[Yumi Yuie]

A few moments after Ms. Bubbles twisted the tap, Yumi was reminded of exactly why she took certain precautions. As her puppet went flying back from the force of the water, the young puppeteer quickly twisted her chakra strings to make Ms. Bubbles land on the ground upright, looking no worse for wear. She was quite dirty now though, seeing as how the water had soaked the dust and dirt into the clothes she was wearing. Oh well, better Ms. Bubbles than her. While she could replace anything that was damaged for her puppet, she couldn’t do the same for herself. There was a reason puppeteers had so many puppets after all.

After a few seconds of waiting, the water pressure finally returned to normal. But based on the entrance the liquid had made, Yumi doubted that stopping the water flow would be as simple as turning the tap again. As the young kunoichi watched the water begin to spread throughout the room, she reached out her hand and directed Mr. Bubbles to bring the three jugs closer. Once they were next to her, Ms. Bubbles grabbed one of them with both hands and filled it up using the water that was now flowing from the tap. Once it was filled, Yumi recalled her female puppet to her and peered inside and outside of the jug to see if she could spot any changes. She then repeated the process for the remaining two jugs and examined both of them closely as well. There had to be a reason the tap was hidden, she just needed to find out why. 

Words. 269 Tags. Notes.

Template by Kuroya of THQ & GS.

[Aika]

Scouting the room was a good idea, a little nudge here or there would reveal the fourth and final jug required, it was a little battered compared to the other jugs, but only because it had been stuck underneath rubble in the last corner Yumi searched. The torch light flickered dangerously in the puppets hand, but for the time being - even with the thin air and tight squeeze it would have on the girls lungs - the light remained. Back to the water she went.

Tick tock, tick tock, drip drop, drip drop! The girl would attempt to fill the jugs up, and fill them up she would. In the hopes that the water would reveal something inside the jug. She wouldn't be too far off either. Though perhaps it would leave her only more frustrated as the water pooled into the room. 

Inside the filled jugs at the base, slooshing with water, would reveal four distinct symbols; one a wolf, one a snake, one a crane and the other a fish. All of them pretty simplistic in design but undeniably vital. Now was the time for a decision. Was the water still a pivotal role in the test, or was she finished with it? Could she get back to the other new room with all the collected water? Or would she dump it and take the risk? Still she had not explored the room or the ceilings of the newest room. Save for the petal seal she had seen on the wall, the kunoichi had not yet seen all the third room had to offer...

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[[ROUND 9 OF ?]]

Posting time limit: 48 hours

[Yumi Yuie]

As the water slowly swirled in the jugs, Yumi looked at the symbols that had appeared inside of them. Wolf, snake, crane, and a fish. She wasn’t sure why each animal was chosen, but she was confident she would be forced to figure that out later when she reached the four pedestals again. Turning her head, the young kunoichi looked at the crumbling wall that lead upwards. She was pretty confident in her abilities to get back up to the top, but that was before four water filled jugs were added into the equation. She wasn’t sure if she needed to bring them up with her filled, but it was better to be safe than sorry. There were a few options she could choose from, such as wall walking and attempting to carry a jug up with her one at a time. The problem with that was that not only would it be tiring, the odds of water falling out from the jugs was quite high which would lead to wasted effort. The next option was to have Mr. Bubbles attempt to grab one and then slide it towards the top. Thanks to his size, he should be able to reach it, but his size had two sides to it. Although his size was nice, it also made him clumsy. And Yumi wasn’t sure if he could do it in one go. While trial and error with Mr. Bubbles might work, time was of the essence. She would need to find a faster way.

Leading her puppets and the jugs towards the nearby wall, Yumi had Ms. Bubbles hold out the torch near her as she used her chakra to scale the wall. It was slightly harder than normal due to the lack of light, but the young kunoichi still managed to reach the top. After all, a still object could only be so hard to scale, especially to a ninja. Once she was safely on top, the young puppeteer glanced downwards. Thanks to the light Ms. Bubbles was shining, she could easily pinpoint where the group was in the darkness. Twisting her fingers and yanking her hand back, Yumi launched Mr. Bubbles towards her and pulled him up the wall. Placing him a few feet behind her, she detached her chakra strings from his body. She had another use for the hand she was currently using, and if everything went well, the water filled jugs would be by her side soon.

