Path to Jounin pt 1

Sakana’s time of relaxing and being lazy was coming to an end. As apart of the village’s grand plan to get him ready to be a weapon of the village they  signed up for the jounin exam. He wasn’t really asked but he knew he had to get around doing it sometime so he didn’t raise much of an objection. Somewhere deep down he was secretly happy that he was being pushed, he always got things done faster when he was forced.  So he woke up bright and early that morning, he didn’t know what to prepare for, so he decided he just was going to bring all his gear instead, it was all really easy to carry except for his armor so he just wore that instead. Once he was finished packing, he would leave his house (after feeding Komorgi) in his blue hoodie and sweatpants, but with some more tactical gear added in as well. He wore a multiweave mask that covered his face, his painter set slung around his shoulder and weapon pouches around his waist that held his smaller weapons.
 
The participants weren’t allowed to know what the missions entailed before it started, and he couldn’t even try to pry it out Komon or Komori since they didn’t even take these exams. As he walked towards the field in which he was supposed to take the exam he felt a little anxious. This happened before every big event he was apart of; he knew he would be fine once he started but he was really worried leading up to it. He started to just breathe which was kind of hard through his helmet but he managed.
 
Upon arriving to the location he arrived at another bland looking building, he thought he was done with these after his chuunin exams but he was mistaken. As he walked inside the building it looked identical to the other ones he had been in so he simply greeted the lady at the desk and walked inside the room where he would be given his task.
 
He walked into a small room that wasn’t big enough to fight or do anything else in really. But he found a envelope which he assumed were the instructions.  The task would read “So you're a Chuunin now and you think you have what it takes to go the distance and pick up Jounin as well? Very well, for this mission you will be given a team of three genin to see just how well you can give out orders while understanding the situation in front of you. Bring your team to victory and you'll be one step closer to actually ranking up.” This would be followed by  a list of five names, himself, three genin he didn’t realize and then Max. Sakana would have questioned it further but there was another note under that, “The room you will be fighting in is 50 by 50 meters. Mr. Meijin and Mr. Yamaguchi, you two are paired together today because of your familiarity with each other and also the you both have experience time in the land outside of Kumogakure.” The true motive behind that last part was that the higher ups wanted someone who they thought could control Sakana in case of an incident with his bijuu. But neither of the boys needed to know about that.
 
Sakana would stand and wait inside the room for Max and the three genin he was going to command. Let part one begin.
 
WC: 585

Mission Link: http://naruto-role-play-rpg.forumotion.com/t27878-a-rank-path-to-jounin-pt-1

Max had a lot going on in his little blonde head. He had spent so much time focusing on returning his brother Senshi to life that he had shut out most other thoughts. He hadn’t designed any new puppets, hadn’t worked on his existing puppets. Hell, he even destroyed his Napa puppet. His sole focus was learning everything that he could about the medical shinobi arts, so that he could learn to revive his brother and return everything to normal and he could be joyous once more.
 
The sad thing was, Max simply wasn’t able to return Senshi back to life. He read up on such things, and despite his desire to use them they were simply too complex and required a mastery over the medical arts that he simply did not have, a mastery in which he most likely never would have. Such thoughts weighed in on the boy, crushing him and causing him to suffocate on his own dark thoughts. He even found a way to grant life to Napa, but he even managed to botch that. Despite his constant efforts and research, he simply could not manage to have any serious level of proficiency. He even removed all memory of a jutsu from Komon, something he had no intentions of doing.
 
Simply put, he was making a lot of mistakes as of late.
 
If he wasn’t able to bring Senshi back to life, he would have to honor his brother’s sacrifice in some way. Senshi always had the utmost faith in young Max, even when his own faith had wavered. Max never thought he was ready for his rank up to Chuunin, but Senshi had. So Max could grovel and mourn for the rest of his life, wasting everything Senshi had given up to allow him to grow strong and bring Kumo to its fullest glory, or he could get off his ass and do something to better the village. Something to better himself. That is why he decided it would be best that he take the exams to grow in rank to Jounin.
 
