Arashi Mianto, the Fourth Hokage sits at his desk trying manfully not to give into his migraine. The dreams have been getting worse lately. Dreams of fire and blood and a child with the bluest eyes. A child… With effort he has vanished the thought just as the first of the sensei arrive. Karuna takes a seat face carefully blank. So the rest arrive looking more or less successful. Karuna begins - "Sir Team 10 has failed. They lack organization, dedication, and worse display a disgusting amount of inherit cowardice. It is my recommendation that they henceforth be expelled from the academy and considered washouts of the shinobi program."

Though he hates to admit it, he just might have to follow her recommendation this is after all their second time. And yet - "I'm sorry Karuna-san but I feel that the InoShikaCho formation can work if given time. They as others have before them will receive their third and final chance please present your written observations when you have time. Perhaps there is something in them to aid their transformation." With a stiff neck and upraised chin she nods, "Of course, though it should be known - you can't make gold from shit."

Amid sounds of displeasure a dark chuckling is heard. "My dear Karuna-san I hope you are mistaken. Else I'll have been amiss in passing my team." Omeka jumps up, sullen face alive with shock - "You passed Team Longshot!" A somewhat bitter smile informs the Fourth's face - ah yes, Team Longshot the one with Kakashi's little friend Gai. Gai who is more of a challenge then Kakashi is ready to admit only one year behind Kakashi in graduating the academy. Never mind his unnerving progress in the field of taijutsu. The little fool is quickly becoming a powerhouse.

Stifling a smile the Yondaime nods toward a vacant seat. "Hito, why don't you have a seat while you tell us how team 12 did?" Shaking his head with a tight grin the North Wind continues to stand, "I'd just as soon stand sir, this won't take long." Pausing for a minute the rather brazen young jounin clears his face before beginning in monotone, "They were only half a team…"

…

'Oh foolish little gennin how I shall make you suffer!' Rubbing his hands together in a stereotypically fiendish manner Hito smiles like Aku himself. Forming a single seal he watches as his fairly useless team collapses instantly, all except Maito who staggers about for a full minute before subcoming. 'If they make it I'll have to focus more time on that one.' Creating two clones Hito forms the seal of mimic. Instantly there stands an exact copy of each of his students. Looking each other over they smile before Hito places a second guise over the first making them appear significantly injured. 'Good now to begin.'

Groaning Ame opens her eyes to see herself alone - no, wait… There is a foot at the edge of her vision. Biting back a scream she recognizes it as Rekei. As quickly as she can without noise she approaches fingers in the sign of dispel. 'Not a genjustsu then. Fuck!' Glancing around for traps she edges closer still before suddenly reaching out and grabbing the proffered limb. "Shit! Don't pull!" Gasping with relief she parts the bushes to see a banged up and bleeding Rekei glaring at her. "Geez I do you the favor of not bleeding on you and this is how you repay me?"

Snorting Ame glances about looking for the brat. "Where's the kid stupid?" Frowning at Rekei's shrug she looks about again, "Shit man. We les that kid and we're toast. You hear him he's a fucking prodigy - were just leftovers. We gotta find him." Checking over her boyfriend again Ame groans. "You too hurt to be of use, so I'll just have to set you up somewhere."

"Aw, ain't ya gonna miss me?" Smirking Ame suddenly darts forward with a snarl, "Fake!" Driving her kunai into the ground she jerks around for the imposter, "Rekei's the kind of perv who'd proposition a nun on his deathbed, yet you've been almost normal." Somewhere above a person chuckles, "I knew you'd be the smart one. That's why I came myself for you. Hn, your pervy little buddy is probably already dead with my associates burying his body as we speak."

Somewhere in her head a voice says he's lying, but the great bulk of her mind is writhing with rage. Screaming unintelligently she attacks in beerier fashion. Charging at every shadow she ignores all her training in favor of sheer violence. Suddenly she feels bewildered all her anger gone and then it beings to rain feathers. "Feathers? Gen-" And she is unconscious kunai still gripped tightly in her hand. "Hm, well you fail."

