Ozuko was taken off guard by his master's embrace and he felt his face go deep red with embarrassment. Jesus, personal space lady he thought himself, but didn't say it out loud. After she let them go from the hug she told them to never speak of it again. Yeah you're normally you're suppose to bribe kids with gifts for their silence, he laughed to himself. His sensei then asked them if they knew about the six rules of the shinobi. He remembered all of them, but Tao was the one to give a long answer displaying his views and opinions on the rules. Ozuko decided to speak his opinion on the rules once Tao finished.

"I learned all of them as well, 'A shinobi must always put the mission first.' I view that rule as always looking beyond a shinobi's personal interests or connections and doing what is most important for the village, nation comes before self according to that rule. 'A shinobi must never show their tears.' That's one of the most important rules for me, emotions are what can be the difference between life and death. A true warrior tries to keep himself empty and focused on every detail of the battle at hand and thinking quickly to figure paths to victory. I will admit that I can let my stubbornness get the better of me, which is why I am trying to train myself to give up those emotions, it's all a part of my shinobi journey. 'A shinobi must see the hidden meanings within the hidden meanings.' My opinion on this rule is to understand the root of the cause of an action, like when figures out an enemies true plans and then discovers the truth behind what drives them. It is these truths that help us to understand how to prevent the same problems for the future" he explained and looked at each of the others as he paused to think about appropriate responses for the other rules.

"For my clan, 'A shinobi must follow their commander's instructions,' is one of the most important rule of them all. My father always told me how important it is to understand that obeying your commander may lead to a victory out of the crushing jaws of defeat. I do find this rule hard to follow, but I will try to do as best as I can. 'A shinobi must prepare before it is too late to.' This has always been my motto in my ninja training, preparation for a situation is always a necessity and could save your life on a dangerous mission, and it is always excellent to have a back up plan in case disaster happens. This rule is my second favorite" Ozuko explained with a smile.

"Finally the last rule, 'A shinobi must never show any weakness.' This is the most important rule for me, showing any weakness could spell your doom and may determine whether you comeback alive or dead. Any shinobi that doesn't take precautions to hide their weaknesses and who don't knows their limitations will normally end up slaughtered. I always try to take precautions and hope that my stubbornness doesn't show any openings in my combat style" he told them and crossed his arms. He was proud with how he answered the question and was somewhat glad that they were moving on to more training. When his sensei asked if they had any questions he smirked.

"Yes I do have one, what's the reward for wowing you with my clan's excellent Bloodline Technique" he asked arrogantly.

Turning to Ozuko, Tao raised an eyebrow and tilted his head slightly, trying to measure him out. What was up with this guy? He was quite clearly arrogant, and he had based his life around the rules laid out before him. Tao listened to his sensei's response and would do as she said, but he wasn't about to completely stride against his own ways. However, she was right when she said that one was supposed to be open to changes, that's how you learn. Speaking of which, how would this go? Ozuko, he was a rather interesting individual. Tao placed a hand at his hip while eyeing his teammate, thinking about every possible outcome with this guy. He was obsessed with his own Kekkei Genkai, so much to the point where he thought it the main strength of the group. Not even Tao, someone who was a hundred percent reliant on his bloodline power was as arrogant as this kid. He reminded Tao of his mother. "Are you...serious...?" The boy finally spoke up, a faint frown forming on his face. "I've always condoned confidence. Be as strong as you can, and own it. But..." He shook his head. "Get your fuckin' head out of your ass. 'What's the reward', seriously? I've grown up around people like you, people who think the entire fuckin' world revolves around them. Do everyone a favour and put your feet back on the ground." It was quite obvious that Ozuko had struck a nerve on the smaller boy. "I don't know what your Bloodline Tech can do, but there is always a counter to it. People say the Sharingan is the fuckin' bomb but they burn just as easily as everyone else. Expressing your ideals is one thing but try to be a bit fuckin' respectful."

The boy would cross his arms and pout slightly, a very faint tuft of white fire leaving his nostrils as he did. "Reward...you should be strong for YOU, never ask someone else for a reward. Do you seriously need that approval? You know what that shows me? It shows me that you're insecure and you need someone else to confirm to you that you're a special snowflake. Snowflakes melt, you know. The only confirmation you need of your strength is the outcome of a fight, be it against someone else or against yourself. You're gonna' be a handful, aren't you?" Clenching his teeth for a moment, Tao breathed out and sighed. "And people call me full of myself...there are three things that piss me, three." He held up three fingers. "One, anyone threatening my freedom. Two, people who have convinced themselves that their victims and three...arrogant assholes. I can't count the number of arrogant idiots who have waved their bullshit in my face but in the end...they all shut the fuck up." The faint traces of flames licking Tao's body escalated slightly as he expressed himself. Once he was down however, they vanished and the boy would look towards their sensei. "Sorry..." He muttered, looking down on the floor.

Shingetsu had stayed quiet since her introduction. At first it was because she had no idea whatsoever how to react to Nagisa-sensei, especially the hugging, but she stayed silent because she had little to say to the others.

These are my teammates from now on... But I hardly know them. There's so much I have to find out about them... and I have to learn about them. I have to trust them with my life, and I can't do that until I know them.

Her thoughts were interrupted as Tao responded to Ozuko's attitude with an outburst of his own. Even as Tao backed off, she sensed that things could yet burst into a full-on fight between them. She stepped forward and fixed first Tao, then Ozuko with a level glare.

"Enough of that. We're a team now, and there's no room on a shinobi team for this... immature posturing. We'll all have plenty of time to prove our jutsus and bloodline techniques on the field of battle, so save it for the enemy."

She stepped back into place and bowed her head to Nagisa.

"I apologize for the interruption, Nagisa-sensei. I assure you that I have no intention of disobeying your rules in training, or your orders on the battlefield. I will do my best to make sure that my teammates keep a level head as well."

Kyoko let out a soft sigh as she let cool water run over her forearms while she washed her hands. She was just finishing up her shift at the Konoha hospital and she was excited to be leaving finally. Though she loved working there, she knew this was going to be one of the last times she'd be here in a while. An hour ago, a messenger nin had stopped by and given her a small scroll that was a message from Tsunade, saying that she was finally assigned a team. She'd been expecting it for a while now, but knowing didn't lessen her excitement much. As she finished washing her hands clean, she started her routine of properly wrapping her arms. She reached into her hip pouch and pulled a jar out. Inside was an ointment that smooths skin and reduces the harsh look of scars over time. She spread it over the burn scars on her forearms and palms a few times a day if she could, hopeful that they would fade in time, though they hadn't made much progress. Afterwards, she started to wrap some white bandages around them, when a medical ninja came and spoke to her.

"Kyoko-senpai, would you mind helping out with one more patient. The students are having a bit of trouble." he told her.

Pausing in her wrapping of her arms, she turned to look at the man and hesitated. "I kind of have to be somewhere..." she started, though sighed a moment later. "But I suppose I can take a quick look and show them what to do." she finished, nodding when the man smiled and thanked her. She hoped the process would only take a few minutes. She undid the wrappings at her hands but continued to cover up the rest of her scars, since she could still heal with just her hands exposed. The bright red blotchy scars on her forearms made Kyoko embarassed to have anyone see, so save for a few people, she kept them hidden from mostly everyone.

The process of helping the other students heal a man with a leg injury proved longer than she'd thought, though she refused to simply do it for them. She led the two girls step by step, being patient until they'd done it correctly. When she was done, she bid everyone a farewell and left.

Kyoko had to stop off at home and gather her equipment, though that didn't take much time, and before she knew it, she was all geared up. She made sure to take her sword and special gloves with her to help protect her arms before she left her small, lonely home. As she walked, she pulled her black gloves on and noticed her hands were shaking quite a bit. She clenched them into fists and willed herself to calm down. The mixture of excitement and nervousness made a sensation like butterflies start to form in her gut. She laughed at herself for being so silly and shook the feeling off. She wondered if they would perhaps be there waiting, and so she sped up her pace, going at a light jog as she made her way to the Academy.

Her home was not too far from the building thankfully, so she reached it in no time at all. Kyoko entered the building and looked around the familiar space. She reached into her hip pouch and checked the scroll she had, making sure she went to the correct room. When she made it there, she took a deep breath and reached out to push the door open, using both hands as she did. When she stepped inside, her eyes landed on the three boys who were casually waiting. They surprised her at first for a moment and she hesitated in her greeting. She was expecting three little squirts of students, but the three all appeared tall and mature looking, more so than her that was for sure. Smiling kindly, she reached up and rubbed the back of her head, the look on her face was apologetic.

"Sorry for being late. My name's Kyoko Suzumori. Hopefully you three didn't wait too long." she would say, reaching back behind her to close the door. She stepped over to the middle of the room and leaned her hip against the teacher's desk. "Let's not waste any more time. How about you three introduce yourselves. I want to know," she raised a hand and held up her thumb. "Your name," she extended her index finger next and said "Why you chose to become a shinobi, and lastly, what do you expect from your teammates and myself as your teacher." she finished, holding up her middle finger as the third one.

