Event Crack of dawn. (Cypress Society)

[Kimari Bōmu]

Many had prepared themselves for what was to come for today. Several shinobi who had been touched with the blessing of the earth worked long and hard for days on end reconstructing Kitsune Park for this event, the design of the arena certainly had changed for the time being and it's form certainly would over the course of the day. Several members of each branch had been asked to come and help for each challenge that the genin, chuunin and jounin would face, and it was clear that the coliseum was teaming with spectators who couldn't wait to behold the power and skill every participant had to offer. The spectator boxes having been expanded because of the amount of traction the recent event had pulled in, thousands were drawn from the village of Konoha. It was a perfect day like no other, the sun's rays warmly beating down with a crisp breeze that could inspire anyone to head outside today, a few clouds which would calmly float above in the bright blue sky. In just a few minutes participants waiting outside would be encouraged to enter the stadium and make their way on to the field but first it was the time for an announcement.

Flying overhead the arena a loud cheer could be heard "PEOPLE OF KONOOOHAAAAAA!!!" atop a small white cloud zooming down a blond haired man with one of the most eccentric hairdo's and glasses out there would float down in to the middle of the arena, a wide grin upon his face and wearing some sort of ninja gear which appeared to look like a collar of miniature speakers elevating the sound of his voice, if needs be. Although it was piercing enough as it is likely being able to be heard far and wide, it'd be a surprise if the other villages couldn't hear a small murmur each time he spoke. "Are you ready?!" With a booming voice that was ecstatic as they come, he clearly was here to hype up the audience for what was yet to come. And in response the crowd went wild cheering and screaming to see the contestants of today, some names were even thrown out and chanted. It seems a fan favourite was Kaguya Mitsuha. "Hope everyone is having a beauuuuutiful day! I'm Yukuto Kyouhei, 27 year old, up and coming announcer of Konoha! Giving you guys your entertainment I'll be sure to capture each and every painful punch and soaring strike that goes down! I promise ladies and gents you won't be leaving with a frown!" Wild and boisterous in every thing he said and did he soared across the spectator's seat throwing out candy and all sorts of treats which he pulled from out of his cloud, laughing and giggling as he flew.

"Now! You probably all are ready to see some action eh?! Well it's not long left! Seems you guys already know a few people who'll be taking part! Word gets around fast! I for one can't wait to see Aki in action! So... why don't we welcome in our participants for today? Make sure to give em a big loud cheer!" The gates would open for all the shinobi who are taking part and waiting outside to enter the coliseum, being escorted in by a few genin one even asking a few for an autograph as they walked in to their arena. Roaring and chanting the crowd would go crazy, the whole coliseum really coming to life as Kyouhei would also cheer and chant alongside them. All the trees seemed to have been removed and replaced with varying run down houses and buildings constructed out of concrete and wood, scattered around, resembling an abandoned small livelihood, if shinobi were to look clearly there might even be people residing inside of some of these run down and semi-destroyed miniature buildings. The ground still being a mixture of grass and earth there, in the centre of all of this resided a large low pillar which could likely fit 50 people, all of the ninja taking part were being directed to stand upon, this seemed to be a crucial point for the start of the trials.

"Settle down! Settle down! Boy is this exciting! Welcome! Isn't it crazy to think 10 enter and only a few of you will leave as members of the brand new CYPRESS SOCEITY!! You must have some nerves eh?! No need to be scared, i'm sure you'll all do great! Now it's about times for introductions don't ya think?! Let's start with the genin, oh how bright and eager they are! First of all, the walking talking youngster samurai of leaf, Nanjirou Otakemaru! The roaring youth taking the sky, Kyoujouran Ayeka! Elegance and power combined in to one, Kaguya Mitsuha! Master of all things insects and the like, Aburame Kiriyomi! The earth's one and only princess, Ryuu Otami! And the youngest contestant we have today, Akira the kid!" Whilst each title was exactly 100% accurate it was more or less enough for people to gauge who they were. Leaving time for the audience to clap and cheer Kyouhei let out a cheeky grin as he stroked his short perky moustache. "Next up is the two of our chuunin! The tough and ruff brothers of leaf, Inuzuka Keiyaku and Morutobu! And the raging rock who dares to fight, Kyoujouran Keniwa! But... oh you ask? What about the jounin?! Well! Those two would happen to be... the man who could carry the biggest of mountains, Basuta! And the most beautiful and radiant participant we have today... my personal favourite! Sugihara Aki!"

With everyone here and in the stadium it was about time to get started however... there was someone who had something to say before it all began.

[OOC: Everyone has a week to post before my next post which will kick off the beginning of the event. Good luck!]

 

[Sugihara Aki]

Aki knelt, absentmindedly tightening the wraps around her ankles as the crowd howled outside. Nervousness was something she knew that every single shinobi dealt with at some point in their careers—in fact, she'd had classes dedicated to overcoming it in the face of duty, classes she had ended up doing pretty well in. Moreover, she was getting farther and farther from a rookie ninja with each passing day, and now that she was going on missions more frequently (not to mention the stress from monitoring her older brother's condition for the past 6 months), one could say with reasonable certainty that she had experienced her fair share of anxiety. She was something of an expert at this point.

Every time, though. Every time, no matter how much or how little she had prepared, no matter the ultimate danger or lack thereof, no matter if it was a life-or-death team mission or an interesting Konoha-sponsored tournament her brother had talked her into joining, she still ALWAYS got nervous before any kind of big moment. It was wildly inconvenient. The worst part was that all her experience and practice dealing with nerves did in fact work, but only when she picked a moment for them to 'activate', like when her squad leader gave a signal and it was time to actually do the fighting. Up until that point it was just awful, and when it was over the only thing she could remember clearly was the nerve-wracking buildup.

