So this was the beginning of the real parts of the Chuunin Exams, was it? Nozomi looked around. There had been some losses, and there now were only 12 Genin left in the exams. That meant that they were the 12 best of the lot. She had to admit, that among the excitement, there was also some anxiety she felt. Sure, she was one of the 12 best Genin, but at the same time, that meant she had to fight the best. Each round would only make for more powerful opponents. Nozomi wasn't sure that she had it in her to win the exams. Looking at some of the others around, she knew for a fact that there were very tough opponents. Sero had made it. Kaekio had made it. Fighting either of them would be difficult. She knew Sero was strong, and she had... feelings for Kaekio.

She looked down at herself, mentally going through the checklist of what she had on her. It was all rather basic things of course, she couldn't afford anything herself. She had her single Kunai, and then 6 Senbon needles. She also had her forehead protector. Her clothes were pretty much formfitting, nothing was loose, so she wouldn't have to worry about anything getting snagged. At the same time, she wasn't armored at all other than her forehead, so the only thing being protected at the moment was her modesty. She'd even cut her hair shorter for the exams, so as to not allow for anyone to grab her hair. She could regrow it later, but Nozomi would be rather upset if she lost the exams because her hair was too long.

As she pondered her thoughts, Nozomi was shocked back to reality when her matchup was called. "Nozomi Himitsu, of Kirigakure, and Yokochima Senju of Konoha. Please step forward and take your positions." she heard the announcer call. This was it, now or never. There wasn't any more time to prepare herself mentally, and there was no more training that could be done now. This would be her real test. Was she proficient enough to win in this fight? Perhaps. Stepping forward, Nozomi entered into the center of the ring, where she waited for her opponent to do the same. When they were both there, the proctor stepped forward, looking at them both. "Before we begin, let's go over the rules one last time. At no point during the match shall any outside interference be allowed. Should such a thing happen, then that will result in your disqualification from the exams. In this portion, you will fight until one of you is unable to continue. If at any point during the exam, you feel that you are unable to continue, simply iterate that you quit, and I will call it to an end. If I call the match to an end, my word is final, there shall be no arguing. Other than that, anything is permitted, so wiithout further ado, let the match commence in 3... 2... 1... you may begin." the Proctor said, stepping back, eager to see how the fight would go on.

Nozomi had been anticipating the matches beginning. Almost as soon as the Proctor finished speaking, she was on the move. Pooling her chakra into her hands, Nozomi looked to end the fight quickly instead of dragging it out. As they were rather close to eachother to start out with, only about 3 feet or so, Nozomi quickly launched her foot out, hopefully catching her off guard with speedy attacks. Even as her foot reached its full extension, aimed straight for the Senju's left kneecap, Nozomi's hands were thrust forward, palms out, launching her clan's technique, the Petal Storm of the Mist. Her hopes for kicking at him was to interrupt anything he may have tried to do off the start, as well as distract him from her real attack. Buffing it up to the maximum she could manage at this point, Nozomi directed the stream of petals over and around him, almost in a half dome fashion. Effectively, her petals would form a wave of blades speeding towards him from the short distance they had between them, barraging him from multiple angles, not just on the front, but on the sides as well. Unsure of what was on the other side of her barrage, Nozomi withdrew her petals, which swirled around her on the floor in a circular fashion, a meter of space between her and the petals. Maintaining it would be draining, but so would having to regather her chakra for another assault.

Nozomi's legs were quivering, to be perfectly honest. She wasn't usually one to punch the gun on an attack, especially her clan's jutsu. But her hopes were that she could show everyone how good a fighter she was. The underlying fact of the matter was that Nozomi was terrified that she wouldn't be good enough to win the exams, or even get out of the first round. And she hated attacking people for almost no reason. So much so in fact, that it simply slipped from her mouth. "Sorry!" she squeaked out, regardless of whether or not the attack had rung true.

OOC:
WC: 869

Stats:

Spoiler:

 

Jutsu Used:

Spoiler:

Born-ill Effect kicks in: 1/8 posts.

