Naruto - Squad Thirteen's Journey (In Character)

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Atsuki closed his eyes, ceased walking, and breathed in deeply. "Point taken," he agreed with a nod despite the fact that Mitsuhide wouldn't be able to see it because of their relative positions, "I would probably do something of that nature if I were in that situation." He opened his eyes once more and looked to the sky, using his hand to shield his eyes from the sun's glare as he watched it continue its ever-so snail-like descent into the west. "...At least it wasn't any longer..." he continued suddenly before letting his words trail off into the air. No matter what kind of social preparations he had experienced in that past, nothing could really erase the sheer awkwardness of exchanging niceties with one of your clan's traditional enemies. He let the silence hang in the air for a few long minutes. "...Mine is rabbit," he stated simply before resuming the walking of laps around Mitsuhide and the tree, taking a moment every now and then to look up at the sun's position. 'For Hatake-san's and our sake, I hope she arrives soon,' he thought.

Meanwhile...

Sayuri rushed through town as fast as she could. Her bestial blood ran hot as she pushed her legs to run faster and faster. 'Stupid, stupid, stupid!' She mentally kicked herself as she made her mad dash, barreling through bystanders with disdainful faces and around objects lying in her path. 'I can't believe I didn't read the note before going to the Academy!' An embarrassed tint of red stained her cheeks and added to her flustered expression. Although, it was hardly noticable with her exertion-stemmed flush. The green of leaves in her vision began to rapidly draw near, so she quickly glanced down to the mini-map on her card to make sure she was going in the proper direction before raising her arms and plowing through the underbrush, using the cloth of her sweater to shield her arms from any outstretched branches. The fastest route was always the straight line, she couldn't allow for a detour just to make it easier on herself.

Finally, Sayuri burst into the clearing, shattering the well-maintained silence between the two male genin. She stopped and bent over, hands on her knees and panting hard as she tried her best to regain her breath. She looked up and immediately felt mortified. It was just as she'd feared: she was the last to arrive and looked the worst for wear. "*pant* *pant* S-Sorry for being *pant* late guys..." she apologized between labored breaths, "*pant* My word is *pant* *pant* fox."
 
"So that was what was in your letters? Crudely written crap that's supposed to be from the guy who was supposed to teach us...and apparently parts of a code. But since it's getting kinda late in the day now so we should finish this up..and let's get a move on." Mitsuhide said as he walked over to the nearby tree. He asked Atsuki for his letter before reading what was inside of it. While doing that he thought to himself what his current status was in case there were more traps. He had his chakra still at a good level he guessed; but that did not amount to much if he was to tired to use his jutsu. However since the challenge he went through didn't tire him out much and thankfully his family had stamina in abundance so at the very least he wouldn't fall over and die if he needed to use his jutsu. He knew he wouldn't just fall over and go to sleep either after what just happened to him.

However he wondered if his eyes were showing that he was a bit tired. So after that brief inspection Mitsuhide looked down to the letters skimming their crudely drawn contents, at least they were coffee stained like the letter given to them was, and his eye started to twitch and his mouth curved in a very annoyed smile. "So that's your game huh sensei? Look guys those codes you got they're not the right ones. They're tricks to throw you off. Look I've made a few fake notes before and if you notice there are specifically bolded out words in a couple in the letters. The bolded should give us the proper codes." He started chuckling as he went over to the tree and put his hand on it. "Of all the....this guy..bahahahahhaha...." Mitsuhide started before laughing and kicking the ground in anger once more. "At least our sensei clever I guess..." Mitsuhide said bluntly. He started to pour some of his chakra out into the tree slowly. It was a struggle though as their sensei had pissed him off somewhat badly. "Well guys I found why we're here there's a secret tunnel underneath this tree...and the only way to get into it is using a password. The password is on the back of the papers given to us each with a key word and you would never guess where he hid it. In fact you're going to LOVE what the password is! Cats hate water." Mitsuhide said with pure distaste for the sentence as suddenly a hole opened up in the ground. At this point it was what Mitsuhide was expecting honestly. "Well this looks like it is in no way shape or form a trap." Mitsuhide said laughing in a very forced way. "You know what I hate? I hate obvious traps...let's spring it..." Mitsuhide said as he gave up any hope of listening to his teammates and or common sense and jumped down the hole in the ground himself. It took him a good minute or two to reach a very small cavern like cave area. It was small enough that Mitsuhide noticed he'd have to watch his head even though he was a kid. What the hell was this hole for!? Whatever..."Good news everyone I'm not dead! AND there is no traps either can you believe it? I can't!" Mitsuhide called up. "Oh and there's a torch down here I need Atsuki's help. I heard his clan is good with fire jutsu so if he could blow some fire on it so we can see down here." Mitsuhide added in as he kicked some stale water to the side of the tunnels.
 
Atsuki nodded in affirmative. Though spoken in a manner entirely too crude and uncouth for his tastes, the young Uchiha could very easily empathize with the Senju clansman's sentiments. Thus, pleased to finally be getting on with the main event, Atsuki handed over his letter to Mitsuhide with little fuss. Though his countenance was affixed with its usual stone-like stillness, he found himself both relieved that all the trials seemed to be over, and anticipating the long-awaited arrival of their eccentric-but-seemingly-very-capable sensei. He crossed his arms, watching and waiting as Mitsuhide played around with their grimy letters and gave them a deeper analysis now that they had the time and preparations in place. His discerning gaze took note of Mitsuhide's physical condition. He seemed to be a well-off guy, better off than Sayuri by far, but he seemed to have tired himself out during his mission. His body's movements were sufficient, but only that. He definitely had more energy when he came in than when he came out, but if he felt and worked fine, there wasn't any need to press the issue of the group's condition. He took his gaze away from Mitsuhide, who had began to ramble on about how their codes were falsified, and looked down at his hand. Atsuki opened and closed his fist. If he had to gauge his current condition, he'd say that out of the group, he was in the best condition when it came to remaining chakra reserves and physical stamina. Whether he could maintain that resource pool, however, was a different story. Without any idea of what to expect from hereon out, he'd have to keep a close eye on maintaining his peak strength. Atsuki looked back up, only to catch Mitsuhide jumping into a sketchy hole in the ground.

'...'

Atsuki sighed and approached the edge of the hole. He spat down into it to gauge the distance, hoping not to hit Mitsuhide if he was down there. He nodded. From the result of his test, it shouldn't be life-threateningly far down. He inhaled deeply, taking note of the stale odor below with a slight grimace. 'And just after I've had a nice bath too,' he closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, opening his eyes again to find that he was the only person on the surface. There weren't any traps so far, according to his other male companion, so he could take solace in that one fact. "Very well," he droned in response to Mitsuhide's request, despite the fact it wasn't enunciated loud enough for anyone but him to hear. He cracked his knuckles and descended into the depths below, following the tight path until he reached the rest of the group. Stepping around the rank puddles of stagnant water, Atsuki approached the torch and went through the handsigns for Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu. However instead of a huge gout of flame, he restricted his flames to a more manageable level suited for lighting a mere torch. He took it into his hands and held it out for Mitsuhide. "Here," he said.
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Sayuri absent-mindedly kicked at the grass below as Mitsuhide went through the process of verifying the letters. Her mind was clouded by bitter and self-conscious thoughts. Sure, her chakra levels were fine, great even, but her physical state was far worse than anyone in the group. She was tired, she was sore, and the putrid smell of sewage and smoke that had seeped into her sweater made presence, like Atsuki said way earlier in regards to a cat, unsightly. Though her feelings of inferiority were a tad overwhelming, at least with her teammates around the Fox would remain quiet. It wasn't much, but she had to take her victories when she could get them.

