[E] Yoshinee/Oyushi - 1

[Tieren]

Through this same passage, yet on opposite sides of the room, Yoshinee and Oyushi would walk through til they reached another safe room, one where the two of them could talk together. But first, through their earpieces, the two could hear their instructions.

"Yoshinee and Oyushi. You two are now teamed up as your original partners chose not to enter. As such, you may use this room to discuss. Yoshinee will start as the leader, so Oyushi, please discard the black box you took from the other room. Feel free to eat or drink anything prior to entering. Once you enter the light, the exams will begin."

And with that, they would be given the chance to talk strategy before beginning their exams.

[Sorry about the switch up. PM me when you are ready and I'll inform your examiner]

[yoshinee]

Sliding her way through the corridor, alert as she always was, Yoshinee spent this short amount of time to make sure every item was in its proper place. Strapped tightly around her forehead, one could find the symbol of Yukigakure etched into the forehead protector. Around her neck, underneath where she'd normally place the headband, a very light ring of metal was holding the top of her attire in place. This leads onto the shoulder-guards, which are practically non-existant save for a piece of cloth leading down towards the arm-bracelets. On each arm she has a pair of defensive bracers tied, while wearing a pair of black gloves to protect her hands from immediate harm, and to shield her from the cold weather. The chestpiece is practically focussing defense around her upper chest region, while leaving the stomach quite open for attack - This is to keep the armor light, while also allowing easy movements. A true outfit for a kunoichi.
The boots are strapped tightly to her feet, and practically becomes a part of her body. The shinbone protectors lead up to just under the knee, where regular fabric takes over. In cold weather, this fabric goes all the way up over her thighs, connecting to the chestpiece. While it doesn't offer protection, it does keep Yoshinee relatively warm, even in harsh weather. Consumables easily accessible in a pouch compartment in the buttbag that had been tightened securely to the left side. Blood pills and soldier pills definitively would allow the young kunoichi a bit of wriggle room in case something should go horribly wrong. Having enough of both variants to last her a few days, there would be no surprising her on that front. In a secondary compartment of the buttbag, a few exploding tags had been carefully stacked up.
On the vest, having used the clipping-in system, a couple of different grenades had been secured in their respective compartments, strapped mainly to the right side of her chest. Without first removing the clipping, there would be no way to remove the pin in the grenade. As such, if anyone other than Yoshinee was to remove the grenade's pins, they would have to have almost already defeated her. On the left side, a minor compartment directly on her chest held a few exploding tags.
The utility belt which was strapped tightly around her waist held the remaining exploding tags. In addition, two sword-sheathes had been secured tightly to the right, meaning she'd be drawing the katanas with her dominant left hand. Their lenght only barely qualifying them to be actual Katanas. The main material used for her weapons were isolated cold steel, making the weapons slightly resistant to every kind of electromagnetism, while being light and sturdy at the same time. In a bag tied to the belt on the right side, she had access to immediate provisions of water and energy bars. All in all, the girl was prepared for absolutely every single challenge they could throw at her.

As she entered the room, the girl was alone at first. Tenma had probably wished to speak with his allies in the aforementioned gathering area. With a gentle movement, Yoshinee picked up the black box and the disc, fully aware of how these things worked. Putting the disc into the buttbag utility compartment, the black box was strapped onto the vest in the same manner that the grenades were - disallowing anyone but Yoshinee to use them quickly. After everything about her gear had been checked, Yoshinee sat down in a corner, folded her legs and arms together to meditate. There were a lot of good information she had gathered from the first encounter with these.. adaptable rooms and challenges. Hopefully it could aid her and Tenma in moving forwards.

