Admiral Char

Naruto: Fire From Ember (open/accepting)

Shiori Spiga

"Once you’re devoured, it doesn’t matter who you were before."

_______________________________________________

The Hyuuga likened it to Jin Kani, but Burai was no more like the Ridiculous Crab than Shiori was herself, she thought after they’d finished answering their jounin. The difference was that while Shiori was fully aware that helping the village become it’s best meant putting a Spiga in the Hokage’s chair and devouring everyone in their way, Burai seemed to have deluded himself into thinking what he wanted was to be some sort of selfless inspirational hero. But Shiori had been watching closely, and its actions pointed to its true desires. Burai wanted power, and that Kasei chip on its shoulder carried with it a desire for vengeance on everyone who had callously disregarded them, especially the lauded clan of the Hokage. Jin Kani would never have insulted Yumei Hyuuga to its face, or played at frightening the Hyuuga in their own home. It didn’t have the intellect. No, Burai was smarter than that. It wanted the Hyuuga, the village, and the world to recognize it’s power. If it ever got out of it’s own way and embraced it’s true desires, it may have a good chance at becoming the male Shiori would kill to prove her loyalty to the Hyuuga once and for all. But for now it was just a boy, ignorant to it’s desires and living a childish dream. Boys rarely knew what they wanted anyway. Shiori lifted her goofy set of carciatured buckets quickly and quietly without acknowledging her teammates whatsoever. She kept her eyes forward while they walked, and in her position at the front of the line, gave the boys a perfect view to stare at her as much as they liked while they trudged along to the training grounds. She supposed Burai would have no interest whatsoever in following a pretty girl’s backside, but there was no sense giving up the advantage now just because it wasn’t perfect. In time they’d be falling over themselves to do favors for her. For now she put on a mask of stoicness, not unlike the one she believed Burai wore everyday. She rounded a corner, and suddenly caught movement out of the corner of her eye. “Look out!” shouted a child’s voice, and a volley of wooden shuriken came flying out right at them. She lunged out of the way as gracefully as she could muster, but the momentum swung her bucket a bit too far - water rose up out of it, and then suddenly stopped in midair. Kenshiro had caught it, and deftly channelled it back into her bucket. It was an impressive use of chakra, and it let them get to the training ground without delay. Once they’d placed down their buckets, Shiori warmly approached the teammate that helped her. “Thank you so much, Kenshiro. It seems it is the best at handling water. I always appreciate power.” She said with a smile.

Naruto: Fire From Ember (open/accepting)

Natsuo Aburame

"Everyone talks big till there’s a bug in their mouth. Then they can’t talk at all, cause of the bug in their mouth!"

_______________________________________________

What was going on with the adults seemed very strange. Now they’d gone off to talk amongst themselves, but the tension they left remained in the air like static electricity, a sort of prickly silence hanging over the kids. If Natsuo had to place the feeling, he’d say it was like the family meal after a funeral. The adults would parse out serious discussions while the children were placed at the kids table, out of earshot, made an unknown. Unknowns were fascinating. In this case, the adults had left them with children who may or may not want to kill them. Which was as interesting a question as any other, he supposed. Was this a setup? A trap? If the kumo nin planned to put a knife in their backs, it was better to find that out sooner rather than later, wasn’t it? And wouldn’t one like to know the name of their killer, if they could? It was all very interesting, and a far cry from Bohi-sensei’s homeroom get-to-know-you exercises. He felt less like he was being introduced to potential new friends and more like a human litmus test, with Ichika-sensei standing by in case the whole thing exploded. He looked over the Kumo kids and wracked his mind for an appropriate greeting to give someone who might like to kill you. After casting a cursory glance over at his teammates to see if they would follow him, he approached the Kumo nin around the large rock they were using as table. “Hello. I’m Natsuo Aburame. I see you have six arms.”

Naruto: Fire From Ember (open/accepting)

Eri Takeda

“No matter what, someone is depending on you.”

_______________________________________________

“Thank you, Lumika. Were I an officer or serving in another official capacity, your salute would be very appreciated. However since our relationship is one of Jounin to Genin, the gesture is not necessary.” She said, giving Lumika a warm smile. Then she turned her attention to Kimi. “Geeeez. And we just met.” Kimi said nonchalantly. The black haired girl gestured to Rina. “Seeing as she’s from my clan, I’m sure she can handle herself just fine, and I don’t mind a good fight. Her fireball jutsu is impressive and I’m sure if we got separated, she can handle on her own.” Kimi said with a nod but then looked a bit serious. “However, she looks stressed and that isn’t good. She also looks like she trains a lot but needs some time to unwind a bit. All that training can strain a girl, ya know. Also the whole lone Wolf thing ain’t gonna cut it since we’re gonna start out as a team. 'Sides, we need to stick together. We’re still genin after all.” Kimi then pointed her thumb at Lumika. “We just met but I like her. She looks to be a go getter and will help us out in a jam. Plus she looks determined to make sure we don’t die. However...” Kimi looked at a bit serious again. “We don’t need her rushing in at things. That kind of thing could get her or the whole team killed. Other than that, she’s fine.” Kimi said with a shrug. Eri suppressed a laugh after hearing Rina and Kimi side by side. After 20 years, it seemed like the Uchiha hadn’t changed a bit. As for their Suna exchange, Eri could see the girl would have some difficulties standing up to the Uchiha’s characteristic demeanor. Lumika responded well to authority, but she’d need more than that to keep from being passed over. In Eri’s experience, the Uchiha ninja were powerful, superior, and certain of themselves, whether their opinion was good or ill. It seemed the same could be said of their children. Rina was the most self-assured and ready to be leader in a given situation, but her strength in herself came with a disregard for others. While Kimi’s relaxed nature showed in the way of a little sister bucking her family’s reputation, her assessment sounded no less superior, though perhaps a bit more self-protective. Kimi would have gladly given leadership to Rina, but only because she didn’t want to take that responsibility herself yet. Perhaps she didn’t want to be another high-achieving prize for the Uchiha name. Whatever the case, these two clan-siblings would have to learn to work together, and Lumika would have to show that she was a force to be reckoned with. “Rina and Kimi! You two are to fight until one of you has given up or cannot continue. Lumika, you are to keep your teammates from hurting each other. Stay within the bounds of this training field and do not go into the forest. Your test will end when I have seen everything that I need to. Is that understood?” She gave her genin an intense look. If they had questions, she did not wait for them to ask before stepping back and declaring “Start!” with a sweep of her arm.

Naruto: Fire From Ember (open/accepting)

Shiori Spiga

"Once you’re devoured, it doesn’t matter who you were before."

_______________________________________________

Shiori bit the inside of her cheek to hide her disbelief and annoyance at the jounin they’d picked out for her. She’d thought Kuree was some kind of street performer, or perhaps a slightly addled prostitute out in midday. But no, it was a jounin. Shiori’s jounin. She supposed its mountain nickname was based on its intellect, as the woman seemed dumb as a bag of rocks. Carrying buckets around town and stretching was the kind of meatheaded exercise that Hiro’s teammates would have been better suited for. She could easily imagine the ‘miraculous’ Jin Kani, or whatever it called itself, happily flailing himself across the town square with Misaki and Hiro in tow. She assumed the golden boy and his monkeys were off doing something more fitting to an academy graduate. Perhaps, as her friend Yuzumi had implied, the high-ranked Hyuuga’s main competitors had been assigned a worse hand on purpose, including this bubbly brain-trust for a jounin. At least her boys had the potential to overcome their impotence. It was better than nothing. As for her teammates… Shiori wondered if Kenshiro was changing into its masked ninja attire out of boyish over-preparation or an ill conceived notion that it could avoid embarrassment. The latter seemed more likely. The Hyuuga seemed like it mostly just wanted to be left alone to enjoy a comfy life, but was made uncomfortable by the perception others had of it. The Kasei, on the other hand, clearly wanted to strike fear into those larger than it. It couldn’t, anymore than it could summon a demon at the dinner table. But it wanted to. Well, if Shiori was to receive an audience this morning, she would make sure she was something to be appreciated. She did not like the idea of showing herself off to the whole village for free, as it were, and certainly not to Burai and Kenshiro for nothing. But perhaps she could make use of that later. She smiled and followed along with Kuree, letting her robe dangle and cling to her body as she arched herself into the more complex stretches. Her skill as a dancer showed in certain positions, and she held her legs easily at high angles. Some of the stretches were a little more difficult than others, and Kuree was going at a pretty fast pace - but Shiori did not let her mask slip. When it came time to answer the preschool prompt proposed by her jounin, she replied in a sweet, friendly tone. “To help the village become it’s best, sensei.”