As a Jounin, he would be able to do more for the village. He would be able to develop into the shinobi that Senshi always saw him as. He would be able to access more information, and perhaps he would grow capable enough to bring Senshi back, or at least keep his promise to allow his brother to protect him and Kumo in the afterlife. Until he exhausted all other avenues Max could not bring himself to turning him into a puppet. Just looking at the body brought the young blonde to tears.
 
Max would get the message that he was being summoned to start the examinations. He was going in blind, something that he never really enjoyed. An informed ninja was a prepared ninja, and a prepared ninja was the only way to survive in this crazy world we live in. The young Chuunin would suit up, putting on his flak jacket. It wasn’t much, but it would provide some added protection. Plus, he wasn’t sure that he would be able to fully utilize Dread Knight in the exam. Limited space or constraints may be a factor in this task.
 
Max would wear his weapon pouches, them being filled with the normal things a shinobi carries along with them. He considered bringing all of his puppets out and with him, but his Knight is a bit too large to carry around. So Max would simply carry his skeletal puppet, two of his rotting corpse puppets, and Stein would be brought along as well. If needed, he would simply summon Dread Knight out of storage displacement. The puppets were all wrapped up and ready to go.
 
Max would make his way to the location given to him on the note. It was a fairly bland looking building, and definitely not big enough for Max to use Knight. Hopefully this would not be the location of the test, else he will be at a minor disadvantage.
 
“Kicking yourself in the ass for making that damned puppet so large, boy?” Napa would ask telepathically, taunting him thought Max would not fall prey. “Nope,” was all Max would say in retort.
 
Max would walk in and find his friend Sakana had already been there. “Is this the right building? I was directed here to begin my testing to move up to the rank of Jounin. Don’t tell my Lord Mortarion is making us fight as some sick, twisted joke.” Max simply could not think of such a thing. Intentionally bringing harm to his friends… that would be something he simply would not do.  

Max recalls something that he saw while peering through the mind of Komon, but this was not the time or place to discuss such a thing. Maybe they would have time later, as if Max was to complete the task Maku gave him, he would need to learn what he could about the beast.
 
If Sakana allowed, Max would take the note and read it over himself. Leadership training… Max hated being responsible for the lives of others, thought he felt much more able and confident than he had been previously. His work with his team helped him build up the confidence to lead. Only time would tell for certain if his efforts would pay off.
 
“I guess we are going to have to keep the Genin safe. It doesn’t directly say it, but Mortarion is the kind of person that would have a test within the test. Do you know anything about these three genin? Perhaps we can find a strategy to keep them alive if we know what they are capable of.” Max knew that the more information they knew, the better their chances of success in this mission.


WC: 968

The Meijin hadn’t had too much time to think after reading the note before Max walked through the door. The small boy walked into the room in just his flak jacket, the boy wondered why he wasn’t wearing anything heavier but he didn’t imagine he had much strength in that little body of his. Max’s face seemed to drop when he saw Sakana, the Meijin would have been a bit offended had he not clarified that he thought the Raikage brought them together to fight one another. “Oh no it’s nothing like that. In fact it’s quite the opposite, here read.” Extending his arm out he would hold the letter out between his fingers so Max could read it for himself if he wanted.  
 
Sakana stood awkwardly as he waited for Max to say something about the letter. He never knew what to do in those situations, or if he should do anything at all. Max would add his own thoughts to the situation and then question the Meijin to see if he knew anything about the genin. “No more than you do, just their names. Though I’d imagine we’ll me them soon.”
 
Almost immediately after he said that, as if on cue, three genin walked into the room.  The first was a small messy hair red headed boy, he was younger… and shorter than Max was. He wore the standard academy gear except his had lots of rips and tears on it. The kid obviously didn’t care about his appearance.   Behind him was a girl with bright purple hair, she was a litter taller than the boy but not by much. In contrast to the other boy, her uniform was in pristine condition. She dressed to impress. And finally a third little girl trailed behind the other two, she had a concerned look on her face walking in. The thought of being in charge of the well being of these children terrified him as he was no older than a child himself. The three genin and Max… Max was in every way his equal but the Meijin still had a few years on him, and some people value life experience as much as rank, but maybe he would have more luck with the children since he would relate better. Only time will tell.
 
