[aihara ryoko]

"I can’t believe she fell asleep after that.. Thought for sure the heat would shock her awake.” Ryo laughs quietly at herself as Ayukawa relents to her lack of sleep. Poor girl, she must have been up all 4 days. Ryo counted herself strong, but had to admit that would be beyond her ability. Admit it silently, of course.

"I was the runt last year..” she does admit. "Had to watch my whole team go through the exams but I wasn’t ready. Here now, though, and my whole squad is here too. Pretty neat, though I gotta wonder how they’re doing.”

That, oddly, elicits another small laugh from her.

She listens to the others while they talk. She was definitely a talker, not shy in the least, but still had enough manners to not completely dominate the conversation, or talk over others. She snickers as Kouki scoffs, and shakes her head at his answer. The cheer never leaves her smile, or her tone, though.

"Big strong man. Slow you down, huh?” Her smile remains somewhat teasing, though the idea interested her. Hopefully she'd get to see him in actual action.

Ryo stands up. Not for any particular reason, she just didn’t want to sit, and she was done eating. She shifts her attention to Toru and gives him a nod.

"Kinda the same.” she replies to his question. "Different sort of family thing. I’m from the Aihara Clan, we’ve been shinobi for generations. It’s what we are born to do.” She reaches a hand out towards her Doomstar, the thing animating and levitating over to her grasp. She draws it close and embraces it carefully with both arms. "It’s expected of me, but also something I’ve been looking forward too forever. I can’t wait to get past the exams so people will stop treating me like a kid.”

[Deleted]

Don’t just weather the storm.
Dance in it.

❧

Kazui would lightly scoff at Kouki’s answer of if he had cane with a genin team or not. Despite the fact that it was a little over the top, the girl could definitely see and understand the reasoning behind him being so abrasive when it came to teams. Kazui felt as if she were the only member of her team that had the work ethic and drive to actually get off her ass and get better. That was before Hanabi joined her team however, then there was a ray of light. She finally had a teammate to train with. Nonetheless, it seemed as if most of them had the same answer to the question. They were all flyaways from their teams, which was interesting in a sense.

The Uchiha would continue to break small pieces off of the salmon before consuming them, following the bite with another bite of rice and sip of her miso soup. The food itself was alright, but it didn’t compare to her own cooking, at least that’s what she thought, maybe the girl was just being biased.

Taking a sip of her tea, she would listen to Toru, her dark eyes planted on him as he asked everyone the reasoning behind them wanting to become shinobi. For him it was apparently proving himself to his mother, who may not have been his actual mother based on how long it took him to say it. Kazui knew that hesitation from anywhere, because she used to do it herself when trying to refer to Lady Hiruko as her own mother. Nevertheless, Kazui would shrug her shoulders, listening to Ryo’s answer and nodding her head.

"I come from a very prestigious founding clan of Konohagakure. If you aren’t a shinobi, then what exactly are you?” Useless. The Uchiha clan made it clear that they wanted nothing to do with Kazui, no one wanted to help or train her. No one wanted a failure under their tutelage. Until she became the shinobi that she is now of course, now they all cherish her. It goes to show how much they care about power and only power, it’s a shame. Despite this fact, Kazui still honors her clan and bloodline, for they are royal. However, that is only part of the reason behind Kazui’s jump into the shinobi world. Between her father ridiculing her for being a weak girl, and the fact that she wanted to be like her older brother and protect the ones closest to her, there are numerous reasons why she is where she is now.

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[Saeko Ayukawa]

