Team I Meets

Taiga passed the written exam which turned out being much more difficult than she imagined. It was a bit demotivating how much she studied only to be one question short. Although it was math she felt inadequate. But somehow she managed to pass the written exam and proceed onto the next round. She wanted to make sure she had everything in her arsenal for this test. Survival Exam in the name itself was intimidating to her. She brought every bit of armor and weapon she had for what could possibly be the most challenging activity in her life. Like any other day she wore her black sandals, black pants, and t-shirt. Under her t-shirt she wore another shirt, however this one had steel chain mail over the top serving as a means of secondary protection if all else failed. She trusted her armor in preserving her life in the most dire of circumstances. On her legs she wore leather shin guards which were lightweight and padded to not only decrease impact force, but protect her from some bladed attacks. These were paired with faulds which covered her waist and down the laterals of her thighs made of the same standards with her shin guards. Over her shirt she wore a basic leather vest which wasn't anything special being dark brown in color like the rest of her leather armor, but it helped add layers of protection to her clothes and mail shirt making her torso an undesirable target. She even had spaulders which covered her upper arms, and arm guards which covered her backhand up to her elbows.

Taiga wore a belt with her combat outfit which carried her four holsters, two on the left side of her belt and two on the right side. They were both blue, attempting to give some color diversity as green would match her hair. Around the front side of her belt she carried a tanto in a metal holster with leather safety strips tying the handle and holster together. Since it was the only weapon she carried up front it was at risk of being stolen from an enemy. That is she prepared ahead of time by securing it with a knot. She also carried a pouch on the back side of her belt where she kept the rest of her small weapons. She brought a medkit which was placed next to her hip pouch on her belt. Behind the pouch and medkit pouch she carried two sickles, one of them having a small chain attached to the base with a metal weight on the end. The chain and weight were wrapped up around the handle so it wouldn't get in the way when not being used. She wore her wooden staff along her back using a leather strap. It was her primary weapon since it gave her reach and it was easy enough to use and not a bad defensive weapon too.

On both hands she wore two iron rings, one on the middle finger and one of the ring finger. They were kakute, each being identical in having two pointy spike. They were facing outwards as Taiga fully intended to use a variety of weapons and she didn't want to risk poking herself. The spikes of each kakute were covered in a metallic green color suggesting they were coated with a deterrent.

It would be raining by the time Taiga showed up to her gate. She had everything she needed, whilst shoving a bread roll in her mouth. It was the last bit of real food she would have in a while so she wanted to eat more than she normally would. The food would give her energy that would be much needed for this test. Standing next to the gate she undid the leather strap keeping her tanto secure in its sheath. Taiga shuffled around in her pouch and pulled a small vial. Uncorking it she'd pour a measured amount of the dark liquid on the blade before stashing it back in its scabbard. The tanto's blade marinated in the poison for the time being. She'd tie the leather strap again to secure the blade in place. Standing idol she waited for her teammate to show up with her. Taiga focused on her breathing to remain calm. For the next five days she needed to not waste any time and work hard.

Now was the time, the survival exam had finally arrived and Shinsui felt himself prepared to face the fast. His long black hair was worn down as it always was, reaching to his mid back and was as straight as a razer. He wore his usual black suit but this time paired it with a green tie. The red would stick out too much in the forest they were about to go into. His usual black slacks were worn with a belt cinching them to his waist. His black combat shoes covered his feet. None of his apparel gave any kind of defense against harm, merely against the elements as a whole. However that did not deter him. His very body was his armour, and it was more durable than any equipment. It made little sense to wear such garb when it was needlessly heavy and would only do to encumber him for providing less protection than his very skin. Upon his wrist he wore a watch, it wasn’t a particularly expensive one, lest her lose it in the jungle, but it might be good to have if the trees got too thick to see the sun, or if the weather got too bad to see where the sun or moon were.

The rain coming down wouldn’t bother him really, if anything it made him content. It allowed for an opportunity if the exams began while it was still coming down. For others who held less willpower, or had poor conditioning would seek shelter for their first day. Should his partner be of such an individual he could get them settled in a defensible position and scout nearby, for he wouldn’t get sick, and he had no qualms about getting rained upon. His gate was nearby and he could see a figure standing before it in the rain. She was the only individual he could immediately see and Shinsui figured she must be his teammate. As he moved closer he would look at the large iron wrought ‘I’ above the gate that proclaimed him in the correct location. When he was close enough to speak without shouting, but still out of range of a startled physical reaction he would speak. “Good morning miss. I suppose we make up a team.” He would say as he continued closer. Already he could tell she had come for bear and he wondered if all that equipment would make too much noise in a jungle and lead to easier discovery. Her green hair stood out and oddly enough, matched his tie. His almost laughed at the coincidence.

