RPG Konoha Chronicles - The Torn Earth [M - V, L]

[Adas]

Matsuda was sore all over, the dark bruise enveloping his right eye swelling at an alarming rate. Matsuda touched it gingerly, and groaned as the pain shot through his face. He kicked the chair closest to him and swore out loud. ?Damn Okaru! What the hell were you thinking!??

He had been left inside a classroom, told to stay until he was called upon. There would be no guards outside ? to disobey would be foolish beyond comprehension. They had even left his weapons with him ? his katana stood propped in the corner, and his kunai in its sheath on the back of his belt. The classroom was large enough to hold his entire year, and he had paced every step of it in the short time he had been confined to it. Letting out a sigh, he sat down in the closest chair, replaying what had happened over in his mind.

Okaru?s assault had been both sudden and forceful. The onslaught had been relentless, punch after punch landed on his face. However, he had looked genuinely surprised when his surprised opponent broke his nose. [i]If I did nothing to him, then I didn?t warrant such an attack[/i] Matsuda thought to himself. [i]And if I didn?t deserve the attack, then why did he?[/i]

Although they had rarely sparred, Matsuda could tell that Okaru had not used his full force ? if he had fought with all of his strength, Matusda would never have landed a punch on him. Despite making such a show, he had held back. There was only one scenario where such an attack would be used ? a diversion. [i]Diverting from what though?[/i] Matsuda wondered, but his thoughts were interrupted by the door opening in front of him. The chuunin from before entered.

?Are you ready??

?For?? Matsuda replied, unable to look the chuunin in the eyes. He had failed the academy, let everyone down once again. He wasn?t good enough to become a ninja. He couldn?t beat Okaru. He couldn?t beat Akoma?

?You?re test ? it?s your turn.?

Matsuda was stunned, the only sound escaping from his open mouth was that of silence. His turn? He was allowed to try again? He could do it. He could beat them all. He could become the best. A soft smile appeared on his face, betraying his nervous eyes.

?I?m ready.?

The two walked down the hallways of the academy, Matsuda following the chuunin to the examination room. As they passed through the halls, he saw classmates of his, already with the headband of the genin. They took one look at him, at the bruises that covered his face, at his dirty, messy hair, and began to whisper. For once in his life, it didn?t bother him. Today, he was unstoppable. Today, he was Matsuda of the Yotoro clan.

They finally stopped in front of a large set of doors, to which the chuunin knocked upon, and then left. ?Enter? came Raiga-sensei?s voice from inside. Matsuda had never particularly gotten along well with his teacher, but their relationship was far from a bad one ? Matsuda?s shyness simply didn?t allow him to get along with his sensei. Beside him sat Tsunade-sama, the fifth Hokage. She simply stared at him, here eyes intent on the student before her, a hawk watching its next meal. Matsuda gulped nervously.

?Are you ready, Matsuda?? Raiga-sensei asked, his face stern, but voice calm, nearly comforting. It only took Matsuda a moment to answer.

?I am.?

?Good. This examination will test your use of three basic jutsus, as well as two basic ninja arts. Over-all, you will be tested in five areas ? you must pass three tests in order to complete the examination. We will begin with the replacement jutsu??

Matsuda became lost in the rhythm of the exercises. He preformed the replacement jutsu, perfectly mirroring Raiga-sensei before him. Next, using his katana, he demonstrated a basic Yotoro-clan ninjutsu, the ?Mirror-blade Jutsu?. The blade of the katana began to shine brightly, and at once, a second sword appeared in his left hand ? the second, of course, being a fake. Sweat poured down his face, mixing with the dirt from his earlier fight. He failed the genjutsu test quickly, and the chakra control test as well, attempting to run up a wall, but falling quickly. He had counted on that however ? his chakra control was fairly weak, and his abilities in genjutsu were pitiful. With one test left, his taijutsu test, he drew his sword and began to concentrate. Taijutsu abilities focused on chakra build up, and release upon striking. It was what his father specialized in, and he had born witness to its awesome power time and time again. Today, they would bare witness to his.

For the taijutsu portion of the examination, a wooden dummy had been erected in the center of the room. It was battered all over, a testament to those who had come before him today, and succeeded. Memories of his father flooded into his mind. He remembered the first time he had seen his father wield his blade, the solid black katana [i]Kurokasai[/i], the [i]Black Flame[/i]. He had stood in front of an oak tree, old in its age, roots set deep into the ground. With a yell, his father drove the blade through the tree, piercing its center, then leaping from the ground, cutting the tree evenly in two from the ground up.

Today, he would do the same to the wooden dummy.

His katana spun nimbly in his right hand, and steadied the whirring blade with his left. With a wild yell, he thrust the blade towards the dummy, the chakra built up in his hands, transferring fluidly into his sword. The moment the tip of the blade contacted the target, he released, and the blade slid fluidly into the wood. With a smile, he thrust up? the blade didn?t budge. [i]No?[/i] He wrestled with his sword, but it remained stuck inside the dummy. [i]No, no, no![i]

?Matsuda, that?s enough.?

He turned around to find Raiga-sensei standing before him ? Tsunade-sama remained seated, still watching just as intently as before. ?I?m so sorry, sensei?? Matsuda said, his voice catching. Raiga smiled down at his student and place a hand on his shoulder.

?You passed?

Matsuda remembered being told that he displayed enough potential to become a genin, but after he was handed the Konoha head-protector, he stopped paying attention. His feelings were mixed ? overjoyed that he had succeeded, he found it hard to understand why he was sad.

[i]I was good enough?[/i] he thought sadly. [i]Next time, I?ll be better?[/i]

[Drizzt Do'urden]

Okaru sat still broding over the fact he may have killed his chances at taking his exams. In fact he was sure he did, since it had been so long.

Just then, Raiga-sensei himself entered the room. "Matsuda just passed, and its your turn." Okaru couldn't help fight the smile that had crept up on him. "On one condition I'm afraid." The smile quickly faded, what could sensei want of him?

"First off, what possibly possessed you to assault Matsuda like that?" Okaru knew he would have to answer this question. Okaru bowed deeply, showing as much sincerity as he could, "Sensei, I'm sorry; Matsuda and I had words after his sparing session with Hotaru went wrong. I tried containing myself but I couldn't."

Sensei seemed to be buying it, but he wasn't sure. Raiga-Sensei strood towards Okaru, got right in his face. "You need to learn to control yourself." His hands moved faster than Okaru had ever seen, he grabbed Okaru's face and twisted. Okaru's nose made that sickening snapping noise again, just the same as when Matsuda had popped him.

"There now that your nose is fixed, let's go. It's time for your exam." Okaru followed Raiga-Sensei out the room. Eyes were on him as they passed other students, each one brandishing their new headband with pride. Okaru was about to be one of them, that thought left him when they entered the exam room. He saw lady Tsunade standing in front of the exam room with a stern look on her face.

"You should thank Raiga-Sensei, if it weren't for him you wouldn't even have a chance." The words from Tsunade's lips made Okaru cringe, how close had he really come?

Raiga-Sensei's voice was the next he heard. "We've already passed you on the Taijitsu part. It seems you are apt enough there."

The rest of the exam was pretty simple, a wind bullet, a wall run nothing to hard. Okaru had expected an impossible task since Lady Tsunade was unhappy with him. "Okay Okaru, now for your final task." Tsunade got up from her seat and appraoched Okaru, stared him straight into the eyes, "Demonstrate the [I]Shinning Eye[/I]" Okaru almost reeled over. That was his families Jutsu, and he was being asked to demonstrate it?

Feeling offended, and trapped Okaru took a step back. To use a sacred Jutsu in anything but life or death combat was unheard of. "Well tough guy?"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Okaru exited the room, headband in hand. Somehow he felt as though it wasn't worth it, that he let his parents down. Now more than ever he felt as if he should apologize to Matsuda.

[Isabella-Black]

Hotaru watched as both Matsuda and Okaru were directed into the examination room and emerged a few minutes later with the Konoha headbands in hand. She let out a sigh of relief for the both of them. They were both talented and deserved this recognition at least, even if they were idiots.

