As she had grown accustomed to, Midori sat now at her desk in the administration office, reading through the papers as she now prepared herself to the duty of assigning squads. A simple enough task in her mind, however, there was also a part of her that was looking forward to it. Due to the lawless nature of the village while she was training, she herself was never a part of a squad, or a team at all. Her mind flickered to the squad system, barren, and left without supervision. Her brow furrowed as she flicked through the documents of assignable shinobi, both for the position of leading a squad, and for those that were requiring a squad to be assigned. She looked through the rosters of squads to be filled. Numbers. Just numbers.

Shaking her head, Midori’s puppet arm extended to grasp at the quill at her desk, taking hold before retracting back to her side, wherein she dipped the tip into the ink, and set to work. The squads could be numbered, sure, however, formality was such a bore. The village needed life. It needed something unique about it. Her mind shot through, racing around for ideas. Finally, as if in epiphany, an idea popped up, bright and brilliant as a firework. She took a blank piece of parchment, scribing down her ideas, before putting the quill into ink, and standing up, moving over to the corner, where a humanoid puppet stood at the ready, it’s back facing Midori. She approached, opening a segment in the back of its head which held parchment in the form of a book. She began flicking through the pages, eyes scanning wildly as she read through the index. Midori finally settled on an area, looking now through various details on flowers, as well as something very particular about them. A flower with a sole petal. A flower with two petals. A flower with three petals. A flower with five petals. A flower with eight petals. It continues in such a pattern, a combination of Pythagoras theorem and flowers, taking the patterns in which the numbers shift in account with the number of petals found on a flower. She began skimming through her book for varying flowers with different names and different amounts of petals.

Finally sat back down, she began skimming through the squad rosters, writing the name of a flower next to each one: and when she ran out of flowers to name, due to too large a number of petals in the pattern, she restarted, going back and forth. Finally, after an hour of simply adding names to documents that pre existed, blank templates that needed to be filled… she was done. Now she simply had to sort through her files. Assign squads. Of course, she herself wanted to take a squad as well. To give a teamwork potential that she herself was not given the opportunity to take. Her hands took hold of a large document folder, each one showing the genin currently on roster. Shrugging, she decided to flick to a random page. “Eenie meenie minie… Aha! This one!” she declared, suddenly pointing dramatically with an extending finger towards a photograph of a student. A younger looking male who seemed to still be in his years of growing up. His hair was blonde, and his expression was one of content, and smiling. She read what reports she could gather on the boy. Sutaka, eh? Sutaka, Suzumiya, a medical specialist like herself. Shrugging, she wrote down the name. The first student to be selected for her squad. Squad 1.

Next, she turned through the pages once more, allowing chance to give her the squad, just because in her mind, that’s all life really came down to. Midori had no right to choose who went with who, unless in a dire situation with explanation. And just like that, her hand fell on a page. As in, she just decided to stop it there. Rokumaru, Sabaku. An odd name, but, whatever. His age was perfect as well, the same as the Sutaka boy. The name Sabaku was one she recognised, one of the main clans of Sunagakure, and known for wielding sand. His appearance was fairly basic, young, and had spiked orange hair. Chalk that one onto the list, and with a quick movement of the quill, his name was added to the paper. Helped that he used puppetry, so, Midori could teach him something.

One last page flick. Flicker flick flick flick. Oh, there we go! She scanned this last one. Ah, another male. Eh, that sucked, but, at least the trio were all the same age. Haruka, Sabaku. This meant another sand user, right? Even more so, supposedly this last one is quite the oddity, versed in sealing arts of all things. The boy was somewhat younger than his peers would be, and his hair was long, black, and loose. His skills were not anything she had any extreme knowledge of right now, but, perhaps she would be able to impart some Kage wisdom anyways. Was that a thing? Who knew, put him on the list regardless.

Her squad now assigned, Midori simply had one detail left to do. She wrote her own name out on the parchment, holding it up to the light. A smile was upon her face. Squad lily. The flower of peace, the single petal flora. Pleased with her work, she set out to begin setting up the squads for everyone else, following the same process that she had done for her own squad.

A few days later…

Midori began scribing, her arm fluently tracing against the parchment as she made three separate letters to send out. Today was the day she would organise the meeting with her own squad, something which she had been focusing on Kage duties too much to work on organising. For all they were probably concerned, perhaps they expected themselves to not be in a squad. Whatever it was they felt, Midori wanted to get them to do things, to work to unify her village every step she could, and the first step she could personally take, without paperwork, is to interact with her squad. Get to know them, and let them know each other. She finished writing.

