[ JINICHI WATARU ]
Kisuke received the heaven scroll from the grass Genin. The scroll had a white parchment as its main colour with the kanji "heaven" inscribed on it. Kisuke observed it a bit more, checking for any possible signs of deceit, noting down the possibility of the scroll being a fake so he was being necessarily cautious. He kept turning the scroll around checking for any possible indications of it being fake. After a while he turned towards us and nodded.
I dropped the grass-nin's teammate a reasonable distance away from him and retreated back.
Aoi let go of the female grass Genin, retreating next to me as Kisuke started to walk towards us. A sly smile on his face.
" It seems we've completed the first objective before the day even finished." Kisuke said as he began putting the heaven scroll in his robe.
" I didn't take you for the joking type Kisuke" Aoi said, with a small grin.
"What can I say? You guys are rubbing on me." Kisuke responded cooly.
"Eww...don't lump me in with him. He makes dad jokes; my jokes are way more sophisticated."
"Sophisticated for someone with the strength of a gorilla." Jinichi muttered under his breath. Raising his scarf to his mouth. But that remark didn't go unnoticed by Aoi.
"You got something you wanna say to me, freckles?" Aoi asked her eyes daring him to retort.
Jinichi was about to retort before Kisuke interfered.
"Alright, alright, settle down you two, we've done a good job till now."
Before his expression turned serious.
"But this is where the hard part comes next."
He motioned for us to follow him. He took off from the clearing, jumping unto a tree, Aoi and I following closely behind him.
We leapt from tree to tree putting some distance between us and the previous clearing where the grass Genins were. Kisuke landed on a tree and paused for a moment.
Before suddenly rushing up a tree with stride, reaching the top, leaving us to only see his silhouette from the bottom.
"He probably wants to know the towers location so we can start moving." Jinichi muttered.
Suddenly after a few minutes Kisuke descended back down, landing on a tree branch opposite the one Jinichi and Aoi were on.
"Okay so I have an overall estimate of how far we are from the tower. The tower is about 8km north from here. But for now, let's find a safe spot and set up camp for the night."
He jumped back to the ground, landing with a soft thud.
reaching to the ground beneath him he began searching until he found what he was looking for.
Mud.
He began searching the mud for any insects before grabbing a hand full of mud in his hand and began rubbing it on himself.
"The mud is safe; I've checked for insects if that's what you're wondering."
Jinichi and Aoi just looked at Kisuke like he was some sort of alien.
"I'm masking my scent from trackers and wild animals." Kisuke said as he continued to rub mud on himself.
"No no…we understand it's just that…" Jinichi hesitated for a moment.
"What?" Kisuke asked confused.
"You put the mud on you without any hesitation, you seem more like the prim and proper type with how logical and straightforward you are." Aoi said awkwardly
"She's saying she thinks you don't look like the type that's willing to get dirty. She thinks you're to effeminate for it." Jinichi said snickering.
"That's not what I said you bastard!" Aoi said punching his elbow as a slight blush bloomed on her face.
"I'm doing this because of our current situation, the more we use chakra in this forest, the less we have of it and the longer it takes to recover it. It's much easier to use traditional means to make up for it without wasting energy. You guys should do it too." Kisuke responded.
'You say that but your expression says that you're enjoying this. You're smiling ear to ear like a kid in a candy store. Like you're on some sort of wilderness survival trip.' Jinichi thought awkwardly.
Jinichi and Aoi hesitated for a bit.
' if it will help me not get ambushed then oh well.'
Before Jinichi sighed and jumped down from the tree and landed near Kisuke.
Kisuke handed him a hand full of mud, Jinichi took it but refused to hide his displeasure as he grumbled while rubbing the mud.
Aoi was still on the tree branch debating whether or not to join them.
'If I'm doing this you are too!' Jinichi began rolling mud in his hand in the shape of a ball, a mischievous plan forming in his mind.
"You scared of a little mud, you gorilla?" Jinichi said intentionally trying to get a rise out of her.
"You wanna die freckles!!" Aoi said in anger as she began jumping down from the tree branch.
'Gotcha' Jinichi thought slyly.
Jinichi launched the ball straight at Aoi who was still mid fall. Her expression changed from anger to shock to horror in a single moment, as the mud ball crashed into her face.
