Chapter 6 : Divide and Conquer (Team Tonbo Survival Exercise )

"I still can't see anything in there...Though there was some chakra from the seal that got sucked inside...I think it's some kind of portal.." he said and looked back. "Do you think we should get in? Or..better...I'll try and put my hand in and you get ready to hold me tight okay?" he said and nodded to you.

"H..Hey! he called as you took controll over his body. "Listen! We're clearly supposed to do something with that thing. Have you noticed that he hasn't been around for quite some time or talked to us? I'm sure the box has something to do with it. He wan't us to question everything, but what if that box IS the whole crux to this training. I don't think something worse could happen then what happened to Yorukasa san." he said and tried to turn his head to look at you. "Come on, we can do this. Let's not show fear and paranoia. He WANTS us to be afraid and paranoia, so lets do the exact opposite.." he said resolute. 'I rest my case..' he thought.

Dear Team Tonbo, as Admin is unable to post regularly at the moment, I will be taking over the Admin task regarding team Tonbo for the time being, hopefully allowing you a more active playrate.
I will do my best to express Tonbo as well as George did, however there might be a few differences. I hope you will forgive me for those small deviations.  Blue Admin.


Both Sumiyaka and Shikataro have no admin Intervention. As shikataro makes Suniyaka DROP the box, it bounces once before landing on its side. The sealing ribbon lands next to the box. Though shaken the lid is still firmly placed on top of the box and Sumiyaka is at a 3m distance from it under the effects of the shadow imitation technique cast by his teammate.

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Yorukasa would feel an ever so distant tremble emanating from the ground, which causes Tonbo to smirk. "Apparently we have more time than I suspected, Yurokasa-chan. Perhaps I wasn't wrong in my original estimation."

Yorukasa would feel the following as she pushes her chakra against the barrier:

• You feel that you are not on the mark and should be lower
  
• You feel that the right amount of chakra is lower than 7
  

You have 1 chance to adjust.

He didn't wait untill Shikitaro finally reacted to him. "Listen Shikitaro-chan! I think that that thing is a portal of some sorts. I could see chakra going in it and I think thats where Tobo-sensei and Sumiyaka-chan are! We NEED to go in!" he said and strugled against your shadow bonds.

"Alright...lets do this together atleast" he said and picked up the box before walking back to you. "We don't know..what's in there, better face it together right?" he said and gave you a coy smile.

Unfortunately for the girl she would notice that yet again she applied to much force.
She would soon find out what Tonbo meant with "Each one being worse". It was not that each barrier was of a higher level, but rather that each failed attempt would have a worse kick when she fails.

As the girl would fail, she would experience 3 things again.

• A great loss in the past
  
• A close betrayal in the present
  
• A possible future filled with horror

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Shikataro and Sumiyaka can continue together. No Admin intervention needed yet.

As Yorukasa was struck by the effects of the barrier, she would hear tonbo's voice in her head, just before being submersed in visions. "Aahhhh, Time's up.."

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And suddenly the Sensei would reappear on his rock, still silent and apparently in trance.... or sleeping.
The box? It was empty, completely devout of anything that could have moved just moments before.

The duo that was left behind heard their sensei's voice in their heads.
"Hmmm, what took you so long? I sense much doubt in your heart... Not good..."
It was like a sigh resounded in their heads. "Do or do not, there is no try. Either would have been fine, but this doubt could kill you. Yorukasa-chan was better in acting, though I am afraid she must pay for the consequences of her actions. Sometimes you make the wrong choice, but she'll live and she'll learn and grow... If she lives that is..."

The duo would hear the Yamanaka girl mumble and moan. They would also see in their mind's eye what Yorukasa would experience. As if the left eye would see the image of their sensei relaxing and their right eye would see the vision. All from the viewpoint of Yorukasa and her emotions with that.

The Hyuuga froze up and looked at Tonbo, kind of insulted becouse he WAS going to do something but was stopped by his doupting friend. Then feeling all those emotions from yorukasa was just a bit too much. He gritted his teeth and shook his head, knowing he would never be so insulting, even to someone who was weaker then him. "Tonbo! Isn't that enough?!" he called out. "You already got what you want and now you show us these untrue visions?" he growled and looked away, not in the mood for polite conversation right now. He stalked about and kicked the stupid empty box away. Then he thought better to check on his friend and quickly went to Yorukasa to check on her. "Hey..Yorukasa chan, are you okay?..." he asked softly.

Tonbo, still seated in front of Sumiyaka would cock his head at the accusation. "You did well during the tests Sumiyaka-kun, however at the moment you are mistaken." The Sensei's body would move quicker than either Sumiyaka or Shikataro could follow. Reaching the Yamanaka girl before Sumiyaka could. He would touch the Yamanaka with two fingers of his left hand on her forehead. Stopping the visions that blurred their vision by his touch.

"She was showing you those visions. Not I." Tonbo voice sounded serious in their heads.
He would look down at the small framed girl at his feet and moved again, this time near Shikataro.

Though he does not have to be near to do it, his voice resounded as a whisper in Shikataro's head and his alone. "Don't be so shocked...She still needs to learn to control her abilities."

At Sumiyaka's question the girl would stir, with the mental images of the genjutsu still fresh in her mind.

Sumiyaka was holding his head snd shook it before looking up, sighing. "Then teach up..Sensei..Please." he said and bowed stifly. "Teach us to see the difference between out mind and reality..Teach us to wall our minds up against those who would seek ill against us. I'll follow your oders." he said and stood stifly at attention as he would do during training at the Hyuuga compound. "You...You know this training made no sence to us..It was confusing and frustrating. If we could have predicted this would happen..to see what was real or not..Well..i should not let my mind trail that way, there is no use in dwelling what I could or couldn't have done during this training or any other situation. I can't let that gnaw at my mind." he said calmly and looked at Tonbo

Tonbo would sigh and pet Yorukasa on the head.
"You failed that last one, but it's alright. It was your first time. And you actualy did extremely well concidering that. You transfering that Genjutsu partialy onto your team-mates and myself, albeit not completely intended...was also quite impressive." He would said and smile nodding to the green-haired girl.

He would then look up towards Sumiyaka and Shikataro.
"Have you seriously not grasped what this training was supposed to teach the two of you?"
He would say a bit surprised and slightly insulting.
"Sure I had anticipated you two would have some hesitation as to what to do or expect. But what if this happened on a mission and some opponent would have snatched Yorukasa's mind and bailed, leaving behind a box....As you can see, such is a possibility." He would then shrug.

"She might have been dead by now with how long you hesitate. Being a shinobi is not just about swinging your fists around. It's about being prepared to make desicions and face the consiquences. And prefferably as quickly as possible." He would spell it out looking up at the sky as if he could see it.

"What were you afraid of, hesitating so long to open it? And explosive, An attack, A trap? Were you afraid of getting hurt? What was it that was stopping you from making the right decision?" He would ask firmly and then quickly turn his head back towards the two of them awaiting an answer.

He sighed softly as he hunkered down at his female friends side. "I..I know..." He looked at Shikitaro and shook his head slightly. "I wanted to..I knew we should do something with that as I could see things with my eyes that Shikitaro could not...I understand his hesitation, but I knew we had to enter the box, or atleast our minds should have." he said, not purposefully wanting to blame Shikitaro for taking so damn long even though his friend had made sure he couldn't open the box. "But I was also too slow with finding out and explaining it to Shikitaro-chan." he added, making it sound less offensive to his indecisive.
He looked at Yorukasa and put his hand on your arm. He didn't say anything, but his face reflected atleast some amount of pain and shame. "Sorry we couldn't save you.." he said softly.

Tonbo would shake his head at the three of them and sigh deeply.
"All three of you are so obsessed with trying not to fail or get hurt or trapped, that you forget tto try succeeding, hurting and trapping your opponent."

