Private Exam for the Examiner? [Exam]

[Nara Shizukesa]

Sitting in the centre of the field, it seemed that Keniwa had new instructions for the Head Jounin and he was ok with these instructions, we were to oversee an exam that was taking place inside of the village, and were there to evaluate the instructor this was a simple enough task for him as he stood in the mid-day sun, no cloud in the sky as he waited for the group to approach he wondered really if this was a waste of his time, but some administration work was to be expected from him at least, standing there he looked around hands in pockets, his typical blank and orange colours showing to those approaching, as well as the Main Branch uniform under, and the headband.

He knew that he had seen it was for mid day and that was fine, but to have the weather so perfect as well was something else, it seemed all the luck was coming up in his favour today, Shizukesa allowed himself a few moments of thoughts, he was not here to run or judge the examinies but needed to make sure he was keeping an eye on the examiner at all times and making sure they were worth of moving up inside of the branch.

 

[Yume Izanami]

So... Keniwa wanted her to give an exam to Sota... She would let out a sigh, she wasn't fond of the kid as he needs an attitude adjustment. But he was adamant about Sota getting an exam and that he could help society rather than be destructive about it. The only problem? Her temper. And she knows that Sota will try to be manipulative about it, especially if there are other people around.

But... Perhaps if he gets his mind focused on other things, he just might be an asset to the Village. The meeting place would take them far out into Greater Fire Country in the outskirts of Dreamworks Plains. A neighboring town that is close to the forest has been experiencing people vanishing and she was originally sent out to help figure things out. Due to the nature of the mission, she concluded that it could prove beneficial to have Sota along for the ride. She had already sent a message out to him to meet her at the outskirts.

Upon getting there, she would see Shizukesa already over there. She figured that it would either be him or Keniwa to watch her do an exam that also counts as a mission. She wondered if he knows of the history of this place. No doubt it would cause implications on her mission as this place seems to leak out chakra energies to the point that people have reported being under a powerful genjutsu, even when there is nobody around to cast said genjutsu. She would walk up to him and give him a nod of acknowledgement.

 

[Akamine Sota]

A field left to nature's rule, spanning a-many miles with thick tree roots, vines, and other flora; Sota plows his way through with a shit-eating grin. Knows what today marks, and knows the results already. Well, thinks he knows. As he always does. Forgets that he's failed every other exam provided by the academy, and rushes across moss-ridden grounds with more confidence than a TV on Black Friday.

Welcoming him outside the forest is the number of two. Familiar and unfamiliar, one of which Sota was beginning to see more than he liked. "YOU," is the first thing he thinks to bark out at Mitsuha.

"Think you can just fuck off 'cause the sennin-freak asked you to? Where are the shoes you promised???"

But old acts aren't forgotten so easily. Sota remembers to put a distance between the two. Just in case she decides to get creative again.



—
wc 145
lmk if there are wc requirements or smth else

 

[Yume Izanami]

It wouldn't matter how much distance he made, as she would simply warp behind him. But much to his surprise, she won't lay a finger on him. "Here's what's going to happen." She started. Her voice dangerously calm as it was before, when he last saw her. "I'm not Keniwa so I'm not a big softie. I'll let it slide this once." She would turn to look at the forest. "There are a number of people missing and it could be a very big possibility that they are in this forest, so we don't have a lot of time bickering." She would stare back at him. "Right now, this mission will also count as your genin exam. However I have conditions. No back talk, no insults, no snarky comments, and no toxicity. Doing so will count as an automatic failure of your exam. You will also do exactly as I say. I need to know if you have any redeeming qualities that can make you dependable and an important asset to the entire Village."

She would pause, letting it sink in that this was in fact an exam along with a mission. "If you agree to the terms, follow me and stay within my eyesight, if not you can make your way back to the Village." With that said, she would turn to walk towards the forest.

 

[Akamine Sota]

"Mission?" Sota scoffs. "And let what slide? You're fuckin' delusional, man." He'd seen a number of people bend a hundred and eighty over nothing, never so much as this girl here; pressed to his back like a coat. At his side, an arm protests out loud, magma and coal sinking their teeth onto bruised flesh. They beg him to listen nature's rule, to a dragon's demand. He's never needed to, so why start now?