Splat.
Aoi landed on the ground. Her shoulders visibly shaking, seething.
Jinichi had already began retreating behind Kisuke who had an awkward expression on his face. Jinichi was snickering, trying to control himself from going into a full-blown laughter.
Kisuke sighed as he packed a handful of mud in his palm and walked to Aoi who was still trying to control herself.
Splat.
!
"Eh." Jinichi muttered in shock as he watched the display before him, Kisuke had put a handful of mud on Aoi's arm rubbed it and continued to her other arm.
"See it's not that hard. I can understand that you probably don't like the mud because its cold or because you don't like how it feels but it's better this way. Let me help."
Aoi's mouth opened and closed in shock, her previous anger dissipating as her skin began to take a more crimson shade.
"Kisuke, you're an idiot." Jinichi muttered wiping tears from his eyes.
"Huh. What did I do?" Kisuke asked confused.
" You know what….nevermind." Jinichi shook his head in exasperation. Leaving Kisuke even more confused.
'He doesn't even know what he did wrong'
Aoi forcefully removed her hand from Kisuke's grip, her face still crimson, before turning toward Jinichi glaring at him, her eyes promising a painful death. She then begrudgingly began rubbing the mud
' Yeah, yeah, you can kill me when we get out of this forest, but for now let's actually get out of it first.'
"It's almost evening Kisuke, we should continue looking for shelter." Jinichi said as he looked above, the dim light entering through the thicket above, was slowly changing to a dimmer colour.
" You're right. Okay lets continue." Kisuke said as he finished packing some mud in his pouch.
He then leaped onto a tree branch and began his search for shelter with us following steadily behind him.
…..
....
...…..
Kisuke's pace came to a halt as he settled near the base of a tree. Touching it for a moment before suddenly kicking it with his sandals.
Thunk.
Kisuke's expression changes, then he starts climbing the tree with practiced ease. He climbed it with no wasted movement.
He eventually reached the top, disappearing into a massive cluster of thick branches and oversized leaves.
Aoi and Jinichi stood at the base, looking up into the dark canopy. still covered in drying mud, looking like two swamp monsters
"Is he planning on us sleeping in the leaves?" Aoi whispered, her voice still a little tight from earlier.
"Because my balance is good, but I don't fancy falling fifty feet out of a tree because I had a bad dream."
"Knowing him, he probably found a bird's nest and thinks we can share," I muttered back.
"That's a rude you know. Even if he does have his quirks."
Suddenly, Kisuke's face poked out from a large hole in the trunk, about fifty feet up. The opening was completely hidden from the ground by a curtain of thick vines.
"It's safe," Kisuke called down in a harsh whisper.
"The trunk is naturally hollowed out near the top. It is dry, free of giant spiders, and big enough for all three of us. You guys should climb up."
Jinichi went first, scaling the rough bark with practiced ease. When Jinichi reached the opening, Kisuke extended a hand, helping him to get in.
Jinichi let a low whistle.
'Kisuke wasn't lying. The inside of the giant tree was spacious, smelling like old wood and dry moss. It felt incredibly secure—like a wooden bunker. The previous one he took us to was to not as big as this.'
Aoi climbed in right after him, entering through the opening.
"Wow," she breathed, looking around the dark space.
"It's actually warm in here."
"The thick wood blocks out heat from escaping to the outside," Kisuke explained. He was already sitting cross-legged in the corner, pulling the heaven scroll out of his robe to double-check it.
"Uhm…Kisuke do you happen to have a relative that's into wilderness survival." Jinichi asked trying to confirm something.
"Yes. My Grandpas really into it, why do you ask?" Kisuke answered not taking his eyes of the scroll.
"No reason, no reason at all." Jinichi said.
"Okay, Kisuke, I'm going to start scouting and foraging." Kisuke nodded in understanding.
'Okay.
Ram ➔ Snake ➔Tiger.
Shadow clone jutsu!'
[ *POOF* ]
[ *POOF* ]
Two shadow clones appeared beside Jinichi in a puff of smoke, making the hollow tree base feel slightly more crowded.
"Okay, I need you guys, to scout around and forage fruits for us." Jinichi says to the two clones.
