No alarm clock was needed within the nearly vacant apartment as Hosheki's upturned hazel eyes slowly opened exactly on schedule. Acting entirely on internal timing and procedure, he began the process of the day without speaking a word.
Make his bed, brush his teeth while taking a shower to save water, get dressed, head to the kitchen to cook breakfast.
The apartment was small, and every noise he made seemed to echo back at him from all of the empty corners of it. Two bedrooms, one bathroom, and a kitchen. It had everything he needed, so he couldn't complain.
Opening up the fridge, he looked through the various options. Reaching for the eggs, he quickly checked them over to make sure they weren't expired or broken. He was normally pretty good about making sure everything was well away from its expiration date, but he had been busy lately. Despite that, they were still good though nearing their date, meaning they would be on the menu for the day.
He hated wasting food, almost as much as money. He only bought what he needed and made sure to use it before it expired.
Setting the eggs aside, he also pulled out a few peppers and onions along with a bowl of rice he had leftover. After closing the fridge, he began to heat the stove to make tamagoyaki. It was a simple meal, but it would do him well today.
After all, today was finally the day he would be a genin. He had spent the past few days making sure the cloak-like shroud he donned had been properly adorned with patches he had embroidered and pins he had bought from local artists. However, through all of the art, one item in particular stood out.
Looking at the metal piece of the forehead protector sewn into his mauve puppeteer shroud, he couldn't help but feel a sense of pride. He had made it to being a genin, and even beyond that, he was currently the only Puppet User of his style within Konohagakure, which served as another point of pride.
In a class of absolute monsters in terms of military power, he was still valuable for the technique he practiced.
Then again…that technique was likely the only reason he was still allowed to live in the village. But that wasn't anything to get caught up on, otherwise he was going to overthink things.
Bringing himself off of autopilot, Hosheki plated the rolled omelettes and heated the rice for only a moment before placing it on the plate beside the eggs. It was enough for him, and that's all he needed.
The sun still wasn't out, which worked well with his daily schedule. By waking up so early, he had plenty of time every morning to work on his puppets. Quickly scarfing down his meal, he washed the dishes in a hurry before turning to the second bedroom in the apartment.
It had once been his mother's room, but now it served as his workshop. Without any beds or furniture, it had proved to be quite spacious. As he flicked on the light, he was greeted with his two main puppets fully constructed and hanging from the ceiling, alongside several other unfinished puppets.
Picking up his tools from the desk, he quickly began to inspect the many segments of the centipede-like Aomushi, ensuring that there were no jams, cracks, or misplaced pieces. After checking the seals placed inside, as well as placing additional sealed resources for the mechanisms, he made sure to re-check the overarching sealing formula placed within the puppet.
"Oh, Aomushi, who do you think we'll be placed with?" Hosheki muttered to himself as he tightened a few of the leg joints, careful to avoid their bladed tips as he walked underneath the segmented body. "Whoever it is…we'll make sure we complement them well."
Finally satisfied, he moved over to Oshika. Oshika was always an easier puppet to perform maintenance with. After all, it didn't have nearly the amount of hidden mechanisms that Aomushi did, but that made it simple to use as a front-liner. Plus, Oshika was far easier to repair.
Quickly enveloping his hand in a warm green light, he performed a once-over maintenance on the sinuous material protecting the elk-like puppet, repairing the various tears that had come with training and sparring. Checking the mobility of the various limbs, as well as the internal workings just as he had done with Aomushi, Hosheki quickly found himself satisfied with the puppet's current state.
As quickly as the process passed in his mind, it didn't change reality as the sun slowly began to rise in the horizon. Checking the clock, Hosheki gave a slight, "Ah." at the time.
His first noise of the day. Not his record though. It was scary to him how often he would spend hours in silence without saying a word. When there were breaks from the academy, he sometimes went days without making a single sound.
Placing scrolls beneath both of the puppets, Hosheki formed a seal within his right hand before slamming his hands down on either scroll, causing both constructs to disappear into the parchment. Where either paper had been blank, they now bore an illustration of the puppet they contained. Gingerly rolling them up, Hosheki quickly placed them in the holsters of the sash tying his baggy black pants.
Turning off any lights within the room, Hosheki did a quick check over the rest of the apartment to make sure everything was turned off. Upon confirming, he stopped at the door and grabbed the wrappings on the table.
Quickly forming his turban and allowing a fringe of his hair to fall out, Hosheki took a deep breath. It was the start of a brand new day, and he would greet it with anticipation.
Thus, he set out for the academy. It was still early, so it was unlikely that there would be many people there. Biteki would definitely be there. No matter how early he went, it seemed like Biteki was there.
Considering how early Hosheki often got up and already had dark rings around his eyes, he couldn't fathom how the tanned boy didn't despite rarely resting.
Mirai Watanabe would definitely be there, taking her role as the class president as seriously as he'd expect from her. Then there were the Senju twins who were a gamble. Sometimes they would be there around the same time, sometimes they would show up later than usual. Very rarely did they arrive separately. Midori, on the other hand, either appeared alongside Zennou or by herself. He had yet to see her appear with Hitode separately.
Then again, it made sense to him. Midori had found her way to Konohagakure shortly after he had begun living there with his mom. It was said that Zennou had been the one to find her while outside of the village walls and brought her to his mother. It was like a boy finding a feral cat, but it explained why she was always closer to him than her adoptive sister. And here she was now, a genin of Konohagakure.
Hosheki's brain began to race as he continued to think of the schedules of his classmates, determining the order in which people would arrive or already had arrived. He had most of them down to a tee, so it was simply a matter of looking for irregularities. At least, doing it one last time. After this, he didn't know how often he'd see many of them.
Although he was sure he would see some of them again in the chuunin exams.
Slowly walking through the streets, he decided to take a different path from his usual route. Changing up the routine allowed him to often see how much of his theories of common practice held true. On his usual route, there was usually a single bar and a few twenty-four-hour restaurants still open, with the flower shops opening first typically, followed by any craft shops, and finally the rest of the restaurants opening up.
It was an understandable business model. Flowers were a welcome gift by most, and by opening early, they made a great purchase for forgotten occasions. However, the craft shops often had devoted customers that they knew would be willing to wait for their products if they truly wanted them. Finally, the regular restaurants typically opened up last because of the preparation that went into the ingredients that morning often taking longer.
However, all of them were equally important arts that Hosheki had perused from time to time. While he definitely couldn't afford them, he could appreciate the work that went into everything being made.
As he began his departure from his routine, he made sure to look at the signs of businesses as they were flipped or turned on, noting which kept to the same routine as his usual route and which switched on him. Ultimately though, it held true to his theory, with the outlier being a post office that had already been open by the time he had begun walking. It made sense, though, considering they often ran sooner in the more densely populated parts of the village.
Nearing closer to the academy, Hosheki looked up to the Hokage Rock. Although it was about three years old, the Seventh Hokage's face still felt new to him when he had seen it.
Sakura Haruno, child of heroes. With a father like the Fourth Hokage, capable of fending off attackers who managed to kill so many important individuals in the village before succumbing to his injuries, it was no doubt that she was bound to eventually become Hokage as well. Her calm nature was a breath of fresh air though compared to the Sixth Hokage.
Still, Hosheki could only imagine what kind of person Kizashi Haruno was. To defeat someone capable of taking down both the Third Hokage and Danzo Shimura in battle, it was truly a legendary feat. But it only made sense that he would ultimately fall in battle along with them.
That seemed to be the running theme for Hokage up until Tsunade, who finally retired. It was yet to be said for Kakashi Hatake, as he had simply relinquished the title to Sakura so he could resume actively taking missions. Seems even if the pay was worse, the man's indomitable spirit needed release.
It was under Kakashi's leadership that he was allowed to stay within the village, and his brief meeting with the man had been…energetic to say the least. His obsession with the "Power of Youth" and insistence on Hosheki keeping the fire within alight was…grating, but it seemed to have served him well with the job of Hokage.
Finally, his sandal-clad feet had brought him to the gates of the academy. The doors weren't open yet, but there were a number of his classmates gathered in the courtyard already. His eyes immediately caught Mirai Watanabe, their class president.
As many people in their class disliked how strictly she adhered to the rules and shinobi regulations, she was undoubtedly skilled in what she did and would make a useful ally to anyone who was placed on her team. Considering her emphasis on loyalty to the village and allies, there would be little concern of her ever selling anyone out.
She stood beside the door with her foot tapping the ground impatiently, checking the time every few moments. Her green jacket over a teal tunic was a slight departure from her usual outfits, but not too much. The green bandana she normally had tied to her left arm still sat there proudly. The reinforced kneepads were also clearly a new addition to her light-blue leggings since he had last paid much attention. Her blue forehead protector was tied to her forehead to display to the world, true to tradition.
It made sense that she would already have the modifications to her outfits made. Those who knew they were going to pass the graduation exam had already begun the modifications on their outfits they planned to typically don, while some were more blindsided a few days ago when they had officially been told of their results and been given their forehead protectors.
Overall, not much different from what he'd expect. When they finally opened the doors, he expected Mirai to chew out one of the instructors for not holding themselves to the standard they should as academy officials.
Strafing the courtyard, he found Zennou by himself. Midori and Hitode were nowhere to be seen, but he seemed enraptured by the, frankly massive, book that he held in his arms as he sat underneath a tree. He hadn't changed much from his usual outfit. His crimson mesh shirt cropped on his torso, the rich red mesh leggings reaching slightly below the green pants, and the equally cropped opalescent jacket bearing the Senju Clan symbol upon its back.
Hanging loosely at his throat was a mulberry purple forehead protector, not exactly the colour he had expected considering how much of his attire seemed to work with his olive skin, but it was a refreshing change from the autumnal colour scheme.
Hosheki had wondered if the boy would transition to the standard sandals that most shinobi utilized, however, he still proudly wore the bright red geta upon his feet. The puppeteer could never get the hang of walking in those sorts of sandals, so it was always a bit amazing to him that the boy managed to fight in them without issue.
"Carry that all the way from home, Zennou? What's it on?" Hosheki asked, slowly leaning closer to attempt to gleam any bit of information from it before the strange boy could begin describing it in his unusual fashion.
Humming lightly to himself, Zennou seemed to have to rip himself out of the process of reading to look at Hosheki. "An old tome from my family's library. It was my great grandfather's; it discusses many of the teachings of the Sage of Six Paths. I've been reading up on his philosophy of Ninshuu."
"Ninshuu?" Hosheki found himself genuinely curious. He often was when it came to certain things that Zennou discussed but found himself unable to reliably sit and listen without eventually feeling unnerved. It was a common feeling among most in their class, with many feeling the same way with Biteki when he got riled up.
It must have been similar to how small fish felt when a larger fish swam by.
Zennou nodded, eyes scanning Hosheki as he began to explain. "It was said to be the precursor to ninjutsu, acting as the Sage's creed. Through the exchange of chakra, humanity, perhaps the world itself, could better come to understand each other. Forms of chakra exist all around us, after all. In animals, in certain types of plants, in people. Not only that, but natural energy flows throughout the world alongside it. But perhaps, the corruption of humanity tainted such a philosophy. War is our tendency, after all."
'This kid does himself no solids reading stuff as old as that all day…' Hosheki couldn't lie about how intrigued he was by the notion, but it also wasn't something he entirely believed. Many didn't even know if the Sage was real, with his existence often being speculated as a fable.
That being said, it wasn't a completely unfounded notion. It was often said that skilled shinobi were capable of telling what was within the hearts of their opponents simply by an exchange of fists.
Flashing a quick smile, Hosheki began to strafe the courtyard again. "You'll have to tell me more about it someday once you've gotten the chance to read more!" He couldn't hide the chuckle that bubbled up as Zennou awkwardly held a thumbs up directly in front of his face.
He had taken his advice from the day of their exam. It seems hope wasn't completely lost for his prophetic classmate.
Hosheki's amber eyes scanned around the courtyard looking for one specific person, who frankly should not have been this hard to find considering how few of their classmates were already there. However, after turning a corner, the ever-shifting crown floating above a head of fluffy azure waves came into view.
There was no doubt in his mind on how he would find Biteki, still adorned with his crown and shroud of iridescent powder. Peeking out from the bottom of the seemingly-sentient shroud were his usual dull pink pants, the barest hints of mesh being seen underneath them.
Of course he wouldn't change up his style. Biteki had settled into that early, he wasn't one to change on such things.
"Hosheki, how long are you going to stalk the courtyard staring at people?" Biteki's voice cut through the silence, causing eyes to momentarily turn to the turban-clad boy.
Playfully holding up his hands, Hosheki flashed a half-smile. "Just taking a look at everyone's "shinobi style." Quickly closing the distance between the taller boy, Hosheki maintained his smile as he cast a venomous gaze upon him. "It seems you didn't change yours at all."
"Why should I?" Biteki's lips curled into a smirk, chartreuse eyes lazily remarking the lithe puppeteer. "It's already perfect, I was born with exactly what I need." The two maintained their tense exchange for a few moments before a genuine chuckle erupted from the pair. "Besides, you're one to talk with that same puppeteer's cloak. All you did was add a few new pins and sew your forehead protector's plate into it."
Hosheki mockingly held his hand to his chest. "You paid enough attention to notice that there were new pins?"
"It'd be hard not to notice when they are as gaudy as that." Biteki quickly retorted.
"You can't possibly be talking about gaudy when you are using your kekkei genkai to create," Hosheki quickly gestured to the entirety of Biteki's body. "That."
Shrugging, Biteki revealed his hand from the shroud, quickly balling it into a fist. While some may have thought it would be a sign that he was going to hit them, Hosheki had come to understand the often-irritating boy a bit more than that.
True to his suspicion, all the gesture had indicated was the condensing of his prismatic adornments, quickly forming into a dense cube in the palm of Biteki's hand. With their absence, it revealed the sleeveless mesh shirt he wore underneath‒and often removed in the heat of battle to make the most of his abilities‒along with the four crystalline gourds of differing colours on his waist.