Dear Guest,

You have been assigned to Squad one, nicknamed the Lily squad, of Sunagakure no Sato. As a member of this squad, you are to work together with your allies and your sensei, form strong bonds, and make memories. Strengthen yourself, work hard, and help the village and your loved ones. Your sensei will be revealed to you at the meeting place, which has been assigned as the commonly visited location of the Meeting Cactus, just outside of the village walls. The time of meeting will be at 0800 hours, on the upcoming Wednesday that you receive this message. Please try to not arrive too late. Your sensei will be waiting there for you.

Signed,
The Sunagakure no Sato Administration Office

Her letters each finished, she ensured that they were sealed, before handing them to delivery ninja, who quickly left. It was just in two days that the meeting was to occur, and until then… Midori still had paperwork to do. She sighed, getting on with the paperwork.

Two days later…

The meeting cactus was empty, the reason she had chosen to make sure it was so early in the morning. She stood there, about half an hour early, dressed in her usual beige attire. To nobody’s surprise, she had made sure to be the first to arrive. Next to the Kazekage, her primary purpose puppet stood – Hippocrates. And attached to the back of Hippocrates, where a cup holder was situated, a flask of water was secured. Yet then, stood next to her puppet creation, Midori had an idea. A little first test, to see how clever her students would be, as well as how they would react. Standing in front of her puppet, she began forming hand seals, preparing herself to use the transformation technique, before poofing and transforming herself, into a smaller humanoid puppet. In her puppet disguise, Midori simply allowed herself to sit down against the puppet, and wait. Who would be the first to arrive? Who would start the conversations? Who would be the last? The little tests could prove interesting if nothing else, and so, she waited.

1401

Chakra: 265/270 (-5 for transformation technique)

Jutsu used:

You couldn't catch Rokumaru in a bad mood on most days. True, occasionally something would come along and put a damper on his spirits; he pulled a bad mission to undertake, another girl spurned him and called the boy the usual names, sometimes he even got a bit of sand in his milk and would grate on his teeth when he ate cereal. But otherwise the pale redhead was a happy and wholesome boy, full of what he affectionately called the Will of Wind. It worked for the entire Sarutobi clan so he could say the same thing about himself. Take the teen add in a few cubic meters of sand and you've just multiplied his joy.

But on other days, there was nothing that could compare to the excitement and eagerness he had felt, like when he received that letter just this past Monday. Rokumaru had been a Genin for about two years now and had requested assignment to a squad with a sensei to learn from as soon as he graduated the Academy, and for those two years had never received a reply. Either through a lack of capable shinobi to teach a squad or no one taking the time to sort out the system, no official squads sponsored by the village had been set up. It had been up to Roku during that time to fend for himself when it came to training in ninjutsu and puppetry from whatever tutor he could find, often irritating his clan members for a few tips here and there for controlling Sabaton or snooping through book stores for instruction manuals on controlling a puppet. Granted, the boy hadn't exactly learned nothing from fending for himself those past few years; maybe with a squad he wouldn't have had time to learn to cook those damned snakes into something tasty from trial and error countless times, and it would limit the amount of time he could spend playing around in the desert outside Suna. Still, the pros outweighed the cons by a wide margin, and the boy was happy to finally be accepted into a squad.

The letter he had found in the mailbox this past Monday night was professional and to the point: he had been assigned to Squad One along with a few other people and a single sensei, and described where and when to report for duty. The name of the squad put him off a bit, 'Lily' Squad. As a proud and testosterone fueled teenage boy, he balked at being a part of a squad named after a flower, a rather pretty one too he had to admit. 'Really should have seen this a mile away, Roku', the boy chastised himself inwardly. The new Kazekage, while likely highly skilled in shinobi arts and one of the most capable people in the entire village, was still a woman. And Roku knew that women liked soft and delicate things that smelled pretty, which must have explained why they didn't appreciate the boy's rugged handsomeness. 'They couldn't have picked something more intimidating to go with? Saguaro Squad, now that rolls off the tongue!'. Still, beggars could not be choosers. He was lucky to get a squad at all.

Yesterday crawled by so slowly it felt like an entire week. But now, Wednesday morning had dawned on the sleepy, sandy village of Suna, and that meant the time to meet his squad was soon at hand. It would be a new chapter for the redhead as he gained a dedicated teacher to train him in the skills his career required.

The day was started just after the sun rose from behind the distant dunes around 5:00 A.M, the boy rested from an early night in bed and filled with energy for what was to come. He ate a quick bowl of sandy cereal that didn't put a dent in his exuberant demeanor, washed himself off in a purposely cold shower and groomed himself to perfection. Rokumaru had it stuck in his mind that a lovely young lady could be sharing the squad with him, and he put in his best effort to look like a million ryo in human form. Showered and shaved, dressed in a crimson t-shirt under his black windbreaker as well as his usual black cargo pants and black shinobi boots, Roku slung his heavy gourd into his back and left his home with a skip in his step.

