New leaves dance

Legacy
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New leaves dance

Post by Legacy » Sun May 13, 2018 1:57 pm



With squad 15 out of commission due to the strange circumstances revolving around two of the four members assigned to the unit Gene had used his time as one would have expected of an Operative; training, taking on missions vital to the village and working on his own personal relationships. That would all change today though. Today he'd gotten the call of duty once again and this time - he wouldn't be taking it lightly. Fi's condition had shed light onto matters of mental health and Mafuyu's situation at home brought the sentiment of truly being duty bound to the forefront. This time... when Council delivered the file containing his new charge the silver-haired Specialist made sure to tell them not to send any who were not truly prepared his way.

He'd run out of encouraging words, gestures of good faith and cheer. All of these things would serve no purpose in the field and therefore served no purpose in his heart, mind and soul. To the three Genin who would be meeting this mountain of a man today they could all rest assured that their wills would be tested, physical limits pushed and if they could not adequately meet his standard...that they would be dropped from the program. Unlike his peers, Gene wasn't known for his river of compassion or friendliness but his willingness to do whatever was necessary to obtain the result sought after.


Stepping onto the lush, grassy fields of where he intended to test the three Genin Gene was welcomed by a
rush of wind that ruffled the white scarf hanging around his neck and shifted his hair until it hung wildly over his right eye. "This time around will be much different than before. I won't pull any punches." Spoken to no one and everyone, it would have become dangerously clear that the man was out to prove something not only to himself but to the ranks of others aware of Squad 15's formation. In the past he'd taken the unit out to the Forest of death, let them fight against animals and other such creatures...no more. This time around the test could not have gotten no more straight forward.


In order to officially be solidified as Genin of the Hidden Leaf then the three submitted for evaluation: Senju Maseru, Hinomaru Inari, Hinoshi Isuzu; would need not only to demonstrate a firm understanding of what they'd learned back in the academy but show the fruits of their labor outside of the classroom. After all, it didn't matter what someone knew from the books if their head had been lopped off before they could utilize their brain. Harsh? Maybe. But Gene needed to be sure that the three understood the world that they were about to enter and THAT was more important that playing nice.

Leaning up against a log target post he'd await for the others to arrive. This time around he'd left all the arrangements up to the staffing team within the Academy building which meant that the first time he would see them would be when they arrived. Save for Isuzu whom he knew from past experiences already.
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Diatenshi
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New leaves dance

Post by Diatenshi » Mon May 14, 2018 1:52 am

It had been a few weeks since Masaru had returned from the forest. He still had nightmares about it. He'd catch himself waking up in cold sweats. Every now and then he'd feel a phantom pain from the experience. The whole thing just effected him heavily he tended to be a bit more on the quiet side as he dealt with his memories and emotions. It still surprised him when he looked in a mirror and saw glowing orange eyes staring back at him instead of the hazel he'd been born with.

Three days ago he'd gotten a heads up from Gene that they'd finally filled all the slots of team 15 and that they'd be doing a training exercise together. Masaru, always one for being punctual, would be the second person to arrive. He would immediately notice Gene leaning against a training post. He could tell from the look in his mentors eyes that today was gonna be rough one. Gene looked ready to put the team through the wringer. Masaru would shake his head and would begin to do a few light warm up exercises involving his poleaxe. The exercises helped him stretch out and shake off his grogginess. He'd had a long night was still troubled by his nightmares.

"So on a scale of 1-10 how much am I gonna hate you by the end of this training session boss?" He looked Gene square in the eye as he spoke earnestly. He knew Gene was serious today and that only meant one thing for him: suffering. He knew today's training was gonna be a shitshow and wanted to know how bad his day was about to get.
Tools of WarShow


Will of Fire-
Senju Masaru

Genin
[color=orange]


Light of Hope-
Awai Akihiro

Genin
[color=red]


Viral Menace-
Toukai Chisaki

Chuunin
[color=#ff0080]


Yin Yang Divided
Naegi Waruhito

Genin
[color=#8b14f9]


King of Pirates-
Ryoshi Kaisui

B-Rank MN
[color=#7fffd4]

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Inari
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New leaves dance

Post by Inari » Mon May 14, 2018 2:41 am

A lush field. A calm breeze. The scent of spring in the air. It was a time for new beginnings.

