A/N: This is a little later than the time that I wanted to post it but, I've gotten it out. Enjoy part two of these new and exciting Chunin Exams.

Also, I've made twitter account that you can use to find answers to your questions more quickly. You can find me -at- SynysterSketch. As for your question, Ice princess, I said a double chapter was possible in the future, not necessarily this release or the next. I will make it known in advance when there will be one.

Ch. 7

Chunin Exams Part 2

Morning rays peeked through the openings of the long rectangular blinds, and the sun lined the room with a fence of thin light. It cut through the shadows on Akua's face and was enough to stir the girl from slumber. Her heavy eyelids winced before opening, nearly blinding herself with brightness. She covered her eyes with the back of her palm. Her body refused to emerge from beneath the sheets; her abdomen was bruised. Instead, she reflected on the events of the day before.

FLASHBACK

Akua's body was drained of air. She'd realized this when Usagi had pulled her up from the ledge. The impact had punched the wind from her stomach. Both of them lay on the ground next to each other, Usagi exhausted, Akua writhing in pain. But they were safe from elimination and successfully passed the first test. She managed to smile even though her lungs struggled to inflate. Eventually her chest expanded with oxygen again, drawing in large amounts of the vital gas. Sweat beaded down her forehead and her body felt a bit numb. The adrenaline that rushed through her blood was beginning to fade and her heart rate stabilized itself. The girl peered up into the clouds that seemed to pass only a few meters above her. The darkened silhouette of the main proctor's body blocked the sunlight from hitting Akua's face and his shadow loomed over her. His hands were held behind his back as he examined the young genin below him. "That was quite impressive of you, child. I certainly was not expecting it," commented the middle aged man of around 40 years. His physique was packed with muscle and complemented by his height, which was at least six feet. The minor wrinkles of wisdom were carved into his dark skinned complexion, and a Kumogakure forehead protector wrapped around his cranium, topped off by his dull blonde hair. Akua shifted her head to see him as he spoke. "From Konoha," he continued, noticing her headband, "they always have an outlier up their sleeve. You seem like an interesting young lady; what is your name, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Akua…" she muttered.

"No last name?"

The girl was silent.

"I see. Don't worry about it, you simply reminded me of someone is all. It's probably just my imagination." The man turned from her to the rest of the participants. Out of the 42 original genin on the bridge, only 25 of them remained. Therefore, only 25 teams made it through the first exam. Such was the extent and severity of the Chunin Exams, eliminating a little bit less than half the eligible teams. The survivors suffered similar conditions as Team 5, all bruised by the difficulty they had just experienced, enough to tatter even the veterans of the exam. All but the Amegakure team of course. There were two that entered and only one of them remained. It wasn't the one that Akua hoped to make it through either. "Attention! It's to my utmost pleasure that I declare you all have passed this first crucial exam! You will have exactly 48 hours to rest before the second exam. Directions will be given to each of your instructors later today! In two days time, you will all report to the Cloudburst Isles! That will be all!" He roared, voice echoing between the valleys. An explosion of smoke expelled from his body, leaving him nowhere to be seen several moments after. It was up to the genin to find their way back.

Although this task was not rigorous, it seemed that these exams were not going to cut the genin any slack. Akua curled up to her left side to see Yashiro bent over on his forearms and knees with his fists clenched. His forehead was buried into the dirt and tears streamed from his eyelids. The Hyūga bashed his balled hand into the ground in repetition. Akua couldn't deduce what was going through his head to force him into that state. The girl's fingers dragged marks into the ground when she forced her airless body from it. Her back collided into something, or perhaps, something ran into her. Black gloved arms wrapped around her waist and she could feel the warm and softness of someone else's cheek on her head. "A...ku...a…"

The Uchiha's heart crystallized as if a light, everwinter breeze swept through her chest. When she attempted to wrench herself free and move her arms, Akua felt the sting of cold steel through the fabric of her fitted hoodie. The female behind her hid the blade underneath her forearm, but held the tip against her body right above where the left kidney would be. She was paralyzed now, gulping down her fear and eyeing the knife ready to pierce her body. It was a ten to twelve inch knife adorned with a blade that split into three razor edges, spiraling around the center axis to come to a single puncturing point. The solid chrome finish glimmered in her trembling amethyst eyes. One wrist flick, and she'd be dead within minutes. Chilling sweat rolled down the side of her face and she tried to keep her breathing under control. "T-Tano…shimi…"

Tanoshimi's nose drew in Akua's scent. "…What perfume do you use, Akua? You always smell like fear and sweet roses. Are you afraid?"

Akua didn't respond. No one else seemed to notice her predicament either. The proctors were leaving, as well as the successful genin. Usagi was unconscious and Yashiro was in the dirt. It was just the two of them now. She didn't dare to yell for help either. That meant instant death. Therefore she concluded the best thing to do was to be as calm as possible.

Tanoshimi continued with the one-sided conversation, "I haven't seen you for a few months, how've you been." The sincerity of her voice was as deceptive as she could remember. "Ah, you weren't much of a talker were you now?"

Akua's lips were sealed.

"That's ok. You'll be speaking soon enough, I'm sure of it…" Akua felt the muscles tugging in Tanoshimi's cheek against her head as the girl smirked. "I just wanted to say hi is all."

Akua felt Tanoshimi's presence left her body, but when she immediately turned around, she was nowhere to be seen. Just the backs of the departing test takers and her teammates on the ground.

END FLASHBACK


The buzzing chakra of the Mystical Palm technique carried itself across Akua's abdomen, attempting to repair the damaged skin cells. The stinging feeling caused her to flinch every once in awhile. She was laid flat on her back with her chibi cow-head pajama shirt rolled up. Sakura's palms were hovering over as she knelt on both knees to her left side. "Sensei…you didn't need to do this," Akua asserted, turning her head the opposite way to hide her embarrassment.

