What Goes Bump in the Night.....[AiT Exam]

[Haku Yuki]

The female stood at the mouth of the dense Forest of Death, this was going to get the staging ground or the students to prove themselves ready to join the ANUB Branch. The occasion called for Yuki to be dressed in her full ANUB gear, the white hood denoting her ranks as Captain, her face covered with her porcelain mask painted with the haunting blank stare of a Noh mask. She was making sure that the last of the preparations have been carried out and that everything was ready ahead of the students arriving after all this exam was all about their ability to adapt as a team and she would hate to spoil the surprise of what she had in store for them, the area was busy with ANBU passing to and from carried various pieces of equipment, the sound of shouting carried on the cold winter's breeze. Standing next to Yuki was the bulky silhouette of the bone giant Mista Bones his figure was intimidating, his body devoid of skin showing only exposed sun-bleached bones he was still almost statue-like as he looked down and his charge growling if one of the lingering ANBU got too close.
“Do you think that they will be ready?” His voice boomed, it was dry and coarse like the desert sands.
“Well we will soon see my old friend” She smiled put at him as the ancient creature address her. “They will have to be ready if they want to succeed” Bones didn’t reply him simply nodded in response.

Once she was sure that the area ahead was ready for the exam she dismissed the ANBU leaving just her and Bones in the clearing before the dark forest. She was wondering which of the three would be first to arrive, other than their names and pictures she hadn’t received much more information about the students that were taking part into the proceeding, Yuki watched as the setting sun staining the sky an orange-purple the encroaching night carrying a near sub-zero chill in the air. I this will certainly make things interesting she thought to herself, her lips painted with a malicious smile which remained hidden behind her mask.

[OCC - Welcome to your first ANBU exam, you will all 48 hours to post if for whatever reason you cannot post within that time limit please do make me aware of it or I will treat it as a failure. The is a modded exam so please do get any training and profiles in order before it starts. Other than that have fun!]

 

[Bi-Gomon]

Kuro slowly dragged his large spear along the hard ground causing a small scratching noise to resonate throughout the area, making everyone turn they're gazes towards him for a few seconds before carrying on with their own business. This will be very interesting.....I hope He awkwardly laughed while rubbing his nape in the hopes that everything went smoothly. Then his eyes suddenly caught the figure of a bone giant slowly peering over the area while a white-hooded figure stood beside it. That must be the examiner......I think.....lets make sure Kuro took a large breath to build up the confidence to go ask, and he did by slowly walking towards the two. As he got closer, he started to make out the bone giant's structure. A bulky skeleton giant with a dinosaur head and.......a....turtle shell on its back? Kuro stopped as he looked with a gaze filled with confusion as he did not know what think about it. A few minutes of staring, he finally came to his sense and started to realize that he was straying away from his objective, so he continued to walk towards the white-hooded figure.

He finally stopped a few metres away from the figure only to realise that the figure was much smaller than he had expected, but he continued to show respect as he knew that in this world strength is all that mattered.
"Hi.....Ummm....I was wondering whether you were the examiner" Kuro gulped while slightly bowing to show his respect while asking.

 

[Arashi Takejo]

Arashi sat silently at the edge of the clearing he had spent the day practicing. It was evening and the sun was setting. The streetlights were starting to come on and people would soon be returning home from work. However the boy’s mind was on something else, as his arms worked in a robotic manner as he wiped his blades. It was an important day or rather evening, something very rare for him. It was strange when he thought about it. In his 10 years, he hadn't appeared in a serious examination. Kinda dumb when you think about it, given that he was an academy student and all that. Well not so dumb when you considered he had been in the Ninja academy for only two months, and no theory class tests didn’t count. A part of him thought he wasn’t ready yet. Brushing aside the useless thoughts, he packed up his gear. Washing his face at a public tap nearby, he started his final warm up exercises. It was a good thing he had got a goodnight’s sleep the night before which was quite uncharacteristic for him but it definitely helped with the fatigue. As he finished his stretching, he felt something was wrong. It was as if time had paused. Birds seemed to move in slow motion and even more weirdly, he was apparently standing upside down. A searing pain ripped through his head and he knew it was one of his fits again. He closed his eyes for a few seconds and concentrated hard. His problem seemed more messy than usual for some reason which perplexed him. This was his first fit in days and it was growing worse even though the frequency was diminishing. He rubbed his eyes to forgo any hints of his dazed demeanour. Sorting himself was a must but that would have to wait for another day. He couldn’t let it distract him, not today. He made a final check of his gear and attire. Fortunately they were all ready to go. He washed up once again real quick, and donned his Jacket, something he had gotten way too familiar with. He imitated a gun with his hand and a small pebble launched from his index finger, knocking down an apple from the nearby tree. After grabbing the fallen apple and saying a small prayer to his parents and foster parents who were in heaven hopefully, he was on his way to the place which could very possibly shape his future.