"There's not a wrong answer here, so answer truthfully." She tapped her chin for a moment, thinking she should go first, though she decided to wait.

The veins on Ozuko's forehead looked ready to burst and the boy eyes flashed with rage. He gritted his teeth and his anger rose. Ozuko was contemplating if it was time for a fight with his teammate to show who was more powerful and dominant. He was confident in his gravity release to beat this twerp and even he wasn't Ozuko would not allow this boy to talk to him like that.

"You had better watch that tongue of yours before I rip it out with gravity! I'll bring the weight of this entire village down on you with my power!" he snarled, Ozuko couldn't do either of those things, but he wasn't against using the threat as a form of intimidation. He completely ignored the boy's apology after Tao had ranted to him, and Ozuko was still furious even after making the threat. If this was the type of team he would have to deal with then being stronger and untouchable was the only way to win at this game of becoming a great shinobi. Deep down he knew that his arrogant words were foolish and immature, but his temper and stubbornness had molded into a strong metal shield that wouldn't be penetrated.

Shingetsu's words to both of them did at least manage to calm him down somewhat, but he was still rather pissed and he would probably be in a bad mood for the rest of the day. By my great ancestors, I hate these touchy ninja brats! he thought to himself angrily and continued to think about all of the destructive things he would do his enemies when he got stronger. Ozuko now made it his goal to never allow his teammates to outclass him, they were his rivals, but he would keep it to himself so that it didn't effect the team working together.

"I'm sorry for my arrogant words, but I will prove with everything that I have when my training is finished that Gravity Release is one of the best Kekkei Genkais in the world. I will see the Matabi become as legendary as the Senju, Hyuga and the Uchiha clans" he spoke to them with angry detirmination in his eyes. Ozuko was ready for hard training and bone-braking exorcises to gain in strnegth. I'm ready for whatever you can throw at me sensei.

'Welp.. Guess the rumors around the academy were true. Seems it will be trouble to get along with him.' Nori looked past Seiji to Daichi, who seemed to be lost in self-thought to even notice. 'Well, might as well try to break through to him and make this experience as cooperative as possible.' Nori looked back to Seiji, a small smile formed on his face. Nori completely ignored the "No shit." deciding it would be better to not question it and try to get to know his teammate on better terms. "Well, the names Nori Inuzaka, and this here is Mame.. So How about you? Wha-..

Nori was cut off by the sliding of the door, turning his head around he saw what would be his future Sensei. Nori eyed the lady up and down as she walked to the middle of the classroom, at first glance Nori could've swore she was a fellow student. Nori was sure he was taller, and weighed more than her, but the thought of her being a student was quickly dismissed as she started speaking. "Sorry for being late. My name's Kyoko Suzumori. Hopefully you three didn't wait too long." Nori shook his head, silently stating that they didn't wait too long."Let's not waste any more time. How about you three introduce yourselves. I want to know," First she put up a thumb, "Your name." Then putting up her index finger "Why you chose to become a shinobi, and lastly, what do you expect from your teammates and myself as your teacher." finishing off the list with her middle finger. "There's not a wrong answer here, so answer truthfully."

Nori raised his hand a little bit, indicating he was fine with going first. "Nori Inuzaka, and this is Mame." stating the two names once again. Nori then put his hand to his chin, rubbing on it a little bit seeming to be deep in thought. "I don't really know why I became a ninja. I was pushed into it by my family, but if I were to give a real reason it would probably be to protect the village and the people close to me." Nori then looked to his fellow teammates, then back to Kyoko-Sensei. "What I expect from you as my Sensei and what I expect from my teammates is as simple as my reason for becoming a ninja. I expect you guys to push me beyond my limits and make me as strong as I can be." Nori finished with a small smile, while petting Mame on the top of his head. "Or make us as strong as we can be." Nori looked down to Mame, who gave out a small bark while his tail started wagging.

Yes, in fact, Daichi had been preoccupied with certain thoughts while the two teammates talked amongst themselves. Specifically, he was going over what he, for sure, knew about his teammates. Seiju was much in the same boat as Daichi himself, and one of the stark few academy students to give Daichi even a bead of sweat. The red-haired ninja was a formidable taijutsu combatant, and whenever they trained the academy ninjutsu and such, Seiju also seemed very capable in channeling and controlling his chakra. Meanwhile, Nori was also good at taijutsu, from what Daichi remembered from observing in the weekly academic spars.

The boy didn't get along great with his dog, due to the arguing the two often participated in during class, but their relationship seemed healthy enough. Daichi didn't know much about the Inuzuka's relationship with canines, so he didn't know if the arguing was a good, or bad thing. Regardless, it definitely seemed as if their team had similar strengths, although Daichi wasn't sure of weaknesses. He, himself, was a close-quartered fighter, and was good with taijutsu, ninjutsu, stealth, and some weaponry combat - such as his tanto. His aim and reflexes were also incredibly impressive, and bolstered by his Sharingan. That made his weakness things related to his sensitive eyesight, and simply foes that were more experienced. Not to mention, those differing from his chakra type.

As his train of thought began to calm itself, Daichi was aware of Nori talking, and the fact that a woman, shorter than all of them, was currently occupying the room. Judging by her stature, she was most-likely their Jounin-Sensei, just a tad later than what was expected of her. Seeing as Nori had just finished talking, most-likely introducing himself, Daichi decided to make himself known. He didn't know the specifics of what she wanted, having been preoccupied with his thoughts, but he could just wing it. Introducing himself wasn't an incredibly important thing, after all.

"Daichi Uchiha," He began, his voice cool and apathetic as his dark black gaze drifted over to his sensei, meeting her own eyes. "I became a shinobi to protect the Uchiha clan and Konohagakure. Getting stronger and more skilled is the only way I can see that happening. I expect my teammates to have the motivation to get stronger, and I also expect you, sensei, to help us become stronger. I hope that this won't be a waste of time." Finished with his impromptu introduction, Daichi turned his eyes over to Seiju, leaning back in his seat and crossing his arms over his chest.

Seiji was surprised, the Inuzaka boy wasn't easily flustered, maybe he wasn't a complete waste of time. His teammate ignored what Seiji previously said and ins tea introduced himself. "Well, the names Nori Inuzaka, and this here is Mame.. So How about you? Wha-."

Nori... Turns out he did recognize that name from his Academy days. Seiji knew about the Inuzaka's style of fighting so he knew what Nori had to offer in the combat department but he never interacted with him at all. The only time he actually paid attention to Nori was during the spars they had to participate in at the Academy. Nori used that four legged technique, Seiji momentarily got mentally sidetracked thinking of ways he could use Feral Chakra to create a jutsu close to Nori's. He also knew that Nori had enhanced senses like himself also. Now that he thought about it, Suqad 13 would be a great sensory team. Two had enhanced senses and Daichi had the Sharingan.

But all in all, Seiji saw more competition in Daichi than Nori. The fact alone that the Inuzaka's only used canine based abilities while Seiji could mimic any animal showed that Seiji had more versatility. Daichi on the other hand, he was more on par with the Onoda. Those eyes of his, that was his true strength. Without those eyes he'd be your average shinobi, if that. From what he knew about the Sharingan, Daichi could predict movements, and cast illusions, and even copy techniques. Seiji knew that Daichi couldn't utilize all the Sharingan's abilities yet, but either way, he would be powerful.

Pulled out of his thoughts, it seemed that their sensei had finally arrived. It's about time, he thought to himself.

Seiji took in his sensei, observing everything. She was petite, and shorter than all of her apprentices, how ironic. It must be hard to by intimidating and be seen as a figure of power when the people you're supposed to be looking down upon loom over you. She actually looked quite young, maybe she was a prodigy and was stronger than she looked.

"Sorry for being late. My name's Kyoko Suzumori. Hopefully you three didn't wait too long." she would say, reaching back behind her to close the door. She stepped over to the middle of the room and leaned her hip against the teacher's desk. "Let's not waste any more time. How about you three introduce yourselves. I want to know," she raised a hand and held up her thumb. "Your name," she extended her index finger next and said "Why you chose to become a shinobi, and lastly, what do you expect from your teammates and myself as your teacher." she finished, holding up her middle finger as the third one.

Seiji stayed quiet as each of his teammates spoke, their words held true meaning in them. At least they are noble and respectable causes. When it was his turn to speak he took his time to think of what to say. "Seiji Onoda." He took a breath to mull over his reasons. "I want to protect those who need protecting and becoming a shinobi will help me do that. I also want to find out who my parents are, find out what my real clan is if they even still exist. I expect all of you to not hold me back and in turn I will do the same. It seems like you all are motivated to try your best, lets hope it stays that way. Sensei I hope that you can teach me what I need to know, as a jounin I trust you know what you're doing."

"Oh, no, it's fine. But, please try to look where you're going next time... Rushing things can lead to bad situations, and bad situations can lead to a lot of trouble... You're okay though, right?" Taibushi smiled slightly, partly because of his good fortunes of not being beaten, and partly because of her concern. "Yes, I'm fine. Thank you," He said as he got back onto his feet. This was beginning to seem odd, that he could actually speak to her without much thought, but he brushed it out of his mind as he finally got to see his new instructor.

