Squad Thread Rules:

The squad she had been given had been hand picked for a variety of reasons, each individual person someone she had thought over, contemplated, and considered quite hard before making her final choice. She had taken squads before, more often than not just taking whichever individual had been handed to her at the time, but this time she wanted things to be done a bit differently. She wanted to create a squad that would last, a squad that would achieve great things. To each individual member a Chuunin messenger had been sent the day before to with a single note and instructions to offer up no extra information.



There was no signature, no names save for each individuals name on the outside of the wax sealed scroll. But, this was precisely how the Uchiha had wanted it. She wanted her squad on their toes, she wanted a chance to see how they handled having little to no information about the possible tasks ahead. Would they arrive cautiously? Would they arrive confidently? She was curious to find out.

The training ground they would be using had been picked specifically for its space: while it indeed had the lush forested trees Konoha was famous for towards the south end of the exceptionally large field there was a clearing at the north end that was more than large enough for her to work with: almost fifty meters wide by thirty meters long. In this clearing was nothing more than grass, three old and fairly solid trees, and a few wind and rain worn boulders. Towards the east side of this clearing was an underground spring which made its appearance for roughly fifteen meters before disappearing once more. It had in a way everything someone would need to work with if they put their minds to it.

Amaya herself had arrived nearly two hours prior, having scouted the area thoroughly and prepared it for the tasks to come. At the moment she was seated on one of the thicker branches roughly twenty feet up off of the ground in the tree off to the left of the clearing, her back resting against the tree trunk and her legs straight out in front of her, crossed at the ankles. She was dressed in standard attire: a black long sleeved turtle neck shirt which hugged her slender yet muscular form, a pair of black pants, standard black shinobi sandals, and her Konoha flak jacket. There were several patches sewn on to her shirt: the standard medical symbol which marked her as a medic on her upper right arm, the village symbol on her upper left arm. Her long white colored hair was worn back in a braided ponytail, with longer pieces framing her face and hanging down over her village headband which was worn across her forehead and tied at the back of her head, beneath the ponytail. Finally, she wore her standard weapons pouch around her right leg, well within reach so that she had easy access to it. It wasn’t her standard attire for the village – more often than not she was running around in hospital scrubs or clothing more befitting of a civilian, but then again this was all part of her test.

In her left hand was a medical book, propped open in such a way that she was able to read it while keeping her right hand free; two fingers on the back of the book keeping it from falling over, with her middle finger resting in the center of the binding and her thumb and little finger holding the pages in place so that they didn’t fall shut, especially as a gentle breeze blew through the area and ruffled the corners of the pages. She had the pose of someone who was completely at ease and relaxed, and yet even as her eyes darted across the page taking in the information printed on them she was more than alert and waiting. It was already noon, and she was curious who would be early, who would be on time, and who would be late. Who would be the first to arrive and who would be the last?

Word Count: 728

An alarm clock blared loudly, its obnoxious noise threatening to jar anyone in the room awake from their slumber. The time, reading 8 a.m., flashed repeatedly; the neon red lights providing the only source of light, asides from the few slivers coming from underneath the door, in the otherwise dark room. Said door would open, a dark silhouette standing in the entrance way, “Tsk. Thought I had turned that thing off.”, Jinx muttered to herself, walking into the room with a half-eaten apple in hand. She having woken up a good forty-five minutes before the alarm had a chance to disturb her sleep. Granted, if it wasn’t for the call of nature, and the sudden need to feed her bottomless pit that was her stomach, she would have still been asleep now. Transversing the threshold of the room, she turned off the alarm, and moved to open up the blinds - allowing sun rays to filter into the room.

Standing in front of the window, Jinx’s thoughts drifted her plans for the day. First and foremost, the young Uchiha needed to meet with her illustrator in fire him, having found someone else who talents far succeeded the ‘best’ Konoha had to offer. She already knew how much a pain in the ass such an endeavor was going to be. While young, being sixteen, it was no mistaking the lustful glances and innuendos thrown in her direction by said illustrator was anything but innocent. The man had a serious crush on her, or at the very least wanted to get in her pants, something she did not replicate in any facet. Though, she wonders if the crush was genuine, or simply came from the fact she wrote erotica for a living? No matter the cause, she just has this feeling the whole ordeal would be an unnecessary annoyance to be compiled onto the other shitfest.

The ‘shitfest’ referring to being placed on the active list, after having been an inactive shinobi for the past three years. She could not help but frowned at the mere thought of returning to duty for this village...or any village any. The shinobi lifestyle was something she did not enjoy or cared for extensively. It was mildly interesting at best. And, the only reason she even started on the route of being a shinobi was to make her father, Naota, and the rest of her family and pack pride. ”When everyone in your family is a high ranking shinobi than one has a no choice to follow in their footsteps.”. She mused, briefly thinking about how she wanted to follow in the footsteps of her father, adopted mother, Amaya, uncle Kenta, and all the others in her family, before pushing said thoughts away. Now she is forced to return to active duty to serve this new Kage. ”Only one person will ever be my kage.”, she mused, having already made up her mind that no kage would ever replace or commanded unwavering loyalty as the Inuzuka.

Walking over towards her dresser, Jinx narrowed her eyes at the open note laying there for all eyes to see. The note was delivered to her by some chuunin yesterday and had vague instructions on it. Going by the note, she was apparently being placed on a squad with others, and they were supposed to meet at 12:30 within training ground #11. There was no signature or hint at the sensei for this squad, only her name at the bottom. “I shouldn’t go. Could be a trap.”, Jinx thought. While others might have faith spies and other dangers in the village was non-existence, Jinx did not have the faith in a village. There were only a few people she trusted, with everyone else being a future enemy or spy. So, yes, she had no plans of going. She was not going to walk into a potential trap due to naivety.

Looking at the clock once more, Jinx sighed. ”I need to get ready to get this shit over with.”, she mused. Finishing off the apple, the core, and everything, Jinx made her way to the bathroom to get freshened up.

Thirty minutes later, Jinx walked out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel, and made her way to the closet. Shifting through her clothing, Jinx’s fingers lingered on her shinobi attire. The attire has been a gift to her by her mother a year or so ago. ”I should not do this.”, were her thoughts as she pulled out said shinobi clothing. While in the shower, she had thought not the letter some more. Wondering if she really should attend. Maybe it was not a trap? Maybe it was a genuine letter? No conclusion was met, but something made more sense for Jinx. And, it was because of that, Jinx slipped into the attire: a black long-sleeved turtleneck shirt that hugged her slender but muscular form, black camouflage pants, with a dark green pattern on them, with the legs going all the way down to her ankle, hiding her knee-high black socks, and standard black shinobi sandals. She grabbed the black camouflage flak jacket, hanging in the back of her closet, and slipped it on as well.

Opening a glass display case, Jinx grabbed her headband, slipping it around her neck, and the holsters which held already sharpened kunai and shurikens, and placed it on her person. ”Now comes the fun part.”, she mused, making a hand seal as she watches her appearance change. Her black hair turning a dark red. Her tan skin complex lightening up some, and her dark brown eyes turning green. Her clothing would also change into a black dress which hugged her more mature feature. She now looked like a woman in her late twenties than a teenager. This was the appearance that her illustrator knew and recognized. With the transformation complete, Jinx left to meet her illustrator.

Two hours later, Jinx left the restaurant, a place where she and her illustrator agreed to meet while rubbing her temples. The whole ordeal went just like she assumed it would have. The man trying everything he could to get her to rethink her actions. He did not take kind of being told that he was being replaced by another whose skills were far superior to his. After much talking, and Jinx restraining from bashing the male’s head in, everything was settled, leaving the Uchiha feeling happy, that she is done with the male, but annoyed at how long it took. Walking down the streets of Konoha, Jinx made her way to her mother’s house, hoping the woman would be home to  . . . talk.

Reaching the place of residence, and knocking a few times and receiving no answer, Jinx wrote a quick letter and slipped it underneath the door. The letter detailing the young Uchiha’s whereabouts, the suspicious letter she received from the Chuunin, and that she was going to see what it was about. She also told her mother to assume something had happened to her if she is not home within three hours. A safety precaution in case the letter was a trap, and she needed to give those who were looking for her a lead. Once done, her henged dropped, revealing her shinobi attire, and made her way to the training grounds.

