Trial 3:

Kahou woke up in her bedroom, sleepily opening her colorful eyes just to stare at the ceiling for about a minute or so. The last thing she remembered was her clone's image - pale, emotionless, cold, calculating... a loud gulp came from her throat as she was trying to figure out where was her life headed currently and what was to become of her. All the books she read, all the stories she had seen, all the adventures she had lived through them, yet none had the answer to her turmoil. Who was she?

The Karisuma stood up, still in her bed and looked through the window beside her. The lively city of Kumogakure was beyond the windowsill. She was far from home, but she couldn't let go of the empty feeling that there was no one for her back there. A couple of acquaintances and the motherly figure of the Mizukage was all that awaited her back in the Hidden Village in the Mist. No friends... no family... no home. Nothing but a dormitory room, similar to the one she currently occupied.

She closed her eyes as she felt a heavy blunt pain in her chest, trying to hold her feelings in but to no avail. An image filled with sorrow, under the dark Kiri sky appeared in front of her, rewinding to that day. A tear slid on her cheek as she sniffed and gulped again. A deep breath...in and out. It was time for the third and last trial... but what did it matter if she succeeded or not? There was nobody to be happy for her...


Kahou had dressed up and refreshed herself and as soon as she stepped outside through her room's door, she became someone else. No person could even imagine that this blonde beauty was actually as lonely as she actually was. Distrustful, defensive and broken. She stepped on the street and showing determination started walking towards her trial's location - the old Kumo ruins.

The Ruins:

The blue sky above the old Kumo ruins was dotted in fluffy gray clouds, covering from time to time the sun's rays. The day was rather hot itself an although vague, the description of the trial did suggest that heat would be the biggest concern. It was also underlined that using chakra will be impossible while in the area as this trial was to test their smarts and cunnings.

As Kahou was stepping into the ruins she noticed that there a few other genins from all around the great countries and this appeared to be a group exercise. She could feel all the boys stare at her with a certain degree of interest, close to what later on they would evolve into lust, while most the girls had thrown her death glares as if she had chosen to be this beautiful. Step by step into the ruins, Kahou was confirming that nobody here knew her and with every second she felt even lonelier in the crowd of her own peers.

---

WC: 466

Yasubei was among the other genin in the vicinity he looked in the eyes of the other genin then back down to his own chest, though his eyes didn't show it his heart was welling with more anxiety than he'd ever felt, and he was there with that massive eight-headed beast sundered Suna. He remembered how the shadow of its form danced high in the clouds of smoke and the terror and destruction it brought with it. Mostly he remembered how little he could do about it. This test sealed almost every drop of each genin's chakra, leaving them with enough to live, and in that way he was the absolute worst competitor for this trial. It was almost comical to him how bad his luck was.

For now in the few moments before the test had started, he was free to do as he pleased, unencumbered by the process that had changed him. He desperately looked around, and as the announcer began he sat down and braced himself against a wall. "Welcome one and all!" The announcers excited shout rang throughout the ruins. "Once again today we bring you the best and brightest genin representing all four of the great shinobi villages! challengers from across the lands I hope you are ready! Today you have one goal! Escape before the proctor gets you. In case you needed some coals under your feet to stoke your motivations, we included the added benefit of setting the ruins alight." As if it were some sort of cringy survival flick, the entire arena rapidly rose in temperature as the buildings, pillars, and other structures littering the arena burst into flame.

It was refreshing really for Yasu, normally he didn't feel to much, but now he felt a palpable anxiety, as he realized how badly he wanted to win this whole thing. "Oh by the way while your proctor will be actively targeting you with Katon jutsu, we have taken the liberty of sealing your chakra as of riiiight. Now. Good luck, and remember only one of you has to get out. To our members of the audience, enjoy the show!"  Slowly and jerkily Yasu's head turned towards where some of the other genin had been, and he caught the last couple leaping through the burning ruins, and almost instantly being met with barrages of spheres of fire knocking them back down to the ground. Without chakra his movement was rigid and unnatural, leaving him with little to do.

"KAI!" Yasu hoped it was a genjutsu again, as he attempted to struggle his way out of it, but he noticed no significant change in his surroundings. The tapping sound of cogs moving as he swiveled his head to the accompanied his attempt to check out his surroundings as he noticed that the building he had chosen to lean against were one of the many that had caught aflame. It seemed that the parallels to the day the sand village fell wouldn't cease to pop up. For now though all he could do was wait for an opportunity to be helpful to pop up.

[WC=525/2000]

stuff:

The third and last trial had began and in a matter of seconds everything around her became chaotic. She dashed to the nearest ruins in order to take cover, soon noticing the same genin who were knocked out by the proctor's fire technique. With a quick scoop of her surrounding she found that there were at least a dozen genin who had hidden the same way she did, waiting for their moment of glory... so to speak. After all, this was a "run for your life" type of trial and no real renown could be gained from it.