Now the forest of death was not a place he would skirt around in daylight, much less at dusk. But he couldn’t argue it was probably the most fitting place for a challenging exam. As he got closer to his desired destination, he could spot three figures in the distance, one of whose shape seemed strange to him. Again it could be his eyes playing tricks on him. Last time he had been here, it was not all rosy. The ANBU class he was attending had gotten way too crazy and at one point their instructor looked like he wanted to kill them all, not that he could be blamed. The memories combined with a hint of nerves gave him a few shivers but not much else. As he progressed the figures became clearer and the weather became colder. The first one was a….giant turtle or so it seemed. In reality it was just the bones of a giant turtle. In the dark, it seemed something right out of child’s nightmare. Arashi paused to gaze at it for few moments, before shaking himself. It would probably not take kindly to staring, he thought to himself. The second was a hooded white person and in one glance Arashi was certain that this was today’s examiner. After all there was no other reason for an ANBU captain to be out here. The ANBU’s white cloak and the creepy Noh mask seemed lustrous in the dusk lighting, almost giving off an ominous vibe. At the back of his mind, doubts began to pop up but he didn’t give them any attention. Moving on he joined a small white haired kid. It was a while before he realised, he had seen this guy before, It was in the same ANBU class where things had gotten out of hand. He never caught his name, so he just waved a small hi. He turned towards the hooded figure and bowed slightly,

“ Greetings, Arashi Takejo reporting for today’s exam.” He said in a firm confident tone, hoping to shield from any hint of nervousness in front of the examiner.

 

[Sazuki Nao]

Izumi was going through everything before heading towards his exam. He had been lying if he said he wasn't nervous or anything. His stomach had a feeling like it was having a brick inside of it. He wasn't hungry at all as this was another nerve-wracking exam for him. If he just... only knew it was a test, it wouldn't weight that much on his mindset.
He slowly became more and more anxious and checked out his gear once more. New notebook and marker, check. His bow battle ready, check. Jacket for slight wind and rain protection, check.
He went through his whole list and slowly started to nod at himself, this looked good so far. When he was almost there he was reminded of his last Anbu lesson a little while ago. He tilted his head slowly in thought and started to ponder. Who would even be there?
What were they going to do, what was there supposed to be happening... Many many unanswered questions were inside his head and he couldn't answer a single one.
The grip on his bow tighten for a moment and took a few breathes to take control of the knot in his stomach.
He took a couple if breaths reassured himself he was ready for this. Slowly he got back into moving and after just a small while he saw a couple of things. First up was Kuro... Who he remembered of a rather strange meeting. And if he recalled right he was around his strength. He started to raise a hand in a welcoming matter.
He then saw another welcoming face for him, Arashi Takejo, if he recalled correctly from his memory. They also had shared classes and to him, he was a bit more cheerfull towards him.
Once he was closer towards them he also converted his attention towards the female-figure in front of them. This... Was one he hadn't seen for sure. Slowly he made a small bow towards her since he was mute he had to show her that she was respected by him which he couldn't say. After that, he would look a little bit around from the spot he had been standing.

wc: 365

 

[Hase Aki]

ZOOM~

She flew up to the people who had already gathered, sliding into place and making an exciting entrance, as she always had. She was wearing a proper mask this time, a basic ANBU one she had constructed out of clay based on what she'd seen running around the village in her time here. Though her identity was given away, if not by her entrance, than her style. She bowed to the scary ANBU, and whatever the creature was who the other had bowed to.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Yasu Yoshi!" she declared, another flaw in her identity hiding master plan, which included fist pumping into the sky. She was pretty hyped to get started, specially after the whole incident at the complex. She was on her way to saving face from almost blowing all of Konoha up. It was a rather daunting task, one might believe, but really she just needed to not actually explode. "I'm excited to be given the opportunity to show what I got, and if I fail? Then atleast it'll be a blast!" she said, proving that what she brought to the table was relentless optimism.

She probably could have been a medic, except she liked taking things apart MUCH more than putting them back together.