When she heard Mitsuhide come to his final conclusion, Sayuri looked up and listened intently. She had to pay attention and follow instructions so she wouldn't drag everyone else down. She watched Mitsuhide pace around the hole before widening her eyes when the young ninja jumped right into the hole with no semblance of care. What was he thinking, doing something like that? He could've gotten hurt! Sayuri approached the hole cautiously alongside Atsuki. She looked up at the Uchiha, down into the hole, and then back to Atsuki. She opened her mouth to say something, before shaking her head. She had to take initiative and she was already filthy anyway, so she leapt into the hole and traveled to where Mitsuhide was. All that was left was to wait for Atsuki, and she knew that he didn't much like getting dirty if he could help it. Not even 10 seconds later though, she heard the sound of a body squeezing through the opening into the dark cavern, followed by the ignition of a torchlight. "I guess we should keep going down the tunnel," she suggested.
 
Mitsuhide cringed a little as the wood started to burn, "Alright now with that said let's...let's get a move on." Mitsuhide said heavily as he looked at the fire which to him was one of the reasons he disliked the Uchiha. Fire burned wood. Regardless of Mitsuhide's irrational dislikes and personal problems he decided to not bring anything else up. Mitsuhide looked around and grumbled as the fact that there was only so far they could see. Whatever it was better than nothing! Suddenly the hollowed walls around them came broke after some small paper bombs exploded. They may or may not have reacted to the sun light or to the chakra used by Atsuki! God damn it! Despite the explosive blasts Mitsuhide grabbed his two team mates and pushed them out of the way with a massive shove forcing them all to the ground. The rocks around the walls crumbled in around them but they survived. After the blasts the room was barely still there. The rocks near the walls were apparently still being supported enough by what supports that were left enough to keep the whole place from crumbling down around them but still the crumbling of walls had caused a small amount of dust to fly around them. It covered them in a cloud of dust and dirt but otherwise everyone was unharmed. "Well that was god damn scary! But...why was this trap placed here with little effect? Did sensei really intend to bury us? I don't think so." Mitsuhide wondered aloud as he walked around until he spotted a tunnel shaft. He looked around the are and saw no obvious traps so he went into the tunnel and shielded his eyes from a small cloud of dust that still was brimming around the area as he bent down and crawled through the threshold to the newest area. He rubbed his eyes a bit to adjust to get rid of some dust in them. He bit his lip and looked around and smiled as there were torches all the way down the hall. It actually had leg room now too! He could stand up inside of there and there was room for each one of them to stand side by side at the very least. Mitsuhide stretched his armed and rolled his shoulders around in circles to lessen the stiffness in them after having to squeeze through the small hole. "Alright now we're almost done this guys let's get moving." Mitsuhide said as he waited for the two teammates to follow him as the last one came through he nodded at them as Mitsuhide walked forward two steps foward and tripped a trip wire as suddenly the hole that they entered from collapsed from some sort of explosive tag trap and not to far off a sudden thud was clearly heard. "Oh come on what now!?" Mitsuhide shouted almost comedically if it was not for the fact that there was boulder coming down towards them rolling at a very fast rate. "Uhhhh....guys....WHAT NOW!?" Mitsuhide shouted his eyes going wide but he didn't back up because there was no way out!
 
Atsuki's eyes adjusted to the low-light emanating from the torch as the group made their way deeper into the cavern. There was little sound but that of footsteps and crackling wood, prompting a feeling of eeriness and unease to the situation. He glanced around, expecting something, anything to happen and break the monotony. Even an act as farcical as a jump-scare would be a preferable alternative to the uncomfortableness of this all. He entertained the idea of asking Mitsuhide to summon up a few branches to act as torches with that Wood Release of his, but decided to keep his mouth shut. If he didn't have to, he'd rather not have to confront and interact with the Senju boy for prolonged periods, and such feeling was evidently reciprocated. A quiet, sudden crackling sound stopped Atsuki in his tracks, even as the rest of his party kept moving on. He brought a hand up to his ear, forming a cup so as to better perceive whatever noise there might have been. 'Nothing?' After a few moments of continued silence, he dropped his hand and caught up with the group.

...And that was when the first explosive tag went off.

The Uchiha boy's eyes widened at the sudden sound before he was abruptly thrust into the cold, hard, filthy ground by Mitsuhide. Needless to say, Atsuki was a little bit peeved that he was forced to continue wallowing in the muck as the walls of the cave came toppling down. Even so, he couldn't- wouldn't allow himself to get mad with Mitsuhide, as he was acting for the betterment of the team. He grit his teeth. 'What a frustrating day,' he thought as the dust from the makeshift cave-in began to settle. They were safe; the walls were held up by the struts holding them up. Once he had gathered his bearings, he too took a look around just as the others did. He stopped when Mitsuhide located a newly formed path and followed through the small opening, rejoicing in the extra space. And so, since he was finally given the opportunity, Atsuki stood up as tall as he could and began to compulsively wipe and brush the dust off his body and comb the stone shards from his hair. Once he had deemed himself sufficiently clean, he gestured at Mitsuhide to go on ahead, which subsequently triggered a tripwire.

'...'

Atsuki didn't even look when he heard the room behind them crumble into a heap of stone, nor did he falter when a loud thud followed by a rolling noise met his ears. 'Wait. Calm down. Our sensei wouldn't let us die here,' he chided himself before ceasing his breathing, closing his eyes and bringing his hands together. "Release," he intoned, shattering the genjutsu imposed on his mind. He opened his eyes and waited a few moments to be completely sure that the boulder was truly gone. He released his bated breath and began to walk forward, 'I'm not falling for that trick again, sensei.' He waved for his companions to follow after him, explaining in his usual terse manner, "It's just genjutsu. Release it and keep on moving."

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Sayuri walked in between Mitsuhide who was leading the charge with his torch, and Atsuki who stayed off in the back, acting as aloof as ever. The air about their group seemed tense as they wandered deeper into the cavern but, as someone who had both recently gone through a trial involving cramped and dark spaces and really had no stock in the Senju-Uchiha feud, she was spared most of the awkwardness arising from the situation. It was still a bit grating though. She opened her mouth to break the silence, "So guAAHH!" The paper bombs suddenly went off, changing her inquiry to a frightful yelp as dusty clouds and shards of stone cascaded down on to them. It was fortunate that Mitsuhide acted fast enough to push Atsuki and her into the ground; they wouldn't be hit by falling rocks. When the ordeal finished, Sayuri coughed a few times and wiped the dust off her face. She wasn't hurt, so she quickly looked around for her comrades. Thankfully, they seemed relatively unharmed as well. Given Atsuki's preferences, he might have been less fine than them, though. "Sensei wouldn't be that evil. I hope," Sayuri answered Mitsuhide, "Let's just... look for a way out." When Mitsuhide found their only viable pathway, she followed after him as the second person through. A nice, warm, relieved feeling grew in her stomach when Mitsuhide said that this whole thing was almost over. This day really was getting to be long. Unfortunately, before they could finish, a distinct snap was heard like that of a tripwire (and she knew her tripwires by now!) Her eyes widened when she saw the boulder heading towards them. Her blood ran hot, she had no idea what she could do in this situation. "I don't know!" she shouted back at Mitsuhide. Her clones wouldn't help and her Fire Release might just make their situation worse. There was a lump in her throat. Would this be the end for them?

