After yelling to his Aburame squad-mate to get out of the way, he glanced down upon the bell he had just retrieved. It instantly vanished into thin air. Niko was bewildered and wondering how this could have transpired. He finally sumised that Tatsumaru had placed either a clone or "substitute" Tatsumaru in his stead that was captured by the Aburame's insects. With a burning rage at what just transpired, now the current task was to find the real Tatsumaru. 

Scanning the area, Niko notices that the Aburame escaped the attack unscathed, yet he has a lesser amount of insects with him. Looking towards the Naka River, the Hyuuga was spazzing out. The only explanation seemed to be that he was was under some type of Genjutsu. "The poor kid. I hope he knows how to release Genjutsu." Niko thought. Glancing once more at the Aburame, he wasn't distraught in any type of way, so the Genjutsu must have been aimed directly at the Hyuuga. That meant that attacks for him and the Aburame were yet to come. He got into his Jeet-Kune-Do stance and watched vigilantly in all directions, even upwards at the sky, and downwards, towards the ground.

Then suddenly, from the forest, three Tatsumarus emerged. Each charging at an individual student of his. Niko had no idea if any of them were the real Tatsumaru, or not. He assumed that their new sensei wanted to separate them all so they had a harder time to work as a team. 

Tatsumaru, whether it was the clone or real person, was continuing to charge towards Niko, and almost reaching him. Niko then decided to hit him with a few powerful Taijutsu moves and grab the bell, if in fact it was real. Staying in his stance, he readies himself as Tatsumaru approached him with a right kick towards his abdomen. Niko catches it mid-air and shifts Tatsumaru's leg to his right side. Then jumping, he uses the Leaf Whirlwind technique (In Japanese Romaji is  Konoha Senpū), and with rage with his sensei's deception, he began to unleash a powerful succession of high and low kicks on the abdomen of Tatsumaru. Before they hit, he knew exactly what he was going for: The bell. As soon as either Tatsumaru got hit or countered, he'd reach for the bell before their skirmish was over.

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OOC: Figured i'd try some perspective play. This post is split into three distinct viewpoints, each will be labeled, eg "Rinshi's viewpoint" this means it's the viewpoint of the clone with Rinshi.

Rinshi's Viewpoint

The clone headed towards Rinshi had a simple goal in mind; see if he could keep his cool. Rinshi was the most... hot headed of his students, it seemed, and if he could keep his cool under pressure he would past his test. It seemed the genjutsu had overwhelmed the poor lad, however, as Tatsumaru's kick towards his chest impacted with decent force, dragging Rinshi off his feet and sending him flying into the river. Rinshi dragged himself out of the river, his composure returning as the pain had snapped the Genjutsu. Once he ground himself back on dry land, he stood up and charged Tatsumaru, screaming some nonsense about his Hyuuga pride as he ran. His emotions overcame him, however, and as he dived in, flailing madly in an attempt to grab the bell, Tatsumaru simply flipped backwards, pulling the bell off his belt as he did so before dropping it down his own throat. Swallowing the bell with a sigh, he looked at Rinshi, a look of pure disappointment on his face. "Not good enough." he barked, raw disgust on his face. "You're too emotional, dammit. You lose your cool and charge in like a madman. That will get you killed." As he spoke, Tatsumaru removed a kunai from his belt, locking his eyes on Rinshi as he slit his own throat, exploding moments later.

Sojiro's viewpoint

The clone headed towards Sojiro had a simple goal in mind; assess Sojiro's reaction time and ability to control his bugs under pressure. Previously, he had acted with preparation and had backup, this time he would be on his own and unprepared. As a long range combatant he had to be able to deal with people getting close to him and trying to eliminate him, and if he could handle it, he would be allowed to obtain the bell, assuming he remembered to keep his mind on it, of course. Sojiro noticed his approach, and removed himself from atop the pole he was standing on. A good decision, to be sure. If he was caught mid-air he would be a dead man. As he leapt down, he was already gathering bugs to help defend himself. A wise choice indeed. Sojiro managed to form an impressive wall which, sure enough, blocked Tatsumaru's kick. The bugs swarmed him as soon as the kick impacted, covering his face. They exploded, causing some mild pain and forcing Tatsumaru to shut his eyes. AS that happened, Tatsumaru heard from the jingling on his belt that the bugs were taking the bell. Excellent.

