Nanami watched and in a blink of an eye. The fight turned for the worse for Sigmund. She shielded her eyes from the blast. After a moment Nanami'sused her Sharingan, it was shining brightly. She would be quick to find Kotatsu's chakra signature and the scattered chakra signature of her fallen comrade. She couldn't make out his condition. All Nanami knew was she had to destroy Kotatsu. She kicks off jumping high into the air.

Nanami draws her bow and begins to chant "The air goddess I beseech thee to destroy thy enemy. With this arrow I condemn you to hell!" She draws the bow string way back. The air around her stirs as chakra is drawn inwards towards her bow. The swirling of air gathered into an arrow "This shot you cannot escape, and you will die now!" Nanami goes into a dive with the arrow formed and fires it off towards Kotatsu. Nanami's momentum carried her past Kotatsu as she aimed to find Sigmund.

It was clear that Nanami's feelings were of rage and the wanting to find her friend.
This message was last edited by a game editor at 22:32, Fri 16 June 2017.

   All he could remember was the paper bomb. It was a huge explosion that caused the stadium to even catch fire. He remembered his eyes growing wide when it had been placed on his rib cage. Because of his awareness and all his training, nobody had noticed he removed the tagged just in time towards the stadium. He was selfish in tossing the paper bomb towards others and saved his own skin.

   The blast had made his ears ring and with this ring, he couldn't hear the screams of others and his name being called out. His eyes needed time to adjust. He remembered opening them and he was facing the ground, looking at nothing but dirt and some of his bangs over his eyes. Hid body felt heavy, sore, and inside he was incredibly exhausted. After coughing a few times, he managed to get up and saw nothing but fire, heavy black smoke, and dust. This clouded almost everyone's vision. Holding his side, he limped to what he believed was the right direction to his team. He didn't have a clue as to whether or not Kotatsu lived through blast as well.

   By the time his ears stopped ringing, he remembered hearing Nanami full of rage and he also saw Kotatsu, standing there in front of Sigmund. They locked eyes before he looked back at Nanami as she declared her deadly attack. Next thing he knew, an arrow had ripped through his torso and Kotatsu's, who had unknowingly used him as a shield and that's when Sigmund saw Nanami zoom passed them. That's when Kotatsu laughed and poof! A small cloud of smoke had replaced where Kotatsu once was, no sight of him at this point.

   Sigmund coughed, coughing up blood. This is it....this is the end....after all I have done....all that I have worked for...this is the end....Nori...Nanami...I'm sorry I failed you... he remembered thinking to himself, having no strength to say it out loud. Sigmund did smirk though. He had to admit, Kotatsu was smarter than everybody estimated and he never felt more proud of himself until now because Sigmund held his own for a long time, longer than he witnessed from anybody else. He closed his eyes and fell to the ground, in a pool of his blood.

Nori continued dragging her body across the dirt ground, still unable to see clearly as she looked for Sigmund. He had to be around here somewhere. He couldn't have died. He better not have died. And what about Nanami? What happened to her? She could only hope that she wasn't caught in the blast like Sigmund was. "Sigmund?" she called out. "Nanam-" the calling of her friend fell short as she felt the air change around her. The energy was...different. She had felt it a few times before when Nanami had gathered chakra into her arrows to use for an attack. It had to be her. She just as soon felt a gust of wind blow past her and it caused her to look up. She squinted her mahogany eyes to see the silhouette of a figure in the air and a single point of light aimed at the ground. What was she doing?

Soon the point of light shot down from the sky and plummeted down towards the ground. Her eyes followed the light as it cleared a path through the dust and at the end of that path she saw Sigmund's familiar figure. Thank god he was- Her eyes darted back to the arrow and then to Sigmund. "Sigmund! Look out!" But it was already too late. She saw the arrow go right through Kotatsu, a puff of smoke taking his place, before she saw it rip through her teammate's torso. Her eyes widened. No. No this wasn't happening. It couldn't be happening. She watched her former friend fall to the floor and blood. Lots of blood. Nori bit her bottom lip as she crawled over towards him, "No no no..." She crawled as fast as she could over to him.

Once she made it over to him, she could feel the blood soak through her clothes but that didn't matter. "Sigmund. Sigmund, open your eyes. Look at me. Open your eyes," she pleaded as she reached out a hand and stroked back his hair to push it out of his face. "Please look at me. Say something mean to me. Say you hate me. Say you will never be my friend ever again. Say anything. Please. Please..."

