Fandom Naruto: Altered: IC

Arata didn't bother with answering to Asami's weak argument in favour of the louder than ever Tomoki, visibly displeased by the other boy's aggressive answer to his helpful, well-intentioned criticism - or at least that was how he justified it in his head. "Are you sure? I'm downright convinced that no sane Shinobi would be so habitually noisy. Being that obnoxious on a battlefield would be asking for an early demise." He said in a rather arrogant way as he started to walk towards their destination without waiting for an answer, quite obviously looking down on his new teammate.

He did, though, have a considerably better attitude when it came to Asami's questioning, directly answering her without trying to sound dismissive or anything of the genre - though he did seem to be a bit too convinced when it came to introducing his own abilities. "I'm Arata Kawakami. My speciality is putting my enemies down, no matter how: Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Genjutsu, Tools - It doesn't matter. As long as it works, I can use it." He said, quite obviously not even a bit reluctant when it came to promoting his own abilities. "I'm more familiar with diversion tactics though, so don't expect me to throw fireballs at my enemies or anything of the like."

Japanime Arael

Shizuo's frown deepened for a moment when Kohaku stuck her tongue out at him, but her tone made him uneasy so he clamped down on any response. Whenever Shizuo's sister sounded like that it meant he was about five seconds away from her being upset and him being in trouble, usually without him really knowing why.

"Wh- argh," was all Shizuo managed before Kohaku was off and moving again and Shizuo was distracted by a light tap on his shoulder.

"Oh there you are Kojiro," Shizuo said after starting. "Girls am I right? Well we better get going as well, it won't be a good look if she turns up alone," Shizuo said, heading off after Kohaku at a brisk pace, assuming Kojiro would follow. Kojiro was... Shizuo didn't have a problem with him or anything, to his mind a lot of people talked too much so someone who didn't talk at all was kind of a breath of fresh air. It was just kind of hard to know what to say to him was all, or even if anything should be said at all. Kohaku, Kojiro and himself, what kind of team would they be? It was actually kind of hard to picture, neither of the other two really seemed like fighters; Kojiro seemed so friendly and harmless and Kohaku was...tiny.

Then again, maybe the other two could say the same of Shizuo? The boy glanced down at the sword he was carrying, safely hidden inside its scabbard. Sure his Mother had taught him how to use the thing and drilled into him the importance of not hesitating when swinging it, but what would it really be like to fight someone with it? Would Shizuo even be able to swing when it came down to it? or would he freeze up or fumble at the worst moment? Shizuo tightened his grip on his sword. Regardless of what happened Shizuo had a good reason to fight and he was sure the same was true for the other two. Regardless of anything else they'd just have to make it work.

The municipal park was near the center of town, on the other side of a fairly pleasant walk through the bustling shopping district. Shizuo knew the park, like a lot of families his sometimes picnicked there when the weather was nice and Yuuka was feeling up to it, it was especially popular during the Spring when the cherry trees were blossoming but even this time of year there were a few people around, jogging, walking dogs or just enjoying the sunshine. Shizuo wondered why their Sensei wanted to meet here specifically, hopefully they wouldn't end up having to do anything embarrassing in front of all these people.

KageYuuki
AllHailDago
Orikanyo


The Chosen Vale Community Clinic was a slightly run down, but clean and cheerful off white building, a few concessions had been bade to the environment, the windows had been covered with bars and the door was a securely locked, heavy metal affair. It was this door that swung open as the team of genin were debating their options, revealing a tall, pale man in a white coat, his features partially obscured behind a long, blue scarf and a shiny, wooden walking stick supporting him.

"I promise you I find none of your voices approachable in the least," said the man, rushing a hand up to his mouth after speaking to shield them as he coughed loudly. "So standing around and debating it on my doorstep is only going to waste time. I am Tatsuya Minazuki, you were looking for me and now you've found me so you might as well come inside,"

Without waiting for an answer Tatsuya turned around and lead the way back into the clinic, plainly expecting the children to follow. The group pasted a reception area with pale blue walls, empty except for a sleepy looking teenage girl manning the desk who was startled awake when Tatsuya coughed loudly.

"EH!? WASSAT!?" The girlshot up and looked around, adopting a sheepish expression when she saw Tatsuya. "Oh, heya boss,"

"It would be nice if you could at least pretend to look busy Shiori," Tatsuya said tightly. "Occasionally. Just for variety,"

"Aww c'mon boss no one comes in this early! Except for you and uh..." the girl called Shiori tilted in her chair to look around Tatsuya and spotted the children. "Ohhh! you'll be wanting those files then! I put them over here last night so I wouldn't forget!" she spun around in her office chair and then came back with three manila folders that she handed to Tatsuya and then looked at him expectantly as if expecting praise.

When Tatsuya simply took the folders and left silently Shiori looked a little put out, but she still gave the children a cheesy double thumbs up and mouthed 'good luck' at them as they passed her desk. Tatsuya lead the children down a hallway into the rear of the clinic, reading through the files as he walked, his cane making notable taps against the hard tiles below as he moved.