"Oh please, I could hear you groaning all night and this morning. There's no need to fight it when I can help. Tough girls like you could use a hand sometimes too!"

Akua eventually gave in. The treatment was revitalizing, and she would need a speedy recovery if she was going to be of any use to her team come time for the second exam. When Sakura was finished, she led Akua into the living area of their hotel suite. The room was a mix of a traditional and modern setting with the walls painted a solid, mossy green. Wooden flooring squared in on a lower level of the floor near the main door where the dining table stood. To the right of the front door—from Akua's point of view—was Yashiro's room. The toilet and bathing area were along the right wall as well. Across that to the left was Sakura's bedroom. From the exit of Akua's doorway on the right corner, there was a television set to her immediate left and Usagi's on its other side. In front of the Uchiha was the sofa that sat between the television and and the dining area. Usagi surfed through Kumogakure's channels, unable to find something interesting. "Ugh…why aren't there any good look"—she diverted her attention to Akua who had finally emerged from bed—"oh, look who decided to join the land of the living."

"I'd never willingly decide to come and see you again," Akua joked.

Usagi stuck her tongue out and went back to searching. A giggle escaped from Sakura as the two interacted, and she made her way to her own room, pouncing in and out of the way of the TV.

"Is Yashiro still asleep?" Akua asked, worried for her friend.

"No clue."

"Should I go check on him?"

Usagi shrugged. Akua decided to go regardless. The way he was acting the other day bothered her. When she slide the door open to enter his room, she found no one. Spaced out grunts were the only things present, and the sounds appeared to be at some distance away. "Yashiro?" she called out. Numbers became barely audible, and they were chanted in fatigued increments. She searched now, drawing nearer to the sounds.

"Four…hundred..thirty…six!" Akua heard. "Four…hundred..thirty…seven! Four…h-hundred thirt-y eig…ght!"

Akua approached the far end of the room and slid the balcony door open. There the Hyūga was, arms locked in push-up position, intense strain written along his facial expression and a puddle of sweat underneath him. "Yashiro, what th—"

"Four hundred…thir-ty nine!" he interrupted, trying his best not to lose focus. The muscle of his triceps were swollen and throbbing, which caused his arms to shake uncontrollably. His fingers dug into the wooden flooring. The veins in his forehead were ready to burst from his skin. His complexion was the blood rushed crimson of concentration. THUD! Yashiro's weight became too much for himself to support and he crumbled. His cheek was printed into the hard floor and his hair was a mess, which was unlike him. Both of his elbows twitched from overexertion. You could see his back rising and falling because his chest was desperately trying to heave in oxygen and his clothing hugged his body, stained with large blotches of perspiration.

"Only four hundred thirty nine? I'm sure you can do more than that," Akua teased. It did nothing but elicit a groan of disagreement. The boy struggled to flip himself over to his back so that he could see his teammate.

"Y-you've got…to be kidding…me," he huffed out. Akua shook her head, leaned up against the frame of the door.

"How long have you been out here?"

"Since 4 am." It was about 7:30am now.

Akua chuckled, "Why so early?"

"Because…I need to train harder. I need to catch up if I'm going to be of any use."

"Catch up—"

"To you, Akua. I need to catch up to you."

She pouted at the way she was being idolized. It didn't seem normal.

"I…you really saved the both of us back there"—he was finally beginning to catch his breath— "and we were the ones who were giving you a hard time about being a newbie, heh."

"Yashiro, it wasn't just m—"

"Oh please, don't say that. You formulated the plan in two seconds, you're the one who executed it, and if I didn't screw up it would've been flawless, yet you still were able to get Usagi and I both to safety…"

"If it weren't for your air palm I wouldn't have been able to reach her, and Usagi saved me from falling off the edge, it was a team effort," she added.

"You may be right but…there's still no question that we could've been more useful. Even after we passed…that girl…"

"Y-you saw that?" Akua sparked an interest. Yashiro nodded his head in silence.

"I could see that weird knife she was holding out of the corner of my eye…I didn't know what to do so I just stay put…I didn't want to make a brash decision and have you lose your life in the process."

Akua sighed and dragged her left hand down her cheek.

"Who was that anyway? The girl from the registration roo—"

"Her name is Tanoshimi," she interrupted. Yashiro shifted his position, sitting up to listen with intent.

"I know her because she isn't from Amegakure, she's from Kusagakure, where I use to live. I'm honestly not sure why she's wearing an Amegakure forehead protector."

"Why is she targeting you specifically?"

"I really wish I could tell you, but I don't exactly know myself." That truth was stretched. Akua did in fact have an idea of what Tanoshimi was after, but that wasn't for her to reveal, mostly because she still wasn't sure of what it was. "All I know is that…she's extremely dangerous. I don't want to see her in this next exam."

"So the circumstances are this critical…" Yashiro pondered.

"She's…her entire team, they're fighting machines. They grew up in the same system I did, except for longer. They're all about your age."

"Don't worry," Yashiro reassured, "it doesn't matter, this time I'll be the one protecting you guys." He gave her a promising smile, and even though the odds were stacked against her team, she couldn't help but to believe in him.

Within the hour, Akua brushed her teeth, took a shower and changed her clothing from her pajamas to her regular clothing. At around 8am, she went to eat her breakfast. Sakura had made sunny-side up eggs that were crispy on the bottom, grilled sausages and sliced up baked potato. She made enough for everyone to have two servings each, but Akua ended up eating four. This was a norm that team 5 got use to, Akua's seemingly endless appetite. Such was the deal on every mission that they embarked on. She always had to have something to eat.