   Sigmund never imagined dying. He had always wondered what death was like though. They were all correct: your life really does flash before your eyes and so quickly too. Images of his childhood, the academy with his team, meeting their senses for the first time, his first official team, the countless training and missions, his hidden jutsus...now this.

   Damn...this? This way? By your own teammate? Man, that bites. he thought over as he began to see a faint light, the light to pass on, to cross to a peaceful place where all war heroes went. He thought he imagined himself smiling but he wasn't. He thought of a frown as he heard a faint familiar voice. Nanami? No it was too soft, too concerning. It was Nori's. she could be heard calling his name, but she kept saying something else. Wake up? No. Eyes. Yes, eyes. Open his eyes?

   Before he knew it, he coughed and his eyes opened, and the first person staring at him with tears running down her face was Nori. "Stop being such a baby..." he managed to get out, of course maintaining his usual attitude towards her, even in his dying state.

Nanami watched as Kotatsu vanished "You will pay, and I am coming for you. Make no mistake, you are dead. You just don't know it yet." She lands knowing Kotatsu hadn't heard her threat. It mattered very little to Nanami. Knowing she said it was what mattered to her. She needed that confidence and hatred. It seemed to follow the Sharingan. Death and loss, yet prosperity and peace also followed them after times of great loss. In these brief moments she made up her mind, that she had to become stronger, a lot stronger. She knew how she needed to, and who too talk to..

These thoughts sped through her mind as she looked for Sigmund.

It took only a few seconds for her to find the pool of blood and her fallen friend. She slides and stops next to him "No, no, no.. You are not dying on me. You aren't dying! I won't let you cause Nori too cry again!" Kneeling down she used the Sharingan to find the major bleed points. She covers a finger in flame and uses all of the knowledge she has learned to carefully sear the arteries closed without damaging them or the flesh around them. It took all of her composure to not tremble.

Nanami slowed her breathing as she took great care. After stopping the worst of the bleeding. She places her hand down hard above Sigmund's heart, her other hand comes up and Nanami begins chanting "Goddess of all, bringer of life, I beseech you. Grant me the healing power to prevent the loss of my friend." Nanami focuses her chakra into healing the serious parts of the wound "Last just long enough for me to get you into the hands of the medical unit.. Just hang on."

Nanami was already tired from the whole ordeal. But with the last bit of her strength she picked up Sigmund as carefully as possible. Then she went and found Nori, and Nanami picks her up. The last of her chakra went into boosting her strength and speed slightly. Just enough so she could carefully move without risk of dropping either of them. Nanami rushes towards the medical center in the village.

   He tried his best to stay conscious for them, but he found it difficult. He knew the damage to his body was extensive because he felt cold, lifeless even, weak, and so tired. The girls tried their best to keep him awake but he eventually fell unconscious as he witnessed Nanami try to repair his arteries to stop any further bleeding. His bones had healed, his ribs had repaired themselves, his vertebrates had magically regret themselves, and any breaks or fractures Kotatsu had caused him had already healed. But his injuries were still fatal.

   He was carried away and that was the last he remembered of the events.

   It wasn't long until Nanami reached the clinic, yelling for help and demanding medical care immediately for Sigmund and then themselves. He was taken away in a stretcher, having told the girls he needed emergency surgery if they wanted save Sigmund. His blood loss was critical and his damaged torso proved to be even more severe than they believed. Medical Ninjutsu couldn't save this boy, however a team of surgeons whom studied under the great Sakura and Tsunade were called in. They kept him on a ventilator to help him breathe, units of blood to replenish what was lost, careful supervising as they waited for the great medical women.

   It was hours before Sigmund finally got the help he deserved. Hours of surgery later Nori and Nanami were informed of Sigmund's successful surgery and he was taken to a private room to recover, he was looking at weeks of recovery, to his unknown mind he would greatly be against.

   All the while the events the fire trio endured, many genin helped rescued those they could save, Jonins from every village organized rescued parties to search for any deceased or lost civilians. Water Jutsu Masters attended to the fire however the stadium was completely burned down nothing but ash and rubble and burnt corpses of people who didn't make it. This was tragedy; a tragedy the land of lightning would never forget. A day the Kages were kidnapped, The Land of Snow's declaration of war and assignation of their own Daimyo, and most of all, the lost lives of many. This was a time the great nations were to join forces yet again to stop the rise of this rebellion.

