I hate tests. I was walking to the meeting place my team had set up so we could al travel to the Hidden Cloud Village together to participate in the chunin exams. Oh yay! My sarcastic celebration in my head basically summed up my entire attitude toward the whole thing. All we were doing was performing in from of seniors who would judge us based on skills like strength and strategy, ninjutsu and technique mastering, etc and etc. And then the whole thing would be pass and get promoted or what… fail and end up having to do them again?

I used to like tests. Back when I cared about being at the top I used to ace ‘em all the time. But when I decided I didn’t want to be the best anymore, they just became so easily to fail it was actually kind of funny. My mom probably already knew my plan. When I set off earlier today, she didn’t even say those cliché things like ‘do your best’ or ‘good luck.’ What could I do about it? I already made my decision a while back, plus I never really liked living up to people’s expectations anyway.

But there was no time to think about stupid things like that! I was keeping a girl waiting and that was just rude of a man. Especially since she showed some interest in me on our very first encounter no less! The day was sunny and bright, a perfect day for a guy like me to make a move.
And there she was, just like we all had planned. She was smiling a cute little grin and humming a cute little tune. And with no Kai-bō in sight! Just my luck, I smiled like a prince charming to greet her.

“Hey, Tsu-chan! You ready to go? Sure looks like you’re ready, and so am I.” I laughed a little, it was always good to laugh because it makes you look happy. Plus, I just called with ‘-chan’ she had to know that I was calling her cute, because she was of course.

“Hehe, looks like Kai-bō is a little late.” I added, deciding to poke fun at my rival. I guess that’s what you could call him. That stick in the mud probably cared more about the whole rivalry thing than I did. But there was one thing I was sure I wasn’t good to lose at, a fair maiden’s heart!

424~

Today was the day.

Today, I would set off.

Today, I would literally be on the road to participating in the chunin exams.

I was going to be traveling with my teammates, who I hadn't really spent any time with so far, so I would get to be able to know them better. I wanted to learn their fighting styles, especially the mysterious Tsuru's, so that I could help them imagine how they would defeat situations that would seem the most averse to them. I had found visualization to be key to my training, so they might appreciate it as well. Not only that, but I could come up with plans of my own if I fought against ninja with abilities similar to Itazura's or Tsuru's, or worse, fought against them. I really wasn't looking forward to having to fight them if the necessity ever arose. I just feared that it would create animosity. Yet, we would have to fight each other if everything went perfectly. We would have defeated everyone else. I could just see it now, Tsuru and Itazura squaring off in the finals of the chunin exams, with me watching by the sidelines.

Well, let's not think of it yet. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

I sighed, thinking, 'For now, I'll make it my mission to help them on the road to the exams. We still haven't met our sensei yet, so I'll lead them through visualizations. It's really the only way I could help.

I looked outside, and the sun still hadn't risen yet. I had experienced a very choppy sleep, my brain waking my body up every so often to make sure I didn't miss the departure. I decided that my best course of action would just be to wait by the gate. I wasn't going to get anything else out of lying in bed.

Per the norm, I got up and walked to the kitchen to scrounge up something to fill my belly. My mother was waiting there for me.

"Good morning. Kaitu. I made you eggs for breakfast so that you would be filled up for your journey ahead."

I looked over, and indeed saw a plate of scrambled eggs already cooked and ready for me to eat. I walked over and prodded it with my finger. They were still hot.

"How did you know that I would be up now? You would have had to time the cooking perfectly. I mean, I just got up."

"I guess I just know you too well," she responded with a smirk on her face.

When I looked at her more confused than ever, she laughed and confessed, "Actually, I was just about to go for a mission, so I figured that I could make you breakfast and leave you a note or something."

She smiled as he continued, "You know, cold eggs aren't that bad! I'm glad though, that I could wish you good luck in person."

"Thanks, mom."

As I sat down to eat, she brought over a brown bag and plopped it down next to me. I glanced inside and saw that it contained a couple of peaches.

"For the road," she explained. She then took her own bag, waved me goodbye and wished me luck, and walked out the door. I finished my eggs, took my bag, and left the house soon after, making sure to lock it on my way out.

The sun rose while I was still on my way to the entrance gate. With a bag of peaches in hand and excitement in my heart, I was ready to set off. When I got there, no one else had arrived, so i lied down behind a nearby pole and waited.