Naruto: Fire From Ember (open/accepting)

Eri Takeda

“No matter what, someone is depending on you.”

_______________________________________________

Spirited! They’d given her a spirited team. They didn’t all get along yet, but that was fine. That was what the test was for. They had a lot of energy to burn, and Eri knew how to use it. She too had a been a spirited young woman, not that long ago… although it was certainly getting to be long ago. Twenty years since she’d graduated academy, and still she’d never had a decent boyfriend. It felt like all her effort had landed her nothing but bad news and a box of fish-shaped pastries, slowly going stale. But now was no time to think about that! Eri clapped her hands together once and emerged from her hiding place, seeming to suddenly appear before the genin. “Team 4! I see we’ve all arrived on time and ready to train.” She announced. “Line up in front of me, please, and if your academy taught you to stand in formation, now would be the time to show it.” She had a wide, friendly smile, formal but cheerful. Yes, thought Eri, this was the first step in the next phase of her grand ninja career - she wasn’t EX-piring, she was IN-spiring! And soon her genin would be… Per-spiring! She felt very clever. “And… if they haven’t taught you to stand in formation, just make a line and stand about shoulder width apart from each other.” She added as the kids shuffled into position. Eri stood before them, shoulders back and head held up in a way that suggested she’d spent many years in military and since renounced all forms of slouching. As she spoke, she looked into the eyes of each genin in turn, as if making sure each one really heard what she was saying. “Now, since this is our first meeting, introductions are in order. I am Eri Takeda and I’ll be your jounin from here on. Your teachers at the academy have given me plenty of information on the three of you, but there is no substitute for firsthand experience. In time, the three of you will know your teammates better than anyone else ever could. So! When I call on you, please tell me your teammates strengths, and then their weaknesses, as far as you know.” She paused a moment to take in the reactions of her students, then announced her first target. “Rina Uchiha!”

Naruto: Fire From Ember (open/accepting)

Shiori Spiga

"Once you’re devoured, it doesn’t matter who you were before."

_______________________________________________

Like a boa constrictor, Shiori Spiga had a natural talent for guessing the measurements of a piece of meat just by looking at them. It came in handy when making clothing, which is what she’d decided would be the perfect gift for Kenshiro’s mother. The night after her lunch with Burai and Kenshiro, Shiori went to work weaving up her gift. She was carefully fixing together a lace pattern in the shape of hydrangea flowers when a tall, pale woman with eight eyes approached her out of the darkness. “Are you not coming to dinner, daughter?” Asked the eight-eyed woman. “I’m not hungry. Kenshiro Hyuuga’s mother made us lunch.” answered Shiori. “I’m working on a gift for it.” she added, raising the silk demonstratively. “Us?” Answered the tall woman. “My teammates. Burai Kasei and Kenshiro Hyuuga.” “Interesting.” Said her mother. She drew herself closer to her daughter and sat down. Shiori stiffened, but kept up her weaving. Between her hands, the silk flowed in a slow-moving stream of lace and patterns. “What do you think about them?” “They are male, and they act male.” Shiori answered. “I’m glad to be on a team with a Hyuuga, even if it is a branch house. The idea of me leading the team makes them nervous, I think. They refused me when I said that I would. But of course, they are too easy-going to-” “Is leadership something you ask for?” Shiori's weaving stopped. “No.” she said. “No, it is not.” Her mother reiterated. Then she spoke more softly. “I’m sure the significance of your teammate’s clans has not escaped you.” “We were referred to as ‘the blind and the branch-house.’” Shiori said. “But I think it is something more. Perhaps someone wishes we would eat their competitors.” “Or they wish to prove how savage and untrustworthy the Spiga truly are. Check and double-check your weaving, daughter. There are more eyes receiving us than you realize, and a gift, once given, cannot be mended.” Shiori took the advice to heart. It took her a week to finish her gift, a delicate summer robe embroidered with rainy-season flowers and hummingbirds. It was the most intricate thing she had ever made. On the morning of her team meeting she went to Kenshiro Hyuuga’s residence to drop it off, and then to the town square to meet her jounin. It was a busy, loud place to meet, but she found her teammates easily enough in the crowd.