"And why should we follow your orders? As far as I'm concerned, we aren't taking the Chunin exams. And as leader of this clone squad, we need to know what's in it for us?"
The first clone, Jinichi one says.
But before Jinichi could retort, the second clone, Jinichi two butt in.
" Hey! Who said you're the leader! Why do I have to follow your orders?!" Jinichi two whispered.
"Because I called, dibs, you curly headed idiot!"
"You didn't say that!"
The two clones begin grabbing the others hair in a comedic wrestling display.
"you two idiots have five seconds to start scouting and foraging, before I release you from existence, so if you value your short-lived lives, I suggest you get moving." Jinichi said with a serious expression on his face, as his hands were slowly coming together to undo the jutsu.
"Wait, wait, wait!"
"Chill out man! We're going, we're going!"
The two clones left the hollow tree in a hurry and began their mission, leaving Aoi, Kisuke and Jinichi to themselves.
Aoi exhales in a sigh of relief.
"Well, that sucked."
Jinichi turns to her, a deadpan expression on his face.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means, that one of you is already annoying enough, but three of you would be too much for this world."
"Oi! I'm not that bad you know."
There was a brief silence for a moment.
Jinichi looked at Kisuke, expecting him to come to his defence.
"Don't look at me, I can't help you here." Kisuke said raising his hand in mock surrender.
"…I pity whoever has to marry you in the future." Aoi muttered, as a cheeky smile grew on her face.
Jinichi gets interrupted before he can retort.
"Can we focus please. The plan has changed, although a bit slightly." Kisuke said with a serious expression.
"Previously we would have played the role of a third party to gather the heaven scroll from other teams before heading to the tower. But that has changed."
Kisuke paused for a moment before continuing.
"Now that we have the scroll, our tactics have changed form third partying to stealth. We must prioritize getting to the tower as soon as possible."
"How much ground are you estimating we should cover per day?" Jinichi asked.
"Three to four kilometres per day." Kisuke said.
!!
" In this forest? The same forest they call the forest of death?! Are you insane??"
Jinichi retorted frantically.
" I'm going to have to agree with freckles, that's a lot of distance to be covered daily, not to mention that we still have to forage for food and evade other teams." Aoi said her expression conflicted.
"Yeah, yeah, what she said!" Jinichi whispered.
' I understand that he wants, to reach the tower before the five-day deadline but 4km is ridiculous, this terrain has too many unknown creatures, natural and man-made traps, teams and that damn snake!'
" I understand that this is asking a lot, but the less ground we cover, the harder it will be to reach the tower in later days. I believe it's the best course of action."
Jinichi and Aoi turn towards each other. Before turning back to Kisuke.
"Alright then, we'll follow your lead Kisuke." Aoi shrugged.
"Just remember not to run us into the ground." Jinichi said begrudgingly.
"Thanks, you guys." Kisuke said, a small smile growing on his face.
"Don't thank us yet. If we collapse from exhaustion, you're going to carry us all the way to the tower yourself." Jinichi grumbled.
"We'll cross that bridge when you get there." Kisuke said awkwardly.
"Speak for yourself freckles, I've got enough stamina to go the whole 10km."
"Just what I'd expect from a gorilla." Jinichi muttered.
'Wait, do gorilla's even have plenty stamina?'
Aoi screeched and launched at him.
Smack!
Smack!
"Okay, okay! I'm sorry! Kisuke help!" Jinichi screamed trying his best to block Aoi's beating.
"I'm trying but she's freakishly strong!" Kisuke retorted as he tried to hold Aoi back.
Trying to hold her arms to no avail, Kisuke tried to restrain her by the waist which got a yelp out of her.
"What are you doing you idiot!!" Aoi said, launching her head backward.
"Oof!"
her head slammed directly into Kisuke's chin, knocking him off of her and sending him flying back.
Thud.
The fighting stopped as both Aoi and Jinichi looked towards Kisuke.
Kisuke was knocked out.
….
...
...….
Two brown haired boys, were jumping from tree to tree, moving across the forest terrain like kids in a playground. Jinichi-two leaped from a tree branch, bouncing of a rock, then launching himself to a tree branch. In absurd display of acrobatics, using the momentum of his launch he managed to right himself onto the tree branch before leaping unto another branch.
