Tsuneko had been summoned to the academy for a solo mission. She had been shuffled from squad to squad and now was a part of Otto Hozuki’s squad, a squad that consisted of just herself and the Special Jounin. She’d yet to have a meeting with him since she ran into him in Konohagakure. Perhaps he was away on a mission himself. With all of that, it looked like she’d better get used to doing solo missions. She had a group one in her queue with her old squad, but she’d had trouble tracking down Kei and was now uncertain if she’d be coming along now that the squads had been rearranged. She supposed that she’d have to work her way into it. She had her own secret mission in Kumo, and being a Genin, needed someone to accompany her there. Going with a squad would be the easiest way to get there.

That was something that she’d have to deal with another day, however. With the higher ranked ninja helping run the village while the Mizukage was away at the Summit, they could not spare the time to work with students, and so she had been called in to help out. Arriving at the newly rebuilt Academy, she found that a large group of students with one stressed-looking teacher were gathered outside. The young man saw her approach and came forward to greet her. “Are you the Genin sent to help out today?” She nodded, “My name’s Tsuneko Kaguya. What’s the plan for today?”

The man sighed, opening his hands in a gesture that spoke of the children around them and his helplessness. “Mr. Akihiko got called away on a mission, and I’m covering both of our classes. My name’s Satoru Suiren, by the way. Teaching this many in the classroom was nearly impossible. Class work isn’t nearly exciting enough to hold their attention, so I thought we’d work on some basic Taijutsu skills.” He noticed then that all of the students had started gathering around the pair. Tsuneko drew their eager eyes. She wore her Kirigakure forehead protector, as was expected of a ninja on a mission, and to those that were aspiring to earn their own, this was the biggest mark of prestige. “This is Ms. Tsuneko, a Genin who’ll be helping us out today. If you ever want to become Genin like her, you’re going to have to get stronger. Start running laps!” he called out to them. The students moved into action with only a few grumbles.

Satoru ran them through their paces: jogging, pushups, situps, and the like. Tsuneko moved through them, encouraging those who struggled and cajoling or harassing those that didn’t want to do it. Eventually they were warmed up and the teacher split the group in half. He had explained earlier to the Genin while the students were running that he would take the weaker half and suggested that she run spars with the stronger ones. She took her group over a bit away from the others. She used her shoe to draw out a moderately sized circle in the dirt outside the building.

“Alright guys. We’re going to pair up and have spars. The rules are: 1. Taijutsu only. 2. Stay within the circle. 3. Don’t kill each-other, you’ll have plenty of time to do that once you’ve graduated.” The students laughed, but she wasn’t really joking. There was a time when the graduation exam consisted of a fight to the death. That was no longer the case now, and although she specialized in Medical Ninjutsu, she didn’t want any injuries serious enough to warrant its use. She believed in allowing minor bumps and bruises to heal naturally; it taught the kids that there wasn’t always a quick fix, and ninja have to be able to deal with pain, because there won’t always be a medic there to patch them up.

The kids were eager to show off and the day passed quickly with her coaching them. “Stop looking over here! Look at your opponent. He’s all you should be worried about, not impressing Miss Yurika, here.” The students giggled and the target of her correction and Yurika both blushed a bright red. In another spar it was, “Stop flinching, Ryoma! It’s a fist, not a snake. Dodge it, block it, or take the blow and ready your counter-attack.” She became more comfortable as the day went on. Watching them spar caused her to learn things about herself and her own fighting. She also tended to get distracted by other thoughts, evidenced by the bandages on her hands and arms from a recent spar; it was an attack that she should have been able to dodge easily.

Before long, the school bell rang. The kids, for once, were disappointed. Practicing real combat skills was always more exciting than studying, and they knew that tomorrow they’d likely be back in the classroom being lectured to. Chattering excitedly about their successes or complaining about their bruises, the students went on their way, and she went over to see the Mr. Satoru. “Thanks for your work today, Tsuneko. I’ll turn in my report to the Mizukage’s assistant. You’re welcome back anytime,” he told her with a smile. “Thank you for having me. It was fun,” she replied truthfully. Turning, she went on her way.

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