"Hotaru, you're up." A chuunin called from the front and the girl snapped back to attention. Hikaru snickered as she was led towards the examination room. Hotaru ignored it - the examiners would not be so leinient if there was yet another fight among the students. Besides, if Hikaru had managed to scrape by the examination with a head band than Hotaru clearly had nothing to worry about.

This was the second time she had been shown into the examination room with the eyes of Ragia-sensei, the other instructors and the fifth Hokage trained intently on her the moment she stepped into the room. Repeating the experience did not make it any less terrifying.

[I]I already passed this,[/I] Hotaru reminded herself, [I]I wasn't even using my full potential and I passed. There's nothing to worry about.[/I]

Ragia-sensei passed a sheet of paper, containing Hotaru's private information no doubt, over the Hokage. The blonde woman scanned it quickly before training her eyes on Hotaru again. There might have been a split second of recognition in the lady Hokage's eyes - one that nearly made the girl's heart skip a beat - before it passed. Hotaru saw Aiko-sensei standing in a corner, her gaze less intense than the others.

"Alright Hotaru, impress us." Ragia-sensei smiled, almost reasurringly, and the test began.

She began with the basic shadow-clone technique, summoning three clones around her without breaking a sweat. The wall-run was simple, so she'd taken it one step farther and, rather than simply jumping down from the wall after reaching the top, Hotaru stopped dead on the celing and stood there before leaping down and landing nimbly on her feet.

"That was unnecessary, Hotaru." One of the instructors commented.

Hotaru smiled, "You wanted me to 'impress you'." In the background, Aiko-sensei giggled and she could have sworn she saw Ragia-sensei smile.

The replacement jutsu was also easy and she created a perfect replica of Ragia-sensei. The ninjutsu portion was slighly harder. She had always had a little difficulty dealing with this particular art, but she managed to create a basic water jutsu - small and pathetic, only creating a thin fog around the room - but her chakra levels were already running low and it couldn't be helped.

Taking Hoto's test had drained her more than she'd realized. If she failed because of this she'd break Okaru's nose again and reset it at a much more intesting angle.

She kept it simple for the taijutsu portion, and merely demonstrated the basics on the wooden dummy. She'd never been particularly adept at taijutsu anyway, and it was still her major weak point - the dummy swung around and hit her arm at one point. She'd have one embarassing bruise there tomorrow.

She faced the examiners again, breathing a little more heavily than she would have liked, heart fluttering in her chest.

"Before we pass you, Hotaru," this was the first time lady Tsunade had spoken directly to her and the girl fought to keep herself in check. Hotaru leveled her gaze with the lady Hokage - that was what she aspired to be, what she would have to become if she wanted to be a great kunoichi. The blonde gave her a wicked smile, "I've been told that you're rather talented at advanced genjutsu. Perhaps you'd give us a demonstration."

It wasn't a request. Hotaru nodded slowly and began to gather her chakra. With her levels so low already she knew simplicity was essential, even though she ached to create the advanced illusions she had read about. She was going to kill someone for this - Aiko-sensei or Okaru, she wasn't picky.

She felt her chakra change the setting, from the wooden room to a rolling hillside; she could almost feel the grass at her feet. Hotaru let the illusion drop after a moment and refused to gasp for breath even as her vision swam. She would NOT pass out, not when she was so close.

Tsunade spoke after a long moment, "....Not bad at all." She smiled.

___________________________________________________________________

Hotaru had to stop herself from skipping out the doors, Konoha headband in hand. Not only had she passed (she waved her headband at Hikaru as she passed and delighted in watching the other girl's face turn an interesting shade of purple) but the fifth Hokage had actually praised her skills!

She would hold on to that until the day she died. She refused to think about the reception she would receive when she arrived home (or rather the one she wouldn't receive) or the dismissive voices of her parents, or the imminent argument to come when she told them she would be continuing as a kunoichi.
She refused to think about that at all.

Hotaru grinned happily and sought out Matsuda among the gaggles of students who had claimed their own headbands. She walked over to him and gave him a genuine smile. "We actually passed." She couldn't help if she was uncharacteristically happy - because she really was. "I'm.... really glad you passed too."

[Drizzt Do'urden]

They were so happy...Okaru watched as everyone applauded one another in the group. He smiled a bit when he saw Matsuda standing beside Hotaru, [I]Guess nows as good a time as ever[/I].

Before he could get close, however, he was intercepted by a tearful Hoto. "Okaru, thank you so much. I...I couldn't have done this without you." Okaru placed a hand on Hoto's shoulder and led him down to the others, specifically to Hotaru and Matsuda.

Okaru grabbed Matsuda's shoulder and turned him around so he was facing Okaru. His smile quickly faded into a look that could have killed lady Tsunade herself. "What do you want Okaru? Going to sucker punch me again?" It was expected, Okaru was actually thankfull Matsuda didn't break his nose again.

"Actually Hoto wanted to say something to you guys." Hotaru stood waiting, while Matsuda looked like he'd just been hit with one of Hotaru's genjitsu techniques. "I just wanted to thank both of you, and I promise I'll work on more than just my taijitsu from now on. You'll see, come next exams maybe it'll be me helping you." Hoto turned and bowed in thanks to Okaru one last time and ran off, apparently he was in a hurry to get home and be showered with praise.

"What was that all about Okaru?" Okaru's eyes darted from Matsuda to Hotaru and back to Matsuda. Realizing something was up, Matsuda looked to Hotaru "You had something to do with this?" a smile formed on Hotaru's face. She put her arm around both guys "We all did Matsuda. We all did."

[Adas]

Unbelievable… Unbelievable! Hotaru had something to do with it? The only thing that kept Matsuda’s surging rage in check was Hoto’s tearful face as he ran away, most likely to show the head protector to his parents. Matsuda rounded on the two academy students – genins, now – and had to physically concentrate on his hand so as to not ball it up into a fist. He was surprisingly less angry with Hotaru – she hadn’t struck him.

“That was the best you could come up with?” He managed to choke out. He started at Okaru, tempted to punch him again, to break the recently healed nose. “Next time, don’t involve me in your schemes Okaru – at least not without telling me before you attack me”. His shyness was gone. Rarely did it happen, but today it seemed to be happening far too often. Cold rage, ebbed still by the memory of Hoto’s smiling face, threatened to release itself. “Not without telling me next time. Got it?” Okaru nodded, his mouth quivering in the smile he was trying to hide. Hotaru’s face was blank.


[i]"I'm.... really glad you passed too.” Hotaru said to him, fingering the head protector nervously. She was happy, her pretty face cracked by a smile a mile wide, but she still seemed somewhat nervous. [/i]Why…[i] Matsuda wondered.

“I’m glad you passed too Hotaru. I knew you would… You, and Akoma, and Kagoya – even Okaru – I was sure you’d all do fine today!” Matsuda touched the head protector in his pocket, assuring himself it was still there, that he had passed the test. At mention of Okaru’s name, Hotaru dropper her eyes to the ground, blushing softly. “What’s up?” he asked her. Just then, Okaru joined the group, Hoto in tow. [/i]


“Not without telling me next time” he repeated, driving his point home. He sighed, releasing the anger inside him, his nervousness returning. Hands in pockets, he eyes the ground carefully, afraid to meet their gazes. “I am glad that Hoto got his head protector... I’m glad we all passed.”

“It was a good punch, Matsuda” Okaru said, a soft smile on his lips. Matsuda’s head whipped up, and he too smiled.

“It was, wasn’t it?” Matsuda said with a laugh. It was a good punch. Okaru, one of the top students of the class, told him it was a good punch. Akoma would have said the same, but he was used to saying it, the words having lost meaning ages ago. Akoma was stronger, that’s just the way it was, but Okaru was sincere. Some day… some day he would win.

Matsuda bid farewell to his friends – friends… they were friends now, even Okaru – and he began running home. He leapt from wall to wall until he made it on top of a nearby house, and then began running on the roof, his arms streaming behind him in the wind along with his messy pony-tail and sheathed katana. He was free. He had passed. He was the wind.

