’s for many years now, and he was one of the few people Kazuo trusted. He also happened to be of the Motura Clan, the smallest clan in Amegakure, unless you counted the Yoshinaga Clan. The Motura’s were revered, however, for their powerful jutsu that brought plants to life. Otero was so strong; he had managed to become the leader of the ANBU. He was a good friend for Kazuo to have.

“So, Otero,” Kazuo began as the ANBU leader took a seat across from him. Otero still wore his bird-like mask, covering his face even as he spoke with Kazuo. It was well known that he was a very serious man. It probably didn’t help that Kazuo was his only friend. “I’m assuming you already know that Lord Hitori named me his successor?” Otero nodded affirmatively. “Then I was hoping I could get your help. Lord Hitori and I forsee trouble with his granddaughter…”

“Yes,” Otero cut in. “Reiko Yoshinaga will cause problems for you, Kazuo. She’s created her own team within the ANBU that even I can’t control. They’re all powerful ninja, but they are not enough to stop you, as leader of this village. Nonetheless, I’ve had a team watching them for the past month or so now. That is what you were going to ask me for, right?”

“Uh…” Kazuo was shocked at first, Otero was so straightforward. But then he recalled the man’s brutal honesty, and realized how mundane he was actually asking. “Great! Thank you, Ote-” As he was speaking, the door leading from Kazuo’s office to Hitori’s quarters opened, and a shinobi, the kunoichi healing Hitori, stuck his head out.

“Lord Kazuo, Lord Hitori has passed.” Kazuo looked down at his desk before responding.

“Thank you, very much. You can leave.” He then turned to Otero. “Well, I guess I’ll be needing your help sooner rather than later. I th-” Kazuo was cut off again. The persistence of the interruptions led Kazuo to think that perhaps he was speaking too much. Nevertheless, he paused to listen to the ANBU who had opened the door opposite the one leading to Hitori’s chambers had to say.

“Captain,” the man said, breathing heavily, addressing Otero. “Lady Reiko and her team… They’re gone!”


Reiko Yoshinaga
Countryside, The Land of Grass

Reiko and her team ran through the fields of the Land of Grass. It was late, and the moon was high in the sky. In the cover of darkness, they moved quickly from field to field, trying to avoid being seen. Haru, Obiro, and Tanoro all followed close behind. They had been moving for hours now, and they still had a while to go. Cover was not as plentiful in the Land of Grass as it was in some other areas, and the nation itself was not unpopulated. As long as they remained secretly in this territory, it would be dangerous. The Hidden Grass Village was an ally of Amegakure, but being found in their territory was still not preferable. Besides, they were covert even from their own village.

“Ugh… how much further!” Tanoro complained as he grasped his side.

“Quiet, fool! We’re covert here. No talking.” Obiro shot back without even looking at Tanoro. Obiro didn’t really like Tanoro. Then again, he didn’t like anyone besides Reiko. That was probably best for her anyhow, she thought.

“Well,” Haru answered quietly, half-ignoring Obiro. “We’ve still got some time before we reach the Land of Waterfalls, and then we’ll have to pinpoint the target which could take some time.” As Haru finished saying this, Tanoro could be heard sighing audibly.

“Look, Tan, if you have energy to talk, maybe we should be moving faster.” Reiko scolded Tanoro from the front of the group. “Stop whining and take this seriously.” She was well aware of the consequences of their being caught. In fact, she expected that Kazuo would know of their having left the village within a few hours, if he didn’t know already. It was for that reason, she needed something to show for her absence when she returned.

Reiko picked up speed, forcing her team to follow suit.

[Bycrest]

"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.

Maris jumped after Kurou, keeping up so he didn't get lost. Apparently this guy knew more about Revan than the last one did so Maris decided to ask him the questions so he knew who he was going up against. "So you seem to know about this Revan guy, what are we going up against? Like what are his strengths and weaknesses, and what can I as a puppet master expect?

[Anowa]

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.

Maris jumped after Kurou, keeping up so he didn't get lost. Apparently this guy knew more about Revan than the last one did so Maris decided to ask him the questions so he knew who he was going up against. "So you seem to know about this Revan guy, what are we going up against? Like what are his strengths and weaknesses, and what can I as a puppet master expect?

