“Ugh, not this nonsense again.”

Kyohei roughly wiped the sleep from his eyes with the palms of his hands before dragging his fingers down his face. Slumped over in his chair, the Uchiha rested his head in his hands for a few moments, struggling to wrest himself from the grip of exhaustion. Another long night of combing through a seemingly endless backlog of files seized from Enaka’s compound back when his task force was still active had done nothing to put a pep in the fair-haired man’s step, but even so he soldiered on. He was a detective and these cases weren’t going to solve themselves. Leaving them to go cold and die in a dark corner of the Military Police compound was not an outcome he was willing to accept. He owed them at least that much.

Kyohei pressed his elbows down into the armrests of his office chair to hold it in place as he raised himself up to adjust his position in his seat, correcting his posture to sit upright. Gripping a black mug emblazoned with the traditional Konohagakure Military Police Logo with Uchiha symbol front and center, the detective drew the glass up to his lips before taking a large gulp of coffee. It was his sixth cup of the day, or maybe seventh, days like this when he broke night had the habit of blurring together and making small details an afterthought. What he did remember, however, was a letter he had received from the village’s administrative offices two days prior. Apparently he was going to be assigned two genin to oversee their instruction, a burden he was less than enthused about taking on.

The Uchiha had long since made a habit of using his relationship with the Chief of Police in order to have an indefinite “unavailable” sign stamped on his forehead in the eyes of the administration. It appeared, however, that even the Chief had his limits in how much leeway he had and Kyohei’s time had come. He had never imagined himself to be in any way suited to teach, deeming himself too impatient and abrasive. He was a soldier. He was only ever groomed to be one thing and it was not an instructor. The administration, however, seemed to believe otherwise. Or, at least, they had more prospective students in need of senior guidance than jounin were available. He supposed the reasons didn’t matter much at this point. He was stuck with the hand he was dealt.

Kyohei’s eyes reflexively squinted as a thin ray of light intruded upon his room through the blinds over his window. If the sun was positioned far enough along in the sky that his blinds were out of position that means that it was already past 9 a.m. He had instructed the two genin in his correspondence to report to the Military Police Headquarters building at 9:30, meaning he they should be approaching any moment. He purposefully left out the location of his office on the 13th floor. If they wanted an instructor they would have to work for it, at least a little bit. Hopefully they were intelligent enough to simply ask at the front desk. They wouldn’t be allowed upstairs without a pass to get through security anyway.

---

556 | 556

Blue eyes look up at the building that is known as the Konohagakure Military Police station. The young lad known as Poe pulls his hood off from over his head and scratches his head sighing in relief. What a bother it was to locate and get to this specific location. He’s never been to this area of Konaha before, so he had to ask so many different people for directions. This place is apparently where his squad leader wishes to meet up at.  By using his amazing deducting skills, he’s figured out that his squad leader is probably a member of Konaha’s police force. That reasoning is perfect considering everything. The letter saying to come here is really the only evidence he has though. He sighs and heads on into the station. He’s spent enough time thinking to himself about nothing important.

Once inside, his eyes wander as he takes in the new environment. Many people were scurrying about with whatever important business they had. It was kind of oppressive to be honest. He felt a little small in this building. No one paid him any attention at all. Not even a sideways glance directed towards the genin. It made him realize just how much more he must do before he’s recognized by his own fellow shinobi. Imagine how long it would take to for him to become known around the shinobi world. He shakes the pessimistic thoughts from his head. No time to worry about the time it takes. The only thing to do is to work hard until he’s able to reach his goals. He’s already accomplished the first step by graduating from the Academy and becoming a genin, and now he is about to take another step by meeting up with his squad leader and squad members. From what he knows about squads, the individuals he’s about to meet will practically become family to him. He’ll have to work with them on missions, protect them from danger, and train and grow strong together with them. He hopes that they’re people who he can relate with in some way. It’d be a problem to be stuck with people who he can’t stand to be around.

He sighs and pulls out the letter that he received stating where the meeting area would be. His eyes scan the paper looking for the location, but all it says is the thirteenth floor. How many rooms are there on the thirteenth floor? How is he supposed to find the exact room unless…? He smirks thinking to himself that this must be some kind of a test. The sensei wants to see if they can at least locate his office using what’s around them. The solution to this problem is quite easy though. All he has to do is ask the lady at the front desk. He probably had to stop by there anyway to get some kind of pass. A police station wouldn’t allow anyone to just walk around unidentified. He walks over to the front desk and attempts to get the lady’s attention. “Hello, miss?” The lady eyes him and gives him a bright smile. “Why yes youngling. What may I do for you?” He returns the smile and looks down at his paper. “Um. Can you please give me the location of Kyohei sensei’s office? I have a letter here stating to meet him there.” The lady nods. “Sure.” She takes out a piece of paper and rights the office number on it before handing it to him. “You’ll find his office on the thirteenth floor. Good luck. Oh, and take a pass so we don’t have any mishaps.” She hands him a pass, and he nods before walking off towards the stairs. Time to finally meet his leader.

