[Kasumi Momochi]

A DEMON HAS PURPOSE

There is only one path left to take.

Approaching people was something that Kasumi actively tried to avoid. She found it easier with a sword in her hand and an intent to kill, which was likely telling. She'd learned when she was younger that most people enjoyed their life better when they didn't have a demon in it. The quick excuses to leave, and the side eyes when they thought she wasn't looking.

She didn't care, not really. Let the people live their own lives.

Today was different, though. She needed answers, even if it was just to know every mistake she had done in the last couple weeks. She'd come to Suzuki's room, but the girl wasn't home. Now, Kasumi sat out front with a whet stone sharpening her kunai.

The sparks had singed at least some of the carpet, but Kasumi didn't care much.

It felt like no time at all, but was likely at least a half an hour before the other girl arrived to find Kasumi in front of her door. Kasumi looked up towards the other, eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

"Taru Suzuki. Do you remember me? We've met once. Momochi Kasumi."

Suzuki Taru

SPOILER: Click to show

SAs:
Demon Chakra:
Kasumi has become known for her strange chakara form. When in a dire situation, she is capable of releasing her chakra, which in turn takes a strange color unlike the normal blue color of chakra, and takes the form of a demonic cat figure. She is then enveloped in a demon shroud.

This ability grants her a fierce looking aura, that may come off as intimidating and a tenacity to push beyond their normal limits physically- when this mode is activated, Kasumi is harder to knock out or kill and will generally fight for longer than a normal body is capable of.

Keeping this ability active has a medium drain on Kasumi's chakara.


Kenjutsu Training:
Since a young age, Kasumi has felt the weight of a sword in her hands. She's practiced combat with swords, and is able to compete with some of the best sword users around. That said, people who lack training with a sword or intensive Taijutsu tend to be overwhelmed by her skill.

Large Chakra Reserves:
Kasumi was born with higher than average chakara reserves, letting her use more chakara and jutsu without being exhausted. A natural gift from her lineage. She has learned how to properly take advantage of these reserves.

Equipment: Hakushika Kami

Jutsu used:

[Suzuki Taru]

Since the completion of the second round, Taru had spent most of her time training. There was a lot she had learned in that round. About her own abilities, about the dangers she would face. It was her goal to learn how to respond to those things and to adapt, to prove that she had learned from her experiences and bring that new knowledge into the third round. She hoped that the proctors would appreciate this effort, though she cared more about proving her skill to herself than proving it to others. 

Coming back to her room from a day of rigorous training, she was surprised to find another contender sitting in front of her door. 

"Hello," she greeted, pleasantly, either not noticing the narrowing of the eyes or elsewise being unbothered by it. She smiled easily, like Kasumi was an old friend that she knew well even though they'd only met once before. 

"I do remember you! From when we climbed the mountain with Nobody-san. Did you hear we were the first to climb that peak? I'm glad we went together," she said, sitting down on the floor and joining Kasumi. 

"Did you visit to talk about that? Or do you have another journey we should embark on?" She asked. She had the feeling that Kasumi needed something from her, or else she wouldn't have come to visit. 

[Kasumi Momochi]

A DEMON HAS PURPOSE

There is only one path left to take.

Kasumi was quickly thrown off by the other girl, being greeted like an old friend with a smile. The girl seemed happy to see her? It was... different, and something Kasumi hadn't really prepared for when she decided to talk to her.

"I did hear we were the first. It was... something incredible, wasn't it?" She said, reminiscing as if she had forgotten why she even came. "Uh, no, don't really have another adventure for us. We're kind of in one already, aren't we? Heh."

Kasumi would be quiet for a second, putting her kunai back.She had no idea how to ask for anything from anyone. She was awful at it. Giving orders was easy. This? This was different.

"I came because... well, you're in first on the scoreboard going into round three." Kasumi said, then as an afterthought added one more thing. "Congratulations."

She'd secure her kunai pouch to her hip, looking away.

"I wanna know what's your secret? These tests are to see if you're a worthy shinobi, and you're acing them. I'm at fourth, which isn't the worst, but... I just want to know what you're doing that's so much better I guess?"

Suzuki Taru

SPOILER: Click to show

SAs:
Demon Chakra:
Kasumi has become known for her strange chakara form. When in a dire situation, she is capable of releasing her chakra, which in turn takes a strange color unlike the normal blue color of chakra, and takes the form of a demonic cat figure. She is then enveloped in a demon shroud.

