Sanbuntai: First Meeting;

[Eisou Ϟ]

The early morning sun against her face through thinly veiled curtains fluttering endlessly with the warm summer breeze didn't deter the kunoichi in the slightest as she woke with a sleepy start, eyes slowly blinking away the last remains of stardust clumped together, clinging amongst her lashes. It was a fine, almost serene morning, seemingly devoid of the usual antics that usually accompanied her start of the day —

(she can still remember last week's prank, still feel the blazing warmth of her body temperature shooting god knows how high, compensating for the ice cold water dumped on her as she slept on)

— care of her very darling, very thoughtful older sibling; thus causing Akemi to blink a little harder, and rise from her bed a little faster, arms stretched out in conjunction to surveying her surroundings very carefully, making sure not to miss even a small centimetre of space where her lovely sibling could hide herself, bidding her sweet, sweet time. Minutes passed like that, with the redhead awaiting what she knew was the inevitable, stretching out tired bones until they each yielded a satisfactory craa~aack, to which she'd move on to the next part of her body.

As she was about to finish, her neck the last to be twisted clean from its lethargy, the mechanical sound of a lever pulled down rang within the room, causing the girl to jump with a start, taking a quick glance around
her —

WOOSH!

— only to hear the faint sound of an object flying through the room, instinctively closing her eyes just as a small sack made quite an impact on her square at the face as she turned to look. Opening them, Akemi would see a blur of red clutching her stomach —

(last week's laughter ringing across the distance that separated them, echoing clearly in her head)

— almost doubling over with mirth. "Ha! Got you again!" Was what her sister had shouted, placating her laughter with a dainty hand upon her lips, subduing the sound for a moment to glance at the flour-covered face of the younger Uzumaki. And with that vision of Akemi's humiliation etched in her mind, the older Uzumaki vanished from the doorway, laughing all the way towards their kitchen. The genin could only sigh, snatching her bed sheet (considering how her little towelette was missing from the side table), and wiping the flour from her face with abashed fervour, forgetting to fold it once she'd finished. With the absence of her sister's presence in the room, Akemi set off to do her daily rituals for that morning —

(washing her face; brushing her hair; taking the cleanest white sundress and puts it on; tying her waves of red silk up in a ponytail, basking underneath the fresh air billowing among and around her bare skin)

— but early morning traditions aside, today was the day where Akemi would finally meet her squad for the first time. She already knew the identity of her two team mates; a Senju and an Uchiha, both male, but she had yet to meet them. What represented a mystery for the Uzumaki though, was the identity of their teacher.

Taking one last bite of her mother's cooking, she directed herself to the entranceway, she was excited to start her career as a — hopefully successful— kunoichi. Making sure to be there on time; the young girl traversed the route to the training grounds. Being the girl she was, she surely did not want to get there late and make a bad first impression. The distance itself wasn't as long as she'd initially thought — finally taking her first step into the vast field — she could only notice that it was empty. She was obviously the first to come, maybe she exaggerated in 'coming here early'. Being the only thing she could do for now, Akemi crossed the grounds towards one of the benches and took a seat.

She awaited . .

→ word count; 654

[Super Kawaii Desu]

Early morning in the Shindama house was quiet, almost secluded in a way. As always he woke up just staring up from his bed. The ceiling becoming a canvas for his thoughts. This pause of awakening did not last long though. Ending with the young ninja sitting up into a big yawn. Slowly he forced himself up out of bed towards the kitchen. His right hand slipped back into his boxers to scratch his behind. Meanwhile, his other hand was occupied scratching his armpit. Shin was anything but charming when he first woke up.

Removing his appendage from his boxers, he moved in front of the stove putting a kettle of water on to boil. While that began to heat up, he had already been getting the insta-ramen out and setting it upon the table. Shindama went to find his attire for the day, it would of course be the usual. A green long-sleeved zipper shirt. The sleeves ending a little bit after his elbows. Fishnet armoring for underneath his shirt, and black pants that cut off a little below the knee. The green shirt bore the Senju Symbol (black), on the back. He looked himself up and down in the mirror, blinking a couple of times. The reflection held a smile, noting that he was pleased with himself.

