Forest of Four Sides :: East

It was time for her exam. Mizuki was ready. She wasn't going to be any other personalities today, it was too important to win today. If she did win then the rank of chuunin would be hers which meant she couldn't lose because of some silly personality mix-up, if so she would never forgive herself. This was her chance and she wouldn't let it slip through her fingers. As she approached the area she was to begin at, she took inventory to make sure that she had everything. There was only one thing that she actually had to bring with her and a hissing sound and a feeling down her top and in her hair meant that her snakes were with her. She was glad about that for if they were back in Kiri then Mizuki would have had to go back and fetch them which would probably make her late for the exam and so disqualified which would have made her go truly insane.

She arrived at her destination and looked around. She was in a mountainous area and she saw many small caves and alcoves that she could hide in. She knew that she would have a partner in this exam but there was also a possibility of other people arriving at the same destination. Mizuki knew that her team member would be here soon but she also knew that he would have the scroll that was vital to their success. She had an idea. She would hide in a cave and when she heard, or saw, someone approach she would ask them what their scroll was. If it was Lightning then Mizuki would show herself. If not then she would act like a crazy old hermit and tell them to leave. She was hoping that someone would shout out Earth as their scroll because that would save Mizuki from actually scouring the island in search of them but she didn't hold her breath on that one. The person that had created the exams, most likely the Mizukage, would not have made it that easy. Mizuki would just have to wait for someone to approach so that she could question them.

Nakori had just arrived at the east side of the forest. The first thing he did was stumble into a puddle of mud,
and got it all over his lower leg. "Great......", he said, now wondering when his partner
would catch up to him. He decided to take a look around the area, running into various caves, rocks and
boulders. He thought the area was great because of all the ground that had turned to mud, he could use
it instead of water for his jutsus, maybe even making them with more force due to the increased density. Luckily, Nakori was the one who had the scroll.


He decided that he should just take a quick run around the forest before his partner arrived, passing
in-front of all the caves and looking at the environment.

The day of the Chuunin Exams where finally upon the Genin of Kirigakure, and needless to say Kaim was a little bit on edge. This would determine his future as well as prove his own skills from treading upon the shinobi path for many years. Though he was used to combat situations, he had never actually fought someone in an all out battle, making his nerves restless to say the least. Most of his time was dedicated to his clan's secret endeavors in keeping Kirigakure safe from the shadows, while Kaim mainly specialized in reconnaissances of enemy nations. Before leaving the Kizoku Province he had made sure his weapon's pouch was full stocked, and his puppets where at optimum condition. Almost at the the designated area that he had been told weeks prior, Kaim reached into the back of his overcoat to make sure that all his gear was secured before proceeding forward. Thinking about the details of the exam, he recalled being paired with a girl named Mizuki, though having no idea what see looked like would prove to be the first challenge of the day.

Finally arriving at the exam area, Kaim could see that he was in a mountainous area, filled with both high plateaus, caves, and a heavily forested base. There was no doubt in his mind that others where probably already laying in wait for some unexpected Genin to pass by. Having their team scroll tucked away in a hidden compartment of one of his puppets, Kaim made sure to lay low as he scoured the nearby caves for his teammate. Figuring it would make the best location for someone to wait due its secluded nature, Kaim made his way around the numerous caves of the area. Making sure that his movements would not disturb even the slightest flow of nature, Kaim readied his guard as he hoped that his partner would turn up soon.

Mizuki had seen someone approach and the man had decided to explore a few of the caves in the area. The man was quite a bit away from the cave Mizuki was hiding in but she couldn't let him get any closer. She shouted at the man in a crazy voice like the voice an old hermit would use, "You know not the things you meddle with O ninja of the Mist. There are things happening here the likes of which could be used to destroy this land, or to make it great and feared once more. I must judge you by the element you carry. Name the scroll you have been given so that I may decide your fate." The sound of her voice bounced off the mountains making it nearly impossible for the man to pinpoint her which was what she wanted. It was rather difficult to implement the fact that she wanted to know his scroll with the rest of the rant and their was also a chance that this person didn't even have the scroll which made him an enemy anyway. Mizuki would just have to wait and listen to his answer.

Not long after another appeared. There was a strong chance that one of the people here was her partner but also a chance that she was so unlucky that her enemies would all arrive before her partner. She certainly hoped not. Since she had already shouted at another man, shouting at this one would make the man easily noticeably and, if the person was her partner, she didn't want that. So she instead walked up behind the man and whispered in his ear, "I am a shinobi here for the chuunin exams. I am wondering what your scroll's element is. If it is not Lightning then I shall leave you and find the person. If your scroll is lightning then you are my partner." She sincerely hoped that this man was her partner and that he didn't try to kill her.

