Here we go, finally meeting the Sensei, and the graduation test starts as well.
Santa believes in practical demonstrations.
I leaned back in my chair, cards stashed away, senbon out in my fingers, I was spinning it in short and sharp loops, one spiral that way, a sharp twist backward, and so on. It was partly to keep me centered, part effort to pass the time. We had gotten back early and still had almost half an hour before the jonin showed up. As we sat there, the rest of the class slowly filtered in, and I tuned the low murmur of conversation mostly out, while still listening for any interesting tidbits. One part focus, one part meditation. And one part free association. It worked fairly well. Part of me wanted to call it 'spinning leaf' but that was mostly ignored. I settled on 'Leaf on the Wind'. Well. Mentally. I never really had to explain that anyway. After all, to most of the world, I was zoned out, focused on the senbon dancing in my hands.
I listened as Asako tried to be courteous but not direct with Rise, drawing him into a conversation with only the faintest signs of flirting heading his way. Though, she was apparently pumping him for information, subtly, but yeah. I heard her convince Rise to start explaining his limitations with his clan jutsu, 'so we know how to work together'. Meanwhile, Tsuru was snarking with Kagawa, both arguing over some sort of match… which probably explains why they both have bruised arms. I heard spar said a few times, so it seemed it was more for banter then true argument.
The civilian born team was fairly excited, lots of not so quiet whispers going back and forth about missions and rumors from older years. Nothing new or true that I could pick up, but I listened all the same. The more interesting things were what wasn't said, what lurked in the silence. The team of Aburame. Hyuuga and Yato were enjoying a comfortable silence, with Inago reading a scroll, and Sho doodling and Shiva practicing Origami.
However, there was tension between the swordsman team. More precisely. Between Reiji and Shimoda. Both of them looked relaxed, but then they would glare at the other, the few times they matched glares they would lean in, and I could see the tension build before they would simultaneously grunt and break away. Honestly, it's the first fucking day. I bet it was some sort of swordsman pride thing.
My teammates were both relaxed and calm, which was nice. I would guess that Yumi is currently reviewing something based in the way her body is lazily relaxed but her eyes have furrowed slightly. As for Kohaku… she was pulling a stoic noble move, sitting there calm and composed. I heard the door slide open and my hands twitched, the senbon shooting down and into the sheath in my sleeve.
Moto sensei steppe din first, and sat down, as the six jounin sensei walked in one by one. I noted down each one and how they looked and focused especially on the only Yamanaka. My sensei.
He was tall and had his hair in the somewhat iconic golden ponytail I recognized from Ino in the anime. His face was chiseled, with a jaw that I could almost compare to that of Bruce Campbell, and his expression was focused. He did not look mean-hearted or stoic. Just attentive. I noticed as his eyes locked with mine, and flicked between the three members of my team, I gave a close-lipped smile and nodded, and he blinked, before smiling and nodding back. Moto-sensei was calling out the teams again and introducing each sensei.
When he finished, we were all released and one by one, all the teams left, following their sensei.
Santa-sensei lead us towards, not the training grounds as I expected, but to a small pavilion next to the market district. On the table, there was a small box and a small stack of folders.
As we settled in, the three of us sitting across the table from our sensei, he smiled.
"Greetings, as you heard I'm your sensei, Yamanaka Santa. Please refer to me as Santa-Sensei or just Sensei while we are either on a mission or informal settings. Before we begin, let's go around and list our skills, our goals for the next little while, and one thing you would like to focus on while I teach you. I, for instance, Specialize in Clan techniques, sensory abilities, combat strategy, and interrogation. I am planning to train you guys to take the chunin exam just over a year from now. I wish to refine my kenjustsu.
I paused to think, and Yumi looked at me, and then at Kohaku who was also in thought before huffing and beginning.
"Nara Yumi. Basic Nara clan shadow manipulation and capture jutsu, moderate stealth, moderate taijutsu, Academy three. I want to participate in a mission for stealth and recon. I want to learn genjutsu." she said, and then looked at me, and narrowed her eyes.
I Smiled disarmingly, hands up and eyes half-lidded. "Mah, Mah, relax Yumi-san. Hello, My name is Toru Shusho. I have fairly high sleight of hand, moderate misdirection, moderate shurikenjutsu, and tool use, and basic taijutsu. I also have rudimentary sealing and slightly more than moderate genjutsu skills, though most of those are rather unique. I wish to master a doton jutsu I have possession of and find my affinity. I would like to focus on Taijutsu and physical conditioning, as well as chakra control."
I kept my hands on the table, but as in finished I slid a hand sideways, sliding the palmed deck of cards out, and started to shuffle the deck that appeared as if from nowhere, making sensei blink for a split second.
Kohaku speaks up. "Kohaku Shimo, Moderate fire jutsu, specializing in small highly mobile attacks. High chakra control, low taijutsu, moderate stealth, and fairly high diplomatic training. I also have some experience with a quarterstaff. I would like to visit my family in the coming month, and want to practice taijutsu and work on my reserves."
Santa sensei smiled and nodded. "Good, good. Now, I've read your files," he pulls out three small scrolls from a pouch as he says this, "and know you are all fairly intuitive. So tell me, what type of team is this?"
I speak up first this time. "Either infiltration or high-profile diplomacy."
"Or investigative," Yumi speaks up, and Kohaku nods in agreement.
"You ae mostly right. There's also the potential for assassination or sabotage, but that depends on how things go and what you find yourself comfortable with."
II blink a bit in surprise at his bluntness but nod in agreement nonetheless.
"Now, I expect you may have heard rumors, but let me confirm it. Right now you have completed the academy requirements, but yous till have to beat my requirements. As such, I've set up a test for you. It has three parts." he pulls open the box and pulled out a scroll, a vial of blue something, and a book. Each has a picture set next to them, each a mug shot of a different person.
"These three objects need to be delivered to each of the three targets. They are currently hiding in the market district behind me with orders to evade and escape as civilians. The blue vial is a paint, that they will treat as a poison. You have to apply it to the skin. The book is encoded, you have to decipher the message and relay it to its target, the first target has the cipher. The scroll is sealed, you have to hand it off without it being opened, you can only get the location of the final target from the second after you give him the book." I looked it over and nodded, mind starting to race as I considered each objective. "Beyond that, I have a few chunin and independent genin helping me today. They have orders to either protect their targets or hunt you down. Now. Impress me." and with that, he used a shunshin to vanish.
I looked at my companions, and Yumi started before nodding. "Alright, here's how this is going to go down," she said, reaching for the supplies.