Mental rant aside, though, she had been looking forward to this event for quite a while. She'd mentioned seeing an advertisement for it offhandedly to Sanjiro, whose response was that he 'had always wanted to be the Hokage's bodyguard' and that he wanted her to enter so her poor injured brother could fulfil his dream vicariously. It was a dumb reason, since he was almost completely recovered now and could have definitely entered on his own; he had just done it as an excuse to get her engaged in something besides missions. And, well, it worked... she had forgotten how good it felt, having a real goal to train towards. While she had never really had a dream like that of her own, it probably wouldn't be terrible to work closely with the leader of the village and collaborate on his protection (because honestly, the Cypress Society wouldn't be solely responsible for his safety; he could likely guard himself without much trouble).

Remembering how much fun she'd had with training was a nice reprieve for a moment, until another roar sounded from outside and her stomach twisted into a knot again. It was time to go. She took a slow, deep breath... which was interrupted by a sudden inhale, did the announcer just say her name?! Her, specifically?? Why her, what did she do?!?

She walked out into the arena behind the younger ninja, who had widened their eyes when they saw her, almost like they recognized her but didn't want to say anything (which did not help her nerves. Why was she being recognized. She was just some random Chuunin, she had done nothing special). As the cheers of the stadium grew to their fullest, the sight of the field of battle brought Aki to her senses a little bit—they'd gotten rid of the trees, and replaced them with scattered buildings, some of which appeared occupied. It wasn't ideal cover, but it could certainly work. She felt another twinge of anticipation as the announcer began introducing the combatants, though. Why was she always this worried...? The other competitors didn't really scare her, especially since they probably wouldn't be fighting directly, nor was she all that frightened of being evaluated by the village leadership. It was like when her grandparents used to watch her and her siblings play ninja, and they ran around kicking over logs until they got bored. God her train of thought was all over the place.

Then it was her turn to be introduced, the last entrant. She was already feeling the nerves finally, finally begin to fade as she checked and re-checked the environment around her, gazing around from the stout central pillar they had gathered on. The announcer's voice distracted her for a moment—of course she got called 'radiant' the one time she went somewhere without weapon paint staining her face and clothes. If everything went well in the next minute or so, it would not stay that way.

Big thank you to everyone who organized this event, and good luck to everyone participating!!

 

[Ayeka]

"PEOPLE OF KONOOOHAAAAAA!!!" Ayeka grit her teeth as the words thundered through the stadium her features hidden deeply within her hood as scaled arms folded over her chest, nerves bubbled away within her as the screams and shouts of the crowd was built into a frenzy as the announcer set the expectations for this tournament. "Why did I join this? I don't do crowds and I don't want to be stared at! Oni-chan I don't know how but this is your fault with your damn outgoing personality quirks rubbing off on me!' Despite her internal thoughts Ayeka appeared outwardly calm and composed since her hood was hiding the massive blush of embarrassment that was painting her features and like many of the ninja in the waiting room she kept to herself allowing her to size up the competition. There were many familiar faces in the group both good and bad in terms of the impression she had of them and even a few people she had never seen before such as the girl who was currently wrapping her ankles in anticipation of what was coming next.

A pneumatic hiss filled the room as the gate at the far side began to open allowing the contestant entry to the stadium which soon had the group walking out into what looked like a dummy town making Ayeka more apprehensive on what they were going to be doing for this tournament as the announcer introduced each participant to ever increasing cheers.

[Sorry couldn't think of much T_T]

 

[Yume Izanami]

"MITSUHA! MITSUHA! MITSUHA!" She could hear the crowd chanting her name over and over. She hates it. Being the center of attention really was never her type of thing. The last time she was in Kitsune Park she was in a sparring match with Keniwa and lost horribly. It was his sick and twisted thought process, he figured that having her fight him in front of the whole village would miraculously get her to get over her shyness. In the long run, it kind of did, though there were some consequences that Keni had to deal with because of it.

But now she was basically a different person, both in looks and in power. Outside of Ayeka and maybe even Keni, she would nearly be unrecognizable to anyone else that sees her. The mechanical whirring of the gates snapped her into focus as she remembered the people cheering her name. Part of her hated it. But another part... Felt like it was intoxicating. Yes... There was a small part in her mind that reminded her of why she wanted to become a ninja. Outside of protecting her family, she wanted to outshine her parents. To become an actress.

She won't use her reality warping powers just yet, no. But her doujutsu, her dragon eyes would stare straight forward to look around to see the many different chakra in the area to get a feel for how the other competitors might fare and if there is something special done to the arena itself. She was aware that the arena made to look like a residential area. If she were to guess, it would mean that they would have to traverse or fight without causing too much damage to the properties.

The rich girl would run scenarios through her mind. If it is a team goal, then the logical step would be to team up with someone who specializes in ninjutsu and one in Genjutsu. That would be the ideal team, since she herself specializes in taijutsu. But knowing her luck, she'd be thrown in with Keniwa if there are teams. Or worst, Basuta, the one that has an unfiltered mouth and personality. And if that is the case she might just take Keni over Basuta. As for the other possibility... Worst case, it's a free for all. She will need to heavily rely on her reality warping powers and maybe even reveal her draconic chakra as well.