...That was when the door snapped shut behind her, and darkness encroached upon the little room she had been left in by herself. Looking around in confusion and dismay, it didn't take more than a few seconds before another door opened its path. So, the original partner hadn't shown up, and Oyushi was to be her new partner, eh?... Grunting softly, Yoshinee moved through towards another staging point. Again, being the first one to arrive on the scene. Looking around for a brief moment, the girl stepped forward and sat down in a kneeling position. Lowering her head forwards, the crimson eyes were slowly closed. Meditating once again upon this change in allowances... Though, for what it was worth, this would mean that there'd be no backstabbing. They were from the same village, and had inherited the same blood. That extra amount of safety was always appreciated.
"Lets show them the might of Yukigakure, Oyushi-san"

[Oyushi]

Oyushi strolled in and patted himself down, rechecking inventory before he got back into the action. Vest with seven grenades, 2 smoke, 2 stun, 2 frag and 1 incendiary, check. 20 exploding and 13 ice tags, check. Then onto his butt bag: 14 kunai and 30 shuriken, check. He wiggled the sword that rested across his back, checking that it was nice and secure. Everything seemed good to go so Oyushi went for the items on the table, nibbling away at various foods as he slipped the ear-piece in and put away the disk and the black box in his butt pouch. Then the feast began in earnest as he crammed in food to replenish the physical energy he had used in chakra in the first part of the test. He swigged away at a cold drink of water too, rehydrating before the tough task ahead as he waited for his new team mate.

The other team mate never arrived. Oyushi was half way through stuffing his face with a sandwich when the voice spoke through to him. His partner was out, and he was being paired with someone else. On the upside it was Yoshinee. He smiled ever so slightly and picked up a couple more nibbles before heading across through the now open side door. As he trekked through another gloomy tunnel the examiner's voice told him that Yoshi would be leading their new team. As he emerged into the new room he dug out his black box and tossed it to the side. Wouldn't be needing that any more. Yoshi was already there, meditating or something, no doubt getting focused on the task ahead. Not that they knew exactly what that was yet...

She spoke and he smiled.
"Indeed, cousin. With the two of us with our blood, it should be quite some display."
He replied with a chuckle. There was a pause as the male scanned the new food table, seeing it was much like the one in his old room, only more stocked because he hadn't raided it yet. He slipped some good carry-food and a bottle of water into his pouch, after all they had no idea how long this would go and some energy bars and trail-mix may prove to be a boon yet.
"So, we both know each other's skills fairly well, not much discussion there I guess. How do you want to run this? I could play defense and keep us both protected while you play offense if you like."
He offered, wondering what kind of strategies Yoshi would have in mind for their little team-up.

[yoshinee]

Slowly getting up, as her partner had arrived, the time to stock up on food had come. Emptying her own brought along supplies, save for her own energy bars, Yoshinee dug into a chicken-curry sandwich. For a girl clearly super small, she had an appetite of a titan.

"...Our main differences, if I know you correctly, lies in the Genjutsu department."[/b] The two onigami were both raiding the food supplies now, quickly making the amount dwindle down to barely anything.
"..Assuming we truly do understand each other, then I will be taking the front-line. Seen as neither of us can truly engage properly in melee, our main strategy shall be to keep enemies within the medium-range."[/b]

Turning to look her cousin in the eyes, a flaming spark errupted for a second. "Also, please fear not for your life, Oyushi-san. The only time you will be in jeopardy, is when or if you should disobey my orders."[/b] After the seriousness of the statement had setteled down, Yoshinee provided a soft and warm smile. It was clear that she had no intentions of letting either of them get hurt.

[Oyushi]

They were both digging into the food platter and Oyushi was glad to see the stocks rapidly dwindling. This was good. Provided no one over-ate they'd be all fueled up for the exams. He finished up a miniature chicken salad and took his first bite of an apple.
"Mmhm. No genjutsu here."
He stated in odd tones from his mouth being full of fruit. Oyushi had been thinking of getting into some, after all it was a highly effective ninja tool in the right hands. Still, no need to think on that now. For now he needed to focus on the task at hand.

"Sounds about right. Middle distance is our play alright. As I understand it I have a few more defensive and utilitarian techniques though. That's why I offered to play defense. I have a few techniques that can keep enemies at distance, and those plus some clones should be able to preserve our range."
He took another big bite of the apple and paused to chew.
"So by the front line what exactly do you mean. Because if you want to be the aggressor and attack the enemies it would probably be better for you to attack from range while I take the front and preserve that distance for you. That said, if you want to be in front I have enough attack power to do the job too."