[Genin are free to post whatever they desire at this post. Chapter 3 will start very soon].

In reply to Akitoki Sigmund (msg # 22):

Nori didn't hear Sigmund say anything at first when she spoke to him. Fear rushed through her. Would she never be able to speak to him again? Was this going to be it? It couldn't be. The tears rolled down her cheeks and she began to cry. Her hand fell from his head and let it fall to the ground as buried her face in her arm. "Sigmund, you can't go. You can't leave. Not yet. You have to keep going," she said and sniffled before she pulled her head away from her arm to look down at him with tears in her eyes. It wasn't until she had heard him speak to her that her eyes widened and trembled. He...he was alive, but he was weak. She could hear weakness in his voice. He had to get out of here and get out of here fast. Nori sniffles again and wiped at her eyes. "Yeah. I am a big cry baby. So what?" she said with a small laugh. As bad as it was to see him in this state, she was happy. She was happy that he was alive. "Don't worry. We are going to get you some help. You gotta hang on and not open that big mouth of yours." She smiled.

It was in saying that that she felt a gust of wind go past her and she looked up to see Nanami was there. That's right. Maybe she could heal him just enough to get him to the medical wing. She knew her friend wouldn't let Sigmund die like this. He couldn't die. She watched as she attempted to repair the damage that was done to his body. She reached out and held onto his hand even after he went unconscious. "Thank you, Nanami. Thank you," she said before she felt herself picked up and rushed out of the burning stadium.

When they arrived at the medical unit, Nori felt herself placed on a stretcher and wheeled away one way while Sigmund was wheeled out another. There was some damage to her spinal cord from Kotatsu's blast to her back, but luckily they were able to repair most of it. They told her she was lucky that it wasn't broken in half or else she would have been paralyzed for life. However, she also had a recovery time ahead of her with physical therapy to gain full function. Despite her own prognosis, she was more worried about Sigmund than anyone else. The doctors had told her and Nanami that his surgery was a success but that he was looking at a long time recovery. Upon her request, she asked one of the medical ninjas to wheel her to his room, stating she wanted to be there when he woke up. Once she was wheeled into his room and parked st his side, Nori reached out and took hold of his hand. She gave it a gentle squeeze. "Everything's going to be okay, Sigmund. I know it," she said to her unconscious teammate. "Everything will be okay."

   The entire time Sigmund was unconscious, he dreamt. Dreamt of that damn kid Kotatsu and the damage he had done. It felt real but it was a total nightmare. It was almost like a promonition. He had lost his friends, family, and team and it was just him and Kotatsu. They stood face-to-face, staring down at one another and they engaged in battle, just like before. The clinks and clanks of their kunai knives, punch after punch, lick after kick, jutsu after jutsu. They were evenly matched and then a big blast happened, bringing him back to reality.

   Sigmund had fluttered his eyes slowly as he gasped for air. They had incubated him after his surgery and he began to choke as he tried breathing on his own. A nurse had been within the room in order to remove the tube so he could breath properly. She had quickly dismissed herself with his chart, leaving him and Nori alone. She held his hand and he remembered the previous events and then he felt pain. The surgery and battle took their toll on his body as he laid there. He stared up at the ceiling, trying to gather his thoughts.

   "You done being a cry baby now?" he managed out and weakly smirked at her as he turned his head towards Nori. There was no sight of Nanami yet. He finally realized Nori had been injured too, as she say in her wheel chair. He wanted to forget about what happened. His injuries were a combination of the exams, Kotatsu, and Nanami's lethal arrow jutsu. He gave her credit though, she had it in her to kill. Maybe next time it won't be him though. He laughed in his head to the stupid joke he cracked at himself,

Nori didn't know how much time had passed after she arrived in the room to sit at Sigmund's side. She knew that he was just unconscious, but it still scared her to see him like this. Never once had she seen him this badly injured before. Not to the point where he nearly died. She knew he was going to have a long recovery process, but she was going to help him as much as she could despite her own injury. Even if he didn't want her to, she was going to. She had been laying her head down beside his arm on the bed when she suddenly heard him choking and gasping for air. Nori quickly pulled her head back and looked down at him. "Sigmund? Oh my god. Nur-" she began to say before she saw the nurse quickly come over to his side and remove the tube from his mouth so he could breathe.

