Deep within the thickets of the dense forest along the Naka river, there exists a special group of kame whom have a particularly fond relationship with the village hidden within the leaves. Each year they journey off to the south forest for a grand ritual between themselves and shinobi of the leaf in a display of solidarity between the two groups. In a ceremony for the coming of age of a young kame, they form a bond with a leaf shinobi through a series of trials intended to bring out a true partnership between man and beast. Only the truly worthy shinobi would be allowed to form a bond with one of the kame. Through these trials the shinobi will become a ceremonial member of the Bale and they will share their centuries of wisdom and knowledge with said shinobi. In the days of his childhood, Bōei remembered the musings of the ceremony from other children in the village. Only a few shinobi were chosen to attend the ceremony and even fewer still allowed to partake in the trials of the kame. Throughout the years many different clans had partaken in the ceremony but a member of the Nara had never passed the trials.


Naturally the promise of wisdom and knowledge was an irresistible enticement for Bōei and he dreamed of one day partaking in the trials to attain it. This year's ceremony would be coming soon and Bōei was determined to become a part of it. In the rumbling of the village he overhead that one of the Sannin, Rippā, would be attending this years ceremony and would bring along one young ninja under his mentorship that was able to pass his own trials and was worthy of his time. Interested parties were informed that they should sign up for the opportunity at the Sword Saint compound within the Market District, but be warned those who enter may not survive the process if they are unworthy. Undeterred by the warning Bōei ventured into the Market District to sign up at the compound. The promise of knowledge and wisdom was worth the potential consequences. As he approached the compound, a bit of anxiety rushed throughout his being. His thoughts drifting away into a thought of the pressure that would be upon his shoulders should he make it through Rippā's tests and represent the Nara clan in the trials. Would he be a hero of the Nara, or bring shame upon their name? Shaking off the anxiety, he made his way into the compound and began his path to wisdom and knowledge.

WC: 437

Rippa had attempted to keep the circle of knowledge that he would be accepting one travel companion to the grand into a tightly knit one. He had been hoping to avoid any real ceremony or crowds and simply had some sparring and a couple of small contests between the genin who would hope to accompany him. However much to his dismay word had leaked to almost the entire village. Regardless of if they wanted wisdom or knowledge or if they even knew of the culture of the event they were competing for it seemed alone time with a sannin held some encouragement for an increase in ones own status and power. With that said the clans had become fairly competitive. The larger clans had gathered in the courtyard which had been cleared for the event and each were standing around their clan flag. From his window he looked over the flags with eyes of sky blue and took it all in. The Uchiha, the Senju, Uzumaki and Hyuga were the most prominent. Inuzuka had their own prominent showing as well as the Sarutobi. Each one had their own history with the village and were very prominent and proud in the community. He couldn't help but feel there would be increased stress between the clans with this competition feeling so strict.

Rippa himself was wearing his usual black shinobi pants tied into padded boots for silence. A silver belt buckle held 8 crossbow bolts along the front without any shafts. The bolts were famed and known as Prayers. They were designed to be fired from the twin swords on either of his hips. Adam and Eve, Crossbow Katana of incredible design and always loaded. Rumored to be able to take out an enemy at 80 meters in less than a second without a sound. He wasn't sure about the exact time measurements but it was surprisingly accurate. For a top he had on a black zip up sleeveless shirt with the collar up and the zipper done up to just under his neck. A silver necklace hung there almost glistening in the dim light of the morning. A pair of Angel wings signifying him as the head of the Tenshi branch of the Chi clan. He slipped on his gloves over his hands with the grips on the inside and finally grabbed his coat off the coat rack. A red leather long coat with Konoha headbands stitched into each shoulder and Sword Saint captain in Kanji on the back. His white hair was tied back in a formal top knot to keep it out of his eyes though he still had a bit of a five o'clock shadow.

With a deep breath he would Open the sliding door and step out onto the wooden walkway before closing it behind him. A chakra seal sealing his room as soon as the door clicked. Security measures for safety. A simple lock seal that made it difficult to open the door without breaking it. Quietly he would turn and move down the stairs to the soft ground below and casually approach the courtyard. One of his men he would need for the first trial falling in behind him and keeping his pace two feet behind him and to his left. As Rippa approached the cheering and Jeering would cease quickly and a Hush would claim the area. His eyes would scan the crowd as he noticed many prominent members were present before he would bow his head to the entire crowd formally. He was but a servant of the people after all. When he straightened he would speak in a voice that seemed to stretch out over the entire area. A command spoken one would know not to ignore.