He arrived back home, only to be confronted by his father. It was growing dark out, and he could smell his mother’s cooking wafting from the kitchen. His father simply stood there, waiting for him to return from the examination, his face made of stone like always, arms crossed in a stance that did not allow entry into the home. “I passed!” Matsuda announced, showing his father the head protector, the symbol of Konoha. His father stood there for a moment, his eyes absorbing the small piece of metal, devouring it with his sight.

“… You’re not a chuunin yet…” was all he said, and walked away. “Come to me when you’ve become stronger,” he called back over his shoulder. Despite his shyness, his nervousness, his general insecurities, Matsuda grinned at his father’s back.

“I will – this I promise upon my blade.”

[Isabella-Black]

Once Matsuda left for home, Hotaru said her goodbyes to Okaru, the bright smile on her face once again. She didn't head home, not right away, she wanted to linger in this moment a little longer. When she was tackled to the ground by a very happy, very excited Aiko, Hotaru found the perfect way to spend the time.

Her sensei - ex-sensei now - squealed happily and hugged her protegee tighty."I knew you could do it!" She said, "Oh you did so well! I knew you would pass. And complimented by the Lady Hokage! Oh My Gods! You made me so proud!" Hotaru laughed as the older woman continued to rave and rant about how wonderful she'd done and how proud she was to have been her sensei. Aiko suddenly stopped dancing in bliss and turned back to her former student. "Now, SUSHI! Just like I promised!"

Hotaru allowed herself to be dragged through the busy streets. They were crowded with bustling shoppers and merchants, occasionally she'd spot a group of former students celebrating their new gennin status or a family out to celebrate their child's accomplishments. It was so happy and lively here. There was so much to celebrate.

Aiko pulled them into her favouriate sushi bar and sat them at one of the corner tables. Hotaru gave the waitress their orders with an apolegetic look while Aiko resumed her frantic praise. The waitress merely smiled, understanding and left.

"I really am very proud of you, Hotaru." Aiko smiled, "You've done so well for yourself, especially after coming from a civilian family. You're well on your way to becoming the next Tsunade!"

Hotaru was never sure where Aiko's real praise began and where her trademark exagerations ended. Still it was a great confidence boost so she simply smiled and nodded, enjoying her sushi and the company of her academy teacher.

She'd always been somewhat of a loner, ostricized by the rest of the students, and without realizing it she'd come to depend on Aiko for some form of acceptance. But now she was leaving, onto a new sensei and teammates who would, more likely than not, be total strangers to her. That thought made her mood darken a little. She was glad she'd parted ways with her teacher before such morbid thoughts entered her mind. Then again, she was nearly home... morbid thoughts ran rampant here.

Hotaru thought of Okaru and Matsuda. They were nice enough. Certainly she could see herself spending more time with them... then she frowned. It was a little late to be developing friendships. The odds were that they'd all be placed on seperate teams and set them back to square one. They might even end up fighting each other, all thoughts of their brief comraderie forgotten. It was a possibility, even a fact of life.

Either way, if she did end up fighting them, Hotaru decided, she wouldn't go easy on them. Friends or not.

Besides, they could take it.

Hotaru looked up and realized that she had already reached her clan's entrance. They were a small, civilian clan - by no means important enough to warrent attention - yet they still thought enough of themselves to think that a wall around the complex was appropriate. It was solid brick, dark and imposing, even in the daylight, and the symbol of her clan - three interconnected swirling lines - stood proudly over the doorway.

The girl pushed the gate open and stepped inside. There was no one to stop her. She had always thought it was a bit silly for them to have such a forbodding wall and yet have no guards.

There were only a few buildings, ten houses in total, all of them with relatives inside. Hotaru's house was the largest, as her family contained the head of the Shijeru clan - her grandfather. Soon that tittle would be passed on to her father, and then to her brother.

But not to her. It was not even a consideration, and although Hotaru had no desire to run the small family clan, the idea that she could be so overlooked was more than a little offensive.

She swallowed those thoughts and knocked on the door. When it was opened, her brother, Itsuki, stood in the doorway. He gave her a small grin before letting her inside. "Mom's waiting for you in the kitchen. She needs some help with dinner." Itsuki told her before wandering off.

Her mother was hunched over a pot of rice and when Hotaru came in. She purposefully made her steps louder than was normally befitting a kunoichi - the last time she had 'snuck up' on her mother she'd gotten a long lecture about lady-like behaviour.

Her mother, a short, plain woman with long dark hair tied back from her face, heard her footsteps and waved her forward. "There you are dear. You were out late."

Hotaru nodded, "Sorry, mom." They didn't discuss where she had gone. Her mother didn't care for such things.

Her mother handed her daughter an apron as she stirred the rice. Hotaru slipped her headband from behind her back into the pocket before moving to take the spoon and stir.

"Not to fast now, sweetie." Her mother warned, "You'll spill the oil over the sides and burn yourself. That's right now, slowly, there's mommy's little girl. We'll make a fine cook out of you yet. The way to your husband's heart is through his stomach after all."

Hotaru said nothing for the rest of the night. She slunk off after dinner, head band clutched tightly in her hands, and sat quietly in her room. "By the way everyone," Hotaru whispered to herself, gently feeling the metal surface and tracing the Konoha symbol, "I passed the academy examination today. Lady Hokage even said I was very talented."

She let her shoulders drop. They all knew the academy examination was today - everyone knew. They hadn't mentioned a thing. "Thanks everyone. I'm glad you're so happy for me."

[Drizzt Do'urden]

It was back to training as always. As soon as Okaru showed his father his headband he was told to put it way. "You may be a gennin in those weakling's eyes. But until you are a chuunin you are nothing to me." His father drew [B]Scar[/B] out of its sheath. Okaru couldn't hide his excitement as the blade whirled around, it brought a thrill as his father snapped his wrists causing the blade to unfold like a steal whip.

His father noted the smiled on Okaru's face and addressed it. "You are not ready to receive [B]Scar[/B] yet. Go take the blade I set out for you and bring it back, it's time for swordplay training." They hadn't spar'd with blades since that day. Okaru hesitantly ran to his room, grabbed the scimitar and made his was back to the family training grounds.

"That blade is [B]Scar's[/B] younger brother. Now that you are officially a gennin you may weild it, when you learn to use it you may name it. It is made for someone at your age. It will do great thngs when weilded properly, and I'm to make sure you use it right." His father charged slamming a foot deep into Okaru's abdomen, he was actually fighting. Okaru was sent reeling and onto his back, the fight was over.

His father stood over top of him with the all too familiar sneer on his face. "Gennin means nothing, Chuunin means nothing, until you can stand in the ring with your father. You are nothing more than a worthless fly...." His father left Okaru, tears welling up not from the pain but from being alone as always.

[Adas]

?Alright everyone, quiet down?? Raiga-sensei?s voice was unusually soft ? usually, when his class was making a ruckus such as this, he could be heard halfway across Konoha. There was an excited buzz in the air as the former classmates showed off their brand-new head protectors and tried to guess who they would end up with, offering both sincere and false congratulations to the others that had passed. Matsuda noticed that behind the comforting, warm smile on Raiga?s face, a hidden pain nearly begged to be released. [i]He couldn?t be sad to see us go? could he?[/i] Matsuda thought, incredulously. [i]After all the times he?s had to yell at us, scold us, punish us for misbehaving? he must have been looking forward to this day as much as we have![/i] He smiled and thumbed the head protector now tied firmly around his right arm.

The class quieted and took their seats, the buzz now dieing down to a murmur. On the edge of their seats, they all awaited Raiga?s final instructions to them ? their teams. He waited until they were all settled and silent, standing before them for the last time, the same comforting smile never once leaving his lips. When all were silent, he cleared his throat and pulled a list from his desk.

?First off, congratulations to all who passed. I know it?s been a long, hard journey, but you?ve all done it ? you?re all genins now.? He waited for a moment, expecting cheering or something of the like, but when none came he continued, blushing slightly. ?During your genin years, you will be assigned to a jounin in groups of three ? we put the teams together based on those we believed would work well together based on how you have preformed over the past few years, while specifically focusing on yesterday?s exams.? The wait was killing him. Matsuda had to know. [i]Groups of three?[/i] he thought happily. [i]That could be me, Akoma, and Hatoma[/i]. The thought only made him smile even more. With Akoma there, maybe he could muster the courage to talk to her. Maybe more?

