Resting bitch face, though she’s often annoyed so it’s hard to tell.
Not the official Uchiha heir but she damn well will be one day, if her clan knows what’s good for it.
Combining her fire release with her large shuriken is one of her signature techniques, and she helps her victory along with her sharingan. Her opponents can choose death by fire or by searing blade.
Despite her prickliness, and despite how strong she is as a shinobi, Ryoka is honestly not that confident in her abilities. While she’s strong, her clan has no shortage of strong shinobi, and candidates for heir number many if strength is the only consideration.
Innately respects clan heirs and hates slackers and overly talkative people.
Yeah she cut her hair herself. Got a problem with it?
Pretentious and analytical, two traits that lead him to dismiss others quickly and often rudely.
The youngest of his team, but also the smartest, which he maintains is more important than age or strength in the long run.
Seems to wield a brand of earth release that allows him to control both sand and rocks.
Constantly bickering with Maho, who he calls “Aho” because he’s convinced she might be the densest person he knows.
A Guren candidate by choice, Katsuzo was won over by curiousity and the promise of strength. After all, who else could promise him access to forbidden techniques lost ages ago by his family?
An earth and wind jutsu user from a family who specializes in filtering different materials from sand. While Katsuzo is able to control sand, he favors the other materials within the ground, and he is able to transform sand into larger formations of crystals that prove brittle but sharp.
His family is known for their elegant rock garden designs, sourcing their materials directly from the desert using their jutsu.
Yamanishi Maho
14 | 山西 真穂 | Genin
Swears up, down, left, and right at the slightest transgression, and at anything that could be taken as a transgression because her fuse is short and chances are you’re up to no good.
Often seen arguing with Katsuzo, her younger teammate whom she calls “Yatsuzo” because he’s an unpleasant… insert slew of insults that shan’t be transcribed.
Crazy strong. Unfortunately, being able to stomp craters isn’t helpful on sandy terrain.
As someone who values strength, Maho agrees with the sentiment that shinobi are inherently better than civilians, and if you asked her, it was about time someone knocked the senile wind daimyo down a few notches.
A wind release user who uses her wind jutsu to enhance her kicks and punches. She essentially hits with the weight of the atmosphere—if she could control that much air.
Not stupid. Just… kinda slow on the uptake at times, though anyone who points it out is gonna get an earful and a black eye, if she’s in a good mood.
Self-proclaimed “strongest suna-nin”, which may or may not be accurate when it comes to “physical” strength.
Has really sharp ears. All the better to hear idiots with.
Perhaps it’s her pink eyes, or perhaps it’s her chic fashion sense, but Aimi definitely strikes a pretty image.
A truly nice girl who’s always there to defend and comfort her friends, should the need arise. She’s the glue of her team, doing the part of balancing her teammates’ personalities and sniping their egos when they grow too big.
A very fast runner with some specialized wind techniques to back her speed up.
Kind and pretty, Aimi checks all the boxes for ‘perfect girlfriend’. She’s just missing one thing: a boyfriend.
Don’t get her wrong, she’s an independent woman who can handle herself, and she wouldn’t change herself for the world. Her confidence attests to that.
As a proud social butterfly, she prides herself on her quick wit and silver tongue, and while she’s rarely ever lonely… she does get lonely.
Her family specializes in wind jutsu, using them to enhance their movements. Aimi’s a naturally fast runner, but with her jutsu active she tends to blow competition out of the water.
A very good cook. Her sand dumplings are known to always hit the spot.
Morning || Land of Fire: Konohagakure Celebrating Team Six passing the first stage lasted an afternoon with his sensei and all of around five minutes at home. His father acknowledged the news with a single, satisfied nod as his mother fawned over him, but there were only so many hugs and praises she could give before he started feeling awkward. As kind as his mother’s reaction was, Kazuhiko found himself preferring his father’s reaction, which was more like what he’d been expecting. He was the clan heir, one of the strongest contenders in his age group, and, as Atomu kindly put it, “way overdue for a chunin title.” For him, passing the first stage wasn’t surprising in the slightest, just as passing the second wouldn’t be. The third stage was trickier, given its more individual nature, but even then he was expected to pass, if not make it to the finals. So yes, while celebrating with his team felt natural, being praised at home didn’t. Nothing in the compound, not Atomu’s knowing smile nor the calligraphed idioms hung around his house, suggested that he’d done anything except meet expectations, and that was exactly how Kazuhiko expected it’d be.