She felt the stone behind hear heat up along with the ground below her just as the initial announcement. Time was short and fast decisions were required, however reckless actions could easily mean defeat.


she was rushing herself but no good ideas came to mind for this was not a solo mission and she was alone. She shook her head looking both left and right to make sure she was not discovered when she saw the nearest person - a single short and skinny... boy? It had also hugged the ruins and looked like praying for this to be just another illusion but she knew perfectly that it was not. Her body felt weak as if part of it was sealed and as a medical shinobi it was not hard for her to realize what was really going on.

But heat was not her only problem. Loud screams came from her right where she saw a few other genins earlier. She had to move and without any hesitation, she galloped in the other direction where the little... thing by the name of Yasubei was hiding. Kahou, eversuspicious did not let him leave her sight as she was passing by. Their eyes met for a second and a sudden flashback hit the Karisuma. It was the proctor's announcement and more importantly his last words:


This was not just a run-for-your-life-like-a-little-girl trial... this was more of a make-sure-this-gets-to-the-kage test. In a single moment of eternity she recalled her academy training where she was thought how completing the mission was of top priority and how sometimes not everyone would be able to make it. But those sacrificed would be in vain if there was no one to carry out the mission in the end.

She hit the stop break and with a small slide she managed to stay hidden in-between the heating stone ruins and with a bucket of hesitation, she spoke out:


The words came out of her mouth. Kahou was not one to pair usually, but the echoes of giant fire balls and the crackles of fire surrounding her had taken their toll. She heard slow and somewhat sneaking footsteps closing in.


Another genin had appeared from behind the corner, proudly wearing his Iwagakure's bandana on his forehead. He was about 165 cm tall and about 70 kilos of weight, masculine wearing a brown sleeveless vest and green shorts. His face was covered a little in charcoal, probably a "gift" he had received along the way in this very trial.

---

WC: 570
TWC: 1036

Yasu's plan was simple he was going to be a small distraction, just enough to get someone out of the field, nothing major. He watched as all the other genin split up dispersing into the commotion. Yasubei was frustrated, to say the least. If he had only planned just a little better, anticipated just a little farther ahead he could have averted this entirely, and been an essential element to this trial. He understood his role in all of this though. Sometimes in missions, someone will get injured or be out of commission in some way, and those who were left would have one decision they'd have to make before it was too late to decide. Do I leave my comrade here or do I take them with me.

To Yasu, there was no difficult decision to make: an ally who cannot move for themselves or defend themselves is dead weight. It just happened that he was the dead weight this time. His puppet body was barely capable of movement in these conditions, and his joints might as well be filled with sand with the amount of mobility he was left with without his chakra. All he was was a few good words, an extra set of eyes, and an over-rated water hose. This wasn't Yasu being a downer he was just being realistic. He never gave into the idea that he may not succeed this trial because he was going to win no matter what it cost them. He had to show that even if the ninja of the sand couldn't stand to face the threats before them, he would succumb to nothing.

"I do not like it either, but we need to work together to succeed..."

He didn't wait long before a shinobi slid to a stop in front of him, without hesitation he prepared himself to fire his water cutter from his mouth, hitting whatever it may. He knew this face though. This was one of the genin that had been standing in the center with him. He looked her in the eyes and whatever that combination of awkwardness, self-consciousness, and distrust she had in her eyes before seemed completely gone to him.  It had been replaced with conviction.

From a point out of Yasu's view him another voice chimed in, "I agree...but we need to get moving!"

Yasu's ambivalence was betrayed by his voice. "You two need to work together to get out of this place." Yasu shakily lifted his hand to prove his point. "Without chakra I will only slow you down..."

Yasubei would waver for just a moment before looking at the two genin before him. For a moment a quote rang out in his head. 'A person who serves when treated kindly by his country is no ninja. But one who serves when his country is being heartless and unreasonable is truly a ninja. For a ninja raised in the Sand there was nothing other than thinking of the Sand." Yasu had never formally been a part of the village in the sand because he just couldn't get behind the lackadaisical way they'd been operating since the last Kazekage through her retirement. He had always been giving his all to the people of the village, though typically from afar. He provided support in the form of food in water to those in need and occasional shelter. Most importantly when many of their ninja couldn't be bothered. He ran into the inferno to save Suna's people.

If he wanted to be better than them. He would have to give it his all. "...Unless." He would pull down the layers of cloth that concealed his chakra core. "You take this with you. You smuggle this as close as you can to the border, preferably with the rest of me nearby, then throw me over the boundary and we win."