"I'd say I look perfect with or without my accessories." Just as quickly as they condensed, the shroud and crown had been released from their cubes and resumed their positions. "It's okay though, you do your best with what you've got. Your puppets are more involved in the fight than you are anyways." Biteki quickly gave a playful punch to Hosheki's shoulder.
Hosheki's mouth hung slightly agape in shock at the audacity of such a comment. Sure, he was used to such a thing by now, but it still amazed him. Before he could formulate a response though, the doors of the academy opened up. Immediately, Mirai began to tear into the instructor, who Hosheki recognized as Touiyume Hyuuga.
However, it seemed that the Hyuuga had slightly anticipated it, stepping off to the side with Mirai in tow as the rest of the present students slowly funneled in past the pair, catching a glimpse of Mirai's stern judgement of Touiyume's lack of punctuality and sticking to a schedule on opening the academy at a consistent time every day.
As they entered the classroom, just as he seemed to do every day even though he had the choice to sit anywhere else, Hosheki still found himself sitting next to Biteki. It was okay though, even despite the earlier comment.
After all, having a bit of his normalcy before being thrown into the unknown could be comforting.
The nerve of Touiyume Hyuuga for being tardy to opening the building on a day as important as this. It was a disrespect to her title as an instructor of the academy. She had been waiting at the doors with Biteki for over an hour before people started showing up. He had been doing his usual training without saying much to her, which described much of their interactions since the first day of the academy.
Of course, she was one of the many classmates he had challenged to sparring matches even outside of the combat training classes, with the result being the same as all others. Undoubtedly powerful, although lacking the humility that she had prided herself on so much. She had once thought him undisciplined and skating by on pure talent, but she had been proven wrong time and time again.
Still, it had been rather awkward as he didn't even acknowledge her existence. It didn't bother her though, she was focused on what the day would hold. She had been looking forward to who she would be assigned to, having info cards for each of the jounin that were set to be assigned to teams. Her father had given them to her yesterday, allowing her to thoroughly investigate whatever information she could on her potential mentors.
She had taken her spot in the front of the classroom as always, cards neatly displayed in front of her as the final members of the class funneled in. It was the usual suspects for the stragglers. Among them were Gen Den, who had likely been off doing his best to charm someone from another class, Hirotoru Uzumaki and Toyokuni Himura, who often arrived in a pair after performing some prank together with the most suspicious looks on their faces, and Mio Fuma, who had likely fallen asleep disguised somewhere while waiting for the day to actually begin.
None of them held themselves to the standard they should have, especially considering she knew that they all had a fair bit of potential but lacked enough discipline to fully take advantage of it. They could think she was on a power trip all they wanted with her being the class president, but she merely wanted everyone in their class to perform to the best of their ability to serve their village.
They were officially genin, after all.
Finally, Choji took his place within the class, holding a sheet of paper within his hand. A solemn smile remained on his face as he looked at his students. While some would still be there tomorrow, most of them would officially be in their teams. It was an odd thing that he often felt a hint of sadness over, but he was also proud of the fact that they had made it this far and officially become shinobi. It had been an honour to be their teacher.
"Good morning, class." Choji called out to the children, who all responded back in varying volumes. "As you all know, today is the day that those of you who passed the graduation exam will be assigned to a team. Without further ado, let's begin. Team 4,"
As Choji began to call off names, Mirai noted intently who had been assigned to what jounin, placing aside each info card after inspecting it. Squad numbers were jumbled, but that was to be expected considering there were still teams using certain numbers from the last batch of graduates. Her father had told her that it wasn't until all members of a squad were chuunin that the number was recycled.
Well, it was that or the team disbanding due to the death of members. Unfortunately, the latter was just as possible, and even just as prevalent, as the former option.
As teams were called out, Choji reminded students to remain seated as their mentor would come to pick them up directly from the classroom. Some students complained about who they had been paired with, others cried out in joy, but ultimately, they couldn't do anything about it either way and calmed down while Choji continued to read off names.
"Team 10 will consist of Himura Toyokuni," Mirai glanced up at the pale silver-haired boy joking with Hirotoru, the exchange student from Uzushiogakure. His family all consisted of particularly skilled Water Release users within the village, and he himself had awoken a dormant gene of Ice Release only recently while in class, but the two boys seemed to be more intent on joking around and playing pranks than training.
"Kogane Tomoe," The class president's warm grey eyes shifted towards the sword-toting girl with caramel skin. She was quite the extrovert, being one of three people-charmers in the class along with Gen and Zasshu. Particularly disciplined and focused on her kenjutsu, Mirai could safely say that she was one of her more enjoyable classmates that she would always support.
"And Senju Hitode." The first of the Senju twins assigned, Mirai had wondered who they would be placed under. The girl was an undoubtable powerhouse in terms of intelligence and medical ninjutsu among other things, but that much was to be expected considering her mother. She had taken after her quite strongly. Mirai respected her boldness though, always happy to work alongside the tall girl. "You three will be assigned to Inuzuka Kyuuki."
Mirai quickly looked over the info cards for the card containing that name, finding it near the top. Placing her finger on it and expending some chakra, the card suddenly burst to life with information. Twenty-five years old and a jounin for roughly six years now, heir to the Inari clan with her father coming from the Inuzuka clan. She boasted an impressive set of statistics on missions completed, but the notes that her father had placed on her personality were a bit concerning. Her usage of foxes despite being an Inuzuka was…peculiar, but if she were a jounin, surely, she had been doing something right. The Inari clan was particularly interesting though, from what she had read on them. They consumed the ground up nails and teeth that had been lost or discarded from the Nine-Tails when it was still loose in the Land of Fire, using it as a medicinal powder apparently. She could only wonder what that did to one's body.
"Next up, we have Team 12. Fuma Mio," Mirai made sure to look up at the stoic girl, who simply stared down at their instructor without a change in her appearance. Mirai took issue with two things that Mio often did, the first being her tendency to use the Transformation Technique to sleep in conspicuous places, but the second was her lack of dedication to learning hand seals. The girl seemed utterly incapable of them, and didn't seem to work on her weakness of them as much as she should.
"Mochizuki Saburo," Ah, there was an interesting one. He was the newest introduction to their class, only being part of it for roughly a year and a half at that point, and hadn't even come from Otogakure's own academy. The details weren't the clearest, but he possessed a unique bloodline from the Land of Sound. Something to do with the absorption of natural energy, according to her father.
It was a concept that wasn't talked about or studied much, although her father had once told her that the native people of the Land of Sound were born with more natural energy suffused into their body, causing strange mutations such as additional arms or horns. However, there was one clan among the country that constantly absorbed the energy, causing strange effects. He had been someone she kept an eye on since he arrived, although he seemed to handle himself pretty well, all things considered. He was quiet, but calm, often providing support in his own gentle way.
"And Ningyoushi Midori." The game of cat and mouse quickly began as Mirai glanced around the classroom for wherever the girl would be hiding. The Non-Person Technique placed upon her was so troublesome because it made finding her so difficult, especially when she was needed for class activities and would instead be doing absolutely anything else than what she was supposed to. For a girl who couldn't speak, her disgust towards doing what was asked of her was often deafening and frustrating. But Mirai couldn't say much when it came to the girl, as it had been difficult trying to connect with her. She had often been so focused on other things that she hadn't begun learning sign language like some of the other members of their class. It was something she intended to change at some point. "You three will be assigned to Namikaze Menma."
Now there's a name she recognized from her father. It had been a card she had been particularly interested in. Grabbing and infusing chakra into the card bearing his name, she couldn't lie. The man had an impressive track record. Twenty-six years old and having been a jounin for six years now, he had been Sakura Haruno's advisor since her first day in office roughly two years ago. Not much was present in regard to abilities other than one thing. He was the Jinchuuriki of the village, holding the Nine-Tails within his body after having it transferred to him from his mother. It was an interesting notion, there was no doubt about that. They were lucky to be placed under someone of such skill and renown, but they would have to make sure to properly take advantage of the opportunity they had been given.
While she descended further into thought, Choji's call for the next team drew her from her thoughts. "Team 14 will consist of Hibana Zasshu," Ugh. That living embodiment of electricity. It was a miracle that he was able to be contained within a room with how completely incapable of being still he was. Despite that, he was undoubtedly the pinnacle of morale within the class. When people talked, he listened, and vice versa. When she was incapable of gathering the students, he could do it without issue. But he still often got on her nerves, what with his teasing of her being "way too serious" and "more dedicated to the rules than to living."
"Kurama Jara," There was a surprise. Mirai could already see the blush upon the shy girl's face from across the classroom. Jara had been smitten with Zasshu ever since he told off some of their classmates for poking fun at her difficulty to perform certain techniques. For all of her struggles though, Mirai admired how much she worked to improve. Her genjutsu skill was admirable, and she had been hard at work with her three-sectioned staff for a few years now. But she needed more confidence in her own skill, after all, she was a perfectly capable shinobi.
"And Senju Zennou." And there was the second Senju twin, and the one she had wondered about far more. He got on her nerves almost as much as Zasshu, but for wildly different reasons. He seemed like he didn't have to try at all compared to her, and no matter the situation, he was just so damn calm at everything. Not to mention his endless philosophical musings and existential sayings, everyone just thought it creepy, but she felt it was smug with how he took every situation's intensity and severity and abstracted it to no end. She almost preferred Biteki's boldness and arrogance to Zennou. "You three will be under Heikou Shinwa."
Shinwa Heikou? She searched the cards, finally finding it. The man looked unusual to begin with, even before she looked at his statistics. His pale, scaly skin and serpentine eyes, the purple markings around his eyes, the fanged smile. But, considering he was both a shinobi of Otogakure and Konohagakure, his appearance suddenly made sense. He was twenty-eight years old, but he had been a jounin for about twelve years now. An impressive age to become a jounin, it was the same age her father, Hiroshi Watanabe, had become a jounin. It showed a clear amount of skill, and considering his mission statistics, he had it in scores.
"Next up, Team 15. Shimizu Momo," There was an interesting girl. From the Shimizu clan in Konoha, she was a powerful member of their class with a kekkei touta, and a bright head on her shoulders. Mirai enjoyed when they had to work together for class assignments, she often came up with unique solutions for problems, and was particularly beneficial towards the environment of the classroom. She didn't have much negative to say about her, although she did feel the slightest bit of envy for how she balanced power and intelligence, just as she did with Zennou.
"Shuukai Kyoui," Speaking of intelligence, there was arguably the smartest kid in their classroom, right beside Hosheki Setsuzoku. He had once been a particularly lackluster member of their classroom, only doing the bare minimum while keeping his nose in a book. However, that changed roughly six years ago when he lost to Biteki. Something about it seemed to spur a reaction in the boy, and since then, his reading material changed drastically along with his skill. It was almost worrying how intensely the boy had catalyzed into practically becoming a new person.
"And Uzumaki Hirotoru." The snickering crimson-haired boy next to Toyokuni made her grit her teeth. He was undoubtedly the best with fuinjutsu in the class, but that much was to be expected considering his heritage and that he had transferred to Konohagakure from Uzushiogakure. But he seemed so adamant on getting into trouble and shirking his duties and classworks with the other boy, that she couldn't help but feel that he had squandered any potential he had. Hopefully Momo and Kyoui would rub off on the boy and make him begin to work harder. "You three will be underneath Aburame Setsu."
Setsu Aburame, right at the top of the arranged cards. Her eyes grew wide when the information appeared on the card. Twenty-five years old, likely from the same generation as Kyuuki Inuzuka, but he had been a jounin for eleven years at that point. What did someone have to do to be a jounin at that age? Although, he had also been in the ANBU according to her father, leaving the organization at about the same time he had been promoted to jounin. Hiroshi had also noted that the man's personality was…chaotic, stating that it was often decided by the bugs within his body at the start of the day. Still, to be promoted at such a young age, she could only imagine what kind of teacher he'd be…
"Next up, Team 17. Akimichi Chomaru," The excitable boy pumped his fist into the air, flipping what she had come to learn was a chocolate coin in the air. He often made gambling jokes with the class while pulling out those golden coins, only to later peel and eat them. But even if he was an Akimichi, she wondered if he could change his diet. There didn't seem to be mch structure to what he ate, moreso just eating whatever he could and sharing it with the class. She didn't have too many thoughts on the boy, considering he didn't give her much reason to either criticize or praise him. He was par for the course, in her opinion, which wasn't necessarily bad, but improvement could be sought.
"Chinoike Yasu," Mirai couldn't hide the scowl that appeared on her face. If there was one person she could say she legitimately disliked in their classroom, it was Yasu. The girl was so…abrasive without even trying. Constantly acting as if nothing was worth the time of her day, going through classes as if she was better than all of it, and above all else, her constant talk about not wanting, or needing, to be on a team. She had made quite a few comments during class criticizing the intensity of Konohagakure's Will of Fire, more specifically how many people blindly subscribed to it without any reason given. With any luck, the two wouldn't see each other again for quite a while.
"and Watanabe Mirai." Mirai couldn't believe her ears, taking a pained breath as she prepared herself. How could they possibly place the two of them together in a team? It was absurd, had they made a mistake? Surely, it'd only lead to conflict within the team. However, as she continued to think about the illogical decision, Choji continued on. "You three will be placed under Uchiha Hametsu." Well, that was something she could find enjoyment in. If she was plagued by Yasu's presence in the team, at least Yasu would be plagued by an Uchiha that she so often poked fun at.
Looking through the few remaining cards, she quickly grabbed Hametsu's. However, as she brought out the information, her heart stopped for the briefest moment with disbelief. Surely there had to have been some information put in incorrectly. Twenty-three years old, but more importantly, he had been a jounin for thirteen years. Even moreso, he had been in the ANBU alongside with Setsu, leaving roughly two years after the Aburame. He boasted the largest mission statistics of every card she had inspected so far…she truly had landed the jackpot for a mentor. All she had hoped was that he could properly lead their team through the inevitable hellish conflict they'd deal with.