“Hey, Tsu-chan! You ready to go? Sure looks like you’re ready, and so am I.”

I groggily woke up to the sound of a familiar voice.

Did I fall asleep?

I got up and dusted myself off.

“Hehe, looks like Kai-bō is a little late.”

How long had they been waiting for me. I didn't really hear the first part of what Itazura said, but had he just gotten here or had he been waiting with Tsuru for a while? And why did he keep calling me that stupid nickname!?!

I picked up my bag, and walked around the pole to face them.

"Itazura, I really would thank you to stop using that name for me. And I apologize for making you wait long, if I did. I'm afraid I didn't get much sleep last night, so I arrived here early. Yet my body decided that over there (I gestured to where I had taken my nap) was the best place to catch up on some rest. I apologize for that. If you are all ready to go though, let us be off."

Wordcount: 830

Jutsu used:
None

Tsu nodded back to me, mentioned that we did both arrive a little early than planned. But that was just what a punctual shinobi should so. She seemed surprised at herself that she came so early. Maybe she was one of those kids who always came late to  class,  kinda like how I was in my later academy days. Oh the joys of school life.

“Itazura I would thank you to stop using that name for me.”  But I was having so much fun. I thought to myself as I heard the voice of our third team member. "And I apologize for making you wait long, if I did, I’m afraid I didn’t get much sleep last night, so I arrived here early. Yet my body decided that over there was the best place to catch up on some rest. I apologize for that. If you are all ready to go though, let us be off.” 

Tsuru nodded and followed in pursuit. " Yep, let's go Kai-kun!" She was pretty excited, the way she skipped around all lightly and happy. It was really uplifting, I guess. Both she and Kai were probably looking forward to these things, while I still was mentally stuck in the back dreading them. She already was getting pretty familiar with the two of us, I had only seen a glimpse of her abilities as a Senju from our earlier mission together. And of course after my previous fight with Kai-bō, I knew he could handle himself pretty well. He had probably gotten stronger since then too. I knew I would help them out as much as I could during the team phase, but as for single battles, I wasn't really caring about helping myself.


Of course I just smiled and went along with it, "Don't forget about me! " I laughed again and followed behind my teammates as we headed to the Village in the Clouds.  


We were making good time. It was a good day for traveling, sunny and bright, if not a little windy. Tsuru began humming along the walk, she had a cute hum. It wasn't anything fancy, but it was a nice ambient travel sound. One of the gusts of wind picked up a few loose green leaves, just for kicks I snapped my fingers and incinerated a few leaves that were unfortunate enough to get close to me and then get turned to ash. One of the leaves however, reached the humming girl beside me. She stopped in her walk and stared at the thing for a good long moment. It was almost funny how the color of the leaf matched her own green eyes and green hair. It was almost like she was a plant herself with all that green on her.

Then she put the leaf to her mouth, for a moment I thought she was going to eat it before I heard some beautiful music.

It was memorizing. The tune relaxed me like nothing i had ever heard before. We were just walking along when out of the blue she decides to play the leaf whistle. It truly was such a beautiful song and coming from such a cute girl. What couldn't she do? I smiled and held my head back with my hands. "Heh, Tsu-chan... That's just... So pretty." I closed my eyes to just listen to the music.

572/996~

We were on our way to the Village Hidden in the Clouds. It was exciting to go on a journey as a ninja, with other ninja. I had been to the Hidden Sand Village once before to visit some distant family, but never anywhere else. I was going on a road totally new to me. I wondered if either of the two traveling with me had ever been.

I was about to ask, when a gust of wind caught a few leaves and blew them across the path we were walking on. I heard Itazura snap with the resulting sound of leaves quickly burning up, and Tsuru starting to whistle. I looked over, and saw that remarkably, she was making the sound with a single leaf that I'm assuming she caught out of the air. I didn't hear her stop, so I'm assuming she didn't pick it off the ground, and I didn't notice her wander off the path to pluck a leaf off a tree, so it really must've just been a spur-of-the-moment type thing. I began to listen, and the melody was very relaxing.

I like music like this. Music that calms nerves.

It really was a great supplement to the overall feeling you got from walking in the woods outside Konohagakure. It sounded a little sad, sure, but I found hope in it. Of course, I didn't know how to analyze music at all, but I still appreciated the feelings it gave me. I began to think of all that I had done to get to the point where I am now. All the training I had done with my instructors at the academy, the hours of study and meditation to focus my mind, Yorua's guidance...