Jinichi-one was more functional with his traversal, he moved across the ground at a steady pace, ensuring to avoid any pitfalls and quicksand while still moving forward.
Eventually the pairs pace slowed down as they landed on a rock before calming to a halt.
"So what's the plan?" Jinichi-two asks.
"We scout and forage food?" Jinichi-one replies looking to his fellow clone like he's an idiot.
"I know that dumbass! But what exactly is the plan? What's the goal here?"
Jinichi-one face palms.
"It's like the bulk of the originals chakra was used to make me smart and you were left with whatever's in there." Jinichi-one gestured towards Jinichi-two's head.
"That's why you're sooooo arrogant, who in their right mind tries to bargain with the original??" Jinichi-two retorted.
Jinichi-one mouth opened and closed.
" Okay that's fair," Jinichi-one shrugged.
"Although, right now we still haven't found any food. Let's split up, memorize the terrain a bit while foraging, then return to the original. "
"Okay but I have to warn you, I don't know how to draw a map!" Jinichi-two says before running north of Jinichi-one.
"Neither can I!" Jinichi-one says.
'Now…time to find some grub.'
..
….
...
Jinichi-two was not having a great day.
He gotten into many close calls with this forest of death and doom. He'd managed to dodge getting eaten by a giant centipede only to almost get caught in the web of human sized spider. Wasting no time, he skedaddled on out of there, not before tripping a wire trap and almost being made into a shish-kebab.
Now he was resting, sitting on a tree branch, covered from view checking his loot.
He had managed to achieve his goal for today.
Foraging for fruits.
He'd used his shirt as a makeshift sling to carry the fruits. He'd found some weird yellow looking berries, a bunch of red-looking banana's, a blue pineapple and some mangos and apples.
'Kisuke will be able to tell which ones are poisonous or not.'
!!!!
The faint sound of footsteps approaching caught his attention.
'Someone's coming!'
Launching off the tree branch he landed in a bush at the edge off a clearing. Peeping through gaps in the bush he had a front row seat to the drama unfolding before him.
Pat!
Pat!
Pat!
The sound of footsteps and strained breathing was getting louder and louder.
Until.
"AAHHHH! HELP!" screamed a red-haired girl ran out into the clearing, frantically running from something.
'What could she be running from?'
"HISSSS!!!!"
"Oh." Jinichi-two muttered watching as a jungle snake was chasing the girl.
The snake was massive, it was the size of a truck, with grey scales covered in moss, yellow eyes watching the girls every move.
In her panic the girl tripped and fell over. She steadied herself
it's body coiling, already preparing to scarf the girl down in one go.
"Tch! This idiot!" Jinichi-two muttered.
'Inventory!'
[*POOF*]
A familiar scroll appeared before him, slamming his hand down
Two familiar gourds popped out of the scroll.
Jumping out of the bush he surged forward. Reaching into his pouch and throwing a kunai into the eye of the beast.
Splat!
The kunai embedded itself in the snake's eye causing it to thrash in pain.
it yellow eye changed to a blood red.
"HISSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!"
Metal dust surged from his gourds reaching its intended target.
The metal dust grabbed the girl and moved her away from the snake and threw her behind Jinichi-two.
The metal dust the surged upward like a cloud in the sky waiting.
The snake had continued to thrash in pain before turning towards Jinichi-two.
Its one good eye glaring at him, hissing furiously.
"You got something to say big guy? I can't take you seriously when you've only got one good eye." Jinichi-two shouted mockingly.
'Just keep coming you one eyed bastard.'
The snake lunged at them. It closed the distance in an instant, its jaw wide, threatening to swallow them whole.
"EEEEKK!!" the red-haired girl behind him shouted in terror.
'Gotcha.'
Suddenly an axe made of metal dust came down in a swift motion.
Chop!
the axe cut through the snake's neck, tearing through grey flesh like a hot knife through butter, loping its head off in a single strike, the rest of the snakes' body slammed into the axe, as its head rolled forward due to momentum, before rolling into a stop.
Its bloodied eye wide and lifeless.
" Phew, that was close. The things I do for looking cool." Jinichi-two said wiping a drop of sweat from his face.