Fandom Naruto: Seiryūden

[LeSoraAmari]

Satoshi looked at everyone present, his teammates and then Koujin. It seemed that they were going to take advantage of the meal being paid for by his father, the young genin wasn't surprised however, as he was sure anyone in the right frame of mind would do the same. Besides, it meant that they could eat as much as they wanted and where can you go wrong with that? Letting out a sigh of boredom, he picked up one of the many vegetables available and poppep it in his mouth, chewing it slowly as to savour the taste. "These vegetables are good... They probably taste better than the meat.." He smiled to himself and then took another, eating this one much more quickly than the first.


Eventually, the man that was deemed the special case appered. And in all honesty, Satoshi was surprised with what he saw. The man dressed quite strangly and was obviously not from here. Even Satoshi could sense the odd chakra signature that resonated from the mans being. Raising a brow, Satoshi inspected the man. This man isn't wearing any of the traditional konoha symbols, he doesn't even have a head protector. Is this guy even official? With a slight sigh of relief as the man who is meant to be their sensei actually arrived, Satoshi glanced at Cale before switching his attention to the Inuzuka girl who seemed to dislike their chosen sensei. Smiling at her kindly, he said "Ashi, We were obviously paired with this man for a reason. Besides, I'm just glad he's here because I'm so bored. And now we can finally do something." He stopped talking before looking at the man once again, before reaching out towards a vegetable and once grabbed, putting it in his mouth. His thought were focused on who this man was, where was he from, and what made him so special? Satoshi knew he would find out sooner or later, but curiosity was most certainly taking over. In fact, he was curious at what Ashi and Taura were capable of as well. Only time would tell. Satoshi was eager to get up and start moving, and hopefully that would happen soon.


@The Architect

 

[DreamBeat]

@The Architect​

Her tense body slightly relaxed when Hayato-sensei stopped the shuriken in midair, which looked really impressive. Suzume knew not to hope for much, but she thought at least one of them would hit while he was focued on controlling Haya. She sighed and bitterly smiled at his comment out of embarrassment. Compared to her teammates, she couldn't bring a lot into this team. All she had was her flexibility, her dodging, and her clan jutsu; flexibility doesn't really count for much, anyone can dodge, and she hasn't learned any hijutsu that could cause damage to an enemy. She already felt like she was lagging behind her teammates and that wouldn't do. She needed to get better so that she could keep up with them. As she thought of her teammates, she looked over to Juro. Her eyes widened just slightly, and then her bitter smile transformed into a more genuine smile.


“That took longer than a minute, didn’t it?”


Suzume jogged over to Juro and almost gave him a hug, but decided to give him a thumbs up instead. They were all exhausted, and she didn't think hugging was going to help any. Shortly after she arrived at Juro's side, Hayato-sensei started to talk about the flaws in their strategy. Although, yes, she was a feeling smug about the fact that the other team didn't get the bell, Hayato-sensei's critique on how they got the bell brought her back to earth. He was right. She was a kunoichi now, and that meant that she needed to take things more seriously. Coming up with battle strategies was definitely not her strong point, but she would have to at least know the basics. That, and she would have to ask her parents to teach her some useful family jutsu.


"With that said, who wants to go try some Sake at Shushuya now that it's legal?"


.... "Ah, no thanks, Hayato-sensei," Suzume said with a sheepish smile. "But I think just dinner would be enough for me." Then, things were quiet for a little while. Her eyes drifted to her teammates as she took in their haggard conditions. Juro looked completely tired and exhausted, but happy nonethless, and Kyoden seemed injured on top of being exhausted if the blood on his arms were anything to go by. As for herself, she felt more exhausted than she thought she would be feeling, but she was feeling happy at what her team had accomplished. Team... She was officially genin now. A new wave of happiness washed over her before Kyoden's injuries flashed in her mind. Ah, right. As a member of the Muranami clan, she had seen many types of injuries and how to treat those injuries... though she never actually treated a person before. All she had done was watch and help out. But Kyoden looked like he was in pain, and his bloodied arms looked painful. It was just hard to look at. A calculating look replaced the smile on her face as she gazed at his arms.


"That looks painful," she said to Kyoden, already examining his arm to see how bad the damage was. The gashes on his arms didn't cut in too deep, but it would get infected if it wasn't patched up. Her hands started working moving before she even thought to ask Kyoden for permission to touch his arms. The first thing she did was pull out her storage scroll from the pouch on her left thigh. She unsealed a towel, gauze wrap, antibiotic ointment, and a bottle of water. After taking the cap off of the bottle of water, she grabbed a hold one of Kyoden's arms and poured it over the wound. It would hurt, but she needed the blood out of the way. Then, she gently dried the blood and water off of his arm with the towel, light dabbing the areas around the gashes. One of the gashes would need stitches, but she didn't have the material with her, so she just worked with what she had. The antibiotic ointment was put over the wounds that were shallow; the gauze wrap was cut and then wrapped around the gashes on his arm. She repeated this process with his other arm. When she was done, she sighed and smiled slightly. That looked much better than the bloodied mess it was before.


"One of those cuts on your left arm is going to need stitches, so I wouldn't recommend moving that arm too much," she told him as she packed up her stuff in her sealing scroll.

 

[Ilstead]

Hikaru Uzumaki

Hikaru watched on to his old hag sensei change her position in their training. the light hearted nature of the exercise was now chilling with the stench of the on coming storm. Hikaru's focus was blurred from shear adrenaline that his body gave him. He didn't really have that much respect for his sensei. He knew power corrupted and didnt make a person, but defined them. Her speech and ease in analyzing a plan not yet established gave him a little hope and a sense of pride.


As she body flickered away, Hikaru thought to himself.


"I wanna be able to do that."


He walked over to the tree without a word to his teammates and sliced the tree with a kana. He marked the tree as his to come back to.


Hikaru walked away from the training field to prepare for his first unofficial battle.


The blonde hair boy approached his sensei with a backpack prepare along with his pouches and his fuma shuriken. He took everything he deemed essential in his hectic packing. He looked up to his teacher and adjusts his his village head band.

 

[Sha]

@The Architect


Pride washed over the young puppeteer when Hayato-sensei informed the Genin of the last team’s failure to get the bell. His team and he succeeded where others of a similar level had failed. The way they succeeded may have been due to a stroke of luck but this did not deter Juro’s prideful composure. When his eyes passed over Haya, however, the smile which had continued to grow was gone in an instant; his posture fell, his shoulders dropped to their usual place, and the exhaustion clouded by victory became noticeable once more. The puppet had been all but destroyed. Juro had recognized this as a possibility and had even seen the results of Jonin-level puppets being brought back beyond any state of resemblance to their previous form. The knowledge, however, did not prepare him for the sight of his own creation – his first and favorite creation – being beaten as badly as it was.


When Suzume approached him this sense of regret for having allowed his puppet to be put in such a state (though, in all reality, he wouldn’t have been able to prevent the damage even if he tried) was dampened as the feeling of success became reinvigorated through her acknowledgment of their success. She moved to hug him before stopping and instead expressing her excitement with a thumbs-up. Juro was glad she stopped herself because a simple hug would have, more than likely, genuinely hurt him in his current state of fatigue. Allowing a grin to again cross his face he returned the gesture.


“Gotten yourself killed… A death sentence for you,” Hayato continued, before solidifying his intention to take the group to lunch.