This ability grants her a fierce looking aura, that may come off as intimidating and a tenacity to push beyond their normal limits physically- when this mode is activated, Kasumi is harder to knock out or kill and will generally fight for longer than a normal body is capable of.

Keeping this ability active has a medium drain on Kasumi's chakara.


Kenjutsu Training:
Since a young age, Kasumi has felt the weight of a sword in her hands. She's practiced combat with swords, and is able to compete with some of the best sword users around. That said, people who lack training with a sword or intensive Taijutsu tend to be overwhelmed by her skill.

Large Chakra Reserves:
Kasumi was born with higher than average chakara reserves, letting her use more chakara and jutsu without being exhausted. A natural gift from her lineage. She has learned how to properly take advantage of these reserves.

Equipment: Hakushika Kami

Jutsu used:

[Suzuki Taru]

That was true, the Chuunin Exams were a lot like an adventure. Especially that second round. In some ways it had been even scarier than the first even though death hadn't seemed as close. In the first round she had been confident in their ability to get out alive, but the dangers of the second round had been even more intense, direct. There was no one there to help if they'd all simply tapped out. It wasn't the kind of exhilarating adventure that the mountain climbing had been, though. 

When Kasumi said that she came to see Taru because of her score, it honestly surprised her a little. It was hard to describe exactly how her philosophy for this exam had developed. Something in it had just clicked with her mind. 

"Hmmm," she hummed, furrowing her brow, clearly contemplating that question pretty thoroughly. She could honestly answer that she didn't know, but she thought that wouldn't be a fair response, and it definitely wouldn't be a helpful one. 

"These exams aren't just testing if we're worthy shinobi," she finally decided on. "You can be the best shinobi in the world and still spend your entire life a genin if you want to or if they don't think you're ready. We don't know how they're grading, so the best we can do is try to figure out what they expect to see from us, what makes a good chuunin, and work from there." 

Of course, she hadn't been matched with Kasumi in any round, so she didn't know how it had gone for her. 

"Tell me about your team in the first round. How did it go? What did you do?" She asked. 

[Kasumi Momochi]

A DEMON HAS PURPOSE

There is only one path left to take.

Suzuki took time to think about her answer, and Kasumi appreciated that so she let her. The answer wasn't completely rewarding, though. She didn't know what they were grading on, which should have been obvious because none of them seemed to. Instead she explained that it wasn't a test of worthiness, which offered little comfort to the demon.

"The first round..? Well, it was me, Kazue from Kirigakure, Taki from Iwa, then a leaf and a grass ninja whos names escape me." She thought about what all they did, the memory rather burned into her brain. "We found some pillars, then I went into the water to find a piece to a puzzle. Then the Grass ninja sacrificed himself and gave us the antidotes."

Of course, the sacrifice was only real in the moment, not in the effect. The teams learned that the next day when they saw the sacrificed contestants arrive for round two.

"What do you think they'll be looking for in round three, then? They always seem to be fights, is this the test of our abilities?"

Suzuki Taru

SPOILER: Click to show

SAs:
Demon Chakra:
Kasumi has become known for her strange chakara form. When in a dire situation, she is capable of releasing her chakra, which in turn takes a strange color unlike the normal blue color of chakra, and takes the form of a demonic cat figure. She is then enveloped in a demon shroud.

This ability grants her a fierce looking aura, that may come off as intimidating and a tenacity to push beyond their normal limits physically- when this mode is activated, Kasumi is harder to knock out or kill and will generally fight for longer than a normal body is capable of.

Keeping this ability active has a medium drain on Kasumi's chakara.


Kenjutsu Training:
Since a young age, Kasumi has felt the weight of a sword in her hands. She's practiced combat with swords, and is able to compete with some of the best sword users around. That said, people who lack training with a sword or intensive Taijutsu tend to be overwhelmed by her skill.

Large Chakra Reserves:
Kasumi was born with higher than average chakara reserves, letting her use more chakara and jutsu without being exhausted. A natural gift from her lineage. She has learned how to properly take advantage of these reserves.

Equipment: Hakushika Kami

Jutsu used:

[Suzuki Taru]

She listened closely to Kasumi's explanation. So she'd been the one to dive into the water, but she also hadn't been the one to sacrifice herself, nor had she attempted to.

"That first test was testing us on a few things. How well do you act under pressure? How well can you reason? Do you lead or just do what other people ask? And when things get tough, can you sacrifice yourself for the mission?" She explained.

"I knew they wouldn't really let the one who sacrificed themself die because it wouldn't make sense. When you're testing soldiers, you don't want the ones who are loyal and willing to do the hard work to die. You want them to go on to Chuunin so they can die on a fancy mission instead!" Grim, but not untrue.

"Since that was the case, I figured the one who volunteered would get more points, and I offered myself. But one of my teammates refused and did it himself," she sighed. So that would account for some of the difference in points.

As for the third test. What were they going to be testing?

"This is the first test of pure strength, but it's not just that. They want to see our strategic ability. How do we handle a one-on-one? What do we do if our opponent's abilities counter us? How do we use our environment? This is the time to show off our jutsu and our special skills, but also to show that we can think forward."

[Kasumi Momochi]

A DEMON HAS PURPOSE

There is only one path left to take.

Suzuki had a thought about the first exam that hadn't even occurred to Kasumi. The final part of the first test was to test if you were willing to give it all to succeed in the mission. That... made a strange amount of sense, considering Kasumi didn't even consider volunteering.

"You're pretty smart, Suzuki-san." Kasumi admitted with a thoughtful look. "That makes the third round probably correct too. Hm."

Kasumi thought for a few moments. She thought she was good at a fight, but perhaps just strength and speed wasn't the best way to approach it.

"So perhaps it's smarter to take it slow in the fights, and use your head. Should do that anyway, really. Would hate to die because I was overconfident. Heh."

She'd roll her shoulders, feeling a little more assured by the talk. She was glad she came here. She'd considered bothering the Mizukage with questions, but felt that would be a bit too much.

"If you pass, would you go on some missions with me? I feel like I could learn a lot from you."

Suzuki Taru

SPOILER: Click to show

SAs:
Demon Chakra:
Kasumi has become known for her strange chakara form. When in a dire situation, she is capable of releasing her chakra, which in turn takes a strange color unlike the normal blue color of chakra, and takes the form of a demonic cat figure. She is then enveloped in a demon shroud.

This ability grants her a fierce looking aura, that may come off as intimidating and a tenacity to push beyond their normal limits physically- when this mode is activated, Kasumi is harder to knock out or kill and will generally fight for longer than a normal body is capable of.

Keeping this ability active has a medium drain on Kasumi's chakara.


Kenjutsu Training:
Since a young age, Kasumi has felt the weight of a sword in her hands. She's practiced combat with swords, and is able to compete with some of the best sword users around. That said, people who lack training with a sword or intensive Taijutsu tend to be overwhelmed by her skill.

Large Chakra Reserves:
Kasumi was born with higher than average chakara reserves, letting her use more chakara and jutsu without being exhausted. A natural gift from her lineage. She has learned how to properly take advantage of these reserves.

Equipment: Hakushika Kami

Jutsu used:

[Suzuki Taru]

The third round was a battle to the death, huh? It seemed like the least threatening one to her so far. She could imagine that there were people there who might want to kill their opponent, but everyone she had met so far seemed too decent to be intimidated by in that way. She expected friendly competition.

Taking it slow is a good idea, but even more important is controlling what information you give your opponents," she explained. "You don't want to go into the third fight with your opponent already knowing everything you can do, especially if you don't know everything they can do."

That meant that while fighting slow was smart, it was really more contextual than that. Sometimes ending it quick or even giving up was the smart idea.

Kasumi asked if Taru would go on a mission with her if she passed. Hopefully they would both pass!

"Sure! I'd be happy to. Whether we both pass or both fail, I think I'd like to go on a mission with you. ...Provided we both survive this round," she joked. She had no intention of dying here, so that wasn't really a concern to her. She was not in these rounds to slaughter, she was in to have a fun duel.

[Kasumi Momochi]

A DEMON HAS PURPOSE

There is only one path left to take.

Kasumi hadn't even considered the idea that showing too many jutsu in the first round would be detrimental. It seemed she was lacking some of the critical thinking that the tests seemed to require for passing.

"I see..." she trailed off, glancing at her ally with a raised brow, "you seem to have thought about this a lot. Is this your first exam? I never was a good test taker."

Suzuki agreed to go on a mission with Kasumi, which made the girl smirk. The comments about failing or dying weren't light, but Kasumi had no intentions to do either of those.

"You'll have to make sure to keep your head up and be careful. I have no plans on dying here or any time soon, really." She explained, letting out a small chuckle. "There's still far too much for me to do in this world to die here."

Kasumi hadn't earned anyone's respect yet. She hadn't gotten honor for her father, or family. She hadn't helped make her village the strongest yet. No, there was far too much to do still.

"We'll have to make a promise." Kasumi said, standing up finally and offering a hand to shake to Suzuki. "We'll both survive and go on that mission together after. Yeah?"

Suzuki Taru

SPOILER: Click to show

SAs:
Demon Chakra:
Kasumi has become known for her strange chakara form. When in a dire situation, she is capable of releasing her chakra, which in turn takes a strange color unlike the normal blue color of chakra, and takes the form of a demonic cat figure. She is then enveloped in a demon shroud.

This ability grants her a fierce looking aura, that may come off as intimidating and a tenacity to push beyond their normal limits physically- when this mode is activated, Kasumi is harder to knock out or kill and will generally fight for longer than a normal body is capable of.

Keeping this ability active has a medium drain on Kasumi's chakara.


Kenjutsu Training:
Since a young age, Kasumi has felt the weight of a sword in her hands. She's practiced combat with swords, and is able to compete with some of the best sword users around. That said, people who lack training with a sword or intensive Taijutsu tend to be overwhelmed by her skill.

Large Chakra Reserves:
Kasumi was born with higher than average chakara reserves, letting her use more chakara and jutsu without being exhausted. A natural gift from her lineage. She has learned how to properly take advantage of these reserves.

Equipment: Hakushika Kami

Jutsu used:

[Suzuki Taru]

It wasn't her first exam, actually! 

"I was in the exams once two years ago," she informed Kasumi. So she had some context to understand all the things that went into this. "We didn't make it through the first round that time, though. I relied too much on my team. I decided I wanted to take on more of a leadership role this time to do better." 

She felt like she had grown a lot since that attempt and now she was able to be a much stronger shinobi. Maybe having that experience before was what allowed her to be pulling so well in this round, too. Even though this one was a lot more stressful and dangerous than the last, she'd still kind of known what to expect. 

Kasumi wanted to make a promise about surviving. Taru could agree to that. Even though it was hard to control the time of one's own death, she was still pretty sure her fate did not end at this place. 

Taru took Kasumi's hand in a firm squeeze and gave it an enthusiastic shake, nodding. 

"Deal. We'll both do our best and no matter the result, we'll go together. I really look forward to it!" She was excited to get back home from this event. Regardless of the outcome, she was proud of how far she'd gotten, and she couldn't wait to talk to her team and Toru! And now she had this to look forward to as well. 

[Kasumi Momochi]

A DEMON HAS PURPOSE

There is only one path left to take.

Kasumi cracked a smile at the girls enthusiasm, finding her cheerfulness almost infectious. It was strange, to be in a place like this facing challenges that could easily result in death and still finding the time and energy to be happy.

Maybe shinobi were just strange creatures.

"Don't get too comfortable at the top, though. I plan on taking that spot if you let your guard down. Heh."

As their hands separated and the conversation seemed to fizzle out, the demon would give another nod of acknowledgement to her comrade.

"I'll see you again when this is over. Maybe I'll learn something else by watching your fight too. A ninja's work is never done, y'know."

Kasumi would turn to leave, waving her hand behind her as she thought about the things she'd learned.

Suzuki Taru

SPOILER: Click to show

SAs:
Demon Chakra:
Kasumi has become known for her strange chakara form. When in a dire situation, she is capable of releasing her chakra, which in turn takes a strange color unlike the normal blue color of chakra, and takes the form of a demonic cat figure. She is then enveloped in a demon shroud.

This ability grants her a fierce looking aura, that may come off as intimidating and a tenacity to push beyond their normal limits physically- when this mode is activated, Kasumi is harder to knock out or kill and will generally fight for longer than a normal body is capable of.

Keeping this ability active has a medium drain on Kasumi's chakara.


Kenjutsu Training:
Since a young age, Kasumi has felt the weight of a sword in her hands. She's practiced combat with swords, and is able to compete with some of the best sword users around. That said, people who lack training with a sword or intensive Taijutsu tend to be overwhelmed by her skill.

Large Chakra Reserves:
Kasumi was born with higher than average chakara reserves, letting her use more chakara and jutsu without being exhausted. A natural gift from her lineage. She has learned how to properly take advantage of these reserves.

Equipment: Hakushika Kami

Jutsu used: