You have answered Sunagakure's summons, "arrive at the Ranger Tracking Grounds Main Office at 12 noon for your assessment." The note was vague but addressed to you in the same typed script. It did not even mention what or why you were being assessed. It was likely that you considered the reason why, you expressed interest in participating in the World martial Arts Tournament next year but the message and the messenger seemed to have few words of advice or encouragement to share. Of course, it would be cheating or unfair for someone to give a potential fighter the advantage in a fight, in this study every shinobi served as a control. There were personal favorites under consideration but if they could not blaze their own way then they would never make it to the tournament.
You had the familial relationships. A tie to the Toraono family, however you lack status being only an MiT. Still, your ties to the great Toraono Clan and Sennin Toraono Kuro as well as the martial promise you demonstrated in a recent fray that both concerned and interested Sunagakure your interest in participating has been taken into consideration. Perhaps you will do well. Perhaps you would impress these foreign powers with your skills and carve out a place for yourself among Sunagakure's elite. Perhaps you will, or perhaps you will fail. Let's hope for the former.
The Tracking Grounds was a Ranger-only center that took up several acres of land. It was an impressive, albeit plain-looking structure with a dome shape and an earth-colored hue. The tracking grounds themselves were open to shinobis in good standing with Sunagakure for the purposes of training but thus far they were underutilized. Since Shouki's final stand in this very center, the Tracking Grounds has been closed while the Ranger's headquarter's security was being reviewed. Presently closed to the public unless one has a specific invitation, you would be among the first shinobi to enter this structure in months.
The entrance would be simple, guarded by a pair of well-armed and intimidating men. Both looked more like the sort of men that would grapple a bull, beat it and then eat it raw for their morning meal. Their eyes would flash a moment of recognition, yes they knew you were coming and what you looked like, with a grunt and a nod they would allow you entry. Of course, if someone was foolhardy enough to disrespect them, the door would slam closed and you would be faced with combat before you even reached the training ground. Yes, you were probably 'stronger' than them, despite their intimidating presence because if they were indeed more capable it would be them answering this invitation and not you.
The entrance would lead to a long, narrow hall. The walls were made of some sort of metal. It would be Takahashi Steel. On either side there was also a thick wall of glass that separated their reinforcement beams. To the right, through the glass you would see something you might have only seen along the shoreline or if you had traveled abroad -- water. Lots of water. Water, the rarest and most precious resource in Wind Country and it can be found here in abundance. It is said that this water was obtained from the Undersea beneath the Toraono Dojo. This is a large body of water that is approximately 100 feet deep and one mile in diameter. You would be able to see the bottom, distant and dark. You would also be able to see the far wall, it would serve as your horizon but it was terribly far away. The glass would feel cold, in fact the glass would even sweat some water that you would be able to feel on the palm of your hand. To the left a familiar image, the desert. Homey only to people like you. It would be a gilded expanse of near nothingness that went on as far as the eye could see.
This place was one of the things that made the Ranger's unique, they were trained hunters. They spent their idle time preparing as survivalists and they did not hunt "small game." Rangers were one of the few that actively sought dangerous S-Class beasts as well as creatures and monsters of dubious origin. In truth, Rangers were the Monster Hunters of Wind Country but they did too good of a job. With a lack of dangerous game, need for the Rangers as a whole diminished until the Rangers finally dispersed as a unit entirely. Their way lost and forgotten by most as families moved on. There were a few, a mere sprinkling here and there that still knew the old ways. That was how this structure was erected but Rangers are notoriously fickle and that particular Ranger had not been seen in some time. Some have come to believe that she was lost or killed while seeking game, it was a common cause of death for Rangers who live short and brutal lives.
This hallway would prove to be quite long, in fact you would walk for over a mile before you would reach your destination -- a door. No, not THE DOOR, simply a door. It would be unlocked and you would leave the glass encased hallway and enter an office. The office would be neat and rather small given the distance you traveled to reach this central hub. There would be a desk and a man sitting behind the desk, one could only assume that he was a Ranger. He would not address, you rather a young woman who would take a few steps towards you as you entered the room. She was dressed like a fifteen year old gothic boy, not a representative for one of the largest tournaments in the world. There was a simple reason for this -- she did not represent the tournament, she represented Sunagakure's interests.
Her face would brighten when she saw you. "A girl!" she would exclaim, clearly excited. She would clap her hands together happily. "You are Aikayume Azusa, right?" She would approach you and attempt to wrap her arms around you for a hug. A hug that might be construed as a tad too friendly considering where her hands may or may not have crept. If she missed, she missed and she would be disappointed that you do not swing her way.