A wave of relief washed over her as she saw his breathing returning to normal. Thank god he was okay. She nearly fell out of her wheelchair when he started to choke. She settled back against her chair, but continued to hold onto his hand, letting her thumb brush across the top of it in a comforting manner. Well, she was sure it wasn't soothing to him. He had just had major surgery. He could have died. She lightly shook her head. No. He was alive. That was what mattered.

Upon hearing his words, all Nori found she could do was simply laugh. "Call me a crybaby all you want. I'm just glad you're alive. You don't know how relieved I am of that. Who else would call me mean names and say things to hurt my feelings?" she said. She was trying to hold back the tears. She really was. The last thing he needed was to see her crying. She had to be strong right now. After all, he was in much more pain than she was. "The doctor says you have a long way to go in recovery, but I know you'll pull through. I'm going to help you in any way that I possibly can and no. You can't stop me no matte how much you try."

   He remained quiet. She was determined to help him however he didn't want it nor need it. The doctors may have insisted he needed the long recovery but there was a bigger issue out there. Their sensei was dead, many genin from villages died, countless innocent lives died alone from the fire and the clones, and the Kages had been kidnapped. Sigmund couldn't wait for recovery. He couldn't wait that long.

   "Time isn't on our side. I don't have time to idle by," he explained and looked at her. He squeezed her hand, holding her hand in his own. He knew she had her own recovery process but he had an incredible power and he wasn't going to let it go to waste. "Don't freak out. The doctors told you physical therapy right?" not really asking her but more so just for stating it out loud. Bones from his fingers began to sprout out and stabbed into her knuckles, the weird crackling could be heard from him. The great thing about his power is he could control the calcium in bones, which makes bones heal, regenerate, repair, and even grow as much as he wanted. By having his bones invade her own, he was able to transfer his own calcium into her's, repairing her back and every other bone injury she had suffered. She honestly could admit she felt good as new. Once he felt that her bones were strong, he retracted his from her hand and she bled a little, her skin not use to this type of kekkei. His calcium would remain in the repaired bones until she broke them again.

   "There. Now you won't need that wheel chair. You're good as new," he stated and closed his eyes for a moment. "With Nanami's medical ninjutsu and her arrows, my recovery should be incredibly short. I can't stay this useless. Time is simply not on our side. I'm a target and for all we know, they'll come back for me while I'm helpless. Whether you want to stop me or not, I'm determined to get out of here and continue on. I may have almost died and that scared the hell out of me, but the next time, I promise you I'll be the victor," he explained to her as he sat up. He felt so much pain but his face literally remained motionless but he did look a bit pale and clammy.

Nori had already known that Sigmund wasn't going to just sit here in bed and wait till he recovered from his injuries to go out and fight for what was lost. People had died. Many of them so innocent and helpless to escape the fire and the chaos that the land of snow had brought here today. And their sensei... their sensei was gone. What was going to happen without him? Snippets of him began to appear in her mind. She could hear his voice echoing in her eyes. If he was here right now, he would tell them to keep fighting and to not give up. He had confidence and faith in them as a team. Nori wanted to do right by him. She wanted to honor his memory. She wanted to become the team that he knew they could be.

"Yeah, I know you don't. I didn't think you would just sit here and do nothing. It's not in your nature," she said with a small smile when she felt him give her hand a squeeze. She was honestly surprised that he didn't pull his hand away. "I guess I was just hoping that you would at least wait a little while before getting back on your feet again. You really took some damage, Sigmund." She really was just concerned for him. She didn't want him to push himself so hard to recover, but knew that he was going to do so anyway. Her own recovery scared her in the sense that she would never be able to do Taijutsu the way that she used to. That she wouldn't be as strong. When she heard him tell her not to freak out, she simply blinked at him. Wait. Was he talking about? "Well, yeah. I-" she began to say before she saw bones start to sprout from his fingers. Her eyes widened as she saw them go into her knuckles, causing her to lightly wince but she stayed still. "Sigmund, wait. You shouldn't. You need to conserve your strength."

But she knew her words were in vain. What was he doing? Somehow she had felt...different. Like her body was rejuvenating itself. The pain in her back was subsiding and soon it was just...gone. Her bones felt strong and her back...her back felt good. Better than good. It was amazing. Sigmund's bones retracted from her hand and all that Nori saw the blood. "Sigmund," she said in a low tone and looked back up into his eyes for the brief moment that they were open. She just stayed quiet. There really would be no sense in arguing with him about this. He was going to do what he wanted, but that still didn't stop her concern for him. Although for the first time since she met him, he was admitting to having been scared when he thought he was dying. She never thought she would hear anything like that coming from him. He was normally so strong and acted like nothing phased him, but still...he was human.