What he hadn’t expected, though, was how the second stage of the exam would be. Though he’d figured that the stage couldn’t have taken place in the academy courtyard even though that was where they’d been told to gather, and though he knew that the second stage tended to take place in an undisclosed training ground to test the adaptability in unfamiliar environments, which was important enough of a skill for them not to alter the testing conditions too much, he hadn’t been expecting to make a trek as long as they were currently making. “Follow me,” the green-haired woman who could only be the stage’s proctor had said before turning tail and bolting into the forest. And the group did, after a second of hesitation, making up for the lost seconds by jumping branches in the forest at double pace. They’d been headed due west, which made sense until they started broaching the border, then made none when they’d crossed from sparse woodland into arid grassland. By the time that the true desert began peeking through in patches, the group was smaller than it was when the stage began, which Kazuhiko only faintly noticed, the endless running occupying the rest of his thoughts with heat, sweat, and tiredness.
“Why—hah—are—hah—we running—hah—so much,” Natsuko managed, her breaths the most audible between the team. Though her question was simple and likely half rhetorical, Kazuhiko took a guess at what she meant.
“We’re probably doing the stage with the Suna genin,” he said, breaths breaking up his words as well. “The second stage usually spans a few days, at least.”
“Well I—hah—hate it,” Natsuko huffed.
The sight of a fence-like structure up ahead passed a tangible sense of relief through the group, and in minutes they’d arrived, near everyone bending over to pant or just straight-up collapsing in relief like Natsuko.
“Never again!” she panted, drawing the eyes of their proctor, whose high jacket collar hid any smile she may have had, if she was even the type to smile. Unlike the genin, she showed no signs of weariness, or even being winded, for that matter. In fact, her face showed no sign of anything as her eyes left Natsuko.
“Good morning, all. My name is Sayuri, and I am one of your proctors for stage two.” Her voice was clear and crisp, only serving to amaze Kazuhiko further. He doubted there were many shinobi who could manage running such a distance without breaking a sweat, jonin or not. How had he never heard of her?
“This is the Demon Desert. Genin from Sunagakure will join the test from the other entrance. In three minutes, a game of tag will start,” she said, pulling a scroll from the bag strapped on her back. “You will start with either a Heaven or Earth ink character. Tagging someone will let you claim their character. Each member of your team will need both characters in order to pass,” she said, opening the scroll. A flurry of black exploded from the paper, rushing at the genin. Kazuhiko stumbled back, hearing Natsuko cry out from beside him as something slapped itself onto his back. A glance around revealed that it must have been an ink character, seeing as ink strokes spelling out ‘Heaven’ and ‘Earth’ had now branded themselves onto the backs of each genin, spanning their clothes from sleeve to sleeve to form a very visible and literal target.
“The game will last five days and will start in one minute. Breaking rules will result in disqualification.” Finished wrapping the scroll up, she slid it back into her bag, her eyes sweeping across the genin. “I’ll meet you all back here in five days. Good luck.”
This time, the group was collectively faster on the uptake, dashing into the arena within seconds. “This way,” he’d said, leading his team deeper into the desert. “We should head deeper to avoid groups that are focusing on fighting their way through on the first day.”
“Ugh, but I’m tired,” Natsuko grumbled, but kept up all the same.
Keen Fist:
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.
Lightning Release:
Thunder: User creates small sparks of lightning that can hit multiple targets at once.
Thunderbolt [Needs Practice]: User creates arcs of lightning that can hit multiple targets at once.
Lightning Strike [Needs Practice]: User creates a strong arc of lightning that can hit multiple close targets or be extended to hit a faraway one.
Thundering Kunai: User channels their Lightning Release technique into a kunai, thus charging it. This technique can be used with different ninjutsus to create varying intensities of electricity inside the blade
Lightning Clone Technique: 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.
