Naruto: Shinobi Civil War

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"You were a mistake." A voice in the night, echoing through his mind. A face, mysterious in a purple haze. And an eye, red and black, with pupils of flame. It made him feel nothing, save one thing: Rage.

"I'll kill you, bastard!" Conflict. Fire and smoke, earth and thunder. Steel on steel, eye to eye. Father and son draw blood, till another voice breaks the fever dream.

"Itami... Itami, snap out of it!"

He awoke from his daydream, and reflexively reached for the blade on his back. Katsuro's eyes snapped open, revealing the red-and-black pattern of the Sharingan. Before he could swing his sword, Katsuro remembered where he was: He was perched atop of Ramen Ichiraku, hidden under the shadow of the new moon. He looked to his right and saw Yoru, her arm clutching his shoulder. Her mask covered her face, but Itami could tell that she was concerned.

"Itami, are you alright?" Sheathing his blade, Katsuro deactivated his Sharingan. They'd been watching the warehouse across the street for hours. He must have lost himself.

"I'm fine. Where's Dei? Captain Mokuzai?" She pointed towards the rooftop a few buildings to their right. In the dark, Katsuro could barely make out two darker shadows perched, overlooking the street. One of them turned and waved, before being dragged back down by its partner.

"They decided to get a different angle," she said. "We didn't want to wake you." Katsuro shrugged her off and got back into his crouch.

"You should have. We can't afford to lose the targets." She paused for a moment, then shrugged and leaned back. She pulled her porcelain rabbit mask off, letting her long, red hair swing to her waist. Her eyes were black voids on the moonless night, but her pale skin was still visible. She laid flat on the rooftop, showing off her body to the world. Katsuro ignored her. She did it just to annoy him, but he'd gotten used to it."You shouldn't take your mask off. There's a reason we have them." He adjusted his own tanuki mask to emphasize the point. She didn't even react. Bloody women. He focused on the warehouse again, just in time to watch a shadow slip into the alley next to it. He sat for a moment, wondering if it were a mistake. Just as quickly, he activated his Sharingan. It didn't let him see in the dark, but it came pretty close. Katsuro saw the chakra systems of his comrades, and a few more in the alley below him. As well, he could see the vague muscle movements that would have been invisible to most others. It only confirmed his suspicions: The targets had arrived. "Yoru. Yoru! Wake up!" he whispered. She lifted her head a bit.

"What? You can sleep, but I can't?" Mokuzai and Dei landed on their rooftop.

"You saw that?" the Captain said. He looked at Yoru. "Mask on, girl! We have them for a reason." Dei snickered behind his monkey mask, earning him a kick in the groin from Yoru.

"Yes, sir." She snapped it back on and got to her knees. "Wait, saw who?"

"We did, Captain. What's our strategy?" Mokuzai unsheathed his sword and started carving a map into the rooftop of the ramen shop.

"Itami, Yoru, follow the mark in through the alley. Stay hidden until I give the signal." He drew two arrows moving into the side of the warehouse. "Dei, go in through the roof. The skylight should open easily." Another line, arching from point A to the center of the warehouse. "Meanwhile, I'll go in through the front..." One final line to the front of the warehouse. "And distract whoever's inside. Understood?"

"Understood."

"Affirmative."

"Copy that." Mokuzai left first, leaping off the roof and landing without a sound. None in the restaurant noticed him, and he managed to make his way to the front door of the warehouse. Dei followed, giggling a bit as he leapt over the street, casting a shadow on the road. Yoru glanced at Katsuro, gave another shrug, and both of them followed Dei. All three landed on the roof of the warehouse, Dei setting himself up by the skylight, and Katsuro and Yoru leaping down to the alley below, careful to remain hidden. Katsuro's radio started buzzing. "Reading you, Captain."

"Breach in three. We want to make this clean."

"Acknowledged." Katsuro felt his chakra and channeled it into his arm, applying his nature transformation to it.

"Earth Release: Earth Spear." His arm turned dark, and felt slightly heavier than normal. Then he saw the spark in the sky. "Go." Katsuro slammed his arm into the door, piercing the metal. Pulling back, he ripped the frame off its hinges. Yoru sprinted in before him, blade drawn. There were ten other people inside, all lightly armed and armored. The most he saw was a naginata on the leader, the others equipped only with tanto. They'd already engaged Mokuzai, who was easily fending them off with a fire jutsu. Dei burst in through the roof, gliding on a gust of wind.

Yoru leapt in the air and shouted "Water Release: Water Blade Technique!" Katsuro heard a rumbling from beneath the ground, and a jet of water pierced through the concrete floor, piercing through two of the targets. Dei landed and performed Wind Release: Wind Cutter Technique, bisecting another three. Mokuzai caught another in a blast of fire. The rest rushed for the hole Katsuro had entered through. Blocking two of their knife attacks with his earthen arm, Katsuro stabbed another with his chokuto, then whipped it out of his side and into one of the attackers caught on his arm. "Cloud-Style Flame Beheading!" The fire-imbued blade sliced through the attacker it was thrust into, and released a blast of fire into the other two. One was incinerated in the blast, but the other was only burned.

"Itami, take him. Yoru, Dei, on me." Katsuro grabbed the terrorist by the collar and dragged him into a corner, while Mokuzai, Yoru, and Dei moved off to the table where the terrorists had been gathered. Igniting his sword on fire, Katsuro waved it in front of the injured man's eyes, snapping him out of his shock.

"Captain, look at these!"

"What are all these barrels for?"

"Wake up, trash." Katsuro plunged his blade into the man's shoulder, eliciting a violent scream. "Whom do you serve?" The man's groans transitioned into a low, rasping, cough, which Katsuro recognized as laughter. "Do not laugh at me, scum. Do you know who I am?" His face may have been hidden, but Katsuro's eyes gleamed with the crimson light of the Uchiha clan. The captive's laugh only rose higher, earning a backhanded slap from Katsuro. "What's so funny?"


Coughing up blood and speaking through pain, the captive sputtered "B-because, s-son of the Sage! It'll just please the Dusk even more that we managed to kill one of the last of the Uchiha!" Katsuro almost asked him what that meant, before he realized the truth.

"Dei, no!" he screamed, turning towards his fellows. He was too late, however, to stop Dei from lifting the lid of one of the many barrels stacked up in the warehouse. He couldn't see it, but Katsuro knew from what the terrorist had said and the look on Dei's face the reason for what happened next. The explosion tore off half of Dei's face, shattering the rest of his mask. Metal shrapnel stored in the explosive-tagged barrels flew into his chest, sending out a spray of blood. Mokuzai's mask was broken by one of the stray pieces, traveling into his eye. Yoru's leg was caught in the explosion as she dove for cover, ripping it off as she was sent spiraling into the air, landing a meter or two from Katsuro. Katsuro was stunned, but managed to sprint over to Yoru, ripping his sword out of the captive as he went. "No, no, no!" Damn that fool! More a monkey than his mask made him out to be. It made more sense to treat Yoru; Dei was clearly dead (Katsuro fought back a smile at that irony), and Mokuzai was more than likely dead. But Yoru was still breathing, and her injuries were comparatively less severe. Katsuro had no idea how to use medical ninjutsu, but growing up in a land without shinobi taught him other methods.

