Sensei Akita Kokichi established the Hidden Moon Academy to serve all ages, initially, and I'd begun to think that it was a bad idea. I knew it was only fair that everyone should get an opportunity to learn about Konoha jutsu, but there were a few problems that I held immutable. First, the complexity and depth of even second-year lessons staggered my intellect; to be perfectly immodest, that doesn't happen very often. So it occurred to me that the study of ninja arts should be lifelong and begin as early as possible. Kokichi-sama said as much, in fact, during the Lectures: Konoha academy students begin studies as young as four years of age. In other words, older adults simply have no place in the Academy.

The second reason was evident when I was on my way to meet for my third genin mission. I was late, but so was the eldest of my three-man team, who I saw prattling above the Academy's promenade. His name's Juutou Ikidre.

Before going on, I should say that Ikidre was already well known around the village before he graduated as a genin. The Juutou clan itself, in fact, has gained notoriety as the most unceremonious and gruff family on the island. Ikidre might be conscious of it—and he can be reserved and polite, to be fair—but his constant bantering with the opposite sex far outweighs other virtues he might be working on. It would be downright lecherous if he weren't so bad at it.

He was busy ogling a blonde twenty-something—an older academy student—when I stepped onto the catwalk. He was enthusiastically sermonizing about the nuances of summoning jutsu to her, though luckily the lady was only humoring him because she was waiting for her sensei as well. I wasted no time for my intervention, tapping my teammate on the back.

"Oh! Good evening, Raika-chan," said Ikidre. "I was beginning to think no one from our team would show up at all."

He gave me a playful smile. Despite his being three years my elder, I felt like giving him a playful punch in the face. Instead, I grabbed him by the arm and forcibly removed him from the promenade, moving further into the complex and away from the temptress by the entrance.

"We always meet in the classroom," I told him. "Remember something, for once."

"Sorry, I—ow! Okay, you can let go!"

While it's true that I occasionally underestimate my own strength, it's more true that Ikidre overestimates his own. The young man was not built for taijutsu, despite being born into a clan that embraced our village's more brutish traditions, such as animal sacrifice. The Juutou were also the island's valuable domesticators, on the other hand, and the natural affinity for beasts was in my teammate's eyes. I wondered whether he thought of himself as rebelling from his family traditions or upholding them. It might have been a matter of both, for he proudly wore the long braids in his bangs that distinguish Somni men; Ikidre's wrapped over his ears and met at the back of his neck in a pretentious display. Unlike the other men, though, the remainder of his black hair was cut short, a defiant style perhaps inspired by the Konoha itinerants.

Our personal itinerant and team sensei was Hagane Kino. The man had an odd disposition, but was generally gentle and patient with our training. He spent more time with our team's third member, Yunemusha Tonbei, since both specialized in genjutsu. This left Ikidre and me to experiment with our own techniques on our own time. Don't think that Kino-sensei was unfair in giving us attention; his efficient teachings were difficult enough to keep up with, since he always seemed to know exactly what next step his student should take. There was little time wasted.

I was surprised and concerned, then, when Ikidre and I came to an empty classroom. Tonbei was late only when he had a good excuse, and Kino-sensei never was.

"Are you sure this is where we're meeting?" Ikidre gave me a critical smirk. My fist started to itch.

"Shut up and wait," I ordered impatiently, keeping up a stern look to hide my concern.

After a few minutes, I could tell that Ikidre was worried as well. He and Tonbei had become good friends, likely because they enjoyed testing my patience with varied mischief. I may have become angered quickly, but I think I was just secretly playing along. The two boys were often laughing, and I admit that I appreciated the camaraderie in the team.

After ten uncomfortably silent minutes, the door to the classroom opened, but it was neither Tonbei nor Kino-sensei who entered. An itinerant nodded to us, thanked us for our patience, and handed me a mission scroll. He explained that it had been sent straight from Akita Kokichi, and was to be completed before dawn. Ikidre and I exchanged looks.

"Where is Kino-sensei and Tonbei?" I demanded.

The increasingly impatient edge in the itinerant's voice belied his apologetic expression. "Kokichi-sama has given your sensei a special mission. Yunemusha Tonbei has been put under probation while we finish performance evaluations."

"What has he done?" Ikidre stepped forward.

"Nothing. Tonbei-kun is not in trouble, and neither are you. I realize it's difficult for a genin to understand, but team balance is incredibly important. Right now, Kokichi-sama is reviewing the rookie teams to see if any rearranging is needed."

I couldn't think of any other genin so skilled in genjutsu as Tonbei was. Both Ikidre and I realized that our third man was practically irreplaceable. As a team, our mixed abilities complemented each other extraordinarily well.

"Kokichi-sama is confident," the itinerant continued, and turned for the door, "that the two of you will be able to complete this mission on your own."

He left it at that, and for a moment the two of us stared at the closing door in dismay. I glanced down at the unopened scroll, gripping it tightly in my fist. Part of me felt like throwing it across the room. It was the part of me that Kino-sensei had encouraged me to rein in, to use only when necessary. I took a slow breath.

"We'd better get straight to the mission," sighed Ikidre, "if it's got to be finished before daybreak."

"We'll get to it," I rumbled, "after we find Tonbei."