Once Tatsumaru managed to open his eyes, he saw Sojiro holding the bell in his hand. He could'nt help but grin, he was proud of his student. He performed well, he proved his ability to react with decent timing against a close range assault without losing his cool, which was all Tatsumaru wanted. As soon as he saw the bell in Sojiro's hand, he grinned, dropping his fighting stance and instead placing his right hand on top of his head affectionately.

Niko's viewpoint

The real Tatsumaru sprinted towards Niko, planning on testing the young lad's combat abilities. He had already proven he had some proficiency in Katon based techniques, and he was clearly a Taijutsu user as well. There was only one thing left for Tatsumaru to test; his physical strength. He had to test the raw power of his blows so he could properly assess how good a shinobi he was. After all, they had already shown some decent teamwork abilities with their combination Fuuton Katon attack with the bugs, all he needed now was to assess their individual abilities. He would intentionally let Niko land a few firm blows, and, of course, see if he kept his goal in mind; the bell. If he did both of these things, Tatsumaru would willingly let him grab the bell. Tatsumaru threw his right foot towards Niko's chest, a blow he caught well with his hands. Admittedly, if Tatsumaru had gone all out, the boy's strength would have failed him and the blow would've sent him flying, but still, his technique was decent. Pulling his leg back from the genin's grip with ease, Tatsumaru braced himself as he waited for the blows that were sure to follow.

Niko kicked off the ground, throwing a well executed Leaf Whirlwind strike, which Tatsumaru blocked with his right forearm. It left a solid sting, just as he expected it would. As soon as Niko landed, he shot three sharp kicks into Tatsumaru's abdomen. The kicks weren't very strong, however, but still, Tatsumaru couldn't help but smile. He had decent form, and clearly had potential. Niko swung his left hand for the belt on Tatsumaru's waist, but Tatsumaru grasped his right hand around Niko's wrist before he grabbed the bell. Removing it from his belt with his left hand, Tatsumaru held it out to Niko, allowing him to take it from him before smiling.


"Good work!" Tatsumaru said in unison to both Sojiro and Niko. He had his two winners. They both had a lot to learn, but he would beat them into shape, one way or another. As for Rinshi, Tatsumaru wasn't sure what he would do with him, but he was clearly the underachiever of the group.

Tatsumaru flipped backwards, pulling the bell off his belt then disgustingly dropped it down his throat his hope fill.  Rinshi tumbled forward on his stomach and pushed himself up, he hunched over tired and out of breathe from his dive for the bell. He looked up at Tatsumaru who had looked at him with greatly disappointed and Rinshi wasn't to proud of himself either. Tatsumaru shouted at him, "Not good enough."  Rinshi stood straight up as the words echoed through his head Not good enough.  Not good enough.  Not good enough.  NOT GOOD ENOUGH!!! Tatsumaru continued speaking to him, "You're too emotional, dammit.”  Rinshi sighed as Tatsumaru paused.  ”You lose your cool and charge in like a madman. That will get you killed."  Rinshi felt his spirit sink, watching as Tatsumaru took out a kunai, stared at him and slit his throat.  Rinshi startled by Tatsumaru's action, ran towards him as he fell to his knees.  As Rinshi approached him he came to an abrupt halt, Tatsumaru had exploded into a cloud of smoke.  Rinshi balled his fist, ”Just a clone...”

Rinshi stood as a slight gust of wind whirled past him, he could feel the wind through his hair and clothes.  Rinshi stood where the clone had exploded and as he hung his head.  Rinshi balling his fist again and threw his head up looking at the sky, he looked up at a passing cloud that he believed resembled his father.  Rinshi heard a voice echo in his head, Rinshi. You've grown, but your mind is weak and your emotions overtake you.  You are strong and your pride is great but don't lose the head on your shoulders.  Rinshi's eyes widened as the voice sounded very much like his father.  Rinshi closed his eyes still holding his head to the sky, as he said softly.  ”I'm sorry father.  I promise, I won't ever fail you again.”  Rinshi opened his eyes, lowered his head and found his fellow team members had retrieved the bell from their teacher.  Rinshi jammed his hands in his pockets, and walked towards his teammates to congratulate them on their success of retrieving the bells.

Rinshi had a brief smirk on his face and said in a low tone that only he could hear, ”Thanks for the talk. Dad.”