 

[Inuzuka Keiyaku]

The Inuzuka brothers had been very much looking forward to it ever since they had signed up. After all the crazy goings-on over the past few weeks, it would be good to just flat-out fight. No infiltration missions, no negotiation, just a straight-up, bare-knuckled brawl. Arriving at the stadium, the announcer's voice booming around the park, the guy seemed to be doing a good job at creating an excitable atmosphere. As the two brother stepped in the light, they spotted the other contestants, most of which were immediately recognisable; Ayeka and Mitsuha among them.

Next up is the two of our chuunin! The tough and ruff brothers of leaf, Inuzuka Keiyaku and Morutobu!

Keiyaku just cracked up at that, unable to maintain his, proud, stoic expression as the announcer's pun. Morutobu, meanwhile, was beaming with pride up at the crowd, gleefully jumping up into the air, hopping on the spot. It seemed his pride came less from the fact of what he was doing here, and more just the fact that someone had directly acknowledged his name, rather than just lumping him in with his big brother. The Inuzuka seemed to already be getting hyped on adrenaline; he was waving, playing to the crowd, shouting out to individual spectators, and generally just enjoying himself immensely.

(( Sorry, the muses were not singing to me. ))

 

[Uzu]

Four weeks of hell. It had been four whole weeks of going through a training regiment she couldn’t have begun to imagine, but the results were all there without Otami needing to flaunt anything. There was a much steelier air around the “princess” now, her form seemed somewhat stoic, and there was something far more grounded about the teen that wasn't there just four weeks ago; and it had all started with the monkeys.

The experience had been harrowing for her in the end. It had woke up something Otami had tried burying when she was introduced to her mother’s home and people. A desire to be human, to be “normal”, but the wilds refused to allow it. Anyone else but her and the Inuzuka probably would have been outright murdered right then, but instead they had been forced into hunting down other people for the primates. The consequence of that fact laid heavy on the girl’s mind for many nights; but it was awake now. Not a sense of guilt or an unsettling detachment from the death that had occurred around her and Kei that day...but the desire for blood, that need to taste her prey’s throat crushed between her fangs and feel it go limp. It wasn’t the death of the people she caused that haunted Otami - it was the need to kill.

So, she sought help from the only person she knew would understand; her remedial mentor Itten. The old Uzumoreru was more than happy to see the blond walk back into his dojo once more. Upon hearing her tale, with a stern voice, he reprimanded her for allowing the beast inside to get an unfettered taste for death but knew all too well the sirensong of blood and thunder. This time, he revealed his past so that Otami could understand what such a taste for blood could do to the young. The decades spent as an assassin from an old clan based in the deserts the blonde's bloodline roamed. That need to kill, the limited training it took to fully harness a power that came so naturally, the hubris he had fallen into because of it; all an experience Itten had turned into a lesson for many of his gifted students. He would help her, but from the very get-go, he promised she would hate him and everything about it; and Otami did.

Yet, four weeks of hell later, Otami emerged back from the Uzumoreru homestead as a girl with a set goal in mind. The old Uzumoreru had made sure to find the girl’s latent talents and drew them out painfully, but he had been right on the money by thinking Otami was a martial genius. She picked up the skills he hadn’t taught her in remedial training as if she had never left, and then through a week of testing the pair found which martial form of the Uzumoreru clan’s many skills she adhered to the best. Sadly, for Itten, it was not with the fist. The art of the Five-Bones Strike continued to be a skill for his hands only. Instead he found that Otami had an almost supernatural inclination for swords. After some minor “research” (stealing documents), Itten learned that his student's father was a notable swordsman. Never enough to become famous for that skill alone, but what little the assassin could find on the elusive Ryuu Tama whispered of the giant’s sword style known as Endless Sky; and it’s terrifying art. To mix Iao and Fencing was a task he couldn’t even comprehend, let alone imagine fighting. But while Itten couldn't teach his student the impossible art of her father, the Uzumoreru Clan had a number of bladed techniques that would suit instead.
“Shadow’s Rondo” was a unique four style swordsmanship, with three advanced techniques that contrasted against the original four. It was one of the skills he was actually prevalent with as well. Though not as mastered as his hand-to-hand form, Itten was no slouch with a sword either. It was also a very complex fighting style that had to be done with a double-edged sword - short or long - and every pupil who had an inclination towards swords he taught could only master the first two movements; yet Otami learned all four in just under a week. Itten trained the blond's alarmingly natural talent in the final three, but refused to allow her to master them as the Uzumoreru instructed him to do. Itten saw in her the potential to create a new style as he father once had. Supposedly, somehow, Tama had managed to create his own style from Scorpion’s Sting, a well known knife style Sunan Soldiers used. If her father could come up with something based off a knife and turn that into a sword art, he could only imagaine what Otami might do with an actual sword technique.

To pay back the man for training he only asked that she willingly sign herself up for the Cypress Society event. For the Uzumoreru, there could be no higher honor than to see one of his students be a bodyguard for the Hokage. So here she was now, gathered with others as an announcer drummed up hype outside to the crowd. She was dressed as she normally would have: short cropped shirt, a blue-jean shorts, and bare feet. Her hair was tied up into a tight bun centered on the crown, but despite all the training with a sword not a single sign of a weapon was anywhere near her. Only a small purple bag that bounced on her hip with each step adorned her waist, tied to a belt loop from her shorts. The doors finally opened to cries and cheers as her and her rivals were lead out to the center of an area threatened to deafen her sensitive hearing. It was weird walking out into the crowded arena with scores of people shouting their names and not having a full blown panic...almost liberating, to be honest. Yet the screams from the bleachers were but quiet whispers of wind as the girl focused on the backs of three other combatants. Being in here was more than just a way to pay back her master for teaching a method to control her bloodlust and polish the latent martial skills laying below. Behind three close friends, Otami smiled warmly at their scents as they mingled in with the strangers and other friends. She hoped it wouldn’t come down to facing either of the Kyoujouran or Inuzuka siblings but, there was an undynable ache of longing to do just that in her core. Perhaps it was the wolf within looking for a partner that could match her strength...perhaps it was tied to something else. Whatever the reason, she couldn't wipe that wolfish grin from her face as Otami looked on at them.