Entering through the unlocked gate, Jinx took noticed of the training ground and committed everything to memory. Asides from the three trees, boulders, and underground spring to the east, there was no other place to hide. . .in the grounds. ”Too much space.”, she silently mused, moving towards one of the trees, the one closer to the underground spring, she jumped into the tree. Making her way up to one of the thicker branches and leaning against the trunk. The way she was facing allowed her to see anyone who would enter the grounds through the gate, while also giving her some view of the forest on the outskirts. Pulling out a book, detailing the history and achievements of Uchiha Madara, Jinx began one of her favorite shinobis during the Warring State era, while also keeping her sense focused on her surroundings.

---

1372

It was not new information that Hanza was of the village Hidden in the Mist. At least, he believed everyone was aware of that, not sure exactly who he was meant to report to, as he had been quite distant with excitement as the briefing had been given about the nature of his purpose in Konohagakure. Up to this point Hanza had spent his days relatively quietly, save for the recent unsightly encounter with the thugs that attack himself and Hakara when they had left the bar together to embark on an adventure of friendship and discovery. That attack had shaken the young Kōri clansmen and had a lasting impact on his mindset.

All of that to say a bit of his slightly charming naivety had left him, and with all puns intended, he was just a bit colder in the end. The young man had always been a bit off, and for that he was not in any way a stranger to bullies. This was different though. He had been stabbed in the height of a good night right as a small panic attack had lapsed over him. Any good psychiatric professional would tell you that being assaulted during a panic episode was possibly one of the worst things that could happen to a person in terms of mental health.  

Hanza pressed on with his discoveries and curiosity though, familiarizing himself with Konoha and experimenting on it’s plant life with his Hyōton. It was but a minor shock to him when one morning, he was awoken to the sound of a knock on his door. Behind that door, which he was sure to check through the peephole before opening, stood a chunin from the Hidden Leaf.

Surely he was not in trouble for the events that had come to pass.

He was incorrect. It was a summons for the next day. He had been placed in a squad. It was at that point as he raised an eyebrow in confusion that he remembered his purpose as a Konoha-Kiri exchange representative. He was to carry out his duties as if he were part of Konoha’s military force. Just as a genin if the Hidden Leaf would.

He smiled politely and accepted his letter, setting in motion his own mental preparation for the day that was to come. It was true that Hanza would become sick to his stomach the day before an event of any sort of importance, or even obligations he had committed himself to when they came time to execute. He was much better at spontaneity in most cases.

As that day faded, the anxious boy sat wrapped in a wool blanket, sipping hot tea, a habit he had recently developed to ease his troubled mind. It was ginger tea, a remedy for an upset stomach. He knew when the sun rose the next day he would be sick, perhaps prevention would work this time.

He woke up the morning of the meeting with hope in his heart, and as he sat up in his bed, his hope, along with stomach bile went directly into the contingent bedside trashcan he had set up for himself. Today was going to be one of those. Hanza presses on nonetheless, knowing that he would find no relief until he arrived and the meeting commenced. He brushed his teeth in the shower, a conveniently strange method, before equipping himself with his standard Kirigakure attire.

“You can do this, Hanza. Let’s go now.”

He pep talked himself as he walked out of his apartment, rushing forward and neglecting to lock his door or anything else which one might have advised him to do. His stomach gave one last time on the ground in front of his apartment, and afterwards he darted out.

It normally isn’t so bad. What could be wrong with me?

Through the north gates to the eleventh training grounds, Hanza was only 10 minutes early. He spotted two women in trees immediately. Both reading books, which was strange to him. They were as far away from each other in terms of trees as possible in this large clearing. One woman was closer to his age. Her hair was black and kept back in two long pigtails, and her attire was very camouflage inspired. The other woman had white hair held back in a ponytail, a Konoha flak jacket with a few patches, most notably a medical patch. Both were relatively casual, and obviously not very social.

Hanza himself was a man of average build, wore a long-sleeved black shirt, matching pants, complete with a waist-guard, and Kirigakure's striped wrist and leg-guards. His hair was messy and snow white, falling to his shoulders. Upon his forehead, partly covered by the bangs of his messy white hair, rested his Kirigakure forehead protector. He was naturally cold to the touch, and via proximity.


Hanza made the assumption that it was just normal to sit and idle until twelve-thirty arrived.

WC: 826

It wasn't until around noon when the emerald hues of the senju opened, staring at the window his desk was in front of. He had various notes on medical ninjutsu, something he was trying to learn on his own to no avail,  as well as a few plants with sticks that had notes detailing each one and their affects on the human body. He'd stayed up late again last night studying a few things he'd been trying to understand better, giving up a good night's rest for more knowledge as he often did. Seicho was in an apartment above the Yamanaka flower shop, a tiny one bedroom flat that most would call 'squalor' but he was proud of it for it was something he'd worked for on his own.  He stretched and yawned, his hands shooting into the sky, curled into fists as he did so, eyes clenched tightly. He had forgotten exactly what he was looking at the night before and didn't want to lose the progress he'd been making. Not really one to leave off his studies, he began to look over his notes, comparing what he remembered with what was written in his writing, as well as looking over a few books scattered about.

Lately he'd been trying to break down the possibilities of a medical and Mokuton based jutsu which would heal someone by collecting sunlight, or possibly put them into a temporary stasis to be healed later but so far these efforts bore no fruit. Speaking of fruit, he hadn't even considering the avenue of a healing apple or orange grown from medical mokuton chakra. Could such a thing be possible, then? He had nothing to really go on, having not really spent much time around other members of his clan. To be fair, he'd also not spent any time around anyone who had experience in using iryo ninjutsu, so he probably should have started with that. With a shake of his head, the senju held his hands to the sides of his skull and shook it, the leaf green locks moving to and fro in waves. 'There has to be some sort of connection one can make with medical chakra and wood release, but every time I try to better understand the two working in conjunction I hit a brick wall. Would this be easier if I knew iryo ninjutsu? Or would it only open more questions? I need to figure out how to learn it somehow.'

Seicho was lost in his thoughts when he heard a knock upon his door. He continued scrawling his notes, calling out a 'come in' to the knocker. It was the second owner of the Yamanaka flower shop, an older woman of tan skin and blonde hair. She bustled over to him with a hurried pace and smoothed his hair with her hand in a motherly nature. "Dear, you have a note here. It was left for you last night but you were so busy with your studies we didn't want to bother you. We've been swamped in the shop downstairs but I'd just remembered it. You're to meet up with your new squad at twelve thirty at training ground eleven. You'll need to take the north gate and you should go now, it's already twelve fifteen." A new squad? The senju was obviously confused but he had no time for questions as he was hurried up from his chair to get ready. When the owner left he sighed and stretched again, looking around the room for his items.

He'd grabbed his notepad and pen, his ninja tool pouch which went to his left thigh, his hitai-ate, and his jacket. The green and brown jacket was pulled on over his black tee shirt, while the notepad and pen were pushed into separate pockets of his blue jeans, the pen in the left. Seicho was out the door of his apartment, locking it behind him while struggling to pull his hitai-ate onto his forehead. The male made it down the stairs haphazardly while tying his headband to signify him as a ninja of the leaf, waving to the owners as he slipped on his shoes to head out of the shop's front entrance. When he was out in the market place he began to run quickly, chastising himself for being so caught up in his studies that he missed something as important as a note about his new squad meeting up. Seicho wasn't one to be tardy, but with all the shenanigans of getting ready he had five minutes to reach a location ten minutes away. For any other ninja that would seem like child's play, unfortunately Seicho hadn't been training himself to be quicker and would sadly not make it in time for the meeting. He'd be late.

With a few hiccups in his run, namely running into a few people or tripping, the Senju eventually found himself at the training grounds and had to look around, because he saw nothing. It wasn't for a few moments until he realized that the gate to the north was unlocked and he remembered what the owner of the flower shop had told him. With a silent curse at himself he rushed towards the gates, heading through them to arrive on the training field where his squad would meet. Upon arriving, he immediately noticed the first of his squad: a familiar looking young man with snow white hair and black clothing. What he noticed next kept him from paying attention to anything else however. He saw three trees in the field and immediately rushed over to the middle one, marveling at the size and apparent age of the timeworn wooden giant. Well, giant to his size anyway, he was six feet tall but the tree might as well be a giant to any norm person. Without wasting a moment, he pulled his pen and notepad out, flipping to a page that he'd been scrawling medical notes on and set to work writing down a description of the tree. He touched the bark and studied the height of the tree, as well as the texture of the trunk and the leaves, muttering to himself as he wrote. "Marvelous!" He was in his own little world, a world in that he'd forgotten he was nearly five minutes late for the meet up.