"All competitors step forward!"

632

Clad in his new all black Shōzoku, covered from head to toe with nothing but his eyes as black as the night showing, he walked into the compound where he noticed a table just outside the entrance to the courtyard with a black flag upon it bearing the symbol of the Nara clan. From the looks of it, the missing flags had already been taken up by their respective clans outside in the courtyard. It appeared that he would be the one to bear his clan's pride in this competition as he looked outside to the courtyard. Clans from across the village stood waiting for Rippā to make his grand entrance in front of the joyous crowd of the courtyard. He looked over the crowd to see the competition's numbers and to analyze just who he would have to get past to reach his goal. The Uchiha and Uzumaki clans had an amazing large showing followed by the Senju and the Hyuga. "I'll have to watch out for the Hyuga...they could be quite a pain to deal with.." he contemplated. The Inuzuka and the Sarutobi also had quite a showing as well. It appeared there were several clans missing from the fray however, as the Aburame Clan, Akimichi Clan, Yamanaka Clan and Hatake clans were all seemingly absent. "The Sarutobi may also be a bit of a bother to deal with. We will see how this goes...," he pondered.

He wandered a bit in the courtyard performing an analysis on each competitor and what he felt would be their strength and their weaknesses. Most were too busy talking among themselves to notice and his eyes would never betray his intentions as looking into his eyes was like looking into pure darkness itself. It appeared he would be alone in his venture as he could find not one of his clansmen among the sea of shinobi. "Oh well...less competition I suppose," he muttered under his breath. As an army of one, he took his position to the right of a friendly clan, the Sarutobi. Suddenly the crowds cheering and ruckus nature turned to silence as Rippā and one of his men appeared in the courtyard. He certainly had a grand presence as he was something of a celebrity within the village. Bōei had never seen him in person before but he had heard tales of his accomplishments and his mastery over blood. He certainly appeared to be someone who should not be trifled with. His distinct white hair was tied in a knot atop his head, a vibrant contrast to the bright red leather coat with a black zippered shirt underneath. From his vantage, he could make out a silver belt buckle with 8 small bolts. He had heard about them before, apparently they were called prayers but for what reason he was unsure. On his hips lay two odd weapons, with what appeared to be some kind of katana crossbow fusion with an odd grip. "Could those be the famed Adam and Eve?" he asked himself , "That certainly looks deadly". Rippā's necklace shown in the light of the morning, the sun reflecting off the two silver wings which adorned the chain.

In a booming voice which echoed throughout the courtyard, Rippā shouted "All competitors step forward!". In unison everyone within the courtyard took a step forward towards the living legend with their flags held high. Bōei, with pride in his clan, held his flag high in a show of faith that a Nara would be up to the challenge. He knew it would be a difficult road and he would have to overcome his own tendencies toward laziness but the payoff would be worth the effort. "I will win this..."

WC: 651

Rippa would stand there as the crowd shifted. Flags lifted from the ground and hauled forward proudly. He was interested to see how this pride would hold under pressure but at the same time, he felt a sense of satisfaction at his village. That people within it could hold so much gusto for something as simple as a name. That they could stand tall and hold their heads high even after all the history there was a statement towards the will of fire. Personally it had taken him a while to see it in his career but that will was what he defended. What his men died for and what they killed for. He folded his hands behind his back and squared his shoulders looking just a little more regal. His blue eyes scanning the crowd of young men and women who stepped forward. Man from their own clan who would be competing against each other in the first round just from sheer number necessity. Each round was meant as an elimination round and the first one would cut this lot down by half. Still his eyes fell on one young individual that stood out. Many were wearing flashy outfits or basic shinobi gear but this one stood alone under a flag completely stealthed out in all night raid gear. His blue eyes shifted to the flag to take note of the Nara name. He hadn't known many and they were a reclusive clan. He would be interested in seeing how this panned out for him. Still as they gathered before him Rippa would speak once more. His voice carrying to everyone. The children and young adults before him and their families behind them.

"Today you come before me. You will have the chance to prove something here. For honor, For Pride, For knowledge and for Clan you will compete. Only one of you will be selected and a loss is disqualification in this round. You will be paired into one on one fights. No eye gouging and no removing body parts. I will be standing by as medic for this but I myself can not regenerate fingers. For the first round your names are as follows."

He would be handed a list by the Senju at his side before they turned around and began to form hand signs, a lot of hand signs as they knelt. Rippa would began calling out names in a booming voice as the earth behind him shifted into the arena of their choice. Tree's by the dozens would grow into the sky for a large fourty meter radius with a full canopy casting a dimming sensation like twilight within the treeline. Rocks and boulders would move out of the earth and a pond would form in the center with a sandy beach. The pond only being about ten meters in radius. The beach only a meter wide of sand. Passed that though no foliage grew and it became obvious why. The ground was shifting until it was a spinning torrent of mud for everything but the lake and beach at five meters per second. Crashing around tree's and rocks. Losing ones footing in this mud would mean getting sent into those rocks and tree's. His voice would call out the beginning of round one. Bōei Wasn't having the luck to see how the other fights did first.

"Round one fight one, Inuzuka Boju versus Nara Bōei. Move into the arena now and pick your starting locations. You may begin your fight in thirty seconds. I will be acting as proctor so assume I can see everything."

609/1241

As he stood anxiously waiting among the sea of eager genin, he waited for Rippā to begin his tests and explain just what would be going on. Rippā wouldn't disappoint as his booming voice rung over the crowd, demanding the attention of all before him. "Today you come before me. You will have the chance to prove something here. For honor, For Pride, For knowledge and for Clan you will compete. Only one of you will be selected and a loss is disqualification in this round. You will be paired into one on one fights. No eye gouging and no removing body parts. I will be standing by as medic for this but I myself can not regenerate fingers. For the first round your names are as follows." He paused for a moment as the man at his side handed him a piece of paper. After handing him the paper, the man turned to face the opposite direction then knelt down beside Rippā and began to perform a multitude of hand signs. After a moment it became clear that the man was member of the Senju, as trees began to sprout from the earth in the area behind Rippā in a large radius. A small pond began to form at the center followed by a small sandy beach pushing aside all the rocks and boulders from their resting place.

As he watched the arena being formed before him noticed that the ground between the pond and the tree line began to swirl violently in a torrent of mud. "That will be a pain..." he thought to himself as he watched the area come to fruition before his eyes. Rippā's voice caught his attention once more as he began to speak again, "Round one fight one,  Inuzuka Boju versus Nara Bōei. Move into the arena now and pick your starting locations. You may begin your fight in thirty seconds. I will be acting as proctor so assume I can see everything.". "Well that was fast," he thought to himself, "Lovely I get to fight an Inuzuka round one. How drab..." he sighed to himself quietly. Following instructions, he set forth into the area planting his flag in the tree line for all to see as he searched for a starting spot. "Hmmm where to begin...where to begin," he contemplated as he set his sights on a spot dead center of the arena. He figured he would be able to have a full view of the area from the center and be able to handle himself quite well. With a quick leap over the mud, he took his starting position and shifted into his defensive stance waiting for the match to begin.

He watched as the Inuzaka and his dog stepped foot into the area, with a synchronized leap over the mud to the beach area in front of him. The boy was clad in a green shirt with with khaki pants with a brown jacket. The traditional marks of the Inuzaka adorned his face as he bore his teeth in a show of aggression towards Bōei. He noted the claws on his hands similar to the ones he had to deal with when he was sparring with Shippo in the training grounds. "I'll have to avoid those this time...," he thought to himself as he prepared himself for battle. The boy's companion was a silver colored hound with a streak of black across his face. It's fangs just as sharp as his owners shining in the rays of sunlight which shone through the canopy of the trees. "I'll need to take out the dog first. An Inuzaka's strength comes from his bond with his canine companion, so if I separate the two I should easily be able to win this," he contemplated.

As he formulated his strategy he heard the Senju accompanying Rippā shout "BEGIN!".  Without hesitation the boy and his ninken shot forward with ferocity. The two began to spin at ludicrous speeds like the head of a drill aimed right for him. Bōei smirked under his mask and muttered "Right into my trap..." His eyes were trained on the missile that was the ninken looking to trap it inside his shadow prison effectively killing half of the partnership's combat potential. With a quick rat sign he engulfed the beast in a dark sphere of shadow as his human companion sped towards him. The boy's technique however hit Bōei square in the chest pushing him backwards towards the whirling pool of mud behind them. The blow certainly hurt but it wasn't enough to take Bōei out of the fight for long. The boy turned to the sphere and began to pound on it in an effort to free his ninken as its howls for freedom could be heard from within but Bōei knew his attempts were futile.