No matter how important one thinks their secrets are. No matter how big one thinks themselves to be. They must always remember that thousands of grains compromise each hand full of sand, and if it is to protect the village, no one grain should put itself before the others. A lesson that maybe the people of the Sand had to be retaught by having their way of life burned down. The cylinder in Yasubei's chest while hold-able in one hand, looked deceptively fragile and unsurprisingly gross. Yasu would blame anyone for not touching it, and honestly that would be the easy way out for him as he'd literally be putting his life in someone else's hands. Whether the two left him or took him, he had a modicum of a plan and he would do whatever he thought would offer the best route of success. He knew though that they had to split and fast before the proctor or heat got to them.

[WC= 825/ 1350]
{OOC: I'm super tired will edit grammar, punctuation, and color l8r. Sorry.}

Kahou was utterly shocked by what was happening before her very eyes. She only heard tales of human puppets and the information for them in the books was rather vague and general. However, even the knowledge she had regarding human puppets did not prepare her for meeting one herself. Sasori of the Red Sand was the only famous shinobi who had managed to turn himself into a puppet but apparently his heritage could be found even nowadays.


The Karisuma was speechless! She did not know how to react, what to do, startled by the boy's revelation. The masculine Iwa shinobi was also bummed out by the new disclosure but he did not seem to be one to hesitate. With a simple nod he extended his arms and slowly took the chakra core from the puppet body. His face was showing disgust until the moment she lifted the core, when his hands would not feel an unpleasant touch but rather a calming one, as if he was holding a person's soul in the palms of his hands. It felt both like a glass globe and a steel block, giving him an odd impretion of the object's fragility.


The Iwa ninja looked back at the now lifeless puppet armor on the ground, soon to realize that it would no longer be responsive. Kahou felt so uncomfortable in the presence of the now empty body and turned towards the only living person beside her. With a nod she signaled that she was ready for them to go, not that it was actually required. The heat was already becoming unbearable with the temperature constantly rising, alongside the smoke that was starting to suffocate them.

They had no other option but to try and escape with the back up plan of throwing this who knows how fragile chakra core over the border, hoping that it would suffice to trigger the trial's completion. After all, the proctors could always argue that it would require both the core and the body to escape in order for this to be successful.

With short dashes between the ruins the Iwa shinobi, holding the crystal-like core, and Kahou were closing the distance between them and what was believed to be the finish line. On one of their short transitions, the Iwa shinobi who was leading the way noticed a slowly moving shadow in front of them. Giving the signal, both him and Kahou quietly but rapidly hid behind the nearest ruins, resting their backs on the stone walls. They could hear the crunch of sand beneath the feet of a slowly moving tango - both unspokenly had agreed that this would be no one else but the hunter.

Scanning the surroundings Kahou came up with one of the most obvious distractions. Picking up a stone from the ground as quietly as human possible, she then threw it down the road, hoping that the Katon shinobi would consider it a moving target and hunt it down. But there was something that she did not account for - that there might be a real moving target in that directions.

As soon as the rock hit the ground, making the noise she heard the hunter's movement stop but more importantly - she saw another genin show up from the spot, looking around. When their eyes met, Kahou slowly lifted her hand to cover her mouth in an "ops" fashion, while the now prey would slowly turn his stare to the stone that fell next to him. He instantly dashed and tried running as far away as possible from where the stone had fallen but this only confirmed his location.

Within a matter of seconds the proctor had jumped above the ruins, hurling fire balls at the running genin, who for the time being was able to dodge them but with each hit less and less successfully. He would eventually fail to do so and become one of the fallen comrades in this mission, probably giving them the chance to succeed.

"Good job! I did not know there was someone there."
"I did not know... and what do you mean good job? I sentenced him to death... in a sense!"
"We have better chance of succeeding than him... he will thank us later!"
"No! He will not be thanking us later, because he will be too busy healing from the wounds!"

Upon these words that the Iwa shinobi had no way to counter, he just shrugged and gave the signal to continue. The route was no clear and they had no issues with getting near the borderline, excited by the fact they were actually on the verge of winning. Kahou was running as fast as she could until the moment she realized she could no longer hear the sound of second footsteps. Turning around she saw the masculine Iwa shinobi standing still, looking at the chakra core in his hands.


She asked him, feeling the levels of suspicion instantly raise up to the red signal. He was planning something awful and she could feel it, although she was desperately trying to deny it.

The reply struck her as hard as a truck, causing her to panic in the first moment. She needed to take the right approach or she could lose everything in a matter of moments. In the distance she notiecd the hunter standing on one of the tallest remaining buildings scouting for any remaining genin when he saw the extraordinary trio, disappearing from place in a blink of an eye.