She had been so encaptured by Hametsu's info card that she had nearly missed Choji calling out the next team. Squad 19 holding Den Gen, Kosshi Biteki, and Setsuzoku Hosheki. She had only been broken from her own thoughts when Gen began complaining at being paired with Biteki. That team, in her opinion, was a pressure cooker just waiting to explode. "You three will be placed underneath Hyuuga Hinata." Upon inspecting the Hyuuga's card, she found quickly that not only was the woman the heiress to the Hyuuga Clan, but she was also arguably more aggressive than Biteki was, even on paper. What a chaotic assignment…
But Mirai couldn't properly focus on the already bickering team, or Choji continuing to rattle off the few remaining teams, as she could only focus on the info card in front of her with the face of her spiky-haired teacher.
This day had already started off so differently from what she could have ever expected.
The shaggy blond-haired man had come to collect the three of them not long after they had been assigned to his team. Menma Namikaze. Midori could have sworn she had seen him somewhere, although he definitely had a new air about him. She remembered broken blue eyes that were tired beyond his years within that holding cell, not ones so full of life and kindness.
Then again, she was only five when she was under surveillance. Perhaps she was confusing him with someone else. It wasn't until Tsunade had adopted her that she started actually paying attention to the people in the village.
Still, there was something familiar about him that she couldn't shake.
Her teammates weren't entirely unknown to her either, definitely knowing Mio far more than Saburo. Mio had been getting the hang of sign language, although she still had a long way to go. The girl was absolutely miserable with hand seals, so it was no surprise that learning an entire language similar to them wasn't the easiest.
Saburo, on the other hand, wasn't someone she had interacted with often, considering he had only been in the class for a little more than a year now. He had arrived from Otogakure, although he wasn't a transfer from the academy there like Mio had been. His often bandaged or masked face was off putting to some, but ultimately, he just seemed to be a fairly quiet individual. He reminded her of Zennou with his occasional strange input towards conversations.
It could be said for seemingly the entire group that they were a more outspoken group. Having been walking for almost ten minutes, none of the four members had spoken a single word. Of course, that wasn't something she could really control for herself.
Finally, it appeared as though they had arrived at their destination in a forest clearing. They had passed through a few gates talking about a training ground along the way, but the number had been lost on her. There were at least forty-some training grounds, she couldn't be expected to remember which was which.
She also hadn't been paying too much attention to the sign either, simply acting in autopilot like she often did.
"Right, this is a good spot." Menma finally spoke up, turning around to face the three genin. "Welcome to Team 12, I will be your instructor, Namikaze Menma. I look forward to teaching the three of you." He invited them to sit down as he leaned against a nearby tree.
He looked over his three students with careful eyes, starting from the boy sitting on the right. Saburo Mochizuki, inhabitant of Konohagakure for roughly a year and a half now. Spiking tufts of dark blue hair could be seen jutting out from underneath his bandana-like forehead protector, and the lower half of his face had been completely wrapped in bandages. All that could be made out from his face were his pallid complexion and heterochromic eyes. His collection of dark clothing was suitable for most stealth related missions, in his opinion.
Sitting in the middle of the trio was Mio Fuma, inhabitant of Konohagakure for almost five years now. Her straight black hair clashed with her pale skin just as Saburo's did. She also shared a similar preference for dark clothing, her long black jacket and knee-length skirt being potentially decent for concealing herself or slipping away into shadows. Her gray eyes kept darting from side to side as she lightly fiddled with the forehead protector tied around her this, her expression seemed entirely devoid of emotion, only the slightest physical movements clueing Menma into her inner psyche. However, she seemed to keep muttering something to herself when she looked to the girl on her right.
That girl being Midori Ningyoushi, inhabitant of Konohagakure for almost seven years now. The bells within her fluffy green hair seemed to ring only when she wanted them to, despite how many were tied to her bangs. It was quite intriguing to Menma that even though she likely didn't remember much of her experience in Takigakure, she did possess a similar dressing style to many of them. Plenty of green hues, a sleeveless black qipao over a single-sleeved green shirt that covered the entirety of her right arm, fingerless gloves, there were plenty of similarities to be noted.
As advisor to the Hokage, or former advisor as of now, it had been his job to familiarize himself with the shinobi and academy students of the village, and know what he could about them. Still though, it would be interesting to learn about his new students from them directly.
Not to mention, his students were staring at him, waiting for him to make the first move. Clearly he'd have to coax them out of their shells.
"You know, my teacher started my squad off with a simple question. Tell the rest of your team something about yourself." Menma rubbed the back of his neck, a warm smile on his face. It had been quite a long time since he had been part of Team 7 under the former Sixth Hokage, but he still remembered the day he got paired with his still life-long friends. Even through everything he'd done, they were still there for him, the true essence of a team. "Saburo, how about you start us off?"
Saburo's eyes widened for a moment, letting out a quiet, "Ah." before setting into thought. After a few moments of silence, he gave a curt nod to himself. "I aim to master and control my bloodline just as Juugo-sama does. He is a kind man, and one to be respected." His hand instinctively patted the pocket containing his medication, ensuring he hadn't forgotten them in the course of preparing that morning.
"You knew Juugo?" Mio quickly looked at the boy, gray eyes seemingly devoid of emotion. Her face remained flat as she merely stared into his soul. "He was my friend in Otogakure. You're right, he is a very understanding man."
Saburo looked at the stoic girl, slightly unnerved at her staring at him. "You seem…serious about my knowing him."
"What are you talking about? I've never been so excited?" Mio stated again, expression not changing. "I rarely meet people who actually knew Juugo. Did you know Kidomaru-sensei as well?"
The taller boy shook his head, still scanning over Mio's expressions. He couldn't exactly make out if she was being serious or sarcastic. It was rare to find someone who flipped the script on him when it came to deceiving appearances, but she had definitely surpassed his expectations.
Then again, he had heard the mutterings of his classmates that she was secretly extremely powerful given how stoic she often appeared. He wasn't sure how true the rumors were though, just that her listlessness led many to speculate on if she was secretly some kind of prodigy.
"I never met Kidomaru, no. The only people I really know from Otogakure are Kimimaro-sama, Juugo-sama, and…" His voice trailed off as his bicoloured eyes seemed to look off into space. "That's it, really. I didn't spend much time there before coming to Konohagakure."
"That's a shame. Otogakure has so many wonderful things, I can't possibly list them all." Mio hummed lightly to herself, looking back to Menma. "I hope we get to visit some time, I will show you some of my favorite places."
'Such a confusing girl. It seems like she means everything she's saying, but her tone makes it all seem sarcastic or lacking in meaning.' Saburo thought, his vivid red eye glancing towards her.
Menma smiled at the pair, giving a slight nod to the two. "I'm sure we'll undertake a mission that takes us there at some point, it's not uncommon to have missions to Otogakure and Uzushiogakure as well. We all have to look out for each other, after all."
"The alliances our villages share are precious. It would be unfortunate if anything ever happened to them." Saburo spoke up, his calm and unwavering voice only slightly muffled by the bandages wrapping his face.
Mio's eyebrows bunched together for only a moment. 'Juugo came from a line of shapeshifters with demons in them…I wonder if his demon is far stronger than Juugo's.' Raising her hand, her gaze remained on Menma. "I have a hard time with hand seals. I think they are awful. So I have worked on developing jutsu that don't use them specifically for that reason."
Midori quickly tapped her shoulder, a sly grin upon her face. "You make your own jutsu? That's pretty good for someone our age." She deliberately slowed down her signing, hoping that Mio would get it.
However, it was understandable when Mio gave a (barely noticeably) shaky smile. "Sorry, Midori, I'm still getting the hang of sign language. I will do my best to learn it faster." Nodding to the girl, Midori went back to drawing something in the soil below them.
"It is impressive to create jutsu that don't use hand seals, what do they look like?" Saburo followed up. He cast a momentary glance at Midori, recognizing the girl only in passing from their class. He knew she spoke in sign language, but he hadn't learned it. He didn't know if it was only a preference or if she couldn't speak at all. It had seemed he'd gotten an answer. "Perhaps Midori can take us all through a lesson on sign language when we have free time."
"Now, now, a shinobi shouldn't reveal their secrets so readily." Menma held up his hand. "You all will have time to get acquainted with each other's abilities in time. As for Midori," The blond man looked at the girl to his left. "If she wants to teach you two, she can. However, I encourage you both to read up on it regardless of what she chooses."
Midori nodded, continuing to draw in the dirt. "I'll teach you both when I have the time, I hope you learn quickly though. I don't like having to repeat the lessons too much." Her signing was still slower than usual, although she could see Menma understanding her meaning. Seems he was a smart one after all.
"She said she'll teach you both when she can." Menma flashed a smile, shooting a quick, "Thank you." sign to Midori.
"You know sign language, Menma-sensei?" Saburo looked between the two with curiosity. "It must be a valuable skill to learn."
Menma gave a slight nod, leaning back further against the tree. "It can be, even though it does take some time to learn. It allows for silent communication if you know how to use it properly."
Midori's hand shot up quickly, before gesturing to the dirt in front of her. As her teammates and sensei leaned over to look, her teammates seemed lost on what they were looking at. Saburo scratched the back of his head, his eyes narrowing as Mio seemed more focused on watching Midori herself. "It's a map of Konohagakure. I started learning to make them on my way here from Takigakure. I found out that I enjoy cartography, as useless as it may be."
"Cartography isn't useless, it's quite the skill to possess. It takes a watchful eye to be able to map out areas by memory." Menma responded before noticing the still curious and slightly lost expressions of his other two students. "She's drawn out a map of Konohagakure, you two."
"That's very detailed for such a quick drawing." Saburo noted, inspecting all of the minute buildings and details she included in the dirt map.
'Of course the specter knows everything in Konohagakure. She goes around and haunts those who are undeserving of the divine's presence!' Mio practically bristled in fear as she could clearly make out even her own apartment building in the map of the village. "It makes sense. Midori spends a lot of time travelling around the village with Zennou, I have no doubt she knows where everyone in the class lives."
Menma couldn't help but find his students interesting. When the teams had been announced, he had found it funny that not a single student under him was born in Konoha. And what an interesting bunch he had been assigned to. It was going to be a unique experience teaching all of them, considering their files.
"Well, I look forward to teaching all of you. However, before I get ahead of myself-" As his hands reached into his back pocket, Mio raised her hand. "Yes, Mio?"
The listless girl stared at him without much change in her expression. "What is something about yourself that you'd like to tell us?"
Menma's eyebrows raised as he thought about the question. He hadn't expected them to ask, but it was only right that he answered it. Pulling his hand from his pockets, he crossed his arms in thought. "Well…I suppose if there is anything worth knowing about me…" Looking to the sky for a moment, he felt a slight pull in his stomach. Now, that was something he could tell them about. "I quite like ramen with extra menma!"
A sigh seemed to escape all three teammates, followed by a silent acceptance.
"Now!" Menma's hand moved back to his pocket. "Before you all can officially call yourself a team, I want to run a little test."
Removing his hand from his pocket, he pulled out a pair of bells with a gentle chime. "Each of you have the goal to take a bell from me. If you do that, then you will officially be genin. If you fail, you will be returned to the academy. As you can see, though, there are only two bells, meaning one of you will be sent back regardless."
The three seemed equally stunned as they looked at their instructor. "But, Menma-sensei, we already passed the graduation exam. Why would we be sent back to the academy?" Mio raised her hand as she looked at the dangling bells.
"You can always learn more with time. Putting that aside, there often won't be fairness in the shinobi world. If you don't look out for yourself, then you may never live." Menma's tone harshened as he looked at the three. "It isn't like the academy out there. You must be willing to keep yourself alive."
Saburo's brow furrowed, looking deep into Menma's cerulean eyes. He couldn't possibly be serious. There had to be some sort of trick to this. Surely he wouldn't send one of them back after they had come this far.
Midori's lips curled into a smug grin. If that's how it was going to be, then she'd make sure she got one of the bells. Still, he was a jounin, she couldn't be so confident. Even if her technique was perfect for this sort of thing, she wasn't so sure she could pull a fast one on him.
Something about the look in his eyes made her feel like he'd see right through it.
"Well, whenever you are ready." Menma tied the bells to his pants before standing up straight.
The three genin quickly stood up as well, preparing themselves for the test. The air grew tense with anticipation, the only sound being their own heartbeats in their ears and the wind blowing leaves from trees.
In a blur, the three genin disappeared into the surrounding foliage, leaving Menma alone in the clearing.
The three fox partners of their instructor ran around, nipping at the heels of the members of Team 10. However, the children seemed to find it particularly endearing, laughing and giggling as they tried to pet them to no such luck.
A sharp whistle suddenly came from the spiky-haired Kyuuki. "Muramaru, Aomaru, Midomaru." Immediately, the three foxes gathered around the woman. "Alright, you three, we're headed to the fifth training ground. I'm gonna get to know you, then see if you three have any guts."
"Guts? We got loads of guts, we graduated from the academy after all!" Tomoe chirped excitedly, the short girl pumping her fists for a moment as Toyokuni jumped in. The two had immediately played off of each other's energy, with Hitode seeming to be the one among them to keep the calm.
The silver-haired boy kept sneaking pulls at Muramaru's tail, the burgundy fox turning to playfully bite at his hands. "Say, say, why do you have foxes when you're an Inuzuka? Don't they normally have dogs?"
"Because I'm from the Inari clan. Also, I did have a ninken at one point. These three ate him." Kyuuki bluntly stated, her sharp voice barely wavering as she spoke with the usual feral air around her tone.
However, the three young genin could only look at her in horror at how unbothered she was by what she had said. "I'm sorry, I must've heard that wrong." Hitode spoke up, holding up her hand as she could only look at the woman in disbelief. "You had a dog, it was eaten by these three, and you kept them around?"
Pursing her lips for a moment, Kyuuki nodded in agreement. "Seems like you heard it just fine."
"Well, putting that aside, they are very adorable!" Tomoe attempted to bring life back to the team, lightly swatting Toyokuni's hand when he tried to pull Muramaru's tail again. She enjoyed the company of the boy, but he always seemed more focused on causing chaos than anything else. He and Hirotoru were just like that.
Still, those two were some of the few that actively added a bit of excitement and life to their classroom that wasn't violence related. Between them, Zasshu, Gen, and herself, they managed to make the class lively when it needed it. "And we have even more members of the team with them! It's like we have three extra teammates!" Tomoe added to her previous statement.
"Well, it could be like that. We have to see how to work with them first." Hitode chimed in, reaching to pet Aomaru in front of her. As soon as her hand was placed on the blue-toned fur of the fox, she was greeted with the sound of leaves crunching and a brief smell of stir-fry. How pleasant for something that did something so heinous.
Still, she could understand them doing it. Perhaps it was just survival of the fittest. What was more unnerving was Kyuuki caring so little about them doing it. She couldn't even see someone like Biteki or Yasu acting like that.
"That's not gonna be an issue for us, I'm sure of it. Especially when we've got the daughter of Konoha's Slug Princess with us!" Tomoe patted the girl's back, missing the quick grimace that shot across her face before she regained her slight smile.
"Now, now, when you start slashing away, you're electrifying, don't forget to count yourself." Toyokuni pointed out, before looking up at the taller Hitode. "Hey, by the way! I've always wanted to ask. You're the sister to the weird guy with those special eyes, right? What's-"
Before he could finish his sentence, Hitode grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, lifting him in the air. "What did you call my brother?" Her tone was direct and threatening, yet there seemed to be no overt emotion in her words. It simply pierced down to his bones.
"N-not weird! Just unique, is all!" Toyokuni waved his hands innocently. He didn't expect it to flip a switch in the girl so immediately. "I just see you two sometimes going around on that dragon of his, like on the day of the graduation exam! It seems like there would never be a boring day with someone like that…even if he does talk like a hermit that has lived in seclusion for twenty years."
Hitode's amber eyes locked with Toyokuni's, examining him closely. She got the smell of mint and the sound of a teapot boiling when she touched him, which seemed pretty fitting. "He just has some learning to do with socializing. I get he can seem weird, but you get used to how he talks after a bit." She paused to set the boy down, setting his collar right and roughly patting the scruff of his neck. "But it is interesting living with someone that can do what he can."
"If I had a giant creature to ride around on, just think of the things Hirotoru and I could do!" Toyokuni's mind immediately filled with the potential pranks the pair could pull off. "Maybe we can end up riding around on Kyuuki-sensei's foxes though!"
Kyuuki immediately cackled at the notion. "Give it a try, kid. I doubt it'll go how you think, but I'm sure it'll be an important lesson for you."
"What kind of lesson would I learn?!" Toyokuni placed his hands on his hips, immediately looking at Muramaru with a certain intent. "I'll show you; there's no lesson for me to learn here."
Crouching low for a moment, Toyokuni's fingers twitched as he prepared to jump on the fox. In a blur, he pounced towards the burgundy fox but immediately found himself pinned to the ground with a pair of jaws lightly grabbing at the base of his neck.
"The lesson here being not to do stupid stuff if you aren't willing to accept the consequences." Kyuuki idly stated, continuing to move forward as Muramaru caught up to her.
"Hey, I totally could've gotten her! She just was a little bit faster this time." Toyokuni pouted as he dusted himself off. Rubbing the back of his neck, he winced at the very minor punctures from the canines of the large fox. "And she could've been a little bit gentler."
Muramaru knowingly seemed to acknowledge the short boy's words, whipping her bushy tail playfully before beginning to play with the other two foxes, their teeth lightly clacking as they bit at each other.
Kyuuki, on the other hand, stopped to turn towards the boy. "Don't make excuses, you should've been faster to back up your words. Now let me see your neck, she can be very bold when it comes to establishing dominance." Harshly placing her hand on top of the boy's head, she moved his head from side to side to inspect the wounds. Spitting on her hand, she roughly slapped it onto the wounds, much to the disgust of the three genin. However, when she moved her hand away, the wounds had disappeared. "There, now you don't need to cry about it. Let's keep moving."
"I could've just healed it, Kyuuki-sensei." Hitode looked between their new teacher and Toyokuni, unable to hide her bewilderment. In a matter of minutes, the Inuzuka had shown herself to be entirely unpredictable in everything she did.
Toyokuni nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! She wouldn't spit on me either! I don't even understand how that worked to heal me."
"Because of my clan's medicine, a lot of our body is suffused with a certain vitality." The woman explained. "If Hitode was going to heal you, she should've. It probably would've been slower and more exhausting than if I did it though. A little spit and you're good as new."
Tomoe excitedly checked the marks on Toyokuni's neck that were quickly fading. "That's amazing, it's like when you are told to rub some spit on your injuries!"
"They actually say to do that because spit contains an extremely powerful painkiller." Hitode added. "I'd never recommend putting someone else's spit on your open wounds, that is a quick way to get sick. While on this team, I will heal any injuries you all have."
It was almost second nature for her to talk like that after a childhood of learning medical ninjutsu and medicine from her mother. She knew the human body more innately than any person her age should have, but more importantly, she knew the tenets of being a medical-nin even more in depth.
It was all that was expected of her after all. She was the daughter of Tsunade, she took after her so heavily, so she was simply expected to just be her clone. No one thought that she'd be anything else. No one called her weird or unique like her brother.
It sometimes made her feel sick.
"That's nice of you, Hitode, but we'll do our best to keep ourselves out of harm's way! Can't rely on you patching us up, we have to do our part as well." Tomoe exclaimed as the team entered into the dense forest of the fifth training ground. "Ain't that right, Toyokuni?! Besides, look at the three of us! Toyokuni's family is the best with Water Release in this whole village according to Kakashi-sensei, you've got the brains and the brawn, and I learned my swordsmanship from someone as prodigious as the Sixth Hokage! We're going to be unbeatable if you ask me."
Kyuuki chuckled to herself again as she stopped by a dense thicket of bushes. "We'll just have to see about that, won't we? Alright, you three, let's get formalities out of the way. My name is Inuzuka Kyuuki, although I am also from the Inari clan. As you have already met, these three are Muramaru, Aomaru, and Midomaru. I hate excuses more than anything, they are just an attempt to push off your own failures on something or someone else." Gesturing to the three of them, her face remained blank. "Now you three go in whatever order you want. Name, something you hate, go."
Tomoe was the first to go, as expected by the other two. "My name is Kogane Tomoe, I don't really hate much, but if I had to choose something…" The caramel-skinned girl placed a finger to her chin as she thought. "I hate being inside! I'd much rather be out and about seeing the world! Kakashi-sensei often had me train out near the tenth training ground, we do a lot of rock climbing up there! He says the fires of youth can only be kept alive by the winds of the world after all, so I try to avoid staying inside too often."
"Me too! I swear, I always wanted Choji-sensei to give us more classes outside and he rarely would!" Toyokuni remarked, the silver-haired boy throwing his hands up in exaggerated outrage. "Me next then! My name is Himura Toyokuni, and I hate real stiff people! The ones that have all the expectations and strictness in the world for no reason!"
He could've gone in detail about specifically meaning his family, but he wouldn't. No point in adding fuel to a fire that wasn't even burning yet. Tomoe may have made a comment about it, but none of them had the same expectations of him like his family did. At least Satsuki wasn't like the rest of them.
"Which leaves me. My name is Senju Hitode, and if there's one thing I hate," Being compared to her mother, being seen as nothing more than a miniature version of her, no one expecting anything greater from her. Her thoughts ran wild with the things she could say. How she felt that she didn't truly belong as anything other than a copy of her. How sometimes she felt that maybe she should abandon the dreams of being something more. But there was no need for any of that. "It would be extremely bitter or sour foods. Not only do they taste awful, but when I touch them, they tend to always have an unpleasant sensory burst."
Toyokuni and Tomoe both looked at her with a quizzical look. "When you touch them? Like they feel wrong?"
"Not exactly, I was born with synesthesia. When I touch things, I also tend to get a certain smell and sound. For instance, when I picked up Toyokuni earlier-"
"Hold on, you make it sound like I am a toy!" Toyokuni interjected.
"You weighed nothing to me." Hitode responded without missing a beat, Toyokuni pouting as he looked away. "But when I picked you up, I smelled mint and heard a teapot boiling."
Her two teammates both let out an exaggerated "Woah!" before grabbing out items from their bag, frantically asking her to touch them and tell what she experienced from it.
"How about my sword?! Wait, no, what if it is something lame like the smell of farts, or rotten eggs, or…" Tomoe trailed off in thought, pulling her katana back to her as Toyokuni continued to rattle off items, pulling countless items meant for pranks from the material pouch on his side.
However, Kyuuki harshly clapped her hands together, drawing the attention of her students. "That's enough, this isn't a show and tell. If you want a Hitode Inspection, you can do that later. We still have to get your test out of the way. Before you can officially be members of Team Kyuuki, we're going to play a little game."
"I love games! What kind are we going to play?!" Toyokuni exclaimed, blue eyes wide as he stared at Kyuuki with wonder. "I call Hitode on my team if we do pairs. Sorry, Tomoe, but she's wicked smart, I'm sure you understand."
"As if! Hitode would be my partner, you can pair with a fox!" Tomoe stuck out her tongue at the boy before the two devolved into laughter.
Hitode could only smile at the liveliness of the two. It was a bit contagious, almost like when Zasshu would hang out with her and her siblings. "Calm down, I'm sure if we are doing anything, we have to do it as a team together. That is, after all, the reason we are put into three-person cells."
"Or you can do it all alone, that's up to you." Kyuuki finally chimed in. "Now, as I was saying, your test is a game of catch. More specifically, you all will be tasked with catching these three and bringing them back to me. If you can do that, then you'll officially be part of Team Kyuuki."
Muramaru was the first to acknowledge Kyuuki's words, yipping at the smaller foxes, who seemed to chatter in response before warily examining the three genin. They seemed to bark amongst each other, their yellow eyes never moving from the team.
"Should be fun. I'll be here, let's see what you three have got." Kyuuki's face bore an amused smirk at the thought of what could happen in the test. Looking down to the three foxes, she gave a curt nod, causing the canine trio to disperse in the blink of an eye. Clapping her hands at the three genin, she harshly gestured for them to start moving. "Alright, get started, those foxes aren't going to catch themselves!"
How unprofessional was it to not even be on time to come pick up her students? Biteki's tanned head rested in his right hand while his left hand sprouted sharpened bones from his fingertips which he used to drum against the front podium he had occupied to lean against.
Of course, she was a Hyuuga, so there was no doubt in his mind that she thought she could do whatever she wanted. She had everything handed to her after all. Need a teacher to learn their infamous Gentle Fist technique? She's got an entire clan of them. Need someone to watch as a reference on how to perform something? No problem. But none of that even mattered. They popped out and immediately because they had a certain name, people knew something significant about them, thought something great about them.
All these damn clan members never knew how good they had it. And not even just clan members, there were so many that came from prestige or wealth that allowed them to have whatever they needed, be whatever they wanted.
His sharp eyes pierced Gen Den from across the room, who sat closest to the door with his feet propped up against the desk. Of course he would be saddled with that daimyo kid. And if that wasn't bad enough, Hosheki was on his team as well. That meant he'd have to carry the weight of both of them, but at least he could tolerate Hosheki unlike Gen.
"Are you going to keep looking over at me like a fangirl? Or do you only obsess over Senju Zennou?" Gen suddenly spoke up, an amused grin on his face as he checked his nails. Inspecting his own outfit, he made sure it was spotless at the moment. He thought he had gone quite practical with it, utilizing a sleeveless red changshan and hakama with gold accents. He wished he could've gotten the red forehead protector, but apparently, they had run out of them. It was okay though, after all, he had mostly managed to dye his standard blue one to be close to the colour he wanted, although the headband had definitely turned into a much darker wine red than he expected.
Biteki scoffed, eyes unwavering as he locked onto the boy. "I can't recall a single thing about you worth being a fan of. At least Zennou possesses the Rinnegan if I were to obsess over anyone."
"Maybe I just don't flaunt it out like you do. It's a little thing called being humble, not that you've ever heard of it." Gen shot right back, barely looking up at Biteki. He could see Hosheki stifle a chuckle in the corner of his vision. "Speaking of which, where's your forehead protector anyways? You too good for the village? We both have ours out on display."
Clenching his fist, the sharpened fingertips on Biteki's left hand carved through the dense wood of the podium. Stepping out from behind it, the metallic shroud moved to reveal Biteki's left thigh, and more specifically…
His dark red forehead protector tied to his leg.
Gen's eyes grew wide as he tried to process what he saw as Biteki's shroud moved back to cover him from the base of his neck to his ankles. "Oh, I see how it is! It's bad enough that you decided to suck up all the bloodlines in the area, but now you have to go and take my red forehead protector?! How dare you?!"
"You want to do something about it?" Biteki's voice was calm as he stepped closer, the iridescent shroud writhing around him as his usual smug expression began to spread across his face. Gen began to stand up from his desk, cracking his knuckles as he began to make a Dog seal.
Finally, Hosheki let out a sigh as he stood to his feet. "Enough, you two. Gen, Biteki can't help that he got something that you didn't. Biteki, give him a break, he just wanted a forehead protector colour he liked, and you took one of them, don't get into a fight over it. Neither of you have control over that, get over yourselves."