Yoshi gave Oyushi a serious stare and he raised his eyebrows in questioning. She claimed that he'd only be in danger if he disobeyed an order. It pained him not to point out that in the chunin exam they were likely to be in danger regardless but he managed to hold it in. Instead he just gave an "Mm-hm." as if to say yeah I bet. Over confidence was a trait rampant among the Onigami. Oyushi was sure he suffered from it in no short measure himself, but it certainly wasn't endearing.
"Anyway. Awkward posturing aside... We should probably get this strategy locked down and get ready. I doubt they'll give us too long to prepare. They really seem to like throwing us into the deep end us much as they can."

[yoshinee]

"Defensive Jutsus and power are best aimed at surprises. Surprises are more likely to come from the back. You could state that posting you there will provide for protection against backstabbing, especially with your eyes.. Besides, I've practiced Kenjutsu, so I have limited proficiency with a sword. The more important bit is, I've got deep reflex training. As long as the assault is directed at my front I feel confident enough in being able to ward it off. On top of that, I've got defensive Jutsu of my own"[/b]

Gathering her hair in a pony tail, and strapping the band tightly, she also tightened the various guards that was part of her outfit. "..It seems like you're also eager to get going. Very well, lets see what the examinors have prepared for us. Do remember though, rationale, analysis and strong intuition is what makes a leader. Lets go"[/b]
With that, Yoshinee poised to move on into the next area, venturing forth into whatever their examinor had prepared.

[Oyushi]

Her point about surprises was valid. After all, that was the old saying wasn't it. It's not the knife you see coming that kills you, but the one that doesn't. Oyushi nodded as she outlined her point.
"I'll focus mainly behind you then but I'll leave a couple of clones facing forward too, just let me know if they can help out. Also with our eyes they can be very draining as I'm sure you know, so perhaps it would be best if just one of us had the dojutsu active at a time, that way we can limit the chakra usage. Maybe you should use yours for now and I'll save mine, that way you have all the information to make plans and decisions with. I can do it if you like, but it just seemed to me that the best way of doing things would be to have whoever is leader at the time using the Tasukeru while the other save chakra."

Yoshi started doing a last minute check over and Oyushi followed suit. Tying things up tightly, checking everything was secure. She pointed out his eagerness and he chuckled.
"You got me. I mean you can't tell me you aren't enjoying all this as much as I am. I mean, isn't this what we signed up for?"
He asked with a smile. Then with a parting anecdote Yoshi headed off into the light portal, with Oyushi following closely behind.

[Chuunin Examiner]

Around you it suddenly felt and looked as if the world broke like shards of glass. A high pitched, silver sound fluttered through your head as everything around you seemed to shuffle and rearranged, until a white light blocked out all view. When the light receded the world around you seemed to have reformed. A steaming blast of heat in your face would most probably cause you to stop walking, if it didn’t then the gaping depth in front of you did. Below, a drop of about a hundred meters was the bottom of what seemed to be the giant caldera of a volcano. Below in a blackened bowl of heat lava flowed from small cracks in the soil, as a red hot glowing cinder cone in the middle of the depths showed that the volcano could burst at any moment. You stood at the very edge, , close enough for the tips of your toes to touch the very edge of the cliff you stood upon. At the same time your hands seemed to be quite immobile on your backs. This was probably because of the tight fitting handcuffs around them that had appeared out of nowhere, a rod of about fifteen centimetres long connected the two cuffs, preventing you from bringing your hands together in order to form seals.

You stood inside the mouth of some head shaped gate, with the tiny platform behind filled with drummers playing a rhythmic tune and primitively armed warriors, brandishing firestone spears. All of these men wore nothing but lioncloths and feathered ceramic masks. Oddly out of place in front of them was a man in modern clothing, he looked more or less normal, about one meter and eighty centimetres high, normal posture. He donned a beige trench coat over a clean and ironed slate grey suit with a burgundy red tie. His black shoes reflected the orange light perfectly. As you entered he tipped his brown hat and threw his cigarette on the floor, crushing it under his heel.

