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Yamatano smiled beneath his mask, prepared to make the Mizukage proud. "Ok, lord mizukage, watch this!" Releasing the chakra in his feet, Yamatano began to plummet to the earth, headfirst. If he were to land this way, the blow would most certainly paralyze him, if not kill him. Yamatano kept a cool head, however, as he bit his thumb to draw blood, wiped it across the tattoo reading the kanji for "snake" on his shoulder, and made a string of five handseals- handseals the Mizukage would recognize as a summoning. A mere ten feet from the ground, Yamatano extended his right palm and cried "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

Out of his hand came forth a Kyodaija, the largest snake he was able to summon. At it's current extension, it brought Yamatano at the level of the window to the treehouse, and a few feet awa from the Mizukage standing on a tree. To anyone in another part of the island, they would see nothing but a great silouette of a giant snake, with a small boy standing on the head. "I've accomplished much since we last me, Lord Mizukage-Dono." Yamatano said, his mask unable to contain his grin.

Chakra Points: (Tree Walking and Summoning) 21/31

Yamatano placed his hand behind his neck in a "how do I explain this one?" pose, trying to decide whether to tell the truth or not. If he did, Lord Mizukage probably wouldnt believe him. But if he didnt, and Lord Mizukage found out...........best not to think about it. "Uhh, actually, Lord Manda taught me. I am the only living summoner of snakes." He said, ready for the laughing to begin from Lord Mizukage, then the demand to know who actually taught him, then that awkward point where Yamatano said it was true........"Dang, I overthink things, dont I?" Yamatano thought to himself as he waited for the Mizukage's response.

Yamatano stared up in awe at Luo, knowing that it certainly meant a lot when the Mizukage patted someone on the head like that. Yamtano grinned, saying, "Indeed I do, Mizukage-dono. I truly hope my talents can be of use to our village. But sir, I've heard this but never seen it: is it true that you too hold a summoning contract?" Yamatano was truly curious to know, especially what contract it was. If they were toads, well............ Manda would NOT be happy.

As the spar continued, an Anbu appaired and stepped between the two, "As much as I love spars, you guys need to head out." he stated as he tossed Yama, Kai, and Kanzo a scroll.

"Alright I passed, and I'm guessing you guys did too, so come on let's grab our gear and get out of here." he stated as he grabbed his survival pack and headed out.

(Exit to Stage 2)

Yamatano caught all three scrolls in quick succession, placing them within his scroll holsters and keeping Kanzuki's separate. Looking back to the Mizukage, Yamatano said "Yes, Lord Mizukage. I look forward to the day. And dont worry, whatever is within this scroll, I'll put it to good use." Yamatano said as he sat down and slid down the back of his snake, just like a child on a playground slide. Offering one last wave to Luo and Kaizen, Yamatano dispelled his snake and headed off in the direction the scroll from the ANBU told him to go. He was more than ready to make mist proud.

(Exit to team one campsite)

Kai was already beginning to react as the ANBU showed up to stop the fight. Watching as Kanzo and Yamatano left, Kai turned to Luo as he sheathed his blades. Catching the scroll Kai glanced at it for a moment before looking back to the Mizukage and saying calmly, "Well... I guess we'll see you after we complete the next stage... don't worry Mizukage-dono, we'll make Kirigakure proud." With that Kai rushed out of the room, and down the trunk of the tree, heading in the direction of his new campsite.

"I live to fulfill the dreams of those that came before me"

(exit to team 3 campsite)

Kai arrived at the huge trees that held the tree-houses, his usual smile gone, replaced by a rather somber look. Focusing chakra into his feet, Kai walked up the side of the tree and towards the high boughs where the tree-houses sat. Stepping onto the "deck" of the tree-houses, Kai simply stood there for a moment, unsure what to do with himself. After a few moments standing there doing nothing, Kai remembered the scroll that Mizukage Luo had given him, and fond thoughts of training with LT came flooding back. It was training that had gotten him through his parent's deaths those first couple weeks. It kept his mind off of them long enough for him to figure out how to handle it, perhaps that's what he needed to do now.