Nori lowered her eyes softly at him and she held onto Sigmund's hand a little tighter. "I...I'm not going to try and stop you. It was pretty apparent that you could beat me if I tried," she said with a small smirk. "But you don't need to be the victor all the time, Sigmund. I know you want to face these people on your own, but I can't allow you to do that. We all have something worth fighting for now and sensei...sensei would want us to work together. We have to. I'm sure Nanami would agree. Just...let us help. Refuse it all you want, but I'm not going to let what happened to you today, happen again. I almost lost you. Do you know how scary that was?" She lowered her head down on the bed beside their joined hands and closed her eyes. "Please let me be there for you. I won't stop you. I have no right to stop you. Just...let me help."

Nanami stood against the wall just outside the door and listened to Nori and Sigmund. There was so much to process, and yet things stayed the same. All the things that Sigmund said during the chunin exams made Nanami hate him. Well Nanami didn't hate Sigmund himself, she hated his mindset. Believing one person can do it all.. Did he not read the history of the fourth great ninja war. Without all of Naruto's bonds, the world would not be as it is now. It was also very clear to Nanami, that Nori seemed to be in love with Sigmund. This was only her opinion.

Nanami would walk through the door "Glad to see you are both feeling better, and Nori is right Sigmund. This is a fight you can't fight on your own, and for me I will say this but once. I will not stop you if you choose to pursue the path that you talked about during the Chunin exams. But know, if you choose to pursue that path alone. You will be on your own. I have my own ambitions, and my own ninja way to live.." She looks at Nori "And dear friends I must protect. I do consider you a friend, Sigmund. But I don't plan on rushing into fight after fight. I don't plan on dying.." Nanami turns to leave "I have some business I need to sort out, I'll leave you two to continue your conversation, get well soon Sigmund." With that she smiles and nods to them both, turns and leaves the room..

[Private to GM: Is Sasuke or Sakura in the village that the trio are currently in?]

[Private to Nara Nanami: If you need either of them for a plot or to continue your posts for the time being, yes.]

   Sigmund was just about to respond to what all that Nori shared with him, but that is when Nanami came into the room. It seems the girls both had the same mindset that they would be against him if he went and faced everything alone. He let that sink in a bit. For whatever reason, the girls had this desire to have friendship and and bondage. For all his life, he had always been alone. He never needed friends, never needed to rely on anyone. He was naturally a team leader. He was naturally intelligent on his own and naturally skilled. Growing up, he was always told he was the next Sasuke even.

   The thought had pleased him, but there was a difference between him and the great ninja: Sigmund didn't desire power to the point where he would betray his village and friends. Yeah, maybe he would beat up anyone who got in his way, but his village was everything. What little friends he did have, were everything.

   He sighed as he witnessed Nanami walking out, muttering about some ambitions of her own she sought out. He narrowed his eyes as the door closed. Something had changed in Nanami now that he recalled the earlier events. He remembered seeing different eyes, her different color hair, and her desire for revenge. He worried about her honestly. Nori wasn't a threat at all and that's what made her vulnerable. Nanami could handle her own and he and her had grew closer over the weeks, but she seemed to be dealing with her own battle inside right now. He'd have to keep a close eye on her for now. She should follow her own advice instead of worrying about him.

   He turned to look at Nori. "If you think I'd go alone, I'm insulted the two of you would even accuse me of that. I know I have my own plans for my own future and I know my inspiration comes from Sasuke himself," he paused for a moment as he began to sit up, releasing his hand from Nori's. "But there is a difference between he and I. I am not as reckless and I am not alone. I wouldn't betray my own village for what he sought out. I will do things my way, but in the right way," he told her. He winced as he felt some pain in his torso, but the face quickly disappeared.

It was upon hearing Nanami's voice that she turned her head and looked up to her friend that had suddenly walked into the room. How much had she heard? "Oh, Nanami. I'm glad you're alright. I was worried about you," she said. It may not have seemed that way at the moment as the first person she went to was Sigmund, but she was just as worried about Nanami. She knew her friend was probably exhausted herself after having wasted so much of her chakra in healing them and attacking Kotatsu. "Please take it easy, alright? You need to recover your strength, too." But as much as she was concerned about her physical strength, she was also worried about her mental state. They had all witnessed horrific and traumatizing things since the fight with Kotatsu and it was having an effect on them all, Nanami included. She seemed to be a little...different. The way she talked and the way she carried herself. It was different than the girl that she knew before the exams started. Her attitude changed, too. But she knew she was angry. They all were angry. They wanted their own vengeance. Not just for their sensei, but for the people that were hurt, too. They had to do something.

