The First Exam: Forest Scavenger Hunt

[NPC [Saska]]

A man stood upon a raised platform in front of the crowd before him. A number of Chuunin were here, but amongst them were a number of Jounin as well; disguised, of course, and easily passing as the Chuunin they were meant to be. Why were they there, one might ask? Well, they were working as testers, basically. They were meant to test the skill of the people on each of the teams... And that was what this man was about to announce.

"I welcome you all here to Konohagakure no Sato. The Hokage herself is unable to attend in order to give the formal greetings, so in her stead, I welcome you all from the other villages." Tsunade was busy doing her paperwork as usual, and didn't have time to show up at the exams like she would have. Nonetheless, this man, an ANBU member now posing as an examiner, was now going to take care of things in the best way he could.

"I will explain the details of this first test. A number of you should recognize the area that is before us," he began, gesturing towards the gate behind him into the forest. The area was completely fenced off, and it was too uncannily familiar for most. "This is dubbed the Forest of Death, a large, forested area here in the Hi no Kuni. Most of you should remember it from the Chuunin Exams that were held in Konoha." Stepping down from the platform, he was given a scroll by a woman who looked laden with them... Opening it as he took his place back, he began to read, only barely following the words written.

"There are a total of one hundred and twenty items hidden in this forest. It has been gridded into a total of one hundred squares on the maps you will be given. Your job is to acquire a total of one hundred points in order to pass on to the next stage." He noted a few confused faces in the crowd, not really caring how confused they might have been. "As you are most likely aware of already, there are dangers within this forest aside from those you will be put up against. There are shinobi in there ready to attack you on sight. There are also different carnivorous animals and poisonous plants that will kill you should you find them.

"Now, how will you go about acquiring these points, you may ask? Each of the teams will be given a points card just like this," he stated, holding up a blank card. The team cards wouldn't be blank - they would have the names and photos of each member of the team on them, to help them figure out who was who - but they would be similar. "There will be a slot on the item, and when you find it, you will insert your points card. It has already been charged with each of your chakras, and will respond to any of the team members pushing chakra through the card. Now, what will you use this for, you may ask? This will keep track of how many points and items you have collected thus far."

Now, it was time for the much bigger part of everything. Rolling up the scroll, he walked down to the woman and switched it with another one, returning once again to the raised pedestal-like stage. "These are the teams. Team One will be the following members: Haruno Sakura from Konoha, Kogitsune from Hoshi, and Inuzuka Kiba from Konoha.

"Team Two will consist of Kurosawa Hatsumi from Ame, Fujiwara Asuka from Konoha, and Takasaki Tadeo from Konoha.

"Team Three will be Tenten from Konoha, Ketsueki Sora from Konoha, and Tsumetai Yukimaru from Yuki.

"Team Four is made up of Inuzuka Hana from Konoha, Yamanaka Ino from Konoha, and Kuroyama Karei from Ame.

"And last but not least, Team Five will be Daiomoru Yukimi of Kiri, Izuru Kiro from Konoha, and Iwahashi Daisuke from Iwa. Please line up with your team members to receive the items you will be given at each of the numbered booths. You will go to the booth corresponding to the team number that you are. There are five booths." Once he was finished, he pointed to the booths and nodded to the entire crowd, signalling a dismissal. He could note a total of two Jounin... Kuroyama Karei and Iwahashi Daisuke. This was surely going to be an interesting thing to go through with...

[Ketsueki Sora]

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The crowd was tight with excitement. Chuunin from across the continent had come to seek their dreams and duties of rising to the Jounin status, and the secret tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife. There were well-wishers there as well, but no doubt every eminent competitor was shot through with an air of complete sincerity. No time in their lives had yet been so important as the Jounin exams. And with the Forest of Death as their first challenge, many Chuunin felt the creeping nostalgia of different exams from long ago. Fortunately, Sora knew this forest well, as she had probably been the most recent to explore it for her special Chuunin exam. Perhaps this gave her an important advantage over the others, neh? This helped her inner self gain in a little confidence, as she detested the forest and its little surprises.

