Takashi could not sleep that night. He had another nightmare, a veil of darkness and unrelenting laughter. It was barely 3 o'clock, and he woke up for the fourth time panting and covered in sweat. He wanted his sleep, and he was becoming frustrated. He violently threw the covers off and grabbed his green wool coat. Fresh air would be his cure.


He sat atop a rock, in a limbo between awake and asleep and exhausted from his climb up the mountain. He stared blankly at the tranquil village. His silver-hair swayed in the gentle wind, and a white wisp of a cloud passed overhead, barely recognizable against the dark sky.

The morning light bled from the horizon. Takashi gave a half-hearted sigh. Another day, more sword training, sleep until the next day comes. The training from Kyoushi was fantastic and without it, he would not be at the level he was. However, Takashi was stuck in a rut. Day by day by day, he was talked down to like a child when he did not follow the mundane exercises. He remembered when he was younger hiding in the snow waiting to ambush unsuspected caravans, slithering through the darkness finding his prey, crossing blades with men who killed for leisure. And what does Kyoushi have him fight? Rice straw dummies. How is this challenging? he thought. How is this testing my potential? How? I can't grow stronger if Gramps is holding me back. This was the day to confront Kyoushi. He needed a change in his life. Now.


By the time Takashi made it down the mountain, the time was 7:37, and the sun shined with radiant abundance. Takashi sauntered through the streets, still half-asleep, hands in his pockets. He kept his head forward, squinting as he maneuvered past street lamps and facades. When he reached his house, he perked up. Kyoushi was standing outside the house clad in his usual white robes, scabbard by his side. His rigid face was stoic. His posture was tall and proud. His eyes were without luster and placid like a lake.

"What'd I do now, Gramps?"

Kyoushi was silent for a moment. Takashi scowled. Then Kyoushi finally spoke. "There was a messenger for you."

"Yeah?" Takashi sparked awake.

"He said your new sensei is waiting for you at the Battle Plateau. You need to be there by 8 o'clock sharp. Think you can do that?"

Takashi exploded with excitement. "What? You mean, I'm going to learn from an actual ninja?" He could not control his body. He leapt, he jumped, he bounded, he bounced. Kyoushi could not help but smile. Then, Takashi's clenched his stomach, and a ghastly growl rumbled from within. "But first, breakfast." Takashi made his way into the house.

"He said 8 o'clock sharp, you know."

"If he really wanted me in his squad, he'll wait for me." Takashi vanished into the house.

"Takashi! Takashi!" No response. "That boy. Someone's going to skin his hide one of these days. I don't do it first." He chuckled.


Eight twenty-five. Takashi finally stepped foot on the Battle Plateau. He finally came face to face with his new sensei, a tall, slim man in his twenties. He seemed like a powerful figure, clad in stark black attire, brandishing swords on his back. What was most remarkable was his companion: a massive polar bear he seemed to have a causal conversation with. Takashi looked at this man with admiration, viewing him as a product of what he could become after of his tutelage. Of course, he would not blindly follow this man, and he would not become another student to be reprimanded. Takashi vowed to demonstrate himself as his sensei's equal and show he is a force to be reckoned with.

"I'm here. Had a large breakfast," he declared as if it were something to boast about. "You must be my new sensei. I'm Takashi," he pronounced boldly as he crossed his arms. He looked over to his polar bear, unfazed. He raised his brow. "Nice bear. And for that matter, nice swords too."

His comments were merely formalities. To Takashi, blades were incomparable next to his Kekkei Genkai. A chakra sword was not only more powerful, in his opinion, but it needed no sheathe and could be drawn at a moment's notice.

Takashi then pulled out a tiny novel from his coat pocket and adjusted his glasses. He immersed himself in the world of the book, diving in as if it were a deep ocean. Takashi ignored the rest of his teammates who were either there or had yet to come. I'll stop when something important happens.