”Welcome to my little test. You may call me ‘Examiner One’. I asked for fun and what do I get? Two snow monkeys. Sooooo boring. Since you trust each other I won’t be able to sow distrust and create some drama. So I decided to offer you to the god of a volcano, exciting isn’t it ? A nice change from the cold of Yuki no Kuni too! Now, some examiners like to humiliate you by shouting a lot of ‘maggot’ and whatnot. That’s not my style, I’ll just create an average setting and watch you wallow in self pity and depression as you realize on your own how much of a failure you are. ” He produced a small silvery object from a pocket and waved it in your face. ”The key to your handcuffs. The only one. This is important, because there is no other way to free yourself. You will need it so I’ll just leave it with the leader.” Examiner One then gave the key by shoving it behind the ring around Yoshinee’s neck, from where it would slide down until it came to a halt safely in the middle of her bosom behind her chest-piece.

”See? Humiliating, and not a word said!” From under his trench coat the man produced a pen and clipboard. ”Well, that’s about it. Oh, this is so much fun! Well, any questions, suggestions or complaints before you’re off?”

[/blockquote]

[yoshinee]

The experience with the shattering glass, and the sense of being moved rapidly through time and space was making the tummy of the young shinobi feel uneasy on her feet. Almost swaying forward and falling directly into the vulcano, she only barely managed to get a hold of her senses and take a step away frfom the edge leading down into impending doom.
As her senses wer entirely regained, the crimson eyes looked around in an analytic manner. This was almost like the tribes that had, according to history, made sacrifices to their gods by giving them to the vulcanoes flames.. Then her eyes fell upon the examinor, as he explained the situation and carefully slid the key to their shackles under her clothes, allowing it to slide carefully down until it found rest around Yoshinee's chest area... If they had any questions..?

"Do we have any objectives, other than getting ourselves loose?"[/b] It was really that simple. Now that they were together as a team, it was more likely that they'd be given an objective and need to cooperate to get so far. This cooperation, she would be in charge of. At least for now. "If possible I would also request a situation report. Any information you feel like giving us would be greatly appreciated, sir."[/b] With that, Yoshinee bowed her head. It would appear as if the positioning o the key, and the demeanor of their superior had absolutely no effect on her. The only thing she was worried about, was their current objectives, and how to get themselves out of trouble as fast as possible.

[Oyushi]

Stepping into the light triggered something, something strange. Oyushi staggered slightly as everything fractured around him, sending his mind reeling for a moment. It was an odd sensation, and in all honesty, not one he would have liked to repeat. Then again, sometimes that was what being a shinobi meant. It could be a hard life, and often led you to endure the things others couldn't, or wouldn't like to. That was why Oyushi could never understand all these dark hearted, selfish people who had no love for others becoming ninja. Ultimately it was a life of sacrifice. Sure there was excitement in it. It was never the dull, daily grind that many people lived and to some degree Oyushi took enjoyment from it because of that.

But at the heart of it it was something much more, much greater. At the very core of the ninja world had to be love for others. Because as shinobi, theirs was the duty to give everything. They devote their lives to training. They worked towards improvement to the exclusion of all else. Relationships, hobbies, even their lives, everything the usual person took for granted were so often tossed aside by shinobi. And all so that they could help their people in ways those people could help themselves. Assassinating threats, defending the village, gathering intel on enemies. It was all for the innocent people in their home-villages. That was why he knew it had to be about selfless love for those you may never even meet. That was the thought that pushed him along in these exams. The eternal flame that could be snuffed only by his death.

By the time the world was back to normal Oyushi couldn't breathe. The stifling heat washing over them was immense. The are was so hot and thin that it was hard to fill his lungs, especially being so well accustomed now to the icy temperatures of Yuki. The snow shinobi recoiled from the searing waves, turning away and noticing the crowd behind them.
"The hell..."
It was weirder though. There was a guy there, dressed like some kind of gangster. He introduced himself and called them 'snow monkeys' but that was as far as he got before Oyushi's first irresistible urge to quip.
"Actually we prefer primates."