"It's just genjutsu. Release it and keep on moving."

"Huh?" His voice was calm and controlled. It spoke of complete confidence. She didn't expect someone like Atsuki to speak out, but she was glad that he did. "R-Right!" she nodded, quickly making relevant handsign, "Release!" Like that, the boulder disappeared and Sayuri let herself breathe a sigh of relief. "I can't believe it!" she laughed, following after the astute Uchiha, "C'mon, let's go, Mitsuhide."
 
"What are you talking about!? That's clearly a-" Mitsuhide said as the Uchiha walked forward and past right through the boulder. "Son of a bitch...of course genjutsu...but how that's the question." Mitsuhide grumbled as he took a huge breath of the dusty air around him despite the coughing it produced afterward he was holding his breath since the boulder came down. Mitsuhide grumbled beneath his breath not really caring for this day's troubles. This time Mitsuhide let the Hyuga girl lead the way as they continued on. The path which they followed was led by a long row of torches lit strangely low on the ground. Eventually they came upon a door and on it was a note nailed into the top part of it. Also there was a hole oddly carved out on the bottom of it. Mitsuhide walked up to the note and pulled it off using his kunai to cut around the crudely hammered in nail. As he turned around he read it by the torch light. "Don't believe everything you see." it said... most likely a comment about the genjutsu boulder...funny sensei really funny. At least he assumed it was from his sensei because it was in his hand writing. "Well to I'd like to punch our sensei on the nose with a chunk of metal strapped to my fist after that stunt. Then we'd see who's going to need to watch what..." Mitsuhide commented to the group absent minded as he looked at the door. However there was also another note Mitsuhide had not noticed stuck in the door's crack. It was less crudely written than the other notes and actually had somewhat proper handwriting. Mitsuhide wondered if this was the end of their little trek. "Good job making it so far fellas! Sorry about the rock trap but hey it caught you off guard didn't it? Now...now go through the door and remember to bring me back a souvenir..." Mitsuhide said somewhat skeptically as he read the note and frowned deeply. "This is a trap it has to be...well next step is to spring the trap..." Mitsuhide said as he impulsively walked over and kicked the door open to reveal a rather large and spacious room with cat statues lining the walls and in the middle leaning down...was a rather large cat who looked back at them. "Well then that's one big cat..." Mitsuhide said as suddenly the cat apparently woke up and turned around with quite the angry expression..."What the heck?! Who are you and what are you doing down here!?" the cat demanded which made Mitsuhide question his sanity..."A talking cat? Well then...that is new!" Mitsuhide said clearly having given up on trying to make sense of this situation. That only made the cat angrier, "WHAT!? OF COURSE I TALK I'M THE CAT CRIME LORD NEKOJIMA! HOW DARE PUNY NINJA GENIN INVADE MY SANCTUM PREPARE TO FIGHT!" The cat growled angrily as it charged them with Mitsuhide grinning at this point at least this was something he knew how to do right. "Bring it cat!" Mitsuhide said as suddenly he formed a couple of hand signs and then he reached behind him and a long branch of wood came out of his shoulder and held it out with his right hand and hold it like a sword. However unlike most sticks Mitsuhide's wood style allowed him to transform this sword into a razor sharp point object. He hadn't fully mastered it's use but it was something to be reckoned with in Mitsuhide's opinion. "Wood Release: Cutting Sabers of Wood!" Mitsuhide called out which followed with him charging at the cat after forming one more jutsu. "Wood Release: Threefolded Wood Shield!" Mitsuhide said as the wood started forming a small shield on his other arm. Mitsuhide didn't move just yet but he was intending on impaling the thing and moving on!
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Nekojima is based off of:
http://naruto.wikia.com/wiki/Nekomata
 
Atsuki slowly closed and opened his dusty palms as the corridor they traveled down led to another door and another stupid fucking letter. It was like running in circles. To say he was tired of this crap would be an understatement; he had long passed the realm of fatigue. If anything, he was just bored and frustrated that all their efforts so far had been met with more mundane banality. He sighed and rubbed his temples when the next note made no reference to this being the final task. "I won't stop you," Atsuki nodded, giving Mitsuhide his indifferent approval, "It's a task we'll have to complete eventually. Whether or not it's a trap is irrelevant." He followed after the audacious Senju boy into the large, cat-themed room. "Hm?" he looked past Mitsuhide and at the angry, not-so-little cat staring back at them. He made a handseal to check for genjustu....It was not a genjustu. There was a filthy animal looking back at them, questioning their presence in what was presumably his abode. Was this perhaps a summon of their sensei? Whatever the case, there was no time to lose. Coming straight at them was the charge of Nekojima!

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After plucking the other letter from its spot in the door crack, Sayuri knelt down and peaked through the hole carved into the bottom of the door while the boys approached. From what she could see, the room ahead was full of what looked to be statues - if the pedestals in her vision indicated anything - and then a large, unidentifiable shape. It looked familiar, but she couldn't quite put her tongue on it. Curse her sheltered existence! Otherwise though, the room looked to be innocuous. There weren't any tripwires linked to the door at any rate. But even then, she had an inkling feeling that there was more to this than met the eye. She stood up, dusted herself off, waited for Mitsuhide to finish expositing, and opened her mouth to voice her concern before her partners could go any further. "Guys I don't think-" she was cut off as her two comrades strode valiantly into the painfully obvious trap. Sighing, she flashed through several handsigns and produced a paper clone to follow after the boys while she remained behind to read the letter. 'Alright sensei, what's your game...?' she thought, unfolding the well-hidden letter and beginning to read...

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"I guess we have to show this impudent little kitten that we 'puny genin' have claws of our own," Atsuki quipped. Indeed, the Cat Crime Lord had made his move; it was time for the genin to make theirs. The Uchiha's eyes scanned the battlefield in an instant. He body flickered out of the path of the beast's mighty charge and to its unguarded flank. He drew twin kunai from his holster and prepared his wire attachments as he gauged the situation before him. Mitsuhide charged forth with his sword and shield, seemingly ready to weather the storm that would be all the weight of that animal. If he managed to inflict a decisive wound - sever an artery, pierce the heart, or take an eye, maybe - that would be fine. This was no fight that he could take pleasure in; the quicker this would end, the better. Hence the reason, Atsuki was off to the side, wired-kunai drawn. He tossed the kunai directly across from himself, not aiming for the cat but instead to sink his kunai in the opposite wall. The moment that cat hit Mitsuhide, Atsuki would be ready to spring his binding trap
 
The giant car glared at Atsuki with a great distaste as he began speaking again, "Since when did Senju and Uchiha work together!? The village's founding was only made for mutual benefit Uchiha and Senju shouldn't be on the same side! So I suppose I will need to shut you up boy you know NOTHING of me and my acts! The mere act of being here as a genin shows how raw and arrogant you are! Whatever reason you have to be here it'll be the last thing you do! Wind Release: Kitsune Tail Slash!" Nekojima jumped into the air quickly and swung his tail in a broad arc. The cat hissed as he did so and the resulting air jutsu knocked some of the statues from their locations with ease and went then launch a second attack on the Atsuki before Mitsuhide jumped towards him tanking the air slash attack and then almost cleaved him in two forcing Nekojima to abandon whatever battle plan or jutsu he was going to use. Mitsuhide's blade smashed into the ground and left a mark in it showing the surprising strength.