The sun warm on her face, "Princess", raised a hand up casually when her name was called out in a regal way that leaned into her title, but her eyes were focused only on three people in the group.

 

[Ōtakemaru]

Take’s heart was up on his throat, damn it.

Take wanted to prove himself, and recently, he’d made huge steps to go in exactly that direction – improving himself, so that he could be of use. He wasn’t… he wasn’t a weak-willed shinobi anymore. At least, he genuinely didn’t want to – not anymore…

His parents had already lost him. He wasn’t even living with them anymore, he was living in a shared apartment with Nova! He had freedom, peace of mind, everything that had been robbed from him for so long! Now was the time to make use of that freedom, that refreshing energy… to change. Right? Asuka had been through a lot to establish her belief in him, so the last thing he could do was remain the same, weak-minded-

Why…?

Take hadn’t gotten much better lately, not after Aria’s disappearance. Perhaps that was why he was convinced to take his mind off of her for a moment and advance his skills, which led to this large, people-filled, hyped, extravagant day.

… But he was sort of hiding behind Ayeka for most of the time, even as the gates opened up. He was talked into it, but… was it really such a good idea to join this large challenge? When his heart… didn’t even feel that much being in it? Only time could tell, but most of his friends were here too – although, perhaps due to previous ‘instances’, he couldn’t see Mitsuha anywhere – and he couldn’t just be left behind. He wouldn’t.

He wanted to catch up and make good of his own promises. He carried his two swords, his mother’s abandoned, purple haori, his black hakama pants, pretty much what he always wore inside the village. It was all he was left with after leaving his parents’ house, and it was all that he needed… for now, at least. He was still in great need of Ayeka’s tall back, at least until they reached the large platform in the middle.

“… Thank you,” he thanked Ayeka swiftly before lowering his gaze once more, trying his damn best to garner up every ounce of will to go through this. It would be beneficial for him, in the end… and it would make him stronger. “And… thank Keni for me, too. I’ll put his lesson to good use.”

… He wasn’t the only swordslinger here, was he? Call it a swordsman’s intuition, or maybe it was a Nanjirou’s instincts, but… it was a spark. A small flicker in his heart that drew towards another sword wielder… but he didn’t know who. All he knew was that, maybe, he had found a source of motivation to be here…

 

[Uchiha Takeshi]

Takeshi entered the arena, as he walked up the steps towards the seating for the Hokage he nodded to the masked figures that protected this arena, it was clear that the crowd would be in good spirits and that opportunities like this would not be taken so lightly, after all, he needed to make sure that he was represented and of course that people did understand that this was a new important event for the village. As he took the steps up and onto the balcony he decided to gaze down at all those who would be attempting, his normal armor of the village, wrapped by the Hokage robes and hat as he stood there waving to everyone inside of the village who would be attending.

He took his seat and glanced down looking towards the entries into the event as he smiled to himself, with the sun blaring and the spirits of the village in a good place, it seemed that today was a special day after all. He would of course expect nothing less, with the signups determining from a wide range of people what would be expected from them. As he listened to the announcer speaking and declaring each entry as well as the little name that each one had, he allowed a smile to come across his lips.

Drawing his eyes down towards the arena, he watched as each one entered, giving them time to enter he decided to do his speech as they entered addressing the crowd in one go and allowing his warning to not crowd or delay the event, he was here to observe and make notes and he would do that to the very best of his ability, of course, he really didn't know much about this new generation, so this would be interesting to see what they were all capable of in this unique experience.

Standing up he made his way to the edge of the balcony and stood over looking at all the potentials, his eyes scanning each one as he looked to them to gather a small judgment of them before speaking.

"Welcome everyone to the very first Cypress Society trials, I hope each of you is the best, remember to think carefully before taking action, live by your Shinobi code, and most of all demonstrate the Will of Fire in every situation. Good luck and I will be watching each of you with excitement to see what you offer the village for the future."

With that Takeshi allowed himself to take his seat back on the Hokage balcony wondering which of his Sennin would turn up today to see the events that were about to begin.

 

[Kiriyomi]

Today was the dreaded day... Kiriyomi had been looking forward to it for so long, that is until he lost his friends. Shusuke had disappeared after their encounter outside his home, Keiyaku had been whisked away to the Byoin and Kiri wasn't allowed to see him, and the bonds between he and Keniwa were broken. He had no one here on his side, and therefore he had considered dropping out. But, he had promised his mother that he wouldn't. Despite the fact that she wasn't even here and wouldn't know if he did or not, Kiri was a man of his word if nothing else. So while she sat at the Byoin with his grandfather, he snuck around the edge of the group and stood off to the side by himself. He drew the hood of his jacket up higher to try and better disguise himself, crossing his one good arm across his chest as he stared at the gathering group. He breathed a sigh of relief to see that Keiyaku was still going to participate, though a shiver ran down his spine as he remembered the last time that they had seen each other. He didn't want to see that beast come out of his friend today.