The man had paler skin, much like his own and the genin standing next to himself, with jet black hair that while shorter than both of theirs, still had fair length to it. However when he caught the jounin's eyes he stopped. The hue of them was unique, he had never seen eyes like them in person, nor were they well spoken of such as the sharingan. He began to think back to various books he had read while learning more about the leaf after moving here with his father, but had his train of thought derailed by his instructor speaking.

"Well, at least two of you are here so we might as well begin. When the straggler comes I'll just have you two fill him in, explaining a second time would take too much effort. As you've no doubt deduced I'm to be your new instructor. My name is Mao of the Kagami clan and I'm quite pleased to meet both of you. Before becoming your instructor I served as part of an interrogation squad. I figured we might as well start off on the right foot, candy?"

Taibushi thought about it, and remembered, the Kagami clan, they were possessors of a blood line dojutsu. While not as flashy of fancy as others, it did give them remarkable resilience to genjutsu. Furthermore, the eyes would flare, their gold hue deepening when one was attempting to be used on them. That would be incredibly important to Taibushi. As his lack of skill in genjutsu left him quite vulnerable to the techniques himself, having an early warning system around could be quite handy.

"No thank you, I'm fine," the genin beside him responded to the offer of free sweets. Taibushi on the other hand was quite eager to get his hands on such things. He opened his mother to speak, "Um........ y-y-yes, I a-a-actua-a-aly would like some." His mouth snapped shut, and his eyes widened slightly as he directed his gaze towards the ground. "HOW, YOU WERE DOING SO WELL. YOU CAN JUST WALK UP TO RANDOM NICE LOOKING GIRLS AND PULL OFF NOT SOUNDING REDICULOUS BUT THEN YOU FLOUNDER IN FRONT OF YOUR INTRUCTOR!!!" he thought to himself angrily. he sort of shuffled forward sheepishly before lightly picking two out of the mans hand. "I-I-I'll take one for our o-o-other squa-a-admate," He always felt so ashamed when this stuff happened, how is one supposed to be a successful shinobi if they can't even speak properly. It make him look like a fool, and not anyone anybody should take seriously.

"Well then, now that you know a little about me let's hear what you have to say about yourselves. Why did you decide to join the Academy? What was your inspiration for becoming a ninja?" "Well, I-" "Actually, that might take too much time. . ." "Never mind…" The exchange between them went by uninterrupted by Taibushi. He would have liked to tell his tale, but frankly, after his sad display, he didn't feel much like talking either of them. He noted the genin's head turning to observe the door, and her sighed remark. Obviously social skills were not his forte, but he thought she seemed, disappointed? Maybe? he wasn't sure but his gut told him that was what it was. His chest ached slightly and he turned away from her. "I hope my pitiful display has not dissuaded her from talking to me. For whatever reason I can actually talk to her without issues, and it feels, nice...." his thought trailed away.

"Um........ y-y-yes, I a-a-actua-a-aly would like some."

With a smile the Jonin extended two of the candy pieces to his new subordinate, smiling all the while. This done, the elder ninja turned to gaze back towards the wall clock. Quickly doing some rough calculations regarding the time he came to a simple conclusion. "Well, it looks like our other squad mate won't be joining us today." The tone he used was matter-of-fact, neither cross nor unduly interested. For his part Mao was sure the young genin had a valid excuse for meeting such an important obligation, Mao was also sure he'd hear that aforementioned excuse in due time.

Having said these things the Jonin rose from his seat, four legs of the chair smacking back down onto the tiled floor with a loud 'Crack!' that was sure to draw the full attention of his two apprentices. "Now since we've got the pleasantries over with why don't we start out with a little test so I can get a measure on your abilities?" Mao was quick to move from the classroom, full expecting his genin to follow. As he passed Taibushi the Jonin extended a hand, fingers digging against the boy's hair as the elder male gave it an affectionate ruffle.



With their initial introductions completed Mao moved his squad out from the academy to the forested training area that bordered the edge of the village. Each of the new instructors had been granted a section for the next step in traditional ninja training: the bell test. For his part Mao had already visited his section of the training grounds before-hand and engaged in a little unfair activity. Due to his machinations the entire area save for the clearing where the group now stood was covered in an incalculable number of traps, pitfalls, and annoyances.

The clearing where the group finally came to rest was an open area surrounded on three sides by thick trees which expanded out into the vast endless forest that protected Konohagakure. In the center of this open area a few tables and sparse trees remained, as well as one of a number of memorials in remembrance of fallen Konoha shinobi.

"Alright let's see here, how is this supposed to go again. . ." Mao halted in the center of the area, right hand swiveling around towards his back pocket to produce a single arrow with two tiny bells attached to the end. Flipping the item over idly in his hand the metallic instruments rang out softly into the forested expanse which surrounded them. ". . . right. Usually this is done in groups of three, but since only two of you are here," Reaching up with his free hand Mao removed one of the bells, slipping it back into his pocket; "we'll just take this one away. Your other classmate can compete against the loser."

Motioning again towards the arrow Mao continued his explanation with the single remaining bell. "This is called the Bell test, its supposed to measure your ninja abilities and weed out those genin who aren't ready for practical missions. Failure in this test will mean being sent back to the academy." Although Mao's voice and expression hadn't changed since the classroom this shocking revelation at last brought some level of serious stoicism to them. "Genin are to attempt to take the bell from their instructor. Those who have a bell at the end of the allotted time period will pass, all others will fail."

With a simple jerk of his fingers the remaining bell was dislodged from its place on the arrow and re-attached to the inside edge of Mao's utility vest. The vest itself was not as heavy or expansive as a typical flak jacket meaning that the Jonin would likely be carrying significantly fewer tools that normal. In addition the only armament the two genin could see was Mao's unstrung bow which was propped up against a nearby tree. "Now, I want you both to come at me with everything you have. Attack me with the intent to kill!" These words seemed immediately at odds with the laidback nature of Mao's personality, unfortunately this was simply the way things were. Shifting his body weight lower the Jonin took on a semi-rigid stance, alert but still mostly relaxed, and waited for his students to approach.

Once their so-called introductions were completed, Asuka and the boy who's name she didn't know followed the pale skinned man towards the training ground, and area surrounded by a protective barrier of forest. After the mention of this little 'test' her new teammates were going to have to complete, the girl was already alert and on the lookout for anything unusual. Anything could go wrong at any moment, and any ninja, be it a Genin or a high ranking Jonin like Mao himself, should always be ready for that. Ears sharp and eyes taking in her surroundings, Asuka readied herself, clutching the sheath of her katana with her left hand as they approached the center of the clearing.

". . . right. Usually this is done in groups of three, but since only two of you are here, we'll just take this one away. Your other classmate can compete against the loser."

Asuka thought to herself. Only one bell? Just what sort of test was to come?

Mao-sensei continued his explanation, a single bell dangling from his fingers. "This is called the Bell test, it's supposed to measure your ninja abilities and weed out those genin who aren't ready for practical missions. Failure in this test will mean being sent back to the academy."

Sent back to the Academy? Even though I highly doubt this could happen to us, it's still a possibility… With that in mind, I can't take this test, or this Jonin lightly. I have to be careful.

As the man resumed his explanation, the girl continued to ponder. So the main goal is to retrieve one bell from our instructor in the limited time we're given to pass the test… and those who don't, fail… To be honest, I find this rather confusing. Why is he only holding one bell when there's two of us?

Asuka observed the area once again. Just a few meters away from the group, she spotted a small wooden bow placed against a tree. No wonder he was carrying an arrow with him… It seemed to Asuka that her sensei had some experience with a bow and arrow. The extent of how experienced her sensei was with it though was something Asuka had no knowledge of whatsoever.

All the more reason to keep track of Mao-sensei's movements.

"Now, I want you both to come at me with everything you have. Attack me with the intent to kill!"

Attack with the intent to kill… was he actually serious about this? This Mao man was of a higher rank than Asuka and the boy who's name she didn't know, and even as a prideful member of the Koizumi clan, Asuka knew fully well that her sensei's strength outmatched her own. Still, the girl took her teacher's words into account, trying to think of something, anything she could possibly do to defeat this man. Mao's stance changed, and so did Asuka's, both of them ready and prepared for each others attacks. Asuka wasn't paying too much attention to the boy who's name she didn't know, deciding to let him do his own thing for the time being. Her amber eyes narrowed, almost glaring into Mao's mysterious golden ones. Her right hand was ready to grab the hilt of her sword at any given moment, whether she would have to strike or block any type of offensive attack.

I have no idea what Mao-sensei's strategy to keep the two of us away from that bell is, but with what he said earlier, it might be best to strike head on. After I attack him, I might just be able to predict what type of fighter he is: either close or long range, depending on how well his skills in taijutsu are. Once that's done, I can form a strategy from there.