"Hold still, Yoru." Channeling his fire chakra through his sword, Katsuro pressed it against the stump of Yoru's leg, cauterizing the wound. She screamed, but it trailed off as she grew weaker. "Stay awake, you fool! I can't carry you alone." Helping her to her feet, Katsuro and Yoru stumbled for a few moments till they were able to Body Flicker out of the building. Leaping to the top of a neighboring rooftop, Katsuro laid Yoru out against the flat cement. "Stay here." The mission always comes first. Falling to the ground, Katsuro noticed that a number of people had started to gather around the front of the warehouse, drawn by the spreading fire and the sound of the explosion. As he tried to race back into the building, he was grabbed by the ankle, tripping and falling. Drawing his sword, Katsuro turned to see the deformed face of Mokuzai, half-flesh and half-porcelain, staring at him.

"M-more... Bombs... Stop... Katsuro..."

"Captain..?" Freeing his leg from the near-dead man's grip, Katsuro got to his feet, dragging his blade behind him. "What are you talking abou-?" More booms rocked the foundations of the building, and Katsuro saw more pillars of fire open up in the warehouse.

"More barrels!" Mokuzai roared, as a large piece of the roof fell on top of him. Katsuro didn't bother asking any more questions: The man was dead. Instead, he focused on the task at hand: Stopping the explosions. Activating his Sharingan, Katsuro examined the fiery scene. Rubble was everywhere, the flames spreading across the wooden supports and the concrete falling apart. Some of the barrels were broken, but hadn't exploded. Others were still on fire and were in pieces. Dei's body lay in the middle of ground zero, surrounded by wreckage. But his eyes caught what an untrained shinobi would not: The sparking fuses spread out across the warehouse, slowly but progressively stretching across the floor, connecting numerous barrels together. As well, they stuck into the walls. Katsuro guessed that they were connected to other warehouses across the village.

This was a planned attack, a bombing on a massive scale. And if Katsuro didn't stop it, the death toll would be enormous.

The only question was, how to stop it? He couldn't extinguish the fire, since he had no skill with Water or Wind Release, and he couldn't stop the fire from growing. Controlling the fire... Pulling off his left bracer, Katsuro snapped out his kote. Forming the Tiger seal with his hands, the scroll in his arm shooting out and unfurling, he yelled "Fire Release: Great Fire Destruction!" A great jet of fire burst out of the scroll, bathing the remaining explosives in pure flame. The resulting boom deafened Katsuro, and almost rendered him incapable of burrowing down into the earth, using the Hiding Like a Mole Technique. He managed to dig his way back out to the building he'd hidden Yoru on, and leapt up to the roof as a massive wave of fire roared out of the warehouse. A few of the gathered civilians were caught in the blast, but the fire didn't spread any further thanks to a few shinobi hidden in the crowd blasting it with water jutsu. The building itself collapsed inwards, and the underground tunnels beneath it fell apart, dragging the smoldering wreckage into the sewers. If Katsuro could guess, the fire lines were extinguished in the collapse. The other warehouses would go on inactive. Other teams would be advised to take more caution when investigating them. For now, Katsuro took a moment to rest, reloading his kote with an Earth Release scroll. He glanced at Yoru, who had fallen into sleep. His eyes caught the vague expansions of her lungs, showing that she was at least still breathing. At least one of his teammates was still alive, and the mission still accomplished. But what higher cost would there be? How many more civilians died in the blast? What of Dei and Mokuzai's family and friends? And Yoru... Without her leg, she'd never be able to fight again. How could things have gone differently? Dei was careless, but Katsuro could have stopped him. The targets had been prepared, but if Katsuro had been more cautious, they'd never have caught him unawares. The thoughts put him on edge. In fact, it only now dawned on him that none of it was caused by anyone else: In the end, it was all Katsuro's fault.

****************

12 hours later
"... And so, we believe that the attack was caused by the terrorist organization, Yugure. The words of the captive and the M.O. fit, and we believe it to be only a matter of time before they claim responsibility." Yoru sat in a wheelchair beside Katsuro, her freshly-masked face cast downward. She hadn't said a word during the debriefing with the Hokage, who sat in a deep-seated leather chair behind his personal desk. He was silent as well, his face increasingly furrowed as he listened to Katsuro's report. "I recommend that another team be assembled to find what other bombs remain. Our opinion is that the bomb we encountered was the last, meant to set off the others. We interrupted the process, which caused the slower detonation. More caution should be taken when removing the others. Furthermore-" The Hokage held up a hand, stopping Katsuro mid-sentence.

"Enough, Itami. I've heard enough of this," he said. Standing up, he turned to look out the massive window behind him, overlooking the rest of the ninja Academy and the village as a whole. "Chaos in the streets, a terrorist around every corner, and the only solution my best soldiers can find is to blow up a building. Not to mention burn out the only good ramen shop in the damn town..." The Hokage paused for a moment, maybe expecting a chuckle at his joke. Katsuro and Yoru were disciplined enough to know not to. The Hokage sighed, though he'd known that he'd receive no praise for it. Instead, he gazed even more intently out the window. "My own people are turning against me, Itami." He turned his head slightly. "What do you propose I do?"

"I... I have no answer to your troubles, Lord Hokage." The older man nodded sadly, and sat back down in his chair. He turned his gaze to Yoru.

"Jonin Yoru, I'm officially dismissing you from Anbu, and Konohagakure's general Armed Forces, due to reasons of physical impairment. Medical treatment and physical therapy will be made available to you, and readmission may become an option in the future. You are dismissed." Yoru looked up, and appeared to almost say something in protest, then merely nodded, turned her chair around, and wheeled herself out of the Kage's office. Rubbing his forehead, Naruto Uzumaki turned to his adopted nephew. "Can I drop the Anbu name, Katsuro?"

"If you desire, Lord Hokage." Naruto sighed, got up from his chair, and gave his nephew a hug, which was not returned.

"I'm glad to know you made it out okay, nephew. Hinata and Sakura worried for you when I told them your assignment." Katsuro tensed up at the latter's name, but said nothing.

"If you say so, Lord Hokage." The light seemed to dim in Naruto's sky-blue eyes, and he stepped backward.

"I understand that you may be in shock from the... Circumstances of last night's incident. Especially with the Shimura girl's injuries." He gave a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about her. Lady Tsunade and Guy will be more than enough help. For those reasons, you'll have to wait for a new team to be assembled." Katsuro said nothing. "For those same reasons, you're being suspended from your duties." This elicited a reaction from him.

"Lord Hokage, there is no justification for this! My mental state is perfectly adequate!"

Naruto slammed his hand on his desk, his eyes ablaze and his hair on end. "Your desires are irrelevant. This is not a suggestion." Katsuro fell back, not wishing to truly enrage his uncle. Naruto himself calmed down, and said "Don't feel as though you are meeting the fate of your comrade. You'll still be in active service."