Once the hug broke, or failed to even start she would frown. "Poo, I am going to hate to see them damage your pretty face. Hang on one sec. Morimoto! She yelled summoning one of the Medics that happened to be in the corner of the room. He appeared to be a tired young man, likely in his early twenties with dark circles under his eyes and a serious case of bedhead. He was pale, almost listless as she approached with an annoyed expression. Can you take a snapshot of this?" If she was close enough she would attempt to grab your jaw and move her head slightly side to side. "I want to make sure that you can reconstruct her pretty face," she insisted.
"I have told you this already. I am not an ANBU. I am a Medic. And she will be fine. They are always fine because you have us here with our ninja-medical magic," he sighed. He was obviously tired and annoyed. 'I need to get this one to the Omni Prime,' he added in an unapologetic tone as he returned to his partner and the patient on the stretcher.
She would glower. "You don't want to do this. Dinner would be so much nicer," she winked. Yes, you were being hit on. If you insisted on continuing the gothic young woman would begrudgingly hand you a form. "Sign here." she would announce in a defeated tone. She would hand you a scroll. Once unfurled it would be a liability statement claiming that you are aware and affirm that you are about to enter into a dangerous situation. That death, disfigurement and even potential disability may result from participation. "I am sure they filled you in," she would announce while she waited for your signature. "Of course they wouldn't, would they? you poor dear." She sighed, the project was not public yet. Well, she better explain. "You are about to enter a simulated combat experience unlike anything you have ever seen before. This will assess you in a dangerous, life-threatening situation." she was being a bit more clear with her over the apparent dangers of THE DOOR than she had been with her previous patrons. "You will still suffer the damage of powerful attacks, determined by the setting dial on the machine. I have you and the others set for Level 8. this is a super-dangerous setting. Yes, there are higher levels but those are intended for group combat experience." She shook her head as she pressed a button on the Ranger's desk and the walls would open up. There would be several doors, well more specifically 5. Each would be labeled simply: desert, grassland, forest, tundra, water.
"Pick a biome and enter when you are ready. We have added security measures to the door. Returning will be difficult to say the least. you have thirty seconds to return through the door. Do your best, please." She would give you an encouraging smile and a thumbs up. As you enter she would add, "I have placed myself on as your next of kin. I and sure that you don't mi---" The door would slam between you an her, trapping you inside whichever biome you have chosen to enter. She gave you the instructions -- you have 30 seconds to return through the door you just left. It sounds simple, but it truly is not. The door would hum to life,hidden gears would start to whirl as an unknown power-source empowered the massive mechanical structure.
It was go time!
Intruder Targeted!
You had the familial relationships. A tie to the Toraono family, however you lack status being only an MiT. Still, your ties to the great Toraono Clan and Sennin Toraono Kuro as well as the martial promise you demonstrated in a recent fray that both concerned and interested Sunagakure your interest in participating has been taken into consideration. Perhaps you will do well. Perhaps you would impress these foreign powers with your skills and carve out a place for yourself among Sunagakure's elite. Perhaps you will, or perhaps you will fail. Let's hope for the former.
The Tracking Grounds was a Ranger-only center that took up several acres of land. It was an impressive, albeit plain-looking structure with a dome shape and an earth-colored hue. The tracking grounds themselves were open to shinobis in good standing with Sunagakure for the purposes of training but thus far they were underutilized. Since Shouki's final stand in this very center, the Tracking Grounds has been closed while the Ranger's headquarter's security was being reviewed. Presently closed to the public unless one has a specific invitation, you would be among the first shinobi to enter this structure in months.
The entrance would be simple, guarded by a pair of well-armed and intimidating men. Both looked more like the sort of men that would grapple a bull, beat it and then eat it raw for their morning meal. Their eyes would flash a moment of recognition, yes they knew you were coming and what you looked like, with a grunt and a nod they would allow you entry. Of course, if someone was foolhardy enough to disrespect them, the door would slam closed and you would be faced with combat before you even reached the training ground. Yes, you were probably 'stronger' than them, despite their intimidating presence because if they were indeed more capable it would be them answering this invitation and not you.