After a few minutes of waling up the stairs, he finally reaches the thirteenth floor. Why did this guy have to be on the thirteenth floor? What a climb. He walks down the hallway looking down at the numbers on the paper while reading each door. Finally, after a short time of searching, he’s standing right in front of the correct office. He raises a hand to knock but hesitates to do so. His mind wanders as thoughts of who he’s about to meet run wild in his head. What kind of person is this man? Is he actually a man? It’d be wrong to just think someone is a man just because of their name. How good of a shinobi is he or she? What kind of training would they do? What kind of missions would he or she take them on? What- He shakes his head a little violently to clear away the fog of thoughts. He takes a deep breath and knocks. No time for overthinking things now. He’s here, so he might as well just dive in. He waits patiently for an answer as his mind refuses to stay calm and returns to questioning everything.

860|860

Turning the letter she’d received not days before idly over and over in her hands, Supaku walked purposefully through the early morning streets of Konohagakure. It was early morning with not a cloud in the sky, and if she had timed it correctly she would arrive at the Military Police Headquarters building with time enough to both catch her breath and figure out where exactly she was supposed to be going. She was equal parts excited, nervous and full of that competitive fire that she’d been missing since her last mission. She was being assigned to a squad, and not to just any squad, oh no. She was to be assigned to the squad of none other than Uchiha, Kyohei; a detective in the Konohagakure Military Police. It was fairly prestigious as far as she was concerned, and she was certain that it would aid in her attaining the connections she needed to further her goal of becoming Hokage once she was strong enough. She had dressed with extra care that morning with that very thought in mind. She was not overly familiar with the dress code for the Konohagakure Military Police, however she gleaned some information through observation and study. She had chosen to wear practical garments, tight fitting shorts beneath her red dress, assuring ease of movement and no immodest mishaps.

As her destination loomed into view she looked at the letter once more before folding it up neatly and placing it into her pocket.  The one piece of information that seemed to have been left out was where precisely in the building her new Sensei was to be located. It caused Supaku some mild anxiety, and she swept her hand across her face in agitation, moving her lavender bangs off of her forehead protector through force of habit. “It’s no big deal Supaku, you’ve got time.” She muttered quietly to herself as she walked up the steps and made her way through the imposing doors into the building proper. Once inside she had to blink several times to let her eyes adjust to the new light level, spots of light marring her vision momentarily as she searched for any indication of where she was supposed to go. She silently cursed her lack of preparedness, had she been thinking clearly and not spending every possible waking moment with Anon she would have come here as soon as she had received the letter to learn the layout ahead of time. A smile spread across the woman’s face as she spied the front desk and walked up, still thinking of Anon, to ask a woman sitting there for assistance.

“Excuse me, my name is Hyuga, Supaku and I’m looking for Uchiha, Kyohei. I’m to report to him by 9:30 this morning, I’m going to be in his squad, however the letter I received didn’t actually state where I was supposed to meet him, other than this building of course. Would you be able to tell me where I could find him?”

She waited expectantly for her question to be answered, a charming smile on her face as the woman at the desk flipped through some papers and pulled out a pass with a small metal clip that read ‘Visitor’. “Alright young lady, you’re going to take those stairs off to the left there, all the way up to the thirteenth floor, his office is marked but you better hurry it’s a long way up.” The woman handed her the pass and gave her a sympathetic smile before turning back to her paperwork. Supaku clipped the pass to the front of her dress, looked at the clock on the wall that clearly said 9:20 and bolted for the stairs. “Thank you!” She called out as she ran up the stairs, she wasn’t sure if she’d make it on time now, thirteen flights of stairs was not what she had in mind when she had prepared to arrive early.

Breathing heavily as she made her way onto the thirteenth floor, Supaku quickly looked about for Sensei Kyohei’s office, she had no idea how long it had taken her to race up the stairs but she hoped she wasn’t too late. Taking off down the hallway she skidded to a halt outside a door that already had a young man standing in front of it. She assumed that the young man was one of her fellow squad mates, and under ordinary circumstances she would have given him some sort of greeting, however at the moment she didn’t trust herself to speak without wheezing. With a quick glance at the name on the door to verify her assumption she would catch her breath, nod politely to the young man and stand with her shoulders back in as dignified a manner as a person could having just climbed approximately three hundred steps.