While finishing his get up, the kettle began to whistle from behind. A whistle soon followed by excited footsteps. The food was done, and Shin was starved. Ripping the cover off, and pouring the scolding water in made him all the hungrier. The sun moved ever more, three minutes was the limit to wait for the ramen to cook; the longest three minutes of any glutton's life.

Shindama slammed his butt down into the chair, grabbing his chopsticks. In a moment of intense enthusiasm he peeled off the top completely. The food... was cooked to perfection. In seconds he had noodles hanging from his lips. The slurping filled the quiet and small room. Soon ending when the ramen itself was gone. Being a slob he did not bother to clean up after his mess. Footsteps rolled to the door where Shin was slipping on his blue shinobi sandals.

For a second he stopped to stare at the door, he was forgetting something... his headband. A smirk wrinkled his cheeks as he removed the headband from his pocket. Taking it he wrapped it around his forehead and tied it in the back; tight. The door-knob twisted with a metallic screech, along with the hinges as it opened.

The light blinded Shin for a second but he ignored it, because he loved it. Today was the first real start of his Genin-hood. Today Shindama felt unstoppable, nothing could stop him. His cocky stance even hinted at him feeling unstoppable. Too bad there was no one to witness it.

The pivot of a heel was heard, followed by steady walking. Shin had his hands behind his head and looked so relaxed. Keeping his eyes shut he continued on down the path in search of his teams meeting spot. Surprisingly the Genin was not running late for once in his life. Actually, he was gonna be the first one there, or not. Up ahead was a red-haired Uzumaki girl, is new teammate. Opening his eyes he came to an instant stop; taking it all in. Then in a burst of excitement he began to move on down to the grassy field faster, “Red!” he called out. He did not know Akemi too well, but he was already so friendly and buddy buddy. Giving away nicknames like he would toss kunai at his enemies.

It was a habit of his to be rather unmannerly, this would become more apparent as he finally closed in on the target. The Uzumaki sitting only a foot or two away from him now. “Woah you got here early, I thought I would be first!” he said, quite enthusiastic, Shindama had enough energy to power an entire town. He really did not pause long enough to give her time to talk, “Regardless, it is a pleasure to finally meet you Akemi!” this was Senju Shindama.

Wordcount: 700

[Yasuhiro]

"Hn... bwaaaaa..."

Eyelids fluttered wildly on a tame face. His irregular sleep schedule again. Yasuhiro had been sleeping rested against the base of a tree for a few hours now. Having actually started his day very early at dawn, he had wandered around the village before the sun was up and bright, eating breakfast way before most people did. He knew what day it was, so instead of going back home he just went to his destination. If he'd gone back home, he would had definitely overslept. Well, he kinda did, but...

The Third Training Ground is actually where he has been resting since the early hours of dawn. Usually he'd be the last person to arrive at anything, but this time... This time he would have them all fooled. Without much of a hassle, he was on time at the location he was supposed to be at. But since the sun was up and all, it was time to get up. He could hear their steps and their voices.

I guess it's really official...

As a slacker, Yasuhiro doesn't tend to get roused by any situation, but this was no ordinary situation. One of the voices he heard was much too familiar. The closer he got, the more he was sure of it, and once he finally got within proper viewing distance, there he was. Senju Shindama. As it would turn out, the day would be very interesting. These boys have been rivals since the day they met at the academy.

"Heh! Don't tell me they really teamed me up with you, Shindama?"

A strange smirk was on Yasuhiro's face. Strange because it's on Yasuhiro face. It meant that he was more than ready to start this genin team business, since he would get the chance to show his superiority to Shindama every day. Competitive spirits were riling up inside Yasuhiro, his heart getting pumped at the thought that their rivalry might have to go up a few notches, and then he saw it. Out of the corner of his eye, a river of crimson.

He recalled seeing her in the academy, but never really meeting her. All he could really think of her at the moment was nonsensical. Her hair was astounding. For a second, he just looked at her. It's not like his admiration of her hair was clear, no, he's nearly always expressionless. But for just a moment, his attention was directed at it. And that was all it took for him to forget what an introduction was.

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words: 431

[Kensei Takezō]

Hyūga Hiatari's eyes flicked open. The vague scent of breakfast wafted through the room and bright sunlight pierced through the thin, pure white curtain that wholly failed to obscure his open window from view. A cool breeze entered through it, shifting said curtains to the side momentarily, before subsiding and letting them fall back to their original position.