"How do you mean, Lord Seventh?" Naruto sat back down in his chair, and began looking over a pile of unfinished paperwork.

"In these dark times, more and more trained shinobi are needed. You're being assigned a team of younger nin. Two chunin and one genin. You'll actually be working alongside a jonin from outside of the Land of Fire."

Katsuro knew whom the Hokage spoke of, and frankly found it despicable. "Buraku? The Otokage? You'd let a foreigner train your ninja?"

"She doesn't like the term, though technically she qualifies," Naruto replied, not looking up. "And yes. Yes I will. She's on loan as a contractor from the Sound Daimyo. We're using her as much as we can." Katsuro gave up trying to fight back against his uncle, and instead accepted his place.

"Who am I to be training?" The Hokage tossed a folder towards Katsuro. Upon opening it, Katsuro saw his new students.

"You're dismissed, Katsuro. If you need any assistance, consider speaking to Konohamaru. I hear he's developed a marvelous approach to training Boruto, Orochimaru's son, and Sarad-"

"Don't say her name, uncle Naruto. Not in my presence." Naruto looked up, showing some surprise at Katsuro's insolence.

"Your sister wants to meet her brother, Katsuro."

Ripping his mask off and smashing it against the wall of the office, Katsuro's eyes burned with red hatred. "We share my father's eyes. But that does not make her my blood. Let me do my job, uncle. And let the bastard-child do hers." He turned on his heel and stormed out of the office, not waiting for the Hokage's reply. He wants me to train the little brats? Fine. I'll do it myself. But it won't become an excuse to push me near that creature. Readjusting the papers in his folder, Katsuro truly looked at what he was being saddled with. "A Hyuga, a... Yuki-nin? How many foreigners are there in Konoha? And an Uzumaki! Of course, you'd put one of your kin under my supervision, uncle!" Screaming on the inside, Katsuro stopped in the hall, and leapt up to the tile roof of the Academy. Gazing out over the Leaf Village, Katsuro tried to spot his students in the throngs of people walking through the streets of the city, all the while thinking I failed once. But I am Katsuro Uchiha, the one true heir of Sasuke Uchiha, and descendant of the Sage of the Six Paths. One mistake is only a lesson. I will not fail again.
 
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Hiraku stood with his Byakugan actiivated as he tried to catch his breath. He stood across the way from his father as they were outside in the Hyuga compound training. Hiraku was the son of the head of the Hyuga clan. He was next In line to be the leader of the Hyuga clan. Since Henwas a little boy his father had trained him in the art of the gentle fist and how to use his Byakugan. He also trained him in ninjutsu and genjutsu. It was very tough training especially for a little kid, but Hiraku exceeded expectations every step of the way. Once he enters the academy he was easily the best in his class and once his class graduated he was still number one in his class. His clan and the village have very high hopes for him. He was told that his squad instead of being two other genin. He would be paired with two chunin, something that the village didn't do often, but they felt that Hiraku could handle being in a squad with two Chunin. Back at the compound, Hiraku's father came at him and Hiraku defended himself from every attack his father sent at him. Hiraku then counterd with his gentle fist. Attacking his father. Hirakus byakugan showed him all the difference chakra points in his fathers body and showed him his fathers chakra. As Hiraku was about to land a strike his father blocked it and than landed a strike of his own right into Hirakus chest, forcing him to he ground grunting in pain. "That is enough training for the day. You still have much to learn, but you have come quite a long way since we started your training years ago. As you know Hiraku starting from today you will now be apart of a squad. Your sensei is quite an interesting a strong shinobi. You will learn a lot from him. Now go and get prepared. I am sure he will contact you soon. Hiraku stood up and bowed to his father. "Yes sir." Hiraku walked into the house as he showerd and then got redressed. He then went into the kitchen as his mother had prepared him soemthing to eat. He would wait to hear from his sensei.
 
Saizo sat on the sideline of a small open field area in the forest. He watched as his Jonin tutor trained one of his genin team-mates. Behind him was a tree-line, and in front of his was an ovular plane of grass that lead to a large bank to a creek. Drawing his right leg up to his chest, he rested his right arm on it's knee, and shifted his weight.

His jounin captain- one of decent reputation- was a distant relative to the Shimura clan. Captain Tensuke. He was a tall, serious man that didn't often joke. Though his strong outside was a good facade, but he was also kind and just. He had dark eyes and short hair, and was an expert in supplemental ninjutsu. His other teammates were Hana Kimura- a skilled genin, but naive and brash. Her talents in fire ninjutsu were known in her team, but she was not the brains. The other was a very intelligent and straight forward genin by the name of Kimiko Agano. She was a fiercely cunning genin with a well balanced repertoire. It was them that he owed his success to, but he was sort of the mold of the team, and no one really held it against him that he was promoted, and they were not. Kimiko and Hana tended to butt heads, but Saizo kept them together. He was a valuable member of the three man team.

Amid spacing out- the teaching of a simple set of taijutsu moves from Tensuke to Hana, he thought about his future. The Hokage sent him a scroll a few days ago that gave him a heads up on possible team re-assignment. He began daydreaming of the team he would be placed with- and the opportunity to prove himself to be a great future AnBu prospect. Though, his daydreaming was cut short when he heard his name called, to a rather annoyed group of shinobi standing in the field staring at him- looking impatient-

"Saizo!!" They all three shouted simultaneously. Hana in her signature 'hands on her hips' glare, the other two just standing there, arms crossed- looking less than surprised.

Blinking quickly, bringing himself back to reality- he stood up in a shot- "Yeah- what?" He chuckled nervously.

"Saizo, come help Hana with this..." Tensuke moved his hand- gesturing for Saizo to come to him.

"You weren't even paying attention... were you?" Hana groaned. Saizo walked from the taller grass, to the shorter, trampled grass that the others had been training on currently. "Just because you're slightly better at taijutsu doesn't mean you can slack off," she growled at him, rolling her eyes.

Raising a brow- he retorted with- "Slightly?" Though before Hana would explode at him for this, Tensuke piped up.

"She's right. You seemed distracted back there, so I figured it's time to get you involved here." Tensuke stepped back as he spoke to Saizo. "I'm helping her with possible train of thought to keep close encounters at bay". A mischievous grin formed on his captain's face slowly.

"You're the practice dummy." Chortled the other genin with them- Kimiko. Saizo reeled his head back and sighed. "Get used to it.... Dummy." She smirked, rather pleased with herself.

"Hana, back to the creekbed. Saizo, stand next to me. I want you to make a bee-line for Hana as soon as she gives her ready. This will simulate her firing a jutsu at you- and you retaliating. Simple taijutsu only, Saizo. I want her to try a few different things..... be ready."

Saizo nodded and stepped back. Tensuke retreated to a downed log nearby to watch the occasion next to Kimiko. Her posture slunk to a hand on her hip, and she watched- waiting. Tensuke thrust his hands into his pockets, and nodded to Hana.

"Allright..." Hana whispered, her eyes narrowing to Saizo. "Katon!-" She barked out a fire jutsu- and Saizo's eyes near popped out of his head.