It had been perhaps six months since that fateful day that she came to the Hokage and pled for her clan's acceptance into Konoha. She had been willing to do anything for her clan's safety. Ironic it was since she was perhaps the most hated by the high-ups that had elected her as the representative. She was known for a more than rebellious past, but as it stood, was the only capable member of the family to lead it officially. How she had hated them all up to her brother's death. A promise was a promise, though so she owed it to him to preserve what was left of the Ketsueki. Thus she bent to her mother and the Hokage as best she could, taking on all their conditions and criticisms (most of which came from her mother's side) whole-heartedly. She had gone back to shinobi school, graduated, relived the Chuunin exams and all their horrors, and finally earned her way back to where she belonged...as a Konoha nin. At this thought, Sora ran her long fingers across the edge of her Leaf hitai ate. Such pride she had felt as it all happened. After her appearance to the residents of Konoha, her clan had slowly made their way into its society as well and had been able to be born again in the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Oh, her mother hated the assimilation, but she would just have to deal with it. She would have to attend the later stages of the exam, just like everyone else, as Sora would be the first of her family to reach the rank of Jounin in Konoha. She could not lose in front of that woman.

Turning her ears to the sound of the announcer's voice, Sora listened intently to the rules, procedures, and teams.

"Team Three will be Tenten from Konoha, Ketsueki Sora from Konoha, and Tsumetai Yukimaru from Yuki."

A silent nod to herself came after hearing this information. Tenten she knew from the village, though they were not familiar enough to be called anything beyond acquaintances. She was a weapon user, a sharp-shooter, skilled well in the areas of Taijutsu. Knowing herself as well, Sora prayed quietly that this Tsumetai shinobi was versed in the ways of Genjutsu, for otherwise it was sure to be the team's weakspot. A dangerous area to lack in when exploring the Forest of Death. She tried to recall what she had read of the shinobi before the exams, as she had tried her hand at proper research of the competitors. Her notebook was somewhere in her coat, but she didn't want to look particularly suspicious by withdrawing it now.

She headed dutifully over to the third booth, designated to Team Three. She would meet and greet her teammates there, she decided. No need to dillydally at times like these. Seto was counting on her after all.

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[NPC [Monsun]]

Amidst the many shinobi from Konoha, Suna, and the other five countries, there were only a few that stood out, and one of those few was a tall, rather lanky man with tousled blond locks and eyes that resembled the icy terrain that once covered his homeland of Yukigakure, but despite their color, they and all of his soft features held a warm and friendly glow that was now common in the flower-filled village. What had once been nothing more than a barren wasteland of ice and hatred was now a rolling grassland brimming with beautiful colors that the inhabitants had never before thought possible.

This place - the Forest of Death, was it? - was similar to his home village in... less than a few ways, and it quite frightened the man. Here he was, a complete outsider now exposed to the towering trees and other oddities of Konohagakure when he was used to only seeing a few shrubs here and there in a sea of green. This forest was... different. Instead of the welcoming scents of lavender and rosemary, he was now faced with an unsettling atmosphere that shook him to the core, though he dared not to show it. The clothes on his back that were enough to keep him comfortable at home now seemed stuffy in the humid atmosphere, and he shrugged off the light scarf that had been draped around his neck and neatly folded it before placing it in his bag for safekeeping.

"Team Three will be Tenten from Konoha, Ketsueki Sora from Konoha, and Tsumetai Yukimaru from Yuki."

Hearing his name called gave the newcomer a strange sense of relief, and he padded over to the booth to find a man about his age or younger with silvery tresses and bloody eyes that overflowed with determination. Yukimaru was sure that he could work with a person as diligent-looking as this.

"Good evening," Yuki started with closed eyes a gentle smile, holding out a pallid hand to his teammate. "I am Tsumetai Yukimaru. It is an honor to meet you."

[Tenten]

Stand In The Rain, Stand Your Ground, Stand Up When It's All Crashing Down...

~She Doesn't Know Why, But She Knows That When She's All Alone, Feels Like It's All Coming Down~
❃♈❃ тєитєи ❃♈❃
"Okay, if you insist, remember you asked for it!"

