Post by phulishone on Mar 30, 2008 12:07:36 GMT -5
Season One, Episode One
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Seventy years. Seventy. Long. Years.
Almost every morning, students come into the pristine, clean two building room that was Yuugukure Academy. They found the people they had chosen to be friends with, chosen to be comrades for, at least for the seven years that they were in the Academy.
Age didn’t matter. The Academy took new students as old as ten years, but they would have to finish before they turned seventeen.
Size didn’t matter. The Academy took new students as young as five years, so long as they continued growing.
And it was all in the same two rooms. Some days I would take the younger students. Some days, Ikioi-san would. We never planned it. Never sat down and divided up who got which pupil. We knew it didn’t matter, really. If they could use chakra, they could be taught. If they couldn’t use it… they could still be taught, just… differently.
It’s interesting to watch young lives take shape, be molded into something knew. It’s probably why I’ve done it for these past seventy years. Why I listened to that ringo-baka in the first place.
And it’s a real pleasure to see those students who’ve been with us long enough, who show the most skill, the aptitude, to graduate to genin.
I just wish that ringo-baka’s brat could spare more jounin. If there were more, I wouldn’t have to do this. I hate failing students for no reason.
I hate failing them even worse for these reasons. Ikioi-san won’t like this.
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Seven minutes. Seven. Long. Minutes.
They weren’t quiet. Those minutes. Nine students sat in waiting, to find out if they passed their final exams, and if they did, who would be on what team with them.
“You know the worst part, Shuten-chan?” Keiryuka was jabbering again in her annoyingly high pitched voice.
“No, Yuka-chan, what’s that?” Pleasant and friendly as always, Shuten smiled at the younger girl.
“If even one of these boys here fail, two other boys will have to stay behind with him another year, just cause there’s only nine of us.” Keiryuka spit out the word boys like it was something she didn’t like the taste of. “Of course, you and me and Yaku will be fine, Shuten-chan. Nothing for you to worry about. I’m sure you passed this year, I’m sure of it.”
“Oh, give it a rest, Keiryuka-chan. I’m tired of having to listen to you every day.” Rigai laced his fingers behind his head and leaned back on them. “I don’t know what I’ll do if I end up in a squad with you. Probably plug my ears with wax and use every other sense like Blindface here.”
Rigai nodded towards Kenma, but before the blindfolded boy could respond, Mukiryoku woke with a loud yawn. “What time is it?”
“Good morning, sleepyhead,” Sumomo patted Mukiryoku on the back. “You woke just in time. I think Seiseki-sensei is about to come in. I just saw him outside the window.”
Mukiryoku blinked his eyes wider and scratched above his eyebrows. Not really thinking, he pulled the dust from his eyes and flicked them across the room… straight at Keiryaku who felt it hit the back of his neck.
“Eeep!” Keiryaku shivered and scrunched down, swatting away at his neck with both hands frantically.
“Nice shot, Morningbreath!” Rigai seemed to have pet name for everyone, and he laughed at his cousin with no regret.
“Uh, thanks?” Mukiryoku was still not really awake, or he wouldn’t have said that. Keiryuka, in midstep to stop Rigai from laughing, turned on her heels and stared at Mukiryoku with animosity.
“Muki! YOU! You did this?! On our graduation day! I swear, if I end up in a cell with you, I’m going to make your life miserable, do you hear me. No one messes with my brother and gets away with…”
“Enough.” A simple word. That’s all it took. Keiryaku doesn’t speak much, but his twin sister hears every word.
“But Yaku-kun, he…”
“Didn’t do it on purpose. Enough. I just… just freaked out. I’m nervous.”
“Sensei comes.” It’s freaky the way that Kenma always seems to know when someone is around the corner. But everyone believed him. They have seen him be right about these things, even if he is blind.
So everyone was in their seats and eagerly attentive at the end of those seven minutes.
When Seiseki-sensei walked into the room, he held up his clipboard and sighed an old man’s sigh. In his other hand was a box, which he set down on the table.