The meet place for Lily Squad's first rendezvous was the old Meeting Cactus a short walk from the gates of Suna, a massive specimen that had become a prominent landmark to generations of Sunagakure citizens. Roku had been there just once in the past as a little boy roaming around the outskirts of the city, and it was where Roku first learned that the plants could not be climbed using just your hands. The meeting was scheduled for 8:00 A.M that morning and he left half an hour before he was supposed to be there. The walk would take only about 20 minutes from his house, even if he moved at a leisurely pace, and he wanted to get there just a bit early to scope out his squad as soon as they came. He would have tried to reach the Meeting Cactus even earlier than 10 minutes prior, but it was bad manners to someplace extraordinary early just as much as it was to be late. First impressions were everything.

The early morning sun was bright and hot and would only get more scorching, just how he liked. If the symbol of Suna hadn't been an hourglass the next best thing would have been a sun Complete with heavy sun bursts. There were a few people exiting the village with Rokumaru, merchants with a long road ahead as well as Suna-nin on missions, but those thinned out the further they got from the village. The Meeting Cactus was just off the road a few hundred feet from the main road leading North to Konoha and Iwa, meaning the only people who could be found along the path to the ancient Cactus had business there. The walk over the dunes was hot and tiring, doubly so with an enormous gourd of loose sand weighing down his back, but the excitement he felt pushed him onward.

It had to be around 7:50 when the Meeting Cactus came into view, its single violet flower in full bloom from the spring weather. To his chagrin he was not the first to arrive: standing just a few feet from the cactus was a short blonde-haired boy, a simple straw hat hanging from his neck. The stranger didn't exactly have the look of a shinobi, those bright blue overalls something a civilian farmer would wear, but the fact the stranger was standing here at the cactus made him think otherwise. Leaned up against the cactus were two separate puppets, and with those being there Rokumaru knew he had the right place.

He wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead and grimaced at the stranger, before approaching him. Roku held the straps on his gourd as he spoke. "You are here as a part of Lily Squad as well?" But he already knew the answer to the question and was asking more for confirmation.

With a sigh Rokumaru slid the gourd's straps off his shoulders and placed it on the sand a few feet from both the straw-hat wearing stranger and those puppets, then taking a seat on the bulky container to wait. The puppets leaning against the cactus likely meant his sensei would be a puppeteer like himself, and there was still a chance the third member of his team would be a lovely young lady, so he waited under the hot sun silently as he watched the path towards the village for anyone else to come.

WC: 1333

She watched from the puppet form she had created for herself as the students she had arranged arrived. The first to arrive was one of the two Sabaku, and the youngest of the group – Haruka. Yet it appears he was not intending on waiting politely where he could be seen, moving over to a distance away from the location, and transforming. A prankster, or is it done out of malicious reasons? If he tried anything, she could always stop him. Still, it was just a rock, a simple enough disguise. The next to come was Sutaka, the farmer boy. According to the reports, he was a rather gentle soul, so, it’d be interesting to see his reaction to the whole thing. He simply seemed to look around, hand helping him to stop the sun. A rather carefree attitude, and perhaps more confused by the lack of anyone there, despite his punctuality of being early. Then finally, the last one came, the red haired Sabaku, Rokumaru. His identity was obvious as a sand wielder from the gourd he carried, and shortly after his arrival, Haruka revealed his own presence. Was he just shy? That was odd for a student, but, perhaps it was due to the new experience.

Before Midori could reveal herself though, it seemed Haruka had picked up his sense of courage, walking directly towards the puppets – and Midori. She watched through the eyes of the puppet as he approached closer, and closer. Without warning, his hand shot out, grabbed the disguised Midori, and tossed her aside. It was at this moment that Midori was very glad she didn’t suffer from motion sickness, feeling herself cartwheel in the air before landing safely in the sand. She wasn’t super happy with being quite literally tossed aside, so, as she heard Haruka’s question, it seemed as good a time as any to speak up and reveal her presence. “That puppet belongs to me!” her voice called out, before Midori undid her transformation technique, standing amidst the sand where she was thrown before walking over to her squad, eyes scanning over each one of them individually.