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As much as she was able to hide it, Tenten was nervous as freaking hell. She'd been like that ever since they had been announced, and ever since she'd entered herself into them after receiving a request letter. It lightened the stress of the moment to know that for one, Lee wasn't taking part in the exams, and two, that Neji had reassured her rather well that she'd do fine. Of course... No matter how much her Hyuuga-Teddy-Bear could reassure her, she would still be nervous, though she was good at hiding that factor.

Confidently she'd been standing there in the crowd, listening very perceptively to every word the man uttered. She was paired with two people... Ketsueki Sora from Konoha - a girl she'd heard about from Sakura, and an interesting one at that - and Tsumetai Yukimaru... Whom she had no idea who the hell that was. The only one she knew a sniff about was Sora, and Sakura had told her bits and pieces. She rather liked the girl's confidence and willingness; it seemed she'd trek through mud to get her goals accomplished. Even go so far as re-take the Academy and Chuunin Exams in order to get there... It was quite the surprise.

And it was something that Tenten could say she admired. The girl didn't rely on people... Tenten hated relying on others, especially in situations she could take care of herself. There were a few instances that she knew she had to, but if she could be confident she could do it herself, she wouldn't bother unless necessary. Bolstered by her thoughts, Tenten walked over to the booth that was assigned to their team. It was a little further from the little foundation the man had been standing on, more around the side of the forest, which meant there was a bit of a walk around to get to it. Ahead of her, she could see two people... One with silver hair and one with blonde. The Konohagakure headband that was easily visible from Tenten's vantage point told her who was who; the blonde one was Yukimaru, and the silver-haired was the kunoichi. An interesting combination...

She could easily note a few things about the two of them that struck her interest; for one, they were both quite pallid in their looks. The contrast between their lighter complexion and hair wasn't as stark as she'd seen, but it was still rather white and to some, could be considered blinding. Oh yes, she'd seen stark contrasts all right... She spent time with one of those people, actually. How stark could a contrast be between dark, long brunette locks, very light complexion, and lavender eyes that appeared to have no pupil?

Very, very stark.

She could also notice a few other things, the more she looked; the boy was tall, lanky, strangely enough reminding her of Neji, once again. In her opinion, the Hyuuga boy was almost too light for his own good, though one couldn't really tell too well. She spent enough time with him to notice that amongst other things... But that wasn't something to think about at the moment, now was it? Continuing her perceptive ideals, she noted as well that the girl seemed rather... Tomboyish. More so than Tenten herself. Interesting... She could also see that the girl's irises were a dark, crimson red. Oddly-coloured eyes were nothing new to Tenten; she saw them basically on a daily basis. This, however, was a little different... She'd never seen a contrast of red before. Lavender, grey, and other various shades like that had been seen, but never a deep red. Very, very interesting...

There were other things of note, but Tenten simply stored those in an easily-accessible section of her subconscious for later. She'd perceived enough for now.... The boy seemed articulate, friendly, and somewhat soft-spoken. Well, that was definitely almost too common for Tenten's own good. If she wasn't careful, she'd probably call him Neji by accident. Definitely not a good thing... Whatever the case, she hoped their team would be good enough to keep up.

"Ohaiyo, Sora-san, Yukimaru-san," Tenten greeted, her voice light and rather friendly. Yes, hopefully this would work well in the Exams...

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You Stand Through The Pain, You Won't Drown, And One Day What's Lost Can Be Found...

[Iwahashi Daisuke]

Hana felt like it was the Chuunin exams all over again but this time more selective and less shinobi taking part of the exams. She felt a bit tight in her stomach for the most part that she really never experience before in her time doing a mission. This was the first time that she had actually thought about doing these exams and now was slightly regretting way she had placed her name in. Her brother Kiba was here has well along with her boyfriend Tadeo. This just did not feel right for her but she was an Inuzuka and could not back down just because of her feelings, her mother was sure to give her hell for it if she did.

Her hand was at her side and she felt a like on the side of her thumb. This made the young women relax slightly. That was right she did have somewhat of an upper hand at the moment. Instead of just one of her, she had three dogs there with her to protect and help her thought this little scavenger hunt. She was not sure what to think about this little game but knew that it had something to do with skill right? There was going to be fun after all she got to meet someone outside of Konoha. The other one she knew was Ino, her brother's little crush, this was a perfect time for them to get to know each other right?