The trio constantly swapped glances between each other. Hosheki figured that Gen would listen to reason. For as much of a dramatic personality he possessed, he wasn't blind to reason. Biteki, on the other hand, had a fifty-fifty chance of doubling down after being told what to do.
"It's okay, it doesn't look that good on you anyways." Gen laughed to himself as he settled back into his seat. However, he could practically feel that he had chosen the wrong thing to say as the air itself grew magnetized, his jewelry beginning to lift from his body as Biteki quickly approached.
"I could care less how it looks, but the fact that you have the audacity to talk like you're actually worth anything keeps getting on my nerves. Maybe being from that fancy family inflated your head a bit too much." Biteki's right hand didn't lift as he formed half of a Ram seal, crystals beginning to form underneath Gen's chair. As soon as the taller boy jumped from his chair upon catching sight of the crimson gemstone encasing the chair's legs, the sharpened fingertips of Biteki's left hand shot out for Gen's collar. "Maybe you need a reminder of how little you are!"
'This is bad, he doubled down.' The sheer intensity of chakra erupting from the azure-haired boy felt like a suffocating pressure as he nearly dug his hand into the changshan worn by Gen. Hosheki quickly reached for Aomushi's scroll as he prepared to intercept the menacing boy when the door of the classroom suddenly swung open. Intercepting Biteki's arm reaching out for the taller lavender-haired boy, a flurry of strikes to his arm made it quickly fall numb, his iridescent powder only a moment too late to shield the limb from the barrage.
Standing in the doorway was a woman with dark blue hair reaching her waist and pupilless pale eyes. The Byakugan. However, even if she was older and seemed to be their sensei, the three genin all shared a common thought on her choice of attire.
It was…revealing. An unzipped hoodie with an extremely cropped mesh shirt that revealed her cleavage were one thing, but the shorts and heels were something else entirely. But if she was a jounin, there had to be a reason for it, so clearly her clothing wasn't that big of a problem for her. At least, that was the hope among the three genin.
"Oi, why are you already fighting each other?" Her voice was bold, a certain bite filling every word. "If that's how you three are going to be, I'll go on and fail all of you. It'll save me the time seeing if you are even worth it."
Hosheki quickly bowed, placing Aomushi's scroll back into the holder. "Apologies, Hinata-sensei. We just had a disagreement."
Biteki did his best to move his left arm which had been struck, finding it nearly impossible. "Just what did you do to my arm?" He spat under his breath, feeling slowly regaining. What was more frustrating to him was the fact that he could feel his chakra shut off to the area.
Of course, the Gentle Fist. Most of the Hyuuga in their class that had attempted to use it against him had failed, so he had never actually felt what it was like, he had only heard about it and studied the style. She was different though. If only he hadn't gotten so focused on Gen…
He also didn't miss how the boy's worried expression had become one of amusement at his arm becoming paralyzed. But he'd deal with that later.
"Relax, it's temporary. Just so you aren't acting like an idiot before you even have your genin exam." Hinata dismissively waved Biteki off, looking at her three students. What a bunch.
She got saddled with the dramatic playboy from the capital city, the kid with an ungodly amount of bloodlines but enough arrogance and ego to think he could balance the world on his finger, and then…the Setsuzoku kid. He himself wasn't too difficult according to the files, but his history in the village, on the other hand, was a different situation. The fault of one's parents shouldn't spread to the child…though it did make things interesting considering who he was teamed with.
It was likely that they were all none the wiser though.
Turning on her heel, she beckoned for the three to follow. "C'mon, we're going to the third training ground." She continued to talk as the three scrambled to follow behind her, Biteki quickly getting in the front of the line. Hosheki picked up the rear, which he preferred as he could freely move at a slower pace so long as he kept sight of them. "My name is Hyuuga Hinata, if you succeed in your genin exam, you three will be under me as a part of Team 19."
"A genin exam?" Gen quickly leaned around Biteki to talk. "Didn't we cover that with the whole graduation exam?"
Hinata scoffed, not even bothering to turn around to look at the ornately adorned boy. "Please, anyone with a brain can pass that. If I am going to be your team leader, I'm going to make sure you all can do something of merit."
It was as if the air itself became drenched in Biteki's pride as his smile only grew. He knew he could do something of merit, so at least he would be passing the exam. Hosheki could do some interesting things with his puppets, even if it was the puppets themselves being interesting and not himself. As for Gen, he expected the slightly taller boy to be back in academy classes come tomorrow.
"Biteki, calm down. You can't have a team with only one person." Hosheki spoke up from the back, watching the azure-haired boy's stride begin to embody his gargantuan ego. "So don't get any funny ideas, you need us."
Gen quickly turned around, beginning to walk backward as he looked to the puppeteer. "Oh, you're right! He can't do anything if he just leaves us in the dirt. Smart boy!"
"Don't act like you're much better. Drop the dramatics or else you could be a hindrance." Hosheki's hazel eyes stared directly into Gen's. The taller boy couldn't help but feel a bit shocked. So often he had seen Hosheki as being the voice of reason and kindness, but right now he seemed cold and calculating. He could practically see his brain working overtime behind his eyes.
The barest hints of a smile began to creep across the Hyuuga's face at the front of the line. Already she could see dynamics forming. Even moreso, the Setsuzoku kid was clearly planning something even without knowing what the exam would be.
"If you two fail, I'm sure they'll just stick me with another team that only lost a single person." Biteki dismissed both of the boys with a wave of his hand without turning to look at either of them. "Hinata-sensei, what will the exam entail?"
Hinata audibly hummed as she took a turn. They were getting closer to the training ground. "Nothing too major. Just a test of all of your abilities to see if you actually have what it takes to be a genin under me."
"Seems pretty subjective, how do we know that you won't pick favorites?" Gen turned back around, brow furrowed. As much as he would never admit it, he knew that he was the one most likely to be sent back in this exam. He had seen first-hand what Biteki was capable of multiple times, and Hosheki was constantly praised within their class and demonstrated a mastery over things so easily.
He may have been a big deal in the capital after he started training to be a shinobi, but once he arrived in Konohagakure, he'd seen just how outmatched he was. As much as he tried to not let it get to him, there were moments like this that really worried him.
But he couldn't let the doubt consume him. He had made it this far, after all, and he wasn't going to let this exam stop him.
Hinata quickly came to a stop, turning on her heel to face the three genin. "Because," Veins behind her eyes grew thick as her Byakugan began to activate. "I don't care about any of you right now. You're students, and that's it. Until you show me something worth seeing, I won't see you as anything else."
Tension began to build within the group as she resumed leading them through the forest, eventually passing through a chainlink fence with a sign declaring, "Third Training Ground." Silence filled the space between them, however, each seemed to sink further into their previous emotions.
Arriving in a clearing with a river across the way, the mountains connecting to Hokage Rock could be seen in the distance. It was quite the scenic spot in Hosheki's opinion, berating himself for not finding it sooner. However, as Hinata stopped walking and turned to face the team once more, he pulled himself out of his thoughts.
"This is a good spot. Here is where we will hold your exam." Stretching her hands above her head, Hinata deeply inhaled. "You will have thirty minutes for your exam. Your goal, as I said, is to show me something of merit. You will do so by attacking me, and in turn, I will not hold back on attacking you in kind."
"That's not fair, you're a jounin! What if you kill us?!" Gen quickly spat, pointing at the woman. He wasn't necessarily scared of combat, after all, Kenshin didn't hold back much when training him. But there was something about this woman that seemed much harsher than the samurai.
"Just like you said, I'm a jounin. I can do just enough to make sure you won't be that injured." Hinata's lips curled into a venomous smirk. "But war isn't fair, and neither is the life of a shinobi. You're often going to be outmatched. You have to know what the best decision to make is when that happens."
'She's trying to scare us into quitting before we even start. The tactical decision would be to retreat if you think you are completely outmatched. However, doing so will guarantee failure.' Hosheki's eyes narrowed, watching Hinata closely. What was her angle exactly? If she just wanted them to show off what they could do, she could've asked them to fight each other. Why would she make herself the target in what would be an impossible scenario for most academy students?
Regardless, he wouldn't back down just yet. If too much energy was expended, or they were truly paling in comparison, then he'd retreat and do his best to get the others to do the same.
Gen felt a bead of sweat begin to form, looking at Biteki's carefree smirk upon his face and Hosheki's expression with worry. Of course that jerk wasn't worried, but Hosheki seemed deep in thought, his eyes making the barest movements as he inspected their new teacher.
And what chance did he have now?! No… no, he had to be sure of himself! Uncertainty would only hold him back even more. Clenching his fist, his eyes moved to Hinata with a fiery determination, preparing for her to signal the start. A star such as himself would shine, even alongside the two he had been paired with.
"Is that it?" A laugh bubbled up from Biteki's throat, manic eyes wide with glee. "You had me thinking it would actually be a bit more challenging." His grin grew wider as he began to prepare himself. Gen couldn't quite explain it, but it seemed as though something spread underneath his skin, watching as it visibly started from his temple and moved below his neck into the cover of his iridescent shroud. Furthermore, for the first time as one of his wisping bangs shifted with the wind, he noticed a scar running from the right side of his jaw to his cheekbone, now being accentuated by whatever had moved under his skin.
Had he always had that?
Before he could sink into thought, their new teacher gave a momentary chuckle, breaking him from his internal questioning.
What an arrogant kid, just like his file stated. Shaking her head, Hinata slowly circled her left leg in front of her as she began to crouch into position. The veins behind her eyes became prominent, a sign of her Byakugan activating as her expression grew serious. Holding her right fist close to her side and her left palm out in front of her, a sudden burst of chakra sent a rush of air through the area. Surrounding her fists was visible chakra churning in the shape of lion heads. "If that's how you feel…"
"Then let the exam begin!"
The tenth training ground sat in the outskirts of Konohagakure above Hokage Rock. Trees surrounded the area, but ultimately, the rocky terrain was particularly notable among most of the training grounds. It had long been a favorite of some shinobi for this very reason, the different environment allowing for new forms of stealth training.
Perched on a stone with a small arrangement of trays and baskets in front of him, Hametsu looked at his three genin that had been assigned to him. Chomaru Akimichi, with his single horned forehead protector and plated style of outfit befitting an Akimichi, happily ate upon the assorted chocolates and sweets the Uchiha had brought for his students.
He was a boisterous boy, that was for sure. Although, Hametsu had to admit that it was for the best. A bit of energy was necessary for the team, even though it seemed to be a bit grating for his two teammates already, one especially more so than the other.
"Mirai, Yasu, eat! We're still growing, we need to have as much as we can stomach if we're going to get big and strong!" Chomaru quickly turned to the two girls behind him, gesturing to the sweets before holding out a handful to either of them. "Hametsu-sensei was kind enough to bring these for us!"
Mirai's warm grey eyes raised for a moment as she stepped closer. Almost as if destined, a single chocolate chip cookie lay on the top of a varied assortment of pastries. Containing her spark of excitement for it, she quietly grabbed it and took a bite.
It was one of the most delicious cookies she had ever had. Even the memories of the ones her mother had made paled in comparison to it.
"Thank you, Hametsu-sensei. Did you make this yourself? They're quite good, it's just the right amount of chocolate and chewiness." Mirai asked, hoping secretly that it was from a store so she could consistently have a supply of them.
The crimson-clad Uchiha nodded, crossing his arms over the flak jacket he wore. "I did, it's an old family recipe. I can make sure to bring more in the future."
A minute smile flashed on Mirai's face as she settled back into her position. She had inspected the other trays and baskets but couldn't see any of the other cookies in the assortment. Then again, she didn't feel like getting between Chomaru and the food. Hopefully there would be more by the time he was satisfied.
"You both would get poisoned easily." Yasu suddenly spoke up, breaking her silence from the back of the group where she perched upon a rock parallel to Hametsu. An unlit cigarette hung in her lips, her crimson eyes looking over the rest of her assigned team.
Mirai's face scrunched up ever so slightly in disgust. Yasu Chinoike. What a pain she was. She had arrived from Ketsugakure only a few years ago and immediately left a sour taste in her mouth. She didn't expect to be assigned to the same team with her, yet here they were. The taller girl seemed entirely vacant from the present even as she spoke to them.
That frayed oversized sanguine jacket did little to cover the wave-like carmine tattoos that flowed from the right side of her neck, disappearing into her excessively dark attire. Her arms were bandaged, she already dressed in mesh-reinforced clothing when she arrived at Konoha…She had seemed to practically already be a shinobi the moment she stepped into their classroom.
It was funny to Mirai, though. For as much as she openly talked down on the Uchiha clan…she dressed in a strikingly similar manner to many of the clan members.
Chomaru groaned as he looked at Yasu. "Huh?! Why would Hametsu-sensei ever want to do something like that?! He wants us to be nice and healthy, wants us to grow properly!"
"I feel like you've done enough growing for a lifetime." Yasu immediately shot back, her voice lacking any venom or tone. It was just as Mirai had observed, it was as if the girl had split her conscience to reply without even caring about or being part of the situation.
"There's no need for that, Yasu." Mirai responded quickly, the two locking eyes for a moment. Even as she looked into Yasu's unnerving red eyes, she just got a feeling of indifference. Of drifting through the day.
Chomaru suddenly patted Mirai's shoulder, laughing to himself as he grabbed at his bulky sides. "Don't worry about it! I think there's more space for people to love like this! Besides, it'll also help me to protect you both better!"
Scoffing lightly to herself, Yasu looked back to Hametsu. Of course she'd be assigned to the Uchiha. Even if she hadn't been told his name when the assignments were given, she'd still have known what he was. The high collar of the shirt underneath his flak jacket, the spiking mane of black hair reaching his waist, the abyssal eyes. He was the poster child for the Uchiha, even bearing that silly clan symbol upon the arms of his shirt.
She honestly wondered if the reason he had his right arm so tightly bandaged was due to a tattoo of the symbol, considering how self-possessed that clan was.