Chakra: 135/150

Yokochima was proud of himself. Out of all the Genins from all the villages that had participated in the Chuunin Exams, only him and 11 other Genin had managed to pass the first round. That is, if you can call this a "pass" seeing as you were already almost dead without even having any real opponents... The Genin grimaced as he remembered the numerous wounds he had received in the labyrinth and instinctively rubbed his side. The medics had patched him up good so the pain was entirely gone but the feeling of having 'lost' to an illusion still bothered the Senju. He silently glanced at the other Genin that had made it, and altough some of them seemed to be from Konohagakure too, he did not recognize a single one of them. Still, they all looked pretty tough and strong. ...stronger than me atleast... He shook his head upon this thought. ...i mustnt think that way. I am way above all of them, both in skill as in looks!... Motivated by this thought he started smiling again. How could he, if even for a second, think he was weaker or less suited to become a Chuunin than any other shinobi that was present? Sure, he didnt end up one of the first to finish the labyrinth but still, he did after all finish it, right?
He was suddenly pulled back into reality when he heared his name being called out. ...Yokochima Senju of Konoha. Please step forward and take your positions. Regardless of all the motivations and happy thoughts his heart started beating harder and faster than ever before. Sure, he had trained with other Genins in the Past and yes, he practiced with his teachers and his father and his... but this was an entirely different situation. This would be a real fight, and if it werent for the medics and higher ranked shinobi that were supervising it it might even be lethal for some of the younger ones. ...come on, stay focused, dont loose your concentration!... Yokochima gave himself a few weak slaps in the face to wake up and rose from his seat. The seconds passed by and suddenly he had entered the ring and walked into the center of the stadium. He could feel several eyes looking at him, judging him, including his opponent. The girl was as tall as Yokochima altough thinner built. Her blonde hair was cut short and was moving slightly in the wind. Before we begin, let's go over the rules one last time. At no point during the match shall any outside interference be allowed. Should such a thing happen, then that will result in your disqualification from the exams. In this portion, you will fight until one of you is unable to continue. If at any point during the exam, you feel that you are unable to continue, simply iterate that you quit, and I will call it to an end. If I call the match to an end, my word is final, there shall be no arguing. Other than that, anything is permitted, so wiithout further ado, let the match commence in 3... 2... 1... you may begin. The supervising Shinobi stepped back, curiously watching the scene.
...i suppose it would be time to at...
Yokochima's thoughts were abruptley interrupted when the girl cleared the distance between them with a few wide steps. Wow! Based on her frail looks he did not expect her to get up close and personal that fast, so her initial attack came more than just unexpected. In a different environment and with enough time for preparations he might've been able to block or dodge that attack but in here he was surprised. The kick hit him right above his kneecap and the following muscle contraction caused him to drop on one knee to the ground. Ugh... ...your not exactly making a good pose here, wouldnt you like me to take over for a second?..like that is going to happen, i can do this by myself!... Ignoring the inner voice wasnt easy, but neither was ignoring the pain.
But the voice was right, and the boy knew it. Yokochima did not see the jutsu that his opponent had used as a follow-up and even if he would have it would not have changed anything for him. He was a proud Member of the Senju Clan, a strong Shinobi and aspiring Chuunin, he would not go down that easily. As fast as he could he formed the fingersigns that his father had taught him when he was still rather young. Four-Pillar Prison Technique... The Genin only whispered the name and than slammed his hands into the ground. Immediately four dark-wooded pillars grew from below him, each forming a halfsphere around him before several branches reached out  and connected the pillars. Unlike the regular Wood Prison that was created by other members of his clan, Yokochima's Cell had the from of a sphere.
Yet, his jutsu was not exactly ment to be a defensive technique and hence it was slower than the offensive technique that Nozomi had used against him. It was mostly thanks to his opponent directing the petals not directly at Yokochima but around him at first that he managed to block off most of the damage. ...most of it... He smiled, thinking about what just happened.
How ...cute? What are those petals, darling? Yokochima slowly rose again, his smile now vanished, while slowly wiping off some blood. Most of the swirling little blades had hit the cage around him, causing deep scratches all ove the branches and pillars, but a few had also found a way inside. A piece of his clothing was torn around his left shoulder where a small wound was peeking through the fabric, another slightly deeper wound was right above his right hip and then another two slashes on his right leg that was previously unhurt by Nozomi's kick.
...dont you dare doing anything stupid, i just gave you permission to handle my body for the sake of the fight, not to fool around with other people!...relax, i am not like you, doing anything 'stupid' is less my métier... Yokochima watched the girl and the petals that were surrounding her for a moment. ...i dont think we have ever seen anything like that, have we?...Nu-uh...well, lets try out what she can do with it than, shall we?... The Senju, having finished his inner monologue, took a deep breath in and focused his enemy. ...First, lets see how fast she can move those things... When the petals where exactly between him and her, he exhaled and spit out three fast moving projectiles, made from condensed water, one aimed at her head, one at her right torso and one at her left leg.

Battle Report: