Maito Gai...

Bar

"Put that in your pipe and smoke it."

"Ti's not talkin' aboot a normal pipe, but the windpipe or throat," Gai explained in his slurred voice to the bartender, "the true meaning of the phrase is sexual. Let the waydress explain it orally."

Gai winked and attempted his nice guy pose but failed.

"Why you son ova bitch," the bartender stabbed, "that waitress is my daughter."

There was not much the bartender could do with Gai taking a large pine as he was bounced out of the bar. Gai remained in good spirits until a blur of blackness bumped into him. The container spilled on Gai.

"Damn," Gai said and licked his soaked sweater. "You won't getta way fi this!"


Forehead Protector

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

Gai was always told to be a satisfied man. So he was not a genius? He would work hard. So he was not popular? He would work cooperatively. So he was a bit unique with his appear? He would work honestly without hiding his uniqueness. He had been referred by The Sage to this passage of the Tao De Ching: "When beautify is implied, it is sheer ugliness."

Therefore, when Gai received his forehead protector, he wore it around his waist. This unorthodox wearing of the forehead protector upset the old and caught praise and jealousy from his peers. When the elders questioned about this Gai spoke on this manner.

Gai said: "Have not even my elders offended those above them once they started wearing the symbol of this Village? As you have come from farmers, I have come from those who wear the leaf symbol on their brow. Only in difference can we respect a person, or else it would be self flattery."

The elders were pleased with this comment and sanctioned his actions, and his peers who once teased Gai for his uniqueness came to respect him and come up with their own ways to wear their forehead protectors.

"Those their actions were the same," Gai commented on his peers' change of heart, "They did not follow me. For this, I can respect them."
Recruitment

"Cock of the walk."

The time was ticking down close to the meeting and Gai was left for Ibiki to recruit. It was not difficult find Gai as the bartenders had spoke about Gai's bar hopping. In a moment, Ibiki found him. Gai was lying against a building sipping a clay jug full of alcohol.

"You are the final member of the team to protect the Genins from the Hidden Village of Sand to join the Chuunin examination." Ibiki helped Gai to straighten up to his feet. "Your drunken fist cannot be beaten."
Training

"Stick to the story."

The team lead by Ibiki would leave at midnight and they would scrimmage until midnight before heading off to meet the Sand Genins. Ibiki split the teams into two. As the leader of alpha, Gai would work with Genma and Shiro. The leader of beta was Aoba who had under him, Anko and Hayate.

Gai gathered his team in for a huddle. Genma's toothpick speared Gai in the face and he knocked it away from Genma.

"What do you expect from Aoba?" Gai consulted Genma. He raised his head from the huddle and looked at the environment.

"The wind is strong against our backs, so if we keep it that way, Aoba will not use fire attacks for fear they may repel against his teammates. He should know this is apparent to me and that we will be forced to keep this advantage." Genma mentioned. "His moves will consist of rock manipulation to block the win."

"This is a field and there are trees behind us," Gai observed, "getting too close to the trees will make us lose our wind allowing Aoba to resort to offensive attacks with fire. We must hold our ground and not follow them into the forest behind them or allow them to sneak behind us. Shiro, I want you to position some of your bugs along their forest line. In my case, I can break the walls that Aoba would create and see the battle line."

"So we must defend against Anko and Hayate." Shiro mentioned. "Anko has a lot of energy to waste on us. My bugs should dispel her shadow clones. If Aoba understands us as much as you say, Genma, then he will warn her to stay out of the forest for an attack. A frontal attack from her and Hayate may prove too much."

"Ibiki picked these teams and environment perfectly," Gai commented, "it was almost like he wanted to have a stalemate and hope for one of the leaders to make a mistake in preparations. Then again, to give one team an advantage may cause an injury to a member and risk the mission. Ibiki's methods are psychologically stressful."

"Ready, fight!" Ibiki announced. Gai and Aoba jumped back from their teams and a huge wall of rock blocked Gai from his group. He pushed against it and the people at the middle jumped to the side as the wall came crashing down. It top rested near Aoba's feet.

From underneath the rock, a swarm of bugs marched to Aoba and he retreated into the forest followed by Anko.

"Double team, Hayate," ordered Gai. Shiro jumped on top of fallen wall and ran across it to Hayate as Genma ran aside it having jumped to the same side as Hayate. Grabbing onto his sword handle over his back, Hayate held to fingers up close to his chest with his other hand. He split into two and slashed at Genma and Shiro. Both of them blocked but the two Hayate's faded away through them. Behind Shiro, the real Hayate dropped down slicing Shiro in half. The replacement of Shiro exploded in bugs.

"And what if there is an opponent fighting both teams?" Ibiki asked as he put the wire wrapped in his hands over Gai's head to choke him. "What then?"

Gai had put his hands between the wire and his neck before the wire enclosed his neck. With a back flip, Gai ducked under Ibiki's wire and returned to kick him away.

"I would hope that my leader, Ibiki, would take care of that extra opponent." Gai said.

"Against Itachi or Orochimaru, it is a high probably that I would die." Ibiki jumped to the side as a flame came from behind him to Gai. In his quickness, Gai escape the flame that came from the second front of the other team.

"He is preparing us for a suicide mission," Gai caught on. "He is leading us to be independent from his guidance."

Next chapter: Morino Ibiki