1,086

Even though Amaya’s head was in a book, eyes still darting across the page as her mind absorbed the information like a sponge, it did not escape her notice that people were beginning to arrive. The first individual she knew very well: her niece, Jinx, whom she had all but adopted in Naota’s rather busy absence. It brought the smallest look of amusement to her face as it seemed that even though Jinx picked a tree to perch in much like herself the younger female hadn’t noticed her (favorite) aunt nearby. The fact that Jinx had arrived at all given she had been long ago put on inactive duty by the previous Hokage caused the smallest of smiles to flutter across her otherwise emotionless expression. The second individual to arrive had snow white hair like her own, someone whom she knew to be from Kirigakure from the file she had looked at: she didn’t know much more than what little she had read about that particular individual but she planned on changing that, eventually. Last to arrive, and a bit late at that, came their third and final teammate: a Senju who seemed to be more interested in the tree he was observing than the fact that he was in fact five minutes later.


A simple shift of her form, nothing big or dramatic or even eye opening really, and she was free falling through the air with her left hand still grasping her book and her ponytail fluttering in the breeze. The twenty foot drop was nothing for her, and she landed in the lightest of crouches, standing up as if the simple action was nothing. While she lowered her book so that it wasn’t in front of her face she didn’t bother putting it down or putting it away – she was projecting a persona that was a mixture of professional, a hard-ass, and somewhat uncaring, but there was a reason for all of it. She stood there for several seconds, giving everyone a moment to realize she was there and had been the entire time, before deciding on what she was going to say.

”My name is Amaya of the Uchiha clan, I have been an S-ranked Jounin for the past ten years as well as one of the head medics at the hospital. If you are lucky enough to pass my test I will become your sensei. I do not care who you are or what you are capable of at this moment in time: there will be no time for meeting and greeting until later on. You have a choice, and you should make your decision carefully. If you wish to be on my squad you will have to pass my test: you will be given no information on it, nor hints as to what it will be. Those who fail my test will be sent back to the Academy and will have to redo years of training – you will be stripped entirely of your Genin status. You can of course choose to walk away now if you wish instead of taking my test: you will suffer no consequences from doing so outside of having to wait to be given another sensei. Make your decisions quickly, you have sixty seconds.” Her face was a mask of pure seriousness, each word spoken in a tone that portrayed she meant every word she had said. They had to pass her test, whatever that test was, before she would accept them. She expected commitment from her squads, nothing more, and she was curious as to who had it and who did not.

While she waited to see who would leave and who, if anyone, would stay she pulled her book back up so that it was level with her face and returned to reading once more. She split her focus in a way, paying attention to the three genin in their various positions as well as enjoying the book in her possession. Despite her serious expression she was burning with curiosity though she didn’t allow it to show at all: the last time she had given a squad this same ultimatum only one had remained. Would this be a repeat, or would things be different this time around? She was utterly dying to find out.

Word Count: 727 | 1,455

She was very much aware of the other presence some distances away from her location. She had seen them upon arriving, but, did not acknowledge them. Her brain had worked overtime to come to the conclusion the other presence might have had a hand in her current predicament. Something like this would be exactly a thing the other presence would do, just to get under their skin. And, considering the shit dealt with before arriving at the training grounds, their actions indeed greatly annoyed the Uchiha. It was this annoyance which kept Jinx from speaking to her mother in all but blood, before the arrival of anyone else.

"Tsk. This would be something she would do.", she mused, thoughts brewing with ways to get back at the woman, at the same time keeping a semblance awareness of her surrounding, and reading the book. By the time someone else arrived, an apparent Kiri-nin, Jinx had already finished the book, and was just skimming through it again to stave off boredom. Russet color orbs took note of the white-haired male. She had heard about the exchange program between the villages, and had her own opinion on it. . .and it was less than favorable. Such thoughts would not be voice though, but guarded she will be with those not immediately close to her.

Dismissing the Kiri-nin, having gleaned what she could from him, Jinx went back to reading while waiting for the last person to show up. "And they can't even show up on time.", Jinx silently fumed, glancing up at the sky to get a rough estimate of the time. She hated non-punctual people with a burning passion. Unless injury, dying, or a family emergency, there was no other excuse for arriving late. As the last individual arrived, Jinx took note of him, someone with an apparent fascination with trees, and went back to reading her book. She honestly wasn't interested in them. . .at all.

"Now she moves her lazy ass.", Jinx silently mused, catching the glimpse of her mother fall from the tree. "Show off.", her eyes rolled, and a small smirk, hidden behind the book, appeared at her mother's antics. Deciding to pay some attention to the happenings below, Jinx lowered the book in her lap.

"Must she try to act like a hardass?", Jinx had seen this show way too many times with her mother. The whole uncaring, professional hardass who was there to chew you up and shit you out without a second thought. Someone who could not care if a genin died or not for their life was insignificant in the grand scheme of themes. A life? What is it. Before the corpse could cool another would be already trained and ready to take the former's place. Someone who knew that a single life, in a hidden village, has no weight. Yes, Jinx has seen this act from her mother a lot, therefore, she was not the least intimidated by it.

However, while Jinx cared little about the persona her mother was portrayed to them, she felt different about the words were spoken. "A choice? Who are you trying to fool? There is no choice in this. . .in this lifestyle. Even if I walked away, I would be placed back into the academy. There is no choice.", she mused silently, calling Amaya's words, about having a choice, bullshit. The Uchiha was trying to sell shit, and Jinx was not buying it. The more she thought on the words, the tighter of her grip on the book became. "There is simply no way out of this, is there? I do not care about my shinobi career. I must rather focus on my writing one. On the one, I have a passion for, not something like this. But let there is no way I can escape. . .unless. . .", she quickly dismissed that thought. While tempting, she had too much to live for to go to that extreme. "Though, wouldn't I eventually meet it if I continue on this path?", she was not a fool to believe there would not be multiple chances of coming close to death while continuing this occupation; after all, it is one of the faster ways to meet the maker early.


"What should I do? Should I stay and pursue something I had left behind all those years ago? Or, should I walk away to focus on my career as an author? What would they think? Would father approve of my decision? Would Amaya approve of it?", at that thought, Jinx stared intently at said Uchiha, "And what about her child, Mittens. She has been dreaming of becoming a shinobi, and almost at the age to enter the academy. She has been pestering me to show her cool shinobi things, seeing how I am one. If I leave, would she still look at me in wonder and awe? Or would she be disappointed?", an internal battle raged on within Jinx as she tries to determine what to do. Intently staring at Amaya, a decision was made.

Taking a deep breath, steeling her resolve, Jinx prepared herself to speak. "You know.", continuing once Amaya's attention was drawn to her, "The ambiguous of the letter you sent had me close to not showing up. It was vague and had no signature. It said to meet on a training ground where the gates would be unlocked. It sounded like a trap. I am not foolish enough to believe there aren't spies and enemies, both foreign and domestic, within the village. Anyone who thinks that is simply stupid. Alas, I came here anyway, of course not with taking precautions and making sure people would start searching for me if I am gone too long. Who knows? I could very well have been walking into a trap.But that is not important.", Jinx shook her head before getting to the gist of the matter. "Look, mother, I am here, no? If this was a battlefield, I would not have a chance to escape. Run? That will just make my death easier. Stepping onto a battlefield, one must be committed to doing what is needed. There is no choice. You can not run. So, if this is a battlefield, you should know my answer . . .mother."  Though she did not outright say it, Jinx was committed to the shinobi path. . .if only to please others.

---

Just to GP: Italitics is Jinx's thoughts. 


1074[2446]

There were three people here now, as Seicho, whom Hanza had met on a separate occasion, memories of that spicy curry dish and some fun moments surrounded by friends. His stomach had less than pleasing memories of the experience, however. The first to speak among them all was, expectedly, the sensei. Amaya of the Uchiha, a renounced medic in Konoha. Hanza had heard the name but had never seen her or had her described to him, so initially he had no avenue of knowing who she was. Not until she announced herself in the very intense speech. She seemed to be quite serious in what she said, threatening a trip back to the academy if any of them so happened to fail the task at hand, but that was a relatively common threat in the world of shinobi. Hanza had not passed he academy by simply slipping through the cracks. He was a talented young man with ambitions that required him to do well here.

It was just as his soon to be official sensei laid out the vague details of what was to come that the dark haired girl could be seen visibly wrangling her book in a grip far tighter than what was necessary. It was only after a few moments that the girl decided to come forth and make her first impression to the entire team one of direct disrespect for the superior.

Charming

Hanza let out a sigh as the girl went on about the possibility of traps being set and spies or enemies being based within the walls of Konohagakure. This was boarding on clinical paranoia. Of course they lived within a dangerous shinobi world, but for ones first thought to be one of traps and betrayal? He went on to just suppose that after the very tough history the Uchiha had endured, perhaps the feelings of terror were still engrained into the youth.

Hanza stood steady before Amaya, in the appropriate forward facing, attentive position one would supply to any speaker who outranked them. He was only slightly relaxed, as he realized the mother-daughter dynamic was going to be an entire shitshow. Respect would be out of the window unless Amaya asserted herself even despite the obvious relationship between the two. If the girl was in fact her daughter, Hanza could only assume she too was an Uchiha. Those lot had been notoriously moody and brooding, it was almost part of them to be such.

After she had finished her long-winded speech, Hanza cleared his throat and stated plainly. “Kōri, Hanza of the Hidden Mist Village. It is my pleasure. I’ll be staying for your trials, of course, Mrs. Amaya.”

It would likely be a few solid moments before everyone had made final decisions about whether or not they would walk away from such a scare tactic of a speech. Hanza only hoped secretly that Seicho would stay, as otherwise this would be himself between two warring Uchiha women and he was certainly not keen on the idea at all.

WC: 510
TWC: 1,336

Seicho was in his own little world, studying the tree in the middle of the three, trying to figure out the exact properties that made the bark of the tree so strong. He wondered if with medical he could make a sort of armour that would cover injured body parts, healing them as it did so? That way, injuries would be protected from further destruction, and allowed to heal underneath the bark, perhaps by method of a chakra infused mokuton sap? He was unsure, for the moment on how exactly that would work out. Seicho was slightly perturbed at the circumstances he found himself in. A studious nature with a heart set on medical ninjutsu and its applications, without having learned such a thing himself. The young senju sighed and stood up, finishing his notes on the tree, turning around to see that their sensei, a woman of snow white hair, much like the male Seicho had noticed earlier. Taking a second look, he realized it was Hanza, someone he'd met before, during a night out on the town when he chanced to run into him and Nanami at a food place where they dined on a delicious curry dish.

Feeling a bit of salivating at the thought of more spicy food, Seicho had to compose himself. The woman spoke up, making a big show of a speech about her trial for the three of them, and that if they failed to be up to her par, they would be stripped of their genin titles and sent back to the academy. The Senju was a bit shocked, to be truthful, as he had always thought of himself as a bit 'gifted' with practical applications of jutsu and ninjutsu, graduating from the academy at an incredibly early age. Seicho never had any problems when he was asked to put forth effort into any sort of trial in the shinobi world world thus far, and he didn't plan on failing a trial now. He wished he had more time to study the tree or to contemplate jutsu, but he knew that ignoring his sensei would not be a good idea. His eyes came up to the patches she wore and he spied one that signified her as a medic of the village hidden in the leaves, something that put hope into the young man. He could possibly learn his iryo ninjutsu from her during this trial! Right?

Before he could speak up to ask, though, there was a voice from the tree to the right of the one he was studying. He looked up to see another person, a young girl, black of hair, and apparently mean of spirit. She had been reading a book, much like their sensei Amaya of the Uchiha seemed to be at this moment. She was definitely not being the most respectful towards the woman who would be teaching and leading their squad, but it almost made sense to Seicho once she called Amaya 'mother.' If the two were related, not only did it mean that she was also an Uchiha, it would give cause for such a disrespectful tone when speaking to a superior ranking ninja. Much less one's own sensei. The girl seemed to be about his age, if not a little younger, which could mean she was entering what the older folks would call 'the rebellious teenager phase.' Well, either entering, or had fully blossomed into such a thing. Still, she agreed to the trials and Seicho made to speak once more, only to close his mouth from the sound of the other squad member speaking.

He only spoke a sentence or two, saying that it was his pleasure to be there and that he of course would be staying for the trials. Looking around at each of them in turn, he waited to be talked over. When no one else spoke he began to speak himself, bowing to Amaya deeply before doing so, as a sign of respect. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Amaya Sensei. I am Seicho Senju, and I apologize for being late, my studies are no excuse for tardiness. I will be staying for the trials and I wished to ask if that patch upon your clothing meant you were trained in the medical arts? If so, I would ask if I may be taught how to use medical chakra. So far, I am only skilled in Ninjutsu and nothing else. I wish to expand my horizons as well as use healing jutsu." He bowed once more to the woman and stood up straight, his emerald hues looking from each of them in turn, turning his body so that he could keep his eyes on the three of them, only to give eye contact when it was needed.

Of course, he had other thoughts on his mind at the moment as well. He was a Senju and two of them were Uchiha. Centuries ago their clans had animosity so great towards each other that they were the main forces fighting in the warring states period of the great nations. It wasn't until the leaders of the Senju and Uchiha of the time, Hashirama and Madara respectively, formed a peace  treaty and created the village hidden in the leaves that it seemed like their bloodshed was over. There was much more history to it than that, involving Madara's eventual 'final' battle against Hashirama which ended with the former ending up being slain, but Seicho figured that needn't be brought up. He wondered now, if they still held grudges to this day against the Senju for the sins of the distant past? He'd never actually met an Uchiha before this day and now he was meeting with two, one who could crush him like a bug whenever she so chose to. Perhaps he was thinking too much into this though and was letting his studies of history and the clans overshadow his common sense.

1,001|2,087

Something was wrong with Jinx, of that there was no doubt in her mind: though of course she had no idea what that something was but was rather positive Jinx would not be willing to discuss it in front of two strangers. The main people in her life whom showed her the upmost of respect and got it equally in return were those within her family: both the Uchiha one and the extended Inuzuka pack of Kenta’s she had been adopted into in a manner of speaking. While she was quite used to Jinx having a fairly decent amount of attitude – what Uchiha teenager didn’t?! - this was definitely on the extreme end of things, especially for her. Anyone else whom had showed Amaya that amount of disrespect would have likely found themselves picking wood out of their mouth for the next week or so after she had punched them through a tree head first, but alas Jinx was family and Amaya had a soft spot for anyone who fit that bill, as well as much more tolerance.

Of course, that didn’t mean Jinx’s words would go without reprimand or at least supposed punishment: she couldn’t allow the other two to think her an incompetent teacher, or worse still have them thinking that they could get away with much the same should they ever entertain the thought of talking to her in such a manner. ”I understand your feelings completely, but be that as it may your attitude and the way you are speaking to me are both unacceptable. After we are finished here you will remain behind so that we can put both into check.”, her voice was stern, the emphasis on the word ‘will’ indicating that she was by no means going to take no for an answer. She rather hoped Jinx would be wise enough not to argue back, nor to throw anymore attitude around. The fact that Amaya hadn’t outright struck her down should have been indication enough she knew something was wrong, she just prayed that Jinx got the hint.


It would be then to the other two her attention would shift, noticing that it seemed as if the boy who had been so interested in the tree had opened his mouth to speak only to close it again as another began. The second to speak was the nin from Kirigakure, whom introduced himself as Kōri, Hanza. He stated he would be staying for her trial and left it at that. Finally the last spoke, introducing himself as Seicho Senju, the clan name given causing no reaction to the Uchiha who harbored no ill will towards the other. He apologized for being late to which Amaya nodded a silent thanks: his explanation of his studies as his reasoning peaking her interest a bit considering the value she placed on such things. This interest peaked when the young man inquired about the medical patch on her arm, indicating his willingness to learn the medical arts, as well as the fact that he too would be staying for her trials. ”It would be my pleasure to teach you.”, she would respond, unable to hide the indications of a smile that filled her naturally red eyes; she took great joy in passing on her knowledge to others after all and seeing what they did with it.


It was at that point in fact that she allowed her facade of a hard-ass to drop, allowing the usual twinkle in her eye to shine and her stance to relax to something much more comfortable; her facial features losing their emotionless quality for something that bordered on an amused looking smile. ”It is also my pleasure to announce that you all have in fact just passed my trial. Each one of you for your own reasons decided to stay and attempt to accomplish a task you had no knowledge of with a very real threat hanging over your heads of what would happen should you fail. You had the choice to take the safer option and to walk away and simply not participate while facing no consequences, leaving your team short a valued asset, yet not one of you took that path. You will find when working with me it is this kind of determination and commitment I value more than anything else. I do not expect perfection, I expect you simply to try and to not give up should you risk failure. I expect you to head into each task and mission put before you with the goal in mind to succeed and the determination to make that a reality.” These were the standards of which Amaya always ran squads: she truly cared little for perfection, doing your best and putting in the best amount of effort was what she wanted and definitely good enough for her, as well as determination not to back down no matter the challenge presented.