…What the Hell was that noise?

Drumming. Taiko. The sound of it filled the field and the nearby woods, drawing closer. Chanting voices. Wood clacking on wood, and certainly not from branches. Marching through the woods was a stream of red and black. Four figures in scarves and fox masks. Three of them bore instruments; a heavy drum, a set of wooden sticks, a shamisen. They chanted exuberantly, filling the whole place with noise. At the edge of the field, they drew to a halt. The one in the lead, the only one without an instrument, began to bounce and spin.

Dancing.

He beat his feet against the ground with the rhythm, full of energy, a red scarf whipping behind him as he spun. As the music rose to its fever pitch, he came out of his whirl and began to run. He sprinted for Gene.

Ten meters in, he threw himself forward into a cartwheel. He twisted full-round by the time he’d returned to his feet, back-handspringing his way across the grassy field. When he seemed set to collide with Gene, he vaulted from his feet, flipping through the air. He struck the log post where Gene had been leaning and landed in a crouch as the music concluded, one finger pointing toward the sky. In that final note, the musicians were engulfed in a puff of smoke and vanished.

The boy crouched atop the target dummy, masked face grinning wide.

He looked down at Gene and Masaru, then all about, hesitantly lowering that pointing arm until he used it to push his mask up onto his forehead. The fox-faced boy matched the description of Hinomaru Inari, of course. Who else?

“…Crap. I wanted to be last.”

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Isuzu
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New leaves dance

Post by Isuzu » Sat May 19, 2018 6:07 am

"...welp, third times the charm, right?..."

Isuzu was, again, meeting up with his newest team. His last one had disbanded after their first meeting. He'd never been told exactly why - only that he was now the only member. He still wanted his old teammate Gene as his sensei, so he elected to wait out the process. He'd spent the time in between, roughly 2 weeks, on a trip with his father to a meeting with the Daimyou. His father was one of the Daimyou's most trusted junior advisors. The recent Spirit outbreak had been recognized officially by the state, and a meeting was held to discuss what could be done about it.

The not-so-young genin was being groomed as a statesman and shinobi at the same time, so his father dragged him along. He found them both interesting and presenting their own challenges.

Today, however, was about being a shinobi. He tied his headband in a tight knot and hopped off his balcony to the rooftops adjacent.

--

"...Leave it to Gene-sensei to pick somewhere like this..." The young, energetic boy Isuzu'd known as a genin had faded away. To be honest, he hadn't even had the chance to properly meet with his old pal yet. Today would be the perfect moment. His hands shook a bit at the thought of facing his old comrade whom he'd abandoned. A loose hanging hand formed into a fist after a moment, "...No. Leave the past in the past. We're moving towards the future now..."

As he walked arrived at the designated training area he was greeted by the rest of his team. His eyes moved to the two other genin first, then to Gene breifly, then quickly to the ground in a slight bow. "Hello. I'mm Isuzu. N-n-niccce to m-meeeet you." He raised his head again, being sure not to meet Gene's gaze.

Nakamura, Takeshi | A-rank MN | Kirigakure
Hinoshi, Isuzu | Genin | Konohagakure
Ishiguro, Kisuke | Chuunin | Kumogakure

Legacy
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User flair: Conflict begets Growth

New leaves dance

Post by Legacy » Sat May 19, 2018 2:10 pm

"That all depends on just how prepared you are," Gene replied with a shrug of his shoulders. He wasn't the least bit interested in hearing someone complain much less before there was actually anything to complain about. What did catch his attention was the sound of an instrument somewhere far off; it sounded like....drums?

I've got the strangest feeling the source of that noise will be headed here. A grim thought ran through his mind just then, did they actually believe that being a Shinobi was something to make jokes about? Through all of Inari's little show Gene could only suppress his irritation and...change the lesson plan for what he thought about today. Somewhat anyway.