Tonbo would sit on one of the large rocks close to them and smiled.
"And do you guys know what type of animal reacts like that? The Prey. Everything in nature is connected. Everything!...For if it wasn't I wouldn't be able to see. And everything in nature adapts to one another. The actions others undertake around you are simply reaction to what you and others around them are doing, no more, no less. The differance between the predator and the prey...is that one is chasing and the other one is running. One is aiming to trap, hurt, defeat....while the other one is focused on escaping harm and staying safe. And now my questions to you 3...which type of animal have you displayed in your behaviors just now? All 3 of you? Predator or Prey? And second question...which do you think a shinobi should be? Predator or Prey?"

He would finish and stand up looking over his students with a serious face. He was clearly expecting them to answer. Waiting for them to do so before he would continue. He was standing straight with his hands behind his back.

He looked up at Tonbo and nodded. "We were Prey..acting helpless and scared...Shinobi should be Predators, finding our goal and succeeding." he said, aware that they had just hopelessly failed their test.

Tonbo chuckled a bit and smiled to Sumiyaka with a nod.
"Indeed, you both exibited the traits of prey rather than a predator."

He would raise his index finger into the air while keeping his palm near his heart adding.
"And a shinobi must see through deception, must make a quick and sound calculations of actions to take and go for it. On the battlefield there is no time for hesitation. While you fear getting caught by one trap, those few seconds of hesitation will simply insure that something or someone else will dispatch you in the meantime and then that trap would end up being the least of your worries. Just think about it..."

He would take a short break and shrug.
"So...I take it you guys understand that you have failed this first trial miserably....that is...all of you aside from Yorukasa-chan. She can now officialy call herself a Genin. Because yes she got trapped, but that was only the start of her training which she did quite well. And unlike the two of you she didn't hesitate to use her abilities and mind to try for something she thought could work."

He would put his hands behind his back and stand up straightening himself again.
"So Sumiyaka-kun, Shikataro-kun....I take it you are the ones that failed here today, unless you want me to give you two another test. But I warn you. This test will be harder than the last one. And this one...will be a...." A smirk formed on his face.
"...combat one."

Sumiyaka nodded and sighed, he knew he had failed miserably, even though it was Shikitaro who had stopped him from doing what needed to be done. He didn't want to lay it all on him. When Yorukasa said she had to get failed too becouse they failed he took her arm and shook her head. "Yorukasa-kun, no..You won this one fair and square. This is our own fault...If something happens to us in a real mission..you wouldn't go back to get killed or captured too right?..No..You go on, becouse your strong...Don't let our failing stand in your way..please..for us?" he said and looked sad.
He looked at Tonbo and nodded. "Okay...I'll do what needs to be done." he said and took a deep breath. Yes..he'd have to fight a friend..but if that meant he could go on..then yes, he'd do it.

F-Failed?!.. C-combat?!.. The boy stammered for a moment, the boy was really surprised and his reaction was slowed because of it. Shikataro didn't want to fight his friend, but he did not completely think that such was Tonbo's intention... 'What are you planning...' he thought to himself.

How could they both succeed or fail when fighting each other, surely they must fight as a group...
His father always told him to question everything, but Shikataro sometimes took it too far. Not in this case though, he was certain he acted correctly by doubting.

But wasn't it so, that in Konoha you succeeded or failed as a team during this test, so how could Yorukasa pass and they fail?! Were they three supposed to fight Tonbo? Or just Sumiyaka and Shikataro?!

None the less, Shikataro prepared for combat, by creating the maximum amount of chakra he could in his body and taking his combat stance. However, it was not directed towards Sumiyaka, but towards Tonbo himself. His cold calculations had brought him to this conclusion, he might be wrong, but he would choose and stop hesitating if that was the thing his sensei wanted to see, still feeling that his decision to be hesitant wasn't the wrong decision.