Before she could utter another word to Nanami, she saw the door close, leaving the two of them alone again in silence. The two of them had said nothing at first for the next few minutes before she heard him speak to her. She turned her head and looked into his eyes. He couldn't really blame them in thinking the way they did when it came to his lone wolf mentality. He wanted to do things his own way and that was okay, but Nori still had this uneasy feeling. He spoke of Sasuke and she knew he was a great ninja that he looked up to. It was just...she also knew the way things ended up with him. He also went his own way of searching for something and left his team behind. She turned her eyes down and looked at the bed. "I...know you want to do things the right way in your own way, but...I guess we're both just concerned of what will happen to you if you do that. Things didn't end up well for Sasuke because of the path that he chose to take. He chose to leave his teammates and he chose to leave on his own. Look how he ended up," she began to say before she looked up at him, seeing him sitting up on the bed with a solemn expression "I'm not going to stop you from doing what you want because I have no right to do that. I just...don't want you to leave us behind. That sounds stupid to say, but I can't let you go. Nanami and I...we are going with you no matter what, got it? So you better not go sneaking off or else I'll kick your ass."

   He merely shook his head at the thought of Nori threatening to kick his ass. "You obviously didn't learn anything from our exam  battle, did you?" he stated the obvious. She may joke around of being able to beat him, but deep down, they both knew he could beat both of them if he truly wanted to. "I may be hurt, but that doesn't mean you can stop me," he smirked and looked back at the door where Nanami disappeared from.

   "Without a Kage or sensei, I am at a lost as to what we need to do at this point. The exams are technically over; this village is practically destroyed and many have died today," he brought up. "We need to head back to Konoha soon. We need to report what happened and what we are going to do," he explained as he looked back at Nori. Their Kage was kidnapped, their sensei dead, and it was just the 3 of them. He was still squad leader so he was going to resume his duties. His recovery would be okay for the time being, it was getting back to the village that was going to be troublesome. He was a target now. Kotatsu did not succeed in taking him away or even killing him, however they all knew that wasn't going to be the last they saw him.

   "We'll rest for the remainder of the day. You and Nanami are free to do as you wish for now. By tomorrow, we are heading back to Konoha. Sitting around isn't going to get us no where and we are sensei-less," he explained as he laid back down. He still felt weak. His mind, his body, and his chakra most of all.

Well, Nori was glad at least Sigmund was back to his old self. "As of right now, I'm in better condition than you, so I think I have a shot," she said with a smirk as she sat up in her chair. She knew that her teammate was strong. There was no doubt about that. He had proven that he was in their battle, but even though she wasn't as strong as him, there were areas where she was even if he refused to admit it. She wouldn't say anything further about that right now, though. There were more important things to worry about than who is stronger than the other. Although she knew he would say it was him no doubt.

There had been much loss today. Losses that shouldn't have happened but did. She knew he was right, though. They had to get back to their village and report about what had occurred there that day. People were killed. The Kage kidnapped. Their sensei dead. They had to come up with a plan, but they couldn't that here. Especially not now. They all had to focus on recovering before they made the trip back home. "I'll let Nanami know when I see her again. You just need to focus on getting rest. You aren't fit enough to travel right now. I'll stay her and watch you all night to make sure you don't leave," she told him. She knew that Kotatsu had interest in Sigmund and it worried her. Like Sigmund had mentioned, he was a target now. They all had to be careful. Not just him. She knew that...that seeing that man again was going to inevitable. She didn't know what the outcome would be, but this couldn't happen again. It wouldn't happen again.

"As much as I appreciate and admire your enthusiasm to act as a leader right now, you need to recover. You know Nanami can only do so much. Especially in her state. When the morning comes we will all decide what the proper course of action is as a team. I know you want to get up and out of here, but you got to let your body rest for awhile. I know how important it is to keep your body healthy and strong, but you just suffered major injuries. Your body needs time to heal itself. Maybe she can heal you enough to make the trip home, but you still have to be careful, understand? I may just be your teammate, but I care about you enough to the point if something else were to happen to you, I don't know what I'd do, Sigmund. We need you and that's why I don't want to risk taking any chances," Nori said as she sat back in her chair. "Now you just lay there, rest, and let yourself recover, you hear me?"
This message was last edited by the player at 05:04, Wed 21 June 2017.