With that said, Asuka unsheathed her sword, running towards Mao at normal speed. It was when she was at least a meter away from him that she suddenly disappeared, appearing at least two meters behind her sensei. It was a simple trick that the Koizumi clan practised on a daily basis. A sudden outburst of chakra in her feet was all Asuka needed to feint her opponent and 'disappear' from their sight. Raising her sword, Asuka sped towards Mao, her tied hair billowing behind her.

Almost there!

But before Asuka could reach him, the ground suddenly gave away under her feet, making her fall into the pit with a rather loud 'kya' shriek.

The exchange between her students was an unexpectedly heated one to say the least. As the two boys gave each other a piece of their mind, Shingetsu stepped up and demanded the two save it for the field. Nagisa liked the girl's natural instinct to keep the other two in their place. When they all apologized, Nagisa just smirked.

"There's nothing wrong with being proud of who you are." she told them, stepping past the three and going to open the door, reaching out and sliding it open. "Rest assured, every day from this point on, you'll only get better. But to do that, you'll have to learn to work as a team. No shinobi can progress without help."

She looked out of the door, cautiously waiting as if she was looking out for something... or someone. She gestured for her students to follow her out of the room and she began to make the walk to the front entrance of the Academy. When the doors came in sight, she sighed happily and rose the cigarette in her hand to her mouth. Maybe next time she'd have a chance to-

"NAGISA!" she heard from down the hall, the familiar woman's voice made her speed up in her walking until she felt a heavy object hit the back of her head. She stumbled forward but kept on her feet, though her cigarette was knocked out onto the floor. Angry, she turned around, ready to yell at the woman behind her.

"What the hell--" she started, but was cut off by a ruler hitting her square in the face. It left a bright red mark in the center of her face, though she didn't care about that. Blinking, she glared at the short, chubby woman before her, pissed that the hag had to show up at such a time. The woman had hair that matched hers in color, with a few long grey strands mixed in, though the hair on the woman was so long that it dragged on the ground behind her feet. Though... that could be attributed by her short stature.

"Hello mother, just the person I was avoiding." she said bitterly.

"You ungrateful child! After all I've done for you! I birthed you, raised you, fed you, everything you needed, I did for you, and now that you're all grown up, you can't even manage to come and visit me anymore! I'm old! I could flop over and die soon, and you won't even come to see me!" the woman complained, taking the ruler and whacking Nagisa a few times.

"Cut it out! I don't have time for this you old hag! I'm busy these days!"

"Busy!? Lee tells me all you do is sleep and eat all day! And you call me an old hag again, I'll rip your tongue out your throat."

"Hn. When have you even seen Lee?" she said, crossing her arms.

"Unlike you, he come's by for dinner every so often." the woman said, pouting and turning, seeming to then notice the three Genin. "Hm, what are these three doing here?"

Nagisa sighed and looked sadly at the wasted cigarette on the floor before kneeling to pick it up. "These are my new students. I'm a squad leader now. This is Tao, Ozuko, and Shingetsu." she would say, gesturing to each of them. Her mother gave them a look over and shook her head. "I wish you three the best of luck. You're going to need it." she would say, starting to walk off. Nagisa glared at the woman's back as she walked away.

"Come by for dinner tonight," she called. "I'm making you're favorite stew."

Blinking, Nagisa turned and crossed her arms. "Fine. I'll be there by eight."

Looking at her students, she waved them forward. "Sorry about the delay, let's head out."

Walking out of the school ahead of them, she dropped the dirty cigarette in a nearby trash can and started to walk towards the training fields. As Lee spotted her, he pranced over to her side and looked up at her.

"It's time now, isn't it?" he asked her, and she nodded.

"Yep. Time for you to earn your keep, damn cat."

---

As Nagisa led the three students to the training field, she noticed that her area was gifted with a pond. Nice for her students if they utilized it well. The area was wide and had a good amount of surrounding trees, and the next training field was surely at least a few hundred yards away away, given these places were very spread apart. This would give the students a good example of an actual battle field and an idea of how little space would be available when in the field. The perfect place to test their skills.

"I always wonder how they keep these fields so well maintained. You wouldn't believe how many people have wrecked this place while training." she said, mostly to herself, but loud enough for them to hear her. She stopped at the center of the clearing and turned to the three. "Alright twerps, here's how this shit's gonna work," she started. She reached into her hip pouch and pulled out a small collar, though in her hand was also a pair of bells connected by a thin ribbon. She held them up for her students to see as she continued, stepping closer to them. "Not sure what the official name for this is, but this will be your official final test. See, you three may have graduated from the Academy, but as your sensei, you'll need my approval before you're truly considered ninja. This will be your final test, and if you pass, you'll get to train under me. If you fail, then its back to the Academy for you." she smirked. "So I suggest you pay attention, cause I won't be repeating myself."

She knelt down and gestured for Lee to come to her, which he did, leaving his place next to Tao's leg. She reached out to pet his ears for a moment before tying the two bells to the collar and securing it around the ninneko's neck. As she stood, Lee hopped up onto the center of three logs that were used for target practice, and sat there casually.

"Right, so here's what we're doing." she said, taking a step back and standing between them and Lee. "You have until sundown to get those bells from 'round Lee's neck there. Seems easy enough, since I think he just plans to lie there the entire time. Two bells means only two of you get to move on and train under me, and the one who doesn't get a bell will be sent back to the Academy. Thing is, it won't be simple as that. You'll have to go through me if you want to get a bell, but I am fairly certain that alone, none of you will even be able to touch me. So, I advise you to work as a team." she told them, cracking a grin.

"Fun right, working together even knowing one of you will fail and be sent home? This kind of thing gets me really pumped." she said, letting out a laugh after. "Oh, and I would tell you the rules..." she paused, thinking for a moment. "If at sundown, none of you have attained a bell, you'll all be sent back to the Academy. If at sundown, only one bell is taken, I will still send all of you back to the Academy. That means that both bells must be taken by sundown, else all three of you will fail and be sent on your way."

"That's harsh." Lee said, stretching out on the log and closing his eyes.

Nagisa turned to him and scoffed. "Ours was worse."

"True." he said simply.

"Any words of advice?" she asked him.

The black cat opened one eye and looked at the three. "Nagisa is afraid of water." he would say, closing it back and seeming to fall into a cat nap.

Blinking, Nagisa's face turned a bit red. "That's hardly something useful." she mumbled, looking back at her students. "Right then, when you're ready, come at me with all you've got." she would say, pushing a bit of hair back from her face. This was going to be exciting.

"She's being, serious..." Tao clenched his teeth lightly as he listened to their sensei, noting every word she spoke as if it was the difference between life and death. What would she possibly gain from breaking up the team? This had to be a joke, she couldn't hope to have a fully functioning ninja team with only two people. Then again, she could just put someone else in where the failure would be sent back. Either way, she was correct when she said that the only way through this was teamwork. Wether they all failed or lost, they would do so together. One of them would be left behind, what could that be compared to? A sacrifice? Would one of them sacrifice themselves for the others to move on? Tao had always believed that if put in a situation where he could save the others by offering himself to the god of death, he would. It was time to prove that those words were not empty, but rather filled with the same fiery passion that drove him.

The boy narrowed his eyes as he watched the woman standing in front of them, nearly mocking her genin with the rules she laid out before them. One would lose, or everyone would lose. One would be sacrificed, or none would continue. If this was her plan, Tao would need to run with it. He didn't like it at all, of course. Had he come this far only to fall beneath the weight of test that had no rate of success? Clenching his fists, the boy remained surprisingly calm, trying to analyse the situation through and through. "Show no weakness, right...?" The words swirled around his mind like a bouncing ball. "See the hidden within the hidden..." The true purpose of this test was to put the mission before one's own personal desires, that much was obvious. One must be willing to make sacrifices to be a ninja, and Tao was ready to take that step. He was sure that the other two shared his views, especially the frantic fool Ozuko. Speaking of which, would he let teamwork have its way here or would he attempt to go at this by himself?

Ozuko's attacks would greatly damage their sensei's equilibrium if they were successful, leaving Shingetsu to use her water techniques on the pond over there. Wether Ozuko's attack would be successful or not, she'd try to avoid Shingetsu's water attack which would be where Tao would send a firebolt in her direction. Of course, being as powerful as she is, their sensei would manage to dodge the firebolt wether it went straight for her or the ground beneath her feet. That's why the bolt would head for the water and create a cloud of boiling steam to temporarily stun Nagisa for a brief second. That second would be long enough for the team to temporarily neutralise their teacher in hopes of getting past her if only for a moment to get the bells. The idea could work, but unless the attacks were executed in synch and with precise timing, the whole plan would go to hell. Tao knew very little of his teammates' special abilities, all he knew was the little he had seen at the academy. He knew enough to note their signature feats however and that was enough to establish a team strategy no matter how weak at the moment. "Guys, listen..." The boy breathed out, looking to his teammates before sharing his plan. "Ozuko, try to get her off balance, distract her long enough for Shingetsu to strike with water. I'll make sure to create a sauna hot enough to keep Sensei busy for a second. You two can use that opening to get the bells...whatever happened back in the classroom, let's do this right. If we fail, let's at least be remembered as genin who gave it their all." A small smile stretched across his lips as he spoke to his teammates in a soft, quiet whisper. "We can resume our drama later, Ozuko. For now, let's pretend we're best friends..." He grinned as swirling flames gathered in his palm to create a glowing ember.