We are theChampions "My brother...." Ayukawa would answer the question as she found herself stirring from her brief slumber. In truth, she hadn't managed to sleep at all, her eyes still narrowed as the question seemed to prompt a reaction from her. The fact that that she had done so poorly in this portion of the exams had really been a reflection of just what it was that she was trying to overcome. The fear that in the end, she'd never be able to complete the promise of their joined dream. Well...now her dream... "When we were younger...my big brother and I swore that we'd be great shinobi someday...just like Lady Kasumi, our clan leader...We worked day in and day out to become better than we were...so when he went off to Sunagakure, I was so proud because it was like the first step in us making it closer to our dream..." Her hands resting in her lap, the youth would take a deep breath as she released it. "So when I finally came to Sunagakure next, we were both so happy that we could do it together...but before I became a Genin...he was killed while protecting his team..." Ayukawa had only told one other person about just what had happened to her older brother, and that had been Asahi. In truth, it wasn't like the knowledge was secret. But it was a close thing to her heart, and remembering him allowed her to keep that dream alive as it was the one thing she had left of him. "So...now I wanna become a shinobi for him too...for both our dreams to come true...but today...I'm not sure thats enough anymore...I let everyone down and I couldn't do anything to help...I felt so useless and when your on a team...you have to be able to depend on everyone right?" In saying that, the youth then bowed her head as she apologized. "So I'm really sorry I let you guys down out there...and if we happen to still be on the same team in the next round..I swear I'll never let that happen again..." SPOILER: Click to show -Jutsu Used- -S.A Used-

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BRY of W&&R and CAUTION

[Yoshioka Kouki]

_❝ Kouki made a side glance at Ryo. What was so funny about his answer? It was true. Teams tended to slow him down…at least he felt like they hold him back. He could slowly feel himself coming back to reality. The menacing vibrations within him were fading, but they take a mental tole as well. He inhaled deeply through his nose and let out a sigh before answering Toru’s question. "Lots of reasons I guess…wanted to prove my family wrong…show Yukigakure what I can really do…” He hesitated. "I acquired some…really useful jutsu and training…but I dunno if I was really cut out to learn it. I wanna see if I’m worth the hassle of investing in I guess is the best way to put it.” He tried his best to no use the word ‘biju’ but still make the point he was trying to make. He thought this power would solve his problems but it only seemed to make more. It was terrifying what was actually in him, but he would never admit that to people he just met even if they all worked together not too long ago. Ayukawa’s response was touching. Although Kouki was looking down at the table, he had stopped eating to listen intently on her reasons for becoming a shinobi. "Listen…don’t waste your energy being hard on yourself. I dunno what good that does anybody….I should know." He hoped that’d be some decent advice. He then proceeded to get back to eating with a little more vigor. He was starting to come back to being his old self

 ⚬ Notes

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AI ❤

[Kaguya Toru]

if i'm a danger to myself Just think what I could do to you @--

Ryo was part of a prestigious clan in her country, the Aihara. So was Kazui. Even Ayukawa was from one - even if her reasoning to become a shinobi was a little nobler than simply 'a prestigious clan'. It was odd, that so many on his team belonged to a clan, no, they didn't belong. They were born to those clans, and being born to a clan was far different from simply being adopted into one. Not like Toru, who had been brought in, presented to the world as a Kaguya, without any of the abilities that the infamous Kaguya possessed.

Kouki's response was odd, sounding disjointed. It was probably the exhaustion.

Toru took a few more bites of his meal, finishing off the fried pork before moving onto the side dishes that he was technically supposed to be eating with the main fare, but he had not so he was onto the salad polishing it off swiftly, now it was the rice and this he ate slower, because rice filled you up nicely when you were hungry, and he wanted to savor it even if it was mostly flavorless.

He glanced to Ayukawa though, she felt bad for not holding her own weight. It was to be expected to an extent, with how tired she was. He shrugged, wincing at the soreness in his shoulders. He had his own handicaps, hers were just exhaustion.

"If you're gonna be tired, be good at being tired." Toru believed that if someone was going to do or be anything, they might as well be good at it. In Ayukawa's case, her being tired might have very well helped them in ways they did not even know, so in his opinion she might as well be good at it instead of apologizing and promising to be better next time. There would be no next time, they were done with what had been presented, and next time would never be the same - if it ever came to fruition.

OWL

[aihara ryoko]

Ryo shakes her head a little as she listens to Ayukawa, not impressed in the least. Begging for forgiveness was a disgrace, especially in these circumstances.

"That's stupid", she states plainly, leveling her gaze on the sleepy girl then flicking her eyes at Kouki as well. Tact never was one of her strong points, she was just a direct sort of girl. Wreckless, fearless, call it what you will.

"If I was in your situation I wouldn't feel so bad. That's why we have teams. That's why we don't rely on our strength alone. You stayed on your feet a good long time, kept going when presented with another challenge. You didn’t slow anyone down, you didn’t compromise our mission. We passed just fine, and we did it as a team.”