Sojiro's plan worked to perfection as a small group of his insects emerged through his wall holding the bell. After commanding his insect wall to disperse Bokuden awaited Tatsumaru to regain his sight, dangling the bell in his left hand before the Uchiha. The man grinned in response before placing his hand onto Soiro's head and saying "Good work!" A quick scan of his surroundings revealed that the two other Tatsumarus had concluded their engagements with each of the other respective genin. The loud mouthed one who torched Sojiro's insects unfortunately seemed to have acquired a bell as well, while the Hyuga boy stood there in disappointment. "So, what now?" Sojiro asked, turning gaze back to his new instructor.

Three sharp kicks swiftly connected into Tatsumaru's abdomen with no resistance from the victim himself. With haste, Niko swiped for the bell that hung from the Uchiha's waist. In the instant before he reached the bell, Tatsumaru's right hand clutched upon Niko's wrist. He immediately thought "Shit! That was my chance!". Surprisingly, Niko witnessed Tatsumaru grab the bell with his free left hand. Bewildered, they disengaged and Tatsumaru had a smile on his face and extended the bell. 

He heard from in front of him and off in the distance near the Aburame a praise of "Good work!"

Glancing over at the Hyuuga, it seemed that he didn't recieve a bell. "That's too bad, I guess that Genjutsu got the best of him. Whatever the case, he seems to be the weakest link of the squad." Niko analyzed.

Still in a raging fury, Niko looks in disbelief at the sight in front of his eyes. The bell he had pursued since the beginning, was being offered as a token of working hard towards that goal. His anger was dying down slowly, and with an enraged face he reached for the bell. Just before he grabbed the bell, Niko started a punching motion with his right arm towards Tatsumaru's smiling face. Almost reaching his squad leader's mouth, he promptly stopped his fist and declared "In case you didn't know, I have a hot temper. I would've gone berserk on you and tried to kill you if your tricks ensued."

Then, with a smug grin on his face "I'm sure I would've been a worthy adversary against you, whether or not I'd be able to beat you."

Niko then motioned to attain the bell. Slowly grabbing the bell from Tatsumaru's hands while looking directly at Tatsumaru's face in a somewhat angry glare, he wanted to make his point known that he was a ego-charged, short fuse at times in the midst of battle. More importantly, Niko was itching to have a serious skirmish with Tatsumaru. He wouldn't do that as of now, seeing as how they both expended chakra. He'd want to do it when they were all fully charged and ready to go.

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Tatsumaru's smile didn't fade or budge an inch as Niko's fist launched itself towards his face. He allowed his student to extend the fist, and stop it in-front of his face. "In case you didn't know, I have a hot temper. I would've gone berserk on you and tried to kill you if your tricks ensued. I'm sure I would've been a worthy adversary against you, whether or not I'd be able to beat you." Tatsumaru remained silent and motionless as Niko spoke, his smile unwavering and his eyes still locked on his student. As soon as his hand grasped the bell, Tatsumaru vanished in a flicker. The sharp edge of a blade pressed itself against Niko's throat, the kunai in Tatsumaru's left hand digging just deep enough into the skin to draw a tiny bead of blood. His right hand was locked around Niko's right wrist, and his right foot planted it's heel firmly on the students right foot, helping to pin him in place. He held this position for a few moments before speaking, his tone of voice oozing with a sudden rush of blood lust. "I was going easy on you."


"So, what now?" Sojiro asked Tatsumaru, his gaze drifting across the field, analyzing his team mates. "Take the day off." Tatsumaru's clone spoke softly before forming the tiger seal, causing him to vanish in a sudden puff of smoke. The original Tatsumaru removed his knife from Niko's neck, driving his right kneecap into the genin's back, knocking him onto the ground face first. "The gates to the Uchiha Compound. 6 am, tomorrow morning. Don't be late, you'll regret it." as soon as he finished giving his squad their instructions, Tatsumaru turned towards the river, walking casually onto the surface of the water. The Uchiha compound rested on the shore of the Naka river, and if he simply walked down the river he would reach his home soon enough.

-exit thread-

Rinshi noticed the Tatsumaru near the Aburame kid vanish and it appeared he told him something. Unaware what It may be he shrugged off the thought and began walking towards the other kid who seemed to have pissed off the real Tatsumaru who in response drove his right knee into the white-haired boys back knocking him to the ground.  Tatsumaru then shouted to the three of them, "The gates to the Uchiha Compound. 6 am, tomorrow morning. Don't be late, you'll regret it."  Rinshi gulped in the mans cold statement. Tatsumaru had turned his back on the boy and proceeded across the river casual like.  Rinshi thought to himself, The Uchiha Compound, I thought that was off limits to all but members of the Uchiha clan.  No matter I don't wanna find out what happens to those who are late.  Rinshi proceeded to the boy, helping him to his feet.

The boy looked in pain, but Rinshi said with a smile on his face,  ”I don't think we got the chance to introduce ourselves my name is Rinshi, of the Hyuga clan as you may know. Well meet me at Ichiraku's at 9 pm. Be seeing ya.”  With a slight wave, Rinshi stuffed his hands in his pockets, turned his back to the boy, and began walking in the direction of the Aburame kid.  He had no time for another introduction of himself as he had other matters to take care of,  Rinshi quickly but politely told the Aburame kid,  ”Hey, we should get better acquainted, meet me at Ichiraku's tonight at 9.  Ciao”  Without stopping Rinshi began walking through the bushes the Aburame kid entered through earlies.

Rinshi now walking through the bushes vanished through the trees as he made his way home to take a much needed bath before he would hopefully get a chance to meet his new teammates.

-exit thread-

Tatsumaru replied to Sojiro, telling him to take the rest of the day off. "Fair enough, I have some work I need to get done anyway," Sojiro thought to himself, watching his new squad leader's clone disperse itself before his eyes, "So it was a Shadow Clone after all, huh?" The remaining Tatsumaru was apparently busy dealing with that arrogant prick of a squad mate Soijiro had. When he was done he shouted to the group to meet him at the Uchiha Compound at six o'clock the next morning. It was an interesting choice for a meeting location to say the least, but before anyone had a chance to question it Tatsumaru ran off.

The Hyuga boy then walked up to Sojiro and invited him to meet up at the Ichiraku ramen shop that night at nine o'clock. Before Sojiro had a chance to respond the boy ran off as well. "This group isn't one for prolonged conversation I see. Good." It was now just Sojiro and the other boy left on the training field. Bokuden refused to even acknowledge his squad mate and simply turned away and exited into the forest.

[Le Exit~]

Immediately after the bell was picked up by Niko, Tatsumaru disappeared at high speeds, only to show himself right behind his student. With kunai wielded by the Uchiha's left hand to his throat, his right hand and right foot disabling Niko's right-sided limbs, he had him subdued. Digging the kunai very softly into Niko's throat, slightly enough to make it bleed lightly. After a few moments, Tatsumaru said with fierceness and without the sense of pride he had for the white/grey haired young man he had seconds ago "I was going easy on you."

In his mind, Niko retorted "Obviously asshole, that's why I can't wait until we fight for real and without restraint."


Tatsumaru then removed the kunai knife from his student's neck and subsequently drove  his kneecap into the lower back of Niko. Due to this, the Hatake fell face-first onto the ground. Niko knew to restrain himself from any reactions to this. There was no reason to quarrel with Tatsumaru any further. His sensei then announced to everyone else in the squad "The gates to the Uchiha Compound. 6 am, tomorrow morning. Don't be late, you'll regret it." Then, without anything else to say, the Uchiha walked towards the Naka River, and began to casually stroll along it's surface.

Still on the ground, not for any particular reason, Niko decided to raise up onto his feet and begin his exit out of the area. Suddenly, with the help of the Hyuga boy, he was able to accomplish this. Once he was on his feet, he turned to the other white-haired boy, who then stated with a happy expression on his face  ”I don't think we got the chance to introduce ourselves. My name is Rinshi, of the Hyuga clan as you may know. Well meet me at Ichiraku's at 9 pm. Be seeing ya.”

Waving slightly to his new compatriot, Rinshi walked over to Aburame kid, briefly talked to him and the two both left towards the forest, yet in separate directions. Niko then thought "So it seems the Aburame be there too. With his disconnected personality and his obvious dislike of me and just about anyone else, he'll be difficult to deal with."

Dusting himself off, Niko then proceeded to go on his way as well.  He began thinking to himself about what had just and was planned to transpire over the next few days "So my Genin squad consists of an aggressive teacher, who happens to be an Uchiha, which explains his personality. I have a Hyuga kid who is a hothead, yet nice and positive approach with others. Then to top it all off, I'm squadmates with an Aburame, who seems to dislike everyone in the squad, and surely will become a nuisance in battle if he doesn't 'connect' with everyone else somehow."

Taking a deep breath, he stated bluntly "This whole squad thing will prove to be interesting..." and drifted into the forest on a route home.

-exit thread-

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