[ooc: sorry for short post, was aware this was up JUST NOW. Will have better, more full posts in future replies.]

 

[Haku Yuki]

The female turned slowly hearing the footfall of one of the students on the grass around her, she turned to greet the male that had arrived he dragged behind him a large spear. Yuki wasn’t about to try and hazard a guess at his age, he was a good head or so taller then she herself was, but she was used to it. She felt the atmosphere change in the space between her and her skeletal guardian, the turtle turned around instantly baring his teeth causing a smile to creep over Yuki’s masked face. She raised her hand up and placed it on the creature’s large leg bone.
“It’s ok my old friend, he is here for the exam” She removed her hand from the turtle’s leg and walked to greet the boy, it didn’t take long before the next addition to the arrived and introduced himself to her with a confident air about him. It wasn’t to long before they where joined by a third, a small silent boy, he looked frail and pale but if her time in the ANUB had taught her anything is that you should never judge anyone based on appearances alone soon after the final student had join them, a girl this time.

Yuki walked down the line of assembled student, remaining wordless studying each of the and taking a moment to taking in their features. Once she had reached the end of the line she returned to the centre of the space between them.
“I am Youkai, ANBU Captain. I will be the one that will be examining you today if you pass then you will find yourself inducted to the ranks of the ANBU in Training, from there you will be given to a ANBU that will oversee your development through the ranks. If you fail well…” She paused thinking over the things that she had in store for them. “Well let’s just say you don’t want to fail. Behind me is the Forest of Death, you task today is a simple one. You just need to survive in the forest for twenty-four hours, while guarding this.” Yuki turned to the entrance of the forest and looked into the darken maw of the woodland “You can come out now,” From the entrance trotted out a small child, no older than 5 or 6. He didn't speak and just stood silently at Yuki’s side, she ruffled the boy's hair “This is Takehara, he is what you are guarding” She walked to Bones who ducked his head down to her, she pets him and looked to the pile of backpacks that lay at his feet. There was one for each of them they contained food and water there was enough there to see them through the trial. “There is a pack here for each of you, you will be working as a team, so I want you to elect a leader,” She folded her arms over her chest and waited for the group to reply.

 

[Sazuki Nao]

Izumi had been slowly watching everyone. It was that the last one got here that he was a little discouraged yet encouraged at the same time... He swallowed a time and watched the others. It was Kuro and Yoshi.... The single female who was way too active for his liking. But on the other hand, it semi helped them last ANBU class, but it wasn't really teamwork to be called to just walk off like that then. He was just hoping it wasn't some sort of find mission again... But he knew he would be some sort of ready... As he was a little prepared this time and had some written notes ready...
Izumi was slowly thinking more and more and eventually hears the lady in front take everyone's attention. It started with her codename... Followed by the request. It was a rather odd one... But he did a nod to it. He raised his hand up once she had explained everything. He wanted to ask something and his body language had changed from curious and insecure towards serious and - -.

If he was given a turn he would try to see if she understood his signing. If it were the case he would sign the following, otherwise, it would be written down on a note.
'Miss, before we start I want to thank you for taking your time to set this up. I had a question or two. Do we get to keep what we belong now or do we need to bring them in? he would take a small moment before continuing to which one he had been doing.
'Or are we only allowed to keep what is inside that bag? he wasn't going to complain either way. He was lucky to have been a lot outside and knowing thus a couple of things regarding staying outside. His dad and he had done it often too with vacations. Just a tent and that was it. But he knew well enough how to track animals or build premature things. The thought of his dad making the luxe shelter got him smiling back a little to those times.
The happy times...
Once he had answers on those he would show the others his notebook again, saying who he was and had a written text below who would be a decent leader. What he also did was wave towards the small boy, hoping to get a reaction back from anyone.

Wc: 410

 

[Hase Aki]

“I am Youkai, ANBU Captain. I will be the one that will be examining you today if you pass then you will find yourself inducted to the ranks of the ANBU in Training, from there you will be given to a ANBU that will oversee your development through the ranks. If you fail well…”

She tilted her head, waiting for the alternative.

“Well let’s just say you don’t want to fail. Behind me is the Forest of Death, you task today is a simple one. You just need to survive in the forest for twenty-four hours, while guarding this.”

