Trials Of Fire III.

[OOC Using the same training facility described in the other two Trial Of Fire Topics.]


   Staring out into the empty space between the mountains once again, Muu waited for his company to arrive. As he did he took in the bright day, blue sky above with white fluffy clouds floating around everywhere from above him to under him. The particular building he fancied was quiet high in elevation, being built into and on the side of a rather large mountain as was usual in the Village Hidden within the Clouds. The cool air blew to his right and carried a sweet scent on it as it past Muu, pulling on his clothes and hair slightly. But no matter how pleasant a day it was, it was not enough to penetrate that mask he wore on his face, that endlessly lazy or sleepy expression he so commonly wore. Nor would the weather be enough to stop him from pursuing his training today, although it seemed to be doing it's best to keep his associates from hurrying along.

Muu had yet to be assigned to a team, or ninja squad so he was still very much use to training on his own and he preferred it that way. He didn't mind people really, its just that he found himself more then enough company without needed the help of others to keep him entertained. The short, green haired boy let out a low sigh just as voices echoed off the mountains and made their way to his ears. He didn't turn his head, because form the voices he knew who it was. Leading the group up the long staircase that wound up the mountain was Shinto Migashi, a former classmate of Muu's back from the Ninja Academy. With him were three others Muu knew, Hikari Uno, Umi Yakaza, and Ryo Nagata, also former classmates of theirs from not to long ago. While Hikari, Shinto, and Ryo hadn't showed much in the way of exceptional talent in the academy, Umi had proven to be very proficient in Ninjutsu for her age, and all of them would be very useful in Muus training today.

"Hey there Broccoli Head!", the hated nickname was shouted out by none other then Shino, whom had been Muu's partner during the last training exercise when he worked to expand his chakra sensing abilities. "Ready for me to beat you this time?", he asked with a smile as he threw his arms around Muu and turned him to face everyone. Along with his former classmates there were three other kids their age who had tagged along as well. This was really good for the training, considering Muu was hoping to work on pick certain chakra out of a crowd among other things, but difficult because Muu didn't like to socialize really, especially in large groups. Instead of looking anyone in the face he cast his awkward sleepy look off to the side and gave them all a wave as he spoke, "Hiya peoples. Thanks for showing up even though I don't really like anyone of you really.. Follow me inside please."

Muu stuffed his hands in his coat pockets and slowly walked out of the group, careful not to bump into anyone, and walked up and passed the sliding glass doors as they opened for him. The group he'd left with somewhat of a lack luster greeting and maybe a little harsh if anyone there was sensitive about those kinds of things. But, while exchanging odd and slightly confused glances all around they all followed the odd Muu into the training building. They all gathered around Muu who was stepping up onto a round wooden table, hands still in his pockets, and turned to face the group now encircling him. This time around his chakra sensing was a fair bit more polished but this was the real test. The mummers of everyone talking amongst themselves was growing as Muu just looked over the group, almost awkwardly standing over them all but not yet addressing them... A moment or two more passed before Muu cleared his throat and spoke up, "*Cough* Okay, I need you all to go run around in the forest down there. I'm going to be looking for Shinto specifically. I'd like at the very least 1 person stay with him to make finding him harder, but you can be in groups of however many you wish i guess as long as you're in at least two groups. Okay, go."  His tone was very monotone, almost as if he lacked any interest in this at all, when really he just didn't know what to do as the leader of a large group. He didn't like the eyes on him or the odd pressure he felt at having to direct them all, he was ready to just get this underway. But of course Ryo wasn't gonna let him off that easily.  "Hold on there Muu-san, IS that it? Run around and try to hide Shinto form you? No fighting or abilities? Thats it?"

That's right he was forgetting about that. He took his right hand out of his pocket and snapped his fingers before speaking, as if he had some sort of epiphany that required a display, "Oh yea, over there," He said pointing to the table next to them with his right hand, "are a bunch of belts with a flag attached to them, those flags count as your lives and everyone has one. I'm trying to get Shintos to end the game. But if I get yours then you have to come all the way back up here to get another flag before you can continue. If you get mine the same rule applies. Use whatever taijutsu or ninja skills you want, but your main goal is not to beat me unless i engage you, but keep Shinto from me. Is that better?" He asked the last part scratching his head with his odd pointed fingernail. Everyone muttered amongst themselves for a moment then looked to him smiling and nodded. They then began tying the belts on and attaching a single flag per person. All the flags were Blue except for Muu's, which was green, and Shinto's, which was red. Then they all lined up along the metal railing of the observation area and waited for his mark. Muu closed his eyes after securing his own belt and taking his place back atop the table. He focused for a moment, finding Shinto's chakra amongst the large group. Before all the chakra would have felt the same to him unless he was focusing and looking right at them to notice the differences or touching them, but now he could tell them all apart form this distance, and he was familiar enough with Shintos to pick him out very quickly. Without further waiting and his eyes still closed, Muu snapped his fingers and spoke the command, "Go.", and with that the whole group of young ninja vanished over the railing and into the man made forest below.