As soon as the genin launched herself Mao was ready, form lowering itself closer to the ground as he prepared for the coming assault. In a single deft movement the Jonin's right hand was elevated, fingers pressed against the underside of a second of the four pouches on his utility vest, preparing to withdraw the scroll within. Unfortunately, he was only about halfway through this motion when Asuka drew into range. "For a genin she's fast!" The rate of movement took the elder ninja a little by surprise, especially when, in those final ten meters, she all but disappeared.



A moment before Asuka's strike was launched Mao picked up her chakra, twisting his body rapidly to get into a position to defend. He hadn't anticipated this sort of intensity. "Iruka, what kind of monster genin are you training?!" In a flash of cold steel Asuka's blade descended upon him, Mao's hands rising in a preparatory motion. There was no time left, he was going to have to catch the sword!

But just as rapidly as the threat materialized it once again vanished. Asuka's footfalls finally tripped one of the area's many pitfalls, the very earth beneath her giving way to her unexpected weight. As his student fell into the trapped hole Mao reflected upon the attack and its results. As for Asuka, her predicament was nowhere near as bad as it could have been. The hole in which she now stood was about nine to ten feet deep and, if Mao had been serious, would have been rigged with a combination movement restriction seal and explosive tags. Fortunately for the young genin though these latter additions were absent.

Breathing a sigh of relief Mao lowered his hands, relaxing just enough to wipe away a bead of sweat. "Mao-Sensei lecture number one. . . always be aware of your surroundings." After that last attack his playful tone had dropped away to something considerably more serious, shining golden eyes finally reflecting the true shinobi nature within. "Since you've already fallen victim I suppose I'll tell you that the entire training area is rigged with obstacles. If you charge in head-long without a sensory-type as proper support your only going to keep running into them."

Turning, the bell on Mao's jacket gave out a tiny ring as the sensei focused his attention towards Taibushi. "Now then, I suppose your next." Lifting his hands Mao's fingers intertwined themselves, performing two handseals in rapid succession, 'snake, rat'. The motions of his hands molding the chakra flowing through his system into his eyes, channeling it into his Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique. This genjutsu, despite the horrific name, was an extremely basic D-ranked illusion, barely above academy level, that drew out from the victim an image from their nightmares. While doing no physical harm it was great for throwing the opponent off balance. The reason this technique was D-ranked was because it was incredibly easy to dispel once the victim realized they'd been caught in a genjutsu, requiring only a single hand-sign to release.

She listened to each of the Genin's introduction in turn and looked at the three of them with a small smile. It was clear the three boys had clear goals and were focused. Kyoko wanted to see just how determined they were, but only time would tell.

The first two to introduce themselves were the Inuzuka and Uchiha boys. Both names were of clans she knew well, who were important to the village for the kind of exceptional shinobi they produced. Her interest went up when the third one spoke and said he was still searching for his clan. She didn't recognize his last name, so she assumed it was one she was unfamiliar with. Though it was clar that his determination was on par with the other two. Crossing her arm, she stepped away from the desk.

"Well Nori, Daichi, Seiji," she started, looking at each of them. "I'll do everything I can to make sure you reach your goals. As my students, I expect you to work hard, no matter how tough things get. I may not look it, but I can be pretty harsh when I'm passionate about something, or I see someone give up when they haven't reached their limit yet. Patience and perseverance are key, and I have a feeling that's something you three have. You'll need it."

She reached into her hip pouch and pulled out a small black box. She tossed it into the air a few times, catching it as she thought about her next words. "Even though you three all graduated and are officially Genin, there is one more... "test" of sorts that I am required to give you. In this box will be the reward for those who pass." she told them, smiling and putting it back into her pouch. "If the curiosity is not enough to make you want to pass, there's something else." she would continue, though the smile on her face faded and she gave them a serious look. "Whether you pass or fail this test determines if you will continue on as a Genin, or return to the Academy." she let that sink in for a moment before making a thumbs up.

"Alright, let's head out to the training field. I'll be giving the test there." she would say, turning and walking towards the door.

---

A loud yawn escaped Kyoko's mouth as they arrived at an available training field. This particular area had a large grassy clearing like all the others, but just like the others, it had some unique quality to it. This one was to the west and north, a large, thick forest, but to the east, a vast rocky expanse with large boulders and a hard, dry ground. There was no pond, but the sound of water was faint, as if there were a small stream nearby. Konoha did great with using the training grounds to accurately portray fields and such, which was always a great thing for training. As Kyoko yawned again, she brought a hand up to cover her mouth before turning to her students.

"That was a far walk, wasn't it?" she stated as a question. Though she didn't expect an answer, she paused briefly before continuing. "I'll be administering the test here in this area. Should be plenty of space for us to play, yeah?" she said, giving another look around before starting to stretch her arms out. "Well, the rules are simple. You three have to fight me." she stated simply. "Though, there just a bit more to it than that." Again she would reach into her pouch, but this time, she pulled out two small bells attached by ribbon, and twirled them around in her hand.

"Your goal is to get these bells from me, and I'm not allowed to make it easy. During the test, I'll be carefully watching how the three of you do in stressful situations. In this instance, combat. I'll be looking at how well you can work together, but also, how you are different. Show me what makes you special." she said, giving them a wink and smiling. "Oh, but only two of you can pass, hence the two bells. One of you will, unfortunately, fail. This is to weed out the weakest one of the group." she added nonchalantly, tapping her chin afterwards. She thought for a moment, wondering if she forgot anything.

"Time limit is sundown. So you have quite some time to try and get a bell. If none of you manage to get one then... well, I suppose the Uchiha, Inuzuka, and Onoda produced an incompetent shinobi. In which case, you three will probably end up disgracing your clans. I've done it, it's not so bad. Just the constant feeling of never being good enough nags at you." she said, taunting them. She hoped those words would light a bit of fire in them. They'd need it.

Reaching up, she tied the thin ribbon with the bells on it securely around her neck, making a double knot at the end. "The worst thing you can do here in underestimate me. I'm going to be piecing you three back together if you don't come at me with the intent to kill. And, I'll admit, my medical skills aren't good enough to reattach full limbs." she told them. Her left hand went to the lower part of her sword where she kept the handle. Normally, people would keep the handle of their swords at the top, but facing downwards always made it easier to draw in her opinion. Her fingers tightened around the cool surface of it.

"When you're ready, you may begin."

Before she could react, Asuka was sent plummeting down into the ten foot deep pit, landing on her back with a rather loud 'oomph'. It took her a few seconds for her to take in what had just happened, and, when she did, the young Koizumi couldn't help but feel downright embarrassed. Her lightly bruised face reddened as she sat herself up, using her sword to get her back on her feet.

To believe I managed to fall for such a simple trap! What am I, stupid? This is not good at all... I've just disgraced myself in front of Mao-sensei and... Hold on a minute... I don't even know my teammate's name either? Just how awful can I get? I'm not able to notice the simplest of traps, I scream like a little girl once I fall into said trap and I just found out I don't even know what my other teammate's name is. If my grandparents were to find out about this entire ordeal... I'm such a disgrace to the Koizumi family name!

Asuka dusted herself off, patting at the dirt on her kimono top. She stared up to see what was going on from above ground, hearing her sensei mutter a few words.

"Mao-Sensei lecture number one. . . always be aware of your surroundings. Since you've already fallen victim I suppose I'll tell you that the entire training area is rigged with obstacles. If you charge in head-long without a sensory-type as proper support your only going to keep running into them."

So the area was rigged with traps and all sorts. Asuka was actually quite surprised. Even though this was a Jonin she was fighting against here, she had to admit that her sensei's traps were extremely well hidden. She knew it now. This man was not to be taken lightly in the slightest.

All right, just calm yourself Asuka, calm down. We're learning a lot from our mistakes here. One, we've managed to learn that this area is covered with traps and all sorts. And two… I need to learn to never underestimate my opponent ever again. He's a Jonin for crying out loud. No ninja should ever go into battle without observing the situation and the person first!

Looking down towards the hard earth beneath her, Asuka began to strategize. She had to use her hits here. If he had set up traps across the entire training ground, then Asuka was sure that Mao-sensei was most likely a more tactical fighter than a offensive one. However, she remembered the moment when he had managed to swivel around fast enough to actually see her going in for the attack. Even if he was a more strategic ninja, Asuka took his incredibly fast reflexes into consideration.

Since the entire area is filled with hidden traps and such, it's best if we try to disarm as many as we can. Me and… the boy can throw as many shuriken and kunai towards the ground around us and see how many traps are set off. That way, we'll be able to worry less about falling into pits and getting blown up by explosive tags, and instead worry about taking one of those bells that Mao-sensei has attached to him.

