Demon Squad Assemble

Kira couldn’t believe it, tomorrow will be her first day as a fully fledged genin, a shinobi in training she looked at the full moon, she knew she should probably be getting a good night sleep for what would happen tomorrow, but she couldn’t help it, she had to train and grow stronger, to become the strongest kunochi in the village.

Kira had sat quietly in the field, her eyes closed as it appeared that she was doing nothing, in fact she was training her other senses, listening to the sounds around her, the young girl heard a twig snap in the distance and she kept herself from getting alarmed, she listened closely to the footsteps around her coming closer towards her.

Slowly she picked herself up and stood still, the speed of the footsteps were picking up and she opened her eyes, jumping up into the air she did a back flip and pulled out a kunai knife throwing it at the person who attempted to attack her from behind with a kunai knife, she smiled as it hit, but her smile vanished when a puff of smoke surrounded the attacker and it revealed itself to be a replacement with a log. As the rookie genin fell to the ground she started to perform hand seals and as she landed she saw some one come at her from the side and punched her in the face. Kira was sent rolling across the ground stopping near the log with the kunai sticking out at it.

In a puff of smoke, Kira’s body did the transformation jutsu, turning into a log. She waited; her attacker would either think she escaped or lower their guard. Kira’s attacker came close the attacker’s foot inches from her, canceling the transformation jutsu Kira attacked with a kick to the attacker’s chin sending the attacker flying.

she watched as the attacker landed in the distance, standing up the attacker glared at her before running up, kira watched wishing she could have seen her attacker’s identity. Picking, Kira bent over to pick up her kunai from the log and placed it in the holster. She ran from the training grounds that was an interesting spar, I need to find out who that person was so I could rematch them…for now,  I need to get home get some sleep I guess she thought to herself.

The young kunochi made it home, and locked her doors she undressed and went to sleep, the next thing she knew sunlight was on her face and slowly woke up “awww man it feels like I just closed my eyes” she mumbled to herself, the young girl looked at her alarm clock her eyes widen with terror “OH NO IM LATE” she yelled out, Kira jumped out of bed and got dressed she jumped out of her bedroom windrow running towards the meeting place “CRAP IM LATE ON MY FIRST DAY” she yelled running through the village going as fast she could going through the town

501 words

((OOC: Just to let you know Kira you still need to make your character update thread with your starting stats, jutsu, and whatnot before you post again. Also just to let anyone that doesn't already know Demon Squad was the old name of the squad Erwin took over and ours will have a new name once this thread is over.))

Once more it was time for Erwin to take up the reigns of Sensei and tutor the village’s future, although this time around he was in the position to decide who would have the privilege and the opportunity to try out for a position in his squad from the start. There were many promising Genin, and Chuunin for that matter, to choose from but a few stood out. Deciding on which three would have the first chance to try out for his new squad was a rather difficult choice but it came down to two with well known bloodlines hailing from the Land of Fire that the village had fostered from infant-hood and the younger sister of one of his previous students. Kira Hyuga, a child of grief and misfortune whose mother succumbed to a wound given by a Kirigakure rogue after giving birth and was raised by the village henceforth. With the gift of the Byakugan and graduating near the head of her class Kira was an obvious choice.

Tamashi Senju, a victim of jealousy and corruption whose elder brother sold him to the old Kirigakure Administration at the age of 5 days old for the price of killing their parents and ensuring his rise to family head. With the gift of wood release and a preference for both ninjutsu and bukijutsu Erwin may be looking at a future member for the reincarnated Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, at least once he progressed further in his endeavor to reclaim the Seven Legendary Blades. Shinku Shurajo, younger sister of his former student Chikara Shurajo whom suffered, and benefited, from the “not so legal” underground military experimentation run by a sect of the old Administration. The experimentation, dubbed Project Gremlin, was shut down by one of his predecessors but Erwin didn’t exactly disprove of the general idea. He himself was the product of similar experimentation within the Land of Iron and it was a booming success.

Nonetheless with the new potentials notified all that remained was to interview and possibly test them, which he decided would be at the same restaurant he initially met with his last squad. Once again Erwin found himself sitting at a reserved corner table for four at “Bloody Food”, the shinobi diner just outside of the Bloody Mist training grounds, arriving a half hour before the designated time of 8:00 am, although last time around he wasn’t accompanied by an ANBU escort. His faithful “nameless” assistant bearing the mask of a chameleon was standing by, silently standing at attention with his back to the left wall of the restaurant should he be needed. This time around there was also the addition of the Mizukage hat, which was hanging from the back of his chair, as well as another addition hidden under his white trench coat. Apart from that he wore his standard attire in addition to his plated and inscribed eye patch replacement for the standard headband.

[Word Count: 489]

Tamashi took the envelope that had been planted near the door to his little home from its perched spot. Making a clean cut across the top of the white envelope opened it to reveal a yellowed parchment of paper. The young boy felt confused to why he had received this letter. There was no clue to who it had come from when he looked at the front and back of the envelope. A mystery befell upon the Genin, but he knew it would not be solved until he removed the yellowed paper from its container and read its contents.


Finishing the letter with his confusion lifted, Tamashi thought on this idea for a moment. He was not really too keen on joining a squad because it would cause him to feel as though he was having to rely on the powers of others. However, a chance to learn and grow stronger under the Mizukage himself was a rare lifetime chance that very, very few were entitled to being given. An internal conflict begun in the once again confused boy. He dropped, planting himself on the wooden porch of his home, his face void of the rattling battle occurring in his head. Sighing, he came to a decision. Nothing would stand in the way of him growing stronger, not even his own ideals.

Tamashi entered his home to quickly change his clothes. He had made himself a makeshift outfit made out of wolf hide and other materials found in the forest. He knew that he could not go to meet the Mizukage in such an attire. It was then that he realized he did not have anything that fit him. Sighing heavily, he turned and went back onto the porch. Having been carrying his sword and scabbard in his hand, he strapped it to his back, leaped off the porch with Hakuja on top of his head, gripping it tightly. Down from where Tamashi stayed there was a little clothing shop where the owners often took good care of Tamashi. They often gave him food and cooked him meals. It was the only real family that the boy knew of. Entering the establishment, the old pair were thrilled to see the young boy once again. A shower of hugs and kisses met Tamashi who became uncomfortable with the love and affection after being isolated for three years. But he did not fight it. He told the two of his predicament and how he was supposed to go meet the Mizukage in a few minutes. Gasping, the wife grabbed Tamashi by his arm and drug him around the shop to pick out whatever it was that he liked. Finding a black trench coat, black boots, and black kung fu pants and dougi which was sleeveless. Changing out his old clothes for the new ones, he thanked the elder couple, strapped his sword to his back, made sure Hakuja was well placed on his head, then raced out the store toward his destination.

He raced across the many rooftops, the time for the meeting rapidly approaching. The morning mist danced lightly around him in a beautiful array as it reflected the morning light. Having reached the Bloody Mist Training Grounds, the young boy made his way in the direction of the diner that was supposed to be nearby. He found it, the little diner nestled in a ideal location for a business such as itself.

Tamashi entered the establishment, his snow white hair billowing around him cause of the morning wind before settling back in its place. His two red locks that fell over his shoulder were undisturbed by this wind. He made his way toward the back of the diner where he noticed a man sitting in a space that could occupy four people. It also helped to know that there was a difference in the air about this man. Not to mention the attire really helped to give it away. Sighing, made sure to note his entire surroundings, not wanting anything to come out and surprise him. The only other suspicious individuals to Tamashi was the man back against the wall who wore a mask. Must be an ANBU member, he thought to himself. His eyes narrowed as he arrived at the designated table.

Is this the meeting for the squad? he asked in a plain, monotone voice. Sitting down, he kept his attention on the Mizukage, not letting any details escape him and his guard raised. Even though he was in the presence of his superior, he was not going to back down. He held a defiant nature and having the very person who ruled over the entire village only raised the flames that rose in him. His face remained expressionless however, he would show no signs of the fiery spirit that was held within. His undying want to test the skills he had been working on for the past three years. Hakuja crawled from his head and into his trench coat, his head poking out with a shy look. He took his sword and placed it on the table, his right hand on the hilt while the left near the top of the scabbard. He never let his hands leave his sword. As a swordsman, it was one of his principles to do so.

WC:1000

Kira had thought back on the envelope she had received, the location was the training grounds, the time was eight am, Kira stopped to look at a store window, she looked inside at the clock her eyes widen “8:15 am, oh no im late im late she flailed on the spot for the moment, she couldn’t believe she was running so late.

Kira resumed her desperate attempt to get to the training grounds I need to think of an excuse, how about I slept in because the dog ate my alarm, so I had to take him to the vet….no I don’t even have a dog, how about I was cornered by a gang of thugs who wanted to rob me….no it’s unlikely since the reduction of crime….curse the government for finally sweeping up crime….maybe I stopped to help an old lady find her way home, yeah that may just work the young hyuga thought to herself.

Kira had stopped at the scent of food and like a zombie she shuffled to the window and saw ramen noodles being made, she pressed her face against the glass drooling and forgetting all about being late for a moment, when the ramen cook shooed her away she pulled her face from the glass  and looked at her reflection, her cheek had been slightly puffy from the place she was struck just hours ago, she frowned and then remembered the task at hand “CRAP” she yelled again and resumed running.

The young genin had moved as fast as she could, she knew this wasn’t the best way to make an impression and prove herself which was something she actually wanted to do, she wanted to prove that she was just as good as anyone else even if she was little different. The kunochi decided next time she had an appointment she wouldn’t stay up to the middle of the night and train, kira eventually made it to the bloody food diner that was outside the bloody mist training grounds, she frowned looking at the diner, she had made it a habit of avoiding this place because the name sounded barbaric, but it seemed today she would have no choice but to enter the questionable establishment

Kira entered the establishment and looked around, she had no idea who her team mates were , she decided to play it slick and just pretend that he had been at the venue the entire time. Kira snuck around in a stealth like manor tip toeing to the counter and sitting at the counter, but the last spot was stolen from her, she glared at the adult who had stolen her seat and cracked her knuckles she was gonna kick his butt, she stopped and saw the mizukage with the other people “oh right, I forgot about them” she spoke to herself, seeing the empty spot she decided to be ninja and use the awesome power of stealth to try and sneak into the empty seat, quietly the kunoichi walked and sat down casually. She yawned quietly “Wow here with ten minutes to spare” she spoke trying to be subtle.

Word counter

post 1: 501
Post 2: 523

Tamashi Senju was the first to arrive, surprisingly well groomed for a boy that had just spend three years in the wilderness. He must have had some money saved up to buy a new set of clothes to match his growth rate, or at least Erwin thought, but he could do with a hair cut. Erwin had met many shinobi and swordsmen alike that donned excessively long hair but he would never understand the attraction, it was simply impractical no matter what your role was in the military, once they made it to the training stage Erwin would remember to point out that weakness. As least the boy assessed his surroundings as he approached Erwin’s table, a good quality in any soldier. ”Is this the meeting for the squad?” ”It is.” Erwin replied in a professional tone while nodding his head for Tamashi to take a seat. Erwin also took note of Hakuja’s presence, one of the villages “guardians in training”, who crawled from Tamashi’s head into his trench coat.

”I hope the past three years have been productive for the two of you.” Erwin said in a more polite but still professional tone, flashing a light smile at Hakuja once he made eye contact with the young creature. It was nice to see that Tamashi respected his blade enough to remove it from his back before sitting back in his chair. It also seemed that the boy was reluctant to let go of his blade, a notion that would likely be misconceived by most but one that as a fellow swordsman Erwin understood fully. To a true swordsman a blade is an extensions of oneself, and if swordsmanship is one’s primary means of defense or offense then it is wise to keep one’s blade close at hand at all times. It wasn’t long before the second of his potential pupils arrived, Chikara’s younger sister Shinku Shurajo, who approached Erwin’s table in a very direct manner before bowing and introducing herself. ”Greetings, I am Shinku Shurajo, it is a pleasure to meet you.”