Mirai suddenly began to snap her fingers at Yasu with a particularly stern expression. Yasu's eyes glanced down at her, an ever so-slight raise of her eyebrow. Ah, there it is. The class president act. Of course she thought that she'd hold the same sway here.
"Yasu, we need to be present and focused. Hametsu-sensei probably has a few words for us, given he is our new teacher." Mirai instructed before gesturing to the man, catching him slightly off-guard. She couldn't deny the anticipation she had for the man, considering the info card that continued to flash within her mind.
'So, she's going to attempt to take the reins?' Hametsu stifled an amused chuckle, lightly waving his hands. "Thank you, Mirai, you all feel free to continue eating if you'd like. I'd just like to start us out with an icebreaker. It seems you all know each other well enough, but I'd just like to know what is most important to each of you. Chomaru, would you like to start?"
Chomaru let out a muffled "Hm?!" as he had just finished packing his mouth full. Harshly swallowing the sweets, he began to scratch at his cheek in thought. "Most important to me? I'd say it's keeping my friends and family safe! I want to be the one to protect them, so I have to make sure I'm big enough to do so!"
"I'd say you're already on the way there." Yasu gave a sharp exhale, the lightest snicker coming from her chest.
Running a hand through his spiking mohawk of red hair, the Akimichi let out a deep breath. "Say what you want, but you'll see how useful it is!"
"At least he is talking about wanting to help his friends instead of sitting and insulting." Mirai chided back at Yasu. "However, I think if you eat without any form of discipline, you do risk your health, regardless of your clan techniques. Perhaps we can find a better diet for you that has some structure to it?"
Chomaru shrugged as he slowly sat on the ground. "As long as I get some good food and can share it with others, I'll be happy!"
Hametsu smiled warmly, giving a thumbs up with his right hand. "That's the spirit, Chomaru. Perhaps after we finish today, I'll take you all to a nice restaurant. How's that sound?"
Chomaru nodded vigorously, immediately beginning to think of what restaurant he'd want to eat at the most.
Raising her hand, Mirai quickly stood straight at attention. "Hametsu-sensei, I'd say what is most important to me is loyalty and discipline. Staying loyal to your ideals and those close to you is a telling sign of a true shinobi."
Not bothering to hide it, Yasu audibly let out a burst of laughter. "Oh, please. Only thing loyalty gets you is a grave next to the people you chain yourself down to."
"Excuse me?" Mirai slowly turned, a suppressed anger seeping through the seams. "Loyalty is the foundation of this village, of being a shinobi."
"And what good does it do when you are so loyal to someone that you never see their betrayal coming? Or when you are so loyal to a village that would make you kill yourself just for failing a mission?" Yasu fired back, reaching into her pocket for her lighter. Sparking it a few times, the spout of flames suddenly came to life as she lit her cigarette.
Taking a drag of it, she blew the smoke directly into Mirai's face. "Don't get me wrong, having allies that don't drag you down is useful in a mission, but getting yourself killed to try and avenge them if they can't carry their weight is pointless. Why die along with them when you could live another day and be strong enough to prevent that sort of stuff from happening?"
"I don't know what kind of backwards logic they teach in Ketsugakure, but it's a terrible way to look at things. Having loyalty is what makes us strong, those bonds are what allow a shinobi to grow!" Mirai felt herself grow increasingly frustrated with the vacant expression of the steadily smoking girl. It made her seem as if she couldn't care less about the fact that she was spitting in everything Mirai stood for.
'What a crew I've been assigned to…' Hametsu maintained a slight smile as he allowed the two to settle things their own way for the moment. He'd intervene if needed, but considering the files on the pair, it would likely be better to allow things to take course naturally for the moment.
It was better to have it happen now rather than in the middle of a battlefield.
"I'll have you know that Ketsugakure is actually pretty stiff about loyalty. It was one of the things I hated about it the most." Yasu blew another cloud. "That's my thing, Hametsu-sensei, what's important to me. It's important that I never have any chains."
Hametsu's eyebrows raised with slightly pursed lips, nodding slowly. "Interesting choices from you all."
"Hametsu-sensei, surely you see how wrong such a thing is to say!" Mirai immediately snapped. "You are a jounin of Konohagakure, you should be holding yourself to a higher standard and educating her on the importance of loyalty!"
Hametsu continued to maintain his smile. Crossing his arms over his chest, he let out a sigh. "Perhaps. Although, I think you all have lessons to learn from each other. Mirai, Yasu is correct on the notion of blind loyalty. If you simply ally yourself to people and causes purely on a common cause, then you can be blindsided."
The inky-haired Chinoike let out a satisfied, "Hmph." at her teacher's agreement.
"Don't be too sure of yourself, Yasu. Mirai is also correct. If you don't have any loyalties, or chains as you wish to call them, then no one will know what you stand for and will be reluctant to aid you as allies. The shinobi world is cutthroat as is, but having allies makes it easier." Hametsu pointed at the crimson-eyed girl. He had been warned about her plenty, but he could see where she was coming from. Given her circumstances, it was natural for her to be like that. Perhaps a team would be the thing to change her mind. And time, of course.
Chomaru didn't seem to have as much of a dog in the race the two were currently running, but it was clear that all three had quite a few ideals and mistaken notions to work through. They were just becoming genin though, even if the two girls may have thought themselves above such a rank.
"C'mon, you two, we're a team now! Mirai, I'm sure Yasu doesn't really mean all that hating loyalty stuff, she's just a little bitter like Biteki!" Chomaru walked between the two, quickly patting Mirai on the back. Looking up at Yasu, he flashed a wide smile. "You'll see! We're gonna show you how great these so-called chains are!"
Yasu's lip curled into a sneer for the briefest moment as she looked down. Holding in the latest drag of her cigarette, she let it out with a slow breath in the direction of her two teammates. "Don't be so sure of that."
"At least be open to it! Also, you shouldn't be smoking, we're too young for that sort of stuff!" Chomaru reached up to snuff out the cigarette when suddenly the porcelain-skinned girl grabbed his hand before Mirai could gesture for him to stop.
Yasu's crimson eyes had quickly turned a new shade of red, her sclera becoming a carmine pool that held even darker irises and rectangular pupils. The expressions of Mirai and Hametsu became stern. Mirai knew that was the Ketsuryuugan, but Hametsu could see the build-up of chakra within her eyes as his void-like eyes shifted into the pinwheel design of the Sharingan. It was a sinister pool of chakra, but it was clearly gathering in her sanguine eyes. "Get your hand away from me, fatso."
Mirai quickly reached into the pouch on the right side of her hip, grabbing hold of a smoke bomb to break eye contact before their forms were suddenly eclipsed by Hametsu, the exchange happening in only the briefest of moments.
Grabbing hold of Yasu's hand and removing it from gripping Chomaru's, their teacher locked eyes with Yasu as he quietly snuffed out her cigarette. His Sharingan slowly deactivated just as her Ketsuryuugan did the same. "That's enough, Yasu. You are a team, whether you like it or not."
Chomaru took a deep breath, shaking his head at what had happened. She had easily beaten him to the draw, he couldn't even form the seal to use his Multi-Size Technique to get her to let go. He remembered her being sour in class, but he didn't think it'd be this bad in a team.
The air became suspended in silence. Mirai couldn't help but admire the sudden sternness from her new teacher, even if it was almost a moment too late. Then again, she was sure he knew exactly when to intervene. Her mind began to creep back to the info card on their teacher, the absurdity of the information still lingering.
Even in that brief moment, she could feel the intensity of his chakra. Just who, or what, was Hametsu Uchiha?
"Now, I would like to breach the subject of your genin exam." Hametsu cast a stern glance to Yasu, who still held the snuffed-out cigarette in her lips. "As a team."
"A genin exam? Isn't that a bit archaic in modern times?" Mirai's brow furrowed. "Most teams I have been told about by my father didn't hold them anymore."
Hametsu hummed in thought. Hiroshi Watanabe. A proud jounin, and unsurprisingly strict to rules and discipline like his daughter. He was a good choice for looking up to and emulating, in Hametsu's opinion. It was a shame about their family situation, but he could hope that one day they would become whole again.
Finally nodding, Hametsu ruffled Mirai and Chomaru's hair. His jovial air seemed to return for the moment. "Call me old-fashioned then. I think a good genin exam helps me to better assess your skills and traits, as well as allow you all to do the same to each other. I'll give you all the explanation, and then we'll get started. If all of you perform adequately, then you'll officially be members of Team 17. If all of you don't," Hametsu's expression grew grim, an ominous aura clouding the area. His emphasis on teamwork wasn't lost on Yasu, who rolled her eyes before leaning back to rest on her palms. "Then you'll be sent back to the academy."
Yasu scoffed as Chomaru looked with a minor bewilderment upon his face. He thought he was in the clear! He had done the whole graduation exam and everything! Mirai had a similar expression of disbelief. What if one of those two ruined her chances at becoming a genin? What if she didn't perform well enough and was the reason for being sent back? How could she go back to her father and tell him that she was sent back to the academy after he'd been so proud of her?
"As for what the exam will be. There will be a number of clones of mine set up through a maze that you will have to find and apprehend or escape with the ultimate goal of finding the real me. A simple enough exam, but I advise you to work as a team and use your heads. You may be unable to defeat a clone of mine, in which case I advise you to use your best judgement." Hametsu continued to explain. As the team of genin seemed to process the emotions and information provided, Hametsu formed a Snake seal.
Earth Release: Quartz Labyrinth!
The ground seemed to shake as a dark grey smoky quartz rose in a massive labyrinthian creation. Reaching into his back pocket, the towering Uchiha tossed down a smoke bomb. Mirai could have sworn she heard the sound of creaking in the midst of the steadily clearing smoke, and upon dispersing, looked upon five Hametsus total.
Immediately, she began to take into account the features of all five. There were subtle differences, and she hadn't picked up every detail of the original Hametsu, but she could sense certain things that were changed. For instance, the most strikingly obvious one didn't have a bandaged right arm.
"I wish you all luck. Remember, work as a team. Your strengths are better brought out by those around you just as your flaws lessen." All five Hametsu spoke briskly before disappearing in a blur into the maze of dark quartz.
In his absence, the three genin looked around at each other as Yasu pulled out her lighter and relit her cigarette. "Alright, let's get this over with then."
Sitting below the towering man, the members of Team 15 found themselves surrounded by a miasma of floral scents as what seemed to be butterflies fluttered about in the forested region of the eighth training ground. Setsu Aburame had created a variety of stone pedestals where plates of mochi rested. "Dig in, you three."
Hirotoru was the first to move, the spiky-haired Uzumaki grabbing up the first green apple flavoured mochi he could. However, as he was greedily imbibing the sweet, yet subtly sour, treat, the fluttering of a metallic blue butterfly onto his nose caused him to sneeze harshly. Looking up at his imposing teacher, the olive-skinned boy couldn't help but look in shock at the swarm of insects practically encasing him. "Setsu-sensei, why are all the bugs around you?!"
"They are his insects, Hirotoru-kun." Kyoui spoke up before their teacher. The brunet boy had studied their technique extensively, finding it fascinating yet unsettling. "Those in the Aburame clan host insects within their body. If I had to take a guess, there are more insects within that gourd of his." He gestured a bandaged hand to the ornate wooden gourd laying beside the tree.
As she carefully pecked about the mochi, Momo Shimizu commented as well. "Most utilize the kikaichuu, which just look like regular beetles. I think these are much more beautiful than the usual Aburame bugs." She appreciated the various moth-like and butterfly resembling insects finding refuge in the ringlets of her amber-brown hair, even amongst the metal spikes braiding the end of her ponytail. Taking a bite out of the chocolate mochi, her purple eyes immediately went wide with recognition. "Setsu-sensei, where did you get these from?!"
Setsu's thick brown eyebrows raised slightly behind his diamond sunglasses, gently resting his weight on his arms from his sitting position on an above tree branch. "Oh, it's just a small family-run store. Kosshi Desserts and Florals."
Immediately, a wave of varying emotions set over the three genin. Hirotoru's face turned sour, Kyoui seemed to settle into contemplation, while a radiant smile appeared on Momo's appearance. "Ah! I knew this was Biteki-kun's! I could pick out his mochi from anywhere."
"It's bad enough that we had to deal with him in class, but now we're still getting plagued even by his treats?" Contemplating spitting out the sweet treat, Hirotoru hesitantly kept it down. After harshly swallowing it, he looked over to Kyoui. "I can't stand that brute. I don't imagine you can either, seeing how bad he beat you!"
As the crimson-eyed boy gently poked at Kyoui's crooked nose, the taller boy carefully pushed his hand away. "Biteki-kun didn't challenge me to a fight like everyone else, we were paired together for a taijutsu sparring match. Could he have held back?" The memories of his broken nose flashed in his mind, remembering the fountain of blood that ran down his face. However, he maintained a smile upon his tanned face. "Perhaps. But he helped me see how the world was, which pushed me to do better than before."
"Biteki-kun can get riled up really easily, but that's also when things get the most beautiful." Momo considered the crystals and prismatic powders that would fill the atmosphere of any match he performed, their beauty reminding her of any of the jewelry she enjoyed perusing and making. "He just gets a little lost in the heat of battle at times and doesn't hold back when he does."
Hirotoru grimaced as he looked between his two classmates before looking back at their new teacher. "Setsu-sensei, you went to his store. He's about "this" tall, walks around with his head held high, acts like he could balance the universe on his-" As soon as the boy gestured towards his crotch, the man held up his gloved left hand.
"I have met him before, and seen many of his matches, Hirotoru." Setsu held his laughter in his chest. He had his own opinions on the boy, and could see the variety between even his own classmates. "Kosshi Biteki is a boy with a lot of ambition and power, how he goes about those two things though could be seen as controversial."
Bobbing his head from side to side in annoyance, Hirotoru couldn't help but wish he had Toyokuni there to back him up. Any time one of their pranks interrupted something Biteki was doing, or targeted him, it never ended well. Over time, they had learned to keep a wide berth from him. "His dad does make some tasty stuff though."