825

Zinan's eyes scanned the Konoha Military Police Station. He had been here before, when he first met Uchiha-sensei, but had tried to avoid coming here again. It was, after all, Kyohei-sensei's oasis away from the responsibilities of the village. Zinan watched as two genin, both of whom he vaguely recognized, entered the building, both with lost looks on their faces. They must be his new teammates. The Kumonosu scowled. He had hoped that he would be his teacher's only student. Defeated, he shrugged, supposing that having a team would be advantageous to him anyway. He could at least use them as distractions during a fight.

The Kumonosu stood from the bench upon which he waited and patted the collar of his cloak. The visitor pass was still clipped there. Reassured, Zinan made his way up to the thirteenth floor. He did not need to ask for directions, having already discovered the location of his sensei's office on his previous visit. He was in no rush to get upstairs though. Uchiha-sensei probably stayed up all night, digging through records of some long forgotten case, and was probably grouchy.

With a soft flick of his cloak, Zinan made his way towards the stairs. These thirteen flights were not going to climb themselves. Leaving a noticeable distance between himself and the lavender haired girl, Zinan climbed up the levels of the Police Headquarters. He made sure to keep his gaze downwards, as to not unnecessarily expose the girl to prying eyes.

The thirteen flights of stairs were longer than he remembered them being. Halfway through, he was even almost convinced that the Village had added several more floors to the building. Finally, though, the stairs leveled out at a landing. The door, which read "FLOOR 13" was slowly shutting; Zinan did not realize that he all but caught up to the lavender-haired girl. Catching the door before it shut, Zinan quietly opened it and entered. It seemed quieter than his first visit. The Police Chief was not slinging furniture or interns across the room. That was a good sign.

He noticed that the other two genin were waiting outside of Kyohei-sensei's door. Good, he had yet to open it. Stealthily, Zinan approached the two from behind, but made no move to alert them of his presence. He waited, patiently, behind the two of them, and masked his breathing.

---

WC: 405

---

Kyohei’s brooding would be interrupted by the sounds of knocking on his door. Glancing over at the clock on his wall, the Uchiha would see that it was 9:15 a.m. Expecting the visitors sent to him by the administration’s office, the man could only assume that this was a member of the group at his door. The detective grunted angrily at the thought of having given specific instructions regarding time only to have those instructions ignored. Just because they weren’t late didn’t mean they were “on time”. They certainly would not be doing themselves any favors trying to arrive early if the intention was to impress him with punctuality.

“Enter.”

Rather than a young shinobi entering the Uchiha’s office, however, it was one of his colleagues that approached him, extending his hand to offer a manila folder stuffed with paperwork. Having been the one to request these documents, Kyohei knew exactly what case the contents would pertain to. There had been a string of murders in the past few months. One that traced even further back than that if one were to track similar incidents in different countries before that time. The case was first brought to the attention of the Konoha Military Police force when civilian authorities had discovered the mutilated bodies of a family in the country side. The perpetrators were believed to be shinobi based on the methods used, which meant that the case was immediately escalated directly to the village.

The pattern seemed to depict a trail of sorts, one running down the continent from the smaller countries up north, down into the Land of Fire’s borders, in the direction of Konoha. At each and every crime scene authorities would find a symbol, one that most had thought lost to the annals of history, the symbol of Jashin. Given a particular cultist of that faith’s history with Konoha, according to old tales, any coincidence that one might have used to dismiss the pattern so clearly leaving a trail of blood on its way to the Hidden Leaf Village was to be put on the backburner. Even if it turned out to be nothing, at the very least solving this case would bring an end to a serial murderer. If it turned out to be the worst case scenario… it needed to be solved before the worst case scenario became a reality.

Taking the envelop in hand, Kyohei would thumb it open and begin flipping through the documents detailing the latest incident the department believed to be tied to the case. Methods and tools seemed similar enough, and once again that Jashin symbol found itself carved into surfaces with a blade and drawn in blood on the bodies of the victims. Even for a battle-hardened shinobi the photographs taken on the scene before cleanup were gruesome. It was evident that that there was some larger plan or conspiracy at work here. Everything was too uniform, too purposeful. The individuals behind the attacks were not taking any steps to cover up their tracks. They wanted people to know they were coming.