As the gates creak open, Kiri gets a view of the arena. It appears to have been transformed since Keni's fight with Mitsuha, and instead contained various rundown buildings and concrete structures, some with people inside. Perhaps their goal today was to rescue the citizens inside these buildings? Surely they wouldn't be expected to fight each other, not with innocent bystanders nearby. If that were the case, then Kiri likely would be dropping out. He couldn't bear to use his abilities in such a manner. He had already spoken with the Hokage and proclaimed that he was going to use them to protect rather than harm. Following the group up onto the stone pillar they were directed to stand upon, he hung back and tried to hide behind the group so that nobody would acknowledge him. Perhaps his name was drowned out by all the cheers of the crowd, especially since they were cheering rather loudly for Mitsuha. It seemed that she was already a crowd favorite.

MFT: 374

 

[Sazuki Nao]

Nao knew of this day... and to tell the truth he was a bit scared of going out, he had as good as his abilities under controll now. But there were still some rare instances that he did not.

He would slowly start to make his way and used his costum jutsu to summon the robes to his shoulders before actually walking through and aee what would be the occassion. It seemed like he already missed the speech and would just greet the hokage polite before moving onto his seat.

"Curious to see about the who, what and where here." He spoke before looking at everyone here.

[106 words, topic entered]

 

[Yamamoto Akira]

Akira listened to the announcement, it seemed that he was going to have to fight an uphill battle from the start, though honestly, that didn't bother him at all, he was used to having to make tough decisions and today was just another one of those days for him. Stepping out onto the field he allowed himself to glance around at everyone who had joined, though it was a surprise to see a lot of these people, he had kept himself out of the way and hidden learning and becoming stronger instead. As he made eye contact with Kiriyomi it seemed that he was here as well, at least he wouldn't be on his own for this.

Standing with the group he listened to the announcer with a small frown and being referred to as the youngest, little did most people really know what he had gone through, how much he had changed, and what research he had committed to get that strength. It seemed that he would have to face some trials, and he would see what came from this, he had no doubt in his mind that this would be his first real challenge, and he was willing to step up to that challenge.

Finally, the speech of the Hokage grabbed his attention, it seemed that some of the higher-ups had come to visit, interesting but not unexpected considering what they had signed up for. Akira was prepared as best as he could be, and of course, he knew that he just had to give everything his best shot.


[MFT: 261]

 

[Basuta]

Track: The Takeover

So this was suppose to be for those seeking glory, honor, and respect huh? Well, I wasn't in much of a seeking mood these days. I had a looooooot of aggression that had been building up, and I saw this a potential therapy session ya know? As far as combat events go, this wouldn't be the first ever. But it would be the first in which I willingly sign up with where strictly Leaf-Nins would be present. I ain't even know what type of battle this would be. All I know was that if any one of these people looked my way, they'd get a sneer of absolute hate as I suck my teeth. I didn't care if pairings of "partnership" were going to be made of assigned. I committed to the decision that I made in my genin days after a number of events of unneeded foolishness,... I don't do teams.

I had my red shades, my red and black pants, black ankle socks and red and black shoes. The Kage said some stuff I wasn't really hearing it right now, because at that moment, I was beggin' and prayin' that someone was dumb enough to give me a reason. I kick back some dust like a bull would and hop a bit to loosen up. I slip out my black mouthpiece for a moment...

Basuta Da Bruiser: (Hype) "C'MON, QUIT STALLIN', LET'S GET IT!"

So this was suppose to be for those seeking glory,... honor,... and respect huh? Well, I wasn't in much of a seeking mood today. Naw, I'm not here to ask for or "earn" sh#t, I'm here to take it,... by any means ya dig.

 

[Kimari Bōmu]

(OOC: As Keniwa)

It was time whether he liked it or not, unsure if the others knew of the most recent events surrounding him as a shinobi there may only be a small handful who could have somewhat an idea yet had likely stayed quiet. It didn't matter though because today... he had no choice, being part of the judges despite having signed up it was too late to draw his name out which led to this somewhat embarrassing situation. Standing outside waiting for the gates to open he was unusually quiet glancing around somewhat anxiously to see how everyone else was fairing, he likely wasn't the most panicked out of them all. It was a big day for each and every one of them in their own ways and he had no doubt that they'd all do great, having finally let go of the past it was time for him to move forward and this event was a huge step. The gates slowly opening up as they creak and hissed, Keniwa reaching for Keiyaku's hand to walk out together, in hopes to calm his nerves there weren't many others who would be able to do it as easily as him. If reciprocated he would slightly blush with his head down as the two walked in to the rest of the arena, finally reaching the starting point in the middle.

As their names were shouted and cheered out one by one, it weighed down more and more on what was about to happen, his own name putting an awfully crumpled face on the Kyoujouran, each of his facial features being crinkled for a short moment. It wasn't long before each name had been called out and the time was nigh, although Basuta's battle cry certainly put a small damper on his mood before he made his announcement, not really what he said but more just the fact he spoke at all. The crowd seemed to enjoy it though as they lit up like fireworks cheering and chanting, if anything it only made it slightly harder for him to have to quiet them down. Though if he had to be honest, everyone participating looked so... serious. Steadfast even, all somewhat grizzled in their own way and ready for the day ahead. For that he couldn't fault any of them.

Making a circle with his hands as he placed them around his mouth Keniwa took a deep breath, "EXCUSE ME! I, UHM, HAVE SOMETHING, TO SAY!" Slowly fading back to silence everyone in the stands looked around in somewhat confusion as the young Kyoujouran promptly cleared his throat before continuing. "I Kyoujouran Keniwa will not be participating in the event today! I am sorry! Unfortunately I wasn't able to notify the event runners before hand due to uh... other... things." Damn, out of all the times to be awkward in front of a large crowd certainly wasn't the time. "However! Instead I will be part of the judging process! This is likely new news to everyone but recently I have been appointed as the Main Branch Sennin, and for that reason I'll be helping decide who will be joining the cypress society. I suppose it'd be a bit silly if I was still taking part, haha..." 'NEW NEWS?! YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING KENI. Oh perfect now I am calling myself Keni.' "However before you guys begin the first round I'd like to say a few words if that's okay."

Looking up to the announcer with a face that screamed, 'Please help me' as he signalled towards his throat he could only project his voice for so long before it'd start to really strain, Kyouhei gave him a cheeky stretched out arm with a thumbs up reaching in to his fluffy cloud and dropping down a microphone. Jumping high in to the air and catching it before gracefully falling down as he took another deep breath swiftly landing back down and standing tall in front of everyone. "Thank you a lot! I'd just like to say, I've spent a lot of my time with the large majority of you guys, and I can not tell a lie, I believe all of you are so... powerful, not just physically! I mean... like as a person. As people." Smiling proudly at all of his friends and allies he couldn't help but see how far they'd all come today. "No matter the results of today, I just wanted you all to realise how great you really are, and I definitely know you will show everybody here your strengths and talents. So, before we begin can we get a round of applause for everyone taking part!" Beginning to clap as he looked at all of his friends the audience slowly but surely would join in, the fresh Sennin chuckled as whilst it went on he quickly made his way up the wall of the arena in to the spectators booth, meeting both Medical Sennin Nao and the Hokage. "Hello Sennin Nao and hello Hokage, I will take a seat over there." In his mind he certainly was panicking it almost didn't feel real not yet at least, one thing was sure though he'd treat these two with the respect which they deserved.

(OOC: As GM)

"IT IS TIME!!! Without wasting any time let me explain the first round of the event! This round is called Rescue Ruckus! You may already have noticed but incase ya hadn't allow me to explain who the people inside of the buildings are! Those my friends are injured shinobi! Well at least they look like them! Obviously we can't use people who are actually injured! So insteeaaad, several medical ninja and medical ninja have used transformation jutsus to appear injured in multiple grizzly and horrendous ways! You guys must carefully and calmly rescue as many as you can, taking them back to the centre here! There you will each have a designated medical ninja who you must clearly state what the injury is and how you would treat it, bonus points if you actually could treat it! If using the proper treatment they will disperse the transformation jutsu, oh! And...! It's always good for shinobi's to work in teams! It's rare you'll go out alone! We'll leave that for you guys decide but we want three teams for three! You have five minutes to decide now!"

Kyouhei would begin chattering to the audience, pretty much keeping them busy and allowing for the contestants to get in to teams, if looking around they could likely count the amount of buildings that were scattered around, they likely would have the highest chances of injured shinobi lying around, however they had no idea whether there could be people littered around in the small amounts of rubble which stood outside the structures. In total there was three small houses, four makeshift small businesses, two tall buildings both being 3 stories tall and finally three regular sized houses. Making a total of 12 possible buildings for participants to go inside of, one the shinobi decide on their teams the event will finally begin.

[OOC: Rough map of arena of current, not exactly to scale. If the round instructions are unclear please dm me on NC or discord and I can make edits to the post/ help clarify if needed, thank you! Another week from this post for everyone to get a post in!]

 

[Yamamoto Akira]

It seemed like it would be a team job then, interesting to say the least, but of course, he knew full well that he had to conform to the parameters that were given, so why not make his move first, rejection could always happen but even now as he pondered the best way to approach this he decided instead to go with the direct approach, instead of just wandering around and hoping for the best it was probably a safer approach to take on the given start head on and not wait for others. As he looked at the crowd that he was with, he saw a familiar face, even an opportunity he guessed as he made his way through the group straight toward the person waiting.

"It has been a while hasn't it Kiriyomi, I presume a lot has changed since we last spoke, though I may have to stand corrected. It seems that the purpose of this first task would be teamwork if you have no other ideas I figured I could tag along, I think you will find my abilities would be an asset and a team that works well together already knows each other could never be a bad thing, so what do you say?"

Akira flashed a smile across to the man who had shown him kindness once, though he had changed a lot, learned a lot, and grown since all that time ago, his clothing and his expressions showed that much as clearly to Kiriyomi as any words could ever have.

[MFT: 257]

 

[Yume Izanami]

Mitsuha was not the least surprised by Keniwa's announcement. In fact, she may have been the first st one to learn of his ascension to Sennin-hood. But that doesn't matter. She focused on what was said by the announcer. Teams. She looked around at each participant. The last person she'd want to be paired with is Basuta. Then she thought about what the challenge is. Finding, escorting, and treating people with injuries. Seems simple enough, maybe too simple.

She figured that there must be more than meets the eye as she scanned around with her dragon eyes, looking for any irregular chakra patterns in the environment. Even with this in mind, she will create hand seals and a single clone would appear by her side as her clone would go one way and her, another.

Her clone would approach Keiyaku and Morutobu and then say, "Hey. I believe your tracking skills as an Inuzuka can come in handy in this situation. Even though it would seem as though each injured person will be in each building, I do suspect there is more than meets the eye than a simple find and escort type of mission."

The real Mitsuha will approach Sugihara Aki and say, "Hello, I believe we have met once. My name is Mitsuha. My clone is trying to get Inuzuka Keiyaku and his brother Morutobu to work with me. And I would ask if you are willing to help make this a team of three. I believe with Keiyaku's sense, my intellect, and your leadership as a jounin, we can go far with this."