Nanami figured Sasuke would be at the Kage's building. She exited the hospital, outside of being exhausted she was little worse for the wear. -"That first fight with Kotatsu everything felt off, it felt like each time he attacked and damaged me.. It was like he gained insight into my abilities. Like a person trying to read a closed book. I hated the way his Jutsu felt, nothing was natural about them... And why didn't dark powers like those raise a flag. Why were the Kage's so accessible? The security was so lax, even I would have been worried about it. This is the first time they had been held in the Cloud Village. They of all villages would not leave such gaping holes. There are too many questions and so few answers, and yet asking them would look accusatory. Everything is now strained, tense, and different. These aren't questions I can ask while in this land.."- She says all this to herself as she walked.

The arena was obliterated, so many lives lost. Such a brazen declaration of war is unprecedented, not even Obito's was this brazen. She looked at all the ninja, and how demoralized they were. The sadness that was lingering in the air was almost overwhelming. Nanami was glad her parents hadn't attended. She looked up at the building as she entered the lobby and walked up to the person at the main desk "I would like to speak with Uchiha Sasuke, I know he is busy. I just need a few moments. My name is Nara Nanami.." Her headband was in plain sight, tied around her bicep as she always wore it.
This message was last edited by a game editor at 06:27, Wed 21 June 2017.

In reply to Nara Nanami (msg # 35):

Sasuke had witnessed the events unfold towards the end once word got out a disaster had happened in the Land of Lightning, it wasn't long before he got there but it had been too late. It wasn't the first time he had faced such a disaster, but as far as he knew, he was always prepared. His long time friend and rival had been kidnapped but not only him, the other Kages as well. He lent his hand on aid for this village. Such a catastrophe and with their own leader gone without a trace, they needed order for the time being.

The front desk ninja looked up from his papers and looked over the young genin when she asked to speak to Sasuke. He noticed the Leaf headband she sported in her arm, a representation that she was no foe. "That is correct, he is a busy man. I'd gladly take you up there but I doubt he'll be taking any visitors," he explained as he rose from his chair and escorted Nanami to the back. He was curious as to what a genin's business would be with the great Sasuke.

After heading upstairs, he gave the door a knock before entering into the Kage's office and there stood Sasuke behind he desk, scrolls scattered everywhere, papers all over the floor, and himself hunched over the desk with his raven colored bangs falling over his face. When the door opened, he lifted his head up, his black piercing eye looking over the officer and the young Konoha ninja. "What is your business? I'm busy," he stated, obviously not pleased he was interrupted.

"I'm sorry to bug you Master Sasuke, but this Konoha genin wished to speak to you," he explained.

"State your business," he demanded.

In reply to Yamada Nori (msg # 34):

   He just sighed and stared at the ceiling. He wasn't going to waste his energy arguing with her anymore. There was no point to it. He wouldn't admit it but she was right. He was in no condition to leave or move today. Today had started off great but quickly turned catastrophic. His title of Chunin was stripped from him, or at least he believed so. Out of every genin, he made it. He succeeded and practically won it all. His rival was no longer Nori. His rival was that cheating ass Kotatsu. Sigmund vowed on this day to recover, grow stronger, and do what is necessary to defeat Kotatsu and his master's plan.

   He closed his eyes and allowed himself to sleep at this point. His mind and body needed it and he needed to drift into a slumber so he could forget this day for good.

In reply to Akitoki Sigmund (msg # 37):

Nori didn't know if Sigmund would actually argue back with her or not on this matter, but when she saw him just stare at the ceiling and let out a sigh, she knew that he gave in just so she wouldn't say anything more. Well, as bad as it sounded, at least he couldn't really move from where he was at the moment. All she wanted was for him to rest and let his body heal itself. The medical ninja did what they could on their part. Now it was up to Sigmund to allow himself to recover. Although she couldn't help but wonder if Nanami was going to help his healing process. She had disappeared and was nowhere to be found. She really hoped that she was alright. She would have to go find her later and talk to her. But right now, though, she just wanted to focus on Sigmund. When she saw him close his eyes and allow himself to relax, a small sigh of relief escape her lips. The corners of her mouth tugged into a small smile and she brought up a hand to lightly rest on top of his that was on the bed. She could her the faintness of his breathing, indicating to her that he was fast asleep. He would probably be that way for awhile. She held onto his hand a little tighter and rested her head beside their hands as she closed her own eyes.