“A shinobi must be willing to die for the sake of the mission,” Juro stated in a way which made the words sound recited. In truth they were spoken verbatim; a sort of doctrine for shinobi which said to put the mission above all other things. The irony was lost on him; the irony of someone so young and inexperienced speaking in such a way about a willingness to die without having been faced with the reality of a truly life-threatening situation. Regardless, he was wrapped in this ignorance and believed what he said.


Juro’s usual dull emotion returned to his face to hide the excitement of his sensei’s suggestion to try sake. He was aware of being regarded as an ‘adult’ when he became a full-fledged Genin but was unaware that this status included the right to drink. He didn’t respond to the suggestion, however, for fear that his anticipation might betray him through his voice (and after such bold words, he couldn’t have that).


Suzume began to patch up Kyoden’s wounds so Juro took the opportunity to examine Haya. The puppet was in poor shape, to say the least. Both elbow joints were cracked. The blade which replaced the right forearm dangled loosely from where it was once firmly attached to the elbow joint while the left blade remained intact, but on this arm the shoulder joint was what dangled loosely from its insert. The chest and torso held up well. It was dented heavily from Kyoden’s blunt tonfa but remained solid and without significant cracks. Dangling just above the torso the puppet’s jaw fell suddenly from the head and landed in the dirt at his feet. The arms would have to be rebuilt and replaced entirely if he ever hoped to use Haya again. If the skirmish taught Juro anything it was that a Taijutsu style puppet was insignificant if only one was controlled - and at this point in his shinobi career Juro could only feasibly control a single puppet at a time.


He looked at his puppet once more with his placid, dull eyes before sealing it away in a puff of smoke and returning the scroll to its place beneath his robe. He looked over to his sensei and teammates, hoping they were ready to head off – he was starving.

 

[Pariah Stark]

@Hellkite @Edward Valentine @KaiaWolf

"Tch," was his only reply before he darted off down the road that led to their training grounds and in the direction of the western entrance into Konoha. The gate there wasn't as large or fancy as the main gate, but it was still there and if the others were heading West, so was he. Ichir? never needed to carry much, so he always carried what he was needed. It was the advantage of being as taijutsu-oriented as he was. Not to mention, Ichir? was incapable of using the Three Colored Pills because his Cursed Chakra interfered with the calorie control his Clan was known for. There was nothing stopping him from just going to the gate.


"C'Mon!" Ichir? shouted at his teammates, "we're nowhere near as fast as her, so we can't be dragging ourselves behind!"

Ayaka Uzumaki

​

"You didn't think I'd leave without a clone, did you?"Ayaka asked Kokuro before she let her body roll around the gate, showing she was on the other side. This, however, was just a Shadow Clone, but it had a purpose. With the comms down, the group couldn't communicate through the channels broadcasted by the central station, so they would have to manually set their radios in sync with each other and at that even stay inside a certain distance. While that would work, having a Shadow Clone left behind would work just as effectively - although, it admittedly wasn't a common use of the clone. Something only a crazy-ass Uzumaki would think up.


"You must not have your little technique active, miss Harpy, 'cause I was right there 'round the corner. I bet you didn't feel my chakra, either, but that's 'cause I seal it when I make Shadow Clones. Jinchuuriki stuff, you wouldn't understand," Ayaka said chuckling. And, of course, this was Ayaka. An eighteen year olf Jounin Jinchuuriki, daughter of Shin Uzumaki, and potentially one of the most irritating kunoichi you could ever meet. Most believed she got her prowess from her father because it didn't show in her attitude.


"I wouldn't let your guard down around these Kumo-nin," she addedm, "the reports were off. They had back-up waiting to rendezvous outside of the village. At least one of them is a real Jounin, but it's hard to tell with that armor. Most of them are wearing it and from the looks of it the armor itself activates something similar to Lightning Release Chakra Mode. That can make a Genin into a Chuunin and a Chuunin into a Jounin, and you know what it can do to Jounin personally. I'm not for sure how it compares to the real deal, but it's nothing to disregard. Probably the worst part is that it explodes when its wearer dies, so we can't salvage it and it could take someone with it if they were too close. That's all I knew before I made this Clone, so you'll need to get a sit-rep from me when you get in contact."


Ayaka pulled out a piece of paper with a series of numbers on it. It was an encoded channel for their radios; Kokuro was taught to use these for stealth missions during the Purge since many former police knew how to listen in on common radio channels. It wouldn't matter until Ayaka was in range, but any established communications could make a world of difference.


"Anything I need to know?" Ayaka asked. Once the clone dispersed, the real Ayaka would gain any information that Kokuro imparted on the clone. It was one of the primary uses of the clone. Ayaka, annoying or not, was cunning. If not for how ruthless Shin was in comparison, she might have shared a brilliant tactical mind with her father.

 

[Pariah Stark]

@Sha @SwiftThunder @DreamBeat
​

“A shinobi must be willing to die for the sake of the mission”

​

"Is that what you think?" Hayato asked before turning to Juro. It was obviously a rhetorical question. Only so obvious because the tone Hayato spoke with changed drastically. While before he was reluctantly congratulating them, he was set off by the sheer fact that one of his Genin would speak to him like this. That they would act like their life was just something to be tossed away. This was a training exercise, and this little twelve-year old Puppeteer thought a "mission" like this - a mission just to test them - would even come close to meriting death. Hayato had never seen real war, but he had been on plenty of missions and successfully acted as a leader many times in his career. Such disregard for life... is how comrades died.


Hayato stared down at Juro, then continued on. His eyes were flushed with a new vigor. Before, he was having fun. This was a darker side of the Jounin. He acted almost bipolar in his mood swing, and the worst of it all was his general attitude was so carefree and unrestrained that his anger was expressed just as openly. "Let's put you in a real combat scenario, Juro," Hayato said. His words were like the shuriken thrown by Suzume just a moment ago; fast and sharp, cutting into an ego like it was soft flesh. However, there would be no gust of wind stopping these weapons. "You went behind enemy lines, lost your primary weapon, exhausted your chakra and what? Secured the objective? The reality is that even if you attained the bell, you would have to do one of two things with it: retrieve it or destroy it. Check my records, Juro, they're public; I'll tell you this right now. You only destroy what you can't retrieve and if you can't retrieve your objective, you're just plain not good enough. So, your only option with that bell in a real scenario would be to destroy, but so what? Do you know what would happen if you destroyed it?" This was yet another rhetorical question. This one, however, was one that Hayato would answer for him.


Hayato blurred out of sight, appearing in front of Juro. He thrust his palm into the Genin's chest, sending the Genin to the ground. It wasn't forceful, in all reality. It wasn't meant to be. In the quick movement, Hayato stole the scroll that housed Haya, then unsealed the puppet Juro had just sealed away. Haya fell to the ground lifeless and the exhausted Juro was helpless just a few feet away. Hayato tossed the scroll to the ground as if it were trash, then lifted his arm and aimed it at Haya. He blasted it with a Decapitating Soundwave - the A Rank Jutsu was enough to completely crush the core body of Haya and all the finely tuned mechanisms that fed senbon to its mouth. All the hours Juro put into perfecting it just destroyed. But, it wasn't over. Hayato fired another. And, another. And, another. He fired them until parts of Haya were indistinguishable from the earthen crater surrounding the puppet.