"Haru Mori
Ryoken Sakurai
and Mibu...Mibu what? Is this file incomplete? Ridiculous." Tatsuya sighed loudly. "I was hoping to avoid this instructor nonsense altogether but at minimum I was hoping for a certain level of competence to ensure my time wasn't being wasted.

Instead I have a kekkei genkai user who makes even the term user seem generous, Ryohei's whelp who appears to have inherited none of his aptitudes and an overly specialized argument for psychological screening in the academy application process. Lovely,"

Tatsuya stopped in front of a heavy, metal door and unlocked it with a key from the pocket of his coat. "Your test is in this room, with luck at least one of you should be able to pass but I won't hold my breath, although you might want to," The room behind the door was dark, with light from the hallway only partially penetrating its depths. If the children wanted to learn the exact nature of their test it seemed they would need to enter.

Ganryu
KageYuuki
Orikanyo

Sitting upon a bench, beneath a flowering sakura tree, sat the group's sensei, the man held a serene expression upon his face. Eyes closed and his hands folded upon his lap, his world was calm and he simply awaited his students. They wouldn't be long, they would soon be here and he would begin his teaching anew, this was the third group he had taught thus far, his first went rather well, his second had some of his favorite little kids to ever come under his guidance. Now was his third, he had high hopes for the young children and their skills to be.

How shall they develop? How shall they do during this test?

The test of his was simple enough, but would definitely be difficult if they didn't clue into the meaning behind this test.

It would likely be the simplest test of the group, but quite difficult in truth, for he decided to take a more physical approach to this, change it up abit this time around.

Him versus them.

A time limit with a true goal.

A goal they must strive for together.

He felt bad testing these students so quickly after they had come out of the academy, he simply wanted to congratulate them and give them all a sweet for their hard work! Nonetheless, they were worthy of his time and efforts, and he shall see to it that their time was not wasted here. If only he could see when they were coming, for his eyes...


His eyes were blindfolded.

He only hoped they read his sign out in front of him saying their names and telling them to come forwards.

Emerie leapt and dashed through the city streets. She alternated between hopping over small buildings, to zigzagging through crowds and ducking through alleys. She would occasionally peek back to make sure her teammates hadn’t lost her, before continuing her swift dash through the city.

During Emerie rush, the young genin-to-be couldn’t help but picture her future as a ninja. She’d become famous throughout the ni ja world for her amazing tools, and her entire clan would support her the whole way! Eventually, Emerie could lesrn from her mother how to invent new tools, while her new sensei would teach her a plethora of new techniques to supplement her gadget skills! It would be wonderful, if not hardwork. The paparazzi loved a beautiful hardworking young woman!

By the time Emerie had snapped out of her daydream, she had arrived at the training ground, only to find a massive assortment of climbable structures and obstacles spread out around the place. It appeared their test was, to put it sinply, an obstacle course! This couldn’t be too hard!

The dirt beneath the structures looked darker than usual. Was that a puddle as well? Realization struck Emerie like a cannonball.

“C’est effroyable! This mud will dirty my hair! I will have to clean it for days to get it to look like t’is again!” Emerie said, her confident aura having suddenly faded. It was true that the mud would ruin Emerie’s hair. It took a very long time every morning for Emerie to fix her hair just right. If she were to fet covered in mud, she’d spend the next few days just trying to get all the mud out! The rest of the Sairento would be appalled, and use it as another excuse for her to not be a ninja. Hopefully their sensei wasn’t serious about this... where were they anyway? Emerie glanced at Shinjiro, and then at Naomi. At least she wouldn’t be the only one covered in mud...

QuirkyAngel Phayne

Team Makoto: Naomi Hanataro
"Don't worry Em," Naomi said, taking a couple of seconds to jog up beside Emerie. Her braids bounced behind her as she did so, the little ghosts bobbing up and down. "I'm sure your hair will be fine. It's so pretty a little dirt wouldn't ruin it. "

She had no idea what 'C’est effroyable!' was supposed to mean, but it was clear that her friend was unhappy. While Emerie had traveled across small buildings, dashing to their destination, Naomi had chosen to remain on the ground as she followed her eager classmate. Part of the reason was to conserve chakra for the exam that awaited them, since Naomi didn't want to wear herself out before the test began (done that before), but another part was because she preferred it--jogging that is. So long as she was able to keep Emerie in sight, and not lose her, all was well. The hard part was weaving through the crowds. She kept getting stopped by people who recognized her wishing her well--mostly older folk. Apparently, everyone in Gunshugakure knew about the graduating ceremony.

I really hope the cameras aren't still following us.

Naomi had nothing against the paparazzi. However, she couldn't imagine doing well if she knew her scores were going to be made public either. No idea how Ryoken handled it so well. Naomi didn't want to fail. She didn't want to disappoint her adoptive parents. Nor the friends and teachers that helped her graduate. Nor her brothers and sisters at the orphanage.

Naomi clapped her cheeks. Taking a deep breath, she turned away from her classmate (or rather, former classmate seeing as how they were no longer in the academy) to take her first look at where they stopped.

"Wow~! It looks like a playground!" Naomi blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

The climbable structures somewhat resembled what they had at the academy...except larger. Much larger.

Outdoor Training Area 46.