After breakfast, everyone went about their business. Today was the only full free day the team had before the survival examination which was tomorrow at 3pm. Each member of the team had to accept what they had to do and what could happen in only a couple hours and each member had their own way of trying to cope with it. Sakura was recalling her past memories. She had a small portable scrapbook that she kept in her ninja pouch when she was away from the village. Within it contained old pictures of team 7 when they were children, to pictures of them during the war, to pictures of her beloved daughter Sarada. She held these memories close as comfort and as protection from whatever peril may beset her. Therefore, from time to time she would sit and sift through each photo, spending a considerable amount of time examining in depth.

Usagi wasn't as deep as the rest. If she wasn't thinking about the opposite sex, she was tending to her naginata. She always kept the steel razor sharp and lethal, ready to complete any task and any time. This was done by mending the blade with a special solvent liquid that she applied with a damp cloth. When Usagi was in this mode, very little could enter her mind. The weapon was her most prized possession, an ancient tool passed down within the Shimura clan that was now within her grasp. She always sat with her legs crossed and held the handle of the staff along her knees. The blade hung off and pointed away from her body as she cleaned it.

Yashiro's stress reliever was physical activity, something common between all humans if they intended to cope with it. He seldom practiced with others, finding himself at peace when he trained alone. With the tightening, bulging veins around his eyes and cheek, the lavender white eyes of the Byakugan activated. He became aware of everything and everyone around him within a 30 kilometer radius, an awareness that calmed his senses. When active, he would exercise by practicing the Gentle Fist technique several hundred times over to perfection. Dual finger jabs followed by an extended burst of chakra characterized the Hyūga's special technique. Although there were more expansive techniques, such as the Air Palm, he was limited on space. Mastering the basics were more important however, for they would be the difference between life and death when it came down to it.

For Akua, complete meditation was how she coped with the fears of the upcoming test. She was able to empty her mind of all distractions to be at peace with herself. The girl sat within the absolute center of her front, with her legs criss-crossed and palms pressed together at her chest. The flow of her chakra and the rate of her breathing was all she focused on. The breathing calmed her physically while the kneading of her chakra allowed for her mind to be tuned with that. It was a manipulation of chakra's components to produce optimal performance when the time came. However, she was able to feel a foreign, unpleasant disturbance within the pathway of her chakra. It felt like a cold void siphoning her essence away whenever she tried to send the warmth of chakra to that area. The area to the right side of her neck and shoulder. Akua disrupted her mind with memories to recall anything that might have happened. But there was nothing. There were no abnormalities in her character, no marks or damage to her body around that area, yet at times it felt like that right shoulder didn't exist as herself. She was fed up with this recurring feeling. Something had to be done. Akua focused a great portion of her chakra on that point, feeding in and flooding it with her presence. For a moment, it felt like that emptiness was eradicated. But then her body stiffened. She felt attacked, gnawed at viciously from her right side and her inner consciousness was battling within. Something was trying to devour her completely. Her chakra sparked, the atmosphere in the room became turbulent in an attempt to combat this growing enigma. The sheets of her bed, the contents of her bag, and clothing went whipped and dragged across the room. The girl's breathing was no longer paced, it was in erratic short bursts. The sudden phenomena was forcing the activation of her sharingan again, this time in both eyes. They were unable to be silenced. Her hands were still clasped together and her body trembled. She felt herself drifting away within, further away from the light of her eyes and into the darkness. RING. RING. RING. The contents of her room fell from the air, scattered in a disorderly fashion. RING. RING. RING. Her consciousness started to pull back, and the deep meditation lingered in was broken. The presence that attempted to feast on her lifted, and she dropped her hands against the floor. She looked around for the source of the sound, getting closer to the ringing vibrations. It was the constant buzzing of her cell-phone.

Akua looked around, listening for the movements of her team. There were no audible sounds that pertained to her. It seemed that there wasn't much of a stirring disturbance in the suite. The girl turned to her ringing phone again. It was Boruto calling. Akua felt her chest, massaged her neck and took a deep breath before answering. "Hell—"

"Ku-chan!" He screamed in her ear. His enthusiasm was soothing to her now, anything would be after that pleasant episode.

"Hm, I see you can't live without me there bothering you."

"What are ya, crazy?" He defended, "There's no way that's true!"

"This pendant around my neck begs to differ, Boruto~" her voice went up in a playful pitch but still dragged.

"Pffffft, I was just being a nice person ya know! I didn't have to give that to you!"

"Whatever you say, idiot!" She blurted before the tone of her voice changed again to one that was relaxed, "happy Rinne Festival, Boruto."

"Oh, so you read my mind, eh? Didn't think you would remember the day."

Akua replied in an instant, "Of course I would."

"Oh yea?" he roared.

"Mhm." The contrast between the voices of both individuals was common now. This was how a majority of their conversations occurred. Akua always seemed to be calm and collected. Her voice never rose over a certain pitch, and when speaking to Boruto or teasing him, it had a melodic tone. Boruto on the other hand was constantly flustered when speaking to Akua. His voice erupted in a minor shout, teased at by her prodding. But for him, today seemed odd.

"Ku-chan, are you alright? You sound…exhausted."

"Uh wh-well. No, I'm fine," she lied.

"Are you sure? Did that test mess you up? Are you a chunin yet?"

"No…there's another portion of the test. It's tomorrow actually, a survival exam."

"Survival exam? What does that mean for you?"

She sighed, "It means we'll have to go up against other teams, probably to fight for something. I don't think there'll be any rules, so…"

"Then do you think people are going to—"

"Yes," she cut in, "it's possible…"

There was an extended period of silence after Akua's interruption.

"You're not going to…kill anyone are you?" he asked. Such a concept was still foreign to him. He was still only nine years old, soon to be ten. The boy didn't understand what it meant to take someone else's life or how he would view a person who had.

