---

Class was always an… interesting experience for one Kasei Burai. Blind as he was, he often relied on braille or an assistant reading aloud to absorb any written information during lessons, and he was usually content with that. Indeed, he was, and had been for a good while, one of the class’s most consistent students, with average to above average scores in every subject. Had today been any other day, Burai would simply ask an acquaintance to tell him which team he was on, pick up his schedule (which they would hopefully have remembered to stamp with braille, or at least write with chakra-infused ink), and pootle on over to whatever meeting point they’d been assigned. However, today was not any other day. Today was graduation day: the last opportunity he’d have to prank Bohi Sensei. In other words, Today would be legendary.

As soon as the bustle caused by the beaning of the Akimichi (by what Burai could only assume was an eraser, based on the silhouette it cast) had subsided, and Bohi Sensei had finished her briefing, he raised a single, meek hand.

“Ano, Bohi Sensei, If I may be excused in my rudeness, you seem not to have accommodated my… particular needs.” He pointed slowly at his headband, wrapped firmly over his eyes. “To put it another way, miss, I cannot see the board, insomuch as I see the world around me. What team is mine?” Now, a deadpan expression to stick the landing and 3… 2… 1…

Bingo. There was the roiling of stressed chakra he’d expected. In the privacy of his head, Burai allowed himself a small laugh and congratulated himself on pulling the wool over the eyes of yet another ninja. Now, to find out his team placement...

---

Despite the placid expression on the young man's face, Kiyoshi was struggling to contain his excitement. He had finally graduated from the academy and was, now waiting for the end of the last assembly with the rest of the graduates. Not even Bohi-sensei's reprimand toward Chotzu Akimichi dampened the budding Hyuga's good mood. Though he did feel a bit bad for the boy, Kami knew just how hard the instructor could throw an eraser when someone wasn't paying attention. Though if he was being honest with himself, he was far more excited for the opportunity to learn more iryo-ninjutsu. With the Academy's specialty courses being limited as well as the general lack of interest or chakra control most students had it was understandable, however grudgingly.

Looking about the room at all of his fellow fresh genin, Burai Kasei caught his eye. He held mixed feelings for the blind, young man. On the one hand, there has been bad blood between the Hyuga and Kasei clans for as long as Kiyoshi could remember. On the other, he couldn't help but respect the darker-skinned boy's strength and resolve despite his handicap. He distinctly remembered the bruises that took quite a while to fade from the last time the two had spared against one another.

However, it was the proclamation from the self-titled "Handsome Crab of the Leaf" that really tore the brunette from his thoughts. "Please don't let me be on his team, anyone but that loudmouth!" He thought to himself desperately as he activated his byakugan to get a better view of the chart on the board. Kiyoshi didn't have a problem with the...exciteable boy personally, he just could not see their personalities meshing well in the long run.

Fortunately for the Hyuga, as he scanned the chart, he was not paired with Jin. Unfortunately, he struggled to put faces to the names he was paired with, though he was pretty sure he had spared with a Karata on more than one occasion.

"Guess I'll just have to wait until we meet out Jounin sensei to identify them. " He thought to himself as he absently twirled a dulled senbon between his fingers.

Away from the classroom and in the hokage's office, Seiji Hyuuga sat in a simple chair behind a simple desk and pored over a crystal ball. In it, images of shinobi, one by one, returning home appeared and disappeared into the next. Everyone was arriving back, as they should. Many of these young ninja would soon be receiving assignment as jounin instructors, leading teams of genin, some of them for the first time. It was the same every year; the jounin would return and receive a summons to his office, where they'd receive their next assignment and a file for each of the newly exalted shinobi. Seiji had, as he had done year after year, read the files and conducted his own examination of the young hopefuls and their prospective instructors. It was his responsibility.

He took a deep breath and relaxed his brow, which had been pulled knit, and allowed his face to stray from the ball to the small tea cup his wife had poured him earlier. In the quiet of his largely bare office, with only the steam of the tea and gentle glow of the crystal ball on his face, he could almost hear the rumble of the children of the academy, the din of the streets farther out, the birds in the trees... and out and out and out. The Byakugan came with it many gifts, not the least of which was an early understanding that even in emptiness, there was so much fullness. The tea was given to him by his wife Haruka and its steam warmed the air, just as the warmth of her still lingered in the room, and he could feel the echoes of her, though she was gone, and the echoes of hokage past, each having left their mark, a reflection of a reflection. Much like this crystal ball left by the Third, they were a window. They hung in the air and followed him, trailing behind as he imagined he in turn trailed behind and would some day echo to someone else.

No more tea.

The Byakugan revealed so much and so did age and so did wisdom and he was wise enough and he had lived long enough to know the difficulty and value in not knowing. He didn't know his son, not as he knew his classmates. He was a subject with which he'd adopted a policy of mystery. Instead, he'd pass duties around him to his most trusted friends. He would, instead, rely on their expertise, would not inquire... His duty as a father demanded his ignorance, lest he bend him. Hiro must be true.

Still, in this instance, he knew much more than he'd have liked. By virtue of knowing everyone else's team, he couldn't help but know Hiro's as well, though he'd no knowledge of who his jounin would be. And yet... he'd know soon enough. Like every other jounin, they would be called into his office and he would hand them their files and then... perhaps he'd know too much. His eyes softened, then flattened, and then his face hardened and he wrapped the crystal ball in soft and dark fabric that protected it from the outside world and the outside world from its vision. This was a difficulty he would have to put out of his mind. Anticipation interfered with the here and now and any jounin may arrive. Seiji clasped his hands and rested his elbows on the desk.

He was ready.

---

Takayuki Mekakushi, known across the continent as the Mirage, the fastest Jounin alive, was not having a good day; not in the slightest. He'd been out running a short courier mission to the other side of Fire Country, when, half way back to the village, he'd been attacked by a gang of Sand missing nin. He was lucky to have noticed them; a moment later and he'd have ploughed into the trap they'd set. Needless to say, crashing into a large earthen slab at speeds in excess of 150mph was not something he would willingly attempt any time soon. So now, he was in heated combat with a gang of skilled Shinobi, and running distinctly behind schedule.

He was broken from his thoughts by the sudden appearance of a brace of Kunai, careering towards him from the right. 'Damn you, Mekakushi, you distractible twit!' Quickly realizing he wouldn't be able to dodge, he planted his feet, flashing his hands into a momentary Snake seal and activated the Supreme Phase. Surge Chakra coursed from his tenketsu like waterfalls as his body began to vibrate, and there was a loud crack as two afterimages curled around each side of the volley, before snapping back together. Before the Chuunin responsible could realize what'd happened, Takayuki snagged one of the Kunai around his finger and hurled it back, nailing her right over the scratch in her headband and passing clean through.

"Hana!" came the cry of the group's Jounin, whose hands snapped into the seals for a common Earth Jutsu, snarling at the death of his comrade. It occurred to Takayuki that he could end it then and there. He was, however, annoyed. Instead he simply smiled, dodging air bullets and thrown weapons idly. 'Meh,' he thought, 'I think I can spare the chakra.' His hands blurred through a long sequence of hand seals, even as the other Jounin slammed his hand to the earth, grinning viciously. A crack of thunder sounded across the clearing, accompanied by a searing flash of blue light, as lightning cloaked the Mirage's form. In one motion, he slipped his goggles down over his eyes and blurred through a quintet of seals, (Tiger, Hare, Reverse Hare, Snake, Tiger, Release!). As a vicious spike of Earth came barreling out of the ground towards him, he vanished, a whirlwind of shredded leaves appearing in his wake. The enemy followed him around the battlefield with surprising tenacity, spires of rock erupting where he'd appeared a moment earlier, but the Surging Flicker was notorious for its overwhelming speed. The enemy stood no chance. Within seconds, he'd sent no fewer than twelve of his own spires careering towards himself, and a platform of rock carried him into the air; directly into the path of a Surging Flare, which Taka had swung around behind the man. It impacted the back of the Jounin's head, bursting into a blinding, green conflagration.

The smell of burning flesh snapped the remaining three Chuunin out of their stupors, and they charged, as one, towards Taka. He smiled, and punched the earth, fist wreathed in neon flame.

"Flash Fryer!" A wave of heat pulsed through the ground from the point of impact, blowing the assailants back and igniting their clothes. Unwilling to give them even a moment's reprieve, Taka blurred his hands through another group of seals, and opened his arms wide. "Plasma Wave."

A few minutes later, his bingo book was in his hand, the smouldering head of his main attacker in the other, at arm's length. "Ichigo Gurei, huh? Stupid sod." He sighed, tossing the head aside; the man's bounty was low enough that carrying the body home was more trouble than it was worth. "I need to get home." He reactivated the Godspeed Shroud, and set off towards Konoha at a sprint, trailing lightning in his wake.

---

"And that concludes my report, Hokage Sama." Takayuki grinned at the older man, patently ignoring both the distinct scent of ozone he'd left in the office, and the secretary he'd bowled over, who was currently glaring daggers at his back as she gathered the last of her papers. He gave the Hokage his best innocent face. "I do hope I'm not too late, I've been looking forward to meeting my team for days!"

---

While maintaining the lazy twirling of the senbon in his hand, Kiyoshi let his mind wander slightly once more trying to remember who the Uzumaki was. He was sure they had interacted but couldn't connect a face to the young woman. It was during this time spaced out that his other team-mate approached him, announcing his presence. Jumping at the 'sudden' arrival, Kiyoshi just barely stopped himself from attempting to stab the slightly shorter boy.

"Sorry, you startled me for a second there." He said with a nervous chuckle. Putting the senbon away in the base of his braid, the brunette politely added, "I'll be in your care. It's a pleasure to be teamed with you."

Despite his words, Kiyoshi was wary of the other. He has yet to understand the village's policy of taking in these exchange students from other villages. Sure he could understand Suna or even Taki, but Kiri has been known for not producing the most... stable of shinobi. However, he did want to give the other the benefit of the doubt.

"Perhaps our teammate stepped outside for some fresh air? Shall we check?" He asked as he stood up and started heading for the front door. All the while keeping an eye out for someone slightly apart from any three-person groups.

"Your team is receiving their assignment right now", Seiji replied looking over clasped hands. He kept his gaze on the young Mekakushi's eyes, as if searching for something. After a moment more, his brow relaxed and his hands fell to his lap; if he'd found what he was looking for was unclear.

"More and more missing-nin attacks are forming all along the North-Eastern corridor, but predicting your movement is unusual and new. We will be sending a team to investigate how they discovered your mission", he finished a little grimly. In truth, Seiji had theorized that the rise in attacks along that region was the work of Kumogakure likely working in concert with the small ninja village that reports read to be Otogakure in the Land of Sound. It was troubling, but unimportant. The thought that troubled him now was that someone had painted a target on Mekakushi-san's back. Was it intentional or incidental? If he put his mind to it, Seiji could foresee several potential benefits for one to kill Mekakushi-san, especially at this moment, but they all pointed to a conclusion that he was reluctant to reach.

"Each member of your team is unique. Your files on them should give you enough detail to begin their training. It is my wish that you should respond dynamically to them as they grow. I am aware that this is your first team. Your enthusiasm will be useful to you, if you can cultivate it."

---

Smiling softly to himself at his prank, Burai placed a hand on top of his files to stop its spinning and opened it eagerly. Reserved as he often seemed, he was just as excited to meet his team as anyone else. He'd wanted to be a Ninja for most of his life - had dedicated uncountable hours to training and furthering his style, and for the first time in his (admittedly short) life, he felt ready. As he brushed his fingers over each page, searching for his assignment, he cast his mind over his classmates, wondering, idly, which of them he'd be spending the next few years of his life with. He was drawn first to the Karata boy. Their bloodlines were somewhat similar, after all, and his chakra was fascinating to watch; it would swirl around his eyes in strange, pulsating eddies, bleeding into every vessel of his network. There was something calming about it, somehow, despite its more agitated undercurrents.

He thought next of the handful of Hyuuga he shared a classroom with, and couldn't help but frown. Burai had nothing against the Hyuuga, per se, but most that he had met had treated him with severe disdain, the Hokage and some of his classmates notwithstanding, and his clan were never afraid to mouth off the users of the Byakugan. His uncle Jou would often tell him stories about the branch Hyuuga that he'd shared his first team with. They had hated each other with a passion, and Jou insisted that the girl had tried to kill him more than once; undoubtedly, she had many similar stories of him. That said the Hyuuga Burai knew personally were mostly decent. Perhaps it was down to the fact that he could feel safe in the knowledge that they were perfectly aware of when he was staring at them. One Hyuuga Kiyoshi, in particular, was someone he wouldn't mind working with. The boy had a tranquil air about him, his chakra flowing in controlled waves, and the swollen vessels around his eyes far less jagged than most.

There was also, of course, the unforgettable Jin. Burai liked the boy, in all honesty. There was an undeniable energy about him that was worryingly infectious. However, perhaps having him as a teammate would be a step too far...

These thoughts soon came to an abrupt, unpleasant halt. One of his teammates' information hadn't been properly stamped, (he wouldn't mention it to sensei; much as he enjoyed pulling her leg, he was too fond of the woman to draw attention to it), and he struggled to read it with any kind of haste. The other, however, was clear as day.

"Shiori Spiga..." he muttered, attention scanning across the room in search of her chakra. "Of all possible students, why must it be her?"

Burai would readily admit that he judged the girl unfairly. He always had, and was well aware of it. Frankly, they'd almost never spoken, and the few spars they'd had were fast-paced and enjoyable. However, there was... something about the girl - about her chakra - that unsettled him on a level he found difficult to explain. Her entire aura seemed to writhe, a strange undercurrent of malice just peeking out from under a thick blanket of normality. Perhaps he was being paranoid, but her chakra network was so distracting that he had learned early on in his time at the academy to tune it out, lest he spend all day staring in her general direction. (There were others who had had the same effect on him, of course, but hers was a particularly unique case). Now, by contrast, he was actively seeking her out, his awareness flitting about the room even as his head remained motionless. Finally, he pinpointed her, sitting alongside an apparently, (he really hadn't the ability to make his own observation on the matter), beautiful Hyuuga with whom he'd sparred occasionally, and one of the more irritating girls in his year, (the type Jou would call a 'prissy little Herbert'). With a determined gulp, he stood, and strode towards the three with as much confidence as he could project, flaring a weak chakra shield as he went, a thin, pale purple aura stretching over him like a second skin. (It always payed to be cautious, after all).

Finally, he arrived, standing at a polite distance, and cleared his throat, making sure to fix his gaze firmly on her face.

"You are Shiori Spiga, yes?" he began, a nervous, but fixed smile on his face. He extended his hand. "I am called Kasei Burai, son of the Kasei third branch, and I am to be your teammate." He inclined his head in a firm nod. "I eagerly anticipate our working together!"

---

Burai frowned. He didn't know what he'd been expecting from his teammate, but such open malice... wasn't it, somehow. He had... heard of the Spiga, of course, but he really wasn't the kind to believe rumours. Now, however, he began to wonder just how many of them were true. Still, she hadn't been openly hostile yet, and if he was to work with her for the next several years of his career, it wouldn't do to make too awful a first impression. As such, he thought for a moment, never diverting his attention from Shiori, before saying his piece.

"The Hyuuga are bloated, over-traditional, and have an unfortunate propensity for crippling arrogance. In particular, their attitude towards my clan is... vexing, to say the least." He turned his attention to the Hyuuga girl at the table. "Your friend, meanwhile, I find abrasive, self-centred and overconfident in her station and ability. She rides the social wave with her beauty," his face contorted somewhat, "but what I see is a bland, conceited child who will never make it past chuunin. Her chakra is as plain as dust." He turned back to Shiori, a smile returning to his face. Then, almost as an afterthought, he added "As for Kenshiro-san, I find him a skilled, agreeable individual. He has never approached me with hostility, and his chakra is inoffensive. He will be a good teammate, I think."

He nodded firmly, and took another step towards the desk, thickening his chakra shield as he went.

"As for myself, Shiori-san, I will endeavour to be the best teammate - and, hopefully, friend - I can be, regardless of any stumbling blocks that may fall beneath my feet. They are only obstacles for me to overcome." He extended his hand, once again, to shake, still smiling firmly. "Anyway, in these situations, I believe it is customary to shake hands with one's comrade." He held his pose for a number of moments, before an idea came to him. With his free hand, he pulled up one side of his headband, briefly exposing a single blackened, shrunken eye to the girl's gaze, before dropping it again. "I do not appreciate being referred to as 'it', Shiori-san." And, against his better judgement, a silent laugh bubbled from his throat, forcing a rather more genuine smile onto his lips.

'Right', he thought to himself, 'let's see how she reacts to that!'

“So. Where is Kenshiro?”

It turned out that the third team member of Burai and Shiori's squad was in the restroom in front of the sink and mirror, wiping out the last remnants of soda that had splashed his clothes. During Jin's uproar the student beside Kenshiro had dropped his drink, spilling it all over Ken. While it was certainly a mess, and by now with the cleaning Kenshiro had practically given himself a second shower in the sink, he was only annoyed with the other student at worst. It had only been an accident after all. The trouble was more in the effort to fix the orange stains and stickiness, rather than any bitterness or hard feelings. Wiping himself down with a couple more paper towels, and mostly dry, he was ready to reenter the classroom and see if his teammates were still present.

So, right after Shiori asked her question, Kenshiro entered the room as if to answer. His hair and spots of his outfit damp, but would likely dry fully within half of an hour. With a brief look around the room, he spotted the group of students at the table and promptly approached. A genuine, respectful smile was given to the main-branch Hyuuga girl among them, with a brief small bow just for her, before Kenshiro looked to his new teammates. "Greetings everyone. Burai-san, Shiori-san, it looks like we are to be a team for the foreseeable future. I look forward to working with you both." The new graduate wasn't lying, but there were a few things that concerned him. Burai's clan and his own were not on good terms. Possibly due to that, he remembered that he'd never taken the time to get to know Burai at all. Kenshiro didn't really care about some political feud, but he hoped that Burai wouldn't harbor some sort of clan grudge against him. Dealing with that would be a pain in the ass. And then there was the Spiga girl. A much more sinister case in her entirety. Being wary of her clan was more than a matter of politics and feuds. The Spiga were dangerous and insane. Shiori in particular seemed to be able to control herself better than the rumors about her clan would indicate, but Kenshiro hadn't let her maneuvering and climbing of the student popularity web go unnoticed. He'd kept quiet, but he'd also kept note. That girl was dangerous venom.

Kenshiro just hoped that he'd be able to make allies of his new team. Or at the very least, positive neutral relations to them. Hopefully there wouldn't be too much trouble for him to have to deal with.