“Haruka, Sutaka, and Rokumaru. Welcome to squad one, or, Lily. I am your Kazekage, and your sensei. My name is Midori, and I’m from the Ningyou. I am sure at some point we’ll be properly acquainted as allies and comrades, but first…” she stepped over to Haruka, striding through the sands with a stern look on her face. Her puppet limb quite apparent, she allowed the limb to creak to the side ominously slowly, humming quietly as her gaze kept intensely at the somewhat creepy boy. “Haruka. You are the youngest of the squad, but, that will not excuse that sort of behaviour. We are all shinobi here – not children. If you don’t know who a piece of property belongs to, you should not simply grab a piece of said property and throw it aside for further inspection. That is both selfish, and unkind to whoever it is that you’re messing with. I ask that you take that into consideration in the future. If I catch you doing it again… Well, I’ll allow you to imagine the punishment.” She said, shrugging before moving over to stand next to her puppet.

“This here, is Hippocrates. Rokumaru, I read in your report that you are a puppeteer. If you work hard, perhaps I’ll teach you a thing about some tips and tricks. I’ve kind of been surrounded by the craft as a part of my whole life, so, I’d like to think I’d be able to offer some sagely wisdom!” she laughed slightly, nodding to herself before taking a scroll out, unravelling it, and sealing her puppet back within the scroll, rolling it back up, and putting it on a harness at her side. “So, yes. You’re probably wondering why you three are the ones chosen for this particular squad. Well, there was a very particular process. I made sure to personally investigate the profiles of those within the village. I’ll admit my memory isn’t good, so, no, I don’t know who every shinobi in the village is. But, I decided you three would be a wonderful team together.”

She smiled, her flat out bullshit lie made. She was like a politician already. Except, she couldn’t keep a straight face, giggling slightly before shaking her head. “I’m just kidding. I chose you at random. But! After that, I did look it up, and I think each of you has a very unique potential.” She declared, nodding and crossing her arms. The cadmium blue of her eyes scanned the trio in front of her, who she probably cut off before they could speak as she went on her tirade of monologue. She wasn’t used to really, any form of social interaction, so perhaps having a squad would be good for her. The three before her were the new shinobi of the village – genin of a still young age, still a long way to grow, and still innocent in their eyes and mind. Not that there was anything wrong with it. In fact, she hoped to nurture this. To help them grow into fine people.

“But, I won’t tell you about yourselves. So, instead. Why don’t we do introductions? Each of you, introduce yourselves. Your names, your skills, your aspirations. And to take a leaf out of tradition, we all have something that leads us. So, what’s your ninja way? Let’s see… You there, you go first.” She said, pointing to Sutaka, before shifting her finger to Rokumaru. “Then for some reason my convenient gut feeling is telling me you should be the second to introduce yourself… which leaves…” her voice trailed off as the wooden finger simply turned, the rest of the arm motionless, to point at Haruka. “You.” It’s great how convenient for posting order the powers of chance are.

Shrugging, Midori simply plopped herself down onto the sand, looking at her newfound students expectedly. “Go on then. Its story time, and once you’ve all introduced yourselves, I have a fun little test. I think I’ve talked enough and stalled everything enough. So, don’t be shy, and meet your new friends!” she declared with a grin, giving two thumbs up, and having a very carefree expression upon her face.

1051 + 1401 = 2452

Chakra: 260/270 (-5 for sealing technique)

Jutsu used:

The question kept going through his mind. Where was everyone? It didn't make sense to him that he was the only the only one there. He did wake up more late than usual that morning, so it could be that he missed the whole squad meet up altogether. Though, that didn't make much sense either. He was the type of person that always, always, made sure that he was on time. It just didn't seem like a probable possibility to him. The real kicker to this whole situation was that their supposed sensei wasn't even there, and Sutaka was sure that he couldn't have beat whoever it was. He kept asking himself where they could possibly be, did the puppets belong to them? The answer to that was most likely yes, but that posed an even bigger question. Where were they at and why did they leave their puppets? Was it possible that they were some sort of test? It wasn't unlikely, but Sutaka didn't really like tests, so he left it at that. He kept surveying the area, looking for some sign of another person, hoping to find the answers to the several questions that circulated throughout his mind.

To his surprise, it turned out he didn't go to the wrong cactus. It quickly became clear to him that this was indeed the right place, it just seemed that he was the first one to arrive. Weird, right? It didn't take that much time for another person to pop up in Sutaka's vision, walking towards the cactus from a distance away. Was it possible that this person was a part of his squad? Or was he an enemy sent by the sensei as another test!? That probably was it, so it had to be a comrade, right? As the person approached, Sutaka put his hand down back by his side, putting both of his hands on his waist. As they got closer, Sutaka was able to get a good look at them. They had a weird hairstyle, spiked and red, which made him look like some delinquent. The boy's red shirt and black windbreaker only added to the delinquent look, which Sutaka didn't feel so good about. One thing that stuck out from his appearance was the large gourd on his back. Sutaka thought that that looked somewhat familiar, as the majority of the village's shinobi wore one just like it. He felt like it was a sign of a clan that he should know the name of, but he just couldn't think of it. It probably didn't even matter, right?