(Doing this on phone, will edit for colors)
(Done editing, only thing I did was edit dialogue color font)

 

[Ōtakemaru]

Takeshi’s words of courage… it did feel good to be seen as an upstanding shinobi. Take nodded in agreement, wanting to embody those creeds to the best of his abilities…

Wait… Keniwa wasn’t participating? But his name just got announced, and Take had been… wanting to fight Keniwa, in a way. At his best, unlike the last time they met in this arena. Unfortunately, that might’ve been thrown out the window now, but… in a way, Take was… was…

Not relieved… if anything, he was slightly… annoyed? Him? Why would he be annoyed? Why would he feel such an emotion? It wasn’t as if Keniwa could control it, given by his next words. Be more reasonable, Take-

Main Branch… Sennin?! Genuinely?! That really widened Take’s eyes up, almost losing his breath at the awkward but impactful announcement. “F-For real?” he asked out, unable to stay silent at that point – Keniwa had really shot through the sky, just like that…

So Keniwa wasn’t participating… but he had faith in the others. In everyone here who was participating… and by proxy, he also had faith in Take as well. Now wasn’t the time to get lost in his own thoughts – now was the time to make good use of his accumulated skills over the past few years. Speaking of… he couldn’t possibly use that, could he?

… Remember to think carefully before taking action, live by your Shinobi code, and most of all demonstrate the Will of Fire in every situation…

Already finding himself next to Ayeka, Take gently poked her shoulder: “Hey, Ayeka. I got an idea how to treat injuries… s-specifically bloodloss. S-So, uh… let’s team up. I can be useful to you.”

 

[Basuta]

AWWWW MAN COM'ON!... Well,... *sigh* shouldn't be surprised by either of those announcements. Well it goes to show, it's who you know. I already knew that due to my high Infamy level, for reasons I don't quite understand, I wasn't really getting a vote regardless of my performance. A stacked deck and a rigged game ain't nothin' new. Politics be that way. Couldn't help but say,...

Basuta Da Bruiser: (Notation)"Look at that,.. huh. If ya don't know for a fact that you've already won, then you've already lost. Go figure."

Then again, I had to remind myself that I was here to make a point, not earn approval. But the announcement to follow up that one had me rollin' my eyes.

Basuta Da Bruiser: (Annoyed) "This again?! Man I'm certted(Certified) already though! *sigh* (Calm) Well,... I'm prequalified I guess so,... let's get it."

I step away from the pack rubbing my hands together, leaving them to talk with themselves. Space to um, what's that word... strategize ,... you know. Although I can't say I've done this exact test, I've done similar ones. I knew some of these types of med-nin loved to think themselves above others, even those that do what they do. Doctors man,... *sigh* Can hardly tell them a thing sometimes. And so mnay of the seniors hate to be wrong, or rather, won't allow for others to be right to be exact. Too much education inflates the ego to the n'th degree sometimes. Not your boy though, I eats my humble pie every morning ya dig. Hash-tag humble brag. But yeah, possible med-nin colleague(s) mindset concerning difficulty of diagnoses, noted and calculating.

Anyway, I studied the surrounding building, trying to envision the possible layout of the bigger ones. Although the probability seemed higher that there would likely be at least one ninja if not more in the taller buildings, I wouldn't have a lot of time to investigate a building that size on a solo run, let alone have time to search more structures, na mean. So I turn to face, head toward, and claim the northeast quarter. *Checks a compass from pouch* Yeah, northeast. Terrain difficulty and building spacing, noted and factored. There are other things I'm considering too but...

[Marked for Training]

 

[Ayeka]

Ayeka flinched as she felt a presence behind her but calmed when she noticed it was the sword boy she had met on the Hokage monument and just like Ayeka herself he was suffering from the nerves of entering an arena filled with hundreds of spectators, However he was coping by hiding behind a much larger person which was the dragon girl herself, Ayeka pouted in slight jealously as she wanted to hide too from any attention but her own body mass prevented that. Fortunately for Take Ayeka wasn't a petty person and instead accepted his thanks with a bow of her hooded head and made a mental note to pass Take's message on to Keni as well while allowing the smaller boy to hid behind her. "Um..Th..Th..That's ok." The girl mumbled her words hoping that Take's ears were sharp enough to hear as she fidgeted in place with embarrassment in talking to someone still fairly new to her as the announcer allowed Keni to step out of the crowd of ninja to announce his promotion.

'Huh is that why he was floating around the house the last few days with that giddy expression.' Her brother had been unusually happy lately but Ayeka has just thought he had got a new girlfriend or something not that he didn't deserve such a grand promotion. Clapping happily for Keni for a moment and promising to herself to treat her brother later Ayeka listened carefully to what they needed to do. The large girl cried out after a moment however and fell to her hands and knee's in despair at what they had to do for the first round of the event. "You...you...you meanie Onii-chan! Meeting new people is way too hard and now I have to...to...work with them." Shielded as she was by her hood no one would notice her bright red face unless they stood directly before her as the embarrassment of having to talk to others kicked fully in.