No, I can't get emotional now. We've only just begun. And there's such a wonderful road ahead of us. Don't let the song get to you.

I looked down and smiled.

I'll give myself this one moment, while I still can. While my mind is free of worry or strife. While I was looking forward. If only you could see me now, Yorua. I'm off on my way to becoming the strongest ninja I can be.

I looked up at Tsuru, still whistling away. She was closing her eyes as she focused on the melody coming from the leaf. I turned my head to Itazura, who also had his eyes closed. He had his hands to the back of his head, in a relaxed manner. He too seemed intent on listening to the music. I almost wondered if this was a genjutsu. Sound-based genjutsu had always intrigued me. I didn't think this was though. And honestly, I didn't want to stop it even if it was.

I looked back down as I walked.

I'm traveling with two teammates, two comrades, who I was going to be working with for a great majority of my ninja career. And I'm working hard, so I'll be able to protect them. So I can be stronger than I was that night. So I'll never go through that again. So no one will...

That dream was a very long way from coming to fruition, but I needed to work as hard as I could on every step of the journey.

I noticed something drip from the tip of my nose onto the ground beneath me. In a panic, I touched my finger to my nose and activated my Buragan. They were tears, not blood. I smiled. I didn't even realize that I was crying.

Ok, NOW no more emotional thoughts. Focus on the task at hand.

I had only cast a few tears. Had I shed any more, Itazura or Tsuru might've noticed. And I couldn't give Itazura ANOTHER thing to torture me with. Once I blinked enough to make sure that my eyes had no evidence of tearing up, I slowed my pace to fall a couple of steps behind. I realized that up until this point, I had never seen Itazura OR Tsuru with my Buragan. Itazura was wearing blue, while his hair was a mix of blond and brown. Tsuru had striking green hair with purple and black clothing. I almost laughed out loud. One really doesn't expect someone to have green hair when the live in a world of black and white. She certainly mirrored the plant style I had seen her using on the testing mission. It was weird only being able to see a meter in color. I really never had any proof that the sky was blue, except for pictures. At a point, the road in front of me just turned from brow to grey. It was hard to describe the vision given by the buragan. I could see every detail of Itazura and Tsuru's exteriors, for example, while still being able to see their chakra networks. It was like seeing on different planes.

Neither of them had seen my buragan before, so I didn't know how to properly introduce it. I decided that it would be too weird to just spring on them, so I decided to shut it off. But before I did, I took a mental picture of the three of us walking side-by-side on our way to becoming chunin. Activating my Buragan spent chakra, but I decided to show them at a better time.

Tsuru had stopped her song by this point, so I decided to speak up.

"So, we should come up with a plan for the chunin exams. We should get to know each other and our fighting styles."

I winced at how on-the-nose I accidentally made that out to be. I didn't want to seem unfriendly, but I wanted as much time to think as possible. Hopefully, they would understand and not think I was just being a bit of a prick.

Wordcount: 1005+830=1835

Jutsu used:

Buragan:

Chakra: 130/150

OOC: Sorry for the delay, didn't see that Itazura posted :) Also, I got the feels while writing this and listening to a two hour version of the link you posted. Mainly due to the song, and not my bad writing :)

When Tsu's song ended, we were left with a bit of ambient silence for a while. I opened up my eyes again to see that Kai-bō had fallen a few steps behind. Was he that impressed that it brought tears to his eyes and didn't want us to see? Ahh, how cute. I smiled half knowingly, it was just an assumption after all. So the guy was a little bit sensitive, I didn't mind that.

He caught up with us and then decided to say a little something regarding the exams.

"So, we should come up with a plan for the chunin exams. We should get to know each other and our fighting styles."

Good idea, if we were fighting in teams it would be good to know each others' fighting styles. But if we ended up fighting against each other we would only be giving each other our weak points and strong points. So, was Kai-bō asking something with a little more meaning to it then let on? The sneaky little fox might've actually been acting... Sneaky. Though he probably wasn't and  he was most likely thinking along the lines of the first idea. Tsu seemed to think so after all.

"Uh... My elements are water, earth, and mokuton, wood! I know Medical Ninjutsu too!"  

Eh, a medical ninja? That would definitely be useful in the long run. Plus it was a definite too, that should would grow into a cute looking nurse too. Her face was a little bit flustered, making her even more adorable. Perhaps she didn't really understand the whole idea of explaining a fighting style.