As Nakori's traveling lead him to passing by a row of small caves, he had looked around and found no
signs of life. Until he had heard something in the distance.."You know .. the things .... meddle with O ..... of the Mist. There are .... happening here the .... of which .... be used .... destroy this land, or to make it great .... feared once more. I must judge ..... by the element .... carry. Name .... scroll you ... .... given so that I may decide your fate.", was all he could hear. Since he knew that the person he was partnered with
wasn't even here yet, he ran away quickly, hiding to where the two had set up their meeting point.

Exploring the caves one by one, Kaim wasn't having any luck in tracking down his partner. Each cave was subtlety different from the next, though due to the vast amount of them, the hope of tracking her down seemed slim to none at this point. Or at least that's what Kaim thought until he heard the crazy voice of a woman echoing through the area ahead of him, "You know not the things you meddle with O ninja of the Mist. There are things happening here the likes of which could be used to destroy this land, or to make it great and feared once more. I must judge you by the element you carry. Name the scroll you have been given so that I may decide your fate." tuning his ears to the message. Kaim was unsure who the message was aimed towards, but he for one would never answer such a question that could put him in harms way by making him a target for another group. But due to the feminine qualities of the voice, Kaim figured that it could in fact be his partner Mizuki and this could be the only chance he had to find her. Putting his reconnaissance skills to work, Kaim slowly moved forward, making sure that he went unnoticed from any unwanted attention that could be lurking in the area.

Still holding his guard up, Kaim made his way towards another grouping of caves, which rested between two vast mountain plateaus, forming a "V" as they meet each other at the said cluster. Clearly this was where the voice must have originated from, judging by the steep cliffs that surround the area. It was then that Kaim heard the slight footsteps of another person quickly approaching from behind, as he pulled a kunai from his weapon pouch. Turning his head slightly, a woman stood before him as she began whisper into his ear "I am a shinobi here for the chuunin exams. I am wondering what your scroll's element is. If it is not Lightning then I shall leave you and find the person. If your scroll is lightning then you are my partner." with a polite tone of voice. Fully turning himself towards the woman, Kaim noticed that she was much taller than himself and displayed long flowing red hair. Also noticing that they looked about the same age, a smile formed about his face from the realization that this must have been his partner he had been searching for from the start. "Mizuki? Is that you?" Kaim said in a friendly tone, pausing for a second or before continuing "I have been looking everywhere for you, and yes my scroll element is in fact lightning."

The man that Mizuki had shouted at before had not answered her, most likely because the voices bouncing all over must have confused him enough that he didn't understand most of what was being said. On the other hand, the man that Mizuki had snuck up behind and talked to had answered her. He knew that she was Mizuki which meant that he was Kaim, her partner. Mizuki was overjoyed, if this man and the other man had both been her enemies then it could have all gone wrong and she could have been killed before her partner had even shown up. She spoke to him, "You must be Kaim. Yes I am Mizuki and your partner," then her voice went into a whisper, "Stay quiet, there is definitely one other person here which means that his teammate might have also arrived. Stay sharp and keep your guard up."

Then suddenly, like out of nowhere, three smoke bombs were thrown and went off around Mizuki and her partner and they were blind. Worrying that someone was about to attack, she grabbed Kaim and jumped out of the smoke's range and out of the cave onto a flat area next to one of the mountain's faces. She managed to see something happen in the smoke, possibly an attack which made her glad that she had jumped out of the way. She couldn't yet see who had actually attacked them or if it was two people that had attacked them but she was just happy that she, and Kaim, had survived. As she landed she let go of Kaim and readied herself for any attack. The orange snakes in her hair, that matched her hair color, was starting to move, ready to attack and the one in her top was staying completely still, waiting for a surprise attack.

Nakori waited for him to launch the attack, and as he did so, a mass of smoke flew inside
the caves and senbon flew in the smoke. Sadly, they had already jumped out of the smoke
onto the flat land, exposed. Just to shake them up, Nakori had pulled out 2 explosive-tag kunai. He threw 1 at each of them and watched them start to burn. He knew they were obviously going to dodge the explosive kunai if they weren't incredibly stupid, but it was all just the diversion. Nakori wasn't sure how they'd get out of this one, but now he would find out. He
had performed multiple hand signs and used up a large amount of mud in the area, to spears
of mud emitted from his hands and arced to the sky, the spears had started to chase them.
At least he'd know how good his never used before technique would work. After shooting the
spears of mud he had hopped down from the tree and ready to engage them after the spears
have done their job, waiting for Natsu to also hop down.