Naomi heard rumors about it being one of Gunshugakure's more difficult obstacle courses, but had never been there herself. She knew some students trained there in their spare time. Dared each other to do it. Adults did as well. Ruriko-san had said it was it was excellent place to get some exercise. However, Naomi preferred to spend whatever free time she had fishing. Or napping. Or feeding strays. Perhaps if she had spent more time training, she'd have done better at the academy. Alas, there was no point in crying over spilled milk.

Resting her bottom on one of the lower bars, Naomi's palms supported her as she counted the hurdles along a winding track that led into a forest. She wondered how long it was.

InsaneAsylum Phayne

Shinichi Kabuso
Shinichi pouted a little at the less than helpful answer. "I know what subterranean means Akio." He quickly brightened as his friend declared that he had a proper idea of where they were going and smirked. "Sure...a walk, either way lead on!" Before he followed Akio away from the academy he gave his clanmates and anyone else who might have their eye on him a jaunty wave happily lapping up the attention.

Dashing both through and over the streets Shinichi thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of moving with his new team until Akio abruptly stopped and picked up Kaoru, sniggering a little at the sight he took a moment to find his voice. "Whaddaya doing Akio?" He'd observed that the other blonde had been lagging behind a little though in exercises Kaoru had usually been pretty quick, he seemed more hesitant around the two of them than actually slow. "Sooo...after we ace this test did you guys want to grab a bite?" While he was already best buds with Akio he felt he should make an effort to bond with his other teammate too.

Their wasn't much to subterranean training facility 13 on the surface, basically just a small entrance area and the long staircase leading downward. Taking point while Akio hopefully let Kaoru off Shinichi led them down into the cavernous space and waved to the woman idly sitting in the centre drinking on the job, shrugging off the day drinking he waved. "Heyo sensei! How's it going?"

Damafaud AllHailDago KageYuuki

Ryoken simply followed the others once they finally were out of things, he didn't often go to this side of town willingly, much less to a hostpital or clinic as he felt horrendously afraid of needles, scalpels, anything dealing with medical really. He hated going to hostpitals.... Enough that he was dragging his heels and looking very, very, very, low to the ground, barely looking up to see where he was going and to avoid others, he definitly didn't want to be here... Why couldn't his sensei send them somewhere good?

But now, now his sensei looke like a doctor, and suddenly Ryoken was afraid he was gonna put a needle in him already! He went to the doctor often as a kid... To often... He hated it.. But he was always strong for dad...

When they were lead to the huge iron doors... He was remembered about the old days once more, horrible surgeries, medicines.. ugh... Ryoken felt abit faint and the blood fell from his face. "Umm... It.. looks abit scary..." he would approach the room nonetheless, if others went in, he was obviously afraid but.... He was really, really worried about this sensei....

He already missed his dad and teachers....

AtlannianSpy
KageYuuki
Ganryu

Makoto Takenaka
A lone figure observed the trio, hidden within the nearby trees. He was reclined comfortably against the sturdy trunk, allowing them time to assess their own situation. So, these were the three chosen to be his then? Sure, he'd seen their files beforehand, but people were often far different on paper compared to face to face. Makoto softly chuckled to himself as Emerie began to panic at the sight of the mud. Such a delicate looking thing... one that was going to have to quickly learn to live with getting dirty if she wanted to make it as a ninja.

Makoto heaved a sigh, running fingers through his messy, raven locks. He really should already be down there, introducing himself. A quiet groan as the jounin leaned his head back against the tree, he'd always been terrible at this. "Why'd they have to go and make me a sensei?" He couldn't deny the sheer experience he'd gathered from his long career. Proof of battles he'd fought and mistakes he'd made had been permanently carved into his flesh on many occasions.

Defend a person or location? No problem.

Take down an enemy shinobi? You got it.

Share the experience and impart the wisdom he'd gained over the years?

Hoo boy...

Hell, Makoto had hardly slept after finding out he would be responsible for a trio of bright-eyed genin. Trying to come up with a worthy exam did little to help matters. Perhaps he should have just went with the bell test his sensei had used before him? No, he wanted to do his own thing. Would just sparring them have been a better option? No, no, that wasn't really a test. "And yet this was the best you could come up with?" He quietly scolded himself, "gods help me..."

The jounin shook his head, he'd spent enough of the last few days lamenting. Now, how the hell was he going to introduce himself? Should he just approach them casually? Maybe make a flashy entrance that would really leave an impression on them? Flashy? Or casual...?

...

.....

Fuck it, flipping a coin. The 1 Ryo coin in his palm looked so insignificant for what it was about to decide. Let's go with... heads for flashy and tails for normal. Were his sensei still around, he probably would have been smacked over the head for stalling so much. Time seemed to slow as the coin danced in the air, landing back in the palm of his hand. Heads.

Makoto couldn't help but chuckle even as he moved through the handsigns, this was ridiculous. He was being ridiculous. Then again, so was the Chowakage in his choices for sensei that year. Only a few of them were really fit for the job, jounin or not. With a body flicker and burst of flame, he stood in the center of his gathered students to be. "You three will have plenty of time to introduce yourselves over the next hour. I'm Makoto Takenaka, assuming you three pass I'll be your sensei from here on."

