---

As mild-mannered as he often was, Burai was nothing if not a prankster, and seing the Hyuuga girl's chakra writhe with hurt was entriely too satisfying for him to comfortably admit. 'Serves her right,' he thought, his face twisting into something between a smirk and a frown. The girl was entirely too big for her boots, and, frankly, he'd been meaning to knock her down a few pegs since she'd first looked down her nose at him. A twist of laughter made its way onto his face, and he cast his gaze to Shiori directly.

The girl was... far from what he had expected. Equal parts malign and puckish, he found himself drawn to her somehow. Perhaps it was curiosity? Or perhaps simply caution... Either way, he gave her a firm nod, returning her handshake warmly.

"In that case, Shiori-san, let us hope that day comes sooner rather than later." A moment later, he addressed the Hyuuga girl, although his head never moved. "I'm afraid the same does not extend to you, Hyuuga. Perhaps, one should think twice before casting judgements, hm?" Against his better instinvt, he smirked. Let no one say that Burai Kasei was a wimp!

He would deny, until his dying breath, that he had jumped when Kenshiro announced himself.

He would vehemently deny having forgotten to tag the boy.

He wheeled around, (most assuredly not) startled, and choked out a sputtering laugh.

"Ah! Kenshiro-san! I didn't see you there!" Sensing an opportunity to gather his dignity, he coughed, pointing to his headband, and mustered a chuckle. "For obvious reasons, of course! Myself and Shiori-san were just discussing you" He held out his hand, smiling. "It's a pleasure to work with you!

Burai definitely seemed to be more cooperative than Shiori, at least for the moment. Kenshiro gladly shook the boy's hand, with a grip that was stronger than how dainty he may have seemed at times. "Nothing too spicy I hope. Can't be the subject of gossip without being at least a bit curious." He joked around with the other lad for a moment, relaxing his shoulders and getting to be more calm. One piece of the team seemed to be going smoothly at least. But then the poison began to seep in just as quickly, with Yuzumi belittling himself and Burai, and Shiori stating that she'd be in charge upon threat of cannibalism. The boy sighed with disappointment, both from Yuzumi not returning the respect he'd given her, and having to deal with what Shiori was trying. While Kenshiro didn't really care about being in charge, and actually preferred taking orders, following the plans of a Spiga sounded like suicide with only a couple of extra steps. "It'll be the Jounin who's in charge of us." He'd stated firmly, making his position clear, but also not showing hostility.

Kenshiro gave the other two girls a wave as they left, mostly to the girl who showed a bit of courtesy. Yuzumi having lost his good will. Already things were seeming aimless with just the three of them, but fortunately Shiori gave a suggestion that wasn't too terrible, at least for the moment. "Lunch would be good. How about I take us to my home? Get some lunch there and you could see my folks." Kenshiro hoped they would agree. It would be helpful if his parents could also take stock of his teammates and possibly give him advice on how to get along with them best. Particularly Shiori. She was the more worrisome one of the two.

---

Burai laughed along with Kenshiro's easy quip, smiling in relief as the boy's chakra seemed to settle, at least somewhat. It appeared as though he had one less issue to worry about in this team. He had, of course, been worried that some small hostility may have surfaced upon close interaction, but so far his male teammate seemed entirely mellow.

Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said of the Hyuuga girl. Her insult may have stung, had this been his first year. As it was, his smile turned hard. "Blind, but not unseeing. Be sure not to forget it." Satisfying though the retort was, it didn't stop him from reeling internally at such a blunt confirmation of the Spiga's... dietary habits. Was it really such common knowledge?! Such was, he supposed, the cost of spending most of one's time in one's own company. He cast another assessing glance at Shiori as the girls parted, tuning out the conversation to a degree. It... certainly explained a few of the observations he'd made. A part of him had always dismissed that clan's reputation as malicious rumours.

He watched the other pair leave to find their teams, and took the opportunity to launch a blunt pencil at the Hyuuga's head. Distracted as he was, it didn't reach her. He turned back to face Shiori directly. His smile, pasted onto his face even now, seemed rather more forced than he would've liked.