Aw, she was hoping for something like 'you'll be given a consolation prize and sent on your way', lame. Either way it turns out they where there to protect a little boy, of all things. There were also packs on the ground. She hadn't really brought anything, she was kind of her own weapon. Being herself was pretty much the best thing she could be for the team, explosive in personality and combat style. She didn't need weapons, she was one. So as soon as the packs where made available, she darted over and picked one up, if they were designated she would just choose the one with her name on it, if not then just whichever one was closest, assuming they were uniformly the same. Next was to elect a leader. Last time she was in a group and told to come up with a plan, they all just fought, so instead of waiting for a screaming match, her eyes darted around to the candidates before her, not even considering herself a leader though she definitely had the most can-do attitude she'd ever seen from anyone.

"I vote Takejo, he seems cool, calm, collected, broody. All things that state that he thinks a lot, and says little. It's what we need, though if we elect him leader, I'd like to run through a plan I have away from prying eyes." she eyeballed the ANBU examiner and her weird pet.

"Firstly though, I'd like it if the cargo could be stuck to me!" she said, dumping her pack and using her Touji hands to eat holes in the bottom of the sack for legs. She would then run up, without the cargos consent, and scoop him up, throwing him in the pack, his legs hanging out the bottom, creating a big makeshift carrier for the boy, so they could move on ninja time, not child with underdeveloped legs time.

"Everyone else, pick up my packs contents and spread them among your own. I don't really need food for energy, but if I do, it'll be among all of you." she said, flashing the mouth hands that ate for her, and had no taste buds so they'd eat anything from leaves to bike tires. She'd give them all a moment to discuss what's what, and then speak up one last time before the exam started proper.

"First order of business, find a quiet place I can discuss the tactic I have planned, then we can go from there!" she didn't realize how much like a leader she was trying to be, even having voted for someone else. Her spazzy, energetic nature, was a curse as much as it was a good thing.

 

[Arashi Takejo]

After introducing himself and getting a nod of approval from the examiner, Arashi stood at his designated place waiting for the other examinees to arrive. He was curious to see what other kinds of people would show up to take the exam, given its challenging nature. The first one to join him and the white haired boy was the familiar face of Izumi. Though his facial expressions didn’t reflect this, he was glad to see that the patient and level headed had chosen to take the exam as well. Plus if they had to work in a team again, Izumi’s presence would be good. Last time, they were together in a class, it was his suggestion that they should work as a team even if things hadn’t worked out too well that time. He waved a greeting to Izumi, as the boy proceeded to take his position. The next to arrive was an over-energetic and frolic girl. She had a basic ANBU mask on, but Arashi recognised her as the Toujigikou girl from his last ANBU class. He was pleasantly surprised to see that she had chosen to take the exam as felt her personality was way too peppy to be suitable for a clandestine and mysterious organisation. Soon the girl finished her introduction, brimming with optimism and took her place. Once all the candidates were ready, The teacher started to visually assess them one by one, studying them carefully, almost as if sizing them up. The weather was getting colder as slight shiver ran down Arashi’s spine. He zipped his jacket and pulled up his hoodie but he could sense it was going to be a long,dark night and full of terrors.

Once the teacher was done, she introduced herself and stated her official rank. Talking about the exam, her tone and manner of speech asserted that they didn’t want to find out what would happen if they failed today. Great, that’s no pressure at all, the sarcastic thought almost made it to Arashi’s lips before he could shut it out. Their task for the exam was to safeguard a person, a small boy named Takehara. He couldn't be more than six years old and was barely half of Arashi’s height. They needed to keep him safe for 24 hours in possibly the deadliest place in Konoha. Adding the fact that he had very heavy suspicions about this whole thing, it was safe to say that Arashi’s mind wasn’t at ease. Pointing towards the pile of backpacks near the Giant skeleton turtle’s feet, the examiner instructed them to collect their supplies for the exam adding in the fact that they were supposed to work in a team and needed to elect a team leader. Arashi was grateful for the supplies, as he hadn’t brought anything that could be classified as edible, but before proceeding to collect his bag he waited to see how the other candidates responded. Izumi was first to answer. He started by writing down a note of gratitude and asking if they were allowed to keep stuff they had brought with them beforehand. It was a good point to clarify, but he didn’t suggest anyone’s name for team leader. Next was the energetic Toujigikou girl. She caught him off guard, when she suggested that he should be team leader. The thought had crossed his mind, but he hadn’t been leader of anything ever before so he wasn’t sure about it. Looking around he tried to think, who he would vote for. In his eyes it was between Izumi, the white haired boy and as last resort, him. (No offense to the girl, but she was too skittish to be incharge or so he felt)

