An Iwa team walks in at the 10 minute mark, then the other teams start flooding through the door. There's about half as many as the amount that started by the time 20 minutes pass.

A Kumo Kunoichi pops through the door and instructs us to follow her. She leads us to a tent where we wait in a single file line to enter the tent. No one comes out.

Itachi and Hana enter before me, and I can't help the feeling of worry growing in my gut. I'm called to enter after what seems like a lifetime.

"This test will last three days," the shinobi in the tent says, "You'll be placed on a mountain side, and your goal is to find your teammates and each have a scroll. You are not going to receive a scroll from the start; however; other Genin have. So, to pass, meet up with your teammates, all three of you having a scroll, by the end of a three day period." He finishes, pushing a pack into my arms and a seal onto my forehead.

There's a flash of light, then I'm standing in the middle of a large seal in the wilderness. I open my pack and snort. How considerate of Kumo to provide us poor Genin with an entire pack full of food.

I summon Rai and ask her to find Itachi. I figure Hana can find us well enough on her own. She does have ninkin with stronger noses than my lynxes.

In the meantime, I start off in the same direction Rai went, hoping to find a Genin with a scroll. I aimlessly wander for who knows how long, until I hear the crunch of dried grass that signifies the approach of someone.

I lower my head to hide my grin as a figure comes flying out from behind a rock. I almost immediately snag the other Genin with my Shadow Imitation Jutsu. He's Iwa from the Hitai-ite.

He snarls in anger, as I move my hand to the kunai pouch tied to the back of my belt. His hand follows mine, of course, but his pouch is tied to his thigh instead.

I lift my head so he can see my grin, "Now, I normally wouldn't gloat like this," I say as I embed the kunai with enough lighting chakra to paralyze. "But I believe you already know where this is going." I throw the crackling kunai, hitting him in the shoulder.

He collapses, and my jutsu is the only thing holding him up. I release it, then rifle through his pockets to find a scroll. He doesn't have a pack of food, I realize. Shit, the food is motivation for people who received scrolls to attack other people. That's actually pretty clever.

"Yoruka," Rai calls, "I found Itachi." I let out a relieved sigh.

I meet up with Hana, who had the same idea I had to look for Itachi first, and Itachi near a river. Both Hana and Itachi received scrolls at the start, so I was the only one who had food. Food that was not going to last all three of us, plus Hana's ninkin for three days.

Normally, we would be able to supplement the food we have with edible plants and wildlife, but the only vegetation around is stuff we're unfamiliar with, and no one has seen any sign of wildlife. There's not even fish in the river. The lack of food won't kill us, but it will significantly weaken us.

The sun goes down and we carefully ration out our food for supper. We don't risk a fire, so we huddle together for warmth and I pull my hood up as I take first watch.

I'm growing drowsy and desperately trying to keep myself awake when I realize all is not as it should be. "Hana, Itachi, wake up," I nudge the awake. "Something's wrong," I whisper once they're alert.

I hear a rumbling from underground and we all jump back right before the ground explodes underneath us. Three shinobi erupt from the ground below us, and I see the mark on their hitai-ite reflecting the moon. Leave it to Iwa to be a pain in my ass.

Itachi shoots off a fire jutsu, then we're fighting again. I catch one in my Shadow Imitation Jutsu as Hana hits her in the neck with a senbon, effectively knocking the Iwa kunoichi out.

Then I feel the wind shift around my head. Reacting on instinct, I slip under the powerful punch, one that might have killed me if it made contact with my head, and summon my Shadow Blade. There's a wet squish, and the Iwa nin gasps in pain, before collapsing like a puppet with its strings cut.

I look comprehensively at my hands, covered in deep red liquid. Then to the still and silent body. I feel myself trembling like a leaf. Shit. I killed somebody.

It's not against the rules, I tell myself slightly hysterically. There's a hand on my shoulder and I violently flinch. "Yoruka, Yoruka," Hana whispers as Itachi pulls me into a hug.

I vaguely realize that Itachi must have defeated the other Iwa nin. "Yoruka, you did what you had to do," Hana attempts to reassure. "He was going for the kill with that punch," Itachi adds in.

I shudder again, then do what I've been doing since Dad died, and shove my unwanted emotions to the back of my mind to deal with later. Never, probably.

I look up at my teammates and smile weakly, "Thanks," my voice wobbles. They don't mention it, and I'm grateful. I wash my hands off before we find another spot to make camp. Hana grabs the food from the Iwa team, it was him or me, I tell myself again. I try to sleep, but I only get a few fitful hours. It's going to be a long three days, well two days now.

The remaining two days are uneventful, besides my lack of sleep. I remember Uncle Shikaku telling me that this was unhealthy, but I really can't help it. When the Kumo nin finds us to tell us we passed, he gives me an appraising look. I ignore him.

Ryu-Sensei takes one look at the dark circles under my eyes and orders us back to the hotel rooms to rest. We have a month long break before the tournament, anyway.