Really!?

The great fireball launched his way like a bomb, arcing toward him.

Talk about live training exercise! I guess she's ready!!


He quickly dodged forward- and slightly to the side to avoid the fireball. It exploded behind him, and he propelled himself forward right at Hana in two long dash strides. He threw a few closed fist punches to her- and she dodged backward- retaliating with a lightning fast fire jutsu- launching several small blasts of fire toward him, and the ground in front of him. This allowed her time to double back to the other side of the creek- and gave him something to do, disallowing him to continue the chase. He stood at the edge of the creekbed as bullet-like fire missiles rocketed around in front of him in the water.

So fast! He thought- she was always good, but she must be working extra time on her speedy handseals to form jutsu. This was impressive, and not what he expected.

Kimiko clapped quietly and Tensuke smiled from the sideline.

"Good job, and on the first try- stopped Saizo in his tracks." Much to Hana's surprise, and smiled and gave a short 'woo' to celebrate her minor victory. "We all know Saizo could have gone full speed- but thank you for humoring us." Tensuke chuckled, razzing Saizo's competitive nature a bit... "Again." He skipped no beat- moving his hand in a circle for them to re-set.

Hana nodded and hopped back to the Creekbed. Saizo leapt back into place.

"Ready for ya' this time!" he smirked, with a bit of playful enthusiasm. She gave a 'hmph' and stood in a wide stance.

She barked out her jutsu again, and this time Saizo dodged- and burst toward her. The ball of flame going over him. He dashed to her with a jumping roundhouse. She ducked under this, and came back at him with a backflip bicycle kick- spraying fire at him simultaneously as she came 'head-up' from the flip. They were now standing atop water- so they both required chakra control while doing this. Saizo flowed around the whip-like jet of flame, and dashed toward her again with an upward open-palm strike to the jaw- which he stopped just at making contact- signifying his victory. She had almost gotten off another jutsu, but it was too slow.

Hana's eyes flared- and Saizo legitimately feared she'd let out her next jutsu at him point-blank range- regardless if the set was complete or not. He exhaled his tension as he heard his captain's voice in the background. Hana's posture was tense, even standing atop the water as it rippled around the soles of her shoes, he could see her frustration. Everyone could- she wasn't a graceful loser.

"Nice- instead of doing back to back Jutsu- try to throw in some mixed tactics."

Hana shook her head, and waved to their captain, disappointed. She was incredibly hard on herself- to the point of being unhealthy. This meant two things- she was incredibly insecure- but she was also a hard worker. A perfectionist. This means, the next time- Saizo would really have to turn up the heat.

"Oh- hey-" Tensuke threw out- interrupting himself. "After this next set- Saizo, head back to town. I think the Hokage has a task for you."

For me? he thought.... Was today the official reassignment? His heart raced with excitement. The others all sort of knew, too, but pretended not to. They didn't want to lose their friend and comrade. Word traveled fast in Konohagakure- everyone was a shinobi, after all.

With the spite now in the ring, Hana succeeded in keeping Saizo at bay again. Admittedly, Saizo wasn't fully in the moment- thinking about his future task. They said quick goodbyes, and Saizo was off toward the village's center... eager to receive word.
 
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Satsuki Himura trained in a field a bit ways away from the training grounds, training herself in stamina and other forms of attack other than her Taijutsu. Just a ways off was her sensei, Akachi Mio, who was proficient in ninjutsu, genjutsu and summoning jutsu, watching her and giving her tips on how to improve. Mio was Satsuki's sensei since she graduated the academy three years ago and watched her grow into a fine kunoichi. She had helped the young dark hair girl through her toughest time and was happy to see her bright and happy again and working harder than before to become a stronger ninja. "Try the hand signs again, Satsuki. And make sure not to have a finger out of place otherwise you would be making a completely different sign all together." Mio instructs, crossing her arms over her ample chest, her small summoned pygmy monkey sitting atop her shoulder, watching Satsuki as well.

"Yes, Mio-sensei." Satsuki replied, doing the hand signs again and trying to do the fireball technique again, this time succeeding and creating a decent sized fireball at last... until it exploded in her face and covered her in soot. Satsuki was surprised at that but shook it off and turned to the laughing adult and monkey who were both on the grassy floor. Scowling, Satsuki got up and did the jutsu again, sending a fireball to her sensei and the annoying little monkey.

Seeing it coming, Mio dodged and looked at her student with slight surprise and a hint of satisfaction. The young Himura girl has now gotten the fireball jutsu down and all that was left to do was teach her a few more jutsu's before sending her to the Hokage for her team reassignment. Mio knew that Satsuki was ready to work on another team and get stronger than with her and her soon-to-be former team mates. She just prayed that the girl would not treat her new sensei with cold prejudice. Shaking her head, she continued the girl's training for a few hours more, teaching her another fire release jutsu and a few lightning release jutsu's before sending her off to the Hokage's tower.
 
Kai sat on the roof on one of the Hyuga compound buildings silently watching Hiraku train with his father. " The child still learns" Whispering to himself as he ties back his long hair into a a traditional samurai hold. Looking at the dummy below him,he activates his Byakugan. Taking out his katana he dives down at the dummy with full force and knocks it back with the flat of his blade then spinning to use Gentle Fist on it. Jumping back he uses his jutsu Great Fireball Release. Looking at the incinerated dummy he then makes his way to Hikaru's house."Heya kid" Going inside Hikaru's house and greeting Hikaru's mother."Saw that you improved on your Byakugan" Patting the young teenagers head.
 
Kazuki Uzumaki

Kazuki was in the woods just outside his house, a few miles away from the village so he was most of the time was training on his clans most powerful sealing technique; Adamantine Sealing Chains.

"Uzumaki Kazuki you better not pass out on me! Come on hold me down!"

His dad was surpessed by the golden light chain. He was trying to break free of the jutsu and attack his son. Kazuki was focused on not breaking the move he didn't notice his dad was coming from right behind him.

"There's no way you're getting out of this dad I've finally beat you!"

He yelled in triumph that he finally beat his dad, however it didn't last very. Nobu had knocked out his child in a single hit. His father had sent s clone where Kazuki trapped, making him use up his chakra.

"Please pay attention in battle, if I wasn't your dad you would have died."

He took the two back home. By the time they got back Kazuki was awake again. "Oh man, how long was I out?" "About 5 minutes." Nobu gives a little laugh knowing it seems like ages for Kazuki.

"Kazuki and Nobu Uzumaki! Where have you two been?!"
"Kazuki you should probably pack your stuff, you got someone special to meet today."
"Don't just forget about me! Kazuki you better get ready fast or I'll make you wish..."

Before she could finish her sentence Kazuki was already on the road toward the village. With a bag over his back and a smile on his face he raced to the village as fast as he could.

"A new team! I can be a part of a new team! Maybe there's s pretty girl or a cool captain..."

So many thoughts and dreams raced through Kazuki's head all at once, his day has come to make a statement towards everyone. His name is Kazuki Uzumaki and he's going to protect the Leaf Village.
 
