Kaguya Saipher, Level 18 Genin
Rewards: Chuunin Rank and it's perks; if the judge deem this exceptional, then I'd also like my custom weapon, the Souba Katana.

Pages: 14

Stage 1: The Beginning (Sign-ups!)


Finally, it’ here!

Excitement, although not an accurate description to Saipher’s sudden burst of energy, came somewhat close to describing exactly what the genin had been feeling. For almost a year and half the young Kaguyan awaited for the arrival of the day where his advancement to the next rank could take place. Confidence in his skills was overflowing inside him, and he now had an opportunity to show the world what he could do.

The chuunin exams had come to town, this being the first of two yearly sessions. Notice of the exam’s occurrence had been given to him a few days before it was officially announced, courtesy of a brother-like relationship with his jounin friend. Saipher showed no hesitation as he was alerted to the exam’s approach, constantly requesting information as to where he could register.

Each time he had been reminded the official registrations were not open, and that he would have to wait for the Hokage to announce the exam’s commencement. Once the official word was given, all interested genin (that met the requirements, of course) would have a few days to register with their teammates of by themselves. After the third repetition of this process, Saipher understood the message, allowing his hyper active burst to die down.

But only a little bit.

A review of Saipher’s profile would reveal the boy to be a complete, avid shinobi, meeting, as well as exceeding, all the requirements for the rank up. Under his belt were five ‘D’ and ‘C’ rank missions, representing a balance in both social work as well as the basics of shinobi work. To add to this balance, he had participated in both an ‘A’ and ‘B’ rank missions, all of them revolving around the events that just recently ravaged Konoha, courtesy of the Body of the Black Rose.

Each mission was successful as a result of adequate training and carefully thought out decisions. Half of the missions involved group cooperation, highlighting his ability to work well with groups, having no problem in taking the role of either a leader or follower. Saipher believed his malleability would appeal to his judges, since a shinobi must be able to adapt to any situation that presented itself.

Despite all the positive reinforcement given to him by his teammates, friends and instructors, Saipher couldn’t help but feel a lot of tension boil up inside him, all a result of the nervousness felt regarding the exam and his capabilities. Sure, he was highly skilled, at times surpassing that of what current chuunin would do. However, there was always the doubt in one’s skill and the skepticism in their preparation that rattled the cage a bit.

An example of this came the night before the signups opened. In one of his many paranoia attacks, Saipher began to review his profile constantly, making sure everything needed was in check. After the tenth review, he got the misconception he had done only four ‘D’ ranks. As a result, he entered a nervous spree, having him bumble on and on about his balance being thrown off, and how he would fail because of this.

It took several firm slaps from his grandmother in order for the genin to return back to his normal self. As the redness in his face intensified, Saipher came to the realization his preparation exceeded that of most, and his skill had been previously unmatched. Such an epiphany led to constant relaxation, as well as the permanent loss of his previously felt anxiety fits.

The next morning greeted him softly, nature bringing out its best components, silently signaling the commencement of a new stage in the boy’s life. Taking this as a positive sign, Saipher slowly made his way down to the sign up building, marked by a large banner stating its purpose in bright red font. Due to the early time, there weren’t as many Genin as the exam itself would have participating.

Once accepted, Saipher received simple instructions, stating the time and place to convene for the exam’s commencement. Lastly, he was asked if he would participate in squad. At first he said no, since he felt no need for the extra players. However a few faces came in mind when he thought about good teammates, causing him to request his team status to be left open until the last day of registrations.

Three signed papers later, Saipher found himself to be officially declared as a candidate for the rank of chuunin. He repeated this phrase several times in his head, enjoying the ring it had to it. Such a small, minute, yet valuable exercise helped him keep his anxiety at bay, something that began to spike as he came in contact with other genin.

Now, all he would have to do was wait.

Stage 2: Meet the Team! (Assembly)


It ‘twas the morning of the chuunin exams, and all through the house, there was not creature stirring, not even a mouse.

Well, unless you counted the over-eager genin fully dressed in his bathroom, expectations of the event’s success fueling his energy, causing him to wake up three full hours before his alarm clock was supposed to. There he stood, wide-eyed and attentive, starring himself down in the mirror. Such behavior had gone on for about twenty minutes, and showed no signs of ceasing.