Akua gulped down, "N-no, I don't think I could bring myself to."

"Y-you don't need that on your chest, alright? Promise me." He lifted the awkward atmosphere from the conversation.

"I promise."

"Ah, there it is, there's your voice! Now, don't go breaking that other promise ya know!"

"Yes, Boruto," she giggled.


Thursday rolled around the corner within the blink of an eye after their conversation. Akua walked in between Usagi and Yashiro, amongst a group of 24 other genin teams. They followed a stair pathway with peaks and bases that sloped along with the mountain valley's jagged rock formations. Thin cirrus clouds approached, passing over the peaks and leaving pieces of their misty bodies behind when drifting away. The genin ascended to the last peak of the stair case. They were at least 6 km in the air now and descended a short flight compared their height. There was a wide clearing waiting at the bottom for them with a gray sigil stone towards the very edge. There were no stairs beyond it, just the eminent death that awaited anyone who decided to tumble.

The same dark skinned test proctor from before was waiting for the group in his Kumogakure uniform with his hands held together behind his back. When the last genin's sandal planted along the platform, a gust of wind tore through the mountain range, billowing clothing to the left. The man tilted his head up and began to speak. "Welcome all of you," he greeted his voice rather relaxed, "today is the day of the second exam, Survival in the Cloudburst Isles."

Not a sound was emitted by the genin.

"I'm sure you're all aware that this day might be your last day on this earth."

Faces were blank. Each of them knew the circumstances it seemed.

"Today's test will be a throwback. When your team enters this sigil behind me, you will be handed either a heaven or earth scroll. Your objective is to obtain one of each scroll, but do not open either of them. Once collected, you must make your way to the center of the isles to the Thunder Gate Tower. Only then may you read their contents. The only way you will be able to enter the tower is if you have both scrolls. Arrival will indicate completion of the exam. There will be no rules during this test, only the mission at hand. Therefore…"—there was a pause. Many of the foreign genin were confused as to where they would be taking this exam. There was nothing beyond the sigil other than the end of the mountain range. It only took one of them to realize and tilt their head upwards. The domino effect occurred shortly after. Wide cirrus clouds that obscured vision drew pass the atmosphere to reveal a series of enormous, floating islands within the December sky. Akua's jaw was left unhinged. Nothing of the sorts had ever blessed her glossy violet eyes in such a manner. All the foreign genin were experiencing similar feelings. Its scale was magnificent, and at least an extra kilometer above them. From their distance, all they could see were the mountain peaks, the undersides of a fraction of the main islands, and the small earthen shards that hung to their sides. The proctor finished, "…you must complete the mission by any means necessary."

And with that, the preparation for the second exam began. Genin teams began to step onto the sigil and were zapped from view. The mechanisms within the sigil stepping stones were embedded with a space-time ninjutsu which teleported each of the 25 teams to a different starting position along the perimeter of the Cloudburst Isles. Towards the end of the group was Team 5, still in the same order that they were in with Akua at center. All three stepped onto the metallic gray sigil, and their weight sunk the stepping stone. Fluorescent blue light illuminated around it's edges and followed a rectangular shape that closed around where their feet were placed. Akua saw the land, clouds, and mountain slopes before her distort vertically and her body's molecular structure jarred. She was steadily losing mass, exemplified by how the sigil started to replace itself. Then, within an instant, Team 5 vanished.


Yashiro, Akua and Usagi arrived upon a small earthern platform of about ten meters in length and width. It looked as if it had been torn away from the ground entirely. There was a steel pillar before them, and behind it, a lighter skinned proctor. For a moment, the man's styled blonde hair frightened Akua because she thought it was that boy. There was a circular opening within the center of the pillar, a module of sorts. They witnessed a hand-sized white scroll with the kanji 天, for heaven, wrapped across it. "This will be your scroll," the man announced, "take it and protect it with your lives." Team 5 glanced at each other anxiously, not sure which one of them was going to hold on to the scroll. Nevertheless, Yashiro, with his new resolve, decided to step forward. He grasped the scroll and placed it within his back pouch. "Very well. The official start time of the test will be in approximately five minutes."

The Konoha team didn't say a word to each other after the proctor stepped out of the way for the countdown. They realized there was a barrier ninjutsu surrounding their tiny floating island when the time appeared before them. Every second was an eternity. Their throats flexed and gulped down several times, never taking their eyes away from the counter. Within the last minute, Akua diverted her vision and focused on their surroundings. Through the clear barrier, the girl examined the terrain. In front of them were floating stepping stones, leading to what appeared to be a large, diamond-carved rock. A pearly chakra lodestone was lodged inside. The lodestone system was the mechanism that kept this island afloat. One could only imagine the amount of chakra it took to support something of this magnitude. Beyond the stone was one of the main island. It was close to the group, so they weren't able to see around it. The ominous sky forestry cascaded over the land and pasty shadows obscured the path inward. Most of the terrain was mountainous, however, defined by various rock formations rather than deep plant life. This was only one of five peripheral islands, while their target island after collecting both scrolls sat at the center. Stepping stones, floating land fragments and checkpoint lodestones filled in the massive spaces in between. Furthermore, Akua noticed that the fragments and island were in a slow, horizontal orbit, most likely around Thunder Gate Tower. Maneuvering this terrain would prove to be a challenged. She never would have expected anything like it. But her thought were now cut off.

0:00

Team five launched into battle. Playtime was over.

