Isao couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable at the exchange as she had been a little cold with him. This perplexed Isao as he had been more then friendly with her and pondered if he was going about things the right way. Maybe I should have been more cool and not as over eager... Or it could be my age... I can see that being a valid reason but I am not some little brat... Gahh I got to stop over thinking things as I will eventually lead to an awkward silence and that is not a way to start of this new potential friendship. he thought to himself as he was shaking her hand. He couldn't help feel a little unnerved as now she was looked him up and down like a piece of meat during this awkward exchange. Although it was mere seconds it felt like an eternity to Isao as he finally broke his grip from her hand and noticed that she was staring at his weapon.

"Well Ageha its a pleasure to meet you and I see you were looking at my kusarigama. It's the preferred weapon of my clan and its quite fun to use." he said quirkily. He immediately pulled it from his belt twirling the sickled end around in an unintentionally cocky way before catching the shaft with his right hand and opened his palm up offering it up to her as a friendly gesture. "You are more then welcome to examine it if you'd like."

Isao then heard what sounded like footsteps going towards the direction of their sensei. What he saw was yet another girl who appeared to be a few years his senior as well. She appeared to be a carrying a large two handed weapon but instead of going over to meet with them she made her way over to their new sensei. She stood at attention like a typical soldier of the resistance. His questions about her weapon would have to wait as he was sure their sense bound to call them over now that she had arrived.

Isao was a little unnerved that he was on team with two girls that were a few years older. Although he found both very attractive he had a feeling that they were going to treat him like an inexperienced child who was nothing but a hindrance. He had already drawn this conclusion from his initial interaction with Ageha as she seemed to be annoyed he was trying to make conversation with her. Both would be in for awakening if they ever underestimated him. He figured he would show them this sooner or later as their sensei was bound to have them do something that would allow him to show his skills.

Iroh watched as Shira entered the woods, then sent out a quick burst of his seismic chakra through the air, just to catch their attention.



"Your clan doesn't matter," he said while looking directly at Shira.

"Your past doesn't matter," he said after quickly changing his gaze to Ageha.

"You are now shinobi, at the lowest level," he said after once again changing his gaze to Isao.

"Before you ask questions, I want to make one thing clear. Of your graduating class, only about twenty-five percent of you are left. Hosuka-san himself told me he only expects ten percent of you to even live a year as real shinobi. Look to your left. Then your right. If the Hokage is correct, at least one of those people is likely to die in the next year - if not yourself," he told them all after finally diverting his gaze into their general direction. "It is my goal to make you beat the odds. If numbers are against you, I will show you how to disprove even the best statistics. I was told as a genin that I would never make it using taijutsu, fighting head first. I made it through two wars and a decade of Hell,"he told them all, referencing his own past in an attempt to inspire them while also strike fear into them.

Iroh then allowed a smirk to creep across his face before asking, "Questions?"

A woman joined them in the training ground, much more interesting than the boy. Especially the weapon she carried. However, it seemed she was not in any mood to talk, for she remained silent off to one side when she arrived.

"Well Ageha its a pleasure to meet you and I see you were looking at my kusarigama. It's the preferred weapon of my clan and its quite fun to use." Isao said. He pulled out the weapon and started twirling it around, before catching the scythe and holding it up to her. "You are more then welcome to examine it if you'd like."

It wasn't a weapon Ageha would like to use. It had too much movement involved in its usage, and it didn't look that precise or that easy to control. Nevertheless, her hand stretched out to grab it.

She didn't get a chance to use it however, as the teacher sent out a wave of chakra through the air. His chakra felt different, though she could not identify what exactly made it different.

"Shira Hataga. Isao Kiriyama. Ageha. I am Iroh Ikeda, the Seismic Sage. I specialize in nintaijutsu, so don't ask me about anything else. I am your new sensei."

Shira... So thats her name...