Groaning as he woke up to the sounds of pounding upon the door to his apartment, Rui attempted to roll over and use his pillow as ear plugs. Another loud bang. Rolling over again, this time in preparation of getting out of bed and answering the incessant knocking, his eyes felt strained as they began to open. The sun was already out, informing him that it was still early in the day. Turning his head so his eyes were avoiding the sunlight peeking through the curtains, Rui was able to tell it was roughly 7:00 am, maybe even later. A groan escaped him once again as he rubbed his eyes while getting to his feet. Not entirely using his visual perception to find the door, he had become adept at learning the layout of his, technically his at least, apartment, resulting in him having less issues navigating about in his abode. Relying on his eyes would certainly prove to be difficult, especially if the sun continued to shine. Anything, really, that involved being a light source seemed to strain his vision, eventually causing it to fade, ever-so-slightly. At least the fading of vision wasn’t permanent. A source of light would certainly explain his temporary loss of vision.

Answering the door, Rui was greeted by a messenger, who didn’t look entirely too friendly. Rui could already guess the reasons behind that. He still did not fully understand the perceptions others had of him fully, his clan he supposed, but it was not his fault he was born under the lineage of the Abe clan. He could only be his own person and nothing else. After receiving the instructions to meet his squad leader, Genko, Binsu at the Battle Plateau, Rui had the resist the urge of groaning. The sun would surely not take mercy on his vision today. At least he knew of the general area that would lead him to the Battle Plateau, and he supposed he could find his squad from a far and then count his steps to reach the destination, all the while attempting to avoid looking like a lost sheep. Then again, a person could easily tell about his visual difficulties if they saw his dulled eyes under a source of light.

The instructions were to meet at the Battle Plateau at exactly 8:00 am and Rui knew he would not make it in time. The clock already showed 7:30 am. Not only would he have to quickly scarf down breakfast, but he would also have to hurry to the location. Adding in the issue with his eyes, being pressed for time was a given. He supposed he could eat a smaller breakfast and then quickly run out to the Battle Plateau. Already at the conclusion of, and already wolfing down a bowl of cereal, Rui’s eyes kept frequently visiting the clock. The ticking was still annoying as ever, but it seemed to be louder today.

Once he finished his bowl of cereal, he flew out the door, down three pairs of stairs and out another door, ending up on the main street. Taking a left once he was out the door, he knew which way he would have to go, though avoiding people, while usually an issue, would not be as difficult this early in the morning. Besides, the buildings and stalls on either side of the road would easily provide temporary shade for his sensitive eyes. Upon reaching the last bit of shadows before the Battle Plateau, Rui was able to spot three figures in the distance. One, somehow, looked like a bear. Though he would not be able to tell from this far away. Facing their general direction, Rui estimated how many steps he would have to travel before reaching the three figures. After calculating the distance for a minute, Rui finally stepped out of the shadows, his vision fading to nothing but darkness, his eyes becoming dull and began walking straight, he knew they were straight ahead, but he still questioned how many steps it would actually take. Finding he had come to a stop, the counting complete, he felt slightly odd, though quickly passed that off. What he didn’t come to realize was that he had stopped 3 meters away from the closest figure, yet Rui seemed to believe he was only a meter away. “Um, hello. I’m Abe, Rui.” He really did not know of what else he could add on, and his name usually seemed enough for others, and they never enquired anything more. Most of the time, they would even stop talking to him.

(OOC: I didn't know it was my turn in the post order. I'm so sorry to keep you guys waiting.)

Gotta learn what I can from this guy. Usually squad leaders do some hokey teamwork exercise where the students have to fight him. Better learn what weaknesses I can exploit. His hazel eyes perused the man's appearance. Thin yet fit muscle tone. Can't imagine him being very strong, but his muscle density suggests a physical fighter. Noticeably skinny, too. Most likely a dodger than a blocker. Probably carrying very lightweight swords then. And... wait... Takashi's eyes ventured towards the man's purple eyes. The irises were abnormal: crosses. His eyes widened in shock. A doujutsu? You're kidding me. Great. This makes things complicated. But I think I can take him on. Takashi then adjusted his reading glasses, giving him an opportunity to nonchalantly advert his gaze.

As Takashi pondered about the team's first assignment, the tall man began to introduce himself until he was interrupted by the arrival of the second member of the team. He was a boy with blond unkempt hair about Takashi's height. Finally, someone who's just as short as I am! He wore a yellow hooded sweatshirt with charcoal pants and black boots. Simple attire, a stark contrast to the many articles Takashi usually dons. Takashi noticed the boy was cautiously ambling towards the Plateau and stopped a considerable distance away from the group. The silver-haired boy raised a brow. He squinted to focus on the new guy's face. His eyelids were closed. The ambling, stopping a large distance away, the eyes. Is he... blind? Takashi scoffed. Fantastic. They put a guy who can't see on our team. Just what I need.