The rapid steps of 75 genin all stormed off at the same time toward the Isles. Team five leaped across stepping stones trying to stay balanced, but it was difficult at such an altitude. Akua landed with her weight on the edge of one of the flat stones and ended up tilting the entire mass. The girl was thrown from the rock into the long fall 7 km down. But she didn't see the island escape her. In fact, she was floating in the orbit with the rock shards. Akua reconfigured herself and discharged chakra from her feet, swimming up into Yashiro's grasp. "You stupid little shit," Usagi scolded, "I thought you were dead!"

"…So did I," she believed. Yashiro pulled her up from the edge and onto another stone.

"Im sure you all figured it out already didn't you?" Yashiro questioned.

Usagi pieced together her own observations, "You mean…"

The Hyūga nodded, "Precisely. These lodestones have some sort of gravitational field barrier around this entire airborne land mass. It might have been difficult for you but, I saw it with my Byakugan."

Akua was astounded, and it brought a smile to her face that he was able to analyze such a detail in a short amount of time.

"Goddamn Yashiro, really stepping up now aren't ya?" Usagi lauded, slapping his back. The boy jolted from her pounding strikes, sifting off balance.

"W-well," he stammered, repositioning himself, "it's what I have to do to protect my comrades."

Akua, on the floor of the platform, gazed into Yashiro's stunning white eyes. Within them she found the strength he had obtained and drew from it as she rose to her feet, "You're right Yashiro, sorry for being a clutz. I want to protect my comrades too." Akua held her fist out to him. Like she was at first, the boy was clueless as to what she was attempting to do. The girl shook her arm several times before he finally figured out, but Usagi had already leapt over toward them. Her fist connected to the the inside of Akua's left hand. Yashiro followed suit, bumping his into Akua's knuckles. All three of their gestures were now joined, and they shared a quick smile before disappearing into the main island.

It didn't take long for the exam to descend into utter chaos. Without hesitation, the genin commenced their uphill battle to become chunin. Yet, the amount of obstacles that were before them were unprecedented. The foreigners, with the least knowledge of the Cloudburst, were at the greatest disadvantage. They hadn't anticipated what would lurk in the dark. Multiple squads were assaulted by creatures that inhabited the Isles. Ravenous mountain cats such as cougars and overgrown tigers pounced from the shadows and tore flesh apart like tender meat. Their jaws had a clenching force equivalent to that of an industrial pressing machine, able to shred a solid block of iron into thin ribbons with one bite. Bodies caught in between them painted the boulders and trees a beautiful garnet hue. Claws scraped up dirt from the ground as they attacked and were sharp enough to pierce skin and bone like slabs of butter. Most genin were simply powerless when caught underneath their massive 400 kg bodies. The weight of their paws alone was enough to crush the sternum of a human being. Roars splintered tree bark and generated gusts of wind powerful enough to lift shinobi from their feet. The contact of saliva on human skin fell on the acidic side of the spectrum as well. The only way to combat them was to outmaneuver their large bodies and aim for soft spots in their flesh. However, it was too late by the time one would realize this. The cats had a level of intelligence where they were aware of their weaknesses and thus, struck at surprise instead of charging in. It made them all the more lethal. Overall, being caught was an unfortunate, inevitable, and gruesome demise. Genin that passed over scenes of massacre in search of scrolls saw only blood and broken bones. But the large predatory cats weren't the only perils of the Isles.

Deep caves and crevices in the ground burrowed underneath the surface of the island. There was an entire system of subterranean pathways that were carved out by unnatural means, inhabited by giant badgers. They didn't move as fast or were as dangerous as the felines, but the swipe of their tail or arm was brutal and bone shattering. Their existence discouraged anyone from going too deep in the caves, which left most genin on the surface. Besides the cats, several other creatures lurked. The area of each island was large enough for thick, gargantuan trees that could support the weight of massive reptiles, such as venomous vipers. If one wasn't cunning or fast enough, they would be swallowed whole in an instant and bathed in digestive acid. Some genin would make too much noise in the woods while travelling, leaving behind trails and emitting sounds that attracted other beasts. Black bears, five times the size of the average bear, charged at travellers. They swung their meaty arms and cleaved down the branches that the shinobi used to maneuver themselves. Their maw was large enough to rip massive portions from the trunks of oaks, causing them to timber and take any tree or person in their way. Furthermore, these animals were able to use their fur as a weapon, firing a flurry of razor-sharp, needle-like projectiles into anyone who drew near.

These were the main dangers of the land, yet the Cloudburst Isles still possessed a collection of wildlife that was not entirely bent on the devouring of human beings. Deer roamed the surface, located mostly in the forest regions, and harmless bird species inhabited the canopies. They grazed on small plant life and drank from streams that cut through the island. Most of the larger, flowing bodies of water ran over the edge of the floating land but was collected and cycled around. Understanding the Isles posed, perhaps, these young shinobi's greatest challenge.

Animals were not the only problems that the genin faced. If they were to survive the three hectic days, they were going to need to gather essentials such as food and shelter. This was set in motion immediately by the more seasoned individuals who'd dealt with Cloudburst. They were aware of its conditions and drastic weather patterns. As soon as the test commenced, the participants learned why this set of levitating land masses were named the way they were. Despite being above cloud level for the most part, cumulonimbus rolled in to blacken the afternoon sky. With them came the deafening sound of thunder as it scraped the atmosphere. Flashes of light dotted the thick gray accumulations. All the genin that noticed this were fully aware of what was to follow.


Akua could hear the heart-wrenching shrieks of genin and the disgusting roars of the creatures that caused their agony. But she remained focused on her mission regardless. It was their fault that their situation played out the way it did and she couldn't worry about it. Within the trees, the Uchiha travelled close to her to team, travelling on the right of their tri-formation to keep watch of the 12 through 4 o'clock positions. Usagi travelled on the left to survey any threats incoming from the 12 through 8 o'clock positions. Yashiro travelled in the back. With his Byakugan, he was able to see the 8 through 4 o'clock positions effectively while also being able to visualize anything in front of him. It was ideal because he didn't have to slow the speed of their group. His second objective was to locate teams that possessed an earth scroll. About a third of his focus was spent on this, while the other portion was spent on surveying. He valued the survival of his teammates rather than completing the mission. The Hyūga also concluded chasing after anyone would do them no good. He believed that in this early stage, it would be best to let the enemy come to them. That way they would avoid the perils of travelling throughout the Isles, at least, for now.

