[indent] [/indent][hr][h3][color=lightsteelblue]Kazuhiko Taketori[/color][/h3][hr][sup][i]Land of Fire: Konohagakure[/i][/sup][indent] [/indent] The chattering of genin filled the classroom, their conversations scattered and varying in volume. Despite the smiles present, though, there was a tangible tension in the room, given form by fidgets and sideways glances at the door. Kazuhiko’s seat in the middle of the room wasn’t doing him any favors in this case, and he felt his wariness grow with every passing minute despite Natsuko’s constant chatter on the other side of Koharu. Between her words were laughs that ended seconds early and responses given moments late, and the unnecessary shifting of her arms and hair only served to further put him on edge. Internally admonishing himself for his nervousness was more counterproductive than not, so instead he played to his strengths. Stress was nothing new to him, and his father’s slow introduction of duty and responsibility into his life allowed him to develop composure despite the circumstances. Underneath the small frown and interlaced fingers, he was a lit fuse of jumbled thoughts and pessimistic worries, but outwardly he was still, attentive and in some ways stiff, but altogether a refined picture of calm. A knock sounded, and the room fell silent in unison, watching, waiting as the door at the front entrance of the classroom opened to reveal their first exam proctor: Arinaga Fujito, the head of the Konoha Police. Broad-shouldered and dark-browed, Arinaga seemed by no means a friendly man. Though terming him ‘scary’ was a bit of a stretch, there was no doubt that he was intimidating in his green flak jacket and heavy boots, even when compared to the other, sometimes taller members of the police force who followed in behind him. His presence at the head of the room, standing on the speaking platform with no trace of warmth in his eyes, helped set the tone of the room better than any one of the uniformed men and women lining up on the stairs along either side of the room, and precisely at the top of the hour, he cleared his throat. “Good morning, everyone. My name is Fujito Arinaga, and I’ll be serving as the main proctor for the first stage of your exam,” Arinaga said, his arms crossed behind his back, which seemed rigidly straight but natural at the same time. “For this stage, you will be working in your teams of three to devise a solution to the scenario presented to you. The scenario will be described in detail in the packets passed out to you by the proctors you see lined up against the wall. Communication between your team is allowed. Communication with other teams is not and will result in disqualification. You will have thirty minutes to prepare your presentation. When those thirty minutes are up, you will be escorted, one group at a time, to a separate room where I and two other proctors will hear your presentation and determine whether your team passes.” Stacks of packets were passed down the rows, and Kazuhiko took his before passing the stack to Koharu. Though the packet was thin, it also felt heavy, and Kazuhiko managed a glance at his teammates—which Natsuko returned with owl-like eyes—before refocusing on Arinaga. “Remember: Though there are many possible answers, there are also wrong answers. We will not be taking questions.” He paused to look around the room like a wolf appraising the herd. “Welcome to the Chunin Exam. Your time starts now.” [indent] [/indent][hr][hider=Jutsu] [indent] [/indent][hider=Taijutsu] [indent] [/indent] [color=lightsteelblue][u] Keen Fist: [/u][/color] [indent]The Taketori style of Taijutsu that uses their Sensaigan’s nerve-cutting abilities to compound the damage done to struck areas. This style of fighting emulates the movements of staves and spears, aiding the Taketori in landing their Sensaigan techniques.[/indent] [indent] [/indent][/hider] [hider=Ninjutsu][indent] [/indent] [color=lightsteelblue][u] Lightning Release: [/u][/color] [list][*][color=#dbe4f0]Thunder[/color]: User creates small sparks of lightning that can hit multiple targets at once. [*][color=#dbe4f0]Thunderbolt [Needs Practice][/color]: User creates arcs of lightning that can hit multiple targets at once. [*][color=#dbe4f0]Lightning Strike [Needs Practice][/color]: User creates a strong arc of lightning that can hit multiple close targets or be extended to hit a faraway one. [*][color=#dbe4f0]Thundering Kunai[/color]: User channels their Lightning Release technique into a kunai, thus charging it. This technique can be used with different ninjutsu to create varying intensities of electricity inside the blade [*][color=#dbe4f0]Lightning Clone Technique[/color]: User creates a tangible clone that is dispelled with very little damage and cannot perform jutsu. The clone will also dispel if enough time passes.