The Four of Konoha 5

Beneath the walls of a great cliff in a small grove sitting a few miles outside the village hidden in the leaf, a small figure leaned against the rocky wall. With a long, dark blue hair, his arms and lower chest covered by handwraps, it was none other than one amongst the most prodigious upcomers of Konoha's most feared clans - Jin Hyuga. The rising star of the Branch House had found himself waiting in silence beneath the canopy of the trees, for those he would soon call his 'team'.

They were not late, by any means - he, rather, was the one early, by his own choice. When he was given the location and time where the team he would be assigned to train with for the entire duration of his as a Genin, he took it upon himself to arrive early to give himself time to think - for the son of the Hyuga was...pensive. He had expected - as most did upon the completion of his entry exam, that he would become part of a team made up of other Genin of the Hidden Lead Village - two others whom he had come to know over the years. Yet when he was given the missive containing the names of his new squadmates, how comsiderable was his surprise when he has found to know neither of them! Not a single one of his soon to be team members hailed from the Hidden Leaf. He had known better than to complain about such an selection - a noble of his lineage, even when from the Branch House - would flourish regardless of the situation he had found himself in. Yet when his clan, too, raised not a single word of complaint - he knew that irregular events were afoot. Though he was not of the Main Branch, he was hailed by many as the next great talent of his house - a talent they would surely not wish to waste in a team comprised of useless dead weight. Something told him those two would not be standard ninja....

"At least I was not paired with that miserable witch Ichika.."
"You must not like her, I take?"

Immediately, the young genin turned to the voice - and his suspicions were almost immediately confirmed. For before him was a stranger sitting upon a large sphere, suspended mid air! Yet even more bizarre was the boy himself - his shaved head sporting three dots, and his clothing far unlike what he had seen others of his age wear. Although he had not received information upon this new squadmates, he was certain to be one of them. Yet Jin could not help but ask. "You...who are you? I have never seen you in the Acadeny. You are one of the exchange students, are you not?"

He had heard how a few of the other Ninja villages had sent Genin of their own to study in Konoha for the Chuunin Exams in an act of diplomacy towards the Hidden Leaf - he must have been one of them. "Yes...and no! I hail from a Fire Temple, located within his nation. "

Rising from his seated position, the young monk jumped deftly into the ground, and after a second, the large sphere crashed into the ground with the weight of a boulder, embedding itself within the ground! Producing an brush from within his sleeve, he assumed a pose!

"I am Kamotai Shinrō, a Painting Monk Ninja, and my Bloodline is of the Magnet Release!"

Turning his brush to Jin, he continued. "And you...you must be Jin of the Hyuga! Those colorless eyes leave little in the way of Mystery."

His flashy introduction at last done, Shinrō properly introduced himself, explaining his situation as one who had been trained by his original temple well over what was expected of a Genin - and was thus most easily admitted into the Hidden Leaf not as an exchange student, but as an standard member! He had finished moving his belongings to his new home that very same day. The two quickly struck up a conversation, and found themselves embroiled in friendly chatter.
"...You tellin' me you got to spend several years around cute priestess girls? Lucky bastard."
"Not so much when you've been raised alongside them...it was like having several dozen sisters and aunts..."
Shinrō shuddered, remembering the horrible, horrible memories.
"I'll take your word for it."

Suddenly, as they continued their conversation, they heared a loud, approaching noise. Turning to its origin, they saw what had caused it - who had caused it. For running towards them was a girl! Speeding through the Grove, she almost stumbled as she made her way to the two, screaming intelligibly! Yet as she ran, one of her feet was caught in a root, and she fell face first into the ground! Groaning in pain, she forced herself back up before stumbling to the two, breathing heavily as she did. The duo had become silent.
"Damnit...hah...you bastards...hiding out here...I've been looking for you for half an hour!" she spouted, between pants. The girl, who wore a rather revealing green dress and an eyepatch over her left eye, seemed to be in a horrible state. Jin, breaking from his surprise, cleaned his throat.

"You're Yuma Kouda, right?"
"Hmph...Seems you've got some brain left. I am Yuma...the greatest prodigy your pitiful village will ever see!" she stated proudly, before pointing an accusatory finger at Jin "I don't know how the hell you leaf njnja are still alive...how was i supposed to know this place?! I've never been here!"
"So has Shinrō here...the grove's not that big, either."
"Y-you..."

Yet as they continued to argue, Shinrō was silent - as he had been since the girl appeared. Having seen her run frantically and trip, then hearing her haughty bragging had inflicted upon him a rather strange feeling - an urge to strike this misplaced prode. He had the urge to bully her. He was no sadist - but the smugness irradiating from the girl was the complete opposite to the humbleness he had seen from the women of his temple his entire life - What better target for some harmless pranking?

However, his musings did not last, as the small circle of three was suddenly broken by a tall shadow - a shadow emanating from above the cliff! The figure had jumped through the air, and soon began to fall! It continued to fall, cutting through the air - and landed with a thunderous burst, throwing dirt and shattering several trees with it's impact! The three young ninja were wordlesaàas, shocked to the bone! And from the cloud of dirt, emerged a tall man covered in bandages! He stepped forth, twisting the brim of his conical hat!