Extending her chakra strings from her hand, Yumi had them encircle one of the jugs. While she could do more than one object at a time by utilizing this technique, she didn’t particularly want to take the risk. The jugs weren’t that heavy, but that was before they were filled with water. She could lift them up one at a time, but trying to grab two was pushing it. Once her chakra strings had the jug firmly in their grasp, she slowly lifted it up to the position where she was at. If she managed to do it correctly, she would be able to lift the jug to her side with only a minimal amount of water spilled. If this strategy worked, she would continue to do it to the next three jugs until they were all at her side. She would then bring back Mr. Bubbles so he could grab her other puppet in order to make sure the torch didn’t go out thanks to the increased speed launching Ms. Bubbles towards her would have. Once all of that was done, she would move the jugs and the puppets into the third room. 


Techs Used: 

SPOILER: Click to show

NAME: Kakomu mojiretsu [Encircling String]
RANK: C
CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu (Puppetry)
ELEMENT: None
DESCRIPTION:

By extending their chakra strings, a puppeteer is able to encircle an object and grab onto it with their strings. The puppeteer can then either pull the object closer to them with the strings or fling it away. This technique is often used to pull distant switches or grab faraway objects. This technique only works on light, small to medium sized objects. If the object is too heavy, the strings won't be able to do anything but latch on.


NAME: Kinobori no Waza [Act of Tree Climbing]
RANK: D
CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu [General]
ELEMENT: None
DESCRIPTION:

An advanced genin level technique, it serves as a means to both enhance chakra control when mastered as well as a means to change one's advantages on the battlefield. By applying chakra to the soles of the feet, the shinobi gains the ability to walk and stand on vertical surfaces or even upside down.

Words. 606 Tags. Notes.

Template by Kuroya of THQ & GS.

[Aika]

Silence ticked by as Yumi worked diligently, only the sound of her puppets mechanics clickering away and the sound of her breathing could be heard. But time was of the essence. As if to remind her the torch began to dim, breathing would be harder, not so hard that she'd struggle to do anything but conserving ones energy was a good idea. The climb up would be troublesome but not impossible, lack of free flowing air and a thinner air flow all around would leave her huffing as she pulled herself out of the pit. 

Using the chakra strings was a good idea, to a certain extent, as Yumi began to pull them up one by one, passing by the wall and guiding them up one by one to the safety of her grip on the surface level. But the walls in the underground level would prove to be old and the water valve Yumi had activated had sent a small vibration through the wall from the pipes. As the second vase began to pull up mid grab, the wall nearest to the hole in the floor would give way, shaking the ground Yumi was stood on and threatening to engulf the second vase if Yumi didn't react quickly to both the vase in her almost possession and the vase still awaiting rescue down below.

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[[ROUND 10 OF ?]]

Posting time limit: 48 hours

[Yumi Yuie]

As the wall nearest to the hole began to collapse, Yumi quickly pulled up the second vase, spilling some water slightly in the process. Opening Mr. Bubble’s hatch, she quickly placed the two vases she had retrieved in the hollow space inside his chest. Quickly stretching out her hand and moving back, the young puppeteer extended her chakra strings down into the area below. Once they were connected to Ms. Bubbles, she had her puppet move back with the remaining vase in order to avoid the now crumbling wall. As the floor began to deteriorate, she quickly moved Mr. Bubbles back as well and towards the room with the pillars before heading back to her remaining puppet. It was getting harder to breathe, but Yumi could feel she was close to escaping. She just needed to persevere for a little longer.

Walking back slowly to where she was before all of this started, Yumi glared warily at the crumbling floor. Since she could control her puppets from quite a good distance away, she didn’t need to get that close to where the floor was crumbling to see where her puppet was. The dim remnants of light the torch was emitting helped as well. Twisting her fingers slightly, she had Ms. Bubbles open up her jacket and cover the remaining vase with it before zipping it back up. Pulling her chakra strings towards her, Yumi attempted to have Ms. Bubbles scale the wall and leap towards her at a moderate speed. She wasn’t sure if any water would spill from this endeavor, but this was the only choice she had. And although the wall was just rubble now, she was confident her chakra strings could lift her puppet through it. It might be a little bit messy, but it would get the job done. If she was successful, Ms. Bubbles would be by her side in mere moments.

Words. 317 Tags. Notes.

Template by Kuroya of THQ & GS.

[Aika]

Torch would be all but dying. Surely she only had moments left, maybe four minutes at the most by the judging of the vase? The next few minutes would be crucial to figure out if Yumie would live or suffocate. Preferably the former to the latter...

