A/N: I haven't updated in ages due to computer troubles, but I'm finally updating! ^_^
"So we got a heaven scroll?" Mareo asked as the threesome scurried hurriedly into the forest of death, scrambling as the metal gate clanged behind them, signalling the start of their three day survival course. A yes, they very well may have become the second course for any lurking beasts hidden in the forest, or even other candidates.
"I-I think so," murmured Chiko under his breath.
"And I wonder who's got that," Mareo sighed, signalling to the heaven scroll gripped tightly into Kaida's hand as if she were afraid she was going to drop it or something stupid like that. Something totally Kaida like that, more like.
"May-maybe you could hide it a bit more Kaida," muttered Chiko quietly.
"Huh?" Kaida grunted, clearly distracted, "oh, sorry guys. I was just trying to think out a strategy."
"That could take a while," huffed Mareo.
"Okay..." murmured Kaida, "so say we check out all the ninja we meet first before we attack them, and assess their strength? And before we go into battle we hide the scroll so they can't take it off us or put it somewhere out of reach or something?"
"H-how are we go-going to do t-that?" Chiko said quietly.
"Oh, I don't know. We have lightning, ice and fire type ninjutsu here. Now, we don't want to burn or incinerate our scroll, so that leaves ice. I guess I could cover it in some sort of untouchable ice covering or something, something really cold."
"It'd be so easy to carry around then," Mareo huffed.
"I see your point... maybe if I put it in my ninja tools pack though? Then I wouldn't touch it then, would I?"
"What... what about when you want to get out your nin-ninja tools?" said Chiko in more of a mumble than anything else.
"Err... yeah," muttered Kaida uncertainly. "Say what, I'll shove it in the other half so my ninja tools are safe. Alright?"
"Of... of course," Chiko said.
"Let's go then!" Kaida yelled gleefully and, arm flung outstretched in front of her, she led the group onwards and onto the thick, dense forest awash with all manner of strange beasts and creatures. The manner in which she swung her arm about reminded Mareo rather sinisterly of Oki sensei, and a shiver crept across his spine, chilling him out.
The threesome charged forward into the dense forest, the matted mass of vines, tangled into knots and roped throughout the forest. There was a pause of uncertainty as the ground in front of them gave off a definite earthy scent like freshly overturned earth, the type you'd find at a graveyard site.
"Stop!" the yell was both one of haste and delivered from the mouth of a little girl, and caused the three ninja to screech to a halt and their heads to swivel around to the cause of the voice. To their left a small figure stepped out of the matted tangle of trees encased in the wrath of poisonous ivy, leeching the life out of the poor plants.
The girl who stood by them only just could have come out of the academy recently by the size of her. She had hair as black as the darkest night which was tied up above her head in a roman style so a few mere strands floated by her petite shoulders. She was wearing a black blouse with puffy sleeves and a sort of smoky grey coloured shorts.
"Who are you and what do you want?" Kaida snarled, her face clearly not impressed by the little girl's appearance.
"I'm sorry, it's a trap. The ground in front of you- it's a pitfall. I said it wasn't fair, but they just wouldn't listen to me. I tried, I really did. But I can't do things like this, it's just not my way of the ninja," the little girl gabbled. Mareo's eyes squinted until he spotted what he had been looking for hanging on her neck.
"The ski mask – she's the girl with those two burly ninja," he said, for once not being sarcastic.
"S-so that me, means," stuttered Chiko, his face paling into a crisp snow colour.
"Yes, that means we're here too," a booming voice declared. From the trio's right a pair of bulky ninja almost like giants looming over them stepped out of the echoing darkness the bushes provided. Ski masks covered their faces so their black ski suits encasing their bodies seemed to melt into the rest of them.
"Who are you?" snapped Kaida, glaring the pair down.
"I don't suppose they're enemy ninja," Mareo said in mock surprise.
"You're not very clever, are you?" one of the enemy ninja said, stepping forward towards them in a menacing way. "Step back Hin, we'll deal with this."
The girl referred to as Hin skulked back into the shadows, her glinting chestnut eyes the last the threesome caught of her before she left to retreat to a safe distance while the two looming figures pulled themselves towards the rookies.
"I guess we'll start if you won't," growled one of the two bulky men as they stepped forward, flanking the rookies on either side. And simultaneously they unhooked their swords from behind them and clanked them in front of them, letting the two identical bulky swords flash in the lack of sunlight.
"Kai-Kaida," murmured Chiko nervously at the sight of the two huge swords.
"Oh that's sooo nothing to worry about," grinned Kaida as she brought her hands up in front of her, clasped together in a hand sign. "Let's see about this then, shall we? Water style – ice claw jutsu!"
A shiver rippled through the air as it seemed to turn cold and the frost iced the air around the five ninja glaring each other down. Then, before anyone could do anything else, a huge spike of ice ripped itself out of the ground below the two huge bulky ninja and shot up, grappling around their legs. A shout of surprise called out of their mouths as tendrils of ice wrapped around their legs like an eagle's talons wrapping its way around the prey. The two huge ninja gasped with a sharp intake of surprise as they found their legs paralysed and prevented from moving. A smug smile swiped its way onto Kaida's face and the grin smeared all over her was definitely genuine. "Piece of cake," she said smugly.
Mareo opened his mouth to add a sarcastic comment into the mix before a cracking sound splintered across the forest and the ice claws surrounding the two huge ninja's legs shattered into miniscule shards.
"I agree," one of the bulky ninja said smugly, "piece of cake. Now let the battle begin!" And with that he swung his huge sword out of the ice, cracking the ice smothering it into smithereens.
"Bring it on!"
"Oh, if y-you really want."
"This will be fun."