"That is what would have happened," Hayato said, "but that's not all." The floating bells from before surrounded Suzume and Kyoden. Hayato toned down his next Decapitating Soundwave, but nevertheless, he fired one into the bells. A chain reaction within the bells caused the bells to ring with such force that it caused physical pain to the Genin. This was the White Noise Zone, although significantly weakened by the lack of bells and toned down Soundwave. However, for the Genin, it was enough to bring immense pain to their ears and even cause the cuts Kyoden had all over his body to trickle blood. "You cost not just your life, but theirs," Hayato said. The pain brought to the exhausted Genin would be enough to bring a grown man to his knees, so how it felt for twelve-year olds would have been like a few brief seconds in Hell. "That is your fault, Juro," Hayato explained, "your recklessness has consequences that extend beyond yourself. Bravery is admirable, but blind stupidity is not. I never want to hear that phrase from you again."


Once the technique used on Suzume and Kyoden ended, the bells that Hayato snapped into existence vanished in small puffs. Hayato tossed a substantial amount of ryō for the group to dine with. Probably enough to eat twice, even. "Have your victory feast," Hayato told them, "but, I'm done for the day. Your training tomorrow will not begin early because I will have to first learn the technique I am to teach you. Be here by 1400. Normally, we would work on chakra control using the Tree Climbing Method. However, since Juro is so keen on expending his chakra, we're going to practice the Chakra Transfer Technique until all three of you can do it. That way, if any one of you decide to do something incredibly stupid and use all your chakra, your teammates can hopefully make up for it."


With that, Hayato was gone. A Body Flicker from the Jounin and not another word. Juro hit a nerve. A nerve that none of them could have known about. A decade ago, Hayato was given a spot on the ANBU. He took the position alongside someone very special to him - one of the few whose determination exceeded his own. This moment, now incredibly tranquil in his solitude, he could remember her face and how they once walked down this same path long before they were ANBU. He didn't stay ANBU for long. 'A shinobi must be willing to die for the sake of the mission,' echoed in his head as he walked beneath the shade of the towering trees. They were only ANBU for a few weeks before they encountered the first mission they couldn't accomplish. Instead accepting failure, a handful of the team tried it splintered off and tried anyway, thinking real shinobi worthy of being ANBU would 'find a way' and that failure wasn't an option. Truth be told, even if he would have helped, even if the whole team tried, they likely wouldn't have succeeded. Hayato blamed himself a little, sure, but ultimately, more than anything, he blamed it on the mentality that was ingrained into these shinobi - these elites of the village. A shinobi must be willing to die. But... for what?


Maybe Hayato was a little too harsh on his team, but that was a thought for later. Right now, the Jounin was asking himself the same question he asked himself when he left the ANBU: what mission is worth sacrificing your life for? He asked that question over and over, for the last few years as a matter of fact. Not because he didn't know the answer, but because he was consumed by one stone cold fact:

If he could have, he would have sacrificed his life to save hers.

​

 

[Hellkite]

Kokuro rolled her eyes when Ayaka emerged from hiding.


"Ayaka." She acknowledged through gritted teeth. "Long time no see. Competent as ever, especially for someone as inexperienced as yourself."


Then it was down to business. Kokuro listened to the jounin intently, nodding to Hikaru as he arrived towards the end of the jinchuriki's report. She accepted the coded paper that Ayaka offered her, slipping it into the pocket of her flak-jacket.


"Sounds like we might have our work cut out for us, then." Kokuro indicated Hikaru. "I'm bringing along my new kids; they could use some hands-on experience. We'll follow your tracks and try to catch up to you. The real Ayaka may disagree with what information she has, but I'd suggest that she waits until I arrive before trying to take the Kumo-nin. Wouldn't want to risk our top jinchuriki, now would we?"


Kokuro smirked.


"We'll depart within the hour. Hopefully we should be within radio contact by nightfall. From there, well..." Kokuro shrugged. "We'll just see what happens. Stay safe, Ayaka. I don't want to have to chase after you. Shin wouldn't ever forgive me."

 

[Hellkite]

Taura raised an eyebrow as Cale introduced himself, but said nothing.


Ah, I see. She thought. Our sensei must be a foreigner of some kind, hence why he wasn't mentioned at the ceremony. An acquaintance of the Hokage's perhaps?





Taura assessed the man. His manner seemed frank and matter-of-fact; Taura liked that. An honest teacher was a good teacher, or so she'd always thought. She liked less the man's... Oddity. She winced when he ate the raw meat, seemingly without realising it.


That's a bit too much for a vegetarian like me to handle.





"Sensei." Taura inclined her head to her new teacher. "It's a pleasure to meet you. You look foreign; have you travelled far?"


She was falling back onto the manners and courtesy that her father had drummed into her. An heir to clan was no good if they were rude, or so he always said.

 

[Seraph Darkfire]

Caillte Leanaí

Cale looked thoughtful as he ate "Training...hmm" he said thoughtfully as he scratched his head, listening to the girl who smelled like a dog talk. He nodded "First lesson then..eat faster" his fingers flicked across her plate, stealing all of her food. He snickered "You can't claim to be strong if you can't even keep your own food safe" he said grinning.


Frankly, he liked this girl. She didn't hide her feelings. He then turned his eyes to the man who was eating with them "Who am I?" he asked curiously as he pulled open the scroll that had been given to him "Apparently, I'm a Konohagakure Jounin" he said thoughtfully as he read the scroll, his tail flicking back and forth with amusement.


"I'm just a strong Monkey" he said before nodding "Shin Uzumaki responded to my both of my challenges and defeated me, it would be impolite to refuse his request of me becoming a teacher to these kids"


He closed his fist "I will make them the strongest shinobi in this village, and then I will defeat Shin" he grinned before continuing to eat "But first I am going to keep eating, I used up too much energy fighting him earlier and I can't train anyone until my stomach is full"


While he talked, his eyes glanced over the scroll in his hands.


'Satoshi Uzumaki, Tsukiashi Inuzuka (Ashi from the boy's response), and Taura Miyamae' Cale thought curiously 'Weird names, Shin's kid, Dog Girl, and...' he read a little more about Taura before making a face 'Great, another Natalia' he rubbed his left shoulder absentmindedly, remembering the beatings he'd received when he was younger. Fighting Shin was a cakewalk compared to her. Shin was pretty straightforward in his attacks. Nat was always dodging and hitting the same spot.


Then he grinned. Teaching these three was going to be more interesting than he had first thought.


He cocked his head when Taura spoke to him in a polite manner before he grinned "Oh I've been all over!" he laughed with excitement "Fighting all the strongest shinobi I could find until I arrived here" he snickered "So many cool abilities and strong people, then there was Shin, on a whole other level from the guys I fought before, my first loss since I left home"


He chuckled as he continued to eat "I threw a fit the first time, but I left to get stronger" he then shrugged "I lost again though, but this time I know more" a wicked grin crossed his face "It is only a matter of time until I am strong enough to defeat him"


@The Architect @Hanarei @Hellkite @LeSoraAmari

 

[Hanarei]

She heard her companions responses, seeming far less bothered about it then she was herself. She stared at Satoshi in particular, responding to his answer by sticking her tongue out to show her displeasure to it. How isn't angry? He should be angry! He didn't even show up on time and hes not a regular Jonin? It's not fair that we would get stuck with someone like that. Fine if they don't think they deserve better but I know I expect a better sensei! She nodded a little to herself in response like an enthusiastic puppy, keeping her arms crossed. It wasn't hard for anyone who knew about the girl that she had a little bit of a temper when it came to things she disliked.


