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[sub][right]Mention: [@DClassified] | [@BlueTommy] | new player[/right][/sub]
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	[color=FA6D32][i]"A good warrior sharpens his sword. A greater warrior sharpens his mind."[/i][/color] Asami muttered like a mantra as she continued through the forest, pouncing gracefully from one branch to the other with such balance and agility that she seemed to have barely come in contact with the bark before she was bounding on to the next. Kuroo maintained pace with her, always just a half step behind. Though that couldn't be said for her traveling squad counterparts. Hirameki, ever the one to get distracted by something of little importance - at least to the Nekomata girl - and Yosuke, taking his time regardless of a given situation. Asami rolled her eyes though she had to applaud the young swordsman; his sluggishness was in no way attributed to laziness or inexperience but more so in the way of assessing his surroundings. A more strategic approach to the environment. A honed skill that Asami prided herself with picking up. 'Meki, she feared, didn't.

They were battered and bruised, and would have come out of their skirmish with fewer hits however, 'Meki's initial plan of [i]distraction[/i] went poorly and they were made. A quick dispatch of the squad from the Land of Water; Kirigakure. A swift defeat for the opposing team... one of the few Squad 7 has ever had to deliver. One of them, their life force ended. It had to be done. [color=FA6D32][i]'It was either them or us. Yeah... exactly...'[/i][/color] It still didn't sit right within the group. But they were in it together. They needed to keep it together; not just for themselves or as a team as a whole, but for the village. This is why they were partaking in these exams right? To prove that they deserve the title of shinobi. To assure the other villages that the Hidden Leaf isn't to be fucked with? Right?

[color=FA6D32][i]'At what cost? Our humanity?'[/i][/color] Such thoughts would fall on deaf ears, so she keeps them to herself. Persuading that line of thinking to the furthest recesses of her mind. Steeling herself away from the emotions of it all. [color=FA6D32][i]It's a job. It had to be done. They would have done the same to us if they had the chance.[/i][/color] Anything and everything to keep pressing forward. Asami assured her own conscious that it was necessary, for all of them. What good does it do them to show weakness and doubt now?

It wasn't long before the rust pigment of the forest tower was breaching through the lush greens that engulfed her and her team. It was six floors or more, based alone on the appearance of the building, with it's slatted, curved roofing and odd rooms jutting from all different angles it was a wonder how it was even able to stand - from an architectural perspective. A large balcony situated at the top of the tower, a faded green from being exposed to excessive sunlight, day in and day out, beckoned Asami and sub-sequentially Kuroo too. A perfect spot to lounge under the sun's rays and recharge. 

However all thoughts of just relaxing as they wait for the next portion of the exams were thrown to the wind. Because as they approached the base of the tower they soon came to realize that they weren't the first to arrive. There before them stood three teams, two of them belonging to the Leaf and the other seemed to have hailed from Otogakure; Sound. Odd that they would have made it so far when they showed little to no impressive feats earlier on within the exams. Something about the cheerful demeanor of one of the members, a female with golden eyes; trained on Asami like a bird of prey, made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Kuroo must have felt it as well for her stood in front of her, back arched, teeth bared in a hiss meant to intimidate and protect.

[sub][color=#00c0ff]"[i]Ohh~![/i] What a precious, cute kitty~! Can I pet 'im?!"[/color][/sub] The woman, clearly unfazed that Kuroo was in attack mode, bounded towards the young girl and her pet. Completely ignoring the protests from the other members of both their teams.

[color=FA6D32]"I don't think it would be wise..."[/color] Asami assured the woman, whom she noticed now that she was closer, was a bit older than the rest of the shinobi from the Leaf that were participating in the exams. Another tick to her list of uneasy things about this team. A quick smirk graced the woman's features as she hoisted herself back up into a straighter position. The feathers and bells adorning her person swayed with the movement and in the slight breeze that filtered through the area, providing the relatively quiet space with the sounds of jingles. It would have been relaxing and a welcomed sound had Asami been spread out under the sun's rays and beneath the tinkling of the chimes at her home. But, she was not there in her safe space and thus, everything within her screamed to be on guard.

The bluenette's smirk was quickly replaced with a pout before anyone could take notice. Well, anyone not skilled in people watching such as the Nekomata kunoichi. [color=#00c0ff][sub]In the end it didn't matter, not really, if anyone were to catch her... she wasn't truly hiding. Just... biding her time until she was called upon. Something within her bubbled with excitement and as she turned on her heel and bounced away she made sure to throw a casual, friendly comment back behind her to her [i]competition[/i].[/sub][/color]

To say that Asami was baffled would be the understatement of the year. She was completely thrown off, however she didn't have much time to dwell on the conflicted feelings as a commotion dragged her attention towards the scene unfolding there at the tower's entrance. Satoru and Jiren were at it again, having begun to taunt the other, fixating themselves into their respective fighting stances, spitting threats and curses in each other's directions. Asami scoffed at the scene, nearly forgetting the Sound Ninjas entirely. Almost. It was a tad bit difficult when her furry companion would monitor and glare at the nin from wherever he was, though as far as Asami was concerned she would just take them on when the time came. If she thought about the uneasy feeling that settled into her bones, she could just write it off as the same feelings she got when she encountered any of the other [i]"enemies"[/i] that surrounded her. And that even included the teams from her own village. [color=FA6D32][i]'It's probably nothing. Just post jitters from the previous encounter with an unfamiliar squad from a different village. Nothing to fixate on... '[/i][/color] She paused in her inner debate, heading towards the fence line, a few branches from fallen trees scattered about, basking in the warm glow of the sun. Asami hoisted herself up and savoring the warmth it provided.

She would do well to heed the apprehensive twisting in her gut, urging her to not take such a laissez faire approach to all of this. But, at the moment, absorbing the glow in an attempt to relieve the tension in her crimson spattered muscles, she couldn't be the furthest from bothered. She could clearly recall the wise words of her teammate, playing on repeat as if on a broken record, [color=FA6D32]"Some battles aren't worth fighting."[/color] 
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