”Likewise Ms. Shurajo, I’ve heard a lot about you from your sister, it’s nice to finally meet you in person.” Erwin would respond politely as she took the seat to his right, noticing that she had gone without her eye color changing contact to hide the heterochromia iridum she was born with. Not that Erwin cared, he knew of her “birthmark” from her medical records as well as what he had heard from her older sister and respected that Shinku was proud enough of her own body to go out without her contact, but he was still curious as to how her new teammates may act once they notice. While they waited on their remaining teammate, who seemed to be running a bit late, Erwin motioned for the waiter by briefly raising his left hand. ”Feel free to order something while we wait, my treat.” Erwin would say to his two present students as the waiter approached their table.

”What can I get for ya today Mr. Ekkehard, the usual?” The waiter asked in a friendly tone, he was burly with a somewhat gruff voice but nonetheless honestly nice. ”You know me too well Yama.” Erwin would reply, laughing a bit as he did so. ”What about you two?” The burly waiter asked as he shifted his gazed to the two younger individuals sitting at the table, where he would then wait for them to either order something or politely decline before heading back to the kitchen. Erwin would take this time to answer any questions Tamashi or Shinku had before the true questioning began, although his attention would be drawn as his third and final student finally arrived. While he would be paying attention to the two in front of him Erwin would still be tracking the late arrival out of the corner of his eye, who seemed to be trying to sneak through the restaurant and make it appear as if she had been in the restaurant the entire time.

It was rather entertaining honestly, the seat Kira was going for at the back counter was stolen from her and she appeared to be nearly annoyed enough to threaten the person that stole it from her until she noticed him and the rest of her potential squad sitting at a corner table. She then attempted to sneak her way up to the table and plant herself in the free chair as if she had been waiting for the other two to arrive. ”Wow here with ten minutes to spare.” Erwin let out a few hearty laughs before addressing the late arrival. ”That’s rather bold of you Ms. Hyuga, attempting to play your late arrival off as if you were already here.” There was nothing subtle about Erwin calling Kira out, he didn’t give his last squad, namely Chikara, the courtesy and there was no reason to start now. ”Nevertheless…” Erwin’s tone would switch to a more serious one. ”I would prefer it if you simply admitted your mistake and told the truth behind your tardiness.”

[Word Count: 833]
[Total: 1322]

The young Genin, recently returning from a three year training expenditure in the forest, noticed how the Kirigakure Mizukage observed him from head to foot.  Tamashi did not know how to feel about being observed, but it was something that was expected in this world.  You had to take in everything about the other beings in your vicinity.  Knowledge was a powerful tool, and the more you knew then the more power you had.    Tamashi received an answer to his question that he had asked, before sitting down, to the Mizukage.  "It is," was the reply from the new leader.  The boy took note of the way the Mizukage spoke his answer.  He held a profession tone and it was clear and concise.  So far, Tamashi held an approving ideal of their new and esteemed leader.  He did not have much history with the previous leader.  The most he ever had to do with him was the mission that the previous Mizukage gave to him and the partner that Tamashi had thought he would be making, Rakki.  Even though he had not seen Rakki since that moment in time three years ago, Tamashi did not see the bad in it.  It was because of that particular assignment that he was able to meet his new, dear friend Hakuja.  

”I hope the past three years have been productive for the two of you.” spoke the Mizukage in a more polite yet still professional tone.  Tamashi looked at the Mizukage for a moment before answering.  He thought back on the three years that Hakuja and himself had went through together in an effort to progress and get stronger.  Now that they were being steered onto the subject of the productivity of their training, Tamashi did not know how to accurately speak on that subject.  Deciding to go with a simplistic answer, Tamashi said in an indifferent tone, "Find out for yourself."  The Senju did not say much else on the subject, as he believed actions spoke louder than words.  As he saw how the Mizukage studied the sword Tamashi gripped on the table.  It made the boy wonder if the man held some sort of interest in the Way of the Sword, but he decided not to think much on it.  Instead, his attention was diverted to a new, brisk sound that came down the isle toward them.  Turning, he took note of a young female about his age who gave a formal bow to the Mizukage before introducing herself to him, ”Greetings, I am Shinku Shurajo, it is a pleasure to meet you.”  The girl sat down in the seat next to the Mizukage.  The long red hair of the young girl really stood out to Tamashi.  He did not have long to admire the hair of the girl before the Mizukage once again spoke up.  He once again politely spoke to the girl known as Shinku Shurajo and spoke of how her sister spoke often of her.  It gave Tamashi the knowledge that this girl's sister must have been a former student of the Mizukage.  Through all this, Tamashi still had not noticed the odd "birthmark" of the girl.  His attention was still on the Mizukage and the idea given to the two new students.  The leader gave them permission to order whatever it was that they pleased with no worries of the bills as it would be taken care of by him.  Taking this initiative and the fact that he had not had anything to eat since yesterday morning, Tamashi pondered what he wanted to eat.  A burly waiter soon approached the occupied table with the intention of taking their orders.  The waiter and the Mizukage spoke to each other in an informal tone, giving Tamashi the impression that they have known each other for a while.  The Mizukage ordered his usual, telling Tamashi that he was a regular at this establishment.  Deciding to go on an instinct factor here, when the waiter turned to the girl and himself for what they wanted, Tamashi gave another simple answer, "I'll have what he's having," he stated in his indifferent tone once again.  

Tamashi did not have much else to say.  Speaking was not one of his strongest suits and something he did not plan on improving on.  He much preferred the silence.  Staring at the Mizukage, he noticed the attention of the Mizukage slightly divert from them something else.  Turning in his seat, he noticed a young girl trying to sneak in, attempting to take a seat at the counter, but having it stolen.  He proposed that this was their final teammate who was late to the meeting.  Turning back around, Tamashi held an disapproving feeling about the girl and her tardiness.  It was not until she tried to casually slide into the seat next to him that he made an attempt to say something about it.  ”Wow here with ten minutes to spare,” she said, trying to make it seem as though she was here all along.  Before Tamashi could say anything, the Mizukage beat him to the punch, ”That’s rather bold of you Ms. Hyuga, attempting to play your late arrival off as if you were already here.”  The man followed the comment up with a loud laugh and another statement to try and teach her something, "Nevertheless...I would prefer it if you simply admitted your mistake and told the truth behind your tardiness.”  The sudden shift in tone amused Tamashi.  In this situation, he knew that he should not say anything, but he could not help it.  "You should practice your stealth a bit more," he stated in as innocent a voice as he could manage even though he was making fun of the girl.  

After saying this, his attention turned back to Shinku.  He noticed something interesting about the girl's eyes.  He was surprised that he had not picked up on this before, but he supposed it was because he was too distracted by her hair.  "I like your eyes.  They remind me of my own," he stated, his voice showing a little opening and emotion as he said this.  Before, he had his eyes positioned to where they could not really be seen, but now he allowed them to be fully seen.  There, the black and red eyes with the black cat-like slits were out in the open.  He was proud of the unique traits that he possessed.  From the wild, spiky white hair with two red locks that sat on his shoulders to the unique eye color he possessed, Tamashi was proud of who he was.  His hair reached down to his waist, a product of his three year training in the forests of Kirigakure.  

After showing his eyes, he retreated back into the solitude state that he had before.  However, he did not try to hide his eyes and the red shown brightly in the lighting that they were in.  He turned to the Mizukage, and asked him a simple question while they waited for the waiter to return with the food, "So, what do you have planned for us?"

WC: 1000 + 1188 = 2188

Appearance Images:

Kira had watched and frowned as the sensei had called her bold for attempting to deceive them by making them think she was here the entire time, she frowned as the sensei told her his preference for honesty in admitting tardiness Oh well it was worth a shot, but wow a team full of kunochi, if lord mizukage wasn’t an educator, I would almost pity him…what will he do when it’s that time of the month she thought to herself, she listened to the person beside her telling her that she should practice her stealth, Kira glared at the female with the deep voice, kira had already imagined stabbing the female’s hand with a knife and telling her that she should practice her reflexes.

The  rookie genin huffed and looked over her shoulder to see the guy who had stolen her spot get up and leave “OH you, Son of a” she frowned and had ignored the person next to her complementing her eyes had I waited just a little bit longer, sigh oh well nothing can be done about it now Kira leaned forward and sighed once as the butch female asked about what to do next.

Kira heard the girl speak, she spoke in a peculiar fashion complementing her eyes “Aww thank you, WAIT WHAT” Kira leaned up and she leaned to the side away from the male next to her “You….YOUR A BOY” she yelled out her right eye twitching. Kira started to tug on the male’s hair extra hard especially for that comment he made about her stealth skills “Nope, not a weave…I guess this explains why your voice was so deep” she spoke before giving it one last tug.

The young genin looked forward to the girl and the mizukage this is sweet, this gives me the chance to use my testicular manslaughter jutsu, oh this guy is going to suffer oh yes he is she thought to herself smiling with glee. Kira  stayed quiet before looking at the mizukage “Lets go on a mission and kick butt I am ready hear me ROAR” before the young kunochi could roar, her stomach instead gave a giant roar, the kunochi placed her arms over her stomach and she frowned oh no, I forgot about breakfast….never mind a kunochi must endure she thought to herself frowning, she straightened herself up and decided to push through it, the kunochi looked at the mizukage hmm what was the name of the other two again, were introductions already done…I can’t remember, sooooo hungry…food food food food food food food food…okay enough is enough, food is bad okay food is fattening, just focus on fighting, yeah that’s it, first off im gonna pull on that guys hair, cut it all off so I don’t get him confused with a girl again…the hair is pretty though, I wonder….if I washed it, and tried to sell it to a wig maker, how much would I get for it…probably a ryou or two…look at the split ends she thought to herself.

Kira looked at the girl opposite of her, and had to admit that girl had pretty hair, she could probably make at least fifty ryou from that girl’s hair, kira wanted to ask the second kunochi about the conditioner she used, but decided to say nothing.

Word counter

post 1: 501
Post 2: 523
post 3: 553

”Find out for yourself.” The young Senju replied after thinking it over for a moment. He didn’t speak in a mocking tone or defensive tone, it was more indifferent than anything else, a very literal response perhaps. ”Very well.” Erwin would reply in a professional tone. The boy did have a point after all, the effectiveness of training is best shown by action rather than summed up by words. ”I’ll have what he’s having.” In response to Tamashi’s request the waiter would simply cock a somewhat surprised eyebrow before shifting his attention to Shinku, who for a moment seemed to be lost in thought as she either thought over what to get or assessed the waiter himself, or both for that matter, before actually responding. ”Shinku doesn’t want anything. Shinku made sure she ate before coming. Shinku thanks kind sir for offer though.”

”Alrighty then, I’ll be back shortly.” The waiter responded before heading back to the kitchen. Erwin took note that Shinku still spoke in the third person, a trait she hadn’t outgrown in the past three years, not that it bothered Erwin any. As their final squad mate attempted to sneak in Erwin noticed that both of his other students picked up on her antics as well, something that made him feel good about his decision to choose the two of them. Their admittance to his team was almost assured, however Kira on the other hand would need to work a little harder to make up for the ground she had lost. ”You should practice your stealth a bit more.” A good bit of advice in most cases, and in general, but this wasn’t one of them. Even if somehow she had been elusive enough to evade Erwin’s detection, which would be a feat in and of itself, that didn’t change the fact that she would have needed to evade the Anbu sensor that swept the restaurant before hand and had more than enough time to approach him.

Nevertheless the glare Kira shot at Tamashi made it clear that she was easily agitated, not unlike one of his previous students. Although he wasn’t sure if agitation would easily evolve into hostility with her, Akio on the other hand was able to control that anger rather well. ”I like your eyes, They remind me of my own.” Erwin heard Tamashi comment Shinku’s heterochromia iridum, an interesting action on his part, although he wasn’t sure if it was out of genuine like for her eyes or simply a ploy to get on her good side. Either way Erwin noticed what Tamashi was referring to when he said that they remind him of his own. It wasn’t heterochromia iridum, his irises were the same color in both eyes, but he did have a form of pupil irregularity that made his pupils look like those of the feline variety. Those were new, his eyes were normal before going on his three year wilderness survival excursion, at least it said so in his medical reports.