The two detectives would continue to go back and forth discussing details of the case, completely losing track of time as the subject matter moved towards putting together and deploying a task force to hunt down the perpetrators as soon as possible. The idea of simply waiting for them to make their next move and leave the citizens of the Land of Fire out to hand like lambs to the slaughter was completely untenable. Unfortunately they didn’t have a ton to work with in terms of locating the killer or killers. As they brainstormed ideas to smoke the actors out of hiding, Kyohei would once again find his train of thought interrupted by untimely knocking.

“Come in!”

---

641 | 1,197

His head turns to face whoever just popped up next to him. It’s a girl. He nods as a greeting after her nod, and his eyes trail her body registering her hair color, eye color, her clothing, and minor details about her body. He didn’t want her to think he was checking her out, so he quickly turns his head away and faces the door. His study of her features was just something he did because of how much he enjoys reading. Usually books require a person to pay attention to even the smallest of details, for that one detail may reveal several different secrets later on in the story. He usually only pays that much attention to detail on something he finds interesting though. If this girl is his squad mate, then she has already gained enough of his interests for him to look for certain details about her. Like for instance, he can tell that she probably doesn’t like being late to a meeting due to how out of breath she seems. She probably ran up the stairs just to be on time.

Funny how he didn’t notice the other person walk up to the two of them from behind. Maybe it was his nervousness about being thought of as a perv that kept him from noticing anything else in his surroundings. Now his mind is wondering if he has already ruined his image in front of his squad mate. That thought led to another and another, and now his head is swarming with pessimistic thoughts. He turns his head to look at the girl again, but is stopped by a voice coming from within the room on the other side of the door. Seems like they’ve been granted access into the room. He sighs mentally and moves his hand to open the door pulling it wide so it doesn’t shut on anyone else who walks in behind him.

He takes his steps into the room and instantly notices how they’re two people within. One of them is most definitely his squad’s leader. The question is: which one? It’d be impolite to just stand there, so he decides to word out his thoughts. “Um. Yes. My name is Poe: Sarutobi, Poe. I was sent a letter by Uchiha, Kyohei to meet here in his office by 9:30 AM. If you don’t mind me asking, which one of you is he?” He’s no good at greetings which is why he was seen as a solitary type of person back at the Academy. Hopefully, he didn’t offend anyone with the way he asked. Would it be considered offensive to not even know what his squad leader looks like. He wonders if his squad mates know of their leader’s identity.

473|1333

Finally managing to get her breathing somewhat under control she took a second glance at the young man beside her, she was relieved that she was able to look him more or less dead in the eye as he wasn’t that much taller than her. Which was becoming more of a rarity the more people she interacted with she had noticed. She hadn’t thought of herself as being especially short when she was younger, since everyone is quite short when they are young, but as she grew in age her body had stubbornly decided to cease in its vertical expansion. All it meant now was that Supaku had spent time researching different techniques such as wing chun, so that her small stature would not be a detriment to her in a combat situation. Being a taijutsu user and very short could be problematic she had discovered not too long ago, when she had been in the mine just outside of Konoha.

She would wait patiently with the other young man, until she heard a “Come in!” barked through the door in a deep and commanding male voice, she would hold her breath for a second as this was not quite the reception she was used to receiving from teachers. As the young man in front of her opened the door and passed through she would allow him to enter the room first, unlike her usual manner of pushing in past any of her competition, while there was merit to being first the phantom pain in her eyes that brought an uncomfortable expression to her face and made her eyes twinge slightly had taught her the value of not rushing into everything headlong out of some inane need to be the best. Supaku was pleased to see that the door was held open for her and was also momentarily confused as to why it was being held open for so long since she was already through, when she turned and saw another young man following her into the room. She cursed herself silently at her lack of awareness, being able to see her surrounding was sort of her whole thing, and she had failed utterly in a small hallway and it was frankly embarrassing.

Turning her attention to the other end of the room, she saw there was not one but two men at the desk, which was mildly irritating as she was now even more aware of her lack of preparedness. Why didn’t I take even a few minutes to come and check any of this out before now? Then I might at least know what he looks like. The two men were looking over a file folder with some intensity that made Supaku curious but not quite curious enough to ask about it just yet, she listened quietly as the young man she had first noticed introduced himself as Poe, and a Sarutobi at that. She was surprised by the admission, there were not many Sarutobi’s that she was aware of anymore, though he was quite young by the looks of things and so she kept her thoughts to herself, and would glance at the two men’s faces for any signs of interest at the name. Clearing her throat delicately Supaku would delicately take a step forward and addressing both of the men in front of her introduced herself. “Uchiha, Kyohei? My name is Hyuga, Supaku and I am to be assigned to your squad.” She would then bow politely and step back waiting what she assumed to be her third squad mate to speak up, or for either of the men to reveal the mystery of who was who.

