Lively Lake

[Chuunin Examiner]

\-^~Kappatsu Kosui~^-/

Kappatsu Kosui, or Crescent Lake, is a large park filled with Cherry Blossom Trees. It is a popular hotspot throughout the day. Many people like to walk around throughout the trees and enjoy the sounds of the tamed animals that run throughout the park. Rabbits, Squirrels, Deer, and many more can be found running throughout this park. In the 50 years that this park has had animals, not one has attacked anyone.

The main feature of this park is the lake. It used to have a crescent shape to it, but due to the weathering and erosion, as well as people walking around the edges and playing around, it has deteriorated and connected, forming a lake that is more of a full moon then a crescent. When a name change was proposed, many protested, saying that its former name should remain. And so it did. It remains a great landmark to this wondrous park. Large fountains have been installed, and every 30 minutes, a huge water show is put on. It changes for holidays and special events.

[Chuunin Examiner 3]

It was a beautiful day, the birds were flying about and singing merrily. The sun shone high within the sky, few clouds were out, just enough to shade anyone at the park. The park was full of people and upon one of the park benches near the lake sat a little girl. She stared at the lake expectantly kicking feet that could not reach the ground. Happily the little blond girl sat licking a double scoop cone of chocolate ice cream. The little girl was happily sitting, little drippings of chocolate occasionally dotting the front of her blue dress as her blond hair hung down to mid back. She was a happy child, seemingly alone.

[Kyogi]

/enter

Bored in his hotel room for some reason he couldn’t seem to call upon the ability to create a second clone so he would go exploring around the area. No one knew his face so it wouldn’t be a problem. Plus he looked completely different than before so it wouldn’t even be a problem. So he would visit the place named the lively lake. As he walked it seemed as if there were a lot of happy people and there was ICE CREAM :3. Walking over he got a scoop of chocolate ice cream when he noticed a happy child who was yet alone. What was she doing here by herself? From what he had seen in the event there was some big shit going down and it defiantly wasn’t safe for a little girl to be by herself. Then again it could be a trap but he had nothing better to do. Walking over to her he smiled, ”Why are you all by yourself? Did you lose your parents?”

[Molokai]

Welcome to Lively Lake.

More like Crowded Lake. The banks were lined with various specimens of worthless humanity. Not one of them compared to Toru. Filthy specs of fleshy refuse, trampling the grass and stripping the trees of their protective bark. They're all destroyers, bumbling and stupid, they destroy what they don't understand or can't comprehend. The blades of grass they trampled, the trees they climbed upon, victims of a species that didn't care as long as they got to stuff their faces in peace.

Enough. Toru emerged from the ground on the edge of the lake, sending the family picnicking there scurrying away. The scurry caused a gap to appear in the mass of people, which steadily widened as more of Toru's fearsome form revealed itself. By the time he had fully emerged from the earth, he practically had the park to himself. This solitude would be short-lived, though. Since the second round of the exams was set to begin here, it would soon be packed with other exam participants.

For now, though, he could enjoy the momentary lapse of human presence and bask in the Glory of the Sun.

[Deleted]

I walked into the next arena of our chuunin exams. It was a tourist spot for people who were attracted to large bodies of water. How interested they all looked as they peered over the edge to catch a glimpse of their deflection in the mirror water. Trees had surrounded the lake which danced beautifuly in the wind. What a wonderful sight it was.

Oh god Giou. How can you stand such pitiful weak creatures. I should take over and rip all their heads 
off. 

A low hostile growl escaped from my lips as Gonjiro decided to speak up. Through previouse moments I had discovered the change in my personality which is the blood thristy demon inside of me. Though it doesn't boost my abbilities it makes me feel more deadly and more battle active than my normal self

Shut up Gonjiro. You are lucky that I need you in these exams or I would shut you out completely

Another hiss of dissaproval escaped my lips but the voice had stopped. I awaited for my opponents to approach our final destination. 