Natsuko Rinha
Early Morning || Land of Wind: Demon Desert “Get it!” Natsuko yelled, dashing at the sand-colored rabbit, which hightailed it for its burrow as soon as she yelled. And, as the plan went, Kazuhiko threw an electrified kunai from the side, bringing an end to the chase, which had gone on far too long for Natsuko’s liking. She was, however, unable to complain since the whole thing had been her idea. That said, yesterday’s suggestions for dinner—scorpions, lizards, and mice—helped motivate her since it was either overly cautious rabbits or the large nest of sharp-beaked birds that’d proven too fast to reliably dodge. Though the team had filled their bellies with grilled and bony birds, the amount of effort that’d gone into fending off and nabbing a dozen of the tiny things had tired everyone out. Add in cuts and scrapes from the birds’ beaks and claws with spotty sleep due to shifts keeping watch and Natsuko was not a happy camper, which was another reason why she’d stubbornly refused to deal with anything except for rabbits today.
“See, I knew it’d work!” A grin hung on her face as she pranced over to where Kazuhiko stood holding the rabbit.
“Yeah.” He gave her a conflicted look, then in one, swift motion, he pulled a kunai out and dispatched the rabbit, which twitched out of life in his hands. As the animal’s ears drooped, Natsuko realized that suddenly birds didn’t seem like such a bad option.
“Right, next one,” he said after he gave the limp fur a few more shakes for good measure.
“Y-yeah,” Natsuko said, averting her eyes to look across the desertscape, then glancing back out of guilt. “Kazu-kun, I, um… I can try killing the next rabbit,” she said, trailing off.
Kazuhiko fixed her with another look, looking equal parts tired and kind, his eyes reminding Natsuko of her older brother. “It’s alright. It’s easier for me to grab the rabbit right after I throw a kunai anyway.”
He reached out and put his hand on her shoulder, holding her gaze for a second before breaking it and looking to Koharu. “Let’s go. I’m hungry.”
Since finding rabbits and their burrow locations took time, the team didn’t get back to their hideout until nearly noon. A close call with spotting a team in the distance, which was remedied by a hearty gust courtesy of Natsuko herself, had encouraged them to shrink their hunting radius, and at the end they managed three rabbits and two burrowing things that looked to be a cross between a rat and a squirrel. It was a generous bounty for one meal, but the team had figured it’d be better to have some supply stores. If anything, Kazu could zap the meat into something jerky-like that was nigh unchewable but still better than scorpions or an empty stomach.
Their shelter was in the west central region of the desert and consisted of a few clay ruins. Though there were a few huts with walls and roofs intact, there were still too many cracks and crevices to comfortably sustain a fire at night, so the team had to improvise. What they came up with was a strange amalgamation of techniques designed to borrow from collapsed houses to build up the one they chose. Koharu’s water techniques served as the basis of the strategy, helping to melt down the dried clay into workable shape, and Kazuhiko’s lightning techniques could heat the wet clay enough that it held its shape, after which the sun could do its thing. With the wet clay mixture, the group was able to patch cracks in the house, topping the structure off with a chimney up top. They’d done this all before setting out to hunt rabbits since Kazuhiko and Koharu were in agreement that this test was as much about survival as it was about combat, but Natsuko was just happy that Koharu was able to help her wash the mud off her hands after they were done.
While hunting, the team had picked up what dried shrubbery and branches they came across, but eThe rest of the evening was spent gathering fuel for a fire, which ended up consisting mostly of dried shrubbery since trees were few and far between.
Then, after the splitting, skinning, and skewering, the meat was finally sizzling beside the fire in their patched-up shelter, the three of them gathered around it, staring at the fire. It was the second meal they’d have this exam, but it felt like the first real meal in a while. The smell of fire-seared meat made Natsuko’s stomach growl, and she swallowed the saliva that had gathered, clearing her throat.
“So, what should we do for the rest of the day?” She glanced between her teammates with an inquisitive look. Scouring the desert for easy targets didn’t sound appealing, especially given the inescapable heat right outside the door. In the desert, daylight was hotter than fire in the long run, though the cooking fire was surprisingly bearable in the shade.