"If one us fell through the ice early, would you count it a failure? Would you want to ditch them and just keep going without em? Leave them behind, pass your mission but forsake your team? Would you stand them moping in the face of victory, because they didn’t do what they wanted?”

She shakes her head. "No!” She becomes more animated, stepping back and lifting her voice some. "You crawl up on your comrade’s back, and you let them carry you. When a rabbit leads you through a hallway full of giant sharp axes and you end up bleeding, you don’t just give up, your team doesn’t just say Forget it, we’ll try again later. You keep pushing. You protect your friends. Even the temporary ones. And the ones that get in the way... you protect extra hard.”

She quiets down a little and shakes her head. "I don’t wanna hear another word about you being a failure. We’re all sitting here right now. We beat the test. We are the Champions. And you’re one of us.”

[Deleted]

Don’t just weather the storm.
Dance in it.

❧

Kazui returned to eating after giving her answer. The portions on her plate grew smaller and smaller until it was nearly all finished. As everyone gave their reasonings, the girl would simply continue eating. They were all kind of similar in a way, but with a different twist to each one. Ayukawa in particular wanted to become a shinobi to chase her brother’s dream, so that he could live on through her. The raven haired girl could relate, almost to a tee, but then again there were numerous reasons behind her desire to become a shinobi.

"You didn’t let anyone down...stop saying that.” The teen murmured softly, her eyes remaining on her tray as she spoke. "...And stop living in the past, what’s done is done, and as a shinobi you have to move on.” No one was a let down during that previous round, everyone seemed to carry the weight that led to them ultimately catching the rabbit. The fact that Ayukawa felt as if she were slowing them down didn’t sit well with the girl. If she were truly dragging them down and was as useless as she was making herself out to be, then Kazui would have left her on the opposite side of the maze.

Slightly pushing her tray away, the girl would decide that she didn’t want anymore to eat, food still remained on her plate, but she couldn’t bring herself to finish the rest.

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[Saeko Ayukawa]

We are theChampions "Maybe..." Everyone seemed to have some valid points to make on the matter. If anything, it showed that they at least understood, though this felt like a issue that she'd have to take time to get over herself. In the end, the girl would smile and nod toward everyone as her cheerful grin returned briefly. "Thanks..everyone..." Seeming to have regained some of her chipperness, her appetite seemed to return as well, looking down at her tray as she soon began to dig into it, pulling the meat off the fish bowl stew and chowing down eagerly. Though in mid-chew, she'd begin to think about something else. "I wonder if they'll let us go back home now? I mean, we have no idea when their gonna announce the next round and we still have no idea what its gonna be about? I mean, fighting each other might be one thing, though with the set up of teams being the main focus, I really think their gonna just pit us against the other groups. Anything can happen though right?" With her continuing to eat, she'd stop suddenly as she realized this might mean that she'd have to go against two of her friends from Sunagakure as well. "Thats gonna be a bummer..."

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SPOILER: Click to show

-Jutsu Used-


-S.A Used-

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[Yoshioka Kouki]

_❝ It was becoming hard to focus on anything as Ryo’s response to Ayukawa was getting louder and more boisterous. He made an audible groan by the end of it and pinched the bridge of his nose as he winced in annoyance. "We get it Ryo…” He uttered this with a forceful tone. He may be coming out of his stupor but that also meant his temper was able to flare up just as easy as usual. He inhaled deeply and sighed, darting his eyes away from Ryo in annoyance. "Sorry…” He may have a short temper, but he never actually enjoys being angry or lashing out. Anger is such a tiring emotion. Luckily Ayukawa’s inquisition about the next round hopefully broke what possible tension there could be between Ryo and Kouki in that moment. He scratched his face as he thought. "God I hope we can fight. I really need to just let loose. That last test was too much finesse for my liking.” He was starting to get full as evidenced by him pushing what was left of his rice around his plate with his chopsticks. He never left a plate empty though and began to finish the rest of his morsels but with less gusto compared to when he first started eating.