Thinking back on their interactions, Izumi seemed too gentle and kind. He had watched his brother leading his gang of rouges once. Gentle and kind were not the words he would ever use for the scene he had witnessed. He didn’t know the white haired kid too well, but in the minimum time he had been around him, the boy seemed very awkward with his conversations and he wondered if he would make a good leader. The third option was to vote for himself, but it felt too boastful and self aware for a choice. Before he could speak to cast his vote, the girl emptied the contents of her bag and hauled up Takehara and placed him behind her, almost in a baby carrier bag style. Arashi almost did a little facepalm routine out of embarrassment. He could somewhat understand her thinking as it would be easier to move around, but it could be equally dangerous if they were caught in a combat situation. Either way scooping up the kid in front of an ANBU captain like that only a testament that she was either very brave or very dumb. He hoped for their sake, it was the former. Finally he made up his mind and spoke up,

“ I have the same doubts as Izumi. Are we allowed to keep all our gear and stuff along with the supplies? Additionally I would like to put forward my own name for team leader.” He finished, pushing down the clot that was forming in his throat. This would definitely be an experience, if he was indeed put as team leader. After speaking, he subtly motioned to the Toujigikou girl to calm down a bit and wait for a while before they started discussing any plans. If the examiner wanted to eavesdrop on them, there was hardly anything they could do to prevent it, so he felt additional secrecy was pointless. He also wished she put down the child for now, but didn’t want to sound bossy so he didn't mention anything else.

 

[Bi-Gomon]

As he waited for a response from the female figure, the large boney turtle beside her started to bare its fangs towards him, causing the atmosphere around him to pressure down on him, but Kuro fought back by releasing his own demonic aura. Both aura clashed against each other for a few seconds before the female figure commanded her turtle to calm down thus leading him to retract his aura back into his body. That was close...... Kuro sighed a breath of relief as he slowly walked backwards. Then to the corner of his eyes he noticed Arashi who stood there frozen in place while staring at the massive turtle, I guess that's everyone's first reaction He snickered as he continued to watch Arashi who after a few seconds snapped back into reality and waved towards him, which led to Kuro slightly nodding in acknowledgement.
A few minutes later, Kuro noticed a small white haired kid walk in, "Ah, Izumi's here....this is going to be interesting" He grinned as his mind flashed back to the ANBU class in which led to the instructor becoming enraged. Let's just hope that doesn't happen here Kuro quietly shook his head, suddenly a small figure dove from the sky before landing hard onto the ground. Not this girl.......why is she here? Kuro questioned himself as he forced himself to present a hollow smile, but he was slightly greatful as she was the reason why they had all passed the class last time.

Seeing that everyone was present the ANBU instructor started to voice out the objective of today's exam. Shit.....We have to guard someone? Kuro swore internally as he rubbed his forehead in annoyance hoping that this was all a dream. "I'm fine with anyone being the leader, as long as they can handle it" He pointed out by raising his hands, then went on to lay down under the shade of a tree with his spear laying right beside him. I hope they take some time to come a decision Kuro anticipiated as his eye lids started to get heavy before finally closing them, expecting to get a good nap.

 

[Haku Yuki]

The Captain grinned watching the female of the group empty the one of the pack on the floor, Yuki watched as the contents spilled out of the hard ground, preceded to cut two holes in the in the bottom before seizing their charge from the ANBU’s side, she chuckled probably loud enough for the group to hear her however for now she would keep the reason behind her amusement to herself for now at least. The group chatted among themselves, all apart from Izumi that was silent she guessed by the hand movements and the sign that he held up that the boy was a mute, she cocked her head Handy, she thought to herself a mute ANBU means secrets stay safe.

Once the group had seemly decided on the leader she clapped her hands together drawing their attention back to her.
“Well Arashi congratulations looks like you are the leader, I hope that you are prepared for the responsibility.” Yuki turned to Izumi to answer his question that he had posed to her “You may take any weapons that you think will benefit you but anything else will stay here with Bones.” Her attention then turned to Yoshi who was looking rather pleased with herself “Good thinking I would give you a gold star, although did I say each of the packs have enough supplies to last you 24 hours? I meant to say that all of the packs have enough supplies for 24 hours, judging from what you have ditched and the extra mouth that you now have I recon that you have about 14 hours of supplies left” Yuki grinned behind her mask and shrugged, “Oh well let’s just hope that you use them sparingly, I would hate that you all died of exposure or something, where would the fun be in that.” She giggled menacingly and walked passed the group “Off you hop then little rabbits,” gestured them into the mouth of the forest “Time is a wasting,” She turned her back to walk away then spun on her heels to face the group “Oh I forgot to mention, I have had my ANBU scout ahead and prepare a few surprises for you, think of it like a party” She turned away and began to walk away, “That could kill you, have fun” She waved calling back to the group as she left the clearing.