"In this case, Shiori, Kenshiro, I should hope that we could make decisions as a team. Especially given that our Jounin Sensei will carry the authority." He paused. "And I'm afraid, Shiori-san, that I would make rather an unpleasant meal. I am both stringy and distinctly caustic." A laugh bubbled from his throat. "Rather like eating cement and gristle, I should think!" He kept laughing, despite his... mixed feelings. This, he realized, would be one of those days. Fortunately, it died off quickly, and he sighed.

"I think it would wonderful to acquaint ourselves over lunch." He turned, worriedly, towards Kenshiro. "If, of course, your parents will not mind? It's... all too clear to me that relations between our clans are... shall we say tense?"

Even without a traditional set up, Yue had found herself placed in an Ino-Shika-Cho set up and she found this very annoying. Her name wasn't Shika-something nor Ino-something, but they'd gone and done it anyway. It was probably because Chotzu had a "Cho" in his name and they wanted to salvage what they could of their traditions. If his name had been Dumpling, she wondered if they'd have even bothered. It wasn't as if Yue disliked Chotzu any more than she disliked most other people, he was what you'd expect from an Akimichi... only much shorter and either hyperactive or completely asleep; it was the principle of the thing.

"Ah! Teuchi-sama! Your ramen is fantastic as usual! Do I detect a hint of some fresh wild flowers, today", asked Remi, cheerful and carefree as always. Yue rolled her eyes.

"Good catch, young Haruno, I found the last plum blossom petals of winter in the cupboards. They were hiding!"

"That must be why it's so refreshing on a sunny summer day like today, just a little taste of winter...", continued Remi chuckling to himself and lifting a single noodle to his mouth, "Chotzu seems to appreciate it too!"

"Ahm-lom-mom-blom-top-blotch", said Chotzu between huge spoonfuls. He then picked up the bowl and poured the entirety of the contents into his mouth. What he lacked in height, he seemed to make up for with voracity of appetite. Yue couldn't say that it was helping her own appetite, though. Watching him wolfing down all that food while Remi waxed poetic, practically flirting with the ramen vender just made her feel incredibly self-conscious. She turned away from them and tried to act as if she were just sitting there alone. She shouldn't have come, but Remi wouldn't take angry glares for an answer and Chotzu insisted that all the tension of being genin had made him too hungry to function, so here she was... whether she liked it or not.

Moments later, a rather loud and rude man entered with another man, a foreigner by the outfit, in tow, demanding their own ramen. Village business they said. Yue looked at her bowl and tried to listen in. It had to be more interesting than the vapid musings of her overly sunny companion or the endless void that was Chotzu. Village business, it sounded like... the son of the Raikag-

"Yue! You haven't touched your ramen! You're... not a vegetarian, are you? I should have guessed when you'd said miso ramen... Of course! How rude of me! With your family being so in touch with-"

"...not a vegetarian..., she murmured, her cheeks turning a bright red as she sank into her overcoat. Luckily or perhaps unluckily, the foreigner leaped to his feet and challenged... someone... a boy from her class that Yue didn't talk that much to to a duel! And... her classmate... Rashiku, she thought... He looked to be accepting? Foolish. Even if the foreigner was a blowhard challenging a child because he thought he could win, he was still more experienced by far, experienced enough to be sent on a mission to Konoha. That meant he was trusted. And if he was really the Raikage's son... Was he here to start trouble? The rude man he was with didn't seem to be stopping him.

If they fought and this man was serious, Rashiku would die. The question is just how serious exactly was h-

"My! Quite the floor show...", said Remi, breaking Yue out of her thoughts. He was smiling but his eyes were transfixed with what was happening, "He isn't serious is he?"

Yue stuck her hands in her pockets and leaned away from Remi.

"Mm...", she replied watching the man's fingertips. You could figure a lot about what someone intended by what they were doing with their fingertips. The tension was so palpable that even Chotzu had stopped eating actively and had turned, merely sipping his third bowl of ramen tentatively.

And then Ami Uzumaki of all people came onto the scene! What was with people?!? Why were they so fascinated with this poor silver-haired kid?!? Yue could only imagine suddenly getting that much attention and even thinking about it made her angry and raised her hackles.

---

Takayuki frowned as he left the Hokage's office. He supposed he should be happy; he had, after all, been nagging the man for a team for quite some time, and he couldn't deny the pool of excitement currently bubbling in his chest. Still, the news of attacks to the north was... deeply worrying, especially given that they'd been able to track his own movements. The widely accepted theory was that his movements were planned, at random, by the Hokage's office. Frankly, that it was common knowledge suited him just fine; it was, after all, a load of bollocks. With a flash of hand signs, Taka flickered to his apartment, making quick work of the lock, and sauntering over to his desk. There, sealed into the wood, he kept his map book, and he spent a tense few minutes scratching through and redrawing many of the countless, multicoloured lines that he used for routing. This book, started when he was a simple chuunin, was his pride and joy: A journal and atlas, all in one, hand-drawn from scratch, featuring every shortcut, clear channel, nook, cranny and straight he'd ever run, and likely ever would.

Finally, with a deep sigh and a wistful smile, he scratched out the final route, dotting a new one in some 3 miles West, and snapped the book shut, resealing it before leaning back in his chair. Taka's accommodation was a blatant reflection of his lifestyle. Given that he was so often away from the village, he'd lived in his humble studio apartment for the better part of ten years. His bed lay, unmade, in the corner, and next to it was a potter's wheel and a high cabinet filled with clay and tools. On the opposite end was a rather spartan kitchen, still littered with the aftermath of yesterday's lunch. He eyed it, dubiously.

"Welp," he muttered, "That's going in as a D rank!" He spent another moment stretching, laughter on his breath, then turned his gaze to the folders he'd been given on his students. He spent longer than he'd perhaps meant to, just reading through the files, a broad smile slowly blossoming across his face. They were a ragtag band, certainly, and he'd have to keep a close eye on the boy from Mist (Lord knew he'd seen what they could be like), not to mention a bloody Jinchuuriki, (and hadn't that been a surprise, on his first team), but still...

His eyes shone, one arm twitching restlessly.

"My kids are going to be fun!"

---

Later, with a few raw eggs and a cup of milk down his gullet, and a wood carving of a duck for each of his students in his pockets (It was far trickier to work with than fruit, but equally more permanent), he began making his way through the village towards the academy, taking a much deserved walk, taking in his surroundings as he went. As a child, he'd wanted to get out, to see the world, and to prove himself wherever he went. Now, he wasn't sure there was anywhere he'd rather be than home. A voice caught his ear.

"Lots of shinobi at Ichiraku today!" That got his attention, and he kept half an ear on the civilian conversation, stopping to eye a shop window. It wasn't as though such a thing was rare, of course, Ichiraku Ramen had been a hub for Ninja for as long as he could remember, but there was always the chance one of his genin was there - that and he hadn't had a bowl of the stuff in quite some time. That settled, he changed course, and made for the rooftops. From there, he fixed his eye onto Ichiraku's and Flickered over, some twenty metres to the right. What he saw, needless to say, rather upset him.

It was, from a certain point of view, an amusing scene. One of his fellow Jounin observing a cloud nin (whatthehellwasacloudninthereforhe'dfuckingkillhim!), who seemed to be threatening one of his kids, another one, the Jinchuuriki, tugging at the boy's sleeve while another team watched from nearby. All told, he felt rather sorry for the proprietor. Especially given what he was about to do. In a single, swift movement, his brass knuckles were fixed firmly over his knuckles, and just the faintest hint of the Shroud was flickering over his hair. Shredded leaves exploded across the scene as he flashed between Rashiku and the Cloud Nin in a Surging Flicker. A tongue of flame rushed across the fingers of his left hand. He turned, viciously, to the one from cloud, a snarl tarnishing his lips.

"You,", he began, voice barely a whisper, "have twenty seconds to tell me who you are, what in god's name you're doing in my village, and why, precisely, you seem to be inciting a conflict with my student."

And then, suddenly, the tension was gone from his form, and he turned genially to the old man at the counter.

"Sorry for the ruckus, Teuchi-san. Just trying to diffuse the situation." He paused. "One bowl of Pork Ramen, if you don't mind." Order placed, he cast an eye over his shoulder at Rashiku, smiling kindly - although his body hadn't moved from where he'd arrived. He reached into a pocket and pulled out two of the carved ducks, handing both to the boy. "Sorry about this, kids, I won't be a second. There's one of those each. Carved them myself!" He laughed. "I'm Takayuki Mekakushi, your Jounin sensei!" He placed emphasis on the word Jounin, and looked back to the older boy, a wicked glint in his eye.

He needed to resolve this quickly.