The Meijin started to internally panic as they fell into line. The debate over whether he should be serious and formal or casual relaxed caused his anxiety to spike more than he would have cared to admit. First impressions were super important, especially when you were expected to get these people to listen and act upon a split second command. For that reason he decided he needed to try and be serious and commanding. He spread his legs apart and put his hands behind his back. He looked over to Max with an I got this look, whether Max understood the gesture was another thing.   “Hello I am Sakana Meijin and this is Maximilian Yamaguchi, we will be your commanding officers for this mission. Our task is to outperform another team of Ninja. Max do you have any words? After he is finished speaking I’d like you to introduce yourself.”
 
After Max finished speaking the genin would take their turns. The redheaded boy jumped to the front. “I am Aramu Sha, and I’m excited to kill all the bad guys! I don’t even need your guys help.” He would over confidently scream. The Meijin would look to Max and hope he would say something to the boy about how that wasn’t the point of the exercise.  The girl would walk up next, “Hello I am Shik Kari, it is a pleasure to be added to this team.” And then finally the small girl peered out and in a very small voice said “’I’m… I’m Okuba Yoba, hello.”
 
Sakana would allow Max to take the lead on the next part, however he wanted to do that was up to him.
 
WC: 1,265

Max would casually stand there and listen as Sakana explained how they were both in the same situation. Neither of the two chuunin knew anything about their team, and Max wasn’t a fan of doing anything without some sort of intel going in. This was going to be harder than expected.
 
Almost as if the timing was dictated by the heavens themselves, right after Sakana says they will meet them soon the team walks into the room with them. Surprisingly, they all seemed to be closer to Max’s age than Sakana’s. It would make sense, as Genin typically are younger than chuunin. Max was just one of those odd cases where his skill was more advanced than that of others his age. One of them even looked to be younger and smaller than Max was, a surprising thing. The young redhead must be talented to become a genin so quickly. Max would keep tabs on this one…
 
Max would inform Sakana of his initial thoughts based solely on their appearance via their telepathy seal. “The one with the red hair has to be talented. He is both smaller and younger than myself, meaning that he progressed through his Academy training at an alarming rate. His clothes are also worn and torn, meaning that they see extensive use and are something that he is comfortable in and used to training in. The one with purple hair has too nice of clothes, clearly not worn for any real training. A warrior in pristine armor hasn’t seen true combat. And the third one looked afraid to be here. Fear can cripple a person, so we will have to keep an eye on that one.”
 
Max was younger than Sakana, and while they were both technically chuunin rank shinobi Max would have no issue with his friend taking the lead on this one. Sakana would give Max a look, determination clear in his eyes. Sakana would take a commanding posture, the posture that Max hadn’t seen much since Senshi’s passing. Max would listen intently as Sakana spoke, waiting to hear what all he would say.
 
Once it was Max’s turn the boy would turn his gaze back to the genin team. Max wasn’t concerned with whether or not he should be casual or formal. Max typically was the most casual of the people he knew, taking a more relaxed approach to life. Such might not work as well while being in command of others, but the boy would see that Sakana had been serious and so Max would try to be more relaxed.
 
“As Sakana had said, I’m Maximillian. You are welcome to call me Max if that is preferable. Now go ahead and introduce yourselves.” Max would say, allowing them to sound off before he said anything else.
 
Upon hearing Aramu Sha speak about how he is excited to “kill all the bad guys” and taking note of the look Sakana gave him, Max would address this after the others introduced themselves. The other two would introduce themselves as Shik Kari and Okuba Yoba. They all seemed… so green. He would have take a slightly more serious tone it would seem. 
 
Max would begin by addressing his first and foremost concern. “Aramu, you say that you wish to kill the enemy? Why exactly is that? What if the people you are going up against are Kumo shinobi? Would you still kill them then since they are the ‘bad guys’ in this scenario?” Max would shake his head lightly, clearly showing his distaste for such a course of action. “You say that you don’t need our help? That is fine. Show me. I’ll give you a moment to test your skills on me, and this will give you an example of what you may face in there. Try to strike me.” Max would allow the boy to do anything in his power, but Max was simply too fast and capable an opponent for the younger Genin. Max would casually sidestep and shift Aramu’s blows away from him. “And I am not particularly skilled in hand to hand combat compared to most I know. Please stand back in line and listen to these next words carefully.”