He turned, motioning to the sprawling course, "Most chuunin can get through this course in about forty minutes, more experienced genin tend to take a little over an hour. You three will have ninety minutes to get through all five kilometers of this course." Makoto paused, an internal debate waged over the span of a single breath before he looked over them once more. "As you are now, there will be obstacles you can't overcome alone. Help each other as a team, if you all don't cross the finish line at once, you fail." His eyes hardened, only glancing at Emerie for a split second, "Bypass any obstacles and you'll find a fireball with your name on it."

Phayne InsaneAsylum QuirkyAngel
Yes, Kage really did flip a coin here

A fireball for anyone who skipped over an obstacle... Emerie made note of that, as she had already been plotting out ways to bypass some of the more... filthy looking obstacles. Emerie looked over her new sensei. He appeared to be a scraggly haired man with more than few scars to show his experience. He didn’t seem to care anything about looking nice, yet he was stil handsome... in a ruffian sort of way. A fine example of what a shinobi should be. Of course, Emerie had no intention of having any scars or scraggly hair.

Emerie ripped her gaze from Makoto towards the course before her. The first obstacle was a simply a series of six metal bars sticking out the ground. They were four feet out the ground, and only about two inches in diameter. They were a bit slippery from the mud covering them too. However, each bar was about six whole feet apart! Not only would the jumps be large, they’d have to land on thin slightly slippery bars!

Emerie clenched her fists. “Fine, we shall begin then? One dirty outfit will not hurt at all!” Emerie proclaimed. If they had a limited amount of time to complete the course they couldn’t waste a single second! Emerie decided to take the lead by leaping onto the first bar. Landed softly, as the first bar wasn’t too far from their starting point. However, when Emerie landed, the bar began to lean to the right ever so slightly, eliciting a squeak from Emerie, who still managed to maintain her balance.

“Are the bars not in the ground properly?” Emerie asked, before jumping forward to the next. However, as soon as Emerie’s feet left the bar, the bars sprung back to their original position, causing Emerie to land in the mud... right next to the bar.

Now there was mud in Emerie’s favorite boots. She could already feel her toes soaking up the disgusting moisture. A disgusted shiver was sent down the girl’s spine as she climbed back onto the bar, crouching with her toes planted on the bar. She was silent, with a pair of empty eyes.

QuirkyAngel Phayne

Kaoru had made sure for the first part of their trip to the Subterranean Training Ground to stay behind the others in case. He couldn't even sure they weren't ready to pull some kind of prank, and he wasn't gonna show up to sensei covered in ink or crying over a ruined book! Not again anyways. He lagged enough behind to keep them in sight while not seeming slow. At least, he thought he had. Suddenly, and without warning Akio yanked up right onto his back.

Kaoru almost cried out in surprise, but stifled it when he realized that was definitely not something a hero would do. His face was likely clearly frightened by this turn of events though. He double checked to make sure he still had his book safely under his coat, gripping onto Akio's shoulder in a vice grip with one hand while he did so. He sighed in relief as he felt the comforting presence of leather bound pages. Gripping tightly onto Akio's shoulders with bond hands again, he eyed his team warily.

It didn't seem like a prank. More like they were trying to... help him? He squinted suspiciously for a moment before thinking back on some of his favorite heroes and how their greatest team ups were with old rivals and enemies. Maybe... He was mid consideration when Shinichi mentioned food and Kaoru immediately decided he had to give them a chance. "S-sure! That s-sounds good!" Kaoru gave a soft smile and careful thumbs up to Shinichi.

As they arrived Kaoru climbed off Akio's back, intent on not hurting Akio or himself in the process. The descent down the staircase and into a stonewalled room made Kaoru uncomfortable. He wasn't fond of places with too few ways out. His eyes adjusted when they entered the...rather underwhelming training area. A few logs, targets, and hanging rings indicated an area for practicing thrown weapons. A mat off in another corner was probably for... hand to hand combat. Kaoru stifled a gag as he looked at their sensei in the middle of the room. She was just... sitting there. Drinking a beer. Menacingly.

IG42 Damafaud KageYuuki



Kojiro had no clue what his other two teammates were on about when he arrived. Shizuo said something about girls? What about them? How could he say right without knowing what specifically? He shrugged and followed Kohaku and Shizuo with a smile. We're Shizuo saying bad stuff about girls he'd disagree. He thought girls were cool. EspecIally certain ones. He wondered if Shizuo was just messing around with Kohaku.

Kojiro gave the topic a mental shrug to match his physical one. Instead he wondered when he should ask the others if he could link his thoughts to theirs for easier communication. He decided it was probably best to do so after they met their sensei, but before their test. Well the actual joining was best then, the question should be now.

Removing a pad of paper and pen from his pocket he scribbled a quick note down. He usually only used this notepad for short casual communications with people he didn't plan on using his jutsu with. Running up to Shizuo and Kohaku and tapped each of their shoulders politely. Holding out his note for them to see. 'Would you mind if I used my clans mental image sharing technique on you two? It'll make communicating much easier!' The words were scrawled out in thin, neat handwriting.