"Alright. My elements are Katon and Raiton. I specialize in Taijutsu and Ninjutsu. I enjoy fighting with a little flare, maybe a little showy to be honest but I usually rely on speed and short, hard hits to take down an opponent quickly." I summed it up in a few sentences. Adding in a little smirk of confidence just for show. I probably wouldn't add up to much for the exams, but it was nice just to put on the effect that I did.

I already knew that Kaitu would say Doton, and that knew both Ninjutsu and Genjutsu from our fight from earlier. I still wondered about those eyes of his. It was definitely part of some Kekkei Genkai from his Clan, the Burasu. I hadn't had the chance to look into more, but I was sure I was going to see it during the exams.

"Anyway... Uh, I hope we're all gonna try our best at the chuunin exams and so we all can become chunin together!"  Ahh, she was just so nice and so excited for this. She probably had a reason to be, Kaitu too. What was I here for? I didn't really know. I wasn't planning on winning. I wasn't planning on even trying that hard. There wasn't a reason for me too besides becoming a strong shinobi via promotion. It was required after all. But I... I hate tests.

"You heard the gal Kai-bō, don't lose on our first day." I smiled again and laughed out loud as I used the name that Kai disliked extremely.  These chunin exams would definitely be interesting.

556/1552

600/600 Travel Complete

952 Words Left

Training D-Rank Jutsu Sticky Fists 750/750

202 Words Left

-Exit Thread-

"Uh... My elements are water, earth, and mokuton, wood! I know Medical Ninjutsu too!"

Itazura responded by saying, "Alright. My elements are Katon and Raiton. I specialize in Taijutsu and Ninjutsu. I enjoy fighting with a little flare, maybe a little showy to be honest but I usually rely on speed and short, hard hits to take down an opponent quickly."

And after a short pause, "Anyway... Uh, I hope we're all gonna try our best at the chuunin exams and so we all can become chunin together!"

"You heard the gal Kai-bō, don't lose on our first day."

I ignored Itazura's comment as I began my analysis. I would start with Tsuru.

That combination of elements. I knew from study that wood had the weakness of fire, interestingly enough. But that would be countered by her water style, a handy, almost built-in, safeguard. Hopefully she carried water style jutsu. Otherwise fire would be her biggest threat. But that medical ninjutsu could really come in handy in reducing ANY threat. Now though, how to combat the possible fighting styles? I assume she'll mainly be using mokuton, so I'll think of how each specialization could be dangerously improved with fire.

Taijutsu: Mokuton is especially well-known in Konoha for its ability to keep people at a distance. As long as she made sure that she kept her jutsu in-between her and her opponent at all times, she should be fine.

Fire-style taijutsu: If she runs against someone like Itazura, taijutsu is going to greatly help, in place of hinder, the opponent. They'll be able to cut through Tsuru's mokuton with ease. If she had any water style jutsu, she would need it to reinforce her more powerful mokuton jutsu. If she didn't, there wouldn't be much to do. She wasn't going to win in straight up hand-to-hand combat against a taijutsu expert.

Ninjutsu: Wind style tends to have more range than most styles, so if she spots someone using it, she needs to make sure to get in closer. Actually, the same could be said for all of us. She needn't worry about water style users, as she has earth style, which has an elemental advantage. If she needs to look out for anything specific in fire style, it would be mid to long-ranged combat. If she gets herself into a situation with distance fighting, she either needs to retreat (ironically) or use water style jutsu powerful enough to believe that they wouldn't be able to effectively use fire-style from that point on. She would need to play a mental battle instead of a physical one. Against lightning and earth she should be fine, but she should always be careful.

Genjutsu: Not much I can advise on there. Just that she should make sure to always be on the look-out for the telltale signs of being trapped inside a genjutsu, regardless of the elemental affinity.

Bukijutsu: Mokuton is usually a hardy element, but the way I saw her using mokuton jutsu that included vines, I worry that vines would be a little too brittle for blades reinforced with chakra. She would need to make sure that her vines were quick enough, and most importantly, she needs to use the vines to separate the blade from the opponent. Vines should actually be pretty adept at disarming if the opponent was caught at a surprising time. Still, the risk always presents itself that while she's trying to disarm, he is trying to cut away at her plants. And even if she disarms them, there's still the danger that they have a backup blade. At that point, she would have to either be more careful and surprising in her disarming attempts or give up and just try to attack the wielder, due to the fact that they would certainly be more on guard after the first disarmament. Against ranged weapons, she should have no problem blocking or deflecting with her plant jutsu.