“I think the Kono genin have accepted that evening and night are the best times to move around during. It’s cold at night, but it’s still closer to home than this heat,” Kazuhiko said, indicating the door with a toss of a thumb. “As for the Suna nin, they might not have the same thoughts, but they’ll learn quickly. It’s only efficient to move around in the desert if others are moving too. Sniffing people out in the sand is an easy way to waste time and leave your back open.”
“Right,” Natsuko said, eyes on the crispy, golden-brown leg of rabbit closest to her. It’d been so helpless when Kazuhiko held it, but now Natsuko felt less than zero sympathy for the animal. All she could think about was how good it smelled, how gloriously savory it’d be, how—
“I think they’re about done,” Kazuhiko said, his voice betraying a note of amusement. The small smile he flashed at Koharu confirmed to Natsuko that he was indeed smiling at her, but she didn’t care for that right now.
“Thank you for the meal!” she said, grinning as she plucked up the stick closest to her, blowing furiously on the meat before getting impatient and attempting a bite, then recoiling with a whine.
Out of the corner of her eye, Kazuhiko shot Koharu another amused smile, but this time Natsuko caught his eye and fixed him with a glare. “Not funny.”
“Right,” he said, nodding and blowing on a his own piece of meat, but Natsuko got the distinct impression that he was being sarcastic, which was so un-Kazuhiko-ly Kazuhiko-like that she had to give it to him.
“Koharu, tell him I don’t like cheeky guys,” she said with a huff before finally digging in and, well, the wait was worth it.
Wind Release:
Gale Palm: User increases the velocity or density of wind to form a powerful gale capable of knocking over a person.
Dark Release:
Kusunemasu [Weak]: User absorbs chakra from others and uses it as their own. Possible through direct physical contact or from a distance with more concentration
Brandon awoke with a breath, followed by a larger one as his eyes opened. The aspects of his surroundings hit him all at once, and he coughed, bringing an arm up in attempt to shield his nostrils from the acrid scent of smoke and rot around him. Moving made him realize his precarious position upon the steps, and he righted himself, shifting so that his feet could keep him steady on the stairs. The movement stabbed into him, his body aching as he took in his surroundings, which were laden with green hues and smoke, the latter billowing lazily into half-formed skulls and faces, leering and screaming in silence at him before collapsing back into themselves. Weariness drove away the notion of fear, only leaving room for confusion and unease as he tried to make sense of his surroundings.
He was in a crypt, he realized, finally aligning the candles, corpses, and central alter atop the stairs into a word he knew. The dull ache in his head ebbed as he tried to tap into his memories. He was Brandon Unicorn, a son of the mighty Unicorn Duchy, and he’d yet to become a knight. The last thing he remembered was being on patrol, which was usually a tedious and uneventful affair, and after that…
Another ache cut his thoughts short, and he gave up the attempt for now, rising from where he sat. Though his body protested best it could, his nerves alighting with sharp and sour pains that spanned wherever and whatever he moved, he was distracted by the light he saw. The exit, down a long and winding path ahead, tempted him from afar, and he registered the soft yet familiar sound of clanking steel echoing from its general direction. Knights. His patrol, perhaps?
Attempting to open his mouth made him aware of how parched he was, and he barely managed a croak, ending with a cough as he stumbled down the rest of the stairs towards the light. The walls of the narrow path were a welcome support as he walked, the muted pains building upon themselves as he progressed towards the light.
“Help,” he finally managed as he neared the light. The word had come out as a mixture of a rasp and a croak, barely intelligible even to his own ears, so he tried again. “Help me.”
Though Brandon has inherited the Unicorn’s brown hair and strong jawline, his features are softened by his age, and his blue eyes speak more of innocence than of duty and honor. He is marred by relatively few scars, which speak more of mock fights and training matches than of actual combat. Even his armor, bronze worked by the finest blacksmith in the Unicorn duchy, has few scratches. With time, though, this will change, and both his skin and armor will come to bear the story of his journey.