Naruto: Fire From Ember (open/accepting)

Natsuo Aburame

"Everyone talks big till there’s a bug in their mouth. Then they can’t talk at all, cause of the bug in their mouth!"

_______________________________________________

“Alright guys, remember, three minutes is the time to beat.” Said Natsuo, standing over the open mouth of a large clay jar. In one hand he held a boiled chicken tied up with string and dangling over the mouth of the jar, and in the other hand a battered looking stopwatch. The dark contents of the jar rattled and clicked, making a noise like ball-bearings clattering against each other. Natsuo’s eyes looked intently to his watch, the chicken, and the kikaichu clicking in the jar below him, before declaring ‘GO!” and dropping the chicken into the jar. The contents of the jar hissed loudly and the string tied to his hands jerked around like a hooked fishing line as Natsuo watched the seconds tick by on his watch. Rather than agonize over who his new teammates would be, Natsuo had decided to work on his own projects the morning before his team meeting. He had extensive notes on nearly everybody in class, but by his estimate there were at least 18 potential students he could be matched with now that Kiyoshi had gotten injured and everyone was being reshuffled, which left him more reading to do than he could reasonably remember. He’d have to let himself be surprised. Whatever the case, his experimental carnivorous Kikaichu were sure to be useful. Once the string between his hands had stopped jerking around and the clicking noises had mostly subsided, Natsuo pulled the mostly-bare chicken skeleton out of the jar and clicked his stopwatch. He jotted down the time in a notebook - three minutes, 15 seconds - and placed the bones aside for later study before pulling on his coat and heading to the town gates, where a gaggle of students were already waiting to hear from their jounin. Natsuo was still so preoccupied thinking about the chicken bones and why his kikiachu seemed to be stagnating in their eating times that he missed most of the Senju’s introduction. Ichika's short speech snapped him (and near all of the other students) back to attention, however. Natsuo had never heard the word ‘tomfoolery’ before, but he knew he wouldn’t be doing any of it, whatever it was. The news of his new teammate came as a surprise to him. Natsuo’s previous team had him paired with a Hyuuga and an acrobatic weapon user, for whom he was the obvious long range position and likely to be the strategist. However this team had no such obvious weaknesses. Yue was brilliant, in his estimation. The way she combined Nara and Yamanaka techniques made her very difficult to beat and she barely needed support most of the time. And then Tomoyuki had the one-tail. Any one of them could have buoyed their own individual team to victory. As arrogant as it sounded, the fact was that arranging the three of them together almost guaranteed that other teams would fail their chunnin exams. He had to wonder why.

Naruto: Fire From Ember (open/accepting)

╔══════════════════════╗

✖ ‖ N a m e

Natsuo Aburame

✖ ‖ A g e / B i r t h d a y

July 8th / 12

✖ ‖ G e n d e r

Male

✖ ‖ B o d y T y p e

4’, a small and slight build.

✖ ‖ V i l l a g e

Konohagakure

✖ ‖ C l a n

Aburame: At birth, members of this clan are offered to several special breeds of insects as a nest, residing just under their host's skin. These insects will then live in symbiosis with their host from that point on. Because of this, its members are characterised by their use of insects as weapons.