The entrance would lead to a long, narrow hall. The walls were made of some sort of metal. It would be Takahashi Steel. On either side there was also a thick wall of glass that separated their reinforcement beams. To the right, through the glass you would see something you might have only seen along the shoreline or if you had traveled abroad -- water. Lots of water. Water, the rarest and most precious resource in Wind Country and it can be found here in abundance. It is said that this water was obtained from the Undersea beneath the Toraono Dojo. This is a large body of water that is approximately 100 feet deep and one mile in diameter. You would be able to see the bottom, distant and dark. You would also be able to see the far wall, it would serve as your horizon but it was terribly far away. The glass would feel cold, in fact the glass would even sweat some water that you would be able to feel on the palm of your hand. To the left a familiar image, the desert. Homey only to people like you. It would be a gilded expanse of near nothingness that went on as far as the eye could see. This place was one of the things that made the Ranger's unique, they were trained hunters. They spent their idle time preparing as survivalists and they did not hunt "small game." Rangers were one of the few that actively sought dangerous S-Class beasts as well as creatures and monsters of dubious origin. In truth, Rangers were the Monster Hunters of Wind Country but they did too good of a job. With a lack of dangerous game, need for the Rangers as a whole diminished until the Rangers finally dispersed as a unit entirely. Their way lost and forgotten by most as families moved on. There were a few, a mere sprinkling here and there that still knew the old ways. That was how this structure was erected but Rangers are notoriously fickle and that particular Ranger had not been seen in some time. Some have come to believe that she was lost or killed while seeking game, it was a common cause of death for Rangers who live short and brutal lives.
This hallway would prove to be quite long, in fact you would walk for over a mile before you would reach your destination -- a door. No, not THE DOOR, simply a door. It would be unlocked and you would leave the glass encased hallway and enter an office. The office would be neat and rather small given the distance you traveled to reach this central hub. There would be a desk and a man sitting behind the desk, one could only assume that he was a Ranger. He would not address, you rather a young woman who would take a few steps towards you as you entered the room. She was dressed like a fifteen year old gothic boy, not a representative for one of the largest tournaments in the world. There was a simple reason for this -- she did not represent the tournament, she represented Sunagakure's interests. Her face would brighten when she saw you. "A girl!" she would exclaim, clearly excited. She would clap her hands together happily. "You are Aikayume Azusa, right?" She would approach you and attempt to wrap her arms around you for a hug. A hug that might be construed as a tad too friendly considering where her hands may or may not have crept. If she missed, she missed and she would be disappointed that you do not swing her way.Once the hug broke, or failed to even start she would frown. "Poo, I am going to hate to see them damage your pretty face. Hang on one sec. Morimoto! She yelled summoning one of the Medics that happened to be in the corner of the room. He appeared to be a tired young man, likely in his early twenties with dark circles under his eyes and a serious case of bedhead. He was pale, almost listless as she approached with an annoyed expression. Can you take a snapshot of this?" If she was close enough she would attempt to grab your jaw and move her head slightly side to side. "I want to make sure that you can reconstruct her pretty face," she insisted.
"I have told you this already. I am not an ANBU. I am a Medic. And she will be fine. They are always fine because you have us here with our ninja-medical magic," he sighed. He was obviously tired and annoyed. 'I need to get this one to the Omni Prime,' he added in an unapologetic tone as he returned to his partner and the patient on the stretcher.
She would glower. "You don't want to do this. Dinner would be so much nicer," she winked. Yes, you were being hit on. If you insisted on continuing the gothic young woman would begrudgingly hand you a form. "Sign here." she would announce in a defeated tone. She would hand you a scroll. Once unfurled it would be a liability statement claiming that you are aware and affirm that you are about to enter into a dangerous situation. That death, disfigurement and even potential disability may result from participation. "I am sure they filled you in," she would announce while she waited for your signature. "Of course they wouldn't, would they? you poor dear." She sighed, the project was not public yet. Well, she better explain. "You are about to enter a simulated combat experience unlike anything you have ever seen before. This will assess you in a dangerous, life-threatening situation." she was being a bit more clear with her over the apparent dangers of THE DOOR than she had been with her previous patrons. "You will still suffer the damage of powerful attacks, determined by the setting dial on the machine. I have you and the others set for Level 8. this is a super-dangerous setting. Yes, there are higher levels but those are intended for group combat experience." She shook her head as she pressed a button on the Ranger's desk and the walls would open up. There would be several doors, well more specifically 5. Each would be labeled simply: desert, grassland, forest, tundra, water.
"Pick a biome and enter when you are ready. We have added security measures to the door. Returning will be difficult to say the least. you have thirty seconds to return through the door. Do your best, please." She would give you an encouraging smile and a thumbs up. As you enter she would add, "I have placed myself on as your next of kin. I and sure that you don't mi---" The door would slam between you an her, trapping you inside whichever biome you have chosen to enter. She gave you the instructions -- you have 30 seconds to return through the door you just left. It sounds simple, but it truly is not. The door would hum to life,hidden gears would start to whirl as an unknown power-source empowered the massive mechanical structure.
It was go time!
Intruder Targeted!
| ! |
|