Usagi was growing impatient. The Shimura girl pressed the gas pedal and accelerated out of the unity of their formation. "Wait!" Yashiro shouted, "let's stop for a sec."

"Why do we need to stop," she mouthed off, "I want to complete this thing as soon as possible!"

"We can't rush this Usagi! Do you realize where we are right now?" he reasoned. The trio landed upon a branch large enough so that they could all stand facing each other with enough space. The two females realized that their chests, even after only a few minutes of tree travel, were beginning to expand beyond what was considered normal. Their breaths were becoming heavier and harder. "Don't you feel it?"

Akua nodded towards the boy after examining herself and the way her body was functioning, "Yea I get it," she started, "We're at such a high altitude, the oxygen content in the air is decreasing. It's less than what we were use to back in Kumogakure. If we overexert ourselves too much we'll start hounding for oxygen that isn't there. We have to pace ourselves."

Yashiro's glanced switched from Akua and went back to Usagi. She was piecing together the information in her head. "Is that why you said we should let the others come to us?"

"Exactly, if they come here we'll most likely be able to outmaneuver them because we'll have more energy to spend," he theorized. "Now, everyone check your weapons and equipment. Make sure you have everything set."

And they did as they were told. Usagi made sure that the strap of her naginata was in place across her torso. She also reached into her pouch to check for her shuriken and other materials such as rope, small scrolls, and food supplement pills. Yashiro didn't carry an extra weapon. All he used were his kunai knives and shuriken, most of which were kept in his back pouch. He reached behind himself to feel for the scroll that was stored within, making sure that he still had it. Akua resheathed her ninjato that she wore behind her and straight across her lower back. The scabbard rested above her two back pouches and was strapped around her waist. She reached back to feel for the contents of her pouches as well. Shuriken, tags, and flash bombs were housed within each of them. Kunai rested in the holster on her right leg. The girl pulled on a new pair of glistening onyx gloves, this time closed at the fingers and tight to the skin. The headband around her forehead was readjusted a bit to her comfort. Thus, Team 5 was ready to mobilize once more.

The sun was now blocked out, and it appeared that the night had fallen. In truth, it was just the lingering storm cloud, heavy with destruction that was just waiting to pour down on the heads of the genin. Akua felt a single drop of water against her cheek as she sped just underneath the canopy of the tall wooden structures she used as a foothold. The calm before the storm was ending. Team five was travelling northwest through the main island that they were located upon and heard the sounds of various clashes of metal. "Let's go check it out," Usagi suggested, increasing speed towards the commotion.

"Usagi!" Yashiro shouted, trying to catch up.

"Relax! We don't have to join in, we can use the trees as camouflage!"

"Ugh," he groaned, not wanted to submit to her demands but ended up doing so anyway. Akua simply followed behind the two as they charged on ahead. What they would see would sum up the last of the perils within the Cloudburst Isles, the other genin.

The three arrived in the view of a clearing as they were perched up against against a high branch, but the clearing was simply a collection of stepping stones, lodestones and rock shards. At least three teams of genin were combatting each other, fighting for scrolls, two of which were foreign to Kumogakure. The battle was in between two of the main islands, and it appeared that the teams had intersected each other. Yashiro paid close attention to the limited surroundings of the combatants as shuriken and kunai clashed, sending shearing sparks back into each other's faces. Everything occurred as he expected. Anyone that fell from the platform of stepping stone only descended a few meters before the lodestone captured them. Upon a closer examination, he realized that it was in fact not gravitation, but magnetism. The individual would have to discharge chakra for the lodestone to magnetize and reel them in. Fortunately, most people naturally give off chakra when in distress unconsciously, so barely anyone fell to their deaths. Some shinobi were unfortunate, though. They were stricken with ninja tools and or some sort of ninjutsu before they were able to defend themselves. Usagi was watching with an extreme interest, it was like a television show to her. Akua watched in disappointment. The senseless battle reminded her of her past in Kusagakure with the Genesis Program. These people were trying to slaughter each other over scrolls. She turned around in disgust, not wanting to witness any of the conflict and kept watch of their six.

Yashiro watched as a fire release technique was narrowly dodged by a now slightly singed genin, slamming into a loadstone instead and vanishing from view with only trace flame shrapnel blanketing off to the sides afterwards. "Did you see that, guys?" He whispered, unaware that the only one paying attention other than him was Usagi.

"Yea, it just ate up that fireball…what the hell."

"I think those things are chakra sensitive," he guessed. His speculation was clarified when the Kumogakure shinobi, even though outnumbered, began to take the upper hand. They lured the foreign shinobi nearer towards the lodestones, and once close, used a lightning release jutsu against them. Yashiro's now tightened Byakugan wider at what proceeded. The chakra bolted past the genin but connected against the lodestone. Instead of absorbing the chakra like Yashiro had expected, the device amplified it. The foreign genin couldn't move away fast enough, enveloped in a flashing array of stinging electrical power. Such was the fate of the rest of that squad as the Kumo ninja used the lodestones to their advantage. "This is…bad, we can't get caught up here, we'll be defeated for sure."

"Let's just keep watching for a little more," Usagi insisted, "they haven't found us out yet."