Fire style bukijutsu: This would be one of the MOST dangerous combinations for Tsuru to come up against. The power of fire combined with the sharpness of a blade would just mean trouble for plants. At this point, she would have to forgo her plant style for a round. Bukijutsu users wouldn't be discouraged. Using water style would be recommended. If, by some miracle, the opponent was disarmed, the next attacks should be quick and brutal. No time for tactical thought when you have a very short window of tactical advantage before the opponent switches to some other style of fighting. Most weapon-users have other jutsu, so it would be wise to keep the attacks fast and heavy.

Medical Ninjutsu: She counters what little offensive medical ninjutsu there is with her own. Her medical ninjutsu will definitely come in handy for her in-between fights though, when she can do a better job at anyone at judging the state of her body.

Fuuinjutsu: While not dangerous by itself, it is a huge supplement to any bukijutsu users, giving them an almost unlimited supply of pre-stored weapons. This would greatly aid them in the battle, seeing as how they would be able to pick specialized weaponry dependent on their opponent, along with quick reinforcement capabilities. Combined with the fact that seals don't require much in the way of chakra, bukijutsu users are able to win a battle without much chakra lost.

Kuchiyose/Seijutsu: If a genin was already entered in a summoning contract with something, it was likely that the animal wasn't too powerful. That way, the genin could stay in control. And if someone has an animal as a partner in battle, the animal probably hasn't been trained to jonin-level combat capabilities. This would actually be ideal for Tsuru, as it would spend a good deal of the opponents chakra, and mokuton is known for being able to combat beasts especially effectively. So, here's to hoping that she's put up against a Kuchiyose/Seijutsu specialist.

Kugutsu: Finally, kugutsu. Using vines to combat the puppets while she got in and cut the chakra threads would be the best bet. Of course, fighting against puppets is no easy task, so she would need to be constantly on her toes. It would probably be appropriate to fight against them like they were taijutsu or bukijutsu specialists.

Analysis complete.

Major threats identified: Fire style jutsu, fire enhanced-bukijutsu, and fuuinjutsu-enhanced bukijutsu.

Ok, now for the analysis of Itazura’s fighting style and ITS combatants.

I noticed I was thinking a lot without actually saying anything, so I decided to speak up.

"I suppose it's only fair that I tell you about my fighting style. I use Doton and Raiton ninjutsu, specializing in mid-range combat. I also employ genjutsu in my fighting. And my clan's secret jutsu is the concentration of light and chakra into small black balls which I can use to stun and burn my opponents."

I went back to analyzing Itazura.

I already knew from experience what his fighting style was like, and I knew it was something to be reckoned with. However, I did notice that he relied a little too much on his katon jutsu, and not very much on his raiton jutsu. If he used raiton jutsu in our fight, he might have been able to notice my weakness to it. So even, if he has more raiton jutsu now, I can assume the main chakra nature that he's going to use is still going to be fire. Which means that he's going to have a disadvantage fighting against a water-style user. I'll factor that it to my considerations of style match-ups.

Taijutsu: Against another taijutsu user, it rally just comes down to being the fastest, which I know he excels at. Strength matters too, but when it comes to a battle of taijutsu specialists, what really matters is who gets the first hit. Which means that in this type of battle, that little flair he was talking about would have to wait, unless he was just making a pun on the homonym.

Water-style taijutsu: Fighting against someone like this would be very dangerous, as Itazura's kekkei genkai could easily be blocked by any defensive jutsu the opponent would have, or even any offensive jutsu that crossed paths with Itazura's fists. He needs to make sure to be careful of how much chakra he spends, using it to increase his strength instead of supplementing it with jutsu. Then again, if he has effective raiton techniques, he should have no problem.

Ninjutsu: Water is obviously going to be the most dangerous to him. He needs to make sure to get as close as possible as quickly as possible. Water is good at long and mid-ranged combat, while he's best at close range. Catching the opponent off-guard would be the key to winning that type of battle. Against katon and raiton, he can save chakra by using his flammable gas and having his opponent light it for him. Futon and doton should be no problem with him, as his elemental affinities are strong against those typings.