[OOC::: Character Legend

• Muu ~ Dark Green
  
• Shinto Migashi ~ Yellow
  
• Umi Yakaza ~ Blue
  
• Ryo Nagata ~ Brown
  

Hope this helps when keeping track of any of the NPC's in this thread :3

      With all of his former classmates scattered throughout the forest, Muu himself was racing through the trees. He had given them a pretty fair head start, but he knew his limits, being able to sense the chakra around him only within about 50 meters. The forest was about one hundred meters all around and he couldn't risk losing Shintos unique chakra signature or he could spend hours searching in hopes of picking it up again, and that was under the threat of running into any of those who were suppose to be helping him. Even though they all knew the goal was to protect Shinto, Muu suspected some of them wouldn't mind just coming to try and take his own flag just for fun. That would be way to time consuming to allow it to happen. So he moved on, only paying enough attention to his surroundings really as to not run into anything. His mind was focused on the chakra he could feel around him. 

Before when he used his sensing ability, it felt like he was under water, and the chakra were like warm threads leading to their origin. Now it was different. Now he only felt a little weight on him, maybe that was because none of the genin out here had really large chakra pools, but the weight he did feel wasn't distributed properly. He figured that each weight he felt, like a pressure pushing gently from a different area, were chakras in those directions near him. He paid them little mind, focusing on the one he knew to be Shinto's. That was was pressuring the front of him, and felt warm, and warmer still the closer he got to it. He felt two maybe three other pressures near his targets. He landed on a branch, closing his eyes and focusing on it and those near it.

He surprised himself,  because when he focused on it, he could follow it much faster then he could move physically. He could almost feel the chakra flowing through Shinto's very body, and other pressures near his own. In their wake the signatures mingled, and if he hadn't been so practiced at this, he'd have assumed this was one larger chakra signature. But he could distinctly feel Shintos from the other three people that accompanied him and even tell that they were roughly thirty meters from him and not moving as fast as he had just been.  He smirked to himself at his growth. It made it worth it. But then a surprise caught him off guard, a red hot chakra spike from above him made his eyes snap open and look up abruptly, mouth slightly open. Two of the kids that had come in the group fell from the trees above, howling in challenge as they plummeted onto their target. Muu quickly, but not very gracefully lunged to the side, jumping over the large branch he'd been on and free falling through the trees.  One of them caught up to him fast, before Muu could even right himself, but the benefit of falling as he had, his back was pointed at the ground and he had seen the boy accelerate to him. Tightening his face, he readied himself for what he though the boys move might be.

Just as predicted, The boy jumped off a near branch at the falling Muu, arm outstretched for his flag that flapped madly in the wind. Muu was ready in his free fall, grabbing the boys arm in both his hands and using his momentum, twisting his own body around to slam the boy into a branch they were falling past. He hit hard enough to crack some of the bark, gasping loose wind and spit form his mouth in shock, as Muu planted his feet on the branch, snatching the flag from the waist of his attacker and facing up quickly to lay eyes on his other pursuer. not far above, the slower of the two, but much larger boy was jumping down branch to branch, not as comfortable in a free fall. Muu waited for him to jump again, lower still, and when he left the branch, Muu lept off where he was standing with all his force. Muu was considerably fast, one of the fastest in his class actually. he flew up past the boy as he fell down, snatching his prize as he went. He landed on a higher branch, and focused his stern gaze back down on the boy who was staring up, over his friend, in anger, preparing to jump back up to Muu. Till Muu held up both the blue flags that had once belonged to the boys, changing his stern gaze to a lazy smirk, then jumping off to refocus his efforts on Shintos chakra and group.