She took a deep breath slightly when they was told to go to their team booth to get start up. In the long run of things she could see herself at lease guessing something right. She was not sure exactly what tho, and she might be the oldest one of the team but she was a medic ninja so she could tend to both the team and her dogs wounds when needed. She walked over to the booth noticing that she was the first one there. "Where that girl at and who is the Karei person..." She muttered to herself for the most part. The three brothers had sulked over with her has well, as they started to sniff around to find out who was strong and who wasn't that strong.

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Daisuke was not sure exactly what he was going be doing in the exam. He knew he had to act like a Chuunin and seemed to be the oldest person in his team. Somehow he was starting to warm up to the fact that he got to pick on these younger shinobi. He was not the one that they was watching so he could goof off and throw them off guard a few times and see how well they react to wrong information under pressure. He had to remember not to over think things tho it could mean his cover would be blown. It was also seem like he was the only one from Iwagakure was here to take part in the exam.

He slowly yawned to himself and made his way over to the booth and looked at the items that was given for the exam. He was not to sure about this Forest of Death tho. It could just be something that was not that much of a threat and he could get some information out of atlease the Konoha ninja about the forest. He didn't like going in a place he was not aware of for the most part.

Intead of forcing his mind to think about what laid ahead of this little quest he turned and looked around at the people that would be taking part in the exam too. 'More Konoha ninja here than anything...seems like each team has one or two..each. There are two from Ame, one from Kiri, one from Yuki, one from Hoshi, and myself. I will have to be careful to what I do and say here no need showing off, that is these kids job." He tugged on his shirt just slightly to straighten it out before someone on his team saw him in this state. His brown eyes tho kept watching the other booths trying to take in more information about the people he was seeing here.

[Kiba Inuzuka]

Kiba stood at attention, listening to the man atop the platform, listening to the information that was given. "A scavenger hunt? This is gonna be a piece of cake, I mean seriously, how hard could this be?" The Inuzuka boy thought to himself, knowing in the back of his mind that he'd been through much rougher stuff than this. The only things that concerned him was his team that was drawn for him, beating his sister's boyfriend Tadeo that was on another team, and trying not to get into confrontation with Ino, although if the two did face one another, he was sure she would fight him just as hard as anyone else, which is what Kiba wanted from her, hoping that their relationship didn't get in the way of ninja business.

Kiba then heard the team line-ups and was somewhat happy with his, knowing that he had the strength of Sakura beside him, but wasn't sure about the third person...Kogitsune. "Hmm, I hope they don't slow us down, this is too important to screw up." Kiba thought to himself. His eyes hit Tadeo's as Kiba moved to the booth he was assigned and as he walked by the boy, he whispered to him.

"I hope you're going to withdraw, because once we butt heads, you're gonna wish you hadn't entered, you wont have enough for Tsume Tadeo." Kiba said lowly to the med-nin.

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Tadeo stood, feeling mostly relaxed and laid back for the most part, although feeling slightly out of place for the most part, since he really had no attacking jutsu, being a straight up medical ninja. Sure, he could use a technique or two, despite them not being the most accurate attacks, but he figured that he was skilled with weapons and could help if one of his teammates were injured or something of that nature.

Hearing the line-up that he was going to be involved with, Tadeo wasnt sure about either of the Chuunin he was paired with, not knowing Asuka or Hatsumi one bit. Tadeo just hoped that he could contribute in some way as the exams went on. As he moved to the booth that he was instructed to go to, Tadeo ran into Kiba, and the two exchanged words.

"Hah, I'm not afraid of this, and if we run into you, I'll be enjoying the items you found for us." Tadeo said softly. "And don't you worry about me and Hana, Tsume's got nothing on me dogboy...." He said playfully. With this, the two did a fistbump and went to their respective booths.

[/size][/color]

This was going to be exciting for sure...