The red haired boy finally reached Sutaka, only to question if Sutaka was part of Squad Lily. It seemed like a somewhat stupid question when it was vocalized, even though Sutaka was asking the same thing about the stranger. "Yep! I'm a member of Squad Lily, so I'm guessing you are too, right? Lily is a pretty name, wouldn't you say? Some people might disagree, but Sutaka thought that Squad Lily was a fantastic name. He loved flowers or even nature in general since it was pretty prominent back home. How could anyone not like flowers? The red-haired stranger then removed his gourd from his back and placed on the ground. He then sat on it and locked his eyes towards the village walls. Right, back to waiting for the other members. Sutaka followed the boy's lead, directing his eyes towards the village walls as well.

Suddenly and without warning, an unknown voice came from the cactus, asking who the puppets belonged to. Sutaka shot his whole body around to face whatever it was. He was shocked to see it was a long haired boy - or was it a girl? - judging by the voice, Sutaka could only guess that they were a very feminine male. The long haired boy was crouched by the puppets, seeming fascinated by the large one. Where did this person come from, anyway? Sutaka didn't really know how to respond to his question as he was more interested in their outfit. Tight shorts and a turtleneck? Now that was weird, without a doubt. Sutaka then saw the smaller puppet was a distance away in the sand, how did it get th- Wait, now the small puppet's saying that the large one belonged to them? The puppet then immediately transformed into a woman with a puff of smoke. Only moments ago, Sutaka was the only one there, and now everyone else seemed to appear out of thin air. They couldn't have already been here, right? The puppet transforming woman then made her way towards the group of boys. The next thing she said was even more surprising. She welcomed the three to Squad Lily, and then explained how she was Midori of the Ningyou, their Kazekage and sensei. "Wait, Kazekage? When did we get a new one?" The farm boy's words would be immediately spoken as Midori finished her sentence, but they would seem like a whisper to everyone except those who stood close, or those with exceptional hearing. Sutaka didn't really remember any news headlines about a new Kazekage, or any news about it at all. He probably saw or heard something about it, but he did also have a habit of forgetting things like that, after all.

Their sensei took a step towards the long haired boy, which Sutaka could only assume was Haruka, and proceeded to give him a short lecture. It reminded him of something his father or mother would say to him after he accidently did something bad like stepping on the freshly plowed field. Sutaka agreed with mostly everything that Midori said, but was pretty struck back at the lack of an immediate punishment. Maybe she wasn't like his parents, she was definitely more lenient. Midori then directed the red-haired boy, who could only be Rokumaru. She explained to him that the puppet was called Hippocrates and that she might be able to teach him a thing or two about puppet since that's a profession they both shared before sealing the puppet back into its scroll. Fancy. Sutaka was slightly bummed out that she didn't have anything to say to him, but he also wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing. One thing that Sutaka could be happy about was the fact that she chose the three of them because they formed a fantastic team together, which could only mean good things in the future. However, this happy thought was quickly revealed to be a lie, seeing how she continued to explain how she chose them all at random. Wonderful, at least his file was pulled, right?

Their sensei went on with her little speech, and before he knew it, it was introduction time! Sutaka was told that he was to go first, which he didn't exactly have an issue with. The second to go was the red head, Rokumaru, and the third was the long haired boy, Haruka. What a strange order to go in. Sutaka watched as Midori sat down on the sand, saying there was a test in store after the introductions. Great, another thing Sutaka didn't really like: tests! He didn't have any time to think about that, though, as it was storytime. He quickly thought back to the speech he had planned out the previous day, ready to go. He gave his two squad mates a look before taking a deep breath and starting his story.

"Well, my name is Suzumiya Sutaka and I became a shinobi to make my family proud. My parents sent me to Sunagakure years ago so I would be able to become a great shinobi. Most of the things I do is for them, but that does not mean that they're the only thing in my sights." He took another breath before continuing, "I specialize mostly in taijutsu, which I use mainly for defense and countering, but I'm also pretty good at Iryoninjutsu. Keep in mind, I don't particularly enjoy fighting anyone who doesn't deserve it, so I'm not sure how good I'll be on the offense side of things. However, that doesn't mean I have a problem with acting as a shield for you guys. My main goal will be keeping you guys out of harm's way. Anyways, I hope I can get along with all of you." His voice would show heavy signs of a slight accent, possibly coming from where he grew up. His voice would also seem to hold no signs of harshness, and it was obvious that he was a pretty kindhearted individual. He finished his voice with a bright smile, his eyes gleaming with happiness. He returned two thumbs up to the attentive Midori before turning his gaze towards Rokumaru, ready for the red-haired boy's story.