He could here the yells of his would be challengers behind him, growing distant as he raced to catch up to Shinto. The whole ordeal had been over quickly but had cost him about ten meters. Muu gritted his teeth and sped up. He focused hard to make sure he had the right chakra, and sure enough he blazed through the trees at a rapid pace. A green blur had caught the attention of more challengers in no time at all. However they might have chased, Muu had no intention of stopping to entertain them. Three of them were after him this time. Muu was able to use the old hold a branch back and release it to smack the fastest in the face as he ran into it. As the surprised, and newly tree slapped victim had been in the air, Muu had snatched their flag, and grabbed their sleeve, throwing them back into their comrades before racing forward again. Still one kept up the chase while the other had stopped to catch their ally.

Muu did his best to zig zag and throw them off, but sadly, without changing his course, he wouldn't be able to elude this pursuer. he had no choice. He had to catch up to Shinto, and if this guy wanted him bad enough then he'd just be tagging along. So Muu powered through, closing the gap between him and Shintos chakra source with surprising swiftness. As he neared about ten meters he began to climb in the trees, to get above his target. His pursuer was closing in as well, but Muu wasn't about to slow down, a sweat had broken out a good while ago and he was nearing his limit physically and from holding the chakra connection for so long, but he was so close. Pushing a little more he raced on, then, a ways up he hit a branch with both feet flat, and pushed off at an odd angle. He had not only reach the point where he was directly over Shinto and his party of three companions, but he had propelled himself straight downward at a rapid speed.

he hit branches and twigs as he flew down, using his arms to cover and block most of them, and then the trees broke and he could see he was right on the party of Shinto's, who were just turning their heads up in shock to see Muu plummet passed them, but as he did, he reached out and grabbed two of the group and brought them down with him. The trio vanished under the trees and out of sight. Shinto and the other remaining ninja of the group, Umi, stopped and looked down after them in shock, searching for some form of movement or sound that would let them know where they were, but nothing. They waited, moments passed and still nothing. "What are we looking at?" came Muu's voice from over thier shoulders, as Muu poked his head between them to look down. "AHHHHH"!, "AHHHHHHH!" , they both respectively yelled at the top of their lungs as they jumped back in opposite directions form Muu who, to them had appeared out of thin air. The little green boy, covered in sweat just blinked at them both with a slightly surprised but lazy expression. "What?", He asked earnestly in a monotone voice. "What do you mean what?! Where the hell did you come from and what did you do to the other two!?", Umi shouted at Muu, slashing her arm through the air to add emphasis. But before Muu could respond it was Shintos turn to yell, "It doesn't matter! Umi take him down!", he shouted punching his fist in the air triumphantly. She planted her feet and said, "Right!", but before she could come at Muu, the green haired boy spoke up at a normal tone, catching them both off guard. 'She can't, shes out." As he said it he held up her flag, he'd taken when he'd snuck up on them. He even raised his other hand to point to it with his long, pointed nail, two other flags firmly in his grasp.

They both look dumbfounded, but Shinto quickly snapped out of it, planting his own feet after checking his own flag, which was still there, and yelled his own challenge, "It doesn't matter, i can beat you myself to make up for last time!" Then he was off, racing at Muu across the branches of the large trees, as he neared, Muu only turned to face him, and as Shinto lunged a punch with his right fist, hoping to plant it right in Muu's face, The green haired boy simply ducked, shifted to his own left to get on Shinto's right side. Muu grabbed the boys flag with one hand, and placed his other hand firmly on his back, and in the same motion, tore the flag off him while pushing him forward faster and harder int eh direction he was traveling. This made it so he didn't land on the branch behind them, but instead slammed into it, his body wrapping around it as the wind left the boy.  Muu just stood up to his full, short height and looked after him, dropping all he flags he'd collected trying to get here before quietly uttering, "Guess you're not proving yourself today." 

Muu started to walk away towards Umi as the one genin from before came plummeting out of the tree tops. It was Ryo who proceeded to shout, "Where is he? That fast bastard is going down!" Thats when Umi stepped in, holing a palm up to Ryo before saying, "it's over Ryo, he won fair and square." Muu paid them little attention as he walked by giving Umi a lazy wink before patting Ryo on the shoulder and stuffing his hands back into his pockets. They watched him walk away with surprised, but dumbfounded looks, probably wondering how he beat them all. Muu on the other hand had a smile on under his lazy eyes. Not a smile because he beat many of his only class mates, he didn't care about trivial things like that right now. He cared about how far his sensing had come. He was very very satisfied with it and looked forward to the next time he could show it off. He wondered when that would be as he made his way through the forest and toward the exit of the training facility. 

• Word Count= 3,047
  
• Stat Points= 15
  
• Jutsu Points= 30
  
• Trained Final level of Chakra Senses