Orikanyo KageYuuki AtlannianSpy

Team Makoto: Naomi Hanataro
Brown eye watched with sympathy as Emerie slid into the mud. Naomi didn’t particularly mind getting dirty, but she knew the white-haired Sairento did. She’d half expected Emerie to throw a fit about her new boots by now. The fact that she didn’t—and merely climbed back on the bar in silence—either foretold great fortune or great disaster for the group.

Hard to say which at the moment.

Naomi, who had been on her feet by the time Makoto Takenaka arrived in a burst of flames, carefully removed Ametora from the strap that held it to her back and opened it so that the red-brown canopy covered her from the glare of the sun. Given the length of course, she had a feeling that heat-endurance and stamina would play a part in whether or not the exam successfully was completed. That was doubly true if fireballs came flying their way.

Though, the main reason Naomi had pulled out her weapon was convenience for the first obstacle. Umbrellas served as excellent balancing tools. It didn’t take a genius out to figure that balance was going to be needed to get through the first challenge. Nor had Takenaka-san specified that they weren’t allowed to use tools to aid them either. The only rules of the exam seem to be to complete the course within 1 hour and 30 mins and to cross the finish line together. Trying to bypass an obstacle, and cut time, earned a fireball rather than failure, which suggested that it was allowed so long as they didn’t get caught.

Not that she thought avoiding the gaze of a vigilant, fully-fledged jonin would be any easier than completing an obstacle course the proper way.

Naomi wasn’t the type to leave things unfinished anyway...though timed tests weren't really her thing.

Letting out a quiet sigh, Naomi gave Takenaka a hasty bow before blowing the bangs away from her one good eye as she moved to begin the exam. The sooner she finished, the sooner she could return home and relax. Perhaps take a nice long nap at her favorite fishing spot. Yeah…that sounds nice~

Crouching low, Naomi hopped onto the first bar. Holding out her umbrella and distributing the weight helped her to remain steady as the bar shifted. It also helped that Emerie had gone first, so she knew what to expect. Naomi might’ve been a well-known klutz, but even she could accomplish something if she focused. The fact that the exam was a team effort bolstered her determination. Herself was one thing, but Naomi refused to bring others down because she was slow. Or her mind tended to wander at crucial moments.

“I’m Naomi,” She hadn’t forgotten Shinjiro’s introduction. It only seemed right that she responded in kind. “I was adopted into the Hanataro clan.”

The second jump went similar to the first. Surprisingly easy.

“Um, I’m good at fighting I guess. Fishing too…”

Three. Four.

“To be honest, I barely graduated." Those who knew her in the classroom could attest to that. "I couldn’t quite wrap my head around the required bodyflicker technique.” She’d kept tripping herself up when she tried to move too fast. “So I learned a couple of unconventional jutsus to make up for that. Teacher said that was okay.”

Five. Naomi stopped to glance up at the sky. Admitting weakness was never fun, but if her teammates were going to cover for her faults, they would have to know what they were. In some ways, that was more important than knowing strengths in her mind. She peeked back at Shinjiro.

“By the way…what is magnet release?”

Phayne , InsaneAsylum , KageYuuki

Haru Mori - Team Tatsuya
Haru kept his hands tucked in his pockets as the trio walked. What was their sensei going to be like? They were meeting at a clinic, so did that mean he was a doctor of some kind? He’d never really been a fan of doctors, visiting one almost always meant pain. Like when he broke his fingers guarding a kick wrong and the bones had to be set…

It wasn’t until Mibu spoke that his eyes even left the ground.

“The girl, Naomi, fell over you earlier. Does this bring any feelings to you?”

He hesitated, studying Mibu for a moment. “Pain? I-I mean her head kinda nailed me right between the shoulder blades…”

“Perhaps she was acting clumsy because she likes you?”

Haru’s face immediately felt like it was on fire as he stared at her like a deer in headlights. “Whywouldyoueventhinkthat!?” He blurted out, “We’re talking about Naomi, she’s clumsy.” Sapphire hues shifted down to the ground, She’d be better off with someone other than a failure anyway…

Before the boy could continue that train of thought much longer, the door suddenly swung open. Haru stumbled back a few steps, “uh, h-hello,” he offered Tatsuya a meek wave. Not even two seconds and the jounin had already made it painfully clear he didn’t like them. Even if they didn’t pass whatever test the man had in store for them, it was looking to be a long morning. And if they did somehow pass, then they’d be stuck with him...

I just wanna go home…

Haru’s eyes moved back up from the floor to look at Tatsuya and Shiori during their short exchange. She seemed nice, energetic at the very least. Though even with her somewhat goofy attempt at a good luck, the blond couldn’t find it in himself to smile back. Right now he just wanted to keep his breathing even as his heart hammered against his chest.

"I was hoping to avoid this instructor nonsense altogether…. Instead I have a kekkei genkai user who makes even the term user seem generous….”

Wrapping his arms around himself, Haru seemed to shrink further. Tatsuya was right, he may have technically been able to use the Mori’s Storm Release, but just barely. He only had a single jutsu to his name outside of what was part of the academy’s curriculum, and it was pitiful at best.