?Team three will consist of?? Matsuda was finding it hard to pay attention to Raiga. His thoughts kept drifting towards that of his potential new team. Everything would be perfect. He would become stronger, stronger then Okaru, then Kagoya, then Akoma even. And Hatoma would see it. She would see him become stronger, breaking free from his shy self, showing the world how strong he really was. He would prove himself, and she would see. It would be perfect ? it [b]was[/b] perfect.

?Team four will be made up of Matsuyu Hikaru, Otaka Chozo, and Nurimaki Hoto?. Matsuda offered a quick prayer for Hoto ? he was a good person, and it was a shame to see him end up with a jerk like Chozo, and an airhead like Hikaru.

?Team five will consist of Hagami Akoma, Kimane Hatoma, and ?? Matsuda couldn?t stop tapping his foot exitedely ? he was litterally sitting on the edge of his seat. ??and Marusuki Kagoya.?

Matsuda?s jaw literally dropped. [i]No?[/i]. He slumped in his chair, and his head hit the desk in front of him, drawing a few surprised gasps and snickers around him. [i]No![/i] He sat there, intent on his own denial, until he heard his name called by Raiga along with two others.

?Team eight will consist of Shijeru Hotaru, Yotoro Matsuda, and Okiori Okaru.?

[Isabella-Black]

Hotaru hadn't been able to stop fidgeting all morning. Her foot tapped loudly on the floor throughout Raiga-sensei's last lecture despite the annoyed glances she received and her own fruitless attempts to stop it. She'd barely been able to contain herself in a 'lady-like' fashion at breakfast, and she'd still managed to spill tea on her shirt - she NEVER spilled the tea, ever.

She'd ignored the strange glances from her family and had hurried out the door, forehead protector in hand, no longer bothering to conceal it. It was tied loosely at her throat, the metal plate sitting at her collar bone. The weight was solid and heavy and [I]real[/I] and it felt right. Casting a glance around the room, Hotaru took a quick note of all the students (former and otherwise) seated around her as Raiga-sensei listed off the names of the gennin squads. When Hoto was placed with Hikaru and Chozo, she couldn't help but feel sorry for him - and superbly grateful that she hadn't been paired with those losers.

She gave Hoto a small, encouraging smile when he looked her way.

When Akoma's team had been called out, Hotaru had been startled when Matsuda's head audibly made contact with the desk. She hoped he wasn't aware of all the curious stares being sent his way by more than half the students or else he would have, no doubt, dissolved into a puddle of embarrassment like a puppy caught spoiling the carpet.

[I]He would do that too.[/I] Hotaru thought with a grin. Then she heard her name being called and snapped her attention up to the front.

?Team eight will consist of Shijeru Hotaru, Yotoro Matsuda, and Okiori Okaru.?

Hotaru gawked for a moment before settling back into her normal blank pose. Whether by fate, coincidence or sheer blind luck she'd managed to get herself on a team with Matsuda and Okaru.

[I]This could be interesting.[/I] She thought, [I]Or ... fate has a really fucked up sense of humor.[/I]

[Drizzt Do'urden]

[B]OOC: Sorry this is so short, had to do it quick at work. This will be my only one like this promise.[/B]

[I]"What are the odds?"[/I] Okaru thought to himself after the teams were announced. It seemed more then mere coincidence that Okaru, Hotaru, and Matsuda had been assigned to the same team. Fate also came across, but even it feel short. [I]"Guess our little show didn't go unnoticed."[/I]

Okaru shot a glance at Hotaru who of course had her blank, impossible to read stare. Then he glanced at Matsuda who was staring forward in disbelief, with a redmark on his face from the desk. Finally he shot a glance at Hoto.....after upstaging Chozo the other day, he would have his work cut out for him.

Settling back in his chair Okaru resigned himself to listening to Raiga-Sensei's tearful final lecture. He was on a team that has already proven itself once. He was with people who complimented his skills well, what was there to be worried about?

[Isabella-Black]

When he had finished his tearful goodbye to his former students, Ragia-sensei began calling out each team and telling them where they would shortly, meet their new sensei.

"Team 8," he bellowed over the rabble of excited gennins, "you'll stay here. Your sensei should arrive shortly." Hotaru stopped paying attention as he continued to call out each individual squad and sending them on her way.

Although she kept her normal blank expression firmly in place, Hotaru couldn't help but feel excited. She wondered who their sensei would be: one of the teachers? one of the many jounin speakers who had given guest lectures? would they be male or female? Secretly, she hoped for a woman. She was out numbered as it was with Matsuda and Okaru, and having another girl to consult with would not only make her feel more comfortable, but it would also be beneficial for her to study.

Few women became kunoichi and fewer still were powerful enough to rival their male counterparts. Lady Tsunade was their first female Hokage; the first woman to hold such a high position of power in the entire shinobi world, Hotaru believed, and for good reason.

One didn't become Hokage from being average or by luck. It took skill and power to get that far in this world, and it was even more difficult for women. The stereotypical view of the fairer sex (which Hotaru was well acquainted with) caused many to see them as inferior to the male shinobi, and thus any kunoichi had to work twice as hard to be considered half as good.

Luckily for Hotaru, this wasn't difficult for her.

The classroom descended into a tense silence as the three members of the new team 8 were left to themselves. Hotaru was used to the quiet, as she often wandered off on her own to train, but it seemed somewhat awkward to be so silent with two others in the room.

Hotaru glanced quickly at both of them. Despite their flawless teamwork the previous day, she still had no idea of what to say to them. She knew little about them as individuals; she hoped that their successful 'mission' yesterday hadn't been just a fluke and that they would continue to compliment each others skills.

She looked down at Matsuda. After than his rather startled expression after they'd been placed together as teammates, the Yotoro boy had gone right back to looking completely miserable, as though someone had stamped on his heart quite recently and with relish.

Hotaru quickly squashed the insecure notion that it was because he had been placed on a team with her - it was childish and completely ridiculous. If anything, he should have been upset that he'd been placed with Okaru. She could see the dark bruise left from their fight the day before. Regardless, either was unlikely. Matsuda wasn't the type to hold grudges. He was far more likely to place the blame on himself. It often showed on his face, as it had yesterday when he'd been mentally berating himself for interfering in her squabble with Hikaru. It was dangerous and foolish for a shinobi to be so simple to read. Obviously, his confidence was going to be an issue later on.

For now, however, Hotaru decided that he was not going to be allowed to mope on their first day as an official team. She rose from her seat, nearly soundless except for her chair hitting the desk behind her, and strode down silently to stand to his side.

He was so caught up in his moping he didn't see her so, in an attempt to get his attention, Hotaru placed herself in his line of view. Matsuda started a bit before acknowledging her. "Hey Hotaru."

"What's the matter with you?" Hotaru asked, her tone only slightly indifferent, but the look in her eyes became playful. "Is it that horrible being on a team with me?"

[Adas]

"What's the matter with you?" Hotaru asked, her tone only slightly indifferent, but the look in her eyes became playful. "Is it that horrible being on a team with me?"

Horrible? That wasn?t the right word to describe it. There was nothing wrong with Hotaru ? with her usual quiet, serious, and determined nature, Matsuda knew he wouldn?t have a problem with her. Okaru made things slightly more difficult, but all things considered, it could have turned out much worse. Horrible was far from the right word to describe his present situation. But still?.

He looked at her seriously for the first time, weighing her in his mind. Her tone may have implied a noncommittal nature, indifference ripe with every word, but there was something in her eyes? something beyond the jovial playfulness that would be expected between the new team-mates. Matsuda couldn?t quite pinpoint it ? he gave up trying to decide between concern and frustration.

There was too much he wanted to say to her. He wanted to tell her that he wasn?t upset with the team he had been placed with. He wanted to tell her that problem didn?t lie with her, but with others ? how was he supposed to push himself harder without Akoma? who was he supposed to prove himself to without Hatoma?? He wanted to tell her that he had heard a pair of chuunin talking about her, about the compliment she received from Tsunade, and how amazing it truly was. But like always, only silence escaped from his opened mouth as he choked on his own words. He eyed the floor, a strong blush already forming. He wouldn?t look at her, he wouldn?t show her his weakness ? and on that note, he definitely wouldn?t look at Okaru.