The boy timidly introduced himself as Rui Abe, and Takashi learned the man's name, Binsu Genko. Binsu then requested the two to introduce themselves and state their ranks and nothing else. Takashi eagerly took the stage first. "I'm Takashi Kuroka. And I'm a Genin. For now." He fiddled with his fingers and watched his hands with a disinterested demeanor. "I'm gonna be Raikage. Or someone even more powerful, if there's such a thing." He looked up at his new sensei. A smug grin plastered on his face. "I can give you my autograph now, if you'd like."

Though Rui could not see his teammate and squad leader at the moment, he could assume what they were like based off of how they addressed themselves and introduced themselves to himself and the other member. He could take in their appearances later, either when the sun would no be in his eyes, or when it actually went away. Moving out the sun, so that his vision wasn't bothered, seemed like a good idea, though Rui wanted to avoid that for now, as it would seem a bit awkward.

Binsu, the squad leader, seemed to be patient, especially since Rui happened to interrupt him when he first introduced himself. Though, his instructions seemed to make him rethink that thought. Rui felt someones eyes on himself, and from assuming, it was probably the other member of the squad, though the look was gone soon after. As Takashi began to introduce himself, Rui had to resist groaning, and instead just stood there, trying to keep an impassive face, though faint traces of a smile were there.

When it was Rui's turn to introduce - well, reintroduce - himself, he stepped closer, taking another two steps forward, hoping he placed himself at a respectable gap. His eyes were open, though he still couldn't see anything. "Like I said before, I am Abe, Rui and am currently a genin." Even though Takashi went on to say further things about himself, Rui felt it best to keep shut. Besides, he doubted they would care much for his ambitions, seeing as how he would not be able to tell if they were any different than other villagers of Kumogakure.

((It's ok Takashi, i'm also sorry for keeping you all waiting))


Binsu's smirk grew larger into a smile. He was pleased that at least one of his students were ambitious, having stated their goal to be obtaining the rank Kage or higher. He wasn't the type to be negative towards people that set their goals so high so early, and he didn't encourage it either. Unlike the young genin Takashi, being the next Raikage wasn't on his list of long term goals, nor short term. His only goals at the moment, was staying alive and leading his team as the type of sensei they would like him to be, with strings attached of course. After the small bunch had shared with the group their names, Binsu would now get up on his feet and still standing next to Hades, he'd say, "Right, for your first team exercise..." he'd take out a small, piece of string and on it, were two small bells both bound by a separate piece of string, which was attached to the main piece of string. This exercise, to many was rather familiar and quite well could've gone without explaining, though Binsu couldn't see the harm in explaining it to the young bunch once more. He'd display the pair of bells in front of the two students, before going on to explain the task in detail.

"...you'll have to retrieve these tiny bells, from my possession. You must retrieve both of the bells to pass, feel free to work together, because you certainly aren't competing for the bells," he'd say to them. He'd attach the piece of string, which had both of the bells attached to, onto the right side of his belt. He'd then add on, "Oh, and you have to do it by sundown." After he had finished explaining, he'd leap back from the two about 5m away, before declaring the start of the challenge.

Binsu smiled at their introductions, and Takashi grinned too, excited. Finally, he found someone who did not question his ambitions or look down on his abilities. This newfound respect was a breath of fresh air. This guy may not be all that bad, actually.

Binsu then revealed two bells on string attached to the right side of his belt. He explained the exercise before jumping backwards, on guard and ready to begin. I knew he would pull something like this. Worst thing is he probably knows all of our specialties, so there goes the element of surprise. But Takashi was the last person to be pessimistic. Slowly, his frown wound upwards into a grin. His eyes widened. His cheeks raised. A tiny chuckle escaped from behind his teeth. "Five o'clock, eh? I think you underestimate me too much. Two bells. Piece of cake." Takashi slide his right foot back and angled it sideways, reading his stance. His eyes became fixated on the bells. But then, the boy perked. Remembering his partner, he turned to Rui standing five meters behind him. Takashi's energy drained as he gave a guttural sigh. Purposefully averting his eyes from him, the boy gritted his teeth before speaking to the boy in yellow. "Look, I don't know what you do or... can do, but it's best to leave most of this to me."