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AI ❤

[Kaguya Toru]

if i'm a danger to myself Just think what I could do to you @--

Toru was finishing up his own meal at this point when Ayukawa brought up the next round, or if they were going to get to go home. The home bit was unlikely, and from the sounds of it Kouki was hoping for a fight, he could have gone in to fight in the first round, although it was probably a bad idea... Toru was curious for a fight, but not quite wanting to 'let loose' as Kouki had stated.

"A fight would be interesting." He murmured, glancing to Kazui and then towards the rest of the crew to see what the rest of their opinions were. It was unlikely that everyone was highly interested in combat, as not everyone was built for that as a shinobi. That was just not the way of the world. Some specialized in combat, others, in finessed target searches, and some others in healing, and whatever else there was... There was a lot. Defense, offense, supplementary, a combination. He wondered what it would be like, to not want to fight, not be ready to fight and have to be made to fight and be graded on that going against someone like Kouki who wanted to leave his stamp in the world.

Tragic, most likely...

OWL

[aihara ryoko]

"Ha! He gets it, he says.” That gets another little snicker out of Ryo, and she shakes her cowled head a little. Condescension, thy name is Ryo. She shifts her gaze between the others as they take their turns talking, but was mostly just amused by the turn of conversation.

She gives the others their chance to speak but settles her attention on Toru.

"I’m excited for it, even if just to get a chance to show off my skills. I don’t know if the next round will be all fights and stuff, but I’m sure that will come up eventually. I’d be pretty disappointed if it didn’t. So far nothing we’ve done has let us really show off in front of our villages, our families or friends, it’s just been boring old missions and a fun weekend of camping.”

"There’s gotta be at least one point where it’s all eyes on us, and we can really let go and show off what we can do.” Another little nod of her head. She was eager to test herself against some real opponents. Her eyes settle on Kouki again. He’d be fun, if he was even half as strong as he was pretending to be, plus she'd already put the ground work in irritating him.  Confidence and arrogance were something she could, at the very least, closely sympathize with, so it could end up being quite the entertaining bout.

"Maybe they’ll pit us against each other. That’d be fun.” She smiles sweetly at the jin, completely unaware of how little she wants to fight him.

[Deleted]

Don’t just weather the storm.
Dance in it.

❧

"I guess it will be kind of interesting.” The girl would softly add on to the conversation. In all honesty, she didn’t care what the next round was. Whatever the future held for the aspiring chuunin, Kazui would make sure that she was ready for it. And more than likely since it was probably going to be combat related, the Uchiha felt pretty good. She hadn’t been training so hard for the past few months just to be afraid of fighting with people who were more or less equal to her.

"Whether we are fighting against each other or fighting as a team again, I’m looking forward to it.” She would continue on. The second round was a bit limited to say the least. The kids were not really allowed to let loose and showcase their hard work, dedication, and skill. The life of the bunny was crucial to their passing and killing it and even using any kind of jutsu on it would result in immediate failure. That rule alone cramped their possibilities, and Kazui was not a fan of it. Hopefully in the next round she could show the world just how strong she could be.

Pulling herself even deeper into the coat that Toru had given her, the girl would prepare herself to head back to her room. "I should head back to my room.” Kazui would murmur quietly as she stood and emptied her tray into the trash before returning everything back to the front where they belonged. Before she exited the cafeteria, the girl would wave her hand slightly from side to side, telling everyone at the table goodbye.

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[Saeko Ayukawa]

We are theChampions "Bye Kazuiiiiii!!" After having stuffed herself and gaining a boost in mode thanks to the support of her teammates, Ayukawa was now peppy and full of life again. Or at least, for the most part. With her having waved goodbye to Kazui, who had made her exit from the room to return to her own, the Sunagakure nin was once again now resting her head back against the floor, her eyes looking toward the ceiling as she released a content sigh. "Whatever happens...It's gonna be awesome...I just know it! This is like a once in a lifetime moment..we get to test out everything that we've trained years for in this place...its a total rush!" Grinning from ear to ear, the girl would look up at the others, moving herself sideways as she turned to lay upside down with her view similar to such a position. "It really gets my blood pumping...and strangely enough...my stomach growling again...anyone else hungry still?" Tilting her head sideways, the youth would blink as her expression shifted to confusion. SPOILER: Click to show -Jutsu Used- -S.A Used-

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BRY of W&&R and CAUTION