[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/zfHbATn.png[/img]
[COLOR=silver][sup][b]Iwagakure | Chūnin | Hunter-nin[/b][/sup][/COLOR][/center][hr][INDENT][sup][COLOR=silver][b]TIME:[/b] [i]Present Day - Morning[/i] | [b]LOCATION:[/b] [i]Konohagakure - Exam Stadium[/i] | [b]INTERACTION:[/b] [i][@yoshua171][@Ganryu][@Spanner][/i][/COLOR][/sup][/INDENT]
[i]"Hey, you two, want to team with me?"[/i]

Renji was stirred from his thoughts by the random question. When he turned to see where it had originated from, he was met with the bright and cheerful visage of a young, female shinobi who'd introduced herself by the name, Ai. His memory gave him no recollection of ever before seeing her face, though he could tell by the Iwagakure symbol on her clothing that she was a fellow Chūnin from the Hidden Stone. Renji had listened to the Hokage's speech and winced when it was suggested that they choose their own teams. In truth, he was very much a lone wolf, thanks to his past eight years of isolated service. Had it not been for this girl's forwardness, Renji would likely have chosen the combative route - though that's not to say collecting the aforementioned scrolls wouldn't involve any conflict.

By the time he began formulating his reply, the girl was joined by another referring to herself as Ayame - the supposed fourth member of their would-be team that Ai had briefly mentioned earlier. Another unrecognized face, though he was quick to notice her headband tied around her neck - Iwagakure again. He wasn't entirely sure but he thought he could see an uncanny resemblance between the two as they stood side by side. Renji frowned a little, dispelling the useless thought that had popped into his mind at that moment. It wasn't long afterward that a third voiced chimed in.

[i]"I'm Hikaru, no fancy clan name in spite of me being a Kekkei user."[/i]

This face he did remember - or what was shown of it at least. Red hair with a bandaged face, it was none other than [i]Iwagakure's Crimson Fiend[/i]. Renji had been tasked to shadow the young shinobi whilst the ANBU brass had considered recruiting him after the disbandment of the Explosion Corps. Their ultimate decision not to enlist him being based on the fact that his casually mentioned Kekkei Genkai meant that he was extremely proficient in blowing things up. And after shadowing him briefly, Renji was entirely inclined to agree with their assessment. Hikaru had never known he was followed of course - the ANBU Black Ops always made sure to scope out any potential members before inviting them to join - it had been one of the other few occasions that Renji had been permitted to remove his mask.

He allowed the others to finish talking, before finally introducing himself, [color=black][b]"I am Renji."[/b][/color] He began, pushing himself away from the post he'd been leaning on to stand and face them. [color=black][b]"And I'm not surprised that you don't recognize me. Back home, it's my job to stay invisible."[/b][/color] He stated, making direct eye-contact with Ai. Though he didn't explicitly want to reveal his position as an ANBU member, Renji thought it prudent to at least give his new teammates a clue. Maybe this small trusting of information would pay him back in kind later.

[color=black][b]"Regarding the scroll, I'm not entirely fond of lightning."[/b][/color] He said, recalling the element as one of his Kekkei Genkai's main weaknesses. [color=black][b]"But this Exam is all about challenges. And challenges are made to be overcome."[/b][/color] Renji finished, trying his best to give a friendly smile.