Haru blinked hard, staring into the dark room they were told to go into. Was Tatsuya really just wasting his time on him? He wondered if he would ever have what it took to be a shinobi.

Ganryu Orikanyo AtlannianSpy

Mibu's face started to come uncomfortably close to Haru's as she watched his reaction, intently interested. THIS was her life, so close to cracking the code.

Quickened speech, quickened breathing, expression of panic. All symptoms of 'love'. These things are foreign, but now a subject is at hand. Maybe... maybe...

What was love? What caused it? Were these the bonds Hibiki spoke of? What was interesting about Haru to Naomi? What would happen next? Was this passing, or could it be made more intense? What factors would be involved? Was it due to Haru's physique or his personality? The feeling had to be returned for the quickened breathing at such a question. Was it Naomi's physique or personality? How long had this been going on? How long had they known each other?

So many questions to research, before he could escape and think more clearly, Mibu had to-

Before the kunoichi could do much more harm, their instructor announced himself. He went on a tirade seemingly against the jonin. Mibu didn't have a name, Haru and Ryoken not being talented. It was meanspirited, and frankly, dumbly stated. The amber-eyed kunoichi was even more confused as she studied the situation. Her heartbeat was up. Her hands were tighter than they should have been for no discernable reason. Despair crossed the others from what she could understand. Was it despair? Ryoken looked pale. Haru looked clammy. Abnormal.

A tirade like that could only have a few reasons. The primary reason is that this shinobi is hurt, and this is his way of 'coping'. The second is to test our mental fortitude, but how often is that likely to be tested, we are tools... supposedly. The third is that he is a jonin for more his physical prowess than his mental. In all three scenerios, a counterattack seems appropriate. If he is also angry, we are not the only ones weak, he fails at being a tool, or he reveals his true thoughts.

"Haru, Ryoken, do not look so discouraged. This man is obviously hurt, pity him. Something hurt him, and the only coping he knows is lashing out. If you cower, you will only serve to bloat his false ego. It is the only thing keeping him up, but, for healing to occur, bandages must be changed. He feeds off of knocking others below himself, and all things considered, he must have to knock them down pretty low. Hold your heads up high. If the instructors thought you good enough to pass, then it is probably so. The shadows will have your back. His arguments must be not well founded if he can't even figure out the lack of a surname. This points to his insults not being worth the effort to figure out, and therefore generic and made by bad improv and a chance to try and test us, or that he truly is unable to think, lashing out at everything, and not smart enough to form a coherent insult. Rejoice, we finally found a shinobi we are better than and can learn much from his mistakes."

As far as the trial, if he we are to hold our breath, a gas based attack awaits us. He would not give us a clue if he was not counting on it. These large metal doors must be used to contain that gas. My teammates should be precious to me, and if they are, they have to pass at all measure.

As the kunoichi marched towards the test, she uncharacteristically tripped over a floorboard. She instantly grabbed her knee, looking in pain.

"It seems this is not well maintained a minor inconvenience. One has to watch their step."

Slipping her hand past her thigh, a white slip appeared. Mibu grabbed the inside of the metal door, and lifted herself up.

"Apologies, shall we continue?"

She continued to walk forward, her fingers twirling emptily to some invisible music.

Kohaku Fujioka - Team Kazou
Kohaku made her way towards the park at a brisk pace, focusing more on the path ahead than the pair behind her. It wasn’t long before the thin smile on her face faded and she’d resumed humming once more. Perhaps she’d forgotten the reason for her earlier ire?

“I wonder what our sensei will be like?” She asked the doll in her arms, “I hope they’re nice like Koshirou-Sensei!” Opening a small door on Riku, the kunoichi searched for something before plucking a red bean bun from a hidden compartment. With the number of lunches and snacks that had been pilfered at the academy Kohaku had resorted to more extreme measures to keep Ryoken out of her food.

Slate eyes began scanning the park the moment they arrived, she really hoped their sensei would at least stand out. Or maybe they’d even find her and the others first. A light tap on her shoulder interrupted the search. “I’m not sharing!” Kohaku stated loudly before taking a big bite from the manju to emphasize her point. She still turned around, if only to see the look of disappointment on whoever wanted her attention.

Instead the girl was greeted with Kojiro and his notepad. “...oh.” Kohaku squinted for a moment, reading the note before shrugging. “Uh… sure?” In truth she didn’t really know what he was talking about. But that didn’t matter, they had a sensei to find! She didn’t wait for a response or to even see what the jutsu was before taking off again.

Finally, after what felt like forever, she spotted a man that definitely didn’t fit in. “Found him!” Kohaku called out, running close to read the sign. Her slate eyes widened as she drew near. Their future sensei was a veritable mountain of a man, further highlighting her rather diminutive stature. “Whoa, he’s huge!” she exclaimed, not caring who may have heard, let alone that it wasn’t entirely polite. “Hi sensei!” Kohaku bounced on her toes, “why are you wearing a blindfold?”

The girl truly didn’t seem to have any sense of tact.