With his gloved hands, Takashi contorted his fingers and palms into a series of hand signs. "I'll slow him down first." With his final seal, he raised his hands and shouted, "Water Style: Liquid Deadweight Jutsu!" A dozen dewdrops collected at Binsu's feet, climbing up his shins, colliding and combing. Soon, more and more droplets of water began to form and collect at his feet and combine into bigger and bigger orbs. More and more and more. Finally, the end result was two bubbles of water encasing both of his feet, weighing him down like cinderblocks. After casting the jutsu, Takashi began his next phase. He formed another handseal, and his right palm began to hiss and steam. "Yami no Katana: Weapon Summoning Jutsu!" He held his right hand forward, and a beam of water bursted from his palm. The beam curved, mimicking the shape of a blade. When the transformation was over, Takashi held a a two-foot uchigatana made of steaming water. "And now for the coup de grâce!" Making a single hand sign, the white-haired boy summoned four identical clones, each wielding a blade of their own. Takashi panted briefly, recovering from the large amount of Chakra he expended. The preparations spent precious time, but Takashi was not discouraged. If their sensei had not moved from his spot by the end of his setup, Takashi's plan was to run up in a pack towards Binsu weaving past his clones in an attempt to confuse his opponent. I'll attack him on his left flank and stab his thigh. That'll slow him down long enough for me to yank both of those bells. Told him it'd be a piece of cake. Takashi grinned as he and his clones began to home in on their target.


105/150 Chakra

JUTSU USED:

Spoiler:

WEAPONS USED:

Spoiler:

With Binsu's instructions of Rui and Takashi trying to retrieve the bells, Rui began to wonder if he could be of any use. As far as he knew, he would mainly have to rely upon his Kekkei Genkai, but that could only take him so far. With genjutsu as his specialty, Rui knew he was more suited towards long range, mainly used to as support. As far as his specialty with medical ninjutsu, he really hadn't devoted much time in to it. His jutsus were limited to the things he was taught by his parents and the academy level techniques. Takashi, while seemingly overconfident, clearly did not want to work together; instead choosing to ignore Binsu's words of working as a team rather than competing.

"Fine." Rui muttered under his breath, feeling rather annoyed right now. This certainly didn't change his initial opinions - everyone in the village seemed to treat him the same regardless. It seemed as if making people's perceptions change would eventually become impossible as more time continued to pass. While, he tended to ignore them as much as possible, his pride wanted to prove them all wrong. "This should be somewhat fun." Turning in almost a complete 180 degrees, Rui's back was facing the sun, thus giving him his vision back. He knew he wouldn't be fast enough alone and with Takashi choosing to go about this entire exercise himself, Rui chose to enlist some help - illusions. Pushing himself off the ground with his feet, Rui launched himself backwards; which would place him behind Binsu if he was not intercepted, just as Takashi began his offensive.

With his vision returned, Rui began to look around to see the physical appearances of Binsu, Takashi, and the third person, or rather bear - polar bear that is. Realizing this wasn't the time to soak in the world around him, Rui began to prepare one technique that would be useful; maybe even to Takashi if he would eventually cooperate. But, Rui needed time, and he didn't know if he'd get it. Especially if it was a 2 on 2, if the bear chose to enter the exercise. Preparing the necessary hand signs as he was beginning his descent back to the ground, Rui was facing towards Binsu and the bear.

Chakra: 125/150:

Like piranhas to a corpse, the Takashis homed in on their prey with hungry fervor. Their black boots slammed onto the tile, their silver hair rustled in the wind, the tails of their wool coats undulated as they became faster and faster, looming closer and closer. All the while, Binsu did not move, but he did order the giant polar bear to keep an eye on Rui. He's not the one you should be worried about, he thought as he grinned pridefully. The pack of Takashi's were now only two meters away and closing in fast. They circled Binsu like vultures with the real Takashi ending up on Binsu's left flank just as he planned. The warm sensation of victory overwhelmed him. He smiled, excited. The bells were within his grasp. Now only a meter away, all five reared back their arm behind their heads, curling their right arms and preparing for five simultaneous stabs. Takashi's eyes glistened as he leapt towards his target. I win.

At that moment, Binsu unveiled a massive sword nearly as long as Takashi was tall. The weapon's design was simple: white with black borders and two lines running across the width and length of the blade. Its size was daunting, yet his sensei wielded it effortlessly as if it weighed no more than a branch. As Binsu swung the humungous sword, Takashi gasped. Being mid-air, he was committed to his target, but the blade was nearing him at high velocity. With a twist of his wrist, the offensive maneuver became defensive as he used the thrusting motion to angle his blade upwards and hold it close to his body, forming an impromptu albeit feeble block. Binsu's blade and his own collided, similar to how a rock would be thrown at a brick wall. There was a thunderous clash, and an explosive spray of water. Takashi was sent sprawling backwards three meters, slamming into the tiles with a harsh crack. The boy curled his back and grunted. Every clone fell victim to Binsu's swing, bursting into puffs of smoke in rapid-fire sequence.

Takashi rolled pathetically on the ground like a turtle on his back before getting up on one knee. He shook his head and grasped his right temple, regaining his senses. Then, he froze, bug-eyed. A creeping shiver ran down his spine as he realized that his sword was no longer in his hands. The remnants of his blade were sizzling into the ground and dripping from his coat. The shiver became a seething rage. A vein bulged from Takashi's temple as he gritted his teeth and clenched his jaw. "You..." he said rising to his feet. "...bastard! You broke my sword!"

He gave a guttural growl that erupted into a raspy roar. He felt like punching a wall. Dammit! It's gonna take me forever to regain the Chakra for another Yami no Katana. I'm gonna make him pay! In his simmering state, his eye bolted back and forth but stopped when he noticed Rui now on the other side of Binsu with his eyes wide open. He was fixated and perplexed. Still on fire, he shouted, "You little faker! You're not blind at all!" Currently, Rui was standing stationary and forming a handsign. So far, he had contributed nothing. I really do have to pull the weight of the team, don't I?

Takashi smacked his palms together and tangled his fingers into a short series of handseals. "Electric Senbon!" Clenching his fists, eight needles of serrated blue light shot out from his knuckles, buzzing and crackling. He shifted his right foot backwards and pointed his left leg forward. He held his arms in front of him in an X-shaped formation, standing on guard and presenting his electric weapons. After a second, he darted his right leg forward and pushed himself towards Binsu. After dashing a forward meter, he threw his right arm forward and sent four senbon zooming at Binsu. Of course, he expected his sensei to block his attack with his huge sword, so he broke hard and slid slightly. He turned left sharply and darted by Binsu's right flank two meters away. With a swing of his left arm, he flung his remaining senbon in his sensei's direction. Propelled by his momentum, Takashi skid his boots on the tiled ground, clunking and clanking as he passed over each tile. He slowly slid right next to Rui and panted. He was now face to face with Hades, the mammoth polar bear, but never did he bat a lash. If he should attack, he had no doubt he could take the beast down himself. "So, you're not blind after all," he said between breaths. "You might be some competition then. Let's see who can get the bells first." Overflowing with excitement, he chuckled heartily.


90/150 Chakra

JUTSU USED:

Spoiler:

Rui watched from his spot behind Binsu. The older swordsman, who seemed more distracted by Takashi, had ordered the giant polar bear to turn and face him. Rui knew he wouldn't be able to get close to the intimidating white furred beast without a plan. His style was more suited towards long range combat than anything else. Rui hadn't paid much attention the ongoing attack by Takashi towards the bells, though he was able to spot bits and pieces. For now, his concentration was divided between the polar bear and the genjutsu that he was about to use.

Rui heard Takashi's yelling, though he was more concentrated on conjuring up a beast. He knew it had to look intimidating, but at the same time had to have some realism for them to fall for the illusion. If only the bear wasn't there, as it would open up a lot more options for Rui and, by association, Takashi as well. Rui decided on a simple creature, nothing to out of the ordinary. Imagining a bear, yes, another bear. This one would not be a polar bear. Instead, Rui was imagining a bear with brown coloured fur. It wouldn't be as tall as the polar bear the was facing Rui, but intimidating nonetheless. He had the exact image in his mind. A grizzly bear, that was taller than average, standing roughly eight feet tall and a scar running down the left side of its face. The image was clear in his mind, all he had to do was produce the illusion when the right time came around. He had to get Binsu to where he could face him.

Upon realization that Takashi was now next to him, speaking of Rui not being blind and the proposition of this being a competition certainly intrigued Rui. "Let's just say its situational." The comment was clearly meant about Rui's own blindness, but could also be interpreted towards the task at hand. Without anything to add, Rui knew this would be the best time to summon his illusion. The creature was produced, almost out of nothing, standing on all fours directly next to Rui. "Go." It was said in a whisper, mostly directed towards Takashi, as in a proposition to temporarily work together. If Takashi was dense enough to think he could go at this alone, Rui would need to change tactics. The summoned bear launched itself, charging in the direction of Binsu in what looked like an attempt to tackle him to the ground.

Chakra: 120/150:

(OOC: Finally back and able to post more often! I'm so sorry to keep you guys waiting.)

With only a single handseal, Binsu rose on a pillar of earth that shot up from the ground. Takashi's senbon collided with the structure and fizzled out of existence. The boy daydreamed about his victory as he ran and was oblivious to his failure. When he stopped next to Rui, he eagerly turned, excited to see his sensei partially paralyzed, helpless to defend himself and the bells. Takashi's smile, however, faded when he saw Binsu atop the pillar unfazed. The short, white-haired boy gritted his teeth, subduing an enraged shout. This guy is making me look like a clown!

Takashi asked his question and received a confusing answer. Situational? Like... on-off? How does that work? As Takashi stood befuddled at Rui's answer, the boy in the sweatshirt finally unleashed his jutsu. The empty space in front of them was soon occupied by a massive brown bear, which seemed to appear out of thin air. Takashi wiped his eyes, convinced he was seeing things. He's a summoner? 

"Go!" Rui whispered, and the beast charged forward towards Binsu. His eyes darted towards Hades, who was now preparing to intercept to protect his master. Takashi saw an opportunity and made a split decision. He bolted forward, using the brown bear as cover. 

As he picked up his feet, he turned slightly to the right and from his peripheral vision saw Rui. Suddenly, a rare feeling welled inside him: gratitude. He could not help but whisper, "Thank you." As he tailed the bear, Hades lunged forward and swiped his huge claw. Afraid he would be caught in the middle of a fight between two bears, he rolled to the right. The tiled floor dragged against his wool coat, decreasing his momentum and bringing him to a complete stop five meters away. Prone, he raised his head to see the action to his left. 

"The bear's a fake!" Hades yelled. 

A fake?! But it looks so real! That kid then... is a genjutsu specialist? Wait! What am I doing? Takashi quickly rose to his feet, shaking his head as if to clear his thoughts. Before he could begin running again, he saw a kunai land a few meters in front of him. He made a cursory glance to Binsu then the kunai again. He then hatched a plan. The boy picked up his feet again and dashed towards the kunai. Each second he drifted farther and farther away from the battle to reach his desired target. Like a panther to his prey, he pounced towards the kunai. The weapon unsheathed from the ground audibly. Takashi tumbled and regained his footing. The boy ran towards the back of the pillar to avoid being spotted by his sensei's peripheral vision. As he approached the back of the pillar, he leapt onto the steep surface, his boots digging into the subtle notches of the earth and the kunai piercing the rock. Takashi was already halfway up the structure from his leap. I've climbed mountains. This is nothing. Traces of brown dust flew from the rock and clung to his coat as he scaled up. Bits of pebble fell to the tile floor below. With a steady marching rhythm, Takashi climbed upwards towards his prize. In a matter of fifteen seconds, the Kuroka boy reached the peak, grabbing ahold of the ledge with his left arm. He saw the bells dangle above him and eyed them as if he was a dog. He pulled the kunai out, aimed for the two string, and swiped upwards. I win.

ooc || It's fine Takashi. And I apologize for the shortness of the post.