616/1441

Zinan waited patiently behind the two other genin; having met their sensei before, he knew what to expect from the man. His first encounter with him had been intriguing and loud, though that was more on the part of the Konoha Military Police Force's Police Chief. He was a loud and boisterous man. Uchiha-sensei, on the other hand, was more withdrawn and taciturn. Someone that Zinan could get along well with.

The Kumonosu watched as the other genin suddenly discovered his presence among them. If the boy had noticed his presence, he did not show it, but the girl was almost like a scroll in her ability to read. Zinan had completely surprised her with his appearance. That was slightly alarming to him, as he had followed her all the way up the stairs. It would have been a different matter if he had come up the side of the building and through the window.

When they were summoned into the room, Zinan held back for a second. His first visit here was met by flying chairs and unconscious interns. He did not want to be a victim this day. After seeing his two counterparts enter into the room unharmed, Zinan followed them in. He hung back from the two of them still, but recognized their sensei in the room. He snapped to attention, softly punched his right fist into the clasp of his left hand and bowed at the waist. Rising from his formal bow, the genin slunk back against the nearest wall.

His attitude would get him in trouble yet, and he knew it. He was surprised that he was not knocked out during his first encounter with his sensei. Maybe he was testing his limits, maybe he was hard-headed, or maybe he was just an idiot. Whatever it may be, Zinan would speak his mind and do things his own way.

---

WC: 317
Total WC: 722

Kyohei’s eyes remained trained on the entrance to his office as the door slowly swung open, admitting Zinan and the two other children he was to be charged with the enter the space. Upon seeing that those at his door were not members of the Military Police Force’s investigative division, the Uchiha slammed the case folder shut in his hands. The contents of that file were both classified and above their pay grade. So long as this group of children were in the room, the detective’s debriefing and strategy meeting was over. The man said nothing as they each stepped forward and greeted him in their own way, instead simply throwing a glance over to the two chairs that sat facing his desk.

“Sit.”

Kyohei would proceed to gather all of the materials that he had previously placed down on his desk, stacking the folders and paperwork into a neat pile before sliding it over towards the second detective. Perhaps there may have been some benefit to reap or morsel of information to glean from spending more time reviewing the documents, but there were other matters to attend to. Besides, from all that he gathered the latest incident was just more of the same formula that the perpetrators had exhibited all along. Until there were new details or the department was ready to move towards a proper response, there was little more that needed to be discussed.

“I’m done with these for now. Report back to the chief and find out where the department stands on that task force. We can’t continue to sit idly by and wait for anymore incidents to occur.”

Kyohei quickly dismissed the second investigator, who would scurry out of the room with the stack of case files in hand. Resettling himself back into his chair, the Uchiha would place both elbows on his desk and lace his fingers together just in front of his chin, glowering back and forth between the three genin.

“You all already know my name, so let’s cut to the chase. You are no longer students and I’m not your homeroom teacher at the Academy. The moment that you all graduated and accepted the position of genin, you became shinobi of The Hidden Leaf Village. What you do from this day forward will not only be a direct reflection of your own value, but a reflection upon the name of Konohagakure as a whole.

If the Academy is your education, you can consider the genin rank as your internship. Your responsibilities will be limited in scope, obviously, but I fully expect you all to execute all tasks assigned to you, no matter how small, with the same diligence and professionalism that any jounin would. If that is beyond your abilities, tell me now and I’ll have the paperwork done to send you back to the Academy by the morning.

I have been charged with the task of guiding the three of you through the genin rank and until you are either promoted, at which point you will become fully-usable assets to the village, or cut from the program. I cannot do so, however, without a better idea of what I’m working with. I’ve obviously reviewed all of your files thoroughly, but there’s always something to be said from hearing the words directly from the source. Take turns. Stand and tell us a bit about yourself, why you’re here, and what your goals are. Having something to strive towards is invaluable for personal growth. Knowing what those goals are will allow me to determine how best to prepare you.”