Unlike the previous days, where emotions and doubts had caused his insides to become tumulus water currents, Saipher was now calm as ever, his soul representing a ripple-less pond. Every minute or so his eyes would blink, a human impulse necessary for proper existence, but not thought of in his immediate mind. Every bone in his body was still, and the only movement that originated came from the steady rise and fall of his stomach, courtesy of the ever important, yet sometime aggravating action commonly known as breathing.

This form of relaxation was Saipher personal favorite, although many ‘experts’ in the field that revolved loosing stress would disagree, stating such body positions that required tense erection and rigid formations would only increase the stress. However, the relief of tension came not from the body position, but from the eyes: he stood in front of a mirror the entire time, allowing himself to see his entire body, head to toe, with no missing details. With this, he could analyze every aspect of his body. Such an analysis allowed a better understanding of himself and his capabilities, ultimately reinforcing psychologicaly his confidence.

That positioned remained until his alarm clock rang, signaling it was time to get up. Due to the loudness of the clock, his grandmother developed a tendency of getting up early as well, although he rise was only temporary; once her grandson was off on his training or mission with a full stomach, she would return to recover some sleep. Not a minute passed by after the alarm’s resounding noise flowed through the halls before Saipher’s grandmother entered, softly speaking to the boy as she entered the room.

To her amazement, the boy was already awake. In fact, he was fully clothed and ready to go. She gasped at this sort of behavior, since her grandson was notorious for being a heavy sleeper, which in effect caused his waking up to suffer. As a result, he would often require the help of her grandmother in order to greet the day and his objectives on time. Her entry did not change the boy’s mood in any way; he was packing up his weapons and showed no acknowledgement of her presence.

At first she was a bit irritated by this, feelings disrespected by her grandson’s failure to return the warm greeting given. However, a glance at the bathroom and his face calmed all feelings of anger, returning the old woman back to her warm, sweet self. Two large foot prints were imbedded in the bathroom’s carpet, symbolizing the boy’s eternal time spent at the mirror. While such self analysis was not a common thing for the boy to do, he had done so several times before, mainly during important events.

One such event was his academy final, where the leaf shinobi would determine who was worthy of the genin title. His body language was the same, loosing its jumpy, fidgety nature, adopting a slow, flowing grace. His face, although expressionless, told exactly what had been going on his mind. His eyes were the biggest revealers, since they no longer saw the superficial realities of this world. The lenses of the spirits inside oneself had been put on; he was now existing inside his own, personal world.

All that his grandmother received was a silent nod and a small hug, which was woefully returned. Retaining her grandson’s silence, the woman led him downstairs, preparing him the desired breakfast. Once the feast was done, she left the boy to his own devices, wishing him luck. As she prepared to re-enter the dream world, Saipher would softly call her out, flashing a smile and waving.

The silence was retained as he traveled to the area of the exams. Still in his own world, he traveled only on past knowledge, disregarding what was actually there. It mattered not who he saw or what was there, only that he would arrive on time to the exam’s location. And he did so, his entry marked with that of his jounin instructor Toki. The extravagant kuniochi was the first to initiate contact, since the boy’s lack of present awareness left him unable to recognize common acquaintances.

Realizing his instructor had found him, Saipher mildly returned to reality, conscious enough to answer the question fired off at him. He would answer with short responding, not bothering to retain each question given. As a result, he would not remember exactly what was talked about five minutes later, that is, unless he had deemed it important to do so. Of all the topics brought up during their conversation, only one caught his attention enough to make him totally break away from his pre-exam routine.

“I’ve placed you on a team”

As her lips spoke the phrase, Saipher knew importance laced the subject. The thought of being paired up with unknown genin slightly irritated Saipher, enough for the boy to question her decision. She stated that although his skill was above average, the exams were a team event. As soon as his one-man registration had been signed in, she received notification of this, stating his participation would be nullified unless he had been placed on a team. Seeing as how other rosters were full, she was left no other choice.