---

Word count: 1510 of 2802

Roku groaned at the blonde boy's appreciation of the name Lily Squad. Where was the boy's masculine pride taking damage from being called a 'Lily'? Shinobi were trained soldiers of their village, many bred and raised for the role as a hardened killer including Roku himself! He needed something dark and a bit edgy to satisfy him! Saguaro Squad, thorns ready to tear into the enemies of the village! Scorpion or Snake Squad maybe. Just anything other than a beautiful and fragrant little flower! He wiped a hand across his face and dragged it across the skin there, mentally counting to ten to calm himself a bit. 'It's not his fault, Roku, I'm sure he's impressed by anything more significant than a handful of sand. Don't get uppity just yet.' He took a deep breath and gave the blonde a strained smile, and turned towards the village to continue watching for his final squad-mate and sensei.

It did not take long for the final Genin of Lily Squad to arrive at the ancient cactus, but to Rokumaru's surprise the final squad-mate did not come walking along from the village like he expected. Instead the soft crunching of sand from the direction of the cactus caused the pale redhead to whip his head around in surprise. At any other time he would have scolded himself for being so unobservant, how if this person attempted to be stealthy they could have snuck up on the boy. It was a disgrace for any shinobi to be taken unaware, and Roku had felt an immediate urge to dislike the third member of Squad One. That is, until the boy took in the strangers full appearance.

Excellent, the gods were generous after all: a girl! She may have been a bit thin for Roku's liking, looking rather hard instead of the soft curves he much preferred, but one good glance at that silky black hair tied up in a ponytail and those dark, soulful doe eyes made every ounce of enthusiasm he felt multiply tenfold! A bright grin spread across the eager teen's face as he watched the figure approach the two Genin by the cactus, disregarding her gait and posture that seemed anything but feminine. The redhead spared his blonde counterpart a quick and lecherous smile, watching as his final teammate stood before the puppet couple leaning against the cactus. Rokumaru took the time to admire the lovely young lady's body as she kneeled in front of the constructs: thin and somewhat bony, maybe just a few inches shorter than him, but they were still young and developing and those tight pants certainly showed off her shape. The boy was a beggar in need of some female company, and he would not get choosy with this boyish individual. Though his polite facade and the manners drilled into his head wanted to make him grimace at the raven-haired girl for tossing aside the smaller puppet without regard for it or its owner, he was more than happy to forgive her that small transgression.

Then reality came crashing down on Rokumaru unmercifully when the 'girl' spoke up. "Who does this belong to? It's quite nice." It was not spoken in the high tone of a young teenage girl, but instead in a monotone voice that threw the redhead off. The grin on Roku's face loosened into slack-jawed surprise, his mind racing at a mile a minute. That angular face was a touch too hard; no trace of the developing body parts he so enjoyed and thanked the human race for bestowing on the fairer sex. No... this was a young man who just happened to look a bit androgynous. The pale teen's mind shorted out from this realization and all the blood pooled in certain areas ran screaming into his heart as it beat hard almost instantly. For the second time in just a few minutes, Roku had to bury his face in a palm and count to a very high number.

A voice ringing out from seemingly nowhere was what roped Rokumaru out of his self-hate: "That puppet belongs to me!" Just as the redhead pulled his face out of hands to look for the cause of the voice, the discarded puppet burst into a puff of smoke indicating it was merely a disguised shinobi. One more person who escaped the boy's notice and could have taken advantage of his lack of awareness; it beat what little enthusiasm he held onto right out of the redhead's mind.

But...there was hope! In place of the puppet was now standing a thin but tall lady with stark-black hair, regarding each of the Genin carefully before walking towards them. Roku would not be fooled once again and took the time to regard her figure: lithe and toned with hardly an ounce of extra fat or muscle, but the necessary curves were there! A small grin was forming on the pale Sabaku's face as he drank in her femininity, but it froze upon seeing a prosthetic limb in place of her right arm. In a split second the boy identified the woman as a Ningyou as he was intimate with all of Suna's great clans. In fact, the woman really did seem familiar, but before he could make the connection she answered his unformed question.