 

[Sazuki Nao]

Izumi had asked a couple of questions towards the ANBU examine and towards the creature next to her. He was slightly frowning at her and swallowed a little after. He had seen it right... That thing was having a rather rough time with Kuro... He took another glance at the group they had so far.
The next moment might have just shocked him. What the hell had she been doing... She dumped everything on the floor and he finally saw what was inside the backpack... It wasn't much so they really had to find more out there... He had to give in... the carrier idea was a smart one... He would look towards the things that were in... Instantly he started to think what he could find inside there, they needed a source of food and water... thinking about all kind of matters the slowly started to think of a couple of things.
It was that the others also started to speak that Izumi was looking around to each of them... He heard that Arashi wanted to be a leader and that was one plan he could follow with ease... He was more than glad he wasn't one to gain the lead for a moment or one.

After everything, the ANBU started to speak out loud again... Slowly he sighed a little and got a bit more worried... they were allowed to have that bag and the food... No book to communicate with... and He didn't trust enough on his private tutor of a while ago. Slowly he started to move towards the backpacks and them both, dropping his own backpack and notebook. He only carried his weapon with and the backpack they had provided him. He started to rummage a little inside and weighted... It didn't have much weight at all.

With his stuff dropped and having the new equipment he started to place it on his back, waiting for orders from his leader now... but he couldn't help but glace to Kuro... Getting towards him to make an attempt to wake him up... First, he squatted down next and started to shake him a little by little. If that wouldn't help he would shake him worse and point towards the group if he did woke up or at least made a motion to.

 

[Bi-Gomon]

Kuro slightly groaned in annoyance as the examiner started to answer the imperative questions asked by everyone which stopped a few seconds later leaving him to continue his slumber peacefully before a small nudge awoke him. "Why will no-one allow me to get some rest?" Kuro shouted in anger as he grabbed his spear's shaft and swung it at Izumi's neck, just stopping moments before it connected. "Oh Izumi.....its you....sorry about that" He sighed in relief while pulling his spear away and using Izumi's shoulder as support to pull himself up.
After getting up, he slightly patted his shoulders and back to remove the dirt, then looked at Izumi who was just standing there frozen with a gaze filled with confusion and a hint of fear. "Sorry about that buddy......it happens?" Kuro placed his hand on Izumi's shoulder to reassure him that everything will be fine, then using his strength, pulled Izumi back onto his feet.
"Come on.....no time to waste" He yawned in displeasure at the fact that only finishing the exam will allow him to get a good rest, so he walked into the Forest of Death while dragging his spear behind him without noticing what was happening behind him. I hope everything will fine and quick.....I hope

Sorry for the short post......Had a bit of a writer's block.

 

[Arashi Takejo]

Arashi was equal parts nervous and excited. The wait was bad for his stomach, but he reined it in, waiting patiently for the final decision on the matter of leadership. The Toujigikou girl was backing him but Izumi and the other white haired kid were undecided. The other kid seemed so uninterested that he went and laid down under a tree shade. He realised if he became the leader, their lives would be his responsibility. Could he lead them to safety? Could he get them all to pass and succeed in the test? These questions were swirling in his head, when a clap broke his chain thoughts. The examiner announced that he was indeed the leader of the group. There would be no going back on that now. Suddenly the night felt colder and bleaker. He brought his hands together and rubbed them slowly. It would be a long night and he was the one person who could not afford to lose their concentration out there. Well on the positive side, he was also a bit excited to see how his first leading experience would be. They were also not allowed to take anything else other than their weapons and supplies. Immediately his attention went towards Izumi. He would have some difficulties in communicating with others without his notebook, but one saving grace was that Arashi was a bit familiar with sign language. Perhaps he could be the medium of communication between him and the others. But if by any chance Izumi was separated from the group, or they had to split up, it would be bad. Hopefully no such situations arised.