While Saipher felt the need to argue some more, he realized changing the team now was impossible, unless he intended to remove himself from the exams, since the registrations were all closed. A silent curse echoed his conscious as Saipher accepted the team addition. Toki expressed her happiness over his quick defeat, stating the three would work together well.

Saipher gave her an odd look when she spoke of his verbal ‘defeat,’ but quickly realized the girl had been playing with him, and that the nature behind his intense concentration had caused temporary numbness of his humor. Luckily for him, the glare directed towards her was removed in time, replaced with a small, fake grin that would be suffice to please her. At the moment, he only cared for meeting his teammates.

The two were assembled just in front of the doors to the assembly, were the teams would await for the exam’s commencement. The door itself was a barrier for their instructors, the last stop before the three would be on their own. Other teams had already entered, although a few remained outside, reviewing some last minute details with their instructors.

His soon-to-be teammates were all unknown faces, carrying equally unknown names. Each greeted Toki with respect, glad to see their instructor. Saipher caught one of the two sneaking glances at Toki’s better looking areas in her body, an action Saipher would normally engage in as well. However, the event’s importance, as well as his incredible concentration, rendered him unable to admire the beauties Toki had to offer.

The second boy was less active, retaining a calmer, quieter demeanor, similar to that of Saipher’s. Finally, when introduction time came, their identities were revealed. The first was a Hyuuga, while the second carried a family name Saipher was not familiar with. The peeping Tom was the regular boy (regular since he carried no bloodline abilities,) while the quiet one was the Hyuuga, although Saipher was suspicious on his quietness, thinking it to be the same air of arrogance all Hyuuga’s carried.

Yet regardless of attitude, the team had much to offer. The Hyuuga’s obvious advantage was his white eye, an ability Saipher felt was close to his corpse bone. With this, they would be able have another perspective on matters, a perspective few ever got to see. The other boy carried no weapons on him other than the standard kunai, and dressed in clothing that was a rather tight fit. It was soon revelaed his mastery lie in the art of pure taijutsu. Again, this too was an advantage since the boy’s physical prowess would exceed most, even that of his corpse bone.

Please with the team assembled, Saipher moved on, ready to begin the exam. An announcement over a loudspeaker alerted the teams the first phase of the exam would soon begin, ushering all remaining teams outside towards the following room. Toki said her goodbyes and wished them luck, pushing them on into the room, stating they weren’t about to fail the exam by not being on time. Half into the room, Saipher suddenly turned, rushing back to Toki. The two questioned this, but he told them to go on ahead, stating the jounin owed him something.

As he neared Toki, he grabbed her arm, looked her in the eye, and quickly asked.

“Do they know…about me?”

A smile broke over the girl’s face as she shook her head.

Stage 3: The First Obstacle! (Written Exams)


Although most of the teams inside made it a silent agreement that everyone would keep to themselves, making as little noise as possible, their team’s taijutsu specialist felt the need to loudly voice his opinions on anything and everything he saw. As a result, various hateful glares were shot at their team, although the main target and receptor of the negativity would be the ‘mouth’ (a name which would remain in use until the end of the exams.) In order to make him aware of the loudness behind his voice, Saipher let the boy know about his new nickname.

Of course he protested, but Saipher made him understand he wasn’t picking on him. With one arm wrapped over his neck, Saipher slowly led his gaze around the room, making him aware of all the eyes locked onto him, murderous thoughts simultaneously occurring as they continued to observe him. At this realization, the boy lost his loudness, although the confidence that fueled him remained.

As the teams awaited the arrival of the examiners, random conversations were struck, mostly by the mouth, since Hyuuga chose the silent route, treating those around him like a bother. Saipher began to be a bit annoyed by this, although he would reserved any comments unless he was left no other choice but to express them. When questioned about his skill, Saipher stated he was mostly taijutsu inclined, although his specialty was quick attacks, since his speed was quite high.

Since they were not privy to knowledge of his corpse bone, he decided to reveal that information only when necessary. Unless their battles would have them cornered, a situation that was highly doubtful since the presence of their Hyuuga friend ensured some victory (given he was apt at using his Byakugan,) the corpse bone would remain hidden; defeat by employing normal skills would ultimately set him apart from the rest.