Bōei could tell that while he was quite fast, his strength was lacking. "It's pointless kid..." the boy warned the Inuzaka. The boy seemed enraged by the treatment of his canine friend and rushed towards Bōei in a fit of rage leading with those dagger like claws. Understanding his poor positioning, Bōei moved forward slightly giving him a tiny buffer between himself and what would certainly be a perilous situation should he lose his footing. In an instant the Inuzaka was upon him, swiping madly with his claws in an effort to maul the ninja who had trapped his dog. Bōei knew he had gotten into the boy's head and it was only a matter of time until he made a mistake large enough to capitalize on.

He deflected each strike from the boy as it became clear he was no master of taijutsu from his sloppy form and reckless attack. One by one his strikes became more aggressive as if the primal fury had overcome him. His primal rage would however be his downfall as it left him open for a counter. As the boy swiped at him once more, Bōei launched his counter attack. He gathered his shadow in a tendril at his feet and thrust it upward with enough force to launch the boy into the sky. "You're mine now..." Bōei muttered as lept into the air after his target. Using his shadow to propel his leg, Bōei unleashed a kick at the boys ribs launching him into the swirling mud. The boys body slammed into the mud and then was thrown like a rag doll into a tree along the arena boundary. Bōei landed back onto the beach area and made a grand leap over the mud to where the boy's body had been flung. He pulled out his kunai and put it to the boy's throat and whispered "Too reckless...be more careful next time". With both the boy and his dog defeated, Bōei looked toward Rippā for confirmation of his victory.

Chakra: 105/150:

[~Exit Thread~]

WC: 1208
TWC: 2296

Training:
Silent Fist: 2296/3000 Words

Rippa would watch as the two first contestants would step forward. The only Nara present and one of the Inuzuka boys. Technique against physical power. It would be interesting to see which would triumph here. His blue eyes looked them both over as the passed on either side of him and he looked to the crowd. He allowed them to enter the arena ahead of him before he turned and seemed to step a single time before appearing on a large branch high in the tree's above them. One hand on the tree for balance as the other hung at his side casually. It appeared the two would be taking this fight to the center of the arena within the swirling muds. Neither really taking the advantage within that range. The Nara would be trapped within a limited range with an attacker that focused close range attacks but the Inuzuka would have limited mobility for evasive tactics. It would be interesting to see how it panned out. Still he had placed himself high enough to be out of range of most average genin techniques. Not that anything of the level he saw coming could touch him but it was better to conserve his energy for medical arts.

The fight itself would prove to be a fairly even match but with the Nara taking tactical advantage. As with most they targeted the partner animal first. Locking it away and sealing it's movements. This would be a descent learning experience for any Inuzuka. Your partner was your power and a part of you. Not having the capability to help it break free from a technique it was trapped in could cost the pooch its life. Even though the young man had the chance to press in and possible break the connection instead he panicked and to be honest it cost him the fight. Had he pressed the Nara after the initial hit landing he could of gained the advantage. A lesson for another day. Still the fight was essentially over. He watched the struggle for a little longer before the Nara took over the fight entirely and pushed his target into the mud where he took the hit that ended it. The kunai to the neck was simply confirmation as far as Rippa was concerned. A double tap was not something to discourage. Making sure the enemy was down. He placed two fingers to his lips and whistled marking the end of the match. He would hop down and touch the barrier holding the hound and with a spark or crimson raiton he would break it. It was a fairly potent raiton jutsu but the interaction with the barrier was just enough to break it so it came out as barely a spark in the end. He would nod to the Nara to let him walk out and claim his flag before leaning down and touching the inuzuka boy. With a touch his bruises would heal and he too would exit of his own power. Returning to his clan with his head hanging and covered in mud.

The rest of the fights were fairly basic with a couple of double knock outs. Only three others truly stood out from the crowd as the Nara had. The first was an Uzumaki girl that had a talent for placing seals on tree's that when walked in front of launched kunai. Her opponent never got near her. The second was an Uchiha with an Odachi and a quick step technique he used to cut his opponent down in a single move. His match was the shortest. The last one was the most disconcerting. A Sarutobi that just went overboard. The second the match started flames began to fill the forest. In every direction flames rushed out and burned to the sound of laughter. His opponent was a Senju that simply burst out of the burning woods with his clothes smoldering and coughing. That one was willing to take the fight too far. Still Rippa allowed it as a win. When it was all done the arena was returned to a normal courtyard and Rippa would Stand before the winning ten. His blue eyes looking them over before he spoke up.

"You few have progressed on to the next round. Proving more potent than the  masses. Meet here at sunrise tomorrow and round two will begin. Do not be tardy or you will be considered forfeit. Go to your clans and celebrate for tomorrow will be harder."

Exit thread
1995 towards Taijutsu D-C