Ageha remained silent while her new teacher started on his speech. So, she had a rather muscly boy and a woman carrying around a huge weapon sword thing on her team. Now that she had seen the other squad member she was supposed to work with, her suspicion that she was thrown into a less capable squad lessened a bit. Perhaps that boy can really fight or make himself useful in a way. She wouldn't really know; judging and deducing from appearances was not one of her skills.

"Questions?"

She wanted, rather badly, to ask what they were doing here, but she feared having her arms broken again. Nevertheless, she raised her hand hesitantly.

"..What will we do for today?"

Just as she was about the to grab it Isao felt the seismic wave his sensei sent through the air. He immediately put his kusarigama on his hip and went to were Shira was. He stood in the same fashion as her. To them it would either give the idea that he was either copying Shira or he could have potentially served in the war. Isao wasn't concerned at the moment and focused in on what his master had to say.

He gave a speech in a manner that reminded him of the "pep talks" that his superiors would give in the war. Although he was a bit skeptical as the men who normally gave such talks ended up sending him and his former comrades on some sort of suicide mission. He however listened intently as he started stating some gruesome statistics such as only 25% of his class was left. 25%??? Could the others have been that weak or was this due to inferior commanders... Damn it Isao pay attention don't let your mind wander. He also went on tell them how it was likely that one of them would probably end up dead. This would kind of defeat the purpose of trying to make friends and would probably have led Isao to put his wall back up if it hadn't been for Irohs rebuttal. His Sensei really made an impact he was someone who had beat the odds and here he was eluding to that he was going to help them as well.

Once his Irohs speech had ended Isao couldn't help but get the feeling that his Sensei might be from Iwagakure. Not be biased but the Seismic Sage was a title that seemed to befit someone from Iwagakure. If this was the case then he was just like him and give him another way to connect with his sensei. He could also teach him more taijutsu and earth techniques that he couldn't have even dreamed of. Isao could not keep his curiosity to himself anymore, he had to ask.

"Iroh-sensei... Are you formerly of Iwagakure as well?"

"Your clan doesn't matter,"

The words were blasphemy, but they were true. In this new system, the fact Shira was Hataga was rendered completely null - she was a Shinobi now. She could never let go of her clan and her heritage, but she would have to put them aside and put her duties as a Shinobi first. Such was the way. Thoughts buzzed around her head, wondering what she should say, what she should do - why, and how, and all others sorts of questions that she simply had no answer for. Most people would have fretted over their thoughts, imprisoning themselves in a cycle of asking and hoping for an answer, but Shira was not an ordinary person. She was born to serve, to hear and obey, and that instict was so strong within her that she could quiet her unruly mind with a single, simple sentence:

"Yes, Iroh-sensei."

The tone was formal, perhaps overly so, and yielding. Shira remained stood to attention, ready to do whatever was commanded of her, to answer whatever questions were asked of her. In the haze that covered up her unruly thoughts, small fragments began to clear up, yielding to questions that she genuinely could not shake, things that she needed to know. Her new partners - what were they like? When she was with Kami-sensei, she'd practically been alone given that Namine had been sent off almost immediately, and then Kami had been hospitalised. Their time together was not nearly enough to form any meaningful bonds, and though their time was brief it did have some small fragments of meaning. Shira was somewhat prepared for new teammates, but the current dynamics did not seem conducive to a healthy team relationship. From what she could gather, Isao was trying overly hard to get to know Ageha, and she was rebuffing him. It looked as if she thought him below her, though whether or not that was true was something she had no way to know. Ageha seemed relieved that Shira was... well, she didn't know. The relief was slight, and it was difficult to tell directly, but her body language betrayed her placid face and it was obvious for one who had studied Toshoukan's manuscripts as much as Shira had.

Iroh asked for questions. Shira had nothing, and indicated as such with a simple shake of her head. Ageha seemed like she was attempting to hide some burning question that was plaguing her - a feeling Shira could strongly empathise with - and then she asked. There was trepidation in her voice, an unmistakable quiver of the syllables, that came with the repression of what she truly wanted to say. Shira remembered the feeling well, from when she was younger, but she had had many years to perfect her visage. Ageha seemed almost entirely new to the world of social interaction, though that statement possessed less truth than was implied. She could only hope that the bonding exercises between the group would make them a more cohesive team - in order to get to a major battle where she could fulfil her destiny, she would need to have competent allies behind her. Isao and Ageha could be those allies, provided the three worked together in harmony.

"I once waved the banner of Iwa. I led its resistance before an alliance with Hosuka was made. But, as I said, the past is the past, and that includes mine as well. You will not ask more of it," Iroh responded to Isao. He answered his question, even though it was ignorant to the speech given, but allowed it to slide given that Iroh asked if they had questions. Regardless, he made it firm that he would not discuss the topic further.

"As for what we shall be doing today, it's your first test. Success in battle is achieved through a hierarchy. The general commands his lieutenants, the lieutenants command their platoons, so on and so forth. There are three of you, but it is important that you know who to listen to or follow when or if I'm not present. You will work as a team, and sometimes that means compromise, and often those lower on the chain are forced to do so. That said, we will determine who here is the strongest. The test will be for you three to figure out what lesson I am trying to teach using this method. I already have my pick: Ageha. That said, Isao and Shira will have a sparring match, and the winner will spar Ageha. This gives you the chance to prove me wrong, but also takes into account my experience in combat. Any more relevant questions?' he asked them after explaining to them what they would be doing. His methods may have seemed crude and his test possibly more akin to a pissing match, but within the rough there was a diamond.

Isao's question was answered in a stern matter of fact way that led him to believe that this was a touchy subject. This soothed his burgeoning curiosity and Isao wouldn't press the matter any further. He figured that Iroh would tell him eventually if he felt like it. What was important to Isao as it was yet another thing that would hopefully make it easier to trust him and allow for them to be a cohesive unit. This was something Isao had longed for as he never was able to develop these kinds of relationships among the other genin he fought with.

Isao couldn't help but rumple his brow at hearing that Iroh-sensei was already favoring Ageha. He however was going to get the opportunity of proving him wrong. He felt sorry for his teammates as he could possibly send them to the infirmary but such was his methods. Shira appeared to have a large cumberson sword that if landed would cause massive damage but he was confident his dexterity would be more then enough to nullify it. He also was certain his earth ninjutsu would play a decisive role in this spar.

"Well lets get things started!" he said in a bubbly tone as he paced 15 yards away from Shira. He pulled out 3 kunai with paper bombs attached to them holding them with his right hand. He then got into a defensive taijutsu posture and did the come hither motion to Shira. "I promise I won't bludegeon you too badly Shira." he said in a quirky yet arrogant tone and to top it off he winked at her. Isao was a bit of a shit talker when he fought and often did it to get his opponent off of their game. He hoped that after their spar sessions they wouldn't hold it against him.

"As you command, Iroh-sensei." the reply came, again largely formal and emotionless. War took its toll in different ways, and having been born into a clan that considered themselves the stewards of war, the toll had been taken on Shira for longer than others in her generation. It was interesting to note that Iroh had favoured Ageha, and Shira did not even begin to think of questioning it - but there were other questions that she had. Was he favouring her to attempt to get a rise out of herself and Isao? Bujin had always used psychological pressure tactics and passive aggressive methods to teach Shira, and part of her wondered if it was going to be like the old days again, fighting not only her sensei but herself in order to advance. It was not a question that she could get an answer to, nor one that she would ask, and yet it burned within her like an almighty flame - threatening to set all who crossed its path ablaze, though passers-by would likely see only the metaphorical wisps of smoke.

"Your hubris will be the platform upon which you hang yourself, Isao-san. Errant words may fell empires; it would take less to fell you." Shira responded, losing perhaps a little of the stoicness that pervaded most aspects of her being. The comment was left in a sort of purgatory between being insulting and being wise - it was as much friendly guidance as a threat, and depending on Isao's point of view it could be taken as either. Given that the two were about to spar, she felt like the latter would be the most likely. Still, if he began to allow emotions to take control of him, he would only lose himself the fight. Most people forgot that they fought themselves as well as their opponents whenever they entered into battle - and if Shira could have Isao win the battle against himself for her, it would be easier and perhaps impress Iroh more.

Shira bowed, a traditional sign that she was ready to begin, and placed herself into an equally defensive posture. She gripped Unmei no Chikara more tightly and held it perpendicular to her sternum, relaxing her shoulders and spreading her feet. She was in a position that she could move around in fluidly, as well as counterattack should Isao choose to attack her first. It was always the first person to make the move that lost, Toshokan had written, and so Shira waited patiently for Isao to move. Her vigilance was constant, as was her assessment of the potential battlefield around them, and she collected what she knew of the flow of combat. Isao's weakest point would reveal itself to her over time, and she would fell him in a single strike. The spar was not meant to be flashy, or to impress Iroh in of itself - victory was meant to impress, and Shira was fairly confident that she could beat Isao.

Shiō

Shiō listened closely to Kyo's explanations, making sure she absorbed the information. There were little details that stuck out as a solution to the puzzle, which meant it was largely straightforward of a task.

Inhaling deeply, Shiō closed her eyes and formed a singular sign in focus. With that, she let her senses push into the depths of the pile of sticks. She was searching for distinguishing characteristics of the singular stick that Kyo had just been holding. It was assumed, given that it had not been created, that that stick was special in some manner. Further extending that logic, Shiō assumed that it would have some larger concentration of chakra within it, either of Kyo's own chakra or chakra from another source - either would make it possible to separate that stick from the others.

Once she found the area that she felt the stick was in, Shiō began to methodically pull from the pile, sitting cross legged in front of it. Each stick she would pull she would put into another pile. She knew the general area of where to search for the said stick, so she did not need to go through the entire pile of sticks. The sorting was simple, either it was the stick she was searching for, or not. Of course, since there was only one correct answer, her incorrect pile grew quickly. Given the number of sticks, the task took her about one minute and thirty seconds to complete before she had the stick in question to present.

Rising up from the pile, Shiō bowed to Kyo and presented the stick in question, "I believe this one would be correct."

She gathered the task was a demonstration of problem solving, as well as methodology to solving problems. Shiō had demonstrated specifically the characteristics she had wished to exude - her patience, focus, and analytically skills. Now she needed to wait for Kyo's response, which would determine if there was indeed more digging for her to do, at that point, she would not entirely know how to dissect the task any further - at least with her skill set.

Ageha was a bit relieved to find her arms unbroken. Perhaps that was not as stupid a question as she had previously thought.

"..no questions.."

She was still rather stuck on what he said just now. How would he know who was the strongest? Was that a compliment? Or a challenge? Or perhaps just something just to throw her off guard? If anything, it made her feel rather conscious of herself and her skills, though she did not show it. A disappointed teacher made for a violent one if her own trainings were of any indication.

There was that time Granny said Ageha was the fastest girl she had ever known. Then promptly told her to catch a rabbit with only her bare hands if she wanted dinner. Granny was such a demon when she was serious about training.

Even so, she can't help but feel a bit happy. Compliments were rarely thrown her way, and almost all of them were said with another objective in mind, like making her guard go down. For now, because of Iroh picking her, she had a chance of seeing how other people fight. It would be interesting to see another fighting style not based around the sword.

Isao seems rather confident of himself, throwing out a bit of insult to the girl. Confidence was good her Granny said, but too much and arrogance sets in. Shira gave him a calm reply, looking very... unaffected. Ageha didn't really know what to think or who would have the upper hand (she was actually thinking Shira would have the upper hand), but this should be very interesting.

Ageha moved under a tree where she was out of their way. Her turn would come after, and she should observe as much as possible. Granny herself had stressed the importance of observation.