Asuka had to be much quicker than this. If she was on a real battlefield, the girl would be as good as dead right about now. It didn't matter how fast she could make herself. If she couldn't devise a simple plan in the midst of battle, then she would be killed in an instant. Of course, she wasn't keen on that happening to her. Although fighting physically and mentally at the same time was a difficult task, practise does make perfect. As of now, this entire test was great practise. The whole thing wasn't just about 'how fast can you beat your sensei up', it was getting the students to actually think with their brains rather then their fists. With that in mind, Asuka continued to formulate and strategize whilst Mao-sensei was attacking her other teammate above ground.

The whole disarming strategy seems good… But even so, there's still a catch to it. If I were to throw every weapon I had at Mao-sensei, sure, the traps would be set off, but, it would make it harder to move around. Even with my speed, I'm not able to dodge such small things like shuriken and spikes that easily, so everyone's movements will be restricted. Or, I may be able to summon Yukino and get her to attack from above… No, that would take up too much chakra. One Wind Surfing jutsu won't be enough to weaken Mao-sensei completely, and my chakra pool is small enough as it is. Or, I stick with the disarming strategy, but instead of staying in the middle after everything has been set off, I can run outside the range of where the weapons have been thrown. Then, I can use my speed to throw all the kunai and shuriken away somewhere else, similar to my Crimson Spring Breeze technique in a way. Yes, that could work.

Finally, with the entire plan thought out in her head, Asuka sheathed her sword, crouching down and focusing her chakra into her feet. This strategy was going to work. It had to work.

With one light jump, Asuka was sent flying into the air, her controlled chakra amplifying the girl's spring. However, as soon as she was a good few meters up in the air, she noticed that her teacher was performing some sort of jutsu against her teammate. A genjutsu perhaps?

As she fell, Asuka threw all the small weapons she carried in her pouch and threw them across the entire clearing in a distorted spiral pattern. Suddenly, she stopped. Her bright eyes widened in realization as she started to fall to the ground.

However, as soon as she was a good few meters up in the air, she noticed that her teacher was performing some sort of jutsu against her teammate. A genjutsu perhaps?

If the boy who's name she didn't know was under some sort of genjutsu... then there was almost no chance of him being able to evade Asuka's attack.

Dammit! I didn't even think about the other boy… He's going to be hit for sure-

Asuka hissed in pain as she crashed to the ground, not being able to soften her landing in any way. She tried to pick herself up again, but as she used her right hand to support her, pain surged through her arm, making her fall to the floor again. It was just one mistake and misfortune after another… Things weren't going too well for the young Koizumi.

My mind is in a complete mess… This shouldn't be going as badly as it is! Is that boy even alive anymore? Was he hit?… I can't even see from this position... Oh, just how worse can things get? Falling into a ten foot deep pit seemed bad enough, but attacking my own teammate without thinking… Just how stupid am I?

Asuka looked around, pulling herself up. The girl was sweating buckets from all this pressure and the numerous amount strategies swarming her head. She had thought and moved carelessly and recklessly, not even taking the welfare of her teammate into consideration. Her head was just in complete shambles. Asuka wasn't usually like this… How could such a simple test turn the often calm and collected girl into someone so confused and… well, sweaty?

I can't even think straight right now… Just what the hell am I supposed to do? I've only set off a few traps from what I've seen from above, and who knows how many or how few traps Mao-sensei has set up? Am I over thinking things or just making up plain bad strategies on the spot? No, I just have to calm myself down. Yes. As long as I stay calm and not pressurize myself, things won't go as badly. Hopefully.

Staggering to her feet, Asuka observed the Mao vs The boy who's name she didn't know scene from afar, catching her breath as she clutched her right arm tightly.

Come on… If you're not dead, at least move, please!

After a few minutes of walking behind their Sensei, the group ended in a very large clearing that was surrounded by large trees to one side and large boulders to the other. Nori crossed his arms, eyeing his surroundings then looking back to Kyoko as she spoke. "That was a far walk, wasn't it?" Nori didn't answer during her brief pause, as she started to speak again. "I'll be administering the test here in this area. Should be plenty of space for us to play, yeah?" Their Sensei spread out her arms wide, streching them out. "Well, the rules are simple. You three have to fight me." she stated. "Though, there just a bit more to it than that."

Nori cocked an eyebrow at his Sensei as she pulled out two bells and twirled them in her hand, continuing to speak as she did. She went over the basic rules of the test, explaining how the students were to try and take the bells from her, the catch however was that only two of the students could pass the test as their were only two bells.

"Time limit is sundown. So you have quite some time to try and get a bell. If none of you manage to get one then... well, I suppose the Uchiha, Inuzuka, and Onoda produced an incompetent shinobi. In which case, you three will probably end up disgracing your clans. I've done it, it's not so bad. Just the constant feeling of never being good enough nags at you." Kyoko seemed to be taunting them, trying to get a rise out of one of the genin. Nori knew better than to fall for one of her tricks, one of the first lessons he learned in the academy was never let the enemy get in your head. Nori smirked while bending down to Mame and petting him on his head.

"The worst thing you can do here in underestimate me. I'm going to be piecing you three back together if you don't come at me with the intent to kill. And, I'll admit, my medical skills aren't good enough to reattach full limbs." Nori listened to these words carefully, some advice was given in that sentence while she continued to also taunt the genin. "When you're ready, you may begin." Those were the last words she said as she reached down to the handle of her sword, ready for any attack that was going to be thrown her way.

Nori reached into his pouch, pulling out a couple shruikens while he whispered to Mame. "Listen I think I have a plan, I need you to cooperate for it to work, think you can do that?" Mame gave out a little bark, as Nori started filling him in on the plan. "I will distract her from above while you go for the bells, you got that buddy?" Mame gave out another bark, as Nori then sprinted off towards Kyoko. Nori eyed down his Sensei as he jumped into the air, only a few meters away from her. Nori threw both his shruikens at Kyoko, while Mame jumped towards her trying to get the bells that were around her neck.

Kyoko watched silently, waiting for one of the Genin to make a move, her left hand tightening around the handle of her sword a few times. She was unsure how good these three were, and knew it would be a mistake to underestimate them. Finally, when one of them moved, the Inuzuka boy, she smiled.

"Right, show me what you got." she said.

A well timed attack was what it was. Kyoko's eyes moved between Nori and his companion, wondering who was going to make the first move, and when Nori jumped into the air, she immediately took a step back. She heard the sound of shuriken wizzing through the air, and at the same time, his dog was charging her head on. Quickly, she weaved some handseals, her movements all but a blur, and in a split second, her right hand would erupt into a spark of purple lightning chakra.

"Chidori Senbon!"

Making a slashing movement with her hand, from the purple sparks a flurry of senbon shaped chakra flew out towards the two. The shuriken were easily deflected, and Kyoko imagined the dog would be in a bit of a pinch if he didn't move out of the way quickly.

A moment later, the sparks around her hand faded, and a smile formed on her face. So, the Genin was at least using his head. That was a good sign. Tactics always prevail over brute force. "Nice try. If I was a fellow Genin, that attacked might have worked on me. But keep in mind, I've been doing this for years. You're going to need to think outside of the box. Do something I've never seen before and catch my by surprise." she would say, offering some advice. She figured she could make this more than a test and actually teach the boys something.

Again her left hand went to her sword as she waited for the next move. Though she kept her eyes on the Inuzuka boy and his dog, she hadn't forgotten the presence of the other two observing Genin.

Nori was still in the air as Kyoko knocked away both his shurikens effortlessly, one of the shurikens seemed to be making a line for Mame. "Mame, Watch out!" The dog instantly obeyed the command, which was a rare occurence between the two. Mame jumped to the right of Kyoko, a few meters away from her. Nori landed infront of Kyoko only a couple paces away from her, She said right to him, offering some advice on how to get to her. Nori jumped back a couple meters before looking to Mame, and giving him a little nod. Nori got down on the ground, blue chakra seemed to go over his entire body.

"Four-Legs Technique!

Nori's teeth and nails grew in length, as he took off toward Kyoko. Mame folllowed up on the attack by jumping towards Kyoko as well, attempting to grab the bells again as Nori tried to face Kyoko head on. Nori threw a quick claw down on top of Kyoko, attempting to hit her across the chest. Mame jumped on over the claw in another attempt to grab the bells.

Kyoko was expecting another well timed attacked between the boy and his dog, but what she wasn't prepared for was the speed with which Nori had rushed her. The distance between them being small, she had little time to react. Her first instict was to draw her sword, but that would do little if she couldn't completely get it out of its sheath in time. With no time to think of anything else, Kyoko decided she'd just have to dodge and counter with an attack and move positions.

Leaning backwards as Nori made a slash at her chest, she quickly brought her hands together and created a clone to her right. Kyoko allowed herself fo fall back on to the grass to avoid the attack and let her clone do the work of countering. It gathered chakra in it hand as it made a fist and lashed out, punching the boy in the side of his face. It released the chakra stored in its hand at that moment, making the punch hurt that much more, but not enough to cause much damage. The goal was to show him that if he left himself open, he'd be hit with a surprisingly powerful attack. If he were to continue his attacks using quick taijutsu, he'd have to think a few steps ahead.

