By eight-fifty they had all arrived back at the training ground. Yesterday had been a shock to them all. None had expected to be on a team with each other or have such a strict teacher. Everything seemed to end in punishment. Takeo was the last to arrive which didn't surprise Mia in the slightest. Being the loudmouth he was, he announced his presence by shouting at them all.
"Don't worry guys I'll make sure the academy has space to let you back in when sensei realises I'm better than you both." Mia rolled her eyes at him. Not even a hello or good morning.
"Hmmmm." was her response. Fumio didn't take it as well. His shaking became even worse with each word Takeo spoke. It wasn't long until he noticed.
"Awww shaking already. Guess you know I'm speaking the truth then." His whole body moved from the laugh that left him. If it was any louder the ground would have started to shake.
When the clock hit nine he arrived. Their sensei had just appeared in the middle of them. His eyes scanned over each and every one of them. Just like Takeo he didn't greet them.
"Today you will be doing you genin test." At this Fumio's eyes bulged, Takeo started to protest and Mia paid more attention than normal. Just the reaction he had expected based off what he saw at the academy. All he had to do was raise his hand for Takeo to stop his complaining.
"This test will be to determine whether I deem you worthy of being my students. If you pass then I will teach you. However, should you fail the academy might just consider taking you back." It was silent for a few moments.
"Ha bet this test will be easy for someone of my skill." Takeo stated whilst oozing the confidence of a chunin. It also grew stronger as their sensei described their task.
"I'll be testing you through a game of hide and seek. You will have three hours to find me in the forest surrounding us. Once you have located me I will give those present a sticker. If you don't have a sticker at the end of the three hours you'll be considered a failure. Do you understand?" A nod from them all was all he needed before vanishing again. Mia really needed to learn how he did that.
Takeo took off in a random direction after leaving a parting message.
"I'll be the only one to pass this stupid exam." A quick laugh and he was gone in the bushes. Mia thought about what would be her best option to win when she noticed Fumio still stood next to her. Then an idea hit her.
"Hey Fumio. You don't mind me calling you that right?" He shook his head before letting her continue. "I think it would be a good idea for us to team up." Confused as to why anyone would want to work with him he asked her.
"Why would you want to work for someone like me?" She took on the thinking pose before a bright smile spread across her face.
"That book you were reading yesterday was on advanced strategies. No academy student would be allowed to read yet there you were. So my guess is you're a lot stronger than you let on." He blushed at her response. Someone thought he was strong. Mia had to guess that she said the right thing based on his reaction. The weak nod confirmed their new partnership. With all that sorted they began to plan. Mia never regretted asking him for help once she heard his ideas.
Two and a half hours had passed and it was time for the plan to start. Apparently Fumio had some sensory skills which Mia hadn't even thought it could be possible. So there they were stood in the middle of a clearing with him sat crossed legged in the middle in concentration. He must have been deep in thought as he didn't even notice when Takeo came rushing at them. Mia was shocked when his fist went flying towards her face. She managed to dodge but her shock delayed her reaction time. He didn't stop there; pulling his fist back he aimed another one at her gut. This time Mia was ready. She caught his fist but it took all her strength. She lost her grip when he pulled it back, almost face planting the floor. She had found her balance just as his foot connected to her head. Mia was sent flying across the opening, only stopping when she had rolled. Takeo had power but no speed. Mia had both but her strength was nothing compared to his.
By the time he had gotten to her Mia had all her senses back and was beyond angry. She didn't know why she was being attacked but she wouldn't just roll over and die. Not letting him attack first she ran. When his fist shot out she ducked under it grabbing his wrist on the way. She twisted her body and pulled on his wrist sending him over her shoulder. The dust filled the air from the crash he caused. Mia lifted her foot ready to stomp on his head but his forearm stopped her. Pushing up, he rolled to the side until on his knees coughing blood.
"Heh not bad shrimp." Mia stopped her charging at that. They both just sat there watching each other.
"So you gonna tell me why you attacked?" Shrugging he said,
"Just wanted to see how strong you are. I already know about Fumio since we were in the same class. That reminds me what is he doing?" Mia glared at that answer.
"None of your business." she snapped. "If you want to test my strength then you can wait until we pass for a spar." Nodding, there was silence once again.
When Fumio came back to the land of the awake he was surprised by what he saw. Both Mia and Takeo were sat on the floor covered in dust. Mia was glaring hard until she noticed him. The look melted from her eyes making it impossible to see what she was feeling. Climbing to her feet she approached him. That was when Takeo looked in his direction. He didn't move or speak which wasn't like him at all.
"So have you found him?" Mia spoke from his right. He hadn't even realised she was so close. Turning back to her, he answered.
"Urm yeah he's around one mile north west of us in a tree." This caught Takeo's attention. He perked up like a dog would. He jumped to his feet and turned to run that direction. Until Mia stopped him.
"You better not go running without us." Her hand was held out in front of him but her eyes never left Takeo's.
"Why wouldn't I? There's nothing stopping me." Mia looked ready to argue but the feeling of Fumio pulling himself up stopped her. Without thinking she grabbed his hand and dragged them both off north west. Takeo not far behind them.
They ran for at least ten minutes until Fumio suddenly tugged Mia in a new direction. Takeo was too far behind them to keep up and he had soon lost them both. Mia was confused as she was now the one being dragged. Fumio's grip on her hand was stronger than she imagined. He was both smart and strong. She was learning a lot about him during this test - about her new team mates. Takeo only cared about himself and used violence to deem his worth. Fumio was sensory ninja which a range of sixteen miles, a natural at thinking up strategies even if their original one was no longer being followed. But the biggest shock was his physical aspects. He was strong, probably just shy of Takeo's strength and fast. He had overtaken Mia on a few occasions whilst running but slowed down as soon as he realised what had happened.
They had run into the same clearing they had started in. Stood in the centre was Hyuga-sensei, in his palm was an alarm clock. Just as Takeo came sprinting into the clearing did it start ringing. It was a loud noise which they would have been able to hear in the forest if they were still in there. He let it ring for thirty seconds before switching it off. Only then did he address them.
"Congratulations on finding me before the end of your time limit. From now on we are team fourteen." A look of relief passed over everyone's face. The silence had scared them all into thinking they had failed. The look stayed on their faces as their new sensei went through all his new rules.
"You are to never be late. You can never argue against my orders. You will show me the utmost respect. You will …." Mia thought it would be best to tune him out so to not fall asleep.
After he finished, Takeo had walked straight up to Mia.
"You said you would spar me once we passed." This caught their witnesses attention. Mia was ready to deny him when Hyuga-sensei spoke up.
"That seems like a good idea. I'll observe to learn your current skills tomorrow. For today I order you to go home." Takeo was ready to object when he felt a sharp pain in his ribs. His eyes darted to Mia who was innocently whistling whilst looking at the trees. It was then that Fumio whispered to him.
"Don't forget the rules never argue him about orders." When he finished he sheepishly looked away as well. Takeo had been saved from punishment by his team mates. Their sensei just watched the exchange waiting for them to leave.
They had all left except Mia who again stayed to train. However, unlike the day before she left after only a few hours. She was going to ask Kiko to help train her. As well as find out how people kept disappearing into thin air. So when she got home she made a beeline straight for her target. She was in the middle of training the others when Mia walked out. Instead of interrupting like she would of done as a child, she waited until she was free.
"Kiko-san." This caught the young woman's attention as she turned to look at her. One eye still on the children training.
"Do you think you could train me some more tonight?" She pulled her best puppy dog eyes. Kiko caved instantly.
"Once these guys have finished I will." The happiness from Mia was nearly contagious.
The training session finished soon for the academy students. So Mia had Kiko's full attention now.
"So what is it you want training with?" Immediately Mia had a list spilling out.
"Chakra control, strength, speed and how do people disappear into thin air?" Kiko was used to the first few but the last one was new.
"I think you're talking about the body flicker technique." Mia was curious about this as she hadn't heard of it.
"Can you teach it me please?" Kiko laughed at her enthusiasm but agreed.
"It's a jutsu which allows the user to travel at high speeds. It can be dangerous to use if you don't know where you are running to so you must be careful with it." Mia nodded eager to learn more.
"It only has one hand sign; tiger. Here watch me and I'll demonstrate." Before Mia could nod Kiko was on the other side of the garden hands still in the tiger sign. This would be a useful jutsu to know. When Kiko was back she set Mia off to learn.
For hours Mia had been training but she couldn't move more than a metre in any direction. It was harder than she thought. Soon she would stop as her chakra was nearly half way depleted but until then she continued. Kiko had offered to show her a different technique but Mia refused until she had learnt this one. The strength both the boys had was far above hers. Speed was something she would need to avoid being hit.
When Kiko came out to collect Mia, the girl was covered in dirt and sweat but she had a smile on her face. When she noticed Kiko the smile spread.
"Do you want to see how far I can go?" Kiko nodded with a small smile. Next thing she knew Mia was stood next to the gate at the opposite end of the house. She had travelled further than Kiko had in her demonstration. When Mia used it to get back, she collapsed right into Kiko's arms. The smile was still there but now she was fast asleep in her arms. Kiko carried the girl back to her bed before leaving. She had always pushed herself to the limits but she was capable to do a jutsu after only a few hours. The only problem Kiko had noticed was the amount of chakra she released. She knew two jutsu which would help stop that but that could wait until tomorrow after she got back from her training session.