On one heel, Sota spins around. Quick to cut air in two, and quick to shove glare upon another. "You're such an easy target, Mitsuha. No wonder Keniwa bullied you in the past." Words of tar are followed by two snickers and a half.

"I'm on no damn mission." At least to his knowledge. "This is an exam," he spits. "So, better renew those terms, don't you think?"



—
wc 140

 

[Yume Izanami]

As Sota ran his mouth, Mitsuha would just simply walk into the forest, not answering him at all. She was tired of him running his mouth already as it seems that is the only good thing he can do. But this wasn't her decision, no. Keniwa had faith in him to be better than this.

Mitsuha just needs to know if that faith isn't misplaced. With the entire time that she has known Sota, she only known him good for running his mouth and making excuses. But this is an actual mission. She has no time to listen to him bicker or be an ass. She would ignore his calls until they would slowly start to fade. The real question is, would he follow, and thus agree to her conditions, or take the L and go back to the Village?

 

[Akamine Sota]

Of course Sota follows. Does it as soon as she breaks from her position. (But, does he really agree to her conditions?)

"Hey hey, c'mon, don't be upset," he gives a rough shrug. "How about I tell him off the next time I see him, yeah? Will that get you to stop sulking 'round me?"

(The shape of a grin suggests a dual-lettered answer.)

"Anyway, so?? Hell's my task about??"

 

[Yume Izanami]

For once, Mitsuha was surprised. He almost sounded civil. No matter the case, it would be no use to rile him up. She would shake her head, "Nah. It's fine. I know what I did was wrong." She would make a series of hand seals. Three other Mitsuha's would poof into existence around them as she would nod to them and they would split off. She would continue to make more hand seals until the minerals in front of them formed into a ball and into an eye. It would float above them by a couple of meters.

Going on about the task. "Three people from a nearby town have gone missing. Eyewitness accounts have stated that a man in black had dragged them to this forest." She would pause before continuing on, "This is the important part. This place is so heave with chakra that people have stated that they were under illusions. And not just the unskilled, but even high ranked shinobi. Your part in this mission is to help track down the missing people along with following orders. In a place like this, there can be no arguing, no bickering, and no insulting. We need to watch each other's backs. And above all, if you see, hear, or feel anything that you might suspect as weird or out of place, I need you to tell me. That is in case you fall into a genjutsu made by this place."

She would pause before going on. "I trust that you know of the cancel ninjutsu?"

But even as she said that, Sota would start to feel drowsy, could it be that he didn't get enough sleep, or is he already under the illusion of the forest? It could be that he is actually tired himself.

(The dreamworks Plains are said to easily put people into a genjutsu with how much chakra is blanketing the area.)
(I have made rolls for Mitsuha and Sota in Bot-fun on discord to see how they handle the forest and its illusions)

 

[Akamine Sota]

I know what I did was wrong.

The lack of context puts Sota's head in a tilt; one brow cocked 'n all. Seems like whiplash was a reoccurring theme with these freaks. But again, what mission? Hits him two blinks later, pushes out a groan from him. "Oh my god, my task is your mission?"

She goes on, and his hands find his pockets; as is habit. Something sours across his face, but he doesn't voice even half a thought for, actually — none of this sounds... bad. Like a school of ants, something crawls up his legs. Vigor, a sense of thrill, a....

no. Wait. It's pooling back out of him. Every last drop; remodels his posture, re-fixes the dirty look parked over his expression. Eyes waver between uneven blinks, and . . . .

"Umm.. mmmmmm........ candle jutsu? Can... oh, cancel." Yawns. "Yeah, yeah, uh. No, wait. No, don't know it."



—
wc 150

 

[Yume Izanami]

Mitsuha would shake her head. Seems like this is going to be a long day for both of them. The kid seemed to already be under the effects of a genjutsu. He was lucky that it was something easy such as a simple tiredness spell. She would perform the Cancel jutsu and place a hand on Sota's forehead, channeling her chakra to him to break him out of the genjutsu. Instantly he would feel wide awake as the genjutsu had left his mind.

"I want you to follow my hand movements." She would instruct him. She would slowly move through the hand seals to make sure that he was doing them right until she was satisfied. She checked with her Crystal eye, nothing out of the ordinary. And she hasn't felt any of her clones disperse yet. "You okay?"