After barely surviving a fight against a rogue shinobi, Sakuya took stock of people needing immediate medical attention close by. She did what she could to resuscitate those who were still clinging to life, but could only give prayers for those who did not make it. In the end, she found a handful of those who managed to survive the grisly attack that laid waste to the stadium.

The medical ninja in training was thankful for her accidental partner's help against the rogue ninja (or his clone, it seems). She could not possibly have survived facing against such a dangerous foe on her own. Both of them barely survived, and would have suffered worse injuries if she had not kept their wounds treated and their movements up to speed. The combination of her support with the Tsuchigakure genin's attacks have eventually turned things around in their favor.

Now Sakuya ended up waiting in the infirmary once again. There was no news of what happened to her sensei. She was thankful at least that her parents were safe. She felt she wouldn't be able to bear it with several losses taking place one after another. Even then, her body couldn't stop trembling from the memories of their fight moments ago.

Nanami bowed as she entered showing respect to Sasuke "I am sorry to bother you in such troubling of moments. But I need to know a few things about the Sharingan, or if you had any texts or training methods for them." She closed her eyes then opened them revealing her Sharingan "I know this may be trivial, but I have an ambition.. To kill a certain person. I need to become strong enough to do so. So when you have time, I would like to learn about the Sharingan. Not now of course. But eventually, and the reason I came at this not so opportune time. Is I knew once you returned to the village your duties would not allow time for this discussion."

Nanami thinks to herself -"I hope he doesn't get mad becuase he thinks I wasted his time.."-

In reply to Nara Nanami (msg # 40):

He remained silent for most of the time as she explained herself. His eye narrowed as he watched her activate her Sharingan and explained she wanted to kill someone. He was all too familiar with that path. He remembered her face though from earlier when he showed up. She was the teammate from Konoha that shot her own squad mate, that boy with the dark hair with the interesting bone kekkei.

The path that this young genin wanted to walk was not something he could help her with. This genin couldn't have Uchiha blood in it. There had to be an explanation for this. She had to have killed someone from this kekkei and the only people who had it were him and his offspring at this point.

"You are not worthy. I don't know how you obtained this, but you are playing a dangerous game coming to me with this," he warned as he stood up and stared at her.

Nanami tilts her head "I have a feeling by your comment that you think I took them or something. Something taught about Dojutsu is, you cannot deactivate them if they are implanted. Which I can freely do, and it would have been only a matter of time before you knew. Its better to be honest, then hide it. Also with these events you need all of us to be our best. Just to clarify, these are my eyes and this is not a game. I lost my Sensei, I was covered in my teammates blood.. I barely kept him alive long enough for him to seek treatment, the kage were taken, and war once more is upon us. One would think that a leader would want to hone his tools, not threaten them. I read everything they put in the books about you. I know I sound just like you did when someone caused you great loss. And just because I may or may not be Uchiha, does not automatically deem me unworthy or fit. My actions from here on should deem my worth."

She bows "I am sorry to trouble you with this Lord Sasuke. I'll see my way out." She turns to leave, half expecting him to appear in front of her. Nanami was nervous, but kept a level head. Exiting the office unless stopped..
This message was last edited by a game editor at 08:06, Thu 22 June 2017.

He kept a quiet stare at her, He didn't even flinch when she tried insulting him. As she excused herself, he was there in front of her quicker than she could have ever anticipated. He towered over her, his mysterious aurora gave anybody the chills. "You are not worthy to become my pupil," he stated again, "However, your background as to how you obtained these eyes, sparks my interest. I have nothing to give you. Those are sacred. My bloodline has only three. You're the first outsider. But I'll be watching you. But as of right now, I cannot do anything for you, I have my own enemies to hunt," he explained to her before stepping out of her way.

With the remaining words he left her, it should've satisfied the young genin at least for a little while. It should be enough to know he would be watching her so he could assist the girl with newly found and stolen kekkei. Today's discussion would be a cause of concern and he would have to unfortunately report this to Naruto himself whenever Sasuke rescued him.

"One more thing: if you decide to follow the path I took, consider that a deal breaker,"  he added before walking by her and leaving first. He had his own business to attend to outside of this village. With that, there wasn't a trace of Sasuke anywhere.