Only when Isuzu made his way to the training grounds did Gene speak again. "Looks like the gang is all here. Why don't you all start by introducing yourselves; talk about your hobbies, things you like and things you hate, goals for the future - that sort of thing."
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Inari
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New leaves dance

Post by Inari » Sat May 19, 2018 11:16 pm

Inari dropped down off the post when his theatrics failed to get a response. The boy looked disappointed. Curiosity took over, though; their final compatriot was arriving!

”Nice to meet you,” he assured, offering a bow. His smile made his eyes narrow until he looked like a fox who knew where to find the plumpest chicken. He wore his own headband on his forehead, which was easier to manage when he put away the silly mask. The smile faltered as he looked between his companions, though. They were over a full head taller than him! ”How old are you guys?!” he protested.

No time to feel frustrated over the catty ways of Mother Nature, though. Sensei’s first order was up: introductions!

”Well…” the short one piped up. ”I’m Hinomaru Inari! I like reading, art, animals, the outdoors, and, uh…moving around.” He rolled his shoulders like he was warming up for another bout of handsprings. ”I hate gardening, cleaning up after pets, stocking shelves…Drudge work. And…” A look around at all of them, before he straightened up his back and pointed a thumb at himself.

”I’m going to be the next Hokage!”

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Diatenshi
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New leaves dance

Post by Diatenshi » Sun May 20, 2018 5:43 pm

"Of course you'd give a cryptic answer like that." he'd narrow his eyes at Gene's remark. It was easy to see Gene wasn't in a friendly mood as it were. He was clearly ready for business and Masaru knew he'd probably end the day rather sore tired. Add to the nightmares he was bound to face tonight he would probably feel even worse the next day. As he contemplated his training for tomorrow he'd grimace as he looked towards a loud and obnoxious group that was making it's way over. The most interesting part was all four people were the exact same.

Though mildly impressed with his physical capabilities, Masaru's mood would only get worse with the arrival of the third member of his team especially cause of the loud instruments. Rolling his eyes at the loud mouth that seemed overly eager. He wasn't in the mood to deal with such a noisy person. Then again he wasn't in the mood for a lot of things anymore. Normally Masaru would be able to enjoy the humor a person like Inari would bring to the table, yet lately he couldn't stand jokes or even people in general for that matter.

Masaru would give a quizzical look towards Isuzu as the young man arrived. He seemed to be nervous as he spoke though he was uncertain why. His stuttered speech somewhat awkward. Masaru assumed it was him that made the boy nervous just because of his negative mood and atmosphere. He'd almost felt bad until he realized there was something between Gene and Isuzu. He concluded they definitely knew each other and that Isuzu's awkwardness was probably because of their history.

He looked at Gene curiously when he said it was time for introductions. He'd made it sound as if they were giving their dating profile. He was about to speak as he'd been the first one there, however the short ball of energy would burst out with his answers as if he couldn't wait to talk, or rather that's how it seemed to him.

The boy's likes seemed to revolve around self indulgence and his dislikes seemed to simply be working. A typical child in Masaru's mind. ~Inari will be in for a rude awakening when put in a life or death situation.~ Masaru would evaluate Inari based off what he'd heard and his overly dramatic entrance.

"Name is Senju Masaru. Not in the mood to talk about my likes or dislikes at the moment though spend enough time with me and you'll find out on your own eventually. My only goal is to preserve Konoha's Will of Fire and to protect it's people." He honestly wasn't in a good mood though the constant irritabilitt wasn't really his and originated from the sealed spirit inside him. "As a bonus since I didn't talk about my likes or dislikes I'll tell you something a bit more useful about myself as far as coordination goes. I tend to take point when fighting. My poleaxe is large and rather flashy and with my skill set I'm well suited for keeping a targets attention on me without endangering my life." He'd think about what he'd said and mock himself. Yeah kinda hard to die when your body regenerates and can grow back missing parts.
Tools of WarShow


Will of Fire-
Senju Masaru

Genin
[color=orange]


Light of Hope-
Awai Akihiro

Genin
[color=red]


Viral Menace-
Toukai Chisaki

Chuunin
[color=#ff0080]


Yin Yang Divided
Naegi Waruhito

Genin
[color=#8b14f9]