Ashi listened to him, keeping a rather sour look upon her face. Her look changed noticing him with more food as her eyes shifting down seeing all her food gone. Her eyes shut up and down briefly, piecing it together. She flustered a bit her pouty look only becoming more prominent. Her eyes fixated towards the man "That's not fair! I wasn't ready!" She spoke out shooting her new sensei a glare, the girl attempting to look defiantly away from him as he spoke. She reached over, in an effort to grab her food, haphazardly attempting to grab it as he spoke, half listening to his words.


Ashi withdrew her attempts, keeping seated. She grinned, her canine teeth teased as she seemed to have some devious plan. She shifted back a little, as if retreating resting on all fours almost like a frog. Her eyes fixated at her food, gazing up only to give Cale a look to watch his reactions. She waited as he began to talk again about where he had traveled, listening in until she thought it might be the right time. Now! The short girl jumped forward, practically leaping in the air almost as if she was a cat rather then a ninpup to try and throw her body into the food to grab it back.


@Seraph Darkfire @Hellkite @LeSoraAmari

 

[SeaTea]

Kyoden nodded to Suzume in thanks for her patching him up; just another reason for him to be thankful that he had been paired with this team. He was about to say as much when he heard Juro speak.


“A shinobi must be willing to die for the sake of the mission”


Kyoden didn't know why he had stopped himself when he heard that as it was not a radical conclusion for shinobi to come up with; their were more than a fair share of tales with ninja sacrificing something, often times themselves, to succeed. Maybe the phrase finally stuck with him now that he was a fully fledged ninja. Any further thought was halted as he saw Hayato-sensei darken almost immediately after he processed Juro's words, and turn quickly to speak to Juro. The words were definitely harsher than before, 'What brought all that on? Is sacrifice that large of a trigger for sensei?' his thoughts on the matter vanished again, but this time only when he felt his whole world explode into searing pain


Every inch of his inflamed skin felt like it was being pressed and punctured with a hundred needles, muscles in his extremities and chest were clenched and refused to let off, he could feel his teeth chattering against his own will, and he keeping hoping that every feeling he know felt would just go away. It was safe for Kyoden to admit that he had just experienced one of, if not the greatest, flashes of pain that he could possibly remember. He remained as still as possible and yet he could not deny the fairly noticeable shaking that had taken hold of him.


'What in all of six path's was that!?' At least his mental faculties had left him, but his own thoughts were still being drowned out by the now fading pain that was running through his body. Kyoden was in no way prepared for... whatever it was, that their sensei had done to him and he assumed Suzume, since she was fairly close to Kyoden when he had been struck almost as if a bolt of lightning had struck him and coursed through his body for several seconds, every one a seeming eternity of pain. Combined with the already weakened state, and Kyoden's reaction to whatever attack had hit him was heightened to say the least. Kyoden tried to shakily stand, but the cramps in his legs refused to give way and he remained on his knees.


Kyoden remembered his surprise at Juro's words, a concept that he had of course heard of but did not pay much mind too. What had surprised him though was how quickly Hayato-sensei had jumped onto Juro almost in a fit. This surprise escalated to outright shock when Haya was destroyed in such an aggressive way, and the lecture from their sensei transformed into a mini-rant almost. Then there was nothing but pain again, and Kyoden had lost any chance of catching anything beyond then as his senses were overloaded. He had barely managed to catch the time of their next meet, and even then he could only be half sure as everything seemed to be muddied, from sight, to sound, even smell seemed to be dulled as Kyoden remained rooted to where he had fell.


Now Hayato-sensei was nowhere to be seen, and the new genin team was in a mess. Kyoden himself saw how his wounds had reopened under the bandages and fresh lines of blood began to trickle out. He could swear a few had not been there before; but as punched out as he was, it mattered little to him at this point. He spied the stack of ryō in the middle of the group, and could already guess around how much had been simply left there, like a tool that had no worth anymore. Then he began to feel as if there was an immense pressure in the air; with Suzume in the same boat as him in terms of pain and Juro sprawled out after the rage of their sensei had been directed at him and most likely one of his most prized possessions in even more tatters than before. It may have just been him, but Kyoden could not stand the tenseness of the situation pressing down at his mind, and did the first thing he could think of to break it.


"Well... I don't suppose you two might want to take in a good dinner. Maybe learn a bit more about each other and... clear our heads?" 'Stupid, stupid Kyo, that's the best interruption you could come up with?' His own self-criticism was immediate, but he had already committed to it. He ignored the new blood trails making his way down his arms, and waited for a response, any response. It was all he could do at this point to not think very deeply on how frighteningly in over his head he was.


@The Architect

 

[Hoax]

Kyouka Aruhane

"Wait, we're just going? Just like that?" Kyouka started to say, jumping down from her latest attempt at climbing the tree. Seeing that Kokuro was in fact very serious, she nodded at the given directions and followed after her teammates. A mission already? And an important one at that… Things were getting interesting, although a little intimidating considering this was only their first day of training.


Bolting into town, the blonde swung by her residence for only the briefest of moments to grab her things. It wasn't much, so she was done fairly quickly and was off towards the gate again. On her way there, the blonde tried to apply the day's teachings to her route, jumping over fences and climbing short walls using her chakra. Half of her success was purely momentum based, but at least she hadn't smacked into anything yet.


Finally arriving at the gate, Kyouka let herself catch her breath a bit, simply walking up to the others instead of running.


"So… Where are we going?"


@The Architect @Edward Valentine

 

[Pariah Stark]

Ayaka Uzumaki

​

Ayaka gave a simple nod to Kokuro. She didn't intend on Kokuro having anything to add, so she prepared to have the whole conversation cut short. Although, her back-up potentially arriving so late due to taking along a few Genin could potentially be an issue. Jounin were much faster with much more endurance; even Chuunin had the physical experience to know how to pace themselves. Genin rarely had any of these traits, and that made them a liability. But, this was Kokuro. Few other Jounin had trained as many squads as she had in the last two decades. If she was bringing them, then so be it. Ayaka was sure she could handle this alone anyway; she was given back-up due to being a liability herself.


"Do as you wish," Ayaka replied. She noted the Genin coming up, seemingly all at once and decided to disappear before there was need for more explanation. "It's not like you've ever had a genin die under your wing, so your call," Ayaka added in a sharp tone before dispersing into a puff.

 

[Hellkite]

Kokuro snarled at Ayaka as the clone dissipated.


Impudent child. Too arrogant for her own good. Of course people died; it was a war, and t. he Purge was just as vicious...





Kokuro turned to her team.


"We're going after the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki." Kokuro replied. "Heading West first to pick up her trail, and then backing her up against some Kumo-interlopers in Leaf territory."


She ran her eyes over the three gennin. They seemed as ready as they were going to be for their first mission.


"Lets head out then. We'll be moving in patrol formation." Kokuro squatted down to the ground, drawing a diamond shape in the dust with a gloved finger. She tapped the foremost point of the triangle. "I'm a sensory-type, so I'll be at the front, leading and looking out for hostiles."


Kokuro indicated the left and right-hand points of the diamond.


"Hikaru, Kyouka, you'll be on the edge of the formation. Keep an eye on the flanks, and try to stay aware of where Ichiro and I are at all times. If you can't see us, then shout."