Genjutsu: Same thing as Tsuru, essentially. Look for the genjutsu, and don't spend too much chakra getting out of it.

Bukijutsu: Against bukijutsu, Itazura should fare well. He's got the speed to dodge a blade, so what he needs to do is a rapid succession of hitting hard and getting out. This would actually be a good time for showboating, provided that the opponent isn't too much of a threat. Aggravation, a specialty of Itazura's I've found, would cause them to think less with their strikes, making them easier to predict and dodge. Medium-range attacks like the flammable as combo actually wouldn't be bad if used effectively in this circumstance.

Water-style bukijutsu: If the blade can't touch him, it doesn't matter what the affinity is. This isn't any more dangerous than regular bukijutsu, theoretically.

Medical Ninjutsu: There isn't very much offensive medical ninjutsu, at least not to my knowledge. But if he sees the chakra scalpel jutsu, he should be extra careful in hand to hand combat.

Fuuinjutsu: Body seals implemented on Itazura could prove very detrimental to a ninja dependant on chakra flowing to the right places at the right time. If he sees the opponent has any scrolls or body seals on themselves, Itazura should make sure not to get hit. I realize "Don't get hit" isn't the most reliable strategy, but Itazura's existing strategy should do fine against a fuuinjutsu-user.

Kuchiyose/Seijutsu: To re-iterate my earlier point, companion animals and summons most likely won't be too powerful when used by a genin. Still, Itazura would have more trouble with this than Tsuru would. I don't know if he would have any qualms about hurting the animals, but I wouldn't think that he would. The best bet in this situation would be to ignore the companion unless he knows that hecan defeat it quickly, easily, and without using too much chakra. If he spends more chakra than it took to summon the animal, in terms of kuchiyose, then Itazura would just be left at a disadvantage. In the case of Seijutsu, it might be worth it to knock out the animal first, but in most cases, it is wiser to attack the ninja first. Attacking the animal would be too much of a distraction. The ninja would be able to prepare a trap whilst you were focused on the companion. Of course, the ninja would fight to protect their companion (and vise-verse), but most low-level animals can't prepare strong jutsu when you're focused on the ninja. It would just be a battle of taijutsu, which Itazura luckily specializes in. I would have to use the same strategy, but would not fare quite as well.

Kugutsu: And again, kugutsu wraps up the analysis. Now the first instinct when facing puppets might be the same as when facing an animal, but puppets are designed to defeat ninja. They do have tricks up their...uh...wooden sleeves. The flammable gas jutsu would be the best bet, as it encompasses a wide-range, and diminishes the possibility that Itazura would have a trap sprung on him. Of course, another possible strategy would be for Itazura to somehow distract the opponent while Itazura cut the chakra threads. But I'm not quite sure how he would do that.

Analysis complete.

Major threats identified: Water-style taijutsu, water-style ninjutsu, seijutsu, and kuchiyose.

I had already analyzed my own fighting style prior to even leaving for the exams, so luckily I wouldn't have to exhaust myself further whilst thinking about even MORE possibilities.

Once again, I spoke up.

"Ok, I've thought about your fighting styles and I've thought of some things you guys should look out for. You probably already know all this, but I just want you to make sure to visualize fighting against ninja with certain specialties. Tsuru, I think you should definitely look out for fire style ninjutsu and bukijutsu, and fuuinjutsu-enhanced bukijutsu. Itazura, I recommend thinking about WATER style ninjutsu and taijutsu, and anything to do with companion animals or summoning contracts. Sorry guys, I just get worried about this type of thing. I want you to make sure you have contingency plans specifically for fighting against THOSE opponents. I think you would probably be able to take care of the rest with relative ease."

Even as I said this, I knew that our opponents were thinking about the same things. They were thinking about how they could use their jutsu to defeat US. In the end, it really came down to a matter of dumb luck. But in the end, so did most things. I knew they were probably zoning most of it out, but I spent the rest of the trip discussing what they could do in each situation to ensure the best possible outcome. I wanted to have confidence in them, and I tried to show it, but I might've just ended up looking like a pompous wanna-be strategist. No matter what I looked like though, I really did want to help them. I just hope they understood that.

Wordcount: 2432+1835=4267

Jutsu used:
None

EXIT THREAD

Final Wordcount: 4267
-600 (Travel)
-3500 (Genjutsu Reversal Training)
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Remaining Wordcount: 167