King of Pirates-
Ryoshi Kaisui

B-Rank MN
[color=#7fffd4]

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Isuzu
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New leaves dance

Post by Isuzu » Fri May 25, 2018 6:38 am

They spoke in order, each detailing their interests as Gene'd requested. The first boy was... what was a word for it.... spunky? Yeah, spunky. His list seemed to be somewhat normal. He liked things normal people liked, and disliked in accordance. Zu logged the question Inari had asked regarding age, and politely listened to the rest of his response. That last statement sent a chill down his spine. "...Hokage, huh? That's quite the claim, especially for a genin..." A somewhat condescending thought considering Isuzu had equally lofty goals for himself, though slightly off-kilter for normal shinobi work. The instruments were getting louder now, and it was getting difficult for him to think.

The next boy was an unwelcome contrast to the previous positivity of the group. Flat out refusing a request from their sensei at the first meeting? Bold move. Did he know Gene as well? The way he spoke hinted that this was the case, though perhaps this was just coincidence. Through the loud music Isuzu was able to get a general idea of what was said, using context clues to fill in what he hadn't heard. Sounded like this guy was an in-your-face kind of fighter. That would compliment Isuzu's long range style well. Once he finished speaking, it was Isuzu's turn.

"Hmmmm...........hmmppphhhhh." An audible deep breath accompanied by raising and falling shoulders. "I enjoy learning n-n-new things, in all areas. Shin-shin-..-shinobi or otherwise. Reading. W-writ-t-ting. Puzzles, Riddles. Th-things like that. Huh. I like to coo-oo-rdinate with my team for optimized a-a-assaults." Isuzu'd said all of this while looking down, but looked up to Inari at the end of his spiel. "I'm 16." Short, sweet and to the point.

Turning away, he looked towards the source of the sound to see if he could make out exactly what was going on that way. "...I hope I spoke loud enough for them to hear me..."

Nakamura, Takeshi | A-rank MN | Kirigakure
Hinoshi, Isuzu | Genin | Konohagakure
Ishiguro, Kisuke | Chuunin | Kumogakure

Legacy
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User flair: Conflict begets Growth

New leaves dance

Post by Legacy » Fri May 25, 2018 9:41 am

His face remained stone faced though in his head, Gene smiled and smiled hard. Of the groups that he'd been placed in charge of so far none carried as warm a personality as Inari; sure, the kid had a thing for being needlessly loud but compared to the stoicism of Fi even Gene couldn't help but be amused. This kid is a lot like you, Fanho. On the other hand, Maseru had been the complete opposite. Listening to the young Senju's answer, Gene rationalized the response for what it was; horse shit. Sure, one could hypothesize what they believed themselves to be good at all day and night long but when put in a situation that demanded improv being able to act out of necessity would make every bit of difference. Moreover, Gene didn't like the look in Maseru's eyes. Partially because that kind of look spelled bad news for someone his age and because he'd seen it several times before. Once in a former teammate...once in himself.

For a moment Gene felt as though he were standing in front of a mirror, peering only at the darkness that had crept its way into his own heart and he couldn't help but admire the irony. On one hand, that darkness was frowned upon and in some circles, out right banned. Though deeper into the catacombs of Shinobi life, where concepts like evil and good were just blurred lines to be stepped on...there was a special kind of hidden gem within Maseru; a will to truly go to any lengths to protect and serve the people, the village and overall a Konoha Shinobi's mission. He had to admit it - the kid had a lot of potential and his family roots alone may have kept him to a higher standard than most. Gene hated to think about it but...perhaps he and Maseru weren't so different after all. This one's got a long and trying road ahead of him. So long as he could keep that spirit dwelling within him in check the limitations on what Maseru could accomplish may have been nigh existent. Now if only he could overcome his inability to work well with others...

"Good. My name is Mitsurugi, Gene and as of today I will be your instructor. Unlike the academy where pass or fail grades are determined on a level of scores whether or not if you proceed beyond this point will be determined by me. In other words, if I don't like what you three show me today then..." A smile pulled across the silver haired Jounin's expression and for a moment, his Auburn hues flashed with a light that had not before been seen. "You'll all be dropped from ever becoming a Shinobi. Any dreams for the future that you may have had will end here. Understood?"