Finally, she tapped the final point.


"Ichiro, you'll be the rear-guard. Obviously that means you'll have to watch our backs while we move. You'll also have to be ready to move to either flank to support if we come under attack."


Kokuro glanced up to watch her pupil's faces, trying to gauge whether they understood. With a shrug, she stood.


"It's quite intuitive when put into practice. Anyways..." She turned so that she was facing the woods that lay beyond the village gate. "Form up. It's time to go."


She paused for a moment to allow the gennin to get into position, making a quick hand-sign to activate her electrolocation technique. Then she set off, leaping up into the trees and moving from branch to branch at a brisk pace. She wasn't moving quickly, not by her standards, but she hoped fast enough to match the top speed of an academy-fresh Gennin. She snatched glimpses of the sun through the canopy of the trees, and reckoned that it was about an hour past midday.


We'll need to catch up to Ayaka quickly. She thought. I hope she hasn't gone too far ahead...

 

[Pariah Stark]

@Hellkite @Edward Valentine @KaiaWolf

Ichir? nodded to the instructions Kokuro gave him. Whether or not he liked her, he was a Konoha shinobi and this was a Konoha mission. It went beyond his goals and his grudge. "Understood," he said before taking a few steps back to allow Hikaru and Kyouka to step in front of him. This would complete the diamond. Logically, the fastest or best sensors would be in the front and rear, but the Genin all very similar traits in those fields. The positions given must have been based on their other abilities. Ichir? thought his jutsu style would make him the most effective back-up, so that was the purpose for his position. In all reality, it didn't matter. Any one of the three could have been placed interchangeably. This was their second day of training, so it's not as if they'd developed into fully-fledged shinobi yet. They were still fresh out of the academy, even if a day older than yesterday.

 

[LeSoraAmari]

Satoshi was quiet as he listened to the others speak, raising a brow when Ashi stuck her tongue out at him but refrained from doing anything back to her in response. Sat there, he focused on Cale. He was surprised that he was the one that issued the challenge to his father, but then that would make a lot of sense as to why he was chosen as their sensei. He must have been identified and acknowledged as a strong shinobi by the key figures of the village, even though he wasn't from Konoha. In fact, in Satoshi's eyes, the fact that this man was able to fight with Shin for more than a minute was more than enough to know one thing; this man was strong. "I wish you luck then, sensei." Smiling at the monkey man he quickly took one of the remaining vegetables and put it in his mouth rather quickly hoping not to get caught up in the war over food between Cale and Ashi. After that, he continued. "You'll need the luck if you intend on beating him. But nothing's impossible I guess."


Shrugging, he reached over towards the wall where his katana was and grabbed it, pulling it towards him and resting it on his lap. Looking at Cale again he said, "So... What's the plan?"


@Hellkite @Hanarei @Seraph Darkfire

 

[Sha]

@The Architect


Hayato’s excessive, rage-induced response was over as quickly as it began. After being shoved to the ground, Juro could pick out a few words here and there but missed most of the lecture as the pain shot through his already weakened, twelve-year-old body. He continued to lie there staring upwards in a daze with an unusual softness to his face. Moving his head on its side as he lay otherwise completely still he could see the pile of scraps which Haya had been reduced to. Whether or not the young man could move was irrelevant at this point, as he simply had no real desire to try. He was already exhausted, and the overreaction from his sensei had put him into a state of fatigue whose limits he dared not test without good reason.


He gripped the golden bell tightly in his palm and a grin planted itself upon the young Genin’s face as his eyes moved to the pile of wood, metal, and purple liquid sitting in their pothole nest. The soft breeze which had permeated all things since the ceremony continued to carry leaves intermingled with specs of dust in the air around him. The intense exhaustion brought about feelings of elation related to their victory. Even the dirt under his fingertips began to feel soft and fine like sand; the hard ground upon which he lay felt, in this moment, as comfortable as his own bed. His puppet was destroyed, the first complete thing he created, but Juro was not one for such sentimentality that Haya’s destruction would throw him into a blind rage in the same way to which his words did to Hayato (though, to be sure, the young puppeteer’s emotions might rightfully be described as dulled given the state he was put in). The loss stung, sure, but his father had destroyed more than his fair share of Juro’s creations without remorse or apology and, although even he spared Haya on countless occasions, Juro had not necessarily expected Haya to survive forever. Perhaps when he had quieted the groaning of his stomach the emotion might appear and, if anything could convince him to attempt to move, it would be the prospect of food.


In this state of tranquility derived from utter exhaustion Kyoden spoke, shattering the intense silence left behind at Hayato's departure. The leaves which flowed with the wind ceased to fly and began to flutter in their way to the ground. Juro’s eyes opened with the grin still plastered about his seemingly disillusioned face and now looked into the direction from where the voice echoed, passing over the bit of money which lay inconspicuously in the dirt.


"Well... I don't suppose you two might want to take in a good dinner. Maybe learn a bit more about each other and... clear our heads?"


The words were so simple and direct. Juro appreciated the lack of formality given the state all three must be in. Ripping himself from the ground with a groan he lurched his torso from the earth and sat up, unclipping the upper buttons to his robe. The cool, temperate air was refreshing when it graced his all but bare chest exposed behind the thin, silk, sleeveless shirt which loosely fluttered to the tune of the wind. A deadened laugh filled with a genuine softness - a softness reflected equally within his downward peering eyes - fell from Juro’s grinning lips .


“I’m starving, Kyo,” He replied tiredly with a wince and another laugh, this one more lively than the last. “But…” His chuckle would now continue softly throughout all his words, “I don’t know if I can walk or not.” Before the words had finished leaving his mouth, Juro was leaning on one arm and adjusting his legs. If he could stand he felt he could walk, but getting up from the ground in such a state was a trial in and of itself.


"At least we don't have to go with Hayato-sensei anymore," He finished while still carefully attempting to stand, hindered further by his inability to cease his soft laughter.

 

[SeaTea]

@The Architect


Surprised was slightly inadequate for seeing someone as collected as Juro burst into laughter. Despite himself, Kyoden couldn't help from laughing himself until a good chuckle emerged. He felt the oppressive atmosphere start to lighten as he he realized just how beaten up all of them looked compared to not half a day earlier. "Hehe...hehe, there's no better time to have a large and filling dinner," as Kyoden nodded to Juro after his effort in trying to remaining standing, "You never know how good something is when you can literally feel nothing else except your mouth. Although, you might not want to move sometime tomorrow morning." Kyoden allowed another slight chuckle, glad to be able to do so freely.


As Juro rose in apparent pain, Kyoden made it an issue to gather all of the money left by their sensei. At least Hayato was gracious enough to partially keep his promise, and even from a distance away, Kyoden could make out that the pile of ryō was a very large amount, more than they would ever need to eat at any reasonable place. It was confusing that he would just leave so much behind, but then again, it was a bit of a hurried exit.


"At least we don't have to go with Hayato-sensei anymore," Kyoden shook his head slightly as he addressed Juro "Well, who knows what he would have treated us too," he took a moment to show a few of the ryō bills, "now we can treat ourselves how we please, a job well done if you ask me." He pocketed the stack of ryō and turned to address his teammates. "Well, no point in sticking around here for now; what say we stop at the first place we see and fill up?" Kyoden offered to help Juro move and nodded towards Suzume as well; he had found a new burst of energy that let him forget his exhausted state, more in an effort to get off the blasted training field at least for the day.