”Welcome to Squad #2 everyone.” Even as Amaya said the words she couldn’t be happier: the fact that not one of her students walked away from her test, thus walking away from her squad, making her want to simply jump for joy – though she of course reigned that in fairly easily. Of course, this outcome made what she had had planned much more easier to do now. ”My intentions as leader of this squad are to make you into the best shinobi you can be. I want to prepare you for the life you face as you continue about your careers so that you yourselves can go on to become successful in your endeavors. My intentions are not to keep you down but rather to build you up. While you are on my squad you will be expected to participate in various exercises, both physical training and otherwise. We will also of course be taking missions together. If you all prove you can work well enough to together, and after you all have proved your skills to me, we will even be taking missions a bit above your usual pay grade.” Ah yes, now this was typical Amaya: not the hard-ass she had been pretending to be moments ago, but rather the more nurturing leader who actually cared about people and wanted to see them move on to greatness.

”I’d like to hear a little about each of you; getting to know one another will hopefully help you all to work together as a team with less conflict or issues.” It was at that point she’d finally fall silent, glancing to each one expectantly in turn: she didn’t mind who went first, she was simply curious as to what they had to bring to the proverbial table.

Word Count: 1,146 | 2,601

The first impression, it is often said to be the most important encounter in the lives of all of us. The way we present ourselves to another, without any intimate knowledge about them, will always stick with them. When one's name is brought up, an image of the first time meeting them will also surface. Assumptions and stereotypes are formed within moments upon greeting, and laying eyes on, another. Sometimes words aren't needed to pin down the personality and traits of others. Yet, when they do speak? Their words just add to the 'profile' already built by the other.

It is hard to take back the mistakes done by meeting someone, or a group of people, for the first time. Unlike video games, writing, or some forms of art, there is no way to erase the mistakes made. There is no way to delete what was said or done. No way to make other(s) change their immediate opinion they have of you to something positive. Nothing can be done. . .Nothing. The only thing that can be done is to live with what had occurred and try to change the opinions of others if they are worth being changed.

And right now, apart of Jinx felt bad for the way she had spoken to her Amaya: her mother in all but blood. The medic Uchiha did not, as far as Jinx knew, had a hand in reinstating the younger one back into service. While she has mentioned the idea to Jinx throughout the years, she never pushed. Allowing Jinx to have all the space and freedom needed. Out of everyone in Jinx's life, Amaya was the one she was closest with. No one else got Jinx to open up more than the Uchiha on ground level. She was the - - -


"I wonder does she knows?", Jinx mused to herself, eyes locking only onto the Older Uchiha. For a brief second sorrow and regret flickered with her orbs, something Amaya would notice during her speech. That speech. Jinx knew it was only done to show the others that their sensei is not a push-over, and would not take any form of disrespect. A show of force to make sure the others would not act out. Knowing this, Jinx still felt the weight of them. Like cold water doused on flames, Amaya's words smothered the burning anger within her. Putting it out for the most part, as evident by Jinx's loosening the grip she had on the book. Nodding in understanding, Jinx closed her eyes, not out of disrespect, more so to shove the issues of the day to the side. She knows, right after this meeting, Amaya would give her the needed outlet to vent. A chance to get everything off of her chest in a controlled manner where fewer people are likely to get hurt.

Jinx's eyes peaked behind closed curtains which were her eyelids as the Kiri-nin introduced himself. "Kōri, eh?", she mused, digging up her knowledge of clans within Kiri. If memory served her right, they are a famous clan who used Hyouton with the Mizukage being the most prolific user ever heralded from them. "What will come of him?", she briefly mused to herself before flickering her attention over the other one now speaking.


"A Senju who wants to learn medical? Another Ukiyo in the making? Naw", the thought was an entertaining one. Everyone in Konoha knew about Ukiyo, and the crimes she may, or may not, had committed. While there were other Senjus of notoriety, Sousetsu coming to mind, the female Senju was one of the few who used medical in such. . .unique ways. Jinx was not a fan of the criminal, her penchant for Uchiha's eyes being a reason for her dislike. Thoughts of Seicho becoming the next Ukiyo was comical and intriguing at the same time, however, Jinx did not want to dwell on it.

Focusing back onto Amaya, taking note of her now relax posture and an all familiar twinkle in her eyes, Jinx knew the hard-ass persona from earlier had been dropped. Despite passing the test, Jinx having no doubt of the outcome, only the smallest of smiles appeared on her face. Was this because she is happy to be apart of the squad? Or was there an entirely different reason? It truly did not matter. Listening to her mother. . .sensei words, Jinx didn't see any problem or fault with them. She will follow the rules, unless given a reason not to.

"The best?", a delicate eyebrow was raised at the statement, and Jinx found herself deep in thought. Did she really want to be the best shinobi? What exactly does it mean to be the best? It is a subjective word, no? Being the 'best' is impossible because there will always be someone better than you, therefore, invalidating you as being the 'best'.  Jinx did not want to be the best. No, despite having only recently returned to this occupation, Jinx had her eyes on something else - something greater.

Just like before, Jinx did not waste time in answering the opposed question, "Hello, sensei and everyone. Sorry about earlier, these past few days haven't been the most kind to me.", she started off with apologizing and given an explanation, a vague one, for her earlier disrespectfulness "My name is Jinx; no surname. I am the adopted daughter of Uchiha, Amaya. So, I guess my surname would be Uchiha. I am a . . .." She paused, should she tell them? Might as well, "I am an author first and shinobi second. My dreams are to be recognized for my writing and have my books published within all the Nations. As for shinobi related stuff? I have no dreams. I do find myself interested in Katon, reading any book written on the topic, particularly those by Uchiha Madara. Fuuinjutsu is something else I fancy being able to make shinobis defenseless with a few strokes is amazing art," With that said, Jinx tuned in to listen to the others.

---

1015[3461]

The entire demeanor of this affair had changed dramatically from the dreadful one Hanza had pictured in his head. Seicho, in his tardiness, presented himself with respect and remorse, inquiring about learning the medical arts.

“Bravo, bravo.”

It was an amazing field of study, that was something Hanza had no doubt about, and he would absolutely adore the opportunity to put medical Hyōton against medical mokuton. What an extraordinary opportunity that would be. It was this which brought the Kōri clansman’s attention to a fact he had overlooked, the medical patch was a fantastic sign, considering Hanza was specialized in that field. He would quietly smile to himself upon realizing another good piece of news about this squad. Three of the four of them were going to be involved with medical arts, what would this Jinx individual be putting forth? Hanza was nothing short of  eager to find out. It seemed that this build up of feelings toward the big day that being a shinobi really took off was prepared to explode.

Amaya scolded the dark haired girl, demanding she stay late for an adjustment. That was just the sort of response Hanza would expect from someone of her standing in the village. They certainly did not want an unrestrained, anger filled Uchiha running around.

Suddenly it seemed the weight of all of the worlds that he had been bearing had been lifted from his shoulders with a singular sweep of his new sensei’s vocal chords. They had all passed the test by staying put. Amaya Uchiha, ranking Jounin of Konohagakure no Sato would be leading the three of them into greatness, Hanza was confident in that. Her way of speaking was one of motivation, drive, and best of all it held a care for the three of them. A concern with driving them forward and up. As a profession, being a shinobi was rough. Some genin would likely die on duty, and most teachers had to be aware of that when they took on squads. Hanza wondered quietly to himself.

“Has Mrs. Amaya ever had a student die?”

It was just a fleeting question, it did not linger for long at all in his mind as he prepared himself for what remained ahead in this riveting meeting with Amaya and his squadmates. Amaya sensei proposed now that they each speak about themselves, and familiarize themselves with one another in order to move forward as a cooperative unit which understands one another. Such a thing was surely of great importance, though his stomach screamed and his body broke a barely noticeable sweat at the directive. Fortunately for him, the dark haired girl, now revealed as Jinx Uchiha, took the opportunity to begin.

She issued an apology for her behavior at the start, which seemingly skyrocketed her back into Hanza’s good graces. He was not going to hold things against someone who had the humility to apologize and recognize their mistakes. He was sure even some elders did not possess that  good quality. The younger Uchiha girl continued, stumbling over what seemed to be some uncertainty over her identity. Namely her surname. Something troubling must have happened in that regard.