However Ayeka was rescued from her social anxiety by the words of her shadow that had been hiding behind her as Take called out while poking her in the shoulder. Ayeka turned her head to the boy tilting it so he could see her sole blue eye that seemed to be on the verge of tears as waves of relief radiated from the girl at the boys offer. 'If I'm with Take he can do all the talking and looking after the injured people but.....What can I do since I'm not good at healing." Slowly standing back up Ayeka took a moment to look around at the field as her yellow eye began to glow with chakra creating a small flame of golden chakra around it before the flames seemed to get sucked into the eye, Take would then notice that Ayeka's pupils had begun to split creating Tomoe marks that began to slowly drift around the iris of her eye until nine marks slowly orbited the pupil. To Ayeka's eyes the world became a shimmering mirage of colours as she could see chakra radiating off the contestants almost like a fog of colour creating paths in the air that Ayeka could follow pinpointing target for to rescue by the chakra their transformation exuded. Turning back to Take, the boy would see a smile playing on the girls face not realising her doujutsu's glow was exposing her face to the others. "Ah yes Otakemaru-san I'm n...n..not good at healing so ..th..t..th... that would be appreciated. I can handle tr...tr..tracking and transport." Instead of explaining the transport part Ayeka took a few steps away from Otakemaru and hunched forward exposing her back and allowing Take to see an open seam in her jacket, exposing bear back. Ayeka concentrated for a moment as her back began to bulge before a pair of black scaled wings burst through the open seam keeping the girls clothes intact but allowing her to grow her dragon wings out. Giving a few experimental flaps to test the muscles Ayeka turned to Take and gave him a thumbs up letting the wings speak for themselves when it came to transport as the clawed tipped appendages seemed to almost glow in the mid day light.

[MFT]
WC: 705

 

[Kiriyomi]

Kiriyomi's eyes go wide as he beholds young little Akira, standing before him signed up for the Cypress Society. He hadn't paid much attention to the introductions, and did not realize that his friend was here. The gloom hanging over him started to dissipate a little as he realized that he did, in fact, have someone here to support him. Despite them competing against each other, Kiri felt like Akira was on his side either way. It could be a friendly competition, but they would be able to smile and congratulate the other when the day was done. "Akira! I'm so happy to see you! Of course I'd be more than happy to have you on my team, I'm sure that you have developed many useful skills since we last met. I didn't expect to see you here, congratulations on graduating from the Academy! We are going to have to catch up later after all this is said and done."

Looking around at the remaining people standing around, Kiri notices Otami standing off to the side. She looks a little different than when he last saw her, wielding a blade now. But, if he wasn't mistaken, she was raised in the deserts of Suna by a pack of wolves. If nothing else, she would be a wonderful asset to help with tracking down the shinobi hidden amongst the buildings, because surely it wasn't going to be as easy as walking inside and pulling them out. Walking over, Kiri extends a hand to her. "Hi! Otami, right? I don't think we've officially met before, my name is Aburame Kiriyomi. This over here is my friend Yamamoto Akira. We were wondering if you would like to team up with us for this event? I remember hearing about your wonderful tracking skills, and thought that it would be a great asset to our team. I have some sensor abilities myself, but with your keen senses, I feel like there's nothing that would sneak past our group!" He would offer her up a huge smile as he awaited her response.

MFT: 345

 

[Sugihara Aki]

Aki's eyes narrowed in thought as she sifted through the instructions for the first round- finally there was something to put mental energy towards other than freaking herself out. A group evaluation of the contestants' skill at rescuing others... wasn't exactly what she had expected from a completion to determine the Hokage's personal defense unit, but after mulling it over for a moment, it made sense. Recruiting a guard with even one of its members averse or inept with teamwork in emergency situations could be a very costly mistake. And again, it wasn't like their sole purpose was to guard the Hokage anyway (he wasn't close to getting old or feeble, last time she checked)--in a pinch, the Cypress Society could likely work as excellent substitutes for skilled members of the ANBU or Medical branches, whichever was required for the situation.

Which brought Aki's thinking back around to herself. She rubbed her forehead, trying to recall the full breadth of her medical experience--it wasn't all that wide, nor was it remarkably deep except for a select few areas. She was familiar with human physiology to a degree (about as much as any experienced taijutsu user), and she had sat in on a good number of medical technique instructional sessions, although that was a while ago. Rescuing the targets probably wouldn't be the hardest thing in the world, especially with teammates; she just wanted to make sure they could identify and potentially treat their 'injuries' without losing points. This was never really her job in regular combat though... usually, she relied--

Oh yeah, she had to actually find teammates. She hadn't really been paying attention to the other participants since they had reached the center of the arena, but one girl (who she was pretty sure she recognized...?) thankfully approached the Chuunin directly. Then she introduced herself as Mitsuha, and Aki's face lit up, "Hey! Sure, I'd be happy to team up with you and the Inuzuka brothers." They had seemed energetic in their introduction. It wasn't like she was going to turn down the offer anyway, but it seemed like they'd actually have a pretty good team composition: two from a clan that specializes in tracking and traversal, one with plenty of general experience who could play multiple roles, and one who was astute enough to see this and pair the three of them together. "Good eye--I think we'll work well together! Although, um." She tapped her fingertips together sheepishly. "I don't really have Jounin-tier leadership skills... since I'm not exactly a Jounin... still a Chuunin, here, actually. It must have been some mistake in the paperwork I filled out, sorry about that... the announcer said it too, I kinda just hoped it wouldn't come up."

"I still have plenty of experience with leadership, of course. Oh, also, I have this guy--" She ran through a simple series of handseals, bit the tip of her bandaged thumb, and knelt down to jab it squarely into the ground. A brief column of smoke burst from the spot she touched, and when it cleared, in its place was a short humanoid figure accompanied by an ethereal shattered mirror, both floating slightly off the floor beneath them. "This is Gekkou; they're my resident expert on battlefield medicine. I may be able to use medical techniques with relative competency, but if there's anyone experienced at identifying injuries, it's them." Aki grinned as the tsukumogami spirit inclined its head inexpressively to their teammates. "I figured we could bring our team up to five members. I think this is allowed...?"

[Used Contract Summoning to call Gekkou to the field.]