“Before I read this, I want you all to know something. Of the five hundred or so students that I have taught, you nine are of the most interesting. You all are very skilled in your own rights, and it’s an honor to have you as my last Academy students.”
“Sensei, you are… you are retiring?!” Sumomo shouted, surprised.
“Yes.” Everyone was surprised. Seiseki-sensei not in the academy would be like a day without gravity, or not having to breathe. He was a constant. “Yes, Sumomo-san, I am retiring from the Academy. Ikioi-sensei will be promoted to jonin and a new chunin will be found to help him. But I’ve got better things for these old bones to do then to wake every morning at dawn and come into this place full of kids.
“But that’s not really the reason you all are here today. You are here to find out which three of you will be put into a cell together.”
“Only… Three, sensei?” Shuten’s voice quivered, very worried.
“Yes. Only Three. The Yuugukage couldn’t find more than one jonin who wasn’t doing anything to train genin this year. And since a squad is not made up of nine students… some of you will be failed. I’m sorry.”
Silence. Silence filled the room as everyone stared at Seiseki-sensei.
“Please don’t feel bad. If more jonin would have been found, then all nine of you would have passed. But… Well, when I call your name, please come get your headband and go outside to meet your new squad leader. I hear he’s very skilled.” Seiseki-sensei pulled off the lid of the box, and everyone could see that inside were the metallic headbands that signified a person as a ninja of the Village Hidden in the Twilight.
“Nokemono,” All four Nokemono’s leaned closer towards the front of the class, waiting for Seiseki’s slow voice to say their first name. “Keiryaku.”
The quiet boy smiled wide for a second, then solemnly stepped forward to take his headband. He didn’t look at anyone else as he exited the Academy.
Seiseki-sensei waited a maddeningly long time after Keiryaku had left before saying the next name. “Iwaba Sumomo.”
Something small chattered happily as Sumomo stood up, took his head band, turned to the rest of the class and grinned. The plump boy looked like he wanted to say something… but didn’t know what. So he left with a, “Thank you, sensei.”
“And finally… Nokemono Keiryuka.”
“YES! In your face, Rigai!” Yuka-chan pumped her fist up and down and stuck out her tongue at Rigai as she ran to the front and grabbed her headband. Smugly, she said, “Thank you, Seiseki-sensei. Sorry for the trouble I caused.”
Neutrally, Seiseki-sensei answered, “You were nothing compared to the First’s antics.”
Cowed some, Yuka-chan left the Academy. The last new genin of this year’s Team One. What was, apparently, the only team.
Shuten began to cry. “No, no, no, no, no! It isn’t fair. It isn’t fair! I, I, I worked so hard this year, I did. I… I… it isn’t fair, Seiseki-sensei!”
Seiseki-sensei bit his lower lip and nodded. “I know.”
“And how is it, sensei, that Keiryaku, Sumomo, and even Keiryuka were passed, when those three had worse grades than me or Sir Absentalot.” Rigai looked furious as he stuck his thumb towards Shinku. “I mean, the three of them as a squad makes sense, it does… but really, I at least know I had better scores than those three! Why does the bottom and middle of the class get the jonin, and the top student get passed over? That’s really not fair!”
Again, Seiseki-sensei nodded. “I know.”
Mukiryoku had moved lazily over to Shuten’s side, and for once, his eyes looked very alert as he tried to comfort her.
“And this was Shuten’s last year. She’ll be eighteen soon.”
“I know.” Seiseki-sensei coughed a hacking, old man’s cough, hiding his face for a moment.
“Sensei.” For the first time today, Shinku spoke. “You said that the Yuugukage couldn’t find any jonin that didn’t have anything else to do, didn’t you?”
“That’s right. All other jonin are being called on some missions and ruins excavation duty. There are no appropriate chunin that can be promoted for the job, otherwise that would have been done as well.”
Shinku smiled a small smile. “Sensei. You are retiring.”
Seiseki-sensei grinned in return. “Yes. I said that.”
“You are a jonin.”
“I suppose I am.”
“What are you going to do in your retirement?”
Seiseki-sensei looked down at the box. There were three more headbands in there. “Why, you know, Shinku-san, I have nothing else to do. I suppose… I suppose I’ll lead a squad of genin.”