✖ ‖ F a m i l y

Father: Hareda Aburame
Mother: Shiki Aburame
Older Sisters: Akira, Haruko, and Yuki Aburame

✖ ‖ R a n k

Genin / Team 5

✖ ‖ T a i l e d B e a s t

None

✖ ‖ T i t l e s / N i c k n a m e s

Natsu

✖ ‖ P e r s o n a l i t y

Easy-going and easily fascinated, Natsuo is generally perceived as a friendly weirdo. He’s more observant and thoughtful than his appearance suggests, but his suggestions can seem out-of-nowhere to those who aren’t following his particular train of thought. He can’t help himself from noticing as much as he does, however, and he has a hard time not following wherever curiosity takes him.

✖ ‖ L i k e s

✖ - Interesting Flavor Combinations
✖ - Unique Clothing
✖ - Colorful Things
✖ - Well Laid Out Presentations

✖ ‖ D i s l i k e s

✖ - Making Important Decisions
✖ - Serious Occasions
✖ - Pointless Routine
✖ - Poor Design

✖ ‖ N i n d o

Everyone talks big till there’s a bug in their mouth. Then they can’t talk at all, cause of the bug in their mouth!

✖ ‖ B i o g r a p h y

As early as Natsuo could remember, he had the belief that life was so full of happenstances and inexplicable phenomenon that other people just took for granted. The youngest and only son of his family, he constantly pestered his older sisters and parents with questions. However his pointed questions often lead to trouble instead of answers. He was confused to find that most of his inquiries and thoughts were very upsetting to others. It seemed he had a knack for offending people, whatever that meant, whenever he opened his mouth.

But he didn’t know how he could be so different from his family, or how they could be so different from him. He only knew that it was very easy to upset and annoy them without meaning to. The moods and whims of those around him all seemed rather arbitrary. But he knew things had to make sense somehow. Perhaps there was some kind of code. Something his family had figured out long ago, but he would have to make out for himself - without asking too many questions. Human nature couldn’t just be arbitrary, after all.

Natsuo thus developed a strategy of quiet observation. His sisters still got mad at him for doing what they described as ‘creepy staring,’ but this was a far less abrasive reaction than before. He followed his father’s example of a scientist, keeping notes and taking reports on all the goings around his home, his classmates, his town - anything that seemed useful.

Occasionally Natsuo’s mother would remark that he seemed awfully quiet, and ask if there was anything he was feeling sad about or if there were difficulties at school. But Natsuo didn’t feel sad or down or even worried - he was fascinated. People revealed so much about themselves without saying anything at all. Perhaps the same could be said of the world!

When he did have something burning in his mind, he would discuss it with his Kikaichu. They were were much happier to be tested and observed than humans were. He eventually developed a way for the Kikaichu to share his lightning release and created a bug that could stun and electrocute his opponents. It was an advantage he sorely needed; While Natsuo excelled academically at the ninja academy, direct combat was very challenging for him. It seemed like once he was within striking range of a person, everything went too fast and he’d flinch up and get hit.

While the lightning bugs (which he named named 'Raichu') gave him an edge on the battlefield, it was obvious to Natsuo that the best way to keep control on the battlefield was to study his classmates as much as he did his schoolwork. To that end he began taking extensive notes, tracking everything from movement patterns to food preferences. Natsuo’s combat acumen increased and with it so did his confidence.

In time Natsuo began to have more fun with his social experiments. He enjoyed trying out new phrases of speech or articles of clothing, surveying his classmates to see what sort of reactions he was getting and how they stacked up to his own notions about them. Sometimes he just felt like wearing a weird hat to see what would happen. While his classmates may have thought he was an odd duck, his strange style of dress and sense of humor was often appreciated and he made quite a few friends at school. By graduation Natsuo had developed a reputation for being a strange, kind, and thoughtful boy who seemed to know exactly what people needed without them saying anything at all.

✖ ‖ N a t u r e s

Lightning / Earth

✖ ‖ T a l e n t s

- Raisin’ Bugs
- Askin’ Questions
- Makin’ Graphs and Charts.

✖ ‖ J u t s u

Insect Clone Technique
An Aburame has thousands of their kikaichū gather together until they've taken on the size and appearance of the Aburame, to be used either as a decoy or a diversion. The insect clone can be created anywhere that the kikaichū are positioned or sent to, making it more useful for certain tasks than a shadow clone. When the insect clone is struck, it disperses back into a swarm of kikaichū.

Secret Technique: Insect Cocoon
This unique technique allows the user to accelerate the growth of their insects. As the user's body is already a hive of sorts for the insects, the user will encase themselves in an actual cocoon to further aid the insects. This is an extremely useful move for Aburame clan members, since their attacks mainly focus on the usage of insects. However, using this in the midst of a battle can be potentially dangerous as it leaves the user static and vulnerable. As such when this technique is being employed, the user generally finds a safe location or otherwise can be guarded by their teammate.

Lightning Release: Thunder Bug Evolution:
By feeding his lighting chakra to his kikaichu, Natsuo can evolve them into Raichu, a larger bug with lighting capability. These bugs leave painful electric zaps upon contact and when in swarms, can arc electricity through them. They can be distinguished from kikaichu by their brightly flashing bottoms and much larger size, about three inches long.

Lightning Release: Electro Bug Zapper:
Once there are enough bugs surrounding a target, Natsuo can trigger them to arc lighting throughout the swarm, causing the opponent to be electrified. The more insects surrounding the target and the closer they are, the stronger the zap.

✖ ‖ W e a p o n s A n d T o o l s

Aside from basic ninja tools, Natsuo has Kikaichu and his lightning variant, Raichu.

Raichu: These yellow glowing bugs are about three inches long, slightly smaller than Natsuo’s palm. Their size allows them a bit of impact force. Being infused with Lightning chakra, direct contact with a bug results in a electric ‘sting,’ which temporarily numbs the target area and leaves a painful red welt. They can generate their own electricity by flying together, and large groups can cause electricity to arc between them, giving the appearance of lightning in a stormcloud.

Kikaichu: Small, flight-capable beetles that feed directly on chakra. Aburame can use kikaichū to latch onto their surroundings, allowing them to perform manoeuvres they otherwise wouldn't be able to. In cases of poisoning, kikaichū can be used to remove the poison from the body. Kikaichū can potentially give the chakra they've taken to allies, replenishing their reserves.

Defensively, kikaichū can surround their host as a protective shield or impersonate their host to act as a decoy. They can also kikaichū can spread across an area and emit their host’s chakra, making it difficult for sensors to locate the host. Because individual kikaichū appear no different than any other bug, they can be used to secretly observe a target and, upon returning to their host, communicate what they've learned. Once a kikaichū has locked onto a target's chakra signature, they will continue to follow it for as long as it's within their range. If an Aburame wants to be more discrete in their pursuit, a female kikaichū can be placed on a target; the female will give off a pheromone that males are able to hone in on.

✖ ‖ F i g h t i n g S t y l e

Natsuo uses his lightning-chakra infused Raichu to blind, stun, and incapacitate his opponents before attacking their chakra directly with kikaichu. He is near exclusively long-range in his fighting style, being very honest about his inability to take a hit. He delights in poking and bothering his opponents from range and is more likely to subdue or disable an opponent than to aim for a killing blow.

✖ ‖ T h e m e S o n g

Buggin' - The Flaming Lips https://youtu.be/bjTxUH-QqXY

✖ ‖ P l a y e d B y

Admiral Charmander

Naruto: Fire From Ember (open/accepting)

Eri Takeda

“No matter what, someone is depending on you.”