…

Trudging through the forest Ame on his back Gai is pretty well positive something is wrong. "Ame can you dispel the illusion in the area?" Blinking Ame does so revealing that they are in fact no more then fifty yards from where they began. Sighing Gai adjusts his burden, "Alright, so obviously our opponent, most likely sensei, is an expert at misdirection and slight of hand. To defeat him we will need to work together as apart our experience is too limited." Nodding sagely the little boy begins walking again before suddenly taking to the trees throwing 'Ame' off his back.

Quickly hiding he uses the voice jutsu Obito taught him ages ago, "Ha! Some jounin you are like I hadn't realized Ame was being too nice. We both know she hates me. Both know she couldn't stand to be near me much less carried by me. Rekei's right you are a loser." Deactivating the jutsu he concentrates slowly blending into the tree he lends against. It is almost too slowly as proven by the kunai jutting from where he sat.

A hundred yards away Gai emerges pale, but determined to find hi teammates. Believing what he said he decides to find Rekei first and use his help to find Ame. Carefully shedding his weight he becomes a silent blur steeling through the trees. Behind him his sensei smiles and gives a thumb up, "Gai-kun so far you pass." And then that area section is deserted.

…

Panting with the effort of keeping up with the damnable brat Rekei finally just gives up. Sitting down he rests his head on his knees. The little prick actually returns, "What's a matter?" Smirking the older boy turns away from him, "Well…you're an imposter for one thing. Then of course there's the fact that I'm tired, worried about Ame, and pissed I've got to deal with your shit." The Brat smirks, "So you're not completely useless after all. One question before I attack you - how'd you know?" From a hundred yards behind him Rekei shouts, "Because he doesn't trust me enough to show me his back. Hell if anything he'd walk behind me to make sure I don't try anything!" And then both Rekei and the mud clone on the ground laugh before the latter crumbles into dust and the real one vanishes. The hedged clone laughs "alright then kid, you pass so far - failure my ass."

…

Waiting until the thing hedged as him disappears Gai takes off after Rekei wondering at his sensei's odd behavior. 'Have I passed as well? Has Ame? What happens to us if all of us do not pass?' Giving this train of thought up as a bad job he concentrates on catching his teammate without leading their insane teacher to them both. Seeing a flash of blue the fastest gennin through lower jounin Kohona nin picks up his pace. Whipping out a bolo he throws it catching his target by surprise.

"What da fucking hell man?!" Hm, thinking it over it might have been better to just call out, but then again… Bowing the shaggy-headed little bastard apologizes. "I truly am sorry my comrade, however - I could not afford to incite conflict between us. Having just escaped our sensei it is doubtful who anyone is at this time. Thankfully you are obviously of about gennin level if you could be taken down so easily!" Ignoring grumbles about 'stupid, kunai-happy little fuckwits' Gai squats by the bound boy.

"Hitomi-san, this is a test we have to pass. I am unsure of your ambitions but my own require advancement. I refuse to either return to the academy or to be drummed out because of our idiot sensei's games! So I am going to pass and if I have to drag both you and Akano-chan's asses through this test so be it! However, I would prefer we work together. What is your preferred method?" A bit nonplussed Rekei actually has to think about it. "Eh, while I acknowledge and applaud your budding sado-masochist tendencies I'd rather walk if not stroll through this test. Untie me git we gotta find Ame, and who the hell are you calling chan?"

Inwardly crying at the poor luck that gave him Rekei and Ame for teammates Gai quickly releases the older boy thereby receiving a fist to the head for his troubles. "Idiot! You could have broken my legs!" Standing Rekei looks about trying to sense someone other then themselves. Shrugging at his failure to he nods to a teary-eyed Gai. "Let's move - better moving targets then sitting ducks." With the younger boy easily keeping pace with him Rekei concentrates on the one chakra signature he knows as well as his own. "Just so you know I've got a pretty good feeling we're heading into a fucking trap."

Moments later the two are staring perplexed at a large, incredibility creepy fence. It might be the signs, or the guard tower, or all the big locks, but Gai doesn't feel safe entering this place. In fact he feels like he ought to be running like fuck in the other direction. "If she didn't give the best head I would so be out of here." 'He's willing to risk his life for a freakin' blowjob?!' As though reading his mind or more likely his facial expression Rekei replies, "Little one never doubt the effective power of head. It is both a blessing and a curse more girls don't know that."