Sota would hear something in the distance. A faint sound like that of a waterfall, but more concentrated off to his right. As a Chigokai, he should know that this is indeed the sound of someone's blood rushing around in their body. Could it be one of the people that is missing in this place? Could it be the one that took these people? Or could it all just another illusion?

 

[Akamine Sota]

Just like that, world's set alight again. Pumps back into him a canister of vigor; displayed as dual-blinks. In his mouth, he clicks his tongue. "How'd I already — ???" And his mind flashes to a line of metallic shards stuck to his skin, tearing open holes upon holes. Maiming a young boy's arm and planting seeds of premonition. Said premonition?: an unborn collection of scars promising delivery with each burn that planted acidic kisses across his bandaged (and clothed) arm.

Fuck. FuckfuckfuckFUCK, "worry about yourself."

Teaching him the jutsu doesn't weave into him the expected strings of confidence. Not a fiber. Here's what does:

steady and soft is the sound of a stream. Not beyond reach — not inaccessible. "I hear something," comes the sudden call for alarm. A finger thrusts into the air, and he gestures in a random direction. "There, it's — fuck, I dunno. Someone. I think."

One step yanks him forward. He prays it to be not a friend but a foe.



—
wc 163

 

[Yume Izanami]

This place is heavy in chakra... Mitsuha would rub her eyes, blinking. But each time she blinked, it only made it worse. Her vision was blurred as she could only make shapes and colors. She would follow what she thinks is Sota, but with her vision hindered as it is, she was following a bit behind, but still seeing Sota's shape.

As for Sota, he would come across a small girl about eight years old. She had a wild look about her, as if she was looking for danger. Turning to look at Sota, he could see pure fear in her eyes, but she seemed like she doesn't know what to do once she saw him. He would see that she herself has a scrape on her left arm with a trickle of blood coming down it as she was holding her arm tenderly. "Um..." was all the little girl could say. Even though Sota sees this girl, and could definitely hear her blood flow, he did hear something else. The blood flow of someone else, it was quieter and hard for him to discern if they are either close by and have control of their breathing, and therefor their heartbeat, or if they are far away.

Whatever he does, it looks like the girl just might run at the first sign of danger or aggression.

 

[Akamine Sota]

Big large eyes stare back at him, and he thinks — at first — to let out a groan. Doesn't. Simply 'cause the smell of a fourth party lingers nearby, giving him half a tug of hope. And so, like with any other uninteresting thing, Sota's gaze dances over her.

"Just some useless kid," he all but mumbles for Mitsuha to hear. Words unheard above a whisper because, see — it's an exam. And, in an exam, if he isn't bringing a kid to safety's reach, the least he can do, he reasons, is to respect her existence. Heed the alarm that dances behind terror-struck eyes. It's exam, he reasons; reminds. Fucking warns.

Fully turns to face Mitsuha, unaware of her own troubles, and tries again: "There's one more fucker... don't know where, but I'll figure it out. You wanna, like, patch her up or something?"



—
wc 144

 

[Yume Izanami]

Nearly blind, but she did hear what Sota had said. While he hasn't broke any of the conditions, he could have at least done more to help make sure that the kid was okay. Mitsuha would form handseals and Crush the turtle would poof into existence. Mitsuha would put a finger over her mouth so that he won't use his usual loudness to scare the little girl. She would kneel down and check the girl for any other injuries, which to her would only be splotches of red or discolorations of purple. Crush would nod to Sota before starting to heal the young girl with medical jutsu.

"Stay within my sight." Mitsuha would instruct. She would look over at the young girl. "It's okay. Don't be afraid. My name is Mitsuha, the boy who saved you, his name is Sota, and this here is my turtle contract Crush." Turning back over to look at Sota, despite her blurred vision, she would see a figure near Sota, drawing a blade. Her mind went into instinct, she had to protect them all. And Sota... It seems that he didn't notice this person sneaking up on him. She would shoot a dragon scale out at fast speeds to hit the figure. Sota would only see the aftermath as smoke poofed near him as a result of a non-elemental clone being dispersed. Which could be the reason why he couldn't hear a blood flow near him.

"You good?" She would ask him, making sure Sota was in fact alright. Just then, her Crystal Eye would pick up what looks like another child, this time, even in her blurred vision, she could tell that the kid is by a stream of water. "Come on. Much as I hate leaving without dealing with this enemy, we still have to ensure the safety of the other kids as well." She would hold the little girl's hand as she would wait for Sota to be beside them before walking off.