"Stand still you little wimp so I can clobber you!" Mitsuhide beckoned as he slashed at the creature who kept dodging. "Atsuki no using any fire jutsu you might accidentally burn whatever clue is down here! Focus on taijutsu!" Mitsuhide said as he kept slashing pushing the creature back before it jumped forward and almost scratched him in the face but Mitsuhide was quick enough to use his wood shield and push the cat away from him. "Madara and Izuna Uchiha would be ashamed that the likes of their family cooperating willing with a Senju punk! Have you no pride than your clan! You're claim to be a clan is pathetic! The original Uchiha weren't so easily cowed! Pah! Nobody clans have more pride!"Nekojima mocked, "I will not let you talk down to my teammates that way! One may be a dirty Uchiha but we're ninja now and ninja don't let others talk smack about their teammates!" Mitsuhide said as he attempted to kick the cat as he jumped in the air and the creature activated his wind jutsu again Mitsuhide's eyes went wide and he was sent flying backward as the jutsu hit his shield nearly crushing it. Oh this wasn't going as planned! Mitsuhide flying to the ground with an audible thud and he lay there twitching in pain before forcing himself back up, "The Senju of the Forest don't take crap from cats!"Mitushide shouted, "I'M NO CAT I'M NEKOJIMA MASTER OF ALL CATS!" It bellowed as it did another jutsu, "Feline Style: Shadow Cat!" Nekojima declared as a black cat appeared from the shadows of near the same height and size of Nekojima and charged at the other two with surprising speed.
 
"Right..." Atsuki regarded the oversized feline with a uninterested look on his face and spoke in a flat, sardonic tone of voice. He didn't know why he didn't just strike while the animal was talking. Professional courtesy, perhaps? Nevertheless, he flicked his wrists inward, skillfully pulling his kunai embedded in the walls back into his grip. There went that plan. That mighty wind did more than displace a few statutes; it disrupted his wire trap array. 'Tch, it can't be helped,' he thought, darting out of the path of Nekojima's petulant charge. "You talk a lot, kitty," Atsuki pointed out, coiling the wires from his kunai as his teammates distracted Nekojima, "If you can't even kill Mitsuhide, what makes you think you can kill all three of us?" As the battle of wood on claw raged on, Atsuki, hidden in the shadows of the displaced statues, threw the kunai at his disposal at Nekojima hoping to either harm or distract the cat long enough for Mitsuhide to harm it. If they missed or were deflected, he would simply pull them back to himself and go at it again.

Sayuri's paper clone was dispersed by an incoming statue. Fortunately it was only a clone, but it was still kind of embarrassing that she was the first one to 'go down' as it were. But that just went to show that she couldn't overstep her limits in something like this. If she had to divide her attention between the fight and the secondary letter, she couldn't function as well as her teammates. Gritting her teeth, she hastily crumpled the hidden letter and stuffed it into her pocket before charging into the fray with kunai bared. This wasn't her usual style but if a relentless attack from an unexpected direction could be taken advantage of, she'd take advantage of it. With Mitsuhide attack the cat from the front, Atsuki providing covering fire, and her lashing out at the beast's flank, could they beat this cat? Suddenly the cat cast his wind release, sending both Mitsuhide and Sayuri flying back with an audible thud. "Uwah..." she groaned, slowly getting up to her feet, "That smarts...!"

Atsuki narrowed his eyes. His volleys of kunai had stopped. "...Hn. Well, your concerns are duly noted," he answered back from the cover of the statue, "If I ever have to put down a filthy animal again, I'll just have to try harder to make sure I don't let down a bunch of dead people I've never met." He looked out from his cover. It was hardly what he'd call an ideal situation; Mitsuhide and Sayuri had been blasted back by that wind jutsu. Fortunately they weren't entirely incapacitated, or Atsuki would have had to call this a lost cause and start breaking out the fireballs despite the collateral damage potential. 'Well if you want something done right, you do it yourself,' he thought, spinning the kunai in his left into reverse grip. He peaked back out, only to see a black cat gunning for Sayuri, 'Great, he can clone himself too?' He gripped his kunai tighter. 'Never heard of any clone like that though. Ones that come from water, maybe. Not shadow though,' he looked to Sayuri. Could he leave it to her? 'Tch. This is no time for questions. If she isn't strong enough to beat a clone, she'll be of no real help against the real thing. Besides, if we cut off the source, the clone'll disappear anyway.' In a single, fluid movement, he left cover and charged at the real Nekojima, covering the sizable distance and avoiding the blackened cat with a body flicker, and stopping just far enough for a proper running charge. He then leapt into the air and spun his body sideways, the momentum from his spinning combined with his kunai creating something of a miniature buzzsaw converging on the cat's side. It's abdomen, specifically. "Senjukillnow." he quickly commanded Mitsuhide. Taking into account their relative positions, if the cat moved to block him, it would likely open itself to some kind of counterattack.

'Crap!' Sayuri thought as the black shadow cat quickly covered ground. She drew a kunai and lunged at the blackened beast's breast. With any luck, she could kill this clone before it hurt her.
 
By attacking the 'clone' jutsu cast by the feline Sayuri ended up running directly into the enemy's genjutsu. However this wasn't the usual genjutsu it was based on just the mere illusions. It in fact heightened the senses of the enemy to the point overloading their sense of smell and hearing causing the target to basically become incapable of doing anything until released. Sayuri was swathed with a sudden and debilitating sense of smell almost puking in the process. The room which was just dank and somewhat filthy before now smelled like Sayuri was now buried face first in a garbage heap from a past decade. "You're fast but that's all!" the cat mocked Atsuki as the boy hit him slightly but due to the cat's better flexibility he managed to avoid too much of a deadly blow.

"Don't freaking give me orders!" Mitsuhide growled as he pulled out a kunai and threw it at the cat underhanded as he ignored Sayuri's plight in an attempt to get Nekojima. The attack missed pathetically as the dazed Mitsuhide then moved forward and slashed the cat but missed. He however cleaved a statue behind the cat instead of the being itself. When the cat tried to claw him however Mitsuhide managed to pushed himself backward but landed awkwardly on the ground. "Oh mighty ninja of the forest huh? The Akamichi clan knows how move faster than you!" the cat growled at Mitsuhide before using another wind tail slash jutsu sending Mitsuhide back against a wall as his shield shattered this time. "Hey a little help-a little help would be appreciated you know!" Mitsuhide called out to their newest team mate as he narrowly avoided another wind jutsu as the cat turned around and went to use his wind jutsu yet again on Atsuki.
 