“Adopted daughter eh? Impressive display of disassociation if that’s the case. Amaya scolded her as a student, not a daughter. I rushed in my earlier judgments.”

Jinx voiced that she was an author before she was a shinobi. That posed certain questions on it’s own but nevertheless, Hanza did not think it was a great deal to be worried about. When life was on the line, most people were fine to carry out shinobi duties even when they were not the foremost concern in their lives. She was a published and accomplished author, so that in itself was great. She was a scholar then, who could share much with the group.

“Worry yourself not about our judgement, Jinx. Save for what you may have in store for you when we depart, I found your apology to be an insanely redeeming quality. Most elder shinobi do not have the strength of will to own up to their own mistakes.”

He pressed on, as to not make her uncomfortable by lingering any longer on the past, or at least not on her past.

“I have always found a great deal of interest in Madara Uchiha’s supposed ability to manifest his will. Will Materialization, they called it? He was a powerful shinobi, despite all that he was other than that.”

He paused for a moment realizing he had speaker out sort of aloof rather than actually constructing a solid introductory clause.

“My name is Hanza of the Kōri clan. I am a self-proclaimed expert on the subject of cryogenics and I utilize many Hyōton based Ninjutsu and Medical Ninjutsu, as well as techniques with the constituent elements, Suiton and Fūton.”

He hoped in silence that he had yet to sound stupid, or draw a blank stare from his small audience of three.

“I spend my spare time studying the effects of Hyōton on the environment around me, and on those who have nowhere else to turn for treatment of their ailments. I have found a great deal of success with its applications.”

He left it there, feeling at least slightly confident that he had been successful in his introduction.

WC: 898
TWC: 2234

Seicho's emerald eyes moved from the sensei to the girl still in the tree. While the younger one had disrespected Amaya, it was clear that they had some sort of relation now. But it would also seem that she wouldn't let such disrespect come from any on her squad, regardless of familial bonds. She instructed the younger girl that she would be staying after the meeting was over, and from the tone of her voice it was an order, not a request. This was something that had Seich torn. On the one hand he was happy to see that there was not going to be any favorites on the squad just because of relationships, family or otherwise. This meant it would be more of a meritocracy. On the other hand, he didn't want the poor girl to be put down by the sensei when the other two weren't around and the Senju bit his lip quietly. He would choose to respect the wishes of the sensei and leave so the two of them could have a discussion once it was over, though it went against his nature to not try and help anyone he thought was in need. With an internal sigh, he was happy when the conversation was moved along.

The woman nodded in response to his excuse for being late and said it would be a pleasure to teach the young senju of the medical arts. Seicho couldn't tell, but as his emerald hues met her naturally red ones, he could swear there was a smile playing there. Unfortunately, he wasn't as well versed in people as he was in plants, and would need to learn more about people if he wished to capture all the nuances of speaking to others. Not much longer until Amaya's stance relaxed and her emotionless features turned to something more of an amused smile. It seemed that the actual trial was to test the commitment they had to the team. Not a bad trial, if a bit mysterious and possibly over the top. Should he ever have his own squad one day, Seicho thought he might just do the same thing. She went on to make a speech about the determination it took to make a decision to stay for a trial they knew nothing about and how such a quality would be invaluable on her squad for the days to come with their training. She didn't want them to be perfect ninja right off the bat, rather she wanted them to do their best, regardless of the risk for failure they could bring. It was truly inspiring and heartwarming to have such a sensei that shared that outlook with her students. Seicho was quite impressed to say the least.

She then welcomed them officially into squad two, one of the squads of Konoha's ninja and the squad second only to the Hokage's personal squad. At least, it was so in the order of numbers. She then went on to speak about her intentions for the squad: to make them into the best shinobi they could be. This lifted the spirits of the senju more than they normally would be for such a meeting. Which was already pretty high. To have a sensei that believed in helping them rise to heights alone they would think impossible was definitely a motivator to grow stronger and get better. She spoke on the notion that she was not here to hold them down, but rather to build them up. Which was something the Senju smiled very widely at. He felt as though this squad could become some sort of family away from family. He would have to go visit his parents to tell them about this! Amaya continued on with the expectations for the squad under her leadership. This included participating in various exercises, physical or otherwise, as well as taking on missions together. And from what she was saying, if they worked well enough together as a squad they could even take missions together above their usual pay grade, which would mean even more ryo to purchase different unique plants to study! The senju quivered at the thought of increasing his knowledge.

It was then that she said she'd like to know more about each of them, so it would cause less conflicts and issues, possibly just wanting to know what made each of them tick. She looked around to see who would speak first, the senju doing the same. He figured, though, that it would go in much the same speaking order as it had with them answering that they were ready for the trials ahead. And so, he looked up to the girl in the tree expectantly, noting her name as she spoke to the three gathered below. 'Jinx. Quite the name isn't it? To be named after a hex in mythology, or simply a children's game which would require one to keep silent if it was called. I wonder how she feels about such a connection?' She'd apologized for her earlier attitude before saying her name, citing that the last few days hadn't been kind to her, which the Senju could empathize with, on one level or another. When she continued speaking, Seicho noted that his assumption that she was indeed an Uchiha was correct and nodded along as he listened to her speak. Though she did say adopted daughter, so he may be wrong either way. In any case, she spoke that she was a writer first and shinobi second, which was fine with Seicho. He found himself a scholar first most days, but couldn't shirk his duties as a shinobi if he wanted to. When she spoke of being interested in Katon, the Senju almost instinctively cringed, due to the natures of their jutsu clashing often. He tried to not make it noticeable. When she mentioned Madara Uchiha, his ears perked up and he nodded, he'd been studying the famous Uchiha himself because their clans' histories were so deeply intertwined. When she mentioned fuuinjutsu, the Senju pulled out his notepad and scribbled down to study books on fuuinjutsu for a later time in his career.

If seemed that Jinx was done, and so they moved on to Hanza, who took this moment to be.. well, Hanza. He spoke so formally and eloquently, complimenting Jinx for apologizing and telling her to worry not of it. Or something to that effect. Hanza spoke on the fact that he too, had been studying the shinobi Madara Uchiha. This was noted by Seicho and he made a point to avoid mentioning he had studied the man as well, because, well, why should all three of them mention it? He didn't want them to think he was just jumping on the bandwagon at this point. So he'd keep it to himself.  Seicho was distracting himself with his thoughts again, and almost missed when Hanza began to speak again. He spoke that he was a member of the Kori clan, and a self proclaimed expert on.. cryogenics? Being honest, the senju had no idea what any of that meant. He wrote down the word in his notebook for study later and nodded quietly to himself. He said that he used Hyoton based ninjutsu and medical ninjutsu, as well as the elements that made it up. With his small bit of knowledge on advanced elements, he figured out Hyoton probably meant ice as it would have to be related to cryogenics and the root word 'cryo' meant involving, or producing cold, especially extreme cold.  This knowledge would make learning about cryogenics much easier, then. It was interesting to learn that Hanza too, used medical ninjutsu. This team was shaping up to be interesting, to say the least. He seemed to find success already with his endeavors into using his Hyouton based medical... stuff. Well, Seicho would have to learn from him as well then! Possibly to strengthen his own Mokuton.

Finally, the eyes would come to the Senju who was quietly scribbling down notes in his notepad. He was not really taking notes on what was said, so much as what wasn't explained. He personally didn't know much about medical ninjutsu, Hyouton, or even fuuinjutsu. So his entire notepad page was filled with one liners or just one word sentences that had to do with something specific that he would extend upon later. Such things as 'cryogenics' or 'must learn about fuuinjutsu' and even something he'd written down earlier that was 'can bark be used as armor while medical sap heals wounds?'  It took a few moments before he noticed the silence and looked up from his note jotting to look around at the three. He quietly clicked his pen closed and cleared his throat, getting ready to speak to the three who probably expected him to go into things much like they had, immediately, on their turn. Instead of taking notes like some sort of studious little bookworm that he was. This wasn't off to a great start for him.