 

[Akamine Sota]

Riddle him this: why were they busting out introductions like they were at some field-slash-orientation day at the academy? Mitsuha was more than capable enough. The held assumption argued that she could cut the lights from the girl before she could think to scamper off. Knock her and drag her to safety, instead of time-wasting methods. So — what purpose does this serve? None. Just teeth locked in a grit, and eyes falling over in a roll. And, it's not only assumption:

A sliver of a moment is all he's offered in reaction time. Clouds explode on his tail, and by the time his eyes zip to find the dragon's scale, things are registered as A and B. C's the part where Mitsuha completely fucking ignores him.

"What? Why the hell would we do that? Why would I do that? Man, just let me deal with the bad guy 'n you take care of those brats."

It is a genin exam, after all. Sota thinks of no better way to prove himself.



—
wc 169

 

[Yume Izanami]

Finally, Mitsuha's vision would clear, giving making her appreciate her sight. However her relief was short lived as Sota had opened his mouth. She would shake her head, keeping calm in the situation as she formulated a plan to try and get Sota to work with her rather than against her.

"Time is of the essence. And we would need to focus on the task at hand. The more time we waste the higher the chance of the other two people dying that we have yet to find." She would sigh and say, "While I can't deny that this unknown assailant can cause problems for us if we outright ignore him along with he can delay us. The same can be said if I were to let you do as you wish and have you go after him. Not to mention we don't know anything about this guy. To wildly go out and try to strike blindly at someone who you do not know their combat ability will only spell doom for you."

She would pause before going on to say, "So how about we come up with a plan. We first find the other two people in the forest and then we formulate a plan together to handle him. I would assume by that time he would have shown himself a time or two for us to get an idea of how he operates, and by that time we will be able to exploit any weaknesses or whatnot that he has. And to make it more interesting, I'll leave that part for you to come up with a plan. But it will involve both of us. Teamwork does in fact, make things easier in situations like this."

She wondered if maybe this is what Sota needs, a chance to actually shine, though not the way he pictured. Perhaps Sota could come up with an interesting battle tactic with her. He must have known that going out on his own to fight an unknown assailant with no knowledge could go horribly wrong. Nearby Crush would entertain the little girl by blowing up bubbles, making her at least for the moment forget that they are inside a forest that makes occasional hallucinations with a psycho.

 

[Akamine Sota]

Oh, yes, fully agreed; "time is very much so of the essence," he mocks with a grimace & a wave of his hand, "so — since we're a number of two, last I checked, we should split. Up." But trailing onto her next point, Sota comes with little to none for an argument. Should've hit him by now that the superior — the one of several ranks his senior — likely didn't land her position out of sheer luck. If her rank said anything — which, usually, to Sota, it never did — then it screamed expertise. Experience. And yet, his pride stubbornly lingers on demands from an hour ago, refusing to see reason. Swallowing it down feels like swallowing a bucket of rusty iron spikes.

"Whatever. Fine."

Hands go down his pockets. "Where's the other one." (What a-fucking day.)



—
wc 138
WHOOOOO!!!! HE LISTENS??!?!!??!!

 

[Yume Izanami]

Her body relaxed once Sota finally started to see more reason and decided to listen to what she had to say. They would continue to walk until they ran into one of her clones. "Yeah, we found one of the others. But... There is some creature holding them captive!"

Mitsuha would pick up the small girl and run with her in her arms until they came across a cave, hoping that Sota is following close behind. Once there, Mitsuha would feel the effects of the Forest trying to pull her into a genjutsu. She would form hand seals and cancel it out to focus on the task at hand. Soon a creature standing on two legs, all green with horns and a tail would exit the cave, staring at Mitsuha and also Sota (if he followed her). "What's with all these... things coming near my home." It would ask them. It held a man by the scruff of his neck before looking over at Mitsuha. He would walk over to her and try to grab something that she had in her jacket pocket. "What's that? It looks pretty interesting!" Mitsuha would teleport away from it and appear by her clone as she kept a wary eye on the creature.

"That, you can't have. But we will need that guy."

"This thing? Well... Only if you give me that thing right there." He would indicate what Mitsuha was hiding from the creature and Sota.