"Tch," Atsuki hissed as his blades sunk only ever so slightly into the soft feline flesh, but not deep enough to call a decisive blow - not even close. And there was cat blood on his hands. Disgusting. The Uchiha landed softly on the ground, body sprawled out on all fours in a manner not dissimilar to the cat itself. The sudden sound of lurching, groaning and violent dry heaving brought Atsuki's attention away from the raging battle and over to Sayuri. She was lurching about, with no sign of the black cat anywhere. Was the clone poisonous or something? No, by the appearance of her actions it seemed more like she was recoiling from some type of stench. Did the clone really smell that bad, or was it maybe something else? Genjutsu? A particularly powerful feline flatulence? No time to ponder the ramifications, at least he knew to avoid any further black cats. He turned back to see Mitsuhide hit the wall and shatter his wooden shield. 'Ouch. That must have hurt, but it serves him right for not going along with the plan,' Atsuki thought, preparing attack Nekojima again. However, before he could put his plan into action, the cat cast its wind jutsu.

Quickly, Atsuki dived for a displaced statue on the edge of the attack's range and clung to it. Using the superior weight of the structure and the liminal-range positioning, the Uchiha was spared getting slammed against the wall, even as the wind pushed the Atsuki and the statue like it did to the others earlier. He peaked out from the statue, holding his kunai in a white-knuckled grip, body poised to rush out once more. 'Wait. I can't just rush in again, hoping that things will change. I have to calm down and think about this,' he chided himself. Now that he had cover, he could space a moment to reorganize his thoughts. He breathed in and out a few times to calm himself and clear his mind. 'First thing's first. What do I know about the enemy?' he mentally reviewed the battle within his mind's eye, '...The cat's got a wind jutsu - one probably, since he keeps reusing the same trick - and a black cat clone(?) that can incapacitate one of us in a single action. He's also fast and very jumpy, but I still have that in store...' He began tying shuriken to his wire. '...I'd rather not be forced to play that card just yet, though. Manipulated shuriken will have to suffice. Unfortunately my only capacitated teammate wants to be difficult. Oh well, I can probably work around that.' After binding his three shuriken, Atsuki jumped out and threw them, guiding their trajectory to aim for different places where the cat would be - front, side, and back - rather than where it was, in order to cut off possible escape routes. "Let's try this again..." Atsuki murmured before shouting a command, "Senju-san, I politely request of you to cut this stupid cat down!" Mitsuhide would have to handle the remaining flank but if he was fast enough, they could force the cat into a very unideal position. "...Please and thank you."
 
Mitsuhide was not just going to let this cat run wild on him. He was a ninja damn it and a ninja did what a ninja had to do! "Since you asked so nicely I guess I could lend you a hand." Mitsuhide said with snark as he charged forward toward the cat as he glared at the Uchiha. "You won't put me in the cat house just yet you dog!" Nekojima said as he once more unleashed that wind jutsu sending the kunai flying back towards the two genin in various directions. However they didn't particularly seem to be flying anywhere near the two of them but one went whizzing by Mitsuhide's face cutting his cheek but Mitsuhide muscled through the slight pain and charged at Nekojima as he tried to use that ninjutsu once more but it was too close and Mitsuhide powered through it with pure adrenaline and power showing just how resilient he was. It did help however that he was too close for the jutsu to pick up speed and power. Mitsuhide ran his sword through the side of the cat leaving him impaled against the wall. "OW OW OW OW OW!!! YOU LITTLE PRICK!" the cat growled at Mitsuhide as he flailed around and Mitsuhide breathing in slowly and deeply backed away as he felt his cheek. "Looks like we got him. There's no escaping from a sword through the chest. He'll survive I think if I pull out that sword and he bandages himself up. Shouldn't be that hard for a cat that can talk. Anything you got to say to him Uchiha? ...Oh and can you help out Sayuri?"
 
"Checkmate," Atsuki quipped as Mitsuhide followed through with the plan and successfully transpierced their feline foe. He stopped bracing against the now-dispersed wind jutsu and rose up from his position leaning against the wall. His once-neat hair was now strewn across his face, his clothes were a little bit more crumpled than they'd ought to be, and he'd been thrown against the wall by that Wind Release, but otherwise Atsuki was fine. Any of the kunai shot back at him were manipulated out of his direction with a few dexterous hand movements, sparing him from any real wounds. With another strong pull, Atsuki's widely strewn blades returned to his hands. He wiped the the kunai that had cut Mitsuhide against the wall to remove the Senju's blood before nonchalantly detaching his the wires from his kunai and coiling them for easy storage. "Pull the sword out or keep it in - whatever the case, just get Nekojima to give us whatever info we require while I break the genjutsu affecting our feminine friend," Atsuki commanded, not even bothering to glance in the impaled cat's direction as he crossed the room towards their lurching ally, "I have nothing to say to a filthy beast whose words are more than their actions. Besides, if we waste any more time dealing with this animal, it'll be dusk by the time we get back to the surface and find our sensei." He knelt down in front of Sayuri, made a handsign. "Release," he incanted, breaking the cat's genjutsu before standing back up and fixing his disheveled appearance to the best of his ability, "Sayuri, go look for a note or something." A few moments passed, and as he was smoothing out his shirt, a thought occurred to him. "...Actually on second thought, I have a few things I'd like to ask our feline friend," Atsuki said, moving towards Mitsuhide and Nekojima. Upon reaching them, he leaned in towards the cat, hands firmly placed on his own hips. "When we entered earlier, you seemed confused as to what we were doing here. Why's that?" Atsuki asked, "Were you not deployed here by our sensei for the sake of this meaningless goose chase he's assigned us?"

"Uwah.... Huh?" Sayuri groaned, eyes slowly opening. It didn't smell like she'd been shoved head first into a thousand-year old, unclean litter box. In fact, it smelled just like... 'Oh no...' she thought, the realization dawning on her as everything entered her sight. The cat was defeated and she'd done nothing but get trapped in a genjutsu! That wasn't a clone; she fell right into his trap. Sayuri was shaking with self-induced anger and frustration. So far she hadn't been able to do anything right. 'Is this really what I'm cut out for?' she thought before shaking her head and running off to take a look around the room. Hopefully she'd find the note and wouldn't turn out to be completely useless for this mission.
 
The cat's eyes opened wide as Mitsuhide stood over him and grabbed the hilt of the sword. In blind panic the cat covered itself while trying to not scream in pain and then opened it's eyes just to see mitsuhide was just above his head. The cat snarled but sighed and meowed to wait a second. "Temporary truce! I demand one! Who sent you here anyways?! Is that bastard Mizawa!? Is he still pissed I drank all his milk!? Is it that creepy bastard Hasagawa!? Is Kohaku still mad at me for that little mistake!? Whatever it doesn't matter blood traitors and nobodies don't deserve mercy!" The cat lunged at the nearest one of them but Mitsuhide threw a kunai and it missed the cat pinning it to the floor by rather painfully in fact. The cat screeched at the top of it's lungs and Mitsuhide cover his ears in disgust he ran over and kicked it in the gut "That's for smacking my head into the ground you god forsaken cat!" Mitsuhide said in disgust. He leaned back and breathed in deeply collapsing onto the floor and holding onto the makeshift sword tightly. "Enough...enough! I...I admit defeat...please spare me! You're the ones who woke me up from my nap! I had no part in whatever you're doing! How did you even get here!?" the cat pleaded sadly as Mitsuhide's eyes flared in anger, "SHUT UP! I've had enough of this!" Mitsuhide shouted looking around, he was looking for another note and he'd decided to let them deal with the cat, "Hey wonder twins, If you got anything to do then do it. I'm going to go and find that damn note." Mitsuhide said in pain as he rubbed his head. The cat didn't even bother to try and get out of this mess.
==

The cat spouted angered phrases at Mitsuhide saying that he can't just look through his stuff without asking But said nothing as Mitsuhide pointed out there was a note stuck up the statue's nose and the cat claimed ignorance at what was in it. Mitsuhide took it out and read it...and quickly started laughing maniacally once he did so. "You mean...there are no more...no more....and we....pffff...hahahahaha.....muhahahhahaha...heheheheheheha....I'm going to go crazy...I'm going to smack something with the blunt side of my sword I swear to god." Mitsuhide said shaking, "Hey guys...once you're done...come here..." Mitsuhide said and waited as they all came over and he showed them the letter. "Remember the area where we first started...Yeah we did a complete three sixty he was here all along!" Mitsuhide said as he showed them the letter. Compared to the rest it was well written and very neatly made. It congradulated all of them on their fine work and that they shouldn't have been able to take on Nekojima by themselves. However by working together they proved themselves worthy of being called genin. On it was the stamp from the restaurant that they passed on the way to the gate. Well at least Atsuki and Mitsuhide. It was if he was mocking them in Mitsuhide's mind all this trouble, all of this work for a simple, "NICE JOB!" from their teacher!? Glorious freaking glorious! "Alright now where's the exit at fur ball!?" Mitsuhide growled as he grabbed the cat and shook him. "Oh dear god you crazy bastard OW OW OW your tugging on my fur stop that! And would you shut up! I don't know anything else I swear to Lord Izuna!" The cat said pitifully trying to simply move his body over to the water that was streaming through the place from other tunnels. The cat pointed in the general direction to the statue on the far left where there was a small doorway behind it. Humans would have to crawl because it was too low but it was an exit apparently. The cat said nothing else. Mitsuhide with the angriest smile he'd ever put on in his life marched over to the corner to the exit.

Some time past and it was clearly getting dark out when Mitsuhide stopped at...at the same area they started at and was forced to move out of the way as a jonin in a grey vest exited from the restaurant. He had to be Jonin at least because he radiated a strange power as he walked past them ansd in Mitsuhide's mind he looked scary with pale skin and silvery blonde hair but otherwise Mitsuhide didn't look at him to much as he had no reason too do so. However Mitsuhide pointed around. "Remember this area this was where we first started...Yeah we did a complete three sixty he was here all along! ." Mitsuhide said as he showed them the letter again to verify that this was the place they were supposed to be at. Of course to meet him at a casual place like Roshi's barbecue and Meats by the gate was weird but hey at least he was in a place he was familiar with. This time he knew their sensei would be here because it said he'd meet them personally there. The letter concluded by saying that they were reserved under the name Mitsu Kohaku. "Yeah I'll let you guys have a moment to process this whole scenario again." Mitsuhide said as he waited a moment and if they needed to let them vent as he turned around and entered the area. A cute waitress with light brown hair that was curly greeted them and smiled.

"Welcome to our restaurant how may I help you...oh dear you look hurt do you need help? Oh I'm so sorry my name is Azami and I'm glad to meet you all. I assume that your from the newest group of ninja that graduated today? congratulations if you are!" Azami said in a weird mix of being worried and happy to receive more customers. As Mitsuhide nodded at her and smiled kindly he started to speak to her; but inside of Mitsuhide he was struggling to keep hiding his anger from the nice lady. "Don't worry we're fine...well physically anyways. Tsubame could use some bandages if you could please spare some. We're a part of the Mitsu Kohaku party is he stil-" Mitsuhide started as the lady cringed at the mention of the name. "That man has been here all day with a practically endless wallet...him and those...just see for yourself." Mitsuhide and his group were led by Azami to their sensei as Mitsuhide wondered who the hell he was...and was greeted by the sight of a man in a long dark black overcoat with black shades. His hair was disheveled and messy and the shades were crocked at an angle. He was a ninja though because it was clear he was wearing an unbuttoned jonin vest underneath his coat but it was just barely visible. He had no gloves on his hand nor any other accessories. Next to him sat two ladies in long dresses and were laughing at him as he talked. Mitsuhide walked up eyes twitching as the guy looked down at them, "Buzz off kids go bug another person....I'm trying to enjoy my lady friends!" the man said dismissing Mitsuhide but Mitsuhide simply smiled at him as one of the ladies turned to him, "Oh but he's SOOOO cute! And he's got a friend with him! Come on please Mitsu let's let him stay!" the lady said as the man grumbled and Mitsuhide's hands twitched and he had to contain himself from reaching for his kunai. "Oh fine I'll let the kid stay so kid what's your name?" Mitsunari asked Mitsuhide as he cringed inwardly. "Mitsuhide Senju. I'm-" Mitsuhide said in a horrid attempt to mask his frustration as Mitsunari shushed him, "Oh you're the kid who can use his wood really well right!? Well come on sit down! I guess you're the other two...Atsuki and Sayuri." Mitsunari asked as Mitsuhide went to sit down but was more or less shoved in between the two ladies who ogled him and laughed and giggled much to his discomfort and mounting frustration levels...at this point Mitsuhide likely lost four years off his life span. "That's us sensei..." Mitsuhide said as Mitsunari shrugged, "Whatever come on sit and eat you two over there! Yes black haired and white eyes I'm talking to you! And NO making a mess of this place! I ordered a lot of food so dig in!" Mitsunari said as he motioned for the girls to eat but not Mitsuhide who was to busy trying to keep his focus and not get stuck in a buxom hell...who the hell did this man think he was....Mitsunari Sensei also reeked of what smelled of alcohol...Mitsuhide was not going to eat the food on the table he decided that here and now.
 
"..." There was no further comments from Atsuki as the young shinobi watched his teammate lash out at Nekojima. After all, there was no need to comment. Victory was Mitsuhide's, and it was the right of the strong to do as they wished. If the cat didn't want to get hurt, it should have defeated them. But it didn't, so instead, it was merely begging pathetically for forgiveness. That was just the way the world worked. However, at the same time, he couldn't approve of what Mitsuhide had done from a purely savoir-faire standpoint. To reveal one's emotions so readily was not a concept compatible with the mindset of someone such as Uchiha Atsuki. His eyes scanned the area in an attempt to locate their sensei's next clue without actually having to waste energy trying to look for real. When such an effort was met with no avail, Atsuki shrugged to nobody in particular. By that point, his two teammates had already covered sufficient ground; searching himself would be a waste of energy and an obstruction of everyone elses' hard work. Especially Sayuri's - that girl was frantically looking about as if her life depended on it. If Atsuki had to make a guess, he'd say that it was probably a means for her to compensate for her poor combat performance.