The guy rambled on. Gloating like a fictional villain or something. Oyushi wasn't sure if it was some kind of act so they'd see him as the big bad guy, or if he was just a tad drunk on his power. The monologue went on and he eventually dropped the key down Yoshi's top. Well at least it was safe keeping for now he supposed. Now all they needed was any random seedy old man. Give one a chance to dig around in a girl to appeared prepubescent's top and they'd jump at the chance. He scanned the drummers and warriors. None looked like particularly viable candidates.
"Hey examiner, since you've got a thing for little girls' chests you wanna take a feel around there and see if you find anything? Like maybe a key. She'll give you a wink and a smile if you can find it for us."
The male remarked cheekily.

Next order of business was questions, comments and suggestions. Yoshi had some valid, serious questions and Oyushi let her get those out of the way first before he chimed in.
"So suggestions... Well your outfit is... Well I don't even know really what to say."
He turned to the fourth wall, speaking out of your computer screen directly to you.
"Let's just say Joan Rivers would have a field day huh? Yeah you know what I'm talking about. Now go put on some pants, I'm trying to post here and it's really distracting."

He turned back to the examiner, an apologetic look on his face.
"And your delivery... Four out of ten. Sorry man, but you will not be moving on to Hollywood."
He paused, seemingly in serious thought.
"I do have a real question though. Where does that go?"
He asked, awkwardly pointing with both cuffed hands. The boy indicated behind the examiner, the opposite side of the platform where a set of stairs disappeared downwards.
"Are there facilities? Because I really need the little ninja's room."

[Chuunin Examiner]

Two different people, two very different responses. One clearly smart and calculated, the other… A lame, unnecessary and futile attempt at instigating anger. ”Don’t worry about your potty. You can shit yourself on the way.” without any further ado the Examiner would kick Oyushi in the back, sending him over the edge into the caldera. With this nuisance gone he would turn to the smarter one of the pair. ”I like you, no shenanigans. My guess is that your apparent acceptance of the situation is a ruse. No matter the case, I’ll give you something to work with.” Orally some vital information regarding what was to come would be transmitted to the young girl. Her reward for knowing how to fish for information.

Once the CE1 had told all he did want to tell he would point down the well. ”Knowledge is power. Now, I would prefer it if you would jump down in the next ten seconds. “ If the girl was unable to comply with the command in time the man would give her that shove over the edge.

For both of you the way down would not be the best experience. First there was a seven meter drop with a surprisingly soft landing. The gray ashes, which blanketed the area, a layer that was several meters thick, would cushion your fall. However, where you landed was still a very steep slope. Even trying to walk it with chakra under your feet would prove impossible, should you get the very remote chance to try it. The entire slope, with sediment and all would slide down, sending you cascading to the bottom in a grey dust cloud of ashes and hundreds of pebbles into the lowest point of the caldera. Here the terrain was made of a surprisingly smooth, dark basaltic rock. Overflow of overflow of magma had created a plateau, about one hundred meters in diameter. Around it the walls of the volcano would rise almost straight up for two hundred meters, a distance both of you had just rolled down at surprising speed. It was hot here, not only was the very ground itself warm enough to burn bare skin that would touch it, but through small cracks in the rock jets of steam were escaping, making the sauna effect even worse. Finally, in the middle of the area stood the cinder cone.

From a distance the cinder cone had seemed more or less insignificant, just another volcanic geological feature. Yet, now you had a look up close this thing seemed to have four legs and a head. It was large, about fifteen meters high and wide, with a gray skin that looked almost rocky, with thin cracks transecting the skin that glowed red, as if the insides of the creature were molten rock. The shape clearly represented a turtle and just like its real life counterpart this thing seemed to be heavily armoured, however in this case, the entire skin seemed to be made of the same rocky material that looked quite sturdy. Luckily you had landed behind it and it would seem as if it had not noticed you yet, It had however, inquisitively raised its head, sniffing the hot air. It would not be long until this peculiar creature would be on your tail.