Jutsu used:

Name:Arcing water spears jutsu
Rank:C-S
Type:Ninjutsu
Element:Water
Range:20 meters
Clan:N/A
Description:

The user performs the necessary hand-signs to emit water into a spear-
like shape. The water spears arc into the sky about 10 meters high and chases the enemy until it comes in contact with them. The water then comes down on the enemy, causing them to be smashed on the ground, causing moderate pain and injuries. The user also cannot run or jog while performing this jutsu, fast walk at max.

C-3 water spears
B-5 water spears
A-7 water spears
S-10 water spears

A looking of relief quickly came to the young woman that stood before Kaim at the time, as he could tell she had found what she had been looking for. It was then that she confirmed Kaim's suspicions of being her partner, and was quick to prove it by addressing Kaim by his name. It was then that she also told him of another shinobi being somewhere in the area and that they where not alone. This could not have been more prevalent, as three smoke charges interrupted their conversation, forming a large cloud of smoke around the two Genin. Before Kaim had time to react, his partner Mizuki had grab his arm, lifting him up as they jumped over the side of the plateaued mountain side. Landing on the flat land below, the rocky surface coupled with a few trees left them somewhat exposed to the enemies sight. Given the situation a quick thought, Kaim was actually amazed that she could lift his body as she did, signifying that she had to have been a decent taijustu user.

Two kunai where then launched towards each of them, and upon closer inspection explosive notes where attached to them. Kaim knew by the lazy trajectory of them that they where just being used to off set the them, as he quickly juked to the right, pulling Mizuki behind him in order to hide her from harm. "Stay behind me Mizkui!" Kaim said as he pulled a summoning scroll from his leg holsters, opening it and releasing the seals which contained Puppet ELIO and Puppet Sprigg. Quickly attaching the chakra threads to each of the puppets, Kaim could see a man with spikey black hair weave a string of hand signs to form three spears from the mud in the area. It was then he sent the mud spears flying towards them, as he jumped down from his position in a tree to see the progress of his attack. Acting quickly Kaim pulled ELIO to his front and sent Sprigg to cover the Mizuki's back causing them to form a strait line of protection from the spears. It was then that he instructed ELIO to pick up a large boulder that had been sitting to the left of their stance. Holding the boulder in front of him, ELIO took a knee to brace for the impact of the spears. Sure enough, one by one the mudd spears landed against the boulder, absorbing the impact but cracking it into two separate pieces. A gleeful smile quickly formed about Kaim's face as he decided to switch to an offensive attack on the two men now standing in front of them. "Here ya go guys!" Kaim yelled to the man as he sent the signal to ELIO, causing him to send the two pieces of boulder flying towards each of the men now standing before him, one with white hair and the other with spiky black hair that launched the attack. If the pieces of the boulder struck correctly, the men would be crushed beneath their weight of them, causing a considerable amount of smashing damage. With their first attack thwarted, all that was left was left is to see how the two men would handle the situation Kaim had put him in.

Spoiler:

Name: Chakra Threads
Rank: E
Type: Puppetry
Range: C: 10 meters - B: 25 meters - A: 50 meters - S: 100 meters
Element: N/A
Description: Chakra Threads is a technique that is usually used by puppet users to allow them to control their puppets in battle. Interestingly, as well as pulling objects towards them with the strings, the user can also "push" objects away from them as well, and even get moving objects like buzzsaws. Chakra can also be transfered via the strings, such as to activate some abilities in puppets. This means that the chakra strings can also be attached to other objects, allowing the user to control, or at the very least disrupt, other things.

Name: ELIO
Rank: C-S
Description:


ELIO stands an impressive 5'10", a full head over Kaim. Confusing to some at first, ELIO's frame resembles that of a normal adult male. In addition, ELIO's frame is made of a special steel composite. Though heavier than most puppets of its kind, it enables it to be very resilient to various weapons and jutsu. ELIO's head and face are covered by a helmet and and full face mask with glowing red eyes. Also Donning black pants and boots, accompanied with a black leather overcoat and gloves. The only thing that is deadlier than ELIO's appearance is the secrets it holds within.

Devices:
Name: Steel composite frame
Appearance: See previous picture above.
Rank: C-S
Range: N/A
Special Abilities: Due to its frame, this puppet is able to to sustain 1 direct hit from attacks of equal rank or 2 under its rank before normal damage occurs. The downside of the frame is that it is heavier than others of its class. This in turn confers a -5% speed penalty to ELIO.
Origin: Developed at the same time Kaim created ELIO.

Name: Sprigg
Rank: C-S
Description:


Sprigg stands an average height of 5'5", the same as Kaim. Just like its brother ELIO, Sprigg's frame resembles that of a normal adult male. In addition, Sprigg's frame is made of a special chakra conduit material. At higher ranks this light weight frame enables Kaim's chakra to pass freely throughout the puppet, using it as a focal point for his jutsu. Sprigg's head and face are covered by a helmet and and full face mask with four glowing orange eyes. Sprigg's other apparel would include black boots and tan pants, accompanied with a special chameleoline cloak and gloves. Utilizing a stealthy nature by design, coupled with being a beacon to launch attacks from only add to Sprigg's deadliness upon the battlefield.

Chakra Remaining: 94%

[OoC: The pic is fine, I understand it now and I'll agree with the positioning]

On a flat area next to the mountains was where a lot of things had happened. Just because they had averted the disaster that could have happened during the smoke bomb attack did in no way mean that they had completely avoided disaster. On the flat land they were sitting ducks and her point was proven when some spears that were made of what looked like mud were shot at them. Kaim quickly reacted, this time saving Mizuki's life while she thought and telling her to get behind him, while summoning two puppets, one in front of Kaim to stop the spears and one behind Mizuki to protect her.

She was thinking right now and thern she shouted, at the top of her voice, "STOP!!! Why are we even fighting anyway? Think about it, the exams have just started, 9if we randomly fight each other and wear each other down, just to find out that our scrolls have nothing to do with each others. And then, when we find the ones with the scrolls we need, we are already weakened and then lose, thus failing the exam because of some pointless fight. Let's stop it now. If it turns out that we need your scroll or you need our then we can continue the fight. If not, let's go our separate ways in good health, hoping to meet in the future as chuunin. I hope that you, our enemies are as level headed and smart as you seem and that you accept my words." Mizuki had never seen the point of the fight but she just hoped that her words got through to them and that the fight ended there and then.

As Nakori waited for the results of his attack, the puppet user had somehow had
the puppets use the boulder as defense, splitting it in half. The puppet user had then thrown
2 pieces of the boulder at us, one at Natsu, and one at myself. Nakori easily dodged the boulder
by jumping to the side. His partner had then dashed off 5 meters to the left, Nakori not
even knowing what he was doing.

Then the girl had started to speak, "STOP!!! Why are we even fighting anyway? Think about it, the exams have just started, if we randomly fight each other and wear each other down, just to find out that our scrolls have nothing to do with each others. And then, when we find the ones with the scrolls we need, we are already weakened and then lose, thus failing the exam because of some pointless fight. Let's stop it now. If it turns out that we need your scroll or you need our then we can continue the fight. If not, let's go our separate ways in good health, hoping to meet in the future as chuunin. I hope that you, our enemies are as level headed and smart as you seem and that you accept my words."

There was no point to that statement, Nakori thought. "There is no point,
one us will tell a lie, or something similar. How about you give up your scroll now so this doesn't have to end badly for you? You are already beaten without knowing it.". With that, he
might have regretted it but he jumped off the ledge to flat ground, his legs had hurt a bit, but
he showed no sign of it whatsoever, hoping his partner would also get down. Well...?. He had waited for a answer, or a attack, ready for both.

As the pieces of boulder where launched at the two men, Kaim knew that the slower moving pieces of rock would not present that much of treat, but instead act as a display of power and warning. Each man averted the attack with ease by dashing in a outward direction away from each other as the pieces slammed into the hillside behind them. Before Kaim could retaliate any further, his partner Mizuki started to bring up a valid point of her own. Wanting them all to stop the fighting until they at least had a reason too did not seem too much to ask of their attackers, though whether they would comply to the terms would be another story all together. Ironically Mizuki took the words right out of Kaim's mouth as he could not have said them any better himself. It was then that the man with spiky black hair began to speak "There is no point, one us will tell a lie, or something similar. How about you give up your scroll now so this doesn't have to end badly for you? You are already beaten without knowing it." with a cocky yet confident tone. The man then jumped down from his safe position on the ridge, to the open area that Mizuki and him had been residing on as he waited for a response from the two.

Kaim began to cringed just from the sound of the man's tone, as well as his overconfident attitude that he had been displaying up until now. He had meet people like him before, each time ending the same way with the opponent's own demise. The fact alone that he put himself within range of Kaim's puppets was more than enough to prove this his theory. Finally Kaim began to speak once more "Ironically friend your not as intimidating as you think you are, especially for taking us so lightly. If you would use your head and listen to her we can resolve this in a civilized manner, and maybe even help each other in the process." with calm and informative tone, and continued once more "Not all of use are as untrustworthy as yourselves, after all you where the ones who attacked us. How about this, we both write down our element on a piece of paper, attach it to a kunai and throw it next to each other. No games, no gimmicks, no bullshit, just a straightforward trade of information and if we must fight so be it." Still holding his guard on to man before him, as well as the white hair on the ridge, all that was left to do was see how the ill-mannered black hair would respond to the offer.