“I am Shinsui, of Konohakure.” He would introduce himself, giving a polite bow. He wouldn’t reach for her hand to kiss it as he normally would. Mainly because he could see the spiked rings on her hands and the greenish tint to them spoke of poison. He didn’t know if such things would affect him or not, but why bother testing that theory here and now? He’d wait and test it later on with his own time. When he could arrange for a couple of days off in case he needed to go to the hospital. “I suppose we should get to know one another. I specialize in Taijutsu based combat with a ‘little’ earth ninjutsu to back it up.” He would say, emphasizing the word ‘little’ “I’m not as fast as I would like but I can take more than a few hits, so much so that kunai, shuriken, and even blades are unable to pierce my skin for the most part. Please, don’t hesitate to use me as a shield in there if you need.” He would say, giving an honest, and accurate summation of his skills. It would not do to lie here, to someone who would need to work with him for days. “My reaction time is about average. My ability to perceive things is a bit above average. I’m no smarter than the regular individual, but I can keep going when many others would drop.. I’m afraid I do not have all that much going for me besides my durability and prowess in taijutsu.” He would finish, giving a sheepish smile at the young woman.

As he spoke he would reach into a pouch and pull out a few senbon and begin to load a spring loaded launcher on his arm with 5 of the needles. He’d also check the explosive tag he’d placed upon his chest, under his shirt, ensuring that it was indeed there. It should provide a nasty surprise if a situation needed one. He idly checked his kunai, the other senbon, and his bag of ration pills, ensuring that all were where they were supposed to be. Confident then that he was indeed prepared for this to start, he would work his arms a bit, loosening them up in boredom as they waited.

Taiga turned her head at the presence of the young man. She was well aware of where he was. She could practically smell him for better or worse. He seemed pretty ordinary from what she could tell. He was awfully confident in being a body shield for her which seemed silly. Taiga was aware that some ninja could train their bodies to impossible limits, but those traits belonging to a Genin was generally unheard of. He talked too much for her liking sharing every minor detail he had. But she maintained eye contact waiting for him to finish before she started.

"I'm Taiga. I work in all fields of combat." Short, sweet, and to the point.

After eating her provision she was beginning to feel the nutrients supplement her body. She had everything she needed to survive the next few days without a problem. Taiga reached back and pulled her wooden staff off her baldric and stuck the butt into the ground. It worked as a great walking stick to help her traverse the rough terrain. The rain was annoying but it wasn't as bad as she thought.

"So who is holding the relic?"

Her response was quick, concise, and honest.

Which was about what he'd expect when someone meets another for the first time. He himself was fairly talkative at times, he knew that. However he also know that it was best to get such things out of his system now, lest it drive him crazy in the forest when they desperately needed stealth to be their best option. He figured it annoyed some, but that was the way life worked, it was annoying at times. So that it couldn't get in the way in others.

"It is a pleasure to meet Miss Taiga." He would say, still as polite as he could be. At her question he would give some thought to it. "I suppose it's up to you. I can see multiple ways people might assume you have it, or I have it. If you're versed in all fields of combat you'll probably provide long range power while I close up. As I simply can't do much from afar. Someone might choose to assume you have it to keep it furthest from danger. On the other hand, they might assume I have it because of my taller size and bulkier build making me look more imposing physically. I personally don't care which of us hold it, so I'll leave the decision to you." He would say as the guard that was behind the gate opened it with a key and nodded toward them. Time to go then, good. Shinsui would either accept the chess piece and place it in his pouch if Taiga chose to pass it off to him, or let her take it instead. He would however take one of the ear pieces the guard had and place it into his ear.

He would proceed to take a moment, testing the ear piece with the guard to ensure all was well before nodding and beginning to step into the forest before them. Now the real exams would begin and his blood was rushing with anticipation of what was to come. He wouldn't use words now, communication could be done in many ways and it didn't require noise to do so. He'd do his best to keep his noise profile down, and he wagered soon they would take to the trees to scout them.

[Exiting into Survivals]

"You mentioned you have poor reaction time, and average intelligence. That makes you unsuspecting and easier to fool. I will take the relic." Taiga said affirmatively

There was not much to argue or think about. Shinsui made some valid points arguing both sides, but that was his problem. Arguing both sides got them nowhere. Risk was inevitable and there was no correct answer when it came to deciding who would hold the relic. So the best action to her was the one she felt most comfortable with. Taiga grabbed the relic from one of the security guards who offered it and stashed it in her pouch for the time being. There were probably some more clever hiding places, but none that Taiga wanted to invest in for now. But soon after they were granted access into the jungle. She followed behind Shinsui allowing him to lead just sightly ahead of her staying vigilant of her surroundings.

[Exiting with Shinsui]