Just as he began to grow restless, a gray-coat donning group emerged into the room, their entries silent enough to fool everyone. Awareness of their presence came only when they spoke, which spoke volumes regarding their stealth skills, as well as the genin and their ability to detect stronger opponents. Heads turned simultaneously in the group’s direction, anxious to begin to exam. A full minute of silence was held before a caped man emerged from the rows of gray, ready to speak.

”Welcome all to this year’s Chuunin exams!”

Cheers were emitted from the different squads as the event’s commencement finally came. They were quickly hushed by the two risen hands of the speakers, both palms open and fingers spread. He continued to speak, explaining there would be three stages to the exams. Each stage would be handled by a different examiner, and the results of each stage would determine their advancement.

After doing some minor introductions and general explanations, the teams were lead to a large room. In it, many rows of desks were assigned, each desk having a small number imprinted on top. At the door was a gray suit with a large box in hand, giving out numbers as the genin entered, the purpose of them numbers being for seating arrangements. Of course no two teammates were seated close by, although some were a few rows apart, close enough to exchange understandable conversation. Some teammates talked to one another, while the rest prepared for the exam.

Saipher wished both his teammates good luck, finding his seat to be well away from theirs. Along with the number given was one pencil, its use obvious to any who had taken a test before. Seating did not take long, thanks to the conscious efforts of the genin to get the test going. As test sheets were given out, some basic instructions were given out.

”Two hours, ten questions! Answer as thorough as possible, and make sure your writing is legible. Beginning the test, you now have ten points. Each wrong or unanswered question results in one point deduction. The teams with the highest combined score moves on to stage two”

A pause was taken in order for the speaker to relieve his dry throat. After a few sips from a cup of water, the last instructions were given.

[b]“Cheat and you’re gone!’

And with that, the exam began. Simultaneous with the speaker’s last words was the sudden scratching noise that came from the pencil’s contact with the paper. Saipher’s eyes scanned each question, skimming them repeatedly. The purpose of this was to determine which questions were hardest to answer, labeling them by a numeric system based on difficulty: the smallest values represented the hardest questions.

However, after the third review, Saipher found himself unable to label the questions, since none of them he could answer completely. At first he was taken back by this discovery, causing him to constantly review each question. Once his lack of knowledge regarding the questions was determined, a sense of panic began to sweep itself over Saipher; the nightmares of failure reared their ugly head.

It took Saipher some time to emerge from his lamentation, fueled by the realization he could not answer any of the questions. However, it never occurred to him to lock around the room. A glance to the other participants revealed similar reactions. Although the degree of the reaction varied by person, they all seemed to constantly review each question, as if trying to find the answer. Only a few people were actually writing, and all of them seemed to be holding the paper at odd angles.

Feeling no other solution but to cheat, Saipher decided to make the shameful act as stealthy as possible. Therefore, a third eye was summoned, allowing him a glance at the entire room. Each paper was scanned, although his true target would be those that found it easy to answer the questions. It took some time for Saipher to realize their tactic, since they simply turned the papers in different angles and ran their fingers under certain words.

However, the realization hit him hard: the questions contained duress code! Although Saipher found some of the wording initially to be very odd, seeing some ‘grammar’ issues but thinking nothing of it, he now understood those mistakes actually contained hints to the answered. Some questions had hints that were more obvious than others, but with time, they were all deciphered. Saipher found himself finishing the last question as the final minutes were announced. With a sign a relief he turned his paper and placed his pencil atop the test, signaling he was done.

Before the test could end, some people were disqualified for cheating. As a result, their entire team was sent off. Protests from each one were loudly voiced, stating they didn’t cheat. However, proof was given and the embarrassment on them was further. Saipher hoped his teammates did not get caught, and felt a wave of relief sweep over him when he found them with their papers turned over as well.

”Now, onto the final question!”

Saipher questioned this, since the ten questions were already answered. However, before the speaker could continue, the room suddenly lost its power, making it completely pitch dark. Confusion rang through the room, causing many to question the meaning behind the sudden loss of light. However, before an explanation could be divulged, the room suddenly began to shake. At first it was nothing; however, within seconds, the roof began to cave in. The rumbling grew to unbelievably high levels, making screaming the only way to communicate.