Rolling to the side, Kyoko drew her sword out as her clone vanished in a puff of smoke. She'd just narrowly missed the attack of his dog who was still trying to charge at her, and she wondered if Nori's dog was one that simply followed orders, or one that attacked on its own. If it was the latter, she'd have to be quicker on her feet. Momentarily she glanced at the other two Genin, a bit wary as to why they hadn't stepped in yet.

"Nice. Even better than the first one since you managed to surprise me enough to hesitate. That's good. Now do it again." she told him, her tone of voice was serious, though there was genuine praise in it.

Nori was surprised by the strength of the punch he recieved. The punch sent Nori back a couple feet, landing down on the ground hard. Nori put his hand over his cheek, a instant reaction from the strength put into it. Going into a sitting postition, Nori looked at Mame try to grab the bells only to be dodged as Kyoko stepped back to dodge him. Mame gave up on the bell chase and walked back over to his owner. Still a little dizzy from the punch, Nori put his other hand on Mame and started to pet him on the head. "Thanks for finally listening to me boy. You have been doing good so far." Nori smiled to his dog for a bit, before looking back to Kyoko. But I believe we will need to try harder if we are going to get those bells.

Taibushi Modobo

"Well, it looks like our other squad mate won't be joining us today. Now since we've got the pleasantries over with why don't we start out with a little test so I can get a measure on your abilities?" Mao-sensei said and began walking out the door. As he passed, he ruffled Taibushi's hair, the sudden show of lighthearted affection lifting his spirits. "So he's not disappointed in me it would appear," he thought to himself. He turned and followed his instructor out the door along with the other genin, eager to prove to his Sensei that he was worthy.

After a while of walking, along the way not much was said, they made it into a clearing just outside the village, the forest surrounding all other sides. Near the middle of the clearing, there was a memorial for the fallen shinobi whom had come before. Breaking away from the other two for a moment, Taibushi stopped before it. He kneeled before it, bowing, his forehead almost touching the ground, palms place flat upon that same ground. It was a position of total submission, total respect. "Thank you. I am proud to be counted amongst you, and I will not let you down," he said softly. He stood and broke into a light jog to catch up with the others. He pondered on how ironic it was, that his journey as a shinobi would start in a place that it must, inevitably, end.

Following the other two slightly further, Mao-sensei stopped and turned to face them. ". . . right. Usually this is done in groups of three, but since only two of you are here, we'll just take this one away. Your other classmate can compete against the loser. This is called the Bell test, its supposed to measure your ninja abilities and weed out those genin who aren't ready for practical missions. Failure in this test will mean being sent back to the academy. Genin are to attempt to take the bell from their instructor. Those who have a bell at the end of the allotted time period will pass, all others will fail." Taibushi's eyes widened at this statement, "WHAT!?!? How can this be, I've already washed out twice, is he being serious that I can still end up back there?" Mao-sensei re attached the bell to his utility jacket and continued, "Now, I want you both to come at me with everything you have. Attack me with the intent to kill!"

Before Taibushi could even react to his newfaound, if quite bewildering, orders, he fellow genin took off. She was clutching a katana, still sheathed at he hip. "Really, just running head long at him, what in the hell could this woman be thinking," he thought, "as much as I may dislike to see her get beaten down, it will give me a nice chance to analyze Mao-sensei and come up with a proper strategy, since she clearly seems to not be using one." He stood back watching intensely, during her dash, Mao-sensei got low, a good defensive posture, and began to reach for something. But midway through his motion his fellow pupil disappeared, shocking Taibushi, and their Sensei to, by the look on his face. She appeared behind him suddenly, sword drawn, "Wait, she covered that distance and drew her sword that fast! How in the hell am I supposed to compete with that?" Mao-sensei, on the other hand, while still shocked, was able to almost match her speed as he turned to defend himself. Taibushi began to feel slightly out of his league, when the girl disappeared yet again, this time however with a terrified scream. It took him a moment to notice the difference, where she had been standing but a moment before, there was a hole in the ground. "How the hell did that happen..... Earth style maybe? No couldn't have been, no handsigns. He didn't place a hand on the ground or anything, it just appeared. If that was jutsu he so far out of our league we may as well just pack out bags and head back to the academy now."

Taibushi squinted a little, still analyzing his mentors response to this. Mao-sensei stood appearing quite confident, as though he knew that would happen. "Mao-Sensei lecture number one. . . always be aware of your surroundings. Since you've already fallen victim I suppose I'll tell you that the entire training area is rigged with obstacles. If you charge in head-long without a sensory-type as proper support your only going to keep running into them. Now then, I suppose your next," He said turning his attention to Taibushi. "Oh shit," he said, readying himself. He learned nearly nothing from that exchange other than he was no match for either of these two in close combat, and that this whole area was already rigged. "Wait," he thought, "there is slightly more information to garner from that than just that. Mao-sensei has stacked the deck against us here, already. But why? Why would he need to set up such an elaborate battle ground just to take on three genin, he's a jounin for crying out loud. Surly he must be able to stand and fight us...... Unless he really isn't. I doubt he intends to fail all of us by making this entirely too hard. So then perhaps there is something here I am missing." He finally noticed the bow leaning against a tree on the edge of the clearing, "So he's an archer. Ok, got that, plus the traps, and he displayed quite a legitimate face of shock. He even turned his back to me to defend against an attack he surely knew would fail. He lured her in fully, hook line and sinker. He didn't stop acting till the trap was already sprung. Experience? Reflexes? No, not that, it must tie into his style. He got us separated, he want to take us on one at a time. That's it, our numerical advantage might just be enough to take him on fairly. Shinobi squads are typically organized to make them balance and well rounded, to prevent any one ninja from become to much of a threat should they go rouge. In theory at least, if we both work together we can take him on. As for who gets the bell, well we'll wait and see."

Suddenly Mao-sensei wove two handsigns, And Taibushi felt slightly funny. He blinked, and then before him stood the single thing he feared more than anything in life. His mother stood before him, light blonde hair hanging down from her head that was lowered, staring at the ground. The smell of alcohol hit him, and he noticed the bottle of sake hanging loosely in her right hands grip. She let out a small, probably even able to be considered cute by some, hiccup. She raised her head slowly, her hair still obscuring most of her face as she took an uneasy step forwards, her head cocking to one side, revealing a glossy eye. The eye of a person so far drunk they're not even able to consider their actions. Taibushi took a step back, his heart beating rapidly, his eyes wide and whole body trembling with fear, he began to hyperventilate. He was devolving into a mess and was barely able to control himself any more than she was. How many times, how many times had he ended up in the hospital when she had been like this? How many times had he been far too scared to tell anyone about it, even his own father? He thought back, to the times he could remember before his first day at the academy. The bruises, the broken bones even. This woman was nothing but the foulest of evil with that bottle in her hand. The times he would get to see the other children play with their mother, be held by them and comforted. He so wished he could have gone to one of them to be held and comforted too. To be whisked away and protected from the monster that now stood before him.

And then the day came, the one day Taibushi was genuinely glad he got to grow up in the cutthroat hold no bars village known as Amegakure. The place was a hellhole, the government greatly corrupted, and crime was rife on all levels of society. You see, in such a village, the shinobi are more than willing to take a mission or two on the side. The village, while displeased that it reduces their income, is content to allow it so the citizens can solve their own problems, albeit at risk. The one thing about his mothers drunken stupors that he could take advantage of he did, snagging a little bit of money here and their. She wouldn't notice, the amount was so little, and she was so drunk, she would assume to bottle simply had cost a little more than she remembered. Over time this money added up, and with it Taibushi was able to put a Shinobi to work. He hired him for one purpose, his own mothers assassination.

And then it clicked, she was dead, he had "walked in" on the remains and alerted his father of the "tragedy". He came to this realization just in time, he had been so transfixed by fear that he had gotten tunnel vision. But now, know this was some kind of god awful genjutsu, he was able to take in his surroundings, and noticed a storm of shuriken flying in his direction. The new threat finally detected, Taibushi was able to shoot out enough chakra threads to intercept the one that would collide with him. one they were attached he waited till the last second to maneuver his arms an hand in a quick yet grand sweeping motion, manipulating the threads to throw the shuriken of to either side of him before releasing them. To the untrained eye it would had simply appeared as though he shooed them away with but a gesture. He formed a handseal and concentrated. It took a second or so before he mustered up the internal fortitude to, but he dispelled the genjutsu.

"Mao-Sensei," he said solidly, firmly. It was far different from the stuttering fool he presented himself to be earlier, though that is just honestly how he is. "If you EVER do that to me again," He continued, his voice rising as he did. "Regardless of now serious you are about us having the intent to kill you," he pulled his storage scroll out as he spoke, "I swear to you I will!" He listed his head up to look at his instructor. His face was cortorted in rage, twitching slightly even. His eyes, normally very bright, were darker, as though they were reflecting his darkened mood. A single tear streamed down his left cheek. "EVEN IF I HAVE TO TEAR YOUR FUCKING THOAT OUT WITH MY GODDAMNED TEETH!!!!!!!!!" He finished, roaring at Mao in anger as he tossed the scroll up. It unrolled as he did.