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[Raiel Kaguya]

Raiel entered the area, taking note of the lake with the giant fountain in the middle, the lovely grass, and the cherry blossom trees. It was truly a sight to behold... And one she had seen before. A lake similar to the this was also in the Land of Moon. She hadn't spent time at it, but she walked by it before to see what there was to do. Either way, it was nice to see again. Such beauty and wonder... It made Raiel cringe thinking of the exams and how they were told to meet here. Would the next part occur here? It was hard to say, but Raiel would be cautious regardless.

As she walked toward the two others that were there, she watched one of them come up from the ground, scaring several of the participants away. It was depressing to see them all disperse like that, but there was little she could do. Hard to blend into a crowd when there is no crowd to blend into. She stayed on the path, not touching the grass or the trees, as that appeared to be what the other man was enjoying. With her eyes and ears wide open, Raiel awaited the arrival of other participants as well as the one who would tell them what they would next be doing.

[gaaraofthesand]

||entrance.

Approaching in a subtle manner, I would glide across to the far end of the massing people, placing myself in an encumbered position against a tree. My hat would tip slightly downwards, covering my face in a charming way. My hands concealed within my pockets, and the horizon of my hat to the crowd of people would prevent any distinguishing of who I was, but would allow me to perceive all that I needed to from afar. It was a propensity to stay away from everyone, as they had foolishly allowed themselves to observe the cruel workings of torture upon me; I would feel rather out of place standing with them as they all gawked in awe, despised in hate, or ruminated in disbelief upon my appearance.

Therefore, I sat in a remote position, placed against the willow tree, concealed from the rest. The only person I wished to contact as of right now was my partner; whom I still had not yet the pleasure to affiliate myself with.

[/blockquote][/i]

[DeeDub]

Lively Lake

"No kidding." People sat around the lake en masse, unknowing of what might happen here. The large crescent shaped lake was beautiful nonetheless with white willow trees and their reflection upon the clear water. As he walked in he spotted Toru making an boisterous entrance under a picnicking family. They scattered giving alot of space for his weird ally.

Jiro would have done the same of he wasn't a ninja today. Moving through the frightened group of people around Toru he walked up next to him. "We have a nice spot here don't you think?" He said jokingly. In his mind he expected everyone here to dod the same eventually when these ninja get down to business.

[Molokai]

Short-lived indeed. Jiro, ever punctual, had arrived mere seconds after Toru had just cleared out all the refuse, ruining his plans for momentary solitude. However, he didn't mind too terribly much. Jiro was his teammate after all, and it was important to keep on the good side of people who could be helpful in the long run. An honest laugh escaped him upon hearing Jiro's comment, "Can you believe we get all this room to ourselves? This place was so crowded, I was worried we wouldn't be able to find a spot."

Returning the joking tone with an agreeable statement was a necessary part of the exchange. Be tactful, be of good humor, be friendly. Jiro was strong in his own right, and his expertise in Taijutsu filled in the gaps caused by Toru's own mastery of Ninjutsu, so together they were quite a balanced team. Thus, the importance of having Jiro consider him a friend, so that they could work together fluidly and comfortably even in stressful situations.

Toru's smile made an attempt at hiding his pointed teeth, and he looked across the lake with an air of lightheartedness and comradeship aimed at drawing Jiro into a friendly exchange of tactful sarcasm. If successful, they would proceed to enter a conversation which would eventually guide them into a closer bond. This bond would inevitably lead to smoother dealings and better communication, ensuring their mutual survival in these tough times.

Then there was their Sand Ninja, the powerful stranger that had recruited Toru into a pact of mutual protection. He provided aid when necessary, and in return the Sand Ninja did the same. Perhaps it would be good to let Jiro know this, so that he wouldn't immediately assume Toru was a traitor when he rushed off to assist a foreign ninja. Actually, telling Jiro was definitely a good idea. However, Toru was content to wait for the opportune moment to mention it. Returning his gaze to his comrade, he waited for a reply and planned his next move.

[Solus]

[Enter!]