---

610 | 1,807

His eyes moved to the files that were on the desk as Kyohei closed them. His naturally curiosity couldn’t help but wonder what information those files kept, but he is not here for the files. He is here to meet his squad. At least he could tell who his leader was by the way the man sitting at the desk told them to sit. No greeting it seems. Was it because they interrupted him while he was speaking with someone, or is it because he’s a really strict man? Poe couldn’t help but feel slightly intimidated. He quietly makes his way over to one of the open seats and sits. On his way there, he notices another person who looks around his age leaning against the wall. Was that guy always there. When did he appear? He suddenly feels slightly sick. He usually takes note of his surroundings all the time. For him to not notice that guy before, troubles him.

Then his squad leader begins speaking. His stomach tightens as he hears how much Kyohei expected from them. Poe knows that he’ll have to prove himself as a useful asset to the village, and he knew it isn’t going to be easy ranking up. Being threatened with being sent back to the academy causes thoughts of failure to rampage in his head. He never thought about getting sent back. That would mean that he wasn’t ready for this role. It’ll mean that he failed. He hated when thoughts like these entered his head. It made it hard to think of anything else or think optimistic. He takes a deep breath and calms himself. He’s not ready to introduce himself. His thoughts are just not where they need to be at the moment. Hopefully one of the other two speak up so he won’t have to start.

316|1649

Upon hearing the word ‘Sit’ Supaku knew immediately who was who. And she was also made aware of two other pieces of information; first that her new Sensei was not one for niceties it would seem, and second that he either had a slightly sadistic sense of humour or was waiting to see how the three of them would solve the puzzle of only two chairs and a direct order to sit in them. Either way, she was more concerned now than she was even in front of the Hyuga patriarch. Recognizing the problem with the chairs however, she would perch herself on the arm of the remaining chair and motion subtly to the third genin to come sit beside her. If the young man came to join her all the better, if not she would attempt to make it look as natural as possible that she was not sitting on the actual ‘seat’ of the chair. Supaku watched with interest as Kyohei gathered up his papers and spoke to his colleague, she wasn’t sure what they were going over however being that they were in a police building she imagined it wasn’t good. She wasn’t making any effort to hide her curiosity, he was a detective after all and it was unlikely that she was being particularly guileful balancing carefully on the arm of a chair anyway.

As Kyohei spoke Supaku resisted the urge to physically shrink back away from him. The idea of being sent back to the Academy was a frightening one, and after what she had already been through with Genpaku, it was an idea she did not want any part of. She was fully committed to seeing her training through and the last thing she wanted was to throw in the towel, so to speak, and give up now. When he asked for them to stand up and talk about themselves, why they were here and their goals, she felt her stomach clench. A few months prior she would have jumped at the opportunity to do this, but now she wasn’t so certain. Looking quickly at each of her fellow squad mates for a sign that she didn’t have to go first, and seeing none, she would stand and straighten her dress before speaking.

“About myself, I’m a Hyuga, obviously. So I practice taijutsu mainly, and when I’m not training I like to read or practice my sculpting. Up until very recently I spent most of my time training or researching.” She would pause and rub idly at the multitude of fresh scars that covered her arms, from the hooks that held her fast during her run in with the crazed Genpaku. A permanent reminder to her of why life is best lived and not studied. “I’m here because I want to get stronger, my goal is to one day become the Hokage. I love Konohagakure and all of it’s people and I want to keep it safe and strong, and the only way to do that I think is if I can be strong for it.”

With her heart pounding and limbs trembling she would seat herself again, checking to ensure that her armrest was still available. This was not the whole truth anymore, but it was close enough that she doubted anyone would call her on it. She would blink once as the colours in the room were wrong again, and as they returned to normal she waited for the others to speak.  

589/2030

Always a man of business, Zinan thought to himself as he watched Kyohei dismiss the other member of the Police Force. The other time that the genin had come to this office, Uchiha-sensei was all business then too. *Tsch* The sound escaped from Zinan's lips. A sign of distaste or annoyance. It was a common sound from the young man, so much so, that his own mother used to tease him for pretending to be Nara Shikamaru.

On the command to sit, Zinan eyed the two chairs and then the other two genin. They looked nervous and scared, much like his first visit to Police Headquarters. Narrowing his eyes, he watched them for a second. Neither one of them would think for themselves enough to grab a chair from the waiting room outside. He scowled when the girl perched herself on the arm of one of the chairs and the other genin shakily made his way to the other one. This is going to be interesting...

Zinan stepped out into the waiting room and snagged one of the chairs by an armrest and pulled it into the room. Once he had it cleared through the door, he hoisted it off the ground and carried it to the other two. He supposed that Uchiha-sensei would like them all situated next to each other. He placed it down with a soft plunk and sat down, just as the girl, Hyuga-san stood to introduce herself. A researcher and future Hokage, huh? Zinan thought sourly. How drab....

