Day 1 Morning

[Kakashi Hatake]

Lush overgrown grass tickled the silver-haired shinobi’s toes as he trudged through the brush, unwieldy contraption in-hand. Kakashi had always sort of wondered why open-toed sandals were the ninja vogue for just this reason. He could only hope that there were no snakes or other nasties taking refuge in this particular field.

I wonder how big this island is… the shinobi wondered, squinting toward the horizon. The land seem to stretch on and on, giving no indication of ending. It didn’t help that whatever forces controlled the island had dampened not only his sharingan’s power of perception but also his ability to sense chakra. It seemed that he’d need to search out his sensei the old-fashioned way.

As the sun continued its path across the partly cloud sky, so too did the scarecrow push a path through the grassy plain. He noted little but the occasional bird soaring by overhead as he progressed, their cries making for a rather serene and comforting ambiance. Maybe this will be an easy task. If I could just find some kind of landmark… the copy ninja wondered, straining his keen eyes for points of interest. The waist-high vegetation didn’t afford him a very good vantage point, though he supposed it could at least come in handy to avoid ambush if other contestants sought to fight him. Kakashi briefly considered crawling through the brush to further avoid detection, but decided against it. He was sure that the...whatever it was...that he was carrying would grant him some sort of advantage in combat. He still wasn’t quite sure how it worked, but he was astute if nothing else.

“So, find the relics and bring them to the temple,” the copy ninja spoke to no one in particular. “Simple enough in theory. Simpler still if I can find Minato-sensei. Let’s just hope I don’t run into any trouble in the meantime.”

There was a reason that people often uttered the expression ‘Speak of the devil and he doth appear’. No sooner had the ANBU Captain uttered the words than such a devil made itself known. A guttural snarl drew his attention to his rear just in time to catch sight of an enormous feline diving toward him, claws bared. Kakashi ducked sideways, tumbling haphazardly to the sanctity of the grassy sea. He knew the beast could likely find him purely by scent, but he needed any advantage he could get. The maneuver had earned him but a few moments of respite before he heard the feral feline’s call once more. Instinctively he grabbed for a kunai, cursing as his hand found nothing of the sort. Thinking quickly, he hefted the strange device that Teucer had gifted him, swinging it overhead like a club as the beast pounced. The strangle metal protrusions of the device punctured the beast’s flesh, tearing at its cream-colored fur. With a yelp it shook free, dashing backward a few paces.

“Alright,” the sharingan-wielder grunted, standing at full height. “now’s as good a time as any to test this out.” He leveled the device before him, hastily examining it for any clue as to how it could work. As he fumbled with the various mechanisms he heard the cougar issue an aggressive growl as it tore through the brush once more, intent on felling the shinobi.

“Down boy!” a familiar voice called, its source leaping from Kakashi’s periphery. Minato Namikaze entered his field of view, winding up and slugging the big cat square in the jaw in one swift motion. The injured feline fell to the ground with a crash, whimpering as it scampered away through the underbrush.

“Sensei,” Kakashi began, bowing to the man. “It’s good to see you again.”

The blonde Kage smiled at his subordinate, crossing his arms. “Kakashi, you can just call me Minato, you know. It’s probably been over a decade for you since I was your teacher.”

The scarecrow nodded. It had been quite a while, though having thought the man dead for so long, he had not bothered to alter his language. This was a strange case, after all. “Regardless, I’m glad you found me. This island is huge.”

“Yes,” Minato replied, “I guess we’re pretty lucky that the old spirit dropped us so close together. Anyway, there’s no point in sticking around. Let’s get moving, there are probably more predators hanging around in this field.”

With that, the shinobi duo dusted themselves off and continued their trek.