Lively Lake, huh? Solus would eye the shimmering waters, magically his nose had been fully healed over less than a minute. On his shoulder was still the raven that he had summoned before entering the previous exams. His eyes would fall upon the man that had allowed himself to get tortured earlier today. "Ho, could you check for me?" He whispered to the bird that merely nodded and took off, taking up an excellent position to oversee the premises in a nearby tree.

In the mean time Solus would casually stride over the the hatted man. "Still living after that ordeal I see. I am sorry that my rescue plan was foiled as it was. I had not expected everyone in the room to turn against me." He would speak, leaning against the tree.

[/blockquote]

[gaaraofthesand]

As I viewed the arrival of many diverse cultural and skilled Genin enter in their own provocative way, I would take notice to a boy with a peculiar specimen perched upon his shoulder. From such a distance, I doubted very much so for someone to spot me out, however, with the explicit slipper hat arched over my face, wooden sandals spread out across my feet and my solid dark green kimono flailing over me, I suppose I would be compromised eventually. The boy proceeded to make his way towards me as his eyes glanced at me in a strange way. My initial feeling was that he was merely observing and taking a stroll to pass the time, but as he clearly began ascending upon my location, I made note that this was not a simple lap around the pool, but rather a fast paced gallop headed towards me.

Quivering a brow underneath my distinct hat, he compromised my position as he approached. Speaking kind words to me, I found that he was not one that would be looking to make hostility between us; I would therefore feel obliged to welcome the Genin graciously. With characteristic poise to it, I would speak in a rejoicing manner.

"Well, certainly you can't apologize to me. I'm still alive and we're all still here. Everyone that turned against you felt that you had turned against them, I suppose. As you felt the obligation to save me, they felt exactly the opposite. I wouldn't hold it to them. If someone else had sacrificed themselves, I'm sure I wouldn't have risked my life to save them either."

In the privacy of my own thoughts, I doubted the last statement to a point where I could not answer the question myself. Truth be told, I said it to downplay my actions, as I was the type to enjoy lurking in the shadows rather than to be illuminated by a spotlight. Had there been someone else in my position, I wouldn't know if I would save them or not, but all in all, I was incredulously surprised to find me in the position of the sacrifice rather than someone else. It thoroughly wasn't like me to try to be a hero; the fact of the matter was I felt the necessity to save Akira's life, so much in fact that I risked my own. This brought forth a question that I found myself compelled to answer: had Akira lived? I wouldn't know until I found out for myself, something I would strive to do by the end of the exams.

"It's a dangerous place these exams are, I can only imagine what the next task will be."

[/blockquote][/i][/b]

[✗ Kaeor ✗]

And I would follow in tow behind the elder man who had been subjected to harsh torture. Contrary to the words of Solus I didn't try to hamper his motions like the others but I would remain silent as I waited for instructions.

[/font]

[Saiyuki]

[Enter]

As I walked into the location for the next exam, I noticed that the examiners had chosen a fairly popular place for civilians. And I could tell why. My intuition told me that this was a superb lake and from the cherry blossoms growing, that this was a good place to live around. I took a few moments to enjoy the view before turning towards where I saw everyone else gathering. I wondered why this place had been chosen. I played around with the possibilities in my head as I waited by a nearby tree.

[torankoku]

[Enter, Aizen]

I walked through the trees, entering the scene. Looking around, I had no need of my bloodline right away, but I kept my chakra ready should the situation arise. There was a large lake and place looked… calm; too calm for an exam. Looking left and right before I walked, I went over to Ryuusei and sat down. Whispering, I stated, “It’s calm for an exam… too calm.” Silence followed afterwards.

[Kvasir]

(OOC Note: Will be gone until the 6th, if that makes any difference.)

I ran into the lake area like a dog in a room of balls, way too much stimulus for Kiyoshi to handle. There was all the people, the animals, the pond, the other ninja, the Sakura trees, ice cream, and the fact that this was part of the second exams. Kiyoshi would run up to the Sakura trees and shake their branches, knocking blossoms into the water before watching them float along the water's surface. Since the exams hadn't started he did it again, knocking many more blossoms into the lake and watching them.