Shuten looked up and stopped crying. Everyone was staring at Seiseki-sensei again.
“Has the Yuugukage approved this, sir?” Kenma asked politely.
“He just did. That’s why I was late. So, when I call your names, please come get your headbands and meet me tomorrow morning at eleven in front of my house. Mihari Shuten.”
Wiping away the tears, Shuten stood up and hugged Seiseki-sensei. As the old man blushed beat red, she tied the headband onto her arm and left the room.
“Enshi Mukiryoku.”
Slowly, the short boy, who used to be so full of energy, accepted his headband and left.
“And finally, Nokemono… Rigai.” Smugly, and without a word, Rigai shifted his two swords behind his back and walked up to get his headband.
His final words before he left the Academy were, “See you later, cousin Absentalot.”
So. There stood Seiseki-sensei, his box of headbands empty. And three students are left.
“As much protesting as those three just did, I would have expected more from you three. I should have known better. If a jonin got to choose the students he would take as genin, it would have been you three. But the Yuugukage feels that the three names I just called would benefit the most from my wisdom. Rigai-san is brash, and I’ll need to beat a level head into him before he begins to shine like his father. Shuten-san is skilled, but unsure of herself. And I’m one of the few people who knows what to do with an Enshi.” Seiseki says all the quietly, privately, as though talking to himself.
“As for what is to become of you three… Well, I expect that you’ll be top of the class next year. For now, the Yuugukage has said two things that I am supposed to say to you. One, stay together. As far as he is concerned, you are your own genin squad. You should get to know each other better, so that when you pass next year – and believe me, unless you do something extremely stupid, you’ll pass next year – the jonin that becomes your squad leader will be the one who has to fit with you three, instead of pulling all four of you together.
“And the second thing… Genki-sama wishes to see the three of you. I don’t know why. But when you’re ready, head on over to his office.” With that, and another hacking cough, Seiseki-sensei leaves.
The three of you are left alone in a, suddenly, very empty room.
((OOC: Well. There it is. The beginning. Feel free to post. I, of course, still need the name of one of you. If that same person finds something wrong with their nameless introduction, I will be happy to change it. And there is a rules change for jutsu that is still pending, but not necessary right now. So… let the fun begin.
Oh yes… please select your colors within your first post. I didn’t know what they would be, so I ignored them in the previous post. I still lay claim to shades of red for DM characters.))
"The One Cell Left Out!"
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Seven hundred years. Seven. Hundred. Long. Years.
The same two building room. Arranging the desks the same way, every morning. Making sure that there are enough desks out for forty students, in their perfect little rows, with enough space between them so no one feels crowded. Cleaning the chalk board so Seiseki-sensei doesn’t have to. Sitting down and waiting for the rest of the kids to come in.
Listening to them chatter away.
Watching them become friends, become rivals, become bitter enemies. Seeing the lives change of nearly a thousand different people, each year losing a few and gaining more. Hearing the rumors about how a former student does this now, and a kunoichi is off on that mission.
Listening to them chatter away.
Waiting. Waiting to see if anyone notices. If anyone sees. Almost no one ever has. It is a rare student who even questions how the small building, their so called Yuugukure Academy, stays so perfect. It is an even rarer student who wonders why it is impossible to cheat while inside. Why even thinking of cheating alerts Seiseki-sensei or Ikioi-sensei to look in their direction. Not even the spirit eyed Nokemonos truly see. But they are the most likely to talk, they are the ones that are watched most closely. They find the seals the quickest, try to figure out what they are for, but Seiseki-sensei doesn’t know. Ikioi-sensei doesn’t know. So they only smile, nod, let the children speculate.
Listening to them chatter away.
There have been only two. Two who have ever seen. He Who Came First and They Who Was Told To Look. Only the former was worthy, and his life was too short. It was taken too soon, and with too much regret. Why was there so much regret? Never before. And probably – hopefully; by the souls of the nine, please! - never again. They Who Was Told To Look visits occasionally. With him and Him, words are exchanged. Always respectful. But They end up arguing amongst themselves. They Who Was Told To Look does not get along. Though They have been told, They still bicker and quibble. Posture and pose. Pain and suffer. Yell and scream.