Walking towards the training room of the tree-houses, Kai retrieved the scroll from his scroll case and began to look it over once more. As he stepped through the doors of the training room, a small smile had already begun to creep back onto his face. The Kamaitachi no Jutsu, the slashing wind school, a wonderful offensive jutsu, it creates a small tornado that is strong enough to slice through the limbs of trees, making it easily strong enough to slice through a person if they are hit directly. What's more it can be used to consume and negate many other offensive genin jutsus, and then continue toward the opponent, Kai thought to himself after reading it over and placing the scroll on the ground. Stepping out into the middle of the training room, Kai took a deep breath before drawing Oni Koutai from its sheath in preparation for the jutsu. [.5/3]

Kai began by letting his chakra build in his chest, closing his eyes as he concentrated on changing the chakra to take on the attributes of the Fuuton element. Kai had of course never used the Fuuton element, but he knew that he had the power to do so, otherwise Mizukage Luo wouldn't have given him the scroll, the trick was figuring out how to imbue his chakra with the Fuuton element. Fuuton is the cutting element, so just as I had to let my chakra flow like water with Suiton, and I had to let my chakra burn with Katon, I must let my chakra cut with Fuuton. But to let my chakra flow, I had to think peaceful thoughts. To let my chakra burn I had to rely on my passion. How do I make my chakra cut?, Kai thought to himself as he let his chakra continue to build in his chest, moving it slowly into his right arm and down to his hand, which held Oni Koutai. [1/3]

As Kai continued to think over what it was he needed to do to make his chakra take on the aspect of Fuuton, he began to let his mind wander, getting lost in the flow of his chakra as it swelled and contracted in unison with his breathing. And then Kai's eyes popped open wide, their usual stark white now an emerald-green, as he realized what he needed to do. For his chakra to take on the element of wind, he had to feel as free as the wind. Losing himself in the flow of his chakra had left his mind free to wander, and in so doing had allowed him to tap into his affinity for the element of wind. Smiling broadly now as he let his chakra shift to take on the properties of the Fuuton element, Kai could feel the power as it resonated within him, begging to be set free. [2/3]

Lifting his sword above his head, the tip pointing skyward, a violent wind began to swirl around Kai, ruffling his stark white hair and causing his sash to whip about wildly. In a voice that resonated with power, Kai cried out, "Kamaitachi no Jutsu!", and slashed forward with his blade, causing the wind that had surrounded him to follow with it. As the wind moved across the ground, all but unseen save for the dust particles that went with it, it began to chop at the wooden floor, leaving long gashes in the wood. As it reached the thin wooden wall, the slashing winds tore away at it, dozens of gashes appearing in a circular pattern until finally it broke through, leaving a sizable hole in its wake. [3/3 Kamaitachi no Jutsu (slashing wind skill) learned]

Kai simply stood there for a moment, relaxing his arm and allowing his blade fall to his side as he stared ahead, his face blank. Then a small smile began to creep onto his face and Kai let out an exultant whoop at his success. Walking over to the wall, Kai ran his fingers along the ragged edges of the whole he had created in the wall, careful not press so hard that he would get a splinter. As Kai stood there, simply basking in the feeling of success, the thoughts that had troubled him were forgotten. He was able to forget that he would likely never see Shay again, able to forget that he was soon going to be fighting the others that had passed the second stage, able to forget that this exam was far from over... if only for a short while.

"I live to fulfill the dreams of those that came before me"

Kai continued to run his fingers along the hole in the wall for a moment, but suddenly stopped as he heard voices coming from around the rest area of the tree-houses. One voice in particular, caused a broad smile to spread across Kai's face. Yamatano had arrived.

Sheathing his blade, Kai all but ran out of the training room and towards the sound of the two voices, voices that could easily be heard by anyone even close to the tree-houses, let alone Kai who was a mere thirty feet or so away. Coming around a corner, Kai saw his companion, and luckily his back was turned to him. Kai's broad smile quickly turned into a mischievous grin as he began to slowly form a few hand-seals before crying out, "Uo Tsuba!" A stream of water shot out from Kai's mouth, heading straight for the back of Yamatano's head. Would he be able to dodge in time, or would he be struck a devastatingly hair-drenching blow!?

"I live to fulfill the dreams of those that came before me"

Chakra points: 38/39