”Shinku likes your eyes. Shinku things they are pretty.” Good, at least Tamashi and Shinku seemed to be getting along just fine. A sense of camaraderie and friendship aides in squad efficiency, or at least Erwin thought so. ”OH you, son of a…” Meanwhile it seemed Kira was oblivious to the rest of them as she spotted the man who had previously foiled her attempt to blend in at the back counter leaving. ”So, what do you have planned for us?” Erwin’s gaze shifted to the young Senju as he spoke, although before he could reply Shinku spoke up. ”Shinku also thinks the Hyuga is pretty. Hyuga and heterochromia boy should introduce themselves to Shinku before ErwiErwi-sama tells group what they shall do.” An odd nickname but Erwin didn’t mind, nevertheless she had a point, Erwin was the only one who knew who each of them was and one should always know their own teammates.

”Aww thank you, WAIT WHAT!” Kira seemed to be taken aback by something as she leaned away from Tamashi. ”You… YOU’RE A BOY!” Ahh, a victim of the “males having short hair” stereotype, although how she handled her surprise left even more to be desired in the maturity department. Yama, the waiter and co-owner of the restaurant, returned from the kitchen in the midst of the chaos with a platter that held two mugs, a tea kettle, and four tea cups. ”Nope, not a weave… I guess this explains why your voice was so deep.” ”Looks like you’ve got a live one there.” Yama would say to a sighing Erwin as he handed the Mizukage a mug of pitch black liquid, sat the rest of the platter in the center of the table with the second mug closest to Tamashi, then laughed as he retreated behind the back counter. The two mugs contained Yama’s special brew of condensed coffee mixed with some mineral and vitamin additives, although the taste was so strong one could hardly tell, while the kettle held black tea.

Not only was her actions completely immature but they were utterly idiotic. Tamashi’s hands were on his blade, the act of pulling on his hair to see if it was real pretty much begged for an armed response. Hopefully Erwin’s response would interrupt any such action, otherwise he’d need to make sure she wasn’t injured, too much as least. ”Kira!” Erwin would say in a stern, deathly serious tone with a facial expression to match in order to grab her attention, a tone and glare that shook hardened soldiers to their core back in the Land of Iron. Inadvertently him speaking up would also interrupt anything else she would have said in response to something else. ”If you value this opportunity at all I suggest you start acting like it, otherwise I’ll send you back to the academy until you learn how to control yourself.”

Erwin’s threat wasn’t hollow, if Kira didn’t have it in her to be a bit more mature then there was no room for her in his army let alone his personal squad. He knew that everyone had their quirks but immaturity on this level was inexcusable. ”If you do something like that again I won't prevent the reprisal, and you have yet to answer me in regards to your tardiness.” Erwin continued in the same deathly serious tone, keeping his one-eyed gaze locked on her. Hopefully his words would straighten the young Hyuga out a bit, otherwise he would need to follow through with his threat to send her back to the academy. If she calmed down and explained her tardiness honestly then Erwin would move on. ”Now then, why don’t you introduce yourselves to your fellow squad mates.” He would say in a less serious but still professional tone, as long as Kira explained herself, otherwise he would need to respond differently.

[Word Count: 1018]
[Total: 2340]

"Very well," was the response Tamashi received from the Mizukage on the topic of how the Senju's training proceeded in the last three years.  The Senju believed that the man understood what Tamashi meant.  As Shinobi, talking was cheap.  They had to act, and be able to show what they are capable of.  Just talking about it would only lead to more problems, especially if they are unable to back up their claims.  They boy gave a slight nod in acceptance of the Mizukage and the Senju began to feel a bit better about him.  However, he continued to keep his guard up.  After spending three years in the forest with the wild, he had learned to never let his guard down under any circumstance.  

The Senju noticed how Shinku studied himself and even the waiter when he came up.  It showed him that she was obviously well trained and little details more than likely did not slip past her.  Shinku decided not to order anything, Tamashi assuming that she probably already ate before she came here.  That was not want stood out to Tamashia bout her speech.  What stood out to him was the fact that she spoke in the third person.  He found it different and unique.  It caused him to study the girl some more.  He really looked at her, not bothering to hide it.  He was attempting to see what type of background she could have come from.  What kind of environment she may have been raised up in.  Yet, with the way she dressed and held herself, it did not add up to the way she spoke.  It was a mystery to him and caused confusion to slip past his apathetic wall and show on his face.  It was only for a second that this emotion showed as he quickly corrected himself and ceased with the staring.

“Shinku likes your eyes. Shinku thinks they are pretty,” was what Shinku told Tamashi after he showed off his irregular eyes.  A small, awkward smile crept onto Tamashi's face.  It was an action he had not done in years, and doing it now feel unnatural to him.  He would have replied back, but the girl next to him Kira sudden outburst beat him to the punch.  color=#ff0000]”OH you, son of a…”[/color] spoke the shocked, and possibly upset Kira.  Tamashi turned in the direction her and even the Mizukage were looking.  Realization dawned on him as he noticed that the seat Kira was attempting to take up when she first arrived was being vacated now.   The Senju chuckled on the inside at this little notion.  

Tamashi was about to receive an answer from the Mizukage about his question of what they were going to do next when Shinku spoke up first, ”Shinku also thinks the Hyuga is pretty. Hyuga and heterochromia boy should introduce themselves to Shinku before ErwiErwi-sama tells group what they shall do.”  Tamashi found this notion to be reasonable and a respectful thing to do.  They had already been here for several minutes, and still did not now Tamashi's name.  Nodding in agreement, Tamashi prepared to speak his name, when another outburst from Kira, and this one completely catching Tamashi's attention, shot forward.  ”Shinku also thinks the Hyuga is pretty. Hyuga and heterochromia boy should introduce themselves to Shinku before ErwiErwi-sama tells group what they shall do.”  As she said this, she began pulling on Tamashi's naturally long, white hair.  Irritation showed on his face, his hand tightening around the hilt of the blade.  This was a blow to not only his pride as a Shinobi, but as a man as well.  ”Nope, not a weave… I guess this explains why your voice was so deep,” she stated, giving it one last tug, as though whether his hair was real or not was up for a debate.  