His next words would be addressed at the whole team, “This mission is not to show off how skilled or combat ready you genin are. This is a mission to show how well you can follow orders and come out on top. Both Sakana and I are two of the most capable Chuunin in Kumo, and you can be sure that we will keep you safe and lead you to victory, but only if we know where you are and what you will be doing. Should you decide that your way is better than ours, if you make it out I personally will make sure that you receive no credit for this mission and that your Team Leader when you become a part of a more permanent team will know of your actions. Allow yourself to lean on our experience and use it to be successful. Heck even if we don’t manage to succeed, if you listen to our instruction the only people able to take any fault in the failure would be us Chuunin. Doesn’t it sound better to be able to avoid all blame?” Max would ask allowing them to respond however they see fit.

Max wasn’t sure of the details of their mission, simply that they were to lead their team to victory. Victory in what? Were they to incapacitate the enemy? Was there some other objective in mind? Max didn’t like going into anything this blind. Perhaps more will be said upon reaching the room. 


WC: 950
TWC:1918

Sakana felt as if he had been standing there for quite some time, exactly two months to be exact. But  in reality only a few seconds would have passed as Max stood there thinking. Once the children walked into the room, the Meijin would feel his head ring as Max started to send him mind messages through the telepathy seal. He assumed that the tiny redhead was the mist talented among them, the girl with the pristine battle uniform was unaware of the true nature of combat, and the little green girl as a handicap with her fear. It was funny, those observations were almost the exact opposite of what Sakana was thinking. He didn’t really want to argue with Max, they were supposed to act on a united front with these kids, so he would respond back, “Maybe, we’ll have to see. Stay sharp.” After the blue haired boy introduced themselves he would think to himself, did I really call Max and I officers? That was so lame, something two months ago me would have done. He shook the thought once Max opened his mouth to ask the kids to introduce themselves.
 
The children started to speak filling every single trio trope in the book. Sakana listened intently for the naivety in their voices, unconditioned to the ninja life, they were just new genin after all.  Little did they know of what was ahead of them, for a second the Meijin thought about warning them into what responsibilities and dangers were ahead of them, but before he could educate them Max started to respond to the fright that was Aramu’s introduction. He started off well with his lecture but took a sharp left turn when he asked the kid to hit him, it was an obvious way to put the young boy in his place but it might have been a step too far. After little Sha was humiliated the Meijin sent a telepathic message to Max saying “Maybe tone it down juuuuuuuuust a bit.”  He wasn’t try to command Max or anything like that, he just knew that being mean wasn’t the kids style and he wanted to try and stop him before he went overboard.
 
Sakana’s concerns with Max were quickly suppressed when he delivered an awesome leader speech to the students. The Meijin was impressed, he didn’t even know the little guy had it in him. Now there was no need for any more leader type speeches to be given so he would keep his next words short and sweet. “Alright peoples, our mission objective is just behind that door. If everyone is ready, it’s showtime.” Provided no one had any concerns Sakana would take a deep breath and wrap his hands around the door handle, the chilling sensation of touching the metal made his skin crawl. He talked up a big game but on the inside he was probably as nervous, though he was usually able to control his emotions, only time would tell if everyone else could say the same.
 
WC: 1778

Max would listen as Sakana would make his final statement suggesting that our mission objective was behind the door. Max still hadn’t been certain what that would be, but perhaps that is all part of the training. Jounin don’t always have all the variables and factors presented to them before they take on a mission. Sometimes they have to learn as they go, and improvise on the spot to return alive and with a complete mission under their belts.  It was a dangerous life, but such was the fate of a shinobi.
 
Sakana would pull the doors open, the squealing door obviously had hinges in as good of condition as the ones to the Kage’s office. Inside there was a single shinobi (based on his garb and headband) that had an air of authority to him. On the other side there was what looked like another team of four. They all were hard to make out clearly though because of the glass between them. It seemed to blur and distort the images, which honestly gave Max a bit of a headache. It would seem as if there was little information to be gleaned from careful inspection of the other team.
 