Not long after, the sound of Mitsuhide's manic mirth signalled that the note had indeed been found, but it was not a result that they would like to see. After coming closer and reading the note, Atsuki took a step back, as if trying to process the information therein. His face said nothing, but the dulling of his eyes indicated his true feelings well enough. He was not mad. He was not even disappointed. It was simply something expected, like a child opening a Christmas present that they knew would be something they disliked. At the very least, the letter looked nice and had some semblance of effort indicated in its contents. Still, it did little to improve his opinion of the 'special person' who was his sensei. After all, when a teacher refers to somebody as 'special', it doesn't always mean 'exceptional'...

Nevertheless, the exit was pointed out to them and they had acquired a destination. Granted it was an exit fit for a mongrel, but it was an animal's exit so there wasn't much reason to complain. He didn't have to like it, though. He delayed departing from the room, waiting for Mitsuhide to leave and then for Sayuri to follow. His patience - or perhaps reluctance to fall to his knees and crawl - rewarded him with a sight that he really didn't care for: Sayuri gently bringing the injured Nekojima over to the edge of the water. Why she did so, Atsuki didn't understand. Maybe it had something to do with her interest in cats displayed earlier, but he didn't really care. Nevertheless, he waited for her form to disappear into the hole before following through himself, teeth grit and eyes narrowed as he dragged himself along this dusty exit.
o-< > | < >-o​
And then the group reached the barbeque restaurant. It was just about dark and they were all rather peeved - not a good combination at all. Before entering, Mitsuhide turned to the two and began to speak words. "You said that already," Atsuki pointed out simply before walking past Mitsuhide mid-rant, not bothering to waste any time on venting, small talk, or other useless activity. The letter said that their sensei would meet them personally, so they might as well not keep the man waiting and just get this over with already. Upon entering, a brown-haired waitress that could possibly be described by others as attractive, smiled. Atsuki didn't. He just watched with a slightly intimidating gaze, though he meant nothing of it. He was just waiting for the other two to arrive.

On the other hand, Sayuri was shaking. Anger, maybe? Nervousness? Anxiety? Whatever it was, it was manifesting physically. "I can't believe it..." she half-seethed, half-rejoiced, "It's finally over..." Her stomach growled, "And we finally get to eat...!" Indeed, she was hungry, relieved and very, very disappointed, but not in the way Atsuki was. Her disappointment was more in herself and her performance. Her contribution to the group had been the one, mandatory thing at the beginning and nothing else. Her slack had been picked up by the other two; it was like she didn't need to be there. She took a few breaths to calm down before heading inside after Mitsuhide. Unlike Atsuki, she smiled back at the nice waitress woman.

Even with their reactions though, both teammates left the talking to Mitsuhide. Atsuki because him talking in a social, completely casual scenario was hardly a good time for anyone involved and he knew this himself, and Sayuri because she just wasn't used to this much. Fortunately it went reasonably well. More well than if Atsuki - with his ludicrous propensity towards overly complex terminology - or Sayuri - with her lack of social graces - had done so. Probably; Atsuki could at least tell that Mitsuhide wasn't calm, he was just simmering instead of boiling. If there was anything of concern, it was the reaction towards the mention of their sensei. Cringing was hardly a good indicator for anything other than something bad.

Atsuki saw for himself soon enough.

'This has got to be a genjutsu,' he thought, eyes closing as his hands subtly came together into a seal that would break whatever genjutsu had its hold on him. When he opened his eyes, everything was still as it was. Therefore, everything before him was not an elaborate genjutsu.

Lovely.

There were a lot of things that Atsuki was thinking, far too many to list. Most of them were negative. Even so, he tried to keep his thinking on the positive side. It wasn't uncommon for veteran shinobi to indulge in various quirks as a result of their experiences. Perhaps this desire for companionship, cheap, messy food, and drink was his way of coping with his traumati- 'Nonononono,' Atsuki mentally shook his head, 'That's stupid. Our sensei is stupid.' He quietly stood off to the side, observing the conversation held between the two Mitsus which ended in the younger getting trapped in marshmallow hell. Somewhere in there, he heard Sayuri laugh at Mitsuhide's plight. Maybe others would have wished to be in Mitsuhide's position, but Atsuki neither envied nor pitied the Senju shinobi. He just kind of watched in morbid interest. Something about seeing someone trying their darndest to suppress the overwhelming salt was rather entertaining.

When prompted, Atsuki took a seat next to Sayuri, who was seated beside Mitsuhide. The Uchiha looked down at the food offered to them. True to the name of the restaurant, it was assorted sticks of barbeque - a filthy, plebiean food for a sensei he would hold in equal regard until something was done to change his opinion. Nevertheless, food was being offered to him, and it would be rude to deny someone's hospitality. But this could be another trick, a pretense of incompetence meant to disguise another test. Poison? Laxative? He saw Mitsunari's other guests eating, so it obviously wasn't one of those. 'I suppose I need to take it at face value, then,' Atsuki thought. He still didn't eat any though. Barbeque was far too messy for his tastes.

Meanwhile, Sayuri was digging in. She was hungry after all. Fortunately for Atsuki's sensibilities, she wasn't a messy, wolf-like eater. She definitely ate rather quickly though, trying to fill the void that her stomach had become as a result of the tests the group had been put through. "Mmm, this is good," she remarked before her voice began to falter just slightly, "Umm, sensei, if you don't mind my asking, what was all the notes about? Wouldn't there have been a better way to meet up with us other than having us go through all the trouble..?"
 
"Well? What the fuck are you waiting for you little shit? I bought all of this food for my hungry little ninja. Aren't you going at least try one bite of it
?" Mitsunari grumbled at the young Uchiha. He then turned over to Sayuri and chuckled, "Well you tell me what you think that notes were about and maybe I'll tell you what's what." Mitsunari said as he belched loudly and took a long sip of his drink. "So which one of you guys took down that cat huh? Big son of a gun wasn't he little guys? Heck he even had ninjutsu and genjutsu didn't he? He knows his place now there no ninja cats are going to take down my students! Speaking of which where's the note at?" Mitsuhide wasn't all too sure what to say about this guy. He was the complete opposite of what a proper ninja should be. Why was he acting like this? Surely Hiyato wouldn't have agreed to let such an jerk teach them. Mina would have a fit if she saw this. It was not less than Mitsuhide had expected but he had thought and hoped he had been wrong. "Well sensei sir it was the work of all of us together really. No matter how much I hate to admit it we couldn't have done it alone really. But I'm the one who found the note so here you go. Just don'-" Mitsuhide began to say as Mitsunari broke out into laughter and those closest to him could smell the alcohol coming from his clothes and his mouth. "Oh you were the one who stopped that NICE JOB! That's my student ladies! he's a smart little ball of knowledge isn't he?" Mitsunari said smiling and he reached over to the woman with a surprisingly long arm length and and whispered something in her ear in and gave her a drunken smile. After that Mitsuhide was pulled onto the blonde haired woman's lap which just made him blush and feel even more uncomfortable but he didn't say anything. As for Neji, Mitsunari looked at him and grinned, "Oh come on kid don't frown turn that thing upside down ! I mean do you know how many people would love to be in your spot right now!? Hot girls! Food! And you just got the best sensei in existence on your team! Smile a little!" Mitsunari said as he reached out and ruffled Neji's hair in a father like fashion and grinned at him. "Well I bet your hungry! As I said...Izu....Aik....Chizu...Atsuki-little genin dude eat and be merry drinks and food all of it is all on me!" Mitsunari said as he reached over and put an arm around him and smacked his back in a friendly manner. The darker haired woman smiled happily at Sayuri and offered her a glass of water. "That should help and do you need any sauces young lady?" the lady said smiling at her. Mitsuhide wasn't sure if they were mocking her or were literally drunk. All of this was just...bizarre.
 