AtlannianSpy Orikanyo AllHailDago

Tatsuya absorbed Mibu's impassioned tirade with an unblinking frown, moving only to withdraw a pen from his coat and write a brief note in one of the folders he was carrying. "Fascinating. I had assumed you would be a little more collected but it seems a rather sensitive trigger was hiding just beneath the surface. Do make a note of it for your own information, it seems to detract a little from your situational awareness." Tatsuya said dryly, observing passively as she fell and pulled herself up with the door frame. He waited patiently as the threpe children entered the darkened room and then slammed the heavy door shut behind them.

"I devised this test after I decided three students simply will not fit into my schedule," Tatsuya explained through the door as the lights in the room slammed on. The room was an unremarkable, hospital style space although nearly all the furniture had been removed. The only notable features were a metal cabinet attached to the far wall and a series of vents in the walls near the floor. It looked even sturdier than the door that had just slammed shut behind the children.

"One student I can just about tolerate though," Tatsuya continued, his words punctuated by a low hiss as a thick, sickly green gas began issuing out from the vents in the walls, rapidly covering the floor in a foggy carpet that started to rise steadily as the gas built up. "That gas is quite poisonous, but there's an antidote in that cabinet which will open for the last person standing. This can be a simple contest of lung capacity if you're feeling passive but if you're all set on becoming shinobi you'll have to fight sooner or later. It might as well be now,"

With that out of the way Tatsuya settled back against the opposite wall outside the room, waiting patiently to see the results of his little experiment.

Orikanyo
Ganryu
KageYuuki

Shizuo peered at the note Kojiro presented to him warily, narrowing his eyes as he read.

"Mental Image sharing? That's not some kinda mind reading thing is it?" Shizuo asked suspiciously. Much as it would be important for Kohiro to be able to communicate with them without getting out a pen and paper Shizuo didn't really want anyone rummaging around in his head. They might discover the name of his sword and sheath! and that was totally untenable, especially if it somehow got back to Shizuo's family.

Before Shizuo could extract a satisfying answer from Kojiro however Kohaku arrived infront of the man he was presumably their sensei. As she rather bluntly put it, the man was simply enormous, a hulking mass of muscle and armor. Looking at him Shizuo felt a little relieved, he seemed like the sort of guy who you would on your side and as long as they could pass whatever test he had in mind for them then he would basically be on their team right? He seemed reliable in that sense, although the blindfold was a little strange, was he blind?

"Kohaku don't be rude," Shizuo said with a sigh as his teammate piped up inconsiderately. "You want to get us in trouble before we've even started? Shizuo cleared his throat. "I'm uhh, Shizuo Murata, that was Kohaku Fujioku just before and Kojiro Zanki is here as well. You're Kazou Yamamoto right?" Shizuo felt weird speaking on behalf of the others like this but Kojiro actually couldn't and it seemed as though Kohaku couldn't be bothered, which meant someone had to do things properly! Sure the jonin probably knew who they were but that was no excuse for not doing a proper introduction! At least at a time like this,"

Orikanyo
KageYuuki
AllHailDago

Team Makoto: Naomi Hanataro
“That’s cool,” Naomi replied, shifting her umbrella as she maintained her balance. “Wish I could do something like that.”

Shinjiro’s explanation brought back flashes of pretty charts teachers at the academy had them copy down. Earth. Fire. Water. Wind. Lightning. Something was weak to something, which in turn was weak to something else. Naomi for the life of her couldn’t recall which was what. There had been branches too, which was probably what Shinjiro-kun was talking about when he spoke of natures. If she’d pull out her old notes, she’d probably remember more. Alas, she’d have to find them first. School for her was over after graduation…or so she’d thought.

"Your family must've been pretty special then. Like Emerie's~"

The last jump shouldn’t have been any more difficult than the first, yet, distracted as she was by her thoughts, Naomi found herself slipping off the bar, her umbrella only partially shielding her from splatters of wet earth. Shaking the brown sludge off her weapon, Naomi restarted the obstacle as if nothing had ever happened—with unwavering persistence; She was quite used to it by now. Her second fall of the day. Wouldn’t be the last either.

From long, winding monkey bars that tested their upper body strength to barbed nets that forced them to spider crawl through mud, the intensity of area 46 was proving the training ground to be more than a simple “playground”. Every obstacle was designed to slow them down or wear them out. The fact that they had to finish the obstacle together as a group made things even more challenging, since it wasn’t just herself or her stamina she had to consider. If she moved too far ahead, she couldn’t assist her teammates if they needed her. Nor could they assist her if/when she needed.

Keeping her breathing even, Naomi cleared a set of simple hurdles, her umbrella shading her as she continued to run towards a clearing that seemed to lead into a forest. She guessed the next obstacle was in there.

CRASH!

“Ughhh…” The ground collapsed beneath her feet. If she were a cat she’d have landed much more agilely; Sadly she wasn’t. Shaking her head, Naomi looked up see that she had fallen into a hole roughly 10 meters deep. It wasn’t impossible to climb out of the trap, but doing so would take time. How much time had she already wasted? How much of the 5 km course was cleared? Naomi wasn’t sure. It didn’t feel like an hour had passed yet…but then, coming from Naomi...who was always late...the estimation meant very little.