"We need to go," Akua finally spoke up. It caught her two teammates off guard. Yashiro didn't question her words. He would have agreed anyway, but the stern look in those amethyst eyes were all the more convincing. Usagi just rolled her eyes, the first to fire off in the direction they came.

The tempestuous storm began to rage at full force only a few minutes later. Now the environment was against them. Vicious rain droplets bulleted into the uncovered skin of Team 5, leaving rip marks along it. It fell with such a force that they could feel the otherworldly gales crushing their clothing into their bodies. Tree-unrooting gusts of wind howled through the forest, peeling away at their faces. The trees that they thought were solid and sturdy were dancing, losing limbs and leaves to the hurricane. It was difficult to find footing as the branches broke away into the currents and they had to keep their eyes squinted, or else the relentless weather conditions would surely blind them. Chakra control was the only thing keeping them alive at this point. The blue sky above the trees didn't exist, just a murky black. It wasn't safe to travel at this time, but Yashiro figured no one else would be on the move. This would be an ideal chance to calmly but surely catch an enemy off guard. He scanned the surrounding area in search of genin but found none. Akua watched Usagi travelling at point and scanned about a minute ahead in distance. There were vehement flashes of light in the sky that startled her. But something didn't seem right. She had a bad feeling before, the reason as to why she wanted to leave the clearing, yet everything seemed too perfect for too long.

Akua's feet landed against a drenched branch and everything at that moment seemed to slow down for her. Her knees bent, absorbing the force of her landing in a split second of real time, yet it felt like five full ones. Her eyes focused on the area before Usagi in that rift, and her body commenced a launch forward to the next branch, accelerating in violent haste. Akua was no longer moving freely, it was pure instinct. When her feet planted against the next branch, her arm reached forward. Two seconds had passed since before she perched on the first branch. Blue lines laced through the rain before the two females. Usagi's body, a half second later, was being pulled back from moving forward. Akua's left hand was clenched in the collar of her coat and tugged at her. Yashiro, after the third second, finally sensed something. Time seemed to return to normal for Akua as the area before her and Usagi became brilliant. "USAGI!" Yashiro boomed, reaching out towards his squadmate as if it was too late. Before the fourth second, a cleaving bolt of the heavens trailed the crackled, blue lines, cutting the atmosphere and striking through branches cleanly. The area in front of him was vaporized before he could finish his call. The lightning emitted a wave of electricity that tingled those in the vicinity. Just when he thought something terrible had occurred, he was actually colliding into Usagi's body that had been pulled. Akua leaned back as she swung her left arm around, the bright light beaming against her skin. Then there was darkness again.

Usagi and Yashiro fell through 6 meters of leafy tree shrubs before landing on a thick branch. The girl's fall was broken by the Hyūga's body. Usagi was clueless, she still thought she was moving forward when she landed. Then she came to her senses, rising from the surface of the branch and trying to collect what little oxygen was in the air. "…What the fuck just happened!" she shouted, looking up towards Akua. Her heart dropped. The forest, starting from about half a meter in front of Akua to at least 15 meters beyond that, ceased to exist. There was a static charged crater in the ground below them. "Akua!" Usagi screamed again.

"Shut up for a second and pay attention!" the Uchiha shot back.

Yashiro jumped to his feet and darted upwards to the same level of the canopy as Akua. His Byakugan was in a fierce search of the area when it noticed Akua reaching for her ninjato. "She just saved your life, I didn't realize it until afterwards, but you're alive now because of her. That lightning bolt would have killed you!" Yashiro returned with a similar voice. They had to shout in order to hear each other over the wind.

"That was no natural lightning strike! It was too powerful! Someone—"

Her voice was cut off. She had to focus on parrying the blind side strike to her right after all. Within an instant, the steel of her ninjato sparked against the falling cleaver blade of a Kumogakure genin. It was as if he just appeared out of thin air, because Yashiro's Byakugan failed to detect his presence. Amethyst glared into the mask of the individual before them. The intensity of Akua's gaze was enough to frighten the one who attacked her, only for a brief period.. The two were sent falling to a lower branch because of the Kumo genin's momentum. They clashed four more times before forcing each other back. Akua noticed her other teammates her now getting attack. The sound of steel was all around now. Below her, Usagi crossed blades with another female while above, Yashiro was evading the slashes of what looked to be a male. The one before her had the physique of a male as well. She couldn't see his face, it was obscured by a solid, goggled breathing mask. Each of the enemy genin possessed one. It seemed they came prepared. The boy before Akua stood still but ready to strike again at any moment.

"I didn't expect for you to evade that jutsu. Your reaction speed is out of this world, I'm a little scared," the ninja lied, his voice screeching through the mechanism of his mask.

"I don't want to hurt you…" Akua warned.

"Ha! You think that twig stands a chance against my cleaver?" he boasted, charging in and bashing his sword against Akua's. The girl was full of surprises, able to halt the force of his motion completely this time. Akua placed her free hand at the end of her ninjato and pushed the boy back, following up with several swift strikes of her own that he barely managed to block. Her proficiency with the weapon was miscalculated by the Kumo ninja and he fell back momentarily. The Uchiha was getting winded. Battling in the storm didn't make it easy to fight this person. It was already difficult to see, much less move in the destructive winds. Her ninjato was held before her regardless, ready for the next attack.

Usagi and Yashiro had their hands full. The Shimura was busy with the female of the Kumo squad. Her tanto was laced with rain empowered lightning chakra, which gave it a wider cutting range. The blade, however, was combatted by the wind release tendencies of her naginata. Usagi's blade was amplified by the terrible gusts that raged around them and she was able to easily defend against her attacker. The girl then switched to an offensive, vanishing and shift with the wind around the Kumo kunoichi. Her naginata slashes came from all directions now, only to be evaded by the swift moments of the masked girl. The Kumo female held a hand sign that discharged an armor of lightning around her form, timing its release so that the wind would carry the lightning into Usagi's near weightless body. The strategy struck the girl from the air and sent her sliding across the branch they battled upon. When the kunoichi launched in for a killing blow she was halted by a voice.