"..."

Well. That certainly wasn't what Atsuki was expecting. If he was a more of a maudlin sort of person, he might have thought that it was almost like home. But no matter what he could say about the situation, he couldn't say he wasn't at least a little pleased with this development. Even if their sensei wasn't a very ethical person, but he didn't look to be a pushover at least. Or maybe he was an angry drunk; that was also a possibility and, admittedly, he wouldn't be very surprised if that turned out to be the case. Alternatively, he could just be a penny-pincher who wanted to get all the bang for his buck. But even if his maybe-an-angry-drunk-maybe-stingy-maybe-actually-competent sensei insisted upon it with his brutish tone, Atsuki had chosen his path. He would not stray simply because it would be easier to. In that sense, Atsuki could be called the most stubborn of the genin in this group. "No. Thank you," he replied with all the elegance of a swan and the stubbornness of an ox, "I'm sure the others can eat my share." As if to emphasize his points, he pushed the plate away from himself and over to Sayuri. Fortunately his mental discipline was protecting his stomach from any urge to indulge in this messy finger food. Not that he really had any; his sense of distaste overwhelmed any desire to partake in the meal. Besides, he'd already waited this long; he could wait a bit longer. He smoothed out his now-ruffled hair and laid his hands on his lap, trying to do his best to maintain a sense of composure in and make sense of this odd situation. After sensei touched him, he really didn't want to eat.

"Umm... I-" Sayuri hesitated, trying to think up a quick solution to Mitsunari's question. She thought back to the letter assignment and thought hard as she chowed down on the barbeque. By the time she'd come up with an answer, her mouth was surrounded by sauce. "Is it supposed to teach us that we can't always rely on our friends and that we'll have to end up doing things on our own sometimes? Or how solo missions are just as important as group missions because they can be parts of a bigger whole?" she asked as she reached for another barbeque stick - her seventh one, if anyone was counting. After finishing it, she was answered the pretty lady sitting next to Mitsuhide, "Ah no, I don't need any sauce but thanks for the water." She accepted the glass happily and began to down it.
 
"What is my food too poor for a big tough guy like you to handle Atsuki? All well I suppose that just means I'll be putting you on the baby regiment unlike Sayuri then!" Mitsunari said indignantly roughly pulling himself away from the young Uchiha as he went over to Mitsuhide who was too busy trying not too get into a...predicament with the older women around him. He was not at all fond of this situation. He liked pretty women yeah any kid at his age would but when they hang out with his teacher? That's a bit odd. And they looked familiar especially the blonde haired woman. There was something about her that Mitsuhide was sure he should know. He never met the woman but the features of her body..."Well what about you Mitsuhide? You going to eat or are you going to be a boring stick in the mud like your Uchiha counterpart?" Mitsunari asked the young Senju as the women with black hair giggled as Mitsuhide gave a long 'uh' before finally answering the question, "Personally sir I would but something about this seems off to me." Mitsuhide said as Mitsunari spit on the floor and grunted. "The only one with a sense of manners is the girl than. Go freaking figure. And no that's not it but close as that was one part of it Sayuri. Think of the bigger picture what did all of you do today?"
 
This was a hard choice. On one hand, Atsuki could call out their sensei on his uncultured taste in food. On the other hand, that would be bad since it would be calling out their sensei on his uncultured taste in food. It was a conflict of principle vs goals. He wanted to become stronger, and one can't grow stronger without a powerful mentor. However, at the same time, this entire situation was offending his sensibilities. No, he just had to deflect it in a suitable manner. And he had just the idea in store. "No, it's not that," he spoke, "It's just that I'm rather suspicious of your insistence on our eating. Especially after my letter retrieval. But that's neither here nor there. Think what you'd like, sensei."

Atsuki crossed his arms. Admittedly he could've done better with that, but he figured it would be effective enough to deflect it away from the real issue at hand. Plus, if this ended up being a secret test of character like he'd assumed earlier, then goodie for him.

Either way, Mitsunari-sensei had gone on to different pastures so it was no skin off his back.

"Thanks," Sayuri accepted the compliment graciously. It wasn't every day that her manners were considered exceptional; she didn't really get out all that much to improve them. Besides, with what had happened today, she'd take victory where she could get it. Now about that question of their sensei's...

"Well, we had to deal with traps, genjutsu, and a big cat," she answered, taking a few more moments to work out a solution in her head, "And the cat had genjutsu too." Another pause. "So I think it's something about always looking underneath the underneath?" Sayuri suddenly stopped eating.

"..."

"...Umm...Sensei, is this meal a trap?"
 
Mitsunari smiled and chuckled to himself before laughing, and before Mitsuhide knew it so was the blonde haired girl next to him. "Well as a matter of fact it is...never trust anything or something along those lines was what I wrote on that note near the cat right?" Mitsuhide looked at their sensei and that made sense now. Everything, every challenge, and every obsticle was made for a reason. Of course why would he suddenly let them off easy? Mitsunari eased back his messy black hair and put a breath mint into his mouth. "That said you failed this test so you'll be having some belly problems tonight. Your food and drinks were tainted with laxatives. Nothing to serious but just enough to show you how much you failed tonight. As for you Mitsuhide and you Atsuki...you succeeded in the other half but you didn't solve the grand plan did you? Maybe you two thought that I was bull shitting you but you didn't have a way to prove it and you didn't even try to pretend to eat or change the subject. And you let Sayuri go along with it. In a different situation a potential ally could be an enemy and have poisoned all of you. That's why I put you through all of this. Those laxatives will kick in about three to four hours Sayuri. As for you two...well...good job I guess. Not much else you want to hear from me. But I'll answer any questions you have for me now." Mitsunari said as the blonde woman leaned over Mitsuhide's head. "Oh yes and you may know me as Ai Yamanaka from Squad Fourteen. I'm Shina's sensei. Nice too meet you three. And welcome to the ninja world." The woman said as Mitsuhide suddenly realized the situation he was in. He had been sitting next to at least two jounin tonight. The black haired woman simply stayed silent with a sly grin. "Well for starters....WHAT THE FUCK WAS WITH THOSE PAPER BOMBS ON MY ROUTE!?" Mitsuhide growled as he stared at his sensei, "Oh those? Well those were to show you kids that even the most mundane situation can be turned into a death trap. Even the stroll in the woods are filled with hidden perils and you'd do well not to forget that."
 
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