Feeling vastly irritated now, Tamashi had begun sliding his sword out slowly, intending to not severely hurt the girl, but to just show her that he did not appreciate the disrespectful comment or actions.  The blade was several inches out, the light from the diner shining on the cool, blackness when the Mizukage's words stopped him, ”Kira!” the Mizukage exclaimed in a serious, deathly tone that held a facial expression to match.  It was unlike the profession voice or enlightened expression that he had been using up till now.  It even froze Tamashi in what he was about to do.  ”If you value this opportunity at all I suggest you start acting like it, otherwise I’ll send you back to the academy until you learn how to control yourself.”  The threat from the Mizukage caused Tamashi to sheathe his sword, not wanting to be the one receiving this ungodly wrath.  ”If you do something like that again I won't prevent the reprisal, and you have yet to answer me in regards to your tardiness,” spoke the Mizukage in this serious tone once again.  Tamashi continued to look indifferent, but on the inside he was attempting to control the vastly battling emotions of fear and respect.  He respected this man for being able to bring about command and fear into his soldiers so effectively, but he feared him for it just as much.  This was not what he had heard about of the new Mizukage, although to be fear after spending three years in the woods he had not heard anything about him.  Tamashi even noticed the little side comments that the ANBU member was saying to the Mizukage every now and again.  The man was not even going to let Kira slack on being tardy.  It was a respectable action.

”Now then, why don’t you introduce yourselves to your fellow squad mates,” came the normal, professional voice of the Mizukage that Tamashi had become accustomed to.  The shock lessening now, his blade was back in its sheath, but his hand still gripped to it.  He now noticed the plate of food and mug of black liquid that was placed in front of both the Mizukage's and his sides.  He took a quick look around to see when the waiter could have approached the table with their food, but he figured it was probably during all the commotion that had erupted.  Still feeling a little irritated bout before, the Senju shrugged it off and decided to just focus on the Mizukage and Shinku.  

"I am Tamashi Senju of the Senju Clan found in the Village Hidden in the Leaves, he stated with no emotion.  It was obvious that he was not used to talking, especially with others.  Hakuja once again popped out of his coat, having retreated into it during the small confrontation.  He began chewing on the food in front of Tamashi.  Petting his head softly, with his left hand so that his right was still holding the hilt of his sword, he decided to introduce his friend.  "If you are wondering, this little guy is Hakuja.  He is an Auk and my best friend," he said with a bit of passion and care showing in his voice for his little friend.  After making his introductions, he would take up the mug of black liquid, turn to Kira, and wait for her to make hers.  While waiting, Tamashi would be sipping on the warm, black liquid.  It held the taste of coffee mix, but it was different than regular mix and held other additives as well.  The drink was strong, but Tamashi drunk it unaffected.  He was used to far stronger and worse from living in the forest.  He would not even notice the strength of it, just drinking it as though it was a normal drink.  It would also be worth mentioning that he had not ate or drunk since yesterday morning, so anything was good to him right now.  

WC: 1000 + 1188 = 2188 + 1370 = 3558

Kira was close to whacking the male on the head just out of pure spite, She was startled when the sensei announced her name sternly, she could feel shivers going down her spine. She hated being in trouble, it never seemed fair to the young hyuuga, that other people got her in trouble and she’s the one being yelled at. She smiled awkwardly at the facial expression, it was an expression as frightful enough to make her pee her pants, but thankfully she was running on an empty tank.

She frowned, awww why did sensei have to be so serious, he is kind of scary…hmm I should probably be nice to my gender confused team mate and wait for the time to strike…tescicular manslaughter jutsu…..or shaving his head she thought, having that very thought was enough to make her smile, but she suppressed it not wanting to make it look like she wasn’t taking this whole thing serious.

She swallowed the air “Well you see sensei, the reason why I was late…is because my dog swallowed my alarm clock, and when it went off his belly started ringing, naturally I was shocked so I took him to the vet, and then I woke up and I realized that I didn’t even have a dog….or alarm clock for that matter, but when I looked at the time I rushed out immediantly, and then well I sort of got a little bit distracted, but come on im hungry…and then I thought about just coming in and saying I was late, and then I remembered a shinobi’s art is meant to be secrecy and deception, so why not practice deception by sneaking in and being secretive about it, but then some douche bag stole my seat and have I mentioned im hungry sensei…oops I mean to summerise, I was late because I slept in” the kunochi ranted thinking it was better to be honest in the end.

Kira frowned, she paid attention as the gender confused male spoke, introducing himself as tamashi senju, a name she would not forget she rolled her eyes as he identified himself with the crummy leaf village, so what if his clan came from the leaf didn’t mean he had to bring it up, she watched the creature come out of the coat “hey I am pretty sure that’s against OH&S occupational health and safety, to have critters in an establishment” she mumbled. Before the female had spoken.

Kira had listened to shinku introduce her self proclaiming with enthusiasm, she nodded her head listening and folding her arms until it was her turn to introduce herself “My name, Is Kira Hyuga of the hidden MIST!!! village, and I want….To be the very best, like no one ever was…I will become legendary kunochi to protect the hidden mist village and become it’s hero so I can inspire other girls to greatness, to believe in themselves and prove that while it may be a men’s world it’s only because we women let them have it… oh and I want to KICK BUTT” she threw her fist into the air with enthusiasm, while it may looked like she was an idiot and potentially insane, her grades proved otherwise.


Word counter

post 1: 501
Post 2: 523
post 3: 553
Post 4: 535

As Erwin observed his two punctual students study each other he noticed a look of confusion dawn upon Tamashi’s face, probably due to her odd habit of third person speech. It wasn’t often that you came across someone like Shinku, Tamashi should count himself lucky that she had outgrew her habit of examining people’s mouths, but it wasn’t something that impaired her ability to relay information so there was no need to try and push her towards the standardized method of speech. Erwin also noticed his awkward smile after Shinku complimenting his eyes before they were distracted by Kira muttering as she watched the man who had stole her seat leave. As Erwin had expected the young Hyuga’s rude outburst directed towards the young Senju coupled with the pulling of Tamashi’s hair struck a rather sore nerve, sore enough that he started to slowly draw his blade after the latter, although Tamashi showed a respectable amount of restraint for a kid his age with being able to manage his aggravation that long.

Erwin’s stern warning was rather successful, causing Kira to straighten up as well as preventing Tamashi from lashing out at her, not to mention striking a bit of fear into the both of them. Noticeably enough Shinku was unaffected by his tone and demeanor, although it’s not like she had a reason to be nor did Erwin expect her to be, but it did speak to her desensitization at the hands of the Gremlin Project. He couldn’t help but wonder how deep the emotional conditioning that Shinku went through ran, undoubtedly their process would have evolved from what he had heard from Chikara by the time Shinku was taken in, perhaps in time that information would reveal itself. Nevertheless the majority of Erwin’s attention was on Kira as she took a deep breath before explaining her tardiness.

”Well you see sensei, the reason why i was late… is because my dog swallowed my alarm clock, and when it went off his belly started ringing, naturally I was shocked so I took him to the vet, and then I woke up and I realized that I didn’t even have a dog… or an alarm clock for that matter, but when I looked at the time I rushed out immediately, and then well I sort of got a little bit distracted, but come on I’m hungry… and then I thought about just coming in and saying I was late, and then I remembered a shinobi’s art is meant to be secrecy and deception so why not practice deception by sneaking in and being secretive about it, but then some douche bag stole my seat and have I mentioned I’m hungry sensei… oops I meant to summarize, I was late because I slept in.”

That long of an explanation wasn’t exactly what Erwin had in mind but Kira did tell the truth in the end, and that was all he really wanted. He knew that shinobi are still human, and most genin were still children, mistakes are bound to happen. To him what was important was how they handled their mistakes and whether or not they sought to better themselves because of them. ”As long as you learn from your mistake and try not to let it happen again I’ll drop the issue, but I would suggest you tell me the truth from the start in the future. As far as food goes you missed your chance to order something this time around, you'll need to wait until the meeting is over.” Erwin said in a slightly less stern professional tone, accepting Kira’s explanation for the time being, although with the slight swelling of her cheek he doubted that was everything to the story. It wasn’t hard to imagine her getting into a fight with someone else the night before and forgetting about getting up early for the meeting.

After all was said and done with Kira Erwin nodded for Tamashi to start the introductions. ”I am Tamashi Senju of the Senju Clan found in the Village Hidden in the Leaves.” The tone Tamashi spoke with was somewhat awkwardly emotionless, then again he had been away from human interaction during his three year leave, it’s easy for one to grown unaccustomed to having conversations in that time. With the tension somewhat relieved Hakuja poked his head out from Tamashi’s coat once more, having retreated into his coat when Erwin confronted Kira. Erwin also took note of how Tamashi treated the young Auk, he seemed to care greatly for Hakuja, perhaps Osharu was right in trusting him to Tamashi. ”If you are wondering, this little guy is Hakuja. He is an Auk and my best friend.”

After giving his introductions Erwin was surprised to see Tamashi take up the mug of pitch black coffee and drink it without so much as a notion against its strong taste, nonetheless resilience of taste buds didn’t exactly mean resilience to caffeine, if he drank too much of it too quickly Erwin would have to stop the boy before he gave himself a heart attack. While he himself was practically immune to the drink’s effects Erwin doubted that Tamashi would be the same after spending three years without access to anything with caffeine, and this drink in particular was especially potent. He also saw Kira roll her eyes at the mention of the Hidden Leaf, kind of ironic considering her blood heritage originates there as well. ”Hey I am pretty sure that’s against OH&S, occupational health and safety, to have critters in an establishment.” Kira would mumble, which in response provoked the same deathly serious glare from Erwin as before, silently telling her to mind herself and move on.

”My name is Kira Hyuga of the hidden MIST!!! village, and I want… To be the very best, like no one ever was… I will become a legendary kunoichi to protect the hidden mist village and become its hero so I can inspire other girls to greatness, to believe in themselves and prove that while it may be a man’s world it’s only because we women let them have it… oh and I want to KICK BUTT.” Well Kira certainly didn’t lack for enthusiasm, but such a lofty goal requires a lot of dedication, only time would tell if she had it in her to stick to that goal and make a name for herself. Although the part about inspiring more girls to greatness seemed kind of unnecessary nowadays. Erwin ran the military with a strict code of equality, to the point where all men and women are subjected to the same exact tests, there may be less women than men in the military due to the physical requirements set in place but every woman in this military earned her place the same as every man.

”Shinku’s name is Shinku Shurajo, little sister to Chikara Shurajo. Shinku is happy to meet you all!” It also seemed Shinku inherited her sisters bubbly facade, although Erwin wasn’t completely sure that it was one, perhaps Shinku wasn’t faking to hide a darker truth. Although if she wasn’t faking that could mean darker things lurked below the surface than those within her sister. ”Now that you’ve introduced yourselves why don’t we get started. Before the physical examination begins I’d like to ask a few questions. Why do you believe you were chosen as my potential students? What do you have to offer our village? And how would you deal with a knife-point hostage situation?” Erwin’s line of questioning may have been a little unorthodox but it was how he deciphered his subordinates. There was no such thing as a wrong answer to these questions, only answers that allowed him to peer into his students and get a glimpse of the future them so he could efficiently train and place them where they would benefit his nation the most.

[Word Count: 1011]
[Total: 3351]

After finishing his rather simplistic introduction, the boy would silence himself and quietly finish his plate of food. He did not know these people besides their names and of course the village they reside in; therefore, he had yet to find a reason to try and get close to them on a personal level.  Yes, they were his teammates, and he would be obliged to work with them, but beyond that he did not find a reason to begin a friendly relationship with them.  Due to these feelings, he kept an unbroken, apathetic expression on his face as he listened to his new teammates and sensei speak.  

”Well you see sensei, the reason why i was late… is because my dog swallowed my alarm clock, and when it went off his belly started ringing, naturally I was shocked so I took him to the vet, and then I woke up and I realized that I didn’t even have a dog… or an alarm clock for that matter, but when I looked at the time I rushed out immediately, and then well I sort of got a little bit distracted, but come on I’m hungry… and then I thought about just coming in and saying I was late, and then I remembered a shinobi’s art is meant to be secrecy and deception so why not practice deception by sneaking in and being secretive about it, but then some douche bag stole my seat and have I mentioned I’m hungry sensei… oops I meant to summarize, I was late because I slept in,” spoke the rather annoying kunoichi beside Tamashi in a much unneeded rant.  The young Senju found such an odd excuse unsatisfactory.  As a Shinobi, they were meant to be the foundation and protectors of those who resided in their village.  Shinobi are the pillars that keep everyone's spirits held up high.  If they were late just because a dog ate their alarm clock then try to cover up such an incident with failed tactics of deception and secrecy, well it would be a wonder how this world had survived for this long.  

Despite this way of thinking, Tamashi noticed that the Mizukage seemed to accept this excuse.   ”As long as you learn from your mistake and try not to let it happen again I’ll drop the issue, but I would suggest you tell me the truth from the start in the future. As far as food goes you missed your chance to order something this time around, you'll need to wait until the meeting is over,” stated the Mizukage in a less professional tone than before.  The young boy rolled his eyes, not expecting anyone to see him perform such an action.  He did not agree with the Kage on this, but he did not feel like voicing his opinion.  Tamashi was then placed at the forefront of another topic started by Kira that sent his blood running hot.

”Hey I am pretty sure that’s against OH&S, occupational health and safety, to have critters in an establishment,” the girl tried to mumble, probably not expecting anyone to hear her.  Tamashi gripped his sword's hilt even tighter, itching to unsheath the blade and slice the girl a new attitude.  Despite his obvious physical resentment, Tamashi kept his face blank, a task that was growing more and more difficult as he sat here beside the Hyuuga child.  "Well, if it is such an issue, you can always leave.  I mean, if you are so against critters being in an establishment then we do not know why one such as yourself is even in here," he stated with cold resentment toward her.  The words coming out through his teeth with resounding and quiet anger.  Hakuja could sense the displeased emotions emanating from his master and nuzzled closer to him.  The little auk always found a way to calm down the raging emotions that often found their way through the barrier that Tamashi attempted to keep up and block them off.  Due to his anger, he did not even notice the deathly stern glare aimed at Kira from the Mizukage Erwin.  

”My name is Kira Hyuga of the hidden MIST!!! village, and I want… To be the very best, like no one ever was… I will become a legendary kunoichi to protect the hidden mist village and become its hero so I can inspire other girls to greatness, to believe in themselves and prove that while it may be a man’s world it’s only because we women let them have it… oh and I want to KICK BUTT,” stated with a large amount of enthusiasm and gave the air a punch with her fist to top everything else off.  Tamashi did not think the girl could be any more of a dunce, but he continued to be proven wrong with each assumption.  Even though her ideals were admirable, she continued to show the immaturity that would very much hold her back from accomplishing such goals.  How could Tamashi take her seriously when she committed such actions as she just did?  It was implausible to him.  

The young female with the beautiful eyes spoke up with an energetic fervor that even Tamashi found almost contagious and soon found himself calming down.  “Shinku’s name is Shinku Shurajo, little sister to Chikara Shurajo. Shinku is happy to meet you all!” voiced the enthusiastic female in her third person speech.  The uncommon speech coupled with the soft, girlish giggle was an adorable aspect to Tamashi, but he kept these thoughts to himself.  After Shinku finished introducing herself in such an energetic fashion, the only one left to do so was the big-mouthed girl beside Tamashi.  

With  introductions now out of the way, Tamashi expected the real meeting to begin.  His eyes focused on the Mizukage, expecting him to speak up next with some type of challenge for his young pupils.   ”Now that you’ve introduced yourselves why don’t we get started. Before the physical examination begins I’d like to ask a few questions. Why do you believe you were chosen as my potential students? What do you have to offer our village? And how would you deal with a knife-point hostage situation?”  The questions that Erwin asked the three of them were random and rather unorthodox.  Tamashi was trying to figure out the reason why he would ask these three questions in such an order.  To him, the questions were lined up with increasing difficulty, but could be easily answered so long as one spoke truthfully.  Figuring that this was just how the Mizukage planned to decipher his new pupils, Tamashi spoke first of the three, not bothering to think anymore on the subject as he would just speak truthfully from his heart and soul.

"Your three questions are rather intriguing, and when one really think about it, quite clever.  You intend to figure us out by our answers.  Therefore, I will go first and give you mine.  To the first, you choose me because I may have been at the top of my class, but my way of complete things is different from the rest.  While they spent their time trying to rise through the ranks as quickly as possible, I have been a Genin for three years simply by choice.  I have had no sensei these entire three years.  Instead, I choose to train in a forest during those times to develop my skills as a Shinobi so that I would be above the rest.  Rushing head first into something is not always the smartest thing to do.  Plus, as a Senju, I am the only one here in Kirigakure; therefore, it is smart to take one who is originally from Konoha and not only keep an eye on, but to train into a powerful weapon that can help Kirigakure rise to the top.  I mean, it was a Tojirama Senju, my ancestor, who built Konoha and is considered the God of all Shinobi.  For the second, the answer is similar to the first.  I believe I am able to offer a mind that is unburdened with the strains and ties of relationships that can find its way into the decision-making process," spoke Tamashi will little to no emotion in his voice.  He stared straight at Erwin, not blinking as he relayed his first two answers.  "Your third question is my favorite of the three.  You will probably be able to tell more of my personality via the answer I am about to give you.  It is my belief that someone who has to take a hostage in the first place is weak and I despise weak.  Therefore, I would simply  use a deceptive tactic.  By turning my back to the criminal and acting as though I am giving him what he want and walking away, I will be secretly using my Mokuton to create wood that would rise from behind him and incapacitate him that way.  He would be too focused on making sure that I am walking away that he will not notice what is going on behind him.  Once he is incapacitated, and the hostage freed, I will commence with erasing the weak from this world,"   Tamashi finished, his eyes full of a cold, excitement at the thought of this plan following through.  

The boy knew he probably sounded like a psychopath to the others, but it did not bother him.  After being alone for so long, he had learned to detach himself from the world.  He knew that he was not completely detached as he still held worldly feelings for certain people, but he would work on eliminating those feelings.  He believed that he would not be able to exact his revenge on his brother until he had completely detached himself from this world.  Once the other two would answer the questions provided by Erwin, Tamashi would speak up once more, "What are your answers to these three questions?  Why did you choose us?  What do you think we have to offer?  And what would you do in that knife-hostage situation?"  The boy wished to learn more of his Sensei.  Therefore, he wanted to know how he would answer these questions.  

WC: 1000 + 1188 = 2188 + 1370 = 3558 + 1771 = 5329