"WAIT."

It was Yashiro. Everyone had stopped in their tracks, Akua grinding teeth and staring down her opponent while Usagi was downed by her own. The intelligent Hyūga didn't let his own guard down, but still relaxed before his attacker. "I can see…your scroll…with my Byakugan," he announced, speaking to his opponent. "I know who has it, the female down there, it's in her pouch."

"So what?" growled the genin. They all seemed confused at Yashiro's words until he clarified them.

"This fighting, it's useless…we have the same scroll. You have heaven don't you?"

The enemy squad was silent, exchanging looks between each other. "Show us," demanded the one facing Yashiro. Thus, he gently reached for his his pouch, unclipped the flap and withdrew Team 5's heaven scroll. The genin grunted at the sight of it. Now he was left to decide what his squad were to do. Still braced in a combative form, he examined his other teammates below him. The other male was struggling against Akua, clear signs of blood were dripping from his body even in the rain. As for his female friend, the tip of Usagi's naginata was ready to split her throat open. The length of the Shimura's weapon kept the kunoichi at bay. The fighting was indeed pointless, therefore, he decided to protect his friends and pull back while he could.

"Fine, you'll survive this day, but I can't promise that you won't suffer," the genin threatened, collecting his comrades and vanishing.


It had been a few hours since that frightful encounter. Team 5 had just weaseled their way out of an obvious bind with an obvious solution. Had it not been for the Byakugan, more unnecessary blood would have been shed.

Nimbus clouds that blanketed the island began to part, and the harsh conditions subsided. The landscape was vividly damaged by the stormcell, displacing many of its natural aspects. Trees were felled, dirt was scattered as mud, leaves dotted along the ground, and the fragmented light of the crescent moon illuminated the carnage.

Team five was at rest now. They set up camp at the opening of a cave with their fire out of sight to any enemy genin. It's warmth was the only comfort these Konoha ninja could find at the moment in their tattered, soaked clothing. It was only Yashiro and Usagi that sat around the campfire, though. Akua was sound asleep a little bit further into the cave where the orange light was just able to shine upon her back. The ninjato was unstrapped and laid behind her. Yashiro caught a glimpse of the girl after a crackle of the burning wood. Her body was half curled, facing away from the gaze of the Hyūga and her hoodie wasn't adorned. She'd taken it off for it to dry. Underneath was a fitted, black tank top that clung to her torso. Yashiro watched as the side of her body contracted as she exhaled and expanded during her inhale until his ogling was interrupted.

"So," Usagi spoke up, igniting conversation, "what's the deal all of a sudden?"

"What do you mean?" he replied.

"I've never seen you like this before, not even when our old partner was around"—she hugged her knees at the campfire and wore a small grin—"now you're taking charge, trying to be all heroic. Don't think I don't notice."

"N-notice what!" he questioned the flustered boy.

"You say you're doing this to protect us but…I know your real motive. Men are easy to read, know them like the back of my hand."

"Oh please."

"It's for her, isn't it?" she guessed, tilting her head in Akua's direction.

"…N-no…"

"Don't lie to me Yashiro," her eyes narrowed behind the messy strands of wet auburn hair that hung in her face.

The boy sighed, "If you tell her…"

"I won't, I promise, but after this is all over, you need to do it yourself," she giggled, "or else I will."

"Ugh, fine…" he reluctantly agreed. His gaze shifted from Usagi, to the fire, then outside of the cave. They'd only gotten through a quarter of the first day and there was a lot more waiting ahead of them.

Team 5 took turns, having one member keep watch at certain hours throughout the night while the others slept, then rotated responsibilities. When morning struck they immediately packed their belongings and readied themselves to be on the move again. They needed to get an edge in these exams if they were going to pass. Everything was checked before they launched off into the trees. Although they'd been attacked there before, it was still safer than being on the ground with the wildlife, or so they thought.

Akua was taking a sip from the canteen that she carried as she followed behind her friends along the branches. A chilling sensation crept along her skin and washed over her body, which she thought was a result of the fresh water. The girl soon came to realize, much to her dismay, the depth of her situation when the sound of molding crystals met her ears. Within a blink, she found the left half of her body pinned against the trunk of a tree by a jagged trail of solid ice. "N-no…" the girl pleaded. Usagi and Yashiro landed before her immediately, trying to figure out the source of the frozen mass and the expression of horrid disbelief that Akua possessed.

"Akua! What the! What is this!" Yashiro yelled, trying to pull her free by her right arm, but it just hung limp.

"Run," she demanded.

Usagi countered, "What? Hell no, you dumb bitch, we're g—"

"You should listen to your friend," interrupted a disembodied voice.

"I said run! Get out of here, now!" Akua screamed in her comrades' faces, but they refused to leave her side.

"I'm afraid it's too late for that now," hummed the voice. The remaining members of Team 5 concluded that it was male. They turned to face the direction that the sound was coming from. From beyond the forestry, an individual stepped out, perched upward on a further elevated branch. A glimmering gold coin flipped into the air and landed in his grasp while he tucked his sun-blonde hair behind his left ear, the Amegakure forehead protector now visible. "You've simply struck out of luck." The negativity of his tone was matched only by the crazed smirk that spread to each ear.

A/N: And that concludes this chapter. The intensity will only continue to escalate from here! Are you anxious for what's next?

Thank you for the read, fav/follow/review! I enjoy feedback!

P.S. The drawing will be complete at some point within the release of this chapter and the next! Keep a look out for it on my deviantart!