?Ahem??

The sound of a throat being cleared nearly beside them made them both jump and whirl around. A man stood before them, most likely in his early thirties if his short black hair told the truth. He was a full head taller then Okaru, and half as much again over Hotaru and Matsuda, with the standard green combat vest marking him as a jounin (or at least a chuunin) worn over navy-blue pants and a long-sleeve shit of the same colour ? the standard wear for most jounins. His eyes seemed rather drab, a boring shade of brown ? his entire appearance seemed very? average if not boring. It wasn?t until he spoke with a deep voice that Matsuda began to formulate his opinions of him.

?The fact that you whirled around means not only that you need to be trained in better use of your senses, but also that I?m interrupting an important conversation. Coupled with the fact that you?re blushing, I?m assuming you either asked the girl out ? and were refused ? or were simply told off by her for something ? obviously something embarrassing, like acting childish or moping. The other boy sitting in the corner who saw me didn?t say a word which means he most likely doesn?t care, which means that I?ll probably like him the most ? I don?t like drama. Not only that but the slouched way that he sits indicates that he?s the strongest of the group, with the girl carrying herself that way a close second ? the way you stare at the ground gives you away as dead-last. My name is Imane Ryokotsu, but you will call me Ryokotsu-Sensei, or simply sensei. Get used to not being able to hide anything from me ? when it comes to reading people, I?ve only ever been wrong twice in my life. And while your at it, close your mouth ? you look like an idiot.?

Unaware of when his jaw dropped, Matsuda closed his mouth as he was told to.


[A/N: Virus on my computer is now running rampant - this will be my last post until I send my computer into the shop. Will try to post from a library computer soon, but in the mean time, continue on without me :(]

[Isabella-Black]

Had Hotaru been anyone else, she would have stood there gaping like a dying fish. She couldn't decide whether to be annoyed for having her conversation interrupted, impressed with Ryokotsu-sensei's swift interpretation of his new students (and for acknowledging her strength, in a round-about way) or angry for being caught off guard. She settled for her normal blank expression as she scanned their sensei up and down.

He looked... average. There was no other way of putting it. She'd always assumed most of the more accomplished jounin had some sort of signature which made them stand out from the rest. Ragia-sensei had his big mouth, Aiko-sensei had her bright red hair, and the infamous Copy-Nin had the singular sharingan eye, along with his ever present mask. But this man had nothing. Nothing whatsoever to distinguish him from the run-of-the-mill shinobi.

She tried to reason that he must still be highly skilled or he wouldn't have been assigned a squad at all, that his boring appearance was an asset during missions and therefore was something to be admired or praised. Still, she couldn't help but be a little disappointed.

"The girl's name is Hotaru," the girl quipped curtly, crossing her arms over her chest.

Ryokotsu-sensei arched a brow at her slightly insolent tone, "The fact that you just crossed your arms like that means that you feel threatened, insecure. Certainly not befitting a talented kunoichi. And that is certainly no way to address your sensei." The corner of his mouth quirked upward in a bare imitation of a smile as Hotaru seethed, the look in his eyes challenging her to continue her disobedience. Yet there was something else too. Carefully guarded behind his neutral (and yet also scornful) gaze was something that might have been... amusement? gratitude? relief? Was he relieved that she wasn't like the rest of the graduating kunoichi - all giggles and make-up and flirting with boys?

At the moment Hotaru didn't particularly care. Her conflicting emotions settled on simmering anger.

She stole a quick glance at Okaru, still slouched in his seat and watching Matsuda's embarassed expression with amusement. He smirked at her when she glared daggers at him, completely unrepentant for leaving them to the mercy of their sensei. Hotaru filed that away carefully for later. If Okaru wasn't going to be a team player, that would mean watching her back (and Matsuda's) more intensely than she'd first thought.

[Drizzt Do'urden]

Okaru wouldn't lie to himself, he actually liked Ryokotsu-Sensei. He seemed to carry himself much in the way Okaru did; an appearance of being carefree and uninterested, but the ability to be aware of everything around you. It didn't hurt to be deemed the strongest either, however if Ryokotsu would have known about their ploy the day before he would realize the strongest is the female he's losing the battle of wills with.

Okaru had found himself looking at Hotaru differently then usual. Her demonstration of her genjitsu skill level showed her in a whole different light. Right now he couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something....something was different about Hotaru. Okaru found himself wanting to befriend her, work with her, learn from her, and just be a real teammate.

Matsuda was a different story though. Sure he packed a hell of a punch, but could he pick up the slack when it came down to life or death time? His lack of confidence could come back to bite them in the ass one day. [I]He has the power, just not the confidence. Maybe if he's pushed...[/I]

"You're starting to annoy me. Just because I give you a back-handed compliment does not mean you're free from critique." Ryokotsu-sensei's voice broke through Okaru's thoughts. "If you would pay attention I'm pointed out all the flaws of your teamates for you, so there's no need to eye the the girl and then the other guy. Unless you two are competing for her or you just have a thing for her and you feel threatened by him you should just pay attention to me for now okay?"

Okaru allowed himself a little smile at the berating. Things seemed like they were going to be good with Ryokotsu-sensei, hard, but good.

[Isabella-Black]

Hotaru narrowed her eyes, first at Ryokotsu-sensei and then at Okaru. They hadn't even been an official four-man cell for ten minutes and already she was irritated. She had always been more of a loner, only working with others when it was necessary or required, but she had thought that, considering their cooperation yesterday, that being on a team with Okaru and Matsuda would have been a blessing. Right now, all it was, was a headache. Their sensei wasn't helping much either.

Still, beneath her irritation, the girl could see the future cohesive factors of their team begin to take shape. Things would be difficult (especially being the only girl on the team but she could work with that) but not necessarily unbearable - she hoped...

"If you're quite finished trying to intimidate your teammate," Ryokotsu-sensei interrupted her thoughts, "than it's time for us to head down to the training field. I want to see how accurate my first impressions of you three turn out to be, and what we need to work on as a team. Meet me at training ground four in ten minutes." All three students nodded at once and Matsuda and Okaru rose from their seats quickly to follow. Ryokotsu-sensei disappeared in a cloud of smoke and Hotaru could feel some of the tension in the air vanish with him.

Matsuda appeared deflated - at least more so than usual anyway - and Hotaru had no doubts that it was because of sensei's comment about his skills. She wanted to say something, but although the impulse was a little strange she couldn't think of anything that would comfort her new teammate. Statistically speaking, Matsuda was inferior to both herself and Okaru, and the fact was that he could either accept it and train harder, or he could continue to mope.

Okaru on the other hand, looked a little more arrogantly confident than usual, despite the criticism of Ryokotsu-sensei. It was strange that already the teammates seemed to compliment each other - Matsuda's shyness was compensated by Okaru's overconfidence while Hotaru remained a steady neutral factor. Hotaru wasn't sure if this early cohesion would be beneficial or not.

Standing in the doorway, Hotaru turned around abruptly and pinned both boys with a sharp glare. She spoke clearly and sharply, "I don't care if Ryokotsu-sensei does dislike drama. If I sense any competition over me from either of you, I will break both of your noses and reset them at a very [I]unpleasant[/I] angle."

[Sorry this took so long. I just finished up my exams and holidays at my house are notoriously chaotic.]

[Drizzt Do'urden]

[B]~Don't worry about it, with this time of year we all are cut back due to the holidays and the like.[/B]

"I will break your noses and reset them at a very unpleasant angle." Hotaru's threat made Matsuda and Okaru both give each other a look. It was a look of understanding, and the knowledge that the threat could easily be carried out.

Okaru also noticed something else about Matsuda. He had at first hoped that it was just Sensei's words that caused him to act in the way it was, but after closer examination his "sad-sack" routine was a serious lack of confidence. As Hotaru turned and stormed out towards the training grounds, Okaru nudged his new teamate and shot him a smile. "If sensei had been around to see that right hook you slammed into my nose, he wouldn't talk that way about you. Hell my nose is still killing me." Both of them shared a small laugh, but Okaru was genuinely afraind that the lack of confidence would seriously be degrading to their team.

Matsuda was quickly begining to remind him of Hoto. Poor Hoto was now stuck with Chozo on that damned team, hopefully though Hoto was feeling a bit more confident after he so easily "passed" the exams.

Okaru and Matsuda caught up with Hotaru whose pace was quickening. Apparently she wanted to be the first to the training grounds, probably to show her determination. Okaru ran by Matsuda and caught up with Hotaro first and nudged her. "You need to lay off Matsuda" Okaru was surprised in the fatherly way he was speaking about him, "he's devestated by sensei's comment, acting the way you are is only going to compound the problem." Hotaru shot him a look that made him drop pace back with Matsuda who was smiling.

"Maybe we should stay out of her way?" He asked Okaru with a grin. Okaru refused to answer, this team was changing him and he didn't like it.

The three arrived at the grounds a moment later where sensei stood in the middle of the field. Arms crossed, that look of "who the hell cares" plastered to his face. The three lined up facing him, "Could you have been any slower?"

Okaru was psyched, it was time for their first "Lesson" and it was time to shine.

[Adas]

A soft breeze made the heat of the day vanish for a fleeting moment, but left as quickly as it came. The sun was reaching its zenith as Matsuda stood with his team at training ground four and for the hundredth time that day, he fingered the headband protector tied tightly around his right arm. So far, the day had been full of surprises – not ending up on a team with Akoma, the [i]interesting[/i] teaching method Ryokotsu instated, and even Okaru’s compliment had all come as both welcome and unwelcome shocks.

[i]"If sensei had been around to see that right hook you slammed into my nose, he wouldn't talk that way about you. Hell my nose is still killing me."[/i]

He had only laughed half-heartedly at Okaru’s joke, but deep down, he knew how much the compliment helped him. It didn’t matter that the punch really [i]hadn’t[/i] been that good, the fact that Okaru was complimenting him meant the world to him. Well, maybe not the world, but it certainly helped.

“Before we begin, I want you to know that I chose you three specifically” Ryokotsu began, staring them down. Despite a few wooden posts in the ground, the training field consisted of a long field of flattened grass, surrounded by dense woods, cut by a simple dirt path leading back to Konoha. “With that being said, I hope you’re prepared for your first test as part of team eight – hopefully, you’ll be bright enough to pass.”

[i]What a let-down[/i] Matsuda thought with a sigh. Somehow, he had been expecting more, but was sadly quickly learning what kind of person Ryokotsu-sensei was. Despite his average and simple image, he seemed incredible at reading being able to read people, to cut right to their core, sizing them up in mere moments and saying exactly what needed to be said. His permanently bored and plain face often spouted words devoid of emotion, substituting it instead for a serious, border-line insulting tone. Matsuda cringed – this wasn’t the kind of person he would get along with.

“This test has been passed down and used by several jounin senseis,” he continued. “Few gennin ever pass, but that’s neither here nor there – you will take the test, and either pass or fail.”

“What’s the test?” Hotaru piped up. Matsuda looked at her for a moment, and realized that she was feeling nearly as annoyed as he was beginning to get – more so, possibly. Okaru stood beside her, watching Ryokotsu-sensei with eyes that mirrored his.

“Patience is a virtue Hotaru – all things come with time. You will learn to be patient, or else you may find yourself in a puddle of your own blood someday, wishing you had…” Ryokotsu-sensei trailed off. Hotaru’s face went bright red, but whether it was with anger or embarrassment, Matsuda couldn’t tell. Popping open one of the clips on his combat vest, he produced a pair of silver bells from the pouch. “The test is simple – try to get one of the bells.”

Silence met him, which after a moment was broken by Okaru. “…That’s it?”

“Yup” Ryokotsu-sensei replied lazily. “But there’s a catch – there’s three of you, and only two bells. Two of you will pass, and one will fail. It’s simple as that.”

Matsuda gulped nervously – it was obvious [i]who[/i] would fail, but he was too nervous to ask what the punishment for failure was.

“You may begin whenever your ready…”


[b]A/N: Sorry about the delay, I should be able to post regularly again – virus has been mostly taken care of, but sometimes can’t get onto internet browser. I realize the test is kind of… well… predictable, but please just go with it – I have plans for Ryokotsu.[/b]

[Isabella-Black]

Hotaru was the first to disappear. Okaru and Matsuda followed suit, separating into the thick cover of trees. She took note of their general locations, then focused completely on Ryokotsu. She'd heard of this kind of test before - commonly referred to as 'the bell test' - and once again felt the bite of disappointment. She'd been hoping for something more... original than this, despite the obvious level of difficulty. This test focused on the success of the individual, not the group, or else there would have been three bells instead of only two. That meant one of them was going home and it was definitely NOT going to be her.

She'd worked too hard to get this far, and she wasn't going to waste this opportunity. She wasn't completely unsympathetic. In terms of ranking, Okaru and herself were at a distinct advantage over Matsuda; making him the obvious scapegoat. Hotaru allowed herself a moment to sympathize with her teammate's predicament before focusing on the task at hand. No matter how badly she wanted to help Matsuda, she needed this too much to let it go for a boy she barely knew.

"I'm waiting!" Ryokotsu called out, still with that bored expression on his face. "Perhaps I should have mentioned that if you fail to get both bells before sunset, you all fail."

That was all Hotaru needed to propel her forward into action. Sensei had called her second-best - it was time she proved him wrong.

She shot forward from the trees, sending a barrage of kunai towards their sensei. He dodged them all easily, grabbing one from mid air and sending it flying back towards her. Hotaru twisted her body away at the last moment, landing gracefully on the ground. She sprinted towards him, sending a kick to his chest. Ryokotsu grabbed her by the ankle and swung her off her other foot.

The girl twisted until her hands found purchase on the ground and kicked at his arm with her other foot. The man was forced to release her to avoid getting his wrist shattered. Hotaru flipped away the second she was free, skidding along the ground until she came to a stop. She straightened and pulled two more kunai out of her pouch and running at her sensei again.

Ryokotsu twitched his lip again, in the barest indication of a smile and pulled out his own kunai, blocking her first assault. No matter how she swung at him, he blocked her at every turn. Frustrated, she threw her arm forward, and he caught her wrist, twisting until she let go of the kunai. Before she could attempt to free herself, he knocked the second blade from her and forced her to the ground, her arm imprisoned behind her back.

"I'm disappointed," Ryokotsu said casually, "I was told you were a genjutsu specialist, and yet all I've seen so far are your mediocre skills in taijustu."

Beneath him, Hotaru gave him a grin that was uncharacteristically bright. "Actually, you've seen both."

Ryokotsu felt the ground by his foot shift just before an arm shot from the earth, missing the bells by mere inches before he disappeared in a poof of smoke, leaving a piece of tree in his place.

The Hotaru he'd been holding disappeared in a cloud of smoke as the real girl hurriedly pulled herself out the ground. She glared at the spot her sensei had been, only seconds ago and glared heatedly. [I]I was SO close! How did he get away so quickly?[/I]

"Not bad," a voice rang from the tree above her, "I didn't even realize it was a clone until it spoke. You're not nearly that cheerful or happy, eh?" The girl tensed and glared at him. Ryokotsu did grin at her this time as he waved the bells just out of her reach. "The clone glanced at the ground just before you tried to grab these. Obviously, we'll need to work on that."

Hotaru nearly growled at the back of her throat and lunged at the tree. Predictably Ryokotsu leaped away before she left the ground and stood, once again in the exact center of the field. Hotaru shied back into the cover, shaking bits of dirt out of her hair as she began to calculate a plan in her head.

[[B]I hope this makes up for me being away for so long. Between the end of the holidays and the inevitable return to university, I haven't had much time for posting. I promise to try and be more regular with my posts from now on. :catgirl:[/B]]

[Drizzt Do'urden]

Okaru watched Hotaru's moves through her entire attempt at getting one of the bell. He was amazed to see how perfect her clone was, and the replacement Jutsu with the tree was top notch, but it was all predictable at this stage. [I]"It's going to take a lot more than that against you eh sensei?" [/I] he thought to himself.

Okaru was prepared to wait until Matsuda struck to try and obtain a bell, but that wait in itself could take forever. No he would stike now, and to do so he'd try a couple of wind clones. Okaru made the signs, and did his best to mask the noise his clones made as they formed in ever so slight whooshes of wind.

"Should we call it a day gang?" Ryokotsu sensei's voice seemed to have an era of impatience to it, perhaps that would be his downfall.

Okaru readied himself and burst through the trees sprinting at full go. In a moment he was on sensei, this would be his moment; his moment to prove that he was the best. As he neared he drew a Kunai and launched it at Ryokotsu, and as he expected the man dodged with ease.

As the knife sailed wide Okaru dove at the bells in a futile attempt that was met with a foot in the back pinning him to the ground.

"Now I must say I am disapointed." Ryokotsu scoffed at Okaru. "I had you pegged for the one who would get them your first try."

Suddenly a pair of kunai's came flying out of the trees missing Ryokotsu by inches and striking Okaru. A gasp was heard from the trees, apparently one of his fellow teamates hadn't figured out what was happening yet. The clone burst into a quick ball of flame, of course it wasn't strong enough to cause any damage, but it did catch even Ryokotsu off guard.

As he stumbled back, temporarily blinded Okaru and his clone lept from the trees. Okaru was amazed at how quickly his sensei had adjusted and before they even made it he was in a spin, planting a foot in both the clone, and Okaru's chest.

The clone burst into a meaningless gust of wind, and Okaru went sailing against a tree. As he hit, a small ringing was heard and Okaru was sure he heard a audible "Damn it" from Hotaru.

Okaru smiled as he lifted the bell into the air, he succeeded.

His smile faded when he saw Ryokotsu standing there smiling, Ryokotsu was not the kind of person who would smile at being bested by his student on his first try. Okaru then noticed his hand, which held two bells. But if Sensei was holding two bells what was...

Okaru's hand was suddenly wrenched to the ground under the weight of a gigantic rock easily a hundred plus pounds. Exhausted he stood up and lept into the bushes, momentarily defeated.

"Awww don't go away mad. You should have expected that, I told you I figured you to get a bell on your first go, adn you didn't dissapoint. Too bad, you must've exhausted a lot of chakra in that little display. You going to be able to still make it?"

Okaru was astonished he'd pegged him so quick. And what was worse he was right about the chakra, he'd have to switch plans and wait for an opportunity when Ryokotsu was distracted to get his bell. Unfortunetly that seemed an impossibility, but there was no way he was failing this.

[Isabella-Black]

Hotaru let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. For a moment, she'd thought Okaru had actually succeeded, and had been pleasently surprized when that rock had appeared in his hand. It wasn't good for her to be so competative with her teammate, Hotaru knew that, but it couldn't be helped. She wanted so badly to be the first to get one of those bells, anything else was a failure and Hotaru would not accept that.

Still, Okaru had proven one thing at least. Ryokotsu-sensei was a real jounin. A skilled, and accomplished shinobi, whatever his appearance might have led them to originally believed. And he was not about to be beaten using the usual techniques and skills they had learned in the academy. It would take something special for her to get those bells.

Matsuda had yet to try and face their sensei and Hotaru had a feeling why. He'd already decided that he'd be the one man out, that he'd loose and be forced back into the academy. His acceptance just made her angry. If she had just accepted her fate as it appeared, she'd be at home, learning how to cook and clean like her mother so she could please her husband.

Accepting things without a fight was something Hotaru could not stand. Even if he was beaten and broken in the attempt, Matsuda [I]would[/I] try to get the bells. She'd make sure of it.

She found his chakra signature easily and rushed through the trees until she was right beside him, literally, and glared disapprovingly.

"Are you just going to stand there and make us do all the work?" She challenged. Matsuda would try if it meant she had to shove him in front of Ryokotsu-sensei herself.

[Adas]

"Are you just going to stand there and make us do all the work?" the anger in her voice nearly scared Matsuda as much as the thought of fighting Ryokotsu-sensei did. Even still he remained calm – or at least hoped he did.

“Shut up and get down” he whispered furiously. [i]If she ruins my plan…[/i] Hotaru stood there, arms crossed, staring daggers at her teammate. Matsuda looked down at the ground, refusing to meet her stare. “Just sit down… please.” With a sigh, Hotaru reluctantly sat down beside him. She seemed on the verge of yelling at him again, but he cut her off.

“This test is far too complicated – there are too many outcomes, too many strategies, and all of them lead to one eventual goal.” He paused for a moment to add emphasis to his next words. “We can’t win.”

“Well you can’t win if you don’t try!” Hotaru spat back at him, but Matsuda quickly intervened.

“That’s not what I meant!” he back peddled, his cheeks going red. “Just think about it… in the years we were at the academy, do you remember anyone ever having to return because they failed to beat a jounin? That could potentially mean one of two things – either this test isn’t widely used, or there’s an alternative route to success.” He gave her a moment to think over what he had said, and turned and watched the training ground. Okaru had leapt forward once again, fighting furiously along with one of his wind clones but to no avail.

“Look at him…” Matsuda whispered, feeling self conscious once again. “He’s so much stronger then me, and yet failing so miserably. I’ve been watching both of you from here… you’re both so much stronger then I am.”

“Do you think hiding here is going to help you become stronger?” She whispered back. She still seemed angry, but the edge in her voice was gone at least.

“Not exactly…” Matsuda replied, truthfully. “Hiding here isn’t going to help me become stronger – that’s why I haven’t been hiding.” She stared at him, her face shrouded in disbelief. “I already told you that we can’t win this – the test is impossible. If he’s not testing us to see how well we get the bells, then he’s testing us on something else. He’s watching to see how well we work together Hotaru.”

Hotaru’s eyes widened. “But there’s only two bells? What if you’re wrong?” she asked.

“If my plan succeeds, but I’m wrong, then you and Okaru can have the bells, and I’ll go back to the academy – fair?” Matsuda crossed his fingers. Hotaru stared at him questioningly.

“Your plan?”

“I told you I wasn’t hiding here.” He told her with a roguish smile.

[Drizzt Do'urden]

Okaru sat in the clearing trying to catch his breath. [I]I...I can't do it. Ryokotsu is just too strong. Wait...where are the others?[/I] Okaru stood on his feet and scanned the area, he finally pinpointed the chakra signatures of his two teamates. They were together....Okaru's face went flush as the thought entered his head. [I]They're planning on coming out when I rush sensei and getting the bells for themselves. No it isn't going to happen like this, I won't fail...I can't fail.[/I]

Okaru stood again, he was genuinley zapped of energy, but his new sense of urgency gave him a small boost. He quickly formed two new clones and lept into the bushes. He knew sensei would be on his guard, but he didn't care. He began running in a clockwise pattern throught he bushes around the clearing, after a full lap okaru and his clones dove. The clones landed and were gone with a small puff of air, Okaru himself landed in the clearning next to Hotaru and Matsuda.

"I want in on whatever you guys are planning. I can't keep this up much longer by myself."

Okaru knelt down and ignored the look he got from Hotaru. Apparently she didn't like him barging in, now they were all three in one spot, and it wasn't like they were actually hiding from Ryokotsu sensei. None of them could yet fully hide their chakra signature, and it seemed ridiculous to Okaru if they didn't know that.

Matsuda shot him a look and motioned to the clearing, Okaru didn't pretend to understand. It made no sense to him, but Matsuda was one of the most knowledgeable of the gennin, he may not have been the strongest, but okaru would never question his intelligence. He had something planned, Okaru just had to figure out how to make it work to his advantage.

[Isabella-Black]

Hotaru considered Matsuda as Okaru joined them. It sounded well thought out, and it would certainly give them a better chance of passing than trying on their own. The way Matsuda put it, she could almost believe the test really [I]was[/I] about teamwork. But if he was wrong...

"You'll be essentially sacrificing yourself so we can pass." She said lowly, not expecting a reply. She knew in jounin missions, sacrifices like this happened... only that usually meant a permanent removal from the team. If that was the case, then Matsuda was more of a shinobi than Hotaru and Okaru combined. Sacrificing himself for the sake of the mission. She was... impressed. Maybe she'd tell him that, later.

For right now, Hotaru considered the consequences. She had no doubt that Matsuda would be able to pass the genin exam a second time. Her mind made up, she gathered the two boys into the ciricle. "Okay, this is how we do it."

[CENTER]-~X~-[/CENTER]

Ryokotsu stood in the clearing, clearly bored with waiting. He could sense the signatures of the three gennin hidden together in the trees before they split up again. At this point, he could even pick out which one was which. The man let out a sigh, disappointed. They had shown so much promise, and yet they had failed to even grasp the real goal of the test. It was hardly surprising, and yet he had hoped for something different.

"Given up yet?" He called into the trees. One of the chakra signatures tensed and dashed forward. Ryokotsu knew who it was before they burst from the trees and landed dead in front of him. "I was wondering when you would try."

Matsuda didn't reply but dashed forward, his katana in hand. Ryokotsu parried easily with his kunai, but he could see the potential forming in the boy. His skill with the weapon was good, better than most could claim at his age, and with proper training, he could easily become a deadly force with his blade.

Not today though. When Matsuda swung at his chest, Ryokotsu struck at his exposed left side, sending him flying backwards and sprawled out on the field. His coordination was off, unlike Hotaru who had a certain grace to her movements and an uncanny centre of gravity.

The boy clearly wasn't finished and got to his feet quickly. He was breathing a little too heavily, Ryokotsu noticed - his stamina needed improvement - before he avoided the barrage of kunai the boy sent flying at him. The man jumped back, just at the border of the trees and had only just regained his balance when Matsuda ran at him again. His speed could also be improved, as well as his physical strength Ryokotsu noted absentmindedly as he stepped back a little further to avoid being injured by an arching swipe of the blade. Okaru was clearly superior in physical strengths, and he had yet to use anything removely resembling genjutsu.

He might have thought further on this but he was forced to move quickly to avoid having a dozen senbon needles impaled in his body. He jumped back to avoid being knocked back by a series of swinging branchs before he realized what was going on. He escaped a series of shuriken by inches. The boy was good, he'd led Ryokotsu right into his traps without every giving away his intention. Admittedly the jounin hadn't been as focused on the boy as he should have. He'd underestimated the boy, and if he were anyone else those traps would have caused serious damage.

It was the triumphant look on Matsuda's face that gave the other two away. Hotaru and Okaru lunged out of their cover from either side of him, and the traps cut off nearly all his exits. Even as they closed in on him Ryokotsu couldn't stop the wide grin from showing on his face.

Then he disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Hotaru and Matsuda stumbled, nearly crashing into each other in their surprise. All three gennin stared at the empty space their sensei had stood.

Hotaru muttered a soft, "Damn it."

Okaru nodded his agreement and sighed. "It was a good plan, Matsuda."

"Yes, it was." Matsuda jumped at the voice behind him, nearly stepping into one of his own traps. Ryokotsu stood behind him, his normally bored expression was almost... happy as he addressed all of them. "Congratulations."

[I hope this is okay. Sorry it took me so long, but YAY they're a team!]

[Drizzt Do'urden]

"Congratulations!" Okaru's jaw hit the floor. For a moment he'd thought they all three were going to have to go back to the gennin academy. It seemed like a board jounin didn't want to deal with a group of young students like them, but here Matsuda had been right all along.

"This test was obviously not about pure skill, and I'm glad that you all figured it out. Well at least most of you." Ryokotsu-sensei shot Okaru a look that took all the enjoyment out of the moment, a look that once again made him feel like he did when he was being beaten at every angle a few minutes ago.

"It looks like my duds may have something in them." Ryokotsu continued in that sarcastic tone Okaru had familiarized himself with. "Today's lesson is over, but tomorrows will be more difficult. Go home, get some rest, and congratulations on a good first dat Matsuda."

Ryokotsu turned and slowly walked away, now he seemed himself. He seemed uncaring, unmotivated, but they all knew now there was MUCH more then meets the eye with this sensei.

Okaru put his hand on Matsuda's shoulder and squeezed. "I don't know how you got all those traps set without Ryokotsu noticing, and I don't know how you figured everything out. But thanks...." Okaru couldn't beleive himself, those words, those words he'd scrapped after all his life. Those words he longed to here, praisfull words that hurt Okaru to hear somebody else receive, even when they came out of his lips.

Hotaru was the next one to congratulate Matsuda, "Good thinking Matsuda, except next time fill us in earlier." Okaru wasn't sure if it was how obvious it was that she would be the one to say that. Or if they all felt a little more comfortable with each other, and maybe just maybe they were becoming a team.

Okaru didn't know which it would be, but he waved goodbye to his...teamates as they made their way home. Okaru couldn't bare the thought of explaining the test, and explaining why he couldn't get a bell by himself. His father wouldn't understand, to his father the concept of a [I]team[/I] meant nothing. Teams were just cannon fodder to him, and normally Okaru would have agreed. But there was just something he couldn't erase about the whole thing.

Okaru instead found the clearing where he and Hoto beat Chozo down and trained with each other. It was here he would make his bed for the night, it was here he was at peace.

[Adas]

As Matsuda walked home with Hotaru, he couldn’t help but smile. Not only had sensei praised him after humiliating him so badly earlier that very day, but Okaru had too. Okaru, who was without a doubt one of the strongest in their class, had actually praised him. He would have beamed, but was afraid Hotaru would think him too cocky. The two made small talk as they walked through the streets of Konoha, and Matsuda hoped that she enjoyed his company as much as he did hers – even if he did still feel shy around her.

Eventually, the time came when their paths split. After bidding each other a quick farewell, Matsuda turned to head down one of the backstreets, a shortcut to his home, but stopped after a few steps. He turned back towards Hotaru.

“Hotaru!” he called out to her. She turned back, looking surprised.

“Yes?” Matsuda didn’t reply right away. He stared at the ground, unsure of what to say. Then, with a sigh, he looked at her, looked her in the eyes.

“… I may be weak, but I’m not a coward.”

Hotaru looked taken aback for a moment, then smiled and nodded at him. He nodded back, then turned and left.

Matsuda rushed home with the setting sun, hoping he hadn’t missed dinner yet. A few shops were still open, but he paid them little mind as he leapt from rooftop to rooftop. Eventually, he spotted his home, the Yotoro clan’s mansion. He landed neatly in front of the entrance, and passed through the gate silently.

[i]Maybe they won’t notice I’m late…[/i] he hoped against hope – his father despised tardiness. He took off his shoes just outside the entrance, slid the door open, and passed through.

“Where have you been?”

Matsuda jumped, his heart racing. His father stood before him, his face unreadable, carved from stone even.

“I’m sorry, father” Matsuda apologized with a bow. “I was training with my new team and sensei –“

“I heard,” his father cut him off, his eyes boring into Matsuda’s skull. “I also heard that your sensei is Ryokotsu… I never liked the man, but he’s a good shinobi – did he train you hard, boy?”

“Yes, father” Matsuda replied, trying desperately not to sound meek. “He tested us using a pair of bells.”

“I heard that too….” Matsuda flinched under the scorn of his father’s voice, preaparing for the eruption, for the comparison’s between him and his brother Regara. “… I also heard that you passed.” Matsuda’s head shot up, utter shock clear on his face. His father beamed at him. “I heard that you were the one who understood the true purpose of the test.”

Matsuda didn’t care how his father had learned – in fact, the thought never even entered his mind. He smiled back at his father, unable to suppress the smile from earlier any longer. “Yes father, I did.”

His father took a step closer to him, and knelt down on his knees so that they were eye-level. He placed a hand on Matsuda’s shoulder, his smile never faltering. “I’m very proud of you, Matsuda.” He spoke. “You have learned the first rule of being a ninja – nothing is more important then your comrades. Nothing. Not the success of the mission, or even your own life. Your comrades are what matters above all else.” Matsuda took it all in, and nodded when he understood. “Good boy” his father concluded, his gruff voice returning. “Now get in the kitchen – there’s a bowl of rice and some pork waiting for you in there.”