Mission Debrief:

Though a simple mission, Hikarou needed some time. Prior to reaching the Academy, the introverted ninja stored up all the solitude he could muster. Sensei had warned him, 'The kids will not respect you. They don't even respect me!' If someone of his status could not face them, how could a Genin? Well, no matter the reality of the situation, Hikarou had agreed to face the little devils, and so he would to the best of his ability.

As he walked into the detention room, relief befell his heart. Only five youngsters stared at the Genin, and none seemed threatening. So it was to Hikarou's dismay that, when he had reached the center of the chalkboard, five wads of last night's homework whizzed toward him. He ducked under the first and the third, batting the second and the fourth out of the air with each hand, leaving the fifth to fall just short of contact. "Must we begin our time together with an assault?"

The unruly children were not impressed, and simply stared with discontent. Hikarou felt like he was under a microscope, 'How can I tame these fools? I will not scream, I will not shout, it is against my nature! So how?' The students grew weary of the Genin's brainstorming session (though it only lasted seconds) and lept on the tables. Balloons full of a water & paint mixture busted against the walls, spreading red and blue around the hall. The kids burst out laughing and started to flee the crime-scene. However, Hikarou had formulated his strategy by that time, and barricaded the door with his body. The deviants skid to a halt in front of their temporary sensei, and entered into the offensive, fully ready to resist their punishment.

Unexpectedly, Hikarou spoke in a controlled voice, "I can see you five have trouble with authority, though I don't understand why. However, I won't give in that easily to you. I will teach you a lesson whether you want me to or not, and you will learn something before the end of the day." The ringleader stepped out toward in defiance however. Raising his kunai to the Genin, he shouted, "We do not follow your orders! We stand on our own!"

Though enraged by the disrespect, Hikarou maintained composure. He refused to exhibit the attributes that these hoodlums expected. They were seeking attention, no doubt, and loved large scale reactions, 'I will handle these five much differently.'

"Raising your kunai means you're looking for a fight. Is that so? Perhaps you do not think I will actually fight Academy student. Or perhaps you believe me to be a chump Genin," Hikarou muttered, "But I assure you I have ability in the ninja arts. Go ahead and throw it at me."

The Academy was notorious for focusing on the good students, and letting the troublemakers slip through the cracks. No teachers wished to deal with the students, and simply reprimanded them with detention, creating the five delinquents that Hikarou saw before him. Ignoring, yelling, punishing, all of this just made the children colder and more reserved. 'I must break this cycle.'

Caught off guard by the challenge, the five young faces bore looks of confusion. They were not used to such a calm, yet forceful response to their shenanigans. The entire personality of their temporary sensei was off, and they did not know how to handle it. However, one of the more rambunctious students finally made a move. He hastily threw a kunai at Hikarou, while his peers looked on in horror, but it was easily deflected. "You treat your ninja tools too flippantly," Hikarou stated, "and do not realize the severity of your actions. I can see that none of you understand the reality of shinobi. Throwing a kunai was reckless, and the consequences could have been fatal to me, a fellow Leaf ninja. Regardless of whether I challenged you or not, for you to attack me in such a lethal manner means either you have no regard for human life, or you do not understand the lethality of what you do. Regardless, I pray it is the latter."

The attacker, who was deserted by his peers, was embarrassed. There was something about the controlled speech of the Genin that penetrating his heart. Dejected, the student took his seat again. Hikarou preceded to the chalkboard, and drew a minuscule dot, "I will not react the way you are used to. I will not give you what you want. I will instead give you what you need. Now, each of you must place your kunai in this dot. When this happens, you all can leave."

Finally, the ten eyes lightened up. This was something fun, not like any detention they had faced before. They all jumped up and formed a single file line fifteen meters in front of the chalkboard, eager to begin. The first stepped up to the plate, and launched his weapon at full speed, but regrettably landed it three inches off center. The others followed suit, but all missing the mark. The task proved harder than they thought, and the sound of complaints began to fill the air. The restlessness accelerated for about twenty minutes before Hikarou interjected, "I can see your frustration, but take heart. This is no easy feat, and you all are doing very well for Academy members. I would say you five are probably top of your class, if you would just stop messing around and dedicate yourselves to handwork. That being said, continue."

"But sensei," one of the kids shouted, "this is not possible for us! Why are we doing this, it means nothing!"

A smile crept onto Hikarou's face. This was utter perfection. He turned toward the target, and surrounded it with the silhouette of a man, "This is your new target. He is an enemy, a missing-nin who has just taken your family hostage. If you do not end his life with your kunai, he will destroy everything close to you and leave you in a heap of regret and depression. This is why hardwork matters, this is why training matters, this is why determination matters. Now complete this mission." And with that he stepped away.

The Will of Fire now entered the scene, setting ablaze the hearts of the subjugates. The connection between their work, which they had always seen as boring, and their future, which they had always seen as fantasy, was finally made. Now when they threw, they knew they could not fail. One by one, the children attacked the silhouette, attempting to impale his figurative heart. Though they all missed the first round, their intensity persisted. Eventually, only one remained, cheered on fervently by his comrades. Not only did they now believe in themselves, but they also believed in each other, drawn together by the Will of Fire. Hikarou couldn't have been more proud, and uncharacteristically "hooted" when the final kunai struck its tiny target. In this moment, everyone realized that no one involved would ever be the same again, and Konoha had gained five more shinobi.

"True to my word, you are all free to go," Hikarou said, grinning from ear to ear, "But remember what you learned. You five are gifted, and now you understand the importance of your learnings. I cannot wait to witness what you all become." With that, he headed for the door, but suddenly remembered something important. He turned to the students while grasping the doorhandle, "Actually, do not think I have forgotten about your little prank. Clean the paint off the walls first."

And the cries of disappointment were all Hikarou heard as he shut the door behind him, feeling quite accomplished.


Total Word Count: 1294
Mission: 1294/600
SPD Training (E-rank > E-1): 694/75
SPD Training (E-1 > E-2): 619/150
REA Training (E-rank > E-1): 469/75
REA Training (E-1 > E-2): 394/150
REA Training (E-2 > E-3): 244/225