”Everyone out now! Run for your lives! The building is collapsing!”

His instincts kicked in and told him to run, and he did so, that is, until the screams of his teammates stopped him. It was hard to determine their origin, since the darkness ensued. However, the distress and fear behind them was enough to have Saipher find them: they were stuck under some of the broken roof. Saipher broke them free, using his chakra to lift the heavy pieces off their bodies. Once they were free of the heavy pieces, he grabbed each one, lifting them to his shoulder and carrying them out. Luckily he acted in time, leaving the room safely. Then, just as the white light at the door was reached, everything stopped.

”To those still in this room. You pass to the second stage!

Saipher’s gaze revealed he was still in the classroom, and that it was untouched. Severe doubt crept into everyone in the room, causing them to all explode in a frantic frenzy of talking. Although not much was understandable, Saipher did find both teammates, and explained to them how the room fell apart and he saved them. Both genin explained the same story, each one stating they were the one to save the other two. Suddenly, the answer to their confusion came.

“Genjutsu!”

”Yes, we employed Genjutsu on you in order to determine who was capable of leaving his teammates behind, and who understood the concept of teamwork. The test was not designed to test your knowledge on how well you could answer the questions, but on how well you could gather information in a stealthy manner, as well as how well you understood the concept of teamwork. Take a look around…half of this room did not understand this, meaning half of this room was not ready to become a chuunin. You, on the other hand, have taken the first step. Congratulations!”

A wave of relieve swept over Saipher at the realization the first stage had been overcome. Overjoyed, Saipher went to his teammates, expressing the intensity of the mission, asking the others how they fared. Such camaraderie would continue until the examiner for the next stage made their appearance, which as the speaker put it, was ‘very late.’

Step one, complete!

Stage 4: Floral Adventures (Forest of Death)


A resting period graced the mentally exhausted group of genin, allowing them to recover from the mental onslaught the first stage had in store for them. While it wasn’t much, the first stage utilized the importance behind the event and the wishes of those participating as a weapon. Summed up, such a combination would produce a strong force, capable of striking down the mightiest, if not prepared.

While the examiners stated success in the exam meant the necessary traits for a chuunin resided in you, Saipher never really felt as if his actions were based on reason, but instead by an accumulation of libidinal energy. Such energy built up inside amounted to an impulsive response, releasing itself without his approval or thought. In short, he acted solely on instinct.

This realization caused a smile to break out over his face as he understood his natural impulses were elevated to a higher status, not residing merely with the rest of the morally correct. This victory, although small, boosted his confidence to heights that dwarfed the tallest buildings, reaching the realm of the sky and beyond. This feeling would extend itself through the rest of the break, up until the second event commenced.

A different examiner made his appearance with a flash, disregarding the idea of stealth like his previous counterparts displayed, preferring for everyone’s attention to be drawn his way. His tactic worked too, resulting in a sea of heads all locked at his outlandishly dressed figure. Saipher was of the many that couldn’t help but look and keep looking, since the man chose to don several clothing that questioned his sexual interest.

Regardless, Saipher’s ears managed to override his eyes, loosing interest in the man’s tastes, focused on the next event’s description. According to him, half of the teams would be given a certain type of scroll while the other would be given an opposite scroll. The purpose is to enter the forest, engage another team with an opposite scroll, and take it by any means necessary.

Once both scrolls of opposing status were in a team’s possession, they would return to the center of the forest, where a place of safe haven could be found. In this place, there would be other examiners waiting for them, in which they would verify the scroll’s contents and record the team’s name along with its time. There would be a maximum of three days for the teams to obtain the scrolls, and any team that did not grab a scroll in those three days would be eliminated.

As soon as the instructions were given each team was given a few minutes to assemble before being set off. While most gathered and discussed strategies, Saipher’s group was somewhat silent, the only speaker being the one who enjoyed such a trait as an essential task for living, such as breathing. While the Hyuuga’s reasons for silence were the same as always, Saipher merely wished to make sure his equipment was present, and did so silently.