Seemingly, the momentary distraction had worked; taking off the polar bears attention from the two genin on Team Astanga. Takashi, who had earlier been opposing the concept of teamwork followed his cue to begin the attack. Rui would have joined in when his own bear had charged, but wariness with close range combat had haltered any progress he had in rushing forth. Rui specialized in the art of illusions, genjutsu, along with knowledge in the medical field of ninjutsu, which could help at closer ranges, but he was clearly more suited to dealing with enemies from afar; having to rely on others for close quarters combat. 

Seeing as how he'd have no room to utilize the projection of a bear, Rui dissipated the illusion of the grizzly bear. Processing what he could as fast as his brain could take it, Rui decided to use another jutsu that was taught to him by his parents, though this one he was unfamiliar with compared to the previous illusion.

With his concentration now solely divided on the task of using his next technique, the illusion of the bear faded. The prowess he possessed with the first illusion could change on a whim, though he felt it was unnecessary to delve further in to that jutsu. Not having used this technique often, Rui felt that it would be best to get some use out of it here, if possible. Moving closer towards Binsu, the intended target of his next genjutsu, Rui was about 12 meters away from the pillar as he prepared for his next move.

Forming a quick hand seal, a quick, dense fog began to cover the area. Within the fog covering Rui's direct area, the only thing he had to worry about was if Hade's were to attack him. With the four false, shadowy apparitions by his side, Rui felt it would easily throw Binsu off when he charged for the man on top of the pillar. As the images began to flicker, while approaching Binsu, Rui decided to move on his own part as well, trying to get closer to scale the pillar and grab the bells. Hopefully, the older male would have been distracted from either himself, the shadows, or Takashi for Rui to grab one. Pushing chakra in to the soles of his feet, Rui began to run the side of the pillar, scaling it with the Supernatural Walking Practice that all shinobi were accustomed to. As he neared the top, Rui stretched out with his right hand to take a swipe at the bells, something he supposed Takashi would have done as well.

Chakra: 90/150:

((OOC- it's kool, however, hope ya'll don't mind if i end this thread early))



Binsu eyed the bear once more, right before it dissipated, revealling a desparate Takashi, that had chosen to use the brown bear as his temporary cover. Then, as if to have read Binsu's mind, the genin went for the Jounin's kunai, the same one he had hoped to use as his substitution jutsu later on, but now couldn't use because the genin had decided to use it for his own purposes. 'That little...!' Binsu thought to himself, as he eyed the genin's sad approach towards his earthen pillar and try to clim it from below. Binsu was more than sure he could keep the bells away from the young genin, even if he came as close to Binsu as touching them, but all that confidence changed when an odd misty fog engulfed the area and cloaked the ground beneath Binsu, along with anything that had been standing at ground level at the time. Along with his own Bear's shadow, Binsu saw roughly 4, strange shadow-like figures walk in and around the foggy terrain. The illusion made it look as though one of his students, Rui, the one that had been at the ground at the time, had produced 3 other versions of himself, but Binsu had no way of finding out for sure.

Within seconds, both Takashi, Hades and Rui were out of Binsu's sight, and even at his height, he still couldn't see anything, other than the 4 shadowy figures that continued to walk in and out of the blanket of mist, ultimately confusing the poor Jounin. 'Where did they g...' Binsu was just about to finish that mental question, when he felt but two tugs, located around his waist in the same spot he had tied the bells to. It didn't take him any longer than a second, for Binsu to realize that he nolonger possesed either of the bells and that it had been most likely the result of a successful attempt from both of his students, that had helped them attain the bells from their sensei. "Binsu, where are you?!" Binsu heard Hades call out, from somewhere underneath the fog-filled terrain. "Congratulations, you have both passed," Binsu spoke out into the fog, still unaware of his students' whereabouts. He then took a leap off of the pillar he had been standing on for the past few minutes or so and landed, by luck, right next to his companion Hades. He didn't want to leave the genin without saying goodbye, but time had run out for Binsu, and he had other 'secret' assignments to complete before the day was done. Before leaving, he took out two small pouches, each filled with exactly 20 ryo. He also took out two small pieces of paper, both had the words, 'Congratulations on passing your first challenge! Here's a small prize to award your success!' written on them. He placed both of the small pouches on the ground in frint of him, each beside the other, before making his way out of the Battle Plateau, wth his companion Hades by his side, in a rush to get home in time to finish his important assignment.

[Binsu exits thread]