A small -cold- breeze picked up, causing a small gust of wind that rustled loose leaves and papers as a blurred figure of a young girl ran by. She smiled to herself as she ran past several building and shops, only to halt to a stop and slowly back up to read the sign of the shop she was looking for called, 'Hanekakeru-Hanabi'. Found it! She thought to herself as she ran in with a grin.

Once she entered, the shop instantly gave off a whiff of a warm and damp, wood like scent that surrounded the shop. Everything was traditionally wooden and even the paint and paintbrushes packed inside as a set, came in a nice wooden box. It was a pleasant and homely feel. Especially when there were plants set on several shelves, including the colorful lilies sprawled all around the walls, which made everything inside come to life. What made it even better, was that there weren't many people that crowded around inside like other shops. People just came to get what they need, started a small conversation, and left for the day.

"Sayuri~" She said in a sing-sing voice while skipping inside and dodging the customers that she nearly ran into, earning her a scowl which she returned with an apologetic look and a bright smile.

"Hisaki!" A girl from the counter exclaimed with a startled look. "You shouldn't run in here. You might bother the costumers or break something! My mother won't be happy if that happens," She scolded as Hisaki walked up to the counter. "Don't worry, it hasn't happened. Yet," She responded while looking around while Sayuri let out a sigh of defeat. "Did you need something?" She asked, once she realized that Hisaki rarely ever visited without a reason. "Mhm. I need some new brushes," Hisaki answered while shifting her right foot to her left.

Sayuri giggled quietly as she got out a box of paintbrushes from a cabinet behind her that were already prepared in a box and handed it to Hisaki. "Why are you laughing?" Hisaki questioned as she took the box gratefully. "No reason. It's just that... You always seem to need new ones so frequently and you don't seem like the type of person to mishandle things to the point of needing to replace them," Sayuri explained with a smile. "That's how I see it anyways. Plus, you already got new ones a few weeks ago and that was pretty recent."

Hisaki laughed nervously in response as she looked away. "Well, you know... It happens," she said, while recalling the incident of one of her team members 'accidentally' burning them. "Anyways, thanks for the paintbrushes as always," Hisaki thanked as she walked out of the shop before Sayuri could respond and broke into a run once she stepped outside.

Hisaki then leaped onto a roof of a building and took out her new brushes, gawking at them when she saw the brand, imprinted in fine print. "Are you serious?" She said, nearly speechless from what she had in her hands. "This is the limited edition brush that rarely gets shipped any other place besides a selected few villages," she rambled to herself as she held the paintbrush with care and examined the authenticity of it. I'll have to get Sayuri something in return when I leave the village for a mission, Hisaki decided as she smiled and put it away. Now then, where to next.
____________________________________________________________________________________

"Hey, have any of you seen Hisaki around?" Masami Sensei asked. Two of his students who were sitting on the benches shook their head and one of them spoke. "Sensei, I don't think you should be asking us this. She could be anywhere at this point. For all we know, she could be in another village right now," he said with a shrug. "Actually... There's a probability she would still be here if you didn't burn her things again," the girl mumbled as he shot a glare at her, making her glare back.

"If you guys see her, make sure she doesn't go anywhere. I need to announce something with all of you present," Masami Sensei said, as he walked away from the two who gave each other an aggravated look.

"Operation: Find Hisaki for the 68th​ time. Commence." They both said in unison as they got up to find her with a heavy sigh. "I'll search on the opposite side of town. Yumiko, you can search for her in this area," he said as Yumiko nodded in agreement. "Wait," Yumiko spoke. "Where will we meet up, Takeshi?" She asked as he furrowed his brows. "We'll just meet here or whatever. I don't care," He replied indifferently as he waved her off and left.

After a few hours of searching, the two gave in and met back up at their designated location in exhaustion as they fell onto the bench. "Ugh... Why the hell did we have to have someone who is such a pain in the ass to look for on our team?" Takeshi complained as he leaned back with his head tilted upwards.

Suddenly, a cold breeze came from above and the two sat up, expecting to see who they were hoping to see. It was a faint feminine figure jumping onto another building with an ombré, lilac scarf trailing behind her. As far as they knew, there was no one else in Konohagakure that wore a scarf and carried a scythe around in broad daylight.

"Are you FREAKING KIDDING ME?!" Takeshi shouted aloud in between clenched teeth, causing a few people to stare in his direction. Though his fuming frustration made him fail to care what people thought of his behavior. "HOLD UP! HISAKI! YOU BETTER STOP WHERE YOU ARE! DON'T YOU DARE MOVE FROM THAT BUILDING!!!" He shouted while pointing up at her.

From the distance, Hisaki looked down to where she heard a familiar voice and spotted her team members who looked at her with an expression that she knew all too well. Quickly joining with them, she greeted them silently with a wave of her hand and a smile. "Where the hell were you?! Do you have any idea how hard it was to look for you?" Takeshi nearly yelled as Hisaki cringed.

"I'm here now?" She said hesitantly, aware of the fact that Takeshi disliked having to look for her. "So... Uh, did Masami Sensei have something to say to us?" Hisaki asked, changing the subject as Takeshi's rage gradually simmered down. "Yeah," Yumiko answered as they all fell silent.

"I wonder if it's serious?" Hisaki spoke as Takeshi and Yumiko both nodded anxiously. Again, no one spoke for a good amount of time and Masami Sensei began to approach them. "I see you finally found Hisaki," he spoke as they all stood up simultaneously to greet their Sensei. "You all must be anxious about what i'm about to tell you, but it's not serious so you needn't worry," he chuckled as Yumiko let out relieved sigh. "Unfortunately..." This made them tense up as he began to speak. "Hisaki will be reassigned to a different team. I know it's only been a short while since we've been together and to be reassigned... Well, I have no say in this. It was the Hokage's decision. On the bright side, maybe you guys haven't really formed a strong bond yet. So maybe it won't be too difficult to replace a team member?" He spoke, as Yumiko and Takeshi looked at each other, whereas Hisaki looked away with an unreadable expression.

"How can you say that? Even though it was a short while. Even though... We fight a lot. It doesn't mean we dislike each other," Yumiko said wistfully as Masami Sensei's expression brightened up with her response. "It's not like you guys will never see each other ever again either," he stated. "So Hisaki, your new Sensei will most likely meet up with you soon. If there are any other details you want to know, you can just go see the Hokage," he explained to Hisaki as she nodded at him with a smile. "But if you ever have any troubles, you can always come talk to me anytime," he winked as he walked away while waving his hand in the air.

Once Masami Sensei left, a heavy silence filled the air. Even more so than usual until Hisaki finally spoke to their surprise. "Well, it was nice being on the same team with you guys. Hopefully your new team member won't cause you so much trouble," she said with a grin as the two looked at her in bewilderment. Despite that, her serene composure was what kept them away from an actual conflict. Especially with a hot-headed team member who could never keep his cool and says things he doesn't usually mean.

"Y-yeah... I'm sure our new team member will cause less trouble than you ever will. I almost feel bad for the team that will have deal with you," Takeshi quickly retorted, receiving a shove from Yumiko.