Kurou sighed, where to begin? "His strengths are wind and water releases, he knows a few lightning Jutsu. He's the best swordsman to come out of Konoha in the past century, he has a fully awakened Byakugan, it's rumored he has Sharingan somewhere on his body, and his signature Jutsu is pretty much a death sentence out to ten meters... He didn't get the moniker 'The Kamikaze' for nothing.... Though for some reason he hasn't killed any registered ninja in the past ten years other than my stu-.. His teammates. Other than that he wears a red cowl and a white mask with ornate patterns on it. I have no clue what you'll expect since I've never worked with puppets before, so your guess is as good as mine."

[Bycrest]

Maris jumped after Kurou, keeping up so he didn't get lost. Apparently this guy knew more about Revan than the last one did so Maris decided to ask him the questions so he knew who he was going up against. "So you seem to know about this Revan guy, what are we going up against? Like what are his strengths and weaknesses, and what can I as a puppet master expect?

Kurou sighed, where to begin? "His strengths are wind and water releases, he knows a few lightning Jutsu. He's the best swordsman to come out of Konoha in the past century, he has a fully awakened Byakugan, it's rumored he has Sharingan somewhere on his body, and his signature Jutsu is pretty much a death sentence out to ten meters... He didn't get the moniker 'The Kamikaze' for nothing.... Though for some reason he hasn't killed any registered ninja in the past ten years other than my stu-.. His teammates. Other than that he wears a red cowl and a white mask with ornate patterns on it. I have no clue what you'll expect since I've never worked with puppets before, so your guess is as good as mine."

When Maris heard the rundown of Revan's powers, he didn't know what to do so he settled for a slight chuckle. On the bright side, since he didn't have his puppet armor, he wouldn't be too close to the guy, if he was Maris was sure he would die. "I can tell you what I can expect, getting screwed over. If this guy is as powerful as you say he is then any normal puppet master wouldn't stand a chance, so we'll just have to see how I fair, I've got more than a few tricks up my sleeves. Normally I try to hide whenever I use my puppets so my opponents can't take me out but with the Byakugan, he'll be able to spot me anywhere. Still I would be good to put some distance between me and him. If you guys can distract Revan long enough them I might have a technique that can, at the very least, incapacitate him."

[Acroticus]

Kurou sighed, where to begin? "His strengths are wind and water releases, he knows a few lightning Jutsu. He's the best swordsman to come out of Konoha in the past century, he has a fully awakened Byakugan, it's rumored he has Sharingan somewhere on his body, and his signature Jutsu is pretty much a death sentence out to ten meters... He didn't get the moniker 'The Kamikaze' for nothing.... Though for some reason he hasn't killed any registered ninja in the past ten years other than my stu-.. His teammates. Other than that he wears a red cowl and a white mask with ornate patterns on it. I have no clue what you'll expect since I've never worked with puppets before, so your guess is as good as mine."

When Maris heard the rundown of Revan's powers, he didn't know what to do so he settled for a slight chuckle. On the bright side, since he didn't have his puppet armor, he wouldn't be too close to the guy, if he was Maris was sure he would die. "I can tell you what I can expect, getting screwed over. If this guy is as powerful as you say he is then any normal puppet master wouldn't stand a chance, so we'll just have to see how I fair, I've got more than a few tricks up my sleeves. Normally I try to hide whenever I use my puppets so my opponents can't take me out but with the Byakugan, he'll be able to spot me anywhere. Still I would be good to put some distance between me and him. If you guys can distract Revan long enough them I might have a technique that can, at the very least, incapacitate him."

"I see," Zankuro said. Maris seemed confident. But Zankuro was wary of dismissing Revan. While he didn't have too much knowledge of the jutsu of Konohagakure, everyone was well aware of the power of the Sharingan. Sharingan eyes were well known as one of the most powerful Kekkei Genkai that existed, and had given Kumogakure quite a bit of grief in the past, not to mention the rest of the world. Any ninja with a sharingan was a significant threat. And that was without taking into account his Byakugan.

The group continued until they reached the Forest of Death, a common grounds for the Chunin Exams. By the looks of things, the Second Exam had already begun. The competing Genin would be spread to the winds, dispersed throughout the forest. And, apparently Kurou believed, Revan was somewhere in there as well.

"Kurou, I think it's important that we find Revan quickly, but before we enter the forest, can you tell me; why do you think Revan Uzumaki is trying to disrupt the Chunin Exams? Isn't that a bit odd for someone in his position?"

[Anowa]

Kurou honestly didn't now why Revan was back, there were any number of reasons, but the two biggest ones were a bit obvious to the Konoha native, "He's here to either kill, kidnap, or simply watch his little cousin compete in the exams."

Kurou gave a glance around the forest, he saw a decent amount of movement, most of it too fast to be genin. "This is a clusterfuck, I have no idea how many of the Rebirthed are in that forest, nor do I know how many genin or Task Force members... The forest is a bloody powder keg... and I'm pretty sure Revan's the fuse."

[Bycrest]

Kurou honestly didn't now why Revan was back, there were any number of reasons, but the two biggest ones were a bit obvious to the Konoha native, "He's here to either kill, kidnap, or simply watch his little cousin compete in the exams."

Kurou gave a glance around the forest, he saw a decent amount of movement, most of it too fast to be genin. "This is a clusterfuck, I have no idea how many of the Rebirthed are in that forest, nor do I know how many genin or Task Force members... The forest is a bloody powder keg... and I'm pretty sure Revan's the fuse."

Maris was at a loss as well. There was no good way of telling who from who. If they tried to attack a Reborn member, they could just as easily be attacking a genin. "If he's just here to watch his cousin compete, I don't see the problem with that. Of course that doesn't exactly mean the other two options aren't still a problem. Why don't we head to the finish line and wait for Revan's cousin there? It would be a lot easier than trying to find them in the forest and potentially getting lost."

[Anowa]

Kurou honestly didn't now why Revan was back, there were any number of reasons, but the two biggest ones were a bit obvious to the Konoha native, "He's here to either kill, kidnap, or simply watch his little cousin compete in the exams."

Kurou gave a glance around the forest, he saw a decent amount of movement, most of it too fast to be genin. "This is a clusterfuck, I have no idea how many of the Rebirthed are in that forest, nor do I know how many genin or Task Force members... The forest is a bloody powder keg... and I'm pretty sure Revan's the fuse."

Maris was at a loss as well. There was no good way of telling who from who. If they tried to attack a Reborn member, they could just as easily be attacking a genin. "If he's just here to watch his cousin compete, I don't see the problem with that. Of course that doesn't exactly mean the other two options aren't still a problem. Why don't we head to the finish line and wait for Revan's cousin there? It would be a lot easier than trying to find them in the forest and potentially getting lost."

Kurou sighed, "The finish line's in the center of all that mess... Fuck it. Let's go, not like we can do much if he really wants anyone dead."

---

Revan's hair stood on end, new contacts, entering all over the forest, all Chunin to Jonin levels of chakra... He recognized one as Kurou, and another as a puppeteer. Things were getting risky, he might have to bug out early, but doing so safely would probably fuck over Shinobu's chances of getting through the exams. A duo of shadow clones appeared and spread out, trying to find a genin team to acquire a scroll from.

[Sonitusia]

The Steel Maiden of the Rock
Okazaki Shinko

---

"Sounds bad," Shinko muttered, wondering what kind of opponent Revan would be. Considering he was part of the Uzumaki clan, he would most likely have excellent sealing techniques, and being a rogue ninja meant he would probably not hold back in a fight. And since hearing that he killed a member of the Yamanaka family, things started to sound even worse.

As they entered and leaped through the Forest of Death, Shinko tried to feel movement through the earth, but unlike Shirogane, she wasn't as good at sensing different forms of chakra or footsteps with her abilities.

"What can we expect Revan to use against us if he turns out hostile?" she asked.

[Acroticus]

Maris was at a loss as well. There was no good way of telling who from who. If they tried to attack a Reborn member, they could just as easily be attacking a genin. "If he's just here to watch his cousin compete, I don't see the problem with that. Of course that doesn't exactly mean the other two options aren't still a problem. Why don't we head to the finish line and wait for Revan's cousin there? It would be a lot easier than trying to find them in the forest and potentially getting lost."

Kurou sighed, "The finish line's in the center of all that mess... Fuck it. Let's go, not like we can do much if he really wants anyone dead."