Mitsuha would roll her eyes and sigh, "Ugh, fine. Here." She would reach into her pocket and toss what looked like a scroll over to the green creature. The creature would then smile as he now got whatever seemed to be interesting to him before letting go of the man.

"Daddy!" The little girl exclaimed and ran towards the man, hugging him. While they were having a sweet moment, Mitsuha couldn't help but feel as if there was something more to it than this. She would look over at the creature and ask it, "How did you come across this guy?"

The creature thought about it for a moment before answering, "There was someone else. He had an aura about him, one that seemed to freeze the very air around him. He felt dangerous to simply be around." And with that said, the creature would take his leave.

Mitsuha would sigh, thinking over what was said and how her Crystal Eye is still keeping track of the third person, a young woman who was by a creek. Now that Mitsuha is thinking about it, going off of what the monster had told them, it seems like they might be walking into a trap. She would turn to Sota (if he's there) and say, "Here's what we know. This guy is obviously a ninja. And if I were to take a guess, he is of the Yuki bloodline, control over ice. The last person is over by a creek. We might as well be walking into a trap. Because of this, I will listen to what you will have to say if you think you have a good plan on taking this guy out, all the while keeping the three civilians safe. I think he might be too much for you to handle alone, so we also have to take that into consideration." She would listen to see how he would come up with a plan. Because after all, in a team, every person's thoughts should be taken into account to see how to best utilize everyone's skills.

 

[Akamine Sota]

Clad in greens and muscles; a gnarly sight is awarded to a boy who makes the mistake of heeding his superior. An awful picture, one nearly worth ignoring Mitsuha's cowardice over. It slips him by — almost. Takes him one or two blinks, then his attention snaps in her direction; contorted & wild with confusion —

"wait, WHAT?? You're gonna give him what he WANTS?????" It isn't about what she loses as much as it's about what their (current) enemy wins.

(Pride be damned, his fucking ego was on the line.)

Alas. Instead of beating answers out of Mr. Ugly Orc, they're negotiating for them. More learned methods that will never see the light of day. They're told of ice, and Sota's mind goes to the elemental class he'd had the misfortune of attending some evenings ago. What beats ice again...? Earth...........?? "Um."

Blinks towards Mitsuha, brows still a-twist. "Dunno. We..."

Behold! Sota's best strategy: "rush in, and — " here, his brows tighten — "actually fight. For-fuckin'-once. Could throw in my contract 'n have her distract 'im? I don't know, scream at him 'til his ears pop??"



—
wc 185

 

[Yume Izanami]

Mitsuha would look over at her clone as Sota complained about what Mitsuha had done. Of course that part of a lesson will be lost on him until revealed hopefully at a later time. But for now, they need to focus on the task at hand.

Her other two clones would find them easily enough they would all make their way to the creek. Once they were nearing the area, Mitsuha had her clones and Crush watch the girl and her father, all the while have her crystal eye move to keep an eye on the group while her and Sota can focus on the task at hand. They would be nearby and tasked with not moving from their location unless they all see the same thing and to report anything they feel to the others so that if someone does fall under a genjutsu, then the others can snap them out of it. Mitsuha would teach the girl and her father the cancel ninjutsu just in case before turning to Sota. "Let's do this."

Walking to the creek, they would see that ice has frozen over and a man stood in front of the young woman who seemed hurt, but very much alive. "Oh? You both made it past the creature hidden in the Dream Works plains? Well that can't be helped. It is too naive to know what's good for it. But since you're here..." A winter storm would be whipped up as he would stare at the two ninja. "I figured if I did something rash like kidnapping Leaf would send some ninja to their slaughter. But to my disappointment all they sent were a couple of kids. Now die."

Mitsuha's eyebrows raised, so his goals weren't the civilians after all, but rather her and Sota. This guy is demented, but they can't underestimate him just because there's two of them. But then the Yuki had released his ice aura as frozen winds pummeled against Mitsuha and Sota. Sota would be fast enough to dodge out of the way, but Mitsuha would take the brunt of the attack. She would, however be fast enough to fire a shot of one of her dragon scales from underneath her jacket sleeve. It would hit, however it would only graze past the man's arm and hit a tree. "Now this. This will be fun. I may have been wrong about you being just kids."