When she sat down, Zinan looked at the other genin, expecting him to rise. Realizing that he was too scared to do so, Zinan sucked his teeth again and stood. It was his first time saying anything in front of the other two.

"My name is Kumonosu Zinan, second heir of the Kumonosu Clan. I prefer to use ninjutsu to slow and entrap my enemies, only to finish them off with a sharp blade and a killing strike." Zinan took a breath, not to calm himself, but rather to let his new teammate take in what he said. He would not pass judgement on their intelligence, but would never assume that someone was smart without them proving otherwise. "One day, I want my name to be whispered in fear by criminals and enemies of the village. I want wrongdoers to fear the coming of Kumonosu Zinan."

It may have seemed melodramatic of Zinan to desire such things, but it was anything but. He was tired of living in his brother's shadow and desired to be recognized in the world. The genin slouched back into his chair and stared at the last one to speak, with a dark gaze. He would not suffer a coward in his team.

---

WC: 465
Total WC: 1187

Well, from what Kyohei could glean from his initial observations, these three were hardly disciplined and professional soldiers, but he already knew that to be true of Zinan. It was probably little more than wishful thinking on the Uchiha’s part that the other two would be put together enough to compensate for the third’s lack of polish. “Genin will be genin,” the man mused to himself as the group proceeded to respond to his prompt. The detective’s eyes narrowed at the new boy’s silent and shaky demeanor, finding such a pitiful display to be unsightly for one who’s existence was to serve as an extension of the village. Those same eyes would roll at Zinan’s childish bravado. The girl’s response was fine enough, although obviously he could not simply allow her to slide by unscathed. These three were sent to him to be made polished, after all.

“Is sitting in a chair properly a skill that is no longer deemed necessary at the Academy?”

There would be little confusion as to whom Kyohei was speaking, as there was only a single person in the room to which that statement could apply. And if that was not clear enough, the Uchiha’s smoldering glare would fall upon the Hyuga genin until she either sat down properly or decided to pick a fight over it. Assuming that the girl was smart enough to get the hint and not decide to get her career off to a very rocky start, the detective would move on to his next target, the single genin that had decided to remain silent. If the boy thought that his inability to take initiative had gone unnoticed, he would be sorely mistaken.

“You. Quiet boy. Is there a reason you believe you’re exempt from the instructions that you and your teammates were given?”

---

312 | 2,119

Poe was too into his thoughts and barely paid attention to the other two genin’s introductions. He did, however, get their names at least. Normally, his listening and awareness skills are of higher quality than this. His nerves are really getting to him. Really, he has no reason for being so nervous. Yes, he’s not the best at introductions or meeting new people, but he should be able to easily handle a basic conversation with his team. He’s feeling quite bad for being the only one for not saying anything, and the feeling worsens when Kyohei-sensei points it out. Why did he allow his own head to keep him from performing the simplest of tasks? It’s just an introduction. He didn’t even hear his comrades’ introduction because he was troubling himself so much with his own thoughts.

He closes his eyes and looks down taking a deep breath before forcing himself out of his chair. “I apologize for my... hesitation.” He takes another breath to calm his nerves. “My name is Sarutobi, Poe. I’m not the best at introductions or meeting new people which you have already witness. Again, I apologize. My reasons for wanting to be an acceptable asset to my village is because of my father. He was my role model who was a model ninja as well. He fought and died for Konaha. The best way I can think of honoring him back then was to follow in his footsteps and fight for Konaha just like he did.” His eyes that were shaky at the start of his introduction seemed to have steel a little as he gained courage from thinking of his father. He forced himself not to smile though. That’d probably come off as childish to his sensei. “I’m kind of living my dream right now, so I’m a little giddy and just thinking of failing really hit me hard. Again, I apologize once more for failing to pass your first assignment with the best of my ability sensei. I can't promise that i won't make anymore mistakes, but I promise that I'll try my best from now on.” He takes his seat and holds his breath. He feels like he overdid it by apologizing so much. He may have ruined his image more by it too. Oh boy. The negative thoughts are trying to come back again. Hopefully, Kyohei-sensei doesn’t kick him out or anything.