---

Revan's hair stood on end, new contacts, entering all over the forest, all Chunin to Jonin levels of chakra... He recognized one as Kurou, and another as a puppeteer. Things were getting risky, he might have to bug out early, but doing so safely would probably fuck over Shinobu's chances of getting through the exams. A duo of shadow clones appeared and spread out, trying to find a genin team to acquire a scroll from.

Zankuro Masoka
The Forest of Death, The Land of Fire

Zankuro followed Kurou closely as they made their way through the Forest of Death. He had never been inside the forest before, but he had not heard good things: monsters and plants that could destroy a person lurked around any corner, not to mention the S-Ranked enemy ninja, who apparently inhabited the space on occasion. He reminded himself that Genin spend time in the forest, and most of them come out okay; he should definitely be fine. Of course, he was still hunting Revan Uzumaki, so he'd need to stay on his toes.

"How much further is it?" He asked Zankuro as they moved from tree to tree. "I mean, this forest isn't really that big, right?"

[Anowa]

Kurou sighed, "The finish line's in the center of all that mess... Fuck it. Let's go, not like we can do much if he really wants anyone dead."

---

Revan's hair stood on end, new contacts, entering all over the forest, all Chunin to Jonin levels of chakra... He recognized one as Kurou, and another as a puppeteer. Things were getting risky, he might have to bug out early, but doing so safely would probably fuck over Shinobu's chances of getting through the exams. A duo of shadow clones appeared and spread out, trying to find a genin team to acquire a scroll from.

Zankuro Masoka
The Forest of Death, The Land of Fire

Zankuro followed Kurou closely as they made their way through the Forest of Death. He had never been inside the forest before, but he had not heard good things: monsters and plants that could destroy a person lurked around any corner, not to mention the S-Ranked enemy ninja, who apparently inhabited the space on occasion. He reminded himself that Genin spend time in the forest, and most of them come out okay; he should definitely be fine. Of course, he was still hunting Revan Uzumaki, so he'd need to stay on his toes.

"How much further is it?" He asked Zankuro as they moved from tree to tree. "I mean, this forest isn't really that big, right?"

Kurou chuckled, "It's one of the few original growths of the First Hokage's, it's around ten kilometers to the center from the outer fence. We shouldn't-"

A flash of red, it would've taken a very experienced jonin to recognize that cowl at such speeds, but the secretly implanted eyes in Kurou's chest knew who it was in an instant, "THERE! MOVE!" Kurou took off after the missing-nin, "Call for back up NOW!"

[United States of Indonesia]

Forest of Death
Konohagakure, Land of Fire
Shaoyun had been searching all over the forest. He hadn't found Revan yet, until he saw a shadow. He then followed it as he tried to confirm what is that shadow. Then, he found Uzumaki Revan, or what appears to be him, since there was no way to know if he was the original or just a clone. "This is Kurogami, I found the target! I'm in pursuit!" he said as he used his radio & broadcast the message on a secure channel to the entrance's guards & examiners. He then monitored his radio for any information while chasing "Revan". He bets with his luck on whether this guy would lead him to the original, or at least a possible target. Either of those would be very vital.

[Acroticus]

Zankuro Masoka
The Forest of Death, The Land of Fire

Zankuro followed Kurou closely as they made their way through the Forest of Death. He had never been inside the forest before, but he had not heard good things: monsters and plants that could destroy a person lurked around any corner, not to mention the S-Ranked enemy ninja, who apparently inhabited the space on occasion. He reminded himself that Genin spend time in the forest, and most of them come out okay; he should definitely be fine. Of course, he was still hunting Revan Uzumaki, so he'd need to stay on his toes.

"How much further is it?" He asked Zankuro as they moved from tree to tree. "I mean, this forest isn't really that big, right?"

Kurou chuckled, "It's one of the few original growths of the First Hokage's, it's around ten kilometers to the center from the outer fence. We shouldn't-"

A flash of red, it would've taken a very experienced jonin to recognize that cowl at such speeds, but the secretly implanted eyes in Kurou's chest knew who it was in an instant, "THERE! MOVE!" Kurou took off after the missing-nin, "Call for back up NOW!"