"And the store always smells nice because of Mato-san's flowers. I frequently collect books from Biteki-kun's parents at the store; they have an arrangement with my family's library." Kyoui chimed in, remembering the few times he had gone into the Kosshi store. He had often gone when he couldn't sense Biteki's chakra, but even when he did run into him by accident, the two maintained an agreeable tone. After all, he wasn't the boy's demographic for targeting and putting in their place.
Momo had meticulously picked through the collection of mochi, grabbing the chocolate mochi along with a few other flavours that she hadn't yet tried before going back to her small stone seat that Setsu had created. Looking around, she found that it was a fairly interesting team. Setsu's intense floral aroma may have been overpowering to the others, but it reminded her of her own family's perfume that they made. Plus, the bugs that had been surrounding him were all particularly beautiful, with only a few boasting more drab appearances. She just hoped that he didn't have any spider-like bugs crawling out of him any time soon.
That would be a line she couldn't become comfortable with.
Hirotoru was a bit tedious already, but she was sure she could whip him into shape. He didn't have his usual partner in crime to back him up, so he may be more willing to behave himself. Still, the Uzushiogakure transfer could be valuable, if he just applied himself and stopped poking fun at others.
Kyoui, on the other hand, had shown himself especially in class to easily be smarter than her. There was once a time when he didn't apply himself, but once Biteki had beaten him, it was as if a fire had been lit under him. Perhaps it was just another way of Biteki making the world a more beautiful place around him that others took for granted.
"Alright, let's get started. As a bit of an icebreaker, I'm going to have each of you three tell me someone you all look up to. Afterwards, we're going to play a game as a means of assessing you all. Hirotoru, you enjoy talking, you go first." Setsu pointed towards the boy carrying a large scroll upon his back. Had that been passive-aggressive? He hadn't meant it to. But going back on it now would look worse.
Hirotoru raised an eyebrow at the statement before deciding to not acknowledge it. "Well, my name is Uzumaki Hirotoru. I come from Uzushiogakure, and I admire my father, Uzumaki Aratama! He is an advisor to the head of the village, Uzumaki Shinju."
"Your father is that high up? I'm surprised they wouldn't have you study and train in the village then." Kyoui chimed in, making a mental note. "Although, considering our political alliances and long history, I'm not surprised by the trust."
Nodding emphatically, Hirotoru held up a finger dramatically. "It's not just about that though! I wanted to come here instead, so I can sow my name across the Land of Fire! Plus, I got to meet Toyokuni, so I'm even happier that I came here."
"You and Toyokuni practically became friends the first day you got here." Momo bore a half-smile, but she remembered the particularly water-centric prank they performed that drenched half of the class, including herself. "I guess your similar minds made friends with each other easily."
"Hey, what can I say?" Holding up his hands defensively, Hirotoru strutted back into his seat before sitting down with a satisfied huff. "When you find someone who gets it, you don't let 'em become your rival in pranking. That's a dangerous game." Pausing for a moment, he looked to his right at the Shimizu girl, eyes wide. "What about you, Momo? What's your inspiration?"
"My grandmother! She is the head of the Shimizu clan, and was almost considered for the Third Hokage position! She's extremely powerful, but even beyond that, she knows her stuff better than anyone I know." Momo beamed as she began to talk about her family, after all, she loved her family. Every member was an integral part of her life and made her days better.
Well…almost every member.
Setsu couldn't lie, it had been interesting when he had seen the girl's name assigned to him. The Shimizu clan was an old clan within the village, boasting the only kekkei touta native to the Land of Fire. The Catalyst Release was an interesting technique, and a powerful one if trained correctly. However, when improperly trained, it could prove disastrous. Perhaps that was why she was placed under his watch, to allow him to control any mishaps with the technique through his insects.
Kyoui looked to his left at the girl sitting in the middle of the team. "Momo-chan, that would put you in line to be the heir of the Shimizu Clan, wouldn't it? From what I've read, your clan is matriarchal like the Inari clan, although I may be wrong." He wasn't though, and he knew it.
'How cute, he's studied up on us.' Momo smiled as she looked at the boy. "Exactly, Kyoui, my mother is next in line to be the head of the clan though."
Idle chatter began to break out between Hirotoru and Momo, with Kyoui only intermittently jumping in with a question or tidbit of information, when suddenly Setsu clapped his hands together to draw their attention. "Kyoui, you forgot to say who you look up to."
"Oh, right." Kyoui mumbled, hoping to dodge the question. He didn't have any important family like the other two did, he was a civilian. His parents ran a library, not a clan or a village. But…there was someone who he looked up to in a way… "I look up to Kosshi Biteki."
"Huh?!" Hirotoru practically spit out the mochi he had freshly put in his mouth. "If that's a joke, then I need you on pranks with Toyokuni and I!"
"It's no joke, Hirotoru-kun. Biteki-kun opened my eyes to the way of the world. Those without a clan are always going to be seen as lesser than those without, and I accepted my place in the world. I will always be less valuable than those from a clan…but I can make myself valuable all the same by training as hard as I possibly can. Learning everything I possibly can. One day, maybe I can make a difference like he can." Kyoui explained, mind racing with the thoughts of countless clan secrets that he had studied up on. The several clans of the village that possessed techniques that could technically be learned by everyone, "Hiden" techniques.
He didn't possess a triad of powerful bloodlines to outright challenge the status quo that Biteki enlightened him to, but maybe…he could subvert them.
The sound of Hirotoru groaning as he smacked his face with his own hand brought Kyoui from his thoughts. "You can not be serious, Kyoui! That stuff is just nonsense, I mean, what can that guy talk about being born less fortunate when he was born with three different bloodlines! Being born into a clan isn't some cheat code, I don't have anything easier than you do!"
"Well, you do have a higher wealth and are born with better teachers, techniques, and affinities for certain material. Biteki-kun and Kyoui do have a point there." Momo interjected. It was a notion that she sometimes grappled with, especially after Biteki's challenge against her. She didn't know what it was like living without a clan, and she didn't think she ever would, but she knew how difficult it was learning her bloodline, she could only imagine what the azure-haired boy had to do with his.
"Okay, Momo, I'm going to need you to be on my side for at least one thing here, c'mon. Not everything Biteki does is right. In fact, I'd say that most things he does aren't!" Hirotoru laughed as the words came out, just picturing the absurd things the boy had reacted to or done during their time as classmates. The embodiment of hubris is what he was.
Once again, Setsu clapped his hands above them as a powder seemed to flutter about in the area as his insects flew overhead, the three genin immediately feeling a sense of calm rush over them. "Now, now, let's save those conversations for a later date. We still have our game to look forward to!"
Nodding his head, Kyoui looked up to the Aburame. "What kind of game are we going to be playing, Setsu-sensei? Will it be for fun or for strategy?"
"Please, let it be fun. I just want to take my mind away from that bony menace." Hirotoru muttered from his chair, looking to the side.
"We will be playing a game of…hide and seek!" Setsu clapped his hands together, suddenly jumping down from the branch towards the genin. Upon landing, a cloud of powder filled the area, smelling of fragrant nectar. As it cleared, Setsu had noticeably perked up from his more stoic demeanor upon his perched location. "You three are going to hide to the best of your abilities, and I am going to find you. You are allowed to use whatever means are available to you, just hide to the best of your ability. We will go for three rounds, try your best to remain hidden for as long as possible!"
Hirotoru suddenly became excited, gripping the arm rests of the stone chair he was in as he leaned towards the Aburame. "That sounds so cool, Setsu-sensei! Do we get a reward if we stay hidden the longest?!"
"You do!" Setsu held up a thumb from his gloved and bandaged left hand. "The one who stays hidden the longest gets to stay on the team while the other two get sent back to the academy! Good luck!"
"Wait, Setsu-sensei, do you really mean-" Kyoui began, before a swarm of beetle-like bugs erupted from Setsu, beginning to enclose around him in a sphere.
"I will begin counting for thirty seconds in ten, nine, eight…" As the man began counting down, the three genin looked at each other in a moment of confusion before ultimately jumping up from their seats and scattering to the wind.
'I can't believe it. I actually got teamed up with Zasshu-kun…' Jara Kurama thought to herself as she looked ahead of her at the two boys walking behind their new teacher. Zasshu looked as radiant as usual and his warm smile had seemed to ease all of the worries she had at the start of the day. He had patted her on the shoulder when she arrived in the classroom and told her that today was going to be the start of their lives as shinobi.
He believed in her. He believed in everyone in their class. Sure, there were people like Gen Den who would give uplifting comments, but she had to wonder if he was just doing it to flirt, along with a few others in their class, including the Senju twins. But there was something about Zasshu specifically that just let her know that everything was going to be alright.
Now he was excitedly bounding around the trio, hands animating as he excitedly talked with Zennou. He was wearing a sleeveless white vest over his short-sleeved mesh shirt and purple pants that reached slightly past his shin, mesh leggings peeking out from underneath, which was such a change from his usual style of casual wear that she couldn't help but take a mental snapshot.
"We can't forget Jara! It's so awesome that we have her on the team as well!" Zasshu quickly bounded back, looping his right arm around her shoulder as he walked her up to the rest of the team. Placing his left arm around Zennou's shoulder, he quickly used his head to nod towards Jara. "She's gonna give us so many fun facts that we never expect, she's a lot like you with that, Zennou! She just says it in a way most people understand."
Zennou smiled to himself as he walked ahead. The girl bearing the Kurama clan symbol upon the chest of her high-collared black jacket had an interesting chakra, one that had some similarities to Midori, although possibly that just came with the territory of heavy genjutsu users. Though, how the apricot-coloured chakra flowed through her body was…unusual. "Kindred minds are often an expression of convergent evolution. It will be interesting to share in the obscurities of the world."
"Thank you both. Zasshu-kun, did you know that…" Jara sheepishly looked to the side for a moment as she searched her thoughts. He believed in her, and even remembered her knowledge of unconventional facts! She couldn't let him down. "Spiders often will anchor themselves to unstable surfaces by holding on with their fangs?"
The energetic boy settled for a moment, his wide green eyes staring into the orange of hers. Finally, a bout of laughter erupted from him. "I didn't know that! That's so cool though! Zennou, can that one spider you summon do that?!"
"I think Wanabi would cause more damage than she intended if she did." Zennou held his chin in his hand for a moment. "Although, if I were to summon her in a smaller state, perhaps she could."
Jara looked at the taller boy with a quirked brow. She had been particularly excited to be paired with Zasshu, but she couldn't deny that it was bound to be interesting being teamed up with the boy with those special eyes everyone talked about. She didn't fully know what all the fuss was about them, other than mentions of "The Sage" when it came to those eyes.
She didn't think it was something that had been covered in class though, and even if it had been, it must've been something that she missed. All she knew was that he was undoubtedly powerful, given Biteki's insistence on having a sparring match with him and the glimpses she had seen of the boy performing whatever Choji had required the class to at certain times.
"You can perform the Summoning Technique, Zennou?" Jara asked, lightly tapping him on the shoulder. "It must have been interesting to learn it. You have to make a contract for that, correct?"
Zennou turned to look at her as he continued to walk. "Not necessarily. Though most would, I possess the ability to perform the technique without making a contract through my Rinnegan. The creatures I summon are created from my own chakra at a previous time, though I can alter their size when I summon them."
"That's…really cool. Do you normally prefer to make weird creatures like spiders? Do they have to be regular animals, or can you create something random?" Jara followed up. She had a certain pension for learning about the unique and exotic animals of the world, so it would be interesting to see creatures brought to life by the imagination and chakra of someone like him.
Summoning as an ability of those eyes was an interesting thing to her though. She understood the concepts behind Byakugan being able to see better than just about anything else, the Sharingan being able to perceive things really well, but the Rinnegan wasn't something that she ever remembered being covered or talked about. It just didn't seem like there would be so much talk over an eye that simply let you perform the Summoning Technique easier.
It's not like she could talk though. The day she could perform the Summoning Technique was likely never going to come. It'd take a miracle, after all.
"You'll love all the beasts he can summon; they are really out there!" Zasshu exclaimed, removing his arms from both of their shoulders as he bounced around to the front of their new instructor's path. "Shinwa-sensei, can you do anything like that? Where do you come from, by the way, you've got really cool scales and stuff!"
Shinwa's serpentine eyes slightly closed as he smiled wide. "I'm from Otogakure, Zasshu. And yes, I can perform the Summoning Technique. I primarily use snakes and toads though; I can't summon a myriad like Zennou can. That is an ability exclusive to the Rinnegan."
Zennou's brow raised in surprise. He had never seen the man before, yet he seemed informed on at least one of the abilities of his eyes. Shinwa also had quite the unique chakra to him, with natural energy seemingly funneling into the lavender concoction that was his chakra.
He also wore geta much like himself, something Zennou appreciated. Now his clacking had a matching resonance.
"See, Zennou, you get more and more special every time I learn something about those eyes of yours!" Zasshu cheered, pumping his fist into the air. Suddenly his green eyes began to inspect his two teammates closely, glancing between them sternly. "Hold on, am I the only one of us not wearing my forehead protector around my throat?! I can't be the sore one out!"
Speedily untying his white forehead protector, he tied it around his neck with haste, letting out a relieved sigh.
'He even made sure to match the both of us so we could all fit as a team…' Jara felt a certain warmth within her chest as she smiled. "Shinwa-sensei, where are we headed?"
"Deeper into the fortieth training ground, we're going to just do a bit of a get-to-know-you with each other. This way we can start Team 14 off right, and we can begin to understand each other and our capabilities better." Shinwa's honeyed voice was immediately calming to the three genin as they ventured through the intimidating forest. Trees with branches thicker than their bodies blocked out the sun above them.