As something curls up and dies inside Gai asks the obvious question, "How da fuck are we getting in?" At which point the gate they stand before opens seemingly of its own accord. "If it weren't for that blessed tongue ring…" Grabbing his younger teammate Rekei takes off in a dead sprint. Forming several hand signs he is suddenly wreathed in chakra as the area around them explodes into chaos.

…

'I don't remember any alcohol so what's with the hangover?' Discovering herself bound as she tries to stretch a groan escapes her. 'Fucking jounin asshole.' Concentrating she calmly flexes against the bonds to be rewired by the utter destruction of the. Rubbing feeling back into limbs she casts the place she's been stashed. Dusty, and smelling strongly of rot it nonetheless echoes faintly with a disturbing something.

Shrugging it off she pauses only long enough to listen and feel for a guard or traps before dropkicking the door open and running. Coming upon a window she jumps through never mind whatever traps might be there. Escaping miraculously unscathed she is already heading what she feel to be northeast back toward the village when a sharp spike of chakra distracts her. Barely managing to back flip onto a sturdy branch she stares aghast in the direction it is coming from. 'Rekei what the fuck?' With characteristic recklessness Ame the Berserker tears off toward Rekei's signature.

Ducking again Gai manages to lose only a few stray hairs. Spinning widdershins he manages to dispel the - what earth, water, mud? - clone just as a exploding clone blasts him into a tree. With a blur he manages to avoid being stabbed only to nearly be dragged underground. By a pair of hands. Leaping into the trees he nearly lands on a note covered branch. Missing it he neatly ensnares himself in a web of nin wire, weapons, and explosive tags. Reflexively he shift setting off the entire construct. 'Oh, god.'

Even as he nearly releases his bladder a furious ball of power is blowing it all away. Not that it makes Gai feel any better. 'Monster - I got put on a team with a blasted monster!' In his haste to escape Rekei he digs the wire deeper into himself before his bonds are cut by an irate Ame. Pausing only long enough to deposit the bleeding boy on what looks like clear ground the girl lunches herself at Hito's attacking wave laying about destruction in an almost casual manner. Between the two there is soon nothing left to harm them.

Panting Ame growls before socking Rekei full in the face. With a yelp he returns to normal skin no longer an impossible fire truck red, hair no longer a wire brush mess around his head, eyes no longer a soulless black. 'Doesn't matter he's still a fucking monster, It's not human to do that - it's not!' Shuddering from shock and blood loss Gai isn't aware of gentle hands gathering him up to a broad chest. "Shh, Gai-chan I know." Placing the child under a light compulsion to sleep Hite steps into the light.

Unnoticed by the bickering pre-teens he studies them and the utterly destroyed landscape around them. 'Not so useless after all… Team Juggernaut if I can teach them some goddamn control.' "Shut up!" With the two children blinking at him he makes his decision, "You Ame are reckless, moody, and a complete menace to yourself and teammates irregardless of you're being the weakest link so far." Watching her pale and then slowly purple with rage he turns to the barely standing Rekei, "And you are a slacker, a pervert, and utterly useless so long as that display reminds your only real technique. Yet out of you three you are the strongest as well as the one most likely to be something great." Looking down at the child in his arms he smiles.

"Then there's this one, the youngest, the smallest, the fastest, the smartest. A prodigy of taijutsu and already the proud owner of a summoning contract. The only one to actually figure out the point of this test, though in the end he let his fears cause him to forget. Little Gai last of the Maito and just about the only reason I'm passing this pathetic team. Now wipe those stupid looks off your faces - it's time for a trip to the hospital. Ame you get to carry Rekei."

…

The room is silent as Hito finishes his recital. "So that was your team that caused all the ruckus today?" Arashi frowns in a passable imitation of the Sandaime. "So did you pass the team because of its potential or because of Gai-chan's potential?" With a smirk Hito replies, "Both. Though I admit the more important of the two to me is Gai's potential. While the older ones are in no way the failures they claim to be, Gai is worth more then either of them, but you know that when you created the teams." Nodding briefly to acknowledge the score the Yondaime sighs as he straightens up. "Well let's wrap this up shall we?"