Zankuro Masoka
Forest of Death, The Land of Fire

"Where?" Zankuro squinted, but he still couldn't see Revan. "Uh, nevermind," he said reaching up to the transmitter by his ear. "We have found Revan Uzumaki in the Forest of Death... I require backup... uh... as soon as possible!" Zankuro hoped there was someone listening to his call; he had called for help while fighting Maris and received none. This would have to be different.

[Bycrest]

Kurou chuckled, "It's one of the few original growths of the First Hokage's, it's around ten kilometers to the center from the outer fence. We shouldn't-"

A flash of red, it would've taken a very experienced jonin to recognize that cowl at such speeds, but the secretly implanted eyes in Kurou's chest knew who it was in an instant, "THERE! MOVE!" Kurou took off after the missing-nin, "Call for back up NOW!"

Zankuro Masoka
Forest of Death, The Land of Fire

"Where?" Zankuro squinted, but he still couldn't see Revan. "Uh, nevermind," he said reaching up to the transmitter by his ear. "We have found Revan Uzumaki in the Forest of Death... I require backup... uh... as soon as possible!" Zankuro hoped there was someone listening to his call; he had called for help while fighting Maris and received none. This would have to be different.

"Just a thought," Maris said as he followed after them, "what good will calling for backup do us? If Revan is as good as Kurou say then won't the Anbu just be cannon fodder to him. I don't know about you but I've never heard of them actually doing any good in a fight. If anything, they'll only help boost his confidence as he slaughters them all."

[Anowa]

Zankuro Masoka
Forest of Death, The Land of Fire

"Where?" Zankuro squinted, but he still couldn't see Revan. "Uh, nevermind," he said reaching up to the transmitter by his ear. "We have found Revan Uzumaki in the Forest of Death... I require backup... uh... as soon as possible!" Zankuro hoped there was someone listening to his call; he had called for help while fighting Maris and received none. This would have to be different.

"Just a thought," Maris said as he followed after them, "what good will calling for backup do us? If Revan is as good as Kurou say then won't the Anbu just be cannon fodder to him. I don't know about you but I've never heard of them actually doing any good in a fight. If anything, they'll only help boost his confidence as he slaughters them all."

"ANBU are harder to kill than you think."

Kurou spun immediately, and a kunai sailed right over Maris' head. With a metallic clang the throwing knife was deflected by a seven foot long sword. what looked like the whole forest immediately illuminated and Revan made a beeline for Kurou, ignoring the two others, steam began to rise from the surroundings as the ice and snow began to melt. Within Revan's hand was a ball of what looked like pure light, less than a foot away he thrust his hand forward and a cone of fire erupted. Kurou turned to smoke and revealed a log for less than a moment before it and a twelve foot section of the tree behind it was turned into carbon. The remains of the tree began to crack under the weight of it's upper section. With a groan and a snap it started to fall, impacting other trees and making a hell of a racket.

Kurou was a little over thirty feet away on another branch of a different tree, first and second degree burns evident from the red skin and blisters. He launched into a long string of hand seals.

[Bycrest]

"Just a thought," Maris said as he followed after them, "what good will calling for backup do us? If Revan is as good as Kurou say then won't the Anbu just be cannon fodder to him. I don't know about you but I've never heard of them actually doing any good in a fight. If anything, they'll only help boost his confidence as he slaughters them all."

"ANBU are harder to kill than you think."

Kurou spun immediately, and a kunai sailed right over Maris' head. With a metallic clang the throwing knife was deflected by a seven foot long sword. what looked like the whole forest immediately illuminated and Revan made a beeline for Kurou, ignoring the two others, steam began to rise from the surroundings as the ice and snow began to melt. Within Revan's hand was a ball of what looked like pure light, less than a foot away he thrust his hand forward and a cone of fire erupted. Kurou turned to smoke and revealed a log for less than a moment before it and a twelve foot section of the tree behind it was turned into carbon. The remains of the tree began to crack under the weight of it's upper section. With a groan and a snap it started to fall, impacting other trees and making a hell of a racket.

Kurou was a little over thirty feet away on another branch of a different tree, first and second degree burns evident from the red skin and blisters. He launched into a long string of hand seals.

When the kunai was block over his head, Maris almost fell all the way to the ground from the shock of what happened. Luckily he landed on a lower branch as Revan and Kurou clashed. "I am not paid enough for this." Maris said he got his storage scroll out. He unraveled it and bit his thumb to summon his puppet. In a puff of smoke Shinigami appeared and Maris connected the chakra strings. In an instant Maris' attitude changed as he was in control of his best puppet. "Alright, let the performance begin."

Maris positioned Shinigami behind Revan in order to attack behind with a slice with it's scythe, which had been coated in Maris' special poison that even so much as a prick would make someone beg for death.

[Acroticus]

"ANBU are harder to kill than you think."

Kurou spun immediately, and a kunai sailed right over Maris' head. With a metallic clang the throwing knife was deflected by a seven foot long sword. what looked like the whole forest immediately illuminated and Revan made a beeline for Kurou, ignoring the two others, steam began to rise from the surroundings as the ice and snow began to melt. Within Revan's hand was a ball of what looked like pure light, less than a foot away he thrust his hand forward and a cone of fire erupted. Kurou turned to smoke and revealed a log for less than a moment before it and a twelve foot section of the tree behind it was turned into carbon. The remains of the tree began to crack under the weight of it's upper section. With a groan and a snap it started to fall, impacting other trees and making a hell of a racket.

Kurou was a little over thirty feet away on another branch of a different tree, first and second degree burns evident from the red skin and blisters. He launched into a long string of hand seals.

When the kunai was block over his head, Maris almost fell all the way to the ground from the shock of what happened. Luckily he landed on a lower branch as Revan and Kurou clashed. "I am not paid enough for this." Maris said he got his storage scroll out. He unraveled it and bit his thumb to summon his puppet. In a puff of smoke Shinigami appeared and Maris connected the chakra strings. In an instant Maris' attitude changed as he was in control of his best puppet. "Alright, let the performance begin."

Maris positioned Shinigami behind Revan in order to attack behind with a slice with it's scythe, which had been coated in Maris' special poison that even so much as a prick would make someone beg for death.

Zankuro Masoka
The Forest of Death, The Land of Fire

Zankuro watched in surprise as Kurou blocked a knife above Maris head. Revan was attacking. He watched carefully as the shinobi leaped towards them, some sort of glowing attack in his hand. Zankuro darted off the to side, landing on another tree branch. A column of fire burst from Revan's hand, seemingly catching Kurou.

"Damn!" Zankuro uttered under his breath. Revan was so fast. It would be too dangerous to attack close range; he'd need to throw an attack at the guy. As the trees crashed down, Zankuro caught sight of Maris and another puppet, trying to attack Revan from behind. He quickly made several hand seals before placing his hands in front of him, aiming towards Revan In a flash of blue, a bolt of lightning was released, sending blue sparks rushing towards Revan. (http://naruto.wikia.com/wiki/Lightning_ ... pth_Charge)

[Altruistic Paladins]

"That's the last-one. Five net traps. We should have this area on lock-down," Ashi declared, his cane planted on the ground with both hands atop the grip. The fact that they were lying about the number of traps over the radio was meant to be a deception in case someone intercepted their transmissions, and thus merely keep an eye for five hidden nets rather than some of the more esoteric traps that they had designed. "Everyone else, I will cover-our tracks while you set-up an encampment," Ashi said as the rest of the group disappeared, now left to his lonesome.
"Hey, need any help with that?" one of three newly-arrived. three young Sand genin asked with a chipper attitude as Shinobu smirked.
"I beg your pardon, but do you not understand the rules of the Chunin Exams, do you?" Ashi inquired.
"Eh, I don't need those rules. We've got better rules, ones that could be to your benefit."
"I beg your pardon. Are you proposing a gentlemen's agreement?" Ashi asked in surprise.
"We believe that it would be in your best interests to consider this deal."
"Well, I better call my team fourth and introduce ourselves while we negotiate this deal once we are acquainted with each other. I am Ashi Inuzuka," Ashi said, holding-out his hand to the one to his left.
"Well, my name is Shirogane Okazaki."

---

The Steel Maiden of the Rock
Okazaki Shinko

---

"Sounds bad," Shinko muttered, wondering what kind of opponent Revan would be. Considering he was part of the Uzumaki clan, he would most likely have excellent sealing techniques, and being a rogue ninja meant he would probably not hold back in a fight. And since hearing that he killed a member of the Yamanaka family, things started to sound even worse.

