The three of them ran through the trees, keeping an eye out for the other teams. Soma was extra careful not to trip in the trees… after all it was a long way down. She didn't know how but even with her concentrating on not falling she still managed to keep up with Troah and Katara. The words Katara said before they set out hovered in her head, 'If one of us falls… all of us do.'
Katara kept the pace brisk, 'the sooner we get out of this forest the better,' she thought. "Soma, Troah keep on eye out for anything suspicious," she called back to them. Even though they were keeping up with her, they weren't directly behind her or beside her. Her eyes were locked forward, determined to get this over and done with. Secretly she hoped that they wouldn't have to kill anyone they knew personally.
Troah looked down, spying some Genins from the Village Hidden in the Coffee Bean. He used a bird call to signal to Katara who was ahead of him. Soma stopped beside him as she caught up. Katara looked at the three, with interest, "can you see what scroll they have?" she whispered. Troah shook his head, "we'll just have to hope," he whispered back.
"Let's listen in on their conversation… they may let it slip what scroll they have," Soma said. "Good idea… double back a bit, get out of the tree, silently," Katara was looking at Soma as she said that, "and head back to those bushes by them… silently." Troah gave a slight nod and headed back the way he came, Soma and Katara following closely behind.
"Ahahaha we're going to win!" one of the girl's exclaimed. "Uh… Okay Kira…" the other girl said. "I wonder who has the Heaven scroll… since that's the one we need," the only boy said. "I don't know Duo… who do you think Moji?" the girl, Kira asked. "I don't know… we should check with those Konoha people, there's bound to be one with them," the one called Moji replied.
Troah and Katara looked at each other, smirking. "Well, this is going to be easier than I expected," Katara whispered. "How do we know it's not a trap?" Soma asked, "they could be waiting for us to come after them." "Don't worry… we can handle whatever they throw at us," Troah whispered. "Soma has a point though… move carefully, just in case," Katara whispered.
Katara went first, "walk where I walk," she whispered back to Troah and Soma. "Maybe I should go first…" Troah suggested. "Too late… I'm already ahead," Katara laughed silently.Soma sniggered slightly, "don't sulk... Katara is obviously the leader... what she says goes," she whispered, giving Troah a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
Troah sneered at Soma as she went ahead of him. "Be careful not to trip Superstar," he whispered. "Don't make me think about it or I will trip," she whispered back, "and don't call me that." "Shh!" Katara said to both of them. "Sorry," Soma and Troah whispered.
Katara used a hand signal to bring Soma and Troah up beside her, "Soma… take the one called Kira, Troah go after Duo… I'll take care of Moji… be careful not to do any damage to the scroll, we don't know who's holding it yet," Katara whispered to them. Troah and Soma gave a silent nod of understanding, and took their positions.
Troah kept an eye on Katara, waiting for her to signal to them to attack. His kunai was in his hand and ready. The fact that they were so close to the Genins and yet they hadn't sensed their chakra made him a little uneasy. What if this was a trap? What if Soma was right?
He looked over at her, wondering if she was thinking the same thing. He noticed that she looked a little pale, 'pale from fear?' he asked himself. In truth, he noticed that she hadn't been looking at all like herself lately. She was still as perky… but not as healthy.
He looked back over at Katara, who nodded, looking very annoyed as if she had been nodding for a long time, waiting for him to notice. He nodded back and signalled to Soma. The three went forward and attacked, half expecting an easy fight. Only to find awaiting kunai locked with theirs.
"So you want you're scroll so early in the game?" Moji asked. "Yeah," Katara said, chucking an exploding kunai at her. Moji dodged it, barely. "Oh my God, oh my God, OH MY GOD!" Kira exclaimed. "Pull back," Duo said, unlocking his kunai from Troah's. Katara, Troah and Soma stood shoulder to shoulder now, confused by the Genins from the Mist Village's slight retreat.
"Why are you pulling back?" Soma asked, turning her head slightly to the side in confusion. "You guys have exploding kunai," Kira said. Soma felt two brushes of wind go past her. Both Troah and Katara had pursued in attack. "Guys… maybe we should…" Soma began. "C'mon Superstar… we need that Earth scroll!" Troah called back to her. Soma sighed and charged at Kira, her kunai drawn.