_______________________________________________

Even with the extra hour she’d taken to do her hair and makeup, Eri was on her way to training ground 17 with plenty of time to spare. She didn’t even have to do any setup for her test. It was a routine drill, something she’d done with dozens of batallions before. She was pretty sure a bunch of school kids could handle it. She’d certainly had to work with the occasional adult who’s intellect rivaled that of a pre-teen - and in her opinion, plenty of adult ninja were even dimmer than that. But Eri had her own secret trial to take, before she could run her genin’s - and she was glad there was plenty of time to do it. Plucking up her courage, she traced a path through Konoha square, past vendor stands of musty paperbacks, sweet-smelling meat buns, and freshly cut flowers, to a place she knew well. She only hoped it hadn’t moved in the years she’d been gone. But then she saw it- a red and gold Taiyaki stand, with a big wooden fish on top bearing the words ‘Kintaro’s Taiyaki’ in peeling gold lettering. And as soon as she recognized it, it recognized her - the little old man running the stand gave a start and called over to her. “Eri-chan, is that you? You’ve grown up!” Said the little old man. “Heh, yes, it’s me.” She said, a bit bashful. She looked around the stand, but didn't see the person she was looking for. Still, she was happy to see an old friend. “How are things?” “Oh, business is business. Have you seen Kintaro yet?” “N-no, not yet.” Eri bit her lip. Was it that obvious she had come to see him? “Oh, well you should! He’s married now, you know? And two kids!” “O-oh.” “Ah, you should come by for dinner!" The old man continued, oblivious to Eri's paling face. He placed a heap of taiyaki in a box as he spoke. Mama-chan would love to have you, too. We hardly ever see our son these days, but you are here, visiting - it’s an occasion! I’m sure he’d love to see you, too. You two were such good friends.” So that was how it was. Eri promised to come by for dinner sometime, and the old man foisted the box of sweets on her before she left. She headed to the training grounds and tried to clear her head. It felt like her makeup was running, probably due to steam from the Taiyaki pans. She felt stupid for wearing makeup and fixing herself up, but she had to stay optimistic. Kintaro wasn’t the only man in Konoha, after all. She’d just put him out of her mind. Ahead of her, a great fireball erupted from the trees! Eri took position behind a rock and sensed out the source of the fire. It appeared there was a genin at the training grounds - no, wait, another explosion, two genin? Yes, two children were, for some reason, blasting the hell out of the training ground. Had some jounin sent them on a path of destruction? It was a bit early for self-motivated teenage delinquency. She’d have to shoo them off the training ground before… Suddenly she realized where they were. Training ground 17 was just ahead. These weren’t delinquents - they were a highly motivated Uchiha and an equally energetic Suna exchange student. And, as of today, they were Eri’s responsibility. Avoiding detection, Eri moved closer to observe her new wards. She’d reveal herself when it was time to begin their training. For now, she was happy to have some time to observe. Self control was definitely going to be one of the early lessons for these two, but she was glad to see their spirit. To her recollection her genin teammates had rarely arrived on time to anything, and pretty much never early.

Naruto: Fire From Ember (open/accepting)

Shiori Spiga

"Once you’re devoured, it doesn’t matter who you were before."

_______________________________________________

As Shiori’s friend, Yuzumi Hyuuga had taken plenty of insults from the spiga, but she couldn’t let a nobody like Burai get away without returning shots. As he spoke, her eyes burned like hot coals. But her face stayed calm, her lips a narrow smile. “They gave you the blind and the branch house, Shiori. I’d be insulted to have such half-rate teammates. But then again, the Spiga are cannibals. I’m sure the hokage knows what he’s doing.” “How touching, it's worried for the boys.” Replied Shiori in mock sincerity. “Don’t worry. My appetite won’t be a problem, so long as they agree that I’m in charge.” Shiori said sweetly, then turned away towards her teammates. Yuzumi glared daggers at her for a moment, but then the look was gone as if thrown aside, and the calm mask returned. “I’m sure.” Replied the Hyuuga, then adding to the boys, “Make sure you don’t embarrass me. For your sake." "Uh, yeah, good luck!" Added the pretty girl to their right, who up to this point had been silent. Yuzumi frowned. "Come on Miki, our teams are waiting." And then there were only the three of them. Shiori sat up in her seat and smiled. "So. We should get to know each other. I'd like to get some food. Shall we?"