[/blockquote]

[yoshinee]

Turning her face towards Oyushi as details were being relayed, there was only one way forward for them to take. As a leader, one would have to make tough decisions based on what would be better for the team. As for now, Yoshi had a clear sense that this information needen't be shared. Finding a pen, the girl quickly scribbled down information on a note. This would be a just in case measure. "Oyushi, I have my reasons for not sharing this information with you. Our current objective is to work together as a team and overcome any obstacles we meet. Please have faith in my skills and leadership capabilities. Should anything happen, all the information will be in your pocket."[/b] Folding the sheet of paper, she handed it to him and gestured for him to place it in his pocket. It was obvious he was disallowed from reading at the current point, but also obvious that she only intended to keep information from him, to ensure their successrate. It would seem as if she had judged him slightly immature, and tried to make up for that fact.
With that said, the girl turned around and took a leap of faith into the darkness. The fall seemed steep, but before long a slope caught on. While the velocity would make it extremely difficult to stop, it would definitively break their fall as to ensure neither of them would get wounded from the drop. Sliding down, Yoshinee got to her feet and ran the speed off in a few short steps. The crimson eyes looked around carefully. The smell of sulfur and the sudden change in temperature both pointed towards one thing; Vulcanic activity. The heat around them was intense, and sweat was already starting to pour from her skin. The ground they were stepping upon had cracks and protruded steam. Probably sulfuric acid too. Retrieving two pieces of cloth from her pouch, Yoshinee wrapped one around her face, from chin to nose. That would effectively function as a gas-mask against this hostile terrain. Handing the other to Oyushi, she gestured for him to do the same. It would also protect their skin from the heat, something that may come in handy.
...and there, in the middle of the plateau the bastard was laying around. Practically a massive vulcano on the back of a turtle. At least, that was how she envisioned this humongous beast. Due to the posture of its legs and the ligaments creating the turtle-like look, it should be relatively hard for the beast to move around fast. The girl knew better than to judge the beast like that though. The eyes were socketed into a hole in thhe beast, right besides its nose. It would protect the eye from the worst heat, but also render its viewing field limited. That would be the first key to the strategy that Yoshinee had thought up in seconds. "Hostile ahead. Break up, abuse its limited vision. Attempt to draw its attention, otherwise stay at distance. Do not engage target. Once you have his attention, keep it."[/b] With that, Yoshinee broke to the left, assuming Oyushi would break to the right and find a creative way to piss off the bastard.

[Tieren]

Suddenly, and without warning, a bright light surrounded the participants in the exam. The voice of Mai Turino came from the hidden speakers, though started with a loud slam of her fist against a counter. "The systems aren't working quite right. More than likely, the damn fake proctor put up some sort of counter-measure. We're just going to end the exams early. Notices are being sent to your Kages to inform them of what happened, and you all are free to head home. We're sorry for the inconvenience." She said to them. With that, the participants would all appear outside of the large building, the large doors to them closed and locked. All that was waiting for them outside was Frieda's Calcium tank that she had asked for them to look for. The 12 participants had passed their Chuunin Examinations.

[OOC: Sorry about having to do this. Apparently I was informed that the exams weren't allowed to continue into July. I had intentions of ending them on July 15th, but that is now not going to be the case. You all are free to head home and seek your new Chuunin Title. At this point, it is up to your Kage on if you'll be allowed to receive it or not. Feel free to post your exit from this thread and head back home.]

[Oyushi]

Thinks all went crazy, first with the examiner throwing them in the pit, then the giant monster and what not. Oyushi had ideas on what needed to be done but stayed quiet as Yoshi came up with a solid strategy to start off with. He began to follow her lead, breaking off in the opposite direction. Then before anything much could happen bright light engulfed them again and the voice of the lead exam administrator told them that the systems weren't running correctly. So the exams were over. Just like that. By the sounds of things, every Snow ninja had made it all the way through, so now it was just down to Ace which of them were awarded the title chunin. Suddenly they were outside the giant dome building again and Oyushi gave his 'cousin' a shrug before heading off to find their Kage and leader.

[Exit]

[yoshinee]

A shimmering light embraced her body, as everything around her desolved and vanished. The exams had ended, and she had survived. Quite a strange experience...
[/Exit]