She responded moving slowly to her partner, aware that the hunter was now coming for them. The Iwa shinobi was somewhat distrustful of Kahou but he felt as if there was no other way and let her approach him. He was holding the core tight and close to him showing unambigiously that he will not let it go until the deed was done.


The proctor had reached them faster than anticipated but Kahou already had her plan set up. With a kick to the kneecap - a technique she learned to punish lewd men she could not hit in the balls - she disbalanced her masculine opponent, plucking the chakra core from his hands. She hid behind him in order to limit the damage from the fire ball - an easy task considering he was a big boy and she was a fit girl.

She felt her skin as if it was melting and without any further hesitation she threw the chakra ball over the border and was more than happy to hear a loud siren that announced the end of the trial. The flame burst had stopped and her body started cooling down as she heard a blunt thump behind her. The Iwa shinobi had passed out all covered in first degree burns across the body - a result of being used as a meat shield.


Somebody from the public yelled showing the chakra core. The crowd was disappointed by the fact and started yelling and oohing, throwing what they could find nearby. The mood quickly spread across the tribunes as a plague and the proctors were exchanging concerned looks but the Karisuma knew what to do. Now freely running through the field she could get back to her initial point in a matter of seconds, picking up the wooden lifeless puppet.


She said to the empty body as if it was the conscious part. She was amazed by what she had seen and one could only imagine the crowd's reactions when the body and the core were to fuse in front of them, claiming the victory. Now that would be something to remember, wouldn't it be?

---

WC: 1375
TWC: 2411

[Exit]

Trial 3: 2411/2000
Perception: D1->D2 411/400

11 words discarded.

And thus everything faded to black for Yasubei. Not a frightening or dreadful black, but a comfortable emptiness. One he wasn't actually too unfamiliar with. As his chakra core was being used for whatever purpose those who held it saw fit to use it for, He vividly imagined the conviction in Kahou's eyes. It was such an intense and overwhelming look it drew information out of him that he never planned to give. It was a look he respected, and it was a look that he was flustered he didn't see more of in the land of wind. He wondered if maybe a few more talented ninja had that exact same look of determination, He wouldn't be living next to the strange entity that was now forming next to his home.

No man is an island entire of itself.
Every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main

[WC= 2143/2000]
[Exit Thread]
Yasu had little expectations for what happened next. He had never relied on someone before. In fact it would be accurate to say that since his creation he has been almost exclusively self-reliant. He thought of everything he did with the village hidden in the sand. He thought of the missions where he would go to oases and collect sums of water for the ryo, so he could build better puppets. In retrospect in that way he  did sort of rely on the village in a way he'd never realized. He would had through his own research on his body and through books innovated the construction of his Sand Stalker puppet, a rather unique puppet, in his opinion, that was able to hide his identity from searching eyes. Again though as he continued to think about that too, it occurred to him that he would still be trying to figure out some of the subtleties of Kugutsu had it not been for those who came before him. He began to wonder if that was the purpose of a village, but his brain got no further before his core was placed solidly in his chest and his eyes flickered open once more.

Yasu awoke to the ruins again the world around him no longer intense and alight with flames and fear. As he took in old kumogakure, he realized the history of the place. With his focus no longer on survival he noticed the archways that had crumbled to the ground, and the many columns that stood like lonely cacti in the desert. The long duration of smoke, heat, flames, and what little moisture was left in the nearby atmosphere from the many trials that day combined with how thin the air was and their current altitude had cause large, dark pyro-cumulonimbus clouds to begin forming lightning starting to ripple through each of their forms. Rain began to gently fall to the ground sizzling as they absorbed more heat from the ground and brought more moisture to the sky. Within ten seconds the drizzle picker up into rain proper causing a light layer of steam to form just over the surface of the ground. Yasu stared in awe at the spectacle as his other senses began to slowly wake up.

The first thing he heard surprised him at first the sound of booing coming from the crowd that had observed the fight, they seemed under the impression that the group had cheated in some manner. Yasu looked to Kahou, and he saw defiance in her face. The other genin was gone, he must not have been able to make it out or it decided that it wasn't worthwhile to come back. Yasu was confident it was the former, but wouldn't have blamed him if was the latter either.

"True to the shinobi way, with subtlety and team work this spunky genin managed to fool and evade the proctor long enough to get one of them across the border. Folks, I'm sorry if it wasn't as flashy as the last couple of trials, but this young lady and her team mates showed us right here their ninja way." The voice that chimed in was that of the announcer, who seemed almost proud of the clever way that the team had managed to win the trial, revealing a history of ninja training through his empathetic tone. Despite this there was the slightest hint that he was looking down on them too for the naive, childish stratagem they had decided on.

Yasu trying to catch up with Kahou before they parted ways, looked straight at Kahou and said, "I hope to see you in the tournament. Then I'll be able to show you my resolve, and see yours with my very own eyes."