Planning would come as they scattered in the forest. There was still time to organize a plan, since the teams were accompanied by several examiners in order to ensure no premature battling occurred. The searching would begin one a very large flare would explode atop the forest, serving as the alert for things to begin. During this time, Saipher would propose his plan to his teammates.

The plan involved heavy reliance on the team’s Byukugan, and Saipher made a point of this, following up by asking how well the boy’s ability with the white eye was. To this, he responded by mentioning every piece of clothing that Saipher possessed, as well as every scar his boy contained. When he began to address other, more ‘private’ issues, Saipher raised a hand and stopped him; he had proven his point.

Saipher went on with his explanation, stating the white eye would be constantly employed in order to monitor the team’s surroundings. This would alert the team if any other squads were coming at them. Also this would allow them to spot the scroll which they carried. In this case, they carried a red scroll, and the one they wanted would be of the blue color. Both team members agreed to the plan, excited to being the exercise.

Only two hours into the exam, the Byakugan caught sight of two nearby traveling groups. While the first contained a team of unknown shinobi, the second possessed several leaf genin, all of which he’d encountered before in a friendly manner, and was somewhat familiar with their fighting styles. This would be the group which they would attack, since they were the most susceptible to a hit and run strike.

The next step in the plan would be to lure them into attacking them. Three bunshin were created, all perfectly resembling their owners. Their task would be to make their targeted group believe they had found a potential group to attack. Once they prepared to attack them, the real team would emerge, taking advantage of the group’s tired shape to steal the scroll quickly.

The next hour involved the clone’s traveling close by the group until their attention was caught. Saipher confirmed this with his third eye, catching a glimpse of the group ‘sneaking’ around their bunshin’s travel path in order to prepare an ambush. Some time was taken to prepare a serious of wire traps, all of which would release a hail of kunai to whoever was unfortunate enough to get caught in it. While their intentions were aggressive, their methods were still childish.

Finally, the time came. The real group was ready for the ambush, setting a silent perimeter around them. Both the mouth and Saipher stood at opposing sides while the Hyuuga boy used his skills with the doton element in order to hide away under the earth. Following orders, the clones all set off the traps, revealing to their ‘captors’ they were indeed fake. Before they could regroup, three different attacks came, all impossible to block off at once.

The Hyuuga boy quickly employed his tenketsu blocking attacks, hitting each one in vital areas. Once their chakra flow was negatively altered, the mouth would follow, delivering a flurry of area attacks, mostly involving his legs. Since taijutsu was his specialty, his hits would be the main knock outs. Fortunately for them, his attacks covered large ground, allowing him to knock all three down with little problem.

The last faze of the attack involved Saipher and his dominating speed. Once all three were midst the attacks, he would slip in, grab the scroll and slip out, all in between the mouth’s kicks. This went undetected, making the plan’s success boost the team’s morale. Once the last kicks were delivered, Saipher prepared the last attack, which involved several chakra laced sweeps with his giant.

”Three groups coming towards us!”

And everything was going so well.

The current team that they had defeated would not provide any interference. However, the remaining teams approaching had intentions similar to what Saipher’s team had done. Despite the bad situation they were in, the importance of the forest of death was to provide two scrolls of opposite colors. Recognizing this, Saipher tossed both scrolls to his teammates and ordered them to go on ahead.

His reasoning would be the following: since he possessed the giant fan, he could cause enough confusion for their escape to be pulled off without resistance. Since the two would have the white eye, they could properly carve out an appropriate escape path, allowing them to reach the center without any conflicts. If they were to be caught, there would be two, and in a worst case scenario, at least one scroll can be salvaged.

The two took off immediately, although they did alert Saipher about the direction the attackers would come from. With this information in mind, Saipher began gather as much chakra as he could in his hands and arms, allowing him to exploit the fan’s maximum power. Although the gusts were slow to pick up at first, torrential wounds began to surround the area. Such was the power of the artificial winds that some of the unconscious bodies from their victims began to lift and fly around.