Hisaki let out a laugh as she turned around, leaping onto the nearest tree as she turned her head with one last smile and left the two with a puzzled expression. "Hmmm, I wonder why they look like it's so hard to have me leave? It's not like I'll never see them again. How strange," Hisaki said to herself with a smile. Once she reached the Hokage's statue, Hisaki situated herself and began to form some ice sculptures with her chakra that consistently melted and reformed into another shape while thinking about her home in Yukigakure.
 
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On a slow day, two figures walked the roads of Konoha wearing headbands that hadn’t been seen in the village’s limits in over a decade. When they first entered, the guards at the gates were at a near loss for words, knowing the story of bloody conflict that the Sound Village shared with their own.

On the right there was a man of average height and a decent build, wearing a grey tunic, black fatigues and a black flak jacket. His hair, a light grey which seemed unfit for his relative youth, draped down the back of his neck, and was styled in two thin braids in the front. On the left, a tall woman wearing a long, white kimono, with long black hair strewn across her face and a cloud of flies following her stench intently. Reikon Fuuma and Onryo Buraku, thought to be the two strongest ninja in Otogakure - for what that was worth - and the closest thing to military leadership the crippled land had to its name. The latter organized raids and assassinations on insurgents within the village, while the former kept patrols and day-to-day activity in line. Onryo’s strong suit did not lie in words, so Reikon had accompanied her in order to see to it that the terms of agreement with the Hokage were properly negotiated, and to ensure he was not left offended by her manner.

After a double-take at the day’s schedule of planned visitors, the duo were allowed in, and finally brought to speak with the Hokage. As they exited this meeting, they maintained their shared, stoic expression - although one struggled not to betray nervousness, and the other, annoyance.

“Your skills are being wasted here. The Daimyo should have known better than to use anyone integral to the running of our shinobi forces for this task.”

“Otogakure is on life-support, but it’s a well-oiled machine. Anyone of sufficient prowess could serve as my substitute. Experience matters more in expediting the destruction of an organized group of fools and madmen, than it does in swatting the flies called pillagers.”

“Psh. So the Daimyo made a poor decision that the Hokage was wise to capitalize on, that’s all it is. You may not even be hunting Yugure though. The first thing he’s asking you to do is lead a team.”

“Yes. I was under the assumption I’d be assigned to search-and-destroy missions. I do not enjoy working with children, but I suppose history has shown that my tutelage offers some benefits.”

“Well, if that’s all it takes to bring some food back into Oto, maybe sometime down the line we can offer the services of a Chuunin or two and make some money.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself.”

Reikon glanced at the mass of hair hiding Onryo’s face, not sure what he was expecting to see. Even when her expression was in full view, it could be tough to tell if his co-Chief-Jounin was darkly joking or darkly serious. He knew her opinion of other villages was typically set at a cautious nadir, which meant pessimism was usually synonymous with her definition of realism when it came to foreign relations. Yet surely she couldn’t deny that Konoha was nothing short of accommodating in negotiations, given the village’s former antagonism towards their own. They’d already sent one shipment of seeds to Oto as advance payment, and set Onryo up with a hotel room even after she’d mentioned sleeping outside. At the very least, it didn’t seem like they were getting screwed over. For the utmost confidence Reikon had in her abilities, he hoped that she wouldn’t do anything disturbing enough to foul the deal up.

“Heh. I’ll be heading back to the village now. Happy hunting, angry ghost.”

Onryo nodded, and Reikon made his way toward Konoha’s gates once more. She said nothing in the way of a goodbye. Reikon understood. He already knew she was assured that he would make it back safely, that the village would survive so long as he did, and that she hoped as much as anyone that the Hokage would honor their arrangement, and that no one else would have to starve or be left in the cold. Anything spoken would be redundant for her.

Indeed, these were more or less the thoughts passing through her head as he disappeared into the crowd. Recognizing Reikon as one of the driving forces behind preserving Otogakure and keeping it running, alongside herself, was something she felt was the greatest shared mark of pride a ninja could hope to achieve. And although she didn't allow the emotion's full strength to interfere in her daily train of though, it infuriated her that this pride was sullied by the fact that Oto was still a weak nation. For all its specialized military power, all the fear they could command, probably the weakest hidden village still in existence. A land of demons, but demons so weak from hunger and stricken by despair they could barely move when called. A phantom land. A bleeding land-

Onryo pushed these thoughts to the back of her mind, a mental motion in which she was well-practiced, and pulled the dossiers she’d been given from her kimono. She examined her temporary subordinates' power-areas for anything she’d have to look forward to in the days ahead. The Genin was supposed to be sharp, but lacked proficiency in most areas save for summoning. The Chuunin Fudo Saizo was a respectable physical combatant; the kind of shinobi who was only good for robberies and taking down platoons far weaker than himself. Damn, Konoha was so soft… The Chuunin Satsuki Himura, Onryo was pleasantly surprised to discover to be more balanced in her studies than the others, and the only one with any proficiency in her own field of expertise, genjutsu. All three, she noted, were average or below in regards to ninjutsu.


The Sound Jounin exhaled and committed the details of each of the trio’s common stomping-grounds to memory, before finding the Ninja Academy, where she stood to begin the long wait. It would be time to meet with them soon enough, and if they didn’t show up on time, then she’d have to track them down...
 
Tadashi Shiro
Team Onryo Genin; Konohagakure

Tadashi was excitedly making new cards. Today was the day he'd meet his team, and his sensei. Of course, this day could have come much sooner; when he was eight to be precise, but he wanted to be at the same age as everyone else on the team. He knew how to do the Academy techniques by heart, and knew every lesson backwards and forwards. The only problem was, that he was voiceless. That would be the only thing coming in the way of his experience, but his note cards will make contact a little less hard. He numbered them and knew exactly where each card was. Looking at the wall clock, he had a face of alarm. He was almost late for being early! Neatly putting his notecards away into his short coat, he ran out the door, going to the told destination.

When he had arrived, he saw the figure of a long haired ghostly woman. Just looking at her gave the chills, but with skills of deduction, he could tell this woman was his sensei. He proceeded to walk over and stand in front of her, taking his notecards out. He showed the first one, saying "Hello" in a rather large font. He then flipped to the next one after thirty seconds, the next saying "I'm Tadashi Shiro." Then to another saying, "I'm a Genin." And to the last, "Nice to meet you." He then lowered his hands, having a bright smile on his face.
 
Flies buzzed around Onryo's head as she waited, not shifting in her place, nor thinking of the futility of having committed to this vigil so early on into her stay. Just thinking, meditating on the possibilities, good and bad, of what may come to be. Already she had mentally retooled her usual lesson plan to be suitable for Konoha youths, so the harshness of her methods would hopefully not soil relations between the countries. She would make these plans her mantra until the time came to search out her new students.