Background:
As the third son of the Duke of the Unicorn Duchy, Brandon was born in the western province of the Holy Empire and lived a rather spoiled childhood. Aside from the usual repertoire of knightly lessons and noble schooling, his younger days saw less scrutiny than his older brothers’ did, and that didn’t change much even after he returned home from serving as a squire. As he waits for when he can prove himself worthy to be knighted, he serves his days under his father’s and brothers’ command, his presence being more for appearances than not. Though he’s been taught the ways of the sword and pen, he holds no achievements in either. From instructors to sparring partners, everyone went easy on the son of the duke, in one way or another.
Personality:
Having been raised under the teachings of the Church of Elrath, Brandon does his best to uphold the values he’s been taught. Honor, duty, and truth are his knight’s code, but he’s neither a knight nor a true believer. Thus, though he might try to live by the standards of those around him, he struggles to find his own code within the one he’s been given. An easy life filled with ceremonial patrols and event attendances haven’t done much to drive him forwards, and thus far he’s been content to while his days away.
Lakewatch Town || Day 5: Noon || @PlatinumSkink “Easy peasy,” Eryn declared at Oaken’s compliment. In fact, it had not been ‘easy peasy,’ and towards the end there she’d been quite nervous since she hadn’t counted on the ground literally shaking at the Claydol’s beams, but now it was over and onto the next.
“Let’s go,” she said, leading the way down the hall with a grin. Stray pipes and crevices kept her eyes on the ground, and finding Beheeyem blocking two of four paths in the next room didn’t help lift her spirits. While it took choice out of the equation, that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing; there were no wrong choices in a situation without choices, and not having the option to go wrong seemed like a pretty sweet trade.
“So, what’ve you been up to so far? Last time I saw you was Pureplain, which feels like ages ago.” Eryn grinned. “Speaking of, that Mawile I caught, Kylie, is the strongest member of my team now. She’s growing up to be a little tank with fangs, so you better watch out,” she said, shooting Oaken a look. “But other than that, nothing much has happened. Just went from Pureplain to Lakewatch. Hit up all the places in between the two, but, well, there hasn’t been much there,” she said, shrugging. “But, you know, when am I going to get a chance to come back? Not for a while, most likely, so seeing all the sights now it is.”
The next room proved to be more water-based than the others, with another two groups of Beheeyem againn limiting their choices. Oaken commented on it, and she nodded. “Yeah, but so far that hasn’t affected us, so maybe they’re helping in their own way.”
A sound to her right captured her attention, and she looked over, registering the Mr. Mime blankly. Personally, Eryn didn’t like discriminating between Pokemon. Each was unique in its own way, appreciable for its own skills, but Mr. Mime? They’d always stood out to her as psychic-types and as, well, one of the funniest-looking Pokemon out there.
Covering up a giggle, she cleared her throat, then waved at the Mr. Mime. “Hey there, you lost?” she asked, following Oaken forwards towards the island in the middle of the room. The Mr. Mime certainly looked confused, glancing this way and that without any indication that it knew what it was looking for. “Do you need help, maybe?”
Just as she and Oaken reached the island, however, a resounding crack split the air, and she froze, glancing around at her feet, at the island, then at the bridges and water around it. “Oh, no,” she said, backing up the island as she noticed the rising water levels. “Oh no no no I did not sign up for this.”
As Oaken started muttering to himself again, Eryn looked around, spotting the Mr. Mime gesturing wildly. Directly ahead, though, was the only path forward. It was dark, and thinking about it made her head hurt—the pressure of being down so deep catching up to her?—but the path seemed to be leading up, which was exactly where they needed to go given the rising water level.
“Alright, time’s up, we’re heading this way,” she said, grabbing Oaken’s arm and, after a brief moment of hesitation, darting towards the right bridge and grabbing the Mr. Mime’s arm as well. “You can’t stay here,” she said, then dragged them both towards the dark path forwards, her pace picking up into a jog as she did her best to ignore the coming headache. “Do either of your heads hurt?” she called, turning to look between the two being forced to keep pace with her. “I mean, my head kinda hurt on the way down, but coming with a water-type helped, I think.”
Actions: Dragging both Oaken and the Mr. Mime across the dark path forwards. Hopefully she survives the headache long enough to do so.
Savo
Xaltwind
Timemaster
mickilennial
Azure Bubbles
Joshua Tamashii
Enarr
Tlaloc
TokyoPewPew
Festive