"Haruka, Sutaka, and Rokumaru. Welcome to squad one, or, Lily. I am your Kazekage, and your sensei. My name is Midori, and I’m from the Ningyou" Now he remembered where he had seen her: from the woman's own inauguration. A grin split his face for a much more innocent reason than before. Not only was his sensei a skilled puppeteer, she was the Kazekage herself! The strongest and most important individual in the entire village of Suna, and the boy was going to learn and train under her watchful eye. And, it certainly explained why it was called Lily Squad. The blonde was surprised to hear there was a new Kazekage and made it known vocally, which further cemented his yokel identity in the crimson-haired Sabaku's mind

The Kazekage spared a quick moment to reprimand the one who had tossed her aside, now identified as Haruka. Roku was happy he had not been the first to raise the ire of his sensei. After scolding the girlish Haruka, Midori turned to the redhead with a much less irritated mood. "This here, is Hippocrates. Rokumaru, I read in your report that you are a puppeteer. If you work hard, perhaps I’ll teach you a thing about some tips and tricks." Rokumaru in turn beamed from the offer to learn from a great puppeteer, and felt a bit smug at being the only one who seemed to share the practice with his lovely sensei. She sealed the cloaked, bearded puppet into a scroll and tucked it away. The Kazekage then clarified how each of the three Genin were chosen for her own personal squad; she had carefully assessed each student, and the three young boys had been her best prospects. It might have sounded nice to the others, but Roku felt a bit offended as he regarded his colleagues quickly. A blonde guy who was dressed like a ranch-hand, and the creepy trap. What did that say about himself?

But his irritation turned to relief as his sensei laughed a bit and shook her head, revealing it had actually been at random that each one of them had been chosen for Squad One. The redhead rubbed his forehead with a knuckle from her exuberance: as much as she was the Kazekage, she was also a playful young woman it seemed. Well, maybe that could work out in the boy's favor. Midori then called for each of her student's to give their introductions. She had asked for the usual information, names and skills and goals for the future, but she got creative a bit when the young Kazekage asked about their own individual ninja way; what drove them on in their life. Midori called for the first who arrived to go first, the blonde boy with the straw hat, then Rokumaru and then the boy he refused to look in the eye. As she dictated the speaking order she pointed her prosthetic arm at each of them with a deathy-still finger, which was actually much more uncomforting than it sounded. Midori finished with a wide grin and two thumbs up, though with her puppet arm the motion seemed a touch macabre.

The blonde yokel introduced himself first. He was Sutaka of the Suzumiya, likely not a great shinobi clan given his civilian look and the fact Roku had never heard of it. The blonde's sole reason for becoming a Suna-nin was due to the urging of his family, and they were the main driving force in his effort as a shinobi. Sutaka mentioned his skills were mainly as a close-quarters defensive Taijutsu specialist with a bit of Medical Ninjutsu, and stated he was very much a pacifist if he could help it. Roku could appreciate the fact he was committed to the defense of others rather than being an aggressive fighter, and was more than willing to act as a body shield to protect his fellow teammates. It endeared the blonde to Roku just a bit as he genuinely seemed to want to protect his team, and he served as a great counterpart to Rokumaru's offensive combat style. Sutaka stated he was eager to get along with his team, and returned the grin and thumbs up to their sensei.

This signaled it was Rokumaru's turn, and his back straightened with the usual pride he felt when discussing himself. "I am Rokumaru of the Sabaku clan, inheritor of the Godaime Kazekage's legacy and the Ichibi's power. Many of my clan have made great Suna-nin and I continue that tradition proudly." He rubbed his right hand across the gourd of sand he was sitting upon, and smiled a bit. "My skill in Ninjutsu, primarily in using Sabaton as well as a few other elemental releases, is my greatest asset. Though I have taken steps to supplement my weak close-quarter combat skills with puppetry, I am happy to hear at least one member of our squad will specialize in that role himself." The redhead flashed a smile and nodded at the blonde. He continued. "Though I do not yet have a puppet of my own, I hope to rectify that soon.

"My goals for the future are to become one of the strongest shinobi in the entire village, as well as the most powerful Sabaton user in all of the Elemental Nations. I will serve the village until the day I die, and will protect Sunagakure with my life. It is my pleasure to be a part of Squad Lil...," the boy trailed off here as he did not want to acknowledge his squads name. "...Squad One. I hope we can grow stronger together under the tutelage of the Kazekage." Pleased with his recovery, he gave each of the others a broad smile, though his face wavered upon looking at Haruka.

WC: 1333+1892=3225

Training:

Exit Thread

As they began to introduce themselves, Midori took the time to properly observe them. The first to speak, Suzumiya Sutaka, was a fairly small boy. He, like his peers, was young in years, and it showed in his face, yet to be blemished from the toils of war. Yet, his body wasn’t clear, instead covered by seals and tattoo’s whose design fascinated Midori, and she couldn’t help but wonder what the purpose or context was for them. Each pattern was intricate, and to her, intriguing. Perhaps she would ask him about them at a later date. He had a hat, one associated with farming, strung around his neck and hung loosely down his back. Loose, comfortable clothing, and a general lax look to his posture. This relaxed nature seemed only emphasised through his unawareness that they even had a new Kazekage. It was a couple weeks ago, yet still some didn’t seem to know. The thought amused her somewhat, but, also reassured her. It meant that she’d have a fresh impression to make and give.

The boys introduction wasn’t much different from what Midori expected either. It seemed he had the primary focus of his life revolve around his sense of family, although Midori only hoped that it was out of love, not that the child felt forced into choosing such a life. It seemed his main skill was in close quarters combat, specifically that of taijutsu, and that he was one that did countering – which explained his more lithe frame, with such a style from her understanding, requiring more ability to manipulate the weight of the others blow, not that of the users. On top of that however, he stated he also did some work in the medical application of things. This was a good sign, and Midori could personally teach him some things if he needed it.

Next, Sutaka began to explain his approach to life. Midori could respect it, and found herself subtly nodding as she listened. It seemed, like herself, he preferred to approach life through diplomatic reasons before taking an aggressive path – the passive route of peaceful persuasion. She was somewhat disappointed with his view of himself however, stating that he would be able to act as a shield. That his main goal was to prevent harm to his allies. She made a mental note that she would have to talk to him about such a thing, for in the heat of battle, there was a great risk in those that would risk their lives without need. Still, overall, Midori viewed his introduction as positive, and the fact that he was excited was equally positive.

The next to introduce himself was Rokumaru. The boy was the same age as the Suzumiya, yet where Sutaka was meek in posture, this boy was clearly brazen and bold, standing in a way that emphasised his being there, and his hair as wild as his personality seemed to be. His attire was only emphasising his youthfulness, and as Midori listened to him, his voice seemed full of an almost startling amount of vigour and energy as if a million horses were running around inside his head.

Speaking of how he spoke, the words that came out of his mouth were almost funny to Midori. The boy was clearly proud of his heritage, to almost delusional, or perhaps entirely delusional, levels. He related himself to the Kazekage, and to the one tailed beast. He declared himself an inheritor to power, and that he was a great shinobi because of his clan, gesturing to his gourd to emphasise the point. Like Sutaka, he stated his skills, mentioning the sand element, and the art of ninjutsu – skills which seemed almost the opposite to Sutaka’s rigid style, with far more fluidity in nature. More interesting, the boy was a puppeteer to be. She would have to see what he would do in the future. Any creations that would come from him. Things like that were always fascinating, and it was pleasant to see what the new minds could fathom.

His goals were equally fuelled by macho and bravado, with the boy stating he would become one of the strongest shinobi of the sand. Strength seemed all that was important to him, to lengths of hyperbole that made Midori cock a brow in surprise at. Still, she wouldn’t comment on it. Whatever the boy used to inspire himself was a valid reason for motivation. Still, she held hopes that the boy would recognise his own hyperbole, and use it to grow, not allow himself and those around him to grow wounded due to his flattery about himself.

As Midori turned to face Haruka, the last to speak, however, something caught her eye. A shadow in the distance. An ANBU. There was something not right about the sudden appearance of the ANBU, even more so when shortly after, even more ANBU began to appear, soon a full squad, looming in the shadows of the distance, merely a hazy blur due to the heat of the land of wind. Concerned, Midori’s attention dropped, and she looked on, squinting her eyes to get a better view. The ANBU that had first appeared nodded, before flickering away, the others remaining. Enough to let Midori know she had to go there.

Quickly, interrupting Haruka before he would have a chance to speak, Midori addressed her students. “Haruka, I am sorry that I cannot give you the luxury of time to speak at this moment. It appears that an emergency has arrived. I will organise for a return meeting, where I will see each of you individually, and then at a later date, we can all come together once more to act as a squad. In the meantime, as an order from me as your leader and Kage, I order you all to go home, and withdraw for the day – break!” she declared, the gentleness in her voice replaced with an authoritative tone as she took off in a sprint towards the ANBU, running off into the village with the squad.

As they went, Midori would find out the emergency was within the slums. Several businessmen and officials had turned up dead, brutally murdered in their sleep overnight. One woman reported waking up to her husband with an arrow wound in his neck, bled out in his sleep. As she ran to go investigate personally, Midori furrowed her brow. There was far too much work to be done before the village was where it should be. The sun was high in the sky, yet the amount of work seemed higher.

1100 + 2452 = 3552

[EXIT]

(OOC: Sorry to cut this thread short. Haruka has been removed due to inactivity, so, apologies. I tried to exit in a way that it allows Haruka room to return)

Training: