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[color=white].	Wednesday, 9:31 [right]Amegakure	.[/right][/color][/h3][/sub][/b][/color]

The night before was the best night of his life. He had been surrounded by his friends, recalling stories of his exploits and his time with Team 3. They listened with the moxie of charmed children; laughing and being silent in all the right places. When he was done with his spell, they all strode out and reminisced on the balcony of his shoddy shelter. It was... odd and haunting; listening to them talk about their ordinary lives. The majority of orphans never made the cut to being official shinobi. Usually they just became street trash but a few were lucky enough to become 'ordinary'. This year was their last at the Orphanage and Gareki had the hunch that they were all frightened of their futures. As they well should've been. The world, Amekagure in particular, was unforgiving. It was the ambitious and downright reckless that really made ripples. 

Needless to say, he went to bed rather late that night and when he woke, two of the five was still passed out on his floor. 

He touched his ashened hair, ruffling strands and bangs from out his face. [color=silver][b]"Guess I'll let you sleep in..."[/b][/color] he muttered to himself. 

Even as he strode into Shigeki, his jaunty whistle was still leaving his mouth. He shook his crimson umbrella free of the rain and made a beeline for the rest of the team. A lazy, kinda drowsy [color=silver][b]"Morning,"[/b][/color] greeted, Murakami, Unagi, and Sakana. 

Gareki ate greedily while filtering out his own chomping to hear Sakana. Mouth full, he glared up with disapproval. He was close to letting the curse-words fly. [color=silver][i]Standby-duty?! Just who the hell do they think we are?[/i][/color] He hated it but through experience and harsh rebuttals, he knew griping about it wouldn't do anything. So he shook his head instead and kept grubbing down. 

Then of course came the hammer on the nail. Even as he was falling into the comfortable silence, letting his stomach settle from the meal; Sakana's declaration made him jerk forward. [color=silver][b]"What!?"[/b][/color] he barked, placing his hands firmly on the table. But as usual, Sakana-sensei left little room for argument. Which, typically, wouldn't stop him 'cept a random shinobi burst in with a mission-of-sorts. Frowning, Gareki understood that his chance for talk had passed. [color=silver][i]Crapstorm,[/i][/color] he thought. 

He drug himself up, mumbling quietly as they left Shigeki. [color=silver][b]"Ahh, c'mon, an exam? really? I'm just as strong as Mura and Unagi, I don't need some gloried test wasting my time."[/b][/color] He growled in his throat, knowing the futility of it even as he continued. [color=silver][b]"All I really need is one big exploit. Not some fancy title. Shoot, anything Sakana-sensei can do, I can do. One battle, one situation to make me famous."[/b][/color] 

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[color=white].	Wednesday, 9:46 [right]Amegakure Eastern Border	.[/right][/color][/h3][/sub][/b][/color]

Throughout the small trek, Gareki had come to the realization that this situation could be [i]his[/i] moment. [color=silver][i]To hell with taking an exam, I'll show my stuff here and now. Prove to Sakana-sensei that on good merits, I don't need no exam. I'm a Chunin without the vest.[/i][/color] He felt exhilarated that he had come to the conclusion himself and that it hadn't taken much longer than a few minutes. Now all that remained was the question of how and the hope that a sticky situation would occur. 

Not much longer and the four hooded figures had been found. Sakana-sensei leaped into the clearing and Gareki followed, landing two or three feet behind his sensei. There was something about the reality of the situation that had pushed his intent to the backburner. Instinctively, he felt a show of force was necessary. Four ninjas that encountered a lone one might buck-up. Even one more could deter that and Gareki was always ready for a good fight. Even as Unagi tried to talk them down, Gareki's hand was already on the hilt of his cherished: Kenma. 

Looking at them, Gareki just got an urge to provoke, to attack really but that wouldn't fly. The ashen-haired teen smirked, [color=silver][b]"Resting,"[/b][/color] he laughed brazenly. [color=silver][b]" C'mon we're not idiots. You know the rules Leaf Ninja. I'd pack up, [i]fast[/i], the big-boss here won't say it again. Time to leave, saplings."[/b][/color]