Listening to them chatter away.
It’s almost enough to drive you mad.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Seventy years. Seventy. Long. Years.
Almost every morning, students come into the pristine, clean two building room that was Yuugukure Academy. They found the people they had chosen to be friends with, chosen to be comrades for, at least for the seven years that they were in the Academy.
Age didn’t matter. The Academy took new students as old as ten years, but they would have to finish before they turned seventeen.
Size didn’t matter. The Academy took new students as young as five years, so long as they continued growing.
And it was all in the same two rooms. Some days I would take the younger students. Some days, Ikioi-san would. We never planned it. Never sat down and divided up who got which pupil. We knew it didn’t matter, really. If they could use chakra, they could be taught. If they couldn’t use it… they could still be taught, just… differently.
It’s interesting to watch young lives take shape, be molded into something knew. It’s probably why I’ve done it for these past seventy years. Why I listened to that ringo-baka in the first place.
And it’s a real pleasure to see those students who’ve been with us long enough, who show the most skill, the aptitude, to graduate to genin.
I just wish that ringo-baka’s brat could spare more jounin. If there were more, I wouldn’t have to do this. I hate failing students for no reason.
I hate failing them even worse for these reasons. Ikioi-san won’t like this.
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Seven years. Seven. Long. Years.
That’s about how long it takes to take a kid from Yuugukure and shape him from child to genin.
For most students, it’s a fairly simple process. Come in six days a week to the strange two room hut close to the center of Yuugukure, listen to the old windbag Seiseki lecture, and watch carefully as tiny, little Ikioi demonstrated that even as small as he was, he was still a chunin in the prime of his life.
Learn from the two of them for nearly seven years, and if you learned enough, you’d be put into a squad with two other students who learned enough. Sometimes you even got your friends. Most of the time, you got people who would soon be your friends.
But it still took a very long time. And you’d have to put up with the big kids, first. The ones who’ve been there longer. Then you have to put up with both the big kids and the little ones, who just got accepted into the Academy. And finally, you’d only have to deal with the annoying brats who haven’t been here long enough to be even thought of as potential ninja.
There were a little over thirty of those brats this year. It’s amazing how Ikioi-sensei and Seiseki-sensei can handle all the different age levels under one roof. But Ikioi has been a chunin for almost ten years, or so they say. And it’s not even rumor to know that Seiseki-sensei is the oldest man in the village, with a claim to having taught the First Yuugukure himself. So it’s no real surprise that they can handle it.
Thankfully, today, the day of graduation, those thirty one kids who weren’t ready got the extra day off. Everyone else, the nine kids who, including yourself, have been here for almost seven years or more, have to come see Seiseki-sensei one more time as he tells you what the squad formations are.
- Nokemono Shinku, the class genius, and the class shirker, even showed up for today. The youngest Nokemono, he never really showed up for class, but when he did, he passed all his tests and trails with flying colors. Everyone in the village seems to expect great things of Shinku-san, for some reason. The ease with which he performs things, when he bothers to come to the Academy, is enough testament that those feelings are not unfounded. He is always staring oddly at the desks and the walls, though, and the earring he wears is even weirder.
- Sleeping in the back, as usual, was Enshi Mukiryoku. Four years ago, Muki-san was the most energetic ten year old kid in class, almost unstoppable in his enthusiasm. But then, one day, he went the medic nin building to visit his father, and when he came to class the next day, he slept through it. Slept through pretty much the last four years of class. But he showed up. The curious part was, neither Seiseki-sensei nor Ikioi-sensei ever woke Muki-san up. They just let him sleep. When he was awake and talking, his hands were weaving bits of string and wire together.