She was, more or less, surprised to see a young Leaf-nin approach her at the Academy entranceway. This was the Genin from the dossier, right on time. His face didn't read with the seriousness that a new superior-subordinate releationship demanded, but his punctuality was a good sign. This was the one, she recalled, with high intelligence and little skill. Shiro, hm. Perhaps it was nothing more than cockiness that drove him to find her before his peers did, and if that was the case, he would need to be humbled.

Right now, he was holding up note cards at the level of his chest, giving her time to read each one before going on to a new one. Each one told her something that she either already knew, or was entirely unnecessary. Couldn't he speak? Is this some "clever" joke he was setting up for her?

Without saying a word, she flipped open the folder she'd been given once more.

...

She stored the folder back in her kimono. No, he actually couldn't speak.

Onryo wondered still if this was a joke - albeit one played by the Hokage rather than this student himself - charging her with the care of a higher-liability student. Shinobi had overcome worse disabilities, she supposed, but ninja with missing eyes, teeth, flesh - they had to overcompensate for their weak areas. Being a good planner alone would not keep this Genin from being culled by stronger enemies. Maybe there was a deadly combination in there yet, stalking behind that placid face, but Onryo in her years of experience did not see it.

"Onryo Buraku. Jounin from Otogakure, called by your Hokage to train you and two others. While I expect you to continue to be on-time in the future, I'll also let you know you cannot expect to coast by on attempting to please me. Your teammates will be Chuunin, which means you will have to put your life into training so as not to lag behind."

Onryo waited for Shiro to find a response or to quickly scrawl one out. Finally, she added:

"Lastly, if those two do not show up promptly, your first task will be to assist me in hunting them."
 
Saizo
Konohagakure Chuunin, team Onryo


Arriving within the gates of Konohagakure's walls, Saizo was getting washed over with the feeling of excitement. Today is the day of opportunity. To shed his skin, grow up a little more, and prove his worth to Konohagakure.

Though as he was jogging through the main drag of Konohagakure to the Hokage's office- he was stopped by a female Academy teacher.

"Saizo-?" She called from behind hhim.

He turned quickly- " Y-... yes? Can I help you?" he asked, borderline impatiently. He wanted to get to the Hokage's office to be given the news he's been waiting for.

"No- but you can report to the academy as soon as you can. Your new Jounin captain is there waiting for you."

"Oh? Who is it?" he asked, eager to know as much as possible.

She chuckled- "Unfortunately I have absolutely no idea. I've never seen them before. The Hokage sent one of his assistants to find one of us to let you know" Noting his enthusiasm. "But it seems like she's waiting to meet you all. Hurry up and you might make a good impression." She gave a warm smile, and dismissed him, "Take care, Saizo-"

"Yeah thanks sensei- I'll head there immediately..." He replied as she wandered off. If she's never seen my new captiain before- maybe they're an ANBU member? he dreamed a bit- as he took off full speed for the Academy. Everything around him was a blur as he burst off through the streets. Arriving at the corner of the Academy, he saw a genin standing before a woman sitting, she was thumbing through a folder. This had to be the person he was looking for... But it wasn't like what he imagined at all.

She was pale, and wore a large kimono... He had certainly never seen this woman before. Her looks would definitely stick out to anyone who had seen her. Regardless of his thought process, he hurried across the street and slowed to a jog, then a walk- stopping nearby the silent genin as she was finishing addressing him. He awaited a silent moment between the two so he could introduce himself. He gave a quick head bow/

"Hi- I'm Fudo Saizo- I was told to report here for reassignment?" Having not been given any sort of info or description- whether it be due to the Hokage's busy schedule- or an urgent or immediate need, he assumed this was the place to be. His hopes were high, and he wondered what kind of person this shinobi was. Would it be the stoic, no-nonesense type? Would it be a heart-fueled go-getter? Would it be a hard-hearted and by-the-book shinobi? Thoughts rolled through his mind as quickly as they could, not stopping until his eyes met hers. He awaited to be addressed.
 
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Satsuki Himura

Satsuki had bolted to the meeting place as to make it before being considered late. She wanted to keep her track record of punctuality clear of any tardiness. Making it just before the final minute, Satsuki ran over someone else but quickly stood up and bowed in greeting. "Greetings. My name is Himura, Satsuki! I was re-assigned to your team for the duration of my Chuunin training. I am ready to learn Sensei." Her greeting almost sounded a bit unnecessary but Satsuki was a bit nervous around an Otogakure ninja, as the history between Oto and Konoha was quite extensive with wars and uneasy treaties of peace. Standing back up straight, Satsuki took note of the woman's very strange appearance. She almost looked like a ghost or one of those malicious monsters that the young ninja girl read when she was younger. She waited patiently for instructions, not paying attention to the person she had run over who had arrived before she did.

@Mr. Briggs Inc.
@Spectre
 
Tadashi Shiro
Team Onryo Genin; Konohagakure

Tadashi only had a kind face to the woman, even after she didn't give him much of a friendly response. He was about to grab get cards, but was stopped when two others came and introduced themselves.
He panicked, quickly getting the cards out, showing the same ones he did to their Sensei to them. Hopefully they didn't overlook him! He's had a few instances where he was trying to greet people and they completely ignored his existence, just because he couldn't even emit sounds...
He was a little alarmed when the girl knocked the boy over, though, taking a few steps back. They were a little bigger than him...
 
That's when he noticed her. A ghost in a crowd of the living. A long, draping kimono flowing through the streets of flak jackets and casual clothing. Katsuro could almost say she didn't even look alive, despite her moving. Skin as white as snow, and hair that spoke of the void. A corpse, truly. Her apparel was slightly unprofessional, her headband worn on the shoulder and a flak jacket nowhere in sight. It made him wonder what she tried to evoke; Kage of the Land of Sound? Humble Jonin? Or a ghost come back to haunt the living? But Katsuro dared not question whether or not she was as deadly as rumored. He'd read her file before she even arrived; genjutsu strong enough to rival an Uchiha, but a distinct lack in the field of taijutsu. That information would come in handy.

Lifting a section of the tiled roof, Katsuro picked out the clothes he'd hidden there: His green flak jacket, blue pants and shirt, and sandals. It wasn't wise to walk around in public in Anbu gear. This in mind, he undressed and placed his Anbu uniform in the hole, changing into his casual clothes. He thought he saw a few genin kunoichi gawking at him on the roof, half-naked and unashamed. Perverts. The sun was with him, so his face was likely to be hidden. Adjusting his forehead protector and pinning his flak jacket on, Katsuro leapt down to the ground, intent on meeting the Sound-nin that had been built up in the village for weeks. He didn't need to pretend when he rose with an ominous gait. Konohagakure was Katsuro's home, and these genin under this foreigner were ultimately his responsibility. He cared little for the history of Oto and Konoha, but he knew the reputation of the Sound ninja: Scientists the lot of them, corrupting the natural world. And their founder worst among them, the Snake Sage himself... Even if he wasn't officially Anbu at the moment, Katsuro would make sure that some of his comrades followed this Otokage. He didn't trust her with these shinobi-in-training.

"Buraku-san. I see you've established yourself nicely."
 