Ms Bubbles would climb up, water splashing against her jacket but not ultimately damaging the water level of the jug, enough to make it uneven in comparison to the others. Up she would come. 

But quick! There would be no time to waste! She would have to decide whether to continue looking or go straight to the pedestal. There were multiple options she would take and only one of them right. If she paid attention to the wall where the last seal remained she'd note the dark silhouettes of creatures on the far wall adjacent to the pedestals... similar to the jugs.  If she directed the dying light to the silhouettes she'd note that each one had a line on them, half filled, edges looking like the waves of water. 

Did she simply throw the water over the pedestals from the right jug? Or would she look closer at the pedestals to reveal a crucial piece of information? Would she simply stand and stare critically?

Time was ticking...

_____________________________________________________________________________________

[[ROUND 11 OF ?]]

Posting time limit: 48 hours

[Yumi Yuie]

Walking into the pedestal room with her puppets in tow, Yumi glanced around carefully. By waving around her dying torch, she was able to notice the silhouettes of creatures on the far wall adjacent to the pedestals. A quick glance confirmed that they were the same animals as the ones on the jugs she was carrying. Another wave of the torch showed that they also had a wavy line on them, almost as if to symbolize water. The clues were all there, she just needed to solve them.

Taking the jugs out of her puppets and placing them gently on the floor, Yumi directed her attention towards the pedestals. Examining the silhouettes of the creatures more carefully, Yumi would place the corresponding jug onto the pedestal that matched its animal. She would then repeat this process for the remaining three pedestals. Once this was done, if nothing happened, the young kunoichi would investigate the pedestals more closely to see if she had missed anything. She wasn't sure if the water symbol meant she actually needed to splash water on it or if the jug holding water would be enough. If her current method didn't work, she would find out soon enough. 

Words. 201 Tags.  Notes.

Template by Kuroya of THQ & GS.

[Aika]

Jugs of water were placed onto the corresponding pedestal, and with each click something moved behind the flower seal. Yet no door would open, as if the trigger was half done. The clicking would continue, enough so that when all the pedestals were filled with jugs a small square section of the floor in front of the door would open and a third of a pedestal would arise. But it would be evident that it was not fully out. The jugs weren't working the way they should have. 

On peering further at the jug, nothing would change. But looking once more at the pedestal, one would have to glimpse the water lines well. Water volume, perhaps? A certain weightage in each jug? 

By now the torch was but a flicker of a flame, barely enough to light the immediate space in front of Yumie. She would have to work fast; chest would feel tight and eyes bleary - stinging - from the lack of air. If she didn't work out the puzzle soon she would certainly die at the locked door. 

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[[ROUND 12 OF ?]]

Posting time limit: 48 hours

[Yumi Yuie]

As Yumi placed all of the jugs on the pedestals, she soon heard a mechanism click. But as the third pedestal only arose from the floor halfway, the young kunoichi soon realized there was still more to the puzzle. Seeing as how the only clue left that she hadn’t used was the water lines, she could assume that the missing piece of the puzzle had something to do with that. Examining the water lines carefully, Yumi noticed that the pedestals from right to left had 2 lines, 1 line, a half of a line, and 4 lines. And using the clues she already had, she could assume that meant for the first jug to only be half filled with water, the second with a quarter of water, the third with a third of water, and the fourth completely filled with water. It was a little challenging measuring out the water in the dimming light, but the young puppeteer was confident she got it correct. Once this was done, she stepped back and eyed the halfway emerged pedestal.

As the torch dimmed even further, Yumi watched as the pedestal slowly began to disappear from her view. If this didn’t solve the puzzle, she would probably have to solve it with no light. After that, no oxygen. Blinking her eyes wearily, the young puppeteer let out a soft sigh. Who knew that the first puzzle would be this dangerous? This level of difficulty didn’t bode well for the rest of the exam, assuming she even got out of this one alive.

Words. 259 Tags. Notes.

Template by Kuroya of THQ & GS.

[Aika]

As she fumbled in the near dark with the water levels the last of the light sputtered out into nothingness. The air was virtually non-existent and watching the pedestals click into place would be nothing much but akin to torture. Chest would be heavy and doing anything strenuous would be near impossible. Yumie was suffocating. Slowly, but surely. Except with the dying of the light and the stoppage of air it would be ever more obvious. No more sighing or huffing energy, nothing. Like someone holding a plastic bag over her head. 

The jugs clicked into place, but painfully for a moment, nothing would happen. As if it was a cruel joke inspired to cut her down without a chance. But then, oh so slowly, the rest of the final pedestal moved upwards, clinkering with the mechanism as she watched it rise. Deafening almost, considering the absolute silence of the tomb she was in. 

But then it rose, and there was nothing obvious about it. A pedestal like the others but with no place for another jug. In the centre though was a spiked metal piece, jutting upwards like a thorn. On the wall opposite the flower seal would start to glow, and underneath it? Glowing kanji, spelling out a simple motto:

'A shinobi must be ready to sacrifice their blood for their country, even at the cost of life or limb.'

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!![[ROUND 13 OF ?]]!!


Posting time limit: 48 hours

[Yumi Yuie]

With her heart struggling to burst from her chest, Yumi watched tiredly as nothing happened. Did she get something wrong? She was sure she found all the clues, but seeing as how nothing happened, she must have made a mistake. And now here she was, suffocating in complete darkness. All alone. This wouldn’t be her favorite way to die, but she had a feeling it would happen like this. She had been alone all her life, so it was fitting that she would be alone in her death. At least she didn’t have many regrets. She would have liked to make more puppets, but as more strength left her body, she couldn’t bring herself to care anymore. She had tried her best, and it wasn’t good enough. And in a few more minutes, it wouldn’t even matter, seeing as how she would be dead.

....Clink……

Opening her bloodshot eyes quickly, Yumi stared at the new rising pedestal. She had been correct! She had solved the puzzle! With a shining beacon of hope in front of her, how could she be satisfied with a death like this? As her ears vibrated from the deafening sound, the dying kunoichi watched with newly renewed strength as the pedestal stopped rising. Unlike the other pedestals, this one had an ominous spike jutting from it. As she stared at it in confusion, she soon noticed glowing words on a nearby wall.

'A shinobi must be ready to sacrifice their blood for their country, even at the cost of life or limb.'

Sealing her puppets inside her scroll, the exhausted puppeteer stumbled her way blindly to the pedestal. As she struggled to move, she thought about the words on the wall. Sacrifice herself for her country? Like hell she would. Where was her country when she was dying alone in this oppressing darkness? She saw no one else here with her going through this damn trial! None of her fellow ninjas were here suffocating in the dark! No, it was just her. And she’d be damned if she died here. After all, she needed to figure out who the hell crafted this stupid test. Yumi held grudges, and she would make sure she had her revenge. But first she had to make it out of here alive.

Extending chakra strings from her right hand to her left, Yumi lifted her left hand over the metal piece. She was too tired to do it with her own strength, hence the need for chakra strings. And although she might lose her hand because of this, she would gain her life back in return. She could make a new hand, but she only had one chance at life. As a single tear slid down her face, Yumi raised her left hand as high as it could go and slammed it down onto the spike with as much force as her chakra strings could give her…...

And then she screamed.

Words. 490 Tags. Notes.

Template by Kuroya of THQ & GS.

[Aika]

But the young girls hand would not be lanced off at the top of the spike. Her scream would echo around the tomb, bouncing off the walls as the centre of her palm was pierced through and through. Red blood would pour over the silver blade and into the etched lines of the pedestal. She was alone, that was for certain, but she had been told it would be a test so unlike any she had ever faced. The girl was being drummed up to face the real life of a shinobi and having one's hand pierced was the least of a shinobi's concerns, not when a battle was quite simply life or death. Her countrymen were not with her, not out of desire to watch her fail, but out of determination and hope that she would succeed. Like so many who had succeeded before her, Yumie was entering a new level of life that had danger around every corner. Sometimes she might find herself with company, other times, maybe not. It was a hard lesson, but it wasn't a failed lesson. 

The blood trickled down the pedestal and sunk into a small hole at the centre, too small to see, but enough for the gushing blood to pour through a line in the floor and run up into the door. The flower seal changed from white light to red fueled by her own blood sacrifice. A harsh ask, but one all shinobi gave at one point or another. It glowed blood red for a moment before twisting around. 

As the last of her air faded, the door cracked open down the middle, heavy stone cracking open and gushing air rushing into the chamber with a whoosh. Light flooded into the chamber too, bright and airy, the smell of fresh air fumigating the room out and likely filling Yumie with tired relief.

Today wasn't the day she died. 

Today was the day she took one step closer to becoming a Chuunin.

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ROUND 14 OUT OF A POSSIBLE 15