As they moved off the field, to head home or maybe celebrate some for what would possibly be the last time for a while, Kyoden couldn't stop himself from opening his mouth. "Ahh... Taking on a jounin-level opponent in a mock battle; not a bad showing for two clan heirs with sparse training and a poor civie kid that has no idea what he's doing eh?" Unless one of his teammates needed help, Kyoden would begin to walk backward with his hands placed behind his head and and smile on his face, in a seeming state of a carefree or relaxed attitude. "I guess that's a good a place to start as any. I guess it's not for nothing though since I technically already heard of your clans during the academy. The Muranami clan has helped my family out in more than one emergency," nodding his his head in apparent thanks to Suzume, "and...well, no offense Juro, there are not many shinobi around today that haven't heard at least a story of the Ningya." As he shrugged his shoulders toward Juro. Through this his smile remained as he turned around to look forward again, "I guess that means I'll start with particulars; I'm of the Shiratori clan.... more family than clan, and by family I mean me and my parents, so yeah, not very exciting. No history, no specialty, just a normal group of civilian merchants; or at least almost normal, present company excluded."


Kyoden felt a bit bashful as he went on and on, turning his head to glance at his teammates. "Well, how about yourselves? Anything interesting us new teammates might find juicy? I mean there is only so long I can go on about myself before I start looping." Kyoden allowed a grin to show as he regarded his teammates.


'I really am laying it on thick aren't I?' Damn inner critic of his, it didn't matter though. He was on too much of a roll right now, and maybe he was just slightly too punch drunk, but he was as happy as he could probably be after the fight he had gone through.

 

[Ilstead]

Hikaru Uzumaki

Hikaru just stayed in the position he was told to do. He launched himself from tree to tree just as his teacher did and made sure that his teammates were around him at all times. He didn't really know what he was getting himself into but he knew it wasn't a game. This was the real deal. This was gonna end up being life or death for his team, because thats how real battles were fought.


He glanced up at the ole hag and wondered why she would take her team of team days on a lethal mission. The experience was there but something was missing. There was something that Hikaru couldnt grasp about the true nature of this. He kept his pace up and stayed with the group.

 

[DreamBeat]

@The Architect
​

"A shinobi must be willing to die for the sake of the mission."

As her new sensei ruthlessly destroyed Haya and hurt Juro, Suzume watched on with an impassive face, not a hint of amusement of any sort showing on her face. She watched as her sensei rudely laid hands on another person's possession and destroy it. She watched as he used force on her teammate. She could do nothing but fear for her own well-being as she her body was painfully weighted down by an unknown force as a shrieking noise invaded her ears. She thought that it was fair play when he took the puppet during their test, but this was definitely not fair play. Even if this was to teach them a lesson, Suzume thought that this was going too far. At that moment, Suzume resented her sensei and even feared that he would do something worse, her respect for him plummeting a great deal. The rage swelling up inside of her was only inflamed when he said that this whole thing was Juro's fault. That sounded very childish to her ears, and she was only twelve. Suzume glared at her sensei out of frustration and anger for her teammates and herself.


They did not deserve to be treated like this, especially on the first day.





She would never forgive him for this, she vehemently repeated in her head. Her first impression of her teacher? His teaching methods are unnecessarily forceful. She was already taking him seriously before, but now, she couldn't help feel like dealing with her sensei would be a pain, especially if this was how he taught. Through this "lesson," Hayato-sensei taught Suzume another lesson that he was not aware of: Never respect or trust a person unless it is earned.


After Hayato-sensei disappeared, she sighed in relief and closed her eyes. Now, she could calm down and think a little bit. Thinking always helped her occupy her mind on things other than rage and anger. Suzume didn't know what exactly prompted her sensei to act the way he did, but she guessed it was what Juro said since he suddenly lashed out after Juro said that. Although Suzume didn't agree with Juro's view, she could see where he was coming from. Such rage from sensei could only mean that Juro said something wrong, and therefore hit a sensitive spot for Hayato-sensei... at least this was what she was guessing. Did Juro really hit a sensitive spot? Even if that was the case, she would still not forgive him for hurting them when he knew that they were already injured. Hurting already injured people after a spar was unethical, especially if it was the sensei hurting his students. Her thoughts turned back to anger, but was dissipated by Kyoden's words before her anger could get to her head.


"Well... I don't suppose you two might want to take in a good dinner. Maybe learn a bit more about each other and... clear our heads?"


Suzume opened her eyes and smiled slightly, her rage having died down to manageable levels. The two boys were now further injured than they were before. Old and new wounds opened up on Kyoden, blood matting the already bloodied gauze wraps; Juro was barely able to walk. She was surprised when Juro started to laugh. It was... strangely uplifting, and she couldn't her smile stretching across her face.


"At least we don't have to go with Hayato-sensei anymore."


"Yeah, I'm fine with eating and all that as long as Hayato-sensei doesn't interrupt us," she said with a wane laugh. After what just happened, Suzume didn't think she could handle being around her sensei without her emotions clouding her judgement. Noticing that Juro was having difficulty standing up, she gently supported him a slowly walked forward as Kyoden introduced himself in more detail. Her smile became less strange as Kyoden talked more, especially when he mentioned her clan. Then, she got a good look at them again.


"I think you did well, Kyoden. I felt really useless there," she smile sadly. "Well, then... Um, I'm Suzume Muranami of the Muranami Clan. My clan goes way back to before the Fourth Shinobi War. I heard that we originally started out as an orphanage, but then we turned into a clinic. We're not all blood related or anything, but we tend to have more chakra sensors because we all learn chakra manipulation from a young age," she smiled. After hearing Juro's response, the desire to get her injured teammates at patched up took over. "We're all injured, but you guys have the worse injuries. Shouldn't we get those treated before we go eat?"

 

[Sha]

@The Architect


"Yeah, I'm fine with eating and all that as long as Hayato-sensei doesn't interrupt us."


Juro’s chuckling, which was on the verge of quieting, returned briefly in response to Suzume’s words. “Knowing him,” Juro coughed as she helped him to his feet, “He’ll find a way to butt in.”


Usually one to be emotionally resilient, this way of speaking through soft laughter was a strange thing for the young puppeteer. This level of exhaustion caused him to be disillusioned, to a degree, and he had trouble walking. He accepted Suzume’s help for a time as Kyoden spoke, followed shortly thereafter by Suzume herself. When she had finished it seemed they expected Juro to say something, he never was particularly good at this sort of thing, on top of the fact that he wasn’t all-there in his current state.


“Mm,” He said, removing his arm from Suzume’s shoulders and beginning to walk on his own. Some strength had returned, though this could probably be attributed to the intense desire to eat something more than anything. A few moments silence passed before Juro gathered the strength to speak. He straightened himself up and scratched his bare upper-chest. “I’m a Ningya. My clan uses puppets. Let’s eat.” Juro spoke in a very matter-of-fact way. He wasn’t trying to be dismissive, even if that may have been how it came off; he was simply not one to speak at length about such things. If asked specifically, he would answer, sure, but the general way in which his teammates described themselves was something Juro was hardly capable of. When he finished his few words, Suzume spoke.


"We're all injured, but you guys have the worse injuries. Shouldn't we get those treated before we go eat?"


