In reply to Shinji Kanzo (msg # 12):

Tobi had been newly assigned to this squad when a former member mysteriously disappeared and never returned. Tobi accepted the offer and was happily placed within the group. When it came to the exams, he realized his only purpose was to get his team through this and it was fine by him.

Kanzo discussed what he thought about the question and Tobi listened intently. [Private to Shinji Kanzo: "I honestly did not know there was a volume 5. I must have missed it or something. Without knowledge of that book, we don't stand a chance at this. Think we should just guess and cross our fingers or something? Because I'm smart and all, but you know, without the book in hand, I think we'll fail. The genin here are almost 50-50 on this. What should we do?]

Kanzo felt that being in a squad of 3 may impact their performance in the long run, but for now it would have to do.  From what Tobi had said, and the indicisiveness of the other genin, Kanzo whispered back.

[Private to Fujii Sima: I have a feeling that many true or false questions are based around is this EXACTLY correct, and will usually try and make most of it correct, and change one small thing or it is generally true except in a certain circumstance.  I think we should go with “False” on this
]

GM EDIT: In order to participate in the Exams, you need 3. Otherwise, you couldn't attend. Even though your teammate will not be with you this entire time, she will be written off later so do acknowledge her presence. Just God-mod it a bit.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:03, Fri 29 Jan 2016.

This was the beginning of what Nori knew would be an unforgettable experience. She looked around her and saw their competition, but despite not knowing any of them, she knew they had to be good for them to be here. When the proctor came up to the podium and posed the team their question, she looked over the words and carefully read into them. She turned her head and looked at her teammates.

[Private to Akitoki Sigmund; Nara Nanami: "Nanami could be right. There probably isn't one right answer, but there has to be some kind of logic in it. I mean, there has to be a right answer seeing as how it is coming directly from a book. I've heard of the series before, but never bothered to pick it up and read it.  Then again, is there even a volume five to begin with? It's a trick question," she replied.]

Tobi nodded his. [Private to Shinji Kanzo: "All right, boss. Let's do it. Let's hope for the best!"] He was an enthusiast about their choice. He followed behind Kanzo and Chisame, choosing False as their answer for the question. They weren't too entirely certain about their choice, but they let fate decide their destiny today.

Kanzo wasn't fully sure of his reasoning or decision, but even if he was completely wrong, they still had a 50% shot at getting it right.  He led his team up onto the X stage to join a squad of Earth genin, smiling as he did so.  Fake it 'till you make it he thought to himself.  Sometimes confidence was just as important as getting the right answer.

In reply to Yamada Nori (msg # 16):

   He thought it over a bit before giving them an answer. He looked around, noticing other squads had already chosen their answers. Some true, some false. It was 50-50 on the this so seeking the answer from others wasn't a possibility this time. He looked at the girls again, stuffing his hands in his coat pockets and looked at them with much confidence. [Private to Nara Nanami; Yamada Nori: "Well, looking at the others, it's nearly divided. If we choose the wrong answer, half of the competition could be eliminated within round 1. We need to be smart about this. I unfortunately don't read too much, so never have I picked up these books growing up. I spend too much time on training. I think we should go with false."] He still was unsure, but choosing was the best they could do.

Nanami nods [Private to Akitoki Sigmund; Yamada Nori: "I read way to much, and it must be series printed here as I never recall seeing it at the library or shops. So false?" ] She humms happily.

   Sigmund took in a deep breath, glancing around once again and then facing them again. [Private to Nara Nanami; Yamada Nori: "All right, lets go with false. We have nothing to lose. Just be on your toes. Because if we lose this, we may have some kind of weird escort out or something. Just be on your feet, okay? I'm not too confident of this land right now."] He explained and they turned around, picking false, going with their gut. They stood on the platform, among other groups, waiting patiently.

Nanami Follows Sigmund "I have faith in our decision. Right or wrong our training and strength can only go up, regardless of our rank. We will be that much stronger next go around."

In reply to Akitoki Sigmund (msg # 19):

Nori thought over the question again in her head. 'Moon is Day, Mountain is River, Flower is Nectar...' she thought silently before looked away from her teammates and looked at the teams that were taking both sides. One of them had to be the right answer, right? It had to be, but just which one was the right one?
[Private to Akitoki Sigmund; Nara Nanami: "Well, when you think about it, a river can be found between mountains and nectar can be found in a flower, but moon is day doesn't really correlate with anything except for the fact that moon comes out at night when the sun sets, but you can still see the moon during the day. It just isn't as bright at night," she replied and looked over at Sigmund and Nanami. "I get a feeling the answer is true as they all seem to correlate with each other one way or the other, thus making the statements true."]

However, after hearing both Nanami and Sigmund speak, Nori simply nodded and joined her teammates on the platform. It really was a fifty fifty chance, but maybe she was just putting too much logic into her thinking.

The squad did not hesitate nor did they even speak to each other. They just looked at each and nodded, going with false. They made their way and stood there quietly. They were probably the oldest team of genin here as they stood taller compared to the other group.

The Sound squad was very intimating looking, take on masks and cloaks. They seemed more suspicious looking than any other group. Nobody knew what was under their cloaks, but people were sure they jutsus were sound based. However, they did not care. They were only here to wind and they would do anything to accomplish that goal. They chose true without even much speaking.

The remaining squads chose their answers, from true and false. They divided up the answers to 50 and 50 and the turn out was great. You could definitely see who was the smartest in the groups.

Aorin had been placed into the Chunin Exams along with his other two teammates, Cho and Kairos. He had traveled to the Land of Snow to find purpose and to find his redemption after being stripped of his headband in Iwagakure. He now lead Cho and Kairos and was representing the Land of Snow. It was a last minute registration with another Snow Squad, but he didn't care. He was going to prove to be the best, showing the Earth squad who was superior. Aorin had chosen the answer for his squad quickly, going with false.

Kyo lead the other snow squad. It consisted of him, Riki from the water and an unstable minded boy named Kotatsu. Kyo noticed his old squad from lightning, but did not say hi to them. Instead, he listened carefully with his team and they followed Aorin's lead to their answer choice. They prepared themselves for the true answer of this question.

Sima observed every single group, noticing the strongest members of a group to their weakest members of their group. He was impressed with the turn out overall and was shocked to see some struggled with the question at hand. He noticed some were very confused while others chose an answer right away. Some even debated about it. Once all the squads had chosen their answers, he waited a few moments to see if anybody had any seconds thoughts before he addressed them again. He stood up tall, looked at them with amusement. He watched his own squad make their decision towards the end and just smiled for a moment. He hoped their training would pay off.

He cleared his throat. "All right, you've all decided on your answer. The wrong answer is..." he remained silent as he kept all the genin on their toes. Their expressions changed from confident to worried. He was sure their hearts were beating hard in their chest as they anxiously awaited the correct answer. "In other words, those who tense up will fail," was all he said to finish his sentence and their faces were all confused.

Among the genin, many questions were asked, specially "What do you mean?" could be heard from many genin. He just smiled and chuckled to himself. "You'll see. Now the answer is," he said as he turned around and used his body flicker to disappear and reappear on top of the board. He placed his hand on the board, making it move and pushed it off, revealing a whole new board that read the answer:

O & X

Many of the students were in complete shock. A few moments passed before all the Jonin had moved around the entire grounds, facing all the genin. That's when the floors below each platform on the answer stages had collapsed, dropping every squad into their respective pits. In each pit, they could see much electricity sparking about towards the very bottom. If you fall all the way, you'll be electrocuted until they say otherwise.

What do you choose to do, students?

Yuuka was shocked when the floor suddenly dropped out from under her.  Thinking quickly, she unfurled her summoning scroll as she fell, biting her thumb to draw blood.  Hastily performing the summoning jutsu as the bottom of the pit rushed towards her, Yuuka finished just in time.  Her ninja manta steed appeared beneath her with a puff of smoke, stopping their descent.  Hovering on a cushion of air, Yuuka looked for her team-mates, to see if either of them needed her help.

The tension in the rather exposed training grounds was immense. Never before had Isamu felt as hypersensitive, as nervous as he did right there. In a few moments, the real reason behind the question would be revealed - presented to them by the Jonin that was to decide their immediate future path. Relaxing his hands, the nervous Genin awaited the big reveal - he was guessing it had something to do with cryptography and ciphers, decoding the hidden message within the--

The board fell, revealing to all the answer of true and false. Circle and cross. Isamu had less than three seconds to comprehend the complete ridiculousness of the first exam before the various Jonin pulled back the floor beneath them.

Shocked for less than a second, he was partially relieved that the exam wasn't something so dreary - or at least, he would've been if not for the thunderous noise coming from below him. A quick glance downwards revealed the maze of crackling electricity, the visibility of which snapping him out of his reverie and straight into action.

Thankful for his earlier positioning of his hands, Isamu runs through handseals with a speed that comes only from extensive practice - simultaneously shouting to his teammates:

"Grab the wall! Wind Release: Gale Palm!"

Overpowering the technique, a gust of rampaging wind shot out from his palms, hitting against the wall opposite them and launching the three Genin backwards - towards the direction of the parallel wall.

Drawing a single Kunai in a fluid motion, Isamu stabs the sharp blade into the soft sandstone hilt-deep, relying on the grip of the instrument to get a hold of the wall and work on a more permanent solution for his - their - current predicament.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:53, Fri 29 Jan 2016.

Chisame stared nonplussed as she suddenly dropped into a pit.  Huh.  Looking around, she unsheathed the broad-bladed sword she carried on her back.  Channeling chakra through it, she stabbed it into the wall of the pit, arresting her descent.  Hanging by her arms for a moment, she looked around at the other falling students.  I wonder if we're supposed to fall into the electricity?  Maybe it's a test of toughness?  Nah, screw that.

Flipping up to perch on top of the sword embedded in the wall, Chisame waited to see if any of the other students would land in the electricity.  Should be entertaining.

Kurochi watched as the answers were revealed confused on how that worked out. But suddenly the floor gave out letting them fall into a pit. Looking down Kurochi saw the electricity, Kurochi started forming the hand signs needed for the jutsu. Kurochi announced, as he finished,"Wind Style: Great BreakThrough!" aiming towards an empty wall. Kurochi launched towards the wall behind him grabbing 2 Kunai from his pouch, he stuck to the wall hanging.

Looking up he saw Yuuka perfectly safe, although he couldn't see Kai he watched out for him. Grabbing 2 more kunai he swung around and stuck them to the wall for his feet to stand on, just in case if his hold gave out.

Rosuto had stood there worried that they had failed until it was announced that both answers were correct. He was actually just about to let out  sigh of relief when the Jonin changed position and the floor beneath them was gone. Thankful for Isamu's quick thinking Rosuto was able to do a quick jutsu of his own.

'Earth Release: Earth Shore Return!" he said as he slapped the wall they made contact with. A chuck of the wall big enough for the team to stand on swung itself out of the earth and plugged their section of the pit.

   Sigmund had remained quiet as they stood there, contemplating whether he made the right decision or not. Once he saw the proctor come back onto the stage and address them again with a weird riddle, he looked confused. He didn't say anything and watched as the true answer was revealed. The new board revealed that either answer was correct. A lot of confused looks had submerged on everyone's faces and they had little time to process that because in a matter of seconds, Sigmund noticed Jonin dispersed and then the floor under them collapsed.

   Both sides had fallen into pits and he heard a lot of screaming. Among the screaming and shouts, he immediately noticed the electricity at the bottom of the clip. He grew worried and knew he would have to pull through if they were to make it. Quickly thinking, he used his kekkei to make a quick bone sword, stabbing it into the dirt wall and keeping hold. He had grabbed Nori's hand before she got out of his reach, hanging onto her for the time being. He couldn't find Nanami, but he knew she had her own ground. He knew he couldn't stay like this for long though.

Kanzo was kind of let down he hadn't brilliantly deduced the correct answer, but was happy he had passed the first exam.  His calm was shattered when he suddenly found himself falling into a dangerous looking pit full of electricity.  Kanzo thought of a quick plan to escape.  He made his hand seals. "Water Style:  Water Bullet Jutsu". He used the force of launching the projectile to propel him close enough to the wall where he stabbed in his kunai, sliding a few feet before it was caught in the wall.  His heart was pounding at how sudden it was.  He looked around to see who else had made it and was glad to see Chisame had managed to catch herself.  He gave a smile and a little wave.

Kanzo then pulled out another kunai and drove it into the wall as an extra handhold.

Eiko had a moment of the confusion as the answer dropped. The greater lesson was obvious: shinobi can't be paralyzed by fear. He still didn't quite understand how a passage could both be accurate and inaccurate -- but he could check the book later. His focus was too distracting, maybe he was too confident the test was over.

As the ground disappeared under him, Isamu's push back away from the wall arrested the descent enough to understand the situation. Quickly, he grabbed a tag from under his vest and hurled it straight down under the trio and towards the ground. It traveled faster than them, stopping just under their feet before the tag jolted parallel to the floor, "Barrier Seal!"

Rosuto's earth jutsu made his barrier unnecessary, the barrier form under a floor under the three, and under the earth; supporting it at best, and redundant at worst. Rosuto and Isamu had seen Eiko make larger barriers -- but Eiko kept this one just big enough to catch the three. The other Squads would solve the test on their own, or fail the test.

Once the barrier was in place, he it was just a matter of climbing out of the pit the short distance that had fallen, reaching back to offer a hand to his other two teammates to help them.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:18, Sat 30 Jan 2016.

Nanami was waiting for the answer to be revealed. Something to her felt a bit off. Why were they all standing in a specified area. She didn't think much of it at the time. Then the Jonin all backed up and the reveal of either answer was revealed. Suddenly the floor drops out. The dropping feeling which she had felt a hundred times when training with their Sensei in his training area.

The gust of wind as she started to fall. Nanami didn't fluster, she looked quickly spotting Nori and Sigmund. They were safe for the moment. But the blade looked to be slipping out of the wall that held her teammates. She deftly pulled out a kunai that had wire attached and she through it just to the right of her teammates. She then gripped tightly as she swung, hitting the wall. She didn't have the time to put her gloves on so the wires were starting to cut into her hands.

She smiles "Three going up." She announced as she kicked off the wall grabbing both of her teammates "Wind style: Divine wind Jutsu!" Suddenly a small tornado appears under them, and propels them higher then the pits edge by quite a bit. She uses her feet to push Nori and Sigmund towards the safe ground. Nanami then flips and lands near them breathing hard "Here I thought it was going to be boring. You two alright?"
This message was last edited by the player at 23:23, Fri 29 Jan 2016.