He was quite interested in the team he had been assigned. Zasshu Hibana, the immigrant from Kumogakure that had stolen the heart of his class. Jara Kurama, who may not have performed the greatest in her classes but for a reason that he had been all too informed about.
And of course, Zennou Senju. The boy with the Rinnegan. He knew immediately that he would have an interesting mentorship ahead of him once he saw that boy in his files.
"I can't wait until we get our first real mission, one where we get to fight bad guys!" Zasshu bounded around the group as he mimicked fighting against enemy shinobi. "I'm not even worried about losing though, we've got Zennou on our side, so I know he'll take them out without any issues!"
Zennou waved his hand dismissively, a shake of his head as he looked at the boy. "Even the smallest snake can end those who don't heed its warning, Zasshu, we must all be prepared for any form of danger."
"You're just being humble! You think Biteki would be so caught up over you if you weren't so powerful?" Zasshu slammed both hands down on Zennou's shoulders before jumping over him. "And we've got Jara too! I've seen her really rough up the training dummies at the academy with that staff of hers!"
The orange-haired girl immediately felt a blush fall over her face. Had he really seen that? She normally practiced when she thought that most wouldn't see, mainly because some people would make fun of her otherwise. She already dealt with that enough for her interests.
"What about you, Zasshu? You can't leave yourself out, after all." Shinwa chimed in, purple curls swaying as he tilted his head.
"Me? I'm practically the fastest in our class, I don't think even Biteki can beat me there! And I can use lightning chakra like no tomorrow!" The mahogany-skinned boy couldn't but gush about his skills, beginning to ramble nonsensically about different things he knew how to do.
The serpentine man couldn't deny that it was a unique feeling to him. To have an actual team under his belt, it was new to him. He had never experienced the feeling of being a genin in a proper team. But he had prepared quite extensively to lead three of his own, and was glad to seemingly have a team that got along quite well.
He didn't want to think about if he had a particularly abrasive genin to teach and dissuade from fighting, like that Kosshi child.
Though, it did worry him how much Zasshu entrusted his faith in Zennou.
"I'd say this is good, we'll stop here." Shinwa suddenly spoke. A single break in the canopy let a ray of light flood into the small opening they stood in, still surrounded by towering trees that seemed to go on endlessly. "Here is where we will just talk for a bit, and then we're going to conduct a small examination so I can get a hint of your current abilities. Nothing too scary!" Shinwa chuckled, eyes closed by his wide smile. Forming a Snake seal, small protrusions rose up from the ground in the shape of chairs for the three genin.
As the three took a seat, Shinwa clapped his hands together before Mugen slowly snaked out from his kimono, the porcelain-scaled snake reaching from behind him to rest her head on his shoulder.
"S-sensei! You've got a snake on your shoulder!" Zasshu quickly pointed out, gesturing wildly as he seemed to retreat into his chair.
Zennou's gaze narrowed as he inspected Shinwa's chakra. "And it appears to be connected to you somehow."
"Correct, Zennou. This is Mugen, and she is connected to me. I hope you all treat her as kindly as you would me." Shinwa nodded, looking between the three as Mugen began to memorize their scent with the flicking of her tongue.
Jara's hand raised slowly, her eyes inspecting every bit of the conjoined snake. "Was she once separate from you and then fused to you? Or were you two born together?"
"I wasn't born with her, but she is both of me and once separate from me. It's a strange history, but she could not be without me." Shinwa began to explain, lightly rubbing the strong muscles of Mugen's head. "Now, with that introduction out of the way, let's discuss you three. My parent taught me the importance of individuality, so how about you each tell me something you feel is unique about yourself that doesn't have anything to do with being a shinobi or your abilities? Starting with Jara." The man flashed a fanged smile as he gestured to the sheepish girl.
Jara's eyes grew wide, her face becoming flush once again as she noticed all eyes settling upon her. "Me? Well…" She began to think closely, not wanting to bring up her knowledge on unorthodox animals considering Zasshu had already explained it to everyone. And she definitely wasn't going to tell them about her seal. She feared how they would react, but more importantly, if Zasshu would still be as encouraging. Of course he would though. He was sweet like that, and undoubtedly bold. A perfect blend.
That was it! "I like to find unique blends of tastes and smells. I enjoy trying unique flavor combos with foods and making blends of essential oils for different feelings." Jara explained. "But…I know that having a strong scent isn't good for a shinobi, so I make sure to wash off any oils before I go to class."
"Woah, you're like a mixing master then! You figure out the proper ratios and amounts for things? That's too cool, Jara!" Zasshu excitedly clapped. "You've got to show me your favorite combos sometime. Can I go next, Shinwa-sensei?" Looking between the standing man and Mugen, Zasshu seemed to physically be in pain over having to sit down. It was the same as in class. His legs bounced endlessly, he drummed his fingers against the makeshift stone chair, and he seemed to shimmy in place as his eyes darted around the forest.
Sighing to himself, the ophidian jounin immediately recognized what the file had discussed about his hyper tendencies. It wasn't necessarily bad to have energy, but when unhoned and unable to be contained, it could hinder his ability to learn. "That was interesting, Jara, I think you'd enjoy a trip to Otogakure one day. Given that it is a village that celebrates individuality, it often has even more cultures and forms of cuisine than even Konohagakure." Waving to Zasshu, he gave a nod. "Yes, now you may go, Zasshu."
Jumping up in his chair, Zasshu raised his fist to the sky. "I may not remember it much, but I have been through four separate countries! I have been in the Land of Lightning, Frost, Hot Water, and Fire!" Putting up a finger for each country, he beamed as he held the hand in front of his face. "The Land of Hot Water was really humid from what I remember, and we even got to stop into a hot spring before we continued heading to Konohagakure when I was seven."
"Hot springs are a staple for revitalization of the mind and body. Have you ever visited the springs here?" Zennou asked, looking over to his friend. He couldn't help but admire how excitable he was, finding enjoyment simply by being in the presence of his own merriment. Then again, the boy had a very warm chakra that many had within the village, but his was particularly radiant.
Placing a hand on Zennou's shoulder, Zasshu gave a slow, exaggerated shake of his head. "Zennou, buddy, you have no idea how amazing these hot springs were. I hope we get to visit them again someday, and I don't care how, I'm getting you there with me. Maybe we can get the class together and head there."
"An entire class trip for some hot springs would be dangerous, and expensive, but I can't deny that they do easily have the best ones in any nearby country that I've gone to." Shinwa had to agree. Living in Otogakure, he had often made trips over to the neighboring country to visit them when he finished particularly stressful jobs. "If we ever have a mission that takes us close to the border, I'll see if we have time to make a stop."
That just left Zennou. Jara couldn't help but be curious about what the boy that was talked so highly of by Zasshu would offer as his little fact. He seemed to be a kindred soul, but at the same time, there was something so off putting about him. She looked forward to what it might be, although she already had come to believe that she had been placed in a pretty great team.
Shinwa seemed powerful and to be a particularly interesting shinobi, although she couldn't help but feel like she had heard his name at some point when her clan was commissioning the creation of her seal. His situation with Mugen was also particularly interesting, but she couldn't wait to ask him about snakes to add to her knowledge of them.
Then of course, she was in a team with Zasshu, which was more than enough for her to be happy. Even if she had been placed in a team with someone like Biteki or Yasu and had a teacher that just followed the most conformative path of being a jounin, she'd be okay with Zasshu beside her.
So no matter how uncanny it felt to be around Zennou sometimes, the fact that he seemed to have a sense of similarity to her and his calm disposition was enough to cement her belief in their team.
"I suppose I'm last." Zennou stated, a vacant expression upon his olive-toned face as he looked around. He knew this training ground, just as he knew almost every inch of the village at that point. It was just outside of the site, barely outside of the walls of the village, that he had found Midori seven years ago.
He often searched for new pieces of the village to draw in his sketchbook between rounds of meditation. Was that something he could tell them about? Perhaps. Although, more often than drawing, there was one thing he frequented more while out in the several spots of secluded nature within the village.
"I enjoy studying historical tomes and texts from public libraries and my family's personal library." Reaching into the inner pocket of his cropped jacket, he pulled out the scroll that he had sealed his book from this morning into. "Currently, I am reading about the teachings of Ninshuu and its usage to connect to the world around us. It is one of the oldest books in my family's collection."
"Ninshuu? That's a philosophy that many have forgotten about, but one that you all could do well to learn." Shinwa's brow raised, a hint of genuine surprise in his voice. That's not something that one would often just learn about on a whim, a subject such as that was deliberately sought out. Then again, Zennou's file had talked extensively on his peculiar social skills and manner of behaving. "With all of that being said, let's move on to the topic of your examination! All three of you, stand up and huddle close."
Clapping his hands, Shinwa quickly gestured for the three to rise from their seats, the stones merging back with the earth as soon as they stood to their feet. Zasshu excitedly slapped the backs of his teammates, visibly becoming even more energized with anticipation. What could it possibly be? Maybe it was a chance to show off their skills like in the graduation exam?
Then again, he said he was going to be getting a hint at their abilities, so maybe he was gonna have them spar with each other? Or even better, maybe spar with him! Zasshu couldn't help but practically vibrate in anticipation.
"For your examination…" Shinwa leaned in close to the three as they grouped up. Zennou's eyes narrowed as he suddenly saw a buildup of chakra, but before he could respond, the golden-eyed man performed a blur of seals before spinning around to slam his hands on the ground with Mugen whipping behind him towards the Senju boy.
As soon as the snake made contact with Zennou, the purple-eyed boy clapped his hand against Zasshu's shoulder, causing a formula to begin to form on the limb before being thrown away from the group into the middle of a massive Summoning formula.
Summoning: Rashoumon Cage!
Summoning: Rinnegan!
In a nearly simultaneous fashion, both formulas disappeared as they were executed. Where Zennou had been roughly thrown against the ground, he was now contained within a cage of demonic-looking gates that surrounded him on all sides, including forming a ceiling and floor. He couldn't see a thing within the darkness. However…
"It's a dragonfly!" Zasshu excitedly said, noting the strange mantis-like arms and stinger of the large-eyed insect that had been summoned on his shoulder. It was still larger than any dragonfly he had ever seen, but it was small compared to summons like Shinkirou. "That's so cool, Zennou, I didn't know about this one!" He had barely paid much attention to the giant hellish doors that interlinked into a menacing cage containing his friend.
"Z-Zasshu-kun, shouldn't we be focused on why Shinwa-sensei just did that?" Jara tapped on Zasshu's shoulder, even if she was slightly fascinated by the chimeric insect. The entire sequence happened in less than a blink of an eye, she had nearly missed what happened until suddenly both summons had appeared.
Shinwa turned to face the two remaining genin. "A good point, Jara. You shouldn't be so focused on Zennou, Zasshu. That's actually exactly why I did that. Just because Zennou possesses a powerful ability, you should not become complacent and place all of your eggs in his basket."
"Yeah, but he is powerful!" Zasshu exclaimed, gesturing to the creature on his shoulder. "If you wanted to make that point though, you didn't have to trap him in that thing!"
"How does this apply to our examination, Shinwa-sensei?" Jara had a thought about what it would mean, but she wanted to be sure. She understood the meaning behind Shinwa's point though, even if Zasshu didn't. It made sense. She had practically never seen the high-strung boy away from the ring-eyed Senju, the two often being close by during class and out of it. So it made sense that he would have such high opinions of him.
But the cage that the boy had been imprisoned in was…frankly terrifying to the girl. Not only in appearances, but with how quickly it had appeared and its size. Was it truly so easy for their teacher to perform something so…overwhelming?
"No matter how powerful one person is, you are all still a team and you will have to work as a team to rescue Zennou from inside of the Rashoumon Cage. There is a single weakness that I created. Find it and exploit it together. That is your exam." Looking at the insect on Zasshu's shoulder, Shinwa knowingly looked into the ringed patterns within the dragonfly's compound eyes. "I know you can hear me in there, Zennou. Now, I wish you all luck. Remember, you three must all see yourself as equals."
Walking to a nearby tree, Shinwa formed another stone chair to lounge in as his students were left bewildered. Zennou inspected the area through Tamatsume's eyes, examining the outside of the cage closely as well as his teammates. Jara was reaching into her pocket for a scroll as lightning chakra seemed to bounce around Zasshu's body.
Meanwhile, all Zennou could make out from within his confinement was an endless darkness, only being broken up by the swirling chakra of the cage. What an oddly familiar feeling.
This would be the start to their shinobi career?
How fascinating.
And that is the official start to the story! I hope you all got to enjoy it, sorry for taking a bit of time with getting this chapter out there, I've been busy moving and preparing a new house and everything. Boring real-life stuff, not awesome ninja stuff!
I know it is a bit of a longer chapter, but I wouldn't feel right leaving out anyone's character's introduction to their genin exam until a later chapter, so everyone gets to see their characters get put into a team in this one! Speaking of which, without further ado, the character list!
Team 10/Team Kyuuki -
- Senju Hitode
- Kogane Tomoe (Dennpai)
- Himura Toyokuni (heartattak)
Team 12/Team Menma-
- Ningyoushi Midori
- Fuma Mio (Arrow-chan3)
- Mochizuki Saburo (King0fP0wers)
Team 14/Team Shinwa -
- Senju Zennou
- Hibana Zasshu
- Kurama Jara (Dannube)
Team 15/Team Setsu-
- Shimizu Momo (Lady Yuffie-Chan)
- Uzumaki Hirotoru
- Shuukai Kyoui
Team 17/Team Hametsu-
- Chinoike Yasu (Ei-Chan's Wandering Castle)
- Akimichi Chomaru (AdaviantheBear)
- Watanabe Mirai (TheBloperM)
Team 19/Team Hinata-
- Kosshi Biteki
- Setsuzoku Hosheki
- Den Gen (CarishTale)
I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Leave a review if you want, but ultimately, I just hope you had a nice, long read and enjoyed getting to see your characters! Until next time!