'If we keep this up, we'll never win…we need something good,' Katara thought as she pursued Moji, 'something… that's not just an attack…' She tried to cut Moji off with another exploding kunai, but Moji evaded it. 'Who has the scroll…' she continued to think.
'Hmm that Kira girl can't have it… she's too nervous… and this Moji girl is too offensive, if she lost early they'd lose the scroll… the boy must have it,' Katara realized. "Soma! Take the boy down!" Katara called to her. Soma looked up, "right!" she called back, leaving Kira and joining Troah in pursuit of Duo. 'Let's see how you like this…' she thought, "Thunder Tiger Jutsu!"
"Soma, be careful about the scroll!" Katara yelled. "I know!" Soma yelled back. The tiger made of nothing but electricity scaled the trees easily. It's long blue-ish white fangs drawn at Duo as it surpassed him and waited for him, growling. Soma entered its command through her mind. 'Pin the boy… be careful of the scroll… don't kill him…'
Troah did some hand signs as Duo was distracted by the tiger, his own chakra tocreate a type of rope. The tiger jumped Duo pinning him. "Thank you," Katara said, taking the Earth scroll out of his pocket. Soma pinned Kira to the ground and made her Thunder Tiger disappear. Katara then did some hand signals, knocking all three, Moji, Kira, and Duo out.
"Since when could you do that?" he asked as he tied the three up. "Yeah… about that… uh… I guess I just learned it recently," Katara said. Troah gave her an odd look, "but doesn't it take a lot of training to learn how to use your chakra like that?" he asked. "Uh… okay… we all know she trains… let's just get outta here… this forest gives me the creeps," Soma said, joining the conversation.
Katara, Troah and Soma ran away from their "captives," Soma humming happily for their victory. "Just don't start singing," Katara warns. Troah and Soma laugh and exchange evil grins. They both threw back their heads and began to belt out one of their songs. Katara covered her ears, "you guys are going to draw attention," she said as she ran ahead of them. Not fully paying attention to where she was going, she ended up running into Tenten and Lee.
Katara stopped running and stood still. Troah and Soma caught up to her and immediately fell silent. Tenten turned around and was facing them, "Lee," she said, elbowing Lee, so that he turned around as well. "Looks like we'll have to do all the work without Neji this time," he muttered, taking his fighting stance. Katara narrowed her eyes, she nodded to Soma and Troah and all three of them took their stance.
"I thought we were supposed to wait until the fourth day?" Tenten whispered to Lee. "Who cares, why wait when you can get the scroll now?" Lee said, readying himself. "I guess that's true," Tenten said, taking her stance. "You're going to find that we are a lot harder to steal off of than you think," Soma said, narrowing her eyes.
"Soma we're outnumbering them this time since you used up the most chakra stand down," Katara said. "WHAAA? Awwww… no fair," Soma whined. "It's not healthy, you need rest," Katara whispered. 'What the hell is she talking about… wait a minute… does she know!' Soma thought, fearfully. "Yeah Superstar… you should sit this one out," Troah said. "No ganging up on me," Soma sniped as she sat off to the side.
Katara and Troah lunged at Tenten and Lee, no expression on either of the teams faces. Katara blocked most of Lee's attacks as Troah focused on Tenten. Soma sat off on the side, bored. In blur of movement Neji landed in the middle of the fight, causing all four of the fighters to fly back a bit. Neji immediately noticed Katara, as Katara noticed Neji; both began to glare icily at one another.
'What the hell?' Soma thought, getting confused. "You are troublesome," Neji said. Katara could tell that he had seen, with his ability, the two scrolls that lay hidden in her pack. "They started it," Troah said, pointing an accusing finger at Lee and Tenten. "C'mon guys let's go," Katara said, turning away from Lee, Tenten, and Neji.
Soma looks at Neji oddly, standing still… confused at why he was letting them go. "Soma, come on," Katara said, "or we'll leave you behind." Soma, being her suspicious self, started walking backwards, not trusting Neji, thinking that they'd attack them as soon as all of their backs were turned. She stumbled quite a bit from her action, but better safe than sorry. "Soma stop being stupid and walk normally!" Katara said, getting annoyed.