I quick succession he place both hands on the parchment in a small puff, A fuma shuriken appeared in each hand. He threw them at an odd angle, one to each side, the spin and the tilt on them causing their trajectory to alter. The were forming a crescent shape, one to either side, and would intersect where Mao was currently standing. With yet another small puff, there was a kunai in either hand, these were thrown straight at Mao, no tricks, just a straight line from Taibushi to Mao. Though with enough force to continue on past him if he were to dodge. Finally, the last puff left Taibushi hold 4 shuriken in either hand, these were thrown out wide and well, but with a twist on them, causing their trajectory to barrel roll, going out diagonally, before raising and coming back together, the spin would continue until they were descending down from above. The whole process took about a second to pull off. It should leave a fuma approaching Mao from either side, two kunai from the front, and eight shuriken from above.

"EVEN IF I HAVE TO TEAR YOUR FUCKING THROAT OUT WITH MY GODDAMNED TEETH!!!!!!!!!"

Only a second or so after Taibushi released the final shuriken he'd feel a gentle weight on his head, strong fingers rubbing in against the boy's scalp, ruffling his hair. "Mao-sensei lecture number two and shinobi rule twenty five: a shinobi must never show their tears." It was impossible, unrealistic, unreasonable. In the distance the two fuma shuriken continued on through their original flight paths, bisecting at the tree just behind where Mao had originally been standing. The sheer force of impact ripped the mighty oak in two, its trunk coming to rest upon the ground with a mighty crash!

After Asuka's little display of skill Mao decided it was time to stop pulling his punches. Until now he'd been limiting his chakra flow, maintaining a level of energy dispersion below that of typical combat status. These sorts of things were simply in his nature, if he could skimp of doing work and still get the job done so be it. Now, having witnessed his pupil's skills, it was rapidly becoming apparent that holding back was not in the cards.

Asuka's attack came first, multiple weapons screaming towards his back at blinding speed. Turning, Mao used his now fully enhanced reflexes to slap a couple away, body twisting to weave here and there as the remainder flew by to little effect. In the distance the sound of traps being triggered rang out, though this was soon eclipsed by Taibushi's angry outburst.

Facing the boy Mao's glinting golden eyes perceived the incoming threats at a superhuman pace. As it stood the Jonin had almost as many years combat experience as the Modobo boy had years alive, this sort of enraged, direct aggression was extremely simple to counter. In the blink of an eye Mao dashed forward, closing distance with the fuma shuriken. Pulling upwards he leapt, feet slamming into the tops of the implements as he used them to prepare a second jump, his unexpected weight altering their trajectory slightly towards the tree in the distance.

By this time Taibushi was in the process of throwing two kunai. At Mao's current velocity the boy's actions seemed to play out at 3/4's speed: still quick, but easily slow enough to calculate the kunai's incoming trajectory, especially when it was so direct. With the dagger sailing towards him Mao finally removed the scroll he'd previously attempted to withdraw from his utility jacket. Unsealing Technique. The scroll unraveled to produce a large number of weapon seals. For the moment Mao only released the one he required.

In a puff of smoke his right hand was covered instantly in the outline of something cold and rigid. The vice claw appeared fully attached and functional and with a single wave of his hand the steel fingers deflected the kunai. He was about fifteen meters away now. Taibushi's final assault of barrel-rolling shuriken proved slightly more difficult, however, upon closing the distance four sweeping claw strikes in rapid succession deposited the still spinning shuriken with two around each of the fore-facing fingers.

The entire exchange took about five seconds from the start. The Jonin wasn't playing around anymore and he wasn't granting freebies. When Mao spoke again his voice was deathly serious. "All ninja experience pain in their life and the enemy will use that against you. You must never show your tears because you must never allow the enemy to see your weakness." Mao's grip tightened a little, strong hold comforting in a natural, almost fatherly way. "You have to let your pain go and focus." Pulling his hand away from Taibushi's head the Jonin stepped away rather naturally. With a twist of his wrist Taibushi's shuriken fell away from his fingers and by the time he was done walking the distance between them had basically been reset.

"Now. I know both of you are tired, upset, and perhaps hurting just a little bit. That's alright, that's the way this is intended to go. We get hurt here, get angry here, cry our tears dry here because this is training. When the training's over, when the tears stop, when the pain subsides. . . that's when you'll be ready for a real mission." Mao's shining golden eyes narrowed, his was no longer the face of mercy. "Again, but this time come as a team."

Once her eyes came into focus, Asuka looked over at the scene in shock. She had been too immersed in her own problems to see what had happened after she had thrown all those shurkien, but now that she was properly observing the two, she noticed that the boy who's name she didn't know was totally fine, not a single scratch visible on his extremely pale skin. How did he do it? The shurkien and kunai were headed straight towards him during that moment, so how could've he reacted in such a short period of time?

I have no idea how that boy managed to deflect my omnidirectional attack, but at least he was able to. If a genjutsu was in fact casted upon him, then to believe he was able to dispel it and counter against my shuriken shower in such a short amount of time… Just how good is this boy's reflexes?

"Mao-Sensei, if you EVER do that to me again, regardless of now serious you are about us having the intent to kill you, I swear to you I will!"

Asuka watched in astonishment. Whatever type of illusion that boy who's name she didn't know saw, it was most likely a very bad one.

"EVEN IF I HAVE TO TEAR YOUR FUCKING THOAT OUT WITH MY GODDAMNED TEETH!!!!!!!!!" the boy roared in rage, tossing a small scroll up into the air. As soon as the fuma and normal shurkiens were produced, the boy who's name she didn't know threw them at Mao, his icy blue eyes darkening into a murky blue colour. Even from this far away, Asuka could sense the boy's lust for her sensei's blood. The boy released his shuriken at his opponent, flinging them at Mao with great force.

Extremely skillful… A talented bukijutsu user indeed.

Five seconds was all it took for Mao to deflect the blond boy's attacks. With one swift move, the taller man unravelled a scroll that held many weapons inside, hidden behind intricately drawn seals. Realising one of them in a puff of smoke, her teacher's fingers were covered in sharp metal claws, reminding Asuka of the razor talons of an eagle. Although she was quite far away, the sight of those sharp pieces of metal intimidated her a little. This man definitely not to be trifled with in the slightest. Biting her lip, her eyes widened at her teacher's incredibly swift movements.

Oh no… Just what does Mao-sensei plan on doing to… him?

"Mao-sensei lecture number two and shinobi rule twenty five: a shinobi must never show their tears."

Placing his hand on the pain stricken boy's head, Mao ruffled his student's light blonde hair as if they were the feathers of a pale coloured bird. Although Mao seemed to be showing some slight fatherly attributes towards the boy who's name she didn't know, Asuka could see and sense the intensity in the man's piercing gold eyes.

"All ninja experience pain in their life and the enemy will use that against you. You must never show your tears because you must never allow the enemy to see your weakness. You have to let your pain go and focus."

Asuka took a few steps forward, her right arm dangling at her side. The man was right. The pain of loneliness… Although it wasn't as extreme as what some other people might have felt in the past, Asuka had definitely felt it before. Even to this day, she missed her mother and father greatly, and just thinking about them in a situation like this saddened her greatly. No, she as going off track again. She had to focus. She had to be ready to fight. She had to be ready to face the trials of becoming a fully fledged shinobi. When everything was over, she could relax.

But not now. Defeating her opponent was the goal here.

Mao pulled himself away from the boy, letting the shuriken wounded around his fingers drop to the ground. He extended the distance between himself and the boy who's name she didn't know, changing his line of sight from the blond to Asuka herself.

"Now. I know both of you are tired, upset, and perhaps hurting just a little bit. That's alright, that's the way this is intended to go. We get hurt here, get angry here, cry our tears dry here because this is training. When the training's over, when the tears stop, when the pain subsides. . . that's when you'll be ready for a real mission."

Asuka stood still. Mao's little speech replayed over and over again in her head, his words sticking to her brain like glue. If there was one thing she was going to remember for the rest of her life, it would be this man's words.

"Again, but this time come as a team."

'Come as team'. How could she have missed that? To believe something so simple yet so important slipped her mind during times of need. Teamwork.

Asuka couldn't help but smile. Yes, she had made many mistakes in the past, but from those mistakes, she would learn valuable things from them. As for the mistakes and trials to come as a ninja… Well, Asuka was just going to have to wait and see. She muttered a few words under her breath to quiet for the men to hear, looking directly towards the boy who's name she didn't know.

"It's funny how the smallest and simplest of things can mean so much… With that in mind, there's no way I can fail here. No… There's no way we can fail here. It'll be over eventually, though. There's no time for tears on the battlefield."

Standing tall and proud, Asuka's face expression became solid and serious, clutching the hilt of her sword despite the pain surging through her arm.

After all…

I can always cry later.