[/list][indent][/indent][/hider] [indent] [/indent][/hider] [h3] [/h3][hr][h3][color=#AB4730]Natsuko Rinha[/color][/h3][hr][sup][i]Late Morning || Land of Fire: Konohagakure[/i][/sup][indent] [/indent] The flurry of shuffling paper filled the room, and Natsuko vaguely the sting of a possible papercut as her eyes glossed over the words on the page. [i]Pair of jonin-level missing-nin in possession of a stolen jutsu scroll. Known information on each missing-nin in the next two pages.[/i] At the bottom of the page was the main prompt, which was bolded for emphasis. [i]The Hokage has chosen your team to retrieve the stolen scroll. Devise and present the best possible strategy to retrieve the scroll.[/i] Letting out a breath she realized she’d been holding, Natsuko took a peek at the next two pages, which were profiles of the two jonin-level missing-nin and a map on tracing the missing-nin’s path, before setting the paper down and looking at her teammates. [color=#AB4730]“So. Jonin-level missing-nin. Is the Hokage crazy or what?”[/color] [color=lightsteelblue]“Looking at the map, it looks like the missing-nin are going to pass through the Valley of the End. They’re Sunagakure and Kumogakure missing-nin who specialize in wind and lightning techniques, so we might have an advantage if we ambush them where there’s more water or forest,”[/color] Kazuhiko said, flipping between pages. [color=#AB4730]“Huh.”[/color] Natsuko mimicked his flipping, looking for something to add to the conversation. [color=#AB4730]“The Sunagakure dude has the weird face paint a lot of puppet people have.”[/color] Kazuhiko paused to stare at her, then flipped through his packet. [color=lightsteelblue]“It’s true. I don’t think it definitely means he’s a puppeteer, but it’s a strong possibility.”[/color] [color=#AB4730]“Yeah, that’s what I meant,”[/color] Natsuko said after a beat. [color=#AB4730]“He’s probably a puppeteer.”[/color] [color=lightsteelblue]“Right, so tactics… If the Suna missing-nin [i]is[/i] a puppeteer, he’ll have to be carrying his puppet somehow, which would make it easier for him to be carrying the scroll as well,”[/color] Kazuhiko said, not sparing Natsuko a second glance, thankfully. She’d contributed, and he’d taken it in stride. [color=lightsteelblue]“Doing this would free up the Kumo nin for attacks, which would probably mean he’s the scout. The puppeteer to protect the scroll, and the scouter to spot and field any attacks.”[/color] He looked between his teammates, frowning. [color=lightsteelblue]“But, these are just theories. If both of them are confident in their abilities, they could just be traveling without set roles. It’d be bad if we underestimated either of them because we placed them in a role since the [i]are[/i] both jonin-level threats.”[/color] He fell quiet, and Natsuko got the sense that he wanted some input, but she couldn’t think of anything to say here. To her, it sounded like a rock-paper-scissors scenario. One of her older sisters had tried to explain the tactics to the game once, but it was all so complicated and circular that to this day, Natsuko still believed firmly that the game was completely based on luck. If it weren’t, how could she possibly beat her sister, much less Kazuhiko and Koharu at the game? [color=#AB4730]“What do you think, Haru-chan?”[/color] she asked, looking to Koharu and flashing a smile when the girl looked back on her. Too bad—the spotlight had already been passed, and technically Natsuko had already contributed. [indent] [/indent][hr][hider=Jutsu] [hider=Ninjutsu][indent] [/indent] [color=#AB4730][u] Wind Release: [/u][/color] [list][*][color=#df9797]Gale Palm[/color]: User increases the velocity or density of wind to form a powerful gale capable of knocking over a person.[/list] [color=#AB4730][u] Dark Release: [/u][/color] [list][*][color=#df9797]Kusunemasu [Weak][/color]: User absorbs chakra from others and uses it as their own. Possible through direct physical contact or from a distance with more concentration[/list] [indent] [/indent][/hider] [indent] [/indent][/hider] [hr][sup][@Sunflower][/sup]