“No way,” Juro said plainly and with his usual voice now while the scent of beef and barbeque wafted about the air. “We’ve already arrived,” He said tiredly, pointing ahead of them to the barbeque shop nestled quaintly among the other buildings. He didn’t really care what they were going to eat but his stomach began to growl as the scent continued to tickle his nose. A burst of adrenaline must have coursed through his body at that point as the anticipation of a hot meal came to its boiling point.


Juro walked briskly to the shop and through the fabric which hung over the entrance. Soon they were seated about the table, “So, how much did Hayato-sensei give us?” Juro asked Kyoden, “I’m really hungry.” Juro’s eyes had regained their dull state and his voice, though still weakened and soft, had its usual dry tone. He smacked his lips as he debated trying a cup of sake.

 

[SeaTea]

@The Architect


...Shouldn't we get those treated before we go eat?"


Kyoden smiled slightly sheepishly at Suzume's mention of their wounds as he was fairly sure the group had drawn more than a fair share of stares as they had made their way out of the training area. It was bound to get worse once they actually sat down to eat, but at this point Kyoden could hardly call enough to care about any strange glances at this point as his hunger was starting to ravish his gut. He also noticed his wounds had stopped bleeding freshly, but the bandages were stained a great deal. He wondered slightly if such a thing would be dangerous to his health, but again his strive to eat was getting the best of him. Juro seemed ready enough to pick a place, and by the smell wafting from inside, it was definitely good for his own tastes.


"I'm sure we'll be okay once we get some food in us, and maybe some extra care when we get home, but for now we should focus on priorities." He addressed Suzume as he followed Juro into the restaurant. He did feel bad about all of her apparent hard work being ruined in the blink of an eye, but there wasn't much they could do now; he would just have to be careful where he put his arms.


“So, how much did Hayato-sensei give us? I’m really hungry.” Kyoden nodded as he went to dig at the bills in his pocket and pulling some out at random. Even then he could see they would have plenty to cover anything; he should make sure he held on to the money after he left just in case. "At least sensei was gracious to leave enough to treat ourselves well, no matter where we go." Kyoden would distribute any amount of bills asked before taking his own to order with. After placing his food order and finding a proper seat to use, he would sink into his seat with a heavy sigh, glad to be off his feet. He would also close his eyes as his head began to slightly throb; he would speak in a softer tone of voice that could almost be lost in the din of the restaurant.


"Damn... finally a ninja, no runarounds or technicalities, full blown ninja; kind of hard to believe right?" He addressed hsi teammates without looking, "I mean, this was just the first day; can you imagine how it will be by the we start running c-ranks?" He tried to laugh, but his now throbbing, forehead forced him to cut it short. "And the three of us, newest generation to serve eh? I bet our parents will be flipping for joy... you know, when we finally get around to telling them." As much as he tried to resist it, Kyoden couldn't stop a slight sarcastic note to slip into his voice, thinking how his own parents would be besides themselves when they saw what had happened to him. Even if they knew that he could take care of himself, he could already see their reactions, and it did not help his throbbing head any bit.

 

[Seraph Darkfire]

Caillte Leanaí

In an instant, Cale's hand was directly in front of Ashi, his middle finger pulled back by his thumb. With a large grin, he let his finger go, striking her in the forehead. The sound that echoed out was a lot louder than one would expect. The force was powerful enough to send the girl flying back. He then turned to Satoshi as he asked what was next. He scratched his chin "Well...I guess since you are so eager, we can start training" he said cracking his knuckles. His tail flicked back and forth "First we'll run around the village a couple of times, then we'll swing through the forest using only our right arms, then we'll switch to the left"


He looked thoughtful before chuckling "After we are warmed up, I'll see what you can do" among those who'd been trained by Enma, Cale had just above average stamina, though this was still far more than your average Shinobi. A good amount of training would get these children to at least one fourth of his stamina. From what he remembered of his own training, stamina was important, especially in a drawn out fight. Lacking Chakra and tricks, all you had was how long your body could last.


Body training was important. Then it was chakra training. Monkey chakra training was usually done with the tail. However, they didn't have tails. He'd have to find an alternative.


'I wish I'd paid more attention to how I was being trained' he thought with a frown before shrugging 'Oh well, I'll just wing it and see how it all turns out'


@Hanarei @Hellkite @LeSoraAmari

 

[DreamBeat]

@The Architect​

Suzume pouted when Juro almost immediately said that he didn't want his injuries treated with Kyoden followig, but she supposed that they could the injuries treated after dinner. Still, that didn't mean she liked it. Kyoden's cuts could get infected if the gauze wraps were left on for too long, so she worried. Best to hurry and eat so that the boys could get themselves treated. She ignored her the mild stinging from skidding across the grass, the small cuts from Hayato-sensei's technique, and the slight ringing in her ears.


Suzume trailed behind Juro into a barbecue shop. The lights were dimmed and there weren't that many customers, which was a relief. The ringing in her head would have made her headache worse. She sat herself next to Kyoden, resting her arms and head on the table in exhaustion. Ugh... training was too much. When Kyoden distributed the money, she only twisted her head to look at the money. "Wow, that is a lot of money." After debating on what to eat, she decided to order spicy pork. But for that, she had to lift her head from the table and raise her hand to order. It wasn't long after that Kyoden started to talk in a hushed voice.


"Damn... finally a ninja, no runarounds or technicalities, fullblown ninja; kind of hard to believe right?"





She nodded as Kyoden speaking, too tired to talk at the moment, but opted to pay attention as her teammates spoke, taking note of their injuries so that she could know if it was getting too bad. But there was something wrong with the way he talked. Was he being sardonic? When did he get in such a mood? Suzume did not say anything, not knowing what to say in this situation. Since she was always trying her hardest in the academy, she seldom had any friends to talk to, so she didn't know what she was supposed to do in this situation. Her parents... she wondered if they would be happy for her. A big part of her was hoping that they would be.


The food soon came out. Even though she knew that she should have eaten faster for her teammates, she ate at a languid pace. By the time she was done, all the meat was gone, the plate was empty. A sigh escaped her mouth after she finished, partly thankful to Hayato-sensei that he kind of paid for their meal.


"Gochisousama deshita," she breathed out and leaned back in her chair.

 

[Pariah Stark]

Lightning & Thunder

a collab between The Architect and Hellkite

@Hellkite @Edward Valentine @KaiaWolf
​

It had been a few hours since Team Four left Konoha, but the constant movement was taking its toll already. Not so much on Kokuro, though her aging body did feel this exertion more than it used to, but mostly on the genin. They were fresh. Green. Still young and without experience, and keeping up witht he pace set by their sensei proved far more difficult than initially believed. In the academy, young shinobi-to-be dreamed of using powerful techniques or establishing themselves as a unique shinobi of their land, but few of them took into account that part of being a shinobi was the endurance. The long trek through harsh environments. The exhaustion of constant movement. Being a shinobi wasn't just about fighting and jutsu; a shinobi was a soldier, and required discipline.


Silence filled the air, aside from the rustling of leaves as the shinobi dashed through the trees. It persisted for most of the jounrey, barring the few times Kokuro had to adjust their pace or explain that shinobi can't slow down just because they're tired. In truth, the Genin were only slowing Kokuro down, but Ayaka was worth the inconvenience. Arrogant or not, the girl could control her beast to a fault and had all the potential her father could pass down to her. Getting her Genin some real experience was worth the expense of time, and Kokuro had the experience and knowledge of a tried-and-tested sensei, unlike others in the village, so her judgement was rarely questioned. Some weren't real shinobi yet, like a certain Sage that had just joined the village, while others didn't have the heart to deal with loss. Kokuro stood out among the crowd, a true veteran.