Arashi walked towards the pile of backpacks, bent down and picked up one of them. It was lighter than he had expected. According to the instructor they had about fourteen hours of supplies left, due to the Toujigikou girl’s plan. But she had said, she didn’t exactly need edible food to survive, so hopefully they wouldn’t run out of food or water. Trusting anything inside the forest of death to be not poisonous would be a gamble. Plus they had some beautiful surprises waiting for them inside, according to the examiner. He knew pretty well that it was code for life and death situations. Slinging the bag over his shoulders, he motioned for everyone to listen before they entered into the forest,


“ Ok guys, Before we discuss any plans, I have an approach in mind about how to move inside the forest. Hear me out and feel free to add any suggestions or object.” He started walking as he continued, “ We should move in an orderly fashion while inside the forest, something like a formation. I suggests that the spear guy moves in the front of the group.” He said pointing at the short white haired boy, “ We keep the girl and the ‘package’ in the middle and me and Izumi take up rearguard duty. I think that gives us a chance to respond better against anything we come up against out there. What do you guys think?” He finished. He was interested to see, what kind of plans the other guys came up with. Hopefully those would be difference between success and failure out there.

 

[Hase Aki]

The show was finally getting under way. She was ready and willing to head out on her own, and throw nine plans into motion to get things started. She shifted the boy on her back to get a better leverage for running, and ran through a handseal, producing a clay clone that looked exactly like her, complete with boy on the back. She also created two different sized animals, a mouse and a cheetah, and sent them out ahead of everyone with the sole purpose of setting off every deadly trap they could find. If they died, they'd just blow up and that would be that. The clay clone would stay with them, walking side by side with her in the middle of the pack, as Takejo had suggested.

“ We should move in an orderly fashion while inside the forest, something like a formation. I suggests that the spear guy moves in the front of the group.” He said pointing at the short white haired boy, “ We keep the girl and the ‘package’ in the middle and me and Izumi take up rearguard duty. I think that gives us a chance to respond better against anything we come up against out there. What do you guys think?”

"Sounds good to me, but we better catch up because our front line is already moving!" she'd run ahead to meet up with Kuroguro. That left the leader and the mute in the back, and her clone also ran up with Kuroguro so that it would round out the formation, making the space between her and the front less of a weak point. She'd prance through the forest with a pep in her step, happy as can be. She was hoping whatever would come next would be a fun thing!

[OOC: For clarity, I used artistic explosive, kamikaze bomber, and clay clone and sent the former 2 out as sort of expendable scouts meant to trip traps
WC: 301, MFT]

 

[Haku Yuki]

Yuki still stood at the edge of the forest, seemed that the group was about to start making there way inside, though what would await them would be something unexpected and something none of them had prepared for. But what else should they have expected coming into an ANBU exam was more about the sure will to survive as Yuki allowed her hand to come up the huge pile of bones move towards her as its face came down to her cheek it looked as close to affection as it was going to get in that split second. Yuki allowed a hand to come up gently as she pressed it against the bone skull.

The Bone behemoth stood dormant allowing its face to be touched as Yuki looked into its eyes with a caring devotion, they had been together so long now that she had forgot what it was like to be without her companion to help. “It is time for their exam to begin, head into the forest and meet up with the others, I will be joining you shortly, I will make sure they all enter into the woods first then I will come and find you my friend”

“Sounds fine to me, I will see you then Yuki” It was the last words the bone behemoth set into the forest quickly vanishing from the sight of the Captain, as she looked at the group of students it seemed that they were taking their time to get into the moment of things, though that could rapidly change at any second. She has seen something swing into chaos enough times now to know that all it took was a few seconds and uncertain decisions. This was an exam from the ANBU and it was not meant to be for everyone, but she hoped they all tried there hardest.

 

[Sazuki Nao]

Izumi had made a good plan for himself and started to walk slowly towards the one trying to take a nap. He didn't really know this person was such a lazy one, but he didn't judge on that matter. Even he thought towards himself that maybe he had just a bad day which resulted in him being sleepy like this. Once he was finally by the other he started to softly shake him, this was an attempt to get him at least a little bit awake. It was that he eventually succeeded that he was happy, a smile was on the boy's face but that face soon disappeared. A blade was right next to his neck. Indeed Izumi was a little startled by this... But he wasn't afraid, not like the person expected. His face hardened up and really wanted to smack him on the head... For a split second when the other walked away you could almost see a hint of bloodlust lingering in his eyes. As if he were a hunter watching a prey move along. Yet Izumi stayed dormant with handling.
Arashi took his mind a little off and he was actually glad... He tilted his head a little to the side and started to nod. It was a decent plan to at least start walking... Because Kuro already had taken this option. It was as if the other had bee on automatic pilot the whole walk. It was a slight annoyment to him... and the idea of just giving him a word would be enough.... but he knew he wouldn't probably talk here... He looked a little puzzled for a second but then started to move because also the tiny female made note that they should be on the move. He checked the area around once more and took the backpack of Kuro... They otherwise would have left this.
A soft sigh left him and he started to think more and more... Slowly he started to look around, taking as much detail also about further if there was anything to see just yet... but it also meant he held his bow on shoot ready. Not wanting to be a rather quick to shoot type, but to show that he was on guard.