He'd wait for a moment as the harsh truth set in and each formed their own opinions on what information had just been passed to them. After some time had passed Gene reached down into his left rear pouch, pulling out a wooden pentagon shaped badge no larger than a wallet and held it out in front of him."Now that we've gotten the introductions out of the way let me explain what the three of you will be doing. It's a relatively simple task that even someone devoid of all their senses could understand," calm and smooth as ever he pushed himself off of the training post and walked over to an open space three meters away from the rest of the group. Turning to face them, Gene tossed the Mamorinuku badge up a few inches and then caught it out of the air. "All you have to do is take this badge from me. If you're unable to do so before noon you all will fail the test and be dropped effective immediately. Also, anyone anyone who fails to secure the badge before the time limit will be disqualified from ever becoming a ninja in this life time."

With the rules to the "game" explained, Gene awaited action from the three Genin. He wondered how they would respond knowing that two or all three of them would be dropped from the program if they were unable to secure the badge within the time limit specified. Of course, he didn't have the authority to decide such matters but given that he was a Jounin such a thing wouldn't have been too far fetched of a possibility - a believable lie in its entirety. "You may use any and all weapons available to you including Kunai and Shuriken, if you're not prepared to kill me then you won't be able to obtain this badge."
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Inari
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New leaves dance

Post by Inari » Tue May 29, 2018 11:52 pm

Inari’s grin went out like a light.

”What?!” he erupted when he was supposed to say ‘Understood.’ The boy looked shell-shocked. ”I…we spent years in training! We passed our tests! Earned out headbands!” he protested, pointing to the one on his forehead as if Gene could have possibly missed it. ”We are shinobi!” All that struggle, he’d finally succeeded, and here he might get the door shut in his face?

Inari looked to the older boys on the team for clarity. This clearly wasn’t their first time on a genin squad, unless they were even bigger screw-ups than him. This wasn’t normal, right?

Whatever their answer, he was fuming by the time the jounin continued. So upset he was shaking. He managed to focus enough to fixate on his instructions, though. He frowned at the badge.

”Just…one?” he asked, an un-asked follow-up hanging in the air. Only the first person to succeed would continue?

Inari looked again to the boys at his sides. Both were older, bigger, and better-armed than him.

He stared at the ground, looking like he might be ill. At last, he held up a hand in half a Tiger sign.

The Seal of Confrontation.

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Diatenshi
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New leaves dance

Post by Diatenshi » Wed May 30, 2018 3:10 am

Masaru would shake his head upon hearing the training instructions. It was a training to test team work, usually used on fresh genin to scare them into being selfish and cause disruption in the ranks. While he was sure Gene had the rank to strip them of their status of shinobi. He was fairly positive that as long as they showed him something good it wouldn't come to that.

He'd look over at Inari and see that Gene's words had their intended effect as the boy started to freak out. ~Well Gene you certainly got a ride out of one of us. Not sure why you thought me and Isuzu would fall for it though.~ He'd put a hand on Inari's shoulder. He'd have to pull Inari out of the mental trap Gene tossed him into before they'd make any attempts towards that badge.

"I'm sure you've already realized you won't be able to get that badge alone. In fact neither me nor Isuzu are likely to do so either I believe. So tell me and Isuzu what your specialty is and we'll try to formulate a plan to work together. Also don't get to hung up on the if you don't get a badge you're out thing. This is a training designed to test team work." After giving Inari his little speech he'd look over towards Isuzu and nod his head towards him and Inari signaling for him to come over and join them.
Tools of WarShow


Will of Fire-
Senju Masaru

Genin
[color=orange]


Light of Hope-
Awai Akihiro

Genin
[color=red]


Viral Menace-
Toukai Chisaki

Chuunin
[color=#ff0080]


Yin Yang Divided
Naegi Waruhito

Genin
[color=#8b14f9]


King of Pirates-
Ryoshi Kaisui

B-Rank MN
[color=#7fffd4]

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