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Onryo's train of thought was interrupted by the arrival of Fudo Saizo, the fighter whose profile she had looked over. On time as well. Her day was getting less convoluted than she had feared it would be earlier. Saizo nicely seemed to know who she was already, and introduced himself with a bow that evidenced professionalism, if nothing else.

"I'm On-"

Saizo's steely eye contact broke when the second Chuunin threw herself into Onryo's shadow. Satsuki Himura, the kunoichi who favored balance, had just approached her and introduced herself with an eagerness that was betrayed by completely failing to acknowledge her teammate as an entity. This Himura Satsuki - who must have studied diligently, and seemed open to learn more - had briefly reminded her of a student who was assigned to her in Oto, although that day was long ago, and she reminded herself that things would likely not turn out the same way.

On some level, Onryo was satisfied that the ninja she had been assigned knew not to waste time forcing her to find them. But the girl was clearly more panicked about the idea of looking sloppy than she was of not being aware of her surroundings, and the Genin was falling over himself in deference.

"Learn this. Do not allow your little worries to turn into heedlessness. If your fear is growing, kill it before you allow it to overwhelm you... I'll be speaking more on that subject later. For now, you can acknowledge your mistake and attempt to rectify its consequences."

Onryo did not wait long for Satsuki's next move before she continued, hoping these three would be sharp enough in spite of this hubbub that she would not have to repeat herself later. At least two of these three were still stumbling. She would have to make them ready for the gravity of the world in which they'd be living.

"My name is Onryo Buraku. I am a high-ranking Jounin from the Land of Sound, and I was hired by your village. My mission is to provide advanced training for you three, and then lead you on missions of your own. I can provide no promises for the eager, nor condolences for the hesistant, but I suspect due to the unorthodox nature of my being here that this cell may eventually be called to combat Yugure on some scale. I trust each of you has some idea about who these men are?"

Before Onryo could respond to any of her students' replies, a new party leapt from above, landing behind her with a soft *tap*. A husky grunt emanated from the back of her throat as she glanced backwards. Another Konoha-nin, this one a Chuunin or a Jounin, who acknowledged her presence. She had picked up from the Hokage's briefing that other 3-man cells could be working in conjunction with her own, and that one was recently under consideration for the task after some undisclosed event the night before she and Reikon arrived. It was at least good to hear that this was not just some nervous patroller who had failed to look over the announcement of an Oto-nin in Konoha, but these constant interruptions to a simple first meeting were growing deeply annoying.

"Yes, I am relieved to know you're aware of who I am and what I am to do. Now who are you, and what do you want?"
 
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It took an effort to suppress a smile. Not a minute into meeting her and Katsuro had already begun to disturb her calm. It was always good to have an enemy off guard. He bowed slightly, not intending too much respect, but enough to not be rude.

"Katsuro Uchiha. Team 15. You and your team will be partnered with mine for operational purposes." He could barely contain his disdain for the Oto-nin, but managed to suppress his hatred in the presence of her students. The generally average Himura and Saizo children, and the mute genin Tadashi Shiro. Nothing too spectacular, really. He could see the potential, though. For some bizarre reason, they seemed comfortable with Buraku. Maybe not happy, but comfortable. Strange.
 
"Hm. Uchiha."

Onryo turned to face the other Jounin in full, looking him over from his pallid skin to his athletic build, from behind her oily black hair. This was likely a direct descendant of Fugaku Uchiha, or less likely the instigator Uchiha who initiated the Fourth Shinobi World War. Aside from Fugaku's children and Madara's lone adherent, none to her recollection were known to survive the infamous clan massacre. Was this then, perhaps, Sasuke Uchiha's son? Onryo recalled the 2 years in which Sasuke had taken up residence in her country, that anxiously optimistic time tainted at the end by the death of her former lord.

While she never got to meet the famous Uchiha, she knew that Orochimaru had talked about his clan at length. Their "Curse of Hatred" supposedly drove them to madness, visual genjutsu was next to useless against them, and they had the visual acuity to memorize hand-seals as an enemy wove them. Onryo was reasonably assured that Orochimaru had first pursued sound-based-jutsus in order to counteract the fighting style of the Uchiha, and she had taken the initiative to refine parts of her own fighting style based on this information. She wished, at times, she could have been brought in to assist with the training of Sasuke in order to test out her methods, which made his ultimate betrayal all the more sour.

If Katsuro was indeed Sasuke's kin, and if they were to work together, Onryo did hope that the same selfish urge that drove Sasuke to maim Otogakure on that fateful day did not exist in this one. Her instinct told her that the Curse of Hatred was superstition. Yet because Orochimaru seemed to have complete faith in a scientific explanation for it, and as she had been taught in her early upbringing to never dismiss the idea of a curse wholesale, she decided it would be best for her mission to tread cautiously.

"As we are now acquainted, then we shall next meet when our teaching sessions have been completed?" Onryo turned her eyes back towards the two Chuunin and their Genin compatriot, expecting they would have the presence of mind to commit this man's face and manner to memory. "I don't suppose our students will be training in each others' company?"

At least, she hoped not. Having to work with a Konoha team of her own would be comfortable enough, so long as they were receptive and obedient. But the idea of having to work alongside a seasoned ninja of the village with his own ideals, and quite possible a curse-intensified grievance against her for some misdirected "offense" against his home and clan, was distasteful. The possibility of him standing vigil over her training routine, censuring her every move that he deemed "improper," made her dread the hoops she'd have to jump through in the coming days. Lament how much of these childrens' skills she would have to compromise.
 
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Saizo watched as the two elder nin spoke to one another. The tension was obvious, and he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. He looked back and forth between the two, then to the other Chuunin and Genin that stood by him.

This Otogakure nin seemed upright, and serious. Which was fine by him, this mean the teaching would be to the point, and not beating around the bush a lot. At least, he hoped as much. Then the topic of training came up. Saizo wondered what the other two ninja here were good at. Maybe this would be his chance to gain experience in using more ninjutsu techniques, rather than only utilize his main strengths. Exercising the things he saw as 'weak' within himself was important to him, meaning ninjutsu, genjutsu, and working on his strength and chakra stamina. He could go for hours on his feet, but if he was blasting away with his jutsu, he would never last long... Maybe they would sense this, and help him round out his edges a little more.

Then again- maybe they'd see his strengths, and have him specialize in the things he was already pretty good at.

He then blinked, realizing he had been daydreaming a bit. He heard the words 'teaching sessions' and this brought him out of his stupor. Since the Oto-nin and the elder Konoha nin were still talking, Saizo remained respectful, and waited to be addressed. Hopefully he could start getting to know his new team leader sooner, rather than later. If they were to be all working together on upcoming missions of the impending threat- they'd need to start working soon, especially with the genin that they were assigned. There's a lot of things Saizo questioned about the Hokage, and this was yet another. A lot of ninja can overcome their setbacks, so he didn't judge- but he remained curious. His other teammate seemed like another physical arts focus, like himself. He could certainly appreciate this, but now the team seemed a little one-sided. Maybe there was good reason for this- Saizo was only a chuunin, what did he know?
 
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