The gusts would then have to be maintained, long enough for Saipher to make his escape. Trees began to succumb to the wind’s power as well, getting chopped in half like nothing. In order to prevent getting caught in the wing, Saipher increased the density of his bones, allowing him to be heavy enough to run on the ground. Now all that was left was to run.

And he did so, for a full hour. He knew despite the setback, their team would be of the first to enter, therefore a precautionary entrance towards the middle was not needed. However, one never knew what lurked in the shadows, and from the day he tied that forehead protector on, he knew he would never live a normal life again. With this knowledge, he employed his best stealth tactics, approached the center building in the quietest way, and rendezvoused with his teammates.

Phase two complete!

Stage 5: Victory Through Defeat (The Final Fight!)


“It’s been ONE month already man!”

Imagine that phrase, only louder, shriller, and complimented with special affects. Such was the phrase the mouth would continuously spout as the trio reunited. It seemed the attitudes remained the same, the Hyuuga boy quiet as ever, although a bit more joyful than before, and the mouth anxious and hyper to get the final matches going on. Saipher did have some change inside him, although it was minimal, since he had the entire package for the exam. The only difference would be his firm base full of confidence, avoiding all the complications of being nervous.

Just like the first time he had met his team, once again he entered alongside his jounin instructor Toki, whose attitude was mark with the joy that her last-minute team advanced to the finals. However, now the idea of a team would be abolished, since it was now every man for himself. Saipher understood this, yet held no grudge against his teammates; Saipher expected this from his teammates as well.

Unlike other years, there were no preliminary matches, since the amount of survivors from the forest was quite smaller. Part of this statistic had been attributed to the fast the quality of competitors was quite high. However, a more resounding, bone chilling cause was that a certain team was responsible for many ‘accidents’ involving other teams, most of which resulted in non-fatal, but quite damaging results.

Due to the many injuries, people found themselves unable to recuperate in a month’s time, even with the medical nin that devoted hours towards their injury. Whether you carried the ability to properly heal or not did not determine how your body reacted to medicine, since each body was unique. Although Saipher didn’t think much of the team and the problems they caused, it did become a concern once he learned he’d be facing one of the three members in the group.

Toki had reassured him, telling him whatever dirty tricks would come out could all be easily blocked by his skill. However, Saipher made it a point he wasn’t afraid for his own safety, but for the others, as well as the results of their actions, since the arena they would fight in was surrounded with thousands of innocent people. Toki reassures him some more, stating the examiners and spectator shinobi would all interfere at the first sign of trouble.

Wishing not to carry the battle further, Saipher retreated to his quarters, stating his didn’t feel good at the moment. In actuality he didn’t wish to see the up and coming battles. Instead, he chose to engage in the same pre-event routine, involving silence and meditation. He remained in the tranquil state until his name was called, which coincidentally had to be repeated several times through the loudspeaker before his attention was drawn.

It turned out his opponent would be the leader of the insidious three; the one’s whose eyes carry sinister intentions. Saipher detected his disregard for his opponent as soon as he failed to acknowledge him, ignoring the standard, pre-battle greeting that showed mutual respect. When Saipher’s hand extended itself to his, it got slapped away, and the man spat at the ground by Saipher’s shoes.

The battle began quickly, Saipher’s opponent releasing an endless barrage of attacks at him. Although the strikes were fast, each attack was picked out and detained. However, Saipher couldn’t help but think the endless flurry of blocked punches and kicks were all distraction.

And they were.

From under the earth came a hand, its intent being to latch onto Saipher’s ankle. While evading this was easy, Saipher found it hard to understand how his opponent managed to produce a clone to dig itself in the earth and grab on. Many answers began to formulate inside Saipher’s mind, but the most obvious was the fact the man had cheated, placing the clone there before the match began.

This seemed the most obvious possibility, but then more doubts came to mind, the most obvious being how the examiner failed to notice this. While something that broke the rules definitely was occurring, Saipher would have to contend. Such were the words of his jounin instructor, and such was the plan he would stick to.