"Greetings...I am Ezaki Tuto...And you are my students!"

The three could not speak, such was their shock. They had never heard of his man before, but his power was undeniable! Even now, they could feel the chakra flowing from him. Leaning upon a crooked tree, Ezaki continued to speak. "I'll jump introductions for now...I believe the best way to acquaint oneself is a proper fight. That's why your first mission...is to land a single hit on me. Just a single one of you doing it is enough. One hit, and you win. If i manage to immobilize you all, however, you lose."

The three students, until now silent, had mixed reactions. Yet they did not shrike back. Jin, grinning, was the first to break their silence. "If you underestimate us like that, Sensei...you'll have to change your lesson plans real soon." - he entered a fighting pose! Yet the Jonin did not leave his spot. "Hold up for a moment, I'm not finished." he replied, as his glare darkened. "If you fail this test...you will be stripped of your genin title and never allowed to retake the exam again!"

With such a revelation, the courage that the three had covered was struck a blow. Such a scenario was the worst case...even more so for the likes of Jin, whose life within the clan was entirely dependant on his success as a Ninja. Yet before he could hesitate, his instincts screamed at him to move! Throwing himself sideways at the last moment, he saw as a piece of tape missed him by a hair's breadth, embedding itself within the cliff wall! Ezaki had made the first attack!

"You have...two tries."

Pushed into a corner, the three genin found themselves with no option but to spring into action! Jin wasted no time, launching himself into combat with swift Taijutsu strikes aimed at their teacher. Yet, Ezaki proved elusive, effortlessly evading each blow as if he could predict Jin's every move. He dodged blow after blow - and then, as if pushing a button, struck him in the chest, knocking out the Byakugan wielder with extreme ease. With a deft twirl of his crimson tape, Ezaki swiftly redirected the battle, enveloping the trio in his tape before sending them hurtling southward into an open plain. They fell into the ground with minimal injuries, the move clearly made with the intent of moving them rather than hurting! Ezaki appeared but a few seconds later, casually strolling from the trees! It was quickly becoming obvious how large the height of experience between the four was.

But the two remaining students had not given up. With a quick recovery, Shinrō twirled his brush upon the floor, and from within it, several snake-like beasts made or Ink emerged from the ground!

"Ninja Art: Divine Beast Imitating Drawing!"

The snakes slithered throughout the field at amazing speed, and soon they were upon Ezaki! Yet, before they could strike, Ezaki swiftly countered, deploying his Enchanted Wagasa in a blur of motion, splattering the chakra infused paint across the ground as if it were a mere obstacle. And then, his body flickered, disappearing from sight. In a blink, he reappeared beside the young monk, striking with the butt of his umbrella against the back of Shinrō's head. With a swift and precise blow, the first of them was down! Yet the genin refused to resign themselves to defeat. Yuma, taking the lead, pulled away her eyepatch, revealing the frightful sight of the Red Kaleidoscope! Yet before she could ensnare him with the dreaded Genjutsu of the Sharingan, Ezaki's form dissipated into smoke! He had been a mere shadow clone! Before she knew it, Yuma's sight was suddenly enveloped, and she found herself in a world of darkness! Ezaki, who had been waiting for her to fall for his trick, had covered her eyes with his red sealing tape!

It was over! Their first 'chance' had ended in total failure! Ezaki, maintaining his silence, patiently awaited as the trio recovered their bearings and regrouped...Yuma, who was still blinded by the tapes, walked around aimlessly, angrily demanding to be freed. After getting tripped by the monk and falling into the dirt, she was finally let loose by Ezaki, the tape slipping from her face at his command. Ezaki sheathed his Wagasa and broke the silence. "Your generation is pathetic. Is this the best you can muster? You were clearly not yet ready to become Genin, so i'll be merciful this time. If you give up right now, you will be allowed to walk away. Otherwise, I'll take it upon myself to expel you from the Hidden Leaf itself!"

The fifth team was silent. They had come to feel firsthand the difference of power between the three of them and Ezaki Tuto. The distance between them felt like an unconquerable canyon that they could never hope to pass. And yet, despite that...

"I refuse!"
"I refuse!"
"I refuse!"

The three spoke, almost in unison! They knew that despite their distance in strength, they would never advance more if they gave up right then! This would be their limit! They would never get more powerful than they currently were! And so they risked it all - even if it meant to never graduate! Ezaki stared at them in silence. The three felt the thick tension, wondering if they had been too hasty. But suddenly...!

"You win!"

Ezaki's grim expression abruptly morphed, eradicating the tension as he threw an ridiculous pose! " You passed the true test... the test of perseverance! There are beings of far greater strength than you in this world. You must not yield to despair when confronted by such differences! That...was your first lesson!"he declared, nearly stumbling over his own leg in his enthusiasm, his red tapes fluttering in celebration! Overwhelmed by this this rollercoaster of spirits the three genin of team five collapsed to the ground, unconscious and utterly spent. Ezaki chuckled.

"Still, you're damn better than i was at your age...just how far can this new generation go?"

Edit Report
Pub: 04 Mar 2024 01:07 UTC
Edit: 05 Mar 2024 18:15 UTC
Views: 523