"Er.. As I said, I am Seicho Senju. As you can probably tell, I like trees. But eh, not just trees! I know this is probably something you see with a lot of senju, but I enjoy studying nature. Mostly flora and fauna, but some fungi and also trees. It helps me get a better grasp of their make up so that I may learn how to mold my chakra into something reminiscent of them and use them in different jutsu that I make up. The main reason I wanted to learn iryo ninjutsu was to combine it with my wood release to form potent healing jutsu that can be almost limitless thanks to the extensive research I've put into my passion." The senju paused, writing down something he'd forgotten to put in about the paralyzing spores some fungi let off, then continued to speak, looking around as he did so, trying to make eye contact as much as he could. " Along with all of that I tend to take notes on a lot of things, namely things I don't understand and wish to study at a later time. Uhm.. I suppose I should mention I've studied just about every senju in the histories I could find. Centering mostly on Hashirama and Tobirama, but I haven't found many of note in the village. Other than hearing about Owydelu and Sousetsu of course. But that's just things that is on the public records for people to find."

The senju tapped his pen against the bindings of his notebook quietly. He thought a bit more before he spoke again. "I'm only really talented in ninjutsu, and I use wood release which means I can use Doton, Suiton, or both to create Mokuton. And er.. I didn't learn much about ninja until later when I graduated the academy around the age of eleven, breezing through on my first try. But after that I decided to stay at home with my folks on the farm. They used their Mokuton often to till the soil and plant seeds, it was a simply life but it showed me first hand different uses for wood release, and when I got old enough I left home and took a job at the academy as a records keeper. I keep everything there organized and got my own apartment up above the Yamanaka flower shop..And uh.. Well I know I'm rambling but I suppose my biggest goal in life other than to study things until I understand them is to become something more than a leader or regular shinobi for the village. I want to help it prosper and grow to a strength such that we won't have to worry about someone coming to burn us down again, to rebuild over and over. But.. yea, that's me!" It wasn't that the Senju was bad at public speaking, he just personally felt that his ideals may seem silly, foolish, or childish to the other members of his squad. He silently went back to taking notes, keeping an eye on Amaya for anything that may look like medical jutsu so that he could take notes for easier learning.

2,067|4,154

OOC:

Amaya was honestly half expecting more attitude from Jinx especially given the authoritative voice she had used, yet it seemed that her words had had a calming effect on the young Uchiha – keeping her from going off or throwing around anymore attitude while also buying the pair time to properly get to discuss things. Amaya was hoping things would continue to move as smoothly as they already were so that she could properly dismiss the squad and move on with things as she had had planned: she had definitely been prepared for both outcomes – both negative and positive. Though, she was definitely happy things had worked out for the better.

Jinx spoke up first, as Amaya had half expected considering the order things had already gone, and the first thing she did was apologize for her behavior, giving a hint that something had definitely gone wrong without actually going into the detail of it. The secrecy something Amaya was quite used to considering she was much the same in a way. Jinx went on to introduce herself properly, giving no surname but mentioning she was adopted – something which caused the corner of the elder Uchiha’s mouth to twitch oh so slightly; Amaya saw Jinx’s hedging as explaining who she was without coming right out and admitting to the masses she was a full-blooded Uchiha. Apparently the younger female had picked up on some of Amaya’s own customs, more so than Amaya had originally thought. Jinx continued on though, explaining that she was an author first and a shinobi second, making her stance quite clear – something which Amaya couldn’t help but wonder how the others would take. Would they see her as a slacker? Or simply as someone dedicated to more than one thing? Jinx went on to speak then about her interest in Katon which Amaya noticed out of the corner of her eye caused the young Senju to cringe somewhat though it did seem like he was trying to hide it and then went on to mention her study of Uchiha Madara. She finished with adding in her interest in Fuuinjutsu before falling silent.

Amaya’s naturally red gaze moved off of Jinx which it had been resting on the entire time she was speaking and onto Hanza as he began. Hanza spoke first to Jinx, telling her not to worry and seemingly accepting her apology before shifting his focus as he went on to mention his own interest in Uchiha Madara. He then went on to introduce himself once more, calling himself a self proclaimed expert in the use of cryogenics – which she saw out of the corner of her eye caused the Senju to write something down on the notebook he had with him. Hanza went on to mention how he used ice techniques for both Ninjutsu as well as Medical Ninjutsu which caused Amaya to smile – ice had many uses when it came to medical, both good and bad, so she was happy to see her new student used such. He went on to mention what he did in his spare time and then concluded with how he had found a great deal of success with the applications before falling silent.

Once more the elder Uchiha’s eyes would shift, moving to the last to speak: the Senju with the notebook. He introduced himself again, mentioning his love for trees though he broadened it a bit more with what he had spoken about next. Seicho enjoyed studying nature, and wanted to use this knowledge to better be able to mold and manipulate his chakra for his techniques. When he went on to speak about wanting to use his knowledge of Medical Ninjutsu along with his Mokuton techniques Amaya nodded and smiled encouragingly: she was more than willing to help with that and to get a chance to watch another medic grow and bloom – in a manner of speaking. She watched patiently as Seicho then paused, writing something down on his notebook, before going on to mention that he wrote things down he wanted to study that he didn’t know about at that moment in time. He went on to give a bit of background about himself, how he had graduated early but had decided to stay home with his family for a while before heading off to become a records keeper. As he spoke of his overall goals Amaya listened intently – she had meant what she said of course, she wanted to see them all succeed, so to hear what each one wanted to accomplish was definitely the beginning of that. Once he had finished however she focused her attention on the group as a whole, smiling once more.

Amaya opened her mouth to speak, planning on giving them further instructions, when movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention; a young man moving through the trees looking fairly official in attire and carrying a scroll. He landed next to her without a word, holding the scroll out to the elder Uchiha which she took immediately. As she broke the seal she saw out of the corner of her eye herself being bowed to before the individual took back off – likely off to deliver another document to someone else. Amaya glanced at what was inside, raised a brow, and then rolled the scroll back up without a word before depositing it safely into one of the pockets of her flak jacket. ”Well, it seems I’m being called away on an urgent request. No matter, I was planning on wrapping things up here for the day anyway now that we’ve all gotten to know a bit about each other. I will be taking a mission for us all to complete tomorrow; it is C-Rank and it will test how you all can work together to accomplish a single goal. It will more than likely not be dangerous but I expect each one of you armed as you would be on any other mission – in short I want to see what you all have to work with, as it will be needed when we take missions together of a more serious nature. I’ll ask that each of you show up tomorrow at nine o’clock in the morning at the North gate to the village. Please make sure you each have had breakfast – there is a chance our task will take most of the day. For now that is it, you are dismissed. Jinx, remain here and we will talk.” The instructions were clear enough, and she already found herself feeling fairly sure that they would all accomplish their task tomorrow well enough together. For now though, as she waited for Seicho and Hanza to depart she focused her attention on Jinx, nodding in the direction of the forested area of the training ground, a place where they would have more privacy to speak. Only after (if) the pair left would she turn and head towards the trees she had indicated, curious to see what was wrong with Jinx and what, if anything, she could do to help her.

Mission We’ll be Taking:

Word Count: 1,366 | 3,967


Endurance A-0 -> A-1: 552 + 3,967 = 4,519 / 1,000
Endurance A-1 -> A-2: 3,519 / 1,150
Endurance A-2 -> A-3: 2,369 / 1,300
Endurance A-3 -> S-0: 1,069 / 1,550

Jinx hated the number of insecurities she had. The large amount that were carefully hidden behind constructive walls and barriers in a vain attempt in trying to keep them away from the public eye; for they won't be used by others for their own gain or entertainment. Like many people in her inner circle, she like to keep things private, only letting a small selected group of people know about them. The less people who knew the better - at least in her eyes. The statement being extremely true when it comes to her insecurities. There were no way she would let some strangers know about them!

Yet, that is exactly what happened.

Though unintentional, Jinx allowed two strangers, Hanza and Seicho, to know about one of her insecurities. She was too slow in hiding it from them. How would they react in knowing her passion, her true passion laid outside of the shinobi occupation? That her dreams had nothing to do with becoming Anbu, joining one of those rumored groups, or Kage. That she simply wants to be recognized for her work as as author - nothing more or less. She was worried the others would mock and ridicule her for such ambition.

It wouldn't be the first time.

Indeed, this would not be the first time she was ridicule by peers for her choices. By the same individuals who she was supposed to trust her life to if she followed the shinobi occupation. How could she trust those same people who ridicule her dreams? It was a particular incident with them that caused her not desiring in being a shinobi. Of course, the only people who knew this was her, and she very much want it to remain that way. However, because of that incident, she did not speak much about her passions, at least not to shinobi,  in fear of being rejected by them like before. Yet, she seemingly went against those fears, telling them about her passions, with some hesitation, giving these people a chance to prove her wrong.

And they did. . .