Not only his eye went towards the things that could mean a danger, but also for possible food or water resource... They had to come up with a small thing... The female might have the handy hands here... But they didn't and would need the rations all the more.
If they would have that then the food resource would be easily solved... Ever since they had entered Izumi thought about the time back he had spent with his father out here... He didn't sign anything just yet. Not towards the group as he wanted to have his hands on his bow instead of in the air communicating... A bow required a set of hands, sadly not one single hand.

 

[Hase Aki]

They were on the move now, she had put her plans in motion, and now all that was left to do was to move forward toward the danger and hope her protection could keep her safe. They'd be in there a while, and it was important that she be safe. She'd hope that her little clay animal could blow up some traps or waste enemy resources as she moved on and it moved much further ahead of her. She'd cast another jutsu, one that would prove useful to the group, Crystal Eye. It would leave her hand, and begin flying around to scout up high. For someone who seemed the most useless, she sure had a bag of tricks to tap into.

 

[Arashi Takejo]

The forest seemed serene and calm at first glance, but Arashi knew that the forest of death didn’t gain its name from nothing. The quiet only made him more and more alert with every step they advanced. So far everything seemed okay. The group was moving in the formation he had suggested. The Toujigikou girl had deployed some clay animations ahead of them to possibly scout out traps along with casting crystal eye to check for anything funny nearby. She had also created a clay clone of herself along with the small boy on her back, which seemed as a very good strategy. Perhaps there was more to this girl was more than what met the eye. But he knew better than to be relaxed with this. Experienced ninjas with half decent detection techniques could easily suss out clones. Traps could be designed in such a way that rendered clay animations useless. A lot of things could still go wrong. He hoped he was the only one that was getting nervous, but he suspected otherwise. At Least the girl was back to her usual chirpy demeanour so that was something.


Arashi kept stopping at regular intervals to kneel and check the surroundings using his palm. He could pick up the slightest tremor from yards out, which could give the group a decent heads up in case anything nasty was heading towards them. Izumi was on his toes as well, keeping his bow ready at all times. Unfortunately that meant he wouldn’t be able to communicate with the rest of them at all in case of an emergency which worried the team leader further. Time was flowing at its own pace, as the moon was rising in the sky. Their path still had a bit of illumination but visibility was poor. He had considered sending out some mud clones of his own, but decided against it as the chakra drain would not be worth it. The clay clones were still out there and it was still too early to commit to any move. Arashi deemed that it would be wise to take a small break once the moon was high enough in the sky. They needed to tally their finding of the surroundings, get refreshed and start their moonlight promenade once again.

(OOC: Sorry for the late post, Had no internet connection for the past week.)

 

[Bi-Gomon]

Kuro blindly walked through the forest only to realise few minutes later that he had forgotten his bag. So he quickly turned around and noticed Izumi standing a metre away with his bag. He scratched his nape in embarrassment as he took his bag away, “Thanks, Izumi….. Sorry for troubling you”, He grinned before turning back around, and walking down the bleak, miserable and quiet forest.
A few moments had passed when a small chill ran down his back, causing a wave of goosebumps to cover his body. Something doesn’t feel right…….why do I feel like someone is looking at me, He whispered to himself as he kneeled down. Rock Golem, a green hue emanated from his hand as he let his chakra seep into the earth. This caused a small cat to rise from the ground, Go search the area for anything extrinsic, he mentally commanded the golem who silently nodded before rushing into the bushes. Let’s hope there’s nothing out of the ordinary, who am I kidding this is an ANBU exam.....something is bound to be weird, he let out a hollow and concerned laugh leading to the noise echoing through the forest.
A few seconds later, he realised what he had by quickly placing his hand on his mouth, I'm such an idiot.....by talking I'm giving away my postion Kuro berated himself while cautiously looking around the area.

As time went by he could feel the area around the group slowly became darker as they went deeper, "Its best if we take a rest now" Kuro nodded in agreement to Arashi's idea.