Saipher did not try to evade the earth-emerging hand, but instead caught both of the boy’s fists, enhancing the bone density in his hands in order to provide a firm grip that his opponent could not break free from. Once the grip was secure, Saipher would wear for the alternate hand to grab his ankle. As soon as this would happen, Saipher would allow a few spikes to emerge, causing the hand to loose its grip, throwing his attacker’s strategy away while providing Saipher with a smooth counterattack.

As expected, the hand was penetrated by the small bone spikes, causing the copy to disappear in a cloud of smoke. At the realization that his surprise attack failed, the boy attempted to break free, but found the iron grip clamped over his knuckles would not allow him to do so. There was no other option but to fall victim to Saipher’s attack, hoping his counter would harm him enough to end the match.

Saipher would now apply a string of taijutsu moves, all aimed to disable the boy. While there was much temptation and opportunity to employ the main jutsu of the corpse bone, he had been warned by many of his close, and higher-ranking friends that his blood line was very dangerous, and although each battle was of life and death, his abilities were too lethal in such a ‘friendly’ environment. Thus, he was barred from using the techniques regularly, laving them only as a last resort.

Although a bit irked by this, Saipher obliged, since he enjoyed the philosophy that his dominance at a regular level meant a not-contest by way of his bloodline. And so, he would indulge in the world of taijutsu, merely hardening his bones a bit, enough to cause the hits to land harder. The first move involved utilizing the firm grip achieved, tossing the boy backwards.

This move, although visually agonizing, was quite easy for him to do due to his strengthened bones. He arched back, his head almost hitting the ground. As a result, the boy was severely slammed on the ground, his body carrying enough force to cause the ground in the arena to ripple and crack. From this, a large amount of gasps came from the audience.

The next half hour was spent dodging and countering blows from each shinobi. Although they were talented fighters, they leaned on the taijutsu side, making their ninjutsu a bit weak. About the only ninjutsu his opponent could do that would be of any use in the battle was hiding in the earth beneath them, a tactic that got old after the third use.

Although it seemed the two were somewhat evenly matched, it was becoming obvious Saipher had the upper hand. This became apparent by the increasing frequency of hits the kaguyan landed on the boy; soon, each hit would cause the boy to hit the ground and roll around, taking seconds before getting up again. One final attempt was made by way of a weak lunge, to which Saipher easily dodge by side stepping and slapping the boy’s back. The slap itself carried some extra power, causing the boy’s already forward moving body to lunge straight into the side of the arena. It seemed Saipher would win.

However, the next events that would occur would change everything. Instead of declaring defeat, the boy began to pound firmly at the wall which his body struck moments ago. At first Saipher did not understand this behavior, misinterpreting it as a fit of rage. However, as the damage on the wall became evident, Saipher noticed the boy’s true intentions: he wanted to make part of the arena crash.

Coincidentally, this part of the arena contained a large amount of spectators, all of which entered a panic fit after realizing the boy’s intentions as well. The chakra employed in the strikes was immense, causing the structure to fall under the power. Within seconds, the stands began to break apart; if no one did anything, those people would die.

Most shinobi were rushing in and aiding the people, but Saipher knew the structure would have to be held. Filled with rage, he rushed towards the source of the crashing stands, gave the boy a firm kick and entered the vicinity of the stands through a hole the boy created. Once inside, he would use his corpse bone to latch onto the more important structural pieces, keeping it in place long enough for everyone to be saved.

Luckily for him, that particular section was still new, and most of it was wood based, meaning the crash would not harm him much. Once all the right sections were reinforced by his bones, Saipher simply played the waiting game, gritting it out until he was told he could let go. Several shinobi recognized his efforts and doubled their rescue speeds as well as rescue load.

Unfortunately, despite the fact everyone had been saved, the structure itself would hold no longer. Saipher let go and tried to break free, but soon saw this would be futile. Thus, he released the corpse bone, allowing bone spikes to emerge from all over his body, providing some sort of shield for the incoming hail of wood. As the shield was up, he closed his eyes and prayed his life would be spared.

And then everything went black.

Only one voice could be heard hours later, and it kept repeating the word ‘congratulations.’


THE END

*tag* I got this

had a handful of errors, but since the reward isn't really effected by those... no bigness

Reward: Chuunin rank and Twin (that's mispelled above) Fang Katana