416|2065

Speaking about her dreams for her future and what she wanted to with her training had given her a modicum of confidence, which was quickly crushed again with a withering glare from her new Sensei. She hadn’t noticed any chairs in the hallway outside and had felt mildly annoyed that not only had her fellow squad mate not made any attempt to indicate his intentions but she’d been thanked for her consideration with a scowl. Goes to show that helping people really isn’t worth it sometimes Supaku. Maybe I should go back to just competing, at least that way, when I got admonished I would know it was fully deserved. Supaku briefly considered glaring back, after all she was not at all incapable of sitting properly in a chair that was the most ludicrous notion she had heard in quite some time. But of course her need to be perceived as competent and well liked by her superiors took over and she would merely stand, bow her head respectfully and sit down her temporary seat properly while adding a hasty “Of course Sensei, the Academy can hardly be to blame for my lack of etiquette. It won’t happen again.” She hoped it would be enough, and that it didn’t come across as snide, it wouldn’t be the first time she had been accused of back talking, and likely would not be the last. And if she was entirely honest with herself she was not entirely sure that it was not intended to be snide.

She found herself intrigued by her other two companions; Poe seemed reserved and shy, probably the easily startled type. His reasons for wanting to be a ninja were interesting enough and she could at least appreciate that he didn’t feel the need to brag. The other one, Zinan, seemed broody and full of contempt. Not a great thing in someone you were supposed to trust your life to, but he was more aggressive on the plus side. His hope of his name being whispered in fear had her raise an internal eyebrow. It seemed a bit outlandish, and the posturing was something she could do without, but then again she herself always felt the need to impress so who was she to judge. It was also not so very long ago that she had learned the importance of not underestimating people. Her former ‘squad’ mates, Yori and Ko, were just competition in her eyes as well and they had helped to save her life and helped her to regain her eyes. She would shift uncomfortably at the thought, and rubbed at her eyes as sharp phantom pains came to remind her of the unfortunate experience. She assumed that eventually the pain would stop altogether and that her eyes would return to normal, however for now while they were still healing it was quite irritating to put it mildly. Flashes of bright light and colour emanating from the people around her brought momentary distraction, and in an effort to bring her thoughts away from the discomfort and back to the present she spouted out the first thing that came to mind.

“Sensei, are we taking away from important Police work? I noticed you were working on something when we came in, maybe we could help you with it?”

558/2588

Zinan caught Kyohei's eye roll and his own eyes narrowed. It was Uchiha-sensei that had forced him to come to terms with his goal in life. It was Uchiha-sensei that had forced him to admit what he wanted to become, out loud and in front of the Police Chief. Uchiha-sensei had no right to roll his eyes at Zinan's response.

The Kumonosu boy slid his gaze to the Hyuuga girl when she was addressed. He had wondered why she sat the way that she did, when the trio first took their seats. Zinan found it odd that someone from the Hyuuga clan was responsible for such a breach in etiquette. It was extremely unlike their clan. Zinan had found them, like most of the "prominent" clans, stuffy and too stuck in their traditional views and customs. Her hasty response to their sensei earned a snort of derision from Zinan. A simple "yes, sensei" as she corrected her behavior would have been more than enough of a response.

When Poe was finally forced to speak, it became Zinan's turn to roll his eyes. The Sarutobi's reason for wanting to become a nin was so pure and honorable. Oh, I wanna become a ninja, just like my daddy was, Zinan thought mockingly. He almost spat with disgust. Zinan had it made very clear to him that trying to follow someone's footsteps or to become stronger than someone else is not a reason for being a ninja. It is a lie and an excuse to not be true to oneself. Then the Sarutobi boy started to try and explain himself and apologize. He audibly scoffed from the back of his throat. He wanted to lay into the child and berate him, but he would not do so without Sensei's opinion.

So, this is what I am stuck with. Two members from the 'prestigious' families of the village. Two green as grass genin. I bet that neither have actually seen combat.

His eyes fell back onto Supaku. She was offering their assistance for police work. Zinan looked at his sleeves and checked for a vest. There were no Konoha Military Police Force emblems sewn onto his sleeves and he was not wearing a flak vest, therefore, he was not the police and he would not do police work unless given an assignment to do so from the Hokage. Zinan stood from his chair, fixed his eyes forward, and muttered, "What a drag...", before bowing to Kyohei-sensei. "Kyohei-sensei, I will take my leave so that I may accomplish the task that you have given to me prior. Working in conjunction with the Konoha Military Police Force would only slow me down and prevent me from taking actions that could be beneficial to my job." He was being intentionally vague in front of his new teammates. This mission that his sensei had given him was specifically for him and no one else was to be involved in it. He turned from the desk and nodded to the other two genin before he headed out of the office.

[EXIT]

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WC: 522
Total WC: 1709