A loud crackle came out of all the radios, but it was only static. Radio interference from something else. A technique developed just to distort airwave signals, to confuse and to isolate. The kumo-nin had arrived.


Kokuro could sense the immense pressure of the explosive tags which littered the tree canopy the second they went off, and at that moment, only Ichiro in the rear was safe. This also meant one other thing: if Ayaka had went this way before them, and traps had been set since, these shinobi could not be the ones she had encountered, and if they were then it meant Ayaka could only have been overpowered and captured already. Both thoughts set Kokuro's nerves on edge, but she had time to entertain neither. This was an ambush, and her pupils were in danger.


"Stick together!" She bellowed over the explosions, still pressing forwards even as she twisted to look back to her pupils, raising her hands to make signs.


"Wind Release, Vacuum Sphere!"


The blast of wind was stronger than she had intended but had the desired effect; dissipating the smoke of the bombs while hurling Hikaru and Kyouka bodily, if roughly, out of danger. Kokuro leapt to a high branch and paused for a moment, scanning the area with her electrolocation, trying to pinpoint an attacker.


There was no single attacker. Instead, the damage done to nearby trees and the scent in the air alluded to preset explosives. This was no jutsu; this was the forefront of a death trap, and that was just the first layer. Ichiro was knocked back by the explosive, but with far less force than Hikaru or Kyouka due to being in the back. Without vision on Kokuro, he rolled over and darted up to his comrades, both still being rolled through the dirt by their sensei's technique.


Meanwhile, Kokuro picked up on two new targets. Both had their chakra suppressed, although not perfectly. A sensor-nin or anything of the like could see them, but the average shinobi couldn't. Kokuro was neither of these things - a true sensor or the average shinobi. She saw them and their physical outlines due to the unique nature of her technique, and this kept their surprise attack from being a true surprise. One shinobi thrust his hand into the back of the other while the other withdrew a blade and leapt down at Kokuro. Mid-air, the shinobi electrified his blade, causing an intense flash of light to illuminate the cloud of debris around them. This was the beginning of their first enemy encounter as Team Four of Konoha.


Kokuro suppressed the urge to start a chakra-release technique. She'd need all of her energy if Ayaka was in trouble. Instead she dropped from her branch, weaving more handsigns as she fell through the air, the Kumo-nin diving towards her from above.


"Great Fireball Technique!"


The searing flames erupted from her mouth, blasting up into the enemy above her, setting the leaves alight. Kokuro had no time to check whether her manoever had been sufficient; the moment her feet touched the ground she sprung back into the treetops, constantly moving, searching for the second Kumo-nin.


As the fireball created by Kokuro flew at the sword-wielding Kumo-nin, the second one used a single hand-seal while extending his hand to pull the first back to him as if they were bound by an elastic chord. With both kumo-nin in the treetop, they weaved together an identical series of handseals to launch a water bullet at the fireball, quelling it and soaking the entire area while also settling the debris. With the dust cloud down, vision on the two cloaked shinobi gave a whole new insight to them. Both wore light harnesses, a variant of the armor discussed earlier, but more over, neither of them looked over twenty, if that. Kokuro was fighting shinobi that were just older than the Genin she was training.


This was just another thought she had very little time to consider; the sword-wielding shinobi dived straight down from the tree and implanted his blade into the wet ground, sending a surge of electricity through every drop of water. Trees around them combusted from the force and there was essentially no avoiding it.


Kokuro scowled, throwing herself from the tree as electricity lanced through it. She weaved more handsigns.


"Lightning Release Chakra mode."


She landed on the ground, the foreign electricity tingling through her, but without much threat. As the jutsu subsided, Kokuro released the chakra cloak. The trees were now charred, the leaves dead and falling to the ground in a bleak swirl. The residue lightning from the Kumo-nin's technique fizzled and distorted her electrolocation, overlaoding it briefly. Kokuro would have to rely on her normal eye for the moment.


The Kumo-nin were relentless; they each followed up with an attack after the initial wave of electricity from the kenjutsu user. The shinobi wielding the blade activated the Chakra Mode on his armor, cloaking him in the same technique that Kokuro was using. The second wove several signs before conjuring a large dog made of electricity, sending it at the group of Genin. The first Kumo-nin was moving fast enough that even a Jounin like Kokuro wouldn't be able to evade his attack and save the Genin. Luckily, she wouldn't have to.


A loud clang permeated the air as a Konoha shinobi intercepted the sword of the Kumo-nin while another slashed through the air with a large metal gauntlet, creating a tempest that carved through the ground, cut through trees, and most importantly, insulated the large canine, preventing it from advancing before it disapated. These two weren't just any two shinobi, however. They were chuunin, and ones Kokuro knew.


"We heard you might need some help, Kokuro-sensei," said the one holding a kusarigama with its chain wrapped around the blade of the kenjutsu user. This was Deiki Shimura, a former student of Kokuro from a previous generation. The end of his kama had a long water whip that stretched to the other student, Kosuke Senju, connecting into his electrified gauntlet. Kosuke wore two metal gauntlets, one empowered with lightning release chakra and the other with wind release. Between the two, they had every elemental release at their disposal, sharing water release. Together, they were as strong as any Jounin and they fought together as a duo after having last their third several years before.


Kosuke added, "I believe we can handle these two. You need to meet up with Ayaka." Kosuke crackled his knuckles from beneathe his gauntlets, looking down at the two kumo-nin in a struggle. This was gonna be fun.


Kokuro allowed a smile to curl her mouth.


"Thanks Deiki, Kosuke. Looking out for the new generation, I see."


Kokuro darted across the charred clearing to her new Gennin.


"Remind me to buy you a drink when we get back to the village, okay?" She called over her shoulder. "We haven't caught up in ages."


Kukuro turned back to Team 4.


"Let's go, quickly." She pulled Kyouka to her feet. "If we've been ambushed, then it's safe to assume that Ayaka is in serious trouble."


With a final glance at her old pupils and a nostalgic smile, Kokuro leapt back up into the trees.


"Lets get moving, combat speed, be ready for a fight."


With that, Ichiro leapt up and followed Kokuro alongside his fellow Genin. Useless in the previous engagement? Maybe, but it wasn't long enough for them to even attempt anything. Meanwhile, Deiki and Kosuke had already started duking it out with the Kumo-nin. Kosuke had his own Chakra Mode and Deiki was a defensive shinobi; their fighting style centered around Kosuke being an extension of Deiki, making Deiki constantly aware of the battle and truly a weilder of two weapons instead of one. They had the fight, but it wouldn't be easy.


Not long into Team 4's advance, the radio silence was broken. Not long after the static of a connected channel kicked up, Ayaka's scrambled voice was heard over both radios:


"Kokuro, if that's you, we're in danger. I had this... I-.. there's more of them. I can fight them, but I-.. they're getting away."


Between her panting and the radio static, making out all of what she said was difficult. But, even Kokuro could sense the chakra signatures up ahead. Two powerful spikes alongside the Nine-Tails chakra. Hell, even the Genin could sense the Nine-Tails chakra - it was unlike anything most shinobi had ever seen or felt. This was the real beginning of their mission.