"Hokage-sama, I have a question to ask…"

"What is it, Fuyuko?"

"Are you sure about this?"

The elderly man sat at his desk, wrinkled elbows laying firm on the hard wooden desk. Towers of paper surrounded the smooth, round table, looking as if they were about to topple over and kill the man in the most hilarious, yet distressing way. His eyes narrowed and the lines on his forehead pushed downwards, eyebrows furrowing. Fuyuko straightened her posture and held her breath. She had predicted this type of situation would follow as soon as she stepped through the door. The woman had already experienced the same conversation many times in her previous times.

Countless times.

"Fuyuko, you may have done something in the past that can be considered unforgivable and merciless by many… but I'm sure you'll be able to move on from that. I am positive that you have learned from your mistakes, and I believe that you can lead this squad to victory. We're counting on you, Fuyuko. Do not disappoint us."

The woman's face softened, eyes facing towards the ground. She twiddled her fingers behind her back, looking as if she was about to get scolded by some terrifying Academy teacher. It had been God knows how long since that had happened… Was she really mentally prepared to take up such an important role? She couldn't even care for a group of three Genin, let alone nine. Would her so called 'responsibility' be her eventual downfall?

"But Hokage-sama, what happened then was-"

"What happened then is in the past, Fuyuko. Even if you cannot forget, you must move on. Being trapped in the past will only lead to you wallowing in sadness for the rest of your life."

Fuyuko glanced up, her steel blue eyes wide with doubt. The Third Hokage gave a gentle smile, slowly rising from his seat and wandering towards the large glass window. You could view the village in its entirety from here, and, whatever time of a day it was, the landscape would never disappoint.

"You're a talented ninja, Fuyuko. I truly believe you can control this new squad of yours. I assure you that you will not fail this time."

The two stood in silence, the morning sun seeping through the crystal clear glass. As the clouds parted, Fuyuko squinted, the sunlight becoming a bit too intense for her liking.

"Forgive me, Hokage-sama… I didn't mean to go against your advice at all."

The aged man chuckled, turning his head to face towards Fuyuko. She flinched, biting at her bottom lip.

"There is no need to apologize… I just wanted you to hear me out, that's all."

Walking back to his desk with slow steps, the Third Hokage revealed a paper filled file that sat close to his chair, stretching his arm out to hand it to the black-haired Jōnin. Fuyuko took it with both hands, searching through the sort of profiles.

"You'll probably want to have a look at that before you leave for the Academy, Fuyuko. You are dismissed."

Bowing, Fuyuko rushed out, the file pressed against her chest. As soon as she had exited the door, she stopped, leaning against the wall and letting out a loud sigh of relief.

"Jeez, I bet I wouldn't have lasted another five seconds in there… I swear I could feel my body slowly turning into stone!"

Speaking in a formal manner wasn't exactly the norm for Fuyuko; although she did show respect for the elderly, the woman just couldn't help but freeze up on the spot as she tried to change her way of speaking. She wasn't as used to talking in a 'polite' fashion… Around friends, she would usually speak in a 'I just had two bottles of sake and eight plates of sushi' type of fashion. The woman even admitted herself that she wasn't the best speaker out there.

"Anyways, how about we take a look at these so called 'above average' students…?"

Continuing to wander the hallways, Fuyuko shuffled her way through the profiles, examining each and every one of them. A few of them had caught her attention though: you had one that was an academic genius, and a swordswoman who was pretty fast on her feet. The tall Jōnin nodded. After reading the rest of the profiles, she was sure this new 'special' team of hers consistedi of a very interesting mix of ninja. Fuyuko giggled, concealing her smile behind the file of papers.

"This is going to be very interesting indeed."

---

"All right everyone, settle down. As you know, you'll all be assigned to your new squads today… Three man teams led by a single Jōnin. I hope all of you progress well through the upcoming trials and hardships of being a ninja. Now, listen carefully for your name, and keep in mind which squad number you have been assigned to."

From the front of the classroom, the Genins' former teacher spoke out, instructing his soon-to-be ninja students. From the back, Asuka Koizumi heard her sensei out, back straight and looking ahead. The young girl pondered for a moment, a soft smile coming to her light skinned face.

Three man squads with one Jōnin as our new teacher… I'm actually quite excited about this!

"We want our squads to have a good balance of strength and ability, so this is how we've set them up. Once I have finished announcing the last group, you will all stay put in this classroom until your new senseis arrive. Now, onto Squad One…"

The thing I'm most worried about is whether I'll get along with my other team members… If I'm assigned to a squad with Seichi-kun and Toko-kun, then I'll be more than happy with that. I honestly don't mind who I'm put together with… I guess I'm just more comfortable with the other two boys, seeing as we've known each other for quite some time.

"…and those are all of the squads. Please remain seated until the other Jōnin arrive."

Whispers spread across the classroom like wildfire. Only eight squads had been announced instead of the usual ten; there were still a remaining six students who hadn't been called out. What worried the young Koizumi the most was that she was one of them. She stole a glance at Seichi and Toko, eyebrows furrowing with concern.

It seems that I'm not the only student who wasn't called out… Seichi-kun and Toko-kun too. Six of us in total weren't assigned into squads… What on earth is going on here?

"As for the remaining six students who's names weren't called out… you have been advised to move to Class 23 as soon as possible."

---

Skipping towards the classroom, Fuyuko's thick black hair bounced up and down, the file still clutched in her arms. If anyone had seen how she was acting now, they would have probably called someone after seeing her rather odd personality quirks. Her excitement would usually be expressed through skipping against the floorboards of the Academy, discreetly giggling to herself. Her eyes glinted with joy, the thought of meeting these new students being the only thing clouding her mind. Just as the Hokage said, it was time to move on. Forget about what happened all those years ago… It was about time Fuyuko turned over a new leaf, right?

"I can't forget."

Eyes widening at the words that had escaped her mouth, Fuyuko places her two fingers on her lips, stopping in her tracks. Of course… She couldn't ever forget…

"Damn it, now's not the time, Fuyuko!" she whispered to herself, slapping her cheeks until they went bright red. "I've got a new squad and new people to look after now… I can't let my negative energy seep their way through into these students!"

Sliding the door open, Fuyuko put on her widest smile, a bright, cheerful aura surrounding her taller-than-average body. The woman was greeted with nine other students, all chattering between themselves to pass the time by. The fact that a majority of th were much taller than her made her chuckle under the file of papers. It had been an awfully long time since she had seen kids as tall as this before.

Aw… I don't care how old they may look, they still all look freakin' adorable! Reminds me of when I used to be a Genin…

Slamming her hand down on the wooden podium, Fuyuko caught the attention of the other Genin, grinning at each and every one of them. She stretched her arms and legs before speaking out, eyeing the soon-to-be ninja.

"Hey there! The name's Fuyuko Wakahisa, proud Jōnin of the Hidden Leaf Village. Pleasure to meet you guys!"

She noticed the momentary whispers amongst the Genin, which made her feel slightly uncomfortable. Had she over done her introduction or…?

"Anyways… you guys must be wondering why you're here, right? You see, our wonderful Hokage has assigned all nine of you to a special squad that will be under my supervision for the first year or so. Of course, we will be doing normal missions like the rest of the three man squads, but here, you'll also be doing something a little bit different…"

For comedic purposes, Fuyuko paused for a moment, trying to increase the tension in the air. The attempt didn't last long though. Everyone was just staring at her waiting to receive an answer. Sighing with regret, she gave it to them.

"So basically there's this organization that we gotta take down and blah, blah, blah, it's kinda complicated so I'll just keep the description pretty vague. Don't kill me yet, though. We still have introductions to get through!"

Fuyuko raised her hand, her three fingers pointing upwards. Her cheesy grin was still plastered on her face, which had probably by now given the wrong impression towards the other Genin.

"Now, I'd like your name, your likes and dislikes, and… your favourite season. Pretty simple, right?"

As names were being called, Seichi sat slouched with his head resting on his hand which was propped upward on his desk. This is it...one step closer to becoming an elite. He would break his pondering and turn towards Toko, nudging him with his elbow.

"Lets hope we're put in a squad together with Asuka." He whispers leaning back in his chair. "I woul-"

"…and those are all of the squads. Please remain seated until the other Jōnin arrive."

Seichi launched forward in his seat as his instructor's words circled through his head. Ideas started to race through his mind, mainly from him trying to figure why he would not have been assigned to a team. Wait!

His panic would be broken as he scans the classroom and recall Toko and a few other Genin not being called. He would then on instinct look towards Asuka's direction. Asuka wasn't called either. Knowing another familiar classmate, who he knows probably gets better grades than him, not being called relieved him of the thought of being put on some sort of remedial squad. Seichi knew he wasn't the brightest student but he knew he would be terrified to have to explain to his dad about him being placed differently.

"As for the remaining nine students who's names weren't called out… you have been advised to move to Class 23 as soon as possible."

As the other sqaudless Genin in the room started to shuffle, he would then turn towards Toko giving him a confused look hoping to get some sort of confirmation that he wasn't the only unaware of what was going on.

---

As he walked into the new assigned classroom, class 23. He would approach Asuka tapping her shoulder and playfully staying hidden behind her until they met eye-to-eye. "This is pretty odd." he says taking a seat nearest to him, "My dad never described this ever happening when he was in the Academy." Seichi would chat more amongst the other Genin until a woman at the front of the class silences everyone.

The woman looked about the same height as him and looked fairly older than the rest of the class. Is this our sensei? Is this our squad? First impression-wise, she looked too soft to be a leader of such a large group of kids. Seichi quickly discarded the assumption, knowing he was never one to judge someone off of first impressions.
"Hey there! The name's Fuyuko Wakahisa, proud Jōnin of the Hidden Leaf Village. Pleasure to meet you guys!"

"Anyways… you guys must be wondering why you're here, right? You see, our wonderful Hokage has assigned all nine of you to a special squad that will be under my supervision for the first year or so. Of course, we will be doing normal missions like the rest of the three man squads, but here, you'll also be doing something a little bit different…"

The statement put Seichi as ease and also raised his curiosity and excitement. The fact that the Hokage assigned him and others to a special squad raised his confidence even higher than it already was. The thought of nine Genin in a squad didn't bother him too much though, the more the merrier he'd say.

"So basically there's this organization that we gotta take down and blah, blah, blah, it's kinda complicated so I'll just keep the description pretty vague. Don't kill me yet, though. We still have introductions to get through!"

Take down! Organization! Complicated! Those words bounced inside Seichi making his hand's shake in anticipation. His heart started to race faster and his eyes widened in excitement.

"Now, I'd like your name, your likes and dislikes, and… your favourite season. Pretty simple, right?"

Seichi jolted up from his seated position giving off his signature toothy grin.

"My name is Seichi Hino! I like Yakitori, I dislike Wasabi, and my favorite seasoning Furikake"

"All right everyone, settle down. As you know, you'll all be assigned to your new squads today… Three man teams led by a single Jōnin. I hope all of you progress well through the upcoming trials and hardships of being a ninja. Now, listen carefully for your name, and keep in mind which squad number you have been assigned to. We want our squads to have a good balance of strength and ability, so this is how we've set them up. Once I have finished announcing the last group, you will all stay put in this classroom until your new senseis arrive. Now, onto Squad One…"

Perched in a precarious position on his seat, a bright eyed shinobi smiled to himself. Seji Onoda sat with his chair leaning backwards and his feet crossed over each other on his desk. His hands cradled the back of his head and the smirk on his face made him seem as if he did not have a care in the world. Now while he portrayed calm laziness, he was actually people-watching. Observing people was quite entertaining to the boy. Not only did he get to analyze the kind of person they were and their skills, but he found joy in the simple things. Once the instructor started explaining the genin inductions, Seji snapped to attention. He waited eagerly for his name to be called but alas, his name never did come up in the instructor's list. His his white hair the Onoda's eyes squinted. Just what was going on here? It seemed that nine students including himself had not been selected to join a team. There must be some sort of explanation for this right?

"As for the remaining nine students who's names weren't called out… you have been advised to move to Class 23 as soon as possible."

The breath that Seji had been subconsciously holding flew from his lips and turned into a sigh of relief. Sometimes he tended to overthink things which often lead to unneeded anxiety. Seji snapped his chair forward and stood up in one smooth motion and briskly headed to the designated classroom. He made sure to offer a friendly smile to Asuka as he passed her in the hall.

"Good morning, Asuka-chan."

Continuing by her he whistled a little toon he sometimes whistled when bored.

After waiting for a couple minutes a women who looked to be in her mid-twenties arrived. It seemed that this lady would be his sensei. She seemed boringly average at a first glance. Hopefully she could prove him wrong. Either way, he was happy that she would be teaching him the ways of being a ninja for the time being. God knows she had her hands full with nine teenage genin to deal with. After a few moments of awkward silence she spoke up.

"Hey there! The name's Fuyuko Wakahisa, proud Jōnin of the Hidden Leaf Village. Pleasure to meet you guys!"

"Anyways… you guys must be wondering why you're here, right? You see, our wonderful Hokage has assigned all nine of you to a special squad that will be under my supervision for the first year or so. Of course, we will be doing normal missions like the rest of the three man squads, but here, you'll also be doing something a little bit different…"

"So basically there's this organization that we gotta take down and blah, blah, blah, it's kinda complicated so I'll just keep the description pretty vague. Don't kill me yet, though. We still have introductions to get through!"

"Now, I'd like your name, your likes and dislikes, and… your favourite season. Pretty simple, right?"

One of his classmates spoke up, Senchi, and said, "My name is Seichi Hino! I like Yakitori, I dislike Wasabi, and my favorite seasoning Furikake."

Seji grinned and decided it was his turn next. "Oi! My name is Seji Onoda! I like training, relaxing, and talking to people. Um, I don't like people who always seem to have sticks up their asses and I hate losing. Oh and my favorite season is winter."

He listed these items truthfully and with a charming smile, then waited for the next student to step up and speak. He had a feeling he was going to enjoy this squad. There were so many people to talk to!

Toko Ling

To be frankly honest, Toko had only been half way paying attention to what was happening around him. People were being called out to get put in teams and he would eventually be called out as well. Toko knew that if anything, he'd recognise his name being said aloud, so with his eyes plastered on his notebook, he sat drawing a picture with a reasonable amount of skill. Meanwhile, he could tell that his close friend Seichi was excited for this. The boy was essentially sitting at the edge of his seat. Seichi and Toko had been friends for a very long time. It wasn't a stretch to call them best friends and their personalities complimented each other quite nicely. One might even call it cute. Seichi was the passionate one, the loud and hardworking ninja who didn't let anything get in his way while Toko was the quiet one who no one could quite see through.

Toko would feel the nudge from Seichi and looked up for a moment to see how excited he really was. Those bright blue eyes were glistening and that bright smile was contagious. "I...hope we end up together, too..." Being in a team with Seichi was the only thing Toko wanted. It was ironic, really. The two of them were friends but it was quite obvious where the feelings laid for them both. Needless to say, the one person that could bring Toko out of whatever thought process occupying him was Seichi.

"…and those are all of the squads. Please remain seated until the other Jōnin arrive."

Turning his head towards the teacher, Toko blinked a few times and thought that he had missed something. Had his name been called out without him paying attention? No, Seichi, Asuka, Seji and a bunch of other students were still there. This was rather weird. "As for the remaining nine students who's names weren't called out… you have been advised to move to Class 23 as soon as possible."

Very odd indeed. Slipping the notebook into his shoulder bag, Toko got up to his feet and followed Seichi and the others into the next room, once again taking a seat next to his friend. To be completely honest, he'd never have expected the following events at all. "Hey there! The name's Fuyuko Wakahisa, proud Jōnin of the Hidden Leaf Village. Pleasure to meet you guys!" Wow, this woman had passion and energy beyond any other teacher Toko had laid eyes on before. "Anyways… you guys must be wondering why you're here, right? You see, our wonderful Hokage has assigned all nine of you to a special squad that will be under my supervision for the first year or so. Of course, we will be doing normal missions like the rest of the three man squads, but here, you'll also be doing something a little bit different…"

"A little different...? What's special about us...?" The thought would linger for a while as Toko looked around the classroom, seeing the group of people all talking amongst themselves. Okay, to be frankly honest, this bunch was rather weird. There wasn't a generic Genin among them.

"So basically there's this organization that we gotta take down and blah, blah, blah, it's kinda complicated so I'll just keep the description pretty vague. Don't kill me yet, though. We still have introductions to get through!" Toko's eyes widened for a moment at the sound of an organisation. Were they being serious? They were sending a bunch of genin after some kind of top secret ninja organisation? No, perhaps not. Toko could just have been jumping to conclusions. But he had to admit, it was rather exciting. "Now, I'd like your name, your likes and dislikes, and… your favourite season. Pretty simple, right?" Wait, what? What about the super secret organisation bent on destroying the world? Oh well, it would have to wait...apparently.

Seichi was quick to introduce himself, which was expected. After that Seji continued to introduce himself and this was presumably Toko's turn. "Hello." The boy spoke. "My name is Toko Ling." He tilted his head a bit, trying to place their new sensei. She was...weird. "I like sparring, cherry trees, flowers and summer." Wait, did Seichi tell her what seasoning he liked? Toko couldn't help but smile at that. The guy was just so cute. "I dislike winter and dishonorable warrior." He sighed softly resting his chin against his hand. "A pleasure to meet you, Sensei..." He finish, almost half heartedly.

It had been a long time since Reiji found himself this thrilled. He even managed to arrive on time for class. His tardiness never hindered his performance as a student and the short back-and-forth with the sensei made the classroom experience a little more interesting. Today was different however. He'd outgrown the academy and was a genin now. The others who had also achieved the rank were all waiting to be assigned to a three-man squad led by a jonin. More advanced training, missions, and a high ranking shinobi for Reiji to challenge. Reiji would also get the chance to venture further out than the villages boundaries is search of answers.

"…and those are all of the squads. Please remain seated until the other Jōnin arrive."

"Hm?" Reiji looked up, pulled out of his thougts by the realization that he hadn't been assigned to a team along with a few others. Did I miss something? Why are there so many of us left over? He knew the adults weren't as near-sighted but he could understand if he was left out due to his classmates worries regarding the lion-maned genin. But a handful of them weren't called. Reiji stood from his seat, startling some of the others around him and drawing wary looks. "I think you missed a few...mind telling us why?"

"As for the remaining six students who's names weren't called out… you have been advised to move to Class 23 as soon as possible."

"Why you..." The instructor left the room completely ignoring Reiji's question. Howver, lowering himself into his seat Reiji found himself smiling. At least it's interesting~

---

Ten or so minutes later Reiji waited in the designated room along with the others that weren't assigned to teams. It was relatively quiet except for the most rambunctious of their class, Seichi Hino. He made things lively so Reiji had no qualms with him. Still, Reiji's restlessness was becoming more and more evident. Finally, the door opened and a woman entered. She seemed incredibly cheery and even managed to out-grin Seichi as she introduced herself. Fuyuko Wakahisa. Reiji wasn't one to underestimate anyone and she was a prime case of why. She carries herself like some kind of idol...but her presence she commands betrays that." This situation had just gotten much more exciting.

"Anyways… you guys must be wondering why you're here, right? You see, our wonderful Hokage has assigned all nine of you to a special squad that will be under my supervision for the first year or so. Of course, we will be doing normal missions like the rest of the three man squads, but here, you'll also be doing something a little bit different…"

"So basically there's this organization that we gotta take down and blah, blah, blah, it's kinda complicated so I'll just keep the description pretty vague. Don't kill me yet, though. We still have introductions to get through!"

All of them assigned to one squad? Organization? She had certainly got his attention. A group of this size gave Reiji plenty of rivals and the prospect of going after a potentially dangerous organization only made things sound more fun. Unfortunately, their sensei decided to skip the explanation and have them introduce themselves. Reiji's eye twitched, a little annoyed but otherwise intrigued.

"My name is Reiji Saikumo. I like a good fight~" The sun shining through the window reflected the fire in his eyes as he spoke. "I dislike...I hate being left in the dark..." The fire vanished from his eyes and was replaced with something else. His tone became faintly solemn as he continued. "And my favorite season is winter. Now about that organization to mentioned...

"So what does this organization have to do with us anyway?" Seichi said towards Toko, "You'd think a job like what Sensei's saying would be given to the Anbu squads or somethin?"

Though Seichi wasn't bothered that he was assigned to help on the issue with fellow genin, he knew his father was conservative when it came to village procedures and such.

Clicking his fingers against the desk, Toko turned to look at Seichi and anaylsed his words for a moment before returning his gaze to the wooden surface in front of him. "It's odd, yeah..." Seichi had really hit his head on the nail with that one. Why would they send a group of genin after this organization? It didn't make any sense. "Maybe they want to make a scene..." The Anbu squad was after all specialised in taking care of things silently and from the shadows. While many genin preferred the same methods, Toko included, they were miles apart from the masters of stealth known as Anbu. "Because..." The boy would grin softly, turning a playful expression to his friend. "They are sending you in...after all..."

Seichi would brush his hair back, giggling at his friend's statement. "Me! Make a scene...Never!" He would reply jokingly knowing how he gets during combat. It wasn't an anger issue in Seichi's case. He willingly knows his strengths and weaknesses, his behavior during battle being one of them. "Even so..." Seichi would add leaning back into his chair and letting his hair fall, "It must be pretty serious for the whole five-man squad thing."

"Whatever though!" Seichi would say resting his arms on his chair's back and motioning with his head towards Asuka, "Atleast we're together"

"Yeah..." Together, they would always be together, right? Actually, there had been a reason as to why Toko was burrying himself in work lately. With the squads forming, the possibility, or rather the risk of ending up with someone else was absolute. Enduring that thought was nothing Toko could manage on a daily basis, something he came to terms with rather fast. For a kid who rarely showed any emotion, he sure held a lot behind that innocent smile of his. "I'm happy we...ended up together..." In truth, he'd only turn to look at Asuka once and that was simply to make her feel included, or better yet, to make himself seem void of the emotions he harboured.

Asuka was a good friend of Toko's, that was no secret. However, while he did quite enjoy the fact that the two of them would face danger together, hand in hand, there was another hand his mind had been clawing at for the past week. Week would however be an understatement. "I'll...always have your back..." The boy would speak quietly, not looking up from the table as his words were directed at Seichi. "The star on the stage usually...has a lot of eyes on him. Someone needs to make sure no one stabs you..." Again, he didn't look up. Of course, there was a sense of irony and sarcasm in his voice but the fact that he couldn't even look up when uttering those words had to mean something. "Asuka will be with you on the front lines though so...I've nothing to worry about..." He'd finally manage to look up but only briefly and attempted to keep his eyes on the girl rather than Seichi.
~Combined Post with @Shard

Asuka followed her former sensei's orders, walking out of the classroom with her leftover classmates. Something was definitely wrong here... but what? It made Asuka feel more than uneasy that the rest of the other Genin had started off their day normally unlike herself, who was getting dragged out of the classroom to some other random room. Although Asuka was known to be much more patient than most, the questions that were thrashing about in her head made her want to punch through the wooden floorboards of the building. Shuffling outside and into the hallway with the others, Asuka lingered behind Toko and Seichi, loosing herself in her own thoughts.

"Good morning, Asuka-chan."

A familiar voice suddenly came to her, interrupting her deep thoughts and making Asuka jump. Trying not to make a complete fool of herself, the young Koizumi straightened her back, looking directly at the spokesman. Seji Onoda was a smart one, despite his rather vibrant personality. His cheeriness wasn't to be mistaken for low intelligence; his tactical mind was far above the others. Asuka gave a friendly nod, smiling.

"Good morning to you too, Seji-san."

Arriving at the new classroom, Asuka felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see Seichi, a bright smile plastered on his face as always. The two made eye-contact, striking up a small conversation between themselves.

"This is pretty odd," Seichi spoke, already taking his seat. "My dad never described this ever happening when he was in the Academy."

"Yes, it does seem quite odd, Seichi-kun. I actually feel a bit concerned about our current situation... I-I hope we're not in trouble or anything of the sort."

The girl's voice seemed to rise an octave higher at her last sentence, a certain shakiness clearly distinguished from it. Causing trouble and shaming her clan at the same time was one of Asuka's greatest fears. Well, not exactly her greatest, but it was clear she opted to stay well away from various wrong-doings. The even more confusing and worrying thing however, was the fact that she really couldn't recall doing anything bad enough that would cause her teachers to act in such a manner. Sitting herself down, Asuka started to twist the long hairs that framed her face, averting her eyes towards the rough wooden surface. What had she done wrong that resulted in her ending up here? In fact, what had the others done wrong that resulted them in ending up here?

A tall woman, black-haired and steel blue-eyed, burst into the room, like a bright white light shining upon a darkened stage. Her wide smile seemed to outshine even Seichi's, a feat that was deemed impossible by the majority of Asuka's class. Her radiant aura seemed to wash over the room like some giant tidal wave, overwhelming Asuka. Never before had Asuka seen a woman with such a bright personality! Do be honest, however, this Fuyuko person seemed a bit... weird.

"Hey there! The name's Fuyuko Wakahisa, proud Jōnin of the Hidden Leaf Village. Pleasure to meet you guys!"

Silence.

Asuka let the odd woman do her bidding. However, something that immediately caught her attention was the mention of 'doing something a little bit different'.

"So basically there's this organization that we gotta take down and blah, blah, blah, it's kinda complicated so I'll just keep the description pretty vague. Don't kill me yet, though. We still have introductions to get through! Now, I'd like your name, your likes and dislikes, and… your favourite season. Pretty simple, right?"

Well, that went pretty fast. Asuka didn't even have time to interrupt... Not that she would, though...

Asuka let some of the other people speak out first before introducing herself in front of her new sensei. She didn't want to seem like the rushed and 'can-we-just-get-to-the-point-already' type of person, no matter what her mind pushed her to do.

"Good morning, Fuyuko-sensei... My name is Asuka Koizumi. I like... dango and training with my grandfather. My dislikes... People who can't... address their elders properly. I actually enjoy spring quite a lot, too. The cherry blossoms put me at peace."

Asuka seemed to be quieter than usual. After her small intro, she hid her mouth behind her kimono top sleeves, returning her gaze towards the desk. Had she overdone it? Did she seem like some harsh old woman in front of her sensei? What where her sensei's first impressions on Asuka anyway? What did she think of her?

Did her sensei necessarily... like her?

---

Fuyuko smiled at each and every one of them, beaming wide grins as they all came to a conclusion on their introductions. She could tell this was going to be an interesting group to handle; The way they presented themselves, their introductions and the way spoke was more than enough intel for Fuyuko. The woman smiled again, eyeing her new students.

This is gonna be fun!

"Now about that organisation to mentioned-"

"Hold up! We'll get to that complicated stuff later. In the mean time, however..."

Fuyuko straightened herself, her face going from jolly to sly. She folded her arms across her chest, pacing up and down the classroom.

"You see, you lovelies aren't exactly safe yet... There's still one more thing that all of you must complete before we start doing the dirty work..."

Again, she paused for a second, waiting for the tension to build up. Now, with the cunning, yet serious look on her face, the tense atmosphere was bound to be much thicker now. With a flick of her head and a cheeky grin on her face, Fuyuko finished her long awaited explanation.

"We're going to put you guys through one more test. Just one, simple test. I expect to see all of you Training Ground 94 at 12 PM on the dot, today. Is that okay with you all?"

Asuka nodded her head. Another test, huh? What was the point in taking those previous tests anyway? Actually, what was the point of taking this test when she had already completed the rest in the past.

"Also, if any of you are late, for whatever reason at all..."

Fuyuko swivelled around, her grin widening even more.

"The squad is gonna be failed on the spot, whether you guys like it or not!"

---

With that, the students were dismissed. Only a few hours remained before they had to be at Training Ground 94, fully equipped and ready to fight. Well, who knew if they were going to have to battle this woman? Not all tests had to be centered around fighting... right? Still, whether they were going to have to get their hands dirty or not, it would be best to have at least a set of kunai and shuriken tucked in somewhere.

Fuyuko had already made her way to the training ground, strolling around the forest with quiet steps. The wind whistled through the tree branches, shaking them gently like a mother waking up their child. Beams of light passed through the leaves, whitening small patches of grass. The woman stood in a tiny clearing, mouth shut and eyes closed. She inhaled and exhaled, letting the fresh spring breeze ruffle her thick hair. Fuyuko just stayed there in a neutral position, eyes closed and breathing at a steady, controlled pace. Then, everything around her suddenly went still.

It was as if time had frozen over the forest.

"Woah... The books weren't lying, that's for sure."

Opening her eyes, Fuyuko sat herself down and crossed her legs, looking up at the sky. The clouds dotted the pale blue behind it, but it didn't seem to bother Fuyuko in the slightest. The woman smiled, stretching out her arms and legs.

"Humans cannot freeze time, but time can freeze us... The only way to melt away ice is by lighting it up with fire."

Fuyuko searched for a pencil and a piece of paper in her back pouch, laying it on her thigh. In simple Hiragana, Fuyuko wrote out the quote she had mumbled earlier on. Then, once she had finished, she ripped the piece of paper into five different pieces, slipping the fifth one into her pocket. Standing up, the woman smiled, gazing up at the glaring morning sun.

"Hiroki Koizumi... You're a genius."

---

"Grandfather, grandmother, I'm home!"

Slipping her sandals off and placing them at the shoe rack, Asuka strolled into the house, floorboards creaking as she stepped on them. An eerie silence had filled her home, not a single light flickering in any of the rooms. The dark curtains where only covering half of the windows, less light covering the wooden surface. It almost felt like Asuka was in some sort of haunted house.

I wonder if there's anybody home...

A much older man poked his head around the door, squinting at Asuka. Emerging from his bedroom, Asuka's grandfather greeted her at the door, a gentle, wrinkled smile creeping up onto his face. He shuffled across the floor with slow steps, almost like a turtle who was nearing the end of its life. Slipping his slippers on, he approached Asuka.

"Welcome back, Asuka."

"Good morning, grandfather."

The elderly man sat himself down on a nearby couch as Asuka went to prepare some tea. To avoid the creepy silence from filling the room again, the two decides to converse for the mean time.

"So, how did things go, Asuka? You seem very bright and jolly today."
Turning her head, Asuka gave him a soft smile, removing her binding hair tie. "Everything went very well, grandfather. Our new sensei seems a bit... odd... but other than that, things seem to she quite normal. We have a good, balanced team, so I hope we'll all be able to get along."

Asuka's grandfather coughed a few times as she brought over the tray, placing it down on a short wooden table. The man took a sip, savouring the green tea's taste.

"What about Seichi and Toko? How are those boys doing?"

"Oh, they're doing very well. All of us are actually on the same team now, so..."

Asuka stopped. Should she tell him about the unusual squad arrangements? Or should she leave it until she actually gains some new knowledge on the squad's 'purpose'? Well, it might be best to leave it for later... But keeping something from her grandfather... Asuka didn't want that.

"Asuka... Maika-sama spoke with me earlier this morning."

The girl stopped sipping, slowly placing her cup onto the table. Her sharp amber eyes widened, astonished at her grandfather's words.

"Did she try... asking again?"

Asuka's grandfather nodded. "I rejected her offer, of course."

The girl placed her hands in her lap, staring down. That was the second time, now. She had heard that a selected few would get 'asked' at least once... but this was the second time in a month. Even after the first time she was asked, both her and her grandparents had been careful on the toes.

"Hmph... Such a persistent woman..."

Asuka stood up, offering a small bow to her grandfather before leaving for her bedroom.

"Please excuse me, grandfather. I need to set off in a few hour's time."

---

"So, you lot have finally arrived, huh?"

Standing tall and proud with her arms crossed over her chest. Fuyuko looked over (Well, more like looked up at) them, a flashy grin displayed on her face. She examined each of her new students, all of them fully equipped and more than ready to go. Fuyuko pulled out a piece of paper from her flak jacket, waving it in front of the soon-to-be Genin.

"All right, you all managed to arrive on time! It would have been sad to see you all go so soon... however, you lovelies seem pretty serious about this. And that's good."

Taking a step closer to the group, Fuyuko smiled, popping the piece of paper back into her jacket. "So, the test is gonna go like this. There are five pieces of paper hidden in the forest just to our left here. I've also planted about a hundred explosive tags all over the place, so expect to hear a shit tonne of screams and explosions. All you kids have to do is find those pieces of paper and put them together. Seems easy enough, right?"

Fuyuko then pointed towards the sun, her smile becoming much wider. "However, you're only going to have an hour to find these pieces of paper, and put them together. It may seem like a long time to you lot, but time is everything in this test. Use it wisely. Oh yeah, and one more thing..."

Walking over to a nearby rock, Fuyuko sat cross legged in front of it, leaning her back against it.

"If you don't manage to beat the time limit, then that one person without a paper is sent back to the Academy. If more then five traps are set off, then all of you are sent back. Got that?"

It may seem different from the bell test we usually put the Genin through, but it still teaches the same lessons. Decision making and strategy are also key elements in this task. However, the really question here is...

Fuyuko watched them sprint into the forest, watching the sun as it slowly drifted across the sky.

Will they stick together to lessen their risks of setting the tags off, or will they decide to go solo so they are able to find the papers much quicker?

Toko Ling

Another test, huh? Well, otherwise this was going to be too easy. Toko needed to prepare either way. He needed his equipment, not to mention his proper attire for the job that was to come. "Thank you, Sensei." The boy offered, bowing humbly to their teacher as the students left the room. There were more questions, many more, but they would have to wait. None of the questions the students had posed so far were actually answered, but Fuyuko was probably keeping it from them deliberately. What was she planning? What was her deal? Everyone was given a moment to prepare before the next test, a few hours actually, and after that some of them could be going back to the academy. If there was a test, the risk of failing was always a factor and these tests didn't kid around. Speaking of which, if one of the students were late, the whole squad would fail? It made sense, actually. This test was supposed to simulate teamwork no doubt. If every person from the squad wasn't in place before the mission, one would have to heavily reevaluate both plans and timings.

"I'll see you soon, Seichi. Don't be late." Toko would place his hand on Seichi's shoulder for a moment before offering him a gentle smile. "Always together, right?" Always together, it was a sentence Toko was trying to convince himself of over and over again in hopes of bringing it to an absolute truth.

Heading out of the academy, the boy would head home, his eyes on the ground as he walked. "There are five of us. Is that going to be a strength, or a weakness?" Squads were always made up of three genin and one sensei, there was a good reason for that. This was highly unheard of and for good reason. A squad of five people meant that there was a lot more to keep track of. If done correctly, two extra people could turn the tide of battle greatly. Fuyuko would surely find good use of their skills in one way or another.

Though his thoughts claimed him, Toko would eventually reach his home, nearly bumping into the door. "Dad?", stepping into the small hall, Toko slipped out of his slippers and looked around. No response, but the sound of a swinging blade in the backyard told a tale loud enough to understand.

"Toko! How did everything go?" Not even turning to look at his son as Toko stepped onto the yard, Ken spoke to his son with his attention fully placed on each swing of his sword.

"It went well." Toko reached his hand out and grabbed hold of a suitcase on a table, pulling it down.

"Satisfied with your team?"

"Uhm...Yeah." At least he was in the same team as Seichi, right? Well, everyone else was an excellent combatant and good ninja as well so overall, yes, he was actually very content with the crowded group he had ended up in.

"Where are ya heading off to now?" The man would finally lift his head up.

"Another test. Can't be late." Hurrying out of the yard, Toko made his way into his room and slipped into his fingerless leather gloves. He would then grab a belt to throw around his waist, designed for his blade. Carefully opening the suitcase, he laid eyes on his sweetheart, lovingly taking the sword out of the case and secured it on his waist. The thing wasn't very large, but rather slim and light. Ken made sure it was of perfect size to his son during the sword's creation. "Alright, ready. I still have a few hours to go but...I'd rather not be late. I might as well go there now and scout the area...that way I'll have intel of the battlefield beforehand. Despite being incredibly early, Toko started towards the training ground, ready as he'd ever be for this upcoming test.

Many trees stretched out across the training fields. Trees and grass were the main star of the scenery, perfect. Toko had always loved trees, mostly because of their unending beauty. After analysing the area thoroughly, the boy gracefully made his way up to a tree branch where he sat down, now waiting for the others. This was going to be interesting.

It would appear how Fuyuko Sensei had also been at the training fields for a little while, focusing on her...poetry? Either way, it was time to start. "All right, you all managed to arrive on time! It would have been sad to see you all go so soon... however, you lovelies seem pretty serious about this. And that's good." Of course they were going to be serious. Who would have struggled to get this far only to end up taking this as a joke? "So, the test is gonna go like this. There are five pieces of paper hidden in the forest just to our left here. All you kids have to do is find those pieces of paper and put them together. Seems easy enough, right?" Oh that was new. They were going on a treasure hunt? Toko peered down from the tree where he had been sitting and listened intently to what Sensei was saying.

"However, you're only going to have an hour to find these pieces of paper, and put them together. It may seem like a long time to you lot, but time is everything in this test. Use it wisely. Oh yeah, and one more thing..." So that's where the criteria started getting into the picture. Good, this was nothing they couldn't handle together. "If you don't manage to beat the time limit, then all of your are sent back to the Academy. Got that?" Well, straight to the point, wasn't she? Good.

"Okay." Toko dropped down from the tree, gracefully landing weightlessly on his feet next to Seichi and Asuka. "Let us begin."

"We're going to put you guys through one more test. Just one, simple test. I expect to see all of you Training Ground 94 at 12 PM tomorrow on the dot. Is that okay with you all?"

"Yeah!" Seichi would shout in reply to his Sensei.

"Also, if any of you are late, for whatever reason at all...The squad is gonna be failed on the spot, whether you guys like it or not!"

The quick utter of the word failed sent a slight chill down Seichi's back. He had plenty of faith that his squad would be able to easily complete a task like arriving on time, especially Reiji. But the thought of failing still always sat at the back of his mind, even throughout his early academy days. It was the main reason he tried to always hide it with his overly-confident personality. Pretty harsh rules, don't cha think?...But I guess it makes sense. We're meant to held up on pretty high expectations.

"No sweat, Sensei!" Seichi would say trying to match his grin with hers, "We'll be there before you know it!"

"I'll see you soon, Seichi. Don't be late. Always together, right?"

"Always together." Seichi would reply confirming Toko's statement, by carefully, but playfully, ruffling up his friend's hair.

---

As Seichi would approach his house, he would see his dad doing push-ups as his crutches laid next to him on the ground. Ever since his dad's injury, which made him have to stop doing shinobi work, hes been training even more than he normally does.
"So...What Team?" Seichi's dad husked.

"Well we're not really a regular team." Seichi would reply getting on his dad's back knowing his weight wouldn't affect his dad's push-ups, "we're on this special squad that was chosen by the Hokage. Apparently it has something to do with this organization or something."
His dad would hesitate on his push-ups stopping for a moment then continuing with his normal rhythm. "Haha! Special squad, huh? Only a Hino!"

"Do these push-ups with me, we can get some training in for the time being."

Seichi would roll off of his dad's back remembering the orders he was given. "Sorry, dad. Sensei told us to go the training grounds for our test."

"Oh, yeah...right...right"

Seichi would then bolt inside grabbing a few extra supplies and his Tantos which he strapped on his back then move quickly towards his door.
"Back already, Sweetie. How'd it go?" His mom would say walking around a corner. She'd lick her fingers and try and smoothen out his hair which we would shake off moving past her.

"It was good. Gotta go. Bye Love you." He'd quickly say running towards the training grounds.

---

Seichi would arrive at the training grounds as others did aswell.

"So, the test is gonna go like this. There are five pieces of paper hidden in the forest just to our left here. I've also planted about a hundred explosive tags all over the place, so expect to hear a shit tonne of screams and explosions. All you kids have to do is find those pieces of paper and put them together. Seems easy enough, right?"

Sounds like a treasure hunt...Yeah its pretty easy. Wait, Wait! Explosives

"However, you're only going to have an hour to find these pieces of paper, and put them together. It may seem like a long time to you lot, but time is everything in this test. Use it wisely. Oh yeah, and one more thing...If you don't manage to beat the time limit, then all of your are sent back to the Academy. Got that?"

The chill sped through Seichi's spine once more. He then felt a soft wind as Toko dropped from the trees, as expected.

"Okay. Let us begin."

"You know it!" Seichi would exclaim turning towards the group. "For starters, I think it would be effective if we split up." He would turn towards the forest, scanning its thickness. "We'd probably be able to cover more ground." Unless their Sensei was a master of hiding paper, finding the slips shouldn't be a problem he assumed.

Seichi didn't appear to waste a single second before jumping into this mission. His enthusiasm and ambition were indeed contagious, however. With a small smile crossing his lips, Toko couldn't help but laugh a little. "Always so eager..." Following his friend into the forest, Toko sped past countless trees in search of a paper tag. Traps awaited him everywhere, and finding one piece of paper in a vast sea of trees wasn't as easy as people made it out to be. Seichi was already gone somewhere, searching for his piece. "Okay..." Toko stopped, making sure that he had analysed his surroundings carefully. There were three explosive tags spread out around him. Seriously? Their sensei was willing to blow them up!? Well, that really put things in perspective. "I think sensei's a bit insane..."

Seichi's hair would gust behind him as the wind rushed in his face. He moved diligently from tree to tree scanning for paper bombs and/or the pieces of paper he was meant to look for. He came to stop as he spotted a single paper bomb laid on a nearby tree. "So she was serious.." Seichi whispered to himslef. "I should be more careful." He sat down on the thick branch he was posistioned on and started to think, while also calming himself down. "If I were to hide something in this forest where would I...? Usually a ninja is seen in the trees. Could there be some more obviously placed down there?" He asked himself." Seichi hung his head over the branch looking down at the dark shadowy lower level of the forest. "I could also waste my time looking down there..." The boy would shrug at the contradiction and leap down onto the ground.

With careful steps, Toko made sure not to trigger an explosive tag on his way to the tree in front of him. With a careful jump, the boy launched himself onto the tree trunk and leaped onto a branch where he would get a better view of the area. "Nothing here..." He frowned slightly, trying to make sure that he didn't miss anything. "If Sensei is as insane as I think she is, the paper we need to find is probably beneath the explosive tags..." With a heavy sigh, Toko jumped onto another set of branches before gracefully landing on the ground again. More traps, both tags and strings. "This one was close." He looked down at the string by his ankle. "Phew..I think Im a really bad ninja...I've almost walked into several traps now..." Still, he found nothing. Hopefully Seichi and the others had better luck than he did.

Tssss... Seichi would turn around to see a paper bomb start to burn from it end. "What?! But I didn-" He would jump out of its range quick enough as the explosion went off, its damage knocking over a few trees. Seichi would lay frozen on the ground breathing heavily. "She's trying to kill us" He'd say clenching the grass beneath him. His fearful expression would slowly turn into one of a psychotic smirk. "Hahahaha! You got me there!" He'd quickly roll into a standing posistion, wide eyed and squatting in a gymnast type posistion. "One paper bomb. HAHAHA!" He'd say tilting his neck until he heard a crack. "Like that'll stop me!" He would then sprint through the lower forrest in a much more reckless fashion, searching even more.

"Wha-..!" Before Toko got a chance to react, he heard a loud explosion which knocked a tree over. The shockwave nearly pushed him down to the ground, however it was big enough to push him forward and into the string. "Oh no..." Looking to his side, he saw how a small wave of shuriking went heading straight for him. With a backflip, he managed to get out of the line of attack, but that was highly unexpected. What the hell had caused that!? It was an explosive tag, wasn't it? Shit, who triggered it? Hopefully no one died from it, especially the one who had made it blow up in the first place. "Okay...I think it's over n-..." Again, before he had a chance to finish his sentence, the tree that fell had hit another with full force, making the creaking and cracking trunk yield under the pressure. "This is intense..." Clenching his teeth, Toko spun around and started running away from the falling disaster heading straight for him with heavy twigs falling onto the ground all around the boy. "Crap!" Looking up, he saw how a large, heavy branch was just about to hit him. There was no time to escape, no time to jump away. Lowering his hand to his sword, Toko quickly released it from the scabbard and swung the edge towards the falling branch. "Sharpen..." He spoke, making the blade glow with a faintly blue hum of chakra before the branch fell on both sides of him, sliced in two. "Okay...I think I'll just stand over there..." He continued to sprint, finally getting out of the death trap created by a forest of falling trees.

Seji squinted suspiciously as his sensei began pacing back and forth in the room. Something was up, there was some sort of catch right? He had guessed correctly.

"You see, you lovelies aren't exactly safe yet... There's still one more thing that all of you must complete before we start doing the dirty work..."

Fuyuko paused dramatically in an attempt to raise the suspense. She did successfully grab Seji's curiosity. Seji guessed there was another test of some sort, this had been to easy as of now. The Hokage wouldn't assign Seji and his peers to a special ops cell without making sure they were capable.

"We're going to put you guys through one more test. Just one, simple test. I expect to see all of you Training Ground 94 at 12 PM on the dot, today. Is that okay with you all?"

Just one. More. Simple. Test. Seji doubted that it would be as simple as she boasted. Futile-sensei made her exit, probably to go set up the test. Before she left, the kunoichi left them with one more tidbit of information. If one of them showed up late to the test the whole squad would fail automatically. Thankfully, his squad didn't seem like a group that messed around when things became serious. He was confident they would be punctual.

---

Seji arrived a couple minutes early to the training field where the test would take place. The first thing he did was take a look around, it seemed that Toko and Seichi were already set up. Hopefully they would tell the squad any information they knew from coming early.

Fuyuko sensei waited until the whole squad was there to begin, Seji was on the alert, she wasn't to be underestimated.

"So, you lot have finally arrived, huh?"
As his sensei said this she pulled out a piece of paper.

"All right, you all managed to arrive on time! It would have been sad to see you all go so soon... however, you lovelies seem pretty serious about this. And that's good."

"All right, you all managed to arrive on time! It would have been sad to see you all go so soon... however, you lovelies seem pretty serious about this. And that's good."

Taking a step closer to the group, Fuyuko smiled, popping the piece of paper back into her jacket. "So, the test is gonna go like this. There are five pieces of paper hidden in the forest just to our left here. I've also planted about a hundred explosive tags all over the place, so expect to hear a shit tonne of screams and explosions. All you kids have to do is find those pieces of paper and put them together. Seems easy enough, right?"

Fuyuko then pointed towards the sun, her smile becoming much wider. "However, you're only going to have an hour to find these pieces of paper, and put them together. It may seem like a long time to you lot, but time is everything in this test. Use it wisely. Oh yeah, and one more thing..."

Walking over to a nearby rock, Fuyuko sat cross legged in front of it, leaning her back against it.

"If you don't manage to beat the time limit, then that one person without a paper is sent back to the Academy. If more then five traps are set off, then all of you are sent back. Got that?"

---

Seji smirked and mentally prepared himself for the task at hand. This missions would be easy if his team could focus and work as a group. Unfortunately, someone was a little more eager than her expected. Seichi spoke up as the group came together to make a plan. "For starters, I think it would be effective if we split up. We'd probably be able to cover more ground." Seji was about to speak up and suggest they operate as a group and not go guns a blazing into the damn explosive tapped forest but Seichi and his shadow of a friend Toko were already off.

"Dammit..." Seji muttered this under his breath. "I guess we're just going to throw caution to the wind and wing it... whatever just don't, you know, get blown up." He told the rest of the group. Seji was about to enter the forest but a huge explosion echoed through the whole damn place and he could hear a couple trees falling. Well that's one trap set off already... Seichi and Toko were going to make them fail before they could even start. "Idiots.." Seji wasn't sure what to do now, should he pursue them and make sure they were okay? Or attempt to find thee other pieces of paper with Asuka and Reiji? He should probably check if they were okay right? The Onoda sighed and took off towards the explosion, "Lets at least make sure those morons are alright." Hopefully Asuka and Reiji would follow him, they didn't need to be split up more than they already were.

Toko Ling

Sheathing his blade, Toko slid under a large, fallen branch before he jolted back to his feet and jumped over another by jumping onto a small tree trunk and launched himself over the obstacle before doing a roll across the ground and ascended to his feet yet again in a flowing motion. Finally out of the danger zone, he rested his hands against his kneecaps and breathed heavily, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "That's...one..." He took a deep breath and leaned against a tree. "That's one...tag." Only ninety nine left to worry about, right? Toko was usually a lot more composed than this. He never rushes into danger like this but alongside Seichi, it's like he throws out everything called caution through the window and just goes with the flow, Seichi being that flow. "He's going to be the end of me..." Looking back it was a miracle that none of the falling branches and the wake of devastation had triggered more than one trap. Though, then again, maybe they did but the effects were nullified by half the forest falling over. Still, he was alive and the mission wasn't a failure yet...was it? Nothing had stopped yet so it was still on. He just needed to find a damned piece of paper before things went sour, more so than they already had.

Okay, so he needed to take a moment and collect his thoughts. Everyone else was in the forest somewhere. Asuka was probably treading everything with intense care, Reiji and Seji might have been with her and if that was the case, perhaps she was leading them through it. All three of them were actually fit to be leaders, hopefully that didn't get in their way. Speaking of getting in the way, Seichi was a hard head, he was stubborn and he he was way too passionate for his own good, but that's something that Toko liked about him. Sure, it could get in the way but most of the time, it did the complete opposite. That tag that exploded could very well be him, hopefully no one would be too hard on him for it. Escaping Asuka's glare of death was a feat to aspire to, however. The other two probably wouldn't be as strict about it.

Continuing through the forest, this time with very careful steps, Toko attempted to find a paper piece but it didn't seem to work. He couldn't find anything. Needless to say, it was a blow to his self esteem. An aspiring ninja who couldn't even find a piece of paper, that sounded great on the resume. Despite his incredible skill in close quarters combat, he had been a laughing stock at the academy more than once. While Asuka and Seichi knew of his strengths and weaknesses, the other two weren't as close to him. It was more than probable that they had never seen him shine in what he's actually good at. This time, they'd see him fail again. How ironic, they probably thought that they were stuck with some lame weakling who couldn't even throw a shuriken to save his life. "I better continue..." There was no time to stand around and mope, if anything would make the others deem him as dead weight it was standing around.

Keeping down on the ground, Toko tried to look at every corner he could manage. She probably didn't hide anything in the trees, as it would have been to easy. Did she dig any of them down? Given the fact that they only had an hour to find everything, she wouldn't possibly have gone that far. Either way, Toko wasn't really getting anywhere with this. How long had it taken? Probably around fifteen minutes by now. Only fortify-five remained.

Seichi would come to a stop, his tongue laying outside of his mouth in a goofy manner. "Paper. Paper. Paper. Paper. Paper. Paper. Paper. Paper." He would repeat to himself erratically turning his head searching for any sign of a torn piece of paper. One...Two... There were two paper bombs in sight. After the first encounter he had with one, its been easier for him to spot them in numbers, he doesn't want to be the one that jeopardizes the group. Still he had to remain cautious. Some time had passed and Seichi realized he had found not a single piece of paper anywhere. He would fall flat onto his back, realizing how tired he was. Maybe he shouldn't have been sprinting so much. He laid looking at the tree leaves that danced in the wind above him, the cracks of sunlight peering through them.

Seichi would squint his eyes as he notices an unusual tree leaf. He would get up and and approach the tree, further noticing the unusual leaf. Scanning the tree for any stray paper bombs, he would climb up to the leaf and pick it off of its branch and land back on the ground. I knew it! As he examined the leaf, he would see the a partially torn piece of paper subtly squeezed between the hole of the leaf. "Hidden in the leaf..." Seichi would utter to himself. With that statement, the boy would fall onto ground in spree of laughter and achievement knowing he found the paper. He'd wipe a single tear from his eyes with his gloves and sigh.

"I found one!" He would shout hoping for anyone nearby to hear. "I found one. I found one. I found one. I found one."

He would grit the paper between his teeth, avoiding getting it wet with saliva or biting into it and jump up to a tree branch above looking for others.

Damn, her sensei was being real harsh this time. Scrounging around for pieces of paper? Not too much of a problem. Trying not to get blown up while searching for said pieces of paper? A very big problem indeed. Five strikes, and they were out. Asuka was usually a vey cautious person, but with all the traps, time limits and the additional pressure that their sensei had put on them, Asuka’s mind was slowly beginning to break. What was she supposed to do in this sort of situation? If she went solo, she was bound to set off more traps by her self, even if she was able to cover more ground whilst doing so. If she went in a group, perhaps the risks of blasting to the stars wouldn’t be as great... But, at the same time, how could she possibly cover as much ground if she headed into the forest on her own? Both options seemed pretty risky, one way or another.

What was she going to do?

Without batting an eyelash, Seichi had already sprinted off into the forest, not hesitating for even a second. Toko immediately followed after him, rushing towards the enthusiastic boy. Knowing Seichi, this sort of behaviour was expected; it still frightened Asuka how he would rush into things so quickly, like a child running wild in a candy store. She had told Seichi countless times not to be so reckless, but, judging by his current actions, the words Asuka had said to him before may not have stuck to him.

“Seichi-kun, Toko-kun, don’t head off just yet!”

The two had already disappeared into the forest, beginning their hunt for the paper pieces. Asuka bit her bottom lip, her eyes narrowed with concern.

Seichi and Toko have already set off into the forest... If I hurry, I might be able to catch up with them. But then there’s Seji and Reiji left over...

"I guess we're just going to throw caution to the wind and wing it... whatever just don't, you know, get blown up."

Asuka nodded. “I think... it’s best if we stay together. We may not be able to cover as much ground in such a short amount of time, but it’s the least we can do to reduce the risk of setting off any more traps. I don’t mean to sound selfish at all, but, even if one person isn’t able to find a piece of paper and is sent back to the Academy, at least four of us are still left. I believe that there is strength in numbers, Seji-san.”

A violent explosion could be heard in the distance, shaking a couple of trees down and causing them topple over. Asuka’s eyes widened, watching as the birds flocked to a safer area.

“Well, there goes one.”

Asuka swivelled her head around, turning to the still smiling sensei. Fuyuko looked back up the sun and then towards the remaining Genin. “Well, what are you lot waiting for? I’m guessing about... fifty-five minutes remain. Better hurry until those fifty-five minutes suddenly turn into five.”

Without a moment’s notice, Seji took off towards the explosion. Asuka wasn’t going to let the remaining two Genin in her squad to make the same mistake as Seichi and Toko. Sticking together was probably their best option.

“Seji-san, Reiji-san, I suggest we take a different direction to the others. I’m sure if we take a different route, we’ll be able to cover more ground, right? Also, we need to keep our eyes open for any traps or pieces of paper... Those are the things that will determine the outcome of this test.”

---

“Woah... Look at all these big ass trees...”

As soon as the other three Genin sprinted off into the forest, Fuyuko had risen from her spot and followed the direction Toko and Seichi, concealing her chakra to avoid being sniffed out. Only a few metres in and she had already come across a path of fallen trees, piling over each other like a bunch of rotten corpses. Fuyuko cheeks went red with laughter, her legs wobbling from side to side. If anyone was to see her the way she was now, she would have most likely been shipped off to a mental asylum in seconds.

“Holy shit, these tags were definitely worth spending my money on! If one of them iis able to make trees in the surrounding area break from its roots like this, imagine actually using these in close-range combat...”

Fuyuko continue to stroll along the forest path, still giggling to herself. “I’m not being too harsh, am I? Well, these guys are supposed to be kinda talented, so-“

The woman came to a stop. Eyes widening, Fuyuko observed the collapsed tree with a clean cut running through its rings. She went up and felt the rings, her mouth hung open.
“The cut doesn’t even feel that rough at all... How could someone have made such a clean cut on a tree so large?”

She leaped up into the surrounding trees, bouncing from branch to branch. Her face was stern and serious, gazing into the darkness of the forest. Narrowing her eyes a little, Fuyuko slowed herself down, trying to silence her steps.

These aren’t normal Genin, that’s for sure... Just what sort of monster Genin has the Academy been teaching for the past few years?

Toko Ling

Six more explosive tags, three more wires of death, two drop holes, one shuriken trap and one...something. Toko could barely make out what it was but staying away was the only option. He was starting to feel himself get rather fatigued. He had been running about and around for quite a while now without any proper success and it was starting to get a bit frustrating. Dropping down on a large branch, Toko decided to take a breather and attempted to relax his mind. I'm no use to anyone if I'm freaking out. I need to collect my thoughts. Rubbing his face, Toko looked down at his softly swaying feet and managed a heavy sigh. Why was this going so badly? Was a piece of paper really going to be the end of him? That's it? Pack up, bye bye, it's time to go home? After having struggled through the academy and barely scraped by because of his limitations, losing to this was just sad.

Lowering his hand to the blade resting by his waist, Toko pulled the sword out and rested it on his thighs. Gently wrapping his fingers around the blade he could see his reflection upon its dark surface, his large brown eyes looking back at him. Heh...I'm not smiling. Of course you'd be the one to show me... Toko's sword was still nameless and had been given to him just after graduating from the academy. Ken made sure that it's length, width and weight were perfect for the boy. His sword was supposed to be as much a part of him as his own beating heart. Despite having gotten Taijutsu beaten into him just as much as Kenjutsu skills, holding a sword felt so much more natural for him.

I promise I'll find you a name... He hadn't had the sword for long and it had already saved his life once. Otherwise he'd have been crushed beneath the weight of falling wood. Returning the sword to its sheath, Toko dropped down to the ground, landing on his feet. How much more time do we have? It was hard to tell. At this point he had lost track of time and it was hard to get it back.

Had everyone else found their pieces? Hopefully that was the case. Toko continued to move around the forest and managed to dodge the traps coming his way. Honestly, at this point he was more interesting in not triggering a trap than he was in getting his paper piece. Any more traps triggered and everyone would have to go back to the academy but if only he didn't find what they came here to search for, only he would fail. Yes, he could accept that. If he couldn't even find a piece of paper in the forest, maybe he wasn't cut out for this. He could fight well but being a ninja was so much more than that. He didn't seem to fit all of the criteria and he understood the decision to fail him. If he would ever be hired for a job, the client would want someone good at what they're doing. Toko didn't want to pass only to offer subpar skills to Konoha's clients.

"Hold up! We'll get to that complicated stuff later. In the mean time, however...You see, you lovelies aren't exactly safe yet... There's still one more thing that all of you must complete before we start doing the dirty work..."

"We're going to put you guys through one more test. Just one, simple test. I expect to see all of you Training Ground 94 at 12 PM on the dot, today. Is that okay with you all?"

Reiji had been the first one out the door after Fuyuko-sensei gave them the news and meeting details. It was a pain to have to go through another test after he was supposedly done with all that in the academy. He was never against tests and in fact he looked forward to them somewhat. It was a chance to see how far he'd come, how much stronger he'd gotten. However, as a test there was always the knowledge that they weren't going to push him to his limits, that they would really challenge him beyond what he could do. That thought always gnawed at Reiji. He had some solace in knowing that this particular test was being given by a full fledged jounin. They were Fuyuko-sensei's students now and after he saw the presence she commands and her blatant challenge of them to show her their best he was sure she wasn't going to make things less than difficult.

Reiji stored away the rest of his gear and walked to the window. "I'm not going back to the academy...there's too many strong ninja out there and too many answers waiting. This test is just another stepping stone towards both. So sensei, give me your best shot~" He lifted himself over the sill and darted off for the training grounds.

---

Arriving last to the meeting place with only a couple minutes spare Reiji stead through the brush to see Fuyuko-sensei and the others waiting. Everyone seemed fully prepared for whatever the test may be. Fuyuko-sensei greeted them and dolled out the assignment. An hour to round up a couple sheets of paper. Scraps of paper in riddled throughout the forest sounds painstaking at first but for shinobi it shouldn't be that daunting of a task. The addition of paperbomb traps gives it an edge but Reiji was hardly worried. The biggest challenge would be the time limit. No way their skilled jounin hid the slips to be found with little effort.

"If you don't manage to beat the time limit, then that one person without a paper is sent back to the Academy. If more then five traps are set off, then all of you are sent back. Got that?"

Reiji smirked. "Small margin for error, huh? I would've liked a better challenge sensei~" Seichi, being the most impatient of them all set off without a second to lose. Toko followed suit and after not to long their was a sequence of two explosions in the distance.

"Lets at least make sure those morons are alright." Seji headed off towards the source of the explosion leaving Reiji and Asuka. “Seji-san, Reiji-san, I suggest we take a different direction to the others. I’m sure if we take a different route, we’ll be able to cover more ground, right? Also, we need to keep our eyes open for any traps or pieces of paper... Those are the things that will determine the outcome of this test.” Reiji took hold of Asuka's arm before she could take off after Seji. "Let him go after those two. Hopefully he finds a piece or two along the way. Like you said we'll cover more ground if we go the opposite way...with your speed we'll cover even more, Koizumi-san."

Reiji headed off in the other direction from Seji and the others. Landing on swiftly on a branch Reiji surveyed the area. "This paperbomb set up might have been a problem--Fuyuko-sensei probable set them up all along the common routes we'd take. The forest floor, treetops, she's probably got a few hidden under the earth..." Reiji chuckled with slight amusement. "She can't hinder us in the clouds though~" Reiji weaved a dragon handsign. All around him within a few meters radius the air started to swirl and form into small white clouds. Seiun, the hiden of the Saikumo clan that gave them precise control over the moisture in the air to form these fluffy, white patches. Intimidating? Maybe not, but Reiji's father had taught him that in the hands of the Saikumo, the smallest clouds could become fierce thunderstorms.

"Koizumi-san, if you use my Sekiun and you'll be able use your speed to it's fullest and search the these area's quickly with little fear of triggering the bombs. Think you can handle it~?"

Looking back over his shoulder, Seji saw Asuka and Reiji split off on their own. Dammit, now we're all split up... He thought to himself in frustration. It looked like he was going to have to either find Toko and Seichi or find his piece of paper on his own. Hopefully Toko and Seichi weren't blow to bits by that huge explosion. Speaking of which, he made a note to keep track of how many traps went off. They could only trip three more in order to pass. He would have to be on the alert for any tricks Fuyuko might have set up.

Once he made it to the forest he made sure to stay in the trees, assuming there would be more trip wires and paper tags on the ground. He was mistaken as he almost tripped over a wire so thin it was almost unoticable to the naked eye. Unfortunately, stopping his movement almost made him swing forward. Humorously he swung his arms out from his sides in a pinwheel fashion in an attempt to push his center of gravity backwards. But it was too late, he was going to fall forward. Seji grunted and pushed off from the branch he was previously standing on and performed a forward flip towards the ground. That was closer than he would have liked.

Seji made sure to move around the patch of leaves that was most definitely a pit covered by foilage and he also jumped over another explosive tag. Annoyance began to creep in. Where the hell was Seichi? Onoda even found the clearing where Toko cut a tree clean in half. Of course Seji didn't know it was Toko who did that, and was curious about how a tree could be so perfectly sliced. And still, he had yet to find a piece of paper. If I was sensei, where would I hide something? He asked himself. Seji had yet to see anything but traps on the ground, and people solemnly looked up. Maybe she hid a piece in the trees? The Onoda once again surveyed the high ground, making sure to check for more trip wires.

Seji was about to give up hope when he noticed something high up in a tree, a bird's nest. He jumped high into the branches and checked inside the bird's house made of twigs. Sitting there was one of the pieces of paper. "Finally!" He exclaimed with glee. Seji excitedly swiped the paper but in doing so his hand brushed another hidden wire. Realixing what he had done his eyes widened. "Shit..." He looked around, cringing, but nothing happened? Seji smirked, sensei couldn't even contruct a proper trap! The boy pocketed the piece of paper and was about to jump down from the tree when he just barely heard a quiet clicking noise. His eyes widened once again.

The trap had a time delay!

Three kunai whistled through the air towards Seji's back and three more flew towards his front side. The genin pushed off the tree into the air to dodge the kunai below but the final kunai fell down from above him. Seji just barely was able to draw his own kunai and deflect the oncoming blade. The offending kunai was deflected but not perfectly. The blade flew past his face and sliced a shallow cut in his cheek. After landing back on a branch, Seji sat down and took a few deep breaths. "Fuyuko sensei is actually trying to kill us, the crazy bitch..."

Seichi whisked himself tree to tree scanning for traps and anybody else nearby. Hmm...Where is everybody? He would come to a halt on a tree branch, squinting and peering through the tree leaves which blocked him some. He noticed a figure who laid sat down on a tree branch in the distance. "...trying to kill us, the crazy bitch." It was Seji. Seichi had a basic relationship with Seji, the only thing linking them together being the familiarity of their names and outward personalities.

"I hear ya!" Seichi would say, hopping from the nearby tree branch attempting to avoid any nearby trap he thought to be around and landing beside Seji. He would then point to the paper clenched between his teeth. "but lookie what I found" He would try and mutter with his teeth closed.

Seji looked up to see Seichi with the paper in his mouth. He grinned and pulled out his own piece. "Same here," he claimed proudly. The Onoda looked past Seichi as if he was looking for something. "Is Toko not with you?" He asked curiously.

"Nah." Seichi replied looking off in the distance. "If I remember we split up around there" He would point near where he previously set off the bomb. "Oh yeah!" Seichi would say recalling his mistake. "I don't know if you heard that thing from earlier, but sorry in advance."

Seji shrugged, "at least you guys aren't dead right?" He said with light-hearted sarcasm. "And yes, yes I did notice the huge ass explosion, it was kinda hard to miss..."

Seji paused to think briefly, then spoke his opinion. "I think we should meet back up with the group, seeing as we both have our pieces of paper and we don't have much time left. I think Reiji and Asuka went off on their own in that direction." He said this as he pointed a finger towards where he believed their teammates were.

"Lead the way, Seji-boy" Seichi said stretching his arm around his shoulder.

Seji nodded and pushed off the branch he was on and leaped from tree to tree, keeping an eye out for traps. That's two traps that we've set off so far, hopefully Toko, Reiji, and Asuka haven't set off anymore... Or we'll surely fail. He thought to himself worriedly.

"So, Seichi, I don't really know you that well honestly. Care to tell me about yourself?" Seji asked curiously as they weaved through the forest trees. Not only did he want to make small talk but he also wanted to analyze his teammates, he hadn't had the proper chance to gauge their strengths and weaknesses.

Seichi would follow alongside Seji as he moved through the forrest tops. "Oh stop, Seji. You're making me blush" He would say in a playful feminine way. He would laugh off the playfulness then get serious. "I don't really know...I wouldn't wanna brag but I do feel like I'm a pretty good ninja. Most of what I know is basically stuff my dad taught me, nothing too advanced." He would then quickly spin out the way of a dividing tree and regain his momentum beside Seji. "To be honest, I was actually suprised I was even chosen to be in a team like this. Everyone seems to have a talent and speciality, then you have me who's just there."

Seji looked over at his teammate and chuckled at his girl impression. After hearing him say he was surprised to be on the team he said, "come on, if you were picked by the Hokage himself for this squad then you're probably just as strong as the rest of us. Do you have a kekkei genkai or something?"

Seichi would briefly think looking upwards, "No kekkei genkai, but I can throw pretty good. It was the only thing the instructor ever complimented me on" he would reply.

Seji nodded, feeling respect for his peer. "Not everyone needs a kekkei genkai to be strong. Look at the Sarutobi clan, no kekkei genkai but the Hokage is from there. Aren't you the one who always says that hard work beats talent?"

The Onoda grinned and gave him a thumbs up, "I hope you can prove that statement to be true, and who knows. Maybe one day you'll be able to take on a person with a kekkei genkai like me," he said jokingly. Seji was normally a humble person but he found it funny to jokingly taunt his teammate.

Seich would return with his wide grin. "Maybe I'll take you up on that someday!" He replied driving his fist into his chest as a sign that he'll remember the offer.

The two would continue through the forrest until they finally caught up to Asuka, Reiji, and Toko. Seichi would approach the group, spitting out the paper from his mouth and snatching it in mid-air. "The only way to melt away." he would read hoping the group would make sense of it.

Seji chimed in and read his paper aloud, "Humans cannot freeze time." The Onoda would frown after speaking. "Is Fuyuko on drugs or something? Or is she just bat-shit crazy?" Even he, Seji Onoda: Kohona's brightest, had no idea what the hell any of what Fuyuko had written meant. Seji looked to the group helplessly, they still needed three pieces of paper and they still had figure out what the hell they all meant.

Asuka was about to follow suit behind Seji when she felt a hand on her arm. "Let him go after those two. Hopefully he finds a piece or two along the way. Like you said we'll cover more ground if we go the opposite way...with your speed we'll cover even more, Koizumi-san." Reiji had stopped her from going after the others insisting that they split up even further. "My speed? But they've already set off two traps. It would be safer if we..." Right, they had already set off two traps. Plus, they needed to continue the search and the best results would come from a wider search area. It seemed to her that Reiji had some kind of plan in mind by the confident way he spoke. Asuka nodded. "Okay, then let's get moving Reiji-san." As the lion-maned genin set off she made sure to keep up.

Reiji managed to convince the Koizumi kunoichi to join him in searching the other end of the forest. Landing swiftly on a branch high up in the trees he began to examine the area. He could see some obvious traps from this vantage point, as well as deduce some of the likely places based on the ones those. "This paperbomb set up could be a real problem--Fuyuko-sensei probably set them up all along the common routes we'd take. The forest floor, treetops, she's probably got a few hidden under the earth..." Asuka arrived without delay next to Reiji. "She must be insane if she's willing to risk killing us during this test." While Reiji could agree with that sentiment it didn't detract from the fact it made things interesting. "Hmph~ She may have covered all the normal routes but can't hinder us in the clouds." Asuka watched as Reiji weaved the dragon handsign clueless of what he had planned. She then felt the air start to shift all around them. Before she knew it numerous small white clouds formed within the vicinity. They scattered like stepping stones in a pond. "Ah, I get it. That's quite a handy jutsu, Reiji-san."

"Koizumi-san, if you use my Sekiun you'll be able use your speed to it's fullest and search these areas quickly with little fear of triggering the bombs. Think you can handle it~?" It was a good plan. It wasn't full proof but it did reduce the chances of falling into Sensei's traps significantly. If she kept her eyes sharp she should be able to avoid the traps that the clouds didn't circumvent. Asuka smiled confidently and prepared to demonstrate the speed her family was renowned for. "Thank you for making a path Reiji-san. I'll be sure to do my absolute best in return." Even before Reiji could nod in agreement Asuka was gone and navigating the clouds with impressive agility and reflexes. She's more than just fast...I have concentrate quite a bit just to keep up with her. I wonder just how well Koizumi-san can use that speed in battle~ It wasn't long before Asuka finished scouring this part of the forest. "It seems there are none around this here." She informed as she returned to where Reiji was waiting. "I guess it was too much to hope we'd find them that quickly. Let's move on and cover another sector then."

---

Reiji and Asuka continued using their strategy to comb the forest as efficiently as possible. Reiji would create an area of clouds and Asuka would use them to speedily search their surroundings. It wasn't a perfect system. Fuyuko-sensei was more crafty than Reiji had given her credit for. They had created a way to avoid the bulk of traps using his Sekiun but there were still some they couldn't have accounted for. With two sets of eyes, Asuka's reflexes, and a lot of luck they'd managed keep from setting off any more traps. Though not without some close calls. This method also didn't allow for a completely thorough search. Moving as quickly as she was it was likely she could miss handful of spots. They had been at it for a good 20 minutes now and still haven't found any pieces. Asuka returned from her latest sprint a little winded. "Haa...haa...nothing. I didn't...expect her to make this simple but..." Reiji gritted his teeth. There was no way he was going back to the academy because he can't find a piece of paper. He was getting impatient and there wasn't much time left. "Che...we've really found ourselves in a hole. Dammit..." Reiji was racking his brain for an idea. He could have used Water Clones to help the search but he figured the more bodies the higher chance of setting off a trap. It was the same reason he let Seji go off to find the others. What now?

"Wait, what did you say Reiji-san?" Asuka perked up suddenly in realization. Reiji stood from his crouched position. "I don't know...what did I say?" He really wasn't sure what he'd uttered to provide her with such an epiphany. " 'We've really found ourselves in a hole'...you said earlier that Fuyuko-sensei probably hid the traps along the forest floor, treetops..." Reiji followed her train her train of thought and felt that same sense of realization hit him. "Even under the earth! If she's hidden traps in the ground why wouldn't she do the same with these pieces." Asuka nodded affirming Reiji's thoughts. "A small ways back I spotted a hole in the ground while I was combing the area. It seemed like it could lead to a small cave." It was a gamble. There was no guarantee their prize would be there. They could either continue doing what they've been doing and use up the rest of their time on a fruitless search or they could backtrack and give this longshot lead a chance, also using what time they have left. "Nice work. It'll probably be our best and last chance. Lead the way Koizumi-san." Without another word Asuka and Reiji dashed off without worry as they knew where most of the traps were on the path back.

---

"This it?" In only a couple of minutes Reiji and Asuka arrived at the cave opening she mentioned. "Yes. Hopefully this really is it." Less than ten minutes. No time to waste. "Sekiun." Reiji created a cloud platform so they could lower themselves down slowly in case of traps on the descent. He held out his hand to assist Asuka onto the white mass. "Hop on." Asuka nodded with smirk. "Even though you're chronically late to class, you're surprisingly polite Reiji-san." As not to disparage his kind offer she took his hand and stepped onto the cloud. Reiji shrugged. "Don't get used to it. I'd like to fight each of you one day and the gentleman is left outside the battlefield~" Descending into the cavern they seemed to be in the clear for traps. They were no less cautious though.

It was a short way down and they found themselves at the bottom in moments. As Asuka speculated the cave was relatively small. At first glance it seemed like their last shot was a bust. No pieces, not even any traps. Nothing on the cavern floor or the walls. But they were ninja, they had quite a few more options than most. Reiji leaped and used chakra to attach himself to the ceiling. It was a hunch but a successful one. Stuck to one of the stalactite's protruding from the ceiling was just what they were looking for. "About time. It just better not be a piece litter~" Reiji reached out to take the scrap of paper. "Reiji-san stop!" As commanded Reiji stopped dead in his tracks. Asuka, unsheathing her sword slightly let the light from above reflect of it and over Reiji's hand. In between his outstretched fingers was the thinnest of wires. In his impatience Reiji had discarded his caution and nearly tripped the well concealed thread. He sighed in relief. "Keen eyes Koizumi-san. Thank you."

"Your welcome. Please be more careful. I don't want to have a teammate die on my watch on the first day." Reiji nodded and avoided the trap taking hold of the paper. Peeling it off the stalactite his eyes widen seeing the paperbomb underneath. "Dammit! Koizumi-san, take cover!" He yelled as he jumped back, swiftly retreating from the eminent explosion. They both hid behind some of the bigger rocks in the cave and braced themselves for the blast. The blast that never came. "Huh? Was it a dud?" Reiji poked his head over the rocks and saw the paperbomb still there completely inert. "That or she's messing with us...somehow the latter seems more likely..." Asuka and Reiji stepped out from their cover. Walking into the light from the cave's entrance Reiji noticed something about the piece they'd gotten. The corner was slightly split. "No wonder this one was so well hidden and there was even that dummy trap...looks like our long shot payed off~" Reiji peeled the two pieces apart with a triumphant smirk. Asuka sighed with relief knowing they'd managed to find their prize in time. Then she saw it. Sandwiched between the two pieces, she saw the pattern of another paperbomb. "Reiji-san! We need to get out of here!" In a flash Asuka drew her sword, flicking it and separating the paperbomb from the thin pieces. Before his eyes the deadly slip floated down in front of Reiji. Without hesitation he used Sekiun creating a cloud pathway up and out of the cave. Asuka sheathed her sword in a split second and leapt up taking the path with Reiji following closely behind. The familiar sound of hissing as the paperbomb ignited echoed throughout the cave followed by a deafening explosion. The blast was following them up the shaft out of the cave. Reiji turned around weaving the dragon sign and creating a larger cloud as a barrier.

Asuka scrambled out of the hole, tripping and tumbling along the ground. Protected by his cloud shield Reiji was blasted out of the cavern with a great amount of leftover force, slamming him into a thick tree branch above. "Ngh!" Reiji caught hold of the branch before he could fall to the ground below. Looking up, Asuka saw the lion-maned shinobi dangling from the branch. "Reiji-san, are you okay?" She called slightly worried. Reiji let go of the branch and landed safely on the forest floor, though holding his shoulder. "Yeah...hehe, that was a rush~ And the best part is...we still got what we came for." He said with a trumphant chuckle while holding up the two pieces for Asuka to see.

Not a minute later Seichi and Seji arrived, both with a piece. Without even a greeting they read what was on their pieces to them as if they were to solve the gatekeepers riddle. "The only way to melt away." "Humans cannot freeze time." Asuka took one of the pieces from Reiji and read it. "But time can freeze us..." Reiji looked at his. "Mine just says 'with fire.'" Seji frowned hearing the cryptic words. "Is Fuyuko on drugs or something? Or is she just bat-shit crazy?" Asuka sighed at the comment. "As probable as it might be I believe we're just reading them out of order. Although, we're still missing one...Wait, where's Toko!?" She said with concern.

Jumping along the forest, Toko would eventually hear footsteps and stopped dead in his tracks. Perking up at the sound, he would proceed with looking around and saw some of the others a distance into the forest's thicket. A soft smile would cross his lips as he heard them speak, they had all found pieces. That's great...none of them will go home. He was happy for his teammates, they had all done a great job in finding what they were assigned to locate. It was really a shame that Toko couldn't live up to it but it was what it was. You couldn't win them all. He'd go back to the academy which would be a bit of a hassle and he'd have to struggle through it all again but maybe it would develop him into a good ninja, this time. Perhaps Toko was going to be the first Ling to ever manage ninjutsu! The thought made him chuckle a bit. He knew it was completely absurd but hiding sorrow and disappointment behind smiles and laughter was what he did. Ironically, some people could always tell when he was sad and when he wasn't. They'd say that there was a big difference between his actual smile and a fake one.

"The only way to melt away, Humans cannot freeze time, But time can freeze us...with fire." What the hell was that supposed to mean? Repeating the words over and over again in his mind, Toko tried to put it all together. He leaned back against the tree and looked down at the ground below the branch he was standing on. Let's see... Perhaps he could at the very least puzzle this together. Asuka appeared to be freaked out over the fact that Toko hadn't arrived yet but he only needed a second for this and they probably sensed his chakra already. He wasn't actually trying to hide, but rather tried to find the meaning to this riddle they had been given. If anyone looked in his direction, they would see him in deep thought, standing against the trunk of a tree with his arms crossed.

A short moment passed before he made his way to the others and landed next to them. "Humans cannot freeze time, but time can freeze us, the only way to melt away...with fire." He rubbed his chin for a moment, looking up at the rest of them. "There is a piece missing."

Eyes bright and a small smile on her face, Fuyuko continued to stroll through the forest. She kept herself hidden from the rest of the new students, hoping her large amounts of chakra wouldn't give her presence away. Suppressing her chakra had always been quite a challenge for her, and even now would she have problems with it. As long as she didn't give herself away in any shape or form, Fuyuko would be able to stalk the unsuspecting Genin with ease. The woman giggled to herself after rephrasing her 'task' in her head, trying to hold back her loud snorts.

"Heheh… This exercise turned out to be more interesting than I had previously thought!"

Without warning, Fuyuko felt a momentary shake under her feet, almost tumbling down to the floor. Only about thirty seconds later, she caught sight of two Genin rushing to another direction, papers clenched in hand. Fuyuko grinned from inside the large tree shadows, concealing herself completely. Looking up, she squinted at the sun, taking a fee quick glances at it. She stroked her chin in deep thought, eyes sealed shut.

"Well, according to the position of the sun right now… I'm guessing they have a few minutes left before I weed out the one without their paper. Also, that makes three bombs set off, doesn't it?"

---

"Humans cannot freeze time, but time can freeze us, the only way to melt away...with fire. There is a piece missing."

Swivelling her head around at the sound Toko's voice, Asuka breathed a quiet sigh of relief. At least Toko was okay. At least everyone was okay. Any of them, including Asuka herself, could have been killed easily by Fuyuko's cleverly hidden traps, especially since she went the extra mile to actually set one in a freaking underground cave. Who knows how close her teammates had been to death in just this hour alone? Although Reiji and Asuka had found themselves in a pretty tight situation back then, the other Genin could have experienced much worse whilst Asuka was exploring some cave beneath the forest floor. But, the real problem here was…

"Where's the missing fifth piece then?"

Asuka was well aware that more than a few minutes had passed since Toko and Seichi had first sprinted into the forest, and Fuyuko had clearly stated they were to find and put together all of the paper pieces she had hidden throughout the forest. Was this one just so well hidden that the five of them had missed it at some point? Had some crazy animal gotten its hands on it before the Genin could even notice? The possibilities were endless, and it was this endless line that concerned Asuka, and most likely her other teammates, the most. It was either all of them went scouting the entire area once again or just sacrifice Toko since he didn't even have a piece in the first place. Even though Asuka was extremely against the second idea, it seemed like the least risky option. There were still many traps waiting to be triggered out in the forest, and knowing they were now in a huge rush for time, the risks would probably start to pile on continuously until they were the size of the mountains in the Land of Iron.

"Humans cannot freeze time, but time can freeze us… The only way to melt away ice is by lighting it up with fire."

From the thick black shadows, Fuyuko dropped from the branches, softly landing on her two feet. Her usual creepy smile was still there, bright and unwavering. Reaching into her back pouch, she fished out a strip of paper, waving it in her hands like it was some sort of bait. "Looking for something?"

Asuka froze in her tracks. Why was the piece of paper with Fuyuko all this time? Was this some sort of trap or 'trick' question? Everything that had occurred up until this moment didn't make any sense to Asuka whatsoever, no matter how many times she tried to put all the weirdly shaped pieces together. Complicated was probably the best word to describe the Genin's current situation.

"I admit, you guys did well… for Genin, at least. You each have your own special and unique talent, and I'm absolutely positive that the Hokage himself was able to see that."

Taking a step closer, Fuyuko's smile began to fade off, her eyebrows beginning to scrunch up together. Eyes narrowed, the steel-eyed woman glanced over her squad of Genin, examining them all over again. After a brief moment, Fuyuko lowered her arm, her face now set in stone and serious.

"However, now that our little test is coming to an end, I'm going to be tweaking the rules a little. Since Toko doesn't seem to have a piece of paper, he'll be stepping out of this final bit. The rest of you, however… I'm going to be leaving this decision in your own hands."

Fuyuko stretched her arm towards the teens, paper still in hand. Her smile was completely gone now; she was sure everyone else could tell that she was pretty damn serious right now.

"Now, I'm fully aware of my own strengths and abilities… and, as of now, I'm stronger. Way stronger than all of you combined. Yes, you may have a chance of surpassing me in the future, but in the current state you little runts are in now, I highly doubt you'll be able to beat this woman right here."

Reaching for a kunai, Fuyuko hurtled it towards the Genins' feet. It plunged straight into the ground, only a few centimeters away from a painful strike to the foot.

"The change in rules are relatively simple. There are two choices you can go for: either you attempt to fight me for the last minute and a half for the last piece of paper and for the sake of Toko here, or you stay put and let Toko be sent back to the Academy. Also, if you decide to fight me and fail to retrieve the fifth piece by the time limit, all of your are sent back to the Academy. And I mean it this time. Either you stay behind that kunai or you challenge me head on."

Again, Fuyuko lowered her arm, relaxing her body and lowering her stance slightly. "Basically… are you willing to sacrifice your comrade for the sake of the mission, or will you decide to sacrifice your mission for the sake of your comrade?"