The shinobi would clear his throat and speak, addressing both sides of the room. “Your mission is a simple one today. You must lead your team to victory against the others participating. Your goal is to retrieve an item from the training field below and return it to your own goal while preventing the other team from doing the same. The first team to score will be declared the winner of this event and shall progress forward to the next exam. The object you are seeking is a simple kunai with a Fuinjutsu seal on the blade.”

The examiner would clear his throat once more, “While you will be facing off against other Kumo shinobi, killing the opposing team is permitted and will not detract anything from your performance evaluation. If you look out this window,” He says suggesting the teams look out their respective windows, “You will see the training fields below. The great Raikage Mortarion created this training ground specifically to test would be Jounin. Know that your every move will be watched and analyzed. Only those worthy of reaching Jounin shall be permitted to obtain the rank.”

Max would head over and gaze out of the window. A vast forested landscape stretching out for as far as his eyes could see would be present, various breaks in the canopy suggesting that there were various streams and creeks present throughout the wooded area. Max didn’t realize that Lord Mortarion was capable of something this vast and not filled with death and decay. Was it actually Mortarion that had created this, or did he simply force someone else to do such? Max would sadly never know that answer.
 
The Genin all seemed to be in awe of the landscape, its beauty clearly different from the scarred lands of Kumogakure that they are accustomed to. 

“When you are ready, step into the circle,” the examiner would say, finishing up his speech, “It will take you to your starting points.”


WC: 529
TWC:2447

OoC:
Here are some images to get the imagination juices flowing regarding the landscape. 

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The longer it took Kiyo to reach the rank of chuunin, the more irritated he became. He’d been one for years and only just now become eligible to attend the exam. Frustrated he’d crack his nuckles in front of the three. “I want you all on high alert. You see something, you shout for me, don’t try to fight someone alone” He’d already gotten an introduction from the most of them, and a rundown on their abilities. It seemed they were all fresh out of the academy. Rin and Narko were siblings, yet despite being the outsider Yur seemed to be the most confident of the group. Rin and Narko were noticeably nervous.

Especially after mention of a risk of death. Kiyo would snort at their anxiety, mocking them in his head. What kind of shinobi fears death… I hope whoever’s leading the other team has ninja around the same skill level. Should be easy pickings. Kiyo was confident in his own abilities, but it was confidence that had been earned. He’d already lead on the battlefield in the battle of amegakure as a chuunin, he’d seen friends die as he forged a path to the capital alongside jounin.

In his eye's he'd already earned the title of jounin, this was just a formality “Right, lets do this” He’d say as he watched the three gennin nod to confirm before pouring into the arena, the group traveling in a diamond formation with kiyo at the helm, Yur at the back, and the siblings to the left and right. All the while heading for the center.

After Sakana had opened the door he looked out into the landscape, it was a forest with marsh and trees everywhere. It reminded him of his time in the ame swamps, whoever crafted this land had obviously spent some time there. Somewhere in this jungle there was another team of chuunin and genin trying to murder them to get a kunai, it seemed great. It seemed logical to the boy that the item was going to be in the heart of the jungle, because each side would arrive there at the same time. However he could be completely off the mark and maybe it was in the base of some tree or something like that. Hopefully this mission didn’t last for days.
 
The Meijin turned to the other member of his team. “Alright, so if we’re going to get this kunai we’re going to do it together. We need to cover all our corners and watch each other’s backs. Aramu you’re on the left, Shik the right, Max watch our backs, Okuba you’re with me. We’re going to keep pushing forward, if anyone hears anything, it’s really important you speak up. Everyone got that?” He would look around ashik and Okuba took their places, they would respond to his orders with “Yes sir,” and “O…Okay” respectively. The boy would turn watch to see how Aramu and Max responded. If there were no issues the group would delve further into the jungle.
 
WC:2,026

Max would take in everything he saw before him. The landscape was vastly different than the boy had been accustomed to, but it was breathtaking. He would snap back to reality, hearing the words of the proctor telling him to step on the circle when ready. Max would be ready, but that alone meant little. This mission would require a significant level of teamwork between Max, Sakana, and the rookie Genin. Otherwise there was a very real possibility of death, and Max couldn’t allow himself to die here. Far too much left unfinished.
 