- Nokemono Rigai is the second son of Nokemono Ritkichi. Not that Rigai-san would let anyone forget that. But when the boastful, and betimes, loud, Rigai finally settled, he had a certain sort of flair to him that made other people slightly jealous. Just like his father, medical jutsu seemed to come easy to Rigai, and just like the rest of his family, spirits and minor kami seemed to be at his beck and call. Rigai-san would often show off his specially crafted twin blades, sharp and deadly, that tapered into hooks at the end. And though he would beam with annoying pride, when it came time for practice, the oldest Nokemono in class knew how to handle them.
- Iwaba Sumomo, the plump little boy who sat in the center of the room, was nothing special. He smiled at everyone, made friends easily enough, always had a spare plum for those who forgot their lunch, and struggled through lessons that were hard, but had an easy time in school otherwise. About the only odd thing about him with the strange scurrying and chittering sounds that were always near him, in his desk, or under his shirt.
- The strangest kid in class, and it doesn’t take much to know that that statement is saying something, would be the blind one. Ryouji Kenma, very tall for his age, black haired, pale skinned, exceptionally skilled at the minor tests that the Academy put all their students through, did it all. And Kenma-san did it all blindfolded. There were strange rumors that he wasn’t actually blind, just faking it, trying to make himself look cool. But every time he ran into a desk, or accidentally tripped on a rock that was obviously avoidable, that rumor was thrown aside. Kenma-san is fiercely loyal to the Yuugukage, which has made the other students careful around him with what they say.
- Of the two girls in the oldest group of Academy students, Mihari Shuten was the most beautiful. She was also the oldest student still in the Academy, having failed her tests last year. She worked hard, and was friendly to everyone, but each of the students here knew that if she didn’t get in a squad this year, she’d be asked to leave the Academy. Her specialty was kunai knives, something not even Shinku-san was able to best her at, genius child that he might be.
- The other two Nokemono children in the classroom came as a pair. Litterally. Nokemono Keiryaku and Nokemono Keiyuka, brother and sister, were twins. Unlike their cousins Shinku-san or Rigai-san, neither seemed particularly skilled at one thing or another. Yuka-chan was the loudest person in class, and very protective of her brother. She was pretty good at the Ninjutsu tests, but abysmal at Genjutsu or Taijutsu. Yaku-chan was the quietest kid in school, absolutely excellent at all the Genjutsu tests, but horrible at Ninjutsu or Taijutsu. Keiryaku was also the class scaredy cat. Nearly anything spooked him. Together, the two sibling were tough; apart, they were not impressive in the slightest. Two minor Otter kami were often seen with the twins, for some reason, though never in class.
- The last boy in class was on oddity unto himself. Taking to Taijutsu as though he invented the skills, Shinichi Nakashima was an exceptional ninja, no matter his other flaws. Supposedly, his parents died while he was very young, and ever since, he’s been living with an old man in the outskirts of the village. He didn’t make friends easily, but seemed to get along all right with Sumomo-san and Shuten-san when they approached him. Seiseki-sensei doesn’t seem to like him, but Ikioi-sensei was very proud of the young man for his Taijutsu skill.
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Seven minutes. Seven. Long. Minutes.
They weren’t quiet. Those minutes. Nine students sat in waiting, to find out if they passed their final exams, and if they did, who would be on what team with them.
“You know the worst part, Shuten-chan?” Keiryuka was jabbering again in her annoyingly high pitched voice.
“No, Yuka-chan, what’s that?” Pleasant and friendly as always, Shuten smiled at the younger girl.
“If even one of these boys here fail, two other boys will have to stay behind with him another year, just cause there’s only nine of us.” Keiryuka spit out the word boys like it was something she didn’t like the taste of. “Of course, you and me and Yaku will be fine, Shuten-chan. Nothing for you to worry about. I’m sure you passed this year, I’m sure of it.”
“Oh, give it a rest, Keiryuka-chan. I’m tired of having to listen to you every day.” Rigai laced his fingers behind his head and leaned back on them. “I don’t know what I’ll do if I end up in a squad with you. Probably plug my ears with wax and use every other sense like Blindface here.”
Rigai nodded towards Kenma, but before the blindfolded boy could respond, Mukiryoku woke with a loud yawn. “What time is it?”
“Good morning, sleepyhead,” Sumomo patted Mukiryoku on the back. “You woke just in time. I think Seiseki-sensei is about to come in. I just saw him outside the window.”
Mukiryoku blinked his eyes wider and scratched above his eyebrows. Not really thinking, he pulled the dust from his eyes and flicked them across the room… straight at Keiryaku who felt it hit the back of his neck.
“Eeep!” Keiryaku shivered and scrunched down, swatting away at his neck with both hands frantically.
“Nice shot, Morningbreath!” Rigai seemed to have pet name for everyone, and he laughed at his cousin with no regret.
“Uh, thanks?” Mukiryoku was still not really awake, or he wouldn’t have said that. Keiryuka, in midstep to stop Rigai from laughing, turned on her heels and stared at Mukiryoku with animosity.
“Muki! YOU! You did this?! On our graduation day! I swear, if I end up in a cell with you, I’m going to make your life miserable, do you hear me. No one messes with my brother and gets away with…”
“Enough.” A simple word. That’s all it took. Keiryaku doesn’t speak much, but his twin sister hears every word.
“But Yaku-kun, he…”
“Didn’t do it on purpose. Enough. I just… just freaked out. I’m nervous.”
“Sensei comes.” It’s freaky the way that Kenma always seems to know when someone is around the corner. But everyone believed him. They have seen him be right about these things, even if he is blind.
So everyone was in their seats and eagerly attentive at the end of those seven minutes.
When Seiseki-sensei walked into the room, he held up his clipboard and sighed an old man’s sigh. In his other hand was a box, which he set down on the table.
“Before I read this, I want you all to know something. Of the five hundred or so students that I have taught, you nine are of the most interesting. You all are very skilled in your own rights, and it’s an honor to have you as my last Academy students.”
“Sensei, you are… you are retiring?!” Sumomo shouted, surprised.
“Yes.” Everyone was surprised. Seiseki-sensei not in the academy would be like a day without gravity, or not having to breathe. He was a constant. “Yes, Sumomo-san, I am retiring from the Academy. Ikioi-sensei will be promoted to jonin and a new chunin will be found to help him. But I’ve got better things for these old bones to do then to wake every morning at dawn and come into this place full of kids.
“But that’s not really the reason you all are here today. You are here to find out which three of you will be put into a cell together.”
“Only… Three, sensei?” Shuten’s voice quivered, very worried.
“Yes. Only Three. The Yuugukage couldn’t find more than one jonin who wasn’t doing anything to train genin this year. And since a squad is not made up of nine students… some of you will be failed. I’m sorry.”
Silence. Silence filled the room as everyone stared at Seiseki-sensei.
“Please don’t feel bad. If more jonin would have been found, then all nine of you would have passed. But… Well, when I call your name, please come get your headband and go outside to meet your new squad leader. I hear he’s very skilled.” Seiseki-sensei pulled off the lid of the box, and everyone could see that inside were the metallic headbands that signified a person as a ninja of the Village Hidden in the Twilight.
“Nokemono,” All four Nokemono’s leaned closer towards the front of the class, waiting for Seiseki’s slow voice to say their first name. “Keiryaku.”
The quiet boy smiled wide for a second, then solemnly stepped forward to take his headband. He didn’t look at anyone else as he exited the Academy.
Seiseki-sensei waited a maddeningly long time after Keiryaku had left before saying the next name. “Iwaba Sumomo.”
Something small chattered happily as Sumomo stood up, took his head band, turned to the rest of the class and grinned. The plump boy looked like he wanted to say something… but didn’t know what. So he left with a, “Thank you, sensei.”
“And finally… Nokemono Keiryuka.”
“YES! In your face, Rigai!” Yuka-chan pumped her fist up and down and stuck out her tongue at Rigai as she ran to the front and grabbed her headband. Smugly, she said, “Thank you, Seiseki-sensei. Sorry for the trouble I caused.”
Neutrally, Seiseki-sensei answered, “You were nothing compared to the First’s antics.”
Cowed some, Yuka-chan left the Academy. The last new genin of this year’s Team One. What was, apparently, the only team.