Russet brown eyes looked at Hanza from the branch which she remained perched at. The Kori member's words ringing loudly in the young Uchiha's ears. "Thank you.", she spoke, being thankful for the words the male had spoken. He accepted her apology, saying it was a redeeming quality of hers. She perked up slightly when he mentioned of having an interest in Uchiha, Madara. While her own interest laid within the fable's Uchiha's mastery over Katon and philosophy. She admits into be slightly intrigued by his ability to manifest his will - something that has not been done since. . .at least not to her knowledge. Maybe the two could talk about the man later?

Feeling better about the squad, Jinx jumped down from her perch on the tree. Landing softly on the ground on the opposite side of the pair. She listened intently as Hanza introduced himself. A Kori member who is an expert of cryogenic. She vaguely remembers reading about the subject but never going too deep into the subject; it did not interest her much. And it seemed, just like her adopted mother, the male is a medical-nin. She can respect that. "That's cool.", she spoke, before realizing the unintended pun "No pun intended.".

And then there was one. . .

Jinx's attention shifted to the last member of the squad: Seicho. Throughout both introductions, she had seen how he reacted to certain things but did not comment on it. She listened to the Senju spoke of his studies of nature, a passion of his, and improving his own skills. And it seems, just like everyone, except her, he was a budding medical-nin. "Maybe I should learn medical ninjutsu.", she mentally joked, finding it humorous how she was the oddball of this group while listening to the Senju's goals and what he did on his downtime.

Not bad.

Indeed, while she had some issues with this group, now she found herself a little bit interested in seeing where this squad will go. While she was unsure if she was ready for this path, she was willing to see where it goes.

"Hmmm?", Jinx's eyes locked onto the unknown individual who landed beside Amaya, delivering her a scroll that was read. Jinx wondered what it was about, but asked due to it being none of her business. As the unknown individual left, her attention turned back to Amaya. Apparently, something of importance came up that needed her attention. Jinx listened as Amaya mention the squad doing a C-rank mission tomorrow to test their teamwork. Considering the squad was newly minted, the mission would not be too dangerous. Something that Jinx was happy for. This would be her first mission since her return. A time was given for them to meet up at the north gate. "Got to get up early again"., she silently mused, she will definitely need to get used to getting up early again.

"Understood.", Jinx spoke, letting Amaya know she understood everything which was spoken. Knowing that the older Uchiha wanted to talk to her, she waited patiently till everyone left before speaking. . ."So, did you specifically ask for me to join this squad? And why?"

---

[Exit!]


884[4345] - Claimed

Jutsu Training
20% word count reduction(Quick Learning + Sensei deduction)


Misty Flame Dance | D-rank 
Dragon Fire Jutsu | C-Rank
Flame Bullet | C-Rank
Great FireBall Jutsu | C-Rank
Fire Clone Technique | C-Rank
Total WC(Before Reduction) = 4750
Total WC(With 20% Reduction) 4750 - 950 = 3800
4345 - 3800 = 545

Stat Training:
Endurance D-0 -> D-1[325 words and 25ryo]
Discarded WC: 545 - 325 = 220

It seemed as though all in all, everything was going to be alright with this squad. Seicho took his stage and gave his introduction, a bit more long winded than Hanza’s had been, even a bit moreso than Jinx. The rambling on was pleasant, though, as it allowed Hanza to recede gently into his thoughts. He still took in the valuable bits of information his friend and squadmate was relaying, but sometimes as an introverted man, Hanza just needed an internal avenue to escape his surroundings for a moment or two. Seicho reminded Hanza that he had slacked off too much since arriving in the village on his own personal obsession. He had not committed fully to a cryogenic specimen since the events with Hakara. He occasionally still had flashes in his mind of the two men, impaled on icicles.

He looked around at his new squadmates then toward the ground slightly as he made an effort to nullify his racing mind. This was not the time, and it certainly was not the place to start panicking, he was a squad member now. Things were not just about him any longer. Jinx took nicely to his kind words and that was good. Seicho got out all that he needed to say before the sensei was interrupted just in the middle of giving out some directives. A formally dressed shinobi arrived, gave her a scroll, and departed as fast as could be. It was clearly of great urgency as Amaya immediately created a plan for meeting the next day for a mission, dropping all she had been saying before.

Hanza could not have been more thrilled about what was to come, and he certainly would not be late come the very next day. He wondered to himself what sort of objectives that mission would contain as he took a bow and gently walked off toward the north gate, toward his apartment.

“Thank you for your company and time today, team 2 and Amaya Sensei. Enjoy the rest of your evenings!”

And with nothing further, he was gone.

Exit Thread

WC: 347
TWC: 2581

Strength: E -> E-3 (450)
Speed: E -> D (750)
Endurance: E->E-3 (450)
Per: E-> D (750)
Reaction: E-3 -> D (300)
Total: 2700 - 270 (10% Sensei Reduction) = 2430
151 WC discarded
Total: 1800

Seicho's attention turned from his sensei to the girl who was previously in the tree, Jinx. She'd jumped down and spoke only a few times, seeming to be in her own thoughts as well. She's thanked Hanza for the way he reacted to what she said, making Seicho feel a bit embarrassed he hadn't told her something of the same nature. Still, there was nothing for it now. She spoke only a few more times and the Senju quietly wrote down a few more notes about medical chakra and the uses of mokuton in a healing aspect, circling the 'learn fuuinjutsu' bit he had written down. There was something about fuuinjutsu and the use of it that reminded Seicho of something he had read in a book once, but he couldn't exactly pin it down. It was important at the time, but he couldn't remember it for the life of him. Being sure that it would come to him eventually, most likely when he least expected to need the knowledge, the senju shrugged and continued his writing of notes, trying to think of the best way to incorporate what he wanted into multiple jutsu.

Seicho was in his own world and almost didn't realize that his Sensei, Amaya, was making to speak to them once more. His attention was brought to a shinobi who came to be next to the older Uchiha woman, Seicho unsure of when the shinobi had gotten there, before it seemed they would be calling it quits for the day.  Amaya was to be called away on some sort of important business, and Seicho nodded along as she spoke, telling them that she was to end it there either way. She wanted them to come armed and ready for their C-Rank mission, as it would be their chance to show how well they could all work together. That was fine by the senju but he was a bit confused at her asking them to come armed. Were any of the three of them weapon users? He couldn't tell, specifically, as he had no knowledge of those arts, but from the look of those around he could almost safely say that no, none of them practiced weapon arts.  Still, they likely would all bring kunai and shuriken or senbon. Perhaps some bandages if they were feeling frisky.

She said they would eventually take on missions of a more serious nature, but tomorrow they should be ready for the C-Rank.  They were asked to eat breakfast and meet at the north gate at nine-thirty. Seicho nodded and wrote down the times and location in his notes, making sure to write a note for himself to eat as well. That meant that he couldn't stay up late the night before and study as he usually did, he'd have to get a good night's sleep and then try to wake up early enough to perhaps arrive on time for something. The senju sighed to himself and finished his notes, watching as the young girl approached their sensei, apparently ready for their after meeting talk. Seicho was going to wave to them but he noticed Hanza walking off as though everything was finished. With a bit of a jog to catch up to the other, icy cold ninja, Seicho huffed and clapped his squad mate on the back, trying to match his pace. "Hey, Hanza! While those two are having their own little meeting time together, what say you and I go out for something to eat to celebrate joining a squad together? We can go back to that restaurant we ate at with Nanami! I would say 'my treat' but we can sorta eat there for free you know? I have nothing else going on and if I go home alone I would just spend all night studying again. So let's go!" Without waiting for an answer, Seicho would put his hands on the back of the cold skinned ninja, ushering his squad mate forward at a faster pace. He didn't want to spend the rest of his night alone and somewhat 'forcing' a friend to go have a free meal with him sounded like a much better idea than doing what he didn't want to do. Or did it? Studying was nice too, but the Senju noted that it was probably much more important to try forming a lasting bond with the people he would be going on missions with and would have to entrust his life to. It was only natural, right? The senju were a people of bonds and friendships anyhow, and while he didn't know much about the Kori, Seicho was sure they had to be the same way. No one wanted to be alone, after all.

809|4,963

EXIT

Learning Medical Ninjutsu: 1,500/1,500
Med Ninjutsu D > C: 1,500/1,500
Doton D > C: 1,500/1,500
Trained Woodland Reinforcement Technique: 1,000/1,000
Total: 5,500
10% Discount with Sensei = 550 off of training
4,963/4,950