[Haruno Sakura]

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"This time, everyone, get a good look at my back."
✿❀✿ ♡нαяυησ×ѕαкυяα♡ ✿❀✿
She's Good For One Day Of Comfort, Only Because She Has Suffered

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Sakura herself knew the exact reason that she'd been paired with none other than Kogitsune. A small smile crossed her face as she heard that; Tsunade had worked her little fingers after all. She knew for a fact that the Hokage had pulled the strings to keep the duo on a team together, for the simple fact that Sakura was the only one involved in the Exams that knew of and could handle the teen's condition. Now she just hoped that Kiba would be able to get used to it, and not have a fit when something happened.

Now, of course, Sakura was thinking along the lines of strategy. Kogitsune would be their long-ranged fighter, due to his leaning towards Ninjutsu-based combat, and Kiba would be mid to close range... Sakura herself would bounce between all three ranges. Why, one might ask? For one, Sakura was the only medic on the team, and while this wasn't a mission, everyone knew that the medic was always the most important member of the team. If Sakura was taken out by something, that would mean they would all fall eventually. At least with the medic alive, injuries could be dealt with in a proper manner for battlefield medical aid; without the medic, any injuries would have to be dealt with in a minor way, usually with bandaging or the like. At least with Sakura there, they could utilize her Shousen no Jutsu to their advantage.

Of course... Her crazy ass strength would come into that, too. Not very many people knew about that... And Sakura was glad that she'd gotten the initial scare of her ability over and done with with the Hoshi-nin. At least now, because he knew about it and could probably gauge a hit, he wouldn't have a fit in the middle of battle... At least, not over that. Hell, she hoped he didn't have one. That would not be a good thing at all. Of course, she wasn't quite as worried about it as she could have been... Because their team was technically a four-man team. Yes, that was right... Her, Kogitsune, Kiba, and Akamaru... And she didn't doubt the inu-nin's ability, either. He'd come in handy.

Sakura strolled very casually over to their booth, not seeming as if she were worried. As she reached there, it looked like Kiba was the first one there... Good. She needed to get across the fact of their other comrade and warn him about it. Once she was in the booth before their other comrade had arrived, Sakura spoke in a very calm and serious tone. She'd save her good news for later.

"Kiba, Akamaru," she started, her hands absent-mindlessly reaching back for those black gloves she always wore. "I need to warn you both about something. Our other comrade, Kogitsune, has a certain... 'condition' that he suffers from. If it so happens that in the middle of a confrontation, he breaks out into a fit, I need one of you to back him up and possibly back me up at the same time. Shishou-sama, er, Tsunade-sama, purposely had us put on the same team due to the fact that I'm the one monitoring this condition of his.

"Oh, and on the same note, you better hope Ino doesn't run into us. You could have a bobble-head girlfriend for a little while," she added, lightening the statement. A bright grin crossed her face... Kiba would know what she meant. This was a rivalry between her and Ino; they wanted to see who'd pass and who wouldn't. Like hell she was going to let Ino do better than her. Still... Sucked on the end that she was paired with the blonde's little lover. Yawning a little, she stretched, having pulled her gloves on as she was speaking, and cracked her knuckles.

"Let's crack some heads," she said, a devilish smirk crossing her features. "I'll do the real cracking."

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[Kogitsune]

Throughout the bulk of the speech that the exam Procter gave, Kogitsune was zoning in and out of focus. He was usually a studious person with a sharp ear and a quick wit, though he was slow for reacting, but now with all of the new information and memories of the forest piling on, Kogitsune could hardly keep himself from breaking into one of his now-famous-to-his-guide-named-Sakura's fits.

As soon as he had heard where the exam was to take place, Kogitsune already had felt a sinking weight in the pit of his stomach. The Forest of Death.... It was definitely a place of death and sorrow for him. His ex-lover, Hakuhoshi had died during the Chuunin Exams, and now, he was forced to come back to where they had last been happily roaming about together? This wasn't right. This wasn't the best place for him - or for anyone - to be. It was brimming with danger, and he was sure that others carried unpleasant memories of the forest as well, but none that he knew of more so than the Hoshi-nin himself. He had no idea how badly he had been dreading the return of this forest, and now, it was staring him straight in the face. Its leaves were whispering the tale of his lost love, and the breeze questioned why he was standing where he was and listening to the man on the platform. His warm chocolate eyes were now glazed and shallow with his sedated state of mind.

As thankful as he would have been about Sakura being on his team were he not so close to his worst memories, he neither showed nor felt the slight sense of happiness that was tugging at his weakened heart as the crowd slowly began a dull bustle towards their stations. He was left standing in place and staring into the dark abyss that was the Forest of Death. It was only when he finally noticed someone brush against him while walking to a station that Kogitsune realized that the crowd had been moving at all, and he glanced unsurely around until he caught sight of a bobbing head of short, pink hair striding across the grass.

Kogitsune walked at a slow, tired pace to where his guide had ducked into, but when he reached the flapped hut, the Hoshi-nin heard whispers that sounded like they were from Sakura to whom he supposed was the other teammate. What was his name? Inu... something. He couldn't exactly remember, but the surname had something to do with canines.

When Kogitsune caught a snippet of Sakura's warning to the canine-named teammate, he instantly fell back into his numb state. It was what killed Hakuhoshi, and it would be what ultimately killed Kogitsune unless something else beat it to him. Kogitsune subconsciously leaned against the hut for need of a support and lightly pressed a hand against his heart. It was emotionally and physically in pain, and nothing Sakura or Kumataka did to retard the pain would help...

Kumataka? How could Kogitsune have forgotten about him for even a moment?

It was he that brought a sense of joy into Kogitsune's heart and sent a burning chill down the Hoshi-nin's spine whenever they looked into each others' eyes. It was he that was there for him when Sakura was not and took care of him when he needed it the most. It was he who somehow always managed to find a way to put a smile on Kogitsune's lips and a bounce in his step when there was nothing to be happy about.

With his new lover in mind, Kogitsune took a deep, calming breath and a few seconds to get himself back together before pushing back the entrance flap and joining his teammates in the hut.

"It is good to see you again, Sakura-san," Kogitsune mumbled in his usual quiet demeanor with a fresh smile on his face from the thoughts of Kumataka. He gave a bow of his head before turning to face the new man as he searched his memories for his name. "And it is a pleasure to meet you, Inuzuka Kiba-san, was it?"

[Kiba Inuzuka]

Chuckling slightly as he and Akamaru stood at the designated booth for the team he was with, Kiba met up with Sakura and was simply listened as she gave him the rundown about strategy and about some condition that Kogitsune suffered from, which Kiba seemed to find this weird, Sakura basically pulling him to the side and telling him that he freaked out during battle. "O...k..." Kiba muttered, looking skeptically at Sakura. "Well, whatever, just as long as he doesn't slow us down, I don't care Sakura." Kiba answered back, grinning slightly. Akamaru backed up Kiba's response with a bark of his own and everything seemed cool.

The Inuzuka boy laughed at the next part that Sakura brought up, warning Kiba that he better hope that Ino didn't run into the group. "Meh, This is a serious exam Sakura, she knows to fight as hard as she needs to and to put that stuff aside, and so do I." Kiba answered. "Those two girls, still after each other in this little rivalry of theirs." Kiba thought to himself, shaking his head slightly. "Plus I know I owe you one yet, so after this little test, you name it and I'll do whatever you need." Kiba said with a smirk on his face. "But cracking some heads before then doesn't sound like a bad idea." He added, chuckling slightly.

At this moment, Kiba turned slowly to see Kogitsune enter the booth and looked him over, still a bit confused as to who the person was. But as he was greeted by Kogitsune, Kiba simply returned the greeting as he was trying to at least get along with the two for the time being and not be his annoying, cocky self for a little while. "Hey!! How's it going Kogitsune was it?" Kiba said with a small laugh. "Yeah, thats my name...I'm Kiba." He said with a smirk. The Inuzuka then promptly turned and pointed out his canine companion, who was sitting and nearly as tall as Kiba. "Thats Akamaru...my nin-hound." Kiba added.

"So Kogitsune? Is there anything you wanna know or anything you wanna share?" Kiba asked, not trying to sound nosy or like he was prying, but he really wanted to know what this condition was...