Sighing, Naomi dusted herself and picked up her umbrella, strapping it back over her shoulders. She wouldn’t need it for now. Hands brought together, Naomi weaved them through a couple of signs. Then she walked through the wall of earth as if it were water and swam towards the surface. She didn’t know if traveling underground towards the forest counted as bypassing an obstacle, but she didn’t want to chance it. From what she’d seen (while underground), the obstacle they faced next was a minefield of pitfalls.

Likely a test of their perception and their ability to avoid traps as they tried to reach the goal.

Naomi took a breath of fresh air as her head popped out of the earth. “Watch where you walk guys! There are a bunch of pitfalls over here!”

Phayne
InsaneAsylum
KageYuuki

Sakura Yamauchi
The silence of the training room was broken by the loud squeak of a chair being kicked in line with the door. Boots tapped against the concrete as Sakura followed after the chair and flopped into it. The old wood creaked loudly in protest at her unceremonious action, a threat to break from the abuse despite her lithe frame.

Bringing a glass bottle to her lips, she took a deep drink of the amber swill within. The beer was of a poor quality, fit her mood. ”Sensei…” Sakura hissed, shaking her head. The thought was still ridiculous, she was a killer, an expert assassin, not some babysitter. Yet here she was waiting on a trio of snot-nosed brats.

”Heh, maybe I’ll get lucky and they’ll fail the test. Send them all back to the academy crying.” She chuckled at the thought, taking another swig from the beer. Gods, where did she even find this crap? She couldn’t remember actually buying it, it was just sitting there in her fridge. Finally, the sound of footsteps pounding down the hall reached her.

Seemed stealth wasn’t their specialty, fabulous...

As the trio entered the training hall, the faint scent of cherry blossoms would greet them. A lone jounin occupied the space, slouched in an old chair. The fiery strands of her hair were pulled back in a ponytail and a dark beer bottle was held loosely in her fingertips. “Well, well, well, what do we have here?” The redhead leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand. Emerald eyes studied the trio with a near predatory gleam. “Three tender little morsels fresh out of the academy and into my hands. Are you boys lost?”

At Shinichi’s all too chipper greeting, her lip twitched. Sensei. The title was grating to her ears. Making her a sensei, the hell was he thinking? “So, you must be it then. The three brats that bastard decided to foist on me.” Sakura downed the rest of her drink. “Well, whatever. Most sensei,” the word felt acrid in her mouth, “will probably be asking their kids what their dreams and aspirations are or some other form of sentimental bullshit. Frankly, I don’t care about that. Just give me your name and specialty, I’m Sakura Yamauchi, an assassination specialist.” Her fingers brushed the hilt of one of the swords hanging from her belt. Both straight swords were stored in plain looking scabbards.

”Don’t care who goes next.”

Damafaud AllHailDago IG42

Shinichi Kabuso
Their new sensei's less than friendly greeting made Shinichi's grin freeze in place. "Unless this isn't subterranean training ground 13 this should be the right place...right?" This was actually their sensei and not some random lady looking for somewhere quiet to drink wasn't it? His momentary doubt mostly dropped away when she started asking them some more normal things albeit in the most surly way possible.

Seizing the initiative Shinichi took a step forward and struck a pose. "I am Shinichi, future of the honourable Kabuso clan!" Pause for effect. "I specialise in the use of water element ninjutsu alongside my partner here Shizuka." Making a peeping sound at the acknowledgement the otter stood up on Shinichi's head and struck his own pose. "One of you guys going to go next or did you want to let that soak in for a moment?"

AllHailDago Damafaud KageYuuki

After watching Emerie’s failure, it seemed like her teammates knew exactly how to progress through this portion of the course. Emerie had adjusted as well, hopping from bar to bar with ease. With her confidence slowly recharging, Emerie hurried along after Naomi. However, after a few easy obstacles, the girl suddenly disappeared! Emerie’s eyes furrowed. Where did she go? She had heard a crash, but she was too busy focusing on not falling into the mud to look where it had originated from.

Suddenly, Naomi’s head just popped out of ground in front of Emerie. “Agh!” Emerie squealed at the sight of her allies’s head. Fortunately the bleach bab was quick to realize that it was some sort of jutsu as Naomi warned of the traps ahead.

“Uh... oh. Thank you very much for the warning then, Naomi!♪” Emerie replied happily. She looked on ahead, but didn’t see anything that stuck out at all, besides the one gaping hole Naomi must have fallen into. Whether or not there were more traps or not, Emerie wasn’t taking a chance. Emerie sprinted forwards, leaping up and forwards as she ran. She channeled chakra to her boots, in order have steam shoot up and give her enough if a boost to get across the clearing without touching the ground. Unfortunately, no steam emerged from the boots, the only thing that shot out was mud! There was mud stuck in the steam openings!

Emerie cursed silently, as she landed directly in one of the traps. The ground gave out below her, and she fell directly into a giant pit full if mud. As she slowly sunk into the mud, all Emerie could do was shiver in disgust. The slimy wet texture if the mud clinging to her skin nearly made her vomit. Of course, Emerie had aboslutely no idea how she’d be escaping from this hole anytime soon...

Maybe she wasn’t cut out for this kind of dirty ninja life.

QuirkyAngel Phayne