Shuten began to cry. “No, no, no, no, no! It isn’t fair. It isn’t fair! I, I, I worked so hard this year, I did. I… I… it isn’t fair, Seiseki-sensei!”
Seiseki-sensei bit his lower lip and nodded. “I know.”
“And how is it, sensei, that Keiryaku, Sumomo, and even Keiryuka were passed, when those three had worse grades than me or Sir Absentalot.” Rigai looked furious as he stuck his thumb towards Shinku. “I mean, the three of them as a squad makes sense, it does… but really, I at least know I had better scores than those three! Why does the bottom and middle of the class get the jonin, and the top student get passed over? That’s really not fair!”
Again, Seiseki-sensei nodded. “I know.”
Mukiryoku had moved lazily over to Shuten’s side, and for once, his eyes looked very alert as he tried to comfort her.
“And this was Shuten’s last year. She’ll be eighteen soon.”
“I know.” Seiseki-sensei coughed a hacking, old man’s cough, hiding his face for a moment.
“Sensei.” For the first time today, Shinku spoke. “You said that the Yuugukage couldn’t find any jonin that didn’t have anything else to do, didn’t you?”
“That’s right. All other jonin are being called on some missions and ruins excavation duty. There are no appropriate chunin that can be promoted for the job, otherwise that would have been done as well.”
Shinku smiled a small smile. “Sensei. You are retiring.”
Seiseki-sensei grinned in return. “Yes. I said that.”
“You are a jonin.”
“I suppose I am.”
“What are you going to do in your retirement?”
Seiseki-sensei looked down at the box. There were three more headbands in there. “Why, you know, Shinku-san, I have nothing else to do. I suppose… I suppose I’ll lead a squad of genin.”
Shuten looked up and stopped crying. Everyone was staring at Seiseki-sensei again.
“Has the Yuugukage approved this, sir?” Kenma asked politely.
“He just did. That’s why I was late. So, when I call your names, please come get your headbands and meet me tomorrow morning at eleven in front of my house. Mihari Shuten.”
Wiping away the tears, Shuten stood up and hugged Seiseki-sensei. As the old man blushed beat red, she tied the headband onto her arm and left the room.
“Enshi Mukiryoku.”
Slowly, the short boy, who used to be so full of energy, accepted his headband and left.
“And finally, Nokemono… Rigai.” Smugly, and without a word, Rigai shifted his two swords behind his back and walked up to get his headband.
His final words before he left the Academy were, “See you later, cousin Absentalot.”
So. There stood Seiseki-sensei, his box of headbands empty. And three students are left.
“As much protesting as those three just did, I would have expected more from you three. I should have known better. If a jonin got to choose the students he would take as genin, it would have been you three. But the Yuugukage feels that the three names I just called would benefit the most from my wisdom. Rigai-san is brash, and I’ll need to beat a level head into him before he begins to shine like his father. Shuten-san is skilled, but unsure of herself. And I’m one of the few people who knows what to do with an Enshi.” Seiseki says all the quietly, privately, as though talking to himself.
“As for what is to become of you three… Well, I expect that you’ll be top of the class next year. For now, the Yuugukage has said two things that I am supposed to say to you. One, stay together. As far as he is concerned, you are your own genin squad. You should get to know each other better, so that when you pass next year – and believe me, unless you do something extremely stupid, you’ll pass next year – the jonin that becomes your squad leader will be the one who has to fit with you three, instead of pulling all four of you together.
“And the second thing… Genki-sama wishes to see the three of you. I don’t know why. But when you’re ready, head on over to his office.” With that, and another hacking cough, Seiseki-sensei leaves.
The three of you are left alone in a, suddenly, very empty room.
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((OOC: Well. There it is. The beginning. Feel free to post. I, of course, still need the name of one of you. If that same person finds something wrong with their nameless introduction, I will be happy to change it. And there is a rules change for jutsu that is still pending, but not necessary right now. So… let the fun begin.
Oh yes… please select your colors within your first post. I didn’t know what they would be, so I ignored them in the previous post. I still lay claim to shades of red for DM characters.))