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Soya and Naomi stood proudly up in the rafters. "The hell? We're f'ing Jounin! Is this really the closest the Mizukage could get us," questioned Soya? "Well," replied Naomi, "he just must think that you're a lousy teacher. How else would you lose your students?" "Hey! That wasn't my fault! And it went better than usual! Neither are dead!" "Oh, c'mon, you know I'm kidding." Naomi's fingers started running up Soya's shoulder. "Well, I suppose I can forgive you this time." The two finally took their seats, with a eyes staring at them like they were crazy.

MEANWHILE-O-RAMA!!!

Kujikeru entered the rafters and sighed out loud. "Well now I don't have anyone to sit with...though I suppose there are more important things to worry about." His eyes scanned the crowd for anything interesting, seeing as he was already bored out of his mind. Suddenly a bush of brown hair caught his eye next to some purple. "No way," he shouted exhuberantly. "Soya! Heeey!"

Soya's attenntion was caught (for once), and he sprang up to see who shouted to him. To his surprise, there was Kujikeru, running up the steps. "Hey! It's Kuji...Kuji...Kujikero?" Kujikeru fell flat on his face. "Why does everyone think I'm a frog!" "Soya...," motioned Naomi, "You're making a scene! Kujikeru, get over here before we get thrown out!" "And Naomi's here to--" Before he could finish, Naomi grabbed him by his collar and threw him down into the seat next to Soya.

The trio chatted a little after that. Soya was relieved to hear that Kujikeru had gotten back to the mainland, Naomi was bummed that now she had to share Soya's attention with someone, and Kujikeru moved onto the exams. When he got to Iruko, he got silent. The crowd filled the silence with a deafening roar. Soya decided to keep talking.

"So, this is...your first death," he started. "Well...yeah, kinda." "First you cared about then?" "...yeah. How about you?" "Well, your tone sure has changed! It sounds less enthusiastic. Sorry, anyways, yeah. I still remember my first one. It was the person I cared most about. Along with...well, fairly much everyone I knew. Then after that were my parents, then my second team. Nothing much lately."

"Really," Kujikeru shouted in deisbelief?! "How do you go on? This is my first, and it seems hard to have my usual idioticly cheery attitude." Naomi leaned forwards and whispered something into Soya's ear. He knodded his head and started out, "Well, think of it; the past is done. You can't do a damned thing about it, so what's the point in worrying about it? Don't get me wrong, it's important to honor those who fell in the past, but really, would they want you to just give up? To just stop living?"

Kujikeru stared up at the duo who smiled back at him. He's only a few years older than me, though Kujikeru. He stared back for a few moments, then replied with his usual goofy smile. Maybe I really will learn all those things I missed out on... "Oh! My teammate's fight is going to start soon!" Kujkeru's attention was brought back to the fight. Naomi took th is chance to steal away Soya's arm.

Zanzu looked up and down the isles for a seat until he finally managed to spot a few that weren't already taken and rushed down jumping into one. He yawned a little and leaned back into his seat relaxing his aching muscles. He was actually a little glad that he had failed the exams because now he had a little bit of time to relax and even if he had passed the second round he was so exhausted that he wouldn't have lasted very long in the third one. After a few moments Zanzu stood up and began to look around to see if he couldn't find Akria anywhere...

He was late for the first time since he was assigned to team 04. "Why'd I have to be late?"He muttered to himself sitting in an empty seat near the door. He looked at the match about to start and started thinking, The lightning genin is nervous, but has more size. The crowd favorite most likely has more speed, it'll be interesting to see what happens. Damn the b*****d's rubbed off on me, stupid Anguna.

Hmmm...Large and brawny. Probably gonna use alot of taijutsu. Then again, never judge a book by it's cover. The little one kinda gives me the chills though. Toki shivered slightly as the two oppenents stepped into the arena. He wanted this fight to go badly for one of them, he wanted a limb to be hacked off or to see someone be disembowled. His palms were sweating, his breathing was heavy. It was at moments like this when he really felt alive, the start of a good fight.

Shade was starting to feel as though he had chosen the worst possible person to sit next too. In fact, he wished he had just sat in the Hidden Shadow section like a normal person.

Before the match even begins you hear a loud screetch in the distance. The sound begins to grow louder and louder and louder until it almost begins to hurt your ears.

The source of the terrible screetching is soon discovered as an uncountable number of bats swarm over the top of the stadium. Quickly they all swoop down in a spiralling pattern until they are in every stand and hallway causing mass panic from the attendants desperately swatting at them to keep them at bay.

Finally they make their way into the center of the arena between the two combatants and a few of the smaller ones condense into a buldge. A beautiful, yet pale woman stands there in a long black cloak with a cloud pattern about it(Akatsuki cloak xp ). Lifting her hand up a small bat lands on her index finger as the rest spiral out and upwards into the sky above in a holding pattern.


mmm so this is the Hidden Shadow's pretty new arena..... She muses to herself. As the Hidden Cloud Genin gulps and attempts to take a step back he is cut off by a swift glistening of light. A long, wicked looking blade is in the hand of the woman where the bat used to be, or perhaps turned into and is glistening with blood. As she lifts the black blade to her lips to lick the blood the two halves of the Genin fall to the ground in a bloody heap.
Such a boring taste to his blood.....

The sword shifts into a small bat that lands on her shoulder once more while she reaches into her cloak and produces a small scroll.
Attention dear people of the Shinobi Countries. The Akatsuki have a message for you....


((Had to re-type this twice, stupid Invalid Post modes!!! crying ))

Kujikeru and Naomi were twinging at the sound as they drew their weapons and readied themselve,s but not Soya. He seemed rather unfazed. "Soya," questioned Kujikeru, "how can you stand this noise?!" "Well," he replied, "I guessI listen to my music too loud?" "Well who are they?" You really don't know," queationed Naomi? "That robe...it's an Akatsuki member! Powerful S-class missing-nin, comparable in power to even Kage level ninja. Any bounty on their heads would be worth more than you could imagine!"

As much as they'd rather talk, some bats attacked right near by. Well random observers were no help, so they had to take action. Soya drew his Ninja-tou and jumped upwards into the air. Three bats followed him up and attacked. He bounced off of one, stabbing the other, kicking the one he jumped off of hard into the ground, and the last got a slash right in its face. He fell quickly and landed on the ground. "Naomi, You go down the rafters and to the left corner. I'll go down and right, Kujikeru, you and creepy kid sitting behind us can try and protect right here. We can atleast save this section until any Oinin show up."

"Creepy kid," questioned Kujikeru? "Oh! Hi Shade! Shouldn't you be down there, waiting for your match? And do you have any grape soda? I'm prarched, and the vendor outside wouldn't take my money." As Kujikeru babbled, Soya ran down with Naomi. Naomi let out her chakra strings and threw them around bat's throats as she ran, choking them qith much ease.

And outside the arena!

"Oh 'cmon! They throw me out right before things get interesting! Screw it, I'm going back in! Nesupa!" Kyoukan threw her Fuuma shuriken up the side of the wall, using it as a grappling hook. When it became taught, she dashed up the side using the rope she tied to it. She came to the top and looked down upon the arena. As it so happens, she was right above Soya, just over the roof.

Toki sat there unfazed as the bats whipped past him and then spiraled back into the skies. When they had left the arena he stood up and walked over to the railing, leaning on it and staring down. "Quite the looker. Probably a good roll in the hay."


Shade was dumbfounded. "Froggy...I'm a chuunin now. I passed due to that forest." A cold shiver ran down his spine as he said it.