Lifting himself from his resting place, Hiatari walked to the opposite corner of his room, where his wardrobe lay. He stood for a second, completely nude, staring at a slight blemish in the mahogany frame, before he opened the door, withdrew his traditional robes (and a pair of boxers), and moved back to his bedside. After donning the loose-fitting black kimono, held closed with a dark red sash, and his dark grey slightly over waist-length Haori (almost identical in colour to his aforementioned underwear), he moved to the desk under his window. Built of the same mahogany as the wardrobe and, in addition, his bed frame, the reddish colour seemed to clash slightly with the almost blood-like colour of his sash. It did not matter, few would see him here and even fewer would notice the minor discord. Hiatari pulled out a canvas and, dipping a nearby brush into the black liquid he had pulled from a drawer, began to practise his calligraphy. Almost exactly fifteen minutes later came a timid knock at the door.

"Enter", Hiatari said, his voice, startlingly deep for one of his age and stature, echoing a little as it left the room through the window, rebounded throughout the courtyard and returned to him. A young girl, not more than nine or ten, warily poked her head through a slight opening in the door, her white eyes wide with fear, "Senpai, your father asked me to call you to-"

"I will have my breakfast here, Hanako. Tell my father that I do not have time for his lectures today."

The girl's eyes shook, as if she were terrified of the repercussions of relaying the message. Nevertheless, she nodded and returned a minute later, Hiatari's breakfast in hand. Placing it carefully on the desk beside him, she backed out of the room so fast that Hiatari was almost surprised she hadn't tripped on the warped floorboard a foot or so away from the door. Then again, they went through this process fairly regularly, so perhaps she had simply memorised the feel of the floor.

Hiatari quickly ate his breakfast and stood up with a sigh, taking a pouch from one of his desk drawers and strapping it to his waist. Leaving his empty plate and half-finished calligraphy, Hiatari left the room. Hanako would be along when she heard him leave to clear up.

As he began strolling, leisurely, towards the Third Training Ground - the arranged meeting place - Hiatari hesitated. Perhaps he should have wished his younger brother luck. Perhaps he still should - there was just enough time, if he were quick. It was, after all, Hinagi's first day as a Genin... No, there was no need for such useless sentiment. It wouldn't do his brother any good and the two had never been that close... It would only serve to waste both of their time. Instead, Hiatari continued on his way, looking up to the sky. Clear blue and barely a cloud in sight. Good. That meant it would likely be hot later; he could test his new Team's resilience in the heat of the midday sun.

As he approached the training grounds, he could already see his new students 'bonding'. Even without having been previously informed and reading their full files a few times since then he could easily have distinguished their clans. First, there was the girl, whose trademark red hair singled her out as the Uzumaki. Then, the one with the dark hair and green shirt with the symbol of the Senju clan on the back; that made it more than obvious. Finally, the one with the jet black, unkempt hair and red jacket; again, with a clan symbol on the back. Naturally, he was the Uchiha.

At last reaching the three Genin who were to be his students, Hiatari spoke, "So, let me guess..."

He looked at the green-garbed boy, "Senju Shindama, thirteen years old, five feet and three inches, ninety-eight pounds. Naïve, stubborn and somewhat arrogant. Parents deceased. Area of greatest prowess; Chakra Control and Ninjutsu."

Without leaving time for that to sink in, he turned to the boy in the red jacket, "Uchiha Yasuhiro, twelve years old, five feet and two inches, ninety-nine pounds. Lazy, irresponsile and also somewhat arrogant. Half-brother Nukenin. Area of greatest prowess; None - potential generalist."

Now, with his eyes moving from one to the other, "Rivals since the moment they met, possibly based on their shared trait of arrogance, probably mainly owing to old clan rivalries. You two need to build up some muscle, you're underweight."

Finally, they flew to the red-haired girl, "Uzumaki Akemi, twelve years old, five feet and two inches, one hundred and twelve pounds. Naïve, optimistic, severely lacking in general leadership skills. No notable close family. Area of greatest prowess; Chakra Control and Ninjutsu."

Keeping his eyes on their faces to gauge their reactions, he came, at last, to himself, "I am Hyūga Hiatari, seventeen years old, five feet and nine inches, one hundred and forty pounds. Serious and arrogant. Area of greatest prowess; Taijutsu and Sensing."

Taking a deep breath, he finally finished his 'speech', "I'm your Jōnin Sensei. Welcome to Sanbutai. Now that you all know about yourselves, why don't you tell me a little about yourselves?"

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Word Count: 943

[Eisou Ϟ]

Akemi's wait did not last for much longer. It was only few minutes before the rest of her team had set where once there had only sat one. They came in such a quick succession, one after the other, their arrivals separated by seconds, that the girl could merely exchange greetings with them, her red eyes burning with an uncertain curiosity. The first to come was who she would identify as Shindama, from the Senju clan. The first thing that aroused her attention about this boy was his extreme openned and directness. The fact that he gave her a nickname so early, not only that but declaring it before he even introduced himself to her, seemed all rather odd - very out of place. Nevertheless, she rose from her seat, right after he finished his talk, thus gaining his attention; she bowed down to him, as was cliche for a such a moment, and spoke.

"The pleasure is mine, Shindama-kun !" she said, her melodic tone - a voice that was filled with kindness and an uncanny sweetness - splitting open the silence that had settled for a mere instant after his last statement. And before she could regain her seat, a new figure appeared. This time, it seems that he came from behind. A quite odd thing, because these grounds had one entrance and one entrance only. It is like he actually spent the night here. Akemi giggled at the thought, not realising that that was truly the case. Turning her entire body to face the new comer, noticing that he had not actually introduced himself, and instead was gazing at her hair for a little bit. Akemi decided to take the initiative, as he was not actually sure if he knew her, even though they shared the same class at the academy. "My name is Uzumaki Akemi. I'm delighted to meet you Yasuhiro-kun." she announced, her lips blossoming in to a smile that showed off the glint of her slightly canine, purely white teeth.

With these words, her reddish irises moved to welcome the final and most important link of the chain. His appearance and presence only gave out an aura of mightiness, if that was the proper word to describe it. Without wasting anytime, the jounin, that will eventually introduce himself as a Hyuuga, started with his opening speech. He was actually introducing them to each other, and eventually himself. Asking them to speak a little about themselves. Akemi decided to start first, even though she was the last to be talked about by their sensei. She did not know what to actually say, as their sensei summed up everything. But she spoke nevertheless.
"Happy to finally meet you Hiatari-sensei. I want to say that I, too, have a nukenin brother; being no one other than Uzumaki Hironori. I also want to express my joy to be put in this team, hoping that will work together greatly in the future days to come." she spoke, the melody of her voice allowing for the monologue to be sweet to the ear, where most prolonged speech tended to irk the mind.

→ word count; 521

[Super Kawaii Desu]

The introductions between Akemi and Shindama came and went quickly. Before either of them knew it Yasuhiro came, after having his little nap. A dark brown, brow cocked back to greet the Uchiha. His first words of course being directed at the Senju. This was to be expected, had Yasuhiro gotten there before Shindama the same scenario would have played out. "Pah, they only put us together cause they knew I'd teach you a few things Goggles!" it was the usual cocky banter that went on between the two. Labeling Yasuhiro with a nickname, he seemed to pass them out easily. In some peoples eyes it was rude, while in his it was a sign of friendship. When he felt comfortable or close to people he would give them nicknames. This was his way, however obnoxious it might have been.

Amongst Shindama's very loud and powerful personality another voice was heard. Pivoting on his blue sandal's heal he cocked his body back to look behind him. Both hands moving to rest on his hips in a relaxed demeanor. Seemingly loud one moment and calm the next, he had to be bi-polar.

Being caught off guard, Shin was not ready for someone to randomly talk about him. Right away he managed to grasp Shindama's attention, for good and bad. Mentioning his parents so bluntly, well, no one ever did that before. Calling him arrogant-- that was nothing new. Although tempted to talk, the man managed to keep the loud mouth kid shut as he went down the stats of the other two Genin.

Shindama took it all on, smirking for a second and then stepping forward just a tad. He looked like he had something smart to say, in reply to his sensei's accurate acquisition of them. "Well well," he turned back to look at Akemi, " I think he was calling you fat, red." The build up of seriosness lead to something irrelevant to it all. He was merely stating that the female weighed more then both the males. He then went and poked Akemi on the cheek

What an odd boy...

Word Count: 365

[Yasuhiro]

"Oh, yeah, nice to meet you too."

He was just pleased by her matching eyes and hair. Ah, young fool.

"And don't think you'll be teaching me anything, Senju!", he said back at Shindama, his look telling him something like 'bring it on'.

Meanwhile, their apparent sensei made his arrival, and immediately began to go on about the whole team. Most notably, he announced the supposed arrogance of Shindama and Yasuhiro, which the latter didn't appreciate at all. His one tone was quite proud, like he was some sort of hotshot for becoming a jōnin sensei at the ripe age of seventeen. It left a hint of bad taste in Yasuhiro's mouth, especially since he mentioned his nukenin half-brother.

His emotions obviously felt picked at a little, so his eyes couldn't help but flare his bloodline, though he was aware of the emotional link to the sharingan.

It didn't matter. Yasuhiro wasn't one to lose his cool, so he just shifted his eyes downwardly and then to the left side, not wanting anyone to think he was trying to be intimidating. Not that anybody would get intimidated anyways, he's just a skinny little kid. Even so, he didn't want the attention. So for the sake of simply being a team and having a good first meeting, he revealed no emotion whatsoever in relation to the sensei's remarks. Not the one about the arrogance, not the one about his half-brother, not the one about putting on some muscle.

He bowed his head to greet his sensei; "Nice to meet ya Hiatari-Sensei, I like that you admit your own arrogance", but of course hearing and seeing Shindama pick on Akemi bothered him a bit, if only because he thought she was cute. With defensive instinct, he very lightly shoved the left side of Shindama's face with his right hand, saying "Already pickin' on 'er, cocky?"

And he, already forgetting to say something about himself to the team.

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words: 440

[Kensei Takezō]

Hiatari's eyes followed each of his new students as, in turn, they each spoke. His brow furrowed for but a moment before he corrected his lapse in control. The young man, still but a teenager, had finally realised what he'd put himself in for... The files were one thing - he wasn't expecting such a 'dysfunctional' group - but this was the real deal. He was going to need to seriously set to work on these three... Right now, their only use was as meat shields. Even then, there wasn't even much meat on them to shield with...

It seemed, if her words were to be believed (and Hiatari saw no reason not to), that the Uzumaki also had a Nukenin relative. Terrific. Two dysfunctional families and a dead one, all in one team. No wonder the Hokage hadn't let him see these kids' files before he agreed to take them on... Though the Uzumaki's Nukenin relative was not mentioned in her file. He would have to bring that subject up next time he saw the village leader.

"Having a Nukenin relative is nothing to reveal so easily, Uzumaki," Hiatari warned, "for there are many who judge a person on the merits of their relatives and their family's reputation. Personally, I judge each person on what I see before me, not on their family, friends, hearsay, nor even on what the files the Hokage gives me say about them."

Hiatari half-smirked as he said the last part. Letting his gaze move to the Uchiha, he continued, "My own file lists me as arrogant and so I relayed that information to you. You deserve to know it, just as I know everything on your files. Despite what my file says, I do not consider myself better than you... Yet."

This time, a full smirk crossed his face, almost revealing the boy underneath the serious front that could almost make one think twice about his youth. "In the life of a ninja, information is everything - it is very much an understatement to say that knowledge is power. Do not forget this."

Hiatari looked at the three Genin before him, having chosen to ignore the jibe about the Uzumaki's weight. If it got to her and she couldn't take it, she sure as hell wasn't fit to be a ninja, regardless of what he'd think if she couldn't stick up for herself. The Hyūga took a deep breath; it was past time to test them. Were they really ready to become Genin? Hiatari's test would tell. Somehow, he doubted it.

But somewhere deep down, he almost hoped they were...

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Word Count: 380

[Eisou Ϟ]

Okay, breathe in Akemi, just, breathe in.

And breathe in deeply she did, sucking in the air and the overwhelming aroma of nature in the early morning. She could not let that statement thrown at her by Shindama get to her, nor make her feel bad. How would that make her look in sensei's eyes? She pulled herself together and decided to speak her thoughts. Taking one more breath she spoke. "I think he was pointing out how skinny you were, and not mocking my weight." she said, as words rushed out of her mouth as if time was running out on her. Happy to finally speak her mind out, and stand up for herself for probably the first time in her life, she turned her attention to Yasuhiro who seemed to be trying to defend Akemi in a way or another.

From the way he looked at her, she could only think he was starting to like her. If only she had the ability to read the mind, pervading thoughts with her own without the consent of any other, the redhead would have scoffed at the male's silent sentiments, though not particularly taking any offense to them. In fact, she would have agreed wholeheartedly. She smiled at him as if she was thanking him for his kind of help.

Hearing her sensei's judgement, the girl pivoted on her heels to face him. The reaction she garnered from him was somehow understandable and expectable. She couldn't blame him, since he did not really understand the way she felt about her brother, nor did anyone for that matter. Even her own parents. "As much as it is hard to comprehend, sensei, I must say that I understand nii-san's reasons for leaving the village. That is why it was so easy for me to manifest the fact." she declared, fearfully awaiting his reaction to her ideals, because many people did not approve them.

→ word count; 321

[Super Kawaii Desu]

The expressions and words of Shindama's colleagues indicated that he is the only one that did not think he was insulting Akemi. A smile still claimed his face, even when being confronted for being rude. It was obvious ignorance, an maybe obvious he meant no harm. His own simpleness even prevented him from acknowledging their replies. He simply moved on, getting over the topic quickly. As did they, so it seemed, their conversation now filled with talk of rogue ninja.

From what Shindama could hear it was a boring discussion. Their ideals, what is right and wrong, it bored him. The way he saw it was, Akemi and Yasuhiro were not their siblings, but themselves. This day was about them and himself. Why was the group sitting here talking about things completely irrelevant to today. Meanwhile, Shindama was off in his own little world. Was he talking to himself? From the sight of things it looked like it. A smirk overran him, as he walked back a bit, towards his new comrades. Getting in between them he smiled bigger; excitedly.

“Ya ya sensei, knowledge, wisdom, rogues, we get it,” he interrupted with a smart-ass tone. While his voice attempted to overwhelm the conversation he put one arm around Akemi. Then, he brought one arm around Yasuhiro pulling the three of them closer. Already he acted as if they were best friends. Even showing that Yasuhiro's and his rivalry was more then just a rivalry. Being not afraid to act friendly towards him even in front of others. When it came down to it, information and what not was all good but, there was more to them then just statistics. Shndama for example, was ready to prove just that. “We aren't here for lessons on rogues, this day is about us,” he looked at both Yasuhiro, and then Akemi. He did this in hopes that they too would drop the conversation. His white smile, so overwhelming that his eyes appeared shut, “so, let's get started!”

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Wordcount: 345

[Yasuhiro]

"Che...", he vocalized with a smirk at the sensei's words, after formulating a good opinion of Akemi given both her standing up to Shindama and her confident reply to what the sensei said about nukenin relatives. And then Shindama came in with his dumbass comment and abrupt huddle-up.

Immediately Yasuhiro felt uncomfortable on many levels, and though it was evident by his facial expression, he still kept his cool. Unlike Shindama, Yasuhiro didn't like to be unsightly in front of important people. But as much as Yasuhiro disliked Shindama's attitude and general behavior, the kid had a point. It was about time that they got treated as genin and began acting as a functional unit. So without a second thought, Yasuhiro went on to say something about himself so that they may carry on with whatever it is genin squads do.

"Heh, don't get yer panties in a bunch, Shin. I think the formal introductions are almost over."

He smirked at his rival once more, removed the arm on his shoulder, and proceeded;

"As you all know, I'm Uchiha Yasuhiro. Sensei here spoiled the outlaw brother surprise, but I'm sure he doesn't know everything about me. I like chillin' an' dozin' off, but I don't like the Senju getting cocky at the Uchiha-"

He picked his nose with his right pinky while shifting his face to the left;

"-so I'll definitely beat this annoying guy standing to my right. And that's a promise."

This he said with utter confidence and a strength of tone in his voice, possibly indicating that there was a little more than just arrogance and laziness to Yasuhiro. He was done talking about himself, even if what he said was brief and didn't reveal much of anything that the sensei had already exposed. He just wanted to get on with it. Time to see what it means to be in a genin squad.

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words: 329

[Kensei Takezō]

Well, this would certainly be an interesting experience... Though the Senju was getting a little irritating, he could have potential. The Uzumaki was interesting, however, and the Uchiha... Well, he was an Uchiha. Talented, most likely, yet a little too cocky for Hiatari's liking. Confidence was fine - confidence can be backed up. Arrogance, on the other hand...

"This may come as a shock to you, as well, but I'm glad you understand his reasoning. Perhaps it will help you grow as an individual, and perhaps it will aid you in not following in his footsteps." Hiatari did indeed think his response could come as a shock - his was not a view shared by many, especially ordinary loyal shinobi. But Hiatari was by no means an ordinary loyal shinobi. He had even harboured thoughts of defection himself before, though he kept these very much hidden.

"Now. Before you get ahead of yourselves consider this; you have not yet secured your positions as Genin." Hiatari gave a half-smile - his facial expressions were rarely fully fledged - as he continued, "I am about to set you a test. If you pass, you will become my students until all three of you pass the Chūnin Exams, or decide to abandon your desire to be ninja and quit. Though I get the feeling the latter will not be the case. Even after that point, we will be likely to continue to work together on occasion."

"If you fail, you will be sent back to the Academy for another year, after which you will retake the graduation exams and go through the process again. Probably with a different Jōnin Sensei."

Hiatari's hand disappeared inside his haori for a moment, emerging with a small object in his hand - a wooden spinning top. "I will spin this spinning top. You three will attempt to stop it spinning. If you succeed, I will give you a question. You will then write down a single word answer and give it to me. If you do not answer enough of the questions correctly by the time I set, you fail. Only I know your time limit, so good luck."

This time, Hiatari gave a full smile, a hint of mocking behind it, as he made a brief glance at each of them in turn, "Any questions? Good." Hiatari hadn't given them anywhere near enough time to ask a question, had they wished to. In fact, he had just completely thrown them in at the deep end. Of course, this first one should be relatively easy... As he spoke, Hiatari's hands had slowly moved behind his back and upon finishing his explanation, he flicked the spinning top up in the air, where it hung for a second, as if held aloft purely by the tension in the air, before it dropped to the ground behind him, whirling round at an incredible speed. "This is a competition, by the way. You may begin."

With that, Hiatari disappeared in a light puff of smoke, reappearing behind the three Genin. They were unlikely to notice, however, since now the spinning top would be the focus of their attention, and it was just a couple of feet away...

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Word Count: 538

Edit: Forgot to add this in...

Jutsu used:
Shunshin no Jutsu | Body Flicker Technique

[Eisou Ϟ]

it's fine, Akemi thinks - murmurs, says, outright shouts in her delicate little head with lips parted only halfway, justifies the sound coming from her mouth as approving. Sure she got a bit uncomfortable by Shindama's spontaneous action first; but she quickly persuaded herself that he surely meant no harm. Just an act of friendship. Hearing all of the statements and comments pouring down all at once, the girl did not pay much attention to what was being said, nor did she bother to say anything herself. Noticing that Yasahiro removed his mate's arm from his shoulder, Akemi wished she could do that same thing, as it began to bother her a little bit. But oddly enough, she didn't.

It was until her sensei mentioned the word 'test', that she regained attention of the things around her. It seems that this was the mark that signaled the introductions over. And this was no ordinary test either. It seems that failing said 'exam' would send the genin back to academy. What a harsh decision he could make. It didn't take long for the jounin to start explaining the content of the test and for that the little girl was grateful, as his curiosity was reaching dangerous, explosive levels.

It was an interesting test, and quite odd to say the very list. The first thing that Akemi did notice, that it demanded both physical and mental effort. It was only fair, if the jounin wanted to test the extents of their abilities. Since a shinobi is not just about battle prowess, but also mental. They first had to stop the spinning top from.. well spinning ! Akemi wondered how they would go around that, it surely wasn't going to be the easy task. Being the girl she was, lacking both initiativity and leadership sense, the only thing she had to do for now was to wait for her mates to take their actions. She doesn't have much to do either as a matter of fact, since her area of prowess is both chakra and ninjutsu, and she still didn't have any techniques in such area, except for the basics taught to her at the academy.

→ word count; 362

[Super Kawaii Desu]

The genin's focus was on the sensei, an arm still laced around Akemi. Shindama seemed to pay no mind to Yasuhiro removing his other one. \What caught his attention completely was the topic. Tests; this made him excited yet uneasy. What kind of test would it be. A written exam, number of push-ups, how much stronger Shindama is to Yasuhiro. Tons of ideas ran through his head, if he had just paid attention he would have got his answer. Instead, as usual, he spaced out for a few seconds. His talk about going back to the academy uninterested Shin. None of it was that important to him, so none of it got through to him.

He was sort of dazed, weight beginning to pick up on Akemi. Although, he shook himself out of his dream. A thousand things ran through his head. What awoke him was the rules about the spinning top. Easy enough, Shindama just had to beat them to it. This was easier said then done of course. "Questions, answers, right!" he said as he began to stretch. leaning to each side, looking kind of goofy. It was time, at that second Shindama recalled hearing Yasuhiro say he would beat the annoying guy.

Right off the bat Shin knew Yasuhiro meant it, so naturally he targeted him. He seemed to pay not much attention to Akemi, maybe he did not find her a threat. Maybe, his obsession with beating Yasuhrio was the case. Regardless he acted, hearing the sign to go. Quickly, Shindama swung his left leg, without warning, towards Yasuhiro's chest. Whether he was meant to do this or not, he did not care. Now Shidama was a bit skilled at Taijutsu for his rank. His durable like body could be to blame for it. Being able to take on a lot of damage allowed him to train in Taijutsu faster then one would expect.

As his kick left the ground after the sound of the sensei's voice, things had started. The only thing left in Shindama's head now was," let the games begin Yasuhiro."

Word Count: 352

[Yasuhiro]

Wow, a top? This would be a breeze. All Goggles had to do was shuriken it. The moment that sensei said 'competition' Hiro was ready to go.

That would be the average observer's guess anyways.

He assumed the position halfheartedly and began to draw a kunai from his right jacket pocket - obviously with his right hand - only to get kicked on the chest by Shindama. This completely stopped Yasuhiro's attempt at throwing a kunai at the top, though it also resulted in Shindama's leg getting cut by it, as Hiro reacted at the last second to block the kick so as to not get the air knocked out of him. He didn't really care about the fact that Shindama kicked him - it was sort of an expected action from a rival - but he was really just baffled at the apparent fact that the Senju boy hadn't listened to a word the sensei said.

"Seriously? You can't follow a simple instruction?"

By now Goggles' eyes were red, not because of Shindama, but because the sensei had disappeared. Now that he was looking toward his right side instinctively because of Shindama's kick, it was an opportunity to scan the area for the sensei. He began to try and analyze his words, try and assess the situation at hand. With another halfhearted position he quickly grabbed a shuriken and lunged it at the top (this time from the left side), ceasing what he thought was a window of opportunity in which Akemi might have been distracted from taking her own opportunity at the top.

Things were a little cryptic. The fact that the sensei mentioned the possibility of being sent back to the academy could only mean one thing: this test required real-life application of a lesson or more which were learned at the academy. So they should pass the test, otherwise, they wouldn't have really learned the lesson(s). He already saw in front of him, so he shifted his eyes to the left. Then to the ground. An unusual place for someone to be, but he remembered hearing about some shinobi doing that somewhere.

Not there. He didn't see the sensei's chakra in the ground. It's not like he knew, but he had a hunch now.

"If something seems easy, don't rush in. Stay calm, keep your distance, and test it. Expect the unexpected."

In saying this, Hiro was thinking about several key instances a few moments earlier. First of course was the academy comment. There was also that brief moment when the top sort of hung around in the air before falling straight down to the ground, and its incredible speed. Due to that, he wasn't expecting his shuriken to stop the top, but rather slow it down a bit. As he spoke, he began shifting his head to the right, so that he could look behind him.

"That's something we learned at the academy, right Shin?"

He said 'Shin' but his voice was directed at the sensei. By now that man should have an idea that Yasuhiro was suspicious of everything he had done up until that moment. Something seeming easy - the top. Stay calm - because he didn't let them even try and think of any questions to ask about the test. Keep your distance - the top seems weird. Expect the unexpected - hello, it's a top. And the guy that spun it just disappeared in front of them.

"By the way, we don't just carry around paper and pencils. What are we 'writing' on?", he said at the sensei.

Yes, he was suspicious of that part too.

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words: 610
ooc:

@ent: if there's any chakra in/near the top, then hiro should have seen it in this post

abilities used:

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weapons used:

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