A lot ran through Kojirou's mind from the moment he stepped on the ship to when the first task of the Chūnin Exams began.
And just like that, the day had finally come… a day Kojirou had avoided in days past, when his old team had decided to go off to their Exams without him. Well, no more – he was older, stronger, smarter and braver than the Kojirou back then. And if there was any more solace to the lonely years of harnessing Lava Release… then it would be the burning heart of a lion that relished the challenge walking up ahead of him.
… The ship was awfully tight, not as spacey as someone from the Land of Fields would be used to. In all honesty, while surrounded by would-be opponents and allies from here and there, Kojirou was in search of familiar faces. Koume, or Atagi, or maybe even Azarea or Hana. They’d have to be somewhere here…
Kojirou, in all honesty, knew little about his contestants other than that dude who fell from the tree back at the training grounds in Kuwana. Obviously, he knew what Koume and Atagi were capable of, but… was part of the Exams perhaps trying to scale your future foes’ strengths in that one week they had spent here? If so, Kojirou was already behind… and it bothered him a little. Making his face frown curiously.
What did he know about others… Hana had fox ears. That short-haired, tall guy was full of himself (which was intimidating). Many of the others, Kojirou hadn’t gotten the opportunity to meet in that week… and frankly, he began wondering just what it took for him to become a Chūnin. He knew, deep inside…
He could meet his end here. Then, he wouldn’t be able to return… neither to his home, nor to Ahma for that answer she still sought from him. Oh, how he hoped she’d stay in that cave and wait for him – he made a vow in his heart to survive to the best of his abilities. As long as he made good use of everything he’d been taught, then he’d definitely make it. Clenching the sheath to his sharpened katana, he manifested courage in his lionheart and watched the ship dock at the side of the river. In front of his dark eyes, a very steep climb… good thing the swordsman had eaten well before boarding the ship. Still, he’d hike for quite a while as he couldn’t see any end stations from here. Another frown from his face.
… Why on earth, heaven and sea was all of that city ahead of them sliding down on that mountain range?! Wait, was it? No, it stood completely still! He swore, those architects from this country were in a class of their own… it almost made the young swordsman sad, not having seen anything like this before back in the Land of Fields. Downright humiliating, almost…
Kojirou quickly signed the final waiver. It just… he was a Honō, damn it. And yet, thinking about that made him imagine Ahma slapping him on the back of his head – this was what she talked about… he had to find something else other than collective pride to convince her. What was so wrong about patriotism? There was nothing wrong with Kusagakure? She probably just… I don’t know, tried to confuse him or something. At times, he genuinely wished he never met her – he should’ve escaped that cave the moment he fell down there.
He had lined up against the capital building and heard the head proctor explain the first Exam; a race to Kuwana, which kind of made Kojirou giggle inside. He’d discussed the possibility of the Exam being a race with Hana earlier, so what were the odds? Anyway, they were supposed to race and not get spotted three times… so stealth played a huge part in this task. Six checkpoints, with regulated and untold levels of security at each one… and he’d have to watch out for the floating lantern balloons. A one-day deadline was given to them, and they were prohibited from attempting to kill each other.
The swordsman had approached Atagi, who appeared to have a plan on the ready for the little team of Hidden Grass Genin; the two of them as well as Koume. Kojirou had listened attentively to the rules at play here, but each route did look… different, from his angle. Atagi suggested that they stick together, which was never that bad of an option… but he also suggested that they took the most dangerous path.
…
Great minds thought alike. Kojirou nodded with a grin.
"It’s like racing to the tall castle back in Kuwana again… I feel a little lucky,” Kojirou commented,
"Already warmed up.” It really was a pleasant coincidence that the first task of the Chūnin Exams was to be a race of this sort.
Therefore, Kojirou followed Atagi on the
Right Mountain Path, spotting not many other Genin taking that path as well. Hopefully an advantage that they could take. In all honesty, Kojirou would likely prove slightly slower than both his fellow Grass Shinobi, but he was able to speed up and catch up if he got too far back... and he'd make up for it by scouting the surroundings just a bit more cautiously than Atagi, who was scouting up front. Kojirou did remember that they could get spotted… and so, they’d have to find good hiding spots and utilize a few Jutsus that he’d luckily been able to master back at the Academy. Even such easy Jutsus, which kids much younger than him were practicing on a daily basis, could prove useful… like a butter knife could prove useful if swung the right way. A shinobi had to be able to make the best use of whatever they had in their arsenals, for Kojirou did lack other means of stealth.
The Art of Tree Climbing was optimal for moving across this path – however, one would still have to watch their use of chakra, for if the journey could take an entire day or a little less, then it’d be a tragedy to run out before the finish line. In the case that he’d need to hide, Kojirou took advantage of the rocky terrain such that he’d camouflage among them by transforming into a boulder or rock with
Henge no Jutsu… but the road was slant. If in need to hide while walking on a mountain face with
Tree Climbing, Kojirou would prefer to camouflage himself on the rocky wall with his wide haori and the
Kakuremino no Jutsu. With all of that, he’d try to stick close to his team, not letting them out of sight but also making sure that there’d be
some space between them… and once the floating lantern balloons popped up, who’d know?