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[Ketsueki Sora]

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Sora turned as the apparent Yuki shinobi came forward to introduce himself. He was a tall, lanky man a little older than she. He had a good-natured smile and friendly demeanor, but those could easily mean nothing in the field. She would remain watchful but decided it best to treat him as a friend and teammate. There was no reason yet to act otherwise.

She regarded his amiable gesture and quickly took it, professionally masking her inner analyzations. As she shook his hand, she gave a good-natured smile, as she had been working on it the past six months. By this time, it was perfected to look approachable rather than just menacing, but she had a difficult time of masking her gentlemanly manners. So...her bishieness normally rose when doing this, without her knowledge.

"Good evening. I am Tsumetai Yukimaru. It is an honor to meet you."

"The pleasure's all mine," she said in that strangely deep alto voice of hers. She was polite and said nothing wrong, but that strange creepiness in her manner was something she would never be able to get rid of. Born an outcast--a predator--she was doomed to come off as at least a little bit...odd...no matter how much she tried to be otherwise. Luckily, she had made sure to eat a big meal before coming, so she did not hunger just yet. There was no telling how long that would last with her matabolism in charge. "I am Ketsueki Sora...of Konoha. Douzo yoroshiku." She gave an added bow in greeting. Formality was another feature of her upbringing and nature.

Her thoughts, meanwhile, raced. He was a Yukigakure nin--little information was known about that village. All she personally had gathered in her memory was that it had once been covered in snow, and the people had kept their dreams set heavily on their princess. Something had transpired recently, and now the land was experiencing its very first tastes of spring. She wondered then what jutsu Yukimaru knew. If it was ice-based like the stereotypes said, it might be difficult in Konoha's climate.

Withdrawing from her thoughts again, she saw her other teammate approaching: Tenten of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. She had heard stories here and there around the village: talk about her excellence in weapons and taijutsu and plenty of things to note about her team. She also may have caught a whiff of romantic gossip, but it was not in Sora's nature to care much for such things at all. She took the girl for what she was: a capable-looking young woman. Not someone she would need to drag behind her. Perhaps they would be able to remain moderately successful and efficient for these exams, just prominent enough to be noticed, but not so much that they were targeted. Yes, so long as such things were the case, she could not have cared less for romantic situations and standings.

"Ohaiyo, Sora-san, Yukimaru-san."

"Ohayo gozaimasu, Tenten-san." She gave another bow at her other teammate out of habit and respect. So far so good. If things continued this way, they might be in for a good run.

A thought occurred to her after a beat of silence. The best way to figure what one's teammates' strengths and weaknesses were was to ask. Maybe they wouldn't tell much, but anything that could help them through this stage would be great to know. "So," she began, having been taken slightly out of her comfort zone. She hated circle time. "Is there anything we ought to share with each other before we start this thing?"

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[Izuru Kiro]

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The shadow behind me tears off, in that time I escape
Without noticing even the fallen flowers I jump

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Izuru was late as always seeing he had mishap this morning. That would probably take others just second to do every morning. That morning the blond woke up having a bad hair day. So he had to run all the way to the store to get some hair gel. Due to the fact that he had none left at his apartment. After that he had to run back to his house again. So that he could apply it to his hair and make prefect. That way there was no wings and it looked nice and shiny like it usually did when he went out.

When he arrived the meeting area of the exams he stopped short. Man at all the people he wined to himself in a slight panic. He began to shake slightly as he looked around. Trying to figure out what area he was suppose to be in. There seemed to already allot of groups of three already. But there had to be one group that was short a member of there somewhere. After about two minutes of searching he spotted one. It was with a brunette and guy and some other guy he didn’t know.

Great some people I don't know. I hope they some creeps that will attack me or something. He thought to himself with a worried look on his face. As he shuffled over to Daisuke with his clenched and shaking. Like they always did when he was nervous about something. When he was in the general area of Daisuke. He stopped and look at him and the other man with him. Great they look scary up close too he thought shyly in his thoughts. As he looked to the ground to avoid ice contact. That would probably cause him to turn a shade of pink.
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Riding on faint hopes carried by the night wind, How far can we go?
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