Snippet #943553

Jin stood a bit away from his teammates just outside of the survival area. They had been placed before Gate 13, and had been told that there were over fifty gates all around the area. At this particular spot they could see a long stretch of open, grassy plains that ended abruptly in what seemed like a wall of trees of varying sizes and ages. Glancing to his left he could just make out another team in the distance, set before their own gate as well. It was impossible for him to tell where they were from, but that didn't really matter.

"Hey, Megumi-chan, which scroll did we get?" Jari asks, grinning widely as his faithful companion, Shinshi, stood next to him, gazing past the gate, anxious.

"For the tenth time Jari, we got the Heaven scroll, see?" Megumi said in an annoyed voice, holding the scroll out so the symbol was clearly visable. "You really do have the attention span of a rock, don't you?"

"This is bad luck..." Jin spoke in a soft, quiet voice, like sand falling in an hourglass. "Father says that those from the Land of Earth should always be connected to the land, otherwise they are useless. Getting the Heaven scroll right off is bad luck."

"I didn't think you believed in luck Jin-kun." Jari said, seemingly happy enough, though the grin had shrunk somewhat.

"I don't, but my father does." Jin answers briskly, hating himself for even remembering such nonsence. "There is no such thing as luck, only skill, power, and timing. there was a fifty-fifty change we would get the Earth scroll, same as the Heaven scroll, nothing more or less. Now, stop worrying about scrolls and begin concentrating on your life. It's unlikely we'll meet anyone until nightfall, or later, but we must be on guard."

"Nicely said Jin." Megumi said, her eyes closed for a moment, giving him a smile.

Jin shifted his feet. He was anxious and excited, wanting to get this show on the road. Although he had continued training up intil two days before the exam his father had forbidden him to fight, so that he would save his energy for the fights to come. That made things worse. He had the feeling that when the first ninja team came after him there would be plenty of bloodshed. most done by himself, out of sheer boredom. then, after that, he would be the calm and cool person he usually was.