One would fall in front of Kiyoshi and he would catch it, looking at it's small beautiful shape in his hands. The flower would nearly float as the slightest amount of wind would come through the area, such a delicate and beautiful thing... so much so that Kiyoshi questioned how such a thing would taste; surely something to good looking had to taste good too, right?

[Solus]

"Well, certainly you can't apologize to me. I'm still alive and we're all still here. Everyone that turned against you felt that you had turned against them, I suppose. As you felt the obligation to save me, they felt exactly the opposite. I wouldn't hold it to them. If someone else had sacrificed themselves, I'm sure I wouldn't have risked my life to save them either." Solus merely shrugged in reply, but then he decided to add something to this wordless statement.

"Intentions do not have any effects in reality. It is our actions that make it to the history books and create a change. Feelings and good intentions are nothing more than what they are: Feelings and intentions. Abstract and surreal." Solus would shift his gaze to the silent ninja that had followed them, he had met this guy at the previous exams... What was his name again? "Exceptio probat regulam* You were the only guy that actually tried to make a difference, to bad that in the end it didn't matter. I remember you from the previous exams... What was your name again? No wait, you never told me your name."

Solus felt an itch on his arm and this lifted his limb to scratch it. This allowed him to gaze at his summoning seal. Immediately his memory snapped back at what happened just before he went to Fang.

~Flashback, to continue training Buikifuin from this thread

40/50

A real test person, Solus just couldn’t believe it, he had never anticipated this to go so smoothly. It seemed that sticking an advertisement to that board in the supermarket had really payed off. Finally he could get to try his seal on a real human person. That might just be what he needed to fully master it. Up till then he had been working on paper and that wasn’t quite the training in optima forma.

So that’s how he ended up here, sitting at the ramen stand with all these people around him, watching every move he made. Ninja rituals like these were rare, and thus, whenever they happened everyone who really wanted to tried to be a part of it and see as much as possible. A person in the back asked if he didn’t need incense. Solus merely shook his head, whatever those people were thinking this was not religion.

Handseals were quite familiar with these people, so when he performed these zodiac animal representations many were not surprised. Well, a little girl that was poking her finger in her nose was requesting what that weird man was doing, but her father hushed her and told her to be silent. When the Sealist finally held up his hand, loaded with chakra, shimmering in a weird and unnatural light blue fading light.

“Wrist…” The command would be simple, but to the ninja he would be performing this on, a Genin that was quite adept at using thrown weaponry this command was what would change the way he would summon weaponry to his side for the rest of his life. For a person like him that would be quite the change. To Solus this would be the dot on the i when it came to finishing his training, or for the linguistics, the tittle on the i.

Pressing his shimmering hand on the wrist he would unleash his chakra, sending it into the skin, creating a dot like black ink. Shaping his chakra there he would form it into thin lines, creating an intricate pattern. It represented the Kanji for the word ‘weapon’. Sending a bit more chakra in there to be sure Solus would retract his hand and eye his creation. “Done darling, it is beautiful, now you have a nice and functional tattoo.”

~End flashback

A voice snapped Solus back to reality. "It's a dangerous place these exams are, I can only imagine what the next task will be." The Genmaster nodded, this man was one hundred percent right. "You are right, thus, I propose an alliance of strength. You have seen my strength first hand, and that you got out of it with so little effort is enough for me. He would speak to the silent ninja first, then he would turn to the Hyuuga. "The fact that you could endure such pain and that you have such a exquisite family trait is another sign of exceptional strength. If we watch eachothers backs and coordinate our efforts together these exams might become peanuts. So, what do you say?"

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*

SPOILER: Click to show

'Exceptio probat regulam.' Latin, means 'The exception that tests the statement.

[gaaraofthesand]

"I can assure you, actions for the intention to make the history book will leave you with nothing. Actions for the sake of action will, however. Unfortunately, I never intended to make the history book; still find myself not wanting to. I never really wanted to go down as a hero. I'm not a very valiant guy; more encumbered, really."

