| abstract | - "Well excuse me princess, but last I checked you weren't the boss around here. I don't care that those idiots back in Konoha grovel at the ground you walk on, but if you want to be leader you're going to have to take it from my cold dead fingers!" Hissed Shima. Koyone only huffed in annoyance, turning her nose at the bickering pair. "I could drop you dead in five seconds flat lizard breath! So don't push me!" Akemi yelled back. She stomped over to the stump and took a seat ignoring the icy glare Shima was giving her. Ever since Yura Aburame dropped from the exam, things had gotten... tense. Their replacement had all but given them the cold shoulder, no doubt due to the rest of her team failing, but she was following orders at least. Akemi palmed her head sighing into her hand as she bitterly recalled the beginning of the second phase. It was all going so smoothly, obviously she had passed, and Shima had surprisingly done well enough as well. Who knew the girl was proficient in basic academy knowledge? But the biggest surprise had been Yura. She'd thought out of anyone, least of all an Aburame that he'd pass. Things went downhill from there, those who were left were shuffled into new teams, and Konohamaru (she was not going to refer to him as sensei, he couldn't crack a nut with two rocks if he tried) had given them a grim speech on survival and after handing out the scrolls and passing on the instructions, left as soon as the exam began. Peering at her other teammates she couldn't help but wince, things had started off so well. Once the gates had opened, the other teams rushed in like their lives depended on it (the fact that they were wasn't lost to her). She knew that Koyone was a sensor-nin; Team Uchiha was well known in Konoha and she liked to be kept appraised of her fellow genin, and they had come to agree on their plan of action. After using her Byakugan and Koyone's chakra sensing ability, they were able to determine the general course and relative location of each of the team. Knowing they had ample time to prepare, Akemi pulled her teammates aside and almost immediately applied her Eight Trigrams Imaginary Body Technique on their vital organs. After that, she dispensed with her supply of Military Rations Pills making sure they were all fed and nourished for the next three days. All that was left was to acquire a source of water, and they could maintain the advantage of mobility. But along the way Shima, as always had to butt in to her authority, and just couldn't let things be! At first it was where we should go, then it was about her ordering them around, then it was about how she should have asked first before applying some crazy unknown fuinjutsu, and so on. Why couldn't that girl just listen to someone who actually knows better for once instead of sticking her nose where it doesn't belong! Its infuriating! They had nearly come to blows, but the silent Koyone apparently had had enough of their fighting and erupted on them as well. Eventually they all agreed on a destination and had set camp here after securing several dozen gallons of water from a stream along the way. It was equally important that they choose a temporary camp site that was out of the way, where few teams would venture. The forest was largely dead, but it ensured that their senses wouldn't be fooled by the standard means of chakra suppression. She and Koyone could, and to a lesser degree Shima given her penchant for sniffing out her opponents, sense any approaching adversary well before they got within combat range. Sparing a glance at Shima, she could see that the beastly girl was unwrapping her trap kit, and dosing her weaponry and ninja wire with poison. Though she hated to admit it, and would certainly never vocalize it, she was glad Shima was there; from a purely professional point of view of course! Her abilities in particular would be invaluable during the course of this exam. With that in mind, she too began to prepare. She periodically activated her Byakugan during the trip here so she could see which kinds of poisonous animals inhabited the area. With this knowledge firmly in mind, she could prepare some anti venom's and if possible synthesize her own poisons for later use. The impromptu collaboration between remnants of Konoha's two teams was less than desirable for Koyone as well. While her general dismissive behavior was nothing to be surprised about, the fact that her team had failed and she was thrown in with a chaotic pair of kunoichi was definitely not improving her willingness to communicate. For the most part Koyone simply complied with the will of her newly found partners, as she was more interested in earning her promotion than controlling a temporary squad formed out of convenience. Most troubling was not being familiar with her "teammates" approach to combat. While Koyone was fairly familiar with the Hyūga and their abilities from her original team, Akemi's chakra flow was much more refined than Shōju, likely placing her skills on a higher tier. Additionally, Konoha's princess seemed to have a preference for medical ninjutsu. Despite having some manner of knowledge on how to adapt to Akemi, their lack of experience with one another could be detrimental in the field. Even more troublesome was Koyone's understanding of Shima. In addition to their lack of shared history, she had barely any idea what to expect from the bandaged young woman. All she could gather from their interaction was that Shima seem to have a build, and personality, that favored violence, but that was hardly something to bet upon. Eventually she resigned herself to the reality that she'd have to adjust to her teammates in the heat of combat, though she wasn't honestly helping the situation by remaining quiet. Rather than getting caught up in her team member's bickering Koyone tried to keep her attention on the surroundings, hoping to identify the other groups before they got too close. Twirling a kunai rhythmically around her fingertip Koyone hoped that either a team made their way towards them soon, preferring to collect a second scroll as quick as possible. It had been a few hours since they made camp, and at this point Shima was beginning to lose it. Akemi was off being her usual arrogant self, and the other was busy twirling her kunai like some princess with too much time on their hands! With a growl, she shoved her weapons back into her pouch. They'd waited long enough. Though the plan hadn't been mentioned much she suspected that they had all been thinking along the same vein--- now was the time to strike. The other teams should have set camp by now and if they were smart, they'd have set traps in case of ambush. With two sensors on the team, they could easily pinpoint the enemies own traps, and with her gecko's, dismantle them. Then she could hunt them as she saw fit while the others played it safe and prepared their own traps. After that its just a matter of herding her prey into the kill zone. She grinned savagely in anticipation. "Oi, stop it with the stalker grin, Gecko-chan." Glancing over at the Hyuga princess, she could see that condescending smirk plastered on her face like it was the day she was born. Growling in irritation she sent the hyuga a withering look, who just arched an eyebrow. Turning to face their third teammate Akemi gestured to Koyone. "It's time. We need to--" "Head out, we know." Shima interrupted. God she hated how overbearing Akemi could be at times. "We're not exactly idiots, even a moron could figure that much out. So here's the plan-" "-The plan," Akemi emphasized the word as if she owned it. "is for us" She gestures to Koyone. "to spy on the enemy, discern any traps, disarm them-" "We know!" Shima growled out. "Lets just shut up and head out alright!" She didn't bother waiting for a response as she grabbed her gear and leapt off. "...Brash, and reckless. Just great, maybe she'll have a good old fashioned brawl with the too. C'mon Koyone, we should catch up before she gets herself killed."
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