The blonde Chuunin would turn around, looking to Sakana to see if he had been ready and had a game plan for this next phase of their mission. It would seem as though he did, and so Max would listen. Whatever Sakana suggested would be what Max followed, as they needed to have a unified front in convincing the Genin to fall in line. There would be no room for dissension, else they will all fail and Max would have to prove himself capable for Jounin is some other, likely more drastic method.
 
They were to all stick together, with Max taking rear guard. It was a good place for him, as he can support the frontline as a puppeteer from wherever he was in the lineup. Plus, it would keep the genin stuck between the two Chuunin and would not allow for any of them to be easily picked off as they travel. Max would agree to that plan. Aramu on the other hand would pipe up with his attitude, “I don’t need you guys to babysit me. I’m a shinobi! I can handle myself just fine, and we would cover more ground if we had more people looking. Plus, I can handle any other Genin I stumble across. I’m gonna give ‘em a wicked beat down that they will never forget!” He would say, boastfully. It would seem as though Max explaining to him that he cannot best a skilled shinobi was heard by the boy as to just avoid confronting the Chuunin team leader. A hard headed child that only hears what he wants to hear… great. Max wasn’t sure what to say, but this kid was frustrating to say the least. “You will follow our lead. Remember, we are the squad leaders here. Remember what I said about leaning on our experience? We know what is best, now don’t split up. If you do you risk falling prey to an ambush, being held hostage, or worse killed. Follow the orders Sakana has given.”
 
Max would immediately suppress his chakra, and would mentally suggest that Sakana do the same unless he had some sort of plan. “The genin likely cannot hide their chakra, but it is so weak that it shouldn’t give our positions away from beyond a range where we would likely already have been noticed. Of course, we could always try and spring for an ambush. I can hide my chakra while you keep yours detectable to distract them. They might be expecting us to split up, or possibly that there is only one of us. We can use this to our advantage if you would like.” Max would say aloud, making sure that the genin heard his thought process and why he was suggesting what he had. Aramu would roll his eyes at Max’s statement of his chakra being weak, but he didn’t speak his mind on the matter.
 
Once their plan was set, Max would step into the circle with the others. At this point they would be teleported to the jungle like landscape that they had witnessed from the observation room. It was even more impressive from down here, the scent of the air lacking that putrid smell of death. It was… almost peaceful. Max considered bringing out Dread Knight now, but he would have to ask Sakana first.

“Sakana, do you want me to summon Dread Knight? It will impair my ability to hear, but increase my offensive and sensory capabilities a great deal. I’ll still be able to speak through the puppet and hear your telepathic communications, but I won’t be able to hear the rest of the team.” Max would ask, making sure that Sakana was on board before he simply did something. It was a classic tradeoff scenario. Would the inability to hear the team be worth losing for the various abilities of the puppet?

WC:740
TWC:3187

As they ventured further into the forest, Kiyo's assigned gennin grew more curious by the minute. "So what's the plan boss!" Narko would say before his sister chimed in. "Yah, where are we gonna look for this kunai?" The gennin, understandably were looking for a battle plan from their commanding officer.

"Were, not" Kiyo would say coming to a halt on a tree branch near the center of the arena, and signaling for his genin to do the same. "Better to take the opponent in a head to head fight, and find the kunai later don't you think?" He'd say, presenting his idea to the kids.

The siblings eye's lit up at the idea, they hadn't been expecting such a bold choice from the man, although they probably should have based off his demeanor. But it was yur that spoke up. "That way we won't have to worry about finding it before them, you want to take out the competition."

Yur was small in stature, and didn't look very strong. But he had good instincts, by the looks of it. "Precisely" he'd assure his favorite of the three. "Any objections?" None of the three did. "Good"  He'd say nonchalantly as he took a deep breath and bellowed at the top of his lungs.

"COME AND GET ME YOU COWAAAAAARDS!" He'd yell, his voice carrying across the forest like an echo in a cave. He wasn't one for this stealthy shit, and he hoped his opponents weren't either. All this running around was boring.