[/b]

I spoke the truth, as no words of deceit carried off the tongue within this statement. This kid had been intelligent, I could see it in the short life he obtained. He had great potential, I could see it in his eyes. Subsequently, I would have assumed he had planned this whole conversation out, as it appeared every word that slipped off his lips were premeditated; he was a well thought out kind of boy, an excogitated mind. Good intentions, better than my own.

"Yōdamaru."

He was an odd fellow, for as I spoke my name he ruminated on it, it would appear. He scratched his arm and pondered off, I could infer this by the blank expression on his face. It was but a glimpse moment that this occurred, but my articulate eyes could capture many things in the nick of time. The question was surfaced. An alliance? Hmm... sounded profitable. It sounded something along the lines of... my Chuunin Exam's Partner? To this moment I still hadn't met my own, so I gradually came to the conclusion that this must have been him. Considering composure of how he approached me, introducing himself and such, I couldn't help but to make the argument that this was certainly my partner beyond a shadow of a doubt.

"Interesting offer, one I cannot refuse. One thing, however, to make an alliance you have to do one thing: don't talk to me like I'm important or achieved something noble. Fact of the matter is, I'm nothing more than your average decrepit old man.

[/center]

A smirk and a wink would be in order, as my joyous equanimity would arise once again. I didn't pay to well to compliments, as I didn't enjoy being under the coruscant spotlight of do-gooded-ness. I would rise to my feet as I simultaneously extended my arm to greet his hand; an alliance to be made officially through the conjoining of hands was certainly a bond that could not be broken.
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[Deleted]

Solus: Learned.

[DeeDub]

"Can you believe we get all this room to ourselves? This place was so crowded, I was worried we wouldn't be able to find a spot."

Jiro chuckled covering his mouth not to further upset the patrons around them. The people around the two seemed to settle down and return to their picnics. Jiro thought of Toru as a trusted ally who had mastery of his own ninjutsu abilities. He had nothing to worry about from him except the competition around him.

They all had seemed to settle around the lake but not making as much of a ruckus as himself and Toru. "Ahh... that guy is still in the exam. Very well, I hope this is the good part." He hadn't seen anyone here in action. To Jiro, everyone seemed mysterious to him.

"Who here looks the most threatening to you?" He asked Toru while looking across the lake.

[Molokai]

Who there looked the most threatening?

By a matter of appearances, none of them looked particularly threatening at all. Toru had grown up in a world where most people he came into contact with were physically stronger and more imposing than himself, so he had conditioned himself away from factoring that into his comparisons. Strength was measured not by how many pounds one could lift above one's head, but by their skill and ability to do maximum harm to others while being minimally damaged themselves, and that wasn't an easy thing to tell at a mere glance. Luckily, Toru's affluence for details had allowed him to glean much more from the short observation period than what would otherwise be possible.

First and foremost, was the older fellow who volunteered to be tortured in the previous round. By far, he would be the biggest threat should they find themselves in a disagreement. His display in the hospital proved that he was fearless, almost to a fault, which meant intimidation was useless against him. Adding on to that, the fact that he still remained alive and intact meant that he was capable of withstanding punishment and bouncing back from it, meaning he would be very difficult to overpower. The only strategy to use against someone like that was to pound them into the dirt until they were physically incapable of standing up, but that in and of itself was difficult unless one shared that unbreakable spirit.

Then there was the one who summoned the hurricane toward the end of the previous round. That and his summoned bird were the only clear displays of his power thus far, but his lack of hesitation and his willingness to cast them freely suggested he was confident enough in his strength to do so without weakening himself in the process. As such, Toru felt safe in assuming the man was capable of not only stronger attacks, but significantly more of them.

Out of all of the other competitors, those two stuck out most prominently in his mind as threats. The one he made the deal with would jump immediately to the top if he showed any signs of betrayal, but for now he was considered an ally. To Jiro, he said, "The one who they tortured last round, the old one. He's one to watch out for. What do you think?" Collaborating was important, and maybe Jiro could give him a fresh review from the viewpoint of a taijutsu expert. Teamwork would ensure their mutual survival, so he wanted to foster it as best he could.