As they entered and leaped through the Forest of Death, Shinko tried to feel movement through the earth, but unlike Shirogane, she wasn't as good at sensing different forms of chakra or footsteps with her abilities.

"What can we expect Revan to use against us if he turns out hostile?" she asked.

"A quick browsing of the bingo book says that fighting him will be dangerous. He is a very good swordsman and knows how to use it at not just close range but at range. I would love to give him a good fight, but he is far-out of our league. Instead of confrontation, we should try to find Shinobu's team and keep their location known to ANBU Black Ops at all time. Whatever he has planned, it has to do with either Shinobu or Inoko. If we can get to them, we can monitor them, provide a cover for their escape should Revan target them, or pull them-out if we receive the order to do so," Haruka explained. For a brief moment, he was reminded of exams from two year's past. He blinked momentarily, and let the memory go. "Fortunately for them and unfortunately for us, my old teammates were fans of ambushes. They should be hiding, probably even more so if they know Revan is here. Our best hope is to look for a natural corridors or chokepoints in the forest. That is where they would put their traps to get rival genin teams, and they were always close-by to get to the team before the trapped team could even figure-out their predic'," Haruka said right as he dropped-out of the conversation, contorting his body, no longer aligned to the branches as he skidded across and barely caught a hold of the side of the oversized tree branch. Rather than panicked, Haruka seemed happy.
"Yes! there was trip-wire trap set in the air between the large branches. We must getting closer to them!" Haruka cheered with the discovery of a trap, before letting a slightly uncomfortable laugh when he noticed that he looked down at the jagged rocks fifty meters below him. "The traps are nastier than I remember them."

[Anowa]

Maris positioned Shinigami behind Revan in order to attack behind with a slice with it's scythe, which had been coated in Maris' special poison that even so much as a prick would make someone beg for death.

He quickly made several hand seals before placing his hands in front of him, aiming towards Revan In a flash of blue, a bolt of lightning was released, sending blue sparks rushing towards Revan. (http://naruto.wikia.com/wiki/Lightning_ ... pth_Charge)

The scythe was blocked with little effort on the red clad man's part, the smell of ozone and the feeling of static alerted Revan that the next attack was lightning based as soon as the light reached him.

He jumped into the air a few feet above the puppet, and threw his sword in a seemingly random direction, except it wasn't random the sword took the hit of lightning from Zankuro, and due to it's lack of grounding, maintained all that energy. What happened next shouldn't of surprised Kurou, but it did.

Revan's sword curved mid flight and impacted the branch that Revan and Shinigami were upon. The section of branch the sword touched exploded with a high amount of force, and began to fall. Revan acted quickly and grabbed his sword, leaping towards Zankuro.

It was this moment that Kurou finished his hand signs and fired the Water release equivalent of a fire bullet, Water Shark Bullet, Kurou didn't realize his mistake until it was much too late. You see, pure water was actually a terrible conductor, and since Kurou pulled all that water out of the moisture in the air there was nothing in it to conduct electricity.

When Revan all but dispelled the bullet, and proceeded to use his own control of the Water Release to wreath himself in pure water, it pretty much gave him a rudimentary shield to defend against Zankuro with.

Kurou was mentally yelling, Revan had improved by leaps and bounds since he last saw the boy. While Kurou had only increased marginally, he was silently thinking that it might be too late by the time the ANBU got there.

---

He bets with his luck on whether this guy would lead him to the original, or at least a possible target. Either of those would be very vital.

Shaoyun wasn't wrong in that assumption, the clone was heading towards a target, though not the one SHaoyun would be fully expecting. Instead he was walking straight through Shinobu's little hell in a cell. His Byakugan would make seeing most of them easier. However his pursuer would have a much harder time avoiding them.

Evidently the clone wasn'y paying too much attention to what was in front of him, since he used the same branch that a green clad Konoha-nin, and a ninja from the Rock village (Haruka and Shinko) as a stepping stone to head deeper into the trap laden mess. They didn't appear to be an imminent threat, so he did nothing to them, the fact they were in the area meant they didn't know much about the traps within.